Ex Machina #9:
After discovering this series last week, I was very happy to see that a new issue was on stands. So, dutifully, I bought #6-9 so I could be fully up-to-date. Happily so. There's a kind of "X-Files/continuity" undercurrent that I enjoy immensely, the Mayor's hamfisted love life is a hoot, and the nip-at-each-other's-heels nature of City Hall is right out of the Sorkin years on The West Wing (in a good way). Fascinating drama and character work on every level, with very solid artwork from Tony Harris and Tom Feister (I liked how they showed in the TPB the photo reference method they use). This issue in particular, with its smart use of flashbacks (always tricky, but Vaughan is a pro), brings the threat of the mystery killer ever closer to Gracie Mansion and threatens to tie it all together. A delicious potboiler, and a series I will now buy-on-sight, no in-store reading required.

Black Panther #2:
In the store today, two of the customers were arguing about this title. I know one's name was Rodney, but I can never remember the name of the other. Anyway, they were arguing that Hudlin's take "ghettoizes" or "hip-hop-izes" the Lord of the Wakandas, and that the experience of people of African descent is more nuanced and deeper than that. Which is, to an extent, a valid point of view. However, this title is primarily sold at Diamond account-holder comic book shops, and that means the US, to a demographic that's major source of information about Black people is cable television. This title, for all its continuity foibles (yes, I'm still hung up on the Ross thing ... it's like a tease), tells the story in accurate terms -- badass, unconquerable Wakanda with even more badass leader, who's also a billionaire genius playboy -- while presenting it with a vocabulary that all US audiences will be comfortable with. To the tune of a sold out first issue and good word on the second, which we now approach. The issue, which introduces a sister and a close cousin to T'Challa (way too interesting a point to forget, I'm sure), shows the young king's ascension and the gathering of some not-so-flashy enemies, possibly backed by the National Security Agency, to do the unthinkable -- win in Wakanda. Interesting if still a touch too slow, but worth the ride for the solid material and -- as always -- John Romita Jr.'s excellent artwork.

Lucifer #60:
Adam's spurned ex-wife continues her quest to destroy all that is in every possible universe, but the devil's at the door, help could be on its way from unexpected corners of Sin City (not the Frank Miller one, Vegas, baby, Vegas), and Lucifer's favorite girl Mazikeen is on the loose. There's a fairly big surprise on the last page (which launches a host of theological and strategic questions) but the title character never shows his charming face. Taking its time getting somewhere, but an interesting trip here.

Noble Causes #8:
My own guilty pleasure. Fran Bueno's art is improving with every page, as he had some great moments in the Venture/Rusty fight. The Doc Noble subplot is warming up, Liz delivers a big surprise that makes Cosmic Rae a lot more interesting all of a sudden, and this is almost as good a soap opera as Desperate Housewives. The backup is even more confectionary, casting a Quantum & Woody duo in Silver Age tropes, but good for the few pages it shows up. All around, no complaints.

Space Ghost #5:
Thaddeus Bach was a man set on vengeance, but in this issue, in the face of an apparently overwhelming threat, he starts to learn how to be a hero. Which, in my mind, makes him considerably less interesting. I mean, he was doing all right as a spectre of vengeance, hunting down the ones who wronged him, until two adorable moppets started tugging at his heart strings and pulling him off course from bloody retribution. So the Borg-like Zorak appear to be the newest targets, now for liberty or freedom or some such pap. Still, interesting, it just got really candy-ass for little apparent reason.

Concrete: the Human Dilemma #3:
The most interesting development here is Concrete developing an itch, which is super interesting given that his skin is ... well, concrete, and how could he even develop such a sensation? He starts his publicity cmpaign as a spokesman for voluntary sterilization, deftly managing the debate and making a killer case, as Larry and Astra's relationship hits a major stumbling block. The back up "Letter from L.A." is fascinating supplementary information, adding nuance to an already very textured story. Another new find, and one I like a great deal.

Wonder Woman #214:
I think I read the ,i>Flash issue that provides background for this, but it kind of doesn't matter. The new Reverse Flash and a seriously upgraded Cheetah are beating the hell out of Wally West and everybody's favorite Amazon. Meanwhile, Athena settles into ruling Olympus, worried about her still unstable reign. I'm not sure why the Flash is getting his butt handed to him, but then again I don't understand why all of his fights aren't over a lot faster. Mostly a fight issue, with little importance beyond the last page, but adequate.

Buy Pile Breakdown: The weakest player on this roster would be a star in a lamer week, so we're calling it awfully bloody brilliant.

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

Age of Apocalypse #3:
I'm bored of this already. It's basically an insular Elseworlds X-book, like Exiles but stuck on one shtick -- god forbid you don't remember the minute details of the original Age of Apocalypse event. The Guthrie family (I didn't even know there was more than Paige and Sam) are killer badasses, and they're loose, and they're tricky. There's a bit with Xorn here that I feel like I should have seen coming, and ... ah hell. I'm bored, I didn't like the story or the art. Let's move on.

Angel Town #5:
gary Phillips ambitious but sadly sabotaged "mini" ends here, with a considerable whimper. It's a cute issue, and if you're into the San Andreas styled detective story, this is the "big talk at the end" part, so you'll probably want this issue. Unlike me, I'll just go play San Andreas.

Young Avengers #2:
Surprisingly not awful. Jessica Jones has some great lines at Iron Lad's expense Scott Lang's daughter shows up with a lot more going on than anybody expected. It's actually kind of funny, because the big conceit of both this and Marvel Knights 4 (discussed in a moment) both center around Kang the Conqueror's idea of "parenting." This issue was, I'm shocked to say, kind of fun, as the young heroes work on getting their act together. I'm not sure I buy into the backstory, but I'm at least not wanting to burn each issue when I read it. Which is unexpected.

Human Target #20:
Christopher Chance's former apprentice gets his full Anakin on, striking out at his master and seeking to usurp his place. The title character is a bit hard to ditch, though, and both the new and old models make a score of tactical errors that could be cleared up with a moment of pulling their head out of their own butt and researching. The next issue, IIRC, is slated to be the last, and this storyline is a bit scattered of an epitaph to put on an otherwise brilliant series.

Captain America #4:
Maybe the whammy Wanda put on him is still in effect, as Cap gets delusional in the middle of a fistfight while the mystery of the missing cube still lingers. Brubaker is setting a nice balance between Cap's street-level beatdowns and thehigh espionage world of intrigue and its like. Plus there was a neat continuity moment, looking at the good Captain's checkered history, which was an unexpected bonus. This is becoming a very readable book, and for me, that's partially because Cap's coming apart at the seams.

Birds of Prey #80:
The Metropolis mission goes wacky as Dinah and Helena go toe-to-toe with some corrupt members of New York's Finest (loved having Supes on speed dial), and Thorn gets all the good laughs. Barbara gets called on the carpet about some of the things she's kept from her "girls," and that leads to an interesting moment that shakes the partnership to its foundation. Ed Benes is back, and the book looks amazing -- from the intimate corners of a hospital stairwell to the length of Metropolis airport, he handles it all with a deft and sure hand. I'm just curious ... didn't they leave that lunatic Savant and his brooding Wookie-like sidekick unsupervised back in Gotham? I'm just asking ... anyway, interesting, but not back in Buy Pile range yet.

Marvel Knights 4 #16:
Speaking of Kang, his legacy continues to haunt Marvel's ancient Egypt (I think it's funny that in both Marvel and DC, their Greek and Norse pantheons could develop all this power on their own, but Egypt only becomes great in any sense with the help of aliens, foreigners, otherdimensional beings or time travelers, and their own local gods just kind of make runs for lattes as the locals all look like Richard Burton or some other pap) all the way to the modern day, as Franklin gets some good lines and Reed shows why his brain is more dangerous than his powers (and who knew he minored in Egyptology, so much that he'd recognize the desert they all landed in?). Implausible, ridiculous, insulting in ways and far from entertaining.

G.I. Joe: Master & Apprentice II #2:
Speaking of far from entertaining, the ninja fight scene would have probably been something interesting in, say, 1992 (just because I keep joking that 1992 is back, without the cash, doesn't mean people have to perpetuate the horror). However, with the anemic relationship between Storm Shadow and his apprentice, and him still whining over screwing up the clan with his jealousy of Snake Eyes, I was happy to set this one back on the shelf.

Fantastic Four: Foes #3:
The weirdest bit, the cliffhanger ending from last issue, just goes by without any explanation at all. Overall, this is a fun if somewhat superflous FF romp, bouncing back and forth from the Negative Zone (has Reed even discovered anything of note since he came back all stretchy?) with a threat coming home with them (so much for their security system) and a scene from the MK 4 series getting replayed for sad effect. If i was Franklin, I'd put Reed and Sue in a home the second I got the chance.

Invincible #21:
A kind of vague issue, breezing through its scant plot points. I think Kirkman can only really haul ass on one or two issues a month, and the rest end up on auto pilot, with this being an example.

Inredible Hulk #79:
The "Monster Island" shtick is explained, and it makes a kind of Jurassic Park-styled sense, but three issues into the story, it seems a bit late. The fight scene with Fin Fang Foom was fun, but I'm not feeling any real connection to this story, a true shocker with Hulk guru Peter David at the wheel.

JLA #112:
This issue, clearly, takes place before the wacky events in Justice League Elite we're seeing these days. The JLA and most of their friends take the fight to the CSA on multiple fronts (and yes, the "Superman not needing air in space" thing bugged me again), while I felt like the Qwardians' weapon was something left over from the notes for the early issues of The Authority. Fighting everywhere, but nobody is any closer to a solution for their own problems, on either side of the punches (CSA will inevitably be overwhelmed by metas, since DCU villains will not roll over, JLA don't know how to fix things, and so on).

Thor: Stormbreaker #3:
Beta Ray Bill makes some pretty displays of power in another issue that's mostly fight fight fight. Galactus' latest herald Stardust may not know when to cut back on her powers, as all hell breaks loose in the final third of this issue. I like Beta Ray Bill, but I don't care about what's happening here, since live or die, I have no attachment to Bill's people, always shown as stupid or greedy or ungrateful or a combination therein.

Manhunter #8:
The "case" continues, as our title character deals with a rather slow attack from Cheshire and pulls some legal grandstanding by pulling at the heartstrings. I'm sure the Comics Debunker Blog will have a field day with this, since even I could see where it was going goofy.

Ultimates Volume 2 #4:
I am becoming fascinated with Ultimate Thor, who could be insane and a god at the same time. The European super soldier program is shown off (Captains Italy, France, Spain, etc.) and Thor's "brother" reveals the "truth" about his powers, which could be true or could be, as Thor says, a trick. It's impossible for anybody to know authoritatively, and that makes this so delicious. The issue pits everybody and their mom against Ultimate Thor, after a round on the talk shows and all the tropes of celebrity that the Authority, er, Ultimates enjoy (wow, I almost completely slipped into an older review for a minute there, that's how familiar the scenes were ... good thing I didn't go back to New Men at least ...). Interesting, but ultimately an exercise in mood, ambiance and vanity.

Ultra #8:
A very cute ending for a very cute mini, almost tailor made for small or big screen adaptation. A bit vague on the details, but interesting in a breezy, forgettable way.

Wolverine #26:
For what must be the twenty billionth time, Logan's getting his brain reprogrammed. Meanwhile, Gorgon's Hand/Hydra mash-up has recruited an army of masks and zombified 'em to his cause ... which appears to be "random mayhem." Cute, in a fanboy kind of "what if?" way, but even if most of the D-list names here (I was actually kind of happy to see The Spot looking less stupid) bit the dust ... so? We know Millar will put the good toys back where he found them, so the story is suspiciously without consequence.

Teen Titans #22:
In a story that does feel like it will have consequences, Dr. Light has gotten his act together and is now a major badass, beating the hell out of all of the Titans, only to face a much more plentiful challenge as the issue's cliffhanger. It was a pleasant surprise to see Dr. Light in a less pathetic, uh, "light" than anything since Morrison's "Rock of Ages" storyline on JLA. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep it up.

Cable/Deadpool #13:
This story really felt like a stretch, with Deadpool trying to solve a murder mystery, and nobody else having a clue. Already a bad sign. I love Zircher's art, but it felt like this issue was done in a "well, uh, what do we do now?" sense. Not for me, thanks.

Read Pile Roundup: Pretty punch happy, but not wholly awful. It just felt that way at times.

So, How Was It This Week? Another week that nudges the needle into "good."

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