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 JUNE 6, 2018

Star Wars #49 (Marvel Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. Accomplishing everything you need to for a Star Wars comic in a single issue is not an easy feat to pull together, and it's true, you'd be rewarded here if you had read every issue of Darth Vader and watched Solo but you're fine if you are coming to this fresh.

RELATED: Marvel’s Lando Comic Reveals Source of L3-37’s Social Justice Mindset

The Empire is making big waves on the waterworld Mon Cala and they've had enough. With a sky full of Star Destroyers overhead, our favorites have to get a fleet of Mon Cal cruisers out so the Rebellion can have a proper navy (this is before Empire Strikes Back by the way. There are laughs and quotes and action and tension, character development and zippy plotting, all rolled into one enjoyable chunk of culture. Kudos to the creative team of Kieron Gillen, Salvador Larocca, Guru and Clayton Cowles. RATING: BUY.

Deathstroke #32 (DC Comics)

<i>Deathstroke</i> #32
Things get wild in the fight against Batman in Deathstroke #32.

Imagine a three dimensional chess game played so fast that you'd have a hard time keeping up. That's what it's like watching Deathstroke fight Batman. All Slade's contract kills moved into protective custody. All Bruce Wayne's funds frozen. Special gauntlets powering down the special suit that makes Deathstroke able to fight metahumans. Alfred arrested in Spain. Check, check, check, all with dizzying, brilliant speed.

RELATED: Deathstroke, Batman Pick Up Unlikely Allies in Their Battle with Each Other

This Christopher J. Priest script requires re-reading, because each new time you take in another nuance. Add in the visuals from Carlo Pagulayan, Roberto Viacarlo, Larry Hama, Jason Paz, Jeromy Cox and Willie Schubert and you'll find an intellectually stimulating action comic with a mean spirited underbelly. RATING: BUY.

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Immortal Hulk #1 (Marvel Comics)

<i>Immortal Hulk</i> #1
It's horror and retribution on display in Immortal Hulk #1.

Jump from the Read Pile. There is not a single thing wrong with this comic book as it takes Ol' Jade Jaws back to basics. The Hulk, despite the assertations of Amadeus Cho, is not a hero. He's a natural disaster that walks and here, aimed loosely in the vein of an anti hero, rising like Lazarus, that disaster strikes.

RELATED: The Immortal Hulk Is Gonna Kill an Original Alpha Flight Member

Writer Al Ewing has crafted a complete, done in one, horror comic that's terrifying and intense and wonderful, all at once. With visuals by Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose, Paul Mounts and Cory Petit, this book is gripping and simultaneously changes and clarifies the status quo for the iconic character. RATING: BUY

Brother Nash #1 (Titan Comics)

Brother Nash #1
Get an exciting dash of magical realism in Brother Nash #1.

Jump from the Read Pile. With a wonderfully subtle approach, this two-for-one issue builds upon the mystique of the American southwest through the eyes of the trucker community. With a clever veneer of magical realism (avoiding spoilers apparent in saying too much), this work by (it seems) a single creator delivers on characterization, plot and ambiance. Brigit Connell delivers on ever level with this effective project. RATING: BUY.

Rise Of The Black Panther #6 (Marvel Comics)

<i>Rise of the Black Panther</i> #6
A climactic showdown takes center stage in Rise of the Black Panther #6.

This issue had a lot of ground to cover in a short amount of pages, which is most clearly shown by how little we got of the dangerous charisma and fair points from Erik Killmonger. That said, the action is top notch and the characterization was especially strong on Ramonda, inspiring and powerful even when endangered. The Evan Narcisse script never recognized there was another pedal aside from the accelerator, and the visual work of Javier Pina, Stephane Paitreau, Morry Hollowell and Joe Sabino brought it all home. A solid ending to an epic miniseries. RATING: BUY.

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Keeping it feline, Exit Stage Left The Snagglepuss Chronicles #6 connects the dots between the McCarthy-era madness of red hunting (ironic in how "red states" are seen now) to the modern interpretations of these characters in a way that was kind of clever. It happened in a means that was less entertaining and more depressing, a kind of 12 Years A Slave pall that makes almost any victory pyrrhic. Not bad, but not a book you'd run to read for anything that inspires. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Doctor Who The Seventh Doctor #1 dances dangerously close to getting it right with a confident, clear-headed Time Lord and a pithy, decently defined supporting cast of humans. When something crazy pops up, it's perfectly timed. Unfortunately, the ending lacks oomph and the issue's climax came without clear answers so the issue, as a whole, is a swing and a miss. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

RELATED: Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom Have Just Murdered A Major DC Character

Justice League #1 was very, very close to getting a ride home as it showed J'onn J'onnz acting as a general and wielding the mightiest heroes of the DC universe against a global threat. The first half is almost perfect with action and tension and even room for characterization, all while using the tools of nostalgia to excellent effect. To use a quote, "then came down for a little conversation" (with apologies to Lauryn Hill), and that's where the seams began to show as the League debated the meaning of a plot development (*cough*caused by their own sloppiness*cough*) for almost too long as a group of antagonists did a weird display of dominance. The issue then sums up vaguely, stumbling instead of sticking the landing. There's no denying the power and the glory, but it's not quite found its sense of self control. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Batman #48 had some of the best Joker dialogue in years as the Clown Prince of Crime pulls every gag from a Sheriff Bart to a Raymond Reddington. Unfortunately, it had some of the most nonsensical behavior ever from its titular character, acting more like a Bat Puppet than a Batman. The issue is a frustrating way to bring a swinging pendulum to a standstill, so ... RATING: MEH.

RELATED: Batman #48 Pays Deadly Homage to The Killing Joke

After almost killing magic in a previous miniseries Doctor Strange #1 tries making the sorcerer supreme neither sorcerer nor supreme, wholly without magic. After a consultation with the god of bad decisions (Tony Stark) things get ... well, it came from Tony, so it clearly can't be that much of a surprise that things went catastrophically wrong. The execution was beautiful and flawless from a standpoint of pure craft but the underlying concept is flat and lacks wonder, stripping the character down for a debut instead of making him exhibit the worthiness through wonder. It's an approach ... RATING: MEH.

Man Of Steel #2 continues as a master class in characterization and a cautionary tale on plotting as the former is amazing and the latter is glacial. Amazing art, solid tactical application of ideas, but the parking brake must be stuck because this thing is not moving. RATING: MEH.

RELATED: Man of Steel Establishes Rogol Zaar as the DC Universe’s Most Terrifying Villain

Wonder Woman Annual #2 we find how a hero's idle wish caused the deaths of dozens of people and get a boss fight like the first level of Sonic the Hedgehog. Not exactly inspiring ... RATING: MEH.

Deadpool #1 hopes that the audience can accept his mind-wiping personal reboot as quickly as he did, going back to his roots and killing people for money while one of his cinematic sidekicks boredly provides plot-advancing exposition and dialogue. There are three problems: first of all, this comic book is not funny. For people to look past the murder and the bloodshed, a degree of humor and whimsy is required that's largely absent here. Second, this book is not interesting. Nothing the protagonist faces constitutes a challenge that advances the plot or the character. Third, this book is derivative. In attempting to ape the rhythms of Ryan Reynolds, it falls flat because written delivery can't match the changes in pitch and pacing that make the cinematic version so successful. In short: this book is bad. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

RELATED: Deadpool Introduces a Twisted Take on a DC Hero in Origin Story ‘Reboot’

Demi-God #2 is pompous, self-important, self-aggrandizing, littered with cliches, derivative and needlessly meta. It has, at least, truly good looking artwork as a benefit, but everything bad people said about comics in the '90s is proudly strutting around here like the nepotism-soaked son of a president. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

Infinity Countdown #4 took a brilliant and innovative concept from a previous series (to say which one would spoil it) and basically said, "nuh uh, back to the way licensing remembers it!" As for the shell game of a story, it did nothing new either, relying on retrograde concepts (at least explain who Phyla is to people who haven't been around, sheesh) instead of actual storytelling. This issue falls flat. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.

WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

It was a slugfest, but five purchases beats three bad books no matter how you slice it.

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!