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 JULY 18, 2018

Immortal Hulk #3 (Marvel Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. Yes, if you're keeping score at home, this is the third issue in a row to make the jump, which means it is now guaranteed a spot on the Buy Pile until it has three sub par issues in a row. That said, many comics have used the "interview" technique or the "Rashomon" method to tell a story in fragments from different perspectives. This one, using an intrepid reporter as a framing device, used different art styles to further vary the points of view and gave an interesting (but surprisingly effective, given how short it was) push to the next issue.

RELATED: Two Classic Marvel Villains Meet a Grisly End in Immortal Hulk

Done in one, self-contained and super enjoyable, this comic is one to keep. Kudos to the creative team of (it's a lot) Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose, Leonard Romero, Paul Hornschmeier, Maurgerite Savage, Garry Brown, Paul Mounts and Cory Petit for delivering a deep, rich experience. RATING: BUY.

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Avengers #5 closed in on character while making the antagonist more abstract and less tangible. The grandiose ending was more a comma than a period, which didn't do much to communicate the scale of what was happening but this issue surely shoved you to the edge of your seat the entire time. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Oh S#!t It's Kim And Kim #1 is a nonsensical science fiction romp with very little plot and whimsical dialogue about a distraction and the seamy criminal element of a galaxy full of kooks and acting normal for your day job. This was very close to making it home on charm alone, but it needed a little more cohesion and a little less "everything including the kitchen sink." RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Batman #51 was very, very close to making it home with the titular character getting jury duty and being assigned to a case where Mr. Freeze was brought in ... by Batman. Hanging over the proceedings are the challenges Bruce Wayne is having emotionally after his wedding last issue, and how he has to make sure the city has a Bat when he's sequestered. This is a very good start to a story, but it is not a complete story in and of itself, which even a good chapter should be. Clever and effective from a character standpoint, but not quite there. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

"Days of Future Slay," or Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 12 The Reckoning #2 drops a lot of spoilers for what nightmares may come in an attempt to stop a vampire from the future from succeeding with his own version of the Injustice League. If you know this franchise, there's a funny surprise that gives a massive exposition dump, but this may be too deep in the high grass for anyone who isn't already in very deep. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Star Wars Darth Vader Annual #2 was kind of a prequel to Rogue One, introducing the former Jedi to Orson Krennic, putting him under the thumb of Tarkin (in direct contradiction of an earlier sequence from this series) and engaging in slaughter beneath the power of the Sith. Not a bad book, but not one that will further the legend of Vader as a minor functionary in service to Project Stardust. RATING: MEH.

In an attempt at fleshing out the character of Carol Danvers, Life Of Captain Marvel #1 instead succeeded in making her more boring, making her supporting cast more generic and less interesting. Running away from her responsibilities like a spurned Jedi, getting lost in small town tedium ... why are we doing this again? RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

Optimus Prime #21 is a mess. Taking place in a shared mental space, re-igniting the Decepticon cause for no clear reason, an abrupt change in behavior for a very consistent character ... there may be a rhyme or reason somewhere here, but it's buried in feints and double feints, false flags and head fakes. This issue needed a new alt mode as something with clarity. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

Justice League #4 was almost as big a mess as Lex Luthor unveils a plan to ... crack open the source wall and let everything pour into our universe, or something? Sinestro plays around with his third (or fourth, or more, hard to remember) ring, Grodd wields a baby as a weapon (really), the Joker somehow is beating up Hawkgirl ... they just threw a lot of stuff together here and it's kind of a catastrophe. The plot twists characterization when it bothers to remember it, one hero gets a retcon to his entire history, and much like that atrocious movie, this hops from vignette to vignette with very little tying them together. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

Inexpensive, at least, but the preponderance of bad books was impossible to overcome.

THE BUSINESS

Friday in San Diego? Sure. See you there.

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!