Graphic Novel A Day: Ex Machina Vol. 4: March to War
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Tony Harris, Tom Feister, Chris Sprouse, Karl Story & JD Mettler
Company: DC/Wildstorm
Price: $12.99 ($10.39 on Amazon)

OK, technically this is cheating, since I wrote it on Thursday morning and back-dated the time. But end result is I didn't miss a day, so it counts. Anyway, this is the latest volume of Vaughan's political/superhero series about a New York Mayor who also happens to have gained the ability to talk to machines via an encounter with some strange alien technology. Previous volumes have focused on 9-11, free speech issues, serial murders, severe weather procedures, gay marriage and a variety of other issues involved in running New York City. This time out, it's the story of protests and the lead-up to the Iraq War, with a new terrorist attack giving Mayor Mitchell Hundred the chance to show off his skills in handling the kind of crisis his predecessor had to deal with. It's a good mystery, good political storytelling as always and great art by Harris, Feister and Mettler. Only shame of it? I thought the character killed in this arc was interesting, and the death didn't contribute so much to the story that I thought it was worth losing the character. This also contains the two-part special, with guest art by Chris Sprouse, showing the origin and full story of Mitchell's "nemesis" Jack Pherson, who gained the ability to talk to animals and a desire to help them at the cost of humanity. It's an interesting flashback to Mitchell's days as the Great Machine, and an interesting change of tone and style for the book, focusing on those superhero elements but with a more realistic style. Good as always.

Graphic Novel A Day: Night Trippers
Writer: Mark Ricketts
Artist: Micah Farritor
Company: Image
Price: $16.99 ($13.25 on Amazon)

Mark Ricketts definitely has some of the most inventive premises in comics. Night Trippers is about vampires, the counterculture of the '60s, rock and roll and romance, not necessarily in that order. I get the feeling I would have enjoyed it more if I could map all the characters referenced to their real-life inspirations, but it's hard to miss the Beatles or Andy Warhol, and even if you don't get all the references, the culture comes through loud and clear. Also some nice action sequences featuring a vampire hunter and a far-flung, intriguing cast of well-developed characters. The art by Micah Farritor reminds me of a more '60s pop colored version of the work done by Marc Hempel or D'Israeli in his Sandman days.

Graphic Novel A Day:
In an effort to shrink down my ever-growing pile of graphic novels to read, and to finally clear off my night table so I can read more novels and actual books at night, I have decided to embark on a new plan: A graphic novel a day. I will read at least one graphic novel each day, and most likely post about it here. Often-times, it will be an informational post of what it's about, who published it and a link to buy it at Amazon (or somewhere else if not available). Think 4th grader's book report, done about midnight the night before it was due. Plenty of times, I'm sure, it will be a note along the lines of "Yesterday's graphic novel was X. Published by X, here's the link."

I reserve the right to quit if a graphic novel isn't engaging me and to count that as a book read for the day. I also reserve the right to cheat and skip days, especially Tuesday, when I work until midnight, podcast and then read all my comics for the week. If I'm reading a big graphic novel, like one of the Marvel Essentials on my pile, I might let that slip over more than one day.

I currently have over 60 graphic novels ready to read, and that's not counting the half-dozen to a dozen graphic novels I buy every month. So this will probably go on for a while. I will either keep doing this for a good long time or quit when I lose interest. Knowing myself as I do, I'd vote for the latter, but I'm hoping for the former.

The Surrogates
Writer: Robert Venditti
Artist: Brett Weldele
Cost: $19.95 ($13.57 at Amazon)
Company: Top Shelf

The Surrogates is a sci-fi story set around the 2050s in Atlanta (Venditti's home town) about a U.S. in which 92% of the population rarely goes out, instead living their lives through mechanical surrogates which channel feelings and experiences back to them. There's a lot of interesting sociological changes as a result of this technology, and the core of the plot is about two cops investigating a fanatic who is running around destroying surrogates and encouraging people to live, which seems to link to a religious fanatic who runs an anti-surrogate cult on a reservation negotiated when he and his followers rioted many years ago. Good sociological exploration, characters, action and a tightly plotted story, not to mention Weldele's moody art, make it a winner. There's also a ton of extras, from those that existed in the single issues like the back cover ads for the surrogate company that look real or the text pieces examining the surrogates or the backstory of the world and its characters to those that are new, including deleted scenes, design sketches and pinups from a variety of artists. Features Top Shelf's usual excellent production values and design work, and is well worth the $20.

Weekly Comics to Come - November 29, 2006:
The answer to last week's question "Does a big week mean a great week?" was a resounding no, as 90% of what I read was disappointing.

TOP FIVE:
American Virgin #9 (This reads best in trades, but it's still enjoyable in single issues. New story arc starts here, I believe)
Batman The Spirit (After rereading New Frontier in Absolute format, I'm now really looking forward to this. Darwyn Cooke rules!)
Captain America #24 (Brubaker's Civil War Cap tie-ins have been great, equal to the quality of the rest of his run on this book)
Immortal Iron Fist #1 (Not entirely sold on the whole legacy thing, but I am intrigued by it)
True Story Swear To God Image Ed #2 (Just as great after the move to Image... hope it picked up some readership)

THE REST:
Crossing Midnight #1 (I'm not super-excited about Mike Carey's newest Vertigo book, but I am mildly curious)
Ex Machina Vol 4 March To War TP (Still enjoying this book a lot)
Goon Wicked Inclinations Vol 5 TP (Always entertaining)
Mail Order Ninja Vol 2 (I have this but haven't read it yet, but I really enjoyed the first one. Funny all-ages stuff)
Whisper #1 (Never read the original Whisper, but curious to see Steven Grant's action character make a return at Boom! anyway)
Zombies Vs Robots #1 (How can you go wrong with a title like that?)

Weekly Comics to Come - November 22, 2006:

Wow, it's a *huge* week. I'm not sure how great the week will be, because I know there will be disappointments in this giant crop of comics, but there should be some good reading, just based on the law of averages.

TOP FIVE:
Action Comics #845 (First Donner/Johns issue was promising, curious to see where they're going)
Daredevil #91 (More of Daredevil's adventures in Europe, and Brubaker and Lark are still kicking ass on this book)
Fantastic Four The End #2 (Really fun first issue, might this be the first good The End miniseries?)
Godland #14 (Reading #13 reminded me how much I'd missed this title)
Jack Of Fables #5 (Jack's escape plan goes awry... I haven't read the solicits, I'm just guessing here)

THE REST:
24 Nightfall #1 (A "secret origins" style 24 about the Nightfall covert ops mission that spurred season one)
Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes II #2 (First issue was OK, but I'm not sure how long I'll keep reading without Kolins on art)
Captain America Red Menace Vol 2 TP (They're not gonna do big hardcovers of Brubaker's Cap work, are they? Looks like it might be time to buy the trades)
Conan #34 (Truman's first issue was a little weak compared to Busiek's, but I'm still down for following a few issues, based on the strength of the Scout trade I just read)
Connor Hawke Dragons Blood #1 (Dixon can do solid action, and I like this character... but his Richard Dragon series was pretty bad, and I hope this is more like his Nightwing, Birds of Prey and Green Arrow of old)
Damaged #1 (Don't remember much about this indie book, but it has MD Bright art, which is never a bad thing)
Drain #1 (New vampire book from Marvel's CB Cebulski, writer of the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance game, and the art looks nice)
Dwight T Albatross The Goon Noir #2 (First issue was a blast, looking forward to the creative line-up on this one)
Elephantmen #0 (I have this already, but it's good to see it re-released for those who have discovered the new series)
Enigma Cipher #1 (New World War II espionage book from Boom!)
Hellstorm Son Of Satan #2 (Dug the first issue, interested in seeing where it goes)
Impaler #2 (Ditto for Impaler)
John Woos Seven Brothers #2 (And ditto for this one. Push comes to shove, though, Impaler #2 is the second issue I'm most looking forward to this week except for FF: The End)
New X-men Omnibus HC (I have the original hardcovers, and I just dropped $75 on Absolute New Frontier. Otherwise, I'd definitely be buying this collection of Grant Morrison's ground-breaking X-Men work)
Pirates Of Coney Island #2 (First issue had an unexpected tone, but it was a good read. I want to see what happens next)
Planetary Brigade Origins #1 (I actually liked the Planetary Brigade more than the Hero Squared it was spun off from, in some ways)
Previews Vol #24.12 (Down the Line coming, but not until after Thanksgiving)
Punisher War Journal #1 (I've got kind of a bad feeling that this is gonna be Fraction just killing off perfectly good C-list bad guys... but I have to admit, I'm curious to read it anyway)
Runaways #22 (Losing me a little as it coasts to its pre-Whedon end, hopefully Vaughan can go out on a higher note)
Spider-man Loves Mary Jane #12 (Also coasting towards a changing point, with Miyazawa leaving, but I'm still digging the hell out of this one)
Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters #5 (Strange, a little heavy-handed, but readable)
Usagi Yojimbo #98 (Always good)
Walking Dead #32 (This latest story is getting a little long in the tooth, but a Halloween viewing of 28 Days Later has re-stoked my interest)
Wonder Woman #3 (Yep, it's been three months, must be time for another issue)
Y The Last Man Vol 8 Kimono Dragons TP (Closing in on the end of Y The Last Man)

Weekly Comics to Come - November 15, 2006:

TOP FIVE:
Absolute DC The New Frontier HC (Can't wait to finally crack open this gigantic book and give it a reread)
Action Comics #844 (First issue of the Johns/Donner/Kubert run was pretty solid)
Astro City The Dark Age Book Two #1 (Always glad to see Astro City return, even if Busiek's been off his game lately for me)
EC Archives Shock Suspenstories Vol 1 HC (I've just starting reading through this, and it's an amazing package)
Escapists #5 (My favorite miniseries of the moment)

THE REST:
Birds Of Prey #100 (BoP is losing me, but the changeover in this issue could bring me back)
Death Jr Vol 2 #2 (Long time between issues, but always entertaining)
GI Joe Dreadnoks Declassified #1 (Hoping for cheesy fun, expecting disappointment given the past GI Joe spotlights)
Invincible #36 (Another long wait between issues, but always entertaining)
Omega Men #2 (First issue had weak art, intriguing story... hope that it hooks me more here, expecting it not to, realistically)
Shadowpact #7 (Last issue was a weaker one, but I've liked the previous two quite a bit)
Southland Tales Book 2 (Enjoyed the first book... although I'm now waiting for the deluxe trade that will collect all three)
Union Jack #3 (Solid superhero action with terrific art by Mike Perkins)
White Tiger #1 (Mildly curious about this one)

Election Thoughts:
Given the way the last three elections turned out, I just kind of expected Wednesday to be a huge crushing disappointment. Instead, I was shocked at how well things went. The Democrats took over the House, Senate and won several governorships and the Bush Administration got the severe slap on the wrist they've been deserving. And as a bonus, this led to Rumsfeld finally being shown the door. Now if only there could be some kind of bus crash involving Cheney, Rove and maybe Robert Novak.

I don't have a great deal of faith that the Democrats will suddenly grow both a brain and a spine, but I do hope that this will allow the government to get back to general incompetence rather than outright villainy.

TV Thoughts on Election Eve:
Tomorrow is election day in the United States. Please, even if you've mostly given up on the system (I'm looking at you, Nate), go out and vote. Unless you're planning to vote Republican, then you can stay home. Kidding! Seriously, most of the local races here look pretty much decided, judging by the polls, and the guy (or gal, I'm looking at you, Kay Bailey Hutchinson) I don't want to win is winning many of the races. My change of address didn't go in and I didn't early vote, so I've got to drive back down to my old neck of the woods and vote before going to work instead of going somewhere convenient to my house.

The whole thing seems mostly out of my hands, and I'm not entirely convinced my vote counts, or that it'll get counted correctly, given that we're using Diebold machines here in Texas... but I'm still going to go vote. It's that last little vestige that convinces me we're still living in a democracy, and that the lunatics won't be running the asylum forever. Come tomorrow night or Wednesday morning, if the Democrats haven't re-taken the house, I may feel differently. I may just throw my hands up at the whole system. But right now, I still feel like I should vote.

Wow, and that was just the digression, not the point of the post. Anyway, further TV thoughts, spurred largely by NBC's Monday Night line-up of Heroes and Studio 60.

Heroes: The quality is still uneven, and tonight's episode was mostly standstill stuff, with only a few minor developments and one big one... but in general, the show has gotten better, and I'm enjoying it. Some weeks, I'm even looking forward to seeing where the mysteries and character arcs go. Still not loving it as I loved Lost, and if I could cancel this and bring back Smith and/or Kidnapped, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but I'm no longer actively angry that this gets to stick around while so many shows I really liked tanked so early.

Studio 60: Tonight's episode started off a little worrisome, and the whole "John Goodman as redneck judge" thing, the in media res opener, was almost nails on a chalkboard for me. Fortunately, I stuck it out and this turned out to be the best (and funniest) episode since the pilot. Whereas this kind of farce didn't work so well on West Wing, where it felt out of place, it feels perfectly in line with Studio 60, and still has a few important things to say about the culture wars at the same time. Clever writing, some funny moments and terrific acting. Now if only EW would quit gleefully predicting (and wishing for) its death.

Veronica Mars: I've recently been re-watching my season one DVDs of Veronica Mars, and I'm afraid the naysayers are right, and VM isn't as good as it used to be. Fortunately, it is still remarkably good, and I always watch it as soon as possible. The numbers are slightly up, and the CW doesn't have any hits, so I'm hopeful that the show might get to continue. I will say that I wouldn't mind them chopping down the cast a bit, and giving some of the often unseen players like Wallace and especially Mac some more juicy stories and screen-time to go with them. I'm also kinda tired of the Logan/Veronica relationship... I liked it at first, but this whole "strained relationship" thing is getting old, and I'm bored with it.

Lost: Some folks are abandoning Lost. I don't get it. I think the show continues to be excellent, and I'm just as wrapped up in the mysteries (and more importantly, the characters) as always. But then, I wouldn't mind the popularity of the show dying down so that the creators get their chance to end things rather than stretching them out forever to appease the ratings and advertising gods. But given its current ratings, and that it takes the lead spot on Wednesday at least 50% of the time, I don't see that happening anytime real soon.

The Nine: I'm up and down on this one. It's good, it's watchable, but I'm not sure I care about the aftermath of the characters' lives as much as what actually happened in the bank. And unfortunately, the story is much more about the former than the latter. Some good actors here, and it's especially good to see Tim Daly, but quite honestly, I'd rather that his underrated show Eyes was still going on instead.

The Office: So very funny. Easily in my top five shows, and one that I watch the night its on, rather than saving it on the Tivo. I can't believe it took me this long to catch on to how good this show is.

Battlestar Galactica: Continues to shine. The episodes just after the return from New Caprica haven't been as strong, but I think that's because the bar was set so high by the insurgency/rescue story arc. This season is so good it's making me reconsider going back to buy the DVDs of seasons one and two, which I hadn't done because I wasn't sure I'd ever re-watch the show. Now I'm thinking I want to.

Doctor Who: Fun, occasionally cheesy. Not in Galactica's league, but I'm pretty happy with the show, especially given that I'm not remotely a fan of the property in general.

Kidnapped: Ratings dropped so far that it didn't even get burned off on Saturdays, now it's gone to "online only." Which I think might translate to "We're going to quietly stop showing it altogether" and I'm still hoping for a DVD set to get some closure. This was a great, stylish show with a spectacular cast and some good writing, and it's a shame it didn't catch on. I'm amazed that fans of 24 didn't gravitate to this show, as it had a lot in common with that one.

Weekly Comics to Come - November 8, 2006:

Absolute New Frontier is delayed again, damn it. There are also rumors that the Invincible handbook has come out, but it hasn't come to my shop yet. Fairly light week, especially after last week's massive haul of good books.

TOP FIVE:
Batman And The Mad Monk #4 (Matt Wagner is writing and drawing the best Batman right now, period)
Damned #2 (Good first issue, great art by Brian Hurtt)
Doctor Strange Oath #2 (Another great first issue with great art)
Fables #55 (The reintroduction of witch-hunting Hansel continues)
Y The Last Man #51 (More on what killed all the men, including maybe a concrete answer?)

THE REST:
Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes II #1 (I liked the first series, although without Kolins on art, my enthusiasm is much less)
DMZ #13 (Ricardo Burchielli returns for the next arc of DMZ)
Eternals #5 (I'm probably not going to pick up a trade at this point, but it's still an enjoyable read)
Marvel Legacy 1980s Handbook (This is my era, and I like these throwback handbooks)
Project Romantic SC (Another gorgeously produced anthology by Adhouse)
Star Wars Dark Times #1 (New Star Wars series starting right after the Revenge of the Sith)
Stormwatch Phd #1 (Wildstorm's relaunch has mostly been disappointing, but I'm still curious about Christos Gage's contribution)
Wisdom #1 (Doctor Who's Paul Cornell writes, which is the only reason I'm interested in a solo series featuring Warren Ellis's Mary Sue character)

Blog Template Update for October
This is the latest monthly update to the left column of the blog, updating my favorite comics and TV for the previous month. The listings are alphabetical, not by rank of how much I liked them in comparison. My criteria for what makes the list is when I read them, not necessarily when they were published.

So what'd I do in October? Well, the big news is probably that my wife is pregnant with our second child, due in June. We're very excited, and I'm about 50% less terrified, since I know the territory by now. Suzanne has been blogging about her pregnancy, Katy's reaction to it and such on her blog.

In addition, we had folks re-doing the bathrooms and kitchens in the house, which was kind of a pain but which has resulted in generally very nice bathrooms and kitchen. Except that the plugs in the bathrooms don't work. And the medicine chest/mirrors are gone, and I have no idea when they're coming back. But other than that, nice home improvements. I also got very into buying the Justice League Unlimited action figure three-packs when I saw them at the supermarket, and now have a pretty decent selection of obscure and popular DC heroes decorating my computer desk. We officially locked in the STAPLE! '07 special guest (Dean Haspiel) and there should be a few more exciting announcements in November about exhibitors and guests as well. Sales on STAPLE! tables are going very well, and if you're thinking of coming, you might want to look into registration as soon as possible. November fast approacheth, and that means three things to me: 1) Guitar Hero II will be arriving at my house and 2) Wizard World Texas is upon us and 3) Thanksgiving is coming soon.

This was a really good month for first issues, quite possibly the best all year. Criminal and Irredeemable Ant-Man are new and very promising series from Marvel, and there were also a couple great limited series launched this month, namely Doctor Strange: Oath and Other Side. Oni also launches once more into ongoing territory with the beautifully illustrated and intriguing genre-blend The Damned. Kind of amazing that despite hating almost everything related to Civil War and, indeed, much of Marvel's output, they still make up 50% of my Top 10. This probably speaks to Marvel's over-flooding the market once again, but it also speaks to two specific talents: Ed Brubaker and Brian Vaughan. Between them, they account for 8 of my Top 20. There are only two DC universe titles on my list, both on the fringes of the 52/Infinite Crisis-spun universe, which has basically lost all interest for me. But Vertigo takes up 4 spots, about half of Marvel, with roughly 25% of the level of output. And Vertigo dominates my Top 10 graphic novels with 3 spots as well.

There are only a few books on the indy list, and most wouldn't be considered indy by some. (By the way, I'm aware that some folks spell it indie. I spell it indy, and will continue to do so until someone can prove to me that both spellings aren't appropriate, via something other than their opinion.) Those books are The Damned, Dork and The Escapists. One Image book, one Dark Horse and one from Slave Labor. Indy makes up the lion's share of the rest of my graphic novel list, though, with an anthology published by Alternative, a new book from IDW, the first book I've ever bought from Dynamite and books from Dark Horse and Image.

Last month, I thought I was going to have a hard time pruning my Top 10 TV list. But then CBS cancelled Smith, which prompted me to stop watching The Unit, and things got a lot clearer. Shows that almost made the cut were Heroes, which I started to really dislike but which recovered strongly in the last two episodes and both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, which I love but which have been shunted aside for the time being. There are like 30 of them on my Tivo right now, and I watch them at a rate of maybe one or two a week, so I'll never catch up. I watched 30 Rock to see if I wanted to add it to the weekly routine, and it was godawful. Just painfully unfunny, except for Alec Baldwin, who can't carry the show on his own. I know that some critics are hailing 30 Rock while hating on Studio 60, and I just don't get it. At least Studio 60 isn't supposed to be a comedy. My absolute favorite show right now is Battlestar Galactica... I liked but didn't love it for most of its run, but the opening three episode arc has been just amazing. Just below that, I've become obsessed with The Office, which makes me laugh harder than anything on TV since Arrested Development (although it's still not as good as AD... but what could be?) and I'm really enjoying the new Lost and Doctor Who seasons as well. Studio 60 and Veronica Mars have both been uneven for me, but they're always at least entertaining and occasionally great.

New links I added to my RSS reader this month: 2 Guys Reading Comics (on the strength of a hilarious takedown of Civil War #4), Artistic Veritas (covering TV and Tivo, my other two big addictions besides comics and the Internet) and artist blogs for Matt Madden, Marko Djurdjevic and Takeshi Miyazawa.

Official Handbook of the Katy Universe:
Katy came into my office tonight and asked if we could make a new superhero. So we used HeroMachine and came up with this one, that she named Arrow:



At this rate, she'll have her own superteam in the next couple of weeks. She's been calling Butterfly Wing by the name Gold Butterfly Wing or Butterfly Gold, and she has told me that there's a bad Butterfly Gold, inspired by my having bought the Justice Lords action figures in the Justice League Unlimited line.

She can also name Aquaman, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Atom, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Lantern, Lex Luthor and a few more, and asked to have superhero pictures put up in her room so she could look at them. So I put up my Justice League poster, with the season one roster on it. She also quite enjoys those oversized Paul Dini/Alex Ross books, especially Wonder Woman and the Justice League ones. So yeah, my daughter's already a superhero fan. I take full responsibility.

Weekly Comics to Come - October 31, 2006:

TOP FIVE:
American Virgin #8 (After re-reading the first trade, I find myself more in love with this title than ever)
Beyond #5 (Dwayne McDuffie and Scott Kolins close in on the finale of their B-lister war in space tale)
Criminal #2 (Brubaker and Phillips follow up the strongest debut issue of 2006)
Local #7 (This one's in Tempe, Arizona... this is in my top three series running right now, alongside Fables and Escapists)
Other Side #2 (Another strong first issue, can't wait to see the second)

THE REST:
Agents Of Atlas #4 (Modern conspiracy, Golden Age characters, great art... a fun diversion from Marvel that not enough people are reading)
Ex Machina #24 (More of New York politics, the firefighter rapist, drug dealers and more)
Irredeemable Ant-Man #2 (Fun first issue, great art by Phil Hester, curious to see where this one is going)
Justice League Of America #3 (This one has some weaknesses, including Benes's Turner-esque artwork, but it has some strong moments and a good lineup... if Meltzer would ever put the damn team together)
Killer #1 (New action/crime thriller from Archaia Studios)
Midnighter #1 (Probably just Garth Ennis on autopilot again, but Chris Sprouse's art will be nice)
Mouse Guard #5 (Archaia's unusual fantasy series races toward the conclusion of its first miniseries arc)
Mystery In Space #3 (Basically solid entertainment, although The Weird backup does nothing for me)
Pirate Tales #1 (Boom! anthology focused on pirates)
Superman Confidential #1 (Darwyn Cooke writes, Tim Sale draws, Randy reads)
Uncanny X-Men #480 (Brubaker and Tan hooked me good with the last issue, I'm digging this book)

My Daughter Made Her First Superhero:
This is Butterfly Wing, and she can fly. She doesn't have any other super-powers, but Katy has a lot more when she has her super-powers, like using her bracelets to turn things into gold and wearing a crown that protects her from bad animals.



Created using HeroMachine.

Weekly Comics to Come - October 25, 2006:

TOP FIVE:
American Virgin Head TP (This is a weird, beautifully drawn book that I really enjoy)
Godland #13 (Hooray! More Kirby/crazy Godland! I just read Vol. 2, so I'm very much in the mood for this)
Marvel Comics Encyclopedia HC (The DC Encyclopedia was fantastic, I expect great things from the Marvel one as well)
Scout Vol 1 TP (At last, some of Tim Truman's post-apocalyptic Apache epic is collected)
Supermarket TP (Great crime/sci-fi action from Brian Wood and Kristian Donaldson)

THE REST:
Captain America #23 (Still good, despite Civil War, a tribute to the talented creative team)
Conan & The Songs Of The Dead #4 (The wrap-up of the Lansdale/Truman Conan)
Daredevil #90 (Good Ed Brubaker week, and the first part of DD's Paris adventure was great)
Deathblow #1 (Vaguely interested in Brian Azzarello's take on spec op Deathblow)
Hawaiian Dick Vol 2 Last Resort TP (The previous trade was a great collection, I hope this one lives up to it)
Impaler #1 (Solid horror outing with a new take on Dracula)
Jack Of Fables #4 (Just as good as the main Fables book)
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man Vol 1 HC (Big week, or else I'd be picking up this oversized hardcover of all-ages Spidey... another time, perhaps)
Meathaus Vol. 8 SC (Indy anthology with some impessive names attached)
Planetary #26 (That rare beast, an issue of Planetary, is spotted in the wild!)
Previews #26.11 (Down the Line coming next week, looks like)
Seven Soldiers #1 (Finally, the conclusion that determines whether or not I'll be buying the four trades or not)
Spider-man Loves Mary Jane #11 (Continues to delight and entertain)
Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters #4 (Third issue was weaker, but I liked enough in the first three issues to keep reading)

More TV Thoughts:

Battlestar Galactica - Well, it's official. Three episodes in, and season three is far and away my favorite season of Battlestar Galactica yet. Some great moral ambiguity, even for the cylons, a tension-filled situation as we wonder how on Earth the humans are going to get off the planet and what kind of plan Adama could have and plenty of questions about what's going to happen next. Along with great writing, great acting and a nice guest turn by Amanda Plummer (that was unexpected).

Studio 60 - I have to admit, while I'm still loving the show, the people complaining about the lameness of the sketch comedy aren't wrong. It's *painfully* unfunny, and they probably shouldn't spend any time showing it if they can avoid it. Because the backstage stuff is great, and I'm really loving the romance between Matt and Harriet, because it really does seem legitimately impossible. They may have great chemistry, but it seems like they don't belong together, and that's an interesting thing. Jordan McDeere is the TV president equivalent of Jed Bartlett... I don't for a minute believe that someone that principled, smart and witty could rise to that position, but I sure wish they could, and I sure love the wish fulfilment of it. How great would it be if someone at network television actually had the principles to pass on a "toxic" reality show like the one pitched tonight? Did seem like Sorkin was talking to his audience a little with the reporter's speech about why it's an important story for Vanity Fair, answering the criticisms of Studio 60 being about "just TV." But I agree with all the points made, so I'm onboard with it.

Heroes - A noticeable uptick in quality, almost a quantum leap forward, as Bryan Fuller (Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me) steps in to write his first episode. The writing was so much sharper, all the character bits seemed stronger and I loved seeing some of the connections being made. Oh, and that ending... totally superhero genre, and I loved it. Fun to see that Hiro's heroic destiny (at least in one world) isn't just as comic relief. And Nathan's character became a whole lot more interesting with the revleation of a wife and kids and his interaction with Niki, just as Niki's subplot continues to intrigue, as we see her other personality for the first time. I was on the verge of dropping this show last week... now I'm anxious to see what happens next. A more consistent level of writing would help a lot, but it's good to know that Fuller's voice isn't entirely lost, as his is the one I trust the most amongst the various producer/writers on the show.

Weekly Comics to Come - October 18, 2006:
TOP FIVE:
Batman And The Mad Monk #3 (Matt Wagner's Batman is still the best Batman being published right now)
Fables 1001 Nights Of Snowfall HC (Got a glimpse of this in San Diego, and it looks gorgeous. Can't wait to read this)
Omega Men #1 (The pitch for this one, featuring space adventure and topical events like religious extremism and terrorism, sounded interesting)
Runaways #21 (I'm just as excited about this book as ever, hope Vaughan brings things to a good conclusion of sorts in a few issues)
Shadowpact #6 (The last two issues of this book have been great, it's becoming a new favorite)

THE REST:
Authority #1 (Most of my enthusiasm for the Wildstorm relaunch is gone, now that Morrison's two titles are shipping)
Birds Of Prey #99 (This one is waning for me a little, but the upcoming roster change is intriguing)
Birds Of Prey The Battle Within Tp (Definitely still onboard for this trade, though, which had some great stuff)
Casanova #5 (The book is losing me a little, as it doesn't offer much in the way of a coherent story... might read better in trade)
Conan #33 (Tim Truman's run on the character begins here)
Damned #1 (Pretty solid prohibition gangster/Hellblazer-style demon wars comic with great Hurtt art)
Elephantmen #4 (Beautifully illustrated sci-fi book, glad this is coming out more frequently than annually)
Hellcity Vol 1 GN (Really dug Rotting in Dirtville, so I'm looking forward to seeing this new release from Gigantic Graphic Novels)
Hellstorm Son Of Satan #1 (Looks potentially fun, based on preview pages)
Lone Ranger #2 (First issue was surprisingly solid)
Marvel Adventures Avengers #6 (I'll give Bedard another chance to impress after a weak #5)
Marvel Adventures Avengers Vol 1 Heroes Assembled Tp (The four issues collected here, though, are all great)
Naoki Urasawas Monster Vol 5 (The thriller manga continues)
Noble Causes #24 (More on the war between Blackthornes and Nobles)
Seven Sons Gn (AIT/Planet Lar's re-telling of an old Chinese fable, looked interesting in Previews)
Union Jack #2 (Looking forward to the second issue of this international ensemble action book)
Wasteland #4 (More of Oni's post-apocalyptic buzz book)
Wildcats #1 (See my comments on Authority, plus I'm a bigger fan of Gene Ha's art than Jim Lee's)

The New Fall Season - The Continuing Adventures of Randy's Tivo:

Wow, it's amazing how fast optimism and joy can turn to bitterness and spite. The rapid-fire cancellation of two of my favorite shows, Kidnapped and Smith, not to mention underperforming ratings for the other new shows I'm really enjoying (Studio 60 and The Nine) have me convinced that all the great new TV I loved won't even live out the month, let alone the season. Kidnapped is at least getting closure, but it's moved to Saturdays, and it looks like it won't air this week, as there's some sort of special or sports on in its timeslot. I'd probably be better off just waiting on the inevitable DVD release, but I really want to see more of it now.

Studio 60: The latest episode was not as strong as the rest, but it's still the best new show of the season, especially with the only other contender for the title (Smith) was unceremoniously dumped by CBS. CBS has been unceremoniously dumped by me. It doesn't even exist as a network anymore as far as my Tivo is concerned. I'm hoping that the show's declining ratings won't mean a cancellation or "hiatus," but at this point I just keep expecting the other shoe to drop.

Heroes: Weak. There are some things I like, including Hiro's story and the neat little twist of having Sylar, the villain, have all of the heroes' powers, including the psycho personality that Nikki has. I'm guessing here, but I think it's pretty clear that's where they're going. But really, I think the producers think it's like Lost, when really it's not even in The 4400's class yet. Too many characters, only half of them interesting, a boring serial killer villain and hazy science and origins... it needs to get more focused, and fast. Actually, I guess it doesn't, as it's the breakout hit of the season. But I won't watch something just because it's genre, and Heroes may wind up on the same "dead to me" pile as Smallville soon.

Veronica Mars: I don't know how the second episode was because Time Warner killed one of the two channels carrying CW programming, with no warning. So I had an hour-long block of text about how Time Warner couldn't carry the program instead of Veronica Mars on my Tivo. It's not available on iTunes or streamed on the CW site, either. I'll find some way to watch it, though, I'm sure.

Lost: Fantastic. I love the mysteries, really intrigued by the various new characters, and every week I turn it off wanting to watch the next episode immediately. If I could time travel into the future, I'd bring back newspapers, stock reports and as many DVD box sets of Lost as there were available. Which then wouldn't play on my antiquated old technology DVD player, of course. There's always a trick with time travel, you know.

The Nine: Still interested, although the lower ratings have me worried that this will be yet another serialized show that doesn't pay off with anything but cancellation and unsolved questions. Great cast, though, and I like the mysteries. It's not in the same class as Kidnapped, Smith or Studio 60 for me, but it's very watchable.

30 Rock: Really weak. If it weren't for Alec Baldwin, it might be unwatchable. But Baldwin is *so* good that he elevates the entire show when he's on. Hopefully the rest of the show will rise to his level.

Battlestar Galactica: Amazing two-hour opener. I haven't been as on-board this series as my friends, it's been in my "like it, don't love it" box for a long time... but this was a phenomenal opener. Battlestar Galactica is officially in my top five shows at the moment. Which brings me to the updated list:

TOP TEN SHOWS (ALL SHOWS NOT YET CANCELLED):
1. Studio 60 on Sunset (NBC)
2. Lost (ABC)
3. Battlestar Galactica (SCIFI)
4. Veronica Mars (CW)
5. The Nine (ABC)
6. The Office (NBC)
7. Doctor Who (SCIFI)
8. My Name is Earl (NBC)

I don't have two more. I'm watching Heroes and 30 Rock, but they're on probation for me.

CBS Can Go To Hell:
At least Kidnapped is getting to finish out its story. CBS is cancelling Smith, which is probably my second favorite show behind Studio 60, and they're cutting it off without any warning, right before they go into the big heist next week.

This also probably means not enough episodes to even get a DVD release. Which really sucks. Not too surprising... Smith had a great cast, sharp writing and edgy subject matter. It's really only the kind of thing that's going to succeed on HBO. Which is where more and more of my viewing is going. I've also learned an important lesson, that it doesn't pay to invest any time in CBS's serials, since they're likely to pull them without any consideration for viewer payoff. Since the only other thing I'm watching on CBS is (or was) The Unit and Shark, I won't have any particular trouble just letting the network go entirely.

Studio 60 and The Nine are now the only new shows I'm excited about that remain on the air. It looks like Heroes is the big success story of the season, a shame since it's the one show that disappointed me after a promising start. Hopefully it'll start getting a lot better, fast, because it's most likely to be the show that sticks around. I'm also hoping that NBC and ABC will be smarter about letting their new shows build an audience, but after Kidnapped got a quick cancellation, I'm not holding my breath.

Then again, Kidnapped *really* had low ratings, and at least NBC did give the show's producers 10 more episodes to wrap up, which is forward-thinking in terms of promoting future serials. CBS just cut their best new shows out at the knees, and I'll remember that next year and the year after that at least when figuring out which new shows to try.

Weekly Comics to Come - October 11, 2006:

TOP FIVE:
DMZ #12 (After the strength of last issue, I'm doubly looking forward to the new issue of this one)
Dork #11 (Finally! At long last, a new issue of Dorkin's always interesting solo anthology book)
Escapists #4 (Runs neck and neck with Fables as the most anticipated read of the month for me)
Fables #54 (This latest visit to the Homelands has been every bit as engaging as the last, as we get some insight into the bad guys)
Twelve Reasons Why I Love Her GN (Fantastic romantic drama/comedy graphic novel. Review HERE)

THE REST:
Gen 13 #1 (On the plus side, it's Gail Simone... but I'm generally not crazy about the characters or the artist. Still, I'll give it a shot)
Pirates Of Coney Island #1 (This one looks like crazy fun, I'm looking forward to checking it out)
Side Scrollers GN (I've had a preview copy of this sitting around for a month or so, and I liked Loux's work on F-Stop, so I guess it's finally time to make time to read this)
Star Wars Legacy #4 (Needs to get a lot more focused and fast, because it's the first Ostrander book on the verge of losing me)
Steady Beat Vol 2 (Rivkah's long-awaited second volume in her Austin-based manga series)
Uncanny X-Men #479 (Continuing Brubaker and Tan's 12-issue story arc)
Worldstorm #1 (As I recall, this is mostly a preview book, but I'm curious to get more of a sense of Wildstorm's new relaunch)

One Down:
'Kidnapped' Headed for Early End

The bad news is, they're cancelling Kidnapped. The good news is, they're giving the producers the remaining 10 episodes to wrap it up, so hopefully it won't be another intended for long run serial that never gets an ending. Sure, the ending will probably be a little rushed, but 13 episodes isn't a bad amount of time to tell this story, and I'll stick with it through to the end.

Bummer, though. NBC being this quick on the draw with a good show sort of crushes any of my hopes that they might take a longer view, and probably spells the doom for my other favorite show this season, Studio 60.