The Incredible, Shrinking Pull List

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A true comic fan’s pull list is something sacred. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve requested my pull list just to make sure it had all the titles I enjoy on a monthly basis. I’m constantly tweaking the thing to ensure that what I’m giving up my hard earned money for is the pinnacle of comic entertainment as I see it. Lately, however I’ve found myself requesting my pull list mainly to REMOVE things from it which is quite disturbing. Apparently, this is becoming a trend since the economy went into cardiac arrest. Truth be told, the removal of titles from my list has absolutely NOTHING to do with the economy.

Rebel One and I often have discussions about what we’re getting every month. I’m sure he’s picked up on it, but our conversations are turning into what we’re taking off the list instead of what we’re adding to it. This isn’t a good sign. Both of us have reasonably stable jobs with money to burn when it comes to our favorite hobby and yet we’re spending less money in the comic shop. Why?

For one thing, the mega-event crossover is ruining the quality of comics. Period. This is a typical fanboy comment but there’s validity to the statement. I write this as a guy who enjoys the cosmos-spanding-super-duper-exciting-omni-event just like the next guy but it’s starting to TAKEOVER what’s happening in the books instead of things naturally building to a major event. The books are starting to follow a pattern that looks like this;

MAJOR EVENT-----FALLOUT/BUILD TO NEXT MAJOR EVENT----MAJOR EVENT-----FALLOUT/BUILD TO NEXT MAJOR EVENT---

The characters are suffering because they don’t have any room to breathe. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I LIKED the issues where the team would play a pickup basketball game or someone went on a date. I remember an issue of X-Men after the much bally-hooed relaunch with Claremont and Lee where Gambit took Rogue out on a date and the rest of the X-Men followed them around because nobody trusted Gambit. I loved that issue. Sure, they got attacked by a bunch of dudes in red suits, but that was cool. At least they were trying to inject some fun into their complicated lives. I remember the issue where Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus went to a bar and got into it with an unarmored, but still deadly Juggernaut. AMAZING ISSUE. Now all the characters look like they’re in desperate need of enemas. Nothing’s fun because there’s no time for it and things are WAY too dark for fun. Someone’s raping all the superheroes’ spouses or the good guys no longer trust each other because Captain Determined molested Victory Maiden’s granddaughter 15 years ago and she’s decided to speak up about it just in time for the summer crossover event. And these are the GOOD GUYS. Things are darker in comics than they are in real life and that’s just plain wrong. Part of the attraction I had to superheroes as a kid was I wanted to BE these people. I wanted to swing across a rooftop like Spiderman. Now, I wouldn’t want to be Peter Parker for a million bucks. I love my wife too much to make a deal with the devil so I forget I even met her. But I’m getting off topic…..ahem….

Listen, I understand that comic companies want to make money. I also understand that the big event comics generate a HUGE amount of that money. Unfortunately, it seems that the business strategy has changed in such a way that there is ONLY the event. Everything else is simply build up and fallout of the event. It’s frustrating to follow a book where a great story is going and then all of a sudden the character is sucked into the vortex of the BIG EVENT that’s running through all the books. I’ve perused a P & L statement or two on my day-job as a manager and I’d bet money that these EVENTS are nothing more than lines on a budget with a projected percentage of revenue and that these lines have to be met or exceeded or else the stockholders aren’t happy which puts a lot of pressure on the people putting the books together which stifles creativity which yields a dumb comic which gets removed from my pull list. People might argue that the pressure of delivering a mega event actually sparks creativity but I beg to differ. That’s another post entirely.

Another thing that gets books pulled off my list (with the quickness) is creative team change ups. I’ve got favorite characters but I don’t follow them no matter what. There has to be a competent writer and artist on the book for me to throw down the ole’ debit card. I know the nature of the business today is not conducive to long runs on books by creative teams but I wish things would change on that front. There are few things as frustrating as following and loving a particular run by a creative team only for the team to move on and you get stuck with another group that goes OUT OF THEIR WAY to make big, sweeping changes so that they make their presence felt on the book. Guess what? YOUR PRESENCE=LAME, which also = OFF MY PULL LIST. As you can probably tell, I’ve been burned by this a few times.

Ok, so having said all that, here’s my pull list as it stands today. You should note that this thing is constantly changing and a lot of it hinges on what I’ve mentioned in the previous rambling paragraphs. In no particular order,

1.) Cassanova

Matt Fraction’s probably my favorite writer right now and his dimension hopping, superspy saga will stay on my pull list as long as he keeps writing it. Fraction’s words and Gabriel Ba’s magnificent pictures combine to form one of the best original concepts to hit the shelves since…well…EVER…

2.) All-Star Batman and Robin

Is this still coming out? I know Frank Miller’s busy doing the rounds in Hollywood and Jim Lee’s buried beneath DC’s looming MMORPG as its creative director but I don’t recall the series concluding. It’s on my pull list because it’s a Batman story that’s off on its own and it’s obvious that Frank Miller’s having fun writing Batman as a stark, raving lunatic.

3.) Daredevil

If Fraction’s my favorite writer, then Ed Brubaker certainly comes in a close second. I was never interested in Daredevil until Brubaker started writing the book. Every month I close the latest issue of Daredevil actually feeling sorry for Matt Murdock. The guy NEVER gets a break. I wonder how much the man can take before he breaks, if he isn’t already broken. No way could I move on without acknowledging the STUNNING job Michael Lark does on this book. Too bad these guys are moving on….I think I might too…

4.) Captain America

For my money, Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting, Luke Ross, and Mike Perkins are producing the greatest Captain America story EVER printed. Cap was another character I wasn’t terribly interested in until Brubaker worked his magic on the title. How he managed to take a typically sunny character clad in bright red, white, and blue, plunge him into the dark world of espionage and secret missions and it somehow fit the character is downright mind boggling. The book NEVER disappoints. The fact that Brubaker and Co. have managed to tell a story this compelling WITHOUT Steve Rogers is a testament to the strength of the talents involved.

5.) The Uncanny X-Men

Did I mention Fraction was my favorite writer? I did? Ok, so then it should come as no surprise that his X-Men title shows up on my list. I used to pick up the X-books way back when and the last great story I read was by another favorite writer of mine, Grant Morrison. Good thing Fraction showed up to take on these characters because I’ve always thought the characters were cool (except Angel which is a topic for another post). I like the direction he’s taken with the team, changing up their base of operations and giving them a specific purpose in the MU. However, I’d be lying if I said I loved the artwork. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible, but I think Greg Land’s artwork might work elsewhere. Fraction likes to write kinetic scenes and it seems that Land’s artwork makes the characters look like they’re trapped in amber thereby robbing the scenes of movement. The books fine when Terry Dodson draws it but it loses something with Land. It’s unfortunate because it’s a very interesting read. Nevertheless, stays on the list on the strength of Fraction’s writing.

6.) The Umbrella Academy

Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba have created an offbeat and funny gem of a book with The Umbrella Academy. It’s a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously and it succeeds marvelously at being consistently entertaining. It’s a book that’s a tad hard to explain but it doesn’t matter, just pick up the book and have a blast.

7.) Criminal/Incognito

Yep, more Brubaker. You can never have enough Brubaker. His two creator-owned titles with Sean Phillips under the Icon imprint are absolute masterpieces in the comic craft. Brubaker and Phillips deftly weave dark noir tales in both books except one has superpowers and the other doesn’t. Neither title should be ignored.


8.) The Invincible Iron Man

Oh look, more Fraction. The buzz this book’s getting is well-deserved. Matt Fraction and Salvador Larrocca are firing on all cylinders as the tale of a fugitive Tony Stark on the run from a determined Norman Osborne makes for month-in, month out comic dynamite.

9.) Northlanders

Brian Wood’s hardcore look at the Viking age is a book that should be on everyone’s pull list. The stories are tight, tense, and bloody. There’s not a lot of talking either as the people portrayed in this book let their swords speak for them. There are those who say this book reads better in trades but I like the book, and I want to support it so that it can MAKE it to the trade.

10.) Dark Avengers

I don’t know how much longer this book will stay on my list, honestly. It’s a bit of a guilty pleasure for me but it’s still hard to stomach Osborne in charge of everything. Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato, Jr. must be having a blast on this book because it shows. There’s a lot of energy, even on the talking heads pages. This book’s teetering on the edge of being dropped but the book’s more fun than a lot of the books on the shelf so I’m taking a ‘wait and see’ approach.

And that’s that. The pull-list in its glory. I’ve got to say that lately I’ve been mulling over a decision that would drastically alter my pull list. I’m thinking of dropping all my mainstream titles and going totally independent. The comics landscape needs change and some of the independent creators are doing mind-blowing work. For years, I’ve been the guy that saw an independent book and said, “I’ll wait on the trade”. That’s been the wrong outlook. An independent book needs monthly sales to even make it to the trade, so if I like an independent book, I should support it by buying it monthly. The mainstream books shouldn’t have a problem making it to the trade since a lot of the mainstream books are being written for the trades anyway. Instead of dropping four bucks on a book I know is strong sales-wise, maybe I’ll take that money and give it to a creator-owned title that might be having trouble. Hmm…….decisions, decisions….

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Gimme That (Pull List)

My monthly pull list has shrunk considerably over the past year. A few years (and one less baby) ago I was buying all kinds of stuff. I had to be spending like $100 a month. Now I've paired it down to about $50 on a regular non-event month and i have the other $50 to pick stuff that's not on my list but I might give a try. I'll go through my list in sections.

Guaranteed-are the 5 stars must-read, must have books. I love those books with a passion and will often wait until one of them comes out before I head up to Dr. No's.
General Bets-Mostly solid books that I enjoy every month. They're fun to read but I'm not passionate about. Others are things I pick up out of habit and haven't quite got fed up enough to cut.
Trying out- New and mostly non-big 2 books that I've heard about and willing to try.
Traded-book I'm going to wait on the trade to read. They were on the Good Bets list or the try list and have for whatever reason not justified being picked up monthly.
Cut- these books have slacked in quality to the point that I want nothing to do with them.

Guaranteed
Green Lantern, Invicible Iron Man, Thor
I am absolutely guaranteed to have Green Lantern, Thor and Invincible IronMan in my bag on the way out the store. I have to pick up those books every month. They maintain a level of quality on a month to month basis that has never and probably will never fail, given that the same creative team stays with the book. The stories they are telling are very complex and interesting. Geoff Johns is killing this Hal Jordan epic he's crafting. Same with Fraction and Tony Stark in Invincible. I expected a little story to coincide with the Iron Man movie but i was blown away with what they actually gave me. JMS and Copiel on Thor is absolutely must read storytelling. Its the best, most interesting, and most intriguing plot Loki has ever devised. Watching it roll out every month is a joy.

General Bets
Secret Six, War of Kings, Incognito, Invincible, Incredible Hercules, Ultimate Spider-man, Wolverine: Weapon X, Green Lantern Corps, Battle for the Cowl, Flash Rebirth,
All good reads. Secret Six and Invincible are almost guaranteed but haven't quite inspired me yet. I like what Robert Kirkman is building up to in Invincible. He juggles a lot of plot lines each month.

Trying
Unwritten, Dead Irons
Mike Carey is one of my favorite writers. His Lucifer is pretty classic. Xmen Legacy is a good take on Prof X. The concept of Unwritten sounds like a stroke of genius if its executed right. I'll give Carey a chance automatically. Dead Irons I'm picking up based on Jason Shawn Alexander's art. Its an old west vampire story. Should be worth at least one issue for the art alone.

Traded
Dark Tower: Fall of Gilead
I have all the single issues up to this point but I realized I haven't read half of them. The story isn't bad by any means. Its just...heavy. It's a lot to keep track of on a regular story when I've read all the Dark Tower novels and this is suppose to fit into the series in one big continuity. I can't help but try to make a big time line until my head hurts. Plus they have Robin Firth writing those novellas/history chapters in the back. When I read comics seeing all those words with no pictures turns me off. I get tired imagining reading it. I love Jae Lee's artwork though. So I'll wait for the trade.

Cut
All Avengers/Dark Reign books
They were cut a few months ago but its worth mentioning still. I was all into the secret invasion thing. I had all the tie-ins and man that ending made me feel like s#@$!. Anything that is touched by Dark Reign withers and dies in my opinion. It sucks my interest right out of it.

Detective/Batman
I don't know how I feel about this new Batman stuff. I liked Paul Dini and Nyguyen on Detective and Morrison of Batman. They're doing a lot of shuffling and I'm not quite sure what to make of it yet. I know I have no interest in Batwoman so Detective is out. I don't know who is in Batman proper, or if it will be Morrison's Batman and Robin with Frank Quitely (which I'll probably ad to the list). I'll wait a few issues before I pick those back up.