Scouring out the weekly singles scene … in comics!

So most of the crew here at the BOOKGASM stable likes their trade paperbacks. And who can blame ‘em? A whole run of issues in a value-priced bunch! Whatta deal! And while I, too, subscribe to that notion, I feel like I have to go against the grain here and admit that I still buy individual issues. Sad to say, but not all comics are going to make it to the trade format and some are just worth buying anyway.

And that’s the purpose of this column: To tell you what’s worth buying because, dammit, that’s what I bought. If it sucks, I’ll tell you to avoid it, but if it’s great, then maybe I just might give you something extra to spend that $2.99 on.

ESCAPE OF THE LIVING DEAD: AIRBORNE #1 (Avatar) I like Avatar’s takes on the established New Line characters in their Freddy and Jason comics, so, on that strength, I picked up the first issue of their new LIVING DEAD mini, and, while it was written by one of the original cinematic LIVING DEAD masterminds John Russo, very little zombie action happens, but lots of hippies get naked and frolic. Not too scary. I’ll stick around for issue two, but if nothing happens, I’m quitting.

AMERICAN SPLENDOR #1 (DC/Vertigo) It’s good to see Harvey Pekar getting the respect he deserves with this new black-and-white miniseries featuring the splice-of-life stories that we’ve come to love from the curmudgeon. I’m sure most comic readers will be either baffled or annoyed by Pekar’s style of writing – in most of his stories, practically nothing happens, endings aren’t these big to-dos and no one is given glorified treatment – but to me, that’s almost the hardest storytelling of all. No embellishments, no punch lines – just the absurdity of day-to-day life. In this debut issue, Pekar relates stories of his parents getting Alzheimer’s, his insecurities with his foster daughter leaving the house without telling him and an airline’s new peanut bargains. Sure, this may sound boring to you, but for me, this is why I buy comics.

THE ESCAPISTS #3 (Dark Horse) A spin-off based on Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer-winning THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY, THE ESCAPISTS takes place more than 50 years later and deals with Maxwell Roth, a comics fan who buys the rights to the now-long-defunct and out-of-style Escapist and his attempts to bring the character back into the limelight. While I like it when the story does its behind-the-scenes look at trying to start a comic, writer Brian K. Vaughan falls into the trap of trying to mistakenly turn the Escapist into a real hero. This book doesn’t need it.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK #98 (Marvel) The CIVIL WAR-shunning Planet Hulk storyline is about to come to an end in this final arc, “Anarchy,” wherein the Jade Giant leads a rebellion against the totalitarian government that pits monsters together for fun. Admittedly, I’m lost half the time in this new arc, but really, this is one case where it doesn’t matter; this isn’t about story as much as it’s about wall-to-wall action and dammit, this title delivers. I’m eager to see what they have planned for issue 100.

THE LONE RANGER #1 (Dynamite) Speaking of Westerns, I am really liking Dynamite’s reimagining of the Old West standby, THE LONE RANGER. Like HEX, it’s gritty and not for kids, with a blood-splattered cover pretty much telling you what you’re in store for. While I am not too familiar with the origins of the original character, this incarnation is forged after a bloody ambush, and a chance meeting with a familiar sidekick on the last page makes this a new title that I’m definitely adding to my subscriptions list.

JONAH HEX #11 (DC) Let’s get this out into the open: JONAH HEX is the best book DC is putting out right now. I never thought I would be into Western comics, but it seems to make up a bulk of my buys now, all thanks to this title. What makes it work is that not only is each issue a self-contained story, but Hex is a pure, no-BS badass. In issue 11, he wants revenge against a cadre of circus freaks who have hung him, and this time he has a little help from El Diablo, who I’m sure was a goofy character in the ’50s or ’60s, but here, he’s a perfect antithesis for the troubled Hex. I can’t say enough about this title other than buy it now!

Next time: Blade! Army of Darkness! Ghost Rider! –Louis Fowler

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OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE SERIES:
• GIANT-SIZE HULK #1
• JONAH HEX: FACE FULL OF VIOLENCE
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS JONAH HEX: VOLUME ONE