New Contributor - Liz

I'm Liz, and I like to pretend that I'm not a big nerd.

In fact, I've discovered that anything geeky about me can be directly linked back to my brother's influence. He introduced me to zombie movies, science fiction, video games, and graphic novels. I guess now we can add blogging to the list...and trying to read 100 books in 1 year. (ok, maybe I'm nerdier than I realized).

I read a lot anyway, so when Laura suggested trying to read 100 books this year, I was all for it. Plus, I like a little friendly  competition every now and then (I'm totally going to read 100 before her). The idea of blogging about the books I'm reading wasn't my favorite at first. I read anything and everything that I can find, so some of the books might be a little embarrassing, but I think it should be fun!

52 Pick Up: Analyzing DC's New 52 Creative Team Strategies So Far

     There are reports today that DC is doing some shuffling of creative teams around the New 52. This should come as no surprise, it is not as if the creative teams set forth in the initial announcements were set in stone. Just a few issues into the DCnU we saw changes announced on Green Arrow, Superman, and others. This time, however, things are a little higher profile. DC has taken two of the biggest writers in their stable and shifted them to two moderately successful titles. Newsarama is reporting that Peter Milligan (Red Lanterns, Justice League Dark) is taking over the soon-to-be Paul Cornell-less StormWatch with issue #9. Meanwhile, Comic Book Resources reveals that Milligan's old book, Justice League Dark, will be taken over by Jeff Lemire (Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Animal Man) that same month. UPDATE: Matt Kindt will be taking the reigns from Lemire on Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of January 25th, 2012

This week, Jonah Hex and Doctor Arkham go spelunking, Batman makes a weird tactical choice, and reverse-scubas suits!

Laura's 100 Books in 2012 - #2

You Don't Have To Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning

I don't plan on going into my English major spiel on this one, mainly because this book is British Chick Lit and it's pretty straight forward. The plot is basic. Girl has weight issues. Girl is in love with a guy who doesn't know she has recently lost a ton of weight because he seemed to have fallen in love with her when she was at her heaviest. Girl ends up falling for another guy, who she thought was a jerk at the beginning of the book. Hijinks, of course, ensue. Let me be the first to admit that I love Chick Lit. I will go as far to say that if British Chick Lit was a guy, I would marry him. He wouldn't be that smart, but what an accent!

However, I only liked this book. The main reason it was so meh for me is because I didn't like Neve, the main character. She took waaaaay too long trying to find out who she was (the book is 555 pages long and she doesn't grow a backbone until around page 500). I also didn't love having to Google British words I don't know, but that's just the "French fries should really be called Freedom Fries" part of me that I try to hide. 

Try reading anything by Jane Green or Jennifer Weiner if you dig Chick Lit.

Game of Thrones - Trailer: "Shadow"

OK, it's starting to feel real now.

Game of Thrones is coming back on April 1st, and I can't wait.  This is the first real trailer with S2 footage that HBO has released, and it is gorgeous.  For those that don't know, S2 will cover the second book in the series, A Clash of Kings.  We meet Stannis Baratheon, younger brother of King Robert, and some say the rightful king.  He's a great lord, so he brings his entire orbit into the story, including several fan favorite characters.  Jon Snow is going North of the Wall, and who knows what he'll find up there.  Arya has been smuggled out of King's Landing, disguised as a boy.  Robb Stark is the King in the North.  Tyrion is the King's Hand in the capital.  Bran is the Stark in Winterfell.  Daenerys has three new members of her entourage, and she has to decide what to do now that her original plans have been crushed.

Check out the trailer, and get ready.  This is the first drop in a torrent of GoT content we'll have coming over the next 6 months or so.

What Would Darren Read, Home Edition (Jan. 25th)

Yes, we know that in the last "What Would Darren Read?" segment we accidentally called this week's Bat-book Detective Comics instead of Batman: The Dark Knight. Forgive us for mixing up the horrible Batman book with the terrible Batman book, we've been wracked with guilt. Check out the covers after the break!

Laura's 100 Books in 2012 - #1

For my first read I chose a book from the dystopia/utopia genre, Divergent by Veronica Roth. I love this genre and its close ties to my love of historical fiction.  These days you can get away with just about anything if you have a good lawyer. Not like “back in the day”, when men and women had certain rules they had to live by. Great books are about breaking those rules. Many current authors are doing the same type of thing by creating dystopian/utopian worlds with strict rules (like placing children in reality-TV-to-the-death matches) and that makes for an awesome story.

In dystopian Chicago, Beatrice Prior must choose between the five factions that society has broken into: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Families fall into the same faction.  To choose against your family means you leave them forever. Beatrice makes her choice and surprises everyone. While Divergent is not my number one utopian/dystopian book (that spot is filled by The Hunger Games), I definitely think you should read it if you like the genre.

Other book recommendations from this genre: The Hunger Games, Matched, and The Maze Runner. All three are the first entries in larger series.

New Contributor - Laura

My name is Laura, and here's a snippet from my geek resume:

1. I like reading fan fiction utilizing my favorite characters (FanFiction.net anyone?).
2. My brain has a Rain Man-like capacity for crappy celebrity news and movies
3. I am very competitive, but because I’m not a sporty person it only comes out during game nights
4. My family and I break out into random voices when talking to each other. Our favorites are British, Irish, & Scottish accents (or sometimes all three at the same time)


I'm also an avid reader and librarian, so I'm often asked how many books I've read in my life (I have no idea) or how many books I've read in a given time period. One day I was scouring the internet and found people who were trying to read 100 books in one year. Cool people who just wanted to see if they could actually read that many books in 365 days. Since then, I've always wanted to do that. Right before the start of 2012, I found some friends who also wanted to scale this word mountain. So instead of making one of those "been there/done that" New Year's resolutions (eat better and exercise? so 2011), I decided to try the 100 books thing. With this resolution I don't have to count calories or steps, I just count the books I was already going to read anyway. Plus, I get to read more, so I'd say it's a win-win.

FIGcast - Episode 49 - "Youth of a Nation"

Sometimes our episode titles come from the unrecorded pre-show. Those are the times when they're only amusing to us (which makes them identical to all of the other times).

FIGcast - Episode 49 - "Youth of a Nation"

Shownotes:

• (00:01:05) Darren took in a few shows, and pimps BitCasa
• (00:10:55) Trey is still working on The Annotated Sandman, but also picked up The Goon Volume 0
• (00:23:35) Tripp was boring this week, but he did get caught up on Fringe
• (00:29:40) Blu Rays: (Real Steel...Paranormal Activity 3...Godzilla...50/50)
• (00:34:25) Coming Attractions: (The Grey...Man On A Ledge...One For The Money)
• (00:38:00) Box Office:  (Kate Beckinsale wins!!!)
• (00:42:25) Quick mention of the Oscar nominations
• (00:48:00) Keith talks about the Watchmen prequel, and so do we
• (01:00:35) We each try to pick the top 5 grossing movies of 2012
• (01:19:40) We finally get around to talking about the first New 52 cancellations
• (01:49:45) What Would Darren Read
• (02:02:55) Trey's Pullbox:  (All-Star Western...Aquaman...The Flash...New Guardians...Justice League...Justice League Dark...Legion: Secret Origin)

Don't forget, you can email us at FullyIntegratedGeeks@gmail.com, you can follow us on Twitter with @theFIGcast, or you can look for us on Facebook or the iTunes Store.

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of January 18th, 2012

This week: we finally get the Batman issue we've been craving, Wonder Woman and Daredevil continue to be solid, and Grant Morrison's Steed and Mrs. Peel debuts.

Read about it after the break!

FIG's 2011 Top Ten Lists!

Last week, in honor our one year anniversary, the FIGcast team recorded a few lists notable stuff that has happened, debuted or been published in the last year.  You can listen to it here but, for posterity's sake, I have collected them all in one handy-dandy post!

Tripp's List:

Honorable Mention: The Magicians and The Magician King

10. Kickstarter
9. Battle Los Angeles
8. A Dance With Dragons
7. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
6. Discovering Kevin Hearne's Books
5. Community
4. Captain America: The First Avenger
3. Ready Player One
2. The Wise Man's Fear
1. The Game of Thrones show on HBO

Trey's List:

1.Mark Waid and Marcos Martin's Daredevil
2.Brian Azarello and Cliff Chaing's Wonder Woman
3.Community Season 3, Episode 4: Remedial Chaos Theory
4.Portal 2
5.Atomic Robo Volume 5: The Deadly Art of Science
6.Captain America: The First Avenger
7.Thwipster
8.Swamp Thing / Animal Man
9. Terminator: The Second
10. Parks and Recreation, Season 3, Episode 13 "The Fight"

Darren's Top 11 Tech Fails of 2011:

1. Netflix presents Qwikster
2. Blackberry network outage
3. Congressman Weiner
4. Bing stealing from Google
5. GoDaddy stands behind SOPA
6. Alec Baldwin / Words with Friends
7. Google+ real names policy
8. Playstation network hack
9. iOS4 is tracking you
10. Cisco kills Flip cameras
11. AT&T fails at buying T-Mobile
    

Keith's Top 10 List of Things (?) from 2011:

10. The Help

9. The cancellation Scalped, DMZ, Fear Agent

8. Alan Moore has completely lost it.

7. 2011, the year DC and Marvel went crazy.

6. Deus Ex

5. Star Wars on BlueRay

4. In Time

3. You can't screw with the internet.

2. Game of Thrones

1. Walking Dead

What Would Darren Read, Home Edition (Jan. 18th)

Answer: This is the podcast game that lets you judge comic books by their covers.

Question: What is "What Would Darren Read?"

Peruse these covers, listen to our ANNIVERSARYSPLOSION or the What Would Darren Read theme music! Then make snap judgments about which of these books you want to read!

Batman #5

Captain Atom #5

Supergirl #5

Catwoman #5

Wonder Woman #5

Avenging Spider-man #3

Daredevil #8

Deadpool MAX 2 #4

Uncanny X-men #5

Hands-on with Annotated Sandman Volume 1

I know that Annotated Sandman Volume 1 has been out for a couple of weeks now, but I thought I would take a few moments to record just how humongous (and beautiful) it is.

Next, a Lego man size comparison!

"Holy Cow, it's huuuuuuuge!"

And, just for fun, Sandman and William Shakespeare.

Two great tastes that taste great together!

FIGcast - Episode 48 - "Anniversarysplosion"

Hard to believe it's been a whole year!  Thanks, faithful listeners, for your support.

FIGcast - Episode 48 - "Anniversarysplosion"

Shownotes:

• (0:01:45) Darren constructed his computer masterpiece and watched some New Girl
• (0:08:20) Trey rants about Marvel's release schedule (or lack thereof), read Fables Volume 16 and re-read Chew Vol. 1 and Batwoman: Elegy
• (0:17:30) Tripp went to Virginia and saw lots of interesting stuffs and watched the Alcatraz pilot
• (0:38:15) Blu-Rays - (The Ides of March; Abduction; Division III: Football's Finest)
  
• (0:41:10) Coming Attractions - (Haywire; Red Tails; Underworld: Awakening)
• (0:50:05) Box Office - (Contraband wins)
• (0:52:30) We get on our soapbox about SOPA and PIPA
• (1:10:00) Anniversary top ten lists, starting with Darren's top tech fails of 2011
• (1:29:25) Keith's geek top 10 of 2011
• (1:39:55) Trey's geek top 10 of 2011
• (1:51:50) Tripp's geek top 10 of 2011 (totally off the cuff!)
• (2:16:00) "What Would Darren Read," everyone's favorite podcast game show thingamabob
• (2:26:50) Trey's take on the week's new comics

Don't forget, you can email us at FullyIntegratedGeeks@gmail.com, you can follow us on Twitter with @theFIGcast, or you can look for us on Facebook or the iTunes Store.

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of January 11th, 2012

An emergency trip to Louisville delayed my reviews a bit, but here they are in all their glory. I have decided to no longer rate comics using the “interest-o-meter” but I have not chosen a replacement yet. For now, you will have to read the reviews to see what I thought of each book! (It's so much extra work, I know!)

Amazing Spider-man #677 – Well, this is easily the book with the highest issue number I have reviewed so far. Sorry, Spider-fans, I'm not picking up any webslinger books. Rather, issue #677 is the first part of a Daredevil/Spider-man crossover and I am buying Daredevil. So in order to not be completely lost reading Daredevil #8, I had to buy #677...crazy how that works, huh? Written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Emma Rios, ASM #677 was a solid piece of work. As is normally the case in crossovers, it was encumbered by more continuity than I am used to in Waid's Daredevil, but, for the most part, it was easy to follow. Waid's talent for capturing a character's essence and voice is on display as he handles perfect characterizations for both Peter Parker and Matt Murdoch. Art-wise, Rios is no Marco Rivera but she has a fluidity that works well for the rubbery Spider-man.

Batgirl #5 – I can't seem to put my finger on this book's problem. After a less than solid first arc, issue number five falls somewhere between lackluster and solid. The strange thing is that Simone doesn't seem to have deviated from the formulas that made her a fan favorite on other books—specifically, Secret Six. She's taken a beloved character, paired it with a solid voice and pitted it against two villains that are patently Simone-esque (read as: weird/creepy). Yet, five issues in, something just isn't working. I have a sneaking suspicion that the disconnect comes somewhere between Simone and artists Ardian Syaf. I am not exactly sure who is at fault but some of the sequences in issue five fall flat. A panel that I am sure was originally meant to be a revelation into the nature of the new villain, Gretel, seems flubbed. Or, it could be intentional to maintain a secret. Regardless, if a veteran comic reader like me had trouble discerning, I am sure that the coveted new readers would be similarly flummoxed. Batgirl continues to underperformed. If the title character proves to be more interesting as a member Bird of Prey, it will only exaggerate the lackluster nature of this book.

Batman and Robin #5 – In last week's FIGcast I claimed that I would read an ongoing comic about people doing nothing but drinking tea if Pat Gleason drew it. I still stand by that statement. Pre-B&R, he was already one of my favorite comic illustrators, but these first five issues have been INSANELY well drawn. For all the praise I have heaped on Gleason, I often forget to mention that Tomasi is pumping out some of the best plotting I have ever read. He has taken the Bruce Wayne/Damian Wayne dynamic and expanded it to a moral minefield filled with father/son crises and disturbing familial troubles. Can Bruce save Damian from his psychologically troubling upbringing? Will Damien be one of Bruce's greatest triumphs or failures?

Batwoman #5 – The most beautiful book in the New 52 continues to be one of the most solidly written. After the resolution (for now) of the Weeping Woman storyline, the book takes a turn as two different organizations vie for Batwoman's allegiance. Kate Kane is given the choice to join Batman Incorporated or work for the Department of Extranormal Operations. A recent rereading of Batwoman: Elegy reminded me of a key difference between it and the current run. The New 52 series is quite a bit less wordy than Greg Rucka's earlier run, but this makes sense considering an artist is the main creative mind behind the book. Also, while Elegy focused on one of Rucka's earlier creations The Religion of Crime, Batwoman is focusing on one of JH William III's, Cameron Chase and the D.E.O. Personally, I love Ms. Chase and the D.E.O. (Director Bones!) so Batwoman is still in my top five favorites of the New 52.

Demon Knights #5 – A while back, I complained that Demon Knights was the absolute epitome of decompressed storytelling in comic books. Five issues in and the medieval superhero team is still stuck defending a tiny, besieged town. It's not poorly written and, even though the siege is taking forever, plenty of interesting stuff is going on. Yet, with each passing issue, I can't help but think “This is going to make one heck of a collected edition.” I have nothing against trades or trade-waiting (in fact, I am a serial trade-waiter), I am just impatient for real resolution. For example, two issues in a row have ended with “shocking” acts by members of the team that seem like betrayals. Even if one of these actions turns out to be real, the “Benedict Arnold Barrel” is a pretty shallow one and shouldn't be gone to with such frequency. I enjoy Demon Knights, I really do, but I am really, really ready for a second storyline.

O.M.A.C. #5/Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5 – The crossovers have finally begun! I haven't been following O.M.A.C. but I didn't want to miss out on half of the monster slamming action! It turns out that I could have saved the $2.99. Don't get me wrong, the issues weren't bad, they were just the same story—almost literally. The only difference lies in the perspective. The two issues tell the same events from the view point of the title characters. The concept is clever but it doesn't work out very well. The story ends abruptly without any real resolution. In the end, the crossover feels like half a story told twice. It's a fine little smackdown between DC's two current brawlers, but it left me wanting more. I can't believe I'm saying this but: For a book that was mostly action, it could have used about 20 more pages of monster-on-monster violence.

Green Lantern #5 – Honestly, I was pretty shocked that the status quo was not reestablished by the end of Green Lantern's first storyline. Instead, after Hal helps free Korugar, he is returned to Earth sans-ring power while Sinestro's membership in the Corps seems firmly entrenched. Personally, I like Sinestro as a (somewhat morally ambiguous) good guy. Somehow Geoff Johns is able to make him a complete butthole and sympathetic at the same time. Well, perhaps not completely sympathetic but redeemable. The problem, of course, is that Green Lantern only has so many worthy villains and I doubt it will be very long before Sinestro returns to his role as professional-yellow-themed-menace. Doug Manhke's art is the real star once again—deftly jumping from humans to humanoid aliens to scifi craziness without breaking a sweat.

The Ray #2 – Just because the 1990s version of the Ray happened to be one of my favorite under-utilized DC characters doesn't mean that I can't get behind a re-imagining. In fact, I would argue that the Ray is the perfect candidate for a revamp: a low b-list/high c-list character that has been around for a long time without ever being in any really famous stories. He's the kind of character that could be a blank slate for a creative team to tinker with. The new Ray is a light-based, Korean American teenage superhero from San Diego that is zapped by some sort of ray. You know...standard superhero stuff. The first two issues, written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray and drawn by Jamal Igle, have been solid, if traditional, superhero fare.

The Shade #4 – Maybe my expectations were low, but The Shade has been surprisingly solid. James Robinson's output since returning from Hollywood has mostly been somewhere between so-so and bad. Yet, something about writing the Shade seems to revitalize him. Cully Hamner's art in the first three issues was solid, but issue four, drawn by industry powerhouses Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone, was absolutely gorgeous. One a side note, I know that I am probably the only one that finds this interesting, but cameos by Golden Age mystery men, Vigilante and Madame Fatale, seem to imply that in the new continuity there is still some semblance of a superheroic tradition in DC's past.

Wolverine and the X-men #4 – I find it difficult to believe that Wolverine and the X-men is written by the same guy that writes Scalped. It's just so...happy! Four issues in, the series is still successfully walking the line between relaunch and continuation. I know next to nothing about MARVEL history and yet, for the most part, I have no difficulty knowing what is going on. The most recent issue flirts momentarily with new reader continuity confusion as a couple of characters that, I am sure are recognizable to long time readers, are introduced into the book. Yet, in the end, these additions just add to the developing story of the Jean Grey School for Mutants. This book is still one of my favorite books to pick up whenever the hell it happens to come out. (Yes, that is a dig at MARVEL's haphazard release dates, shifting schedules and craptastic website...but that is a discussion for another time.)

What Would Darren Read, Home Edition (Jan. 11th)

Batman and Robin #5

Demon Knights #5

Listen to the theme music here!
Or listen to FIGcast #47 here!

The Shade #4

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5

Suicide Squad #5

Superboy #5

Captain America #7

Carnage, U.S.A. #2

Scarlet Spider #1

Incredible Hulk #4

Wolverine & The X-men #4

[All images are property of DC Comics and Marvel Entertainment]

FIGcast - Episode 47 - "The 47th Episode"

Yeah I know it's a lame title, but the title muses refused to speak to me this week.

FIGcast - Episode 47 - "The 47th Episode"

Shownotes:

• (02:35) Darren saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, cheered for 'Bama, saw Seminar and got new computer stuffs
• (19:10) Trey watched 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation and read Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall and Marvel Boy
• (36:10) Tripp watched football, is reading The Uncertain Places and is taking a road trip
• (50:40) Blu-Rays - (Moneyball; 1911; Killer Elite; Boardwalk Empire: S1)
  
• (44:00) Coming Attractions - (Contraband; Joyful Noise; Beauty and the Beast 3D)
• (48:05) Box Office - (The Devil Inside wins)
• (52:40) Tripp and Darren try and guess the top 10 movies rented by Netflix members... and get some right
• (73:10) "What Would Darren Read," everyone's favorite podcast game show thingamabob
• (92:00) Trey's take on the week's new comics

Don't forget, you can email us at FullyIntegratedGeeks@gmail.com, you can follow us on Twitter with @theFIGcast, or you can look for us on Facebook or the iTunes Store.

Year-End Comics: 5 Surprises of 2011 and 7 Things to Watch for in 2012

5 Big Surprises of 2011

Batman and Robin
Yes, Tomasi and Gleason's Batman and Robin was one of my "15 Books to Watch" pre-DC Relaunch, but I never could have guessed just how good it would be. In fact, my exact words were: "Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt it will be solid. Spectacular? ...eh, maybe." Yet, Batman and Robin has been stellar in its pitch perfect portrayal of Bruce Wayne, Damien Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth.  Add to that amazing art from Gleason and you have a book that is actually a bit better than Scott Snyder's flagship book Batman.

Birds of Prey
I did not plan on buying Birds of Prey.  Even though she did not create the Birds, the series always seemed like it was Gail Simone's property to me. With a new writer in Duane Swierczynski, I was prepared to stay clear of the DCnU's iteration of the female superteam.  But, standing in front of the racks at my local comic shop, I was enticed by Jesus Saiz' crisp art.  It has been a good purchase.  I wont say that BoP is stellar or even in the top five of the DCnU, rather that it is just shockingly solid.  Birds of Prey is the kind of book DC needs more of if the New 52 is to be successful--strong, middle of the road books to form the foundation of the new universe on.


Wolverine and the X-men
Look, hardcore X-men and Jason Aaron fans may have had Wolverine and the X-men's release date circled on their calendar, but I certainly did not. Despite being bought on a whim, it turned out to be one of my favorite new series to debut in the second half of 2011.  Different in tone from other relaunches, W&X-men walks the fine line between being saddled with the weight of continuity and striking a fresh tone. Plus, it is fun (which is a tone that more comic books should adopt, in my opinion.)

Batgirl
Way back in August, I was certain that Batgirl would be one of the big books of the New 52.  I was not exactly wrong--it certainly garnered a good bit of press (not all of it good). Plauged by inconsitency over it's first four issues, the series was never able to overcome the controversy that it spawned. Things are still early and the series could level out, but, so far, Gail Simone's run has been surprisingly unsatisfying. I'm still holding out hope!

Stormwatch
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the DCnU has been the disappointment of Paul Cornell and Miguel Sepulveda's Stormwatch.  I was certain that it would be one of the best of the New 52, but things have not panned out.  After a frantic (and, frankly, confusing) first couple of issues, the series never seemed to settle down. Sepulveda's art looks muddled and Cornell's character work does not seem to be taking hold.  On top of that, it has already been announced that Paul Jenkins will be taking over the writing duties with issue seven.  An inauspicious start for a series that I had high hopes for in September.

Things to Watch For in 2012

Wonder Woman: Litmus test for DC's New 52
Let's be honest. The DC Relaunch has only been a partial success from an artistic standpoint. Sure, the increased sales and market-share are nice, but two of the promises of the New 52 were higher profile creative teams and a willingness to reexamine characters that needed a face-lift.  So far, these are covenants only slightly fulfilled. Books like Justice League have been underwhelming despite their A-list talent, while Animal Man and Swamp Thing have been stellar but based mostly in pre-New 52 continuity.  The only series to take complete advantage of the 52, so far, is Wonder Woman. The groundwork put in place by Azzarello and Chaing has been mighty good. (I even named the series my second favorite new series of 2011.) Sadly, there is no telling how long the team will stick around, positioning Wonder Woman as the book that will let us know just how committed DC is to the new and their promises of A-list talent.  When Azzarello and Chaing leave the book, will DC replace them with old or unknown creators? Or will they bring in the biggest available names?  Now is not the time to bring George Perez back, DC!

The Defenders
Thanks to Casanova, we know that Matt Fraction is willing to push the limits of comic book sanity and with The Defenders' he has the perfect team to challenge the unknown of the MARVEL Universe. Issue one was a traditional team building issue, but issue two opened the floodgates of crazy concepts and intelligent ideas. There is no doubt that The Defenders will be one of the most mind-bending books of 2012, and it certainly seems like it will be one of the best.

Saga
After nearly a decade as one of the biggest names in comic books, Brian K. Vaughn, writer of Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina and Pride of Baghdad, all but disappeared from the industry. This March he returns with an ongoing scifi epic titled Saga. Published by Image Comics, Vaughn has stated that the series will combine "elements of science fictionand fantasy" but "will also appeal to people whoaren't necessarily fans of those genres."  Sounds good to me!

Batman: Earth One
After the commercial success of J. Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis' Superman: Earth One original graphic novel, it is hard to believe that Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's Batman: Earth One has been so long delayed. Yet, just days ago DC's Source Blog announced that the Superman: Earth One sequel and Batman:  Earth One will finally be released in 2012.  I could care less about JMS' Superman, but Johns and Frank on Batman? Sign me up!

"Night of the Owls"
Speaking of recent announcements, on January 9th, DC's Source Blog detailed the first significant crossover of the New 52, "The Night of the Owls." Reader's introduction to the upcoming conflict will unite Scott Snyder with with his American Vampire collaborator, Raphael Albuquerque in the form of a series of backup stories in Batman.  Spanning across the Batbooks this is easily going to be the biggest event so far in the DCnU.

What are the "Next 52"?
Next month's number 6 issues mark the midway point of the New 52. From the beginning the powers-that-be-at-DC have promised that each of the relaunch comics will be allowed to run a full 12 issues. Even if this proves to be the case, I am certain we will see cancellations next September. What will replace the canceled books?  Will we be treated to a second wave of titles?  Will there still be ambitious series like Animal Man, Wonder Woman, and Action Comics? Or, will DC execs attempt to play it safe? What characters will be spotlighted? How many more Bat-related books can we handle? (That last one was a joke...kind of.)

Marvel: Season One

Last summer, MARVEL announced its own series of original graphic novels under the umbrella of "Season One." Created to detail canonical early adventures of their most iconic characters while appealing to the bookstore crowd, Marvel: Season One books will begin appearing on book shelves in February with the release of Fantastic Four: Season One.  Along with digital distribution, original graphic novels like this are the brightest potential future I foresee for comic books.  Season One and DC's Earth One books will be an important experiment.