The Pull List: RUNLOVEKILL #1 Review

Welcome back, me!

After a not posting anything for a while, I figured to jump head first into the many new comics that have been coming out recently. I'm actually a little scared for my wallet, especially now that I've seen the solicits for June and July* of this year, but hey, I'll use this as an exercise in self-control. Not that the publishing companies will make it easy on me, but that's part of the fun, I suppose.

As kind of an aside, I'm actually a little disappointed with what Image is offering over the next few months in terms of new material. After Bitch Planet, Low, and Copperhead - each with awesome female leads - there's an uptick of yet again male-dominated titles coming out, both with casts and creators. It's not that I don't like reading comics that don't have a female lead - All-New Captain America is pretty great, as is Hawkeye, although one could argue that Kate is co-lead there - but it almost seems to be a subtle backlash akin to that whole Hugo Sad Puppies bullshit that's going on. But I digress.

The Pull List: She-Hulk #12 Review

Alright, I got my tears out when I went and picked up the last issue of She-Hulk this past Wednesday. Well, I sniffled and pouted a bit because I sincerely adore this series and am sad to see it go the way of the dodo. Granted, I will be able to see Jen again with The A-Force coming this summer, but it just won't be the same.

The Pull List: Captain Marvel #10 Review

Well, it had to happen at one point. Carol Danvers' 100th solo issue was not the amazingness that it could have been, but really, it is fairly difficult to follow the high action and hilarity of the first arc of this Captain Marvel series.

And as (almost) always, no spoilers below the cut!

The Pull List: Copperhead #4 Review

Clara Bronson is a badass. This just goes without saying. She's almost the opposite of Low's Stel, the eternal, incurable optimist. Clara looks at the world realistically, not quite willing to go completely dark. But what both women have in common - in addition to their willingness to break established rules when they don't fit the situation - is that they hold family close to their hearts, ready to go to depths usually avoided in order to protect those they love. However, as complex and intriguing a character Clara is, she definitely shares the spotlight with Boo (aka Budroxifinicus) in this issue. Writer Jay Faerber splits the narrative between the two and manages to keep me interested in both, a feat that's not always accomplished easily (ahem, the Frodo-Sam half of the The Return of the King).

Via Image Comics

(No spoilers below the cut!)

The Pull List: ODY-C #1 Review

Over the past several months, I have been lucky enough to work in a comic book store, an experience which is, sadly, going to be ending in the next two weeks due to the HusFriend and me moving to another state, and during that time, I've been surrounded by amazing artists and writers that manage to get me excited about a new comic. For instance, Captain Marvel's Kelly Sue Deconnick's Bitch Planet, which is set to come out on December 10th, is one that I literally bounce at the mere mention of it, and any time I find another comic illustrated by Low's Greg Tocchini, I immediately pick it up (my most recent was issue #20 of Ms. Marvel, Volume 2). Ever since I read Sex Criminals - I went straight for the trade based on all the reviews - I've been a big fan of Matt Fraction, enjoying the hell out of Hawkeye (still so sad it's ending), so you can just imagine how excited I was when I heard he was taking on one of the only books I willingly read in high school: Homer's The Odyssey. The art was going to be trippy and vivid! And it was going to be with a feminist bent! Wheeee!

Via Image Comics

The Pull List: Deadpool's The Art of War #1 Review

You know, I think Deadpool walks around with Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy" playing in the background at all times. That's what I kept hearing as I was reading the first issue of the new Deadpool miniseries, at least. He keeps getting these grand ideas - agreeing to help Dracula with a "package," killing the Marvel universe and then the famous literary heroes that inspired the writers of the Marvel universe, joining up with Brute Force (and a mecha-orca), etc. - and, so far, things haven't always worked out like he thought. But hey, that's what keeps bringing readers back, am I right?

Via Comic Vine

Spoilers ahead, kids, so if you'd rather start reading blind, you can turn back now. Or ... just don't click on the "read more" thingy.

The Pull List: Batgirl #35 Review

It's taken me quite a while for me to come to terms with the fact that I am part of the Millennial generation, even if I am at the tail end of it (1983, bitches!). Now, it's kind of one of those things where I begrudgingly look at my life situation and think, "Ugh, YES, I feel what these 20-somethings are feeling." However, this is not to say that I don't find my younger counterparts to be equally baffling and irritating, as evidenced by a recent obsession with VHS tapes. Like, really, Millennials. Do you know nothing about the crappiness of VHS tapes? Half of the ones you're purchasing for ten cents each don't even work, and there's a good chance that - even if you were able to find a VCR that wasn't complete junk - whatever you were hoping to watch has been taped over by someone's mother's soap operas or The Price Is Right.

Ahem. Anyway. Batgirl. Right.

The Pull List: POP #2 Review

Back when I first heard about this title, I was thoroughly excited about it: pop stars are manufactured in a factory? One of them escapes? Count me in! And the cover art by Dylan Todd was intriguing, if not somewhat disconcerting, design-wise. It's intentionally skewed, and it definitely has a sort of pulpy, newspaper serial comic look to it.

Via Dark Horse

One of my co-managers kind of wrinkled his nose at the design, but he's kinda finicky and has a huge case of the "I only like comics from before the mid-90s." To be fair, he is more than free to have that preference, as art is a very subjective sort of thing, and anyway, I usually shrug apathetically at any of his suggestions and go leaf through the most recent issue of Low*, which he also can't stand.

The Pull List: G.I. Joe (2014)

Even when the G.I. Joe cartoon was airing back during my childhood, I wasn't a big fan of the series. I didn't hate the show, but it really wasn't on my single-digit-aged mind. When I got a bit older, I tried watching some of the cartoons, but I found them a little silly. And yes, this does come from an adult woman who loves My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and The Muppet Babies. I suppose I had a much more sophisticated palette then (hahaha who am I kidding? I watched plenty of pretty awful kids' shows).

The Pull List: The New 52

A few weeks ago, we sold our most expensive comic book, the first appearance of The Governor in The Walking Dead. The gentleman that bought it was giddy beyond imagination, and you know what? I'm not going to mock him. Even though I can think of about a thousand other things on which I'd rather spend $300, he has every right to use his hard-earned money on a piece of comic history. But there's another big difference between me and a stereotypical comic buyer: I'm not purchasing books with the hope that, one day, that single issue I got will be worth thousands of dollars. As I've stated before, if I enjoy a comic enough to buy it, I'm going to wait until the trade paperback comes out. With the sheer number of releases that come out each Wednesday, it would be nearly impossible for me to afford my hobby, but by God, certain publishers aren't going to stop trying to entice me.