July 2006
What's a pull list? Just the greatest geek creation since the twelve-sided die (Ha! Dungeons & Dragons was for total losers! I'm just a grown man who reads a lot of comic books, and that is in no way depressing).
My favorite part of this hobby is my monthly ritual of going through Diamond Previews, reading Wizard Magazine, and checking out the buzz at Newsarama.com, all in pursuit of creating the ultimate pull list. Mike at Pulp Fiction gives me a great discount for reserving issues in advance, and I never miss a thing.
All I have to do is send my list to pulpfictiononline@hotmail.com by the 20th of
each month (May 20th for July titles), and stop by the store to pick up my stuff. If
you miss the ordering deadline, you can still ask for stuff to be reserved, but if
there isn't enough to go around, you might miss out. So get those orders in
early and you won't have any problems. However, don't order a bunch of stuff
and then flake out on paying for it, that is seriously uncool. For more details
about the rules/discounts check out:
Subscription Service
You could have a simple pull list such as, "I want every book starring Spawn or Jughead." Very low maintenance. I prefer the high maintenance route of adding/dropping titles based on the changes of creative teams, internet buzz, and my gut feeling about a book.
Here are a few books for each week in July 2006 that I think will be worth our time and money:
July 6th:
The All New Atom #1
(DC Comics, $2.99)The creative team of writer Gail Simone (Villains United) and penciler John Byrne (Uncanny X-Men) has me intrigued about the re-launch of this title. I loved their run together on Action Comics. Somehow Simone manages to write fun super-hero books that don't come across as mindless fluff. Sure it's escapist stuff, but it's always clever, funny, and action-packed. Byrne's penciling reminds me of my years as a little kid reading X-men, so there's a major nostalgia factor for me here. This guy drew the Dark Phoenix Saga! His work looks a little "old school" compared to young guys like John Cassaday and Jim Lee, but I enjoy it. This book will star, as the title says an all new Atom, Frank Choi, who we'll meet in DC's Brave New World Special (80 pages for only a buck!) on June 28th. If you're still on the fence about July's new series, check out BNW.
JSA #87
(DC Comics, $2.99)This is the final issue of JSA, so it is sure to sell out. Writer Paul Levitz (Legion of Super-Heroes) and artist Rags Morales (Identity Crisis) have been doing a bang-up job on this title while regular series writer Geoff Johns has been off working on Infinite Crisis. The JSA has been battling an old foe, the Gentleman Ghost, and the team is sure to be put through the ringer in this final episode. Levitz, who is also the President of DC Comics, is quoted in Wizard magazine saying that he wouldn't have ended the title himself, but that Dan DiDio, Executive Editor at DC, made a reasonable case for concluding the current series. I smell a re-launch! Anyway, if you've missed out on this arc, the back issues are worth hunting down.
Uncanny X-Men #475
(Marvel Comics, $2.99)I haven't bought this title since the 1980's when it was 75 cents an issue! After years away from comics I came back as an adult, only to find a dizzying display of X-Men titles on the shelves. It just felt like too much trouble to dive in. Then writer Ed Brubaker came along. I've been following this guy's work for a while, first at DC with phenomenal books like Sleeper, Gotham Central, and Catwoman, then at Marvel with Captain America and Daredevil. With all these great titles under his belt I decided to check out his mini-series X-Men: Deadly Genesis and I really enjoyed it. It touched back on past events, revealing that there is a third (and evil) Summers brother, Vulcan. This mini will be the springboard into this new run with an all new lineup: Professor X, Nightcrawler, Havok, Polaris, Warpath, and Marvel Girl. Where's Wolverine? In just about every other Marvel book. Billy Tan's (X-23) beautiful artwork from the new run is featured in a three page spread in this month's Previews.
July 12th:
Ghost Rider #1
(Marvel Comics, $2.99)Garth Ennis made me care about Ghost Rider for the first time ever with his recent mini-series. It was a lot like Preacher, loaded with funny/violent/gross Heaven and Hell stuff. Ennis won't be writing this series, but it will be in the capable hands of writer Daniel Way (Supreme Power: Nighthawk). Way's writing is a bit like "Ennis-light." I mean that in a good way. Way leaves out gratuitous gross-out stuff that Ennis might use. Mark Texeira (Wolverine) has a stunning three page sample of his artwork from the book in this month's Previews. Look for the variant cover by old favorite Marc Silvestri (Hunter/Killer).
The Escapists #1
(Dark Horse Comics $1.00)Somehow Dark Horse got multiple Eisner award-winner Brian K. Vaughan to write this six issue mini series. Creator Michael Chabon is quoted in Previews saying, "[Vaughan] turned in a script that caused grown men, or at least one grown man, to weep for joy." Everything BKV touches seems to turn to gold (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Runaways). What's the series about? Honestly I can't figure it out from the teasers. But it's a full issue of Vaughan's genius for just a buck! What more do we need to know?
Star Wars: Rebellion #4
(Dark Horse Comics $2.99)Finally an ongoing series with characters from the original trilogy! This title is set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, so we get to see Luke, Vader, all our old favorites. I just read #1 and was blown away. The artwork is the best ever seen in a Star Wars comic. Brandon Badeaux (Star Wars: Empire) gives the book a detailed/painted look that is easy on the eyes. Rob Williams' (Star Wars Tales) well-paced story focuses on one of Luke's childhood friends who now works for Darth Vader. Don't miss the greatest Star Wars comic series of all time!
July 19th:
JLA #0
(DC Comics, $2.99)Brad Melzter (Identity Crisis) writes this prequel to the highly anticipated re-launch of DC's flagship team book. The list of fantastic artists are a who's who of the best DC has to offer (Ed Benes, Jim Lee, George Perez, etc.). Pictures from Previews and Wizard make it seem like the big three (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman) are on the team for sure, but the rest of the lineup is anybody's guess. I'm hoping to get some questions answered or at least a few hints in this issue.
Sidekick #2
(Image Comics, $3.50)Paul Jenkins writes a lot of serious stuff (Inhumans, Sentry, Civil War: Front Line) so you may not be aware that this guy is friggin' hilarious. He writes a column over at Newsarama.com called Flogging a Dead Horse that I laughed out loud reading today. Check out the hysterical retelling of his harrowing experience on National Public Radio. As for Sidekick, last month's Previews showed four pages of #1, and last week on Newsarama four pages of #2 were shown. VERY funny stuff. It's about a super-hero sidekick that has to work for a pile of heroes to make ends meet. Too bad it's only a five part mini-series.
Uncanny X-men #476
(Marvel Comics, $2.99)Brubaker's second issue comes out just two weeks after the first one. How cool is that?
July 26th:
All-Star Superman #5
(DC Comics, $2.99)Grant Morrison (JLA) and Frank Quitely (New X-Men) continue to turn out pure comic book gold with this series. It's Superman how we all want to see him, beautifully drawn with an engaging script. I wasn't expecting much from this book when I first put it on my pull list, but now it goes straight to the top of my comic reading pile. The only bummer is that this series comes out on a bimonthly schedule. It's worth the wait though.
Batman #655
(DC Comics, $2.99)It's Grant Morrison week! This issue marks the beginning of his run on Batman with Andy Kubert (Ultimate X-men) on pencils. With this arc, "Batman and Son," Morrison will be touching on events shown in a 1987 graphic novel by Mike W. Barr called Son of the Demon. This development is a funny coincidence for me. Over the past holiday season I was staying at my folks' house in my brother's old room and found a copy of SOTD on his bookshelf. Its ending implies that Bruce and Talia Al Ghul shack up and have a kid. The book was weird on many levels, but this ending threw me for a loop. Just a few months later, I'm reading in Wizard that Morrison knows that fans fiercely debate whether the kid thing is in continuity, and that's why he wants to write about it. I can't wait to see how he handles it. The seven page preview in Wizard looks amazing.
X-Factor #9
(Marvel Comics, $2.99)Peter David (Spider-Man) is a legend at Marvel. He was writing fantastic Hulk stories when I was a kid, and he still manages to come out with fresh ideas today. X-Factor has been a wonderful extension of David's Madrox mini-series. Somehow David manages to maintain an understated "noir" feel in the world of super-heroes, a lot like DC's Gotham Central (RIP). The artwork by Dennis Calero (Made Man) is nothing too flashy, but it suits the tone of the book. This issue is a Civil War tie-in and guest stars the hero you love to hate, Quicksilver.
Have fun putting together a list of your own! Drop me a line if you have any comments.
Peace out,Cory Johnson
cmjmusic@yahoo.com