Sometimes there is something that niggles away at the back of your mind, perpetually unfinished and waiting to be done. It eats away at you every time you look at it, and you say - "tomorrow I'll get to it" or "later, ye shall be completed."
For me, its my pile of comics. Self admittedly, I get too many, but I blame that on one thing and one thing only - there are too many comics being published that I (at least think) want to read. Its a good problem to have, and if it fits into the budget, why not?
Why not? Because you end up with a stack like this:
These are gonna suck to put away.
 For the one and only. Ok, maybe thats a slight exaggeration (those are probably all the comics I've read in like the last year / year and a half), but you end up with a stack of books with entire sets of limited series such as Alpha Flight, and (yes this is for my favorite Mr. Rosa), the 11 issue Namor series that was cut off at the knees. I also had oldies but goodies like the 10 issues of Herc that I got before cancellation, and the DnA-penned New Mutants Fear Itself tie-in (I think the farthest back the unread pile went was the Steve Rogers: Super Soldier miniseries that happened right after Siege). As of now, all I have left is 4 issues of the relaunched S.H.I.E.L.D series by Jonathan Hickman and Dustin Weaver. It feels really good, because some of those books have been on my floor in a stack for like 2 years. (Plus, now I get to read all the Image books I've held off on!)
Its funny because looking at the state that Marvel is in today, its easy to see that most of the books I mentioned like Namor and Herc wouldn't even get a shot today, as all the "important books" that make up the seeming majority of Marvel's output is Avengers and X-Men related. That's fine, because even though I love trying an off the wall series like Herc or Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel doesn't seem to want to put those series out in today's market, and so I'm content to buy less comics now, or buy more from a publisher like Image or BOOM!, who's output lately has been all kinds of swell.
So that's that, I sincerely hope I never accumulate that many comics on my floor again. Ever.
Because females can smell that.
Reading Eradication.
 This guy can hit. With glasses, or without.
Ahh, first Scalped, and now this. Sweet Tooth is ending at issue #40. So officially my first and second favorite comics being published right now will be over in 6 months. I copied Jeff Lemire's blog he posted about it. He says it was entirely his choice to end it at #40, and while thats fine, I always pegged this book for at least 60 issues, and potentially more, because even though Gus and the gang's mission has always been to get to Alaska, I imagined the story spilling off from there, and going much longer, the inevitable revelation that awaits in Alaska providing the necessary fodder to explore as a jumping off point that could take Gus and Jeppard across possibly more of America, Canada, or even other countries or continents. Well, a guy can dream. I hope the final arc offers the fitting closure this series deserves. I've got a feeling it will.From the Vertigo Blog:----------When I started working on Sweet Tooth three years ago I thought I’d be lucky if the series made it ten issues. I never dreamed I’d be able to tell the kind of sprawling, 40-issue epic that it ended up becoming. In many ways Sweet Tooth’s likelihood of survival in the competitive comics market was about as great as Gus’ likelihood of survival in the post-apocalyptic world he inhabits. After all, who would have bet on a weird little book about a boy with antlers ever surviving in a market flooded with blockbuster cape and tight titles? But somehow it did. Because of my incredibly loyal fans and the a lot of hard work from collaborators like Matt Kindt, Nate Powell, Emi Lenox and, of course, my closest and most valued teammate, the great Jose Villarrubia, Sweet Tooth survived. So why end it now? I want to make one thing really clear…Sweet Tooth is not being cancelled. The decision to end it at #40 is entirely my choice. Truth is, I always knew what the ending of Sweet Tooth would be. It was one of the first ideas I came up with when writing the pitch for the book. The beginning and the end of this story were always pretty much written in stone, it was the middle bit that was fluid, and grew and changed as I went along. So, for me it’s incredibly gratifying to finally get to the end of the journey with Gus and Jepperd. Everything I’ve done with the series so far, everything I’ve built month after month, has all been about this, the final story. I suppose I could have stretched it out a bit longer. I could have had a few more obstacles pop up along the way to Alaska to lengthen the journey (and the series), but it just felt like it was time. Gus wanted to get to Alaska now…and who am I to argue? I’ll miss my little antlered friend. But I owe it to him to finish his story properly. To “leave it all on the ice” as they like to say up here in Canada. And that means not prolonging the series just because I can. But don’t give up on me. I really feel the best is still to come. The final arc, THE WILD KINGDOM, will be full of everything you’ve loved about Sweet Tooth as well asmany new surprises, new characters and new revelations. And it all builds to one final double sized, fully painted final issue with #40 this December. And then what? Well, stay posted, because the future holds new adventures, new stories and new ideas from Jose Villarrubia and I! Jeff Lemire May 4, 2012--------------Well, at least the fans of Lemire's creator-owned work still have the Underwater Welder to look forward to.
The Avengers - On one level, a fun popcorn blowout of a flick. On another level, it's something that I never thought I would see in live-action on a screen, and the fact that its done pretty well means one more box is checked in the "Nerd Dreams Fulfilled" list.
Thats all.
Oops, wrong movie.
 I didn't have anything specific to talk about this week, but was looking over my order today for books I'm pre-ordering this month, and noticed a book that I'm getting that sounds cool, and could very well be overlooked in a few months when its released.
I always scan most of the publishers besides the big 5 of DC/Marvel/Image/Dark Horse/IDW, and especially focus on BOOM! Studios when going down the order form, because often times they'll be launching a book or two in any given month that is worth checking out. Lately I've gotten the first issues of books like "Valen The Outcast" and ordered books such as Sam Humphries' "Higher Earth" and "Fanboys vs. Zombies", and now, a book called "Extermination."
Its written by Simon Spurrier, and with good-looking art from a newcomer named Jeffrey Edwards. I'll say that the premise is one that hasn't exactly been used before outside of the big two (at least that I can think of, correct me if I'm wrong), and I think with the proper characterization and hopefully human drama I can get behind, this book could be pretty cool.
I'm checking it out, and here's the preview below. Oh yea, and its only a buck for the first issue, so you don't have much to lose by not getting it.
 BOOM! STUDIOS LAUNCHES EXTERMINATION
ALL-NEW ORIGINAL ONGOING SERIES WRITTEN BY SIMON SPURRIER
FULL FIRST ISSUE ONLY $1
April 21, 2012 - Los Angeles, CA - This June, BOOM! Studios launches EXTERMINATION, an all-new ongoing super-hero thriller written by Simon Spurrier (X-CLUB, FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT, CROSSED, WOLVERINE: DANGEROUS GAMES) and drawn by rising star Jeffrey Edwards, with a full 22-page first issue for only $1!
WE LOST. THEY WON. In the wake of an apocalyptic alien invasion, the world's greatest super-heroes and deadliest super-villains must form an alliance to prevent their own extermination. Two arch-enemies, Nox, a driven hero, and Red Reaper, a ruthless villain, form a volatile partnership for the greater good. The enemy of your enemy is your friend -- but will they be able to ultimately put aside their bitter past to prevent global genocide? What happens when all the battle lines are redrawn and foes become unlikely allies in a desperate war for the fate of the very planet -- and the outcome of a species?
Title ships in June with main covers by John Cassaday, Trevor Hairsine, Michael Gaydos, James Harren, and Frazer Irving, as well as James Harren and Trevor Hairsine sketch covers. There will also be a special 1:100, CGC certified 9.8 Near Mint sketch variant by legendary artist John Cassaday.
"Si Spurrier is a massive talent," says BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. "With EXTERMINATION, he's boldly exploring the dark crevices of the entire superhero genre. Not to be missed!"
"I love the premise of this post-apocalyptic series," says BOOM! Studios Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ross Richie. "At $1 for the first full issue and with this exciting cover line-up and a killer creative team, this book is ready to catch on fire."
EXTERMINATION is written by Simon Spurrier (X-CLUB, FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT, CROSSED, WOLVERINE: DANGEROUS GAMES) and drawn by rising star Jeffrey Edwards.
Title ships in June with main covers by John Cassaday, Trevor Hairsine, Michael Gaydos, James Harren and Frazer Irving. As well as James Harren and Trevor Hairsine sketch covers, and a special 1:100, CGC certified 9.8 Near Mint variant by legendary artist John Cassaday. This title ships for $1 with a Diamond Order Code of APR120887.
 Wow, last night was disappointing. Not only was I stuck at work for far too long, but in the middle of uploading some files to a server, I pulled out my Kindle Fire to catch up on some reading, and discovered something that is potentially sinister and evil to the highest degree. Seriously, the shadowy organizations Skull and Bones, Club of Rome, George Soros, and George W. Bush combined could not come up with something as devious and base as what awaited me on opening my e-reader of choice. Apparently, at the time of writing this sentence, I am unable to download any and all DC comics through Comixology to my Kindle Fire. Now, one must understand (though with some mild trepidation), that recently I have quietly tiptoed into the digital world of comics. In fact, if one will recall, it was roughly 6 or 7 months ago that I actually began spending money on digital comic books, and did so when DC was launching the New 52 with a big push for day and date digital through partnership with Comixology. I was already familiar with Comixology because of their initiative to sign customers up for electronic pull lists that were tied to a local shop. Since then, they have of course expanded to become the largest purveyor of digital comics in America (just ask Graphic.ly, their closest competition, who only recently bowed out of the fight to focus on publishing digital independent books). I sensed Comixology's dominance fairly early on, and took a chance on buying books from them, because I figured this company seemed to have a good chance of being around in the future.
 Since then I've actually been buying a decent amount of digital comics, mostly because all of the sales Comixology has been having. For instance, last week they had an arc or two of Jeff Parker's HULK on sale, and since I had heard good things about the book once Loab and McGinnis left, I bought about 7 or 8 issues. This week, there's an even bigger sale - practically all of Garth Ennis' Dynamite work is half off (The Boys, Battlefields, Jennifer Blood, ect). I had always been looking for a chance to read The Boys, and so I bought the first few issues to sample the series, and fell in love so fast that I ended up buying the entire series they had on sale. But excuse my digression, I was thinking that somehow Amazon was blocking the sale of all DC comics on the Comixology app, because I couldn't download any DC comic I tried. I was able to download several recent issues of The Walking Dead I had just bought, so that got me to thinking that a nefarious plan by Amazon was being rolled out to force people to only buy DC comics on the Fire from the Amazon store (if anyone remembers, it was big news last year that Amazon and DC made a deal to sell digital DC graphic novels exclusively on Amazon's site).
 However, at this point I am happy to say the issue has been resolved. Since I started writing this article, I emailed Comixology's customer support, and they ran a log of my system, and pointed out that I didn't have the latest version of the Comixology app. I reinstalled the new version, bam! problem solved, I can sync all my website purchases through Comixology to the Fire now, including DC comics (side note: Comixology's customer support via email was prompt, courteous and effective - good combination). However, it is still interesting to note that on the Comixology Kindle Fire app, the DC section is still removed, and it seems to have been done so because of the reasons mentioned above. At least there is a workaround for this though. It won't satisfy some people, but for me, the fire has been (at least temporarily) abated.
Sometimes no words are needed.
What a lovely day to be a comics fan.
Because this day, I opened one of my absolutely favorite books that Marvel is publishing, turn to the back of said book, and gaze in rapture at the charming comments within. And whatt'ya know? There's a familiar name...
...and for the visually impared
For those keeping score, this is my second attempt at writing in to a comics letter page ( the first being Scalped #48) and for gosh sakes, I'm 2 for 2! However, for those worried that this column will devolve into me gloating every time my name appears in a comic, fear not, I wasn't kidding when I said I wasn't the letter writing type, but I also wasn't kidding when I said you need to be reading this book. It really is one of the best things Marvel or anybody else is doing right now. Kid Loki = Comic Gold. READ. IT.
EDITORS NOTE: Sorry this took me an extra week, it was my original intent to just talk about Ultimate Comic's DEATH OF SPIDER-MAN, but in my usual way, I started rambling about other things. In this case, my memories surrounding the title over the entire 160 issue run. Brace yourself for some recollections!
 Last week, in the pages of one of my perennially favorite books, I witnessed the titular character meet his ULTIMATE END (excuse the pun, I had to).
Ultimate Spider-Man holds a special place in my heart. As most passions are wont to do, my love of comics and some of the super-powered characters that inhabit them was kindled at a young age. The earliest memories I have with comics was discovering my uncle's stash, hidden away in my Grandpa's attic. That treasure trove included such gems as Daredevil, Moon Knight, and Fantastic Four, all the way to Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing (I also remember reading my Dad's old issues of Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, as I sat on my bed and imagined parachuting down into occupied territory, machine gun blazing in hand, chomping on a cigar and shouting "wah-hoo" as I rained merciless fury down on Hitler's forces).
Needless to say, I was a Marvel fanboy from an early age.
 When it came to Spider-Man though, I didn't have a ton of early memories. I can remember a few scattered issues from the 90's, as well as the occasional team up with Daredevil, but I was never really privy to the old Lee/Ditko issues or any other of the seminal runs of character when I was young. I do remember the 90's TV show, which I absolutely loved (the themes songs for that show and the X-Men cartoon from the same era will be forever imprinted in my brain, but I digress). To that point though, it was always more of an issue with the fact that I couldn't get any Spider-Man comics (or comics in general, due to the fact that my tiny town didn't even have a spinner rack), than it was that I didn't enjoy the character. I do remember reading an old issue of Wizard that covered the trials and tribulations of a Spider-Man movie getting made (remember when James Cameron was going to direct it?). The feature also had a multiple page text piece covering Spidey's history and continuity (think World History: Spidey Edition). So in a way, I knew everything about Spider-Man, but without getting to read the classic stories first-hand that spawned the character.
 Eventually however, I graduated high school, left that town, and discovered the joys of living in a city with several comic shops. That was in the early 2000's, and since I was a poor college student at the time, I could only spring for a couple of books every week (even though the Marvel Zombie in me would of liked to have been able to read every single book that Marvel released every Wednesday). However, I was happy to discover Marvel's Ultimate line in that time, which was perfect for a almost-broke student, as I only had to buy 3-4 books to stay current on the entire universe. I loved those books back then, and felt like they completely succeeded in telling fresh, accessible stories, with familiar characters, but with the caveat that you really didn't know what was going to happen, because ANYTHING could happen. Eventually, I backtracked and bought all the trades of the back issues I missed, including Ult. FF, X-Men, and the Ultimates. Since Ult. Spidey was the longest running of those titles, there were quite a few trades to get, but I was lucky enough to find a great EBAY deal for everything up to around issue 80, so I just went from there.
 Considering it was such an enclosed universe, with practically no crossovers or big events to deal with, Ultimate Spider-Man became a book that I could go to enjoy every month for fantastic, character-defining stories, with great consistent art from Mark Bagley. In fact, my love of that book actually increased as it went on. As great as those first 100 issues were, I thought it got better and better after the events of "The Clone Saga" which took place around issue 100. I loved that Bendis dusted off the "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" concept, and had characters like Johnny Storm and Bobby Drake moving in to Aunt May's house, as well as having other great supporting cast members like Liz Allen and Gwen Stacy. It brought a ton of vitality to the book, and I enjoyed practically every second of it. The momentum of the book wasn't even derailed by terrible ULTIMATUM event (in fact, I thought the Ult. Spidey book took far and away the best advantage of the plot points that the main ULTIMATUM book shoved down our throats).
 I really enjoyed the relaunch post-Ultimatum as well. The art was a little bit different from what came before with Lafuente on pencils, but it kept to the spirit of the book pretty well in my opinion, and I absolutely loved the plot, as it was really just expanding on the previously mentioned "Amazing Friends" concepts. In fact, I thought Bendis got a second wind (or third, or fourth at this point of the title), and took his character work to a new level. I really just loved Peter Parker in those issues, and felt like if Peter didn't even put on the mask for an arc, i wouldn't mind, just give me more drama with teenage Human Torch and Iceman living with Spider-Man in his aunt's house. Yea, more of that would be good. A perfect example illustrating this was issue #155, masterfully illustrated my Chris Samnee, in which there is practically no action, but fantastic drama between Jonah, Kitty Pride, MJ, and oh by the way, Peter turns 16. Almost brought a tear to my eye (ok, maybe it did).
Then they had to go and kill him.
I'm not going to go into the how's and why's, but needless to say, Peter's greatest nemesis over the course of this title returns to plague the wall-crawler one last time, along with the rest of the Sinister Six (well, almost all of them, you'll have to read the story to find out the details). I guess I'm not really spoiling things, as its in the title, but Peter does really die. I wasn't sure they would actually do it for a while, as I thought maybe it would be a case of "Spider-Man" dying, which would just mean Peter hangs up the mask due to his life just getting too dangerous for a 16 year old to handle. But that would perhaps do for the regular Marvel version of the character, and this is the Ultimate universe, where supposedly anything can happen. Here it does, and now, the biggest icon of this line, introduced over 10 years ago, is finally put to rest.
 In terms of the story, these 6 issues feel like a satisfying endcap to this series. It ends how it started creatively, with Brian Bendis scripting and Mark Bagley returning from his DC stint to pencil the book that he was born to draw. As prolific as Bagley's career has been, I've always felt that this book perfectly harnessed his strengths of drawing clean, youthful looking energetic characters, which is a perfect match for a book about mostly a bunch of teenagers. And of course its fitting that Bagley help end Peter's story, as the man made his mark on the series by drawing over 110 consecutive issues. Peter Parker's final story by the duo is permeated by a fitting sense of closure, as most of the characters that been mainstays over the course of the book appear to factor into the outcome, and the climactic finale, set in Peter's neighborhood in Queen's, is explosively huge, and at the same time, dramatically intimate. That last line that Peter says to Aunt May about saving her in the end, even if he couldn't originally save Uncle Ben, brought some emotions up. For the longtime fan, it was a perfect way to see Peter meet his end.
I'm not going to dance around the issue of the necessity of the death however.
I did not want to to see Peter die.
I did not feel that Peter needed to die in the context of where he was a character, and where he was in this universe.
 I felt like there were more stories to tell about Peter in the Ultimate Universe (after all, the kid only just turned 16!). The cast of characters that Bendis had assembled was so strong as an ensemble, I absolutely did not want to see the end of a book that was essentially Spider Man and his Amazing Friends. The title was at the top of its game, which on one hand I suppose IS the best time to end a book, but wow, I did not want to see it go. And yes, I know technically that Ultimate Spider-Man is continuing, but no matter how good that book is, it won't be Peter's book anymore. And I know some people will just say, "well if you want to read Peter Parker Spider-Man, read Amazing." However, I disagree with one point - Peter in the Ultimate Universe is NOT the same Peter in the regular Marvel Universe. Its a different character, bottom line. They may have similarities and some of the same cast, but its in name only, the characters in the Ultimate Universe are undeniably different in character and tone, and thats due to the work that the creators that built this universe have done to make a book like Ultimate Spider-Man its own thing. And as far as Miles Morales goes, I'm willing to give the character and the new book a chance, I'm sure Bendis will be able to work his magic with Miles, and that the journey will be fun.
 I did read the first 5 issues of the Miles-centric book, and its a fairly strong origin story with some good character work and lovely art, but simply put, its going to be hard to leave Peter behind. Peter Parker as Ultimate Spider-Man roughly coincides with me being able to read comics every month for the first time in my life, so basically that character was my Spider-Man when it came to the pages of comics. I wish Mr. Morales all the best, but he's got some big shoes to fill.
Oh, and for those interested, I also read Mark Millar's Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates miniseries (wow, thats a mouthful) and sadly, although this was probably the best of the four Ultimate Avengers mini's written by Millar, its nowhere near the heights that he took the Ultimates when he was on that title with Brian Hitch. I mention it because its kinda tied in with the Death Of Spidey, as both stories take place at the same time and one event happens that ties the books together. However, you can just read Spidey and be fine, which is probably the best bet - UA vs. NU is a far cry from Millar's best work in this universe, which is sad, because years ago, his work on both the Ultimates and Ultimate Fantastic Four was some of the stuff I was enjoying the most while in college.
Oh well, all good things must come to an end right? In Ultimate Spidey's case, lets hope Bendis is able to extend that end with Miles Morales for as long as possible…
Until then, rest in peace Mr. Parker, its been great ride that I'll be revisiting plenty in the years to come.
Here's hoping you can make it through your final season though...
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