What to Buy, What to Buy (DCnU Launch Week 4)

No wires here at all. Nope.

I've been a little quiet this week. I've been busy, but I've also been preparing a post about Catwoman. I'm still trying to let some of the dust to settle in my head and I want to make sure I get this post right as I'm throwing some shit at a fan.

But, since tomorrow is Wednesday, I want to list what comics I plan to pick up tomorrow.

• All Star Western - Yes. (I didn't see Jonah Hex the movie so I'm relatively unscarred by this book. I'm a sucker for westerns)
• Aquaman - Yes (I hate Aquaman as a character. A dude from the ocean? What use is he to the rest of the super hero community? Good on beach day? But there's a lot of good buzz, and I would have picked this up anyways. Gotta see how someone would try to make this dude interesting)
• Batman: The Dark Knight - Maybe (How much Batman can one person take?)
• Blackhawks - No (I'm burned out on teams, thanks.)
• The Flash - Yes (I had a friend that was into him. Told me he could run through things and then have them blow up. Better than a water guy.)
• The Fury of Firestorm - Yes (Co-written by Gail Simone. I have to support female comic writers. Batgirl was also enjoyable.)
• Green Lantern: New Guardians - Most likely not (Ragtag team? Lanterns? Does not seem like the best choice I could make.) 
• I, Vampire - No (Unlike westerns, I have no enthusiasm for vampires.)
• Justice League Dark - Yes (Only because of John Constantine.)
• Savage Hawkman - No (Hahahahahahahaha)
• Superman - No (I've already got one Superman thanks)
• Teen Titans - No (Superboy is going to kill these guys so what's the point?)
• Voodoo - No (Who do the voodoo?)

We are getting closer to next month. I'm pretty excited about some #2s.

Everything Hits at Once

That's me.

Stopped off at the comic shop on the way home Wednesday. I wasn't too thrilled about what was being released this week, but M is how women are being represented in this new launch of DC and so wanted Catwoman and Birds of Prey. I went to pick those up and see if anything caught my eye. I ended up with:

• Birds of Prey
• Catwoman
• Wonder Woman
• Batman
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Yeah, that's right, I grabbed a non-DCnU title there. Unfortunately it's a #2, but nostalgia is a powerful force and Eastman's name is on the cover so I was willing to give it a shot.

I got home and as I approached my apartment door, I saw a box in front of my door. My mail comics had arrived.

I pulled the box into the living room and began unpacking. There was a great deal of packing material but I got down to my individually bagged comics. This added to my haul:

• Animal Man
• Frankenstein
• Suicide Squad
• Legion Lost
• Batgirl
• Batwoman
• Resurrection Man

I look at that stack now, and remember how just weeks ago I made a comment about a dude with an arm full comics worth approx $30. That's what I see now on my coffee table. Granted, there are a few previous week's releases in there, but still. That distinction that I made between myself and that guy a few weeks ago might be a little less distinct as of Wednesday.

I can feel myself changing. I'm scared guys.

Shopping Lists and Dissapointment

I decided a while ago that when September rolled around and the whole DCnU thing launched officially I was going to start buying comics. While, I've never bought comics on a week-by-week basis, I'm no stranger to comics either. I've studied them in university and I have purchased/read many assorted collections or graphic novels. I have a healthy respect for the medium.

And I know enough about superheroes to get by in a crowded comic-con line too. I actually like superheroes and superhero narratives. I've seen the movies, watched the cartoons, read the wiki articles. But that is where it stops, because, seriously, that back log of overly complex and conflicting canon really makes me avoid superhero comics as a whole.

That's why I thought this reboot for DCnU was a fantastic idea. I gotta be smack dab near the middle of DC's target demographic. If I don't want to read about BATMAN every month, something is wrong.

Last Wednesday, I tried to get to the comic shop to pick up the new Justice League #1. Because of work and life I never managed to get there during open hours. And, honestly, Justice League doesn't really spark much or an interest so I wasn't too inclined to try too hard to get myself a copy.

But this Wednesday, September 7th, was a day I was excited for. First off, we had Jeff Lemire's Animal Man. I've been a fan of Lemire's since he was still publishing the Essex County stuff and I just recently started reading Sweet Tooth. I also love Grant Morrison's work with Animal Man too. So the combo of Lemire and Animal Man really held my interest in the DCnU itself.

I also wanted to get my hands on the new Batgirl. Aside from already selling out it's first two prints, I wanted to try reading a comic by a team a women. The medium has its issues with women and feminism so I wanted to see what the relaunch would do to try to solve that.

What I hoped to pick up today at the comic shop:

Animal Man  
Batgirl 
Swamp Thing (supposedly one of DC's darker and more horror oriented new books) 
Stormwatch (I'm interested in the idea of merging canons and worlds)
and then maybe Superman and Batman titles if they looked okay in a flip through.

I had to stay late at work today though so I didn't get to the comic store very early and I could tell by the selection. Both Animal Man and Batgirl were already sold out. In the end, I picked up:

Swamp Thing
Superman Action Comics
Justice League International (BOOSTER GOLD!!!)
Stormwatch

I've already read two of them and I feel pretty positive about the experience so far. I'm looking forward to my potential new life as a month-by-month comic reader.

Discussion on each book to come in the next week.

Now, to find those two books.