THIS WEEK IN PANELS: March 21, 2012

Revel, one and all, in the new formatting! Bask in the equalizing page breaks! Tremble at the sight of creator credits! (S) Story, (A) Art, (You) Smitten!

Also, next update -- new feature title (finally) and header icon. Excelsior!

Dark Horse Presents #10

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DHP #10 is a welcome return to the indies of my rebellious teens. The return of Milk & Cheese? (Not entirely sure they went anywhere, really. Time to bone up on that.) Geof Darrow and Andrew Vachss? All I needed was some Tank Girl and I'd have been transported back to hovering over longboxes, flipping through back issues of Deadline USA.

More after the jump. Don't stop, get it get it!

Batman #7

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So much has already been said of Dick Grayson's unknown past revealed in this issue, so let's just cut to the chase: Bruce Wayne is a shitty father. Someone call child services.

Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child #1

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College student Dominique Laveau struggles to come to grips with her strange developing powers (see above) and link to Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen, her newly discovered ancestor. Much of the issue already feels so familiar, between the prologue in The Unexpected #1 last year, the 6-page preview in Vertigo Preview 2012, and the strong familiarity with New Orleans from David Simon's post-Katrina HBO series, Treme. The interior art pales in comparison to the gorgeous cover art of Rafael Grampa, but I'm holding out to see what future issues hold.

Hoax Hunters #0

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Hoax Hunters serves up some Hitchcock-ian spooks as the fictional supernatural Myth Busters crew behind the television show of the same name uncovers real life stories of the strange and deliver their façade debunking to viewers to keep the mystery alive. The truth is not out there.

The Infinite Vacation #4

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The story thus far: Mark is a working stiff who spends his pay purchasing livelihood in alternate universes where life fares somewhat better than his own. One day he is ambushed by "the A-Team," three Marks from other universes who tell him he is the one true Mark and under threat of assassination. They dump him into a safe universe with no outside contact where he meets Claire, whom he blew a pick-up attempt in another dimension. Revealing his multiversal connection to Claire and the "deadender" Church of One, Mark and Claire seek the A-Team who has been murdered by, who else, but a twisted Jeffery Dahmer version of himself. Mark now finds himself dumped into a random universe to escape the threat. Finding himself a happily married family man with Claire in this universe, he realizes his true feelings and devises a plan to rescue her in the one true universe.

Get it? Just... go buy it.

Justice League #7

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Having caught up to current day, the Justice League is finally heralded as true heroes, modern day Gods. So let's put 'em to work, huh? 'Cause we know how well those Greek deities got their shit together (see Wonder Woman.)

Prophet #23

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Rob Liefeld's *shudder* reboot of the Image Extreme title sees the conclusion of John Prophet's mission to infiltrate the G.O.D. satellite orbiting New Earth. I have to admit, after the monotonous plot of eat, survive, eat, survive in issue #21, Prophet is turning out to be a great read. Roy's sketchy art brings an unlikely indie aesthetic to a title under a publisher named Extreme *guitar solo* and the utterly imaginative technology and lifeforms of New Earth make Prophet feel like a continuing Heavy Metal solicit. Methinks Moebius would be proud.

The Secret History of D.B. Cooper #1

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The Secret History... follows the Agent Smith lookin', sword weildin', badass D.B. Cooper as a C.I.A. hitman of the subconscious. Be sure to check out the jawesome J.H. Williams III variant cover.

Supercrooks #1

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Strong contender for panel of the week. Superhero Guardian displays the frustration and irreverence toward supervillains all heroes must eventually feel, calling some low-key nuisances "a bunch of assholes." Later, one of said assholes hatches a plan for villainous success at last.

Uncanny X-Men #9

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Gillen loves him some interplanetary threats. This time around, Unit, a formerly imprisoned nigh-omniscient being devises a scheme to meet with Hope Summers to learn more about mutants. Judging from his educational methods with humans, this can't bode well for for Hope.

Wonder Woman #7

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Wonder Woman finds refuge and passage to Hell as Azzarello introduces more gods into the mix. In this issue we meet Eros, the gay, golden gun toting, Greek god of love, who leads Diana and crew to the blacksmith god Hephaestus, who they mistake for enslaving Amazon's male kin.

Tunage: Dirty Three, Toward the Low Sun | Melvins, Scion A/V Presents: the Bulls & the Bees [EP]