Tuesday, February 28, 2017

March 1 2017 Wanted Dispatch aka my Comics Pull List

The end of last month left me kind of realizing I need to actually keep closer to my real budget as both space and my time kind of don't allow me to get to or keep all the things I want to fully support. Welcome to my weekly call out of my pull list of books I'll actually be buying that I think other people should be checking out if they are like me...I try to keep to something around twenty dollars but seldom does that stop me from indulging a bit. Also this month several Image books have charity covers who's proceeds go to Planned Parenthood this week those are the issue of Rat Queens and Royal City...hope your store ordered some of them and you lean that way like me maybe grab them...the Rat Queens one is by Colleen Doran and the Royal city by Emi Lenox.

 

DC Bombshells

I don't post often about Margueritte Bennett's Bombshells title and sometimes I can't afford to add it to my list so as some titles have kind of fallen from my list I can support this one more often in print. This print issue Matias Bergara, who's watercolor character illustrations online are brilliant, Laura Braga an Mirka Andolfo who did the Killer Frost one shot join her on this twist on WW2 DC history where no men ever held the title of superhero and women alone are building that history. This book puts me in mind of the Joe Casey Glory storyarc as it's become its own beautiful story in the hands of a talented creative writer and art team.

Extremity 1 $3.99

So Daniel Warren Johnson (I know what is it with me and creators who use all three names) is a writer artist who I'm kind of familiar with and I know I looked at his story SoaceMullet somewhere along the way and everything I have read and see so far about the grim fantasy warstory Extremity makes me interested in giving it a try. Second world science fiction fantasy about a women attempting to get vengeance against forces far above her sounds like a lot of good punching up kind of storytelling and aparently it's a story that will ultimately be about hope which is something I sorely need more of these days.

Everafter 7 $3.99

I picked up Fables in and off as I didn't get into it till late in its run but it did expose me to Lilah Sturges' writing and when I realized she was writing this follow up when listening to her on the podcast Double Page Spread (recommended here). She compared this Vertigo book to the new Young Animal inprint and it's apt as it's got just the right sense of dark humor and weird to it to share the shelf with them. Everafter may follow out of a long running book but even just grabbing an odd single issue of it as I did with little experience with Fables I can say her and her cowriter do a great job of bringing you up up speed without a need for info dumping.

America 1 $3.99

America Chavez was the best thing about the Young Avengers, and that's saying a lot because I loved those character and is one of the bright spots on the Ultimates which I think is one of the more enjoyable team books marvel had last year. This series is being written by Gabby Rivera who wrote the highly enjoyable novel Juliet Takes a Breath and illustrated by Joe Quinones, of Howard the Duck and the Black Canary Zatanna OGN Bloodspell which means it will be downright gorgeous. I have not a clue what they will be doing with her other then hopefully letting her finally shine in the way Mockingbird and Nighthawk both have recently and we can hope we'll get at least a year of this book but I'll guess time will tell.

Shade the Changing Girl 6

Cecil Castilucci, Marley Zarcone and Kelly Fitzpatrick for me have delivering the crazy weird I wanted with this very personal feeling Young Animal title that has had some pretty welcome surprise back up stories that justify its 3.99 price tag. The alien avian Loma Shade fan of Rak and recent immigrant to a body on earth looks appears to in this issue have to not only deal with her bodies original owners unlikeability but also the maybe return of the girls spirit from a journey of her own. No clue whatnthat may mean but this book satisfies my need for the weird in ways I didn't know I needed; oh and it's nice to have Marley illustrating again - I enjoyed her work on Effigy a couple years back.

 

Also in my pile this week PaperGirls 11, Unbeatable Wasp 3, Rat Queens 1 (only for the Planned Parenthood charity cover can't resist the urge to SJW action) and the final Midnighter and Apollo issue. In addition to this aparently the new Superman 18 could be some of the reveal about the whole Rebirth thing.

Let me know what your picking up and why of you like.

 

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Wanted Dispatch Feb 22 2017 aka my Comics Pull List

Hello all, as my lists have been breaking my budget guidelines of twenty a week I'm going to spotlight the twenty dollars I think should get more attention and the ones I have to have rather then just gush about all and sundry that I may buy. There are excellent smaller press books hitting this Wesnesday and I hope you'll all join me is supporting them....

 

Heathen 1 $3.99

Heathen I saw and missed backing on kickstarter and regretted it as when I got a chance to read this first issue I knew it was my kind of thing. Natasha Alterici both wrote and illustrated this tale of a Viking warrior outcast and self admitted Heathen who takes up arms against the god-king of her era. The story of Aydis and her warrior heroes journey looks like little out there; Natasha's art has hints of animation influence with large doses of the scratchy yet detail rich work of Bill Sienkeiwicz. That would be enough for me to support but adding a beautiful wrap-around Tess Fowler cover is just icing an the cake for me. The one book I have to walk away with this week and it's going to be hard to wait till Friday night to get it.


 

Quantum Teena are Go 1 $3.99

Kim & Kim figured pretty large in my lists last year including my best of the year and I have hopes to be singing the praises of this book to in the months to come. Magdalene Visaggio has really got that in late out early kind of storytelling that clicks with me as a reader and writes characters that exist as themselves outside of the plot and are not there in service to it. This book promises to be a comfortable safe labeled box shattering punk rock DIY ethic science fiction romp with angry teen heroes finding their own place and own family when their biological one is antagonistic. Eryk Donovan' designs for Nat and Sumesh and the few preview pages out there are pretty in a harsh angular kind of way that I really dig and with Claudia Aguirre's colors it's a nice call back to Kim & Kim...a bit like a band side project. I like the punk ethic coming from the Black Mask books and am totally there to support them with this mad science story.

 

 

Sun Bakery 1 $4.99

Corey Lewis is the creator behind this anthology title that is getting reprinted by Image and his riffing on the colored paper weekly Japanese comic motif I like a lot as I've not had the opportunity to indulge since moving away from the SF Bay Area. Sun Bakery is the cool eastern cousin in my mind to Islands euro- comics leaning, pages of duo tone thick lined art, lots of empty space low on embellishmentr, bombastic big crazy stories with lots of heart, weapons and comedy brimming with wit and enthusiasm...this is a project that displays the passion of its creator and that is the best reason to support this beyond how crazy good fin it is from the one randommissue I picked of of the initial run.

Monstress 10 $3.99

Monstress is a book that I have as a bookseller seen attract people who don't read comics to it, actually someone who does not read fiction picked it up and loved the hell out of Marjorie Liu and Sana Takada's feminist fantasy tale. I think that the thing that might be linking most of the books on my list this week is my perception and belief that the creators behind these books are truly passionate about the work they are delivering. Monstress is so deeply detailed in story art and feelings that I can only say it's like getting a meal lovingly prepared by a passionate cook. It's a blend of a fantasy heroes journey, a refugee story, with a lead who is filled with both despair and hope. Sana's aesthetics in her pages and designs match the crazy levels of detail she puts into her covers...I'm ever amazed actually. Can't imagine passing this book up.

 

Old Guard 1 $3.99

Unlike the rest of the books I'm spotlighting this week The Old Guard is kinda high profile as it's Greg Rucka and Leo Fernandez who have a) worker together before and b) are pretty well known quantities and c) already gotten attention on a couple of other lists. The Old Guard sounds a violence and emotion ladened about near immortal yet killable warriors and the emotional baggage of a millena lone existence. It's a big concept and I think that in the hands of Greg Rucka the will be some heartfelt work done with these characters and the art looks a true treat from the designs and preview pages from Image Plus a few months back.

 

Oh at the moment I know it looks as if I'm in budget but I'm sure to buy Slam 4, Shutter 27, Mosiac 5, Justice League of America 1, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 16, Black Panther 11... to name just a few of the others...

 

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Wanted Dispatch Feb 15 2017 aka my Comics Pull List

How am I to make choices between all the great books coming out these days; I've alwaYs been more interested in books that tell stories on the fringes in the weirder areas of the settings I love and exploring new places. In the nineties it was Milestone Media, the Vertigo books and the edgier Wildstorm titles that did it for me as well as Astro City, Americas Best from Alan Moore and the like that got my money and I think I'm still the same kind of reader. Here is a week when I may just stay within my twenty dollar budget.

 

Batwoman 1 $2.99

Those who know me probably expect this but DC had me hereat Margueritte Bennett as the writer behind the Kate Kane book as I know she will be making this a very personal stakes kind of story but it's nice to know that Steve Epting who's I have always enjoyed and thought was underrated is getting to join her on the book with Ben Oliver. As I was out of comics as a reader during the time Greg Rucka was writing her and on the fence with her new 52 book I'm exited to be able to buy a Bat book I really whole heartedly believe in and am exited for. The Detecive two issue lead in to this series had really wetted my appetite for a return to Gotham and established clearly how Kate is different from Bruce.

 

World of Wakanda 4 $3.99

A coworker of min got to go to the book publishing event called Winter Institute and 1 got to hear Roxane Gay address the audience so I'm very jealous but she did bring back a copy of the speach she gave and she like so many writes I like pulls no punches. I'll be sad when the story of Ayo and Aneka come to an end in this book and hope to see Roxane work somewhere again in comics as we need strong opinionated and political voices like hers even if some companies don't think people want that. The origin tale of the Midnight Angels has been a mix of martial arts training a bit romance story and a bit political but it's all been very accessible and very very well illustrated by Alethia Martinez.

 

The Wild Storm 1 $3.99

Warren Ellis is getting to be the series leader on reimagining the core of the Wildstorm characters outside of Apollo and Midnighter in a series that will use Grifter, the Engineer, Voodoo, and Deathblow among others and I have great hopes for what this may be having been a fan of the Wildstorm imagined by him and Alan Moore back in the late nineties. Got no clue as to what he's cooking up but I'm up to try it out a bit.

 

Postal 18 $3.99

My FLCS missed issue 17 and may not be able to score me one but that's ok, I have missed the occasional issue of this book since the interview on Black Comics Chat turned me on to it before around issue 12 or 14. Bryan Edward Hill writes the kind of story that both assumes you know the score and that you don't and gives enough information for either reader to get into the book and relate to his characters. This is one of the few books I get that lacks any weird, mystical super or other speculative elements and it's a damn good thriller illustrated by Issac Goodheart whose style fits the mood and closeness of the book very very well. Nothing but respect for this book just hope diamond sends us some.

Horizon 8 $2.99

Given the current atmosphere in the US I'm surprised that there are not that many people talking about this book where like in reality we are the invaders, the heels, the bad guys if you will. Brandon Thomas envisioned a story where humanity expanded into the stars in search of resources and find them on an inhabited planet which we choose to full on exploit despite there being vital inteligent familiar life already there. He and Juan Gedeon have realized this story of a team of special ops arriving to take vengeance upon humanity. I like this kind of story that reminds me we are not as good of guys as we believe and it's done in such a unique dynamic art style like little others these days in the US market.

And though that would keep me kinda in budget Animosity 6, Mother Panic 3, Cave Carson 5, and Nights Dominion 6 also hit the shelves this week so....

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Wanted February 8 2017 or my Comics Pull List

So many of my favorite creators on the shelves this week giving me the momentary necessary self care distractions from my constant need to resist the BS that is my everyday life. Here is my pull list for the week alas I try in vain to keep to my twenty dollar comics budget.

 

Katy Ferina and and Melanie Gillman are creators I follow of Twitter and the prospect of them working together on Steven Universe knocks this to the top of my list this week. I can't relate how much this show means to me but I'll tell you it's among the stories that bring me real emotions and has left me in real tears more times then I care to count. Melanie writes a cool webcomic called As the Crow Flies which I'm sadly behind of and Katy has the right grasp of cartoon art to give the book the right looks and respect the show and its fans beautifully. I only hope their run on the book lasts a good while as it looks really pretty from the first three pages.

 

Southern Cross 11 $3.99

Becky Cloonan and Andy Belanger have been posting previews of the interiors of this issue for at least an month on Twitter and it looks downright amazing even in just black and white, Science fiction horror has been a thing for me ever since Ridley Scott's Alien and my first encounters with weird fiction; Becky Andy and Lee have created her something that reflects those with a bit of cyberpunk paranoia and Space Crusier Yamato styling. It's a world full of deeply broken anti-heroes so well crafted I'm surprised it's not on more best of lists.

Motor Crush 3 $3.99

Issue one gave us a whole lot of action and enough of an emotional hook to Domino to make the developements in issue two hit home. I'm now totally sold on the relationships and am adhering to know the background between Lola and Domino and what the hell broke up what was a bond between the two of them. Issue two also developed the other major relationship with her adopted father figure... though it's that style art and the promise of more from this creative team that was the first hook the delivery of solid characters and story assures I'll be back. I'd say if Batgirl (of course) or the recent Black Canary and Mockingbird were your kind of thing here is the book to pick up to replace their loss in your life.

 

PowerMan and IronFist 11 $3.99

And we have aparently caught up to events from Jessica Jones and the dissapearance of their daughter Danielle. Luke Cage has been a lot of things and gone through more real and lasting change then a lot of Marvel characters so I have to say I'm sad Marvel decided that being a really positive father role model was sowmthngnthey would take from Luke.

All Star Batman 7 $4.99

Though I have read and enjoyed Scott Snyder's Batman work I don't really pick it up all that much but this and an issue coming up I have to support. This is a Poison Ivy story....so plus number 1 and it's being illustrated by Tula Lotay and sometimes it's all about the art for me. Tula has worked with some amazing writers like Warren Ellis and Kieron Gillen and never fails to create pages and panels worthy of a frame.

 

Wonder Woman 16 $2.99

Another case of the artist clinching the deal; Greg Rucka's no slouch and I'm loving his take of Diana and her mythos but Bilquis Evesly makes this run of even issues a part of my list. Her art shows influence from artists I have loved but is stil all her own and her characters have a weight to them and a reality to them that only concentrated experience and drive seem to achieve. Wonder Woman looks no better then whe she draws her these days.

Justice League of America 1 $2.99

I'm thinking that this book is kind of the current version of Batman and the Outsiders from way back when he had a break from the Justice League proper...it's a different team for a different purpose. I enjoy Steve Orlando's writing a lot and been a fan of Ivan Reis from way back when he did a monster Halloween book for Marvel so giving this a try was on the menu. I have happened to like several of the characters here for a long time: Black Canary, Vixen, Killer Frost and the Ray all have a soft spot in my heart and even Lobo I have liked on and off depending on what people have done with him. No idea if this book will eventually be my thing but I'm confident it's going to a fun read to check out.

 

Oh yeah there is a little thing called Detective 950 coming out that I'm likely to pick up to given Cassandra Cain is one of the focal characters.

Empowered Soldier of Love 1

I'm going to give this a go because Adam Warren seems to have a really good sense of humor, I recall likening his Dirty Pair mini series from way back when and well it looks a bit Magical Girl-y and well I'm a bit of a sucker for that as frequent readers will know. I'll let you know if 1 I can find a copy and 2 what I think of it.