What I’m Getting Wednesday (actually Thursday via USPS)

 

This old column idea is returning due to popular demand. Actually Matthew said he missed it and I decided to get ambitious this week. I have actually been very busy with my real job, so I have no clue why I have been so motivated. Maybe the fact that we are looking to take a month off in August has stirred my blogging passion.

American Vampires Lord of Nightmares #1 – This is another mini-series expanding the America Vampire world.  Scott Snyder’s Vampire series has been great. The last two arcs of the regular series were just okay, but the mini-series gives him a chance to really expand the story. 

Before Watchmen The Silk Spectre #1 – The credits had me buying this book, write Darwyn Cooke and artist Amanda Conner. The sexiest heroine of all time staring in her own series by Cooke and Conner, a no brainer. 

 Frankenstein Agent of Shade #10 – Ever since Grant Morrison used Frankenstein in Seven Soldiers I have enjoyed the character being used this way. The whole crazy super secret organization and having Ray Palmer being their main scientist is just cool. The book is the height of good solid entertainment.

Demon Knights #10 – This is a quirky series and I’m not 100% into it, but I like that it is set in days of yore and the cast of characters is bizarre enough to keep me interested. First cross-over and I’m off this book.

Resurrection Man #10 – I’m iffy on this book. Abnett/Lanning are doing a nice job with it, but the series was fresher somehow the last time. Given that this is another off kilter title I will hang in there a little longer.

Saucer Country #4 – I love this odd and quirky series of a female Hispanic governor of New Mexico who is running for President, who is dealing with alien abduction. I’m not sure how Paul Cornell (writer) is making this work but he is. Sadly sales are low and I’m worried this book may have a short life span.

The Shade #9 – This book belongs to the prior era, but since we have not seen another DC character for a long time it is all working out just fine. The Shade is a great character and Robinson has given us a ton of depth to the man. I wish this was not a limited series.

Dancer #2 – Sadly I can only remember bits and pieces of this book. The Dancer’s boy friend is an ex-spy or something who thought he was retired and now people are trying to kill him. If I remember correctly the twist was the killer coming after him is him. Anyway these stories come back to me once I open up the comic. Suffice to say this action/adventure mini was enjoyable enough after issue #1 to have me back for #2.

Invincible #92 – Mark appears to be cured, but powerless? I love that this is a Kirkman creator owned book. If it wasn’t I would know this would not last, with Kirkman this vould be Mark’s new reality. 

Mind the Gap #2 – This is a funky and whacked out series as we are trying to pull together a mystery of a girl who wakes up and can’t remember her past. We as readers are invited along to figure out who is after her. So many of this mini-series feel like a screen play being made into a comic, but as long as the story is interesting it maybe the only way the story sees the light of day. 

Planetoid #1 – By Ken Garing – the solicitation copy reads “Silas, an ex-soldier turned space pirate, finds himself stranded on a mysterious planet in alien territory. As he explores the long-abandoned industrial ruins of the planet's surface he will have to fend off rogue mechanical creatures, roving cyborg militias, and a hostile alien military with a bounty on his head. Silas will have to rely on resourcefulness and bare-bones survival tactics in order to stay alive and ultimately unlock the secrets of a planet where survival is a luxury and escape is an impossibility.” Have no clue who Ken Garing is put the premise was enough to make me want to give it a try. 

Conan #5 – Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan have revived my interest in Conan and the piragte adventures of Conan have been great.

Massive #1 – Brian Wood’s new creator owned series. A post apocalyptic world and I’m going in semi-blind. I read the preview and know it is about some radical environmentalists who were out to sea when the sh*t hit the fan, but otherwise I prefer just reading the first issue on its own and letting the work speak for itself. 

Cobra #14 – This series almost lost me, but now the whole twist and turns and espionage elements are back in full force. A rock solid series most of the times.  

Night of 1,000 Wolves #2 – This is a great monster story being told in 3 parts, with lots of wolves and blood. There must be blood.

Pantha #1 – I think this will be a one and done. It ties into Vamperilla stuff and I have dropped all of that material. 

The Spider #2 – David Liss did a nice job with this series. I like Liss’ work and the noir stuff is in his wheel house. The art is a little too CGIish, but I’m curious to follow this book. 

Warlord of Mars #18 – This continues to be an almost guilty pleasure, but a more faithful adaptation of Burroughs hero then the movie John Carter. 

Warriors of Mars #3 – This is a book I will most likely drop. I think it is based on Burroughs work, but I would have liked to see Fighting Man of Mars adapted. 

Batgirl #10 – Knightfall escapes Arkham and she is destined to be Batgirl arch enemy goes the press. Really, Knightfall, she is named after a story arc, can’t wait for No Man’s Land to show up. Also why does the girl super hero have to have a girl arch nemesis? This series needs to be dropped.

Batman #10 – All of the standard fare stuff from DC this is the best. Scott Snyder is a great writer, but even this book does not hold me like it did before. Bruce is too young and it just feels like this story would have been better for Dick Grayson as Batman.

Batman and Robin #10 – A solid series made so by Peter Tomasi as writer and Patrick Gleason on art. Again entertaining but this is really Damian’s book and is not as strong as the title was before the jump into the new DCU.

Green Lantern #10 – I’m hanging on to see how Johns wraps this storyline. We are promised radical changes in two months when the GL Annual wraps up this story. The change maybe me dropping this title.

Suicide Squad #10 – A fun book that follows it own course that has been marred by a forced (in my view) cross over with Resurrection Man. I don’t even consider this book 100% standard fare because the characters are disposable. 

Avengers #27– The Avengers vs X-Men has made many of the titles associated with the main event throw away filler material. 

AvX #3– Marvel advertised this as the big fights from Avengers vs X-Men. This is a 10 year old boy’s dream book, all fighting, no plot and no character development. 

Captain America #13 – I have become bored with this series and I may hang on until the arc ends, but I maybe done with this book.

Fantastic Four #607 – Hickman’s big story is done and future Franklin saved the universe. I will hang out until Hickman is done and then I’m done with this and FF. 

Incredible Hulk #9 – I picked up “Stay Angry” Part 1 and the book was a lot better then the pure crap first arc. I’m hanging out with this title a little longer. 

Uncanny X-Force #26 – This is Remender’s heir apparent to Fear Agent. I love how crazy it is and that he adapts so quickly to using different characters. It is a frenetic train ride almost every issue. The Captain Britain arc bored me, but part of the problem was a wrong artist choice.  

Picked a lousy week to do this as I’m getting too many books this week. Of the 30 titles only 11 would I classify as cape and cowl standard fare, which is a heavy shift in my reading habits. Which shows I’m still a comic book fan, just not so much of the normal big two stuff.