Wednesday is new comics day in North America. This is a good thing. This Wednesday is not chock-full of cool comics. That's bad. Nevertheless, I have some reading recommendations, as well as a run-down of all of the video-game-related comics out this week.
Plus, iPhone/iPad users, as always, there are also some new comics recommendations just for you.
Special bonus this week: I blame you, the readers, for the cancellation of a beloved comic!
Comics You Should Consider Buying (from comics shops)
Delirium's Party: A Little Endless Storybook I never paid much attention to non-Sandman Sandman comics, but Jill Thompson, the writer-artist of this spin-off graphic novel makes quality comics. Give this one a look, if this official summary is to your liking: "In an effort to rid Despair of her unhappiness once and for all, Little Delirium throws a party for her dour sister and invites siblings Dream, Destruction, Death, Destiny and Desire. But this is no ordinary affair. We're talking about a party planner who is the personification of delirium, so you can only imagine that this event will be as outrageous and unpredictable as Little Delirium's haircolor. But whether Delirium's party will be a smashing success - or whether it will end in tears - is anyone's guess"
Doom Patrol #22 The final issue of the best-written super-hero team book on the market now. Why didn't more of you buy it? You don't like your super-heroes weird, your dialogue witty, your plots dense and … would it have helped if I'd mentioned some time ago that they had a story about a talking black hole? Or that the character that was formerly a transvestite street (as introduced in writer Grant Morrison's great run) was turned into a brick and then a bungalow in recent issues? Or that the previous issue was a wonderful exploration of how a man stays sane while living as a brain in a robot body? Oh, who am I kidding? It was a Doom Patrol book. Those things almost never work out.
Fear Itself #2 This is the second&emdash;and hopefully better—issue of Marvel comics' big spring cross-over. The first issue was transparently a product of Captain America and Thor movie marketing. But writer Matt Fraction promises this thing's going to be good. Oh, I hope so. Official summary: "The Mighty Thormdash;imprisoned by his own father! As Odin and the Asgardians leave the Earth to fend for itself against the God of Fear, the Avengers and the world's remaining heroes battle the unstoppable tide of terror! And thenmdash;the Serpent's Hammers fall! Who are the Worthy? Who shall rise up and join the Serpent as living avatars of his evil? And how can the Avengers respond...to fear itself?"
Moon Knight #1 Do you like Moon Knight? Do you even know who he is? Friends of mine who read Marvel (while I was growing up reading DC) loved Moon Knight. His new series starts today, notable because it's from Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, the team behind one of the most acclaimed Daredevil runs ever.
Comics With Video Game Connections (new this week in comics shops)
DC Universe Online Legends #7 Given the ongoing outages for DC Universe Online, this is your sole way to experience new content related to the game. Official summary: "Inspired by the best-selling SOE game, the epic series continues as we see the last stand of the future JLA! Batman's survived horrific injuries and outlived all his allies to try to implement a final, desperate gambit...but is Luthor trustworthy?"
Sonic The Hedgehog #224 Official summary: "Chaos and the Crown,' Part Two. Sonic is a knight of the wind as he faces off against the sinister Ixis Naugus! The Council of Acorn is in turmoil, and the title of 'king' hangs in the balance! Meanwhile, Dr. Eggman launches his latest plan with no one to stop him!"
And Over On The iPad…
Marvel's most recently-completed world-changing mini-series, Siege, is now on Comixology's Comics app, $2/issue for four issues. Good for completists, I guess, but I'd never heard great things. On the other hand, the sweet, all-aged Thor: The Mighty Avenger has its first four issues for sale in that app. I grew up reading DC Comics, so I merely heard friends rave about Chris Claremont and John Byrne's Days of Future Past X-Men comic. Two issues on the app, $2 each. Since my previous round-up, the Comixology app released a mountain of DC Comics related to and spinning out of the Infinite Crisis cross-over. Skip most of the series, including the main one; focus on 52 and 52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen. Both are superb. Oh, and iPad users, look into Dark Horse Comics' new app. They've got a lot of comics in there, including two Mass Effect mini-series, a whole lot of Hellboy, and some Joss Whedon Serenity comics.