Sometimes, absence makes the heart go wander…

[x-posted from PopCultureShock]

What happens when the "maybe we just need a little space" trial separation makes you realize you're actually happier apart and have no interest in getting back together?

Well, if you're me and writing about and reviewing comics on a semi-regular basis is what you needed a break from, you stall one more month hoping for the good feelings to return before finally acknowledging the truth and writing the requisite farewell post for the 3-5 people who might still care.

In other words, it's officially "adios" for good this time!

To the comics internet, at least. I'm not done with comics themselves, of course; I'm just reading less of them these days and have no interest in feeling obligated to write about them, never mind writing about the incestuous and too-often petty little world of comics publishing and online fandom. Catching up on my myriad Google Reader subscriptions this weekend pretty much clinched it.

It's been real, it's been fun — I've written some things I'm proud of and made some good friends I wouldn't have otherwise — but not unlike the break from poetry that ultimately led me to reading comics again and eventually writing about them, things have come full circle and I'm going back to my first true love. More importantly, I'm taking the next big step in our relationship and building us a new home, aka the NYC-centric online literary journal I'm officially launching in January 2008 called Spindle.

To Jon, Howard, Rich, Adan, Matt and my other fellow writers here at PopCultureShock, past and present; and everyone who ever left a comment or dropped me a backchannel email, positive or negative: thanks for everything — the camaraderie, the support, the feedback, and most importantly, the passion each of you brought to the site. PCS will always be my online home for comics and I plan to check in more often now that the guilt over not carrying my weight the past few months will be lifted!

An extra-special shout-out to Katherine and Erin, whose insightful coverage gave me some helpful direction in my still nascent exploration of manga (I'm officially hooked on Eden and Planetes!) and made it that much easier to kick the Marvel/DC habit that was draining my wallet and tainting my appreciation of the form.

Remember, reading comics you don't enjoy is stupid. It's like drinking Budweiser or Coors just because they're cheaper than Magic Hat.*

Don't be stupid!

Love,
Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
PCS, 2005-2007 / CBC, 2004-2007

*NOTE: Like certain Essential and Showcase volumes, there's always a time and place for a cold PBR!

On the Shelves: 3/7/07

Reading is fundamental. Read what you like; don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 3/7/07. The full shipping list, as always, is 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


The Living and the Dead

DARK HORSE COMICS
Star Wars Legacy #9, $2.99

Legacy has replaced Conan, which I still enjoy, as my favorite licensed comic. NOTE: For context, it should be understood that I consider all of Marvel and DC's spandex titles to be licensed comics, too.

DC COMICS
Detective Comics #829, $2.99
Helmet Of Fate Zauriel #1, $2.99
Jonah Hex #17, $2.99
Shazam The Monster Society Of Evil #2 (Of 4), $5.99
Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters #8 (Of 8), $2.99

I'll have to revisit the Helmet of Fate: Black Alice issue sometime in the near future, because it was the most interesting of the one-shots so far, but overall, this has to be one of the more pointless series of stories I've ever read. I can't imagine what the payoff will be, or how it's all supposed to add up to buzz for the ongoing series, though. *** While I enjoyed Jeff Smith's fun take on the Big Red Cheese, it wasn't so good that I can't skip the pricey serial format and wait for the trade. *** Palmiotti and Gray continue to deliver the off-kilter goods in Jonah Hex, and among the announcements coming out of NY Comic Con was the great news that there's more Uncle Sam... coming, though it might be via Countdown, which isn't so great.

DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
GI Joe Dreadnoks Declassified Sauve Cvr A #2 (Of 3), $4.99

I totally punked out on my decision to shift to GI Joe to TPB-only after the recent price increase to $3.50, and the first issue from the new creative team, focusing on Baroness, was actually pretty good. The Declassified stories have been consistently good reads, too, so I guess Devil's Due maintains a hold on their small slice of my personal market share.

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Lone Ranger Directors Cut #1, $4.99

Anyone out there who's not a Cassaday sycophant who thinks this is worth picking up? I'm curious, but haven't been moved yet to jump on the bandwagon.

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
Living And The Dead GN, $9.95

I've mentioned this in the past, but there's something odd about the fact that I consider myself a Jason fan, have positively reviewed a couple of his books in the past (The Left Bank Gang was among my Best of 2006), and yet am always surprised to see a new release from him pop up on the shipping list. I know I'm not necessarily part of Fantagraphics' target readership (though I probably am, more than either of us might realize) but with as many blogs and comics' Web sites I scan daily, it absolutely baffles me that is the first I'm hearing of this latest release. Anyway, this is apparently a sequel to You Can't Get There From Here, which I haven't read yet, so I'll be picking both of these up tomorrow.

IMAGE COMICS
Bomb Queen III #1 (Of 4), $3.50
Dynamo 5 #1, $3.50
Nat Turner Book 2 Revolution TPB, $10.00

Image titles are few and far between on my mental pull list these days, never mind my actual list, but the first two issues of Nat Turner were amazing and a great pickup for the publisher. Dynamo 5 seems like it might be good, too, though the $3.50 price tag gives it a really short leash and will have to make an immediate impression on me. Bomb Queen, OTOH, doesn't interest me at all, but I like Jimmie Robinson so I'm glad to see it's found an audience and is selling well enough to survive in the otherwise barren wasteland that is the Shadowline imprint.

MARVEL COMICS
Captain America #25 CW, $3.99
Civil War Initiative, $4.99
Criminal #5, $2.99
Fantastic Four #543 CW, $3.99
Hulk And Power Pack #1 (Of 4), $2.99
Incredible Hulk #104, $2.99

Like DC's One Year Later, while I wasn't thrilled with how they set the table, I am curious about what Marvel's serving up post-Civil War, so there will be some sampling in my future as Dwayne McDuffie on Fantastic Four and Dan Slott on an Initiative ongoing have some appeal. Hopefully it plays out better than OYL, which resulted in more drops than adds for me.

NBM
Dungeon Parade Vol 1 TPB, $9.95

I think Midtown got this a week early, as I'm pretty sure I flipped through this last week, and it looked interesting, but not enough for an impulse buy. A couple of good reviews might do the trick, though.

RANDOM HOUSE
Persepolis The Story Of A Childhood SC New Ptg, $12.95

The Persepolis movie is nearing completion, so it seems Random House has smartly released a new edition of the book. If you haven't read it yet, you should, because it's very good.

On the Shelves: 2/21/07

Reading is fundamental. Read what you like; don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 2/21/07. The full shipping list, as always, is 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


House of Sugar

DARK HORSE COMICS
Conan #37, $2.99

I'm finally caught up on my post-Busiek Conan reading and am happy to see that Truman has taken the baton relatively cleanly and is running forward with it. If I wasn't a hard-won fan of the series, I'd probably consider waiting for the trades at this point, but there's something to be said for consistently entertaining serial adventures at a time where that's increasingly difficult to come by.

DC COMICS
Brave And The Bold Cvr A #1, $2.99
Helmet Of Fate Black Alice #1, $2.99
Robin #159, $2.99

The Big Two need a solid team-up book, featuring done-in-one (or two, at the most) stories that pair up their handful of A-list characters with an assortment of B- and C-list characters and send them on continuity-free adventures. Marvel Team-Up was nowhere near to being that book, but hopefully Brave and the Bold will be. *** Damn Helmet of Fate sucked me in via a completely irrational affection for Dr. Fate and while none of the stories have been terribly compelling so far, they've been solid enough to keep me onboard until the main series launches. *** I've enjoyed Adam Beechen's OYL take on Robin, and I've been hoping for a long while that Geoff Johns would step aside and let someone else take over Teen Titans, so having Beechen on both is a promising turn of events that will hopefully result in some meaningful character development for Tim Drake over the next year or two.

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
Heartbreak Soup Palomar Vol 1 TPB, $14.95
Maggie The Mechanic Locas Vol 1 TPB, $14.95

I've wanted to get into Love & Rockets and Los. Bros Hernandez for a long time now, so maybe these will be the gateway collections that finally make it happen.

GINGKO PRESS
Burning New York Graffiti NYC TPB (resolicited), $39.95

This is a pricey tome but it looks interesting and Gingko did right by me last time I picked up a couple of their books. Still, yet another non-comic book in the comic book section of the list. Seriously, how's that work?

HARPER COLLINS PUBLISHERS
Reinventing Comics TPB (Harper Collins Ed), $22.95

I'm about halfway through Scott McCloud's Making Comics and it is an amazing piece of work, absolutely essential reading for anyone creating or writing about comic books. Based on that, and the equally essential Understanding Comics, I'm going to have to finally stop procrastinating and check out Reinventing Comics.

MARVEL COMICS
Annihilation Book 1 HC, $29.99
Civil War 1 For 75 Turner Sketch Var #7 (Of 7), AR
Immortal Iron Fist #3, $2.99
Legion Of Monsters Werewolf By Night #1, $2.99
Powers #23, $2.95

I've seen so many positive reviews for Annihilation, and coupled with the fact that Quesada admitted that he didn't hype it too much because it wasn't his cup of tea, my interest is piqued. Not sure about the Hardcover only collecting half of the saga, but I might pick up the eventual TPBs if I like what I see when I flip through them. *** So, what does it take to get a 1-for-75 variant cover? Assume the average retailer is paying approx. $1.46/copy for the regular issue, so that's approx. a $109.50 investment for each variant copy, most of which will likely be flipped for at least half that much if not more on eBay, except for the major retailers who are ordering 300+ copies of the issue anyway, and can afford to price them lower. Retailers who give into this scheme in the name of superior customer service are ultimately harming themselves because Marvel and DC justify the continued use of variants as supplying the demand. So, who's killing comics?

TULIP TREE PRESS
House Of Sugar GN, $10.00

Well, check this out! A book I've never heard of, and the publisher, Tulip Tree Press, has a nicely designed web site that turns up on the first page of a Google search for "House of Sugar"; detailed information and samples of the book (the WHOLE book, actually); and ordering and contact information for the creator and publisher. Imagine that! It does get a demerit, however, for its lack of availability on Amazon.

VIRGIN COMICS LLC
Devi Sp Extended Coll Ed #1 & #2, $6.99
Sadhu Sp Extended Coll Ed #1 & #2, $6.99
Snakewoman Sp Extended Coll Ed #1 & #2, $6.99
Walk-In #3, $2.99

Nice to see Virgin making their comics accessible by releasing these bumper editions of the first two issues, but their Web site makes no reference to them or why they seem to cost more than the two issues did individually. Is there extra content? Dunno. Too bad, too, as I might have been tempted into getting one or two of them, but lacking that info, it will now depend on them actually being on the shelves when I get to Midtown, quite likely for a large retailer, but what about those LCBS' with tighter budgets and less experimental clientele? Missed opportunity, I think.

On the Shelves: 2/14/07

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

In honor of Valentine's Day, my weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 2/14/07 is all about the love. No snark; no bad reviews; just the good, might-be-good and hope-it's-good stuff. As a result, it's a pretty light read, too! The full shipping list, as always, is 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


Franklin Richards: Lab Brat Digest

DARK HORSE COMICS
Star Wars Legacy #8, $2.99

Possibly the best licensed comic going right now, Ostrander and Duursema are doing for Star Wars what Busiek and Nord did for Conan.

DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
Forgotten Realms Streams Silver Cvr A #1, $5.50

Okay, this is purely observation not snark, but "WTF?" with Devil's Due's recent price increases? $3.50 for G.I. Joe, now $5.50 for the Forgotten Realms adaptations? That's the sign for me to shift these to trade-wait status, which is bad for them since I was actually buying them along with the floppies.

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Battlestar Galactica Zarek #2, $3.50

I finally caught an episode of Battlestar Galactica the other night -- with special guest star, Richard Hatch! -- and was surprised that it was as good as people have said it is. I really liked the NYPD Blue camera work, and Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell are appealing actors who give it some credibility, so I might check in on it now and then. Might even give the comic book a look, too.

HARPER COLLINS PUBLISHERS
Ron Jeremy The Hardest Working Man In Showbiz HC, $25.95

Another regular book listed in the comics section...?

IMAGE COMICS
Casanova #7, $1.99

Now THIS is love. Good comics, cheap price.

MARVEL COMICS
Franklin Richards Lab Brat Digest TPB, $7.99
Thunderbolts Presents Zemo Born Better #1 (Of 4), $2.99

When you're holding back the snark, there's often so much less to say about the ongoing adventures of the spandex set. Funny that.

On the Shelves: 2/7/07

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 2/7/07. The full shipping list, as always, is 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


The American Way

BOOM! STUDIOS
Cthulhu Tales Rising One Shot, $6.99
Tag Cursed #1 (Of 5), $3.99

I'm not a Cthulu fan, but Boom!'s previous effort seems to have worked for those who are, and it's nice to see them sticking with the anthology format. *** The first Tag mini-series ended rather abruptly but set up an interesting enough premise that I'll probably check out the sequel if I don't gag on the too-steep $3.99 cover price.

DC COMICS
American Way TPB, $19.99
Batman Year One Deluxe SC, $14.99
Detective Comics #828, $2.99
Helmet Of Fate Sargon The Sorcerer #1, $2.99
Jonah Hex #16, $2.99
Shazam The Monster Society Of Evil #1 (Of 4), $5.99

American Way narrowly missed making my Best of 2006 list, but it was an excellent read and one of the most underrated titles of the year. Hopefully more people check it out in TPB form. *** I'm up to the 5th volume of Jeff Smith's colorized Bone series from Scholastic and am completely and utterly hooked. As a result, I'm curious to check out his take on the Big Red Cheese.

DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
GI Joe Americas Elite #20, $3.50

When did the cover price go up?!?! [checks...] Ah, as of this issue, the conclusion of two-issue transitional arc. Not cool! $3 is my tipping point for comics, when I think a little bit harder about whether or not I really need to buy a particular title. I've been enjoying this latest version of G.I. Joe, but with a new creative team coming onboard, a price increase is like a "Jump-off Point" neon sign.

HARPER COLLINS PUBLISHERS
Lucky At Cards MMPB, $6.99
Peddler MMPB, $6.99
Shards Of Crimson MMPB, $7.99

I'm a bit confused as to why, a) these novels are listed with in the comic book section; and b) why they're listed under Harper Collins when in fact the first two are published by Hard Case Crime, and the other by Dorchester Publishing, which claims to be "the oldest independent mass market publisher in America," and of whom Hard Case is an imprint. Confusion aside, Hard Case's author list is like my personal Who's Who list of "Writers I Wish Would Tackle Batman", including my absolute favorite, Lawrence Block.

IMAGE COMICS
Fell #7 (resolicited), $1.99

I vaguely remember really liking this comic book. Hopefully absence has made the heart grow fonder.

MARVEL COMICS
Dark Tower Gunslinger Born #1 (Of 7), $3.99
Ghost Rider Team-Up TPB, $15.99
Incredible Hulk #103, $2.99
Spider-Man And Power Pack #4 (Of 4), $2.99

Am I not a team player because I'm not the least bit jazzed about Dark Tower? I'll give Marvel credit for pulling off the midnight release PR stunt, though. They're already downplaying the pre-order sales, so I'll be curious to see what kind of response it gets in media, and how far, if at all, it carries over. *** What is the Ghost Rider Team-Up TPB? Sounds like it might be fun! *** Spider-Man And Power Pack has been the epitome of fun and I'm thrilled that Marvel keeps cranking them out.

TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS
Regards From Serbia GN, $19.95

This sounds very interesting: "This volume includes Zograf's entire e-mail correspondence to his friends throughout the world during the bombing of his hometown of Pancevo, as well as all of his comic strips produced over the decade Bosnian/Serbian war."

VERY DYNAMIC COMICS
Books With Pictures #1, $2.95

Interesting title, interest piqued [Googles...] and that interest is now gone completely because there's no web presence where I can get more information about it. Not very dynamic at all, unfortunately.

On The Shelves: 1/31/07

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 1/31/07. The full shipping list, as always, is 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


Why Are You Doing This?

DC COMICS
Batman And The Mad Monk #6 (Of 6), $3.50
Blue Beetle #11, $2.99
Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters #7 (Of 8), $2.99

Relatively quiet but solid week from DC as these are three of my current favorites of theirs, two of which will unfortunately be finished by March. The other, Blue Beetle, has sales figures that make me think it won't be around much longer than that. Looks like 2007's "Countdown" will be referring to the amount of time before I'm pretty much back to only having Batman-related titles on the DC section of my pull list. That's pretty sad considering Identity Crisis was one of the things that broadened my list and made me look forward to hitting Midtown as early as possible every Wednesday, not so very long ago. Seems like a lifetime...

DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
Eberron Eye Of The Wolf Collectors Ed, $5.99

This was a fun peek into the world of Eberron, but a Collector's Edition feels like Devil's Due is milking the magic cow a bit too often.

DIGITAL WEBBING
Digital Webbing Presents #32, $3.99

I didn't realize when I posted about Free Comic Book Day 2007 last week that Digital Webbing's offering was going to include a three-page preview of Joshua Hale Fialkov and Kody Chamberlain's whacked-out Punks! What other secrets do they have that I've overlooked all these years?

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
Why Are You Doing This GN, $12.95

This must be a re-offering, but whatever the reason, it's a great read. My first exposure to Jason and I immediately became a fan.

MARVEL COMICS
Daredevil #93, $2.99
Essential Ghost Rider Vol 2 TPB, $16.99

Slim pickings from the House of [Running out of] Ideas. Brubaker still has the golden touch, though, and the more I see of the Ghost Rider movie, the more I think it might actually be a fun romp. I'm tempted to pick up the Essential Volume One for shits and giggles.

Magazines
Geek Monthly #2, $5.99

Hmmm... This kind of looks like it wants to be Maxim for geeks, not really my cuppa, but if it's on the shelves, I'll give it a flip-through out of curiousity.

...

That's it? I might not bother stopping in at Midtown this week with such a light haul. That's a recipe for going crazy on TPBs and random shelf-surfing pickups. I think instead I'll finish reading the excellent-so-far Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City, about my all-time favorite team of superheroes, the 1977 New York Yankees!

On The Shelves: 1/24/07

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 1/24/07. The full shipping list, as always, is 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

Cover image to come...
Fallen Angel #12

ARCHAIA STUDIOS PRESS
Mouse Guard #6 (Of 6), $3.50

Good news: Mouse Guard is a great read, and one of my Best of 2006! Bad news: The first mini-series ends with this issue. Good news: A hardcover collection, Mouse Guard Volume One: Fall 1152, is due out in April, including 12 pages of bonus material!

ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS
Sonic Quest Death Egg Saga #1 (AA), $1.50
Sonic Quest Death Egg Saga #2 (AA), $1.50
Sonic Quest Death Egg Saga #3 (AA), $1.50
Sonic The Hedgehog #171, $2.25

When we were down in Virginia over the holidays, my son picked up a couple of Sonic digests and loved them. He's been carrying them around with him in his bookbag ever since.

BOOM! STUDIOS
Ninja Tales #1, $6.99
Savage Brothers #3 (Of 3), $3.99
Tag #3 (Of 3), $3.99

Boom!'s anthology books have been hit and miss, as is to be expected, but Ninja Tales looks like it might be fun. Not sure about $6.99 worth of fun, though. *** Savage Brothers and Tag are two of Boom!'s better high concept, made-for-Hollywood releases, the latter of which has already been optioned and has a sequel launching next month.

DC COMICS
Connor Hawke Dragons Blood #3 (Of 6), $2.99
Helmet Of Fate Ibis The Invincible #1, $2.99
Robin #158, $2.99
Showcase Presents Brave & Bold Batman Teamups Vol 1, $16.99

Not many people are reading Connor Hawke, but it's managed to generate a mini-controversy over Oliver Queen's rape at the hands of Shado that offers some interesting grounds for debate. Probably not what DC had in mind when they gave it the greenlight it, I'd guess. *** Helmet of Fate: Detective Chimp did just enough to keep me interested last week, and having the mini-series (?) come out on a weekly basis was a smart move as I'm more likely to follow it all the way through.

IDW PUBLISHING
Fallen Angel Idw #12, $3.99

Finally caught up with the last three issues this past weekend and it is once again firmly entrenched on my pull list. $3.99 is a bit steep for each issue, but David offers up just enough character bits to keep me coming back. Fallen Angel #10 was one of the best single issues of 2006, quite possibly THE best.

MARVEL COMICS
All New Off Hb Marvel Univ A Z Update #1 (Of 4), $3.99
Criminal #4, $2.99
Heroes For Hire #6, $2.99
Moon Knight #7 CW, $2.99
X-Factor #15, $2.99

Damn OHOTMU! They roped me in for the full 12 issues and now there's a 4-issue "update" I'm going to have to buy. My rationalization is that sometime in the near future I'm going to do a series of posts about some of the more peripheral players and come up with short pitches for each of them. *** Like Infinite Crisis before it, Civil War has claimed several victims, allowing me to pare down my pull list over the past six months. Heroes for Hire, which also loses Graymiotti to a DC exclusive as of this issue, is the most recent victim. *** Fresh off the heels of being reestablished in the MU, Moon Knight crossing over with Civil War does not excite me at all. *** Criminal and X-Factor, however, excite me quite me a bit!

VIPER COMICS
Dummys Guide To Danger #4 (Of 4), $3.25

This oddball black comedy/slasher mini comes to a satisfying conclusion. Jason Burns has issues. NOTE: The complete mini-series is part of our Massive Archaia, Viper & Spider-Man Giveaway.

VIRGIN COMICS LLC
Walk-In #2, $2.99

The first issue of Walk-In was satisfyingly weird, and I'm looking forward to more.

Magazines
Game Trade Magazine #84, AR

I want to track down a copy of Game Trade because I'm curious to see if there's anything about the Vs. TCG in it. A retailer in Virginia mentioned the game had died in his shop as Upper Deck has been shifting their attention and resources to the World of Warcraft TCG, and the last few expansions have done little to excite me personally. Dan and I finally played a game a couple of weeks back, and while still fun, the spark had definitely faded a bit. It'll be interesting to see if the Hellboy release does anything to help raise its profile again.

On The Shelves: 1/17/07

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 1/17/07. The full shipping list, as always, is 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


Batman: Year One Hundred

AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS)
Tron #3, $3.50

As a casual fan who was intrigued by the first issue -- which came out last April! -- I'm quickly losing interest in Tron. IIRC, this issue gets a new artist, which may or may not help matters as Louie Di Martinis work was solid, if unspectacular.

BARON PUBLISHING LLC
Barrons Graphic Classics Hunchback Of Notre Dame SC, $8.99
Barrons Graphic Classics Moby Dick SC, $8.99
Barrons Graphic Classics Oliver Twist HC, $15.99
Barrons Graphic Classics Treasure Island HC, $15.99

These actually look pretty interesting, and considering I've avoided reading any of them in their original form, might be a good way to get a few required reading classics under my belt!

CARTOON BOOKS
Bone Vol 5 Rock Jaw Master Of Eastern Border Color Ed SC, $9.99

This is apparently the latest Scholastic color edition of Bone, from their GRAPHIX imprint, so I'm not sure why it's listed under Cartoon Books. The first volume was excellent and I'm looking forward to getting through the entire series.

DARK HORSE COMICS
Conan #36, $2.99
Conan & The Midnight God #1 (Of 5), $2.99

The latest Conan spinoff is written by Joshua Dysart, who penned the excellent Captain Gravity and the Power of the Vril, so I'm really looking forward to this: "Barbarian hordes! Crafty political wizards! A profound emotional loss for an older, wiser Conan! Armies on the march! Every man for himself and Crom against all!"

DC COMICS
Batman Year One Hundred TPB, $19.99
Helmet Of Fate Detective Chimp #1, $2.99

I wasn't familiar with Paul Pope's work when I picked up the first issue of Batman: Year One Hundred, and it took the second issue to really hook me, but it's a fun, dystopian future take on Batman that doesn't ape Miller's Dark Knight too much. (Recently read 100% and enjoyed that, too.) *** Dr, Fate is one of those random characters I have an inexplicable affinity for, largely because I love his costume. These one-shots are tempting, especially with the recently announced ongoing series launching in April by Steve Gerber.

MARVEL COMICS
Spider-Man Reign #2 (Of 4), $3.99
Storm Premiere HC Var Ed, $19.99
Storm Premiere HC, $19.99

Spider-Man: Reign may be an unabashed riff on Dark Knight, but the first issue proved there was some potential in the concept and I'm looking forward to reading Dan's copy. *** A variant edition of the Storm hardcover? Some much for Marvel acting responsibly and "being willing to walk away from short-term money".

NIGHT SHADE BOOKS
Bronze Novel Of Terror SC, $14.95
Hart & Boot & Other Stories, $14.95
Imaro Vol 2 Quest For Cush SC, $14.95

Not sure why these are listed with the comics as they appear to be novels, but Night Shade's web site is worth a peek for fans of genre fiction. Imaro sounds particulary intriguing: "Imaro 2: The Quest For Cush is the second book in Charles Saunders' series of African inspired heroic fantasy. It begins with the reunion of Imaro, and his kidnapped lover Tanisha, who has been taken to the ruined City of Madness. With the help of their new found friend, Pomphis, a Pygmay from the eastern forests of Nyumbani, they learn of the sorcerous forces that may have been behind the dark wizard that destroyed Imaro's youth. "

VIPER COMICS
Villains Vol 1 Thick As Thieves TPB, $12.95

I think I missed the final issue of this mini-series, which I was enjoying very much.

Magazines
Back Issue #20, $6.95

Midtown always seems to get Back Issue a week early, so I've already devoured most of this "Secret Identities" issue. There's a great (and timely) interview with Steve Engelhart and Sal Buscema on Captain America's days as Nomad, as well as articles on Firestorm, Moon Knight, the Question, and an impassioned defense of the much-maligned Vince Colletta by Bob McCleod.

On The Shelves: 1/11/07

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly look at select comic books being released Thursday, 1/11/07. The full shipping list, as always, is 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


Are We Feeling Safer Yet? A (Th) Ink Anthology

AFTER HOURS
7 Days To Fame Complete Set, $11.99

I reviewed this last year for PopCultureShock: "There are some strong character moments throughout the story as the morality of the show is debated, and of suicide itself, but the overall tone is somewhat didactic as [Buddy] Scalera clearly favors one side of the argument, and too much of his peripheral dialogue feels forced and unnatural. The artwork improves dramatically between the first issue and the final two, as Dennis Budd is a noticeably better artist than Nick Diaz, whose stiff characters and low budget backgrounds give the first issue an unnecessarily amateurish feel. All in all, 7 Days to Fame is a noteworthy effort that suggests both Scalera and Budd are talents to keep an eye on. (2.5 out of 5 Surreal Lifers)"

DARK HORSE COMICS
Star Wars Legacy #7, $2.99

No blogiverse controversies here as John Ostrander and Jan Duursema deliver the goods on the best Star Wars-related tie-in since "working" lightsabers.

DC COMICS
Batman #662, $2.99
Fallen Angel Vol 2 Down To Earth TPB, $14.99
Green Lantern Corps #8, $2.99
Superman Batman Vs Aliens Predators #1 (Of 2), $5.99

Ostrander's "Grotesk" fill-in concludes, as does Batman's short-term return to my pull list. With the "Mad Monk" mini about to conclude, too, I'm down to only Detective Comics for my regular Bat-fix, and that one's on the chopping block, too. *** My enthusiasm for Fallen Angel has waned a bit, partly because of outside circumstances that have found the last few issues getting buried in my to-read pile (and partly for Peter David again hinting at some connection to his Supergirl run that holds no interest for me), but I still plan to pick up the TPBs collecting the original run at some point. *** Green Lantern Corps got the axe an issue or two back as my tolerance for marginal titles has lessened dramatically over the past six months, especially when it comes to the Big Two. *** Batman vs. The Predator was one of the first comics I dug out of the back issue boxes when I started buying comics again, back in 2003, so there's a bit of pseudo-nostalgic appeal to Superman Batman Vs Aliens Predators that might be enough to get me to pick it up. (Interestingly, DC notes that it's "co-published with Dark Horse Comics", which I didn't realize.)

DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
GI Joe Americas Elite #19, $2.99

I'm honestly surprised that G.I. Joe (and its myriad spin-offs) is still on my pull list, but it's been genuinely entertaining since the most recent relaunch.

IMAGE COMICS
Meltdown #2 (Of 2), $5.99
Strange Girl #13, $3.50

Hopefully Meltdown gets a collected TPB because the first issue had some potential, but a two-issue mini-series featuring an unknown character by relatively unknown creators is a tough sell and will have no shelf-life beyond its initial release. *** Strange Girl was my "Best Ongoing Series of 2006" and not enough people are reading it, ensuring they will share her fate of living in hell on Earth.

MARVEL COMICS
Immortal Iron Fist 2nd Ptg Dellotto Var #1, $2.99
Thunderbolts #110, $2.99

If you skipped Iron Fist #1 the first time around because it was, well, Iron Fist, here's your chance to rectify your mistake as Marvel offers up a legitimate 2nd printing of an underordered gem. *** I really enjoyed Fabian Nicieza's old school, character-driven run on The New Thunderbolts, but I have no interest in this new Civil War-revamped incarnation by Warren Ellis. Penance is an interesting concept for a character, but I have no faith in Marvel's ability to pull it off.

TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS
Are We Feeling Safer Yet A TH Ink Anthology TPB, $12.95

New work from Keith Knight! Nuff said.

On The Shelves: 1/4/07

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

Hello, 2007! 2006 was a great year for comics of all types (be sure to check out my Best of picks) and I'm betting this year is going to be even better all-around. Hopefully Ed Brubaker's crystal ball is in working order:

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2007? The rebirth of major interest in creator-owned non-universe spanning comics in the American Market. Yeah, after two years of crossovers and events, readers decide they just want to read the ones they like, and miss the days of Preacher and Sandman and Transmet... which leads to a surge in sales for non-superhero stuff. At least, that's what I hope is the big story.

From your lips to retailers' ears, Ed!

Here's my weekly look at select comic books being released Thursday, 1/4/07. The full shipping list, as always, is 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


Artesia, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 HC

ARCHAIA STUDIOS PRESS
Artesia Vol 1 HC, $24.95
Artesia Vol 2 Artesia Afield HC, $24.95

Now this is how you kick off the new year, with two hardcover volumes of one of the best fantasy series ever. Ever! Artesia is the crown jewel of Archaia's impressive lineup, and I will be adding both of these to my bookshelf and giving away my TPBs in our upcoming post-Holiday Comics Giveaway. (Stay tuned. Seriously this time.)

BLUE DREAM STUDIOS
Dreamland Chronicles Vol 1 TPB, $19.95
Eds Terrestrials HC New Ptg, $19.99

ADVANCE REVIEW: Actually, I'm going to review both of these within the next week or so, but I've already read Ed's Terrestrials and loved it. It's like Fairly Oddparents with aliens, and no fairies. I'll explain that later, but suffice to say it's a fun all-ages read and a worthy addition to one's bookshelf. Buy it!

DC COMICS
Jonah Hex #15, $2.99
Superman Confidential #3, $2.99

Jonah Hex's sales aren't so hot, but if you compare it to anything from Vertigo or Wildstorm, it has to be considered a qualified success. Hopefully that's how DC views it, at least, because it's one of the few ongoing titles of theirs left on my pull list and I'd hate to see it get canceled. *** It's no secret that I'm no fan of Superman, but I was pleasantly surprised by the first two issues of Superman: Confidential, which I borrowed from Dan and enjoyed enough to keep reading. His copies, of course, but Superman fans should definitely have this one on their pull lists.

INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER GROUP
Opening Lines Pinky Probes & L Bombs TPB, $14.95

ADVANCE REVIEW: Another one I'll be reviewing very soon as I'm still reading it, but halfway through, it's an entertaining bit of male stereotyping as the Girls & Sports comic strip eschews the standard collection and presents itself instead as a humorous Men's Guide to Dating. A little bit Maxim, a little bit Cosmo, a lot of tongue in cheek.

MARVEL COMICS
Incredible Hulk #102, $2.99
Powers #22, $2.95
Spider-Man And Power Pack #3 (Of 4), $2.99

I'm falling into a bit of a rut with the House of Ideas lately. I like what I'm reading (or, in Powers' case, what I'm expecting to read when I get caught up) but thanks to the shadow of Civil War looming over everything, I'm not terribly excited about any of it. Incredible Hulk, in particular, is cooling off for me as I am not looking forward to his return to Earth and the beginning of the "World War Hulk" crossover.

ONE ROOM HUT
Kanas Island #1, $3.50

Rich Watson profiled Kana a while back and I was intrigued by it. Glad to see it finally hitting the shelves.

PAIZO PUBLISHING, LLC
Order Of The Stick Vol 2 No Cure For The Paladin Blues TPB, $29.95

I borrowed Volume One (Dungeon Crawlin' Fools) from my niece, in trade for A Bit Haywire, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. You just can't go wrong with D&D playing stick figures, though.

On the Shelves: 12/28/06

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly, semi-informed look at select comic books being released Thursday, 12/28/06 follows. 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


Captain Gravity and the Power of the Vril

AMERICAN MULE ENTERTAINMENT
Public Enemy #2, $2.99

It was nice to see Public Enemy promoting their comic book alter egos a while back; I just wish the comic book was actually good.

ARCHAIA STUDIOS PRESS
Artesia Vol 1 Ltd Ed HC, $24.95
Killer #2 (Of 10), $3.95
Okko Cycle Of Water #1 (Of 4), $3.95

Sweet! The First Book of Dooms was one of my favorite reads this year and this new hardcover edition could technically qualify it for my upcoming Best of 2006 list. *** The Killer #1 was an intriguing start, another example of Archaia's great eye for quality material, and I'm looking forward to reading more. Okko gets automatic buy status thanks to that very track record.

DC COMICS
Batman #661, $2.99
Batman And The Mad Monk #5 (Of 6), $3.50
Blue Beetle #10, $2.99
Blue Beetle Shellshocked TPB, $12.99
Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters #6 (Of 8), $2.99

It makes me sad to not have a regular dose of Batman on my pull list, so Ostrander, Mandrake and Wagner are ensuring he remains properly represented, with solid tales of Dark Knight goodness that don't make me embarassed for him. *** If you're not reading Blue Beetle, then you're missing out on one of the few good things to come from Infinite Crisis. It's the Spider-Man concept done right, without any of the ill-conceived grit that usually comes along when DC attempts to riff on the Marvel template. Glad to see they're supporting it with a relatively quick TPB collecting the first six issues. *** Uncle Sam... has so far lived up to the promise of its first issue, as Palmiotti and Gray work their spin on the Civil War concept in a more sensible, and timely, manner than Millar and company have.

DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
Nightwolf The Price #3 (Of 5), $2.95

A solid, offbeat original mini-series from Devil's Due with ongoing potential that will hopefully get a TPB collection and reach a much wider audience.

MARVEL COMICS
All New Off Handbook Marvel Universe A To Z #12, $3.99
Dabel Brothers Free Sampler, AR
Daredevil #92, $2.99
Heroes For Hire #5, $2.99
Immortal Iron Fist #2, $2.99
Moon Knight Vol 1 Bottom Premiere HC, $19.99
Winter Soldier Winter Kills One Shot CW, $3.99

I generally resist the collector's mentality, but the Handbook roped me in for its full run purely because I had to have the whole set. I'm killing comics! *** I'm not familiar with the Dabel Brothers' work at all, but am curious, so this free sampler, while oddly timed, is a great idea. *** Ed Brubaker owns my soul, I think, as not only am I now following three characters I've never had any particular interest in because of his writing skills -- Captain America, Daredevil and Iron Fist -- I'm even looking forward to his Bucky/Winter Solider one-shot and expecting it to be good. Meanwhile, has anyone seen Jason Todd recently?

MOONSTONE
Night Driver GN, $12.95

The $.99 preview of this a while back piqued my interest a bit, but something about Christopher LaGasse's artwork didn't quite work for me. I'll give it a flip-through anyway to see if my opinion has changed any.

PENNY FARTHING PRESS
Captain Gravity And The Power O/T Vril, $19.95

Captain Gravity was one of last year's best under-the-radar comics that not enough people read, so I'm glad to see Penny Farthing publishing (re-offering?) a collection during the "down season" when retailers will hopefully give it some front-facing play while waiting for the next surge of their Marvel/DC bread-and-butter.

On the Shelves: 12/20/06

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly, semi-informed look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 12/20/06 follows. 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


Walk In #1

APE ENTERTAINMENT
Black Coat Call To Arms TPB, $12.95

I met Ben Lichius back in 2005 at Wizard World Philadelphia, where he'd gotten himself a booth on the main floor (as opposed to a table in artist's alley) to pitch his Black Coat concept to potential readers and publishers. He had a nice promo piece that outlined the potential appeal and versatility of the character and concept, and it was clear that he was committed to getting it published. After barely dodging the collapse of Speakeasy -- the first issue was due to be released about a week after word leaked they were shutting down -- he wound up with Ape Entertainment who published the four-issue mini-series to some acclaim and decent sales. In a just world, this TPB collection will find new readers and the adventures of the Black Coat will continue for years to come, in print and, perhaps, on screen.

ARCHAIA STUDIOS PRESS
Artesia Besieged #1 (Of 6) (AA), $3.95

One of the most wonderful series being published right now, I am a huge fan of Artesia and her creator, Mark Smylie, and demand that you pick up a copy of this re-offered issue, which kicks off the Fourth Book of Dooms and will make you want to pick up the previous three volumes and the role-playing game adaptation. Check out my review for the lowdown.

BOOM! STUDIOS
Warhammer 40K #1, $2.99

ADVANCE REVIEW: I'm not terribly familiar with the Warhammer universe, but this first issue of the comic adaptation is a solid read that has some potential, but not quite enough meat on the bone to guarantee I come back for seconds. No idea how its core audience will react to it, but I suspect Boom! might have been better off releasing a bigger first issue, though, to rope in potential readers like me. A quick stroll through the Warhammer internet didn't turn up a noticeable mention of the comic book on the Games Workshop or Black Library sites, nor did a quick scan of the latter's forums' active topics -- which includes a ton of fan fiction posts -- which isn't a good sign.

DARK HORSE COMICS
Conan #35, $2.99

Old reliable.

DC COMICS
Fables Vol 8 Wolves TPB, $17.99

I've read the first four trades of Fables so far, and partway through the third one, I was officially hooked, as it got better and better with each chapter. I've had to hold off on buying Volume 5 as I don't want to catch up too quickly, but it kills me to skip over solicitation info for current issues as I don't want to spoil anything.

DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
GI Joe Special Missions Antarctica, $4.95
Forgotten Realms Crystal Shard Seeley Cvr A #3 (Of 3), $4.95

Devil's Due is doing right by both of these licenses. In fact, they're doing better work for Hasbro than Marvel and DC do for most of its own licenses!

GUARDIAN LINE
Code #1, $2.99
Genesis Five #1, $2.99
Joe & Max #1, $2.99

I'm definitely not the target audience for a line of Christian-themed comics, but it's a smart one to aim for, and I have to admit that I'm curious from an observer of the business standpoint. The initial line-up looks to be of professional-level quality, so it's a step ahead of most new publishers. (Check out the Washington Post's coverage of the new line.)

MARVEL COMICS
Criminal #3, $2.99
Thunderbolts #109, $2.99

Repeat after me: Ed Brubaker is The Man. *** Fabian Nicieza's pretty good, too, and I believe this is his swan song on Thunderbolts before Warren Ellis takes over and I drop it.

VIRGIN COMICS LLC
Walk-In #1, $2.99

This is the first Virgin release that sounds like it has a truly original concept, and a rather whacked out one to boot: "This is a story about outsourcing. See, there's a planet out there called Terra and they outsource their prisoners to us here on Earth. We're their penal colony. But the prisoners don't know it. Nor do they know their crimes. Ian Dormhouse is one of those prisoners. He doesn't know it. Until he meets Astrid the stripper in a past-its-prime burlesque club in Moscow. Oh -- and there's the octopus on her shoulder. And there's the gangster who's dreams Ian saw that he wasn't supposed to. (Because now he's posing as a dreamreader in the club to get close to the girl). And there's the German rock band that plays mind-altering music -- literally. Weird?" Indeed!

VIZ MEDIA LLC
Pokemon Best Of Pokemon Adventures Yellow, $7.99

After getting through Ultimate Alliance on my Gameboy Advance SP in under 3 hours, I've moved on the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, so this is perfect timing as I've wanted to check out a Pokemon comic for a while and never remember to look for it.

On The Shelves: 12/13/06

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly, semi-informed look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 12/13/06 follows. 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


Star Wars: Legacy #1

CUP O JAVA STUDIO
World Without Super Heroes #1, $2.99

Curious about this title? Hope not because there's no sign of it anywhere online. Googling the publisher and the title comes up empty; not even a blog! Marketing 101, people.

DARK HORSE COMICS
Star Wars Legacy (New Ptg) #1, $2.99

Dark Horse is doing everything they can to get people into the monthly habit with this excellent series. Don't wait for the trade, because it's not due out until next April.

DC COMICS
Batman #660, $2.99
Firestorm The Nuclear Man #32, $2.99
Green Lantern Corps #7, $2.99
Robin #157, $2.99

Ostrander + Mandrake + Batman = Happiness. Grant, take as much time off as you need. *** Stuart Moore and Jamal Igle wrap up a commendable run on Firestorm with this issue, and while I'm looking forward to Dwayne McDuffie's take on the character, it's still disappointing to see such a solid creative team move on. Curious to see which way the sales figures move on the next issue. *** GLC is a fun read, but it's not an essential one for me so it might be headed to trade-only status. *** Adam Beechen's Robin has been an entertaining read, and possibly the most consistently solid Batbook to come out of the OYL jump.

IDW PUBLISHING
Fallen Angel Idw #11, $3.99

I'm two issues behind in reading this series and it's on the verge of moving to trade-only status as a result. It's good, but at $3.99/issue, it lives on the chopping block.

IMAGE COMICS
Fear Agent #9, $2.99
Strange Girl #12, $2.99

Fear Agent moves to Dark Horse in February, so I'm looking forward to being able to follow it regularly in TPB. *** I wish Strange Girl was switching publishers, too, as it's one of the few Image titles I'm still buying single issues for as I'm not convinced they'll collect its full run if/when it ultimately ends. It's one of the most underrated titles on the shelves, and in the comics blogiverse, overshadowed by the overrated likes of Girls and Godland.

MARVEL COMICS
X-Factor #14, $2.99

An off week for Marvel and I...could a breakup be imminent? Not unless Peter David and Ed Brubaker succumb to whatever makes Bendis and Millar's work so unappealing.

TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS
Lone Racer GN, $12.95

As my random selection of the week, Lone Racer sounds intriguing: "After a misguided attempt at bank robbery, where he is supposed to drive the getaway car, Lone Racer decides that the days of going downhill are over."

Magazines
Write Now #14, $6.95

Write Now always features a couple of solid interviews and features focusing on process, and this issue includes Jim Starlin and John Ostrander, among others. There's also the script and artwork from CIVIL WAR #1 in the Nuts & Bolts section, which should be good for a laugh or two.

On the Shelves: 12/6/06

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly, semi-informed look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 12/6/06 follows. 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


Robotika (HC)

ARCANA STUDIO
Ezra Evoked Emotions #2 (Of 3), $3.95

I missed the first issue of this new mini and didn't see it on the shelves at Midtown last week, so I might have to wait for the trade. Hopefully it lives up to the promise of the first installment.

ARCHAIA STUDIOS PRESS
Mouse Guard 3rd Ptg #3 (Of 6), $3.50
Robotika HC, $19.95

Yet another chance to catch Mouse Guard without paying through the nose for a first printing. If you haven't been reading it yet, you're missing out on one of sure-shot Best of 2006 titles. *** Robotika is one of those singular visions that generally evoke extreme reactions of love, hate or appreciative bewilderment. After not feeling the first issue, Sheikman sent me the second issue, asking me to give it another shot, and I did and ended up enjoying the full story, which I think will work much better in collected form. Archaia is one of a handful of publishers who have carved a signature niche for themselves in my brain and from whom I will check out anything they deem worthy of publishing.

COMPASS BOOKS
Wisdom From The Batcave How To Live Super Heroic Life TPB, $13.95

No idea what this one is, but I generally enjoy these types of books, and loved The Batman Handbook, so I'll give it a flip-through if I come across it.

DARK HORSE COMICS
Conan Book Of Thoth TPB, $17.95

Yet another entertaining Conan spinoff, Dark Horse has been doing right by the license the past few years.

DC COMICS
Batman Confidential #1, $2.99
Detective Comics #826, $2.99
Jonah Hex #14, $2.99
Justice Society Of America #1, $3.99

Andy Diggle + Batman = WINNER! With Grant Morrison on a break from the main series, there's now four Batman titles on my pull list, the most since pre-War Games. *** Jonah Hex's two-part origin story concludes this issue and I sincerely hope that part of Palmiotti/Gray's exclusive deal with DC included a clause that the series would continue as long as they wanted to write it. *** I'm seriously on the fence about Justice Society Of America #1, the enthusiasm I had for it months ago pretty much sapped by the current state of the DCU. Batman aside, I think I'm staying on the fringes as much as possible when it comes to their titles.

DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
GI Joe Americas Elite #18, $2.95

The Baroness is about to kick some ass.

IMAGE COMICS
Cowboys & Aliens TPB, $4.99
Cross Bronx #4 (Of 4), $2.99
Meltdown #1 (Of 2), $5.99

There's apparently a free edition of Cowboys & Aliens available, commemorating Platinum Studios' first print product, with two writers I like, Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley, onboard, so I'll be checking it out purely out of curiousity. *** Cross Bronx fell victim to my hiatus so I'll be checking out the TPB when it comes out. The first issue was solid and intriguing, so hopefully Brandon and Oeming don't let me down. *** Meltdown is Sean (Runners) Wang's latest project, an intriguing look at a dying superhero's literal and metaphorical meltdown, and the preview of the first issue I read was pretty good. (Yet another hiatus victim on the review side of things. Sorry, Sean!)

MARVEL COMICS
Essential Defenders Vol 2 TPB, $16.99
Incredible Hulk #101, $2.99
Newuniversal #1, $2.99
Spider-Man And Power Pack #2 (Of 4), $2.99

Any volume of Essential Defenders is definitely essential reading! *** The "Planet Hulk" saga continues its entertaining run, which unfortunately brings the series ever closer to returning to the MU-proper and the World War Hulk event I'm not terribly looking forward to. *** I'd be more interested in newuniversal if I believed Warren Ellis was going to stick with it for more than 12 issues. (Assuming it's an ongoing...?) *** Yay, Power Pack!

NETCOMICS
Lets Be Perverts Vol 1 GN (Of 4), $9.99

Um...what?!?!

On The Shelves: 11/29/06

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly, semi-informed look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 11/29/06 follows. 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


Dark Horse Book Of Monsters HC

ARCANA STUDIO
Outlaw Scorn 3030 AD #1 (Of 6), $3.95

It's been a while since I've picked up something from Arcana, but they still get automatic flip-through status on the basis of past successes like Ezra, 100 Girls, Jova's Harvest and El Arsenal.

BLATANT COMICS
Dead Sonja She Zombie With A Sword #1, $3.99
Dead Sonja She Zombie With A Sword Dead Sexy Ed #1, $9.99
Dead Sonja She Zombie With A Sword Zombie Bloodbath Ed #1, $3.99

Love the publisher's name, and the "Dead Sexy Ed" is a clever bit of marketing for the Platinum Maxim audience.

BOOM! STUDIOS
Talent #4 (Of 4), $3.99

Looking forward to seeing how tightly this wraps up, and whether or not the movie deal affects its execution any.

DARK HORSE COMICS
Conan & The Songs Of The Dead #5 (Of 5), $2.99
Dark Horse Book Of Monsters HC, $15.95
Star Wars Legacy #6, $2.99

The Book of the Dead was an excellent read, so I'll definitely have to check out Monsters. Legacy has been a most pleasant surprise, almost tempting me into checking out some of the other Star Wars-related titles. Still waiting for someone to do a Riddick comic, though.

DC COMICS
...

Wow...not a single DC title of interest this week! One Year Later has been a wash for me, resulting in my dropping almost every ongoing series I was reading pre-Infinite Crisis while adding a few new titles to my pull list.

EVIL TWIN COMICS
Action Philosophers Vol 1 Giant Sized Thing TPB (AA), $6.95

I believe this is a re-offering on the collected version of the first three issues. Get it if you missed it the first two times!

HERO STREET PRESS LLC
Hero Street #1, $2.50
Perfect Storm #1, $2.99

It's Wednesday, so this must be another new comics publisher! Seriously, though, when it comes to books of any type, I'm of the opinion that there's no such thing as too many publishers and applaud everyone who takes a shot at it, self-publishers and micro-publishers included. I don't believe that superheroes need to be left to the Big Two and the occasional effort from Image, either, as there are plenty of underexplored angles and untold stories that work perfectly well with the spandex set. That said, if you're going to jump into publishing, look before you leap and come correct. HeroStreet Press' web site is a perfect example of how to not make the best first impression, with limited information on their titles and an early indication of an inability to meet deadlines (ie: the newspaper).

IDW PUBLISHING
Zombies Vs Robots #1 (Of 2), $3.99

One of those concepts so stupid it might actually be good. I'll be sure to check out the trade.

IMAGE COMICS
Emissary #6, $3.50
You're Not The DM Of Me T/S LG, $16.99

Noticed on the Image boards a week or two ago that Emissary was in danger of cancellation due to low sales. Haven't checked it out since the decent-but-not-compelling first issue, but I wonder how much the early change in writers affected it. [UPDATE: "...unfortunately sales dropped precipitously between issues 1 and 2 (by well over half). So, while the folks who are reading seem loyal, there just does not seem to be enough support for the book to keep it going past issue #6." --Jim Valentino]

MARKOSIA
Done To Death #5, $3.50

I liked the first issue but seem to have fallen behind during my hiatus as I'm missing #s 2 and 3. Hopefully Midtown has them stashed somewhere.

MARVEL COMICS
Captain America #24 CW, $2.99
Immortal Iron Fist #1, $2.99
Powers #21, $2.95

Brubaker and Fraction on Iron Fist is verrrrrry tempting... I think it might be time to finally cut Powers. My interest has waned during my hiatus and the last two issues have sunk to the bottom of my to-read pile.

VIPER COMICS
Dummys Guide To Danger #3 (Of 4), $3.25

An entertaining, over-the-top gory read, it continues Viper's streak of quirky titles.

On The Shelves: 11/22/06

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly sporadic, ill-informed look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 11/22/06 follows. 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


Casanova #6

ADHOUSE BOOKS
Project Romantic HC Sgn, $60.00

Haven't had a chance to read my copy yet, but I did check out Debbie Huey's adorable effort and flipped through the rest and it looks like another winning Project from AdHouse.

ARCANA STUDIO
100 Girls Vol 2 TPB (resolicited), $9.95

Volume 2?!?! Either I'm really out of the loop or this is a typo and it's actually the excellent volume one. Arcana's web site makes no mention of it at all.

DARK HORSE COMICS
Conan #34, $2.99
Perhapanauts Second Chances #2 (Of 4), $2.99
Star Wars Legacy #1 (New Ptg), $2.99

The first volume of Perhapanauts was a bit of a let-down, so I'll wait for the trade on this second effort before checking it out.

DC COMICS
Blue Beetle #9, $2.99
Jack Of Fables #5, $2.99
Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters #5 (Of 8), $2.99

After reading this, I was seriously tempted to drop everything DC publishes, but that's the baby with the bathwater approach and I'd have to drop comics completely since we all know DC isn't the only place in the industry this kind of stuff happens. I have dropped almost all of their high-profile titles, though, as the direction the overall DCU has moved over the past couple of years doesn't interest me in the least. Blue Beetle, though, has been a most pleasant surprise, existing far enough on the periphery that it feels almost completely unconnected to everything else, much the same way the grossly underrated Son of Vulcan mini-series was a while back.

HOT MEXICAN LOVE COMICS
Hot Mexican Love Comics 2006, $5.00

Um...what!?!? Oh, ok, that sounds interesting, actually. Suspect I might have to go to Hanley's to get this one.

IMAGE COMICS
Casanova #6, $1.99

Casanova #5 was a great read, and Fraction's text pieces at the end of each issue will make a great standalone book some day. Be interesting to see if he and Ba surpass Ellis and Templesmith's Slimline output by the middle of next year. What was the last issue of Fell, anyway?

MARVEL COMICS
All New Off Handbook Marvel Universe A To Z #11, $3.99
Daredevil #91, $2.99
Heroes For Hire #4, $2.99
X-Factor #13, $2.99

With Palmiotti and Gray signing an exclusive with DC, Zeb Wells will be taking over Heroes for Hire and I suspect I'll be dropping it at that point. No offense to Wells, whose work I've never read, but I'm barely hanging on through P&G's strained Civil War tie-in, and as much as I like the characters, I can no longer justify keeping titles on my pull list "just because".

VIPER COMICS
Dead At 17 Vol 2 #2, $3.25

I wasn't a big fan of this series in the past, but the first issue of this latest volume, now an ongoing series, piqued my interest.

W.W. NORTON
Will Eisners Dropsie Avenue SC, $16.95

The first Eisner graphic novel I ever read and it remains one of my overall favorites.

On the Shelves: 11/15/06

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly sporadic, ill-informed look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 11/15/06 follows. 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


Moon Knight #6

AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS)
Tron #2, $3.50

It's kind of ridiculous how long ago #1 came out, but it was a good read so I'm still on board.

ARCHAIA STUDIOS PRESS
Mouse Guard 2nd Ptg #3 (Of 6), $3.50

Finally got around to reading #5 and I'm still loving what David Petersen is doing here. ASP publishes quality work, and Mouse Guard is one of their crown jewels.

DARK HORSE COMICS
Sock Monkey The Inches Incident #2 (Of 4), $2.99

The problem with going long stretches without hitting your LCBS and not surfing the comics interweb is that you miss out on stuff you might have been interested in, like this Sock Monkey mini-series I had no idea existed. Might have to TPB it.

DC COMICS
Astro City The Dark Age Book Two #1, $2.99
Green Lantern Corps #6, $2.99
Robin #156, $2.99

I'm honestly surprised by which DC titles I'm still reading, GLC & Robin among them. Astro City, though, may be TPBd.

DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
GI Joe Dreadnoks Declassified Sauve Cvr A #1 (Of 3), $4.95

I'm a such a sucker for DDP's GI Joe titles, especially these short-run DeClassified spinoffs. I mean, I have no idea who/what Dreadnoks are, but I'll be buying it!

HILL & WANG
Graphic Biography Malcolm X GN, $15.95

I vaguely remember reading about this and will at least give it a flip-through.

MARVEL COMICS
Civil War #5 (Of 7), $2.99
Moon Knight #6, $2.99
Thunderbolts #108, $2.99
White Tiger #1 (Of 6), $2.99

Just say "no" to Civil War. I am. The side stories are much better written, and the "best" of any particular issue on the main story is easily accessible online. (Side note: My dislike for Millar's writing has even made Red Son, which I'd heard such positive things about, absolutely unreadable.)

Magazines
Back Issue #19, $6.95

I think even if I stopped reading comics altogether, I'd still pick up Back Issue for the warm, nostalgic feeling it gives.