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Volume 14 #1 “News, reviews and opinions from the world of ” Winter 2010 Pulp Heroes Return in “First Wave” With last year’s / special, You didn’t think First Wave would be relegated to a Azzarello showed us single book, did you? Here’s a look at a couple of a new DC Universe, other titles that reside in the First Wave universe! where in the ‘20s Batman is a beginning crime- fighter packing a .45, and Doc Savage is the Doc Savage true power on the scene. This was the intro for Writer: Paul Malmont a new setting of pulp- Artist: Howard Porter styled action, bringing together all of the action Pulp fiction’s greatest heroes of DC, from the hero returns in his gun-toting Batman of the very own monthly early Detective Comics, to series! ’s detective The Spirit, and the international ace pilot team of the Black- hawks.

In this gritty world, there are The Spirit no supermen, just mortals trying to fight against the Writer: rampant corruption of the Artist: Golden Tree cabal. Expect two-fisted action and heroics, The adventures of all drawn by Rags Morales Will Eisner’s most in some of his best work yet enduring creation (samples have been popping continue! up in DC books, but they will be all-color in the series!)

“OLD MAN LOGAN” CREATIVE TEAM RETURNS WITH “”! Missing Kick-Ass, now that it finally /terrorist/evil-doer in the wrapped up? Have no fear, Mark world does all kinds of bad things Millar is back--this time with his in Asia, then sets his sight on our old partner on , Steve very own Washington, DC. Much McNiven. Their Nemesis promises mayhem ensues, in the patented to be an instant classic--baddest (read: violent) style. 2 | www.bigplanetcomics.com Hotline: 301.718.1890

Killer Modus Vivendi #1 Pilot Season: Stealth #1 The sequel to the original Killer Kirkman. Silvestri. Todd moves starts as he returns from retire- his Alzheimer’s dad into his ment, but why is one of his targets house, unaware that he is the vigi- a good-hearted nun? lante Stealth. Sounds like a new Three’s Company! Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep: Dust to Dust #1 The Blade Runner prequel! When androids are declared illegal, who is sent after them?

A-Team Shotgun Wedding #1 Oh yeah, the ‘80s are back! Uh, again, I guess. And it’s vacation time at the wedding of a U.S. offi- cial’s daughter. Kinda like Die Hard meets Wedding Crashers, I bet.

Ghost Projekt #1 A U.S. Weapons Inspector must track a stolen weapon from an aban- doned Soviet facility, but no one knows what the Dosvi- danya project is. I bet it involves Schwartzenegger somehow. Pilot Season: Stellar #1 Invincible Returns #1 More Kirkman! One of only 5 A stand-alone issue of the best superhumans, Stellar roams the comic being published, galaxy, banished from Earth. But right in time to get you caught up the other 4 went insane and are before the beginning of the Viltri- out there somewhere too... umite War! Stephen King’s N #1 Ultimate Comics X #1 Captain Swing #1 Another King adaptation, this one Last Stand of New and Art Adams bring New Ellis craziness in 19th from the Just After Sunset collec- #1 you the next book in the Ultimate century London, where there are tion. A strange Stonehenge-like Holy crossovers! It’s Superman, universe. With dead, Electrical Pirates! set of stones draws the obsessed , General Zod, Braniac, Cap on the run, and the FF broken “N” to rural Maine. & the Legion of Super- up, who’s this kid in a small town Girl Comics #1 Heroes, Krypton, and Kandor that ’s so interested in? A three issue series, entirely Prelude to Corps #1 (of “Bottled City of” fame)--all written and drawn by female You asked for it! Lady Deapool! stuffed into three issues by James #1 artists – including Colleen Doran, Zombie Deadpool Head (now Robinson and Sterling Gates. and Black Beauty join the , G. Willow Wilson, known as Headpool!) Kidpool! Read the conclusion to the best Hornet, written by , and a whole lot more! Plus She- And every team needs an animal guilty-pleasure storyline of 2009. and they even said he’s finished Hulk arm-wrestling . sidekick – Dogpool! writing it already!

Almost Silent HC Four Jason novels collected in one book. Zombie thrillers, monster romances, lost love, and short gags.

Dan DeCarlo’s Jetta HC The wacky adventures of the curvy teen-age sweetheart of the 21st century!

Dodgem Logic Magazine #1 decides to ramp up the craziness by publishing a new magazine. A look at underground publishing, a CD, and work by lots of his crazy friends. Hotline: 301.718.1890 www.bigplanetcomics.com | 3

Executor HC 1 SC except that it’s really good. John MMW Vol.10 HC The newest Vertigo Crime book. Mary goes to Earth’s last McCrea’s ultra-cartoony art This one contains Avengers Joseph Ullen returns to his home- spaceport to find out how her makes it even better. #89-100--which means that you town when his old girlfriend father died, and who killed him. get the complete Kree- War mysteriously dies, and names him Retro spaceships and laser guns! Hicksville Definitive Edition story, every issue of Avengers executor of her will. TP drawn by Neal Adams, and three Dominic Fortune TP A new “director’s cut”-edition great issues by Barry Windsor- Wedding SC This not only collects the recent of Dylan Horrocks’ legendary Smith all in one book! Amazing. Yup, Archie finally decides to get series by Howard Chaykin, but Hicksville, with a new introduc- If you want to wait for the paper- married by looking into his future all of his other Dominic Fortune tion by the author, and a complete back, it’ll either be out years – and examining both choices, work, going back to the 1970s. glossary of terms that might be from now, or a month before the ! Rough life, Not quite as good as American foreign to a non-New Zealander. Avengers movie.... Arch, rough life. Flagg!, but still very cool. Now One of the greatest graphic novels we just need a Cody Starbuck ever. You must have this, if you MMW All-Star Superman 2 SC TP.... don’t already. Vol.1 TP The greatest Superman saga in Jack Kirby Captain years finishes up in this second : America from the 1960s in book. Morrison and Quitely take Pandemonium an affordable paperback. us to the Bizarro planet and across HC ‘Nuff Said! (P.S. You can the universe. Jamie Delano get Kirby Hulk, Kirby may not be the , and Ditko : Agents of H.A.T.E. creator of John Spider-Man, all in this SC Constantine-- same awesome format). Ellis brings together a team that that would be kicks and makes things go boom! Alan Moore, Riders: Plus Fang Foom. And lots of in the pages of Heaven’s on Fire TP M.O.D.O.K.s! . strikes But he did write again! His run on Ghost Immortal Weapons SC the first 40-or-so Rider started as a seem- The Immortal Weapons from issues of Hell- ingly innocuous Scooby Iron Fist get their own blazer, and define Doo-like affair, and stories! Each one by a the character ends with a bang, as all different team. for a genera- the Ghost Riders that tion. Now ever were fight to take Greek Street 1 he’s back Heaven back for the Blood Calls for with a forces of good. Good Blood SC s p e c i a l Bronze Age-style fun, stand-alone updated for the 21st translates the trag- C o n s t a n - Century. edies of ancient tine tale, with Greece into modern amazing art by Kick-Ass HC London, with clairvoy- --the dude can Soon to be a major ants, murderers, strippers, and really draw! Who motion picture! gangsters. And possibly a few knew? Mark Millar and gods and goddesses. John Romita, Jr. Hitman Vol.2: take superhero SC 10,000 Bullets TP violence to the Nth Another twisted take by the Black Funny and violent, level in this tale of Summer team of Ellis and Ryp on just how you like it! A masked vigilantes superheroes. Just how far are you -scripted in the real world. willing to go to become a super- story of a Hitman who hero? fights for justice--it’s like the movie,

Market Day HC & Quarterly back in the day, but The new book by James now all 120 pages of grim, beau- Sturm, author of The tiful stories of life in the trenches Golem’s Mighty Swing. Set are finally available in English! You in the early 1900s in Eastern must have this book. Europe as it follows a Jewish businessman. On the Odd Hours GN Another volume of the exquisite It Was the War comics produced for The Louvre in of the Trenches HC Paris--the first was Glacial Period by Jacques Tardi’s legendary de Crecy. Guaranteed to make Eric anthology of World War Liberge a household name. Would One stories is another of the be nice if the books were a little greatest graphic novels of all larger, like the French editions.... time. A few of these stories were in RAW and Drawn 4 | www.bigplanetcomics.com Hotline: 301.718.1890

AN EXCERPT FROM... Funny Book by Joel Pollack

One thing I knew, and had known for a while, was that Bethesda, MD needed a comic shop. While Bethesda is in Maryland, the city is a suburb of Funnies nearby Washington DC. It has a fantastic popu- by Nick Liappis and Kevin Panetta lation, both in culture, education, and income. The area was definitely under-served when it came to comics. I was going to open in a market- place that had little, if any real competition.

Several other factors were present at that time. First off, in 1986, there was tremendous amount of publicity for comics themselves. From the rebooting of Superman to the Dark Knight and the Watchmen; the word was beginning to spread that comics were hot. Secondly, there was someone else locally who was thinking along the same lines. A longtime friend, Gene Carpenter, was thinking of opening a store in Bethesda. We decided that it would be easier to work together than compete against each other. Together, we found a second floor space right in the commer- cial district of Bethesda. The second floor may not sound like anything great, but the real estate in this town is very expensive. We felt lucky to find what we wanted in such a great location.

The next step was figuring out how to outfit a store. It is one thing to help set up temporary fixtures for a convention or show, it is another to create something with a sense of permanence. Here, we really lucked out. Back in 1974, at a convention, I had met a postman named Steve Geppi. We were always cordial and got along, but had not really connected with each other. Over the years, when I would see Steve, I would even suggest that he open a store in Bethesda, but it just never happened. So, now it is 1986 and he was trying to keep a store open in the vacation town of City, MD. The store was doing fantastic business, but it was only doing that business half of the year. The rest of the year, no one was coming to spend time at the beach on the Eastern Shore. To make it short, he gave us a great deal on the fixtures and racks that he was using in the Ocean City store. He, and his than business manager, Bob Cook, really did right by us. They gave us a great deal and it helped a lot. I still appreciate it. This made our opening a lot easier for us. CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE BIG PLANET STORY ON OUR PAGE!

Big Planet Orbit Volume 14 #1; Winter, 2010 is published by Joel Pollack, Peter Casazza, Jared Smith, and Greg Bennett for Big Planet Comics. www.bigplanetcomics.com.

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