09 May 2006

On the Shelves: 5/10/06

Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month.

My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 5/10/06. The full shipping is list available at ComicList.

[NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com]

PICK OF THE WEEK


Deogratias, A Tale of Rwanda


AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS)
Vaistron #5, $2.95


Andrew Dabb's twisted alter ego, Andrew Dabb, wraps up his opus maxiwackymus, and I can't wait to see how it all comes together. As unexpected guilty pleasures go, this has been one of the guiltiest!

ARCANA STUDIO
Koni Waves #1 (Of 3), $3.00


I can't help but feel like Arcana's lost a bit of steam lately, what with Jova's Harvest now completed, 100 Girls on hiatus, and, worst of all, Ezra's upcoming crossover with Alias' 10th Muse and their lost-me-at-hello model search that accompanied it. (The winner of which, BTW, looks nothing like Ezra!) I need to track down their Free Comic Book Day offering to see if I can recharge my enthusiasm.

AVATAR PRESS INC
Lady Death ad infinitum...


Ugh!

BLURRED BOOKS
Blurred Vision Vol 1 GN, $14.95


Jenny Gonzalez' review of this made it sound interesting in an offbeat, not really my cup of tea kind of way.

DC COMICS
52 Week #1, $2.50
American Virgin #3, $2.99
Ex Machina #20, $2.99
Fables #49, $2.99
Firestorm The Nuclear Man #25, $2.99
Jonah Hex #7, $2.99


Will I or won't I? I must admit that I'm tempted by 52, as much for Renée Montoya's storyline as for the potential for witnessing firsthand what might be the biggest train wreck in comics history. The fact that it should be wholly self-contained is appealing, and the dedicated web site is a nice touch. The prospect of spending $10/month for a regular dose of plot-hammered storytelling-by-committee, though, and having the ridiculous Booster Gold forced upon me, are significantly less appealing. (Side Note: Since when is Bruce Wayne the CEO of the Daily Planet? That's almost as stupid as President Luthor!) *** I recently read the first two Fables TPBs and was pleased to find them to be quite enjoyable. They're far from the "best comic ever" some have claimed it to be, and I won't be adding it to my pull list, but it's definitely a series I'll check in on now and then via the trade collections. *** Jonah Hex is delivering the entertaning, done-in-one goods on a surprisingly consistent basis, so why am I vaguely dissatisfied with it?

DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
Forgotten Realms Dark Elf Sojourn Seeley Cvr A #2 (Of 3), $4.95
GI Joe Americas Elite #11, $2.95
GI Joe Sigma 6 #6, $2.95


The "Hunt for Cobra Commmander" $0.25 preview was a solid reintroduction to one of my favorite bad guys (visually speaking, at least), so I'm really looking forward to that story arc kicking off in a couple of months, especially since it seems like Paul Jenkins' excellent Cobra: Reborn reboot from a while back is still in continuity. (Did I really just reference continuity in a positive manner?) The current Snake Eyes arc has been surprisingly entertaining considering there was never a doubt that he wouldn't stay dead, as Joe Casey's tightly plotted big picture has played out wonderfully so far. *** Andrew Dabb's wholesome alter ego counters his evil counterpart with the final issue of his Saturday morning grinfest, Sigma 6.

FIRST SECOND
Deogratias Tale Of Rwanda GN, $16.95


First Second's been getting a lot of bloglove recently, but Deogratias is the only title that's really stood out for me so far, thanks to Rich Watson's always insightful commentary.

MARVEL COMICS
Nyx Volume 1 Wannabe TPB, $19.99
Thunderbolts #102, $2.99
X-Men Deadly Genesis #6 (Of 6), $3.50


Light week from the House of Ideas, but if the NYX TPB collects all 7 issues, I just might pick it up.

MARKOSIA
Shadowmancer Delgado Cvr A #5 (Of 10), $3.50
Shadowmancer Miranda Cvr B #5 (Of 10), $3.50


Interesting news about Markosia over at CBR, as Chuck Satterlee wisely attempts to stay ahead of the story before the rumor mill rips them apart. Who are these mysterious investors who seemingly keep dipping into comics, gassing up the heads of starry-eyed creators and wannabe publishers, before disappearing into the middle of the night? Hopefully this plays out smoother than the Speakeasy debacle did.

PANTHEON BOOKS
Goodbye Chunky Rice Pantheon Ed, $12.95


I have a copy of the Top Shelf edition that I still haven't gotten around to reading. Gotta suck a bit for them seeing Pantheon's version on the shelves now.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Now that VAISTRON is completed, I expect you to post a long, in depth review here or on Buzzscope talking about the mini-series and how it's all really a commentary on the Patriot Act, the Equal Rights Amendment, and the cultural significance of Little Richard...somehow.

Good luck!