Am I behind in my reading?  Yes.  Is this post late?  Umm, yeah.  Has the comic book world gone insane this week?  Crazier than Moore’s Joker, that’s for sure.

• Frankenstein Underground #1 (Dark Horse): Anything with Mignola’s name tied to it screams…  Well, yeah: it screams.  Been around the catacomb a time or two with Frankenstein’s monster, haven’t we?
• Mind MGMT #31 (Dark Horse): I&N Demand #30 was easily our #1 book of January.  Damn thing erased everything and rewrote it even more painfully.  There’s something Stray Bullets-ish about Kindt’s attention to detail across the series, in the impact of each issue; in this case, however, every round is a shot to the head.

• Superman #39 (DC): Geoff Johns’ Superman sounds like Superman, and I’m a super happy man as a result.  Who cares if the storyline didn’t develop as well as it could’ve and if Romita and Janson’s artwork appeared faster than a speeding bullet and about as powerful as Mister Roger’s Neighborhood Trolley.
• Millennium #2 (IDW): I’m hooked!  Joe Harris and Colin Lorimer have captured the creepy, tense, and schizophrenic tone of the TV show–or has the tone captured them?
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #44 (IDW): As much as I’ve enjoyed my stay–starting with “City Fall”–I think I’m gonna sai goodbye–I’m gonna katana and run.  I’m gonna nunchuk TMNT off of the ol’ pull list; I’m gonna bō out after this arc.
• Alex + Ada #13 (Image): I&N Demand This book is a whisper–the breath of a lover that fills your ear and sets off a silent storm that races up your spine, steels your muscles,  and makes your skin scream.  Yeah, that’s exactly what it is.

• Invisible Republic #1 (Image): Leaning toward passing.  I’ll thumb through it and see if something strikes me.
• The Manhattan Projects: The Sun Beyond the Stars #1 (Image): Hoping that the new format is the key to recapturing the science behind this once superior series.
• Outcast #7 (Image): Pretty close to exorcizing this one from the list, as well.  Despite some interesting moments, I haven’t developed a connection to Kyle–at least one that has me caring enough to carry on with this very wayward son.
• Satellite Sam #12 (Image): I&N Demand The best TV show in comics.  Each episode/issue is a sprawling mosaic of self-interest that reads–unlikely–like a long-story-short told round the water cooler.  Love it.

• Secret Identities #2 (Image): I was kind of hung up on the untransitions from one character’s secret story to the next.  It was a odd choice for a first issue–unless, of course, it was done to emphasize the separate personal spheres, which are such an integral part of the story. Hmm.  The twist at the end: ho-hum.  Had me thinking Deathmatch in spots.  Maybe that’s why I’m on to #2.
• Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses #2 (Image): I&N Demand Spanish Scott is a galleon of gold, and #1 let him shine: his pistolet-à-tête-à-pistolet with Beth and Kretch ranks as one of my favorite panels of the year.

• Zero #15 (Image): I&N Demand #14 could’ve easily ended the series, right?  Can’t not speak of the protracted fight scene, which had its moments–including an stare down that jumped off of the page; otherwise, it seemed unnecessary, almost lazy storytelling-wise, which contradicts most of what Kot’s done since #9, our top book of July 2014.  It’s been a remarkable run, one that was due a hiccup.

• Magneto #16 (Marvel): Magneto’s a badass.  And that’s all ye need to know.  Wondering what “Secret Wars” is going to do to the mighty Magneto.
• Moon Knight #13 (Marvel): Wood and Smallwood’s run–which rounded out 2014 on a high note–stumbled across the finish line with an inexplicably weak resolution to an otherwise compelling story.  Now Bunn takes over–with artist Ron Ackins–with expectations unexpectedly lower.  Lucky Bunn.
• Burning Fields #2 (BOOM!): I thought #1 was pretty solid.  I mentioned that it was like Homeland and The Killing.  #2 had me thinking The Bridge.  Also kind of lost me a bit.  I considered just letting it go, but still I buy.
• Cap Stone #4 (Titan): Has been OK through three issues.  Certainly hasn’t lived up to the promise of the poetic and beautiful–and near miraculous–first issue.  Had Moore in mind; ended up Less.  Don’t get me wrong: I appreciate Sharp’s vision.  Page to page, the narrative’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.  At times, however, the disjointedness causes the narrative to stall.
• Divinity #2 (Valiant): I liked #1.  I’m a big Kindt fan, but I’ve struggled to find a series outside of Mind MGMT that works for me.  Sure, I’ve enjoyed The Valiant, but he’s sharing writing duties with Jeff Lemire on that one.  While not mind-blowing by any stretch of the imagination, #1 hit some Kindt-ian notes that rang true, that carried consistently through the issue, leaving me far more satisfied than I was after reading Rai and Ninjak.  I certainly hope that #2 transcends to the divine.

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott