A Descent into Dullness

Man that is a big stack of comics.  And thats even with missing like four of them.  Starting with the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time.  With the boys ending up joining a crew of conditional pirates to fight some bad pirates.  Bad pirates who have anarchronistic speed boats and laser pistols...

Samurai Jack pays a return visit to his friend Soule the Seer, who has an idea for a mystic ritual centered on Jack's ancestral blade that could return him to his home time.  But first giant scorpions and devil dogs...

Marko and Alana's marriage hits some rocky shoals in Saga, Prince Robot has a meeting with King Robot and Dengo the Robot Revolutionary looks into making use of the illegitimate theater...

The Wicked & the Divine introduces the triple-Goddess of the Morrigan/Badb/Gentle Annie to go with Lord of Darkness, Baphomet...

Malcolm Dragon continues to be a mutated more Savage Dragon as he cleans house on the Vicious Circle.  Plus a back-up story of Vanguard and Friends in Spaaaaaaace...

Tomas and his fellow surviving anti-alien friends discover the secret to making their anti-alien gun work in the Saviors.  You just have to be high when you shoot an alien shapeshifter with it...

Brubaker & Phillips latest noir comic is the Fade Out, a late 40s decadent Hollywoodland story...

Two weeks and two issues of Knights of the Dinner Table.  They must have rushed one out so they wouldn't get knocked behind schedule by GenCon like normal.  Mostly still focusing on the Sword of Death & Destruction in-party conflict at the Knight's table.  But that looks to be spreading out and affecting the other groups.  Mostly because of the betting on the outcome and attempts to handicap said outcome...

Dark Horse Presents launches again with a new format and new #1 issue.  The price drops down to $4.99 but the page count drops to 56 pages as well.  Of course part of that launch is a new Big Guy & Rusty the Boy Robot short, as well as starting a new arc of Resident Alien...

And in addition to the regular Conan the Avenger where Conan hunts for a dangerous witch and has a falling out with his Princess boss/lover; there is also Groo vs. Conan where the pair meet for the first time and team-up to hunt the marauding swordsman known as Groo...

Adventure Time has Marceline and Bubblegum get driver's licenses and introduces the psychic danger of the Mnemonoid.  And Adventure Time: Banana Guard Academy has academy commandant Captain Banana Guard looking to force all those non-banana recruits to quit, since he can't just kick them out.  So its kind of like the first Police Academy movie but without a guy who makes funny sound fx just with his mouth...

And finally I didn't realize until just now that the Bee & Puppycat comic is an anthology featuring various writers and artists.  Don't know how I missed that for three issues...

New New Warriors with some Avengers attacking like jerks.  I don't like the current interpretation of Captain America as Commander Jerkass.  This is one case where I'd very much like to see the character move back towards the version in the film MCU...

Thanks to a friendly undead sorceror-king, King Conan gets the magic gemstone of McGuffin and heads back to his kingdom.  To gather a big ol' army for a royal ass-kicking..

Non-royal Conan the Avenger parts ways with his new witchfinder friend in order to take a job guarding a sexy arrogant princess.  Plus a nice speech from his dad in a flashback that a GM for old-school D&D can explain why barbarians won't adventure with wizards.  Because fuck wizards, thats why...

The Unwritten: Apocalypse has Tommy and his friends and family begin their quest for the Grail.  And Marionette lady and Ol' Man Killer make plans together...

Wonder Woman's eldest half-sibling, the Firstborn, continues to be a big violent, sulky baby even after conquering Olympus and Hades and I think the Ocean as well.  Next up, the Garden of Life.  Seriously, hes such an emo whiner...

Decided to get the singles for the new TMNT: Turtles in Time mini-series.  Mostly 'cause the first issue is done by Ross Campbell who draws an awesome Ninja Turtle and some great dinosaurs and brain aliens as well...

Aku's latest attack on Samurai Jack involves a gravity manipulating spherical robot.  You can guess how it works out...

In Adventure Time, PB explains to her people why they're all ghosts now.  And then Finn & Jake figure out how to defeat ghosts with ghosts thru the power of cooperation...

So it turns out the missing Prince Robot of Saga has been at the intergalatic whore house of Sextillion.  Which may be for the best as the social order in the Robot kingdom looks to be due for some shaking up...

Man, that is a lot of deaths in Invincible as Robot makes his play for global domination.  And I'm not talking nameless background people.  Like named, secondary characters.  Seriously when making plans, a sign they're stupid and wrong should be "How many of my closest friends will I have to murder?"

Malcolm Dragon continues in his father's footsteps of getting attacked by super-goons and then getting yelled at for the people caught in the spillover in Savage Dragon.  Plus his girlfriend's parents are still pushing her to date some nice Chinese boy...

Fatale closes in on its finale, with magic sex rituals and more revelations about Jo's past.  Awful, terrible revelations...

The Wicked & the Divine is a new series from Kieron GIllen and Jamie McKelvie.  The set-up here is that every 90 years, groups of "gods" reincarnate and hang around for several years, incarnated as teen-agers apparently...

And finally a new Alien Legion series from Chuck Dixon, Larry Stroman and Carl Potts.  Stroman's pencils look a lot tighter and more focused than the last thing I saw him do (probably a random issue of X-Factor).  Anyway, something Harkilon civil war something something refugees something.  All that matters as the Legionnaires of Nomad will be at the forefront wading hip-deep in the muck and blood before long.  I was dissapointed not to see the 'icks, who I'm pretty sure survived the last AL mini...

Been really slacking on these again.  Which does highlight how little DC/Marvel I'm buying as singles right now.  If I don't count Vertigo imprint books, its a single title from each right now.  Mainline DC just isn't putting out much I want to follow and Marvel's $4 per issue thing is becoming more and more of deal breaker.  Including on the title I'm still getting in singles, New Warriors.  I'm liking this relaunch.  The characters, Yost's dialogue, the High Evolutionary based initial arc.  All good.  But I still may switch to trade waiting like I'm doing on Superior Foes, Ghost Rider, She-Hulk and the Daredevil relaunch.  'Cause $4 for a 20 page book is bullshit...

At least from the Big Two.  I'm ok with that price point for twenty pages of transgender action/adventure for IDW's Samurai Jack.  Plus shinier paper.  Or even better, $4 for twenty-TWO pages like kaboom!'s Adventure Time and Adventure TIme: the Flip Side.  Four bucks for Finn & Jake mistaking a nucleur silo for a traditional dungeon?  Or teaming with LSP to try and rig a prom election to get a monkey to kidnap a lady painting?  I'm down with that...

Hunh, Wonder Woman is only twenty pages as well.  Didn't notice that happening.  Still its sticking at the three dollar price point.  Plus its more cross-title setting with DC, and WW mostly avoids the general ongoing DCU stuff...

The Unwritten gang continue to try and make their way across broken London while avoiding the constant war stories.  But they do find out that Pullman is behind the whole thing, all part of another plot by him to try and slay the Leviathan...

Charles and Edwin and Crystal manage to avoid damnation and death and such in Dead Boy Detectives.  And someone gets to burn down their school.  Sure it was accident.  Mostly an accident...

Knights of the Dinner Table sticks to concentrating on the ongoing return of the uber-sword story.  With Brian and Sara getting an offer from said mad sword...

I'm pretty sure I missed an issue of Pretty Deadly at some point here.  Because there is otherwise an awful big jump in the story before it reaches the climax of this first arc...

In Invincible Universe, the Lizard King learns a valuable lesson.  Just 'cause you alter a person's DNA to make them a reptile, doesn't necessarily mean an alignment change.  And then IU goes on hiatus.  Again.  Hopefully when it gets started again it will have the same title.  I'd say even money on whether or not that happens...

Fatale picks back up with Jo and Nick and soon enough everything is all obsession and murder and stolen magic eyeballs...

This issue of Prophet gives some back-story on plant person Hiyonhoiagn and his race the Kinnian.  Plus..well plus the normal hard to accurately and easily describe scifi weirdness...

I'm starting to wonder if Police Chief Higgens' drive to arrest Lobster Johnson is entirely in the cause of Law & Order...

King Conan returns to the sea in pursuit of the Heart of Ahriman, gets captured by slavers and meets some old friends amidst the rowers.  And just like that Amra the Lion is reborn...

Empowered: Internal Medicine is another one-shot.  With Warren teaming with Brandon Graham on this one.  Graham is pretty damn amazing drawing Emp and Ninjette doing super-surgery on an alien spaceship baby...

And another one-shot from Dark Horse, this time Beasts of Burden: Hunters & Gatherers.  With the animal guardians of Burden Hill facing off against an invisible giant lizard monster.    And ending with an alliance between the Crows and the Rats.  Who still have their Rat King...

And finally a new Dark Horse Presents.  The main things interest for my in this one would be the "Nexus" story, a Kel McDonald Revolutionary-era balloon crossing of the English channel and the monstery mystery story involving kids teamed with the ghost of Davey Jones...

I think this month definitely has the Untouchable Trio going over the line from amusing take on Games 4 Life to irritating, selfish assholes in Knights of the Dinner Table.  I also wish Dave had stuck to his planned adventure, 'cause Zombie Monkey Apocalypse sounds hells more interesting than Rise of the Uber Commando Apes...

Fatale opens with the band attempting to cover-up the latest death caused by Jo/Jane and ends with yet another mostly accidental death.  Plus a pile of corpses created by those hunting her...

While things are looking even grimmer for the remnants of humanity in Hinterkind, I do love the Sidhe Queen in this one...

And ending with a more positive book, in Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe.; Written by Dr. McNinja's Chris Hastings

I think this will be my last issue of the Poison Elves relaunch. Its not really bad, but its lacking the violent spark that Drew brought. Plus Luse and Bob is not a team-up I have any real interest in...

Davide Gianfelice is definitely a step up in art for Conan the Barbarian but the book itself seems to be spinning its wheels a bit at this point. I mean I'll see where this whole Belit and Conan go on a drug-fueled vision quest thing goes, but the book is on the bubble...

Wonder Woman on the other hand seems to be getting back into action, with Diana seeming more involved in her own book then she has since the Underworld Wedding arc. Also we find out that cyborg lady who has been hanging with the First Born is another of Zeus' bastards...

"Current" Jo is back for Fatale, though this issue is set during WW2 with her meeting Walter for the first time...

And lastly I grabbed Danielle Corsetto's big ol' Adventure Time: Playing With Fire one-shot. This is more like a short tpb than anything else. With a touching romantic story with Flame Princess and Jake and a Dragon-Witch and a dungeon maze...

The latest from Fatale is another past incarnation tale. This one a Western about a 'Black' Bonnie Smith female outlaw...

The Massive gives another glimpse at the disintegrating political structures. Taking a look at a war in South America over access to the agricultural Peruvian lands. And the effect that has on the multinational 9th Wave volunteers...

The Unwritten is back with Tommy in the Underworld and we find out how a certain foul bunny has apparently taken over...

And the new teen Miss America joins up with the others on Young Avengers, rescuing them from the seemingly returned Laufey. Leading to a visitation by her supposed to be dead moms...

Before I get to this light week of comics, I just have to say. The percentage of people dressing up their babies in order to score free candy was pretty high. I'd say for shame on that practice except it leads to cute babies dressed as Batman. Which is very daaaaaaw...

This week I finally got the latest Godzilla: the Half-Century War. With the international anti-monster force given a devastating loss during a '75 multi-monster battle in Ghana. With Big G going all out against Mothra, Rodan, Battra, Megalon, Ebirah and Hedorah. I only know a three of those. And thats if I'm right in thinking Hedorah is the Smog Monster. Also Stokoe's Rodan is more dragon-looking then dinosaur-looking...

And the only book I got from this week, issue nine of the second volume of Fatale. And things don't go well for poor Suzy as she gets caught by the Hollywood cult. And Miles begins to wonder about who, or what, Jo really is...

And now I have to go and figure out who to give all this left-over candy to...