Everything That SHIPS Will SHIP on Wednesday: Aug. 20, 2008

And for me:

HERBIE ARCHIVES VOL. 1--I wasn't thinking of it at first, but he threatened to bop me with this here lollipop
AIR #1--read it already, and I'd describe it as "problematic but sorta promising"
THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #16--sayonara, Mark Waid, I will miss you on this book
FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #1--probably the tie-in I'm most excited about
INCREDIBLE HERCULES #120--did anyone else notice that last issue this revealed the "he" who loves you?
THE AMAZING REMARKABLE MONSIEUR LEOTARD--lightweight but fun Eddie Campbell book
MOME VOL. 12--a good long David B. story, plus Killoffer, and probably some other stuff too
TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE #4--ah, now it shows up!

SPIRIT #20
INCREDIBLE HERCULES #120
UNCANNY X-MEN #501
X-FACTOR #34
ANNA MERCURY #3

This is the sorta week that would've been huge for me a month ago. But I've started getting really annoyed with bad comics. So I'm only getting stuff I'm actually going to enjoy reading.

Captain America and that Eddie Campbell thing.

FC: Legion of Three Worlds (Went from "Meh..." to "Yeh!" after reading the Superman and the LOSH collection.)
Dreamwar
Guardians of the Galaxy
Incredible Hercules
1985
Uncanny (I've decided to stick around since Fraction's taking over the reins. Maybe he cares about the characters and wants them to not suck.)
X-Factor
X-Factor: Layla Miller (It's like a delicious treat to make up for the spoonful of Stroman poison.)
Young X-Men (Maybe I'll actually read the first five issues before deciding definitively on this one...)
...and THE THRIZZLE!!!!!!!!!!!

Ooo. Layla Miller. I'm definitely getting that.

BRAVE AND THE BOLD #16 - the last Waid B&B? The newly solicited Green Lantern/Phantom Stranger stimulates my lizardbrain, but will def. be off by the time the Archies show up (unless they bring Andy Kim!)
FINAL CRISIS LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #1 - very excited about this, despite my misgivings re: Superboy Prime/Geoff Johns
SPIRIT #20 - taking it to 24
SUPERMAN CHRONICLES TP VOL 05 - in a perfect world, I could have children AND a foxy collection of archival Supes comics. But my Baby Mama says this isn't a perfect world.
MADMAN ATOMIC COMICS #10 - When I go indie, I go corny indie, don't I?
CAPTAIN AMERICA #41 - dear pot, pls boil
TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE #4 (MR) - see above

Amazing Spider-Man Vol 2 #568 -- omg ANTI-VENOM NOM NOM yay!
Anna Mercury #3
Brave And The Bold Vol 3 #16 -- Mark Waid RIP
Captain America Vol 5 #41
Final Crisis Legion Of Three Worlds #1 -- fingers are crossed
Flash Vol 2 #243 -- Tom Peyer RIP
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 #4 -- yay!
Incredible Hercules #120 -- yay!
Iron Man Director Of SHIELD #32 -- meh!
Justice League Of America Vol 2 #24 -- oh lord Ed Benes
Madman Atomic Comics #10 -- I buy this for the pictures
Ultimate Fantastic Four #57 -- oh lord Marc Silvestri clonez
Uncanny X-Men #501 -- oh lord lighttable cheesecake (b/w sub-Hughes cheesecake)
X-Factor Special Layla Miller -- so special (special)
X-Factor Vol 3 #34
X-Men First Class Vol 2 #15 -- yay? ok, yay!
Young X-Men #5 -- dammit I forgot to drop this

Was going to add Air to my stupid-long pull list, but the previews did not look promising @ all.

CONAN THE CIMMERIAN #2 - I'm kind of hooked. I liked the two lead in issues and the artwork on both of the story lines is sharp, especially the Richard Corben in the flashback sequence. I'm reading up through the Busiek/Nord issues now and they are also really good.
FINAL CRISIS LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #1 (OF 5) - I was more hyped about this a few weeks back, but I am going to end up reading all of the Final Crisis stuff.
ANNA MERCURY #3- This thing is way late. Avatar makes some decent comics, but nothing seems to ship at all near their dates. I'm reading this one and Doktor Sleepless in the regular issues and would consider following some of their other titles, but they just don't ship normal at all. Oh well...that being said the first couple of issues of this one were pretty good, kind of a scifi pulp feel to the story, a bit like Ellis' Planetary (although the artwork is not even in the same league).

Not much new stuff, but I got a bunch of stuff ordered via the mail to come in.

Journey Tpb - Reprinting 1/2 the run of the Bill Messner-Loeb's book about the frontier in Michigan. I really liked this book back in the 80s and it is a totally original type of book.

Strange Embrace - This is an eight issue miniseries by David Hine. I liked the one issue he did of that Two-Face and this seems to be something he wrote and drew. It was dead cheap as back issues. I was curious on David Hine's other stuff, but I couldn't quite bite into checking out Spawn, although there is some nice looking artwork on some of the recent issues of that book.

Stray Bullets - I got a bunch of isssues of this book out of the fifty cent bin at my local shop. I got some fill-ins on order. This book is crazy good. It is so sad, disgusting and yet funny as hell at the same time.

I also got the first trade paperback of The Goon on order and first book of Y the Last Man.

what is this Anna Mercury everyone seems so jazzed about?

It is a Warren Ellis written mini-series on Avatar comics.

http://www.avatarpress.com/titles/warren-ellis-anna-mercury/

FINAL CRISIS LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #1 (OF 5
MADMAN ATOMIC COMICS #10
IRON FIST ORIGIN OF DANNY RAND

what is this Anna Mercury everyone seems so jazzed about?

What earl said, but allow me to editorialize: pro-forma Boing-Boinged WE comic fun, w/ buxom leather-clad poofy-haired protagonist to boot! If you're not scared / sick of Ellis' well-worn hobby horses & tics, then what's another $4 per month?

It looks like something for the dads.

Legion of Three Worlds -- You have NO IDEA how excited I am about this!
Amazing Spider-Man -- I only buy the Slott issues, and plus: JRJR yay!
Captain America
Uncanny X-Men - bitin' that bullet
X-Factor - sigh, I guess it's all downhill now that Stroman is drawing it...
X-Factor: Layla Miller -- but I love Layla!
Tales Designed To Thrizzle: maybe I can find a copy this week!

Brave and the Bold
Flash
Amazing Spider-Man
Captain America
Incredible Hercules
X-Factor
X-Men First Class

I'm a dad--does that mean I have to read it now?

Actually I'm kind of curious about the JRJR ASM.

BRAVE AND THE BOLD
Flash
Captain America
FINAL CRISIS LEGION OF THREE WORLDS
Trinity (just like Fantastic Four, haven't touched the #1 ish yet, I'm planning to spend a rainy Saturday evening sometime reading this whole thing. Here's hoping I'll be able to survive through so much Mark Bagley Art)
Madman Atomic Comics

The art on Trinity won't kill you. Wish I could say the same about the writing.

MOME hurrah
LEOTARD boo on them doing a hardcover for Black Diamond but not this (also boo on paying import price when it will be out locally in a few months)

Legion of 3 Worlds, One Of Which Geoff Johns Made Up Especially – I will totally look at some Geo. Perez pages in the shop but suspect it would be pain to buy for five issues or whatever
Thrizzle I will have to buy mail-order from Fanta sometime

Flash Vol 2 #243 -- Tom Peyer RIP

God, did that story ever pick up? I made it halfway through and realized my apathy was stronger than Gorilla Grodd. Who knew?

It didn't pick up per se (unless you count the girl West becoming a teenager a "pick up"), but it's been perfectly OK by my (easy mark) standards.

FC: Lo3W: gotta say this for Geoff Johns, he delivers the goods.

Loved 'Leotard': a bit of fluff, yes, but lots of fun. And the return of Inspector Aberline!

No Thrizzle, but did impulse buy Grotesque #2 by Sergio Ponchione and the Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics along with my stupid spandex stuff.

CHUCK TATUM, are in town this weekend? There's a FREE minicomicon thing happening at the VAG!

Thrizzle and the Achewood book are so best, and Uncanny X-Men is so worst.

he delivers the goods

this does not adequately indicate the standard of the goods!

The standard of the goods is variable, but I did think this issue was pretty thrilltastic.

Well, I loved the Legion FC tie-in. Definitely my favorite of the tie-in's so far. But does it actually have anything to do with the Final Crisis plot?

Also; In a certain way, I hate what Fraction is doing to Uncanny. He's really turning it into a flashy kind of corporate-styled MU book, like Iron Man and Iron Fist. The plot seems angst-free and very much like a Fraction book. That said, I love it since it's more readable than Uncanny has been in a bit. But it just doesn't feel like the X-Men to me.

I'm on Vancouver Island this weekend, although I checked out the VAG today -- good stuff. And I'm probably gonna head over to those two stores you recommended on Main thursday afternoon -- I was planning more of an outdoorsy biking week this week, but you know, the rain.

I bought Air and some Ed Brubaker written X-title.

I never cease to be amazed at how many titles some people here go through in a month.

That new Noel Sickles bk looks super-desirable, and isn't there also a Rory Hayes bk due out from Fanta this week?

The Layla Miller special was fab. I love Layla!

I thought Air was kinda interesting, like I said on that other thread that no-one has posted on yet. Has the writer done other stuff I ought to look for?

more than kinda interesting, actually.

Uncanny was straight-up garbage. I'm going to cut out the two funny panels where Beast talks about Hot Pockets and throw the rest in the filth can.

And with that, I segue into my issues with Marvel lately. Marvel, with a few exceptions, you're going down the toilet. Secret Invasion has been colossal duddage. The X-books are sinking. I've been so disenchanted, in fact, that I'm shaking off my life-long Marvel Zombie-dom in favor of real interest in DC for the first time in forever. I am consistently liking Geoff Johns books more than anything you're putting out, Marvel. This means you are doing something massively wrong.

Geoff Johns really is wonderful, isn't he.

But Captain America is remaking the Manchurian Candidate with robots and cosmic cubes!

Geoff Johns really is wonderful, isn't he.

oh god the Kool-Aid

Okay why did everyone hate UXM so much???? I actually haven't like Scott Summers this much in about... 10 years?

Was fully prepared to love L3W, but it kinda hit ALL of my Oh Johnspaws buttons.
Cap Am was pretty good though.

I'm as Johns-incredulous as anyone, David, but he really has improved over the past couple of years. Writing 50% of DC's output has given him a lot of practice, I guess.

I'm not a DCU fan by any means (until recently I had only ever read Batman + Superman/boy/girl) but I loved LOSH, both in Action Comics and now Legion of 3 Worlds. And I never knew a thing about LOSH before reading those.

I'm as Johns-incredulous as anyone, David, but he really has improved over the past couple of years.

I'm willing to turn the other cheek as much as anyone, but that first ish of Rogue's Gallery was servicable at best, and the online preview I read for the last ish of Action Comics was exactly the sort of ungh I've come to expect from GJ, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm not buying into this supposed creative renaissance just yet.

Guh! What is wrong with EVERYBODY (except Daver)! This is Johns at his most Johnsiest! Pounding his retroactive MEANING drum (LoSH as more explicit X-Men than X-Men ever was refuge of ACCEPTANCE), tipping his hand ("Fa-Flash?" O RLY?)...he even managed to tear off Polar Boy's arm offpanel!

still waiting for ppl who I know for a fact have read Lobdell/Waid/Seagle X-Men books to tell me why UXM #501 is so awful

he even managed to tear off Polar Boy's arm offpanel!

ha -- OK, his moving the "watch THIS" violence from front-and-center to off-panel (haven't read Lo3W yet, but Rogue's had more than a few intimated SPLORT moments) is an improvement, I'll grant y'all that.

I used to hate Johns being Johnsy. Now I kind of love it. Can't think of many writers who could make ten solid pages of exposition-for-new-readers (the Superman Museum scene) as entertaining--the audio-animatronic Jimmy is pretty hilarious. ("Ha ha! I guess that means you've heard enough about me.") Also, this is the text-heaviest superhero comic I've read since Peter B. Gillis was writing DEFENDERS twenty years ago (not a compliment or a dis, just a comment)--the only other thing I've read this year that's anywhere as tightly packed is CRYPTIC WIT (which is admittedly about 20 times as tightly packed). Johns doesn't go deep at all, but he's a piledriver on the surface.

still waiting for ppl who I know for a fact have read Lobdell/Waid/Seagle X-Men books to tell me why UXM #501 is so awful

Quick "I'm still at work" answer: Greg Land. But if you are using Waid-era X-Men as your measuring stick, you know things have gotten dire.

Also, in the grand scheme of things, Lobdell is pretty much at the top of the X-heap. Above the middle of the heap, anyway.

Is Matt Fraction the new Geoff Johns?

Gillis NEW DEFENDERS!!! There's a reference you don't see every day. Bring back Cloud!

Vancouver is all out of L3W. Boo Vancouver!

Trawling through Wikipedia to see who half of these new X-characters were made me really wish I hadn't dropped the X-Books right when they started doing what I wanted them to do (ie, introduced a bazillion new characters). I had no idea that Wolf Cub wasn't created for Young X-Men (I did know Dust, Blindfold and Rockslide though).

Despite my distaste for Spoiler...Robin is kinda awesome again.

oh oh, distaste for Jason Todd too! And, no doubt, whoever ends up being Red Robin (unless it's Batman from the FUTURE! Better not be sneak Kingdom Come/JSA tie-in!).

OK, so I had a flip through the Legion of Three Worlds in the shop – early bit looked cool and fun with the museum and whatnot, but by the end it’s all LELAND MACAULEY DECAYING BEFORE OUR EYES and a LONGHAIRED HOTHEAD ALTERNATE UNIVERSE LIGHTNING LAD and OMG THIS DUDE I’VE NEVER READ ABOUT KILLED SOME OTHER DUDE I’VE NEVER READ ABOUT LOOK OUT WTF and bleeding and whatnot, I’m sure this is not the nostalgic reminiscence for me. Looked exciting for those who’ve been reading every DC crossover for the last five years though!

So I went downstairs and bought 31 issues of Badger and 4 of a Judah Maccabee miniseries. And on Sunday I got the new Mome and bought the Sock Monkey: The Inches Incident collection from the bookshop because the comic shop hasn’t manage to get issue 4 in yet, what, two years later? Good week!

So I went downstairs and bought 31 issues of Badger and 4 of a Judah Maccabee miniseries.

I hate you so much right now.

they'd put the prices on First up from 50c to $1 since I bought 2/3 or more of the run of Nexus last year!

Those Herbie comics are as great as I remembered. (NB: Hardly anything is as great as you remember.)

"So I went downstairs and bought 31 issues of Badger and 4 of a Judah Maccabee miniseries."

Badger was pretty hit and miss, but there is some fun comics in that run. Nexus is one of my favorite all time comics and Judah Maccabee is one of my favorite characters in a great extended cast. The couple of story lines in Nexus where Judah and Horatio end up in the Bowl Shaped World with the Badger are real fun.

I think it is kind of sad that Nexus is really only available as $50 buck hard covers of six issues. It deserves that kind of treatment, but I think it really cuts down people going to check out the series and pretty much ensures that the only people that would read NEW Nexus comics are people that either read it in the first place or are real back issue divers. I think Nexus could sell really well if it was put out like a Vertigo trade series, where you could get 6-10 issues a shot for like $15 bucks or if they just went and did a couple of big telephone books in black and white. I just think it is sad that it is not going to find as many new readers as it is just not in a good format, as it was a really consistent and well done series and holds up pretty well.

I'd like to give Baron and Rude some cash to get into the book, but the hard covers are way to expensive, so I ended up chasing the back issues which are not that expensive (although certain issues have been a challenge).

First, Eclipse and Comico pretty much did all of my favorite comics when I was a kid. I love all of those old indie series way more than pretty much most of the classic 80s super hero books.

GrimJack
American Flagg!
Nexus
Badger
Scout
Miracleman
Mage
Grendel
Elementals
Evangeline
Jon Sable Freelance
Zot!
Mr. Monster
Crossfire

What a bunch of great comics!