What I Bought 6/30/2025 - Part 2

Earlier this week, they made us get everything off the floor at work so they could clean the carpets one night. Except they didn't show up, then told us the next day we had to move everything off the floor again because this time they were totally going to show up (a day late.) I hate people who can't keep schedules, especially where they're expecting you to help them.

Today we're looking at third issues.

Past Time #3, by Joe Harris (writer), Russell Olson (artist), Carlos M. Mangual (letterer) - Wow, a Ronald Harris card, complete with blood spatter from his untimely death! Neato!

The Barnstormers are playing a local group of religious weirdos. One in particular is always mumbling to himself, but more critically, he's a dirty player. Throws an elbow into the face of the Barnstormers second baseman, setting off a huge brawl. During the fight, Henry finds out the guy is a vampire like him.

Henry flees the field entirely, but tracks the opposing ballplayer to a church later. They argue a bit, then fight a bit, the church gets lit on fire, and Ronald shoots the other guy in the head twice. Don't know if that's going to do the trick with a vampire - 2 shots to center mass didn't do much to Henry - but then Ronald has a heart attack of something and Henry bites him. Still, two head shots from a blind man when the entire building is burning down is pretty slick.

As the fight progresses, Mangual has reds and oranges gradually overtake the panels. Obviously, everything is on fire, but also things are being pulled out of the shadows. Henry's been trying to stay hidden, but not only has he run into another like him, the guy seems to know what Henry's been up to. Which means he might not be as safe with this traveling ballclub as he thinks.

That said, the pacing on this mini-series is all over the place. Took most of two issues to get Henry on the team, and in less than half an issue he's fighting another vampire and Ronald's dying. I don't have any idea what Harris is really going for with this book. He hasn't delved into Henry or Ronald's past, hasn't really delved into Henry being a vampire.

Henry turning Ronald without asking permission does tie into what Ronald said last issue, about Henry being willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. Now is that a vampire trait, or was that always part of Henry and his condition just gives him a greater ability to assert his will? Don't know, and don't know if we'll find out.

Great British Bump-Off: Kill or Be Quilt #3, by John Allison (writer), Max Sarin (artist), Sammy Borras (colorist), Jim Campbell (letterer) -  The carnage of a convention can be difficult for a novice.

Shauna, still playing both sides, has to try and pull it off during Quiltfest. And in a sign of either how ill-suited she is for espionage, or how tired she is, Shauna figures it's a great idea to get both her employers table space directly across from each other. Because it'll be easier to keep tabs on them. It's also going to make it rather difficult to keep her bosses from noticing she's working for both of them.

It's the kind of mistake I'd make when I play chess. "Yes, ha ha." *notices extremely obvious mistake* "Shit, that was stupid." 

Indeed, the whole thing blows up on her about one page into the actual convention. She's about to get tarred and feathered (or whatever one does to quilt saboteurs) as the one behind all the sabotage, but she made friends with the husbands who hang out in the pub while their wives buy quilt stuff, and got the idea to speak with this mysterious Mabel. Who looks old enough to have watched Mary, Queen of Scots, get beheaded, and has buyer's remorse over some industrial grade quilting machine she bought that made everyone jealous. Plus, it made quilting too commercialized, too American.

Now see here, you can't blame all capitalism on the U.S. We just took what the various European powers were doing and did it. . .I don't want to say "better." Did it more. Yeah, we do more capitalism than everyone else (unless we've already been surpassed by China or India.)

Either way, the interpersonal connection means Mabel comes to Shauna's defense, and insists the two shopkeepers have a quilt-off, that very night, in a "loser leaves town" match. If professional wrestling taught me anything - besides how easy authority figures are to distract or trick - it's that there's always a loophole to those kinds of matches. Also, I'm still convinced Bryn is behind the initial sabotage, as part of some "statement." Just putting it on the record - again - for when I'm inevitably proved wrong next issue.