AudioShocker

It’s baaack. Reads You Need. This has been a busy week for me, but I want to let you know about a few comics that came out last Wednesday that you should be checking out.

The Last Defenders #1: This exceptional first issue is the best book I read from the whole stack of Wednesday, March 12. Joe Casey and Jim Muniz take the notion of an average, if not troubled, superhero team and reinvent it for the post-Civil War Marvel Universe. It’s almost like a superhero sitcom full of sci-fi, big fights, and quirky characters (with Nighthawk at the center of the storm). The writing takes chances but it still provides solid traditional superhero story elements.

The 99 #6: If you follow my weekly posts on here at all, you probably know how much I love The 99. I even emailed scripter Fabian Nicieza to see if he would like to do an interview on the AudioShocker podcast. He graciously declined due to the fact that Stuart Moore is soon to be the new series writer. Still, this issue by Nicieza is terrific and well worth picking up.

Wonder Woman #18: I tried this series earlier in its relaunch and it just didn’t do it for me. But the combination of Gail Simone and Bernard Chang is stupendous in this issue, and I highly recommend you pick it up. Chang’s art is a fantastic blend of Steve Dillon and Aaron Lopresti, bringing both grace and personality to the page. Simone’s story is solid and fun, promising more great future issues.

On a side note, comic fans should keep their eyes glued to the AudioShocker site tomorrow as we release an interview with Gotham Chopra, the creative director behind the upstart comic book publisher, Virgin Comics. Gotham talks about the difficulties of launching a new comic book publisher. He discusses his experiences working with creative talent such as Nic Cage, John Woo, Jenna Jameson, and many more. And at the end of the episode, Gotham makes an exclusive announcement about the next celebrity soon to work with Virgin Comics.