This Week's Pull List (Plus Uncanny X-Men #544 Preview)

Times are tough. I imagine if you polled a decent cross section of America you would find that most were no longer *GASP* paying for premium movie channels on cable. But as our President is always telling us, this is a time of sacrifice; a time to give up childish pursuits and aid your fellow man, a time to swap your Netflix delivery with your neighbors before sticking it back in the mail.

While I may not be exemplary at sharing (you can find someone else's liver to transplant, Uncle) I DID just get through comic con without spending any of my rent money on the millions of comics and toys and sundry items that surrounded me with their superheroic beauty. Come to think of it, my frugality and will power are now the stuff of legend, and I shall exhibit these newly discovered wells of strength with a leaner Pull List than ever before.

Besides, since I need to go through the protesters at Zucati Park to get to the comic store, I'm gonna need a good chunk of money saved up for Hepatitis treatment.

DC

Batman #2: The Era of Snyder keeps rolling, as we get Bruce Wayne's first meeting with the ancient Gotham villain that Snyder is debuting in the Court of Owls. The arc will last about ten more issues I believe, but every page of Snyder and artist Greg Capullo is pure gold.

Nightwing #2: Kyle Higgins first issue of Nightwing was better than I had expected, showing a hero who had been Batman with great success for over a year and is now at the height of his powers, and returning to a more comfortable identity. Even the return of Haley's Circus was interesting rather than melodramatic.

Fables #110:  "Inherit the Wind" continues as Bumpkin fights a revolution in Oz, and Bigby and Snow's cubs start getting dangerously competitive about who will be the next North Wind.

Justice League #2: In which we get the obligatory good guys fight each other routine, with Superman kicking most of their butts, until eventually they realize they're on the same side and team up, but probably not till issue number 3 or 4. It's just hard not to buy a Jim Lee drawn Justice League. Feels too much like Claremont/Lee's X-Men #1.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #2:  Most people will remove this from their Pull List because they turned Starfire into a raging alien slut who goes for slackjawed violent conscienceless meatheads who aren't even drawn particularly attractively. Well, I guess I am too, but I also think Jason Todd could be a really cool character in the DCU but the relaunch and terrible writing killed this title quickly. Plus, he sure is flashing that junk all over the place. Not super professional.

MARVEL

Avengers #18:  Not to be read until Fear Itself is over (spoilers: the good guys don't completely lose) since this issue features Cap picking out a whole new team. (Guess he wasn't happy with their recent wartime job performance.) Comic Con told us Storm will be on the team (still can't stop smiling over that one) but who else? WHO ELSE, STEVE??

Fear Itself #7:  It all ends here! Finally! The total closure finale! Except for all the Fear Itself ".1"s they intend on releasing! And the other epilogues! And the miniseries called the Fearless where they hunt down Sin! Because it seems the bad guy gets away! This is never ending! Why do I keep digging my fingernails into my hands until I see blood!

Journey Into Mystery #629:  I'm undecided about this one, clearly. It's a good comic, critically acclaimed, and it seems to be one of Kieron Gillen's personal favorites. Also, the whole Kid Loki arc is coming to and end so it would be nice to see how that ends. But I honestly don't find it that interesting or fun of a read. This is one to decide on the spot.

X-Factor #226:  Peter David gets grim with a serial killer who lynches his victims (kinda reminiscent of that time in his old run when the Acolytes massacred that hospital ward.) What's even more distressing is knowing that in a few months, one of the main team members will die, paving the way for the major Havok/Polaris Schism/Wolverine shake-up. Until then, hopefully we'll see some good ol' fashioned superpowers plus detective work.

Uncanny X-Men #544:  The final issue of Uncanny X-Men! You know, until it comes out again next month as a #1. Sure, it's gimmicky, but it looks like Gillen is doing a cool retro but sleek fanboy thing. And it's not like I'd ever miss an issue of Uncanny. Check out the preview.

So there it is. It may not seem particularly meagre, but I assure you, it's better than most weeks for me. This is called maturing, people. Every day I get a little better at playing adult. But don't get me wrong, it's gonna take awhile. I hereby announce my refusal to learn what an Audit is, to accept the possibility of it happening, and to keep my receipts.