MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH COMIC BOOKS Chapter 16

Hiya folks! You know a comic nerd is only as good as his local comic book shop. Without them it would all be mail order and that would suck. I like rifling through the quarter bins and getting my comics every week and talking with people about comic books.
So, in Kalamazoo we have FANFARE I have been going to this place since it was the size of a closet next to Walter Johns T Shirt Factory across from Southland Mall when Southland Mall was an actual mall. Yes, we all know how damned old I am. Anyway, I tell you every week to go read a comic book. If you are in the area, this is the place to go.
Now, on with the reviews!

U.S.AVENGERS #6

It ties into the whole Secret Empire thing I'm not reading, but it does give us the friendship of Robert DeCosta and Sam Guthrie a.k.a. Cannonball, one of my favorite mutants along with plans to disassemble one of my favorite new teams in the Marvel Universe. Yeah, good luck with that. Squirrel Girl is a member and the word Unbeatable means everything to her. I'll be glad when Secret Empire is over and I hope this book survives the transition.

NICK FURY #2

Another new, favorite book. I like that they send Fury on this way out missions to retrieve the irretrievable and he surprises the bad guys at every turn. They could have made this book in the 70s and it would have fit right in. Great book.

LUKE CAGE #1

In the wake of the end of the Power Man Iron Fist booke being cancelled we get seperate books. Iron Fist has been doing great. Now Cage comes along and tries to capture more of the vibe of his Netflix show, which is fine. I liked that show. Dr. Noah Burstein is dead of an apparent suicde and Luke goes to pay his respects. Yeah, then he finds out good old Noah had continued his experiments and there are people out there that make Luke Cage look frail. It's a good set up book and they sneak the origin in nicely for people who may not be familiar with Luke's history. Good book.

COADY AND THE CREEPIES #3

The band is on their way to the last place to win Pinmageddon. Once they can deal with a venue that is not wheelchair accessible and filled with bed bug infested couches. But, something sinister has something, well sinister in mind for the band and we get the cliff hanger to end all cliffhangers in this penultimate issue.
I hope they decide to continue these adventures. It's a good book and while I'll be okay with four issues, it would be nice to see the band return some day.

THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #20

Squirrel Girl vs Melissa Morbeck, THE FINAL BATTLE! Melissa has taken great pains to make sure that Squirrel Girl will take the fall for the animal infestation of New York City and blame Doctor Doom for the whole mess.
This has been a fun story arc and I love that the last page has been the continuing adventures of Chef Bear and Alfredo the Chicken. They so need their own series. Seriously! Wouldn't you buy a comic book called The Continuing Adventures of Chef Bear and Alfredo the Chicken. I sure would.

THE FLASH #22

So, there was this four issue arc called The Button. It was two issues of Batman and two issues of this comic. I didn't bother with the Batman issues. I also ignored the lenticular cover gimmick. Until this issue. It is so sweet looking with an old school Flash comic and a new image of Jay Garrick.
This was good and I like seeing team ups, but I realize this is to forward the whole Rebirth thing which is fine, but the end felt like an add for another mini series. Other than that seeing Jay Garrick again was awesome and I hope he gets to return. Good issue.

KONG OF SKULL ISLAND # 11

I have always had a soft spot for the giant gorilla named Kong. The new movie was great and this series with it's amazing artwork and rich history of where we get Kong from has been nothing short of epic. Now the two warrign tribes come to the final battle as the Kongs are infected with a rage potion that will ensure the slaughter of everyone, unless someone can stop it.
I saw that thjis is the penultimate issue of the series. Next issue and it's over. That made me a little sad, but I remember when it was only going to be six issues and they managed to double it for me. I think if they collected this in a trade paperback I would buy it. It is such a great story.

THE GREATEST ADVENTURE #2

Everyone of the awesome heroes from the mind of Edgar Rice Burroughs together in one series. Pure genius and now they encounter their first trial by fire when attacked by winged monstrosities. I have read all of these characters and it is so good to see someone understand them and give them their own little moment in the sun. With a group this large it can get a little unwieldy, but not in this case. An epic tale that no one even knew what they wanted.

BATWOMAN  #3

I am new to the whole Batwoman thing, but I like this story., It mixes honor and duty with espionage and gives us a great character who is so sure of her place in things that she is in full control when chaos abounds. It's a great story that would work if you removed the Batwoman connotation. Good stuff.

AQUAMAN # 23

Aquaman returns to Atlantis and finds that no one wants him there. They feel their nation is more important than a king who is also a super hero. They want him out, but he has the right to be there and refuses to bow down. The first chapter in a new story line. To be honest, I'm a little sick of the whiny Atlanteans. It would be nice to see Aquaman just be a super hero for a while. We shall see what awaits us in future issues.

GREEN ARROW #23

The bad guys are trying to convert Seattle into Star City and Ollie and his crew must stop them. Ollie thinks that Henry is dead and no longer cares about doing this right. He is ready to destroy the Four Horsemen and eliminate their threat once and for all. I like what they are doing here and trying to bring the real world in line with the DC history. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. And don't worry too much about Henry. Trust me.

CAVE CARSON AS A CYBERNETIC EYE #8

After the events of issue 7 Cave and the group find themselves in Fawcett City, not in our universe and discovering that his eye is on the loose and they need to fix everything in every universe at the same time. Sounds easy, right? Everyone should always have one crazy book to read a month. This is mine. So trippy and the colors just pop off the page.

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

GENERATION X  #1

X-MEN GOLD, X-MEN BLUE, WEAPON X, ALL NEW WOLVERINE, JEAN GREY, CABLE, ICEMAN, OLD MAN LOGAN, ASTONISHING X-MEN
These are the new X Books being released by Marvel. Some of them have already debuted, some are coming your way soon. I have zero interest in all of them. Then there came this book. After my lengthy time with PATSY WALKER A.K.A. HELLCAT! I was ready to see more Jubilee. I was never a huge fan of hers and had read minimal stories with her in them, but I liked her in HELLCAT! So, I looked at the team roster;
Bling!,Kid Omega, Nature Girl, Morph, Hindsight, Eye-Boy. I have no idea who any of these characters are. What a great way to jump into a book. Zero expectations and a whole new group of people to see them as they make their way in a world that still can not stand mutants. We get some of the learning center in Central Park and a lot of quick hits on each character. A pretty solid introductory issue that is going to hit the ground running next issue. I'm glad I decided to give this book a chance. It can fill the Extraordinary X-Men hole in my heart. Maybe.

So, there you go folks. Another decent run of books from my favorite comic book store. See you next week and remember to go buy a comic book. Not sure, what might be the comic book for you? Leave a comment and I'll make some suggestions. I've read so many of them I'm sure we can find something you like.

Seeya next week!

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH COMIC BOOKS Chapter 15

So, yeah, a pretty big week. Two new books. Helps fill the hole of the old books being gone...sort of. So, with this many, some will be brief, some will be long and the Book of the Week goes to a new comer.
Enjoy!

THE UNCANNY AVENGERS #23

Wonder Man is back! Synapse saves Cable! Deadpool leaves with Captain America! Yeah, a team like The Avengers has always been one of change. The Unity Squad is no different. This is Gerry Duggan's last issue so, I need to see how the new guys do with the next part of this series. The huge Marvel event is going to get in the way for a little while, but it might be alright. This was a nice issue and Rogue seems to have found a place where she truly belongs. Good issue.

BLACK PANTHER AND THE CREW #2

 This is Misty and Storm wandering through Harlem. They get in a little trouble, but they don;t get into a lot of fights. When street thugs take on Storm it feels a little stupid, but I get it. You're protecting your turf and damn the odds. A good issue. A little too talky and that killed the new Black Panther series for me. We shall give it a chance and see what happens.

ROCKET #1

New Rocket Raccoon series. It's gonna be a bunch of heist capers. I liked that his otter girlfriend came back. It was kind of wordy for a Rocket Raccoon comic. None of these things tend to last more than five issue or so. We shall see.

BATGIRL AND THE BIRDS OF PREY #10

We finish up the Blackbird story line and the team wins the day, but now there's something going on with Oracle. What it it? Not sure, but there are pills involved.

HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #20

Sarko has dug up the gauntlet that Hal Jordan used to create his ring out of pure willpower. Sarko wants the Sinestro Corps back to their former glory and will do anything to make that happen. Hal Jordan is coming for him and will stop at nothing to stop Sarko. Sarko does have something up his sleeve. This is a consistently good book that reminds me of the glory days of the original Green Lantern book.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6

The battle for Penn City continues as the JLA must defeat the weapons master, Aegeus and help a city that has been forgotten by the world at large. Can they defeat an enemy that gives people what they want and help them when the battle is over? I like this incarnation of the JLA. They have that street level cred and a need to fix problems beyond punching the villain in the face. I hope we get to keep this book around for a while.

WONDER WOMAN #22

Godwatch continues. It was fun seeing Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor bid for a date with Wonder Woman at a charity auction. Veronica Cale swoops in and saves the day and tries to get one step closer to finding Themscyria. I am a little sad knowing that this huge storyline will be over soon, but it will be nice to see what other people bring to Wonder Woman in the future.

BUG! THE ADVENTURES OF FORAGER #1
From DCs New Gods comes the adventures of Bug. I remember Bug. Those were great comics and he was an interesting character. Not a lot of origin to get in the way. Now he's back in a Young Animal book and it is awesome. Has that Kirby feel to it and Sandman is in it! Not the Neil Gaiman Sandman, the one that saves people from their nightmares. Nice introduction to a quirky character. Good book.

FUTURE QUEST #12

The story is over. The bad guy has been defeated. And the series ends. This has been one of the greatest comic books of the last year. I love that all my childhood cartoon favorites have been represented so well. I'm sad to see it go.

SCOOBY APOCALYPSE #13

The only Hanna Barbera re imagining to get back number 12! The crew has to fight Velma's evil brother that looks a lot like Donald Trump. The ending makes me laugh because I'm sure a lot of people in the real world would like to see that happen. Also a bonus Scrappy Doo tale that brings him closer to Scooby and The Gang.

INVADER ZIM #19

It's bring your parents to school day! Zim brings his robot parents and the declare themselves as zoo keepers. Time to go to the weirdest zoo ever. I love that this book continues to give us the bizarre world of Invader Zim. It flows like the cartoon and makes me laugh out loud.

GODSHAPER #2

Ennay runs into another shaper and he has a small child in tow. Seems Ennay's friend is a little irresponsible and soon Ennay finds himself in more trouble than he could ever want. This book is so good and weird. I'm glad Martha said we should get it.

  BOOK OF THE WEEK

SECRET WARRIORS #1

In the new abomination known as Secret Empire a team arises that stands against Hydra. The weirdest team in a very long time and they think they can do the job of setting things right. I believe that they can. We get Quake, Ms. Marvel, Karnak, Inferno and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.  A world where there are two books with Devil Dinosaur in it is a world I want to live in, crossovers be damned. Don't know the writer or the artist, but that's not usually a bad thing. Looks good and the characters stay true to form.



So, yeah big week of books. Two new series and the ones that have been around for the long haul are doing just fine in my mind. Go read a comic book. They have them at Fanfare in Kalamazoo for 50 cents. Where else can you get entertainment that cheap?
Seeya next week.

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH COMIC BOOKS Chapter #14

A short week. You'd think with Free Comic Book Day right around the corner that there would be more, but what do I know? Maybe they did that on purpose. This week was a nice change from last weeks four cancelled books. Instead I got two new books that are simply fantastic

and one of them is the Comic Book of the Week.
Let's dive right in with...

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1

I know there a lot of GOTG books out there. I've read a few from the Black Vortex crossover a while back. But this has Gerry Duggan writing it and after his spectacular run on Uncanny Avengers he deserves my money to try this out. And I'm glad I did. There are laughs and fun and suspense and the end. Wow! That's all I can say. I'll be getting this book for a while, Hope to see you there as well.

IRON FIST #3

The fight continues as he finishes off the plague master and gores against a former inhabitant of K'un Lun that paid the ultimate price for attempting to receive the Iron Fist. Such a great book and the artwork is fantastic as well.

AQUAMAN #22

The Hard Water saga has ended. Aquaman takes a desperate situation a responds in a way that endears him to the surface dwellers while angering Mera in the process. This was a great story. We got Aquaman and Mera swooping in to help with a sea based problem that quickly escalated beyond control and then a satisfactory ending. It felt so old school and while that might bother some folks it made me happy that comics books are just comic books again. Good stuff.

BLACK BOLT #1

I have been curious about this book for some time now and man was the wait worth it. Black Bolt awakens in a prison he was never meant to go to. The mystery of how he got there is kind of explained, but it might not be the actual explanation. I did not keep up with any recent Inhumans book so, coming in cold I still love this book. The magnificent artwork by Christian Ward and Saladin Ahmed's writing go hand in hand like a well crafted piece of art. Kind of a creepy horror book and that's cool.

GREEN ARROW #22

Ollie goes face to face with The Four Horsemen that are trying to destroy Seattle and forge it into something else. When he realizes he's over matched he runs. It's more important to save lives than fight a bunch of super villains. Right? This story is churning along and just keeps getting better with each chapter. One of the best of the Rebirth series.

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

Yup, we are here already. I told you, short week. Anyway, I was perusing the aisles of Fanfare Comics and saw this book. A little girl riding a T Rex? Sure, let's take a look. Waitaminit! Is that price tag right? A buck fifty? And is that newsprint I feel? How can I go wrong with all of these things aligning the cosmos and whatnot like that.
What could happen?
I tell you what could happen, I could find a new book that is awesome.

LILITH DARK #1

Lilith is a little girl in a normal world that is bored out of her skull. Sometimes her imagination gets away from her, until something fantastic enters the picture and the life of amazing adventure is dropped at her doorstep. This book is so good. The way she talks makes me laugh out loud. I have little grand daughters and while they aren't quite as eloquent as Lilith, yet, you can see the fire of imagination burn brightly in their eyes. Lilith Dark put that on the page and makes for an excellent comic the likes of which I really haven't had the chance to enjoy in decades.
I hope it goes beyond the four issues.
Way beyond.

Okay, there you go folks. I'm always badgering you to go read a comic book. This week end you can go get some books for free. Don;t miss out. Free, no strings attached, just free magnificent comic books. Maybe I'll write up the books I get this weekend.
Maybe.