Random Happenstance

This is a lazy Sunday post that has everything to do with my comic buying habits, and nothing much to do with anything else, so I'll understand if you wanna skip this one...

Still here? Well, all right then.

So, my wife and I are trying to clear out our outstanding debt. We don't have that far to go, but it's a tough process and we're both making a lot of sacrifices. I'm clearing some of the books on my pull list that haven't been wowing me lately, trying to get down to the bare minimum. (Yes, I know "none" would be the bare minimum. Shut up.)

At the Comic Book Shop, I told them I was going to drop Army of Darkness, because it's been kind of spotty, and Ash's character seems to become more of a cartoon (than he already was) every issue. Maybe I'll be back on in time for next storyline, we'll see. They mentioned I could get a copy of my pulls, and I hadn't looked at one in a while, so I said sure.

Two pages. That sounds awful, but the computer doesn't take out cancelled series, or completed limited series. (Which makes sense: if you bought the last Creeper series, for instance, you might pick up the new one if it turned up in your box. If not, you could throw it back.)

Running through the list, I was struck by how many books I had that come out sporadically at best, like Optic Nerve or Dork. Those average maybe an issue a year, at best. I also picked up what seems like a lot of three issue limiteds, like Red or Chosen or Two-Step. I didn't have Seaguy on my list, though, I must've just got it off the shelves.

I've also ridden a lot of titles into the ground. Before I moved here, I may have been the only one in town with any Milestone books on my pull list: Static, Xombi, Heroes. The Minx. Power of the Atom. The Will Payton Starman. Green Lantern Corps, the old series. A lot of the 2099 books. Excalibur (the old one.) Morbius. The first run of Moon Knight. West Coast Avengers. Manhunter, the Mark Shaw one. Ghost. That's just off the top of my head.

So, without explaining any of that to my wife, and because I thought it would be funny, I showed her my list, all 63 titles and items. That went about as well as you might think, and nothing says "domestic dispute" like pulling a potato peeler out of your shoulder...

I'm joking, of course: my wife is remarkably almost tolerant of my comic and toy habit. I'm lucky to have her, and I love her very much. She also just promised to poison instead of stab me...how sweet, I guess.

Running through the list, for no reason:

American Century: Cancelled. I like Howard Chaykin's stuff, usually. I've been getting Hawkgirl here and there, and it seems a little slow.

Army of Darkness: Dropped. Maybe when Busiek's on it--he's coming up, isn't he?

Authority: So dropped. I really didn't like the ending of Brubaker's limited. And bringing an A-list staff to this book, just means you politely asked them for an issue or two sometime in the next five years.

Black Widow: I like her limited series. I don't think a regular series would be the way to go on with that character, or Fury.

BPRD/Hellboy books: A given, always entertaining. BPRD may actually surpass Hellboy soon.

Captain America: $1.99 my ass, it's been on the list for a long time, through a lot of highs and lows. Thankfully, it's currently on a high.

Captain America and the Falcon: Cancelled. Whatever happened to the Falcon series? I like Christopher Priest, although he sometimes gets a little too complicated for his own good.

Chosen: Mark Millar still has a pretty good average with me. This series was also about the right length, but I don't think I'd be back for a sequel.

Dark Horse Extra: A little freebie, with newspaper style strips. Long gone.

Deadpool: Then Agent X. I have kept up on Cable/Deadpool only in passing. The issues I've read have been good, I just don't like Cable.

Defenders: The recent limited series. God, I have a lot of Defenders though, mostly from the quarter bins.

Desolation Jones: When it comes back, I'm in. Ellis rarely misses for me.

Dirty Pair: Adam Warren rocks! He's done some Fantastic Four stuff that made me think he should have the book.

Dork!/Milk and Cheese/Hectic Planet: Evan Dorkin is awesome, but puts out about an issue a year anymore, which kills me. When I first discovered his work, I was able to junk out on a ton of it, like Fight-Man or Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic. It's made the waiting even worse.

Down: Four issues, OK. Probably would've gone over better, if it had come out when it was supposed to.

Enemy Ace: War in Heaven: I really like the Enemy Ace character, and Garth Ennis tells the story of him in World War II really well.

Fell: Hell yeah.

Formerly Known as the Justice League: This just makes me sad now.

Fury: Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. So good, I hate George Clooney now. (Allegedly, he was considering a Nick Fury movie, read this, and rejected it. Clooney sucks.)

Fury: Peacemaker: Not as good. Like Punisher: Born, Ennis and Robertson as well, this also goes out of its way to show how much the characters like the war.

Ghost, vol 2: I was thinking, between the various volumes, and one-shots, limiteds, and so forth; Ghost had a very good run for a female-lead comic.

Guns of the Dragon: Limited, Bat Lash and Enemy Ace vs. Vandal Savage and Communism. Fun.

Gunwitch: Outskirts of Doom: Did Brereton disappear? Done with this, and don't know if I'd get Nocturnals again.

Jack Cross: Actually, I've never bought this.

Jay and Silent Bob: Burnt out on Kevin Smith. We'll see about Clerks 2.

Man with the Screaming Brain: Bruce Campbell and Hilary Barta. Check out the movie, the comic's a "director's cut," like if they'd had an unlimited budget...

Mark Millar's the Unfunnies: MIA. Meh.

Marvel Universe Pirate Nightcrawler Bust: Crap, I'd better save up for this.

Millenium Series Hellboy Action Figure: The movie figures just crush this one.

Ministry of Space: 3 issues, took forever, and I was thinking the twist was drugs.

Next Wave: Love it. Don't see it being around next year, but hope I'm wrong.

Nightcrawler: Not bad, should've been better. Twelve and out.

Optic Nerve: Again, 1 a year or so. Getting burnt out on it, though. That may be an odd thing to say about a book coming out once a year, but the issues are starting to run together for me.

Paradise X: the Heralds: I read all of Earth/Universe/Paradise X, and if you have all the Marvel Handbooks, some very specific back-issues (particularly of Thor and Marvel Two-in-One), and a good grasp on Marvel continuity; it's a good read. If you don't, damn, I don't know, it might as well be in Sanskrit.

Planetary: Not many issues left.

Preacher: Long gone, missed.

Punisher: Good, with moments of greatness.

Red: Three issue limited. If any justice, it should be made a major motion picture with Patrick Stewart.

Scud the Disposable Assassin, Tales from the Vending Machine: I liked these and La Cosa Nostroid: that one started as a lot of mob movie cliches and giant robots, and became a don's struggle for legitimacy, with sidetrips into insanity, betrayal, and revenge. Then Fireman Press disappeared years ago, and never wrapped up the storylines. Still mad about that one.

Silver Surfer: If you never believe another thing I ever say, believe this: the last 12 issue Surfer limited was terrible. The writers tried something new, but it didn't work at all. The new Annihilation one, is holding up OK, but it really shines in comparison.

Sin City: Hell and Back: Is Sin City going to come back? Do I want it to?

Space Ghost: I liked this. Shut up, that's why.

Toyfare, Twisted Toyfare Theatre: Filling my needs for toy info and obscure Marvel jokes every month!

Transformers, Evolutions Heart of Steel, Stormbringer: My boy's. The regular series will be back in the fall, which is kind of nice not having all the books at the same time.

Truth: I love Kyle Baker, but this one didn't work for me.

Two-Step: Three issues of fun.

Ultimate Extinction: Rushed ending.

Ultimates 2, Annual: And then I'm out before I get any Ultimates 3 on me. In the same vein as Authority, I've enjoyed it, but are there any characters here that aren't bastards?

Wanted: I liked this, but never need to see it or the characters again.

Warren Ellis Black Gas, Necromancer, Wolfskin: I usually like the Avatar stuff he's done, although it seems a tad spendy.

WE3: 3 issues was perfect here.

And then there's a lot of stuff I just buy off the rack, like Moon Knight or Uncanny X-Men, that I might not pick up every single month, but usually. This way, even though Brubaker's X-Men looks great, if he wants to do a very special issue where Warpath talks about his feelings, I can bag out.

I used to work in a mall, and picked up books there to read on my lunch breaks. Iron Man, Avengers, Astonishing X-Men, and more. None have been added to my pulls, but I still check in now and again.

I also dropped Daredevil and Powers a year ago: reading single issues from Bendis just wasn't connecting with me. Daredevil seems like it's picking up again, so maybe I'll reconsider eventually. But, my apologies for a post about nothing, and actual content tomorrow. What have you dropped lately?