The Secret's finally out! Pick of the week

With these series of teaser images released and the announcement that Ed Brubaker & Mike Deodato were the creative team behind a new title called "Secret Avengers" everybody pricked up their ears and took notice, wanting to know who was actually on the team to start with. One by one they were slowly announced; Moon Knight, Valkyrie, War Machine, Nova, Steve Rogers & Beast, (with Black Widow and Ant Man as well)so the stage was set and all we could do was salivate while waiting patiently for issue one to be released. And by God they didn't disappoint!

From the opening scene to the breathtaking cliffhanger at the end, Ed Brubaker takes you on a roller coaster journey that you could imagine being directed by JJ Abrams in a high budget Hollywood movie and the sensational artwork by Mike Deodato, polishes the story off perfectly like a fine piece of crystal, (wanting any spoilers? Hell No! Go to your Comic book store and prepare to be blown away!!) This is the best issue 1 from Marvel I've read since the, now iconic, first issue of Civil War! So as you're making your way to your local comic book store, put some extra coins in your pocket for Secret Avengers #1, you'll be so glad that you did!

An ode to Plamiotti and Conner's Powergirl

It was with some sadness that I read a few months ago that Jimmy Palmiotti & Amanda Conner were going to end their run on Powergirl with issue #12. All the way through their run, Power Girl has been a lighthearted, fun and refreshing read, a thing that is sorely lacking in the majority or mainstream characters nowadays (Spiderman & Superman are two titles that immediately spring to mind)Everything doesn't have to be grim and overly complicated, you can write a positive in a book today without it feeling lame. Add that with the awesome artwork of Amanda Conner then you've got an enjoyable title for all comic book fans and if you haven't bought the title (shame on you if you haven't) you can look forward to the graphic novel collection of their run.

Yesterday I read Powergirl #12 and I could do nothing but smile all the way through as they tied up all their story threads nicely with the same love and attention they've shown throughout their run before passing the torch onto Judd Winick and artist Sami Basri, (a few people I know have raised a few concerns regarding her haircut on the promo image for the new team but judge for yourself)

Thanks for the memories Jimmy, Amanda & Justin, you'll be sorely missed :'(

Heroic Pick of the Week

Going through my personal pick list this week, I've been reading through each of them to try and find this week's pick,(not mentioning any names of course!) Some were good, some were passable but nothing grabbed me like last week's Hulk's books which were last week's pick. So I went through the new shelves during a quiet period today, (Folk too busy basking in the sunshine I guess), and I picked up Age of Heroes #1 The book kicks of with a J.Jonah Jameson story by Kurt Busiek & Marko Djurdjevic. Now admitedly I did miss his last venture in Eye of the Camera but it was great to see Kurt back doing a Marvel story. Doctor Voodoo wasn't something I picked up either but the tale by Rick Remender was fast paced and exciting, and Paul Cornell & Lenoard Kirk made a welcome (if somewhat brief) return to Captain Britain and MI:13 where Captain Britain is asked to be an Avenger by Steve Rogers himself (How can you say no to him?). Putting the book down and my head began to spin with so many thoughts; first of all, this was the best anthology book I'd read since Marvel's three issue Strange Tales! Filled with first rate creators and top notch characters introducing you to Marvel's new "Heroic Age" theme, and the possibilities of how these stories could develop; (Are we looking at the death of MI:13 in a similar way Alpha Flight went? And if you wanna know what's happening with the Sorceror Supreme, check out the Previews of the New Avengers relaunch coming next month). And also if someone came into my shop wanting to get into comics and not knowing where to start, I'd give them a copy of Age of Heroes #1 cause it's a great jumping onto the new look Marvel Universe, a thing other publishing houses should look at when introducing a new direction or major event. Well done Marvel!

Creative minds wanted for C.B.C

Have you ever read a comic book and felt something's missing? After an issue, have you ever stopped and thought "I could do better than that!" Well fear not, Legacy Comics has the answer for you! Calling all aspiring writers and artists, we will be relaunching Comic Book Club (C.B.C) in July, a place where writers and artists can meet, throw idea's around and hopefully end up creating their own title under our own creator owned imprint! So if that's got your creative juices flowing then stay tuned as more details will follow...

A Guilty Pleasure; This week's (Double) pick!

Okay I'll admit, I was one of the people that looked upon Loeb & McGuiness' run on the Hulk with a mildly critical view, thinking (as I'm sure you all did at some point) when on earth were they gonna reveal the identity of the Red Hulk?! (so glad they got rid of the Rulk name!) But you could tell that is was building up to something, then came the relaunch of Incredible Hulk with #600 and the promise of the reveal of the Red Hulk's identity! Did it happen, sadly no, but the Red Hulk drained The Hulk out of Banner which only left The Red Hulk to fill the void, (and no, you still didn't get to know who it was! At this point you didn't know what was going to happen, only the promise that something big was on the horizon. Greg Pak took the reigns of The Incredible Hulk once again, after a successful run on the title with "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk" under his belt, and his returning arc "Banner & Son" was a fun and entertaining read. But to be honest I was happy that the Hulk had finally been rewarded with a second title after launching countless titles for other characters which have quickly become tiresome, mentioning no names (you know who you are!) Then the next big Hulk event was announced "Fall of the Hulks" which was an enjoyable read through both titles, and the ending for that story (Hulk #21 & Incredible Hulk #608) was just...WOW!

Now World War Hulks' kicked off into high gear and I'm hooked! Is it just me or there something bout the Hulk getting involved in an immense fight that just makes me smile? (An admitted guilty pleasure but that's between us dear reader).

So it's a big well done to Jeph Loeb, Ed Mcguiness, Greg Pak & Paul Pelletier for the months of build up and letting the fireworks go off with one hell of a bang! The end of Hulk #22 (where we FINALLY find out who the Red Hulk & Red She Hulk are) is a big wow, but read Incredible Hulk #609 after that and the ending there is even better!) I'm all for clever stories and complex twists as much as the next guy but when u read a comic that makes u remember what got you into the genre to begin with, now that's something special! Now I'm waiting for the next issues with baited breath and they can't come soon enough!!!

The New Legacy Comics Logo

Created by Shaky Kane

The Bulletproof coffin by David Hine & Shaky Kane

6-issue series written by David Hine [Spider-Man Noir, Civil War X-Men, District X, Silent War, Daredevil Redemption, The Brave and the Bold, Arkham Reborn, Detective Comics, Spawn, Strange Embrace, The FVZA etc.] and drawn by Shaky Kane, legend of British Comics [2000AD, New Musical Express, Revolver, Deadline, Bizarre, Monster Truck, Pinhead Nation, The A-Men etc.] Shaky is currently drawing the fourth issue. When the first issue hits the shelves in June, he’ll be starting on issue 6. This series will be complete, will be on time and you can see a slideshow of preview art from issues 2 – 4 here: “This makes me happy in my bits, so it does.” – Warren Ellis A look at the Bulletproofcoffin from Bleedingcool.com And if all that hasn't got your tastebuds salivating, David Hine & Shaky Kane will be in Legacy Comics June 25th between 12 - 5pm for a special signing!!

One Year on...

Thank you all for such an amazing 12 months, making Legacy Comics the success that it is today! Plans are already afoot to make Year 2 even more phenomenal so stay tuned and keep it Legacy :)