Lucifer #48:
Elaine Belloc, daughter of the archangel Michael, is a kind of guardian spirit in an all-new creation controlled by her "uncle," the Morningstar. She's been tasked with evicting every immortal from the "new universe," and is partnered with the Lilim war leader Mazikeen. Elaine finds a creative solution to the last immortal, Thole the Weaver, whose misadventures with a human boy from the "normal" universe led to much confusion. The story is told very delicately, and with the casual intelligence and wit that Carey's run on this title has been known for, I particularly enjoyed a panel near the end, showing Elaine towering over the landscape, with Peter Gross and Ryan Kelly continuing their string of fine performances on artwork. A solid issue on a partially tangential storyline.

Captain Marvel #21:
This is one of the most unpredictable titles on the shelves, and it continues that fine stream of craziness. The title character is in the future, trying to fix one thing and ending up doing a whole lot more, which is good and bad at the same time. Meanwhile, an old enemy pops up from literally nowhere in what we laughingly refer to as the present, and makes a grab for the catalyst for the inter-chronal adventures in the first place. The title doesn't so much jump from place to place, but follows an inexorable path towards deeper and deeper madness, which is more and more entertaining every month. This issue kept the faith, but didn't really make me stop and go "aaaagh!" in surprise as some have.

Wonder Woman #202:
Most of the issue is consumed with examining Dr. Veronica Cale, a deeply conflicted and wildly dangerous woman hell bent on bringing down Themyscria's finest. Kidnapping, assault, bribery, homicide, extortion, even sex ... these are all just tactics she's willing to employ in her determined campaign to bring down Wonder Woman, physically and politically. This issue makes for a fascinating character study, and makes a lot of headway towards giving Wonder Woman her own personal Lex Luthor-style arch enemy. Finely done.

Transformers: The War Within: The Dark Ages #5:
Even though I was happy to see my favorite Transformer Sunstreaker in his Cybertronian glory, even though I was troubled to see him get his face stomped in, I really had a blast reading this age of Cybertron's past. Grimlock has really developed into a fascinating, charismatic character, Prowl continues his eternal head scratching and inability to see the big picture, and the Protectobots panic at a crucial time. Secrets are revealed, and the escalation of an arms race where the warriors themselves are the weapons ... this is fascinating stuff. Best of all, there was better coloring, so everything doesn't look like the lighting director from The X-Files was in charge. Very solid work here.

Abadazad #2:
It's been a while since a CrossGen title made the jump, but this simply delightful tale is too interesting for both children and adults. Told from the eye of a skeptic, the story delves deeper and deeper into a fantasy world that could easily stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Harry Potter. I found myself very charmed by this work, and I plan to share it with some of my nieces.

My Flesh Is Cool #3:
I was critical of the apparent haste the story took in the last issue, but I stand corrected. There was a great deal of story to tell, and this issue closes the mini out smoothly. Evan Knox, the central character in the story, faces challenges he could have never expected in a world full of people who adopt the bodies of others for limited times. Gunfire, betrayal, cash and laughs, Steven Grant makes a solid hit with this issue, and the mini is a satisfying whole.

Buy Pile Breakdown: Six really good reads. No complaints here.

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

Mighty Love HC:
The art is really good, the dialogue is snappy and smart, and the mechanics and craftsmanship of the story are good. I enjoyed this story of two largely insane people falling for one another, and hating each other at the same time. The You've Got Mail comparisons are very apt, and the story has action and solid work. However ... twenty five bucks? C'mon dawg ...

Robin #124:
I sat this issue down and went "ooooooh!" Bill Willingham has injected this title with intelligence and skill that's really amazing to see. Big changes are coming after this issue, and Willingham has Tim Drake by the short curly ones. If this keeps up, god help me, I'd have to start buying this title.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang #3:
Think of all your favorite cliches about villains in spy thrillers. Nuh uh. None of that going on here., with Ockam's Razor cutting cleanly along the story's plot lines. Smart, smart stuff with goofy fun.

Thor #76:
I actually recognized certain panels, as Jurgens makes Magni to be the second coming of the Thunder God, right down to the hammer. I can smell the retcon coming. Eh. I can only be disappointed by this, which, given my boredom, will still be quite a feat. Nothing to see here.

Path #23:
In twenty two pages you have to sum up an entire series, close down a revolution that has overtaken a nation, and finish the story of a conflicted former monk. So you start from a point after everything has happened, telling the story as history. Done well, given the circumstances, but a short shrift for one of CrossGen's finest.

Thanos #8 #23:
Thanos is kooky these days. He may have stumbled on to the Beyonder, and we all know how zany that can end up. The smug amusement with which the title character walks around, casually intimidating everyone, is so much fun to read. I think we've finally found Giffen's niche -- smaller focus. He's had such sprawling casts, in Dominion and Legion, he's able to really shine focusing on one fascinating character. I'm enjoying this a lot, and it keeps creeping closer to buyability.

Route 666 #21:
The Russian empire (or it's stand in on this world) is being run by demons. Cassie Starkweather, the title's much-beleaguered protagonist, has been brought in to spot the demons and save innocent sons of the Rodina from getting a cap in their behind. Oh, and the Russkie nukes are full of demons, ready to leap out and kill more effectively than radiation. It's cold war madness, and it's kind of interesting ... but suspension of disbelief is not easy to come by here.

DC New Frontier #3:
The Bat-God myth gets a strong stone at its foundation as Darwyn Cooke keeps painting the DC Universe in the not-so-primary colors of the turbulent 1960s. This is not influenced by Supreme Power, but lots of the ideas from both series clearly went to school together, maybe even dating the same people. Superman stays dumb, Wonder Woman stews in frustration, and the Martian Manhunter gets a rude surprise. Fun stuff, if still very, very pricey.

Daredevil #58:
A rather talky issue where Ben Urich (spelled differently in different issues, argh) hides Matt's love interest and tracks down the Devil himself. The tale of Daredevil taking over as Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen just gets more and more complicated, with delicious results.

Elektra #34:
I was somewhat disappointed by this issue, which could have been done after the word came down the title was doomed. Elektra just kind of wakes up and wins, which is not very compelling storywise. There was an interesting plot twist, but overall this was a less than compelling installment.

Fantastic Four #511
"I've been to heaven," my retailer Steve kept saying, and this issue ... well ... Alan Moore's Supreme covered similar ground, and the actual "space" of "God" is frighteningly accurate (according to reports). To echo what I said about an Alan Moore work, last week's Promethea, I feel like Mark Waid snuck into my house, got me liquored up, schnackered me and left before I woke up. Interesting side note: I've recently found out that Mssr. Waid has a personal problem with me which he has not disclosed to anybody I can talk to, one that I have no idea what the cause is. Despite that, I enjoy his work, and do not leave Fantastic Four on the read pile due to his recently-revealed animosity towards me, but because the combination of concept and execution really just barely miss the mark on my personal scale of aesthetics. I try not to play politics, and I have no ill will towards the man, especially since he may be wholly justified in whatever he's mad at me about -- I'm a jackass. There, glad to have that out of my system ...

Teen Titans #9:
Batman cursing out Robin long distance is the best part of this issue. There's some amusing bits, but overall the issue was goofy and slow.

Street Fighter #6:
The mini series closed down very well, with all the poignancy and pathos of a good martial arts film. It's colorful and has characters with less than fully developed backstories, but it's entertaining, and I appreciate that.

Rose & Thorn #4:
I sort of lost interest here. I was enjoying Simone's work here, but there was less action and the internal discussions inside the title character's head (or heads, depending on perspective), but I somehow lost interest. Eh.

Runaways #13:
The history of the Pride is told in detail, and ... it's ... something else. The kids learn more than they wanted to, as their oldest member deciphers the history their parents have recorded, but they're in big trouble due to a development on the last page. Talky, but interesting in being informative.

Adventures of Superman #626:
The prime antagonist here remains barely characterized, Superman seems woefully ill-prepared to deal with any of this, and the reader's only consolation is that Michael Turner is still turning in some damned fine looking pages. What happened to Mister Majestic again?

Voltron Volume 2 #3:
I was so happy that Vehicle Voltron not only showed up, but gave Lion Voltron what's what. Nobody won, nobody really lost (although somebody made a run for it), and there were pages of well written giant robot smackdown. Good stuff, but not purchased because as a whole, these minis have not held up. This issue, however, was stellar and a fan jamboree. In a way that's better than what follows ...

Superman/Batman #8:
More Michael Turner, and and old friend shows up, confused and free of continuity. A careful and pretty re-introduction presaged by Wizard and foreseen on Usenet. Death's revolving door spins again, and happy days are here again, for as long as they last. I found it tiresome, myself, but there will be jubilant fans looking for a familiar swatch of blonde hair and a red cape.

New X-Men #154:
So that was tomorrow, huh? Grant Morrison closes the door on what I feel is a vastly underachieving run with a dangerously uninteresting finale. I found myself looking to panels of Beak as high points (Silvestri still can depict a damned fine image). I remember reading his JLA and feeling stirrings. This issue, this run, left me cold.

Read Pile Roundup: Nothing special, nothing egregious ... a gray slate of "whatever."

So, How Was It This Week? If rainy days and mondays always get you down, a week of "staying the course" comics should do nothing for you at all.

The Buy Pile is a weekly collection of comic reviews done by Hannibal Tabu (www.operative.net), originally published at UGO.com.