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reviews archive: comic book reviews
so, what comics are good these days?
from nextplanetover, spinnerrack.com, the operative network and ugo.com
Comic books.
I've been reading them since I was a wee lad, amazed at Frank Miller's Daredevil or Paul Levitz' Legion of Super-Heroes. The real wonder of sci fi, comics and fantasy literature is that it gives the mind freedom, speaks to the possibility of more than what we see in our everyday lives.
So, I read, and I started reviewing, and I'm still reviewing, and there that all is. Your mileage may vary. I don't use ratings anymore (everything ended up between 5-7 after a while, with occasional spikes upwards, and me learning to avoid anything that scored lower), but you get a sense of what I like and why. Earlier reviews went farther to include neophytes who know nothing of the property. That stopped when I stopped getting paid to do it. Caveat emptor, and all that. Here's the ugly truth ...
CURRENT EVENTS
- The Buy Pile at CBR (published weekly)
This is where I've been reviewing comics since March 2006, all indexed by the fine staff there
HISTORICAL
- NextPlanetOver
Hannibal always planned to sort out all the reviews he did at NextPlanetOver. That's probably never gonna happen. Enjoy.
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 5, 2003)
(3/5/03, Alias, Savage Dragon, Star Wars: Empire, Firebreather, et cetera)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 12, 2003)
(3/12/03, A big week for nostalgia comics, Black Panther, Negation, Grendel, Fables and more)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 19, 2003)
(3/19/03, Fallen Angel Smackdown, Mistah J, and Cap takes tea in this week's batch of books)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 26, 2003)
(3/27/03, Doom crosses the line, Zatanna gets real, the JLA knows you've gotta have Faith)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 2, 2003)
(4/3/03, Coming together in G.I. Joe, coming apart in Q&C, the Super office remains nuts, etc.)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 9, 2003)
(4/10/03, Astro City moves, Human Torch bores, guns, vampires, murk, crime and monsters)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 16, 2003)
(4/17/03, War crimes, accountants, corpses get up, and 20 lbs of "blah" in a 10 pound bag)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 23, 2003)
(4/24/03, Crossover madness, Marvel gets intriguing, Vertigo does it again and Warren Ellis rocks)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 30, 2003)
(5/1/03, Heavy stuff from the stars to pistoliers, blah-free)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (May 7, 2003)
(5/8/03, Marvel shines brightest among average work in JSA All Stars, Robotech and more)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (May 14, 2003)
(5/15/03, The Bizarro Buy Pile has slow going from Priest and Giffen, while the Read Pile shines)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (June 4, 2003)
(6/5/03, Trying to catch up with two lost weeks of reviews while being heavily entertained)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (June 11, 2003)
(6/13/03, Entertaining all around, even a day late and a few dollars short)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (August 27, 2003)
(8/28/03, Keith Giffen likes your zodiac sign and the unbelievable happens)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 4, 2003)
(9/5/03, Immortals and birdmen make the jump in a good all around week for comics)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 10, 2003)
(9/10/03, The dead need to stay that way and all hell breaks loose, again)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 17, 2003)
(9/17/03, Gods and devils, depraved sex and witty banter, all in this week's reviews)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 24, 2003)
(9/24/03, Senility fueled pique with guns, victorious bad guys and smarter heroes)
- Comix: the Buy Pile (October 1, 2003)
(10/1/03, Super powered authoritarianism, plus quiet killers and crafty attorneys)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (October 8, 2003)
(10/8/03, A downbeat week with nostalgia books, trips down memory lane, etc.)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (October 15, 2003)
(10/15/03, The buys get you high while the lows stay at the show)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (October 22, 2003)
(10/22/03, Rough going as everybody turns their back on the crowd and keeps playing)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (October 29, 2003)
(10/29/03, Going for laughs, going too fast, going to hell -- everybody's on the go)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (November 5, 2003)
(11/5/03, A down week with precious little action and a lot of titles to make it through)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (November 12, 2003)
(11/12/03, Most titles brought their "A" game in a good reading week)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (November 19, 2003)
(11/19/03, Largely "oomph" free as we fit twelve pounds of "blah" in a 10-lb. bag)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (November 26, 2003)
(11/26/03, If all things must end, make it as crazy as possible on the way)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 3, 2003)
(12/3/03, More good than bad can beat even a high profile nosedive)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 10, 2003)
(12/12/03, A day late and a few reviews short with experimental formats on a good week)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 17, 2003)
(12/17/03, Back to reality with a good, widely varied and busy set of comics)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 24, 2003)
(12/24/03, The last week of 2003 is just better than average ... yay?)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 31, 2003)
(1/4/04, The new year starts strong with big guns firing big shots)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (January 7, 2004)
(1/7/04, A good start to the new year with a great week's batch of books)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (January 14, 2004)
(1/14/04, Distributor dumbness and crappy content leave few gems amongst the coal)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (January 21, 2004)
(1/21/04, All the teams played hard in a solid week with a few standout performances)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (January 28, 2004)
(1/28/04, Another one for the win column, save one last Geoff Johns blunder)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (February 5, 2004)
(2/5/04, Cost effective purchases meet a long trip through the freebies)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (February 12, 2004)
(2/12/04, Two books got bought, as dreams are broken and Black Adam takes over)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (February 19, 2004)
(2/19/04/04, The horror of Superman/Batman overshadows an otherwise OK week)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (February 24, 2004)
(2/24/04, Short spending, poor writing, cancelled gems and surprise rejects)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 4, 2004)
(3/3/04, Strong buys and a powerful need for editing on the Read Pile)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 10, 2004)
(3/10/04, A surprise from Per Degaton leads to good spending and tolerable reads)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 17, 2004)
(3/17/04, Fine buys including a CrossGen jump and reads treading water)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 24, 2004)
(3/24/04, One of the finest weeks of comics in recent history)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 31, 2004)
(3/31/04, A second consecutive week of great issues baffles everyone)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 7, 2004)
(4/7/04, All good things end, as good buys can't beat dull reads)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 14, 2004)
(4/14/04, A rough week punctuated by a surprise bad buy)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 21, 2004)
(4/21/04, Five for five on purchases and a mostly quick week of reads)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 28, 2004)
(4/28/04, If suck-ass was a pile of comic books, it'd probably look a lot like this ...)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (May 5, 2004)
(5/5/04, Even Chris Claremont can't sink an "even steven" week of issues)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (May 12, 2004)
(5/12/04, Like getting punched in the face repeatedly, only to be smooched on breaks)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (May 19, 2004)
(5/19/04, A marginal thumbs up for a week with six good buys and ... well, whatever else)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (May 26, 2004)
(5/26/04, Major letdowns and disappointments torpedo an already limping week)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (June 3, 2004)
(6/3/04, Memorial Day means fewer books, which may be a good thing, given this batch)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (June 9, 2004)
(6/9/04, Great star purchases drag some "just showing up" reads into a good week)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (June 16, 2004)
(6/16/04, Somebody call SportsCenter -- this week of comics bangs from purchases to put-backs)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (June 23, 2004)
(6/23/04, With a solid team effort from almost everybody, the week scratches its way out of mediocrity)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (June 30, 2004)
(6/30/04, A week better spent with laundry, as only Ultimate FF makes a wholly good impression)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (July 8, 2004)
(7/8/04, A day late and dollars short, some surprise changes in the lineups and good purchases)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (July 14, 2004)
(7/14/04, A rough week with costly buys and two drops from the Buy Pile slowing things down)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (July 28, 2004)
(7/28/04, Catching up on two weeks, like getting stabbed in the face, these comics kinda hurt)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (August 4, 2004)
(8/4/04, A good week for comics as two Read Pile titles stand up and demand to be counted)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (August 11, 2004)
(8/11/04, It all ends up "eh" despite two favorites, a great Image jumper and some interesting reads)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (August 18, 2004)
(8/18/04, A winning week with a DC-heavy Buy Pile and some issues worth watching)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (August 25, 2004)
(8/25/04, A seriously crappy week of comics, all the way around)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 1, 2004)
(9/1/04, A tedious Read Pile delays a great first date, and that's not kosher)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 8, 2004)
(9/8/04, Labor Day throws me off a bit, looking at an Even Stevens week of comics)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 15, 2004)
(9/15/04, Thumbs up for a very balanced, pleasantly surprising set of pamphlets -- despite Rob Liefeld)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 22, 2004)
(9/22/04, A brutal week of dumb comics and bad art, with scant gems from Faerber and Ellis)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 29, 2004)
(9/29/04, A deluge of Stupitron particles overwhelms even a great week of purchases)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (October 6, 2004)
(10/6/04, Barely mediocre as it feels a lot like the early '90s are back again ...)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (October 13, 2004)
(10/13/04, Just barely good, with a pricey pile of purchases and a deluge of dreck)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (October 20, 2004)
(10/20/04, The best book of the year anchors an expensive but jubilant week of comics)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (October 27, 2004)
(10/27/04, How the mighty hath fallen -- or in the words of Jay Sherman, "it stinks")
- Comix: The Buy Pile (November 3, 2004)
(11/3/04, Some good buys can't beat racial slurs and blah comics all around, despite really trying)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (November 10, 2004)
(11/10/04, Another week on the chain gang, sloughing through a mountain of shock and bore)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (November 17, 2004)
(11/17/04, Mammomax. Mammomax Mammomax Mammomax, Mammomax Mammomax. Mammomax.)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 1, 2004)
(12/1/04, Achieving a state of zen and comics contentment after a week off the horse)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 8, 2004)
(12/8/04, The shadow of Dick Wolf dominates a somewhat crappy week of comics)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 15, 2004)
(12/15/04, Really great buys beat out an ambitious, but flawed Read Pile)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 22, 2004)
(12/22/04, Get out a Thomas Guide, since nobody knew where they were going this week)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 29, 2004)
(12/29/04, The last week of the year pits wonder & glory vs. crapulence & Stupitron particles)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (January 5, 2005)
(1/5/05, Talk about starting off the year on a bad note, sheesh ...)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (January 12, 2005)
(1/12/05, Marvel dominated the Buy Pile with three jumps in pretty solid week of books)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (January 19, 2005)
(1/19/05, A good week of buys and reads makes a good birthday present, I must say)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (January 26, 2005)
(1/26/05, A week of comics as plain as the wastes of Kansas)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (February 2, 2005)
(2/2/05, A good week looks like nobody saw their shadow, so expect good ahead)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (February 9, 2005)
(2/9/05, Cheap buys can't save a week that's mostly saddening)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (February 16, 2005)
(2/16/05, Marvel brings their "A" game in a tightly contested week of comics)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (February 23, 2005)
(2/23/05, Everybody's taking a swing as good buys beat down bland reads)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 2, 2005)
(3/2/05, Just dodging the bullet of being bad, two jumps make it worth while)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 9, 2005)
(3/9/05, A win with an asterisk as amazing purchases overshadow a sea of "eh")
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 16, 2005)
(3/16/05, Fightin on as melees break out almost everywhere and smart buys dominate)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 23, 2005)
(3/23/05, More melee madness in a brawny, not brainy, installment of reviews)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (March 30, 2005)
(3/30/05, The entire week gets submarined by the horror that is Countdown)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 6, 2005)
(4/8/05, Not good. I mean, seriously, things went badly. Wow.)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 13, 2005)
(4/13/05, Four jumps win the week as Marvel and Image come on strong)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 20, 2005)
(4/20/05, Another winner week as Speakeasy shines through Crisis complications)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (April 27, 2005)
(4/27/05, Two jumps from Marvel join other great buys to make one winning week of comics)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (May 11, 2005)
(5/11/05, Two weeks of reviews means twice the chances to get punched in the face)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (May 18, 2005)
(5/18/05, A Bizarro Week as the normal favorites fail and perennial losers come up big)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (May 25, 2005)
(5/25/05, DC continues to mercilessly torture me in a week that ends up a tie)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (June 8, 2005)
(6/8/05, After the "lost week," two solid buys plus "not bad" reads makes a winner)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (June 15, 2005)
(6/15/05, Overwhelmingly bad reads overcomes a decent set of purchases to make it all bad)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (June 22, 2005)
(6/22/05, Like getting punched in the head right after getting dumped, two mild jumps could save it)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (June 29, 2005)
(6/29/05, A narrow win after some dark days, fueled by an expensive and fun week of purchases)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (July 7, 2005)
(7/7/05, Things wash out as four good buys get beaten by waves of suckage from Marvel and DC)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (July 13, 2005)
(7/13/05, A jump from each of three major companies makes this week a winner)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (July 20, 2005)
(7/20/05, Another week squeaks out a win with Robin and others making a run)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (July 27, 2005)
(7/27/05, Pricy but solid buys get a tie score with stupid and unoriginal reads)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (August 10, 2005)
(8/10/05, After a Wizard World-related lost week, back in the saddle to take a loss)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (August 17, 2005)
(8/17/05, It cost a lot, but the week's a thin win over some horrible storytelling)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (August 24, 2005)
(8/24/05, Holding back the bile as "blah" reigns supreme, even with a House of M jump)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (August 31, 2005)
(8/31/05, A brutally bad week, with favorites phoning it in and two drops from the promised land)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 8, 2005)
(9/8/05, A Belabored Day of comics is absolutely awful, with only Noble Causes any good)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 14, 2005)
(9/14/05, A fourth straight week of crap, despite a Bill Willingham masterpiece, plus why that bugs me)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 21, 2005)
(9/21/05, The whole week couldn't decide whether to suck or to rock, and ended up doing neither)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (September 28, 2005)
9/28/05, Powered by a million exploding suns and two guidebooks, we finally get a win after more than a month)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (October 5, 2005)
10/5/05, A second winning week powered by Devil Dinosaur and reads worth reading)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (October 12, 2005)
(10/12/05, Infinte Crisis is only good in Megoville as the week washes out at a dead heat)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (October 19, 2005)
(10/19/05, Shaolin Cowboy leads off a winning week, despite Ultimate Namor and Green Lantern Corps)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (October 26, 2005)
(10/26/05, The week loses as T'Challa tries, Bucky goes Garrison Kane and Wally West goes to church)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (November 2, 2005)
(11/2/05, A new review format shows a decent week for Invincible and Beowulf)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (November 9, 2005)
(11/9/05, Brian Vaughan's racial slur joins House of ATM and Infinite Crap in tanking the week)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (November 16, 2005)
(11/16/05, All-Star Superman leads off an amazing week of comics, powered by skill and grace)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (November 30, 2005)
(11/30/05, Two weeks of reviews jam up with nothing but good results all around the market)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 7, 2005)
(12/7/05, Three winning weeks? The end of the year comes on strong with indies and Marvel leading the way)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 14, 2005)
(12/14/05, Another winnah with a huge Marvel showing and a Vertigo renaissance, plus Noble Causes)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 21, 2005)
(12/21/05, It comes down to the wire, but Bullseye just misses the mark with a narrow loss from lackluster purchases)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (December 29, 2005)
(12/29/05, Make Mine Marvel in a hugely successful week of greatness almost all the way across the board)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (January 5, 2006)
(1/5/06, Keeping it simple, sugar, with a week winning only due to its cheapness)
- Comix: The Buy Pile (January 11, 2006)
(1/11/06, Nobody brings their "A" game in a week of comics that just falls flat)
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