I'm a Comic Book guy. I've loved Comics since I was a kid. But about three maybe four years ago I dropped out of them. Recently I've started to, slowly, get reacquainted with that love. I thought it would be a good, or at least fun, idea to document my attempts to get back into the hobby. So this is the first, in an ongoing series, about that. I'll think of a cool title for it later.

A bit of back story. The first comic I had was either the issue of Batman where Jean-Paul Valley get's his new Azrael Batman costume or an issue of a Cable Miniseries.

As a young kid I wasn’t an avid collector. I remember buying a few comics here and there. Avengers #366,  it had a gold foil cover that I loved, from a bodega. I got an issue of Superman, the cover had a cutout of the S Shield and the next page showed Cyborg Superman, from a random Comic Book Store. There were also a few X-men/X-Factor comics in the mix.

Then a Comic book store opened on my block and the dam burst. This was during the early to mid 90's.

Marvel was all about the X-Men and Spiderman, not a lot has changed. While I loved both of the Cartoon shows, X-Men still has one of the best cartoon theme songs ever, I fell into DC.

I was all about Superboy, the Flash and Green Arrow. That was where my real Comic Book fandom began.

I believe that the characters you first start reading are the one that have the greatest hold on you. Those three characters are still my all time favorites.

Nightwing is up there as well.

I stayed in comics for most of the 90's. There was a short period in the early 2000's when I fell out. Then I came back stronger then ever. Still a DC guy but moving into Marvel as well.

JSA, Titans, Flash, Daredevil, Avengers, Agents of Atlas and so on. I was an avid reader until 2012.

It was about that time that something happened. I started to move away from DC and into Marvel.

DC lost me with the One Year Later gimmick. Not to mention Wally West being replaced as Flash. 
So I focused on Marvel. At that time marvel was putting out a lot of really good stuff. And then the ‘yearly mega cross over’ became the popular thing. I started to loss interest.

My focus began to shift to other books. Invincible, the Walking Dead (I started reading that before issue 10), Atomic Robo, Locke and Key, Mouse Guard, The Goon, Hellboy, Conan, and Chew.

Towards the end of my last comic reading run those were the books, and a few others, that I looked forward to the most.

Then I lost internet and money got very tight. I stopped reading all together.

It wasn't until the last few months that I got back into comics. I have yet to read a single DC  book and have only read one Marvel book.

Until Wally West, the Wally West I grew up reading (red hair and all), returns I'm done with DC.

Marvel is doing it's own thing, which means adding women and minorities in the worst way possible.

I love the idea of having more female and racially diverse Super Heroes. I also love legacy heroes. What I hate is when a character is thrown away so that he or she (that rarely happens) can be replaced with someone that is more Politically Correct.

Although that can be done very well. Ryan Choi, as the Atom (when it was being written by Gail Simone), was one of my favorite Comic Books and Characters.

I want to see new and interesting characters but not at the expense of the old standbys. But this post isn't about that. This is about my getting back into the comics.

First some ground rules. These posts will contain my thoughts on new Comics I've tried, old Comics I got caught up on, and things I missed in the past few years.

At the end of the posts will be a pull list of sorts. It will show the series I'm reading, the ones I have yet to catch up, and an on going list of series I've tried and dropped.

First the series I've caught up with. Atomic Robo, The Walking Dead, Invincible, and Chew. For the most part I was not disappointed. For the most part.

Atomic Robo is still the most fun you can have reading comics. Invincible is one of the best 'Cape' books around. Chew is just balls to the wall weird and I love it.

That brings me The Walking Dead. Maybe I've changed but I just don't enjoy it like a used to. I think I just got sick of the dark zombie stuff after reading some Crossed.

Then again a few months ago I tried rereading Preacher, which was once my favorite comic of all time (I even owned a costume Fuck Communism Zippo, which was sadly stolen or lost I never found out which.), but couldn't do it. It was too dark and depressing.

The last issue of the Walking Dead I read before going internet silent was the issue where Glenn gets killed.

I was at the beginning of the Nagle saga.

When I got back in I gorged myself on the Walking dead. I read all of that part of the series in a day.

After the time jump though, I was done. Maybe I'll go back to the series one day but I doubt it'll be any time soon

Let's move onto some new Comics. These are all series that started within the last few weeks. My criteria was simple, it had to catch my eye and be a first issue.

So far I have tried and moved on from Collapse (tired of post apocalyptic stuff), Devolution (same), Insexts (wasn't drawn to it), and Rat Queens.

I broke my own rules with Insexts and Rat Queens, the issues I tried were not #1s. The titles were too interesting to pass bye.

I actually liked what I saw from Rat Queens but the disconnect between the setting and language turned me off., but I might go back to it.

The first book I want to take a look at is  American Monster by Brian Azzarello and Juan Doe. My interest is peaked.

I do have a love for the big disfigured hero. Although I am making an assumption about who the hero in the book is, I think it is a safe one to make.

I've read a few of Azzarello's other works so this is a safe one to get into. From the looks of it, it'll be a dark crime story spiced up with interesting characters. Which is how any story should be done.

It's to early to give an in depth review but this one caught my eye from the first page. The art is pleasant, the dialogue sharp, and there is an air of mystery to it. Not so much as in a mystery to solve, more that there is a lot that we have yet to see.

We are introduced to a man who has been burned and some criminals. We also know their was a bank heist that the burned man might have been involved in. Other than that we know nothing.

This is one I'm going to stick with.

Next up is Pencil Head from Ted McKeever. I've never heard of McKeever but he wrote, illustrated, and created this one. He has a very unique but not unpleasant art style. There is a foreboding and creepiness to it, but it also has a demented cartoon feel as well. I like it.

This is another 1st issue that doesn't lay everything out for you. Our star is a comic book creator named Poodwaddle. He has a friend, Luthias, who is a publisher. Poodwaddle is sick of the company he is working for and takes Luthias up on his offer to work with him.

That seems pretty straight forward but there are a lot of other things happening. The accidental death of a stripper, cause by Poodwaddle and Luthias, by hamburger, that a very short detective believes is a murder.  Luthias, apparently, lunches at a very depressing strip club on a regular basis. There is also what appears to be a supernatural element.

When the comic opens Poodwaddle is hard at work until he sees a mysterious creature. It comes into his apartment and attacks him. This turns out to be a dream, but throughout the issue we are shown things that lead us to believe there is going to be a lot more to this book. This is another one that I'm sticking with. It's weird and the premise is vague, which intrigues me.

I checked out the next book based on the title alone "Itty Bitty Bunnies In Rainbow Pixie Candy Land Pop Tarts" by Dean Rankine. I knew this had to be a Happy Tree Friends style experience. No book with that title can be played straight. This was going to be subversive, dirty, and dark.

I was wrong. It wasn't dark. But it was fun. This is a series of short stories involving two stoner bunnies. The first short involves a literal Pop Tart. As a breakfast pastry/prostitute. I don't know if prostitute is the right word. They put the Pop Tart in the toaster and it turns into a pastry/woman hybrid. This new fruit filled woman proceeds to disrobe, yes she is anatomically correct, and then spray hot fruit filling on the bunnies faces. Oddly enough that wasn't the story that hooked me.

No, the story about everything having a face is was grabbed me. Remember in “Pee Wee's
Play House” how everything was alive and talked? Well, think about that for a second. Imagine if the inanimate objects in your life were sentient. Not just your phone or laptop but everything. Now imagine that they are all judging you and calling you out on your shit. That is what happens in the short that grabbed me. It is hilarious. I'm going to have do a little research on this one to see if there is more that I might have missed. This was a 1st issue but the forward (It's actually in the middle of the book) by the author leads me to believe he has been working with these characters for a while.

I thought the next one was Godzilla related. But “Escape from Monster Island” is it's own beast.

This is the most straight forward comic I've checked out, that I didn't pass on immediately, yet. It’s your basic mercenaries vs. paranormal shit story.

You have monsters, actual literal monsters like in elves and wendigos, on one side and mercenaries on the other.

The set up is that the US government rounded up all the spooky things and put them on a island with a bunch of scientist to research them. Things went to hell and the island was evacuated. The monsters were left on their own unable to leave the island. Now the force field keeping them locked up is on the fritz.

So the government is going to blow the island to kingdom come. Before that can happen a scientist named Doctor Bennett and a group of mercenaries are headed to the island to save some research. The scientist claims the research is a cure for cancer. Not everyone believes that.

I have one problem with this book and I guess the series as a whole. I have no problem with sexy women in comics, I'm all for it in the right situations. There is no need for the scientist in this comic to have that much exposed cleavage. I can let the female elf's look go. Sure it's something out of a bad 90's comic but she's an elf and who can say how they dress. But the in your face cleavage was just a little distracting.

The art is okay for the most part. Although the artist has a tendency make the male characters look cross eyed. Other than that it's okay. The art isn't the most polished but I'm okay with that.

This book feels like a SyFy original movie. Which is fine by me. I loved those cheesy stupid monster flicks.

This is another one I'm going to give a chance to. It's the most likely to be dropped though.

Before I get into my feelings on the next book I have to mention that the character was created in 1983. Which is the same year I was created.  I didn’t  know that when I read it nor when I wrote my thoughts.

Badger is hard book to pin down. It started out good. A guy joins the army and shows an affinity for working with dogs. He becomes a bomb tech. Up until this point the story is a little rushed but very interesting.

He get's captured and this book goes into over drive. Within a few pages he is visited by a spirit animal and goes full Rambo.

Throughout this issue we get glimpses that our hero may have some mental issues. But all subtlety is loss after he returns home. It isn't long until he is locked up in a Mental Facility and a Doctor diagnoses him with Multiple Personalities.

This one issue felt like 10 issues cut together. It cut so quickly from one event to another. There was no time for anything to sink it. Because of that a lot of the story had little to no weight.

And yet I am intrigued as to were this is going. I can't say if I'm going to follow this one yet. I'll have to wait to see how curious I am when the next issue is released.

I like that there are so many comics that any one can find something they like. Take Jonesy, by Sam Humphries and Caitlin Rose, for instance. I'm sure there are a lot of people, primarily teenage girls, that would gravitate toward this. Actually, let's be honest. We all know that most of the people who'll be reading something like this are dudes in their 20's. You know the type of guy that wears anime shirts (not that there's anything wrong with that), has a fedora (which should only be worn with a suit but they wear it with said anime shirt), owns a Katana he got on Amazon, and reads fan fiction. Or hipster ass holes who think reading nontraditional comics is cooler that normal comics.

All of that aside this is nicely drawn, well written, fun book. It's not for me but I can't deny it's quality.

Every now and then there’s a piece of entertainment or art that just grabs you and you know that it's not going to let go. Kennel Block Blues (written by Ryan Ferrier and drawn by Daniel Bayliss) just did that to me. This is the best of the new comics I've tried.

It’s a prison story with anthropomorphic animals. The lead is either delusional or on the verge of a psychotic break. This is a world I want to spend a lot of time in.

It’s like a bastard child of Oz and Pound Puppies. How can you not love that?

The art, both the regular style and the cartoony way Oliver sees things, are sharp and clean. The dialog is characterful and the pacing spot on. This is a definite keeper.

Fake Empire much like Jonesy is technically good. There is nothing about it that is bad. Yet it still isn't something that interests me.

The premise is that Fairies are real, there may be other magical beings that exist but we only see fairies in this issue. The issue begins with a fairy being murdered. We are then introduced to her sisters. The first is a NYPD detective and the other no longer has her wings.

We learn that they are part of the royal family and that one of the sisters was to be the next Tooth Fairy. The rest of the issue sets up their relationships and reveals a bit of backstory.

As I said there is nothing wrong with this book. It just isn't for me. But I can see a lot of people, fans of Once Upon a Time and Fables in particular, will probably like this one.

I Mage is hard to talk about. I remember that a enjoyed reading it but I haven't retained much from it. I remember what it was about but the joy I experienced while reading it was very short lived.

Some series are like that. Pure junk food. There's nothing wrong with that but it makes it hard to talk about later.

I Mage appears to be a fun Fantasy/Sci-Fi mash up. The story starts in a fantasy setting and the two main characters come upon the third main character, a young boy who is from another world and possesses highly advanced technology. It's a simple but interesting set up.

 Like Badger I can't say I'm hooked on this one. It's a toss up.

King's Road seems like a slow burn. I can see the series being better read as a Trade than in single issues.

Having said that I'm not compelled to continue reading.

Once again there is nothing technically wrong with it. I like the unique art style, and except for one badly written moment, the story and dialogue are tight.

That one moment by the way can be written off as a teenage character being a teenager.

The story here is that a normal everyday suburban family is more than it appears to be. The father and mother are actually from a world where magic and fantasy creatures are real.

The father is part of a royal family but he and the mother leave that life and world to come to our realm. They start a family and raise their children, a girl and boy, like normal.

One day the world they left comes to find them. The girl and boy are attacked by giant birds only to be saved by secret protectors.

This leads to the moment I mentioned earlier, the girl (who is the older sibling) is acting like a spoiled brat, after seeing her little brother getting attacked by a bird large enough to pick him up off the ground. Not to mention seeing her friend and the friend‘s father fighting said birds. If I was in that situation I would want as much information as possible not getting upset about my life being in disarray.

As I said that's just one bad moment. For whatever reason this one didn't click with me. To no fault of it's own.

I have a love of Blaxploitation. My favorite being “Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde“. “The Thing With Two Heads” is a close second.

So this was right up my ally. Shaft, by David F. Walker and Dietrich Smith, was not what I was expecting. I'm going to be honest I've never seen Shaft, I know how can I like Blaxploitation and have not seen that movie? What can I say? I have a habit of avoiding popular movies.

Anyway this came off much more as a classic Detective Noir story. Not that it didn't have its exploitative moments. This is one of the new series that I am most interested in.

How could I not check out something called "Zombie Tramp"? I read the Valentine's Day special and was hooked on Dan Mendoza's creation. I said earlier that I have no problem with sexy women in comics. Full disclosure on that.

I didn't mention this earlier but one of the series I got caught up on was "Tarot Witch of the Black Rose". I know that Tarot isn't high art. It's actually pretty bad but I can't help but dig it. Not only because of the rediculous proportioned and often topless female characters, although that helps. I just enjoy how peculiar the book is. It's too high minded to be pure smut, too quirky to be serious, and too serious to be parody. It's beast onto itself.

I thought Zombie Tramp would be similar. I was wrong. This is just pure sleazy fun. I love it. The two issues I've read that is. I haven't gone through the entire run yet. It's on my list.

I first learned that Ghostbusters had ventured into comics from a Familiar Faces video by CR. I didn't know that the series had done so well in the medium. After I read this issue I found did a little research and learned that I had missed quite a lot.

There is a whole new continuity for me to explore. Much like Zombie Tramp this is also on my list.

The last book I want to talk about today  is “The Dark and Bloody“. I almost stopped reading this one early on. The visual of the bag of puppies being thrown into the lake was very harsh but I pushed through and am very glad I did.

I don't really know exactly what this one is about. It's start with a flashback of the main character, as a boy, talking about his first encounter with killing (the bag of puppies). The issue than jumps to his time in Iraq and finally the present day.

Our main character is a moonshiner now, doing what he can to provide for his wife and son. He is shown selling to two men face to face, this is no no in the world of moonshining.

His wife doesn't like having the two men at her home. The couple talk about their son who has made a new friend.

The two guys drive off and dip into the moonshine until something drives them off the road.

The local sheriff arrives to question our hero. The lawman lets him know that he is aware of the moonshine but hasn't arrested him yet because he liked his father and it's a petty offense.

As the issue closes we learn that the son's friend is a girl, and that she doesn't have parents. The last thing we see is a bloody girl, presumably the friend, outside of their front door.

I have no idea where this is going but I am intrigued. Definitely going to keep an eye out for this one.


So let's do a tally.

Books that I am definitely reading.
Atomic Robo (Whenever the new Mini is released.)
Invincible
Chew
Tarot Witch of the Black Rose
American Monster
Pencil Head
Escape From Monster Island
Kennel Block Blues
Shaft
The Dark and Bloody

Books I might read.
Badger
I Mage

Books I need to get caught up on.
Zombie Tramp
Ghostbusters
Elephantmen
Hack Slash
Mouse Guard
Project Superpowers
The Goon
Mice Templar
Super Dinosaur

Books that didn't make the cut.
Jonesy
Fake Empire
King's Road
Rat Queens
Insexts
Devolution
Colapse

Books that I'm taking a break from.
The Walking Dead

That's how the Pull List looks right now. It's bound to change next week. See you then.