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.

- - - -

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!

Comics I Read This Week 3: 9/17/08

I totally skipped last week.

Yeah, I'm totally lazy.

Coming in a couple of days will be the first ever "Comics I Read Last Week". Hopefully that will make amends to you viewers. All two of you.

I bought several things this week, though I wasn't totally pleased with the results. Here's what we got. I'm listening to Torche's Meanderthal as I write this, so expect my sentences to punctuate in concordance with their totally awesome heavy metal rhythms.

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1. ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #12
   Writer: Grant Morrison
   Artist: Frank Quitely
   
   The final issue of the Morrison/Quitely run of the series!
   
   Was I excited! Hell yes! However, I must add that that excitement was mixed with sort of a melancholic longing for the book to continue on. Even though it's been, what, 4 years for these 12 issues to come out, the three or months between the sharply written and drawn, mostly done-in-one stories is part of what made seeing it on the stands such a thrill.
   
   Unfortunately, as much as I was looking forward to this one, this closer was kind of a letdown.
   
   Maybe my expectations were just absurdly high. Maybe I thought it would close with a Quitely-stylized Superman bursting from the pages into my living room, telling me all the things deceased friends had wanted to tell me while they were alive, and smiling as he departed into the sunlit sky.
   
   You know what, I take it back. I don't feel that bad about expecting that. Morrison is (or at least he alleges he is) a chaos magician after all, in addition to being a wonderful writer, so why can't he combine his magic with his wit and imagination and make something like this happen? If he can't, then what's the point of the whole magic business in the first place? It's certainly not making him grow any hair.
   
   Anyhoo - this issue had some smart moments and some surprises. Superman using a gravity gun isn't just "Wouldn't it be cool if Superman used a gun? LOL" fangasming, but actually has a purpose (I expect nothing less from Morrison). The dialogue was smart, the end of Lex Luthor's plan was actually satisfying (unlike most Superman stories in which his overconfidence provides a gaping weakness), but I still felt like it could have been so much more.
   
   Take the ending to issue #10 for example, in which the world that Superman created eventually came to mirror our own world more than the one contained within the pages and closed with Siegel and Shuster's creation of the character. Can't you imagine Morrison ending the book with Superman dying, but his existence as a fictional character in the world he created ending up saving more lifes and providing more inspiration than his own life ever could have?
   
   Wouldn't that have been neat? Or would that have been too obvious, too wannabe Animal Man?
   
   In an interview at the NY Comic Con in the spring of '08, Morrison mentioned he loved writing this book so much that he wouldn't mind continuing with another artist. I can't wait for that.
   
   
2. THE WALKING DEAD #52
   Writer: Robert Kirkman
   Aritst: Charlie Adlard
   
   This is a stark contrast to All-Star Superman. Why? Because here's a book in which I can't stand how long it often takes to come out. It's so addictive, that I want it weekly, dammit. It can't be that hard to pull off. Kirkman could make it his full time job and hire a few extra artists.
   
   This book is pure comic book heroin. And like heroin, usage doesn't so much make you feel good or satisfied as it merely temporarily lulls your addiction. Actually, I've never used heroin before, but that's my best guess as to what it's like.
   
   My take on this book is constantly changing. One month, I'm saying it's the best comic out right now that's coming out in issues, with each issue having a solid kick to the gut punchline. Another month I'll be saying that nothing happens in the comic, wondering why I read it in the first place, and threatening to cancel my subscription if it goes on like this for another few issues.
   
   This month's issue fell more into the latter. Not much advanced the story, not much that was terribly original happened that you can't already guess from the cover. To boot, the thing took less than 5 minutes to read. Kirkman's down to using an average of like 2 panels per page now, perhaps under the mistaken impression that most people that read comics need reading glasses and can't make out the small panels of a 6 to 9 panel grid.
   
   Give me my three bucks worth.
   
   
3. WAR HEROES #2
   Writer: Mark Millar
   Art: Tony Harris
   
   It's picking up. The last issue was pretty dull, mostly giving kind of a retrospective look at the last few years in a world in which the military decided to start giving superpowers to ordinary soldiers in order to increase enlistment and give an edge to the soldiers on the ground in Iraq. There was only a slight introduction to the main characters and what would be the main story, and so now we're getting to see more of it.
   
   However, while it is picking up, it's still not completely there yet. There were a lot of fangasm splash page moments of soldiers doing ridiculous things like lifting up tanks or shooting fire and ice, in addition to there being a Mark Millar shock value moment, but aside from that, I still don't feel like the meat of the story has really been hit yet.
   
   It's funny - in an interview for Fresh Ink, Millar mentioned that if the U.S. Governemnt really did give out superpowers, he would happily enlist and fight in some Middle Eastern country. He is in fact, totally horny for soldiers lifting up tanks and using super speed, and seemed to imply that he sincerely intended this book to be more of a "Wouldn't it be awesome?" idea than a hypothetical, what-Big-Government-will-do-to-win-a-war book. Which in my opinion, is kind of a breath of fresh air, because the latter take is very heavy handed and obvious.
   
   
4. UNCANNY X-MEN #502
   Writer: Matt Fraction & Ed Brubaker
   Artist: Greg Land
   
   Uncanny X-Men has turned out to be a pretty solid book ever since the end of Messiah Complex, way back in issue #495. Basically, all of the characters from Astonishing X-Men got bored of only seeing the light every four months, so they invaded the pages of Uncanny and kicked out a lot of the characters that weren't as popular. Star power always wins out, and the mutant world is no exception. Though I don't really feel all that bad for that douchebag Havok.
   
   The X-Men have been living in San Francisco, taking it easy, and now are fighting a reincarnation of the Hellfire Club. The last issue was pretty cool, though this issue felt a little more standard to me. There's a brawl, there's Cyclops acting tough and decisive, and an enemy telepath. Mostly, it felt like a transitionary issue.
   
   As much as I have a crush on Matt Fraction's writing, I'm a little disappointed with his wit in this book. He kept mentioning in interviews that he was really excited about writing Cyclops, and my response was "Yeah! We'll get to see him exhibit at least two dimensions... possibly three!" But so far, it seems like we've mostly just seen the tough decisions, hard-ass leader Cyclops, and less of the conflicted and emotionally isolated side of him that makes him interesting.
   
   Fuck - talking about how Cyclops can be interesting just makes me really really want to read Joss Whedon's run of Astonishing X-Men again. Then again, maybe my standards are unfair - I certainly wasn't that impressed three issues into his run.
   
   
5. ACTION COMICS #869
   Writer: Geoff Johns
   Artist: Gary Frank
   
   I've actually been digging Geoff Johns' run on the big blue guy. You'd think I'd be an artsy fartsy snob and say that nobody but Grant Morrison should write the character, but nuh-uh. I've been picking up the book since Escape From Bizarro World debuted, and honestly, I thought at the time that storyline came out, the book was better than All-Star.
   
   In retrospect, it's clear that Escape has really been the strongest part of the run. The combination of the storytelling talents of Eric Powell and Richard Donner obviously aided the book tremendously... but even the aesthetic of that story was really strong. It was a mostly standalone story; a graphic novel that just happened to be released in three issues in one of the main Superman books. You didn't have to do know what was going on in the book, and it certainly wasn't contrived to lead into anything else. What made it so strong, in addition to the wonderful storytelling, was a sentimentalism that most Superman writers lack when they write the character. It wasn't just referencing Superman's small-town Americana upbringing, it was retelling it and feeding it to you in a way that made you understand why his small-town perceptions of the people and the big world surrounding really defined his charity.
   
   Since then, the stories have been more typical of DCU books - they're big big stories with lots of characters and big sci-fi elements. This Brainiac story that has been going has been okay. The main twist to it is that all the Brainiac robots we've seen in the past weren't Brainiac himself, but merely drones sent out from the original Brainiac. We finally see the original Brainiac - a big green alien guy. Lots of continuity buffs are really bummed about this revelation. Not having read any in-continuity Superman stories, I don't really care too much and kind of appreciate the twist. Gary Frank's artwork is also seriously awesome. When I look at his depiction of Superman, I literally see Christopher Reeve.
   
   I'm still kind of confused as to what is going on. Apparently Brainiac can physically overpower Big Blue and his similarly overpowered cousin with ease, and I'm not really sure as to why. Also, the cover is incredibly misleading. Nowhere in the issue is Superman taking it easy with Pa Kent in Smallville, and nowhere is there a Brainiac moon that looks like a level from Starfox.