Wednesday Is New Comics Day!

Are you ready for some new comics? This week’s haul with my preview commentary:

Animal Man #9 (DC)

Swamp Thing #9 (DC)

Two of the best from DC’s New 52 are on a collision course with each other and the ninth issue of each, I believe, is the intro to that crossover. These have been top-of-the-pile reads since they began and this week is no different.

Action Comics #9 (DC)

Action has been a solid good read since the re-launch, but I’ve been waiting for Action to “wow” me. Hopefully, soon. Hopefully, this issue.

Daredevil #12 (Marvel)

Wow, Marvel is spitting out the Daredevils lately. 11 was last week and now 12. I didn’t write a review of DD #11, the conclusion of the Omega Effect crossover, but I’ll say that it was a let-down after the first 2parts and seems like the story is just spinning its wheel. Hopefully, this issue will be back in top-natch form.

Ultimate Spiderman #10 (Marvel)

Every month I grab Ultimate Spidey reluctantly from the shelf and wonder if I should still be buying it. Then I read it and am thoroughly impressed and keep it on the “to buy” list and then the next month comes and I reluctantly reach for the new issue. So, it’s been a well executed comic with wonderful quiet moments and fun big moments, but easily digested and forgotten. I’m back for this month, let’s see how it goes.

Dial H #1 (DC)

Earth 2 #1 (DC)

DC’s “second wave” of the New 52 begins this week with four new offerings. I picked up two. Dial H is a “eh, why not?” pick. Earth 2 is “why is this needed?” pick-up. Meaning, DC re-launched their entire universe and now they have a comic dedicated to an alternate reality for that universe? OK, I’ll bite. The other “second wave” books I didn’t pick-up was G.I. Combat and World's Finest. G.I. Combat even has dinosaurs on the cover. And I passed it up. World's Finest is another "Earth 2" series. One is enough for me right now.

Heavy Metal

This caught my eye while I was waiting to be checked out. I haven’t read Heavy Metal since the 80’s and I’m always on the lookout for anthology titles, so there you go. However, I’ll have to keep this from a certain 5 year old who likes to flip through my weekly pile. That much hasn’t changed about Heavy Metal over the years.

I’m Back. Maybe. Sorta. We’ll See.

Yikes. It’s sure been a while since I last posted anything here. Plenty has happened, no time to write it down. Or something like that. Anyway, one interesting thing – in the context of this here blog, at least – is that I now read comic books on a regular monthly basis again. It started slowly. Check out a series here, pick up a series there. Oh, hey, that graphic novel looks good. Let’s give it a shot. Then it became a small, but steady stream of monthlies. I also discovered digital comics and that allowed me to check out some writers and artists that I was unfamiliar with since my last serious regular buying, which was probably sometime in 1993.

So, it was slow and steady and very fun to begin weekly treks to the local comic shop (LCS). During this time I wasn’t buying many superhero comics as I avoided most monthlies from DC and Marvel as everything seemed to be tied to some big “event” with universe-defining crossovers. I tired of “events” back in 1992; I wasn’t going to use my newly found comic reading time on such nonsense again. So I avoided the Big 2 and stuck to the little guys and comic genres like horror, crime, and monsters. Good stuff really. But I missed the capes and tights.

Then, in September 2011, DC Comics re-launched their entire line of superhero comics, starting each at number 1. Sure, this was just another gimmicky event in many ways, but it also provided me an opportunity to jump right into the action.

Now, 7 months after DC’s “New 52” re-launch, I am completely ensconced in around 40 (!) monthly titles from a half dozen publishers. My plan is to use this blog now as a comic book review/thoughts/essays forum. I’ll, at least, update it weekly with a list of the week’s haul and try to provide timely reviews and thoughts as well. We’ll see how it goes.

Last week's recommendations:
Exile on the Planet of the Apes #1 (Boom)
Fantastic Four #604 (Marvel)
Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE #7 (DC)
Saga #1 (Image) *Pick of the week*

This week’s haul:
Eerie Presents: Hunter HC (Dark Horse)
Justice League #7 (DC)
Planet of the Apes #12 (Boom)
Ragemoor #1 (Dark Horse)
Rocketeer Adventures 2 #1 (IDW)
Wonder Woman #7 (DC)