Weekly Treats! Bedlam, Great Pacific, Aliens, Superman

Two books from Image Comics this week - more collections of hot new series' (following the likes of Saga and Prophet) and both arriving with those magic words: introductory price. The first is Bedlam vol. 1 which collects the first six issues of the series about criminal kingpin/homicidal manic who's apparently been cured of his mania and is now attempting to not only go straight but become the city's protector. It's by Morning Glories scribe Nick Spencer and Riley Rossmo and if you thought The Joker has been pretty extreme of late then wait until you get a loud of the nasty in this one; Bedlam has one foot in the crime category and one firmly in the horror.

The second Image newbie is Great Pacific vol 1: Trashed by Joe Harris and Martin Morazzo. Perhaps making more comfortable reading than Bedlam though no less engaging it tells the story of the familiar-named Chaz Worthington who, through guile, stubbornness and a strong survival instinct claims the great pacific garbage patch as his own sovereign nation. Obviously there's an eco-message here but the focus is on the danger he faces to protect his new homeland against pirates, neighbours and the US Navy.

 
Collecting from the Dark Horse Presents anthology, we have Aliens: Inhuman Condition (Dark Horse). The story - set on a world where "artificial persons" are created and then tested against captured Aliens - is from the writer of Chew, John Layman and is illustrated by industry veteran Sam Keith.

And finally, hot off the back of the new Superman movie trailer there's Grant Morrison's Superman Action Comics vol 2: Bulletproof new in hardcover plus softcover releases for both Superman Action Comics vol. 1: Men of Steel and the phenomenally popular original graphic novel Superman: Earth One vol. 1 (all from DC).

If you want more Supes then there's Action Comics #20 and there's a new title from DC: The Movement #1 by Gail Simone and Freddie E Williams II. There's no less than a new Marvel universe in Age of Ultron #7, a cops and super villains yarn from Mike Carey in Suicide Risk #1 (BOOM) and from the rather interesting pairing of J. Michael Straczynski and Ben Templesmith comes Ten Grand #1 about a mob killer who strikes a deal in the afterlife (published by Image - rounding things off nicely!)

As ever, the full list of releases can be studied under the tab at the top of the page...