The comics are still impossible to access due to the move, so blogging detours to another topic where the research is provided online – this week’s list of my pulse-pounding purchase:
Tag & Bink: Episode 1 Revenge of the Menace
There can never be enough Star Wars comedy, in my opinion. I know it’s an easy target, but Rubio does it with affection, which is the best way.
Usagi Yojimbo #93
It is always a good week with new Rabbit Ronin to enjoy. How does Stan Sakai keep up the consistency? The quality is impeccable and the stories continue to entertain, intrigue, amuse and keep me absorbed.
Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein #4
Definitely the best of the three latter mini-series; Mister Miracle failed to escape its limitations, Bulleteer was a none-too-startling comment on the obvious (and embarrassing) comic book trope of objectifying women, but Frankenstein was pure fun, with a character that could support a continuing series and an artist in Mankhe born to the job. When the new home is settled, I look forward to reading the whole Seven Soldiers story and seeing how it works as a whole.
Supergirl & the Legion of Super Heroes #17
I had been considering quitting this book, based on the lack of Mark Waid magic in the book and the particularly awful fill-in issue, but I was sucked in by the last panel of the last issue. A classic ‘everything you know is wrong’ change of the status quo, perhaps, but they seem to be going for the full monty, which makes it much more entertaining a prospect.
New Avengers Annual #1
Having enjoyed the first TPB, I decided to keep reading this series. However, the price of the next TPB, Sentry, at $14.99 for four issues seemed to be taking the piss somewhat. Fortunately, I was able to pick up the majority of back issues at a cheap price, so I will be reading them in order once I have a chance to sit down and enjoy them. Also, it has Jessica Jones in this, a character I enjoy, despite being turned into the schmaltzy baby-making machine that usually happens to female characters on sitcoms when they’ve run out of ideas, so I have to get it.
Runaways #15
I’ve been disappointed with the last few issue of Runaways, which is a surprise as it has been one of the most entertaining books around, making me smile with its light touch and brilliant cliffhangers. I don’t know if it’s just a dip due to Vaughan thinking about other things (the Y: The Last Man script, perhaps?) but I really hope he turns it around, as this book is too good to just fade away.
X-Factor #6
I may be fussy, but I do miss the Sook art. It helped make the book distinctive. I also didn’t enjoy the women-beating story of the last issue (which didn’t cause as much fuss as Desolation Jones #6, but that might be just me), so I hope Peter David has a strong issue to turn my frown upside down.
Two for the price of one: last week’s pamphlet pleasure (as I couldn’t get to the shop because I was moving home):
Ex Machina Special #1
I hope there is a good reason for having this outside the series (apart from not interrupting the flow of stories for the trade collections; wouldn’t want them to mess up their system …) but can’t complain about having more Ex Machina, and it will be interesting to see the fine pencils of Sprouse on Mayor Hundred.
New Avengers #18
I won’t be reading this just yet (see note above), but I do look forward to it. I’m not an Avengers fan of old, so I have no childhood memories to shatter and abuse, so Bendis can have some fun in the Marvel Universe, accompanied by the talented artists that are working on this book.
Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #4
Most anticipated book of the week; Ellis & Immonen are a great team, and this is a pleasure from start to finish. Undiluted explodo joy and superhero mockery.
Squadron Supreme #2
Seemingly, I should have read the mini-series to understand who all the new people were, which didn’t help enjoyment levels. However, it’s good to see this back again, and Gary Frank is on my ‘Artists I Like’ list, so I look forward to seeing story progression at some point.
In events outside my list of comic book purchases, Dave’s X-Men week continues with a look at The Uncanny X-Men #200. This issue means a lot to me because it took me such a long to find the bastard; having discovered the joys of the back issue bins of my then comic shop (Forbidden Planet, in its original location on Denmark Street), I plundered them for old X-Men issues to satiate my growing obsession with Marvel’s merry mutants, but I had to wait years before I found a shop that had this issue, the hole in my collection (and I paid a few quid for it too, which seemed like a fortune for a comic at the time). I agree whole-heartedly with Dave on the ‘Mag-NET-o’ pronunciation issue; ‘Mag-NEAT-o’ makes him sound so limp and childish, and was disappointed to find out that I wasn’t enunciating it the approved way, and had to sound stupid in my head when I read the name. Also, as I mentioned in this post, the purple costume with the opera gloves was a fashion disaster of gargantuan proportions. God, the ‘80s were bad, weren’t they?
