Stocking up before the next big storm.

• Astro City #9 (DC/Vertigo): I’m enjoying the Winged Victory arc thus far.
• Royals: Masters of War #1 (DC/Vertigo): The premise seems interesting enough, even if it is emerging–initially, anyway–in the shadow of Gillen’s Uber.  I’m willing to let Rob Williams and Simon Coleby live their fantasy.  Who knows: maybe they’ll rule.

• Suicide Squad #28 (DC): Keeping on until Kindt kicks it.
• Egos #2 (Image): The undeniably fresh egotwistical ending was enough to sell me on an otherwise stale story.
• Fatale #20 (Image): #19 was one of our top books of January–and deservedly so:  Brubaker and Phillips hit all of the necrotizing notes we’ve come to expect and love.  Expecting to love this one just as much.
• The Fuse #1 (Image): It’s an Image #1. And it has a cool logo. Count me in!

• Manifest Destiny #4 (Image): #3 was a big step back. In fact, the flora zombies made me sad.
• All-New X-Men #23 (Marvel): The Trial of Jean Grey? Ugh. More like the trial of my patience. If I’m being honest–and I always am when it comes to Bendis’s X-anything–I enjoyed the first half of #22. The comical conversation between Scott and Jean was pretty terrific. It sorta reminded me of what I loved about Bendis’s early work on Ultimate Spider-Man. Sigh. I miss Miles.
• Winter Soldier: Bitter March #1 (Marvel): Insanity, I know: I keep returning to the Remender well and, not surprisingly, I keep coming up dry. Deadly Class fell flat, never separating itself in any significant way from its creditors. Thing is, darn it, I love the Winter Soldier. Trust me, though: I’m not insane enough to expect that Remender will fill my Bucky bucket like Brubaker; heck, I’m pretty sure he’s shooting for a different vibe all together. But I’ll take a bullet and see what I bleed.
• X-Force #1 (Marvel): Si Spurrier won me pretty much for life with the brilliant Six-Gun Gorilla, our #3 book of 2013. So, yeah, count me in.

• Death Sentence #5 (Titan): Love, love, love this mad independent clause. Montynero rocks hard, man. He and Mike Dowling are living fast and will most assuredly be leaving behind a classic corpse once the final chord is struck.
• Harbinger #21 (Valiant): Still doing what the X-books should be doing.
• Letter 44 #4 (Oni Press): Derek asked me why I’m still on board with this one. I told him I really like President Blades. No joke: three issues in and he’s one of my favorite ongoing characters. Unfortunately, everything else about the book has been mediocre at best.
• Rachel Rising #23 (Abstract Studios): Our #5 book of 2013. So very good on all fronts, thanks to cartoonist extraordinaire Terry Moore. As beautiful as horror gets.

• The Sixth Gun #38 (Oni Press): Still loaded. Can honestly say that I’ve never been disappointed with a single issue. Bunn and Hurtt will be remembered as one of the great writer/artist tandems for what they’ve done with this pretty perfect series.

What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Turning pages,

Scott