Best Book Nominees for Wednesday, June 28

Although your stack may have been a little lighter than usual this week, I thought it was another excellent week of comics. Lots to like from Marvel, the Flashpoints were pretty good once again, and I read a bunch of books I really enjoyed. Onto the Nominees!

AMERICAN VAMPIRE #16 – Always scares me a little before I read American Vampire. It is a vampire book. Didn’t really even remember what happened last issue going in. And yet once again on page two I was totally sucked in. We’re in a prison in Taipan. We don’t know how we got here. The situation is… and an excellent story follows. Read it!

AVENGERS CHILDRENS CRUSADE #6 (OF 9) – Well, I just love it. Steeped in recent Marvel history. The Scarlet Witch and No More Mutants. Are Wiccan and Speed the Scarlet Witch’s kids? Quicksilver, X-Factor and the Terrigan mists. Did Hawkeye sleep with a Doombot? A sweet double-page spread of the X-Men. And more mutants!

BATMAN INCORPORATED #7 – If I can’t have a Grant Morrison/Frank Quietly duo on Batman, I will most certainly take a Grant Morrison/Chris Burnham duo. Love how it looks and loved the cover! I put the odds at 3-2 on the Bat-Cycle. It may run out of gas. 10-1 on the bison. It may get tired. And 20-1 on the horse. You better hope the Bat-Cycle runs out of gas and the bison gets tired!

DETECTIVE COMICS #878 – Double nominee for Scott Snyder, this and American Vampire. Again. Batman almost got swallowed by an orca! Plus a couple of nice twists and surprises at the end. Rock-n-roll!

FF #5 – Once again, loved the art. Barry Kitson. Excellent. I talk stories and plots all the time. And yet the art is so important. You know that. Great art week. Every issue on the list today gets an A. Except for one. It gets a B-. See if you can guess. Anyway… Black Bolt is coming back! Awesome! Last we knew he was dead in space, War of Kings, I’ve been waiting…

GOON #34 – Utterly hilarious. Laughed out loud on multiple occasions. A great issue to read if you’ve never read the Goon. A great issue to read if you’ve read every issue. Sparkly vampires. Tween girls. A bucket. A bonus. And you were right, Smitty, drunk goon is better.

INCREDIBLE HULKS ANNUAL #1 – Identity Wars Part Three. It was amazing how many people went out of their way to make sure we would hold this one specific issue for them. Didn’t want to miss it. John Layman writes. He also writes Chew. And Godzilla Gangsters & Goliaths. He could write the phone book. And I would read it!

SCALPED #50 – Comics evoke many emotions. But queasy? Made me a little sick to my stomach. Totally awesome!

ULTIMATE COMICS X #5 – Best Jeph Loeb story since Long Halloween. Art Adams shines on the art. On the last page senior editor Mark Paniccia thanked everyone for giving Ultimate X the time it needed to be a high quality story. And have no doubt about it, it is a high quality story. Highly recommend reading it. Ultimate Universe fan or not. You will enjoy. If you are an Ultimate Universe fan think about this: the series started right after Ultimatum ended and now itself ends right before Ultimate Fallout begins. If at first you don’t succeed (with the Universe, not Ultimate X), try, try again!

WALKING DEAD #86 – They just walked around and talked this issue. Although Andrea did shoot up some zombies. But the letters page ruled again! Dude accused Mr. Kirkman of writing nothing more than a kiddie snuff book. The reply by editorial director Sina Grace. So I take it you don’t read Crossed? Laughed so hard I had to put the book down. And kudos to Chris Hughes. He writes in.

- Thought Dad was dead
- Shot and killed Shane
- Was shot by Otis
- Rarely saw his father
- Reunited with his father, sans father’s hand
- Had his mother and (half?) sister killed
- Had to protect dying father
- Nearly got raped by bandits
- Watched father bite off the ear of a bandit
- Creeped out by a delusional Morgan
- Killed Ben
- Gets shot in the blank blank EYE!!!!!

Part of me hopes he’s dead so you can’t hurt him anymore.

Yes, Chris, Carl has been through the ringer. Mr. Kirkman’s answer. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…

And the final fate of Carl has yet to be decided. Where’s my hat!

See ya!

Rusty