Planetary #19:
When I saw new issues of Ultimates and Avengers/JLA on the stands along with this, I was sure that either Battle Chasers was nearby or the end of the world had come (no, that joke never gets old). This month's issue is really back on track, with some seriously mad ideas thrown around willy nilly, while still maintaining the meta-narrative's goals. Of particular interest is a two page spread Cassaday does about two thirds of the way through followed by two very interesting pages of panels providing detail on it. I won't spoil this really fascinating image and concept (which some will recognize, as Ellis riffs on old concepts all the time in Planetary), but this issue was one of the most riveting reads I've seen in a bit, a really great value for the money, and a cliffhanger that'll flip your wig. Fine, fine work.

G.I. Joe #28:
Jump from the Read Pile. First of all, Tim Seeley and Cory Hamscher are doing great things with the artwork here -- Destro is imposing, Cobra Commander's hood drapes just the way you like it, the action sequences are clear and crisp. In addition, Brandon Jerwa succeeds in injecting some of the madcap mayhem of the Marvel series into this, with fun banter between professional killers. As well, they manage a really deft tie in to the current toy line (which has a "spy troops" thing, I can't say more left I'll spoil something), thus serving the license's needs as well. Really well done from a craft point of view, and entertaining to boot. I was worried when Josh Blaylock left the title, but Brandon Jerwa is a good successor who pares down the stories a bit and injects a lot of fun (at least so far).

Legion #31:
When I opened up the issue, I saw a nine panel grid. I boggled, looked back to the cover and saw the name "Giffen." That was enough to put this on the Buy Pile, and I'm happy I did. By spotlighting the aftermath of another apocalyptic battle through the focus of Chuck Taine, Superboy (yes, it's Kon-El, don't ask how he's here and in Titans at the same time, it'll make your head hurt) and Gear, DnA are able to tell a really funny and really entertaining story, which manages to fit in romance and action (and a not to old continuity, with Brainiac 5.1 having a "private holo-collection" featuring Dreamer, Spark and Andromeda, all blondes like the Kara that Brainiac 5 loved before Zero Hour) while manuevering through a battered Legion World. This is a really good issue, one of the finest I've seen from this title in a while (especially after the lackluster conclusion of what I called the "Not So Great Darkness Saga" last month).

Buy Pile Breakdown: Three really well done reads, very enjoyable.

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

Punisher #4:
When Micro asked Frank how he'd like to go hunt Bin Laden, I got a little shiver. Ennis has once again reinvented the title, getting back to the hard boiled, Steven Grant styled action of the past, but with the grim realities of today as a jarring addition. I really liked this book, and only didn't buy it because I wasn't sure the storyline would hold up. This promises to be concluded next month, and if the next issue is as satisfying as this (you'll see that in my review), I'll go back and buy all five.

Arrowsmith #6:
This really should have been an OGN. Wow. Busiek's fantastical elements serve to dull the edge of war's brutal cuts in one man's soul, but not by much. This is really smart, literate fiction. Now that it's done, I'll probably go back and buy all six, as I'm not sure a collection is possible, given the sales, but it was difficult to read on a monthly basis.

Avengers/JLA #4:
This issue really, really tried hard. "Busy" was the adhective Steve, my comics retailer, used, and I agree. Someone with an alarming amount of free time will sit down and annotate every hero appearance here (and there are, literally, almost everybody I've ever seen in both teams in this issue). It has a very nice trick with Metron at the end (that guy's wily, I tell ya), but overall was a kind of empty feel, despite all the build up. A good conversation piece, but not good enough for me to buy by a long shot.

Negation War #1:
It's been a long time coming, and the first "big issue" of CG's first crossover is a good one. Why didn't I buy it? In part because it's clearly poking fun at Superman in a way that's cliched and takes time away from the core story, and in part because ... well, if you've ever dated somebody, and it takes you forever to get anywhere with them, and you finally bed them, and they're not all that great ... it's like that. It's good, but considering all the drama that led up to it, in my mind, this could have happened earlier and had a larger impact. Plus, the scale of the Negation invasion armies is never shown to have any grandeur. I feel that's a detriment.

Batman #625:
Brian Azzarello's "100 Batarangs," er, "Broken City" storyline concludes, using all the rhythms of Raymond Chandler and none of the nuances. Characterization is done by pantomime, and patter substitutes for presence. I didn't like this storyline, thinking it was awash in cliches and easy writing solutions, but that's just my take on it.

Sojourn #33:
Another stunning visual performance by Greg Land, in an issue which almost peeks behind the curtain ... but not quite. Still interesting, still gorgeous, but still not good enough to buy.

Flash #208:
Eh. A new Flash museum. The JLA shows up for a splash page. Eh.

G.I. Joe Reloaded #1:
I really found Neiber's approach very contemporary and interesting, but there was something ... I dunno ... joyless about this that stopped me from buying it (and I'm a huge fan of the franchise). Despite the fact that many of them were bitter people bent on revenge, G.I. Joe always had a kind of homicidal whimsy that endeared it to my heart. Here? Not so much. When Neiber moved it back to WW II (we'll discuss that in a bit) it made more sense, and even there some jokes got cracked. This is a hard boiled paramilitary approach, and I'm not wholly on board ... yet.

JLA #95:
I was told that this issue marks the fifth time my comics retailer Steve can remember Superman being put under the control of vampires. I noted that since Superman can move and perceive at super speed (he can block bullets), how can a guy (albeit a magical creature, but one who still obeys laws of physics involving motion) rush up and bite him without Superman saying, "Mmm, I'll just get out of the way!" The retail troll Jennifer (whose name is Adam, but I exclusively call him little girl's names, like Dr. Cox does to JD on Scrubs) notes that a vampire can mesmerize. I go get the last issue, where the bite occurred, and note the vampire wasn't looking Supes in the eye. Tabitha (I change the little girl's name every time I refer to him) admits that "Someone must have put on their Stupitron Helmet," a comment so absurd it caused most of the people in the room to double over laughing, then assuming that Stupitron was the brother of the Transformer combiner Computron, but finally settling on the idea that Stupitron was a natural element that sapped intelligence. Gloria then talked about one of his students (for some reason he teaches school) who coined a phrase "El Stupi-cabra," for a kid so dumb that he makes the kids who sit near him dumb too. All this is to say that this issue sucked, and would have been amazing in 1989, but today is just kind of embarrassing.

Micronauts #1
Weird. Complicated. I know the characters, so I was kind of able to follow along, but the issue (especially for a number one) acts like it's clear that everybody read the last series (which feels like it happened a long time ago), moving on with no preamble or discussion. Not really interesting, storywise, either. Mmm.

Reign of the Zodiac #8:
A lackluster finale that still looked great, thanks to Doran. Literally throwing away his toys at the end (don't look for a sequel, there's a real sense of finality on the last pages), this title ended with a whimper.

Star Wars Infinities: Return of the Jedi #4:
There's one panel which made many people around me who read it uncomfortable. I found it a logical one (it's the biggest surprise in the book, which is why I won't spoil it), if unnerving. After a few minutes I decided I liked it, and enjoyed the story as a whole, but it was still very derivative of the original source material, whereas the first Infinities was so wildly creative it forced my participation. Eh.

Transformers/G.I. Joe #6:
The Autobots in WWII. This issue addresses the topic of the Joes' integrated forces (very smartly), and talks more than blows things up. Destro kills Starscream (no real spoiler there, it's a parenthetical moment that ushers in a real surprise), Cobra Commander and Megatron bicker like old friends, Soundwave gets a gatling gun ... all interesting, true, but somehow this issue has little of the urgency I remember in earlier ones.

Ultimates #13:
"Strategic homophobia" is the term that was bandied around the comic book shop as we discussed this one. Once again, I pledge my undying fandom for Ultimate Captain America, who is so much smarter and more impressive than his Marvel U counterpart that it's not even funny. Ultimate Thor gets some really good moments as well, Jan gets a new beau, and the first "season" ends really well. However, many people left it because of it's delay -- it was good, but not good enough to wait that long for.

Read Pile Roundup: Even the dumbest book this week provided ample amusement from mockery. A great week of reads, and not too many of 'em either.

So, How Was It This Week? Another really good week of books -- two in a row, who knew?

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