The Comic Book Discussion Thread

[megladon8]

That wasn't from a previous run. That happened in the Doomwar crossover that was going on at the time.


Ah.

Worthwhile reading?

[Sven]

Nothing I have read by Kurt Busiek prepared me for the immensity that is his Astro City. First two trades devoured with intense pleasure and a yearning for more. Thank God there's five more trades of this stuff. My esteem for Busiek has elevated substantially.

[megladon8]

Nothing I have read by Kurt Busiek prepared me for the immensity that is his Astro City. First two trades devoured with intense pleasure and a yearning for more. Thank God there's five more trades of this stuff. My esteem for Busiek has elevated substantially.


Yeah it's pretty brilliant.

Have you read "Superman: Secret Identity"?

[D_Davis]

Nothing I have read by Kurt Busiek prepared me for the immensity that is his Astro City. First two trades devoured with intense pleasure and a yearning for more. Thank God there's five more trades of this stuff. My esteem for Busiek has elevated substantially.

Yep. I don't read a lot of comic books any more, but I can't imagine liking any other super hero stuff as much or more.

[D_Davis]

New miniseries, Conan vs Groo. I can't decide if this is awesome or really fucking stupid.

http://images.darkhorse.com/covers/600/15/15632.jpg

Uhm...it's Groo. It's awesome.

[Sven]

Marvel's solicits announce an Untold Tales of the Punisher Max mini illustrated by Roland Boschi! (Jason Starr writing... I've heard he's exciting.)

[Sven]

Hey-hey, and IDW's solicits announce a new Mars Attacks! series by John Layman and John McCrea. Perfect talent for the project.

Edit: apparently the first issue has 55 variant covers that replicate the Topp trading cards. Crazy but neat.

[megladon8]

Where do you guys go to find out what stuff is coming out months ahead of time?

I have a hard time finding out about stuff much earlier than, like, a week before release. Which makes it hard to order and often leads to me missing issues.

[number8]

I read comic book news/blogs/social media people the same way most posters here read movie news/blogs/social media people.

[megladon8]

I read comic book news/blogs/social media people the same way most posters here read movie news/blogs/social media people.


OK...can you point me to any particularly useful sites?

[Sven]

OK...can you point me to any particularly useful sites?

Newsarama.com always has columns with future solicits (which is where I got the info I did).

[number8]

Twitter, Reddit, DC/Marvel/Dark Horse/Image official sites, CBR, Newsarama, Bleeding Cool, Comics Alliance.

[Sven]

Today was wins all around. Every title was excellent.

Captain Atom's steady, inward flow is addictive. Villarrubia's colors stun, especially on the transformation sequence.

I wouldn't say that Batman Odyssey is better than G. Morrison's Batman, but I wouldn't argue at all with someone who did.

Haunt, even though it's not Fox, retains that anarchistic vibe and, being a disco flashback, gets a little silly too. Casey's nailing this one.

Ragemoor is moody and broody and deliciously diabolical.

Infinite Vacation, while a bit sloppily precious, has got a few popping ideas and is thankfully pretty funny.

John Carter, God of Mars, being a Ramon Perez joint, is the jaw-dropper of the group. Fantastic fantasy art, thick and vibrant colors with an emphasis on atmosphere. Great layouts. Everyone should read this.

[megladon8]

Thanks guys!!

[megladon8]

Wish I had known about "Smoke and Mirrors" before. Damn.

[megladon8]

So, "Smallville" is continuing as a comic book, and it has some of the worst art I've seen in quite some time...


http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/6127/smallvillecomic.jpg


What the hell??

[Acapelli]

batman 7 was pretty dumb

never would have thought before the book started that capullo would be the one who impressed me the most with his work

smh snyder. that nightwing scene was brutal, and not in a good way

[megladon8]

The upcoming Dynamite title "The Spider" looks phenomenal.

[slqrick]

batman 7 was pretty dumb

never would have thought before the book started that capullo would be the one who impressed me the most with his work

smh snyder. that nightwing scene was brutal, and not in a good way

That was a really awkward scene all around. That being said, Snyder's been killing it so far, so I'm willing to see how it plays out. I've enjoyed the hell out of all his Batman stuff so far. Capullo's been great.

I just caught up on Johnathan Hickman's Fantastic Four run...incredible stuff.

[number8]

I don't really know where Hickman's supposed to go from here. I really think he should have bowed out with 604.

I don't want his FF run to be like Brubaker's Captain America after he finished his epic 5-year long story. Brubaker clearly didn't have anywhere else to go and it shows in the current issues. It just hasn't been the same at all.

[Sven]

I don't want his FF run to be like Brubaker's Captain America after he finished his epic 5-year long story. Brubaker clearly didn't have anywhere else to go and it shows in the current issues. It just hasn't been the same at all.

I read the solicit descriptions and it sounds like more Kree stuff. I agree with you, 604 was such a great capstone. At least there's an end in sight w/Hickman, whereas Brub is still chugging along with the Cap stuff.

[Acapelli]

I read the solicit descriptions and it sounds like more Kree stuff. I agree with you, 604 was such a great capstone. At least there's an end in sight w/Hickman, whereas Brub is still chugging along with the Cap stuff.
he's leaving fantastic four and ff before the end of the year. he's also leaving ultimates

he's probably taking over avengers after bendis is done

[number8]

Kind of interesting to see the same scene in both Batman and Nightwing.

I'm really liking the interconnectedness in the Bat-books. Like how Gail Simone is tying Barbara's mom's departure to James Jr.

[megladon8]

Local comic book shop received an entire shipment of damaged comics, so I didn't get my copy of "Batman" #7 or "Ragemoor" #1.

Fuu.

[EyesWideOpen]

he's leaving fantastic four and ff before the end of the year. he's also leaving ultimates

he's probably taking over avengers after bendis is done

He just started two Image ongoings so he'll probably only do one Marvel book. Avengers is a good guess.

[Sven]

Hey, Acapelli (or anyone who has read it):

what should I expect from David's X-Factor? There is a bundle of most of the run for very cheap and I'm tempted.

[Acapelli]

are you talking about his 90s run or 00s run?

i've only read parts (albeit most) of his 00s run which deals with the detective agency, x-factor investigations, that madrox sets up

[Sven]

are you talking about his 90s run or 00s run?

i've only read parts (albeit most) of his 00s run which deals with the detective agency, x-factor investigations, that madrox sets up

00s. It's moot now, because someone bought it before me, though I am still interested in maybe checking it out.

[Sven]

dean white is probably my favorite colorist

it amazes me that, even as good as laura martin is, jrjr's stuff doesn't look half as good without white and janson along for the ride (this is in reference to his avengers vs. x-men stuff)

Just researched him a little and saw that he did the Kitchen Irish arc on PunisherMax. Some of my favorite comics coloring between him and Dan Brown (also cleverly surnamed for a colorman).

That said, I can't help but think that maybe White needs to lay off the violet a smidge. I realize artists need signatures, and in hueing the ebullient shadowiness of Uncanny X-force, the purple palette is perfect. But it has already started feeling recycled, in a way that I'm sure wouldn't if he was coloring his own illustrations (ie, Frazer Irving's pinks, Igor Kordey's greens, Francavilla's reds, etc).

[Sven]

I just flipped through the Wolverine/Punisher book he did with Lee Weeks and Peter Milligan in 2004 and maybe I rescind my last post. Guy should do whatever he wants.

[Sven]

I know, I know, enough Sven already, but I'm about a bottle in and I just wanted to pop in with a "Dale Eaglesham... goddamn..."

[sevenarts]

After all that hand-wringing about where Hickman could possibly go next with the Fantastic Four, FF #16 had me wishing that he was staying on these books for LONGER. So good, even though I go back and forth on Dragotta's art almost page-by-page. Simultaneously wrapping up and looking forward, and I love how he writes Val.

[megladon8]

I read "Silver Surfer: Requiem" the other night. Art is astounding, but the story is a little "meh".

The concept is cool and all, but I would have liked a little more about the actual tarnishing of his protective coating, and hell, a little more adventure. The introspective "I've seen so much...now I'm gon' die!" stuff got pretty tired.

Honestly, the most emotional part of the whole book takes place in the first issue, and is dialogue-free. Which is sad since JMS is constantly trying to tug the heart strings with every one of the four issues.

It was all right. Certainly not a great book, but I'm glad I read it even if just for the beautiful artwork.

[Sven]

I woke up at 4:30 this morning, tossing and turning, so I got up and finally decided to tackle Stray Bullets. After issue two, I slowly put the issue down, gazed imploringly to the heavens, prayed for forgiveness and guidance, shivered to my marrow, and made a commitment to myself to be a better person. Because life is too goddamn short and ridiculous, y'know? I crept back to bed, nerves tingling, feeling a peculiar anxiety about the future that I have not felt since middle school.

The idea that there are 38 more issues of this is too daunting.

[megladon8]

Picked up a copy of Terry Moore's "Echo".

Going to start reading it tonight. Never read anything by Moore before.

[sevenarts]

Picked up a copy of Terry Moore's "Echo".

Going to start reading it tonight. Never read anything by Moore before.

Hope you like it. That was the book that really got me into Moore. I'd read Strangers in Paradise and wasn't crazy about it, but Echo is fantastic: warm, funny, exciting, sexy, thought-provoking, basically everything a great pulpy sci-fi comic should be. One of my favorites.

[megladon8]

Hope you like it. That was the book that really got me into Moore. I'd read Strangers in Paradise and wasn't crazy about it, but Echo is fantastic: warm, funny, exciting, sexy, thought-provoking, basically everything a great pulpy sci-fi comic should be. One of my favorites.


Yeah, from what I'd read about the titles, either "Echo" or "Rachel Rising" would be the one to get me into Moore. Not that I'm uninterested in "Strangers in Paradise", but the other two certainly seemed more catered to my tastes.

Looking forward to cracking it open when I get home tonight!

[ledfloyd]

love seeing people get into echo.

has there been any word on spaceman since people were kind of nonplussed by the first issue? i really need to get back into following comics on a monthly basis.

[sevenarts]

has there been any word on spaceman since people were kind of nonplussed by the first issue? i really need to get back into following comics on a monthly basis.

I'm still kind of nonplussed by the whole thing, but I've been enjoying it anyway. It's very strange and the dialogue style takes a lot of getting used to, though Azzarello's typical rhythms are still recognizable within the weird argot. But it builds a really interesting world and Risso's art is fantastic of course, and it's pretty fun in its weird way. I have a feeling it will read much better when it's done and I can read the whole thing in one go, because it's a really hard book to read with a month between issues.

[number8]

That's why I decided to wait for the trade after skimming the first issue.

[megladon8]

Read the first 4 issues of "Echo" and loving it so far.

Can't wait to read more.

[number8]

Huh. Scott Pilgrim is being colored. First volume hardcover comes out August. It's also embiggened so it's 6x9 now (about the size of the Empowered books) instead of the original digest size.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.comicsalliance.com/media/2012/03/spv1-hc-pg-127-fnl.jpg

[Kurosawa Fan]

Do you have a link to this, 8? My little sister is obsessed, and I'd love to break this news to her.

[number8]

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/03/30/scott-pilgrim-hardcover-reprint/

[Kurosawa Fan]

Thanks!

[sevenarts]

That coloring looks really boring. I like those books but I don't see the point; it looks great in b&w.

[slqrick]

I caught up on the last few issues of American Vampire, and damn, Snyder's just killing it with this book. The arts been consistently fantastic from day one, but the story has both the short term visceral thrills and a longer narrative running throughout each arc. Really great stuff.

[dreamdead]

I tried two of the new Vertigo series: The New Deadwardians and Saucer Country. I had hoped the latter would approach politics a la Ex Machina, but it's fairly one-note, but this is my basic disinterest in alien narratives and the fact that the comic doesn't seem engaged in going beyond the basic tropes of alien abduction. Better is TND, which actually works toward intrigue. I'm bored by the art, which is decent but lacking of any of the energy I'm used to from Vertigo books.

Anyone read Dominique Laveau? Any good?

[megladon8]

I'm about a third of the way through "Echo", and while I am really enjoying it, I'm hoping it has more to offer as it progresses.

I thought it was supposed to be some grand sci-fi opus. Harlan Ellison has a quote on the back cover that says how grand a piece of intelligent science fiction it is.

But so far...it's a pretty standard superhero origin story. For a hero called Danger Boobs.

I dunno...like I said, it's good. I'm just not getting a "mind-blowing, awesome science fiction" vibe from it.

Jonathan Hickman it is not.

[Winston*]

Are there any good theory books about comics? I've read Scott McCloud's book.

[dreamdead]

I rather love Thierry Groensteen's The System of Comics, which approaches the medium from a semiotics point of view. Also love how it presents all kinds of French bd's that I need to read down the road.

Charles Hatfield has done a whole study on Alternative Comics, which I haven't read yet, and he also just put out Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby, which I've heard recalibrates how to approach mainstream comics of that era.

[Winston*]

I rather love Thierry Groensteen's The System of Comics, which approaches the medium from a semiotics point of view. Also love how it presents all kinds of French bd's that I need to read down the road.
Sweet. That's the kind of thing I'm looking for. Will check it out.

[sevenarts]

I definitely think of ECHO as a fun, well-crafted character piece more than a big sci-fi epic. It's certainly far from hard sci-fi. There are some thematic subtexts, but the emphasis is always on the characters and the wild superhero/sci-fi situations they get into.

And yes, it's a very boob-obsessed comic.

[number8]

It's certainly far from hard sci-fi.

I dunno, certain chapters spend pages and pages of talking head explaining real life scientific theories and how they apply to the suit and the effects of it. Ellison probably got off on that, since that kind of speculative science combined with a thriller aspect is his brand of sci-fi.


And yes, it's a very boob-obsessed comic.

Eh, I don't think so. No more than I'd call a Batman comic "abs obsessed" because it shows him with his shirt off when he's working out or being patched up by Alfred. Moore likes to portray female bodies in very mundane and matter-of-fact ways in his work, that's why you get two pages of sequence of someone just changing her clothes. Same with Strangers in Paradise. He kinda demystifies boobs, actually. He always draws them like... Yeah, women have them, they're there, they wear bras for them, I'm not gonna try to hide them, but it's not exactly noteworthy. If you want to ogle, then ogle, but that's on you, not me.

[megladon8]

Oh wow, I really dug the first issue of "Ragemoor".

Really intriguing ideas. I hope it continues on this way.

[number8]

The Boys 65.

Damn.

[sevenarts]

The Boys 65.

Damn.

I haven't always loved this series, but yeah, that was nuts. Glad it seems to be ending on a high note.

In other news, Avengers vs. X-Men is off to a pretty lousy start, I'd say. Really weak and predictable, and already seems like a bit of a retread of Schism.

I hope the crossover doesn't hurt Wolverine & the X-Men, which has been great: the last issue was fantastic, I love how it continues to trace the aftermath of Remender's Dark Angel saga, and then it's a little heartbreaking when the last page announces that the next issue will be an AVX tie-in.

Also really loving the current Casanova series.

[number8]

I haven't always loved this series, but yeah, that was nuts. Glad it seems to be ending on a high note.

Yeah, I'm glad that it's able to get a lot more serious in the past few arcs and still maintain the sense of over-the-top violence that it's known for. That was definitely a nice capoff to the whole Butcher story.

I still think none of the stories on the ongoing have been able to top Highland Laddie and the Butcher mini, but we'll see what happens in this last arc.

[Sven]

Guys, I wrote a piece about David Lapham. Read it if you want:

http://earth616.wordpress.com/

[megladon8]

That was a great piece, Sven. I really should check out "Stray Bullets".

I have enjoyed some of Lapham's work quite a bit, but I still just cannot "get" the love for "City of Crime". I thought it was truly awful.

[Sven]

That was a great piece, Sven. I really should check out "Stray Bullets".

Thanks meg! :)

[sevenarts]

Nice piece. I need to read Stray Bullets too. I haven't read much Lapham, but so far I'm enjoying his current Age of Apocalypse series, which spun off from Remender's great Uncanny X-Force.

[number8]

The hell you guys been doing if you've never read Stray Bullets, man. That's like saying you've never seen Pulp Fiction or something.

GET TO IT.

Meg, postpone your marriage and set your priorities.

[megladon8]

The hell you guys been doing if you've never read Stray Bullets, man. That's like saying you've never seen Pulp Fiction or something.

GET TO IT.

Meg, postpone your marriage and set your priorities.


Looks like yet another title that's out of print, so it won't be happening any time soon unfortunately.

[dreamdead]

Still digging Saga. A lot. The back-and-forth banter has officially become Yorick/Agent 355, but it's so enjoyable that I really don't care. And Vaughan's survey at the end is delicious fun. It's sad that these issues are over so quick, but it's impressive that I'm already this devoted to the series.

[number8]

Fantastic Four 605...

http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/226/080/Crying-meme.png

[ledfloyd]

Still digging Saga. A lot. The back-and-forth banter has officially become Yorick/Agent 355, but it's so enjoyable that I really don't care. And Vaughan's survey at the end is delicious fun. It's sad that these issues are over so quick, but it's impressive that I'm already this devoted to the series.
agreed. i'm not going anywhere. vaughan hasn't lost a thing.

[EyesWideOpen]

Paul Pope is doing a backup story in Adventure Time #5. Sweet!

[sevenarts]

Fantastic Four 605...

http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/226/080/Crying-meme.png


Yeah no kidding. God that was so good. In other Hickman news, he started a new series called Secret that had a good first issue. Seems like it'll be worthwhile.

Also loved Saga this week, the character design of all the aliens and creatures in this is amazing.

I also caught up with the new Bryan Wood/Becky Cloonan Conan series, and it's really enjoyable. Action-packed, fun, and surprisingly sexy, with amazing art from Cloonan. I've loved the 3 issues so far.

Saucer Country #2 was better than the first issue but I'm still not totally sold. Could still be good though.

[EyesWideOpen]

Picked up a bunch of books today:

Secret #1
The Manhattan Projects #1
Saga #2
Adventure Time #3
Saucer Country #2
Fatale #4

Really enjoyed all of them except Saucer Country. I thought the first issue was good but not great and I liked issue 2 less. I'll give it a couple more issues.

[Acapelli]

Fantastic Four 605...

http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/226/080/Crying-meme.png
I KNOW

it's unbelievable how great of a writer hickman is

[Ezee E]

Someone spoil for me.

[Sven]

Someone spoil for me.

Hickman's 40+ issue epic just concluded. (Incredible sci-fi, by the way, highly recommended.) In it, the future is discovered to be in an evil way. In the end, they solve everything. Now Reed and his father travel to the distant future to see how everything turns out.

Earlier, the Future Foundation, the children that hang around the Baxter Building, discover a formula that will turn Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, back into his human form, but only for a day. What is discovered in this issue is that the one day in which Ben is human is also the only day he ages. So Ben is still around way in the future, a sage, and in the year 6012, he is finally dead. The visions of the future here are fantastic.

They travel back home, sobered. Reed meets up with Ben, sits with him, they drink, and have a moment.

It is a nice standalone issue. They give you enough context.

Between that and PunisherMAX: Frank, I was in a pretty sorrowful mood yesterday.

[number8]

Can't resist. I just have to post the final pages.

http://oi41.tinypic.com/2q1h3lc.jpg

http://oi44.tinypic.com/ay4z7b.jpg

God, he's still got 6 more issues to go.

[Dukefrukem]

Anyone see/read this new Army of Darkness series?

[Sven]

So Incredible Hulk...

I haven't really been liking it too much, despite being mesmerized here and there by all the bombastic line action, but this final issue worked for me. The two pages of Hulk holding Banner's head as an explosion tears it into a wet mess is definitely take-it-to-the-bank-worthy. And somewhere along the way, Portacio started hitting some Kevin O'Neill notes. Maybe it's his inkers? I dunno.

Excited for Stay Angry still.

[megladon8]

Today I picked up...

Batman #8
Wonder Woman #8
Resident Alien #0
Ragemoor #2
Incredible Hulk #7

And a TPB of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror", adapted by Joe R. Lansdale.

Looking forward to some reading tonight.

[slqrick]

The Night of the Owls is gonna be awesome...it gets off to a great start with Batman 8.

[ledfloyd]

so if i want to give hickman a shot should i just dive into his fantastic four epic? or would i be better served giving the nightly news or pax romana a go first?

[sevenarts]

I haven't read all of Hickman's shorter series, but I think his FF epic is probably going to wind up being his defining work. I doubt you'd regret just diving in. It gets good right from the first arc, called "Solve Everything."

[Sven]

FF epic is probably going to wind up being his defining work.

Yeah, the most prevalent throughline in Hickman's work has been his bolstering of human potential. He refuses to permit doubt and inability to hinder the individual's progress towards intelligence and actualization. All of his books tackle this in some way, but his FF run underlines that perspective as its impetus, as well as galvanizing it with a truly massive and colorful scope.

That said, l.floyd, you can't go wrong with any of them. The only book of his I found limp is Secret Warriors (despite the excellent God of Fear, God of War arc), which demands the reader to care far too much about the Marvel Universe.

[ledfloyd]

so i just start at fantastic four #570 and read until the present? how does FF tie in?

[Sven]

so i just start at fantastic four #570 and read until the present? how does FF tie in?

There's a point where a characters dies. Issue 588 or so. Then it becomes FF until issue 600. Then, it is a simultaneous run, with FF at issue 13 and Fantastic Four at issue 601. Switching back and forth between books, absorbing the scope and all the characters at once, is exhilarating.

Also, pay attention. Things get mad complicated.

[sevenarts]

As Sven says (though with a big spoiler that he should probably remove!) it runs like this:

Fantastic Four #570-588
FF #1-11
Fantastic Four #600
FF #12

And from that point on switch back and forth between the two books. It's amazing stuff, incredibly complex, and stuff at the very beginning of the run ties back in to its very end in surprising ways so paying attention and reading it in a condensed period is definitely important. Hickman isn't quite done yet but everything he's doing now is basically an extended epilogue.

[Sven]

(though with a big spoiler that he should probably remove!)

Everybody already knows who dies, let alone that someone dies in the first place.

[sevenarts]

Probably true. I don't read much comic industry news so I probably wouldn't have known if I wasn't reading it.

In the last few days I read Hickman's The Red Wing (kinda slight and disappointing compared to what he can do) and Brandon Graham's King City. Graham is currently writing the great Image series Prophet, and this is an earlier project he both wrote and drew. It's really fun and wild manga-influenced sci-fi/fantasy, the kind of kitchen-sink-and-all high-concept stuff where every page is packed with an overload of nutty, silly, brilliant ideas and images. It's all over the place and has its problems - you better have a high tolerance for punning if you read this - but it's so much fun overall.

[ledfloyd]

i don't know who dies!

i thought king city was a lot of fun, but i love puns. "marmoset there'd be days like this."

[sevenarts]

i thought king city was a lot of fun, but i love puns. "marmoset there'd be days like this."

A lot of them were funny (that one definitely included) but the sheer amount of it was kind of overkill, especially reading the whole thing in a couple of days. But yeah, it's fun as hell anyway, and Graham's imagination is just constantly sparking even (or especially) in the smallest details. There's one page where, buried in a corner, a bird is throwing a ninja star at another bird, a little scene that absolutely delighted me despite having nothing to do with anything.

Are you reading Prophet? It's a blast, and the art is amazing too - as much as I enjoy Graham's own sketchy manga-esque style in King City, the stuff that Simon Roy and Farel Dalrymple have been doing to flesh out the weird fantasy world of Prophet is mind-blowing.

[ledfloyd]

i haven't. but i loved what dalrymple did with omega the unknown so perhaps i should give it a look.

[sevenarts]

i haven't. but i loved what dalrymple did with omega the unknown so perhaps i should give it a look.

Omega is a real great book.

Dalrymple is drawing #24-25 of Prophet (which started Graham's run with #21) and Graham himself will apparently be drawing #26. It's such a great series, telling this bizarre sci-fi story where almost nothing is explained, all this weird imagery is just thrown out there without context. It gives the impression of this really complex world that the reader will never be able to fully understand. Everything just seems to be operating according to its own mysterious rules and it's all so beautiful and unsettling. Take a look at this art (http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/03/31/prophet-art-brandon-graham-farel-dalrymple-preview/).

[Sven]

From the best series I've read recently:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v350/iosos/Comic%20scans/us2.jpg

Amazing.

[sevenarts]

I give up. What is it?

[number8]

Unknown Soldier. It's a fucking beast of a series. Glad you picked it up.

[Sven]

Yes, what 8 (number) said. Dysart is my current addiction. And this book really made me want to give Lemire's Frankenstein book a try beyond the first issue. Ponticelli looks amazing, but Lemire never compels me.

[megladon8]

I think you may appreciate the sheer gonzo fun of "Frankenstein", Sven.

[number8]

Did you read his Neil Young graphic novel?

[sevenarts]

Frankenstein is fun, and I love the art, but it's kinda minor Lemire - though maybe someone who doesn't normally like Lemire will appreciate it more.

The best Lemire Frankenstein story, oddly enough, was in Men of War #8, which was a really good standalone.

[Sven]

Did you read his Neil Young graphic novel?

I've been trying to find it at a store so that I don't have to order it online, but with no luck. I'm gonna cave soon.

[number8]

I actually own a Van Helsing movie tie-in one-shot written by Dysart that I bought back when the movie came out. He was a relative unknown then. It's Hugh Jackman versus Dr. Moreau. It's better than the actual movie.

[number8]

Kickstarter funding for Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos' creator-owned series Fairy Quest.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1803036765/fairy-quest

Best art I've seen from Ramos.

[Sven]

Best art I've seen from Ramos.

Yeah, jeez. Not being colored by Edgar Delgado helps, but that really does look terrific.

[ledfloyd]

well, i had the death in fantastic four spoiled for me while looking at steve epting's wiki page.

[Sven]

well, i had the death in fantastic four spoiled for me while looking at steve epting's wiki page.

I found out way before I started even reading the series. I honestly don't think the spoiler mattered. There's not a huge "who's it going to be?" build-up to it or anything.

[number8]

They advertised the death in the months leading up to it. There was absolutely no secret to it whatsoever.

[Acapelli]

They advertised the death in the months leading up to it. There was absolutely no secret to it whatsoever.
it was spoiled the monday before by a ton of major publications too. i was spoiled by new york magazine

[number8]

So now Agent Coulson and Black-But-Not-Ultimate Nick Fury are both officially in the comics. :|

I'm guessing we'll see a big death of original Nick Fury event soon.

[Sven]

Was black Nick Fury incorporated into the main Marvel U just randomly? The loss of Original Nick Fury will be very, very sad. At least there is the upcoming MAX title.

[Sven]

Also: Secret Avengers this week made me more interested in this Phoenix revival than I ever anticipated being. Still not buying those AVX books.

[number8]

Depends on what you consider randomly. They did in a pretty weird roundabout way. I'm just gonna spoil it here since I doubt any of you are reading it.

There was a mini called Battle Scars which ended with #6 today that follows an army ranger named Marcus Johnson (and his best friend "Cheese") who's being targeted by mercenaries like Taskmaster and Deadpool because a mysterious villain wants him because of the secret of the father he never knew. Marvel's been pushing Marcus as the next big Marvel character for months and hyped up the mystery of his dad, but people guessed Nick Fury pretty quickly. Anyway, turns out Fury's Infinity Formula is running in his kid's blood, too, so Orion from Secret Warriors wants him, and in their fight he takes Marcus' left eye out so he would resemble his dad. And then in the final issue, Marcus and Cheese join SHIELD, and we find out Cheese's real name.

http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/8646/battlescars6thegroup021.jpg

[Sven]

Hm. That's pretty dumb.

[number8]

It's a good thing the mystery was telegraphed so obviously (they revealed immediately that his dad's an American hero and immortal/doesn't age... and then made it a mystery? Who the fuck else could it be?). Can you imagine being invested in two new characters in a new series, only for the last issue to suddenly go, "SURPRISE! MOVIE TIE-IN!"? I'd be pissed.

[sevenarts]

Also: Secret Avengers this week made me more interested in this Phoenix revival than I ever anticipated being. Still not buying those AVX books.

The proper AVX series has been TERRIBLE. No surprise there, except perhaps that it's even worse than I even expected. I did enjoy the tie-in last week in Wolverine and the X-Men.

[Grouchy]

That is beyond idiotic. They already have the character in the Ultimate universe, what's wrong with that? They just need to keep writing him stories, none cares if it's not the main Marvel timeline.

[megladon8]

So...wait...Sam Jackson is David Hasselhoff's son?

He must take after his mother. Different goatee.

[number8]

By the way, worth noting that Battle Scars was written by Chris Yost, who is the showrunner on the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon, which has a similar compromise.

http://www.dvdizzy.com/images/a-c/avengers1-11.jpg

The Nick Fury on the show is also the son of a WW2 hero white dude that led the Howling Commandos, but the older Fury is named Jack Fury on the show (the name of comic Nick Fury's WWI hero dad). I thought it was a fairly clever way to amalgamate the two Furies. I was actually hoping that the Captain America movie would use the same workaround, but I guess making Dum Dum Dugan the leader was okay too.

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110701235819/marvelanimated/images/8/8e/Jack_Fury_AEMH.jpg

[number8]

The one upside to this, though, and I do hope Marvel takes advantage of this, is that we have a young virile Nick Fury who's just a lowly agent again, something even the Ultimate universe doesn't have. Meaning now they have the opportunity to do the Steranko-style James Bond stories with this new Fury.

[megladon8]

Is that "Avengers" cartoon worth watching?

I'm admittedly still in the "only DC knows how to animate their stuff" camp. I have yet to see a decent Marvel animated feature or show since the comic movie/show boom of the late 90s/early 00's.

[Sven]

I thought the first Captain America episode, with Kang the Conqueror, was incredible. The rest (of season 1) ranged from sometimes pretty good to mostly forgettable. My biggest problem with the Avengers is that their problems are so frequently solved by punching hardest. So I often get bored.

But I do like when it gets all chronocosmic with space characters.

[megladon8]

I thought the first Captain America episode, with Kang the Conqueror, was incredible. The rest (of season 1) ranged from sometimes pretty good to mostly forgettable. My biggest problem with the Avengers is that their problems are so frequently solved by punching hardest. So I often get bored.

But I do like when it gets all chronocosmic with space characters.


Probably the thing I miss most from the silver age of comics (aside from Jack Kirby) is the abundance of cosmic comics.

I wish more modern comics would go way out there, both thematically and geographically.

[Morris Schæffer]

Anyone got some thoughts on the 6-series Infinity Gauntlet comic? The one that debuted in 1991 because I understand there's been a more recent makeover as well.

[number8]

FF #17 is the greatest thing ever.

[number8]

Cool Quitely portrait of Morrison.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m33fo6RPhy1qc2tajo1_128 0.png

From this article:

http://www.playboy.com/playground/entertainment/culture/the-super-psyche

[Sven]

Sometimes I wish Quitely would scale back on the wrinkles. Just a smidge.

[megladon8]

Any thoughts on "Batman: Gates of Gotham"?

Just got the trade out from the library. Might read it tonight.

[sevenarts]

Any thoughts on "Batman: Gates of Gotham"?

Just got the trade out from the library. Might read it tonight.

It's pretty good. Provides some background and history for Scott Snyder's take on Batman and his relationship to Gotham City, tying into Grant Morrison's Batman saga and serving as something of a prologue to Snyder's current Batman run. I'm not sure how satisfying it would be without that context, but it's a fun, quick read anyway.

If you haven't already read Snyder's The Black Mirror, that's even better, probably one of Snyder's best books and one of the best Batman stories.

[Sven]

Today I'm teaching myself the history of cosmic Marvel. I've read some of the books (Eternals, Inhumans, etc), but I cannot honestly say that I've retained any sense of the narrative history/continuity of it.

[slqrick]

Daredevil is so amazing right now...the Omega Effect storyline with Spidey and Punisher has been great.

[Sven]

I don't see it being talked about anywhere else, but I think Alex Ross is doing some career-best work at Dynamite right now. He's mixing his palette up and blocking more dynamically.

[megladon8]

So...did anyone else check out "Resident Alien"?

I loved issue 0.

[number8]

Turns out Al Madrigal shops at my LCS. That was a nice shock.

[Sven]

So...did anyone else check out "Resident Alien"?

My pull list is too big. I will probably read the trade.

[Sven]

Turns out Al Madrigal shops at my LCS. That was a nice shock.

I was just telling my wife that he's my favorite.

[Sven]

I wish Paul Jenkins had a defining work. The closest I can think of is his Sentry books, but even those don't have a singular auteurial ring. He's a solid writer that I feel does not have due rep.

Anyway, comics this week were awesome.

Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #4 - I've read it at least five times, in as many different ways. Utterly brilliant.
Action Comics #9 - Beautifully done standalone issue that explores the definitive qualities of iconography. I'm convinced that Morrison's clout pushed it past the DC censors... it's pretty critical.
Stormwatch & Red Lanterns #9s - Double the Milligan, double the fun. Abysmus is practically Shakespearean. Midnighter's perpetual uphill definition is in full effect, complete with an enticing virtual cameo.
Exiled #1 - Gillen's lovely JIM tone pervades, though knowing nothing about the New Mutants, I have several questions.
Fury MAX #1 - Faultless. Alluring, vivid, complicated. I'm sure this one'll be amazing.
Age of Apocalypse #3 - I've never seen Sugar Man. I love him. Conceptual ingeniousness matched in execution.
Kirby Genesis: Silver Star #5 - Desjardins is getting more coherent. The events are well-staged and the drama surprisingly involving, even apart from context. Intriguing comics.
Daredevil #12 - More exciting whimsy. Samnee offers nice verisimilitude.

[EyesWideOpen]

I wish Paul Jenkins had a defining work. The closest I can think of is his Sentry books, but even those don't have a singular auteurial ring. He's a solid writer that I feel does not have due rep.



I haven't read it but whenever I hear someone talk about Jenkins they talk about how great his Inhumans series was.

[Sven]

I haven't read it but whenever I hear someone talk about Jenkins they talk about how great his Inhumans series was.

It's definitely great. I like it more than The Sentry, but I am partial to Black Bolt, who has been my favorite Marvel character in the past. Maybe still is. Would have to think about it.

[Acapelli]

when i think of jenkins all i can think of is fallen sun

legitimately one of the worst comics i've ever read

[number8]

That's the one where he casually and awkwardly just revealed that Sentry took Rogue's virginity, right?

[sevenarts]

Jenkins is also responsible for the hilariously bad issue of Hellblazer that's all about the supernatural implications of the menstrual cycle or something.

[EyesWideOpen]

when i think of jenkins all i can think of is fallen sun

legitimately one of the worst comics i've ever read

Yeah that issue is terrible. I enjoyed his other Sentry stuff but that one was horrendous.

He also did the Origin miniseries which was huge when it came out.

[megladon8]

So...is anyone reading this whole Avengers vs. X-Men thing?

I haven't touched it. I haven't been impressed with many of Marvel's events.

In fact, while on the topic - what Marvel events have actually been good?

From what I remember, MC'ers were pretty underwhelmed with "House of M" and "Civil War".

[Acapelli]

absolutely loved siege. was more impressed by the buildup to secret invasion the the event itself

pretty underwhelmed by avx so far, but it's an improvement over fear itself

[Sven]

So...is anyone reading this whole Avengers vs. X-Men thing?

Remender's Secret Avengers tie-in is so far promising to be more interesting than the actual event. Which is pretty dopey. Romita Jr.'s action is always nice, and this last fistfight between Cap and Wolvs is well-staged. But the whole concept behind it is unimpressive. Shifty, limp storytelling. And I have a feeling the Vs. sub-title is going to be worthless.

On topic, this morning I re-read the X-Statix/Avengers crossover where they battle for pieces of Doop's brain. Now that's good readin'.

[sevenarts]

On topic, this morning I re-read the X-Statix/Avengers crossover where they battle for pieces of Doop's brain. Now that's good readin'.

Oh god I love the naked Iron Man fight. Such an amazing series.

Avengers vs. X-Men is pretty worthless so far. I'm not even especially impressed with Romita's artwork. I have liked some of the tie-ins in Secret Avengers and Wolverine and the X-Men, but the actual series is terrible.

[Sven]

Oh god I love the naked Iron Man fight. Such an amazing series.

Yeah, that's a definite highlight, though my favorite is the Hawkeye/Vivisector fight in Africa. All the uses of location are pretty brilliant, but that one has my favorite bookends.

[Morris Schæffer]

Guys, If I were to delve into some comic book properties, what would be the ones I shouldn't miss for these:

- Judge Dredd
- Iron Man
- Green Lantern (i've got secret origin #29-35). Is that great? Are there any others?
- Captain America
- The avengers

Doesn't matter if they're standalone adventures or paired with others.

[Sven]

Judge Dredd - the Death Lives collection is very entertaining. I also have a couple of the Masters Collections, which has a motley assortment of writers and artists, most are at least good, some great.

Iron Man - Big fan of Warren Ellis's Ultimate Armor Wars. Also, Ultimate Human, where he attempts to remove Hulk from Banner's persona. Very nice. Both in the Ultimate U. I also like The Inevitable (http://match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=350292&postcount=34), with Frazer Irving on art.

Green Lantern - i haven't read Secret Origin, so I can't say on that one. But for the last couple of years, the main artist on Green Lantern has been Doug Mahnke, who, in my mind, blows nearly everyone else out of the water. My recommendation is starting on his run, which is conveniently the beginning of Blackest Night. His first issue is the Black Hand origin story and it's creepy as hell.

Captain America - Haven't read much. People tell me to read Brubaker's stuff.

The avengers - The most common advice I've heard about these guys is to start with Busiek/Perez's Avengers Assemble. I read the first ten issues or so. It's solid work, but I just can't get into Avengers stories all that much. They're too often driven by action and plot, less by ideas and character.

[Morris Schæffer]

Thanks for the tips.:)

[Sven]

Thanks for the tips.:)

You're welcome! The other guys may be more help, as they have probably read much more of the aforementioned properties than I have.

[Sven]

Soooo... how come my copy of Mystery in Space does not have any Paul Pope in it? Bummin'.

[D_Davis]

I was recently turned on to a comic book that I like:

http://www.majorspoilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Prophet21_c1_roy.jpg

[Sven]

I've gone and done it:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v350/iosos/matchcut/mocorec.jpg

[Acapelli]

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat

so jealous

[dreamdead]

Say hi to J.H. Williams III for me! He almost makes me want to go to the convention.

Unrelated to comics: I'm considering dropping good money on airfare to see Dead Can Dance somewhere if we're not still in Chicagoland area this fall...

[number8]

Goddamn, man. It's the Polarity Package, so I'm guessing your wife is going with you?

[Sven]

Goddamn, man. It's the Polarity Package, so I'm guessing your wife is going with you?

Actually, I'm going with a friend who is into comics. K was too ambivalent.

[Sven]

I'm looking forward to cornering Morrison and Lee and coercing from them a recommitment to WildCATs.

Also, hangover brunch with Chris Burnham.

[number8]

Hahaha, that fucking issue.

I still have his Authority #1. Kinda disappointed they got Giffen to finish that up. I would have liked it better if it was just stranded like an artifact of an abortion.

[Sven]

My jaw was quite agape reading those two Authority issues.

Ever read his Spawn issues? They are just about the only thing left of his that I haven't read yet.

[number8]

I think so, because I have read all the early Spawn issues. I remember that his followed guest stints by Moore, Gaiman, Frank Miller and Dave Sims. I think I remember it being really mediocre.

[number8]

Fury MAX #1 - Faultless. Alluring, vivid, complicated. I'm sure this one'll be amazing.

Hell. Yeah. Man, I love Garth Ennis doing war comics. This was top shit. Impeccable tone—I can picture it as a Sturges movie.

Pavlov is easily Ennis' best fit as an artist next to Dillon.

[number8]

Dan the Unharmable #1 is classic Lapham. I like Dan already. This should be a fun series.

[Sven]

Yes! We had a Comics Roundtable at my LCS last night and I pushed Dan the Unharmable pretty hard. Favorite panel: well, it's the whole page of Dan and the two guys falling from the building while Dan finishes the adage with "...live?" The opening sequence with the detective groaning about the quick solution to the grisly murder is classic, queasy Lapham.

Meantime, I've been speculating about the identities of the last three unannounced guests to MorrisonCon. Jim Lee is a surprise, mostly because he currently represents the milquetoast mainstream. Landmark artist, but his business credentials inspire skepticism.

I'm crossing my fingers for Peter Milligan, though that's a long shot. Cameron Stewart maybe, but my understanding is their relationship is a little strained. Frazer Irving? I dunno. Looking forward to an unbearable summer of anticipation.

[number8]

I'd been pretty bummed at Lapham's trajectory lately because I gave the first issue of Ferals a try and it didn't grab me, and I have no interest in Caligula or Crossed. So, sooo glad this exists now. Exactly what I needed.

When I told my LCS owner this, we got into a conversation about how fantastic Batman: City of Crime was and how utterly weird it is that a lot of people hated it.

[Acapelli]

i was so pumped for dan the unharmable when i thought lapham was writing and drawing

i hate the look of most avatar books

[Sven]

Damaged, the vigilante story he's doing for Radical with Leonardo Manco, is pretty good. And if you haven't been reading Age of Apocalypse, you're missing some truly creative conceptualization.

Avatar is actually one of my favorite publishers these days. I wasn't sold on Crossed until I started reading Spurrier's free online story and it's excellent. That said, every time I pick up one of the collections, I flip through it and immediately put it back down. Gives me the willies. But there's a lot of good to be said for Wolfer, Ryp, and Burrows. Even Caceres made Captain Swing sing.

Zenescope... now there's a publishing house worthy of disdain.

[number8]

Spurrier's the one where the survivors stay on an island, right? That has potential.

[Sven]

Spurrier's the one where the survivors stay on an island, right? That has potential.

Yeah. It's quite good, and makes me want to read the others. I read the first issue of Delano's new arc, and it, too, shows a lot of potential.

It's just too hard to get past all the chainsawing crotches and flayed skin, even if it's Ennis and Lapham.

[number8]

The first Crossed actually was an all right story, with Ennis' usual deft handling of the characters. As far as survivors of the apocalypse thing, he does the human drama way better than Kirkman ever could.

It's just that he was too compelled to deliver the horror goods because that's the genre he was in, so you've got stuff that's just plain unnecessary. I'm not even talking about showing the gore on panel. You can justify that. It's the execution of it that's bothersome. I don't see why, for example, a shot of a family with a little kid getting graphically, brutally raped and dismembered has to be a two-page splash page. That goes beyond upsetting (which is the intention) and just comes across as sleazy and thoughtless.

[sevenarts]

That Garth Ennis, always so tasteful. I've never read Crossed, but it sounds like it pretty much caters to what's always been the worst side of Ennis, that gleeful wallowing in gore and excess for the sake of merely being shocking. The Boys has its moments, but it's often fallen into that trap.

Loved the first issue of his new Fury series, though, that should be fantastic. The "next issue" blurb in the back of the book was hilarious too: "fuck!" - closeup of guy getting punched - "fuck!"

[Acapelli]

Ryp
love ryp

wolfer's never done anything for me

another thing that bothers me about avatar books is the coloring. everything looks like mud

[Sven]

wolfer's never done anything for me

The early Gravel issues (Strange Killings, etc...) are, I think, some of the finest action comics around. Barebones, but clear; crisp.

[megladon8]

Did anyone else check out issue 1 of "The Spider"?

Nice art, but the writing was just awful. I was also taken aback by the number of spelling errors and double or missing words. Who the hell is Dynamite paying to proofread?

[Sven]

Did anyone else check out issue 1 of "The Spider"?

My rule of thumb is only one old-timey vigilante book per publisher. I'm going with The Shadow.


I was also taken aback by the number of spelling errors and double or missing words. Who the hell is Dynamite paying to proofread?

I may be the only person who doesn't care at all about poor proofreading.

[EyesWideOpen]

I may be the only person who doesn't care at all about poor proofreading.

Man, that shit bothers me like nothing else.

[Sven]

Man, that shit bothers me like nothing else.

I guess to me it's like a guitarist unintentionally muting a string during an arpeggio. The message is communicated, if flubbed slightly. I think misspellings can add a quaint quality to the book... remind the reader of the work put into it.

Different topic: I'm three issues into Straczynski's Thor and I'm very seriously considering stopping because it's retarded. The New Orleans issue (#3) is one of the most ill-conceived chapters of superherodom I've yet encountered.

[number8]

It bothers me about as much as when a character's skin or clothing is colored wrong, or when a word balloon points to the wrong character.

As in, it's easy to get over, but it keeps sitting there like an annoyance every time I re-read.

[number8]

JMS is one of the most overrated writers in comicdom.

[Sven]

Never mind. I'm not gonna stop reading. I just read issue 4 and it was even worse than the previous ones, to the point where I'm hypnotized by every leaden plotting decision, curious to know how much denser it gets. The dialogue is bluntly plain, the action is, so far, telegraphed and pointless. The integration of world tragedies into Thor's quest for the human hosts of dead Asgardians (what?) is so utterly offensive. Nothing is being illuminated, it is furiously disingenuous hackwork. If it continues like this, it will easily be the worst comic I've read in a long time.

First thing I've ever read by JMS. He's supposed to be good?

[Raiders]

First thing I've ever read by JMS. He's supposed to be good?

His Amazing Spider-Man stuff is supposed to be pretty good. I thought he was mainly recognized for Babylon 5 though.

[number8]

Eh, his Spidey got mixed reception. A lot of people hated the whole Spider totem and Iron Spider thing, not to mention what he did to Gwen Stacy.

[EyesWideOpen]

The seven or so issues of Brave and the Bold he did are top notch stuff.

[megladon8]

Uh...wait, what?

Sven, did you not have JMS' "Thor" on your list last year?

I pretty much read that solely because of your recommendation.

[Sven]

Uh...wait, what?

Sven, did you not have JMS' "Thor" on your list last year?

I pretty much read that solely because of your recommendation.

:lol:, no, sorry for the misunderstanding there. I mentioned Matt Fraction's Thor. His badass Ages of Thunder, in particular, is some of modern Marvel's finest work. Then the God Eaters saga, which he wrote when he took over from Gillen post-Siege and which I've recently reread, is tip-top epic fantasy. Beautiful, emotional, vast. The colors! But I've stopped reading his current Thor output. Unfortunately, the troll imposter stuff was just too dumb.

[Grouchy]

JMS's Spiderman was hit and miss. I found the Spider Totem stuff interesting, actually, if poorly solved. But the Gwen Stacy thing is just unforgivable.

[number8]

Just fuck you. (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38676)

[Sven]

Just fuck you. (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38676)

Hilarious. Almost seems like a parody.

[Sven]

That said, every time I pick up one of the collections, I flip through it and immediately put it back down.

Went to the store today, resolved more than ever to buy a collection of Crossed, but this happened again. I just can't do it.

[megladon8]

Any upcoming title recommendations from anyone? Particularly, anything non-DC I should check out in the near future?

Approximately 85% of my pull list is DC, so I'd like to throw some other stuff in there.

I've got "Incredible Hulk" and "Fantastic Four" from Marvel, and that's it from their repertoire.

[Acapelli]

i'd say you should get punisher and daredevil too

[sevenarts]

i'd say you should get punisher and daredevil too

Definitely. Also Uncanny X-Force. X-Force and Punisher are the best current Marvel titles, I'd say. Wolverine and the X-Men is also a lot of fun.

[ledfloyd]

i read severed, it was good but nothing i'm especially eager to revisit.

[Grouchy]

Just fuck you. (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38676)
Shit, that's sad.

[Sven]

Hopefully I am not the only one to think the new Fantastic Four issue is insanely brilliant.

[Acapelli]

Hopefully I am not the only one to think the new Fantastic Four issue is insanely brilliant.
but ugh, mike choi

[Sven]

but ugh, mike choi

He's only on line work. It looks great.

[sevenarts]

Hopefully I am not the only one to think the new Fantastic Four issue is insanely brilliant.

No kidding. Can't believe they put that in a .1 issue.

[ledfloyd]

only three months in and i think saga is pretty easily my favorite book on the stands. fatale is its only real competition at the moment.

[slqrick]

I'm waiting for the first trade of saga to come out. The first issue was an amazing intro, though.

Daredevil is hands down my favorite book right now...Paolo Rivera's art is so money.

[ledfloyd]

i just read prophet and it's right up there with saga and fatale. the art is unbelievable and the style lends it a really unique feel, being mostly silent with captions. it's incredibly different than king city yet very much a product of the same sensibility. image is really killing it lately. now that i have some free time (that's going to disappear as soon as i start college this fall) and am attempting to keep up with comics regularly. what is everyone reading on a monthly basis?

so far i've got:
Saga
Fatale
Prophet
Wonder Woman
Batwoman
Animal Man
Swamp Thing
Action Comics
Batman Inc.
Batman
Scalped
The Walking Dead

what else should i be reading?

[Sven]

Dan the Unharmable. We should all read Dan the Unharmable.

Definitely get on Fury Max. Also, dunno why you're not getting Haunt.

[sevenarts]

Prophet is so awesome. So much creativity and inventiveness on every page.

Agreed on Fury Max, it's great fun so far, prime Ennis. I can't get into Haunt at all though.

There's also some really great Marvel stuff right now: Punisher (Greg Rucka), Uncanny X-Force (Rick Remender), Daredevil (Mark Waid), Wolverine and the X-Men (Jason Aaron). None of those are super-long (~10 issues plus or minus a few, except for X-Force which is at 25) and should be easy enough to catch up with. There's also Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four/FF, which has lasted for years and is finally ending soon and is very, VERY much worth reading if you haven't before.

Hickman's current The Manhattan Projects series is really good too, one of his best shorter, non-FF works.

I'll never get tired of recommending Terry Moore's Rachel Rising, one of the best horror books out there - which I'm sure is no surprise, floyd, since you were the one who got me into Echo.

I also have a lot of love for a pair of Vertigo books, American Vampire and The Unwritten, both of which just keep getting better and better. I was a little ambivalent about Unwritten early on but it's really got its claws into me now.

[ledfloyd]

cool, daredevil and fantastic four were already on my list of things to catch up on, i'll look into the rest. i had completely forgotten about rachel rising. and yeah, i'm really out of the loop on vertigo these days. american vampire, sweet tooth and the unwritten all interest me but they obviously will take a bit more work to get caught up on.

[number8]

No kidding. Can't believe they put that in a .1 issue.

I think they're just labeling all one-shot stories .1 these days.

[ledfloyd]

so, despite a ridiculously busy weekend i found time to do err, a little reading:

The Manhattan Projects - another promising new series from Image. if not yet on the level of Saga, Fatale and Prophet it certainly has the potential to join their ranks in the imprints top tier. Hickman's irreverant take on one of the most defining events of the 20th century is a lot of fun, i mean you have FDR reincarnated as AI and running a shadow government? what's not to love?

Secret - a little too early to tell where this one is headed but as a first issue it's lacking that certain something that made the four series listed above seem fresh and exciting. i'll likely keep reading but it feels a bit too familiar at the moment.

Daredevil - the fact that DD is my favorite Marvel character paired with the extensive praise, boatload of eisner noms and amount of year-end lists this topped i suppose a slight disappointment was inevitable. it looks fantastic whenever rivera or martin are on art duties and while a upbeat take on the character is long overdue waid's writing, especially early on, feels a bit generic. it seemed to stumble a bit with the blind kids in the snow story (which somehow got an eisner nom for best issue) and the spidey crossover but since then it's been slowly working its way back (i'm enjoying the omega drive plotline) and i'm seeing a lot of potential for the future.

The Punisher - i was pretty dubious coming into this book as i've never been a huge fan of the character and what i read of Ennis's defining run on the book left me lukewarm at best. Rucka's runs on Gotham Central and Batwoman are ultimately what kept me from ignoring sevenarts rec. and good thing i didn't, because this is a fantastic book. i think a lot is gained from the fact that Punisher is never the narrator and except for rare exceptions is always viewed from an outside perspective. Cole is a fantastic character that Rucka is only beginning to tap the potential of and the detectives and reporter that serve to ground the series are so well written. does anyone in comics write police better than Rucka?

Wolverine and the X-Men - this is the first X-book i've read any significant amount of since Whedon left Astonishing. the school is such a rich setting and there are echoes of Morrison's New X-Men throughout. Aaron really seems to have a handle on these characters and this is just a really fun book. i just hope the AvX tie-ins don't derail it. can i just say how cool having Doop serve as receptionist is? it's little touches like this that make this book feel like something special.

next up: a brief detour with Rachel Rising and then an attempt at tackling Uncanny X-Force and Hickman's FF, perhaps after that catching up on Brubaker's cap is in order. i've been neglecting him since Reborn.

[megladon8]

I just added "Eerie Comics" to my pull list. Issue #1 is out in July and written by David Lapham.

Looking forward to that.

[sevenarts]

So glad you caught up on all those, floyd. I agree that the Daredevil blind kids issue was a pretty lame misstep, but I've seen so many people cite it as the best of the series, so I guess the Eisner isn't surprising. Mostly I just love the spirited tone and gorgeous art, it's a very fun and unselfconscious superhero book.

And yes, what makes Rucka's Punisher great is that the title character is pretty much shunted to the side, especially early on, in favor of the cops, crime victims, and reporters whose stories intersect with Castle's violent life. And I love Cole, I really hope that the fallout of the Daredevil crossover doesn't push her out of the book, she's really a perfect foil for Frank and a great character.

Everytime I see Doop in WATXM I just grin like a loon. It doesn't take much.

[Sven]

Finally slogged through the rest of JMS's Thor. Horrendous storytelling. All the characters speak the same, so there's basically no defined characters. Plot beats are contradictory, employed for convenience. The little narrative tension it builds is deflated almost immediately. Choppy. Nice groundwork lain for Gillen and Fraction to weave wonders, though. I was considering reading Siege, but now I don't know...

[ledfloyd]

update:

Rachel Rising - it's still early and Moore is being pretty deliberate in letting us know exacty what's going on but it's a fun ride. i'm not sure i see myself growing to love his take on horror as much as i did his take on sci-fi (Echo) but the art is gorgeous and the guy has a knack for getting me to develop crushes on comic book characters. definitely one of the best things going.

Uncanny X-Force - mixed feelings on this one. the way the first issue grabbed me i was sure this was going to be one of my favorite current Marvel series. i love Fantomex and Deadpool (and have really grown to love Psylocke) and Remender is quite adept at character work. unfortunately his plotting is really repetitive. in the first arc they ward off the apocalypse. in the second arc they fight evil cyborg Marvel heroes to... stop the apocalypse. in the third arc they go to AoA where there are evil versions of Marvel heroes and attempt to stop Archangel from bringing on the apocalypse. next arc? let's go to Otherworld and help them prevent an apocalypse. that said, the last two issues seem to have lowered the global stakes and emphasized personal ones (particularly in Psylocke and Fantomex.) it's probably lucky i read this one when i did because if i had caught up at issue 23 i'm not sure i would've had much motivation to continue.

and what is with these .1 issues? Uncanny X-Force 19.1 didn't have a whole lot to do with the series and i remember Daredevil 10.1 being a dud as well.

[ledfloyd]

just finished Fantastic Four #588. i went into this expecting a title-defining run that would stand alongside Morrison's X-Men, Bendis's Daredevil, Milligan's X-Statix and Brubaker's Captain America as one of the best Marvel epics of the last 20 years (am i forgetting anyone?). even with those absurd expectations, it doesn't look like Hickman has any intention of disappointing me.

[slqrick]

Batman Inc was pretty good. Looks like they're tying it into the overall new universe, too.

[D_Davis]

i just read prophet and it's right up there with saga and fatale. the art is unbelievable and the style lends it a really unique feel, being mostly silent with captions. it's incredibly different than king city yet very much a product of the same sensibility.

Yes! So freaking good. Prophet rules.

[Sven]

Looks like they're tying it into the overall new universe, too.

Trying to, anyway. The issue implies that Dick Grayson was Batman at one point, and that Bruce has done the died/resurrected bit. Both of these tidbits, not to mention all development of Talia Al Ghul and her significance as Leviathan as well as Damien's mother, are exclusive to pre-reboot continuity.

But whatevs. Good issue. Those "Pok!"s gave me chills.

Also, it must be said: this last issue of Fantastic Four was the nadir of Hickman's run. In that not only is it the weakest issue by far, but it is a legitimately awful comic in its own right. Goes to show that one's works need not always validate one's genius.

[number8]

Trying to, anyway. The issue implies that Dick Grayson was Batman at one point, and that Bruce has done the died/resurrected bit. Both of these tidbits, not to mention all development of Talia Al Ghul and her significance as Leviathan as well as Damien's mother, are exclusive to pre-reboot continuity.

There's more. There's also Batwing's supposed fake death (which is not at all happening in his own title) and the reference to Element Man from Outsiders surviving an explosion from Morrison's JLA run (which is impossible since Johns established in JL that there's never been any other League members other than the seven).

They should've kept the book put of continuity instead of awkwardly shoehorning it in.

[sevenarts]

Batman is kinda where the New 52 falls apart, continuity-wise, because they decided to pretty much keep him the same and keep most of his history intact even though the timeframe is drastically compressed - like, how does he have all these former Robins running around when he's been a hero for under a decade in the New 52? I hope Morrison pretty much ignores any attempt to fit the story into the New 52 universe and just tells his story, otherwise it's going to get headache-inducing.

I didn't think the latest Fantastic Four was THAT bad. Not a great issue by any means, especially in comparison to some of the downright amazing one-offs Hickman's been doing lately, but it wasn't awful. Just a little boring and predictable. I had to look up who Lumpkin was, though.

[number8]

That's the thing. I've got no problem if Morrison just ignores the New 52, like the way Leviathan Strikes did. But he didn't, with the reference to Damian killing Nobody.

[Sven]

I didn't think the latest Fantastic Four was THAT bad. Not a great issue by any means, especially in comparison to some of the downright amazing one-offs Hickman's been doing lately, but it wasn't awful. Just a little boring and predictable. I had to look up who Lumpkin was, though.

It was real bad. Lesson learned: the Fantastic Four gets to pick and choose who lives and dies. Apparently there are too few lovable mustachioed uncle-types to lose.

Plus, you can tell from the beginning that they're inside a person. So what's with the big scary monsters? Why do they not care about crashing their plane into the walls of Willie's insides? Why do they refer to it as a "planet"? Garney's artwork is stripped of wonder/tension, the dramatic presentation of the reveal is embarrassing, and there is no memorable dialogue to speak of. It stops and ends at its concept, which is stultifyingly obvious and narrow-minded.

[Sven]

and the reference to Element Man from Outsiders surviving an explosion from Morrison's JLA run

I believe that is actually from Batman Incorporated. Remember towards the end how Batman sends the Outsiders to space (issue 6, I wanna say)? In Leviathan Strikes, there's a page or two that show the Outsiders on a satellite where Lord Death Man, now in space as the result of issue 2, laughs maniacally and blows the place to bits.

I'm not doing anything productive this morning, so I think I'll go check my facts on this one.

[Grouchy]

Metamorpho is such a great character.

[Sven]

Issue 6, Batman recruits the Outsiders. But in Leviathan Strikes, it is mentioned that he sends them to the Leviathan "Orbital HQ." Here are the (mindblowing) pages:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v350/iosos/Comic%20scans/binc1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v350/iosos/Comic%20scans/binc2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v350/iosos/Comic%20scans/binc3.jpg

[number8]

Sven, I know, but he also said they survived the space station explosion using "a move he perfected in his Justice League days." That's what I was referring to. In the New 52, he was never in the League.

[number8]

It was during Morrison's White Martian story, if you're curious. The White Martian Hyperclan blew up the JLA's watchtower satellite and Metamorpho saved the others.

[megladon8]

Is next week one of those weird weeks that occur once in a while, where the weeks add up in a different way so practically nothing comes out?

Usually I have 7-10 titles every week to pick up, but next week I only have 2 - Batman Annual, and Incredible Hulk #8.

[Sven]

Sven, I know, but he also said they survived the space station explosion using "a move he perfected in his Justice League days." That's what I was referring to. In the New 52, he was never in the League.

Duh. I don't know how I missed that that's what you were saying. Still, those are some nice pages, eh?

[Sven]

Five Wednesdays, meg. Five Wednesdays.

[number8]

Prophet 25 was ill, yo. I was wondering how all this is related to the original Prophet.

Saga 3 was very BKV.

[ledfloyd]

now that i'm caught up i have to agree with sven that fantastic four 606 is easily the weakest issue of hickman's run, and just not a very good comic by any standard.

that said, wow. a hell of a run. i'll probably need to go through it again (after it's complete) before i can offer anything terribly in depth here. just powerful stuff. i like how it starts out all mindbendy and morrison-like (with some clear echoes of miracleman, especially in regards to the council of reeds) and then concludes with these two sweeping arcs that drip kirby (and are drowning in kirby dots) and are relatively straightforward despite integrating everything that came before. the way FF 12-15 tie in with fantastic four 600-604 is pretty masterful as well.

such emotional impact too, as 604 was wrapping up i started to feel a bit misty-eyed. it's (the entire run) an incredible paean to the strength of the human spirit, almost the perfect embodiment of morrison's supergod concept.

i wasn't too hot on FF 17 either, btw. hopefully things pick back up, but right now i feel like the final pages of 605 would've been the perfect place for him to take leave.

[ledfloyd]

Prophet 25 was ill, yo. I was wondering how all this is related to the original Prophet.
wasn't dalrymple supposed to draw this one? i can't help but be a little disappointed.

[number8]

Whaaat, FF 17 was the best.

[sevenarts]

FF 17 was the most I've laughed at a comic in a long time. Love that issue.

And yeah, Dalrymple was supposed to draw Prophet 25, I wonder what happened. I liked the fill-in art though. Graham himself is drawing 26 and from what I've seen on his site it should look amazing.

[number8]

Next issue of FF looks amazing too. Two pages from the previews:

http://i.newsarama.com/images/ff2011018_int_lr_0003.jpg

http://i.newsarama.com/images/ff2011018_int_lr_0004.jpg

[sevenarts]

Awesome. While Hickman's proper Fantastic Four run feels ready to wrap up now, I think I could happily keep reading jokey FF one-off issues about Johnny and the kids forever.

[ledfloyd]

And yeah, Dalrymple was supposed to draw Prophet 25, I wonder what happened. I liked the fill-in art though. Graham himself is drawing 26 and from what I've seen on his site it should look amazing.
yeah, it wasn't bad at all. i remember graham saying in an interview he wanted different artists to draw each different iteration of prophet so the separate story threads would each have their own distinct style but i guess this kind of ruins that. oh well.

after king city i have no doubts graham's issue will deliver.

[number8]

The last page of Batman Odyssey is as insane as the rest of the series.

http://www.abload.de/img/8xfgaa.jpg

Yes, end a Batman series with a Superman shot. Neal Adams, you're magnificent, you fucking lunatic.

[megladon8]

I love Neal Adams. He's probably my favorite comic artist of all time.

His Batman stuff is second to none.

I really, really wish DC would release Odyssey Vol. 1 in trade. It's been over a year since it concluded and still no sign of a trade. That saddens me.

[number8]

They're most likely going to put the entire series in one trade rather than unnecessarily split it up in two.

[number8]

I mean, they could've split it up into 6 issue volumes, I guess, but DC probably just wants it out in one and bury it. They're very obviously seriously embarrassed by the book's existence, given the utter lack of promotion they've given it anywhere. There's never any mention in any editorial interviews, they're not sending Neal Adams to do press, no hype on the website, nothing in those "Backstage Pass" columns in the back of DC books. I don't think I've ever even seen a single ad for it in any of their other books. They just want it published and over with so they can all forget about it.

[megladon8]

I mean, they could've split it up into 6 issue volumes, I guess, but DC probably just wants it out in one and bury it. They're very obviously seriously embarrassed by the book's existence, given the utter lack of promotion they've given it anywhere. There's never any mention in any editorial interviews, they're not sending Neal Adams to do press, no hype on the website, nothing in those "Backstage Pass" columns in the back of DC books. I don't think I've ever even seen a single ad for it in any of their other books. They just want it published and over with so they can all forget about it.


That's really too bad, because I've been loving it.

Did you like it? As in, really like it, not like "this is such shit it's great".

[number8]

No. I pretty much enjoy it because of how incoherent and unpredictable it is. Even the art is only likable because of how unbelievable it is that it's Neal Adams drawing anatomically absurd poses and buck toothed Robin.

[megladon8]

Whaaaat? The art is freaking fantastic.

Do you not like Adams much in general, or is it just this title you find more zany than actual quality?

[ledfloyd]

i'm up to date on 20 series right now. i'd say the cream of the crop is Saga, Fatale, Prophet, Rachel Rising, Fantastic Four/FF, Conan (can't wait for Wood's The Massive, starting next month), Wonder Woman and Batman, Inc. (yes, after one issue.) The Manhattan Projects has potential and Batwoman will be right back in the hunt when Williams returns.

still lots i'm wanting to catch up on/give a shot. Scalped, The Unwritten, Sweet Tooth, American Vampire, Captain America/Winter Soldier, Morning Glories, Chew... i think that's about it. aside from Spaceman, which i'm waiting on.

[Acapelli]

Whaaaat? The art is freaking fantastic.

Do you not like Adams much in general, or is it just this title you find more zany than actual quality?
i legitimately find neal adams art really ugly now

it's not my opinion of his entire oeuvre, just everything i've seen in the last few years i've found really offputting

[EyesWideOpen]

i legitimately find neal adams art really ugly now

it's not my opinion of his entire oeuvre, just everything i've seen in the last few years i've found really offputting

Agreed. It looks atrocious.

[Sven]

I think it looks awesome in an uber-wonky way. And seeing the equally idiosyncratic Sienkiewicz and Nowlan (on one issue) inking means superwonk. Adams's style is dated, but still quality. Expressive, drawing attention to lines everywhere. Coherence is another issue, but in my opinion practically a non-issue in this instance. Or rather, its looseness of narrative structure/meaning is mirrored in the exquisitely awkward flow of Adams's pages. Subverting convention in every way, it pulses with a tangible yearning for creative release. I can't imagine not being thrilled by it.

Unfortunately he's not writing the upcoming X-Men miniseries that he's illustrating. Would that I could be similarly thrilled by Christos Gage's scripts.

[megladon8]

When I hear of someone who dislikes Neal Adams' art (old or new), I feel a strong "DOES NOT COMPUTE!!" sting in my mind.

To me he's like Jack Kirby or J.H. Williams III or Dave Gibbons - consistently stunning. One of the absolute definitive all-time greats.

[number8]

I don't think it's necessarily atrocious, but I don't understand how anyone can say that this is anywhere near on par with Adams 30 years ago.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4876/44497827.jpg

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/6066/54603137.jpg

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.comicsalliance.com/media/2011/03/odyssey-bruce-face.jpg

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.comicsalliance.com/media/2011/03/odyssey-kenny-power.jpg

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.comicsalliance.com/media/2011/03/odyssey-dam.jpg

Nevermind that he draws what is probably the worst Aquaman in existence, this book consistently has people making expression that are either inhuman or have nothing to do with what they're saying. Good comic artistry is not just draftsmanship. This is batshit ridiculous.

[megladon8]

Isn't Adams doing that intentionally with this book, though?

I mean, that's the big thing I don't get...this thing is so intentionally looney, it passes tongue in cheek and enters tongue-through-cheek and entering the cheek of the person sitting next to him.

I think a great alternate title for the book could have been "Bat-shit Crazy". Maybe then more people would "get it", and DC wouldn't be face-palming.

[number8]

According to his blog posts, he seems to be serious, and from what i understand, apparently the book contains his actual beliefs.

But so what? You can say that it's intentionally incoherent and it'd still be incoherent. You can't really expect people to go on board with it. It's like with All-Star Batman & Robin. Some like me would find enjoyment out of the trainwreck, but no one's going to say the book is genuinely good.

[megladon8]

What? My impression was that you genuinely loved and admired the ballsiness of "All-Star Batman & Robin".

And you're far from alone on that one. Plenty of people love it. I never got the feeling it was loved "ironically" or whatever.

But yeah, "Odyssey" > "All-Star" by far.

[number8]

It's a madcap and hilarious book. I don't love it ironically. But it's not exactly a good and coherent story. Every issue seems to be whatever random madness Miller wanted to write about. Who would actually argue that?

[number8]

Hahaha this is great:

http://fuck-no-greg-land.tumblr.com/