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 Cover Girl #1, The Goon: Satan’s $@#%* Baby One Shot, Left on Mission #1, and X-Men First Class Special. Due to a shipping error, we will review G.I. Joe: Storm Shadow #1 next week.

Dave Farabee Read and Thought:

X-Men: First Class Special (one-shot)
Writers: Jeff Parker
Artists: Kevin Nowlan, Nick Dragotta, Paul Smith and Colleen Coover
Company: Marvel Comics

Bit of an odd outing here, but in a good way. Jeff Parker just wrapped the excellent X-Men: First Class miniseries, and it’s about to spawn an ongoing, but in the interim…this one-shot, illustrated by an excellent quartet of artists and very worthy of what’s come before. If you haven’t read any First Class, the concept’s basically “untold tales of the original X-Men”, albeit with slightly updated costumes and dialogue in a modern idiom. And it’s really good. This one-shot, for whatever reason, is a little more lightweight than the preceding mini. The focus is on short stories, both touching and humorous (especially the awesomely funny, Colleen-Coover-drawn interstitials). The X-Men encounter mutant beatnik poetry, do a little ghostbusting, and Jean even makes a pet of FF foe, Dragon Man. Not only recommended, but even recommended to X-Men readers who haven’t picked up the previous First Class mini, as this one’s a total standalone with a ton of cool references for the longtime X-fan. (But everyone should also pick up the mini, soon to be collected!)

Dan Grendell Read and Thought:

The Goon: Satan’s $@#%* Baby One-shot
Creator: Eric Powell
Company: Dark Horse Comics

Well, this book is everything it advertised. Offensive, gross, nasty, and pretty damn funny. It’s hard to review it without being offensive myself, so, well, I’m not gonna try. First of all, the actual title is Satan’s Sodomy Baby. It’s about a devil born from a hillbilly’s ass after he is raped by Satan. A happy, friendly devil. With an enormous penis that shoots fire. Throw in a whole mess of sodomy jokes, some religion cracks, a horny priest, and a couple pages of gratuitous breasts at the end, and you’ve pretty much got this book. It’s funny, it’s horribly sick, it has breasts in it. What more do you need to know, really?

Randy Lander Read and Thought:

Left On Mission #1
Writer: Chip Mosher
Artist: Francesco Francavilla
Company: Boom! Studios

I should admit up front that I’ve read the entire script for the original Left on Mission, as well as a comics teaser with different art, so I have more than a little familiarity with how this story will turn out and what drives it beyond just what’s in this first issue. That said, this is a strong first issue, opening with a solid chase and gunfight action sequence, a couple interesting characters and a solidly intriguing central plot. Our haunted lead character and his local contact our particularly well-drawn, though unfortunately his more cold-hearted foil Agent Painter is a bit one-note. The art, by Black Coat artist Francavilla, also features solid storytelling and a style reminiscent of Klaus Janson, with old school coloring by Martin Thomas. It’s a little rough, looking more like a ’70s Marvel Comic than a slick, computer-colored modern comic, but that fits the tone of the book. Those looking for old school spy adventure, more akin to the original Bond flicks than their modern descendants like Casino Royale and Bourne Identity, will find a lot to like here.

D3 (David Martindale) Read and Thought:

Cover Girl #1
Writers: Andrew Cosby & Kevin Church
Artist: R.M. Yankovicz
Company: Boom! Studios

Another fun action book from Boom! Studios. A charming young out of work actor bites off more than he can chew and ends up as America’s next big actor, but there’s a sinister element that comes with stumbling into the role. The writers make the protagonist of the issue, Alex Martin, a very lovable loser, and despite his incompetence, you just have to root for him. Another major player gets introduced at the end of the issue, and it seems strange that the character that appears to be the namesake of the book (and probable series protagonist) only appears on the last page. While the idea of a tough, attractive woman protecting the guy who is supposed to be the tough guy is a bit formulaic, it’s still a lot of fun. The art gets the job done, but it isn’t spectacular. It lacks quite a bit in detail, backgrounds, and refinement. Fortunately it makes up quite a bit of those short comings with animated action sequences and plenty of style and character. It’s not going to win any awards, and it’s a bit formulaic, but it’s a fun ride. Check it out.