Madrox #3:
The last page of this issue is a very, very nice surprise. It made me flip back to the front of the issue to reread a suddenly really important passage of panels again. The story (stories) of Jamie (Jamies?) continues apace in Chicago and New York, with a guest appearance by Bishop, some fascinating revalations about Jamie's powers (example: if he's tied up, any dupes he make will also be tied up, and he can make a dupe of himself from under a locked door), and there's the ghost of a case still proceeding with Wolfsbane. Tons of story, great wit and clever dialogue, and an ending that's wackier than having Mammomax fall on you. What more could you want from an issue? This is really a shining star, a title you should sit up and take notice of.

Human Target #16:
Christopher Chance's time as faux messiah Paul James comes to a somewhat predictable end (for him, anyway -- shooting and blood and an uncomfortable compromise), as the best laid plans of men and prophets go awry, which leads -- as it so often does -- to gunfire. A very brutal finale to the spiritual-themed story, but a good one with (as always) rock solid art from Cliff Chiang and claustrophobic (in a good way) coloring by Lee Loughridge.

She-Hulk #9:
In the only title where Mammomax could have shown up and fit right in, Constrictor sues Hercules after the Olympian pummels the comedic villain in an everyday scuffle (which, if you remember his time in Deadpool is perfectly in character, and don't ask about the "song" that was entered into evidence). She-Hulk and her "charge" Southpaw make their return from the depths of space, with Jennifer much stronger after the experience. There's great comedy and a little sad moment in Jennifer's apartment (plus a really evil laugh with her answring machine if you're inclined, as Jennifer was off-world during the whole "Disassembled" mess), guest appearances by most of the Fantastic Four, a hilarious bit with Titania, arm-wrestling and of course, Awesome Andy. I completely love this issue, which again jams tons into a small space (a recent interview with the writer claims that toiling on kids comics gave him great discipline in this area) and makes it a really worthwhile buy.

Wonder Woman #210:
You really have no idea how far Diana will go ... I mean, we all talk about the "martial culture" she's from and how she's a warrior and all ... but in this issue she goes toe-to-toe with Medousa, trying to settle a millennia-old argument between an uncle and niece (Poseidon and Athena) while the world's finest (including shots of the Titans, JLA, JSA and more sitting this one out) relegated to the sidelines. I did think Ray Snyder's inks were a little muddy on some of the pages, especially featuring the Gorgons, but nothing to really be mad at. Full of high faluting language and some decent fight scenes (kind of telegraphed, they really didn't have much kinetic energy in them, although I liked the fighting stances that Diana used, something like some broadsword styles I've read about) while the world watches on TV (depicted incredibly well). An issue that's all consequences ... and the last one really huge. A great emotional read, even as it fell down on some technical points.

Cable/Deadpool #9:
Now a Buy Pile regular, and with good reason. From the Happy Days theme song parody to start (Fabian Nicieza is a criminal mastermind, I tell you, an evil genius) to the disturbing visual of Wade Wilson's scabby form in Marvel Girl's uniform (eww), to a showdown with practically all of the X-Men, this is yet another issue that goes for more and succeeds with it. I've seen issues try to hard to fit to much in, but Nicieza here (like David and Slott earlier on in these reviews) balances it perfectly, especially using the text "interview" to parse the action and characterize. When its shown just who (and how many) have changed sides and support Cable's plans for "a finer world," it's actually kind of tender. Plus, there's another guest star who shows up at the end, a surprise of truly cosmic proportions who raises the stakes another notch ... well, this is just freaking interesting. With Zircher and Udon on board, how can this miss? Great work here.

Space Ghost #1:
Jump from the Read Pile. Well, as my retailer Steve said, "This ain't no kiddie comic" (as he recommended it to everybody who came in). As an agent of The Commandment (god, why didn't I think of that, brilliant ...), a pan-stellar law body, the man who would become Space Ghost is a dedicated husband and patriot trying to get ahead and do right. You know, that almost never works. Anyway, I love The Oath ("You have the right to live in peace. This is the right of all sentient beings. Those who infringe upon this right choose to defy The Commandment. Such agitators will be subject to interview and detainment by a licensed Peacekeeper. After which an objective mnemonic analysis will be conducted in a swift and expeditious manner to determine sentence. This is the way of the Commandment.") -- ooh, goose bumps. I'm immediately setting myself to write something similar for an idea in my head. Anyhoo, with Ariel Olivetti's amazing painted-style art, our intrepid protagonist advances deeper and deeper into the law enforcement hierarchy until ... well, to say things go awry would be an understatement of the grossest form, but let's just say there's no more equal protection under the law in this world as there is on ours. A really textured, beautiful take on the character, grim but fitting, and damned entertaining.

Grendel: Devil's Reign #6:
Almost done ... chronicling the global rule of Orion Assante in Matt Wagner's brilliant overarching story, the man takes conference with a madman and deciphers the key to global domination. What I just noticed is the great parallel structure -- Grendel once again stands opposite a "police officer" who is considered a monster. There's wars and threats of wars, trippy lettering (to fit the madman) and relentless pages of eight panel grids driving the story onwards inexorably. By the time the vampiric Vegas backup shows, it's like a sonata of slaughter and bloodlust, so different from the "structured" main feature. Fascinating work, and one of my favorites, despite recognizing that it could be incomprehensible to some.

Lucifer #56:
All heaven breaks loose, and that ain't good, as Lucifer stands at the World Tree (he appears very scantly in this issue), the legions of Hell unite with the damned, and the devil's operative Mazikeen has a rather informative chat with her mother. Weird, challenging material but interesting all the same. Without much input from the title character, it's all backstage motion, a solidly okay issue whereas some others in the series transcend.

Ultra #4:
Jump from the Read Pile. About half way through this issue, I was like "yeah, there's no Mammomax here, this is really getting into the groove." About two thirds of the way in, I really found myself caught up in the conversations and characters. The last page -- it's another Mammomax upside your head, a shocker on the scale of the Madrox one that has me hurt emotionally. Which was great, as entertainment. Really riveting work by the Luna Brothers.

Buy Pile Breakdown: Pricy, but largely worth the money, even on "I'm in it for the long haul" titles like Lucifer when I can get amazing work like the three Marvel titles and surprises like Ultra and Space Ghost.

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

Punisher #14:
I don't know what happened here. Every issue used to be gleeful killing wackiness ... now ... not so much. This espionage-minded issue is unclear on where it's going and indifferent in the present tense. Blah.

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes #2:
With great attention to detail and careful intimacy, this issue looks at the trauma Captain America faced waking up in "the modern world" (really modern, judging by the TV shows he caught ... but a remote control seemed no big deal for him, now I think about it ... that is odd ...). The actual interaction of characters, from Iron Man and Thor debating semantics to Cap only finding himself in the throes of battle, really give an interesting perspective on the Avengers as they "were." However, despite recognizing the high level of craft and skill that was applied in this really great work, I don't care about the early history of the Avengers (although this comes close to making it possible, quite a feat) so I left it at the store with Mammomax.

Catwoman #37:
Ed Brubaker and Slam Bradley say goodbye in this issue, which features a birthday party and a hard look at the life of Selina Kyle. Bittersweet, but nothing vital.

Fantastic Four #520:
Johnny Storm, herald of Galactus (Galactus, oddly enough, won't even talk to the guy, which is funny all by itself). My favorite scene involved Johnny and Ben playing a scene from Cyrano de Bergerac on Ben's first date with Alicia, a really delicate piece of characterization by Waid. Quasar guest stars, but somehow a guy named Wendell never does it for me. Sue doesn't have that great a time with Johnny's powers, and Johnny gets an inkling of how scary hers really are, especially amped by Galactus' Power Cosmic. But it doesn't quite feel inspired yet, so I'll keep watching this one from the sidelines.

Birds of Prey #76:
Gail Simone introduces a magical version of Duplicate Boy (in my mind, still one of the most ridiculously powerful characters ever created) in Black Alice, who can mimic magic, including Dr. Fate, Zatanna and (my personal favorite) a Shazam-powered mortal. The work lost credibility when Black Canary kicked Alice while Shazamified (that un-possible!), but the high school drama felt pretty genuine and the art (as it often is) was top notch. Black Alice is kind of a huge time bomb to leave lying around the DCU, but hey, somebody approved it ... just like somebody approved Mammomax.

Robin #132:
Robin makes what I feel is the single stupidest choice in his short career -- to move to Bludhaven in order to be closer to a clinic for his traumatized relative. Why is this stupid? Well, Dick Grayson is twenty times more dangerous than Tim Drake, and he gets his butt handed to him regularly in the 'Haven. So when Shrike showed up and beat the Boy Wonder within an inch of his life, I was like, "yeah, that's about right." Still, Willingham has some fun with the early moments, whereas Tim borrows a page from the Bat (or is it Christopher Priest's Black Panther?) in dealing with low level crooks for info. But the overwhelming suicidal nature of it was just too much -- let's chip in to get some therapy for the poor bastard (technically true now, alas).

Captain America #1:
Reading the first few pages, I was like "oh hell, the Red Skull again?" The issue seemed to anticipate my mood, and made everything make crystalline sense by the end of the issue, with a really great action sequence from Cap in between and some realistic effects of the recent months on the man himself. Brubaker's debut here is pretty good, I'll admit. But I still hate the character, so I left it at the store.

Conan #10:
I've decided that Conan, at least in this weird city he's in, is Stone Cold Steve Austin -- he talks a good game, and rarely has to back it up because everybody cowers from the talk. This talky issue features a murder mystery that I solved instantly (the "sarcophagus" is the secret, I'll say no more) but everybody else is befuddled by. Moving on ...

Defex #2:
Scattered work here, failing to capitalize on the good character chemistry of the last issue and overloading in young hero geek (although I did like the text message section as a general plot device).

Invaders #4:
Awful. Just plain awful. Nazi vampires are the enemy, for the love of Julius Schwartz. With British pomposity running wild. And, it's not even pretty. Add Mammomax and you'll be the worst book on the stands, instead of just probably the worst book this week.

Gambit #4:
I am shocked to tell you this issue was good. Not "good for Gambit." Not even "good for an X-book." I mean plain good, with none of the playing around and half-hearted steps towards adequacy of earlier issues. Remy losing his luck in the Big Easy is the plot, and it's done very well, with some great and funny moments tossed it (playing cards amidst a field of battered costumed characters, a sign begging for Lear jet gas). I loved the hot dog cart bit, which was so crafty. If I liked, or was indifferent to Gambit, I'd have bought it. But since I actively dislike him, I did not.

JLA #108:
In a "mirror image" of last issue, the JLA doesn't appear at all, as the CSA spreads their own particular brand of horror and loathing all across their world for kicks, desperately seeking people to beat on and things to do. Kind of watchable, like a new NBC hour drama, but nothing you'd really be drawn to.

Manhunter #4:
Blackmailing her way to tech support. I loved it. At first. Then it went on and on and I got bored. A long road for a short payoff. Eh.

Superman/Batman #14:
Elseworlds, take me away! In a twist of amusing fate, the founding members of the Legion of Super Villains (Lightning Lord, Cosmic King and Saturn Queen) travel back in time to "rescue" and raise Superman and Batman from the moments of their creation (the crash in Kansas, Crime Alley), while eliminating Martian Manhunter, Aquaman and numerous other heroes from ever existing. World domination ensues, blah blah blah. What I found interesting was that they "gave" Lois to Supes, and she approved of him ruling the world with a Krypton-powered fist (quite the malleable character, she is). There were tons of cute touches -- the Statue of Liberty was replaced by a back-to-back statue of the World's Finest, looking over everyone, Green Arrow was a "rebel" and threatened with death if he didn't hang it up, et cetera. But like that stupid Superman story that introduced Preus ... so? It's all just Elseworlds, and not even a new Elseworlds spin (heck, the Armageddon 2001 storyline showed these two going world conqueror at least twice). Eh.

Teen Titans #18:
"I'll never be you!" No, it's not Luke and Vader in Bespin, it's Tim Drake and his future self in the ashes of Gotham City. Wonder Girl is now Ares' champion (actively, at that, which said it all), the mean Future Titans are hunting Future Cyborg (who's working with Slade, strange bedfellows indeed) as Johns tells a pretty interesting story ... with another flaw. I won't spoil much, but the opposition to the new Supes/Bats/Wondy Titans power structure included Freddy Freeman. Now, powered up, this guy can give Kal-El a run for his money, and he's worried about fighting Kon-El? And Cassie? What's that all about? Freddy Freeman could wipe out virtually every Titan on panel, including both Barts. The choice of ignorance (be it writing or editorial) almost makes me as tired as Mammomax does.

Adventures of Superman #634:
Whoa. This is one of the strangest things I've read in a long time. I've had a lot of negative things to say about the output of Eddie Berganza's Super-office ... but when he actually pops up in an issue, having action figures make out like that trollish retail monkey at the store I frequent ... well, that's just not right. Dragging Mike Carlin (photos, kids, not drawings) into it just makes it all the more unseemly. That said, Rucka ... well, I don't know what the heck he's doing, but giving old Mxy (too lazy to look up the spelling) a wacky Pariah shtick is kind of cool, and when the character gets his speech on. "... consequences! Evil Jimmy Olsens with goatees! Eddies in the space-time continuum! Hypertime!!!") it's a hoot and a half. But ... so? I mean, the Parasite scenes were just wildly boring (as are the "characters," a term I use loosely), and even Mxy implied it was all prelude to "something." Quit stalling. In the words of Spider-Man (in She-Hulk), "enough talk -- let's make with the 'biff' and the 'pow' already."

X-Force #4:
My notes have one word: "1993." Horrible production values (the art looks scanned, at low resolutions, and photocopied), stiff everything (dialogue, poses, plot) ... gah. Only Invaders is worse this week, and not by much. Add Mammomax and this would have topped it.

X-Men #164:
What the hell is a Mammomax, you ask? Well, it appears its a mutant super villain who walks on two legs like a man, but has the head of an elephant. I'm not making this up. He's a member of the newly-powerful (and no longer dead) Black Tom's new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and he has the nerve to get uppity with everybody else. When he barks at Exodus (who also used to be somebody) about charging in without a plan, calling his "teammates" a bunch of thugs, I was like "and who are you to talk, Elephant Man?" Seeing Cain marko swing this idiot by his trunk and smash him into the trunk of a tree (not quite poetic justice, but funny in a sad way), the "I'm gonna have a bigger, stupider super power than your bigger, stupider super power" conclusion made me sick to my ass. I mean, if I'm gonna read a comic with a character as wildly stupid and wholly pointless as Mammomax (I didn't discern any other mutant powers, just being big and dumb looking and critical), it really makes me wonder why I do these reviews at all. Oh yeah, now they pay me, now I remember. But still ... Mammomax, sheesh ...

Ultimate X-Men #53:
If this is winning, I'd hate to see what losing looks like. The Ultimate Fenris twins get stupid, Ultimate Wolvie gets emotional while trading hair jokes with Ultimate Gambit (who looks 60% more metrosexual than Regular Gambit, but I believe has fewer carbs) and leaves Ultimate Rogue making a big decision. I liked Ultimate Dazzler's barbs (all she's good for, alas, and yes I'll refer to them all as "Ultimate Whoever" because I can), I hate Ultimate Storm's neediness (which, sadly, isn't that far from Regular Storm's, just more visible) and I'd rather get gut punched than "win" like this. I wouldn't rather read about Mammomax, but we all should know that by now.

Pulse #6:
If you're reading Secret War and asking, "where's the background, the content?" we found it here, but only if you read it as part of that mini. If you didn't read Secret War, well, this is pretty much incompehensible. Oh, and boring. Again, fun Bendisspeak (tm) dialogue, but so?

Wolverine #22:
Wolvie vs. the FF as The Hand watches in the background. But all is not as it seems, as the final pages throw a really, really smart curveball and make it all a lot more interesting (next target for Logan: Stark). Of course John Romita Jr. is doing the damned thing (check the thrown car scene), so it looks great, and I loved what they did with Sue (she's so much more interesting across the board these days). A real page turner, and if I didn't hate Wolverine ... well, you know the drill, I'd have had a more expensive week.

Spider-Man India #1:
At least ten people came in while I was in the store asking, "How is Spider-Man India?" I have no idea why. I have very sparse interest in Spider-Man in the US, I'm surely not gonna read it if we've outsourced him to India. If I read this, the terrorist win. I'm Hannibal Tabu, and I approve this message.

Read Pile Roundup: Given that this week's word is "Mammomax," I'll go with "crappy," despite some good reads and some wild ideas.

So, How Was It This Week? A wash, with two jumps nudging it towards respectable. Mammomax. Okay, I crack up saying it, I admit it. Mammomax.

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