Now What..?

DC's Vertigo imprint has been called "the HBO of comics" and I can think of no more fitting comparison. [Apparently it was Vertigo editor Karen Berger who made the statement, but I'm not going to fault her pride in her company's product for the astute remark.] Vertigo's greatest achievements can't fit into a single self-contained graphic novel any more than the impact of The Wire can be felt in a two-hour feature-length film. And unlike traditional serials, these stories have a finite plotlife, unfolding in episodic fashion. You know The Sopranos is going to end eventually, but that doesn't mean you want it to. Every installment is an entertaining story in its own right, part of a broader epic that keeps viewers/readers coming back for more.

Of course, once these titles have reached their conclusion, you're left wondering... now what? Recently the last of the three greatest Vertigo series reached its memorable conclusion. So now that you've finished reading every volume of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's Preacher, and Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra's Y: The Last Man, you need something to fill the void.

Enter Scalped, the work of American writer Jason Aaron and Serbian artist R. M. Guéra. Many Vertigo titles have excited me over the last year or so (and I'll undoubtedly be blogging about them at some point), but none have elicited that same can't-wait-to-see-what-happens-next feeling produced by the aforementioned comics. Except this one. I have to thank James Sime, proprietor of Isotope comics lounge in San Francisco for insisting that I pick up a book that, admittedly, failed to draw my interest based on subject matter alone.

The story follows undercover FBI agent Dashiell Bad Horse as he returns to his ancestral home, the Prairie Rose Reservation in South Dakota. He begins working for the Bureau's main target, Chief Lincoln Red Crow, on the cusp of the grand opening of the Crazy Horse Casino. Crow has decades of blood on his hands, including two murdered agents in an incident involving Dash's mother and a Native Rights protest gone awry, the echoes of which have haunted FBI Agent Nitz every day since. Nitz will do anything to bring Crow to justice, and his hellbent quest for vengeance is just part of the dangerous character ambiguity that populates any good crime drama: the heroes are often less than heroic and the villains are never quite who they seem to be. Over the course of 24 issues (four "episodes" in trade format), Aaron weaves his vivid, fully-formed characters into an intricate series of plots that are rife with twists more vengeful than a Lakota knife in the back. Aaron has clearly spent a lot of time researching life on "the rez," and despite protests as to the book's veracity, this is still an eye-opening portrayal of one particular seedy underbelly of American society that has yet to be truly explored. I mean really: I no more believe that every Italian family in Jersey has links to Goodfellas, or every Black kid in Compton came straight off the set of Colors, than I'm going to accept that every Dust Bowl Injun is a psychotic meth addict. It's an engrossing noirish Western, and goddamit, I'm here to be entertained!

Guéra's intense, visceral art complements Aaron's narrative perfectly. Scenes of sex and violence are equally disconcerting, supressing a latent rage and tension that simmers in the psyche of every character of the series, both White and Native American. And when you end each of the first two volumes with the brutal image of death-by-scalping, you very clearly state the direction of the series. These are the kinds of scenes that an accomplished author will turn over to his artist, confident that the image alone can both tell a story and convey a powerful emotion. It's intense, frightening, and dark, and, most importantly, it begs the question: what happens next?

Incidentally, the first two volumes of the series, Indian Country and Casino Boogie, feaure introductions by Brian K. Vaughan and Garth Ennis respectively, two-thirds of the Holy Trinity of Vertigo masterpieces, heralding the arrival of Jason Aaron as the Next Big Thing in comics. I'm sure DC tried to get Neil Gaiman to write the intro to Dead Mothers, thus completing the trifecta, but apparently he's been too busy making shitty movies.

December Recommendations

Up to this point I've highlighted graphic novels and series in trade format -- comic book entertainment that can be easily acquired at any decent bookstore or online vendor. Hurray for this Brave New World that exposes so much four-color creativity to the masses. But true geek pleasures, we all know, occur each and every Wednesday down at the local comic shop. Looking for a new series to pick up, maybe something to rejuvenate your childhood zeal for superheroic fantasy? Look no further...

Pick Up:
Uncanny X-Men #504 and 505 Marvel's cornerstone franchise for almost thirty years, dating back to the Chris Claremont/Dave Cockrum/John Byrne era, the X-Men may be the book with more sentimental ties for fans new and old than any superhero apart from Batman. Maybe you grew up with comics in the 80s, like I did, and was sucked into the Dark Phoenix saga in its initial incarnation. Or you became a fan in the 90s because of Saturday morning cartoons. Maybe you even credit your X-interest to the movie trilogy of this decade and the rugged charm of a Hugh Jackman Wolverine. Whatever your reasons, the colossal ever-unfolding saga of Marvel's Mutants, in recent years, has become so twisted, tied, and woven together into a reality-warping web of Jamie Braddock quantum plot strings that trying to make sense of it all after any kind of comic book hiatus would cause a Cerebro-size headache. (make that Cerebra-size; see what you've missed?) So why would I recommend this series to someone who hasn't been following it for the last five years? You have to start somewhere, and the current arc, beginning with issue 504, is an excellent jumping-on point. Sure, you're going to need a quick recap of some key events in continuity (see below), but once you dive in, it won't take you long to settle in with some familiar faces in a new location for what promises to be a brand new weave of rip-roaring yarns in the Mighty Marvel Manner.

First off, the writing duties have been turned over to Matt Fraction exclusively. There was a transition period between Ed Brubaker's run on the book and the current issues in which Brubaker and Fraction had been handling the plotting/writing duties together. I love Ed Brubaker, but, as I said in my Read More Comics! column in the second issue of Idle Times, I'm not so sure his talents are best suited to a major team book like this one. He did bring the X-Men to San Francisco, a recent development for which I am extremely grateful. After years of doing all my New York City sightseeing through the panels of Spider-Man and Daredevil, it's nice to see the Dazzler playing the Fillmore, Colossus eating borscht in the outer Richmond, and the X-Jet launching out of Sausalito from a hillside bunker in the Marin Headlands. But in recent issues the Brubaker/Fraction action was getting crazy convoluted, almost as if the two were wrestling with each other over concepts that refused to gel. As of issue 504, however, there are still a lot of things going on, but at least you can tell that all the ideas are coming out of one guy's head. Action, intrigue, and romance. I think Fraction'll make Claremont proud.

Secondly, the art is sensational. Brubaker opened the "Manifest Destiny" chapter of the X-Men saga, bringing the team to the City by the Bay, accompanied by the lush, beautiful illustrations of Greg Land. Land's dense, almost photo-realistic art is the kind of gift that you appreciate while you can, knowing that it's not something that can be produced with the kind of demanding regularity that a monthly title requires. Marvel, fully aware that this valuable franchise's flagship title shouldn't be turned over to occasional guest pencilers when scheduling concerns mount, presents its loyal readership with a second gift: alternating story arcs with Land will be the equally-breathtaking art of Terry Dodson. Issue 504 is Dodson's first work on the series and, right away, his signature style of solid, animated lines and clean, dynamic layout (not to mention beautiful, curvaceous ladies; check out the spread of Emma's tour through Cyclops's mind and all the women that're on it) is perfectly married to Fraction's pacing and dialogue. Again, while it's too early to make Claremont-Byrne (or Claremont-Alan Davis, perhaps?) comparisons, I'm an optimistic guy prone to flights of breakneck enthusiasm. Aaaand, if you're completely new to the title, then who gives a crap if this creative team is anything like those completely unfamiliar names I've been mentioning? Let's all hop aboard the Fraction-Land-Dodson express. The views are spectacular.

Finally, this current storyline is purported to be the one that starts re-connecting the X-Men universe to the Marvel Universe proper. For too long the X-Men and their associated titles have operated outside mainstream continuity. House of M was the last time Marvel's mutants really had anything to do with any other character groups, but now, as of Dark Reign, things are about to change. I'm not saying reading the last page of Uncanny X-Men 505 is going to sucker you into buying other books... but if it gets you caught up in the beautiful, soap-operatic world of comic book fantasy, so be it. I'll loan you some trades. We'll have coffee and talk comics. It'll be amazing.

So... if you have been out of the office for the last decade, let's get you caught up on some key developments...
Jean Grey died (again) and Scott Summers is now dating Emma Frost, the White Queen, who's turned out to be a good guy (of sorts) but is still all kinds of sexy... Colossus and Psylocke died but have since come back from the dead (the former thanks to Buffy creator Joss Whedon) so forget I even mentioned it... Scarlet Witch went crazy and after distorting reality to create a world where mutants were in charge uttered the famous words "no more mutants," re-distorting reality and majorly fucking with the mutant population so that there are currenly less than 200 mutants with powers on the entire planet... one of the de-powered mutants was Professor X, but he's since gotten his powers back (and he can walk again!) so forget I mentioned that too... turns out Havok and Cyclops have a brother with omega-level powers named Vulcan and he's the current leader of the Shi'ar, wreaking havok through the galaxies (and one of major players in the impending War of Kings event)... in addition to millions of mutants losing their powers, no new mutant births have occurred since the Witch went apeshit, which is a major cause for concern for the now "endangered" mutant race, and the focus of Dr. Henry "Beast" McCoy's current scientific quest... okay, there was one mutant birth -- the "messiah," a red-haired baby girl whisked into the future timestream by Cable... during the war that broke out over the baby, the School for Gifted Youngsters in Westchester was destroyed and the X-Men were temporarily disbanded... Kitty "Shadowcat" Pryde died saving the world, right after she and Colossus had reunited, too (sniff)... Scott "Cyclops" Summers, the new leader of the team, gave Prof X the middle finger for lying to him and wiping his mind of his memory of Vulcan, and took his new team out west to San Francisco...

and here we are. (whew)

Put back:
In addition to a recommendation as to what you should pick up on your trip to the comic shop, I'm going to give you some advice on a book to put right back where you found it.

Batman: Cacophony #1
by Kevin Smith and Walt Flanagan
I'm almost afraid to write any disparaging comments about this book because I'm fairly certain that Kevin Smith gets up every morning and reads the entire internet before lunch, starting with anything written about him. To be fair, I'm a Kevin Smith fan; like many of my generation I recited Clerks quotes ad nauseum in college. And handling the writing duties on the most iconic comic book character in human history is certainly cause for excitement.

This isn't Smith's first foray into the comics medium, and I pray it won't be his last. Cacophony, however, fails on a couple levels. Walt Flanagan's art is too ungainly and cartoonish to be enjoyed in this type of story. Of course, that's not Smith's fault. What I do blame him for is an inappropriately-idiotic rendition of the Joker that is neither menacing nor truly villainous. There's even a scene in which the Joker bends over and starts taking off his pants to thank the mysterious Onomotopoeia for breaking him out of Arkham. "Seduced and abandoned," he says, when his benefactor disappears.

It's only a three-issue limited series and, honestly, I will ride it out to get the full story. But it's a disappointing beginning and one that can be avoided.

Give More Comics!

Presenting the first ever Read More Comics! holiday gift guide. The best way to encourage the populace to read more funnybooks is to put some four-color fun right in their hot little hands. And in an effort to fit each person with the proper comic, let's take a look at an imaginary assemblage of friends and family members. Hopefully you can find some effective parallels.

For Dad: likes a good bottle of wine and the occasional spy novel
Queen & Country - Greg Rucka
Oni Press has collected bestselling espionage novelist Rucka's most compelling series in four affordable softcover editions (2008, $19.95 each). The first volume contains three self-contained stories and should be enough to convince Pop to take a break from the Patterson paperbacks for a spell. Doesn't hurt that the story's protagonist, Tara Chace, is an attractive, ass-kicking British secret agent ably illustrated by Steve Rolston and Leandro Fernandez. The success and popularity of this comic series, and its realistic portrayal of the modern world of the secret agent, actually inspired Rucka to pen a few Queen & Country prose novels (but don't tell Dad that until he's read all four volumes of the graphic novel).

For Mom: loves her Sunday funnies with a cup of coffee and AM radio
Complete Peanuts Boxed Set - Charles Schulz
In 2004, Fantagraphics began the twelve-year process of reprinting, in perfect chronology, all of Charles Schulz's beloved Peanuts strips, dailies and Sundays included. These beautiful hardcover restorations capture the charm and sophistication of one of the most influential cartoonists who has ever lived, and include biographical notes, essays, and more. They are currently ten books in, and every two volumes has been packaged in a slipcase edition designed by the cartoonist Seth (himself an artist of singular elegance), any one of which will captivate Mom with humor and a touch of nostalgia. The earliest editions (Volume 1 covers 1950-1952; the first slipcase edition stretches to 1954) feature the gang in their early, less-recognizable incarnations; reach for the most recent boxed set (1967-1970) for a glimpse back at the strips she knows and loves. (Fantagraphics, individual volumes 2004-2008, $28.99; box sets containing two volumes, $50.00)

For Uncle Sal: read X-Men "back in the day" but now prefers to let Hollywood handle his comic book entertainment
Marvel Chronicle - Tom DeFalco, Peter Sanderson, Tom Brevoort
Remind Uncle Sal how cool it was to "Make Mine Marvel" back in the 1980s, tantalize him with amazing reproductions from the Golden Age, and give him a peek at everything he's missed in the last few years. This amazing hardcover (strangely packaged in an unwieldy cardboard box) spans the history of Marveldom since the Timely Comics era, giving a year-by-year history from 1939 to the present (DK, 2008, $50.00). The book's authors, longtime members of Marvel's braintrust and Keepers of Continuity, offer more than just a look at characters and titles that have impacted the Marvel U over the years. Of course you'll witness the formative years of Captain America's Invaders, and learn when the Runaways ran away; but reading through this time capsule is also a reminder that the comics medium has served as a touchstone for popular culture and social climate throughout the decades. Whether battling Adolf Hitler or disco-dancing in bellbottoms, comics -- Marvel comics, 'natch -- are a vital and interconnected part of our own history.

For Crazy Cousin Derek: loves horror flicks and Japanese folklore
Crossing Midnight - Mike Carey and Jim Fern
This underrated gem had been one of my favorite Vertigo titles in recent years. Poor initial sales caused DC to pull the plug after Carey wrapped up his main storyline, which actually works out perfectly for Derek's purposes. He can be gifted all three trades that comprise the entire series (DC Comics, 2007-2008 Volume 1, $9.95; Volume 2, $14.95; Volume 3, $14.95) and enjoy a beautifully-illustrated modern Japanese fairy tale about two twins born on either side of midnight, Toshi and Kai, who become pulled into the Japanese spirit world (kami, Derek will correct) to contend with demons, dragons, and the enigmatic Lord of the Knives. DC's Vertigo imprint has a long tradition of well-executed, literate fantasy (Sandman) and horror (Hellblazer), and this series is a compelling blend of both without requiring a lengthy investment of reading time. Mike Carey is an accomplished, prolific storyteller who may be familiar to Vertigo fans as the author of the long-running Lucifer series, or current Marvel aficionados who appreciate his work on the X-Men and Ultimate titles.

For niece Jenny: way too cool for comics, but has nothing left to read now that Potter's all wrapped up
Castle Waiting - Linda Medley
Before Bill Willingham turned the Big Bad Wolf into the the sheriff of Fabletown and began a memorable run on the popular Fables series, Linda Medley self-published a comic called Castle Waiting, now being published (since 2006) by Fantagraphics. That first series has been reprinted and given a snazzy hardcover treatment by her new publisher (2006, $29.95), and a new legion of fans can experience the wizardry and classic storytelling in a world "after 'Happily ever after..." The art is clean and vibrant, reminiscent of Rick Geary, with a fun, fluid style story that, like Jeff Smith's Bone, is as agreeable to kids as it is to grown-up fans of of a good fairy tale. Princesses, poltersprites, and three little pigs. Too cute to deny.

For neighbor Dave: has been loving the recent spate of outstanding superhero movies, but hasn't ever read a comic
Invincible Iron Man Volume 1: The Five Nightmares - Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca
To coincide with the release of the movie last summer, Marvel launched a second Shellhead title to partner with the existing Iron Man. The new series, written by Matt Fraction and spectacularly illustrated by Spanish artist Salvador Larroca, begins with a story pitting Tony Stark against the son of his former nemesis, Obadiah Stane. Ezekiel "Zeke" Stane is every bit as smart as Tony; he has access to Starktech; and he doesn't care how many people get hurt in his revenge-driven attack on everything Stark holds dear. Wizard magazine named this book best new series of '08, and it's ideal for newcomers to the world of capes-'n-tights since it doesn't require any foreknowledge of Marvel continuity. Plus, it references characters and concepts already familiar to anyone who saw the movie. This is actually what my brother is getting for Christmas, being a childhood Iron Man devotee but preferring, in his later years, to only read comics in the collected, bookshelf-friendly form (Marvel, 2008, $24.95). He's going to love it, and he'll be surprised. He never reads my blog.

For buddy Bill: who thinks any idea for a comic would be better suited as a film (and is secretly just looking for an outstanding self-contained graphic novel that will change his mind about the medium)
Black Hole by Charles Burns
Published in twelve volumes by both Kitchen Sink Press and Fantagraphics over twelve years (I was in the middle of reading this in college, then went on a miserable comic hiatus during my several years of auditioning as a "grown-up", only to return in time to see the last issue hit the racks: "This just came out?"), Burns's masterpiece of horror and teenage anguish is now available in a softcover edition from Pantheon Books (2008, $17.95). Burns is a long-established master of comics art, well-known for his taut, eerie lines and surreal compositions; his work is a bit of a throw-back to the pre-code EC days of classic pulp horror. This novel tells the story of a group of kids growing up in the suburbs of Seattle in the 1970s, dealing with a peculiar kind of STD that causes freakish mutations. As if isolation and despondency wasn't enough coming-of-age dread for a kid to deal with... Bill needs to read this now, and truly appreciate Burns not just for his incredible black-and-white artistry, but his ominous, pitch-perfect storytelling as well. Plus, when the movie finally comes out (Paramount release rumored to have David Fincher directing), he may just decide not to bother.

The Secret's Out: Marvel's Secret Invasion Prepped for the Bookshelf

Now that Marvel's Secret Invasion event has reached a conclusion of sorts, the publisher is readying the requisite collections of each storyline for mass distribution. Having obsessively lapped up every issue and crossover over the last eight months, I can now offer some insight into which trades are worth your time.

After the success of the Civil War event in 2005, and the ubiquitous "Whose Side Are You On?" tagline, Marvel upped the ante with the "Who Do You Trust?" campaign, instigating an internet blogstorm of shapeshifting shenanigans and inspiring more than a few Who's-a-Skrull? pools (congratulations Greg; now I can finally get all this crap out of my garage). Midway through the series, after the main revelations had occurred, Marvel encouraged the nation to "Embrace Change", both through a series of clever Skrull-next-door house ads and a 30-second TV spot aired on ESPN2. I was admittedly caught up in the excitement. The concept was exciting; the build-up was intense. So now, in retrospect, was it worth it?

First, a bit of background. The Skrulls are a green, pointy-eared, rocky-chinned, shape-changing alien race created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby as an early nemesis for the Fantastic Four in the 1960s. In the decades since, the Skrulls have popped in and out of continuity, usually as part of galaxy-spanning cosmic sagas centered in either the Fantastic Four or Avengers universe. In the wake of the destruction of the Skrull homeworld, the Skrulls have been planning an invasion and conquest of Earth, adopting it as the new central world in the Skrull empire. The strategy: a new, undetectable sleeper agent taking on the form, powers, and memories of heroes and villains all around the world. These Skrull agents have been infiltrating our society for years, earning trust, accruing power, and setting the stage for the full-scale invasion to come.

Series writer and event architect Brian Michael Bendis had explained that the seeds of this event had been planted five years earlier, during his Secret War miniseries and memorable "Avengers Disassembled" arc, but the powder keg was officially lit in the now-famous New Avengers #28 when, during a battle with the Hand, their leader, Elektra, was killed... reverting back to her true Skrull-y form. The fact that neither Wolverine nor Dr. Strange had been able to identify the infiltrator's true nature led to immediate suspicions: who else is a Skrull? What does this mean? What happens next?

The answers to those questions fueled the Secret Invasion hype machine for over a year. Anybody could be a Skrull, and the incendiary revelations in the final issue of Bendis's New Avengers: Illuminati series as well as the first issue of Secret Invasion itself created a collective gasp of fanboy astonishment. It means the Skrulls are not the green-skinned punching bags we thought they were for decades. And what happens next is a portentous wave of distrust paving the way for full-scale invasion.

Fun, yeah? So like any good comic book event, we've got plenty of crossovers and tie-ins. And if you're a dutiful collector or diehard fan -- or just need an easy means of beautifying that home bookshelf -- you're going to purchase the entire set of paperbacks and recreate a pretty little planetscape with the interlocking spines of the various trades. If you'd rather save time and money just reading the bits of Secret Invasion that are good, pay attention. That's what I'm here for. Besides, the point of this blog is to get more people reading comics; if I have any casual readers picking up the goofy Fantastic Four limited series or, worse yet, Jackpot (the goddam stupidest member of Spider-Man's Brand New Supporting Cast) tussling with a Super-Lame Skrull soldier in the Amazing Spider-Man tie-in, I may immediately lose any credibility and sorely jeopardize the plan of encouraging a widening comic book readership.

Step one: The Infiltration

The stories leading up to the miniseries proper are some of the best parts of this whole epic, and Marvel conveniently collected the key issues in Secret Invasion: Infiltration this past summer. The stories, however, are patched together somewhat out of context. A few issues from the three different Avengers series, a few from Illuminati, and the campy origin story from Fantastic Four #2, originally published way back in 1961. What you should do instead, in order to appreciate the buildup of paranoia while treating yourself to a crazy couple yarns by Bendis and Leinil Yu, the duo behind Secret Invasion, pick up the two collections that lead up to the Skrull party: New Avengers Volume 6: Revolution and New Avengers Volume 7: The Trust. Ninjas, Civil War repercussions, the return of Hawkeye, and a Skrull plot revealed! All stitched together with Bendis's snappy dialogue and Yu's intense artwork. Read these two books, already available, and if you're not jazzed up about the big Invasion, then you get to stop right here. Once you're hooked, however, take a gander at this list of Secret Invasion trades and proceed with fervor.

Captain Marvel is a decent six-issue limited series that bridges events in both Civil War and Secret Invasion. The hardcover edition is already available, and the paperback hits the direct market on January 14. Recommended primarily for completists, but if you give it a look prior to reading the main series, you won't be deterred.

Ms. Marvel Volume 5: Secret Invasion, on the other hand, despite also being currently available, might actually curb burgeoning interest in the storyline, and can be avoided. The story collected here is periphery to the key events of Secret Invasion so, again, unless you're overly concerned with being thorough, read something else.

Secret Invasion: Home Invasion collects the webcomic about a girl who begins to discuss, via her MySpace blog, all the strange and creepy things her brother's being doing of late. He's a Skrull and this book is bullshit. Avoid.

Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? contains material and short stories that tie together various character groups and plot threads, making them part of the larger Invasion scheme. This trade doesn't come out until late March, so by then you won't really care what the Agents of Atlas were doing, or what Skrull Beast and Wonder Man were discussing whilst scrambling through tunnels in the Savage Land.

Step Two: The Invasion

This is the fun bit: the main storyline and the essential tie-ins. Everything in this section is written by mastermind Brian Michael Bendis, and they're clearly the product of years of planning and orchestration. Say what you will about his dialogue or pacing; Bendis is a master when it comes to writing a team superhero book (not an easy task I assure you; many of my favorite writers have produced Assembled Flops or Legions of Lame Stories) and pulling off a major crossover event.

Secret Invasion hits comic shops on January 7. Leinil Yu has been one of my favorite up-and-coming artists for a few years now, and seeing his skills displayed in this titanic battle between the Skrull invaders and all the heavy hitters in the Marvel universe -- including the long-awaited return of Nick Fury and his brand new Howlin' Commandos, as well as a celebrated reunification of Marvel's "Big Three" (the real Thor, the Winter Soldier/Captain America, and Iron Man) -- is pretty exciting. Of course you want to see how this plays out... but it is, ultimately, just a big battle. A battle rife with sexy plot twists (including a killer final page), surprising developments, moments of singular tragedy and comedy, but a big battle nonetheless. An event of this scope requires more than one book and, to accomplish the task of bringing the entire epic to life, a task too immense for one artist, Bendis is matched up with a number of accomplished storytellers in the following four collections.
The New Avengers Volume 8: Secret Invasion, Book 1 is already out in hardcover; the paperback (with planetscape spine art!) is in comic shops on February 25. Collecting #38-42, this book is the brains behind the brawn. As with the New Avengers companion to Civil War, this book provides insight into the lives of individual heroes and how the Invasion is affecting them, as well as giving us important background into how the Skrulls accomplished their diabolical scheme.
Mighty Avengers Volume 3: Secret Invasion, Book 1 will be released next week in hardcover and early March in trade paperback. Here we learn what Nick Fury has been up to since disappearing following Secret War, and get individual stories explaining the whens, wheres, and hows of some of the key Skrull character replacements.
New Avengers Volume 9: Secret Invasion, Book 2 will be released in hardcover on January 9. This picks up (obviously) where NA Vol. 8 leaves off, and is filled with important revelations, including the possible complicity of some of Marvel's major players.
Mighty Avengers Volume 4: Secret Invasion, Book 2 finishes the series of back-stories on Fury and the Skrull infiltrators. After all this time, we're dying to know: how'd they get to Elektra? Also provides key plot developments concerning Captain Marvel and one of Marvel's most interesting new characters, Noh-Varr. This collection won't hit stores until January 21.


Step Three: The Crossovers
Secret Invasion was billed as an important universe-wide, title-spanning event. In reality, it's pretty much just an Avengers joint, and that's okay. The X-Men are overrated. However, in an effort to effectively string together all the other heroes and villains (and sell a boatload of "Secret Invasion"-stamped books), Marvel has given us a plethora of crossover books, most of them only necessary for completing the previously-mentioned bookshelf vista. The following list is organized Buy, Borrow, and Burn. Should be pretty self-explanatory.


Buy
Secret Invasion: Inhumans is a four-issue series written by one of the Heroes screenwriters, Joe Pokaski, and is the only self-contained story worth a damn. Whether or not you have any foreknowledge of the Inhumans (part of the Fantastic Four's supporting cast for decades), this is a great read, and the best use of the characters since Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee's decade-old miniseries. Black Bolt, leader of the Inhumans, was one of the first characters captured and replaced by the Skrulls, and this series details the royal family's attempts to get him back. Plus, it provides a key link to the next great cosmic drama (a vastly underrated corner of comic book continuity) in the Marvel U: War of Kings.


Borrow
Avengers: The Initiative Volume 3: Secret Invasion shows us what happens in Camp Hammond when one of the key players in The Initiative turns out to be a Skrull. Full of b-list reveals, the return of Morrison & Millar's Skrull Kill Krew, and the majesty of The 3-D Man, who's a lot like 3DChain, but without the beard and social drinking skills.
Secret Invasion: Black Panther collects Jason Aaron's three-issue "See Wakanda and Die" storyline. Aaron's a great writer (Scalped, Wolverine) and the Panther is kinda bad-ass, so this showdown between the nation of Wakanda and a cocky Skrull commander is worth a look.
Secret Invasion: Thunderbolts isn't written by Warren Ellis, and that's a shame. The prolific genius who reinvigorated the title following Civil War wrapped up just prior to Secret Invasion, so the task of fleshing out Norman Osborn's integral role in the Invasion is left to Christos Gage. Here it seems like he's just following editorial instructions and doesn't have room to add too much to the characters or their motivations. That'll be Andy Diggle's (Losers) job later...
Nova Volume 3: Secret Invasion, like Inhumans, has more in common with the cosmic cast of characters and the Annihilation events than anything in the post-Civil War or post-House of M world. It's not a bad thing, but if you're not already reading Abnett & Lanning's very entertaining Nova or Guardians of the Galaxy series, then these stories of Skrull intrigue light-years removed from Ground Zero do little to enhance your Secret Invasion experience.
Captain Britain and MI 13 Volume 1: Secret Invasion is the work of Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk. While the title was birthed as a Secret Invasion crossover, a bizarre account of the Skrulls' attempts at conquering the center of Earth's magic (England, naturally), it has actually developed into one of my favorite ongoing books. Recommended primarily because it stands alone well and, being the first trade in a new ongoing series, may promote some readership on a title that could benefit from increased sales.
Deadpool Volume 1: Secret Invasion is also the kickoff to a new series, but one with a heavier emphasis on low-brow humor and blowing shit up than... well, just about anything else on the rack. It's amusing, and contains a bit of a twist that ties directly into the culminating events of Secret Invasion.
Secret Invasion: Front Line follows in the tradition of Busiek's Marvels and the two prior Front Line series, one each for the Civil War and World War Hulk events. Following the story from a ground-level perspective, through the eyes and ears of reporter Ben Urich, this version of Front Line doesn't offer as much depth or excitement as its Civil War counterpart, but it does a decent job punctuating the menace of both the Invasion and the forthcoming Dark Reign.


Burn
["Burn" is an exaggeration, of course. One should never, ever burn a comic. And some of these, furthermore, while having no business on the coffee table, might be passably-interesting on the top of the toilet tank. Expectations seem lower when you're taking a shit.]

Secret Invasion: X-Men is another example of a limited series produced for no other reason than to forcibly connect the X-universe to the event at hand (the Civil War: X-Men was similarly unnecessary). The Skrulls over San Francisco assume the west coast of the U.S. is unprotected, then have a bit of a tussle with the X-Men. A shame, too, because the talents of over-worked scribe Mike Carey (who clearly would rather be working on his own mutant storylines or the regrettably-canceled Crossing Midnight) and the muted paints of Cary Nord are wasted here. Throw in some Cyclops bravado, disappointing skylines of my favorite City, and a lame deus ex machina, and you've got my $2.99 times 4. Ugh.
X-Factor: Secret Invasion collects Peter David's X-Factor/She-Hulk crossover that crosses over with Secret Invasion. Cross over to the other side of the bookstore, friend, and buy something else.
Secret Invasion: Thor pits a herd of Skrulls in Asgard (which is in Oklahoma these days, thanks to our pal J.M. Straczynski) against the God of Thunder and Beta Ray Bill. I can't think of any reason why you should read this.
Secret Invasion: Incredible Hercules is perplexing. What perplexes me is why this series is so damn popular. Apparently someone at Wizard decided they liked the direction this book was heading when Herc replaced the Hulk as the central character and hyped the hell out of it. For the crossover, entitled "Sacred Invasion," Hercules and his "God Squad" of immortal Marvel deities take on the pantheon of Skrull gods (including the antecedent to the "He Loves You" mantra on the lips of every fucking greenie for the last eight months). Please.
Secret Invasion: War Machine is actually a three-issue run of the ongoing Iron Man series. With Iron Man dealing with the events of Secret Invasion, Rhodey has some Skrull crap to blow up. That's pretty much it. Recommended solely for my brother, who is one of the few people I know that still thinks Tony Stark had it right.
Punisher War Journal Volume 5: Secret Invasion gets a hardcover treatment for some reason. Stuart Clarke tries to kill Frank Castle trying to kill Skrulls trying to kill everyone. And that old black guy from S.H.I.E.L.D. is still running around.
New Warriors Volume 3: Secret Invasion is a forgettable storyline with pointless characters. I'm pretty sure this series got canceled.
Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four tells us what happens after Sue gets replaced by a Skrull and ships the Baxter Building off to the Negative Zone in the first issue of Secret Invasion. I'll spoil it for you: their kids save the day. The trade throws in some old Skrull crap from the FF's back catalog to make it seem more worthwhile. Don't be fooled.
Secret Invasion: Amazing Spider-Man is missing a pretty important ingredient central to most Spidey-stories. And when the most poorly-designed Super Skrull this summer (and trust me, that's saying something) crashes into Manhattan screaming "Where is Spider-Maaaaan?" we're wondering the same goddam thing. And when Jackpot shows up to deal with the Skrull, he is pissed. I can sympathize.
Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers is solicited as "your two favorite teen teams" coming together to deal with the Skrull menace. There's enough of these guys in the series proper, and they're annoying even in small doses. Don't punish yourself with this mess.

Scott Pilgrim vs. Me

I'm not a big fan of manga. I've tried to appreciate it for as long as I can remember, but apart from the occasional gems by classic masters like Yoshihiro Tatsumi or Goseki Kojima, rarely have I enjoyed, sought out, or even finished an entire volume of a Japanese comic. Add to my frustration the ever-increasing racks of mass-produced and recycled-art dreck stifling the graphic novel section of every major bookstore in the country, whose floorplans are rotating endlessly to accommodate the legions of middle-schoolers who camp out beginning at 3:30 to read the latest Fruits Basket or Naruto, and my tolerance for this bastard offshoot of the medium is at an end. Just as the trade paperback boom begins to make it easier to introduce newcomers to comics, I find it positively embarrassing to recommend to anyone a perusal of graphic novels at any of the chain stores. "You want me to look over here? Behind the pimple-faced kid with the Transformers backpack? Or around the corner here, where the girl in cat ears is sprawled out on the floor?"

So from the get-go Scott Pilgrim had two strikes against it. And despite several recommendations from friends and bloggers, I didn't pick up the book until learning that Universal Pictures had optioned the book for a movie, to be directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead; Hot Fuzz). I love me a good movie adaptation, especially when it promotes the "Read More Comics!" credo.

The book's title character is jobless, marginally-directionless, and hopelessly-infatuated with the new girl in town, one Ramona Flowers. So much so, in fact, that he breaks the heart of his seventeen year-old girlfriend Knives Chau (a perfect character send-off to the manga-reading kawaii crowd), and embarks on the troublesome quest of defeating Ramona's Seven Evil Ex-boyfriends.

The comic series, despite its Japanese style and manga-sized digest format, is actually the work of Canadian cartoonist Bryan Lee O'Malley. As soon as I got past the feeling that I was reading a Shonen Jump-ed up Pantone party, I was not only able to enjoy the hell out of the story, but truly appreciate the art style as well. Manga has always had, at its heart, a dynamism that, when not crossing the boundary into downright cartoon-y, is richly expressive and emotional. These Japanese influences are the qualities that make the work of Craig Thompson and Paul Pope, for example, so evocative and so fluid. O'Malley's work has a more polished, "anime"-style, certainly, than the dense brushstrokes of either Thompson or Pope, but it is no less effective. For telling a story swirling with rock-n-roll hijinks, video-game-inspired life lessons, and the hilarious ins-and-outs of miscommunicating with the opposite sex, Scott Pilgrim's execution is brilliant.

And, best yet, you won't find it crammed in the manga racks between Sanctuary and Scrapped Princess. Start with volume 1, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, published by Oni Press. The series is up to volume 4, with the next issue, Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe ("Target Audience: Fans of AWESOME") recently solicited for February, '09 release.