Comic pick of the week: Wonder Woman #35

Welcome to the first of a series of posts that will get me back to writing about comics regularly. Longtime Rant readers will recall that I used to do weekly reviews a few years back, but the workload was too much to sustain indefinitely with everything else I had going on. I miss writing about comics on here, but my schedule hasn't lightened up at all since then. So, instead of reviewing a bunch of new comics each week, I decided I'd pick my favorite and do a short feature on it. As always, I reserve the right to take a break or bail altogether if things get too hectic, but hopefully the much lighter workload attached to this feature will allow me to do it indefinitely. the plan for now is to choose a top pick, a runner-up, and then name five other comics that stood out from the pack.

Anyway, this week's pick is Wonder Woman #35.
Brian Azzarello, along with artists Cliff Chiang, Goran Sudzuka, and Tony Akins, have consistently delivered one of the finest superhero comics available since DC's New 52 relaunch in September of 2011. This issue serves as the finale to that epic run, and it is a jaw-dropping affair from cover to cover.

The First Born has seized the throne of Olympus, ruthlessly crushing any and all resistance to his reign. Wonder Woman and her allies are caught in a desperate battle to stop him, even as other gods make their own plays for the throne in the midst of all the chaos. Some live, some die, alliances are shattered, bonds of friendship are re-forged. It's a breathless finale that will leave longtime readers howling for more from this team because it's just so damn good.

My only gripe with this issue, and this really applies to the past few issues, is that so much is crammed into its pages that it feels rather rushed. Several key moments don't get the space to breathe that they really deserve because there just isn't room. Another issue or two, or even a giant-sized finale, would have helped a great deal in this regard. All that said, this remains an astonishingly good comic, and I'm damn sorry to see this run end. My wariness of the incoming creative team only intensifies that feeling.

Runner-up: Swamp Thing Annual #3.
Any other week, this probably would have won. I actually went back and forth between the two of them. Swamp Thing has been one of DC's best series since the current volume began, and since Charles Soule took over as writer, it just seems to keep getting better every month. This issue gives us the final fate of the immortal assassin Capucine, a recently-introduced character who has become a close friend to our beloved avatar of the Green. We get several flashbacks that range from revealing to delightful, and a guest appearance by the demon Etrigan caps everything off. Plus, you get to see Swamp Thing manifest via popcorn kernels!

As Soule recently signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, his time on this book appears to be numbered. It's a damn shame, as it's been one of my favorite series for quite some time now, and whoever follows him will have a hell of a rough time maintaining the same standard of storytelling.

Other books I enjoyed this week: Groo vs. Conan #4, Inhuman #7, Southern Bastards #5, Atomic Robo and the Knights of the Golden Circle #5, Sinestro #6.

Happy Halloween!

Hard to believe it's been more than four years since I started this blog! (The inaugural post was on October 1, 2010.) While I always intended to cover whatever interested me, it was intended from the beginning to be horror-centric. The first couple of years saw me post something Halloween or horror-related every day of October, something I really miss doing. Unfortunately, while it was big fun, it was also big work, and I just haven't had the time to do it the last couple of years.

Anyway, my point in all this rambling is to remind you, on this day that is friendliest to classic horror, that there is a wealth of Halloween-friendly stuff on here to help you celebrate the day! You can check out every October Halloween-related post here, or you can cast the net wider and delve into every horror-themed post here.

However you celebrate this day, I wish you lots of fun, and I'm happy if I've helped in some small way. Happy Halloween!

Apex Predator is on sale now!

Why are you reading this? didn't you see the title? Go get it! Or get it here if you have a non-Kindle e-reader!
There is a bit more news, actually. If you've been waiting for the print version, it's just become available here!

Additionally, remember the "pre-order the book and get a copy of Nightmare Escapade for free" promo that ran for the past week? I'm extending it through the weekend! So if you messed around and didn't pre-order, you have until 12:01 a.m. Monday morning to take advantage of that offer! Same rules apply, just tweet or DM me a screenshot of your order confirmation for Apex Predator, and I'll email it to you!
After you read it, the biggest favor you can do me is taking a few minutes to leave an honest review. Reviews sell books, plain and simple.

Apex Predator launch week begins today!

Apex Predator: A Grant Mercer Novel will be released a week from today, and you can pre-order your copy right now! (And yeah, I'm still waiting for my proof copy of the print version to arrive. It should be here in a couple of days. Barring any problems-- I've already proofed it digitally and the printed proof is a formality, so there really shouldn't be any-- it should be available the middle of next week. I'll keep you all posted.)

As an extra incentive to pre-order, send me a tweet or direct message on Twitter (@WorldofWaylon) with a screenshot of your pre-order to get a free copy of Nightmare Escapade! Getting lots of pre-orders will help a book gain a lot of visibility on its launch day, so every one helps! With this offer, you'll be getting two books for a lousy $1.99, so click on over and take advantage of it! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Let's make the launch of Apex Predator bigger and better in every way!

Apex Predator is available for pre-order!

Apex Predator: A Grant Mercer Novel doesn't release until the 24th, but you can pre-order your copy right now! You can get the Kindle version right here. If you need it for your Ipad, Nook, Kobo, or what have you, it will soon be distributed to those stores via Smashwords; in the meantime, you can grab a copy directly from them here. 

As for the print copy, I'm still waiting for my proof copy to arrive! Once I've inspected that and confirmed that everything is all right, it will be available as well. Rest assured that I'll keep you posted! (Keep in mind that my books are part of Kindle matchbook, so if you plan to get the print version, the Kindle version will be included for free!)

I'll have some special stuff going on in the next couple of weeks to celebrate the book's launch, so check back tomorrow for more on that! 

Halloween month kickoff!

To kick off October, I thought I'd share a couple of photos of some of the new Halloween decorations I've picked up in the last couple of months. (Just to clarify, I won't have time to do a Halloween-related post every day of the month like I used to, but you can absolutely expect plenty of Halloween and horror-related content, as ever.)

First up, courtesy of Dollar Tree, we have the Grotesque Garden Gazebo!

They're not as detailed or as well-painted as the Halloween miniature's you'll see at other places, but the price was right!

When I visited the Spirit Store a couple of days after they opened back up, I found this fella priced at $4.97! No idea why he was the only one marked down while the others were all still full price, but I didn't care. I snatched him up in a blur.

Pretty awesome, eh? Probably my favorite of all the fucked-up horror babies they had up there. (And if the Spirit Halloween store wants to use that line as an endorsement, they're welcome to do so!)

The new series of Lego minifigures has also been showing up the last couple of weeks, ahead of the official release date. I stopped by Walgreen's last week and happened to find the one I wanted most, the one they call Spooky Girl, who is totally not Wednesday Addams. She went right into the centerpiece Haunted House display, of course!

We'll close things out with  few pics of things I saw in stores that I was too cheap-- er, that is, too budget-conscious to buy.
Remember when I mentioned how you can find better Halloween miniatures than my Dollar Tree discoveries? Michael's always has plenty, and this was the most impressive.

This food truck was pretty awesome, too.

Note the prices, however. That lighthouse is pretty badass, but it's not $100 badass.
Back at the Spirit store, we have this apparently bewildered ghost lady who is cursed with man hands.

Then there is this pleasant scene. I think I can see why your toilet's clogged, lady.

That's it for today. Lately, I'm knee-deep in Forza Horizon 2 when I'm not ogling Halloween stuff and working on my next book, so give me a holler if you happen to see me on the open road!