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.

Fables #17:
Two of my favorite old friends got together in this issue -- All Hell and Breaking Loose. The homicidal Goldilocks confronts Bigby Wolf and Snow White, Prince Charming works his way towards smelling like a rose, and there's a surprise on the way that few people could have expected. The team of Willingham, Buckingham and Leialoha continue with one of the steadiest, most entertaining titles on the stand with an issue that has laughs, action and tension.

Gotham Central #11:
Ed Brubaker examines some of the inner workings of Gotham City through the eyes of Stacy, the civilian charged with turning on the Bat-Signal. Of course she dreams of locking lips with the Dark Knight Detective, and tells her story via letter (real paper, not email) to a distant friend Meg. The story device is an old chestnut but Brubaker runs it with entertaining results, and Brian Hurtt's subtle artwork is very good. In particular, there's a panel of Stacy's daydream Batman telling her "You really need to stop this" that I found very detailed and intimate. As a huge fan of Rucka, I was worried about the switch to Brubaker on this title but I'm happy so far.

G.I. Joe/Transformers #3:
Watching Cobra Commander and Megatron bicker is worth the price of admission -- those two need a talk show. Destro moves into action as the Joes catch some Decepticon beatdown (with Autobot backup, which is really weird, but Sunstreaker and Sideswipe look good as Cobra jeeps) and a pair of free Autobots lead the charge to throw a monkeywrench in the whole plan. It is a light, breezy read -- more like it's Marvel predecessor than probably is good for it -- and lacks the gravitas and power of Reiber's work on the Dreamwave crossover book. Still, for fans of either franchise, it's true to characters and a lot of fun, so well worth picking up.

Wildguard #1:
The superhero reality show is in full swing (although I'd have loved to see a Megaforce reference, as they could easily be a set piece for all of Image's superhero books) with some surprisingly well played moments. The elastic man Snapback's interplay with his girlfriend is a nice piece of characterization, the goofiness of some of the contestants (including one who mixed it up with a singing reality show audition, a great touch) was all spot-on for sending up the reality show genre. If that's what you wanted, you're wholly gonna enjoy this. I found the This is Spinal Tap approach kind of fun, with solid if simple art througout, but somehow wanted more of a direct skewering of the idea of "reality" as entertainment, especially when people involved can throw cars. Then again, that may just be my prejudice, as this really is a finely done book.

Rex Mundi #5:
Finishing off the first "chapter" of a long form story told in 22-page increments, this month's issue of Rex Mundi asks more questions than it answers, opening a simple murder investigation into a vast and complex web of deceptions and myth. The grander backdrop of a tottering Ottoman Empire and the British on the virge of completing the Suez Canal on this world adds a great deal of importance to the tale, and our dear Doctor Sauniere may be in for more than he can handle. A real inheritor of the Vertigo long-form tradition, this book rewards the invested reader greatly and is so well thought out and layered that it defies classification.

Buy Pile Breakdown: I'm entertained. That's a good thing. Yay!

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

1602 #2:
Gaiman continues his history-tinged Easter egg hunt by bringing in Captain America (which I didn't note until the "shield" flew), showing the Classic X-Men in action for the "first" time, further expanding the mystery of the Inquisition (against "witchbreed" but clearly employing two of them, possibly led by a third) and generally winks at itself knowingly. I'm not entertained, I'm distracted -- if there's a larger story here (likely the mostly-subplot ascension of James to the English throne), it's buried in minutiae.

Batman: Death & the Maidens #2:
The "last Ra's Al Ghul" story is just barely entertaining so far, with Ra's making a novel argument and an enticing offer to distract the Detective, and Talia acting dangerously out of character ("Wanna come in for dinner?" My entire @$$ ...). I'm still reading along, but I don't see much reason to buy this ... sure hope Rucka has some surprises in store.

Supreme Power #2:
JMS is doing a weird mixture of tossing in elements I remember from Rising Stars (the latest Planetary replacement for MIA books some labeled classics) and threadbare JLA origin notes. Batman-ing Nighthawk was particularly galling (and the fact they made him Black -- after Stan, everybody wants to do it in "urbanizing" the concept, I guess), but the undead Power Princess concept kind of creeped me out. I'm losing interest on this one fast.

Green Arrow #30:
Everything I was mad about, given the characterization of Jefferson Pierce's "niece" (ask Tony Isabella what he thinks about that development) got even worse in this issue. Ollie barely works as a hero, his raison d'etre a factor more of inertia than altruism, and most of the people around him are now immune to his "charm." Time for another road trip, I'd say ...

JSA #52:
As I read the last few pages (my favorites in here), I was reminded of an old Dr. Dre line: "if ya woman wants to trip, I'll have to put the smack down!" Crimson Avenger shows up near the end and gives Power Girl an unpleasant surprise. More interesting to me, however, is the continuation of Black Adam's background activities, collecting harsh "heroes" around himself and creating a concern of considerable clout (I looooove alliteration). This felt like an issue full of watched pots, ready to boil, and given how Johns has shaken my confidence in him so badly of late, he'll really need to impress me with more than this to get back on the Buy Pile.

H-E-R-O #8:
I could see the ending coming on the first page, and I really don't see why people make this book out to be something. I don't really have much more to add than that.

Hulk #60:
Speaking of dangling plot threads (which I wasn't, but which I will) Bruce Jones is closing down the "Mr. Blue/Mr. Green" storyline that's been running in the background, as Bruce Banner is hunted through the streets of New York City (all apologies to Bill Bixby). It's a nice little story, despite seeing no Hulk at all (and Bruce being a lot stronger than I remember him), but still a good ways from making the jump.

JLA #86:
Martians. *yawn* Next?

El Cazador #1:
The art, of course, is pretty. The story has a few cliches and surprises you by being on Earth with real historical events involved. It's lightly entertaining, but nothing special.

Masters of the Universe Icons of Evil: Tri-Klops:
The only one of these one-shots that was any good was Beast Man, as this one really only makes Keldor look really impressive and makes Tri-Klops look like a mindless, if skillful, stooge. Blah.

Iron Man #72:
New creative team next month. That alone can let you slide past the unbelievable plot twists and goofy script. Next?

Teen Titans #3:
The last page makes me very unhappy. People need to stay dead. This title is not going well.

X-Men #146:
I got an email from a friend that said all of Grant Morrison's work will pay off in this storyline. However, with the Teen Titans-esque ending (I'm starting to believe Arkham Asylum and the afterlife have the same guards, since people keep coming back) and the scattershot plot (Jean in space! Xorn's secret revealed! Hank and Emma's bickering!) I found the whole thing pretty uninteresting. The "reveal" was what cheapened it more than anything else (other than that it's just pedestrian melodrama), and I for one and not happy. However, knowing Morrison's run is finite, and New Marvel's tendency to skip over what has gone before, I'm not really twitchy about any of it.

Punisher #31:
"Streets of Laredo" ended with a bang (as any good Punisher story should) and this title is almost back to its classic "Welcome Back, Frank" form.

Kingpin #4:
Wilson Fisk makes a compelling anti-hero and this series continues to entertain.

Star Wars: Empire #11:
Please make this title stop telling stories about the Rebellion. If they wanna do Star Wars: Rebellion, they should go ahead and do it. I want tales of the Empire. Blah.

Ultimate X-Men #32:
Guest stars aplenty, but things kept moving. Not much story here, but solid action.

Read Pile Roundup: "Nothing to see here, move along."

A solid week on the Buy Pile and less than entertaining stuff on the freebies makes a slightly below average week all around.