HOT FIVE Extended Edition: Week of November 6, 2013

For the past year Senior Editor Matt Santori-Griffith has been bringing you Comicosity’s Hot Five. As some of you may have heard last week’s column was Matt’s final edition of your favorite rundown of the week’s top comic book releases. He has passed the proverbial torch on to me. My name is John Ernenputsch, and you may recognize my name from my reviews here on Comicosity, but if not let this column serve as my introduction to the rest of you.

As always, Hot Five will be “a short list of the top books we think you’ll want to be checking out. Be they new title launches, key issues or just continuing stories from some of the industry’s most acclaimed books, this list is your guaranteed gold for the week in the comic market.”

I’m not going to try and fix what works, but I will try and give you more of what you want. Starting this week every first Hot Five of the month will be extra sized! The first batch of books will be the usual top releases to look forward to this week. The second batch will put the spotlight on BRAND NEW comics coming out the rest of the month. These are new titles that you will want to be on the lookout for as you put together your monthly comic book budget. Now that’s enough talk, let’s get to the good stuff!

AC_Cv25_ou8kg3u2w9_ACTION COMICS #25
Written by Greg Pak
Art by Aaron Kuder
Published DC Comics

This BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in features the reintroduction of a major character! A cocky young Superman battles the forces of nature to save Gotham City, while a woman from his past tries to do the same thing on a smaller scale. But both are headed for a collision course…

Why It’s Hot: For the better part of the year the creative teams on Action Comics have been a rollercoaster, with no less than four writers. Readers hoping for some stability their prayers may have been answered in the form of writer Greg Pak and artist Aaron Kuder. Both have proven in recent months that they have a great handle on the Man of Steel, and his supporting cast. Throw in the fact that this issue also serves as a tie in to one of comic’s hottest stories, and you have yourself a book worth reading!

AMX2013001_DC11_LR-2AMAZING X-MEN #1
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Ed McGuinness
Published by Marvel Comics

An AMAZING new era for the X-Men starts here! Ever since his Nightcrawler’s death in X-MEN MESSIAH COMPLEX, the X-Men have been without their heart and soul. After learning that their friend may not be gone after all, it’s up to WOLVERINE, STORM, BEAST, ICEMAN, NORTHSTAR and FIRESTAR to find and bring back the fan favorite fuzzy blue elf!

Why It’s Hot: Hot off of Battle of the Atom, superstar writer Jason Aaron is joined by fellow superstar Ed McGuiness as they launch a new X-book that has been years in the making! Wolverine and his fellow X-Men will go through heaven and hell to save one of their own, as questions raised for the past few years in Wolverine and the X-Men will be answered! What’s up with the BAMF’s? What was with that Azazel appearance that never seemed to pay off? All will be revealed as the journey to rescue Nightcrawler begins this week!

CATAULS2013001_DC11_LRCATACLYSM: ULTIMATES LAST STAND #1
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Mark Bagely
Published by Marvel Comics

THE BIGGEST ULTIMATE EVENT YET! MARVEL’S GALACTUS VS. THE ULTIMATES
AGE OF ULTRON ripped a hole into the Ultimate Universe
GALACTUS came through…hungry
Is this the last stand of the Ultimate heroes?

Why It’s Hot: Thirteen years ago Brian Bendis and Mark Bagely created the Ultimate Universe with Ultimate Spider-Man #1. Over a decade later the architects behind one of the biggest comic book phenomenon of the 21st century are back… to destroy it? The Marvel Universe’s Galactus has been on a rampage in recent months in the Ultimate Universe, and has finally made it to Earth, and he is HUNGRY. Is this the end of the road for one of the most successful imprints in comics? Is this indeed the Ultimates’ last stand?

EARTH2_Cv17_f8kuicoufo_EARTH 2 #17
Written by Tom Taylor
Art by Nicola Scott, Trevor Scott
Published by DC Comics

Batman fights to keep Brutal and the forces of Darkseid from taking complete control of Earth!

Why It’s Hot: Earth 2 has consistently been one of DC’s best books since its launch, featuring the most culturally diverse cast in all of superhero comics, one of the premiere female artists in the industry and crazy action in every corner, Earth 2 has something for every superhero fan. There is no better time to jump on board as new writer Tom Taylor takes the reins. With the big reveals in issue 16, Taylor is jumping right into the fire as the heroes of Earth 2 find themselves against an unimaginable, unstoppable force working in the name of their deadliest enemy. If Taylor’s work on Injustice is any indication the best may be yet to come. Check out our interview with Taylor here: https://www.comicosity.com/interview-tom-taylor-earth2/

FEVIL_Cv3_ft1xszxtxe_FOREVER EVIL #3
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by David Finch
Published by DC Comics

The first universe-wide event of The New 52 continues to explode across the DC Universe! With the world under the rule of the mysterious and deadly Crime Syndicate and our greatest heroes dead, it’s up to the unlikeliest of defenders to rise up to save us—humanity’s only hope—Lex Luthor?! Plus, a startling revelation about the dark secret of the Syndicate’s mission on Earth—and what it means for the future of the DC Universe and its heroes and villains.

Why It’s Hot: Two of the biggest names in comics have gotten The New 52’s first mega universe spanning event off to a blistering start. With the Justice League seemingly dead and the world under the control of the Crime Syndicate times have never seemed so dire. Most events promise change, and don’t deliver, but with what Johns and Finch have been building with Forever Evil it seems impossible that the landscape of the DC Universe won’t be significantly altered!

There you have it, the first Hot Five in this new era! We aren’t done yet however. As promised, here are five brand new comics with new #1s to be on the lookout for this month!

EXTENDED EDITION BOOKS

AlexAda-01-0-cropped-e8af3ALEX + ADA #1
Written by Jonathan Luna & Sarah Vaughn
Art by Jonathan Luna
Published by Image Comics
Release Date: November 6th

From JONATHAN LUNA (GIRLS, THE SWORD, Spider-Woman, ULTRA) and SARAH VAUGHN (Sparkshooter) comes ALEX + ADA, a sci-fi drama set in the near future. The last thing in the world Alex wanted was an X5, the latest in realistic androids. But when Ada is dropped into his life, will Alex keep her? This will be JONATHAN LUNA’s return to comics after three years off since the end of THE SWORD!

Why It’s Hot: With Spike Jonze’s new movie Her getting rave reviews on the film festival circuit, and Fox’s new drama Almost Human set to hit televisions this month, the idea of telling a story that features some sort of relationship between a human and an artificial intelligence seems to be making an impression in the entertainment world, as our real world technology grows ever closer to what was once just sci-fi. Jonathan Luna returns to comics for the first time in over three years to make sure that comics aren’t missing out on the fun.

Harley-Quinn-0-cover-revise_3er6zd05zv_HARLEY QUINN #0
Written by Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by Darwyn Cooke, Sam Kieth, Tony S. Daniel, Paul Pope, Walter Simonson, Art Baltazar and others.
Published by DC Comics
Release Date: November 6th

This bombastic debut issue features art by award-winning illustrators including Darwyn Cooke, Sam Kieth, Tony S. Daniel, Paul Pope, Walter Simonson, Art Baltazar and others—but will any of them measure up to the exacting standards of the Clown Princess of Crime? Don’t miss the thrilling return of Harley Quinn in her own monthly series!

Why It’s Hot: Fan favorite creators Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti begin their run on a solo series for one of the most popular characters in comics with an ALL-STAR roster of artistic talent, along with the winner of the DC Talent Search Contest. This issue promises to capture Harley Quinn’s zaniness, as she breaks the 4th wall to choose who is good enough to be her artist.

umbral01_coverUMBRAL #1
Written by Antony Johnston
Art by Christopher Mitten
Published by Image Comics
Release Date: November 13th

“THE DAY DAWNED TWICE”
A NEW DARK FANTASY FROM THE CREATORS OF WASTELAND! The young thief called Rascal witnesses the horrific murder of the royal family — now the world’s dark legends will be relived, and only Rascal even knows it’s happening! Master worldbuilder ANTONY JOHNSTON (Dead Space, Daredevil) and his Wasteland co-creator CHRISTOPHER MITTEN (Batman, Criminal Macabre) bring you a new fantasy world rich in mythology, history, and blood! Extra-long first issue for the regular price of $2.99!

Why It’s Hot: Anybody who has read Johnston and Mitten’s Wasteland can attest to their world building abilities. The same creative team that built that world brings their craft over to Image for a brand new dark fantasy comic that has been described as “Dark Crystal meets Saga.” With that sort of promise combined with what we’ve seen of the book so far, and a special extra sized first issue for $2.99, Umbral should be on the radar of any fantasy fan!

comics-marvel-knights-x-menMARVEL KNIGHTS: X-MEN #1 (of 5)
Written by Brahm Revel
Art by Brahm Revel
Published by Marvel Comics
Release Date: November 13th

Marvel Knights presents Brahm Revel’s thrilling and dark X-Men adventure that asks: what happens when your past comes back to kill you? Wolverine, Kitty & Rogue set out on the road to rescue new mutants from being murdered. But their help may not be welcome in this backwoods town–and the murderer may be closer to them than they think.

Why It’s Hot: If anything, the amazing (no pun intended) first issue of Marvel Knights: Spider-Man showed readers that the new Marvel Knights was serious in bringing in some of the hottest indie talent in the industry to let them run wild within the Marvel Universe. Brahm Revel is one of those talents, and his book Guerillas from Oni Press seems to fit right in with what Marvel is trying to accomplish with this iteration of Marvel Knights.

BlackScience1BLACK SCIENCE #1
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Matteo Scalera & Dean White
Published by Image Comics
Release Date: November 27th

Grant McKay, former member of The Anarchistic Order of Scientists, has finally done the impossible: He has deciphered Black Science and punched through the barriers of reality. But what lies beyond the veil is not epiphany, but chaos. Now Grant and his team are lost, living ghosts shipwrecked on an infinite ocean of alien worlds, barreling through the long-forgotten, ancient, and unimaginable dark realms. The only way is forward. The only question is how far are they willing to go, and how much can they endure, to get home again?
Join writer RICK REMENDER and the superstar art team of MATTEO SCALERA & DEAN WHITE for this face-melting science fiction epic spanning the lifetimes of a cast of dimensional castaways lead by the man who caused it all.

Why It’s Hot: Rick Remender + Creator Owned + Sci-Fi = ‘Nuff Said.

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