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 SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Fu Jitsu #1 (Aftershock Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. Take a little bit of Shaolin Cowboy, toss in a dash of classic Casanova and mix in just a soupcon of Nextwave and you'll probably end up with something like this extremely clever, deeply engaging new book. A mystical martial arts practitioner wakes up from years in sensory deprivation just in time to confront an ancient madman bent on world domination. On that fairly simple skeleton, all kinds of crazy gets amped up, wielding the minutiae of pop culture like a keen blade. The Jai Nitz script is so bananas that Gorilla Grodd and Gwen Stefani would cheer it on, and the artwork from Wesley St. Clair and Ryane Hill brings great kinetic action scenes and crafty intimate moments alike ("I get that a lot"). This is quite a pleasant surprise that grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go.

Rat Queens Special Orc Dave #1 (Image Comics)

<i>Rat Queens Special: Orc Dave</i>
You are not ready for Rat Queens Special: Orc Dave.

Jump from the Read Pile. This is quite a pleasant surprise. Focusing on a kind of druidic tradition, a less-than-well-prepared orc struggles with gaining his father's approval and accepting a mantle of power he cannot avoid. No, his name is not secretly "Keyleth," and the true beauty of this issue appears in its brilliant, shocking yet inevitable finale. This surprisingly tender Kurt Wiebe script is superlative -- he's never turned in a bad Rat Queens book, but this compact, self-contained gem is really special. The artwork by Max Dunbar, Micah Myers and Tamra Bonvillain perfectly conveys the pacing and splendor of this pastoral tradition. This is fine fantasy storytelling all the way around.

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Justice League Of America #15 (DC Comics)

<i>Justice League of America</i> #15
Get ready to go deep with Ray Palmer in Justice League of America #15.

Jump from the Read Pile. When you say the words "science adventure," it should evoke a sense of boundless possibilities, epic scale, urgency and wonder. Writer Steve Orlando delivers that in a huge way with this explanation of why The Atom (Ray Palmer, not Ryan Choi) is shmucking around in the Microverse. Wait, wait, hang on, no, this is not a Micronauts crossover and yes, both Microverses are in danger from a quantum threat. Here, however, it's played more like Black Science with a smaller cast (which helps) as Felipe Watanabe, Ruy Jose, Marcelo Maialo and the always rock solid Clayton Cowles deliver visuals that literally shock and awe. This book is so much fun you forget the rest of the League, and if the Atom could do this every month, we'd really have something fresh.

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WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

That's a heck of an encouraging start, with some smaller titles stepping up in a big way.

THIS WEEK'S READ PILE

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

Hh. That's weird ... nothing that good, just mostly "meh" stuff like Flash and Bettie Page and Nick Fury ... that's unusual.

No, just ... no ... These comics? Not so much ...

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, Action Comics #988 delivers. The origin of "Mr. Oz" is as bad a retcon as it is illogical, positing a fascinated observer of all the events of Superman's life, except, oh, right, this Superman is from a parallel universe and literally every logical element of the book falls apart. Gorgeously depicted, abysmally conceived, terribly executed. Stahp. What are you doing? Please. Stahp.

RELATED: Rebirth’s First Misstep is Still a Perfect Modern-Day Immigrant Story

Imagine, if you will, trying to tell a story exclusively through snippets of other stories you plan to tell later. While doing so, you weave a couple of these disparate ideas into very thin narratives themselves, but the overall effect is like eating a sampler platter, without getting enough of any of them to actually satisfy. Marvel Legacy #1 did that, playing like snippets of movie trailers and sneak peeks while trying to tie it all together with Star Brand and runty frost giants. Messy, ineffective and retrograde all at once, this wasn't a legacy to live up to, but one to live down.

SO, HOW BAD WAS IT?

The non-purchases were kind of a chore.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

It was a week of extremes, and nothing (worth remembering) fell between the good and the bad, but three books worth owning beat two truly, deeply terrible comics.

THE BUSINESS

You've got a few days left to sign up for the Operative Network newsletter, which comes out at the end of every month and has details about one of the industry's most complicated and innovative creative studios.

The writer of this column writes two weekly web superhero comics: Menthu: The Anger of Angels and Project Wildfire: Street Justice -- free every week. Can't beat "free."

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 Irrational Numbers: Addition (a supernatural historical fiction saga with vampires), Project Wildfire: Enter Project Torrent (a collected superhero web comic), 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, Executive Assistant Iris Sourcebook #1 and Aspen Universe Sourcebook, 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!