April Comics

CBR has the new Dark Horse, DC, Image and Marvel solicitations for April.

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




RESIDENT ALIEN #0
Peter Hogan (W) and Steve Parkhouse (A/Cover)
On sale Apr 18
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
One-shot
Surviving a crash landing that ruins his spaceship, a stranded alien hopes to quietly live out his life in the sleepy town of Patience, USA, masquerading as a semi-retired doctor. He has some alien powers of empathy and the ability to mask his odd appearance from most people—but how long can he last undercover? After three long years of living below the radar, something in Patience is about to pull him out of hiding and into an uncomfortable spotlight! An alien adventure with humor, heart, and mystery—from acclaimed creators Peter Hogan (2000 AD, Tom Strong) and Steve Parkhouse (Milkman Murders, Doctor Who)!
• From the writer of Tom Strong and the artist for Alan Moore’s The Bojeffries Saga!


I assume there will be an ongoing series. Will have to check out any previews but maybe.



AMERICA'S GOT POWERS #1 (of 6)
story JONATHAN ROSS
art / cover BRYAN HITCH
APRIL 11
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99
Welcome to AMERICA'S GOT POWERS! It's the biggest TV show on Earth, where the chance to win fame, fortune and get laid are dangled in front of a generation of super-powered teens. All they have to do is WIN. Who is the fastest, the strongest or the greatest? Who survives? Young Tommy Watt's dreams of being the greatest hero of them all might just be shattered when the greatest show on the planet begins to reveal it's dark heart.


Enjoyed Turf so willing to try this, the two issues coming out at once I guess is to reassure people over that books lateness.

SUPREME #63
story ALAN MOORE
art ERIK LARSEN & CORY HAMSCHER
cover ERIK LARSEN
variant covers by CORY HAMSCHER & ROB LIEFELD
APRIL 4
32 PAGES / FC / T
$2.99
"REVELATIONS"
The legendary Supreme returns! ALAN MOORE's final SUPREME tale is the ultimate jumping on point for new readers! The triumphant return of Image Comics' most powerful hero! As Supreme romances Diana Dane he takes her on a tour of the Citadel Supreme and tells all of his innermost secrets just as Supreme's most hated nemesis, Darius Dax, makes a most unfortunate discovery: the key to defeat his abhorred adversary! It's most mind-blowing cliffhanger in the history of comics! Featuring a story by award winning author ALAN MOORE (WATCHMEN) and art by fan favorites ERIK LARSEN (SPIDER-MAN, SAVAGE DRAGON) & CORY HAMSCHER (X-MEN). You wish all comics were this good!


Got pretty much all of Savage Dragon so far, so I should like this.

STIEG LARSSON’S THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO SPECIAL
Written by DENISE MINA
Art by LEONARDO MANCO and ANDREA MUTTI
Cover by LEE BERMEJO
On sale APRIL 18 • 32 pg • FC • FREE!
MATURE READERS
RETAILERS: Please see the Previews order form for pricing information.
Just in time for Free Comic Book Day, don’t miss this FREE advance look at the upcoming graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s international best-selling thriller!
This opening chapter introduces the dark mystery of the Vanger family, as disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired to uncover the truth behind a teenage girl’s disappearance over forty years ago. But before Blomkvist can take on the case, he’s going to be thoroughly investigated by hacker extraordinaire Lisbeth Salander...


Hey it's free.

The Secret Service #1
Mark Millar (W) Dave Gibbons (A)
Variant Cover By Bryan Hitch
From The Writer Of Kick-Ass And The Artist Of Watchmen Comes A Collaboration Decades In The Making. Says Millar:
“Secret Service Is The Ramifications Of [How] America Is Struggling On The World Stage, Funding Is Being Seriously Undercut To Balance The Books And Some People Are Trying Their Best To Take Advantage Of The Fragile Global Situation. The Hero And Sidekick Guys Who Lead The Book Are, I Think, The Best Characters I’ve Written.”
32 Pgs./Mature …$2.99


Hopefully this keeps to some kind of good schedule. Interested to see Gibbons' art.

War Horse

Cast
Jeremy Irvine
Peter Mullan
Emily Watson
Benedict Cumberbatch
David Thewlis
Tom Hiddleston
Screenwriters
Lee Hall
Richard Curtis
Director
Steven Spielberg
Running Time
146 minutes

Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War, War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man's Land. The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure. War Horse is one of the great stories of friendship and war—a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful international theatrical hit that is arriving on Broadway next year. It now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history. (DreamWorks Pictures)

It didn't seem long maybe because of its episodic structure and was pleasant enough. The avoidance of showing the grisly horror of war seemed odd and undercut the power of the story. The crowd acting as one dimensional character conceit which is employed at the end bugs me especially when I don't feel emotionally invested in the story.

The Artist

Cast
Jean Dujardin
Berenice Bejo
John Goodman
Penelope Ann Miller
James Cromwell
Missi Pyle
Screenwriter
Michel Hazanavicius
Director
Michel Hazanavicius
Running Time
100 minutes

Hollywood 1927. George Valentin is a silent movie superstar. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career and see him fall into oblivion. For young extra Peppy Miller, it seems the sky's the limit - major movie stardom awaits. The Artist tells the story of their interlinked destinies. (The Weinstein Company)

The reputation of the film is so great that perhaps I had too high expectations. It is good but there were stretches when my mind wandered so maybe a little long. I think also I wasn't ready for how sombre sections of it would be and perhaps when I see it again I'll enjoy it more. It was only showing at the smallest cinema of three in the city so even though it was a matinee the place was packed which was fine mostly although the audience laughed out loud at poignantly comic parts (not in a mocking way) which I found strange.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Cast
Tom Cruise
Paula Patton
Simon Pegg
Jeremy Renner
Josh Holloway
Lea Seydoux
Michael Nyqvist
Tom Wilkinson
Screenwriters
André Nemec
J.J. Abrams
Josh Appelbaum
Tom Cruise
Director
Brad Bird
Running Time
133 minutes

Blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates "Ghost Protocol". Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency's name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know. (Paramount Pictures)

Exciting and well done but I wish they wouldn't keep changing the cast every time.