Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 2, Issue 28

Kind of a weird week of comics--for me, anyway--as my List of Things to Buy is pretty short. We’re back on the Wednesday-shipping schedule, though, so rest assured--there’ll be new books at your LCS today. Whether or not you light up the cash register is on you, however.

For my part, I’ve been buying a lot of trades lately, and while I still buy books month-to-month, any title I pick up really has to pass the quality test.

Over the last few weeks especially, I’ve tried to whittle down my monthly titles into one of three categories: Buy, Wait for Trade, or Drop. I simply own too many single issues, and more often than not, I find myself never re-reading them.

If a series is exceptionally well done, I’ll buy the trade and either give the issues back to my LCS (yes, I said “give” and not “sell”) or I’ll bury them deep within a box in the closet.

Which really makes little-to-no sense, if you think on it for more than a minute or two.

Another factor that’s played into my newfound snobbishness is the fact that I’ve actually had some free time to sit down and read the books as they come out, instead of letting them pile up for months at a time.

One of the big problems with doing that, I found out, is that, if a book isn’t very good or I’m just not very into it, buying three or four issues before reading any of the story can turn into a bummer pretty quickly.

You’d think that would be one of those things that falls under the common sense heading, but what can I say? I fear change. And so I continued to buy books I had very little interest in; out of habit sometimes, out of loyalty other times, and out of sheer idiocy most of the time.

But no more, I say!

As you’ll see with these exceptionally classy and intelligent previews, it’s only the finest four color funnies for this blogger. Let’s get on with it, then. First up, from IDW and an all star creative team of Steve Niles, Ashley Wood, and Fiona Staples, we have Mystery Society, issue two.
Issue one was full of intrigue and creepy--two things I demand from my comic books--and issue two promises more of the same. Honestly, Steve Niles can be hit or miss with me. When he hits, though (as is the case with his seminal, 30 Days of Night), his work ranks up there with my favorite in all of comics.

And by all accounts, Mystery Society will be one of my new Niles favorites. Here’s the solicitation information from IDW (well, actually it’s from Midtowncomics.com, since IDW’s site can be tricky to navigate):

The Mystery Society are the husband and wife quasi-celebrity team, Nick Hammond and Anastasia Collins, who spend their time, and substantial cash flow, exacting justice and starting trouble in the darkest recesses of the world's least favorite places to be—where everything seems to go bump in the night!

This issue, the Mystery Society grows to five with the addition of Secret Skull, but the celebrity spotlight fades quickly for the team when the rescue of Atomic-Age sisters from Area 51 takes a deadly turn.

Staples’ art is so perfectly suited for this subject matter, it’s frightening. Her art is dynamic and beautiful, with just the right touch of haunting to make for a memorable, unique entry in our increasingly crowded hobby.

And Niles’ scripting moves along at a brisk pace--he’s always been a “show,” don’t tell kind of writer, opting for exposition through dialogue instead of lengthy captions.

IDW has a real winner on their hands as they move closer and closer to the top of the publisher pile.

Next up, we have another excellent series from IDW. Really. It’s award winning and everything.

From writer Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows, issue six, ships today and wraps up the latest storyline in one of comics’ very best ongoing series.
More importantly, however, is the fact that this book (which has two previous story arcs that are both collected in hard cover and paperback) is one of the absolute best horror comics ever produced.

A big, sweeping statement, I know. But it's true.

I've said it many times before, but doing scary in comics is flat-out hard. Hill and Rodriguez, however, make it appear effortless.

Now, clearly, since this is the sixth and final issue in this installment, this issue's going to be for people following the book month-to-month. But, since we all need to order comics and collections well in advance of their actual shipping dates, I figured I’d mention that this book will be on its way to a hard cover collection in the near future, so keep an eye out in Previews and online for that.

Here's the blurb for this week's issue, in case you are reading issue-to-issue:

Crown of Shadows reaches a shattering climax in the standalone tale, ""Beyond Repair."" In a terrible night of grief and rage, Nina Locke discovers a new key, one which opens a cabinet capable of mending smashed objects; but some things, she will learn, are beyond repair...

And with that, I must get off the stage. But before I go, a question. What are you Waiting for?