Weekly Pull List: 7/30/14

It's the first pull list after Comic Con!  All the comics available this week can be found on Comixology, and any breaking comics news is on Comic Book Resources.

Dark Horse
Star Wars: Rebel Heist #4

DC
Batman Eternal #17
Detective Comics Annual #3
Harley Quinn #8
Sinestro #4

Image
Chew Warrior Chicken Poyo #1

Marvel
100th Anniversary Special: Guardians of the Galaxy
Avengers #33
Cyclops #3
Guardians of the Galaxy #17
Hawkeye #19
Iron Man Special #1
Iron Patriot #5
Original Sin #3.3
Ultimate FF #5
Uncanny X-Men #24
X-Men #17

Be sure to pick up...

100th Anniversary Special: Guardians of the Galaxy
These 100th Anniversary Specials have been pretty fun, and I've been really looking forward to the Guardians of the Galaxy one.  With the movie coming out on Friday, be sure to pick up both Guardians titles out this week and get ready to head to the theater!

Original Sin #3.3
Original Sin has been pretty good so far, and this little miniseries has been great.  It's really shaking up how the Hulk is going to be moving forward, and it will not be pretty.  Bruce Banner found out that Tony Stark messed with the Gamma Bomb, creating the Hulk in the first place.  But with Extremis now running through his veins, Banner has been able to turn himself into the Hulk with Banner's brain.  A smart Hulk is a dangerous Hulk.

That's it for this week!  Leave a comment and let us know what books you're picking up this week!

Jeff Gordon Wins Record 5th Brickyard 400

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Jeff Gordon won the Brickyard 400 on Sunday on the 20th anniversary of his win in the inaugural event.

The win was also Gordon’s record-setting fifth victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, breaking a tie with teammate Jimmie Johnson.

Photo courtesy Adam Niemeyer

“I don’t think there’s a greater feeling as a racecar driver,” Gordon said in victory lane.  “Total team effort to get to victory lane at Indianapolis.”

Gordon had to outrun his teammate Kasey Kahne on the final restart.  Kahne led a race-high 70 laps, and Gordon had to have a strong restart to win.

“I’m not very good on restarts, and wasn’t very good today.  I finally made the restart of my life today when it counted most.  I knew we had a great racecar and I just needed to get out front.”

Gordon said he knows how important this victory was for the season, and that to win at Indianapolis is special.

“I was trying so hard, with 10 to go, not to focus on the crowd.  I tried not to let it get to me, and you can’t help it.  Such a big race; such an important victory.”

Kevin Harvick won the pole for the Brickyard 400, and he cleared Gordon going into Turn 1 when the race began.  Gordon, however, was able to work his way around Harvick on the frontstretch to take the lead on lap 2.

On lap 21, the competition caution came out due to rain early Sunday morning.  Gordon won the race off pit road, but Joey Logano committed to a different pit strategy and took the lead.

Logano led the field back to the green flag on lap 26.  He held the lead until Kahne took the lead for the first time on lap 32.  After losing the lead, Logano pitted for fuel, which kicked off a long round of green-flag pit stops.

Kahne pitted for fuel on lap 38, which allowed rookie Kyle Larson to take the lead.

 After Larson and fellow rookie Austin Dillon pitted, Denny Hamlin took the lead.  Hamlin was the only driver on a different pit strategy than everyone else, and he didn’t pit until lap 55.  That allowed Harvick to take the lead once again.

On lap 66, Gordon passed Harvick for the lead going through Turn 3, and they both pulled off to make another round of green-flag pit stops.

The caution came out during pit stops when Danica Patrick broke a right-rear axle coming off pit road.  Patrick’s car erupted in smoke and she stalled at the end of pit road.

Hamlin stayed out when the leaders pitted, and he led the field back to the green flag on lap 73.  Heading into Turn 1, Kahne got around Hamlin, which dropped him all the way to fourth.

Trevor Bayne cut down a tire and spun into the inside wall on lap 97 to bring out the caution.  Under the caution, Clint Bowyer stayed out to take the lead.

When the race restarted on lap 102, Kahne was able to get around Bowyer to take the lead heading into Turn 1.

Kahne pitted for the final time on lap 127, and that allowed Gordon to take the lead.  When the stops had cycled around, Kahne was the leader, but Gordon was right on his back bumper.

The final caution came out on lap 139 when Ryan Truex slowed in Turn 2 and stalled his car out on the backstretch.

Kahne led the field back to the green flag on lap 144, but Gordon was able to make the pass on the high side.  Kahne fell back to fourth, and Gordon was able to pull away from Kyle Busch to take the victory.

Unofficial results:

1. Jeff Gordon

2. Kyle Busch

3. Denny Hamlin

4. Matt Kenseth

5. Joey Logano

6. Kasey Kahne

7. Kyle Larson

8. Kevin Harvick

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

10. Austin Dillon

11. Ryan Newman

12. Brad Keselowski

13. Greg Biffle

14. Jimmie Johnson

15. Carl Edwards

16. Clint Bowyer

17. Tony Stewart

18. AJ Allmendinger

19. Brian Vickers

20. Jamie McMurray

21. Aric Almirola

22. Marcos Ambrose

23. Juan Pablo Montoya

24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

25. Martin Truex Jr.

27. Justin Allgaier

28. Kurt Busch

29. Josh Wise

30. Landon Cassill

31. Michael Annett

32. Cole Whitt

33. Casey Mears

34. Paul Menard

35. David Ragan

36. David Gilliland

37. Bobby Labonte

38. Reed Sorenson

39. Travis Kvapil

40. Alex Bowman

41. Ryan Truex

42. Danica Patrick

43. Trevor Bayne

Next weekend, the Sprint Cup Series heads to the “Tricky Triangle” of Pocono Raceway.  The GoBowling.com 400 can be seen next Sunday at 12:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Photo courtesy Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images

Fantasy Preview: Indianapolis 7/27

This Sunday, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400.  Below are my fantasy picks going into the race.

Tier A
Jeff Gordon
This weekend marks the 20th anniversary of Gordon's win in the inaugural Brickyard 400, and he's hungry for a victory.  I wouldn't be surprised if he finds victory lane on Sunday after starting on the front row.

Bench:
Kurt Busch

Tier B
Tony Stewart
Stewart is one of the best drivers when it comes to racing at Indianapolis, and he is still looking for his first win of the season.  He just won his first sprint car race after breaking his leg almost a year ago, and a win in Sprint Cup racing shouldn't be far behind.

Ryan Newman
Newman comes into this race as the defending champion.  Like Stewart, Newman is a native Hoosier who is still looking for his first win of the season.  Don't be surprised if Newman goes back-to-back at the Brickyard.

Bench:
Paul Menard
Martin Truex Jr.

Tier C
Juan Pablo Montoya
Montoya returns to the site of his greatest heartbreak.  Montoya was always a force to be reckoned with at Indianapolis, and he returns looking for the victory.  The Team Penske IndyCar driver will come into the race with nothing to lose.  With no points on the line, Montoya will go all-out for the victory on Sunday.

Bench:
Bobby Labonte

My pick to win the Brickyard 400...Tony Stewart

Photo courtesy Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images

Weekly Pull List: 7/23/14

All of the comics available this week can be found on Comixology, and all comics news is on Comic Book Resources.

DC
Batman #33
Batman and Robin #33
Batman Eternal #16
The Flash #33
Secret Origins #4

Image
Saga #21

Marvel
100th Anniversary Special - Avengers
All-New Doop #4
All-New Ultimates #5
Amazing Spider-Man #4
Daredevil #6
Deadpool #32
Deadpool vs. X-Force #2
Mighty Avengers #12
Original Sin #5.2
Original Sins #4
Storm #1
Wolverine and the X-Men #6


Be sure to pick up...

Batman #33
This is the big finale to Zero Year, which will go down as one of the best Batman stories ever, in my opinion.  Be sure to pick this up if you've been following along.  If you haven't been following along, try to pick up some of the back issues so you can read the conclusion of this story.

Deadpool vs. X-Force #2
I wasn't sure about this series because I don't know much about X-Force.  That's okay, because this story takes place before Deadpool and Cable's debut in the X-Men comics.  It's pretty funny to think of these two guys as "friends" when you see how Deadpool treats Cable in this series.

Thanks for reading!  What books are you picking up this week? 

Weekly Pull List: 7/16/14

All the comics available this week can be found on Comixology, and all the breaking comics news is on Comic Book Resources.

Dark Horse
Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir #3

DC
Batman Eternal #15
Harley Quinn Invades Comic Con International San Diego #1
Robin Rises Omega #1

Marvel
100th Anniversary Special #1 - X-Men
Magneto #7
Nova #19
Original Sin #6
Original Sins #3.2
Savage Hulk #2
Savage Wolverine #21
She-Hulk #6
Silver Surfer #4
Ultimate FF #4
Uncanny X-Men #23
X-Men #16

Be sure to pick up...

Robin Rises Omega #1
The hunt for Robin is over!! Now Batman has to battle with longtime foe Ra's al Ghul for his son's body! This is gonna be pretty exciting, and it will continue in the new issue of Batman and Robin.

Original Sin #6
I've been loving Original Sin, and last issue probably screwed with some people's heads.  It's getting pretty twisted, and I can't wait to see where it goes.  There are only three issues left, but that doesn't include the plethora of tie-ins (including this week's Nova #19).  Don't miss this issue to see where the story goes!

That's all for this week!  Thanks for reading, and leave a comment below with the books you're picking up!

Keselowski Wins at New Hampshire

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Brad Keselowski won the Camping World RV Sales 301 from New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Photo courtesy Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

Keselowski dominated the race, leading 138 of the 301 laps run.  But after a late caution came out with just four laps to go, Keselowski had to hold off a challenge from Kyle Busch while some of the other leaders ran out of fuel.

“I think Kyle had four there at the end and he was going to give us all he had,” Keselowski said.  “Kyle made me earn it there at the end.”

With his victory, Keselowski swept the weekend at New Hampshire after winning the Nationwide Series race on Saturday.

“I can’t believe it, to win both races.  We’ve been good here the past few years, just haven’t been able to close it out and today we were able to do that.”

“The car was hauling today, and it’s a privilege to have cars like this and a team that’s just clicking.”

Busch won the pole for the race, and he led throughout the beginning of the race.  Jimmie Johnson had a flat tire on lap eight, and he had to pit.  Johnson didn’t last much longer on the new set of tires, however, and hit the wall on lap 14 after blowing another tire to bring out the caution.

Busch led the field back to the green flag on lap 21, and he held the lead until his teammate Denny Hamlin passed him on lap 63.  

On lap 73, green flag pit stops began when Brian Vickers brought his car to pit road.  Hamlin gave up the lead on lap 74, and that allowed Keselowski to take the lead for the first time.  He pitted on lap 78, and that allowed Hamlin to cycle back around as the leader.

Keselowski ran Hamlin down for the lead on lap 90.  He led until the caution came out on lap 112 for debris.  Under the caution, a group of drivers took two tires while Keselowski took four, and that allowed Busch to win the race off pit road.

Kyle Larson stayed out under the caution, and he led the field back to the green flag on lap 119.  He held off Busch for the lead after the restart, but Matt Kenseth was able to get around him on lap 127.

On lap 139, Keselowski finally worked his way back to the lead, and he led until debris brought out the caution on lap 153.

Joey Logano won the race off pit road, and he led the field back to the green flag on lap 158.  Going through turns 1 and 2, Logano and Jamie McMurray got together fighting for the lead, and that allowed Clint Bowyer to take the lead.

On lap 176, debris on the track brought out the caution once again.

Bowyer led the field back to the green flag on lap 182, but Keselowski was able to get around him on the restart.

On lap 212, Morgan Shepherd got into Logano, sending Logano’s car hard into the wall to bring out the caution.

Bowyer took the lead during pit stops, and he restarted as the leader on lap 219.  Keselowski ran him down on lap 231 and took the lead.

On lap 249, debris brought out the caution again.  While most of the leaders pitted, a handful of drivers stayed out to try and make it on fuel.  

Jeff Gordon led the field back to the green flag on lap 254.  Keselowski chased him down, and took the lead on lap 270.  

With the laps winding down, Justin Allgaier spun into the outside wall just four laps from the end of the race.  That set up a green-white-checkered finish, and Keselowski was able to hold off a challenge from Busch to win the race.

Unofficial results

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Kyle Busch

3. Kyle Larson

4. Matt Kenseth

5. Ryan Newman

6. Clint Bowyer

7. Tony Stewart

8. Denny Hamlin

9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

11. Kasey Kahne

12. Martin Truex Jr.

13. Carl Edwards

14. Austin Dillon

15. Greg Biffle

16. Jamie McMurray

17. Kurt Busch

18. AJ Allmendinger

19. Paul Menard

20. Jeff Burton

21. Brian Vickers

22. Danica Patrick

23. Aric Almirola

24. David Gilliland

25. David Ragan

26. Jeff Gordon

27. Marcos Ambrose

28. Cole Whitt

29. Josh Wise

30. Kevin Harvick

31. Alex Bowman

32. Michael Annett

33. Reed Sorenson

34. Landon Cassill

35. Eddie MacDonald

36. Ryan Truex

37. Justin Allgaier

38. Casey Mears

39. Morgan Shepherd

40. Joey Logano

41. Timmy Hill

42. Jimmie Johnson

43. Mike Bliss

The Sprint Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in two weeks, following the final off-week of the season.  ESPN begins their NASCAR coverage with the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 27 at 1:00 p.m. EST.

Photo courtesy Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Fantasy Preview: Camping World RV Sales 301

The Sprint Cup Series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Camping World RV Sales 301 on Sunday.  Read below to see who I'm picking this weekend.

Photo courtesy Nick Laham/Getty Images

Tier A
Clint Bowyer
Bowyer always seems to run well on the flat tracks, and New Hampshire should be right up his alley.  He qualified eighth for Sunday's race, and he won't have far to go to find the lead.

Bench:
Kasey Kahne

Tier B
Tony Stewart
Stewart is always strong at New Hampshire, and his last win at the track was in 2011.  Stewart is hungry to get his first win and race his way into the Chase.  Without a win, Stewart will probably miss the Chase, and he will be a threat to win this weekend.

Ryan Newman
Stewart's former teammate is also strong at New Hampshire, and his last win was also in 2011.  Newman is another driver looking to get into the Chase, and a victory would definitely help him out.

Bench:
AJ Allmendinger
Brian Vickers

Tier C
Jeff Burton
This could be Burton's final Sprint Cup Series race, and it comes at a track where he is usually strong.  Burton is driving the No. 66 Michael Waltrip Racing car, and a trip to victory lane would be the perfect end to a long career.

Bench:
Danica Patrick

My pick to win the Camping World RV Sales 301...Tony Stewart

Photo courtesy Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The Camping World RV Sales 301 begins at 1:00 p.m. EST this Sunday on TNT and PRN.

Weekly Pull List: 7/9/14

Another Wednesday means another pull list!! For all the comics available this week check out Comixology, and check out Comic Book Resources for any breaking comics news!

Dark Horse
Star Wars #19

DC
Batman Eternal #14
Detective Comics #33
Grayson #1
Green Lantern Corps #33

Image
The Walking Dead #129

Marvel
100 Anniversary Special #1 - Spider-Man
All-New Invaders #7
All-New X-Men #29
Amazing Spider-Man #1.3
Amazing X-Men #9
Avengers #32
Captain Marvel #5
Daredevil #5
Deadpool #31
Fantastic Four #7
Nightcrawler #4
Original Sin: Thor and Loki #1
Original Sins #3
Spider-Man 2099 #1
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #13
Wolverine #10

Be sure to pick up... 

Grayson #1
Nightwing was "killed" in an earlier issue of Forever Evil, and his time as Batman's sidekick is finished.  But now he gets another ongoing series has Dick Grayson, special agent!  He becomes a special agent for Spyral, and it should be a lot of fun.

Spider-Man 2099 #1
It's finally here! I read the original series this past winter, and I fell in love with Miguel O'Hara.  And when he showed up in the normal universe as part of Superior Spider-Man, I had hoped he would get his own ongoing series.  Now Miguel is stuck in our time, and we'll get to see how he deals with it.

Thanks for reading!  Leave a comment and let us know what books you're picking up this week!

Fantasy Preview: Coke Zero 400

The Sprint Cup Series heads under the lights at Daytona for the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday.  Read below to see who I'm picking this weekend.

Tier A

Photo courtesy Jared C. Tilton

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt has returned to his old form when he won six races in 2004, and he returns to the place of his first victory of the season.  All eyes will be on him for the Coke Zero 400, and I look for him to be strong Saturday night.

Bench:
Kurt Busch

Tier B
Casey Mears
Daytona is always a track where anyone can win, and Mears usually runs well at restrictor-plate tracks.  He's a guy that always seems to be there at the end of the race, and a top 10 finish would not be unexpected.

David Ragan
Ragan's first career victory came in this race in 2011, and his other victory came at Talladega.  Ragan is a good plate racer, and he, like Mears, is always around at the end of the race.  Add that to the fact that the team's cars are fast -- his teammate David Gilliland won the pole -- and Ragan could find himself in victory lane.

Bench:
Jamie McMurray
Ryan Newman

Tier C
Michael Waltrip
Waltrip only runs at the restrictor-plate tracks, so it's a no-brainer to save a better driver and pick him.  Waltrip almost won at Talladega two years ago, and he might be able to get his third Daytona victory on Saturday.

Bench:
Austin Dillon

My pick to win the Coke Zero 400...Jimmie Johnson

Photo courtesy Jerry Markland/Getty Images

The Coke Zero 400 is Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST on TNT. 

Weekly Pull List: 7/2/2014

It's this week's pull list!! As always, all the comics available this week can be found on Comixology and any breaking comics news is on Comic Book Resources.

DC
Batman Eternal #13
Batman/Superman #12
Green Arrow #33
Green Lantern #33

Marvel
100th Anniversary Special #1 - Fantastic Four
Deadpool vs. X-Force #1
Guardians of the Galaxy: Galaxy's Most Wanted #1
Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #4
Legendary Star Lord #1
Magneto #6
Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #3
Moon Knight #5
New Warriors #7
Original Sin #5
The Punisher #8
Rocket Raccoon #1

Be sure to pick up...

100th Anniversary Special #1 - Fantastic Four
Marvel is celebrating its past by looking towards the future!  This is the first in a series of one-shots looking at how their big characters will look in the year 2061.  I believe they will also have ones for Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man, among others.  These should be pretty cool to check out.

Rocket Raccoon #1
This series has been announced for a little while now, and I've been excited for it.  Everyone's favorite character from the Guardians of the Galaxy finally gets his own ongoing series!  It's written and drawn by Skottie Young, who is the guy that draws all those adorable variant covers, so be ready for some cute drawings of a (not) raccoon shooting things.

Thanks for reading! What books are you picking up this week?  Leave a comment and let us know!