That long list of comics (https://songsofinnocenceampexperience.blogspot.com/2017/07/this-weeks-comics-2017.html) is getting a tad unwieldy. And it looks like I'm actually going to be faithful to the weekly tracking of the four colors, so ahmo see how this goes.
8/23/17
Action Comics #986 Gettin' pretty good again . . . and it looks like Dan Jurgens will be coming back soon, which I'm all for.
Batman #29 It's been a long time since I bought a Batman comic book. But I was thinking, "I really like Tom King's work on Injustice 2 so much . . . why am I not buying his Batman? So I picked up this issue and read it and enjoyed it and am just now realizing that Tom King does not write Injustice 2, Tom Taylor does. But hey, what's $2.99 + tax - 15% off (thank you, The Great Escape) between friends? And I really did enjoy this issue of Batman quite a bit. For one thing, the premise was kind of stupid and awesome: Bruce Wayne invites The Joker and The Riddler over to his house for dinner. A nine course dinner. So the story is basically structured around the nine courses. And although The Joker does throw a knife at The Riddler, other than that there is no actual violence. And a lot of panels of food and people eating. Very cool. I might buy the next issue just to see what else is going on here.
Detective #963 So I guess I'm buying this book again. And shit, #1000 is only 37 issues (a year and a half) away . . . . It's been quite good, much to my surprise. The whole Team Batman idea leaves me cold, and I've not been a big fan of James Tynion IV's work in the past, but this time around it is sitting well with me.
Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps # 26 and #27 I actually meant to buy #26 when it came out, but didn't happen to see it. Wanted to see what The New Gods were up to these days. I have to say, though, that this is probably the worst title for a comic book that I've ever heard of. WTF? The only way to make it worse would have been to add a few hash tags. Both issues were pretty dopey. I don't think I need the rest of the story. In fact, if I'd just bought #26, I am pretty sure that I wouldn't have bought #27. For one thing, this is a "tie-in" to DC's big METAL event, and I just don't give the slightest fuck about that. For another thing, I don't like the way that they've portrayed Orion here--they've slimmed him down and given him a dumbass bicycling-looking helmet. Peace out on this one.
Kamanda Challenge #8 I don't want to talk about it. Well, just this: I read the first 12 pages of this book (about half) and just had to stop. The story is so fucking stupid. And not just in the "Kamandi's falling again" way, and not just in the "this is a bad version of stuff Jack Kirby did forty years ago" way, though of course it was both of those things. But in the "we're contradicting shit we just put on the table a few panels ago" way. And while Keith Giffen has never been one of my favorite writers, he is usually better than this shit. And Steve Rude is one of my favorite artists, but even his work looks kind of shitty to me here. So much so that in one panel I didn't even know what had happened until I'd read on for a page, realized I'd missed something significant, and went back and searched the key panel for information. It was more like a Where's Waldo? exercise than like reading a comic book by a master storyteller. Fuuuuuuck. Four issues to go. I am going to offer a prayer and some sacrifices to the Comic Book Gods that DC just cancels this piece of shit so I don't have to keep buying it and suffering. Because of course I will buy it to the bitter end. I have to, man. It's Kamandi. But it sucks SO hard. Clearly I'm not the only one who feels this way. Comichron's July sales figures (the latest available) indicate that Kamandi Challenge #7 was "best selling" title number162 out of 384 with a mere 12,451. Even in these peaked days that's not good. In fact, I propose a new rule: Any title which sells fewer copies than an Scooby Doo title must be immediately cancelled by the publisher. It's a good rule, man. And I say that with all love for Scooby Doo. (But how in the fucking fuckety fuck does that character have THREE ongoing books? Sheesh.) ANYway, Kamandi Challenge has done the very difficult hat trick of ruining one of my favorite characters, using some of the greatest living comic book talents to produce their worst work, and pissing on the monument of Jack Kirby that they were attempting to erect . . . before it was even built. Kind of like the cover to Who's Next? Enough, ye Gods! Enough!
Nightwing: The New Order #1 I paid $3.99 (+ tax -15% discount) for this book, so you know I was really interested. And my interest was justified, as this was a really good comic book. My only regret is that I didn't investigate further to discover that the variant cover was by Paul Pope. Man. I NEED that cover. But hey, somehow the cover of my copy of this book got messed up--a few drops of water that bubbled up the paper in a few small spots--so maybe I need to go ahead and get a fresh copy.
Spy Seal #1 Almost missed out on this one. I'd seen it in Previews and wanted to take a look at it when it hit the stands, but I forgot about it, and since I pick up my books on Friday instead of when they come out on Wednesday, I managed to miss it when it sold out. But when I was checking out there was a copy propped up by the cash register. Just waiting for me. I also had a nice little chat with the cute gal who was working today. I like chatting with cute girls. And the book was superb. Very European. In fact, so much so that I just Googled writer / artist Rich Tommaso to see if he was European . . . and I stumbled into a basket of deplorable shit. Read a couple of articles in which Mr. Tommaso was talking about how horrible pre-order sales were for Spy Seal, and how depressed he was and how he didn't know how he was going to make it financially. Wow. It really made me wish that I was rich enough to send him a big fat check. So if you're within sound of my voice, please buy this book. You won't regret it. If you go to Comics Beat (http://www.comicsbeat.com/meanwhile-one-image-creator-opens-up-on-low-sales-and-heres-the-book-hes-talking-about/ ) there's an article by Heidi McDonald and a cover and four page preview of Spy Seal #1. Check it out. Then buy a copy! Or two. If your comic book shop is out, it's time to give Comixology a shot. They never run out!
Comixology look out list:
Die Kitty Die Looks like a fun comic--kind of like a PG13 version of the old Archie books. $3.99 per issue and four issues out so far, so if a collection comes out, I'm there.
The Fourth Planet by Fred Kennedy and Miko Maciaszek: #1 and #2 went to $2.99, looks like it won't go down from there unless there's a sale, so ahmo get #1 and see how that goes.
Glenn Gould: A Life Off Tempo Really interested in this, but not for $15
Buy List:
(1) Action Comics #986
(2) Black Monday Murders #5
Detective Comics #963
(4) Hadrian's Wall #7 (8 issue series) #8 is out at full price
(5) Image + #13
(6) Injustice 2 #19
(7) Kamandi Challenge #8 (12 issue series)
(8) Mirror #7
(9) Motor Girl #7
(10) Nightwing: The New Order #1
(11) Previews #347
(12) Rock Candy Mountain #4
(13)
(14) Saga #45
(15) Spy Seal #1
(16) Steam Wars: First Empire #4 End of issue #4 said "To Be Continued . . . . " but that was four months ago. Whu hoppen?
(17) The Walking Dead #170
underlined title = buying the print version of this book
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