This Week In Comics: 05/10/2006

[Clayface]

Welcome to This Week in Comics for May 10th, 2006 - May 16th, 2006!

This is the place to discuss the comics you've bought this week, whether it be a brand new title or old back-issues. We also welcome and encourage talk about comics in general - news you've read on comic news sites, the state of the industry in general, upcoming issues you're excited about, etc. All we ask is that you please use spoiler brackets in the event that your comments get too detailed concerning a particular storyline. This way the book won't be ruined for anyone who hasn't read it yet.

For a list of the new items shipping this week, please consult Diamond Comics' Shipping List (http://www.diamondcomics.com/shipping/shipping_051006.txt).

To find a comic book store near you, check out the Comic Shop Locator Service (http://csls.diamondcomics.com/).


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Highlights of the Week!



Ace the Bathound's Picks:

http://www.avatarpress.com/2006solic/04/wolfs1.jpg (http://www.wolfskin.ws/)....http://www.firstsecondbooks.net/images/deogratias.jpg (http://www.firstsecondbooks.net/deogratias.html)
Warren Ellis' Wolfskin #1..........Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda.....



Clayface's Picks:

http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/5274_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=5274)...http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/5315_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=5315)
.....American Virgin #3.................Batman: Secrets #3 (of 5)


randomguy's Pick:

http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/5212_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=5212)
52 #1

wonderfly's Pick:

http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/5225_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=5225)
Jonah Hex #7




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[wonderfly]

This Week's Pick of the Week goes to Jonah Hex #7!!! This title is such a refreshing change of pace: Too many comic books take 4 to 6 issues (or more) to tell a story arc, yet Jonah Hex consistently tells an entire story in each issue! You get your beginning, (Jonah Hex rides into town, hunting for a bounty), you get your middle, (Jonah discovers the dirty little secrets of the town), and you get your finale, (people die, some at Jonah's hands, some not)-all in the space of one month!!! The story's at first glance may seem predictable, but the fun comes in seeing what new predicament Hex will end up in each month. Beyond that, I don't know where this artist, (Luke Ross) came from, but his artwork is stunning, and captures perfectly the grim and gritty Old West. So check it out!!!

[Viper]

Here's what I picked up this week:

X-Men: Vignettes Vol. 1--the lost stories of Classic X-Men #1-13

Veronica #170--after learning about Cleopatra at the local museum, Veronica wonders how Cleopatra would've handled Archie.:)

[ManicWebb]

I picked up...

52 #1 - Here's hoping this book won't put me in the poor house.

Moon Knight #1 - I know it came out much earlier, but better late than never

New X-Men #26 - I am this close [..] to dropping this book. The writers are butchering all of my favorite characters.

[Clayface]

This was a fantastic week for new comics! I had a very tough time trying to narrow my picks down to just two, because just about every comic that came out this week that I bought is one I'd highly recommend to everyone. Here's this week's list for me:

ALBION #5 (OF 6)
AMERICAN VIRGIN #3
BATMAN SECRETS #3 (OF 5)
EX MACHINA #20
FABLES #49
GI JOE AMERICAS ELITE #11
GI JOE SIGMA 6 #6
JONAH HEX #7
TRANSFORMERS BEAST WARS #4 (OF 4)
X-MEN DEADLY GENESIS #6 (OF 6)
X-MEN THE 198 #5 (OF 5)

Comments to follow when I get a little more free time.

[wonderfly]

New X-Men #26 - I am this close [..] to dropping this book. The writers are butchering all of my favorite characters.

Quoted for truth. I'm not sure why I still pick up this book, because they are absolutely SLAUGHTERING the cast of this book, (literally). It's the most depressing teenage book you've ever read...:sad:

[Spider-Man]

I had a really small week for comics and I opted right away to avoid 52. I'm sure it is going to be a great series but I don't know alot about the DC Universe and don't want to get roped in for a weekly comic. I was able to pick up an extra trade this week and was surprised to see a new issue of Wizard on the shelves. I didn't know they were doing an issue dedicated to movies and television. The comics I picked up for this week are:

X-Men: Deadly Genesis #6 (talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=154691))
Uncanny X-Men #473 (talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=166205))
Superman #652 (talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=166206))
The Batman Strikes #21 (talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=166217))
Iron Man: Demon In A Bottle trade

Now when I picked up the Iron Man: Demon In A Bottle trade I noticed Marvel also released a trade for the two-issue Ultimate X-Men/Ultimate Fantastic Four two-issue crossover series. I was surprised they'd release just two comics into a trade. When I flipped the book over I saw the price was still $13 and saw they padded the trade by also reprinting bios for pretty much every Ultimate character. So if anyone wants to pick up these two comics go search for the comics themselves which will cost you half of the new trade collecting these issues.

I've noticed Marvel has started to pad their trades with these handbook bios and I hope they stop doing it. I think it's a waste and unjustly pushes up the price. They did this recently when I picked up their Incredible Hulk: Prelude to Planet Hulk trade. It collected four issues and cost $15 because they included about a dozen bio pages. Why not just reprint an old Hulk space adventure or something? I don't like this new trend they're starting. I don't want these bio pages. I'd rather have older material reprinted then the same bio pages used over and over. Avoid the Ultimate X-Men/Ultimate Fantastic Four trade and spend your money on a trade that's worth the cover price.

I managed to pick up a few extra Free Comic Book Day stock as well. Despite that gripe it was a good week for comics.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


I've noticed Marvel has started to pad their trades with these handbook bios and I hope they stop doing it. I think it's a waste and unjustly pushes up the price. They did this recently when I picked up their Incredible Hulk: Prelude to Planet Hulk trade. It collected four issues and cost $15 because they included about a dozen bio pages.

I noticed that they did this with the Marvel Monsters oversized hardcover, though that one just reprinted an entire issue of dossiers, mostly for the monsters that you just read about and with the same sense of humor that marked the other stories.

However, my point is that I think the dossier things are intended to ensure that the non-Marvel-zombies can pick up and read a trade without having to know who all the people are in it. It's not meant for the hardcore (except for the REALLY hardcore).

And they're probably also doing it to pad the page count.

For something like Marvel Monsters, the dossier was probably a Good Thing, since not many people really know who Fin Fang Foom, Goom, or the FF's robotic secretary Roberta are. It wasn't entirely necessary, since you learn everything you need to know right there in all the stories, but the dossiers can fill in some blanks and are pretty funny in their own right.

Two quickie links today: first is an article about Brian K. Vaughan's (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7311) amazing adventures in Hollywood and his take on Skottie Young and Marvel's FCBD promotion. The other is the latest OEMED! interview, where Michael Avon Oeming interviews the inimitable Matt Wagner (http://popcultureshock.com/features.php?id=1383) about his life, his work, and all manner of other cool stuff. Those who enjoyed Batman and the Monster Men ought to check it out.

For once, I have one of my Pick of the Week books in my hands the week that it came out, since I grabbed Deogratias on Tuesday on a trip to Midtown Comics. It's a graphic novel originally published in France about the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. So, as you would expect, it's a real laugh-a-minute riot.

Seriously, the book is a great one to read when you want to become violently angry at how badly human beings can treat each other. We get to watch the destruction of a country through the eyes of Deogratias, an ethnic Hutu who is gradually pulled into the violence that eventually engulfed his country and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Rwandans. The book jumps back and forth in time, contrasting the young, giddy Deogratias with girls on his mind and the older, haunted, borderline insane Deogratias roaming the streets of Kigali with a thousand-yard stare. While the jumps back and forth are not very well delineated at first, this doesn't really work against the book since it manages to reflect Deogratias' unhinged mental state. There is a helpful introduction that details the circumstances that led up of the country's descent into madness, along with the aftermath and the seeming repeat of the same thing in Darfur these days.

It's not a fun read, or an easy one, but it's one that's worth your time and money.

On the completely opposite side of the spectrum, the same trip to Midtown Comics also turned up Flare #33, which got a nod from me as the Greatest Comic Book Cover Ever (http://forums.toonzone.net/showpost.php?p=2132478&postcount=211) and is exactly as bizarre as its cover would indicate. Also grabbed the Nextwave #1 Director's Cut and the first Scott Pilgrim graphic novel, but I haven't gotten to those yet.

-- Ed/Ace

[Spider-Man]

However, my point is that I think the dossier things are intended to ensure that the non-Marvel-zombies can pick up and read a trade without having to know who all the people are in it. It's not meant for the hardcore (except for the REALLY hardcore).

And they're probably also doing it to pad the page count. True but I don't think we should be charged for them. I don't mind it most of the time but when you have a few moments skim through the Ultimate X-Men/Ultimate Fantastic Four trade collection. More than half of that trade is dedicated to the dossier/bio pages, making the $13 US price a bit ridiculous especially since there's about 42 pages of actual story in there.

I read over at Newsarama that DC has announced the next Gotham Central trade. It's called Gotham Central Vol. 4: The Quick and The Dead and it will be out in November. I'm a bit worried that some issues are being skipped. The collection has issues #23-25 and 28-31. I noticed Vol. 3 is missing a few too. Am I missing anything important? All the trade info is here (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1975994).

Also the March sales numbers for DC Comics (http://groups.google.ca/group/rec.arts.comics.dc.universe/msg/8b7e87bb4afd6976) and Marvel Comics (http://groups.google.ca/group/rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks/msg/0a7a8d91d3dbe93c?&) are now online. Does Comicon.com's The Pulse still put them online too?

[wonderfly]

This Week's Pick of the Week goes to Jonah Hex #7!!! This title is such a refreshing change of pace: Too many comic books take 4 to 6 issues (or more) to tell a story arc, yet Jonah Hex consistently tells an entire story in each issue! You get your beginning, (Jonah Hex rides into town, hunting for a bounty), you get your middle, (Jonah discovers the dirty little secrets of the town), and you get your finale, (people die, some at Jonah's hands, some not)-all in the space of one month!!! The story's at first glance may seem predictable, but the fun comes in seeing what new predicament Hex will end up in each month. Beyond that, I don't know where this artist, (Luke Ross) came from, but his artwork is stunning, and captures perfectly the grim and gritty Old West. So check it out!!!

Follow Up note:

Apparently this is artist Luke Ross' last issue. I'm going to have to watch closely the next few issues, to see what the new artist's style looks like. This may have a serious effect on my enjoyment on this title, (I guess we'll get to find out whether it's more a love for Ross' artwork or for the writing that's been keeping me entertained these last few months).

[ifthismeansevos]

Quoted for truth. I'm not sure why I still pick up this book, because they are absolutely SLAUGHTERING the cast of this book, (literally). It's the most depressing teenage book you've ever read...:sad:
Yeah no kidding why they cannot kill them all and avoid me the horrible feeling every issue. I'm not even sure if Dust is dead (I really hope she's someway alive)

[ManicWebb]

Yeah no kidding why they cannot kill them all and avoid me the horrible feeling every issue. I'm not even sure if Dust is dead (I really hope she's someway alive)
My theory: It was Laura in Dust's burqa.

[Anthonynotes]

Know I'm late, but what I bought last week:

Superman
Crisis on Multiple Earths volume 4

Thought Superman was OK (though reading DiDio's annoying remarks on the letters^h^h^h editor's page just depresses me....).

Liked reading "Crisis on Multiple Earths"; enjoyed seeing the Three Demons again (in the LEgion teamup tale).