Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Dead-wood Pull List October 28 2015 (breaking the bank....)

This week keeping to any sort of budget is not at all likely but I will at least try to stay close to twenty and possibly list what else is pretty well of interest also.... There are books coming out to fit pretty much an comics reader/fan....

Island 4

Out of all the great books shipping this week this is he one I would single out as a must buy and I do so for the curation that Brandon Graham and Emma Rios have done on this anthology. Not many comics companies read ear none are trying to do unthemed anthologies like this and even though the price is high Island is a value because of page count and the fact there are no adds. This issue features work by Gael Bertrand, Farley Dalrymple and Brandon Graham himself and lie issues one two and three it's likely to be a rich and wonderful reading experience across a spectrum of style and story. I could post about the stories I loved in previous issues but honestly we could be getting stand alone stoies, new installments in previous ones, they could be prose with spot illustrations, could be black and white, red and white full colour, science fiction, fantasy, memoir but it's assured to be worth reading. $7.99

 

Power Up #4

If not for Island this would have hit the top of the list and be my must have as I have been loving Kate Leth's take on the magical girl genre. So the world is being invaded by some force from somewhere else and another force has bestoed power on some destined champions to protect the earth but their calculations see to have gone awry, perhaps. Ou chosen heroes include a one time athlete, a thirty something mother of two, a slacker college student and a goldfish. Power Up is a character driven story that is more a serious thing that the description might allude to and its characters are one I really want to know better. The art is beguilingly symplistic seeming but filled with some very subtle details.... And it's all very charming overall. $3.99

 

From Under Mountain #2

Issue one of From Under Mountain presented a fantasy story rich in details character and setting all aspects I've come to expect from books curated by Brandon Graham. This is the first book to really spin out of 8House as its related to that overall concept and given its diverse collection of creative talent it's has that feeling otherness that sometimes makes fantasy all the more fantastic. The artist for the series Sloane Leong that Davd Brothers interviewed on the I-word podcast a couple of weeks back talked about her inspirations, style and her desire to show a more diverse world view then is the usual for western comics. Her influences mainly come from Japanese manga which was more accessible to her when she was young. The story presents a different flavor of fantasy heros then usual. $2.99

Black Magick #1

Urban Fantasy at least for me seems to be making a bit of a comeback; with great and wildly different titles like Hexed, Wayward, and Gotham Academy readers seem to be kind of spoilt for choice. Greg Rucka is well established as a crime/police procedural writer so I trust this will fit the bill when it comes to my enjoyment for reading thriller with supernatural elements but the art, oh the art looks from all the previews to be a real treat with the covers matching the beauty of the inside. What else can I say about a book I have yet to read other then if supernatural influenced police procedural is enticing to you too this may just be your thing. $3.99

So that makes seventeen well practically eighteen as to make no difference but there is so much goodness left I'm just going to go on....

 

Ody -C # 8

Classic heroic literature recast as a gender flipped comic might be a bit of a stretch for some but Matt Fraction has proven himself up to the writing challenge over the last year in his revisioning of epic poems. I admit it may not be for everyone as some knowledge of the classics he riffs on helps but even with my hazy memory I have liked re-encountering the myths through his widely researched take on things. The art by Christian Ward is truly georgous his layouts and the colours play off of the narrative in ways most comics don't approach these days outside of the few painters out there right now.$3.99

 

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1

Ok I will be upfront about this I don't really like renumbering but at least this cover pokes appraise fun at the fact Doreen's book had been started and stopped and restarted in not so long. Anyway Marvel as a corporate entity makes these choices but they are really opening up their playground for a great variety of creators to play and I'm very happy that Ryan North and Erica Henderson are both back as the book would not be the one I came to love just a few months back. Squirrel Girl is one of the handful of superhero books right now that is both cannon for the universe and allowed to poke such fun at the whole genre itself joining the original Howard the Duck from way back as well as the new Duck title. It seems little has changed because of Secret Wars and that is a fine things as this is ever a fun satire of superheroes in all the right ways. $3.99

 

Angela Queen of Hel #1

Another book that was temporarily interrupted by Secret Wars to reignite, Angela like some of the others pick up stories that were not quite finished before the break. Sera we learned a lot about and through the first volume and to me was a bit of more interest then Angela and she won me over with her story telling and her story. Seems that even tough the story we learned was true the teller wasn't who we were lead to believe as Sera was actually in Hel. This volume takes Angela to Hel to rescue her love and will hopefully involve other bits of Hel stories he have heard over the corse of Thor and Journey into Mystery. The books has a great creative team and as wil other books this week I have hopes for it. $3.99

 

 

So that hits two more books and well there are yet more as Howling Commandos #1, Captain America Sam Wilsom #2, Rumble #8, Cyborg #4, Batgirl #45 and Adventure Time Spooktacular pto name just a few...

 

This week also sees the collection of David F Walker's Shaft series that told a prequel story to the classic from the seventies. Ernest Tidyman created Shaft and gave birth to what is kind of a cultural phenomenon as people who have never seen the original movie know of it and many can quote the opening theme by Issac Hayes. I have only read the first issue and it was petty great all on its own and I know this is something I must get ... There is more coming and well maybe it's time people talked about Shaft again as more comics readers should be talking about how good a writer David Walker is.... $19.99

 

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Dead-wood Dispatch Pull List Oct 21 2015

This month is bookended with two huge weeks for the things I look forward to but last week and this week have some great books that people should check out... This is my weekly signal boost for books I love and think are worth picking up. Weekly I post a list thinking I'm keeping to a twenty dollar budget and these are my choices starti with what I consider a must have.

Shutter #16

Yes that is an Akira reference and doesn't Leile Del Duca do it magnificent justice, Cassius looks absolutely regal and I have real worries about my favorite Alarm Cat now. I can say quite honestly meeting both Joe and Leila and hearing them talk about this book and its development has only made me love it all the more. For anyone who is curious it's the world just outside your window only ninety percent stranger, full of weirdness right on the surface rather then burried and somewhere well worth visiting. Kate our hero is a one time adventurer from a family of them pulled back into the game by family she didn't know she had and involving mysteries she didn't know she was ever a part of. Shutter manages to be crazy wild and fantastical like a portal fantasy while remaining grounded to in locations and issues that anchor it in reality too. You could elevator pitch it using references like Tintin and Indiana Jones but Kate's story is so much more then that and those done capture any of the rich background cast or the fabulous setting. Like nothing else out there... Ok so I squee a bit about this one. $3.99

Tokyo Ghost #2

It's been a long time since the American Comic market had anything I would openly compare to Judge Dredd in terms of nihilistic tone and audacious violence but in the wake of the first issue of this book I think I have found something that fits the bill. The first issue set up the tone for this profane series that explores a future where life is openly cheap people live in a haze of technological addiction violence and depravity abounds and our heroine is one of the few non teched out ever distracted addicts. I finished the first issue really feeling for her and wanting for her to get her connection back to her lover and partner so between the cool art by Sean Murphey and Remenders storytelling I'm stuck in with this one. Appleseed and 2000AD fans check this. $3.50

 

 

Black Canary #5

Music and comics make my life better and oddly lately there has been a confluence between the two with titles like Jem, Phonogram, DMC and this marvelous little gem Black Canary. I may have serious misgivings about a lot of the changes DC made with the new 52 but I happen to love a few of them and this book is one of the best. Diane being a bad ass rocker traveling the country (hard traveling heroes style) with her band and getting into all kinds of Hunter S Thompson like mischief,ok maybe not like that, has been a great time. Over the corse of the four issues we got how she became part of the band and who she took he lead spot from and the fallout from that. The book has been lots of fun writing wise, the art UK Annie Wu fits it's tone and wow the colours by Lee Loughbridge do really rock. Pia Guerra who was the artist on Y the Last Man takes the art chores for this showdown issue and I'm looking forward to,what she brings to the book. This is not totally the Black Canary I loved back in the Green Arrow or Birds of Prey days but change is the only constant and I'll just roll along with this one as it's been a good one I think. $2.99

 

Gotham Academy #11

So it's field trip time to Gotham proper for Olive, Maps and the class at Gotham Academy... now I missed issue 10 which is something I regret and need to rectify but it solidified the fact that I very much do enjoy this book and should not have picked up whatever book I passed it over for. Becky Cloonan's feast take on the coming of age comic set in Batman's Gotham gracefully avoids costume heroics and just focuses of the drama and pratfalls of highschool with a pretty diverse cast and one that hints at a future group of characters we are likely to only get hints about. The book has some predictable guest appearances given the setting and its art is more reminiscent of watching animation and it's a pretty glorious thing at that. Why did I wait on issue 10 to see it vanish from my FLCS. $2,99

Karnak #1

I may have liked this character since reading about him in the Offical Handbook of the Marvel Universe and given he's a martial artist that is a call to like him more in my book. I'll be honest I'm on the fence when it comes to the current Inhumans story marvel is telling but given this is written by Ellis is pretty much on board at the mention of his name. Warren is no slouch at writing engaging edgy books that break molds and challenge the status quo and that is something I'm hoping for here. His run on Moon Knight was six of the best one shot stories I read in years and if I get a book half as good here I'll be happy. $3.99

 

And that does it for the week as my list hit the past seventeen dollar mark.... I'm likely to buy Captain America Sam Wilson to round out the week as I could not afford it last week....

Check back in next weeks as its a huge one and I will be hard pressed to make the hard choices...

 

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Dead-wood Dispatch Comic Pull List Oct 14 2015

So exited about many of the projects revealed last week that I know next year will be a tough one when it comes to composing these budgeted list... Powerman and Ironfist from David Walker and Sanford Greene as well as confirmation of Afua Richardson working for Marvel next year too. Anyway this week is a bit more sedate then last with its new Image and Marvel deluge. I put this pull list together with the idea I'm going to keep to a twenty dollar budget and start it off with my choice of must have and sometimes follow the list off with a suggestion of a OGN or trade collection to pick up if that is more your thing...

Ms Marvel # 19

So last month I was wrong when I wrote that issue 18 was the last issue as here is the final issue of this volume of Ms Marvel which has brought many people including me such joy for the last year and a half plus. G Willow Wilson has been writing a book that remind me of books I loved way back when I first got hooked on comics; books that made me care and feel genuine emotion and care about the characters beyond the mere adventure of the thing. Kamala Kahn embodies all of the things essential to make a great hero and they all come down to heart, everything she does she does with all of hers and does her damnedest to take care of the people both closest to her and those she doesn't know. Issue 18 delivered such a powerful, last page leaving me in tears that I thought it was the end but it's so great that we get just a bit more before the break till November and the new number one by the same great team. Well worth stopping by the shop on Wednesday and picking up. $2.99

 

The Wicked and the Divine #15

And so with the Pantheon we have circled back around to the goddess who graced one the many covers of issue one, Amatarasu and I have to wonder what secrets well be divulged in this that will enlighten us about this sun goddess. Ok I know bad pun but the Brits are so good at them I had to give it a go; anyhow the commercial suicide storyline which has been featuring amazing fill in art and revelatory stories continue with Stephanie Hans doing fill in art duties while McKevie is off doing his thing in Phonogram. I've no clue as to what this will be other then a bit of a magical mystery tour that is sure to shakeup us fans like the reveals about Tara and Woden, fucking Woden... If nothing else it's great mythology making and a great look at celebrity through a very interesting lens, with some very pretty art. $3.50

 

Phonogram The Immaterial Girl #3

Ok so last issue got one song bug stuck in my head and I caution you not to look at any of the words about this issue as that combined with the cover will be sure to do it again. Jamie and Kieron are doing it to us taking those of us that lived through the MTV era down memory land and proving that the magic of Phonomancy is in some way real as is its curse... I'm just glad they weren't anime fans at the time otherwise I'd be so screwed. Out heroine is stuck in a world she had cursed half herself to way back when and were getting to see her journey back as well as seeing the chaos the other her gets to unleash. It's very different from Wic + Div and it's so great to get two books from Gillen I'll be sorry when this paired run comes to a finish. Oh and don't wait for the collections this time about as with so many image books I'm loving the back matter for this one is well worth getting the individual issues right now. $3.99

 

Jen and the Holograms # 8

Connected to Phonogram in at least music and era references it is kind of fitting that this eighties animation reimagining fits well into this weeks list. Jem has been a real fun book to be getting in among my regular violence ridden drama as even with all the tech and pop it's more down to earth and about relateable stakes like relationships romantic and otherwise and moreover self realization and empowerment. Though it's not really connected to this story or this issue NYCC last week gave us a peek into the future and Sophie's return to the book in issue 11 and what looks to be a pretty cool dark story idea. Back to this story arc I'm looking forward to more exploration of character that is the heart of this book. $3.99

 

Switch #1

So I will be honest I did collect Witchblade back in its initial run and thought that it had promise beyond the sylish art but I lost interest over time as it went places I didn't really want to follow. I'm mostly interested in reading this from the creator standpoint as Stjepan Sejic is the only person behind this book. I like his sense of humor and well again as with the initial Witchblade book the art in the book I find very appealing. Stjepan has a pretty good history with being sole creator as on his own and I'm hoping this book will be a good bit of fun as I've seen from the preview pages. I'm inking I just giving it a try but I'm sure it will attract some attention this week.$3.99

Bringing my list just shy of nineteen dollars. Among the other tempting books of the week is Captain America Sam Wilson which I'm like to pick up too and there are a couple I'll look at too...

 

 

In terms of trades the one I'll point to that I may just buy as I don't have the individual issues is another joint from Stjepan and that is his heavy metal influenced gothic horror dark vs light story that displays all his style, humor and deft character and world creation. This will set you back just abo twenty dollars and as it includes eight issues all at once for an often delayed book it's nearly too attractive, take a peek it may be just the thing for October inspiration.

 

The other ill mention I have all the individual issues of but is equally as attractive but in a more brig and airy way is Jem and the Holograms volume one by Sophie Campbell and Kelly Thompson and also so well worth attention as its full of heart, creativity and subtle storytelling.

 

Monday, October 5, 2015

Untitled

So big big big week, the owner and of my FLCS even mentioned how nuts this week is and he doesn't say that often. So keeping to my twenty dollar budget may not full on happen but for this list it will and for the most part I'm not going to be posting about the usual suspects. I will be posting collections too as this is a brilliant week and I can get two within my budget. As is usual I'll start with the book I consider a must buy.

(Vic Stone) Cyborg #3

Victor Stone has deserved to be spotlight in his own series for ages and I feel though he is a Justice League member he gets D list status as he gets less attention then most in that book that I've felt is very character development thin. David has kind of a blank slate to work with as the new 52 took most of Vic's history as a New Teen Titan and he's hit the ground running centering us in Vic's life; he's established Vic's troubled relationship with his father and his tenuous sometimes strained relationship to regular people given his so obvious otherness. Ivan Reis is a brilliant choice for artist as he honors the art style of Cyborgs past and bring something live and vital to Perez' iconic look. I spotlight this as its one of the DUYou books I've taken to my heart and don't want to see it go away for lack of initial audience as seems to be a Big Two problem when it comes to "new" titles particularly at DC. $2.99

 

Plutona #2

Last month I posted about this and it delivered what I'd hoped it would, a grounded real group of relateable kids in a Stand By Me sort of situation; what I didn't expect was the thoughtful world building and the little touches that made me really connect with the protagonists. I also had the pleasure of meeting Emi Lenox last month at RCCC and got to talk with her about Plutona and even better got to see more of her artwork and the autobiographical sketch diaries she did the past couple years. Plutona is a five issue series centered on a group of kids who find the body of one of the superheroes who protect their city; one of the more charming bits in the first issue was the superhero spotting diary kept by one of the characters, it particularly endeared her to me as did many of the other little details about her. $2.99

 

8House #4

As with issue three which was brilliant this issue begins a new story arc from a new creative team in what is becoming a must buy every month for me. I know next to nothing about either creator here but from what I've looked at I think we're in for something great again. I have no clue how all the stories in this series curated by Brandon Graham may tie together if they ever will but as with Island I'm willing to buy in given how much I have liked it all so far and the fact that it's a comics bargain in today's hobby. You can check out the creator Fil Barlow at the link and looking for his partner Helen Maier on google you'll find some links that will give you hints as to what we're in store for here. I know my signal boosting is scant her but this series has yet to dissapoint. $2.99

 

Paper Girls #1

Given Y the Last Man, Saga, Ex-Machina, Runaways, and We Stand On Guard Brian K Vaughan has a track record that is hard to argue against and I've been willing to try out much of what he writes these days. Paper Girls from what I have read are a bit of early teen girls in a classic war of the worlds kind of event. The couple of Cliff Chang's art that have been previewed are pretty stunning and the language on those are pretty colorful to say the least. I'm going to show how old I am but the best ages put me in mind of the old teen film Better off Dead with the girls rolling up on bicycles full of attitude. It's sure to be worth a peek and I think may be one of the finds of the week. $2.99

 

Code name Baboushka #1

Anthony Johnstone who has been doing some great police procedural in space with the Fuse starts a spy title with a female lead joining Velvet and Modesty Blaze as a non superhero Black Widow. I know little about Shari Chankhama who is doing the art but a brief Internet search make me truly exited about the prospects for this title and having missed out initially on Velvet and Lazarsus I'm determined to check this out early on. Ex aristocratic ex royal family assassin with nothing to lose except enemies ... another potential kiss ass heroine by a writer who's proven he can write hard women with agency I will be taking a close look at this. $3.99

1602 Angela Withc Hunter #4

From what I recall this is the last issue of Angela pre all new Marvel, the last piece of superhero work for marvel from Kieron Gillen and I hope something that sets up the new all Margarett Bennett written Angela. This book has had much more humor and jest about it then I expected and I hope even in the end that satyrical tone will reign too and since I missed issue 3 I have no clue as to what is going to be happening other then some kind of end. The art has been a beautiful mix of differing rich colorful styles as has th storytelling as Sera always shared half the issue. Secret Wars, well the tie ins, are nearly over and the new is beginning this month late title or not and this is the one Marvel book I chose to spotlight. $3.99

 

And that brings me to just under nineteen dollars and is where I should stop for this week.... Though I may buy Dr. Strange, OmegaMen, TMNT 50, and perhaps Avengers 0 for the Ultimates preview..... )but they are not what I think new assign all boost....

So are collection more your bag.... You can get two in the twenty dollars this week that are absolutely brilliant.

 

Bitch Planet 1 Extraordinary Machine

This is the comic you should be reading, it's everything I look for its got character with heart and such dire stakes they have to deal with; it's also wonderfully subversive and satyrical of the daily BS we live with. Kelly Sue Deconnick and Valentine De Landro spoke at several different panels at Rose City Comic Con about this book that has touched and motivated many fans pretty deeply in its five issue run so far an speaks to the dangers of the divided prejudicial judge mental Patriarchial society we live in... It's been stated in the letters page that we already live on bitch planet and the only negative I can see in the collection is that it does not contain the back matter essays and the letters from the community building around this work. $9.99

 

 

 

Injection volume 1

And for the other half of the twenty you can get the exploration into a possible singular apocalypse by the MoonKnight team of Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey. Where as Bitch Planet will make you think about the way the world is fucked up this will make you wonder about how the world could be fucked up under the surface... Sure it's a what if story that posits something crazy but we live in a pretty sci fi Magic world already and for the most part are blasé about it... Injection makes me think of all thing the original Matt Wagner Mage series as there is a lot of magic I. The world around us we just refuse to see at out peril. Declan's pages in this book are stunning in ways that are subtle and impressive when you consider all the work that has going into them. It's a book that is confusing but in a really good way and picking this up will prime you for the second story arc that Warren promises will be more user friendly. $9.99