Faster Than Light #9: Wasn't this comic book $2.99 before? Just checked, and yep. Issue #8 was indeed $2.99. I still like it . . . but I don't know if I like it a dollar more. Maybe time to shift to Comixology on the day-old bread plan.
The Sheriff of Babylon #9 (of 12) I know this is a good comic book . . . but I no longer look forward to reading it. Maybe I need to go back and get a running start before the next issue comes out. Or maybe I should just drop it and save four bucks.
The Walking Dead #157: Good things = 16 grid pages, Rick switching to glide, variant cover by Arthur Adams, $2.99, 22 story pages, Negan, Negan asking after Lucille. Bad things = fucking ink on letters page smears--per usual.
I also meant to buy Kill or Be Killed #1, but The Great Escape was fresh out of copies. I might wait and see if they get more copies in next week. Or I might just go digital. Hmmm.
8/10/2016
Action Comics #961
New Super-man #2 I thought the Chinese Batman was kind of interesting, but not enough to make me want to buy the third issue of this series. Solly.
Providence #10 Oh my. And to think that I used to bitch about the price of this masterpiece.
And no new copies of Kill or Be Killed #1. Hmmmmmmmmm.
8/17/2016
No comics this week. Including no copies of Kill or Be Killed #1. Issue #2 comes out September 7. I'll bet #1 goes down to $1.99 when it does. And if that happens . . . I am on the day-old bread plan for this one, too.
8/24/2016
Action Comics #962 I really like the numbering. And the story is mildly interesting, too. Plus issue #700 is just around the fucking corner, man.
The Hellblazer #1 Meh. Maybe one or two more.
Usagi Yojimbo #157 Really hate to say it, but I think I'm tired of Usagi. It just seems like the same old shit month after month. It's especially disappointing after the really cool mini-series Senso, which was so fresh and new and exciting. I think UY is coming off the holds list.
8/31/2016
Afterlife With Archie #10 In the mail . . . my only subscription. And it arrived in truly deplorable condition. I wrote to Archie Comics about it, but I'm betting $20 that they don't even bother to respond. Fuckers. As for the comic book . . . it was okay. I think I'm officially tired of the zombie apocalypse storyline now, though.
Future Quest #4 Actually meant to cancel this one. But how can I? It's got the Herculoids in it, for fuck's sake.
Image + #5 You have to pay for it now, but (1) only $1.99, (2) I'm okay with that, and (3) for some reason Sonia gave me a free copy this week. All this and a Negan story as well. Woo-hoo.
Kill or Be Killed #1 Better late than never, right? And my reward for delaying my gratification was that the price did, as I anticipated, go to $1.99 on Comixology. And after reading it . . . I am seriously not sure if this is my cup of tea or not. A demon? And a deal with said demon? Not the kind of set-up I usually go for, but I try not to let my prejudices determine whether something is good or bad before I bite it.
Previews #336 I tried to stop buying Previews for awhile but Joe wanted it. And oddly enough Jacqueline likes to go through it, too. So it's on the list for forever now.
I had Jim Thompson's Killer Inside Me #1 in my hands . . . last copy on the stands . . . and I took a little glance . . . but $3.99 is too much, man(s). So I put it back. Besides, next month it will be $1.99 on Comixology, and over the course of the series (5 issues) that's the difference between $20 and $10, which is pretty freakin' major. And there's the chance that an e-colleced edition will even be a little cheaper than that, which would be quite nice. But I do want to read this thing. If only IDW would get some good artists, though.
9/7/2016
The Sheriff of Babylon #10 I thought maybe I was through with this title, but I felt hesitant, so I pulled my back issues and started reading from issue #1, and it's kind of catching my interest again.
The Walking Dead #158
Faster Than Light #10 and Kill or Be Killed #2 came out this week, but I'm waiting for the price drop on these two. I'm also kind of interested in Eclipse #1, also from Image, also $3.99, but will probably wait for that as well.
9/14/2016
Action Comics #963 Y'know . . . this is actually a pretty interesting story. Kinda hope it keeps on being bi-weekly.
Batman Rebirth #1 Batman Day Special Edition--which was free. And not very good. Tom King should stick to "real stories," I think.
Doom Patrol #1 Well, it was weird, I'll give you that. Weird in a nonsensical way for the most part, but I haven't lost interest yet. Grant Morrison it ain't, though.
New Super-Man #3 Yeah, changed my mind on this. It had a cool cover.
I'm also interested in Hadrian's Wall #1, but will wait for Comixology.
9/21/16
No comics this week.
9/28/16
Action Comics #964 Continues to entertain me.
Hellblazer #2 I'm already getting tired of this version of John Constantine. This might be it for us.
Image + #6
Previews #337
I looked at Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes #1, but I put it back on the shelf. $3.99 . . . and it just didn't look all that great. Maybe another one for the Comixology list.
10/5/16
Autumnlands #13
Future Quest #5
Green Valley #1 Kind of interesting. Maybe worth another look, but not sure.
Hard Case Crime Walter Hill's Trigger Man #1 Interesting,
The Walking Dead #159
And on the e-front, all of these lovelies have gone down to $1.99, so it is time to buy, I think.
Eclipse #1 Interesting science fiction murder mystery thing going on.
Faster Than Light #10 Don't know, Might be time to pull the plug,
Kill or Be Killed #2 I think I liked this issue better than the first. Maybe because the premise had already been established, so I wasn't distracted by my discomfiture for that. Most of the art was just brilliant, but there were two or three bits wherein it looked really sloppy. First time I've ever thought that about Sean Phillips's art.
Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me #1 Meh.
There's also an Iron Fist sale, and I may have to grab hold of Iron Fist Epic Collection: The Fury Of Iron Fist which collects Marvel Premiere (1972) #15-25, Iron Fist (1975) #1-15, Marvel Team-Up (1972) #63-64 . . . 527 pages for $3.99. Whuuuuuut? Yeah, had to go for it.
10/12/16
Action Comics #965
Doom Patrol #2 Not at all sure about this. It can't hold a candle to Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol . . . though that seems to be what they're aiming for.
The Sheriff of Babylon #11
Warhammer 40,000: Will of Iron #1
I was also interested in The Chimera Brigade #1 and Peepland #1, but I think I'll get them through Comixolgy. Probably do the same for the next issue of Warhammer 40,000 .. . assuming I even want the second issue. The third issue of New Super-Man was out this week, but I passed on it.
10/19/16
Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #1 I got the one with a Bill Sienkiewicz variant cover, which made this twice as exciting.
Saw something called The Black Monday Murders which looked interesting, but they didn't have issue #1 and it was $4.99 (though probably worth it as it's over 50 pages), so I thought check it out on Comixology. Just did, and all three available issues are still at $4.99. Hmph.
There was also a new Usagi Yojimbo issue (#158), and for the first time in 20 years (literally), I didn't buy it. It's just been too much of the same thing for way too long . . . though I do love the character. In a way, the recent Senso mini-series made it harder to put up with, as that was so much more innovative and interesting than the regular series.
And there was a new Love and Rockets #1 which I was anxious to see, but it was another case of same old shit, brand new day, so I didn't go for that, either. Pickings are getting slimmer.
10/26/16
Action Comics #966
Future Quest #6 Am I really still buying this thing? Oh, yeah. Herculoids. And then I realized that there wasn't enough Herculoids content to keep me going on this one. So I didn't.
Serenity: No Power in the 'Verse #1 Meh. But I'd buy any Firefly comic, y'know?
Also got Trees #13 and #14 from Comixology (at $1.99 apiece, which is great, but then a couple of days later they had a Warren Ellis sale and they went down to .99 apiece . . . ).
11/2/16
Sheriff Of Babylon #12 Last issue. Still not sure how much I liked this one, but at least it was different. Just for future reference, though: I'm not up for a sequel.
The Walking Dead #160 Continues to hold my attention. This Negan is so much more interesting than the television version. Of course, I bailed out on that early on in Negan time, so who knows, maybe they'll end up doing something like this. Ha ha. Fat fucking chance.
11/9/16
Action Comics #967
Cerebus in Hell? #0 This was just wretched. Pointless, not funny, and not even actually drawn--just pages from Dante's Inferno with a few (4 or 5 at most, I think) poses of Cerebus. I'm sorry that Dave Sim has lost his ability to draw but for fuck's sake . . . write a novel. Those last issues of Cerebus were more short story than comic book anyway. This is just sad. I'm definitely not going to be buying the upcoming mini-series.
Doom Patrol #3 I'm about through with this book, too. It just tries so hard to create the weirdness that seemed to come naturally to Grant Morrison. And like a girl with purple hair, it just annoys me. True weirdness doesn't have to try, it just is.
Mother Panic #1 Another of DC's Young Animal books. I tried three of their four offerings--neglecting only Shade, the Changing Girl (looked at it and it just didn't appeal to me at all). And this one is just the same old shit in new drag to me. One and done.
Violent Love #1 The art reminded me of Darwin Cooke, which is why I picked this one up. Although I have read and enjoyed previous Frank Barbiere stories before (especially Five Ghosts). But this one . . . way over the top of my threshold for violence. Two scenes of guys having nails driven into their arms. And a scene of a man being drenched in gasoline and set afire with his 19 - 20 year old daughter watching. Not for me.
Warhammer 40,000: Will of Iron #2 Said I was done with this one, but . . . sometimes you just need to read a story about giant warriors in robot armor. This was one of those times.
I meant to buy Green Valley #2, but it was sold out. I might take a look for it on Comixology . . . but not until it drops down to $1.99. The first issue wasn't that good.
And from Comixology (at $1.99 each) I picked up Eclipse #2 and
Kill or Be Killed #3. I liked Eclipse quite a bit. It's kind of a science fiction cop story. I'm less enthusiastic about Kill or Be Killed, I'm sorry to say. The fantastic element of the story just doesn't work for me, and although I am a huge fan of Sean Phillips's art, it continues to be sub-standard here and there in this comic book. This time around, for instance, there were a couple of drawings wherein a character's head was drawn way too big in proportion to his body. I think I'm about through with this one. If I am, it will be the first time I've dropped a Brubaker / Philips comic book since I first started reading them.
11/16/16
Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #2 Sorry to say that I have not been impressed by DC's Young Animal line, but I am looking forward to this title. Just the title, though. The comic book is shit. Ha ha. Maybe not ha ha. We'll see.
Kinda tempted to buy Thanos #1 as (a) I have a soft spot in my heart for the big guy, and I've been with him since the beginning in Iron Man #55 (February 1973), (b) it's written by Jeff Lemire, who I have at times loved dearly. But (A) I have not liked the mainstream Lemire things that I've read . . . and I've read a lot of them, and (B) it's a Marvel book, therefore $3.99 . . . and Marvel rarely decreases their prices on Comixology as the other companies do. So we'll see.
Speaking of which, Hadrian's Wall #2 just went down to $1.99 on Comixology, so ahmo go get me some of that. Unfortunately, looks like that's it for this week.
11/23/16
Action Comics #968 I'm still enjoying Action. And it's still being published every two weeks, which is pretty cool. Not as cool as the Action Comics Weekly anthology run, but I guess I'm in the minority in my love for that incarnation. So this version will do. I'm in it at least until issue 1000 . . . which is less than a year and a half away if they keep up this pace.
Also interested in A.D.: After Death Vol. 1 with art by Jeff Lemire, but at $5.99 it's too rich for my blood. I suspect that this is a comic book which won't go down in price, either, so I will probably wait for the collected edition. And I continue to want a look at The Black Monday Murders (#4 is out this week), but all of the issues have stayed at $4.99, and even though it looks like it'd be worth it, ahmo wait on it. A collected edition is due out in late January for $15.99 on Comixology, $12.04 on Amazon, which puts the price into my range. Assuming that I can wait that long. UPDATE: I lucked out on both counts here. The Great Escape was having a 25% off sale, so I picked up A.D. for a mere $4.19, which was too good to pass up, and I found the first two issues of Black Monday Murders on the Image website for .99 apiece. Hot damn. BSM was really interesting, and the art was fanfuckingtastic. It's going to be hard to resist buying issues 3 and 4 now. Maybe Image will knock the prices on those down, too? Anyway, A.D. was a very nice package--heavy stock cover, high quality interior paper, nice printing--and the story was pretty interesting. It's also so nice that Image puts its ads in the back of the book instead of interrupting the story with them . . . and the ads were for other Image books. And Black Monday Murders also looks great--the art reminds me a bit of Sean Philips and / or Michael Lark, which is about as good as it gets for me.
Speaking of Comixology, they had another big Marvel sale, so I picked up Daredevil: Back in Black Volume 2: Supersonic (and how is that for a convoluted title?) for a mere $4.99. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth it. That'll teach me to trust Marvel to put out a good comic book, I suppose.
More speaking of Comixology: there was an even bigger Dark Horse Comics sale . . . over 2,500 comic book for 99 cents a shot. So I picked up some stuff I wanted . . . like Tarzan and The Planet of the Apes #1 and #2, Dark Matter #1 - #4 . . . and some stuff I've been wanting to check out, like Lady Killer #1 and Elfquest: The Final Quest #1. And the verdict(s)? Lady Killer was about what I expected it would be, and I don't think I need any more of it . . . unless the library gets it in, in which case I would finished the first story arc, I think. It was pretty much a carbon copy of Garth Ennis' Jennifer Blood. Elf quest was actually pretty interesting, and I might go back and buy a few more issues while they're still at 99 cents apiece. I've been in and out of Elfquest over the years, but I've never felt the need to stick with it. (Although I did just put in a request for The Complete ElfQuest Volume One from the library . . . which I've probably already read quite a bit of, as I remember buying at least two of the little bitty book collections a decade or so ago. Hmm, I wonder what I ever did with those things? Time for an archaeological dig, perhaps.) I enjoyed the Tarzan books and would like to finish the series, but the 99 cent sale will be over before the third issue is available, and I'm not about to pay full price for it. Probably not even $1.99 apiece, but we'll see. And as for the Dark Matter series . . . it was pretty good. I didn't like it as much as the television series, but, then again, I didn't like the television series all that much after the small arc that was this four issue comic book story. Funny that no more comics have come out, but maybe the creators are all up in the tv show's business now. So all in all . . . a nice little binge of comic books, and even some very good stuff in there. Thanks, Comixology.
11/30/16
Direct Currents #1 I'm pretty excited about this--which is just a freebie preview thing--because I grew up with that yellow Direct Currents box in all of the DC comic books.
Image+ #8 Glance, glance, glance, Megan story. Hmm. Y'know, for all intents and purposes, I'm paying $2 for a 4 page comic book. That might have to stop soon.
Previews #339
Serenity: No Power in the 'Verse #2 Sorry to say it, but the story is just okay, and the art is not what I'd call good. I will continue to buy this because I have to--it's Firefly, for fuck's sake!--but I don't think I'm going to feel very good about it.
At The Great Escape in the back issues they had all four issues of the Roy Thomas / Gil Kane The Ring of the Nibelung for cheap ($6), so of course I picked that up. That's like 200 pages of Gil Kane art, man!
I was just checking on Comixology to see if any of my day old bread titles were up, and I found out that #10 was the last issue of Faster Than Light. Hmpf. Did I miss that earlier, or was that a recent decision? Oh, but Eclipse #3 was down to $1.99, so at least there's that. And it's still a good read.
12/7/16
Providence #11 32 pages of What The Fuck? this time around . . . but not in a bad way. In a way that will probably cause me to go back to #1 for a re-read in the very near future, though. I am really sorry that there will only be one more issue of this book.
Super Powers #1 One look at the cover and I knew that I had to buy this one. There's just something about the This Is a Kid's Comic look that really appeals to me. And you know, the story was actually at least as intelligent as any other issue of a super-hero comic book. I don't think I need any more of this, but it was a fun read.
The Walking Dead #161 This book continues to deliver the goods. I have pretty much given up on the show, but the comic book still keeps me in suspense. And what Kirkman is doing with Negan here is pretty amazing stuff. Hard to imagine them taking this route in the television show, but who knows, they've surprised me before.
12/14/16
Action Comics #969 Still pretty interesting for a flagship mainstream title.
Neither Doom Patrol nor Warhammer 40,000: Will of Iron are coming out today, though I'm pretty sure they're due. Hmm. I'm guessing that Comixology will have $1.99 day old bread sales for Eclipse #3 and Kill or Be Killed #4 . . . assuming I'm still buying the latter . . . though if Action Comics is the only book I buy that's coming out, I probably will go for them both.
Later . . . yes to Kill or Be Killed #4, as well as Warlords of Appalachia #1, Hadiran's Wall #3, and Motor Girl #1. No Eclipse yet, though.
Kill or Be Killed finished its first story arc, and the last page made me feel better about the premise. The art still shows the occasional dysfunction, which is boddering me, but I'm game for some more at the day old bread price.
Hadrian's Wall continues to please me with an interesting mystery / detective in space story, and there where times when the art smacked of Bill Sien
Kinetics, which is high praise indeed. Just found out this is only an 8 issue series, though, so I'm not happy about that. I mean hell, were almost halfway done already. Why bother? But I probably will.
I picked up Warlords of Appalachia mostly because of its Kentucky setting, but I won't be going back for more. It's just another tired ass dreary future thing with clinchedcharacters doing improbable things.
Motor Girl, on the other hand, was quite fun. I haven't spent much time with Mr. Moore, but maybe I should have. I definitely want to see another issue (or more) of this.
So wow . . . I just took a look at my buy list, and if I drop all the titles I'm thinking about dropping, that would put me down to only five titles, one of which is Previews. And for the first time in my life it's not because of money constraints, but because of aesthetic concerns. Where have all the good times gone?
12/21/16
Aquaman #12 I've been thinking that I needed to check in on this sooner or later since Dan Abnett is now writing it and he's quite a good writer, and I thought I was going to wait for the first trade paperback, but when I saw the cover with the sunken Statue of Liberty (hard not to think of Kamandi there), I had to go for it. And it was a pretty good story. Not good enough to make it to my must buy list, but maybe good enough to make it to my must read list. Louisville Free Public Library, are you listening?
Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #3 And speaking of covers, the variant cover on this one was quite a pleasing scent in my nostrils: an "Artist's Edition" "original art" look. As for the comic book itself? Well . . . there's a nice allusion to the Bat man tv show #the Adam West one), but other than that, not much. I don't think it's worth $3.99 anymore. So so long, farewell.
Warhammer 40,000: Will of Iron #3 Sometimes you need to look at giant space knights two or three . . . maybe even FOUR months in a row. Y'know.
I also see that Comixology has a Warhammer 40,000: Will of Iron #0 up for free. It's a shorty--just ten story pages, but (1) nice cover, (2) some background features on the art, (3) script page, and (4) did I mention that it was free? Yep.
Comixology had a big Marvel sale going on, so I put down my $6.99 for Captain Marvel by Jim Starlin: The Complete Collection. It's a great deal--which you can read about HERE and HERE if you're so inclined.
And there's also a sale on Image Comics--50% off--so I picked up Black Monday Murders #3 and #4 for a mere $4.77 (including tax), so I've made out pretty well on this pricey series--four issues which would retail for a total of $19.96 (plus tax)--or $17.98 (including tax) at The Great Escape--which I got for $6.95, for an average issue cost of $1.74. Wotta deal! Thanks, Image.
12/28/16
Action Comics #970 I took a look at the Top 100 selling comic books for last month, and I only bought four of them. Two of the four were issues of Action Comics. And y'know, it's a pretty good book. Dan Jurgens knows how to write interesting Superman stories. And the is always at least pretty good, and sometimes excellent. I started buying the book again when they reinstated the original numbering, and I fully intended to continue buying it until they reached #1,000, but I hadn't expected to enjoy it so much. Good job, DC. (BTW, in case you're wondering, the other two top 100s I bought were The Walking Dead and Mother Panic--the latter of which I shanty be buying again for sure.)
A.D.: After Death #2 At $5.99, a heck of a lot more than I'm usually willing to lay out for a comic book, but I was mighty pleased with the first issue, so I decided to go for it.
Aquaman #13 Enjoyed #12 so much that I thought I'd have another. And you know, it was a good ride. Dan Abnett's writing has impressed me before, and I am now begins Nguyen to think that I might need issues 1 - 10 of Aquaman. For medicinal use only, you understand. In this issue Aquaman squares off against the Justice League . . . And they don't throw down. That discuss the situation rationally. Wow. That's something you don't see very often in Comic Book Land.
Image + #9 The end is night. Ahmo buy until they finish the Negan story, but I think that will be it. Although this one did have a very nice Jeff Lemire cover.
Previews #340 Now with a new matte cover which I hate. It's Previews, for God's sake. Even I don't keep them when the month is over, and I keep my shit and piss in baggies. I'd like it better if they switched to an even lower quality stock and knocked a dime off of the price tag. Cause it's Previews, man.
Saga #41 This is the first physical copy of Saga that I've ever purchased. I do have the first three as e-comics. And I've read every issue up to #36 (thank you, Barnes & Noble). But this one I bought because I noticed that the cover was the one that Image has issued a recall on because of a printing error. Can you say "collector's item"? Oh, yeah.
Serenity: No Power in the 'Verse #3 Of course I'm glad that Serenity is stultifying, but is this really the best that Dark Horse can do? Chris Roberson's story is ok--and he does capture the voices of the main characters well--but the art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Story is just plain bad. There are actually panels in which the character's faces haven't even been drawn in. Firefly deserves better. I'll put up with it because I want to do my part to keep Serenity flying, but jeeze . . . .
Super Powers #2 (of 6) Yeah, I was surprised, too. But this Balthazar guy is is pretty freaking cool, and I couldn't resist it. And I always did have a soft spot in my heart for kid comics.
And exciting news: They're Not Like Us will be returning next month with issue #13. It's been 9 months since issue #12 (March 30, 2016), so I am ready for this.
Action Comics #962 I really like the numbering. And the story is mildly interesting, too. Plus issue #700 is just around the fucking corner, man.
The Hellblazer #1 Meh. Maybe one or two more.
Usagi Yojimbo #157 Really hate to say it, but I think I'm tired of Usagi. It just seems like the same old shit month after month. It's especially disappointing after the really cool mini-series Senso, which was so fresh and new and exciting. I think UY is coming off the holds list.
8/31/2016
Afterlife With Archie #10 In the mail . . . my only subscription. And it arrived in truly deplorable condition. I wrote to Archie Comics about it, but I'm betting $20 that they don't even bother to respond. Fuckers. As for the comic book . . . it was okay. I think I'm officially tired of the zombie apocalypse storyline now, though.
Future Quest #4 Actually meant to cancel this one. But how can I? It's got the Herculoids in it, for fuck's sake.
Image + #5 You have to pay for it now, but (1) only $1.99, (2) I'm okay with that, and (3) for some reason Sonia gave me a free copy this week. All this and a Negan story as well. Woo-hoo.
Kill or Be Killed #1 Better late than never, right? And my reward for delaying my gratification was that the price did, as I anticipated, go to $1.99 on Comixology. And after reading it . . . I am seriously not sure if this is my cup of tea or not. A demon? And a deal with said demon? Not the kind of set-up I usually go for, but I try not to let my prejudices determine whether something is good or bad before I bite it.
Previews #336 I tried to stop buying Previews for awhile but Joe wanted it. And oddly enough Jacqueline likes to go through it, too. So it's on the list for forever now.
I had Jim Thompson's Killer Inside Me #1 in my hands . . . last copy on the stands . . . and I took a little glance . . . but $3.99 is too much, man(s). So I put it back. Besides, next month it will be $1.99 on Comixology, and over the course of the series (5 issues) that's the difference between $20 and $10, which is pretty freakin' major. And there's the chance that an e-colleced edition will even be a little cheaper than that, which would be quite nice. But I do want to read this thing. If only IDW would get some good artists, though.
9/7/2016
The Sheriff of Babylon #10 I thought maybe I was through with this title, but I felt hesitant, so I pulled my back issues and started reading from issue #1, and it's kind of catching my interest again.
The Walking Dead #158
Faster Than Light #10 and Kill or Be Killed #2 came out this week, but I'm waiting for the price drop on these two. I'm also kind of interested in Eclipse #1, also from Image, also $3.99, but will probably wait for that as well.
9/14/2016
Action Comics #963 Y'know . . . this is actually a pretty interesting story. Kinda hope it keeps on being bi-weekly.
Batman Rebirth #1 Batman Day Special Edition--which was free. And not very good. Tom King should stick to "real stories," I think.
Doom Patrol #1 Well, it was weird, I'll give you that. Weird in a nonsensical way for the most part, but I haven't lost interest yet. Grant Morrison it ain't, though.
New Super-Man #3 Yeah, changed my mind on this. It had a cool cover.
I'm also interested in Hadrian's Wall #1, but will wait for Comixology.
9/21/16
No comics this week.
9/28/16
Action Comics #964 Continues to entertain me.
Hellblazer #2 I'm already getting tired of this version of John Constantine. This might be it for us.
Image + #6
Previews #337
I looked at Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes #1, but I put it back on the shelf. $3.99 . . . and it just didn't look all that great. Maybe another one for the Comixology list.
10/5/16
Autumnlands #13
Future Quest #5
Green Valley #1 Kind of interesting. Maybe worth another look, but not sure.
Hard Case Crime Walter Hill's Trigger Man #1 Interesting,
The Walking Dead #159
And on the e-front, all of these lovelies have gone down to $1.99, so it is time to buy, I think.
Eclipse #1 Interesting science fiction murder mystery thing going on.
Faster Than Light #10 Don't know, Might be time to pull the plug,
Kill or Be Killed #2 I think I liked this issue better than the first. Maybe because the premise had already been established, so I wasn't distracted by my discomfiture for that. Most of the art was just brilliant, but there were two or three bits wherein it looked really sloppy. First time I've ever thought that about Sean Phillips's art.
Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me #1 Meh.
There's also an Iron Fist sale, and I may have to grab hold of Iron Fist Epic Collection: The Fury Of Iron Fist which collects Marvel Premiere (1972) #15-25, Iron Fist (1975) #1-15, Marvel Team-Up (1972) #63-64 . . . 527 pages for $3.99. Whuuuuuut? Yeah, had to go for it.
10/12/16
Action Comics #965
Doom Patrol #2 Not at all sure about this. It can't hold a candle to Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol . . . though that seems to be what they're aiming for.
The Sheriff of Babylon #11
Warhammer 40,000: Will of Iron #1
I was also interested in The Chimera Brigade #1 and Peepland #1, but I think I'll get them through Comixolgy. Probably do the same for the next issue of Warhammer 40,000 .. . assuming I even want the second issue. The third issue of New Super-Man was out this week, but I passed on it.
10/19/16
Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #1 I got the one with a Bill Sienkiewicz variant cover, which made this twice as exciting.
Saw something called The Black Monday Murders which looked interesting, but they didn't have issue #1 and it was $4.99 (though probably worth it as it's over 50 pages), so I thought check it out on Comixology. Just did, and all three available issues are still at $4.99. Hmph.
There was also a new Usagi Yojimbo issue (#158), and for the first time in 20 years (literally), I didn't buy it. It's just been too much of the same thing for way too long . . . though I do love the character. In a way, the recent Senso mini-series made it harder to put up with, as that was so much more innovative and interesting than the regular series.
And there was a new Love and Rockets #1 which I was anxious to see, but it was another case of same old shit, brand new day, so I didn't go for that, either. Pickings are getting slimmer.
10/26/16
Action Comics #966
Serenity: No Power in the 'Verse #1 Meh. But I'd buy any Firefly comic, y'know?
Also got Trees #13 and #14 from Comixology (at $1.99 apiece, which is great, but then a couple of days later they had a Warren Ellis sale and they went down to .99 apiece . . . ).
11/2/16
Sheriff Of Babylon #12 Last issue. Still not sure how much I liked this one, but at least it was different. Just for future reference, though: I'm not up for a sequel.
The Walking Dead #160 Continues to hold my attention. This Negan is so much more interesting than the television version. Of course, I bailed out on that early on in Negan time, so who knows, maybe they'll end up doing something like this. Ha ha. Fat fucking chance.
11/9/16
Action Comics #967
Cerebus in Hell? #0 This was just wretched. Pointless, not funny, and not even actually drawn--just pages from Dante's Inferno with a few (4 or 5 at most, I think) poses of Cerebus. I'm sorry that Dave Sim has lost his ability to draw but for fuck's sake . . . write a novel. Those last issues of Cerebus were more short story than comic book anyway. This is just sad. I'm definitely not going to be buying the upcoming mini-series.
Doom Patrol #3 I'm about through with this book, too. It just tries so hard to create the weirdness that seemed to come naturally to Grant Morrison. And like a girl with purple hair, it just annoys me. True weirdness doesn't have to try, it just is.
Mother Panic #1 Another of DC's Young Animal books. I tried three of their four offerings--neglecting only Shade, the Changing Girl (looked at it and it just didn't appeal to me at all). And this one is just the same old shit in new drag to me. One and done.
Violent Love #1 The art reminded me of Darwin Cooke, which is why I picked this one up. Although I have read and enjoyed previous Frank Barbiere stories before (especially Five Ghosts). But this one . . . way over the top of my threshold for violence. Two scenes of guys having nails driven into their arms. And a scene of a man being drenched in gasoline and set afire with his 19 - 20 year old daughter watching. Not for me.
Warhammer 40,000: Will of Iron #2 Said I was done with this one, but . . . sometimes you just need to read a story about giant warriors in robot armor. This was one of those times.
I meant to buy Green Valley #2, but it was sold out. I might take a look for it on Comixology . . . but not until it drops down to $1.99. The first issue wasn't that good.
And from Comixology (at $1.99 each) I picked up Eclipse #2 and
Kill or Be Killed #3. I liked Eclipse quite a bit. It's kind of a science fiction cop story. I'm less enthusiastic about Kill or Be Killed, I'm sorry to say. The fantastic element of the story just doesn't work for me, and although I am a huge fan of Sean Phillips's art, it continues to be sub-standard here and there in this comic book. This time around, for instance, there were a couple of drawings wherein a character's head was drawn way too big in proportion to his body. I think I'm about through with this one. If I am, it will be the first time I've dropped a Brubaker / Philips comic book since I first started reading them.
11/16/16
Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #2 Sorry to say that I have not been impressed by DC's Young Animal line, but I am looking forward to this title. Just the title, though. The comic book is shit. Ha ha. Maybe not ha ha. We'll see.
Kinda tempted to buy Thanos #1 as (a) I have a soft spot in my heart for the big guy, and I've been with him since the beginning in Iron Man #55 (February 1973), (b) it's written by Jeff Lemire, who I have at times loved dearly. But (A) I have not liked the mainstream Lemire things that I've read . . . and I've read a lot of them, and (B) it's a Marvel book, therefore $3.99 . . . and Marvel rarely decreases their prices on Comixology as the other companies do. So we'll see.
Speaking of which, Hadrian's Wall #2 just went down to $1.99 on Comixology, so ahmo go get me some of that. Unfortunately, looks like that's it for this week.
11/23/16
Action Comics #968 I'm still enjoying Action. And it's still being published every two weeks, which is pretty cool. Not as cool as the Action Comics Weekly anthology run, but I guess I'm in the minority in my love for that incarnation. So this version will do. I'm in it at least until issue 1000 . . . which is less than a year and a half away if they keep up this pace.
Also interested in A.D.: After Death Vol. 1 with art by Jeff Lemire, but at $5.99 it's too rich for my blood. I suspect that this is a comic book which won't go down in price, either, so I will probably wait for the collected edition. And I continue to want a look at The Black Monday Murders (#4 is out this week), but all of the issues have stayed at $4.99, and even though it looks like it'd be worth it, ahmo wait on it. A collected edition is due out in late January for $15.99 on Comixology, $12.04 on Amazon, which puts the price into my range. Assuming that I can wait that long. UPDATE: I lucked out on both counts here. The Great Escape was having a 25% off sale, so I picked up A.D. for a mere $4.19, which was too good to pass up, and I found the first two issues of Black Monday Murders on the Image website for .99 apiece. Hot damn. BSM was really interesting, and the art was fanfuckingtastic. It's going to be hard to resist buying issues 3 and 4 now. Maybe Image will knock the prices on those down, too? Anyway, A.D. was a very nice package--heavy stock cover, high quality interior paper, nice printing--and the story was pretty interesting. It's also so nice that Image puts its ads in the back of the book instead of interrupting the story with them . . . and the ads were for other Image books. And Black Monday Murders also looks great--the art reminds me a bit of Sean Philips and / or Michael Lark, which is about as good as it gets for me.
Speaking of Comixology, they had another big Marvel sale, so I picked up Daredevil: Back in Black Volume 2: Supersonic (and how is that for a convoluted title?) for a mere $4.99. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth it. That'll teach me to trust Marvel to put out a good comic book, I suppose.
More speaking of Comixology: there was an even bigger Dark Horse Comics sale . . . over 2,500 comic book for 99 cents a shot. So I picked up some stuff I wanted . . . like Tarzan and The Planet of the Apes #1 and #2, Dark Matter #1 - #4 . . . and some stuff I've been wanting to check out, like Lady Killer #1 and Elfquest: The Final Quest #1. And the verdict(s)? Lady Killer was about what I expected it would be, and I don't think I need any more of it . . . unless the library gets it in, in which case I would finished the first story arc, I think. It was pretty much a carbon copy of Garth Ennis' Jennifer Blood. Elf quest was actually pretty interesting, and I might go back and buy a few more issues while they're still at 99 cents apiece. I've been in and out of Elfquest over the years, but I've never felt the need to stick with it. (Although I did just put in a request for The Complete ElfQuest Volume One from the library . . . which I've probably already read quite a bit of, as I remember buying at least two of the little bitty book collections a decade or so ago. Hmm, I wonder what I ever did with those things? Time for an archaeological dig, perhaps.) I enjoyed the Tarzan books and would like to finish the series, but the 99 cent sale will be over before the third issue is available, and I'm not about to pay full price for it. Probably not even $1.99 apiece, but we'll see. And as for the Dark Matter series . . . it was pretty good. I didn't like it as much as the television series, but, then again, I didn't like the television series all that much after the small arc that was this four issue comic book story. Funny that no more comics have come out, but maybe the creators are all up in the tv show's business now. So all in all . . . a nice little binge of comic books, and even some very good stuff in there. Thanks, Comixology.
11/30/16
Direct Currents #1 I'm pretty excited about this--which is just a freebie preview thing--because I grew up with that yellow Direct Currents box in all of the DC comic books.
Image+ #8 Glance, glance, glance, Megan story. Hmm. Y'know, for all intents and purposes, I'm paying $2 for a 4 page comic book. That might have to stop soon.
Previews #339
Serenity: No Power in the 'Verse #2 Sorry to say it, but the story is just okay, and the art is not what I'd call good. I will continue to buy this because I have to--it's Firefly, for fuck's sake!--but I don't think I'm going to feel very good about it.
At The Great Escape in the back issues they had all four issues of the Roy Thomas / Gil Kane The Ring of the Nibelung for cheap ($6), so of course I picked that up. That's like 200 pages of Gil Kane art, man!
I was just checking on Comixology to see if any of my day old bread titles were up, and I found out that #10 was the last issue of Faster Than Light. Hmpf. Did I miss that earlier, or was that a recent decision? Oh, but Eclipse #3 was down to $1.99, so at least there's that. And it's still a good read.
12/7/16
Providence #11 32 pages of What The Fuck? this time around . . . but not in a bad way. In a way that will probably cause me to go back to #1 for a re-read in the very near future, though. I am really sorry that there will only be one more issue of this book.
Super Powers #1 One look at the cover and I knew that I had to buy this one. There's just something about the This Is a Kid's Comic look that really appeals to me. And you know, the story was actually at least as intelligent as any other issue of a super-hero comic book. I don't think I need any more of this, but it was a fun read.
The Walking Dead #161 This book continues to deliver the goods. I have pretty much given up on the show, but the comic book still keeps me in suspense. And what Kirkman is doing with Negan here is pretty amazing stuff. Hard to imagine them taking this route in the television show, but who knows, they've surprised me before.
12/14/16
Action Comics #969 Still pretty interesting for a flagship mainstream title.
Neither Doom Patrol nor Warhammer 40,000: Will of Iron are coming out today, though I'm pretty sure they're due. Hmm. I'm guessing that Comixology will have $1.99 day old bread sales for Eclipse #3 and Kill or Be Killed #4 . . . assuming I'm still buying the latter . . . though if Action Comics is the only book I buy that's coming out, I probably will go for them both.
Later . . . yes to Kill or Be Killed #4, as well as Warlords of Appalachia #1, Hadiran's Wall #3, and Motor Girl #1. No Eclipse yet, though.
Kill or Be Killed finished its first story arc, and the last page made me feel better about the premise. The art still shows the occasional dysfunction, which is boddering me, but I'm game for some more at the day old bread price.
Hadrian's Wall continues to please me with an interesting mystery / detective in space story, and there where times when the art smacked of Bill Sien
Kinetics, which is high praise indeed. Just found out this is only an 8 issue series, though, so I'm not happy about that. I mean hell, were almost halfway done already. Why bother? But I probably will.
I picked up Warlords of Appalachia mostly because of its Kentucky setting, but I won't be going back for more. It's just another tired ass dreary future thing with clinchedcharacters doing improbable things.
Motor Girl, on the other hand, was quite fun. I haven't spent much time with Mr. Moore, but maybe I should have. I definitely want to see another issue (or more) of this.
So wow . . . I just took a look at my buy list, and if I drop all the titles I'm thinking about dropping, that would put me down to only five titles, one of which is Previews. And for the first time in my life it's not because of money constraints, but because of aesthetic concerns. Where have all the good times gone?
12/21/16
Aquaman #12 I've been thinking that I needed to check in on this sooner or later since Dan Abnett is now writing it and he's quite a good writer, and I thought I was going to wait for the first trade paperback, but when I saw the cover with the sunken Statue of Liberty (hard not to think of Kamandi there), I had to go for it. And it was a pretty good story. Not good enough to make it to my must buy list, but maybe good enough to make it to my must read list. Louisville Free Public Library, are you listening?
Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #3 And speaking of covers, the variant cover on this one was quite a pleasing scent in my nostrils: an "Artist's Edition" "original art" look. As for the comic book itself? Well . . . there's a nice allusion to the Bat man tv show #the Adam West one), but other than that, not much. I don't think it's worth $3.99 anymore. So so long, farewell.
Warhammer 40,000: Will of Iron #3 Sometimes you need to look at giant space knights two or three . . . maybe even FOUR months in a row. Y'know.
I also see that Comixology has a Warhammer 40,000: Will of Iron #0 up for free. It's a shorty--just ten story pages, but (1) nice cover, (2) some background features on the art, (3) script page, and (4) did I mention that it was free? Yep.
Comixology had a big Marvel sale going on, so I put down my $6.99 for Captain Marvel by Jim Starlin: The Complete Collection. It's a great deal--which you can read about HERE and HERE if you're so inclined.
And there's also a sale on Image Comics--50% off--so I picked up Black Monday Murders #3 and #4 for a mere $4.77 (including tax), so I've made out pretty well on this pricey series--four issues which would retail for a total of $19.96 (plus tax)--or $17.98 (including tax) at The Great Escape--which I got for $6.95, for an average issue cost of $1.74. Wotta deal! Thanks, Image.
12/28/16
Action Comics #970 I took a look at the Top 100 selling comic books for last month, and I only bought four of them. Two of the four were issues of Action Comics. And y'know, it's a pretty good book. Dan Jurgens knows how to write interesting Superman stories. And the is always at least pretty good, and sometimes excellent. I started buying the book again when they reinstated the original numbering, and I fully intended to continue buying it until they reached #1,000, but I hadn't expected to enjoy it so much. Good job, DC. (BTW, in case you're wondering, the other two top 100s I bought were The Walking Dead and Mother Panic--the latter of which I shanty be buying again for sure.)
A.D.: After Death #2 At $5.99, a heck of a lot more than I'm usually willing to lay out for a comic book, but I was mighty pleased with the first issue, so I decided to go for it.
Aquaman #13 Enjoyed #12 so much that I thought I'd have another. And you know, it was a good ride. Dan Abnett's writing has impressed me before, and I am now begins Nguyen to think that I might need issues 1 - 10 of Aquaman. For medicinal use only, you understand. In this issue Aquaman squares off against the Justice League . . . And they don't throw down. That discuss the situation rationally. Wow. That's something you don't see very often in Comic Book Land.
Image + #9 The end is night. Ahmo buy until they finish the Negan story, but I think that will be it. Although this one did have a very nice Jeff Lemire cover.
Previews #340 Now with a new matte cover which I hate. It's Previews, for God's sake. Even I don't keep them when the month is over, and I keep my shit and piss in baggies. I'd like it better if they switched to an even lower quality stock and knocked a dime off of the price tag. Cause it's Previews, man.
Saga #41 This is the first physical copy of Saga that I've ever purchased. I do have the first three as e-comics. And I've read every issue up to #36 (thank you, Barnes & Noble). But this one I bought because I noticed that the cover was the one that Image has issued a recall on because of a printing error. Can you say "collector's item"? Oh, yeah.
Serenity: No Power in the 'Verse #3 Of course I'm glad that Serenity is stultifying, but is this really the best that Dark Horse can do? Chris Roberson's story is ok--and he does capture the voices of the main characters well--but the art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Story is just plain bad. There are actually panels in which the character's faces haven't even been drawn in. Firefly deserves better. I'll put up with it because I want to do my part to keep Serenity flying, but jeeze . . . .
Super Powers #2 (of 6) Yeah, I was surprised, too. But this Balthazar guy is is pretty freaking cool, and I couldn't resist it. And I always did have a soft spot in my heart for kid comics.
And exciting news: They're Not Like Us will be returning next month with issue #13. It's been 9 months since issue #12 (March 30, 2016), so I am ready for this.
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