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) takes on an between seven to thirteen reviews (or so) to share his opinions with you. Thursday afternoons you'll be able to get those thoughts (and they're just the opinions of one guy, so calm down) about all of that ... which goes something like this ...

THE BUY PILE FOR MAY 23, 2018

On one hand, Black Panther #1 is a good looking, thrilling, action-packed space adventure that hearkens back to Flash Gordon and never takes its foot off the accelerator pedal. On the other hand, it's either a confusing Elseworlds style tale or really does a number on continuity. The names are familiar, the roles are not, like recasting a myth ... and that doesn't quite sit right with the number of questions that are left at the end of the issue. Interesting enough to check back, but not ready for prime time. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #20 was close to the mark as the framing device of an Imperial interrogation was obscured by the truth, a daring jailbreak attempt from yet another impossibly complex Imperial prison. The plot was a little too labyrinthine for its own good, limiting the characters from letting their charm carry the day. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

RELATED: Marvel Just Killed a Major Star Wars Rebels Character

Swag Patrol #2 is a solid if somewhat predictable superhero romp spiced up with urban vernacular and rock solid art. There are a couple of legitimate chuckles here, but the material doesn't exactly break any new grounds. Still, it's an enjoyable confection for superhero fans looking for something a little different. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

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Star Wars #48 had two great moments, both involving C-3P0, and a somewhat pat moment of heroism but its Keystone Kops style story didn't do much inspiring in connecting the dots between story elements we already know. RATING: MEH.

Like all new canon comics, Star Wars Annual #4 is beautiful. It offers a fascinating premise -- a race to claim two ancient Sith lightsabers so powerful as to cloud the senses of even modern Force users. All this is happening with a podrace bigger than Boonta Eve in the background and fascinating new character Sana Starros to boot. Unfortunately, despite all that, this issue is essentially boring, with Vader being a fifth of his best, Luke stumbling through what should have been a real moment and the dumbest handling of money you may have ever seen. An inundation of missed opportunities, this issue at least provided fodder for some Wookieepedia entries. RATING: MEH.

Invincible Iron Man #600 is a mad dash to some finish line that only its creative team could see (is that what also happened to Doctor Strange and Falcon?), because it's far too obscured by the virtual armada of armor in this issue. Riri Williams, Doom, many people believed to be dead, the quips are pretty good, but the ... would you call this a "plot?" Well, whatever, it closed things less than concluded them, and it's hard to get worked up over most of it. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

If you thought that Iron Man book was trying too hard, Justice League No Justice #3 is a big, sloppy, unapologetic mess, but in an almost good way. Braniac 2 tells the truth Braniac 1 hid and the greatest heroes and villains of the DCU are playing catch up. Like studying trigonometry at a Megadeth concert, there's simply too much going on, and in some cases, happening in such an unexplained and strange fashion, that you'll be lucky to hang on. If you like that, this book's for you. If you'd like, say, characterization or clarity, well, this might be a bit much. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

With all the guns and bombs and satellites and timelines, Detective Comics #981 limped to an after school special conclusion to its sweeping storyline with hugs and dinner and maudlin sentimentality. This was not an engaging approach as Tim Drake is, in fact, one of the biggest threats to the DC universe and is another weapon running loose with the tacit consent of the Batman. This was not good. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

Yikes. That was rough. This is one of the lamest weeks of comics in months ... maybe years. At least you can support a good cause by picking the Ricanstruction: Reminiscing and Rebuilding Puerto Rico anthology up in stores, featuring this columnist's first published work with DC Comics characters.

THE BUSINESS

The writer of this column writes a weekly web superhero comic -- 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 to try and review the work, 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!