Why I bought what I did this week

Ga-Ha! Tired and half cut so I am. But also painfully aware that I have been letting my loyal band of seven readers down on the comics review front of late.

While remedying that fact is beyond me tonight, I can list everything I bought this week with explanations as to why I did so.

Tipping the contents of my comic shop bag on the floor and selecting items as they fall, I begin with...

Back Issue #23
Its a magazine about bronze age comics and the people who created them. Not always very well written, but that's because the content comes from fans rather than professionals. Some bad articles, some good articles, usually a couple of really interesting articles. I always get this.

Batman Detective Comics #835
This issue's not written by Paul Dini, but I haven't had any problems with the previous fill-in writers on this series so I hope this will still be a good read. Whether it be comics or TV, the thing I've always liked best about Batman is his rogues gallery. This title does the villains well and that's why I keep picking it up.

Ant-man #11
Robert Kirkman currently writes two books for Marvel: Ultimate X-men which sucks and The Irredeemable Ant-Man which is arguably the sharpest mainstream super-hero book on the stands. Guess which one gets cancelled next issue? Bollocks.

Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #4
Final issue of a really good mini-series. Fun, knockabout sci-fi hijinks which is what all Fantastic Four comics should be about. Very pretty art from Mike Wieringo makes it even better than it already is.

Thor #2
Hated the first issue, but its Thor so I'll give it another chance. If he starts saying "thee" and "nay" a lot while smashing people over the head with his big hammer I'll be happy. Anything less and I'm dropping this one.

Midnighter #10
Hasn't been as good since Ennis upped sticks and abandoned it, but I still like this title. The fill-in writers and artists seem to have been encouraged to use the book to experiment with new ways of graphic storytelling and, while the results haven't always been successful, its made for interesting reading. Chris Sprouse returns to pencils this issue which is a big + point.

World War Hulk #3
Didn't think much of Issue #1. Issue #2 was much better. Looking forward to seeing John Romita Jr drawing Hulk smash up tanks and fighter jets in issue #3. I still hate that poxy space armour though, and, as the mighty Dave F himself says: "Why the fuck does Hulk need a sword?"

Scalped volume #1
Its a Vertigo trade paperback about a murder on an Indian reservation. Know nothing more about it than than that, but I've heard it's good. The low price point makes it worth a spin.

I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets: The comics of Fletcher Hanks
I've had this on order from Amazon for months. I want to read it really, really badly. So badly that I've given up waiting and paid the extra at my local comic book shop. Fucked up golden age madness from a forgotten master. Made perfect sense on the bus home from the pub. Shall read it all over the weekend.

They call him the Midnight Ninja (TM)
What if The Immortal Iron Fist was written and drawn by a kid? Totally and utterly awesome. You will hear more from me about this one.