Needed a Hefty Cinch Sack for this lot, I’ll tell ya.

• Uncanny X-Men #8 (Read it!  They’ve left Limbo, right?  So what do we call this issue, then?  Goes nowhere fast: disappointingly nowhere, but mercifully fast.)
• Quantum and Woody #1 (I’m hearing good things.  Just haven’t goatten–that’s right: goatten–around to it yet.)

Quantum and Woody #1

• The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #2 (I decided to give it another shot.  Really, what’s another book in the bag?)
• Astro City #2 (#1 was a pleasant surprise.  Hope this one speaks to me the same way.)
• Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem #2 (Loved #1.  Saving it so I may savor it.)
• Six-Gun Gorilla #2 (Highest expectations for this one!  I really hope it lives up to them.)
• East of West #4 (Read it!  Glad I stuck with it.  Hickman and Dragotta deliver a couple of real “Wow!” moments.)

East of West #4

• Sheltered #1 (Premise sounds promising.)
• Ghosted #1 (I have no idea what to expect from this one.)
• Dawn: The Swordmaster’s Daughter & Other Stories (Read it!  Thanks to Derek, I didn’t miss this.  I would’ve hated myself if I had.  Wasn’t great, though.  In fact, it was barely good.  But it’s JML; and any JML is better than no JML, as far as I’m concerned.  Oh, and how about that inside back cover?  To hell with the Bhagavad Gita: Linsner should’ve illustrated his rant about his former “art assistant”!)
  

Dawn One-Shot

• Daredevil #28 (Read it!  I was right!  So good.  It’s the kind of story Waid and Samnee are going to knock out of the park every time.)
• X-O Manowar #15 (Read it!  Aric reminds me of Guy Gardner.  It’s probably why I like him.)

X-O Manowar #15

• Helheim #5 (Read it!  Oh, yeah: we’re definitely in the groove now.)
• Indestructible Hulk #10 (Read it!  Solid enough.  Best of all, Waid’s caught the beat he established early on in the series.  Looking forward, question is: why dinosaurs?  I HATE dinosaurs!)
• X #3 (Read it!  I’m thinking that I should just drop it now.  Shame, really; but I was hoping for more–and I don’t think I’m going to be getting it any time soon.)

X #3

• Rachel Rising #18 (Read it!  Once again: wow.)
• Superman Unchained #2 (Read it!  There’s nothing distinctly Snyder here.  In fact, it reads like a Lobdell book.  Gosh, maybe even worse than that.  Ugh.  I can’t believe I’m saying this: through two issues, I think I liked George Perez’s Superman more.  Double ugh!)
• Batman #22 (Read it!  Disclosure: I really hated #21.  I will happily admit, however, that this is my favorite issue of Batman since before the finale of the Court of Owls.  Snyder’s never been short on shocking moments, but this time, the moments feel honest, like integral parts of what Snyder’s building here with Zero Year.  This time, it’s not about shock value; it’s not about pushing the envelope–it’s about pushing the narrative to where it belongs.  Once again, I’d like to make it clear: Scott Snyder’s done a terrific job with issue #22.  It actually feels good to type that.)

Batman #22

• Suicide Squad #22 (Read it!  Kind of wish I hadn’t.  Yeah, not good.  I can see in spots what Kot was trying to bring to the page; but it just didn’t pan out.  Not at all.  Damn.  It’s got me wondering about his abrupt dismissal from the book–wondering if this had anything to do with it.  Most disappointing of all, I thought he had it down, man; I really did.  Oh well.  On a more positive note, I can’t wait to see what Matt Kindt has planned for the Squad.)

I tried to feel really guilty about spending so much this week.  I really did.  It was working, too, kinda, mostly–until the shop guy told the shop gal, “I’ll get the DC’s, and you get one of everything else.”   He saw me raise my eyebrows.  “Yeah, I have a regular customer who gets one of everything.”  I couldn’t raise my eyebrows any more than they were already raised, so I lowered them; and the shop guy, he understood.

What did you pick up this week?

More important, what did you think of these books?

Turning pages,

Scott

I swear I do not work for the comic book industry.  I just buy a lot of comics.

This week, I’m proud to say, I stuck to the script.

• Mind MGMT #12 (Read it!  Another book of revelations.  Top notch all the way around.)

Mind MGMT #12

• Fatale #15 (Read it!  Really, really great.)

Fatale #15

• The Massive #13 (Read it!  Solid enough.  Suffers a bit from being a part of such a massive week of books.)
• Uncanny #1 (Read it!  A decent first issue from Andy Diggle.  If I’m measuring it against recent new releases, I’d have to say it’s better than Sex and pretty much on the level of Lost Vegas.)
• Lazarus #1 (Read it!  I loved it.)
• Hawkeye #11 (Have to wait until I get through Vol.2.)
• Jupiter’s Legacy #2 (Read it!  Didn’t like the first one.  Figured I’d try the second, you know, just in case.  Yeah…no.  There’s plenty of potential here, but it’s not pieced together well at all.)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #23 (Read it!  Liked it more than I thought I would.  Count me in for the next one.)

TMNT #23

• Adventures of Superman #2 (Read it!  Good stuff.  Not as otherworldly as #1, though.)
• X-O Manowar #14 (Read it!  What a way to end the arc!)

Not quite done yet…

• Clone #8 (Read it!  Outlandish?  Of course.  Worth the price of admission?  Of course!)

Clone #8

• FF #8 (Read it!  As fun as ever.)
• Justice League of America #5 (Read it!  Yeah, I don’t know.  I think I want to like it more than I actually like it.  I’m not too sure what that means going forward.)
• Batman/Superman #1 (Read it!  A lot of things to like about this–including the Morrison-esque second half.)
• Fury: My War Gone By #13 (Read it!  What a way to wrap things up!  Sad to see it go.)

Fury: My War Gone By #13

Are we there yet Papa Smurf?

• X-Men #2 (Read it!  There’s something recognizable about the story and the storytelling.  Recognizable in a good way.  Seems like Wood’s brought some X-sense to the X-verse.)
• Uncanny X-Men #7 (Read it!  Surprisingly effective–if only in the way Bendis and Irving polish off the Limbo line.)

Uncanny X-Men #7

• All-New X-Men #13 (Read it!  OK.)
• Daredevil #27 (Read it!  Some good things.  I’d be lying if I said I was completely satisfied with it.)

And last and more than likely least:

• The Wake #2 (Read it!  Better than #1.  That’s not saying much.  I may not pick up #3.  It’ll probably be a comic day decision.  A sad statement considering.)

The Wake #2

Good thing I don’t have anything else to do.

Turning pages–more than four hundred of ’em,

Scott

Not more and not less; but what a way to start off the month.

Grab Bag

• Mister X: Eviction #2 (Looking forward to this one the most.)
  
• Uber #2 (Thumb through: thinking I’m going to have to cut ties to this party.)
  
• Dial H #13 (Just want to savor it, you know?)
  
• Ten Grand #2 (On the hot seat, for sure.  Won’t hesitate to toss it.)
  
• Bedlam #7 (Maybe change is good.  We’ll see.)
  

Bedlam #7

• Daredevil: Dark Nights #1 (Will keep an open mind, but won’t be shy about closing the ol’ bag if it doesn’t do it for me.  As End of Days ends its brief run, it leaves behind a pretty high standard to live up to.  Wonder if Weeks will prove strong enough.)
  
• Daredevil: End of Days #8 (Final issues of arcs, minis, and series are often major disappointments.  I wonder how this one’s going to pan out.)
  
• Shadowman #7 (No reason to think I’ll less than like it.)
  
• East of West #3 (I’m just south of north for this one.)
  
• Red Team #3 (Word on the street is that it does, in fact, take off.  ‘Bout time.)
  
• Rachel Rising #17 (No one–no one–does snow like Terry Moore.  I want to taste it.)
  

Rachel Rising #17

• Suicide Risk #2 (Read it!  Yeah, I’m off.)
• Winter Soldier #19 (Read it!  Glad I was paying attention.  Last issue?  Probably for the best.  Something tells me, however, that there’s going to be an unnecessarily hyperbolic relaunch–maybe around the time that the new Cap movie is released?)

Winter Soldier #19

• Archer & Armstrong #10 (Read it!  I’ve probably used the same two words to describe each issue thus far; and if I have it’s only because those two words pretty well cover it.  The words?  Smart and fun.  See?  I told you.)
• All-New X-Men #12 (Read it!  As I mentioned in What’s Up?: It is what it is.  In this case, what it is is wholly unnecessary.  And still I buy.)
• Astro City #1 (Read it!  Looks like I didn’t need to know much about the Astro City come before to enjoy this because enjoy this I did.  It kinda just speaks to me, you know?)

What did you get in your bag this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

Derek’s right: I’ve got to lighten my load.

Just not yet.

Musties

• Fury: My War Gone By #12 (Marvel): #11 sure made its mark–especially with its effectively horrific end.  Speaking of ends–not that I want to: this is, sadly, the penultimate issue of this furiously brilliant series.  It’ll be missed, sure; but, in the end, it’s not a terrible thing: it’s a step–one forced upon me, but a step nevertheless–in the load lightening direction that Derek has prescribed for me.  Looks like I’ll have to get my Garth Ennis fix with Red Team, which has been only OK so far.  We’ll see.

Fury: My War Gone By #12

• Deathmatch #6 (BOOM!): Yeah, so I want to see how this plays out.  Paul Jenkins has been doing a really nice job of keeping the familiar fresh.  As we’ve learned the last couple of weeks, that’s not an easy thing to do.  (See Joe Casey’s The Bounce, if you don’t believe me.)
• Clone #7 (Image): I’m done saying how I’m caught up in it despite its flaws.  Oops.
• The Wake #1 (DC/Vertigo): Scott Snyder’s latest.  Sure, I’ve been down on Batman; but I’ve liked Snyder’s original stuff, so I’m looking forward to this–even more so than Superman Unchained, if I’m being honest.  And on the art side of things, Sean Murphy’s a name that gets me charged up, unlike  Snyder’s other big-name partner on the aforementioned Superman book: Jim “Every Panel Is a Lifeless Pin-Up” Lee.

The Wake #1

• X-Men #1 (Marvel): Brian Wood’s pimpin’ out the X-Ladies–and I’m buyin’!

On Probation

• Indestructible Hulk #8 (Marvel): Haven’t loved the diversion; but it’s not like I’m gonna drop it–right?  I mean, with Daredevil around the corner?  No, I’m not going anywhere–not yet, anyway: I’ll wait for the inevitable dinosaurs.  (No, seriously: dinosaurs are coming–sooner than you might think.)
• Lost Vegas #3 (Image): Sure, #2 was better story-wise; but I need more than that–more than Janet Lee’s stunning art–to keep me coming back.  (Have been catching up with McCann’s Mind the Gap, by the way.  It’s really, really good.)

Lost Vegas #3

• The Shadow: Year One #3 (Dynamite): It is a limited series, after all.  You know how I am with limited series.
• Justice League of America #4 (DC): I feel like I’ve been tricked into sticking with this.  The lure: Matt Kindt–on back-ups, for goodness sake!  Cruel and unusual!

Maybes

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #22 (IDW): It’s all about Mateus Santolouco on art duties.  He did a great job–with the writing, too!–on The Secret History of the Foot Clan; and I loved his work on Dial H.  Worth a look.
• Westwood Witches #1 (Amigo): Probably won’t find it, but the premise alone warrants a flip through if I do.

Westwood Witches #1

What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Turning pages,

Scott

This week promises to be May’s best.  Proof:

• The Massive #12 (Dark Horse): Suddenly my favorite title.  Yeah, I’m all caught up and can’t wait to join the monthly chase for The Massive.  That’s what she said.
• Mind MGMT #11 (Dark Horse): Last month was a return to form: its unmistakably insistent and sexy form.
• Daredevil #26 (Marvel): “Double-sized” is never as satisfying as it sounds.  It’s like Double-Stuff Oreos: they’re really not that much different than regular Oreos, are they?  Gorgeous Chris Samnee cover, though.

Daredevil #26

• Nowhere Men #5 (Image): Wow.  Feels like it’s been gone forever.  Probably feels that way because of a fantastic #4.  Hope it hasn’t lost its edge.
• Batman Incorporated #11 (DC): It’s almost unfair what Morrison’s doing, isn’t it?  Another sweet cover.

Batman Incorporated #11

• Revival #10 (Image): It’s a soap opera.  I like soap operas.
• Uncanny X-Men #6 (Marvel): Not too excited about Bendis’s stretching this little pit stop–pun intended–into a second book.  Please make it stop.
• The Sixth Gun #31 (Oni): Stockpiling my monthlies until the next trade.
• The Bounce #1 (Image): What the hell.  Can’t be worse than Sex.

The Bounce #1

What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Turning pages,

Scott

Mister X: Eviction #1: Underneath the psychetecturally sound cover–a strong contender for Cover of the Year, mind you–rests a wildly inventive clinic in story building from the impressively meticulous Dean Motter, the ultimate civil engineer of this kinetecture, for whom every traffic-stopping page is a playground.  The lead story sets the tone–through the cheeky dialogue and the shades of blue and purple–and a snappy pace for this retro sci-fi noir; and the tidy tale that follows is directed with such stunning efficiency it is evident that both Cadwalader Shrodinger and Dean Motter are “doing the job[s] [they were] born for.”  Book of the Week (5/1)

Mister X: Eviction #1

Green Arrow #20: Jeff Lemire’s way off target with this amalgam of cheap cliches, including but not limited to (gasp!) a damsel in distress and (double gasp!) a last-second bomb defusing–and (that’s right, folks: triple gasp!) not a single one offered up with satiric intent!  The dialogue–a deadly extension of the aforementioned poisoned plot points–makes me want to stab myself with an arrow in both eyes.  I will agree with Ollie on one thing, however, especially as it relates to my interest in this incarnation of the Jade Archer: “It’s over.”  Indeed.

Green Arrow #20

Turning pages,

Scott

There is no way–NO WAY!–I’ll end up with more than ten books this week.  Here’s the lucky lot:

• Batman #20 (DC): It’s not a Bridge to Nowhere, after all; it’s the Tightrope to Year Zero!
• Justice League of America #3 (DC): Geoff John’s been a decent enough front man so far.  Back up vocalist, Matt Kindt, may steal the show, however; heck, he might end up taking over the band at some point–who knows?
• Suicide Squad #20 (DC): What brings this title back to What’s Up? after five months or so?  One big reason: Ales Kot, fresh off of his psychedelic work on Change (Image) takes over the writing duties from Adam Glass.

Suicide Squad #20

• X #1 (Dark Horse): Willing to give it another shot–even after a pretty run-of-the-mill #0–because I’ve enjoyed Duane Swierczynski’s work on Bloodshot.
• The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #4 (IDW): As legitimately retro as a comic could be!  The real horror here: #4 brings this magnificent mini to a close.

The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #4

• Chin Music #1 (Image): Steve Niles and Tony Harris?  Yes, please!

Chin Music #1

• Archer & Armstrong #0 (Valiant): I hate dinosaurs.
• Harbinger #12 (Valiant): Consistently solid.  Dysart’s developed a dynamic little book here, all while avoiding the typical traps that catch even the most seasoned of superhero scribes.
• Battlefields: The Fall and Rise of Anna Kharkova #6 (Dynamite): Speaking of solid: Ennis is as good as it gets.
• Uber #1 (Avatar): Kieron Gillen’s not my favorite writer (see: the awful pre-NOW! Uncanny X-Men), but this sounds interesting enough.  Comic-day decision.

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

Ended up being a little bigger than I expected.

That, of course, is what she said.

• The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #3 (Despite the title of this Rocketeer arc, Langridge and J Bone’s mini run has been nothing but fun!)

The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #3

• Sledgehammer 44 #2 (If it weren’t a two-and-done, probably would’ve passed.)
• Secret Service #6 (Oh, yeah!  That’s what happened!)
• Harbinger #11 (Consistently energetic and engaging.)
• Archer & Armstrong #9 (Consistently smart and fun.)

Archer & Armstrong #9

• Batman #19 (Increasingly arrogant and, unfortunately, forgettable.)
• Mister X One-Shot (A Derekommendation from two weeks ago or so.  Looks very cool.)
• Uncanny X-Men #4 (Has been spotty–same as All-New–but color me recruited.)

Uncanny X-Men #4

• Batman and Red Robin #19 (Read it.  Another example of my being a whore for newsworthy books.  Now, if Carrie Kelley weren’t in it, I wouldn’t have bought it and I would’ve missed Frankenstein in a turn that left me in stitches–and him out of them!  Thank goodness for Frank Miller!)
• Saga #12 (Read it, duh.  Come on, now, folks: if you’re stuck on the near-inconsequential in-your-face screen shots, you don’t deserve to read this book–this exercise in love and layers.)
• Snow Angel One-Shot (Another Dark Horse one-shot recommended by Derek.  Was lucky my mistress had one left.)
• Hawkeye #1 (I’m finally giving it a shot–after five printings!  Recommended by my mistress–my shop guy on the sly–so I can decide whether or not to grab the trade.  From what I’ve heard and read, I’m late to a helluva party.)
• X #0 (Been happy with Swierczynski over on Bloodshot.  Figured it’s worth a shot.  Boy, that’s a lot of Dark Horse books.)

X #0

• Sex #2 (First go-round wasn’t all that satisfying.  Rarely, however, will I give up after one issue.  We’ll see what this one does for me.)

She also said something else, but I wasn’t paying attention.

Too busy turning pages,

Scott

Shrinkage.

George Costanza feared it.  I embrace it.

Yank It!

• Batman #19 (DC): Has been a pull-list stalwart since my ReStart.  Would hate to make it a comicday decision, but looks like we’re headed in that direction–especially if #19 was any indication of what’s to come.
• Archer & Armstrong #9 (Valiant): Remains my palate cleanser.
• Harbinger #11 (Valiant): Always a book to look forward to–more so now that we’re in the midst of Harbinger Wars.

Harbinger #11

Me Pluck!

• Saga #12 (Image): There are no words to describe–  OK.  OK.  There are plenty of words.  Just read my latest Microviews if you don’t believe me.  Not only as good as it gets; quite possibly as good as it’s ever gotten.  UPDATE: Toss in a little controversy over the screening of some in-your-face oral storytelling and, come on, now you’ve got to grab it!

Saga #12

• The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #3 (IDW): There’s nothing limited about this limited series.  It’s Hollywood magic.  Terrific stuff.
• Sex #2 (Image): Felt kind of let down after the last time.  I’ve lowered my expectations accordingly and cautiously say, “Yes.”
• Sledgehammer 44 (Dark Horse): I “open[ed] up my fruit cage” for the first one.  “Fruit [wasn’t] as sweet as can be,” but I’ll leave it open, nevertheless.  Kind of pointless to ditch a two-issue mini halfway through.

Sledgehammer 44 #2

• Uncanny X-Men #4 (Marvel): This is evidence of my faith in Bendis.  I know someone who thinks it’s the faith of a fool; and, believe me, I get it; but All-New is getting better; so you–yes, YOU–never know.  Take my four bucks, Mr. Comic Shop Man!  Let me willingly court regret!

I’ll Believe It When I See It

• Secret Service #6 (Marvel): I think I remember #5.  I think I liked it.  I know I don’t give a crap about this.  Damn my curse.

Secret Service #6

Shrink!  Shrink!  Shrink!

Turning fewer pages,

Scott