This Week's Comics
My Pull List for February 12, 2025 and other Stuff.
So this week I got hit with my annual crud. I used to believe it was from spending so many hours in a petrie dish that helped me build up an amazingly awesome immune system. Now being retired after 35 years in that petrie dish I’m now starting to think it was living on adrenaline or shear force of will. If I was “sick” I had the choice of spend hours writing lesson plans that wouldn’t be followed and would just need to be retaught. or just bear with 8 hours of mediocre teaching while sick and muddle through. COVID got everyone on this kick of “If you are sick you should stay home.” and for most people that might work- but as a teacher- it just means double the work- you come up with lessons an unqualified sub (or your principal) should be able to teach, have to grade that work, and then teach the lessons you actually need to teach (to have the kids have any chance of passing the Statewide test so I can get my “big”bonus). I retired with over 300 sick days, so what do you think I did? I used to say that someday I wanted to have a job that I could call in and say “I’m not feeling well, cancel my appointments.” then roll over and actually rest and heal… That isn’t teaching.
My Comics:
It was a week- filled in a missing comic or two & (since nature abhors a vacuum) made a few holes too. Diamond Comics Chapter 11 filing is really causing problems with my keeping up with some amazing independent titles. My highlight was the arrival of Judd Winick’s HiLo #11 the Great Space Iguana. Yes, it is all ages, yes it is a bit silly, but it is awesome. Full review below.
Spider-Boy #16 - Bailey and Daredevil have lost, Bullseye and Spider-Girl are going to run the Gaping Maw (DC would think of them as the League of Assassins). Of, course there’s one more twist. While “Boy-Spider makes himself comfortable.
Amazing Sider-Man #67 - The X-Men come to the rescue since Peter has given up. Frankly, dealing with Peter’s ennui is a downer. I’m thinking after all the various events that run through this title, I may be to the point of dropping it. I’ll stick with some of the other Spider-titles, but some of the arcs aren’t really interesting… oh, and “Get off my Lawn!”
I Hate Fairyland #20 - Wow. Gert’s End Game moment. Hmmm… Rinse and repeat?
Welcome to the Maynard #3 - Another comic the great Diamond Chapter 11 has impacted for me. I check for issue 2 and nothing, but amazingly enough issue 3 shows up! So putting all the clues together Pip And Sam Flyn (House Detective) have figure out wha they think is the reason for all the thefts. The why has been figured out, the what they are planning has been figured out, the when it will happen is pretty much determined, the only thing missing is WHO. Will they figure that out before disaster strikes?
Arcbound #2 - yes, I told you about issue three last week, but “it’s just a jump to the left…” and I get to fill in the holes. Fortunately, this issue is the set up and backstory for those who couldn’t figure out how the universe in the comic works. Which was kind of helpful in understanding the plot points in issue 3.
Minor Arcana #5 - It’s the tale of the coat- or at least the origin story for the coat. Which kind of tells about out the paranormal powers the family possesses…
New Champions #2 - I’d say no spoilers, but the cover basically gives away the big reveal. Being issue 2 and issue one left us with a cliffhanger- family discovered, and viking zombies attacking every member of the New Champions called to help. By the end of the issue the team has formed and we have a traitor/mole who graces the cover along with their partner! umm… really?!?!
Batman & Robin #18 - still figuring out the mystery that is Memento. Red Hood, helps Batman with a Gang War (not the Gang War that encompassed the Marvel Universe in Spider-man a few issues ago), while Robin does research with Inspector Lautrec and discovers more than a monkey. Batman says some stuff on a open Bat-channel which Damian overhears… yipes.
Action Comics #1083 - so What’s up with all the rehabilitated super criminals in Metropolis? It seems like they’ve lost hope. and We discover who is responsible. Can Superman (You know the “S” on his chest was retconned into being the Kryptonian symbol for “Hope”) save the day?
Where Monsters Lie Cul-de-Sac #4 - The end of this arc and we have death, dismemberment, and umm… typical urban legend horror stuff mixed in with a tale of a boy and his dog. Who lives? Who dies? and how?
Absolute Batman #5 - Bruce Wayne, son of a school teacher and a social worker is given the opportunity to to gain wealth and help Gotham City. Then again, he might have other ideas- and so do the “Party Animals.”
Bug Wars #1 - I saw this while looking through “The ‘Gram" feed in Bluesky. This is basically the images posted by the people I follow. As the folks at my LCS said- Remember “Micronauts”? This actually isn’t a reboot. I’ll give you the basic story without too many spoilers. A family moves back to their old house that has some chilling memories in it. It seems that Dad loved bugs and something happened and his corpse was discovered by one son half eaten by the bugs he was studying. The youngest kid has his father’s love for bugs, while the oldest found his dad and has been messed up ever since. Siblings are siblings and magic causes some issues.
Oh, and the bugs actually have developed civilizations and are fighting each other… if they can survive the LAWNMOWER!
Deadpool #11 - I know Deadpool is not normally on my list or even a character that crosses my mind. This ended up in my pulls and I had it put back… last week. The God’s of Comics put it back. It is a crossover with Miles Morales Spider-Man. So it actually ties into the next issue of that title.
Fortune & Glory the Musical - Brian Michael Bendis tells about his experience working on the Broadway Musical about Spider-Man. It’s a lot more about his love of comics and how he got into the business, all told around the travesty and legend that became Spider-Man: Into The Dark. It makes me realize just how unfocused I was as a kid. In the immortal words of Marlon Brando “I coulda been somebody!” Instead, you’re stuck with me.
HiLo #11 The Great Space Iguana - I’ve been reading Judd Winick since Frumpy the Clown. HiLo became a great series of Graphic novels I could bring into my classroom. The three main characters have been on some amazing adventures. In Book 10 The story focused on Polly, her world of Oshun, and their versionish of Hogwarts (for Troublemakers). There have been some problems of students vanishing… We now know what’s going on!
Of course what about DJ, HiLo, and Gina? Gina had become the Lock saving the Earth from Magical attacks, just like her grandmother. Now she has a chance to go home, but she first must pass a mysterious test. DJ and HiLo go to find her (not knowing at all about the test).
Being the inventor of the Whimventure® you know I have issues taking things seriously… Trust me I have been reminded too many times by over serious family members about this “flaw” in my personality. I see it as a strength, but you say “tomato I say…” I love this series. I lost so many copies while teaching because my students loved this series. I gave my copies to my niece and nephew and they… I don’t know, they don’t talk to me- something about not being serious enough, or comics not being “real reading” or whatever. They post happy photos of them holding books I’ve sent so that I think they like them, but for the most part- I know staged photos when I see them. “Quick! Hold this book, smile, I need to take a picture for Uncle Bruce!” 🙄
Well we are definitely happy Milo’s “Uncle” Bruce showed up in our lives when he did! Milo was an OK reader, but not really enthusiastic about it even though we have books EVERYWHERE around our house and I usually have one within arms reach at all times, so exposure to books was not the issue. You introducing Milo to graphic novels was just what he needed and at the perfect age. He ate up those books (we probably still have a couple you “loaned” us 15 or so years ago) and now at almost 23, he still enjoys reading, albeit has moved over into audio books so he can listen while working. Our little multi-tasker!