still sobering up from post election celebrations...

hooray obama! hooray comics!

big questions 11
final crisis resist
justice society 20
sandman dream hunters 1
trinity 23
adventure comics special: the guardian
superman/supergirl maelstrom 1
grant morrison's dr. who 2
avengers initiative special
invincible iron man 7
cable 8
x-men manifest destiny 3
army @ love 4
back to brooklyn 2
freakangels vol. 1
superman vs. brainiac tpb
the essential dykes to watch out for
watching the watchmen

"it's a hard taste to forget. once you've had it you can't go back."
-a scary ass bird, big questions 11
anders nilsen has done some of my favorite comics over the last few years. it is hard to think of anything as depressing as the books he wrote about the death of his fiancee, "the end" and "don't go where i can't follow." his additions to the kramers ergot anthologies are among the best of the series and his experimental book "monologues for the comic plague" made me scratch my head in a good way. that said, "big questions" surpasses it all by MILES. each issue has had an increase in production values, the comics themselves becoming art pieces regardless of the contents. fortunately, the story has matched this upgrade in physical quality. the story of a flock of birds puzzling over the sociological and religious issues created by their discovery of a crashed jet plane. they assume the plane is a giant bird, witness a human hatch from it's head, then peck away fanatically at another egg it laid, actually a missile. if you can find the older mini comics, start there. if not, the main story begins with issue 4. a nice complete collection is inevitable and very exciting.

final crisis resist- i haven't been reading checkmate, the team this book focuses on. is rucka REALLY writing snapper carr as a serious character on a regular basis? no offense if you like that book, it could be great i haven't tried it, i just hate teen mascots gone serious.

sandman: the dream hunters- though i love his gaiman adaptations, i'd love to see p. craig russell get back to operas. honestly? he could adapt mein kaumpf into comic form and it'd still make me cry.

superman/supergirl maelstrom- phil noto! why are you drawing awesome pictures for such boring writers? jesus christ this guy draws a perfect, slightly older but dignified superman!

invincible iron man- like an old-school super hero team up from your childhood, but really well written!

watching the watchmen- this book is VERY pretty. i got the special edition, with a big mean smiling comedian close-up on the cover. this book isn't about the movie, which several people told me, but is actually an examination of the process of creating the art for the graphic novel. that is MUCH more interesting to me. the special edition is signed by dave gibbons (in pencil!) and includes five prints, two of which are obviously frame worthy.

xoxo,
neg man