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What Comics are you Currently Reading Thread

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Oct 1, 2013#1

Covar

Because books and comics tend to have different audiences, I figured we could make a more specific thread to talk about and discuss comics we've read recently.

This week I picked up the second volume of Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo. Much like the first volume it's chock full of his and Bob Haney's Brave and the Bold (with some Detective Comics thrown in with volume 2). Not only are these books gorgeous, they're chock full of Bob Haney crazy. For those who don't know Bob Haney was a writer at DC during the silver and bronze ages, and he took the anything goes attitude of the periods and laughed at them for being to mudane and ordinary. These trades contain the comic versions of several Batman: Brave and the Bold episodes.

Oct 1, 2013#2

ThatNickGuy

Mm, Jim Aparo. Arguably one of the definitive Batman artists.

I haven't been able to pick up much lately. Not since school started and money got tighter. I did, however, pick up Invincible Vol. 18: The Death of Everyone. And really, this is still one of the best superhero comics on the market.

Oct 1, 2013#3

CynicismKills

There's not much I'm really following right now. Superior Spider-Man out of curiosity, but I don't buy that one. Scarlet Spider I do when I can afford it, as I think it's one of the best books out there right now. Outside of that, not much at all. Some of the Villain Month stuff I've read from DC is pretty solid, though.

Oct 3, 2013#4

Yoshimickster

Been reading The Goon like a boss, that series is CRAZY!

I finished Flex Mentallo a while ago, felt it could've been longer but it was a good read.

I got the original Edlund Trade of The Tick like a year ago, are the later non-Edlund series any good?

Been meaning to reread that DC 1,000,000 series, haven't read it since I was in Elementary school. I wonder if it'll confuse me as much now as it did back then.

Also got the trade of All Star Superman, which I am stoked to read.

Oct 3, 2013#5

ThatNickGuy

Yoshimickster said:
Been meaning to reread that DC 1,000,000 series, haven't read it since I was in Elementary school. I wonder if it'll confuse me as much now as it did back then.

There's a brand spanking new massive hardcover omnibus coming out in November that collects (from what I understand) EVERYTHING of the 1 Million crossover. I tried posting the Amazon link but it just kept coming up blank. Anyway, search it. It's there.

Oct 3, 2013#6

Yoshimickster

Sweet!

Shiney gold Superman here I come! Not sure that needs spoilering, as it was in that Screwattack video BUT STILL!

Oct 3, 2013#7

Bowielee

With school and all, I haven't really had time to read anything that's not class related. Last thing I read was Preacher, which I've already gushed about in the What are you reading thread.

I will, however give another pimp to Animal Man and Swamp Thing up through the Rotworld series. They are the only thing's so far that I've found readable in the New 52. The reason they're so readable is that they could have occurred with or without the reboot. In fact, the entire White Lantern thing is the main event that sets up the rebirth of Alec Holland. It's kind of like the authors said, "Reboot? What reboot?"

Oct 3, 2013#8

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
With school and all, I haven't really had time to read anything that's not class related. Last thing I read was Preacher, which I've already gushed about in the What are you reading thread.

I will, however give another pimp to Animal Man and Swamp Thing up through the Rotworld series. They are the only thing's so far that I've found readable in the New 52. The reason they're so readable is that they could have occurred with or without the reboot. In fact, the entire White Lantern thing is the main event that sets up the rebirth of Alec Holland. It's kind of like the authors said, "Reboot? What reboot?"

Weren't you still high on the GL stuff, too? I know you're a big fan of the mythos in general (like me with Superman), so I was just curious.

Also, JH Williams' Batwoman series is damn good, too. There's one pre-reboot trade and then two (so far) New 52 trades.

Oct 3, 2013#9

PatrThom

Yoshimickster said:
Been reading The Goon like a boss, that series is CRAZY!

Well, you should be happy, then.

I haven't picked up a (new) comic book in probably a decade or more. I think I stopped reading them when they started getting so silly that I just couldn't suspend my disbelief any longer. Going by the storylines I remember, this was probably in or around 1988, which would also be around the time I went to live in NYC for 6 months and had no spare cash, followed by going to live in Spain for 6 months. These events may be related.

--Patrick

Oct 3, 2013#10

Bowielee

ThatNickGuy said:
Weren't you still high on the GL stuff, too? I know you're a big fan of the mythos in general (like me with Superman), so I was just curious.

Also, JH Williams' Batwoman series is damn good, too. There's one pre-reboot trade and then two (so far) New 52 trades.

The only way Brightest Day effects Swamp Thing is that Alec Holland is alive again, they still keep the entire history of the original Swamp Thing, including his romance with Abigail Arcane. The comic itself doesn't even go into the reason why he's alive again.

Yes, I loved the Sinestro Corps War, Blackest Night, and Brightest Day to pieces, but I haven't gotten around to picking up the post-New 52 GL trades.

Oct 3, 2013#11

Yoshimickster

I just read episode 9 of All Star Superman, I had no idea the "Replacement Supermen" comic was part of this. I think I might actually have that issue.

Edit: And now I've finished All Star Superman, dear lord that was great. Which is hilarious, because from what I've seen All Star Batman was absolutely dreadful, with the exception of that hilarious meme spawning line.

Oct 3, 2013#12

Sparhawk

I'm reading three books right now, Kurt Busiek's Astro City, Eternal Warrior from Valiant, and Deadpool.

KBAC is always a fun read, so much that is told in both art and words, a great combination of a good artist and a good writer. Eternal Warrior has only had one issue that I've received so far, and I liked the setup for what this series will be bringing. Deadpool just is, funny, quirky and just fun.

Oct 3, 2013#13

phil

I have the first two trades of saga on my comixology app. I've been enjoying that a lot. I'm on trade like 18 of the walking dead which is still good, but I'm digging a little bit less than last time I threw myself into it.

Oct 4, 2013#14

Frank

Now, normally I'm a person who thinks that when reigned in of his....tendencies, Mark Millar can do some fun, if not exactly the most mature, stuff. Ultimates, Old Man Logan, Red Son (basically if Marvel and DC have him on a leash, he makes some readable comics). It's when he has free reign that he creates utter trash like Kick-Ass 2 (I didn't even mind the first one so much).

I'd read that Nemesis was being made into a movie, so I downloaded it and read it.

It's the worst piece of shit comic I've ever looked upon or read in my entire life. The worst piece of shit. I would rather see 20 comics of Red Mist/Mother Fucker...the worst fucking thing...raping someone for no reason other than Millar thinks it makes his comics edgy, than have to look at another panel of Nemesis. Just the most unbelievable pile of bullshit ever created. If the movie actually gets made and is true to the comics and somehow ends up successful, I may kill myself, because that'll be the last thread of my connection to humanity snipped.

If I had paid money for Nemesis, I probably would have given all my money to the nearest junkie I could find, because I know in my heart that he would be more responsible with the money than I was purchasing that carcinogenic mess.

Oct 4, 2013#15

Covar

Mark Millar is the Michael Bay of comic writers. At his best you'll get mindless shallow entertainment that can be somewhat entertaining if you just don't think about it to hard.

Oct 4, 2013#16

Zappit

Picked up the first and second Invincible Omnibus within a month of each other, and got completely up to date now. Great, fun book.

Also been reading the two main IDW Transformers series - More Than Meets the Eye and Robots in Disguise, which are really hitting all the right notes on characterization.

Oct 5, 2013#17

AshburnerX

The ones I read regularly are...

The Walking Dead (I heard this is going bi-monthly for a bit?)
Batman Beyond (Love it)
Chew (Though this is ether ended or is ending soon)
Mega Man (FANTASTIC for an Archie comic, just like Sonic and TMNT used to be)

What I get when it comes out...

Witch Doctor (It's House if he was Dr. Strange)
Gladstone's School for World Conquerors (They did a KS I didn't know about for series 2 and I have NO idea if I'm going to be able to get it. I've read it might be exclusive to that KS, which makes me angry.)

I need to find more stuff to read. I like All-Star Western but I'm almost certain it's going to get the axe just like Static Shock and Demon Knights did. I might check out the Harley Quinn comic when it comes out, even if they still insist on having her in the costume no one seems to like (and generally making a mess of her character). I know I want to pick up some Astro City trades too.

Oct 5, 2013#18

Covar

Zappit said:
Also been reading the two main IDW Transformers series - More Than Meets the Eye and Robots in Disguise, which are really hitting all the right notes on characterization.

More Than Meets the Eye is just that. Crazy high level scope, lots of really interesting themes, and a genuinely entertaining cast. Sadly I've only read about 2 issues of Robots in Disguise (I have them, I'm just very behind), but I love that the Cybertronians are alien in their outlook, Not just humans in robot bodies, just the way Roberts examines the idea that they are basically immortals.

AshburnerX said:
Mega Man (FANTASTIC for an Archie comic, just like Sonic and TMNT used to be)

If you want some nostalgia, IDW currently has all the comics rights to TMNT and they're publishing trades of the Archie series as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures. There's five of them so far.

The first issue of the new Powerpuff Girls series from IDW came out last week. I enjoyed the show, and I found the comic to be pretty fun. I've found that IDW is really good with handling licensed properties, so I expect them to make the most of their new PPG and Samurai Jack books.

Oct 5, 2013#19

PatrThom

Covar said:
I expect them to make the most of their new PPG and Samurai Jack books.

Wat...

--Patrick

Oct 5, 2013#20

Covar

PatrThom said:
Wat...

--Patrick

http://www.newsarama.com/18735-samurai-jack-continues-noble-fight-in-season-5-comics-at-idw.html

Oct 5, 2013#21

DarkAudit

Only one I'm really reading right now is Batman '66. And that's just barely.

Oct 5, 2013#22

AshburnerX

DarkAudit said:
Only one I'm really reading right now is Batman '66. And that's just barely.

I saw that the other day. Is it good, campy, silver age fun like the 60's TV show?

Oct 5, 2013#23

DarkAudit

AshburnerX said:
I saw that the other day. Is it good, campy, silver age fun like the 60's TV show?

Yes. Quite. That's the idea. It's based on the show.

Oct 5, 2013#24

AshburnerX

DarkAudit said:
Yes. Quite. That's the idea. It's based on the show.

I was basically asking if it carried the spirit of the show and I'm glad it does. I may pick this up then.

Oct 5, 2013#25

DarkAudit

AshburnerX said:
I was basically asking if it carried the spirit of the show and I'm glad it does. I may pick this up then.

Worth it just for the Newmar Catwoman art...

Oct 5, 2013#26

Covar

A local artist who's a regular at my LCS did the art for the Eggman story in issue 3. He's also doing a story in issue 4 as well.

Oct 5, 2013#27

PatrThom

DarkAudit said:
Worth it just for the Newmar Catwoman art...

Heh. I love how the art is all Zip-a-tone'd, too.

--Patrick

Oct 5, 2013#28

ThatNickGuy

Zappit said:
Picked up the first and second Invincible Omnibus within a month of each other, and got completely up to date now. Great, fun book.

Actually, the latest trade just came out like last month. The one I mentioned above, Volume 18: The Death of Everyone. That follows directly after Omnibus 2.

Oct 5, 2013#29

Bowielee

I need to pick up some more Invincible books.

Oct 5, 2013#30

ThatNickGuy

AshburnerX said:
Chew (Though this is ether ended or is ending soon)

It's only up to about #36. Layman (the writer) says the series plan is to end around the 60 mark. Of course, that likely doesn't take into account things like the AWESOME Poyo one-shot.

http://www.digitalspy.ca/comics/news/a222782/john-layman-sees-an-end-for-chew.html

Oct 5, 2013#31

Yoshimickster

Got the 12th Goon trade today, the first chapter was a sad Aunt Kizzie issue, and the one after it was a brilliant satire on superhero comics. Eric Powell is weird with transition.

Oct 5, 2013#32

Bowielee

DarkAudit said:
Worth it just for the Newmar Catwoman art...

I love that Cesar Romero was like, "Shave my moustache? F-you, I'm not shaving my moustache!"

Also, if it weren't for Frank Gorshin, people today would be saying Riddler? who the heck is the Riddler?

Oct 7, 2013#33

Covar

I was reading the second issue of the fourth volume of Batman: Black & White (what a mouthful) today. Not as strong as the first issue, and I'm not finished, but it's fun to see the different art styles in black & white. Opening story is written by Dan Didio and if that's not enough of a turnoff it features Man-Bat and pedophilia. After struggling past that any story is going to appear good, but I've not yet hit that great story that will make me glad I picked up the book. The first issue had a couple that were good stuff, and an awful Neil Adams story, I'm hoping that issue 2 is going to be similar (issue 3 has a story by Paul Dini so I'm not worried for it). Also I'm not sure what's up with having at least 1 story that's just raw pencils scanned in. Both issues have done it so far, and I'm not a fan. Issue 1 was just Neil Adam's work uninked, this issue appears to just be straight up photographs of the boards.

Oct 19, 2013#34

HCGLNS

http://imgur.com/gallery/Ijdxh

Hope that works, haven't read him in a while. But that was good.

Oct 23, 2013#35

ThatNickGuy

Lazurus

If you're a fan of Greg Rucka's work at all, you need to buy this book. It's awesome in all the usual Rucka-y ways: strong female protagonist, some great action sequences, intriguing mystery. All the good stuff. It certainly helps that the artist on the book is just as fantastic: Michael Lark. Readers of Gotham Central will recognize him.

Nov 1, 2013#36

Yoshimickster

IDW's Powerpuff Girls #1 and Samurai Jack #1: Both pretty good starts to a series, both showing the spirit of the cartoons they are based on. Samurai Jack fights a bunch of mutants, and the PPGs fight a bog monster while Mojo contemplates the futility of his existence- AWESOME!

Maximum Carnage: I REALLY love this comic, the action, the philosophy, the pre digital artwork, and of course CARNAGE! Dude just steals the scene, right before he brutally slashes you to death of course.

Nov 2, 2013#37

Bowielee

Not a fan of Carnage in general. He just smacks of 90S EXTREEEEEME!!!!

Nov 2, 2013#38

Sparhawk

Bill Willingham announced the ending of Fables yesterday, should be coming to an end in February 2015.

Nov 2, 2013#39

Covar

Batman #24, the conclusion to the first part of Zero Year, features the introduction of Batman. Very good issue, and Scott Snyder really knows how to write a good Batman story.

Daredevil #32, More excellent work by Mark Waid, continues to be the best book Marvel puts out every month.

Nov 2, 2013#40

ThatNickGuy

Sparhawk said:
Bill Willingham announced the ending of Fables yesterday, should be coming to an end in February 2015.

Should've ended years ago, before it turned into a franchise with spin-offs, mini-series, and crossovers.

I sold a bunch of movies and such recently and used the money to buy The Flash Omnibus volume 3, finishing off Geoff Johns' run. It's not as good as the previous volumes, since it doesn't have Scott Kolins on art anymore. But it does have Howard Porter, who I also like. I find the series as a whole went down a bit at this point and I think it's partly due to Porter, who's a fine artist but not nearly as suiting for the book as Kolins was.

Anyway, it's still enjoyable. Though there's a printing error near the end with some pages out of place. I've looked up online about it and it's apparently a common issue. Hopefully, I can return it to the store and get him to order a new one with the right paging.

Nov 2, 2013#41

Sparhawk

ThatNickGuy said:
Should've ended years ago, before it turned into a franchise with spin-offs, mini-series, and crossovers.

I will respectfully disagree, Jack of Fables was fun, Fairest has been interesting, and I've enjoyed it all. It's not often (if it has even happened before) that one person has been so much in charge of a piece of the DC Universe. I like that he's ending it on his terms, and not as a "we've been canceled" so here is a quick wrap up of several years of stories.

Nov 2, 2013#42

ThatNickGuy

Sparhawk said:
I will respectfully disagree, Jack of Fables was fun, Fairest has been interesting, and I've enjoyed it all. It's not often (if it has even happened before) that one person has been so much in charge of a piece of the DC Universe. I like that he's ending it on his terms, and not as a "we've been canceled" so here is a quick wrap up of several years of stories.

For one, it's not meant to be a part of the DC Universe so far as I know. Two, the reason I've supported Vertigo books is because they don't do what superhero comics do: crossovers, mini-series, and spin-offs. I can go from Volume 2 to 3 without missing anything. That's why I stopped reading Fables up until the crossover with Jack of Fables. I shouldn't have to read something else to go from volume 8 to 9 or whatever it was. When it became a franchise, not a book, I dropped it. I don't even own the ones I had anymore, either, out of disgust of the whole thing.

Nov 2, 2013#43

Bowielee

I supported Vertigo titles because they were almost always consistently good.

Nov 2, 2013#44

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
I supported Vertigo titles because they were almost always consistently good.

So do I, which is why a large part of my collection are Vertigo books. But they're also all self-contained.

Nov 2, 2013#45

Frank

I loved Fables right up until the Great Fables crossover, which was like a wall of inaccessibility because I didn't read Jack of Fables and it was 99% Jack of Fables related. I haven't read it since.

Nov 2, 2013#46

Sparhawk

All I can say is you've both missed some good stories, even with the crossover. Then again, that's why there are so many comics out there, something for everyone.

Nov 2, 2013#47

ThatNickGuy

Sparhawk said:
All I can say is you've both missed some good stories, even with the crossover. Then again, that's why there are so many comics out there, something for everyone.

Exactly. I've enjoyed far too many other comics to really lose any sleep over it.

Nov 7, 2013#48

Covar

Velvet the new cold war spy series by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. Every bit as good as you expect from the creative team (for those who might not know who Steve Epting is, he was Brubaker's artist on his Captain America run).

Nov 14, 2013#49

ThatNickGuy

http://www.theouthousers.com/index....-image-comics-look-to-stage-intervention.html

Image Comics is really putting out quality book after quality book these days. I'm afraid for my wallet when this stuff starts getting collected. Not only are they quality books from top notch creators, but they're all very diversive. And that's not even including the ones already out, like Fatale, Elephantmen, Lazarus, Chew, etc.

It really is a horrible plight on the comic book industry. Why can't more comics in the industry be like most DC and Marvel comics? You know: derivative, uninventive, event-driven drivel.

Nov 14, 2013#50

Frank

ThatNickGuy said:
http://www.theouthousers.com/index....-image-comics-look-to-stage-intervention.html

Image Comics is really putting out quality book after quality book these days. I'm afraid for my wallet when this stuff starts getting collected. Not only are they quality books from top notch creators, but they're all very diversive. And that's not even including the ones already out, like Fatale, Elephantmen, Lazarus, Chew, etc.

It really is a horrible plight on the comic book industry. Why can't more comics in the industry be like most DC and Marvel comics? You know: derivative, uninventive, event-driven drivel.

Couldn't agree more, almost everything new that I like has come from Image lately, Saga being the standout.

Nov 14, 2013#51

ThatNickGuy

Shit, I can't believe I forgot Saga. I wish I could say it was the best of the bunch, but good lord, it's so hard to choose one.

For example, you know what book I can't wait to read when it gets collected? Velvet. It's by the same creative team behind the amazing several-year run on Captain America: Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. The guys who brought Bucky back to life and made it work AND made it one of the best Marvel comics for years. Or there's Lazarus, by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark. Anyone who's read Gotham Central knows Lark's work (and Rucka's writing). Hell, I'd say anyone who enjoyed Rucka's Checkmate series would love the hell out of this.

That said, I did say most of DC and Marvel because they are putting out some good stuff. It's just very far and few between. DC has Animal Man, Swamp Thing, and Batwoman (though that may as well be considered cancelled once the new creative team comes on). And Vertigo, of course. Marvel has Daredevil and Hawkeye. Most of the rest? Event-driven crossover crap or gimmicky bullshit.

Nov 14, 2013#52

Bowielee

ThatNickGuy said:
That said, I did say most of DC and Marvel because they are putting out some good stuff. It's just very far and few between. DC has Animal Man, Swamp Thing, and Batwoman (though that may as well be considered cancelled once the new creative team comes on). And Vertigo, of course. Marvel has Daredevil and Hawkeye. Most of the rest? Event-driven crossover crap or gimmicky bullshit.

Note that all three DC titles you mentioned pretty much ignored the reboot

Nov 14, 2013#53

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
Note that all three DC titles you mentioned pretty much ignored the reboot

Nuh uh! Swamp Thing showed Superman in his new costume! It totally counts!

Heh, but yeah, it's no wonder why I - and many others - think those books are the best.

Nov 14, 2013#54

Bowielee

I don't know how most other books covered Blackest Night and Brightest Day, but in Alec Holland's case, it's kind of central to his whole character arc. What with the whole thing about the Swamp Thing we knew actually not being Alec, but a simulacrum, and the Life Entity bringing him back to life along with Deadman(Who is inexplicably dead again in Justice League Dark with no real mention of him having been alive again), Captain Boomerang and such.

Nov 14, 2013#55

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
I don't know how most other books covered Blackest Night and Brightest Day, but in Alec Holland's case, it's kind of central to his whole character arc. What with the whole thing about the Swamp Thing we knew actually not being Alec, but a simulacrum, and the Life Entity bringing him back to life along with Deadman(Who is inexplicably dead again in Justice League Dark with no real mention of him having been alive again), Captain Boomerang and such.

I wouldn't say it was central to his whole character arc. Very first issue of Swamp Thing said he was recently back to life. Boom, end of story. No need to explain why. Because COMICS. People come back to life all the time. Hell, I didn't read Brightest Day and I still understood he was back to life. Didn't need to know why.

Nov 14, 2013#56

Bowielee

ThatNickGuy said:
I wouldn't say it was central to his whole character arc. Very first issue of Swamp Thing said he was recently back to life. Boom, end of story. No need to explain why. Because COMICS. People come back to life all the time. Hell, I didn't read Brightest Day and I still understood he was back to life. Didn't need to know why.

That's not my point, my point is that it just assumes the continuity is the same as it always was. Brightest day was the reason he was alive again. And when I mean his character arc, I'm not just talking post new sucky two, I'm talking about his complete character arc.

Nov 17, 2013#57

Covar

Batman Zero Year continues to be excellent.

Nov 17, 2013#58

Covar

Hey it's Bob Kane posing for pictures with two characters he claimed to create!

Nov 17, 2013#59

Bowielee

Covar said:
Hey it's Bob Kane posing for pictures with two characters he claimed to create!

Bob Kane has long since acknowledged Bill Finger's role in the creation of Batman.

Nov 17, 2013#60

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
Bob Kane has long since acknowledged Bill Finger's role in the creation of Batman.

Did that acknowledgement include that he really had very little to do with the creation?

Nov 17, 2013#61

Bowielee

Fine, I deleted the post if people are just going to be dicks about it.

Do you people flip out like this every time you see Stan Lee?

Nov 18, 2013#62

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
Fine, I deleted the post if people are just going to be dicks about it.

Do you people flip out like this every time you see Stan Lee?

Honestly? Yes. I've been torn on whether I should hate Stan Lee or not.

Nov 18, 2013#63

Ravenpoe

I know Stan Lee did some shitty business stuff and screwed over the other creative genius half that gave him all of his success... but I still can't help but like him. I want him to be my grandpa!

Nov 18, 2013#64

AshburnerX

Nov 18, 2013#65

Frank

God damn, I was thinking of posting one of those exact videos too. Every time someone brings up Stan Lee screwing Jack Kirby (or more specifically Koiby's wife) all I can think of is Roger.

Nov 18, 2013#66

Bowielee

I didn't think that posting some nice pictures of Bob Kane with Batman and Catwoman would cause people to flip their shit.

Though, if history has taught us anything, it's that it doesn't pay to be the guy who invents something, it pays to be the guy who markets it.

Bill Gates
Alexander Graham Bell
Stan Lee
Mark Zuckerberg

Nov 18, 2013#67

Covar

There's a big difference between Bob Kane and Stan Lee. A very big difference.

Nov 18, 2013#68

ThatNickGuy

Honestly, it's an interesting discussion for me because it brings up the idea that comics are generally not a one-man creative show like, say, prose writing. And part of the reason I'm torn about hating Stan Lee is because, while he was certainly a creative man, he wasn't as creative as the artists that he worked with. You compare the sheer creative output of early Marvel before and after Kirby and Ditko left and it's almost unprecedented. You very rarely ever got iconic, household name characters again like The Silver Surfer (the character that was the proverbial breaking point for Kirby).

But he still played a role in at least some of the work at Marvel. His dialogue and bombastic narration was totally new for its time. 'Ol Stan made people feel at home reading their comics, like they were part of a family. Unfortunately, he was also the face of all PR for the company while guys like Kirby toiled away in their home, away from the public eye, doing a lot more work.

What bothers me most is that Stan Lee is a household name, known to just about everyone, while Jack Kirby is pretty much only known and revered in the comic book industry. He SHOULD have as much reverence by everyone as Stan Lee has, if not more. But Stan knew how to sell himself while Kirby wanted his work to speak for itself.

Nov 18, 2013#69

Bowielee

ThatNickGuy said:
Honestly, it's an interesting discussion for me because it brings up the idea that comics are generally not a one-man creative show like, say, prose writing. And part of the reason I'm torn about hating Stan Lee is because, while he was certainly a creative man, he wasn't as creative as the artists that he worked with. You compare the sheer creative output of early Marvel before and after Kirby and Ditko left and it's almost unprecedented. You very rarely ever got iconic, household name characters again like The Silver Surfer (the character that was the proverbial breaking point for Kirby).

But he still played a role in at least some of the work at Marvel. His dialogue and bombastic narration was totally new for its time. 'Ol Stan made people feel at home reading their comics, like they were part of a family. Unfortunately, he was also the face of all PR for the company while guys like Kirby toiled away in their home, away from the public eye, doing a lot more work.

What bothers me most is that Stan Lee is a household name, known to just about everyone, while Jack Kirby is pretty much only known and revered in the comic book industry. He SHOULD have as much reverence by everyone as Stan Lee has, if not more. But Stan knew how to sell himself while Kirby wanted his work to speak for itself.

seemy previous post. this is neither new or unique to comics. a great big chunk of folks who are famous for creating one thing or another are cribbing from someone else.

Nov 18, 2013#70

Covar

The big difference between Stan Lee and Bob Kane is that Stan never tried to pretend or tell everyone that Ditko, Kirby, etc. didn't exist and had 0% involvement on Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, etc. Don't confuse skillful promotion and business savvy with rubber stamping your name on someone else's work.

Nov 18, 2013#71

Covar

Related, Bob Haney and Jim Aparo's Brave and the Bold continues to be some incredibly great crazy stuff. Currently reading a Batman, Mister Miracle team up where the Masked Manhunter is traveling to Egypt to investigate the the validate of a museums purchase of an ancient Egyptian tomb.

Nov 18, 2013#72

Bowielee

Whenever I picture the difinitive look of Batman, it's Jim Aparo's Batman.

Nov 18, 2013#73

PatrThom

Bowielee said:
if history has taught us anything, it's that it doesn't pay to be the guy who invents something, it pays to be the guy who markets it.

Bill Gates
Alexander Graham Bell
Stan Lee
Mark Zuckerberg

You left out T. A. Edison, who is probably History's best example.

--Patrick

Nov 22, 2013#74

Covar

ThatNickGuy You should check out this week's Ask Chris. It's a great examination of DC's obsession with being Marvel comics, but there's a brief section on Stan Lee that I think was relevant to earlier discussions in this thread.

By all accounts, Mike Sekowsky was a treasure of a man and a consummate professional who could hit a deadline like a prize fighter, but his barrel-chested Justice League looks like a bunch of cardboard cutouts next to Steve Ditko’s weird spindly limbs and twisted grimaces or John Romita’s solid, romance novel cover models running around in Spider-Man. Whether they like it or not, everyone knows Marvel’s doing something different. But that’s only half of how they set themselves apart.

The other half, quite frankly, might be what made all the difference, and you can lay it at the feet of exactly one man: Stan Lee.

You can argue for hours, days even, about Lee’s proper place in history, about whether he deserves the starry eyed admiration of the general public who think he’s the sole creator of everything there was in the Marvel Universe and whose shoulders bore the monumental, nearly unthinkable task of scripting every single classic of the early days of Marvel, or whether he deserves the scorn of the Kirby and Ditko partisans who see him as a funky flash-man who attached himself like a parasite to more talented artists and then used them to catapult himself (and only himself) into the spotlight every chance he got. I think the truth of that is somewhere in the middle, but there’s one thing you can say about Lee that I don’t think anyone’s going to dispute: He’s the ultimate salesman. Lee is, to this day, a self-promoter of unfathomable skill, and in those early days of Marvel, he was in his prime.

By the way if anyone's a fan of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show on Nick, there's a tie in comic IDW puts out, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures, that pretty fun. IDW has a really solid handle on making comics based on licensed properties, and their work with the Ninja Turtles (or Hero Turtles for those of you in the UK) is no exception.

Nov 22, 2013#75

Yoshimickster

I've been meaning to read the new IDW comics, as well as getting the TPBs of the original Mirage comics. I just wish they sold them in cheaper volumes, things are 60 bucks each.

Nov 22, 2013#76

Bowielee

Covar said:
ThatNickGuy You should check out this week's Ask Chris. It's a great examination of DC's obsession with being Marvel comics, but there's a brief section on Stan Lee that I think was relevant to earlier discussions in this thread.

I really wish DC would cut this out. Seriously.

As I see it, Marvel and DC have always had two completely different philosophies of comic stories.

Marvel was all about the grounded human based superheroes who had complicated lives and always questioned not only their own place in the world, but the justification of their actions in it.

DC was all about a panthenon of morally upright heroes, who remain stalwart no matter how dark the world gets.

I think a lot of this has to do when the characters were created. DC's characters were forged in a time of idealism, whereas most of the Marvel heroes were born in a time of social change and upheaval.

One is about realism, the other is about idealism. And that's just fine and dandy. I'm sick of everything having to be all grimdark to be considered "adult". DC's characters simply aren't built to exist in a Marvel-type universe, and the more they try to do that, the worse the characters get.

Dec 13, 2013#77

Covar

I read the first issue of Mick Foley's WWE Superstars, set in the noir setting of Titan City. John Cena plays a former cop, released from prison after a briefcase containing 10 million dollars disappeared. Now the corrupt Authority want it back, Randy Orton seeks to defeat his opponent for District Attorney Alberto Del Rio, and C.M. Punk is working on a plan to overthrow the powers that be in Titan City. It's bananas.

Also this week's Ask Chris column is all about the Marvel and DC versions of Santa Claus. I'll tell you what it must have been a pretty clever person to come up with that question.

Dec 13, 2013#78

ThatNickGuy

http://nickpiers.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/comics-for-everyone-comics-for-anyone/

Inspired by a spiel I've heard my local comic book guy go on several times, I write about the general public stigma that comics aren't for everyone.

Dec 13, 2013#79

Yoshimickster

Batman and Son: I liked it, good Batman story, and Damien was a hoot THOUGH I felt it was a bit short. Is the TPB I'm thinkin' of like a "part one" or something?

Batman: The Long Halloween I don't care anyone says I love this story. Its dark, full of red herrings, and has some WEIRD artwork that I love in any comic.

Dec 13, 2013#80

ThatNickGuy

Yoshimickster said:
Batman: The Long Halloween I don't care anyone says I love this story. Its dark, full of red herrings, and has some WEIRD artwork that I love in any comic.

Tim Sale's definitely got a unique art style, but I love it. If you like this, he's done quite a lot of work with the same writer. They did a series of Halloween-themed Batman one-shots that are collected into Haunted Knight, as well as a direct sequel to Long Halloween in Dark Harvest. They also did a FANTASTIC Superman book called For All Seasons. To top it all off, they also did work for Marvel! Spider-Man: Blue, Daredevil: Yellow, and Hulk: Grey.

If you think Long Halloween was good? Yeah, the rest are just as good, if not better in their own ways. The team of Loeb and Sale are impervious to a bad book.

Dec 13, 2013#81

Yoshimickster

I LOVED Hulk:Grey, haven't read it in a hella long time though. That scene with the bunny, DAMN!

Dec 15, 2013#82

Yoshimickster

JLI volume 1: Dear lord I love 80s comics. The humor was top-notch(though apparently they weren't trying to be funny from the prologue) and its a solid intro to what is clearly a great team series.

Dec 15, 2013#83

evilmike

Yoshimickster said:
I LOVED Hulk:Grey, haven't read it in a hella long time though. That scene with the bunny, DAMN!

Dec 24, 2013#84

Yoshimickster

DC 1,000,000: Dear lord this comic is awesome and teaches us the lesson to NOT PATRONIZE NEGATIVE GORRILLA QUEEN!

Dec 28, 2013#85

Gusto

The only Queen I patronize is Dairy.

Dec 28, 2013#86

ThatNickGuy

Yoshimickster said:
DC 1,000,000: Dear lord this comic is awesome and teaches us the lesson to NOT PATRONIZE NEGATIVE GORRILLA QUEEN!

How's the book, overall? Like in terms of both how well-made it is and how well the story holds up to 15 years of time?

Dec 28, 2013#87

Yoshimickster

ThatNickGuy said:
How's the book, overall? Like in terms of both how well-made it is and how well the story holds up to 15 years of time?

The book is a nice hardcover with a well designed book jacket, and the paper is that shiny kind that doesn't degrade easily. In terms of holding up, its actually MORE relevant than it was in 98. The 860th century is a GREAT metaphor for an information obsessed society, like how when Superman does the future equivalent of turning off the internet for five minutes and everybody goes APE SHIT! You ever see that episode of South Park where the internet disappears and the world falls apart? Basically that, but TWELVE YEARS BEFORE! Grant. Freaking. CALLED IT! Chaos magic is real.

Jan 16, 2014#88

Covar

Action Comics, @ThatNickGuy you need to read this. Trust me, Paks run starts with issue 25, and the only complaint I have is with that awful n52 suit.

Jan 16, 2014#89

ThatNickGuy

Covar said:
Action Comics, @ThatNickGuy you need to read this. Trust me, Paks run starts with issue 25, and the only complaint I have is with that awful n52 suit.

Nu52? Nope. I'm not reading a thing from DC anymore.

Jan 16, 2014#90

Covar

Your loss.

Jan 16, 2014#91

ThatNickGuy

Covar said:
Your loss.

Because I'm not reading one Superman comic? Hardly. There are plenty of great comics out there and almost none of them are by DC or Marvel.

Jan 16, 2014#92

CynicismKills

Spock's wild ride is ending, Parker's back in April. Huzzah!

Jan 16, 2014#93

ThatNickGuy

CynicismKills said:
Spock's wild ride is ending, Parker's back in April. Huzzah!

I am shocked - SHOCKED - that a comic book death wasn't permanent.

Jan 16, 2014#94

MindDetective

They aren't even pretending it is a surprise:

However, the question on everyone's mind has not been the "when", but the "how" Peter Parker returns from the dead and Slott is quick to tease just that. "In a strange and terrifying way. And... possibly... at a very great cost. Remember, nothing is ever easy for Peter Parker. It's one of the reasons he's a true hero," says Slott.

Source:
http://io9.com/peter-parker-is-coming-back-to-prove-amazing-spider-man-1500216208

Jan 16, 2014#95

CynicismKills

I think everyone knew it was coming, it's more the adamant NO HE'S DEAD SHUT UP's that Slott and Marvel were throwing out over the last year.

Jan 16, 2014#96

Covar

CynicismKills said:
I think everyone knew it was coming, it's more the adamant NO HE'S DEAD SHUT UP's that Slott and Marvel were throwing out over the last year.

Quesada's always been a blowhard like that. He can't help but be the heavy handed publicity loudmouth.

Jan 16, 2014#97

ThatNickGuy

I think it was hilarious (or maybe more sad) that people were sending death threats to Slott over the thing. It's like they don't know how comics work.

Jan 16, 2014#98

Yoshimickster

This whole Spider-man stuff makes you wonder how/when DC is bringing back Damian Wayne. Clone, zombie, lazurus pit, or holy resurrection- TAKIN' ALL BETS!

Jan 16, 2014#99

Bowielee

My thoughts on resurrecting a character. I'm fine with it when it is planned out from the beginning. The Death and Return of Superman being an example. Reign of the Supermen is still one of my favorite DC storylines (mostly because it introduced Steel and I love me some Steel).

The Peter Parker return was obviously planned all along. They incorporated ghost Parker right from the beginning, so I'm not upset about it at all.

Examples where it's dumb: Jason Todd, Barry Allen, the umpteenth time they bring back Jean Grey, Hal Jordan, Green Goblin.

If it's a planned out and teased return, I'm cool with it, because, COMICS!

I'm still mystified by the love for Damien Wayne. Never liked him, probably never will.

Jan 16, 2014#100

CynicismKills

Hell, Jean is back TWICE. At the same time. Past and future Jean are running around 616 right now (past is, at least, not sure if future is still there).

Jan 16, 2014#101

Yoshimickster

Bowielee said:
I'm still mystified by the love for Damien Wayne. Never liked him, probably never will.

I'm actually indifferent to the character, but it would be nice if one his deceased side-kicks came back to life and didn't turn into a complete jack ass.

Jan 17, 2014#102

ThatNickGuy

CynicismKills said:
Hell, Jean is back TWICE. At the same time. Past and future Jean are running around 616 right now (past is, at least, not sure if future is still there).

Wait, what? There's a future Jean now, too? For fuck's sake, that's the kind of soap drama shit why I avoid X-Men.

Jan 17, 2014#103

CynicismKills

Well, because Beast bringing the original team to the present wasn't enough, a future X-Men team showed up to force him to send the past guys back because it caused some big nasty future. I don't know if they stuck around though.

Jan 17, 2014#104

ThatNickGuy

The Wake, Volume 1

This is Scott Snyder's Vertigo book that started last year to quite a number of rave reviews. And for me, it's sort of...eh? I mean, it's good in parts, but the way the script and especially the art plays out, it was a confusing read for me. There are scene changes without any kind of segue that are so quick, I almost got whiplash a few times. The artist, Sean Murphy, is honestly not that great in many ways, either. His rough, sketchy style works for the horror aspect, but they're terrible at properly showing depth or size, which becomes especially important later on in the book. I'm confused where people are exactly at points and one character was introduced early in that I swear just popped up out of nowhere without showing them at all before.

It's...okay? I mean, the characters are good, if a bit bland, and the ideas behind the story and world building are solid. It's enough that I'll get more eventually, but I won't be in any rush. I'm scratching my head to see why this got so much praise, though.

My lack of enjoyment for the volume may also have to do with the INCREDIBLY cheap production of the book itself. It feels more like a cheap, monthly comic (even with an ad for a show on that back rather than a book backing with information and such). It's really disappointing because Vertigo is usually much better with their production value for collected editions.

Jan 22, 2014#105

linglingface

I'm all caught up on the comics I've been reading! T^T Currently waiting on new volumes for:
(I don't do trades because 1) I forget to buy them, 2) They're sold out of some issues when I do remember, 3) I have a hard time storing them, 4) TOO SHORT, 5) lots of reasons. Volumes and I get along better.)

Chew - I ADORE this comic! It's hilarious, the artwork is superb, and I love all the little humorous bits in the background! Next volume out in April... :-/

Saga - I asked a friend for comic suggestions, as she's never steered me wrong before, and started this awesome story! Unfortunately, I failed to notice how new it was, and volume 3 isn't out until March. Ack!

Locke & Key - Holy crap this comic is AMAZING! Written by Stephen King's son, and it is extra creepy. I got my entire household to read this one! Next volume out in February! SOON!!! However, I believe that means the end of the series. And that just means another read-through. Ahh it's so good!

Punk Rock Jesus - I picked this one up a few months ago and forgot to read it. Now to track it down...

Jan 22, 2014#106

Krisken

I'm reading this.

Jan 23, 2014#107

LittleKagsin

I feel like I'm slowly getting farther away from reading single issues as I gravitate towards trades; I picked up Scarlet and Superior yesterday. Haven't had a chance to read them completely, but I'm really liking what I've read so far!

Jan 23, 2014#108

linglingface

Is Scarlet all about a female protagonist? I'm in. Must research.

Jan 23, 2014#109

ThatNickGuy

heatherling said:
Is Scarlet all about a female protagonist? I'm in. Must research.

I haven't read it, myself, but it's got a great team (Bendis and Maleev). If you want suggestions for other female-starring comics?

Queen & Country, Stumptown, Whiteout, Fatale, Lazarus, Kabuki, Batwoman. To name a few.

Jan 23, 2014#110

linglingface

ThatNickGuy said:
I haven't read it, myself, but it's got a great team (Bendis and Maleev). If you want suggestions for other female-starring comics?

Queen & Country, Stumptown, Whiteout, Fatale, Lazarus, Kabuki, Batwoman. To name a few.

Ooh thank you!

I more than likely will never get to any of the DC and Marvel comics as I prefer stories with a clear beginning and end. Do the ones you mentioned come with this prerequisite? And do they come in trade?

Jan 23, 2014#111

ThatNickGuy

heatherling said:
Ooh thank you! I more than likely will never get to any of the DC and Marvel comics as I prefer stories with a clear beginning and end. Do the ones you mentioned come with this prerequisite? And do they come in trade?

I've got trades of all of them but Fatale (still too new; only a few issues so far) on my bookshelf. And Batwoman's actually relatively self-contained, away from all the Bat-events and crap. Just be sure to stop reading it when writer JH Williams isn't on the book anymore. He left after DC nixed the character getting married. A gay marriage, I might add. But DC wants all their heroes to be swinging bachelors for whatever stupid reason.

...

Yeah, maybe just stick with the non-DC and Marvel stuff.

Oh, actually, ONE DC recommendation and it's only two books long. Ed Brubaker's run on Catwoman. Out in two volumes: Trial of the Catwoman and No Easy Way Down. It's some seriously great, self-contained noir superhero stuff.

Jan 23, 2014#112

Bowielee

Batwoman is currently ongoing, but the creative team has quit in disgust with DC being jerks.

Ninja'd by Nick.

Jan 23, 2014#113

Frank

I hear Orchid is supposed to be good stuff, but I haven't read it myself.

Jan 23, 2014#114

linglingface

ThatNickGuy said:
Oh, actually, ONE DC recommendation and it's only two books long. Ed Brubaker's run on Catwoman. Out in two volumes: Trial of the Catwoman and No Easy Way Down. It's some seriously great, self-contained noir superhero stuff.

I may check out Catwoman since it's got a start and end point. I just hate leaving things unfinished... I tried getting into a few DC and Marvel story arcs, but there was just too much backstory that I didn't want to wiki, and there's just too much difficulty in keeping up with single issues (I thought New52 would be a good opportunity to start, buuut I got 2-3 issues into a few of them and quit).

Jan 23, 2014#115

Covar

ThatNickGuy said:
I haven't read it, myself, but it's got a great team (Bendis and Maleev). If you want suggestions for other female-starring comics?

Queen & Country, Stumptown, Whiteout, Fatale, Lazarus, Kabuki, Batwoman. To name a few.

Velvet! VELVET!!!!

Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting writing a superspy thriller. Taline: "His girl friday is the most dangerous woman alive."

Jan 23, 2014#116

ThatNickGuy

Shit, when I wrote Fatale, I was thinking of Velvet. My bad.

Jan 23, 2014#117

Bowielee

heatherling said:
I may check out Catwoman since it's got a start and end point. I just hate leaving things unfinished... I tried getting into a few DC and Marvel story arcs, but there was just too much backstory that I didn't want to wiki, and there's just too much difficulty in keeping up with single issues (I thought New52 would be a good opportunity to start, buuut I got 2-3 issues into a few of them and quit).

As much as I LOATHE the DC reboot, it does allow you to jump into Batwoman with little foreknowledge. Her series didn't really start that long before the reboot anyway, so even if you want to go into her back issues, it's not years and years of back catalogue. She was only reintroduced during 52, so that's only about 7 years total, which in comics terms isn't very long.

Jan 23, 2014#118

Zappit

Wishing Invincible would come out on time. Seems like every 2-3 months lately. I bought the first two omnibuses, and got hooked hard. Got spoiled by all those pages, and new issues come out at such a trickle.

Loving what IDW is doing for the Dark Cybertron event. Each main group has its own artist, and it's giving those sub-stories a really unique feel.

Plus, Megatron just rocked in his brief appearance, not losing a bit of that badass swagger even though he was cut in half.

Jan 23, 2014#119

CynicismKills

My only issue with the IDW Transformers comics is how much they love killing 'bots. I mean, they put Whedon to shame.

Jan 24, 2014#120

Covar

I'm behind on the IDW Transformers, but I've loved what I've read. Especially More Than Meets the Eye, which is not just a good Transformers book, but one of the best sci-fi comics out there right now.

Jan 24, 2014#121

LittleKagsin

heatherling said:
Is Scarlet all about a female protagonist? I'm in. Must research.

YEP! And she's a bad-ass, which is equally awesome.

Also, as far as female protagonists go, I was recommended 'Pretty Deadly' as well. Haven't read it yet, but I'm super interested. It's still coming out in issues, so you may want to wait for a trade, but still, just more options for you.

Jan 24, 2014#122

CynicismKills

Covar said:
I'm behind on the IDW Transformers, but I've loved what I've read. Especially More Than Meets the Eye, which is not just a good Transformers book, but one of the best sci-fi comics out there right now.

Oh don't get me wrong, they're both great books. I just hate watching characters I like get ripped to shreds.

Jan 26, 2014#123

Zappit

CynicismKills said:
Oh don't get me wrong, they're both great books. I just hate watching characters I like get ripped to shreds.

To be fair, Wheeljack isn't technically dead. Starscream's got him on life support.

Jan 26, 2014#124

CynicismKills

I actually need to get caught up again, too, I haven't read anything in a couple months.

Jan 26, 2014#125

Sparhawk

Over the past week I've been reading The Mighty Thor by Walter Simonson. I currently have the first 3 volumes of the collected series, and have been enjoying it completely. Written back during a time that we (as comic readers) weren't talked down to and spoon-fed every little thing, mid-80s. Walt's art is incredible to look at (only occasional backgrounds that make me wonder if it was Walt or Terry Austin that forgot proportion) and the story really shows that you can weave several stories together in one book and not have to skimp on any of them.

Volume 1 starts with Mighty Thor #337 (Beta-Ray Bill) and works on from there, including the Baldur the Brave mini-series.

Jan 29, 2014#126

ThatNickGuy

Indestructible Hulk

When it comes to The Hulk, I find I go back and forth on my love for the character. Personally, I find Hulk works best when interacting with the rest of the Marvel universe. For example: Avengers as opposed to the solo Hulk movies, the second of which wasn't bad, but arguably the weakest of the Marvel movies. I've enjoyed certain runs of the character, like Peter David's very long run and Planet Hulk (World War Hulk...not so much; it was okay).

But I've been really curious about Mark Waid's run on the title. He's been knocking it out of the park on a regular basis on Daredevil, so I wanted to see. Unfortunately, being jobless and broke, I...well, I "legally obtained" the first dozen issues or so.

I'm digging it. I don't think Leinil Francis Yu's art fits the most romping adventure tone the book has (akin to Daredevil, which does have appropriate artists). It's not that the art is bad, but it's strange that Yu's art worked great with Waid's writing in Superman: Birthright and yet not here. One thing I do like about the art, either Yu's or the book's later artists who share a similar style, is that any time the Hulk himself appears, the panels are always huge, sometimes one or two page spreads. It really works to make Hulk's appearances special in contrast with Banner. Every time Hulk appears, he's mindless and roaring, making me verbally mimic it while reading.

Speaking of Banner, I really like his new role. The ongoing catchphrase for the series is "Hulk smashes, Banner builds." It's a great way to split the two and make Banner arguably as important - if not more important - than Hulk. It's a great, different direction for the title and the character. We're so used to Banner not wanting Hulk to come out and play. This way, he's able to work with people instead of finding contrived ways to team-up or fight against Thor, Iron Man, or Daredevil.

So yeah, recommended. Your mileage may vary on the art, but the style has grown on me. Plus, there's a GREAT 3-part story involving Thor with all the art done by longtime Marvel artist Walt Simonson, famous for an amazing run on Thor. That alone's worth checking out.

Jan 30, 2014#127

Covar

ThatNickGuy said:
Indestructible Hulk
...
So yeah, recommended. Your mileage may vary on the art, but the style has grown on me. Plus, there's a GREAT 3-part story involving Thor with all the art done by longtime Marvel artist Walt Simonson, famous for an amazing run on Thor. That alone's worth checking out.

Fun fact, that started as a cover, turned into an issue, and wound up as 3 because Simonson really loved what Waid was writing. It was a really great story, one of my favorite parts of the whole run. I don't think Yu stays on, the art makes a marked improvement anyway (could be inker change too) and becomes a better fit to the story.

Jan 31, 2014#128

Covar

Miracleman

I've been reading the first two issues that Marvel's put out. They both came out in the span of 2 weeks which is nice for something that is newly colored reprints of a 32 year old book. Now people might have gathered on here that I'm not an Alan Moore fan, it's hard to support a crazy person who blast others for daring to write a character after him, while the vast majority of his own work is just that. Being said, ~~Marvel~~Miracleman is a pretty important piece of comic history, and what I've read has been enjoyable and interesting. I think because it's a complete destruction of a knockoff character that a lot of what would normally bother me in these "What if Super-heroes were real!?!" stories get a pass. It also helps that as much as I dislike him, the Original Writer (Alan Moore doesn't want any credit or royalties for a book he didn't have the rights to make) is talented. There's also extras in the back of the floppies, which again is nice since they're reprints. First issue contained an interview with Mike Angelo both feature pictures of original art, and reprints from the original Marvelman stories.

So all in all if you've never read this you should check it out if you're a fan of Alan Moore (and later Neil Gaiman) or you have an interest in comics history. There was some hubub over the recoloring when the first preview pages were coming out. I myself didn't like the more muted, gradient filled modern coloring that was shown. That said having looked at it in print, the book and coloring is gorgeous. I'm chalking it up to the difference between 4 color printing vs the 3 color rendering on a computer screen, but it looks much nicer on paper than what was shown.

http://www.uproxx.com/sports/2014/01/miracleman-going-place-hears-voices/

Jan 31, 2014#129

ThatNickGuy

All I want of Miracleman is collections of various runs, not a monthly best-of anthology.

Jan 31, 2014#130

Covar

ThatNickGuy said:
All I want of Miracleman is collections of various runs, not a monthly best-of anthology.

The first trade is slated for April, and the deconstructionist stuff is running in order. It's the old Mike Angelo black and white stuff that they're cherry picking. I was on the fence of getting the floppy or just waiting for a collection. The part of me that's impatient is glad I'm getting the issues.

Jan 31, 2014#131

Bowielee

Alan Moore may be an insane Hot Topic reject, but god damn it if I don't love his books. Watchmen, Arkham Asylum (my personal favorite Baman story), Swamp Thing

Jan 31, 2014#132

AshburnerX

I say that Top Ten and Smax are his best works, personally. Top Ten is basically City of Heroes if the PPD hired supers and Smax is just more that. Still haven't read Top Ten: Beyond the Farthest Precinct yet though.

Jan 31, 2014#133

Covar

Bowielee said:
Alan Moore may be an insane Hot Topic reject, but god damn it if I don't love his books. Watchmen, Arkham Asylum (my personal favorite Baman story), Swamp Thing

Careful, both Grant Morrison and Alan Moore will get mad at you for that mistake. They can't stand each other, mainly because Moore's a twat who claims Morrison's a hack who plagiarized him.

Jan 31, 2014#134

Bowielee

Covar said:
Careful, both Grant Morrison and Alan Moore will get mad at you for that mistake. They can't stand each other, mainly because Moore's a twat who claims Morrison's a hack who plagiarized him.

I almost accidentally put Animal Man on there too.

Jan 31, 2014#135

Yoshimickster

Jack Kirby's 4th world omnibus volume one! I don't know what it is about black and white photos in color comics that is SO trippy, but it is!

Feb 1, 2014#136

ThatNickGuy

AshburnerX said:
I say that Top Ten and Smax are his best works, personally. Top Ten is basically City of Heroes if the PPD hired supers and Smax is just more that. Still haven't read Top Ten: Beyond the Farthest Precinct yet though.

I haven't, either, but from what I've read about it, you're not missing much. Stick with the Moore-authored stuff. My personal favourite was a separate graphic novel called the Forty Niners, that takes place far in the past.

Feb 5, 2014#137

Yoshimickster

Jack Kirby's OMAC: Okay, I don't think I'm wrong in saying Jack was the Leonardo Davinci of comics in that he was ahead of his time. Like, THREE things from this comic I think of off the top of my head actually happened and its fucking awesome. Granted not the best thing Kirby wrote(and the cliff-hanger is annoying as BALLS) but its still a good read and I recommend it.

Feb 7, 2014#138

Bowielee

So, I finally got around to actually reading Batwoman. I'd only previously read her appearances in 52 with the Crime Bible stuff.

Elegy was great, and so has been the run up through World's Finest. It's actually great to see the female form of the Batman/Superman pairing. Katie Kane is a really deep and interesting character. I'd say even more so than her male counterpart. Her origins are similar enough to Batman's to make sense for her to be able to relate to him, but different enough that she is her own character. It's also interesting that her "Alfred" is also her father, and the one who trained her.

I highly recommend Elegy through at least issue 16 of the New 52 run. Luckily, she's one of the few characters that was completely untouched by the reboot.

Feb 7, 2014#139

ThatNickGuy

One of the things I liked about the title is that, even though it was a Bat-title, she was completely separate from the rest of the Bat-family. As far as I know, she didn't get involved in crossovers - certainly not in her own book - and was completely hands-free.

Which is both why I love the book so much and very likely why the DC higher-ups wanted to change that and get rid of JH Williams as a result.

Feb 7, 2014#140

linglingface

Somehow I forgot Locke & Key was out soon and I was expecting it to be out in June. I went into the comic shop looking for something else, and Alpha & Omega was right there waiting for me. :3 I don't want this series to end, but I'm glad it's home with me now! Unfortunately they only have hardcover right now and they couldn't find a release date for the paperback, so it doesn't match my other books. D:

Feb 7, 2014#141

ThatNickGuy

heatherling said:
Somehow I forgot Locke & Key was out soon and I was expecting it to be out in June. I went into the comic shop looking for something else, and Alpha & Omega was right there waiting for me. :3 I don't want this series to end, but I'm glad it's home with me now! Unfortunately they only have hardcover right now and they couldn't find a release date for the paperback, so it doesn't match my other books. D:

I, too, know this pain all too well. Waiting for the trades has been excruciating.

Feb 7, 2014#142

Yoshimickster

Finished Frank Miller's Dark Knight series, solid read and that fight at the end...damn.

Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum a serious place on serious earth Really good, but was hoping it'd be a little longer.

Feb 7, 2014#143

Bowielee

ThatNickGuy said:
One of the things I liked about the title is that, even though it was a Bat-title, she was completely separate from the rest of the Bat-family. As far as I know, she didn't get involved in crossovers - certainly not in her own book - and was completely hands-free.

Which is both why I love the book so much and very likely why the DC higher-ups wanted to change that and get rid of JH Williams as a result.

I haven't read any of the mainstream Bat-books since the reboot, but

is Killer Croc dead now

after the whole Medusa storyline? Also, I'd assume that the events of that story must have been reflected in the other books. They did show panels of Catwoman and Nightwing fighting the monsters in a Batwoman.

I mean,

Croc turned into a giant hydra and destroyed a good city block of Gotham. That should impact other Bat stories.

Feb 8, 2014#144

Ravenpoe

Yoshimickster said:
Finished Frank Miller's Dark Knight series, solid read and that fight at the end...damn.

I find I like it less and less as it ages, but this is true of most Frank Miller

Feb 8, 2014#145

CynicismKills

Ravenpoe said:
I find I like it less and less as it ages, but this is true of most Frank Miller

And true of Miller himself.

Feb 8, 2014#146

Ravenpoe

CynicismKills said:
And true of Miller himself.

He really does have some crazy ideas on the world, and the older I get, the more I see them reflected in his works, and it becomes uncomfortable.

Feb 8, 2014#147

Bowielee

Ravenpoe said:
He really does have some crazy ideas on the world, and the older I get, the more I see them reflected in his works, and it becomes uncomfortable.

Wait, are you saying that in the real world, all women aren't whores and men are only men when they're unstoppable killing machines?

I need to sit down. This is overwhelming.

Feb 8, 2014#148

Ravenpoe

Bowielee said:
Wait, are you saying that in the real world, all women aren't whores and men are only men when they're unstoppable killing machines?

I need to sit down. This is overwhelming.

I know, my world is shaken.

Feb 8, 2014#149

Yoshimickster

Is anyone else worried which comic creator is next on the crazy train? I'm betting Grant Morrison, guy all ready dabbles in chaos magic who knows whats gonna happen to him?!

Feb 8, 2014#150

Bowielee

I want it to be someone you wouldn't expect, like Art Adams or Kubert The Younger.

Feb 8, 2014#151

Yoshimickster

Fair point, if GMO goin' crazy seems TOO obvious that is probably won't happen. So good news there.

On the topic of said author, has anyone read that "Happy" series by him? It looks neat, but I heard from one critic it reads like a rejected movie manuscript.

Feb 9, 2014#152

Bowielee

I'm about to read Spider Island.

May god have mercy on my soul.

Feb 9, 2014#153

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
I'm about to read Spider Island.

May god have mercy on my soul.

*salute* Godspeed, you brave soul.

Feb 9, 2014#154

Frank

Bowielee said:
I'm about to read Spider Island.

May god have mercy on my soul.

There is no mercy granted to those who venture there, only pain.

Feb 9, 2014#155

Bowielee

If I weren't generally committed to finishing any comic I start, I'd stop right now with Spider Island and I'm only 5 issues in.

Marvel Editorial: Hey, we need to bounce back from that crappy One More Day thing that everyone seems to hate for SOME reason.

Writers: *crickets chirping*

Marvel Editorial: Anyone? Come on people.

THAT guy: How about we revisit the clone saga...

Marvel Editorial: I'm listening...

THAT guy: and bring back The Jackal as an over the top psycho with abandonment issues towards his clones?

Marvel Editorial: Give me more...

THAT guy: And, Kaine... he was super popular, right? We'll bring him back as a giant mutant spider.

Marvel Editorial: BINGO, we've got comic gold! I smell an Eisner!

Feb 9, 2014#156

PatrThom

Bowielee said:
I want it to be someone you wouldn't expect, like Art Adams or Kubert The Younger.

Or Bil Keane.

(oh wait he's dead nevermind)
--Patrick

Feb 9, 2014#157

Yoshimickster

All this Spider-man talk has me wondering, how bad is the inevitable return of Spidercide gonna be? We all know its gonna happen, I read on wikipedia that Jackal is working on Spidercide 2.0, and the original Spidercide is in suspended animation. Jackal makes 2.0, the original finally breaks free from his prison cell, and they fight to the death to decide who earns the title of evil Spider-man number 11. Then Scarlet Spider(Kaine) has some fight that will have all sorts of inner monologue about how they are the same person and bla bla bla comics.

Feb 12, 2014#158

Zappit

Yoshimickster said:
Is anyone else worried which comic creator is next on the crazy train? I'm betting Grant Morrison, guy all ready dabbles in chaos magic who knows whats gonna happen to him?!

Brian Wood. It was recently established he's a creeper, getting drunk and aggresively trying to pick up girls at cons. That's got powder keg written all over it.

Back on topic, I just read the latest issue in the Dark Cybertron, and DAMN. As bad and nasty as the corrupt Primes and Megatron were, they got NOTHING on Shockwave.

Feb 15, 2014#159

Bowielee

So, I saw that they have a giant Omnibus for 52. 85-150 bucks on amazon, but damn, do I want it. I loved that series.

Side tangent: It really does piss me off that they called the reboot the New 52, it forever taints the 52 series in that I have to always differentiate when I say 52 that I'm not referring to the NEW 52. One of which is brilliant, the other of which is shit.

Feb 15, 2014#160

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
So, I saw that they have a giant Omnibus for 52. 85-150 bucks on amazon, but damn, do I want it. I loved that series.

Side tangent: It really does piss me off that they called the reboot the New 52, it forever taints the 52 series in that I have to always differentiate when I say 52 that I'm not referring to the NEW 52. One of which is brilliant, the other of which is shit.

DC has been obsessed with the number 52 for some time (pretty much since 52, in fact). 52, the series. 52 universes. The New 52 reboot. NO idea why, but I'm blaming Didio just because.

Feb 15, 2014#161

Bowielee

ThatNickGuy said:
DC has been obsessed with the number 52 for some time (pretty much since 52, in fact). 52, the series. 52 universes. The New 52 reboot. NO idea why, but I'm blaming Didio just because.

Well, the 52 universes was the end result of 52 series, it's the meaning in universe for the title. Well, that and it represents the year without Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. I think I loved the series so much because it gave some real focus on lesser known characters from the DC Universe, like Ralph Dibney, Booster Gold, and Isis.

Feb 19, 2014#162

PatrThom

ThatNickGuy said:
DC has been obsessed with the number 52 for some time (pretty much since 52, in fact). [...] NO idea why, but I'm blaming Didio just because.

I'm guessing this had something to do with it.

--Patrick

Mar 8, 2014#163

Hailey Knight

Currently reading the Attack on Titan manga beyond where the show left off.

Two chapters in and I'm already tearing my hair out and shouting "What?! WHAT?! Nooooooooooo!"

Mar 8, 2014#164

phil

This new Hawkeye (hawkguy) stuff is pretty great.

Mar 8, 2014#165

ThatNickGuy

phil said:
This new Hawkeye (hawkguy) stuff is pretty great.

Bro! It's so good, isn't it, bro? I love it so much, bro!

Mar 8, 2014#166

Hailey Knight

Zero Esc said:
Currently reading the Attack on Titan manga beyond where the show left off.

Two chapters in and I'm already tearing my hair out and shouting "What?! WHAT?! Nooooooooooo!"

I am caught up.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Mar 8, 2014#167

Yoshimickster

Usagi Yojimbo vol 14: Demon Mask

Pretty good, felt the story that the comic was named after wasn't the best in the volume but still good stuff.

Mar 25, 2014#168

CynicismKills

Superior Spider-Man 30 was leaked.

This is the last page.

Mar 25, 2014#169

Bowielee

I'm working on Annihilation so that I can start reading Guardians of the Galaxy.

Mar 25, 2014#170

Yoshimickster

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimate Collection Volume One.

How different is this from the shows you ask? Well there's a scene where one of the turtles gets buzzed on space beer and then hits on a female alien with six breasts. And they made three kids shows based on this( Not counting the live action one which can die in fifteen fires). My only qualm with the hardcover is that they don't have the original Fugitoid issue in it, but whatevs.

Mar 25, 2014#171

Sparhawk

Reading X-Factor by Peter David, vol 1. This collection starts with the Madrox mini (#1-6) and the first 12 issues of the X-Factor (2006). The mini-series events are covered by a one page synopsis of events and keeps you up to date on the flow of the story that PAD was telling.

Mar 25, 2014#172

Covar

Yoshimickster said:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimate Collection Volume One.

How different is this from the shows you ask? Well there's a scene where one of the turtles gets buzzed on space beer and then hits on a female alien with six breasts. And they made three kids shows based on this( Not counting the live action one which can die in fifteen fires). My only qualm with the hardcover is that they don't have the original Fugitoid issue in it, but whatevs.

You want the pizza collection (which has everything) or the classics trade (non Eastman & Laird stuff colored). The Ultimate Collections are only the Eastman & Laird stuff.

Mar 25, 2014#173

CynicismKills

I've read bits and pieces of the current IDW run of TMNT, and it's pretty solid stuff. The art is slick and the story's pretty well put together.

Mar 25, 2014#174

Yoshimickster

I've been meaning to get into that, its a toss-up for me between buying the classic comics and getting the current ones. Why must the world keep making great things? WHY?!

Mar 26, 2014#175

Zappit

Still reading the IDW Transformers. The Dark Cybertron Event finished up, and it was good. Spoilers ahead

Shockwave's plan to collapse the universe in on itself, wiping out all life but leaving a lifeless Cybertron to feed off all that energy failed, obviously. Metalhawk is dead again, sacrificing himself to interfere with Shockwave's ores, which were powering his plan. Prime and Megatron forced Shockwave to remember who he was before he was lobotomized, after which he begged them to kill him and stop the universal collapse. Biggest change of all was that Megatron took up Bumblebee's Autobot badge and welded it to his chest, joining Prime to try to unite Cybertron. Soundwave's spy sensors picked up images of the event, and the Decepticons he had been leading, stunned by their Megatron's apparent betrayal, look to be throwing in their lot with Galvatron. Starscream has probably lost his position as leader of Cybertron, but seemed willing to play ball with the Autobots.

The stuff coming up after that is looking really exciting. Megatron's had more character development than he's ever had, and he really feels like a complete character - not the one-note tyrant he had always been.

Plus, Thundercracker might turn out to be the best character in the books. He elected to remain on Earth after All Hail Megatron, and grew addicted to television during his self-imposed exile. The new preview has him writing a hilariously, ludicrously bad screenplay, and the government liaison assigned to keep an eye on him points out that he just ripped off an old TV drama. I'm sold.

Mar 26, 2014#176

LittleKagsin

Picked up the 'Colors' run by Jeph Loep and Time Sale - Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue and Hulk: Grey.

Started with Spider-Man: Blue and I really enjoyed it! :heart:

Here's hoping I enjoy Daredevil and Hulk just as much.

Mar 26, 2014#177

ThatNickGuy

LittleKagsin said:
Picked up the 'Colors' run by Jeph Loep and Time Sale - Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue and Hulk: Grey.

Started with Spider-Man: Blue and I really enjoyed it! Here's hoping I enjoy Daredevil and Hulk just as much.

It's Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Of course they will. Those two seem to bring out the best in each other. Personally, I'm more a fan of their DC work (Long Halloween, Superman for All Seasons), but their Marvel stuff is great, too.

Mar 26, 2014#178

LittleKagsin

HAHa, abysmal spelling on my part! I know their names, I just spelled it all awry. Haha! That makes me laugh.

Mar 26, 2014#179

ThatNickGuy

LittleKagsin said:
HAHa, abysmal spelling on my part! I know their names, I just spelled it all awry. Haha! That makes me laugh.

Honestly? Heh, I didn't even notice the misspelling! I was just saying "It's these guys. Of COURSE it'll be good."

Mar 27, 2014#180

LittleKagsin

ThatNickGuy said:
Honestly? Heh, I didn't even notice the misspelling! I was just saying "It's these guys. Of COURSE it'll be good."

I'll be sure to check out their other stuff when I get chance!!

Mar 27, 2014#181

Covar

LittleKagsin said:
I'll be sure to check out their other stuff when I get chance!!

Stay away from anything by only one of them. For the love of god, stay way from anything that they do separately.

Mar 27, 2014#182

BananaHands

GUESS WHO'S BACK

It's a shame he didn't keep the costume though. I really liked it.

Mar 27, 2014#183

Sparhawk

BananaHands said:
GUESS WHO'S BACK

It's a shame he didn't keep the costume though. I really liked it.

I knew that was going to happen since the switch. Peter IS Spider-Man, not anyone else. Plus, new movie in a month or so.

I think they did an interesting job with Doc Oc as Spider-Man, some different stories and all, but there was never a doubt to me that Peter would be back in the webs.

Mar 27, 2014#184

BananaHands

Sparhawk said:
I knew that was going to happen since the switch. Peter IS Spider-Man, not anyone else. Plus, new movie in a month or so.

I think they did an interesting job with Doc Ock as Spider-Man, some different stories and all, but there was never a doubt to me that Peter would be back in the webs.

I enjoyed Mr. SpOck's wild ride. The whole thing did feel a bit rushed - but I was definitely entertained throughout it all. I thought Otto's revelation on why Peter Parker was such a perfect hero was nice - I also enjoy how he sacrificed himself at the end.

Mar 28, 2014#185

CynicismKills

I thought the swap back to Peter was a little weak and too short, but man those last frames and final page have me hyped as fuuuuuuuuuuck to see how he brings GG down.

Mar 28, 2014#186

Yoshimickster

Hell boy volume 4.

It has the mini-comic where a young Hellboy tries pancakes for the first time. It was adorable.

Mar 28, 2014#187

CynicismKills

Yoshimickster said:
Hell boy volume 4.

It has the mini-comic where a young Hellboy tries pancakes for the first time. It was adorable.

He is truly lost to us now.

I fucking love HellBoy. I named my PC after him, and my laptop is Abe Sapien.

Mar 28, 2014#188

ThatNickGuy

CynicismKills said:
He is truly lost to us now.

I fucking love HellBoy. I named my PC after him, and my laptop is Abe Sapien.

(Though that is pretty awesome.)

Mar 28, 2014#189

Yoshimickster

Damn straight, and at the comic store I also got it from gave me a free 2oth anniversary comic, a press-on tattoo, and a poster! It was a good day.

My favorite part from this trade was how-

Hellboy was able to break that classic "know the real name of the demon and control him" rule by deciding that his demon name wasn't who the hell he is. That. Was. AWESOME! First rule about magic, loopholes are everything.

Apr 6, 2014#190

ThatNickGuy

http://nickpiers.wordpress.com/2014/04/06/if-you-liked-captain-america-the-winter-soldier/

I'm testing out a new series at the 'ol blog: "If You Liked..." Basically, taking a movie, TV series, video game, etc and throwing out some comic book recommendations.

For this round, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Spoilers ahoy, though, for those who haven't seen it, yet.

Apr 8, 2014#191

Hailey Knight

Read the new Attack on Titan last night. There was a reveal, but I was so tired that it didn't click with me until I'd shut down my computer and was on my way to bed. Then: "wait, but that means ... and he's also ... !!!"

Apr 9, 2014#192

Covar

Francis Manapul started his new run on Detective Comics. Not a bad start if not a little slow, but I'm digging the art. Based on his work with the Flash this should be excellent. Also the cover is probably the best cover by DC in years.

Apr 9, 2014#193

Zappit

Anybody reading Invincible? Cuz damn...

The last few Viltrumites are blending in on Earth pairing off with humans and working to rebuild their population. The last Viltrumites woman wasn't keen on mating with a human, and chose Invincible to father her child. She kicked his ass and raped him, stating that she'll keep doing that until she's pregnant.

Apr 9, 2014#194

AshburnerX

...why?

Why not just kick the shit out of him, drug him, have some scientist somewhere collect a sample and then do invitro fertilization? She'd have plenty more little guys on ice for successive fertilizations afterward too.

Or is she just psychotic and this is being done as a DRAMA BOMB?

Apr 9, 2014#195

ThatNickGuy

AshburnerX said:
...why?

Why not just kick the shit out of him, drug him, have some scientist somewhere collect a sample and then do invitro fertilization? She'd have plenty more little guys on ice for successive fertilizations afterward too.

Or is she just psychotic and this is being done as a DRAMA BOMB?

To be fair, the Viltrumite society is, by its nature, aggressive and not very forward thinking. This also makes sense as we've seen the character have very little patience, including her very first appearance.

I'm torn on the issue. It's graphic and takes up the majority of the issue, so it's really painful to read because of how it's drawn out. However, it is done well and the rape is portrayed doubly as a fight, as Mark is CLEARLY unwilling throughout the entire process.

Also, if anyone's interested in reading the scans in question, here it is:
http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/4676905.html

Apr 15, 2014#196

CynicismKills

Welp, the end of Superior Spider-Man was a horrible pile of hot garbage, save for one page.

Apr 15, 2014#197

ThatNickGuy

CynicismKills said:
Welp, the end of Superior Spider-Man was a horrible pile of hot garbage, save for one page.

It's not out until tomorrow. Where or how did you get it so early?

Apr 15, 2014#198

CynicismKills

There's a guy on 4chan's /co/ board who sometimes dumps a book or two a day early.

Apr 19, 2014#199

HCGLNS

Alpha Flight Vol 1 #6 a semi rare comic thought to be one of the worst ever published.

Apr 24, 2014#200

Covar

Batman Eternal is 3 issues in and I'm enjoying the weekly format a lot. I think the story flows between issues better than 52 or Countdown (I'll admit I got bored with Trinity really quickly and never read most of it). It's probably because of the more focused nature of the material.

One thing I really like is that if this were as is a monthly title I would be pissed, but the fact that it comes out weekly really helps make the story feel bigger rather than decompressed. I may hate this book in a couple of months, but for now I'm digging it a lot.

Apr 24, 2014#201

Gryfter

HCGLNS said:
Alpha Flight Vol 1 #6 a semi rare comic thought to be one of the worst ever published.

Is that the one where Byrne decided he didn't want to draw the issue so most of it is just word bubbles on white?

Apr 24, 2014#202

HCGLNS

Yeah six consecutive pages of only text bubbles as Snowbird battles a white monster in a blizzard.

Apr 24, 2014#203

Covar

HCGLNS said:
Yeah six consecutive pages of only text bubbles as Snowbird battles a white monster in a blizzard.

I've never read Bryne's Alpha Flight (or any Alpha Flight for that matter), but if it was a comedy book like his She-Hulk, that's great.

Reminds me of this page from Invincible:

Apr 24, 2014#204

Covar

Justice League United, was not a bad start for Justice League Canada. Adam Strange is in it, and he's always been one of my favorites. Big changes to him and Alanna, but I'll wait and see how it goes.

Apr 26, 2014#205

Zappit

Damn Amazon. They bought Comixology, and now you can't get comics via in-app purchases anymore. I was very content getting books with iTunes cards and not putting my credit card info on another site. Now I would have to, and it's a cumbersome process just to download a comic now.

May 5, 2014#206

Bowielee

So, I finished up with Annihilation and only have one issue left of Conquest. Jesus Christ these are good comics, with ONE glaring exception. Hello, Wraith, the 90s called and they want their shitty grimdark character back.

May 5, 2014#207

figmentPez

As soon as finals are over, I'll start reading Chew vol. 1 and Saga vol. 1. Got them as part of the Humble Image Comics Bundle.

May 5, 2014#208

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
So, I finished up with Annihilation and only have one issue left of Conquest. Jesus Christ these are good comics, with ONE glaring exception. Hello, Wraith, the 90s called and they want their shitty grimdark character back.

I thought some of the mini-series were kind of hit and miss in general, anyway. Wraith stands out for sure. I wasn't crazy about Ronan's mini-series, for example. They're all still more hit than miss, but there are some misses.

May 6, 2014#209

Shawn

I went through the WANTED series again recently. I still enjoy it. It's a strange read, considering that basically you are supposed to cheer for a terrible person who is just killing off... other equally terrible people who just have different viewpoints on how they should get away with the terrible things they do?
Either way it's a fun read and really has a lot of fun with the super-human genre. It's a shame that the movie adaption didn't actually follow the comics in any way other than a few small scenes. If the movie had used the super-villain plot rather than the dumb "fate's assasins" plot, I probably would have enjoyed it a whole lot more.

May 6, 2014#210

CynicismKills

Shawnacy said:
I went through the WANTED series again recently. I still enjoy it. It's a strange read, considering that basically you are supposed to cheer for a terrible person who is just killing off... other equally terrible people who just have different viewpoints on how they should get away with the terrible things they do?
Either way it's a fun read and really has a lot of fun with the super-human genre. It's a shame that the movie adaption didn't actually follow the comics in any way other than a few small scenes. If the movie had used the super-villain plot rather than the dumb "fate's assasins" plot, I probably would have enjoyed it a whole lot more.

Also he looks like Eminem in the comics, and that bugs the crap out of me because I just read it all as if the main dude is him.

May 6, 2014#211

Covar

Royals: Masters of War a sixth issue mini-series from Vertigo written by current Judge Dredd scribe Rob Williams with art by Simon Coleby. It's an alternate reality/history story with the premise that Royal Blood carries with it super human powers. The story starts out with Prince Henry breaking the non-interference treaty and getting involved in WWII. It's 3 issues in and a pretty interesting read. If I had one complaint it's that it seems like I'm not yet halfway though the story.

May 6, 2014#212

mikerc

Shawnacy said:
I went through the WANTED series again recently. I still enjoy it. It's a strange read, considering that basically you are supposed to cheer for a terrible person who is just killing off... other equally terrible people who just have different viewpoints on how they should get away with the terrible things they do?
Either way it's a fun read and really has a lot of fun with the super-human genre. It's a shame that the movie adaption didn't actually follow the comics in any way other than a few small scenes. If the movie had used the super-villain plot rather than the dumb "fate's assasins" plot, I probably would have enjoyed it a whole lot more.

I liked the movie version of Wanted. Yes it was dumb but it was enjoyable dumb and that's all it was trying to be.

The comic series though? The main character is about as likeable as Joffrey the difference being we were supposed to hate Joffrey & he eventually got what was coming to him. The only reason I got through the Wanted comic was because i wanted to see the main character eventually get what he deserved too. Instead it ends with him sneering at the reader for not being as "awesome" as he is. Fuck you Mark Millar he's not awesome he's a Mary-Sue with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

May 6, 2014#213

linglingface

Rat Queens I picked up Rat Queens during Emerald City ComiCon and thinking about a Hannah cosplay. :3 I adore the characters and all of their sass. Unfortunately I failed to realize how new it was at the time, so I'll just have to patiently await the next volume... le sigh.

May 7, 2014#214

filmfanatic

Spider-Man: Blue

I picked this up when I swung by a local comic shop during Free Comic Book Day. I thought it was really good and a nice look at the whole dyanic for Peter Parker of Gwen Stacy and Mary-Jane Watson.

By the way, in terms of comics, I'm planning on jumping ship from DC and put more of a focus on reading Marvel. What stories would people recommend, whether current titles or old graphic novels and trades?

May 7, 2014#215

Covar

Daredevil.

May 7, 2014#216

Bowielee

Where do I start...

Spider-Man:

Torment, Kraven's Last Hunt, Maximum Carnage, Spider-Man No More, The Alien Costume Saga, Death of the Stacys

X-Men:

The Dark Phoenix Saga (personally probably my favorite comic book storyline of all time), Days of Future Past, God Loves Man Kills, Xtinction Agenda

General Marvel/Cosmic:

Operation Galactic Storm, The Infinity Gauntlet, Annihilation, Secret Wars

I could go on...

I haven't been keeping up with current stuff outside of some X-titles.

May 7, 2014#217

Yoshimickster

Classic Moon Knight is good.

Deadpool is almost always good.

Chris Claremon'ts Wolverine run is a damn CLASSIC with art by Frank Miller PRE-crazy.

Everything else I agree with BowieLee.

Also, do not read Marvel Knight's Spider-man. It was stupid and because of that comic we had to pretend that Scorpion was Venom for a while. He's not, he's Scorpion.

May 7, 2014#218

Bowielee

I also have a soft spot for the weird Marvel titles that you can't even really get anymore because they were never popular enough to merit collections.

Slapstick
Sleepwalker (so crazy, one of the villains is called 8-Ball and he has an 8-ball for a head and uses a rocket powered pool cue to commit crimes)
The original Guardians of the Galaxy (which takes place in an alternate marvel future)
Man Thing

May 7, 2014#219

CynicismKills

If you're going to read Deadpool, start with Posehn's run. It's ridiculously good and really makes Wade into more of a character and less of a punchline.

May 7, 2014#220

Bowielee

CynicismKills said:
If you're going to read Deadpool, start with Posehn's run. It's ridiculously good and really makes Wade into more of a character and less of a punchline.

I haven't read his run, but I've heard the exact opposite.

May 7, 2014#221

CynicismKills

Bowielee said:
I haven't read his run, but I've heard the exact opposite.

Then they lied to you.

May 7, 2014#222

ThatNickGuy

-Mark Waid's current run on Daredevil. They recently restarted it with #1, but I would recommend going back to the previous version first because it's great.
-Joss Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men
-The current run of Hawkeye
-Greg Rucka's run on Wolverine
-Ed Brubaker & Matt Fraction's run on Immortal Iron Fist
-Planet Hulk (and arguably World War Hulk, though opinions on that are much more split)
-Mark Waid's run on Fantastic Four with artist Mike Wieringo
-Ed Brubaker's entire run on Captain America
-Ultimate Spider-Man (either the original run or the new run with new Spider-Man, Miles Morales. Both are great.)
-Ultimates 1 & 2. Opinions on this vary, but I like it for being a big, dumb summer blockbuster. Many of the characters are jerks but they're surprisingly compelling jerks. While I much prefer the Steve Rogers of the movies, I kinda dig this version because he's much more of a military hard ass.

May 7, 2014#223

CynicismKills

Yeah avoid Ultimates 3 and anything with the Ultimatum title. It was all building to this big stupid event and it was pretty terrible.

I would also say to give Dan Slott's run on Amazing Spider-Man a try. There's a few pretty good arcs in there before Superior that are worth checking out.

Cable & Deadpool is pretty fun, if you can find it.

May 7, 2014#224

mikerc

Walter Simonson's run on Thor.

Peter David's recent X-Factor run.

And a hesitant recommendation for Captain Britain & MI:13. Hesitant because it does really assume you're familiar with characters who are D-list in terms of exposure.

May 7, 2014#225

ThatNickGuy

CynicismKills said:
Cable & Deadpool is pretty fun, if you can find it.

Marvel did a series of their ultimate collections for this, actually (stuffing 20-some issues into each volume). As far as I know, they're still in print and available.

May 7, 2014#226

CynicismKills

ThatNickGuy said:
Marvel did a series of their ultimate collections for this, actually (stuffing 20-some issues into each volume). As far as I know, they're still in print and available.

Oh neat. I knew there were trades of it at one point, I've got two of them I think, but I wasn't sure how easy they'd be to find as the story was awhile ago and wasn't one of their major arcs (tied-in to Cable's island nation thing, but that's it).

May 11, 2014#227

Yoshimickster

Hellboy Weird Tales Volume 1: Always love a good anthology book. Fun fact, I actually got Hell boy Weird Tales volume 2 thinking it was the second volume in the series. Though with the weird continuity of the TPBs I didn't question it until years later.

May 11, 2014#228

filmfanatic

Thank you for all of the recommendations, everyone. They've been serving as a good point of reference for someone going from DC to Marvel.

I've kicked things off with Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. That was a great read with a very good take on Wolverine though this sort of "failed samurai" mentality. On the whole, definitely recommend.

May 11, 2014#229

ThatNickGuy

Thought of a few more recommendations:

-Dan Slott's run on She Hulk. I've only read bits and pieces of it, but I liked what I read and it received a LOT of positive reviews.
-Runaways. Specifically, Brian K. Vaughan's run, which is the first 7 volumes. Joss Whedon wrote for the title for one volume after that. And while it was good, it just didn't have the same magic that Vaughan had.
-Gravity - A mini-series written by Sean McKeever. I'm almost certain this has been long out of print, but you might be able to find it digitally, either on Comixology or if you "legally obtain" it.
-Mary Jane, followed by Mary Jane Loves Spider-Man - On the surface, it feels like a made-for-teen-girls comic. But it's incredibly well written and an interesting take on the Spider-Man mythos.
-X-Men: Age of Apocalypse - This was actually my introduction into the X-Men universe (aside from occasionally catching the 90s cartoon), as I'd just gotten into comics a few years before this. Marvel re-published the whole event into five volumes a few years ago (Vol. 1-4, plus a later-published Prelude volume). Some of it hit and miss, but I'd comfortably say it's about 90% hit. Some of it's dated now and feels a little too 90s at times, but it's still an engaging read overall.

May 11, 2014#230

Covar

ThatNickGuy said:
Thought of a few more recommendations:

-Dan Slott's run on She Hulk. I've only read bits and pieces of it, but I liked what I read and it received a LOT of positive reviews.

It's good, but suffers from the greater Marvel Universe. After the first year Disassembled happens, and Jennifer Walters is not treated kindly by it or the next several events that follows.

May 11, 2014#231

Frank

Picked up the Winter Soldier hardcover.

It's really good. It's neat seeing a couple exact scenes from the comic lifted for the movie, despite being completely different stories overall.

May 15, 2014#232

CynicismKills

So, apparently Dan Slott's decided that the spider that gave Peter his powers lived just long enough to bite someone else in the room. ASM #2 is going to introduce Silk, a woman who got powers from the same spider as Peter.

Oh and Cap tells Pete who the new Venom is, according to preview pages. Should be fun!

May 15, 2014#233

Yoshimickster

CynicismKills said:
So, apparently Dan Slott's decided that the spider that gave Peter his powers lived just long enough to bite someone else in the room. ASM #2 is going to introduce Silk, a woman who got powers from the same spider as Peter.

Oh and Cap tells Pete who the new Venom is, according to preview pages. Should be fun!

Another new Venom? Sweet strawberry Jesus its feels like "The Mask" at this point. Unless this new Venom is actually Eddie Brock thus bringing order back into the universe, than by all means.

May 15, 2014#234

ThatNickGuy

Yoshimickster said:
Another new Venom? Sweet strawberry Jesus its feels like "The Mask" at this point. Unless this new Venom is actually Eddie Brock thus bringing order back into the universe, than by all means.

Nope, still Flash Thompson. But Pete wasn't around long enough to find out.

May 16, 2014#235

CynicismKills

ThatNickGuy said:
Nope, still Flash Thompson. But Pete wasn't around long enough to find out.

Yeah, and he is not happy.

May 16, 2014#236

ThatNickGuy

CynicismKills said:
Yeah, and he is not happy.

Well no, of course not he's not Happy. Happy Hogan works for Iron Man.

[DOUBLEPOST=1400252572,1400252365][/DOUBLEPOST]http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=2077

Unsurprisingly, David Willis nails it again.

May 16, 2014#237

Dei

I will say that I don't understand the obsession with free comic book day comics not all being kid friendly, unless this was being specifically marketed as something kids would want. It being superheroes does not make it de facto marketed to kids. Then again, I am there to keep an eye on what my kids are doing and know what I am getting into. Some parents just shrug.

May 16, 2014#238

ThatNickGuy

Dei said:
I will say that I don't understand the obsession with free comic book day comics not all being kid friendly, unless this was being specifically marketed as something kids would want. It being superheroes does not make it de facto marketed to kids. Then again, I am there to keep an eye on what my kids are doing and know what I am getting into. Some parents just shrug.

I think it's that some don't want superheroes - certainly not ALL superheroes - to be ultra-violent like it seems to be these days. At least at DC. They read more like early Image than any DC comic I ever enjoyed. And Dan Didio himself has said that they are catering specifically to their older, male audience. They don't care about garnering a strong female or younger audience. THAT'S the problem. They're not trying to pull in new readers with a more diverse line of comics.

May 16, 2014#239

Covar

Dei said:
I will say that I don't understand the obsession with free comic book day comics not all being kid friendly, unless this was being specifically marketed as something kids would want. It being superheroes does not make it de facto marketed to kids. Then again, I am there to keep an eye on what my kids are doing and know what I am getting into. Some parents just shrug.

The big problem is DC put out two books for Free comic book day, one features Futuristic Batman on the cover, the other is a reprint of Tiny Titans that they gave out last year. My roommate runs a comic shop and worked free comic book day. It was ridiculous how often he had to tell kids that they couldn't have "the one with batman."

I could rage for hours about the lack of all ages and family friendly comics (starting with "There's no reason a parent should have to not let their kid read Action Comics..") and the demographic gaps in the industry, but I will refrain.

May 16, 2014#240

figmentPez

Dei said:
I will say that I don't understand the obsession with free comic book day comics not all being kid friendly, unless this was being specifically marketed as something kids would want. It being superheroes does not make it de facto marketed to kids. Then again, I am there to keep an eye on what my kids are doing and know what I am getting into. Some parents just shrug.

It had Batman Beyond on the cover, you know, a character created for Saturday morning cartoons, and in some comic book shops was bundled with a Teen Titans Go! comic. So, yeah, there's some valid concerns that this was being mis-marketed.

Furthermore, more than just it's lack of being kid-friendly, it's not new-reader friendly. The alleged purpose of free comic book day is to draw in new readers, and this grimdark slaughtering of iconic heroes isn't likely to draw in new demographics to comics.

May 17, 2014#241

Bowielee

Screw kids seeing that stuff, I don't want to see that stuff.[DOUBLEPOST=1400305877,1400305458][/DOUBLEPOST]DC is just a toilet bowl right now, and Marvel is laughing all the way to the bank.

May 17, 2014#242

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
Screw kids seeing that stuff, I don't want to see that stuff.[DOUBLEPOST=1400305877,1400305458][/DOUBLEPOST]DC is just a toilet bowl right now, and Marvel is laughing all the way to the bank.

Eh, I don't know. While Marvel certainly as grim-dark as DC, they're not exactly knocking every title out of the park, either. While there has been some really good stuff in the last few years (Daredevil, Hawkeye, recently She-Hulk), their main books are a confusing mess. The Avengers titles are crowded and don't look like a lot of fun. The X-Men books are the usual overbooked, convoluted mess. Though Superior Spider-Man has been arguably pretty good.

There's nothing really BAD about most of Marvel's books. But many of them aren't really even noteworthy. Then again, neither are most of DC's books, aside from keeping this "edgy" 90s aesthetic to most of them.

May 17, 2014#243

Sparhawk

figmentPez said:
Furthermore, more than just it's lack of being kid-friendly, it's not new-reader friendly. The alleged purpose of free comic book day is to draw in new readers, and this grimdark slaughtering of iconic heroes isn't likely to draw in new demographics to comics.

Added emphasis is mine.

This is the main problem with ALL comics today. They're not reader friendly. Back in the 80's and earlier they had footnote references to previous issues, they would mention something in the comic, and add a note in that panel to "see X-Men #136" and go on with the story. Now, it's don't reference at all, or have a block of text near the front of the book to "catch up."

Too many, and I really do feel this, editors think that "kid-friendly" has to be silly and juvenile. Look at the transformation of Teen Titans cartoon to Teen Titans Go! to give you all of that story. Kids want good stories, just like adults do, and most of the time they will be the same story, and don't need additions of "extreme" elements to make the "story." (really, do we need completely blood soaked panels to show a good fight?) Too many are taking the easy route of appealing to the loud fanboi element for more violence and "adult" content instead of demanding interesting stories.

May 17, 2014#244

Covar

Sales numbers show the biggest growth in comics the past several years have been the Indy publishers and creator owned works. Both Marvel and DC have had growth, but not at the rate as the market overall.

May 17, 2014#245

ThatNickGuy

Covar said:
Sales numbers show the biggest growth in comics the past several years have been the Indy publishers and creator owned works. Both Marvel and DC have had growth, but not at the rate as the market overall.

Yup. It bears a lot of similarities to the video game market. The big dogs are losing touch with what the audience wants while the smaller folk are raking in the cash, fans, and accolades.

May 17, 2014#246

Ravenpoe

So, I just started reading Transmetropolitan. I'm only a few pages in, but so far I assume this is a story about Alan Moore.

May 17, 2014#247

ThatNickGuy

Ravenpoe said:
So, I just started reading Transmetropolitan. I'm only a few pages in, but so far I assume this is a story about Alan Moore.

I think I read somewhere it was heavily inspired by Hunter S. Thompson. A friend of mine who's a big fan of Thompson's work told me that as well after reading Transmet.

May 17, 2014#248

filmfanatic

ThatNickGuy said:
I think I read somewhere it was heavily inspired by Hunter S. Thompson. A friend of mine who's a big fan of Thompson's work told me that as well after reading Transmet.

That's pretty self-evident in it. The story basically follows a futuristic Hunter S. Thompson-esque character named Spider Jerusalem investigating stories and eventually battling political corruption.

May 28, 2014#249

Fun Size

If someone were to expect to receive a new-fangled iPad device, would anyone here recommend a good comic reading app? Both official and otherwise.

May 28, 2014#250

Covar

Comixology is pretty much the one.

I would highly recommend the 2000AD app. You can get 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine on it far cheaper than you can get the print copies in the states, and it's full of great stories.

May 30, 2014#251

Frank

Kind of comicy news (well, very much is comics news) but apparently Marvel is cancelling all Fantastic Four related comics to spite Fox.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/05/29/would-marvel-really-cancel-fantastic-four-to-snub-fox/

May 30, 2014#252

CynicismKills

Wow, if that's really happening, that's fucking huge.

May 30, 2014#253

Covar

Not if you read the current book, it's terrible. Worse than Fractions run, which is no easy feat.

May 30, 2014#254

ThatNickGuy

Since starting a new job, I can afford comics again! Huzzah!

Adventures of Superman Vol. 1

This is the online-first comic that features a series of short stories by some of the best in the biz. And by god, THIS is the kind of Superman I miss. You know, the ones where he's not some Image Comics reject in unnecessary armour. And the stories are pretty good. More hit than miss. The art for most of them are fantastic, too. Highly recommended.

Saga Vol. 3

How the hell does this series continue to just get better and better?!

Picked up a hardcover copy of Daytripper. I've read it before and it's fantastic, but I lent it to a friend a few years ago and never got it back. Can't wait to re-read it. At work, I also found a copy of Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang, known best for American Born Chinese and the Avatar: The Last Airbender comics. I haven't read it yet, but if it's even half as good as his other work, I'm sure it'll be great.

The comic store also gave me a free copy of the first issue of Sex Criminals. I've only flipped through it so far, but what I've seen of it is enough to convince me to pick up the trade. Probably next week.

May 30, 2014#255

Covar

Saga really impresses me, because it's the only work of BKV that I've absolutely loved. Everything else of his that I've read never really did anything for me (although it was suggested I check out Ex Machina).

May 30, 2014#256

ThatNickGuy

Covar said:
Saga really impresses me, because it's the only work of BKV that I've absolutely loved. Everything else of his that I've read never really did anything for me (although it was suggested I check out Ex Machina).

I'm pretty much the opposite. I've loved almost anything he's written. Runaways, Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina. Saga, though, just seems to hit new heights altogether and I'm not sure if it's the writing, the art, or the combination. Probably both.

If it helps, they've recently started re-publishing Ex Machina, with new softcovers. Basically softcovers of the previous hardcover collections, which collect 12 issues a piece in the series. First volume is out so far. I sold my original trades in order to eventually buy them (see also: Preacher). I liked it. It was a different series for me because I'm not normally drawn into political stuff. I've called it "West Wing but with some superheroics" in the past and I think that description holds well. Since the main character is retired from the superhero business and is New York's mayor, there are usually flashbacks in every issue to his time as The Great Machine.

May 30, 2014#257

Frank

Ditto, love Vaughan's work. I like that he writes these incredibly longform stories in comics. They go for a LONG damn time, but they have an ending. It's something that doesn't seem to really exist. Most series goes on forever until they're cancelled or they're miniseries.

May 30, 2014#258

ThatNickGuy

Frank said:
Ditto, love Vaughan's work. I like that he writes these incredibly longform stories in comics. They go for a LONG damn time, but they have an ending. It's something that doesn't seem to really exist. Most series goes on forever until they're cancelled or they're miniseries.

I'd say with the exception of most Vertigo series. In fact, some of the best rarely made it to #75 or #100 in their run. Sweet Tooth, Preacher, Sandman (excluding self-contained mini-series like Death or spin-offs like Lucifer), DMZ, 100 Bullets. All of them had a general set conclusion in mind from the beginning. Even some current series like Saga and Chew have gone on record to say they have a conclusion in mind and a rough idea of what the last issue's number is.

And as I've said on multiple occasions, that's the way I like my comics the best. Aside from one-volume graphic novels. The series doesn't overstay its welcome (most times) and from a narrative perspective, it's incredibly satisfying to see things fall into place that were set up many issues ago. Best of all, the creative teams is usually consistently the same throughout the series, creating this fantastic consistent tone from beginning to end.

May 30, 2014#259

Frank

ThatNickGuy said:
I'd say with the exception of most Vertigo series. In fact, some of the best rarely made it to #75 or #100 in their run. Sweet Tooth, Preacher, Sandman (excluding self-contained mini-series like Death or spin-offs like Lucifer), DMZ, 100 Bullets. All of them had a general set conclusion in mind from the beginning. Even some current series like Saga and Chew have gone on record to say they have a conclusion in mind and a rough idea of what the last issue's number is.

And as I've said on multiple occasions, that's the way I like my comics the best. Aside from one-volume graphic novels. The series doesn't overstay its welcome (most times) and from a narrative perspective, it's incredibly satisfying to see things fall into place that were set up many issues ago. Best of all, the creative teams is usually consistently the same throughout the series, creating this fantastic consistent tone from beginning to end.

I should have said outside of Vertigo.

Jun 3, 2014#260

BananaHands

Have we talked about All-New Ghost Rider yet? That and the new Miss Marvel have given me some small degree of hope in Marvel Comics. I just got my subscription to ANGR because goddamn the art is amazing.

Jun 3, 2014#261

ThatNickGuy

I heard the writing itself isn't all that great in Ghost Rider, but that's only from one or two sources. I THINK it was Chris Sims that said it was terribly written. From what I've seen, the art looks amaze-balls.

Jun 3, 2014#262

BananaHands

ThatNickGuy said:
I heard the writing itself isn't all that great in Ghost Rider, but that's only from one or two sources. I THINK it was Chris Sims that said it was terribly written. From what I've seen, the art looks amaze-balls.

Yeah, the writing isn't perfect - but the art is absolutely amazing. One thing that sets it a bit higher than Miss Marvel is the pacing. Three issues in and there has been plenty of action fitting of a Ghost Rider comic.

Jun 3, 2014#263

CynicismKills

Plus, the new GR has a bigass muscle car instead of a motorcycle, which is pretty neat.

I've actually enjoyed the Posehn/Duggan Deadpool run, even moreso now that DP's married and on his "honeymoon." Also, the first issue of Cyclops is fun. After the younger X-Men were brought to the present by Beast, the young Cyclops ends up leaving Earth with Corsair (his dad) for some space adventures. Corsair's wife is helping Scott learn how to use his Blasts to navigate in zero-g on the first few pages, it's a good time.

Jun 3, 2014#264

BananaHands

CynicismKills said:
Plus, the new GR has a bigass muscle car instead of a motorcycle, which is pretty neat.

I've actually enjoyed the Posehn/Duggan Deadpool run, even moreso now that DP's married and on his "honeymoon." Also, the first issue of Cyclops is fun. After the younger X-Men were brought to the present by Beast, the young Cyclops ends up leaving Earth with Corsair (his dad) for some space adventures. Corsair's wife is helping Scott learn how to use his Blasts to navigate in zero-g on the first few pages, it's a good time.

Oh yeah! I enjoy that too! Much better than I enjoy ANXM

Jun 3, 2014#265

Anonymous

Sex Criminals

Holy shit, this book is amazing. I am SO sorry I didn't read it sooner.

You. You reading this right now. You need to go buy Volume 1 immediately.

Jun 3, 2014#266

ThatNickGuy

Oh shoot, that was me.

Jun 3, 2014#267

Frank

Looked like you were ashamed of reading Sex Criminals for a moment.

Jun 3, 2014#268

ThatNickGuy

Frank said:
Looked like you were ashamed of reading Sex Criminals for a moment.

Hell no. I was trying to write it while my 4-year old niece was bugging me and accidentally hit the anonymous thing before I hit reply. It's a DAMN great comic. The two main characters are incredibly well-written and well-rounded. Like, I feel that many stories (movies, books, comics) portray criminals as unlikeable or unrelatable. Here, that's not the case. The two main characters are written with a great natural chemistry and likeable personalities that you want to see them succeed, even if they're ripping off banks.

There are a lot of gags (no pun intended) and it's definitely not a safe comic to read around children or if you're worried what someone would say if they suddenly read it over your shoulder. But it's still a very funny book. My favourite scene is where one of the main characters starts belting out a Freddie Mercury song. Except the creators couldn't afford to put the lyrics in the book, so it's a long rant about that pasted over where she'd be singing.

My only complaint?

The Sex Police. I was honestly enjoying the comic much more when it didn't include stupid looking superheroes. I was thinking "This would make a great movie," and then all of a sudden, you have these "heroes" dressed in glowing white. I wish it'd focused on the personal relationships more, because that's the absolute best part of the comic. I don't normally wish comics I'm reading are less weird, but in this case, it was a noticeable downturn. At least they didn't appear much in the story (so far).

Jun 5, 2014#269

Bowielee

CynicismKills said:
Plus, the new GR has a bigass muscle car instead of a motorcycle, which is pretty neat.

I've actually enjoyed the Posehn/Duggan Deadpool run, even moreso now that DP's married and on his "honeymoon." Also, the first issue of Cyclops is fun. After the younger X-Men were brought to the present by Beast, the young Cyclops ends up leaving Earth with Corsair (his dad) for some space adventures. Corsair's wife is helping Scott learn how to use his Blasts to navigate in zero-g on the first few pages, it's a good time.

I haven't read X-Men recently. I thought Corsair died in War of Kings?

Jun 5, 2014#270

CynicismKills

Bowielee said:
I haven't read X-Men recently. I thought Corsair died in War of Kings?

Yeah I thought he was too, and I think it was explained before Cyclops' ongoing (maybe in All-New X-Men). So I'm not sure myself.

Jun 5, 2014#271

Covar

I picked up the first volume of Ex Machina (the new 11 issue volume), hopefully I find the chance to read it tonight and have a second title by BKV that I enjoy in addition to Saga.

Jun 5, 2014#272

ThatNickGuy

Covar said:
I picked up the first volume of Ex Machina (the new 11 issue volume), hopefully I find the chance to read it tonight and have a second title by BKV that I enjoy in addition to Saga.

I don't think it's quite as good as Saga, but then again, Saga is just on a totally different level in terms of comics. So goddamn good.

Picked up two more comics this week: Sex Criminals Vol. 1 and East of West Vol. 1.

Sex Criminals is seriously deserving of all the praise it received last year as the best new comic. It's fantastic.
East of West is an interesting one that I hadn't considered until someone recommended it to me. It's basically a sci-fi western with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as main characters. Written by Jonathan Hickman, which I think makes the first time I've ever sat down and read any of his work. It's quite good, though it's high on "cool" and low on deep characterization. It's still well-written, but the characters so far aren't very well developed. Really cool concept, though, which I think is enough for me to pick up Volume 2 when I'm downtown next week.

Jun 5, 2014#273

Covar

ThatNickGuy said:
I don't think it's quite as good as Saga, but then again, Saga is just on a totally different level in terms of comics. So goddamn good.

Picked up two more comics this week: Sex Criminals Vol. 1 and East of West Vol. 1.

Sex Criminals is seriously deserving of all the praise it received last year as the best new comic. It's fantastic.
East of West is an interesting one that I hadn't considered until someone recommended it to me. It's basically a sci-fi western with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as main characters. Written by Jonathan Hickman, which I think makes the first time I've ever sat down and read any of his work. It's quite good, though it's high on "cool" and low on deep characterization. It's still well-written, but the characters so far aren't very well developed. Really cool concept, though, which I think is enough for me to pick up Volume 2 when I'm downtown next week.

Hickman's big strength is the high concept stuff and he plays to it, especially with his creator owned stuff.

Jun 6, 2014#274

CynicismKills

Other fun things:

New Warriors. Anything with Kaine is a win, and as per usual he's ridiculously fun to read.

Invincible. Goddamn, things went from kind of okay to holy shit Invincible's life sucks so bad. Great series but man be ready for SUFFERING.

Jun 6, 2014#275

Frank

I read all of Superior Spider-Man the other day.

It was good.

I'd kind of like to see which comic he punched Scorpion's jaw off, since that becomes a bit of thing during the arc (a bit) but didn't happen in any of the mainline comics.

Jun 6, 2014#276

Frank

Also, just caught up on Invincible. I think I'm done with it. It's too fucking miserable for me to even enjoy anymore.

Next time on Invincible, he gets raped! Oh that actually happened.

Jun 6, 2014#277

ThatNickGuy

Frank said:
Also, just caught up on Invincible. I think I'm done with it. It's too fucking miserable for me to even enjoy anymore.

Next time on Invincible, he gets raped! Oh that actually happened.

As horrific as that scene was, I can't deny it wasn't done well. It depicted the growing horror of the situation and drew it out in such a way to show that made it absolutely clear that this was not a good thing. In some ways, I think it at least did open the discussion for male rape, which many ignore. And to be fair, the whole situation was well-suited for the character that raped him. She has always came across as unwilling to listen to others and very bull-headed. It didn't surprise me at all that she did this, especially with the build up of her staring at Mark all the time.

That said, I can understand why you couldn't keep reading after that. My only complaint is the next issue just jumps to the stuff with Robot and doesn't tackle the rape aside from Mark grabbing some clothes and flying off. I'm sure it'll be tackled in the future because that's always how Invincible worked.

Jun 6, 2014#278

Frank

ThatNickGuy said:
As horrific as that scene was, I can't deny it wasn't done well. It depicted the growing horror of the situation and drew it out in such a way to show that made it absolutely clear that this was not a good thing. In some ways, I think it at least did open the discussion for male rape, which many ignore. And to be fair, the whole situation was well-suited for the character that raped him. She has always came across as unwilling to listen to others and very bull-headed. It didn't surprise me at all that she did this, especially with the build up of her staring at Mark all the time.

That said, I can understand why you couldn't keep reading after that. My only complaint is the next issue just jumps to the stuff with Robot and doesn't tackle the rape aside from Mark grabbing some clothes and flying off. I'm sure it'll be tackled in the future because that's always how Invincible worked.

I have no issues with how it was presented and it isn't the only reason I'm going to stop reading it. The whole tone in general has been so miserable for so long that I wonder why I've kept with it so long.

Jun 6, 2014#279

BananaHands

CynicismKills said:
Other fun things:

New Warriors. Anything with Kaine is a win, and as per usual he's ridiculously fun to read.

Invincible. Goddamn, things went from kind of okay to holy shit Invincible's life sucks so bad. Great series but man be ready for SUFFERING.

Aracely is ADORABLE.

Jun 6, 2014#280

CynicismKills

Frank said:
I have no issues with how it was presented and it isn't the only reason I'm going to stop reading it. The whole tone in general has been so miserable for so long that I wonder why I've kept with it so long.

Yeah exactly this. Kirkman has kept hammering on Mark and Eve for so long now I'm not sure how anything can go right for them from now on. Also,

Robot has become the definition of the Batman/preptime jokes at this point, making him practically...and I apologize for this...Invincible.

[DOUBLEPOST=1402076685,1402076252][/DOUBLEPOST]

BananaHands said:
Aracely is ADORABLE.

Yes. Also I think there might be a little something-something developing between Kaine and Watersnake.

Jun 6, 2014#281

BananaHands

CynicismKills said:
Yeah exactly this. Kirkman has kept hammering on Mark and Eve for so long now I'm not sure how anything can go right for them from now on. Also,

Robot has become the definition of the Batman/preptime jokes at this point, making him practically...and I apologize for this...Invincible.

[DOUBLEPOST=1402076685,1402076252][/DOUBLEPOST]

Yes. Also I think there might be a little something-something developing between Kaine and Watersnake.

I feel like those two would work like this...

Jun 6, 2014#282

Frank

So I got New Warriors number 1 based on the chatter here and, well, High Evolutionary? Awesome. I'm in. He's a childhood favorite of mine.

Comixology is going to bankrupt me.

Jun 11, 2014#283

CynicismKills

Holy fucking shit everyone needs to read Afterlife With Archie right now. The first 5 issues (encompassing the first story arc) are out and holy shit I never expected to like an Archie comic this much.

Jun 11, 2014#284

BananaHands

CynicismKills said:
Holy fucking shit everyone needs to read Afterlife With Archie right now. The first 5 issues (encompassing the first story arc) are out and holy shit I never expected to like an Archie comic this much.

I read the first one and I loved it! I take it that it only gets better?

Jun 11, 2014#285

ThatNickGuy

CynicismKills said:
Holy fucking shit everyone needs to read Afterlife With Archie right now. The first 5 issues (encompassing the first story arc) are out and holy shit I never expected to like an Archie comic this much.

Meh. It's Archie. I've never cared for Archie.

Jun 11, 2014#286

BananaHands

ThatNickGuy said:
Meh. It's Archie. I've never cared for Archie.

It's a lil' different than your usual Archie.

Jun 11, 2014#287

ThatNickGuy

Oh look, it's dark and edgy. THAT'LL make Archie relevant again.

Jun 11, 2014#288

AshburnerX

ThatNickGuy said:
Oh look, it's dark and edgy. THAT'LL make Archie relevant again.

Archie still sells pretty well, thanks mainly to the fact that conservatives love it and it's one of a few comics you can still buy in super markets. The company itself isn't going anywhere ether thanks to the Sonic and Megaman comics.

Jun 11, 2014#289

BananaHands

ThatNickGuy said:
Oh look, it's dark and edgy. THAT'LL make Archie relevant again.

Sadly, that's the way things go with those clean-cut characters.

Jun 11, 2014#290

Ravenpoe

BananaHands said:
Sadly, that's the way things go with those clean-cut characters.

Too soon, man. Too soon.

Jun 11, 2014#291

ThatNickGuy

AshburnerX said:
Archie still sells pretty well, thanks mainly to the fact that conservatives love it and it's one of a few comics you can still buy in super markets. The company itself isn't going anywhere ether thanks to the Sonic and Megaman comics.

It's widespread, no doubt, but it hasn't been relevant in decades. Lately, they've been trying all sorts of gimmicks to get noticed again, like Archie marrying both Betty and Veronica in two separate universes in order to appease all fans.[DOUBLEPOST=1402506886,1402506856][/DOUBLEPOST]

BananaHands said:
Sadly, that's the way things go with those clean-cut characters.

Jun 11, 2014#292

CynicismKills

It's also well-written and incredibly atmospheric. The art fits perfectly with the tone of the series. I should point out that before this, I hadn't read an Archie book since I was maybe 8 or so.

The basic idea is a zombie infestation, but thanks to the source of infection, it turns out to be more than just that. It's certainly better put-together than most cape books are right now, and deserves a shot. Hell, I almost cried reading issue 4.[DOUBLEPOST=1402507361,1402507300][/DOUBLEPOST]

BananaHands said:
I read the first one and I loved it! I take it that it only gets better?

And yes, it's all uphill in terms of storytelling, but this shit will ruin you as you go deeper.

Jun 11, 2014#293

figmentPez

AshburnerX said:
Archie still sells pretty well, thanks mainly to the fact that conservatives love it

Wut? I thought conservative groups have been outraged at it for years for having inter-racial couples, gay characters, etc.

Jun 11, 2014#294

AshburnerX

figmentPez said:
Wut? I thought conservative groups have been outraged at it for years for having inter-racial couples, gay characters, etc.

I said conservatives, not right wing wackos. They love the 1950's feel... the Golden Age of America stuff. But any reasonable person is going to understand that interracial and gay people are a fact of life. Their kids are going to meet them pretty early on and not have much a problem with them. It's hard to get outraged over that simple stuff.

I'd also like to point out Sabrina the Teenage Witch (who also lives in the same town as Archie and friends) has always been a decent seller for young girls too, despite her ties to witchcraft.

Jun 14, 2014#295

fade

It amazes me how much shonen jump's two flagships have diverged. Both Naruto and Bleach started out as typical power up driven shonen stories. Bleach kept on that path, becoming dragged out and formulaic. Naruto actually grew characters you care about. Kubo is the better artist (though still very formulaic), but I actually cared when

jiraya died, shikaku dies, neji dies, etc.

. Naruto becomes a character you actually care about who wants to do more than bash his way to the end.

Jun 14, 2014#296

Celt Z

I've been reading Bleach for a long time, and still do, against my better judgement. I hate the "power-up-driven" shonen stories, but what impressed me was Kubo had such a huge cast, and everyone was so different in both appearance and personality. There was a point where you could hear a piece of dialogue and know who was saying it without looking at the page. I used to love how all the characters (or the majority) had unique, fleshed-out back stories as well.

But I can't stand the endless "dick-measuring" stand-offs. Enough already. It's not dramatic or intense to draw out these fights week after week. It's just boring. And predictable. I'd probably give up entirely, but every once in a while he throws in some actual character development, like

the revelation that Unohana was the original Kenpachi

, and I remember why I started reading in the first place. I'm also afraid he may never give some answers to some of the characters I've loved over the years because he's too busy stalling with these dumb fights. I know Kubo has admitted he has problems plotting out stories, but damn, this is ridiculous.

Jun 18, 2014#297

fade

Hmm. Whedon's run on Astounding X-Men is easily the worst thing he's written in a while. Danger is such a stock, lame villain.

Jun 19, 2014#298

LittleKagsin

Tomb Raider, written by Gail Simone. And I'm really loving it. It follows directly after the reboot video game and I'm wondering if this is simply going to end up being an arc between the reboot and the next Tomb Raider game? Or what?

But yeah, regardless, I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Issue 5 comes out next week.

Jun 19, 2014#299

ThatNickGuy

http://nickpiers.wordpress.com/2014/06/19/nicks-picks-andre-the-giant-life-and-legend/

So a few weeks back, I picked up Andre the Giant: Life & Legend. I really enjoyed it and decided to review it on the blog. Have a look.

Jul 3, 2014#300

Fun Size

I picked up the free episode of Wolf Among Us on my iPad, but I thought I should read Fables first, being a "read the book" kind of guy. Put the first one on order at the library a couple weeks ago.

Have now developed a serious dependence. I have five of them in my bag now, one read, four eating at me.

Jul 7, 2014#301

CynicismKills

Warren Ellis' run on Moon Knight is fantastic, sadly ending with the next issue (number 6). The art is the best I've seen in a long time, action looks fantastic and the choice to leave MK himself as just inks and no color makes his panels really awesome.

Jul 8, 2014#302

Fun Size

I just read the Age of Ultron trade, and I just have to say it: almost every straight superhero comic I read from DC or Marvel just feels ridiculous. Maybe it's because I keep reading events (Crisis on Infinite Earths or the Ultron thing for example), but I just can't get into them. I remember liking a few of the Batman trades in the past, but somehow I'm thinking maybe I should stick to the movies when it comes to the capes.

Jul 8, 2014#303

ThatNickGuy

Fun Size said:
I just read the Age of Ultron trade, and I just have to say it: almost every straight superhero comic I read from DC or Marvel just feels ridiculous. Maybe it's because I keep reading events (Crisis on Infinite Earths or the Ultron thing for example), but I just can't get into them. I remember liking a few of the Batman trades in the past, but somehow I'm thinking maybe I should stick to the movies when it comes to the capes.

From what I've heard of it, AoU is a convoluted mess. Which is par for the course in today's big crossover events.

There are some good straight-up superhero stuff, but it's hard to find it among all the convoluted, over-written, over-editorialized crap.

Jul 8, 2014#304

Frank

Buddy lent me Black Science, which is like Sliders if it were much darker. It was good, and I want to read more.

Jul 15, 2014#305

CynicismKills

So Thor's somehow going to become unworthy of his powers between now and October and will be replaced with a female lead taking up the mantle.

On one hand, okay sure it could be interesting, as the current Thor writer is pretty solid. On the other, all this noise Marvel's making about "she's the only Thor now! Totally worthy! Old Thor's a hobo with an axe now!" just screams Superior Spider-Man all over again (big hype, angry fans, all is status quo in a year at most). So I guess we'll see where this leads.

Jul 15, 2014#306

Bowielee

CynicismKills said:
So Thor's somehow going to become unworthy of his powers between now and October and will be replaced with a female lead taking up the mantle.

On one hand, okay sure it could be interesting, as the current Thor writer is pretty solid. On the other, all this noise Marvel's making about "she's the only Thor now! Totally worthy! Old Thor's a hobo with an axe now!" just screams Superior Spider-Man all over again (big hype, angry fans, all is status quo in a year at most). So I guess we'll see where this leads.

Totally not the first time this sort of thing has happened with Thor, either. Hell, they went through with the whole Ragnarok storyline to actually kill off ALL of the Asgardians. That didn't last long.

Jul 15, 2014#307

CynicismKills

Bowielee said:
Totally not the first time this sort of thing has happened with Thor, either. Hell, they went through with the whole Ragnarok storyline to actually kill off ALL of the Asgardians. That didn't last long.

True. Loki's been a woman multiple times, and in one alternate-reality story (Earth X), Thor had been turned into a woman by Odin for some reason I can't remember. Plus there was that curse that turned him into a frog, Beta Ray Bill kicking his ass and being Thor for awhile before getting his own hammer...

Jul 15, 2014#308

Covar

CynicismKills said:
So I guess we'll see where this leads.

Based on Superior Spider-man, to Avengers 2.

Jul 15, 2014#309

Hailey Knight

Fun Size said:
I picked up the free episode of Wolf Among Us on my iPad, but I thought I should read Fables first, being a "read the book" kind of guy. Put the first one on order at the library a couple weeks ago.

Have now developed a serious dependence. I have five of them in my bag now, one read, four eating at me.

There's a lot of Fables books, don't worry about going through them too fast.

Jul 15, 2014#310

evilmike

Jul 16, 2014#311

CynicismKills

Ordered the first 3 volumes of IDW's Ninja Turtles because it was like 30 bucks for them all on Amazon.

Two and three showed up.

Vol. 1 is on back-order. This is true pain.

Jul 16, 2014#312

Covar

The series is so good. It will be worth the wait.

Jul 16, 2014#313

mikerc

evilmike said:

Yeah, we all know Iron Man's real response to Thor turning into a woman would be to start hitting on her.

Jul 16, 2014#314

drifter

Why wait for him to turn?

Jul 16, 2014#315

Bowielee

CynicismKills said:
True. Loki's been a woman multiple times, and in one alternate-reality story (Earth X), Thor had been turned into a woman by Odin for some reason I can't remember. Plus there was that curse that turned him into a frog, Beta Ray Bill kicking his ass and being Thor for awhile before getting his own hammer...

Loki's character design in Earth X was hella cool, as was Daredevil's.[DOUBLEPOST=1405550536,1405550505][/DOUBLEPOST]

drifter said:
Why wait for him to turn?

What the actual fuck?

Jul 16, 2014#316

CynicismKills

A BLOO BLOO BLOO

Jul 16, 2014#317

Ravenpoe

drifter said:
Why wait for him to turn?

...

Jul 17, 2014#318

CynicismKills

Oh, also Falcon is taking over as Cap for some reason. I haven't been following Marvel a whole lot lately save for Spider-Man.

Jul 17, 2014#319

AshburnerX

CynicismKills said:
Oh, also Falcon is taking over as Cap for some reason. I haven't been following Marvel a whole lot lately save for Spider-Man.

Cap's super serum kind of conked out and now he's an old man.

Jul 17, 2014#320

Covar

It's so they can drive big interest in the Avenger solo titles right before Age of Ultron release. And why not? It worked out great with Spider-man.

Jul 17, 2014#321

CynicismKills

Covar said:
It's so they can drive big interest in the Avenger solo titles right before Age of Ultron release. And why not? It worked out great with Spider-man.

Yeah, I mean like I said earlier with the Thor thing I'm assuming it's the same as SpOck, in that by next year we'll all be back in the land of Quo, but it'll at least make for the chance at some new, interesting angles on the character.

Hopefully. Unless Bendis is writing it.

Jul 17, 2014#322

Covar

Going to leave this here for anyone that needs to shut up any idiots going on about how only Thor should be able to lift the hammer.

Jul 17, 2014#323

BananaHands

Oh, DC...

Jul 17, 2014#324

Celt Z

I'm not particularly liking the Injustice Harley. They seem to be taking her in a direction that's even more unsettling than her usual villain self. Not to mention between this and the other thread, she doesn't seem to own a pair of pants that can't double as underwear. Who is the writer for this series?

Jul 17, 2014#325

CynicismKills

Celt Z said:
I'm not particularly liking the Injustice Harley. They seem to be taking her in a direction that's even more unsettling than her usual villain self. Not to mention between this and the other thread, she doesn't seem to own a pair of pants that can't double as underwear. Who is the writer for this series?

The one BH posted is Nu52 Harley. She's pretty terrible and dumb, but then so is most of Nu52.

Jul 17, 2014#326

Covar

Harley in the comics has always been terrible and dumb. The current series just doesn't try and pretend that she's misunderstood and not that bad.

Jul 17, 2014#327

CynicismKills

Covar said:
Harley in the comics has always been terrible and dumb. The current series just doesn't try and pretend that she's misunderstood and not that bad.

Her solo run pre-52 wasn't too bad, especially when she'd team up with Ivy. It really feels like DC is trying to make her their Deadpool, but the thing is the version they're copying isn't even who he is now. Posehn/Duggan's run has made him into a much different character than Way's LOLRANDUMB shit that got him popular.

Jul 18, 2014#328

AshburnerX

CynicismKills said:
Her solo run pre-52 wasn't too bad, especially when she'd team up with Ivy.

Gotham City Sirens was fantastic, right up until they dropped the title in preparation for New 52. Catwoman, Harley, and Ivy trying to not be quite so villainous while at the same time trying to live their lives was pretty great.

Jul 18, 2014#329

CynicismKills

Yeah I enjoyed what I've read of that too. The main issue is just DC right now, I guess. They're really striking out constantly with the Nu52.

Jul 18, 2014#330

Fun Size

I don't read New 52, but Injustice Harley, at least for Volume 1, was fine.

Jul 22, 2014#331

Frank

I just ordered this monstrosity. Look forward to it!

http://www.amazon.ca/Infinity-Gaunt...007&sr=8-1&keywords=Infinity+Gauntlet+omnibus

Jul 22, 2014#332

Bowielee

wow, it even has the issue of Sleepwalker.

Jul 22, 2014#333

Frank

I had one reservation, sometimes these gigantic hardcovers don't have an adequate buffer zone in the middle of the page for the more center pages of the book, obfuscating like a 1/3 of the page but the review on Amazon has said that it isn't an issue.

Jul 23, 2014#334

PatrThom

Just went through a quadruplet of Iron Man comics* (Cary is fascinated by Iron Man) during the daily library trip. Found them to be ... really stupid. Seriously, if comics today are like this then it's no wonder comics aren't doing so well.
Then I read the first volume of the JMS Thor collection, and my faith in the art form was renewed.

--Patrick
*Web of Lies, The Bunker, Kiber the Cruel, I did not read Northern Lights.

Jul 23, 2014#335

Bowielee

BananaHands said:
Oh, DC...

Did I mention this is just gross? Because it is.

Jul 23, 2014#336

Yoshimickster

If you squint closely at the page you can see the hidden message saying "Hey teenagers! We made this specifically for your hormones!"

Jul 23, 2014#337

Celt Z

Yoshimickster said:
If you squint closely at the page you can see the hidden message saying "Hey teenagers boys! We made this specifically for your hormones! And girls, as usual, WDGAF."

You were essentially right, Yoshi, just one small edit.

Jul 23, 2014#338

PatrThom

That's because girls don't buy comic books, right?

--Patrick

Jul 26, 2014#339

Yoshimickster

Finally got a copy of Sandman Doll House, just a trippy and creepy as I remember!

Fables book 1, nice little mystery with a cool fantasy setting. Can't wait to read more.

Jul 26, 2014#340

Sparhawk

Yoshimickster said:
Finally got a copy of Sandman Doll House, just a trippy and creepy as I remember!

Fables book 1, nice little mystery with a cool fantasy setting. Can't wait to read more.

There are at least 19 trades of Fables out now, it's been a fairly fun ride, some misses, but mostly hits. The series itself is ending in a couple of years or so, a planned ending so there shouldn't be any huge things left dangling.

Jul 29, 2014#341

Yoshimickster

Sparhawk said:
There are at least 19 trades of Fables out now, it's been a fairly fun ride, some misses, but mostly hits. The series itself is ending in a couple of years or so, a planned ending so there shouldn't be any huge things left dangling.

Cool- QUUUUUUUUUUESTION- I know the Tell tale games are a prequel, but should I read more books before playing it?

Jul 29, 2014#342

ThatNickGuy

Yoshimickster said:
Cool- QUUUUUUUUUUESTION- I know the Tell tale games are a prequel, but should I read more books before playing it?

Actually, with the exception of an appearance by one or two characters from the comic, the games are completely self-contained. I wouldn't even say they're a prequel. Just showing you what's going on with another group of people.

Aug 3, 2014#343

ThatNickGuy

Gotham Central (Vol. 4: Corrigan)

I loved this series for a long time. It features two of my favourite writers (Ed Brubaker an Greg Rucka) and some great artists to go along with them, including Kano, who I really wish would do something that would officially put him on the map in the industry.

But for the longest time, I never got around to reading this volume. Years ago, DC started re-releasing the series in hardcover editions, finally collecting some issues in the series that hadn't been collected before. But I stopped at Volume 3 because I saw they were starting to do softcover editions instead. I prefer softcover because they take up a little less room on the shelf. Anyway, I'd only had 1 & 2 for the longest time and kept meaning to buy 3 & 4. Either I forgot or couldn't afford it (usually the latter). Finally got around to buying 3 a few months ago. And just this week, in celebration of getting my second royalty cheque (45 bucks, baby! Woo!), I picked up Volume 4. Which I'd regrettably never read before.

And I loved every page of it. The story I was most excited to finally read was "Dead Robin." The story was actually created unexpectedly. Rucka and Brubaker were in the middle of an interview with I think Newsarama. They said that the book is a very different kind of Bat-book because these people aren't connected with Batman. They don't know anything about him, what really motivates him, or the people around him. Heck, if they found the body of a kid wearing a Robin costume, they wouldn't even know if it was the real one. Then they both paused, looked at each other and went, "Huh," and had to conclude the interview early.

The conclusion to the story is kind of anti-climactic, but the rest of the story is the great stuff I always enjoyed about the series. I'm happy to finally - finally - conclude this collection and have it all on the shelf together.

Aug 17, 2014#344

ThatNickGuy

Seconds, by Brian Lee O'Malley

...wow. Now, I wasn't a fan of Scott Pilgrim for a long while. Tried the first volume and actually hated it. But then I gave it a second chance and now the whole boxed collection sits on my shelf, along with the movie adaptation BluRay.

Seconds proves that O'Malley isn't just a one trick pony. He uses some similar narrative tricks - like drawing the characters like something out of the game River City Ransom, and using some strange but funny sound effects like "Grab!" - but this is definitely a different kind of comic.

In many ways, it's kind of a mix of Groundhog Day and The Monkey's Paw. Katie, the main character, is given a chance to redo mistakes. Of course, it becomes both a tale of "be careful what you wish for" and "getting greedy with wishes." While the ending is a natural and obvious conclusion, it's still incredibly satisfying in many ways.

O'Malley also plays with the medium a bit with this one, such as rather than simply using the words "And then everything was gone," he cuts it off at the last word and leaves the rest of the page blank. Really great stuff.

Recommendation? BUY THIS BOOK THE FIRST CHANCE YOU HAVE. If you're a fan of Scott Pilgrim, I recommend it even more. Honestly, I think any fan of comics will enjoy this.

Aug 17, 2014#345

Yoshimickster

OOH- didn't know he had a new book out, happy news for me. Have you read "Lost at Sea", that's another book he did and its a really good introspective coming of age story.

Aug 17, 2014#346

ThatNickGuy

Yoshimickster said:
OOH- didn't know he had a new book out, happy news for me. Have you read "Lost at Sea", that's another book he did and its a really good introspective coming of age story.

I haven't, actually! I should fix that.

Aug 18, 2014#347

Fun Size

I'm reading a set of Batman trades (Year One, The Long Halloween & Hush) I got during the anniversary sale on Amazon. It's interesting to me that I far prefer reading DC comics, but like the Marvel movies better.

Aug 19, 2014#348

fade

That's weird, I just picked up Long Halloween myself. The goodness of Long Halloween and Dark Victory make me wonder how Loeb failed so badly with Heroes. Plus Sale is one of my favorite artists. Love his minimalist noir style. Kind of a different take on the same thing Miller does.

Aug 19, 2014#349

Covar

fade said:
That's weird, I just picked up Long Halloween myself. The goodness of Long Halloween and Dark Victory make me wonder how Loeb failed so badly with Heroes.

It was written by end of Long Halloween Jeph Loeb instead of beginning of Long Halloween Jeph Loeb?

Aug 19, 2014#350

Ravenpoe

fade said:
That's weird, I just picked up Long Halloween myself. The goodness of Long Halloween and Dark Victory make me wonder how Loeb failed so badly with Heroes. Plus Sale is one of my favorite artists. Love his minimalist noir style. Kind of a different take on the same thing Miller does.

It's because Jeph Loeb is terrible, but for some weird quirk of the universe, Tim Sale brings out whatever small talent he has. If he does a work with Sale, it's usually pretty damn good. If he does a work with anyone else, it's shit. Batzarro, anyone?

Aug 19, 2014#351

Frank

Jeph Loeb isn't terrible, the death of his son really fucked him up though. His work since then hasn't been great.

Aug 19, 2014#352

Covar

Frank said:
Jeph Loeb isn't terrible, the death of his son really fucked him up though. His work since then hasn't been great.

That's exactly it, but everyone seems to want to gloss over this fact.

Aug 19, 2014#353

Frank

I'm sure if it was an accident or something quick it wouldn't have been so bad, but the dude had to deal with the slow, 3 year cancer ordeal of his teenage son. That's not something anyone would wish on anyone else for any reason.

Aug 19, 2014#354

ThatNickGuy

I find that both Loeb and Sale just aren't as good on their own as they are together. Somehow, whenever those two work together, it's magic. Haunted Knight, Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Superman for All Seasons, their trilogy of Marvel series (Daredevil: Yellow, Hulk: Grey, Spider-Man: Blue). I can't explain it, honestly. The two just work really well together.

I say similar things about Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, who I also feel bring out the best in each other.

Aug 21, 2014#355

Covar

Multiversity. It's Grant Morrison at his most Grant Morrisony. Thankfully it's much more coherent than Final Crisis was.

Aug 21, 2014#356

Covar

Just read the first issue of The Fade Out the latest book by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. If "latest book by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips" didn't sell you on it already, it's a historical crime noir story set in 1948 Hollywood, about the murder of a Hollywood starlet.

Aug 21, 2014#357

Simfers

I'm just about to start volume 7 of the Morning Glories TPBs. So far, this has been a fascinating, messed-up ride.

Aug 23, 2014#358

Hailey Knight

Finish volume 1 of the Archie Comics run of Mega Man. The art is great on every page, which is something I'm not always used to in the comics I've read where the artist has to rush out a lot of dialogue panels. Here it's bright and has lots of eye-catching details. As for the story, the characters are fun. The plot is clunky in parts because it has to retell the first game as a narrative, so the middle two issues deal with differing extremes that Rock's personality goes to. It definitely all comes together in the last issue, and gets pretty funny too. I've ordered volume 2 already.

Every light-hearted aspect is made funnier when put against the context of the Protomen Act 1 and Act 2 albums.

Aug 23, 2014#359

AshburnerX

Zero Esc said:
Finish volume 1 of the Archie Comics run of Mega Man. The art is great on every page, which is something I'm not always used to in the comics I've read where the artist has to rush out a lot of dialogue panels. Here it's bright and has lots of eye-catching details. As for the story, the characters are fun. The plot is clunky in parts because it has to retell the first game as a narrative, so the middle two issues deal with differing extremes that Rock's personality goes to. It definitely all comes together in the last issue, and gets pretty funny too. I've ordered volume 2 already.

Every light-hearted aspect is made funnier when put against the context of the Protomen Act 1 and Act 2 albums.

Some things you may not have noticed...

- Aspects of the Megas and Protomen's music have influenced the plot.
- Dr. Light and Dr. Wily making Sniper Joes to finance stuff is explicitly from Act 2: The Father of Death, not the game canon.

- Dr. Light's dialog in the above scene is, word for word, the refrain The Message From Dr. Light by The Megas.

Aug 23, 2014#360

Hailey Knight

AshburnerX said:
Some things you may not have noticed...

- Aspects of the Megas and Protomen's music have influenced the plot.
- Dr. Light and Dr. Wily making Sniper Joes to finance stuff is explicitly from Act 2: The Father of Death, not the game canon.
View attachment 15766
- Dr. Light's dialog in the above scene is, word for word, the refrain The Message From Dr. Light by The Megas.

That is beyond cool.

Aug 23, 2014#361

AshburnerX

Zero Esc said:
That is beyond cool.

Auto also quotes one of the brentalfloss What If Mega Man Had Lyrics videos one point too, but that might be a later volume.

Aug 23, 2014#362

filmfanatic

While I have been catching up on Marvel titles I missed (and thank you to everyone that had offered their suggestions), I picked up the first book of Miracleman. It's an interesting read, considering it is one of Alan Moore's earlier works and you can already see him starting to develop ideas and themes he'd explore further in Watchmen. Worth checking out, especially considering its spot in comics history.

Aug 23, 2014#363

Yoshimickster

Fables 2 and 3: Fucking love this series, all the characters are great, and I love how this series plays on the loopholes of fairy tale spells.

Sandman 3 and 4: Book 3 was fun, bunch of stand alones. My favorite had to be Element Girl going through an emotional crisis because of her super powers.

Book 4 Season of the Mist was REALLY good, I loved how-

there was this huge tension of a battle between Dream and Lucifer and when he gets there Lucifer just says "Yeah, I quit." Awesome.

Ms. Marvel issue 2: Impulse buy at the comic shop, pretty good and I loved the back and forth between her and Wolverine.

Aug 23, 2014#364

Hailey Knight

Yoshimickster said:
Fables 2 and 3: Fucking love this series, all the characters are great, and I love how this series plays on the loopholes of fairy tale spells.

Sandman 3 and 4: Book 3 was fun, bunch of stand alones. My favorite had to be Element Girl going through an emotional crisis because of her super powers.

Book 4 Season of the Mist was REALLY good, I loved how-

there was this huge tension of a battle between Dream and Lucifer and when he gets there Lucifer just says "Yeah, I quit." Awesome.

Ooh, have you not read The Sandman before? Oh man. Damn. I'm really excited for you. If you like The Sandman's version of Lucifer, definitely check out that series when you finish The Sandman. It's excellent too.

Aug 23, 2014#365

Yoshimickster

Zero Esc said:
Ooh, have you not read The Sandman before? Oh man. Damn. I'm really excited for you. If you like The Sandman's version of Lucifer, definitely check out that series when you finish The Sandman. It's excellent too.

I've heard great things about Lucifer, definitely on my list. I actually read the first two books years ago and have been putting off getting book 3 since...crap high school I think. I have trouble explaining why as well, as if some voice in my head told me "Don't get those books yet, its not the time". Like a premonition that reading them at that time would be a catalyst for the END GAME! RIVERS OF BLOOD, MOUNTAINS OF ENTRAILS, AND THE CASTLE OF DREAM THAT LOOKS KINDA LIKEA PENIS! Or its just an aspy thing, either way it is what it is.

Aug 23, 2014#366

Hailey Knight

Yoshimickster said:
I've heard great things about Lucifer, definitely on my list. I actually read the first two books years ago and have been putting off getting book 3 since...crap high school I think. I have trouble explaining why as well, as if some voice in my head told me "Don't get those books yet, its not the time". Like a premonition that reading them at that time would be a catalyst for the END GAME! RIVERS OF BLOOD, MOUNTAINS OF ENTRAILS, AND THE CASTLE OF DREAM THAT LOOKS KINDA LIKEA PENIS! Or its just an aspy thing, either way it is what it is.

Well, it sort of would be because it has spoilers for The Sandman. So good thing you waited.

Aug 23, 2014#367

AshburnerX

@Yoshimickster, you may want to check out Dead Boy Detectives (which is ongoing) once you finish the Sandman trades. It might be a pain to track down all of the stuff before the current series, but it deals with the two kids that Death let roam the Earth instead of passing on and how they've essentially become the ghost version of the Hardy Boys... if the Hardy Boys saw some really sick and twisted shit.

Aug 23, 2014#368

Yoshimickster

Zero Esc said:
Well, it sort of would be because it has spoilers for The Sandman. So good thing you waited.

There is nothing more awkward than reading/viewing the spin-off before the original series, I am not sure what I'm referring to but the memory of this happening to me has happened before.[DOUBLEPOST=1408846634,1408846284][/DOUBLEPOST]

AshburnerX said:
@Yoshimickster, you may want to check out Dead Boy Detectives (which is ongoing) once you finish the Sandman trades. It might be a pain to track down all of the stuff before the current series, but it deals with the two kids that Death let roam the Earth instead of passing on and how they've essentially become the ghost version of the Hardy Boys... if the Hardy Boys saw some really sick and twisted shit.

I read about that on wikipedia, sounds awesome!

Aug 29, 2014#369

Covar

I just read the last issue of Adventures of Superman, and man it has me missing Lois Lane. Superman has been getting a lot better lately in the new 52, but LL has been largely absent, and it's a real shame as she's one of the best characters in comics.

Aug 30, 2014#370

Kovac

Zero Esc said:
Ooh, have you not read The Sandman before? Oh man. Damn. I'm really excited for you. If you like The Sandman's version of Lucifer, definitely check out that series when you finish The Sandman. It's excellent too.

My exposure to comics was very limited until I encountered Sandman.

It was on picking this up that I finally realized that there were amazing stories being told in comic form that I was missing out on. They had struck me as limited and kind of short compared to novels.

Sep 3, 2014#371

Fun Size

Okay, I just found out that there was a comic series based on The Haunted Mansion, and there's no way for me to read it short of coughing up fifty bucks for a hardcover anthology! No libraries! No online...libraries! Nothing! %#$@#&!

Oct 2, 2014#372

Covar

Just finished reading the first issue of Gotham Academy. Gorgeous art that lends itself perfectly to the story being told. Lots of atmosphere and the characters are pretty engaging.

Oct 7, 2014#373

Fun Size

Having found and finished The Haunted Mansion (which was unfortunately abruptly ended on an odd cliff hanger), I've moved on to Deadpool Classic. It's everything I've been warned about in a 90's comic, but so long as I read Deadpool in Ryan Reynold's voice, it seems to work.

I also just finished Uzumaki volumes 1 - 3. Really odd, almost comical horror manga with some truly disturbing elements. Can't really recommend unless you enjoy body horror wierdness.

Finally, I just read the first trade of Lucifer. Pretty good, but if I hadn't read all of Sandman first I think it would have been disorienting.

Oct 7, 2014#374

fade

I loved classic Deadpool. All the way up to the end of the Tiamat saga, 'Pool was awesome. Kind of lost interest after that.

Oct 7, 2014#375

Necronic

Zero Esc said:
Ooh, have you not read The Sandman before? Oh man. Damn. I'm really excited for you. If you like The Sandman's version of Lucifer, definitely check out that series when you finish The Sandman. It's excellent too.

Wait, there's a separate comic specifically about Lucifer?

Oct 7, 2014#376

Fun Size

You bet. And thus far it's not bad. I got the first trade from the library, but I've got the whole series on my iPad for when I'm done Deadpooling.

Oct 7, 2014#377

Necronic

Huh, I'm definitely picking that up. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite writers of all time.

Oct 7, 2014#378

Fun Size

Fair warning: it's not Gaiman. It had his blessing and it's written very well though.

Oct 7, 2014#379

Covar

Necronic said:
Huh, I'm definitely picking that up. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite writers of all time.

It's a spinoff, I think Mike Carey writes it.

Oct 7, 2014#380

Fun Size

Yes, that's right. (It's literally sitting on my desk - I could have turned my head 30 degrees and gave you the author. Sheesh.)

Oct 7, 2014#381

AshburnerX

Necronic said:
Wait, there's a separate comic specifically about Lucifer?

There's also a Dead Boy Detectives series about those two kids that didn't want to follow Death.

Oct 7, 2014#382

Fun Size

Actually, I'm a little freaked out by the spinoffs. There was a DBD as you said, Lucifer, Thessaly, the Furies, a House of Mystery one-off, Eve, several Death comics...I know I'm forgetting a bunch. It's quite the universe.

Oct 7, 2014#383

CynicismKills

Regarding Uzumaki, yeah, that's pretty much Junji Ito for you. It's definitely horror, but he relies on things just looking really gross and unsettling a lot, too. The worst thing, though, is he tends to end his stories at arbitrary times, so there's almost never real closure to any story.

That being said, though, he's pretty much the main pillar of horror manga and if you're ever wanting to get into the genre his work is where you'd start.

Oct 7, 2014#384

ThatNickGuy

Fun Size said:
Actually, I'm a little freaked out by the spinoffs. There was a DBD as you said, Lucifer, Thessaly, the Furies, a House of Mystery one-off, Eve, several Death comics...I know I'm forgetting a bunch. It's quite the universe.

They're the good kind of spin-offs, though, where they take the ideas from Gaiman's comic and do something new with it. Lucifer and DBD are especially the case here. I've read the DBD stuff and it's great. Never got around to reading Lucifer, but I've had friends that swear by it and rave about it sometimes more than Sandman.

Oct 7, 2014#385

Hailey Knight

Necronic said:
Wait, there's a separate comic specifically about Lucifer?

I love The Sandman; I've read it many times, and Lucifer wouldn't exist if not for the ideas that come to life in The Sandman.

... but Lucifer is the stronger series. And I say that as a huge Gaiman fan.

Oct 8, 2014#386

Fun Size

Having only read the first volume, I'm curious: does Lucifer form a specific arc? One of the things that astounded me about Sandman was that things that happened in the very first volume played a part in the conclusion. I had never read a comic that at least seemed to be planned out so thoroughly, and I discovered that I really loved comics that tell a long, well-planned story.

Oct 8, 2014#387

Simfers

It do. Not saying any more because I really don't want to accidentally spoil anything.

Oct 14, 2014#388

Yoshimickster

Bravest Warriors volume 1: THIS! This is how you make a comic based on a cartoon. With some show to comic adaptations they have dialogue that sounds NOTHING like how they'd actually sound, in this book? OPPOSITE! A great read, and I accept the FUCK out of this as canon.

Mask Omnibus volume 2: Payed way too much for the busted trade, but its still awesome. The gore, the humor, how the Big Head persona acts differently with different people, its just a great read. My favorite had to be "Night of the Living Ipkis", that was a hoot.

Fables book 6 Mean Seasons: I LOVE THIS SERIES!

The dumb man-beast in loves seeing FRANKENSTEIN VS THE WOLF MAN, while my more sympathetic side felt MASSIVE feels with the Snow White/ Bigby situation. Poor little zephyr.

Oct 15, 2014#389

ThatNickGuy

The Cape

This was recommended to me recently, as it's written by Joe Hill, the same writer of Locke & Key. When I saw this on shelves, I honestly thought it was related with that terrible, shortly cancelled TV show of the same name. But no, this is a really great and really dark comic about a cape that gives any wearer the ability to fly. Unfortunately, it's also worn by terrible, sociopathic people. It's essentially a horror comic, and a good one at that.

Runaways, Ultimate Collection Vol. 1

I've owned the digests for a long time, but decided to pick this up and sell the digests. I wound up re-reading this great series as a result and honestly forgot just how good it was. To be honest, I think my only two complaints is how quickly the evil parents storyline is resolved (likely due to the series cancellation the first time) and how immature 11-year old Molly is written. She's written more like a 5-year old than an 11 or 12 year old. And I say that with two nieces of those respective ages.

Astro City: Through Open Doors

This book always is always just pure enjoyment to read. I love it.

Oct 15, 2014#390

Covar

Zot!
Scott McCloud's (mostly) B&W indy book from the late 80s. It has a lot of things going for it, not too surprising considering it's from the guy who would go on to literally write the books on comics storytelling.

Oct 15, 2014#391

ThatNickGuy

Covar said:
Zot!
Scott McCloud's (mostly) B&W indy book from the late 80s. It has a lot of things going for it, not too surprising considering it's from the guy who would go on to literally write the books on comics storytelling.

I've happily had it on my shelf for years. Glad to hear you enjoyed it so much.

Oct 15, 2014#392

Celt Z

I haven't thought about Zot! in years! I'm glad to hear it still holds up.

Oct 24, 2014#393

bhamv3

I am reading the Injustice comic online.

Holy shit this stuff is awesome!

Oct 26, 2014#394

Yoshimickster

Fables book 6: Homelands Great set-up to the Jack of Fables stories, and I never thought I'd say this-

Gepetto is one of the scariest comic book villains of all time. ALL FEAR THE ADVERSARY!

Oct 27, 2014#395

ThatNickGuy

Man, I used to love Fables. I won't ruin Yoshi's fun train by getting into it now, but yeah. I used to really, really love Fables. *sigh*

In the meantime...

Couriers, by Brian Wood

This was one of Brian Wood's first forays into comics. And it's...not bad. There's a lot of over-the-top action and the characters are interesting, if a little two-dimensional. But through it, you can start to see where Wood's writing style of today pushes through. It's set in New York and like DMZ (great book, btw), Wood's love of the city shines through. So yeah, not bad, but I wouldn't say it's a must have. I borrowed it from the library and that was good enough for me.

Stumptown, Vol. 2

It's Greg Rucka, one of my favourite writers (both comics and novels) writing detective noir. You better fucking believe this is good. Near the end of the book, there's a really neat trick he does with the medium: during the book's big action sequence, the art is all turned on its side so you have to read it like a Playboy centrefold. Normally, I hate this, but here it works. It gave the whole action sequence a widescreen kind of feel. And then there's one page to finish it off that's a double page spread of one image, done in all silhouettes. It's such a simple, reductive page in terms of detail, but it works beautifully.

Anyone who hasn't read this that likes a little noir comics should read this series.

Oct 27, 2014#396

CynicismKills

Read Death of Wolverine last night. Surprisingly decent, and the art was fantastic. A pretty nice (though surely temporary) send-off for the character. DoW: Legacy, however, is pretty boring and the art has been absolutely horrible.

Oct 27, 2014#397

fade

Well considering it involved

"burning out" his healing factor

, there's a built-in back door when it

suddenly starts up again

Oct 30, 2014#398

aaronmocksing

The last comic I think I read were some Vampirella comics I got in a grab-bag at one of the stores where my sis works.

They're not in order though, and subsequent stuff I bought from the grab-bag are repeats. But one with Vampirella/Dracula really caught my interest.

Oct 30, 2014#399

Covar

Not really reading per say, but I just got IDW's Marvel Covers: Artist Edition. 143 pages of classic Marvel covers scanned in color from the original art boards and reprinted at 1:1 scale. The book is huge and to call it gorgeous would be an understatement.

Oct 30, 2014#400

Sparhawk

Reading Rich Burlew's OOTS trade #2 No Cure for the Paladin Blues. I pick this up to use as a "cleanser" from reading novels, usually read 10-20 pages at a time every 5-6 days.

Oct 30, 2014#401

Dave

bhamv3 said:
I am reading the Injustice comic online.

Holy shit this stuff is awesome!

I think so as well but I've only read the first year. I hate the fact that they gave the ending away with the first couple of panels, though.

Oct 30, 2014#402

HCGLNS

I'm just going to put this here;

Oct 30, 2014#403

bhamv3

Dave said:
I think so as well but I've only read the first year. I hate the fact that they gave the ending away with the first couple of panels, though.

It's meant to be a prequel to the game. People who've played the game already know where the comics are going to end up, so I don't think the first few panels giving away the ending is too bad. It's about the journey, not the destination.

Oct 30, 2014#404

Dave

I've never played the game. I'm not a console peasant.

Oct 30, 2014#405

bhamv3

Dave said:
I've never played the game. I'm not a console peasant.

It's available on Steam. Had a free weekend recently, in fact, which is how I got to play it and become interested in the whole Injustice universe in the first place.

Awesome game to go voice-spotting in. "Oooh, Kevin Conroy's back! Hey, that's Jennifer Hale! Ah ha, Uncle Mario is Bane!"

Oct 30, 2014#406

Dave

I just bought year 3 after reading years 1-2. Very good comic series.

Oct 31, 2014#407

Gryfter

HCGLNS said:
I'm just going to put this here;

View attachment 16458

WHO?!.... it's Doom right..... gotta be Doom.

Oct 31, 2014#408

CynicismKills

Nobody can RICHAAAAARDS like Doom can RICHAAAAAARDS.

Oct 31, 2014#409

HCGLNS

What? No just read what it says....

Oct 31, 2014#410

ThatNickGuy

HCGLNS said:
What? No just read what it says....

Yeah, I don't see what you're getting at.

Oct 31, 2014#411

Covar

Jack Kirby has been getting a creator credit now. For what it's worth.

Oct 31, 2014#412

ThatNickGuy

Covar said:
Jack Kirby has been getting a creator credit now. For what it's worth.

Bout fucking time.[DOUBLEPOST=1414795464,1414795425][/DOUBLEPOST]Though, I'm almost certain Kirby has always been co-credited with Lee in the comics. It's less so in OTHER mediums.

Oct 31, 2014#413

aaronmocksing

Afterlife with Archie - Book One! (I had the previous issues online but then decided to get the whole thing in a collective)
Zombies make everything better.

Oct 31, 2014#414

Ravenpoe

HCGLNS said:
What? No just read what it says....

Alright, we need a red circle or something.

Nov 1, 2014#415

Frank

Who could be pulling those strings.....?

Ben Grimm...framed...killing the Puppet Master?

Chocolate bar wrapper........Apple computers.....

OH, SHIT, IT'S THE MOLE MAN!

Nov 2, 2014#416

ThatNickGuy

Yeah, I've read over this several times and still don't get what @HCGLNS is getting at. Sounds like your usual superhero melodrama. You're just gonna have to spell it out, man.

Also, spoiler? It WAS Doom behind it all.

http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/4898566.html

Nov 2, 2014#417

Ravenpoe

ThatNickGuy said:
Yeah, I've read over this several times and still don't get what @HCGLNS is getting at. Sounds like your usual superhero melodrama. You're just gonna have to spell it out, man.

Also, spoiler? It WAS Doom behind it all.

http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/4898566.html

God I hate the Richards children.

Nov 4, 2014#418

Covar

I had fallen behind on Mark Waid's consistently excellent Daredevil. So I've been catching back up, starting at the beginning of the San Francisco run. I'm really glad I had the chance to read the Original Sin tie-in issues back to back.

This is easily Waid's best work in years, and some of the best (maybe even the best) of his career.

Nov 7, 2014#419

ThatNickGuy

Hoo boy, I think I have some catching up to do.

Daredevil, by Ed Brubaker (volumes 2 & 3)

It's strange going from the above mentioned Mark Waid's run to Brubaker's preceding run. Waid's is a much lighter, adventuring romp with a lot of fun and comedy (with great serious moments, too, of course). But Brubaker's run, which followed Brian Michael Bendis' renowned run, continues on Bendis' darker, noir style of storytelling. Which of course, if you've ever read anything by Brubaker, he write noir in spades. So it's good. It's very good. I'm sorry it took me this long to finally read the rest of it, but I'm glad I finally did.

I also went on the internet high seas in order to read the follow-up to Brubaker's run: Shadowland. And it was...eh, I'm glad I didn't pay for it. It's not bad, but it's just so thematically and stylistically different that it's jarring. Daredevil is a villain, basically, and it just feels out of place with everything that came before it - hell, even after it with Waid's run.

Truth: Red, White, and Black

This was a mini-series some years ago, where Marvel played with the idea that the Captain America super soldier serum was first tested on African Americans. I remember it got a LOT of controversy. And it's...not bad. The characters are interesting, but the end felt kind of rushed. Cartoonist Kyle Baker felt like the wrong choice at first, but his over-exaggerated style grew on me by the end of the first chapter. I borrowed this out from the library but I may actually pick this up for myself if I ever spot in in the comic store.

Powers (Definitive Edition Vol. 4)

I used to be a big fan of Powers. But then I grew tired of Bendis' writing style (both in his dialogue and many of his anti-climactic endings). Saw this at the library, too, so picked it up on a whim. Honestly, it was good enough that I may start reading the series again. Maybe I just needed a break from the series for awhile or something, but I felt surprisingly compelled by the characters, their woes, and their investigations again.

Spawn (complete collections volume 1-6)(collects all the way up to issue 116)

Please don't judge me too harshly on this one. I spotted this at work (Value Village) the other day and picked them up. After my discount, I paid around $5 each for what originally $30+ a piece books. I'd say that's about what they're worth. Besides, Spawn was always something of a guilty pleasure for me. I appreciated MacFarlene's art - to say nothing of balls of steel to walk out on Marvel to create his own company. Even if he's a total asshole, like how he treated Neil Gaiman.

I haven't had the chance to read these yet, but even just flipping through them, they scream NINETIES! Spawn's design is gloriously ridiculous with the spikes and thigh pouch. But I recall the writing wasn't entirely terrible, so we'll see.

Nov 24, 2014#420

Covar

Picked up and finished Grant Morrison and Steve Yeowell's Zenith: Phase 1. Originally published in 2000AD so it reads very quickly, like any decent weekly title. It's interesting and a little simplistic, but has well done characterizations and interesting characters, even if the titular protagonist is just kind of there.

Nov 24, 2014#421

fade

ThatNickGuy said:
Spawn (complete collections volume 1-6)(collects all the way up to issue 116)

Please don't judge me too harshly on this one. I spotted this at work (Value Village) the other day and picked them up. After my discount, I paid around $5 each for what originally $30+ a piece books. I'd say that's about what they're worth. Besides, Spawn was always something of a guilty pleasure for me. I appreciated MacFarlene's art - to say nothing of balls of steel to walk out on Marvel to create his own company. Even if he's a total asshole, like how he treated Neil Gaiman.

I haven't had the chance to read these yet, but even just flipping through them, they scream NINETIES! Spawn's design is gloriously ridiculous with the spikes and thigh pouch. But I recall the writing wasn't entirely terrible, so we'll see.

Hey, nothing wrong with that. I read everything up to New Spawn, then I totally lost interest. I didn't want to see anyone but Al. But I can also see why they did it. I mean what's left after

you beat both God and Satan

Dec 17, 2014#422

Yoshimickster

Reading book nine of Fables, Mike Allred has a real popping style doesn't he? Its just kinda funny going from Mark Buckingham's also unique style to Allred's at the drop of a hat. While I'm on the fence on most of their individual designs of the characters I prefer Buckinham's design of Pinnochio design over Allred. If Pinnochio doesn't look like a miniature 1920s gangster the world just doesn't make sense.

Dec 17, 2014#423

BananaHands

If you're going to pick up six issues this year - Hobgoblin and Carnage's AXIS minis were spectacular.

Dec 17, 2014#424

CynicismKills

Axis is so fucking weird, but it's turned Carnage into an awesome character.

Too bad he's going to sacrifice himself to stop Apocalypse's bomb from killing everyone.

Also, I'm not really reading much lately, Marvel's big events aren't super interesting and I've never been big on DC in general.

Dec 17, 2014#425

BananaHands

CynicismKills said:
Axis is so fucking weird, but it's turned Carnage into an awesome character.

Too bad he's going to sacrifice himself to stop Apocalypse's bomb from killing everyone.

Also, I'm not really reading much lately, Marvel's big events aren't super interesting and I've never been big on DC in general.

Guess who appears in a future issue of NOVA??

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dec 17, 2014#426

CynicismKills

BananaHands said:
Guess who appears in a future issue of NOVA??

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hooray! I hope he's still as ridiculous as he is right now, he's one of the only good parts about Axis.

Dec 18, 2014#427

BananaHands

CynicismKills said:
Hooray! I hope he's still as ridiculous as he is right now, he's one of the only good parts about Axis.

Him and Hobgoblin and Zenpool.

Him closing the bridge - my sides

Dec 18, 2014#428

Covar

Plunderer and his henchmen had me cracking up in the first issue of Captain America and the Mighty Avengers.

Just finished reading Saga volume 4. Continues to be a very good and graphical book.

Dec 19, 2014#429

CynicismKills

Man I don't know if any of you have been reading the Megaman comic, but they explore some pretty dark shit. This album is a few pages from MM's confrontation with Needle Man.

If you've ever listened to The Megas, there's a lot of parallels you can draw between the tone of their songs and this series, especially in the area of what the Masters are programmed for/to do compared to MM.

Dec 19, 2014#430

Simfers

Dang, that's... Wow. That's not what I was expecting from anything called Mega Man...

Dec 19, 2014#431

AshburnerX

The Mega Man comics have been fantastic. I only get the trades though.

Dec 19, 2014#432

BananaHands

CynicismKills said:
Man I don't know if any of you have been reading the Megaman comic, but they explore some pretty dark shit. This album is a few pages from MM's confrontation with Needle Man.

If you've ever listened to The Megas, there's a lot of parallels you can draw between the tone of their songs and this series, especially in the area of what the Masters are programmed for/to do compared to MM.

Ugh, the heat man part too. ;_;

Dec 19, 2014#433

CynicismKills

BananaHands said:
Ugh, the heat man part too. ;_;

Oh, and don't forget Spark Man!

Jan 7, 2015#434

BananaHands

The new Ant-Man shows promise. I'm probably going to get a subscription to that - it's written by Nick Spencer and he was amazing on Superior Foes of Spider-Man.

Jan 7, 2015#435

CynicismKills

The first issue was pretty good. Axis Tony is hilariously douchey.

Jan 7, 2015#436

BananaHands

CynicismKills said:
The first issue was pretty good. Axis Tony is hilariously douchey.

I hope he stays around. Iron Man started off as a character that Stan Lee wanted to be unlikeable.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Jan 7, 2015#437

Celt Z

I know actual alcoholism is no joke, but there's something I find hilarious about Pathetic Drunk Iron Man. So much so that our Iron Man bobble head sits among the bottles of booze in our bar.

Not exactly what Stan Lee intended, but close enough.

Jan 8, 2015#438

HCGLNS

I got Batman the long Halloween and read it over the weekend.

Jan 8, 2015#439

BananaHands

Well, Spider-Verse has certainly been upsetting with who has and hasn't been killed yet - but Spider-Man 2099 had a nice little cameo by someone who hasn't been seen in 20 years and he wrecked the baddie.

Jan 8, 2015#440

Sparhawk

Well, thanks for that spoiler there..... :mad:

Jan 8, 2015#441

ThatNickGuy

Captain America: Castaway in Dimension X

Maybe I'd read this far too long after the hype. I remember this getting a lot of great reviews and a number of my friends enjoyed it. And I just found it kind of...meh. I think it's largely because I'm just not a fan of John Romita Jr's artwork. His anatomy is way off - especially with children, as seen here and in Kick-Ass - and I find that his work looks more lazy and rushed as a series continues. This is no exception. The story and characters are overall ho-hum, especially Steve Rogers, who feels like he could be replaced with anyone and it'd be the same. The new characters are dull and uninteresting, there's little to no explanation of where they are or how the villain got there, and the villain himself is just your usual boring Evil for Evil's Sake.

Honestly, this was a 2-volume story, I read only the first volume and I doubt I'll go back to it. These were borrowed out from the library, so I'm glad I didn't pay money for them.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger

This, on the other hand, was just as charming and enjoyable to read the second time as it was the first. Really criminally underrated and REALLY criminally cancelled far too early.

Jan 8, 2015#442

BananaHands

Sparhawk said:
Well, thanks for that spoiler there.....

ARGG I THOUGHT I SPOILERED THE IMAGE SORRY

Jan 8, 2015#443

Yoshimickster

@ThatNickGuy

Do you mean dimension Z? Cos if not, I would be all up ons a marvel/ninja turtles cross over.

Jan 8, 2015#444

ThatNickGuy

Yoshimickster said:
@ThatNickGuy

Do you mean dimension Z? Cos if not, I would be all up ons a marvel/ninja turtles cross over.

Whoops, yes I did. Slip of the finger.

Jan 8, 2015#445

Yoshimickster

ThatNickGuy said:
Whoops, yes I did. Slip of the finger.

Damn, I would pay good money to see Steve Rogers punch Krang in the face.

Jan 8, 2015#446

Sparhawk

BananaHands said:
ARGG I THOUGHT I SPOILERED THE IMAGE SORRY

It's okay, just got my ship notice and the issue should be here on Saturday. I'll probably forget anyway.

Jan 9, 2015#447

CynicismKills

I can't decide if I like Spider-Verse or not. It's your usual loldimensions kind of fare, but Slott's really starting to grate on me. Silk is stupidly overpowered and is starting to remind me of Count-the-Jellybeans-Vision-era Superman with the way new powers just kind of show up in her dialogue. On the other hand, I love all the random SM versions that have been showing up, most of which have been pretty fun.

I really think it's time he hands the book over to someone else, though. Personally I'd love Posehn and Duggan to do it up like they have Deadpool, they really turned him into a great character.

Jan 9, 2015#448

BananaHands

CynicismKills said:
I can't decide if I like Spider-Verse or not. It's your usual loldimensions kind of fare, but Slott's really starting to grate on me. Silk is stupidly overpowered and is starting to remind me of Count-the-Jellybeans-Vision-era Superman with the way new powers just kind of show up in her dialogue. On the other hand, I love all the random SM versions that have been showing up, most of which have been pretty fun.

I really think it's time he hands the book over to someone else, though. Personally I'd love Posehn and Duggan to do it up like they have Deadpool, they really turned him into a great character.

Yeah, I'm definitely not a fan of Slott, Silk being better than Peter at everything is really annoying. Really wish Yost got a try at it - he wrote a fantastic SpOck.

Jan 9, 2015#449

Yoshimickster

I decided to read the wiki version of Silk's origin... I can tell that would beat reading the actual comic she's in. It's akin to the turtle who shall not be named from "Next Mutation", we are just supposed to believe that ALL this time there was another person who was bitten by the same spider as Pete? Yeah I think I missed the part where after Peter was bitten that someone else said "Ouch, the same spider bit me as well!" Out of all the dumb pointless retcons to the spider-verse... this is one of them.

Jan 10, 2015#450

Hailey Knight

Latest issue of Attack on Titan--so much sad and bad.

Jan 12, 2015#451

chris

Saw the preview pages of the new Squirrel Girl comic and read some comments about the comic online. The reactions are really mixed. Some hate the art style, other the humour and some just Squirrel Girl as a character. Has anybody here read the comic, is worth picking up and are there other good Marvel titles right now?

Jan 12, 2015#452

Covar

chris said:
Saw the preview pages of the new Squirrel Girl comic and read some comments about the comic online. The reactions are really mixed. Some hate the art style, other the humour and some just Squirrel Girl as a character. Has anybody here read the comic, is worth picking up and are there other good Marvel titles right now?

I generally hate squirrel girl. The character is a joke parody character that her fans seem to think is supposed to be legit (see Lobo). That said the book was enjoyable. Ryan North was great on Adventure Time and Dinosaur Comics continues to be entertaining so I checked it out. The art is good and serves the style of the story, which is a whimsical comedic take on the hero now coping with settling down in real world stories Marvel has been doing lately.

Other good Marvel titles? Daredevil!

Jan 12, 2015#453

Celt Z

I've only read samples and interview, but while I'm not a huge fan of Erica Henderson's art style, I think it fits the feeling they're going for with Squirrel Girl. Besides, it's nice to see comics that don't always look like the typical "superhero". I'm thinking about giving it a shot.

Jan 12, 2015#454

PatrThom

Celt Z said:
I know actual alcoholism is no joke, but there's something I find hilarious about Pathetic Drunk Iron Man. So much so that our Iron Man bobble head sits among the bottles of booze in our bar. Not exactly what Stan Lee intended, but close enough.

source (if you couldn't tell)

--Patrick

Jan 12, 2015#455

Covar

That's inaccurate. After that car accident he travels to the Himalayas, learns the secret of magic, and the protector of our plane of reality.

Jan 12, 2015#456

PatrThom

Covar said:
That's inaccurate. After that car accident he travels to the Himalayas, learns the secret of magic, and the protector of our plane of reality.

No, that was the cardiac surgeon who ironically developed a serious heart problem.

--Patrick

Jan 15, 2015#457

BananaHands

chris said:
Has anybody here read the comic, is worth picking up and are there other good Marvel titles right now?

Ant-Man shows promise - Hickman's Avengers and New Avengers run is actually coming to a head. The new Uncanny Avengers has a pretty unique line-up too.

Superior Iron Man is great too. I definitely recommend picking up the Superior Foes of Spider-Man run too, probably the best thing that's come out in years.

Jan 15, 2015#458

CynicismKills

Sabertooth is on the Avengers?

Shit that might be fun.

Jan 15, 2015#459

BananaHands

CynicismKills said:
Sabertooth is on the Avengers?

Shit that might be fun.

He went through an inversion of sorts.

Oh my god and I love that Peter is making a Carnage-Man statue.

Jan 15, 2015#460

CynicismKills

Ah, didn't know he was affected by the Sixis stuff too. Still, though, might be worth checking out.

Jan 15, 2015#461

BananaHands

CynicismKills said:
Ah, didn't know he was affected by the Sixis stuff too. Still, though, might be worth checking out.

Yeah - it wasn't outright terrible with him. He definitely has his ruthlessness still, just has this guilt weighing on him for what he's done.

Jan 16, 2015#462

Frank

Just read the first volume of the new Captain Marvel. I got it as soon as I learned it was Marvel cosmic stuff (my favorite Marvel stuff by far). Love it. It's great.

Jan 17, 2015#463

Frank

Posting this here too, get the Humble Bundle Image bundle. It's fucking madness, easily hundreds of dollars worth of good to amazing comics for 20 beans.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books

Jan 23, 2015#464

aaronmocksing

I haven't really been able to read any new comics lately other than the ones I make or I'm apart of lol

Jan 28, 2015#465

BananaHands

The new Uncanny Avengers...

...I love it.

Jan 28, 2015#466

Celt Z

I think I'm going to need a little context as to what is going on, because WTH is happening in the fish tank?!

Jan 28, 2015#467

BananaHands

Celt Z said:
I think I'm going to need a little context as to what is going on, because WTH is happening in the fish tank?!

Cat strippers.

Jan 28, 2015#468

drifter

No weasel? Pass.

Jan 28, 2015#469

CynicismKills

Cocky Quicksilver?

I'm in.

Jan 28, 2015#470

BananaHands

CynicismKills said:
Cocky Quicksilver?

I'm in.

The issue was okay - but the Quicksilver parts were the best. Also, Sabertooth being a good dude but incredibly snarky was great.

Jan 29, 2015#471

BananaHands

Lo and behold - a Spider-Man book that's actually FUN.

Spider-Man & The X-Men!

Jan 29, 2015#472

CynicismKills

SM&XM is amazing and everyone should buy it. It's one of the best books out there right now.

Amazingly, Deadpool is still going strong, too.

Jan 29, 2015#473

Frank

I flipped through some Avengers stuff at Chapters the other day. I have no fucking clue what's going on.

I'll wait till after the whole bullshitty Secret Wars reboot to read Marvel again I think.

Jan 30, 2015#474

Covar

I have a friend who is huge into Valiant and since I've heard nothing but good things (literally) about the publisher's line, I borrowed the first two issues of the Valiant and the first trade of Quantum & Woody. Seeing how I'm opening up a comic book store in a few weeks I thought it would be good to familiarize myself with more of the smaller publishers.

The Valiant
My first exposure to the Valiant universe and it's taken me by surprise. Paolo Rivera handles the art duties, and it goes without saying that this title is absolutely gorgeous. The story by Jeff Lemire and Matt Kindt is compelling, and they do a good job nailing down the crossover big event feel while characters are still allowed room to breathe and not just be a series of full and double page spreads. As a new reader I'm getting enough about each character to really pique my interest and want to read more. The world really feels fleshed out and unique, not just a take on the DC or Marvel universes. I never really get the sense that anyone is just an analogue of a hero from the big two.

Quantum & Woody
Hilarious. A good story, compelling characters, and a sense of humor that never distracts from the book. I'd describe it as reading a super hero book that is funny, not a humor book about super-heroes. Written by James Asmus with art by Tom Fowler.

Jan 30, 2015#475

BananaHands

Frank said:
I flipped through some Avengers stuff at Chapters the other day. I have no fucking clue what's going on.

I'll wait till after the whole bullshitty Secret Wars reboot to read Marvel again I think.

Basically everything is ending and everyone is dicks.

Mar 1, 2015#476

Frank

If you aren't reading Marvel's Star Wars and Darth Vader comics, then, well, you're missing out. They're EASILY the best Star Wars media in years.

Mar 1, 2015#477

CynicismKills

Frank said:
If you aren't reading Marvel's Star Wars and Darth Vader comics, then, well, you're missing out. They're EASILY the best Star Wars media in years.

I've heard lots of good things, I'm going to have to see if I can snag copies this week from the LCS.

Mar 1, 2015#478

Frank

Darth Vader is really great in particular and doesn't forget what kind of a dry sarcastic dick he is.

Mar 1, 2015#479

Sparhawk

I didn't pick up the Vader comic, but I am reading the main SW title. I've enjoyed the first two issues, and look forward to what is coming up.

Mar 6, 2015#480

Yoshimickster

TMNT Essential volume 2, FUCK I love the Mirage comics. The Cerebus cross-over, Donnie's crazy monster battle, and the return of SHREDDER- just great.

Mar 6, 2015#481

Hailey Knight

Attack on Titan

I love that by now when Eren gets self-pitying and moody during a crucial moment of survival, the other characters react with "how are we not used to this by now?"

Mar 21, 2015#482

Frank

So I've read all the new Spider-Ladies comics (Gwen, Silk and Spider-Woman) and I gotta say, Spider-Woman is easily the best. I know they're deliberately going for that Hawk-Guy vibe with it, but it's working. The new costume is great too.

Mar 21, 2015#483

Yoshimickster

Fables book 10 and 11

Damn do I love this series, but really what the hell was the Adversary thinking in "The Good Prince"?

Emperor: Father, the king of haven has magic armor that gives him control over all magic, and an army of ghosts that nullify almost every one of our armies! What should we do.

Gepetto: Why the answer is simple, send ALL of our magical wooden soldiers to attack him!

Emperor: That...that's a terrible plan, he'll probably wipe them all out.

Gepetto: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH but the wooden soldiers are made of super special magic that he can't touch!

Emperor: Yeah, but what if he can do some other thing that we didn't forse-

Gepetto: CALL ALL THE SOLDIERS YOU ETRIGAN LOOKING SON OF A BITCH!

Emperor: This empire is fucked.

Just saying, LOVE the series, love the characters, but it felt very Deus ex machinaish. Its a very small criticism though, as there's enough cool shit from both sides in "War and Pieces" to make up for it.

Mar 21, 2015#484

ThatNickGuy

Yoshimickster said:
Fables book 10 and 11

Damn do I love this series, but really what the hell was the Adversary thinking in "The Good Prince"?

Emperor: Father, the king of haven has magic armor that gives him control over all magic, and an army of ghosts that nullify almost every one of our armies! What should we do.

Gepetto: Why the answer is simple, send ALL of our magical wooden soldiers to attack him!

Emperor: That...that's a terrible plan, he'll probably wipe them all out.

Gepetto: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH but the wooden soldiers are made of super special magic that he can't touch!

Emperor: Yeah, but what if he can do some other thing that we didn't forse-

Gepetto: CALL ALL THE SOLDIERS YOU ETRIGAN LOOKING SON OF A BITCH!

Emperor: This empire is fucked.

Just saying, LOVE the series, love the characters, but it felt very Deus ex machinaish. Its a very small criticism though, as there's enough cool shit from both sides in "War and Pieces" to make up for it.

You're almost at the point where I stopped reading the book. Actually, 11 might have been my cut-off. There's one volume that's a crossover with Jack of Fables, which isn't very good on top of being a crossover. Plus, I didn't find the series as compelling once the G-Man went down. Apparently, the book was originally planned to end at that until Williangham decided to keep it going and turn the whole thing into a franchise with spin-offs and mini-series.

Mar 21, 2015#485

Yoshimickster

ThatNickGuy said:
You're almost at the point where I stopped reading the book. Actually, 11 might have been my cut-off. There's one volume that's a crossover with Jack of Fables, which isn't very good on top of being a crossover. Plus, I didn't find the series as compelling once the G-Man went down. Apparently, the book was originally planned to end at that until Williangham decided to keep it going and turn the whole thing into a franchise with spin-offs and mini-series.

YUP, I figured as much. Outside of the whole Boy Blue/Rose Red deal it felt like it could be a proper series finale.

Apr 20, 2015#486

Frank

Got recommended Northlanders by a friend who I was talking about Vikings with. Read the first arc and am now SUPER bummed that that's the end of Sven and Enna's story. It's pretty damn good.

AH, HOLY SHIT, it's 12 issues later and MORE SVEN!

Apr 21, 2015#487

ThatNickGuy

Frank said:
Got recommended Northlanders by a friend who I was talking about Vikings with. Read the first arc and am now SUPER bummed that that's the end of Sven and Enna's story. It's pretty damn good.

AH, HOLY SHIT, it's 12 issues later and MORE SVEN!

Damn great book. If you want more of Brian Wood, might I recommend DMZ? I'm not usually one for political kind of books, but this one's great. Very different from Northlanders, but still great for different reasons.

Apr 22, 2015#488

CynicismKills

So I gave femThor a few issues, and man I don't know what happened to this writer (he was doing great work on the Godkiller arc) but it is just so bad. This dumb conversation between her/Creel/Titania is so full of pandering and terrible dialogue, and for the most part every book is written like that.

Apr 22, 2015#489

Celt Z

Not everyone is good at writing women, or they over compensate for it, like that conversation with Thor and Tatiana. Just writer her like any other character/Asgardian. (On the otherhand, Absorbing Man's dialogue could have been taken ,word for word, from a number of posts I've seen online, which is whole different type of sad.)

Apr 22, 2015#490

ThatNickGuy

After reading my second book coming out later this year, a friend of mine told me I did a great job writing female characters. She used both my first and second book as examples.

I don't know if everyone would agree with that, but I don't know. I think of all my characters as characters first - motivations, for example - before their gender. Maybe that's why.

Apr 22, 2015#491

fade

Creel's part was okay, but yeah, the other half of that page was uncomfortable.

Apr 22, 2015#492

Covar

Surprised to see that Creel absorbed straw.

Apr 22, 2015#493

CynicismKills

Celt Z said:
Not everyone is good at writing women, or they over compensate for it, like that conversation with Thor and Tatiana. Just writer her like any other character/Asgardian. (On the otherhand, Absorbing Man's dialogue could have been taken ,word for word, from a number of posts I've seen online, which is whole different type of sad.)

I think part of the problem is nobody save the writer knows who's under the helmet, so she's only being written as a girl who is now Thor. The other weird thing that wasn't in the pages I posted is her inner monologue sounds more like a confused and over-excited teenager than Thor. For some reason she thinks in normal, modern English but speaks as an Asgardian. It's just all very silly, especially when other women heroes like Ms. Marvel and usually She-Hulk are written pretty well lately.

Apr 22, 2015#494

PatrThom

I would just like to say I miss the old Titania/Creel interplay as much as I miss the older Volcana/Molecule Man interplay. I don't see any of them holding down normal jobs, but I think plenty of interesting "human interest" story potential has been allowed to slip by.

--Patrick

Apr 22, 2015#495

Bowielee

CynicismKills said:
I think part of the problem is nobody save the writer knows who's under the helmet, so she's only being written as a girl who is now Thor. The other weird thing that wasn't in the pages I posted is her inner monologue sounds more like a confused and over-excited teenager than Thor. For some reason she thinks in normal, modern English but speaks as an Asgardian. It's just all very silly, especially when other women heroes like Ms. Marvel and usually She-Hulk are written pretty well lately.

Seeing as we don't really know who the new Thor is, it may be written that way on purpose. It may actually BE a nervous hyperactive teenage girl.

Apr 22, 2015#496

CynicismKills

Bowielee said:
Seeing as we don't really know who the new Thor is, it may be written that way on purpose. It may actually BE a nervous hyperactive teenage girl.

I hope not, that's already the angle they're using on Ms. Marvel, I don't feel like it'd work as well for Thor.

Apr 22, 2015#497

Bowielee

CynicismKills said:
I hope not, that's already the angle they're using on Ms. Marvel, I don't feel like it'd work as well for Thor.

I dunno, it could be good. Maybe a whole Shazam/Billy Batson sort of thing could work. Yes, I still hate that they don't call him Captain Marvel anymore, but what are you gonna do? For serious, though, how does that even work? Every time he introduced himself, he'd transform back into Billy.

Apr 22, 2015#498

Celt Z

CynicismKills said:
I hope not, that's already the angle they're using on Ms. Marvel, I don't feel like it'd work as well for Thor.

I feel like Kamala is more enthusiastic than hyper-active. It's nice to see someone excited about being a superhero instead of the "Woe is me, this burden to bear! Angstangstangstangstangstangst*angst" that's become a staple.

(*My parents are dead!)

Apr 22, 2015#499

Bowielee

Celt Z said:
I feel like Kamala is more enthusiastic than hyper-active. It's nice to see someone excited about being a superhero instead of the "Woe is me, this burden to bear! Angstangstangstangstangstangst*angst" that's become a staple.

(*My parents are dead!)

Did you ever read anything with Star Girl in it from DC. She was a great example of this type of character. Bubbly, upbeat and absolutely tickled pink to be a superhero. I believe she had to beg her uncle (I think he was Atom Smasher) to get into the hero biz.

Apr 22, 2015#500

CynicismKills

Bowielee said:
Did you ever read anything with Star Girl in it from DC. She was a great example of this type of character. Bubbly, upbeat and absolutely tickled pink to be a superhero. I believe she had to beg her uncle (I think he was Atom Smasher) to get into the hero biz.

I always enjoyed her episodes in JLU, she's a fun character.

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