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 American Dream #1, Avengers Invaders #1, Big Badz #1, Gemini #1, House Of Mystery #1, Invincible Iron Man #1, Iron Man Viva Las Vegas #1, Man With No Name #1, Mummy Movie Prequel Rise & Fall Of Xangos Ax #1, Pretty Baby Machine #1, Rann Thanagar Holy War #1, Tor #1, Transformers Movie Sequel Reign Of Starscream #1 and War That Time Forgot #1.

Nick Budd Read and Thought:

The War That Time Forgot #1 of 12
Writer: Bruce Jones
Artist: Al Barrionuevo
Company: DC Comics

If someone asked me what the core story for TWTTF was, I would tell them that it contains military forces (from all years and stripes) stuck on what would seem a mystical island, and are fighting indigenous hostiles and giant dinosaurs to the death. Sort of like Lost if it just happened to guest star characters from DC Universe, people like the one and only Enemy Ace. Sounds cool, doesn’t? I wish it were. There are some neat ideas here to play with, a few cool character bits and action scenes that do deliver some entertainment, but for the most part Jones’ story falls flat and feels in many ways uninteresting. The one upside to the whole thing though is Barrinuevo’s art and Mike Atiyeh’s colors. Their end result is sharp and energetic, and Barrionuevo has a real knack for drawing airship dogfights and giant lizards that make them jump off of the page. Still, even though the art excels, there’s not much else in this first issue of The World That Time Forgot that makes you want to come back for more.

Big Badz #1 of 4
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Enrique Villagran
Company: Platinum Studios Comics

When you see Chuck Dixon’s name on a book, usually you can go into that book with the notion that it’s going to be at the very least, a solidly crafted read. Big Badz, while nothing overly special, is just that, a solid read. The basic premise of the book surrounds an almost completely deserted apartment complex created for the needy of Chicago that gets a midnight visitor in the form of a werewolf. This issue is definitely setting things up and introducing the story’s main characters, something that Dixon does with gusto and skill. His lead, a Housing Authority Cop named Dexter Bullens, is well crafted and just an all around cool character to read. The way that Dixon introduces the rest of his characters by way of Bullens is, far and away, some of the book’s best stuff. Still, the overall pace of the thing is a tad sluggish, as there’s little action to be found. Villagran’s art is decent enough. There are a few scenes where the anatomy is out of joint but I give him a lot of credit for throwing in some kick ass snow scenes (something that is never easy to draw). Overall, there’s a bit of a 30 Days of Night vibe coming from this one, and with the amount of ground work that Dixon accomplishes with this issue, I’m hoping that the next one picks up the pace. If it does, this could be fun little horror story.

Rann-Thanagar: Holy War #1 of 8
Writer: Jim Starlin
Artist: Ron Lim
Company: DC Comics

Wow. I don’t know where to even begin with this one. No, you think I’m kidding. I’m not. There’s absolutely too many things happening in this first issue for anyone but the most die-hard DC and continuity fan to enjoy. There are at least 5 different plots (all of which vaguely have something to do with religion) going on , none of them really all that memorable or interesting, that star a whole mess of people that range from the trio from the space adventure part of 52 (Animal Man, Starfire, and Adam Strange), to people like Superman’s villain Bizarro to Starman to Captain Comet. I like cosmic space stuff as much as the next guy, but if I had just been handed this without having read things like Countdown to Adventure or the Captain Comet miniseries from awhile back, I’d be lost by the sheer amount of references and tie-ins to those stories that this one has. Ron Lim’s art is fine, definitely standard superhero stuff, though he does do some fairly complex and engaging other worldly skylines and cool looking tech. Overall, if you want a really good story on the cosmic level by Jim Starlin, seek out Cosmic Odyssey. Rann-Thanagar: Holy War, I’d skip.

Dave Farabee Read and Thought:

The Man With No Name #1
Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Wellington Dias
Company: Dynamite Entertainment

I’ve only ever seen The Good, The Bad and the Ugly from the “Man With No Name” Trilogy, but it stands as one of my all-time favorite movies. It represents a peak that’s tough to recreate in any medium, so I was braced for The Man With No Name to flop, but y’know what? It’s pretty damn good. I think the key was capturing the series’ hardboiled wit. Early in the issue a Union soldier is begging for his life from No-Name (aka “Blondie”), explaining that he’s about to be married. Blondie growls back, “That’d make it a mercy killing,” and I could just hear ol’ Clint’s wry rasp in that moment. I also dug the fact that the series seems to follow right on the heels of The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. The gold Blondie’s toting around is a major plot point, as is the strategically key bridge he blew to hell. There’s also what appears to be a plot throughline from one of the other Man With No Name flicks - one I wasn’t familiar with, but it fell right in with Blondie’s penchant for occasionally following an honorable path. About the only issue I have with the book is that it doesn’t breathe like a Leone western. I think it’d take a manga approach to really capture those five-minute long gunfighter draws and such, but I did miss ‘em a bit. Not a huge issue, though. This is a really strong opener, with good western art and writing that speaks to a genuine love of the source material. Pick it up, hombre.

The Mummy: The Rise and Fall of Xango’s Ax #1 of 4
Writer: Joshua Jabcuga
Artist: Stephen Mooney
Company: IDW Publishing

I don’t know that anyone was clamoring for more adventures of Brendan Fraser’s kid from The Mummy Returns, but to be fair, he’s not a little towheaded ragamuffin anymore. He’s grown up, skipping out on college in favor of adventuring, and on the trail of an idolized explorer thought missing or dead. More importantly, Brendan Fraser’s character, Rick, is on his own mission to rein in his kid, and naturally enough gets mixed up in the action. Rick’s presence is key, giving the book the “feel” of the movie series (though this seems to be a non-Mummy adventure). I missed seeing Rachel Weisz, or at least her likeness, but I understand she’s not gonna be in the third Mummy movie, slated for next summer - guess we’re acclimating. In any case, it’s a solidly fun adventure, highlighted by a train attack by natives on galloping rhinos. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. The art by Stephen Mooney appears to take a photoreferenced approach somewhere between Alex Maleev and Tony Harris, and still working to find its voice. Not bad if you’re looking for some Indy Jones style adventure (without Indy Jones).

House of Mystery #1
Writers: Matt Sturges & Bill Willingham
Artist: Luca Rossi & Ross Campbell
Company: DC Comics/Vertigo

The first issue of Vertigo’s latest is an interesting blend of hits and misses for me. It kicks off with Cain (of “and Abel” fame) finding that his House of Mystery has gone missing. Fans of DC’s old horror comics or Neil Gaiman’s Sandman will recognize this take on Cain and Abel, but the mystery behind the disappearing House of Mystery is simply a subplot for now. The real story picks up some years later when the House has been converted into a bar and grille and a half dozen oddballs find themselves imprisoned within. They run the place while trying to figure it out, and the price customers pay for food and drink is simply stories. Matt Sturges ably writes the “outer” story – essentially the ongoing mystery of the place itself and those trapped within – while Fables veteran Bill Willingham writes the “inner” story – a tale told by one of the patrons. Given my fondness for Fables I was disappointed to find Willingham’s story left me so cold. I’ll confess the nuances were lost on me, but it came off very much as a particularly gory “Tales from the Crypt” morality play about a shallow girl. Or something. It’s really quite short and I was maybe a little too put off by the giant flies and maggots to delve deeply into it. The art, even the gory stuff, was uniformly great (Luca Rossi on the “outer” story might compare to a Fables artist, Ross Campbell on the “inner” is more idiosyncratic). In the end, I like the concept, like the framing mystery, didn’t like the inner story…and still have an interest in the variety of stories the series intends to tell (it’s not “all horror, all the time”). I’m gonna need another issue. Worth checking out for the innovative concept alone, but it’s not for the squeamish.

Dan Grendell Read and Thought:

Pretty Baby Machine #1 of 3
Writer: Clark Westerman
Artist: Kody Chamberlain
Company: Image Comics/Shadowline

Gangster fans rejoice! You’ve got a great new book waiting for you. In 1933, Al Capone is king of Chicago, and every other hood pays homage. Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, and Machine Gun Kelly all do- until Capone goes too far with each of them, leading them to declare a one-man war on him and his boys. Fate intervenes when the three meet in a bar just as they set off, turning a solo effort into a team supreme bent on vengeance. Westerman has the feel of the gangster era down cold, and Chamberlain does a terrific job of bringing the dirty world of the thugs and hardasses alive in scratchy black and white. This is a thrilling ride, and you can just tell that nobody’s getting off clean at the end.

Tor #1 of 6
Creator: Joe Kubert
Company: DC Comics

Created in 1953 by Joe Kubert and Norman Maurer for a short-lived series, the caveman Tor has reappeared in short series in the Seventies and the Nineties. Kubert has told interviewers that Tor is the favorite comic he’s worked on, so its no surprise that it keeps coming back. The question is, does it deserve to? Based just on this issue, the answer is a wholehearted yes. Kubert writes entirely with captions, as Tor doesn’t speak, outlining the man’s thoughts as he travels the prehistoric landscape, encountering a strange tribe of proto-humans. The thing is, the captions aren’t really even necessary. Kubert’s evocative art and emotive style make everything just as clear if you simply ignore the writing, reading as if it were a silent book. That’s an extreme mark of quality for art- it tells the story just fine without any words. This is good; very good. Find out for yourself what I mean.

Transformers Movie Sequel: The Reign of Starscream #1 of 4
Writers: Chris Mowry and Chris Ryall
Artist: Alex Milne
Company: IDW Publishing

I’m down with recaps. A good recap gets a reader caught up with what has gone before, catches them up to speed, then moves right into the new story. I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen a recap that took up nearly the entire first issue of a mini-series, though. Here we get snippets of the story from IDW’s Transformers Movie Prequel and Movie Adaptation from Starscream’s POV, and it isn’t until the last couple pages that the titular Reign actually kicks off. The writing on this wasn’t bad, it just kinda felt like the entire issue could have been skipped. I think it was meant to give me an insight into the persona of Starscream, but it really didn’t do that too well either. Milne’s art seems more unclear than it was on the Movie Adaptation, as well. I’d give this a pass.

Randy Lander Read and Thought:

American Dream #1
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Artists: Todd Nauck & Scott Koblish
Company: Marvel Comics

American Dream is a Spider-Girl spinoff featuring the alternate future female version of Captain America, and now you probably already know whether it’s for you or not. Basically, it all depends on your tolerance for cheesy dialogue, impossibly noble super-heroics and things like the character calling her motorcycle “the Dream Machine.” I’m a fan of that kind of thing and even I found American Dream to be a bit over-the-top. American Dream is a bit dull as a character, but DeFalco does the action plot meets soap opera subplot thing in a solid manner, and the artwork is notably strong for the material. This will sound like a backhanded compliment, but if you were ever a fan of Liefeld and McFarlane, Nauck and Koblish look like what you think you remember those guys looking like. Exaggerated, high energy, but with a solid professionalism and storytelling underlying it all. Nauck’s action layouts in particular are pretty spectacular, from the motorcycle crashing opener to Dream’s nimble, multi-opponent-worthy combat acrobatics.

Avengers/Invaders #1
Writers: Alex Ross & Jim Krueger
Artist: Steve Sadowski
Company: Marvel Comics

Bit of an odd project, this one, teaming the suddenly popular New Avengers with the never popular Invaders. Given the players and the writers, best known for out-of-continuity epics like Earth X and Justice, some might be surprised to learn that this is firmly in continuity, including the Initiative, the Thunderbolts and pretty heavy reliance on the important plot point that Cap is dead. The opening third is narrated by Bucky in a ponderous, pretentious style, at which point the story switches to the modern-day and some standard-weak Spidey banter as he battles the Thunderbolts. Sadowski’s artwork is a nice, photo-realistic style that most closely resembles guys like Phil Jimenez, which may be a bit of a letdown for those hoping for a faux-Ross painted style like Justice, but is pretty nice looking overall. To be honest, I found the whole thing a bit slow, boring and by-the-numbers, but that was my reaction to Justice as well, so I’d say that if you liked Justice, you should probably give this one a look.

Gemini #1
Writer: Jay Faerber
Artist: Jon Sommariva
Company: Image Comics

Faerber has a gift for unusual superhero concepts. More importantly, he takes unusual concepts and turns them into great comics, and Gemini is another one. It’s the story of a cubicle jockey who is secretly the superhero Gemini, only he doesn’t know it. Instead, his superhero life is managed by a few desk-jockeys using computers, monitoring equipment and what seem like hypnotic trigger words. The result is that Faerber gets to do a dynamic, energetic superhero story (complete with his trademark interesting new villains) and a workplace comedy based on a very unusual workplace. Sommariva’s art, a cartoony and exaggerated style that calls to mind J Scott Campbell, Skottie Young and Joe Madeureira, is a perfect fit for the bright, fun vibe of the series… and is a nice setup for the status quo-shattering final page. Dynamo 5 and Noble Causes fans should definitely try out Gemini.

Invincible Iron Man #1
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Company: Marvel Comics

Given Iron Man’s strong performance at theatres, you’ve got to credit Marvel for realizing that the comics version of the hero was going to need a bit of an image polish and a new #1, and giving that new #1 to up-and-comer Fraction and always-impressive artist Larroca. The status quo is still tied deeply into Stark’s role as Director of SHIELD, which is unfortunate, but Fraction does play up the playboy thing a bit more, and spends a fair amount of time on the imaginary technology stuff as well, such that the issue reads like something closer to Warren Ellis’s recent re-invention of the character than anything else. Fraction is clearly in love with his new villain, whose wisecracking persona and ability to outsmart the hero of the book is a little worrisome, but I will admit that it gives way to some memorable moments. Not the out of the park homerun I would have hoped for, and not up to the high standards of The Order or Immortal Iron Fist yet, but it’s got serious potential, and should keep those with an Iron Man jones happy.

Iron Man Viva Las Vegas #1
Writer: Jon Favreau
Artist: Adi Granov
Company: Marvel Comics

While Invincible is the in-continuity title, Viva Las Vegas is the weird, doesn’t fit in any continuity, even the movie’s, project of film director Jon Favreau and movie armor designer Adi Granov. Like Invincible Iron Man, it’s good, not great, but Favreau’s script definitely captures the playboy swagger that Downey Jr. brought to the film role, and while the movie didn’t cheap out on the F/X, Favreau is also taking advantage of the unlimited budget of comics to do memorable scenes like an invasion of lizards or an impressive, massive golden dragon that shows up several times. Granov’s art is beautiful to look at, clearly photo manipulations and a little stiff as a result (the shot of Iron Man flying over Paris looks like two different photos, rather than a seamless shot), but generally very shiny and pretty. This is a bit lightweight, but it’s got a nice zippy pacing and fun sensibility, and it’s clear that everyone involved is having fun, which some readers may find infectious.