ArtisticallyChill

It’s been a while since my last post about comic books. I’ve been quite with other things in my life and honestly deciding how to approach DC’s New 52 line-up and whether or not to add any of the titles to my pull. It has been quite uneasy to adjust to this change, reading some of the reviews, hearing the opinions of my fellow comic book nerds enthusiasts and the owner of my local comic shop, Keith of Keith’s Komix. Change is never easy, and I understand that DC wants to bring in new readership to some of their popular titles as well as introduce long time DC readers to some new titles they thought they would never see. But somehow I think they really alienated some of their long time readers. From killing Oracle and resurrecting Barbara Gordon as BatGirl to introducing titles that raise the eyebrow with “Really? This is a DC comic book?” falling from one’s lips, DC has definitely put a lot on the line with the New 52.

I’ve decided to read all of the New 52 first issues. And if I’m not impressed by the end of book, cliffhanger or not, I will not add that to my list on my next visit to Keith’s Komix. Once I’ve got my list of possible keepers narrowed down, I will then do a second reading and then ask for artist extraordinaire and love of my life, Serena Guerra, for her opinion. After the second reading, I should have a nice short list for Keith.

It took a while, but Serena and I are finally caught up with our current pull list. Our recent visit to Keith’s Komix had us pick up a new title from Aspen Comics – HAUNTED CITY #1, and a new title from Marvel comics – WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #1. It has been a while since MESSIAH COMPLEX and deciding to drop nearly all of the X-titles because of uninteresting story arcs that followed afterwards. With our pull list lacking all DC titles, maybe this is a good time to jump back on Marvel, or not. The idea of just getting hard cover trades for certain story arcs in both Marvel and DC and just getting other publishers’ (Aspen, IDW, BOOM!, Dark Horse etc.) single issues is lingering in the back of my head.

• BUFFY SEASON 9 #2
• DEADPOOL #44-45
• DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD OF OZ #2
• HAUNTED CITY #1
• PLANET OF THE APES #7

>li>THE SCOURGE #5

• TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #3
• THE UNWRITTEN #30
• WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #1

PICK OF THE WEEK: WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #1

Wolverine has taken one half of the X-Men back to Westchester to start over again. SCHISM tore them apart, but can Wolverine lead the new Children of the Atom into the future?

HAPPY READING!

~ LoneWolf

It’s been a while since I lasted posted about the usual visit to Keith’s Komix Serena and I do every Thursday night. We have been a bit busy and haven’t picked up much in quite some time. Last week, we decided to pick up a huge bulk of the comic books sitting in our pull box. Keith has been very understanding with our pick ups and we are grateful for him for not re-shelving all the books that have been accumulating in our pull box. Since DCnU starts this month, we’re clearing out our box to get caught up on our favorite titles and for me to finally decide which titles out of the new 52 will I end up picking up. Since the DCnU may leave with a bit of disappointment, I will hold off on picking up titles on day one, and wait for reactions from my friends at Keith’s Komix as to which titles seem promising and should be put on my new DC pull list.

My Stack:

• BATGIRL #24
• BATMAN #712-713
• BATMAN & ROBIN #26
• BIRDS OF PREY #15
• BOOSTER GOLD #45
• DETECTIVE COMICS #880-881
• FLASHPOINT #3-5
• GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1
• GREEN LANTERN CORPS #61-62
• GREEN LANTERN EMERALD WARRIORS #11-12
• JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #59
• JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #52-53
• RACHEL RISING #1
• RED ROBIN #26
• TEEN TITANS #98-100
• TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1
• UNWRITTEN #26
• WAR OF THE GREEN LANTERNS AFTERMATH #1-2

Serena’s Stack:

• BROKEN PIECES #0
• CHARISMAGIC #2
• DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE #8
• EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS: HIT LIST AGENDA #0-2
• EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT LOTUS: HIT LIST AGENDA #1-2
• EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ORCHID: HIT LIST AGENDA #1
• EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT VIOLET: HIT LIST AGENDA #1
• FATHOM #0
• FATHOM #0 – LIMITED RETAILER EDITION
• FEAR ITSELF BOOK ONE – SKETCH COVER VARIANT
• FLIGHT VOL.1
• MADAME XANADU VOL.4: EXTRA-SENSORY
• MINDFIELD #6
• THE MIGHTY THOR #1 – SKETCH COVER VARIANT
• OZMA OF OZ #8
• PLANET OF THE APES #1-3
• SCOURGE #4
• SOULFIRE #1-3
• LADY MECHANIKA #2
• X-23 #9

MY TOP 3 PICKS FROM MY PILE:

1. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1
2. RACHEL RISING #1
3. GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1

SERENA’S TOP 3 PICKS FROM HER PILE:

1. LADY MECHANIKA #2
2. CHARISMAGIC #2
3. OZMA OF OZ #8

There’s lots of great reading to be done. As summer winds down, we’ll have plenty of cooler days and nights to spend indoors reading a few books here and there, cozying up on the couch with some hot tea.

HAPPY READING!

It was quite busy this past weekend through late Tuesday night as myself, Serena and several friends of Keith’s Komix helped out Keith and his family with the expansion of his store. Boxes upon boxes of cards, trades, and toys that could survive the humidity were loaded into a truck as comic books and statues were tucked safely into the corners of the store. The racks came off the walls and were power-washed and the slat walls were taken down. The thin wall that separated Keith’s Komix from what used to be a beading store came down. As the dust settled, the counters were moved and arranged in the center. The comics were all set up for New Comic Book Day and after the truck was unloaded, Keith’s Komix still looks bigger and better. With so much more room, the store will be able to display more merchandise and take gaming nights to a whole new level! Serena and I were happy to help out our favorite local comic shop, Keith’s Komix!

• BATGIRL #23
• BATMAN & ROBIN #25
• BATMAN INC. #7
• BIRDS OF PREY #14
• CHARISMAGIC #2
• DETECTIVE COMICS #878-879
• EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS: THE HIT LIST AGENDA #1
• EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ORCHID: THE HIT LIST AGENDA #1
• GOTHAM CENTRAL, BOOK FOUR: CORRIGAN
• LADY MECHANIKA #2
• OZMA OF OZ #8
• RED ROBIN #25
• TEEN TITANS #97
• THE UNWRITTEN #24

PICKS OF THE WEEK:
BATMAN & ROBIN #25

Written by JUDD WINICK; Art by GREG TOCCHINI; Cover by GUILLEM MARCH; Variant cover by J.G. JONES

The most unlikely team-up ever comes to an end. It’s the crashing finish to the brief alliance of Batman, Robin and Jason Todd, a.k.a. The Red Hood, against a common foe. After all, the three “sons of Wayne” can put their differences aside for just so long. And when one fight ends, another will begin…

DETECTIVE COMICS #879

Written by SCOTT SNYDER; Art by JOCK and FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA; Cover by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA

For years, Jim Gordon has been tormented by the possibility that his son, James Jr., might be a killer. Tonight, he’ll get the answers he’s been after. But is the truth about James even darker than the Commissioner, or even Batman, could have guessed?

SERENA’S PICK OF THE WEEK: LADY MECHANIKA #2

THERE’S A NEW LADY IN TOWN!

From the imaginative mind of Joe Benitez with colors by the incomparable Peter Steigerwald, comes this all-new supernatural action-adventure series!

The tabloids dubbed her “LADY MECHANIKA”, the sole survivor of a psychotic serial killer’s three-year rampage through London. Found locked in an abandoned laboratory amidst countless corpses and body parts, with her own limbs amputated and replaced with mechanical components, her life began anew. With no memory of her captivity or her former life, LADY MECHANIKA eventually built a new life for herself as a private detective, using her unique abilities to solve cases the police couldn’t or wouldn’t handle. But, she has never stopped searching for answers…

Now, disturbed by haunting memories from her past, LADY MECHANIKA is consumed by a need for answers and focuses all her efforts on investigating the mystery of the Mechanical Girl. The trail leads her to a traveling show run by a band of gypsies, where help might not come as easily as anticipated. But even with the aid of the Gypsy Queen, can LADY MECHANIKA discover who created the Mechanical Girl and why? And will the answers bring her one step closer to uncovering the truth about herself? 

Joe B’s good friend Ale Garza has turned in one of his best covers yet, and with the addition of Peter Steigerwald’s colors, now it is a masterpiece.

HARDCOVER PICK OF THE WEEK: GOTHAM CENTRAL, BOOK FOUR: CORRIGAN

Written by GREG RUCKA and ED BRUBAKER ; Art by STEVE LIEBER, KANO and STEFANO GAUDIANO; Cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON

Witness the gritty side of the Gotham City Police Department from their perspective, as teens dressed as Robin the Boy Wonder start turning up dead. In this final hardcover collection of GOTHAM CENTRAL, collecting issues #32-40, the dead body of Robin the Boy Wonder is found on the streets. Now the detectives of Gotham Central must try to solve the mystery of his death while dealing with Batman and the Teen Titans.

HAPPY READING!

~LoneWolf