Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Comic Pants. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature.

This week we will cover GI Joe Special Missions Brazil One Shot, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Annual #1, Storm Shadow #1, Final Girl Special, Gutsville #1, General Jack Cosmo Presents #1, Criminal #7, and Marvel Adventures Iron Man #1.

Nick Budd Read and Thought:

Final Girl #1 of 5
Writer: David Hutchison & Lee Duhig
Artist: David Hutchison
Company: Antarctic Press

Take the flavor of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, mix it with a bit of the blood and gore of Friday the 13th and the oddness and suspense of Saw; then take out all of the finer story points that any those things bring to the table, and you get a feel for what Final Girl is all about. The gist of the story is the kind one would expect from the horror genre: A small group of people, mainly girls, are abducted and taken to the quaint and partially abandoned town of Castle Falls. Abandoned except for the veritable treasure trove of serial killers and possible monsters that seem to love to maim and kill. After that…Well, you can guess what happens next and survival becomes everyone’s goal. If that wasn’t enough, add in some fairly incoherent art that all but makes most of the more important action scenes hard to follow, and you have a book that you can easily skip.

Storm Shadow #1
Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: Mark Robinson
Company: Devils Due Publishing

Ninjas = Cool. This is written in the “Book of Cool” somewhere, seriously, and with that entry comes a footnote that pertains exclusively to Storm Shadow, which tells how he is the coolest ninja on the block and you shouldn’t mess with him if you value your life. If you’re one of the people who already knows this, then welcome to a book that you’re going to love, because cool is what’s on the menu as Larry Hama brings one of his fan-favorite creations back to the realm of ongoing comics. The best thing about it is that even if you don’t know who Storm Shadow is, which is insane by the way, you can have a good time with the comic as you get a good chunk of cool action, a great spy/espionage story and some visually appealing art that carries a very Leinil Yu vibe by Mark Robinson. If you’re a G.I. Joe fan, then you’ll get more of the subtler hints that Hama puts into the story but even if you’re not, this is a truly entertaining and exciting book that packs a whallop of a punch. Shouldn’t be missed.

Dave Farabee Read and Thought:

Gutsville #1 (of 6)
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Frazer Irving
Publisher: Image Comics

I’m honestly going to need a second read to take in everything on this book, but I was pretty damn impressed with the bewildering first pass. The truly novel concept: a prison ship bound for Australia in the 1850s is swallowed up by a giant ocean creature, and now, 150 years later…the survivors live on in the vast innards of the beast, their society governed partly by Victorian values, partly by the gory pressures of survival in such a place. WEIRD! And strange as it may be to say for such a setting, it looks utterly gorgeous as painted by Frazer Irving (who provided excellent visuals for Grant Morrison’s Seven Soldiers: Klarion miniseries). Like the best Heavy Metal artists, Irving portrays the alien visuals with fine, tactile draftsmanship - every pore, duct, and pus-gland. The reason I’ll want a second reading of the book is that it’s got a large ensemble cast, some weird Aboriginal dreamtime stuff, lots of heavy Australian accents, AND an all-new lexicon of terms evolved from living for 150 years in the belly of a beast. If it feels a bit overwhelming, it’s definitely in a good way. Recommended!

General Jack Cosmo Presents #1
Writer: Aaron M. Shaps
Artist: Nate Lovett, Dave Golding, Andrew Froedge & Gabe Pena
Publisher: General Jack Cosmo Productions

I think my head might explode from seeing so many pop, pulp concepts in one place. Which isn’t to say that they’re all bad, but a preview book/anthology like this crams ‘em way too close together for comfort. Superheroes, robots, evil gorillas, Lone Ranger homages…it just seems like we’ve hit a critical mass in recycling these concepts, so when you mix ‘em together for an anthology blender, it can be a chore to wade through. There’s some decent, even above-average art in the mix, though. Some overly garish coloring, but pretty good art. Oh, and I did crack up over “Hadrian Hilliard, Gentleman Barbarian.” The crowd for a book like this is probably 30s-era pulp fiction geeks and Venture Brothers fans, neither of which describes me.

Dan Grendell Read and Thought:

Gi Joe Special Missions: Brazil One Shot
Writers: Sam Wells and Mike O’Sullivan
Artists: Valentine de Landro, Pat Quinn, and Tim Seeley
Publisher: Devil’s Due Publishing

There are actually two stories in here, one that I wasn’t so hot on and one that I dug. The former is a tale of 5 operatives who failed to capture Headman during an information sale, and who wait for their chance to catch him again later. The plot is boring, and it isn’t helped by the use of the lame Headman. What saved the story from complete failure was its involvement with Mainframe, who died during the time between the two missions and is replaced by Firewall. That turns the second attempt into a kind of memorial to Mainframe, a “we got him for you” type of thing. The second story is a look at Shipwreck and Cover Girl’s romance, and how it got started. Taking place during a vacation turned mission, it jumps around in time a lot, which is usually annoying but works here. It’s a more personal, intimate story, giving a good look at the personality of the two Joes, and it holds together much better than the other. Overall, this wasn’t a great read, but there’s enough goodness here that it didn’t feel like a waste of time.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Annual #1
Writer: Peter David
Artists: Ronan Cliquet, Rob Stull, and Colleen Doran
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Again, there are two stories here, but both are actually worthwhile. The main story is an in-depth look at the Sandman and his thoughts and feelings, starting with him as a child and moving forward through events to modern time. It’s a fairly standard tale of a broken home, uncaring father, and abusive school life, but as cliched as it is, it works for Flint Marko, whose anger and need to prove himself certainly support a childhood like that. An interesting look into the psyche of a thug, with some interesting takes on the motif. The second story is a sad, touching look at a young homeless girl who sees Spidey swing over her alley all the time and develops a crush on him, but he notices her too late. Much of the story is silent, and it’s Colleen Doran’s beautiful, wistful art that sells it. A strong annual all around.

Randy Lander Read and Thought:

Criminal #6
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips
Publisher: Marvel/Icon

Criminal is back, and if you haven’t read the first story, first of all, go get the trade, and second of all, it doesn’t matter, because Criminal #6 picks up with a brand new story. And just like the first issue of Criminal was a thoroughly engaging slice of noir, so too is the first part of “Lawless,” which finds a military man busting out of prison to get revenge on those who got his little brother killed. There are similarities to the first arc, as the story is about those who grew up in the criminal life, but the protagonist of “Lawless” is a much harder edged person than Leo from “Coward.” He’s a loner seeking revenge, rather than a lifer pulled in for one last score. It’s still noir 101 in terms of plot, but Brubaker brings a fresh twist to this crime standard, and Sean Phillips delivers on the rain-soaked, gritty atmosphere and the brutal, almost random violence that punctuates a life of crime. Climb onboard, because it looks like we’re in for another story of noir perfection from Brubaker and Phillips in this second arc.

D3 (David Martindale) Read and Thought:

Marvel Adventures Iron Man #1
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: James Cordeiro
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The latest installment from Marvel’s all ages line gives us an updated origin for Iron Man, and Van Lente does an impressive job with it. The origin manages to be fun, exciting, and packaged completely in this single issue. Not only that, but it feels true to the character. There’s even a quick nod to the original Iron Man armor. Cordeiro does a nice job too. There’s no lack of detail in the foreground or the background, and the action sequences are exciting and easy to follow. Much like several other titles from the Marvel Adventure line, Marvel Adventures Iron Man isn’t just a kid’s book. It’s a good read for adults that miss the days when the heroes were heroes, and superhero comics were often single issue, exciting adventures were the villains lost in the end. A solid recommendation.