So you can get a taste of some of the titles I cover in the $40 Pull List, I will be giving away the issues I purchased to cover in the column each week.

The list of available issues can be found below. There is only one copy of each issue available, so it will be first come, first serve. I will cover the shipping costs for all domestic requests, but I will ship internationally if you are willing to pitch in for postage.

I make no guarantees about the condition of each of these issues. They are well cared for when in my possession, but I do not shop for NM copies at the shop. These aren’t meant to be collectors issues, these are meant for you to read and get a taste of a title you may not have otherwise checked out.

Fill out the following form, and be sure to include your mailing address, the passkey from this week’s column (find the latest on cxPulp.com!) and what issue you are requesting.

 Available Issues

Batgirl #8
Batman #8
Blue Beetle #8
Daredevil #10.1, #11, #12
The Defenders #5
Dial H #1
Earth 2 #1
John Carter: Gods of Mars #2 (of 5)
Nightwing #8
The Sixth Gun #21
Wolverine #304, 305

Originally Posted on cxPulp on April 22nd, 2012. Click here to comment.

Welcome back to another week of the $40 Pull List! Overall this was a pretty solid week. Batman appears to have redeemed itself for the time being with the start of the Night of Owls, The Sixth Gun gets a little artsy, we have a string of outstanding issues with Nightwing, John Carter: Gods of Mars, and Blue Beetle; and The Defenders? Well, that one is first up, so you can jump right into that.

I am also starting a new ongoing promotion this week – read on to find out more.

We have six new issues this week to cover, so let’s jump right in!

—

NEW ISSUES: APRIL 18th, 2012

The Defenders #5, $3.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 04/18/2012 ON TIME
Written by Matt Fraction, Art by Mitch Breitweiser, Color Art by Mitch and Bettie Breitweiser

I’ve got mixed feelings about this issue. On the one hand – the tone was fantastic. From the first page this felt like a Namor story. Fraction (and almost to a larger extent Breitweiser) did a wonderful job of establishing a classic sci-fi tone. On the other hand – that is all this story was – tone. Sure, there were one or two hints at character development for Namor, but hints was all we got. As far as story goes, everything was pretty well dull. The most interesting parts were the flashbacks revolving around Namor and his mother, but Fraction played pretty much everything else so close to the vest that it was hard to care about what we didn’t know.

The ending with Iron Fist and Misty Knight was also a bit confusing – it was out of left field and seemed to have absolutely nothing to do with what was going on during the rest of the story. It looks like we will be seeing more of Misty Knight next issue – which is fine – but we just spent an entire issue building up a story around Namor. Why wasn’t the tense cliff-hanger centered on that? The only connection between the two was the ship that Rand salvaged, and the connection between that ship and what happened at the end is too muddy for me to see.

Speaking of muddy – dear lord, the coloring. I think Breitweiser manages the “muted” palette as well as anyone, but there was entirely too much of it in this issue. It felt like that early issue of Secret Avengers on Mars – everything was far too dark. It didn’t help that every underwater scene was dominated by air bubbles and water currents completely cluttering each and every panel. Overall, the art was a real turn-off for me in this issue, and while it set a good tone at the outset, it ended up staying dark and muddy throughout, even on the surface.

My interest is really waning with The Defenders… I’ll give it credit for lasting as long as it has, because I didn’t think this one would last this long on the list. Still – my interest is to a point I don’t think it can come back from. There just hasn’t been enough meat in this series to really keep my interest.

—

Batman #8, $3.99, DC Comics. Due out 04/18/2012 ON TIME
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV, Art by Rafael Albuquerque, Color by Nathan Fairbairn

A sparse recap, but it really says it all. This issue is action from start to finish, as all of the “Talons” hit Gotham in force. Most of them attack Wayne Manor and the Batcave, but many are sent out into Gotham itself to attack the city’s leaders.

I’ve been very down on this title for the last few issues, but none of my ongoing gripes made an appearance in this issue. Unnecessary artsy-ness was nowhere to be found – thank heavens. Bruce seemed to shake off his angst when pressed, and that was a welcome development. As I said, the issue was all action, which left little room for story development, leaving little to comment on. Still, fights in the Batcave are always entertaining, and I was happy to see an appearance by the giant penny in the brawl.

This is the beginning of the Night of Owls crossover event. Usually crossover events are difficult to cover in the pull list, but since we are also getting Bargirl and Nightwing, we are already reading the bulk of the books this story will cross into. Thankfully, Batman didn’t continue to deteriorate, and I am interested enough in what is happening here to keep it on the list another month. Great stories always have a way of rekindling interest, and this issue gave Batman a stay of execution.

A curious note – the Editor’s column makes mention of a back-up story – “The Fall of the Wayne Family,” which was supposed to begin with this issue. This story was nowhere to be seen. The issue did come with a $3.99 cover price, and there were 40 pages… so maybe they decided to hold off on the back-up for a month. I was pleased to see how few ads were in this issue as well. I am not a fan of $4 comics, but we seemed to get our money’s worth here.

Overall, a thumbs up across the board for this issue.

—

Blue Beetle #8, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 04/18/2012 ON TIME
Written by Tony Bedard, Art by Marcio Takara, Color by Pete Pantazis

The issue seemed to go by very fast, but a lot happened. I love Stopwatch as a villain for Jaime, and his escape leaves the door wide open for a future appearance. Stopwatch has a unique origin, and his character is made more interesting by the fact that he doesn’t want to be a villain, and doesn’t believe himself to be one. In his mind, once he finishes his time travel machine and undoes the accident that started him down this path, all of the death he has caused will be undone. Like Jaime, he is new to this as well, and makes mistakes. If handled properly, Stopwatch may well grow along with Jaime, becoming more competent as time goes on. I am looking forward to seeing him again.

We do get a flash of Paco and Brenda in this issue – the fact that they haven’t been left behind seems to indicate that Jaime will be returning to El Paso at some point. That is good news – this little trip will be good for Jaime, but I’d hate to see it be a permanent change.

—

Nightwing #8, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 04/18/2012 ON TIME
Written by Kyle Higgins, Pencils by Eddy Barrows, Colors by Rod Reis, Inks by Ruy Jose and Eber Ferreira

We had a few calls back to Gates of Gotham which was nice – Higgins did a great job sliding into that style of story, and he effectively used the William Cobb flashbacks to add flavor to this story. This was exactly the kind of story I was hoping for when Batman first started dealing with the Court of Owls – unfortunately those early stories were less about weaving historical tidbits into the overall story tapestry, and more about being artsy for the sake of art. We see none of that here.

The ending of this story is a bit of a shocker, but I don’t think anything is final – that would certainly be a surprise so early in the title’s run. I am very interested in learning more about some of the things Cobb alluded to at the end of this story – there is an obvious conclusion you could draw, but I am not ready to totally buy into that yet. What we see in this issue does shed some light on why Dick’s name is in that book, and exactly what involvement Haly’s Circus had with the Court of Owls, even if it addresses it indirectly.

Once again Nightwing features a meticulously constructed story with some solid art – this is quickly becoming one of my favorite reads each month.

—

John Carter: Gods of Mars #2 (of 5), $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 04/18/2012 ON TIME
Written by Sam Humphries, Art by Ramon Perez, Color by Jordie Bellaire

Just like the last series, Gods of Mars is turning into a fantastic adaptation. John Carter really is a straightforward character to write, yet so often we see adapters (like what we saw in the film) screw with that very simple formula and hurt what makes these titles so enjoyable. John Carter is virtually without fear – at least, he may experience the emotion but he absolutely never lets it stop him from acting. As it was put in this issue, John Carter thinks by acting, and finds it best to rush forward into a fight and figure things out while he goes. He is chivalry embodied – as we see here, he even defends Phaidor without hesitation despite the fact that she really isn’t all that good a person. There are so few heroes with honor in modern literature, and it is so refreshing to revisit a character that embodies honor by default.

The art is solid – these stories are bound to be high action, and Perez and Bellaire handle both the calm and the action quite well. The books is wonderful to look at, and the art really helps the story along. I complained earlier at the way darkness was handled in The Defenders – it is a common complaint, but I really like to highlight when artists do it right as well. This is one of those times. Instead of using artificial brightness, Bellaire instead gets creative with color, and uses contrasting colors to help you see what is going on. I appreciate artists who find ways to show you what is going on, while making you understand that it is supposed to be dark. Kudos to the art team on this one.

Next issue can’t come soon enough for me. These stories are just as much fun as they ever were. And on a closing note – what a gorgeous cover.

—

The Sixth Gun #21, $3.99, Oni Press. Due Out 04/18/2012 ON TIME
Written by Cullen Bunn, Art by Brian Hurtt, Color by Bill Crabtree

I have mixed feelings about the whole “silent” issue approach – at least there was a reason to do it, but I have never seen one of these books that were better without the dialogue. At least there was a reason to go without this time around (unlike that “‘Nuff Said” gimmick month Marvel did a few years back), but this story still suffered as a result. It is a credit to Hurtt that the reader could glean a story out of this without words, but to do something like this for such an important issue was a risk they probably shouldn’t have taken. The lack of dialogue and narration was a weakness that this title doesn’t normally have, and while the story itself was strong enough to carry the issue without words – it still muted what should have been a spectacular climax. They have been building to Drake’s rescue for so long… and so much was missing from the issue.

Of course Hurtt did an artful job with what he was given, and I can see many other reviewers raving about this. At this point, it should go without saying that I am not a fan of artsy for the sake of it. As I mentioned before, my annoyance at this decision is muted by the fact that there was a concrete story reason to do it – but it doesn’t change the fact that it was a poor choice of issues to do it in. Yes, Becky missed out on a lot, but it isn’t always the best decision to force the reader to miss out on something, especially when you have been selling that very thing for so many issues.

I am possibly being unecessarily harsh on this issue, but when a title achieves a certain level of consistent quality, the mistakes are easy to point out. Bunn and Hurtt took a risk here, and while I don’t think it panned out, they are definitely not going to suffer for it. I can’t deny that a lot of indy comic fans eat this stuff up. I can only assume that next month the words will be back, and this title will go back to being an A+ title month after month. One minor dip isn’t going to kill this book – even on such an important issue.

—

LATE AND UNRELEASED TITLES

Reed Gunther #10, $2.99, Image Comics, Due out 04/18/2012 DELAYED – Due Out 05/09/2012

Not sure what is behind the delay here – but the shipping schedule is now showing that this issue won’t be out until May 9th. I haven’t seen an explanation given, but I don’t think we will see it pushed back any farther. At least I hope not!

—

RELEASED SO FAR

Daredevil #10.1, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 04/04/2012 ON TIME
Batgirl #8, $2.99, DC Comics. Due out 04/11/2012 ON TIME
The Defenders #5, $3.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 04/18/2012 ON TIME
Batman #8, $3.99, DC Comics. Due out 04/18/2012 ON TIME
Blue Beetle #8, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 04/18/2012 ON TIME
Nightwing #8, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 04/18/2012 ON TIME
John Carter: Gods of Mars #2 (of 5), $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 04/18/2012 ON TIME
The Sixth Gun #21, $3.99, Oni Press. Due Out 04/18/2012 ON TIME

STILL TO COME

Daredevil #11, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 04/25/2012
Wolverine #305, $3.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 04/25/2012
Reed Gunther #10, $2.99, Image Comics, Due out 04/18/2012 DELAYED – Due Out 05/09/2012

TRADE BANK – $6.00
Daytripper TP, $19.99, DC Comics. Due out 02/01/2012

$1.98 (Bank from March) + $40.00 (April Budget) = $41.98
$41.98 – $36.89 (April Issues) – $2.86 (tax) – $2.00 (Trade Bank Deposit) = $0.23 Banked for May
—

FREE COMICS

Over the last couple months I have been trying several new things with the $40 Pull List – it is now time for another one! Starting this month, I am going to give away the issues I have reviewed in the Pull List. So, if you want any of the issues I have covered this month, send me a message and it is yours! Of course, I only have one copy of each issue to give away, so it will be first come, first serve. In future months there will be some hoops to jump through (trivia questions and the like), but this month, all I need is a message! I will cover the shipping cost on domestic orders, so if you are outside of the country we will have to work something out. If you are international and want to get an issue, let me know and I will tell you what is involved.

That will wrap things up this week – check back next Monday when we will have two final issues for the month – Daredevil #11 and Wolverine #305!

Support cxPulp and order Daytripper on Amazon.com!

Originally posted on cxPulp.com on 04/13/2012. Click here to comment.

Reviewer: Craig Reade
Title: One More Round

Wolverine crashes Sabretooth’s party in Madripoor

Writer: Jason Aaron
Artists: Steve Dillon, Ron Garney, Paul Pelletier, Dave Meikis, Mike Perkins, Jefte Palo, Daniel Acuna, Steven Sanders, and Renato Guedes
Colorists: Matthew Wilson, Matt Milla, Rain Beredo, Andy Troy, and Chris Sotomayor.
Letters: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover: Sale Keown and Jason Keith
Editor: Jeanine Schaefer
Publisher: Marvel Comics

In this issue, Lord and Lady Deathstrike arrive at a party in Madripoor hosted by Sabretooth which a bunch of big-name villains have been invited to. Wolverine decides to crash the party for old times sake, and resume the tradition of his annual fights with Sabretooth. While all of this is happening, we see resolutions for several characters that have popped up throughout Aaron’s run.

While last issue served as something of a finale for Jason Aaron’s story on Wolverine, this issue was completely focused on tying up the story-lines for many of the characters we have seen throughout his story – and opening the doors for future stories for many of them. If you want to know what happened to Strikeforce X or Doctor Rot, or see who is now running the San Francisco criminal gangs and find out just who Lord Deathstrike is, this is the issue for you.

The chaos in the story is reflected in the art, as most of the artists Aaron has worked with on his run come back to collaborate on #304. Steve Dillon handles most of the main story’s art, with the different artists tackling the panels that have to do with some of the side-stories and resolutions. Good thing too – as chaotic as this issue was, the art could have really made the story that much worse if they just passed out pages to the various artists. I am not really a fan of Steve Dillon’s look, but his storytelling is solid and he does a good job with the script he was given.

This issue really was a final bow for Jason Aaron, and it was great for what is was. It is definitely not an issue for a new reader to jump on board (that’s in 2 weeks – Wolverine #305), however since Jason Aaron is still writing Wolverine and the X-Men, if you are reading that title, this issue might not be a bad one to check out, as it is almost certain that some of these characters will be popping up there at some point.

A nice final issue that does a great job of giving Cullen Bunn a clean slate to start with.

Story:

Art:

Overall:

Support cxPulp and pre-order Wolverine’s Revenge on Amazon.com!

Originally posted on cxPulp on 4/15/2012. Comment here

Welcome back to another week of the $40 Pull List!

This week we have just one issue – Batgirl #8 from DC Comics. It is a light week for sure – so we will just dive right into it!

NEW ISSUES: APRIL 11th, 2012

Batgirl #8, $2.99, DC Comics. Due out 04/11/2012 ON TIME
Written by Gail Simone, Pencils by Ardian Syaf, Alitha Martinez, and Vicente Cifuentes, Colors by Ulises Arreola, Inks by Vicente Cifuentes and Alitha Martinez

I complained last issue that the focus wasn’t on Grotesque nearly enough, and that complaint still holds true. Granted, this issue wasn’t handicapped by the completely unnecessary non-linear scenes, but in a way it was almost too focused on Barbara’s angst. Don’t get me wrong – I love good character elements in a story, but some of her actions made no sense at all. Why would she let someone escape who just helped to commit a murder? Why would the murderer take a back-seat to the main villain himself? I understand the obsession with Weaver, but Grotesque was treated as almost an afterthought during the whole story.

I was hoping for a story in which Barbara struggled with her demons while she confronted a serious threat – instead she pretty much shut down and ignored the murderer in favor of the two-bit henchman who she knew was at least partly reformed. That wouldn’t have been so bad if that poor decision had some sort of negative consequence – but it didn’t. She defeated Grotesque almost by accident – he happened to be there, and she was able to defeat him with almost no effort at all. A real poor showing for a character that had real potential as a long-term antagonist.

So these two issues have been something of a downer. There is some interesting potential with James Gordon, Jr., and that is keeping my interest for next month. However if the kind of story we got in the past two issues is a sign of things to come, it could mean bad things for this title. There are hints of a better Barbara Gordon character here, but the negatives kind of outweigh the positives. To me, this isn’t a strong, independent heroine – the Batgirl we got in this issue was a basket-case who lets murderers go free, and if she had confronted a more serious threat, there would be a lot of blood on her hands.

Simone has definitely given us better.

RELEASED SO FAR

Daredevil #10.1, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 04/04/2012 ON TIME
Batgirl #8, $2.99, DC Comics. Due out 04/11/2012 ON TIME

STILL TO COME

The Defenders #5, $3.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 04/18/2012
Reed Gunther #10, $2.99, Image Comics, Due out 04/18/2012
Batman #8, $3.99, DC Comics. Due out 04/18/2012
Blue Beetle #8, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 04/18/2012
Nightwing #8, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 04/18/2012
John Carter: Gods of Mars #2 (of 5), $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 04/18/2012
The Sixth Gun #21, $3.99, Oni Press. Due Out 04/18/2012
Daredevil #11, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 04/25/2012
Wolverine #305, $3.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 04/25/2012

TRADE BANK – $6.00
Daytripper TP, $19.99, DC Comics. Due out 02/01/2012

$1.98 (Bank from March) + $40.00 (April Budget) = $41.98
$41.98 – $36.89 (April Issues) – $2.86 (tax) – $2.00 (Trade Bank Deposit) = $0.23 Banked for May

We’ve got a heavy week next week, with seven titles from the list coming out. It is a strange pattern – it seems like no matter what titles we pick, they tend to eventually gravitate to one week of the month. I don’t know if that is just the titles I am picking or if it is an ordinary thing in the comic industry – it could just be a wild coincidence.

Thanks again for reading, and as always – I look forward to hearing what you think. See you next week!
Support cxPulp and order Daytripper on Amazon.com!

JANUARY 2012

Reade: Welcome to a new year! Sorry for the delay, but I just woke up from a very serious party. Either I had a really good time, or someone else did, at my expense.

Schatz: More like at your SEXpense, amirite?

Reade: No soreness to report, so I doubt the night was that interesting.

Schatz: Maybe its like the sex equivalent of punching someone through a phone book?

Reade: I am not even sure what that means, and honestly I am afraid to ask…

Schatz: We call it “The Canadian Turnbuckle”.

Reade: I think we are going to move on before finding out what that is. We want to keep what readers we have…

DECEMBER COMICS

The Defenders #1, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 12/07/2011 ON TIME
Written by Matt Fraction, Pencils by Terry Dodson, Color by Sonia Oback, Inks by Rachel Dodson

In Bucharest, something of another plane emerges, and The Hulk seeks some old allies to help deal with the problem. Nul, the “Breaker of Worlds” is the personification of all of Hulk’s rage, hatred, power, and strength, and it has taken shape and attacked. Hulk can’t approach it, for fear of it merging with him, so he recruits Doctor Strange, Namor, and the Silver Surfer to confront the threat. The trio seek the aid of the Red She-Hulk and Iron Fist, and go off in search of the Black Hulk. The group fly to Wundagore Mountain, but they are shot down just as they arrive.

Schatz: This is your more typical, prerequisite “and now the gang is together” issue – but more so than most issues like this, the issue was a lot of fun. Sometimes life just feels like the bullshit that gets in the way of you and reading comics.

Reade: That’s pretty much how I read it. It looks like they are gearing up for a heavy-action story, which the right thing to do I think. Hopefully Doctor Strange remains the focus, for a while… I do enjoy Fraction’s take on him.

Schatz: His “James Spader as Doctor Strange” approach?

Reade: I don’t know if that is how I would put it, but this Strange is a little more human. He still has all the normal “man” desires, but he doesn’t seem really interested in it at all. It is almost like an annoyance. I was shocked when they started this issue that way – I was wondering if they mistook Strange for Tony Stark. It didn’t take too long for those fears to be put to rest.

Schatz: Which is good, considering the fact that he’s still writing Tony. If the characters were exactly the same, there’d be a failing on his part.

Reade: While Fraction isn’t perfect – I don’t think he is that prone to failure. He’s fantastic at characters, and I can’t see him mixing those two up. But then, I’ve seen stranger things in comics.

Did we have to have Red She-Hulk in this book though? What the heck is wrong with normal She-Hulk?

Schatz: I don’t know. Regular She-Hulk doesn’t have a swank ass sword, though. Maybe they were going with a closer Hulk tie?

Reade: Possible. If there is anything interesting that could come out of it, it is an ongoing thing between Bruce and Betty. That’s the only real thing of interest to me there.

Schatz: I know that Hulk won’t be a regular part of this book – just a catalyst in this case. This book is pretty much only populated by characters who can’t carry their own series.

Reade: Oh well, my only reason for liking Betty being there dashed. I’ll just have to suck it up I suppose.

Schatz: We’ll see how her inclusion goes in the upcoming issues. A lot of times, characters I didn’t even know I liked become favourites during the course of weird books like this.

—

Reed Gunther #6, $2.99, Image Comics, Due Out 12/07/2011 ON TIME
Written by Shane Houghton, Art by Chris Houghton

Angry that the boys are keeping her awake with their rowdy storytelling, she demands an interesting story from Reed – since she can no longer sleep. He relates the story of his youth. It seems as a child, despite his father’s efforts, he wasn’t good at any of the most basic chores. He couldn’t even ride! That all changed when hr finds Sterling in a bear trap, about to be set upon by a demonic man. The two come together to escape danger, and Reed comes out of the situation not only able to ride, but he no longer takes “guff” from anyone!

Schatz: WHEN HE WAS A KID HE WORE A MUSTACHE ON HIS FACE, CRAIG. THIS IS A THING THAT HAPPENED.

Reade: I wasn’t sure Reed could do anything to make him cooler, and then that happened. Pretty bad-ass if you ask me.

Schatz: This book has come a long way from the first issue – which was solid enough, but not quite essential. It’s elevated itself to something that I can’t wait to read every month.

Reade: The improvement has been extremely obvious. In the beginning, there was a lot of “this happened, then this happened,” with some silliness thrown in there. The latter has been toned down just enough – or at least has been more appropriate. The characters are more three dimensional, and that has made a world of difference.

Schatz: More than anything, you can see this book’s roots as a self published thing. The first issue was something greener than, say, what Image would publish as a first work. This was something judged as a part of a whole, I would think, considering the pitch would’ve contained five complete issues, more or less.

Reade: The improvement in such a sort time is absolutely remarkable. I know it has been a long time between this issue, and the original story… but the maturation process is so stark that you can’t help but notice it.

I have little doubt talent is playing a role here, but I wonder if starting with the slightly-silly has something to do with that? So many new writers start with the dark, serious, angsty stories, and fall totally flat. The silliness really hid the immaturity, and allowed Houghton to experiment a little bit.

Schatz: Sort of a “I’m not taking this seriously, so howsabout y’all relax a bit” thing?

Reade: Something like that. That or a “This is a funny book, so if I do something wrong you can just laugh at it” thing.

Schatz: Either way, the series is GREAT, and I’m glad its become what it has. And that we kept it on the list to see it mature like that.

—

Severed #5, $2.99, Image Comics. Due Out 12/14/2011 ON TIME
Written by Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft, Art by Attila Futaki, Color by Greg Guilhaumond

Jack takes to the road with The Salesman, heading South. The two appear to bond, and The Salesman even saves Jack when he ends up on the wrong side of a violent pimp. The Salesman isn’t able to restrain his violent tendencies, and he scalps the pimp. Jack sees the attack and becomes suspicious. The next day he discovers his wallet in The Salesman’s luggage, and realizes there might be something more to his story.

Schatz: It would’ve been creepy enough if Jack was straight up eaten, but even more disturbing… he seems to be getting… groomed? Either way, there’s some serious Treasure Planet shit going on here.

Reade: Having not seen Treasure Planet, I can’t comment, but The Salesman certainly has an interesting vibe going for him. Does he have a compulsion that needs to be satisfied by eating children… something that he only has to resort to on occasion, or is Jack something special? When you can write a story where the reader asks “Why hasn’t he killed him yet?” I think you have something special.

Schatz: As I’ve said before, I don’t really care much for horror stories, because I don’t much care for being creeped out and/or scared. But the characters here are infectious, and the story, even more so. I can’t predict where this book is going at all, and that, to me, is a huge success.

Reade: Well, they are soliciting this as a seven issue series, so with only two issues left, I expect the tension will be finally boiling over next issue. Have to put Jack in the worst possible situation when The Salesman finally snaps – so he can (perhaps?) get out of it next issue. Should be decent!

—

Batman #4, $2.99, DC Comics. Due out 12/21/2011 ON TIME
Written by Scott Snyder, Pencils by Greg Capullo, Colors by FCO, Ink by Jonathan Glapion

Batman investigates a series of old bases, all in buildings constructed by the Waynes in the 19th Century. They all appear to match an old story about the “Court of Owls,” and their shadow assassin Talon. The problem is – The Court of Owls doesn’t exist, Batman proved that years ago. At least, he thought he did. After relating the story of his previous investigation to Dick, Batman heads back out to follow up on a lead. It is that moment that someone decides to strike.

Schatz: Still really loving this Batman book. Specifically, that it brings in Bruce into the picture – whereas more and more it seems like the Batman books tend to focus solely on Batman, and Bruce as a means to an end. This story actual as some Bruce parallels, but there’s a bit of separation present.

Reade: I enjoy the fact that he has gone back to the lore of Gotham City, though hopefully that isn’t at the heart of all of his stories. I have a feeling he will hit the bottom of that well rather soon if that is the case. The focus on Batman as a detective is also welcome – so many writers forget that aspect of his character, or at least don’t have the skill to write it well so they gloss over it. I think we picked a pretty good issue to jump on board this one.

Schatz: Synder has been doing a great job of making every issue in this run so far highly accessible – which is really how things should be done. It seems corny when presented in trade paperback now, but that’s why all the old stories did the clunky bits of dialogue where the characters all say their names and powers and whatever. The way this series is being produced is a little like that, but with a lot more subtly at play.

Reade: Imagine that, a writer telling a story tailored to the serial comic format, instead of the trade. What will they think of next?

Schatz: I don’t believe such a thing exists. Next thing you know you’ll be telling me women know how to READ and want some comics with a touch less boobs.

Reade: Now you are just talking crazy.

—

Generation Hope #14, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 12/21/11 ON TIME
Written by James Asmus, Art by Ibraim Roberson, Color by Jim Charalampidis

Zero taps into Velocidad’s powers to protect the team from the blast… unfortunately No Girl’s been injured. Zero finds a way to stabilize her, but Pixie is missing, kidnapped by Jin and his team. Hope interrogates Sebastian Shaw, but he has no memory of who he was, and reveals that he was simply bringing the fight to people he believed to be butchers. The two teams come to blows, and with Sebastian’s help they are able to defeat Jin and rescue Pixie. But when they port back to Utopia, Scott Summers sees who they have brought back with them.

Schatz: Oh dang Craig, do you think there might be shenanigans afoot? I’ll admit, this is a pretty nice twist. Still not as enamored with the new writer, but I gots my tastes.

Reade: I am just stunned that none of them knew who Sebastian Shaw was. You would think big-name mutants with a taste for violence would be on the curriculum. That, or Hope would know something about him.

Bringing up Emma’s tainted past is a welcome change – outside her acting like a bitch, they hardly ever bring up that she was once a villain. Multiple layers of conflict make for a good story, and Asmus has done a great job introducing that into the story. I think this team is a lot deeper under his pen thus far.

Schatz: Hope’s team hasn’t really been taught much other than how to fight… but that said, they sure did go to that museum of mutant history that one time, didn’t they.

Reade: Part of combat training is learning about who you might fact, and what different power sets you might encounter. He is one that I don’t see them realistically skipping over. But then again, that is nitpicking way too much.

Schatz: More often than not, I’m good if the story is decent and makes sense overall. In the end, I think this is still an interesting story, the way its being told. Hopefully, we’ll see it continue for a while longer.

—

Blue Beetle #4, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 12/21/2011 ON TIME
Written by Tony Bedard, Pencils by Ig Guara, Color by Pete Pantazis, Inks by J.P. Mayer

We find Paco at a party, where he has to explain what happened to his face, and even worse – his car. As he is explaining what happened to his gang, Silverback arrives with the wreckage of his car, and announces that they are looking for Paco. Paco flees while his gang tries to cover for him, but the fight goes poorly for them.

The next morning, Jaime’s mom sees what she thinks is a tattoo on Jaime’s back – in reality it is a sensor input unit for the scarab. Jaime continues to struggle with the scarab’s violent tendencies, fighting it off as it tries to kill a school bully. He learns from Brenda that Paco was targeted, and he catches up with Silverback’s gang as they arrive at Paco’s house. Blue Beetle wins the day, but Paco learns of his identity. And the scarab can’t have that.

Schatz: Uhhh… so hey, if that actually happened, then I am legit surprised by this turn of events. I know the scarab always WAS a straight up dick, but DANG.

Reade: I have a sneaking suspicion that the Scarab is going to demonstrate some healing abilities. If there is one thing Bedard’s run is doing that I don’t remember for the original, it’s that he is doing a better job showing the conflict between Jaime and the Scarab. That was always implied before, but he never had this journey – something we can possibly blame on the event atmosphere of the time.

It took a few issues, but we finally are seeing something I think was worth relaunching for. I’m still not sure it was necessary, but Bedard really is making the most of it.

Schatz: I’ll always defer to the old series, it seems, as I like the lighter kinds of stories that happened there better. That said, this series certainly fits better within this new DCU, which is quite a bit stabby. Except for OMAC, and maybe Frankenstein.

Reade: Best forget about those anyway.

Schatz: All told, this is still a pretty good series, and I’d gladly continue reading it.

—

Nightwing #4, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 12/21/2011 ON TIME
Written by Kyle Higgins, Art by Trevor McCarthy, Color by Guy Major

Batgirl goes after Spinebender, who has stolen some microchips, but the shapeshifter manages to evade her. She decides to go and see Dick Grayson for help, and finds him spending some quality time with Raya. Batgirl and Nightwing try and head off Spinebender, who they believe will be trying to sell the chips to some weapons manufacturers. Spinebender makes his move, and the heroes win the day.

Dick’s time with Barbara clears his head a little, and he is able to make sense of a clue that Mr. Haly left him. It leads him to an old tome filled with names – none of which he recognizes. Except for his own, of course.

Schatz: A slight detour from the main plot, but still pretty nice. I liked the bit of a Batgirl team up – much more civil than their meeting in Batgirl, but really, the two served a couple of very different purposes.

All in all, I think I’m enjoying Higgens’ take on Dick. Even if, say, the whole DCU is rocking a bit of a darker look than I’d like.

Reade: It is certainly darker, but I blame the coloring in this title for it more than anything. The look is darker, but the story really isn’t. In fact, my brief exposure to the Batman titles has shown a bit of a brighter side than we are used to – Gotham is still a dark place (or wherever a Bat-brat is), but the characters themselves have shed their angst, and are once again rays of light in a very dark place.

I liked the change of pace – the Barbara/Dick relationship really needed to be addressed quickly with the change of status, and this issue really reminded me how good Barbara was as Batgirl. It was easy to forget with how strong her character had become as Oracle, but I really enjoyed what she had to offer here. Good stuff.

Schatz: Say what you will about the Oracle/Batgirl change, DC has made it absolutely clear that they are willing to do the hard work it takes to make something like this feel like a valid choice. It’s fairly regressive, but I can’t argue with the kinds of stories they now get to tell because of the change.

Reade: In some cases, a return to the original can be a good thing – especially since comics tend to replace long-time characters for no reason other than simple marketing. And the replacement is rarely as loved as the original. Batgirl was different – Barbara having to move on was such a good story in of itself that backtracking was seen as bad – why throw that story away?

I am still not a big fan of the way they handled the relaunch – in many ways it was cowardly, half-ass, and lazy. There are some high-points, and I think this is going to turn out to be one of them. For however long it lasts.

Schatz: I know all the Bat books are doing phenomenally well – way, way above the numbers the old line of bonus Bat-books were bringing in prelaunch. Hopefully that sticks? Especially in this case. But we’ll see.

—

Daredevil #7, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 12/21/2011 ON TIME
Written by Mark Waid, Pencils by Paolo Rivera, Color by Javier Rodriguez, Ink by Joe Rivera

Matt goes on a field trip with the Cresskill School for the Blind that isn’t going to well – their hotel reservations were double booked, and they were turned away. Unfortunately their school bus was forced to take a detour during a blizzard, and to make matters worse – a deer causes the bus to crash, killing the driver. Matt is forced to lead a group of blind children through the snow – even though he is limping, freezing, and has a possible concussion.

Schatz: This book is still too much dang fun. A great little single issue story, a nice holiday tale, and more importantly, still hilarious and serious enough at turns. Still love his sweater in this issue. It took a few years, but finally, someone figured out a way to pull Matt Murdock out of Frank Miller’s shadow.

Reade: Thank goodness for that. Have I mentioned yet how much I love this run?

The small things are great. Matt had no issue whipping out the Daredevil costume, and they didn’t even bother trying to justify it by explaining that the kids were all blind. I would have found that cheap, and not really enough of a justification for my taste. The attitude made me like his character all the more. If that is possible.

Schatz: The team they placed on Daredevil is absolutely working. It was a huge gamble, and as Mark Waid has said in the past, if it wasn’t selling, within months the book would be back to its “now he has no limbs” style of character work that has been prevalent in the last few runs. Thank goodness this is resonating.

Reade: In an ideal world, this book shouldn’t have been a gamble, but I’ve realized that good taste doesn’t necessarily mean popular taste. It’s a sad world we live in.

—

Captain America and Bucky #625, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 12/28/11 ON TIME
Written by James Asmus and Ed Brubaker, Art by Francesco Francavilla

Fred Davis reminisces in a speech about how he and Bill Naslund became the new Captain America and Bucky after the originals went missing – presumed dead. He is attacked during his speech by the very same android that killed Naslund – but Captain America is there and manages to destroy the robot. Fred ends up in the hospital, where he tells Steve the story of Naslund’s death (as seen in “Captain America: Patriot”), when a man claiming to be Bill Naslund arrives at the hospital! The man ends up being the grandson of the original, and has come as a representative of the Pentagon offering their help investigating where the android came from. They set out to investigate the android, with the help of the original Human Torch, and we see an ominous figure dressed as Bucky emerge with a rifle.

Schatz: Very odd to see the return of the “recon” Cap and Bucky here, but oddly fitting, considering what this series was, and where it seems to be going. A bit different than the last arc, but still in the dame vein. Plus, I LOVE Francavilla’s art.

Reade: If they were going to tell a modern Captain America and Bucky story, I would much rather see a look back at old Captain America lore than something connected to the rest of the Marvel Universe. I had to brace myself before opening this issue up – but it wasn’t needed at all. Once again this was a fantastic story.

I have to agree with you – the art is a perfect fit. I don’t think it would work well in most titles, but the nostalgic feel of this book is perfect.

Schatz: It’s what I love about the more ancillary books at either company – they can certainly get away with some aesthetics that don’t quite fit the house style, story-wise and art-wise. This is a great read that could not possibly be the main Captain America book… because… well, it wouldn’t get the readers Marvel would want for such a watershed book. Very glad this book still exists.

Reade: I just hope it continues to exist. I still have doubts that they can successfully maintain this quality and tone if they shift to adventures with a modern focus. This story takes place in the present, but still has a classic appeal. It’s not time to complain that is getting stale yet, though (because it isn’t), so I will just try and keep faith that this title will remain strong.

Schatz: It’s sales are pretty good, and with Cap being in such a limelight lately, Marvel is glad to have another book putting book shelf product on the stands – especially one with a different asthetic than the main book, which is what they try to do when they have more than one title running anymore. I think it’s a good choice and a good move on Marvel’s part to keep this book around. I just hope the sales keep coming, and don’t trickle down too far.

—

Justice League Dark #4, $2.99, DC Comics. Due out 12/28/2011 ON TIME
Written by Peter Milligan, Art by Mikel Janin, Color by Ulises Arreola

Deadman tries to protect a woman named June Moone from Enchantress, who has gone mad. Enchantress claims to be her darker half, and wants to reabsorb her. But she accidentally absorbs Deadman instead! Deadman easily escapes, and reveals that it was not the real Enchantress, just a shell. June suggests that they go back to his apartment. We jump to Dove, who has just returned home and finds John Constantine there, waiting for Deadman.

Zatanna takes the fight to Enchantress herself, and finds out where she is hiding. Unfortunately her magic doesn’t work for some reason, and she is badly beaten by Enchantress’s shells before she is able to escape. Madame Xanadu, meanwhile, is keeping herself heavily medicated, all in an effort to focus her visions and track down the rogue Enchantress. Deadman, meanwhile, leads June towards a final confrontation with the dark witch.

Schatz: Whelp, Peter Milligan sure is a strange one. Generally I like the guy, and this series has been no exception. I like seeing a team dealing with these kinds of things. The Justice League label makes its bit amusing, because even with it’s DARK designation, this is decidedly different than any different kind of JUSTICE LEAGUE book on the shelves…

Reade: I have to admit – this was a tough book to get through. Unlike Batman, we picked a bad spot to jump on. Even still, the story was all over the place. I was hoping for a Shadowpact-like title, and I don’t think we got that. Unfortunately, I am not totally sure what we got.

Schatz: I’ve got a little bit more of some background knowledge on this book and where it’s been, but I’ll agree with you – coming at it from a single issue stand point, it wasn’t a very good jumping on point. And I think now more than ever, with digital being a means of delivery, there should be an emphasis on good single issue story telling, even if the books are part of a bigger storyline. Because no one likes to purchase, say, a song on the iTunes and get part of a song, you know? People are looking for a bit of completion. You pay $2.99, you get a TV episode downloaded to your computer. You pay $2.99, you should be able to get a story that has a bit of a start, and a stop, even if its being serialized.

Reade: Hell, even a good recap page would have made a world of difference in this case.

Schatz: And that’s definitely one thing that Marvel has going for them. I know Dan Didio has gone on record as hating recap pages – but honestly, they WORK. I love ‘em – and more often than not, I need them, what with all the different books I end up reading to keep going at the store. Sometimes I’ll swing in and out of books, just to get a feel for what’s going on in books I really do need to have a working knowledge of to sell them better at the store.

Reade: Not to diminish your need for them, but the readers need them as well. I can’t think of a single good reason not to include them – not even the extra page for story. If they need the room that bad, they can cut back on the ridiculous amount of padding we see these days. I’d far rather go without that.

And what better way for a potential buyer to see what kind of thing is in the book than a recap page? They help you sell the book, but they also help the book sell itself.

Schatz: How about those two ridiculous pages of filler sketches and whatnot that they’ve been putting in the issues instead of letters? I kinda want the letters back, myself. I loved letter pages back in the day.

Reade: Agreed. Save the filler sketches. Unless they are going to do full-blown back-up stories… an idea I like. But they may as well add some pages if they are going to do that.

—

LATE AND UNRELEASED TITLES

Guns & Dinos #1 (of 3), $2.99, Image Comics. Due Out 11/16/2011 DELAYED – DUE OUT ?

Reade: Well, still haven’t seen an official date on this one, but I am hearing now that it won’t be out until sometime near Summer. Have you seen anything on this one? If that is the case, it may be an idea to drop it. At least for the time being. It is well past the 2 month grace period anyway.

Schatz: Off she goes. Seriously, this is starting to get ridiculous.

DROPPED: Guns & Dinos #1 (of 3), $2.99, Image Comics. Due Out 11/16/2011

Reade: I’m very glad you agree on this one. Why on Earth would you solicit a book from a notoriously late artist when he doesn’t even have the first issue completed? How can you sell something that doesn’t exist at all?

Schatz: Magic pixie dust. Wait no, that’s how you fly to Neverland. Well, that, and I think believing you can fly.

Reade: Well, when you are on that Dust, you think you can do a lot of things.

THE CHOPPING BLOCK AND NEW TITLES

The List So Far

The Defenders #2, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 01/04/2012
Reed Gunther #7, $2.99, Image Comics, Due Out 01/11/2012
Severed #6, $2.99, Image Comics. Due Out 01/11/2012
Daredevil #8, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 01/11/2012
Batman #5, $2.99, DC Comics. Due out 01/18/2012
Generation Hope #15, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 01/18/12
Blue Beetle #5, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 01/18/2012
Nightwing #5, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 01/18/2012
Captain America and Bucky #625, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 01/25/12
Justice League Dark #5, $2.99, DC Comics. Due out 01/25/2012
The Sixth Gun #18, $3.99, Oni Press. Due Out 01/25/2012

TRADE BANK – $7.00
John Carter: A Princess of Mars TP, $14.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 02/01/2012
Daytripper TP, $19.99, DC Comics. Due out 02/01/2012

Current January Budget – $43.33
Value of uncut December List: $36.52

Reade: Well, a ton of on-time titles and a pair of books in the Trade Bank leaves us with an interesting dilemma. As of now, we do have enough to add another title with a very minimal trade bank deposit… That is obviously not an ideal solution. Compounding the problem, Daredevil is crossing over with Amazing-Spider-Man this month, and while there is no way we will be adding that to the regular list, it might be a good idea to add issue #677 to get the full story.

Schatz: It’ll be a great idea. In that Mark Waid will still be writing, and EMMA FREAKIN RIOS will be doing the art. I believe that is her legal name.

ADDED: Amazing Spider-Man #677, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 01/11/2012

Reade: I am on board with adding that issue. If we do that, however, we are limiting ourselves to adding a mere $3.50 to the trade bank. Under normal conditions that might be a good thing, but we did just add a pair of Trades to the Trade Bank – both are due out in February. While I am not under any illusion that we are getting both next month, I would like to get one – and we will be cutting it very close if we do that. Should we push it, or do we need to discuss making another cut?

Schatz: I say we can cut another book, get a bit more breathing room.

Reade: Justice League Dark?

Schatz: Yeah, I figure that’s our best bet, really. The others, I’m enjoying too much to get rid of.

DROPPED: Justice League Dark #5, $2.99, DC Comics. Due out 01/25/2012

Reade: So then, $6.00 to the Trade Bank, and call it a day?

Schatz: Let’s math this shit out, Craigers J.

ADDED: $6.00 to the Trade Bank

THE MATH

The Defenders #2, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 01/04/2012
Amazing Spider-Man #677, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 01/11/2012
Reed Gunther #7, $2.99, Image Comics, Due Out 01/11/2012
Severed #6, $2.99, Image Comics. Due Out 01/11/2012
Daredevil #8, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 01/11/2012
Batman #5, $2.99, DC Comics. Due out 01/18/2012
Generation Hope #15, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 01/18/12
Blue Beetle #5, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 01/18/2012
Nightwing #5, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 01/18/2012
Captain America and Bucky #625, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 01/25/12
The Sixth Gun #18, $3.99, Oni Press. Due Out 01/25/2012

TRADE BANK – $13.50
John Carter: A Princess of Mars TP, $14.99, Marvel Comics. Due out 02/01/2012
Daytripper TP, $19.99, DC Comics. Due out 02/01/2012

$.11 (Bank from December) + $40.00 (January Budget) + $3.22 (Guns & Dinos #1) = $43.33
$42.54 – $33.89 (January Issues) – $2.63 (tax) – $6.00 (trade bank deposit) = $.02 Banked for February

Reade: And that wraps us up for another month! Thanks for reading!

Schatz: Hasta el fuego!

Originally posted on 01/11/2012 on cxPulp.com. Head on over to read and comment there!

Originally posted on 03/04/2011 on cxPulp.com. Read and comment on this article here!

Review by: Craig Reade
Issue: Volume CXXXI No. 5, 112 Pages
Editor: Stanley Schmidt
AnalogSF.com—Last month we got a politics-heavy issue. This month the theme has shifted to animals!
—

“Too Easy?” (editorial)
by Stanley Schmidt

The best of Stanley Schmidt’s articles are often food-for-thought pieces… this month being one of them. He spends some time providing examples of ways that technology may have made things too easy. He provides a great example – police using hidden GPS devices to follow the every movement of a suspect. Police have always been able to tail someone out in public without a warrant, but the act of doing that required a large manhour expense, making it difficult and expensive. There was no need to require a warrant, because it was simply impractical to do unless you had a very real suspicion that the tail would prove fruitful. Remote GPS tracking eliminates that expense. As much as a reader might recoil against the idea of such tracking, Schmidt changes the argument by bringing up an identical example that common people would favor… digital piracy. An outstanding opening – and a great way of framing both issues that absolutely demands you reexamine your position on the issues.

—

“Tower of Worlds” (novella)
by Rajnar Vajra

I really enjoyed this story, despite the somewhat vague setting. The Tower of Worlds appears to be a literal tower located… somewhere. Some of the characters debate the Tower’s location, but ultimately have no answers. The different levels of the tower are almost totally isolated from one another, with each level serving as a home to one intelligent species or another. The plot unfolds on a human level, where the rulers are scheming to launch an invasion of the surrounding levels. In order to do so, they implement a genetic engineering program in an effort to create controllable soldiers that can live and thrive in alien environments. Rejects are usually killed, but as you might expect – a few escape and survive, with the help of a mysterious representative of the “Captains of the Tower.”

There is a lot of potential with this story – it read like something that could be developed into a novel, or series of novels, quite easily. As it is, the story is entertaining and easy to get into. I really enjoyed this one. You can check it out yourself – they’ve posted a good size preview online here.

—

“To the Outer Solar System and Beyond: Psychological Issues in Deep Space” (essay)
by Nick Kanas, M.D.

Informative, I suppose, but I don’t think Kanas really told us anything that wasn’t already a common sense conclusion. Of course an astronaut cut off from humanity, limited to a very few individuals for social interaction would be in psychological danger. Of course the longer the trip, the more extreme the potential for danger. Of course humans would be hesitant to go into suspended animation, putting their lives in the hands of a computer. Of course there is a danger of eventual revolt in a generational ship. All of the points made in this story have been explored time and time again in fiction. I am really not sure what the point of this article was, other than to provide a comprehensive, common sense list. It does put a later story, The Old Man’s Best in perspective, and perhaps makes that one a little more enjoyable, but outside that there wasn’t much of use here.

—

“Boumee and the Apes” (short story)
by Ian McHugh

This is the first animal story of the month – well, second, if you count Tower of Worlds. The protagonists are pachyderms of some sort – probably mastadons of some kind. The creatures have an intelligence, and their pack behavior is presented as a highly social system. They are also depicted using tools, and as having a degree of intelligence and self awareness. The story begins when a group of primitive men attack a character with spears – killing him. This leads to an intense debate among the pachyderms as to whether or not the humans (apes) are sentient beings.

I enjoyed this story – but I have to admit, it instantly occured to me why this story was published in a science fiction periodical. Then it hit me – in order for a story to be deemed science fiction, technology has to be a central component. It doesn’t say “advanced” technology, just technology, Without the humans ability to craft a spear, this story would not have any basis. Very creative. Another strong story.

—

“The Wolf and the Panther Were Lovers” (short story)
by Walter L. Kleine

In another animal story, we follow a card shark as he heads into a western town, attempting to skim a little money off of some unsuspecting gamblers. But he quickly believes that the town is trying to take him for a ride when they introduce him to the most unusual couple he has ever seen – a wolf and a panther who can speak. The story was ultimately pretty clever, but I have to admit that Kleine could have done a better job sucking me into it. I really wasn’t into the gambling motivation – I don’t think it was really needed.

—

“What I Did On My Summer Vacation” (Probability Zero, flash fiction)
by Jerry Oltion

I am really enjoying this feature. This little story takes place at an “MMORPG Summer Camp” – a kid’s dream. Only it ends up being a Gold Farm Bank. How do the kids react? Good stuff.

—

“”Goldilocks” Gliese 581G: A Fairlytale?” (The Alternate View, column)
by John G. Cramer

How extra-solar planets are discovered seems to be a common topic in Analog these days – but the discovery of these worlds is so closely tied with the inspiration of so many science fiction stories, this is hardly a surprise. Cramer does something that we don’t do nearly enough anymore – in any area. He went back and re-examined an old story, this one the discovery of the potentially life-supporting Gliese 581G. As you might expect, the news might not be nearly as exciting as we thought. People are generally really interested in the first piece of information released, but rarely maintain interest long enough for the follow-through, where the real truth is found. I am glad Analog and Cramer decided to take another look at this one.

The Alternate View: “Goldilocks” Gliese 581G: A Fairlytale?

—

“The Old Man’s Best” (short story)
by Bud Sparhawk

“To the Outer Solar System and Beyond: Psychological Issues in Deep Space” helped strengthen the motivations of these characters, but outside that this story just kind of went through the motions. The two men in this story are working aboard a station orbiting Jupiter. Homesick, they decide to try and replicate one joy from home and brew beer. Illicitly of course. Not a terrible concept – but the conclusion was kind of telegraphed and I was a little bored by the uncreativity of the protagonists. Maybe not a concept that works as the central focus of the story.

—

“Elipses …” (novelette)
by Ron Collins

I honestly didn’t really get this one. The protagonist sees his neighbor digging holes in his back yard, and thinks they are bodies. Unable to live with the uncertainty – he digs one up himself, discovers some strange electronic equipment, and is discovered and kidnapped as a result. He witnesses some strange things while tied up in the basement (aliens? spies?), and eventually escapes, only to punch out some guy who made a racial slur against Mexicans. Oh yeah, his adopted daughter is Mexican. Yeah, I don’t get that last part either.

I’m not sure where Collins was going with this one. There is potentially something here, but it probably should have been developed a little more.

—

“Blind Spot” (novelette)
by Bond Elam

In this hard-boiled sci-fi detective story, the PI is hired to track down someone who is holding a memory-altering formula for ransom. The basic premise reminds me of the theme that ‘Adjustment’ movie in theaters now, but there’s enough here to make it an original concept. The story is a decent enough read – I wasn’t blown away, but I wasn’t bored with it either.

—

And as usual, the issue wraps up with Don Sakers’ always informative Reference Library along with Brass Tacks and Upcoming Events.

The issue was decent – but the quality of the stories fell within extremes. There were very few stories that were just solid – most were outstanding, but there were a couple real stinkers in there to balance things out. I did enjoy the read this month, as I do every month.

Overall Rating:

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Originally posted on 03/04/2011 on cxPulp.com. Read and comment on this review here!

Reviewer: Craig Reade
Quick Rating: Makes me miss the days when Teen Titans was good.
Title: Horror Business Part One of Five

Scott loses his job in Cleveland’s Animal Control Department, and his new job is a little more unusual than he expects.

Written by: Stephan Nilson
Pencils by: Karl Waller
Color by: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Ink by: Rick Bonilla
Letters by: Charles Pritchett
Cover by: Karl Waller, Ron Riley, and Rick Bonilla
Publisher: IDW (Digital), Frozen Beach Studios

The story starts off with a quick sequence that finds a typical “damsel in distress” being chased down by a trio of thugs who looking to rob her (perhaps worse?). She is momentarily saved by an unseen force, but before she can finish breathing that sigh of relief, her savior turns on her as well. We then move to our protagonist’s story, and you quickly put two and two together and realize that this story is going to be about dog catchers who capture werewolves. Ok – that’s something unique. The Pound is something of a slow starter, but off the bat I have to say that Nilson does a pretty good job of keeping your interest through a somewhat dry portion of this story.

A lot of time is spent introducing Scott, his family, and Howie – and teaching us a bit about who our pair of protagonists are before they decide to go into business together. We find that Scott is a hardworking, old fashioned kind of guy who is too proud to take charity (but, for some reason has no trouble riding on unemployment for a while… not sure what that is about). Howie’s young and a little naive, but insightful and energetic to take a piece of advice and learn the correct lesson from it – even if it wasn’t the lesson intended. The two look like they will share an interesting dynamic as this story progresses. While I would have preferred a little less time spent on character introduction, I have to admit in the end that Nilson didn’t waste the time. Not only do we know who these guys are, but they are more than generic ex-Dogcatchers. That’s going to make the rest of this series much easier to read. The team is hoping to turn this concept into a “Series of Mini-Series” if this one does well. If they are successful, the groundwork laid out in this issue will be that much more important.

The art is strong overall. The characters are all distinct and unique, and Waller does an outstanding job keeping their looks consistent. He also isn’t afraid to toy with perspective a little bit – a few scenes appear “shot” from above or askew in effective ways. Mechanically the art is great – he can draw different characters in different situations from different angles, and have them look as they are supposed to. The “storytelling” aspect of the art shows occasional flaws – particularly on action scenes or panels that are very crowded. At these times you sometimes find yourself having to pause a moment and analyze what is going on, deciphering the art in the panel based on the dialogue, and what you think should be happening based on the panels before and after. It’s a minor issue – and not representative of all the work in the issue, but it stuck out enough that I felt I needed to point it out. Besides that minor quibble, the book has an outstanding look. It’s easy on the eyes and the style is appropriate to the story’s feel. The art contributes to the story in a meaningful way, which means it has done its job.

The Pound is going to start off as a part of IDW‘s Digital Storefront, with the first issue set for a March 30th release. The future of comics in the new digital age is a common topic of debate, but we are now starting to see some of that future become a reality. Independent comics could benefit a great deal from the advanced medium, so it will be very interesting to watch how titles like The Pound do. IDW’s Digital Storefront is available on iTunes, if you’d like to check this one out on its release, and the series will be collected and printed for a release on August 31st, 2011.

The Pound #1 was a fun read – and I anticipate future issues will be a nice blend of horror and comedy. I’m looking forward to checking out the second issue.

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Originally posted on 03/02/2011 on cxPulp.com. Read and comment on this article here!

Reviewer: Craig Reade
Quick Rating: Excellent

Jennifer Strange must cope with the unfortunate demise of Dragonkind

Author: Jasper Fforde
Publication Date: November 4th, 2010
Pages: 280
ISBN: 1444707175
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Let me tell you, it was hard to snag a copy of this one. For whatever reason, it was not released in the United States. I was able to order it direct through Amazon and import it, but even that turned into something of a chore. I ordered this book shortly after Christmas, and due to normal international shipping times and increased security, it took almost 2 months to arrive. I don’t know if it was worth the wait or not, but it certainly was an enjoyable read.

Fforde is most known for his Thursday Next series, but American readers probably aren’t as familiar with his other works. This is another one that is sure to fall under the radar for some reason – I’ve never understood why he didn’t take off as an author in this country. His writing is characterized by a dry, witty absurdity that is truly unique. I am happy to say that those who appreciate those qualities in his writing will find that The Last Dragonslayer is very much a typical Fforde book.

The story follows Jennifer Strange, who is going to turn fifteen in just two weeks. She is an orphan who was abandoned outside a sort-of convent in a VW Beetle, and eventually finds herself an indentured servant working for Kazam Mystical Arts Management. Though she has very little magical ability, she proves to be an effective manager by helping the sorcerers who work for Kazam find a wide variety of employment. The trouble is – magic is vanishing from the world, and what magic is left is heavily regulated. Even the smallest spells require a mountain of paperwork to legally cast, making it more and more difficult for sorcerers to earn a living. A string of precognitive visions foretell a turning point: the final dragon in existence is about to die. Magic may die with him, but it might be an opportunity to restore magic to its former glory. A centuries old prophecy thrusts Jennifer right in the middle of the whole episode, forcing her to make a few impossible choices.

The Last Dragonslayer is a young adult novel. It’s right up there with Harry Potter – it seems designed for a teenage reader, but it is definitely something adults can enjoy. There are obvious comparisons to Harry Potter – magic and the United Kingdom being common threads – but that is where the comparison stops. Not only is Jasper Fforde a much more skilled author than the somewhat amateur (but now disgustingly rich) J.K. Rowling, but those talents are reflected in his writing.

Jenny’s choices aren’t so black and white. She is given a great view of the plot’s current… decides what course it should take, and is then told by all parties that she is completely wrong. And she is. There is an incredible futility to her situation that is interesting to experience – you completely sympathize with her and feel her confusion as she is caught up in a centuries old scheme. But she makes you proud – she stands up for herself in all the right places, instead of backing down and taking the easy way out – she earns the admiration of the reader, which makes her far more endearing as a character.

As any Young Adult novel, this is a quick read, but an entertaining one. This probably isn’t the best book to try out Jasper Fforde for the first time, but fans of his work should seek this one out. Even if it takes two months to arrive in the mail.

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Originally posted on 03/01/2011 on cxPulp.com. Read and comment on this article here!

Reviewer: Craig Reade
Quick Rating: Braiiiiiiiins…..

Asylum Press treats you to a collection of Zombie horror.

Contributors: Frank Forte, Arzynat Studio and Doug Sirois, Royal McGraw and Adauto Silva, Doug Williams, Dwayne Harris and Bernie Lee, Craig Wilson, Tim Vigil and Joe Vigil, John Ho and Santosh Kumar Rath, Szymon Kudranski, David Zuzelo and Billy George, David Paleo, Bartosz Sztybor and Maciej Wodz, Joie Simmons, J.C. Wong, Robert Steven Rhine and Nenad Gucunja, Pawel Wojciechowicz, Aaron Rintoul, Pyko, David Hartman, Steve Mannion, Jason Paulos, Jason Edmiston, and Nenad Gucunja
Cover By: Aly Fell
Editor: Elizabeth J. Musgrave
Publisher: Frank Forte, Asylum Press
ISBN: 61724001X
ZombieTerrors.com

The title of this one says it all. If you are a fan of zombie horror, this one is for you.

Especially with the arrival of the AMC series, The Walking Dead has become synonymous with zombie horror in comics. While you simply can’t tear that work down at all, it does eliminate the element of fun from the zombie comic. A lot of that can be found in this collection.
As with any anthology, a variety of creative teams creates a variety of stories – some better than others. Taken as a collective, one of the strengths of Zombie Terrors is the story diversity. You might wonder how a zombie book can have diversity, but some of the writers did an excellent job telling these stories from a unique perspective. The lead story by Frank Forte – Beheaded – follows a swamp dweller who beheads zombies, and hangs their heads on a wall for decoration. Only – as zombies are – their heads are still alive on the wall. Royal McCraw‘s Feast follows the old Masochist’s Meal/Fugu Chef trope with a gangster blackmailing a trained chef into serving him the edible parts of a zombie. Pyko‘s Hunger: Evolution of Zombie Kind told a decent story from the perspective of a Zombie, which I found kind of original. Bartosz Szybor‘s Bond told the story of a guy who kills zombies to buy raw meat to feed his zombie mother. Weird stuff.

It is absolutely correct that Zombie horror is a somewhat limited genre, which is why I was so surprised to see such a diversity in story concept out of this one. With only one or two exceptions, I really enjoyed the writing in this anthology. Even the more common, generic stories had something about them that were worth reading.

The art in this one wasn’t nearly as consistent. There were a ton of different artists lending themselves to a wide variety of styles – some clicked for the stories, and some just did the job… which is good enough in most cases. One or two kind of hurt the story a little bit – but in each of these cases they were fairly generic zombie yarns and you are able to suffer through the pages pretty easily.

I do particularly want to complain about Aaron Rintoul‘s When We Disappear. I am sorry – getting together a few of your friends, posing them for pictures, and then using Photoshop to jazz up the backgrounds is not artistic storytelling. I’ll grant that he is pretty good with his Photoshop filters, and that a couple of these panels would make fairly good looking standalone shots, but that does not make it comic art. There is a great deal more to artistic storytelling than slapping together a pretty picture, and Rintoul absolutely fails to use his “art” to advance his story. Yes – this is one story in an anthology of otherwise passable work, but there is a very good reason most of this kind of art is limited to ashcans and really, really independent comics. It is pretentious and the mark of a poor comic artist. Frankly praising it is an insult to the folks who spend years honing their artistic craft. I’d take this kind of think a lot more seriously if he took the photos and then used them as models to digitally paint his characters.

Sorry for the digression there – that “art” style is a real pet peeve of mine, and I probably went on about that one short story near the end of the anthology for longer than was warranted. But boy does it bug me!

Overall, this book is solid. If you are a fan of zombies or horror in general, I really have to recommend it. Some of the stories have really interesting looks, and on the whole the stories are interesting. Recommended.

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Originally posted on 02/27/2011 on cxPulp.com. Read and comment on this article here!

March 2011
by Craig Reade and B. Schatz

Craig Reade: Another month, another dollar. Which is more than I get paid for this column.

Brandon Schatz: What, suddenly my love isn’t enough for you? I’m a offended Craig. My feelings are crying now. I HOPE YOU ARE HAPPY.

Reade: Brandon, your love is cheap. You love everything and anything. Look at the dirty things you are doing to that keyboard right now…

Schatz: Shh, shh, shh. Don’t listen to him, baby. He doesn’t know you like I do.

Reade: Speaking of dirty thing… comics!

FEBRUARY ISSUES

Generation Hope #4, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 02/02/11 DELAYED – RELEASED 02/16/2011
Written by Kieron Gillen, Art by Salvador Espin with Scott Koblish, Colors by Frank Martin
Hope and the Lights – all of them – make the trip to Utopia, where they are given the lay of the land. Wolverine and Teon fight things out, and that ends in fish. Meanwhile, Kenji has a good long think about what he’s done, and Dr. Nemesis is a dick to everyone!

Reade: Dr. Nemesis was great, to be sure.

This issue was obviously a transition – geared towards character development. And I have to say that there was finally some meat in this issue. Without harping on the first three too much, I learned more about each one of the Lights in this issue than I did the previous three combined – including the first issue, where we had an artful but generally void introduction to the first four.

Anyway – sticking to the positive, I think this issue was a big step in the right direction.

Schatz: Dammit Craig you don’t understand the–

Whoa, wait, what? I’m sorry, I think I have accidentally ingested internet peyote, I am reading your word right, yeah?

Reade: If you mean “you have something good to say about this issue?” then yes – you got me. In fact, if people haven’t been reading this series yet, I think it’s a great issue to start on. I’ve beat up the first three issues enough – this is the kind of thing I was expecting, so as long as it keeps up like this, I will be happy.

Schatz: Awesome. I’m glad that something in this issue clicked for you – because it would be a shame, in my opinion, to see this book disappear from our list so soon. For my money, while it still has the same bones as an X-book, it seems to be accomplishing the same goals in different ways. Like, even when the teasers were coming out, Marvel wanted people to remember Generation X, which was huge at the time it was released, and maintained quite a bit of staying power over the years. I only got to read just a little bit of that book when it was still shipping (I’ve been told to remedy this), but I get the feeling that this is acting a little more different than even that – which was a bit off center.

Anyway, I enjoy this book. I enjoy the characters, I enjoy the creators… and hey! Next issue, we get a nice one-and-done issue that reunites Kieron Gillen with Jamie McKelvie! Team Phonogram! I’m so very excited.

Reade: Done-in-Ones make me happy. Should be sweet!

Schatz: As you should be. I’ve been hearing a lot of comic creators, in interviews, talking about how the art of the single issue comic is almost lost these days – and how writing one is a fun exercise in economic story telling. They seem to enjoy it, but the industry usually ends up telling them that’s not what it wants, for whatever reason.

Reade: Oh, I’ve been on that bandwagon for years. That’s one of the reasons Jonah Hex was on this list for so long – it’s general “done-in-one” policy. I do think that with Digital Comics being on the rise, we might be ready for a shift in the “print for the trade” philosophy that the industry is currently stuck on.

Schatz: Man, that digital revolution is going to be one sticky wicket. I know they’re already having troubles with some double page spreads, which should cause some extra thought as to how many of those we get anymore. Also, uh… my job relies on print comics! Though, I’ve gone on record many times saying that I’m not really worried – there will always be room for print, so long as you run your business well, and roll with changes (less singles, more trades, really).

Reade: Oh, Local Comic Shops have every reason to be concerned – however, all of the concern in the world will not stop it from happening. The smart LCSs are going to recognize now that they need to change their focus, and find a way to keep people coming back to the store in spite of the availability of digital books.

Truthfully, I think this will be great for the industry. I think part of the problem with the current LCS system is its dependence on those print books, and the collector mentality of comic readers, combined with the stranglehold Diamond has on the industry. LCSs will survive if they maintain the positive atmosphere that they provide now, while at the same time finding other income streams.

And anything that breaks the back of Diamond, allowing more books to become available to a wider audience… well, I favor that.

Schatz: That’s exactly why I’m not worried. Things have already changed, and we’re rolling with it. You can’t stop change from happening – so don’t. The entire comics industry was down approximately 5.6% last year (in print) and my store was up – and this January and February were our best in years. BECAUSE I’M AWESOME.

But that’s neither here nor there. My biggest hope, is that the big comic book publishers have a back-up plan for when Diamond goes down. We’ve looked into alternatives, but none exist right now, for distribution to Canada. That’s the only scary thing for me.

Reade: I think that’s part of the precarious situation the industry is in now. You know Marvel and DC see the writing on the wall, and have already made plans to cope with it. But if either one of them implemented those plans – Diamond would be destroyed. It seems to me that they won’t do a thing until they absolutely have to.

Schatz: They won’t make a move until cutting Diamond loose seems like a feasible plan. Right now, the direct market is still Marvel and DC’s primary source of comic book income. Now, what will probably happen someday – in which case, comics and trades will be distributed in another fashion. And I would love for that to happen, if only because Diamond is doing the industry no favours. It’s pretty much actively hurting it.

—

Weird Worlds #2 (of 6), $3.99, DC Comics. Due Out 02/02/11 ON TIME
Written by Kevin Vanhook, Aaron Lopresti, and Kevin Maguire; Art by Jerry Ordway, Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan, Kevin Maguire, Jared K. Fletcher, Dave McCaig, and Rosemary Cheetham.

We rejoin Lobo as he is trying to take down his target, S’Glayne, so he can return him to the sleepy planet of Xanaxx. But the shape-shifter claims to be something of a freedom fighter – an excuse that doesn’t get any traction with the Main Man, who teaches him that monologuing exposition doesn’t pay.

We next rejoin Garbage Man, who exploring the limits of his new powers. Only he’s attracted some Dark Knight attention. Garbage Man makes his way to Dr. Clive to demand that he change him back to his human form, only Clive’s guards follow orders too well.

Finally, Tanga stumbles on an interplanetary traffic jam, and is overjoyed at the prospect of finally having someone to talk to. She finds a bar and orders herself a Bruk, and has a conversation with Eeeeelehrgahognatvispertillia Bent – before accidentally blowing up the bar.

Schatz: You know, around the internet, and a little bit in the store, I always heard people complaining about Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness’ run on Hulk. But as we’ve discussed before, complaints and/or perceived quality don’t usually correspond with sales. If that were the case, books like (and I’m just looking over the racks right now) Morning Glories and Scalped and the new Power Man and Iron Fist would be rocking the charts. But I digress.

Hulk sold – both in terms of overall industry units, and in the store. It sold because it delivered what a lot of Hulk fans wanted from the Hulk. Big action, where big things and people are punched. And it delivered without fail.

Now, I’m not a big fan of Lobo. I’ve been of the opinion that he’s one of those characters who do those things. Or: a less funny Space Deadpool (despite the fact that Deadpool has been in space inside one of his books for quite some time now). And if there’s two things I just don’t dig without another hook, it’s space stories, and stories about mercenaries who cannot die. That said, the Lobo story is delivering on every single point it needs to. It’s a fun space story, and Lobo is doing Lobo things. The story is well told, well crafted, and so far, has been segmented nicely, to fit inside the serialized format. Basically, it’s not a 60 page story that just stops every 10 pages or so. It’s good: but it’s not for me. But hey, this is an anthology, and there’s a lot more in this book that just the decent Lobo stuff.

The Garbage Man stuff intrigues me. It’s definitely more of a straight laced, new super-person origin (I’m thinking hero, but really, we don’t know) and it’s got a bit of silver age mixed in. The whole science experiment gone wrong angle… while it’s still around today, was a big part of stories back then, because it played off of a lot of fears at the time. Like, nuclear bombs, radiation, all that jazz. Anymore, if you’re getting an origin, more often than not, you’ll see maybe a bit of science, but from more of a terrorism angle. It’s just the times! Anyway, this origin, combined with Lopresti’s penchant for having the characters really talk instead of just showing really feels a bit older to me. The only thing it’s really missing to give it that last bit of jazz is exclamation points! At the end of sentences! Like Archie Comics still do! That said… there’s just enough modern storytelling in the story, that the exclamation marks wouldn’t quite work – so really, in the end, it’s just an interesting brew of the two flavours. And it’s good.

And then there’s Tanga. Oh man, Tanga. This story? Is my jam. It’s funny, it’s strange, it pulls up some more traditional sci-fi/superhero comic book tropes, and then twists them quite nicely. And Kevin Maguire really knows how to work his pages. The joke of having the big guy walking in wouldn’t have worked as well if he hadn’t set up the, uh… “confrontation” with that big, impressive splash. Plus, man, not only does the guy have a grasp of expression, but the aliens! They all looked great. Fantastic, strange, and hilarious. The best in this book, in my opinion.

Reade: I have to admit that I am more than a little shocked by how much you have to say on this one!

I absolutely have to agree. As an anthology, this is hitting all the right notes. You are particularly spot on with your observation that it isn’t just a few 60 page stories that occasionally stop. I am shocked at how well each of these are hitting the serial storytelling marks, particularly the Lobo and Tanga stories. Each part has a point, a purpose, a beginning, middle, and end – and they have been distinct enough that you could even enjoy one part without having to have read the previous installment (though that does help). Garbage Man had a good outing – far better than what we saw last month, but I’m still not sold on it long term. Taking by itself though, this part was solid. The Lobo story was fun and, as you said, hit all of the notes it was supposed to. And Tanga… I’m still not sure where they are going with her, but it’s fantastic.

You know what does suck about this? The cover. HORRIBLE! Not only do the characters look bad, there is absolutely nothing that makes you want to buy this book. They really should take a cue from some old sci-fi pulp anthologies and put a little more effort into those covers. The only thing (outside the boobs) that would make someone want to buy that book is Lobo – and the art is so distorted that you wouldn’t know it was supposed to be Lobo at a glance.

Schatz: What can I say? My life is pretty much consumed by comics, and so most of my being is geared towards just talking about them. Practice, practice, practice.

This book was part of a mysterious trend at my store, where the second issue outstrips the sales of the first. It doesn’t happen with all books, but it seems to happen with the smaller books. If I had to guess why, I’d say it’s because there are a lot of shops in this city, and while every shop tries to breed loyalty, some folks just don’t like the idea of having a set list. Which is fine. But what I suspect is happening, is like most stores, these shops are dropping their sales on issue two, before the first issue even hits – and when there’s interest, they don’t correct this – and so, our sales go up, quite noticeably, for two issues, before settling somewhere in between. Anyway, this all came up in my brain, because you were talking about the second cover, and I got to thinking about cover treatments in general, and how more interesting ones lead to sales. (And sales got me off track).

Which brings me to my actual point: how great would this book look if they tossed a few coins in Chip Kidd’s direction and had him pulp the shit out of some space covers.

Reade: That’s exactly what I am talking about. The inside of this book is strong. Is it so hard to come up with a cover that reflects the content on the inside? Is quality cover work really a dead art in the comic industry today?

Schatz: There seems to be a bit of an aversion to the atypical, when it comes to cover design. I mean, a while back, Marvel experimented with changing the cover design of Invincible Iron Man, and you could see that book from across the room, in a sea of others. It was striking, fit the contents, and sold so well, because it succeeded in being something eye-catching and different.

But, they went back to doing what they always do. Because of brand recognition maybe? Whatever. Fact of the matter is, the best covers can tell you what the book is from across the room – or at the very least, can catch your eye from there. It really does translate into sales, if you give people a bit of a nudge when they pick the issue up from the stands.

—

Batgirl #18, $2.99, DC Comics. Due out 02/09/11 ON TIME
Written by Brian Q. Miller, Pencils by Dustin Nguyen, Color by Guy Major, Ink by Derek Fridolfs

It’s Valentine’s Day! Which means all of a girl’s attention turns to the love of a Witchboy’s cat companion that is terrorizing the city, looking for his mate. To stop this, a cat needs to be picked from a tree, and Cass needs to not die. Things work out. OR DO THEY?

Reade: This series is quickly making me a fan of Miller. He just “gets” these characters. There are few people that can tell a good Klarion story that make you not only appreciate the character, but enjoy him as well. I was nervous about this team-up, but my fears were totally unfounded. This was a great issue.

Schatz: Like a lot of characters and ideas that Grant Morrison has left his stamp on, people have a hard time really hitting the right notes, to make them work. Because seriously, there are a lot of talented guys out there, but you absolutely can’t tackle a lot of Grant’s concepts from the traditional angles. Here, Miller is coming at it all sideways. Basically, instead of creating a more traditional superhero story and dropping Klarion in, he goes the route of a super powered Odd Couple, in which the pair gets to play off each other, rather than hitting tonal loggerheads. It’s pretty much all about taking the characters, finding the chemistry between them, and letting them go – and not only did Miller do this, but he made it happen without feeling the need to strike up a romance. Because ew.

Reade: Yeah, Morrison didn’t really get Klarion either… kind of spoiled him for a new generation of readers. But then, that Seven Soldiers mess is better left unspoken.

Yeah, a romance would have been horrible. But this was pretty well classic Klarion – as annoying as he is, he has a strange ability to get people to go along with him. This was a great Klarion story – the typical stranger in a strange land – extremely powerful with a child-like temperament, sucking Stephanie in for the ride as you watch his skate on the edge of blowing up and crossing a dangerous line at any moment. Fantastic stuff.

Schatz: Klarion wasn’t really ruined for me – but I would say it’s because I had never heard of him before. And man, Seven Soldiers is just one of those books. People either really love it, or really hate it. I applaud what Morrison attempted (and I say attempted, because some people say he accomplished his goals, and others, not so much) – because those minis, you could read just on their own. But when you read them together – and this is made more apparent in the collections, where they are collected as they came out chronologically, bits of the separate stories end up affecting the others in strange and wonderful ways.

But I’m getting a little off topic. Where has Klarion appeared before, Craigers J.? You’ve intrigued me.

Reade: I wouldn’t say that Grant Morrison ruined Klarion… and Seven Soldiers started off decent enough. Trouble is – Morrison’s lost the ability to close a story, and we saw that in Seven Soldiers. The early minis were strong, but as the story progressed… not so much. His Klarion was basically good, but it missed a little of the spirit, I think.

As much as I loathe to recommend a Peter David book, Young Justice: Sins of Youth from 2000 is a decent Klarion story. He’s also got a few appearances in Demon Volume 3 (his origin is in Demon Volume 1).

Schatz: These are things I’ll try and check out for the next list. And hey, remember way back when, when I said I would read Secret Wars and get back to you? I should probably do that too.

Hrm.

Reade: I’m tempted to hold my breath, but I think I’ll just smile and nod.

—

Heroes for Hire #3, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 02/09/11 ON TIME
Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, Pencils by Brad Walker, Color by Jay David Ramos and Guru eFX, Ink by Andrew Hennessy

Paladin is assigned by Misty to take break up a human sex trafficking ring – with the help of Moon Knight. Paladin’s got a side job first – surveillance on some of the original Heroes for Hire – the details of which he is hiding from Misty Knight. Moon Knight discovers that the slaves are women from the Savage Land – but further investigation reveals that isn’t the only thing in Bedrock imported from that protected area. Paladin continues his surveilance, only Iron Fist spots him – and a fight ensues.

Schatz: SEX FIGHT!

Ah, no wait, different Iron Fist comic. Also: I should not respond to these things when I’m feeling sleepy. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS.

Fun fact: I am still enjoying the crap out of this comic. I love the conceit, love the execution, love the mystery… and I really enjoyed watching Paladin attempt to put together the overarching mystery while another one continued to play out. Of course, it will all hitch on the impending reveals, but DnA have earned my faith on about a billion different projects.

Reade: You know, I think some things finally started clicking in this issue. Moon Knight was one of them. I absolutely loved that the “heroes” started responding to that lame-ass “Are you for hire?” line a little more in character. I think someone actually acting like a Hero for a change instead of a mercenary did wonders for the tone of this book.

Schatz: And see, this book was always clicking with me, so I’m not quite sure what you’re getting at. I do like the pace they are taking with this mystery, and I’m very interested to see how all of this will work out after that comes to a head.

Reade: Well, you know what I am getting at – when talking about the pace of the mystery… well, until this issue, the pace was “STOP.”

Obviously, we are going to disagree on some things – and I am pretty firm in my opinion that the first two issues were largely fluff. But then, we’ve had this fight, so it’s probably better to focus on the fact that I did enjoy this issue, not that I wasn’t so hot on the last two!

Schatz: I’m willing to do that. But before we move on, I just want to say, I love how DnA can take characters that I could normally not care about, and make them work for me. Which would be pretty much every person in this series so far, but Iron Fist. I love that guy.

But really, Moon Knight? I can do without that guy. But in the span of the issue’s he’s appeared in (issues 1 and 3, I think), I get the sense of what the guy is like, what his motivations are, and more importantly, I care. And that’s pretty rad.

Reade: Oh, Moon Knight, properly written, is an outstanding character. That last ongoing was absolutely horrible – which did a lot of damage to his character. I’m glad to see him back in a role that makes more sense.

Schatz: Moon Knight didn’t really hit my radar until that Charlie Huston ongoing. But to be fair, that was because he really hasn’t been hanging around since I got into comics. Or at least, in the period where I had money enough to buy more than 4 comics a month. Did you know that comics used to run upwards to $4.75 a pop in Canada, for a $2.99 book? And I think $3.75 for a 2.25 book. Ridiculous.

But that’s neither here nor there. I have two thoughts, coming through to the other side of your comment. The first: we should definitely keep getting this. And two: I pretty much need to see your reaction to Bendis and Maleev’s Moon Knight ongoing, that starts in May… because depending on style of Bendis that comes to play, you’re either going to love it, or hate it.

A discussion for another month, definitely.

—

Birds of Prey #9, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 02/09/11 ON TIME
Written by Gail Simone, Art by Inaki Miranda, Color by Nei Ruffino

Black Canary has some disturbing visions as a result of Mortis’s touch, and is completely catatonic. Batman tries to get her to safety. The rest of the Birds, meanwhile, are en route to the Calculator as hostages. Batman gets back with Dinah, and Mortis makes a rookie mistake, and Dinah is able to break her hold. Oracle comes to the rescue… but will it be her last?

Schatz: Oh, the ol’ exploding body trick. It’s a classic for a reason.

I’m still really enjoying this series, probably a little more than the original, because this expanded cast? Just works so, so nicely together. I love the part where Mortis attempts to play the “your friends don’t like you” card, and that’s what turns the tide.

Reade: Oh, you knew the second they said she would never come out of it – she would come out of it.

This run has been a great deal of fun so far. It’s often frantic – as it should be, and Simone just clicks with these characters. I really, really wish that we’d get that regular artist already – but I have to admit I liked the Golden Age style we got on those panels with the original Black Canary….

Schatz: I thought Inaki Miranda did a fantastic job with this issue – and I think that if Jesus Saiz can’t quite make a go of a monthly, I’d love to see him drop in every now and then to help out. Clean lines, with just a small touch of kinetic manga-esque expression. Just a touch. I like it.

And yeah, like you said, it looks as though he’s capable of a few styles, which is always a bonus.

Reade: I would be more than happy if Inaki Miranda stuck around on a regular basis, but we aren’t even getting that. The art has been quality – and I suppose I should be happy with that (since I’ve read so many books with regular, poor art), but I think this book deserves a quality regular artist, whoever that may be.

Schatz: It seems odd that regular artistry is harder and harder to come by – but listening to interviews, a lot of times, it seems to come down to a couple of things: nailing yourself to the drawing board. I know I’ve heard both Mark Bagley and Stuart Immonen say that they don’t really draw faster than any other artists… they just sit down, and do the work until it’s done.

In the case of Birds, I know Ed Benes has always been a little slower on his deadlines, but the other bits come from the every regular DC artist shuffle. For a time, Jamal Igle was slated to take over this book, probably right after those two Alvin Lee issues, but he was moved onto other things, and this last arc, I think, is just keeping pace with artists until Siaz takes over. To be fair, I would not want to have to be any kind of comics editor. Those hours are terrible, and a certain amount of your deadline skills rely on the shoulders of other people. No fun.

Reade: This doesn’t really surprise me – on more than one occasion I’ve lamented the fact that nine times out of ten, a book is late because the artist didn’t bother meeting the deadline. With so many hungry artists, I wish the industry would send the ones that refuse to work packing. Come back when you can meet a deadline – there are other people, just as good, who want to work. What’s going to happen? Said artist goes to Image to do their own stuff, and they still can’t come out on time, and the book sells a tenth as much?

If you aren’t cut out for the monthly serial game, don’t do it. This is the only industry where deadlines seem to mean absolutely nothing. Save for government work.

Schatz: A lot of it is put up with because – quite frankly, comics is a horrible career path for an artist. The money just isn’t there, in comparison to what you can make doing storyboards, or character design or whatever. This is generally why deadlines tend to be a bit looser – it’s mostly about passion, rather than eating food.

Reade: Well, despite the fact that it is a bad job to have overall, there are still talented people lining up who want it.

Schatz: Yup, true story: which is what I love about the medium. For all the internet’s bluster about how comic creators and editors are “only in it for the money” and “don’t actually care about comics”, it definitely is all about passion. There really is no other reason the industry still runs – it should be floundering like most print. And yet.

Reade: Well, to be fair, there isn’t a collector or a cultural element to most print media, and there still isn’t a viable online alternative, yet…

Man, we are excellent at going off-topic today.

Schatz: That’s because we don’t ever talk like this anymore, Craigers J., you lovable scamp.

And the digital thing might not really find a good collectible angle. It’s not built into its DNA. Print media has scarcity built into it – once things are gone, they’re gone. Digital will make a great way to keep products available indefinitely, but print objects will always find a home. This is exactly why vinyl has seen a resurgence lately.

Reade: Freeing comics from the collectible angle is what is going to make it grow. I’ve done it myself, but the reason comics don’t gain more popular appeal is because of the reputation the physical comic books have. You can like Spider-Man, but actually read a comic? That’s not even a kid thing anymore, to some it’s a “loser” thing. Part of that reputation comes from the way the current consumers treat the product. Digital changes that – and changes it for the better if you ask me.

Schatz: Well, there’s just a stigma attached to comics. And really, it all comes down to comic shops. No seriously, some fans can be a bit… well, you know, but it’s the presentation and atmosphere of comic book shops that give the product a stigma. And the whole digital comics thing is really going to help do away with the ones that cater too narrowly, leaving the stronger ones behind. Really, it’s just going to strengthen the whole industry, once everything shakes out.

—

Hack/Slash #1, $3.50, Image Comics. Due Out 02/9/2011 ON TIME
Written by Tim Seely, Art by Daniel Leister, Color by Mark Englert

The story opens with slashy murder! Which, considering this is a book about such things, is perfectly okay. We then retreat and find out where all of our favourite characters are. Cass and Vlad are out, kicking ass and taking names. Cat Curio has just awoken and is on the search for her killer. And her killer is… well, doing something. We’re not sure what yet. First, we have to get into the crux of the current mystery, which involves a make-out point and acid. There’s a reveal. It’s a little chilling and involves boobs.

Reade: A character guide! What a shocking addition for a brand new #1 at a new publisher!

This was a great first issue. There was a ton of exposition, but Seely made sure you knew who everyone was and what they were doing. Good thing too – I stopped reading this a while ago because of my issues with Devil’s Due, and I had no idea who most of these characters were. But the additions are great – Nancy Drew all grown up after being in a coma, and out for revenge? And alien dog talking about his penis-knowledge? Seely’s really rounded out his cast here, and I like it.

Schatz: I’ve been following the series off and on through the years, recently just picking up trades, until the Image move. I always find this series to be just… so odd, in terms of what I usually collect – because the concept screams cheesecake, and the contents deliver it, and that sort of thing just never appealed to me. I mean… yay boobs and everything, but hording boats of boob art always just seemed a little sad to me.

But the thing is… this is a book that plays off of those tropes. It takes the idea of slasher movies, and creates a world around it, and the fact is, if you created a slasher world, this is probably a pretty accurate depiction of what you’d get. It’s told in a very smart fashion, even when it aims for low humor, and has done some surprising things, over the course of the past several years, resulting in the cast that you’re seeing now.

And for the record? This is one of the very, very few books at our store that has a higher female readership than it does a male readership. Which is equal parts strange and fitting.

Reade: That’s really not a surprise. When you look at all of the other female protagonists in comics – there is always a “male love interest” that she pines for or needs rescued by, some emotional weakness that dents her authority. Gail Simone’s Wonder Woman even had that for crying out loud. Cassie Hack is the exact opposite of that. She’s tough, in charge (firmly in charge) and on a mission – probably one of the best examples of female protagonists in comics today.

Sure, there is a little salaciousness… but you have to have it. As you pointed out, Boobs have always been slasher-bait. That partial nudity is a hallmark of the genre.

Schatz: I always feel weird about it all though. I mean, in my head, it all makes sense, because of all the reasons we’ve said, but there’s still a part of my brain that says, “You’re just making excuses for boobs, and you should feel bad about that.”

Fact is, as well as this book works, it definitely is what it is. And it’s the kind of book that a random girl will pick up at your house, hold up and go, “This? Really? This is what comics are?” And then its explanation time – and no matter how you phrase that argument, you’re going to lose that battle, unless you have something like New York Five close at hand, to help show the variety, instead of attempting to explain with a lack of actual evidence.

These could just be my own personal issues, though.

Reade: Brandon, there is nothing wrong with boobs, per se. Boobs are just fine. As long as that isn’t the only thing representing women in the book. That’s the issue I take sometimes when people get a little up-in-arms over the presentation of women in comics. It’s ok to draw pictures of attractive women. It is even ok for straight men and some women to like looking at pictures of attractive women. The issue arises when the only purpose the woman serves in the book is to be something for a guy to drool over.

Cassie Hack stands head and shoulders above most comic heroines in her competence and self-reliance. There is no one who could make a serious case that she is a victim in this book. I think they’ve earned the right to have fun with a little partial nudity.

As far as explaining it – there is a simple answer to that. Tell her to read it. If she isn’t willing to do that, it’s her failing, not yours. And if you don’t care what she thinks, and are just looking for something more base – well that’s your own stupid fault for leaving a comic book out for her to find

Schatz: I usually reserve fare like this for when I’m moving a person from the weed, to the coke. Which I should probably explain.

I treat my job as a comic shop guy, and my private life as a fan as though I am a drug dealer. You always want to start off with the least offensive thing you have, but you still want to open up the person’s mind to the larger world. An old employee used to try recommending Crisis to people getting into comics, because it was a classic, but if you do that, you’re probably just going to end up giving someone a bad trip. I agree that this comic is good, but the art would probably need a bit of easing, if I were to try and sell this to someone cold. Or, you know, no easing at all, if this is what the person is into, but that doesn’t really fit with my point.

What I’m saying is, the art, such as it is, would bring about a pretty visceral reaction, I think, and I’d probably start someone elsewhere, before bringing them to this. But I like the shape of your idea. This book does work, because Cassie is pretty much never the victim – and when she is, it’s only to make the impending skull crush all the more sweet.

—

Booster Gold #41, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 02/16/11 ON TIME
Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, Art by Chris Batista & Rich Perrotta, Color by Hi-Fi

Rip and Booster have it out over his “arrest,” but are interrupted by Doctor Nishtikeit’s attack. There is a battle, and once it is complete, Rip takes Booster to the future to stand trial.

Schatz: If this book feels like it’s building to something – that’s because it is. Giffen and DeMatteis are off the book in two more issues, and Dan Jurgens is taking it back over. Which… man, I hope means this team is shifting over to some kind of JLI type ongoing. Because please, DC? Haven’t we been good? And aren’t we acting cool, even though you just shot the Jamie Blue Beetle in the head too? (I think he’s going to get better, but still. Seriously.) Do this for me.

Oh, and uh… this series is still good. They sort of did a slow build with the little girl Booster saved from the future, and while that makes me worried for her, it also made me a touch misty, when they had their scenes together.

Reade: How typical of DC. You have an awesome thing going, so what do you do? Shake-up the creative teams!

Stupid DC. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I don’t want any kind of JLI ongoing if it means losing what we have on this book. Dan Jurgens is ok – but I lost interest in this book during Jurgens’s run. A creative shift is the worst possible news right now.

—

Magus #2, $3.99, 12 Gauge Comics. Due out 01/12/11 DELAYED – RELEASED 02/09/11
Written by Jon Price, Art by Rebekah Isaacs, Color by Charlie Kirchoff

After a short dream sequence/fantasy, Andrew Johnson tries to grapple with the implications of magic returning to the world. The President fears the world to come, but all the while he doesn’t suspect that his own wife has magical gifts of her own. Meanwhile, Denae, Father Swain, Darius, and Ben go off in search of Lena Cullen, and Denae explains to the boys a little something about the history of magic, and the origin and role of the Guardians, of which Denae is one. Lena is tracked by some agents of the sanitarium she escaped from – but before they can capture her, Darius’s dream begins to come true… to a certain point. Only in reality it doesn’t quite work out as it did in the dream. They still manage to protect Lena, with the help of a reformed Inquisitor named Samuel.

Schatz: I definitely liked this issue a whole lot more than the last. There’s definitely a lot less of the whole… damsel in distress thing that happened in the first one, and a lot more plot. A lot more plot. It made me happy.

Reade: There is an absolute ton going on here. Almost too much – I have no idea what kind of writing experience Jon Price has, but this story could be a little tighter. A small complaint really – I’ll gladly take a little too much stuff with a strong story than a slow, plodding, “deliberately paced” pad-fest. But it’s unique – there is a lot going on here, a lot of pieces in play, and it is a concept that could last for some time. I’m definitely interested in seeing what happens next month.

I’m thinking that this isn’t the last of the damsel in distress stuff – but it might be a little more balanced here on out. Whichever guy is the one they are looking for is going to be a bumbling idiot for a while I think.

Schatz: I believe this is Price’s first published comic book work. Apparently, he and Isaacs met after Isaacs left her Devil’s Due work (because they stopped paying their freelancers properly) and pitched some things out together. And also, started dating. But I don’t really think that’s neither here nor there. They pitched the book, and it got accepted, and here it is. Not bad for a writer’s first gig, I think.

And yeah, I think we’re on the same page as terms of plot? But I got high hopes, just like that song, Tik Tok, by Ke$ha.

Reade: Well, that’s one way to go about it. It is hard enough for an aspiring writer to get a reliable artist to collaborate with them – if you ask me, Jon Price has the right idea!

You are absolutely right. This is incredibly strong, even for a new writer’s first effort. Plot is solid – actually, I think this is a fantastic example of what a deliberate pace is supposed to be. The overall flow of the story is carefully creeping forward, but there is still stuff going on – pieces moving, slowly building… what this book has is what is missing from all of those other so-called “deliberately paced” books I complain about are missing. This isn’t a story that is stretched out – the overall plot is carefully advancing, while the mini-plots are streaming along quickly enough to keep your interest. 12 Gauge definitely has something to be proud of here.

Schatz: What I think a lot of 12 issue story arcs need? Not so much a shortening, but they need to build things like some of the better TV shows build their seasons. Tell your story, but build other ones inside, that pay off and build as you go. John Rogers (a TV writer) did this the best on Blue Beetle – pretty much every issue was a one-and-done, but it built to an amazing finale. I definitely get that feeling here.

Schatz: Not so much in the “mini-stories” kind of way, but just in the general, overall technique.

—

Uncanny X-Force #5, $3.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 02/16/11 ON TIME
Written by Rick Remender, Pencils by Esao Ribic, Color by Matt Wilson, Ink by John Lucas

We get a brief into to Weapon Infinity through the eyes of Fantomex, and an even briefer look at The World. Wolverine bitches about being in too many books, Deadpool is feeling guilty about Apokolips getting whacked, and wants a group therapy session. After an argument, we learn that Deadpool’s motivations aren’t as mercenary as everyone else thought. Fantomex goes home and has a chitchat with his Mom, but is attacked by Deathlok’s Avengers, who are after The World.

Schatz: This issue is another good use of some Morrison ideas – one that I loved (Fantomex) and one that, uh… I don’t quite think worked, the first time around (The World). I always thought the shape of that idea was nice, but the story arc he wrote in New X-Men didn’t quite latch. Here, I think it does. And man, that’s a pretty awesome hiding place.

Fun fact: this story is actually a sequel, in a way, to Jason Aaron’s Deathlok story in Wolverine Weapon X (which we dumped). Thus far? Interesting.

Reade: Well, the story is a bit interesting, though I really thought the introduction killed the mood of this book. A stumble – one they recovered from, but I was quickly losing interest. I still despise the art on this book (more specifically the color – yes Matt Wilson, IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT), and I think the story tries to be a little smarter than it needs to be sometimes. But – I’m willing to keep reading it.

Until we have to make a choice, anyway…

Schatz: Do’hhhhhhh Craig, always with the specter of doom. Yeah, this month is riddled with some good comics, things might get tough in a little bit when we have to do some cutting, or adding or whatever.

The intro was a little slow, I’ll admit that. Very much a “just in case you don’t know” thing, mixed with the team unpacking some metaphorical baggage from the previous arc. And hey, all of this has the hallmark of the classic, “just when everyone appears to be screwed, Deadpool has a change of heart and returns to save the day with violence” thing, and I want to read that.

The colouring, I can’t get behind you on. The colours appeal to me, and fit this book, and there’s nary a place where I find it distracting me from the more immediate concerns of the book. Normally I’m with you more on the issue of Marvel’s colourists loving a darker palette, but here… I’m not seeing it.

Reade: I don’t know what to say – the parts about this book that aren’t working are the ones where they seem to be trying to be darker and “edgier” than they really need to be. I realize it is totally subjective, but there it is.

On the plus side, It’s nice to be able to enjoy Deadpool again. He’s been pretty seriously mishandled for a while now. Oddly enough, he’s more popular than ever. I’ll never figure it out.

Schatz: I think Marvel has listened a bit to the murmur of Deadpool folk… which is why he’s trickling down to his regular title, and the MAX title (which is just FANTASTICALLY offensive) in terms of books he headlines. But yeah, I have to agree, the way he’s written here is pretty tops.

—

Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man #11, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 02/23/11 ON TIME
Written by Paul Tobin, Art by Matteo Lolli and Terry Pallot, Color by Chris Sotomayor

While in Florida, Spider-Man and his girlfriend Chat stumble across the Lizard! Turns out, Curt Conners was working down south with the help of Chat’s cousin, in order to cure himself. There’s swamp fighting, and it’s grand.

Reade: Swamp fights, chicken armies, red neck posses, and editors pointing speech balloons at the wrong characters! It’s mass hysteria!

Schatz: I didn’t catch that last one anywhere. Normally, that really, really bothers me. This line of books is in a bit of transition between Nate Cosby and Steve Wacker, in terms of editorial, but still. That’s no fun.

Hey, so remember that time I told you that these stories were rad? Paul Tobin has absolutely been killing it on this book – and the companion Superheroes book. And the best thing ever? Last week, Chat appeared in the regular Marvel U Spider-Girl book. And I freaked out, because of how awesome she is here.

Reade: Check the first panel of the very last page of the story, where Chat tells Peter how amazed she was when he summoned all of those animals…

Schatz: Bother. It is right there, isn’t it.

It’s unfortunate when things like that happen – and normally, they pull my concentration out of the comic. That said, despite the small little snafu, this comic really fires on all cylinders. While it didn’t contain it’s over-arcing story (the feud with the Torrinos) it’s always nice to have little break issues. Now, this book doesn’t actually need things like that, because of the way its constructed, but all in all, it was a fun distraction. And man, do I love seeing Aunt May give Pete a hard time about his giiiiiiiiirl friend.

Reade: Oh yeah, plain as day.

I know it was a complete mistake, but something so blatant I kind of have to point out. Remember how we talk about artists lining up to do the work that slow artists won’t do? I’d love to be a Marvel editor… and when I see really blatant things like that, I just cringe.

Anyway, it was a fun issue regardless… though I’m kind of on the side of the fence where it isn’t really “all ages” or “kid friendly” for a parent/guardian to allow a teenage boy to go on vacation with his girlfriend, especially with non-direct parental supervision. That one kind of skirt the line.

And here I am bitching again. That’s the thing about the Marvel Adventures books – they are fun, basic stories. But they can also be generic… which brings out problems much more clearly.

Schatz: Well, here’s the thing about “kids” and “all ages” books – kids don’t really want to read them. Fun fact: prose books about teens are made with the pre-teen market in mind. Books about college people are made with teens in mind. Comics should just be made, not so much with kids or adults in mind – they should just work in general. I mean, obviously, a Vertigo book should remain a Vertigo book, but you get what I mean.

—

LATE AND UNRELEASED ISSUES

Reade: Not unexpectedly, Magus is still late. Issue 2 came out, which is great – but the eventual release of issue #3 is still pending. 12 Gauge posted on their Facebook Page that the issue was going to the printer about a month ago – not sure what that means for an eventual release date.

In other weird news, the solicitation for issue #4 did not have Rebekah Isaacs listed as the artist – but this appears to have been a mistake as well (since confirmed a mistake by Jon Price).

I love Independent books, but this kind of thing seems to be more the rule than the exception. Knowing I will be overly critical about the situation with this title – what’s your take on these bumps?

Schatz: Comics tend to go off to the printer about three-and-a-half weeks in advance, so that they can ship to the printer, to the distributor/publisher, and then to the comic shops. Each place, they got to be processed and sent to the right people. It’s a thing. Anyway, they probably weren’t lying about the printer thing. It looks like it will be at the printer next week – just a month after the last.

And don’t even get me started about Diamond and solicitations. The amount of things we have to change, every week, is stupid.

That said, I’m actually still cool with Magus. While I’d be loathe to get rid of anything else, either, I have to say, I wouldn’t get rid of it for lateness, when it’s shipping a month from its last date.

Reade: Oh no, I’m not prepared to drop it for being late – and since it appears to be a mini, I don’t think it will have time to run afoul of the 2 month late-limit. So I’m good with it.

Schatz: Awesome.

—

THE LIST SO FAR:

Magus #3 (of 5), $3.99, 12 Gauge Comics. Due out 02/16/11 DELAYED – DUE OUT 03/??/11
Heroes for Hire #4, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/02/11
Weird Worlds #3 (of 6), $3.99, DC Comics. Due Out 03/09/11
Batgirl #19, $2.99, DC Comics. Due out 03/09/11
Birds of Prey #10, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 03/09/11
Hack/Slash #2, $3.50, Image Comics. Due Out 03/09/2011
Booster Gold #42, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 03/09/11
Generation Hope #5, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/16/11
Uncanny X-Force #6, $3.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/23/11
Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man #12, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/23/11
Magus #4 (of 5), $3.99, 12 Gauge Comics. Due out 03/23/11
Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine #5, $3.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/23/11

TRADE BANK – $3.00
Current February Budget: $46.48
Value of uncut February List: $44.60

Reade: Once again, we find ourselves in a particularly sticky situation. With just $1.88 left in the budget for next month, we do not have enough room to add any new titles. We also still haven’t added anything to the Trade Bank, and I’d at least like to add $2-3 this month.

Compounding the problem, at least for me – this month Marvel’s starting the CrossGen reimagining, with both Sigil and Ruse, and I’d like to be able to add at least one, if not both of those titles to the list this month.

So how to you propose we resolve this one?

Schatz: I’m excited about the CrossGen books – but I have to admit, the only CrossGen I read, before their fall, was an issue of Meridian, and all the Abadazad’s that shipped. Anyway, I say we do the tough thing, and get rid of a couple of books to add both of these books to the docket.

If I were to pick the bottom four of this pack – which I like all of, it would be Birds of Prey, Booster Gold, Hack/Slash, and… jeeze… uhhhh… Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine.

Bother. That hurt.

Reade: I’m with you on Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine… I’d rather have two consistent monthlies than an inconsistent bi-monthly any day.

DROPPED: Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine #5, $3.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/23/11

Reade: This means we can accomplish our objective by dropping one more title. And outside Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine… your bottom four are weird man! If I had to pick 3 among the remaining list, it would be Uncanny X-Force, Heroes for Hire, and Marvel Adventures Spider-Man – the latter only because it is always a title you can walk away from for a while and come back later.

However, if I had to settle for one of your remaining 3 – I’d pick Booster Gold. Painful.

Schatz: I love Uncanny and I definitely think we owe it to ourselves to keep holding onto Heroes until the end. But! I have a proposal for you. How about we knock another one or two off the list and see if we have room for Annihilators. It’s the new DnA cosmic series – this time only four issues, running at $4.99 a pop. Which seems steep, but it’s got DnA’s team of cosmic Avengers and the Rocket Raccoon and Groot feature that was announced last year. That’s two full length books for the price of two – and we’re pretty much guaranteed to both enjoy the series.

And to do this, I’m willing to… buh… willing to drop Uncanny and Heroes, if need be.

Reade: I’ll admit I am excited about that series as well, and quite honestly if we are going to have a DnA book on the list, I would much rather it be that one.

This is how it is shaping up – we need to free up roughly $8.15 on the list to get all three titles – and this is after Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine. So I don’t think there is much choice in the matter – the price for all three is dropping Booster Gold, Uncanny X-Force, and Heroes for Hire. There is no other really acceptable way to work it.

Schatz: I’ll agree to that, as much as it all sort’ve smarts. But the new stuff should be keen.

Reade: OK then – here’s the massive shift!

DROPPED: Heroes for Hire #4, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/02/11
DROPPED: Booster Gold #42, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 03/09/11
DROPPED: Uncanny X-Force #6, $3.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/23/11

ADDED: Annihilators #1, $4.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/02/11
ADDED: Sigil #1, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/09/11
ADDED: Ruse #1, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/16/11

DEPOSIT: To the Trade Bank – $2.50

THE MATH

Magus #3 (of 5), $3.99, 12 Gauge Comics. Due out 02/16/11 DELAYED – DUE OUT 03/??/11
Annihilators #1, $4.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/02/11
Weird Worlds #3 (of 6), $3.99, DC Comics. Due Out 03/09/11
Sigil #1, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/09/11
Batgirl #19, $2.99, DC Comics. Due out 03/09/11
Birds of Prey #10, $2.99, DC Comics. Due Out 03/09/11
Hack/Slash #2, $3.50, Image Comics. Due Out 03/09/2011
Ruse #1, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/16/11
Generation Hope #5, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/16/11
Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man #12, $2.99, Marvel Comics. Due Out 03/23/11
Magus #4 (of 5), $3.99, 12 Gauge Comics. Due out 03/23/11

Trade Bank Value: $5.50

$2.18 (Bank from February) + $40.00 (March Budget) + $4.30 (Magus #3) = $46.48
$46.48 – $2.50 (Trade Bank Deposit) – $38.40 (March Issues) – $2.97 (tax) = $2.61 Banked for March

Reade: Well now, that ought to freshen things up a bit.

Schatz: And man, looking at that list, it’s going to be hard to come up with a cutting plan for next month. Gosh dang.

Reade: Well, the only thing in our favor is that I expect by that time, we will know for sure that Magus #5 will not be out at all in April, giving us one hole. Otherwise, you are right. Unless CrossMarvel sucks, we are going to have a strong month.

Schatz: With Mark Waid writing up some Ruse without Alessi throwing the weird CrossGen bible at him, that should be good. And Mike Carey is usually impressive when left to his own creative devices. I’m really excited.

Reade: As am I. I never actually thought this would happen – and here it is. Next Marvel is going to launch an Abnett & Lanning/ChrisCross Slingers ongoing on me. I might die.

Schatz: DO NOT FREAK ME OUT, CRAIG. I would straight up murder some folks for that book to happen.

Reade: You know what is sad? That book is 12 years old. There are comic readers now who were not alive when Slingers came out.

I guess that goes to show that I am serious about my love of those characters – but it also means I am old.

Schatz: If it helps, a lot of people who were around don’t remember that book either.

Tear.

Reade: Man, way to end the column on a downer.

Schatz: Craig, no one cares about the status of your penis.

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