The Bill December 8, 2010

I heard rumors this week that there might have been a delay on my books. Lucky for all of us, nothing can stop the awesomeness of my pull list. Well that and it was only four books long. Whatevs, I'll take it. Wanna see what I thought of em? Too bad, we're doing this anyway.



Best Anthology of the Week:

I Am An Avenger # 4
Writers: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Sean McKeever, Colleen Coover, Lucy Knisley
Artists: Sara Pichelli, Mike Mayhew, Colleen Coover, Lucy Knisley


I've said this before, but I'll say it again: I want more anthology series like this, it's everything I want from a series like this and more.

The best way to describe my feelings would be to contrast this series with Marvel's more recent attempts. A few years ago they tried to revive Marvel Comics Presents, and it was a complete failure. While they had a few interesting ideas (and only one that I can think of off hand: Hellcat), everything about the book felt off. The art was wonky, the stories were padded, and it just generally felt like something very missable.

After learning their lesson, Marvel seemed to have tried again with the Age of Heroes anthology earlier this year. Faithful readers (all two of you) might remember I had issues with that series. Mainly that I felt cheated after each issue. Most of the stories were just there to set up future books, and the ones I really wanted to read were just a waste of newsprint.

I Am An Avenger solves all those problems. This time around they've opted to tell stories that 'mean something', but aren't essential to your understanding of the general Marvel Universe. It's full of those great little 'filling in the gaps' stories and generic fun, goofy stories that just make you happy to be a comics fan.

It's a fantastically fun series that, unfortunately, comes to an end next month. Hopefully Marvel learns from this book though, and uses it as a model for all their anthologies from here on.



Branching Out Book of the Week:

Lady Mechanika #1
Writer/Artist: Joe Benitez


What? I wanted to add a little spice to my All-Marvel pull list. It's not like I bought this just because it had steampunk chick with big boobs and a gun on the cover. It didn't hurt though...

Anyway, this book follows the adventure of a steampunk cyborg in her steampunk paradise while she's on the trail of steampunk mystery. Did I mention that steampunk is involved? Because it is. Steampunk that is.

Don't get me wrong I dig steampunk as much as the next guy, in moderation. this book, meanwhile, goes a little nuts with the idea and it's kind of a problem. It's so excited about steampunk, it becomes a parody of the the thing it's trying to glorify. It's kind of adorable.

Aside from it's over-exuberance, the book really isn't that bad. The art's gorgeous, the mystery is intriguing enough, and there's a shocking lack of gratuitous 'sexy lady' shots. If not for that overly sexy cover, it'd be a pretty respectable book for Aspen.

I haven't decided yet if I want to stick around for the second issue, but the fact that I'm thinking about it is a good sign. Regardless, it's nice to have something other than only Marvel in my pile of books, makes me feel like a more rounded comic fan.




And that's all she wrote for this week. Here's hoping next week I won't have to worry about my books getting to the store or not.