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.

Oh, and I'll include some notes about books during the "lost weeks," sorry for the inconvenience.

Wildcats 3.0 #10:
Accountant-turned-mercenary Dolby goes on a shakedown cruise, and the results are less riveting than the normally layered plots on this title. Still, good action yarn, tons of shooting, and a fun ending. I just ... I dunno, I wanted more. I know Halo has more in the hamper than this somewhat parenthetical occurrence, and that's where the meat of the book is, not in it's Covert Action Team roots. Good for completists (like me) but nothing special.

Black Panther #60:
Despite being ostracized from Marvel's site, the rise of Kasper Cole from suit-stealing jackass to potentially interesting character continues. The bits of Wakandan history fascinated me, but perhaps that's just the writer I am, loving the background work and the thought behind what goes on panel. In any case, I'm enjoying Zircher's art (loved him on Thunderbolts too), numerous people have noted how -- aside from my fedora -- I could be Kasper's Panther with my own leather trenchcoat (nobody sees my pistols, though >8^). Careful observers who've seen covers for upcoming issues of The Crew will recognize the "in" that Kasper has, allowing T'Challa and Cole to co-exist in costume, not messing up Johns' careful work in Avengers. Delicious all around.

G.I. Joe #18:
Hatred, passion and infidelity take center stage as a joint task force of Soviets, Joes and Cobra forces track down the kidnapped Baroness and Flint. Twists aplenty litter the surface of this issue, as romantic tensions flare in unexpected places, old friends turn their back and sell out their comrades, and all brands of ignorant mess happens. I'm loving the new Cobra, a considerably more professional and threatening international cartel of terrorists and criminals (are they hiring?), as well as the much better-organized Joe team. Blaylock turns in another winner, and I'll be very sorry to see him leave this title.

Queen & Country #16:
The cover says it all -- a Minder is dead, as events from Declassified begin to make their presence known. Carla Speed McNeil's art isn't as clear on individual characters as I like, but she more than makes up for it in details like the briefing memo and the beret. Tara barely appears, distraught and emotional over the crisis (to say more would spoil it if you didn't guess from the cover what happened), and best of all, a new rookie gets tapped for Minder duty, which will allow a set of fresh eyes to reintroduce the world of Q&C to the reader. Fine work all around.

Buy Pile Breakdown: I wanted to get the Proposition Player TPB, but I ran out of cash. Still, good reads all around, and tons of action, so an exciting week for paid comics.

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

Elektra #24:
Robert Rodi, a writer I considered "serviceable" at best, is kicking all brands of behind in this title. Flashing back to the "prep work" from last issue's mayhem, this issue shows Elektra the way she was meant to be -- a force of nature, a killing machine. It's terribly entertaining, and almost enough to buy. If he keeps this up, I'll have a Marvel book to replace Black Panther on my Buy Pile.

Action Comics #804:
I've come to believe Eddie Berganza wants me to die of a throbbing embolism. That's my only explanation for the fact that every Superman book I've read in the last few months has contained either a glaring continuity error (there's one here that's a spoiler, but ooh boy) or staggeringly bad. I know Joe Kelly can write -- I remember the JLA issue with Plastic Man's son, I remember Deadpool. This is ... mmm. I mean, the storyline is gritty, Superman makes one of those corny Superman speeches that everybody loved so much in Action #775 (which I thought was overrated), Lex preens and postures ... it just never comes together. Argh.

New X-Men #142:
After the tedious murder mystery, I was stunned to read this amazing character study. This issue has almost no "action," but every word of dialogue is a treasure. Scott and Wolverine get drunk in the Hellfire Club, and cameos from Fantomex, Sabretooth (dressed very strangely) and Sebastian Shaw made this a real gem. It was a very tough decision, leaving this in the store.

Robotech Love & War #1:
My notes say "not bad," which is about right. A flashback set before Max Sterling joined the RDF, this story tracks the inexorable course leading to his marriage with Zentraedi murder machine Miriya Parillo. Still, I was disappointed in the somewhat surface treatment of the last mini, so I'm reading this one in the store unless it really enthralls me.

First #32:
My notes say, "soapy," which is kind of the point (I know, I heard Barbara Kesel at San Diego last year), but I didn't really vibe on it. Seahn is a straw man to me, an empty villain waiting for the suckerpunch. His motivations don't move me, and therefore his appearances leave me cold, even with the really cool thing he did to Ihroe (any guy who's had bad experiences with women will smile grimly at it). Still, no problem setting this one back down.

Battle of the Planets: Jason #1:
The dark horse of G-Force gets the spotlight, and he's fascinating to watch. Sharrieff is becoming one of my favorite new writers, instilling a fascinating razor edge into this essentially goofy premise. It's like the ghost of Elektra lives here. Anyway, the story (like the previous Mark special) deals with father figures and living in their shadows. It was layered and riveting, up until the ending, which seemed a little too neat (a sometimes problem for the regular series as well). Still, a good read, if not a must-buy.

Way of the Rat #19:
"Silent ninja action!" No, it's not either edition of G.I. Joe having their issue #21. The lord of Shinacea (who has some surprises for you near the end) faces an army of ninja assassins (ninjas must be back in style), for reasons which are as elusive as they are interesting. It's a really fast read -- no dialogue until almost the end -- but the art (as always) is glorious and worth lingering over. Another great chapter for the trade.

Kore #2:
Even though the whole issue is comprised of the title character running and sniveling, this is a better, more layered issue than its predecessor. The world that Devil's Due is trying to create begins to come into view, and it has some nice details and some mysteries worth watching. I'm keeping my eye on this title, in case it does something spectacular.

Alias #23:
Continuing "The Secret Origin" storyline, Peter Parker finally talks to Jessica, but it's sure not love at first sight. All brands of madness begins to occur as Jessica discovers her powers and flounders around amusingly with them. Bendis' command of characterization is at its peak, and this is a great character study issue. If I was more interested in the premise itself, I'd have snapped this one up.

Authority Volume 2 #2:
In his Bad Signal moblog about the new Authority, "its biggest flaw is in taking the book seriously." I agree -- Morrison seems to be trying really hard to do something ... amazing. The scale of the threat, the level of involvement ... as I've said before, it knows the words, but it sure doesn't have the right cadence, the right rhythm. No matter how dark The Authority's circumstance got, through Millar or Ellis, there was a dark humor you could take from it that's gone. Ah well, it's a safer, less dangerous Authority for the new world order, without knowing what rules are left to break. Mmm.

Lobo Unbound #1:
Now, I'm a big Giffen fan, so lemme start with the good: the art (once you get past the "pre-story") is gorgeous -- lush and detailed, intricate and intimate. The story, on the other hand, has the same problem as The Authority Volume 2 -- trying too hard to shock with tactics that are simply passe. Intelligent pubic crabs? Alan Moore covered that well enough back with Mr. Majestic (who's due for a revival, I'd say). The violence may have shocked ten years ago, but there's worse stuff than this on Fox. It's sad to see the giants of yesteryear become the dinosaurs of today, and as much as I loved The Main Man (Hitman/Lobo is the last good look at him, I think), it may be time to call it quits.

100 Bullets #45:
As much as the usage of a certain word bothers me, Azzarello's character work is amazing, his plotting tight and delicate (unlike the sloppier Counterfifth Detective storyline from a while back), and this is a damned fine comic book. The preview of The Losers looked good as well.

Read Pile Roundup: Pretty darned entertaining for stuff I won't pay for.

I didn't do reviews for a few weeks, and some of this stuff is too zany to not mention ,,,

Punisher #27:
Punisher. Elektra. I won't tell you a thing about what happens in this standalone issue, but this is one of my favorite stories this year. Ennis and Mandrake hit all the right chords, and this one is a blast all the way through, as good as the Welcome Back, Frank storyline that brough Ennis to the Punisher's world. This leapt into the Buy Pile, a rare and delicious treat. Wow.

Avengers and JLA:
The biggest teams in comics ... and they're both essentially fighting Nazis. God ... how tedious. Kelly, Johns ... you guys can do better. Really.

Global Frequency #8:
The mad ideas are less concentrated, but still damned entertaining. I had less of a "wow" factor on this issue than in any other.

Micronauts: Karza #4:
The last time I was this mad at the end of a mini, it was Green Lantern: Circle of Fire. Blah.

Enjoyed The Crew, Lucifer, Y; The Last Man, Iron Man #68, Domino, Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #2, Green Arrow #26, Tech Jacket #6 was disappointed by Star Wars: Empire #8, Batman #615, Fantastic Four #69, Legion #20 (but the art is gorgeous), and generally tried to deal with my life.

Overall, I'm entertained, and that's a good thing. More good than bad ... and really, isn't that all any of us want?