This Week's Read Pile, or: Not At SDCC

Having kids is a constant opportunity to observe just how stupid we humans are. I get to marvel at how we've made it this far: we have no fur, our soft bits aren't covered by dense bone and we have impulses to eat anything our chubby fingers grasp and then stick said chubby fingers into little toys and get stuck.

Took Bug to the fire house yesterday to have a plastic kaleidoscope removed from his index finger.

I love firemen. Especially three attractive, well-muscled firemen who let Bug sit on the fire engine as they crowded around and debated the best removal tactic. They eventually grabbed industrial cutters and popped the plastic kaleidoscope-y bit off and cut. Bug asked them not to cut his finger off--and added on a 'please' in a fantastic show of those manners I'm attempting to train him into.

I brought them cookies as a thank you--did not bake them, however, because I can't bake. But I bought them expensive, delicious cookies to compensate.

And that story right there? Is actually an excellent summary of how my entire week went. Just in case you cared.


Onto the comics.


Ambush Bug: Year None #1: How was this in any way shape or form not fun? Wonder Chick did everything on the title, but I'm pretty sure that Keith Giffen helped with pencils and plot, Robert Loren Fleming put a little assistance in with writing it, and the colors were given a little oomph by Guy Major.

Jonni DC has been killed and it's up to Ambush Bug to track down the killer! Special Guest Appearances by: The Source Wall-who may or may not have been molested by Darkseid, robbed by the Jackson Five, and seems a wee bit bitter over appearance changes; Cheeks the Toy Wonder (a drawing of a doll); Cecil Sunbeam of the Green Team; Argh!yle--complete with an intimidating metal mask that has nothing to do with his wear and tear; Phantom Stranger Bastard Child #273 and more!

Welcome to the crack, where you can find excellent, excellent lines (and a gravestone for thought balloons) and generally a goofy, great time.

Very fun, very silly. I definitely enjoyed this, especially for Ambush's arguments with his thought bubbles/rectangles/narration. As Chris said over in his No-One-Is-Paying-Attention-To-Us-'Cause-They're At/Stalking-SDCC review post (and he's so right), this is the book for the hardcore DC geeks-others may just read this and fall into 'what-the-fuckery' about it. And I too, fall into the former. I should be mildly ashamed, but I'm still snickering. Maybe later? I shouldn't have laughed at "Stephanie Brown L'il Dickens Power Tool Playkit" but I did. And just for writing about it, I'm laughing again. Poor CheeksStephanie.

Recommendation: Bring on the crack, bring on the Ambush Bug.



Nocturnals: Carnival of Beasts: Dan Brereton wrote all three stories, did the art on Beasts while Viktor Kalvachev did art and lettering on The Scrimshaw Crown and Ruben Martinez did art on Night of the Candy Butcher (awesome title, btw). This was awesome, right? I thought so. The art was on and the stories were both interesting and fun--maybe not the best for a-possible-attempted-resurrection of a series for new fans, but I think it should whet some appetites for the collected volume, that is thirty bucks--I thought it was more, hunh, oh well--and what? what? Very last page, you say what? A return in the fall with The Sinister Path?!

I love Image. And Dan Brereton.

All three stories were stellar, my favorite was definitely the first one though. Doc Horror is hot as a werewolf and I don't care what that makes me. The art was also glorious. Reading these made me yank out the volume and reread all that too immediately following it.

And I'm tempted to again, just because I can.

And I still want a Gunwitch doll. Anybody?


Recommendation: Don't let this series die on me again: buy or Gunwitch will get you.



Everything else was what I thought it would be in my previews and I didn't actually grab anything--

Oh wait. I lie, I lie, there was a random book I snagged.

The Straw Men #1: Is a Zenoscope release. Joe Brusha is adapting it from the book by Michael Marshall. Brett Weldele is on art.

This was interesting in the best sense of the word. I've never read the book, but I found the art suited the story being told very well and the pacing of it was a bit surreal for me. I felt like I should've wanted the pacing to be faster during some scenes, but it wasn't and instead of throwing me off the book, it just made the scene feel like it was happening in slow-time, which suited it.

This was a good set-up issue, laid down events and happenings quite nicely and definitely made me curious enough to grab #2. I don't actually have a recommendation beyond give it a check out and see what you think.


I'm going to leave you here--this wasn't a dazzling week in comic books, but it wasn't a terrible one. The biggest surprise is how I'll be picking up the next issue of Immortal Iron Fist. I was pleasantly surprised by it, and while I wasn't totally won, I wasn't lost either.

Middling!

Joker's Asylum is probably my favorite mini of the year--too bad DC missed the boat on Jason Aaron, he could've written an awesome ongoing about mainstream DC villains.

Can we have an awesome ongoing about mainstream DC Villains? We're getting Secret Six, after all. I say this should be just the start of a fantastic new wave in comics. Final Crisis can usher it in. Let Darkseid win. Spend two years writing Villain-based superhero comics.

. . . please.


And all you bastards at SDCC: Have fun.