The Comic Book Discussion Thread

[Acapelli]

it's a financial thing. and something they can do to show up marvel who have pretty much all their triple-A titles at 3.99

[number8]

Snyder is doing pretty good on Detective right now.

[Acapelli]

Snyder is doing pretty good on Detective right now.
he's doing more than just "pretty good"

with him, lemire and cornell, dc is in pretty good shape as far as fresh talent goes

[number8]

I just hope Tomasi doesn't stay on B&R very long. That title needs a Cornell or Ellis or Milligan. Someone bold.

[Sven]

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.

So have you read this? I just finished it and it is outstanding.

[Sven]

Matt Seneca: I admire what you're trying to do, but you use a whole lot of words to say very, very little. For good comics criticism, I can barely read you.

[number8]

So have you read this? I just finished it and it is outstanding.

Of course. I have the mini in floppies. I love it.

[Sven]

Of course. I have the mini in floppies. I love it.

In an interview, Veitch said that he and Edwards had developed a concept for The Question in Gotham City. Doubt it will ever happen. Not a frowny face big enough to convey my sadness about that.

[number8]

I just realized that three of my favorite depictions of The Question are all wildly different.

[Sven]

I just realized that three of my favorite depictions of The Question are all wildly different.

Are you counting Rorschach as one of them?

[number8]

Are you counting Rorschach as one of them?

No, I'm counting the JLU Question, although he is heavily influenced by Rorschach, so I guess so.

xDBxlOfJnoQ

[number8]

Sven, have you read the issue of Denny O'Neill's Question where Vic reads Watchmen and tries to imitate Rorschach?

[Sven]

Sven, have you read the issue of Denny O'Neill's Question where Vic reads Watchmen and tries to imitate Rorschach?

I actually just read about that issue yesterday. Haven't read it though. For the Question, I've really only read the Veitch series and 52. I'm definitely interested in more, though.

[Sven]

Man, I really cannot get into the animated superhero stuff. The voice for the Green Arrow is ridiculous.

[Grouchy]

Man, I really cannot get into the animated superhero stuff. The voice for the Green Arrow is ridiculous.
I'd think it impossible for you not to get hooked on Justice League.

[number8]

I actually just read about that issue yesterday. Haven't read it though. For the Question, I've really only read the Veitch series and 52. I'm definitely interested in more, though.

Rucka's Question in 52 is definitely a continuation of O'Neill's characterization. Rucka has said that O'Neill and Cowan's Question is the most influential comic for him.

[dreamdead]

Yeah, my first comics criticism (http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v5_4/petrovic/) is finally online: on Watchmen and the film adaptation!

[Sven]

Yeah, my first comics criticism (http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v5_4/petrovic/) is finally online: on Watchmen and the film adaptation!

Fantastic read. The only connection that lacked potency was your reading of Laurie's kiss with Manhattan at the end. Not that I disagree, but I could've used a citation or another sentence or two to make that conclusion stronger.

Kudos!

[Sven]

Laurence Campbell is now on my radar. I've only read two things by him, both are densely atmospheric and evoke a unique, dreadful feeling. Both by Peter Milligan (excuse me a moment while my junkie self sings hosannas). The MoonKnight Christmas one-shot and the most recent 5 Ronin issue, being The Punisher. There is a fluid continuum between the way he draws these two disparate settings, the modern American city and feudal Japan; bold but punctuated with micro-textures, capturing (especially in the MoonKnight issue) action at the most evocative moments, framed precisely, and shaded with an intuition for twilight, his style transcends convention.

And on that note, Milligan really should write more for the Punisher. The one-shot he did with Ryp, Happy Endings, was also super. He's good with characters motivated by/concerned with reflexive forces and abstract concepts. The Punisher, being one of the more illusory characters precisely because the point is that he has none, is suited nicely to Milligan's flighty synapse-blasting style.

[number8]

The 5 Ronin mini in general has been terrific.

[megladon8]

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/7885/avengersfamilytree.jpg

[number8]

Wow, this is an excellent pitch. (http://deantrippe.tumblr.com/post/4021523420/lois-lane-girl-reporter)

What a shame DC passed on this.

[megladon8]

So this question is probably going to get me lambasted but here it goes...


I was thinking last night...does Captain America actually have any superpowers?

I mean, the Super Soldier Serum took the weakling Steve Rogers and turned him into Cap Steve Rogers...he's now super buff, strong, and it augmented and brought forward his natural leadership and virtuous personality.

But I mean, it's not like he's super strong, is he? He's stronger than your average joe for sure, but he's not Hulk. He's not throwing cars or toppling buildings.


Is he basically a really buff dude with a heart of gold?

[number8]

Regular Cap doesn't. Ultimate Cap does.

[Sven]

Morrison is fucking craaaazy.

Burnham is on my shortlist for favorite illustrators, and it pleases me to punchy degrees that Morrison is also apparently a fan. Amazing issue. I'm dying to see where this is going.

[EyesWideOpen]

So this question is probably going to get me lambasted but here it goes...


I was thinking last night...does Captain America actually have any superpowers?

I mean, the Super Soldier Serum took the weakling Steve Rogers and turned him into Cap Steve Rogers...he's now super buff, strong, and it augmented and brought forward his natural leadership and virtuous personality.

But I mean, it's not like he's super strong, is he? He's stronger than your average joe for sure, but he's not Hulk. He's not throwing cars or toppling buildings.


Is he basically a really buff dude with a heart of gold?

I mean technically he doesn't have any superpowers but the soldier serum is basically a superpower. He's not just a really buff dude.

"As a result of the Super-Soldier Serum and "Vita-Ray" treatment, he is transformed from a frail young man into a "perfect" specimen of human development and conditioning. Captain America's strength, endurance, agility, speed, reflexes, durability, and healing are at the highest limits of natural human potential. Rogers' body regularly replenishes the super-soldier serum; it does not wear off.
The formula enhances all of his metabolic functions and prevents the build-up of fatigue poisons in his muscles, giving him endurance far in excess of an ordinary human being. This accounts for many of his extraordinary feats, including bench pressing 1100 pounds (500 kg) and running a mile (1.6 km) in little more than a minute. Furthermore, his enhancements are the reason why he was able to survive being frozen in suspended animation for decades. Rogers cannot become intoxicated by alcohol, drugs, or impurities in the air and is immune to terrestrial diseases."

That's a lot more then humanly possible.

[Sven]

I love when DC/Marvel comics aiming for a more realistic bent incorporate the fantastical. Like Grant Morrison combining the mundane Bat-detective Gothamite with the planet-hopping God-battler. Most recently in my reading, the inclusion of Thor and Doctor Strange in The Invincible Iron Man makes for some of that series's highest high points.

Also, Detective Comics 630 everyone. Read it. One of the best single issues I've ever read.

Are there any older, less canonical Batman narratives that anyone here would recommend?

[dreamdead]

Fantastic read. The only connection that lacked potency was your reading of Laurie's kiss with Manhattan at the end. Not that I disagree, but I could've used a citation or another sentence or two to make that conclusion stronger.

Kudos!

Danke, sir. Yeah, the Laurie/Jon bit part is a tad short. I had hoped to couple that article with a complementary essay examining Silhouette's appearance in the film and how Snyder simultaneously empowers and devalues her (giving her narrative space but also rendering her character without a voice), but the editors couldn't afford the time it'd have taken to tie the two essays into one succinct piece.

Happily, though, I just received word that my Batwoman: Elegy article has been accepted by another journal. Now to work on publishing on novels so that I'm actually marketable on the market come fall. :lol:

[Sven]

I've spent over forty bucks on the book Rogan Gosh, having bought it twice now, the first time as a gift and now, because it just popped up for fifteen bucks, for me. Now if I could only get my hands on a copy of Skin for cheap.

[number8]

I hope this isn't T'challa in the costume because otherwise it is horribly offensive.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/assets/images/articles/1301330017.jpg

[Sven]

To all those who get weeklies, do yourself a favor and check out Butcher Baker, the Righteous Maker. Like most things Casey post 2005, it's fucking insane, but glorious. Oh, it's glorious.

[Acapelli]

To all those who get weeklies, do yourself a favor and check out Butcher Baker, the Righteous Maker. Like most things Casey post 2005, it's fucking insane, but glorious. Oh, it's glorious.
i picked this up. haven't read it, but looking forward to doing so

have you read wildcats 3.0?

[Sven]

have you read wildcats 3.0?

Oh yes. I actually re-read the whole kaboodle just recently. Much stronger the second time. Maybe I just get Casey more now. Up next of his for me is GI Joe Elite, which I flipped through and looks awesome. Never read any GI Joe before.

[Ezee E]

Can anyone answer this for me? I read a "digital Captain America" and was wondering if Marvel or DC is doing that with all their comics, or plan to in the near future? I would consider subscribing to them in that case, so that I wouldn't have to go to the store, and have them take up space in my house.

[number8]

Can anyone answer this for me? I read a "digital Captain America" and was wondering if Marvel or DC is doing that with all their comics, or plan to in the near future? I would consider subscribing to them in that case, so that I wouldn't have to go to the store, and have them take up space in my house.

Not all, but a lot.

http://marvel.com/digital_comics

https://read.dccomics.com/comixology/

[number8]

Dear DC,

Please don't take Scott Snyder off Detective Comics, and please let him keep the title Gordon-centric for much longer than this arc. We already have 4 other titles for Batman-centric adventures.

Sincerely,
A nostalgic Gotham Central fan

[Sven]

Just finished Preacher. It was pretty good. Like a big, interesting soap for dudes. Machismo a-plenty. I'm kind of disturbed by Ennis's compulsion to tie sexual deviancy to his evil characters: they've all got very distinct sexual kinks, here as well as in The Boys and on. All of his bad guys are required to enjoy bestiality or be Nazi leather fetishists or be pedophiles or etc etc. He's surprisingly very prudish about sex, though the development of the central relationship here as well as Li'l Hughie & Annie's in the Boys is undoubtedly strong.

[number8]

Oh, no question. Spot on observation. While I disagree with many people's assumption that he's homophobic, I do think that gay sex disgusts him, and it has more to do with anything outside sexual normalcy being disgusting to him than any ill-feeling towards people's sexual orientation. I rolled my eyes when he spent an entire issue of The Boys making a joke out of Hughie getting his red wings. I mean, it's sex. If you're in a long-term relationship, period blood gets involved sooner or later.

Weird as it is to say, Ennis is a very classic romantic.

[Sven]

Weird as it is to say, Ennis is a very classic romantic.

Some of The Boys's strongest writing was on the Highland Laddie miniseries, I felt. He's very good at giving me warm fuzzies when couples are defining their relationships through dialogue. This is not a small achievement, given my cynical heart.

[number8]

Some of The Boys's strongest writing was on the Highland Laddie miniseries, I felt.

I felt the same thing. He's tremendous with "real" people, and really uncomfortable with archetypes. He's like the reverse Mark Millar.


He's very good at giving me warm fuzzies when couples are defining their relationships through dialogue. This is not a small achievement, given my cynical heart.

Yeah, his main strength is actually in frank discussions of relationships. From the guy who's mostly famous for writing superheroes being sodomized.

[number8]

I have a feeling you'd like Hitman.

[Sven]

I have a feeling you'd like Hitman.

I read the first five issues and absolutely loved it. I'm waiting until I've got the whole run to bite off any more. It seems like McCrea is in his element on that one.

And one of my favorites is the Hitman Lobo one-shot he wrote and Doug Mahnke illustrated.

[Sven]

Speaking of excellent serieses, though, I also recently read Milligan's The Human Target, which is in the running for my favorite series now. The original mini is astonishing in its psychological complexity, not to mention being one of the best looking things I've read (courtesy of the late, great Edvin Biukovic, whose story is just goddamn sad). The second series is one of those ambitious, tackling-the-idea-of-America-whilst-echoing-it-through-our-hero's-psyche stories. Which given the concept, feels very natural. And given Milligan's strength in displaced identity and character transposition, feels like an epic, surreal, violent tone poem.

Truly great.

[number8]

Oh yeah, I just finished Milligan's 5 Ronin this morning. I think the Punisher issue was the best.

[Sven]

Oh yeah, I just finished Milligan's 5 Ronin this morning. I think the Punisher issue was the best.

Yes! Me too. I thought it was quite superlative, actually, particularly in the context of the series, which was good but also perplexing. All the reviews for it that I've scoured the internet for decry that issue as the worst one. But there is a real dearth of quality comic reviews out there. It's embarrassing and no wonder that people still trivialize the industry and its readers.

[number8]

Hey all, check this out:

http://www.naderlibrary.com/seduction.1.htm

Possibly the most PSA/Afterschool Batman comic I've ever read. It's written by John Ostrander, though, so it's still a good story regardless. Still, be warned: it contains a lot of biased, but fairly well argued, debates on gun control. Which way the bias leans should be obvious by the fact that it's a Batman comic.

[number8]

Man, Geoff Johns reaaaaaaaaally likes Alan Moore.

[Sven]

Man, Geoff Johns reaaaaaaaaally likes Alan Moore.

What are you referring to?

I'm currently being bitch-slapped by Greek Street.

[number8]

What are you referring to?

Most of everything he's done on his Green Lantern run are references to Alan Moore's old Green Lantern story (Blackest Night, Sodam Yat, Atrocitus, White Lobe, etc). His Brightest Day is wrapping up and the latest issue reveals that the whole thing is a search for Earth's ultimate savior, the White Lantern...

...Swamp Thing.

[Sven]

Most of everything he's done on his Green Lantern run are references to Alan Moore's old Green Lantern story (Blackest Night, Sodam Yat, Atrocitus, White Lobe, etc). His Brightest Day is wrapping up and the latest issue reveals that the whole thing is a search for Earth's ultimate savior, the White Lantern...

...Swamp Thing.

Nice. I wondered if the DCU was going to incorporate the deistic potential of Swamp Thing ever again.

[number8]

Well, this is it, I guess. Because of the movie, they're putting Steve Rogers back in the costume. Gonna miss you, Bucky.

[number8]

THIS IS AMAZING.

http://imgur.com/a/b2gYc

[EyesWideOpen]

I'm gonna be selling off about 90% of my graphic novel/hardcover collection. I'm listing it slowly (so I don't have to ship 100 packages at once) over on the 11 o clock comics forums but if anyone has a wishlist of stuff their interested in let me know and I'll let you know if I have it. Here's a link to my forum post if you want to see what I listed so far:

http://bullpenbulletinspodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=12280.msg29056 7#new

[Sven]

http://bullpenbulletinspodcast.com/f....msg290567#new

Page not found. I think it's that ellipses in there.

[Sven]

But I've found the page now, with a little sleuthing. Not gonna grab anything just yet, but keep me posted when you post new things, because my interest is definitely high.

[EyesWideOpen]

But I've found the page now, with a little sleuthing. Not gonna grab anything just yet, but keep me posted when you post new things, because my interest is definitely high.

Will do. That's just one shelf of Marvel stuff. I've got 4 bookshelfs worth of stuff I'll be getting through and at least 1 or 2 bookshelfs are of indie/manga/non-superhero stuff.

[EyesWideOpen]

Page not found. I think it's that ellipses in there.

fixed

[EyesWideOpen]

But I've found the page now, with a little sleuthing. Not gonna grab anything just yet, but keep me posted when you post new things, because my interest is definitely high.

I finished posting all my marvel stuff.

[Sven]

Reading the latter half of X-Treme X-Men. It is fascinating, the push and pull between how creative Kordey is and how boring Claremont is.

[EyesWideOpen]

Posted a bunch of manga.

[[ETM]]

Reading the latter half of X-Treme X-Men. It is fascinating, the push and pull between how creative Kordey is and how boring Claremont is.

Wow, yes, Igor Kordej. I remember his really creative illustrations from The Lord of the Rings from way back. I didn't know he did comics now.

[Sven]

;337764']Wow, yes, Igor Kordej. I remember his really creative illustrations from The Lord of the Rings from way back. I didn't know he did comics now.

He is one of my very favorite illustrators these days. A lot of people don't like him on the basis of his few issues on New X-Men, but they're really missing out. He doesn't do comics much anymore, being deemed too unpopular in his unorthodox style. But he's done some amazing Tarzan work, his Secret History drawings are great, and the spirituality he works into Cable & Soldier X is nothing short of miraculous. Just to name a few.

[Sven]

;337764']his really creative illustrations from The Lord of the Rings from way back.

Amazing. Thanks for tipping me to these.

http://tolkien.cro.net/pictures/ikordej/tfotr.jpg

[EyesWideOpen]

Added all my Dark Horse, Image, Vertigo, Wildstorm books.

[Acapelli]

i was at the mocca festival this weekend and picked up lisa hanawalt's i want you #1 & 2, matt furie's boys club #2, 3 & 4 and eric skillman's egg #1 & 2

hanawalt's books are amazingly hilarious. definitely the funniest books i've read in years

[Acapelli]

ewo, are you gonna be adding dc stuff, or are you done listing things?

[EyesWideOpen]

ewo, are you gonna be adding dc stuff, or are you done listing things?

DC is the stuff I have the most of. But I probably won't list it for a week or so. If there is anything in particular you're looking for let me know.

[EyesWideOpen]

Added a bunch of library bound stuff.

[Sven]

Greyshirt is some kind of miracle. Pretty much the most consistently amazing series I've seen. Just perusing the Tomorrow Stories set and each one is a corker.

[Sven]

Anyone want to recommend any favorite comics-related websites? (Not webcomics!)

[number8]

More Kate Beaton amazingness:

http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=305

[Sven]

I'm gonna be selling off about 90% of my graphic novel/hardcover collection.

Received my shipment today. You, sir, are due for a ton of rep.

[number8]

So thanks to Geoff Johns, now Swamp Thing and Constantine are officially back as big players in the mainstream DCU, which only strengthens the rumors that Vertigo will soon go the way of Wildstorm and get cancelled. Sad times.

[Acapelli]

So thanks to Geoff Johns, now Swamp Thing and Constantine are officially back as big players in the mainstream DCU, which only strengthens the rumors that Vertigo will soon go the way of Wildstorm and get cancelled. Sad times.
really don't see this happening, especially with titles like unwritten and american vampire still going strong

and they're not even canceling hellblazer

[Sven]

I LOVE BATMAN INCORPORATED

[number8]

Thoughts on Superman renouncing his citizenship?

[Acapelli]

the only bad thing i have to say about it is that chris burnham didn't draw it

yanick paquette is a fantastic artist, but burnham is just a perfect match for morrison

[Acapelli]

Thoughts on Superman renouncing his citizenship?
goyer sucks so bad

[Sven]

the only bad thing i have to say about it is that chris burnham didn't draw it

yanick paquette is a fantastic artist, but burnham is just a perfect match for morrison

He's going to be on the next arc. Check this out, one of my favorite covers yet:

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfcyj4RfgV1qbi08qo1_500 .jpg

[Watashi]

I had no idea that Netflix was streaming motion comics. They have all of Whedon's Astonishing X-Men on there.

[Sven]

I had no idea that Netflix was streaming motion comics. They have all of Whedon's Astonishing X-Men on there.

Those things are the worst. A half-assed balance of animation and illustration for people, get this, too lazy to read comics.

[Watashi]

Those things are the worst. A half-assed balance of animation and illustration for people, get this, too lazy to read comics.
Why? I think it's pretty cool. I don't have time or access to read comics.

[Sven]

Why? I think it's pretty cool. I don't have time or access to read comics.

If you have time to watch them, I guarantee you have time to read them. Availability is, I suppose, a good excuse.

Really, alls I'm saying, in my own complainy-pants way, is that they cease to be comics and are thus bastardized, poorly transformed into a half-breed that lacks the expressive power of either animation or comic books. Though I realize the irony of complaining about the expressive power of Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men.

[Watashi]

If you have time to watch them, I guarantee you have time to read them. Availability is, I suppose, a good excuse.

Really, alls I'm saying, in my own complainy-pants way, is that they cease to be comics and are thus bastardized, poorly transformed into a half-breed that lacks the expressive power of either animation or comic books. Though I realize the irony of complaining about the expressive power of Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men.
Eh. I don't view them as comics. Is there a difference between this and audiobooks?

Plus, as a fan of voice acting, I'm interested in seeing the characters come to life. I like to see things in a different light. Doesn't mean I would choose one format over the other.

[Sven]

Eh. I don't view them as comics. Is there a difference between this and audiobooks?

Actually, yeah, there is a big difference. Because audiobooks are not visual and that is a very important component since visuals are the driving force of comic books.


Plus, as a fan of voice acting, I'm interested in seeing the characters come to life. I like to see things in a different light. Doesn't mean I would choose one format over the other.

I, too, love voice acting and like to see things come to life. But where you and I differ is in how that is accomplished. How can one animate a scene comprised of six snapshots without significantly dampening the calculated effect of each of those snapshots? There is a more than a small degree of suggestion that fuels comic reading: the action within or between panels is created in the mind's eye, the time that transpires between the panels creating new meaning, giving the reader a legend to the expressive rhythms intended by the authors that being locked into a 60 minute presentation could never match. Or rather, can only match in a fundamentally superficial way.

Which is not to say that I disagree with their existence. Because whatever. I just don't like em.

[Acapelli]

voice acting is pretty terrible in all of the marvel motion comics i've seen, minus the black panther one which i haven't seen and seems to actually have a decent cast

[Sven]

Just about done with the entire 70-issue run of Shade the Changing Man. I can only imagine the mounting effect of reading (and re-reading) it over the course of 6 years. A stimulating, synaptic experience - laughter and sadness, madness and mescaline, sex and effluvium, dreams. Liquid psychedelia grounded by dramatic dimensionality. No doubt, a singular experience.

[Sven]

And on a side note, I hope that somewhere down the line, Grant Morrison gets to spend more time with the Flash, hopefully in an All-Star Superman kind of way. The Flash is so perfectly suited to his style that I'm amazed he hasn't done more with him. And Geoff Johns needs to take a vacation. I'm only interested in a mild percentage of this Flashpoint nonsense this summer.

[Acapelli]

i love the turnaround you've done on milligan

[Sven]

i love the turnaround you've done on milligan

It is probably the sharpest, most conclusive 180 I've ever made over anything. I'm ready to say I prefer Milligan to just about any writer. Which is not to say that I feel no pain when thinking about his Army of Two-level writing, which is thankfully rare.

[Acapelli]

gotta make money somehow

[Sven]

You guys weren't kidding about Cornell's Action Comics. I just read his first six issues of it this morning and I am bowled over. Mister Mind is so #@$&ing cool, and I love anyone who does something intelligent with Vandal Savage.

[number8]

I will be avoiding Flashpoint at all cost.

[Sven]

Ennis/McCrea's Etrigan is just about the coolest approach to the character I've seen. I've only encountered him in Hitman, so I've got a few more back issues to add to the list.

[Acapelli]

I will be avoiding Flashpoint at all cost.
milligan/perez secret seven series will be impossible for me to resist

but seriously, what was dc editorial thinking with that lineup of writers for the tie-ins. it's pathetic

[number8]

I heart FF.

[Spaceman Spiff]

So I got to meet Chester Brown, Chris Ware and Seth today at TCAF.

It's amazing how much their physical appearance confirms everything we think about these guys. I didn't actually say hi to Seth because his suit/glasses and ray of dyed hair put me off a little, but Chester Brown's bookwormy face and hunched posture really gives off this nerdy vibe which comes off in his more autobiographical stuff and Chris Ware is basically just a human Jimmy Corrigan, complete with lines of worry imprinted under his eyes and a slight beer gut starting to form.

[Sven]

Last night, I woke up at three in the morning. I decided to read the four-issue Chen story in Hitman. An hour later, I went to sleep a more melancholy man.

[number8]

Hitman makes me want to cry at times.

[dreamdead]

I feel bereft of any Vertigo project, as I'm enjoying a slow readthrough of Sandman. Thus, I'll be starting Scalped in the next week. I've long been interested in this one, and hope it holds together more than Preacher or even Transmet, which are engaging narratives but seemed to be too playful or disinterested in engaging fully-dimensional characters.

[Sven]

I feel bereft of any Vertigo project, as I'm enjoying a slow readthrough of Sandman. Thus, I'll be starting Scalped in the next week. I've long been interested in this one, and hope it holds together more than Preacher or even Transmet, which are engaging narratives but seemed to be too playful or disinterested in engaging fully-dimensional characters.

I've only read the first few issues of Scalped, but so far so good. Having just finished Preacher recently, I'm curious about your dimensionality comment. Thinking about it now, I guess there isn't a wide spectrum of definition in the characters, being motivated by more or less the same thing arc after arc. But the emotions engaged I felt were mostly pretty lucid, and intelligently discussed.

I highly recommend Shade the Changing Man, although you'll have to sleuth out issues 20 thru 70, as there are only three tpbs thus far. Its take on the concepts of character and identity are classic Milligan, which means a classic smorgasbord of re-identification, transposition, and projection. Still, you should at least check out those first three trades. It's a nicely contained story.

[Sven]

Jus' won this (Kirby's 2001, 10 issues) on ebay for $25.

http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/2830/94064069mh9yr7.jpg

[number8]

I've read that thing. Super trippy.

I have pages for Kirby's unfinished adaptation of The Prisoner. What a shame that thing never got completed. His two-page spread of The Village is soooooo good.

[megladon8]

Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibuses are some of the most treasured parts of my collection.

[Acapelli]

sven, have you read any of ivan brandon's dc stuff?

if not i urge you to check out his final crisis aftermath: escape and nemesis: the impostors minis

[Sven]

sven, have you read any of ivan brandon's dc stuff?

if not i urge you to check out his final crisis aftermath: escape and nemesis: the impostors minis

Just read about him and didn't realize he was the NYC Mech/24Seven guy. I've read and liked those. Haven't read anything else. Will keep him on my radar. The only FC things I've read are G-Moz's, the Mahnke-illustrated Requiem, and Joe Casey's Dance, because I love those characters. Normally I try to stay away from getting too involved in crossover details.

[Acapelli]

Just read about him and didn't realize he was the NYC Mech/24Seven guy. I've read and liked those. Haven't read anything else. Will keep him on my radar. The only FC things I've read are G-Moz's, the Mahnke-illustrated Requiem, and Joe Casey's Dance, because I love those characters. Normally I try to stay away from getting too involved in crossover details.
whatever you think it is, it's really not. one of the more bizarre big two comics i've read in the past two years

think "the prisoner"

[Sven]

Fffffuuuu... I got much of Hitman as a bundle, so it didn't occur to me that I might be missing issue 49. I'm missing issue 49!

[number8]

Fffffuuuu... I got much of Hitman as a bundle, so it didn't occur to me that I might be missing issue 49. I'm missing issue 49!

Uh, that sucks. That's a very pivotal issue.

[Sven]

Uh, that sucks. That's a very pivotal issue.

On the plus side, Batman Inc remains so badass. So badass. (I am, at this point, resolute to comment on the inevitable badassery of each Batman Inc issue.)

On another downer note, though, WTF are up with the last two pages of Shade? Seriously. Throw it in with Twin Peaks as far as utterly dissatisfying final single minutes go. And it was going so well.

[Sven]

'thout thinking about it, I started Promethea. Since I have all the issues now, there is nothing to keep me from reading it all. Stupid issue 49 of Hitman...

[Sven]

Got a weekend job at my preferred local comic shop today. Badass.

[Sven]

New Joe Casey soon (http://geek-news.mtv.com/2011/05/16/interview-joe-casey-wreaks-vengeance-on-the-marvel-universe-with-exclusive-art/). Establishing new Marvel villains. Sounds awesome.

[number8]

Picked up the Dark Horse Noir anthology. This shit's pretty good. I hope there's going to be a sequel to this.

It has exclusive Stray Bullets and Criminal shorts included, which are awesome, and Azarello's story is sort of about a certain DC hero's origin without ever naming him because this isn't a DC book. Pretty cool.

[Sven]

It has exclusive Stray Bullets and Criminal shorts included, which are awesome, and Azarello's story is sort of about a certain DC hero's origin without ever naming him because this isn't a DC book. Pretty cool.

100 Bullets?

Promethea 12 is jaw-dropping. And I'm normally not too interested in magic or the tarot and not usually enticed by collage art or impressed with anagram tricks and tire rather rapidly of couplets. So color me stunned.

[number8]

100 Bullets?

No, a superhero. Eh, dammit, I've kinda said too much already. Sorry. Now when you read the story, you'll figure out the twist ending quickly. It's only 8 pages of story, but still.

Basically, the whole thing is a conversation in a bar planning a crime. This mook hasn't had any work because the economy's tough, so he gets connected by his brother to a shady dude who's arranging a fake mugging on a rich guy who's also hurting because of the economy and wants to run an insurance scam on his wife's pearl necklace.

The last lines are:

"They're at the pictures, now. Afterwards, they'll take a walk. But you will be there waiting for them. One more thing, they'll have their kid with 'em."
"A kid?"
"A fuckin' little boy. Nothin' to worry about."

[number8]

I really think Jonathan Hickman is the true spiritual successor to Grant Morrison.

Sven, are you reading FF? It's the closest thing Marvel has to Batman, Inc.

[Sven]

I really think Jonathan Hickman is the true spiritual successor to Grant Morrison.

Sven, are you reading FF? It's the closest thing Marvel has to Batman, Inc.

I have not been, though Hickman has been on my radar. He's pretty cool. I don't really know anything about it, but I'll check it out. Any preliminary reading necessary?

[number8]

I have not been, though Hickman has been on my radar. He's pretty cool. I don't really know anything about it, but I'll check it out. Any preliminary reading necessary?

You can jump right into it, but it's best to read his Fantastic Four run that directly precedes it. It was great also. The best the Four had been in years.

[Acapelli]

if you wish, you could check out his shield book and secret warriors, but they're not as closely tied to ff as they are to each other

[Watashi]

After Secret Origin and Rebirth, where's the best place to go to next? I've told to start with those two for GL virgins.

[EyesWideOpen]

After Secret Origin and Rebirth, where's the best place to go to next? I've told to start with those two for GL virgins.

Sinestro Corps War

[Sven]

I know there aren't too many people that frequent this thread, but thought I would do my part and throw this here anyway:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1534804847/panel-to-panel-exploring-words-and-pictures

Pledge even a tiny bit. The book looks awesome and the talent involved doesn't deserve the shaft.

[Sven]

Finished Promethea a couple of days ago. For all the excellent, lucid approaches to the art of creation and the nature of God and the Kabbalah and all that, I think my favorite part is Jack B. Quick and his Doomsday Machine. I love that kid.

Best = magicks
Favorite = Jack B. Quick

[number8]

I am super, super, super excited for Joe Casey's Vengeance. I was very interested before, but his interview at AICN sold the book completely for me:


MA: What's it like working with Nick Dragotta?

JC: Tom Brennan made that particular love connection. Turns out, Dragotta and I are like brothers from different mothers. It’s been an intense meeting of the minds. We’re having a blast pushing the limits of what a superhero “anti-event” can be. We send each other shit that’s inspired us over the years…the most recent example is me sending him a bunch of images from THRILLER, an early-80’s DC book by Robert Loren Fleming and Trevor Von Eeden (a favorite of mine from when I was pre-pubescent). He’d heard of it, but had never really seen it. The “cinematic storyboard” approach to superheroes -- in the actual comics -- needs to be destroyed once and for all. We’ve got movies for that stuff. Comic books are their own artform but most superhero comics, the bigger sellers in the Direct Market, play it way too safe to be all that interesting to me. Over the past ten years, I feel like I’ve seen it all. Dragotta and I want to come up with something that we haven’t seen at Marvel and it’s great to have a co-conspirator in that regard.

MA: This series appears to connect to a number of your past works, Joe, including your X-MEN run and THE LAST DEFENDERS miniseries, as well the works of other writers, such as DARK REIGN: YOUNG AVENGERS, YOUNG ALLIES, and even ACTS OF VENGEANCE. Will familiarity with those comics enhance readers' enjoyment of this series?

JC: As many readers that bought the LAST DEFENDERS series -- which I had a blast doing, btw -- there will undoubtedly be even fewer who’ll buy this one. So I don’t know if familiarity with other, specific series is necessary. Familiarity with comics is necessary. This isn’t an outreach book. This is a pure comic book where we’re embracing the unique language of comic books. That might put a few casual readers off… but, let’s face it, we’re not getting any casual readers on this book anyway. But, rather than being bummed out about how horribly a book like this might sell, Dragotta and I are using it as an opportunity to stretch ourselves creatively. We’re not simply fulfilling the genre expectations…we’re actively blowing them up.

[Sven]

Especially considering the ingenuity that is bursting in every Joe Casey product these days (dude must've had one seriously excellent trip), I, too, can hardly wait.

[Sven]

In my downtime these last couple of days, I re-read The Dark Knight Returns, which is one of the first comic books I read as an adult, several years ago. Returning to it now, with so much more knowledge of the form and its history under my belt, and being more familiar with the language of comics, the difference in yield results between the two readings has been staggering. It's a near-perfect straightforward adventure, satisfying and crisp on a superficial level of words and images combining to create action, tension, suspense, et al. It's sometimes hard for me to remember how awesome Frank Miller is as a writer of comics... say what you will about his actual word-spinning, his ability to economically compartmentalize thought and action, mining weight and significance from what would be other writers' throwaway revelations, bests them all. For sheer craft, it is impeccable, but thankfully it is also a narrative loaded with portent, politics, and heft of personality (Batman's, in its feverish point-of-view, and Miller's, in its awareness of and tangling with tradition), all dramatized excellently with the tools on the page. Panel to panel, each bite of information is relevant, each juxtaposition dynamic, each shadow and splash of color loaded with meaning. It's easy to see why so many hail it a masterpiece. It's one of those works where every piece adds up to the total sum.

Also, Klaus Janson is a fave. I much prefer his inking to Miller's own. I remember the sequel to this one being incomprehensible. Maybe I will re-read it soon.

[number8]

I love defending DKSA. Re-read it, definitely.

[megladon8]

I know there aren't too many people that frequent this thread, but thought I would do my part and throw this here anyway:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1534804847/panel-to-panel-exploring-words-and-pictures

Pledge even a tiny bit. The book looks awesome and the talent involved doesn't deserve the shaft.


I pledged!

[Sven]

Now the two big ones I'mma undertake (barring the inability to inexpensively compile them) are Ennis's Punisher, of which I've read 20 issues or so and love, and Miller + Janson's Daredevil, being so enamored with what I've read of theirs that I can't forgo it much longer.

[Sven]

I pledged!

I hope you are using an unfamiliar alias for your pledge and not just saying this so you'll get rep...

[Sven]

Re-read it, definitely.

TDKR is great, but in my attraction to iconoclasm, I would venture to say that TDKSA is even better. At the very least, one must concede that it uses an entirely different mode of graphic communication than the first. It's crazy and messy and frequently does not justify its strange tension between minimalism and bombast, empty holes and flat lines sometimes neutralizing the psychedelic expression on hand. But only sometimes. Most of the time, it's like stepping into a wild fever dream of 9/11 aftershock.

[EyesWideOpen]

Now the two big ones I'mma undertake (barring the inability to inexpensively compile them) are Ennis's Punisher, of which I've read 20 issues or so and love, and Miller + Janson's Daredevil, being so enamored with what I've read of theirs that I can't forgo it much longer.

You've got a lot of great reading ahead of you on the Ennis Punisher stuff. He wrote like 50 issues worth of Marvel Knights Punisher and like 65 issues of Marvel MAX Punisher.

[Acapelli]

nick spencer's secret avengers and action comics 901 are a couple of the worst comics i read in the past year

really disappointed in cornell, but can't really blame him for doing a shitty doomsday story. fuck dc editorial

[Sven]

Upon consideration, I'm willing to take one for the team and say that All Star Batman and Robin is Miller's most satisfying Batman read. It's so funny, so twisted, so tight and bizarre that every page elicits a chuckle, guffaw, humph, wince, or other mouth-twisting emotional response. I love it and I wish there were more. The zeal of superhero comics.

Batman Year One is very nice, though. Probably has the most exquisite visuals of the four reads. I was never so hypnotized by as many panels as I was here. The Selina stuff is a distraction, unfortunately, and diffuses much of the crisp clip at which the Gordon and Wayne material moves. Still, those inks are like butter.

[number8]

nick spencer's secret avengers and action comics 901 are a couple of the worst comics i read in the past year

When the hell did Obama become the president in the DCU?

[Acapelli]

When the hell did Obama become the president in the DCU?
this was also really confusing

[number8]

Almost everything about this sucks.

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/DC-Universe-Reboot-Announcement-110531.html

[number8]

The more I think about this, the crazier this seems.

[Acapelli]

it's a genuinely huge announcement

[Sven]

That's... wow. Even more interesting to me, having been working at the comic shop for a couple of weeks now.

[D_Davis]

That's... wow. Even more interesting to me, having been working at the comic shop for a couple of weeks now.

What comic shop are you working at?

[Sven]

What comic shop are you working at?

Zanadu, downtown. Only on the weekends and odd days where they could use help, but it's been pretty great so far.

[D_Davis]

Zanadu, downtown. Only on the weekends and odd days where they could use help, but it's been pretty great so far.

Cool.

[number8]

More details about DC's wackiness.

So in August, they're cancelling all of their current monthly books (NOOO BATMAN INCCCC), and in September, they're launching 52 titles, all with #1. Jim Lee has designed new costumes for 50 characters. Some of them will have their origin changed, some not. Continuity is completely reboot universe-wide, all the heroes are younger now. Some familiar characters will be written out of existence, some will become supporting characters. Some long-standing relationships will be reset, erased or modified.

Of the 52 books, already confirmed are JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 (Geoff Johns & Jim Lee), GREEN LANTERN #1 (Geoff Johns), AQUAMAN #1 (Geoff Johns & Ivan Reis), SUPERMAN #1 (Grant Morrison), TEEN TITANS #1 (Fabian Nicieza), WONDER WOMAN #1 (Not JMS), BIRDS OF PREY #1 (Not Gail Simone), JSA #1 (Not Marc Guggenheim).

[number8]

Johns/Lee Justice League line-up. Cyborg? Really? And Diana's costume sucks.

Jim lee is really shitty at designing female costumes.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/9504/imageprocasp.jpg

[EyesWideOpen]

Cyborg? Really?

Racist.

[Sven]

So in August, they're cancelling all of their current monthly books (NOOO BATMAN INCCCC)

Wait, noooooooo! Really? What about Morrison's designs? Kaput?

[number8]

Wait, noooooooo! Really? What about Morrison's designs? Kaput?

No one knows yet what precisely are the full effects of this, but this is a company-wide reboot, so everything's affected. It's pretty obvious that Batman, Inc is gone, since:

1) If everything's being reset to basics to accommodate new readers, it is highly unlikely that they'll keep a concept as confusing as Batman, Inc.

2) The title is only at #6. What are they gonna do, go back to #1 in less than a year?

[Sven]

2) The title is only at #6. What are they gonna do, go back to #1 in less than a year?

Shit.

[Sven]

Give the series an Elseworlds imprint then. All of Grant's talks about what he wants to do with Bats for the next two years... gone... gone...

[number8]

Give the series an Elseworlds imprint then. All of Grant's talks about what he wants to do with Bats for the next two years... gone... gone...

This sort of thing happens a lot to DC. I always take a single writer's "future plans" with a grain of salt. Unless it's a creator owned book, they're probably not going to happen. It will always be interrupted by something or other.

[Sven]

This sort of thing happens a lot to DC. I always take a single writer's "future plans" with a grain of salt. Unless it's a creator owned book, they're probably not going to happen. It will always be interrupted by something or other.

I figured Morrison's clout and history writing Batman, he would've been able to carry it through. Now I'm just sad that apparently the story will not finish. Well, I'm grateful, at least, for what we've been given.

Superman #1, though, huh? Frankly, I'm a bit disinterested. He already done Superman but good.

[Acapelli]

i imagine morrison knew far in advance and he'll be pulling out all the stops in the next few months

wonder what happens to damian though

[Sven]

Wonder what happens to damian though

Yeah, I was wondering how far back this reboot is gonna take things. Back to having Dick Grayson as a young kid? Damien's probably gone, unless they start the story with Bruce having a kid already. Which would be kinda cool.

[number8]

Another title confirmed. BATGIRL #1, starring Barbara Gordon.

Goodbye Oracle.

[Acapelli]

and nightwing, so at least tim drake will still be around to be robin

[number8]

They're developing a romance between Superman and Wonder Woman in Johns' JUSTICE LEAGUE, so it's safe to say he's no longer married to Lois.

[number8]

Is anyone else depressed? I know it's just a fictional history, but it's kind of a bummer.

[Sven]

Is anyone else depressed? I know it's just a fictional history, but it's kind of a bummer.

I'm just depressed about Inc, but it's the only property I'm invested in. I wish Jim Lee would use that drive of his to finish the WildCATS GN with Morrison. Or give us the last two issues of All Star B&R. Though, I guess like you said: not creator owned... we'll never see this happen.

[number8]

I'm also curious what's gonna happen with JH Williams' Batwoman. Scrapped?

[number8]

and nightwing, so at least tim drake will still be around to be robin

Which raises the question... How the hell do you have a young Batman joining a newly formed Justice League, but he already has at least two legacy sidekicks? Unless they're rewriting Nightwing's origin so that Dick Grayson was never Robin.

[number8]

This is interesting. It's not just Wonder Woman. There is an editorial mandate that all female heroes will have practical, battle-appropriate costumes that cover their legs. No skirts, no swimsuit bottoms.

[Acapelli]

based on what we're seeing, i'm not sure we're seeing a literal de-aging, but something more like the approach that was taken with spider-man in one more day/brand new day

[Sven]

This is interesting. It's not just Wonder Woman. There is an editorial mandate that all female heroes will have practical, battle-appropriate costumes that cover their legs. No skirts, no swimsuit bottoms.

Interesting that they focus on legs. If anything, I would think that pouring out over one's top would be more inhibiting in battle than swimsuit bottoms (which would increase mobility).

[number8]

Workday needs to be over so I can go buy the new Criminal already.

[number8]

Workday needs to be over so I can go buy the new Criminal already.

Did not disappoint.

[number8]

I laughed pretty hard.

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/7002/20415181.jpg

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/278/41184313.jpg

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/7459/70721390.jpg

[megladon8]

Yeah that was funny.


And I'm sorry, I haven't been following comics in a while - is there a reason for Batman's red eyes? Or is it just an artistic "it looks cool" thing?

[Sven]

And I'm sorry, I haven't been following comics in a while - is there a reason for Batman's red eyes? Or is it just an artistic "it looks cool" thing?

It's an alternate universe.

I picked up, despite my resolve, and read Flashpoint 1 and dug it. Got the second one now, as well as the AWESOME first issue of the Milligan Secret Seven tie-in.

[Acapelli]

the batman tie-in by azzarello and risso is great too

[number8]

Did no one else pick up the new Criminal? This could very well be the best arc yet.

[Sven]

the batman tie-in by azzarello and risso is great too

Don't know how this passed me by. I love their Batman in Wednesday Comics, and, of course, 100 Bullets.

[Sven]

Did no one else pick up the new Criminal? This could very well be the best arc yet.

I've actually not read any Criminal. I've read criminally little Brubaker. Don't think it's not on my list of priority reads, though.

[number8]

Check out this announcement and covers for the #1s.

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice/

Hmmmm.

[Sven]

Hmmmm.

Paul Jenkins Deadman is the only one that has my attention. Though I like Chiang's Wonder Woman.

[Acapelli]

I've actually not read any Criminal. I've read criminally little Brubaker. Don't think it's not on my list of priority reads, though.
SLEEPER

and criminal of course. but really, you have to read sleeper

[EyesWideOpen]

Well DC really fucked up their digital plans. People were really excited about them going day and date with digital in august. They just announced that digital will be cover price (so $3.99 or $2.99) and then four weeks later will drop to $1 less.

I can get single issues for $2 or less through DCBS why would I pay twice that when they don't even have to physically produce a copy.

The sweet spot where digital comics are really going to thrive is .99 cents.

[number8]

Well, DC already sells their new digital comics for $1.99 now. This is essentially them giving people access 4 weeks early for $1 more.

The print and digital combo pack is an interesting idea. They're treating comics as if they're DVDs. Not sure if that'll work out for them.

[EyesWideOpen]

Well, DC already sells their new digital comics for $1.99 now. This is essentially them giving people access 4 weeks early for $1 more.

The print and digital combo pack is an interesting idea. They're treating comics as if they're DVDs. Not sure if that'll work out for them.

It won't. The average comic book customer reads single issues once and then moves on to the next book. Why would they need another copy to read in another format.

[Irish]

Why would they need another copy to read in another format.

They're banking on the collectors, who will read the digital version and keep the paper on bagged and boxed.

[EyesWideOpen]

They're banking on the collectors, who will read the digital version and keep the paper on bagged and boxed.

Banking on collectors is what's killing the comics market. The whole reason their doing this reboot and the digital push is to bring in new customers that's the only way they can survive.

[number8]

Four Green Lantern titles.

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/03/green-lantern-1s/

I might buy Red Lantern #1.

[Sven]

Four Green Lantern titles.

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/03/green-lantern-1s/

I might buy Red Lantern #1.

Yeah, me too (obv). My friend who's a co-worker at the comic shop thinks it's so hilarious that I was like "Peter Milligan, fuck that guy!" just a few months ago. And now I've read pretty much everything he's done.

I will also be buying the main GL title, because of the Mahnke factor.

[number8]

My LCS owner is a huge Hellblazer fan who's been collecting it since #1 (crazy, right?). I told him that I've only read Ennis' run and some of Ellis', and he said Milligan current one is probably the next best thing to Ennis. So he's gonna find the trades of the Milligan run for me. I'm pretty excited.

[Sven]

My LCS owner is a huge Hellblazer fan who's been collecting it since #1 (crazy, right?). I told him that I've only read Ennis' run and some of Ellis', and he said Milligan current one is probably the next best thing to Ennis. So he's gonna find the trades of the Milligan run for me. I'm pretty excited.

The India arc is awesome and definitely one of my favorite Hellblazer stories.

[number8]

So these Bat-books covers leaked.

Detective Comics #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/files/2011/06/dtc_cv1.jpg

Nightwing #1

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m174/timon2099/tumblr_lmchp01rwt1qbz0wfo1_500 .jpg

Batwoman #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/files/2011/06/bw_cv1.jpg

Catwoman #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/files/2011/06/ctw_cv1.jpg

[EyesWideOpen]

They also announced Greg Capullo as the new "Batman" artist and will announce the writer tomorrow.

[number8]

They also announced Greg Capullo as the new "Batman" artist and will announce the writer tomorrow.

Scott Snyder.

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/files/2011/06/bm_cv1.jpg

It's also confirmed that Bruce Wayne will be the only Batman, which means no more Dick Grayson Batman, and further confirming that Batman Inc is no more.

[number8]

Which probably means Damian is gone. Sigh.

[EyesWideOpen]

Yep. The Nightwing title is Dick. There is going to be a Batman and Robin title with Tomasi/Gleeson which is Bruce and Tim.

Batman: The Dark Knight by Finch was announced also.

[number8]

WAIT. FUCKING SCRATCH THAT. IGN reports that the Tomasi B&R is Bruce and Damian!

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/files/2011/06/bm_rob_cv1.jpg


"This is the first time we're seeing Bruce Wayne and his son Damian acting as a team, together, as Batman and Robin. Previously, it had been just a father/son role or mentor and student, but this is the first time they are actually working together as a team," said Marts. "That's going to be very interesting because here you have a family dynamic of father and son who have the most unique relationship, and not the most perfect of relationships. That will provide for a lot of interesting stories."

[number8]

Also, cover to Batgirl #1. Yep, that's Barb, all right.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.comicsalliance.com/media/2011/06/tumblrlmdgbt3qwd1qbujox.jpeg

[EyesWideOpen]

Good catch. I had just read that article I have no idea why I read Tim. Tim Drake is my favorite character in the DCU right now so he better have a book!

[dreamdead]

Sad that they're rebooting Detective Comics, but at least we're finally getting Batwoman. Le sigh for the damn wait.

[number8]

It's fucking hilarious that Finch's Batman: The Dark Knight is renumbered to #1 after only two issues and it's going to be a brand new storyline with his previous story unresolved. Makes me think that they're not that concerned with leaving things open to meet the relaunch deadline.

The speculation is that they gave Superman to Grant Morrison as a way to keep him happy for dismantling the Batman world he has built for half a decade.

[number8]

Please let this rumor be true.

Jeff Lemire writing and drawing Animal Man #1.

[Ezee E]

Well, at least I can potentially start without figuring out what I've been missing then.

DC knows what it's doing.

[number8]

So Batgirl is being written by Gail Simone. Fuuuuck, DC is just too good at damage control. Now I might actually buy it.


“Barbara Gordon is pretty much my everything. Because of the Batman TV show, she was the reason I fell in love with superheroes. Because she was a redhead who could kick ass, she is the reason I fell in love with comics. She was always forward-looking as Batgirl, a girl who was smarter than the male characters, who had class and elegance and style, as well as tough-as-nails grit. For a long time, there was simply nothing else like her in comics, and for me and a lot of other readers, her every appearance was joyful and explosive.

For many years, I got to write the character as Oracle, and there is to this day, no character who means more to me. This is classic Barbara as she was originally conceived, with a few big surprises. It’s a bit of a shock, to be sure, but we’re doing everything we can to be respectful to this character’s amazing legacy, while presenting something thrilling that a generation of comics readers will be experiencing for the first time…

…Barbara Gordon leaping, fighting, and swinging over Gotham. Now, when citizens of that city look up, they are going to see BATGIRL.

And that is absolutely thrilling.”

[number8]

Catwoman is Judd Winick and Guillem March. Two of the trashiest people in comics handling Catwoman. It will probably be really trashy and sexified. Pass.

[number8]

Please let this rumor be true.

Jeff Lemire writing and drawing Animal Man #1.

Lemire pretty much confirmed it on his twitter.

I WANT TO HATE THIS REBOOT, DAMMIT.

[Acapelli]

Catwoman is Judd Winick and Guillem March. Two of the trashiest people in comics handling Catwoman. It will probably be really trashy and sexified. Pass.
winick did a great job on the generation lost maxi-series. i was really hoping they would have him do the relaunched jli book

[number8]

They just confirmed that Nightwing is Dick.

Jason is Red Hood again, teaming with Starfire and Arsenal on Red Hood and the Outlaws.

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/117/1172824/exclusive-dick-grayson-back-as-nightwing--20110606055834031-000.jpg

Man, that is a lot of Bat-books.

[Acapelli]

and here's another

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/117/1172825/exclusive-dc-focuses-on-diversity-in-new-batman-titles--20110605022542785.jpg

hmm

[number8]

Oh shit. So Batman Inc... Hmm. DAMN.

[EyesWideOpen]

Batwing is Winick. I also like how ign doesn't know the difference between african and african american.

[EyesWideOpen]

Any opinions on Scott Lobdell? He's writing two of these new series and I've heard nothing but terrible things about him.

[number8]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.


“Batman, Incorporated will continue through to Issue #10 and August’s shocking season finale that changes the Batman status quo yet again. The series will take a brief hiatus while I work on a major new project to be announced shortly. Batman, Incorporated returns next year with me, Chris Burnham and Batman: Leviathan, the epic 12 part conclusion to my 6 year Batman saga. Don’t miss it!”

[Acapelli]

Any opinions on Scott Lobdell? He's writing two of these new series and I've heard nothing but terrible things about him.
three series

teen titans, red hood and the outsiders and superboy

he's buddy buddy with eic bob harras so that's why he gets to write all these series

[Acapelli]

the other project is probably multiversity, right?

[EyesWideOpen]

Some new additions:

Swamp Thing by Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette

• Justice League Dark, what DC terms “a band of supernatural heroes” — John Constantine, Deadman, Shade the Changing Man and Madame Xanadu (wouldn’t it be cool if they really were supposed to be a band?) – written by Peter Milligan.

• Demon Knights, super-heroism set in medieval times, written by Paul Cornell

• Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE, which may be the most below-the-radar promising of all. The writer is again Jeff Lemire, taking the Frankenstein monster and turning him/it into an action hero alongside other fictional monsters in the service of a government organization: The Super Human Advanced Defense Executive.

[number8]

Fuuuuuuck all of those sounds amazing.

[EyesWideOpen]

Fuuuuuuck all of those sounds amazing.

Yep. The name Justice League Dark sounds stupid (they already had the magic based team name "Shadowpact" available they should have used that) but I'm sure they figured they'd get more sales with Justice League in the title.

[Acapelli]

i'll probably be buying all of those

edit: also, remember that jeff lemire's frankenstein tie-in is out this week. it'll probably be relevant to this upcoming frankenstein series judging by the fact that they're keeping the same writer

[number8]

The artist on Frankenstein is Alberto Ponticelli. Yep, I am buying this book.

[number8]

Here's the official announcement:

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/07/dc-embraces-its-dark-side/

There's also I, Vampire #1, Resurrection Man #1 and Voodoo #1.

[EyesWideOpen]

I love how people online are getting so excited about these books like they've never seen fringe books like these before. DC and Marvel release books like this all the time. They don't sell and get cancelled after a few issues. I'm gonna assume the same thing is gonna happen with 90% of these titles.

[number8]

I already have bets on which ones are going to suddenly turn into a miniseries mid-run. Batwing is pretty much near guaranteed.

That's why I'm hoping the dumb JLD name is going to give it some legs.

[number8]

Question is, are they actually going to keep Milligan on Hellblazer? What are they gonna do, give him two monthly titles that star two different versions of Constantine and Shade?

Looking more like they're really cancelling Hellblazer.

[number8]

The way this is going, tomorrow they're going to announce Doom Patrol #1 with Grant Morrison and my ass will be knocked out of my seat and right onto Jim Lee and Geoff Johns' collective cock.

[Sven]

The artist on Frankenstein is Alberto Ponticelli. Yep, I am buying this book.

I am sad that it's not Doug Mahnke (whose Frankenstein for Seven Soldiers is a revelation), but 'celli is way cool too.

[Sven]

I'm resolved to buy so many of these books. Sigh.

[Acapelli]

I love how people online are getting so excited about these books like they've never seen fringe books like these before. DC and Marvel release books like this all the time. They don't sell and get cancelled after a few issues. I'm gonna assume the same thing is gonna happen with 90% of these titles.
marvel has a much worse history of this than dc. i can see all of them (or at least the ones with a high profile writer) to last for at least a year

[number8]

First glimpse of Tim! So he's staying as Red Robin, but back to a domino mask.

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2011/06/titans.jpg

[number8]

Bart's new costume is hideous (or is that actually Wally?!)

[Sven]

Haha. A Liefeld Hawk and Dove. Oh man, I just might have to buy that.

[Acapelli]

that teen titans cover is horrendous. looks straight out of the 90s

[Sven]

that teen titans cover is horrendous. looks straight out of the 90s

That's one thing I don't get. Why are you gonna reboot a whole universe for a new generation, but then you still get Jim Lee to design it all. Jesus, hand over the reigns. Do something daring. Or at least different.

[EyesWideOpen]

Yep. If they are trying to bring in new readers having dated artwork like Liefeld and that Teen Titans cover is not the way to do it.

[Sven]

To be fair, though, a lot of these serieses do look pretty excellent.

[EyesWideOpen]

I was really hoping for something better for Tim Drake then that Teen Titans concept. They had said earlier that Teen Titans were gonna be characters that had never met each other and then they show us the team but have them be "slightly altered" versions to get around the fact that these characters do know each other.

[D_Davis]

that teen titans cover is horrendous. looks straight out of the 90s

Totally. That art is pretty terrible.

[EyesWideOpen]

My three favorite characters in the DCU currently are Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon (Oracle) and Stephanie Brown (Batgirl).

They got rid of Oracle, Stephanie Brown is nowhere to be seen and if she does she won't be Batgirl and then Tim Drake is stuck in that Teen Titans mess. I'm pretty disappointed.

I would have been much happier with a Bat Family team book kind of like Birds of Prey with Oracle, Tim, Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, and Damian.

[Sven]

My three favorite characters in the DCU currently are Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon (Oracle) and Stephanie Brown (Batgirl).

I'm curious to know if they're gonna do anything with my favorite DCU character, Big Barda.

[number8]

To be fair, though, a lot of these serieses do look pretty excellent.

Of course they relaunch Static Shock after McDuffie passed away. Of course. Fuck.

Nothing for me in this batch. Which is probably a good thing, since I'm going to be buying most of the "Dark" batch from yesterday.

[Sven]

Of course they relaunch Static Shock after McDuffie passed away. Of course. Fuck.

I was just flipping through a collection of that at my store the other day. John Paul Leon. Had no idea. May pick it up.

And by "these serieses", I should clarify to mean the entire reboot, not just these young team titles, of which I will only maybe get Hawk and Dove as a curiosity.

[D_Davis]

What about Plastic Man?

[number8]

I was just flipping through a collection of that at my store the other day. John Paul Leon. Had no idea. May pick it up.

Leon co-created Static with McDuffie. McDuffie gave Leon his big break at Milestone in the early 90's.

[Sven]

Leon co-created Static with McDuffie. McDuffie gave Leon his big break at Milestone in the early 90's.

Again, had no idea. Cool.

[number8]

I was really hoping for something better for Tim Drake then that Teen Titans concept. They had said earlier that Teen Titans were gonna be characters that had never met each other and then they show us the team but have them be "slightly altered" versions to get around the fact that these characters do know each other.

You have to wonder if Tim has ever even been Batman's Robin at any point in this reboot.

[EyesWideOpen]

And where is Dustin Nguyen in all this? He's the best artist working at DC right now.

[dreamdead]

Sarah and I are interested in Justice League Dark, Batwoman, and likely a few of the other Vertigo Lite titles. Maybe Swamp Thing. Mildly curious how Marz will reshape Voodoo for a DC universe, too.

Few things are, however, funnier than Liefeld doing Hawk and Dove.

[number8]

Let's be fair, Liefeld has improved. I mean, Hawk actually has feet.

[EyesWideOpen]

-STORMWATCH #1 will be written by the critically-acclaimed Paul Cornell (Superman: The Black Ring, “Dr. Who”) and illustrated by Miguel Sepulveda.
-BLACKHAWKS #1 will be written by Mike Costa and illustrated by Ken Lashley.
-SGT. ROCK AND THE MEN OF WAR #1 is contemporary military story fighting under modern conditions, and will be written by Ivan Brandon and illustrated by Tom Derenick.
-ALL-STAR WESTERN #1 will be written by the fan-favorite Jonah Hex team of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and illustrated by Moritat.
-DEATHSTROKE #1, a new series from rising star Kyle Higgins (Batman: Gates of Gotham) and artists Joe Bennett and Art Thibert.
-GRIFTER #1, written by Nathan Edmondson with art by CAFU and BIT (the team behind T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS).
-OMAC #1, written by DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio and co-written and illustrated by Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish

[number8]

Damn, they're really folding Wildstorm in, then.

Jack, Apollo and Midnighter on the same team as J'onn? Weird.

[number8]

Also, Midnighter's new costume looks like shit. Fuck you, Jim Lee.

[EyesWideOpen]

Here's a link to the covers if anyone doesn't want to search them out.

http://www.ifanboy.com/content/articles/Hex_Rides_On__War_Stories__Wes terns__and_Wildstorm_Headline_ Today_s_DC__1_s

And here's a link of all the books announced so far:

http://www.ifanboy.com/content/articles/The_Definitive_Guide_To_The_DC _Comics_Reboot

Only six more left to be announced.

[EyesWideOpen]

Out of those from today All Star Western is the only one I'd probably get. Jonah Hex in old timey Gotham with other DC western characters as backups? Yes please.

[number8]

You can just link to the official DC blog that has all the synopsis for the books:

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/09/welcome-to-the-edge/

[Acapelli]

jim lee is really bad at designing costumes huh