The Pull List! Aug. 8, 2009

Another week, another pull list!  Not a lot to say this month, so let’s just dive right into it.  It’s fortunately another week light on Dark Reign related books, while DC continues to push the World Without Superman arc.  Remember to check the websites of each book’s publisher for more information, and don’t forget that just because it isn’t on the list doesn’t mean it isn’t good!

Also, big thanks to Marron over at Avengers Tower for the shameless plug; you can find what she’s picking up this week by clicking here.

NOTABLE RELEASES FOR AUGUST 5TH, 2009

CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #2

Why You Should Care: Last month’s debut issue of Captain America: Reborn pulled out a few surprises, as we learn that Cap didn’t really die back in the now classic Captain America #25, but was displaced in time, and is now traveling through his own life like an excessively patriotic Sam Beckett. There’s a lot of questions being risen as to what happens next, and with Steve Rogers’ old Nomad identity now claimed by Rikki Barnes, a.k.a Bucky a.k.a. Girl!Bucky, there’s one less costumed identity for either Steve or Bucky to occupy…so when all is said and done, who gets to be Captain America?

Official Solicitation: “The race for Steve Rogers is on! On one side – BUCKY and the BLACK WIDOW and members of the AVENGERS and FANTASTIC FOUR! On the other – NORMAN OSBORN and HAMMER, THE RED SKULL and his evil hordes, with DR. DOOM waiting in the wings! And where… oh where, is the real CAPTAIN AMERICA? Ed Brubaker, Bryan Hitch and Butch Guice bring you the biggest Marvel comic of the year!”

DESTROYER #5

Why You Should Care: A British hero brought to American shores, Destroyer is (or, at this point, was) the story of an aging superhero, his powers failing him and his time near an end. The book’s been full of violence galore, all expertly illustrated by Invincible’s Robert Kirkman, but mainly it’s just been a fun book to read. I’ve enjoyed every issue of it, and I’m pretty sad that it’s ending now. Hopefully, we’ll get to see some more Destroyer in the future.  You should be able to find all five issues at your local comic shop still, or get them on eBay if you can.  Either way, I highly recommend giving this one a look if you can find it.

Official Solicitation: “It’s all been leading up to this! Destroyer comes face to face with his most dreaded adversary yet–DEATH! It’s a no-holds-barred winner-take-all fight to remember. The stakes–high! The prize–life! Nothing can prepare you for this sense-shattering conclusion. Also in this issue—violence!”

DOOM PATROL #1

Why You Should Care: The Doom Patrol have always been fun heroes, as have the Metal Men. What would make them better? Why not hand over the writing chores for both to acclaimed writer Keith Giffen? And why not unite Giffin with the awesome awesome Kevin Maguire, uniting the team that created the critically acclaimed and, to this day, fan loved Justice League International to create what will most definitely be a hilarious take on the Metal Men? You want more? Well, tough, because that would probably cost DC a lot of money. This has all the makings to be the surprise hit of the year; don’t be surprised if this one sells out fast.

Official Solicitation: “Come one, come all! The world’s strangest Super Heroes are back, and they brought those robot guys along with ’em! Thrill to the strange adventures of the Doom Patrol, with script by Keith Giffen and art by Matthew Clark! Whether you think you know ’em or you wouldn’t know ’em if they bit you on the behind, this Doom Patrol’s for you! But that’s not all! Read all the way to the back cover for the all-new adventures of those elemental everymen, the Metal Men, featuring the triumphant return of the creative team that brought you JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL! That’s 40 full pages of comic-bookery for just under four American dollars. So why not try some Doom Patrol with a side order of Metal Men today?”

GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN’S FIRE #1

Why You Should Care: Sure, it makes no sense that Ghost Rider is an angel. And Danny Ketch being evil just hurts those of us who are fans of the 90s Ghost Rider series. But with there being an evil angel looking to take over Heaven, it’s up to Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch to both reunite as the Ghost Riders and save the day. The Ghost Rider on-going started strong before becoming a train wreck, but it’s future depends on how this book does. Hopefully it turns out better than it did before, but I’m certainly eager to see more of the Spirit of Vengeance.

Official Solicitation: “The acclaimed GHOST RIDER run of writer Jason Aaron reaches its fever-pitched conclusion with six more issues of insanity, all jam-packed with new villains, old allies and the same old grindhouse action that Flamehead fans have come to know and love. The renegade angel Zadkiel is out to thwart Biblical prophecy by assassinating a young boy bred by Satanists to rule the world, so if Ghost Riders Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch are going to save the world, they’ll first have to save the Anti-Christ. Guest-starring Hellstorm, the Son of Satan.”

SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #6

Why You Should Care: Zod’s dead, baby. And even in death, all will kneel before him. The “World Without Superman” crossover has been quite the surprise all around, with strong characters and intriguing stories, but it’s in Superman: World of New Krypton that we’ve had the most intrigue, as Superman is forced to serve in the Kryptonian military. With Zod assassinated, the book’s begin the month long “Codename: Patriot” crossover, as Earth and Krypton stand on the bring of intersteallar war.

Official Solicitation: “It’s chaos in Kandor as the 4-part “Codename: Patriot” storyline kicks off here and runs through the August Superman titles! Someone has been shot and Superman will stop at nothing to find the culprit! But when the shooter flees to Earth, can Superman stop him in time to prevent making the two planets even more hostile toward each other? Continued in ACTION COMICS #880!”

ULTIMATUM: FANTASTIC FOUR REQUIEM and X-MEN REQUIEM

Why You Should Care: Ok, let’s face it: Ultimatum was terrible. The whole book rode on shock deaths, violently and needlessly killing a slew of fascinating and interesting characters. But from the ashes, we’ve got the reborn Ultimate Comics line. Last week saw the end of Ultimatum: Spider-Man Requiem, where we learned the final fate of Ultimate Spider-Man, and this week we see the aftermath of Ultimatum on two of the Ultimate Universes other biggest characters. What repercussions will The Thing face for murdering Doctor Doom? Can Jean Grey lead a terrified team of X-Men in the wake of the deaths of Professor X, Cyclops and Wolverine? And most importantly, how will Magneto’s actions affect the life of the heroes now that millions are dead worldwide?

Official Solicitation (FF): “re • qui • em (noun) A song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to the departed. With the catastrophes wrought by Ultimatum, does this spell the end for the first family of the Ultimate U? Plus: Whatever happened to Johnny Storm?”

Official Solicitation (X-Men): “Endcap to the ground-breaking series that helped launch the Ultimate Universe! Does the dream die with the man? How do you continue on when you’ve lost everything? In the aftermath of Ultimatum, the surviving members of the X-Men say goodbye to their loved ones, pay homage to their memory and try to figure out what happens next.”

ALSO SHIPPING THIS WEEK

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #601

Official Solicitation: “Prepare for the All-New, All-Deadly: DARK MARY-JANE!! Oops, sorry, that’s the rest of Marvel’s solicits…Actually, in this issue “Red-Headed Stranger” begins just after the surprising events of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #600 with Pete’s love life taking a turn for the worse just as his old flame Mary Jane returns to New York City. (FINALLY!! Sheesh. What took us so long?!)”

BATMAN CONDFIDENTIAL #32

Official Solicitation: “Batman goes to Moscow in part 2 of this 5-part story! After the Tsar threatens to take over the Gotham City mob, Batman shows how far he’s willing to go to protect not just his city but also his country. But what’s waiting for The Dark Knight in Moscow packs a much bigger punch than he expects. Find out what happens when the Bat meets the Bear!”

BLACK PANTHER #7

Official Solicitation: “Wakanda has been attacked on every front. Heroes have fallen, old alliances have been betrayed, the country is in turmoil. Now is the time for the new Black Panther to rise and make a stand against threats both foreign and domestic. “Power” is a bold new direction for the Panther, written by celebrated producer-director Reginald Hudlin and multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author Jonathan Maberry (Patient Zero, PUNISHER: NAKED KILL). New game, new rules, and lots of surprises as the new Black Panther is set on a collision course with one of the Marvel Universe’s most feared and powerful beings.”

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #27

Official Solicitation: “Slayers are out. Vampires are in. Mysterious big bad Twilight has just become a bigger bad — he can zero in on Team Buffy and her army of Slayers by tracking their use of magic. But Buffy and her allies have taken their submarine — yes, Buffy picked up one of those . . . they’re a necessary piece of equip — straight to the only person she knows with an inside track on suppressing magic: the werewolf Oz.

In the yak-filled mountains of Tibet, Oz has found his peace and formed a new life. The butter tea flows freely at the reunion, where — among other fun reunion-y things — Buffy learns that suppressing her demon side could be the biggest risk of all . . .”

DARK REIGN: ZODIAC #2

Official Solicitation: “Zodiac’s master plan escalates to dizzying heights. First up: a horrific act of super-villain terrorism that involves a group of iconic Marvel heroes! Next: a planet-wide threat that will test Norman Osborn’s leadership abilities like no other has! And what does Galactus have to do with all of this? The new wave of Marvel villains has finally arrived!”

DEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH #2

Official Solicitation: “It’s the Merc with two mouths! It’s the Dawn of the Living Deadpool! It’s…oh, you get the point. Crash-landing in the Savage Land, Deadpool finds himself face-to-face with the last thing on Earth he ever expected to see: his own Zombiefied head! To make matters worse, the nasty little critter went ahead and bit a few of the locals, so Deadpool has to put the smackdown on some zombie cavemen if he’s going to have any chance at escaping and completing his mission. Did we mention that a crack team of Hydra mercenaries are waiting in the wings?”

EXILES #5

Official Solicitation: “Trapped in what will soon be a purely robotic world, The Exiles find out that drastic steps were taken to save humanity, and even machines can have secrets! But one of the Exiles has a secret too – one that can destroy the whole mission when revealed. (And Morph finally pokes his head back in!)” It’s been announced that next month’s double-sized Exiles #6 will be the series final issue. – Christopher

FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN! #4

Official Solicitation: “In this issue, someone dies! Actually, in this issue, tons of people die! If you thought RUN! was full of trashy humor and unnecessary violence before this issue – you ain’t seen nothing yet! We cause more property damage and hideous disfigurement in the first half of this issue than any other comic you’ll read this year (besides RUN! #5 and #6, because those are pretty ridiculous too). Join in the fun!”

HULK #13

Official Solicitation: “A DARK REIGN SPECIAL from the superstar team of Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness and Tom Palmer! After the shocking ending of INCREDIBLE HULK 600 where <>, Norman Osborn wants the truth. He sends ARES, The God of War to find it…even if it means killing anybody who stands in their way. If you’re a HULK fan — this is one issue you can’t miss!”

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #16

Official Solicitation: “WORLD’S MOST WANTED continues! Tony and Pepper, trapped in Tunguska by Madame Masque, play the ultimate game of truth or dare at the business end of a very loaded gun. Is Tony strong enough and smart enough to escape the clutches of a woman who burns to see him suffer? And halfway around the world, the Black Widow joins Maria Hill, and they summon the most good of all the good guys…CAPTAIN AMERICA! But is he willing to come to Tony’s aid?”

IRON MAN & THE ARMOR WARS #1

Official Solicitation: “Cash, cars, boats, houses…Tony Stark has got it all. The only thing that could ruin his day? If every single one of his IRON MAN armors were stolen, and then turned against him. Join us for a nail-biting, strapped-to-your-seat adventure as Tony battles his greatest creations, and tries to discover who could (gasp) OUTSMART him!?!?”

JUSTICE LEAGUE: A CRY FOR JUSTICE #2

Official Solicitation: “The team continues its proactive hunt for justice as the trail leads to an army of Super-Villains. But the big bad may be deadlier than all of the new team combined…

Continuing the anticipated 6-part miniseries event from James Robinson (STARMAN, SUPERMAN) and rising star artist Mauro Cascioli (TRIALS OF SHAZAM)!”

LUKE CAGE NOIR #1

Official Solicitation: “A lot can change in ten years. And rarely for the better. Local legend, Luke Cage, invincible, unstoppable, unflappable, finds that out the hard way when he returns to the mean streets of Prohibition-era Harlem after a ten-year stretch in Riker’s Island. All he wants is to be back in the loving arms of his woman, but certain powerful men have different plans for Cage. Willis Stryker, Cage’s childhood friend turned Godfather of Harlem, wants him on his crew, and under his thumb. And wealthy white socialite Randall Banticoff, whose wife is now very dead, murdered in a Harlem alley, wants Cage to investigate her death. Cage is about to learn that coming home is never easy, and to survive he might just have to kill a whole lot of people.”

SAVAGE DRAGON #151

Official Solicitation: “With Savage Dragon out of commission following his battle with OverLord, Dragon’s kids, Malcolm and Angel, face the marauding menace of Mako! Plus Dart and the Golden Age Daredevil!”

SECRET SIX #12

Official Solicitation: “A crisis of conscience splits the Secret Six right down the middle and puts them on opposite sides of a horrific war involving Amazons led by a deluded Artemis! But that’s just the opening bout for the main event: Jeannette vs. Wonder Woman!”

WAR MACHINE #8

Official Solicitation: “Guest-starring Ronin, Mockingbird, Tigra and Wonder Man! When one of your old teammates turns into a one man army determined to take out a major target on US soil, what’s a former West Coast Avenger to do? Howzabout stage the most insanely explosive intervention in Marvel history? Don’t miss the mayhem as Jim Rhodes’ best friends from the past form a new crew to prevent War Machine from turning traitor in the book CBR.com calls “a visual spectacle…it’s high octane, higher-caliber adventure”!”

WAR OF KINGS #6

Official Solicitation: “This is it – the big fight for all the cosmic marbles! Shi’Ar vs. Inhuman! Black Bolt vs. Vulcan! Who will rule? The fate of two intergalactic civilizations teeters on the brink, and the outcome of this conflict will send shockwaves throughout the Marvel Universe! Don’t miss the climactic chapter in what IGN.com calls: “Action-packed but intimate and character driven…this could very well be the textbook definition of how to execute major superhero storylines.””

WAR OF KINGS: WARRIORS #2

Official Solicitation: “The royal women take center stage as we spotlight Crystal and Lilandra! When a group of disgruntled Kree launch a series of bombings aimed at the Inhumans Royal Family, Crystal is charged with quelling the violence—but can she bring the guilty to justice without causing civil war? Plus: a flashback story to one of Lilandra’s earliest adventures, as the future Empress of the Shi’Ar must face a trial by fire ignited by the Brood! It’s two brand new stories that spotlight key players in the War of Kings!”

WEDNESDAY COMICS #5

Official Solicitation: “WEDNESDAY COMICS, DC’s spectacular 12-issue weekly series, continues to offer a comics experience unlike any other this August.”