What I Bought 8/29/07

I had no actual new comics come in this week. I looked at Countdown to Adventure #1 because I figured, hey, I like characters, but it didn't really interest me all that much. However, from reading through it I learned I now have a negative reaction to seeing Adam Beechen listed as writer. Kind of an "Oh, well, maybe it'll still be good" vibe. Anyway, I did buy a few things, including a Spider-Girl digest with the Buzz and Darkdevil mini-series (six issues for $8!), which were nice enough, though DeFalco had a hard time settling on a consistent tone of dialogue for the protagonists. Sometimes they sound very young, other times very old, or like they're trying to be hip. In Buzz' case, he could just be putting on an act to hide insecurity, but it felt really odd to see Darkdevil switching from "dangerous potentially anti-hero" talk, to "jokey, sunshiney hero" banter. The two primary purchases of the week were the first two volumes of Mail Order Ninja, which as you may recall from two weeks ago (8/15), I had Ken set aside in my box for specifically this week. Clever, aren't I?

Let me say this right off: I loved Mail Order Ninja. I laughed, I cheered, it was awesome. In fact, it was so awesome that during the "Show and Tell" scene, I leapt to my feet to pump my fist vigorously in celebration. So vigorously that I punched myself in the eye. That's right. Mail order Ninja is so awesome, you will willingly injure yourself to show it proper respect. What did I like about it?

I like that the kids seem to be drawn less realistically (more manga style) than their parents. I like that when Timmy gets his ninja, he uses Jiro for his own personal gain, just like Peter Parker when he got spider-powers. Really, Timmy's a elementary school student, what the hell else would he do with a ninja, besides make himself the toast of the school, and abuse his power to take down those that do that already? I like the file cards that give a quick bio for characters as they're introduced (I now eagerly await the volume where the deliveryman's fear of rodeo clowns comes into play).

The back-and-forth between Timmy and his little sister, Lindsay, reminds me of most sibling relationships I've seen over the years (I'm an only child, but I think everyone I've ever counted as a true friend had at least one sibling that they alternately fought, palled around and struggled for parental favor with), so I enjoyed that. Mail Order Ninja, on the surface, is written for younger people than me, most likely, though I imagine my fellow college grads would enjoy it as well (which probably says something about us), but I'm pretty sure there's some jokes for the older set as well. I'll leave it to you to buy the volumes and figure out what I mean (Probably not hard. I'm generally unobservant, so if I picked up on even some of them, you ought to as well).

I really liked the "advertisement" in the middle of Volume 1 for Jacques Co., the toy company that made it possible for Timmy to win his very own ninja. It's weird, but damn it, I want some of those toys being advertised. Maybe this Jacques fellow could make all that comic book tech that was being demanded here. I saw one review that said it felt like padding, but I think it makes more sense when you get to the end of volume 2. I think the review was only of volume 1 though, so not the reviewer's fault there, because on its own, its a humor thing, and some people will find it funny, and some not.

So like I said, Mail Order Ninja made me laugh, it made me cheer, it made me extremely grateful I never had a little sister, it gives the creators of the Ninja Turtles a nod (remember to read everything), it's a kickass way to spend ten bucks (Because Ken gave me a discount! Boo-ya!) Like 5 out of 5, or close enough you couldn't tell the difference anyway.