Did you know that, according to Wikipedia, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland is considered the sixth installment in The Muppets film franchise? Something about that seems wrong to me.What does that have to do with this week's Pull List? Absolutely nothing.
Adventure Time/Peanuts Free Comic Book Day Issue (North, Holmes, Moore, Wands, Knisley, DeForge, Zorman, Moore, Scott, Braddock)
Plot: This is a double-sided issue featuring two of Boom! Studio's most popular kids titles. In the first story, Beemo wishes to become the best at fighting, so he (it?) enlists the help of Finn, Jake, and Bubblegum Princess. He discovers that, while not physically imposing, Beemo does have the ability to punch people with his words. This story takes place before the events of Adventure Time #1. There are also two reprinted backup stories, LaundroMarceline and Bacon Fields.
Side B starts off with Charlie Brown discussing imagination with Violet, with humorous results. There are a couple of classic Schultz-era Peanuts strips, as well as a second original story starring Snoopy and Woodstock.
Opinion: Wow. This was a lot of comic. The Adventure Time story was excellent as usual, but the real surprise was the Peanuts side of the issue. I had shyed away from this title, mainly because I was afraid it wouldn't read like Schultz's original work. Boy, I was wrong. The characters work surprisingly well in longer-form stories, as well.
Grade: N/A (Only available on Free Comic Book Day. Get it if you can find it!)
The Tick #100 [feat. Invincible] (Cereno, McClaine)
Plot: After a routine scuffle with "stupid animal costume" guy, Invincible is transported into the New England Comics Press universe, where he teams up with Bumbling Bee, Rubber Ducky, Man-O-War, Running Guy, and of course Arthur and The Tick to defeat the Martin of Mars (think DC's Martain Manhunter by way of Loony Tunes' Marvin the Martain).
Our heroes splatter a horde of red jelly robots (both a sarcastic nod to the incredibly violent Invincible comic and probably the greatest double-page splash ever put to paper), then watch in horror as Arthur is VAPORIZED ON-PANEL. The issue ends with a cliffhanger setup for the next installment of this series.
Opinion: Easily my favorite book of the week. Not once do the two titular characters square off, which is refreshing. There is just an overwhelming sense of fun with this title, especially since Benito Cereno came to the title. And the cliffhanger has me wanting more, so mission accomplished, I guess.
Grade: Buy
Resurrection Man #9 (Abnett, Lanning, Guinaldo, Saiz)
Plot: If you're confused by the beginning of this comic, don't worry... this is the second half of a story stared in Suicide Squad #9. Mitch Shelley, aka the Resurrection Man, is unconscious and is about to be chainsawed into pieces by the unhappy government stooge, Deadshot. Other shadow-government agents, the Body Doubles, try to lay claim on Shelley, and the two forces argue until Shelley wakes up, now with T-1000-like powers.
Fighting ensues, the two heads of their respective teams argue over R-Man, a character that was killed in SS #9 inexplicably appears in a group shot, and Shelley escapes with his kinda-psychic kinda-girlfriend, sans hand (until it grows back).
Opinion: This is usually a pretty good book, but here any semblance of story gives way to bullets and snarky dialog, and in the end we are right back to where we were an issue ago. Also, to understand what's happening here you'd have to pick up an issue of Suicide Squad, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
Grade: Skim
[EDITOR'S NOTE: I'd like to point out that this is where I stopped writing for the night on a Wednesday and promptly forgot about this article until the following Monday. Oops.]
Deathstroke #9 (Liefeld)
Plot: A secret organization of fat, round businessmen have decided that Deathstroke must be taken out permanently. But that's not important right now.
Deathstroke finds himself at the grave site of his diseased wife, when he is attacked by a squad of mercenaries, most of the probably aliens. He is then recruited to hunt and kill one of the biggest threats to the Earth... an alien named Lobo!
Opinion: I have been reading this book for nine months now, and I have finally come to the realization that Deathstroke can't sustain a solo series successfully. Any attempt to flesh out this character, any half-baked scheme to make ol' Slade Wilson a three dimensional persona falls completely flat. He is best served as a recurring arch-villain in a higher profile book.
Rob Liefeld has taken on both writing and art duties starting with this comic. I could say much about this, but I feel I would be going over well tread ground. Wildstorm's Zealot character served no purpose here, and I really, REALLY don't care for Lobo's "New 52" design... he just looks too bland without the leather jacket and chains.
Grade: Pass
Incorruptible #29 (Waid, Couceiro)
Plot: A cloud of radiation is on it's way to Coalville, and everyone in town are eyeing former-villain-turned-sorta-hero Max Damage's superjail/fallout shelter for a safe haven. Unfortunately, a giant hole has been blown through it, which pretty much diminishes it's usefulness.
Meanwhile, Max airs out some dirty laundry (with his fists) against the Plutonian's former girlfriend and now superpowered ex-Max partner Alana. They fight, they talk, another villain named St. Lucifer is killed by a 30 ft. snake's bite, and Max straight up kicks a dimunitive villain named Charlie Hussle into the next state, which was kinda awesome. The issue ends with our hero (?) walking menacingly towards the town he swore to protect.
Opinion: I love this book. A lot. However, with only one issue left in the series, and with so many plot threads being wrapped up, it would be kinda pointless to start fresh with this series here. Wait for the trade (a phrase I don't utter often), or find a way to pick up the other 28 issues before digging into this one.
Grade: Skim
Uncanny X-Force #25 (Remender, McKone, White, Opena)
Plot: Deadpool, under the delusion that he's about to fund and cast a film called Speed Boat, Night Life, Cocaine, infiltrates a super-secret shopping mall where the only products sold are homegrown and tailor-made assassins. Psylocke and Fantomex both quit X-Force, leaving Wolverine and a surly alternate universe Nighcrawler to come to the rescue when 'Pool's deal goes sour.
There are also two backup stories in this book, but you're just gonna have to buy the issue to read them. Here's a little hint, though... Wolverine in Thailand and Fat Deadpool.
Opinion: Believe it or not, this is a pretty good jumping on point for this book. The story arcs get so convoluted, it may be months before things make sense again. This new arc has piqued my interest in the series, which admittedly was starting to lose me during the Captain Britain epic.
The two backup stories made me happy (especially the Deadpool one where he, y'know, gets way fat and ends up riding a Rascal into the sunset), however, the $4.99 cover price did not. Hopefully the price hike is only for this issue.
And for the record, I'd see Speed Boat, Night Life, Cocaine in a heartbeat.
Grade: Buy (If just for Fat Deadpool.)
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