WHAT IS THE BUY PILE?

Every week Hannibal Tabu (winner of the 2012 Top Cow Talent Hunt/2018-2019 City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Trailblazer/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 MARCH 27, 2019

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #30 (Marvel Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. Normally, a book with a plot this thin might hope to aspire to an Honorable Mention, especially given the speedy disposition of one antagonist. No, the multiple mic drop revelations, pushing characters so far out of their comfort zones, that's what earned a ride home. Simon Spurrier's script twists and tangles the two morally challenged leads while the visuals from Emilio Laiso, Rachelle Rosenberg and Joe Caramagna make even a droid's unchanged visage experience speechlessness and ennui. This issue goes deep, and it's the abyss looking right back into you. RATING: BUY.

Just like that, Silencer #15 dips back into the more shallow storytelling waters with an issue-long operation alongside a cipher of a "brother" to clean up old business that, frankly, lacks gravity. The idea of an amazing assassin faking fealty inside a ruthless criminal organization has some legs. The Orphan Black spin being applied does not, and that's a shame for such a good looking book. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Ironheart #4 was so close to getting a ride home due to the flawless characterization of its title character, perfectly acting in every moment. The plot stayed a little too close to home (literally) and the chatty antagonist had merely adequate monologue game. Gorgeous, engaging stuff that's a hair from getting it done this month. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

GLOW #1 is very similar in tone to the show, except without cursing or nudity. If you're looking for the characters you know, you'll find them from Annie's perkiness to Cherry's can-do attitude. There's one element that diminishes the specialness of this group, but switches it to a Bad News Bears kind of vibe that almost worked. If you love the show, you'll likely love the book and wanna grab a copy. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Transformers #2 was an incremental improvement over its decent predecessor, finally learning a little of why Megatron is leading dissent against the Autobot rule, a glimpse into the factionism splintering this society, and a look at wonders of engineering beyond anything short of Type 2 on the Kardashev scale. The plot is s-l-o-w, though, and the mystery that threatens the relative tranquility seems to either come from nowhere or, in essence, prove Megatron's point. Thoughtful and well depicted, but ironically, it has yet to either transform or roll out. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

NEXT PAGE: Disconnecting from Dial H For Hero, Superior Spider-Man, G.I. Joe Sierra Muerte and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt

Dial H For Hero #1 is baffling. It has a certain enthusiasm, true enough, but its protagonist is largely a cipher, there's no clear antagonist (unless you count "small town boredom") and the framing device is super tangential. This feels like stuff you reveal happened before the actual story, if someone asks you, years later, over drinks. Maybe. RATING: MEH.

Superior Spider-Man #4 had some great life lessons for the former super villain involving legitimate empathy, reference checks and even kielbasa. It's a bit predictable and not very dynamic but emotionally feels legitimately Spider-Man-ish. RATING: MEH.

The eccentric, rough hewn art for G.I. Joe Sierra Muerte #2 would be okay if the story was more engaging. The huge cast barely hastine for any character development and the plot needs sone urgency. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

Peter Cannon Thunderbolt #3 makes a number of truly fatal errors, riffing off of Watchmen, Doomsday Clock and a number of other idea in the same vein, sounding like the time Britney Spears did a cover of Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative" (don't go look for it, it's bad). The ending goes even more metatextual, and that's an even bigger mistake. This is going badly in a much more expeditious fashion than ever before. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

Two stinkers dragged the week into the "loss" column.

THE BUSINESS

In addition to here and on the iHeartRadio podcast Nerd-O-Rama, you can find this columnist at Wondercon in Abaheim on two panels and moderating a third.

Look for the hash tag "#htwc19" for more appearances, surprises and more throughout the weekend.

Also, please don't forget you can buy 22 pages of science fiction madness for just $1.99 in Time Corps #12, the first of a twelve issue run written by this columnist. Can't get value like that from the big boys.

Have you checked out season four of the free web comic Project Wildfire: The Once and Future King? Every week catch a page of the story for the best possible price: "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!