Comic Reviews For 13 & 20 July, Plus Incoming

Comics of 20 July

Casanova #2
Fraction keeps to the page limit with this issue of Casanova, packing it full of action, funny dialogue and mad ideas. Ba’s art copes with it all with ease, drawing some sexy and cool art that serves the story. I’m not completely sold on it yet, but this definitely showed that the idea works in the format and there is great potential.



Runaways #18
Underwhelming. A nice sleight of hand to begin with, but the actual death left me shrugging my shoulders. I can see it was heroic and tragic, but it didn’t affect me the way it should. Vaughan keeps up his pop culture credentials ('All your base are belong to the New Pride' and the Transformer van) and Alphona does an excellent job as usual (particularly the full-page spread of the moment the heart stops), but the book didn’t pack the emotional punch I thought it would.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #20
It seems like writing 52 is too much for Waid, as Bedard joins him on writing duties. This is in keeping with Kitson, who doesn’t last on solo art duties for more than an issue now, this time providing layouts for DeKraker (who does a good job with his slick superhero work, with a touch of Leonard Kirk softness to it). The story has giants trying to steal odd artefacts and the LSH going out to stop them, only for Supergirl to do all the hard work, to the annoyance of some. Meanwhile, Brainiac is still trying to bring Nura back from the dead. The book seems to be building to something, which had better be spectacular, as the instalments aren’t dazzling. I hope its worth it – I shall have to review my decision to buy this if it isn’t.

X-Factor #9
Another good issue from PAD. Pietro comes to Mutant Town to stay, the X-Men show up for a visit, and Madrox makes a decision. Calero’s art is dark and uneven but he seems to be improving. PAD handles the juggling act with aplomb and wit ('Your Aegis! From the New Warriors. Or are they just the Old Warriors now, because of the New New Warrrors …' and 'He may be a slimeball. He may be an evil monster.' 'You know I can hear you, right?') and references to The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy, as he uses the Civil War crossover to help his storylines and keeps the X-Factor flavour.


Comics of 13 July

100 Bullets #74
The conclusion of ‘A Wake’, with lots of death, exquisitely drawn by Risso (which is necessary after the gorgeous cover by Johnson). 100 Bullets is great testosterone, hard-boiled comics with added street poetry that never fails to satisfy. I hope this finishes well.




Fables #51
A fun if slight tale of Cinderella running around to get the current Giant king to sign the treaty with Fabletown, bypassing the slowness of politics and indebting herself to Frau Totenkinder in the process. It’s nice to have Cindy as a tough action heroine, rather than the drippy version of the fairy tale. Shawn McManus provides nice art as guest artist, keeping the flavour but adding his natural cartoony edge.

Squadron Supreme #5
I’m still enjoying Frank’s art, which makes JMS’s stories so much easier to swallow at times. He is taking his time (as usual) but at least this is thoughtful superheroics, addressing both sides of the argument via Stan, Emil and Mark. There is more character development for Edith, as they come across an orphan girl who reminds her of herself and how she got her revenge on the people who ruined her life. Storylines are mentioned (Joe Ledger and the funny voice, Redstone is in China) and things tick on, but you still want more things to happen.

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Incoming Inventory

Astro City: Samaritan Special
I have always felt that the first issue of Astro City, about Samaritan, was one of the best issues, so I’m looking forward to an entire issue dedicated to the character. I’m not happy that Anderson is still providing art, as I think he’s getting sloppy, and Astro City could survive a transition to another artist, but the book was always about the writing anyway, so it isn’t as big a problem as it could be.

New Avengers #22
After the disappointing Collective storyline, Bendis seemed to be refreshed by the Civil War crossover, so this issue might see a continuation of quality, especially with the talents of Yu on art duties (even if the cover looks like Cage is getting the same treatment that Jessica got in the early issues of Alias).



Powers #19
Meanwhile, Powers still keeps going strong. Some think that it might have jumped the shark with Deena getting powers, but I disagree; I still find this consistently well-written and well-drawn crime superhero comics, so keep it coming.





Debating: Jack of Fables #1
I really like Fables. However, I’m not wild about spin-offs. I’m not happy that it requires a co-writer (a writer and artist together seems fine, but two writers doesn’t work for me – Robinson on Starman was always better than Robinson and Goyer, for example). I think I might wait for the inevitable trade to get it (dependent on the reviews of the rest of the blogosphere, who will kindly try it for me).

Solicitations, Inventory, And, Erm, Stuff

A lot to get through today, so let’s crack on and commentaritating (and making up words):

Marvel solicitations for October

As Marvel ploughs on with the massive Civil War crossover, there are only a few items worthy of merit that deserve mentioning, for whatever reason I see fit.

Ultimate Power #1
Bendis starts off this bizarre crossover, with Ultimate U meeting Squadron Supreme U. Shouldn’t DC be suing for stolen ideas – isn’t this a Marvel version of the JSA meeting the JLA? It should be interesting seeing Marvel do something like this, especially with the multiple writer approach of different writers doing three chapters in a row. I don’t think that this bodes well for the quality of the comic, but it is definitely worthy of attention.

Dr Strange: The Oath #1
Yet another attempt to ‘do’ Dr Strange for the current climate (the question everyone wants to know: will Neilalien like it?), this looks like it has a fighting chance in the form of Brian Vaughan, an interesting sounding story, and some fluid art of Marcos Martin. The preview pages are funny and attention grabbing, so could this be the one that works its magic? (Pun unfortunately intended.)

Criminal #1
Pure crime noir from Icon comics from the class Sleeper team of Brubaker and Phillips. Despite the nagging feeling that there isn’t a market for this book (the good crime noir books with superheroes – Sleeper, Gotham Central, Powers – have never done excellent business, so why will that change if you remove superheroes from the equation?), I will be there for what should be a cracking read from creator combo with good previous form. Here’s hoping that Marvel support it …

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Incoming Inventory

Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #20
Following the nice aside of the whodunit of last issue, I hope the plot progresses a little with this one, and perhaps we’ll get another issue done completely by Kitson?






Casanova #2
Despite my feeling that Fraction missed the point of the Fell format in the first issue, there was a lot to enjoy about the introduction to Casanova Quinn, so this issue will be a test to see if it can work in 16 dense pages.





Runaways #18
I’ve deliberately been avoiding any news, interviews or discussion of Runaways stories, just so I can enjoy the unravelling of a death of a Runaway in an old school kinda way. It seems a shame to ruin a great last page from issue 17 with knowledge of what is to come.




X-Factor #9
PAD continues his ability to make me care about these characters and work them into a company-wide crossover, so I’m looking forward to this issue (with the showdown with Quicksilver), even if Calero is still doing the art. He’s improved since he began, but I’m not convinced. Yet.

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Other stuff:
Jog makes it to two years, so belated congrats to the most prodigious writer in the comic blogosphere, with not an image in sight. Timely, consistent, jaw-droppingly insightful, I’m too scared to comment on his posts for fear of my stupidity being displayed next to such intelligent writing.

Kevin provides scans of the first issue of OMAC – I still don’t get Kirby, but it was interesting to see it at least.

Frank Miller to adapt and direct a film of Will Eisner’s The Spirit – will this work? Is Frank the one to do it? I've not read any Spirit stuff, but I am fully aware of the respect in which it is held, so this adaptation has to really do justice to the source material for the sake of comic books.

Inventory, Good News, A Great Film

Incoming Inventory – 13 July

To make up for last week’s barren list, this week the publishers of the ninth art provide me with periodicals:

100 Bullets #74
I’ve been reading this for too long to switch to the trades now, so I look forward to my monthly hit of Bullets, as we head towards the last quarter.







Fables #51
I hope that this keeps up the hit of last issue, which was great. I worry that Willingham might be stretching himself, what with his work in the mainstream DCU and the spin-off, so I hope he keeps up the momentum.






Squadron Supreme #5
JMS has yet to convince me that this should have continued without the MAX umbrella, but at least he is one of the ‘tourist’ writers who has come in from outside comics who actually produces the work in a timely fashion. (See Paul O’Brien’s review of Wonder Woman #1 for a reasoned attack on the TV/film people who don’t understand the meaning of the word 'deadline' when it comes to something other than their ‘real’ jobs – the review is made all the more interesting by the fact that Allan Heinberg sent him an email to say that he never sends his scripts in late – doesn’t he have better things to do than scour the web for reviews of his comic books?) At least he didn’t take the clichéd route I was worried he would in the last issues, and he appears to be grounding it very much in a real-world setting, which should make for interesting story connections.

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Diamond Geezer, one of the most consistent, and consistently entertaining, bloggers makes the jump from web to print, as he writes an article for Time Out (London). Naturally, it’s about London, and seems to be an extension of his journeying around London. This is lovely news, as he is a very enjoyable writer and it is good to see the adage coming true of if you enjoy what you are doing, then the people will come to you and reward you for your efforts. Congratulations, DG.

I’m really happy when bloggers I enjoy get into print (not that it is the only validation of their excellent work), as it is cool to see that other people can enjoy what you have been digging for a while, a bit like an indie band no-one’s heard of suddenly getting signed, or a cult film you’ve know about for ages suddenly getting respect. Obviously, I’m jealous of their success, because I am a shallow and pathetic human being like that, but I know that my writing isn’t print worthy, which is why I blog for myself, and so I can just live vicariously through their success and say I knew them when …

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I saw Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang on DVD last night, and basically wanted to say how great it was. I don’t want to do a complete review (apart from the fact that it has taken ages for me to see it, due to the slightly bizarre calculation that LoveFilm does to select the DVD they are going to send you from your rental queue – I’ve had this film at the top of my list since it became available to rent, which was March for chrissake. If it wasn’t for the fact that they keep offering me 2-for-1 and 3-for-1 on monthly subscription, I would give up on LoveFilm) because, at this stage, it won’t help the film.

But it is an absolute cracker of a movie – Robert Downey Jr is on top form, Val Kilmer is great as Gay Perry, the mood is hard-boiled noir, but the humour of the dialogue and the narration is sublime. It is incredibly quotable ('Still gay? No, knee-deep in pussy. I just love the name so much I can't get rid of it.' 'When in doubt, cut up a pig - that was the town's motto.' '… and to all you good people in the Midwest, sorry we said fuck so much.'), it mocks itself, it plays with the notion that it is a film, it takes the piss out of LA – it’s just great entertainment.

Shane Black likes his private investigators (The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight) and he writes the sort of film I would like to be able to write, if, you know, I had the talent for his cool dialogue, and any screenwriting ability at all. This film was the top of a short list where I want to see what happens to the characters in the future, even though the story provided a satisfying experience. That’s a sign of a damned good film.

Marvel Solicitations and Incoming Inventory

Marvel solicitations for September here.

Like the DC soliciations, a selection rather than a long rundown:

Ultimate Spider-Man #100

I don’t read Ultimate Spider-Man (although I did start out reading it), but you have to admit that it’s an impressive feat for the same creative team to continue for 100 issues straight in this day and age, especially on a Marvel book. It could be said that it is an easy job, retooling the old stories for a modern audience, but Bendis and Bagley have been doing a great job on this title for quite some time, and that deserves respect.


1602: Fantastick Four #1 (of 5)

What a gorgeous cover from Yu. I have no idea what the interiors are like, but that sure does look purty … Normally, a money-grabbing spin-off from a Neil Gaiman concept wouldn’t have me interested, but this is written by Peter David, a man who has shown he can write well in most comic book genres, and the Fantastic Four from that series warranted a further look. And with special guest star, William Shakespeare!



Stan Lee Meets Dr Strange

Damn, that Davis can draw! I really dislike Lee’s writing, but I’m seriously tempted to buy this book solely for the art. Alan Davis is my favourite artist of all time, and this cover shows you why. Isn’t that beautiful? He draws superheroes perfectly. The idea of these stand-alone specials celebrating Stan Lee and his place at Marvel is actually a nice idea (which would be made better if they had something similar for Jack Kirby), if it wasn’t for the fact that Lee gets to fill pages with his diabolical dialogue and tell-tell-tell expository panels. Still, I can always just white them out so as not to be distracted from the artwork …


Punisher War Journal #1

I don’t know why this is needed when Ennis is doing such a fine job with the character, but, if they must, then they have at least done something different by giving it to Matt Fraction. His love of violence and humour make him a good fit, and it will be interesting to see his indie sensibility on such a mainstream character. Olivetti should be a good match, with his detailed and muscular yet slick art, so this has the potential to be something different.

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Incoming Inventory – 22 June


All Star Superman #4
The internet weeps tears of joy as a new issue of Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely is welcomed into the world. This is just dazzling good comics, and we are lucky that DC finally saw sense in letting Grant get his way with the big guy.

Ex Machina #21
Ex Machina twice in two weeks; Monsieur Ambassador, you are spoiling us … The regular team bring us the continuing adventures of Mitchell Hundred with the necessary Mature Readers tag, for content and quality.

Casanova #1
Matt Fraction again, this time bringing us the contents of his brain in comic book form, in the Fell format no less (but with even more pages; we are so lucky). This looks like it will be quite spectacular. Don’t take my word for it; Warren Ellis commands you buy it, so you have no choice.

New Avengers #20
It is my intention to finally get up to date on this series and sort through the boxes in the attic for the rest of this series, just so I can actually read this book when it comes out. I like a bit of Bendis, and I enjoyed the first trade, helped by the fact that I’m not an Avengers fanboy. I hope it’s good after waiting to read it all this time …

Ultimates 2 #11
Talking of long waits, here is finally another issue of Ultimates. Hitch’s art always make it worth the wait, and Millar has been going strong on this title (especially compared to some of this other stuff), so it’s time for another issue of one of the best mainstream superhero titles being published at the moment.

Incoming Inventory and Bonus Links

Incoming Inventory

100 Bullets #73
I’m seeing this series through to the end, rumoured to be the appropriate issue 100, and enjoying it as it comes out. It probably reads better in the trades, but it’s too late for me to switch now.

Ex Machina Special #2
Ex Machina was easily one of the best new series of last year, so any more Ex Machina comics are warmly welcomed in the Clandestine Critic household. Sprouse brings his usual quality to the Mayor Hundred universe; could this be the start of other artists interpretations of The Machine?

Fables #50
Three cheers for Fables reaching the half century. A new Vertigo series is always facing an uphill struggle to keep going, so I’m very glad that this is doing so well (with a special and a spin-off confirming this). Hope Willingham keeps up the quality in the next 50.

JLA Classified: New Maps of Hell
My devotion to Warren Ellis wasn’t enough to make me buy this in the singles format, but the aggressively priced trade is perfect for me. Good reviews of the tale, as well as the fact that I am an Ellis whore, mean that I’m looking forward to picking up this solid chunk of comic goodness.

She-Hulk TPB #3: Time Trials
I want to buy this, but $14.99 for five issues means that it’s the same price as if I bought the comics. Damn you, Marvel! Trades are supposed to be cheaper than buying the comics, you money-hungry bastards. Give me my cheaper trades!

Squadron Supreme #4
After last issue’s change of tract, from slightly clichéd superhero tropes to a polemic on American involvement in Africa, I have renewed hope for this title, despite not being happy with the change from a MAX title. JMS still appears to be heading for thoughtful superheroics, which is what I’m reading it for, and Gary Frank is still on top form.

Ursa Minors #1
This is a possibility, based on the good vibe I’ve picked up from the web, the wonderfully bizarre premise of the series, and this preview. I’ll take a look at it when I’m in the shop to decide.

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Linky-linky

LinkMachineGo (does the person have a name?) does the ‘100 Reasons Why I Love Comics’ post; I particularly like 'Gaze into the fist of Dredd!' reference. It’s rather strange seeing this on the site because, as long as I have been reading it, LinkMachineGo has been a very interesting links site (the original definition of a blog), and I have been directed to some great things by the choosiness of the links, covering London, Comics, Film and other wonderfully bizarre stuff. As with the links, we share similar tastes in common, although my list was quite different.

Greg posts a handy collection of links of his Comics You Should Own column. He’s been doing this for a while, back on his own blog, Delenda Est Carthago, now regular on PopCultureShock, and it’s very interesting. He’s going alphabetically, only on the ‘D’s, so he’s got a lot more to recommend. I don’t agree with all his choices (although the PAD Aquaman & Atlantis Chronicles were good, I don’t think they are Comics You Should Own; I was also quite disappointed by Camelot 3000, despite the lovely Bolland art, but I think I’m in the minority), but the majority are very good comics, and Greg writes engagingly about them all.

Finally, an image. Newsarama provides this cover by Jim Lee to the new Grant Morrison-written WildCATS. Now, I love Jim Lee’s art (as mentioned in this post), but this is quite a dull cover. It doesn’t really capture any sort of feeling, or give any kind of mood. It doesn’t scream, 'BUY THIS! IT WILL BE COOL!' I will be buying the book, obviously; it is written by GM and drawn by Lee, so how could I not. However, I hope the interiors are more interesting than the exterior.

Comics on my shopping list (if I make it to the shop ...)

Pulse-pounding Periodicals for Perusal!

Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #18
I’m still intrigued by the 'Supergirl thinking it’s all a dream' concept, which has shook things up quite nicely. I still have faith in Waid, although it faltered a little in the middle of this run, so I hope I’m not piling on the expectations.

PvP #26
I still enjoy Kurtz’s gaming magazine sitcom, for all its geeky references. I read the preview of Truth, Justin and the American Way, but felt it was TOO much like an ‘80s US sitcom for my liking; I didn’t particularly like them then, so I’ll stick with the PvP crew for my pop culture yuks.

New Avengers #19
I still haven’t got round to reading the comics leading to this, so this will be a rare book that can’t be read with feverish excitement on the tube home from the comic shop. It also means I have been missing any reviews or speculation on the series so far, so I can come into it fresh. I look forward to it eventually.

Nextwave: Agents of HATE #5
This will be the first comic I pull from the bag to devour (not literally, that would be hideous, and probably poisonous), as Ellis and Immonen have created a cracking team book from the start, with plenty of gleeful laughs and cartoony violence, a perfect recipe for a superhero comic.

Powers #18
The new direction for the Powers team is very intriguing, especially when anything can happen in this creator-owned book; the status quo does not have to be maintained, as the series has shown, which provides the platform for plenty of drama and action.

Squadron Supreme #3
I didn’t buy the linking mini-series, so I might be missing some nuances, but the last issue didn’t inspire huge amounts of confidence. Without the MAX umbrella, this book now feels like a well-done but ordinary superhero book – the villain and cliffhanger at the end of #2 was so prosaic and clichéd, I felt a shiver of trepidation at where this book can go. The duo of JMS and Frank have earned some leeway, but they will have to pull out something spectacular to impress me.

X-Factor #7
With issue 7, it means it’s a new story for the next trade, so I hope things get shook up a little for the next storyline. I’m still not enamoured with Calero, especially following on from the talents of Sook, and the single-issue breathers of the last two comics haven’t been as strong. David has got the props for this book, so I’m expecting good things.


And because I didn’t tell you what I didn’t get last week:

100 Bullets #72
Azzarello. Risso. Violence. Conspiracies. Cool dialogue. Funky art. What more do you need?

Fell #5
One of the best new comics in a while, this densely packed 'detective television show as comic book' will be my next book, after Nextwave, with Ellis’s precision dialogue and Templesmith’s moody and evocative art. I’m amazed it hasn’t been picked up as a television show.

Jack Staff #10
The last issue came out in October of last year, I think, so this is quite a wait. I don’t know if it’s the drag or the anthology nature of the book, but my love for the book has been waning. I hope that Grist can do something special to return me to the fold.

Whose Side Am I On? I’m On The Outside, Looking In ...

My shopping list for the week:

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NOTHING!

Damn. And it’s not even a skip week. So, what is there this week that I COULD buy?

I could get the third Gotham Central trade, if I didn’t already have all the issues of a series that has been cancelled, and was screwed by DC in its turnaround time for trades in the first place.

I could buy Infinite Crisis #7, if I cared about the DC Universe the way some people do, and so I could understand what most of the internet comic book chatter is about these days. (Or make sense of this eloquent post by the returning Jim Roeg.)

I could get Y The Last Man, if I wasn’t consigned to getting it in the trade format already. Once I start in one format, I can’t make the change, dinosaur that I am.

I could buy the Sam & Twitch trade, collecting the first nine issues of Bendis’s great run on the series, if I didn’t already own the issues in question. Really good stuff, btw.

Marvel has trades I could buy if I didn’t already have the issues: the third collection of Peter David’s Hulk work is out, collecting the strange selection of The Incredible Hulk #349–354, Web of Spider-Man #44 and Fantastic Four #320; also out is the Uncanny X-Men Omnibus, collecting #94–131, Annual #3 and Giant-Size X-Men #1 (phew), which would look good on the bookshelf, if it wasn’t so expensive. The only new collection that interests me is the fifth Punisher trade, The Slavers, but I am still undecided on it.

The only thing I can think of buying is THE big book of the week, Civil War #1. This would be to have something to read, but also the problem of not understanding most of the chatter on the web about comic books this week, as I’m sure it will be the hot button topic. I must confess to a curiosity about it; I guess it is something to do with my being a Marvel kid growing up, and their universe always had more of a rough and ready appeal to it, compared to the airlessness of the DCU.

To keep me entertained this week, I have to turn to my blogging compadres.

Greg has the second instalment in his discussion of magnum opera, which is a wonderful read (and not because there are similar choices to my own) that I would urge you to check out. Great job, Greg.

Kevin posts a scan of a crackling page from the Sensational She-Hulk #50 that I would gladly pay money to see, if it was a continuing series by Walt Simonson.

I wanted to mention David’s second Free Comic Book Month, where he gives away free comic books according to what he thinks people might like when they write to him with their list of top five books, even though my living in the UK makes me ineligible for it.

Does anyone know what’s happened to Scott at Polite Dissent? I get through to a search page, rather than the actual blog, which makes me worried for the massive collection of medically related comic book posts by the working doctor and comic book fan.

Finally, I wanted to mention this post at Ye Olde Comick Booke Blogge, which dares to speak out loud the contentious view that Jack & Stan’s Fantastic Four isn’t actually that good, something I can agree with based on the limited stuff I’ve tried to trudge through and my singular dislike for Kirby’s art (notwithstanding his dynamism and what it brought to comics, I can’t bear to look at it for very long, and hate all the Kirby 'homages' that make my eyes bleed, which means I can’t read Godland).

Jake is also responsible for a charming piece of Photoshop work in this post at 2 Guys Buying Comics, which bought a smile to my face.

Bring Me The List of Clandestine Critic

The comics are still impossible to access due to the move, so blogging detours to another topoic where the research is provided online – this week’s list of my pulse-pounding purchase:

Tag & Bink: Episode 1 Revenge of the Menace
There can never be enough Star Wars comedy, in my opinion. I know it’s an easy target, but Rubio does it with affection, which is the best way.

Usagi Yojimbo #93
It is always a good week with new Rabbit Ronin to enjoy. How does Stan Sakai keep up the consistency? The quality is impeccable and the stories continue to entertain, intrigue, amuse and keep me absorbed.

Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein #4
Definitely the best of the three latter mini-series; Mister Miracle failed to escape its limitations, Bulleteer was a none-too-startling comment on the obvious (and embarrassing) comic book trope of objectifying women, but Frankenstein was pure fun, with a character that could support a continuing series and an artist in Mankhe born to the job. When the new home is settled, I look forward to reading the whole Seven Soldiers story and seeing how it works as a whole.

Supergirl & the Legion of Super Heroes #17
I had been considering quitting this book, based on the lack of Mark Waid magic in the book and the particularly awful fill-in issue, but I was sucked in by the last panel of the last issue. A classic ‘everything you know is wrong’ change of the status quo, perhaps, but they seem to be going for the full monty, which makes it much more entertaining a prospect.

New Avengers Annual #1
Having enjoyed the first TPB, I decided to keep reading this series. However, the price of the next TPB, Sentry, at $14.99 for four issues seemed to be taking the piss somewhat. Fortunately, I was able to pick up the majority of back issues at a cheap price, so I will be reading them in order once I have a chance to sit down and enjoy them. Also, it has Jessica Jones in this, a character I enjoy, despite being turned into the schmaltzy baby-making machine that usually happens to female characters on sitcoms when they’ve run out of ideas, so I have to get it.

Runaways #15
I've been disappointed with the last few issue of Runaways, which is a surprise as it has been one of the most entertaining books around, making me smile with its light touch and brilliant cliffhangers. I don’t know if it’s just a dip due to Vaughan thinking about other things (Y the Last Man script, perhaps?) but I really hope he turns it around, as this book is too good to just fade away.

X-Factor #6
I may be fussy, but I do miss the Sook art. It helped make the book distinctive. I also didn’t enjoy the women-beating story of the last issue (which didn’t cause as much fuss as Desolation Jones #6, but that might be just me), so I hope Peter David has a strong issue to turn my frown upside down.


Two for the price of one: last week’s pamphlet pleasure (as I couldn’t get to the shop because I was moving home):

Ex Machina Special #1
I hope there is a good reason for having this outside the series (apart from not interrupting the flow of stories for the trade collections; wouldn’t want them to mess up their system …) but can’t complain about having more Ex Machina, and it will be interesting to see the fine pencils of Sprouse on Mayor Hundred.

New Avengers #18
I won’t be reading this just yet (see note above), but I do look forward to it. I’m not an Avengers fan of old, so I have no childhood memories to shatter and abuse, so Bendis can have some fun in the Marvel Universe, accompanied by the talented artists that are working on this book.

Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #4
Most anticipated book of the week; Ellis & Immonen are a great team, and this is a pleasure from start to finish. Undiluted explodo joy and superhero mockery.

Squadron Supreme #2
Seemingly, I should have read the mini-series to understand who all the new people were, which didn’t help enjoyment levels. However, it’s good to see this back again, and Gary Frank is on my ‘Artists I Like’ list, so I look forward to seeing story progression at some point.


In events outside my list of comic book purchases, Dave’s X-Men week continues with a look at The Uncanny X-Men #200. This issue means a lot to me because it took me such a long to find the bastard; having discovered the joys of the back issue bins of my then comic shop (Forbidden Planet, in its original location on Denmark Street), I plundered them for old X-Men issues to satiate my growing obsession with Marvel’s merry mutants, but I had to wait years before I found a shop that had this issue, the hole in my collection (and I paid a few quid for it too, which seemed like a fortune for a comic at the time). I agree whole-heartedly with Dave on the ‘Mag-NET-o’ pronunciation issue; ‘Mag-NEAT-o’ makes him sound so limp and childish, and was disappointed to find out that I wasn’t enunciating it the approved way, and had to sound stupid in my head when I read the name. Also, as I mentioned in this post, the purple costume with the opera gloves was a fashion disaster of gargantuan proportions. God, the ‘80s were bad, weren’t they?

Incoming...

(As I already give too much love to Ellis, cover of the week goes to Stan Sakai and his brilliant creation.)

Comics filling my fiction fix for this week:

Usagi Yojimbo #87
Stan is creating another epic storyline, so not an issue for those wanting to pick up their first issue. Still wonderful stuff, though.

Gotham Central #36
One of the best DC mainstream books of the moment.

Fell #2
First issue was a cracker and I don't expect number two to be any different.

Jack Staff #9
When was the last issue of this? I'll have to dig out the old ones to remember what's going on …

Powers #13
New storyline, same old excellent storytelling. Even though Powers is well served in the trade format, I can't wait that long for the book.

A good week, by all accounts. Comic shop, here I come …

Comics in my near and not-so-near future

Books I want this week:

Strangehaven #18
When was the last time this came out? Always a pleasure to see this appear on the New Comics List.

Jack Cross #2
I never watched 24, so the comparisons some have made mean nothing to me. Even if Erskine isn't at his best, the first issue was taut stuff, so looking forward to more.

Legion of Super-Heroes #10
Hopefully, Kitson is back on art duties, as we see what happens next in this interesting take on the LSH.

PvP #19
I've read the entirety of the online comics so this is my way of paying Mr. Kurtz back.

Daredevil #77
Bendis & Maleev have had a great run on DD and this last arc looks like it will be no different.

And now, a few comments on the solicitations by the big three companies for December.

Image try their best to be different and interesting but someone should have told them that the phone conversation thing was not funny. Really. Marc Silvestri wimps out on Hunter-Killer, with Eric Basaldua providing the interior pencils for issue 8. Wasn't this supposed to be his return to drawing regularly? Or perhaps I'm being too harsh. After 3 issues (has #1 come out yet?), V.I.C.E. is, apparently, already an 'ongoing hit series!', which I'm sure is news to the rest of the world. And I'll avoid the easy joke in Best of Michael Turner being a very small book. Damn.

DC has lost a lot of the goodwill I felt for it with most things seemingly crossing over with Infinitely Long Build Up and Continuity Clean Up, which makes me gloss over most of the books on the list. Apart from Seven Soldiers, the one thing that brought a smile to my face was the title of the Batgirl TP, Kicking Assassins, but I guess that depends on your sense of humour. Although it smacks of cashing in, Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups Vol. 1 TP will give those people, like myself, the opportunity to read some interesting old comics. The same can be said for Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 1 TP, with the innate suggestion that there is more to come. The only addition to my usual suspects will be the last issue of Tom Strong, as Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse come back to finish things off in style. I haven't been reading it since Moore left, because that's the kind of chap I am, so I'm looking forward to the finale. Question – why are the TPs for Vimanarama and We3 $12.99 (more than the individual issues) when Seaguy is $9.95? Am I being dense but aren't the point of TPs to be cheaper than the comics, more accessible to the non-comic reading public?

Marvel have fostered very little goodwill with me and their strategy of late (throw enough shit at the wall and see what sticks) makes going through their solicitations very wearisome. It must be the silly season with all these 'Specials' to drain people's bank accounts, and do we really need six more What Ifs? The art of Leinil Francis Yu will probably be wasted on Ultimate Wolverine v Hulk, which seems a shame for his first project under exclusive contract. Kevin Smith sees fit to finish off his Spider-Man series after being constantly guilted into it by Joe Quesada, who only gives him slack because of the media attention he can bring to a project. The curiosity value of two Punisher one-shots make for the most interesting Marvel projects; Andy Diggle does the Xmas comedy, while Garth Ennis does Pre-Pubescent Punisher, which seems utterly bizarre but should be a good read nonetheless.

I don't know; it's enough to make someone write an article about how they are bored with comic book NEWS and then see the internet crack in half when people misinterpret what was written …

So, to finish more positively, here are my favourite covers from each of the three companies. James Jean was a strong contender, but these won for the way they stood out from the rest or, in the case of Punisher/Bullseye, because it made me laugh.

Comics currently craved: A discussion of WHY

Comics I'm looking forward to reading the most this week:

100 Bullets #63
Fables #40
Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #3
Gravity #3
Ultimate Annual #1

I’m anticipating all these books, especially Zatanna, but it got me thinking about what I get on a monthly basis and trades I wait for later. Below is a list of the stuff I am buying and have been buying for the last 18 months or so, indicating whether it’s an ongoing series or a mini-series, the sort of book it is, and why I’m buying the monthly. This is a long one, so I hope you’re sitting comfortably …

100 Bullets (ongoing)
Crime conspiracy/thriller. I got in at the ground floot and passed a point of no return regarding reading it in collected form.

1602 (mini)
Alternate super-hero history. Bought because it was written by Neil Gaiman and because the individual issues (rather than the TPB) meant money would go to a cause.

Arrowsmith (mini)
Fantasy/alternate history. This is non-mainstream for comics, so deserves support, and a dream team of Busiek & Pacheco meant I wouldn’t be able to wait.

Astonishing X-Men TPB #1
Straight super-hero. In the words of PVP, Joss Whedon is my master now – Buffy, Angel and Firefly mean he can do anything and I’ll be there. John Cassaday is a stunning artist. But I KNEW this was going to be in trade and didn’t need me buying the comics in order to support it.

Astro City: The Dark Age (ongoing)
Super-hero. This will be collected but Busiek has been away from his pet series for a while, so needed people to know they still cared, and looks to be too interesting a story to wait.

Authority: Revolution (maxi)
Super-hero with a twist. I should have got this in collected form, as it will definitely read better that way, but Brubaker was getting me via Gotham Central and Sleeper, and Nguyen was doing Wildcats, so I couldn’t help myself.

Caper (mini-series)
Judd Winick sets my world on fire with Barry Ween but dampens my ardour with his super-hero work, so this seemed like an interesting compromise. The last arc seemed silly, with some pop culture riffing, but the first two were more powerful and ensured I had no regrets.

Captain America & The Falcon (up to #12)
Super-hero. Priest is the man. He is also the man most likely to have a series he is writing cancelled. So I knew I had to support this. However, either I’m not a big fan of Captain America, the character, or this just didn’t work for me and, although I’m sad another book of his got dumped, I wasn’t as gutted as for Xero or Quantum & Woody or Black Panther or …

Chosen (mini)
Movie treatment. I really wish I hadn’t bought this now. I thought Millar was returning to his Swamp Thing roots, if you’ll pardon the pun, for some mature storytelling. I was wrong.

Daredevil (ongoing)
Street-level super-hero. Possibly the best combo for this book in quite some time; Bendis just has perfect instincts for crime stories and Maleev’s art is beautiful. There have been times when it didn’t quite work, but I’m glad that I have the floppies in my collection, even though I knew they’d be collected.

Desolation Jones (ongoing)
Detective/spy/Ellis. I do have more than a bit of a thing for Ellis’s work – the only work of his I don’t buy straight off is his super-hero stuff – and this seemed (and is) prime Ellis material. There was no way I was waiting for the inevitable trade.

Ex Machina (ongoing)
Political/super-hero. Brian Vaughan has been doing some great things. Harris is an artist I’ve admired since Starman. The idea seemed out of the mainstream enough to worry about the numbers. The work itself has meant that I can’t wait for the next issue.

Fables (ongoing)
Fairy tale with a twist. Started from the beginning, as it looked like it might not make it and now far too hooked to stop. Don’t know if I’ll get the spin-off, though.

Fantastic Four #511–524
Super-hero. Waid & Weiringo are a perfect team for the FF. The series started out at the cheaper price which meant the TPB issue wasn’t considered (although they raised the price later) and it was a (very) minor protest at Marvel having booted them off the first time round. Stopped once Waid & Weiringo finished.

Garth Ennis’s 303 (mini)
Modern war/drama. Ennis is someone whose work I have enjoyed immensely and this seemed to be a return to the sort of material he wanted to be able to do outside of the mainstream. Also, seeing Jacen Burrows in colour was a draw. And doing this at Avatar, even though it will be collected eventually, meant I had to get the floppies.

Gotham Central (ongoing)
Crime (with a hint of super-hero). The numbers on this have never been great, so I’m glad it’s still going. I knew I had to get this because of the idea (being a cop in Gotham), that it was going to be a tough sell, and the creative team. Very glad to be getting the floppies.

Gravity (mini)
Super-hero. Old school super-heroics with a new character was going to need support and this looked too charming to miss.

Hellboy: The Island (mini)
Action/horror. I doubt Mignola needs my money but I only buy Hellboy when he writes and draws, and that has been a while, and seems to be a while in the future until he does it again.

Hunter Killer (ongoing)
Super-hero (with a twist). I thought that the teaming of Waid & Silvestri seemed interesting and there was a different take on the super-powers/government plot. I’m not sure if I’m convinced yet but am still intrigued enough to continue.

Intimates (ongoing)
Super-hero soap opera. With the news that it’s cancelled as of #12, it looks like my buying it to boost the numbers didn’t help. I’ll have to re-read it to see if I’ll keep it in my collection.

Jack Staff (slowly ongoing)
Super-hero, Brit-style. This list of comics covers about a year and a half, and only 4 issues of Jack Staff have come out – how long for the trades? This is very enjoyable stuff from Grist that unfortunately loses momentum due to the large delays between books.

JLA: Another Nail (mini)
Super-hero. This should have been a trade, as it was cheaper, but also because it wasn’t as good as the first, wonderful story. However, Alan Davis is a spectacular artist and I am weak.

JLA: Classified #1–3
Super-hero. Grant Morrison setting up Seven Soldiers, with Ed McGuinness on art. I couldn’t wait. Good decision.

Legion of Super-Heroes (ongoing)
Super-hero (obviously; the clue’s in the title …) I have a soft spot for the LSH. Not a huge fan, mind you, but enough to be sufficiently intrigued by a creative team I like (from Empire and JLA: Year One) to go for the individual comics, as well as the extra pages in the book itself. A bit less angsty-teen stuff and more of the titular aspect would be appreciated.

Losers up to #12 (Wait for trade)
Action/conspiracy. I switched to the trade, perhaps mistakenly, during a cut-back I had over a year ago. I am not a rich man, and can only afford so many comics a week. Some things had to go. Still a big fan, even if I have to wait, but I’m stubborn, so can’t go back to the comics now, especially knowing that it’ll be ending soon.

Ocean (mini)
Sci-fi/action. See Desolation Jones for my Ellis-whoring. Also, Chris Sprouse is in my good books since some LSH stuff, Supreme and Tom Strong.

Outsiders up to issue 12, after which I stopped
Super-hero. Judd Winick doing old school super-hero with Tom Raney on art. Sounded like a good idea at the time. Winick’s dialogue was zingy but his storytelling wasn’t compelling and Raney couldn’t keep a monthly schedule. Don’t miss it.

Planetary (ongoing)
Archaeological super-hero. One of the best books, when it comes out, with a perfect creative team telling a brilliant story.

Powers (ongoing)
Crime/super-hero. Another perfect creative team telling great stories, I’ve been with Powers since the image days and wasn’t going to stop now.

Promethea (maxi)
Magic/super-hero/Alan Moore’s treatise on magic. Although I still have trouble with the last issue (and I don’t want to cut it up), and the story stood still while Moore lectured us on tarot cards and the like, this was an amazing comic. Glad to have the floppies.

The Pulse (ongoing)
Super-hero/news drama (originally). The slowness of publication, the tie-in to the seemingly never-ending Secret Wars, the tie-in to House of M; all have dulled my joy. Needs a turnaround from Bendis to get me enjoying this again.

The Punisher (Max imprint) up to #6, waiting for the trade.
Violence. 'Welcome Back, Frank' was hilarious. Some of the later stuff wasn’t so good, but still enjoyable. This is obviously in collected form and doesn’t need me buying it to keep it going. Strangely, I haven’t bought the trades yet, perhaps based on some negative reviews from fellow bloggers, but I’ll get round to it soon.

PVP v2 (ongoing)
Humour. I have read the online strip for at least four years now and never made a donation to the site. Buying the comic is my way of giving Kurtz some money to keep on doing what he does best.

Queen & Country (sort of ongoing)
Espionage. Wasn’t this Oni’s first monthly comic? I can’t recall but a spy book, about a female spy no less, in black and white from an independent publisher needed support from the start. And I was glad to be there, as this is a great book, which has been knocked off the radar due to Rucka being one of the architects of the Infinite Crisis, which is a shame, but I don’t begrudge him work.

Runaways (ongoing)
Super-hero. I wasn’t sure about this book until I picked up the first issue in a comic shop and read it and I was completely hooked. I’m glad I got the comics because Vaughan does cliff-hangers wonderfully and also because I don’t like digest size for the collection, but mainly because this is one of the most consistently enjoyable books that Marvel is putting out at the moment.

Seaguy (mini)
Morrison-esque. Morrison usually makes me buy the comics anyway, but would have preferred this in the trade as I didn’t enjoy it as much as some of his other work. Personal taste thing, not a quality aspect.

Seven Soldiers (ALL)
Morrison super-hero. These will be collected but I can’t wait that long; all those books with distilled essence of Morrison in them, about super-heroes, in the DC universe, where he can do what he wants? No question.

She-Hulk TPB 1 & 2
Humour/super-hero. I got into this late. This was a great story, with some wonderful art from Bubillo and a lightness of touch from Slott that means I'll be buying the second season in the monthly format.

Sleeper Season 2
Conspiracy/thriller/slight super-hero. This had trouble with low sales from the first ‘season’ which I also got in comic form because I knew it would be a tough sell. Glad to have got these, as it was a cracking story.

Smax (mini)
Fantasy. Alan Moore is a god of comics. Top Ten was genius. No contest.

Strangehaven (ongoing, sort of)
Categorizable? I was in on the ground floor anyway, before the schedule went from sort of monthly to annual, so I’ll be with this in comic format for the duration.

Stupid Comics #3
Humour. I guess these are almost collections in their own right, so I don’t know if they’ll be collected again. However, I don’t know if I’ll be getting this again, so the point is moot.

Superman: Birthright (maxi)
Super-hero. I don’t read Superman, so this seemed like a way to check out the granddaddy of super-heroes, with Waid displaying his Supes love and the gorgeous artwork of Yu to entrance. I should have probably waited for the trade but I’m happy this has a place among my comic books.

Supreme Power (ongoing)
Super-hero with a twist. The team that brought us Midnight Nation on a ‘mature’ take on an alternate JLA had me salivating. I’m not sure about the hiatus, downgrade to Marvel Knights or the spin-offs (Jurgens on art rather than Frank?) but I’ll keep buying this instalments, whenever they turn up.

Ultimate Fantastic Four up to #6 then wait for trade
Super-hero. I thought this would be an interesting take on the FF which, when done right, can be an excellent venue for 'mad, crazy ideas'. The first arc didn’t really do anything for me, so I went for the ‘wait for trade’ policy that is scaring the PTB in the big publishing companies. I subsequently bought the Ellis-written stories in this form and thoroughly enjoyed them, made more enjoyable by being able to read in one sitting.

Ultimate X-Men up to #45
Super-hero. Bendis & Finch make for a good team, enough to make me weaken and get their storyline in instalments. I haven’t got round to getting Vaughan’s stories in collected form yet.

Ultimates 2 (ongoing)
Super-hero. Millar may have problems as a writer but Ultimates seems just perfect for right now. I was never a big Avengers fan, so the stories are new to me, and the Hitch art is simply magnificent. I could probably wait for the collection but enjoying it too much to switch.

Usagi Yojimbo (ongoing)
Anthropomorphic/samurai/history. Simply brilliant comics. If I could afford it, I would buy the trades as well, just to be able to have a shelf of Usagi books on display. Sakai is a modern master of comic book storytelling and the Usagi Yojimbo box I have is a proud part of my collection.

Vimanarama (mini)
Bollywood/fantasy/Morrison-esque. I debated this one for a while but succumbed in the end. A fun, if not earth-shattering tale (well, I mean, in the book the earth might have shattered but … you know what I mean), it was nice seeing Bond on art duties again. Could have waited for the trade.

Wanted (mini)
Super-hero with a twist. Apart from the last page, this was quite good, if a tad juvenile in places. Lovely art from Jones and Millar doing an intriguing if slight tale. Could have waited for the trade.

Warren Ellis’s Apparat comics
Pulp variations. Until the recent Bad Signal said otherwise, these weren’t going to be collected; there was supposed to be no choice that these were going to be individual comics only. Still, I enjoyed three out of four immensely, so no regrets.

We3 (mini)
Let’s call it sci-fi action. I didn’t get this based on my reaction to Seaguy. Then the internet went crazy for it, so I thought I’d get the trade. Then the trade was more expensive than the individual comics, so I felt annoyed. Luckily, Gosh! Comics, my LCS, had the three issues as a set for £5, less than the individual comics, so I got lucky. Oh, yes, it was brilliant as well.

Wildcats v3 to the end
Super-hero with a twist. This was a wonderful take on the super-hero team and was always going to be a hard sell, so I felt obliged to get the comic as it came out, a decision I don’t regret, as this was immensely satisfying and a shame to see it cancelled due to low numbers.

Wonder Woman up to #217
Super-hero. I decided to give this a try solely due to Rucka’s writing. The early issues, where fans were complaining of nothing happening, were perhaps the most interesting, exploring Diana’s mission and place in the DCU. The later stuff defining a nemesis for Diana were less interesting and I bolted when I heard of the involvement with Infinite Crisis. DC’s attitude to collecting books meant this seemed an unlikely choice for the format, so I don’t mind that I got the comics. However, I’m going to need another read-through of the books I have to decide whether they stay or not.

So, apart from displaying the narrow range of my tastes and my unhealthy taste for super-heroes (albeit with a twist), what have we learned?

Well, if a book isn’t working for me, I should give it fewer issues to impress me. It may be harsh, but a book has to grab me, and how, otherwise it’s not doing its job. The cutting down on weekly comics allows for more experimentation, although my range (I feel) is limited by my tastes. For example, a book that I stopped prior to the timeframe in this experiment was Human Target – Peter Milligan is a great writer but I wasn’t actively looking forward to this book when it came out, even though I could tell it was a good book. Another worry is trying things based on writers; this doesn’t always work. Judd Winick is an example; I’ve tried The Outsiders, his Green Arrow and a few others, none of which match his non-super-hero work.

So, if there’s anyone still left reading who has detected some glimmer of my tastes and has an idea of the sort of thing I would like, but am not currently availing myself of, please let me know. I’m willing to try new things (he said, sounding like a pervy swinger) so feel free to leave suggestions in my comments section.

Clutch of Comics Culture

Wherein I prattle on about comic-related things.

Winging their way to my grubby mitts via my excellent LCS:

Gotham Central #34
Intimates #10
PVP #0
Stupid Comics #3

Gotham Central (soon to be Streets of Gotham, according to Rich Johnston – will Rucka still be on board? – who also has photos of where I shop, Gosh Comics, if you were interested) is nearly always excellent, and the current storyline about a dead Robin is superb. Intimates is a book which I’m not sure I’m getting top value enjoyment out of, so I’m not sure how much longer it will stay on my list – please tell me otherwise if you have a view on the subject. I have much love for the antics of PVP so, even though this is an unnecessary introduction for me to the funny of Scott Kurtz, I can’t help myself. Stupid Comics sees Jim Mahfood doing his Evan Dorkin stuff; he’s not as good as the Dork master himself, but he has a nice style and can be very funny on occasion.

I’ve been away, so missed some stuff. Such as:

The leaking of Warren Ellis’s new Marvel team book go here for Warren talking about it and then here for Stuart Immonen talking about it, because I am an Ellis whore and will probably buy this, even if it does sound silly.

Here you can read Brian Vaughan talking intelligently about the film option on Ex Machina.

Mike Sterling made me laugh with what is presumably an old joke but one I had never heard before in his post titled The Comics FAQ:

WHAT DOES THE "X" IN "X-MEN" STAND FOR?

-- It's the Roman numeral representation of approximately how many X-Men
related titles are on the stands at any given time.

Joss Whedon talks about everything, including comics and why Warren Ellis is a God to him (found via Ellis himself – these creative types are so cliquey, aren't they?).

The MillarWorld Magazine has Garth Ennis revealing the origin of Section Eight, heh, heh, bueno …

And of course, there was the Wizard/Heroes Con fiasco – for more lucid and intelligent response, see this article by the estimable Paul O’Brien or, for an artistic interpretation, Scott Kurtz.

Time for me to read some comics. Enjoy your weekend, folks.

Assorted comics items

Lovely comics I shall be buying this week:

Hellboy: The Island #2
Astro City: The Dark Age #2
Legion of Super-Heroes #8
Pulse #10
Runaways #6

I'm not sure if I should be waiting for Astro City: The Dark Age to be collected. It's going to read better in trade form, it'll be cheaper and I don't think I'll be missing much by not getting the singles. Pulse is on probation; I think I only keep it going because Bendis is writing, Lark is drawing and Jessica Jones is a great character, but a lot of goodwill has been lost due to crossover nonsense, and this House of M tie-in won't help.

Comic I might pick up:

Hero Squared #1

The thought of Giffen & DeMatteis not having editorial constraint does sound enticing.

Comics I want to read but will wait for the inevitable TPB:

JLA Classified #10
Losers #26
Silent Dragon #1

All Ellis material gets collected, I think it's in his contract, so I'll get this story then, when they'll hopefully got rid of the fugly computer generated covers. I've already switched to TPB for Losers, which is perfect in one sitting, although I miss being current on this excellent series. I am sorely tempted to get Silent Dragon, as it presses all the right buttons and has a perfect creative team, but I must be strong and wait for the collection.

------------------------------

Some comic blogging linking:

Brian at Comics Should Be Good writes about Secret Wars II in these three posts, which talk a whole lot of comics that are NOT good. (In the comments, Tim points out his accurate and acerbic analysis of the series here, scroll all the way down, which has the added nostalgia value of showing a lot of the covers.) It's rather scary how familiar it all is, even though I no longer own the majority of the comics. It's sad that I have read nearly all of them in the first place but I had just discovered shops that existed JUST TO SELL COMICS, glee, and looking through the back issue bins caused me to pick up this hideous company-wide crossover at a very impressionable time for me, in full on Marvel zombie mode. Still, it was enjoyable reading about them all over again, even if Brian took a roundabout route to come to the conclusion that they were mostly awful comics.

Scott at Polite Dissent is putting up a list of the Top 10 Comic Book Doctors Who Actually Practice Medicine, and I can't wait to see who is number 1. Scott is doing a fab job, and I particularly like his Comic Book Drug Reference, because of the combination of real and comic book medicine.

Finally, because I was on hiatus when it happened, but just wanted to say what a good job Alan is doing with Comic Book Galaxy. He's got himself some great writers from the world of comic blogs, such as Johnny Bacardi and Mike Sterling and Clandestine Chum Logan Polk, to make it an even more indispensable site than it was before.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something… bizarre

I didn’t go to San Diego, but I always get a laugh out of the photos that come out of there every year (especially the ones sent to Warren Ellis) but this picture is THE greatest image ever, and is my Something Borrowed.

For Something New, my selection of comics coming out this week, as provided by NCRL:

Authority: Revolution #10
Ex Machina #13
Daredevil #75
Ultimates 2 #7

Brubaker’s Authority started slowly, but has moved up a gear nicely, to be expected from the man who wrote the double-dealing in Sleepers so well. Ex Machina is good comics; 'nuff said. Daredevil has taken an unusual detour with the Decalogue arc, but the last page of the last issue, with Murdock appearing, showed promise of a decent ending. And, yes, I’m still buying Ultimates, but more for the Hitch artwork than Millar and his writing.

There are two more books about which I am unsure but are eager to be read, waving their metaphorical hands in the air like school children eager to attract teacher’s attention with an urgency to use the toilet:

Defenders #1 – the super-hero comedy dream team of Giffen, DeMatteis & Maguire lovingly mock the silliest excuse for a collection of super-heroes. Should I singles it or wait for the trade?

Silencers v2 #1 – I’ve never read any of the previous comics, but the concept of super-powered mob enforcers is an idea too intriguing not to attract my attention. I’ll see what fellow bloggers think about it and have a read through it in the shop (What? They get a ton of my money, they can’t deny me the occasional skim …)

For Something Old, a quick look at last week’s comic purchases:

100 Bullets #62
Reading 100 Bullets in the floppy format is both rewarding and frustrating. I have to know what is happening in the (almost) monthly installments, but you lose some of the strands as you try to keep up with the almost impossible task of understanding everything that's going on. Still, Azzarello and Risso create such perfect packages of story for you to enjoy that you don't mind that you're missing something, which is high praise indeed.

Desolation Jones #2
I can't add anything better than this post from Mark (who gets extra points for his blog title riffing on Elizabeth Braddock’s catchphrase), other to say that this could be some almost pure Ellis, beautifully delivered by Williams' haunting artwork, and the emotional core of this issue looks like it will be a touchstone for the series. Excellent stuff.

Fables #39
Normally, a 'Meanwhile ...' issue might be a slow tale to allow you to take a breath in the middle of a storyline. Not so for Fables, which packs in a lot of plot development, with the addition of Mowgli to the Fables world and revealing a traitor. Medina's art is top-notch and Willingham maintains the quality of this title, another book I have to read in the singles format.

Seven Soldiers: Guardian #3
Although I liked the idea of the world in miniature as the basis for this issue, allowing us to look at the private life of Guardian, it seemed quite pedestrian for Morrison, which is only because he himself has set the bar so high. Hopefully, this will have a strong finish, with the final page and the hint of its link to the overall story of the Seven Soldiers.

Gravity #2
The cover of this comic comes close to the infamous 'Hulk Sodomise Puny Spider-Man' cover of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #2, which I don't know if it is deliberate, as the story has the feel of a Spider-Man tale and references them with a throwaway line. This book is quite charming, from the spot-on writing to the perfectly matched artwork, and I would love to see it do well, even if it probably doesn't have a chance. Enjoy while you can.

Finally, here’s Something Bizarre. I’d never seen it before my girlfriend pointed it out to me; Mad Merchandise You Wouldn’t Believe – Sushi and Dim Sum USB Sticks!

Comics: Incoming Issues

I've just talked about comics not turning up for another three months and now I'm talking about the books I'll be buying this week (hopefully). I blame the blogging bug. Line 'em up:

Garth Ennis's 303 #4
100 Bullets #59
Authority: Revolution #6
Seven Soldiers: Guardian #1
Sleeper Season Two #10
Daredevil #71
Runaways #2

I'm also thinking about The Expatriate #1, based on things I've read about it, but it's a full week as it is and finances may not stretch to an impulse buy. This is a hard-boiled week, with war, crime and conspiracy dramas providing the basis for the majority of my list, so the superhero madness of Grant Morrison and the old-school flava of Runaways should offer a palate cleanser after the intensity of the others. Although, saying that, I'll probably read Guardian first because I won't be able to wait until I read the others.

Purchase-Worthy Floppies

Being a list of illustrated story booklets considered exquisite enough to warrant completion of monetary transactions upon immediate release:

Ex Machina #9
Wonder Woman #214
PVP #15
Ultimates 2 #4

That being stated, the calamitous nature of recent events has necessitated an absence of acquisitions. The accumulation of these desirables should precipitate action on this behalf forthwith, at which time I should consider it a privilege to disperse my critical considerations.

Good day, dear reader.