The Pull List for January 14, 2015

Soooooooo ... yeah. This week? Some of my favorites are coming out all on the same damn day, and it feels like Christmas all over again. Luckily, my To-Buy list is a teeny bit shorter than it was last month, but that comes from curtailing my expenditures on things other than, you know, food and necessities, now that I don't work at a comic shop. Siiiiiiiiiigh. I miss that place.

Definitely To-Buy

Batgirl #38 Regular Cover
Via Comic Book Movie

Batgirl #38 (DC) - Last month, I decided that I was going to start reading Batgirl digitally, and no, it wasn't because of the controversy surrounding the portrayal of Dagger Type, although I will say that Stewart et al handled that situation exceptionally well. I may eventually buy the trade, but for right now, it's not as necessary to my collection as, say, Bitch Planet is. It's still going to stay on my To-Buy list, however, because I do genuinely enjoy the series.

Bitch Planet #2 Regular Cover
Via Image Comics

Bitch Planet #2 (Image) - I don't think I've seen such a strong opening issue since Copperhead, and that's saying a lot, coming from me. I hope that essays on feminism, like the one by Danielle Henderson, are a continued presence in this series, especially if they are garnered from all aspects of the movement. The essay really helped me piece together the first issue and let me know just how important such an amusingly titled book Bitch Planet was going to be. Even if there aren't any essays included, KSD's writing and Valentine De Landro's art will keep me coming back.

Captain Marvel #11 Regular Cover
Via Marvel Comics

Captain Marvel #11 (Marvel) - Like I said in my review of Captain Marvel #10, I kind of feel like this is more filler before we get into another story arc, which is fine, I guess, but when will it stop? And also, what the hell? Why is the Christmas issue being released in January? It's a minor quibble, of course, and honestly, I'm going to buy this regardless. I love you, Carol Danvers.

Copperhead #5 Regular Cover
Via Image Comics

Copperhead #5 (Image) - Clara's final panel in the last issue firmly cemented her in badassdom. Being able to creep up on Ishmael isn't an easy task, but she did it. Also? BOO??? What happened to you??? I'm not even going to try to be coherent here, since I'll give way too many spoilers, and I want as many people as possible to read this series.

The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage #5 Regular Cover
Via Valiant Entertainment

The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage #5 (of 5) (Valiant Entertainment) - Can this be a regular series now? Jen Van Meter has done such an excellent job creating this character, and it sold out every single month at my old comic shop. Perhaps she'll be able to join Valiant's attempt at their own version of Justice League - The Valiant - and become best friends with Geomancer!

Star Wars #1 Alex Ross Variant Cover
Via Marvel Comics

Star Wars #1 (Marvel) - I'm not even going to try and play this cool. I'm super stoked about the new Star Wars series. I mean, this is a woman who's dedicating an entire month of the year (March 2015) to writing a post per day about the saga (just the movies, sadly). I avariciously read any comics, books, scripts, etc. and watched nearly everything (except the Christmas special, for which I am thankful) that has ever some to any size screen if it had anything to do with Star Wars. Now, I think I may be one of the only people who want the regular cover; Alex Ross' is gorgeous, of course, but I like the hyperspace background quite a bit more than a flaming Death Star. But eeeep! Star Wars is coming back to Marvel!!

Supreme: Blue Rose #6 Regular Cover
Via Image Comics

Supreme: Blue Rose #6 (Image) - There are very few series that I read solely for the art, and actually, I think this is the only book in that category. I like Warren Ellis just fine, but I feel like he sometimes tries to be abstruse just for the sake of it. However, I also know that his work is often best read in graphic novel form, and the miniseries will be ending next month with Issue #7, so I may just wait to read them all in one sitting.

I'll Look at It

Adventure Time: Marceline Gone Adrift #1 Amann Variant
Via Previews World

• Adventure Time: Marceline Gone Adrift #1 (of 6) (Boom! Studios) - I only just started watching Adventure Time, but I can already tell you that Marceline is my favorite character out of the whole group. Well, her and BIMO. 
• Astro City #19 (Vertigo) - To be honest, I'm going to just have to buy the trade for this series. I know that it's more of an anthology, so it's not 100% necessary to be clued into every issue, but I feel nearly completely lost. However, this Quarrel character seems exceptionally complex, and it looks like this is kind of a flashback issue. So here's hoping that I'm not diving into the deep end without any training.
• Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier #4 (Marvel) - This series is unexpectedly surreal and beautiful, and I knew from the beginning that, if it were to go into my collection, I was going to buy it in the trade format. Just click on over to Marvel's website to take a look at the other covers and tell me that they aren't gorgeous. And the interior art is that much more intriguing, not something I was expecting from a book about Bucky. But hey, every now and then, Marvel surprises me with something different. 

Conan Red Sonja #1 Regular Cover
Via Dark Horse

• Conan Red Sonja #1 (of 4) (Dark Horse) - Okay, that cover looks ridiculous, but it's a title that involves two pretty ridiculous characters. That being said, though, Gail Simone has done an excellent job writing the Red Sonja series, so I'm hoping that she'll be able to bring some humanity to this. If not, at least it's a limited run miniseries, so the damage can only go on for so long. 
• Henshin GN (Image) - I have never read I Kill Giants, on which the artist Ken Niimura worked, but I may have to now. Based on the preview of Henshin and on the description, it sounds like something right up my alley: "'Henshin' means 'transformation' in Japanese, and in all 13 stories, Niimura shows how choices and events - whether momentous or seemingly insignificant - can change the lives of his protagonists." I'm not sure if I'll buy it right now or wait a bit, but it seems promising.

Ms. Marvel #11 Regular Cover
Via Marvel Comics

• Ms. Marvel #11 (Marvel) - I almost feel bad that I don't buy the single issues of Ms. Marvel. It's so cute and earnest, and I love seeing Kamala come into her own. But the series is doing just fine, sales-wise, so I don't feel like me waiting for the trades hurts it in any way. 
• Rat Queens #11 (Image) - This may be one of the last issues that Roc Upchurch is doing for Rat Queens, now that he's been removed from the project due to domestic battery charges, and I can't say that I'm not pleased about the decision there. I'm curious as to how it will affect the series, but honestly, it could bring about some awesome creative changes from a different artist. I haven't really been keeping up with the series, partially because we never had enough issues - they all went to customers with pull lists - and partially because I'm still waiting for the second trade to come out. Hurry up, February 25th!

Slightly Interesting

• Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #4 (Marvel) - Maybe now that AXIS is over, this series will be good. I stopped reading after the second issue because blah, I loathed nearly every character, except She-Hulk, but that goes without saying. And that's actually the reason that I'm sticking around, at least for a bit. If I can't see Jen in her own title, I will read whatever I can see her in. 
• Capture Creatures #3 (Boom! Studios) - As the series goes on, I'm feeling less and less interested in reading it. Sure, it's cute, but the comparisons to Pokemon are getting a little tired. This may be gone next month, but I'll at least read this issue to decide. 

Gone

• Green Lantern Corps #38 (DC) - Again, this was part of the Godhead arc, and meh, just not caring. Sorry, DC. Good try, though?
• Penny Dora and the Wishing Box #3 (Image) - Siiiiigh, I really wanted this to be good, and in some ways, it really was. However, I had a really hard time with the constant narration. Just isn't my thing. Show me, don't tell me, please.