Welcome again to the (slightly delayed) Previews page, full of all the heroine-related stuff that'll be screwing up your monthly budget in a couple of months' time. Sorry for the delay, but I had to pick up my comics late yesterday, as I was also buying action figures and they get put on the shelves after all the issues and trades from the week's shipment are done. I actually have something from the Dark Horse section this month: Empowered volume 3 is solicited for March 12, 2008. The first two volumes were awesome, funny, wonderfully illustrated in raw pencil, and all around at only US$15 some of the best value for money I've seen in comics for a while. On to DC, and Countdown to Adventure #6 has Lady Styx on the cover, yay! Although I'm starting to wonder if the lady herself is going to appear, or if this is all just going to be about the contagion she's caused. Crime Bible: Teh Five Lessons of Blood #4 sees Renee Montoya return to the previous Question's old stomping ground Hub City, and seeing as this issue is the Lesson or Murder, it won't be pretty. Gotham Underground #4 has Batwoman on the cover alongside Nightwing, so presumably this will be the issue she shows up in (do you think Nightwing's figured it out yet?). Supergirl #25 takes a 'startling new direction' - solicits for Supergirl have touted new directions almost constantly since Joe Kelly left, but I suppose they're trying to lure back all the people who bailed due to his awful run; I'm still just going to buy it in trades, though. Justice League of America #17 is an odd issue with two stories, one by series writer McDuffie, the other by Alan Burnett - I wonder why, was McDuffie running late, or did he just have a short story he wanted to do and arranged this issue to do it without having to pad it out to 22 pages, or what? Justice Society of America #12 has a whole new wave of heroes showing up, and while Geoff Johns has done no wrong on this book (aside from allowing it to be briefly tied into the Lightning Saga crossover, which presumably was editorially mandated), but with the cast growing so rapidly, I'm starting to wonder how long it'll take for some of the current characters to get some more development. The problem is that Johns writes such good characters, I feel like there's a whole bunch of them that could happily fill 22 pages each month on their own. Wonder Woman #16 continues Gail Simone's opening story, and hopefully will be good, and there's a Birds of Prey: Dead of Winter trade paperback, collecting #104-108 - also Gail Simone - which I'll be getting eventually as I pick up Simone's Birds of Prey run in trades. Finally in the merchandise section, DC Minimates wave eight has a two-pack of the Question (Renee Montoya) and Batwoman, who are adorable. Image has Bomb Queen III: Bombshell, the third Bomb Queen trade paperback, for US$15 - this third miniseries (subtitled 'The Good, the Bad & the Lovely') took a little time finding its feet, but concluded with a really satisfying bang. Dynamo 5 #11 is also solicited, and that's a title I'm hoping to try out soon in the form of the first trade - I'll keep you posted. Madame Mirage #6 is the 'finale of season 1' - I like the solid, straigh-for-the-neck pacing of this story, but I wonder how long it can keep going if it keeps answering its core questions this quickly. It's a slightly smaller month for Marvel than has been the case of late. Annihilation Conquest #3 has an evil-looking shadowy figure on the cover, although there's a note that the image we see isn't the final cover - presumably the figure is the big bad behind the Phalanx will be revealed once issue #1 tells us who it is (I have a theory, but I won't spoil it). Avengers: The Initiative #9 brings in the Taskmaster to train the rookies, and promises fallout from the big secret the Initiative has been keeping since issue #1. Hulk #1, featuring the mystery Red Hulk, also had She-Hulk, so I'll probably get that just for her appearance. Marvel Comics Presents #5 features the start of a new serial featuring Shanna, along with Ka-Zar (the guy on the cover) and Zabu, whatever that is - I'm not sure about this, if it's going to be in-contiuity, I like where Shanna is now, so the addition of new characters - especially a 'jungle man' that'd make her less unique - doesn't sit well with me. Weapon Omega and Vanguard are the ongoing serials, and a Wrecking Crew one-shot rounds out the book. Ms. Marvel #23 has another one of those fabulously lush Greg Horn covers, and features Ms. Marvel, evidently powerless, up against some big, big monsters. Meanwhile Mighty Avengers #8 ties into the Symbiote invasion, and has a giant Venom Wasp on the cover, which looks like fun. There's a Young Avengers Presents title starting up, featuring Patriot in issue #1, but we're promised issues featuring Stature and Hawkeye, so that'll be something to look out for. The Order #7 has Supernaut on the cover, and an intriguing solicit; the book is great, so who needs to know more? She-Hulk #25 promises more fun action/adventure with an alien bounty hunt going on in Shulkie's back yard, and also - it's a double-sized issue - the details of how She-Hulk left GLK&B and wound up where she is now; check this week's reviews for thoughts on She-Hulk #22, the first Peter David issue. Normally I'm not interested in X-books and mutants in general (GLI excepted), but I've heard good things about Exiles, and the debut issue of New Exiles may be a good place for me to see what's on offer there - the cover features four women out of a cast of seven, so it seems likely there'll be someone around I can develop an interest in. In trades, the Annihilation Conquest book one hardcover will be out, featuring the Prologue, Annihilation Saga, and the Quasar and Starlord miniseries - I'll be waiting for the softcover, but Starlord is my ideal choice to go alongside Quasar (which I have in issues anyway); it does mean, however, that the second volume will be Nova and Wraith, which doesn't tickle my fancy as much. The Ms. Marvel volume 3: Operation Lightning Storm trade is also coming out, with issues #11-17, which is when Ms. Marvel really started kicking ass as a title. And that's it for Marvel, though there'll be more in the merchandise section. Going on into the smaller publishers section, Arcana has Clockwork Girl 33 - still only US$1.99 an issue, this excellent miniseries is an outright bargain. Atomic Pop meanwhile has the trade paperback Victoria's Secret Service: Nemesis Rising which, what the hell, I'm buying - I mean, come on, 'Victoria's Secret Service', that's funny. Jungle Girl #5 will be out from Dynamite - hopefully, I still haven't seen #2 - and Dynamite also have Painkiller Jane #5, continuing the Jane vs Terminator story - also a trade paperback of #0 to #3, with a TV series cover featuring the rather luscious Kristanna Loken. Devil's Due has a Hack/Slash Omnibus containing the first two trade paperbacks and the Chucky crossover, which would be a handy way to get caught up on the title's past entries, while in its current run #8 features Cassie making out with some girl on the cover, so hell yes (it's probably just a tease, but what the hell). Over in IDW, Gene Simmons' Dominatrix #6 concludes the first story arc of this intriguing new title, and Doctor Who #1 has new adventures featuring the tenth Doctor (Tennant) and Martha Jones - not sure how I feel about the animation-style art, but it could work (I was hoping for Eccleston and Rose, though). Virgin has Jenna Jameson's Shadow Hunter #1, with a Greg Horn cover, writing by Christina Z, and art by Mukesh Singh - that's a solid team, and the synopsis sounds quite interesting. Bluewater Productions has Blackbeard Legacy #1 a pirate lass adventure that sounds like it could be fun, and of course Broadsword has Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #48, focusing on Raven Hex, which should be a great issue; they're also reoffering the third Tarot trade paperback, which collects issue #6 and issues #12-15 - that was the first Tarot I read, and it's a good volume. Moving into the toy pages, the GI Joe 25th Anniversary range includes a Scarlett - it'd be nice if they weren't refusing to release the kick-ass Sigma Six Scarlett, though. Diamond Select is reoffering the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series 5 Deluxe action figures, with the slightly weird-looking Kennedy but outright excellent 'Chosen' Willow - any figure collector who likes Willow needs to own this one. Marvel Heroes: Legends (wave 3, I think) includes a neat-looking Tigra, although I don't know that the ball joint knees are a good idea, compared to double-pegs with rotation from the hip joint - whatever, Tigra has been overdue for a figure for a long time. More Battlestar Galactica minimates include Roslin (paired with Zarek) and Cally (with Gaeta), both quite cute. Stargate Atlantis series 2 includes a Wraith Queen, which looks... well, like a Wraith, pretty shoddy in other words, and a Teyla in field ops gear, who looks a good likeness, but to be honest I never thought much of Teyla - there's also a Previews-exclusive Teyla in her Athosian clothing, which is again a good likeness, but the outfit isn't very appealing. The earlier Stargate SG-1 series 2 is reoffered, including the excellent Samantha Carter figure, and the Star Trek TNG wave including Beverly Crusher is also reoffered. Diamond Select Toys also has a Ms. Marvel bust which looks quite good, based loosely on the cover of Ms. Marvel #1. There's also a She-Dragon statue that's very cheesecake - too expensive for me - and a Witchblade schoolgirl statue which is just silly. The Star Wars Aayla Secura bust looks quite good, and I may buy that one - coincidentally the pose is very similar to how I've posed my 3" action figure of her. And that's it for this month's Previews magazine - if I've missed something heroine-y I should know about, let me know:    [October 2007]    [September 2007]