So my latest distraction without any doubt is Betta Fish. And just this weekend while I was setting up a new tank I was thinking how stupid it was that no one had produced some sort of Aquaman line of fish tank ornaments. I’m convinced it would be like printing money. If I knew anything about how to do it, I ABSOLUTELY would be making Aquaman brand fish supplies and planning for my early retirement. Having said all of that, you can imagine my surprise when just four days later I stumbled over a new line of Marvel brand fish tank ornaments. As you read through this article keep in mind the photos were taken with a camera phone in a pet store and that I’m no photographer though I have to pretend to be one to write this column.

Read more of this article »

Weekly comic books are a big part of my life and below is a list of what I’ll be picking up this Wednesday along with cover artwork and previews courtesy of Comixology’s Pull List app.

Six new books for me including one of the three DC books I follow. I’ll also be checking out IDW’s Frankenstein Alive, Alive! #1 and John Byrne’s Trio #1 with reviews throughout the rest of the week.

• BATMAN #9 – I haven’t read Batman regularly in years, but Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s New 52 series may be the best book on comic shop shelves today. Snyder’s run with the character goes back quite a bit and it appears he’s been planting seeds all along the way. As the Bat-titles enter the Night of Owls event, I’m just hoping I don’t miss too much by not reading the other books.
• JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #637 – Part two of the Exiled crossover with New Mutants. Kieron Gillen’s Asgard series gets a lot of praise, but this is my first time reading it. If his Uncanny X-Men is any indication, I should really enjoy it.
• NEW AVENGERS #26 – I went into the Avengers tie-ins to AvX unsure what to expect and the Iron Fist story in New Avengers has really intrigued me. It’s introducing a previously unrevealed connection being the Phoenix force and the monks of K’un-Lun and Mike Deodato’s art looks fantastic.
• UNCANNY X-FORCE #25 – This book lost some steam coming out of the epic Apocalypse story that ran through the first eighteen issues. The Otherworld story that followed was by no means bad, but everything before it had really raised the stakes for this title. A landmark 25th issues, the start of The Final Execution, and Mike McKone art are just what this title needs.
• WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #10 – Last issue was one of the best AvX tie-ins out there and there’s no signs things will be slowing down with an appearance by Cylops.
• X-MEN: LEGACY #266 – AvX hits another X-Men title that I regularly read, and the prospects of Rogue versus She Hulk are epic.

Check back every week to see what’s on My Latest Pull List and please share your thoughts on these titles and everything you’re reading this week in the comments.

Weekly comic books are a big part of my life and I’ve been thinking of sharing something regularly on MLD for some time now. I just discovered a feature within Comixology’s pull list app (which I’ve been using for years) to share my list along with cover artwork and previews.

This is a somewhat lighter week for me than last with eight new books on my list. Three are Avengers versus X-Men tie-ins (plus the first issue of the “AvX VS” series), but they’re all titles I regularly buy.

• AQUAMAN #8 – I’m still still surprised by just how good this series has been. I need to read #7, but the mysteries of Atlantis are shaping another intriguing story arc.
• ASTONISHING X-MEN #49 – Another book I’ve fallen behind on. I still read this title like it’s shipping every six months.
• AVX VS. #1 – Magneto vs. Iron Man, Thing vs. Namor. This could be a lot of fun, but AvX #2 already seemed like a lot of fighting and this might not add much.
• NEW AVENGERS #25 – So far Brian Bendis’ Avengers tie-ins for AvX haven’t really been for me (the Walt Simonson art on last week’s Avengers #25 helped), but I tend to appreciate his event books more from a distance.
• SECRET AVENGERS #26 – This could be a great AvX tie-in as a team takes to outer space to intercept the Phoenix.
• THE TWELVE #12 – I don’t even know if I have all of these. The book began being published in 2008, but it feels like it’s been running since the ’40s when these characters debuted.
• UNCANNY X-MEN #11 – Another AvX tie-in, and while Red Hulk vs. Colossus/Juggernaut doesn’t thrill me, Kieron Gillen’s work on this book has. Of course, there’s also the Greg Land art to consider…
• X-MEN: LEGACY #265 – This book has grown on me since Christos Gage took over. The solicit suggests a “friend from the past” may save the day and I’m honestly intrigued by the possibilities.

Check back every week to see what’s on My Latest Pull List and please share your thoughts on these titles, along with everything you’re reading, in the comments.

Last year we spent some time talking about the relaunch of Marvel’s Avengers line here at MLD. These series introduced the publisher’s new Heroic Age that introduced new lineups, new creative teams and new threats. It was a good time to give all of these titles a shot. Some of the books really captured my attention, others did not, but they all have their appeal. As we gear up for this year’s Fear Itself crossover, the books are wrapping their current arcs and headed for some changes that make now a good time to revisit them.

Some spoiling may occur.

Read more of this article »

I can’t remember the last time this happened, but I have nothing on my pull list for this week. Plenty of books from all publishers will be on the shelves, but there’s honestly nothing that I normally read. Knowing that a week with no books shipping is likely scheduled for the Wednesday between Christmas and New Year’s Day again this year, it makes for a pretty bleak December of comic books for me.

In an attempt to compensate, Kevin and I thought we’d look at the shipping list for the today and next Wednesday (a lot of these books got pushed back to December 15th) and see what I could have bought if I had unlimited resources of time and cash. Even though we don’t necessarily read all of these books, there may be some spoilers to come.

Read more of this article »