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 SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Crowded #2 (Image Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. Once again this little comic that could comes on strong, brilliantly wedging in a exposition dump as an artifact of toxic masculinity, having some great action scenes and a plot that never lets up on the accelerator. It's hard to keep mysterious characters interesting, but the chemistry between this reluctant bodyguard and the target of a million dollar crowdfunded assassination campaign is perfect, not to mention the banter around them. There are so many delightful layers to this Christopher Sebela script that just work, depicting a near future that's scarily close enough to touch. The stylized, slick visuals from Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Triona Farrell and Cardinal Rae bring this bullet-riddled future Los Angeles to life like the benediction of neon lights. RATING: BUY.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #36 (Marvel Comics)

Unless you're Larry Hama, writing an issue based largely on being quiet can be daunting for a creative team, unable to rely on half the tools normally available in comics. The creative team of Ryan North, Derek Charm, Madeline McGrane, Travis Lanham and Rico Renzi essentially said, "hold our beers" and delivered a relentlessly entertaining, superbly crafted work. The little details are wonderful throughlines -- the library gag, the story of the punk rocker, the shirts -- as Marvel's mightiest fail because they lack the title character's insights and approaches, often guided by her enormously clever roommate. Three re-reads in and the laughs still work, the cleverness still shines through. How in the heck has this book gone on this long while staying this good? Let's hope whatever the answer is, it remains true. Also? For now and forever, let's remember Tony Stark's new sobriquet: the quartermaster of quips.RATING: BUY.

Charlie's Angels #4 (Dynamite Entertainment)

Jump from the Read Pile. The combination of 1970s-era intelligence gathering and situational adaptability gives this the feel of competence porn as the titular agents work to put the brakes on a plot to assassinate the president, Jimmy Carter. John Layman's script is very, very clever, and the visuals from Joe Eisma, Celeste Woods and Taylor Esposito may not be very period specific, but they excellently manage the action packed, super engaging material. Previous issues lacked the ability to balance the action versus the plot, but here, all the pieces click together perfectly. RATING: BUY.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='How%20Close%20Did%20Fantastic%20Four%2C%20Infinity%20Wars%20Or%20Darth%20Vader%20Come%3F']

Fantastic Four #2 was much, much better than its previous issue, detailing what Reed, Sue and the kids have been up to since the end of ... what crossover was it again, with Battleworld? Doesn't matter. The first part of this is pure imagination that'd warm Gene Wilder's heart and the second part is a spectacle of destruction that'd make Thanos and Darkseid blush with jealousy. The literal only problem is the ending, which was too abrupt given the build up, but this issue was very close to the mark and if it can find its balance as an improvement on this, well, it could in fact once again be the world's greatest comic magazine. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

RELATED: Fantastic Four #2 Just Killed One of Marvel's Most Powerful Characters

Mystery Science Theater 3000 #1 has all the snark and ridiculous nature you'd expect as the familiar characters are sucked into a 1960s comic book and wreak havoc in a mystery fit for the Hardy Boys. If goofy gags and one liners are what you need, this book has them in droves ... just don't go looking for much more. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

House Of Whispers #1 was very close to making the mark, following close in the footsteps of Dominique Leveau: Voodoo Child from some years prior. This bayou-scented tale of magic takes a look at the work of loa behind the scenes of mankind's dreams in a much more nuanced work than some other loa-based concepts in the market. Unfortunately, when it was forced to brush against the Neil Gaiman continuity of the Endless, it was like mixing po'boys with blood pudding -- the mash up doesn't mix well. This wasn't bad, but it didn't reach greatness either. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

MCMLXXV #1 has a lot of interesting things about it, from its DJ framing device to its almost Kevin Matchstick-themed everywoman heroine. What it lacks is a story, as stuff happens but that doesn't mean it's a narrative. You can tell vignettes, sure, but you'd need a much more established sense of where you are and what you're doing. Let's see if all these happy feelings can connect where it counts in future issues. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION

The Surgeon #2 has some truly effective post-apocalyptic visuals, with a fight scene that accomplishes everything they wanted to do on the show Revolution. The plot is a little short on development and the cookie cutter antagonists were right out of an Immortan Joe casting call. Great looking book, though. RATING: MEH.

Wildstorm Michael Cray #11 took a turn as the lead character lost quite a bit of agency as the larger plot tread water and the equivalent of a big bad was shown to be pretty close to crazy. Nothing bad here, just elements and flavors that didn't mix well together. RATING: MEH.

RELATED: Michael Cray Introduces the Wildstorm Versions of Two Prominent DC Characters

Star Wars Darth Vader #21 takes a look at the founding of Vader's dark side temple on Mustafar, the world where he was "born." Tagging along is an Imperial architect, her assistant and an artifact of dubious origin. Interesting things were happening, but the story just kind of started without bothering to have a middle or an end. Not bad, but it's training is not complete. RATING: MEH.

Infinity Wars #3 manages an impressive feat: finding new ways to be simultaneously derivative and terrible. The big bad behind this tedious, pointless crossover believes bad fan fiction is the answer to ... well, it's not entirely clear what her end game is, but she is using all the clarity that Lala on Black Lightning had when he came back from the dead to move competently forward (spoiler: that's sarcasm, and she's as crazy as a horse with no neck; the latter day Cylons had more of a plan than this, which was bupkis). This is bad meaning "bad," not bad meaning "good." RATING: NO, JUST ... NO.

RELATED: In Infinity Wars, Gamora Just Achieved What Thanos Never Could

Daredevil #608 is one of the dumbest things to come out in some time. The titular character makes a decision so stupid, so ill-considered, so short sighted and potentially disastrous that you might believe it was made by the president. It's baffling, and it makes this "story" fall flatter than Henry Cavill's cape. There's only one thing to say about this comic. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

Three solid books beats two bad, especially with so many brave attempts on the field. Let's say this week is a winner.

THE BUSINESS

The writer of this column just completed the latest season of the weekly web superhero comic Project Wildfire: Street Justice -- you can read it all for free for just a little while longer. 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!