Tiara's Weekly Comic Stack - 04.10.13

Hi, it's your friendly neighborhood comic book reader, Tiara! While Wendy and Mogsy can do such nice book haul posts, I must confess I can't. I "impulse-buy" books all day every day. My book collection never ends, but I show much more restraint with comic books because they're pretty pricey for one issue, an issue that I may hate when it's all said and done. Then, I've wasted upwards of $20 on a book that I end up stomping on and ripping up before setting it on fire. So, I try to be a bit choosier when buying comics. I won't always have the "latest" comics, just things I've decided to pick up for the week. Let's check out this week's choices.

The Crow: Death and Rebirth by John Shirley

I don't know how I feel about these American in a FOREIGN PLACE stories at times because so often these stories seem to make all these exceptions because the protagonist is American. And of course, everything has to conform to the American's disposition and world views because TEAM AMERICA! F*#% YEAH! I'm not saying that all stories in this vein are like that or even most of the stories with this premise are like that, but there is a good portion of it that is exactly like that. However, this is The Crow, and I have to at least give it a chance:

THE CROW is reborn-in Tokyo. The spirit of the Crow is back, transfiguring Jamie Osterberg, an American studying in Tokyo and deeply in love with his Japanese girlfriend, Haruko... until the love of his life is stolen. The Crow must once more make the wrong thing right-but this time he might have to do it by killing his own true love...

Polarity #1 by Max Bemis

I'm a big fan of things that delve deeper into the human psyche whether that's a psychological thriller or just mindjunk spilled all over the page. Getting into someone's head, dissecting things from various angles is almost like a hobby of mine, so needless to say, this sounds like something I might enjoy:

From the mind of SAY ANYTHING frontman Max Bemis comes POLARITY, a manic-depressive spin on the superhero genre. Timothy Woods is a bipolar artist stuck in the world of hipsters, meaningless sex, and vain art -- better known as Brooklyn. But after he survives a near fatal car accident, Timothy discovers that his mental instability is more than just a disorder, and that his bipolar medication hasn't just been subduing depression and uncontrollable mania...it's been suppressing his super powers! Now it's time for Timothy to stand up to his disease alongside an onslaught of wretched human villainy as he finally finds his place in the world. Each issue comes with a free download for a new original song written and performed by Max Bemis!

Julio's Day by Gilbert Hernandez

Slice of life. Another of my personal favorites, I think that's because, just as I mentioned above, I like to really dissect what I'm reading. Where someone else might find it boring, I have all these theories and feelings about what I'm reading/viewing:

It begins in the year 1900, with the scream of a newborn. It ends, 100 pages later, in the year 2000, with the death-rattle of a 100-year-old man. The infant and the old man are both Julio, and Gilbert Hernandez's Julio's Day (originally serialized in Love and Rockets Vol. II but never completed until now) is his latest graphic novel, a masterpiece of elliptical, emotional storytelling that traces one life -- indeed, one century in a human life -- through a series of carefully crafted, consistently surprising and enthralling vignettes. There is hope and joy, there is bullying and grief, there is war (so much war -- this is after all the 20th century), there is love, there is heartbreak. This is very much a singular, standalone story that will help cement Hernandez's position as one of the strongest and most original cartoonists of this, or any other, century. Introduction by novelist Brian Evenson.

Saga #12 by Brian K. Vaughan

This is high on my to read list. Brian K. Vaughan is one of my favorite writers. Initially, I didn't think I'd be very interested in this comic (yeah, I don't know why either; it has all the things I love), but I was so sadly mistaken, and now, I've sold my soul again. My heart was broken after the last issue. How will you kill me this week, BKV? The summary for this on the Image website reads: "Prince Robot IV makes his move." I have been waiting for Prince Robot IV to come back into this comic all my life. This comic and I are in a sordid affair where it keeps hurting my heart while making me love it. Don't mind me. I'm dramatic and emotional.

Poison the Cure #1 by Jad Ziade

I always have to have a random pick in my stack. The big red FREE button caught my eye, and after reading the summary, my interest was piqued. Maybe it was fate that I found this comic. Stay tuned!

Three explorers find a planet littered with the remnants of old civilization. They peer into the past. Nine friends strive against mortal violence, environmental destruction, and inevitable doom. They struggle in the present. One story connects them. This is Poison the Cure. Now the multi-part graphic-novel series hailed by critics, creators, and fans is for the first time released in digital format. Called "cruel," "hilarious," "stunning," and "beautiful" by Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Diaz, this is the story of a group of companions faced with a fatal accident, an inescapable decision, and a stark, brutal world.