Comics for May 18 (no First Looks)

[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.
Didn't see any black squirrels today.  Rants, Capsules can be found on my 
             homepage, http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/Rants 

                           R.I.P. Frank Gorshin

First Looks:
     Every so often, I'll have the time (either while waiting for comics to
be sorted on Wednesday, or over the weekend) to pull out my PDA and type up
reviews of the stuff I read out of the First Looks pile.  Books I end up
buying will be moved down to the Capsules section on Wednesdays.  If I don't
give it a recommendation, I'm probably not buying it.
     If I read the First Looks on Wednesday, I won't include them in the next
week's review.  But if I don't get around to them until the weekend, I'll
include them in the next regular post.

     None this time.  Spent the day up in Marysville visiting my brother, who
was passing through with the Glenn Miller Orchestra.  Might do these on
Saturday or Sunday.


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.

     Teen Titans #24: DC - Two things hurt this issue.  One, the utterly
cliche nature of the main conflict (cliches aren't automatically bad, but
Johns does not demonstrate in this issue that it isn't).  Two, a major
Outsiders plot point that's been running through pretty much that entire
series is revealed here, making this the bad sort of crossover.  Otherwise,
decent.  Mildly recommended.  $2.50/$3.50Cn
     eXiles #64: Marvel - Very clever payoff to the big mystery of "why
Beak?", and a few more details from the main payoff last issue are nailed
down.  Recommended.  $2.99/$4.25
     Thunderbolts v2 #8: Marvel - Ah, the dance of morality continues.
Nicieza shows that, unlike some writers, he's paying attention to the world
outside his book, and Grummett does his usual good job.  Recommended.
$2.99/$4.25Cn
     Livewires #4 (of 6): Marvel - The big target is revealed, and it's
nicely creepy as well as being one of those "surprised it hasn't happened
several times already" things.  Recommended.  $2.99/$4.25Cn
     Conan #16: Dark Horse - The narrative conceit returns this issue, if
only to remind us of the metastory.  :)  This is a pretty solid "early Conan"
story, in which he learns that there are things he should learn, and resolves
to do it the fastest way possible.  Heh.  Recommended.  $2.99
     Heaven Sent #10 (of 11): Antarctic Press - Penultimate issue, and it's
the emotional climax of the series...really, it's all over except the butt-
whuppin' now.  Recommended.  $2.99/$4.05Cn
     NHS #128: Antarctic Press - Eh, some good gags here and there, but
overall just didn't work for me.  After the more soap-opera-ish character
stuff from Bevard and Bair, the wacky hijinks with iffy characterization just
didn't work for me.  Mildly recommended.  $2.99/$4.05Cn
     Bugtown #5 (of 6): Aeon - I love it when a plan comes together...or
explodes into pieces, which is about the same thing in Bugtown.  The guided
tour style is completely gone now, and the plot's the thing.  Recommended.
$2.95/$4.25Cn 

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 5/11:

     Savage Henry Puppet Trap, Savage Henry Powerchords #2, Flare #2 and #0,
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures v1 TPB, Essential Luke Cage v1.

Awards:

Best Book: Conan #16

"Painted Doxy" Award to Teen Titans #24

"With A Little Help From My Friends" Award to eXiles #64

"Shaky Morality" Award to New Thunderbolts #8

"The Unsound And The Fury" Award to Livewires #4 (of 6)

"I Think I'll Take The Inn" Award to Conan #16

"Doesn't Mean You Have To Throw Your Body Off A Building" Award to Heaven
     Sent #10 (of 11)

"Eyes On The Prize" Award to NHS #128

"That's Me All Over" Award to Bugtown #5 (of 6)

   Dave Van Domelen, there's a really good line from the end of eXiles #64, but it'd be a major spoiler. So, instead, here's one from random AIM flunky in Livewires: "Good thing my suit's already yellow...!"

Edit: Gah, missed Spidey/Human Torch. Store was really late in putting books out, and I left after I'd grabbed what I thought were all my books. Will review next week.