Emo Spidey? Great starting point! Amazing Spider-Man #542

Hey comic book fans! This week's Book of the Week will be short and sweet. (Awww, sweet!) Mostly because I can't tell you much about the book without spoiling it. Plus, if you have ever picked up a comic in your life (and I assume you have, or you wouldn't be reading this), I don't need to explain anything about the basic concept of Spider-Man to you.

Recently, times have been tough for Spidey and his alter-ego. Peter went and outed himself as Spider-Man during Marvel's Civil War, and that hasn't really turned out to be a very good idea. Not only are Iron Man and the Super Human Registration Act crowd out to arrest him, but all the nefarious folks he has crossed in the past know who Spider-Man is. More importantly, they know who his family is. Consequently, Aunt May has taken a bullet and things look pretty bleak. Bleak enough that Spidey dug out his emo black costume again.

When Spidey finds out that tubby old Wilson Fisk, AKA the Kingpin of Crime, is the guy responsible for Aunt May's shooting, he's pretty upset. Upset enough, in fact, that he swears to kill Fisk. The Amazing Spider-Man #542 is the issue where Spidey finally catches up with the Kingpin, and we see how that confrontation plays out. I don't want to give anything away, but this scene takes several turns that regular Spider-Readers might not be expecting. As a long-time Spidey fan, I declare it awesome!

Not only is this issue great on it's own, it is a prelude to a lot of big stuff down the road for our hero. J. Michael Straczynski's excellent run on Amazing Spider-Man is coming to an end soon, and there will be some big events in the life of everyone's favorite Wall-Crawler coming with it. This is as good a place to start as any, so don't miss Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week, Amazing Spider-Man #542! Just keep your secret identity to yourself, we really can't be trusted with that information.

High Fantasy: The Hedge Knight II: The Sworn Sword #2

If you're like me, the first things that come to mind when you read the title "The Hedge Knight" do not necessarily inspire confidence. I picture a guy dressed up in bushy, green, armor, wielding a big, electric hedge trimmer. Or maybe some sort of anthropomorphic hedgehog warrior, like Mrs. Tiggywinkle gone Medieval. Of course, both of those ideas are very silly, and wouldn't make very good comics. (Or would they? Drop me a line Marvel, I already have an idea for a Hedgehog Knight/Rocket Raccoon book!)

The Hedge Knight II: The Sworn Sword is an adaptation of (creatively initialed) George R.R. Martin's novel, by Ben Avery and Mike Miller. It is published, through Marvel, by the Dabel Brothers, who have quickly built an impressive reputation when it comes to turning popular novels into popular comics. That tradition of quality is definitely being continued with this series.

I'm still not sure exactly what a Hedge Knight is, but the hero of this story is a young knight named Dunk, or Ser Duncan the Tall, as he prefers to be known. Ser Duncan and his squire, Egg, are in the service of the aged and impoverished Lord, Ser Eustace. A crippling drought is ravaging their fiefdom, so it is serious business when the neighbors dam the only stream providing water to the few people who still live on Ser Eustace's lands. Duncan, Egg, and the filthy, unpleasant, old, knight Ser Bennis find themselves trying to turn a handful of peasants (most of whom are named Wat) into a fighting force. The battle to take back their water is not off to a promising start...

Obviously, the story and characters by Martin are solid here. Avery does an excellent job adapting the novel into comics form, and Miller's pretty artwork lends the whole story a bit of a fairy tale atmosphere. If you are a fan of Martin's novels, this is a must-read. If you've never even heard of George R.R. Martin, but you enjoy Tolkein-esque high fantasy, this is also a can't miss. However, if you are looking for a hedgehog dressed in armor, kicking the Mouse Guard's butts, you will be very disappointed.

Brave the burning sun and soldier out to Four Color Fantasies now to try out The Hedge Knight II: The Sworn Sword #2 (There are copies of #1 left, so act now!) while it is the guaranteed Book of the Week. And maybe someday, if we all think positive thoughts and send lots of annoying e-mails, we can read the Hedgehog Knight and Rocket Raccoon Meet Gorilla Grod Crossover Spectacular!

Squirrel Girl, Merc with the Mostest, It must be: Dead-Pool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular

Hey kids! Are you ready for the awesome-est, most fun-tastic, squirrel-tacular fun of the summer? OK, that's a trick question. Of course you are! Brace yourself for more fun and excitement than you can shake a doorknob at because here comes the Dead-Pool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular! Wowwee!

A whole host of incredible creators, like that Slott guy, Fabian Whatsisname, and a bunch of poeple that can draw pretty pictures, all got together to bring you the latest adventures of the (now government funded) Great Lakes Initiative and tales of their titanic team-up with the Merc with the Mostest-Dead-Pool! OK, he's actually more like an unwanted houseguest who never leaves rather than a real team-up partner, but Dead-Pool is still 100% awesome.

This comic is packed to the edges with great stuff, like Dead-Pool's date with Big Bertha, Dead-Pool killing Mr. Immortal, Dead-Pool playing in the tub with Flatman, and Dead-Pool eating pork rinds while watching Bea Arthur on TV. But wait! There's more! You'll get to see the GLI's new state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line, super-secret, fully-hyphenated headquarters! You'll thrill to exciting vehicles like the Flat-a-maran and Big Bertha's Bumper Buggy! You'll get sage advice from Tippy-Toe, the world's most amazing squirrel, and, best of all, you'll experience the deepness of Penance and P-Cat, the Penitent Puss! If that doesn't make you run to the comic shop, I don't know what will.

The only thing wrong with this comic is that there's only one issue! Seriously, why the folks at Marvel haven't responded to my many e-mails demanding an ongoing Squirrel Girl series, I can't imagine. The fact that Marvel's most adorable, smartest, most powerful and effective (she beat Doom and Thanos, afterall), female hero doesn't have her own book is a crying shame. C'mon, at least give us a Marvel Legends Squirrel Girl action figure, with Tippy-Toe and plenty of nutsacks!

Anyway, it's got Dead-Pool, it's got Squirrel Girl, and it's a whole heap of wacky summer fun, so what could you possibly be waiting for? An invitation? Consider it done! You're hereby invited to Four Color Fantasies to buy the Dead-Pool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular! It's guaranteed. All we ask in return is that you don't wipe your pork rind smeared fingers on the comics! I say that's a bargain! Wowwee!

A Godlike Return: Thor #1

He's back, baby! You just can't keep a good god down! We all knew that, Ragnarok or no Ragnarok, Thor would be returning to the Marvel Universe someday. It was just a question of when and how. Marvel faked us out during Civil War, but this is no crummy clone/cyborg Thor (AKA Clor), this is the real Asgardian deal. Get thee behind me, Clor!

Thor #1, by J. Michael Straczinski and Oliver Coipel, finds Thor hanging out in the void, just sort of "not being." He is paid a visit by his old alter-ego, Dr. Donald Blake, who has used his time in the void to find out the answers to a lot of important questions. His advice to the God of Thunder is, essentially, to cut out his selfish non-existence and get back to the land of the living. The mortal world needs a guardian, or imminent disaster awaits. (Plus, I think somebody needs to give Tony Stark a beat down. After the Hulk is done with him, that is. Clone Thor, indeed!)

JMS is a writer who plans ahead, so this first issue is just the start of Thor's latest journey. For old school Thor fans, JMS is bringing back everything you love about the character. We've got Donald Blake, Mjolnir (You can't keep a good hammer down, either), and Thor as protector of Midgard. It is pretty clear that Asgard and it's entire cast of characters will follow. Not that this series is just going to be a rehash of the past, Blake seems set to play a much more active role and Thor is bringing Asgard down to Earth, literally. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the Marvel U, post Civil War, reacts to a god in their midst. I have a feeling Thor will not be lining up to register with S.H.I.E.L.D.

Coipel's art is gorgeous and dynamic, with Thor looking very godly and imposing. The addition of a chain mail body suit sort of thing to Thor's wardrobe has been somewhat controversial, but I like the look. It takes the character back to his medieval roots, without changing him too drastically from the classic Kirby design. It does look like it would chafe, though. ("The son of Odin requires baby powder! And lots of it!")

So, little mortal, hie thee to Four Color Fantasies and exchange thy meaningless "dollars" for Thor #1. Then wilt thou revel in the new exploits of the immortal God of Thunder! Shalt thou disrespect Thor by refusing to read his great chronicles? I SAY THEE NAY! If thou be not deeply moved, thy money shall be returned. If thou fearest to even try, there is a lightning bolt with thy name on it.

Hey, Kids, Zombies! Black Panther #28

These kids today and their crazy fads: skateboards, hula-hoops, i-phones, and ZOMBIES. Yeah, kids just can't seem to get enough zombies nowadays, and who can blame them? There's just something about the walking dead, dragging their decomposing carcasses around in search of fresh brains that appeals to young and old alike. Zombies can be the ultimate, skin-crawling, horror, or hilarious B-movie comedians, or even a bit of both.

If you have been paying any kind of attention lately, you know that Marvel Comics (of all people!) has been having quite a bit of success in the zombie department recently. Playing off the old nickname for rabid fans who ONLY read Marvel books, Robert Kirkman (like Reeses) got some zombie in his superhero and created an alternate Marvel Universe reality where a zombie plague infected the heroes, who quickly zombified each other. Then they proceeded to eat the enitire civilian population of the planet.

The Marvel Zombies are unique in that, despite being dead, they retain most of their personalities and powers. Of course, even the best of them turn a bit evil, what with their insatiable desire for fresh human flesh to nibble on. In the first Marvel Zombies series, the last remaining hero zombies managed to kill and eat Galactus (now that's a hearty meal!) and absorb his cosmic power. Being out of food, they headed for space. Which brings us to Black Panther #28, by Reggie Hudlin and Francis Portela.

In his new role as leader of the Fantastic Four, T'Challa (AKA Black Panther) has led his quartet all over the universe. His chosen method of transportation, King Solomon's magic, golden frogs (no, I'm not kidding!), has proven pretty unreliable. Unexpectedly, the frogs have dropped the Four onto the Skrull homeworld of an alternate universe. A universe in which a bunch of Galactus-powered, decaying, zombie heroes have just dropped in for a tasty Skrull snack!! Mmmmm, fresh Skrull....

Black Panther #28 is a can't miss hit! Many readers may not know that the high-profile, original Marvel Zombies series is essentially being continued here. This issue (and those to follow) even comes with one of those amazingly popular Arthur Suydam zombie covers. So be sure to catch the next wave of undead fun and shamble to Four Color Fantasies today, where you can buy this guaranteed Book of the Week! (But please, if you drop any body parts in the store, show a little courtesy and clean up after yourself. Ick!)