The Pull List! Week Of March 11th, 2009

A new week, new comics, and a new format for the Pull List.  Hope you guys enjoy it!  It looks like a fairly strong week all around, especially with “Battle For The Cowl” starting.  Leave comments and let me know what you guys are gonna buy!!

ON SALE FROM DC COMICS

Action Comics #875

Why You Should Read It: With Superman off planet (See “World of New Krypton” mini), Kandorian heroes Flamebird and Nightwing have taken over protecting Metropolis. Who are these two new heroes? Early rumors indicate numerous suspects, but I’ll let you decide for yourself…

Official Soliciation: “To give the full details of this story would spoil the dramatic finale of the “New Krypton” crossover, and we don’t want to do that! Suffice to say, a “World Without Superman” is a very dangerous place, indeed, and the only thing standing between the good (and not so good) folks of Earth and an impending shadow of doom are the all-new Nightwing and Flamebird!

Eisner Award-winning writer Greg Rucka (FINAL CRISIS: REVELATIONS) teams with rising star Eddy Barrows (TEEN TITANS) to kick off a bold new era for ACTION COMICS!”

Batman: Battle For The Cowl #1 (Of 3)

Why You Should Read It: After the Final Crisis mini-series, Gotham City is left without its Dark Knight. As crime grows and the members of the Bat-family find themselves hopelessly fighting back against ever-worsening odds, the time has come to make a decision: will there be a new Batman? And who should it be?

Official Solicitation: “Batman: R.I.P.” and FINAL CRISIS saw the end of Batman. Now, months following the disappearance of her protector, Gotham City sits at a precipice and it may be too far gone for Nightwing, Robin, Commissioner Gordon and the rest of the city’s heroes to save the day. Amid the fires, rioting, looting and gang warfare, one question rings out from the souls of Gotham’s desperate citizens: Where is Batman? With guest-stars galore, the destruction of a sacred Gotham City institution and an ending that will have everyone talking, this 3-issue miniseries event written and drawn by Tony Daniel (The Tenth) features the battle to take on the Mantle of the Bat. Who has earned the right? Who thinks they deserve it? Robin? Nightwing? Jason Todd? Two-Face? Catwoman? Batgirl? Who will ultimately win the BATTLE FOR THE COWL? “

Booster Gold #18

Why You Should Read It: The unsung hero of “52”, Booster Gold’s adventures in the multiverse are having a shaking effect on the DCU. With promises of upcoming “Battle for the Cowl” tie-ins and guest stars galore, this is a fun romp through the history of the DC Universe.

Official Solicitation: “The “Reality Lost” arc concludes as Booster Gold gets help from…Booster Gold? Thanks to the powers of time travel, the future Booster Gold jumps back in time to team up with none other than himself to defeat a powered-up Chronos and stop him from using the time-knife to forever alter history. It’s Booster Gold and Booster Gold in a fight against time!”

Green Arrow/Black Canary #18

Why You Should Read It: The original love birds of DC, this title’s been flying high following its initial mess of possibly-dead/not-dead Ollie and comatose Connor Hawke. With a new, Green Arrow-obsessed villain who seems to be evenly matched with the Emerald Archer  on the block and a rather dark Omens & Origins tease, this title looks to be for a few very sharp, albeit very interesting turns!

Official Solicitation: “It’s quiet in Star City – a little too quiet. And a new menace hits town that Black Canary herself may be responsible for! Also, Green Arrow crosses a line that just may send the couple going their separate ways!”

Green Lantern Corps #34

Why You Should Read It: This is the only place to find former solo GL Kyle Rayner, as well as Guy Gardner, Killowog and more, not to mention its also going to be a part of the upcoming Blackest Night tie-in.  Mongul’s son, uh, Mongul has shown up, and is now in command of various power rings.  Its action, its advnture,  and its just damn good, space-faring fun.

Official Solicitation: “The prelude to “Blackest Night” continues as the “War of Light” heats up. Mongul commands Daxam and their Superman-like citizens plus the entire Sinestro Corps. Can Arisia and a small resistance of Daxamites defeat the fear-bearing Corps with Sodam Yat out of the picture?”

Superman/Batman #56

Why You Should Read It: I mistakenly cited #55 in the previous month’s pull list as the conclusion of Super/Bat; whoops. Anyways, for all the aforementioned reasons, plus Superman in a Batman-like suit of armor that enhances him does battle with a Superman-powered Batman who may be losing his mind just a little bit.

Official Solicitation: “This is it! The World’s Finest Heroes face off against the JLA and their greatest foes – each other! The final chapter of “Super/Bat” explodes as the powerless Superman battles the unstoppable Batman with the soul of The Dark Knight hanging in the balance.”

ON SALE FROM MARVEL COMICS

Ghost Rider #33

Why You Should Read It: Ghost Rider is an angel, and there’s a new Caretaker. With the recent Zadkiel storyline behind us, there’s a strong chance that this series is going to pick back up and return itself to the former glory, and not the recent mess of a story that it has been.

Official Solicitation: “TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS,” PART 1 After the shocking events of last issue, the all-new Caretaker struggles to pick up the pieces of her life, but the mad dog man-mountain called The Deacon has other plans. Also, Caretaker gives us a special guided tour of the long sordid history of the Spirit of Vengeance in America, including glimpses of some previously unseen Ghost Riders of the past.”

Immortal Iron Fist #23

Why You Should Read It: Its your premiere source for Kung Fu action! Its also incredibly well written, and artistically gorgeous.  This title has served as a surprise hit since Civil War, and continues to do so as Danny Rand finds himself and his fellow Immortal Weapons trying to fight their way out of a mystical K’un-Lun prison!

Official Solicitation: “Danny and the Immortal Weapons from the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven begin to discover the shocking, shameful secrets of the Capital City of Hell. But what does it mean for K’un-Lun, and for our world? And how will each of them overcome the absolute worst and most terrifying enemies they’ve ever faced? It’s kung fu super hero horror action by Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman!”

Invincible Iron Man #11

Why You Should Read It: Tony Stark is now the most wanted man alive, thanks to the implications of his involvement in the Secret Invasion! As Norman Osborn stalks him, an Extremis-less Tony Stark is doing the only thing he can to prevent the secrets of super heroes from being released to the public: ending his own life!

Official Solicitation: “WORLD’S MOST WANTED PART 4! Tony risks it all to say goodbye to a friend. Maria Hill arrives in Texas – only to find she’s been beaten to the punch and now is outnumbered, outgunned, and out of luck. And time. And hope. All this as Pepper Potts goes to an old ally in hopes of stopping things from getting a whole lot worse for Tony Stark – everybody’s pal Jim Rhodes…once Iron Man himself and currently WAR MACHINE. Worlds are colliding! Guys in robot suits are fighting! Norman Osborn is ruling the world! Holy $%&#!”

Punisher: Frank Castle #68

Why You Should Read It: The reinvented MAX series has dropped none of its original grit and glory, as The Punisher remains as violent and brutal as ever. With a deadly poison set to end his life in less than 6 hours, Frank sets out to kill as many thugs as he can before dieing! Last issue saw him gunning down an army of mafioso and running down a drug dealer, so what else could possibly be in store?

Official Solicitation: ““SIX HOURS TO KILL, PART 3: HOUR GAME” So much for Brotherly Love…Seems like everyone in Philadelphia won’t be content until they’re staring at the 200-pound corpse of Frank Castle. See, everybody’s gunning for the Punisher tonight—a crooked Mayor, a hot blonde, a pair of dirty ex-cops, a roving gang of executioners, the Russian mob…oh, and the Philly PD and FBI, too. And if none of the above get him, the clock will—thanks to the poison racing through Castle’s veins that will kill him in less than three hours.”