Sorry, kids. No comics today. The little time I had for reading was spent with James, Lars, Dave, and Ron — Metallica before they became the Metallica. Considering how preoccupied I am with Mick Wall’s biography of the band, I doubt I can spend much time with my comics backlog in the next few days.
And I’m also busy with work. Sick workmates mean double workload. Perhaps even OT, or weekend duty. Fuck that shit.
Can’t even summon the energy to yak about today. Except that I dropped by Powerbooks in Trinoma (since I was also on an errand there) and scored three Image Comics — Shutter Vols. 1 and 2, Manifest Destiny Vol. 1 and Copperhead Vol. 1.
With over a dozen new additions to my stack of TPBs and HCs courtesy of that damn Powerbooks’ clearance sale, I figured I should start reading them ASAP. So last Saturday, in the middle of reading frenzy, I cracked open Deadpool: Dead Presidents. It’s a slim book, consisting only of six issues, and I could’ve finished it in one sitting if I wanted to, but I didn’t. Something came up, namely Mick Wall’s Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica. So today I picked up from where I left off. One word to describe this book: insane. And I love it!
Not much comic-reading happened today. I just read the two issues that complete Vol. 1 of the New Avengers (2010) TPB, and that was it. Reading time was spent mostly with Denis Johnson’s Nobody Move, which I finished today. Something about finishing a book on the first day of a month makes me want to pat myself on the back. And if it lands on a Friday, like today, it makes for a double celebration. Sort of.
The new Guardians of the Galaxy is off to a roaring start. Thanos is dead, but not really — you just can’t put a good villain down (just ask Juan Ponce Enrile). Meanwhile, en route to Knowhere, trouble finds Peter Quill and Groot, prompting Quill to form a new team of cosmic misfits. And then to spice things up, Thanos’ former cronies, the Black Order, sent on a mission here to retrieve the Mad Titan’s headless body, now serve a new master.
I was busy, if not excitedly, unwrapping and leafing through the TPBs and HCs I scored yesterday when I realized I haven’t read the third issue of American Carnage that was released last week. So I dug it from my to-read pile and made it my bedtime reading today.
Got started on Brian Michael Bendis’ run of New Avengers today. Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Iron Fist, Ms. Marvel, Wolverine — what’s not to like? I hope the story arc is as good as the cast. Bendis is kind of a hit-or-miss guy for me.
Finally, I got to read Kingdom Come. I agree with the hype: it’s not just one of the best Justice League stories ever written, but actually one of the best superhero stories ever. And as icing on the cake, there’s that glorious Alex Ross art to please the eye. Amazing story, kick-ass art — if this is not perfection, then nothing is.
Hellblazer #35 is a peek into John Constantine’s childhood… and what a grim childhood he had! The title alone, “Dead Boy’s Heart,” doesn’t give much about optimism. I read it with caution. It’s Friday, after all. No room for bad vibes. Thoughts should be on parties, the weekend plan, friends, escapism… certainly not on strange men, bullies, and dead kids found in desolate quarries with their hearts still intact.
A comic book a day 