Snag (or not) Pile for June 25, 2008

This week is looking rather small. Unless you count the EIGHTY GABILLION MARVEL TITLES.

Sweet Jesus on a pogo stick.

DC Titles

Monthlies

Batman: Gotham After Midnight #2: This title snuck up on me this week--pathetic, considering how much I've been looking forward to it, but oh well. I was so pleased with Niles' #1--sly and funny and quite clever--and this week the story is going to delve more into what's going on. Obviously.

DC's preview blurb: "The Batman has been ambushed by a gang of thugs who want only one thing: the death of the Dark Knight Detective. But there is more to this nefarious plan than it seems. For at the stroke of midnight, the mysterious monster behind this gang wants to strike fear into the hearts of all the citizens of Gotham City!"

I'm very much on board with this and really hoping to see some excellent creepy sliding throughout the story. I really prefer it when Batman titles stick to the shadows of the DCU, so to speak, and demonstrate how well he blends into the nighttime atmosphere of a battered Gotham.

Also, if Niles would thumb his nose at the whiners and toss a Bat!jet pack in, I'd be more than supremely golden. I liked the jet pack, dammit.

Final Crisis #2

Oh terrific, another week of bitching from people about Final Crisis, Morrison, J.G. Jones and editors. Super! Here's what I like about Final Crisis and Morrison's writing: You don't actually have to be a genius or crazy WAY-outside-of-the-box to get something out of it. Sure, sure, there are easter eggs, obscure references and really terrific symbolism scattered throughout everything he does. And okay, it can feel alienating when you know it's there and can't figure it out for yourself without some clever blogger or an interview with Morrison laying it out for you.

But Morrison does a very good job on making it accessible to the everyman. You don't need to know who Kamandi is to enjoy it. You don't need to know who the hell anyone is to get the gist of it. Sure, sure, knowing adds flavor--gives you the illusion of an inside track, but I don't honestly believe Final Crisis is excluding comic book fans. If a fan is that upset, all they really need to do is reacquaint themselves with Jack Kirby and maybe get a little high while contemplating the symbolism. Morrison's reach may not be as widely encompassing as Geoff Johns', for example, but it isn't exclusive to those who enjoy heavy craziness.

I'm recommending again, that everyone reread Final Crisis after the last one comes out and can guarantee it'll all make a gorgeous amount of sense straight-through. This isn't to say it doesn't make sense now--but this is one of the dangers of running a Big Event monthly. Secret Invasion is suffering the same problems for me that is solely based on my patience levels.

I'll cut myself off there before this turns into a rant. Here's the blurb:
"Meet Japan's number one pop culture heroes, the Super Young Team and their languid leader, Most Excellent Superbat! Join legendary wrestler Sonny Sumo and super escape artist Mister Miracle as they team to face the offspring of the Anti-Life Equation! See Earth's superheroes mourn one of their oldest allies! Witness costumed criminals sinking to new depths of cowardice and depravity as Libra takes things too far! Uncover the doomsday secrets of the poisoned city of Blüdhaven! Learn the shocking identity of the prime suspect in the murder of a god! And read on if you dare as Batman becomes the first of Earth's champions to face the Fallen of Apokolips. All this and a spectacular return from the dead..."
There's been some definite negative reaction from some fans regarding the nature of the Japanese pop culture heroes, but I don't care. (Oh, hey, there's my headache talking). I'm super-curious and very, very excited to see everything in this issue. DUDE, the Anti-Life Equation is going to ENSLAVE everyone! How is that not awesome?

Green Lantern #32

More Sinestro! Which I find extraordinarily pleasing, even if his mustache never fails to draw up the heroine tied to the train tracks scene. Aaaand if someone could draw Sinestro Old West Style for me, you'd get a thousand social credits. Which are useful . . . nowhere.

Moving on! It's Sinestro and all of his awesomeness and more of the Hal Jordan background that we all know and love and while some have grown tired of (or perhaps just impatient for the next storyline) the rehash, I'm still enjoying it.

"SECRET ORIGIN PART 4! Sinestro has been sent to Earth on a sacred mission, one that this new rookie Hal Jordan is getting in the way with. Plus, one of Hal Jordan's first enemies is born as a bizarre experiment backfires and another is unknowingly stalked for his connection to the Blackest Night! "

Huntress: Year One #4

I think I may want to cry when this mini is over. This has been some consistent awesomeness in my Read Pile as well as a surprise hit for me. God damn, I adore Helena and getting to see her roots again, being explored and revamped (I actually don't mind some of the things that were changed) has just been kick-ass and she definitely remains on my list of Chicks That Could Beat Your Ass (And Probably Should). Hmm, I smell future blog topic there. Noted.

This week, she heads back to Gotham and meets Bruce Wayne for this first time--an encounter which, at the very least, will be funny. My question is this: I totally forget where Dick was around this time. Will we be seeing Dick meeting Helena with Bruce? Because that'd be rock.

Teen Titans #60

I'd like to discuss the cover here, actually. It's really . . . strange. Completely different from the other covers on this book and I'm trying to figure out if that's on purpose or not. The answer to that is probably found inside, if it is a purposeful . . . flatness? Is that the right art description here? The thing with the stuff.

Anyway, the answer'll be inside and . . . I really, really can't bring myself to grab it. I'm breaking my super-awesome collected run of Teen Titans because I can't take McKeever anymore.

So someone stronger than I am, please comment at some point and fill me in on the cover.

Trinity #4

This makes it onto my list only by the grace of this being a small reading week for me--no, I will not be grabbing the eighty Secret Invasion titles. Even then, I think I'll be flipping through it in the store first. At some point, I know that Busiek will be hitting his stride with this and that stride will be filled with awesomeness. That stride hasn't happened yet and this title is quickly falling down to the bottom of the list for a lot of people and not because it's terrible, just because it's another weekly. Really, DC, please move this to a biweekly and save it and Busiek's sanity. On another note--this cover is the first of the next Big Picture and I think I'm probably going to end up day-dreaming about the Trinity covers being released as a collection of small posters. Please?

Trades

All Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder Vol. 1

Yes! The terrific crack-fest has arrived! Next to Final Crisis and Huntress, this is what I've been looking forward to. This is an epic series. So completely epic. So very, very awesome that I can't actually believe it can be bound without imploding.

Collecting issues #1-9, Frank Miller and Jim Lee are retelling Dick Grayson's origin in the best possible way imaginable and if you haven't been reading this, now is the absolute perfect time to do yourself a huge favor and start. I think I'm going to kick my husband out of bed tonight and snuggle with this trade instead. The probability that it will hog the covers and kick me in the back? Nil.

Green Lantern: Tales of the Sinestro Corps

Collecting Green Lantern #18-20 (plus backup stories), Green Lantern Sinestro Corps Special #1 (plus backup stories), Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Ion, Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Parallax, Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Cyborg Superman, Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Anti-Monitor, and Green Lantern Sinestro Corps Secret Files.

Oh, what's this? Something that explores the villains in the Sinestro Corps storyline? How excellent for me. Here's a must to put on your bookshelf if you're collecting the Sinestro Corps War in trade (you DID grab Vol 2 last week, didn't you?).

Marvel

Monthlies

Angel: Revelations #2

. . . I'm not the only one reading this, right?

The first one was so great and I continue to be utterly owned and impressed by the art as previewed by CBR here. The story too, though, I've been loving as well. Warren's such a shit, I love it. Reading the genesis of his mutant abilities is interesting too and I'm getting heavily reminded why I like this character so much.

Runaways #30

First: Look at the cover. Guh. Completely gorgeous and I think I'd sell someone's soul for a poster of this.

Moving on: Yawn. Finally. I have no idea what the hell is going on, because I haven't read this in . . . oh, half a year? Longer? But I'm sure it'll be a perfect ending to a perfectly disastrous run on a book that I think is so insanely rife with potential.

Here's lookin' at you, Terry Moore. See you in August!

There is a whole slew of Marvel titles out, most of which I'll only flip through, but over at the Weekly Crisis, Kirk Warren did previews for them. So I'll direct you over there if you're curious about what not-Angel not-Runaways Marvel titles are hitting the street, because he handles Marvel titles really well (as well as accidentally doing a solid job on giving me a refresher course on what the hell is going on over there).

I think that's it--I really feel like I've missed a title in here somewhere though. Stupid Monday.