Every week I go to the comic book store (Comics Ink at Overland and Braddock in Culver City, CA, hey Steve and Jason!) and grab a lot of comics. I sort these into two piles -- the "buy" pile (things I intend to spend money on, most often a small pile) and the "read" pile (often huge, including lots of stuff I don't actually like but wanna stay well informed about). In no particular order, here's some thoughts about all that.
Spellgame #2:
In the clearest description of the goings-on in the Speakeasy arguable "universe" (Beowulf, The Grimoire and now this), John Dodge gets a healthy bit of information, gets a grasp on his new powers, kicks some butt and has a bad experience. Veteran writer Dan Mishkin brings the goods in a fun and engaging tale. I iiked the crafty protagonist, I liked the involvemnent of Victor Rinaldo (also seen in The Grimoire) and I'm super excited to see where this is going.
Marvel Zombies #1:
Jump from the Read Pile. Store owner Steve had a stack of this issue next to the new comics box with a post it sating "the best 'What If?' story ever." Based in the parallel universe from the recent Ultimate Fantastic Four, all the heroes you know are flesh-eating zombies ... and they're also deeply funny. Captain America talking about how it feels to hold parts of his own brain. Spider-Man saying, "I ate my wife ... my aunt! Why?!" That's good crazy. There's so much hilarity -- unconditional and otherwise -- in this issue I had to look and see if Keith Giffen or Dan Slott were involved (they're not, but Kirkman kicks ass here). Good stuff all around.
Mister Miracle #2:
Jump from the Read Pile, so much so that I went back and bought the first issue. Shilo Norman comes face to face with fallen divinity (in many ways) and there's a very cool reveal that lays out all the cards. A happy medium between Morrison's mad heights and straightforward action fantasy, I heard echoes of the inspirational zeal of that opening issue of Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight. The big villain (in new businesslike yet still Kirby-esque glory) makes an appearance that I liked a great deal, and I'm on board for this now. Hoping that it doesn't drop the trapdoor on me ...
Nat Turner #2:
Another visually arresting issue telling -- largely without words -- more of the story that led the overly intelligent title character who ultimately led to ... well, we'll leave that as a surprise for those who don't know. But this is such an important story to tell and Baker is at the height of his game. I'm very pleased with this issue, and the two words "RUN DADDY!" literally made me shiver. Great work.
The Ultimates Volume 2 #9:
As a rule, I don't buy Ultimate titles. They mostly take the scenic route to get to story conclusions, and that bores me. This title, however, is on to new business. When aircraft carriers start getting thrown around, a deluge of extrahuman combatants the likes of which might remind you of the early issues of The Authority hits, and a certain fun antagonist calls it a comeback ... this is some ignorant mess. In a good way. So much hell breaks loose that to tell you any more would be a travesty. This is good crazy. Wow.
Then there's the stuff on the "read pile" that I don't bring home ...
Honorable Mentions: Battle Hymn #5 was a cute but bittersweet finale for the realistic take on The Invaders. G.I. Joe America's Elite #6 is pretty good, but the art could be better.
Pass These Issues By: I read it three times in the store, but still don't really understand why the JLA are using giant robot versions of themselves in JLA Cold Steel #1. I was saddened and embarrased by a Joker analogue, complete with deadly gas, did his thing in Supreme Power: Nighthawk #4, as if making the character more Batman-esque was an asset. Nothing else inspired me too much good nor bad to comment on.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A mostly mild week of reads helped by two jumps to the Buy Pile makes this the third winning week in a row. Who knew?
The Buy Pile is a weekly collection of comic reviews done by Hannibal Tabu (www.operative.net), originally published at UGO.com.
