5. AGE OF BRONZE VOL. 3 BETRAYAL
By Eric Shanower
Image
$27.99 HC, $17.99 TP | 176 pgs

It's always worth noting when a new volume of Eric Shanower's highly acclaimed Age of Bronze series comes out. Telling the story of the Trojan War in beautiful black and white illustrations, this volume tells of Agamemnon's army battling it's way towards Troy while Philoktetes gets bit by a snake bringing down the morale of Odysseus' army.

If you've been waiting for this volume you have the opportunity to buy either the hardcover or the cheaper softcover edition. Kind of unusual for the publishing industry to have that option on the same day. Of course if you haven't read this at all then start at volume 1 (duh!) and work your way up to this.

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4. POPGUN VOL 1
By Mike Allred, Dave Crosland, Erik Larsen, Corey Lewis, Joseph Michael Linsner, Jim Mahfood, Khary Randolph, Jamie S. Rich, and more
Image
$29.99 | 400 pgs

Billed as a "graphic mixtape", this new anthology from Image Comics throws together some big name comic creators with some lesser known up-and-comers on a variety of short stories covering a variety of genres and style. Anthologies (and mix tapes) can be a mixed bag but the odds are stacked in favor of a good read when you have as many quality creators involved as there are in this book. From veterans like Madman creator Mike Allred and Savage Dragon creator Erik Larsen to talented newcomers like Brandon Graham (King City) and Jonathan Hickman (Nightly News).

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3. ICE WANDERER
By Jiro Taniguchi
Fanfare/ Ponent Mon
$21.99 | 240 pgs

This week's slightly obscure offering is an English translation of a book of short story manga by Japanese creator Jiro Taniguchi. This collection contains six black and white stories all with the theme of man vs. nature. Taniguchi's storytelling style is reflective and poetic yet full of manly adventure so the result is like Walt Whitman meets Jon Krakauer. The focus is on man's place in the wild though so I believe no animals were harmed in the making of this comic.

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2. TALENT VOL.1
Written by Christopher Golden; art by Tom Sniegoski and Paul Azaceta
Boom! Studios
$14.99

Talent is plane crash fiction in the grand tradition of Lost. When this four-issue series first came out it definitely garnered it's share of Lost comparisons but it also very quickly got it's share of offers from Hollywood for a movie deal. A five-way bidding war to be exact. Add that to the fact that the original series quickly sold out and you have a real in-demand book being released here. The story is about a man named Nicholas Dane, the sole survivor of a plane crash who finds himself endowed with the memories and skills of all of the victims. These skills come into play as Nicholas finds himself pursued by some mysterious men who may have had something to do with the crash.

Wish I could find some preview images of the interior but I just can't and I feel bad about it, ok?
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1. DAN DARE #1
Written by Garth Ennis; art by Gary Erskine
Virgin Comics
$2.99 | 32 pgs

Dan Dare has been a beloved UK comic character since the '50s when his outer space adventures appeared in Eagle Comic. Now, as part of Richard Branson's fairly new Virgin Comics line, Dan Dare comes out of retirement to face a new intergalactic threat. Writer Garth Ennis (Preacher, Punisher) is in charge of this new update to the character (whose adventures were originally supposed to take place in the futuristic 1990s) but don't expect too much of the gross-out violence that Ennis is known for. After all he is probably one of the best war comic writers in comics right now having penned highly acclaimed military comics like War Stories and Battler Briton. Based on the preview here it looks like we'll be getting a mature take on Dare that is well planted in his upper class British roots.