The Comic Book Discussion Thread [Archive] - Page 12

number8

11-18-2010, 02:18 PM

I was a bit bummed by The Return, despite the first few incredible pages with the bat. Seems very interim-y, and I don't know if the other stories have developed this Leviathan nemesis in the middle east or not, but it felt very truncated. Inc., however, was as excellent as hoped. I did not stifle the chuckle.

No, this is the set-up of Leviathan. You should know by now that Morrison likes starting things right in the thick of it, that's why it's more like a "teaser" and we'll see more Leviathan probably in Batman Inc. The one-shot is really just laying the groundwork for the many Bat-titles. It sets up Bruce Wayne going global, it establishes that Damian will continue to be Dick's sidekick, and the new directions for both Batgirl and Oracle.

You're right, though, that Batman Inc is clearly the better book this week. The art is a little Frank Cho-ish for my taste, especially the way Yanick draws Selina, but what a fun story.

Sven

11-18-2010, 02:56 PM

Yeah, a second read proves that the work is clearer than the first time I got through it (as I should have assumed it would, it being Morrison... there's just so much peripheral material that I'm not reading that I made a poor assumption), but is still a bit too much of a groundwork issue for me to get excited about. Although I really did love that opening. And the fighting robots.

And I love Paquette's details of Selina's face in Inc (particularly love that shot of her cracking the safe), but yeah, he's always been a bit too cheesecakey for me. I mean, Catwoman really should not be that bebossomed, and I really don't need to keep seeing the perfect curvature of her ass. The Bulleteer was, by a wide margin, my least favorite of the Seven Soldiers, for this very reason (and that it didn't amount to much but a marital drama cum deus ex machina). Still, I quite like his work on this issue.

number8

11-18-2010, 03:11 PM

His faces are excellent. He draws Asian faces really well, and I love the look of Lord Death Man's skull. It's just his poses that bother me.

You know, I love Darwyn Cooke's redesign of Catwoman's costume and I thought the big zipper in front is a great touch, but most artists since him keep tugging that zipper down to show off her tits and it makes the costume look really stupid.

I mean, come on, it's supposed to look like a one-suit. If you unzip that zipper it breaks the flow.

http://www.fast-autos.net/diecast-cars-models/diecast-car-image-large/darwyn-cooke-catwoman-original-art_200527456976.jpg

number8

11-18-2010, 04:37 PM

I can't stop geeking out over Batman Inc. It's just so awesome.

So Lord Death Man rented out the apartment right below Mr. Unknown's double's, filled it with water, and then somehow smuggled in a giant octopus. The logistics is just hilarious to think about.

Sven

11-18-2010, 04:50 PM

So Lord Death Man rented out the apartment right below Mr. Unknown's double's, filled it with water, and then somehow smuggled in a giant octopus. The logistics is just hilarious to think about.

I love the bird outside the window. And that JH Williams cover... fuhgeddaboutit.

ledfloyd

11-20-2010, 08:32 PM

i'm all caught up. batman and robin is indeed a fun book. the return of bruce wayne wasn't bad but i think maybe i need to give it another read. it's quite dense, and the new gods/final crisis stuff is way over my head. morrison's run is pretty epic, though i don't think it's even in my top 20 runs in comics. though it's easily among the top 5 batstories i've read. probably top 3.

batman inc looks like it's going to be pretty awesome. he hasn't really gotten into exploring the idea of batman running a global crimefighting corporation, which i think is a really rich idea that could be taken in several interesting directions. and the last two pages made me laugh as well.

bac0n

11-22-2010, 03:17 PM

Ugh, I might need to add Batman Inc to my list of pulls. All these awesome comics are gonna break the bank, I tells ya.

number8

11-22-2010, 09:00 PM

Ugh. Scott McDaniel.

Acapelli

11-23-2010, 02:21 AM

Ugh. Scott McDaniel.
agreed

anyway it seems like this fill-in arc was a last minute decision and dude is fast. i just wish that they could've gotten someone better for cornell since the story sounded really cool

dreamdead

11-23-2010, 05:17 PM

One more day till Batwoman #0 and new Williams artwork. :pritch:

Raiders

11-23-2010, 05:25 PM

Any opinions here on Jeff Smith's RASL? As a background note, the Bone saga is probably my favorite comic book of all time (of the admittedly limited amount I have read). I am thinking of asking for all nine issues for Christmas but surprisingly I can't find a whole lot of opinions about it on the internet.

Acapelli

11-23-2010, 06:17 PM

it's really interesting, i find all the tesla stuff especially fascinating. my only complaint is that it comes out way too infrequently, which i guess isn't too bad, but it's been a long wait for it to finally get somewhere plotwise

number8

11-23-2010, 08:13 PM

LOL Greg Land and his shitty art.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=29547

number8

11-23-2010, 08:14 PM

Acapelli

11-23-2010, 09:15 PM

yeah, it comes out at about a pace of 3 issues a year. jeff smith said it was supposed to go on a quarterly schedule at the beginning of this year, but that didn't work out

EyesWideOpen

11-23-2010, 09:58 PM

I picked up the pocket book trade of it which collects the first 7 issues and I really liked it. I think amazon sells it for $12.

number8

11-28-2010, 12:15 AM

I am totally down with Scarlet. Finally a Bendis book I want to follow again. Not surprisingly, it's Maleev.

Hopefully their Moon Knight next year will be good, too.

number8

11-30-2010, 06:58 PM

Man, I should start reading Secret Avengers. Seems like Brubaker's doing pretty good with it. But I'm like 6 issues behind!

Acapelli

11-30-2010, 07:38 PM

secret avengers is the best avengers book

although i do really enjoy both of bendis's avengers books, brubaker has really found his footing after a pretty bad first arc

number8

11-30-2010, 08:33 PM

I think the first trade will collect #1-5, so I'll just get my hands on #6 and read on from there.

Sven

11-30-2010, 08:33 PM

Man, Earth X is so much better than Kingdom Come it hurts. Like comparing Thanksgiving dinner to a tube of Smarties.

bac0n

11-30-2010, 09:08 PM

secret avengers is the best avengers book

although i do really enjoy both of bendis's avengers books, brubaker has really found his footing after a pretty bad first arc

Yeah, Secret Avengers is my fave of the Avengers' books too.

Sven

12-02-2010, 09:30 AM

I read The Sandman TPBs 1-9 about five years ago, maybe six. I just read 10 and it was actually sort of perfect, waiting that long. Very good, very heavy. Made me want to read the whole series over again to experience its wealth of diverse pleasures anew.

Winston*

12-02-2010, 09:56 AM

Just started re-reading Sandman myself, Sven. Also read the first Seaguy book the other day. Comic book friends?

Sven

12-02-2010, 09:10 PM

Also read the first Seaguy book the other day.

Sometimes I feel like I love Seaguy more than my own life. The very last issue (number 6, or number 3 of part 2) was a bit disappointing, frankly, because it somehow manages to place everything into a pretty straightforward framework that undermines the surreal zeal of the proceedings. Oh well. Chubby the Choona ftw.

[quote]Comic book friends?

4-ever.

bac0n

12-03-2010, 01:39 PM

I asked the guy working the counter of the comic book shop if he knew whether or not Taskmaster would get his own monthly. He said he didn't know, but he sure as shit hopes so, cuz the Taskmaster mini that just concluded is freaking awesome.

Good news, tho, is that the miniseries sold like hotcakes, and I'm sure Marvel is paying attention to that...

number8

12-03-2010, 01:52 PM

That title NEEDS to be monthly.

bac0n

12-03-2010, 02:44 PM

That title NEEDS to be monthly.

Totally - the new Taskmaster angle is just rife with potential for interesting story arcs.

EyesWideOpen

12-03-2010, 11:59 PM

number8

12-04-2010, 02:49 PM

Oh shiiiiiiiiit.

Newsarama: Kurt, is it true that you've got a sequel to Superman: Secret Identity coming out?

Kurt Busiek: I'd say "it's in the works" more than coming out. It'll come out eventually. But yeah, we're doing a follow-up to Superman: Secret Identity. It's not exactly a sequel, because it doesn't follow the same characters or even take place in the same world.

Nrama: But it follows the same general theme?

Busiek: Yes. I call it a thematic sequel. It's a natural companion book. Superman: Secret Identity is about a young man named Clark Kent in a world where Superman is a comic book character. Batman: Creature of the Night is about a young man named Bruce Wainwright in a world where Batman is a comic book character. And both of them get involved in fantasy adventure scenarios that involve these characters.

But where Superman: Secret Identity was much more about self-identity and science fiction, Batman: Creature of the Night is a lot more about horror and dark things, because... he's Batman!

And John Paul Leon is doing the art!!!

number8

12-04-2010, 02:51 PM

Oh man.

I don't want to say too much, because it's going to be awhile before it comes out. But I will say that in Superman: Secret Identity, Clark Kent is somebody who is heartily sick of Superman. He discovers that he has the powers, and it brings up questions about his place in the world and who he is in secret inside.

So he's somebody who didn't like Superman, but in becoming Superman, he learns about himself.

Bruce Wainwright, however, loves Batman. But becoming Batman is not a happy process. So where Clark goes from dislike to a sort of acceptance and wonder, Bruce goes from love to horror.

Sven

12-04-2010, 05:54 PM

And John Paul Leon is doing the art!!!

Just picked up The Winter Men yesterday, oddly enough. LOVED his stuff on Earth X, and Busiek is solid, so this could be very promising.

Finished Supergod. This + Black Summer + No Hero = maaaaaaaaybe better than Planetary, for Ellis stock. It's one of the most amazing theme trilogies I can imagine.

number8

12-04-2010, 06:07 PM

Oh man, Winter Men was soooo good.

Sven

12-04-2010, 07:46 PM

I am once again taken quite violently aback at the asstacular quality of Peter Milligan's writing. This has to be it. I have to be done with him at this point. His three part Dark Knight, Dark City arc on Batman suffers the horrible fate of a clueless Batman (who has never heard of Thomas Pynchon, and is not confident in his knowledge of certain Gotham neighborhoods) with a sixth-grader's inner voice and a third-grader's intellect. It is obvious that this is not the Batman I have come to know, but rather quite an amateur. The narrative voice is a series of blunt reiterations of things we already know or can see. The story itself has some merit: the baby kidnappings have potential as an anchoring device, though Milligan weighs them incorrectly to the potential one can mine from a murderous, possessed Riddler (though this winds up limp) and a city founded on secret society sacrificial bat demon ceremonies.

Grant Morrison has said that some of Milligan's writing is as good as it gets in comics. This, to me, is as if the Coens went on record as being huge Ridley Scott fans. Confounding. There is one page that is Bruce having a dream about the night his parents were killed that is excellent: the shadowy Batman icon tatters up the fabric of the dream as it is suggested that the bat demon Barboleth, the demon spirit of Gotham, was instrument in creating the dark history of Bruce Wayne. And the bits taking place in the past, on Stockman's farm, are frenzied and crazy in the best way, though I don't know if that's my projecting what Morrison has since extrapolated from/added to that particular situation.

number8

12-04-2010, 07:50 PM

Well, of course Morrison has to say that, considering he lifted tons of materials for his run from Milligan.

Sven

12-04-2010, 07:54 PM

Well, of course Morrison has to say that, considering he lifted tons of materials for his run from Milligan.

He said that Rogan Gosh (which I must admit looks pretty awesome) and Enigma are both better than Watchmen. I doubt you would feel similarly, but have you read either? I'm tempted to on his recommendation, but I dunno...

number8

12-04-2010, 07:59 PM

No, but what Milligan have you read, anyway? 'Cause Shade the Changing Man and X-Statix are pretty tits.

I am not surprised that Morrison loves Rogan Gosh, though.

Sven

12-04-2010, 08:13 PM

I've read a few issues of his Batman stuff, the first issues of Shade and Greek Street, and the odd bit here and there at the comic store that I pick up like Hellblazer and stuff.

Add Batman 452-454 to that. I was looking at Hewligan's Haircut at the store a couple of days ago and that looked pretty rad too, actually. But I'm just so turned off at this point...

Sven

12-04-2010, 08:22 PM

Okay, this is definitely something I could dig:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Rf9S3GkkeyI/SPTOIo7-FLI/AAAAAAAAFho/voK2HsCLT3g/s1600/brendan%2Bmccarthy%2Band%2Bpet e%2Bmilligan.%2Brogan%2Bgosh.% 2Bpage.%2B032.jpg

megladon8

12-09-2010, 11:31 PM

Ugh...did anyone else throw up in their mouth a little bit when they saw Marvel's new "covert ops" take on Venom?

That's a big "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING??" right there.

number8

12-10-2010, 12:05 AM

I don't have a problem with it.

megladon8

12-10-2010, 12:11 AM

I don't have a problem with it.

I don't even get where the idea came from.

How did anyone look at Venom and think "this would be good as a Sam Fisher type character."

It's as weird to me as Spider-Man India.

EyesWideOpen

12-10-2010, 01:25 AM

I think it's an awesome idea. It's not going to be someone who has been Venom before. The symbiote is going to join with a new host.

"The enhanced, black ops agent Venom, is charged with chasing a trail across the globe to uncover the man behind a plot to sell the world’s dictators and terrorists weaponized [redacted], all while juggling a double life, and a growing addiction to a symbiote that is constantly trying to take him over."

Sounds like a great premise to me.

Acapelli

12-10-2010, 01:43 AM

after franken-castle, i have confidence in anything that rick remender and tony moore do

number8

12-10-2010, 01:47 AM

I don't even get where the idea came from.

How did anyone look at Venom and think "this would be good as a Sam Fisher type character."

It's as weird to me as Spider-Man India.

It's the same premise as the first time he got a solo comic in the 90's. It's how I remember Venom as most of the time, really.

http://images.comiccollectorlive.com/covers/b23/b23b743b-fe53-451a-a238-7e3d6e3dac38.jpg

megladon8

12-10-2010, 03:05 AM

I have to admit I was completely unfamiliar with that Venom costume.

I really thought this was an out-of-left-field idea.

Oh well, see where it goes. I still really don't like the new costume/design...

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/2883/venomgoesblackops201012.jpg

Sven

12-11-2010, 11:23 AM

The Vertigo collection of The Filth does NOT look this vivid:

http://www.cesspit.net/drupal/storeroom/misc/filth4.gif

Do the single issues feature this intense coloring?

Sven

12-15-2010, 02:24 AM

The Vertigo collection of The Filth does NOT look this vivid:

http://www.cesspit.net/drupal/storeroom/misc/filth4.gif

Do the single issues feature this intense coloring?

Bumping this question.

I've been down with the sickness for a few days now and in this time have read a little bit. Rogan Gosh was like a completely different language, so I will have to reprocess that one at a later point. But Enigma lands well ahead of most other comics I've read, in terms of heaviness of consequence and spectacular art. I wish Fegredo kept his balls-out style through the whole thing, but it's stupendous all the same. The words are often clumsy, but with Enigma, the audacity of the story itself, its structure and brilliant climaxes sustain the book's readability. It's a very unsettling read.

Also started the Millar Authority run. Only two issues in, it definitely reads better than anything else I've read by him. Quitely's work goes without saying.

number8

12-15-2010, 01:38 PM

Also started the Millar Authority run. Only two issues in, it definitely reads better than anything else I've read by him. Quitely's work goes without saying.

This and Superman Adventures are far and away the best thing he's ever done.

Sven

12-15-2010, 05:56 PM

K ordered an Amazon tote and, surprise surprise, look what I found inside:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads//2010/11/dvd-211x300.jpg

I have the best wife, it seems.

Grouchy

12-15-2010, 06:08 PM

...

The emptiness of a godless life?

Sven

12-15-2010, 06:16 PM

Fixed...? At any rate, it's the Grant Morrison documentary. Can't wait to watch it. Probably tonite!

Grouchy

12-15-2010, 08:47 PM

Fixed...? At any rate, it's the Grant Morrison documentary. Can't wait to watch it. Probably tonite!
Hahah awesome. Specially since I had no idea what it was and my mentioning God was just a coincidence.

Sven

12-15-2010, 08:57 PM

Hahah awesome. Specially since I had no idea what it was and my mentioning God was just a coincidence.

Yeah, imagine my confusion. It took me several minutes to figure out what you were referring to.

Sven

12-16-2010, 03:50 AM

This and Superman Adventures are far and away the best thing he's ever done.

I've read the first four issues of both his and Ellis's runs and I dare conclude that Millar's is more satisfying in practically every single way. Real damn cool.

Sven

12-16-2010, 05:43 AM

Oh man, I love Phil Jimenez so much. His art is cool and all, but I'm talking about the man himself. He is one of the more prominent talking heads in the aforementioned doc and he is fabulous.

Funny how most of the ads and specs mention Dan DiDio among the first big names and he's only in it for less than fifteen seconds in the last ten minutes.

Cool movie, though. Wish it focused on more of his later work, as it was clearly produced not too long ago.

EyesWideOpen

12-17-2010, 12:23 AM

Sven

12-17-2010, 06:34 PM

So, I'm thinking that Jacen Burrows's artwork is infused with some kind of Alan Moore-type of magic or something that builds a kind of power or appeal over time. Off the bat, his drawings seem a bit naive and simple, but the more I read, the more they not only click, but, like... are really effective somehow. I'm currently in the middle of Chronicles of Wormwood and despite the surprisingly excellent execution of the concept, its Burrows's figures that are lingering in my mind.

number8

12-17-2010, 06:48 PM

He's fantastic. I got my Wormwood trade and Neonomicon #1 signed by him.

Sven

12-17-2010, 07:35 PM

He's fantastic. I got my Wormwood trade and Neonomicon #1 signed by him.

Awesome. I'm going to go to the Emerald City Comic Con. It will be my first, and it will be an excellent first because attending will be: Frank Quitely, Cameron Stewart, Geof Darrow, Dustin Nguyen, John Arcudi, Jonathan Hickman, Marv Wolfman, Tony Harris, Matt Fraction, Mike Mignola, JG Jones, Yanick Paquette, and a few other names to get excited about. Hopefully I'll get a chance to get a few of my own things signed.

Acapelli

12-17-2010, 08:40 PM

i've yet to go to a real con myself. haven't had the chance to go to new york comic con (despite one of my friends being an assistant editor at marvel and who could easily get me a pass)

i have gone to the mocca festival these past two years and king con in brooklyn in 2009

Spaceman Spiff

12-19-2010, 04:17 AM

It's getting boring to say it now, but the new entry (Acme 20) by Ware is amazing. Outrageously so.

If you haven't read it yet Melville, do so. The way the paneling and art is designed to represent the protagonists cognitive and perceptual limitations is incredibly well done. It's also very sad in that Ware-ian way, which I know you love.

Best artist working in the medium, by far.

EyesWideOpen

12-19-2010, 01:53 PM

Got back some more bound volumes back Batman and the Outsiders (1980's series) and Catwoman so thought I'd update my pictures of my current volumes.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_KHGODrUO_78/TQVjOpYPmpI/AAAAAAAAIZY/N535bhLMjxE/s640/IMG_1357.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_KHGODrUO_78/TQVjO_TlZZI/AAAAAAAAIZg/JgKF7ZnIjMc/s640/IMG_1358.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_KHGODrUO_78/TQVjPOFlavI/AAAAAAAAIZo/eh-RsbRYgis/s640/IMG_1359.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_KHGODrUO_78/TQVjPlgjdaI/AAAAAAAAIZw/_pmYECdlZ2A/s640/IMG_1360.JPG

Ezee E

12-19-2010, 03:25 PM

Love those bindings.

EyesWideOpen

12-20-2010, 01:00 AM

Love those bindings.

Thanks. It's been quite addictive. I've got another 20 volumes or so set aside ready to go. I try to only do 4 at a time.

Winston*

12-20-2010, 01:08 AM

Could you get them out of the bindings if you wanted to sell them?

EyesWideOpen

12-20-2010, 01:50 AM

Could you get them out of the bindings if you wanted to sell them?

Nope. Comic books have almost no value unless your talking about extremely rare stuff from the pre-1980's. I've bought pretty much every back issue in my collection for less then 50 cents an issue. I could sell these bound volumes for far more then I would get for the individual issues.

Winston*

12-20-2010, 02:02 AM

Oh, shows what I know about comic books (I've never bought a comic book issue).

EyesWideOpen

12-20-2010, 02:09 AM

Oh, shows what I know about comic books (I've never bought a comic book issue).

Yeah back when kids were the main buyers of comic books they didn't keep them in good shape or keep them at all that's why the old ones go for high amounts. The vast majority of the comic buying audience now days is adults who keep their comics bagged and boarded or at least in good shape so we'll never see any modern book get that "old school" type of value.

I can buy that Death of Superman issue which had people going crazy in the 90's thinking they were going to retire off them for less then a $1.00.

megladon8

12-20-2010, 02:25 AM

EWO, I love the bindings too.

I tried to organize to have some of mine bound using that same site, but it seemed terribly convoluted to me when I e-mailed the guy for information.

It just left me thinking "can I not just send you my comics, tell you what colour I want the cover to be, and get it done?"

Sven

12-20-2010, 03:04 AM

How do double splash pages translate in those bindings? They are a huge reason I buy single issues: I hate hate hate hate hate hate that spine guttering of a continuous image.

EyesWideOpen

12-20-2010, 11:36 AM

How do double splash pages translate in those bindings? They are a huge reason I buy single issues: I hate hate hate hate hate hate that spine guttering of a continuous image.

It looks the same way it does it in a trade or most other collections.

number8

12-20-2010, 01:31 PM

I imagine the guy couldn't take out the ad pages, so I assume the two-page spreads aren't interrupted.

Acapelli

12-20-2010, 03:09 PM

i think what sven is talking about is how you pretty much have to completely crack the spine of a trade to get a decent view of a splash page in a trade

number8

12-20-2010, 03:29 PM

OH! Well, then yes. I hate that in trades too.

bac0n

12-20-2010, 03:55 PM

Sven

12-20-2010, 06:19 PM

I was thinking about getting all my Darkest Night comics bound, but that very thing is keeping me from following through with it. Especially towards the end, there are some gorgeous double page splashes in that series.

Did you read the Geoff Johns-Doug Mahnke Green Lantern tie-in to Blackest Night? Oh my god, it has some of the coolest splashes I've ever seen.

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt115/TexiKen/GL46e.jpg(Here's a hint: Doug Mahnke is the best comic pencil man alive. It's even better when he inks his own stuff, which is rarer these days. Check out his work on Frankenstein in G. Morrison's Seven Soldiers to see what I mean.)

bac0n

12-21-2010, 09:58 PM

Oh hell yes, that was exactly what I was thinking of.

The last few issues of Blackest Night had about 3 awesome double-page splashes each.

Sven

12-22-2010, 07:49 AM

I love comics. My enthusiasm for them has far surpassed my interest in movies, of which I have seen fewer than fifty this year (new or old), a record low since before I can remember. I have read a tremendous amount; I have shared less than 5% of what I have read on this board. I am wondering what to resolve for the New Year, because I think it's only gonna get worse.

Sven

12-22-2010, 08:03 AM

Glancing over my lists and collections, 5% was a bit of an overstatement. Probably more like 20%. Like, I don't know that I've mentioned outright that this year I read EVERYthing either written by Grant Morrison or illustrated by Doug Mahnke (save the impossible rarities), practically everything by Joe Kelly, Joe Casey, and Warren Ellis, and tons of Frank Miller, John Arcudi, Mike Mignola, Howard Chaykin (Die Hard Year One was better than it had the right to be), Frazer Irving (grrr... import prices), Garth Ennis (Boys > Preacher, boh-yeah!), Alan Moore, Keith Giffen (Ambush Bug > Superman, hisssss), Jack Kirby (who I hadn't realized created pretty much everything that anything is based on in both the Marvel and DC universes), and Sam Kieth and others I'm sure, and then of course all the onesy-twosies, odds and ends, Mesmo Delivery, et al. I now go to the comic book store at least twice a week. I subscribe.

In other words... yeah. I guess I'm a comics guy now.

Sven

12-22-2010, 08:05 AM

And Rick Veitch. He's tops, man. Has anyone read Greyshirt: Indigo Sunset? Oh man, it's so good. And I love Army @ Love.

number8

12-22-2010, 02:29 PM

I can't tell you how frustrating it was to be the only person buying Army @ Love month after month. I wanted that to go on.

number8

12-22-2010, 02:30 PM

Also, you are now and forever my puppet.

Thirdmango

12-22-2010, 04:24 PM

I love your new found love for comics Sven. I went through something similar when I lived in Boston because I had a job and there were so many more comic book stores including used comic book stores. I went nuts buying tons of stuff and got a pretty decently sized collection. Since then I've really had to lay low as I've had little to no money but I still have a secret love and want to buy lots and lots.

Last night I bought WE3 based solely on Mark telling me how much you loved it.

EyesWideOpen

12-23-2010, 12:19 AM

And Rick Veitch. He's tops, man. Has anyone read Greyshirt: Indigo Sunset? Oh man, it's so good. And I love Army @ Love.

The only thing Veitch related I remember reading is Can't Get No. It was really good.

number8

12-23-2010, 01:36 AM

Veitch's The Question mini contained this phenomenal idea that the drug ring in Metropolis conduct their transactions in toilets, because Superman would never, ever peek in on anybody doing their business. So it was up to The Question to bust it.

dreamdead

12-23-2010, 01:45 AM

I love the attention JH Williams has gotten at ComicBookResources recent top artists (http://goodcomics.comicbookresources. com/2010/12/07/top-50-comic-book-artists-master-list/)and writers (http://goodcomics.comicbookresources. com/2010/12/07/top-50-comic-book-writers-master-list/)list. Naturally, I want to read more of Quitely's work since I'm not as down on his style.

Thoughts on the list?

I'm intrigued to read more of his collaborations with Morrison (need to read their X-Men collabs)...

Spaceman Spiff

12-23-2010, 02:46 AM

Read some Dick Tracy, Sven. I hope you eat that shit up.

Start with the early 40s and work your way from there.

Sven

12-24-2010, 10:03 PM

Thoughts on the list?

The absence of Veitch on either list is devastating (I feel this particularly, having just finished Brat Pack and MaxiMortal within the last day). I was gonna take issue with Quitely's placement, but a quick scan over We3 and having just read his Millar Authority work, I feel only enthusiasm for it, so that's cool. Kirby as 30 for writers is a joke--his writing perfectly compliments his art, which is deservedly ranked. Stan Lee can go fuck himself. Gaiman is really good, but I feel his rating is based entirely on The Sandman. I've never really seen the appeal of Romita Jr., who's good but not THAT good. Of course, I think that Mahnke should be way higher, but I feel good enough that he's even been included. No Geof Darrow? Moebius's inclusion makes me miss a Jodorowsky mention, whose comics are so much better than his films it's painful (and I like his movies!).

It's an okay list, but suffers from readers choice list syndrome. Namely, boring in all the predictable and wrong ways, but not offensive enough to warrant overt objection. There are some great names here.

megladon8

12-24-2010, 10:22 PM

Sorry if this is a dumb question...

Was the rendition of Wolverine with the claws coming out between his knuckles made for Bryan Singer's movies?

Or had that idea come in the comics (or somewhere else) before then?

I just always remember, up until around the first X-Men movie, the claws coming out of the back of his hands.

Spaceman Spiff

12-25-2010, 02:05 AM

I've just finished Pim and Francie: The Golden Bear Days by Al Columbia.

Holy shit.

:eek::eek::eek:
:crazy::crazy::crazy:

:pritch:

endingcredits

12-27-2010, 01:46 PM

Fantagraphics is having a 40% off overstock sale.

http://www.fantagraphics.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemar t&page=shop.browse&category_id=668&keyword=&manufacturer_id=0&Itemid=62&orderby=product_name&limit=20&limitstart=0

Sven

12-28-2010, 07:51 AM

Just finished Preacher 6 and it is the first one that, upon finishing, I have felt an instant need to get onto the next one. It's probably my favorite: the desert sequence is masterful action comics, the Cass/Jesse dynamic is terrific and sad, and seeing how that develops after you-know-what and concluding with a fainted Jesse... I don't know how much Ennis had planned when he started the series, but the development has been organic and completely unpredictable. I love the comedic tone, particularly as a surprise during heavier moments. Hess continues to be, I think, the best-written character. They're getting better, but the characters have long felt too defined by their romantic or sidekick roles. It is only now, after Cassidy's admission in the last issue, that I feel their personalities developing greater dimension. Cassidy is so frustrating. I can never tell if I like him or not.

Sven

12-28-2010, 09:06 AM

Arrrrgh, fuck it, I love being wrong: Peter Milligan is working me over but good.

Grouchy

12-28-2010, 01:43 PM

Hess continues to be, I think, the best-written character.
Herr Starr?

Sven

12-28-2010, 07:20 PM

Herr Starr?

Haha. Yeah. My bad. Wrote that really quickly. Anyway, he's a great character, even if he is an insufferable, murderous bastard.

number8

12-28-2010, 07:27 PM

You're on the right wavelength. The ending is going to kill you.

Sven

12-29-2010, 06:14 AM

OMG, guys, I'm drowning in comics. I have so many that I haven't read I don't even know where to start. What's worse: the ones I REALLY want to read, I don't have.

number8

12-29-2010, 06:15 AM

By the way, have we forgotten to talk about Batman Inc #2?

Cause, Batman Inc #2.

You know.

It's fucking awesome.

Sven

12-29-2010, 09:06 AM

Lord Death Man's obscene rampage was among the more delightful acts of ultraviolence I've come across. Love Jiro's resolve... what an awesome character. If there's any strength of Morrison's that I don't appreciate enough, it's his ability to create incredible supporting characters out of even the thinnest material.

Favorite panel: the birds feeding off the squid hanging out of the window, though the hospital bus exploding is a close second.

number8

12-29-2010, 09:17 AM

Lord Death Man's obscene rampage was among the more delightful acts of ultraviolence I've come across.

Yeah, that was ridiculous. I love Batman's annoyed anger when he jumped on Lord Death Man's car. Goddammit, what the hell is wrong with you?!

Sven

12-29-2010, 09:20 AM

Yeah, that was ridiculous. I love Batman's annoyed anger when he jumped on Lord Death Man's car. Goddammit, what the hell is wrong with you?!

You mean when he jumped on Lord Death Man's car while landing on top of a bullet train? Balls out, is how to put it. Can't wait to see what happens with Mexico.

bac0n

12-29-2010, 12:03 PM

Yeah, totally. Never bothered to get into the Batman mythos, but after two issues of Batman Inc, I'm completely hooked.

Sven

01-02-2011, 12:11 AM

First comic read of the New Year: Nextwave. It is true that sometimes Ellis misses (ending to Ocean, come on!), but when he's on, he's as good as the rest of them.

Top five Warren, stat! (I'm gonna cheat)

1 Global Frequency
2 Black Summer/Supergod/No Hero
3 Desolation Jones
4 Planetary
5 Nextwave

Can't wait to read newuniversal (more of his Marvel stuff in general, really) and Ministry of Space.

Sven

01-03-2011, 09:29 PM

Perhaps I am a bit behind in the times to demand a top five Ellis. That's okay. I assume most would have a handful of the same titles populating their list.

I have a friend who lent me this: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_odJlOl-YfZA/TQ_e36NAHJI/AAAAAAAAAOI/BiZZ-DhkCF0/s1600/incal.jpg

It's, like, a million bucks to buy now, I'm so jealous. I just finished it and it's as good as comics get.

megladon8

01-04-2011, 02:53 AM

EyesWideOpen

01-04-2011, 04:09 AM

Top five Warren, stat! (I'm gonna cheat)

1 Global Frequency
2 Black Summer/Supergod/No Hero
3 Desolation Jones
4 Planetary
5 Nextwave

Can't wait to read newuniversal (more of his Marvel stuff in general, really) and Ministry of Space.

1. Planetary
2. Fell
3. Nextwave
4. Desolation Jones

These are all fantastic.

I've read some of his Batman, Ultimate Galactus Trilogy, Wolverine stuff but none of those really stand out to me.

Fell and Desolation Jones he just stopped writing without any explanation ever as to why and then it took him 2 years in between issues to finish Planetary so I'll wait till he's done with a story before I try any of his new stuff.

Grouchy

01-04-2011, 04:54 AM

Sven

01-04-2011, 07:10 PM

Oooooh, The Incal is a fantastic read. Sven, those hardcovers are pretty expensive in Spanish too. Maybe you can ask your friend if he owns the Metabarons saga by Jodorowsky and Juan Giménez. I can almost guarantee you'll love that.

They are releasing TPBs of the Metabarons for pretty standard prices here, which is great. I've found a few of the volumes used, but wanted to have read The Incal first before I bite that off. Technopriests is also on the list. Gimenez's work looks a-MA-zing.

Sven

01-04-2011, 07:11 PM

I've read some of his Batman, Ultimate Galactus Trilogy, Wolverine stuff but none of those really stand out to me.

Hmmm... that's too bad about the Galactus trilogy. I've been eyeing that one.

Ivan Drago

01-04-2011, 08:25 PM

D_Davis

01-04-2011, 11:55 PM

The Wormworld Saga (http://wormworldsaga.com/)

Amazing.

number8

01-05-2011, 12:04 AM

FYI, the second Fantastic Four movie lifted a lot from Ellis' Ultimate Galactus. What's funny is that they lifted a scene's dialogue verbatim, but gave Ultimate Nick Fury's lines to Andre Braugher's Random Black Army General.

megladon8

01-05-2011, 12:04 AM

Gorgeous artwork in that, D, thanks for posting it!

The colouring reminds me of "Braid".

Winston*

01-05-2011, 01:56 AM

Read all of Pluto over the last few days. One question:

The teddy bear supercomputer who is controlling the "Thracia" government: The book implies that he is the one ultimately orchestrating the whole Pluto/Abbulah/Borah/Goji plot, but I'm not entirely clear how he is supposed to be doing this. Is he controlling the robot Abullah somehow?
Excellent comic book anyway, slightly clunky translation aside. Incredible b & w art. Thanks to those here that were prasing it (number8 and sycophant?).

D_Davis

01-05-2011, 03:08 AM

Jodorowsky made comic books too?????

I love that man more and more every day.

He and Moebius worked on a few together. Good stuff.

Grouchy

01-05-2011, 02:50 PM

They are releasing TPBs of the Metabarons for pretty standard prices here, which is great. I've found a few of the volumes used, but wanted to have read The Incal first before I bite that off. Technopriests is also on the list. Gimenez's work looks a-MA-zing.
Good to hear.

And yes, Juan Giménez is a God of Drawing:

http://lh3.google.ca/abramsv/R7KwgaoD06I/AAAAAAAAIQs/xRXvtzofDP0/s800/422772909_bad2c6b243_o.jpg

Sven

01-05-2011, 03:29 PM

I can't remember being this excited about a movie in a long time.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/assets/images/articles/1294241802.jpg

"On the way towards this ultimate confrontation, Batman and El Gaucho, Argentina's No.1 crimebuster, face a terrifying new villain whose world-shaking master plan stretches across 2 decades, 3 countries and 3 interlocked issues, which also feature Batwoman, a whole new team of British heroes and the debut of The Batman of Africa, in a dark and twisted super-espionage thriller."

Sven

01-05-2011, 08:03 PM

Two recent reads have convinced me of the potential expressive, dynamic capacity in the style of illustration I have come to dub "Nickelodeon style" (cartoony expressions, heavy outlines, bright colors with little shading): Stuart Immonen's NextWave, which infuses the child friendly drawings with adult wit and an advanced handling of action, and Rob Guillory's Chew, where the inks are graceful and practically poetic. Normally I am turned off by overt cartooniness, but these two have inspired at least a small change of heart.

megladon8

01-06-2011, 05:11 AM

You win, Sven.

"NextWave" is fucking brilliant. I loved it.

EyesWideOpen

01-07-2011, 12:02 AM

Sven

01-07-2011, 12:23 AM

Just used some amazon credit to order:

X'ed Out - Charles Burns
Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition (the huge oversized collection)
Chew Vol. 3

this will be my first Usagi Yojimbo read, I can't wait.

Rockin'. X'ed Out is insanely weird, but cool, and frustrating to know that it will take eons before it's finished. I finished Chew last night. I'm pretty pissed--I was under the impression that it was practically done. But no... Guillory says that they're planning on 60 issues. Bah!

I have intentionally stayed away from Usagi Yojimbo because I'm already in too deep. Need to clean my reading list first.

EyesWideOpen

01-07-2011, 01:55 AM

Rockin'. X'ed Out is insanely weird, but cool, and frustrating to know that it will take eons before it's finished. I finished Chew last night. I'm pretty pissed--I was under the impression that it was practically done. But no... Guillory says that they're planning on 60 issues. Bah!

I have intentionally stayed away from Usagi Yojimbo because I'm already in too deep. Need to clean my reading list first.

For some reason I though Black Hole was the first thing Charles Burns had done and X'ed Out was his follow up. I looked on amazon and he's got a couple other books he's came out with (Big Baby, Skin Deep, El Borbah). Anybody read any of them?

Acapelli

01-07-2011, 02:58 AM

yeah, x'ed out is great. and i echo sven's frustration in probably having to wait forever till its finished

number8

01-07-2011, 02:35 PM

Usagi Yojimbo is the bee's knees, yo.

number8

01-07-2011, 04:44 PM

Pretty great list of last year's 5 worst comics. (http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/12/30/worst-comic-books-2010/)

Sven

01-07-2011, 08:39 PM

Oh my goodness, is all of Straczynski's stuff that bad? Yikes.

number8

01-07-2011, 08:46 PM

Oh my goodness, is all of Straczynski's stuff that bad? Yikes.

Because he's always reaaaally pretentious, occasionally he hits a memorable grand note (I have on my cubicle wall a page from his Spiderman where 1/4 of the issue is just Captain America quoting Mark Twain) or two, but in general, I dislike his writing.

His Supreme Power is good, despite the fact that it doesn't have a goddamn ending.

number8

01-07-2011, 08:49 PM

Huh. I just remembered he wrote Changeling.

Acapelli

01-07-2011, 09:14 PM

i heard some good things about the twelve, but that too does not have an ending (yet)

i really liked the back in black arc of jms's amazing run

Sven

01-07-2011, 10:00 PM

Because he's always reaaaally pretentious, occasionally he hits a memorable grand note (I have on my cubicle wall a page from his Spiderman where 1/4 of the issue is just Captain America quoting Mark Twain) or two, but in general, I dislike his writing.

His Supreme Power is good, despite the fact that it doesn't have a goddamn ending.

I can't imagine reading anything worse than those samples of Grounded.

In other news, I feel like a total dork because Peter Milligan is pretty excellent. I do not rescind my criticisms of his writing: his is a less-polished, almost stream-of-consciousness logic, where repetition is the name of the game, regardless of the repeated phrase's import. His dialogue is often too blunt, though there are certain works that bypass the need for affecting dialogue. Still, after reading more, I take back my inexperienced reaction. Narrative, plotting, and personal human foible are his strengths. Enigma, The Extremist, Skreemer, and Constantine: India are all impeccable works.

My bad.

EyesWideOpen

01-07-2011, 11:51 PM

Pretty great list of last year's 5 worst comics. (http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/12/30/worst-comic-books-2010/)

3 of those issues were great. Sentry: Fallen Sun should have been #1.
Although the two part Batman: Orphans would give Fallen Sun a run for it's money.

Wolverine: The Best There Is #1 was awful too.

Grouchy

01-08-2011, 07:38 PM

I haven't read Morrison's Batman past the Batman and Son TPB and I'm always amazed whenever I remember that he created El Gaucho. Does the series ever come to Argentina?

number8

01-08-2011, 08:00 PM

He didn't create El Gaucho. Gaucho and the rest of the Club of Heroes have been around since the 50's. Morrison just used them seriously 'cause he has affinity for the Silver Age.

EyesWideOpen

01-08-2011, 08:29 PM

He didn't create El Gaucho. Gaucho and the rest of the Club of Heroes have been around since the 50's. Morrison just used them seriously 'cause he has affinity for the Silver Age.

People also just assume he created Knight and Squire.

Grouchy

01-08-2011, 08:36 PM

Well, the more I know now.

This Earth One idea sounds redundant. I thought All Star was already the Ultimate universe for DC?

number8

01-08-2011, 10:18 PM

The All-Star books are not a single universe. They're all standalone stories.

The more you know.

bac0n

01-09-2011, 05:04 PM

Has anybody read The Thanos Imperative? If so, any good?

Acapelli

01-09-2011, 08:48 PM

Has anybody read The Thanos Imperative? If so, any good?
i'm not a marvel cosmic guy, but i kind of loved it. really fun event and am looking forward to the annihilators/rocket racoon & groot book

Sven

01-10-2011, 12:26 AM

F. Mentallo HC coming this fall. I think I'll hang onto my issues anyway.

Sven

01-10-2011, 08:19 AM

Reading Secret History in prep for the second omnibus coming out on Tuesday. It is badass. Any other takers? It's all about Igor Kordey. I've read that some people hate him. What gives?

EyesWideOpen

01-10-2011, 11:32 AM

Reading Secret History in prep for the second omnibus coming out on Tuesday. It is badass. Any other takers? It's all about Igor Kordey. I've read that some people hate him. What gives?

I've only seen his artwork on Morrison's New X-Men run and it's some of my least favorite art in a comic I've seen but I don't hate him.

Acapelli

01-10-2011, 01:05 PM

yeah it's pretty atrocious stuff

Grouchy

01-10-2011, 01:36 PM

Same here. I even found those issues of New X-Men difficult to read because of how fucking ugly his art was.

number8

01-10-2011, 01:45 PM

His covers for Unknown Soldier are phenomenal.

number8

01-10-2011, 01:57 PM

As for some people hating him, He gets too much shit because of his New X-men, man, which seems to be the only thing most people have seen of him.

Here's a cool interview from a few years ago:

NRAMA: Over the years you were at Marvel, it seemed as the pendulum of quality swung in wild arcs, with your Cable and Soldier X being quite solid, while your New X-Men fill ins, while good, had almost a manic energy behind them, and in the eyes of a lot of readers, not up to the quality of your Cable work. What happened? Were you just overloaded?

Kordey: Yes. In May of ’02, I ended up finishing four books in parallel: the last Cable, the first Soldier X, the last part of Black Widow and New X-Men #124. It was insane! And it was logical to fail, at least in on one of them – New X-Men happened to be that horrific book.

NRAMA: In those days where you had what many artists would see as an overloaded plate, what was your timetable to complete a full issue?

Kordey: A week. The Shi-ar arc looks really horrible, but I still like my Fantomex arc – it’s strong, man! Actually, I received a lot of support and appreciation for that arc from numerous fans from Europe, who were ecstatic about such grittiness and expressiveness in X-Men world.

NRAMA: That said though, did you ever turn in an issue where you felt it wasn’t up to your normal standards for quality?

Kordey: …from today’s point of view, many of those books are bellow my standards of quality…that’s the fact. I got lost in delusions that this expressiveness is the right way to do it, and nobody stopped me. I received a very polite call from my X-Men editor about necessity to become slick, but at that time I didn’t have a clue what the heck is that suppose to mean, and nobody complained too much as long as books were coming on time.

Sven

01-10-2011, 04:24 PM

I will have to read his New X-Men issues again. First time through, I did not have any beef. However, I was much less aware of a lot of things about comics when I read it, I was on such a Morrison high. Still: those covers are great, 8, as are his covers for Cable. And you all should check out this two-parter he did called Conspiracy. It's all painted, with wild colors and dynamic lines.

He's good. I'll get back on what I think of re-reading his X-Men. Eventually...

Acapelli

01-10-2011, 05:12 PM

i guess he does get too much flack for his work on a fill-in arc, and especially when compared with the other artists morrison worked with on new x-men (quitely, jimenez, bachalo) of course it's gonna look bad. it just looks so sloppy. i had the same reaction to his work as i did to larry stroman's (who's just awful). his style is just not very appealing to me

it still shouldn't be an excuse for shitty work though. mahnke had like a week to do that final issue of final crisis and he knocked it out of the park

Sven

01-10-2011, 05:37 PM

Comparing anyone to Mahnke is stacking the deck. The man is unreal.

Sven

01-11-2011, 06:42 AM

Cool. Today I found the rest of Milligan/Allred's X-Force at a used book store, so now I have all of that + the whole of X-Statix due to arrive any day now. With only a little reading, I can see that the writer/artist combo is teeming with potential. I am tremendously excited for 40+ more issues of this.

Acapelli

01-11-2011, 07:34 AM

allred is pretty much my favorite artist working today. his book madman is highly recommended

Sven

01-11-2011, 07:57 AM

allred is pretty much my favorite artist working today. his book madman is highly recommended

The only thing I've read of his is an alternate universe sequence in a Matt Fraction-Thor book called Ages of Thunder. It was actually way cool seeing his cartoony style delivering such heavy material.

number8

01-11-2011, 03:29 PM

I think I need to start reading Batgirl. What I've seen of it so far are hilarious. They should rename it Damian Loves Stephanie.

Sven

01-12-2011, 09:25 AM

One of the coolest things about my budding awareness of artists and writers is stumbling upon older works by those with whose work I have formed allegiance. Roundabout way of saying that I just nabbed an Arcudi/Leon Robocop miniseries. OMG. Cool early Leon, too. Less blocks of shadow. Very Bisley.

Ezee E

01-12-2011, 01:20 PM

Not sure if it should be posted here, but since The Lost City of Z is on hold at my library, I picked up The Invention of Hugo Cabret and read through the first three chapters yesterday. Loving it.

EyesWideOpen

01-13-2011, 12:27 AM

I just bought the four Justice League International hardcovers along with the "Formerly Known as the Justice League" and "I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League" trades off someone for $45 shipped.

I've been wanting to read that JLI stuff forever.

Sven

01-13-2011, 04:33 AM

JLI is truly excellent comics, as is the majority of what I've read by Giffen. His proficiency with the panel is truly something else.

Sven

01-13-2011, 06:11 AM

Truly.

number8

01-13-2011, 02:03 PM

Yeah, I adore JLI. That line-up was so awesome that other DC books at the time immediately became awesomer because when they had to feature the Justice League, it's J'onn, Guy, Booster and Beetle that show up.

number8

01-13-2011, 02:56 PM

LOL.

Superman defends the BP Oil Spill in the new "Grounded."

number8

01-13-2011, 03:03 PM

EVERYBODY BUY BATGIRL #17 OR I WILL STAB YOU.

Sven

01-13-2011, 03:46 PM

I wish Nguyen was doing the art for Batgirl, not just the covers. Pere Perez is kind of, well... undistinguished.

I was reading X-Statix last night and BOOM! Paul Pope issue. Nobody told me. So good.

Acapelli

01-13-2011, 03:53 PM

he's supposed to be doing the interiors too. guess he's behind

Sven

01-13-2011, 04:04 PM

he's supposed to be doing the interiors too. guess he's behind

Ah, I see. I missed that he had done a couple of issues.

number8

01-13-2011, 04:28 PM

I wish Ostrander is healthy enough to have his own ongoing again. He was one of the best.

EyesWideOpen

01-14-2011, 12:05 AM

EVERYBODY BUY BATGIRL #17 OR I WILL STAB YOU.

I've tried to tell you guys to buy Batgirl from the beginning but you guys told me all Bat books that aren't Morrison suck.

number8

01-14-2011, 03:03 PM

Awesomeness:

http://i.newsarama.com/images/DarkwingDuck_08_Preview_Page_0 2.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/DarkwingDuck_08_Preview_Page_0 7.jpg

Grouchy

01-14-2011, 04:02 PM

Dude, 8, this is completely off topic, but on your list of Overlooked 2010 Movies, entry #3, if the film is anything like the novel it's based on, that's a huge fucking spoiler you've written.

number8

01-14-2011, 04:12 PM

Dude, 8, this is completely off topic, but on your list of Overlooked 2010 Movies, entry #3, if the film is anything like the novel it's based on, that's a huge fucking spoiler you've written.

They reveal that like 15 minutes into the movie.

EDIT: Actually, I think they reveal that in the opening text, although I can't remember what it says specifically.

Grouchy

01-14-2011, 06:11 PM

They reveal that like 15 minutes into the movie.

EDIT: Actually, I think they reveal that in the opening text, although I can't remember what it says specifically.
Ah, ok, then it's different than the book. In the book that becomes somewhat easy to guess eventually, but it's not spelled out until the final chapters.

number8

01-21-2011, 05:23 PM

You know, I'd probably be really into New Avengers if they don't do any Avengering in it. I love the way Bendis writes Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. I don't like the way he writes superhero stuff.

Can't we just cancel that title and give him, like, Luke Cage/Jessica Jones: Married Life, or something?

dreamdead

01-21-2011, 06:03 PM

A three-month wait for new Williams work because of the postponement of Batwoman #1. Sad.

Hoping to finish up Ex Machina here soon. Finished through vol. 8, and want to see how Vaughan closes it out--he's gone from overrated due to Pride of Baghdad to interesting due to his engagement with gender and politics here and in Y: The Last Man. I like his pacing and handling of characterization in these latter two. After that I hope to finally read any of the 3 Love and Rockets sets we've got sitting on the shelf. Likely Maggie first.

Sven

01-21-2011, 07:27 PM

Over the last few nights, I've been reading tons of Judge Dredd and Lobo comics. I've been cursing oddly. Drokk! Fragging bastich! My already high opinion of Simon Bisley's style has only elevated. The Authority/Lobo Easter crossover is scrumptious reading.

number8

01-21-2011, 09:31 PM

LOL. (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=7541)

number8

01-24-2011, 05:18 PM

Wizard Mag has shut down.

Sven

01-26-2011, 05:33 AM

Tomorrow I'm going to read all four volumes of Deadpool Classics. I wish I had some mushrooms to take or something.

Sven

01-26-2011, 08:03 PM

Tomorrow I'm going to read all four volumes of Deadpool Classics. I wish I had some mushrooms to take or something.

Turns out that I'm only human and am not, in fact, going to read all of this in one go. Geez, what was I thinking?

Sven

01-29-2011, 10:18 AM

Just read Abraxas and the Earthman. Too good for words, which reminds me about the announcement of a Brat Pack movie, which is not too good for words. Dude who did Metropia is signed to direct, but there's just no way it's gonna work.

EyesWideOpen

01-29-2011, 09:07 PM

Atomic Comics here in Arizona is having a 50% off everything sale this weekend and if you spend more than $100 (after discount) you get a $25 gift certificate. I just went to the two closest stores to me and for $150 I got $400 worth of hardcovers and trades! This was my sale of the year.

A God Somewhere
Brightest Day HC Vol. 1
Complete Battlefields HC Vol. 1
Cuba My Revolution HC
Detroit Metal City Vol. 4
Existence 2.0/3.0 TPB
Forgetless TPB
House of Mystery Vol. 5 TPB
How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less HC
Last Days of American Crime TPB
Marvelous Land of Oz HC (Marvel)
Parker: The Outfit HC
Powers: The Definitive Hardcover Collection Vol. 4
Spider-Man: One Moment in Time HC
Spider-Man: Origin of the Species HC
Y: The Last Man HC Vol. 3 & 4

EyesWideOpen

01-30-2011, 05:53 PM

I couldn't resist. I went back today for another go with a list this time of the volumes I was missing. I picked up:

Fables Vol. 14
Hitman Vol. 3
Incorruptible Vol. 2-3
Irredeemable Vol. 4-5
Jack of Fables Vol. 5-7
Question Vol. 5
Sweet Tooth Vol. 2
Unknown Soldier Vol. 3
Water Baby (Minx)

I'm set for the year now.

Sven

01-31-2011, 12:08 AM

I'm set for the year now.

Maybe you are better than I am, but front-loading is a recipe for selective amnesia. I learn this the hard way, all the time.

Sven

02-08-2011, 05:07 PM

I think Shade, the Changing Man may be my favorite series. I'm only ten or so issues in, but it is so good.

Acapelli

02-08-2011, 06:08 PM

*told you so dance*

number8

02-08-2011, 07:09 PM

http://i.imgur.com/82o6f.jpg

Sven

02-08-2011, 09:48 PM

Wolverine wouldn't have an arrow nose, I don't think.

Ezee E

02-09-2011, 12:17 AM

And how would Wolverine open his mouth?

Sven

02-09-2011, 12:21 AM

And why would the oblong sun lose its orange around the Batmen's mouths?

Sven

02-10-2011, 04:46 PM

Just did my first comic scan. From Godland. I loved the page so much I needed to bronze it. The last panel has been cracking me up all morning.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v350/iosos/Comic%20scans/Godland-i11p01.jpg

Sven

02-14-2011, 12:48 AM

Anybody want to convince me to read/not read Fraction's Invincible Iron Man? The temptation to dive in is reaching a boiling point.

EyesWideOpen

02-14-2011, 02:02 AM

Anybody want to convince me to read/not read Fraction's Invincible Iron Man? The temptation to dive in is reaching a boiling point.

I've read through the first 25 or so issues and I enjoyed it and I'm not usually an Iron Man fan. The artwork isn't for everyone though. Larrocca uses a ton of photo referencing so almost all the characters look like real actors. Tony Stark is Josh Holloway, Pepper is Nicole Kidman, etc. For me it definitely dampens some of my appreciation for the series.

Sven

02-14-2011, 02:25 AM

For me it definitely dampens some of my appreciation for the series.

Hmmmm... I prefer otherwise as well. This is definitely tempering, though I like Fraction quite a bit. I'll stick to Enter the Mandarin for now.

EyesWideOpen

02-14-2011, 03:26 AM

Hmmmm... I prefer otherwise as well. This is definitely tempering, though I like Fraction quite a bit. I'll stick to Enter the Mandarin for now.

http://gregjhunter.files.wordpress.co m/2010/06/ironman_laroc2.jpg

number8

02-14-2011, 04:15 AM

Jesus, that's hideous.

Acapelli

02-14-2011, 04:55 AM

i really liked the style he employed in the flashback sequences in 500.1

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7076/20100110ironman500p1pre.jpg

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/7076/20100110ironman500p1pre.jpg

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/6123/detailp.jpg

don't know why he just doesn't draw like that all the time

Ezee E

02-14-2011, 04:57 AM

Just found out that my store downtown is right next to Mile High Comics, one of the best comic book shops around. Think I'll check it out sometime soon.

EyesWideOpen

02-14-2011, 11:35 AM

i really liked the style he employed in the flashback sequences in 500.1

don't know why he just doesn't draw like that all the time

Because it's probably easier for him to draw the other way.

number8

02-14-2011, 02:08 PM

You should see Newuniversal. Josh Holloway, James Cromwell, Bruce Willis, Gene Hackman, the cast of the Sopranos...

number8

02-15-2011, 05:26 PM

Amazing answer from Paul Cornell when jokingly asked what would Lex Luthor do on Valentine's Day:

“Lex Luthor isn’t one for Valentine’s Day treats, but he built Robot Lois Lane to surprise and challenge him, so when she asked to go out and see a Broadway show, he was interested enough to agree. The show was Wicked, which Lex impatiently sat through. At dinner afterwards, he asked her why she’d wept at the spectacle of someone who took so long to realize they were surrounded by fools who would never accept them. If he’d been involved, he’d have conquered gravity rather than defied it. Also he was quite surprised she could weep. Lois told him she enjoyed dramas about betrayal. That she learned from them. That made Lex laugh: now he saw what she meant, that his Lois was so like him, was literally made for him, to seek to understand his own experience! Which made her turn her face away to hide her expression. And as soon as her face was turned, Lex’s own smile vanished. They had a big day coming up, a flight into space to retrieve the black spheres that would lead Lex to ultimate power. So they got an early night.”

Sven

02-15-2011, 06:18 PM

Cornell seems like an awesome dude. A fun writer, at least. Can't wait for the last Knight and Squire.

Acapelli

02-15-2011, 07:42 PM

marvel really dropped the ball letting him go. captain britain & the mi-13 was one of the best series of the last few years

Acapelli

02-15-2011, 07:44 PM

and obiously his current action comics is one of the best comics on the stands now

number8

02-15-2011, 07:59 PM

marvel really dropped the ball letting him go. captain britain & the mi-13 was one of the best series of the last few years

Wisdom ftw.

Sven

02-16-2011, 11:34 PM

Past few days, I've been carefully poring over The Maxx, and making much more sense of it this time around. I loved it when I read it a couple of years ago, but did not then have an adequate enough comics comprehension level to know what was going on. It's pretty straightforward, actually, once you piece it together. Mulholland Drive-like in that and other ways.

Sycophant

02-20-2011, 08:19 PM

Hey, Lovecraft nerds. Latest Darkwing Duck comic book arc has Darkwing Duck and Steelbeak teaming up to stop F.O.W.L. high command from summoning Duckthulu, destroyer of sanity.

Also, new DuckTales ongoing comic just got announced for May, written by Epic Mickey designer, Warren Spector. It'll be taking place in the same continuity as Darkwing Duck. Should be fun.

Winston*

02-20-2011, 08:24 PM

From Hell was really good guys.

megladon8

02-21-2011, 07:06 PM

Anyone else really interested in seeing the DC Animated release of "All-Star Superman"?

Comes to DVD this Tuesday.

DVD Active released a review of it, and they got what I think is the only guy in the world who didn't like the comic book to review the movie. And he didn't like it.

Sven

02-22-2011, 05:31 AM

Just read Wolverine/Doop. So amazing. Probably my favorite X-Statix thing, though I also really like the Avengers crossover. Still haven't read the Dead Girl mini. Soon.

Sven

02-22-2011, 05:32 AM

Anyone else really interested in seeing the DC Animated release of "All-Star Superman"?

I'm curious, but not really "interested". I expect I wouldn't like it since I tend to not like the animated DC stuff as much as most do.

Acapelli

02-22-2011, 08:12 PM

dwayne mcduffie died. never was a huge fan of his comics work, but i loved static shock (the tv series) and jli

R.I.P.

Sven

02-24-2011, 03:49 PM

Are there any anti-Kirby sentiments out there? Seems like there shouldn't be.

number8

02-24-2011, 05:54 PM

I think I've figured out why I like surreal, balls-to-the-walls crazy comics so much. Because this is really the only medium where that can be fostered. Filmmakers who want to do something that unrestrained normally would never get the money to pull it off.

In comics, a Guy Maddin film could get Christopher Nolan's budget.

Sven

02-24-2011, 06:39 PM

Yeah, they pretty much satisfy my craving for the epic, unconstrained by budget and convention. I love that I don't (usually) have to look at ugly slick CGI in motion. Science fiction comics are especially satisfying for this reason.

D_Davis

02-24-2011, 07:19 PM

Filmmakers who want to do something that unrestrained normally would never get the money to pull it off.

Unless you're Tsui Hark or Ching Siu Tung.

Sven

02-25-2011, 08:49 AM

Amazing older interview (http://www.comicsbulletin.com/features/108613414848973.htm) with Igor Kordey, who is rapidly becoming a top fiver for me.

On a different note, I'm just about done with The Immortal Iron Fist, which is defying my admittedly high expectations.

number8

02-25-2011, 12:48 PM

On a different note, I'm just about done with The Immortal Iron Fist, which is defying my admittedly high expectations.

Dude, yes! That was such a great series.

bac0n

02-25-2011, 02:30 PM

Dude, yes! That was such a great series.

I've heard great things about it. I ought to take a look and see if there's a TPB in stock next time I pick up my comics.

Sven

02-25-2011, 05:13 PM

Dude, yes! That was such a great series.

I didn't realize it continued after Fraction/Brubaker. I was hoping for something more finite. The cliffhanger they end on is maddening, but otherwise very satisfying storytelling.

EyesWideOpen

02-25-2011, 05:40 PM

I didn't realize it continued after Fraction/Brubaker. I was hoping for something more finite. The cliffhanger they end on is maddening, but otherwise very satisfying storytelling.

It kept the same quality throughout. You should definitely pick up the rest of the series. It ended at issue 27 and then there was a five issue Immortal Weapons miniseries (with great writing by Jason Aaron, David Lapham and others) to close the run.

number8

02-25-2011, 05:53 PM

Yeah, the mini was great. Aaron's Fat Cobra issue was the best.

Sven

02-25-2011, 06:11 PM

It's all about Fat Cobra and his victory wenches.

Grouchy

02-28-2011, 04:27 PM

Wow, Dwayne McDuffie's death feels kind of sad. Too young.

Sven

03-01-2011, 12:16 AM

EyesWideOpen

03-01-2011, 12:35 AM

49 issues of Aquaman for $15? Not that interested in the character, but the price is right, and the names Arcudi, Veitch, Gleason, and Busiek make it impossible for me to not say "gimme". Anyone read any of that 2003-2007 run?

I've read maybe 5 issues of that run and they were ok. It's been a while and I didn't read them from the start of the run so I was missing a lot.

Aquaman is one of those characters that I think is really cool but I haven't really read any of. I wish Geoff Johns would finally start writing an Aquaman series since he's hinted at it forever.

Sven

03-01-2011, 04:41 AM

Sorry to continue my deluge of posts in this thread, but I thought I'd call in just to say "OMG" re: the first book of Guy Davis's The Marquis.

OMG.

I really need to read more bad comics.

Sven

03-02-2011, 08:26 PM

Today's reading:

The next two chapters of the Marquis solidify it as one of the very greatest comics I've read.

Joe the Barbarian 8 was a moderate disappointment, as there are a few pages of confused action and the ultimate summation is one of minimal engagement with the premise. Still, the illustrations are rockin' and the emotional payoff of the photograph is deserved.

5 Ronin: Wolverine was surprisingly modest, though it shows no small amount of potential. Definitely intrigued.

Also got refitted for a replacement temporary crown, as my last one shattered on some chicken teriyaki.

Sven

03-06-2011, 07:21 PM

D_Davis

03-06-2011, 10:20 PM

Went to ECCC today to meet Sergio Aragones. Nice guy, although not as talkative as I had imagined. Still, really nice to meet a true living legend. His work in Mad and Groo is unrivaled, IMO; he drew me a quick little Groo sketch in a The Life of Groo trade.. Also found a cool little book I dig - Kid Beowulf. Nice artist and writer, too. And I got a copy of Rolling Thunder on DVD.

Acapelli

03-07-2011, 03:25 AM

ECCC update: Fraction and I were awkward, Guy Davis is professional, Geof Darrow is a sweetheart, Eric Canete is pithy but not ungrateful, Dustin Nguyen is a cool dude, and Cameron Stewart stole my heart away. Fun times.
talked to cameron stewart at mocca last year, and he signed some issues of seaguy for me. he was incredibly nice

Sven

03-07-2011, 08:15 AM

talked to cameron stewart at mocca last year, and he signed some issues of seaguy for me. he was incredibly nice

Same story for me. I told him Seaguy changed the way I read comics (not a lie). He was incredibly personable.

number8

03-07-2011, 02:48 PM

Yep. He's super nice. I've had conversations with him on Twitter.

D_Davis

03-07-2011, 02:59 PM

Man, I dig the heck out of Kid Beowulf. Love the art style. Really looking forward to how the series shapes up as Beowulf and Grendel travel around the various countries.

D_Davis

03-07-2011, 03:06 PM

http://www.armzrace.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Kid_Beowulf.jpg

Acapelli

03-07-2011, 05:01 PM

this is why marcos martin is one of the best in the biz

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/2073/4d7137a8d9bc2.jpg

Sven

03-09-2011, 06:45 AM

I've taken the plunge into The Invincible Iron Man. I'm surfing Larocca's wavelength, though it took a bit to get over the overlit coloring. He's excellent at sequence. Fraction is crisp. It's awesome.

number8

03-09-2011, 07:45 PM

Oh shit.

Marvel got the creator of Dr. McNinja to write the Deadpool Fear Itself tie-in.

Goddammit. Now I have to read it.

Sven

03-09-2011, 10:03 PM

Batman Incorporated just kicked it up a notch. Jeez Louise.

number8

03-10-2011, 03:25 AM

Morrison is fucking craaaazy.

lovejuice

03-10-2011, 04:05 AM

Oh shit.

Marvel got the creator of Dr. McNinja to write the Deadpool Fear Itself tie-in.

Goddammit. Now I have to read it.

Just want to say how much I love love love Chris Hastings.

Acapelli

03-11-2011, 12:22 AM

this issue of batman inc is the first one where i felt like the story suffered from the lower page count. i don't blame morrison though

bac0n

03-11-2011, 02:43 AM

shit shit shit Batman Inc is in my pull list but I don't think I'm gonna be able to make it to the store for a few days. POOP!

Sven

03-11-2011, 07:35 AM

this issue of batman inc is the first one where i felt like the story suffered from the lower page count. i don't blame morrison though

Suffered? I felt it was rapturous in its elliptic style. I'd much rather an oblique yet expressive execution than a plodding one. Page for page (and I particularly love the WWII prologue w/Cpt. Albion et al), this is one of Morrison's most impressive efforts.

In my opinion, of course.

Acapelli

03-11-2011, 07:44 AM

Sven

03-11-2011, 07:56 AM

everything just feels crammed in when compared to the first two issues, like the pacing feels sort of off

but that's gonna happen when you write a story to be 22 pages and your editor than asks you to lop off two pages. i'm sure morrison will adjust quickly though. dude's a pro

I didn't hear about the page lopping. Any reason why, other than obvious financial reasons? If I were DC, I wouldn't want to eff with the G-Moz.

Incidentally, I felt like the first two issues, impeccable as they are, are Morrison-lite. Not that zany-breakneck action is even remotely a bad thing, but 1 and 2 are not heavy on ambition. A great introduction to the concept, and expertly crafted, the glory I feel belongs mostly to Paquette. But 3 really highlights Morrison's writing, uniquely navigating themes of interconnectivity, and fearless in its storycraft mired in wild disparities.

OR it's just a serendipitous result of editing choices. :P