Comics I've Read Over The Past Few Weeks AND For The Record: Fuck The Laughing Ogre

This one deserves a bit of an introduction.

So my comic buying habits have slowed a bit lately. I'm now down to buying comics every 2 or 3 weeks, as opposed to buying them every week as I used to do. The reason for this is because I now buy my comics at Packrat Comics - a store that's about 15 miles from where I live. Weighing the price of gas and how painfully thin my monthly paychecks are, I figured it was best to reduce the number of trips to the store and come back with a thicker load each time.

The most sensible question to ask in response to this is why I would shop at a store so far from where I live when there are in fact two stores within a 4 mile radius of me. The answer is simple - those stores suck.

Most people would then point out the Laughing Ogre. Conveniently situated uptown, enormous selection, and frequent signings by well known writers like Jason Aaron and Brian Wood. Okay, okay - the store itself doesn't suck. It's got a pretty interior and has all the books I'd ever want to buy.

But there still remains one enormous deterring factor that keeps me from going there. The employees are complete and total assholes. Nearly every time I go there, there's about three or four of them working, and they only seem to talk to each other. Nearly every time I ask one of them a question or try to engage them in a conversation about comics, the question gets answered succinctly and they go back to their conversation as if I was merely an interruption.

Never, never in my life have I been to a comic book store where employees pretended the store was a record store, a setting where it's socially acceptable to act too cool around the customers. Most stores I've gone to, even the poorly lit ones with overweight workers too situated to get off their chairs, have employees that aren't just willing to converse with the customers about comics, they're eager to. Back home in Southern California, at Nuclear Comics I would usually go and shoot the breeze with whoever was working that day for at least an hour.

I love that. I love to be able to get all kinds of recommendations, to hear about all kinds of books I haven't read, and even to argue a little bit whenever contrary viewpoints are espoused. What makes the comic community unique is that the art form is so distant from mainstream audiences that everybody that reads comics is serious about them and usually loves to talk to others about them.

And to be honest - I don't even care that much for reading comics in issues. Trade paperbacks make for a smoother read, they're a self-contained work that you can loan to people, and they look sexier on a bookshelf. To boot, you can get them for much cheaper, especially if you order online or look for them used. The only real reason I buy comics in issues is to give me an excuse to go to comic book stores more frequently, hereby giving me more opportunities to shoot the breeze with comic book store owners and sometimes even other customers.

When I first walked into Packrat Comics, the owner greeted me enthusiastically, asked me if I needed help finding anything, and was more than eager to delve into a long, meandering conversation about comics. I didn't come back for another month and a half, but when I did, the guy remembered me from before. After a decent length chatterring about comics, I made my decision. This is the store I want to set up my comics subscription at.

So that's that. And for the record, fuck the Laughing Ogre.

A word before the three weeks of comics - I forgot to buy the newest issue of INVINCIBLE, so I'll have to pick that one up next time. Also, the store has been sold out of the newest FANTASTIC FOUR, so once they get in a new copy I'll post a review of it.

1. DEADPOOL #3
Writer: Daniel Way
Artist: Paco Medina

This issue surprised me quite a bit. So I've stated previously that what really makes Deadpool fun to read is the silliness and shenanigans in the book coupled with the extreme amounts of violence. All of that is still there, and the book is still making me laugh out loud a little while reading (a feat pretty rare for any print medium), the book is actually surprisingly plot-oriented. At first I thought the Secret Invasion tie-in was meant to be a little bit of a joke, but it looks like Deadpool's actions are going to be pretty integrally tied into other big players in the Marvel Universe. So the book is now three things in one - it's gritty, it's plotty, and it's funny.

I'm still waiting for Deadpool to use a samurai sword again, though. I've always got a craving for some katana.

By the way - I mentioned the last couple of times how much I wanted DEAR DEADPOOL back. Well, when I talked to Daniel Way (ironically, at The Laughing Ogre), he said he wouldn't mind writing it, but it's up to the editors whether or not it will get printed. We'll see!

2. ACTION COMICS #870
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank
I think most would expect me to trash this issue after the pretty thorough rant I gave about the newest SUPERMAN issue.

But, truth be told, I liked it. Geoff Johns has been doing a good run on the book. I think he's one of the few writers that knows how to write Superman for the long-term, in that he a) introduces enough twists and originality into Superman's life b) he doesn't use these twists in a gritty, post-modern type way - the book feels fresh while still preserving what people like about the character and c) he brings out the sympathy in the character. When you read his work, you like the guy.

If nothing else, Superman is a guy you're supposed to like. You can read Wolverine without thinking Wolverine's a good guy, you can read Daredevil without empathizing with Daredevil, and you can even think Batman's a little bit off his rocker and still enjoy the book. But with Superman, you really cannot enjoy the book unless he's portrayed as a likeable, charitable guy. If the writer can't accomplish that, the book fails miserable.

This issue was by no means a great issue. And this storyline as well as the previous one hardly compare to Johns' wonderful Escape From Bizarro World, but nonetheless, it's a fun read. This issue had some confusing moments in it. Particularly, I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, which seems to be leading heavily into the New Krypton 12 part arc coming right up. I'm being intentionally vague about this because I don't want to spoil anything.

Gary Frank's art is still awesome, by the way.

3. THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #6
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Salvador Larroca
I've made no bones about the fact that this is probably my favorite book on Marvel right now. Iron Man is a likable and witty guy for a change and it's been really wonderful to read a book about him that reminds me of how hard Tony Stark works to be a good guy and how hard he is on himself for his failures.

This was the final issue in the arc and had a big confrontation with Ezekiel Stane. While in some respects the resolution follows a rather predictable pattern, the nature of the confrontation itself does not. The book had some well paced action and an ending that really nailed the tone of the story arc.

I can't wait to read more.

4. THE WALKING DEAD #53
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Charlie Adlard
I'm really kicking myself for not having bought that Invincible issue. That way I could have reserved the whole latter half of this entry for a Kirkman Korner and shown that goofy picture of him wearing that Savage Dragon hat. Until next time...

I used to say that this was my favorite book to read in issues - that every issue had something major and climactic and it was always really well-paced and fun to read. Looking back, I think part of the reason I said that was because at the time I was reading the No One Is Safe arc, which was pretty damn incredible. Now that the pace has slowed down (back to its normal pace), the book is a bit sluggish in the single issue department.

This issue really felt like a transition issue. It was mostly dialogue, which is usually fine with me, except the dialogue didn't really speed the pace or advance the plot, it mostly was just normal chitter chatter. Small talk, even. There was a cool punchline at the end that piqued my interest, but naturally, I can't reveal it here.

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That's it for now. In a couple of days I'm probably going to have a fun X-Men corner activity. Bring the kids!