Days without Superman, Spiderman, other supes

A few non-superhero comics worth your time and hard earned money--

Mr. Stuffins 2
“My teddy bear’s a secret agent!” In this issue, the action continues as Mr. Stuffins fights for his family with all the power a plush toy can. Chaos, fun, and mayhem ensue, from the creator of EUREKA Andrew Cosby and EUREKA writer Johanna Stokes with art from hot newcomer Axel Medellin! Series Features “A” covers By MOUSE GUARD’s David Petersen.

Pride and Prejudice
IT is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife… Tailored from the adored Jane Austen classic, Marvel Comics is proud to present PRIDE AND PREJUDICE!

Back to Brooklyn (5 issues)
The controversial over the top crime thriller is finally collected! Big Bob Saetta made the biggest mistake of his life by pissing off his brother, one of the biggest and most brutal crime bosses in New York City. This is the story of two brothers at war, wrapped in a special package of extreme language and hardcore violence. Join award winning writer GARTH ENNIS (Preacher, The Punisher), JIMMY PALMIOTTI (Jonah Hex, Painkiller Jane) and artist MIHAILO VUKELIC on an adrenaline ride that rips the roof off Brooklyn’s criminal underworld!

Air (Air issue #11 out July 15)
Written by G. Willow Wilson; Art and Cover by M.K. Perker
Collecting the story that started it all, from AIR # 1 - 5! Blythe knew it was a risky time to be an airline stewardess, but the skies might be much more dangerous than anyone imagines. She's just learned of the Etesian Front – vigilantes dedicated to take the skies back from terrorism.

The Sword

Read #1 for free!
It was a day like any other for Dara Brighton, a promising young college student, until three strangers knocked on her door, looking for a unique sword, and destroyed her life.

Echo (Trades 1 and 2 available)
Terry Moore is back with a new series, and this time he's going nuclear! Julie Martin is taking photographs in the desert when she witnesses a massive explosion in the sky. Covered in the bizarre, metallic fallout, she races home to find a chunk of the mercury-like metal came with her. When the metal becomes attached to her skin, Julie is unaware that she is host to a new symbiotic technology: a living bomb! The first printing of this issue will feature a special silver-embossed cover!

House of Mystery (Trades 1 and 2 out)
Written by Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham; Art by Luca Rossi, Ross Campbell, Sean Murphy, Zachary Baldus, Steve Rolston and Jill Thompson; Cover by Sam Weber "

Welcome to the House of Mystery! Filled with peculiar, otherworldly characters from all walks of life, this series from Matthew Sturges (JACK OF FABLES) and Bill Willingham (FABLES) focuses on five people trapped in the reality-warping House of Mystery, a supernatural bar where tales are the legal tender and only the finest storytellers are patrons!

Jack of Fables (Trades 1-6 available)
Written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Art by Tony Akins and Jose Marzan, Jr. ; Cover by Brian Bolland
When Bookburner's army attacks Revise's compound, Jack returns not as a prisoner but as Commander-in-Chief. In this new title collecting issues #28-32 of Jack's monthly series, secrets are revealed, including the strange relationships between Jack and the Page sisters.

The Literals (3 issues of Fables crossover)
Written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Art by Mark Buckingham and Andrew Pepoy Cover by Mark Buckingham
"The Great Fables Crossover" part 9 of 9! In this issue it's all over. No, we don't just mean that the big crossover event is over, we mean it's all over for the universe and everyone in it. Kevin Thorn, the Literal embodiment of storytelling, wants to rewrite the universe, beginning again with a new blank page. In this issue he gets his wish. What more is there to say?

DMZ (issue #43 July 15th)
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Written by Brian Wood; Art by Ryan Kelly; Cover by John Paul Leon"No Future" continues, tracking the inner workings of the DMZ's notorious death cult from its more mindless and random street actions to the more sophisticated operations that betray its thug exterior.

DMZ and Air

DMZ #40

First of all, it's great that DMZ continues to be a series at Vertigo. Issue 40, and going...and I think the trades sell well so keep it going! With 100 bullets ending at Vertigo, and Y long gone, there are a few posts (like Fables) to hold up the franchise, plus the strong back titles, to bring in new series and talent.

Air #7 is only $1 if you are cheap bastard and want a way to jump in to the series. The trade for issues 1-5 is also out now to begin reading one of the most complex comic series out there.

In DMZ-- Matty transforms in this issue. Starting as the young, intern journalist dropped and stranded in the DMZ...to meeting all sides from Trustwell, military, Parco Delgado's nation. He begins to question what he wants from the experience and the people he has 'served'. He grows up and we'll see where he heads in the future.

giving you Vertigo

Vertigo panel 2/6/09
New monthlies (floppies), some for $1 to start, new graphic novels...

Notes:
Mike Carey- The Unwritten Lucifer team, in May, $1 for 32 issues
Hellblazer- Peter Milligan came out a few weeks ago
Daytripper- Moon and Ba, Brazil, struggle between fathers and sons
Unknown Soldier- 7th issue, new arc, good place to pick up, trade in summer

DMZ- Zee one shot
The Nobody- May- invisible man updated in a small Maine fishing village
Air- issue7- why Blythe in Zahns body
Bang/Tango- lobster gave up life of hitman to tango

100 Bullets- normal funny but crochety Brian Azzarello would reveal nothing about the last issues "you'll get 99 and like it" Thoughts on 100 Bullets "It's done. Thanks"

Gone to Amerikay- original GN, Colleen Doran on art Irish immigrants turn of 2 centuries
House of Mystery 13- 4 stories, each drawn by diff artists- Neil Adams, Aragones, Powell..one I didn't catch
Madame Xanadu- 1945 #11-15 designing her lair
Seaguy- Morrison, 3 different versions?

Cuba: One Story- Dean Haspiel GN, fiction memoir, very personal collaboration, out next year How to Understand Israel in 60 days of Less- GN Sara Glidden popular mini comic artist about her trip and prep for Israel, next year or so out

Luna Park GN coney island
Greek Street- Milligan, greek mythology tied into Greek Street London starring Eddie $1 for oversized issue
Fables prose book
Absolute V and Death
Jack of Fables and Fables- crossing into each others books, Jack Frost, Jack babysits Bigby and Snow Whites cubs

8 of 52 issues

(Trinity 9 out this week)

I read some comics on the train to NY, where Shoreturtle ran an amazing 1/2 marathon!
It was so cool to see him run through Times Square, only a block from our sweet hotel, The Muse.
Run Photos of Central Park, Times Square, and West Side Hwy to Battery Park. Then visitor L from VA came up last night for some food, talk, and Wii carnival games.

I've been sort of wishy-washy on Trinity, but read 6- Trinity 8 together-- maybe the way to read them is to bunch a few together instead of the weekly taste. Busiak adds a lot more than just the normal wallop punch, including thoughts on the nature of the three: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman. What do people think of them? Their relationship to each other? And the tarot card reader, Morgaine, and Enigma stories are starting to gel. Guess I'll keep buying.

DMZ 31 is part 3 of the Blood in the Game storyline. Democratic elections in the DMZ, interference and murder from Trustwell Corporation..a highly charged time as election day comes around.

Justice Society 17 contains a cute scene with redhead Maxine, and a monkey. It continues the Gog storyline. Sadly, I've never read Kingdom Come so I'm outside this one a bit.

Reading Fables 9: Sons of Empire, the last trade the library owns until 10, The Good Prince arrives.

Snow day

Snow! Over 5 inches, letting me use the snow thrower we got 2 years ago for the first real time. It was my regular day off, so I cleaned some, watched Michael Clayton, played Wii.

Tomorrow shoreturtle will be diving in the ocean for the Polar Plunge!

DMZ 28 Soames
It seems that DMZ has been these standalone issues for a year. I miss a singular story of Matty's experience in the war and the DMZ. The stories are well written and drawn, and even poignant at times, but I just want to get back into the characters I know.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 11 A Beautiful Sunset
Buffy's distance from others is highlighted here. I barely remembered the kiss that woke her, but apparently it was from Satsu, a slayer. I love her dialogue with Xander. Dawn is still a giant, but Xander threw a party to let off slayer steam. An unrevealed villian tries to "strip her of her greatest armor...her moral certainty" I can be the gushing fangirl, but reading the letters column to Joss-- those are some gushers!

Chi G

Blog this, Pal! Gordon is just as he appears to be on his blog- literate and funny. We talked a good two hours- interruptions to meet some of the many running bloggers that were there for the marathon. G and I have different reading tastes with some crossover. At least he seems to care about a good story most of all. I couldn't admit to him I've never seen a single Doctor Who (new or old). Does that make me a nerd outlaw? I have also never seen a whole episode of MASH, but I think I saw the MASH movie.

Some recent comic reading--
Confessions of a Blabbermouth
Written by Mike Carey and Louise Carey; Art and Cover by Aaron Alexovich

Another fun and sassy GN from the DC Minx line. I have enjoyed the three Minx titles I've read (also The Plain Janes and Clubbing). A library assistant here has two teen girls, and she raves about how they have loved my suggestions for these books. She said their Clubbing copy is all beat up due to use. I just suggested they try Runaways, and the word is they love that too. Go librarian fangirl!
This one is yet another British girl named Tasha with big opinions- that she channels into her 'Blabbermouth' blog. The main story involves her mom dating a new guy, and dealing his daughter who starts as the new girl at Tasha's school. Fun black and white art and Mike Carey shared writing with his 15 year old daughter Louise.

Birds of Prey 110
Written by Tony Bedard; Art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood;
An adequate and mildly amusing one shot starring Huntress and Oracle. The BOP tryout stories were amusing. Waiting for a new team and stories to gel, and still mad at Bedard regarding the Knockout.

Justice League 13
Written by Dwayne McDuffie; Art by Joe Benitez and Victor Llamas;
McDuffie takes over the Meltzer story, and the Injustice League fights the JLA. I would like less Vixen. I don't like Black Canary's face, but at least Benitez isn't too pornified in his art of the women. I do like the Doctor Light smackdown for 'what you did to Sue Dibny'.

DMZ Decade Later

Brian Wood doesn't tie war up in a nice shiny bow. This standalone story about a tagger in the city who just tried to stay out of the war-- and how war comes to him.

One more night of work. Hoping to continue to unpack boxes, maybe visit my new backyard for once, and catch up on tivo'd shows and reading.

You play with words, you play with love...

PrivateEye- my librarian coworker went to a session on searching for personal information, and this site has interesting results. You might see your name, different places you lives, and who your possible relatives and roommates are. Find family, neighbors, friends!

Zabasearch- this site returns phone numbers, addresses, and makes a map to your house. Also, some results give birth month and year.

With mom visiting, I am again about 2.5 weeks behind in comics. I read DMZ No. 18, and I have to say that I did not like the art of Nathan Fox. Faces are really exaggerated teeth and ugly lines. Mostly I think it's the mix of Ricardo Burchelli's art, gritty and realistic compared to the Fox art. The story of a young soldier caught in the DMZ and now on a 'show trial' after a massacre does add a level of compassion for the pressures of being a soldier. Started reading the She-Hulk, where Shulkie and Tony Stark, have a 'private meeting'...

March and April referrals, a sample:
female criminal redhead
dirty minds comic
Great Lakes Initiative
spain fingerless glove
nightcrawler parents
"love bkv"
why does he love redheads so much?
Atom fictional superhero in the DC comics universe who can alter the size and density of his body
yes, you are very beautiful when you cry
derivation irish temper
pearl jam bat wings
redhead zombies
where does spider-man take his wife, MJ, on vacation
white lion pride
redhead oracle 300 the movie
small scottish hands
linda blair zapped
redhead in cannonball run 2
Barda from BOP
scruffy looking nerf herder
All the kick ass girls have red hair. They are independent, passionate, mysterious, and sexy
how to make pajama pants
sad lana lang

Spidey's load

Marvel is really bonkers regarding Spidey these days. In Spider-Man: Reign, Peter finds he has killed Mary Jane with his 'radioactive fluid'. Really? I know Quesada and the editors at Marvel have been wanting to jettison the marriage-- but biohazard spunk? A new low for a beloved character, and Marvel. I think I'd like to add that fluid to the Cup-O-Joe.

Bryan pointed out this much better fate for Mary Jane: as little red-riding hood.
SPIDER-MAN FAIRY TALES #1
Written by C.B. Cebulski & David Sexton
Art and cover by Ricardo Tercio
In the tradition of X-Men Fairy Tales, Marvel makes its move on melding more modern myths, starting with Spider-Man! Our friendly neighborhood becomes a quaint village and Mary Jane fills the shoes of another famous red-head in this premiere issue as the tale of Little Red Riding Hood is retold with superhero sensibilities!

Recent reads:
DMZ 15 continues with an insurgent storyline, involving US peacekeepers, the Army, and UN. "Trustwell Corporation. Terrorism for hire. Stumbled onto a big and difficult story." I guess I miss the more photojournalism aspects of the story , while Matt is in deep cover. My enjoyment of this comic is waning.

She-Hulk 15
"Hope it's you Bruce. I'm Hulk-lite. Hulk with half the calories." Jennifer struggles against Hulk villians, like the Abomination, and as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent.

Fell 7 was a single police interview room story, with a scumbag murderer getting off due to a defense lawyer. I did like the appearance of a redhead DA- Templesmith's art and is so dark and scratchy, with some shocking color as contrast.

Walking Dead 34 has Rick, Michonne and a few from the Gov camp on route to the prison. Things have changed there, as the final panels show. Next issue should reveal more, but while I'm interested, on WD it's more a mild interest.