Every week I go to the comic book store (Comics Ink at Overland and Braddock 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.

Captain Marvel #15:
One of the hard things about being a writer is that I can often see things coming in fictional works. Knowing how a dramatic arc feels, knowing the mechanics of rising to a crescendo, I'm rarely confronted with a piece of entertainment that doesn't in most ways conform to some genre convention or storytelling crutch that I'm familiar with. Then again, there's always surprises somewhere. At the start of this run, Peter David went nuckin futs with Captain Marvel, and every month is a freakin' adventure. Not limiting himself to earthborne madness, title character Genis-Vell threatens to destroy no fewer than fifteen entire civilizations. You could get that from solicitation copy -- the real fun is the kind of manic glee David has infused into the title's protagonist, a kind of smirking amusement and bitter whimsy (thanks Bronwyn) that's simply a joy to read. Add tons of shooting and blowing up of things, oh, and Rick Jones having an exciting episode on a balcony, and this is another gem in a long line of jewels comprising this volume's run.

Lucifer #43:
So you're the Morningstar, and the power of your father has been usurped by a couple of leftover Titans, rendering your powers less than effective. How do you overcome this? By sheer force of will. Chris Allen recently remarked in an interview with me that I have a tendency to adore Machiavellian schemers. In this issue of Lucifer my adoration is fully justified, as the first to fall outmanuevers with delicacy and wit, even manipulating heaven's most powerful angel with a few well placed bon mots. Carey's characterization is superb, and as always the angular, waifish artwork of Peter Gross and Mike Kelly only reinforce the gentility and sophistication of the work. Great stuff, here.

Daredevil #53:
I've commented before about how reading David Mack's work is like wandering through an art gallery, and this month's issue of Daredevil is no different. The real fun (if not the devil himself) is the details -- small illustrations of sign language indicating names and plot points, the switches from traditional comic lettering to hand-scribbled script as part of the art, the almost footnote quality of some throwaway facts that end up gelling with the larger story. I used to think these issues were art exercises, but with more time I am coming to recognize Mack's real ability to create something wholly amazing from a widely varied set of tools. I'm gonna be sorry to see his run end ...

Human Target #3:
Deliciously wicked, this conclusion (and a short story, only two issues) to "The Unshredded Man," following the adventures of a man who "died" on 9/11, is simply very smart and very well told. The lead, Christopher Chance, still struggles with his demons, the lives he leaves behind as he continues to "become" other people on a regular basis. Pulido's terse, sketchy art is so delightful, so able to draw out emotion with so few lines. Even on pages as complex as thirteen panels, the combination of his visual balance and Peter Milligan's snappy script make this issue a joy to read. Yay smart comics!

Smax #3:
Alan Moore's fixation on details -- and the whole Top 10 body of work is an amazing symphony of details -- really shows some fun touches here when the normally taciturn Smax, showing his nervousness, chats up the mystical world of his birth on the way to (I kid you not) "the Department of Quests, Trilogies and Sagas," which of course has people ahead of him in line looking a lot like a moisture farming pilot wannabe from Tatooine and a 1980s video game knight now appearing in CrossGen's sandbox. The juxtaposition of Robyn Slinger, a bright and amused voice in this world of whimsy, makes such a great counterpoint to Jeff Smax's Sipowicz-esque gruffness. Even without the usenet and web-sourced annotations which will surely come, this is one great read all by itself.

Red Star Volume 2 #3:
While falling victim to the basics of "decompression," this title has always somehow managed to inspire a sense of grandeur and amazement and overcome it. The computer enhanced art never gets stiff and mechanical, the tension and strain in the characters' experience is almost tangible, and the wonderful tidbits -- Maya "kasting" up a huge machine gun, for example -- flesh out this "alternate" world with great skill. This is, in my mind, one of the most finely done books around, and even if you don't enjoy it's terse storytelling (it does take forever to get to the point sometimes), you can't help but appreciate the craft displayed here.

Gotham Central #12:
Taking a page from the book of Charles Moose, one of Gotham's least favorite citizens has a high powered rifle, a sense of humor and an endless amount of time to ply his trade. Looking at this crisis from the street-level eyes of police officers, hard pressed for overtime hours and overworked in a wholly corrupt law enforcement establishment that'd make Daryl Gates look like an angel, this is another taut, thrilling issue. Brubaker and Rucka keep a great balance between what I feel is Brubaker's skill with dialogue and Rucka's masterful plotting. The scene where Montoya flips out over the coffee and it ends with her partner simply saying "Yeah" is really a joy to read. All around good, and the only Bat book I spend money on.

Transformers/G.I. Joe #2:
You can get more of a feeling that this is a miniseries here, as things move fast in this second issue. My doubts over Jae Lee's shadowy art style are now a thing of the past, as closeups on Scarlett in low light are as evocative as Iron-Hide reaching out to grab a bullet from mid-air. Of course, as all G.I. Joe books do, this leans heavily on Snake-eyes, and makes his mano-a-mano struggle with his former sword brother Storm Shadow a lot more important than I feel it should be ("what about the mission?" Stalker hollers after him, rightfully so). This is still a gripping issue with some real merit. Admittedly, you have to forget the kind of goofy side to it -- Autobots and Decepticons in World War II -- which surely hold nowhere near the gravitas of, say The Life Eaters (which looked interesting but too pricey for my blood). But when you see Grimlock's optical sensor and his logo glowing from the shadows as he calmly discusses murdering Decepticons in battle ... well, that's pretty much all you need there. You can let the larger political and historical ramifications fall by the wayside ... for one issue at least.

Buy Pile Breakdown: I can't remember the last time I was this happy with a Buy Pile (even though I wasn't paying attention and accidentally bought the goofy JSA issue this week, more on that in a minute). Great week to be a comics fan.

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

Agent X #15:
Gail Simone's in jokes ("yellow boxes," ha ha ha ha ha) here kept me happier than the somewhat goofy plot, but it was a solid dovetail into whatever Nicieza has planned for Deadpool (I hear something's in the works) and the real problem case of the story, the villain Black Swan, gets what's coming to him, at least twice. Not bad for a finale.

Avengers #71:
I'd consider the much-hyped naked Hank Pym scene "much ado about nothing," given its relative time in the issue. The really dangerously uninteresting subplot with Whirlwind notwithstanding (it's so ham fisted ... sheesh), the actual poignancy of Hank and Janet's marital woes struck home for me (as I can relate to some of it ... I never hit any woman, but I know what it's like when love simply is not enough). Still, not worth owning, but a nice little character moment.

First #35:
My first impression (ha ha ha) was that this issue was very pretty. Then, noting the kind of poster treatments along the right side of the two-page spreads, I found it pretty informative. A really significant development in the story (to this issue, the series and the shared universe as a whole) happens in just a few panels (I almost missed it, really), and all hell surely is breaking loose on most pages. The cat's finally out of the bag about Wyture and Enson, two mysterious characters who've stood in the background for a while. Fans will be dying for this issue, but it's merely interesting for non-die-hard readers.

Green Arrow #31:
Tony Isabella will surely not like what happens to his creation Black Lightning in this really appallingly offensive issue. Drakon (yet another in a long line of "super" killers in black suits ... just once I want an unstoppable killer who doesn't dance around like a Matrix extra and, I dunno, who wears jeans and a Radiohead t-shirt) makes his plays and requires a real team effort to keep a handle on, as the storyline comes to a murky and disturbing conclusion. Gah.

Sojourn #28:
I'm tired of talking about how glorious Greg Land is. Really. So this month I'll instead say that lead character Arwyn, missing her dog (who's busy in Solus, little did she know) takes a turn for the Punisher, adopting a grim and kill-happy attitude towards toppling the rule of Mordath. Everybody is in this (with the possible exception of the evasive Gareth) because of loss, because of a horrible tragedy in their past, and that commonality has made this book a real treasure of characterization. Plus the art by that Greg guy. You know.

Hammer of the Gods: Hammer Hits China #3:
Every issue of this I found in the store had a printing error, printing page 3-4 twice in sequence. That notwithstanding, this was a confusing and jolted story, which I'm not wholly sure I understood.

Hulk: Gray #1:
Mmm, nostalgic. Right.

Mystic #40:
A little heavy on internal (read: the title's own) continuity, but a cute story nonetheless, with an old soap opera device used interestingly.

JSA #53:
I accidentally forgot to put this one in the right pile, and brought the damned thing home. Crimson Avenger catches a bad one (and shoots Power Girl, and kills Wildcat at least twice, maybe three times ... just go with it). I found most of the story pretty boring and predictable, until the wicked tease with Black Adam at the end. He's the only real reason I keep buying this stodgier and goofier book, since Johns has surely done some shark vaulting in the past few months. Surely not worth my money.

Masters of the Universe: Rise of the Snake Men #1:
Episodic. Not in a good way. A simple story that can delight die hards and neophytes, but no literature value here.

Superman/Batman #3
The whole issue is one long fight scene -- admittedly a pretty one, as I love McGuiness' art -- with some vague dialogue thrown in.

"I secretly respect Batman more than I can say."
"I secretly respect Superman more than I can say."
"I'm often amazed by Batman's brilliance and tenacity."
"I'm often amazed by Superman's power and wholesomeness."
"I find Batman's man-tights strangly attractive ..."
"I find Superman's man-tights strangely attractive ..."

Et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseum. Oh, and punching, lots of punching. Which, now I think about it, really bothers me -- between super speed, heat vision and the ability to just throw stuff at people, why would Superman ever bother with fist fights? Damn, that's stupid ...

Street Fighter #2:
A kind of crime story mixed with kung fu movie action scenes, I enjoy this series, in a "eat popcorn while watching Shaolin Temple" kind of way.

Thor #70:
Elseworlds gone wild, as new characters are introduced and the fall is soon to come. Jurgens broke a lot of rules on this arc, and I'm watching now to see how this will all be repackaged into a licensable status quo down the road. I am debating picking up the sinful Spiral trade.

Negation #23:
Bedard is doing great work here, forming a schism between the "castaways," splitting them into two forces and showing the arguable lead Obregon Kaine in moments of real doubt and vulnerability.

Thundercats: Hammerhand's Revenge #1:
Episodic. Not in a good way. A simple story that can delight die hards and neophytes, but no literature value here. (Yes, I said the exact same thing for MOTU -- if they are gonna stick me with plots fit for syndication, the reviews get reruns)

Wolverine #6:
Wolvie and Nightcrawler drink. I learned something really disturbing about Logan (look for the panel about his arm). Nobody dies, no punches are thrown, and I don't even think the claws came out. Rucka can do better.

Mystique #7:
If this book stays this good, this zany and this action packed, I'll have to start buying it. Dammit!

Solus #7:
Very informative (they musta needed to get a bunch of exposition out of the way this month, warming up for that War series that's coming) with some decent action, as Lindy continues to steal the scenes with her snappy dialogue.

Read Pile Roundup: Given my continual irritation at Superman, the atrocious treatment of Jefferson Pierce and some other plain boring or dumb stuff, this was a down week in the read pile.

The books I paid for took me high, while the dreck I left on the shelves left me low. I'm glad I read the bought books last.