It’s not just a list of this week’s new releases. It’s a battlefield where Hopeless Fanboy David (HFD) thrashes it out with Discerning Comics Reader David (DCRD).
For instance, we have New Avengers 1. HFD still stings from the dreadful Disassembled arc and wonders if he can support a title built on the rubble of one of his sentimental favorites. DCRD reminds HFD that Brian Bendis has written many entertaining comics and has cast the book with characters he likes and writes well (Luke Cage, Jessica Drew). HFD quotes Bendis-written Captain America dialogue. DCRD winces. The combatants stand at an impasse that will only be broken at the comic shop, though each prepares a cutting “I told you so” for future use.
Then, there’s the second volume of Ultimates. HFD finds it a grating and snide treatment of the super-hero genre. DCRD rolls his eyes at Mark Millar’s attempts at sophisticated cynicism, which end up being neither. Both snicker at the likelihood of a regular publication schedule but concede that the book is so lightweight that long stretches between issues scarcely matter. Then, they think of the pretty, pretty art by Bryan Hitch and feel twinges of shame that they’ll abandon their critical and sentimental standards when they see something shiny. To make themselves feel better, they scoff together at the prospect of buying the second issue of Intimates.
Ultimately, they’re distracted by Tales From Fish Camp from AiT/Planet Lar, which sounds really interesting. DCRD has been meaning to try something else from this publisher forever (having just realized that the splendid Electric Girl is part of its catalogue), and hopes that the comic shop will have a copy. (The shop has had copies of Demo in the past, but both Davids gave it a pass.) They know the shopkeep will happily order Tales From Fish Camp for him, and DCRD promises to handle that end of things while HFD wanders off to make fun of the second and third printings from DC and variant covers from Marvel.
This arrangement leads to a suspension of hostilities, pending the arrival of Fiscally Responsible David. But he’s tiny and weak, thank heavens.