Whatcha Buyin'?

And now, for an important question. Asking the contents of one's pull list seems, in some ways, to be a breach of etiquette, like asking a woman's age. Nevertheless, they'll be no standing on ceremony here at Wednesday Week. Here, for all the World Wide Web World to see, is the true measure of a man's heart: On what he spends his money.

6 April 2005

Detective Comics 805: The angel and devil on my shoulder had a good little anticipatory debate about how to regard David Lapham's run on Tec. On the one hand, it means monthly work from Lapham, for a year at least. On the other, it means even less Stray Bullets, a title that tries my patience--it recently celebrated ten years of publication with about three dozen issues to its name--even as it makes me proud to be a comics reader. Back on the one hand, it means that Batman will have at least one title worth reading; I've been following his various titles off an on since '92, and more on than off since "No Man's Land". On the other, it means, as they man said, "just when I thought I was out..." The Batline's been struggling since the post-"NML" heyday of Brubaker, Grayson and Rucka (see, or better yet, avoid "War Games") and I thought after the departure of the undervalued Anderson Gabrych, I'd be able to return $3 to my monthly budget. Over the first third of his run, though, Lapham hasn't disappointed, referencing some of the Dark Knight's greatest old school traits while still injecting a unique sort of darkness into the character. Quality stuff.

Incredible Hulk 80: Peter David on the Hulk is a no-brainer for me. I first got into his run on the Hulk while he was closer to the finish line than the start--417 was my first issue, the story of Rick and Marlo's pre-wedding celebrations, and possibly the funniest issue in a run full of them--but over time I've assemble the entire run, and it's probably my favorite on a super-hero. He'd have to work hard to disappoint here, but I'm pleasantly surprised at what he's doing here. He's acknowledged the past just enough to maintain character continuity, but still seems determined to move forward, the hallmark of his first run. I can't wait to see what happens once David gets going on his open-ended run.

Intimates 6: Joe Casey's an odd one. His name probably wouldn't make it onto a list of my favorite comic writers, and yet if his name's an a book, I'm more likely than not to pick it up. His Wildcats was a favorite, taking what were essentially X-Men clones--and not very creative ones at that--and naturally evolving them into what were not only completely different from who they were, but from any other "super-heroes" on the shelf. Intimates has yet to reach the 'Cats' level of excitement, but it shows great potential. And, as with Wildcats, the book both references tradition and attempts (successfully, mostly) to create something entirely new. As with most of Joe Casey's work, it's not going to set the sales charts on fire nor win any awards, but it's never boring, and Casey's affection for both characters and medium is always preeminent.

Seven Soldiers: Zatanna 1: And then there's Grant (notice that I've praised these books by virtue of their writers?). It's still too early to see the shape that Seven Soldiers is going to take, but the boundaries have begun establishment. This is, arguably, the book-within-a-book that I've most anticipated, for several reasons. First, Zatanna seems to be the Soldier most firmly established within the DCU, so her title should give the greatest sense of the scope of this thing. Second, Ryan Sook is a far better artist than anyone so little-known deserves to be (or is that backwards...?), the Soldiers artist, along with Cameron Stewart, of whom I'm most fond. For me, this is where this project starts in earnest.