Ssalefish GSO First Look #120 for 7.24.19
One year at Baltimore Comic Con, probably in September of 2009, I asked Jonathan Hickman what issues of Fantastic Four he had read to get psyched for his upcoming run on Marvel’s First Family. His response was “all of them.”
And with that I was off down the rabbit hole of Stan Lee & Jack Kirby, John Byrne & Walter Simonson, Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo. I remember talking to my friends Adrian and Adam and Frank on the way back from C2E2 in April 2012, when his time on the World’s Greatest Comics Magazine was imminently numbered, that it was like every single issue, one after another, was like he hit a walk-off home run, but there were less than two outs left, so he kept getting back in the box to do it all over again whether the other team was ready or not.
That’s what I want to feel in House of X #1 this week.
Not the end before it even begins obviously, but the feeling that that’s the roller coaster ride he has in store for us, high and fast and long, filled with camelbacks that leave us feeling waitless, heartline rolls, and Immelmanns. The type of comics that are so good that you spend a whole HeroesCon going through boxes putting together a full run of Kirby & Jim Steranko’s Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. as cheaply as possible because Fury’s such a badass in Secret Warriors and Marvel hadn’t reprinting those books in years. The type of back issues that don’t have a ton of value because they’re so ubiquitous, because as they came out, they were undeniable and everyone had read them.
So that’s why we’re opening from Tuesday night at 11:59 PM until 1 AM on Wednesday morning, because I can’t wait to feel like that again! I want you to feel it, too, so we’re making your entry point even more attainable by selling the first 56-page issue for just $3.99, two whole bucks off the printed cover price!
And if you want to mark the occasion with a variant cover, we’ll have:
Blank Sketch Variant
Marks Brooks Connecting Variant - pairs with Powers of X #1 on 7.31
Marco Checchetto Character Decades Variant - featuring Cyclops
John Tyler Christopher Action Figure Variant - featuring Magneto
Dave Cockrum Hidden Gem Variant - 1:100
Mike Huddleston Variant - 1:10
Pepe Larraz Premiere Variant - limited to two copies per qualifying store
Joe Madurerira Variant - 1:50
Phil Noto Variant - 1:25
Carlos Pacheco Virgin Variant - 1:200
Humberto Ramos Party Sketch Variant - limited to one per qualifying store
Sara Pichelli Flower Variant
Humberto Ramos Party Variant
Skottie Young Variant
If you wanna check out some of the older X-books before Hickman changes them forever, the midnight release will also include Buy Two Get One FREE on all X-titles AND Jonathan Hickman creator-owned books (Nightly News, Pax Romana, Transhuman, Red Mass for Mars, Red Wing, Secret, Manhattan Projects, East of West, Dying & the Dead, Black Monday Murders), both graphic novels & back issues!
And if you don’t care about any of that, you can just pick up your regular books at midnight, too.
The following titles are scheduled to ship on Wednesday, July 24th excluding some re-orders and providing nothing changes by the time the final invoice arrives on Monday:
Action Comics #1013 - “Year of the Villain: The Offer” tie-in with a Frank Quitely cardstock variant featuring Lex Luthor available for premium cover price!
Age of Conan Belit #5 - final issue!
Alien 3 HC
Aliens Rescue #1
Amazing Spider-man #26 - Ron Garney variant available!
Archie vs. Predator 2 #1 - if you think this book pulls any punches because it’s mixing with Archie, you’ve got another thing coming! Drawn by Chilling Adventures of Sabrina artist Robert Hack, think more along the lines of Afterlife with Archie! Rick Burchett, Dan Parent, Derek Charm, Billy Tucci, and Francesco Francavilla variants available for cover price!
Ascender #4
At the End of Your Tether #2
Batgirl #37 - “Year of the Villain: The Offer” tie-in with a Joshua Middlton cardstock variant featuring Oracle available for premium cover price!
Batman Beyond #34 - Kaare Andrews variant available for cover price!
Batman Beyond TP vol. 5
Batman Curse of the White Knight #1 - Sean Gordon Murphy’s futuristic mish-mash of the New 52’s Detective Comics #27, Batman the Animated Series, and his own Punk Rock Jesus was one of the first mega-hits we experienced at the shop back in 2017! Now’s he’s back under the Black Label imprint and ready to take on Azrael! A variant also by Murphy is available for cover price!
Books of Magic #10
Crucified #2
Curse Words #23
Dark Red #5
Detective Comics #1008 - “Year of the Villain: The Offer” tie-in with a Bryan Hitch cardstock variant featuring Mr. Freeze available for premium cover price!
Dial H for Hero #5
Doctor Strange #16 - David Yardin Spider-man Stealth Suit variant available!
Drawing Blood Spilled Ink #3
Dungeons & Dragons A Darkened Wish #2 - better six months late than never, I guess!
Farmhand #10
Fearless #1 - following the fiercest women in the Marvel Universe in a yarn spun by the most talented female creators that Marvel Comics has to offer! Jenny Frison connecting variant available for cover price!
Flash #75 - “Year of the Villain: The Offer” tie-in with a Francis Manapul cardstock variant featuring Captain Cold available for premium cover price!
Freedom Fighters #7
G.L.O.W. Summer Special #1
Go-Bots TP vol. 1 - Tom Schioli truly told one of the craziest stories I’ve ever read on a licensed property with an established storyline!
Guardians of the Galaxy #7 - “Faithless” part 1, leading to the death of Rocket Raccoon, with a Guiseppi Camuncoli variant available!
History of the Marvel Universe #1 - Mark Waid digs back into the history of the House of Ideas, brought to life by the timeless Javier Rodriguez, with a Nick Bradshaw variant available!
House of Whispers TP vol. 1
House of X #1 - see above!
Hulk World War Hulk TP
Invisible Kingdom #5
Iron Maiden Legacy of the Beast Night City #2
Justice League Dark #13 - “Year of the Villain: The Offer” tie-in with a Dan Quintana cardstock variant featuring Circe available for premium cover price!
Killer Groove #3
Lazarus Risen #2
Livewire #8
Looney Tunes #250
Lumberjanes #64
Lumberjanes TP vol. 12
Magic the Gathering Chandra #3
Magnificent Ms. Marvel #5
Martian Manhunter #7 - Joshua Middleton variant available for cover price!
Marvel Action Avengers #6
Marvel Action Classics Hulk #1
Marvel Encyclopedia HC
Marvel Rising #5 - final issue!
Marvel Tales Hulk #1 - reprinting the first appearance of the Jade Giant’s cousin in Savage She-Hulk #1 among other stories!
Marvels Epilogue #1 - featuring a brand-new 16-page tack-on story by the original blockbuster creative team of Kurt Busiek & Alex Ross to comemmorate the 25th anniversary!
Middlewest #9
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #41 - Goni Montes foil variant featuring the Red Ranger available for premium cover price!
Miles Morales Spider-man TP
Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur #45
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #80
Planet of the Nerds #4
Psi-Lords #2
Redneck #22
Rolled & Told #7
Savage Sword of Conan TP vol. 1
Scooby Doo Team-Up #49
Scott Pilgrim Color Collection Box Set - I have not every printing, but every version of Scott Pilgrim (original black & white paperback, color hardcover [both standard and exclusive “evil ex” editions], digital and now soon to be color paperback 2-in-1). It’s in the all-time top 5, what choice do I have?
Secret Warps Arachknight Annual #1
Shuri #10
Skyward #15
Sonic the Hedgehog #19
Sonic the Hedgehog TP vol. 3
Soulfire #2
Star Pig #1
Star Trek Q Conflict #6 - final issue!
Star Wars #69
Star Wars Adventures TP vol. 6
Sword Master #1 - spinning out of New Agents of Atlas!
Terrifics #18 - officially joining the wider DC Universe, this is a “Year of the Villain: The Offer” tie-in with a Ricardo Federici cardstock variant featuring Bizzaro available for premium cover price!
TMNT Rise of the TMNT Sound Off #1
Tomb Raider Omnibus TP vol. 1
True Believers Absolute Carnage Mania #1 - reprinting 2003’s Venom #1 for $1!
True Believers Absolute Carnage Separation Anxiety #1 - reprint the first issue of the titular Venom mini series for $1!
Valkyrie Jane Foster #1 - Meghan Hetrick variant available for cover price!
Walk Through Hell #12
Warlord of (Mars) Attacks #2
Weatherman #2
Web of Venom Funeral Pyre #1 - Clayton Crain and Coax variants available!
Wicked & Divine #44
Wonder Woman #75 - “Year of the Villain: The Offer” tie-in with a Jenny Frison cardstock variant featuring Cheetah available for premium cover price!
X-Men #137 Facsimile Edition - reprinting the crescendo of the Dark Phoenix Saga exactly as it originally appeared!