"Imagine a real world with mutations all around us, these people would be the new minority group. They would have all the crappy jobs -- the kind of stuff we "normal" people wouldn’t want to do. So these people would be the plumbers, the doormen, taxi drivers... you get the idea. So where can a monster go and get a little respect?

The movies.

Heck, monsters have been working in the movies for decades. But now the monsters aren't made, they are regular folks. They just have an affliction -- something that makes them look a little different from you and me. And that’s our story. These guys want their piece of the pie. They're moving on up, but not up to a deluxe apartment in the sky. They want to head out West, to the land of make believe... Hollywood California."

- artist Tone Rodriguez on Urban Monsters #1 (of 3) from Image Comics

Other comics to eyeball this week

Annja Creed jumps the mediums with Barbara Kesel and Renae De Liz to find trouble around a dig on Samuel Clemens in Rogue Angel: Teller of Tall Tales. Dig for it in the "R" titles of the far wall when you walk in the shop.

Got Bone? Jeff Smith returns to creating wholly in his own juice squirts with RASL. Dimension hopping art thief made of one half zen, one half user and abuser of the seedy sports in life. Look for this in black and white in the "R" titles of the far wall also.

Warren Ellis, Mike Wolfer and Raulo Caceres bring back the "Strange Kiss" world in Gravel. William Gravel gets messy in the magic part of his world and piles up the shell casings like spent waffle from the iron, dripping with syrup and looking to wrap those arteries up well and good. Shoot a look for this one in the "G" spot of the far wall.

Chad Lambert, Chad Hardin and Jake Bilbao squeeze between the cheeks of the two games (both being "groundbreaking" that there's nothing left to stand on but sand) of the franchise to slot in BloodRayne: Prime Cuts. Cup a "B" section of the comics wall.

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are back with more Criminal in Criminal 2. Thicker with more stuff to read and peel your lime-ridden eyeballs over. Second chance in hell they call it. And the title of it too. Yes, this line is largely redundant. In the "C" section of the Marvel comics side.

Didn't like the do of the second Terminator sequel? Then rejoice with apprehension as the familiar name of the director takes to comics in Jonathan Mostow's The Megas. Apparently, it's not the one about the cartoon. Who knows what the solicit is talking about. Right near the horror statues and busts cabinet with the rest of the Virgin Comics, you'll spot this.

When you see Mark Millar and a title with unrecognisable characters, you know it's part of his Millarworld project. Kick-Ass is no different. John Romita Jr on with the board on this and the cover of the first issue looks like a bloody punch indeed. Gloves not so bad for getting blood off the hands then. Find this one in the Marvel section with the "K."


 

Eat enough of your greens and your skin will not come to shine in the same hue or sheen. Clearly there must be a better way to have green skin outside of being blasted with gamma rays in the Marvel Universe. Body paint just won't do.

The Hulk. The Abomination. The Leader. The Harpy. Doc Samson. Born of gamma radiation, they represented a new chapter of humanity. Now, spawned through their respective DNA has come the next generation... the Gamma Corps. Recruited and trained by the enigmatic General Ryker, their mission is a simple one -- to kill the Incredible Hulk.

And considering he's facing 5-1 odds, is that a mission even this new and improved version of the Green Goliath can prevent?

World War Hulk: Gamma Corps #1 from Marvel Comics

Making up for lost time in the reading line leaves Civil War Chronicles to pick up run into one long connection of the many and the disparate parts of the comics event told in seven parts with hangers on.

Nothing to do with tuberculosis here as Asa Shumskas-Tait, Dennis Budd and Joe Caramanga get Consumed. Love is a battlefield and on this plane, a demon has sights for a possession.

Mike Carey and Dean Hyrapiet hit New Orleans and reawaken the spirits in Nicolas Cage's Voodoo Child. Oh how cold it is to be ice in the veins and a tuft of hair to control the doll.

Roy Thomas and Hugo Petrus adapt The Man In The Iron Mask by Alexander Dumas. Where a lowly prisoner in the Bastille is none other than the twin brother of King Louis XIV. No Leo here for those who were wanting that other adaptation.

Andy Diggle and Jock strip it bare and back for Green Arrow: Year One. One man and his arrow, many others and their guns. Fade to mayhem.

Four corners and Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Kyle Hotz hit it up on Annihilation: Conquest: Wraith. Spanking with the brand shiny, a character, a life and a warrior new to the working out of shoulders that are frozen solid into a hunch.

Slicing a cut in two listening to Friday the 13th: Pamela's Tale. Marc Andreyko and Shawn Moll peel the layer behind Jason Vorhees' mum, Mrs Vorhees. Yes, that is Pamela.

Anita Blake - Vampire Hunter: The First Death with Laurell K. Hamilton, Jonathon Green and Wellinton Alves takes two steps into the start of it all, with the first drip of red and that's not into a goblet.

Troy Wall, Mario Guevara, Juan Vlasco, Juanmar slam with three cherry lips with BloodRayne: Red Blood Run. Not happy when it's raining down in Mexico and see if you can pick up the reference here.

Hit it with the digits as the Fantastic Five return for a shot of the sun. Tom DeFalco, Ron Lim and Scott Koblish go rah-rah and that is so out of place as they split, run up and jumble into a mix with each other.

Trade of the week

From Marvel it's The Irredeemable Ant-Man: Volume 1: Low-Life by Robert Kirkman and Phil Hester. Superhero powers? Why settle to choose between either good or evil? How about a bit of the selfish and the greasy underhand? It's all about taking care of number one here, and that means looking out for no-one else.

 

Chopping, cutting or dicing things, for example, do well when under a fine super sharp edge. With a high refine on the slicing line, it puts less pressure in the arms and hands to overwork and overshoot. Keep things in control and it's a safer work environment.

Reason is, when the knife, axe or machete is a little blunt, it takes more effort in swinging and welding it to make a cut. All that wild swinging and extra energy can easily kick away into the arm or even the fine veneer of the tabletop.

Lest you're looking to turn things out to an axe and hatchet job, it really does pay to know what you're working with and the best materials to stock.

Unless, of course, the whole point at being at the table is to create as much mess as possible. Why then, forget about any sane advice and only keep in the fact that if you're working with chilli, you don't rub anywhere near eyes no matter what.

 

How many times the charm? This time, it's off the back with a charge from Kirk "Sticky" Jones hitting the Blade mantle. Bringing it back to form with vampires counting their nights before facing the Daywalker.

The star of three blockbuster movies and a hit television series is finally getting what he deserves - his very own ongoing comic series. Blade #1 sees the return of the Blade to his own comic and he’s taking on all comers, whether it be supervillain or supernatural.

Guest-starring Spider-Man, Blade #1 firmly plants the vampire hunter in the Marvel Universe as he has to help cure an undead Wall-Crawler who’s been turned into a vampire himself.

And if that wasn't enough, the Lord of the Undead, Dracula, makes an appearance. But what’s scarier than the most fearsome vampire in history? How about Blade having to face down an entire classroom of bloodsucking fourth graders? And all of this is just in the first issue!

The Blade team of Howard Chaykin (New Avengers, American Flagg) and Marc Guggenheim (Wolverine, CSI: Miami) along with breakout cover artist sensation Marko Djurdjevic are set to bring you the most action-packed comic on the stands each month. Get onboard for a suspenseful, edge-of-your seat monster mash of a comic set right in the heart of the Marvel Universe.

Tearing up the streets in search of the Brimstone Society, Rayne returns in Bloodrayne: Plague Of Dreams. A tale in three from Digital Webbing, with Troy Wall, Mark A. Robinson and Dustin Yee collecting donor samples from the line.

If vampires are not enough, then Avatar Press have Escape Of The Living Dead: Airborne. Nasty dead moving flesh as told by John Russo and Dheeraj Verma.

Zenescope Comics look at the lead up to Gwyneth Paltrow playing jill-in-the-box with Se7en: Gluttony. Raven Gregory and Tommy Castillo are first on the scene with a seven part tale that reads and leads into the Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt film with Kevin Spacey.

Patton Oswalt and Mike Ploog are just two to take a mug with Dwight T. Albatross' The Goon Noir from Dark Horse Comics. First in three of shorts with film and television stars ganging up to give their accounts.

Jesse Leon McCann, Min S. Ku and Jeff Albrecht hold on with a leash yanking Krypto The Super Dog for six issues from DC Comics. Who likes cats any way?

Remember the old Wetworks from way back? No? Yes? Doesn't matter. Mike Carey. Whilce Portacio and Trevor Scott go hunting on a recruitment drive to bring a new (sort of) team in Wetworks: Worldstorm from Wildstorm Comics.

Talking old school, Jeff Parker and Roger Cruz start an eight part lesson with the original members in X-Men: First Class.

Also from Marvel, but flying elsewhere, Union Jack in a four turn turn. Christos Gage and Mike Perkins run with the man in the flag as he tries to thwart a couple of terrorist attacks on London. Obviously.

 

Back in the saddle to once more dish out the western dirt on the crooks, it's the new old tale of that masked man. No Walker here in this blood of a Texas Ranger named John Reid. There is, however, plenty of it in the first issue, an origin refresher for those on the who and the why of the rider upon Silver and friend of Tonto.

Dynamite Entertainment, Brett Matthews, John Cassaday and Sergio Cariello with Dean White present the comic book event of 2006 - The Lone Ranger - rides again!

Written by Brett ("Firefly") Matthews and art directed by John ("Astonishing X-Men") Cassaday - who also provide each "dynamite" cover (that's right fans - Mr. Astonishing X-Men and Planetary is the single cover artist, THE LONE RANGER #1 also features veteran illustrator Sergio Cariello and colorist Dean ("Punisher") White.

The Lone Ranger #1 is an unrelenting tale of the West. A young man searches for revenge, only to find justice... and that he's something greater than he ever thought he could be.

Over in DC, it's an eight part Mystery In Space with Jim Starlin, Shane Davis, Matt Banning and Al Milgrom on the flight deck. Spanning wild regions of space, it begs and answers the question of "Who is the new Captain Comet?"

Thirty years on and Harvey Pekar returns with a new four-part American Splendour from Vertigo Comics. With art by Dean Haspiel, Ty Templeton, Hilary Barta, Greg Budgett and Gary Dumm, Glenn Fabry to help tell the stories, do things get bitter or better with age?

Clear waters in a Bad Moon Rising Special from Avatar Press. Brian Pulido and Wellington Alves work this tale of supernatural hack slash horror with what might be a hint of underlying romance. That could be well off the mark of course.

Speaking of Avatar Press and horror, Mike Wolfer handles the Escape of the Living Dead Fearbook.

Michael Avon Oeming and Ivan Brandon hit The Cross Bronx at Image Comics. It's New York on highs and lows and when an assassin guns down the bottom tier gang bangers, Detective Ortiz checks in with comatose girl for answers.

Peter David and Pascal Alixe return to Neil Gaiman's pocket (un)reality in Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four. Told in five, Doom returns, but for reason which remain unclear.

 

There's a changing of the guard and with the new Atom, it's even a changing of the race. Teacher is gone and it's now over to the student to take over the role of slightly diminishing turns.

The startling adventures of the new Atom begin in this series based on concepts developed by comics superstar Grant Morrison, written by Gail Simone (VILLAINS UNITED) with Art by John Byrne (ACTION COMICS) and Trevor Scott (THE AUTHORITY) and gorgeous covers by Ariel Olivetti (SPACE GHOST)!

Strange things have been happening in Ivy Town since Ray Palmer disappeared. In fact, it appears that the whole town's been experimented on for decades.

Enter Ryan Choi - the young hotshot professor who's filling the empty slot on Ivy University's teaching staff... and who inadvertently ends up filling the old Atom's super-heroic shoes!

Can Choi make a difference in a town more creepy and mysterious than anyone ever realized? And can he live up to the towering legend of his predecessor?

Gold theme this anniversary, Battler Briton is a five parter from Wildstorm/DC Comics. Hitler, Nazis, the War sequel, it's all in October 1942.

Also from DC, OMAC.

Returning for a second volume, Death Jr from Image Comics.

Rosario Dawson, Image Comics and 12 Gauge hit the ghoulies with Occult Crimes Taskforce.

A Marvel Comics battle royale (with cheese) in the pages of Beyond. Where all and some of the hidden few (such as Gravity and The Hood) are dumped onto a planet and left to fight against each other.

Who knows what to make of Vampirella Revelations Book 2 Prototype Edition from Harris Comics.

Sir Richard Branson kicks into the comics scene with Virgin Comics. First out of the blasting blocks is Devi. Created by Shekhar Kapur it's about the warrior goddess Devi who fights the fight out of everyone's sight.

Devil's Due Publishing sees another of the Dragonlance Chronicles hitting the public's eyes like a dragon's spit on roast.

Avatar Press continues with the horror movie flavour in the Fearbook pages of Friday The 13th, Nightmare On Elm St and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Gory, gory, gory.

Transformers: Evolutions Hearts Of Steel from IDW Publishing throws the Autobots and Decepticons into our age of the Industrial Revolution. Bumblebee happens to be a steam drill in this. As slightly odd as being on Mars.

Dark Horse are taking the grit and roughness to another level for the Cimmerian in Conan And The Songs Of The Dead. A five part series beginning in the wretched wastes of Stygia.

From Desperado and Image Comics, comes Sidekick. Dirt pay as a sidekick for one superhero prompts Eddie Edison to gig as sidekicks for other superheroes. It's like running around having four jobs at once.

 

 

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