Fables #41:
I'm going to make this an entry in the Best Single Issue of the Year running. Everything that has been built in this series is consummated in one wonderful sequence of twenty two pages. Bill Willingham, misunderstood visionary. Day of Vengeance? Forgiven. The flaws in Robin? Bygones. This is it, summed up in Gepetto leaning back in his chair. I can't say much about this, for fear of spoiling things, but Boy Blue is a complete badass, Prince Charming is a lot smarter than I ever expected, and the way I thought things were is considerably less impressive than the way things really are. Which is quite a pleasant surprise. Extremely satisfied with this.

New Thunderbolts #12:
Jump from the Read Pile. The House of M interlude has passed faster here than in the rest of the Marvel universe. Lucky. The Purple Man has a literal army of metahumans (including a pink Namorita, not fitting with the New Warriors portrayal) to throw at the ragtag survivors of the Thunderbolts (and some shmucks). Again, I won't spoil what happens, but even having Captain America as his strategist didn't help ol' Zeb Killgrave, and it was the little details that made me buy this issue. Like the Purple Man using Spider-Woman as his servant and mentioning Jessica Jones in passing, dragging out Overmind from the dustbins of Marvel history and a last page reveal that was simply delightful. It was a slow week, and I was looking for something to like, so this won on the technicals.

Buy Pile Breakdown: Two soid books, one as one of the best reads of the year ... that's what I'm talking about.

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

All Star Batman and Robin #2:
This issue is disturbing. Bruce and Dick have their first real interaction and it's both awkward and psychotic, on both sides. Dick's resistant to the Bat's rookie-esque methods, and won't scare. Bruce, here, is wholly insane, cackling like a mad bastard as he trashes GCPD property and puts the lives of (quite probably corrupt) officers at risk. It's all, of course, gorgeously rendered by the uber-marketable Jim Lee, but ... I felt uncomfortable with it, as a whole.

Thor: Blood Oath #1:
Oeming brings in a command of myth that's really useful. A fatal misunderstanding between the Asgardians and their neighbors the Frost Giants leads to Thor and the Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg) being sent on a virtually impossible quest. The issue is set up well but kind of sags in pacing and ultimately only missed the cut-off point in quality by microns. Worth watching, though, and spirit knows I've gone back for first issues when the second knocked me out.

Firestorm #17:
I'm not sure who the young teleporter Gehenna is, but she and the nascent Firestorm got sucked into the plans of Luthor's Society and then ... well, again, I don't wanna say too much, but I haven't seen the Society do anything that's not kind of embarrassing and laughable. I liked how Jason Rusch was mentally gauging his romantic chances with Gehenna while fighting off a phalanx of super villains, but the whole issue didn't make it because of the Society's ineffectiveness (maybe Grant Morrison's Earth 2 theory is right ...).

Daredevil vs. Punisher #4:
The ongoing conflict between Frank Castle and Matt Murdock gets a little too serious when a really innocent bystander gets caught in between them. Frank wants to be a bit more ... thorough in his campaign against crime than Matt would like, and that leads to some corposes that make Murdock mad! I think this mini is running a tad bit long, with a conflict that's been playing in the background for some time and has never, ever gone Daredevil's way in the end. How can this end well for Matt? He won't whack the Punisher. Jail would be like sending a glutton to a smorgasbord. In any country you could possibly exile him to, Frank Castle will find a way to kill criminals. So, with that in mind, dragging this out longer and longer is just getting ... well, kind of dull.

Nightwing #112:
With shades of the Teen Titans cartoon, Dick Grayson dons a new darker-themed costume and becomes a thrall of Slade Wilson, who's sole condition in not ratting out the Man Wonder is that Dick trains Rose, the Ravager. What's funniest to me is how, while mentally trying to reject the example of his pater the Batman, he then proceeds to collect around him a group of intimates of younger age, dragging them along with him in his life of extralegal activity. Just like the Bat. Fairly interesting reading if only to laugh at Dick Grayson's self-delusions.

Mnemovore #6:
A complete and total let down. With an ending suitable for a shlocky modern horror movie, bad things happen and nothing is resolved. I feel cheated out of my time for even reading this.

Gravity #4:
Speaking of dupes, the title character here throws away happiness and gets a rude surprise, all due to his foolhardy and altruistic dream of being a super hero. What I can't figure is his whole motivation. He's gotten a super power, and he wants to do good. That fits in with the cultural memes well enough, if being a little wholesome. But why not use his powers to, hell, I dunno, make it easier to get aid to starving countries? The motivation for costumed pugilism just doesn't add up, especially given the joy he had with a "normal" life. So I derisively chortled and put this one back on the stands.

Desolation Jones #3:
I enjoyed the dialogue and the balance of characters ... but I enjoyed it a lot more when it was done (the coffeeshop scene, the chasing down the pornographer, et cetera) in Transmetropolitan. As a self-avowed Warren Ellis fan who could never imagine not being subscribed to The Bad Signal (although I've done nothing to get involved with The Engine), it disturbs me to think that the old man may have completely shot his wad, and be running on empty (if I may mix my cliches). Ah well.

Marvel Knights 4 #22:
Back down on Yancy Street, Ben Grimm faces a ghost of his racial past in a story that drags along Jessica Jones and Ben Urich (way to cross-promote, she's getting crazy shout outs this week) and takes us back down to a very different Yancy Street. Ben once again confronts his monstrous nature (oh the grief, blah blah blah) in a very blatant tug at heartstrings that's not badly done, just telegraphed from, like, a week ago. Eh.

Green Arrow #54:
Ollie's so mad that he doesn't see the double-whammy coming his way, and Jefferson Pierce is sidekicking for all he's worth. I stand corrected -- the Society shows up and finally does something that doesn't make me shake my head at them with pity, but agaist a perennial B-lister like Black Lightning (apologies to Tony Isabella) and the often overachieving Ollie Queen ... eh.

Mutopia X #3:
I thought Izzy Ortega's live in the regular Marvel Universe was going to hell, but his well-publicized affair drives him to make choices he really doesn't want, and drives him closer and closer to an insistent pair of crosshairs bearing down on him. I think Bishop showed up for a panel or two. A very soap opera-esque approach (and not in the good way, like Noble Causes).

JLA #118:
Hang on -- Despero once beat the hell out of Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Power Girl, Fire, Ice and a bunch more, and all of a sudden Aquaman can hold his own against the alien antagonist? Nuh uh. Aquaman? Constant punchline and also-ran? Against Despero, who's basically an evil Martian Manhunter with no vulnerability to fire? Vince McMahon couldn't sell that story. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman and Zatanna cry into their corn flakes on Themiscira while Supergirl wonders why her costume looks different here than it did in all her other recent appearances. Plus, given the end, Despero has never played a game of chess in his life. What the hell?

Ultimate X-Men #63:
The Summers boys continue their rivalry, and Scott comes up with a very crafty way to "win," while Mystique and Forge make like Roscoe P. Coltrane and Enis, but the "fight comics" level got ratcheted up a notch when the X-Men, getting their butts handed to them by the likes of Northstar and Sunspot, get relieved by some real professionals. A long fight, but with some nifty twists (like our good friend Magnus seducing Lorna to his point of view), for taking the scenic route.

JSA #77:
Also scoring high on our "what the hell?" meter, Hal Jordan single handedly takes down The General (remember that Eiling guy in the body of the Shaggy Man?), who (in Morrison's run) nearly killed the entire JLA featuring (at the time), Supes, Bats, Wonder Woman, John Stewart, Wally and Manhunter. But all of a sudden, Hal can take him solo? The cult of Jordan has gone too far this time. Anyway, it's all a device to drag in Air Wave (I thought I was the only guy who remembered Hal Jordan's cousin) while bumping into Donna Troy for no reason I can discern and generally making a mess of things in every possible way. This is really a train wreck of a story.

Majestic #9:
Wildstorm puts out the first of its two Kheran/Coda stories this week with a guest appearance from Zealot (guess she made it out of that thing where all the Coda were trying to kill her at the end of WildCATs 3.0) playing almost every Angelina Jolie role I've ever seen and digging for answers. I like Majestic's former kid sidekick as a wily posthuman corporate raider, but the whole thing never gelled for me as a story, even in a serialized form. There were some fun moments, though.

X-Men #175:
I only read this because it's crossing over with Black Panther. That said, giant mutant animals are appearing in Niganda (remember the new country that never existed before seven months ago, bordering a newly-not-landlocked Wakanda?) and causing a ruckus. The X-Men, on their quest to be involved with all mutations (except, you know, viral and bacterial because that'd help real people) fly over to have a look see and punch some animals. They find the newly sassy T'Challa at a computer, doing something, and act like all of the stereotypes people hate about people from the US (Havok is particularly annoying). Here's hoping Reggie Hudlin can make something of this mess.

Rann/Thanagar War #5:
When a character I recognized bit the big one (at the hands of Blackfire, who you can never trust), I almost cared until another version of the self same character walked on panel seconds later, reminding me how crazy Thanagarian continuity (hahahaha) is. Things aren't going well for the arguable "good guys," as a huge evil godlike creature seeks pan-galactic dominion blah blah blah blah. I actually started nodding off as I was typing that sentence, that's how boring it is. Oh well.

Ant #2:
This issue could have almost been teleported here via the mid '90s, as Mario Gully's title character takes a stroll through the Image Central universe's oldest pages, beating up on a mime and a fat ugly guy in the process. Explanations? Bah, expanations are for the weak. Ditto characterization -- here, enjoy this shot of the lead character's butt up in the air! Let's move on.

Action Comics #831:
There is one single good thing in this issue, a quote from Dr. Psycho, which I'll share with you now. "The sacrifices a truly great sadist has to make are often unheralded by history." See, now that's good crazy. As much as I like Black Adam beating up on Superman (and the fact that Adam hits harder than Batson), it didn't really matter at all. The Bizarro/Reverse Flash race, on the other hand, was downright frustrating because of inconsistent Bizarro-Speak (was it really that hard for the old timers, since they got it right so consistently?) as it drifts from straight negatives to a kind of mixed syntax in another plot element that, despite racing around the world, went nowhere fast (especially since the last issue of Villains United showed the results -- way to coordinate). Then with Jimmy becoming a wholly unlikeable jackass (I much prefer to be a sometimes likeable jackass) and the constant risk to Lois (should the villains get her or the feds? Rock paper scissors?) ... I think I need to go back and read that issue of Fables now ...

Winter Men #1:
I saw numerous people online (including people I respect like Beaucoup Kevin) crowing about how much they liked the first issue. I remember being bored spitless, so I decided to take a much closer look, to see if I'd judged unfairly. I did not. This attempts at cinematics with none of the crispness of the visuals, telling a Russian mob tail with detail and no vivacity. I didn't like the art, there were literal mountains of text on each page ... maybe this would be better as an OGN, but as a serial, I found it a snoozer, while admitting it might just not be my cup of tea (much like I admired the craft and not the content of Monolith).

The Pulse #11:
D-Man? D-Man? That's just ... it's just sad. The Sex In The City luncheon of superheroines notwithstanding. Urf.

Wildcats: Nemesis #1:
Another Kheran Coda? All right -- but this one has history as she faces off against Majestic, Zealot, Grifter (who seems to have made it out of that cyborg body he ... oh, never mind) because of ... something that happened outside of the context of this work, which isn't very clearly explained. Right.

Read Pile Roundup: Rough, rough going.

So, How Was It This Week? I was almost willing to call it a win on the strength of Fables alone, but Hal and Arthur handling Despero and The General, along side the sheer volume of Stupitron particles ... it was just too much. A narrow loss.

Before I go, I wanna address one thing. Lots of people think I hate superhero comics. Nothing could be further from the truth. I freaking love super hero comics. I love garishly clad jackasses beating the hell out of one another, the power fantasies of the powerless, the struggle for a finer world. What I hate is when their motivations for doing so are cliched or illogical. I hate stupid storytelling, in every possible arena. So when I bash, I do it because I want better, and I don't think better is impossible -- from little details like "what color is Namorita's skin now?" to "Wait a second, wasn't Cole Cash in a wheelchair and using a cyborg body to kick ass?" I've talked to the editors at 'cons -- they're overloaded with work and losing assistants left and right. Less help, more work, stuff slips by. I get that. But that doesn't make it all right, and as a reviewer and lifelong fan, I feel a duty to say so. Plus, you know, they pay me to say so now. Your mileage, as always, may vary. But thanks for reading my reviews anyway.

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