Fables #21:
I'm very sorry to say that this issue kind of stood in place, serving the mechanics of numerous plot points (Red Riding Hood's surprise arrival, Jack's continued scheming, touching on Snow White's pregnancy) but never really did much for them. In the process, Willingham was able to poke fun at some jokes and introduce a mysterious trio of characters hell bent on various brands of malice towards the Fable community. As always I enjoyed the art by Buckingham and Leialoha, simple and straightforward and never giving too much or too little gravity to the characters. I'm interested in a lot that's going on in this title, but this issue did little for me.

Captain Marvel #18
I get to the comic book store, and there's a sign showing a number of titles -- including this one -- that won't be at the store until Friday. I ask, "Steve, what up?" He says that numerous LA area stores were missing titles, in his case upwards of 800 comic books that never left the LA regional warehouse. I said, "But there's some consequence or compensation, right?" He said, "No." So I say, "Steve, what's up with that?" "That's what happens when you have a monopoly," Steve replies, and heads for the back room. So I can't review this book this week, one I was looking forward to, one that concludes a big storyline, because Diamond screwed up. I'd like to say I'll come back and review it when it comes in, but to be honest, I'll probably forget. Damned loopholes in the Sherman Antitrust Act!

Gotham Central #15:
The Joker has taken hard boiled terrorism and brought it to this title, playing the media, the cops and the Bat for suckers. Sure, he gets beaten up, but he extracts a heavy price from the boys (and girls) in blue. I don't know how Brubaker and Rucka manage their collaboration, but it's one of the best reads on the stands. Lark's artwork continues to be perfect, with grim and realistic coloring by Loughridge. The Joker is in rare form, and the Bat makes an appearance or two. Gotham Central continues, in my mind, to be one of DC's finest titles.

Punisher #1:
Because I got screwed out of Captain Marvel, I decided to give the "grittier" Punisher a try, after Ennis closed down the last volume with such an amazing story, "Confederacy of Dunces." This issue of Punisher is much like the stories of the past -- grim, harsh, and realistic. I liked it. It wasn't, however, stellar, and I could have spent my money better (more on that soon), but it turned out all right. There's a visceral recap of the origin, some fine Frank Castle action (some laughs, but not many -- I think Punisher is at its best playing for dark humor), and a surprise guest star who will reveal where (or rather when) this story is really happening.

Buy Pile Breakdown: Eh.

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

Nightwing #89:
This is one of the missing titles this week. Dumb Diamond!

Ultimate X-Men #41:
A mutation goes horribly wrong, and the X-Men deal with it the way I would, which was a very pleasant surprise. I won't reveal cast members or details, but I will say I liked this one a lot, a hard nosed look at the dirty work of being the X-Men, with none of the waffling and prevarication so prevalent in the main line's books. Ultimate books in general (Ultimate Adventures notwithstanding) know how to make things ring true to modern sensibilities. This was a great example of that.

Batman: Death & the Maidens #6:
After having fun with Queen & Country and enjoying this week's Gotham Central, I asked Steve, "How can Rucka be on this book, and it be so dull?" "It's all over the map," Steve agreed, "but never 'interesting' somehow." Eh.

Way of the Rat #21:
Goofy fun with magic and martial arts. That's the way to sum up many issues of this title, as this really didn't have that much story for the space. No real complaints, as that's a stylistic affectation of the line.

Fallen Angel #7:
Nope. Still dull. It's characterization -- for all the "mystery," I don't have enough raw data to care about these people. Ah well.

Hulk #65:
MIA. Thanks, Diamond, you bastards.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang #1:
I was amazed at how much I enjoyed this book. It hit ever super spy mark, walking the line between James Bond and Austin Powers deftly, using humor and action in equal doses. I really, really enjoyed this -- in retrospect, I wish I'd have left Punisher and picked this up instead. Ah well.

Green Arrow #34:
Another Diamond refugee, I think. Wankers.

Captain America #22:
Morales continues to create a very textured tale. This Cap isn't as whiny as the one we've seen in past months, nor as determined as Ultimate Cap (my personal favorite), but he's interesting, which I can't say about Cap for a long time. The art -- a little bit Romita, a little bit early ChrisCross -- is serviceable and works better from a narrative than a technical standpoint. It tells the story more than it's pretty, that is. I'm watching this title with interest.

Action Comics #811:
Ten pages of story. Metropolis is a town just like it's hero -- impossibly altruistic, goofily hopeful, and ultimately stupid. Gah.

1602 #6:
The cards start to be revealed ... and they're not interesting. At the heart of most of the Gaiman work I've read is a good idea. I don't see that here. I see an overblown "What If?" At east Thor showed up. Blah.

Superman: Secret Identity #1:
Guess who screwed up getting this to the store?

Thor #73:
"Retelling" the final showdown with the Avengers. Which, of course, won't have happened by the end of this storyline. Which, actually, wasn't even very smart or interesting. Inevitability is setting in, slowly, and unpleasantly.

Teen Titans #7:
All I can say is "blah."

Read Pile Roundup: Reading books was a chore this week.

Overall, with Diamond screwing up and a big batch of blah, it was a bad week for comics fans.