Weekly Reader, February 26, 2020

[Jeff]

Couple more and I think I see a pattern. Is it just me? That I can't say, but ... I have to ask, is it just that I am getting tired of the big two stuff again, not all of them of course, I think Suicide Squad is pulling me in hard for example, or has the writing slipped on some of my recent, beloved titles? Again, is it just me?
 

It’s not just you.  They are getting stale.  There’s nothing new or exciting (X-Men being the exception).  DC’s biggest problem is recycling the same villain over and over again.  It doesn’t mean anything for the Joker to show up anymore, for example.  In fact, now when I see him in Batman I just roll my eyes and really don’t want to buy it.  Sadly, I’m starting to feel this way about Valiant and Image, though not as bad.

DC could right the ship now that Didio is gone but I’m afraid they waited too long to make a change.

[Gay Titan]

Amethyst #1
DC Dollar Comics Amethyst #1 (1985 reprint)
Excalibur #7

[Perry]

Couple more and I think I see a pattern. Is it just me? That I can't say, but ... I have to ask, is it just that I am getting tired of the big two stuff again, not all of them of course, I think Suicide Squad is pulling me in hard for example, or has the writing slipped on some of my recent, beloved titles? Again, is it just me?
 

It’s not just you.  They are getting stale. 

Yeah, I do agree about that, but it its not just stale though. I am not sure if you did, I forgot to look before typing this  , but did you read the last two issues of Batman? It was really ... not good. And I do Like Tynion. Maybe I am reading everyone of the good writer's stuff but just hitting them on their off months?
 
The newest titles are good, Suicide Squad, DCeased, X-Men (other than what I think about the mutants  ) and Ghost Rider is fun for me (but maybe because I am a fan) so maybe it is just that, the others ... the older stuff being stale?

Marvel is having a sale, $60 a year from MU ($9 off regular), and I almost did it, and I may still, but feeling the way I am now I am scared to pull for a whole year payment. But then again it would give me 6 months to cool down a bit. 

I do want to concentrate on theolder stuff (I say that how many times a year now?  ) so maybe now is the time. I don't know.

And yeah, Valiant has kinda slid on me as well. It did once Dinesh left for sure, but then it started to get hopeful again but now, other than the new look of Shadowman, which is a title I always look forward to ... until it hits  , I'm kinda waining on them as well. Although I still enjoy Rai.

As for Image ... I think Boom and Dark horse are currently getting looks from me more than Image is. Which is fine, all creator owned stuff, just different payment/rights options.
 

Yeah, maybe I need to do one of those "Two months with only older books" things. A refresher.

 

[Jeff]

ComiXolgy
New Mutants #8
X-Force #8
X-Men #7
Criminal #12
Ice Cream Man #17
Redneck #25
Rai #3
Roku #4
Star Trek: Picard #1
Star Trek: Picard #2
Star Trek: Picard #3
Harrow County Vol. 8: Done Come Back (Collects issues 29-32)
Spencer & Locke Vol 2 (Collects issues 1-4)
Outlaw Territory Vol 2

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Rai #3 - I would enjoy this more if they had a different villain.  So far Rai only fights the same guy and that is a bit boring for me.  Despite that, I do enjoy this book as the journey and interactions with Raijun are what really make this book top notch.  This issue in particular was fun watching Raijun protect Rai and all that he has to go through.

Roku #4 - I enjoyed this mini.  I recommend reading it collected.  I wish I would have done that as the story is pretty by the numbers but with some interesting things with the girl they are trying to hunt/protect.  There's enough to like for me to pick up any future mini's they have with Roku.

Harrow County Vol. 8: Done Come Back (Collects issues 29-32) - The end of the series and the story.  I enjoyed it for the most part though it does have some issues.  It gets a little bogged down in the complexity of it's own story.  But overall it's a good series.  I'd give it a solid "B+".

[Perry]

Harrow County

In another two weeks or so it will be time for you to hit Tales from Harrow County, yes?  Issue #4, I believe the last issue of the mini, will be out by then ... I think
 

[Jeff]

Harrow County

In another two weeks or so it will be time for you to hit Tales from Harrow County, yes?   Issue #4, I believe the last issue of the mini, will be out by then ... I think
 

Yep - I tried to time it that way.  I already have issue 1 & 2 in my library.  

EDIT:  Actually, I won't pick up that last issue until April - after the price drop.   

[Jeff]

ComiXolgy
New Mutants #8
X-Force #8
X-Men #7
Criminal #12
Ice Cream Man #17
Redneck #25
Rai #3
Roku #4
Star Trek: Picard #1
Star Trek: Picard #2
Star Trek: Picard #3
Harrow County Vol. 8: Done Come Back (Collects issues 29-32)
Spencer & Locke Vol 2 (Collects issues 1-4)
Outlaw Territory Vol 2

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spencer & Locke Vol 2 (Collects issues 1-4) - Calvin & Hobbes vs Beetle Bailey. I mean Spencer & Locke vs Roach Riley.  Pretty good sequel to the first outing with these characters.  Pretty brutal too.  Like most Noir, is it a happy ending or sad?  I feel both.

[Jeff]

ComiXolgy
New Mutants #8
X-Force #8
X-Men #7
Criminal #12
Ice Cream Man #17
Redneck #25
Rai #3
Roku #4
Star Trek: Picard #1
Star Trek: Picard #2
Star Trek: Picard #3
Harrow County Vol. 8: Done Come Back (Collects issues 29-32)
Spencer & Locke Vol 2 (Collects issues 1-4)
Outlaw Territory Vol 2

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's time to start my next Anthology book, Outlaw Territory Vol 2.  Just like the first volume, we've got thirty short stories to get through.  I just hope I can get them done by tomorrow night!!

Outlaw Territory Vol 2
   1. Rustling Up Business by Rich Johnston
   2. Cherokee Bill by Shannon Eric Denton
   3. Cold Blood by Len Wein
   4. The Strongbox by Michael Woods
   5. The Whores of Trinidad Need Witnessing To by Alex Wilson
   6. The Face on the Poster
   7. The Brothers McKenzie by Pete Doree
   8. They'll Bury You Where You Stand! by Jeremy Barlow
   9. Death of an Outlaw by Adam Freeman & Marc Bernardin
   10. Wild One by Mike Baron
   11. Say You're Dead by Kathryn Immonen
   12. Bring Me the Head of Joaquin Santiago by John Whalen
   13. The Making of a Legend by James Patrick
   14. The Score of the Century by Josh Wagner
   15. The Wheel Turns by D.K. Stockton
   16. Frontier Consumption by Conner Willumsen
   17. Lawman by Joshua Ortega
   18. Behind Every Gun by Jan Napiorkowski
   19. Man on a Horse: A Dawson Brothers Tale by Robert Kirkman
   20. Bass Reaves by Shannon Eric Denton
   21. Rio Chino: The Shooting Lesson by Greg Pak
   22. Corallin' Up a Memory by J.D. Lombardi
   23. Redeemer by M. Sean McManus
   24. A Coffin for Mr. Bishell by Joshua Hale Fialkov
   25. Santa Fe by Shay
   26. Forever is a Long Time by Christian Beranck
   27. Lullaby by Francesco Francavilla
   28. The Ballad of J. Giraud or Of Powder, Wiskey, Nakedness by Moritat
   29. A Dead Man's Hand by Mark Kauffman
   30. Where the White Man Cannot Follow by Joshua Dysart

[Jeff]

Outlaw Territory Vol 2
   1. Rustling Up Business by Rich Johnston
   2. Cherokee Bill by Shannon Eric Denton
   3. Cold Blood by Len Wein
   4. The Strongbox by Michael Woods
   5. The Whores of Trinidad Need Witnessing To by Alex Wilson
   6. The Face on the Poster
   7. The Brothers McKenzie by Pete Doree
   8. They'll Bury You Where You Stand! by Jeremy Barlow
   9. Death of an Outlaw by Adam Freeman & Marc Bernardin
   10. Wild One by Mike Baron
   11. Say You're Dead by Kathryn Immonen
   12. Bring Me the Head of Joaquin Santiago by John Whalen
   13. The Making of a Legend by James Patrick
   14. The Score of the Century by Josh Wagner
   15. The Wheel Turns by D.K. Stockton
   16. Frontier Consumption by Conner Willumsen
   17. Lawman by Joshua Ortega
   18. Behind Every Gun by Jan Napiorkowski
   19. Man on a Horse: A Dawson Brothers Tale by Robert Kirkman
   20. Bass Reaves by Shannon Eric Denton
   21. Rio Chino: The Shooting Lesson by Greg Pak
   22. Corallin' Up a Memory by J.D. Lombardi
   23. Redeemer by M. Sean McManus
   24. A Coffin for Mr. Bishell by Joshua Hale Fialkov
   25. Santa Fe by Shay
   26. Forever is a Long Time by Christian Beranck
   27. Lullaby by Francesco Francavilla
   28. The Ballad of J. Giraud or Of Powder, Wiskey, Nakedness by Moritat
   29. A Dead Man's Hand by Mark Kauffman
   30. Where the White Man Cannot Follow by Joshua Dysart

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Rustling Up Business by Rich Johnston - LOLOLOL!  I should have seen that punchline coming!  First story started things off with a bang! Loved it!

2. Cherokee Bill by Shannon Eric Denton - And we immediately switch to the other side of the coin.  Bloody and brutal.  Cherokee Bill is an outlaw by choice or by circumstance?

3. Cold Blood by Len Wein - Now that one I saw coming.  But it was still a fun tale getting there!  Blizzard, Bear, and two missing fingers.

4. The Strongbox by Michael Woods - Another good one.  Ouch.  Human nature seems always ugly in the old west.

5. The Whores of Trinidad Need Witnessing To by Alex Wilson - Ugh.  Not as good as the first four.  Probably because it left you feeling sick to the ole heart.

6. The Face on the Poster - Yep, ended just the way I knew it would.  But enjoyed the ride anyway.  Damn bounty hunters.

7. The Brothers McKenzie by Pete Doree (art by Sean Phillips!) - HaHaHaHa!  Another funny one. Complete with a good ole gunfight.

8. They'll Bury You Where You Stand! by Jeremy Barlow -    This one is really creepy and unnerving.  Perry would love it.

9. Death of an Outlaw by Adam Freeman & Marc Bernardin - Karma.  That b!tch will get ya every time.

10. Wild One by Mike Baron - Probably didn't help that this was after "Death of an Outlaw".  Not a bad short story, but doesn't measure up to it's predecessors.

[Jeff]

Outlaw Territory Vol 2
   1. Rustling Up Business by Rich Johnston
   2. Cherokee Bill by Shannon Eric Denton
   3. Cold Blood by Len Wein
   4. The Strongbox by Michael Woods
   5. The Whores of Trinidad Need Witnessing To by Alex Wilson
   6. The Face on the Poster
   7. The Brothers McKenzie by Pete Doree
   8. They'll Bury You Where You Stand! by Jeremy Barlow
   9. Death of an Outlaw by Adam Freeman & Marc Bernardin
   10. Wild One by Mike Baron
   11. Say You're Dead by Kathryn Immonen
   12. Bring Me the Head of Joaquin Santiago by John Whalen
   13. The Making of a Legend by James Patrick
   14. The Score of the Century by Josh Wagner
   15. The Wheel Turns by D.K. Stockton
   16. Frontier Consumption by Conner Willumsen
   17. Lawman by Joshua Ortega
   18. Behind Every Gun by Jan Napiorkowski
   19. Man on a Horse: A Dawson Brothers Tale by Robert Kirkman
   20. Bass Reaves by Shannon Eric Denton
   21. Rio Chino: The Shooting Lesson by Greg Pak
   22. Corallin' Up a Memory by J.D. Lombardi
   23. Redeemer by M. Sean McManus
   24. A Coffin for Mr. Bishell by Joshua Hale Fialkov
   25. Santa Fe by Shay
   26. Forever is a Long Time by Christian Beranck
   27. Lullaby by Francesco Francavilla
   28. The Ballad of J. Giraud or Of Powder, Wiskey, Nakedness by Moritat
   29. A Dead Man's Hand by Mark Kauffman
   30. Where the White Man Cannot Follow by Joshua Dysart

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11. Say You're Dead by Kathryn Immonen - I didn’t understand this one.  I think it tried to be too artsy.

12. Bring Me the Head of Joaquin Santiago by John Whalen - Ha. Mistaken identity seems to be a theme!

13. The Making of a Legend by James Patrick - Hmmm. I liked this right up to the end where it just sort of...well...ended.  It’s the making of a good beginning and middle of a story but the end was too abrupt and unsatisfying.

14. The Score of the Century by Josh Wagner - three stories to settle a bet. And the dumb cowboys last question made me laugh.

15. The Wheel Turns by D.K. Stockton - ooo. I liked this one. A dark tale of revenge and justice.

16. Frontier Consumption by Conner Willumsen - brutal lesson to learn.

17. Lawman by Joshua Ortega - ah, nice twist.  Good one.

18. Behind Every Gun by Jan Napiorkowski - a happy ending! Not used to that but I liked it!

19. Man on a Horse: A Dawson Brothers Tale by Robert Kirkman - Ha! Good ole Kirkman. A tale worthy of the author.

20. Bass Reaves by Shannon Eric Denton - Another good one.  Kharma strikes again.

[Jeff]

Outlaw Territory Vol 2
   1. Rustling Up Business by Rich Johnston
   2. Cherokee Bill by Shannon Eric Denton
   3. Cold Blood by Len Wein
   4. The Strongbox by Michael Woods
   5. The Whores of Trinidad Need Witnessing To by Alex Wilson
   6. The Face on the Poster
   7. The Brothers McKenzie by Pete Doree
   8. They'll Bury You Where You Stand! by Jeremy Barlow
   9. Death of an Outlaw by Adam Freeman & Marc Bernardin
   10. Wild One by Mike Baron
   11. Say You're Dead by Kathryn Immonen
   12. Bring Me the Head of Joaquin Santiago by John Whalen
   13. The Making of a Legend by James Patrick
   14. The Score of the Century by Josh Wagner
   15. The Wheel Turns by D.K. Stockton
   16. Frontier Consumption by Conner Willumsen
   17. Lawman by Joshua Ortega
   18. Behind Every Gun by Jan Napiorkowski
   19. Man on a Horse: A Dawson Brothers Tale by Robert Kirkman
   20. Bass Reaves by Shannon Eric Denton
   21. Rio Chino: The Shooting Lesson by Greg Pak
   22. Corallin' Up a Memory by J.D. Lombardi
   23. Redeemer by M. Sean McManus
   24. A Coffin for Mr. Bishell by Joshua Hale Fialkov
   25. Santa Fe by Shay
   26. Forever is a Long Time by Christian Beranck
   27. Lullaby by Francesco Francavilla
   28. The Ballad of J. Giraud or Of Powder, Wiskey, Nakedness by Moritat
   29. A Dead Man's Hand by Mark Kauffman
   30. Where the White Man Cannot Follow by Joshua Dysart

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

21. Rio Chino: The Shooting Lesson by Greg Pak - Another good gunfight.  Loving these western tales.

22. Corallin' Up a Memory by J.D. Lombardi - I nice little tale for the grandkids - about gunfights and buffalo.

23. Redeemer by M. Sean McManus - Oh man - good one.  Lessons on loyalty, for sure.

24. A Coffin for Mr. Bishell by Joshua Hale Fialkov - This one caught me off guard because I recognized the art and not the writer.  You can't miss Jeff Lemire's art style as it is like no others.  And the story was of a different beat.  I think Mr. Fialkov channelled Mr. Lemire's brilliant storytelling to match the art.

25. Santa Fe by Shay - Nice.  Another twist I wasn't expecting.  Love it when that happens.  

26. Forever is a Long Time by Christian Beranck - As much as I liked the story, I'm not sure it's realistic to the times. That takes you out of the story a bit.

27. Lullaby by Francesco Francavilla - A sad sad tale.  Cut to the heart.

28. The Ballad of J. Giraud or Of Powder, Whiskey, Nakedness by Moritat - Be careful who you trust!  Thumbs up.

29. A Dead Man's Hand by Mark Kauffman - More karma!

30. Where the White Man Cannot Follow by Joshua Dysart - Not sure how close to history this is (the massacre did happen) but it was a bad way to end the book.  Left me with a rotten feeling.  Would have been better somewhere else in the book.

[Jeff]

ComiXolgy
New Mutants #8
X-Force #8
X-Men #7
Criminal #12
Ice Cream Man #17
Redneck #25
Rai #3
Roku #4
Star Trek: Picard #1
Star Trek: Picard #2
Star Trek: Picard #3
Harrow County Vol. 8: Done Come Back (Collects issues 29-32)
Spencer & Locke Vol 2 (Collects issues 1-4)
Outlaw Territory Vol 2

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outlaw Territory Vol 2 - I think I liked this even more than the first volume.  Great western stories and a lot of fun.

[Perry]

Outlaw Territory Vol 2 - I think I liked this even more than the first volume.  Great western stories and a lot of fun.

I'll have to get both of those soon.

I still want to find that Strange Adventures (I think it was, or the other one  ), that I know I have here to read half of that other collection you talked about ... 

And below you will find why I don't enjoy making lists. I always over do it, never get them done and then I feel like I failed at accomplishing something
 
I could read 40 titles in one week, but if I say I am going to read 10, I will only read 6 of them and 4 of those will not be on my list to begin with
 

Case in point below

Anyway ...

Ghost Rider #5 - Still enjoying this title. Brings me back to the Midnight Sons era, right when I was starting to tire of Ghost Rider because of what was happening all over comics. This time however there are no stupid ass pouches and spikes everywhere and muscles are not dramatically out of proportion.  Yea to that !!


Redneck #26
Justice League Dark #20 - RamV's first issue
Harrow County #16
Harrow County #17
Harrow County #18
Dial H for Hero #1
Dial H for Hero #2
Dial H for Hero #3

Batman #88
Batman #89
Suicide Squad #3 
X-Men #7
Fantastic Four: Grim Noir #1
X-Men/FF #2
DCeased: Unkillables #1
The Kill Lock #1
The Kill Lock #2
Kill Lock #3 - add!
Ice Cream Man #18

[Jeff]

I’m the opposite.  If I don’t make a list I’ll never get to them and my backlog will get out of control.

[Perry]

I’m the opposite.  If I don’t make a list I’ll never get to them and my backlog will get out of control.

And I man do I get that.  And heck, I SHOULD be the same way. I am a person that likes thing in order, almost OCD'ish in fact  and having a list should work for me, but it doesn't 

I don't know why. I guess because I am more a "mood reader"? I have to be in the mood for a story, no matter how much I want to read it, if I aint feeling it, I can't read it. Or I hate to be told what to do, even if it is coming from myself?