A man can assess only so many theses.  (That sounds even funnier–dirtier?–than it reads.  Go ‘head: try it out.)  This is my official break from the action.

• The Massive #28 (Dark Horse): I am ready.  (More like I’ve accepted that which I cannot change.)
• Mind MGMT #27 (Dark Horse): Something creepy about that plucky first immortal, no?  Yeah, that’s a fella I want to party with!  What have we learned?  If anything, I’d say it’s “Let your guide–your field guide–be your conscience.”  Oh, and did I happen to mention I went to NYCC and got this:

You’re allowed to be jealous.

• Wonder Woman #35 (DC): Wow.  Can’t believe it: it’s the end–made menacingly clear by an emerging Poseidon on the bloody final splash.  Gonna miss ya, girl.

Wonder Woman #35

• Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland #2 (IDW): #1 was one of our Top 5 Books of August.  Talk about hitting all of the right notes.  Kudos to Eric Shanower and Gabriel Rodriguez for capturing the spirit of visionary Winsor McKay.  Can’t look past Nelson Daniel’s crisp colors, either.
• Low #4 (Image): My God.  How low can I go?  Through #3, I’m liking this a lot more than I expected to.  (That’s right: I, the Rick Remender hater, am not hating this.)  If I’m being fair, Low‘s much better than the somewhat similar The Wake, which–inexplicably–earned a lot of critical praise over the past year or so.  Sure, there are some agonizingly sappy moments throughout; but all together the book works–especially thanks to Greg Tocchini’s beautiful artwork.

Low #4

• Saga #24 (Image): Back to form after a little letdown.
• Southern Bastards #5 (Image): Yeah, hi.  #3.  Wow.  Certainly didn’t expect that.  Like a knife in the ribs, no?  Damn fine ribs.  Finer knife.

Southern Bastards #5

• All-New X-Men #33 (Marvel): Ultimately, do I care?
• Archer & Armstrong #25 (Valiant): Anniversary issue time!  You know what that means: it means I probably won’t read it all the way through despite paying a premium for it, you know, because of, oooooh, all of the names attached to it.  Come to think of it, I haven’t read through a single Valiant #25.
• Brass Sun #6 (2000AD): This has been very good.  I loved the beginning of #4; I really loved the end of #5.  What a twist, eh?  I mean, literaturally!  Chalk Captain Beatrice up as one of my favorite characters.  A salty one, she is!  Edginton and Culbard are hitting some high notes here.

Brass Sun #6

• The Bunker #7 (Oni Press): #6 was another strong issue with some of Joe Infurnari’s best work to date–as evidenced by a particularly hot campfire-faced splash.  Smokin’!
• Rachel Rising #29 (Abstract Studio): Isn’t getting any better.  In fact, Rachel’s been falling for several issues now.  Not sure there’s any hope left.  (In fact, the only reason I’ll be getting it is out of obligation; see: I haven’t taken it off of my pull-list yet.)
• Über #19 (Avatar): As of last week, I can no longer say that Über‘s my favorite Gillen book.  Don’t get me wrong: it’s still plenty good.  Thing is, the latest issue of The Wicked & The Divine just so happens to be that good.  Effing brilliant is what it is.  So, yeah, I just needed to get that out.
• War Stories #2 (Avatar): All is right with the world: Ennis has gone back to war.

War Stories #2

All right.  Time to get my hands on some more theses.

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

I’m so depressingly behind in my reading.  I can barely think about what’s bound for my bad this week.  Ugh.

• Colder: Bad Seed #1 (Dark Horse): I had the hots for Colder through the first two issues; yeah, I sweated over Juan Ferreyra’s gorgeous artwork, which remained at a high degree through the rest of the series.  I cooled to the story, however, as the series made its way to its ultimate frozend.  Based on that, maybe I should let it go, let it go…
• Bodies #4 (DC/Vertigo): Issue #3 was an improvement over a #2 that struggled to live up to the promise of #1.  The transitions–the all-important transitions amongst the four time periods–are becoming more intense.
• Catwoman #35 (DC): Big fan of Garry Brown.  No other reason why I’d bother.

Catwoman #35

• Dead Boy Detectives #10 (DC/Vertigo): A solid read.  This arc isn’t blowing me away, but I’m still very much interested in the goings-on.
• Multiversity: The Just #1 (DC): Let’s be honest: I’d buy Multiversity: The Feces.
• Superman #35 (DC): This is the Superman we’ve been waiting for.

Superman #35

• Lazarus #12 (Image): Rucka and Lark have yet to disappoint.  Thus far, we’ve enjoyed eleven issues of top-notch storytelling; and they’ve given us every reason to expect another–and another…
• Sheltered #12 (Image): Close to the end now.  Good thing, too: as much as I wanted to know how the story ends, I’m not sure if I would’ve stuck around if there were another, say, twelve issues to go.
• Starlight #6 (Image): At this point, I’m still wishing upon Starlight #1, hoping Millar’ll recapture the magic.  He’s not going to recapture the magic, is he?
• Stray Bullets #8 (Image): Can’t say I liked #7 as much as I did #6.  I really liked #6–enough to name it one of our Top 5 Books of August.  (You did catch that, right?)  I don’t know: things were too…convenient, I suppose.  Can’t knock the end, though.  (See what I did there?)  Oh, David, you ambiguous bastard.  You’re the Raymond Carver of comics!

Stray Bullets: Killers #8

• The Wicked & The Divine #5 (Image): Has been divinely wicked!  #3 won me over and #4 did nothing to change my mind.  Regarding Gillen: I’m finding that I can no longer say, “Sure, but Über…”; and the team of McKelvie and Wilson is doing a terrific job of bringing out the pop gods’ star power.
• Zero #11 (Image): Out of nowhere, really, Ales Kot has delivered back-to-back issues that make the most of a minimalist writing approach–thanks to the maximum efforts put in by artists Tonci Zonjic and Michael Gaydos.  They spoke to us so much that we named them–#9 and #10–our #1 books of July and August.  An amazing feat, indeed!

Zero #11

• Crossed Special 2014 (Avatar): Credit the all-star panel at NYCC–comprised of series creator Garth Ennis, Si Spurrier, Kieron Gillen, Justin Jordan, and Avatar’s president William Christensen–for sparking my interest.  I’m going to try this–an installment by Jordan–and then jump into the trades.

Crossed Special 2014

• The Delinquents #3 (Valiant): Hasn’t been as much fun as I hoped it’d be.  Feels a bit forced, doesn’t it?  Certainly hasn’t delivered what A&A and Q&W delivered on their own.
• Southern Dog #2 (Action Labs/Danger Zone): The first issue was pretty heavy handed.  Perhaps if it were let off its leash…  Isn’t that what being in the danger zone is all about?  Credit–blame?–Dry Spell for raising the bar for this Action Labs imprint.
• Stumptown Vol. 3 #2 (Oni Press): I didn’t like anything about #1.  Rucka’s earned my attention, however.  He didn’t come through with Veil, but I’d be a fool to give up after such a meticulous set up–even if it was boring as all get out.
• The Twilight Zone #9 (Dynamite): Straczynski’s been in the zone–as evidenced by the way he wrapped up the Diana Westby arc.

The Twilight Zone #9

Avery’s Pick of the Week:

• Bee and Puppycat #5 (BOOM!): Duh.

Bee and Puppycat #5

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

I’ve got the post-New York Comic Con blues.  Time to power up.

• Dark Horse Presents 2014 #3 (Dark Horse): Buying it for Brenden McCarthy’s story.  Anything that reminds of The Zaucer of Zilk—one of our favorite books of 2012–is OK in my bag.
• Veil #5 (Dark Horse): This has been a loyalty buy.  Rucka’s earned my business; but if I’m being honest, I’m glad this one’s done.
• Batman and Robin #35 (DC):  Hasn’t been good of late.  The Future’s End tie-in, for instance, was pretty terrible.  My aforementioned loyalty is being tested–but could easily be resurrected with a single solid issue.  Here’s hoping.

Batman and Robin #35

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #39 (IDW): TMNT has been good for a while now.  It was really good for a stretch, but now it’s not so much really as it is just good–which is, well, good, but maybe not good enough for me to keep shelling out four bucks a month.
• Daredevil #9 (Marvel): #8 was a treBendis return to form!  The Purple Man and his Purple kids were convincing as horrifying antagonists–particularly the latter, with their frighteningly adolescent impulse control.  It’s the Children of the Scorn!  This month brings another great cover from Chris Samnee:

Daredevil #9

• Loki: Agent of Asgard #7 (Marvel): Figured that the Axis crossover would spell doom for Loki.  In the end, #6 wasn’t so terrible; in fact, the end of #6 was a smart play.  I guess I’m doomed to another issue.
• Magneto #11 (Marvel): Magneto vs. the Red Skull, who just so happens to have Professor X’s telepathic powers?  Yes, please!  Guess I’m not really so down on the Axis crossover after all.

Magneto #11

• Ms. Marvel #9 (Marvel): Despite a playful case of Lockjaw, I’m no longer feeling rabid for Ms. Marvel.  Oh, it was bound to happen.
• Uncanny X-Men #27 (Marvel): Has felt forced of late.  Sad considering that I was really getting into it.  My hope is that the transition out of Original Sin has been made and we can carry on.  God knows I want to be psyched about Cyclops!  Maybe this ish’ll act as my pep rally with Bachalo as the head cheerleader.

Uncanny X-Men #27

• The Last Broadcast #6 (Archaia/BOOM!): Hasn’t hit the high note struck by #2 but has still been quite good.  I’m a little dubious about the cliffhanger offered up at the end of #5.  Even still, I’m hopeful that Andre Sirangelo and Gabriel Iumazark have another trick or two up their sleeves.

The Last Broadcast #6

• The Life After #4 (Oni Press): Hemingway as Virgil: clever.  Jude as a mash-up of Dante, Truman Burbank, and Jesus: strained; Christ, it seems like they’re acting at cross purposes.  Know what I want?  I want this issue to erase any doubts.  Thing is, if it doesn’t, that’ll be three–and then you can call me Thomas.
• Magnus: Robot Fighter #7 (Dynamite): It’s been a solid read.  Sure, it ain’t Van Lente at his best, but it’s still worth the space in my bag.
• The Sixth Gun: Days of the Dead #3 (Oni Press): Stockpiling the mini alongside the ongoing.  Comes from my having come to the Gun through trades.
• Wild’s End #2 (BOOM!): Fun anthropomorphic fare with an overriding sense of dread.  A fable for our time from Dan Abnett and I.N.J. Culbard.

Wild’s End #2

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott