What I Bought 8/12/09

I don't know why I didn't mention it earlier, but Former Marvels and Legends Owner and Current Customer Ken was in the store on Saturday, running it for the current owners, who were enjoying themselves at Chicago Con over the weekend. So I saw Ken for the first time since the convention in April, and we (and several other customers) shot the breeze for three and a half hours. We talked about movies, what Ken's up to (quite a bit, as usual), a convention Customer Jack attended recently, things Ken is planning for next year's convention, his disappointment with Lone Ranger's irregular release schedule, etc. I would have stayed longer, but I had a prior engagement, so I had to leave. Bummer. I don't know that any of you were interested, but I must draw on whatever I can for opening paragraphs.

Deadpool #13 - Fed up with laying low, Deadpool decides to become a pirate. So he buys a boat, and it sinks (later he learns it was a submarine). So he buys another boat, overpays ridiculously, brings Bob, Agent of HYDRA in to become Bob, Captain Deadpool's Parrot, and embarks on what is a pretty intelligent pirating scheme. No, really, you can tell because someone else thought of it too. He also meets an attractive, sharp-tounged blind woman, who he wants as his navigator, so we'll see if next issue's actions help that dream to become a reality.

Shawn Crystal, who drew the Games of Death one-shot earlier this year, handles the art chores, which is fine with me, though everyone he draws looks seedy. Fine for Russian arms dealers, perhaps not so fine for rich beachgoers and blind tour guides. Actually, she doesn't look seedy, her mouth is just exceptionally large for her face. Maybe it's the big sunglasses that make her face look small. Either way, I like that Crystal decks Wade out with a big skull belt buckle and those poofy Jack Sparrow pirate pants. It's a good look. As for the story, I'd say this was an unusually busy issue. It seemed like Way had more plot advancement than normal. Probably allowing for an issue long fight two weeks from now. Why is Deadpool coming out twice this month?

GrimJack: Manx Cat #1 - From Bob, Agent of HYDRA/Parrot to Bob the Gatorlizard. This mini-series was already released online, and at least so far, there's no extra content, though they're hoping for a letters page. I should come up with something nice to write to them. At any rate, it's Ostrander and Truman on GrimJack, they had my money as surely as if Gaunt put a sword to my throat. But with less cursing under my breath.

OK, so this takes place before GrimJack #1, but after the Killer Instinct mini from 2005, if you were curious. Grinner's after the Manx Cat, a valuable statuette he's endlessly having to steal for others. He runs afoul of another thief, Darlin' Lil, who wanted it too. He beats her, escapes in a hail of gunfire, and snags the aforementioned gatorlizard on the way out. He returns the Cat, gets arrested, gets out on bail, gets threatened by the fellow he stole it from, and that pretty well covers it.

Ostrander and Truman do a fine job (I think) of giving the potential new reader all the information they need to follow along, whether it's from internal monologues, dialogue, or Truman's art. He does a fine job of conveying Gaunt's age, through the way he sits, moves, fights, like he's not going to waste any energy. I will agree with a comment I remember from the letters page for Killer Instinct, when someone said they felt the shiny paper did a disservice to Truman's art. Maybe it's the coloring style, or just a progression in Truman's art, but it does feel as though the griminess of the people and their surroundings is being undercut.

Oh, and Ostrander includes a few funny bits, my favorite being the phrase Gaunt has to chant to activate the Cat's Eye. 'Miao, miao, miao, miao, fsst, fsst, miao'. I chuckled at that one.

That's it for me. Night folks.