the SHIP that already sailed: Sep. 10, 2008

OMIGOD so nice to be back. And I just got back from the comic book shop with:

FINAL CRISIS: REVELATIONS #2
PATSY WALKER: HELLCAT #3
CRIMINAL II #5

and how about you?

Just returned with and read:-

FINAL CRISIS REVELATION(S) #2: Miles better than the first issue, but not quite there yet. Spectre/Crispus still feels like a plot contrivance without a character. Still, at this rate the final issue should be fucking tops. And I liked the androgynous butch-ness of that first page, although that might have been accidental on the artist's part.

CRIMINAL II #5: The first real misstep for this comic, I think. There's pulp and there's pulp, but this was a bit too pulp for my liking, if you know what I mean. Bad dialogue -- that's what I mean. It feels more like a variation on what's gone before than an extension of it.

Sorry for grumbly first post. Nice to have ILC back, though!

i finally went to the comic store and picked up what they had for me, except i looked at those she-hulk books and said "nah, i don't really need to be reading this anymore."

haven't read them yet but i got batman (i think i'm missing a couple issues but i'm fine with that), jack of fables (ditto), fables #75, criminal, and the love & rockets book (only one i'm actually excited about reading!).

FC: The Specter with the Funny Name #2
Criminal II #5
BDP...er...BPRD
Love and Rockets and Krazy and Ignatz and Ted and Alice (FUCK YOU GROTH! You just want my whole paycheck this week, is that your deal?)

Hey -- If I enjoyed the new Hellboy movie (and enjoyed it a lot more than, say, the first Hellboy movie), are there any Hellboy/BRPD collections worth checking out?

Just about all of it? The latest Hellboy mini (by Mignola & Richard Corben) is the best Hellboy mini in a while, though I've enjoyed them all. I'm partial to the ongoing BPRD regular series disguised as a bunch of minis, which feature everyone from the flick except Hellboy. My favorite mini of late (which should be collected soon) was the BPRD: 1946 prequel, which features Nazi vampires. Wait, I'm sorry -- PROJECT: VAMPIRE STURM.

If you liked the flick, though, you'll probably be fine w/ just about anything the Hellboy world has to offer (as long as it's written by Mignola, John Arduci, or Josh Dysart).

Um, FC: Rev, 'Tec, and Young Liars. And Showcase Supes #4, because I AM POWERLESS TO RESIST.

Huk, how is Young Liars? I cut bait on it to, um, plow more cash into relentlessly disappointing spandex events.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #571 NWD -- wheeeee
BPRD THE WARNING #3 (OF 5)
CIVIL WAR HOUSE OF M #1 (OF 5) -- yes, I am a sucker
CRIMINAL 2 #5

EX MACHINA #38
FINAL CRISIS REVELATIONS #2 (OF 5) -- like I said!
GOON #28
INVINCIBLE #52
MS MARVEL #30 SI

SECRET INVASION #6 (OF 8) SI -- see?
SECRET INVASION INHUMANS #2 (OF 4) SI -- killing
SECRET INVASION RUNAWAYS YOUNG AVENGERS #3 (OF 3) SI -- me
SECRET INVASION X-MEN #2 (OF 4) MD -- softly
TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE #4

ULTIMATE ORIGINS #4 (OF 5)
ULTIMATE X-MEN FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #1 -- soon to be RIP ;_;
WELCOME TO HOXFORD #2 -- Ben Templesmith ahoy!
WONDER WOMAN #24
X-MEN MAGNETO TESTAMENT #1 (OF 5) -- hey it's Greg Pak!

Young Liars (since reading #1) just comes into my house and sits on the same pile as The Spirit (since #3), Blue Beetle (since the Spanish issue), Metal Men (since #6), Daredevil (since, um, #95 or something), Madman (since the issue before last) and probably something else, where I keep all the books that I still buy but am not reading. A fool and his floor space...

FC: Revelations (I dunno. It was okay. The art was pitiful.)
Green Lantern Corps
Cable King-Size Special
Deadpool (Mega-sucker alert 1: Congrats, Marvel. You got me to spend nine bucks on two comics featuring characters created by Rob Liefeld.)
Secret Invasion (Mega-sucker alert 2: Still buying this crap. I'm convinced at this point that Bendis writes this book while he's on the toilet and possibly while also doing a sudoku. I really think I might be mostly done with Marvel for a while after this is over. My interest has diminished to a tiny little nub.)
SI: Inhumans
SI: Runaways/New Avengers
SI: X-Men
Ultimate Origins (Consistently better than Secret Invasion. And really only slightly better than okay in the grand scheme of things.)
Love & Rockets (I've only just flipped through so far, but while Beto in experimentomode looks v. promising, the Jaime ca. 1982 superhero fetish is a little disheartening. I will, of course, reserve judgment until I have actually read the thing.)
Tales Designed to Thrizzle (Finally!!!!!!!)

Secret Invasion (Mega-sucker alert 2: Still buying this crap. I'm convinced at this point that Bendis writes this book while he's on the toilet and possibly while also doing a sudoku. I really think I might be mostly done with Marvel for a while after this is over. My interest has diminished to a tiny little nub.)

Went through my pull list in the LCS last week, and this is pretty much me too.

Did anyone else read Magneto: Testament this week? If so, I've got a question about the plot -- did he use his powers to throw the javelin? Or is that unclear?

FC Rev: Um, yeah, so God's Mercy...um, Christ anyone?
'Tec: Oh how I hate anything to do with Hush.
Showcase Supes 4: homina, homina...only a few stories in...looking forward to more batshit crazy late-era Jerry Siegel stuff

FC: Revelations- improving, but still disappointing from Rucka.
Patsy Walker- makes not a great deal of sense, and I don't care, I love this series so
Criminal 2- default purchase at this point, still need to catch up and read the last few issues
Kick Drum Comix #1- haven't had a chance to read yet, awfully pretty though

There is supposed to be a Ambush Bug trade paperback coming soon, with his early appearances. Should have shipped 9/10 from what I can gather, so should ship soon.

did he use his powers to throw the javelin? Or is that unclear?

I read it as "unaware use of his not-yet-recognized powers in moment of emotional intensity," but I'm not sure either.

The Ambush Bug trade was a Showcase Presents, last time I checked, and was delayed to early next year with DC's usual aptitude for putting out tie-in products in a timely fashion.

Can anyone explain the Angel/Archangel thing in X-Men: Secret Invasion? It's rather confusing, and I'm not sure if it's actually a Skrull issue.

I think in the pages of X-Force recently Angel got the Archangel wings. I assumed in SI that the skrulls have already reverse-engineered his new metallic wings thing (before most of the X-community even knew bout his new status - which is why people were confused).

Yay-am acknowledged in new Jess Nevins LOEG guide. Fame at last, my name will live forever, etc.

For me it was just Criminal and 100 Bullets, both good fun, especially Criminal.

Yeah, Criminal was IT last week. No idea how good it felt to walk up to the counter and keep my total under $5 (hell, even under $15 is good for me.)

(I know i'm still a lightweight compared to some of you folks.)

I accidentally got the last issue of Criminal - again! I hope they'll let me trade it in.

'Tec: Oh how I hate anything to do with Hush.

Ha -- how can you not appreciate Dini's belabored attempt to give Hush a more Bat-fitting origin?

At any rate, Dustin Nguyen = tops, and how can you have an issue where the final page shows Catwoman WITHOUT A HEART?

I think I meant to say "have a complaint about the issue," or maybe I was subconsciously angling for the shittiest of puns.

Hush still sucks, but he sucks a wee tiny bit less now, which is...kind of a victory? I guess?

Last page reveal was surprisingly effective, but the whole fight with the Venom'd-up kid was ridiculous in the worst way.

What did Dini do with Hush?

the catwoman angle is perhaps more compelling to me than the batman RIP angle.

"What did Dini do with Hush?"

Honestly, the main thing he's done so far is "not be Jeph Loeb," but it seems like he's trying to give Hush a better-defined motive and personality, including some major projection issues (being angry at Bruce Wayne for being rich elitist scum and then getting angry with him for associating with such common, low class people all the time, for one).