Lex Luthor, Man of Steel #1:
Jump from the Read Pile. I've been extremely vocal in my dislike for Azzarello's navel-gazing take on the Last Son of Krypton ... but hot damn does he do a good Luthor. In going a long way not just to humanize Lex, but make a humanist (in an extreme sense) of the oft-maligned character, this story (clearly set before the election) posits a ruthless but still compassionate Lex who's capable of loyalty and largesse, one who's smart and funny, but one who (like Victor von Doom) is consumed with hatred for one focal point. Had there never been a Superman, of if Clark had headed to Los Angeles instead of "Lex's town," could Lex have been the DCU's greatest hero, a super scientific Batman with fewer hang ups? It's impossible to know. With painted style art reminiscent of Mark Texeira, Lee Bermejo makes Lex's twilight world (most of the issue takes place in Lex's office, and you barely even notice, which shows great craft in writing and drawing) a cautious place existing underneath the flapping of one red cape (and let's not discount Dave Stewart's moody coloring). Lex wants a better mankind -- on its own terms (which, oddly enough, was Superman's argument in numerous cases when he refused to take over the world, with Manchester Black in particular) and has clearly chosen Clark's colorful alter ego as the biggest ideological roadblock in the way. I was deeply affected by this (and only slightly because of my latter-day acceptance of Lex, based on Smallville) and consider it some of Azzarello's smartest writing yet. Balanced, well paced, literate, smart and ruthless.

Captain America and The Falcon #12:
Is Sam Wilson going crazy, or just finding his own way at last? The ongoing conversation between Cap and Falcon about self-determination and exactly what is "right" has an interesting conclusion, and Christopher Priest does something with a character that some fans may never forgive (I, of course, was ecstatic). Dan Jurgens is back on art, and (according to Priest's blog, even he doesn't think the art is 100% right, but I saw no problems in what happened and found the art and colors crisp and well-done. I've also been critical of Cap's internal struggle with the ideals he wants to represent and the America in which he now lives, and it's done in a way here (and in previous issues) that doesn't make Cap seem weak, which is quite a feat (none of the writers under the Marvel Knights take could manage it). Another great issue in a long line of 'em, and Jurgens was so good, I almost didn't miss Joe Bennett.

The Intimates #5:
Admittedly, this is a "very special episode" (or even "after school special"), but it's done in a way that adds a lot of humor and sense to the discussion of teen suicide. The issue is a masterpiece of absurdist character interplay, and I loved the perfect emulation of LiveJournal's stylings in the blog sections. Just a really smart, timely, well done issue all around.

Marvel Team-Up #6:
Jump from the Read Pile. Not only did I buy this issue, I went back and bought the previous five. Yeah. It's that good. Now, it's not V for Vendetta (which I still believe is Alan Moore's finest work) or anything life changing, but this issue is damned entertaining in a way I wish more serialized stories were. The main plot is wrapped up nicely, Spider-Man gets some really great lines, and my only real point of confusion is why the FF would head to the Negative Zone in the middle of all of this going on. Still, fun with solid art by Scott Kolins (although I would like a bit more "pop" from the coloring than Studio F provided).

Justice League Elite #9:
I'm dropping this title, and this issue is why. There's one line, where the Flash basically tells me that a ton of characterization that I liked was all a red herring, that made me really tired. Plus, when something really bad happens to my arguable favorite character (Coldcast, more for the level of power he wields than for his ethnicity), I was just done. I did like Flash and Green Arrow here, (and the brief moment with Major Disaster, who's a lot more interesting here than in any other incarnation), but the big reveal of the issue just soured my stomach. Ah well.

Buy Pile Breakdown: Four for five shooting ain't a bad percentage, so I'm happy.

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

Hellblazer: Papa Midnite #2:
The storyline is muddled and uninteresting, the art cartoonish and inappropriate for the attempt at a somber mood.

Doctor Spectrum #5:
Still slow as hell, with lots of talking heads.

Deadshot #4:
If the next issue is this good, I'll go back and buy all of them. Deadshot thinks his way around every problem presented here and really goes a long way to try and develop, which is really interesting. I did laugh at the "dogpile" panel near the end, wondering who everybody was (and laughing too hard at the ones I did recognize to try and figure it out), but all around this is a good gritty yarn that lives in the same zip code as the late, lamented Hitman series.

G.I. Joe Reloaded #13:
Cobra gets caught sleeping on the job by a covert insertion force, and Duke is distrusted by his new Cobra allies, getting the "get-caught-on-Jen-Garner's-Alias" treatment (which is just short of the Abu Ghraib Method). One thing I could not say about this issue is that it's uninteresting, with crisp art and colors by those Canadians at Grafiksismik (full disclosure: I work with the studio on some other stuff). But, IIRC, the series is over in an issue or two, so smoke 'em while you've got 'em, as they say ...

Fallen Angel #19:
"Moral flexibility" may be the code word, as a rage-clouded Angel seeks the company of a professional to take the edge off of her nerves, which leads to making an agreement of dubious ethical weight. Fun in a mean-spirited way, with a bittersweet tint based in earlier events in the series' run. But again, I hear this title isn't long for this world either ...

Ultimate Iron Man #1:
While this take is interesting, looking back at the origins of Ultimate Tony Stark from his absentminded professor-styled father, the major change in the character (I feel) is a huge detriment in making him interesting, and adds an un-needed level of subtext that I don't like as much. My retailer also put forth a problem with the relative timeline -- it seems awfully modern, unless the spoilerish change in the character also makes Ultimate Teen Tony Stark a possibility. As Ultimate books go, this isn't even an interesting part of the scenic route.

Firestorm #11:
An improvement, as Jason Rusch now has some experienced help (and a nifty "switcheroo" thing that should keep traditionalists at bay for a moment), and we get some interesting exposition that shows some "Superhero 101" stuff (I loved the bit about putting out the fire) while dragging back some "old business" with (among others) the likes of Typhoon and Multiplex (yes, I did laugh audibly when I saw them on-panel). The ongoing development of Jason and his father's relationship is also super interesting, and I'm curious as to when he'll learn to subvocalize (side story: as a woman walked towards me on my way into the mall, gesticulating wildly, it took a moment for me to realize she was on an earpiece cell phone thing, which makes lots of people look crazier than they probably are). Still watching ...

X-Men/FF #4:
Stopping a space shuttle from smashing into Manhattan should have had more visual grandeur, but oh well. The space whales (which made me go "huh? whoa!" like my name was Keanu) was a good scene, and catching rubbery Logan was also kind of funny, but I found the coloring muddy and drab, and the story still pretty retread (ooh, the Aliens, er, Brood are coming).

Legend #1:
A homegrown, Christian-minded virtual Superman. That's all I got from it, a book that'd do well in red states. Feh.

Shanna the She-Devil #2:
Softcore porn (100 jumping jacks amused me) with an attempt at making the title character a credible threat (looking like a model doesn't help the case, and Cho's artwork doesn't do much to illustrate her speed as a menace) with more tropes from cinematic history, updated as a possible CBR (not Comic Book Resources, chemical-biological-radiological) problem. Eh.

Rising Stars #24:
I was so stunned to finally be holding this issue in my hand after what seemed like forty years, and even more suprised at how pat, cliche and boring it was. A sappy paean to the possibility of peace, it ultimately runs away from the problems it creates and speaks in all voiceover and ill-depicted montage shots. Blah.

Arana #2:
This issue is among Fiona Avery's finest, an almost perfectly balanced mix of characterization and action that covers all the thematic bases the premise sets forth. Admittedly, I'm not interested but that's more an issue of my personal tastes than a knock against the really solid level of craft work here. There's good, well-done books that I don't like (Monolith leaps to mind) not because there's anything wrong with them, but because I'm not interested in the premise for my own reasons, and I noticed that happening here. So I'll probably stop reading this one.

Star Wars Empire #29:
Speaking of, I know I said I was gonna stop reading this, but when the idea of Anakin/Luke flashbacks popped up, I had to look. The problem is that this apparently sets up a huge continuity problem with the original trilogy (I won't spoil the plot by revealing it) but makes the question "how could Luke not know?" leap to mind. Add one solid panel of Anakin and maybe three of Imperial forces, and you can guess why all of that would irk me.

Superman: Strength #3:
More Silver Age-styled fun as a globetrotting crook shows some smarts but gets caught in the Darth Maul trap (I love it when the reviews have a kind of flow to them, fitting together like Legos) of "less chat, more splat." It's a fun "Ultimate" styled Superman story that'd be good for neophytes or kids, but seems pretty pricey.

Age of Apocalypse One Shot/Tenth Anniversary Something Blah Blah Blah:
I don't know why this wasn't all one book, but whatever. In the big issue-long story, humans mistrust mutants blah blah blah, X-men form to police their own blah blah blah. The other "issue" shows snippets (like the "world news minute" on a news show, flitting around from subject to subject without any real detail) of the AoA world dealing with the fallout of change. Plus, they jammed in X-23, who's getting more overexposed than Paris Hilton. Yeah, I don't care, and it wasn't even pretty or a spectacle.

Read Pile Roundup: The needle just barely dips into "crappiness" on a numbers basis.

So, How Was It This Week? With two jumps and some very readable buys, even the one clunker and largely crappy reads can't tank the week. But they almost did.

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