Black Panther #3:
Well, it's not just that this isn't your father's Black Panther ... this isn't even my Black Panther. Which may not be a bad thing. I wouldn't bet on this series being anything near continuity (which is very weird, given what I'll say about Marvel Knights Spider-Man in a bit). I used to think of Ulysses Klaw as a two-bit poacher who got lucky and tnen unluckiy in Wakanda, but here he's been reformatted into a lethal, confident Belgian assassin (was he always Belgian? I don't remember ... wonder if he knew Dr. Evil as a child ...) who the Belgian government experimented on for five years. Now, while I personally find the idea of the world's finest assassin (and I'm guessing he's never heard of a little Greek filly called Elektra) being funded and made possible by a country known best for its waffles just a bit on the "bwa-ha-ha" side, Hudlin plays it straight so well that -- for a few panels, mind you -- I even took Batroc the Leaper seriously. Batroc the Leaper, y'all. Yeah, Klaw has somebody named Igor (I get the feeling I should know who -- radioactive Russian named Igor, hmm), Batroc, the Rhino and a body switching drink of water named Cannibal out in an Africa country called Niganda, which borders Wakanda. No longer sonic powered, Klaw now has a lethal right hand which is part sword and part machine gun, with some kind of targeting matrix in his left eye to boot. It almost makes you forget the red spandex-clad goofball lingering around Doom ("... oom, oom, oom ...") way back in Secret Wars. Remixing The Black Knight is a susprise as well, and it's clear that things are just a little south of where you expect them to be. That said, I understand the perspective of some Usenet types, such as Stephen Bayer talking about "Hudlin's political preaching through his characters about the evils of the white man and Western society in general." Now, admittedly, all the really bad people here are white. And in this story, all the really good (or as good as good gets -- T'Challa has set a world wide manhunt to kill Klaw) people are Black. I won't deny that Hudlin probably does this sort of stuff on purpose. In his position, I might. However, for years and years I've seen people saying, "Oh, just because the only Black characters are mean/stupid/evil/greedy/et cetera ... it doesn't mean anything!" Why should it here? Can't it be coincidental? Nobody who's not Reginald Hudlin knows for sure the "why" here. Besides -- you've gotta take note of the Nigandan leader, who's not only a jackass but chunky which (I'm told) is quite rare in Africa unless you're up to something. I had a blast with this issue, from the offhand mention of Wakanda's cure to cancer to the dissing of the western powers at the Bilderberg Conference to the fun at the Catholics expense (in this day and age, they need to learn to take a joke ... like Michael Jackson fans) to the nice symmetry of a guy named Klaw nearly getting killed ... by claws. I had a blast, this was the least "decompressed" issue so far with tons of laughs (not Giffen/DeMatteis laughs, but sly asides, like, say, Jennifer Garner's Alias where you keep screaming, "Damn, that ain't right!" at the TV).

Mnemovore #1:
Jump from the Read Pile. A few pages and I had to buy it. With memory loss being central to the plot, it's fair and even logical at how sketchily characters are done, since the protagonist is learning right along with us. Former snowboarding ace Kaley Markowic took a nasty fall and has lost some memories ... and gained a big problem. The cover spoils a lot of it, but inside is a smartly done thriller with some vague horror aspects. There's a good foreshadowing bit with the grandmother, icky stuff with the boyfriend on the first night home (which would have made me uncomfortable if seeing it on a movie screen), and the quick cut last few pages were like a thrill ride. It's not the best book in the world, but it felt really new, so I had to buy it. Issue #2 will have to justify its existence, though -- I ain't no easy win.

Gambit #9:
Jump from the Read Pile. Brother Voodoo is most of the reason I bought this -- Georges Jeanty's buff brawler is erasing all my memories of the skinny guy with a bullet hole in his head. The zombie madness is brushed over with a light stroke, pardon the expression, avoiding too close comparisons to, say, the Walking Dead or something, where zombies are done to much acclaim. No, the focus stays on Brother Voodoo and Gambit, who have a kind of buddy movie chemistry and make things work, even with the ABC Afterschool Special kind of ending. The epilogue exists solely to set up the next issue, which looks funny as well, with what looks like a trip to Westchester in store. A really good issue that makes Brother Voodoo look good -- no mean feat. And no, I'm not just buying this because I'm a contestant in Laymamerican Idol.

Noble Causes #9:
A comics professional I respect a great deal challenged me to identify why I like this title, since it succeeds largely by showing up on time and doing its job, not by any great feat of innovative conception (such as, say, Ex Machina) or deeply fascinating character interplay (like, oh, Concrete) or even impressive showings of spectacle (like, say, Sleeper or that Bullseye mini). He suggested that I should demand more. I can relate to that ... but in a world of Countdown House to Infinite M, I'm suddenly really happy when I pick up an issue and it just works, all by itself. So here, I get some fascinating background on Celeste (who I don't hate for a change), and the Doc subpot is bubbling along nicely (but really, what's up with the robots?). Solid, and that's all I ask for from this title.

Thunderbolts #7:
Jump from the Read Pile. A "jumping on" point done right, with an "inside and out" look at the effect of public reaction on the Thunderbolts, with a great surprise departure, a disturbing villain making an appearance (I thought he just got outta jail ...), Joystick appearing on the Today show, and showing the real challenge of walking the straight and narrow. I'm not 100% back on board, but I'm interested again after that tedious business with the Atlanteans. The online Easter egg was a cool touch as well.

The Atheist #1:
Jump from the Read Pile. Take an average Warren Ellis protagonist (i.e. cool customer, jackass, smarter than everybody else, working under his own rules, et cetera ... this guy even looks a lot like Simon Specter) and toss him in with more realistic supporting characters (I loved the "worst ... dommsday cult ... ever" bit). The story oved quickly, was smart and fun, and managed some potentially macabre subject matter with style. I was even more surprised to see John McCrea rein in his normally twitchy artistic styles to make this a nice, normal looking book (in comparison to the ugly edges on, say, The Monarchy, which we try to never even discuss).

Ultimate X-Men #58:
Jump from the Read Pile. A "done-in-one" story of Ultimate Professor X having an argument at the bank ... and things go seriously awry. Ultimate Chuck doesn't seem to have the raw horespower in the brain department that Regular Chuck does, as he uses a lot more manuevering than overpowering to make things work in this tense situation. Add in Steve Dillon, whose artwork always makes me happy (he does ill, menacing close ups like nobody else) and I had to buy it. Nothing about this issue screams "we're taking the scenic route through X-Men history!"

Buy Pile Breakdown: Four jumps? Holy crap -- makes me wish I hadn't overslept and ended up needing to go to Golden Apple on Melrose just to get the reviews done on time. Sorry Steve! Anyhow, interesting stuff all around, and not too pricey, so it was a good week so far ...

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

Adam Strange #7:
The war with Thanagar starts, as an old, powerful figure appears to be behind Thanagar's newfound wanderlust. This issue was simple fun (and the reason I didn't buy it is because I don't have an affection for the characters, as I do in Noble Causes -- I'd buy that book for Frost alone), but it gets the job done and throws big ideas at you with nary a concern. If one character were outstanding, or it could shake up its Flash Gordon-esque foundations, it might be able to make the jump.

Armor X #2:
In reckless mad fashion, a Columbine-styled teen who stumbled on a suit of alien armor goes around and wreaks havoc. But he still can't seem to bring himself to off his abusive father, despite the armor's urgings. Not really entertaining yet, but interesting in a train wreck kind of way.

Gotham Central #30:
Darwyn Cooke called -- he wants his depiction of Batman back. Gotham's most berserk billionaire makes an appearance that speaks more to the desperation of the cops (one even asked if they'd work this hard if the victim were a normal person) than any real logic. Dr. Alchemy gets shipped to Gotham in handcuffs. Admittedly really strong ones, but he's Doctor freaking Alchemy. Who could have thought that would work? Crazy talk. Havoc predictably ensues (that's no spoiler), and this title has fallen a long way.

Iron Man #3:
I think a really big opportunity was missed when Adi Granov's first shot of Tony in the suit was a small vertical panel. Adi Granov. The suit's been missing for two and a half issues. Come on. Anyhoo, Tony goes up against a bio-engineered super soldier (science hats on, children) created from hacking into the brain's programming to make it make a tougher, faster, meaner guy. Not bad, and the science of it's good for Ellis, but it just seems to lack "oomph."

Nightwing #107:
For some reason, Dick Grayson is now a mob enforcer called Crutches. He also won't work outside of his rules -- no capes, no killing and no kids. is it a Matches Malone style plan? Has he gotten sick of the biz? I don't know, and I don't know if the answer is in these pages. I don't think that's all right. I mean, Dick has some major things going on in his life, and as a reader, I'm interested in having him deal with them (especially with him showing up with the Outsiders in this week's Green Arrow), but I gets none of that. Hmph.

Marvel Knights Spider-Man #13:
This issue made it very, very close to coming home with me. Connecting with recent events in New Avengers and even Peter's JMS job history, this issue is very continuity conscious. It just didn't do anything of interest. I like Hudlin personally, but I didn't buy it because -- again -- I don't particularly like Spider-Man as a character. Would Spidey fans like this? Probably, especially the more continuity conscious. But me? I say "eh."

Green Arrow #49:
At this rate, Arsenal should think about retiring and managing a Krispy Kreme or something. He (again) gets brutally beaten (it's like his thing now) and kidnapped, so GA, Mia (I won't call her "Speedy" and you can't make me) and the entire Outsiders organization goes after him. It's not a really smartly depicted chase, and I found the ending unsatisfying, so let's leave it at that. I barely even remember when this title was any good.

Ultimates Volume 2 #5:
Ultimate Thor smackdown! The best part -- after all of this, is that I still just don't know. Ultimate Thor could really be a Norse god with a reality-warping, mischievous half-brother, or he could be absolutely barking mad. The work leaves you no room for certainty, and that's (for once) a great thing. A great fight scene incorporating every one of the Ultimates, plus a neat bit of trickery from Ultimate Black Widow, and I'm pleased all around. But it still wasn't good enough to buy.

JSA #72:
Another sleeper car goes into the fire. The JSA beat the hell out of Degaton, in the past, on the lawn of the White House. Degaton's playfulness at the end seemed sad, there's a "knot in time" in 1985 (that's when we did the original Crisis, kids), something wacky happens to Power Girl, the Star Spangled Kid gets a "Galadriel epiphany" moment, and there's lots of boringly depicted punching. Again I say, "hmph."

District X #12:
Wow. A really ugly, unpleasant ending for the "worm" storyline, with nobody coming out of it unharmed in some way. Wow. Not "good" wow, but ... wow.

Majestic #4:
Really huge ideas again, so that's a good thing. A space ark has been programmed to snatch whole worlds and save them, like Noah on super-crack. But the ark's broken. So Majestic has to go up against the "big fish in a small pond" as well as the real problem himself, and he goes about it with his regular Silver-Age Superman casualness.

Read Pile Roundup: I felt a bit uncomfortable at Golden Apple reading books, and the layout confused me (despite the helpful yellow "New!" signs, because everything on a wall of comic covers is bright and gaudy), so I missed Winick's Action Comics with Shazam and his retinue involved (although my good friend Craig Sherman read it and said Supes and Big Red don't even meet up). It mostly felt like missed opportunities and mediocrity, which is damning by nonexistent praise.

So, How Was It This Week? The four jumps will carry the load, since the reads barely bothered to show up.

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