Every week I go to the comic book store (Comics Ink in Culver City, CA, hey Steve and Jason!) and grab a lot of comics. I sort these into two piles -- the "buy" pile (things I intend to spend money on, most often a small pile) and the "read" pile (often huge, including lots of stuff I don't actually like but wanna stay well informed about). In no particular order, here's some thoughts about all that.

Black Panther #55:
Mercy.

I've been less than riveted with the "bold new direction" this title took, largely because Kasper Cole, the marginal protagonist, seems as dumb as a box of hair. Little did I know Christoper Priest had one hell of a twist in store for me. Wow. Pay extremely dangerously close attention to the first few pages and the last few. Not to discount what goes between, including the loss of a classical Priest character who I'll miss dearly, but wow. It's ... I can't really say it, because it's a spoiler to not just this issue but the entire arc (which surely, now, deserves to be collected), and yes it was a long road to get here.

Worth it. Well worth it. A stunner, and one of the week's finest reads.
I will pause to say Jim Calafiore's art, which I normally adore, seems weirder here, partially due to Mark McKenna's inks (very different from the last inker on BP Calafiore worked with) and partially because colorist Jennifer Schellinger made so little differentiation between the shades of Kasper and his darker father, Black Jack Cole. Minor quibbles for a major issue.

G.I. Joe #15:
The old "secret Cobra town" gag is one that, given today's paranoid environment, makes more sense than ever. This book accomplishes some housekeeping for the good guys, shows some of the same goofy incompetence and showiness that got Cobra so badly beaten all the time in the 80s, and is just all around fun. This book doesn't have the wit or cleverness of Hama's classic run, but it's got the spirit and the stride down pat. I hear that Blaylock will be going AWOL with a new mission specialist replacing him as writer, so I'm interested to see what else Devil's Due has in store.

G.I. Joe Frontline #5:
"What do you do with a broken super soldier?" Asked in films like The Bourne Identity, Conspiracy Theory and others, plus comic adventures with the likes of Protocide. It's becoming such a common question, I really wonder what kind of toys the Cold War powers have, just lying around out there. Here, Duke leads a team of Joes to re-enact scenes from John Carpenter's The Thing (or maybe just some of Marvel's Tsunami Venom) with some hungry, furry, shadowy genetically enhanced bad boys around the arctic circle. It's iffy. I'm probably gonna skip the rest of the arc, largely because I'm bored of the same shots and same concepts in cramped arctic conditions. Blah.

JSA #46:
Grrrr ... now, I'm fine with playing a little fast-and-loose with the timestream (not the continuity). That's what made the Silver Age LSH so much fun. But this ... well, a dead character is back (surprise) and brings with her a really really dumb retcon involving Armageddon 2001, Monarch/Extant and a host of cosmic powers. Then, a perennial super villain favorite (and former crossover star as well -- it's like old home week) pops up on the last page, the Legion threatens an appearance (given the first page recap) ... there's a lot going on in this book. Captain Marvel bloodied. Obsidian returns and eats his dad. Dr. Fate drops a building on Power Girl (which has to do with the villain). It's crazy talk. The action on its own may have worked, the ret-con, properly couched, could almost be explained (almost), but all together this issue is a mess. Velluto and Almond pop up to make the art crisp (only their Obsidian seems weird ... more like Cloak than you'll remember), but I dunno about all this ... I read an interview which said it's setting up for a big issue #50, but I don't know if I'll be around with this kind of mad shenanigans ...

Negation #16:
Komptin and Kaine are stuck together, and it's not nearly as entertaining as I would have imagined. Kaine in particular works better in a team setting, and without his supporting cast he's just kind of Parker Lewis-ing around this issue. Still, you learn some disturbing things about the Negation (a list that never gets any shorter, "disturbing things about the Negation") and Komptin's carte blanche runs out, so his viability as a villain seems to have a limited shelf life. Still, Kaine is a compelling character, so I'm hoping to see some of his fugitive cohorts pick him up next issue.

Transformers: War Within #6:
The amnesia card is the only one I regret. That and the foolish treatment of the CD, a repository of all the wisdom of ancient Primes. Otherwise, Simon Furman crafted a deeply enjoyable Transformers tale with action and consequence, with character development and wild destruction. Best of all: not a human in sight. This mini was very satisfying for me, and Don Figueroa and Elaine To's artwork is simply stunning to behold. Good stuff here.

Micronauts #6:
Fight fight fight fight minor revelation about Acroyear fight fight lose lose run away. I had to read it twice and make sure it wasn't a Crossgen title, it went by so fast. There's a not a lot going on here, with luggage from prior issues and all, but it's an okay issue that gives new readers everything they'd need to know. With books like this a trade is less assured, so I'm still in for the ride, but Jolley isn't as entertaining as I'd hoped.

Grendel: God & Devil #2:
If you can get past the sister-humping (which is just plain creepy, the more I think about it), the spotlight on the rise of Orion Assante, now the stuff of comic legend, is a slow burn. I use that term a lot to describe books that take some time to get where they're going. When you have a Wagner (who here jams the book with minutiae that a Grendel fan loves and analyzes, awaiting the next major plot point), an Ellis (who held us so well with Transmetropolitan), or a Priest (I've said so much good about his Black Panther it becomes overmuch) who can maintain a balance of suspense and pacing, it's a fun thing. When you have a less skilled scribe, it's just dull. Again, here, tons of fun -- just watching the Pope, knowing what I know, keeps me squirming in my seat. It's good to see the lunatic Grendel at work, and this phantom menace surely will keep the story moving towards its inevitable goals. The fun of the prequel, as well, is figuring the "how" and the "why" of what you already know. A little abrupt in its ending, and the alligators are a mystery to me, but I'm still pretty happy with this.

Legends of the Dark Knight #165
I normally only buy a Batman book when somebody whose work I really like is on it. So when I heard Dwayne McDuffie was bringing back his Lee Hyland character for another arc, I was all over it. However, despite a mildly amusing fight scene (not as good as that first Loeb-Lee one of the Hush storyline, and somebody forgot Batman's cape is bulletproof) this issue is merely OK. It has a twist that will make the next two issues interesting, but more importantly it ignores the fact that Batman once again pissed in the face of the feds. A reckoning has to come, considering the mad-on Luthor has for Batman anyway (plus that whole sending David Kain to ruin Bruce's life). That notwithstanding, I'm sticking with this story arc, but I'm not overly enthused with this issue.

This just in, 030314: I love the freakin' internet: I wake up this afternoon to an email from none other than the illustrious and praiseworthy Mr. McDuffie himself. According to him, all LOTDK stories are set in the second year of Batman's career before the Batcape was bulletproof. Mea culpa on that one -- perhaps a note on the inside would be helpful? As for stomping on Feds, he said, "Oh, we didn't ignore it, you're just getting ahead of the story..." I was already in for the next two issues, but now (with the continuity data) it makes me more interested in the Bat-Fed relationship (remember that mini a few years back where a federal task force came to Gotham and hunted all the masks in town? I'm amazed, given sattelite technology, that the Bat and his kindred have remained operable this long ...).

Gotham Central #5:
I'll admit, I'm more in this title for Rucka than for Brubaker, and the art is a little ... unfinished for my tastes. Still, the night shift finishes off with a nice kind of Law & Order twist that I find entertaining (since I watch that show religiously), and the detectives are starting to get some differentiation in regards to their personalities. Not a bad read, but a lot more expensive than sitting in front of my TV Wednesday nights. There's also a Batman shot that I felt was ... well, not irrelevant but a little bit of overkill. I'm gonna stick around for Rucka's arc opening next issue and see if I'm willing to stay with a slow-burner like this.

Fables #11:
Bill Willingham is a sick, sick, funny, sick man.

If you're a regular Fables reader you know the no-good Jack, layabout and scoundrel who found Rose Red's apartment in a state of hellishness in the first story arc. Well, this story looks back (or does it?) to antebellum times and shows him beating the Devil at cards and meeting Joe Black. It's a self-contained issue, and if you've never read Fables before, it doesn't matter. This is a funny, funny issue. Now, its gore and nudity is no good for young'uns, but if you're of age, this is a keeper. What a great issue. Very happy with this purchase, with crisp artwork (as always) by Bryan Talbot.

Buy Pile Breakdown: Mostly it was a very good week on the Buy Pile, with a few rough spots that can probably be discounted. Unusually busy, and maybe we'll look at some cuts we can make for economic reasons.

Then there's the stuff on the "read pile" that I don't bring home ...

H-E-R-O #2:
I called the first issue "mildly entertaining" and "merely adequate," and this continuation (it's really like it's the same scene) is more of that. There's some good pokes at the spandex set (which perhaps Warren Ellis would enjoy) and a few grim grins, but this book's slow burn is not compelling. DC has already announced issues #1 and 2 will be collected, and I'll see if they read better back to back. Nothing to see here, folks, move along.

Ultimates #9:
Ultimate Cap rocks. The first six pages will show you why -- power almost doesn't matter, determination matters. None of that wussy, pensive air of the regular Steve Rogers. Ultimate Stark is entertaining, Ultimate Thor is the freakin' man ... all around the characterization in this book is solid and crisp. The threat the Ultimates are being mobilized to attack still seems nebulous, so no idea what that'll be about. While I'll admit the book was a hair self-important and even over-talky in spots, this was a fairly enjoyable issue. After reading the first arc, I'm certain this title is made for trades, so I'll be waiting, thank you.

Marvel Universe: The End #1:
Bwahahahahahahahaha!

You thought Scorpion King was a hoot? Ancient Egypt is coming back to lay the smackdown on your candy ass Marvel Universe ... and this ain't no Bobby-Ewing-in-the-shower thing, the MU is toes up from panel one, and all is told (to whom, now I think about it) in recap. Marvel, impatient to see what its own obituary would look like, let Jim Starlin tell a future/What If?-esque tale and kill the Marvel Universe (no, not like Punisher or Hembeck did, but for real this time). The killer pharoah from outer space (again, why can't people accept the Kemites came up with stuff on their own? As well, I take particular exception to the historical inaccuracy of the statement, "Like all pharoahs, his power was slave based and his rule ruthless." Hello, only route to the gold and natural resources of Africa for all of Asia and burgeoning Europe, plus the abundant harvests of the Nile which fed much of the world at the time ... why do I even bother ...) is a hoot, rendered simply and making me laugh a lot. It was irksome that some really popular people got killed fairly early on (in the first issue of a series, we're ... ah, I won't tell you, it'd be a spoiler), but here's hoping Thanos is back up to snuff after that embarrasing Infinity Abyss clone drama he had. This book snuck on the buy pile because I kept laughing aloud, and if this is indeed Marvel's obituary and tombstone, you know I'll want a copy of that.

Sigil #34:
All I'll say is "holodeck episode." Read carefully, see if you can spot the real "facts." Sneaky, but passable bookkeeping for Crossgen's powerhouse.

Clockmaker #2:
The equivalent of four pages of content for three bucks? This book has been out two issues, and I'm not seeing much compelling yet. Even the big art is only okay. Yawn.

Aquaman #4:
Sorry to say Rick Veitch is going nowhere fast. Most of the issue spent as a flounder. Right.

Blood and Water #1:
A slow start but ... intriguing. I'll check back next month for it, but it was still a long way from the promised land of the Buy Pile.

Sojourn #21:
Why is the art on this book so good? Wow. The issue was ... well, there's a surprise which is goofy and another surprise which is okay, but I'm committed to trades on this one (like the Way of the Rat TPB which I grabbed today, yay), but it's not ready for pamphlet buying at these prices.

Iron Man #66:
I was mad to find it was actually pretty interesting. Since Grell is out and Laws is in, let's see where this storyline goes, as it has some interesting ramifications. Not interesting enough to buy, but you know.

Filth #9:
Mad, mad stuff. That's really all you can say about it, as plot is normally an afterthought.

Read Pile Roundup: The read pile was a little more tedious than any other week. I left out a coule of things -- Reload and Chimera both snuck on the buy pile despite feeling like early chapters of something else, and I was getting tired of writing. There were some intriguing offerings (Blood and Water, Iron Man) worth watching and some books (Aquaman in particular) only worth a look once every few months.

A really busy week for comics, and overall I'm happier than I'm unhappy, so I'd consider it a good week as well.

Oh, and just out of curiosity, will archeologists dig up Nixon and Reagan in three thousand years, pick over the corpses with minute detail, and jam them on display for gawking yokels in some futuristic museum? I wonder these things ...