The Week in Ink, 10/13/05

So it's 3:30 in the morning and I'm going to try to review the comics that came out yesterday, and I'm pretty sure that it's going to be one of the worst things ever written. At this point, I'm not even sure it's going to pass for English.

Hey, you know what hasn't come out in a while? Anything from Alias Comics.

Yeah, I went there. Let's get on with it, shall we?

Comics

Battle Pope #3: As fun as this book is and as much as I enjoy reading it, it's weird to be reading a colorized semi-mainstream reprint of a book that features Jesus being nailgunned to a cross by a cybernetic demon in a bondage mask. And upon re-reading that sentence, I'm thinking "weird" might be the wrong word. You know what I mean.

The Breach #10: Only one more issue for the series that apparently only Josh and I like, and I'm honestly surprised at the lack of punching. I'm pretty sure there'll be some next issue, though.

Ex Machina #15: You know how on HBO shows, they'll just occasionally throw in gratutious nudity and profanity for the hell of it, because without network censoring there's just no reason not to? Welcome to Page 7 of Ex Machina #15. Seriously, though, between the trailer park samurai and the last-page shocker, this was a stand-out issue. And while Tony Harris has always been a fantastic penciller, Tom Feister and Jo Mettler do so much to bring out what's great in his art--especially with Mettler's awesome coloring.

Fables #42: Yeah yeah. Bill Willingham blah blah Mark Buckingham blah blah most consistently enjoyable comic coming out blah blah blah. That said, I'd like to talk about James Jean for a second. This guy's covers are amazing. He's done a lot of good work on books like Batgirl and Amazing Fantasy, but I think the Fables covers are where he really shines. The cover for #20 is easily one of my favorites of all time.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1: I've got the sneaking suspicion that "The Other" is going to blow. Hard.

Ghost Rider #2: ... Could have easily been Ghost Rider #1.

The Goon 25¢ Edition: So we've got some of these up by the counter at the store that we're pushing because a) It's the Goon, which is one of the best comics coming out, and b) it's a quarter. Not exactly rocket science. So a guy brings up his comics, and while I'm ringing him up, I ask him if he wants me to throw one on the stack. "Nah, man," he says with a chuckle that reeks of fake chagrin, "It's just not in the budget." I looked down at the two copies of Infinite Crisis he was buying, priced to move at 3.99 each. You, sir, are a fucking liar.

Infinite Crisis #1: Speak of the Devil. I realize that tonight's post has been a little more bitter than my usual fare, but you know what? I liked it. It's weird in that overly-sentimental Geoff-Johnsy sort of way that I've talked about before, but there's also a lot of neat stuff in it and Phil Jiminez draws some fantastic pages. The last page--which I read first, because that's how I read most Johns comics lately--is pretty neat and succeeds in making me want to find out what happens next.

I will say this, though: If you bought the Jim Lee cover and did not purchase the George Perez cover, you are probably retarded.

JLA #120

The Middleman #3: I missed out on the second issue of this series, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could jump right in with no trouble. Very fun stuff, and the scene where the Middleman calls Wendy a "garbage mouth" cracked me up when I read it last night. Hopefully I'll be able to find #2, but if not, I wouldn't be averse to a sure-to-be-oddly-sized trade.

Street Fighter II #0: As a general rule, I'd advise you to avoid comics based on videogames like some kind of super-plague sent back from the future by evil cybernetic dogs, but I like the Street Fighter comics a lot. I loved the game when I was a kid, and I've been with the franchise through one shitty adaptation after another, so it's nice to finally get one that's faithful and well-drawn. Plus, you should always make exceptions when Corey Sutherland Lewis the Rey is involved, which means I'll be picking up Rival Schools in January, too.

Ultimate X-Men #64

Villains United #6: I love everything about this book. I like the big reveal, and how it really gets me excited about reading Infinite Crisis without dampening my enjoyment of the story itself. I like how Captain Nazi gets his ass handed to him constantly by guys like Deadshot and Cat-Man, because really: Captain Nazi's a dick. I like Scandal and Talia facing off. Heck, I even like the new Fiddler. Gail Simone, you are totally Airwolf.

Y - The Last Man #38

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Trades

Doom Patrol v.3: Down Paradise Way: I spent a few lunch hours this week re-reading the other two trades of Morrison's Doom Patrol, and it occurs to me that the villains Grant creates are fucking terrifying. I think the Scissormen alone are going to give me nightmares for a month, and I'm not quite over the Terrible Time Tailor from Seven Soldiers yet. Regardless, I'm excited about reading more, especially since Chad told me this volume has the story about the transvestite street.