What I Bought 1/6/2018 and 1/10/2018

I hate driving in snow. I can do it, but I hate it. In other news, here's a couple of books from the last two weeks. This week, people have awkward conversations, and I only wanted that in one of these books.

Giant Days #34, by John Allison (writer), Max Sarin (penciler), Liz Fleming (inker), Whtney Cogar (colorist), Jim Campbell (letterer) - Assembling a jigsaw puzzle to reveal your own face feels like something you'd see on the Twilight Zone. Once he's finished, Ed will realize he no longer has a face of his own! And he's Hitler! Or dead. Or both.

Esther takes Ed on a pub run as a way to say thank you for helping her find a place to live. She eventually gets Ed to detail his life story for her. This involves being a bullied kid at school, and joining the drama club to be close to an older girl he was infatuated with. They dated until she left for university, when the relationship eventually fell apart. And as the two drunkenly stagger on, and Esther asks Ed what happened next, Ed accidentally lets slip his feelings for her. Gah. And then tries to divert it by climbing things, only to fall off and possibly injure himself.

Well, I was waiting for Ed to tell her, just to have it out in the air and dealt with. I have no idea how this is going to play out, other than badly. I have to figure out there are going to be freakouts on all sides of this thing. Or they could surprise me and handle this thing calmly, but I expect it'll take five or so issues before everyone calms down enough to try that.

I don't really understand Twin Peaks references (my entire knowledge of that show is this clip from The Simpsons), but I got a lot of laughs out of this issue anyway. Esther's poor listening skills, and her story about her torment of her teacher, Mrs. Pugh. The panel of Mrs. Pugh's meltdown. That Sarin, as our heroes get increasingly wasted, not only starts drawing the buildings with wobbly, wavy lines, but the panels they're in as well. Best of all, they used that Churchill quote about being drunk versus being ugly. I love that quote, even if it was mean of him, and they really shouldn't tease an elephant bartender. Also, randomly, there's one page of Susan and Daisy relaxing with a Black-Eyed Peas coloring book (the band, not the food stuff).

Cogar colors Ed's flashback panels in a slightly faded tones. Not sepia exactly, this didn't happen decades ago or anything, just a couple of years. But enough that it starts to take on that feel. Although it's interesting she didn't take the same approach on Esther's flashback. But in that case, the yellow-and-white color scheme of the classroom walls makes its own distinct feel (a combination of glaring and nauseating, for me anyway). But Esther also clearly regrets her actions, so the shame probably keeps the memory fresher than Ed's where he's trying to forget. And that panel where Ed realizes he slipped up, and we can see Esther was not so drunk she didn't hear it. Oof. The looks on their faces. This is why people don't want to talk about their feelings!

Despicable Deadpool #292, by Gerry Duggan (writer), Matteo Lolli (artist), Ruth Redmond (colorist), Joe Sabino (letterer) - Do you think it would add something to the cover if Hawthorne had included a sound effect as Wade falls, or would that have needlessly cluttered it? I'm leaning towards cluttered, with the book's title already there, plus Wade's bucket list.

Stryfe's next target is Irene Merryweather, who Wade stabs to death in the Daily Bugle newsroom (while wearing a homemade Stryfe costume). What does Gerry Duggan have against Cable/Deadpool? First he poops on the Wade/Cable relationship, now this? Booooo. The next target is Evan, the young man Wade has worked very hard to help not become Apocalypse. He is not ready or willing to do that, so he visits Nazi Captain America in prison instead. He doesn't kill him, but vows to take something from him each time he visits, starting with his. . . toilet.

Wade Wilson: Finding new ways to let us all down every day.

The visit is perceived as an attempt to help Evil Steve breakout, which gets Rogue's attention, so Wade is going to have more relationship issues to deal with next issue. Will he have time to put his plan to save Evan in motion first?

Wade attaching a little light to his Stryfe helmet to try and fake the glowing eye cracks me up. But it's a good attempt at attention to detail. Better than all those knives he had sticking out through the armor. For Stryfe's armor, you have to go with full-on swords.

The conversation with Nazi Cap, while ultimately unsatisfying, was interesting for how Lolli and Redmond handle Cap. Cap stays on the bed throughout, what with the venomous snake on his chest. But even when he tried moving, he looks bored. Half-lidded eyes, not a hair out of place. The shades used are darker than in the rest of the issue, and gives Rogers this grey pallor. It makes him feel cold, and frightening, even as he's in prison.