WLG #126: Hit It and Quit It!

By Michael A. Diaz

Thanks to everyone that passed along which independent books they like the most. I got a fair number of suggestions to keep in mind the next time I’m tired of saving money.

This week is a much lighter than the last few weeks which I am thankful for. There are still some good books coming out this week though, so let’s hit it and quit it, after this, of course:

Standard Disclaimer: For those of you new to the WLG experience, here's how it works: Every week I check out the release schedule from the Diamond Comics Shipping List and decide which comics that I am going to spend my hard-earned money on. Yep, my money. I don't get any handouts. That's good, because it helps to maintain my objectivity. If I spend money on a comic book and it turns out to be crap I'm going to be upset.Get in, get out, that’s how we’re playing it this week, keeping it short and sweet as we move along. Why? Well, with the House of M getting ready to close and Infinite Crisis getting ready to hit I’ve got a feeling that the next few months are going to see me rambling along enough as it is, so in this brief respite I’m going to take it easy before launching into the comic book tempest coming our way.

So, let’s get on with it and see What Looks Good…

DC

GOTHAM CENTRAL #36 $2.50 (Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka / Kano)

From what I heard Brubaker is doing a heck of a job with his Marvel-exclusive work (sorry, I haven’t read his Captain America though I realize I’m dumb for not doing so), so it is bittersweet when I read Gotham Central and think to myself “man, this book is GOOD” because I know that soon enough Brubaker’s touch will no longer be on the book. I know he helped to create the title, but eventually his contribution to the title will be over and the book will suffer for it (no offense to Greg Rucka who is doing a great job as well, it’s just that I loved both Brubaker AND Rucka’s work so much).

This arc has been a nice, fresh twist on the whole “secret identities” thing as there have been two murders involving young men dressed as Robin. Because there’s no real no way to know who the real Robin is there’s no way to verify if these victims are the real deal, except for talking to Batman. Sure, the current Robin showed up and said that he was alive, but how do the police know for sure without knowing who the real Robin really is?

What, are they going to bring Batman in for questioning, the man that no longer has such a good rapport with the Gotham Police?

Good luck.

OUTSIDERS #29 $2.50 (Judd Winick / Matthew Clark)

The team takes on some old enemies after losing a couple of their own as the Infinite Crisis begins to start?

I’m there.

IMAGE

FELL #2 $1.99 (Warren Ellis / Ben Templesmith)

I'm not entirely sure where this book is going, but thus far I'm still very interested. I mean, I get that the guy’s a cop, but the pacing and the cadence of this book are a bit different than what I am used to. This makes sense when you consider the fact that Ellis and Templesmith and trying a new format out.

It’s definitely quirky and odd, but I like it. I think this title could really grow on me.

MARVEL

POWERS #13 (MR) $2.95 (Brian Michael Bendis / Michael Avon Oeming)

Lucky #13 for Powers this month!

According to the solicitation for this book it sounds like Internal Affairs is looking to have a chat with Detective Pilgrim. I'm not going to ruin anything, but if you've been reading this book over the past couple of months then you know that there is something in Pilgrim's recent past that could cause potential problems for her, especially if IA got wind of it. This speaks nothing of the problems that could arise between Pilgrim and Walker seeing as how she has kept him in the dark about her changes.

Also, I’ve been enjoying the new Retro Girl subplot as it has been developing. There’s an interesting background story evolving as Walker continues to illegally train the latest incarnation of beloved superhero.

This book isn’t loosing any steam if you ask me.

PUNISHER #26 (MR) $2.99 (Garth Ennis / Leo Fernandez)

I've heard some people whine about Ennis's arcs going on a bit longer than they should, but personally, I'm digging what I'm reading. As I have gone on about several times before it would be far too easy to write Frank Castle as a caricature as opposed to a character, a thin line that Ennis has navigated very well. I like the fact that he takes the time for his characters to form and as such his stories are better for it.

I've never seen the Punisher so lovingly cared for and I wouldn't change a thing.

This is the second issue of the current arc so go back and get #25 if you're interested in checking out this tale of white slavery in America. It's one of those stories where if you're living in suburban America (like me) you might think "nah, that can't happen in America" but the realist in me says "yeah, it really does."

SUPREME POWER: NIGHTHAWK #2 (OF 6) (MR) $2.99 (Daniel Way / Steve Dillon)

If you think that Batman is a party-pooper you haven't met Nighthawk yet. Yes, he’s rich, intelligent, and mad at the world for the deaths of his parents, just like another hero we know, but Nighthawk seems to have a lot less charm. Batman trusts virtually no one, but he’s nice enough to not throw it in your face whereas Nighthawk doesn’t trust a single person and has no qualms about telling you exactly that.

He’s like a surgical strike in the form of a vigilante, striking with just the proper amount of force to get the job done, letting circumstance deal the final blow when it makes the most sense (just check out the beginning of the first issue).

Sweet.

Short, simple, and to the point: it almost makes you wonder why I couldn’t get this column out early on Monday night. (Don’t ask.)

My heads spinning by how fast I knocked this one out, so if there is something that I missed please, TELL ME. Just stop by the What Looks Good message boards (see link below) and drop me a line. Heck, you can even tell me what YOU think looks good.

See you next week!

Until then,

Peace!

-Diaz