Birth of a Nation (Crown):
Huge jump from the Read Pile. This was the last thing I read this week, and this is the very first review I have to write. I have not been so embarrassed, so amused, so happy and so emotionally moved by a work of sequential art in my entire life. After reading the entire story, I went back to read the forward by Reginald Hudlin, who I've met at least three times but who pretty much never remembers me (happens more than you'd expect). It made the story even more resonant and more personal. Many of the "strange" issues regarding Hudlin's experiences growing up in East St. Louis -- including a security fence being stolen -- that I could relate to in my own history. The story itself -- the impoverished city of East St. Louis seceding from the union after a Florida-style disenfranchisement of voters -- is a work of fiction based on dreams and urban legends. It may surprise you to know that there's a lot of "Americans" who don't necessarily feel they've been equally protected under the law, who see no benefit to their citizenship, who would almost rather take their chances if they had any better ideas, but can't walk away from the struggle they've already put in place. Not just Black people. This tale of the disenchanted and disabused is done with such comedy (adapting the theme of Good Times as their national anthem) and such brilliance (casting a Bob Johnson-styled billionaire as the unlikely financier of a relative revolution, putting an image of Jesus on the flag to mollify middle America), that I was stunned at the volume of wild ideas presented here. Like a socioeconomic Metabarons. Whereas Kyle Baker's art is flimsy and incomplete on Plastic Man and was too unbelievable to carry The truth here every rally is equal parts hope and melancholy, the protagonist's facial expressions broadcast his emotions like an FM radio station. This is the best twenty five dollars I've ever spent on a work of literature, and it's a brilliant, dazzling work worthy of a place in the collection of any intelligent reader of comics.

Noble Causes #3 (Image Comics):
The hits keep on coming: Jay Faerber even goes the extra distance to flesh out his secondary characters, as the police detective Will O'Mega gets a great scene with Zephyr. I also am very pleased with Fran Bueno's art, especially his "shot selections" including a great perspective shot under the chin of a newbie hero, great perspective shots from Krennick's underground kingdom to back alleys of a city, and closing in on Zephyr's face as a climactic moment occurs. The overwhemling scope of the issue -- from quiet moments on the moon to descending a spiral staircase deeper into what amounts to hell -- the intimate tone is maintained wit talking heads that never get boring. It's not rocket science, but it's one of the most engaging reads on the stands, and I freaking love this book.

The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe: Wolverine 2004 (Marvel Comics):
Jump from the Read Pile. Dammit, Joe Quesada has finally discovered my weakness. My favorite part: the ten-page entry on Wolverine himself saves me from ever having to read Origin as it deftly recounts the highlights, like watching Sportscenter for the spandex set. I specially have to spotlight great artwork by Jeff Johnson, Sean Chen, Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell (plus a host of classics from McGuiness, Lee, Silvestri, Yu, Kubert, Zircher and more). As the recent Daredevil installment, I am just pleased as punch at this authoritative reference work looking at the names and events in Wolverine's personal history, and to be honest, Marvel is now totally kicking DC's behind in chronicling their characters (whereas DC's Secret Files & Origins books always seem awfully flimsy on facts and specifics). Worth way more than the four bucks I paid for it.

Transformers: War Within: The Age of Wrath #2 (Dreamwave):
I was a little surprised to find this issue as uninteresting as it is. A shadowy figure looms behind Megatron's nascent rise to power and his "million-strong aerospae extermination squadron," which looks like about a grillion Skywarps without his sense of humor or teleporting ability. This smacks of "Future Guy" on Star Trek: Enterprise, which bores me. Ultra Magnus remains a sad also-ran, ducking down his head while the likes of Brawn goes all Twisted Sister. Not realy a clunker, but after the dramatic events involving Grimlock last issue, it's just not up to the standard Furman has set for himself.

Madrox #2 (Marvel Knights):
Jump from the Read Pile, and now officially a "buy-on-sight" title. The dry wit and rich texture of this amazingly well-done issue is simply remarkable. Pablo Raimondi and Drew Hennessy on art have developed a really crisp visual vocabulary, and somehow Brian Reber's colors manage to make the book dark without making it unclear or vague. The dimly lit images leap off the page, without making me want to take the whole thing into Photoshop and lighten it up. The zany sidebars -- taking on a case of a cheating quadraplegic, making out with a mobster's main squeeze, bantering with surprisingly individualistic duplicates, etc. -- really show Peter David at the top of his form, keeping every plate spinning in delicious synchronicity. Really great work.

Lucifer #55 (Vertigo):
It's a new day in Hell, and ... well, that's just plain wacky. Both the regular art team and the title character take a break, and the issue is much zanier for it. Everybody's favorite bitter cherub Gaudium narrates as the distressed and damned nobleman Christopher Rudd becomes a "problem" for the current administration of Hell, the angels Remiel and Duma. To say more would ruin the truly kooky fun, but Marc Hempel's exaggerated artwork (I'm pretty sure this is the My Faith in Frankie guy, but my memory is not so good and I'm too lazy to go digging through my books now, but the same delicate elfin female faces and stylized lines of that brilliant miniseries) is perfect for this issue (there's a close-up panel with Remiel losing it that just speaks to me, it could be a poster). Good stuff, with a special treat for older Sandman fans.

Cable & Deadpool #8 (Marvel):
Jump from the Read Pile. I've fought it for too long -- despite the extreme goofiness of Anaconda and Constrictor in a rejuvenated Six Pack (how can anybody take these two seriously anymore?), this book is everything that Alpha Flight wants to be: a smart mix of action and levity with snappy artwork and delightful coloring. Highlights include Beast and Wolverine dressing up Deadpool in an X-Men outfit for laughs, two great faux "interview" excerpts (including a metatextual joke on page one that literally made me double over in laughter and is almost the best reward a longtime Deadpool fan could ever have), and probably the best guest appearance of the X-Men this year. I give up, Fabian. This issue was just too good to leave in the store. You win.

Small Gods #4:
Jump from the Read Pile. In another excellent case of keeping all the plates spinning, the first real crisis amongst this group of cops is resolved in a really messy way (just like real life) that's compelling and smart. Not to mention that Juan E. Ferreyra is the next Jacen Burrows, with his amazingly well-rendered artwork (and so cool he jammed an Invincible poster in the background of the first page, Image's "continuity" is really impressing me these days) and a command of the human form that really speaks to me. This issue has all the gravitas and cop-characterization of Gotham Central with a hair more edge and (in this issue) a great deal more balance. Sad to say, I can read this back-to-back with issue #1 without really missing anything (even though I liked some of the character interplay in #2 and #3). I also think going with the greatly textured grayscaling here is a benefit for this series, not a problem, as it gives all of the grimness of this possible future without sacrificing a millimeter of detail. Welcome to the big show, gang.

Human Target #15 (Vertigo):
Even disguised as a teenaged faith healer, Christoper Chance's sterling wit shines through as Peter Milligan and Cliff Chiang keep this incredibly consistent title humming along. The moral conflicts in Chance's wildly hedonistic desires and the fawning faith of a flock of fools. I especially liked the "sniffing coke off of a scantily clad tummy" scene, followed by two girls making out. I may not know much about art, but I know what I like (actually I do know a rather great deal about art, but that wouldn't have made the joke). A great serialized read that still does not fail to capture my imagination and attention.

Buy Pile Breakdown: Even with my "over $20" discount, I spent $48. I'm endlessly pleased, despite a less than resonant chord from Simon Furman.

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

Sabretooth #2 (Marvel Comics):
Why does this exist? Was there fan clamor for it? Did the business logic say, "Sabretooth versus Sasquatch? That'll sell like hotcakes!" Due to sheer determination and skill, Creed stomps a guy who's gone toe to toe with the Hulk (not the distinguished honor it used to be, as Deadpool smacked the good doctor around). But there's a bigger fish to be revealed, and there's no solid word on who it is. I dunno if this is a spoiler, but all through the issue, I kept thinking, "It's gonna be Wendigo. Haven't seen him for a while, and he looks like Sasquatch, which Bart Sears seems happy drawing." May I also say Bart Sears has totally adopted form over function, as his storytelling is merely adequate and his pin-up stylings are out of control. I believe my word for this is "blah," much like the character on Greg the Bunny (and that's a DVD I gotta get).

Batgirl #57 (DC Comics):
I don't regularly read this title, because I have a stupid preconception of it. In my mind, Batgirl's first language is still violence, so in my mind every issue is a big fight scene. However, since this insane "War Games" crossover is all going down, I figured I'd take a look. I wasn't too far off -- Batgirl beats people up a lot, which is all well and good and pretty well drawn. However, the crossover moment, where Black Mask treats Oracle like he was Christopher Columbus and she was a First American, made me gasp aloud and realize that all the toys may not be put back in their neatly organized boxes after all of this is over. Which is kind of cool ... but kind of just "eh."

G.I. Joe Reloaded #8 (Devil's Due Publishing):
I am shocked at how close this title is coming to the jump, as it begins to diverge from its source material and delve into interesting new ground. Cobra, instead of being the goofy kind of outfit that'd keep a guy in a bird costume on the payroll, is a credible threat with the ability to actually inspire some suspense. The Joes are complicated professional killers with less-than-sterling motivations and not-so-pristine personas. Duke in particular is coming across as a conundrum, not the boy scout I knew growing up, and somehow even the vastly over-exposed Snake Eyes is interesting again (and how did Storm Shadow become more impressive in a white suit and trenchcoat, even when bandaged up?). Complicated and unpredictable, and that's a good thing. One more like this, and Reiber will have me surrendering to him, like I was to Fabian Nicieza.

Uncanny X-Men #451 (Marvel Comics):
I am very pleased to report that I did not read this issue. This week's review of this title comes directly from Steve, my retailer, a man who has never had his business not operating in the black regardless of the industry's woes, who said (and I quote): "I read it because it was introducing X-23. But you can't consider it bad. It's so boring, you can't have an opinion." Thank you Chris Claremont! On we go ...

Robin #131 (DC Comics):
Clearly, Hypertime be damned, the events of this issue occur before Identity Crisis #5. Another action filled issue, which subtly showed some intersting characterization of the Boy Wonder as he seemingly overcompensates for being out of action and for the grim nature of many of his compatriots. Interesting, but given the high school issue a couple of months ago (did that girl survive?), it's just "okay."

Fantastic Four #519 (Marvel Comics):
The word here is "switcheroo." Sue Storm Richards must die if Manhattan is to live ... until Reed strips her of hew powers, bamboozling the aliens who came to eradicate a possible problem for their Galactus-proof plan. Good, but not great, almost as fun a powered soap opera as Noble Causes.

Ocean #1 (Wildstorm):
First of all, wow, this book is pretty. I mean visually remarkable. Sadly, since every single character talks like a Warren Ellis character (not a problem in the likes of, say, Red or Transmetropolitan or Global Frequency or Orbiter), it's bogged down by Ellis-speak (in the same way a Bendis-penned title goes downhill when characters start discussing, say, Legally Blonde 2) and remains at the store. The ideas -- future humans stepping out into the solar system, mining the moons of Jupiter, and so forth. The issue's framing device of starting at a climactic point and then backtracking has some interest to it, but moves too slowly (don't say the "D" word) to keep my interest. I like the protagonist (who could easily be Pete Wisdom or Elijah Snow or Spider Jerusalem or any of another fast talking angry Ellis protagonists) and I'm interested in the plot, but I'm not buying it just yet, despite being a huge Ellis fan.

Voltron Volume 2 #10 (Devil's Due Publishing):
The Sven storyline closes down in a big way, as Voltron and two Drule factions square off against a quintet of robeasts. Sadly, the fight was drawn in a somewhat muddled fashion of almost exclusively closeups, and the action was more discussed than displayed. Plus, there's some mystical underpinnings that aren't very well described ... the main feature was a mess. Mark Waid penned a backup story with rough, rudimentary artwork that gives King Zarkon the prequel treatment, making his ascent to the throne bloody and mean. Which is good. But not really riveting.

Identity Crisis #5 (DC Comics):
Hmm. Well, I am pretty sure that what the Atom is doing will end badly, as someone who's gone through the experience, but that's largely secondary. Again, the dialogue and interplay is great -- I like the way Metzler uses Superman like a grand instrument and veritable force of nature, not trying to humanize the icon at all (apologies to Joe Casey and Matt Fraction). However, the deeply "orchestrated" ending made me "a-ha!" too early, which a second read cleared up. The mystery remains, and all the efforts of all the heroes in the world are getting nowhere. Marching in place.

Identity Disc #5 (Marvel Comics):
Bryan Singer called, he wants his plot back. In every possible way, this story rips off Usual Suspects -- this is like "Usual Suspects for Dummies -- down to the "walking away of the mastermind" ending (but I won't say who it is, but the explanation is a lot dumber than I could have ever imagined). I hate this book.

Firestorm #6 (DC Comics):
Oh, before I forget -- Ronnie Raymond? Well, the cover says it all, as the events of Identity Crisis get expounded upon here, as the Bat and J'onn put a scare into Jason Rusch and more nuance is placed on the relationship between the lead and his father. The "how" is still a little unclear, but hey, whadda ya gonna do? Worth watching.

Gambit #3 (Marvel Comics):
Sometimes I think John Layman hates comics fans. On the other hand, at least in this issue, he seems to be having a lot of fun scripting, and that sense of joy radiates out in some good gags. Gambit suggests that a mistake will get the cops to converge like "fat guys at a comic book convention," says before a romantic interlude that the heist was supposed to go "faster than a J. Lo wedding" (perhaps he meant "marriage," but whatever), and does a kind of interesting establishing backstory on the McGuffin of the tale, a dangerous set of tarot cards. Less pointless than past issues, but still not worth my bucks (and I hate to say that, because I like Layman as a person, but in the words of Lili von Shtupp, "its twue, it's twue ...").

Conan #9 (Dark Horse Comics):
A hack-and-slash barbarian comic with smarts and savvy? That unpossible, you say? Not so. Kurt Busiek turns it into a bar-room blitz, where Conan shakes down some small-town hoods and shnackers a local politician as well. If this week wasn't so burdened with purchases, I'd have brought home this fun, funny issue.

Invaders #3 (Marvel Comics):
Interdimensional Nazis against a team that's Authority wannabes with a third of the technology and a fifth of the power. Yeah, I hate this book too.

Manhunter #3 (DC Comics):
After I stopped laughing at, what I believe, the first superhero to ever accidentally blow up their own kid with their gear, I watched the new Manhunter prove that it's really pretty easy to be a crappy super hero. She's attending classes at the school of hard knocks, but I'm less than compelled to find out if she matriculates.

Star Wars Empire #25 (Dark Horse Comics):
I give up. Out of 25 issues, I'd assume less than half have actually been about the Empire. I'm gonna stop looking. It just makes me mad.

Plastic Man #11 (DC Comics):
I'm also done here. In a limp story poking fun (such as it is) at the news, Baker proves why he's so much better in a grander forum -- the art is rushed and not as resonant as his long-form works (see above) and the story bores. I'm gonna stop even looking at this title (again, a pisser for me as I have adored so much of Kyle Baker's work).

Rogue #4 (Marvel Comics):
My notes have one word: "uninteresting." First of all, when did Rogue's real name become "Anna" (like the actress who plays her in the films)? Second, she's still whining about not being able to touch people? With all that Shi'ar tech in the mansion? I find it pretty lame.

Star Wars Tales #21 (Dark Horse Comics):
The more serious tone and longer stories is a considerable improvement. My personal tastes lean more towards the Dark Side, so there's a little too much of the goody-goody types. But well worth watching.

Adventures of Superman #633 (DC Comics):
New Parasites? Okay. Superman shows some marginal smarts in using his powers, as he does a lot of domestic kvetching around a still-convalescing Lois. I look at this issue with complete indifference.

Defex #1 (Devil's Due Publishing):
For an origin issue of all-new characters, I thought this was managed pretty well. The art was fine, Marv Wolfman surely knows how to keep all the plates spinning (the last time I'll use that metaphor this week, I swear), but the concept itself -- science project goes wrong and makes young extrahumans -- just didn't have enough of a hook for me, despite the level of craft and skill that was put into making it.

Teen Titans #17 (DC Comics):
IF you've seen the Teen Titans episode where Starfire heads to the future ... this goes one better, grimming up today's Titans into people a lot more confident in their powers and a lot more willing to cross lines to get the job done. Tim Drake as a gun-toting Batman. Cassie and Connor as an aloof super-couple. Interesting stuff, but (as there is no future in an objective sense for DC, which will always exist "now" with their immutable icons, again thanks to Casey and Fraction), ultimately an academic exercise, and a less-than-compelling one even with the last page reveal.

Marvel Knights 4 #11 (Marvel Knights):
The best part about this issue (and this series) is the way they're making Sue a really impressive character. Manhattan is threatened (again) by an out-of-control Psycho-Man (he was more fun with the big tablet that had the buttons) making everybody's worst nightmares come true. Gorgeously rendered, and only slightly hamstringed by the series' implausible premise, the eternal Achilles' heel for this work.

Read Pile Roundup: Not awful, but not great.

So, How Was It This Week? The best feeling I've had with purchases in months, maybe years works with a somewhat blah set of reads.

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