January Comics

CBR has the new DC, Image and Marvel solicitations for January.

This is the stuff I'm thinking about in addition to my regular pull list.



STARMAN /CONGORILLA #1
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by BRETT BOOTH
Cover by GENE HA
In this tie-in to the “JLA Omega” storyline, the new blue and gold team of Congorilla and Mikaal Tomas work to unlock the secrets behind the toxic Omega Man’s dark energy, which encases Washington D.C. To do this they must embark on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth, encountering diverse heroes from the DCU along the way including Animal Man, Sirocco and a certain wonder dog named Rex. And all the while, Mikaal and Congorilla must outrun and outwit a cadre of terrorist assassins from Gorilla City. This is a breakneck chase through the DCU, but with a serious end-goal – saving the lives of their fellow members of the JLA!
ONE-SHOT • On sale JANUARY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

WONDER GIRL #1
Written by JT KRUL
Art by ADRIANA MELO & MARIAH BENES
Cover by NICOLA SCOTT & DOUG HAZLEWOOD
Spinning out of the pages of TEEN TITANS comes this spotlight on Cassie Sandsmark, the wonderful Wonder Girl! Even though not every moment of Wonder Girl’s life is spent being a Titan, strange adventures still follow her everywhere. In this issue, she’ll cross paths with the odd new hero known as Solstice!
ONE-SHOT • On sale JANUARY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US


That so much including one-shots and minis are going back to $2.99 is wonderful and I'm interested in these two and feel able to get them.



JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #53
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by MARK BAGLEY, ROB HUNTER & NORM RAPMUND
Cover by MARK BAGLEY & ROB HUNTER
1:10 Variant cover by DAVID MACK
The final chapter of “JLA Omega” arrives as the World’s Greatest Heroes and the Crime Syndicate struggle for survival. But the Syndicate’s betrayal of their own pact results in a final, savage confrontation – and Ultraman does some betraying of his own! Can the JLA defeat Omega Man, the harbinger of death? Can they save the Crime Syndicate’s world and the Tangent Universe? And in the midst of this war between good and evil, which side will Dark Supergirl choose?
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale JANUARY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

JSA ALL-STARS #14
Written by MATTHEW STURGES
Art and cover by FREDDIE WILLIAMS II
Who – or what – are The Puzzlemen? Ancient artifacts are being stolen from museums around the world. So far, there seems to be little significance to their individual potential power. Put the puzzle together, though, and the All-Stars are up against a threat that endangers more than just all of humanity! Meanwhile, Roxy gets schooled in compassion by a Justice Society member from the past!
On sale JANUARY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US


Both of these I had dropped, JLA with #50 when it went from £3.99 to whatever it was and JSA All-Stars when the back up ended and it stayed $3.99 so now I get to happily put them back. :)

A Town Called Panic

Cast
Jeanne Balibar
Veronique Dumont
Bruce Ellison
Stéphane Aubier
Vincent Patar
Nicolas Buysse
François de Brigode
Screenwriters
Stéphane Aubier
Vincent Patar
Directors
Vincent Patar
Stéphane Aubier
Running Time
77 minutes

Panic stars three plastic toys named Cowboy, Indian and Horse who share a rambling house in a rural town that never fails to attract the weirdest events. Cowboy and Indian’s plan to gift Horse with a homemade barbecue backfires when they accidentally buy 50 million bricks. Whoops! This sets off a perilously wacky chain of events as the trio travel to the center of the earth, trek across frozen tundra and discover a parallel underwater universe of pointy-headed (and dishonest!) creatures. Each speedy character is voiced—and animated—as if they are filled with laughing gas. With panic a permanent feature of life in this paper-mâché burg, will Horse and his equine paramour—flame-tressed music teacher Madame Longray—ever find a quiet moment alone? A sort of Gallic Monty Python crossed with Art Clokey on acid, A Town Called Panic is zany, brainy and altogether insane-y! (Zeitgeist)

Funny and very inventive but would work better in a shorter format.
I remembered during this that in all animations when there's a static scene I can't help thinking that most of the reason for that 2-3 seconds was to pad the film out saving themselves some work. Those moments always pull me out of the story while in a live action film it's more the opposite.

The Social Network

Cast
Jessie Eisenberg
Justin Timberlake
Andrew Garfield
Rooney Mara
Armie Hammer
Screenwriter
Aaron Sorkin
Director
David Fincher
Running Time
120 minutes

On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications. From director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin comes The Social Network, a film that proves you don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies. (Sony Pictures)

Smart and entertaining.

Made In Dagenham

Cast
Sally Hawkins
Andrea Riseborough
Jaime Winstone
Daniel Mays
Bob Hoskins
Miranda Richardson
Rosamund Pike
Screenwriter
Billy Ivory
Director
Nigel Cole
Running Time
113 minutes

Based on a true story, Made in Dagenham portrays a decisive moment in that decade of upheaval, when the fight for equal rights and pay was led – unexpectedly – by ordinary working-class women with one foot in the kitchen, one foot on the factory floor, and ears glued to the pop coming over the radio and telly from far-off London (19 kilometers and a world away). It's a vintage “girl power” tale. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Informative, dramatic and funny but the small budget lets it down a little.

The Town

Cast
Ben Affleck
Rebecca Hall
Jeremy Renner
Blake Lively
Pete Postlethwaite
Chris Cooper
Jon Hamm
Screenwriters
Ben Affleck
Peter Craig
Aaron Stockard
Director
Ben Affleck
Running Time
124 minutes

There are over 300 bank robberies in Boston every year. And most of the professionals live in a one-square-mile neighborhood called Charlestown. One of them is Doug MacRay, but he is not cut from the same cloth as his fellow thieves. Unlike them, Doug had a chance at success, a chance to escape following in his father's criminal footsteps. Instead, he became the leader of a crew of ruthless bank robbers, who pride themselves on taking what they want and getting out clean. The only family Doug has are his partners in crime, especially Jem, who, despite his dangerous, hair-trigger temper, is the closest thing Doug ever had to a brother. However, everything changed on the gang's last job when Jem briefly took a hostage: bank manager Claire Keesey. When they discover Claire lives in Charlestown, Jem gets nervous and wants to check out what she might have seen. Knowing what Jem is capable of, Doug takes charge. He seeks out Claire, who has no idea that their encounter is not by chance or that this charming stranger is one of the men who terrorized her only days before. As his relationship with Claire deepens into a passionate romance, Doug wants out of this life and the town. But with the Feds closing in and Jem questioning his loyalty, Doug realizes that getting out will not be easy and, worse, may put Claire in the line of fire. Any choices he once had have boiled down to one: betray his friends or lose the woman he loves. The Town is a dramatic thriller about robbers and cops, friendship and betrayal, love and hope, and escaping a past that has no future.(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Hard boiled crime movie with a detailed story focusing on the characters. I enjoyed it a lot.