Monday, April 23, 2007

What I'm Getting Wednesday - April 25

The “I’m going broke week” as I have three hardcovers and possibly two trades coming out, plus a lot of regular comics

52 Week #51 – The second to last issue that encompasses the year long gap. On the whoe this has been a very well done series and I may invest in the trades.

Action #848 – Part 1 of a 2 parts fill-in saga. Often comics have material that comes into play after one arc ends and for the most part I have no issue with it, but the indeterminable delays in the Last Son storyline is dragging down both in continuity Superman books.

Amazon Attacks #1 (of 6) – Will Pfeifer and Peter Woods bring us this mini-series where the Amazons come back and attack America. This could be really bad or it could be good, we shall see, at least I like the creative team, so that is a plus.

Astro City The Dark Age Book 2 #3 – Busiek (the writer) stated that they would not solicit an arc until it was pretty well complete and this arc has suffered from lateness. Still the story is strong enough that I can wait. Should be another good issue.

Batman Confidential #5 – The Diggle / Portacio arc on this book has been okay. At times really good and at times too over the top. This is the penultimate chapter of Bruce Wayne vs Lex Luthor.

Blue Beetle #14 - Beetle and Guy Gardner together trying to stop the aliens trying to kill Beetle. This is just a really good solid little series.

Catwoman #66 – This series has quietly done a really good job of building up Catwoman’s supporting cast and has really made her a strong character in her own right. Between the two Catwoman series (which were almost back to back) she has had a run of over 150 issues.

Connor Hawke Dragon’s Blood #6 (of 6) – With stories like this I would enjoy Connor having his own series. This has been a really good mini-series.

Crossing Midnight #6 – The official hype “Part 1 of the 4-part "A Map of Midnight." With both a new role and a new life in service to Lord Aratsu, Toshi must choose her weapons and begin her hazardous training through a fairy-tale-gone-wrong world like nothing anyone has ever experienced.” – A really great book, Mike Carey at his best.

Exterminators #16 – This book has a slow building underlying plot and still has great fun with some shorter story arcs that weave into the longer story. Who knew a book about Exterminators could be such whacked out fun and horror all at the same time.

Firestorm #35 – This is the final issue for this run of Firestorm and while it was noever a big series I think it did a great job of establishing Firestorm’s new identity of Jason. To me it is very cool that DC has taken a relatively speaking newer hero and started a second generation for the Firestorm entity. A side note, but throughout the DCU I feel like they have a lot of big plans brewing and I think that 2007 will be the build up year and 2008 will be a year of really major changes for the DCU. I hope I’m right and I hope DC takes some real chances with making significant changes in the characters. I can get trades and hard covers to read the great stories of the old status quo, but I want the big 2 to dare to be different.

JSA Classified #25 – The hype has me interested in this story and I can never get enough of the JSA characters. The official hype “In order to save lives, Alan Scott is forced to renege on a deal he made years ago with one of his Golden Age enemies. But will this betrayal mean this reformed villain is permanently out of retirement?”

Justice #11 (of 12) – The actual book itself no longer interests me that much as it was really written to be read all at once, but boy am I looking forward to the Absolute Edition of this series.

JSA #5 – Part 2 of the JSA/JLA cross-over “Lightning Sage”. I have a total fan feeling about this cross-over it contains the JSA and what appears to be the 8 original members of the Legion of Super Heroes, I’m really almost totally pre-sold on this story and I enjoyed Part 1 immensely.

Outsiders Annual – Revealing how the team “died” and why they re-established themselves as the more pro-active type of underground team they have become. Concluding the happened during the one year gap story.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #29 – Last issue rocked as the Legion outsmarted the dominators and managed to jump to their home world. This issue the Legion and Wanderers try to put the Dominators down once and for all. Great series.

Wetworks #8 – The Vampires have ended the truce and a major war is breaking out. I was not familiar with Wetworks prior to this series and it has grown on me, but so far this series has been one long story, which is okay, but I think we need a resolution by issue #12 and a new story line to start then.

Wonder Woman #8 – This issue is an apparent lead in to the Amazon Attacks storyline. This series has been lost, but should be saved when Gail Simone takes over with issue #12. Flash has been saved and has fast (pun unavoidable) become a top series again.

Agents of Atlas HC – Very seldom do I get the hard cover collections of recent series, but I loved this series and it also contains “Collecting AGENTS OF ATLAS #1-6 – plus the Agents’ first appearances in stories from YELLOW CLAW #1 (Jimmy Woo; October 1956), MENACE #11 (Human Robot; May 1954), VENUS #1 (August 1948), MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #82 (Namora; May 1947), MARVEL BOY #1 (December 1950), MEN'S ADVENTURES #26 (Gorilla Man; March 1954) and WHAT IF? #9 (1950s Avengers; June 1978). Also featuring blogs, creator interviews, character designs and other extras! 256 PGS $24.99” That is one heck of a bargain in my mind.


Daredevil #96 – Part 2 of the new arc that is essentially re-establishing DD’s new status quo, which feels a lot like the status quo of five plus years ago.

Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus #1 – This mammoth hard cover clocks in at over 1,000 pages. It essentially contains the best part of the Spider-Man comic and what every one else has been building on for the last 40 plus years the Lee/Ditko era. It is almost too big and I’m sure it will be hard to see some of the page edges when you are reading in the middle of this monster, but oversized reproduction of Ditko art and the original letter pages, this was a book I had to have. I have it in Masterworks already and will keep this material in two different versions (which is a rarity for me as I usually sell one version and keep me favored version).

Fantastic Four #545 – I have no hopes for this book as last issue was a disappointment and really did not feel like Dwayne McDuffie had who these characters are yet. Plus I think he wants to make the Black Panther and Storm the stars of the book, which is boring as they have their own series.

Heroes for Hire #9 – Okay the new creative team now has the reins of this book in their hands and I will give Zeb Wells and Clay Mann a couple issues to make me like it or drop the book. This book at first was a nice twist during Civil War, but has fallen flat during the transition period to a new team, but Wells has done okay with Snakewoman at Virgin, so I will try it a little longer.

Silent War # 4 (of 6) – Really enjoying this book and this issue a major reveal is supposed to occur. Each issue has ended with a great scene and brought me back for more. The fact that it doesn’t seem to fit within any Marvel continuity right now (it’s all current and yet not current) is okay as the story itself is so good. Hell the Inhumans should get a series with David Hine and Irving Frasier if they can produce a story this interesting.

Wisdom #5 (of 6) – This series has been okay. The advertised artist ahs not been on every issue, but the overall story has been okay. Side note – Marvel in their official web site never notes that a series is 6 or 12 or whatever issue long, it will say issue #5 and mention it is a mini-series, but not how many issues it runs, just seems odd.

X-Men First 1st Class #8 (of 8) – Jeff Parker and Roger Cruz are producing the second best x-book out there (X-Factor is the best) and this is a fun updating of the early years of the X-Men. Also it is not sad that it is ending as the series has been given an unlimited series launch in a couple of months.

Unique #2 (of 3) – A story of parallel worlds. Dean Motter is a good writer, but this book is only so-so, but a three issue commitment is easy to ride out and maybe it will pick up.

Walking Dead Volume #6 – Yeah! I love this series and the waiting between trades is a killer, but I cannot wait to read this volume as Volume 5 was great and the series seems to have gained (pun intended – wait for it – dare I say it) a new life (ouch).

30 Days of Night Spreading the Disease # 5 (of 5) – This series fell off the rails and the amateurish art work ahs hurt it, but the overall story is still decent enough. The next mini-series has Steve Niles (the series creator) as co-writer.


Hunters Moon #1 (of 5) – A new mini-series – The official hype from Boom – “The Academy Award-nominated writer of the film Ray comes to comics in a big way, kicking off a new series at Boom! Stockbroker Lincoln "Linc" Greer, divorced dad, is looking forward to a hot date in a remote cabin for the weekend. When his date cancels and he gets stuck with visitation rights with his son, he takes the boy hunting in the wilds of Oregon. Before he knows it, his son is kidnapped and a voice at the other end of his cell phone tells him to do what he asks -- if he ever wants to see his son again! Linc soon finds that he's the only African-American man in this small mostly white logging community. Isolated and alone, he's got to face a contentious community and save his son! “ Could be good.

Planetary Brigade Origins #3 (of 3) – More Keith Giffen / JM DeMatteis madness. Just fin and goofy stuff giving us background on the heroes of the now defunct world of Captain Valor (of Hero Squared – which you should be reading).

Nick Cardy Comic Strips Trade – I’m co-buying this one as it contains the NicK Cardy Tarzan strips from the 50’s I believe and as I love Tarzan I want to read this, but have no need to own it, so it can go to Lee later.

Snakewoman #10 – Continuing the saga of the 68 and the reincarnated assassin of the group. I saw that the series will stop and start again with a new number one, is there a reason for that or not I do not know.


EC Archives Weird Science Volume #2 – The last hard cover for this week and is more of the great EC stuff done up in a really well produced and loving reproduced format. I will get these as long as they publish them.

Tag Cursed #3 (of 5) – Tag was a good mini-series and I have enjoyed the search by one victim of the curse in trying to find it’s origin. A really different type of idea and a horror series that feels a little more real then most.

War of the Undead #3 (of 3) – This has been pretty much of a mess and if it had been a four issue mini-series I would have dropped it.

Wormwood Gentlemen Corpse # 7 – Just one of the best series out there. Ben Templesmith is doing a great job with this bizarre twisted series as writer and penciller. Go out and buy this series and get some laughs and enjoy some slightly twisted humor.

And that's all for this week (thankfully).

3 comments:

  1. Okay, Jim. I'm dying to know if the Spider-man Omnibus is a good as you thought it was. How about those pages in the middle? I've got in on order at amazon and I want to make sure it's worth it.

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  2. Matthew - It really is a nice book, but it is huge and weighs a ton. The reproduction looks good and the colors are vibrant, the letter pages are priceless. The problem is seeing the pages all the way to the edge. I can press the book to open it up a little more, but I worry how they will affect the binding long term. I love having it, but I'm also happy that I'm keeping the masterworks. Still getting 43 Spider-Man stories that covers the entire Ditko era for $63 is a great bargin. My biggest fear is dropping it and breaking my toe.

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  3. I've got the first four Masterworks already myself. And I have single issues of ASM #3,6,8,10,13+...up to the issue before the Gwen/Goblin retcon. I guess lifting a huge book is still easier than lifting 12 long boxes!

    I hate it when you can't see to the edge of the page. It's my biggest complaint about trades and HCs.

    It still seems worth it though. It'll be a great collector's item. The Uncanny X-men Omnibus is already worth more than it's original $100 price, which stinks because I was interested in that one as well. Especially since, I only have the issues from Classic X-men until #109.

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