FBOTU’s Weekly Comics Load: Is That Mjolnir In Your Pocket?

By Chance

September 06, 2010 at 1:17AM EDT

5…4…3…2…1…Click it!

 

August 28 was some sort of official international “Read Comics in Public” day. Though I didn’t get around to promoting it here on the site, I did participate. Of course, that’s nothing new for me. I read comics on the train, at coffee shops, at bars and restaurants. I’ve even read comics poolside at clothing-optional resorts where my eyes probably should have been looking at other stuff. The point is that whenever I have a free moment, whether it’s in public or not, I’m probably going to try to catch up on my stack of comics. So, how about you? Are you reading your comics in public? Or at home, in a carefully climate-controlled environment, with gloves and such?

Be sure to let us know what you’re reading this week, whether in public or not, in the Comics Forum or right here in the comments section. Now, on with the Load!

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #2 What started out as a very promising book has suddenly taken a turn toward, “Um…what?!” Or, as Carrie Fisher once said, “Nothing is ever really over. Just over there.” In this issue, the precocious Young Avengers join Magneto on a field trip to Wundagore Mountain, in search of the Scarlet Witch. In what promises to be a long and perilous search, spanning the globe—wait, there she is, right over there. Never mind. On the plus side, the art team is doing a really splendid job on the guys’ hair.

The Boys #46 Could Butcher actually be…jealous? Hughie has always been his little pet project, so I imagine it irks him to have lost control over his heart and mind for a while. However, by the end of this issue, Butcher has Hughie right back where he wants him, subservient and in shock. I have a feeling his “cruel to be kind” philosophy is going to backfire.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #36 I was never a fan of Spike, so I’m not as excited about his return as I’m guessing I’m supposed to be. Despite that, I’m still really enjoying this book. The comic book version of Buffy continues to show a range of human emotions that eluded Ms. Gellar for seven years. It’s cool to finally care about Buffy as much as I do the other characters. So, you know, yay!

Red Hood: The Lost Days #4 Though we’re only on the fourth issue of this series, I must admit that Jason Todd has opened my eyes. Batman is a total p***y and should have killed the Joker, Two Bad, Scarecrow, Penguin and, I don’t know, Commissioner Gordon, years ago. I used to imagine I’d be the Superman/Batman kind of altruistic superhero, but now I think that would only be the image I present to the public. In private, I would do the Jason Todd thing and just wipe bad guys off the face of the earth. I’d either throw them into the sun or maybe keep a big vault and freeze them, like on Torchwood. Let’s just hope Bruce and Dick are as easily swayed as I am.

Secret Six #25 You just don’t see enough crazy, naked men punching lions in the face in comics nowadays. It’s a shame, really, because it works well on so many levels. The team has split up and filled in their ranks with the likes of Giganta, King Shark, Dwarfstar and Lady Vic. Having Ryan Choi’s girlfriend, Giganta, on the same team as his killer, Dwarfstar, should lead to some awkward moments. Hopefully, it’ll be just enough to send her over the edge and pull out the leopard-print two-piece again.

Superman: The Last Family of New Krypton #2 I’m becoming more and more aware of how a miniseries handles pacing in relation to the amount of story they need (or want) to tell. There are only three issues to this reimagining of the Superman mythos, when it could easily have filled a dozen issues. Instead, the plot and action fly across the page at superspeed, giving the impression of a CliffsNotes version more than a cohesive story. I suppose if I take anything away from this miniseries, it’s the same thing I took away from New Krypton: Superman and Supergirl are really the only two cool Kryptonians. The rest are pretty much better off dead. However, I am dying to read Lara’s book, Raology: The Path to Cosmic Enlightenment. I would make an excellent Rao-spouting cult member. Sign me up!

Thor: For Asgard #XX In the climax of the first issue of this Thor miniseries, Thor, naked except for the draping of his robe, reaches for his hammer, wraps both hands around the thick shaft, then pulls, strains and jerks with all his might. He throws his head back, groans and grimaces until he gasps and releases his grip, spent and exhausted. If you think I’m making this up, just take a look at the cover. Thor’s wide stance has him practically straddling the pulsating grip, which just happens to have streams of ice dripping down the sides. There are also a couple of suggestive shots of the towers of Asgard in the book. And if that’s not enough phallic action for you, check out the stripes on Thor’s codpiece. He could have gone with the vertical stripes, sure, to give the appearance of length. Instead, he chose to accentuate girth. Bold move, Thor. Clearly, this phallus-centric issue wants to drive home the idea that Thor’s feeling a little impotent without his hammer, while his kingdom seems to be falling down, flaccid, all around him. If this is how this series begins, I can’t wait for what’s next.

Wolverine #1 I was warned not to try to jump into this new Wolverine series without prior knowledge of Weapon X or without reading the current Road to Hell series, as well. Well, I may not know all the details or have the backstory on all the characters involved, but I found it pretty easy to follow. I don’t read any Wolverine solo titles, except for Daken’s, so I wanted to give this a try. Though this issue is lively enough, I was thinking maybe I should keep looking, that is, until I got to this (SPOILER WARNING!) image. All righty, then. I’ll stick around.

That’s all for this week, comics fans! Happy reading!