WLG #202: Return of the King (or something just as equally pompous and egotistical)!

By Michael A. Diaz

OK, so I was gone a TOUCH longer than I thought I was going to be gone.

I said it would be a couple of weeks. Well, it turned into more than a couple of months. Life is like that sometimes. Actually, according to John Lennon that's the very definition: life is what happens while you're making other plans.

So yeah, I had INTENDED on taking just a short respite from writing this weekly column so that I could move into and get settled into my new house. I figured within a week or two of moving in I would have plenty of time to jump back into writing this column, refreshed and rejuvenated.

Alas, I discovered something that ALL homeowners already know: the work NEVER ends.

We moved into our new place in mid-July and we are STILL shopping for a chair to go in the corner of the room. STILL.

THREE MONTHS LATER.

You'd almost think that I ENJOY shopping for what I have learned is called a “1 ½ chair”, but no, you'd be wrong, because I do NOT enjoy shopping for chairs five to six hours straight on Sundays. Not even a little bit.

I also do not like spending all of my free money on gas for the lawn mower, grass seed, a new couch, a new dining room table, paint, deck stain, and many other things that I'm sure you do not care to hear about. I know, I'm not exactly treading on virgin ground here.

I'm not unique.

I'm just new to it all and it took a LOT longer than I had expected. But I'm back now and I'm ready to dig on some comics, but first, of course, is this:

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. 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.
During my time away from this column I have still been reading comics. Again, not as much as I would have liked to have been reading, but still, my nose is still burrowed in a handful of books week to week.

Also while I was gone I went to the Wizard World Chicago convention. I know that is old news because it happened all the way back in August, but I had a good time there and was happy to drop a boatload of money on comics.

So, though I was away I still read and loved comics very much. Very, very much. In fact, for a few weeks now I've been itching to jump back into this column just so that I can geek out about what's been going on in the various comic book universes (like the FRIGGING SWEET “Sinestro Corps War” that I would inject into my blood with a syringe if I could!).

Also, one last admission: finally, after ALL of these years of CLAIMING to be a comic book geek I have started my way through the Sandman trades. Yes, it was nearly blasphemous that I have let it go this long, but I only recently finished off the Preacher trades (which I LOVED!!!) and was looking for something new to collect.

I could put off Sandman no longer.

Another thing: all of those people out there that have been screaming from the tops of mountains about how great Walking Dead is and has been? Yeah, looks like you're right. I bought the first trade in Chicago and I could not put it down. Will I pick up the series now? No, it's too far in, but I think I'll be collecting this one in trade now.

Yeah, I still love comics. How have YOU been? Wait; don't answer that JUST yet. First, let's take a look at this week's geekgasm-worthy books, consider your response, and then hit me on the message boards.

Without further adieu, let's see What Looks Good...

DC

GREEN ARROW / BLACK CANARY #1 $3.50 (Judd Winick / Cliff Chiang)

When DC canceled Green Arrow I was like “WHAT the heck are they doing? This series is so good and Winick has NAILED the character.”

OK, what do I know? I didn't even start reading Green Arrow until Kevin Smith came along and brought Ollie back. Anything before that I have NO clue, well, other than the few scenes within The Dark Knight Returns.

Still, I've always thought that Winick's greatest strengths were his abilities to humanize there larger-than-life characters, to give these people on paper depth and meaning, to get to the heart of how humans react to each other, emotionally and physically.

As far as I was, and am, concerned Winick GETS Ollie. Or, maybe better yet, it's correct to say that Winick write Ollie so that I get him.

Hmmmm.....something to ponder there.

The point is that Green Arrow had long ago become one of my must read books, due in large part to Winick's excellent writing.

I was sad to see the title go just as things were starting to get interesting again.

Little did I know that this book would be taking its place.

See? I'm all happy again now.

And it's not just the return of Oliver Queen/Green Arrow. Over the last few years of Simone's EXCELLENT run on Birds of Prey I have grown attached to the strength and passion that Black Canary represented. She became another character that I fell in love with. I wasn't happy to see her leave the pages of Birds of Prey (and by “her” I mean both Black Canary and Gail Simone), something that was SLIGHTLY assuaged when I saw that Canary had a large role within the new Justice League of America book.

Black Canary deserves her own book, but if she's not going to have her own book, well, one shared with Green Arrow is just about as good.

Hands down, this is my pick of the week. As soon as I leave the comic book shop I am going to positively DEVOUR this book.

'Nuff said!

GREEN LANTERN #24 $2.99 (Geoff Johns / Ivan Reis)

I could ramble on and on about why I love this book, or more specifically, this arc. If you've read this column for any length of time I think you know about my unhealthy obsession with the Green Lantern Corps. Not so much Hal Jordan. He's fine and all, but he's not my favorite (Kilowog is my boy, pure and simple). I'm not going to rehash my love for the GLC anymore other than to say that Green Lantern Corps #201-#224 are some of the most dear pieces of my entire comic book collection.

Now, take the Corps and put them into a massive war with another Corps that is diametrically opposed to them?

Dude, I'm salivating already.

Yeah, I realize this isn't the first issue of this war, but I've been gone, so cut me some slack. This is the first one that I get to talk about and right now all I can say is this: Geoff Johns, you are making all of those GLC dreams of mine come true. Thank you!

Again, 'nuff said!

STORMWATCH: PHD #12 $2.99 (Christos N. Gage / Andy Smith)

I was going to start off with a snarky comment about how one would hardly even know there was a WildStorm Universe if not for this book (and Wetworks and Midnighter; yeah, I'm killing my own point) because it is one of the FEW books within the universe that is actually published with regularity.

However, I said long ago that I was going to keep this column positive. There are enough people out there slamming on comic book companies.

OK, so I DID in effect start with that snarky comment after all. I'm sorry. I'm a touch rusty after being away from this column for long.

My bad.

Now, why am I geeking out about this book? Well, put simply I have been in love with the concept of StormWatch ever since Warren Ellis took the book over all those years ago. Sure, the concept has morphed and changed over the years, but I've loved each iteration of the group.

That includes this one. No, it's not the superbad international team that it was during Ellis's reign, nor is it the mostly human strike force that it became during Micah Ian Wright's controversial run. That's the thing, though. Gage has taken all the best parts of both of the previous incarnations and creating something new while appeasing those (albeit few) hardcore fans out there.

I applaud Gage for this not so simply task.

Good stuff!

IMAGE

DYNAMO 5 VOL. 1: POST NUCLEAR FAMILY TP $9.99

I am pointing this trade out this week because I almost wish I had waited for it. As it is I am paying $3.50/issue for this book. I'm think this trade collects the first four issues, maybe six. Had I waited I could have saved myself at least $4.00.

But then again, if everyone did that there wouldn't be any reason to release a trade, now would there?

Nope.

So, my financial loss is your potential comic book gain.

What's the big deal? Well, take the “Superman” and “Lois Lane” archetypes. Now, let's say that Supes and Lois were married, got old together, but at some point Supes died. It was revealed that Supes was more rock star than boy scout, spreading his super-seed around. This was found to result in five illegitimate children, each manifesting ONE of Supes' iconic powers. One is strong, one flies, etc., etc., and it is this Lois Lane-like character that decides to take the mess that her dead husband left behind and do some good with it.

In a nutshell that is the premise of Dynamo 5.

If you're reading and enjoying Noble Causes then you're probably already reading this book as well (same writer and all), but on the off chance you're not, well, here's your chance.

Look at it this way: even though I just whined about losing money by buying the individual issues I STILL want this trade.

Someone send it to me. Thanks!

(I kid!)

(Oh, I just checked online and this trade collects the first SEVEN issues. SEVEN! Dude, that's $24.50 worth of comics for $9.99, that's 41% of the original shelf price.

41%!!!

I'm not kidding anymore, someone had better send one of these my way.)

MARVEL

PUNISHER #51 $2.99 (Garth Ennis / Goran Parlov)

Frank Castle, aka “The Punisher.”

Barracuda.

Garth Ennis.

I've said all I can about Ennis on Punisher; those three lines above just seal the deal for me.

Once again, 'nuff said.

Whew!

Not a HUGE column this week, but like I've noted before I only blather on about those books that have gotten me particularly worked up. Was there something that did it for you this week? If so, stop by the What Looks Good message boards (see link below) and share your thoughts.

Sorry for being gone longer than I had originally planned, but hopefully there are still SOME people out there that will still ready this little ol'column of mine.

I look forward to hearing from BOTH of you.

I kid!

See you on the boards!

Until then,

Peace!

-Diaz