Paul Dini’s “Batman: Streets of Gotham” follows Hush as Bruce Wayne doppelganger
The story of Hush continues in “Streets of Gotham,” as Hush, who has surgically altered himself to look like Bruce Wayne. Paul Dini is the regular writer, but Christopher Yost and Mike Benson provide some issues. Dustin Nguyen is the main artist.
“The Long Halloween,” “Hush” remain among best Batman tales
Since I’ve gotten on a Batman kick in my “2,011 in 2011″ comic-book reading challenge, I decided to revisit to of a couple of my favorite Batman stories, both written by Jeph Loeb.
(more…)
5 days until the new Ultimate Spider-Man
Marvel’s latest teaser for the new Ultimate Spider-Man starts to hint at the identity of the new person behind the mask.
“Ultimate Fallout” #4 is on sale 8/3/2011.
- Matt Price
Another day, another Ultimate Spider-Man teaser
With six days to go until the debut of the new Ultimate Spider-Man in “Ultimate Fallout” #4, Marvel has sent out another teaser image promoting the release.
- Matt Price
Norman’s Atomik Pop to close
Norman’s Atomik Pop, 918 W Main, closes Saturday after 27 years in business.
The store, previously known as Planet Comics and Southside Comics, reached new heights in popularity during the manga boom of the 2000s. But manager Bart Bush said via facebook that the economy, changes in consumer buying habits and overall rising expenses have led to the need to close the store. The Atomik Pop in Oklahoma City, 7884 S. Western, will remain open.
Full disclosure note: I am one of the owners of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, and so a lot of people would consider me to be in competition with Atomik Pop. I’ve never felt that way. I’ve always felt that Bart and his group were almost like teammates trying to raise the tide of comics in Norman with us. I’ve been deeply saddened by the store’s impending closure. There are few people in the state – heck, probably in the world – with the knowledge of Golden Age comics, early comics retail and comic book history like Bart, who opened the first comic shop in the state back in 1974. Atomik Pop owner Steve Richter also deserves credit for his years of making Atomik Pop a go-to destination store.
I told Bart personally, but I’ll also say publicly – the city will be worse off without Atomik Pop, which provided many fans their first comic-book exposure via its high-traffic location across from Norman High School. I even give Bart credit for my Jim Starlin fandom, as I’m pretty sure it was him who sold me on “Silver Surfer” back in the early 1990s. (I didn’t confirm this with him, so it could be faulty memory talking.)
My best wishes to the employees and customers of Atomik Pop. It’s always sad to see a favorite location close, and I encourage everyone to cherish their memories of it. I know that I will.
- Matt Price
“Captain America Corps” highlights heroes from different eras; plus more comic-book reviews
Captain America Corps 1-2
Roger Stern writes this miniseries, which gathers various Captain Americas through time and puts them up against a cosmic-level threat to the future. Philippe Briones, who drew 
“American Son,” is a good choice for art on this mini. The U.S. Agent, American Dream, Commander A, and an early-day Steve Rogers Captain America join a recent James Barnes Captain America as the only force who can overcome this totalitarian threat to the future. If you’re a longtime Cap fan, you’ll love how Stern dusts off various incarnations of the character. And if you’re a new fan from the films, the World War II Cap will be familiar — recent comics fans should be able to clue in to the pre-”Fear Itself” Bucky Cap.
Marvel teases new Ultimate Spider-Man in “Ultimate Fallout” #4
Marvel Comics sent out a teaser image promoting the debut of the new Ultimate Spider-Man in “Ultimate Fallout” #4, set for release next week. Are you excited about the new Spider-Man? Have you started following the Ultimate Universe more closely since the Death of Spider-Man storyline?
- Matt Price
Batman villain returns in “Heart of Hush”
Batman: Heart of Hush
Collecting “Detective Comics” #846-850 from Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen’s run on the title, “Heart of Hush” brings back the Batman villain Hush, created by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee in the “Hush” storyline.
Men want to be Superman, AskMen says
Christopher Reeve in "Superman II"
As part of AskMen’s 2011 Great Male Survey, men were asked which superhero they’d most want to be.
Superman took the top spot, with 32 percent of the vote. Rich guys Batman and Iron Man came in next, with 24 and 21 percent respectively.
“X-Men” (I guess presented as a group) received 17 percent of the vote, and Captain America finished with just 5 percent.
Get more survey results at AskMen.com.
- Matt Price
2,011 in 2011 comic-book reading challenge: week 28 and 29 recap
With 88 comic books read in the past 2 weeks, I’ve read 1,026 out of a planned 2,011 in my 2011 comic-book reading challenge. With 56 percent of the year over, I’ve read 51 percent of the comics I need to to meet my goal. The largest portion of my reading in the past 2 weeks were 20 issues of “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” from Marvel’s 1980s series, based on the Hasbro toy line, that have been recently reprinted by IDW. Click past the cut for breakdowns.
