You know you’re buyin’ a lot of comics every week when you tell your friends that this week’s a light week and when they ask you what’s light you say ten books and then add at least.

Pulled Pork

• Change #4 (Image): It was bound to happen, its being a four-issue limited series and all.  So far, I’ve loved the poetically enigmatic narrative and the volatile visual storytelling, too.  I’d like to see this crew–Kot, Jeske, and Leong–on a monthly, please.  I’d buy it even if I couldn’t understand what was going on; in fact, I’d prefer if it!

Change #4

• Nowhere Men #4 (Image): Solid stuff.  Damn fine design.

Nowhere Men #4

• Archer & Armstrong #8 (Valiant): Smart, smart fun.
• Bloodshot #9 (Valiant): Gamma!
• Batman #18 (DC): Oh no: Harper Row.  “Fan favorite”?  WTF, indeed!

Thick Pickin’s

• Todd, the Ugliest Kid on Earth #3 (Image): It’s not easy for me to quit on a short series if I’ve gone halfway.  I hope I can muster up the nerve to just say no tomorrow.
• Emily and the Strangers #2 (Dark Horse): Oh, why not?
• The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #2 (IDW): #1 was really good–no, it was better than that!  A book with a perfect tone.  Roger Langridge and J. Bone nailed it on both ends.  One of the top Derekommendations thus far!

The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #2

• Secret Avengers #2 (Marvel): Nick Spencer hooked me.  Didn’t plan on it, that’s for sure.  So, bring on Taskmaster–one of my faves, by the way.
• Uncanny X-Men #3 (Marvel): Ugh.  (I know: it’s always Ugh–and still I buy.  Sad.)

Can always rely on the Valiant books.  But I’m really looking forward to one comic, in particular: The Rocketeer!  Boy, have my tastes changed over the past year or so!

What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Turning pages,

Scott

Didn’t have to break the bank or my back with this bunch.  What a relief!

Tagged and Bagged

• Comeback #4 (Yeah, I’m back for #4.  If I could go back in time, I think I’d put #1 back on the shelf with a imperceptible shrug.)

Comeback #4

All By My Shelf

• FF #4 (The cover’s hearty promise may be hard to live up to.  Gosh, I hope it lives up to it.)
• The Answer #2 (Question: Which book will probably end up at the top of the pile for the week?)
• Deathmatch #3 (The chocolate cake of the week.)
• TMNT: The Secret History of the Foot Clan #3 (Pre-flip: Something tells me that this one’s going to be the mini’s high point.  Post-flip: Yeah, still going with that.)
• Batman Incorporated #8 (Sucked in by the news coverage.)

Batman Incorporated #8

• Five Weapons #1 (Layout seems somewhat limiting.  Aside from that, looks pretty sharp.)

No time to waste!

What did you get in your bag today?

Turning pages,

Scott

Got a lot, eh wot?

Something to Bag About

• Mind MGMT #8 (I so love the feel of this book in my hands.  Ain’t nothin’ else like it.  The one book I don’t want to flip through.  It’ll open up to me when it’s time.)
• Indestructible Hulk #4 (Oh, yes: it’s most assuredly House.  Lovely.)

Indestructible Hulk #4

• Action Comics #17 (Love the cheesy sci-fi movie title.  High hopes have touched down.  The only way is up, up, and away!)
• Harbinger #9 (A focus on Zephyr?  I’ve got faith it’ll be fantastic.)
• X-O Manowar #10 (Looks action packed, which is good–this ain’t a talkie title.)
• Wonder Woman #17 (Back to Tony Akins.  Too much artist ping-pong!)
• Saga #10 (Yes, you read that right.  I’ve decided to quit being stupid.  I’ll catch up on Comixology (just a few issues, actually) and keep up with print starting here.)

Saga #10

• Batwoman #17 (So flippin’ gorgeous, page after page.  I never want to stop staring at these stunning pages!)
• Daredevil #23 (The set-up is–oh, it’s a set-up, all right.  [Couldn’t help but read it after a flip through.]  Yeah, I’ll be reading this one first.  Thank you, Mr. Waid, you mad genius.)
• Revival #7 (I hope this issue revives my interest.  If not, could be a casualty of another pull-list purge.)
• Justice League of America #1 (Finch’s art seems solid throughout.  Too bad I’m left thinking: how’s Johns going to ruin it.)
• The Shadow: Year One #1 (Gosh.  Haven’t read Matt Wagner in ages–in fact, not since Mage way back in the day.  Hope his take is better than Ennis’s.)

The Shadow: Year One #1

• Kill Shakespeare: The Tale of Blood #1 (Thumb through at the shop didn’t impress me much; but I picked it up anyway.  Unfortunately, I’ve missed out on some decent reads because I wasn’t so taken by the art at first sight.  So, we’ll see where this one goes.)
• G.I. Joe #1 (It’s all Van Lente here.  Yo, Fred!)

It appears that I may be out of control.

Sweet.

What did you get in your bag today?

Turning pages,

Scott

From a monster week of books (a mixed bag, at best) to a monster storm (needed a shovel-toting podiatrist to clear feet of snow from my driveway!) to another–yes, another–monster week of books!  You know what that means: I’ll be digging my way out of a packed paper bag come Wednesday.  Here’s the forecast:

100% Chance of Snow

• Batman #17 (DC): The finale of Death of the Family.  Snyder’s track record with finales hasn’t been great of late.  (See: The Court of Owls and the still developing finale of Rotworld.)  Last issue was a bit of a bust; so my expectations are pretty low–low enough for me to see this issue as my last.  That would leave me with one Batbook: Batwoman.  And that one is only a must buy as long as J.H. Williams III is doing his magic.  That’s not what I was hoping for when I was drawn back into comics–after a long break–by the New 52.
• Battlefields: Fall and Rise of Anna Kharkova #4 (Dynamite): Garth Ennis. ‘Nuff said.
• Bedlam #4 (Image): Last issue ticked me off.  Final Destination: The Comic.  Really?  Short leash.
• Change #3 (Image): Loved #2–until a questionable ending.  We’ll see.

Change #3

• Clone #4 (Image): Ugh.  I’m not in love with this series.  This might be it.
• Fatale #12 (Image): The last issue was sooooooo good.  Brubaker and Phillips are killing it here and are setting some serious trends in other books.  Just look around.

Fatale #12

• Fury: My War Gone By #9 (Marvel): A double-shot of Ennis?  I’m spinning already!  If you’ve been reading along, you know how I feel about this title.

Fury: My War Gone By #9

• Archer & Armstrong #7 (Valiant): Tight story-telling and brash fun.  This book is a reliable palate cleanser.  I’ll probably read it directly after Batman.
• Bloodshot #8 (Valiant): Back to now after a trip-hop-skip to the past.  While I’ve been enjoying what Swierczynski’s been doing of late, I can’t wait till Harbinger Wars.  Sounds like a crossover that’s actually going to work; one that has value and isn’t just an event for the sake of having an event.
• Comedian #5 (DC): Yeah, I’m getting it.  Someone somewhere is laughing at me.

Fog.  Just Fog.

• Todd the Ugliest Kid on Earth #2 (Image): Not as clever as it thought it was, but it had its moments.  Quirky enough to go for two.
• Uncanny X-Men #1 (Marvel): Bachalo and Bendis: worth a try, no?  but worth an investment?  I don’t know.  I mean, how long with Bachalo be on the book?  Three issues?
• Secret Avengers #1 (Marvel): Winter Soldier may be enough of a draw.  Plus, I’ve enjoyed Nick Spencer over on Bedlam.

Increasing Temperatures

• The Initiates: I’ve developed a bit of a crush on this graphic novel by Etienne Davodeau.  May have to Amazon it.

The Initiates

That’s what’s headed my way.  What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Turning pages,

Scott

Big week, that’s for sure.  Ended up with fourteen books.  Here they are in the order they came out of the bag:

• Bedlam #3 (Still a We’ll see.  I’m hoping Spencer continues to plunge deeper than a dagger into the heart of evil.)

Bedlam #3

• Harbinger #8 (It’s been good from the get-go, but even better of late.)
• X-O Manowar #9 (Planet Death?  Sounds welcoming.)
• Avengers #3 (Opena’s art’s the draw for me through three issues now.  I hope Hickman can catch up; otherwise…)
• Battlefields: The Green Fields Beyond #3 (Simply great–or just made to look that way by Garth Ennis.)
• Mind MGMT #7 (New story arc, same gorgeous art.  Not reading it?  Why not?  It’s so different from anything you’re reading right now.  And it just feels different in the hand, you know?  No, you don’t know.  Ugh!  Get with the program, man!  Pick it up and see for yourself!)

Mind MGMT #7 Cover

• Winter Solider #14 (After this, down a Brubaker book.  My pull-list is poorer for it.)
• Wonder Woman #16 (Thumb-through: Hmm.  Tough to tell.  Needs a read.)
• Batwoman #16 (Wowowowowowowowow!  Haven’t read it, but turned to and stared at every spread, every page, every panel–when there were panels, anyway.  Yeah, Williams III more than makes up for last month.  Unbelievable.  I’m actually thinking that I should just bag the damn thing.  Reading it might ruin it.)

Batwoman #16 Cover

• Revival #6 (Found #5 to be a bit underwhelming.   Judging this issue by the cover alone, I’m like Sew what?  Heh.)

Revival #6 Cover

• Stumptown #5 (I don’t even have the first 3!  The combo of Rucka and Southworth is that compelling.  They’re in a groove not unlike the one carved out by Brubaker and Phillips.  Not to be passed up.  Someone find me the first 3!)
• FF #3 (Wonder how long I’ll stick with this.)
• TMNT: The Secret History of the Foot Clan #2 (#1 was a pleasant surprise from Mateus Santolouco.  Wouldn’t you know that I’m actually looking forward to this one.  In fact, I had to visit my mistress–the other shop, for those of you who haven’t been following my extra-comical exploits–in order to score it.)

And the only one I wasn’t planning on picking up:

• Young Avengers #1 (The buzz is so big it hit me as soon as I walked into the shop.  Flipped through it.  Figured What the hell?)

Young Avengers #1 Cover

Time to find some time.  Otherwise, I’ll be sitting on this pile for a while.

What did you get in your bag today?

Turning pages,

Scott

I did it!  I stuck to my guns–and may have broken the law in the process!  Go, New York, go!

Bag!  You’re it!

• Batman #16 (Looks good.  Also looks like one of the horses from HBO’s cursed–and canceled–series, Luck, has found some work after being fired from that show.  Someone call the ASPCA!  Get PETA on the line!  More important: call Liffey Meats!  That’s right: I follow current events.  All of them.)
• Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #16 (I peeked at the end, and sadly that’s just what I saw: “The End.”  I knew it, sure; but now I know it.  Doesn’t make it any easier.)
• Daredevil #22 (Great cover by Rivera; terrific interiors, as always, by Samnee and Rodriguez.  Promises fun–stilted and superior fun!)
• Comeback #3 (OK.  Took me a moment, and a page turn or two, but now I remember how #2 ended.  Unfortunately, this is does not have pile priority status, so it’ll have to wait.)
• Indestructible Hulk #3 (Wow!  Yu’s crushing it!  And I’m about to read it.)

Indestructible Hulk #3 Cover

• Bloodshot #7 (Devil Dogs!)
• Archer and Armstrong #6 (Pirates!)

Cut the last two short so I can get to Hulk.  I just couldn’t Waid any longer.

What did you get in your bag today?  What are you reading first?

Turning pages–of Hulk, duh,

Scott

No time to dilly nor dally.  Right to it, then.

D. Seize

• Action Comics #16 (DC): I hope Morrison fulfills the promise he made in #15: an attack on Superman the likes of which we’ve–and he’s–never seen!
• Animal Man #16 (DC): Lemire’s a beast!
• Dial H #8 (DC): The best book of 2012 is back to defend its title.
• Swamp Thing #16 (DC): Coming up on Snyder’s exit.  Mine, too, probably.

The C’s

• Clone #3 (Image): Cool premise.  Unfortunately, through two issues, that’s about all that’s been cool.
• Change #2 (Image): Just weird enough for another go-round.

Spinning the Dial

• TMNT: The Secret History of the Foot Clan (IDW): It’s one of our faves, Mateus Santolouco, on his very own book!  Definitely going to give it a try–even though I haven’t read TMNT since it first came out in the mid-’80s!

TMNT: The Secret History of the Foot Clan #1 Cover

Picks of the Litter

• Comedian #5 (DC): I wish it would just end already.  Can’t back out, though: it’s pulled.
• Avengers Arena #3 (Marvel): I know what you’re thinking.
• Secret Service #5 (Marvel): See Comedian #5.
• Superior Spider-Man #1 (Marvel): Swayed by Slott, I’m giving it a shot.
• Thunderbolts #3 (Marvel): So far, Elektra’s been on point–during the limited page-time she’s received, anyway.

That’s it for me!

What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Turning pages,

Scott

This is an adult diaper kinda week–’cause it depends.

Delivering the Goods

• Action Comics #15: Will I be happy with Morrison’s last few months on the big blue keystone?  I hope so.
• Animal Man #15: Good, but not as good as its Green companion.  Almost an unfair task, to keep up with Snyder.
• Dial H #7: I hope this title is dialing up enough readers month to month.  It is so very good; it’d be a shame to lose it.  I mean, did you read #6?  Instant classic.
• Swamp Thing #15: Yes, please.

Not Now

• Daredevil: End of Days #3: If it were any other hero’s end of days, I would’ve passed on it from the beginning.  Lucky it’s limited.
• Fury Max #7: Ennis does war and Fury–and a lot of other things, happy to say–better than anyone else.  Plus, he’s bringing Frank Castle into the mix?  Score!

Fury Max #7 Cover

• Secret Service #6: Thank goodness it’s over.  I’m done with Millar’s Movie Factory after this one.  Lesson learned.
• Amazing Spider-Man #699: Yeah, I’m stuck in Slott’s web–for this arc, anyway.  Credit where credit is due and all that.

T’is the Season

• Colder #2: Looking forward to this one!  Any book with a Dial H vibe is gonna go a long way with me–even if it’s only for five issues.

That’s not too bad–especially after a light week.  Thing is, I’m worried I might reach for…

• Avengers #1: I bailed on Uncanny Avengers.  Why do I feel like I need an Avenger book?  I don’t need an Avenger book.  I really don’t.
• Thunderbolts #1: I’m a fool for Elektra.  Steve Dillon’s not too bad either.
• All-New X-Men #3: Wait.  Didn’t #2 just come out last week?  Marvel’s got some stones on ’em, boy.  I’d have to be an idiot–a desperate idiot–to buy this.

Oh, Wednesday, you always seem to surprise me.

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning  pages,

Scott