Buy Pile Reviews Star Wars, Action Comics, Punisher

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 OCTOBER 24, 2018

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #25 (Marvel Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. Wow. This issue is one of the most messed up things ever to emerge from this franchise. To a terrifying turn from Darth Vader (like "on the scale of the end of Rogue One") to such heartbreaking emotional decisions to a twist ending that is so outlandishly fiendish, there are no fewer than three "oh sh**" moments in this issue alone, without even counting the Triple-Zero quotes.

Simon Spurrier's script pulled out all the stops and the art from Kev Walker, Marc Deering, Java Tartaglia and Joe Caramagna made every moment, from space battles to intimate acceptance, a delight. Bad things happening to and from bad people, everything you need is here for lovers of scoundrels and the underbelly of the galaxy. RATING: BUY.

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Long Con #4 manages to make jokes about the convention scene without being mean to the subjects of those jokes and has engaging, crisp artwork. Unfortunately the plot is ponderous, so it's like ... well, like standing in line for autographs at the DC booth, really. It's taking a while to get anywhere. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

KISS Blood And Stardust #1 is a perfectly fine mash up of genre conventions presented with a top notch application of craft. The antagonists are well presented, the premise is established quickly and effectively, the stakes are crystal clear. Unfortunately, from antagonist to arguable leads, everybody's pretty dull. Everyone on the playing field leads lack agency, tools in struggles of others. This is probably the best, most coherent KISS comic made in recent memory, but only Gene has any real characterization to differentiate him from the rest of the band. Not bad, though. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Punisher #3 had fantastic artwork and a few good lines as Daredevil gets determined to bring Frank Castle to justice. There's a lot of predictable bloodshed but it's played in a way that could be considered entertaining. If every note in this issue hadn't been played the exact same way in stories across the years, this might have been a little more remarkable. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION

The self-contained Star Trek The Next Generation Terra Incognita #4 told a tale of a challenged negotiation with a world petitioning for Federation membership. It was cut short by an unfortunate (yet seemingly irrelevant) interaction with a semi-hostile party. The core ideas discussed here were deep in the tradition of Aldous Huxley but the examination of them was cursory in the tradition of The Today Show. For Trekkers, this issue will likely satisfy but it doesn't quite hit the mark if you're not dyed in the wool for The Next Generation. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

What If? Thor #1 is an interesting if frivolous thought exercise that changed very little about Thor and very much for his perhaps not so cold blooded brother. This sympathy for the devil again cast doubt that Asgard really is a home of heroes but doesn't do enough to distinguish anyone that you'd need to take this home. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Action Comics #1004 felt like a soft reboot of the old Lois and Clark days as responsibilities are abdicated (for good reasons, of course) and explanations are garnered (they aight) but the biggest happenings here are far from "action," emotional beats that lurched haltingly around. Not bad, no, but it surely could be better. RATING: MEH.

In its favor, Black Panther vs. Deadpool #1 has a good fight scene and some half-decent chuckles (don't ask about elephants). Unfortunately, its somewhat cartoony artwork was not crisp enough for the story, its central conceit cut short the characterization on both leads (T'challa is more circumspect, Deadpool is less likely to ask). This issue is a mixed bag that could have been a contender. RATING: MEH.

Batgirl #28 took a swing at a clever kind of plot twist but only hit it with a glancing blow. The emotional core of a confrontation with the commissioner likewise almost hit, but like an AC too high, just glanced off the armor. RATING: MEH.

Page 3: Is Spider-Geddon Worth Getting?

Shadowman #8 ended with two Black people casually doing something free thinking Black people would never do after pages of stiff dialogue and a barely compelling plot. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

Spider-Geddon #2 is a trailer for other equally ridiculous and uninteresting comics. A previously beaten enemy returns with no new tricks, no new ideas and nothing new to offer the conversation as they beat the wheels off of spider-themed hero after spider-themed hero. It would be nice to say it could be better, but that's probably not true. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

Scarlet #3 had a contrived crisis, limp characterization, a lame ending and a lot of "blah blah blah" in between. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

Pretty much a mess, honestly. Let's try again next week.

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!