Tying in to “Chaos War,” Marvel’s next crossover event is the one shot Alpha Flight special from Jim McCann and artist Salva Espin. It’s been years since anything Alpha Flight related got me excited so it was a surprise to learn some of the classic members had died in New Avengers #16. And I could probably pass on this special too if it weren’t for two things. The first is Jim McCann involved as writer. His Hawkeye and Mockingbird series is a fun and engaging update on old school superheroics with the right dashes of tension and drama, especially for the two stars. The second reason ties in with the first – Northstar. Matt Fraction gave him a boyfriend and made him fun and cocky instead of pissy and insufferable, but the promise didn’t follow through. Indy cartoonist Tim Fish, known for his Cavalcade of Boys and Young Bottoms in Love anthology, gave us a short slice of story focusing on the personal side of Northstar and his boyfriend’s relationship. Then nothing until now. I’m psyched to read what McCann has come up with and how he handles Northstar.
What’s up at DC? Oh, there’s a one shot with Batman and Catwoman going up against the Z list Cavalier. Who? This guy. He likes to play with swords. Yeah, so. DC’s blog “The Source” had this about the book: “This November, writer/artist Howard Chaykin presents a one-shot tale of the Cavalier. You remember him, right? The Z-lister with the swords? How’d someone like that manage to frame the femme fatale known as Catwoman for a string of burglaries? Doubly impressive? Framing rich playboy Bruce Wayne for cleaning out the Wayne Enterprises vault.
Impressive, indeed. But once Catwoman and Batman are on his tail, the Cavalier will learn that frame-ups like that cut both ways, as both Catwoman and Batman begin to track the rogue in this unique one-shot, written and drawn by the legendary Chaykin.”
Well, maybe it’ll be a fun comic.
Then there’s a little something else from DC, a zero issue of Batwoman to get people excited and ready for the January ongoing!
