I got out of the shop(s) with one less, one less; I got out with one less.

A Little Too Bagalicious for Ya, Babe

• The Massive #12 (Read it!  Brian Wood’s words trudge on with a palpably painful beauty that, thankfully, thaws most of the frozen flaws in Zezelj and Bellaire’s artwork.)

• Batman Incorporated #11 (Read it.  Now, I’m not against an occasional fill-in issue, an every once in a while one-shot; but If I’m being kind: what a spectacular waste of time!  A major disappointment considering the power position this title had taken in the Batverse.  Sure, it’s not Morrison; but it’s his book, his brand; and this–if only for a month–is a stunning display of corporate arrogance.  Still can’t believe I paid for it.  It’s one book I should’ve judged by its cover.)
• The Bounce #1 (Read it.  Wish I hadn’t.  Debilitatingly derivative and amusingly late to the extra-dimensional portal party.  Attention to detail?  Not here!  Proof: the brutishly eloquent Crunch assesses: “The pigs are tenacious”; and then he proceeds to assert: “I’m sure they’ll be pissed…”  Oh, I’m sure this’ll be worked out at some point down the road–maybe even in issue #2.  But I won’t be there to find out.  Gotta bounce, bro.)
• Daredevil #26 (Read it.  Saving my take for a Back & Forth.  In the meantime, let’s take another look at the talk of the shop on Wednesday afternoon: the Samnee-licious cover–one the fanboys are still fawning over.)

• The Sixth Gun #31 (Gotta play catch up first.)
• Nowhere Men #5 (Read it.  No.  No, I didn’t.  Nowhere Men isn’t a comic at all; you don’t just read it: you experience it.  It’s a–you know what it is?  It’s the love child–the product of a miraculous coupling, really–of The Manhattan Projects and Mind MGMT.  That’s what it is.  More than any other book, you’ve got to set aside a block of time; you’ve got to make an appointment.  But it’s well worth the wait and, once inside, worth every second spent with Eric Stephenson, Nate Bellegarde, and Jordie Bellaire’s grand design.)

• Revival #10 (Read it.  Derek’s got something or other to say about this one.  I’ll chime in when he’s ready to purge.)
• Mind MGMT #11 (Read it.  A sprawling epic in a tidy twenty-two.  Gorgeous as always: every panel, every page a beauty who, if roles were reversed, would never bother to look at me twice.  Noticed: Kindt rolls out another On the Road reference, this time in the back up story.  Makes me want to revisit Kerouac’s classic novel to see what other connections might be made.  Sure, I have some in mind already, but I’d manage a better claim with some reading behind me.  Thank goodness the summer’s almost here.)

Update: Went back to the shop and picked up two books, putting me plus one for the week.  Rats!

• Uncanny X-Men #6 (Read it.  Great news!  The Limbo storyline isn’t over yet!  That means at least one more issue’s worth of Dormammu.  Hooray!  OK, so you know I don’t mean that: I’m actually pretty down on Dormammu.  [It is, however, fun to say–and to type, wouldn’t you know–Dormammu.]  But Bendis makes up for it with a dazzling final page.  Hooray!)
• Half Past Danger #1 (Read it.  A few outstanding moments.  Definitely warrants another issue–and maybe even a few more words.  I’m going to hold off until Derek gives it a turn.)

What did you pick up this week?

Turning pages,

Scott