I’m going to do my best to keep up a small, weekly tradition. My boss is having us take home comics on Tuesday night that won’t be released until Wednesday and read them so we can converse with the customers about them. This is absolutely necessary, because apparently working at a comics shop requires that you know everything there is to know about every comic on your shelf. (How anyone can assume you read every title from start to finish is beyond me.)

That being said, I’m going to try to write short reviews of each of the books I bring home. Nothing fancy, just my quick impressions. So, here goes:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #27

This is the second issue of the Retreat arc written by Jane Espenson. I was looking forward to Oz’s return in this issue, but ended up a little disappointed. I’m not sure I like where he ended up, having settled down to a family. I’m even less sure I appreciate the apparent jealousy issues Willow is exhibiting toward said family. If you’re going to make a character gay, make her gay. Georges Jeanty does the art, inked by Andy Owens. I’m not sure I like some of the dramatic inking that was done with Jeanty’s art this issue - at times I had trouble figuring out who some of the characters were. This, combined with some pretty bland statements from a ton of characters led to some serious re-reading.

Worth a Pick Up? Yes, if you’re already knee-deep in the story. No, if you’re just coming in.

Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth #2

I read this in conjunction with issue #1. I know that a lot of people love Deadpool. He’s both dangerous and hilarious at the same time - win/win. I loved the art (Bong Dazo), the inks (Jose Pimentel) and the colors (Matt Milla) in this book a lot. I thought they suited the silliness that seems inherent in a guy meeting his decapitated zombie head from another dimension. Speaking of that, I also loved the premise. It seemed like the script (Victor Gischler) would have to be awesome, but it was really just kind of lame. The jokes were terrible and it wasn’t a very smooth read. Gischler could have done better, and I can’t help but feel that the editor (Axel Alonso) should have helped him in that regards.

Worth a Pick Up? Not in my opinion.

Iron man and the Armor Wars #1 of 4

This is a four issue reimagining of the original seven issue Iron Wars arc. It’s written by Joe Caramagna, and I think he does an okay job. I don’t think the issue is terribly witty in any way and he does try to tickle your ribs a little here and there. Shame it didn’t work out for him. Craig Rousseau does the drawing, and I like the style but it’s very cartoony and I’m not sure it’s suited to the storyline. The coloring (Van Staples) is bright and simple, pairing off nicely with the art - but again, not suited to the storyline. What I liked best about the issue was the cover; Skottie Young’s style is very interesting.

Worth a Pick Up? Eh. Maybe.

The Red Circle: The Hangman 1 Shot

Written my JMS, I was intrigued. The story is pretty standard, in my opion. “Hey look, here’s a super hero and his background.” The art (Tom Derenick) is often messy (but not bad) and the colors (Guy Major) are bright and appealing. I thought Bill Sienkiewicz did a great job inking, considering how messy the art looked (although one can’t always tell how much was the artist and how much was the inker). I was mostly frustrated that this was a one shot; the story didn’t end in a way that suited that length. If there were to be an issue #2 I’d read it, but as it stands I’m less than thrilled.

Worth a Pick Up? No, unless you’re fine with the one shot being a cliffhanger.

Star Wars: Dark Times #0

I picked this up because it was a #0. I don’t read all of the Star Wars titles (both for monetary and taste reasons), and I wasn’t sure if I’d like this one. I’m still not. It follows the exploits of Dass Jennir during the Rise of the Empire period (after Episode III, before Episode IV). The art (Douglas Wheatley) is gritty and full of depth on it’s own. This worked well for the seedy storyline, and was bolstered by darker coloring (Dave McCaig). I felt like the script (Mick Harrison) was rather lousey, but possibly only because they’re setting so much up in sixteen pages (the remainder of the book is a collection of sketches and the uninked layouts). I’m going to reserve final judgement of the title for issue #1.

Worth a Pick Up? Maybe, if you like Star Wars. I’d urge to hold out for issue #1.

Star Wars: Invasion #2

I was and still am extremely excited about this book. I’m an avid Star Wars fan and have been following the books for some time. I adamantly agree with the idea that the Yuuzhan Vong war holds a lot more potential than what was used up in the novels. That being said, I think pretty much everything about this book has been excellent so far. The writing Tom Taylor does is sound, though I feel like there aren’t enough pages to cover everything thoroughly (this may be eradicated when the issues are read as an arc all together rather than monthly). The art (Colin Wilson) is clean, but dynamic and you can actually recognize the stock characters (sometimes Luke just doesn’t look like Luke). The colors (Wes Dzioba) are very well done and add some serious depth to the various shots. What I like best about them is that they aren’t dramatically blended the way a lot of digital work is these days, so you still see gradient lines (I don’t know why that’s a positive for me, actually).

Worth a Pick Up? Yes, even if you haven’t read #1. But if you can find a copy, do grab that first issue.

Welcome to the new, improved Nerdgasm. I’ve deleted my old posts (all six of them) and I’m working on a makeover. Why? Because I got a new job at a comic shop, and I just know I’m going to have things to blog about now.

For example, my shop requires I chose a “Pick of the Week” to highlight a comic I’ve read for the customers. Speaking as a retailer, you’d ideally want to pick something that doesn’t normally sell. This way, when a customer asks after your pick you can push a book that could actually use a sales boost. Most of the time, I suspect I’ll be doing just that simply because I’m female.

Women identify with female characters. Men, likewise, identify with male characters. This isn’t always strictly the case - I’m not saying a woman can’t identify with a male character - it’s just a general truth. I’ll most likely pick titles with a female lead, or several female characters. This means that the 98% male clientele of our store are going to be exposed to more women in their hobby than they’re used to.

Example in point:

Male Customer: “Poptart*, I see you’ve chosen Wonder Woman** for your Pick. Isn’t that a little sexist?”

I do not lie, those are the exact words coming out of a customer’s mouth to me on my first New Comics Day (every Wednesday, for the uneducated). My response was that I simply liked Wonder Woman, but I was tempted to fry him where he stood.

Comic books are a male dominated industry. It’s a boy’s game, and for that reason 90-98% of their content is written by men for men. Female heroes are few and far between, comparative to male heroes, and female titles barely exist at all***. Why should it be considered sexist for me to pick the most well-known female hero’s title for my pick, but not sexist for the other two employees to pick two male-oriented titles?

(Truthfully, my manager had picked Detective Comics #855, which features two lesbian leads right now. But as Detective holds a strong history of being Batman centric, I believe my argument is still sound. Also, my peer chose Spawn.)

I was told by the general manager of our stores that I should have let a little sass out. Perhaps next time I will.

For those who don’t know me, I also read The Walking Dead, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. I’m going to start reading Batman and his accessory books (Robin, Nightwing, etc.), JSA, JLA, Green Lantern, and possibly some X-titles (I’m required to read at least one Marvel title, but as I really don’t like Marvel’s work I’m loathe to do so). I’d hardly call myself sexist in my choices.

What do you think?

* My name has been changed to protect my innocence!

** Wonder Woman #34, review pending.

*** An arguement could be made that this is a changing phenomenon, but only time will truly tell.