It's the day after new comics

[semillama]

what did you pick up?

me: Uncanny X-men, Tales of the TMNT, Knights of the Dinner Table 99, and the Ex Machina tpb.

I also picked up the complete BONE collection and From Hell. caved in.

The uncanny Xmen was so-so. I think Claremont is past his prime, or just that there's a lot of competition lately from Whedon in the x-title department. I thought that this was a weak conclusion to the story arc.

The Tales -TMNT continues to be a really good book. Lawson does the art, which is strangely good for what initially seems to be pretty cruddy.

KODT is starting to show its evolution away from the game table. A lot of the action takes place in BA's pizza parlor. I think this is a good thing. This comic continues to slay me on a regular basis, even though its been like 5 years since the last time I gamed, and I may never game again.

The Ex Machina is a really good, original book. I really like it. The whole twist of the world's lone superhero realizing he does more harm than good and running for mayor instead is brilliant. I also didn't catch whatthe jet photo at the beginning really was until, well, just now, about 12 hours after I finished reading.

what did other folks pick up?

[Spider Jerusalem]

1. I picked up the new issue of Planetary...

and Sleeper. The other titles I'm reading come out in 2 weeks...

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2. new stuff this week

Picked up Phoenix:end song 2, Uncanny X-men, the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures TPB by Evan Dorkin, the first Runaways collection, Hypothetical Lizard 1, and Supreme Power 13 and 14. I REALLY like that series. It's reminiscent of some of the Vertigo/Wildstorm titles.

[Orsino]

3. Lessee....

Waterloo Sunset #1-3.

I had the comics shop stop pulling Engine Head for me. The art is amazing, but I have had to admit that I just don't get it.

I'm also pulling Knights of the Dinner Table, Conan, Dork Tower, Thor, Son of Asgard, Ex Machina, and the trades, whenever they trickle in, of Lucifer and Fables.

[Spider Jerusalem]

4. The one title I was expecting this week didn't ship...

which I didn't find out till I went to my LCS, so I got Warren Ellis' Apparat one-shots to tide me over. Interesting concept...the idea is that these are first issues of "imaginary" series, from a world where the "men in tights" phenomenon never happened, and comics instead grew straight out of the '30's pulps without morphing into superhero stories first.

The best of the four are "Frank Ironwine" (a cop; best description I can give...imagine a cross between Columbo and Sherlock Holmes) and "Simon Spector" (the Shadow meets Doc Savage. Oh, and he's black, which I thought a nice touch).

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5. That sounds interesting.

Hasn't Frank Ironwine been developed into a series or at least a full-length graphic novel? Thought I saw that title last time I was at my FLCS.

[Spider Jerusalem]

6. No, it's only the one issue...

although I'd like to see it as a series ("Simon Spector", too).

Here are a few reviews... http://www.icomics.com/rev_012105_frankironwine.shtml

http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/snapjudgments/013105/apparat.shtml

And 6-page previews of two of the titles ("Simon Spector" and "Angel Stomp Future"): http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=4655

[semillama]

7. my picks from yesterday:

District X, which is starting to lose my attention
The Ultimates 2 issue 3
Black Panther #1

The Runaways Vol 2, signed by the author. I was buying a regular copy and the guy at the counter at the Laughing Ogre says, "Hey, want a signed copy instead? Brian just sent me a few of these." No extra charge.

That's one more reason why the Laughing Ogre is the greatest comic book shop in the universe.

[semillama]

8. for weds., 2/24/05

picked up:

Stupid, Stupid Rat Tails
The Runaways vol. 3
and latest issues of:
TMNT
X-men
Uncanny X-men
Phoenix: End song
ps238
Excalibur

I have to say, I really like ps238. I haven't checked out Nodwick or his other work yet, since I get too many comics as it is. And the relaunch of TMNT is really good. Jim Lawson is the best horrible comics artist out there, if you know what I mean. He takes what would normally be considered crappy drawing and has turned it into a signature, consistent style.

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. Mine this week:

Latest issues of Y the Last Man, The Losers, Ex Machina and Sleeper. All pretty good titles, and I have to say I'm liking Ex Machina more and more as the storyline progresses.

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10. Ex Machina

that's a title that I'm picking up as it gets collected into TPBs.

That's one of the best things the industry has done lately - really allows me to not blow my budget but still purchase a wide variety of titles.

Yeah, the whole Ex Machina idea is great. That's another title that would make a good miniseries or something.