The Quarter Bin

For comics shipping 11.25.09 or The Week We Gave Thanks For a Crap Load of Comics. Every week I’ll check Diamond’s shipping list to see what you absolutely, positively need to spend all your hard earned cash on at the Local Comic Shop.

DARK HORSE COMICS

Beasts of Burden #3 – $2.99

Cats and dogs, living together, mass hysteria. Well, only kind of. In all honesty, this book is awesome. Jill Thompson has been absolutely terrific artistically thus far, and Evan Dorkin’s stories are highly entertaining. This is a wonderful book that everyone should be reading.

DC COMICS

Blackest Night #5 – $3.99

Well, Nekron has risen, and that can’t be good. I’m absolutely fascinated with the whole “Blackest Night” event, even though some of the casualties have taken some of my favorite Lanterns away, and subsequently brought them right back. We’re approaching critical mass here, so make sure you grab this.

Detective Comics #859 – $2.99

The next person who tells me this story is run of the mill, and the only reason its enjoyable in the least is because of JH Williams III is probably going to walk away without me doing anything about it. I’m a coward. Williams’ art is only one of the reasons why this story is so cool. Rucka’s an awesome writer. Katherine Kane’s a cool as shit character. There are back-up features starring the Question, who is one of the most interesting characters in recent memory, and those stories are drawn by Cully Hamner, who draws a mean line. Seriously, read this book.

Green Lantern #48 – $2.99

Sinestro meets the Blue Lanterns, and Larfleeze seeks out help. More “Blackest Night” action from Geoff Johns and Dough Mahnke.

Northlanders #22 – $2.99

Leandro Fernandez is one of my favorite artists, and even though we’re only one chapter into “Plague Widow,” I can tell that he’s not going to disappoint. It helps having a really sweet story from Brian Wood about a widow living in a town that’s going into lockdown to avoid the plague, but the Fernandez is a strong enough storyteller on his own that this book would be worth reading without Wood’s script.

IMAGE COMICS

King City #3 – $2.99

Psychic cats, beautiful women, incredibly stylized yet awesome art, and an intriguing plot that has only just begun to unfold. Brandon Graham’s just getting warmed up on this series, so get on board before you miss out on any more of this cool-ass book.

MARVEL COMICS

Criminal: The Sinners #2 – $3.50

Honestly, do I need to say more than “Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Buy it.” I didn’t think so.

Invincible Iron Man #20 – $2.99

I’m not sure how Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca are going to bring back Tony Stark from the hell they just put him through over the course of the last year, but it’s going to be one hell of a thing to witness. I mean, there’s like no literal way to bring Tony back from that, is there?

Thor: Giant Size Finale – $4.99

Finally, the world is witness to the conclusion of JMS’ run on Thor. It took a hell of a long time, but now that it’s here, I’m admittedly a bit sad. Even though it never shipped on time after the first few issues, this book has been one of the most interesting reads whenever it did manage to come out, and I’m going to miss Straczynski’s take on Goldilocks. Seriously, the character hasn’t been this good in ages, and it’s a shame to see such a good run come to a close.

Ultimate Comics: Avengers #4 – $3.99

Say what you will about Mark Millar, the man knows how to write some kick-ass action. Carlos Pacheco draws a mean comic, and teamed with Millar, this book should be a fun read for the foreseeable future. Besides, you want to see what happens when Cap goes head-to-head with the Red Skull, don’t you?

ONI PRESS

Stumptown #2 – $3.99

Hot damn is this book good. I’m glad to see Rucka back writing real-world characters, as well as tackling some good ol’ detective fiction. The man knows his way around a good mystery. Southworth’s art is definitely the perfect fit for the book, and I’m looking forward to not only seeing where this story goes from here, but just what these two creators are able to accomplish once they start getting into the meat of the story.

Trade Paperback/Hardcover of the Week

Incognito – $18.99

All right, so for this one, I’ll give you more reasons than the creators involved. Incognito takes place in a world where superheroes and villains not only exist, but where bad guys can also enter witness protection when they turn state’s evidence. Of course, you can only stay out of the game so long, and bad things are bound to happen when the men you put away figure out who and where you are. A great new take on capes and cowels brought to you by the men responsible for Sleeper and Criminal. This is one of the best books you’ll read all year.

Enjoy your turkey, and I’ll see you next time.