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 AUGUST 8, 2018

Spider-Man Annual #1 (Marvel Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. Miles Morales takes the high ground in a story of loss and responsibility steeped in the trappings of modern day teen culture. Writer Bryan Edward Hill crafts a perfect done-in-one on Miles' birthday, cementing him as the hero he becomes and showing the ties to his ne'er-do-well uncle are not so tight that he can't find a better way.

RELATED: Spider-Man Annual Unveils Miles Morales’ First Superhero Costume

The artwork from Nelson Blake the 2nd, Alitha Martinez, Mark Bagley, Roberto Poggi, Carlos Lopez and Cory Petit connects and enthralls. There's a fun back up story about driver's ed that isn't bad either, delivering a gripping all ages book that's worth the cover price. RATING: BUY.

Transformers Lost Light #22 (IDW Publishing)

<i>Transformers Lost Light</i> #22
Strap in, this ride is getting even wilder in Transformers Lost Light #22.

Wow. Of course, this issue doesn't have the remotest interest in you if this is your first look at this series. This is deep, deep, deep in the tall grass stuff happening here. A planet sized Transformer steps through a portal from another universe planning to murder most of everyone he encounters ... and it's not the planet sized Transformer you might be expecting. With amazing perspective work, you get the sense of the scope of this threat, as you look from different angles and see 60 foot tall mechanoids gaping in horror at what they're facing, all while others quip and snipe verbally at each other. What's brilliant about this is that said planet sized Transformer is maybe the third or fourth most interesting thing about this book, with the last six pages or so hauling it like Burt Reynolds in a 1977 Firebird Trans Am.

In case you missed it, writer James Roberts is crafting what is shaping up to one of the best long form tales in comics (think the first 100 or so issues of Fables good) and this issue further makes that case. The visual work of Brendan Cahill, Joana LaFuente and Tom B. Long make every moment connect like a punch from Ali in his prime. RATING: BUY.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #35 (Marvel Comics)

<i>Unbeatable Squirrel Girl</i> #35
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #35 will likely have the most erudite references of any comic you will read this week.

In this issue, Kraven -- convicted of crimes he mostly committed before trying to be less of a jerk -- clashes with Spider-Man while attempting to escape the long arm of the law. In wildly ironic circumstances, Squirrel Girl argues that Kraven is now mostly not a jerk and should be allowed to grow as a person. Breaking out a French origin for a Marvel trope, a heavy dose of Russian philosophy (which is not easy to swallow) and more incredulity from one certain wall-crawler, this issue was funny, action packed, smart as heck and deeply emotional. Who does that? Ryan North, lover of pies, for starters.

The clean lines of Derek Charm have breathed dynamic new life into this already fantastic series, with the certain hands of Rico Renzi and Travis Lanham to make the colors and letters perfect. This series is a national treasure and this issue is another great example why. RATING: BUY.

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Detective Comics #986 has one question about how powers work that kept it from coming home, as its simple premise and whip-smart action sequences were gloriously paced and lovingly rendered. The character moments were okay, despite possibly too many players on the field. Still ... everything hinges on one guy doing something the hard way, not the easy way, and that is a head scratcher. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Hot Lunch Special #1 is an intimate modern noir crime story about how hard it is to escape old business. There's a lot that happened before this issue started but it's all laid out pretty clearly. If this were a premium cable series, it'd already be renewed for a second season, and for fans of regular people placed in bad situations, this book might do it for you. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Domino #5 was very, very close to making the jump with the titular character coming to some very amazing realizations, helped along the way by Shang-Chi (it's not mansplaining if the lady asks). There are some fantastic, intricate action scenes that really shine. Unfortunately the "B" plot of an attack on her friends was well executed but lacked momentum, stopping in the middle for an emotional recap. Strong work on the lead story, but it needed the whole issue and not to lend out room to less compelling supporting characters. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Wonder Woman #52 was an okay pastiche of multiple spiritual traditions in a mystical maze. If it was a little more Shazam and a little less Moon Knight, this could have been something with a team up that worked better in dialogue than in plot. This was a bit better than average, but far too muddy in visuals and mixed up in conception to overcome. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

The galaxy-class threat of Unicron has arrived in Optimus Prime #22, but the scale of this terror is teensy and planets are eaten (not much of a spoiler) off panel. The body count is massive but anonymous, like a fight with The Hand, so the stakes aren't so real just yet. Great looking book, a few cute moments (like friendly giant robot dinosaurs), but not really making the threat stand up for itself. RATING: MEH.

Daredevil #606 has a moment of true inspiration and a genuinely surprising bit of dialogue but mostly warms up the engine without taking off the parking brake. Not bad at all, but it just makes you hungry for something to happen, you know? RATING: MEH.

Most of Fantastic Four #1 covers ground addressed in the recent dimension-hopping Marvel Two-In-One series, but had one moment that truly encapsulated the feeling this quartet can evoke. Gorgeous but ponderous, it took a long time to get where it was going. Too long. RATING: MEH.

RELATED: Fantastic Four #1 Isn’t Quite the Relaunch We Had Hoped For

Pietro Maximoff, stuck in a crossover people barely remember, spends most of Quicksilver No Surrender #4 whining. It's embarrassing, really, to have such low self esteem and such good visual design and powers. Stop it. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

Only one book could truly be called bad, and it was more sad than anything else, so let's say this week's a winner with that big Miles Morales jump.

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!