Comics On A Budget for June 6, 2007

I am at a crossroads. As of next week, I won't have as low a budget for comics as I have now found gainful employment and can get off the government teat. So, do I continue to have a set budget or incorporate collection reviews into the mix? I already now what Mike's answer is going to be, which is to spend my entire check at Ralph's Comic Corner, but what do everyone else think? Do you want an expansion to this? Drop me a line in the Comments section below. Without further ado, let's review some stuff.

• Jonah Hex #20 (current series) - I love this series, but this particular issue, while enjoyable, felt... rushed. Everything just was kinda glossed over. Jonah's rye sense of humor remains intact but, for the first time, with the return of a couple of characters previously used, it almost felt like you needed to have read the back issues to understand what was going on. Still, good stuff.
• Superman #663 - Continuation of the Arion storyline. Silliness abounds with a class of young New Gods taking over Metropolis and all the while we still have a brooding Superman. He finally makes a decision and it's not what Arion wants to hear, leading to a cool ending. Plus, baby Chemos! How cute is that?
• Marvel Zombies Vs. Army Of Darkness #4 - This has been just been a fun series. Ash is pretty true to his character and easily distracted by a pretty face. Lumping him into the Marvel Universe (albeit the zombie Marvel Universe) somehow works, although I am surprised by how Ash takes the fact that there are people with spectacular powers all around him in stride. Wouldn't he have some sort of comment about it? This issue has Dr. Doom, an appearance by the might Necromonicon, and a ravenous zombie Goliath. Awesome stuff.
• The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #5 - I have already posted my love for this series and its beautiful art. Now for a complaint. This issue cost $3.99 plus tax. For that amount, we get 23 pages of story, which constitutes less than half of the issue. The rest is ads, text pieces that highlight backstory, and the final part of a transcript of a Stephen King panel at the New York Comic Con. Now, I like the text pieces, but at four bucks a pop, I would prefer to have more of the actual comic and this would probably have been shorter by two issues. Once in a while, text pieces are fine, but comics is both words and pictures. I read prose for one thing and comics for entirely different reasons. I mean, Stephen King writes books and short stories. We don't need it in every issue of his comics, too. Still, this is fine stuff and I am looking forward to the inevitable collection.
• Detective Comics #833 - This is an interesting issue guest-starring Zatanna. Batman was trained in escaping by her father, Golden Age hero Zatara (he made his first appearance in the same comic that debuted some other famous hero, Action Comics #1). Now, I think way too much about the history and interpersonal relations of comic characters, which is why I was surprised by writer Paul Dini including some backstory between Bruce Wayne and Zatanna knowing each other as children. It makes sense and both children are completely in character. My former roommate and co-conspirator in many musical endeavors, Chris "The Monster" Savoy, was actually a stage magician for a time and he taught me much about the secrets. As a result, I am a sucker for stage magic and this story revolving around the murderous mystery of a magician named Ivar Loxias is right up my alley. Plus, the return of Zatanna's tux shirt, jacket, bow tie and fishnets look can only be a positive thing.
  
• Jack Of Fables #11 - This is the final issue of the two-part Jack Frost storyline. Jack continues to be a bastard, as usual, and trying to bed as many women as possible, as usual. We do get some interesting backstory about the War in the Homelands and Jack's small but important role in it. It's not what you think. Fine art by one of my favorites, Fables inker (and artist on the Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy adaptions) Steve Leialoha. I met him last year at the San Diego Comic Con. He drew a baby floating on a string like a balloon inside one of my Fables collections. He's a helluva nice guy.
  
• Countdown #47 - This is just in here for reference. The same rules apply for this cycle. I'll review this in three more issues.
• Uncanny X-Men #487 - It's still not new reader friendly, but this first part of the new storyline has the story settle down. I dig Salvador Larroca's art. It's a nice, moody, painted style that actually feels different than the usual primary color, splashy style that seems to infect X-titles most of the time. It matches writer Ed Brubaker's format rather nicely. We get the return of Caliban and Storm and some forward momentum on the overall story. Maybe I'll stick with this. I mean, Mr. Brubaker writes my hands-down favorite Marvel book, Daredevil, and I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
• Simpsons Summer Shindig (one-shot) - Hooray! This was lots of fun. The main story revolves around a few different interlocking stories of the Simpsons clan at the Springfield County Fair and all the madness that entails. The characterizations are spot-on and the art is fun. We are also rewarded with several smaller pieces to close this issue out. I dig the Bill Morrison cover. He is, quite possibly, the finest Simpsons artist on Earth. It's a shame that his real job as Editor and Art Director of all Bongo titles does not give him more time to do more comics work. He not only has every character down, he has an amazing sense of illustrative storytelling. One of the perks of working at the finest comic shoppe around was they actually have a good clientèle of people in the industry. I mean, I have had long fantastic conversations with the mighty Sergio Aragones, talked music with Los Bros Hernandez, and pulled back issues for Scott McCloud. I never did get to meet Bill Morrison, but my former boss and good friend, Mike of Progressive Ruin, got an awesome Bart Simpson sketch for me. It stays in my Sketch Archive, which includes an Eli Stone Tick, a Sergio Groo and Rufferto, a Evan Dorkin Milk and Cheese, and several Jeff Smith Bone characters. All of them have stories behind them, but that's for another time.