All New, All Different Marvel! - order form and more

by Ben Fardon

"When Everything Ends, There Is Only Secret Wars..."

These ominous words have dominated the Marvel Universe over the past few months. Thanks to shipping delays Secret Wars is set to rage on into October, but the same week that Secret Wars #8 ships, Marvel also begins it's much hyped All New, All Different relaunch!

Starting with the new Invincible Iron Man #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez, Doctor Strange #1 by Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo, the globetrotting new Amazing Spider-Man #1 by returning Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli, Avengers #0 (an anthology one-shot featuring All-New, All-Different Avengers, Squadron Supreme, A-Force, New Avengers, Ultimates and Uncanny Avengers) and several more, Marvel have cannily spread their relaunch across two months making it slightly more affordable than the onslaught that was the New 52.

In order to help a little bit more, we're offering the following price promotions to all customers (subject to change and whilst stocks last):

• Avengers #0 - only £3.00
• Doctor Strange #1 - only £2.50
• Invincible Iron Man #1 - only £2.00
• Amazing Spider-Man #1 - only £3.00

Purchase all four of these together and pay only £10!

(saving you an extra 50p on top of these already discounted prices)

Once again we are matching a few titles to previous orders on Reservation Service pull lists. This is primarily where the creative team remains the same (or at least the writer), ensuring that customers who only come in every couple of months will not suddenly find they've missed the next chapter of an ongoing saga like Jason Aaron's run on Thor.

Here's the full list of what we've matched - if you had the former, we've automatically added the latter on to your pull list:

Old Title	New Title (All New, All Different)
All-New Hawkeye	Hawkeye
Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel Now)	Amazing Spider-Man
Ant-Man	Astonishing Ant-Man
Deadpool (Marvel Now)	Deadpool
Guardians Of The Galaxy (Marvel Now)	Guardians Of The Galaxy
Howard The Duck	Howard The Duck
Legendary Star-Lord	Star-Lord
Miles Morales Ultimate Spider-Man	Spider-Man (Miles Morales)
Ms Marvel (Marvel Now)	Ms Marvel
Nova	Nova
Silk	Silk
Spider-Gwen (Gwen Stacy: Spider-Woman)	Spider-Gwen
Spider-Man 2099	Spider-Man 2099
Spider-Woman (Marvel Now)	Spider-Woman
Thor (Avengers Now)	Mighty Thor
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl	Unbeatable Squirrel Girl

If you're unsure, please email me to request a copy of your pull list and I'll send over a pdf copy. You are welcome to instantly remove any title we've automatically added to you up until you've purchased the first issue, then you are bound by our usual terms and conditions regarding notice periods for removing a title from your order.

Please remember that the FCBD All New, All Different Avengers showed that while there will be some significant changes (like the introduction of Miles Morales and Old Man Logan into the main Marvel Universe), the majority of Marvel continuity remains intact. This is not a major reboot akin to DC's New 52. For example, Bendis has stated his run on Iron Man will build on Kieron Gillen, Greg Land and Dale Eaglesham's Secret Origin of Tony Stark from Marvel Now.

You can view the full All New, All Different Marvel range in the free All New, All Different Preview magazine, available free from Proud Lion or digitally here.

If you'd like to order anything from the upcoming Marvel relaunch, please use the following order form:

Create your own user feedback survey

Orders made via this form must be submitted by midday on Friday 11th September. Orders after that can be placed by emailing shop@proudlion.co.uk.

Ben is really looking forward to seeing how this new chapter of the Marvel Universe will unfold!

Free Comic Book Day 2015!

by Rae

Tomorrow will see Proud Lion taking part in Free Comic Book Day! This annual event takes place the first Saturday in May as a celebration of comics, allowing readers to delve into familiar favourites or discover something new. As in previous years, Proud Lion is pleased to say we will have a fantastic selection of free comics for you to pick from!

Many of you will remember our previous Free Comic Book Day events, and will already be aware that our supply of free comics tends to disappear very quickly. Last year in particular saw our tables emptied within an hour! We want to ensure everyone who visits the shop on the day gets a chance to pick up a free comic, so to allow them to last a little longer, we are changing the rules slightly from previous years.

For this year's Free Comic Book Day, every visitor to the shop will be able to take up to five free comics. This means you can pick up one copy of up to five different titles you think you'd like to read! All our available titles will be on offer from 10am, and it will be first come, first served. If there's something in particular you'd like to get your hands on, try and get down early to make sure you don't miss out!

FCBD 2014, photo courtesy of @OldManRupee

Here's a list of the free comics we will have on offer:

• 2000 AD Special
• And Then Emily Was Gone #0
• Bobs Burgers
• Bongo Comics Free-For-All!
• Boom Studios 10th Anniversary FCBD Special
• Dark Circle Comics #1
• Dark Horse Fight Club The Goon The Strain
• DC Comics Divergence FCBD Preview
• DC Comics Teen Titans/Scooby Doo Team-Up
• Doctor Who Special
• Legendary Comics Sampler
• Marvel’s All-New, All-Different Avengers #1
• Marvel’s Secret Wars #0 FCBD
• Motorcycle Samurai
• Neil Gaiman’s Lady Justice
• Perfect Square Presents Pokemon
• Savage Dragon Legacy
• Sonic The Hedgehog Mega Man Worlds Unite Prelude
• Spongebob Freestyle Funnies
• Steampunk Goldilocks
• Street Fighter Super Combo Special
• Stuff Of Legend Call To Arms
• The Tick
• TMNT Prelude To Vengeance
• Transformers Robots In Disguise #0

We will have guests Jon Lock and Lucy Brown in store, with a selection of books from Big Punch Studios. Don't forget to pick up your free copy of the FCBD special edition of Big Punch Magazine! (This does not count as one of your five free comics.)

In addition, we will be offering the first 100 attendees an opportunity to choose either FCBD 2015 CBLDF DEFEND COMICS or FCBD 2015 OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE as an extra free comic, sponsored by True Believers Comic Festival 2016! The first 50 customers to make a purchase in store will also receive a free True Believers 2016 badge.

If there are more than five comics you're interested in, we will be re-opening the free comic tables from 3pm for readers who are looking to pick up extra titles. Please note this is only while stocks last!

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Rae and Ben will be up bright and early in the morning to make all the final preparations for FCBD.

Delayed delivery this week

by Ben Fardon

I'm sorry to say folks that we've just had the following email from our comic supplier:

Dear Retailer,

Due to an unforeseen error a large number of deliveries were not picked up last night. The problem has now been rectified. Unfortunately due to this some retailers will only receive their delivery on Wednesday.

We wish to apologise for this unforeseen issue and for any inconvenience that this may cause. 

Unfortunately we are one of the affected retailers and won't receive our comics until Wednesday.

Comics will be available as soon as possible on Wednesday, but it's unlikely to be before 1pm.

UPDATE: So we had four boxes arrive after all (with about ten more still outstanding) which has most of our new release comics so they'll be available from 10am tomorrow.

The comics that remain missing until tomorrow afternoon are:
2000AD, Borderlands, Drones, Galaxy Quest, Godzilla Rulers Of Earth, Hinterkind, The Names and Zombies Vs. Robots.

Stay tuned to our social media feeds for more news on the day.

To compound the issue slightly, we will be closed on Thursday 23rd April for annual leave (aka Ben and Rae have a rare day off together and go and see Avengers: Age Of Ultron whilst the Munchkin is at school and before anyone spoils it for us!). Apologies for any inconvenience but we will be open Friday and Saturday as usual. 

Ben Fardon is now dreading tomorrow. Thank goodness for a break on Thursday!

PREVIEWS MAR-APR15 - Marvel's Secret Wars

by Ben Fardon

I can't lie folks, this has been a tough one to put together. After the chaos of Convergence, I was very excited by the prospect of Secret Wars, until we actually began to see the vast array of new titles and the uncertainty that came with it.

Thankfully in the last few weeks, details have begun to emerge about April's Secret Wars titles and Marvel have gone on record as to which titles are ending as Secret Wars kicks off. This makes things much easier!

I think we can now divide Secret Wars into several distinct sections. Firstly we have the main Secret Wars title and a couple of ancillary anthology titles. Secondly, there are a series of interesting titles revisiting classic Marvel events from the last few decades. Finally we have a long list of new titles that expand the new Secret Wars' Battleworld setting in a variety of ways.

But what is Secret Wars? Well simply put, Secret Wars spins out of the recent Jonathan Hickman Avengers titles as the main Marvel Universe as we know it collides with the Ultimate Marvel Universe in what is being called the final incursion. The good news is you don't need to have been reading Avengers or New Avengers over the last couple of years to get into Secret Wars, as the collision of these two realities has created a brand new world in which most of the characters have no idea that this isn't the way things have always been.

The titular Secret Wars miniseries itself is the main event. Written by Jonathan Hickman, this is the spine of the whole event. If you read nothing else, read this book. 

This is accompanied by Secret Wars Battleworld - a title akin to the Vs. miniseries during AvX - featuring all the knockdown, drag out fights that are probably just to crazy to feature anywhere else during this event.

The final part of this initial section is an anthology series called Secret Wars Journal where every issue will feature a couple of short stories jumping around and highlighting different, small but significant parts of the Battleworld.

Both Secret Wars Battleworld and Secret Wars Journal feel to me like ones for completists and not essential if your looking to save the pennies for other titles on the list below.

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After that we have an array of titles re-visiting classic storylines and events from Marvel's past including beloved adaptations such as the 1992 X-Men animated series. A lot of existing Marvel titles are ending to make room for these - in fact some are direct continuations or analogues of previous titles now shaped to fit in with Secret Wars. More on those later.

Finally, there's a bunch of Marvel titles that aren't coming to an end, but are instead telling Last Days stories detailing the final adventures of the features characters before the final incursion. These titles include Black Widow, Captain America and the Mighty Avengers, Loki: Agent of Asgard, Magneto, Ms. Marvel, The Punisher and Silver Surfer.

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Confused yet? Well, let's see if a quick look at the full list of titles (revealed so far!) helps a little. Here you go:


Secret Wars: Battleworld

• Age of Ultron vs. Marvel Zombies
• Ghost Racers
• Inhumans Attilan Rising
• Korvac Saga
• Marvel Zombies
• Master of Kung Fu
• Red Skull
• Runaways
• Secret Wars: Battleworld
• Secret Wars Journal
• Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde
• Thors
• Ultimate End

Secret Wars: Warzones

• 1602: Witch Hunter Angela
• 1872
• A-Force
• The Age of Apocalypse
• Armor Wars
• The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows
• Captain Britain and the Mighty Defenders
• Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps
• Civil War
• Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars
• E Is for Extinction
• Future Imperfect
• Giant-Size Little Marvel: AvX
• Guardians of Knowhere
• Hail Hydra
• House of M
• Inferno
• Infinity Gauntlet
• M.O.D.O.K. Assassin
• Mrs. Deadpool and the Howling Commandos
• Old Man Logan
• Planet Hulk
• Secret Wars 2099
• Siege
• Spider-Island
• Spider-Verse
• Squadron Sinister
• Weirdworld
• Where Monsters Dwell
• X-Men '92
• X-Tinction Agenda
• Years of Future Past

Secret Wars: Last Days

• Black Widow
• Captain America and the Mighty Avengers
• Loki: Agent of Asgard
• Magneto
• Ms. Marvel
• The Punisher
• Silver Surfer

For more details on each group of titles, click on the header to take you to the marvel.com explanations!

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In the hopes of making life easier for everyone, we've taking the liberty of creating a matrix - a list of everything that was coming out, followed by a list of the Secret Wars comics we'd recommend you get as a replacement. I've taken the liberty of automatically signing our Reservation Service customers up for our recommended titles, but these can be removed without our usual notice period up to the point of release. I've been trying to take the time to talk to you all about these new titles when you pop in, but if I don't see you before Secret Wars kicks off, please do email me for a pdf copy of your current pull list and then we can make alterations where required.

I hope that all makes sense!

Here's a look at that matrix (apologies for the jpeg):

If there's anything else I can do to help with Secret Wars, please do get in touch. I'm really excited for this event, I think it's going to be a whirlwind tour through some of Marvel's greatest moments before leading into the new status quo for the House Of Ideas. I hope you'll join us!

Ben Fardon was very, very happy with Daredevil on Netflix. Roll on AKA Jessica Jones.

New Beginnings - Red One #1

by Matt Puddy

What happens when America’s greatest superhero is a Russian spy?

Well it’s certainly an interesting question to ask and the exact one that this week’s comic poses. Red One, by relative newcomer Xavier Dorison, is set back in the Seventies at the height of the Cold war. Opening in America at a controversial movie screening, the scene is set with the outrage and affront to moral decency that the film's release has caused. As a result of it all the leading lady is singled out and attacked by a shadowy figure simply referred to as the Carpenter. His actions are fanning the flames though and the more he strikes the more that he inspires for the cause.

Around the world several months later, a young Russian agent is seen putting young recruits as well as older agents to shame with her prowess, and to a degree her attitude. If anything in the contrary to the stereotypes many people have about Seventies, Russia she has a very liberal lifestyle. All of that has to come to an end though when she is summoned to find out her new and highly secretive mission.

To infiltrate the United States.

Armed with a Walkman (which cunningly hid a receiver), some rather revealing clothes and her can-do attitude, Vera heads for the States with a mission to emulate the quietly rising popularity of comic book icons such as Batman by using her physical attributes in more ways than one. This is a point which is highly emphasised when she finally meets her contact in the United States who provides her with a uniform (of sorts), which is apparently a little revealing, although that’s not something Vera is afraid of. With the first part of her infiltration well on the way to being a success, the only way is up.

The Dodsons provide the artwork for the series with some fantastic work. I earlier reviewed Princess Leia which also featured the Dodson’s artwork, but somehow even though it’s the same artist and colourist paring, the work here feels cleaner and better. Lines are neat and fresh, and the colour work matches and shifts with the environment creating a real feel for the different locations we see people in.

There is one thing that did irk me a little though, and that is the premise of the whole comic is based around a Russian spy imbedded in the American system, but in this first issue we just haven’t got there yet. This is an incredibly fun comic to read, but it might have been better if it had started in media res, jumping right into the heart of the action. That said it will be good to see this develop and the hijinks that Vera finds herself in as she adjusts to Western capitalist society. Along the way there is also the idea that she has to win the hearts and minds of the American public by being a hero too, which could put her in direct opposition to the Carpenter. Will she manage it? Will it be a bust? And who will she fight it out with? Only future issues will tell.

Matt Puddy is intrigued to see how this miniseries pans out.

New Beginnings - Southern Cross #1

by Matt Puddy

Image has always been an interesting publisher for me. Aside from the all-star line up of partners and founders that they have (Kirkman, Silvestri, McFarlane et al), I’ve often found that they take a slightly different approach to comics outside of the stereotypical masks and capes approach that the mainstream and first identified publishers such as Marvel and DC.

This week’s comic is a good representation of this. There’s nothing super, nothing powered and nothing mystical (so far) to push it along. Instead we have a story driven by a normal woman on the path to find out what has happened to her sister. When working in admin, it’s not that life threatening a role to play, even in a science fiction setting.

The opening to the series, by Becky Cloonan, is very akin to a murder mystery and quite reminiscent of something I would expect to see Hercule Poirot bobbing around in. This is a scene and pacesetter for the entire run right from the word go. The tone, both visually and literally, is created and there is an awkward rough feel to the story which is perfect for Alex Braith making her way to Titan surrounded by the roughnecks and workers bound for the refining station on Titan. There are a number of contradictions presented to you as well as you would find in life, which aid the story to feel more realistic, even though it’s set in the future. The mix of personalities which bond and clash is akin to the everyday relationships that everyone finds themselves in. From a wider perspective the claustrophobic feel of a close-quartered tanker, combined with the simple enormity of the ship itself is another great example of this.

As Alex moves through the ship she meets people who will no doubt shape her tale in more than one way. The doctor, the captain and her bunkmate for example. But everything takes a twist later on in this first issue. Whilst on a routine walk around the ship she is shown the gravity drive. Something takes her away. Did her mind drift or did she really see her sister calling out for help? Something is awry and only the inquest she is on will resolve it.

Working with Becky Cloonan is Andy Belanger on pencils. As I mentioned before the artwork is befitting the story. Lee Loughridge’s colouring certainly adds to this as well. Thoughout the issue there is a great level of detail in the surroundings which is fantastic, even when you get to the end and find an advert for positions on the crew along with schematics of the ship and station. The geek in me loved these extra little touches at the end. This is quite possibly due to my love of the Sulaco and Nostromo, but even so I thought they were great.

The visual characterisations are a little basic for my preferences, but even so there is a lot of interaction displayed and passed on by them. Overall the tone is further supported by the colouring. Individually the different aspects have varying merits but all together it works well.

As a first issue it has enough to keep you reading and asking questions. For a stop outside of the normal it’s a good one.

Matt Puddy is continually delighted by the variety Image are bringing to the shelves.

New Beginnings - Princess Leia #1

by Matt Puddy

Further celebrating the reacquisition of the Star Wars license by Marvel, their next offering is the first issue of a miniseries centred around Princess Leia.

The series is written by Mark Waid who seems to have written a bit of everything in his illustrious career so far with the exception of Star Wars, meaning that it is also a new beginning of sorts for him as well.

As with the other titles that Marvel have brought to the shelves for Star Wars, Princess Leia fits into the wider plan to create a new continuity after Episode IV A New Hope. However, what we also get to see is a slightly different perspective on things. Commencing immediately from the ceremony at the end of the film, Leia is still addressing the Rebel pilot and troops in the ruins on Yavin 4, but not all is going across well. Her strong feelings of duty mean that she doesn’t always come across as caring as could be, and thus she has already earned herself the nickname of the Ice Princess.

This creates a rift between her and almost everyone around her. The Empire are tracking the rebels down as they speak and a mass evacuation is required.

From a reader's perspective there is a great bit of levity added when you see Admiral Akbar becoming more and more frustrated with proceedings not being as quick or as smooth as he'd like. This scene definitely featured the funniest line in this first issue for me, as he shouts at a human for only looking at one thing at a time.

At a loss of what she can do – now that there is a 10 million credit bounty on her head – she begins to get frustrated. Avenues are closed to her by one of the heads of the Rebellion, as she is such a high priority target now. But that won’t stop her. Before she goes stir crazy on the base she finds a way to get out, and she embarks on a self imposed quest to find the remaining surviving Alderaanians.

Partnering Waid on this is Terry Dodson, an artist with an almost as impressively long list of accolades to his work. His style is probably best described as soft edges, with easily identifiable characters presented in a very pleasing way. There aren’t harsh lines and this makes it a nice easy read with as your eyes effortlessly dart across the pages.

This is supported further by a very simple and sombre colouring by Terry’s wife Rachel Dodson. It’s not all muted though, and things like the bright orange jumpsuits and the occasional flashes of red make the frames pop without being too over-the-top. It all blends together very well.

As an issue there is a strange feeling of Leia being a Rebel without a cause or at worst a slightly petulant princess not allowed out. There’s also the odd non-friendship towards the end which cuddles a touch of animosity up to smiles and admiration, adding an odd couple dynamic to the mix.

For me this made for a slightly lacklustre issue. However, this is also dictated by the way that there wasn’t a giant amount of action. If you’re a fan of it there was a lot of politically driven talk, and we got to see a lot of people with it getting a little sneaky towards the end which certainly picked it up for me as well. Setting the scene in one issue is always hard, but the greater universe has been opened up for our gallant princess.

Matt Puddy notes that Ben felt this was an issue full of great character development, but to each their own!

New Beginnings - Spider-Gwen #1

by Matt Puddy

If you’re looking for positive affirmation that the chaps and chapesses at Marvel take notice of their fans then look no further than Spider-Gwen. Born from the love of a character design that became a prominent part of Spider-Verse, this is Gwen Stacey reborn.

As a character, Gwen has had an impressive development and evolution. In her early days it would be fair to say that she fell well into the realms of a generic female character there to support or drive the main male protagonist and that her death was ultimately the equivalent of Kyle Rayner finding his girlfriend dead and stuffed into his fridge, thus providing the impetus to strive to be a better Spider-Man for one Peter Parker. Over the years that has somewhat changed with her taking more of an active role culminating in her position now.

In true Spidey fashion though this isn’t straight forward, and although there are no clones or time travelling involved this Gwen is from another world – Earth 65 to be precise – with the salient difference being that she was the one bitten by the spider in this reality whilst Peter pushed himself and took Dr Connors’ role in becoming the Lizard. Also in the true vein of all things Spidey it was that “death” of Parker that has Spider-Gwen vilified in the eyes of the public by none other than (yup you’ve guessed it) J Jonah Jameson.

As a quick side note other version of notable Marvel characters do make a quick cameo, such as Officer Ben Grimm and Detective Frank Castle, but for the whole most of the normal portrayals are on point aside for a little artistic license.

Jason Latour’s story opens with a bit of a recap and retcon on her backstory, as well as a slight nudge in the right direction for those who didn’t read her main story in Spider-Verse. In a bold move she unmasked herself to her father thus changing the dynamic in a way that “our” Peter never did.

Shifting straight into the story we find that the Vulture is stalking the city and you know that Gwen is going to be dragged into it all at some point. Admittedly there is also some Parker-esque personal troubles too, such as her career with the Mary-Janes, the egotistically-named all-girl band in which Gwen was once their drummer, as well as discovering that someone out there had put a hit on her father.

We all know where this is going; there’s going to be a showdown which is only hastened by the police posting the Vulture's address for all to see. Gwen tries to track him down but instead gets found herself culminating in a fight between the two as another age old question rears its head and turns into a cliffhanger. Can spiders fly?

Robbi Rodriguez is the artist for this new series and it’s fair to say he certainly has his own style. Spider-Gwen herself is very lithe and feminine, much like all the other female characters. The male depictions felt a little overemphasised though. Frank Castle has a strong male frame with wide shoulders and big chest, for example, but also a bit of a small face. It makes for an interesting mix as I found myself loving some of it but not all of it.

Fans will no doubt flock to get this issue, whether they are the newly minted Gwen fans or if they are Spidey fans who have continued on from the Verse. I enjoyed it but wasn’t as wowed as I would have liked to be. Still a great start to a title that is likely to go far.

Matt Puddy is just getting warmed up...

Ramping up! EPOSible! Comic Wars! Gaming Tournaments! And TBCF16!

by Ben Fardon

Phew! What a busy time here at Proud Lion!

The shop itself has just seen several great upgrades in the past few weeks.

We've finally taken delivery of a folding access ramp. If anyone needs to make use of it, please ring either of the doorbells by the front door and we'll bring it out and set it up for you.

This is great news and something we've been working towards since we relocated the shop last year.

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Apologies to anyone who has noticed that our email newsletter has become a little intermittent over the last few weeks. We're in the middle of an extensive EPOS upgrade that propels Proud Lion into the 21st Century with barcode scanners, touch screen tills and all manner of other great functions. This will allow us to unveil a host of excellent new features to our services in the coming months, and should speed up the queues on big events like Free Comic Book Day.

I'll keep you posted with the new developments as they become available and I'll endeavour to keep up-to-date with the mailing list during the upgrade as best I can. Thank you for your patience.

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Thank you to everyone who has completed the DC Convergence order form we've been circulating in February; it's been a huge help! We have a little bit of every Convergence title on order for the shelves, with extra of the main title and the seemingly standout offerings like the Harley Quinn and Batman: Shadow Of The Bat issues, but I'd still advise you to pre-order anything you know you want to avoid disappointment!

To do so now that the survey is closed, please email shop@proudlion.co.uk.

The aim next week is to bring you a roundup of all of the Secret Wars titles on offer from Marvel in May. I'm also delighted that after the frustration of Convergence, I find myself actually very excited about the following launch of DC's new Divergence titles in June!

“This heralds in a new era for the DC Universe which will allow us to publish something for everyone, be more expansive and modern in our approach and tell stories that better reflect the society around us,” said DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Dan DiDio.  “Whether you’ve been a DC fan your whole life, or whether you are new to comics – there will be a book for you beginning in June.”

More on that at the end of this month. Stay tuned.

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We've just had our biggest weekend of gaming tournaments thus far, with both a Marvel Dice Masters Rainbow Draft and a Star Trek Attack Wing OP yesterday, followed by a really fun Netrunner draft tournament today. Our huge thanks to everyone who helped to get the word out about these events, and congratulations to all of our players from this weekend, not just the winners. Fantastic sportsmanship conduct throughout all of the events; you're all a credit to the local gaming community.

Work has also begun on bringing you our biggest and best TableTop Day event to date, on Saturday 11th April. Further details to follow, but for now you can follow the news at our TableTop Day 2015 Facebook event.

We're aware that not everyone uses Facebook, so work has begun on bringing a dedicated forum to the Proud Lion website; initially for gaming, but eventually intended to expand to include comics, TV, films, and more. This should hopefully create a place for everyone to discuss our favourite hobbies!

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Finally, we're all booked in for the True Believers Comic Festival 2016 on Saturday 6th February next year. Save the date!

Ben Fardon really enjoyed Power/Rangers!

New Beginnings - Silk #1

by Matt Puddy

Fresh from the finale of the Spider-Verse tales, we have a new beginning that takes the Spider Totems storyline in a different direction. Whilst readers of the recent Spider-Man event will have seen a lot of Silk within that storyline, her actual origin had appeared in earlier issues of the new Amazing Spidey characters.

For those who missed it, Cindy Moon was just another High School student who attended a science demonstration, much like Peter Parker. In fact it was the same one and the coincidences don’t stop there. The same spider that bit Peter went on to bite Cindy as well, giving her similar spider-like powers. The big difference comes when, after a few years of trying to understand her powers, Cindy is hidden away in a bunker by Ezekiel for her safety to protect her from Morlun.

The aftermath of Original Sin set Spidey on a quest to find and free Cindy, which set a great many things in motion, including an animal pheromone attraction between the two of them.

Being brought into the fray also put her firmly in the sights of the Inheritors during Spider-Verse, but in the wake of all of the various tie ins, Cindy now has her own title.

Written by Robbie Thompson, Silk opens with Cindy taking on what would easily be a D or even E-list villain called Dragonclaw. Neither seem completely comfortable in their own skins and Silk is often seen reaching for the heroes handbook for quips, comebacks and general direction. After being saved by Peter in the nick of timem real life takes over and in true spider fashion she has to get away to her job under J Jonah Jameson. Being tucked away in a bunker has its drawbacks as the world moved on - even in just 10 years - and the lack of social interaction means that sometimes she’s not prepared to talk to people in the “normal” ways, but then again it also means she’s behind the times as well – something the JJJ can equate to as well. It’s very quickly realised that once she played the Silk card she has only one priority in his business. To report on Silk.

In amongst it all she keeps having flashbacks to her family whom she was at odds with before being put into hiding, which provides the readers with one driving force behind her.

Back out on the streets she runs into Dragonclaw again which certainly goes her way. Unwittingly though the situation turns to something more when he escapes as we learn who his boss is and how far he is willing to go to please her. Silk on the other hand is having a small crisis of confidence, not knowing where to go or what to do, so she heads for the familiar surroundings of the bunker. Unbeknownst to her she’s being watched and her decision was expected.

The plot is quite an easy one to follow, even without the backstory, so any new reader can jump on to it. My reservation about it though is that there is no really new ideas outside of her powers being a slight variation on the usual spider power set. She’s suffered loss of family; is ostracized because of her non-conformance to current ideas; and has a suffering personal life in contrast to her hero life - so very similar to Peter’s beginnings as well. At least she has a mentor she can turn to - but not physically see due to their urges - and the associated awkwardness of it all.

The artwork on the cover and the title page inside are a little sneaky, as they gave me the impression that the issue was going to be similar, however the interior artwork is a lot less defined. It also makes Silk look a lot younger in the comic than the cover suggests as well. Spidey himself also looks a little skewed when we see him towards the end.

The overall look of the comic is quite young and with a strong but believably flawed female character - which made it feel like it was being aimed a quite a specific demographic. If that was the case they hit the mark well.

A divisive character in her new comic. One to try if you enjoyed Spider-Verse or fancy something a little different, although it's worth remembering there's Spider-Gwen out next week and a new costume and new direction for Spider-Woman the week after!

Matt Puddy is hoping Spider-Gwen is as much fun as it looks!

PREVIEWS FEB15 - selected highlights

by Ben Fardon

We only have time for a quick run through the rest of February's Previews this month, the real push now is to get every Reservation Service customer to complete the Convergence order form - if you haven't looked at this yet, please do so now!

All done? Brilliant! Welcome back. So without further ado, let's press on with the rest of the highlights for the latest Previews. As before please email any orders to shop@proudlion.co.uk. Please note that all release dates below are subject to change.

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The hottest stuff these days seems to come from Image Comics, so let's have a look at their latest offerings:

Savior #1 comes from Todd McFarlane with beautiful digital art from the incredibly talented Clayton Crain: What if the MOST DANGEROUS man on Earth was also the one trying to do the MOST GOOD? The world is real. The people are normal. And then he appears! A man appears with no background, no memory, and no place to call home. But he has powers. Powers that seem resemble those we learned about in Sunday School. Could it be?! Is it possible that this man is much, much more than that? Is it possible that he is our 'SAVIOR' in the flesh? And if he is, then why doesn't he know who he is or how he got his powers? Strip away the spandex and trappings of the traditional comic superhero and ask yourself a simple question: 'How would I react if GOD suddenly appeared in front of me, but everything we had been taught about him seems out of whack?' What you would have left, beyond your own doubts, is the presence of a man who has to deal with the fact that his appearance in the world is seen as both a blessing and a curse. Some will see him as a hero, a messiah. Other will see him as an enemy because there isn't room for a person with god-like powers to disrupt the status quo of what we already believe. Some will rally behind him. Others will denounce him. But none of us will be able to ignore him.

Savior #1 comes out on Wednesday 1st April.

Image Comic produce superb science fiction and this month is now exception, kicking off with Pisces #1. If you love Rat Queens, you'll be delighted to hear this is writer Kurtis J. Wiebe's next project: Former fighter pilot Dillon Carpenter found everything he wanted when he returned from the Vietnam War. A loving partner; a dream career training with NASA to travel through space; and soon, he will learn, a prime candidacy for a secret mission, one that will forever change the world: First Contact. But as Dillon prepares, his war trauma returns and he's haunted by dark visions of his future. There is but one constant; the voice whispering from the stars. A sci-fi psychological body horror series from the writer of RAT QUEENS and the artist of SHELTERED. 

Pisces #1 comes out on Wednesday 29th April.

The other science fiction offering of note from Image this month is Kaptara #1. Written by Chip Zdarsky  fresh from his successes with Sex Criminals and the relaunch of Howard The Duck, with art from Kagan McLeod, here's the bizarre little pitch: A space expedition goes horribly wrong because if it didn't there would be no story! Reluctant explorer Keith Kanga and his crew crash land on KAPTARA, a world filled with danger and weird danger and dangerous weirdos! And if he can't survive then earth, the place where YOU live, is doomed! Join CHIP ZDARSKY (Sex Criminals the Duck) and KAGAN McLEOD (Infinite Kung Fu) as they put the 'fi' back into 'sci-fi' and pretty much disregard the 'sci' part in this epic story of punching and love!

Kaptara #1 also comes out on Wednesday 29th April.

All this and Millar and Quitely return with the next chapter of the story they started with Jupiter's Legacy, albeit a prequel in the form of Jupiter's Circle #1: The most celebrated superheroes in mid-century America seem to have it all-fame, riches, adoration-but tensions simmer beneath the glossy surface, threatening to crack open the secrets behind their public AND private exploits. Before the family dynasty in JUPITER'S LEGACY began, there was JUPITER'S CIRCLE  - a story about a team whose personal dramas collide with super-powered spectacle!

Jupiter's Circle #1 also comes out on Wednesday 8th April.

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There's naturally a lot of buzz surrounding Marvel's summer event Secret Wars. The end of the Marvel and Ultimate Universes, many fear this will be a reboot akin to the New 52. We suspect it'll be more of a merger, with Marvel editors stressing they aren't ashamed of 75 years of continuity, but time will tell.

The first proper salvo of this game changing event is Secret Wars #1, though don't forget we'll get a special preview issue as part of Free Comic Book Day!

Secret Wars #1 comes out on Wednesday 6th May.

And that's your lot for this month. Please send any orders back by 11:59pm on Tuesday 24th February to shop@proudlion.co.uk. Many thanks!

Ben Fardon welcomes any feedback on these new Previews highlights articles.

New Beginnings - Darth Vader #1

by Matt Puddy

As part of the new Star Wars revival under the Marvel, we have a new beginning for none other than the galaxy’s best known bad dad, Darth Vader.

Kieron Gillen helms this new title in exploring a slightly different side of the Emperor’s apprentice. Opening after the events of Star Wars, the galaxy is akin to the Wild West. There is no threat from the Death Star after its destruction. so order is in short supply. The Empire’s grip has slipped and something has to be done to rectify this.

Dispatched to Jabba’s palace, Vader makes a strong entrance by "only" killing two guards as he so graciously puts it, whilst on his way to meet the infamous Hutt. The biggest shock is that Vader is speaking to Jabba a day early and regarding on a personal issue to boot. When simply asking fails, and the assembled entourage comes back into the room, he dispatches the threats quickly and enforces his will upon Jabba in true Sith fashion. With “negotiations” over, he returns the following day in the proper formal capacity, but as a reader you won’t find out why until later.

The story reverts back a day to when he was receiving the scorn of the Emperor. The loss of the Death Star was a huge blow and seen ultimately as Vader’s failure. He is warned not to disappoint again, but is this something he can live up to. 

Back on Tatooine we learn what Vader was trying to get Jabba to provide - bounty hunters of the highest order - but there is a twist. Whilst one, the fan-favourite Boba Fett, is aimed directly at finding Luke Skywalker, the other has a slightly darker task. Not wanting to be kept in the dark on certain secrets Vader dents him to find another agent of the Emperor, so that the former Anakin Skywalker can have a discussion with him...

It’s hard for me to not like the artwork in the issue as it’s provided by one of my favourite artists, Salvador Larocca. What I have also liked is that on this occasion the pairing of him with Edgar Delgado on colours has made for some very bold and vibrant images within the issue, which is quite impressive when the lead character is glad head-to-toe in black garb! 

As always the linework is fine and precise meaning that the detail is in huge supply. The new Wookie bounty hunter is an interesting character to meet as a result. Overall it makes for a really good visual presentation to the reader.

Whilst the artwork was strong my overall feeling for the comic was not as much. Although I understand the course of the story and how the plot develops, the titular character feels somewhat clipped or cowed, aside from a few shows of force. There is a certain level of malice that precedes Lord Vader and I just didn’t feel it.

As a first issue it certainly showed a different side that many will not seen of Vader. The subservience came through more than had seen before (aside from the infamous Robot Chicken sketch), but there was also a faint glimmer of the rebellious nature that leads ultimately to the Emperor’s downfall. 

Will it be a strong comic? Well it certainly won’t be weak given the creative team, but I’m hoping future issues hit with a bit more of the dark side of the force.

Matt Puddy is keen to see what Neill Blomkamp does with an Alien movie!

New Beginnings - Return of the Living Deadpool #1

by Matt Puddy

Some time ago you may remember that last year I reviewed Night of the Living Deadpool by Cullen Bunn. Now in true Romero-esque fashion we have the follow up - Return of the Living Deadpool.

For those who didn’t read NotLD, the very quick and basic premise was that over the course of four issues Wade Wilson found out that everywhere had been infected and people were turning into brain hungry zombies. Fighting his way through them all and trying to help people could only go so far, until he found there was a cure. The way to administer the cure though was to infect himself and then allow the surrounding zombies to rip him to shreds and eat him thus saving the world in his own bizarre way.

So where can Bunn and Virella go with this then? Considering how things were left I have to admit that even I wondered, so reading this first issue was with some trepidation.

Carrying on the artistic theme of having a greyscale story with the only colour being Deadpool, the story opens with a young woman called Liz scavenging. A few years have passed since the original outbreak so lore and stories have spread, both good and bad. So when Liz comes across a ‘pool her reaction is not the expected. She tries to decapitate him and is equally shocked when the amnesiac ‘pool doesn’t try to kill her and surrenders. Dressed in nothing more than his trademark red along with his inane and random commentary on the world the pair head off to safety from the night's visitors.

All is still not what it seems though. Along the way elements of Deadpool’s memory are slowly coming back along with his deadly skill and penchant for quips and violence towards zombies amongst other things. This is cut short when they run across a new band of people. A very familiar group as well. They’re all Deadpool variants! The main difference being they don’t seem to have the humour but very definitely have the blood lust. For the problem isn’t really the zombies any more. The real problem is far worse. The “cure” did stem the zombie problem but at the same time created, introduced and wreaked havoc in the form of the Deadpool plague and the newer deadlier living hell.

As I said before the artwork follows the same path as NotLD and the same colour palette, which makes the Merc with a Mouth really stand out at centre stage. The now typical colouring of his speech bubbles adds further familiarity to it all. The characterisation is also a return to the more split-personality that readers previously knew, so all in all this version of Deadpool is well outside the current Marvel Universe.

Aside from that there isn’t really much more I can say without going over how I reviewed NotLD, as it’s very much just more of the same. If you liked that arc you’ll probably like this one too!

Bunn has created an interesting new problem tale out of what was initially a fun four part tale to begin with. Seeing how he wrapped up the first arc, it’ll be fun to see how he’s going to solve this situation especially as the previous cure only made things worse...

Deadpool fans will love this; even zombie fans will get a kick out of it too. All in all a fun little comic, but nothing revolutionary after last year's offering. Very much more of the same. Which is no bad thing in this instance.

Matt Puddy is waiting for the inevitable Fifty Shades Of Deadpool miniseries...

Shipping Delays - A Message from IDW

by Ben Fardon

We received the following at the end of last week from IDW Publishing and are passing the information onto yourselves.

This will unfortunately affect several Transformers titles, as well as Dungeons & Dragons: Legends of Baldur's Gate and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles among other titles. 

Due to the ongoing problems at West coast ports, our normal shipping procedures have been completely interrupted, causing unpredictable delays. Regrettably, this has resulted in all our books planned for release on 2/18 to be delayed.

We've looked at every possible scenario to prevent this, but the situation is completely beyond our control. We are taking steps to improve this for the immediate future, but the books and products that are currently on the water cannot be re-directed. 

We will be updating our weekly releases and keeping you informed as the situation works toward a resolution.

We understand this is not an ideal situation, and apologize for any inconvenience this causes, and look forward to things getting back to normal in ensuing weeks. Thank you for your continued patience and support.

We at Proud Lion appreciate that IDW are doing everything they can to resolve these problems and wish them the very best of luck with their attempts to find a resolution.

Ben Fardon has a shiny new barcode scanner.

New Beginnings - The Dying and the Dead #1

by Matt Puddy

Truth be told when I got given the review copies for this week I was given a choice. On one hand there was The Dying and the Dead and a different comic on the other. So what do I do? Well given that it was also a Jonathan Hickman title I didn’t have too much trouble in choosing.

The Dying and the Dead is a curious story. It doesn’t really give a huge amount away in the opening; it's driven mainly by narrative and the setup is mainly introducing a mysterious organisation lead by an even shadowier Bah Al Sharur and his band of clones – at least that’s apparently what they are.

In the meantime we are also introduced to our “hero,” the Colonel. A man who in a similar fashion to the story’s opening is motivated by love of a woman but with considerably different consequences. Whereas one man died at the hands of his wife, the Colonel here is ready to die for her. As a terminal cancer patient there is almost nothing left of her, but he still has hope. Even when conventional medicine doesn’t seem to be able to provide anything more than palliative comfort and pain relief, a mysterious man offers a solution not based in science.

Almost as if it were a prophecy, The Bishop wants to speak to the Colonel and has an offer for him.

After being driven to the desert and a small unassuming church, the Colonel is taken to a vast extensive region simply known as the City, inhabited by a civilisation older and more powerful than humankind. To them the Colonel is just a tool; should he accept the deal he is being given then it will entail removing Bah Al Sharur. All in return for ridding his beloved from cancer.

Without it really being much of a choice the Colonel now has a new mission and companion. From here on it’s all down to the execution.

In terms of the writing, there are certain elements that I felt were really good. The opening felt like a mini-movie with either music or a narrator over the scene. On the other hand though I also felt that there was too much allusion to a higher power or a greater group of people behind it all in a large amount of the dialogue too. It quickly became distracting. One of the other things that did infuriate me a little was the story progression, or rather the lack there of. On the cover we see the Colonel and at least one companion with an interesting spear, but we have no clue about it. In addition there is a mysterious Pulp Fiction-esque box that was stolen in the preamble, that you have really no clue about. I understand that plot can take time to build up and develop intrigue, but a bit more description and better pacing would have helped.

Ryan Bodenheim is the artist for this comic working with Michael Garland and they've taken quite an interesting tack on it all. A lot is conveyed visually. All of the assumingly good guys are purely white, from top to toe in both dress and skin. This makes them stand out significantly in every pane;, while the other characters move and change within the frames. I can’t quite put my finger on why this changes things, but it all ties in with the emotional shifts the story holds. It’s a lot of fine detailed work that tells a lot of the story to - even when a few frames are partially duplicated.

It’s an interesting opening with some ideas that could pique a reader's interest, but some parts could have been made more. I suppose wanting more from it is also a good sign though despite the fact it's a huge and hefty comic for a modern issue. If you love Hickman, mysteries, the Illuminati or even just quest-based stories built on the concept that love endures then you’re in for some enjoyment.

Matt Puddy is often purely muddy, from top to toe.