Yay! The bins arrived today, and the comic shop will officially be open on Friday from 11 to 7!! Come down and visit! Comics and anime and toys, oh my! And more to come...

So as my first "official" pitch as a comic store employee, let me direct you to two titles that totally sucked me in (and are available in trade paperback graphic novels, so you don't need to worry about picking up individual issues...)

First is Fables. I think the subtitle of the first one is Legends in Exile. Basically these fairy tale characters have left their own realms (due to an unnamed menacer who has taken over those lands) and are now living in New York in a secret community called Fabletown. Snow White is running the place as an assistant to the mayor, B.B. Wolf is the sheriff, and you get to meet Jack (of the Beanstalk story) and Bluebeard and more... Here's the scoop: Red Rose, Snow's sister who had become quite the wild child in this world, has been murdered, and Bigby Wolf has to solve the mystery without getting the mundanes involved. No one is free from suspicion, from Snow White (she divorced Charming when she found out Red was sleeping with him, after all), to Bluebeard (we know what he used to do to his wives) to the Wolf himself (we know about him too, don't we girls?). The tale is shaped like a mystery, but really is more a chance to get to know everyone and their stories, and to become familiar with the world--and the whodunnit storyline makes for some fun storytelling.

Currently there are two short trade paperbacks, and the comic series is still running, so more to come. (Each story arc completes before the end of the trade paperback, so you don't get left hanging.) Really good stories, well written, good grasp of fable and fairytale magic, well thought characters, and nice art. I really liked it--and the second tpb and the comics which come after have yet to disappoint me.

The second title I would recommend is newly in trade paperback, The Furies. It's written by Mike Carey and illustrated by John Bolton. This is a "Sandman presents" title, which initially turned me off of it--why do I want to see what other people would do with Gaiman's world? But one day sort of by accident I picked up a copy of Mike Carey's Lucifer and thought he was doing some really cool stuff, so I thought I'd give this one a try.

This was easily one of the more satisfying short stories I've read in a while. Now I don't want to overly hype it for you, it might destroy it, but it was good. It's about Hippolyta Hall (remember, Daniel's mother?) and what happens to her after, well, everything that happened to her in The Sandman series. Hippolyta Hall, part-Fury, trying to find herself. This isn't Gaiman, but Carey really had a great touch with this one. And Bolton does these achingly realistic paintings for each panel which really accentuate the action. I picked it up this evening, so I'm gushing a little because I haven't absorbed it all yet, but the tale took these really powerful mythic elements (including those crafted by Gaiman) and combined them into, again I have to say, a really satisfying tale for me.

So those are my picks of the week this week, as far as comics go. (I'll be adding them to my recommended reading list in the next day or so, as soon as I have a chance.) Come down, come down, I want to see you on Friday!! Yay, the comic shop is open!