So work got kind of busy a few weeks ago and I had to miss a few weeks of weekly trips to the comic shop.  So I finally make it in and there are 4 weeks worth of books to pick up.  Nice big reading stack.  And you know, when you get a nice big reading stack some books have to be read early and some books have to be read late.  No choice.  And it's interesting what comes to the top of the pile and what goes to the bottom.

And today, because I spent a ton of time going through the bottom of the pile I'm going to complain about the garbage.  Mostly because the garbage is fresh in my mind.  And, as has been complained by me a lot, Civil War tie-ins are garbage.  Why do they feel the need for meaningless company wide crossovers.  Civil War could be good, but why drag all the other books in to this.  For no good reason.  They are killing the loyal fans here.  I read most of the titles that cross over in to Civil War, I'm not the target audience.  I know this.  I'm the taken for granted. loyal a__hole that they get to manipulate.  And I'll come back for more because I am a sucker, I know this.  But why screw with the loyal reader. 

If the story was good that would be one thing.  But this is crap.  Civil War 5 was near the top of the pile, I read it early.  I was underwhelmed.  Delay, delay, delay and then this is what we get.  I've read comics for over 25 years.  This is not good comics.  This is what drives people away from the industry.  People hear buzz, I hear people come in to the comic shop to see what the buzz is about.  But then they leave - because this isn't good.  Not good for the long term fan base.  Not good for bringing kids in to the fold.  I won't let a kid read Civil War - too dark, too gritty, too non kid friendly.  Marvel - no long term strategy.  No surprise.

DC - not off the hook.  Please, one Green Lantern title.  Guy Gardner Collateral Damage - why?  And has the writer of this series been reading Green Lantern Corps?  Because it's not the same Guy Gardner in each book and Green Lantern Corps came first so that characterization counts.  I don't really care either way but please keep consistant.  And Hawkgirl is just plain bad.  Really, really, really bad.  For no other reason thatn the book seems to have no identity and purpose.  And is there anything in the current Atom series that really required a new Atom?  Ray Palmer couldn't have done this story line?

There is good stuff out there.  For the first time in 4 or 5 issues I actually enjoyed Noble Causes again.  Mostly because it didn't deal with the current storyline, which has run too long and is dieing from Marvel decompression syndrome. 

I thought it was cool the way they did The Official Handbook of the Invincible Universe to the same format as the second official handbook of the Marvel Universe.  That was the best format for the handbooks and I'm glad they are using it. 

But get rid of the Civil War stuff in my regular reading and I would have so much more to enjoy in my reading.  I want my regular books un-hijacked by this series.  There in lies my gripe for the week.  There were a ton of books out in the 4 weeks I did not make it to my comic shop - Civil War hijackacked about 20% of them.  And that doesn't please me.  Please, don't take me for granted Marvel.  Or I'll just continue to fill in my Silver and Bronze age stuff and drop my Marvel pull list.  Which I think has 40 titles on it.  I know, I'm barely a blip on anyone's radar but you can't keep pissing off people like me.  We are what keeps you in business - not the next event book.