Comics for October 18

[dvandom]

                    Dave's Unspoilt Capsules and Awards
         The Week's Picks and Pans, plus Awards of Dubious Merit

Standard Disclaimers: Please set appropriate followups.  Recommendation does
not factor in price.  Not all books will have arrived in your area this week.
Well, now I know why I was graying out.  Rants, Capsules can be found on my 
             homepage, http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/Rants 


Capsules:
     Short, relatively spoiler-free reviews of books I actually bring home
(as opposed to reading in preview form in the shop or online).  If I get a
book late due to distributor foulups or whatever, I'll put it in the Missing
section.

     1602 Fantastick Four #2 (of 5): Marvel - A definite improvement over
last issue, I suspect in part because it's more about what IS happening than
what WAS (#1 was kinda narration-heavy).  Still not in love with the art,
though.  Recommended.  $3.50/$4.25Cn
     Ms. Marvel #8: Marvel - Civil War tie-in.  Not only does it involve the
ethical dilemma between Law and Good, this issue wallows in it.  Reed's
pretty clearly writing from the anti-Registration side, showing how the
logical consequences of what's "best" can suck pretty hard.  Not even the
unintended consequences...the obvious ones.  It gets a little heavy-handed at
times, but I enjoyed it overall.  Recommended.  $2.99/$3.75Cn
     Cable & Deadpool #33: Marvel - AIE!  Liefeld cover!  Fortunately, JUST
the cover.  The Six Pack's current incarnation (which includes Anaconda, and
tells the reader probably more than we wanted to know about her) is
maneuvering against Cable, and doing it pretty intelligently.  Recommended if
you can get past the cover.  $2.99/$3.75Cn
     Marvel Adventures Avengers #6: Marvel - Innnnteresting.  A retelling of
the origin of the U-Foes that doesn't once mention the Fantastic Four.
Bedard's work doesn't shine as brightly as Parker's did on this book, but
it's a good read, if a tad anti-climactic.  Recommended.  $2.99/$3.75Cn
     X-Factor #12: Marvel - Well, the whole Tryp thing gets explained (well,
for the most part) and we see what stakes are being played for here.  A
fairly ambitious plot, although since it involves time travel it can be
safely turned off entirely at a later date if editorial decides not to use
it.  Arlem's pencils work reasonably well with Villarubia's inky finishes.
Recommended.  $2.99/$3.75Cn
     52 #24 (of 52): DC - Yay Ambush Bug!  Unfortunately, like so many things
in this series, he's part of a one-shot-wonder team and is likely to not
appear again.  In fact, there's a lot of "build it up and then crush it in a
page or two" going on this issue, as potentially interesting concepts and
characters get the bum's rush.  The two page Booster Gold origin piece
doesn't even mention his &%*$-ing over in this very series.  Mildly
recommended.  $2.50/$3.50Cn
     Shadowpact #6: DC - Huh, a character I only know from Batman: the
Animated Series...although I suppose he probably originated in the comics.
Another "slow buildup" issue like #4, as seemingly unreleated threats are
thrown at the Shadowpact by the new Big Bad.  Story drifts into formula a
couple of times, but is otherwise good.  Recommended.  $2.99/$4.00Cn
     Conan #33: Dark Horse - Truman continues the tale of Conan getting his
butt out of the no-longer-hospitable City of Thieves, in a story with title
both literal and figurative.  Nord's art is tightening up a bit, possibly due
to the efforts of colorist Dave Stewart...it looks more like traditionally
inked pencils than the directly colored pencils effect seen in earlier
issues.  Recommended.  $2.99
     Transformers Stormbringer #4 (of 4): IDW - Heh, I got the poster with
the cover of this issue before I actually got this issue.  There's a fair
amount of flash-bang and a ticking timer of doom, but the actual resolution
of the conflict takes place in a badly-laid out and anticlimactic series of
slim horizontal panels that focus on Thunderwing's foot.  I think.  Plot-
wise, this really shouldn't have been a miniseries.  They should have just
run an unlimited series for NeoG1 and made this an arc, because it really
doesn't resolve satisfyingly as a series, but would have worked better as
issues #7-10 of "Transformers".  Mildly recommended.  $2.99
     Ninja High School #143: Antarctic - Welp, guess I get to backfill later,
#142 hasn't come in here yet.  Fortunately, the book has a recap page, and
for once I need it.  The Naruto-style "young ninjas WAY out of their league"
plot continues, with a lot of ineffective fighting (well, ineffective for the
heroes, pretty effective for the baddies) and some familial angst.  Mildly
recommended.  $2.99/$4.05Cn
     Gold Digger Halloween Special #2: Antarctic - I'm a bit annoyed that
the 2005 special re-shipped a couple weeks ago, as I was in a hurry and
re-bought it.  But now I have the correct one, which is again a mix of short
stories and pinups.  And unlike the Annual (which I passed on), the pro to
fan ratio is higher than 1:1.  :)  Perry does a fun (if rushed-looking) piece
to lead things off, Jessica Moffett does what is essentially an excuse to
draw Brianna in a bunch of costumes (and occasionally naked, but with naughty
bits blocked or blurred), and Hutchison does a cute little Peebo versus
Mischief & Mayhem piece.  Recommended.  $2.99/$4.05Cn


Gone Missing:
     Stuff that came out some places this week and that I wanted to buy, but
couldn't find for whatever reason, so people don't have to email me asking
"Why didn't you review X?"  (If it's neither here nor in the section above,
though, feel free to ask, I might have forgotten about it!) 

     Current list as of 10/18:

     Still missing Keif Llama V2.1, Stinz Tribals (which Diamond's system
says "will come in" June 14, and nothing else), Gold Digger Perfect Memory
v5, Gold Digger Tangent #2, Devil's Panties #3, Elric #4, the Transformers
Beast Wars poster, Fred Perry's S-Guild #1, the Amelia Rules TPBs, Ninja High
School #142, Dr. Debunko: the Short Stories.  Add Devil's Panties #5,
Transformers Spotlight: Nightbeat.


Awards:

Best Books: None.  Mind you, last week there were three, so it averages out.

"Brand of Bothers" Award to 1602 Fantastick Four #2 (of 5)

"Won't Somebody Think Of The Children?" Award to Ms. Marvel #8

"Kung Fu Grip" Award to Cable & Deadpool #33

"What's Your Victor, Vector?" Award to Marvel Adventures Avengers #6

"Got Milk?" Award to X-Factor #12

"Care For A Yoo Hoo Instead?" Award to 52 #24 (of 52)

"Doggin' It" Award to Shadowpact #6

"When Conan Saves You From Bandits, You're Not Exactly SAVED Per Se" Award 
     to Conan #33

"Seriously, A Closeup Of The Foot?  Gah!" Award to Transformers: Stormbringer
     #4 (of 4)

"Opus Jei" Award to Ninja High School #143

"An Abuse Of Holographic Technology" Award to Gold Digger Halloween Special
     #2

   Dave Van Domelen, "Now Hulk SMARTEST there is!" - Marvel Adventures Avengers #6