'What If?' Hits #200 This December

There are some pretty large gaps on the print runs of this title, but What If? hits its milestone issue #200 this December with stories penned by Marc Guggenheim and Stan Lee. 

What if? began its run in 1977 and ran through 1984 as a bimonthly title that featured alternate and often eerie takes on popular storylines (e.g. “What if Phoenix has lived?”, “What if Wolverine had killed the Hulk?” and so on). The stories are narrated by the Watcher and typically would end on a pretty dark note—the idea being that things probably played out for the best in the original tales. For example, in the Phoenix story Jean Grey goes completes nuts, kills all of the X-Men (in a truly gruesome fashion), and then destroys Earth.

This new What If? asks “What if Norman Osborn had won the siege of Asgard?” (by Guggenheim and artist Dave Wilkins) which clearly will start off dark and probably grow more so. Lee and Dale Eaglesham will explore an alternate version of the Fantastic Four classic “The Coming of Galactus” which was originally written by Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby.

I would love to see top tier writers and artists continue to take on popular storylines, even if only on a bimonthly schedule. Personally, I’d love to see “What if Steve Rogers reclaimed the mantle of Captain America?” or “What if Peter Parker and Mary Jane hadn’t made a pact with Mephisto?” The best What If? stories were the ones that contemplated seemingly positive alternate realities.

What If? #200 goes on sale on December 29^th.

Wednesday's Previews, 11/17/10 Releases

Batman Inc. #1

DC, Price: $3.99

Written by Grant Morrison; Art and cover by Yanick Paquette.

Grant Morrison continues his earth-shattering run on the Batman titles with this exciting, new ongoing series! Featuring; Art by the remarkable Yanick Paquette (Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer), Batman, Inc. marks the next stage of evolution for The Dark Knight. This can't-miss series will star not just Bruce Wayne as Batman, but also a huge number of guest-stars! Don't miss out on this all-new start to a stunning direction for Batman!

Batman: The Return (One-Shot)

DC, Price: $4.99

Written by Grant Morrison; Art by David Finch and Scott Williams; Cover by David Finch.

The event of the year is here! Bruce Wayne made his long journey back through the timestream in Return Of Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Damian uncovered important secrets in Batman and Robin, Gotham City's bravest heroes made their mark in Bruce Wayne – The Road Home…and now it's time for Batman to return! What happens to Dick Grayson now that the "real" Batman is back? How will Bruce Wayne handle a reunion with his son, Damian? This special one-shot bridges two exciting eras of The Dark Knight and sets up a surprising new status quo that's just on the horizon.

Featuring the talents of Batman mastermind Grant Morrison and superstar artist David Finch providing interior art, this issue is a can't-miss for comics fans!

Avengers #7

Marvel, Price: $3.99

Written by Brian Michael Bendis; Art and cover by John Romita, Jr.

I Am An Avenger! Plus: another chapter in the oral history of the Avengers!

Osborn #1 (of 4)

Marvel, Price: $3.99

Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick; Art by Emma Rios; Cover by Ben Oliver.

Big Time Hits Spider-Man's Greatest Enemy! The world's most dangerous felon is in the world's top supermax-security prison -- an institution so secret even the vice president doesn't know it exists. But can any cell contain Norman Osborn? After the events of SIEGE, the former Green Goblin, Iron Patriot and power-mad director of worldwide security isn't allowed to have a toothbrush...and he's surrounded by the deadliest criminals in the world. Lucky for Osborn, they're fans. Rising stars Kelly Sue DeConnick (Sif) and Emma Rios (Amazing Spider-Man) throw Osborn in the darkest hole the public's never seen! Featuring an all-new bonus story written by Warren Ellis (Thunderbolts)!

Spider-Girl #1

Marvel, Price: $3.99

Written by Edward Paul Tobin; Art by Clayton A. Henry; Cover by Barry Kitson.

Spinning from the “Grim Hunt” in Amazing Spider-Man! Not every fight can get resolved by punching someone in the face, but Spider-Girl’s gonna punch somebody anyway, just to make sure. Follow the swinging adventures of Anya Corazon, the Splendiferous Spider-Girl, as she balances the daily grind of teenage life with the bumps and bruises brought by banging bows with bad guys! Guest-starring the Fantastic Four and a villain that our hero could NEVER, EVER, EVER defeat. Paul Tobin (Spider-Man, Super Heroes) and Clayton Henry (Uncanny X-Men) present an all-new hero for an all-new era!

Thunderbolts #150

Marvel, Price: $4.99

Written by Jeffrey Scott Parker, Art by Kevin Walker; Cover by Greg Land.

Iron Man, Thor and the original Captain America guest-star in this 96-page 150th blow-out issue! First, in the 40-page lead story, The Thunderbolts reach their milestone as loudly as possible, when the golden figures of the Marvel Universe come to their gray world--none other than the Armored Avenger, the God of Thunder and the Super-Soldier! Thor has come to hold court with one of his people held in the women's wing of The Raft, and when his fellow Avengers join him, things go to a realm no one expected! Iron Man comes face-to-face with Ghost, the man who almost killed him, and Steve Rogers confronts the man who did kill him, Crossbones! Plus: character bios, key reprints and more surprises in the book that has IGN.com exclaiming: “Parker and Walker are injecting a bit of fun and excitement into the title…This is the most consistently enjoyable title with the Heroic Age banner and anyone looking for a great team book would do well to give Thunderbolts a read.”

Artifacts #3 (of 13)

Image, Price: $3.99

Written by Ron Marz; Art by Michael Broussard, Cover Kalman Andrasofszky.

Top Cow’s biggest event gets even bigger!

While Witchblade bearer Sara Pezzini and Darkness host Jackie Estacado form an uneasy alliance to search for their missing daughter, more of the all-powerful Artifacts are brought into play as Magdalena, Tom Judge and the Angelus join forces. But unbeknownst to any of them, the unseen villain is manipulating people and events to bring about the end of the world.

From Top Cow Universe architect Ron Marz (Witchblade, Angelus) and Top Cow superstar artist Michael Broussard (The Darkness) comes an event series, which will literally shake the Top Cow Universe to its foundation. Featuring a gorgeous cover by superstar artist Kalman Andrasofszky (Dazzler, R.E.B.E.L.S.).

Each issue will also feature a Top Cow Origin backup written by Marz and drawn by a superstar collection of artists.

Wednesday's Previews, 11/10/10 Releases

The Amazing Spider-Man #648

Marvel, Price: $3.99

Great jumping on point!

Written by Dan Slott; Art and Cover by Humberto Ramos.

“Big Time” begins! Big changes are happening for The Amazing Spider-Man: Bigger threats, bigger guest-stars, and a big opportunity that could turn Peter Parker’s life around! Which cast members are staying and who’s saying goodbye? Find out as we’re introduced to new characters and reintroduced to a number of Spidey villains as they make the triumphant return to the book! Plus: New developments for Mayor J. Jonah Jameson, the staff at Front Line, and The Sinister Six! The next chapter in Spider-Man history starts here! Guest starring the Avengers and the Fantastic Four in a giant-sized, 39 page lead feature! PLUS! An All-New Adventure featuring the All-New Spider-Girl! Paul Tobin & Clayton Henry bring a tale of action & intrigue, and make a strong argument for why you can sometimes send a Spider-Girl to do a Spider-Man’s job!

Ant-Man & The Wasp #1

Marvel, Price: $3.99

Written and Art by Tim Seeley; Cover by Salvador Espin.

Two of Marvel's smallest heroes must join forces and get over one BIG elephant-in-the-room! Eric O'Grady once stole the Ant-Man suit from Hank Pym. But now, Eric is the only one who knows about a secret AIM plot to steal Pym's greatest invention! Can the two men get along long enough to save the soul of the former Goliath, Bill Foster? Tim Seeley, creator of Hack/Slash brings us the big story of the two smallest Avengers! And make sure you check out this adventure before the astonishing events of Avengers Academy #7 next month!

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #3

Marvel, Price: $3.99

Written by Allan Heinberg; Art and Cover by Jim Cheung.

The return of Wanda Maximoff! The search for the Scarlet Witch is finally over as the Young Avengers find Wanda. But is she a hero or a villain? Is she still the Scarlet Witch? The battle over Wanda rages on as Avengers go up against the Young Avengers, Magneto clashes with Quicksilver, Wonder Man battles Wolverine, and the most powerful villain in the Marvel Universe conspires against them all so that he can possess Wanda himself.

Batgirl #15

DC, Price: $2.99

Great jumping on point!

Written by Bryan Q. Miller; Art by Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs; Cover by Dustin Nguyen.

It's a new year and a new look for Batgirl as superstar artist Dustin Nguyen (Detective Comics) joins the creative team! The unsinkable Stephanie Brown's second semester at Gotham U. starts like any other – new classes, new allies, a vigilante stalker – everything a gal could want! But what Gotham City's Batgirl isn't prepared for is the arrival of the mysterious "Order of the Scythe." Who are they, and why have they set their sights on her? "The Lesson" begins here!

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #6

DC, Price: $3.99

Written by Grant Morrison; Art by Lee Garbett and Walden Wong; Cover by Andy Kubert.

Grant Morrison and Batgirl artist Lee Garbett deliver the final chapter of this time-spanning epic! With Bruce Wayne just steps away from returning to present day Gotham City, the timestream might have a few more surprises in store for The Dark Knight! Do not miss this issue, as it paves the way for the shocking future era of Batman!

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents

DC: Price $3.99

Written by Nick Spencer; Art by CAFU and Bit; Cover by Frank Quitely.

Would you rather burn out or fade away? That's the question at the heart of this bold new series about a group of people who, for one reason or another, are at their wits' end until they're offered a chance to become superheroes. The catch? Their powers will kill them.

Writer Nick Spencer (Morning Glories) and artist CAFU (War of the Supermen) present a fresh take on the classic comics property, starring a new batch of recruits brought in to take over the original agents' mantles and make some difficult choices of their own – all while dealing with global threats the rest of the DCU doesn't even know exist!

Chew #15

Image, Price: $2.99

Written By John Layman; Art and Cover by Rob Guillory 

It's the final chapter of the "Just Desserts" and the biggest story in Chew history, figuratively and literally. As we reach the one-quarter mark of the Chew run, the last remaining major characters are introduced and an event transpires that is so shocking and unexpected that it changes the book forever, fundamentally and irrevocably.

And, as a special sloppy, wet kiss to everyone who has supported the book and helped it to succeed beyond our wildest expectations: Chew #15 is bonus-sized, with more story pages and a special Tri-Fold Poster Cover at no extra cost!

Halcyon #1 

Image, Price: $2.99

Written by Marc Guggenheim and Tara Butters; Art and Cover by Mark Englert and Ryan Bodenheim.

What happens when the never-ending battle for truth and justice ends?

From Collider Entertainment comes the next quantum leap forward in superheroes: Halcyon. The groundbreaking new series dares to ask: What happens when the superheroes win? What happens once there is no crime, no war?

The heroes of Utopian achieve their final victory only to face their greatest challenge ever. An all-star collaboration courtesy of Tara Butters (TV's Reaper), Marc Guggenheim (Amazing Spider-Man, Resurrection), Ryan Bodenheim (Red Mass for Mars), and Alisa Tager (Serenity).

27 #1

Image, Price: $3.50

Written by Charles Soule; Art by Renzo Podesta; Cover by W. Scott Forbes.

Hendrix, Cobain, Joplin, Morrison. All belong to the “27 Club,” which admits only the most brilliant musicians and artists…and kills them dead in their 27th year. Will Garland is a famous rock guitarist, secretly unable to play for months due to a neurological disorder afflicting his left hand. He’s also 27! With mad scientists, long dead rock legends and cosmic entities in his way, can he make it to 28?

Wednesday's Previews, 11/3/10 Releases

Absolute All-Star Superman
DC, Price: $99.99
Written by Grant Morrison; Art and cover by Frank Quitely.

The Eisner Award-winning 12-issue series from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely is now available in Absolute format! The Man of Steel battles Bizarro, Zibarro and more before facing the final revenge of Lex Luthor. Also includes a bonus sketchbook section and more!

Batman and Robin #16
DC, Price $3.99
Written by Grant Morrison; Art by Cameron Stewart; Cover by Frank Quitely.

Don't miss this fantastic finale as Batman and Robin's storyline connects with The Return Of Bruce Wayne! The climactic showdown between Batman and the Black Glove is finally here. It's payback time for The Dark Knight as Batman and Robin face the ultimate evil. Will Damian betray his father's legacy? Will Bruce Wayne return just in time to see Dick Grayson die? Plus, The Joker and Professor Pyg!

This is only the beginning of a startling new status quo for the Batman…

Superboy #1
DC, Price: $2.99
Written by Jeff Lemire; Art by Pier Gallo; Cover by Rafael Albuquerque.

Superboy is back in a brand-new ongoing series! Join Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth) and amazing up-and-coming artist Pier Gallo as they take Superboy on a journey to a side of Smallville not even Superman knows about! What mysteries lurk beneath the surface of this all-American town – and what are their direct ties to Superboy? The start of the next great DC Universe epic begins right here!

Generation Hope #1
Marvel, Price: $3.99
Written by Tim Bradstreet; Art and cover by Tim Bradstreet.

Spinning directly out of Uncanny X-Men comes the most important new X-Book in years: Generation Hope! When Hope Summers returned from the future she triggered the rebirth of the mutant gene. Five lights appeared on Cerebra and five mutants' powers came to life, but their activations have been chaotic and dangerous, nearly killing each of them. It was only the touch of Hope that saved their lives. With Rogue and the four new mutants who were gathered in Uncanny X-Men, Hope heads to Japan to join Cyclops, Wolverine and the fifth light. But will this new light be a hero or a villain? Only Kierongillen (Thor) and Salva Espin (Savage She-Hulk) know!

Scarlet #3
Icon, Price $3.95
Written by Brian Michael Bendis; Art and cover by Alex Maleev.

Here it is!! The latest chapter in the best reviewed, creator-owned comics sensation of the year! Scarlet has had enough and has planted her flag. The world is broken and she's going to fix it. But there are those who will not let this stand. In this issue you meet them. The sides are being drawn. The first issue sold out the same week it shipped! Are you going to let that happen to you again? Hop on the Scarlet train for a comic book experience unlike anything else out there! From the Eisner award-winning team behind Daredevil, Spider-Woman, the Avengers and Halo.

Strange Tales II #2
Marvel, Price $4.99
Written by: Kathryn Beaton, Nicholas Gurewitch, Jaime Hernandez, Gilbert Hernandez, Paul Hornschemeier, Scott Richardson, and Wayne Alex Robinson; Cover by Jaime Hernandez; Art by Kathryn Beaton, Nicholas Gurewitch, Jaime Hernandez, Gilbert Hernandez, Paul Hornschemeier, Scott Richardson, and Wayne Alex Robinson.

Marvel's critically acclaimed indie anthology returns! The best, most exciting cartoonists working today re-imagine Marvel's greatest characters in three giant-sized issues! And with no ads! Get excited, folks. Comics absolutely do not get more awesome than this! Don't miss out on what's guaranteed to be one of the best reads of the year!!!

Invincible #75
Image, Price $5.99
Written by Robert Kirkman; Art by Ryan Ottley, Cory Walker & Fco Plascencia; Cover Ryan Ottley & Fco Plascencia.
THE VILTRUMITE WAR CONTINUES!
Invincible and the Coalition of Planets bring the war to Planet Viltrum! All bets are off as the Coalition forces try to fight their way into the Viltrumite Empire's stronghold. Lives are lost, and the war reaches a turning point. This issue features as special, over-sized main story and an extra special Science Dog back-up story by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker.

Make-Up Tips... from the Set of 'The Walking Dead'

We're only four days away from Halloween... and the premiere of The Walking Dead on AMC.  If you're still undecided on your costume this year, check out this educational video by the special effects make-up artists on the new series.  Who knew transforming yourself into a flesh-eating zombie could be as easy as 1-2-3 (hours)?:

Zombie is the New Vampire: 'Marvel Zombies Supreme'

Mark Millar introduced zombies to the Ultimate Universe in the pages of Ultimate Fantastic Four. Robert Kirkman mined the idea to huge fan fervor shortly thereafter in Marvel Zombies. Since then, Marvel characters have been zombified several times over and the fans have been, excuse the inexcusable pun, eating it up.

In March 2011 Marvel will publish Marvel Zombies Supreme, a five-issue mini series featuring zombie versions of the Squadron Supreme—Marvel’s loose homage to the JLA. Writer Frank Marafino will bring the flesh eating nastiness to life with the aid of Artists Fernando Blanco. Credit cover artist Michael Komarck for setting the creepy tone this book aims to evoke.

From the Press Release:
Responding to a mysterious emergency call, Jill Harper and her super-crisis special-ops unit descend deep into the bowels of a top secret underground research facility. They discover that the demented experiments of an unhinged geneticist have placed them at ground zero of a brand new virulent zombie strain – one that has infected powerful superheroes. The Squadron Supreme, once heroic defenders of justice and utopian ideals, have been reduced to corpulent cannibalistic murderers with a voracious appetite for human flesh. Harper and her team fight against overwhelming odds to stop this ravenous zombie menace where it began – before it spreads out to devour the earth.

Wednesday's Previews, 10/27/10 Releases

Action Comics #894
Written by Paul Cornell; Co-feature written by Nick Spencer; Art by Pete Woods Co-feature art by RB Silva and Denis Frietas ; Cover by David Finch and Batt.

Guest-starring Death from Sandman! Yes, you read that right! Death! From Sandman! In Action Comics! Lex Luthor finds himself literally at Death's door, which leads to a fascinating look not only into the mind of one of the all-time greatest villains, but also at what Death means in the DC Universe…

And in the Jimmy Olsen co-feature, an alien race has chosen Metropolis to be the host of their millennial celebration! And who better to show them around town than James Bartholomew Olsen? But when the alien princess gets wasted and her brother starts picking bar fights, it's up to Jimmy to get things under control before all of Metropolis is destroyed!

Superman: Earth One
Written by J. Michael Straczynski; Art by Shane Davis and Sandra Hope; Cover by Shane Davis.

Forget everything you know about The Man of Steel and brace yourself for a staggering new take on the world's most popular Super Hero.

Best-selling, Hugo Award-winning writer J. Michael Straczynski (Brave and the Bold, Thor, Babylon 5) and red-hot rising star artist Shane Davis (Green Lantern, Superman/Batman) team up for this exciting launch of the Earth One graphic novel series. Set in an all-new continuity re-imagining DC's top heroes, Earth One is a new wave of original, stand-alone graphic novels produced by the top writers and artists in the industry. The groundbreaking new line rockets into effect right here with the Super Hero who started it all – Superman!

What would happen if the origin of The Man of Tomorrow were introduced today for the very first time? Return to Smallville and experience the journey of Earth's favorite adopted son as he grows from boy to Superman like you've never seen before!

Teen Titans #88
Great jumping on point!
Written by J.T. Krul; Art and cover by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood; 1:10 Variant cover by Adam Hughes.

It's here! A new day dawns for the Teen Titans, brought to you by the dynamic duo of J.T. Krul (Green Arrow, Blackest Night: Titans) and Nicola Scott (Wonder Woman, Secret Six)! Packed with action, steeped in emotion and featuring your favorite heroes, Teen Titans is ready to explode off the racks!

Starting right here, the team finds itself pushed in new directions and brought to new heights while also rediscovering its roots. With the rise of a mysterious new threat called the Feral Boys, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Raven, Beast Boy and the newly returned Ravager will have the chance to rebuild their camaraderie in the face of all that might endanger it. But if they discover the truth behind the Feral Boys, will they be able to stand together to face it? Find out here as the new era of the Teen Titans begins in this perfect jumping-on-point issue!

Captain America #611
Great jumping on point!
Written by Ed Brubaker; Art by Filipe Daniel Moreno de Andrade and Daniel Acuna; Cover by Marko Djurdjevic.

"The Trial of Captain America" begins here! Nothing will ever be the same again, and this time we mean it. Award-winning writer Ed Brubaker and acclaimed artist Butch Guice continue to take Captain America to new heights!

Fantastic Four #584
Written by Jonathan Hickman; Art by Stephen H. Epting; Cover by Alan Davis.

It's the return of Galactus, a trip to Nu-World, the Old Kings of Atlantis and Namor, the all-new Yancy Street Gang, and the day the Thing becomes human again. Join Jonathan Hickman and superstar artist Steve Epting in "Three, Part 2: 'Congratulations, Mr. Grimm...You're Human Again.'''

Incognito: Bad Influences #1
Written by Ed Brubaker; Art and cover by Sean Philips.

Last year’s breakout hit finally returns! By the award-winning team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. One of the biggest Hollywood options of the year, nominated for three Eisner Awards, Incognito is finally back for more! It’s apocalyptic pulp noir at its finest! It’s been over a year since Zack Overkill came out of Witness Protection to build a new life. But working for the government isn’t that different from being controlled by them, and his new secret identity is becoming more trouble than it’s worth! So what will Zack do when tasked with a mission that sends him on a hunt into darkest corners of the super-criminal underworld where he was raised? Also returning with Incognito are the exclusive Pulp magazine essays by Jess Nevins, Professor of pulp history, only available in the single issues of Incognito.

Wednesday's Second Chances
If you missed them the first (or second) time around, the third printing of Skull Kickers #1 (below), the second printing Fantastic Four #583, and the second printing of Artifacts #2 will be released this week.