March 2017's Pull List

I'm running a little bit late with this post, due to the unavoidable problems of Quarter end (work), Month end (again work) and my son's birthday (a genuine pleasure) all ending up being around the same time.

It also didn't help that March was a bumper month with six comics being released (Black Science got pushed back until April), meaning that I had more to read and, as a consequence, more to say.

So, let's not stand on ceremony. Let us begin.

My first read for the month was Titans #9, which saw the team encounter the Fearsome Five in their non-powered glory as they rescue Bumblebee before investigate the company they work for in order to protect their friends. Once again, as with the series' first arc, this issue seemed to make up for the opening instalment with my really enjoying the rather secret agent/heist turn the story went to as the Titans looked into Meta Solutions. I also really liked seeing the Fearsome Five turn up in this series, having originally been introduced to (some of) them in the old Teen Titans cartoon (yes, I watched it). These two things, along with my growing love of Brett Booth's art style certainly makes me glad I came back to this book and gave it a second chance.

Speaking of second chances, Copperhead #11 was next, which saw the return of this sci-Fi western series after a hefty hiatus with the sheriff beginning a new case after the murder of the town's Mayor, while also being distracted by the appearance of an old 'friend' and his news of an old 'enemy'. This was a comic which I had been toying with dropping due to its delay and this issue didn't seem to dissuade me from doing this. The problem I had with it was down to its delay, because I couldn't remember what had happened previously leaving me a little confused with current circumstances. It did all start to come back to me slowly but this wasn't enough to keep me engrossed in the issue and one major character seemed to play against type in my opinion, further turning me off the book. All in all, it probably didn't read as badly as I've implied but it wasn't great and was a weaker book of the month, to which we'll see if the next issue can amend this.

Next came Trinity #7, which is (at present) my last issue of this series as it took focus away from the big three to focus on their respective nemesis (Nemesi?); Lex Luthor, Ra's Al Ghul and Circe as they are drawn to a mysterious and dangerous force. Now for me, this was a book of two halves, with the opening pages giving us the introduction of Ra's and Lex which felt very interesting, completely drawing me in and intriguing with some good writing and cool art. However, on the flip side of the coin the Circe intro and it's following fight scene didn't really catch me, with the fight actually feeling shoe horned in instead of better story. The art though kept it's quality from the first half, overall looking dark, moody and fitting the characters. I did like the idea though, and it intrigued me for what what it's setting up but, sadly, I don't think enough to stop me cutting this book.

Thankfully, we went from bad to good with the next comic as Daredevil #18  delivered another great issue as it continued the tale of how Matt got his secret identity back in the bottle, as the arrival of the purple children spelt the return of the Purple Man. Now, while I had gripes with the start of the run, Soule has managed to turn it around as this story feels more like the kind of DD story I like. The return of the Purple Man, one of my favourite Marvel villains adds to this enjoyment. Meanwhile, Garney's art again looks great, and he manages to homage Samnee's style so well to keep in tone with the period it is meant to be set in, while still effortlessly going back to his own. With this he's really earning my love. All in all I'm totally engrossed in this story and am so glad I gave the book a second chance.

The next issue in my pile was Lazarus #26 and to this, all I can say is 'Finally!!!!' Although, my enjoyment might have been hampered a little by the gap between this issue and the last (I couldn't remember what happened and had to read the recap. God bless recaps, right DC!!! ), this issue saw Forever return to action to take on the Lazarus Smey, while Johanna took steps to help her sister on the homefront. Now, despite the need to remind myself of the lead up, this is of little consequence as all I had to say about this issue by  it's end is 'Wow.' This book is still so gorgeous; so beautifully drawn, so well written and so great in it's symbiosis of the two. Rucka really is a master as I loved the atmosphere and intrigue he's laced into this issue, with the scene between Micheal and Johanna really hooking me (if I needed it). Meanwhile, Lark's place is once again cemented with that final fight scene which was just brutal and shocking and ended in a way I didn't see it coming (although maybe I should have). This was by far the best book of the month and, while it's a shame there while now be a break before it returns, no creative more deserves a break and I'll totally be getting the Lazarus mini while I wait for this great series to return fully.

And so, that left me with Titans Annual #1 to finish out my pull list, which turned out to be another book of two halves as it saw Donna, Wally, Garth and Dick forced to work with their opposite numbers in the Justice League after finding themselves in an unknown location.With this annual, I found the first half felt very hard to get into, although I'm unsure why. While the reoccurring 'My Lord' gag regarding Aquaman was cute, the story just didn't seem to go anywhere. Fortunately, the second half improved and that was when the action really got started. That said, the thing I enjoyed most about this second was not so much the action but more the dynamic of the Titans as a revelation for Donna really showed their close-knit team which I enjoyed seeing as  well as the various teacher/student dynamics. All in all, I thought this was a largely forgettable issue which, while hinting at the overall big bad from the main series, offered very little else to Titans as a collection. I don't think it was quite a waste of my money, but pretty close. That said, my love of the Titans characters might mean this instalment doesn't hurt the series as a whole for me.

And that's March done. All in all, I thought it was a good month, especially thanks to the powerhouse comics of Daredevil and Lazarus. Now on to April, which sees my pull list down to five comics for the month. Hopefully, I can be a little more on time jotting down my thoughts for those.

Saying goodbye to (some of) my comics.

So, there it is! I've just gotten back from the post office where I posted three parcels containing a selection of graphic novels I didn't really want anymore.

However, now that I'm sitting down and pondering on it, I have to confess, I do regret my decision a little bit.

Not that it was something done on a whim. I took a photo of 15 graphic novels which I either hadn't read in years or didn't enjoy and placed it on a Facebook group to sell such things. Of those 15, eight gained interest which developed into sales. However, I gained money for each of them and it's taken four days to send them off, plenty of time for me to change my mind and say 'nope, I think I'm gonna keep this/these actually."

No, my regret comes in regards to some of the good memories those books did bring me. An example of which is Volume 1 of the Heroes webcomic collection. While it was a quaint enough book and I enjoyed it while I read it, the real joy of it was the fantastic cover it had, which was very portrait, epic movie poster kind of look that I'm never going to look at again (not that I have recently).

Green Lantern: Wanted Hal Jordan gives me a similar memory, although with the interiors. This book was the volume which displayed Batman as a Yellow Lantern and, despite the rest of the story not really holding me, this was a real sight to behold.

So maybe I shouldn't have sold them. But, in the end, these were Graphic Novels I'd never read in the recent past and had never intended to. These were books which were just gathering dust and what's the point of keeping them if they aren't read?

No, selling them on was still the best decision as it gives someone else the chance to enjoy them.

Besides, I still have the memories of those reads and they aren't for sale (yet).

February 2017's pull list

I'm a little late in writing this, mainly because February has been a hell of a month. Wife's been sick, son's been sick, I've been sick, it's been kind of sickness all round as bugs have doing the rounds. As a result, I've not really been in the right frame of mind to read and now, as the month drew to a close, I found myself playing catch-up (which isn't easy when time, usually, is a luxury).

But, found time I did and so I've gotten reading.
 

The first thing I read was, of course, Black Science #28. This is due to the fact that Remender, Scalara and co. have consistently released the best comic on my list. This issue saw half(ish) of the anarchist league of scientists jump to a new dimension and a meeting with the Legion of Ethical Champions as well as an old enemy out to cause chaos. Sadly, while I've loved this series every single month, this issue felt a little off and took me two read throughs to get. I think the problem is the fact that it moves away from the "main story" involving McKay, Block, the parasites and Earth Prime and instead introduced us to a bunch of new characters, many of whom are really around long. That's not to say this issue isn't good, as it continued to give me all that I love about Black Science, as well as setting up story points for the future, but overall it wasn't the best the series has offered (though I'm confident that won't last long).

Next came Titans #8, which saw the team moving in and getting settled into their new tower while Herald and Bumblebee visit a company who specialise in controlling meta-human powers for Karen's growing abilities. I've got to admit with this book that I do tend to back and forth. While this series has slowly improved from it's early issues it still doesn't feel incredible. However, the wonderful Titans Hunt mini along with the classic Titans line up does keep me on board with a lot of goodwill. With this issue, again I felt like it was a bit of a slow start, although it was awesome to see the Titans relaxing in their new base as well as the (more central) return of the Duncan's. However, the slow start made it a sluggish read although I am looking forward to seeing if Karen will be joining the team by the arc's end.

After that was Daredevil #17, which saw Soule and Garney tell the story of how Matt Murdock got his secret identity back in the bottle and filling in the gap between the start of their run and the end of the previous run. Now, for me, this had to be the best book of the month as it felt more like what I had loved about the Waid/Samnee run while giving good reasons as to why the series became what it is now. It was also excellent to see the return of Kirsten McDuffie, although I did feel she was a bit off in how she was depicted, especially in a couple of panels such as Typhoid's attack (oh yeah, Typhoid Mary showed up. Classic villain usage points) and the return to New York. However, what I really loved was how Garney changed up his style to look more Samnee-esque and give the whole book a warmer feel. Also, the there was a throwaway reference to Mephisto sorting secret identities which had the fanboy in me happy it had been remembered. Overall, this was an issue which certainly ended on a high with a revelation I almost, but didn't quite get right and, as such, has me eager to get the next instalment as I'm now fully on board with this volume afterwards.

Finally, there came Trinity #6, which completed the first arc of the run as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman thought to escape the dream world of the Black Mercy in order to put a stop to Mongul's rampage in the real world. For me, this issue was a bit of a mixed bag as, while I enjoyed the concept surrounding Mongul and the Black Mercy (it reminds me of the Justice League Unlimited episode which involved both), the arc as whole felt a bit of a struggle to get invested in, although there were moments of light. This issue in particular though did seem a little fast which, while I've found natural in action heavy comics, gave me the impression that the finale was a little rushed. However, I still love Manapul's art and this issue was no exception and the end focusing on the three heroes together was a nice resolution. In the end though, I'm on the fence and, due to recent price changes, I'm not overly torn up about having to drop this title after the next issue. But hey, I came back on Daredevil, so maybe I'll come back to this one later.

And so that was February. A bit of a let down overall compared to January, but it was nice to have Daredevil remind me of how good it is and I have faith Black Science will turn it around in the next issue. However, it is kind of a shame that all DC was bringing up the rear and I'm inclined to blame the lack of recap page again (it's a useful tool, I just wish DC would get that).

Anyway, now that I've vented these books, it's time for March a.k.a. bumper comic month!