Beowulf #1 (Speakeasy Comics):
FULL DISCLOSURE: Beowulf, as well as The Grimoire and Atomika are all done by Canadian publisher Speakeasy Comics, who use my services as a part time publicity flack. I will try not to let this influence my reviewing, but you deserve to know the potential conflict of interest.

Literally the tip of the iceberg -- super powered morons are popping up in New York City (and possibly in other places as well, that point's not made here) and there's a certain immortal who's taking an interest in them. The issue kind of jumps around a bit, not taking much time to establish some of the points (for example, the "detective" who knows Beowulf never gets named, and the nature of their relationship isn't terribly clear), but there's a really great atmosphere established, a kind of dirty neon reality that fits the New York I've seen better than most comics. I like the kind of world-weariness of the title character, and actually believe that the "bit player" Powerhouse has the most pathos and development. There's also a lot of X-Files styled clues to a bigger picture, which one would believe will become more clear -- when you toss a tidbit like the last page dialogue at me, it makes me curious and wonder why so specific. Add in some really evocative, stylistic art by Dub and moody colors by Ouerre Andre Dery and you've got an issue worth reading.

JLA Classified #6 (DC Comics):
There's a kind of bittersweet joy in reading this, part of a storyline that almost has to be the last gasp of the much-maligned "Bwa-ha-ha" League. In short, Booster Gold accidentally transported himself, an un-powered Mary Batson, Blue Beetle, the Elongated Man and Fire (formerly Green Flame) to Hell, where they get drafted into an infernal service industry (the cover says it all about what) with Etrigan shoving them in the doors. When you add Guy Gardner (somwhere between his old "Warrior" days and his new Green Lantern days) and Power Girl following after them, well, all hell really has no choice but to break loose. The spandex-tight banter DeMatteis and Giffen have crafted here is matched by Maguire's amazing ability to depict facial expressions (Mary Batson getting her surprise is priceless, and Beetle and Booster's bickering reads just as clearly if you don't look at the words). Good balance of action and dialogue, comedy and seriousness, this is comic book craftsmanship at its entertaining finest. The singular problem I have with it is how it throws so much on the stands into sharp relief for their own failings.

The Grimoire #2 (Speakeasy Comics):
Full disclosure remains in effect here -- I went back to glance at #1, because when a mystical-styled strike team goes head-to-head with a super-high-tech one early on, this being the second issue, it kind of threw me for a minute. Once I realized -- evil magician mother's troops versus an almost freelance group of mercs -- I was all right and back with the story. The lead character, a teenaged girl who's caught up in a whole lotta mess, pinballs from situation to situation without much impetus of her own, but is heading towards bigger things (the "freelancer" is sending her to see Beowulf, and you know how I love crossovers) and more tidbits ("Order of the Blood?") are dropped, showing glimpses of a grander tapestry than this magic-influenced Fugitive-styled chase narrative. Djief's art is a good mix between cartoony and realistic, and I love Kness' bright and distinctive coloring.

Lucifer #61 (Vertigo/ DC Comics):
As ends of storylines go, this one isn't very ... conclusive. Jill Presto, impregnated by a powerful deck of taro cards (don't ask) negotiates with her unborn child to find a way for them both to live. Meanwhile, Lilith and Sandalphon (who, according to A Dictionary of Angels by Gustav Davidson is "one of the great ... angelic princes ... twin brother of Metatron" who is considered the voice of God, if Kevin Smith's research is to be believed) have amassed an army of half-angels and Lilim to, in the words of rapper Canibus, "raise hell 'til the heavens fall," and -- just for fun -- the title character makes an appearance on the last page after going missing for, what, two months? I used to say that every fourth issue of this series was just a bit off, and after almost burning Las Vegas to the ground, this one is something of a let-down with the scale of events happening in the background. Still good, but not as good as I'd have expected.

Runaways Volume 2 #3 (Marvel Comics):
I didn't know whether to laugh at the "support group"-cum-super team Excelsior or feel sorry for them. All of their greater field experience didn't seem to help, as this issue again makes a good (not Giffen/DeMatteis good, but still solid) balance of grim humor and action. Darkhawk seems to have some kind of chip on his shoulder, somebody serious is coming to Los Angeles, and I love the interplay between characters here. Vaughan balances a fairly sizeable cast and has no problem keeping individual characteristics clear while still crafting a good yarn. I'm glad I came on board with this title.

Ex Machina #10 (Wildstorm/DC Comics):
Speaking of Vaughan, he performs an even more impressive balancing act by doing a very emotional super villain fight in Gracie Manor while tackling the debate on gay marriage and bringing in some romantic tension to boot. A really well done issue that concludes the current storyline in a satisfying way while leaving room for more to spin out of it. True, some questions were glanced over -- how did the villain come to echo Mayor Hundred's powers, and what was all that "carpenter" and "you didn't spread the gospel" stuff about? Still, I love this comic and had a blast with this intricate, delicately crafted issue (and yes, that means special props to Tny Harris, Tom Feister and JD Mettler for making every panel work).

Atomika #2 (Speakeasy Comics):
All comparisons to The Red Star end here -- in that comic, the magic and power were kept in the background, favoring a human face to the Soviet-inspired myth. Here it's just the opposite -- the god in the machine is all that matters, and all the people are there as set pieces and pawns on a chess board. When Atomika's arguable partner Arohnir tries to recreate the wheel in forging "heroes" for the people (a proto-team called "The State," comprised of, as Atomika himself says, "a dead man in a tin can, an irradiated laborer, a deformed monster, a school girl and a slobbering beast," while holding himself above mortals in every way), Atomika rebels only to have him question himself and have the State sent after him (and yes, I see the parallels to the skyfurnace going rogue). The issue is steeped in symbolism -- some clear, some not -- with references to Selene's blood (an unusual choice, as I can't see Greek myth having a place here, despite the shared root with Cyrillic) in another case of ruling the world being even harder than taking it over. More and more complex as it goes on, and that's a good thing, in a Rex Mundi kind of way.

Buy Pile Breakdown: From intellectual challenges to simple fun, a great -- if pricy -- week of purchases.

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

The OMAC Project #1 (DC Comics):
Urgh... it's better than Countdown but that doesn't make it good. Batman must have been more affected by that mindwipe than anyone could have believed, because he spends most of the issue staring at a screen and muttering, "why won't this work?" When I screw up a bit of HTML code or am working on a computer that goes toes up, I can see that. Batman's supposed to be better than, hell, at least me. Add that to Maxwell Lord suddenly becoming both competent (as a manager of men, he's at best been adequate and at worst laughable) and lethal (and nobody saw this shift?), there's a lot of supposition without foundation, as our friends in the legal profession would say. Even dumber -- there's allegedly this killer satellite set in orbit. Between all the fliers alone, not counting magicians and strike capable super teams, how is anybody worried about this when they can just fly up and blast it, or (in the case of Supes or some others) just blast it from the ground? I mean, Checkmate has taken it over (shades of V for Vendetta, taking over England's computer system Fate), but they can't master it as the Bat would have, given he created it. Big enough logic holes that you could drive Optimus Prime through them.

Young Avengers #3 (Marvel Comics):
The kids get tricked (suckers) as time travel and old foes come to play. I like the interplay, I liked the surprise of Patriot (although I found his attitude a bit stereotypical, if understandable). A bit talky, but sort of interesting.

Robin #137 (DC Comics):
This issue was almost back in form -- Robin's exuberance at beating his record on taking down the laughable Dark Rider, matched with his returning to the guidance of the Bat, made this read like the Tim Drake of old -- confident, competent, fun. Could it be this title is back? With the summer coming, I'd find it hard to believe.

Fantastic Four #525 (Marvel Comics):
Karl Kesel checks in with a story that tries to follow Waid's path but clearly doesn't have the same zeal. In the mode of what we're hearing about the movie, the issue is heavy on family dynamic and light on plot and "wow" factor (is what Warren Ellis and Mark Waid did that hard to grasp?). Wholly average.

Birds of Prey #81 (DC Comics):
Wildcat and Black Canary are undercover in Singapore, while Huntress teams up with Savant and Creote in a way you surely won't expect. In the same way the Bat is getting dumbed down, Oracle is way off her game and the work suffers for it. This issue still feels like it's convalescing from that "War Games" filth, and only the Huntress' revelation showed any signs of promise.

Defex #6 (Aftermath/Devil's Due Publishing):
Ah, the old "interrogate people and reveal the story in glimpes" shtick? Well, despite some slightly muddled artwork and plotting, it works all right, revealing a big fight but not really selling the importance of it all to anyone other than the characters.

Catwoman: When In Rome #6 (DC Comics):
Hush up now, the Riddler is taking center stage. Aside from the fact that I never even considered buying this issue, I can't say much more without spoiling things or derisively laughing too hard to type.

Conan #15 (Dark Horse Comics):
A dry and less than inspiring tale of Conan as a youth. Ooh, he was a badass from age ten. Yeah. Moving on ...

Marvel Knights 4 #17 (Marvel Comics):
An issue that's all over the map, with H.E.R.B.I.E. being a hero, paternal conflicts with Reed, temporal mechanics for dummies and more confusion than could possibly serve anybody's purposes. Did they read this, all the way through, before they published it?

Invincible #22:
The central story -- Invincible's young love figures him out, and they have a moment of clarity, and I liked that -- is clouded by so much background chatter (Robot hiding something, for example) that it could barely get appropriate panel time to get to you. Had this been done by Bendis in Ultimate Spider-Man, it might have taken two or three issues, but you'd have felt it a lot more.

Hercules #1 (Marvel Comics):
My retailer Steve walks up and says, "Early favorite for worst issue of the year," and then said, "You'll probably throw up when you read it ... maybe you should take it outside." I wasn't quite as disgusted as Steve was, but when I saw "Tieri" as the writer credit, I had a feeling I wouldn't be inspired. I was right -- in a story that's almost too boring to be bad, Hercules is now the subject of a reality TV show (with this and New Warriors coming, I'd kill to see an episode of The Surreal Life from Marvel's universe) and they decide it's more logical to make fun of Herc (a la Anna Nicole) than take the topic of twelve new labors seriously (a la The Amazing Race). Worst of all is wasting Mark Texeira's talents on this wholly forgettable pamphlet.

Aquaman #29 (DC Comics):
Brushing past the Countdown madness (oh, now it's a big deal?), Arthur gets some tough love from a teammate and whines about his genetic pattern getting sold, all while Atlantis comes back, begging him to be king again and Sub Diego continues to have problems. Almost interesting.

Invaders #9 (Marvel Comics):
A traitor in their midst, and the death of one of Marvel's oldest characters. But with the lackluster art and coloring, the lingering stink of Nazi boredom and a kind of aimless shambling storyline, it's still no good.

JLA #113 (DC Comics):
My namesake was forced to return to his homeland and a disadvantageous tactical position by a Roman named Scipio attacking Carthage. In the same way, the Bat sic's a world-killing Qwardian armada on the Crime Syndicate of Amerika's home dimension to save DC's Earth (and yes, he gets an earful about it). The Bat has all kinds of tricks up his sleeve here, almost not seeming stupid (almost), while the CSA remain vastly entertaining (Ultraman: "Good Judas, no wonder no one is afraid of him ...") and the JL Elite appear to be tooling around from before their painful burnout. Too many plates spinning (in a bad way) and indistinct art are keeping this on the shelf.

Thor: Stormbreaker #4 (Marvel Comics):
Woops -- Galactus' herald Stardust (does he get a volume discount on 'em?) tried to suck Beta Ray Bill into a black hole, but accidentally released a galaxy eating old god. Stardust and Bill try to take it on, and don't do too well. Huge, mad ideas hurl at you (loved the exploding planet two page splash) but it's another case of context -- you know nothing of importance will be "broken" and only the backwaters of the universe will be affected, effects that we'll never really see (i.e. the orphans, the shattered economies, et cetera).

Manhunter #9 (DC Comics):
The wholly ludicrous trial of the Shadow Thief hits a hitch when Phobia heads into the gallery and Monocle has his doubts. I laughed in a mocking way at the silliness of it all -- it's like on 24 when they're supposed to be "securing" something with a "team," and it's like two guys. Take it seriously or hang it up, I say.

Savage Dragon #121 (Image Central):
Mr. Glum again drives the action, making a mistake that a lot of people may not be able to forgive. Grim, and pushes the election storyline into the background for a moment.

Seven Soldiers: Klarion #1 (DC Comics):
Morrison's mind is at it again, as a secret magical city under the earth resurrects their dead as "Grundies" to perform physical labor, and the first signs of ties to other minis make an appearance (Manhattan Guardian in particular. I liked the kind of Shyamalan Village-esque atmosphere (better than I did with the actual film) but didn't find the petulance of the title character anything more than a contrast to his surroundings, not actually interesting in its own right.

Small Gods #8 (Image Central):
The angles on the artwork and its evocative nature almost made this worth getting, but the cipher-like quality of the protagonist made it drop back again. The female lead -- arguably a suporting character -- is six times more compelling than the "small god" here, and it throws the whole narrative balance off.

Superman #215 (DC Comics):
Thank god it's over -- everything goes back where it started, except for one very brutal exception (why pick him of all people?) as Metropia in the Phantom Zone comes to its inevitable end, and half the characters speak in cliches. I'll stick with Azzarello on Luthor, thanks.

Cable/Deadpool #14 (Marvel Comics):
Deadpool's on the run, because apparently his healing factor is now making him go Mememto (which, oddly enough, would explain some of the wackiness at the end of the Kelly run). Nobody knows why he killed the terrorist, even him, and Cable is forced to deal with it. Some decent grins, but no whole laughs this time.

Space Ghost #6 (DC Comics):
After the pulse-pounding, mean-spirited opening chapters, the mini ends on an almost Disney-fied downbeat as we see how the vengeance-driven Thaddeus Bach could become the grinning Hanna Barbera hero and maybe even the mad talk show host beyond that. Zorak became a cipher, justice was barely served on Temple, and I was let down all around.

Wolverine #27 (Marvel Comics):
I'd like to get a scorecard for all the fifth-tier mooks that died in (hopefully forever) in this issue. It's like Scourge is back, almost. Hydra's super villain army takes down the Helicarrier but hits a snag when Wolvie gets unleashed. I wonder if he's really that good, or everybody else just sucks.

Teen Titans #23 (DC Comics):
A character noted it -- once upon a time Beast Boy could beat Dr. Light, and here it took almost two dozen Titans (and there's a very funny Outsiders/Countdown tie in at the end that I liked a lot, one I'm surprised more people haven't tried). Basically the issue is fight fight fight, and many Titans feel the shift in the Doctor's methodology (he does some cool new things, like making it dark by sucking up ambient light as a power source). Many Titans share secrets at the end, including Speedy, but Superboy stays consipicuously quiet. They no longer trust the Justice League (more Identity Crisis fallout as the mind wiping becomes public knowledge -- piss on you, Silver Age!) and it's grim and unhappy all the way around.

Read Pile Roundup: Ambitious, but flawed.

So, How Was It This Week? I'll call it a win on the strength of some good buys, but whoa it's rough in that Read Pile these days. I'm not looking forward to crossover season.

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