Wednesday is new comic book day, so that means I have a stack of funny books to read on the bus. Comics are, with most weighing in at 22 bite-size pages, I think, the perfect reading material for a commute.

A few things stood out so far today.

First, I have to echo a twitter post from back in February wherein I asked, “How does Warren Ellis get away with writing something called Captain Swing & the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island and manage to make it good?” No one came up with a satisfactory answer then and I am sure no one will come up with one now that the second issue has come out, especially since the second issue manages to be better than the first. Ellis said the book is not steampunk, but rather, “an electrical romance of a pirate utopia thwarted,” and as ridiculous as that may sound, it really does feel like something at least akin to that. When he isn’t being a bombastic charicature of himself (and even then, sometimes), it never ceases to amaze me how deep a vein of clever ideas the man has consistently mined over the years.

Next up is the Flash Facts back-up feature in, you guessed it, The Flash. I now know why boomerangs return when you throw them and I am happier for it.

Finally, there is the latest issue of Unknown Soldier, a fantastic book that unfortunately will be cancelled after issue 25. It has been one of the best mature audience books out there, an unrelentingly brutal tale set amidst the real world troubles of Uganda. If you doubt me, just pick up this stand alone issue that chronicles the autobiography of a Kalashnivok. It is absolutely chilling and heartbreaking.

It is likely too late to save the book, but buy the trades anyway. And then read writer Joshua Dysart’s blog posts about the real world politics of the region. Nothing wrong with getting some fascinating politics and horrifying third world history with your comics.

What wowed you guys at the comic shop today?