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 NOVEMBER 7, 2018
Transformers Lost Light #25 (IDW Publishing)
Well. That's that, then. With this issue, the conclusion of almost a decade of concentrated, planned and executed Transformers storytelling from James Roberts, we can finally say it: it's perfect. With twists and turns and character development over the course of millennia, there is virtually nothing you can say about this story -- which culminates here, so yeah, if this is your first time on the ride, sorry -- that is wrong. Using a Big Chill styled framing device and an almost Whovian contrivance (said as a compliment), this issue is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Thanks go to the visual team of Jack Lawrence, Joana Lafuente and Tom B. Long for bringing this in for a flawless landing. When's the absolute hardcover out? RATING: BUY.
Immortal Hulk #8 (Marvel Comics)
Jump from the Read Pile. Okay, wow. First of all, this issue is messed up ... messed up like, "the guy with cuttings and black eyeliner creeping out your cousins at the baby shower talking about his crystal figurine collection" weird. The government has the Hulk and think that's a good idea. Spoiler: it is not.
RELATED: Captain Marvel Reforms Another Classic Team – To Hunt the Hulk
This Al Ewing script dives deep into the horror vibe this series has been working with while not shying away from its superhero roots, all the way down to Dr. Walter Langkowski's new job. The brisk and gripping visuals from Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose, Paul Mounts and Cory Petit will be replaying in your nightmares, thank you very much, so that's not easy either. Again ... wow. RATING: BUY.
Outer Darkness #1 (Skybound/Image Comics)
Jump from the Read Pile. What would happen if you mixed The Expanse with that really good Matt Ryan Constantine show and tossed in a dash of Star Trek: Discovery? You'd get something a lot like this engaging work of fantasy and science fiction, mashed together in a delicious comics bouillabaisse. A haunted man named Joshua Rigg is given command of a magically powered military spaceship he once called home, keeping his own secret agenda under wraps. The old my greatest failure trope is at work but done deftly as the crew of misfits is slowly introduced. This John Layman script is engrossing, drawing the reader in with almost casual craft work. The visuals from Afu Chan and Pat Brousseau do great work bringing the mundane elements of a society settled in space with the impossible elements of a god stuck in an engine. Buckle in, space cadets, we're going on a ride! RATING: BUY.
NEXT PAGE: How Batman, Champions, The Green Lantern and More Fare
Border Town #3 came very close to making its third consecutive jump with more great character work, a good play on things with the police and a fantastic scene with the vice principal. The pacing and balance of elements was a little wobbly, and didn't quite connect enough of the dots for the key struggle, but this surely wasn't bad. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Champions #26 has dived headfirst into its Critical Role-esque trip to Weirdworld (which might finally be a way to make Weirdworld happen) with the team working its way towards each other, using new powers for new goals even as Riri Williams tries to remind them of the need to go home. Not bad, but the pacing was a bit uneven, not giving the plot the ability to be balanced and satsfying. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
PREVIEW: It’s a Weird, Weird World in Champions #26
Batman #58 has a wonderful feeling of dread and noirish atmosphere as it focuses on the Penguin. Unfortunately, like a hot and heavy date that gets cut short, the issue's conclusion leaves you hanging. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Star Wars Han Solo Imperial Cadet #1 reinforces, in canon even, three crucial things. First of all, Han Solo (for most of his life) was an idiot, evidenced by a string of bad decisions that would even give George Oscar Bluth pause. Second, Han Solo is scarily, almost Domino-level lucky, shown by how little he suffers from the first point. Third, in ways Poe Dameron only dreams of, Han Solo can fly like nobody's business, shown in some pretty thrilling action sequences. All of this is good and fun, but essentially tells you things you already know. Not bad if you're looking for something familiar. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Deathstroke #37 has two big twists (spoiler!) that are equally brilliant and confusing as Slade Wilson goes to group therapy as imagined by NetherRealm Studios and his daughter takes on a mission to kill a convict hours before a slated state execution. Great art, some great moments, but it's a very convoluted road getting to the shocking last page. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
James Bond 007 #1 had good action scenes and did a good job establishing its locale but was thin on characterization and plot. RATING: MEH.
Green Lantern #1 is a mind blowing and trippy jaunt through several light years, bracketed by an almost Top 10 styled takedown (there are a number of oddly derivative flourishes here) that's fun but not exactly an actual story. Hal Jordan's kind of a bum, the Guardians are vague and boastful and the threat is so thinly defined as to almost not be there. Maybe it'll get it together down the line. RATING: MEH.
RELATED: DC’s First Ever [REDACTED] Lantern May Lead to a New Corps’ Creation
Crowded #4 slowed down and let things settle a little as its two leads kind of just floated around making decisions that hinder the plot. Lots of character work, but most of it standing relatively still (yes, even the sky diving). RATING: MEH.
Doctor Who The Thirteenth Doctor #1 had a dash of the charm and whimsy that makes the latest Gallifreyan incarnation so entertaining, but suffered the common challenge of the Titan Comics adventures in being too little story for the cost and the space. RATING: MEH.
In a mini-series chock full of tedious, impenetrable, seemingly meaningless stories, Infinity Wars #5 is another one. Character? Barely. Plot? Maybe. The fight scenes are great (the Hulk with the space gem is a new highlight) but ... so? RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.
WHAT'S THE PROGNOSIS?
Those buys today? Those are great freaking books, y'all. Wow. This was great.
THE BUSINESS
In case you missed it, this columnist was honored by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs as one of their 2018-2019 Cultural Trailblazers. Yeah.
The writer of this column just completed the latest season of the weekly web superhero comic Project Wildfire: Street Justice -- you can read it all for free for just a little while longer. 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!