Hot off the comics press: an introduction

Hello and welcome to a little revamping of the comic book section here at The Skinny. As more and more intrepid individuals brave their way into the comic book world, it’s high time we brought you a weekly guide to the highs and lows of the week's editions for either people with their own bursting back catalogue library, or individuals less au fait with the medium to sort their Dark Knights from their Alpha Flights.

Over at the big House of M (Marvel) there is a new mini series created by fan demand, as the will of the people is made for the people in Annihilators #1 (of 4) by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning. The Silver Surfer, Beta Ray Bill, Gladiator, Quasar and Ronan assemble, as the heaviest hitters in the universe have a cosmic get together to save the day. The busy team of Abnett & Lanning also bring you Heroes for Hire #4, Marvel’s mercenary title that sees Misty Knight and her titular team continuing to tackle crime at street level, a far grittier read than any of the Avengers titles. If crime is on the agenda, then don’t miss out on Thunderbolts #154 by Jeff Parker. This ongoing series about a team of super villains forced into a super team parole scheme goes from strength to strength; check out a new edition to the team this comic book Wednesday.

As DC saturates the shelving units with an abundance of the Caped Crusader in Batman Beyond #3, Batman Confidential #54 and Batman:Streets of Gotham #20 it’s nice to know that there is always an alternative. This weeks Indie alternative has to be Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #1 (of 3) which since its debut as a web comic in 2009 has endured a flurry of attention as the story is written by a 6 year old and illustrated by his 30 year old brother. It’s as crazy as it sounds and to anyone who has stood patiently with furrowed brows listening to a child tell a story, well now you have it to read at your leisure. Good fun, even if totally nonsensical.

Comic book day is Wednesday, check your local stores for details.