The Pull List (5-29-08): That's a whole lotta Morrison

Holy crap! Three different books by Grant Morrison coming out in the same week, along with some of my favorite ongoing titles?! Let's just say that if my weekly comic budget was a diet, I'd be stuffing my face with cupcakes and spare ribs ... delicious, delicious spare ribs.

Who else is hungry? To the list!

It's no secret Grant Morrison is one of my favorite writers, so when he's the source of three fairly significant titles coming out at the same time, it's kind of a big deal. Big enough that the only way I can wrap my mind around it is to squeeze All Star Superman #11, Batman #677 and Final Crisis #1 into one big lump of weirdo goodness.

All Star Superman has been a consistently strong title, re-energizing Superman with plenty of Morrison's hyper-modern, out-there concepts while fondly touching on iconic characters, locations and scenarios. There is nothing about AS Superman that doesn't feel as if it's solidly two minutes in the future, but at the same time it is nicely familiar and exceptionally inviting. A lot of the credit for that goes to the characterization of Superman himself, who is portrayed as the ideal hero who, essentially, is just trying to be the best person he can be. I have no idea if Morrison will revisit his version of Superman once this storyline ends with the next issue, but if not, at least I'll be able to reread and enjoy what will be considered a landmark Superman story.

As if that weren't enough, Morrison is also the writer for Batman #677 (part of the Batman R.I.P. story) and Final Crisis #1. Morrison writes an interesting Batman, and more importantly an interesting Bruce Wayne, so I'm curious to see where he takes things. Final Crisis is supposed to be the definitive wrap-up to the whole Infinite Crisis-52-Countdown thing, but really sounds more like it ties into his excellent (and mind-bending) Seven Soldiers "mega-series." Personally, that sounds A-OK to me and makes me care more about a story I might have chosen to ignore instead.


The rest ...

Giant-size Astonishing X-Men #1: The finale to Joss Whedon's big ol' X-Men in Space story.

Blue Beetle #27: Another issue written by pinch-hitters while the title transitions to a new, permanent creative team in July. Also — more Traci Thirteen.

Daredevil #107: Great crime-noir driven stuff every month about Marvel's mopiest superhero. It's the start of a new storyline, so try jumping on if you haven't already.

Immortal Iron Fist #15: Not only has the regular storyline been a fantastic blend of mystic kung-fu, superhero scenery chewing and sinister political machinations (not to mention a super-sumo named Fat Cobra), but the occasional looks at the Iron Fists of the past have been a highlight of this series. It's a clever way at deepening the legend of the Iron Fist and helps give Danny Rand an honest-to-God legacy; it also gives us titles like, "The Story of the Iron Fist Bei Bang-Wen — The Perfect Strategy Mind and his Miraculous Travels to the Dark Continent, and What Mysteries of the World and of the Self that He Learned There (1827-1860)."


Trading up ...
(Titles I either am, or will be, picking up in trade)

Fables #73

Green Lantern #31

Thor #9


Maybe ...

Firebreather #1

Zombie Tales #1

Beyond #1


Recommended ...

Immortal Iron Fist Vol. 2: The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven (hardcover)

Jack Kirby's OMAC: One Man Army Corps (hardcover)

The Nearly Complete Essential Hembeck Archives Omnibus (trade paperback)

The Pull List (2-6-08): Counting down to OMAC

You know what's the hardest part about putting this thing together? The introduc ... to the list!

Countdown Special: OMAC: So, I haven't been reading Countdown, or any of the Countdown related one-shots, not out of any real ambivalence but mostly just out of a severe case of disinterest. When it first started I tried to figure out what exactly it was counting down to, but then decided I didn't care, especially when several reviews started detailing it as confused and aimless and — worst of all — boring.

It figures it would take something like the One Man Army Corps to break my streak.

How mind-blowing is the very concept of OMAC? Man, OMAC is a character with a name that says it all; when Jack Kirby called him a one-man army corps, he wasn't screwing around. Set sometime in the near-future, OMAC is pure, mohawked Kirby genius, pitting a relentless hero against the kind of off-the-scale action and weirdness that has to be read to be appreciated. Even though there's only one of Kirby's stories featured in this one-shot anthology (a full collection of his run is set for release soon), that alone makes it a good place to start if you're new to the world of Buddy Blank and Brother Eye.


The rest ...

Justice Society of America #12

Metal Men #6

Vinyl Underground #5

North Wind #2

Wasteland #14


Maybe ...

Incognegro: An interesting idea, but one that can either be a thoughtful starting point for discussion, or something that will deliver shallow pontificating at the end of a sledgehammer. Personally, I'm hoping for the best with this story of a black reporter investigating the arrest of his brother by using his lighter skin tone to "pass" for a white man in the early-20th century's American South. The concept is fantastic, and I'm curious to see if the story itself holds up. Curious? Check out the preview.

Gyakushu! Vol. 2: I enjoyed the first volume of Dan Hipp's sorta-samurai revenge manga, but I'm not sure it grabbed me enough to pick up the second. While a lot of interesting groundwork was laid, along with a couple of satisfying fight scenes, for the most part it left me wondering if there was really anything there. The art was great but most of the book seemed to be a series of drawn-out character introductions, and the flashback-within-flashback story structure slowed things down just when the plot seemed as if it should be ramping up. Seriously, I liked it — I just don't know if I liked it enough. (The preview, though, looks awesome.)

Scud: The Disposable Assassin: Man, I used to love Scud — 10 years ago! That is a hell of a long time to wait for a follow-up, and frankly I'm a little worried that — like that hot girl you used to dig — it just won't be the same now. It'll be hard, but I just might end up waiting for the promised omnibus instead. I just hope it doesn't take another decade.


Trading up ...
(These are titles I either am, or will be, picking up in trade)

Abe Sapien: The Drowning #1


Recommended ...

Pantheon High Vol. 2: I pretty much like everything about the first volume of this manga written by local boy Paul Benjamin (y'know, the guy behind Marvel Adventures: Hulk, among other goodness). The art is the standard "manga-style" most people are familiar with, but the story of the children of gods from various cultures going to high school is funny, clever and peppered with just the right amount of action and panty-shots to pull it all together. I've been waiting for the second volume, and thankfully that wait is over. If you're already a fan of manga, or if you've been wondering what all the fuss is about, Pantheon High is worth adding to your list. Want to see for yourself? Read a preview of volume 1!