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 25, 2018
Transformers Lost Light #21 (IDW Publishing)
To start, this is a masterpiece of dialogue. Characters acting as themselves and interacting together provides so much joy, so much entertainment, from a lengthy rant by Rodimus to fantastic presence from Ultra Magnus to the long awaited return of a fan favorite. The plot brings together some old threats and makes MUCH more sense of the linewide crossover than any other Hasbroverse book. This column has been effusive in its praise of this title but know, with no reservations, that James Roberts is in fact the greatest writer this franchise has ever known and this issue is another masterpiece performance. The visuals from Jack Lawrence, Joana Lafuente and Tom B. Long bring moments grandiose (the worldsweeper scene) and intimate ("Definitely a recent vintage") to life with equal awesomeness. This might be hard for neophytes, but this is shaping up to be one of the best long form stories in comics history. RATING: BUY.
Teen Titans #20 (DC Comics)
Jump from the Read Pile Even before Avengers Disassembled or The Authority, the idea of a team of heroes that proactively take the fight to the bad people in the world is not new. But when the son of Batman, Damian Wayne, takes it on, there's a tension and electricity to it that steps it up a notch. The mopey "Black Wally" West from the Flash comics is gone, replaced with the much more fun version from Legends of Tomorrow, which is a good call. This crafty script by Adam Glass even makes the daughter of joke character Lobo effective and logically motivated. The chemistry between Red Arrow, Djinn and the ridiculous yet enjoyable Roundhouse works well. The visual work from Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo and Rob Leigh is spot on, Let's hope this can stay away from cliche as this issue implies a good direction. RATING: BUY.
Catalyst Prime Incidentals #10 (Lion Forge Comics)
Jump from the Read Pile. This issue was an pleasant surprise with an ill-fitting team bound by a pre-evil Maxwell Lord-styled impresario stumble into trouble. The character work showed flawed, realistic people ("Am I ever going to hear the end of that?") and the strains of starting a collaborative effort. The script by Ramon Govea and Brandon Easton never sagged nor lost the reader and the visuals from Jose Jaro, Snakebite Cortez and Saida Temofonte delivered in showcasing the players and the environment. RATING: BUY.
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Star Wars Doctor Aphra #22 has plenty of "oh shucks" murder-y fun as the not-so-good-doctor manipulates people and events in a ploy to steal valuables and escape an Imperial prison without any of the truly dangerous dark-armored people hunting her finding out. The moments veered to and fro, never congealing into a proper plot, but there was some fun along the way. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Detective Comics #985 is another fantastic work of characterization, giving each character (especially Alfred) a moment to shine and reveal who they are. What this book isn't is very driven by plot, as the protagonists are reactionary and even when a huge secret is revealed, there's no flurry of investigation or activity. Swing and a miss. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Long Con #1 has a wonderful charisma and great character work but stops just shy of being an actual story. The tone is fun and playful, not mocking the con scene, but in a way celebrating it. Let's see if it can tell more clear stories. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Charlie's Angels #2 wasn't bad, raising the stakes on an average tale by messing with the only sacrosanct rule of the franchise. The action was zippy and the plot moved well, but two Angels were somewhat interchangeable. This is a solid confection if you're looking for a breezy good time. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Star Wars Lando Double Or Nothing #3 was so close to making the jump based on its title character alone. The plot -- some shenanigans in a mine or something -- paled by comparison to Lando just being Lando, with L3's exasperation following like a police pursuit. Making Lando the patron saint of pomposity is a perfect, enjoyable choice. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Action Comics #1001 is an interesting series of loosely connected scenes published together, but it is not a story. Lois being gone is bad for Clark at work. Superman is super polite as he investigates a rash of fires. Someone is watching from the shadows and making crime pay without Big Blue having any idea about it. Interesting nuggets, but it ain't a meal. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Amazing Spider-Man #2 was quippy and goofy and fun as second chances get passed out left and right, but the head scratcher finale and the paint by numbers antagonists didn't connect. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps #49 was a remarkable improvement as John Stewart showed off his strategic skill in crafting a pretty good plan to win. If this book came to an actual conclusion, it would have been satisfying, but the plan just kind of half-sprung the trap, an issue with pacing and plot. Good character moments (a great Hal moment, even) but not really putting the pieces together. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Wakanda Forever X-Men #1 had some solid action sequences and truly great character work for Rogue and Ororo, but doesn't really cement its antagonist or her motivations beyond cliche. RATING: MEH.
Wonder Woman #51 is all character work as Diana does exactly what she should in terms of seeking the redemption of the lost ... but oy, it's a long and dry road getting there. Not bad, but this is the sort of thing that happens as a "b" plot, not the main event. RATING: MEH.
In all seriousness, why is Moon Knight #197 on the stands? If you took the ethos of the Ennis Punisher and dilluted it with 70% water, mixing in a bit of absinthe, it'd go a lot like this. That's not a compliment. Gorgeously drawn (that reveal panel was worth seeing) but needlessly gratuitous. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.
WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?
Two jumps, one really bad book ... you'd have to call that a win.
THE BUSINESS
If you missed the Operative Network newsletter a double sized edition should be hitting by the end of the month ... might wanna check that out.
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!