Scouring out the weekly singles scene … in comics!
Greeting, true believers! Oh, wait, is that taken? Anyway, I’m sure that some of you were concerned about last week’s lack of a SERIOUS ISSUES, I didn’t buy any comics last week due to a lack of funds. It happens sometimes, especially when the median price for a new issue of a comic book is two dollars and ninety-freakin’-nine cents. Not to get too “old man” on your ass, but when I first started buying comics, back when I was a plucky young lad of five, circa 1984, I remember them being 65 cents. I go in with about $3 or $4 and I could get a NEW DEFENDERS, a PETER 
PARKER, the odd issue of US 1, maybe a copy of ATARI FORCE and still have enough left over for a 16 oz. Pepsi in a glass bottle and one of those tasty cherry Hostess fruit pies that the Hulk would tout after defeating the dastardly pie-snatching crook.
Now I’m lucky if I can get buy without spending 20 or 30 bucks for about five or six single issues. Honestly, why are they so expensive? What’s the reason? That slick, glossy paper? Because really, what was wrong with that wonderful-smelling pulp? If I were a more powerful man, I’d start a movement to get comics back to at least $1.25. More people would by more comics because they’d have more money to spend on new things – comics wouldn’t last just a few issues if they were affordable enough for people to get hooked on them. When you spend $2.99 on a issue that sucks – BLADE, I’m looking in your direction – you’re not too likely to want to blow that dough on another one. But for $1.25 an issue, I’d be willing to subscribe and be happy about it. I’d even write a letter to the letters page. Your thoughts?
SHE-HULK #12 (Marvel) Is there anyone who is not reading SHE-HULK? It’s quite possibly not only the best book Marvel is putting out, but also the funniest. Very rarely does that printed word make me laugh out loud. Usually, a silent feeling is what I get – I know it’s funny, but it doesn’t elicit an outward reaction that would let others know it. SHE-HULK rectifies that. At least once an issue it delivers a hearty, full-on guffaw. The past few issues have dealt with Starfox, the interstellar sexual-harrasser also known as Eros, and how he used his sexy powers to convince Jennifer, aka She-Hulk, that she’s in love with John Jameson, who’s now in semi-permanent Man-Wolf mode. In this issue, she’s been whisked away to Titan and has been made a part of the Living Tribunal in the universal case against Starfox. Just when it looks like the Fox might get off (no pun intended), his brother Thanos, who’s in a pretty happy mood, shows up and practically damnifies Starfox by claiming that it was him that made Thanos fall in love with Death. To be continued…
ZOMBIE #1 (Marvel MAX) I just bought the new ESSENTIAL TALES OF THE ZOMBIE trade, featuring Marvel’s zombie anti-hero Simon Garth in his various, “mature readers” adventures. Keeping in line with this reprisal, Marvel’s mature line MAX reintroduces Simon Garth as a timid bank teller dealing with a zombie outbreak in the new miniseries ZOMBIE. It’s a fun, albeit predictable read, that while covering no new ground in horror comics, is at least a noble attempt at a balls-out horror read. I’ll keep reading it, but I’m sure most of you’ll want to pick it up when it’s collected in a trade.
STAN LEE MEETS THE AMAZING SPIDER MAN #1 (Marvel) I thought this might be a fun little lark. It’s the first in a series commemorating Stan Lee’s 65 years at Marvel, and while it’s justifiably entertaining enough, it’s still kind of a lame idea, as Stan Lee – who, while I completely respect for creating some of the greatest comics of all time, I can only take in small doses when he’s doing his self-referential thing – meets up with some of Marvel’s heroes, this time being Spidey. The first story has Spider-Man, tired of crime fighting for no gain, talk to Lee, asking him why he has to do this. Lee pep-talks him and Spidey gets back into the groove, but the whole this is just kind of blah. Better is Joss Whedon’s hilarious tale about an “interdimensional comic-con” where different-but-same comic dealers and fans from alternate universes get together to discuss the differences in each of their respective world’s comic heroes. I would love it if this was an ongoing series. AMAZING FANTASY becomes AMAZING REALITY, the Fantastic Four becomes the Normal Four and Gwen Stacy dies of shingles. A great story from beginning to end. The book also includes a throwaway Fred Hembeck two-pager and a nice little reprint of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #87 that, while fun to read, acts as only filler to justify the $3.99 price tag. I’ll probably skip the next in the series, STAN LEE MEETS DR. STRANGE.
Next week: ANT-MAN! DORK! ROAD TO HELL! And another company putting out a Freddy comic?!? Whudafxup? –Louis Fowler
