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 JANUARY 10, 2018

Mister Miracle #6 (DC Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. This issue is so, so subtle. The title character and his statuesque wife Big Barda battle their way through impossible traps on the way to confront his "brother" Orion. Along the way, the pair have what seems like the most inane, Seinfeld-esque conversation ever that has so much subtlety and character development hidden that you'll want to reread the issue almost immediately. This column has said it before and it remains true: Tom King is a monstrous talent, blazing through brilliant books like Warren Ellis in his prime. The visuals by Mitch Gerads and Clayton Cowles are dynamic, detailed and enthralling. This is amazing work, well worth every cent.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #28 (Marvel Comics)

On one hand, the title character has to defeat Dormammu and cross a galaxy to save her friend. For some comics, that would be eight issues worth of stories. Here? That's just the first two acts. With a hilarious Loki guest shot and Drax being almost as entertaining, this Ryan North penned comic stands up to the exacting, hilarious standard this series has established ("... and on this page, who should appear but, you guessed it, Space Abraham Lincoln") and the fun, whimsical visuals from Erica Henderson, Rico Renzi and Travis Lanham deliver on every increasingly crazy locale and situation. Please don't miss the whimsical side notes in the lower margin, switching perspective from character to writer and back with great humor. Another great, kooky book from a super-reliable creative team.

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WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

There's a lot to enjoy here and much to discover on subsequent readings, so that's a good place to begin.

THIS WEEK'S READ PILE

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

Star Wars Darth Vader #10 is a head scratcher. On one hand, you have Vader doing his thing against the arrogant Jedi librarian Jocasta Nu. That's good. On the other hand, Jocasta is much more of a fight than an exiled Jedi previously who was banned for being too good at fighting. That smells like bran shenani-muffins. Great art, some good Vader moments (especially given what he knows at this point in the timeline) but missing the mark by a hair.

Judas #2 is interesting as the first of the fallen spins an alternate version of Biblical lore that casts everyone in the Morningstar's quite different light. Not as cheeky as Fox'd Lucifer, nor as bombastic as Pacino in Devil's Advocate, this somber take on the underpinnings of western religious thought is likely considered blasphemy in the Bible Belt. But here, it's simply an interesting idea that didn't have a strong enough finish to make it connect. Maybe this will all tie together in a trade?

Fighting American #4 was gleefully ridiculous, unabashedly profit-based and so enthusiastic in its cliche twisting that it looped through "bad" and "good" at least twice. The plot and resolution are a mess, but in a Troma kind of way so it's kitschy and kooky. Not for everyone, but if you liked Tank Girl, this might float your patriotic boat.

Sleepless #2 had amazing character work for its leads and engaging artwork, but needed more plot and stronger secondary characters to connect. This feels like it's not best suited for periodicals but should be a longer work.

You can say one thing for WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Special #1 -- it's entertaining. Despite it's first two stories being this issue's weakest element, the hilarious antics of the Macho King are worth seeing and the AJ Styles finisher had all the tension and build of something you'd see in your living room. Not enough to bring home the belt, but still some kind of spectacle.

Flash #38 had two good narrative twists that were a pleasant surprise but its blah coloring and some pacing issues in the maudlin third act stopped this much improved issue from making it across the finish line.

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

X-Men Blue #19 reinforces the current trend of heroes fighting heroes (or some version therein) in another cliched way, this time using time travel. No great character revelations lie in these confrontations, no innovative plots wind out of these fisticuffs. If it wasn't so derivative and repetitive, it'd get up to just being sad.

SO, HOW BAD WAS IT?

Some ambitious stuff went down, even though things are still so very tedious in Westchester.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

Can't be mad at a week with super star performances like that.

THE BUSINESS

In preparation for a big weekend at Black Comix Arts Festival in San Francisco and the print release of the 80 page giant edition of Menthu: The Anger of Angels, the writer of this column is doing an Ask Me Anything for 48 hours. Time to satisfy your curiosity, yes?

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 Scoundrel (historical fiction set in 1981 east Los Angeles), 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!