This Week in Comics
OK- maybe it was last week, I’ve been busy procrastinating or something
It’s funny since I returned from Baltimore Comic Con I’ve been just off… I’ve been trying to keep up with the comics I need to read, and still have a bag full of things to read from the Ringo Awards. My schedule at the Comic Shop has been in flux. It seems that just when I think I have settled into a routine things get messed up. I was working Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Then Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, now I think I’ll be Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. No complaints, I recall asking to stop working Wednesdays since I was kind of superfluous and told I was only there to be security. If you have ever met me “secure” is not the first thing I make you think. That said, in combination with robotics and curling stuff I’ve just been trying to keep my head above water. The joys of being an obliger.
I’m skipping the previous week’s comics, not because there wasn’t good stuff, but I just didn’t have time to write anything up. Here are my notes on what I picked up:
1776 #1 Marvel Comics W: Straczynski A: Hill & Lim Many people were afraid this administration would try to rewrite history… and here it comes. I’m waiting for the final issue when the almighty orange one shows up to save America and our heroes from Antifa and the hoards of mindless liberal troops in frog suits. 🙄 Just add googly eyes and a neckerchief to AIM lackeys and you’re almost there.
The Adventures of Lumen N. #3 Dark Horse Comics W: Robinson A: Hester As Lumen learns more about her grandfather the Nautilus returns and the fight to save Paris takes a dramatic turn.
Roots of Madness #2 Ignition Press W: Williams A: Cadonici
Bullet Adventures #3 Altruist Comics W: Alsaqa A: Carrizo
The Future is ****** #7 Rekcah Comics W: Van Lente A: Bufi Things take an interesting turn as the Stray shows his cards and the bad guys try to figure out their next moves & who to trust besides themselves.
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight A League for Justice #5 DC Comics W: Diggle A: Fernandez we learn where the Amazons have been hiding along with who the real bad guy is… and yes, it’s who it always is nowadays 🙄
Batman and Robin #27 DC Comics W: Johnson A: Ossio
Action Comics #1092 DC Comics W: Waid A: Tormey
Spider-Man Noir #2 Marvel Comics W: Larsen A: Broccardo
Star Trek Strange New Worlds The Seeds of Salvation #3 W: Thompson A: Acuña
Fantastic Four #5 LGY #731 Marvel Comics W: North A: Ramos These are some of huge best stories… no super menace, just hanging out and fishing in the Negative Zone while the girls do girly things.
Batman #162 DC Comics W: Loeb A: Lee wait… HUSH 2 is still a thing? I had started to think they just moved on leaving us hanging like they have with so many plot lines over the years.
C.O.R.T. Children of the Round Table #3 DC Comics W: Taylor A: Di Nicuolo
We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us #6 Image Comics W: Rosenberg A: Landini ouch! I didn’t see that coming. Ok, I saw a lot of it coming, but not everything.
Justice League of America #21 DC Comics Facsimile Edition from the Silver Age as the JLA and JSA are trying to figure out how this whole multiverse thing works. Seems the villains have already mastered it.
Flash Gordon Quarterly #5 Mad Cave Comics W: Andreyko A: Lima & Derenick
Ultimate OZ Universe Volume 1 The Lost Lands AWA StudiosW: Bunn & King A: Deodato There was more to OZ than just the Wizard and Dorothy or the cast of Wicked. Volume 1 tells the story of Tip & Ozma. The artwork is beautiful the story well done. I could compare it to the Shanower/Young version but both are amazing in their own way. (Full disclosure I own a flying monkey commission and a page from one of Skottie Young’s OZ books)
My Comics
Captain America #5 Marvel Comics W: Zdarsky A: Schiti
Superman Unlimited #7 DC Comics W: Slott A: Adams - John Kent follows in his parent’s footsteps and even adopts his dad’s clever disguise. Lana’s commentary is amusing.
Ghost Pepper #5 Image Comics W: Lullabi A: Lucas We learn about the secret ingredient in Loloi’s cooking and how dangerous it is… then again Ashe seems to like it.
Absolute Flash #9 DC Comics W: Lemire A: Robles SO Wally has decided to join the Rogues?!? This is the Absolute Universe and Batman’s villains are all Bruce Wayne’s boyhood friends so I guess it is possible. Who double crosses them? What were Barry and Elenore Thawne actually working on? What has Wally gotten into now. At least Gordd is still around to be his Jimmny Cricket and save the day.
High Strangeness Book Two: 1975 Spectravision Oni Press W: Noah A: Thompson Prison escape and the death of a Sasquatch… How can the escapee live a normal life after all that?
Titans #29 DC Comics W: Layman A: Woods It seems that a lot of the comics I usually read are tying into the DC K.O. event whether I like it or not. The Titans lead the effort to save the population of the Earth from Darkseid’s grand scheme… They just keep hitting roadblock after roadblock in the process.
Deluge #2 Ignition Press W: Bunn A: Cresta
Batman Deadpool #1 DC Comics W: Morrison A: Mora
The Last Starship #2 IDW Publishing W: Lanzing & Kelly A: Bonilla
My pull list will start getting shorter, it has nothing to do with the quality of comics out there, but more to do with what I’m willing to invest my time in. Those people who love certain titles, its OK for me not to want to read or invest what it takes to understand just What the heck is going on. I’m pretty much dropping most of my Marvel titles. Not because I don’t like the characters, but Spider-Man in Space and many of the other event focused comics just aren’t what I want to read. I recall saying to someone, my mother had her Soap Operas, I have my comics… I just don’t know it I can relate with a lot of what is going on, so I’m taking a break from a lot of it. Spider-Man gets back to be a more grounded character? I might come back. I stopped reading X-Men before they had morphed into a dozen or so different titles. All too confusing for me. As for DC Comics, I’m going to cutting back there also. I just haven’t decided what. I figure I want to get down to one Batman title, and maybe one Superman title. I’ve been reading the Flash since I was about eight so I don’t see stopping that (no matter how inconsistent the story telling can get) I also don’t see myself dropping JSA- because I just like the Golden Age characters. When it comes to other publishers, we’ll both have to see. A number of them are producing great stuff, but in a more limited series format.
Enough of that, my handful of top reads or at least ones I decided to go into more detail over:
Captain America #5 Marvel Comics W: Zdarsky A: Schiti We come to the end of Cap’s first mission after coming out of the ice. He had decided not to join the Avengers and go back to being a soldier. Helping the government. Unfortunately this took him to Latveria and a black ops mission that didn’t go as planned. Steve does meet Doom and realizes that his government may not be the same as the one he left in the 1940’s. We all know how this ends, but Zdarsky does make it work and helps Steve to find his destiny, his way.
Batman Deadpool #1 DC Comics W: Morrison A: Mora I’ve said it before, I’m not a fan of Deadpool. While many people are gushing over this one-shot… I’m kind of scratching my head and going “huh?” As a DC fan for many decades I hate to say that I liked Deadpool Batman (The Marvel crossover) more. Remember I usually go on first impressions, so maybe a second or third or 22nd reading might change my mind.
Deluge #2 Ignition Press W: Bunn A: Cresta We are still trying to figure things out. We started with a women’s prison and a flood. Everyone needs to be evacuated. Then the monsters came. Why? Still trying to figure that one out. As each group tries to get to safety, we learn about their crimes through flashbacks. More and more people die thanks to the horrible monsters in the water. I’m starting to think we’re going to get zombies sometime soon (zombies are considered “cool” even if they are overdone in comics). Oh, and let’s not forget somehow there’s a prison break plan in effect. Someone planned for this… did they know about the monsters, or is that just a helpful distraction?
The Last Starship #2 IDW Publishing W: Lanzing & Kelly A: Bonilla I’m not going to try to explain the burn. I tried and my brothers couldn’t wrap their head around it as a plot device. I’m not going to try to explain what went on in Star Trek: Discovery’s last few seasons. It got really weird and basically reminded me of putting Spider-Man in space (just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should). This is the in-between part and for some strange reason James T. Kirk’s body (last seen in Picard) has been brought back to life. Kirk is there because… We really don’t know, Captain Sato of the U.S.S. Omega doesn’t really like him, or what he stands for. The galaxy was, up until just now, a peaceful place and Kirk is anything but peaceful. Unfortunately Kirk is needed since “I’m the best at what I do, but what I do isn’t very nice.” Can Kirk save the galaxy, again, again? Does this explain why Star Fleet Academy has a “James T. Kirk Pavilion” in the new show set in this future era? If they survive to issue #3 we may find out. We also might discover why they are using white for the base color of their uniforms. Black seems to hide dirt, and blood so much better. Then again this is the future and maybe these are made from some super fabric that repels dirt and stains?
For those who celebrate- Happy Thanksgiving! For those who don’t I hope you have a very nice and uneventful Thursday. Please look for me below the Derpy Tiger Balloon in the Macy’s Parade (for those who watch).
Somehow, here Bruce has commented on 27 comics I think! I assume that's to make up for hs Macy ballon adventure later this week. And, once again, no foreign language ones made the list. I do remember that comic in Latin that tracked the fall of the Roman Empire. Lot's of 'Et tu ...' action.
But it is Thanksgiving (in case you wondered why your mail is full of cateloges, it's that time of the year to determine if you've been naughty or good! We're getting cataloges that cover both alternatives!). But for now - a couple of gobbles and have a delightful Thanksgiving!