WHAT IS THE BUY PILE?

Every week Hannibal Tabu (winner of the 2012 Top Cow Talent Hunt/blogger/novelist/poet/jackass on Twitter/head honcho of Komplicated) grabs a whole lotta comics. These periodicals are quickly sorted (how) into two piles -- the "buy" pile (a small pile most weeks, comprised of planned purchases) and the "read" pile (often huge, often including comics that are really crappy but have some value to stay abreast of). Thursday afternoons you'll be able to get his thoughts (and they're just the opinions of one guy, so calm down, and here's some common definitions used in the column) about all of that... which goes something like this ...

THE BUY PILE FOR JULY 27, 2016

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #10

(Marvel Comics)

There are so many hilarious, awful, amazing things in this issue that it's hard to know where to start. The word "convenienced" is part of the sneakiest laugh in the issue, the roommate Nancy has a super awkward underground confrontation, there's an awesome physics lecture and, as always, the "MAD Magazine"-styled gags at the bottom of pages perfectly punctuate the gags. Writer Ryan North makes these wonderful, origami-like scripts that unfold beautifully and are intricate but well organized. The art team of Erica Henderson, Tom Fowler, Rico Renzi, Kyle Starks and Travis Lanham do wonderfully quirky, fluid visual storytelling. All around fun stuff.

Transformers More Than Meets The Eye #55

(IDW Publishing)

The only concern about this wonderful, emotional and engaging comic book is its final denouement, an odd look farther back than ever before. Every other element, tying in events and plot elements from all over the run of this wonderful series, meshed together with clockwork precision and flowed wonderfully, taking every character where they needed to be in order to bring a satisfying conclusion. James Roberts' script is simply amazing and the visual presentation from Alex Milne, Joana LaFuente and Tom B. Long delivers big time.

WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

There's two books you'll want to read, time and time again!

Plus, you can get "Aspen Universe: Sourcebook" #1 (written by the maker of this column) at fine retailers everywhere.

THIS WEEK'S READ PILE

Honorable Mentions: Stuff worth noting, even if it's not good enough to buy

Bobby DaCosta is the best thing in "New Avengers" #14, as he side steps and backflips his way through death traps that would disintegrate many other heroes. His newfound super power was fun to watch even as it cut the story short, and other than his best friend Sam Guthrie, nobody seemed to have much of an idea what was really going on. Not bad, but charisma alone cannot win the day.

"Nightwing" #1 continued the charm offensive with Dick Grayson's affable manner hiding a slightly introspective inner monologue as he tries to infiltrate the Court of Owls and take on a second undercover mission in exotic locales. James Bond meets Batman with a smile? Maybe, but it had too much charm and not enough plot. Not bad, though.

The titular Prime makes some serious gestures in "Transformers: All Hail Optimus" #55, teaming up with some strange bedfellows (metaphorically speaking) to address a long running concern. Some cute riffs on the 1986 movie and a lot of fight scenes as this issue sets you up for the crossover... -ish. Not bad, but not grabbing you by the short and curlies, either.

"Mockingbird" #5 was very ambitious, tying together elements from each of the four previous issues. That's good. It tried too hard to play at being complex while having a kind of Donkey Kong experience where zombies are the barrels. That's not so good. Beautifully done book, some great gags, but it reached farther than it could grasp.

"Detective Comics" #937 had the seeds of something extraordinary, mixing multiple brands of tech into making what amount to synthetic soldier Batmen (think a platoon of guys like Prometheus). Not bad, and showing the real danger lies behind keyboards and commendations, but the plot was a bit too facile, the narrative twist too quick.

"East Of West" #28 read like a nihilist love letter as forces hone in on the son of death itself and a world girds itself for war. There are some moment's to warm a sociopath's heart but not quite enough meat on the bones of this story to make a meal. This series is starting to seem like it's not made for trades, but for an omnibus.

"Tomboy" #6 took an intense turn when something like absolute power follows Lord Acton's prescription. Not a bad job establishing a complex antagonist, but that last page, though... very close to the mark if the first third had connected more effectively.

"International Iron Man" #5 had a few really great moments of Tony Stark being the best Iron Man he could be, dispatching would-be assailants with almost casual ease. The overarching plot, however, lacked heft and "oomph," and the resolution of decades of questions was anticlimactic.

"Mechanism" #1 had some promise as it introduced a world besieged by "geckos," reptilian bipedal monsters that kill on sight. Unfortunately, the focus of the narrative was a indifferent, passive robot and not the more developed human characters around it, who gave much needed urgency. Gorgeous art suffering from a problem of perspective.

"Flash" #3 worked best when Barry Allen was helping people or being awkward around a new female character. Interactions with other people help cover up how boring he is, a fact that Grant Gustin can cover with charm but is much harder to do in comics. The fight scenes were basic, the only hint of an antagonist was cliche, but when Barry stops to really help somebody, that's something to see.

"Rom" #1 isn't bad, as it introduces the Spaceknight (freed from Marvel's continuity) to the newly unified IDW-verse and gives a horror vibe to this invading metal man from another world, right down to an update on classic sci-fi iconography and a last page teaser that worked if you know all the players. The plot was a little slow and the title character a little less visually striking than he needed to be as a contrast to the world around him, but this was a decent start to a new career in comics for the chrome-colored crusader.

"Doctor Who The Eleventh Doctor Year Two" #11 had some interesting instances happening as a companion stops by the Time War for a chat and sees the Master and the War Doctor chumming around and fighting Daleks. Things escalated... well, it being the Time War, it's probably a fairly predictable escalation, but it had a few great moments of real tension. The plot didn't get far enough for it to do much more, but this surely wasn't bad.

"Harley Quinn" #30 had an actually clever bit at its core with a guest appearance from an old friend and some drama with the law. However, it left a big plot point unresolved, it meandered quite a bit and it wasn't funny. So, a mixed bag, all around.

"Cryptocracy" #2 felt a bit like "Day Men" (or a little like "Lazarus") with rival families, plenipotentiaries and rules of engagement. It gave too much structure without establishing the individual groups effectively enough (see the original "Amethyst" comic for how to make that happen) but kept the same rock solid artwork while being a little too parliamentary for its own good.

The "Meh" Pile Not good enough to praise, not bad enough to insult

"Jupiter's Legacy Volume 2" #2, "Spider-Gwen" #10, "X-O Manowar" #48, "Old Man Logan" #9, "Predator Vs Judge Dredd Vs Aliens" #1, "Ms. Marvel" #9, "Action Man" #2, "Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur" #9, "Vampblade" #6, "Mighty Thor" #9, "G.I. JOE A Real American Hero" #230, "Hyperion" #5, "Super Human Resources" #2, "Hunter S. Thompson's Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas" #3, "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Pink" #2, "Howard The Duck" #9, "Jem And The Holograms" #17, "Dark Souls" #3, "Extraordinary X-Men" #12, "4001 A.D." #3, "Drax" #9, "Zoe Dare Vs The Disasteroid" #2, "Civil War II" #4, "Assassin's Creed Templars" #4, "Captain Marvel" #7, "Micronauts" #4, "Captain America Steve Rogers" #3, "Thief Of Thieves" #33, "Amazing Spider-Man" #1.6, "Wonder Woman" #3, "All-New All-Different Avengers" #12, "Red Hood And The Outlaws Rebirth" #1, "Sleigher The Heavy Metal Santa Claus" #1, "Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps" #1, "Beauty" #9, "Future Quest" #3, "Savage Dragon" #215, "Doctor Fate" #14, "Transformers: Titans Return" #1, "Venom Space Knight" #10, "Deathstroke" #20, "Postal" #13, "Batgirl" #1, "Divinity II" #4, "Uncanny Avengers" #11, "Action Comics" #960, "Totally Awesome Hulk" #9.

No, just... no ...

These comics? Not so much ...

There is an African proverb that states, "expectations breed disappointment." If, for example, you bought into the presentation of Wakanda as a place beyond the post-colonial behaviors of ruthless local powers exploiting the weak and innocent, of corruption and betrayal at the highest levels of government, or even the infallibility of a defense against outside powers, you might find "Black Panther" #4 enormously disheartening. However, if you take a more recent-minded view, looking at the atrocity of "Doomwar" and the damage done by "AvX," you might see a different Wakanda entirely. You might see a tapestry as depicted by Ta-Nehesi Coates' talky, moody script that allows a country that was never conquered during the colonial period to exhibit behaviors that countries that were exhibit fairly regularly.

Under that perspective you would see you may never get the Wakanda you want. With that, you're able to see this tepid tale of... oh, let's say Uganda or Ethiopia, since those are as close a historical analogue to this as anything else. You'd see the cliche'd relationships (the philosopher and the queen), the wholly new and somewhat unimpressive character of T'Challa (unlike the pre-Secret Wars version who disbanded the secret police called the Hatut Zeraze for their brutality, but here essentially sanctions it with his involvement and espouses none of the scientific, wonder-based values of one of the world's finest minds but those of a fairly common warlord) and see the chaotic land beneath their feet, crafted from the dying gasps of an Infinity Gauntlet and an orphan king who apparently failed more than he succeeded. With sales figures on Black books rising predominantly around fetishized perceptions of Black culture throughout the diaspora, especially with the effusive praise this series has received in many corners, perhaps this is the Wakanda we deserve, bought and paid for like Disney shares on the common market. Even Brian Stelfreeze's remarkable pencils can't liven up this dull, dreary, tedious work that walks so far from the path of its forebears that it is Wakanda in name only.

SO, HOW BAD WAS IT?

Ah, it was only one real problem.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

Two quality purchases (three if you count that conflict of interest) beat a single problematic periodical so let's say this is a winning week!

THE BUSINESS

That was some kind of Comic-Con this year, huh?

The writer of this column isn't just a jerk who spews his opinions -- he writes stuff too. A lot. Like what? You can get "The Crown: Ascension" and "Faraway," five bucks a piece, or spend a few more dollars and get "New Money" #1 from Canon Comics, the rambunctious tale of four multimillionaires running wild in Los Angeles, a story in "Watson and Holmes Volume 2" co-plotted by "2 Guns" creator Steven Grant, two books from Stranger Comics -- "Waso: Will To Power" and the sequel "Waso: Gathering Wind" (the tale of a young man who had leadership thrust upon him after a tragedy), or "Fathom Sourcebook" #1, "Soulfire Sourcebook" #1 and "Executive Assistant Iris Sourcebook" #1, the official guides to those Aspen Comics franchises. Love these reviews? It'd be great if you picked up a copy. Hate these reviews? Find out what this guy thinks is so freakin' great. There's free sample chapters too, and all proceeds to towards the care and maintenance of his kids... oh, and to buy comic books, of course. There's also a bunch of great stuff -- fantasy, superhero stuff, magical realism and more -- available from this writer on Amazon. What are you waiting for? Go buy a freakin' book already!

Got a comic you think should be reviewed in The Buy Pile? If we get a PDF of a fairly normal length comic (i.e. "less than 64 pages") by no later than 24 hours before the actual issue arrives in stores (and sorry, we can only review comics people can go to stores and buy), we guarantee the work will get reviewed, if remembered. Physical comics? Geddouttahere. Too much drama to store with diminishing resources. If you send it in more than two days before comics come out, the possibility of it being forgotten increases exponentially. Oh, you should use the contact form as the CBR email address hasn't been regularly checked since George W. Bush was in office. Sorry!