Evaluating My Pull List

Every time around this year I re-evaluate my comics pull list. So here goes...

Batman comics-I've decided to drop Detective Comics. I'll have a review up soon on the previous issue. It'll explain a little of why. Batman I'm keeping because I am Grant Morrison mark. I actually like it more than a lot of people do. It's not his best work but I find moments of brilliance in it. I'm going to keep with Batman & the Outsiders for a while. I like the characters. One of the few strengths in Judd Winicks run was the character dynamic and I find Chuck Dixion does a good job of that plus the story, so far, doesn't turn me off. Plus with Green Arrow showing up and being unreadable in Green Arrow & Black Canary I'm really happy. That and Batgirl. Yay! I'm going to try Nightwing and Robin. Nightwing because of Rags Morales. I haven't read any of his work since his work on Wonder Woman and I really miss him. Robin because the possibility of Spoiler returning. I've always liked her more than Tim Drake who, every once in a while I like, but a lot of times annoys the hell out of me. However Dixon wrote one of the most famed, if not the only famed, run on the series already. When I sue read Wizard to follow comics two years in a row his Robin run got high honors. I'm optimistic. Both books I'll give a little while for. I'm still buying All Star Batman, though last issue I didn't care for, there's still been some crazy twisted stuff in it to like. Even bad Frank Miller is still more interesting then good work from other writers.

Superman comics-I only buy All Star Superman. Not dropping it. It's my fav superhero title. I already dropped Action Comics and Superman last year. No plans to add any more Superman books.

Teen Titans Books-Just dropped Teen Titans. I don't understand why i don't like them. I like most the characters but always I'm just not into the stories. Shame, i usually always buy books featuring teen heroes. But Teen Titans Year One I have on mail order and will stick with for the entirety of its mini series run cause of the art. But Tiny Titans looks like complete gold. Saw some preview pages, hilarious.

X-Men Books-Dropped the X-Men several months ago. I just heard they killed Sabretooth and some of the rumors about Rogue definitely turn me off to returning to Mike Carey's run. Will go and catch a couple Brubaker issues of Uncanny X-Men because he'll be featuring a couple of my favorite X-Men. I'm not a Ed Brubaker fan. Not because I don't like his work, but I don't reread it. And I'm trying to get my list down to only books I will reread. Astonishing X-Men I have mix feelings for. I like it, sometimes it bores me, every once in a while I find it genius. That last issue was genius. While I'm not the terirbly a Warren Ellis or Simone Bianchi fan, I like their work from time to time and look forward to their run. But I do not expect to add any x-titles outside these. I would've bought Deadpool but I hear nothing but bad things about anything Daniel Way writes. Then there's Ultimate X-Men, which I follow in trades, and it's been so-so for Kirkmans run. The first half I thought was rather dull but before I dropped it I tried the Cable arc and enjoyed it. My decision to cut it or not will rest entirely on the new creative team coming up.

Team Books-Runaways... grrr... c'mon Joss Whedon, what the hell? Delays, delays, and the story isn't even that good. But I love these characters. Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos may save the day. I like them both, but Ramos little Runaways work in Runaways Saga didn't float my boat. This is on the chopping block. Also on the chopping block, the Order. I'll give you my review soon. Let's just say, I see no flaws, but I see no reason for me to stay. But I will give it a few more issues. Justice Society of America is good. It's not as good as Geoff Johns first crack with JSA but I like the art, love the characters, and when its on its hot. So I'm with it. Dropped Justice League of America after Brad Meltzer. Was going to try and stick with it for a while but the way the Green Arrow/Black Canary wedding thing factored in I just found it a good time to jump off. My favorite team book would probably be Checkmate. I know some of the critics sort of disregarded it after the first few issues but the series has gotten much better. I'm really loving the series. I've become a much bigger fan of Greg Rucka in 2007. Welcome to Tranquility, not exactly a team book but very much an ensemble cast, I'll probably not be picking up the second volume. Liked the first volume but I don't find myself ever going back to reread the series. Birds of Prey I dropped because I wasn't liking Sean McKeever's take on Teen Titans and decided to not take a chance on his stint for the book. Shame, Gail's run is/was my longest run on a current ongoing series. I also cut this because I needed to make some cuts. I'm almost through with Metal Men which I liked at first but now, it's just pretty looking to me.



DC Heroes-I was about to drop Green Lantern but the Sinestro Corps. War fired me up. It was big, loud, action-packed, and over-the-top and I haven't read such an unabashed superhero slug fight like that in a long time. All this stuff about new Lanterns and the Blackest Night stuff has got me ready to commit to it for a long time. Wonder Woman has been fun and I'll stick with it. I'll even pick up the All Star Wonder Woman if it comes out. When Manhunter returns I'm going to buy that. Though the last arc didn't thrill me, the rest of the series was awesome. Black Adam's almost over and I can't remember what's been happening. But it looks good.

Marvel Heroes-Er... memo to self, try more Marvel comics in 2008. Of course, the titles that seem to get the best reviews are titles that I've tried and felt weren't interesting to me. Well, they were good-but I wouldn't have ever went back and reread them.

Alternative Titles/Books-Let's start with Vertigo... I buy 100 Bullets in trade and I believe that should be ending it's monthly run this year. I actually enjoy the series quite a bit. I buy Fables as monthlies and trades. This is one of my favorite series so it's staying. Haven't added Jack of Fables to my list and probably won't for the time being until at least the end of the year when there's several trades out. DMZ has been on the edge of being cut for a while. I like it, but sometimes I just am not int he mind set to read it. Lot of time my mood calls for more escapist, fantasy works and DMZ does not fit that. I think my decision to cut it would be based on the next couple arcs. I dropped Northlanders before I gave it a chance. This is due to mostly needing to cut stuff and since I hadn't read it and ordered the first two issues through mail order. Plus I never really cared for Vikings I just thought I could give it a chance. However the preview pages for Dave Laphams Young Liars has piqued my interest and I will try it for an arc. I like Dave's artwork but his writing only so-so.

From Vertigo to Minx. I have to say I've been disappoiunted. yeah, I'm not the demographic but since I do enjoy anime that's aimed at girls(Sailor Moon and a couple others) I decided to try a little. Plain Janes did nothing for me. Neither did Confessions of a Blabbermouth. And a few pages in to Kimmie66 I said to myself "Email from a friend who died? That sounds like the set up for one of my favorite anime Serial Experiments Lain." Then Aaron Alexovich pulled his "I hate superheroes and like to make fun of their fans" stick he's been pulling since Serenity Rose. Which at this point is just fucking lame. I loved Serenity Rose but now, I'm avoiding anything that guy does. However I will get Water Baby. I like Ross Campbell. Last year i gave him my pick for Best Writer/Artist and Best Graphic novel.

Speaking of Ross, 2008 I'm expecting the fourth volume of Wet Moon. Yay! Also Oni is releasing Queen and Country Definitive editions. Next one in April and I believe the fourth one in Decmeber. With the third one in the middle. I like Greg Rucka so I took a chance and I liked the book. Took until about the middle arc for me to really get into it. But that's how Rucka works. He hooks me in in the middle, never at the beginning.

Image will be releasing omnibus' for Noble Causes and probably more Madman trades. I'm not buying the current Madman series but I am buying the trades of the older issues. I'm sure I'll pick up the trades for the current series later on. As for Noble Causes, just remember seeing cover art for it and I ordered the first two books. But what about single issues? Well, the awesome Repo just ended. Pirates of Coney Island still has a couple issues left and I look forward to those. I know Image is releasing some stuff a lot of people like but I can't buy everything and some of the books I've flipped through and decided they aren't for me. However I know I will try some other Image books this year. I check solicits for all their upcoming books to see if there's one that I might like. And I always flip through them at the shop. So I expect some more Image books.

Dark Horse gets me Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Which I have considered dropping. We'll see. The only other thing is the new Gunsmith Cats: Burst manga. I love the Gunsmith Cats so much I have a t-shirt from them. Their not exactly huge in the manga scene out here except with older fans. At least I don't believe so. I know I was the only one repping them at AX 2007.

Manga-I'm trying this new one called Harukaze Bitter Bop through mail order. You know I anxiously await every volume of Excel Saga. I'm also ordering one of the Azumanga Daioh Omnibus' and current tracking down Dragonball Z and Lupin III volumes. yeah, their older but I've been in the mood for anime and manga more and more lately. I'm hoping to find one or two new manga to follow this year. I might also try the Welcome to the NHK manga. I like the anime series.

Not dropping much, considering dropping a few things, and adding stuff I don't need. Hmmm... we'll see how things go.