3 blondes and a redhead

Got in 4 comics on the train ride to NY.
Hope you all are getting tickets to New York Comiccon-- it turns out I'll be doing a session during the professional time on "Creating a mini-con at your library (or in your community)". Can you dig it??

Air 4
The story continues with Blythe, bird snakes, wishing for Zayn. After issue 3, I nearly gave up on Air, but the story is imaginative and unusual enough by G. Willow Wilson to hang on. The art by MK Perker is vivid and expressive. I always want to support Vertigo titles, so I'll stay with Air. Enjoyed the bird naturalist cover this issue.

Buffy, Season 8, issue 19
Phillygirl and I admitted to not truly understanding Season 8, and what is going on, despite being huge Buffy fans. I think it was the delay and the time jump-- this issue with a future (bad) Willow and Buffy choices helped it gel better for me. Fray is spotlighted again.

Spider-Man loves Mary Jane 4
COVER BY: TERRY MOORE
WRITER: TERRY MOORE
PENCILS: CRAIG ROUSSEAU
A cyber-bully website trashing Mary Jane appears, and MJ wonders who hates her so much. The writing continues to be cute, teenagey. I have to say the cross hatches on MJ's face in the interior this issue bugged me. It made her look wrinkly to me -not the look they want for a teenage MJ!



Jack of Fables
Simply the best dialogue in all of comics right now, Sturges and Willingham continue to hit the mark with the rogue Jack. Part of 1 of 5 involves a war at Golden Boughs, the Page sisters, Book Burner, Revise-- and Jack being their leader?

a few

Back to Brooklyn 2 CBR review
Garth Ennis, Jimmy Palmiotti and Mihailo Vukelic
CBR gives BtB a review of "mediocre", I'd say it's a little bit of a formula, but still different enough to warrant purchase.
Bob, Maggie Mahoney take refuge at their childhood store with great Egg Creams, while planning to take down his brother Paul, Paul the Wall. The characters are developing, although I had to flip a few times to figure out who was who. The art is the unique photo-realistic painting. B at the comic store even thinks Maggie looks like me (although I would not wear a red shirt tied in a knot, for sure).

Tiny Titans 9
The monkey issue! "Eventually, it happens to everyone in this universe"

Also read: Spider-Man loves Mary Jane 3
Terry Moore, Craig Rousseau
It's always nice to a see a cover where a girl isn't tied up or sexpotting.

To read pile: My Name is Bruce, The Boys 24, Justice Society 20, House of Mystery 7, Air 3, Rex Libris 13

Have a great weekend kids!

Trinity plus 19 equals the end

Happy Halloween superheroes! Batgirl is in the closet this year, but there's always next...

I think I gave it a very fair shot, buying 19 of the Trinity issues, but that's the end of the line for me. I give Busiek credit on the writing to focus on the big 3, and the questions of what their relationship means to each other (and us). But it was always more of a chore to get to them -- maybe because I got 3 or 4 at a clip. Bagley's art is great, real and not explotative also.

I did not like the 1/2 Trinity story up front and 1/2 second story. It really interrupted my flow of reading . So, I'll probably buy the trades for the library when they are available.

I'm finding myself more and more outside the Marvel and DC mainstream these days. My only Marvel purchase was Spider-Man loves Mary Jane 3, and DC I got Secret Six 2 and JLA.

Two Moore and more

Read two Terry Moore titles-

Spider-Man loves Mary Jane #1 returns with Terry Moore at the helm. It's an artist (Craig Rousseau) and writer change, so it might take some time to adjust. MJ is now a sophomore, still friends with Peter Parker and Liz, and in drama.

Echo - Do you want a character driven story? Pristine black and white art? Government conspiracy and the girl on the run story? Please check out the Echo story line. I believe a trade will be coming soon if you haven't bought the floppies. Let's support more than just space war cross overs.
Echo #5 review

Trinity 9 and 10
More of the Trinity puzzle is revealed, and the Crime Syndicate appears. I did enjoy the Oracle and Nightwing interchanges.

I've been sleeping a lot because I've been fighting sinuses, and watching some Olympics. Plus, lots of preparing for this Saturday's MidJersey Comicon! We have a full house of dealers, indie creators, professional creators, Star Wars fan force, door prizes...now if we just get some people in the doors all will be happy!

Ask, and a librarian will tell you where to go

After all the positive connections in the last few years between the comic and the library world, there was not one, but TWO panels in the past two weeks that were negative to libraries and librarians.

Library offense 1: Black Canary 1
"a librarian or whatever blessedly boring thing you like-".

Writer Tony Bedard should spend a week at the reference desk with me. There are some moments where it can be quiet, but it is not blessedly boring. This week for instance, several known patrons are all over the press for being involved in Bloods and Crips drive by shootings. Summer reading programs, computer classes, business assistance, displays, movies, program planning, and more were packed into my six day week. I hate this stereotype that libraries are shushed places where the staff just drinks tea and reads classic literature at their damn desk!

Library offense 2: from one of my favorite writers, Sean McKeever on SpiderMan Loves Mary Jane 20:

I hate the false reinforcement that libraries have been replaced by the internet. In fact, visit a public library in the United States and you'll find they are being used more heavily each year. The Internet has led to dramatic increases in the circulation of all library information services and materials in ways that extend the use of those services well beyond the walls of the brick and mortar building.

I know that in every catagory- from the people counter to computer usage to program attendance- my public library has grown, sometimes with dramatic numbers. We know Peter Parker is a nerdy scholar, and maybe McKeever is even wink-winking this, but I know some people will take this at face value as fact.

And on his last SMLMJ issue! He does make up for it in this redhead lovin' panel: