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My Pretend Pull-List
posted Wednesday, 11 April 2007
I am not by nature a joiner.
I’m a lone wolf.
A solitary seal.
An isolated iguana.
A single sasquatch.
A companionless cow.
I’m sorry. I’ll stop now.
My point is that because of my inclination to avoid becoming a member of anything I probably do myself a disservice on a purely monetary level. Who knows how many dollars I could save if I actually got a Safeway’s Club Card or joined the legions of folks able to purchase mustard by the metric ton at Costco?
I am reminded of this each time I step inside a comic book shop and am asked if I am a member of their fine establishment. The truth is that given the amount of comics I now buy each month and the fact that I now tend to frequent the two same stores on a regular basis, I really have no justifiable reason not to take that plunge and enjoy the benefits of membership with at least one of them. Sure, it doesn’t help that the clerks at these stores inquire about my status with their employer each and every time I face them, even though they’ve all heard me say “nope!” so many times they should all be able to mimic it flawlessly enough to fool my closest friends and family, but I am beginning to question my unwillingness to take that one last step into permanent geekdom—creating my own personal pull list.
Not only would this allow me to save a few pennies with each purchase, but it would mean no longer having to worry about whether or not the issue of a particular comic I was looking forward to has been sold out around the entire city before I had a chance to pick it up (seriously you’d think there be one copy of Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #4 somewhere in a place with a population of a million freakin’ people!) Still, I suspect it could be a long while before I’m finally able to circumvent my own hardwiring and do what so many other sensible nerds have done before me.
In the meantime, I thought it might be fun just to pretend what comics would make my pull list, if I had one. Those of you who tend to “wait for the trade” might get some ideas about inevitable TPBs to pick up in the future and actually composing the list might inspire me to make it a reality.
Current DC Weekly Event Series:
52
Countdown
My point is that because of my inclination to avoid becoming a member of anything I probably do myself a disservice on a purely monetary level. Who knows how many dollars I could save if I actually got a Safeway’s Club Card or joined the legions of folks able to purchase mustard by the metric ton at Costco?
I am reminded of this each time I step inside a comic book shop and am asked if I am a member of their fine establishment. The truth is that given the amount of comics I now buy each month and the fact that I now tend to frequent the two same stores on a regular basis, I really have no justifiable reason not to take that plunge and enjoy the benefits of membership with at least one of them. Sure, it doesn’t help that the clerks at these stores inquire about my status with their employer each and every time I face them, even though they’ve all heard me say “nope!” so many times they should all be able to mimic it flawlessly enough to fool my closest friends and family, but I am beginning to question my unwillingness to take that one last step into permanent geekdom—creating my own personal pull list.
Not only would this allow me to save a few pennies with each purchase, but it would mean no longer having to worry about whether or not the issue of a particular comic I was looking forward to has been sold out around the entire city before I had a chance to pick it up (seriously you’d think there be one copy of Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #4 somewhere in a place with a population of a million freakin’ people!) Still, I suspect it could be a long while before I’m finally able to circumvent my own hardwiring and do what so many other sensible nerds have done before me.
In the meantime, I thought it might be fun just to pretend what comics would make my pull list, if I had one. Those of you who tend to “wait for the trade” might get some ideas about inevitable TPBs to pick up in the future and actually composing the list might inspire me to make it a reality.
Current DC Weekly Event Series:
52
Countdown
More than any other series this year, 52 is responsible for making me a steady comic book customer. A weekly series told in real time (each issue represents one of the 52 weeks in a year) 52 has had its ups and its downs since it started, but no matter what I thought of any particular installment, the latest issue was always the first comic I pulled out of the bag when I got home. That’s why I’m sad that only three more weeks remain before it’s conclusion. Luckily for me, DC has decided it’s on to something here and is starting another weekly series, Countdown, to follow immediately after 52 ends. I’m especially excited since it appears that Mary Marvel is going to be a featured player in this saga, and you all know how I feel about her. Anything by Gail Simone:
Welcome to Tranquility
I’ve said it before on this blog that not only is Gail Simone my favourite comic book writer, but she’s one of my favourite writers period. Anyone who wants to understand why I feel this way simply has to pick up her new series published by the DC-owned Wildstorm Comics. Set in a small retirement community populated by aging superheroes, each issue packs enough meta-commentary, humour, pastiche, action, drama and mystery to fill a whole year’s worth of most other series (especially those published by the company that shall not be named).Birds of Prey
Her flagship series. I’ve only just started getting into it and seriously have to start investing in the TPBs, but this book has everything I want in a comic—laugh-out loud comedy, brutal violence and a cast filled with a rotating roster of superheroic hotties.
The All-New Atom
I’m going out on a limb here, but Big Giant Head may be the greatest character in the history of fictional storytelling (with Jesus naturally coming a close second).
I’m going out on a limb here, but Big Giant Head may be the greatest character in the history of fictional storytelling (with Jesus naturally coming a close second).
Team Titles:
Justice League of America
The fanboys who masquerade as online reviewers seem to be unhappy with Brad Meltzer’s take on DC’s most iconic team, complaining that it’s too wordy, hard to follow, obsessed with DC history and lacking in constant bloodshed and action. These are the morons who think there hasn’t been a single comic that hasn’t been improved by throwing Wolverine in it. Their opinions mean less than nothing. That Meltzer’s work demands your full attention and requires you to do more than flip through the pretty, pretty pictures is a good thing.Justice Society of America
Power Girl.
Must I go on?
[I love that the writers at DC have apparently gotten together and decided that out of all the fantasy females that populate their universe, Kara Zor-L is the one all of the males lust over the most. Not a week seems to go by without some jokey reference to her famous pulchritude (this week’s appeared on the first page of 52 when one of the mad scientists on Oolong Island admits that “…I hope Power Girl breaks through. I can test out my Hypno-Goggles!!”)]
In truth, the blond bombshell hasn’t appeared that much in JSA since it was relaunched a couple months ago (although that may change now that she’s been given Mr. Terrific’s role as the team’s chairperson), but that hasn’t stopped it from being one of the best-written and most-compelling books out there. Out of all the books on my list, this one probably has the most universal appeal.
Shadowpact
[I love that the writers at DC have apparently gotten together and decided that out of all the fantasy females that populate their universe, Kara Zor-L is the one all of the males lust over the most. Not a week seems to go by without some jokey reference to her famous pulchritude (this week’s appeared on the first page of 52 when one of the mad scientists on Oolong Island admits that “…I hope Power Girl breaks through. I can test out my Hypno-Goggles!!”)]
In truth, the blond bombshell hasn’t appeared that much in JSA since it was relaunched a couple months ago (although that may change now that she’s been given Mr. Terrific’s role as the team’s chairperson), but that hasn’t stopped it from being one of the best-written and most-compelling books out there. Out of all the books on my list, this one probably has the most universal appeal.
Shadowpact
What’s not to love about a team made up of a group of supernatural misfits? This is the first series by Bill Willingham I’ve ever read (yes, I know, I have to start reading Fables—I’m getting to it) and it earned a permanent spot on my list for giving us an updated Detective Chimp—a character cooler than a thousand Wolverines put together.A Modern Classic
All-Star Superman
Grant Morrison is a genius. The first six issues of the book just came out in TPB. You owe it to yourself to get it if you haven’t already.
All-Star Superman
Grant Morrison is a genius. The first six issues of the book just came out in TPB. You owe it to yourself to get it if you haven’t already.
Kick-Ass Babes
Wonder Woman
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight
Mr. Whedon has given me back my heart. That was really nice of him.She-Hulk
The only Marvel title on my list (I’ve slacked on Astonishing X-Men so much, I’ve no choice but to buy it in TPB), it earns its spot thanks to Dan Slott’s brilliantly inventive mind. How can you not love a guy who teases fanboys who complain about books wasting valuable space with beautiful, but meaningless, splash pages, by wasting space with a hilarious, but meaningless, page featuring two geeks complaining about meaningless splash pages. He’s too good for Marvel, I tell ya! I can’t wait until he starts writing some real comics!
Commentary From the Masses (2)