The Pull List (11-19-08): Eisner's Spirit and Miller's Sins

It looks as if it's going to be a light week for me, but it also looks like there's going to be some solid stuff in this Wednesday's pile.

A happy surprise is The Spirit Special #1. This is supposed to be DC's way of whipping up interest in the Frank Miller-directed movie, but it seems like a dicey gamble to me. The special is a reprint of four Will Eisner stories — "Sign of the Octopus," "Black Alley," "Sand Seref" and "Bring in Sand Seref" — and from I've seen of the previews, you couldn't find anything less like the upcoming movie. This is a good thing if you're a fan of comics since Eisner's stories are acknowledged as groundbreaking classics, and the early word on Miller's film boils down to a stylish but shallow Sin City rehash. The difference is hardly a surprise to regular comic book readers, but I think if someone picks up the comic to see what the fuss is about, and then goes to see the movie in December ... well, it's going to be a lot different than what they might be expecting.

But at least they'll have picked up a good comic. I'm glad DC went with reprints of stories that made the Spirit such an iconic character rather than releasing some Millerized movie adaptation. A sample issue like The Spirit Special #1 is a good way to introduce the curious to comics, and who knows, maybe it will even spark some new interest in the old Eisner stories. You can never have too much Spirit in your collection, and this is a good way to start.


Also getting ...

Atomic Robo: Dogs of War #4

The Brave and The Bold #19

Supergirl #35 (yeeeah ... they got me with their shiny "New Krypton.")


Maybe ...

The Age of the Sentry #3: In spite of my all-consuming hatred for the Sentry, I have heard good things about this comic. A fun, Silver Age version of Marvel's Superman analogue is probably what they should have done with this character in the first place, and seriously, there's a good chance that someday I'll end up buying everything with Jeff Parker's name on it anyway. Plus, this issue features a hillbilly bad guy called Mountain Man, Manoo and Millie the Model! Sigh ... I am weak.

Crogan's Vengeance: The loose, cartoony art is strangely fitting and impressively expressive, and the promise of future chapters chronicling different branches of the Crogan family tree sounds like an interesting premise. Besides, it's hard to go wrong when you start out with pirates. Oni has a 29-page (!) preview online, so go check it out and see what you think.


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

Ambush Bug: Year None #4

Ex Machina #39

Fables Vol. 11: War and Pieces (trade paperback)

So what are you picking up this week? Let me know in the comments!

The Pull List (8-20-08): Bikini fight clubs and crusty bunkers

Preambles are for chumps and constitutional documents — to the list!

True Believers #2 (of 5): I have to admit, I was a little surprised by how much I liked the first issue and then after some reflection, I was surprised that I was surprised.

After all, it was written by Cary Bates, who not only gave a young Maxo a firm idea of what a Superman story should be like, but who also wrote some of the just plain craziest damn stories ever published by DC. It's easy to overlook, but Bates was like some sort of robot ninja of the high concept, and that doesn't look as if that's changed much.

The first issue introduced an underground group of super-powered muckrakers dropping the dime on bikini fight clubs; weaponized wi-fi; the "crusty bunker;" and a cliffhanger that actually made me think, "Oh man, what's Reed Richards been up to?!" It surprised me in another way, too: If you're expecting the gentle zaniness of a Silver Age Superman story, put down that Showcase and start living in the now. The True Believers are straight out of the modern Marvel Universe, so Bates' concepts are framed by BDSM gear and dialogue that includes, "The good news: I hadn't been sexually violated — at least not yet, anyway."

I'm a big boy so this doesn't bother me at all, especially since it's in service to both plot and characterization, and is part of keeping this sort-of-an-espionage story moving along. Also, it's immediately followed by, "The bad news — while I was under, someone had peeled off my clothes and dressed me in a black thong bikini. My money was on the dwarf."

Did I mention that there's also a decent amount of face punchery? This book practically sells itself.

The only shaky element in an otherwise solid book is the pencils by Paul Gulacy, which veer from serviceable to distractingly ugly (faces are especially hit-and-miss — and when they miss ... hoo boy). Still, it's nothing that should steer you away from what's shaping up to be an entertaining corner of the Marvel U. Check out the previews of the first and second issues and give it a try.


The rest ...

The Brave and The Bold #16

Captain America #41

Guardians of the Galaxy #4


Maybe ...

Air #1: A vigilante version of air marshals and hints of a plot involving next-generation flight technology sounds interesting, but the art is a little off-putting. What's with all the shading? We'll see if it looks any different in the shop. In the meantime, there's a preview here.


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

Conan the Cimmerian #2

Incredible Hercules #120

MySpace Dark Horse Presents Vol. 1 (trade paperback)

Rex Libris #12

Scalped #20


Recommended ...

Herbie Archives Vol. 1 (hard cover): It's the return of the Fat Fury, and if you're a fan of the weird and sublimely silly, then this is definitely worth the hard cover treatment. Get a taste of it with this preview.

Some challenges are better left unknown

So I was reading through this week's The Brave and The Bold #12 when there was a little unexpected break in the action — a bathroom break!:


I was thinking, OK — weird. But maybe he just got used to it when he was an astronaut and now he wait a minute Red wasn't an astronaut he was a motorcycle stuntman OH MY GOD HE'S GOING IN HIS PANTS!!!

The Pull List (4-16-08): Return of The Damned

There doesn't seem to be a lot of comics on this week's pull list, but I'm honestly excited about reading every one of these titles. Like what, sez you? I sez — to the list!

The Damned: Prodigal Sons #1 (of 3): First off, I've got a complaint: Why didn't I know about this until I checked the solicitation list? Am I going to have to start buying Previews now? I would've hoped Oni Press would be promoting the hell out of this, because if there was ever a book that deserved it, it's The Damned.

The first limited series ingeniously blended 30s gangster noir and demons from hell to produce a creepy crime thriller with all the grit of a cigarette ground under your heel. Brian Hurtt's black-and-white artwork has always been a favorite, but his use of shadowing and stark contrasts in scenes that are detailed but never crowded look like his best work to date. And believe me, that's saying something.

Cullen Bunn had impressed me with the previous series, but his scripting on Prodigal Sons seems to have taken him — and his characters — from solid to self-assured. It feels as if Bunn has really gotten under the skin of his various mobsters, gunsels, molls and demonic hitmen, and his writing is muscular and fluid. Things start off fast and brutal in this book, and I get the feeling it's going to be that kind of ride straight to the finish. Strap in and go read the preview.


The rest ...

The Brave and The Bold #12

Captain America #37

Cthulhu Tales #1

Infinite Horizon #3 (of 6): I love this book — go read the preview of issue #1.


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

Annihilation: Conquest #6 (of 6)


Maybe ...

'76 #3 (of 8): Is this any good? The fact I don't remember hearing anything about this title makes me leery, but I like the blaxploitation feel so I'll be flipping through it in the shop.

Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #1: On the plus side, there's Doctor Doom taking Iron Man to hell. On the negative, it's apparently the "long-awaited conclusion of 'The Camelot Legacy.'" I don't even know what that means.

Pigeons From Hell #1 (of 4): Joe R. Lansdale is one of my favorite writers, and the idea of him adapting a Robert E. Howard horror story called Pigeons From Hell might be more than I can resist. Judging just from the preview, I'm not sure what I think about the art (it seems to have a real 90s-era Vertigo vibe to it) but the real test will be the actual horror scenes. I've got my fingers crossed.

The Pull List (12-28-07): A holiday update

The holidays are still wreaking havoc on the schedule here at Great Caesar's Post, but just to let you know comics haven't been lost in the shuffle, here are the books I picked up this week:

Blue Beetle #22

The Brave and The Bold #9

Captain America #33: This issue has one of the greatest, funniest and most outright awesome fight scenes I've seen in a long time. Calling it unarmed combat seems to be both an incredibly accurate statement and an irresistible pun.

Los 4 Fantasticos: Isla de la Muerte (one-shot): Was it a pretty clever idea for Marvel to release the Spanish-language version of this issue, and did I manage to snag the last copy at my comic shop? Si, buey! (Also, Juan Doe's retro-animated art style is gorgeous to look at, and nicely complements the all-ages story — read the six-page preview and see for yourself.)

Daredevil #103

Green Lantern #26


A couple of titles were bumped to "wait-for-the-trade" status (man, there's got to be an easier way to say that), including Conan and Uncle Sam and The Freedom Fighters. Conan has been consistently excellent, but with a relaunch planned for April 2008 and a steady stream of overlapping limited series, it's just become a little too unwieldy. I'm replacing the individual issues with the trades anyway, so consider this a case of cutting out the middle man.

And Uncle Sam? This limited series has some keen-o concepts, but somehow it's just not providing enough oomph to keep me interested. If it turns out that the book pulls it all together in the end, I might pick it up in trade. As it stands, though, it's time to drop it.

Finally, if you've got a few spare bucks be sure to grab yourself copies of the Queen and Country Definitive Edition Vol. 1 and Wasteland Book 2: Shades of God. Queen and Country should be considered essential reading, especially if you have any love of the spy genre, Brits or strong female characters. This is one of my favorite series ever, and I can't recommend it enough.

Wasteland is well-written, drawn in a style that is both sketchy and richly rendered, and hints at a back-story that's been obviously well thought-out. It takes the tired idea of a post-apocalyptic world and somehow makes it fresh all over again — you won't go wrong picking it up.

Have a happy New Year, everyone!

The Pull List (12-5-07): Whoops

A couple of busy days at work (and Becket on TCM last night — holy crap, what a great movie) means a bare-bones version of the Pull List this week. If you have questions, think I overlooked something that shouldn't be missed or just want to throw something out for discussion, hit me in the comments. For now — to the list!

This week ...

Atomic Robo #3 (of 6)

Justice Society of America #11

Lobster Johnson: Iron Prometheus #4 (of 5)

Vinyl Underground #3


Maybe ...

Infinite Horizon #1: This modern-day retelling of The Odyssey looks as if it could work, and I particularly like the characterization of the Odysseus character (The Captain) as a pragmatic soldier who decides he's no longer fighting an honorable war. And the art is fantastic, making a surprising choice in color palette work. If the preview is any indication, I think this is one I'm going to enjoy.

The Overman #1: I don't know much about it except it has something to do with the end of the world (I think), the art's not bad and it's been getting decent reviews; go to the title's site and download the preview. All in all, it could be interesting.


Recommended ...

The Brave and The Bold Vol. 1: Lords of Luck (hardcover): A pitch-perfect series so far, and the art of George Perez alone makes this worth the hardcover treatment.

The Escapists (hardcover): This was a mini-series I liked even more than I thought I would, with each issue moving organically — and seemingly inevitably — to its conclusion. Who knew a comic book about people trying to create a comic book would be as engaging as this? Genuine surprises, real emotion and even actual suspense surrounding characters you care about makes this a keeper.

The Pull-list: 7-18-07

Whoops! I let my schedule get away from me, so this is going to have to be kind of a quick-hit version of the pull-list for this week (which is abnormally chunky). There are a lot of titles I was happy to see on the list this week, but the one I'm probably looking forward to reading most is:

Strange Embrace #2: Only one issue into it and this book is equal parts creepy, dread-filled and somehow melancholy. And nothing's happened yet. Well, that's not really fair, but let's just say that the things that have happened feel like a set-up for something that feels like it's going to be pretty awful. I love it. Plus, the writing is as tight as a twanging nerve, with art that's perfectly suited to the story. Check the preview out for yourself at the title's site (you'll have to do some navigating: click on the front door, then the door on the left called "Story Preview." Now click on the chest of drawers - ha! Made you look! No, seriously, click on the notebook on the table and that'll bring up the preview. Whew!).


The Usual ...

Army @Love #5

The Brave and The Bold #5

Captain America #28

Conan #42

Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil #4

The Spirit #8

World War Hulk #2


Maybe ...

Programme #1

Super-Villain Team-up: MODOK's 11 #1


Recommended ...

Madman Gargantua (hardcover): Assuming you've got between $125 and $150; if you do, lend me your copy when you're done.

Screw Heaven, When I Die I'm Going to Mars: A collection of some of Shannon Wheeler's best work. If you liked Too Much Coffee Man, you'll dig it.


And Now, A Question:

I've been tinkering with the format of this particular feature, and I'm wondering which is more helpful to you, the reader; a pull-list that features what I plan to get and why, or a list that features what I did get and my thoughts on them (basically, reviews)?

I've always leaned toward the "upcoming" format just because I thought it'd be more helpful in terms of providing a heads-up before people buy their comics, but I'd like your input on whether that's true. Of course, if I go with the "upcoming" type of list I'll make more of an effort to get it out early in the week (probably Tuesdays).

The Pull-list: 4-18-07

No time for love, Doctor Magnus! Who knew this whole "work" and "day-job" thing would be so demanding? Since I owe my soul to the company store, this weeks' pull-list is going to be charmingly simple - no fancy frills this time around.

Er ... yeah ... it's just a list. Sorry 'bout that. Keep your fingers crossed that work stops squatting on my head and giving me wet-willies before next week; now, on to the list!

52 #50: Almost there!

Army @ Love #2: I liked the first issue of this satire more each time I read it; looking forward to #2.

The Brave and The Bold #3: Pure awesome, now with more Blue Beetle.

Manhunter #30: Gets better and better; what hasn't killed it has made it stronger.

The Spirit #5: Great art, great writing and just a really great book.

Conan #39: Conan wants you to buy every book with his name on it, and I obey.


And maybe ...

World War III Parts 1-4: What the hell? Was I the only one who didn't know these four separate issues were coming out? And all at the same time? I feel a little manipulated here.

Death Dealer #1: Blame heavy metal album covers seeping into my head during my youth.


And if I could ...

The Professor's Daughter (graphic novel): First Second Books has been putting out some of the best original graphic novels for the past year or so, and this seems to be its latest addition to that list. A fun writer (though he did go on a bit in Vampire Loves) and gorgeous watercolor images puts this on my short list of trades and graphic novels.