The Pull List: Mind the Gap

Via Inside Pulse

This was one of those comics that I just happened to really get into based solely upon the cover of the first trade paperback I saw. I was amazed that the quality of art by Rodin Esquejo (colored by Sonia Oback) continued onto the actual pages, because I've found that this is not necessarily true of all publications (sigh She-Hulk sigh). And the story, written by Jim McCann? Oh, hell, yes. I love me a good mystery, and when you throw in some paranormal hijinks, I am so there.

Mild spoilers ahead, just as a basic warning for anyone who'd rather go into the comic blind (it's been out since 2012, so I feel no need to censor myself).

Rest in Peace, Robin Williams

For those of you who are avoiding reading about Robin Williams or have sensitivities toward the topic of suicide, please feel free to skip this one. (Plus, it's kind of ... stream of consciousness, a way for me to figure out what's actually going on inside my head at this moment, so it probably doesn't make much sense.)

Dear Sister Person Book Club

After reading Courtney Milan's The Governess Affair, I went into read-all-the-romances mode. I even went to get a library card for the specific purpose of checking out romance novels*, and I brought home a decent stash for two weeks, one of which was Beth Ciotta's Her Sky Cowboy. When I posted it on my Facebook page (shameless promotion, I know), my sister immediately responded with, "OMG I WANT TO READ THIS WITH YOU."

And thus comes my new feature: Dear Sister Person Book Club. Basically, my sister and I read a book and then write reviews to each other: I post mine here, she posts hers on her blog, and then we link to each other. Voila! I think we, at least initially, decided it was going to be romances, but I might have been able to convince her that we should do other books, too. At least, that's what happened in my head. I should probably make sure that this is the arrangement. 

Anyway, we're going to do two of these per month, on the first and third Thursdays, and, as you probably guessed, our maiden voyage is going to be Her Sky Cowboy, to be reviewed on September 4th. I'm not quite sure if our second is going to be the sequel, His Clockwork Canary, but I have already placed a special request with the Louisville library to send me a copy of the book to the branch closest to me. You know, just in case. 

* Okay, I also checked out Jay Lake's (rest in peace, my friend) Pinion, John Robert Marlow's Nano, and John Le Carre's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, but whatever. I have other interests. 

I Have the Worst Luck with Cars, Part XIII: It Spreads

I wrote this post well before Fancy decided to fall apart, and I'm actually laughing right now as I reread my somewhat optimistic attitude toward the car. I mean, I actually wrote, "Like I've said in a previous post, the car has its issues, mostly stemming from a former owner who just didn't give a single shit about her car, but it drives well and only gives us real problems when it gets crap gas."

These are not happy tears of laughter.

The Pull List: Genius

Art by Afua Richardson
Via Pop Culture Zoo

I was excited about this comic when I read the concept, taken directly from Comixology:

Alexander, Hannibal, Napoleon, Patton. What if the greatest military mind of OUR generation was born in strife, surrounded by violence and combat since birth? When the gauntlet is dropped, the questions isn't "How did 17-year-old Destiny Ajaye unite the gangs of South Central into a killer army and declare war on the LAPD?" No, the question is, "Can anyone stop her?"

I Have the Worst Luck with Cars, Part XII: Seriously, Fuck All the Cars

This is me, flipping off the world.

I don't know why I'm surprised anymore that this sort of thing happens to vehicles I own. And yet, every single time, I'm all, "OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED." However, I think I may have just reached the extent of my willingness to be optimistic when it comes to cars.

The Pull List, August 2014

Back in Small Town, TN, I had a pretty paltry pull list at my local comic shop, partly due to money and partly, well ... because the comic shop sucked. The owners and staff were actually quite knowledgeable and friendly, and the small group of people who had a regular presence there was just as passionate as their Big City counterparts, but because there wasn't that large a draw, the shop couldn't always stock its shelves as well as it wanted. So, my access to comics was limited, to put it lightly.

Now, I don't have that excuse, for which I am ridiculously thankful, but I am 100% overwhelmed because I am 100% starting over. I've never been one to really collect comics, except in trade paperback form, and it takes a very special something to convince me that I want to own it forever. Even right now, with all of the comics that are piquing my interest, I only have plans to purchase a few: Saga*, Mind the Gap, Sex Criminals, and pretty much anything involving Deadpool**. This may change over the course of the next couple of months; a lot of really intriguing shit is coming out, and I had to rely on suggestions from my new co-workers, who were more than willing to help me out.

But here's what I'm really looking forward to this month: