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There’s no question about it: Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead is one of the hottest comics out there. After years of heart-pounding drama and a couple of seasons of a wildly successful television series, we reach the next milestone: Walking Dead #100.

The special 40-page issue is now available for pre-order at TFAW–all nine covers. This extra-sized chapter contains one of the darkest moments in Rick Grimes’ life, and one of the most violent and brutal things to happen within the pages of this series. 100 issues later, this series remains just as relentless as the debut issue.

SEE ALL NINE WALKING DEAD #100 COVERS

Have you been reading the Walking Dead from the beginning? Which of the nine covers are you most excited for? Let us know below.

What would it be like to be a man from the 5th Century–in control of technology that far outstrips anything the 21st Century has ever seen? That’s the question put forth by X-O Manowar, an original comic book series from Valiant Entertainment.

We held an X-O Manowar Contest that ended earlier this month, and we’re excited to announce the winners!

• Jacob P. from Buffalo, NY
• Bobby K. from Athens, TX
• Daniel C. from Carlsbad, CA
• Chris E. from Tatum, TX
• David M. from Springfield, OR
• Ryan G. from Kingwood TX
• Justin H. from Rolling Hills Estates, CA
• A. Wilson from Reston, VA
• Tarik B. from Silverspring, MD
• Enrico B. from Blue Grass, IA

Congratulations to our winners! You’ll each get a X-O Manowar #1 “talking” QR Voice Variant signed by series writer Robert Venditti, and a copy of Harbinger #1, Bloodshot #1, and Archer & Armstrong #1 as part of the contest! Stay tuned to the TFAW Blog for announcements on another hot contest soon!

Watch Video Reviews of This Week’s Comics!

We’re back for another edition of TFAW’s comic book reviews. Grab a seat and watch our reviews of Adventure Time #4, Fantastic Four #605.1, Green Lantern: Sinestro HC Vol. 01, and the new Storm Statue from Bowen Designs!

Check out the video, below. SPOILER ALERT! We try not to go into too much detail in our reviews, but occasionally a spoiler slips through!

SEE ALL OF THIS WEEK’S COMICS AND MORE

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

We’ve made it simple to share this video on Facebook and other social media outlets with the social networking buttons near the title. If you wouldn’t mind doing us a solid and sharing this video with your friends, we’d be eternally grateful. What should we review next week? Post your comments below and we’ll see what we can do!

Do you have a flair for the dramatic and a gigantic axe to grind with your local superhero? You might be an excellent candidate for becoming a supervillain! Unsure of where to turn for advice about creating a costume, hiring a henchman, and securing a secret (and deadly) lair?

Fortunately for you (and, er, unfortunately for him) Matt D. Wilson, of the excellent War Rocket Ajax podcast, was kidnapped by notorious supervillain King Oblivion and forced to write the definitive guide to mayhem and destruction: The Supervillain Handbook, a hilarious and informative resource for anyone who desires to turn to a life of over-the-top crime.

Wilson has recovered enough from his ordeal to talk about the experience–read our interview, below. Plus, check out our six-page preview of The Supervillain Handbook–you won’t regret it. Plus, enter our Supervillain Contest: the last person to comment on our special Facebook post by 5 p.m. PST today will win a signed copy of the book!

TFAW.com: So how did you meet King Oblivion, Ph.D.?

Matt D. Wilson: I was working as a reporter at a newspaper when he took the entire staff hostage one afternoon. He asked, “Does anyone here read comic books?” and someone pointed to me. Next thing I knew I had a bag on my head and was on my way to a theater where my eyes where held open as I was forced to watch propaganda films about K.O.’s achievements. I don’t know how long I was there. Days? Weeks? Months? Anyway, after the films ended, King Oblivion told me, “You’re going to help me write a book,” which meant, “You’re going to do all the work while I try to turn the city’s water into spoiled milk.”

TFAW.com: Why did he create The Supervillain Handbook? Isn’t he worried about breeding a bunch of competitors? Or is he hoping to recruit some new blood, Legion of Doom-style?

MDW: My understanding was that he felt a need to prove his superiority, and gave constant assurance that he could put any aspiring supervillain who tried to usurp him in his or her place with little effort.

TFAW.com: How did Adam Wallenta become involved with this book?

MDW: Adam has worked with the publisher, Skyhorse, on some other projects, notably author Scott Kenemore’s zombie books. He was a great fit.

TFAW.com: Who do you think are the greatest supervillains in the history of comics?

MDW: King Oblivion dedicated The Supervillain Handbook to Dr. Doom, and I can’t argue. (Literally. He put a collar on me that prevents me from arguing with him.) But, really, Dr. Doom is the tops. Darkseid is also up there.

TFAW.com: This is a really detailed, step-by-step guide to becoming a supervillain. Will you feel any personal responsibility if this inspires a new generation of villainy?

MDW: I reject any and all legal responsibility whatsoever for anyone who attacks any city hall with a group of irradiated monkeys.

TFAW.com: What makes someone a good fit for a life of destruction and mayhem?

MDW: The number-one thing is theatricality. If your first instinct, when you want to get rid of a pesky superhero, is to tie them to a giant piano string or zap them with a ray that turns them into a glob of purple goo, you’ve got the right mindset. And that’s what matters. Shooting and stabbing are so pedestrian.

TFAW.com: What are some obvious pitfalls a new supervillain should avoid at all costs?

MDW: Expecting that you won’t, at some point, get punched by a superhero. You’re going to get punched. Prepare yourself for it. Also, it’s pure folly to ever trust another supervillain. You can team up with them, sure, but always be ready to stab your compatriot in the back at the first sign of trouble.

TFAW.com: What, in your opinion, is the role of the henchman in today’s supervillain society? Are they being replaced by apps, or what?

MDW: They’re as important as ever, but don’t tell them that. They might grow some confidence and start thinking they’re above being expendable cannon fodder. You can’t send an app after a superhero team to take a beating on your behalf.

TFAW.com: What are your personal essentials for a good secret lair?

MDW: It’s got to have lots of space. You need to have somewhere to store all the giant magnifying glasses and moon-carving machines you’re going to be amassing over the next several years. It’s more imposing if it’s hidden within something natural, like a volcano or under the ocean, though big skyscrapers or clock towers do look cool. Bonus points if you can make it fly, whatever it is.

TFAW.com: Were there any surprises that popped up while you worked on the book?

MDW: There was that week Micro Sophie found out that we were writing the book, charged into our lair, shrunk us and transported us in a thimble to a very small maximum security prison. Luckily, we managed to escape by hypnotizing some centipedes and fighting our way out. Then it was back to work.

TFAW.com: What are your favorite comic book series, at the moment?

MDW: I love Mark Waid’s Daredevil. The Sixth Gun is great. I’m bummed out that Scalped and Sweet Tooth are ending. Chew. Animal Man. Batwoman. Batman.

TFAW.com: What’s next for you? Will there be a sequel?

MDW: Only time will tell about a sequel. I’ve got some ideas for where one could go, and I’ve got some other ideas for other, unrelated humor books, as well as comics pitches. In the immediate, I’m continuing to work on my webcomic, Copernicus Jones, with artist Daniel Butler and see if I can get that in print fairly soon. I’ve got my podcast, War Rocket Ajax, with Chris Sims, and all the writing I do online. I’ve got a full plate, for those times King O. doesn’t have me locked in a room, tasting all the various liquids he’s turned water into.

Our condolences once again to Wilson for his traumatic (yet creativity-inducing) experience–thanks for answering all of our questions! You can order The Supervillain Handbook right here at TFAW.com–check it out today! Plus, comment on our Supervillain Facebook post by 5 p.m. PST tonight for your chance to win a signed copy of the book!

ORDER THE SUPERVILLAIN HANDBOOK NOW

ENTER OUR SUPERVILLAIN CONTEST TO WIN A SIGNED COPY OF THE BOOK

What do you think? Have you always secretly wanted to be a supervillain? Post your comments below!

Watch Video Reviews of This Week’s Comics!

We’re back for another edition of TFAW’s comic book reviews. Grab a seat and watch our reviews of Avengers Assemble #3, The Pro TPB (New Printing), Justice League International: Signal Masters TPB Vol. 01, and the Batman Arkham City Series 2 action figures!

Check out the video, below. SPOILER ALERT! We try not to go into too much detail in our reviews, but occasionally a spoiler slips through!

SEE ALL OF THIS WEEK’S COMICS AND MORE

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

We’ve made it simple to share this video on Facebook and other social media outlets with the social networking buttons near the title. If you wouldn’t mind doing us a solid and sharing this video with your friends, we’d be eternally grateful. What should we review next week? Post your comments below and we’ll see what we can do!

We’ve got a six-page preview of an upcoming indy graphic novels from Com.X: Monster Myths, by John Lupo Avanti!

Alfredo, a recovering felon turned working stiff, resides in Lower Scabo where working-class people live under the tyranny of the evil Cannibals Motorcycle Gang. After being beaten and left for dead by the gang, Alfredo decides to recruit a group of graffiti writers to instigate a war between the riff-raff of Lower Scabo and their neighbors in the well-to-do community of Northview.

In doing so, Alfredo transforms from a two-bit perp into an iconic rebel, determined to free Lower Scabo from the control of those seeking power.

PRE-ORDER MONSTER MYTHS TODAY!

SEE ALL COM.X GRAPHIC NOVELS

Are you intrigued by our Monster Myths preview? Let us know below.

Valiant Entertainment is launching an incredible spring and summer of comics, bringing back old favorites like X-O Manowar with new twists readers have really been enjoying. Next up is Harbinger, by Joshua Dysart and Khari Evans!

Harbingers are powerful psionics who can read minds, bend steel, and break all the rules! Down-on-his-luck teenager Peter Stenchek discovers that he’s one of the most powerful Harbingers in the universe. But what will happen when he enters into an uneasy alliance with fellow Harbinger Toyo Harada, a wealthy business magnate obsessed with making the universe a better place–no matter what the cost?

We interviewed writer Joshua Dysart (Unknown Soldier, B.P.R.D.) about his plans for Harbinger and what excites him most about the series! Plus, we’ve got a great six-page preview of Harbinger #1, out June 6.

Enter our Harbinger Contest today to win one of eight Doug Braithwaite Harbinger #1 Variants (see his amazing cover, below left)!

TFAW.com: What is a Harbinger, exactly?

Joshua Dysart: The standard definition of a Harbinger is a person or thing that signals the approach of another. But it’s also come to mean any portent or omen. In our book the word Harbinger is used to mean many things, but primarily it’s the name of the special program where psiots (hyper-telekinetics and psychics) are awakened to their dormant powers and trained in the fine art of controlling them.

TFAW.com: What excites you the most about writing Harbinger?

JD: Harbinger has always been about youth culture in revolt. I think that’s an incredibly timely narrative. I’m pretty jazzed about exploring that idea through a superhero narrative. But also, I’m just excited to screw around with the whole superhero concept in general. Creating new psiots and showing how they use their powers is going to be a blast for me. I’ve only done one piece of straight-up superhero work in the past (Captain Gravity and Power of the Vril), and it’s still one of the things I’m most proud of. This will be way darker than CG, but still have some of the same inventiveness.

TFAW.com: Have you read the original Harbinger comics?

JD: Yes. Of course. Could you imagine embarking on this project blind? I’d be eaten alive by the fans! And rightfully so!

TFAW.com: How closely is the new series hewing to the original premise?

JD: That’s a hard question to answer. Characterization, pacing, tone . . . these things are all different in our series. But the broad strokes in plotting (at least when it comes to the first arc) and the thematic continuity are all still in place. All the characters you know and love will eventually show themselves, as well as many new ones.

TFAW.com: Tell us about Toyo Harada.

JD: Toyo Harada is a billionaire who runs a major international conglomerate of corporations that have a profound, secret effect on global affairs. Also unknown to the world is the fact that Harada possesses extraordinary psionic abilities. He is possibly the most powerful psionic on the planet (most likely activated during the Hiroshima atomic explosion in 1945).

Harada is the epitome of ambition. His ultimate endgame is to force the rest of the species into being better to one another, whatever the cost. But building a better world is a very, very complicated thing, even for someone with great power, and he’s not adverse to doing horrible things for what he perceives as the greater good.

TFAW.com: It seems like he originally had good intentions–to save the world from itself–but now he’s gone off the rails. Is this like if Professor X became a fanatic?

JD: A lot of the original Harbinger is a riff on the X-Men. So yes, there’s a touch of that. But I wouldn’t say he’s gone off the rails. I’d say he’s doing what he feels needs to be done. In a way, he’s giving himself to us heart and soul. But his hubris is massive. He is convinced that his choices are the right ones. That he’s the only one who can save us. Good intentions mixed with hubris can be a bit of a blinding concoction.

TFAW.com: Peter Stenchek is Harbinger‘s main character–and a very powerful psionic. What will he do with his newfound powers?

JD: He will rage. He will turn against everything that’s kept him down his whole life, and before it’s done he will shake the pillars of the Valiant Universe. Boom! How do you like them apples?

TFAW.com: The original Harbinger series featured two super-powered teams–one led by Toyo, one with Peter. Does this mean we’ll meet more superheroes–and villains–soon?

JD: Oh yes. Most certainly. Issue #1 starts with Peter and his friend Joe and Peter’s old flame Kris. With each consecutive issue, the cast of characters will broaden. I hesitate to call anyone a hero or a villain, though. It won’t play out quite that cleanly, but there are all kinds of people with all kinds of powers and intentions coming. And yes, battle lines will have to be drawn.

TFAW.com: You’ve done some fantastic war and horror comics, such as Unknown Soldier and B.P.R.D., but not a lot of superhero comics. What brought you to this genre now?

JD: Thanks for the compliment! Honestly, Valiant took a chance on me. I was laboring to move towards science-fiction comics when I got out of Unknown Soldier, but [Valiant Executive Editor] Warren [Simons] came to me and offered me this chance to be a part of something that was being built (re-built) from the ground up. I couldn’t say no. And I want to try my hand at this.

I want to build an audience and show that even though I have a different voice then what the genre traditionally calls for, that can be an asset instead of a hindrance. And maybe I can even bring something “new,” or at least “rare,” to the table. Of course the truth is that Harbinger, in many ways, has always trafficked in the familiar aspects of the genre, and taking those tropes and futzing with them just a bit is going to be fun for me, too.

TFAW.com: What else are you looking forward to?

JD: Once we start getting the book out I’m looking forward to the convention season. Getting out there and meeting the readers.

Our thanks to Joshua Dysart for taking the time to answer all of our questions. Make sure to pre-order Harbinger #1 and #2 now!

PRE-ORDER HARBINGER NOW

ENTER OUR HARBINGER CONTEST TO WIN VARIANT COMICS

SEE ALL COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS FROM VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT

Did you see our review of X-O Manowar? Are you excited to read Harbinger? Post your comments below!

Watch Video Reviews of This Week’s Comics!

We’re back for another edition of TFAW’s comic book reviews. Grab a seat and watch our reviews of X-O Manowar #1, Earth 2 #1, the Avengers X-Sanction HC, and the Sucker Punch Sweet Pea Statue!

Check out the video, below. SPOILER ALERT! We try not to go into too much detail in our reviews, but occasionally a spoiler slips through!

SEE ALL OF THIS WEEK’S COMICS AND MORE

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

We’ve made it simple to share this video on Facebook and other social media outlets with the social networking buttons near the title. If you wouldn’t mind doing us a solid and sharing this video with your friends, we’d be eternally grateful. What should we review next week? Post your comments below and we’ll see what we can do!

Everyone know the Beatles: the hordes of screaming girls, the Beatlemania, the countless albums that shot out hit song after hit. But while Arne Bellstorf’s Baby’s in Black features the Fab Four, it really focuses on the lesser-known “Fifth Beatle,” Stuart Sutcliffe, and his romance with photographer Astrid Kirchherr. Sutcliffe, a talented painter as well as a musician, left the band in 1961 and died unexpectedly of an aneurysm in 1962.

Bellstorf spoke at length with Kirchherr to get her perspective on growing up in post-war Germany in the early 1960s and meeting Sutcliffe. Originally published in Germany, the English translation is brought to us by independent publisher First Second, who sent us an amazing six-page preview of the book, out May 9. Check it out, as well as our interview with Bellstorf, below!

TFAW.com: What made you decide to focus on the “Fifth Beatle,” Stuart Sutcliffe, and his girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr?

Arne Bellstorf: I was interested in the time–the youth culture in Hamburg, and what it was like being young in the early ’60s. Astrid went to the same art school as I did, and I could relate to her life in many ways, despite all the things that were different back then. We talked about what was important to her, aesthetically, and what influenced her–French existentialism, Jean Cocteau, Oscar Wilde, Cool Jazz–and what happened when she met Stuart and the Beatles.

First of all, The Beatles and their world was something she observed from a distance, like from another planet. And although she liked the loud, “hot” Beatles, it was Stuart she was particularly interested in–the silent, introverted, and to her the “coolest” guy in the band. He quickly became part of Astrid’s world. This is what I was interested in and wanted to depict: Two worlds collide, aesthetically, things merge, and then fuse into pop culture.

TFAW.com: Does Baby’s in Black mostly focus on those two, or do we get an inside look into the rest of the Beatles?

AB: No, I wasn’t interested in the Beatles, but in the time and the people surrounding them. This group brought a number of important elements together in their music, but they also decontextualized and mixed certain looks and codes from youth cults: they helped create and became pop culture, themselves. I think they were never interested in finding the roots of “authenticity”–they were always “pop,” and they kept undercutting their own pretenses.

If this book is about the Beatles at all, it’s about where they came from and what influenced them in the first place. Knowing about Stuart, who was a close friend of John Lennon, and his untimely death, maybe helps [the reader] to understand where Lennon’s urgency and radicalness came from. And maybe even why he was trying to fulfill his artistic dreams later on (with a foreign girl, not unlike Astrid), when he had already achieved everything a musician could ever dream of.

TFAW.com: What do you think would have become of Stuart, if he had lived?

AB: Stuart died at the age of 21, when he had just started to study again and live with his new love in a new town, in a foreign country. He sure was talented as a painter, but he was still experimenting, searching for something. His work as an artist will probably forever be contextualized by its position within the early career of the Beatles.

TFAW.com: How did you prepare for drawing people as famous as the Beatles? Were you trying for a realistic look?

AB: As a comic artist or cartoonist, I’m never trying to achieve a realistic or naturalistic look within a narrative. It’s about creating characters, finding a formula, and in some respects, working with stereotypes. But I tried not to look at the “famous” Beatles. When Astrid met them, they were just a small group, playing in seedy cellars and bars in Hamburg, and they looked like Teddy Boys.

TFAW.com: What do you hope readers take away from this book?

AB: First and foremost, it’s a love story. A true, tragic love story, about young people searching for something as a new decade opened.

Because of all the myths and legends surrounding anything related to Beatles history, it’s difficult to reconstruct the “historical” events soberly and realistically, and I chose Astrid’s perspective and her attitude–so it’s basically her story. I think it’s interesting to see, especially for younger readers, what exactly led to the mass pop culture we live in today, and how it was growing up in post-war Europe, during the beginnings of a new youth culture–the awakening to the viability of alternate ways of life.

We want to thank Arne Bellstorf and First Second for a great interview! Pick up Baby’s in Black May 9 and experience is for yourself.

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Do you wish you could go back in time and experience the youth culture of the 1960s? Post your comments below!

With Brian Wood’s critically acclaimed series–DMZ and Northlanders–nearing their finales, the multiple Eisner and Harvey-Award nominated creator is embarking on his next story, The Massive.

At the end of the world, the story begins. In a post-war, post-crash, post-disaster, post-everything world, the Kapital scours the earth’s oceans for its mysteriously missing sistership, The Massive. Captain Callum Israel and his crew will come up against pirates, rebels, murderers, and thieves as they struggle to remain noble toward their cause. How can you help save a planet that’s already doomed?

We’re really jazzed about Wood’s newest endeavor, so we’ve included the first issue in this month’s Featured Discounts, saving you 35% off the cover price thru 4/30! Check this one out!

ORDER THE MASSIVE #1 TODAY!

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Have you reading DMZ or Northlanders? Are you psyched for Wood’s new series? Let us know below.