The Pull List: Must Read Comics of 9/19/12
Criminal Macabre: The Iron Spirit HC
By: Steve Niles and Scott Morse
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $19.99
The Lowdown: If you have never read anything about Cal MacDonald from horror writer Steve Niles, you are missing out. He is basically an American Constantine, but instead of chain smoking and spell-casting, he numbs himself with any kind of abusable substance he can get his hands on as well as relying on the traditional methods. That usually entails dicing, shooting, or blowing them to pieces. The only problem is that they have been few and far between in the last few years, but this story (which sounds like it is being released as a complete graphic novel instead of the usual chaptered issues. It is being sold as a great intro to the character, and Steve Niles sounds like he has big plans on the way.
Lobster Johnson: Caput Mortuum
By: Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Tonci Zonjic, and Dave Stewart
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $3.50
The Lowdown: Lobster Johnson is a cool character. He first appeared alongside Mignola’s more famous hero, Hellboy. Johnson is anj old school pulp hero like DC’s Spy Smasher or the Rocketeer. He goes on Dick Tracy like adventures, and it captures that cool gothic style of the era that The Shadow and The Phantom pick up on. This is a one issue adventure and should continue the coolness.
Batwoman #0
By: Freddie E. Williams
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
The Lowdown: I named Batwoman one of the best books DC has to offer right now. This version of Batwoman also came about during an event, which not may or may not have happened due to the new rebooted universe, so it’ll be nice to know what is still true and what got ret-conned.
Justice League #0
By: Geoff Johns and Gary Frank
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
The Lowdown: You won’t find the Justice League here. This issue is all Billy Batson and Shazam. This is good because if it wasn’t for the Shazam back-ups, I probably would have dropped this book due to an extreme case of blandness. As good as the back-up has been though, I really kind of hope Johns gets to the good stuff soon. Seeing as last issue, I believe Billy found the Rock of Eternity so good things should be coming.
Red Hood And The Outlaws #0
By: Scott Lobdell and Dwayne Turner
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
The Lowdown: Jason Todd is an a similar situation as Batwoman. His resurrection came about during an event. It was actually due to one of the worst plot points ever (reality punch!). Nevertheless, they have actually updated the character quite well. A little less whiney, a little more like Bruce except for the whole no-guns rule.
Peter Panzerfaust #6
By: Kurtis J. Wiebe and Tyler Jenkins
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.50
The Lowdown: Peter Panzerfaust was this really cool miniseries that reimagined the Peter Pan story in WWII where an American teen looking for a girl teams up with some French orphans and helps out the French Resistance against the German occupation. Now, it is an on-going series, and I look forward to watching it continue.
Walking Dead #102
By: Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $2.99
The Lowdown: This is the conclusion to the “Something to Fear” arc that rocked the world of Walking Dead in issue #100. We’ll see if they can bounce back or not.
Daredevil #18
By: Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $2.99
The Lowdown: A new story starts in an incredibly consistent run of Daredevil. Matt’s sanity is under question given that his law partner, Foggy, found Matt’s dad’s bones in an office drawer in their office. Definitely a good time for a new killer (named Coyote) to show up in New York.
