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And here we go – Archer at its strangest and funniest, using a very basic plot and spinning it off into weird directions while remaining true to the characters. This is why this is one of TV's best written comedies. Yes, I mean that.


The A and B plots are familiar, and pretty familiar. With a money problem, Malory decides to send Archer and Lana after a drug lord to collect the DEA bounty on his head, but with Ray paralyzed, she promotes Cyril (of all people) to field agent and sends him with them. Lana and Archer don't like it one bit. Meanwhile, Malory figures it's time to drug test the rest of the office – namely Pam, Cheryl, and Ray. She tells this to Pam who is smoking a joint at her desk, but convinces Malory she's just beat boxing. (She doesn't do a bad job of it either.)

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This weekend, friends, for the second year, the folks at Wizard World will be coming down to my hometown. Wizard World New Orleans 2012 is upon us, and I'm psyched. Panels to attend! Costumes to take a picture of! Overpriced bottles of Dasani to drink in order to remain at least partially hydrated! Let's face it, friends, a good comic book convention is fun for all. ...

DARK HORSE COMICS

ANGEL & FAITH #6 REBEKAH ISAACS VAR CVR $2.99
ANGEL & FAITH #6 STEVE MORRIS CVR $2.99
AVATAR LAST AIRBENDER TP VOL 01 PROMISE PART 1 $10.99
BPRD HELL ON EARTH RUSSIA #5 $3.50
CARDCAPTOR SAKURA DARK HORSE OMNIBUS ED TP VOL 03 $19.99
CREEPY ARCHIVES HC VOL 12 $49.99
CREEPY COMICS #7 $4.99
KING CONAN PHOENIX ON THE SWORD #1 (OF 4) ROBINSON CVR $3.50
MANARA LIBRARY HC VOL 02 $59.99
SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON ARCHIVES HC VOL 03 $49.99
THE IMMORTAL DEMON I/T BLOOD #2 $3.50
USAGI YOJIMBO #143 ...

Blake and Heather get together for a mini-episode this week, looking into the new DC Logo. Heather offers the perspective of a graphic designer, they discuss the variants, and they give overall impressions of the new look for DC Comics. Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@CXPulp.com!
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Archer returns, and as is its sty;e, it opens with a bang. Burt Reynolds has an extended role this episode, as himself, as Sterling runs into him at a bar. Which is a huge coincidence, as Burt Reynolds is a childhood hero of his. Only it turns out it's not so coincidental, as Burt was meeting Malory, Archer's mother, for a date. Ooh – more Oedipal tensions.

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As I mentioned in last week's brilliant, insightful and soon-to-be Nobel Prize-winning column, this weekend I took a road trip to Florida with some buddies of mine. As we are wont to do, while out there we looked up some local comic book stores, because I like to check out stores in distant locations and come back and talk about it on the internet. Typically speaking, I'm pretty forthcoming here – if I like a store, I praise it, if I have a problem with a store I'll tell you the name and what city I was in, and exactly what needs to be changed. This time, though, I just can't bring myself to do it. Because out of the two shops we visited, one of them was nice enough (TBS Comics II in Pensacola), although we didn't really explore it in depth because of the gaming going on at the time, the store was really crowded. But the other store... well...
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DARK HORSE COMICS

CONAN HC VOL 11 ROAD OF KINGS PT 1 $24.99
CONAN ROAD OF KINGS #12 $3.50
MASS EFFECT INVASION #4 (OF 4) CARNEVALE CVR $3.50


DC COMICS

ANIMAL MAN #2 2ND PTG $2.99
BATMAN #5 $2.99
BATMAN #5 COMBO PACK $3.99
BATMAN ODYSSEY VOL 2 #4 (OF 7) $3.99
BIRDS OF PREY #5 $2.99
BLUE BEETLE #5 $2.99
CAPTAIN ATOM #5 $2.99
CATWOMAN #5 $2.99
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #5 ...

Reviewer: Andrea Speed andy@cxpulp.com
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Major League Chew, Part 3


Colby tries to deal with his new job, while Tony tries to escape his current predicament.


Writer: John Layman

Artist: Rob Guillory

Cover Art: Rob Guillory

Publisher: Image



Things are going really bad for the reassigned Colby. His office mates hate him, with a capital H. And why? Who knows? Why not may be the answer to that. And his new partner is a lion. No, really, it is, with cybernetic enhancements. You'd think that would be cool, but you don't have to clean up his poop. And even though he breaks a big case, he gets no credit. Poor Colby. So you can see why he resorts to drastic measures.
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Reviewer: Adam Chapman adam.chapman@sympatico.ca
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The Terrorism Myth Part One

Daimon Hellstrom tries to figure out who is the cause of a series of possessions, while Loki gets in trouble after having a milkshake with Leah in Broxton.

Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Richard Elson
Color Artist: IFS's Jessica Kholinne
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy's Clayton Cowles
Cover Art: Stephanie Hans
Assistant Editor: John Denning
Editor: Lauren Sankovich
Executive Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Journey into Mystery is definitely one of the most offbeat series being published by Marvel Comics currently, with an eclectic sensibility, and a thoroughly captivating main character. Gillen's writing is top-notch, as he has fun with his characters, giving the title a sensibility that seems rare to find in mainstream comics. He's definitely playing up the title of this book, as Loki has adventures and true journeys into the mysterious and unexplained that exists in the Marvel Universe. This title has made excellent use of Kid Loki as a character, making him so charming and enjoyable to read that I actually fear the day when he will likely and inevitably age once more and become the more familiar Loki that readers are used to, just as Loki's time as a female was short-lived (although at least Kid Loki has now been around longer).
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The Showcase guys had a long weekend in Florida ...

Reviewer: Adam Chapman adam.chapman@sympatico.ca
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The String

Detectives Clemons and Bolt head to upstate New York on the trail of Punisher's most recent activities...

Writer: Greg Rucka
Pencils: Michael Lark
Inks: Stefano Gaudiano
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy's Joe Caramagna
Cover: Michael Lark & Matt Hollingsworth
Special Thanks: Brian Thies
Assistant Editor: Ellie Pyle
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Publisher: Marvel Comics








Greg Rucka's take on The Punisher is a unique one, in that the titular character isn't necessarily the lead character. Often the character functions like a force of nature, not often seen, but his presence is most definitely felt. None of the issues thus far have featured Punisher's perspective on the story, none have gotten into his head to help explain his actions. It's part of what makes this such a unique and interesting take on the character. For some, this may not be their particular cup of tea, but personally I find this approach to be gripping, because of how Punisher writes the characters who are, more or less, the main protagonists of the story. Rucka is definitely in his element here, especially in this issue, which features Detectives Clemons and Bolt. Issues like this remind me of the brilliance of Rucka's issues of Gotham Central, which focused on the lives of the Gotham City Police Department.
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