Welcome to the bad old days.

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The world is a pit of despair, Ultron is in charge, and there’s no hope for survival…except for a rag-tag bunch of heroes with a plan.  Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Emma Frost, Wolverine, Invisible Woman, Taskmaster, Beast, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight are the last ditch effort for the Marvel Universe to continue existing, but something tell’s me they may have a chance.  This dystopian future tale is THE EVENT for the Marvel Universe this year, with three issues coming out a month for the next three months.  And don’t worry about crossovers with other series, because they’ve been kept to a minimum and left as non-essential; read’em if you want, don’t if not.  With the mad puppeteer of Marvel, Brian Michael Bendis (All-New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, Scarlet), having worked on establishing the implications of this tale over the last four years, Age of Ultron is going to leave its mark.  And for a series that epic in scope you need an artist that can match the tone.  Luckily, Bryan Hitch (The Ultimates, America’s Got Powers) was able to lend his deft talent at cinematic realism to the book!  Don’t get left behind like so many did with Avengers vs. X-Men, pick up issue one of Age of Ultron, or one of its many variants, this Wednesday!

Cullen Bunn has managed to blend sci-fi, horror, and western genres in the long lived Sixth Gun series with ease.  Now Bunn is applying the same strategy to a tale of viking carnage!  Helheim begins with a brutal siege on a tiny, seaside village by forces of evil.  But standing between them and the meaty townsfolk is Rikard and his horde of viking warriors.  Though you might think you know where this story goes from there, you’d be surprised.  This is only the beginning.  Bunn just rocked Marvel NOW! with his first issue of Fearless Defenders (you know we’ve been talking it up at the store!), an issue which also featured some viking fisticuffs, and aims to do the same to Oni Press with the start of this new ongoing series.  When you blend gothic horror, witchcraft, and zombies, you get Helheim!

Searching for images of Joe Casey’s Sex #1 resulted in some awkward moments at the store.  Yeah….

One of this month’s Image Comics releases, advertises itself as “a good reason to come into the comic store – to buy SEX!” Though it may be crass, it’s true.  Joe Casey has written everyone from Wolverine to Batman to The Avengers to Spider-Man, but he’s never written anything as chock full of debauchery.  A former superhero is forced to give up his vigilante lifestyle only to take to the streets for some much needed R&R.  However in a town like Saturn City, R&R can get rather S&M.  Follow Simon Cooke on his dark, dirty journey through the recesses of a town gone wrong in a post-modern superhero tale unlike any other in comics today.

And finally tonight, another twist on a classic tale.

No Place Like Home was one of my favorite miniseries from Image Comics last year thanks to its intelligent, inventive reworking of the classic L. Frank Baum fable, The Wizard of Oz.  Dee is a rocker from the city, but a rural kid at heart who must return home to Kansas after the grisly murder of her parents during a tornado.  After getting home and rekindling friendships with old acquaintances, Dee stumbles into a decades old mystery that ties together her parents, the two sheriff, a local drunk, and…a flying monkey?  Comic newcomers Angelo Tirotto and Richard Jordan dropkick Judy Garland and replace her with a twisted slasher film sprinkle with famous imagery and characters from the classic tale.  Oh, Tirotto claims this is only the beginning of an epic arc that’ll take Dee all the way over the rainbow.

 

Before we get into the pimping of cool merchandise, everyone at Pulp just wants to give a special thank you to everybody who came out last Wednesday and made Dennis Hopless’ signing a HUGE, HUGE success.  We’re all very proud of Dennis and watching him rise to prominence as a Marvel writer, so it’s nice to see so many of our customers are ready to support him.

Now with the mushy stuff out of the way, let’s talk about another kind of mushy stuff.  I mean seriously, was anyone not shocked speechless after Avengers Arena #1?!!  Well, luckily, you don’t have to wait that long to see which hero bites the dust next and what the fallout will be regarding the first major death of the series, because issue #2 drops this Wednesday.  That’s right, only a week after issue #1, you get to have another helping of violent, grisly teen drama served to you on a platter.

And, not surprise here, Cable & X-Force #2 also ships this Wednesday, providing answers for the Phalanx infection that seems to be encroaching on the pleasant beach at the end issue #1.  Plus more firing of absurdly giant guns.

Comic readers have spoken and Marvel has listened.  Because of the outcry for more female creators and characters in comics, Marvel has begun to publish a number of series either written or drawn by women, as well as many featuring the superheroines of the universe.  First among them is the most recent ongoing Captain Marvel series.  Written by the quirky Kelly Sue DeConnick, Captain Marvel brings Carol Danvers back to prominence by bringing her name and costume out of the dark ages of comic sexism and into the modern era.  The first issue of the collection will bring any new reader up-to-date while the second storyline sends Carol back in time to team-up with one of her airwomen idols of World War II.  Certainly a great gift for a daughter or niece looking to get into comics.

Remember, the D is silent.

Read the story before seeing the film with the first issue of Django Unchained.  Usually film-to-comic adaptations are weak sauce, but a there’s a couple special aspects of this series that set it apart from the others.  Foremost, R.M. Gueara, the artist of Jason Aaron’s gritty, legendary crime epic Scalped, lends his chalky, scratchy pencils to Tarantino’s vision, grounding the book in a moody atmosphere.  Also, given that Gueara did little other work while working on Scalped, Django Unchained offers another rare chance to see his skill at work.  Along with the artwork, the book’s plot and dialog is lifted directly from Tarantino’s screenplay, including scenes that didn’t make it to the theatrical cut of the movie.

With the cold weather encroaching this winter, there’s only one acceptable way of warming yourself up:  wrapping a schizophrenic, murdering superhero around your shivering body.  And if that’s your plan, there’s only one of those around, and that’s Deadpool, baby!  So, grab yourself a merry little Deadpool Hoodie this season, whether it’s in medium, large, extra large, or double XL.

No one will question why you’re talking to yourself in public ever again.

 

Managing to actually beat the next Star Wars films into the world, the Fantasy Flight Star Wars RPG base set has, shockingly, arrived earlier than expected.  Copying the Pathfinder Beginner Box method of release, Star Wars Edge of the Empire is also released in a beginner box format, coming with all the essentials for play.  Included in the box is a quick-to-learn rule booklet that will teach anyone, even the most uninitiated roleplayer, how to play the game.  Dice, pre-generated character sheets (which are ready-to-play), an adventure book, tokens, and much more are also included.  Create your own galaxy far, far away by picking up this one, catch-all Beginner Box.

Maybe you haven’t heard, but there’s this movie called The Hobbit coming out this weekend.  I don’t know, people are excited.  In a brilliant stroke of cross-marketing, Fantasy Flight has released a new Hobbit trick-taking card game.  A head-to-head battle of good versus evil, The Hobbit card game has players taking on the roles of Bilbo, Gandalf, and Thorin to take on the forces of Smaug and Bolg.  Each card has its own special abilities as well as associations with good or evil, which will benefit or harm them depending on the items being attached to them.  Trust me, you’re going to need something to keep you and your five friends busy while your sitting in line waiting for tickets.

In an effort to make an RPG system for every corner of the Warhammer 40K universe, the Only War Core Rulebook drops today.  Focusing on the Imperial Guardsmen, Only War allows players to control any of the twelve specialties, whether that’s the powerful Heavy Gunner or the beneficial Medic.  The game also supports all forms of interaction with easy-to-understand rules capable of handling conversations to mass battles.  Also, by the weird possibility that you’re playing a 40K game without knowing anything about the universe, this rulebook comes with complete background details on the Imperial Guard and all their enemies.

The fire is rising, brother.  And you just read that in Bane’s voice.

Though he, technically, has nothing to do with Dominare, Bane’s general revolutionary plan does share some similarities with the gameplay.  It’s all about influencing the citizens of Tempest with secret backdoor dealings, underhanded treachery, and cunning.  Each player controls different agents of the underworld, sending them into eight different city districts to begin spreading rumors of a conspiracy that will upset the city’s balance.  In the end, its all about control and who possesses it.

Ticket to Ride continues to trek across the globe for its most recent map expansion packs, this time landing in Africa.  Ticket to Ride: The Heart of Africa (beside being a minor reference to Joseph Conrad’s famous short story) features an entirely original map of the country, complete with new terrain cards which specific different track colors for different geographical regions.  Players can multiply their points by using them in conjunction with particular routes.  As Ticket to Ride is one of the best family games on the stands since forever, so keep it fresh and interesting for yours by picking up this new expansion.

Wares!  Fine wares!  Get your fine wares right here!

Continuing from Catan Histories previous releases, Merchants of Europe is the newest stand-alone Catan edition.  This augmentation of the basic Settlers of Catan rules has players controlling merchants and trading posts in various cities in Europe, attempting to expand their mercantile reach ever further.  Ultimately, your goal should be to recruit as many new merchants as you can in an effort to build trading posts further from your original locations and acquire different commodities (i.e. sugar, wood, sheep, etc.) for trade and sale.  Along with this, players must also build trading routes over which they will need to transport their goods, hoping they’ve built them in safe areas or else have their product pillaged from under them.

 

This week is Marvel‘s week.  Beezees.  Word up.

Marvel NOW! is in full effect, as two of the cornerstone titles hit shelves this Wednesday.

First up, Deadpool #1.  Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan, two thinking man’s comedians, are writing the book (their first comic endeavor ever…that rhymed) while the legend himself, Tony Moore (Walking Dead), lends his beautifully twisted pencils to the Merc with the Mouth.  The premise for the first arc of this series is so unbelievable, I hesitate to tell you about it.

Okay, you’ve convinced me.  All the country’s deceased presidents are coming back to undead life and there’s only one man who’s jerk enough to re-kill them.  I think you know who it is.

That Tony Stark needs to learn how to hold onto his inventions.  Iron Man #1 by Kieron Gillen and Greg Land re-introduce Tony Stark to a whole new range of readers with this Marvel NOW! starting point issue, where Tony gets his Extremis technology stolen and must develop an entirely new suit of armor to get it back.  Gillen has been killing on the Uncanny X-Men AvX tie-ins, bringing the pathos and the action while Greg Land is just a beautiful, painterly artist who will make Tony’s armor look so polished you’ll think you can eat off it.  Anyone who loves the Iron Man films but has never read one of his comics NEEDS to check this series out.

If you missed this year’s epic Marvel brawl to end it all, Avengers vs. X-Men, all hope is not lost.  Coming out this Wednesday is the complete epic all in one hefty volume.  That’s twelve issues for the main series, folks, plus six issues of AvX: Versus, the all fights all the time miniseries that accompanied the main series, and (if that wasn’t enough) three AvX: Infinite issues, which have never been in print before.  The entire volume is a treasure trove of the greatest writers and artists working in comics today, featuring names like Jonathon Hickman, Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Jeph Loeb, Kieron Gillen, Ed Brubaker, Andy Kubert, Oliver Coipel, John Romita, Jr., and many, many, many more.  And this thing’s so thick after you get done reading it, you can use it as a coffee table.

You’ve read the novel.  You’ve seen the Swedish movie.  You’ve seen the American movie.  But have you read the graphic novel?

No, obviously not, it’s not out until this Wednesday.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo makes its way to comic shelves this week with a Vertigo graphic novel adaptation by novelist Denise Mina and artists Leonard Manco and Andrea Mutti.  If you nabbed the free sample comic from a couple months back, you know that this version of the story plays with silence and ambiance in way the previous incarnations have not.  And, if you’ve lived under a rock for the last eight years or so, then you should check the book out anyway as it is one of the best mystery, suspense stories of the decade.

 

Marvel and DC may be the big two, but, over this last year, they’ve lost some considerable ground to Image Comics. Largely that’s due to Image publishing The Walking Dead, but the publisher has also been gaining ground in “among of books published”. What’s most shocking is that, with this rise in titles, the quality of each book has not faltered from any where below excellent. Two of the books that have contributed to these two factors are coming out in trade paperback form this Wednesday. Allow me to introduce you.

Thief of Thieves is the best heist movie you’ve never seen. It also happens not to be a movie, but a comic. And it’s created by Robert Kirkman (Walking Dead). And it’s written by Nick Spencer (Morning Glories). Not surprisingly it is a quick-witted, snappy, twisty read that uses pacing and panel arrangement to the full effect of the medium. The first collection comes out this Wednesday and contains the first six issues.

Manhattan Projects is what everyone wishes history was like. An alternate retelling of the experimentation that lead to the creation of the atomic bomb, Manhattan Projects (written by Jonathon Hickman (Fantastic Four)) stars the likes of Albert Einstein, Joseph Oppenheimer, FDR, Harry Truman, and a bunch of other famous people you thought were scientists but are actually psychopaths. Plus, the atomic bomb isn’t all these geniuses are playing with; inter-dimensional gateways, robot samurai, aliens, and alternate realities all make an appearance. Each issue will have you picking your jaw off the floor repeatedly as shock after shock keeps the story moving.

Alan Moore has never had kind words for those who’ve adapted his work to film, but there was a time when he wrote his own movie. During 1985, only a year before Watchmen hit the shelves, Moore wrote a sprawling modernization of Beauty and the Beast, dubbed Fashion Beast, with the intention of it being produced as a movie. This never happened. But now, Avatar Press has acquired Moore’s approval and oversight to adapted his script into a ten issue comic series. So, if you want to read a fairy tale as only Alan Moore can tell it, you need to stop by Wednesday and grab yourself a copy of Fashion Beast.

Let’s get one thing clear: He does not talk to fish!

The “he” in that sentence is, of course, Aquaman. There are few other characters in the DC universe (or Marvel, for that matter) who are ridiculed and satirized as much as Aquaman. Well, Geoff Johns is here to make anyone who’s ever made a “Hello, little fish” joke eat crow. This first collection of the New 52 Aquaman series brims with intelligent retooling of the character’s backstory, now focusing on character moments instead of broad strokes, as Aquaman and his wife Mera attempt to control an invasion of undersea creatures known as The Trench. These creatures are not simple fishies, they’re more like walking piranhas. If Johns is good at anything, he’s good at giving readers reasons to love his protagonists and fear his villains, traits that he brings to play in this exceptional first volume of everyone’s favorite punching bag, Aquaman.

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