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As part of our monthly Product Review Contest, we’ve picked three reviews and are awarding $25 gift certificates to the people who posted them.

Rory from Indiana is the first of this month’s winners. He wrote an outstanding review for Aliens: Fast Track to Heaven HC last month and really went into detail on why it’s so great:

Aliens: Fast Track to Heaven is an excellent graphic novel. [Writer Liam] Sharp’s original setting and characters capture feelings of claustrophobia and utter helplessness in a way that truly honors the memory of the first film.

The writing is very well done but what really made the book for me is the artwork. The angles, character models, and the use of color as a narrative device for transition are all done beautifully in a dark and cramped environment. The alien creature itself is one of the best designs for this franchise that I’ve seen.

The Panel of its introduction deserves a frame and a place on the wall. I have read a lot of Aliens comics published by Dark Horse and this is without question one of the best. Aliens: Fast Track to Heaven was my first exposure to Liam Sharp’s work and it has me compelled to keep an eye out for more.

Next up is Nora from Malaysia, who wrote a review for Alan Davis’ X-Men Fall of the Mutants HC (which is 20% off at the time I’m writing this article):

This book brings back my childhood memories when comic-books surprise you since we don’t have big solicitation catalogs back then. It collects three sets of stories (X-Men, X-Factor & New Mutants and some tie-ins) that are linked throughout the Marvel Universe. In brief, The X-Factor portion sets Apocalypse as the Big Bad, X-Men fights for their lives, win some, lose some, and the New Mutants lost a dear friend. I can say, some historic moments are collected and presented here that still have some ramification until now.

Finally, David from Utah dropped to let us know what he thought about the John Carter of Mars: Weird Worlds TPB. Here’s what he had to say:

Better than the originals. I own the originals, and it is nice to have them all as one complete set. Plus the paper quality is better and so is the color. They did a nice job putting this collection together. Just wish they used the same artist every time, still it is nice to see the different interpretations. I think the story interpretation held up well.

We want to thank everyone again for sharing their product reviews last month. You guys really do a lot to help other customers each time you submit a review. Thanks for your efforts! You don’t have to like the product to snag a winning review, so feel free to rant or gush.

So submit your reviews and help your fellow collectors, and us, sort out the “HOT” from the “NOT”! Who knows, you may be one of next month’s winners.

HOW TO SUBMIT A PRODUCT REVIEW:
It’s simple! Just visit any product page and look for this:

Click on it and our product review form will appear in a popup. Just fill out the pertinent information and submit your review, and you’re done! We’ll take a look at your review and get it up on the product page soon thereafter!

There’s also a really easy way for you to call up everything you’ve ever ordered from us and review it. Simply log in to your account and go into the Order History Section. Next to each item, you’ll see a “Review it!” link.

Questions? Comments? Let us know below!

Watch Video Reviews of This Week’s Comics!

We’re back for another great edition of our weekly comic book reviews. This week we reviewed Avengers vs. X-Men #2, Batman #8 (the prelude to the upcoming Night of the Owls crossover!), the Wolverine and The X-Men Vol. 1 HC, and the Marvel X-23 Bishoujo 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

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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!

This June, Hit-Girl spins off into her own five-issue blood-soaked series by the sales-busting creative team of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.

This story takes place between Kick-Ass Volumes 1 and 2, as Mindy McCready tries to settle into life as a regular schoolgirl, but wants nothing more than to be dispensing hot justice to the scum of New York City.

Her mother and stepfather think she’s doing homework, but in reality she’s taken Kick-Ass on as her sidekick and is training him up to punch, shoot, and stab . . . just like Daddy would have wanted.

ORDER HIT-GIRL #1 TODAY!

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Have you been waiting for this moment since you finished the first issue of Kick-Ass? Are you excited for this new ongoing series? Let us know below.

Howdy! If you’re visiting us from Nerdpuddle, take a chance to get acquainted with TFAW–the world’s coolest online comic shop! If you’re a TFAW regular, make sure to check out Nerdpuddle–and Part 1 of this article–to enjoy some truly entertaining commentary on pop culture, gaming, movies, and more! We’re on Part 2 of my favorite comic book duos. Not by order of importance! Am I biased? Sure. Do I know what I’m talking about? You decide! I’ll be looking for your comments and replies, below. 5. Batman and Robin: Not Bruce and Dick. Dick and Damian. The thing I’ll miss most after DC’s The New 52 comes to town is the scratchy, often hilarious relationship between The Good Son and The Bad Seed. Dick Grayson set the gold standard–he’s the Robin every later version tried (and failed) to live up to, and Batman’s most trusted and beloved associate (barring Alfred). Damian Wayne is the antithesis of his father–a 10-year-old killer, violent, brilliant, and smug. Raised by assassins and cheated of a relationship with his father, he’s got a chip on his shoulder many times the size of his tiny body. With Bruce seemingly dead, Dick takes it upon himself to somehow manage Damian–installing him as Robin to his Batman. Did I mention that Damian seethes with hatred and envy of Dick that burns like lava? Dick’s slow-building frustration vs. Damian’s snot-nosed digs was my favorite, favorite part of Grant Morrison’s run. Their reluctant brotherhood was rife with storyline possibilities, especially when Bruce returned–it’s a shame it will be cut short. Plus: it inspired adorable Damian “letters” to Dick, as seen on ComicsAlliance (go look–we’ll wait). 4. Liz and Abe: Liz Sherman and Abe Sapien are two of the most interesting characters of the B.P.R.D.–and that’s saying something. They’re two misfits with more in common with each other than anyone else in the world–both spent time feeling like “lab experiments,” and both had a close relationship with Hellboy, who abandoned the group. Both are regarded with mistrust by many of the “normal” members of the B.P.R.D. No wonder they sometimes squabble like brother and sister. However, when confronted with a crisis of faith–for example, when Abe discovered his past life in the 1800s as Langdon Everett Caul, or when Liz is given apocalyptic visions of the future–they can depend on each other for some tough love and support. With all the monsters and action of B.P.R.D., it’s the family-like relationship of these characters that give readers an emotional base to latch onto. With all of the recent drama in the Hellboy universe (spoiler!), they’ll need each other more than ever. 3. Cassie Hack and Vlad: When I saw my first cover of Hack/Slash, I groaned. Great, I thought. More mindless exploitation comics. Then I took my head out of my ass and read it. Hack/Slash has gone awry occasionally, but the book’s strength is in the relationship between Cassie Hack, a vulnerable-yet-tough slasher killer, and Vlad, a sheltered misfit who has found his place with her. You see, Cassie started out as a misfit teen, and then discovered that her mother, the school lunch lady, was . . . The Lunch Lady, an undead slasher who killed the teens who tormented her daughter. Vlad, kept in seclusion his entire life, looks like a monster on the outside, but is a sweetheart on the inside. Their fellow outcast status has allowed these two to bond in a way they’ve never been able to with anyone else. Together, they travel the country, kill slashers, and work on their personal demons. When Cassie overworks herself to avoid any meaningful human interaction, Vlad is the only person she’ll (eventually) listen to. And when Vlad gets distracted by gorgeous demonic evil-doers, Cassie is there to smack him back to reality. What could be better? 2. Superman and Jimmy Olsen: I admit it: I’ve never been a faithful reader of the Superman comics–I’ve just loved the idea of silly Jimmy Olsen and his crazy Gold and Silver Age shenanigans. Superman, taken on his own, can be a bit of a stiff. But having to deal with a goofy teenager with a signal watch who tends to undergo ridiculous transformations? Um, Bizarro Jimmy Olsen? Elastic Lad? Colossal Boy? That’s hilarious. While I was a little offended when I revisited the Death of Superman and realized that Jimmy just kept snapping pictures while Superman lay dead in Lois’s arms–nice friend, Jimmy–it’s even more of a travesty how marginalized Jimmy has been in the present DCU. This made me appreciate his appearance in All-Star Superman, where in a clever callback to his “transformative” past, he was dressing as different people for his ” . . . For a Day” column. He even gets to save Superman! I’m hoping he’ll have a larger role in The New 52–since Supes is now going to be single, he’s going to need a good pal to talk to. Hopefully Jimmy won’t sell the info to the tabloids. 1. Kitty Pryde and Wolverine: Have I mentioned how much I love Kitty Pryde? How her character, which was introduced in the Classic X-Men comics I cut my teeth on, is part of what hooked me on comics? She was 13. I was 14! She had brown hair. Me, too! She had a dangerous, powerful, cigar-smoking friend who taught her hand-to-hand combat. I . . . did not. But I really wanted one! (In my defense, I did not realize how skeevy that would come off in real life. Thank you, parents, for keeping me away from dangerous older men who specialize in killing people when I was a teenager.) Their relationship went beyond the cute-kid-befriends-the-killer schtick in the Kitty Pryde and Wolverine miniseries, which I loved (except for cutting off poor Kitty’s hair). Kitty tries to help her shady father and travels to Japan, where she is possessed by a demon ninja! And only Wolverine can save her! By teaching her to hold a ninja sword in the air for days and days! And by going on arduous runs in the snow–and leaving her behind for dead when she gives up! But! Kitty made it back to safety, on her own, and she held that sword, and she evicted that demon ninja, so good job, Wolverine! In all seriousness, I loved this partnership, and how Kitty came to terms with the darker aspects of Logan’s personality as she matured. It made her a much better character, and softened Wolvie just a bit. But I frickin’ hated it when X-Men tried to establish the same kind of relationship between Wolverine and Jubilee! She sucked! Whew! So what do you think? Did you read Part 1 at Nerdpuddle yet? Leave your comments below! SEE THIS WEEK’S COMICS AND MORE START A COMIC BOOK SUBSCRIPTION

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.

Originally debuting in 1992 from Valiant Comics, X-O Manowar focused on Aric of Dacia, a man at war against the ancient Roman Empire. When he’s kidnapped by aliens and held prisoner, Aric fights his way free, discovers a suit of X-O Manowar-class armor, and returns to Earth–only to discover that 16 centuries have passed in his absence. Without family or friends–and possessing the most advanced technology known to man–Aric must find his place in the world.

Sound interesting? You’re in luck: 10 years after the second X-O Manowar series concluded, Valiant Entertainment is relaunching their major superhero titles this spring and summer, starting with X-O Manowar–with New York Times-bestselling author Robert Venditti and famed artist Cary Nord!

We had a chance to ask Venditti some questions about his involvement in the series and what he’s most looking forward to–read on, below. Plus, enjoy a six-page preview of X-O Manowar #1, out May 2.

Enter our X-O Manowar Contest now to win one of 10 QR Voice Variant Cover Editions of X-O Manowar #1 signed by Robert Venditti!

TFAW.com: How did you become involved with Valiant Entertainment, and X-O Manowar?

Robert Venditti: Warren Simons, Executive Editor at Valiant, reached out to me last June. He told me about Valiant’s plans to relaunch their line, and I was immediately interested. He sent me a bunch of material on Valiant’s characters–and I did some researching on my own–and X-O Manowar resonated with me. There were a lot of Valiant characters, both heroes and villains, that I was interested in, but I had to start somewhere!

TFAW.com: What attracted you to this story?

RV: So many things. There’s such a strong core concept driving the book, and the blend of historical fiction and science fiction isn’t something you see very often in comics. I also liked the idea of writing for a shared universe. Most of my work to date has been creator-owned, so taking on a new challenge like this will allow me to try a different style of writing.

TFAW.com: Were you familiar with the original series at all?

RV: I wasn’t overly familiar with the character, but that speaks more to my inexperience with comics in general. I didn’t start reading comics until around 2000, so beyond general pop culture awareness, I wasn’t really aware of any of the established universes or characters. I’ve done my homework now, though. I wouldn’t take on a project like this without having a solid understanding of the character’s history.

TFAW.com: How have you updated X-O Manowar, if at all?

RV: We’ve used the original Valiant run as the basis for our story, but we’ve expanded on it and added to it in ways that will hopefully let the series resonate both with longtime fans and readers who are new to the character. We spent a lot of time fleshing out The Vine, the alien race who abducts Aric from his own time and is ultimately responsible for him coming into possession of the X-O Manowar armor. We’ve also added some new abilities to the armor, including one that will be the key to the first year of the series.

TFAW.com: The original premise was of a primitive man who ends up wielding extremely advanced technology. What are the most intriguing wrinkles of that scenario to you?

RV: Aric is at the same time the world’s most primitive and most technologically advanced person. It’s a wonderful dichotomy, and it lends itself to all kinds of storytelling possibilities.

TFAW.com: What do you think are the key traits of our hero, Aric of Dacia?

RV: He’s a skilled warrior and a born leader, but his battle prowess and charisma have not yet been tempered by experience. So while he has the best intentions, things don’t always turn out the way he’d hoped. A Visigoth by birth, he also grew up in a time when his people didn’t have a homeland to call their own.

They were a nomadic culture, forced to get by on what they could scratch together from within the boundaries of the Roman Empire. Take a character with that type of background and give him command of the most powerful weapon in the universe, and you have a recipe for telling exciting, action-packed stories. You also have an opportunity to see Cary Nord draw some really incredible scenes.

TFAW.com: Will X-O Manowar be encountering any of Valiant’s other heroes soon?

RV: Absolutely. One of the big attractions of writing a project like this is you have access to a huge catalog of characters. A big part of my initial pitch focused on the ways X-O Manowar can interact with the rest of the universe.

TFAW.com: What’s the atmosphere like at Valiant Entertainment right now?

RV: There’s so much energy at the home office. You can feel the enthusiasm of the staff. Everyone is genuinely proud of the books, and it’s reflected in the effort they’re putting into getting the word out.

TFAW.com: What are you most looking forward to with this project?

RV: Working with the writers and artists from Valiant’s other titles to build the new universe. The team they’ve assembled is so rich in talent and experience, and I look forward to talking through ideas with them. It isn’t often that you get the chance to not only relaunch a character, but also help shape an entire universe, and I’m not taking anything for granted.

We want to thank Robert for giving us the inside scoop on X-O Manowar! You can pre-order X-O Manowar #1 and #2 from us today and save 20%. Plus, save 35% on Harbinger #1, Valiant’s second series relaunch, by Joshua Dysart and Khari Evans!

Make sure to enter our X-O Manowar Contest to win one of 10 QR Voice Variant Cover Editions of #1 signed by Robert Venditti!

PRE-ORDER X-O MANOWAR

ENTER OUR VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT CONTEST

Are you excited for the return of X-O Manowar? Post your comments below!

Watch Video Reviews of This Week’s Comics!

Hope you’re ready for another great edition of our weekly comic book reviews. This week we reviewed Age of Apocalypse #2, Action Comics #8, the Archie Meets KISS HC, and the Serenity – Malcolm Reynolds Metal Plated Pistol Replica.

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

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Please share this video on Facebook and any other social media outlet of your choosing. What should we review next week? Post your comments below!

Watch Our Francis Manapul/Brian Buccellato Interview on YouTube!

We had a great time at Emerald City Comicon this year, in large part to our awesome signings with Chris Roberson, Rich Ellis, and Grace Allison for Memorial, and our The Flash signing with Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato (pronounced “BOOCH-a-lot-o”). We had a chance to interview Francis and Brian about how they feel Flash has changed since DC’s New 52, what they enjoy most about the book, and what’s coming up in The Flash #8.

SPOILER ALERT! They had some very interesting tidbits about the Speed Force and another upcoming character, but they were spoilery!

BROWSE THE FLASH NEW 52 COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS

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As you can see from our past video reviews, DC’s New 52 The Flash is one of our favorite series. Do you agree? Post your comments below!

Watch Our Chris Roberson/Rich Ellis Interview on YouTube!

Hey everyone! We’re back from and excellent time at ECCC 2012, and we’ve got some interviews to share with you! Enter TFAW booth #512 for a very special interview with Chris Roberson and Rich Ellis, the writer and artist behind IDW Publishing’s Memorial series.

If you haven’t checked Memorial out yet, here’s a brief recap: a young woman, later known as Em, wakes up in the hospital with no memory of her past or identity. A year later, she stumbles into the wondrous–and hidden–world of Everland, where people (some strangely familiar) and their memories are captured for an unknown purpose. With nothing but a talking cat to guide her, she finds herself targeted by living statues, an evil ventriloquist’s doll, and the mysterious Court of Shadows.

Watch the video below to get the inside scoop from Roberson (Cinderella: Fables Are Forever, iZombie) and Ellis as they give us the background behind Memorial, talk about their influences, and serve us the scoop on Memorial #5!

BROWSE MEMORIAL COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS

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We want to thank Chris Roberson, Rich Ellis, and Grace Allison for a great signing at ECCC! Next up: we have an interview with The Flash‘s Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato.

Have you picked up Memorial yet? Who do you think Em really is? Post your comments below!

Two years ago, we made headlines when we were able to locate and procure Tauntaun Steaks. Sure, we sold out in a matter of minutes, but we’re told those steaks were out of this world.

This year, we challenged the TFAW Buyers to search for similarly hard-to-find products. They’ve answered the call, putting in massive amounts of overtime these past few months–traveling to exotic locales to find products that will completely change your life. Click on the images or links below to read more about these amazing finds!

You’ll Marvel at our Super Soldier Serum or Indestructible Adamantium Metal Alloy! (See what we did there?)

You’ll find inner peace when you schedule your next Anger Management Session with The Hulk!

Travel to distant planets with the use of our Certified Pre-Owned Tardis or inspire fear throughout the galaxy with the Yellow Lantern Ring!

Help give a rescued Direwolf Cub a good home!

These products are only available while supplies last, so make sure you order yours today! Be sure to use the facebook and twitter buttons above to prove to your friends that you’re so much cooler than they are.

Happy April Fool’s Day!

We love us some True Blood at TFAW! That’s why we’re completely stoked to see that IDW is turning their comics miniseries into a monthly True Blood series in May.

With creative collaboration from True Blood creator/writer/producer Alan Ball, this series features writers Ann Nocenti (Daredevil, Green Arrow) and Michael McMillian, with art by Michael Gaydos (Alias).

This is going to be a hit, so we urge you to reserve your copy by placing a pre-order for the first issue so you don’t miss out on the first printing!

RESERVE YOUR COPY OF TRUE BLOOD #1 TODAY

SUBSCRIBE TO TRUE BLOOD

Have you been reading the True Blood miniseries? How have you liked them so far? Are you excited for this new ongoing series? Let us know below.