On The Shelves: 11/23/05
Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month!
Ugh! Another Wednesday already? I’m so behind…on everything!
My weekly look at select comic books being released tomorrow, 11/23/05. The full shipping is list available at ComicList.
[NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com]
ALIAS ENTERPRISES LLC
Alias Convention 2005 Ed 3 Pack, $24.99
Hmmm… desperate cash grab before the bottom falls out? Oh wait, it’s already fallen out, they just don’t realize it yet.
APE ENTERTAINMENT
Sullengrey #1 (Of 4), $3.50
This looks interesting and the creators seemed like a nice enough duo the few times I ran into them at conventions this year. Think I’ll pick this up.
ARCANA STUDIO
El Arsenal #3 (Of 3), $2.95
Paradox #1 (Of 4), $2.95
El Arsenal has been good ol’ rip-roarin fun and I’m hoping the conclusion leaves room for a follow-up. No idea what Paradox is, but Arcana’s still on my “always peek” list.
CACKLING IMP PRESS
Tales Of Hot Rod Horror Vol 1 GN, $10.00
I believe this is what Adam (100 Girls) Gallardo referred to in my interview with him awhile back. Have to give it a looksee. Because nothing else jumped out at me, this also gets Best Title of the Week.
CLAYPOOL COMICS
Elvira #150, $2.50
#150? That’s impressive. Who buys this? Is it any good?
DARK HORSE COMICS
Conan #22, $2.99
Perhapanauts #1 (Of 4), $2.99
Yay, Conan! Picked up the God in the Bowl hardcover for my father-in-law for Christmas last week. Perhapanauts will get a peek.
DC COMICS
Batgirl #70, $2.50
Batman Marionette, $295.00
Ex Machina #16, $2.99
Loveless #2, $2.99
Vigilante #3 (Of 6), $2.99
The end is near for Batgirl. 🙁 Somebody needs to buy me that marionette for Christmas! Loveless is on the chopping block after a less-than-satisfying first issue. I’m still bothered by Frusin’s simian-looking black soliders, and combined with my general unease towards Azzarello, thanks largely to Cage, I think Jonah Hex will have to represent my Western fix for the time being.
DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
Forgotten Realms Dark Elf Exile Seeley Cvr A #1 (Of 3), $4.95
GI Joe Snake-Eyes Declassified #4 (Of 6), $2.95
Proving that licenses, done right, can be good things.
IMAGE COMICS
Fade From Grace TPB, $14.99
Shadowhawk #7, $3.50
Though I own TWO sets of the floppies, I will be buying a couple of copies of the Fade From Grace TPB because it’s that fucking good! Haters. ShadowHawk, on the other hand, looks like a train wreck with the new artist, Ted Wing, such a drastic 180 from the previous six issues that the previews made my neck hurt. Pre-emptive apologies on the Shadowline message board about it taking him a couple of issues to get up to speed weren’t encouraging, either.
MARVEL COMICS
Arana Heart Of The Spider #11, $2.99
Black Widow 2 #3 (Of 6), $2.99
Captain America #12, $2.99
Daredevil #79, $2.99
Nick Furys Howling Commandos #1 Directors Cut, $3.99
She-Hulk 2 #2, $2.99
X-Factor Visionaries Peter David Vol 1 TPB, $15.99
Young Avengers #9, $2.99
I’ve noticed recently that my Marvel pulls are increasing, almost in direct, if belated, proportion to the decrease in my DC pulls. The merits of blockbuster crossovers aside, I have to admit that there’s been a marked improvement in the quality of the House of Ideas’ ongoing titles. Araña is a pity purchase, seeing as it’s apparently been cancelled as of #12. I want the whole run. Shut up! Any chance the Howling Commandos Director’s Cut uses a different artist? No? Ah well… Just read David’s Madrox mini-series the other night and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Good stuff! The new X-Factor is already on my pull list, but now I’m intrigued by the original run. Looks like Young Avengers #8 was more after school special than yet another writeoff of a black character with potential. Relatively speaking, that’s a good thing.
ONE TIME PRESS
Black Mane GN, $10.00
Got a review copy of this a while back and didn’t love it. Solid artwork, but the story is very angsty white boy aware of racial/gender issues but doesn’t know what to say or do about it. I spent seven years on the slam poetry scene. My tolerance for this kind of stuff is way low. Waaaay low. The creator took the [less cranky] criticism I emailed him well, though, and was glad I chose not to review it for Buzzscope. See, I’m not a total jerk.
ONI PRESS INC.
Off Road GN, $11.95
Read a bad review of this somewhere, but I really liked Sean Murphy’s art in Batman/Scarecrow: Year One, so I may have to pick it up and make up my own mind.
WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT
Wizard Comics Magazine Best Of 2005 Cvr #171, $5.99
I’m tempted to pick this up purely for the snark potential, but if I do, Shamus wins.
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Loveless #1 was one of the most awkward comics I’ve read in some time, glad to see someone agrees.
It seems like they’re trying to do the more modern western we’re all falling in love with like Deadwood where every character has a shady side. The thing is, there are definitive heroes – people that we are supposed to root for – and the bad guys are equally endearing.
With Loveless it’s like he took all the bad and left none of the heart.
A great example is the use of the black soldiers in Loveless compared to the Chinese in Deadwood. In Deadwood we hear “chink” “chinamen” “yellow” – everyone (except Swearengen, our supposed villain), doesn’t care at all for these guys, they’re less than dirt. Bu they’re portrayed in a way that makes us love them – I love Mr. Wu and I felt for the prostitutes in the second season. Same goes for Hostetler and General – the town hates them, tarred and feathered one of them – but when we focus on them they’re endearing, we love them – great characters.
With Loveless, everyone’s saying “nigger this” and “nigger that” and then we actually see black people and they’re bloodthirsty savages.
It’s just…ew. Awkward. I felt so awkward reading it.
Nice blog you have here. Not knowing what Paradox #1 was, I picked it up on release day. . . I posted a review on my blog, which gives more detail, but I didn’t really enjoy it. The concept is that there’s a detective in a parallel world (to the earth) where everything is run by magic. So science and the rules of science as we understand them are out the window. Anyway, someone commits a crime with a gun, and people are dumb-founded. . . there aren’t guns on this parallel universe. Anyway, the concept was neat enough, but the story was a little convoluted for my taste…
Keep up the sweet site!