Gint's 2-4-15 Pull-List Review

I suppose if your Pull-List contains 9 books, you're hedging your bets that not all of them are going to be good. Law of averages and all that. Sure, we had some weak entries, but even the week's high finishers weren't all that incredible.

Ninth Place:

Superman #38

Whoo boy. This past week, headlines floated all over comic book websites calling out Superman's new power, and even his new costume. Spoiler alert: his new costume is the same as the New 52 version... maybe with less intricate linework? Its not really clear.

As far as the new power goes (and I hate disliking things Geoff Johns does) but its a "super flare." Superman is now able to unleash all the solar energy his body stores up in one big explosion. I get how this could be possible using comic book science, but is it necessary? One of the biggest complaints about Superman is he's too powerful. Now you're giving him the ability to be a solar bomb?! I guess they try to cut this with the fact that after he uses this completely unnecessary power, he's human for a couple days. Maybe just make him more human from the start?

Its blatantly clear that DC has no clue about this character any more. Maybe they can send him to Marvel and see if they can make him good. Because DC clearly can't.

Eighth Place:

Green Lantern #39

Remember all the glowing things I said about last months Green Lantern? Well, I take them all back. At least most of them.

Green Lantern should be about, well... Green Lantern. It should focus on the main character, which is Hal Jordan. I get the idea that Robert Venditti has been trying this, but eventually the book turns into a Corps book, that has more to do with the entire Green Lantern Corps, than it does Hal Jordan. Even through Geoff Johns' expansive run, he managed to keep the focus on Hal.

What looked like a promising story about Hal kicking it on Earth for a while has now become the same old back in space, Corps-centric business its been for a while. Also, Billy Tan is back on pencils and he can't draw Hal Jordan's hair to save his life. Unless he's intentionally saying Hal can't get a good haircut in space.

Seventh Place:

Wytches #4

Allow me to apologize for blaming bad artwork on Jock. Its actually colorist Matt Hollingsworth that is mucking up panels with purposefully placed ink splashes to give this book an ethereal "what's real and what isn't" quality. Well, I don't like it.

This issue you get a really good look at just how fucked up Charlie Rooks (the dad) is. The story flashes back to a few years ago to when, in a drunken stupor, Charlie makes his daughter Sailor climb to the highest car on a stopped ferris wheel. Read that again. This whole revelation takes some of the sympathy away from ol' Charlie. Maybe he's reaping what he's sown? In writer Scott Snyder's favor, the conversation that leads to this feels very real world.

Snyder made some comments lately about how great it is that Wytches is doing so well and how it proves that the comic book medium and fan bases are changing and wanting new things and really allowing creators to step out of their comfort zone to try new things. That's all well and good, but I disagree. Its not that fans want new, different things, its that Wytches is a really good book. If Wytches tanked, I don't think he'd be so glowing.

Sixth Place:

Futures End #40

Brainiac has arrived. First sending sphere's down to Earth to likely create the dome in which to entrap New York, and then appearing himself. The cover by Ryan Sook makes me want to see some movie company get real ballsy and make a giant Brainiac or Galactus, or fuck, even do a proper Voltron. People aren't afraid of giant people/beings. It CAN be done.

This whole issue is spent seeing how our disparate teams are reacting to the global phenomenon of Brainiac arriving. While most of the heroes are handling different matters caused by the catastrophe, Superman goes right to the source. He finally man's up, dons the S again and looks to fuck someone's (Brainiac's) day up.

I'm not sure which artist has drawn the most issues, but this feels like Patrick Zircher's book to me. I love Aaron Lopresti, and some other artists have done good issues, but Zircher seems to be the guy, really putting his stamp on this book.

Fifth Place:

Hawkeye #21

I could makes jokes about how I forgot I was getting this book since its been so long since the last one, but I won't. Instead I will say this is the perfect example of a GREAT run on a book becoming less so because of late issues.

Where I was once invested by Matt Fraction and David Aja's story, now I'm just waiting for it to be over. This was a good issue, but any urgency and excitement has been killed by the delays. Its still the same creative team doing a bang up job, but this book has lost its swagger. It was kicking ass and taking names. Now its just strolling toward the finish line.

There's a great chance that once this is collected it reads as the greatest Hawkeye story ever told. Granted, not a lot of competition in that regard. But until then, these last two issues just feel like going through the motions compared to the electricity that surrounded this book when it kicked off.

Fourth Place:

Star Wars #2

If you prefer Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader to fight for the first time in The Empire Strikes Back, then this book is not for you. They have a little dust up, and if I believed this book was truly canon, it would be in the Flaming Trashcan.

Other than that, Jason Aaron's dialog for everyone but Vader was pretty spot on. Though some things echo reworded phrases from the Original Trilogy, you can hear these characters saying these things with ease. Han and Leia's banter in particular shines in this issue. So much so that I wish this book was just Han and Leia off on some mission.

I don't know if George Lucas would have gone the route of making Han, Luke & Leia (but mostly Luke) indirectly responsible for the deaths of a bunch of aliens, but you don't make an omelette without cracking some Rodians, am I right?

Third Place:

Detective Comics #39

One of the most interesting things about Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's run on this book is the relationship between Harvey Bullock and Batman. Harvey HATES Batman. Passionately. He does very little to hide it. Batman knows it, and doesn't give a fuck. He's even amused by it.

Anarky, on his own, isn't a very interesting character. But, if you involve him in something with the Mad Hatter and a bigger conspiracy, then he's okay. That's what's happening here. Anarky and Hatter are in cahoots (whether Hatter knows it or not) to cause chaos in Gotham. And as of this issue, they're winning.

@lildpressedmatt doesn't think the art in this book is anything special. He claims he even "found some chinks in the armor." I think he's an idiot. This art is as good and better than most run of the mill comics being churned out these days.

Second Place:

Nailbiter #10

Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson use this issue to wrap up the kidnapped students story and set up a little something else. Specifically, a murderous child. Murderous kids tend to be pretty creepy, on their own. Henderson does a great job illustrating this particular point.

I fear Nailbiter is going the way of Brian Azzarello's Wonder Woman: lots of story with no real resolution. Agent Finch has been in Buckaroo for fucking ever, and isn't any closer to finding out who tortured his former partner. Now I appreciate a slow burn as much as the next guy, but 10 issues in and I'd like to see something more in the way of advancement.

I really love almost everything about this book. I'm just ready for it to kick into its next gear. C'mon, boys, I know you have it in you.

First Place:
Saga #25

Its back! After what felt like 2 years away from the Pull-List, Saga is back for another arc. I'm really not sure what Brian K. Vaughan has planned for this story. I like the fact that it has consequences. He's not afraid to really put the screws to the characters in the book. When Hazel's "voiceover" says "it would be years before the two of us would see each other again," regarding her father, its such a bummer. And when a comic can elicit that kind of emotion, its doing its job.

I really like this cast of characters. Its spread out and this issue catches us up on where everyones at. It was a nice refresher course because I forgot a lot of things. You see, its been an long time since this book was last shipped.

But that's the power of Saga. Its gone for a few months, and you miss it, but when it comes back its like putting on a really messed up, other-worldly slipper.

Panel of the Week:

Creepy ass kids. Courtesy Mike Henderson and Adam Guizowski in Nailbiter.

-Gint