One of the names that’s always been high on fans’ wishlist of directors to take on Star Wars Episode VII was of course J.J. Abrams…despite the fact that he’s currently heavily involved in the geek rival Star Trek universe.

Now comes word from Abrams himself that he was in fact approached about possibly directing the next Star Wars movie.

The Shadow Special #1
Written by Scott Beatty
Art by Ronan Cliquet
Colors by Mat Lopes
Letters by Rob Steen
Cover by Alex Ross
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: December 26, 2012
Cover Price: $4.99

The Shadow Special #1 is a really fun read. It’s not life-changing or Earth-shattering; it’s just a fun book to read. And what more can you ask for?

Scott Beatty turns in a very entertaining story, that delves into the past of LaMont Cranston and his life before becoming The Shadow. It’s part mystery, all action-adventure, and reminds me of a comic that I would’ve read about 10 years ago, but in a GOOD way. It’s fun from start to finish, and there’s some GREAT period stuff in this issue. It’s also very adult in nature. Now, I don’t mean it’s full of nudity and cursing, but the subject matter is very dark and might not be suitable for younger readers. That being said, this is a great book to check out if you want to start reading The Shadow. It’s a taste of what you get every month in Shadow comics, so rather than pick up an issue of the monthly title, give this a try and see if it’s something that you’d like to read.

The Amazing Spider-Man #700
Written by Dan Slott, JM DeMatteis, Jen Van Meter
Pencils by Humberto Ramos, Giuseppe Camuncol, and Stephanie Buscema
Inks by Victor Olazaba, Sal Buscema
Colors by Edgar DelGado, Antonio Fabela
Letters by VC’s Chris Eliopoulos
Covers by MR Garcin, Steve Ditko & Marcos Martin, Humberto Ramos & Edgar DelGado, Oliver Coipel & Justin Ponsor, J. Scott Campbell & Edgar Delgado & Joe Quesada, Danny Miki & Morry Hollowell
Marvel Comics
Release Date: December 26, 2012
Cover Price: $7.99

This is IT, True Believer! The Amazing Spider-Man #700 is the LAST issue of Marvel Comics’ flagship title starring their most popular character. Now, I don’t want to incur the Twitter wrath of writer Dan Slott, so you won’t find any spoilers here, BUT you’ll get the nuts and bolts of if this issue is worth it or not.

Slott has been writing Spider-Man a loooooong time. And, like he himself stated, this story began way back with his earliest work on the title, about 100 issues ago. First, let me say, the lead up to this story has been pretty entertaining. Not mind-blowing, but very entertaining. This issue, however, does have some VERY mind-blowing moments. It’s a classic Spider-Man story that will have fans of the series recalling all of their favorite issues, as so many of them have been told at this king of break-neck, beat the clock manner.

Mars Attacks The Holidays
One-Shot
Written by Fred Hembeck, Bill Morrison, Ian Boothby & Dean Haspiel
Art by Fred Hembeck, Bill Morrison, Tone Rodriguez, Alan Robinson & Dean Haspiel
Colors by Phil Elliot, Ronda Pattinson, Kote Carvajal & Allen Passalaqua
Letters by Fred Hembeck & Chris Mowry
Covers by Bill Morrison, Dean Haspiel, Fred Hembeck, Phil Elliot, Alan Robinson, Kote Carvajal & Chris Giarrusso
IDW Publishing
Release Date: October 31, 2012
Cover Price: $7.99

Mars Attacks The Holidays runs the gambit. From goofy to heartbreaking and back again, it’s one heck of a great read. And I have to tip my hat to IDW Publishing for putting out an actual HOLIDAY special this year! They’re one ahead of any other company out there in that respect.

OK, there’s a LOT of ground to cover, so I’ll try and get right to it and not bog you down too much. First off, there’s four stories here, each representing a different holiday. Included are Halloween, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fred Hembeck’s Halloween story is typical Fred Hembeck. It’s set in the 1950s and follows a Happy Days like family on a trick or treat excursion, and later a Halloween party where things go…awry, thanks to three Martians who tag along. It’s funny and goofy from the first panel to last, and is, in my opinion, the best in the book.

If you’re looking for a good way to spend all those Amazon gift cards you got for the holidays, right now, Amazon today is offering up deals on The Lord of the Rings movies on DVD and Blu-ray:

– The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended Editions)
Blu-ray – $55.99