Where My Money Went - Nov. 19th

Every Wednesday I push the limits of my budget for my comic addiction. This is where my money went this week:


The entire Avengers Invaders series has been okay. Throughout the series, Captain America and the rest of the Invaders never seem frightened enough by the fact that they have time-traveled, writing everything strange and new off to being a Nazi trick. The art is baffling, Alex Ross out of his element, having to draw comic books like normal people instead of the boring poses he usually uses. The pencils are stiff and the coloring just puts another nail in the coffin. The colors and inks (oh wait, there aren't any...) make Ross' art look like paint-by-numbers.

Issue #6 revolves around the S.H.I.E.L.D. L.M.D.s (Life Model Decoys) becoming "aware", thanks to the Original Human Torch's anger towards the human's use of robots which makes him think of the Nazis he was fighting in his own time. The S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier's acting up as well, which leads us to believe Torch isn't the real force behind it all. It's nice to see the story not revolve around Captain America or Namor, since they are both still active members of the MU and you know, not dead, but with six more issues to go, I don't know if I'll care next month.

Samurai: Legend is still one of my favorite monthly comics, even at $5.99. Samurai comics are a hard sell to a lot of people, usually because they are generally in that really scary manga form, but this one is done by two European dudes which gives it a fresh feeling and makes it accessible to snobs who won't read backwards. Samurai: Legend's secret is that isn't a samurai myth or legend as it's name suggests, but really just an insane science fiction comic. There are people coming back to life, sacred tattoos, monsters and you know, titties. This issue, Takeo and his companions split up due to trust being broken, and the secret of Takeo's brother and lineage is about to be revealed. There's only one issue left! I literally counted pennies so I could buy this book, that's how good it is.

Where My Money Went - Oct. 22

Every Wednesday I push the limits of my budget for my comic addiction. This is where my money went this week:


I read this on the bus ride home and immediately read it again. My first time through Secret Invasion #7 I sped through it, wanting the action, needing to know what fucked up thing was going to happen next. The second time I examined each panel looking for new Super Skrulls and cameo characters in the background. This series puts me in a place few comics do, my childhood, when two page spreads of fighting weren't from a lack of story telling but because one page couldn't contain the action. There's only one more installment of the event left, and questions are being answered. Spider-Man says it best when he says "Hey, you know what, this ain't so bad, all things considered. These big Earth shakers, I've been around them. You know when you have to worry, is when Uatu shows up." But then he shows up, so they are all fucked.


With a steep price point at $5.99, I didn't pick up the first Soleil comic Skydoll, but I could not pass up Samurai: Legend. It has the same huge "MATURE CONTENT" label on it as Wolverine: Saudade but here it makes a lot more sense. Visual narration is a big deal to me (I think you should be able to know what's going on page to page without reading text) and movement should feel like it's actually moving. The violence plays out in this comic like an old samurai film you'd watch late night on cable, but without the bad dubbing or engrish subtitles. The scenery is it's own character, feeling the dank depths of caves and freezing cold mountain tops, making you feel for and understand the characters more. Samurai Takeo is a masterless traveller searching for his destiny but becomes side tracked as his party begins to grow. They get chased by gnarly masked samurai who are basically monsters, while searching for answers and an ancient treasure called "The Thirteenth Prophet". I don't know what else you'd want.


I saw this thinking "Another X-Book?" but picked it up anyways since I'm a sucker for Wolverine. After all the drama in the main X-Men series, Wolverine is moving into his new home and unpacking his things, meaning a box with a six pack in it. His past catches up to him with a picture of a woman and an old spear head that fall on the floor after (a REALLY well drawn) Nightcrawler drops a box. After all his years without memories, the few he does have he constantly reflects on and regrets, so he decides to make good with the local crime syndicate since he's moved into their town. At the end of the story another one of Wolverine's ex-lovers appears along with another situation he may not get out of. I should have just summed this entire comic up as "Wolverine drinks beer and wears a cowboy hat and then fights a bunch of kung fu dudes, it's awesome." but I decided to give you guys little more.


I want good comics, not just any comics. Here's where my money didn't go:


I wanted to like Final Crisis. I wanted to be involved in both major company's event books, but Final Crisis didn't cut it. Not enough of the characters are interesting and half the time I really just didn't care. I thought the death of Martian Manhunter was incredible and very Morrison without being too metaphysical, but the third issue just bored me. I had to pick it up four times before I could really get into it. I didn't buy any of the tie-ins because I just didn't care. Nothing grabbed me in any of the books.


I read the Inhumans and X-Men Secret Invasion tie-ins, but the Spider-Man seemed strange. After the "Brand New Day" story line, it seems weird to put him back into continuity after pretending the Civil War didn't happen. The Super Skrull consisting of the Web Head's villains looked cool, but not enough to justify reading the issues. Maybe I'll read the trade.