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 NOVEMBER 22, 2018

Star Wars: Thrawn #1 (Marvel Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. In Star Wars lore, the names of Imperial Star Destroyers are given to imply power and dominance. The name of one would be very apt to describe this quietly enjoyable issue: "Inexorable." A single member of the Chiss race, far beyond the bounds of the normal galactic map, far past even the boondocks planet Tattooine, essentially cuts a straight line towards the service of Palpatine, always working his own personal, ulterior agenda. Adapted from the Timothy Zahn novels for what appears to be modern canon, writer Jody Houser (with art from Luke Ross, Nolan Woodward and Clayton Cowles) truly illustrates the "hot knife through butter" nature of the preternaturally calm blue skinned humanoid while re-presenting a period of Star Wars history with great and immersive visual storytelling. This is fun stuff that is a riveting journey despite knowing where the ride is going.

Lazarus X+66 #6 (Image Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. If "inexorable" summed up our previous comic, "monstrous" would be the word for this self-contained tragedy. In this world, a number of powerful families run everything, each having a superhuman, scientifically enhanced warrior called a Lazarus as their champion and greatest martial threat. One of these Lazari is held in more regard and more fear than the rest, and this issue explains why in a very Keyser Soze sort of fashion. This collaboration between Greg Rucka, Eric Trautmann, Tristan Jones and Jody Wynne is unflinching and brutal and cinematic and wrong in all the right ways. Like a trail of bloodied bodies and flame on a freeway, it'd be hard to look away from this disturbingly entertaining work.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #29 (Marvel Comics)

In another superb, hilariously written issue, the titular heroine and a wholly ridiculous collection of guest stars (including, at one perfect point, Howard the Duck) struggle on a planet inhabited by hyperintelligent squirrels (yup) after a shakedown plot by space jerks goes so far off the rails that it's in the sky. As if Dave Bautista were here, Drax again totally steals the show. Writer Ryan North is some kind of criminal genius for coming up with this stuff (the tiny lines he writes at the bottom margin are almost worth buying by themselves, especially if Ulyaoth ever shows up again) and the clever, well paced visuals from Erica Henderson, Rico Renzi and Travis Lanham deliver every humorous moment with aplomb and deftness. Let's hope this series runs another thousand issues with this level of enjoyment.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #42 (Marvel Comics)

Jump from the Read Pile. This issue has not one but two super enjoyable, self-contained, amazingly well crafted, clever works of superhero fiction. What's more, the first is deeply entrenched in continuity (Clones! Kingpin's da mayor!) and asks the reader nothing more than to turn these pages, explaining everything that needs to be known right here. Reporter Betty Brant is chasing down a story literally sent from beyond the grave by her dead husband and this narrative goes from kooky conspiracy to "oh god we're all gonna die" tension in a ruthlessly efficient manner. No character is wasted, no line is throwaway, all with a pop culture savvy and a humor that the lead character desperately needs to work on the page. The work here by Dan Slott, Cory Smith, Terry Pallot, Brian Reber and Joe Caramagna entertains from start to finish, and that's before you even get to the clever back up story. Created by David Hein, Marcus To and Ian Herring (no letterer credited), this explores Spider-Sense in a very, very innovative way while using supporting characters very effectively. Add that all up and you get a significant chunk of culture worth your dollars.

WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?

The Mouse House of Ideas nearly had a sweep there!

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THIS WEEK'S READ PILE

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

Black Monday Murders #8 is like finding a bundle of letters, lengthy communications between people who've been friends for years, complete with all manner of inside jokes and internal references to events beyond your knowledge. Gorgeously depicted, to quote the work itself, "you're certainly at the edge of it. Flirting with something you don't fully understand." It is like a flirtation, this work, playful yet serious, and that's a lot of its appeal. However, it stands short on characterization and plot, and likely is ill served by the periodical format despite the clear genius of its creative team.

Star Wars Darth Vader #11 finally gave us a taste of the Sith Lord we wanted -- hunting Jedi, ruthlessly slicing through the remains of the weak. Sadly, it was just a taste and one with a deeply diminished antagonist (even as it set up the Lando mini series) and Vader again being kept from his own greatness. Not bad, but unsatisfying.

There are a few moments worth really looking at in Invincible #144, moments of genuine emotional honesty. Unfortunately, there's a lot of sweeping, generalized stuff in between and this well drawn issue misses more than it connects, especially in developing its secondary characters.

Twisted Romance #2 put a slight spin on the Ugly Betty ideas of relationship storytelling with a third act reveal that's new, but much of the rest of the work was chest deep in cliche. The avant garde art style worked well, but the details seemed inconsequential.

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

Dark Knights Rising: The Wild Hunt #1 got weird. It got, like, too weird for Rocky Horror Picture Show weird. An inundation of universes, the dumbing down of Detective Chimp, fights meaning nothing, science like bad slam poetry ... this book has four writers yet nearly no direction. Veering from madness to mediocrity, clutching at the cliches of crossovers past, the fact that this assemblage of proven talents looked at this train wreck and said, "yep, let's send ths out in the world" is baffling without either massive head traumas or a truly inhuman amount of psychotropics. This is terrible, terrible stuff here.

SO, HOW BAD WAS IT?

Despite the depths of Dark Knights there were some solid attempts at greatness, even when they missed.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

Any week with three jumps would pretty much have to be considered a win unless a mountain of awfulness stood against it. Good work out there, everybody ... well, everybody except all those accursed freaking Batmen.

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 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!