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.

A Two Week Haul

I was off the grid for a week and as a result missed a week at the old LCS. I returned in time for this Wednesday's offerings and was able to get last week's haul as well. Except for Saga #2 (Image), which I'm still hunting around for.* 

Here's the the two-week takeaway:

Avenging Spiderman #6 (Marvel)

Batwoman #8 (DC)

Fantastic Four #605 (Marvel)

Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE #8 (DC)

Justice League #8 (DC)

Lobster Johnson #4 (Dark Horse)

Planet of the Apes #13 (Boom)

Punisher #10 (Marvel)

Ragemoor #2 (Dark Horse)

Rocketeer Adventures 2 #2 (IDW)

Wonder Woman #8 (DC)

With plenty to read, there's plenty to talk about. Here's some thoughts on some Marvel comics. Reviews on others later this weekend, hopefully.

Fantastic Four #605 *Pick of the Week* 

Sensational issue. Perfect epilogue to the sprawling saga that ended with last issue. Rather then engage in a soapy, emotional, overview of the myriad of events that just concluded, Jonathan Hickman has Reed Richards unwind by time-traveling with his dad. During the trip, Reed takes in the enduring legacy of his and his teammates work over the millenniums. Simply amazing how something that seemed like filler or padding or convenient in the build-up to the "Death of Johnny Storm" storyline - Ben being able to turn human again - propels the emotional center of this story. Artist Ron Garney depicts The Thing throughout the ages as resigned yet stubborn, with cracked rocky features and stalactite beard. Each panel is emotionally centered up to the end, back in the present where Reed slows down and appreciates all that's around him that's not a science experiment. This issue just solidifies how great a creation Ben Grimm/The Thing is. And why the bond between the four is something that other team books will never match. Highly recommended

Avenging Spiderman #6 / The Punisher #10 (The Omega Effect Three-Part Crossover)

One of my ground rules I made for myself when coming back to regular comic reading was not to fall for crossovers and nonsense of the like. So, now an excellent storyline from Daredevil has spilled over into Avenging Spiderman and Punisher and I find myself purchasing copies of Avenging Spiderman #6 and Punisher #10 (two series I don't normally buy) as I await Daredevil 11, which concludes the story. The story: Daredevil has a drive containing information on 5 megacrime organizations and each outift wants it. Punisher wants to kill everyone and Spidey makes a lot of quips (I probably only noticed the over-quipping Spidey, especially in Punisher issue scripted by Greg Rucka, as Rucka has said that he finds Spiderman "imtimidating to write" due to the wit factor). Rucka and Mark Waid (co-writer on Avenging Spierman and writer on the forthcoming Daredevil issue) create a powerful tension to Daredevil and Spiderman's uneasy alliance with Punisher as they plot to bring the crime groups together and, of course, make sure none of those groups acquire the disc. The Omega Effect story is solid so far.The art by Marco Checchetto in both Avenging Spidey and Punisher has been stellar, easily dispatching information from panel to panel cleanly and efficiently. I eagerly await the conclusion. These smallish crossover things are something I can get behind. Recommended

*I'm not sure why I'm so resistant to having a pull-list subscription at my shop, which would avoid problems like this especially now that creator-owned comics are rising steadily and, the ones I'm reading at least, are knocking it out of the park, but the demand may not be as high as weekly offerings from The Big Two, and so shops order for pre-orders, which leave someone like me, with out a pre-order, scrambling for titles that get a buzz, but may not have been ordered to satisfy demand.

2 Snapshot Reviews and This Week's Haul

Last week's purchases were a solid bunch. Here's two of the standouts:

All-Star Western #7 (DC) *pick of the week*
Jonah Hex leaves Gotham for Nawlins and meets up with Nighthawk and Cinnamon in a fun tale that further blurs the line between Hex's anti-hero tendencies and the fact that he is pretty darn heroic. The Nighthawk and Cinnamon back-up hits all the right marks as well. The back-ups thus far have been excellent additions the All-Star Western roster. This book remains in the top 5 of the New 52. Recommended

Captain America & Bucky #628 (Marvel)
The closing chapter of the 2nd Bucky and Adam III story as well as the final Cap & Bucky tale as the title shifts to Cap & Hawkeye next issue. This arc was pretty great. The story had depth, action, whimsy, and sorrow. Well done, Ed Brubaker and James Asmus. But, the real accolades go to Francesco Francavilla, who just killed it over the 4 issues. Just amazing art and coloring. I was planning on dropping this book after this arc, but since Cullen Bunn of the fantastic Sixth Gun is hopping on board for the Cap/Hawkeye series, and he promises dinosaurs, I'll keep it in the "to buy" pile. Recommended

Later today I fully expect to have these in my possession:

Action Comics #8 (DC)*
Animal Man #8 (DC)
Creepy #8 (Dark Horse)
Daredevil #10.1 (Marvel)**
OMAC #8 (DC)
Swamp Thing #8 (DC)
Ultimate Spiderman #9 (Marvel)

*DC has Action #8 listed with 4/4 as the release date, but my LCS doesn't have it listed as an arrival for today. I'll see what happens.

**Not sure I get this ".1" business for comics. I'll flip through and see if it's worth my while.

In other news, IDW announced a new Godzilla series for the summer in addition to the new ongoing Godzilla beginning in May. It'll be nice to get my Godzilla fix again after a succesful run of three series overthe past year (h/t Comics Reporter)

This Week's Haul & Thoughts On Print v. Digital

New comic book day yesterday! Here's what I picked up from the Ye Olde Local Comic Book Shoppe (LCS):

All-Star Western #7 (DC)
Captain America & Bucky #628 (Marvel)
Daredevil 10 (Marvel)
Flash #7 (DC)

Light week for the floppies. However, I buy other titles that came out this week but I deferred these to my digital purchases via Comixology. As the digital comics drop in price after a month, I wait for the price change, so I'm about a month behind on many of my titles.

I've slowly become a digital enthusiast for a number of reasons:

-Storage. What do I do with these 30 plus issues per month. They take up space. A part of me wishes I would treat these like the Sunday paper, read it and into the recycling bin it goes. But, that's not going to happen. So, transferring to digital allows me to purchase issue by issue and doesn't clog up my house. (Related, I have around 20 longboxes in my brother's basement and he's moving soon, so I need to find space for those in my place. Sigh.) Also makes reading comics during travel easy. Load up the iPad with comics to read, saves space on carrying around trades. (The trick is to get the iPad away from the kids during airplane rides.)

-Ease of Use. I mean this in both the reading experience and the ability to buy. It's really easy all around. Plus, I have an iPad 3 on the way and Comixology has upgraded the comics to be compatible with the retinal view or HD or whatever the iPad 3 is bragging about. Should be great! (I'm not a fan of the "guided view." I have it set-up to see the full page then tap to view each panel then again see the full page before moving to the next page. I need to keep the experience of turning the page somewhat intact.)

-Taking Chances. Buying digital issues makes it easier to take a chance on a series, writer, or artist that pique my interest. It's a cheaper gateway than buying a trade. Buy the first issue then if I'm hooked, buy more. That's how I discovered the amazing Sixth Gun (Oni Press). I bought the first issue on a lark for sale ($0.99) and soon after the entire back catalog and it's now in my monthly rotation. Conversely, switching to digital for some titles allow me to cull my list. Since I wait a month to get the cheaper digital price, I can see if, when the discount takes effect, I'm still interested in the title. I haven't officially dropped titles yet with this method, but I do have a few that I'm a few issues behind in purchasing. Plus, no back issue hunting if I let a month pass without buying. It's always available for downloading.

Now, slowly becoming a digital enthusiast doesn't mean that I'm wavering in my enthusiasm for the print monthlies. There's still a jolt of excitement in going to the LCS on Wednesday and scanning the shelves for the new arrivals or wandering around the aisles looking for a new title, writer, artist to discover among the trades and graphic novels. Though I don't really socialize or linger in the shop, I still feel a sense of community with the other patrons and employees. I suppose a bit of nostalgia comes into play as well when I eavesdrop on a conversation between two teens discussing the events of new Spiderman or Avengers or Batman. That was me over 25 years ago when my brother, a friend, and I would go comic shopping together and excitedly discuss what we were purchasing, why we were purchasing, and probably joshing each other about the lame stuff in our piles too.

Also, I'm a flipper. Nothing better than sitting down with a pile of comics and flipping through each to get a taste of what's going to happen. Can't really flip through the digital pages. An added bonus to getting the floppies each month is that my soon-to-be 5 year old at home also loves flipping through my weekly haul. It brightens my day to watch him happily sit on the couch with a pile of comics studying each page. (He likes anything with Captain America, Flash and monster books like Godzilla.)

So, for me, it's not a case of print versus digital. Rather, it's print and digital. I'm happy to be an advocate for both.