Paul's Picks, Double Feature! (Part 1) - Feb. 15, 2012

Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.

Double Feature, Part 1:

Hey there guys! A week of comic book goodness has come and gone, and now it's time for the next installment of Paul's Picks! As you have probably noticed, there hasn't been a much coming out of Ancillary Characters this week, since my partner-in-crime Seth Breedlove has left his usual stomping ground and gone down to Orlando with family. But never fear! I'm here to supply your weekly AC fix with not just one, but TWO picks for this week! You heard it, TWO PICKS!!

Okay, so maybe it's not all that exciting, but we comic readers have something to be super excited about! There has been plenty of buzz surrounding the New 52 since last August, both good and bad. But this week, the fans were provided with two issues that are both noteworthy and praiseworthy. Over the next two days, I will put up reviews for my two picks, so that all of you avid readers out there will have enough of our particular brand of charm to get you by. And so tonight, I'm going to begin with my first pick (and I'm sure many of you saw this coming): Batman #6 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo.

Paul's Picks! - January 18th, 2012

Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.

Batman #5 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo


"YOU THINK YOU CAN FOOL ME? YOU THINK SO? You can't. Because I know all the tricks. (Heck), I invented them." - Batman.

Here at Ancillary Characters, we have always been a firm believer in what Grant Morrison has done with the Batman universe. As a matter of fact, at any given moment we may refer back to that incredible run on Batman and Robin leading up to the Return of Bruce Wayne. With that being said, if you've followed us at all regarding the New 52, you must know that Mr. Scott Snyder has swooped in and begun something in the world of Batman that demands recognition in the light of its Epicness. When I read that starting issue in the new Batman series, I immediately realized that Snyder had a unique view into the mind of Bruce Wayne. His narrative concerning what "Gotham is" began for us what would ultimately be one of the most testing challenges that Bruce would ever face.

Paul's Picks!

Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.

Batman #3 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo

Get 'im Bats. 

When I picked up this weeks pulls, I didn't have many books to choose from. With only a handful of books at my disposal, surely this week's favorite would be an easy pick, right? On any other week, perhaps; but not this week. With Brian Azzarello's Wonder Woman, the Johns/Lee Justice League, and Snyder's Batman, I knew from the get-go that this was going to be a tough one. I instantly found myself struggling with that age-old dilemma: which book do I read first? Do I lead out with the best and then read the rest, or do I put my favorite on the bottom so that I'll get through everything else and have it to finish strong? Decisions, decisions...

Arkham City: Being Batman

When October 18th rolled around, I faced an internal struggle: to buy, or not to buy. My birthday had just passed only a week and a half prior, so I had a little extra cash on hand, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to take the plunge. After all, with so many incredible titles to come this holiday season (Zelda: Skyward Sword, MW3, Super Mario 3D Land to name a few), one must be careful on which titles he chooses to splurge. I had all but decided to pass on Batman's latest adventure for now, when I saw the game sitting on the shelf in the local Walmart. At that precise moment, something just clicked in my mind, and I realized there was no way I could wait months or even weeks to have this game. Something about the way Batman looked on that cover, perched on the edge of attack gripped me. In the back of my mind I could hear the opening notes from the Batman: Animated Series musical theme; I had fallen victim to the call, my own proverbial bat symbol lit up the sky. I grabbed my copy, holding it aloft, and declared to all within earshot, "I am vengeance. I am the night. I. Am. BATMAN!"