The Comic Book Discussion Thread

[megladon8]

number8 - two questions for you...

1.) Ennis' "Punisher MAX" or "Punisher"?

2.) Are there any plans to reprint "Hitman" in the near future, or is it possible to happen sometime relatively soon? You have me jonesin' to read that one.

[number8]

1) Not sure what you're asking. You mean what to get? Get both.

2) I doubt it, really. They never even finished printing the series on trades originally because of poor sales.

[Acapelli]

I don't think it's Morrison's fault. The DC universe doesn't lend itself well to a company universe concept like Marvel. There are way too many contradicting elements and characters in the DCU (Suicide Squad, JLA, Doom Patrol--same universe? Yeah...), and it doesn't help that they consistently hire editors who don't know jack shit about creating a cohesive playground or even how to maintain it. I don't know why people would want to bother with Final Crisis or any of the other crisises. It's utter bollocks. Their characters perform much better when they are featured as self-contained stories by the same writer. No wonder that some of the best Batman, Superman, etc. stories are Elseworlds, non-canon or set in an undetermined past. Trying to follow the DC universe or any of their crossovers and big events is like asking for Hunter S. Thompson to feed you Quaaludes non-stop.
well i wasn't using it as a criticism of final crisis, i'm loving it right now. it's a perfect companion to his batman run in that both are pretty insane. but then again you hated seven soldiers, so i can see why you don't care for the dc continuity stuff

[number8]

I can't really think of a DC crossover I like.

That's one of the things I liked about Hitman, too. Ennis hated them too and made it a point to deliver "tie-in" issues that just about have nothing to do with the crossovers. Hitman's No Man's Land tie-in story was about Tommy and co. fighting vampires. WTF? :lol:

[megladon8]

1) Not sure what you're asking. You mean what to get? Get both.


Basically just asking if one is better than the other, or what the differences are?

How's Ennis' "Judge Dredd" stuff?

[EyesWideOpen]

The only two crossovers i really enjoyed were No Man's Land & War Games and those stuck to just crossing over Batman titles.

I liked Infinite Crisis and i think Final Crisis is ok but neither really did much for me.

[Grouchy]

I liked the anticipation of Infinite Crisis a lot more than the event itself, which is kind of stupid. Superboy Prime punches the walls of reality and common sense in the face! Everything is rebuilt!

But Identity Crisis and most of the Countdown are pretty good stuff, filled with great ideas - the JLA's internal treason, the Superman robot, Wonder Woman crossing the no kill line, and Villains United was also a great mini-series on its own.

[number8]

Identity Crisis was the only one I liked, but it's not really a crossover, was it? Meltzer wrote it as a self-contained JLA arc and DC turned it into an "event".

[number8]

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u319/Felonaz/pvp20080630.gif

[megladon8]

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/9228/hulkcrotchitchhk6.jpg

[megladon8]

I found the first volume of "The Immortal Iron Fist" nearly impossible to understand.

Great, fun action...but the plot and characters were completely incomprehensible.

[Ezee E]

I've gotten Watchmen.

[number8]

I found the first volume of "The Immortal Iron Fist" nearly impossible to understand.

Great, fun action...but the plot and characters were completely incomprehensible.

I don't remember anything about it that is not straight forward and simple. What's so weird about it?

[Ezee E]

First chapter read. I'm thinking I'm going to love this.

[number8]

Gotham Central comes out on HC today.

I don't know why they don't just Absolut it.

[number8]

TOP 10 FAVORITE WRITER RUNS, GO!

Rule: has to be the same writer(s) for at least 20 issues, must not still be ongoing, and has to be in-universe (no Vertigo, Wildstorm, Elseworld stuff). Basically, let's name the writers that had made the best contributions to the overall history of the Marvel and DC universe.

1. Peter David's Young Justice
2. Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol
3. John Ostrander and Kim Yale's Suicide Squad
4. Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka's Gotham Central
5. Garth Ennis' Hitman
6. Garth Ennis' Punisher
7. Grant Morrison's New X-Men
8. Brian Michael Bendis' Daredevil
9. Keith Giffen and JM Dematteis' Justice League International
10. Frank Miller's Daredevil

[EyesWideOpen]

Gotham Central comes out on HC today.

I don't know why they don't just Absolut it.

I picked it up. I'm just glad that i'm going to be able to read it again without having to open up my signed issues.

[EyesWideOpen]

I don't remember anything about it that is not straight forward and simple. What's so weird about it?

Yeah, i really don't understand either. I've been reading the series since the beginning and nothing i can remember has been confusing or "incomprehensible".

[EyesWideOpen]

First chapter read. I'm thinking I'm going to love this.

Of course you will.

[D_Davis]

TOP 10 FAVORITE WRITER RUNS, GO!

Rule: has to be the same writer(s) for at least 20 issues, must not still be ongoing, and has to be in-universe (no Vertigo, Wildstorm, Elseworld stuff). Basically, let's name the writers that had made the best contributions to the overall history of the Marvel and DC universe.


I can't really rate them, but ones I've enjoyed (totally dating myself here!):

John Byrne - Alpha Flight
Chris Claremont - Uncanny X-Men
Chris Claremont - Excalibur
Chris Claremont - New Mutants

I'll think of more later...

[EyesWideOpen]

TOP 10 FAVORITE WRITER RUNS, GO!

Rule: has to be the same writer(s) for at least 20 issues, must not still be ongoing, and has to be in-universe (no Vertigo, Wildstorm, Elseworld stuff). Basically, let's name the writers that had made the best contributions to the overall history of the Marvel and DC universe.



1. Gotham Central (Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka)
2. Daredevil (Brian Michael Bendis)
3. Alias (Brian Michael Bendis)
4. Runaways (Brian K. Vaughan)
5. Catwoman (Ed Brubaker)
6. Punisher (Garth Ennis)
7. Astonishing X-Men (Joss Whedon)

Not sure if your counting the Ultimate universe but if so i would throw Mark Millar's run on The Ultimates in there also.

That's pretty much all i have. I just started getting into Geoff Johns's run of The Flash and am loving it but i haven't read 20 issues so far. I've read around the first 20 issues of New X-Men by Grant Morrison and while i think it's ok i'm not overly impressed by it. I also have yet to read any of Frank Miller's run on Daredevil even though i'm a huge Daredevil fan (i've been trying to find a deal on the omnibus).

[Acapelli]

Doom Patrol - Morrison
New X-Men - Morrison
Green Lantern - Geoff Johns
Runaways - Vaughn
Alias - Bendis
Seven Soldiers - Morrison (heh)
She-Hulk - Slott

this list probably shows how much more i need to read

[EyesWideOpen]

Doom Patrol - Morrison
New X-Men - Morrison
Green Lantern - Geoff Johns
Runaways - Vaughn
Alias - Bendis
Seven Soldiers - Morrison (heh)
She-Hulk - Slott

this list probably shows how much more i need to read

Johns's Green Lantern run is still going so that doesn't count according to number8's rules.

[number8]

this list probably shows how much more i need to read

Start going through my list, stat.

(Alhough sadly it might be impossible to track down Young Justice, Suicide Squad or Hitman)

[Thirdmango]

I read the first issue of Transmetropolitain and thought it was soooo good, so much so that I without reading the rest of the series bought the rest of the series. I only need number 4 and I'll have them all and then i can start reading them.

[Winston*]

I read the first issue of Transmetropolitain and thought it was soooo good, so much so that I without reading the rest of the series bought the rest of the series. I only need number 4 and I'll have them all and then i can start reading them.
It wears pretty thin IMO. I stopped reading after about a dozen issues.

[EyesWideOpen]

If anyone is looking for something different pick up "The Roberts". The first issue came out two weeks ago and it's a two issue series with each issue $5.99 and double sized. The one sentence premise is The Boston Strangler and The Zodiac Killer end up in the same retirement home. From the premise i figured it would be played for laughs but i was very mistaken, great book and comes highly recommended.

[ledfloyd]

Top Runs

Doom Patrol - Morrison
Daredevil - Bendis
Runaways - Vaughan
Animal Man - Morrison
Astonishing X-Men - Whedon


i haven't read alot of the classic DC/Marvel stuff.

[number8]

The Mindscape of Alan Moore giveaway (http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/movie-news/4017-win-qthe-mindscape-of-alan-mooreq.html). Has my review on it too.

[D_Davis]

I recently ordered the three volumes of Dororo:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/samehat/dororo2.gif

Love those covers.

Osamu Tezuka's stuff has been given a respectable treatment here in the US as of late.

[Sven]

Osamu Tezuka's stuff has been given a respectable treatment here in the US as of late.

Highly recommended is MW. It has just about the most jarring tone and inexplicable moral questing that I've come across in literature. Very, very interesting.

[D_Davis]

Highly recommended is MW. It has just about the most jarring tone and inexplicable moral questing that I've come across in literature. Very, very interesting.

I looked through this last night. I had never heard of this before, and I plan on picking it up.

I love his art - it's so deceptively simple and iconic.

[Sven]

I love his art - it's so deceptively simple and iconic.

The thing with MW is that the art is unquestionably childlike, but it's a disturbingly, disturbingly adult tale. That conflict is a great hook, although ultimately far more troubling than you expect.

[number8]

The thing with MW is that the art is unquestionably childlike, but it's a disturbingly, disturbingly adult tale.

You can say that about a lot of Tezuka's work.

[Sven]

You can say that about a lot of Tezuka's work.

Yeah, from what I've seen, I would not disagree. But that's the only one of his huge novels I've read in its entirety. And it was... yowza.

[number8]

I'd say that Adolf and Buddha are even more adult.

[EyesWideOpen]

The last thing i expected while reading War Heroes #2 was to turn the page and have a huge cock staring back at me.

[Sven]

I'd say that Adolf and Buddha are even more adult.

Haven't read Adolf, and I've only read Vol. 1 of Buddha, but here I am using "adult" in a Cinemax kind of way: things like a hero who is a remorseless serial killer, necrophilia, genocide, and pedophilia. Perhaps Buddha is more edifying, more adult in terms of spiritual or even thematic maturity, but I doubt it deals much, let alone surrounds itself with the aforementioned subjects.

Anyway, I'd like to read more of his stuff. Will eventually, I'm sure.

[number8]

Haven't read Adolf, and I've only read Vol. 1 of Buddha, but here I am using "adult" in a Cinemax kind of way: things like a hero who is a remorseless serial killer, necrophilia, genocide, and pedophilia. Perhaps Buddha is more edifying, more adult in terms of spiritual or even thematic maturity, but I doubt it deals much, let alone surrounds itself with the aforementioned subjects.

Anyway, I'd like to read more of his stuff. Will eventually, I'm sure.

Oh, okay. I had a hunch that was what you meant.

[number8]

The three books picked up this week:

All-Star Superman #12 - Sad that this is the end. Fantastic splash page of Superman building the sun's heart.

Greatest Hits #1 - Too bad it's a mini. I love the concept. Captain America and Batman as John Lennon and Paul McCartney? Yes, please.

Ghost Rider #27 - Didn't really like this one, the first one in Aaron's run. The torch-passing to the new Caretaker is cliched and contrived. Looking forward to next issue's Blaze vs Ketch, though.

[EyesWideOpen]

I know i'm probably the only one but I really don't like Frank Quitely's art. I really disliked it on Morrison's New X-Men and i find it pretty mediocre on All Star Superman.

[Grouchy]

I know i'm probably the only one but I really don't like Frank Quitely's art. I really disliked it on Morrison's New X-Men and i find it pretty mediocre on All Star Superman.
Well, hopefully, you're the only one.

[Grouchy]

Bought and read the new Killing Joke hardcover. Man, I know there are better things out there, but I can't imagine what. Sex, maybe. I just adore this comic, probably my favorite ever. The new coloring is an enormous improvement, and there's a bonus Bat-story written and drawn by Brian Bolland that makes me pain that the man seems devoted to only doing covers now.

Also read Wanted two times. The first time, it struck me as kind of stupid, and G.J. Jones seems like a nice dude, but not that great of an artist. But, on a second read, I was a lot more invested in the universe and I have to admit the last two pages are a blast. The concept steals from Fight Club and The Matrix, true, but it's the insertion of those themes in a superhero universe what makes it stand out. Also, Millar has the nerve to end the book in a really uncomfortable way. I respect the movie a lot less now because it basically made the protagonist into a good guy, which destroys the whole point. One thing I didn't like, though - Millar is not so good at constant swearing. Ennis is a helluva lot funnier at inserting "fuck" into every other sentence. Instead, Millar's motherfuckerfuckfuck dialogue is reiterative and, worse, it has no character distinction - everyone speaks the same way. Still, a good read and a worthy purchase. It's nice to pick up on all the subtle references at superhero lore and the tiny background characters from Marvel and DC.

[number8]

Millar is the worst dialogue writer working in comics.

[EyesWideOpen]

Millar is the worst dialogue writer working in comics.

That's nonsense.

[number8]

iosos! They're making MW into a movie!

teaser trailer (http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1214128517/bctid1808211296)

[number8]

Treehouse of Horror parodying Death Note = brilliant. Lisa acting like L is great.

[number8]

NSFW.

http://www.ghastlycomic.com/comics/20080809.jpg

[Ezee E]

NSFW.

http://www.ghastlycomic.com/comics/20080809.jpg
Is it an image of an image being taken down?

[Grouchy]

Yeah, I can't guess if that was intentional or not. Probably not.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Here's the direct link. You may have to press Shift+Refresh in order to see the image.

Though I'd strongly suggest you abstain.


http://www.ghastlycomic.com/comics/20080809.jpg

[Thirdmango]

I really liked Ant Man, for those who liked Ant Man as well should I continue on to find those Avengers comics with him in it, does it go into him much?

[number8]

Sorry for that, here.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v191/filthysize/20080809.jpg

[number8]

I really liked Ant Man, for those who liked Ant Man as well should I continue on to find those Avengers comics with him in it, does it go into him much?

Irredeemable Ant-Man? If so, wrong dude.

The Ant-man that was in the old Avengers comics were Hank Pym and Scott Lang. The former has moved on from being Ant-Man a long-ass time ago and the latter is dead. The one you read, Eric O'Grady, is a new creation for that book and is not an Avenger.

[Thirdmango]

Irredeemable Ant-Man? If so, wrong dude.

The Ant-man that was in the old Avengers comics were Hank Pym and Scott Lang. The former has moved on from being Ant-Man a long-ass time ago and the latter is dead. The one you read, Eric O'Grady, is a new creation for that book and is not an Avenger.

Yeah, at the end of book 2 it says and I quote, "The adventures of Eric O'Grady, The Irredeemable Ant-Man, will be continued in Avengers The Initiative."

[number8]

Anyone know where this is from?

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/Mojambo/Colbert.jpg

[Acapelli]

i know colbert is supposed to show up in asm, but that's it

[number8]

Yeah, it's not from that.

But this is:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y159/PaulSebert/ASM_573_ColbertVariantCover-1.jpg

[Winston*]

Do I need to know anything prior about Doom Patrol before starting Grant Morrison's run? number8?

[Acapelli]

no, you don't

[number8]

Nope.

All you need to know is that if you start thinking the team feels similar to X-Men, know that Doom Patrol was created first and Stan Lee was the one accused of ripping it off. But yeah, Grant totally restarted the book.

[number8]

That Magneto movie they're making really needs to be more like Magneto Testament. But I doubt it will be.

[megladon8]

Really enjoyed both volumes of "The Immortal Iron Fist".

[Acapelli]

this week's issue of action comics is probably the best of johns run from what i've read

[megladon8]

In the dark, I began reading "Batman: City of Crime".

In the dark, I usually like David Lapham.

In the dark, this is a pretty good book.

In the dark, David Lapham's writing is trying a little too hard to be dark and gritty, and he should just write.

In the dark, it's a good story, but it doesn't need the grit layered on with a mack truck.

In the dark, this seems like the beginning of a book that could be great.

In the dark, I hope it doesn't have a disappointing ending.

In the dark...

[megladon8]

Read a bunch more of "City of Crime" this evening.

The Dark Knight was slapstick comedy next to this.

[EyesWideOpen]

I'm not a David Lapham fan so it was another mediocre Batman book to me.

[megladon8]

This is the first thing I've read from Lapham...but I'd certainly not say it's mediocre.

Compared to some of the crap that's been out under the "Batman" title since 2000 (Judd Winnick, anyone?) this is pretty great.

I just find his insistence on making everything dark and gritty to the max is a little tiresome. I just want to say "Okay! I get it! Gotham's a rough town! Now just tell the freaking story!"

With the actual crimes being committed (pregnant women burning alive, possible ring of baby stealer/sellers, a young girl OD'ing), the story is inherently dark to begin with. He doesn't need to then layer it on so thick on top of that.

But yeah, it's a good read so far, but certainly not the most fun comic book to read.

[EyesWideOpen]

Judd Winick has made some crap (the Scarebeast storyline) but his Under the Hood arcs were very good in my opinion.

[megladon8]

Judd Winick has made some crap (the Scarebeast storyline) but his Under the Hood arcs were very good in my opinion.


Was that the stuff where Jason Todd came back as the Red Hood?

[Grouchy]

Was that the stuff where Jason Todd came back as the Red Hood?
Yes. I STRONGLY disagree that it's good.

[number8]

I usually like David Lapham.


This is the first thing I've read from Lapham.

:lol:

I call shenanigans!

[megladon8]

:lol:

I call shenanigans!


Yeah I was thinking of someone totally different.

This is definitely my first Lapham book - though I've also got "Terror, Inc." on my shelf.

[number8]

I cannot fucking wait for this book, seriously.

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd51/pensiero_romantico/joker__1_065-094-16_copy-cv.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd51/pensiero_romantico/joker__1_065-094-17_copy-cv.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd51/pensiero_romantico/joker__1_065-094-18_copy-cv.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd51/pensiero_romantico/joker__1_065-094-19_copy-cv.jpg

[megladon8]

I love Lee Bermejo!

I dont have the full story on this Joker book...is it another story using The Dark Knight's Joker?

[number8]

No relations. They've been working on this book since 2006.

[megladon8]

No relations. They've been working on this book since 2006.


Joker's look is very close to what Ledger looked like in the movie, don't you think?

[number8]

Lee Bermejo did concept art for Joker and Two-Face. He drew these in 2005:

http://photos.imageevent.com/batmanonfilm/bofimagesbofimages/bermejo_dent_2.jpg http://photos.imageevent.com/batmanonfilm/bofimagesbofimages/bermejo_joker1.jpg

That's before Ledger was even cast. He used Lacey Hulme as the model back when he was still rumored to be the top contender.

He got the idea from the Black Dahlia murders. TDK pretty much took it from him, really.

[EyesWideOpen]

It didn't take Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi long to ruin one of the best books on the market.

At least Punisher MAX and Immortal Iron Fist have kept up their quality even with the creative team changes.

[number8]

Really? I tried reading this Magnificent Seven arc and it's just bad. Frank's narration feels really off.

[EyesWideOpen]

Really? I tried reading this Magnificent Seven arc and it's just bad. Frank's narration feels really off.

I'm really digging it, I suggest you wait till the arc's over and read it together and see what you think. Every review I've read said they thought Hurwitz nailed Frank's character.

[number8]

Grant Morrison on why he likes Superman more than Batman:


In the end, I saw Superman not as a superhero or even a science fiction character, but as a story of Everyman. We’re all Superman in our own adventures. We have our own Fortresses of Solitude we retreat to, with our own special collections of valued stuff, our own super–pets, our own “Bottle Cities” that we feel guilty for neglecting. We have our own peers and rivals and bizarre emotional or moral tangles to deal with.

I felt I’d really grasped the concept when I saw him as Everyman, or rather as the dreamself of Everyman. That “S” is the radiant emblem of divinity we reveal when we rip off our stuffy shirts, our social masks, our neuroses, our constructed selves, and become who we truly are.

Batman is obviously much cooler, but that’s because he’s a very energetic and adolescent fantasy character: a handsome billionaire playboy in black leather with a butler at this beck and call, better cars and gadgetry than James Bond, a horde of fetish femme fatales baying around his heels and no boss. That guy’s Superman day and night.

Superman grew up baling hay on a farm. He goes to work, for a boss, in an office. He pines after a hard–working gal. Only when he tears off his shirt does that heroic, ideal inner self come to life. That’s actually a much more adult fantasy than the one Batman’s peddling but it also makes Superman a little harder to sell. He’s much more of a working class superhero, which is why we ended the whole book with the image of a laboring Superman.

He’s Everyman operating on a sci–fi Paul Bunyan scale. His worries and emotional problems are the same as ours... except that when he falls out with his girlfriend, the world trembles.

[Duncan]

I like that.

[Ezee E]

I love essays on Superman, yet whenever I read his comics or see his movies, the result isn't the same.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Grant Morrison and I...

*crosses fingers*

we're like this.

[Grouchy]

Grant is a really intelligent bloke. I agree with everything he said.

I started a Preacher project today. It consists of re-reading Preacher and taking notes of all the references to music, literature and movies. Like when Jesse says he's watching The Wild Bunch on TV, stuff like that. I know I'm a nerd and I face it.

Maybe I just needed an excuse to re-read Preacher... yet again.

[Acapelli]

so how excited should i be about this ennis/dillion punisher war zone thing?

[EyesWideOpen]

so how excited should i be about this ennis/dillion punisher war zone thing?

Meh. Ennis just ended his Punisher MAX run and now he's doing a different Punisher series? How about you do something different Ennis?

On a different note anyone looking for a great Superman read needs to pickup Superman: New Krypton Special. One of the best single issues of any comic i've read all year.

[number8]

Meh. Ennis just ended his Punisher MAX run and now he's doing a different Punisher series? How about you do something different Ennis?

He wrote it three and a half years ago, and Quesada kind of pushed him to do it. It just took this long to come out.

[number8]

By the way, Two-Face fighting a werewolf? AWESOME.

[number8]

He wrote it three and a half years ago, and Quesada kind of pushed him to do it. It just took this long to come out.

Here it is:


"Joe Quesada asked me to do it about three-and-a-half years ago," Ennis confirmed. "He reckoned people would want to see Ma Gnucci and all the crazy stuff again. I was reluctant, having little interest in the characters, but my brain has a habit of serving me stories regardless. If you want to date it more specifically, there's 'Brokeback Mountain' gags in it."

[EyesWideOpen]

He wrote it three and a half years ago, and Quesada kind of pushed him to do it. It just took this long to come out.

okay, was unaware of that so he gets a pass then.

[number8]

I got Unknown Soldier. It is great.

[EyesWideOpen]

A lot of good TPB's and hardcovers have came out recently and that combined with the Borders Buy 2 get 1 free graphic novel sale made me spend way more then i should have. I picked up:

Batman: Black and White Vol. 2 & 3 (New Printings)
Local (hardcover)
Scalped Vol. 3
The Boys Vol. 3
All Star Batman & Robin Vol. 1 (hardcover)
Hellboy Library Edition Vol. 2 (hardcover)
Walking Dead Vol. 3 (hardcover)
Wanted: Assassin's Edition (hardcover)
Preacher Vol. 6 (slowly getting all of these)

[bac0n]

On the subject of TPBs, I was kinda wanting to get up to speed on the Green Lantern mythos, so I picked up Green Lantern: Rebirth, and it was flippin' awesome. Probably the most enjoyable TPB I've read in my recent return to comics. The frame where... Hal Jordan cold-cocks Batman ...was alone worth the price of admission.

So, now I want more. I was thinking of picking up the Sinestro Corps. War TPB. Are there any other Green Lantern TPBs that are worth my time? Is the comic any good?

[EyesWideOpen]

On the subject of TPBs, I was kinda wanting to get up to speed on the Green Lantern mythos, so I picked up Green Lantern: Rebirth, and it was flippin' awesome. Probably the most enjoyable TPB I've read in my recent return to comics. The frame where... Hal Jordan cold-cocks Batman ...was alone worth the price of admission.

So, now I want more. I was thinking of picking up the Sinestro Corps. War TPB. Are there any other Green Lantern TPBs that are worth my time? Is the comic any good?

Your pretty well off if you pick up any of Geoff Johns run on Green Lantern. Green Lantern Rebirth is the miniseries he wrote leading in to the Green Lantern series.

so far the order goes in regards to Geoff Johns's stuff:

Green Lantern: Rebirth (collects the Rebirth miniseries)
Green Lantern: No Fear (collects #1-6 of Green Lantern)
Green Lantern: Revenge of the Green Lanterns (collects #7-13)
Green Lantern: Wanted-Hal Jordan (collects #14-20)
Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War Vol. 1 & 2 (collects #21-25 and specials and tie ins to the Sinestro Corps War)

You can skip straight ahead to Sinestro Corps War if you want it's pretty incredible but the other books in the series were really good also and will give you some more background info on the character.

The next TPB coming out (in december) is the Secret Origin arc (#29-35) that Johns just wrapped up and IMO is the best Green Lantern story i've ever read. It's Johns retelling of Green Lantern's origin so it's a really good story to give to people who don't know where to start with the character.

[Grouchy]

Question about Preacher, for those who have the TPBs available to check it out.

In the book before last (All Hell's A-Coming) there's an issue that's all about Jesse Custer driving his way to NY and picking up a number of hitch-hikers, all of them giving him a different perspective on America. The first one is a porn actor, the second ones are the Sexual Investigation agents chasing the porn actor, and the third one is a mysterious guy. We never actually see his face, but he goes on about the myth of America and stuff. His dialogues are written with a very marked Texas accent.

Who the fuck is that supposed to be? I'm convinced he's a real person, but I don't know who.

[number8]

It's Elvis.

[Saya]

I read Azzarello's Joker today and it is awesome. Joker is a total psychopath in this book. I also really liked Two-Face in this.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Anyone know anything about The 99? I received a free copy of it with an order I placed online. Is it worth getting into?

[number8]

I read Azzarello's Joker today and it is awesome. Joker is a total psychopath in this book. I also really liked Two-Face in this.

I got this today too. It was boss. It's really crazy that this was written and started before TDk even went into pre-production. It's not only that Bermejo's Joker looks like Heath, but the way Azzarello wrote him is completely in line with Nolan's.

[Grouchy]

It's Elvis.
Damn.

[number8]

Damn.

All the "Thankyew. Thankyew ver'much." kind of gave it away, yes?

[Grouchy]

All the "Thankyew. Thankyew ver'much." kind of gave it away, yes?
I should've wised up on the "takin'care a biznezz".

[ledfloyd]

I just finished Top Ten. Has to be considered a minor Moore work. But still quite enjoyable and gets the police procedural thing down pat.

[EyesWideOpen]

Went to Half Price Books today since they had a 40% off coupon and picked up the recently released Watching the Watchmen hardcover for $11.99 which retails for $39.95. I also got Captain America: The Chosen hardcover for $7.48 and the first two volumes of the Battle Royale manga for $1 each.

[Amnesiac]

http://scottking.info/Pics/DSCN8097.JPG

Hopefully there are others who recognize how fantastic Bone is.

[Grouchy]

http://scottking.info/Pics/DSCN8097.JPG

Hopefully there are others who recognize how fantastic Bone is.
It's Lord of the Rings for the comic world. Anyone who doesn't like it doesn't understand the joys of sequential art.

[number8]

Brilliant:

http://www.umich.edu/~mweiss/images/What_If_034-15.JPG

[number8]

http://pics.livejournal.com/stubbleupdate/pic/00251zas

[D_Davis]

http://scottking.info/Pics/DSCN8097.JPG

Hopefully there are others who recognize how fantastic Bone is.

Of course there are.

:)

[number8]

I don't know anyone who has read Bone and didn't like it.

[D_Davis]

There are two kinds of people in the world:

Those who like Bone, and those who haven't read it yet.

[Amnesiac]

Excellent. I'd be a little concerned if there turned out to be minimal Bone appreciation in a thread of this ilk.

I can't wait until Scholastic finishes putting out the colored volumes of the series.

[number8]

So no one thought the Batman scan I posted was funny? I laughed for about two minutes straight when I read it.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Is there some definition of Magic Hand that I'm not privy to?

[Acapelli]

is the magic hand booster gold?

[Ezee E]

Magic Hand can't save Robin.

[Sycophant]

So no one thought the Batman scan I posted was funny? I laughed for about two minutes straight when I read it.I just saw it and can't get the grin off my face. That's awesome.

[D_Davis]

I didn't understand it.

did Mr. Freeze always have a magic hand?

[megladon8]

Is that "Elektra by Frank Miller" Omnibus worth getting?

[Sycophant]

What book's that from, number8? I swear it contains enough information to be perfectly self contained.

[EyesWideOpen]

Is that "Elektra by Frank Miller" Omnibus worth getting?

I own it but haven't checked it out yet.

[number8]

Context of the scan:

It was from Booster Gold #14. Booster Gold travels through time and tries to "fix" the tragedies in the DC universe. In this issue, he's fighting Starro in the future and loses the cold gun he needs to defeat it, so he jumps into a random time in the past to snatch Mr. Freeze's gun.

It's a self-contained joke page.

[Sycophant]

Awesome. I was hoping it was standalone.

[megladon8]

The drawings of Norman Osborn in Warren Ellis' "Thunderbolts" look like the artist traced photographs of Tommy Lee Jones.

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/4449/180pxgreengoblininthunddi5.jpg

[Amnesiac]

http://blogs.indiewire.com/twhalliii/jimmyspread1.jpg

Anyone a fan of Jimmy Corrigan?

[D_Davis]

I'm a fan of Chris Wares' art, and the art of most of the Acme Novelty Library stuff, but I've never really cared for any of the stories. They just don't do much for me in terms of narrative.

[Amnesiac]

You don't at least find that little segment I posted effectively elegiac and/or somewhat touching?

[Watashi]

What is this from?

http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/batmanretires-440x666.jpg

[Melville]

http://blogs.indiewire.com/twhalliii/jimmyspread1.jpg

Anyone a fan of Jimmy Corrigan?
Ware puts everybody else in comics to shame. Have you read the latest issue of Acme?

[Acapelli]

What is this from?

http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/batmanretires-440x666.jpg
Batman R.I.P.

there's a two-part story after the events of r.i.p. called whatever happened to the caped crusader? i think alfred "narrates" it, so probably a cover from that

it looks like didio is getting cold feet and wants morrison to change the end of final crisis. damn

[Mysterious Dude]

I read All-Star Batman & Robin. It was hilarious.

"I love being the goddamn BATMAN."

[Ezee E]

that Alfred pic looks like Richard Jenkins.

[megladon8]

I...really didn't like that Jimmy Corrigan excerpt.

I was actually about to purchase the trade, but if that's what it's like, I think I'll pass.

[EyesWideOpen]

I...really didn't like that Jimmy Corrigan excerpt.

I was actually about to purchase the trade, but if that's what it's like, I think I'll pass.

yeah not my thing either. I just finished up the new Joker hardcover and it was ok but nothing special just like most of Azzarello's stuff i've read. I hated how me made Killer Croc just Luke Cage with a skin condtion.

[Thirdmango]

Speaking of Bone.

I just finished Bone for the first time last week. Amazing read.

Also I just finished Zot! This week, also an amazing read. I've been reading some high quality stuff lately.

[Grouchy]

How do you make Killer Croc into Luke Cage?

The logics of that writing feat amaze me.

[D_Davis]

You don't at least find that little segment I posted effectively elegiac and/or somewhat touching?

Beyond the art, no not really. I usually find his narratives too cold and detached.

In terms of art and design, the books are beautiful, the Acme stuff is top notch, but in terms of narrative I greatly prefer Chester Brown's style of ultra-personal emotion.

[Melville]

Beyond the art, no not really. I usually find his narratives too cold and detached.

In terms of art and design, the books are beautiful, the Acme stuff is top notch, but in terms of narrative I greatly prefer Chester Brown's style of ultra-personal emotion.
Hm. I actually think the opposite. Ware wears his emotions on his sleeve; his stories are seeped in sadness, and they actually veer into sappiness sometimes. Brown take a more objective, realist approach; certainly in Louis Riel he purposely presents everything in a very flat manner, but even in his autobiographical stuff, he seems to be looking back on his life very objectively, just presenting it as he sees it in retrospect rather than getting caught up in the emotions he experienced at the time.

The latest issue of Acme has a pretty good sci-fi story within its main narrative.

[D_Davis]

diff'rent storks...

:)

[Amnesiac]

Ware puts everybody else in comics to shame. Have you read the latest issue of Acme?

No, I haven't. I'm only familiar with the Jimmy Corrigan book (http://www.amazon.com/Jimmy-Corrigan-Smartest-Kid-Earth/dp/0224063979/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227038118&sr=8-1) that I picked up on a whim a few years ago.

[Melville]

No, I haven't. I'm only familiar with the Jimmy Corrigan book (http://www.amazon.com/Jimmy-Corrigan-Smartest-Kid-Earth/dp/0224063979/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227038118&sr=8-1) that I picked up on a whim a few years ago.
I highly recommend Quimby the Mouse (http://www.amazon.com/Quimby-Mouse-ACME-Novelty-Library/dp/1560974559/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227039924&sr=8-1). It's probably my second favorite comic, after Jimmy Corrigan. It does an amazing job of crafting sorrow and nostalgia from spectacularly complex layouts. It's grimly funny too, and the book itself is beautifully designed.
The last few issues of Acme (the latest of which is Acme Novelty Library 19 (http://www.amazon.com/Acme-Novelty-Library-19/dp/1897299567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227040192&sr=1-1)) have been serializing Ware's next two long stories: Rusty Brown and Building Stories.

[Amnesiac]

I highly recommend Quimby the Mouse (http://www.amazon.com/Quimby-Mouse-ACME-Novelty-Library/dp/1560974559/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227039924&sr=8-1). It's probably my second favorite comic, after Jimmy Corrigan. It does an amazing job of crafting sorrow and nostalgia from spectacularly complex layouts. It's grimly funny too, and the book itself is beautifully designed.
The last few issues of Acme (the latest of which is Acme Novelty Library 19 (http://www.amazon.com/Acme-Novelty-Library-19/dp/1897299567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227040192&sr=1-1)) have been serializing Ware's next two long stories: Rusty Brown and Building Stories.

Thanks for the recommendations. I really enjoyed Corrigan, so I definitely wouldn't mind checking out more of Ware's stuff.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Yes, yes and yes to all the Ware love. He's one of the best in the business.

[number8]

You guys should read this:

http://www.onemanga.com/Saint_Young_Men/

Jesus and Buddha share an apartment in modern day Japan. It's hysterical.

[D_Davis]

You guys should read this:

http://www.onemanga.com/Saint_Young_Men/

Jesus and Buddha share an apartment in modern day Japan. It's hysterical.

I'm down with this.

[EyesWideOpen]

I just got a message from amazon that three preorders i had done all shipped today. Punisher by Garth Ennis Omnibus, JLA/Avengers TPB, and New X-Men by Grant Morrison Ultimate Collection Vol. 3. I also won a copy of Daredevil by Frank Miller Omnibus off ebay this week so i'm gonna be broke.

[number8]

I don't understand why people like Red Son so much.

[EyesWideOpen]

So the final issue of Batman: RIP came out today and it was crap. The rest of the RIP storyline has been underwhelming but i was expected that it was building to some sort of climax but no just lame.

[number8]

Heard it was Didio's fault. I need to look into this further because it was absolutely nothing like what Morrison's been talking about all this time.

[number8]

How powerful is Wonder Girl? So powerful, she decided to get a new costume that would prevent her from moving her arms. Because arms are useless, anyway.

One of the dumbest costume design ever:

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t142/robertroberts_2007/ScreenHunter_01Nov271707-Copy.jpg

[Acapelli]

i thought r.i.p. was pretty great. morrison obviously didn't tie up all the loose ends, but suitable nonetheless

so thomas hurt is basically satan and has posessed a few people in bruce's lifetime including thomas wayne (zorro in arkham = zur en arrh)

i am really not looking forward to tony daniel's battle for the cowl. he was definitely the weak link in r.i.p.

[ledfloyd]

i'm not sure how what i just read was teh end of bruce wayne as batman. i really liked the first five issues too.

[Acapelli]

technically it's not, the batman in final crisis is bruce wayne and it takes place after r.i.p.

[number8]

technically it's not, the batman in final crisis is bruce wayne and it takes place after r.i.p.

The DC continuity is all kinds of fucked up right now, thanks to delays and editorial changes. They have some really uncoordinated crossovers.

Originally the idea was that R.I.P would set up Batman's downfall and Final Crisis will have his "death", but then Crisis' ending got changed, and... I don't even know anymore. I'm not reading Final Crisis, so I'll just wait for the inevitable news "leak."

[Acapelli]

well according to didio, the ending of final crisis is still all morrison, but i'll wait to see it to believe it. and then there's last rites which is supposed to tie final crisis and r.i.p. together

[ledfloyd]

well according to didio, the ending of final crisis is still all morrison, but i'll wait to see it to believe it. and then there's last rites which is supposed to tie final crisis and r.i.p. together
sounds needlessly overcomplicated.

[Acapelli]

eh, it's all morrison. you either love him or hate him, and i totally love him

best writer in all of comics today

[number8]

The new Haunted Tank is awesome.

[Amnesiac]

http://www.aiap.it/imgcontenuti/maus-1.jpg

Anyone here a fan of Maus? I read the first volume a very long time ago, and I remember liking it a whole lot (although I was likely far too young to truly appreciate it). I've been wanting to pick it up again and actually finish it for a while now...

http://www.pajiba.com/images/mausTrain.jpg

[number8]

Who isn't a fan of Maus?

[Amnesiac]

So, my mention of both Bone and Maus were met with declarations of unanimous adoration.


I might as well not even bother bringing up Blankets. Somehow, I don't think it's too divisive, either. :P

[Melville]

So, my mention of both Bone and Maus were met with declarations of unanimous adoration.


I might as well not even bother bringing up Blankets. Somehow, I don't think it's too divisive, either. :P

I thought Bone pretty much fell apart after issue 20 or so. The layouts and linework became a lot less smooth, and I don't think Smith really knew how to tie together all his story threads. Maus is awesome, though I've never read a really convincing defense of its somewhat crude artwork. I haven't read Blankets, but I I've heard very mixed responses to it.

[Amnesiac]

I thought Bone pretty much fell apart after issue 20 or so. The layouts and linework became a lot less smooth, and I don't think Smith really knew how to tie together all his story threads. Maus is awesome, though I've never read a really convincing defense of its somewhat crude artwork. I haven't read Blankets, but I I've heard very mixed responses to it.

Okay, so less unanimously adored than one might think. :)

I haven't finished Bone yet (I'm working through the color volumes and they haven't all been released yet) but I'm really loving it so far. And I really liked Blankets but it's been a while since the last time I read it.

[Melville]

Okay, so less unanimously adored than one might think. :)

I haven't finished Bone yet (I'm working through the color volumes and they haven't all been released yet) but I'm really loving it so far. And I really liked Blankets but it's been a while since the last time I read it.
I haven't read the color volumes of Bone. It seems like color would be detrimental to the smoothness of Smith's beautiful inking (I love his brush work; he gets so much sense of solidity through his variation of line weight). It really seemed designed to work in black and white.

[Amnesiac]

I haven't read the color volumes of Bone. It seems like color would be detrimental to the smoothness of Smith's beautiful inking (I love his brush work; he gets so much sense of solidity through his variation of line weight). It really seemed designed to work in black and white.

I much more prefer it in color. Perhaps this is because I was first introduced to the series in one of its color incarnations, reading excerpts of it from the back pages of the Disney Adventures kids magazine. I think the color editions are much more suited to the subject matter. In one instance, there's the arresting vibrancy and vividness of Jeff's illustrations...

http://michaelmay.us/08blog/0310_bone.jpg

Then there's the darker, moodier, more foreboding and dimly lit atmosphere of other instances in the book — which is underscored effectively, as well as given a more striking quality, due to the use of color:

http://blog.newsarama.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/out_from_boneville.jpg http://www.wexarts.org/wexblog/images/bone425.jpg http://www.steve-hamaker.com/images/Bone8BlogPreview02.jpg
http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2007/07/large_bone2.jpg

Great stuff. Again, perhaps I'm biased because my first introduction to Bone was in color but I honestly feel it's more suited to the series. Especially with the way it unashamedly leaps from these frivolous madcap adventures to other more sinister and dark escapades. The color wonderfully emphasizes these exciting tonal shifts, bringing the story into a new realm of vibrancy and atmosphere. However, I haven't extensively read through Bone in B&W and I'm sure that has it's own advantages and charms, as well.

For instance:


http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/bone1_p39.gif

Undoubtedly, that looks very good. Hits the mark, aesthetically. Crisp lines and all and just the right amount of detail. Yet, somehow, I appreciated the colored version more. That version breathed a pleasant burst of life into those wintery landscapes. Made that environment more palpable and characteristic of itself. While also simultaneously foregrounding Bone in the fantastical and rich vibrancy of this foreign world he's lost himself within.

However, the kinetic flow of the images as well as the energy and dynamism of the characters' movements, seem to be well contained in both versions of the series. That's one attribute that doesn't seem to be lost in translation. But, perhaps the argument can be made that it is more emphasized in the B&W version due to those smooth lines and the absence of any glorious color to distract the reader. Even so, I still really appreciate the colored version of Bone for that extra bit of bloom and vividness. :)

[Grouchy]

I thought Bone pretty much fell apart after issue 20 or so. The layouts and linework became a lot less smooth, and I don't think Smith really knew how to tie together all his story threads. Maus is awesome, though I've never read a really convincing defense of its somewhat crude artwork. I haven't read Blankets, but I I've heard very mixed responses to it.
Wow, are you serious about all this? Specially regarding the artwork, I think those are gonzo opinions. Jeff Smith's drawings only get better and more epic for me as Bone progresses, and the shift you notice could perhaps be related to the fact that more of the "serious" characters appear instead of the Bones and funny animals, which are obviously drawn on a more cartoonish style. As for the story threads, where are the problems? It's fucking Lord of the Rings in comics!

As for Maus, which I love, I think the artwork is crude on purpose. That used to be the trademark of most underground comics, and at least for me, it suits the story.

I haven't read Blankets.

[Melville]

Damn it, I was in the middle of writing a long response to Amnesiac, and then the power went out.

[Thirdmango]

Read Ultimate Spiderman 4 today, I'm liking this version of Spidy a lot more then most. Also Read DC's 52 Volume 1 and oh man I love Booster Gold. But the big one was reading Fables 11

I was disappointed at how quickly they ended the war, there was such a long build up that going into the war it was basically over with because of guns. I did not like that one bit. I loved Gipetto and I loved The Frog Prince, but I just wasn't feeling most of 11. Too quick.

[Acapelli]

52 is awesome. too bad dc shit the bed with their two follow up weeklies

[Melville]

I much more prefer it in color. Perhaps this is because I was first introduced to the series in one of its color incarnations, reading excerpts of it from the back pages of the Disney Adventures kids magazine. I think the color editions are much more suited to the subject matter.
I think they make the subject matter seem too childish, too much like a kid's cartoon. Once you color one of your characters purple, your story is no longer for all ages. The extreme simplicity and clarity of Smith's artwork gave the story a feeling of universality.


In one instance, there's the arresting vibrancy and vividness of Jeff's illustrations...

http://michaelmay.us/08blog/0310_bone.jpg
A panel like that probably makes the best case for the use of color, since the color does add to the sudden sense of lushness of the valley after all the pages of desert. But even in this case, I prefer the black and white. First, those mountains in the background just should not have color gradients; their design is purposely "flat." And the gradients on the boulders in the foreground look really tacky. But beyond that, a lot of what the color is doing (creating visual planes with blocks of colors, evoking three-dimensional contours with gradients) is redundant, since it was already accomplished with the variation of lineweight in the black and white version. And the color detracts from the effect of details like the thick lines on the boulders and the bits of solid black shadow. In general, the addition of color reduces the efficacy of the linework rather than augmenting it, replacing subtle effects with exaggerated ones.


Then there's the darker, moodier, more foreboding and dimly lit atmosphere of other instances in the book — which is underscored effectively, as well as given a more striking quality, due to the use of color:

http://blog.newsarama.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/out_from_boneville.jpg http://www.wexarts.org/wexblog/images/bone425.jpg
http://www.steve-hamaker.com/images/Bone8BlogPreview02.jpg
http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2007/07/large_bone2.jpg
I could see your point with the picture of the valley, but you completely lost me here. In the picture of Bone and Thorn surrounded by rat creatures, the color works against the mood. First and most noticeably, the purple and orange hues in the sound effects look garish and silly rather than foreboding. But more subtly, the monotone color scheme tends to meld everything together, going against the structure of the image, which uses large blocks of black and foreground figures to create its sense of danger. The color as a whole lessens the starkness of the image.

The second picture, with the characters on the rooftops of Atheia, is just awful. Again, the color is used to separate visual planes that were already well separated by the linework, but this time the redundancy is almost comically overdone. It looks like a bad special effect.


However, I haven't extensively read through Bone in B&W and I'm sure that has it's own advantages and charms, as well. For instance:

http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/bone1_p39.gif
Undoubtedly, that looks very good. Hits the mark, aesthetically. Crisp lines and all and just the right amount of detail. Yet, somehow, I appreciated the colored version more. That version breathed a pleasant burst of life into those wintery landscapes. Made that environment more palpable and characteristic of itself. While also simultaneously foregrounding Bone in the fantastical and rich vibrancy of this foreign world he's lost himself within.
I think the rich vibrancy is completely overdone in the colored version. Smith's art is unassuming. It works because of its simplicity and crispness. The colors lessen both of those attributes. They're too colorful, too glossy.

[Melville]

Jeff Smith's drawings only get better and more epic for me as Bone progresses, and the shift you notice could perhaps be related to the fact that more of the "serious" characters appear instead of the Bones and funny animals, which are obviously drawn on a more cartoonish style.
I agree that Smith’s move toward a more ragged brush stroke in his inking, and his general increase in the amount of linework he used on faces and figures, was a purposeful shift in his style as he tried to make the story more “serious.” But I don’t think he pulled it off very well. He was amazingly good at the extremely smooth, crisp style of the early issues. His later style just comes off as muddy.

But my criticisms are more related to the change in layouts. In the early issues, what was so impressive was the fluidity of the compositions. There was always a strong sense of spatial continuity from panel to panel, and the panel-to-panel transitions worked wonders to create the impression of figures moving in this continuous space. Part of this had to do with the fluid linework, but it was mostly due to Smith’s use of fixed perspective and slowed pacing. For example, look at the page from issue 2 that Amnesiac posted, or this page:
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/FaulknerFan/bone1.jpg
The fixed perspective and the slow progression between panels emphasize the movement of the figures. The continuity allows each panel to create an anticipated movement, and Smith creates comedy and tension by meeting or denying our expectations. Here’s another page that uses the same technique for different effect:
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/FaulknerFan/bone6.jpg
The slow pace and heavy use of solid black creates a palpable tension, and this is reinforced by the fact that the three panels have similar layouts but a strong, definite progression of mood and information. Again, using the continuity between panels, Smith builds and makes use of our expectations.

Now compare those pages to one from the Rock Jaw storyline:
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/FaulknerFan/bone5.jpg
Here any sense of continuity is destroyed by the shifts in perspective and the rapidity of the action. There is no sense of a space around the characters, no sense of movement from panel to panel. It’s just a bunch of commotion. While you could say that this is a purposeful choice for this scene, a Greengrassian attempt to give an impressionistic view of the action, Smith just doesn’t pull it off: the layout is haphazard. And the change in style is endemic in the latter half of the series.

Here’s another one (I had trouble finding any complete pages from the latter parts of the series):
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/FaulknerFan/bone7.jpg
First, with the exception of Thorn, everything in the left hand panel is just poorly drawn. Look at Fone Bone’s torso: it looks completely flat, with no sense of form or depth. The same is true of the human faces in the background. And early on, Smith was a master of facial expressions and body gestures, but here the gestures seem random, and look again at the expressions on the humans in the background: there is no feeling or expressiveness to them. Beyond the lousy craftsmanship, the panel is pointlessly cluttered. In fact, a good portion of the panels in the latter half of the story are hopelessly cluttered. I was going to criticize the choice of composition in the next panel, but after flipping through a few of the later issues just now, I realized that my principal complaint isn’t with the layouts, although that is a big problem: my principal complaint is just how technically lousy a lot of the drawings were. Faces are suddenly misshapen, lopsided or worse (Thorn, especially, looks completely different from panel to panel, and frequently like she was drawn by a ten year old), figures have no sense of dimensionality or movement, etc. Not that everything was awful, but a lot of really bad artwork leaked in after the second half.


As for the story threads, where are the problems? It's fucking Lord of the Rings in comics!
The comparison to Lord of the Rings always struck me as irrelevant. If Bone is Lord of the Rings, than so is almost every other middling fantasy story written in the last half-century. And as Bone’s story progressed, it felt increasingly just like that: any other middling fantasy story. A lot of the plot developments seemed pointless and unnecessary: the captain of the guard taking over the city; everything to do with Rock Jaw, especially his final appearance; the whole trip through the ghost circles. They felt like they led to nothing and were just filling time while they occurred.


As for Maus, which I love, I think the artwork is crude on purpose. That used to be the trademark of most underground comics, and at least for me, it suits the story.
Why should the art look like most underground comics? And the most notable member of the underground scene, Crumb, is and was a spectacularly skilled artist, so why not follow his lead? Anyway, I agree that the art is simple on purpose, and its simplicity works with its themes, but that doesn’t justify its crudeness. Spiegelman doesn’t have a whole lot of technical drawing skill, and I think a more skilled artist could have made the same stylistic choice work a bit better.

[Amnesiac]

I think they make the subject matter seem too childish, too much like a kid's cartoon. Once you color one of your characters purple, your story is no longer for all ages. The extreme simplicity and clarity of Smith's artwork gave the story a feeling of universality.

Eh, I don't know. There have always been stories that, despite being presented in a "children's aesthetic", are rife with content that can easily appeal to adults. I don't necessarily think that the seemingly child-like look of the story is worthy of derision. I've never had a problem with it because I can recognize it's well-calculated brilliance and the compelling grandeur of the story.

Plus, the tonal shifts in the story guarantee that it's not always a happy-go-lucky romp in the woods. And I think the color does reflect and compliment those shifts.



A panel like that probably makes the best case for the use of color, since the color does add to the sudden sense of lushness of the valley after all the pages of desert.

Yeah, it's quite striking.


But beyond that, a lot of what the color is doing (creating visual planes with blocks of colors, evoking three-dimensional contours with gradients) is redundant, since it was already accomplished with the variation of lineweight in the black and white version.

You seem to have a big problem with the color in regards to how it functions as an overdone, or redundant, depth cue. I think it does a bit more than that. I'm not really all that enamored with what it can do to the story regarding depth.



In general, the addition of color reduces the efficacy of the linework rather than augmenting it, replacing subtle effects with exaggerated ones.

Hm. Comparing the B&W excerpt to some of those colored ones does show that the careful line-work is a tad more evident in B&W.



I could see your point with the picture of the valley, but you completely lost me here. In the picture of Bone and Thorn surrounded by rat creatures, the color works against the mood. First and most noticeably, the purple and orange hues in the sound effects look garish and silly rather than foreboding.

Okay. Admittedly, I had a feeling that the lettering and colors in the sound-effects would be pounced upon. But, somehow, I don't mind it. The somewhat garish colors do imbue the scene with a sort of off-putting dissonance... but for me, it wasn't all that off-putting. I didn't really find a problem with it when I first read it, but I can understand how someone might find that sort of clash a bit unpleasant.



But more subtly, the monotone color scheme tends to meld everything together, going against the structure of the image, which uses large blocks of black and foreground figures to create its sense of danger. The color as a whole lessens the starkness of the image.

I don't know, I'm not seeing this. I like the image of the rat-creatures stepping out of this immense blackness. I like the bold look of their sanguine eyes. Also, I feel Bone and Thorn effectively stand out but are still importantly cast within the dimly lit atmosphere of the scene. All that worked for me.



The second picture, with the characters on the rooftops of Atheia, is just awful. Again, the color is used to separate visual planes that were already well separated by the linework, but this time the redundancy is almost comically overdone. It looks like a bad special effect.

I don't really appreciate the color as a depth cue. In regards to that, its use might be a tad redundant. Or over-done. I can even admit that the image has a certain cardboard-cut-out look to it, and that might be attributable to this over-done attempt at separating the visual planes.

However, I'm more appreciative of the the amount of flourish and detail that color can add to the image. The black night sky, the foreboding luminosity on the hooded men's faces, the comical mishmash of expressive personalities trekking across the roof-top...

I mean, that's another thing. You might also think this would only serve to strip the story of its universality, but I think the way color can be used to accentuate and exaggerate each character's personalities is great. And, as in this roof-top scene, it adds a certain amusing underscore to the more 'tense' moments in the story. You have the inky night sky, the ominous men in the foreground — but then you also have Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley. Each boldly distinguished by their colorful attire (or lack thereof). Thus, I think in instance such as these, the juxtaposition between the fantastical and the morose is wonderfully exaggerated. Color adds to that.



I think the rich vibrancy is completely overdone in the colored version. Smith's art is unassuming. It works because of its simplicity and crispness. The colors lessen both of those attributes. They're too colorful, too glossy.

Perhaps there are certain segments of the book that would fit into this criticism, but for the most part, I really appreciate its bold aesthetic. I don't think it's overly garish. It livens up the image and can also set up interesting visual dichotomies within the story.

After all, I've always enjoyed Bone as a story that presents all these intriguing and entertaining collisions between the weird and the mundane. Or the weird and the foreboding. Or the mundane and the mythical. Disparate worlds and sensibilities on the verge of some sort of bizarre confrontation. For instance: you have these weird, white, humanoid creatures that find themselves tangled up in the every-day bustle of human affairs. A seemingly innocent grandmother and her enchanting granddaughter tucked away in an unsuspecting, rural, domestic space. Then, a somewhat cantankerous owner of a local bar. And its group of gossiping and restlessly rambunctious patrons. 'Normal stuff' intermingling with the straight-up foreign and weird.

Then there is that darker, antagonistic undercurrent to the story that goes on to collide with both of these elements; revealing the fantastical within the seemingly mundane humans, all while elevating these maladroit humanoid visitors into stalwart adventurers.

I mean, it's a weird story with all these fascinating and downright absurd combinations... and sometimes, that seemingly garish art can only serve to heighten the notion of this absurdity. Make these disparate personalities more pronounced, the breach amongst these autonomous elements all the more defined. It can also, as seen in the scene on the rooftop, further emphasize the collision between the foreboding malevolence of certain aspects of the story and the cartoon-like innocence of some of its burgeoning protagonists.

[Melville]

Eh, I don't know. There have always been stories that, despite being presented in a "children's aesthetic", are rife with content that can easily appeal to adults. I don't necessarily think that the seemingly child-like look of the story is worthy of derision. I've never had a problem with it because I can recognize it's well-calculated brilliance and the compelling grandeur of the story.
I find that a "children's aesthetic" only works if it's childish in terms of accessibility—i.e., disarmingly simple. Also, as I've argued, I don't think there's anything well calculated about the coloring.


I don't know, I'm not seeing this. I like the image of the rat-creatures stepping out of this immense blackness. I like the bold look of their sanguine eyes.
But the image of the rat creatures stepping out of the immense blackness was already there in the black and white. I agree about the eyes though.


However, I'm more appreciative of the the amount of flourish and detail that color can add to the image. The black night sky, the foreboding luminosity on the hooded men's faces, the comical mishmash of expressive personalities trekking across the roof-top...
But all of that would already be there in the black and white. Inky black night skies almost always look better in black and white.


I mean, that's another thing. You might also think this would only serve to strip the story of its universality, but I think the way color can be used to accentuate and exaggerate each character's personalities is great. And, as in this roof-top scene, it adds a certain amusing underscore to the more 'tense' moments in the story. You have the inky night sky, the ominous men in the foreground — but then you also have Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley. Each boldly distinguished by their colorful attire (or lack thereof). Thus, I think in instance such as these, the juxtaposition between the fantastical and the morose is wonderfully exaggerated. Color adds to that.
I think it goes way too far with it. And even the "ominous" men in the foreground end up just looking silly because of how overdone the coloring is.


After all, I've always enjoyed Bone as a story that presents all these intriguing and entertaining collisions between the weird and the mundane.

I mean, it's a weird story with all these fascinating and downright absurd combinations... and sometimes, that seemingly garish art can only serve to heighten the notion of this absurdity. Make these disparate personalities more pronounced, the breach amongst these autonomous elements all the more defined. It can also, as seen in the scene on the rooftop, further emphasize the collision between the foreboding malevolence of certain aspects of the story and the cartoon-like innocence of some of its burgeoning protagonists.
Yeah, I don't see it. The color, as it appears in the panels I've seen, makes everything take on a kind of goofy and harmless aesthetic. If anything, it introduces uniformity rather than contrast.

[Amnesiac]

I find that a "children's aesthetic" only works if it's childish in terms of accessibility—i.e., disarmingly simple.

I'm not really getting how the "children's aesthetic" doesn't work here. It's a good story with lots of intrigue and creative excellence for adults to mine, and a fantastic adventure for anyone else to appreciate. I don't see how the aesthetic severely compromises its universality, personally. It's simply a good story, and that is clear in either version of the story. It's well-calculated and has a compelling arc. The children's aesthetic didn't take anything from that. Rather, I can see how it would function appropriately within a story like this. As I stated elsewhere, it actually compliments the dialectical tensions within the story. Some scenes are more frivolous and happily colorful, while others take that kind of exaggeration and play with it, juxtapose it, as the reader is lead towards darker and more sinister scenes.



But all of that would already be there in the black and white. Inky black night skies almost always look better in black and white.

But some of it wouldn't be as emphatically present. The precise luminosity on the faces of the hooded-figures would be absent, for instance. Plus, I just straight-up enjoy the plethora of color and detail present within these color images. And for a story that has one foot in cartoonish sensibilities, I think it's suitable. They're lively. It's also good for emphasis, for increased atmosphere, and I feel it's an appropriate aesthetic considering the exuberance of the different personalities within the story.

...But maybe, after all this, I ought to take a closer look at the B&W version.



I think it goes way too far with it. And even the "ominous" men in the foreground end up just looking silly because of how overdone the coloring is.

So you don't they're ominous. Okay. :)



Yeah, I don't see it. The color, as it appears in the panels I've seen, makes everything take on a kind of goofy and harmless aesthetic. If anything, it introduces uniformity rather than contrast.

There's a unified aesthetic, sure, but there's also a unified aesthetic with the B&W version. That doesn't meant there isn't room to work out conflict, contrasts and dichotomies within each separate aesthetic. Which, I think, is represented in that scene on the bridge. And in other instances, such as the other two color pictures you didn't comment on, it just works towards delivering a more striking, and arresting image.

[Melville]

I'm not really getting how the "children's aesthetic" doesn't work here.
I don't like the exaggerated, simplistic, in-your-face "colorfulness" (in theme, style... or color) of most children's stories. That's about it. It strikes me as pointlessly overdone.


Plus, I just straight-up enjoy the plethora of color and detail present within these color images.
Yeah, I think that's the crux of our disagreement. I think that's working against what Smith's style does well. As far as its suitableness in the "cartoony" style of the comic... well, the traditional cartoons I like are of the Betty Boop and very early Looney Tunes variety.


There's a unified aesthetic, sure, but there's also a unified aesthetic with the B&W version.
But the unified aesthetic in the comic has a pure simplicity that is suitable for the contrasting moods; it can take on a lot because it doesn't push a lot with it. The colored aesthetic pushes everything in one direction.


And in other instances, such as the other two color pictures you didn't comment on, it just works towards delivering a more striking, and arresting image.
Shrug. It just doesn't do anything for me. As you've admitted, it detracts from the linework, which is what made the aesthetic appealing to me.

[Amnesiac]

I don't like the exaggerated, simplistic, in-your-face "colorfulness" (in theme, style... or color) of most children's stories. That's about it. It strikes me as pointlessly overdone.

I see. Personally, I think there's wiggle room in that exaggerated style for some interesting juxtapositions and effectively emphasized tonal shifts. Thus, one scene can be overwhelmed with "colorfulness", ostensibly suitable to the frivolity and lighthearted nature concomitant to the Bone trio and the sensibilities they represent. While another scene can use a different color scheme to a more sinister effect... all while still maintaining that former frivolity as an interesting reference point (again, I nod towards the bridge scene, with its marked disparity between foreground and background content, and even the scene with Thorn and Bone in the woods).

Although, I must admit, by the merit of Smith's great character design alone, these juxtapositions would already be present in B&W. The character designs are so well defined that you couldn't avoid that. However, those exciting collisions wouldn't be as emphatically present, I think. Color adds a new layer, above the distinction of Smith's character designs, that makes for some effective juxtapositions and some well-nuanced scenes.



But the unified aesthetic in the comic has a pure simplicity that is suitable for the contrasting moods

Hmm. But, yet, I can't help but think those moods are somehow more defined and nuanced in the color version...



Shrug. It just doesn't do anything for me. As you've admitted, it detracts from the linework, which is what made the aesthetic appealing to me.

Yeah, I can actually see the allure of both versions. Despite my inclination towards color, I'm now more perceptive and appreciative of the line-work in the B&W version thanks to the points you've brought up.

[Melville]

(again, I nod towards the bridge scene, with its marked disparity between foreground and background content, and even the scene with Thorn and Bone in the woods).
Well, I've criticized both of those enough, so I'll forgo repeating myself. Suffice it to say that virtually all the images I've seen strike me as too glossy and "vividly" colored. I think the kind of airbrush coloring on the pre-Image covers might have worked better.


Yeah, I can actually see the allure of both versions. Despite my inclination towards color, I'm now more perceptive and appreciative of the line-work in the B&W version thanks to the points you've brought up.
Score!

[Amnesiac]

Suffice it to say that virtually all the images I've seen strike me as too glossy and "vividly" colored.

Well, agree to disagree and all that. As for me, so long as the color editions are going to serve me up arresting, dramatically well-lit and enthralling shots such as these...

http://www.boneville.com/wp-content/uploads/image/Exhibition%20Catalog%20blog/bonebeyondbkcvr.jpg

...I think I'll be sticking with my color copies. :)

And, as a slightly interesting addendum to this conversation, I found out that at least Jeff seems to agree with me (http://www.boneville.com/bone/bone-history/). Even though he's coming across a bit like a Scholastic publicity statement:


One of the things I enjoy most about drawing comics is creating the compositions with black and white shapes. Now that color is being added, care must be taken to use it for storytelling purposes. For example to heighten the mood, and more importantly, to help direct the eye. The compositions that I originally created with black and white are now carefully being reinforced by the color. This has had an exciting effect on the stories, giving them a vibrancy and bringing them to life. Or maybe I should say a whole new life!

And there's also this interesting tidbit (http://www.bookpage.com/0802bp/jeff_smith.html) that, interestingly enough, partially attributes the decision to colorize Bone to Art Spiegelman:


Smith encountered his own surprise when he began talking with Scholastic—namely, the suggestion that the Bone series be published in color. Smith says that, when he first created Bone, he stuck with black-and-white for several reasons, including a small budget, an affinity for newspaper comics and his desire to pay tribute to Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel memoir, Maus.

It's a bit, well, comical how things turned out: Spiegelman was instrumental in convincing Smith to add color to the Bone books. (Spiegelman and his wife, Françoise Mouly—art editor of The New Yorker—were advising Scholastic on the imprint-launch.)

"At first, I thought the idea was a little sketchy, that it would be like colorizing Casablanca," Smith says, adding that he's not comparing Bone to the classic movie. "But then, I felt we could do storytelling things with color: create depth, direct people's eyes, create a mood. If something is happening at sunset or twilight, you can only tell the reader or draw really long shadows [in black-and-white]. But if you throw a bright orange light on it, you can really change it. I've been won over."

So, there you go. I guess you can place some of the blame on Spiegelman.

[Melville]

"I felt we could do storytelling things with color: create depth, direct people's eyes, create a mood. If something is happening at sunset or twilight, you can only tell the reader or draw really long shadows [in black-and-white]. But if you throw a bright orange light on it, you can really change it. I've been won over."
Hmm... yeah, he's very purposefully doing exactly what I think is a bad idea.:)

[Amnesiac]

I have to say, it is rather ironic that Smith insisted on the B&W as a tribute to Maus, only to have Spiegelman himself convince him to colorize it. Not entirely bad advice, though. :)

[Raiders]

This whole discussion has made me realize how little I actually care about the feng shui of a comic's panel layout. I create the flow in my own imagination. And as per usual with literature, I find myself in opposition to Melville's stance. The elements of Bone came together perfectly for me. I have read the entire series multiple times.

[Melville]

This whole discussion has made me realize how little I actually care about the feng shui of a comic's panel layout. I create the flow in my own imagination. And as per usual with literature, I find myself in opposition to Melville's stance. The elements of Bone came together perfectly for me. I have read the entire series multiple times.
A comic's layout is the most important part of it. Have you read a lot of comics? You're pretty big on visual techniques in movies, so I'm pretty sure that if you spent a lot of time studying comics, you'd start to really appreciate the layouts. As for our disagreements about literature... well, we'll always have Hamsun, right?

[number8]

A comic's layout is the most important part of it. Have you read a lot of comics? You're pretty big on visual techniques in movies, so I'm pretty sure that if you spent a lot of time studying comics, you'd start to really appreciate the layouts. As for our disagreeing on literature... well, we'll always have Hamsun, right?

http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=24902&postcount=194

[Melville]

http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=24902&postcount=194
Exactly. Layouts in comics are the equivalent of both editing and composition in movies... but with the added layer of seeing the overall structure of a page all at once. (Although I wouldn't call the pages you posted "great" visual storytelling, they're definitely solid, and they reminded me of this awesome sequence in Born Again:
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/FaulknerFan/bornagain.jpg
Note how the awesomeness overcomes the language barrier.)

[Raiders]

A comic's layout is the most important part of it. Have you read a lot of comics? You're pretty big on visual techniques in movies, so I'm pretty sure that if you spent a lot of time studying comics, you'd start to really appreciate the layouts.

You may be right, and no I can't say I read a ton of comics, though I have read my fair share. I guess I've always been more impressed with, or at least more focused on, the art of the individual frame as opposed to the flow of the frames on the page. I usually have no trouble simply taking the images and stringing them together in my head satisfactorily enough. Certainly, as you and 8 show, there are superb examples where I will take notice, but in the lesser pages I find I can make do without detracting from my enjoyment.


As for our disagreements about literature... well, we'll always have Hamsun, right?

Indeed.

[Acapelli]

did anyone else read ghost boxes #2?

wow

[EyesWideOpen]

i dropped Astonishing after Ellis's second issue. It was one of the worst books i was reading.

[megladon8]

Anyone read this one?

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/1963/laika420uf6.jpg


I nearly bought it today, but opted for "Three Shadows" instead.

[Acapelli]

so does anyone else read captain britain and mi13? i consider it the best ongoing marvel title

[EyesWideOpen]

so does anyone else read captain britain and mi13? i consider it the best ongoing marvel title


I read it. It's good but not even in my top ten marvel books.

[number8]

Punisher Xmas was awesome. I knew they should've gotten Jason Aaron to follow Ennis. Dropped. The. Ball.

[EyesWideOpen]

Punisher Xmas was awesome. I knew they should've gotten Jason Aaron to follow Ennis. Dropped. The. Ball.

Yeah it was great. I make it a habit at the comic books shop of checking every marvel book on the new release wall to see if he's writing since they never really advertise what he's working on. He's also been writing that Wolverine: Manifest Destiny mini which is awesome also.

[number8]

When I heard he was taking on Wolverine I considered starting to read the title, but I weighed it in and decided that I don't really want to support any Wolverine books.

[Ezee E]

When I heard he was taking on Wolverine I considered starting to read the title, but I weighed it in and decided that I don't really want to support any Wolverine books.
??

[bac0n]

Man, I am sure loving these Green Lantern TPBs. Revenge of the Green Lanterns is fantastic, both in the epic scale of its space adventures, and the bright, vibrant artwork. Some great panel layouts too, while we're on the subject.

Green Lantern is gonna be a monthly comic purchase once I get caught up. I'm looking forward to diving into the Red Lantern story arc.

[number8]

??

Wolverine is in like.... 23,484 different titles, not including 134,677 guest appearances every month. They just announced a new ongoing today. I think I'll spend my money on other books that needs support, not a character who can never die, both in stories and on the sales chart.

[EyesWideOpen]

Wolverine is in like.... 23,484 different titles, not including 134,677 guest appearances every month. They just announced a new ongoing today. I think I'll spend my money on other books that needs support, not a character who can never die, both in stories and on the sales chart.

You could always just buy the good ones.

[number8]

You could always just buy the good ones.

Well, like I said, I like spending my money on good underdog titles to show my support. Half of the titles on my pull list are either new or fledging on sales charts because fans tend to "wait for trades." It ain't got to do with quality. Wolverine doesn't need my money to stay afloat, because he's freakin' Wolverine. I'll read "Get Mystique" and "Manifest Destiny" on trades.

[number8]

http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/thefrostedone/2008-12-13-123.png

[megladon8]

Everyone please read "Three Shadows".

[megladon8]

Any fans of "Scott Pilgrim"?

[EyesWideOpen]

Any fans of "Scott Pilgrim"?

Yes. It's one of the best book series ever made.

[megladon8]

Yes. It's one of the best book series ever made.


Yeah it seems cool, but I read a review that said it "appeals to animé freaks in the same way that Tarantino films appeal to '70s film enthusiasts".

Since I am not hugely into animé - just a few movies, none of the TV series' really - I was afraid maybe I wouldn't "get it".

[Amnesiac]

I was under the assumption Scott Pilgrim had to do with video-games. But I haven't read it, so maybe that only starts and ends with the cover-art:

http://jeffhertzler.com/wp-content/gallery/website/scottpilgrim3.jpg

[EyesWideOpen]

Yeah it seems cool, but I read a review that said it "appeals to animé freaks in the same way that Tarantino films appeal to '70s film enthusiasts".

Since I am not hugely into animé - just a few movies, none of the TV series' really - I was afraid maybe I wouldn't "get it".

It has nothing to do with anime. It's drawn in a sort of manga style with lots of videogame references.

[number8]

It has nothing to do with anime. It's drawn in a sort of manga style with lots of videogame references.

This.

The plot itself is a video game.

[megladon8]

"Bottomles Belly Button" looks awesome, too.

I was flipping through it the other day at MidTown, while a guy behind me was in line to get a book signed and he sounded just like Jimmy from "South Park". I felt kind of bad for him.

Anyways, in the first few pages of the book it introduces the characters through a cross-section of the family vehicle. It was great.

[Kurosawa Fan]

"Bottomles Belly Button" looks awesome, too.


I've wanted to read this for months, but Barnes and Noble never has it and my library system doesn't carry it either. This and Too Cool to be Forgotten are both supposed to be great.

[megladon8]

I've wanted to read this for months, but Barnes and Noble never has it and my library system doesn't carry it either. This and Too Cool to be Forgotten are both supposed to be great.


Yeah, I've been reading a lot about that one, as well as the author's (Alex Robinson) other big title, "Box Office Poison", which seems to be pretty essential.

I might pick up one of them in the next couple of days, off Amazon. I'll let you know.

[number8]

HA, WHAT?

BKV and Tony Harris are appearing in Ex Machina #40 as themselves, auditioning as the team that would turn Hundred's biography into a graphic novel.

[megladon8]

:) That's awesome!

I love "Ex Machina". And BKV in general.

[EyesWideOpen]

Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely will be doing a monthly Batman book (hasn't been specified which title) once Battle for the Cowl ends.

[megladon8]

Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely will be doing a monthly Batman book (hasn't been specified which title) once Battle for the Cowl ends.


Sweet.

I hope they do for Batman what they did for Superman.

[Grouchy]

Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely will be doing a monthly Batman book (hasn't been specified which title) once Battle for the Cowl ends.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h172/Crychon/Misc%20Stuff/DaleCooperThumbsUpcopy.jpg

[number8]

Well done, Mr. Fantastic.

http://pics.livejournal.com/adze/pic/00001zzt

[Ezee E]

You'd think Mr. Fantastic's powers would be raved more about in that way.

[D_Davis]

You'd think Mr. Fantastic's powers would be raved more about in that way.

Plus, if anyone ever catches him jerking off, he can just say he was doing the Invisible Woman.

[bac0n]

With Mr. Fantastic's abilities, I wonder why he even needs to wait until he's finished to go get a glass of water.

[number8]

You'd think Mr. Fantastic's powers would be raved more about in that way.

I guess it's so obvious that very few writers think it's worth writing about.

[Ezee E]

I guess it's so obvious that very few writers think it's worth writing about.
Please... Don't flatter them.

[Grouchy]

That panel is awesome. It should be sent to superdickery.com

[Dead & Messed Up]

I picked up the first volume of Y: The Last Man from the library, read it, and quickly realized that one volume was not gonna be enough. Compelling stuff, well-drawn, and some of the stuff - like the Amazons going full-Amazon - was really creepy.

[EyesWideOpen]

Today's pickups:

Secret Invasion Requiem #1
Immortal Iron Fist #21
Daredevil #114
Batman #683
Umbrella Academy: Dallas #2
Runaways 3 #5
New Avengers #48

I also picked up the first TPB of Young Liars (i didn't really care for the first issue when i bought it but for $9.99 for the TPB i figured i'd give it another chance) and Batman Year Two TPB (never read it) for $4.

[number8]

New War Machine preview:

http://comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=1762&disp=table

It's like gory Iron Man!

[megladon8]

I was wondering what people here think of those "Best American Comics of (insert year)" hardcover collections?

I nearly picked up the 2008 edition the other day because it was 30% off, but opted for "The Burma Chronicles" instead.

[ledfloyd]

I was wondering what people here think of those "Best American Comics of (insert year)" hardcover collections?

I nearly picked up the 2008 edition the other day because it was 30% off, but opted for "The Burma Chronicles" instead.
the first one was good. last years was decent, haven't picked up the newest one yet. they are good but almost exclusively indie stuff.

[EyesWideOpen]

I was wondering what people here think of those "Best American Comics of (insert year)" hardcover collections?

I nearly picked up the 2008 edition the other day because it was 30% off, but opted for "The Burma Chronicles" instead.

i just picked up the 2006 edition at barnes and nobles because it was clearance for $5, haven't read it yet though.

[Acapelli]

very nsfw

http://www4.mypublicpix.com/upload/1231464808_OPS.jpg
http://www4.mypublicpix.com/upload/1231464809_KRUGER.jpg
http://www4.mypublicpix.com/upload/1231464809_WEREWOLVES.jpg
http://www4.mypublicpix.com/upload/1231464809_HEH_HEH.jpg
http://www3.mypublicpix.com/upload/1231465181_warriormonks.jpg
http://www3.mypublicpix.com/upload/1231465181_consecrated_dick.jp g
http://www3.mypublicpix.com/upload/1231465181_christ_the_king.jpg
http://www3.mypublicpix.com/upload/1231465180_holy_water.jpg

[Ezee E]

That's not going to go over well.

[ledfloyd]

that's one of the more bizarre things i've ever read.

[number8]

Why can't anyone confirm to me if Ennis actually wrote the last two pages of Ex Machina #40 or not?

[number8]

Best current mini people ain't reading: The Haunted Tank.

Absolutely fraking hilarious.

[EyesWideOpen]

Why can't anyone confirm to me if Ennis actually wrote the last two pages of Ex Machina #40 or not?

ifanboy.com got confirmation the day after the issue came out that it was Ennis who wrote it.

[number8]

ifanboy.com got confirmation the day after the issue came out that it was Ennis who wrote it.

Sweet. I was thinking that if it wasn't Ennis, then BKV got his "voice" down pat.

[EyesWideOpen]

Anybody pick up the new Punisher book by Remender? It's getting rave reviews but i didn't care for it, i thought the guy that took over Punisher Max is doing a far better job.

It reminded me to much of The Soup. The one where their mocking that soap opera where the one guy keeps repeating the name of the other guy after every line. The Sentry does that in this issue he says Frank at the end of every line to the Punisher. I don't feel like The Sentry is familiar enough with him to be calling him Frank anyways but i really didn't need to hear him say it 20 times in one issue.

[number8]

So... Final Crisis #6 today. Didn't buy it, but I read Batman's death scene.

That's... uh... Hm.

[Acapelli]

wow

grant morrison is the best

[megladon8]

So I didn't get any conversation going in the "Cartooning and comic books" thread in Off Topic, so I'll ask here...

Does a tablet make pen-and-ink null and void? Or should they be used together?

I'm trying to decide which to invest in - a top-of-the-line tablet, or a nice art table/light table and super high quality pens, inks, and paper.

[number8]

Bah, I got the John Romita cover on my Spidey 583. I wanted the Obama cover.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Bizarre. For some reason I can't read the last post in this thread. Here's to hoping this isn't a sign of buggy things to come.

[megladon8]

Bizarre. For some reason I can't read the last post in this thread. Here's to hoping this isn't a sign of buggy things to come.


I was just writing this, as well.

I've noticed this bug on other forums before, so I don't think it's anything to worry about...

[number8]

You mean my post is invisible?

[megladon8]

You mean my post is invisible?


Before KF posted after you, if you clicked on the "latest post" button it brought you to my post, and yours wasn't showing.

But it all seems to be fine now.

[EyesWideOpen]

Bah, I got the John Romita cover on my Spidey 583. I wanted the Obama cover.

My LCS was telling me that they got 100 copies of the Obama cover and still didn't get enough to cover the preorders.

[megladon8]

So I didn't get any conversation going in the "Cartooning and comic books" thread in Off Topic, so I'll ask here...

Does a tablet make pen-and-ink null and void? Or should they be used together?

I'm trying to decide which to invest in - a top-of-the-line tablet, or a nice art table/light table and super high quality pens, inks, and paper.


Is there really no one else here doing cartooning and stuff?

I thought we had some pretty accomplished artists 'round here...

[number8]

My LCS was telling me that they got 100 copies of the Obama cover and still didn't get enough to cover the preorders.

At least they saved me a copy, Obama cover or not. My LCS sold the issue out in 2 hours.

[EyesWideOpen]

So... Final Crisis #6 today. Didn't buy it, but I read Batman's death scene.

That's... uh... Hm.

I really hate Final Crisis. I've kept reading hoping to hit that moment where i would start liking that series but with one issue left i don't think it's going to happen. If this is seriously how Batman gets killed off then Grant Morrison should never touch another Batman book in his life.

[Acapelli]

I really hate Final Crisis. I've kept reading hoping to hit that moment where i would start liking that series but with one issue left i don't think it's going to happen. If this is seriously how Batman gets killed off then Grant Morrison should never touch another Batman book in his life.
you and i have totally opposite opinions of what good comics are. and there's nothing wrong with that, it just is

final crisis is amazing and exciting and so much has happened, and when i read it i'm extremely satisfied. the only other book that i derive as much pleasure as it is captain britain