Blokhedz #2:
The story really catches on here when the effects of the cursed blade start to be noticed by Blak, the title's protagonist. His gritty, urban reality starts to become infected with magical realism, which takes him away from 106th & Park cliches and into original territory. The cartoonish art is not as heavy handed as Kyle Baker's, with very crisp inking on all of the images and computer-assisted backgrounds to help keep things crisp. Admittedly, the urban patois may be indecipherable to the average comic book reading demographic (the "slang" glossary in the back amused me endlessly not only due to its accuracy, but its thoroughness), but in the same way as Native Son was "inappropriate" for audiences of the time, this title is kind of breaking new ground, and I'm fascinated by that. I like the artwork, which is clear and smart while still maintaining the edgy energy of a tagger's mind. I like the story, especially the emotional funeral scene in this issue (the dramatic reveal on the girl was excellently done, and the juxtaposition between the chase scene and the nature show was brilliant). All around a really good issue that shows some amazing chops from relative newcomers.

Of course, because it's a title created by Black people featuring a virtually all-Black cast of characters. Like a printed Wonderfalls, it's doomed in the direct market, but whadda ya gonna do?

My Faith in Frankie #4:
This really charming and engaging mini series comes to a quiet but surprising goal as Captain and Tenille were proved right, and love does keep them together (how's that for a zany musical reference?). Comeuppance shows its head in a variety of engaging ways (I do try to avoid spoilers), we find out how a divinity as unimportant as Jeriven could get such powerful enemies, and Frankie gets her way, once again. I can't wait for the collected version, and for the first time in quite a while I'm not angry at the monthly wait -- it works well as individual chapters, and I'm sure one sustained reading will only make it better. Fine, fine work all around.

Captain America and the Falcon #2:
The first thing you need to understand is that there's two virtually visually identical men in this issue wearing the uniform of Captain America. That's zany. Once you wrap your head around that (and it's not easy, but anytime something horrible happens, that's the "bad" new Cap), and Scarlet Witch makes a very interesting guest appearance (her silent panels here worked better in terms of using her as a character than anything I've seen in Avengers in a while). I was confused at one explosion (I had no idea that things worked that way) and the part where Falcon falls out of a plane is a little hard to grasp on the first read, but I freakin' love this issue. However, while Priest is clearly trying to use a more straightforward storytelling style than his chronologically-challenged Black Panther or willfully whimsical Quantum & Woody, he just can't seem to avoid complicated storytelling. Good for me -- as noted, I freakin' love it, the twists and turns and feints and all -- but bad for, well, the numerous naysayers who've denigrated his amazing talent over the past few years, based on their desire to not get so involved with a title. Where's the Rex Mundi and Vertigo fans when you need 'em, eh? In any case, this issue was jam packed with kick-ass action, and I think Bart Sears is getting more accustomed to superhero-styled work, although I still find his layouts a bit pin-up-ish.

Rex Mundi #9:
Speaking of complicated reads, the legend of the Man in the Iron Mask gets tossed into the mix (only fair) as the good Doctors Sauniere and Tournon dig deep into archives to find dusty old answers. Some old fashioned skulking leads to a splash page fulla crazy ideas (EricJ works his ass off getting so much detail in, yet not making these pages look busy). It's a slow issue, but an important one. It's sometimes hard to evaluate Rex Mundi on a monthly basis, knowing it's a long-form work. But it's kept my interest, mostly with the ridiculous attention to detail. Plus, the lettercol has a really helpful list of "breaking in" tips, which I enjoyed. This issue, like this title, is an acquired taste, but if you can leap into an episode of 24 and be all right, you can catch up fairly easily on the recap pages of Rex Mundi.

Y: The Last Man #21:
If Yorick can get through one whole issue without revealing himself to a woman, I'll be stunned. The good Doctor Mann (which I still think is funny that she be named that) gets a crazy idea that throws this issue in a tizzy, and Agent 355 is stuck figuring a way out of all of it again. I am confused about the "pig Latin only girls know how to speak" (don't think I won't ask somebody), which is such a subtle bit that I am amazed and proud for Vaughan including it. It's all about control as this lengthy road trip continues, dropping fun tidbits like the fact that the "plague" means the extinction of the pygmy shrew and the impending doom of possums and rats (fascinating stuff, really). Plus, Goran Parlov's pencils were so smooth and seamless I didn't miss Pia Guerra at all. The leel of detail in this issue, combined with the normal levels of whimsy and anxiety really made this issue a shining gem in the title's run.

Punisher: The End #1:
Bang. How else could the last tale of the Punisher end? I read this in the store, and was so gripped by the nihilistic certainty with which Ennis writes Frank Castle, I couldn't leave it in the store. Agent Smith himself would enjoy this -- "the purpose of life is to end," and if anybody (orany one issue) embodies that perspective, it's Frank Castle, and it's here. A glorious headstone to the most honest psychopath in all of comics. I love this freakin' issue.

Buy Pile Breakdown: A third consecutive week of stunning buys, and this time just a hair under a Jackson. Wow.

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

Supreme Power #9:
If I had a dime for every time a governmental character underestimated something that came back to do horrible things to him, I could easily buy Donald Trump and his reality show. I laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed at this issue, where Hyperion finally shows his stuff. Sad to see how drastically unprepared the givernmental characters are in most fiction, because the nightly news shows that their poor pattern recognition is a sad reality. I closed the issue thinking, "nothing good can come of this," and I think that's just about right. It's a banner week for nihilism, yay! Oh, but I'm still not buying this stuff -- the bit was predictable from page five or so, and dragged out endlessly. Plus, for a "squadron," I barely see most of 'em. I'd really like to see more Nighthawk and Power Princess.

Swamp Thing #2:
The Swamp Thing gets called a humanist, which really peeves him. That was the most memorable bit in this truly adequate issue. John Constantine at least still gets some good laughs in. I have no particular feeling about this issue.

Alpha Flight #2:
Almost funny. Like I thought Gail Simone's Deapool was "almost funny." It's cute, goofy and humourous, true, but I didn't laugh, and it feels like this title desperately wants me to laugh. I did not. Langkowski's sudden Canadian pride at forming a Canadian solution to whatever stomped the hell out of the last version of Alpha Flight (and there were some impressive characters on that squad, still) is haphazard at best and uncharacteristic at worst. Eh.

Thessaly, Witch for Hire #3:
Willingham had this issue come out a bit talky, but still pretty fascinating. I find I like the art the same way I enjoyed the art in My Faith in Frankie -- whimsical. I'm still bearish on Vertigo minis after getting scorched by Blood & Water last year, but maybe this will be enough to get me back on board. Maybe.

Avengers/Thunderbolts #2:
Again, a bit talky, but the clear tension (including a last-page reveal which I found both hilariously dumb and craftily smart) makes this issue compelling. Zemo's certainty in the face of Captain America (I've often said Marvel U Cap is a wuss who needs to be taken out behind the sheds and put out of our misery) is delicious, Moonstone is still playing all sides against the middle, and it could all go kablooey at a moment's notice. My favorite aspect about this issue was that the Avengers were getting back in the game from a position of smartness, which ... sadly, I'm not used to them doing (what ever happened to that global threat monitor from the start of Johns' run, where they were gonna be proactive? Ah well ...). Still, a bit too hamfisted (just by a smidge) for me to buy.

Authority #11:
Stuffy, with a Dallas worthy plot twist that either the Doctor or the Engineer should have sniffed out in a matter of seconds (hell, Hawksmoor could have asked the appropriate city and gotten the answer). Blah.

Elektra #35:
This series finale (I believe this is the last issue) is fairly well written, while getting a bit more poetic than I would have expected. The Daredevil guest appearance was ... well, unusual, but it didn't throw me too far. I didn't buy this issue less because of quality and more because they freakin' cancelled the title out from under me, just when I started buying it.

Batman: Death & The Maidens #8:
GIven that this has been advertised as the last Ra's Al Ghul story, several developments in this issue are not really surprising. I get the idea the Demon's Head is bored (I can't imagine the tedium an immortal must face ... well, I do imagine it quite a bit in a serial novel I've been working on, but that's another discussion altogether), and he's ready to either get a decent heir or call it a lifetime. Personally -- and I never thought I'd say this aboutr a Greg Rucka-penned series -- I'm ready for it to be over too. Blah, blah and more blah.

Ghostbusters #1:
The inside cover tells me this all happens six months after the end of the first movie (fair enough). Then, a character refers to dating Cameron Diaz. I hurled the issue away from me. What happened to freakin' editing people? Would it have been so hard to toss Sean Young's name in there, or any desirable white actress of the day? Either it's in the eighties or it's not, make up your mind. Anyway, once I got over that, the issue seemed a bit like navel gazing, and I was not impressed overall.

Batman: City of Light #7
This is an eight issue mini series. I've read seven issues. Of that body of work, maybe eight pages, scattered throughout, have been entertaining. How the hell did this ever get approved to be published?

Thanos #9:
The Beyonder's back. That can't be good for somebody. Plus, various parties seek to use Thanos as a pawn in their plans. That, likewise, is probably a bad idea. While still mostly engaged, I got less of what I liked and more supporting characters (given how thinly developed they are) than I wanted here -- Giffen was bringing back the "whatever" badass cool of Thanos, and the guy barely gets any lines this issue. Blah. I'm glad I didn't start buying this, no need for me to be disappointed again. Still, Giffen kicked behind on last week's Legion, and there's Lobo yet to review ...

Hard Time #3:
As drab and tedious as prison life is, this title brings all of that colorless monochromacity to you. Urf. The art is acceptable, the coloring is -- again -- monochromatic (is that for effect? It'd have almost been better in black and white, then I wouldn't expect anything). The story is taking f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get anywhere, and I don't even care about any of the characters. Blah.

Thor #77:
Thor's son Magni: "You suck unless you can hold your old hammer, Dad!" Thor: "I wield the Power Cosmic ... uh, sorry, reading old Silver Surfer lines ... right ... I hold the power of All-Father Odin, question me not!" Magni: "You suck unless you can hold your old hammer, Dad! Prove me wrong, then, ya big skirt-wearin' Viking sissy!" Magni's mom, former supervillain the Enchantress: "Why, I never!" Magni: "That's not what the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe says! Enough talk -- wield or catch some beat down, old man!" Some shmuck: "We're under attack by some fifth-tier god killing character nobody will remember! Help us, Lord Thor! Aaagh!" Magni: "Pick up the hammer of hand over the keys, Pop." Thor: (grabbing hammer in force field) "How dare you question me, and at a time when we're all threatened by some guy who can't even rate his own t-shirt or online fan cult! We'll address this later!" Magni: "I'm so gonna go upside his head with Mjolnir!"

Lobo Unbound #6:
When the comic book admits on its final pages that it was pointless, that's a clear indicator that somebody laughed all the way to the bank. This issue is drivel. Giffen ... he's like the freakin' Clippers -- one day he's amazing, the next he's shooting 3 for 22 and making turnovers like a pastry chef. Argh. Oh, in case you missed the memo, this issue sucked. Oh so blah.

Voltron Volume 2 #4:
Remember the Lions vs. Vehicles rumble from last issue that had me so jazzed? None of that. Seems the Lions are way, way faster (and better and tougher, blah blah blah) than my own fifteen-part favorite. They race off and hide at some abandoned station to regroup, while the considerably smarter Vehicle Team (remember, the Lion Team is crewed by convicts) slowly, methodically tracks them down (i.e. won't get there until the pivotal point of next issue). This means its time for a surprise visit with some hand to hand combat (I'm reading freaking Voltron, why would I wanna see human-sized people fighting?) and some tender moments riffing on Empire Strikes Back. Say it with me, children: blah.

Monolith #3:
Monolith smash! Took long enough, sheesh. This title bores me with its dusty magical underpinings and uninteresting protagonists. Moving on ...

X-Men #155:
I figgered, "Everybody's so down on Chuck Austen -- lemme check out his Morrison follow up and give the guy a chance." That was a mistake. Cliches leapt out at me like ninjas, hurling pat dialogue like shurikens. Plus, for most of the issue, they debated "who will teach the freaks?" This read like the old X-books I got bored of in the mid-90s. New Nu Marvel, "plus le change, plus le meme chose," as Chuck Xavier once said. All together now, "blah."

Plastic Man #5:
Finally some smart police work. Too late, as the real killer is revealed and all hope seems lost. Baker's style finally has found its niche, and this issue was pretty good. Still, not my bag to spend cash on, but I can appreciate the craft in it.

Wolverine: The End #3:
"Who am I? What is Weapon X? Why do I say 'bub' and love pie?" If you'd like seeing Wolverine agonize over the same questions he's been agonizing over ever since I was in elemntary school, you'll like this issue. It made me tired. So tired I can barely say it ... I'll make an effort for you ... okay ... blah.

Superman: Birthright #9:
Mark Waid (who I'm happy to say doesn't hate me) craftily mixes the best of Smallville with the things we all know and accept to make a refreshing new take on the Superman/Lex relationship. You may even recognize shades of Mark Millar's Red Son if you're so inclined. Lex's characterization here is a thing of beauty, and the smoldering frustration of Superman when unable to stop Lex's mad quest to destroy the last son of Krypton is played perfectly. I did think the art didn't depict the scale of what was happening on the military base very well, and of course I very rarely buy "ultimatized" comics, but I have to say I found this to be an engaging combination of old and new thought.

Read Pile Roundup: Let's see here ... six hard "blahs," a half hearted "eh" and several books that made me exhausted reading them, despite good work on Birthright, Supreme Power, Thessaly and Avengers/Thunderbolts. Tell Roger Ebert to warm up a "thumbs down" -- I knew three consecutive weeks of good Read Piles was way too much to ask.

So, How Was It This Week? Good purchases meet fairly bad reads. That'll make it a split decision, and with the Read Pile being so voluminous, that leaves us on the underside of "okay."

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