Give this under-rated hero a try: Black Lightning Year One #1

Most of the time, Metropolis seems like the crown jewel of the DC Universe. I mean, it IS Superman's home base, so it makes sense that it would be an awesome place to live. Citizens might have to deal with an occasional alien invasion or a giant robot stomping up the place, but the streets are clean and the people seem nice. Unfortunately, even Metropolis has its dark corners.

The Southside of Metropolis is one such corner. The viscious mix of poverty, crime, gangs, and corrupt politicians have turned Southside into a place residents call "Suicide." Jefferson Pierce grew up in Southside, but when his father, a man who tried to make a difference, was killed by the parasites who profitted from the people's misfortune, he left town for good. Jefferson became an Olympic athlete and an educator, and did his best to help people in places like Southside. After devoting his time and energy to fixing the rest of the world, Jefferson and his family decide that it is time to come back to "Suicide" and do something for the people he left behind.

Of course, Jefferson Pierce is not only an amazing teacher and athlete, he has some "special" gifts he has tried to keep under wraps. When he first arrives back home, he wants to help in more traditional ways. He takes over the high school, which has been claimed by the local gang the 100, and tries to get the kids back on track. The brutality and crime he discovers there leads him to believe he has to use his more unique gifts, like the ability to generate and control electricity, to become a more proactive force for justice in his home town. Afterall, Superman doesn't seem to be doing much for the people of Southside. Shouldn't every city have their own vigilante hero?

Black Lightning: Year One seems to be the first step in revamping this classic DC character. This limited series goes back to Jefferson Pierce's beginnings as the hero Black Lightning, and shows us why he had to fight to bring justice to his hometown. This 6 issue limited series is written by Jen Van Meter, with art by Cully Hamner. Even if you've never heard of Black Lightning, this origin story tells you everything you need to know about the character. The art is dark and forboding at times, but also presents Jefferson and his cause in an upbeat and hopeful light, perfectly capturing both aspects of Black Lightning's story.

This series gives readers a perfect chance to jump in at the beginning of one of DC's most under-rated characters, so don't miss the chance to try out Black Lightning: Year One now while it is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed book of the week! Issues 1 and 2 are still in stock, so get them while you still can. Oh, and some nosy reporter named Clark Kent shows up in issue 2, and Superman usually turns up when he's around. People seem to like that guy.

Vicarious Villiany: Faces of Evil: Deathstroke

Whatever it may suggest about the inner workings of the human mind, it is pretty hard to deny that most of us really love a good villain. We may be appalled by their actions, stunned by the atrocities they commit, but some part of us finds their villainy fascinating. Maybe it's because we just want to see our heroes come up against truly challenging opponents. Or maybe it's because, deep-down, we envy the villains freedom to just do whatever they please, whenever they feel like it, unencumbered by morals or compassion. Whatever the reasons may be, we find evil pretty darn fascinating.

It makes sense, then, that DC Comics has decided to feed readers appetite for naughtiness with a series of stand-alone one-shots under the banner Faces of Evil. (I was gonna put that in a scary font, but maybe it is even scarier when the font seems normal...) Each Faces of Evil issue gets readers up close and personal with one of the DC Universe's baddest folks. It's kind of like a Behind the Music...of Evil! (Are you scared yet? You should be!)

Our spotlight this week falls on Faces of Evil: Deathstroke, by David Hine and Georges Jeanty. A wounded Deathstroke finds himself comatose, captured, and locked up in the completely escape-proof Belle Reve Prison for Metahuman Offenders. His incarceration gives Deathstroke a chance to reflect on the horrific consequences of his violent life, and leads him to re-think his choices. He's been such a bad boy that it seems he is ready to give it all up. He wills his body to stop healing, so he can end the cycle of violence once and for all. All he asks for, as a dying man, is to wear his costume and to visit with his beloved daughter before he kicks the bucket. There is no possible way that these harmless requests could lead to him killing loads of people and escaping from the escape proof prison, right? Right?

Hine does a great job taking readers, at least partially, into the mind of a psychopathic killing machine. You might even feel a little sympathy for Deathstroke, and gain some understanding of why he does the things he does. Jeanty's art works well in this story, both in the surreal glimpses inside Deathstroke's mind, and in the action-packed second half of the story.

Faces of Evil: Deathstroke gives you a chance to experience the thrill of villainy vicariously, without actually getting any blood on yourself. As much as we all love our heroes, you can't deny the appeal of badness. You can revel in the dark side by trying out this guaranteed Book of the Week, all week long at Four Color Fantasies! Missing out would be downright wrong!

Live Vicariously: No Hero #3

For most people, there is a certain appeal to the idea of being a hero. Super hero comics and films are so popular because people have always, going right back to the earliest myths and shared tales, loved tales of larger-than-life heroes. Not only are heroic tales exciting, they provide a certain degree of vicarious wish fulfillment. Who wouldn't love to be the hero? Who wouldn't like to fly around the world, saving the day and being generally awesome?? I bet I'm not the only one who tied a towel around my neck and pretended to fly around the yard as a kid. Being a hero just seems like a dream come true.
The idea behind Warren Ellis' latest series, No Hero, is to explore just how much you might want to be a hero. What would you do to have powers and become more than human? What price would you be willing to pay for that power? Would you kill for it? Would you die for it? Would you risk becoming something less than human? Just how far would you go?
You'll begin to get a feel for the price of power in No Hero, by Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp, from Avatar Press. In 1966, counter-culture chemist Carrick Masterson creates a drug called FX7 that makes ordinary people into "new humans," men and women with the power to keep the world safe. They call themselves the Levellers, and they promptly set out to right all the wrongs of the world, weighing in on riots and racial injustice. In 1977, they re-brand themselves as The Front Line, positioning themselves as the "front line against hate."
In the present day, with decades of super-heroing behind them, it is no surprise that Masterson's heroes have pissed off a lot of people. They have enemies all over the world, and one (or more) of those enemies has decided to bring the fight to them. Though Masterson's heroes are tough, they can be killed. One way to take them out is with a horrible goo called Disgel. It can literally melt the flesh off of a human body in seconds, even a super-human body. Unfortunately, someone has gotten their hands on some Disgel, and has a pretty good idea how to use it. No Hero #3 also demonstrates, with help from Ryp's insanely detailed and freaky art, just how bad a trip FX7 can be. I think I would totally stick to wearing a homemade cape and pretending to be a super hero.
The question for you is: how much do you want this comic? Luckily, you don't have to take a horribly dangerous drug that may or may not kill you, or leave you with serious mental damage. You don't have to risk mind and body in a terrible gamble. All you have to do is come to Four Color Fantasies this week and buy No Hero #3. You don't even have to risk your money, because this comic is guaranteed! Enjoy it risk free, and get your super-human thrills vicariously!

Brubaker's Standard of Excellence: Incognito #1

If you think about it, most of us don't know much about the people around us. Sure, you may see the same people in your neighbor, at work, or at school every day, but what do you really know about them? We only see what's on the surface, the details others want us to see. The real stuff, good and bad, is kept under wraps. We're all going through life incognito.

Incognito #1, published under Marvel's creator owned Icon label, is the start of a new series from the creative team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. This is the same creative team behind the critically acclaimed series Criminal, so you know they work well together! This book has the same hard-edged, film noir qualities as Criminal, but with a heaping helping of pulp. Not the kind of pulp you might find floating around in your orange juice, but the kind that brought us the forefathers of modern super-heroes, characters like Doc Savage, the Shadow, and the Spider.

Series protagonist Zack Andersen used to be a science villain/terrorist known as Zack Overkill. Teamed up with his brother Xander Overkill, Zack was involved in hundreds of criminal escapades, resulting in loads of death, destruction, and property damage. When Xander died in action, the Overkill brothers' career came to an abrupt end, and Zack got off the hook by testifying against his boss, a powerful criminal mastermind charmingly known as The Black Death.

In the witness protection/rehabilitation program of Professor Zeppelin's Special Operations Service, Zack has spent three years being a "normal" person. He takes pills that inhibit his powers, he has to keep a boring office job, and live a boring normal life. Zack Overkill is forced to live Incognito. As unhappy and unsatisfied as Zack is, he tries to get used to his mundane existence. He does his job, takes his pills, and behaves himself. When it all starts to be more than he can take, he hits rock bottom and turns to drugs, figuring that if he just stays oblivious to the world around him, he can survive. What Zack hadn't counted on was that the drugs he ends up taking somehow allow his powers to return. Suddenly, it is a lot harder for Zack to keep pretending to be normal.

Brubaker's story lives up to the excellent standard fans have come to expect from the man behind Captain America, Daredevil, and Criminal. Realistic characters, complex plots, and a world that exists in shades of gray, rather than simple black and white, are all hallmarks of Brubaker's work that reappear in Incognito. Sean Phillips' art is a perfect complement to Brubaker's story, capturing the realism and the "noir-with-a hint-of-pulp" feel of Zack's world. There is always a hint of something lurking in the shadows.

Don't accept your fate as one of the boring masses! Be someone better, someone who reads awesome comics! Check out Incognito #1. This is a great start to a new series from a team with a stellar track record, and it comes with a money back guarantee all week at Four Color Fantasies. What more could you ask for than great art, an intriguing story, and a guy named Professor Zeppelin? Honestly, I can't think of anything.

A Heaping Helping of Story: Ythaq-Book 1: Terra Incognita

It is easy to forget, when we get all caught up in our Final Crisis/Secret Invasion crossover spectaculars, that there is a whole lot more to the world of comic book storytelling than DC or Marvel heroes. Not only is there a ton of awesome stuff from the many indie publishers out there, there is also a world of comics produced outside the US. Most readers are probably familiar with manga, and you may have encountered some UK comics, like Judge Dredd or Tank Girl, but there is a whole bunch of interesting stuff the rest of the world is reading that we never see. Marvel Comics, therefore, deserves a great deal of credit for trying to bring some different experiences to their readers through their partnership with the French publisher Soleil.

The latest offering from the Marvel/Soleil team is the awkwardly titled The Forsaken World: Ythaq-Book 1: Terra Incognita. (Let’s just call it Ythaq from this point on, eh? Not that I'm really sure how to pronounce Ythaq.) This book, by writer Christophe Arleston and artist Adrien Floch, is a rollicking space opera with a hint of epic fantasy, clearly setting out to tell a story on a grand scale. From the beginning, it is apparent that the creators have spent a lot of time and effort developing their world and its unique cast of characters.

Our buxom protagonist is the unfortunately named Granite Welgoat. Granite is a Lieutenant aboard the space cruiser Comet's Mist, a luxury liner that transports the rich and idle across the galaxy in style. Granite is clearly a bit scattered, and her dereliction of duty finds her banished to the ship's bar, where she serves drinks to the spoiled and pampered patrons of the ship. Luckily for her, when a mysterious force brings the ship crashing down to the planet below, her bar becomes a sealed pod, allowing Granite, maintenance man Narvarth, and wealthy diva Callisto, to land safely. Well, safely enough. They get eaten by a giant sea monster, pushed hurriedly through its digestive system, and then crash through a village full of big-tusked fans of legal procedure. But any landing you can walk away from, right?

Granite and her companions quickly make friends, and enemies, and find themselves pursued by the terrifying, yet beautiful, Divine Ophyde and her murderous mercenaries. The action never slows down, with our heroes quickly finding themselves in one mess after another. The art is gorgeous and detailed, and the story is populated by unique and unusual characters, and the world of Ythaq seems like one of nearly endless possibilities. This story is recommended for mature readers, so there is some occasional nudity or naughty language, but nothing that seems excessive or exploitative. This first issue also gives readers a heaping helping of story for their money, you won't rush through this in a quick 10 minute read.

Take a chance on something a bit different and pick up Ythaq #1 now, while it is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week! You don't want to miss out on the fun, or make Granite Welgoat angry. Ok, actually, she seems kind of cute when she's angry, but still...