The Warriors ketchup on the plethora of comics they have read since the Christmas break. Sean Black also gives us his Smallville watching update as well as the San Diego Miyazaki Film Festival. The Warriors also review Superior Spider-Man. Is the new take on Spider-Man really superior? Is this a superior episode? Listen and find out.

Books reviewed include:

Come Back #3 (Image Comics)

Written by Ed Brisson; Art by Michael Walsh

Thunderbolts #2 & #3 (Marvel)

Written by Daniel Way; Art by Steve Dillion

Marvel The Untold Story

Written by Sean Howe

World Without a Superman (DC Comics)

Written by James Robinson & Greg Rucka; Art by Renato Guedes & Sidney Teles

Locke & Key Omega #2 (IDW Publishing)

Written by Joe Hill; Art by Gabriel Rodriguez

Avengers Arena #1 & 2 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Dennis Hopeless; Art by Kev Walker

Star Wars #1 (Dark Horse Comics)

Written by Brian Wood; Art by Carlso D’Anda

Thief of Thieves (Image Comics)

Written by Robert Kirkman, Nick Spencer & James Asmus; Art by Shawn Martinbrough

Iron Man #2 & 3 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Kerion Gillen; Art by Greg Land & Jay Leisten

Captain America #2 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Rick Remender; Art by John Romita Jr.

Fantastic Four #2 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Matt Fraction; Art by Mark Bagley

FF #2 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Matt Fraction; Art by Michael Allred

Indestructible Hulk (Marvel Comics)

Written by Mark Waid; Art by Leinil Yu

Retrowood: H.I. or L.O.

Written by Mike Vosburg; Art by Mike Vosburg

Superior Spider-Man #1 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Dan Slott; Art by Ryan Stegman

Fight for Comics Trivia:
Amazing Spider-Man #655 signed by Dan Slott.

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Episode #174 – Superior Podcast

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The Wednesday Warriors share their thanks for nothing in the aftermath of Thanksgiving. Sean Leslie finds the miracles that Lush’s bath bombs possess. The Warriors also welcome the heroes of our community, cows, in comic book form that is sure to entertain. Amazing Spider-Man #698 knocks the Warriors over in shock and gives them a feeling of Freaky Friday déjà vu as they debate when the events actually took place. And if all that wasn’t enough, Bryton also gives an early review of Ed Bruaker’s new original graphic novel, Scene of the Crime, drawn by his Gotham Central artists, Michael Lark and Sean Phillips.

Books reviewed include:

Amazing Cow Heroes #8 (Chik-Fil-A)

Written by Brian Smith; Art by Mike Hawthorne

Walking Dead S3:E7 (CW)

Indestructible Hulk #1 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Mark Waid; Art By Leinel Yu

Amazing Spider-Man #698 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Dan Slott; Art by Richard Elson

Captain America #1 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Rick Remender; Art by John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson

Hawkeye #4 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Matt Fraction; Art by Javier Pulido

Clone #1 (Image Comics)

Written by David Schulner; Art by Juan Jose Ryp

Uncanny X-Force #34 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Rick Remender; Art by Phil Noto

Scene of the Crime HC (Image Comics)

Written by Eddie Brubaker; Art Michael Lark, Sean Phillips

Fight for Comics Trivia:
Baltimore: The Plague Ships hardcover signed by writer and cover artist Mike Mignola.

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Episode #169 – Thanks for Nothingiving

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Sean Leslie is back after mysteriously getting the plague during last week’s episode. But the other warriors must have caught what he had as Sean is a lone warrior for this week’s episode. He is joined by Wes Warren and Jordan Waterman and they recap the highlights of Emerald City Comicon (which they all attended). merald City Comicon takes place in Seattle each year and much fun was had by all. They talk about the amazing art they were able to get their hands on (make sure you watch the image feed) and find out if they were able to get the top prize at the con, the limited Walking Dead Compendium Volume One hardcover. Trevor Rimmasch also joins to tell us what he has been reading (and thank heavens it is not Robocop). All this and the proper way to say The Strange Talents of Luther Strode in the latest edition of Fight for Comics.

Books reviewed include:

Fairest #1 (Vertigo)

Written by Bill Willingham; Art by Phil Jimenez & Andy Lanning

Hulk (Marvel Comics)

Written by Jeph Loeb; Art by Ed McGuinness & Dexter Vines

Super Dinosaur #9 (Image Comics)

Written by Robert Kirkman; Art by Jason Howard

The Strange Talents of Luther Strode #6 (Image Comics)

Written by Justin Jordan; Art by Tradd Moore

Fight for Comics Trivia Give-Away:

Playboy April 2012 which features and all-new six page Walking Dead story, signed by Robert Kirkman.

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Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Danny Miki
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99

I understand the reason for existence of Avengers Assemble.  After all, the Avengers movie is going to be the biggest superhero movie of the year so why not launch a new book to try and get some more interest in the Avengers and possibly pull in some new readers? You can maximize their exposure by having  it be the same roster that will show up in the feature film. Sadly, I cannot believe that with such a big launch, it’s a sub-par effort right out of the gate.

Brian Bendis has had the reigns of the Avengers franchise for some time now. Currently, he’s working on 3 Avengers titles and I guess that when you’ve probably written all you can about these characters, you have some duds here and there. This issue is exactly that. A book that doesn’t make a lot of sense and has some of the most uninteresting villains featured in the Zodiac, which is a group of 12 made up of each of the symbols of the zodiac. Thankfully, the one good thing is that it’s 12 superhumans and not just 12 guys in costumes for their sign. With a book that is clearly based on the soon to be summer blockbuster, why not go with something a bit more recognizable. The involvement of the Hulk seems to not fit with what is going on in Jason Aaron’s Hulk title. Are we working with dumb brute Hulk? That certainly doesn’t match what Aaron is doing with the Hulk. It’s the little inconsistencies like that which take the fun out of books like this.

The art is by Mark Bagley, who has worked with Brian Bendis on Ultimate Spider-Man. If you are a fan of his art, then it’s the same thing as with any other book. Bagley’s art is a good match for the action of the story.  His art doesn’t really blow anyone away, but he’s consistent and his style is perfect for super heroes.

This book does seem more in the all-ages vein. While I do like the darker tones of the more sophisticated material, it’s good that there’s material like this too. Marvel has struggled to keep an all-ages line that has seen various reboots over the years. This is a title in the current Marvel continuity and it’s a good title for younger kids to pick up. One can hope that the story works out a bit better in the next issue because the first issue isn’t anything spectacular and certainly not up to par with some of the other Avengers stories that Bendis has written.

It’s that time folks. Time for another astonishing edition of Comic Book Ketchup. Sean Black celebrates his birthday, but oddly not with us. Bryton is sick and stuck on the toilet. Luckily for us Justin Allred stops by to help Sean L. and Jonas review a plethora of books, the works of Moebius, the new black Invincible, and the latest Walking Dead episode. Plus listen for your chance at winning a copy of Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard #1 signed by David Peterson and Jeremy Bastian.

Books discussed:

Silver Surfer: Parable (Marvel Comics)

Written by Stan Lee; Art by Moebius

Invincible #89 (Image Comics)

Written by Robert Kirkman; Art by Ryan Ottley

Age of Apocalypse #1 (Marvel Comics)

Written by David Lapham; Art by Roberto De La Torre

Prophet #22 (Image Comics)

Written by Brandon Graham, Simon Roy & Fil Barlow; Art by Simon Roy & Fil Barlow

Dungeons & Dragons #15 (IDW Publishing)

Written by John Rogers; Art by Andrea Divito

The Manhattan Projects #1 (Image Comics)

Written by Jonathan Hickamn; Art by Nick Pitarra

The Incredible Hulk #5 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Jason Aaron; Art by Whilce Portacio & Rick Ketcham

Moon Knight #10 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Brian Michael Bendis; Art by Alex Maleev

The Cape #4 (IDW Publishing)

Written by Jason Ciaramella & Joe Hill; Art by Zach Howard

Road Rage #1 (IDW Publishing)

Written by Chris Ryall, Joe Hill & Stephen King; Art by Nelson Daniel

Ultimate Spider-Man #7 (Marvel Comics)

Written by Brian Michael Bendis; Art by Chris Samnee

Justice League #6 (DC Comics)

Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Jim Lee & Scott Williams

Fight for Comics Trivia Give-Away:

Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard #1 signed by writer/artist David Peterson and writer/artist Jeremy Bastian.

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With Jonas and Sean B. suspended, we’re joined by special guests Matt and Wes and run down a whole heap of comic books.

Books reviewed include:

The Shade #1 (DC Comics)
Written by James Robinson; Art by Cully Hamner

Spider-Island: Cloak & Dagger #3 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Nick Spenser; Art by Emma Rios

Wolverine & The X-Men (Marvel Comics)
Written by Jason Aaron; Art by Chris Bachalo

The Red Wing (Image Comics)
Written by Jonathan Hickman; Art by Nick Pitarra

The Incredible Hulk #1 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Jason Aaron; Art by Marc Silvestri

Legion of Monsters #1 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Dennis Hopeless; Art by Juan Doe

Catwoman #2 (DC Comics)
Written by Judd Winick; Art by Guillem March

Spaceman #1 (Vertigo)
Written by Brian Azzarello; Art by Eduardo Risso

Orchid #1 (Dark Horse Comics)
Written by Tom Morello; Art by Scott Hepburn

Marvel Two-in-One: The Thing and the Man Called Nova (Marvel Comics)
Written by Marv Wolfman; Art by Sal Buscema, Frank Giacoia, & Dave Hunt

Swamp Thing #3 (DC Comics)
Written by Scott Snyder; Art by Yanick Paquette & Victor Ibanez

Aquaman #2 (DC Comics)
Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Ivan Reis

Wolverine: Debt of Death One Shot (Marvel Comics)
Written by David Lapham; Art by David Aja

Holy Terror OGN (Legendary Comics)
Written and Drawn by Frank Miller

Crack Comics #63 (Image Comics)
Written and Drawn by VARIOUS

Daredevil #3-5 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Mark Waid; Art by Paulo Rivera & Marcos Martin

Last of the Greats #1 (Image Comics)
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov; Art by Brent Peeples

Justice League #2 (DC Comics)
Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Jim Lee

Mystic (Crossgen Comics)
Written by G. Willow Wilson; Art by David Lopez & Alvaro Lopez

Red Skull #4 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Greg Pak & Mirko Colak; Art by Mirko Colak

Moon Knight #6 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Brian Michael Bendis; Art by Alex Maleev

Superior #6 (Icon)
Written by Mark Millar; Art by Leinil Francis Yu & Gerry Alanguilan

Trivia Contest: Uncanny X-Men #500 signed by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Terry Dodson, and Rachel Dodson and X-Men: Curse of the Mutants #1 variant gatefold cover.

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