Sky Doll #1
Marvel Comics' planned foray into European comics begins with an English edition of Sky Doll #1. In a fictitious universe, the papacies of spiritual love and sexual love fall into conflict. The main character, Noa, is a female looking android without rights, designed to serve the desires of the state.

Reviews

Weekly Wanderlust - Shipped April 30, 2008
A look back at some of the comics that shipped the previous week. This time around we have three titles-- Crawl Space: XXXombies #4 (of 4), DC Universe 0, Jack of Fables #22-- but have also cast our vote for best Free Comic Book Day comic: Hellboy.

Weekly Wanderlust - Shipped April 23, 2008
After a brief hiatus, Weekly Wanderlust is back with a look at some of the books that shipped the previous week. This time around: Countdown to Final Crisis #1, Fables #72, Justice League of America #20, The Mighty Avengers #12.

Batman #675
Seriously, this artwork isn't fit for anything DC publishes, and especially not Batman. There's a damn movie coming out right away, and instead of something a company would hope has the ability to draw new readers in.

Necessary Evil #5
Where can one go to take classes like "Cheating on your Taxes" and "Dark Alley Muggings 101"? Why, to the Necessary Evil Academy, of course! Since I am a high school teacher by day and a comic book fan by night, I had to check out Necessary Evil when I saw it solicited a few months ago.

War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #1 - #2 (of 5)
Garth Ennis' first Marvel project since leaving the much loved Max version of Punisher is a five part miniseries that tells of the early days of a WW1 fighter pilot named Phantom Eagle, an obscure character that originally debuted in Marvel Superheroes II #16 in 1968.

Weekly Wanderlust - Shipped April 9, 2008
A look at some of the books that shipped the previous week. This time: The Exterminators #28, Fantastic Four #556, The Goon #23, Young Liars #2.

The Walking Dead #48
This latest issue of The Walking Dead is so good that four comic reviewers wanted to have their say. So, we gave them each a few hundred words and together they heaped on the praise.

Weekly Wanderlust - Shipped March 26, 2008
A look at some of the books that shipped the previous week. This time Gunplay #0, Hellblazer #242, Jack of Fables #21 and X-Men: Legacy #209.

Secret Invasion #1 (of 8)
From a writing standpoint, I'm going to have to give Bendis high marks on this one. The villains have overcome their past weaknesses and managed to pull off the first stage of a very well-planned invasion at a time where Earth's heroes are at their most disorganized.

Amazing Spider-Man #555
This issue is definitely going in a better direction than the last three-issue story. Instead of a crack-smoking mutant, Spidey is battling Mayan extremists alongside Wolverine. The villains aren't anything special. In fact with the Secret Invasion currently underpinning everything in the Marvel universe, these characters, much like Freak, seem forced and superfluous.

What's New

Using comics to introduce the Classics
My wife isn't the only educator that liked to use comic books in the classroom. There are many such open-minded and forward thinking teachers. For them, the goal is to entice children to read. Comics are a great way to turn reluctant readers into readers.

Free Comic Book Day
Come to our local shops for Free Comic Book Day, a great way to introduce new readers to comics, or current comic readers to new titles.

Manga For Beginners:
An Abridged History of Manga
In Japan, manga is traditionally published in serialized form in anthology magazines that introduce new characters, stories and artists to the public.

Wanted
In name only
Wanted is a six-part miniseries by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones originally released in 2003 and 2004 by Top Cow. This violent, rude, lewd and darkly funny tale, which features (among other questionable things) a character composed entirely of feces from history's greatest villains, is slated to be released as a motion picture on March 28, 2008.

Repeat: Less Than Heroes, The David Yurkovich Interview
David Yurkovich began an on-again/off-again career in self-publishing after receiving a Xeric grant in 1996. We need more, that's all I need to say.

Why Don't Heroes Age?
Pop culture references place characters in a given time period, causing anal-retentive readers like yours truly to question their so-called agelessness. By ageless, I am referring to the fact that comic book heroes, villains, and supporting cast members seldom age, or, if they do, they age contrary to "real" time.

Custom Clix
Objects, Barriers and Villains (oh my)
Hey there, HeroClixers! It's been awhile but rest assured I'm back and working hard. As the headline suggests, objects are the first order of business. In the past several sets released by Wizkids, we have seen special object pogs included with our HeroClix.

Hellboy: A Retrospective
Hellboy remains unique even after I learned about and explored its inspirations, and encountered the numerous comics by comic creators that tried to emulate Mignola whether in art, writing or genre blending paranormal storytelling. Hellboy remains even after all these years a unique comic experience. It is a landmark in comics' history. I finally understand that now.

Mainstream Year in Review 2007:

• Best Series Deserving Wider Recognition
• Best New Series
• Best Miniseries / Stand Alone Projects
• Best Guilty Pleasures
• Best Ongoing Series