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) grabs a whole lotta comics. These periodicals are quickly sorted (how) into two piles -- the "buy" pile (a small pile most weeks, comprised of planned purchases) and the "read" pile (often huge, often including comics that are really crappy but have some value to stay abreast of). Thursday afternoons you'll be able to get his thoughts (and they're just the opinions of one guy, so calm down, and here's some common definitions used in the column) about all of that ... which goes something like this ...

THE BUY PILE FOR JANUARY 18, 2018

Superman #39 (DC Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. Superman takes a whole day to take a hospital ward full of sick kids on the most intense day they've ever seen, including spending time with all his friends in the Justice League. That's it. That's the end of the review. That's all you need. This is literally one of the best things Superman has ever done, and if you don't enjoy this, you might be a social injustice warrior. A big round of applause goes to Peter Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Barry Kitson, Scott Hanna, Gabriel Eltaeb and Rob Leigh for this simple, self-contained, wonderful look at the heroes we deserve.

Justice League #37 (DC Comics)

<i>Justice League</i> #37
Let's not play the blame game in Justice League #37.

Jump from the Read Pile. This issue is insidious in its subtle commentary on the state of superheroics. A self-proclaimed fan of the Justice League wants them to be better, and decides to force them through hell to get them there. Given that he's a square jawed Caucasian of about the right height, this made his impersonation of Batman and subsequently another Leaguer all too easy. Given genius level intellect and the "who built the Batcave?" problem, that makes him a legitimate threat in the kind of way Prometheus used to be. The script from Christopher J. Priest is like an earworm, digging into your brain and forcing you to examine the idols on pedestals, while the intimate, sly visuals from Phillipe Briones, Gabe Eltaeb and Willie Schubert brilliantly deliver on this twisted narrative.

WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

Comics that make you feel and make you think? That's a heck of a start!

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THIS WEEK'S READ PILE

Honorable Mentions: Stuff worth noting, even if it's not good enough to buy

America #11 was extremely close to making it home with engaging artwork, great action scenes and some enjoyable character moments. Only cookie cutter antagonists and some mild weaknesses in development of the supporting characters stopped this from reaching its true greatness.

The biggest problem with Fence #3 (and the earlier issues too, honestly) is that the endings are too abrupt, taking the reader out of a climactic moment. Instead of being paced like episodes, this runs like a long story arbitrarily broken into installments. Gorgeous art, engaging characters, but perhaps not made to be a periodical.

Star Wars Adventures Forces Of Destiny Hera #1 is a capably done self-contained issue spotlighting one of the stars of Rebels. The antagonists are a little too vaguely defined from Imperial stereotypes and one of the supporting characters likewise suffers from too little panel time, but the calm, clear certainty of Hera Syndulla is pitch perfect as is the plot's development. Good, but not great.

No, just ... no ... These comics? Not so much ...

Good news, everyone -- nothing bad enough to complain about.

SO, HOW BAD WAS IT?

Any week where nothing's that bad is a good sign.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

Two unexpected treasures, nothing to weigh us down, this week's an uncontested success.

THE BUSINESS

This Saturday, Los Angeles area fans can catch Ryan Cady (Magdalena, 2017 DC New Talent Search) alongside this column's writer at The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach talking about winning talent searches. Owners promise the event will be live streamed, so please keep your eye on that Twitter feed for more details.

The writer of this column writes two weekly web superhero comics: Menthu: The Anger of Angels and 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 the work will get reviewed, 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!