WLG #241: Back in Time For The Holidays!

By Michael A. Diaz

HAPPY MERRY CHRISMA-HANA-KWANZAA-KUH!

Or whatever.

I apologize again for last week. As you've all seen if I think I'm going to be too busy to write up a column I do what I can to get a substitute. I had every intention of writing last week's column but was so sick I completely forgot about the column and instead zonked right out as soon as I got home. It was only after I woke up and started moving about the house that I said to myself "OH NO, it's Tuesday! I have a column to right."

I then coughed up one of my lungs, wrote up a few sentences, posted them, and then again lost consciousness for the next 12 hours.

For my international readers I don't know about you, but I'm fairly certain there's one heck of a cold tearing (or has torn) through the Midwestern United States. I got it; in fact, I thought I had a fairly mild cold; it knocked me back one day so I called in sick to work. That was a Monday. I rested all day that day and was fine enough to go back to work the next day. By Friday of that week I thought that I was on the mend as I certainly felt better. That Saturday I noticed I was much more tired than I should have been that night, but shrugged it off. Until I woke up on Sunday with the chest gunk. My cold hadn't gone away; oh no, it hid, and then came back much, much stronger and evil.

By Tuesday I was almost delirious.

I think you know the rest.

My wife has had it, my supervisor at work has had it, and all kinds of people all over Michigan have had it.

It was no fun at all.

But here I am, I'm back, though I still have more chest gunk than I would like. I feel about 95-99% now, but I would very much like to be done with this cold.

Look at me, talking about being sick.

Not a very entertaining introduction, is it?

Let's talk about fun things: what are people hoping to get these holidays that is comic book related?

Me? There really hasn't been a lot that has I've asked for this year like I have in past years. There are still things I want, though, but my focus tends to be on massive collections this year. For example, I've been drooling over any of the Alien, Predator, or Alien vs. Predator Omnibus editions that Dark Horse has been kicked out. I think I have most of the various Alien minis from over the years, but not many of the ones starring the Predator. I would love those massive phonebooks so that I could go through and reread or discovery stories. There's a fair amount of big-name talent that got their start in some of the various Alien and Predator minis back in the day.

However, something that I didn't realize was out until about a month or so ago were the Queen & Country: Definitive Edition collections. Holy crap am I salivated all over those. I want those SO BAD.

Did you hear me out there?

SO.

BAD.

I know I have every issue somewhere, but there were some delays in the series, and I moved a couple of times, so I read it all, but it was disjointed in the middle for me. Like I said, I know I have all of the original issues somewhere in my house, but right now my collection is all over the place. I would really appreciate sitting down and reading this series from start to finish (or rather "stop for now") so that I could properly take it in again. Also the new covers for these collections by Tim Sale are AWESOME.

As they say in lolcat across the internet: DO WANT!!!!!!

Also, while skimming though things that I had and things that I wanted to have I noticed that somehow my collection of trades was devoid of We3. However did I let this happen?

Other than that, well, there are old standbys that are on my wish list that always seem to be there: Lost Girls by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie and some out of print collections, like Judd Winick's Blood and Water and Craig Thompson's Good-bye Chunky Rice.

What about you? What are you hoping to get this season?

Chew on that and take a look at What Looks Good...

DC

BATMAN #683 $2.99 (Grant Morrison / Lee Garbett)

Is Batman dead?

I, for one, don’t' think so, and though I can't say that I was an impressed or as engrossed in the "Batman: RIP" storyline. It's odd, because for some things, like The Authority, I love it when the paradigms are messed with, when the status quo is altered and changed. I know that change can be good, but for me I like Bruce Wayne being Batman, Clark Kent being Superman, Frank Castle being the Punisher, etc., etc. There are certain things that just work and you don't mess with them.

That's my two cents.

That said, I have to say that I am curious where Morrison is going to point this title now.

This issue is the first of two that look back on what came before and give a glimpse as to the future of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Being the comic book geek that I am I don't see how I couldn't check this out and get a touch geeked. The only thing that would make this better would be an appearance by Deadshot, but that's a much more personal preference that I won't get into right now.

TOP 10: SEASON TWO #3 (OF 4) $2.99 (Zander Cannon / Gene Ha)

So we're three issues into this series, and really, I don't know why I ever had any doubts about the fact that Alan Moore wouldn't be writing the book. Sure, he helped to create it, but it is obvious that he was not the entirety of the book. A lot of the personality, the identity, of this book clearly came from the work of both Zander Cannon and Gene Ha.

Honestly, I couldn't be happier and I'm almost sad that the last issue is the end of this mini-series. Personally, I would love to see much more of this book, so I hope I'm not alone in my love for this title.

So what's going on? Well, being that this is such a short series (four issues in total) it's hard to say too much without giving anything away.

How about this: some old faces are back that you might not have expected to see again and that there are some surprises in store. Yeah, it sounds like a copout, but really I think the best thing I can say about this book is that you really should run out and buy the first trade, read it, love it, get the second, and then come back here and jump into this mini-series (if you want to get the other mini-series Smax or the original graphic novel The 49ers that wouldn't hurt, but you don't necessarily need them for this particular mini-series.

Kudos Cannon and Ha for bringing back these characters.

WILDCATS #6 $2.99 (Christos Gage / Neil Googe)

Daemonites are back, and they're trying to make a home for themselves in Los Angeles, where the Halo Corp. just happens to be headquartered and out of which the Wildcats team just so happens to be located. And these aren't just any Daemonites, but Lord Defile and his cronies, not exactly what one would call a reformed villain. In fact, the last time that we saw Lord Defile he was locking horns in NYC with the local chapter of StormWatch: PHD.

Now the world has pretty much been through apocalypse and Defile wants to move into a nice ranch on the California coast?

Yeah, I'm thinking not.

Rather, I suspect he's trying to use the state of things to his advantage in some way.

For my money, if Gage is writing it and Googe is drawing it I'll be coming back month after month to see what's going on.

Good stuff!

MARVEL

PUNISHER WAR ZONE #3 (OF 6) $3.99 (Garth Ennis / Steve Dillon)

Dang you Marvel for making me buy a comic for $3.99 cover price, and dang you Ennis and Dillon for being so good at that black comedy that you two are so well-suited.

And on the Punisher no less.

I hate you all, and yet I'm paying the price, loving every minute of it.

Dang you.

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What are you hoping Santa, or Hanukkah Harry, or who/whatever brings you for the holidays this year? Or, what comics did you get geeked out about this week? I’d love to hear about ANY them. Just stop by the WLG message boards (see link below) and share your thoughts!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

See you next week!

-Diaz

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Were Diaz's picks on the mark?
Have your say on What Looks Good at the Looking Good message board.

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