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 MAY 29, 2019
Star Trek Year Five #2 (IDW Publishing)
Jump from the Read Pile. This very engaging issue is another fantastic installment that somehow let every core crew member have a moment to shine. A race the Federation can barely understand comes knocking with a chip on its shoulder and the Enterprise is stuck with an impossible situation. Luckily, they're commanded by a captain who literally hacks impossible situations, and a crew that's comfortable making that kind of miracle. Writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly brilliantly bridge the energy of the original series with the first motion picture as this crew knows each other well but still strives for new frontiers. The artwork from Stephen Thompson, Charlie Kerchoff and Neil Uyetake has the fuzzy edge of watching UHF channels while still delivering moments that thrill or are intimate with equal deftness and importance. One more like this, we'll have to ride this trip for a while! RATING: BUY.
On a good note, Immortal Hulk #18 is back to its unsettling roots, with a cute sub plot involving two gamma-related doctors worrying while Banner tries to play it cool. The tidiness of the "old business" here is a little too facile, and the focus on the plot is all over the place, but hopefully this is an indication of a return to the fine form that established this series. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Angel #1 is a somber and solitary reintroduction of the vampire with a soul and his quest for redemption after centuries of bloodshed. There was a little too much focus on his struggle with his past and not enough about his struggle in the present day, but the enigmatic appearance of Lilith was a refreshing change from normal depictions. There was a nice twist of elements near the end, and a modern spin on the franchise, but it's all frustratingly just beyond this issue's grasp. Maybe that'll even out in future issues. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Star Wars The Original Marvel Years #108 falls just shy of the mark by stepping back into time and telling a tale in the Star Wars comic continuity of yore. Characterization is a little skimpy and there's a lot happening, but there's a lot to like from slick ship designs to a great sense of visual design on the antagonists (gotta match your space suits, baby) to some fan service, if you're so inclined. Fun stuff that will drive the nostalgic nuts with glee, even if it doesn't travel far beyond that. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Spencer And Locke 2 #2 swings the needle back towards excellence with an issue that skips subtlety and cuts right for spectacle, making this as gripping as an episode of Fastlane. The mad military man makes a big splash, leaving no questions about who and what he is while the last page reinforces the idea that this series has no restraint (in a good way). This was very close to making the mark, with the antagonist's motivations opaque motivations being the only major issue here. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Thor #13 has very little of its title character in here, instead focusing on his uncle Cul, focal point of a crossover past come to haunt this one. This issue is a bit of an emotional trick, but it kind of works when it really hits its climax (no, that's not the explosion) despite some rough hewn artwork (getting hit with a war hammer looks messy) and somewhat blah coloring. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Voracious Appetite For Destruction #1 has a lot to like -- alternate realities, hard-nosed reptile man cops, murder, childhood grudges, and great artwork. This embarrassment of riches is actually part of the problem -- by the time the secession vote comes up, there's so much going on it's hard to stop and be like, "wait, what? How does that play out?" Smart book that's probably at least two books, truth be told, to cover all this delicious madness. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION..
Star Wars Vader Dark Visions #4 reinforced the importance of reputation as Vader wins many battles just by showing up. He actually got some lines this time, and did some of what he does well, even if only seen through the viewscreen of an X-Wing moments before its detonation. RATING: MEH.
Transformers #6 is interesting as it lays a foundation for a friendship between Megatron and Optimus Prime (then Orion Pax) millions of years before the rise of man on Earth. The subtext of their relationship is open for interpretation but they speak in vagaries that are impossible to reconcile. Some war in the distant pre-history of Cybertron that scarred their race's collective psyche before what came to be called the Cybertron Civil War? Grand characters in Cybertronian history referred to but never seen nor heard? At least we got a line like "clone war" and a few actual details about people in the lore of old. This work is far too plodding for the periodical format, but it's laid out six solid issues of backing track, maybe one day it'll jump into a lead vocal. RATING: MEH.
Superman Leviathan Rising Special #1 once again proved that Talia al Ghul didn't learn a single thing about running a clandestine criminal organization from her father as Leviathan takes notes from the current Superman books on how to level up in this whole bad guy game. There's good dialogue (the "acting" bit) and some funny stuff here -- the Jimmy Olsen interlude was almost enough to be its own book of wacky adventures -- all creating a single, complete overarching narrative with lots of stops. Unfortunately, there's also a lot more Poe Dameron-styled implication than fact here -- people talking about things happening, instead of things actually happening. Not bad, and of course stellar artwork and production values, but like the rumors and half-remembered anecdotes implied here, nothing you can hold on to at the end of the day, especially not for ten whole dollars. RATING: MEH.
Peter Cannon Thunderbolt #5 used a number of meta (and maybe gonzo) storytelling tactics in a man's struggle against (ultimately) himself. It has been bad, but got to merely adequate, not offensive in its work despite the deficits in its conception. RATING: MEH.
In Doomsday Clock #10, Dr. Manhattan realizes that, after all this time, he is really just Gwenpool. Sort of. It's a mess, and ties in an actor you don't care about (even a little) while sampling pieces of your comic book memory like a warped version of Puff Daddy (yes, still). It'd be a compliment to say this drives all over the road, but no, instead it keeps backing up and revisiting things you've already done in a vain attempt at being entertainment. Mission failed. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.
It's quite an accomplishment to to the last issue, but, in fact, Heroes In Crisis #9 is one of the worst books not just from this year, but for many, many years. At least the issue before was a straight line, where this ... to have a book with such high production values thrown together like a version of Mad Libs (read the last paragraph), to have such a creatively bankrupt rationale for soiling a hero when literally anything else could have been done, it's ... it's baffling. When you get into the time travel mechanics, you'll suddenly think not only Endgame but Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is the work of a physics genius by comparison (also, you have an endless supply of something, thanks to this very stupid plot element), you'll see how Harley mostly stands around for no real reason (literally, there's no logical reason for her to be in this "story," let alone Batgirl) ... gaaah. This book costs so much money to make and it's so awful that it boggles the mind. The creators aren't untalented -- they've all done super amazing things in the past. Here, they all just drove a bus full of orphans over a cliff. It doesn't make sense. Bah. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.
WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?
Uh ... wow, DC, to nock two of the year's worst books the same week ... there's even an editing mistake in Doomsday Clock about months ... y'all aight? This makes two bad weeks in a row. Argh.
THE BUSINESS
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!