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.

Gotham Central #13:
The key word here is "tension." Mixing the crisis in Virginia with the madness of the Joker, this story is an instant classic. This issue turns up the heat on the boys (and girls) in blue, with a brief appearance by The Bat and a sense of terror that's practically a fully realized character in the story. The dogged determination of the characters -- evenm Detective Driver, who comes close to cracking -- to continue on in the face of this really shows the true grit of this series. The locker room fight, the press conferences, all done with a deft touch and real craftsmanship on every side of the creative table. Michael Lark's rough pencils and Lee Loughridge's "I Loved The X-Files" colors add to this atmosphere. Gotham Central continues to shine as possibly the best Bat book around.

Fables #19:
I've often wondered what it's like for the victims, people who get hit by a bus, in those last seconds before the impact. Bill Willingham seems to know, as the almost-Schwartzenegger-esque election of the scoundrel Prince Charming to the office of Mayor of Fabletown bears down on its city officials like a crosstown express. Snow White, revealed to be pregnant on the cover and in previous issues, has no idea what kind of Fable could be growing within her, an old familiar face shows up with new information, and you can tell that bad things are gonna happen, with deliciously entertaining results. Fables is probably Vertigo's most fun title, and this issue keeps turning the thumb screws, with prophetic dreams featuring dead pigs and roadside battles with goblins. Fine, fine work.

Queen & Country #20:
This, ladies and gentlemen, is how you do business. Tara Chace, stuck in Russian Georgia, resorts to less than noble means to accomplish her goals. Rucka delivers a grim Tara, set on her purpose and crafty as hell, while keeping the intra-office feints and ruses taut and interesting. I wasn't too fond of Carla Speed McNeil's work on earlier issues -- the car accident in particular looked shoddy last issue -- but on the more personal notes here, she shines. An upswing issue with a solid conclusion to a lot of clear internal continuity.

Transformers: War Within 2 #2:
Big things begin to happen in the early stages of the Cybertronian Civil War, with factions as fractured as gang sets, before the real logo-based battle lines were drawn. This issue centers on two such "gangs," -- a Springer-led crew called the Wreckers and the Protectobots, who look less than enthused to get involved at all. Best of all is a few moments of glorious super giant robot smackdown, with a teasing moment where new character The Fallen (who looks like what would happen if Prime and Megatron has a kid) cackles madly over his own machinations. I actually felt a moment of euphoria when I recognized an old favorite character turn up at the end. Furman's writing works hard to keep up with Andrew Wildman's imaginative, amazing artwork and The War Within seems to be the TF franchise you can't miss.

Capes #2:
This issue hits all the right buttons, and just doing that wouldn't be enough if it didn't have a frosting of humor with it. There's a really smart superhero moment in here from Bolt, who's becoming one of my favorite characters around these days (Kirkman is able to infuse Bolt with the kind of "This is all too stupid to be happening in front of me" kind of look Angel always has on his WB series), and I'm gonna be quite sorry to see this series end next issue.

Punisher #35:
The delightfully concealed secret has yet to come out, but Spidey and Wolverine continue to get their asses handed to them by Frank Castle. You'll note I didn't mention one name there, as things aren't all bullet casings and smiles for our dear Punisher. I will say Ennis hasn't been in this fine a form since the first story arc (even acknowledging some fine work on "The Streets of Laredo"), and his delicate mixture of sneering derision and kinetic action, ably handled by partner in crime John McCrea, really makes it happen here.

G.I. Joe #23:
Serpentor. Normally saying that would make me angry (especially when there's a clone with my name who looks nothing like my namesake), but Blaylock continues to deliver the hits, making the newfound power base for Serpentor a cult with real gravitas, closing in on Cobra's business-minded survivors with zeal and style. The Joes are hard pressed, since their own superiors made this crisis possible (in previous issues, all well foreshadowed if somewhat drawn out), and I am excited about what's going on here. Then I remember Blaylock is leaving, and I'm worried again ...

Buy Pile Breakdown: Barely a panel where I wasn't well entertained, this is a week for the record books. Excellent stuff all over.

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

First #37:
Never has "deus ex machina" been a more appropriate term. Atwaal's back, and he's ... well, honestly, he's been standing right there all along. A long, drawn out and somewhat convoluted (visually, while still being pretty) issue cracks open the obelisk, seals the rift and calls everybody for (as you probably guessed it) war. Just get to the crossover already, sheesh ...

Fantastic Four #506:
Reed versus ... well, everybody. The poker face of "Mister Doomtastic" is solid here, as he predicts his own demise. The borders of Latveria are surrounded by foreign troops, even as the people come to adore the Richards clan as saviors, while policing their own. The real complexity of this issue amazed me, with hard decisions being made by virtually every character, as well as finely placed details (S.H.I.E.L.D. can teleport now? Cool!) scattered throughout the narrative. Waid is firing on all cyllinders, and since he's in this for a while, it's interesting to see how far he's willing to go. I'm still reading, something I haven't said about FF since I was a kid.

Fallen Angel #5:
Five issues in, and I can appreciate the craft, but I have no connection to the characters. Eh.

Mystic #42:
A long winded parable about how you should believe in yourself. I mean, how the title's lead should believe in herself. Right.

Avengers #73:
She Hulk more articulate than Hulk, but smash anyway! Grargh! The main plot seemed like something I'd rather read about in a recap, while the tense moment between Jack of Hearts and Ant-Man was where I wanted to be. Alas, it was al too short. C'est la vie ...

Batman: Death & the Maidens #4:
Finally this title shows some gumption! The "last Ra's Al Ghul" story puts Talia through the ringer, sends the Bat to a place where he'll need (more) therapy, but still seems to be missing ... something. Mmm.

Gun Theory #2:
I would be lauding this book to the world if the art weren't so staggeringly, dangerously ugly. I mean, wow. The writing is really outstanding for this assassin-takes-a-wrong-turn tale, as I am able to find enjoyment in spite of art that clearly detracts from the work. In mood and pacing, it's all right, but in sheer composition it's ugly, jarring, and looks rushed. Ow.

Sigil #42:
I've never been as angry at a final issue as I am with this. A "filler" story moving two supporting characters from point "a" to point "b." To quote Steven Grant, "I can't help but think at EC Comics they could've told this whole story in eight pages, with more impact."

Kingpin #6:
Moving closer to becoming the power we know, Wilson Fisk continues to play chess with the rich and the dangerous in a smart issue that could only benefit from being a touch more polished on the art side.

Robotech Love & War #6:
Taking a familiar story and pacing it in a way as to make it bad -- the scene where Miriay meets Rick, as evidence, should not have been a splash page but one large panel with three or four panels on the side -- really killed this. I'm glad I stopped buying this mess. The Jack McKinney novelizations do the work just fine.

1602 #4:
Finally things begin to happen, with a new British sovereign and people finally showing their true colors and allegiances. I do wonder who Doom has locked up in his basement, but I'm still less than amazed by Gaiman's work here.

Iron Man #74:
Tony is looking at the kitchen door, since it's getting hot in herre. His road to becoming Secretary of Defense has a large number of impediments, but he's throwing down the gauntlet by claiming the impossible. His last page declaration made me wonder, as I do with Thor, Fantastic Four and some other Marvel books that are really trying new things, "how far are they willing to let this go?" Answering that question rivets me, and I hope the answer isn't sliding into an elseworlds, Bobby Ewing place, like it looks like Thor is gonna do.

Thundercats Hammerhand's Revenge #2:
Episodic. On TV, which is free, that's great. In comics ... I'm gonna stop reading this, as I can see plot developments two steps (and ten pages) ahead of when they happen.

Invincible #6:
This issue felt somehow disconnected -- either I don't remember the last issue well enough, or it wasn't well enough recapped, but I don't think the team was on their game this time.

Hulk #63:
I found several passages less than clearly depicted -- a fault of either Jones' script or artwork decisions down the line, I can't tell. I also found the resurrection of a major character insulting. I'm not really happy with this title. Again.

Teen Titans #5:
I was surprised to see several things. That I was able to find some enjoyment here at all. That switching "Impulse" to "Kid Flash" would work, and not irritate me (as I adored Impulse, but it's a good character development). That a dead character had the nerve to be alive and not even explain why. It's ups and downs, with some good notes and some bad, but a long way from being worth money.

Negation #24:
Javi's back, and he is not happy. The "ligis" bearers of the God Emperor Charon (oooh, that's fun to say) have twenty pounds of whup ass in a ten pound bag, and it spills all over Obregon Kaine's band of castaways. While Javi's team is tough, it's Javi himself that surprises, with some displays of power (a la the X-Men's Bishop) that really make this long fight scene worth reading.

JSA #54:
I hate the holidays, and I hate a lot of what Johns has been doing, but I was surprised at enjoying this issue, which had some very predictable moments (even Batman would say so) and some really wonderful ones (ex: Star telling Captain Marvel he should sit at the kid's table ... truthfully, I think he'd have more fun there). I like the interplay that Johns is trying to establish between Terrific and the Bat, and while I found Diana's speechmaking somewhat ... discordian, I still saw good notes in almost all of the characters (Bart and Jakeem, however, should not be left unsupervised). Who knew?

NYX #2:
"... this week, on an all new NYX, part of the WB's Big Sunday ..."

Nightwing #87:
I wondered what was going on with this title, and decided to check in. I recognized a bit of diologue early on -- Babs asks Dick, "Why do you love me?" Bad things happen. I can relate. Good balance of action and pathos, but not as zippy as when it happens in, say, Birds of Prey. Good, but not good enough for me.

Ultimate X-Men #39:
Messing with Wolvie's head is the best part, as Dum Dum Dugan shines. Everything else was merely acceptable in this smart but talky issue.

Green Arrow #32:
Another pleasant surprise with a fun "boys night out" between Arsenal and Connor Hawke, the scion of Oliver Queen. The strippers, beatings, crime and fast cars are merely window dressing for a very well depicted bit of male bonding, which I rather enjoyed. Again, who knew?

Ultimate Six #4:
Nick Fury is in trouble. That's a big enough surprise to read along as it is, but the plan the villains have is so insidious, so well-thought-out, I looked back at the cover, surprised I was reading a Marvel book. Ultimate whup-ass, and a bad day to be Ultimate Peter Parker.

Legion #26:
When I saw the last page, I turned to gnome/retailer Adam (who I call exclusively by little girls' names) and said, "they're gonna party like it's 1986." I saw so much of "The Great Darkness Saga" in here, I expected Levitz to get a writing credit. Sad, really.

Read Pile Roundup: Marvel sure brought their "a" game, but most other titles just phoned it in. Still, a lot of pleasan surprises, even though nobody made the jump.

With a great Buy Pile, the pleasant surprises overruled the Carlos Boozers and Mark Madsens on the court this week. Happy, if somewhat fatigued (I gotta read fewer books ...)