The Official Comics Discussion Thread

[Tremolo]

For some ungodly reason, there's not nearly enough discussion of comics at AA. All the old threads I've found out have died really quickly, and that is Bad. :( So, therefore, comics own and this is the place to talk about them.

What are your favourites? Do you collect any ongoing titles and how many? Do you prefer one brand over another or will just read anything? Who are your favourite writers and pencillers?

Recommend titles! Waffle on at great length! Discuss the latest issue of Whatever!

No "comics suck lol" talk though, because I won't be impressed D:

**

As a kid, I was never massively into comics. I owned a few Batman books, a Spider-Man book and an X-Men book, but I was hardly a collector. I briefly collected the UK-published Astonishing Spider-Man (which would was a good year or so behind the US run of whatever the latest Spidey comic and would collect two brand new issues and two oldies) around the time of the Clone Saga, but we all know that pretty much sucked ass and I was probably too young for it at the time anyway.

The fact is, thanks to the Batman cartoon and films, I've always had more of an affinity with DC. Whether they're better than Marvel isn't really an issue, but I always preferred them for some reason. After recently collecting a lot of the DCAU DVD's, I began buying Batman books and it's all gone from there and rapidly become Trem's New Obsession.

Right now I'm collecting The Sandman (only three books left!), Grant Morrison's The Invisibles, Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, 100 Bullets, Fables and I'm expecting the first book of The Ultimates through my door any day now. I've recently just finished my collections of Geoff John's run on The Flash and Grant Morrison's Animal Man (the final issue especially is one of the greatest things I've ever read) which I both recommend, although the former is perhaps a bit too rooted in the Flash mythology to really grab any new fans. Nevertheless, I think Blitz or Rogues are perfect starting points.

There are a few series I'm interested in looking into and hearing opinions about: Starman, the latest (volume 3) run of Green Arrow, Runaways, the new(-ish) Marvel Knights run of Daredevil, Hellblazer, and Grant Morrison's runs of JLA, Doom Patrol and New X-Men.

[Akuhei]

I actually just started reading The Invisibles recently, a friend lent me the first book and I immediately demanded the second (which I am reading in school... while browsing these forums). It's an incredible series, although I wouldn't recommend it to EVERYBODY, you have to have a very... open mind, or it can be very confusing.

[Risen Hell Fire]

Good thread Tremolo, some of my favorites are Iron man, Sonc the hdegehog (ongoing collection) Beast wars (ongoing but it will end in issue 4, it was a mini series) and Darkstalkers (though it has ended early I'm getting every cover and issue I can). I like all of them but it's sad to see good comics end early. I also tend to collect 1st issue of some comic books when I'm bored. A brand I perfer is mixed, I do however perfer Marvel over DC (reason yet known) but I read anything that looks interesting.

[Tremolo]

I actually just started reading The Invisibles recently, a friend lent me the first book and I immediately demanded the second (which I am reading in school... while browsing these forums). It's an incredible series, although I wouldn't recommend it to EVERYBODY, you have to have a very... open mind, or it can be very confusing.

Haha, what a coincidence, I'm on Volume 2 as well...it's like on the desk right next to me. I'm just done with the Jim Crow issue, which was tremendously f*cked up and utterly brilliant. Grant Morrison is (as you could probably already guess) one of my absolute favourite writers. His Animal Man is just incredible, the perfect example of how to take a third-rung superhero, revamp him, make him relevant, THEN go and do a story about where reality ends and comics begin. It's not a huge spoiler, but by the end of the last volume he's the only comic book character to know he's just that: a comic book character. Fascinating and strangely moving stuff.

[Mana]

I read some of my guy friends' comics growing up, but nothing quite enough to remember them really. It was an expensive hobby for them, and nothing I could hope to catch up with. By the time I had money of my own to spend, the literature I bought and read were all real books, and, of course manga.

So, all in all, I haven't read much, but, a short comic series I really enjoyed was Chi-Chian by the overly and hysterically gothic artist/musician Voltaire. While not as over the top as his Oh My Goth! (which I've yet to find, sadly), it's very nice, complete with bizarre artwork and a moral at the end. There was also a claymated series made of it for the Sci-Fi network, which I never got around to finding, but the original comic was very good and definately worth a read... if you can get your hands on it, that is. I managed to pick up an issue on a whim at a used book store, and had to piece together the rest of the issues from backorders at various comic stores here and in Milwaukee.

[punkusa20_2001]

I have always been into shorts, like lenore, squee, jthm, and the sarcasm which is encased in them.

[Dennis]

I have not been reading too many comics recently except for Demo, by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan, DMZ by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli, and Archie. I am personally a fan of Wood's writing style; his words serve as a great blueprint for th.e artists he works with.

Demo is comic I would suggest to those who have time for one series. It is comprised of twelve one-shots, each dealing with themes of alienation, hope, and choices. Most of the art is powerful black and white with varying styles depending on scene and story. I highly recommend this series.

[JOJO]

When it comes to comic book i dont really collect much, the only one i've been regularly getting are Spawn comics(mostly of the main Spawn series but i have almost all of the rest of the other Spawn comics). I recently started collecting the Killer 7 comic just to see if it lives up to the game, so far 3 issues are out, the story in the comic feels a little shorter but it manages to keep up with the important facts of the game, i would recommended to all those that liked the game.

[C0MPL3X]

My first introduction to comic has been tintin and asterix, calvin and hobs, etc. when I was a little boy. About 5 years later without any other comic exposures, I encountered comics again in Belge de la Bande Dessinée (a belgium comics museum). All the interesting things in the museum aside, I checked out the gift shop store and started to read some comics on display (written in french). Astounding thing was, even without understanding the language, some of these europeon comics had so much power over me, I've never seen anything like it. One particular comic comes to my mind, from what I interpreted from the graphics alone the story is set in French Revolution, and the hatred, love, human emotions never seemed more powerful. I especially loved the way their facial expressions, gestures, colours and compositions so perfectly communicated those emotions. They also had mangas on display but even mangas like Berserk couldn't come close compared to that comic.

Months later, I visited a random comic store and tried to find those europeon comics I've encountered. All I could find was American comics, which I didn't like when I schemed through them.

[soundchazer]

Hmmm... I started collecting comics back in 1978, with translated versions of Spider-man, Daredevil and the Avengers, and would later on move the the original English versions. I kept collecting (and at some point in time in really large numbers... maybe up to 25-30 comics per month) until 2002, at which time I sold most of it.

I was particularly fond of the X-men. No comic book was able to capture my imagination as much as these bunch of characters did. Like with anything popular, there has been a backlash (and at times, the level of writing really sunk low), but this group of characters to me has always been the trend-setter, and much of the best comic book artists have depicted them. I'm not particularly fond of the Morrison era, not because the dialogues were not witty, but because he was basically rehashing and apeing old Claremont storylines. He did add some whacked off humor, but it was unbecoming for both the Claremont and Morrison legacies for him to do that.

Some of the comics I was enjoying at the time I finally turned my back on this particular art medium where The Authority, Planetary, Justice Society of America, The Flash, Spider-man, Liberty Meadows.

[Major Tom]

I never really got into buying comics, I never had the money. Plus, I never really liked superheroes like other kids my age (considering my hero at age 10 was Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson.....).

Most of the comic books I had were passed down from my Uncles. These consisted of a great deal of Asterix and Obelix, most of which have disappeared in the black hole that is my house. I've been eying some more recent print runs lately, I might start replacing them in the near future. Also floating around this dimensional maelstrom is a rather large collection of Peanuts comics. They made me laugh when I was younger, I think I've outgrown them now.

I also had a collection of Spiderman comics...you know, one of those collected editions bound in a hard cover passed down to me. Spiderman (and to some extent Batman) is probably the only superhero I've ever taken a liking to. Unfortunately, that has also since disappeared, and has resisted any attempts to find it. I suspect that it may have have even been sold. Anyways, my interest in Spiderman has recently been rekindled when I was sorting out some trading cards my parents found. A near complete set of '95 Fleer Ultra Spiderman trading cards. Sweet.

One of my favourite loans from the school library was anything Tin Tin. He was awesome.

Warfare has always been one of my pet subjects, and I've recently been flicking through some comics (forget the name, I think it's called 1915) set in the Great War. Problem is, they've kind of come across as patriotically British, and I'm not too sure if I want to sink money into them yet.

[PsychoSaiya-jin]

I haven't been reading as much but that last comic I read was Brodie's Law. It's set in an urban London and about man that [with the help of some science-nonsense] now has the ability to become other people by taking their souls and turning back once he has returned it.
I was at a convention where the artist was running a stall and decided to buy it from him. As a Londoner, I felt it could've been more London-centric but that's just me.
Very nicely drawn first volume.

[Zero]

A favorite of mine in recent years has been The Red Star. Beautiful color sets perfectly melded with CG art, and a unique use of the Soviet Union in an allegorical sci-fi setting.

[Neo-Hunter]

I really collected the spiderman and Batman series and then some of sonic the hedgehog then I stopped and got abord the Manga train and started collecting these.

[Ghostmaster]

I haven't been reading any comics lately, but I have a lot of Sonic The Hedgehog comics, Star Wars comics. I have some Spider-man and Batman ones. A few Superman here there. I don't really read one particular series except for Sonic and Star Wars. I use to a comic called Bone. I don't know if anyone's heard of it, but I got bored of it. I don't even know if it still exists.

[Kagome654]

I'm not particularly picky when it comes to what I read, so I read a lot of comics that are pretty sub par, but hey I can enjoy crappy comics...

I haven’t seen anyone mention BKV’s ‘Y: The Last Man,’ which is a shame because it’s a pretty good comic being put out under DC’s Vertigo imprint about the last man on Earth...it’s really not quite as goofy as it sounds. It’s by the same guy who writes Marvel’s ‘Runaways.’ I’m only picking it up in trade though, so I’m a little behind.

Speaking of Runaways, since you asked for an opinion, well, I am a fan but it's a series with some fairly major faults. In fact its faults are visible in most of BKV's writing. For example while the dialogue is very crisp and well written, making the character interactions a lot of fun, a lot of the characters also seem to speak in the same voice. BKV, for all his talent, only really seems to have about four stock character types and just keeps revamping them for each subsequent work. With a few notable exceptions I find it hard to get attached to any of the characters in The Runaways as a result. Also the Runaways come across as almost...I hate to use the term...'Mary Sue'-ish at times as they have beat down a lot of Marvel's most popular stars, despite being only teenagers who just found out about their powers. That said, Spider-Man makes an appearance in the series that amused me quite a bit. No one can fault 'The Runaways' in terms of art and humor. If you're interested Marvel has put most of the series out in affordable manga sized digests. I mean despite my complaints it's still a story worth checking out.

Me? I prefer the Young Avengers.

As for the latest Green Arrow, well, I've read the first few issues written by Kevin Smith (collected in a trade called 'Quiver') and I wasn't TOO impressed. Then again, I've never been a fan of Smith's comic writing, his 'Spider-Man & The Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do' is the ONLY series I can actually say I hated...except the art, loved the art. That said, Quiver is a fan favourite, despite my complaints and you can usually find it for cheap. Most people would say you should stay with it until Winnick takes over, but I actually think Winnick wrote some of the stronger issues, based on what I've seen. Maybe I have an anti-Ollie bias or something...

I Second the Animal Man love, though I’ve only read the first five issues in his series (much love for the Coyote Gospel) and his appearances in Justice League Europe.

Other recommended series? Mark Millar’s ‘The Ultimates,’ as well as his Superman story ‘The Red Son.’ ‘Young Avengers’, ‘The Sandman’, ‘Formerly Known as the Justice League’ and ’The Intimates.’ Actually, Neil Gaimen’s ‘Marvel: 1602' has always been a favorite, and it’s amazingly well illustrated. Its sequel, ‘A New World’? Er, not so much. I’d say ‘The vast majority of Alan Moore’s work,’ but that’s a no brainer. Plus I’m a little embarrassed that I haven’t read V yet. I loved The Watchmen and his stuff for DC though.

For things I’m collecting that are either too difficult to track down or not particularly accessible if you’re not already into the franchise; Nightwing, The Blue Beetle, Infinite Crisis and Moon Knight. I also pick up trades of ‘Ultimate Spider-man,’ ‘Ultimate X-Men’ and ‘Ultimate Fantastic Four’ whenever I see them. Back issue wise I’m trying to finish the Griffen & DeMatteis run on JLI, the Roger Stern run on both Amazing and Spectacular Spider-Man, the original Booster Gold series and the original Animal Man series. I think that’s about it.

Has anyone read the ‘Villains United; Infinite Crisis Special’ that just came out this week?! It’s so appealing to my utter geek nature of ‘OMFG, this is some cool shit!’

And on the topic of big (overblown) events, anyone planning on picking up Marvel’s ‘Civil War’ next week?

Marvel vs Dc...well, though I find myself collecting more DC monthly I still gotta go with Marvel, though in reality that has a lot to do with the fact it's the one I got into first, so it's kinda the one 'closest to my heart,' plus DC's history can be too annoyingly confusing to me. I get tired of hearing some of my favourite stories are no longer in continuity. Sure, Marvel can have the same problem, but it hasn't had to have three major events in an attempt to fix it. I think BOTH companies are putting out some quality books right now...except Nightwing...what the Hell is DC doing with Nightwing? Someone get Jones off the book and away from my beloved Jason Todd...

Sorry for babbling, it's just I have no friends who are into comics, hence no one to talk to about them so it all kinda gets pent up...

[f1rst children]

The problem I have with Ultimate Xmen is that they try to introduce about 20 people each page. I get that there's a ton of characters in and around the team, but you don't have to introduce them all right away. I much prefer Ultimate F4 - some of the best renditions of Ben and Sue. Thor 4 Prez!

The other ones I'd recommend are All Star Superman, Seven Soldiers and She Hulk.

Infinite Crisis was okay, but not nearly good enough to match the MASSIVE hype.

Jason Todd retcon flat out sucks.

[ant]

I started collecting comics when I was 11 at that time they were a dollar a comic book so I could collect a number of them. I was more into Marvel than DC and collected X-Men and Spiderman, the one that McFarlane started. When I started collecting X-Men it was the Claremont/ Lee era which was my favorite. Wolverine being my favorite character I have quite collection. I stopped cold turkery due to the overabundance of issues coming out at that time. Image started Superman died, Batman broke his back all sorts of gimmicks were used to get people to buy. Anyone remember the 4 cover X-Men 1 issue? This was also during my mid teens so I was more interested in girls than in comics. Maybe 2 years ago I went back into a comic store and found Wolverine Origins graphic novel. I picked that up an loved it. From time to time I will pick up X-Men Essentials which I am reading number 6 now. Usagi Yojimbo is another favorite that I will pick up. Now that I found a comic store in Shibuya I can follow my favorite characters again

[ShinoMatrix]

Hmm... the only comics I really ever followed, or at least read a lot of were the Archie comics and its spawn of side character stories... as time went by though, I found them less and less funny...

[Tremolo]

I haven’t seen anyone mention BKV’s ‘Y: The Last Man,’ which is a shame because it’s a pretty good comic being put out under DC’s Vertigo imprint about the last man on Earth...it’s really not quite as goofy as it sounds. It’s by the same guy who writes Marvel’s ‘Runaways.’ I’m only picking it up in trade though, so I’m a little behind.

Y seems to be really popular but I'm not sure I really see the appeal so much. Maybe I need to read more, but I tend to think it tries a little bit too hard and when that happens in comics it's really noticeable.

As for Runaways, one of my friends is a massive Y fan but doesn't like Runaways at all, so I'm a bit confused. I'll flick through it a store but I'm not sure I'd make a blind buy on it.

As for the latest Green Arrow, well, I've read the first few issues written by Kevin Smith (collected in a trade called 'Quiver') and I wasn't TOO impressed. Then again, I've never been a fan of Smith's comic writing, his 'Spider-Man & The Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do' is the ONLY series I can actually say I hated...except the art, loved the art. That said, Quiver is a fan favourite, despite my complaints and you can usually find it for cheap. Most people would say you should stay with it until Winnick takes over, but I actually think Winnick wrote some of the stronger issues, based on what I've seen. Maybe I have an anti-Ollie bias or something...

JLU is to be blamed for my interest in GA. He seems to be a really different sort of hero, due to his views and such and the latest run does look pretty good. I haven't read anything by Smith yet, hell, I haven't even seen one of his movies, but I'll probably give this one a go at some point.

That Spider-Man and Black Cat thing did look hideous, though :XD:

I Second the Animal Man love, though I’ve only read the first five issues in his series (much love for the Coyote Gospel) and his appearances in Justice League Europe.

I've got the three trades, and it's incredible - simply gets better and better and more daring and interesting, too. I'm tempted to seek out the single issues from 27 onwards, but I've heard the post-Morrison runs aren't nearly as good. I'd like to read the 'Flesh and Blood' story and the issues tha comprise the series' move to Vertigo, though.

Other recommended series? Mark Millar’s ‘The Ultimates,’ ... I’d say ‘The vast majority of Alan Moore’s work,’ but that’s a no brainer. Plus I’m a little embarrassed that I haven’t read V yet. I loved The Watchmen and his stuff for DC though.

I finished the first volume of The Ultimates last night, and whilst it's a bit slow and boring to start it really picks up as it goes along, and the last issue had me desperate to read more. All the pop culture and famous people references are a bit weird at first, but you soon get used to them and they become sort of cool. Besides, nothing beats "HULK WANTS FREDDIE PRINZE JUNIOR!".

Am I a bad person for thinking Watchmen was a bit overrated, though? What I've read of his Swamp Thing run I've found far superior - it's simply incredible, amazing stuff. Really dark and elegant and atmospheric.

I also pick up trades of ‘Ultimate Spider-man...

I've just begun reading this too, and it's really good so far. The original Spider-Man series have gone to absolute shit and this is a really nice way of getting some great, baggage-free Spider-Man action. I'd recommend it to practically anyone with a vague interest in the character.

Marvel vs Dc...well, though I find myself collecting more DC monthly I still gotta go with Marvel, though in reality that has a lot to do with the fact it's the one I got into first, so it's kinda the one 'closest to my heart,' plus DC's history can be too annoyingly confusing to me. I get tired of hearing some of my favourite stories are no longer in continuity. Sure, Marvel can have the same problem, but it hasn't had to have three major events in an attempt to fix it. I think BOTH companies are putting out some quality books right now...except Nightwing...what the Hell is DC doing with Nightwing? Someone get Jones off the book and away from my beloved Jason Todd...

DC do some odd stuff, I agree, but I'm a DC kid first and foremost. I love their universe, no matter what weird choices they've made. Marvel doesn't have quite the same allure or mystique (EL OH EL) to me.

Sorry for babbling, it's just I have no friends who are into comics, hence no one to talk to about them so it all kinda gets pent up...

Same here, almost. Me and Bread and DH have some good chats in our IRC channel, and I have one RL friend who's a comic nut, but that's about it.



You know, I'm slightly baffled at how popular the X-Men are. It sometimes smacks of people more liking the characters or the idea of the comic rather than really digging the stories. I know it did some amazing stuff back in the day, but still... I think maybe I just don't "get" it. Like Queen. :p

Further titles Trem has an interest in: Gotham Central, Nightwing (I'm positive you can help me out on this one, Kagome!), Lucifer, Transmetropolitan and Books of Magic!

[PsychoSaiya-jin]

I'm curious about The Invisibles because of its author's claims to ties to the Matrix.
Unfortunetly, I'm put off from reading it because everyone makes those claims about their works and the author comes across as a royal cnut.

[Tremolo]

I'm curious about The Invisibles because of its author's claims to ties to the Matrix.
Unfortunetly, I'm put off from reading it because everyone makes those claims about their works and the author comes across as a royal cnut.

He is! But he's a totally awesome and talented one, unlike, say Todd Macfarlane for instant, who's just a c*nt. I'm a big Morrison fanboy, if that wasn't already obvious. >.>

I'd vaguely heard about these Matrix ties, but I have no idea what the context is. The Invisibles started years before the film anyway. If you were to compare the two, they're really nothing alike at all...and damn, it's just so good. Read it! :D

[Kagome654]

Y seems to be really popular but I'm not sure I really see the appeal so much. Maybe I need to read more, but I tend to think it tries a little bit too hard and when that happens in comics it's really noticeable.

As for Runaways, one of my friends is a massive Y fan but doesn't like Runaways at all, so I'm a bit confused. I'll flick through it a store but I'm not sure I'd make a blind buy on it.

Probably a good idea. As I babbled, I have a love/hate thing going with BKV and his stories and Runaways and Y I both pick up in trade, which generally means that unlike a lot of series I'm not chomping at the bit to get them like I am series where I pick up the individual issues as they come out each month. It wouldn't surprise me if the stories didn't catch your interest, I can't get my sister to read them either.

JLU is to be blamed for my interest in GA. He seems to be a really different sort of hero, due to his views and such and the latest run does look pretty good. I haven't read anything by Smith yet, hell, I haven't even seen one of his movies, but I'll probably give this one a go at some point.

Heh, JLU is the force behind my love for Wally West Flash. I was a little disappointed to find that he wasn't much like his cartoon counter part, but I fell in love with his rogues and thus am sticking with the series anyway. Green Arrow is quite a bit like his cartoon counterpart, in fact I think his views are ever more pronounced and cause even deeper tension in the League than they do in the cartoons. He's a good character and a fan favourite, but I find him to be a little bit too much like a caricature on occasion...plus there's that self righteous thing, which while endearing in small doses also makes me want to punch him in the head.

That Spider-Man and Black Cat thing did look hideous, though :XD:

It was fine until about halfway through. Kevin Smith (like Joss Whedon and Allan Hienberg) obviously has a busy schedule, so the story took YEARS between the third part and the fourth. From the fourth issue on it basically turned into a Public Service Message about rape. It was just awkward and poorly written and retconed the Black Cat's origin and just...arrrgh.


I finished the first volume of The Ultimates last night, and whilst it's a bit slow and boring to start it really picks up as it goes along, and the last issue had me desperate to read more. All the pop culture and famous people references are a bit weird at first, but you soon get used to them and they become sort of cool. Besides, nothing beats "HULK WANTS FREDDIE PRINZE JUNIOR!".

Hehe, The Ultimates is pretty hit or miss with most people. A lot of old schoolers were unhappy with the way that Hank, Steve and Bruce were all portrayed, but I really enjoyed it simply by reminding myself that this is another universe, of course the characters are going to act differently. The Second book in the first 'Season/Series' is a little weird but by the time 'The Ultimates 2' starts I think Millar has really found his stride.

Am I a bad person for thinking Watchmen was a bit overrated, though? What I've read of his Swamp Thing run I've found far superior - it's simply incredible, amazing stuff. Really dark and elegant and atmospheric.
Nope, not at all. I enjoyed both 'The Killing Joke' and Moore's work on Green Lantern more than I did Watchmen. In fact I didn't like Watchmen at all the first time through. I though the characters were all pretty unsympathetic, the ending was almost a Deus Ex Machina and the story just seemed to lack...polish. It was only after musing over it for a while did I grow to appreciate it more, and even now Rorschach is the only character I really like.

I don't like Frank Miller (with the exception of SOME Sin City stories) so yeah, sometimes its tough being a dissenter to populat fanboy opinion.

You know, I'm slightly baffled at how popular the X-Men are. It sometimes smacks of people more liking the characters or the idea of the comic rather than really digging the stories. I know it did some amazing stuff back in the day, but still... I think maybe I just don't "get" it. Like Queen. :p

I don't follow the X-titles either, aside from Ultimate. I just think there are way too many characters and way too convoluted of history...

Further titles Trem has an interest in: Gotham Central, Nightwing (I'm positive you can help me out on this one, Kagome!), Lucifer, Transmetropolitan and Books of Magic!

Nightwing hasn't been doing so well recently. Devin Grayson and Bruce Jones seem determined to suck the life out of the series. However the early Chuck Dixon issues are pretty good, in fact if you can track down the trade of Chuck Dixon's 'Nightwing: Year One' that would be as good of place to start as any.

Ugh, one of the crappy parts of coming home from school during the summer is that there isn't a comic shop for miles. I'm going to have to call some time and get them to put the last Crisis and first Civil War on hold for me...

[Dirty Harry]

After all my years of Green Lantern fandom... I've really come to notice...

That the whole Green Lantern thing... and character...

Is just a tad lame. ;_;

Parallax owned. The whole idea of a batshit GL was really awesome sounding and Kyle just seemed like a cool young punk to pick up in Hal's stead. But after reading Zero Hour and its shitty ties to the Crisis, I just think... the whole thing kind of blew.

Planning on checking out Ion, but from what I've heard it's nothing special.

Btw: Guy Gardner doesn't count cause he's a fag.

_____________________________________________________________

Also. I'm trying to follow more of those gritty Vertigo titles with the awkward art and the celebrated writers. The transition is always rough for me for one reason. :(

The art.

It's either too old, or too strange. The colors attack my eyes and go straight to my brains and make me hate the comics. But about 40 issues into 100 Bullets and I don't notice it so much.

3 issues into The Watchmen. I still notice. But this one's not going to last an eon like 100 Bullets so I think I can put up with it. That coupled with the fact that my favorite parts of the individual issues are the writing excerpts at the end assure me that I'll finish this series... someday. >_>

_____________________________________________________________

I'm currently following Infinite Crisis (duh), Ultimates 2 (SO GOOD), and nothing much besides the occasional Batman ish'. Both series are spectacular.

There's my two cents.

[f1rst children]

Heh, JLU is the force behind my love for Wally West Flash. I was a little disappointed to find that he wasn't much like his cartoon counter part, but I fell in love with his rogues and thus am sticking with the series anyway. Green Arrow is quite a bit like his cartoon counterpart, in fact I think his views are ever more pronounced and cause even deeper tension in the League than they do in the cartoons. He's a good character and a fan favourite, but I find him to be a little bit too much like a caricature on occasion...plus there's that self righteous thing, which while endearing in small doses also makes me want to punch him in the head.


JLU is the sole reason behind me having even the slightest interest in The Question. Before he just seemed like an insignificant guy on the periphery, although he was vaguely interesting in Dark Knight Strikes Again while debating with GA. He was just too Dale-Gribble-lite-in-a-fedora. JLU made him interesting, empathetic, and hilarious.

I kind of want to see another Green Arrow-Green Lantern series, as a political commentary on modern issues. I think the original series in the 70s did a lot to help promote comics as viable literature capable of tackling complex issues, as well as the "good guy punch bad guy" stuff. I'd rather see that kind of concept than something like "Batman vs Al Qaeda."

[Kagome654]

Btw: Guy Gardner doesn't count cause he's a fag.


Blasphemy! Guy Gardner is the greatest. I love my sexist, pompous, reactionary, hippie stomping, brain damaged Green Lantern!

The Question is awesome in JLU. I wish I knew more about him, but he's not in anything I own...aside from one stray issue where he's sporting a pretty scary mullet. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does in 52. He, Ralph and Booster are the characters catching most of my interest in that series.

[Dirty Harry]

Blasphemy! Guy Gardner is the greatest. I love my sexist, pompous, reactionary, hippie stomping, brain damaged Green Lantern!

First thing Supes should have done when he got "Revived" was go up to Guy Gardner and obliterated him. Guy was such an ******* when Supes got killed.

Worthless GL. Worthless Warrior. Worthless Bastard.

[gdavall2003]

The only series of comics I've collected is the Street Fighter series which has done very well in living up to the game. It has a decent storyline and uses the characters brilliantly. My only complaint is that Capcom aren't going to use it as canon, it would sort out the plot line a lot if they did that.
But my all time fave in comics is definetly Batman.

[soundchazer]

I dunno... Guy Gardner was a riot in Justice League America/International back in the days of DeMatteis and Giffen.

[Ender]

Ara ra,

I dunno... Guy Gardner was a riot in Justice League America/International back in the days of DeMatteis and Giffen.

Regardless, you'd think that for a dude with a power ring he'd at least get a better haircut (yeah, Ender is in the "Me Hate Moe Howard Green Lantern" Camp). ^_^

But yeah, gald you put in a Comic Thread, Trem. Forum's gone too long without one...or some such.

I come from a huuuuuuuuuuuuge comic book family. Mostly on me mum's side. Ever since I was 4-5 years of age, my cousins, uncles, aunts, and even some crazy in-laws would pass comics around like anything. Seriously, it was like an opium trade and New Jersey was the Limehouse.

We'd always have stuff like Asterix, Tintin, Archie (and his various bros and hos), Adventures of Scrooge McDuck, and some moldy-oldy titles like Ditko's run on Amazing Spider-Man, Action Comics, and even a few stray issues of Shazam! among other titles. Again, these were mostly lying around that my extended family would drop off from time to time.

The first time I picked up a (then current) main-stream American comic was Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. Yeah, I was too young to realize what the hell was going on, but you're never too young to find a six-foot muck monster awesome. Then there was Ninja Turtles--Eastman and Laird's original, not the Archie comics ones--, Larry Hama's G.I. Joe, Simon Furman's Transformers, and my all-time favorite comic book that I will continue to collect until my dying day...

Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo. Still my fave.

Funny thing though is that also around this time, I read an issue of Grant Morrison's Animal Man and it scared me so bad that my mom hid the issue (I'll give you a hint, it began with Coyote and ended with Gospel).

X-Men: The Fall of the Mutants did the same thing to me. I was too young to realize that the X-Men dying and coming back to life was actually a natural occurance as common as tornadoes or homocidal postal employees.

Most of the 90's were Spider-Man, X-Men--I still have all the single issues of Onslaught and Age of Apocalypse somewhere--, Ghost Rider, Avengers,Sleepwalker (hey, I was in 5th grade, I thought Twinkee's came from trees), and whatever filth Marvel, Image (Savage Dragon and Spawn mostly) and Wizard Magazine told me to buy that month. Aside from an occasional Flash issue, I was a Marvel junky.

My biggest find was in 6th grade, when a local Starlog--this is when you could get away with calling a store "Starlog"--starting stocking up on Preacher. If ever, I tried to tie my life to a comic, Preacher was it.

The end of High School/begining of College brought me back to DC...thank God. I abandoned Marvel right around the time some idiot decided to let Grant Morrison helm New X-Men (guy should have stuck to the 2nd tier characters...seriously, Xorn!? What the hell was that!?). And the rise of Brian Michael Bendis--the guy was good in Powers and Torso, and his Ultimate Spider-Man was all right (until he re-killed Gwen Stacy), but Daredevil, New Avengers, and whatever "event" he's working on has not won me over.

Currently, I'm still reading Planetary, re-read Bone and Pogo (they kinda go hand-in-hand...kinda), trying to get through Larsen's run on Ninja Turtles, and I've gotten into DC's whole Seven Infinite Soldier One Year 52 Later Crisis of Victory thing they have going on.

And I've just recently completed my purchases of Transmetropolitan (who'd have guessed?), Xenozoic Tales aka Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Animal Man, WE3 and some other crap I don't feel like bolding right now.

Basically, my stance on comics has been (as is my stance on anime) I'll give everything a shot, but I'll only like it if its good.

Oh yeah, and everyone should read Usagi Yojimbo. ^_~

-Prof. Ender

[Lupinthe3rd]

right now I'M reading the Punisher in the War journal and Suicide Run and the new runs done by Garth Ennis. I'm probaly going to read his other series Preacher and then read some orginal Wolverine runs...

Remember!!! May 6 is Free Comic Book day!

[Dirty Harry]

Just finished Infinite Crisis and I am glad to say that it was amazing, and the end wasn't dissapointing in the least, althought I do suggest you pick up the Villains United special that came out a little while ago before you read #7. It just added a bit more to a couple of scenes.

Cheers DC, for making everything seem so new again. ;_;

[Zelyhon]

Ah, comic books. I used to read them a lot more when I was younger, but kinda fell out of the habit for a long time. Recently, I've started to get back in and I'm really enjoying it.

Even from before, my favorite comics were from Marvel. Primarily, I'd have to say my favorites were Spiderman and the X-men. Thus, the recent storylines in Marvel have really caught my interest. House of M I recently read all the way through again and still enjoyed it a lot. Decimation was probably one of the most interesting bunches of comics I've read, especially Generation M, which chose to focus on the mutants who lost their powers. Chamber and Blob both got screwed over royally there. I've heard a few complaints that it changed almost nothing, since most of the core members kept their powers despite how huge an impact M-Day was supposed to have had. I liked it still, though. It doesn't need to remove most of the main characters for the impact of there being 198 mutants left to be a catastrophe.

Anyone here keeping up with the road to and the beginning of Civil War?

[Kagome654]

Anyone here keeping up with the road to and the beginning of Civil War?

I have Civil War on order, I don't have a local comicshop anymore (boo) so I'll be behind on collecting it, but it's the best that I can do.

First thing Supes should have done when he got "Revived" was go up to Guy Gardner and obliterated him. Guy was such an ******* when Supes got killed.

Ah, well, that explains it. I never read the death of Superman stuff, so chances are Guy was a bigger joke than normal, but as Chazer mentioned, he was a riot in JLI. I also enjoyed his role in Rebirth and GL:Corps. I also thought his relationship with Ice was adorable and lead to some of the better issues of the era (Guy Gardner on Ice, for example). Next to Booster, Beetle, Jason Todd and Wally West, Guy is probably one of my fave DC characters.

His haircut is classic.

Just finished Infinite Crisis and I am glad to say that it was amazing, and the end wasn't dissapointing in the least, althought I do suggest you pick up the Villains United special that came out a little while ago before you read #7. It just added a bit more to a couple of scenes.


See, I thought IC and most of the tie ins (the exception being Villains United, hazah for sexy shirtless Catman!) were kinda...meh. The best part of IC was in the fourth issues with the Flashes and the introduction of Superboy Prime's 'retcon punch.'

'Why is Jason Todd back from the dead?'
'Superboy Prime punched time.'

'Since when did Hawkman's origins make sense?'
'Since Superboy Prime punched time.'

'How was Lynx in the most recent issue of Robin when she was killed over a year ago in War Games?'
'....Superboy Prime punched her head back on'

Classic.

[Senshi]

I liked to read comics as a kid but as I got old the whole "dude-in-tights" thing seemed a little silly to me...right about that time is when I started to get into manga

But my favorite superhero has to be DEAD POOL! the merc-with-a-mouth...

I really hope he gets his own movie... and I hope it makes fun of other super-hero movies just like Dead Pool kinda poked fun at comics...

[Ender]

Ara ra,


But my favorite superhero has to be DEAD POOL! the merc-with-a-mouth...


Good ol' Deadpool. I used to read a few issues back in the day. Yup, the long-forgotten year of...2001.

I don't remember which issue it was--must have been one of the re-launches--but my favorite line of his was:

"Do I still think in those little yellow boxes?"

And with that, the 4th wall was broken.

Cable/Deadpool has it's moments(it's one of the only Marvel titles I'll willingly pick up nowadays), especially when it goes completely off-the-wall with its references and violence; such as the sucker-punch to Bendis' abysmal Avengers: Disassembled, "Everybody knows these jet-packs have escape latches. I mean, you wouldn't want to ram into a Kree starship or something."

And with that, I have ranted.

-Prof. Ender

P.S. I just realized I said "And with that..." twice. Hrm. Gonna leave it as is though, as a grim reminder to the harshness of proper written eh-tih-ket ^_~

[soundchazer]

X-Men: The Fall of the Mutants did the same thing to me. I was too young to realize that the X-Men dying and coming back to life was actually a natural occurance as common as tornadoes or homocidal postal employees.


Dang... Fall of the Mutants was probably the last decent X-Men crossover out there. I was particularly moved by the Uncanny X-Men storyline, with Marc Silvestri at his sketchy best and the whole premise of people thinking the X-Men were dead was a good one (unfortunately, nothing really good came out of it except for the Reavers storyline).

[Kagome654]

I liked to read comics as a kid but as I got old the whole "dude-in-tights" thing seemed a little silly to me...right about that time is when I started to get into manga


Because stories about brightly coloured ninja, borderline retarded pirates, baseball playing Samurai and catgirls aren't silly at ALL...

I kid, I kid. Men in tights ARE silly but I learned to embrace that long ago because most really interesting entertainment is a little silly. Embrace the silliness...embrace it, dammit!

I made a pull list at last, so I'm picking up Nightwing, Civil War, 52, Blue Beetle and Moon Knight each month, yay me. More money I should be saving going down the drain to feed my habit. *sigh*

[Kei]

Ara ra,



Good ol' Deadpool. I used to read a few issues back in the day. Yup, the long-forgotten year of...2001.

I don't remember which issue it was--must have been one of the re-launches--but my favorite line of his was:

"Do I still think in those little yellow boxes?"

And with that, the 4th wall was broken.


The single greatest page of Deadpool ever will always be this (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y89/kei_neko/Deadpool27-10.jpg).

SHORYUKEN!

~Kei

[Ender]

Ara ra,

The single greatest page of Deadpool ever will always be this (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y89/kei_neko/Deadpool27-10.jpg).

SHORYUKEN!

~Kei

Gadzooks! How could I forget that? I've always liked those moments where DP interacts with other anti-heroes. I think he had a similar run-in (or five) with The Punisher.

Good old Deadpool. For a Rob Liefeld-created plagiarism, he never fails to entertain. ^_^

-Prof. Ender

[soundchazer]

Good old Deadpool. For a Rob Liefeld-created plagiarism, he never fails to entertain. ^_^

-Prof. Ender


Speaking of which, this reminds me of a very funny She-Hulk issue done by John Byrne were in order to boost sales, they decided to test different "en vogue" styles and one of them was the "fromage style" (in reference to image comics) and the style used was Liefeld's.

It was was hillarious. John Byrne doing She-Hulk is pure gold. All those interactions with the reader, the editor and the writer/penciller were just too much.

http://www.byrnerobotics.com/Checklist/issue_enlarged.asp?Fname=ssh43.jpg

[Ninja Realist]

http://odditycollector.livejournal.com/97166.html

[soundchazer]

http://odditycollector.livejournal.com/97166.html


Pffft...

The fact that majority of the comic book readers are men certainly doesn't have anything to do with the fact that women are portrayed as incredibly sexy, right?

If it was a different type of issue, I would be as appaled. But given that they are discussing comic books, I'm not surprised nor I think people should be offended.

It is like asking why the girls in Sports illustrated calendars need to look so hawt.


There are enough good books out there (like Strangers in paradise) aimed at a more neutral audience. Plus, it is also a fact that manga tends to be were girls mostly gravitate towards.

I just can't understand why portraying Wonder Woman as being incredibly hawt has to be offensive.

[Kagome654]

There are enough good books out there (like Strangers in paradise) aimed at a more neutral audience. Plus, it is also a fact that manga tends to be were girls mostly gravitate towards.


Of course more women may be inclined to read comics if they didn't look like fodder for a fourteen year old boy's wetdream. Nothing wrong with drawing women as sex objects, but in doing so the industry forfits their right to whine about their shrinking fanbase as a large part of the potential market is alienated as young women traditionally read more fiction than men the same age. I'd never seriously begrudge a healthy red blooded male his cheesecake mind you, I just don't think it's too much to ask for some moderation...or at least a lot of beefcake to balance it out.



I just can't understand why portraying Wonder Woman as being incredibly hawt has to be offensive.

Because now Frank Miller is doing it JUST to be polemical and that joke is wearing as thin as his hair. Goddamn Frank Miller (http://www.shortpacked.com/d/20060207.html)

[soundchazer]

Of course more women may be inclined to read comics if they didn't look like fodder for a fourteen year old boy's wetdream. Nothing wrong with drawing women as sex objects, but in doing so the industry forfits their right to whine about their shrinking fanbase as a large part of the potential market is alienated as young women traditionally read more fiction than men the same age.


Do they? Hmmm... even back in the 40s and 50s, superhero comics were intended for boys. The only difference between then and now is that there were a los of comic book soap for girls (in many countries, like Mexico, there are still an incredible amount of those) back then and almost none now, but the bulk of fans were always male.

I'd never seriously begrudge a healthy red blooded male his cheesecake mind you, I just don't think it's too much to ask for some moderation...or at least a lot of beefcake to balance it out.

I love that phrase. That phrase alone puts you in my "cool chick I would love to hang out with" list. But I have a question: aren't the pulsating pectorals of the superheroes beefcake enough for you?

Because now Frank Miller is doing it JUST to be polemical and that joke is wearing as thin as his hair. Goddamn Frank Miller (http://www.shortpacked.com/d/20060207.html)

Screw Frank Miller. I was never sold on him anyway. One good Batman story and he is the king of the universe... right. And yet, I have seen worse art depicting women like meat. Why does a pair of big, impossibly round set of jugs and a bootylicious butt penciled by Miller create such an uproar? I have seen more offensive artwork in public restrooms.

[Psiknight]

Screw Frank Miller. I was never sold on him anyway. One good Batman story and he is the king of the universe... right. And yet, I have seen worse art depicting women like meat. Why does a pair of big, impossibly round set of jugs and a bootylicious butt penciled by Miller create such an uproar? I have seen more offensive artwork in public restrooms.

I'm not a Miller fanatic by any means but you're selling him way short here. His Daredevil run is considered to be a highlight of the Bronze Age. I also heard that a certain series called "Sin City" was pretty good. :Poke:


I've not read a new comic series (besides Walking Dead) in like 6-7 years now. I am currently reading the Marvel Essentials for Ghost Rider and Moon Knight.


I'm also working my way through the Cerebus "phone book" TPB. After that I'll read the TPB for Jonah Hex's early appearances in All Star Western/Weird Western Tales.

SC: Do not double post

[soundchazer]

I'm not a Miller fanatic by any means but you're selling him way short here. His Daredevil run is considered to be a highlight of the Bronze Age. I also heard that a certain series called "Sin City" was pretty good. :Poke:

His Daredevil run was OK, but not that good. It only appeared to be good because the character was so badly handled before that any good change would be magnified.

As for Sin City, well again, it is good, but it gets overpraised. In reality, all the fame for Miller comes from that Batman story, the rest is just stuff to enhance his legend.

And for the record, he is a lousy penciller. Never liked his style.

[Psiknight]

His Daredevil run was OK, but not that good. It only appeared to be good because the character was so badly handled before that any good change would be magnified.

As for Sin City, well again, it is good, but it gets overpraised. In reality, all the fame for Miller comes from that Batman story, the rest is just stuff to enhance his legend.

And for the record, he is a lousy penciller. Never liked his style.

I agree his style is not my cup of tea but I think his gritty writing really changed the tone of the 70s superhero. Yeah, the Dark Knight Returns was his greatest work, but I think his overall contribution to the world of comicdom can't be overlooked.

[soundchazer]

I agree his style is not my cup of tea but I think his gritty writing really changed the tone of the 70s superhero. Yeah, the Dark Knight Returns was his greatest work, but I think his overall contribution to the world of comicdom can't be overlooked.

Yes, I know he was partially responsible for the creation of the popular Anti-hero genre of the 80s (but for the record he was not the first. Gerry Conway did that when he created The Punisher in the early 70s). And yes, we all liked Elektra as a character, but seriously... I think people like Morrison, Milligan, Claremont (even though he has burnt out now), and obviously Stan Lee have done more for comics than he did.

His act is getting old fast. As Kagome well pointed out, all his girls have to be slutty, all his guys must have a really dark and somber past. YAWN.

[Psiknight]

Yes, I know he was partially responsible for the creation of the popular Anti-hero genre of the 80s (but for the record he was not the first. Gerry Conway did that when he created The Punisher in the early 70s). And yes, we all liked Elektra as a character, but seriously... I think people like Morrison, Milligan, Claremont (even though he has burnt out now), and obviously Stan Lee have done more for comics than he did.

His act is getting old fast. As Kagome well pointed out, all his girls have to be slutty, all his guys must have a really dark and somber past. YAWN.

Conway's Punisher was just a ripoff of another character called the Executioner. The anti-hero genre of the 70s began with either Conan or Jonah Hex, depending on who you ask. :)

God, am I a nerd or what?

[soundchazer]

Calling Conan and anti-hero is a bit of a stretch. Usually Barbarians are just that.

Jonah Hex would be a better example, but then again, you could say that Batman is the original anti-hero.

[Psiknight]

Calling Conan and anti-hero is a bit of a stretch. Usually Barbarians are just that.

Jonah Hex would be a better example, but then again, you could say that Batman is the original anti-hero.

Sure thing, but I was just talking about the 70s. :)

Most people tend to call Conan an anti-hero. He was very selfish and barbaric but he still fought evil, saved the princess, etc.

[Kagome654]

Do they? Hmmm... even back in the 40s and 50s, superhero comics were intended for boys. The only difference between then and now is that there were a los of comic book soap for girls (in many countries, like Mexico, there are still an incredible amount of those) back then and almost none now, but the bulk of fans were always male.

Well, the numbers I've seen indicating sales of the Marvel Family (by which I mean Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, whatever the rabbit's name was Marvel...) was huge enough for some to infer that it wasn't just boys, but girls and even some adults reading comics back in the 40's. Also, despite the bondage subtext, Wonder Woman was fairly popular with young girls. You're right though, the target audience generally was young boys, girls and adults were a pleasant bonus.

However that's not exactly what I meant. Marvel and DC are both complaining about their shrinking markets as they can't seem to draw in new fans and they're left with an aging fanbase. Marvel knows that its missing out on a huge market with young girls and has attempted to popularize on the manga boom with its 'Marvel Age' books as well as the 'Marvel Ai' series, which is basically a bunch of romance stories featuring popular Marvel characters (and not so popular ones, one of my favorite stories in that series was a Squirrel Girl/ Speedball romance) and has had moderate success. I just think that if they want more girls to read comics then they should consider it a little more with their main titles. This doesn’t mean forgetting their loyal fans, women DO read comics (as well as manga) with highly sexualized women, so I’m not suggesting putting Black Canary in a sensible jogging suit, it just means that sometimes it’s worthwhile to consider if plastering a picture of Wonder woman’s ass on the front cover is really all that wise when you’re trying to expand your readership.

But I have a question: aren't the pulsating pectorals of the superheroes beefcake enough for you?

No, dammit! I want more full panel shots of Nightwing's ass, like the type you get of Vicky Vale in ASB&R!

Screw Frank Miller. I was never sold on him anyway. One good Batman story and he is the king of the universe... right. And yet, I have seen worse art depicting women like meat. Why does a pair of big, impossibly round set of jugs and a bootylicious butt penciled by Miller create such an uproar? I have seen more offensive artwork in public restrooms.

I'm not really sure. I just kinda rolled my eyes at it, I wasn't offended so much as I was exasperated with Miller. I suppose the cover was just the straw that broke the camels back for some. I don't know if you've been reading his 'All Star Batman & Robin' or not, but the series is a train wreck in terms of story (it's illustrated by Lee rather than Miller) and Miller knows it. Essentially he's giving the finger to his fans who, masochists that they are, keep buying it. So it's not the image, per se (and I have to admit, I just don't think it's that great of drawing, Lee's rendering of the aforementioned Ms. Vale's ass (http://img422.imageshack.us/img422/6964/bamanrobintheboywonder01page04.jpg) was much better, in my very humble opinion) it's the image combined with Miller's horrific work on ASB&R and his attitude towards women (and gays!) as well as the fans in general that may lead to such venom.

I've not read a new comic series (besides Walking Dead) in like 6-7 years now. I am currently reading the Marvel Essentials for Ghost Rider and Moon Knight.


Oh! Is Moon Knight really good? I've been interested in picking up the Essential ever since I picked up the first issue of his re-launched series last month on a whim. I only know him outside of that from one guest appearance in Spider-man...

[soundchazer]

I'm not really sure. I just kinda rolled my eyes at it, I wasn't offended so much as I was exasperated with Miller. I suppose the cover was just the straw that broke the camels back for some. I don't know if you've been reading his 'All Star Batman & Robin' or not, but the series is a train wreck in terms of story (it's illustrated by Lee rather than Miller) and Miller knows it. Essentially he's giving the finger to his fans who, masochists that they are, keep buying it. So it's not the image, per se (and I have to admit, I just don't think it's that great of drawing, Lee's rendering of the aforementioned Ms. Vale's ass (http://img422.imageshack.us/img422/6964/bamanrobintheboywonder01page04.jpg) was much better, in my very humble opinion) it's the image combined with Miller's horrific work on ASB&R and his attitude towards women (and gays!) as well as the fans in general that may lead to such venom.


It is funny, but it was the level of cheap, almost plastic-like dark broodiness in comic book characterization that made me decide to stop reading altogether. That and girls looking like they had their butt implated to their chest (just like that Vicky Vale mannequin)

[Psiknight]

It is funny, but it was the level of cheap, almost plastic-like dark broodiness in comic book characterization that made me decide to stop reading altogether. That and girls looking like they had their butt implated to their chest (just like that Vicky Vale mannequin)

I recently picked up Vicki Vale's first appearance. How geektastic is that?

[f1rst children]

I'd never seriously begrudge a healthy red blooded male his cheesecake mind you, I just don't think it's too much to ask for some moderation...or at least a lot of beefcake to balance it out.


Would bishi qualify? That genre certainly has a huge female readership.

Although, bishi guys tend to look like girls anyways, so maybe we're back to square one. Or maybe it reflects a common aesthetic, that part of the reason women get viewed as objects more is that they make better objects for viewing.

"The female body is a work of art. The male body is utilitarian. It's for gettin' around. It's like a Jeep."
- Elaine Benes, Seinfeld

[Gimpy]

Right now I'm just getting back into comics with the new Batman/Detective cross-over after Infinite Crisis. I totally ignored that event. But aside from current comics I was a big fan of Transmetorpolitan. I have yet to finish Sandman and Preacher, got about halfway through both. Back in the day it was all about Batman and Superman though, Nightfall and the Death of Superman was all anybody was reading.

[Tremolo]

Everyone has to go out right now and read Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. I'm nearly done with the second TPB Love and Death, and it's absolutely beyond magnificent. It's essentially the eighties Sandman (with interesting ties to that series that made me punch the air in delight), only a bit more American, if that's any kind of description.

The writing is absolutely amazing. Bissette and Totleben's artwork is some of the best I've seen from the 1980's and really brings this gorgeous atmosphere to the comic with the weird panels and the use of shadows. Whilst Swamp Thing himself isn't an amazing character by any stretch of the imagination, he's still immensely cool and easy to empathise with, which is remarkable considering he's essentially a walking vegatable. Moore's treatment of older DC characters, in particular Jack Kirby's the Demon is stunning, with the trip to hell in Volume 2 ("Down Amongst the Dead Men") dripping with terror and a surrealism not seen in comics at the time. It's not a particularly extreme comic, but it IS genuinely disturbing in places - it gets under your skin and for me especially, that's certainly commendable.

Stunning, absolutely stunning. If you haven't read this yet and are a fan of Moore's work and indeed of Gaiman's (especially Sandman) this is an absolute must. Read it and revel in the dark beauty.

[soundchazer]

This is one of the things I find amusing, and where I see the gae difference playing a role.

My assestment of Swamp Thing: Been there, read that.

[Tremolo]

This is one of the things I find amusing, and where I see the gae difference playing a role.

My assestment of Swamp Thing: Been there, read that.

That's a terrible assessment! I demand more detail, especially after my lengthy ejaculations of how much it owns! Yeah!

[f1rst children]

So, Civil War #1 is great. Highly recommend.

I'm with Cap.

I can't believe that lady spit on Iron Man.

[Kagome654]

I got to a comic store for the first time in ages last weekend...

LOVED the first Civil War too. As for 'sides', well, I see the Pro-Reg's point but when it comes down to Captain America vs the Government past stories have shown time and time again that you should side with Captain friggen' America.

Nightwing is still making my soul weep.

I got a first edition of the first 'The Sandman' graphic novel, which means nothing except that it was cheaper and I like the cover art better than that of the later editions. Yay.

As for Swamp Thing, I have to admit that all I've read is the story by Alan Moore collected in the 'Tales from the DCU...' or whatever. I think he healed Superman of some sort of illness that was making him freak out. It was a while ago, so I don't remember the details. I'd start collecting it, but I'm too cheap to start a new series...aside from maybe Fables.

[soundchazer]

That's a terrible assessment! I demand more detail, especially after my lengthy ejaculations of how much it owns! Yeah!

* soundchazer shrugs...
it is Alan More. It is quality work, and Bissette owns your soul. But this is something I knew uhmmm... 20 years ago. All I'm saying is that I find it humorous that your wording in your post makes it sound like a new discovery.

Again... this is where the age gap is quite apparent. I just don't see it with the same enthusiasm anymore, because I have been spoiled by Alan Moore.

[Tremolo]

* soundchazer shrugs...
it is Alan More. It is quality work, and Bissette owns your soul. But this is something I knew uhmmm... 20 years ago. All I'm saying is that I find it humorous that your wording in your post makes it sound like a new discovery.

Again... this is where the age gap is quite apparent. I just don't see it with the same enthusiasm anymore, because I have been spoiled by Alan Moore.

Ahh, I see. Yeah. I'm still a big noob when it comes to comics - I know enough about them to sound vaguely informed, but I've only just scratched the surface because of how much is out there. I guess to me it is a new discovery - I've never read anything like it before and I don't know how many people nowadays around my age have actually read it either. Old things deserve to be raved about, too. :D



I read the first issue of 52 a few days back, and it's OK. Booster Gold is always funny and Elongated Man and Montoya angst was good I guess and I cheered when The Question appeared, but the rest was a bit dull. It's bound to pick up and I'm waiting with baited breath for Animal Man to appear on the scene, especially with Morrison involved in the writing. Could've done without Steel and his niece though, it gave me awful flashbacks to that terrible Superman TAS episode 'Heavy Metal'.

As for Civil War, I started reading it but only knew who the more bigger characters were, found I didn't really care about much what was going on so I gave up. I find the Ultimate's universe a bit more appealing for someone who knows so little about Marvel universe as I do.

[Tremolo]

I decided to give Y: The Last Man another (proper) go last weekend, ended up getting hooked and am now completely up to date. It's not the best comic ever, but there are moments of genuine brilliance here and there, and it's all very addictive. The characters are great too, especially Ampersand. ^^

I've just started the new Mark Waid run of Legion of Super-Heroes and it's excellent so far. Very intriguing, even if most of them have the daftest names, and makes me all the more surprised that the DCAU managed to bugger them up so badly in the 'Far From Home' episode. I'm interested to see the Superman TAS 'New Kids in Town' episode though - hopefully that'll do a better job.

[f1rst children]

Speaking of Superman (not comics, but comic-related) -

Warner Bros. is releasing the final volume of Superman: TAS on June 20. Supergirl, Aquaman, Green Lantern (Rayner), Maxima, Volcana, and the Legion of Superheroes all make their DCAU debuts. Highlights include a Superman/Robin teamup, and the finale "Legacy" leads directly into...

Justice League Season 2 also being released (in widescreen) on June 20. Season 2 is where the show really starts to hit its stride, including the superb Grant Morrison ode, "A Better World."

Also June 20th, a new Superman: TAS movie, "Braniac Attacks!" According to Timm, Clark finally reveals his identity to Lois Lane.

And then of course Superman Returns on June 30.

All in all there's enough for a 2 week long saturation brain-bombing of the Big Red S.

[Tremolo]

Warner Bros. is releasing the final volume of Superman: TAS on June 20. Supergirl, Aquaman, Green Lantern (Rayner), Maxima, Volcana, and the Legion of Superheroes all make their DCAU debuts. Highlights include a Superman/Robin teamup, and the finale "Legacy" leads directly into...

Preordered back in like, March :D I can't wait! The absolute cream of the STAS output, I reckon.

Justice League Season 2 also being released (in widescreen) on June 20. Season 2 is where the show really starts to hit its stride, including the superb Grant Morrison ode, "A Better World."

Preordered back in like, March :D I can't wait! Miles and miles better than the first season, too.

'A Better World' is an ode to Morrison? Holy shit. How? I love it anyway, but that fact makes it even cooler.

Also June 20th, a new Superman: TAS movie, "Braniac Attacks!" According to Timm, Clark finally reveals his identity to Lois Lane.

Unfortunately this appears to be a total piece of shit (http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/superman/reviews/brainiacattacks/) and a bit of a Superman Returns cash in. Sigh.

[Mugs]

Anyone else feel that Daredevil 85 was a bit slow for a setup that had the Kingpin, Bullseye, Daredevil and the Punisher all in the same jail?

As to Civil War http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Civilwaranti.jpg

I uh kinda wonder how they're going to spin spiderman onto the pro reg side, so he can later swing back to the other side, I mean I know he owes Tony and all but I don't know how they're expecting him to realistically be on a pro reg side. The New Warriors kinda got abused, they were a pretty decent team back in the day.

[Kagome654]

I decided to give Y: The Last Man another (proper) go last weekend, ended up getting hooked and am now completely up to date. It's not the best comic ever, but there are moments of genuine brilliance here and there, and it's all very addictive. The characters are great too, especially Ampersand. ^^


Yay! Though it sounds like you're now ahead of me as I only get the trades of Y, I'm at the point where the ninja stole Ampersand. Random ninja appearences are always fun.

I'm going to the comicshop tomorrow and should be getting caught up in 52 and Moon Knight...and possible something else, I can't remember what's on my pull-list.

So much Superman info. I didn't get into his series quite as much as B:TAS, but it was still fun. As for Superman Returns...I just don't like the costume. I know it's petty but really it just doesn't look that great.

I really need to start reading Daredevil...

Civil War Banners are fun;

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/Kagome654/civilwarzaphod9gt.jpg

[f1rst children]

'A Better World' is an ode to Morrison? Holy shit. How? I love it anyway, but that fact makes it even cooler.

I was thinking of Morrison's JLA run, specifically JLA: Earth 2, which re-introduced the post-Crisis CSA. Although looking twice, "ode" may be too strong a word. Maybe it was just reminiscient of that story. I think Timm also said it was influenced by the series "Authority."

[LadySage]

Heh, just going to pop in here. I know next to nothing about comics, really, although I'm fairly curious. But that's not the point of the post. This is: http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/Sams_story/jeph.html

I went to high school with Sam, and in retrospect, it's not surprising that he was so loved by so many people influential in the industry. Even when he was sick from chemo, he was ten times more alive than 99% of the people at the school. Although we weren't best buddies, I would hang out with him at times and have shared more than a few laughs with him over a box of overpriced chili fries.

So yeah, Superman/Batman #26 will probably be the first comic book I buy.

Sorry if this post is kinda pointless. ^^;

[f1rst children]

So 52 is going pretty well. Hopefully it's really as good as it seems, and not just me reacting to the disappointment of Infinity Crisis. Plus, you know, it has Booster Gold and the Question.

And in the most boring, overblown, overhyped comic book story in recent memory, Batwoman is gay. Yawn.

[Mugs]

I'm sure a lot of people have seen this give that it's rather old but it still cracks me up, All Star Batman (http://www.animeacademy.com/sighost/allstarBatman.jpg), somewhat on the same topic http://www.shortpacked.com/d/20060207.html

Well, they had Peter Parker ruin his secret identity. If Aunt May & Mary Jane aren't dead within a week Marvel has no clue how their Universe would work

[f1rst children]

Oh my God - I watched Superman: Braniac Attacks this weekend on Cartoon Network.

IT SUCKS.

REALLY SUCKS.

Lex Luthor is now some kind of sniveling, snickering, bumbling idiot who laughs at his own terrible jokes? Braniac spends half the movie laughing at nothing? He's a computer - why is a computer laughing? The "big reveal" could not have been handled any more stupidly.

SUCKS.

Edit: According to imdb, the writer for Braniac Attacks is a writer for "The Batman," which explains some of the suckage.

[Tremolo]

First off, take us through the plot for "Superman: Brainiac Attacks" and why Superman fans should give it a spin on June 20th?

Well, that's a tall order -- will Superman fans take my word or that of your reviewer? :-) For the die-hard fans of S:TAS, presumably the bulk of your readership, let me first say that the movie is not intended to be in continuity with the Timm-verse, despite utilizing those character and background designs. Similarly, the depiction of Lex Luthor was intentionally modeled after Gene Hackman's performance in the Donner films, to dovetail with Luthor's depiction in the upcoming Bryan Singer film. If a die-hard fan goes into 'Brainiac Attacks' with this in mind, it should be a smoother ride -- and hopefully an entertaining one.

Well, thank God for that then.

[Tremolo]

What does everyone make of the DC One Year Later stuff now that most of the initial stories are over? I've only been reading Batman/Detective Comics and Superman/Action Comics, but I've been hearing a lot of positive buzz for Birds of Prey.

I absolutely adored Up Up and Away! Easily the best Superman comic story I've ever read, although I haven't exactly read all that many. With a few tweakings here and there (mainly the Crisis stuff) I could see it being a brilliant movie or even as the beginning for a new post-Justice League Unlimited, Superman animated series. It cemented my love of Geoff John's work, whose Flash run I found absolutely spectacular. I'm definitely interested in taking a look at his Green Lantern work, even if I'm not a massive fan of the GL concept.

Anyway, brilliant stuff, I was surprised by how much better I found it to the OYL Batman story Face the Face considering I'm much more of a Batman fan than a Superman one. The story really seemed to run out of steam after the excellent initial set-up, and whilst Two Face returning was pretty cool, the fact it all hinged on some villain I'd never heard of before seemed like an immense cop-out. That said, I really can't wait for Dini's DC Comics run and Morrison's Batman run - they should both hopefully be excellent.

I need to read the first issue of The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, but I can't say it looks at all promising, and I know it's had a very negative buzz. Shame.

[Tremolo]

Bumped! AA needs more comics talk!

In the DC and Marvel universes, some of the big events have finished and others are about to begin. On the whole I've found 52 quite hard-going - it's something I'd enjoy a great deal more in TPB form, I think. I'm looking forward to Countdown, even if the writing team doesn't exactly scream awesome like Waid/Johns/Morrison do.

Civil War has left Marvel in a rather boring state. I know DH and Bread are really digging Thunderbolts, but Spider-Man aside, the DC-universe is interesting me a great deal more right. The two main Batman titles are both brilliant, Justice League of America has been a huge success, Justice Society of America is absolutely amazing, the new writer on The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, Marc Guggenheim, has miraculously pushed the quality back up to that of the Johns-era after the abortion that was the first run and Teen Titans is just as fun and action-packed as it's ever been. The main disappointments are the current Superman titles that are very boring and lame indeed.

And that's pretty much the only ongoing stuff I'm reading at the moment. I'm collecting the TPB's of JMS's run on The Amazing Spider-Man which is utterly terrific, as well as the TPB's of Waid's Legion of Super-Heroes.

Anyway, that's enough from me. What are you guys reading?

[laborpilot86]

Not enough time, with grad school and life, to read anything new but I will go back and take a looksie at Whedon's upcoming run on Runaways plus the rest of his run on Astonishing X-Men...

Also trying to get into Ultimate X-Men

[f1rst children]

Well, Civil War left me baffled at the weak-willed Skrull who had apparently taken over Cap's body. Frontline left me wanting to strand Sally Floyd on a deserted island with a computer that could only access MySpace and NASCAR.com for the rest of her stupid, insignificant, inane life. Speedball's plot was hilariously dumb.
EMO!

And of course, I'm eagerly awaiting World War Hulk's return and stomping of a mudhole into Tony Stark's fascist iron face.

52 has good moments and bad moments
I know it's his name, but does Everyman have to be every man, literally? It's getting to be any time anything happens to anyone, that's actually Everyman!
and great moments
Oh Sobek!

Also, Batwoman sucks. Isn't there some kind of competency requirement for being associated with Batman, or is there some kind of "lesbians get a free pass" rule? Kick her out of the family and give the cowl to Misfit.

Speaking of Joss Whedon, Season 8 of
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/DeVryGuy/Buffy_Season8_comic_Issue_1.jpg

is off to a solid start.

Also been keeping up with Star Wars Legacy, which has been good so far. Bring on the Vong! Lucas, you should be taking notes.

[Dirty Harry]

Runaways
Iron Man
Captain America
The Immortal Iron Fist
Moon Knight
Punisher War Journal
Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears
X-23: The Target
Thunderbolts
Irredeemable Ant-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
Daredevil
Wolverine
Fantastic Four
Nova
New Avengers
Mighty Avengers

Sure, a couple of these series are ON THE ROCKS (to name them: the two Avengers series, Iron Man, and Nova) but most of these titles are having good to AMAZING runs. I think the events tying them together have been pretty great as well. Looking forward to reading more Initiative stuff and of course, WORLD WAR HULK.

On the DC side. Flash, JSA, 52, and JLA are the only titles I'm following really. I love the characters just as much as the next Tremolo, but I really hate what they're doing with Superman and Batman right now (DINI ASIDE). World War III was pretty ****ing sweet though, and Countdown looks to be EPIC.

EDIT: I do plan on picking up some more DC titles though >_> feeling a little disconnected. Planning on trying some older Superman stuff and hopefully the new Green Lantern. And must catch up with Teen Titans. >_>

[soundchazer]

I will say now what I've been saying in the past: DC has a big flaw and it is that some of their most iconic characters are too darn flawless to make them interesting in the long run. Trust me, after following comic books for 20 years and buying an average of 10 books per week, I saw that happening over and over again. Geoff Johns, Goyer and Ellis were probably the only writers thay have had over the years that has been steady and delivering on a monthly basis, and they usually have kept clear from the big icons (FLash is a great character, but let's face it, he is no Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman).

The only comic books I've been following lately are Amazing Spider-Man, Civil War and Astonishing X-Men. I will probably pick FLash to see what is going on with the Scarlett Speedster... I just hope they don't have one of the usual crappy artists that DC loves to hire for 3/4 of the comic book line and who have been the norm on Flash titles outside of Wieringo and Infantino (even though the style is dated now).

Edit:

Quite frankly... I'm sick and tire of the massive crossovers, and Andy Kubert gracing the cover of a comic book is so mid 90s... they guy is a never was... I never liked his style even when he was penciling my beloved X-Men.

[Dirty Harry]

LoLoLoL SC. COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE. The last great Superman story Up, Up, and Away got progressively worse (although still good) as the story went on and he (SPOILER BUT NOT REALLY) got his powers back. After UU&A though, Superman went right back to shit.

Batman I'm not going to comment on. >_> I love Dini's one-shot stories cause I could almost imagine them on the old cartoons, but ****ing Morrison. Mother****er just ruins it for me. What he's writing isn't Batman. IT'S A DISGRACE. Not to mention the shitty prose issue followed by a boring regular issue. Can't complain about Kurbert's art though >_> I like it.

Wonder Woman as of late hasn't bothered me cause I haven't read her shit since like issue 2. But I guess we'll be seeing loads of her in this Amazons Attack shit. SO I'LL WAIT UNTIL THEN TO COMMENT ON THAT.

Johns writes good books. He just does. >_> Teen Titans and Justice Society of America are just really fun reads. You figure JSA should just be a bunch of golden age geezers holding up strong morals and shit, but now it's like this legacy series and it's just really fun. >_> Not to mention a pinch hardcore and a dash tying into what looks to be the next big event.

And Flash. >_> Pick up like... issue 1... and then skip to issue 9. You might feel a little lost, but at least you'll still have you eyesight and will to live.

BUT ONTO WHAT MATTERS:

How can you hate on the events!? Trem's said the exact same thing and I just don't get that. What's the point of having a UNIVERSE of characters if you aren't going to tie them together in epic events! I like this house party feel to everything. I mean, Avengers Dissassembled forward has just been good stuff for Marvel event-wise. I mean, the weakest link was probably Decimation, but it at least had one really good series, SON OF M!

On the DC side of events. >_> There was Infinite Crisis. It had boring tie-ins but a pretty epic core book. Aside from that 52 is very hit and miss, but with WWIII having been as good as it was and Countdown looking pretty sweet. I has high hopes, I SAYS.

But yeah... uh... read more. >_>

Anything with Matt Fraction's name on it is ****ing gold. <_<

EDIT:

DC. I FORGOT JONAH HEX. EXCELLENT SERIES.

2nd EDIT:

And lol SC, if they ain't flawless they're dead. <_< RIP Cappy

[Tremolo]

Argh, forgot completely about Buffy: Season 8. I'm following that, too. Whedon is guud at writing comics. Astonishing X-Men is pretty much the only time I've ever enjoyed the X-Men.

How can you hate on the events!? Trem's said the exact same thing and I just don't get that. What's the point of having a UNIVERSE of characters if you aren't going to tie them together in epic events! I like this house party feel to everything. I mean, Avengers Dissassembled forward has just been good stuff for Marvel event-wise. I mean, the weakest link was probably Decimation, but it at least had one really good series, SON OF M!

Well, I'm not hating on 'em, I'm more a bit baffled that as soon as one event ends we just get another one, or even multiple ones going on at the same time. I'm wondering whether that sort of...undermines the very notion of an event, really.

EDIT: I was wrong. DH has the bigger peen.

But I don't mind too much as long as they're good. I ****ing loved Infinite Crisis and I'll more than likely be getting the eventual HC of Civil War. And I'm stoked for the JLA/JSA crossover. STOKED.

The only comic books I've been following lately are Amazing Spider-Man, Civil War and Astonishing X-Men. I will probably pick FLash to see what is going on with the Scarlett Speedster... I just hope they don't have one of the usual crappy artists that DC loves to hire for 3/4 of the comic book line and who have been the norm on Flash titles outside of Wieringo and Infantino (even though the style is dated now).

Flash is definitely worth a look now. Issue 9 kicks off the Guggenheim run and the story is really routed in and based off the Flash mythos, mixing his personal life alongside great characterisation of the Rogues to great effect, just like Johns did. I'd suggesting looking at Wiki to get the basics of what happened in the run before, but you really must absolutely NOT read the actual comics of it. It was so, so horrible.

[laborpilot86]

Tremolo-san has obviously never read the X-Men stuff from 1975-1991(Claremonts first run), which is sooooooo much better than any other X-Men until Grant Morrisons run on New X-Men (2001-2004) and Whedon's work on Astonishing (2004-2007).

I don't mind the events in the MU, what I do mind is when bad writing and plotting decisions are made in the MU (see under: Clone Saga, Spider-Man), which, because the 616 Marvel Universe's self-contained struture, can throw off entire books for years.

I like that Marvel killed Cap in 616MU, it took balls...the character is still alive and kickin' in Ultimate MU, so he really isn't dead, is he.

[Dirty Harry]

Man, I've tried reading old X-Men, but aside from for GIGGLES the shit just isn't up to snuff. It's nowhere near as good as old Spider-Man which is just plain fun to read. And about Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men all I have to say is LAAAAAAAAAAAME.

It's really very clear when an excellent writer like Ed Brubaker can't make the X-Men not suck that the team just blows. Despite this, House of M and Son of M WAZ VARY GUUD.

BUT THOSE WERE EVENT CENTRIC, BABY. LOVIN' THE EVENTS.

And I'm not sure how much BALLS it took to kill Cap. Brubaker's made it clear from early on that Cap wasn't invincible at allll.

And Ultimate Cap is just an ******* in a Captain America costume. >_> Granted a pretty badass *******, but he's no Cap.

[Le Bread]

I'd been teetering about keeping up with comics for a few months, because aside from a choice few titles, nothing was really grabbing my attention. After a quick trip to a local bookstore and the stiff realization that just "sticking to a few titles" was OK, I found my fandom revitalized. Of course, frequently having awesome discussions about them with Trem and DH doesn't hurt.

Lately, I've been reading...

Catwoman (Ed Brubaker Run) - Bought the first volume today because of how much I favor Brubaker as a writer, and then came to find out that my current favorite artist Darwyn Cooke worked on the first volume as well. It's supposed to be a really competent run with Ed at the helm, and Cooke's vintage styled art definitely doesn't hurt it's case. Looking forward to reading this one.

Current Batman: Detective Comics - I'll stick with this one as long as Paul Dini is writing it. Great art, a killer recent Joker story, and one of the best scriptwriters for the DCAU cartoons hitting the keys. It's hard for me to say no.

The Immortal Iron Fist - Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction writing, David Aja doing some great pencil work, and a b-list character I'm really fond of being revitalized. See current Sig/Avatar.

Moon Knight - I can't BELIEVE this isn't a Marvel Max title. It's downright gory at times and an absolute blast to read.

Punisher: War Journal - DH turned me onto this one. Good fun.

Thunderbolts - Classic (and some NOT so classic) Supervillains masquerading as heroes? Count me in. Warren Ellis really delivers with this one, and I'm looking forward to the trade paperback.

Also reading (when I can get back to them): Bendis' Daredevil run, The Spirit (classic Eisner and Cooke remake), Gotham Central, and Brubaker's Captain America.

Edit: CANNOT wait for Ultimates 2 to finish, so that I can buy it as a Hardcover. I've purposely kept myself from reading that one until the HC is out. Go figure, I had to choose to do that on the most delayed comic of all time.

[Tremolo]

Man, I've tried reading old X-Men, but aside from for GIGGLES the shit just isn't up to snuff. It's nowhere near as good as old Spider-Man which is just plain fun to read. And about Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men all I have to say is LAAAAAAAAAAAME.

It's really very clear when an excellent writer like Ed Brubaker can't make the X-Men not suck that the team just blows. Despite this, House of M and Son of M WAZ VARY GUUD.

BUT THOSE WERE EVENT CENTRIC, BABY. LOVIN' THE EVENTS.

And I'm not sure how much BALLS it took to kill Cap. Brubaker's made it clear from early on that Cap wasn't invincible at allll.

And Ultimate Cap is just an ******* in a Captain America costume. >_> Granted a pretty badass *******, but he's no Cap.

What DH said.

I'm well aware of how revolutionary and groundbreaking the X-Men were back in the day, but I still can't help finding them so ****ing boring. Sorry. >_> They simply don't interest me. The only reason I read Astonishing was to see what Whedon would do with them, and I was impressed. Morrison's name on the older New X-Men stuff is quite tempting, because I love him to bits, but the fact it's X-Men makes me sceptical. Not to mention a lot of it got retconned. But I'll give it a proper try at some point. If anyone wants to buy me the omnibus edition (wishlist link in mah sig), feel free!

Oh, and Moon Knight is plain awesome. He may be Marvel Batman, but damn it's a guud comic.

[soundchazer]

Actually, I'm an X-Men fan, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that most other comics at the time of X-men's dominant era (1978-1985) were nowhere near as good. Superman was dealing with Curt Swan, Batman was still going through the "post-TV series" withdrawal, the Fantastic Four had been rudderless for years since Stan Lee left, and Spider Man was creating all sorts of ridiculous villians and rehashing 10 versions of the Green Goblin. It was also the title that featured the hottest artists of the time, from a young John Byrne, to a young Alan Davis, to a young Arthur Adams, to a young Marc Silvestri to a young John Romita Jr.. But it did go through years and years of poor writing. Even Claremont towards the second part of the 80s ran out of steam and ideas and suffered under the very poor record of Bob Harras, who as the editor of the X-Books in the late 80s and later on of Marvel in the late 90s almost brought the franchise (and the company) to the ground.

I can see how people who didn't grow up in the era may find them tame in the standards we used to day. Basically, X-Men is not as avant garde in a comic book world post Vertigo.

Having said that, Wheddon has been channeling the fun aspects of the X-Men that were present in the 70s, were a mix of comedy and menacing threats were the norm. As for Morrison, my recommendation to Tremolo is not to bother. All he did was to bring forth a "weird" version of the stories that CLaremont had already told. I saw nothing in his version that was not told in Mutant Massacre and the Dark Phoenix Saga. In fact, he was just apeing Claremont's stories. The only Brit in an X-Book that has been successful was Peter Milligan's X-Force and X-statix... loved those books to death and also loved Mike Allred doing the art chores.

[Gimpy]

I'm hoping that the JLA/JSA crossover will help me get into JSA because for some reason their characters don't interest me at all. The new JLA has been great thus far.

[laborpilot86]

I like Morrison's run on New X-Men for four reasons...

1) He finally killed Jean Grey once and for all. She should have stayed dead after Dark Phoenix, which was nearly 30 years ago.

2) He did some very interesting things with both White Queen and Xavier, especially after White Queen joined the team in 116. (Psychic Affair and Cassandra Nova:eek: )

3) The Mutant subculture he constructed from about 120 to when he left the book after 154 was pure genius. Mutant bands, mutant fashion, humans harvesting mutant organs:eek: , mutant porn:eek: , it was all a superb way of adding back the realism that X-Men had lost post-Age of Apocolypse

4) He destroyed Genosha, nuff said

[LakiDash]

Reading reading reading.

1.Moon Knight. Obviously. *points to av/sig combo*. One of the best reads I've had in awhile. I am in love with Moon the loon. Charlie Huston forever!

2.Punisher War Journal so good you'd almost think it's Marvel Knights Punisher.

3.Captain America. Ever since I heard about the Winter Soldier, I knew I had to check it out. I am hooked. Have all the trades, then starting collecting the series monthly starting with Civil War.

4.Green Lantern Geoff Johns really knows his GL. Great read but sometimes feels slow.

5.Aquaman:Sword of Atlantis The first five issues(Aquaman #40-45) were fantastic. The next few until 50 were kinda filler, but still pretty decent. Busiek's no longer doing the writing, which I was worried about but Tad Williams seems to be doing a good job at keeping the new Aquaman fresh and not...you know, a joke. This series was a huge surprise hit for me, and I love it's wonderful underwater fantasy feel.

[Jay]

i'm all over this BACK IN BLACK stuff for spidey. The movies are pretty much a retarded version of spider-man, even compared to the animated series from the 90s. i'm a huge venom fan, always have been, even when i wasn't into comics. i really am offended by what they've done in the films, even though they're still entertaining. i enjoy them at a base level, but if i really think about them i get pissed, that is.

that's really the biggest thing i've been following. all the others i buy ... Dark Towers, GL, Batman, Transformers, Ultimate FF/Spidey, they kinda just sit there unread. I buy them out of obligation. Batman was primary reading until a recent issue with the Joker that was 99% text. I didn't feel like reading that quite yet.

[soundchazer]

I like Morrison's run on New X-Men for four reasons...

1) He finally killed Jean Grey once and for all. She should have stayed dead after Dark Phoenix, which was nearly 30 years ago.


Yeah... like that will stop others from resurrecting her.

[laborpilot86]

Well, he has almost as much control over the fate of Ms. Grey as Shooter and Claremont did back when Byrne ressurected the character in his FF run in 1986.

[soundchazer]

Well, he has almost as much control over the fate of Ms. Grey as Shooter and Claremont did back when Byrne ressurected the character in his FF run in 1986.

And for the record, it was not a Byrne decision either. It was an editorial decision since the powers-that-be wanted to create a new X-men comic called X-Factor, and they wanted to have the 5 original members in it. As I recall, Byrne only did one of the 3 parts that created the story: Avengers, Fantastic Four and X-Factor #1

[laborpilot86]

Hmm........I didn't know that.......

It was a bad decision in the long run though

[soundchazer]

Hmm........I didn't know that.......

It was a bad decision in the long run though

Another fact that may or may not be obscure these days is that at the end of the Phoenix Saga, Byrne and Claremont had scripted and penciled an end with Jean Grey surviving but being stripped from her powers. It was Jim Shooter, then editor-in-chief, who decided on the storyline killing her saying she had to pay for killing the Asparagus people and therefore having her survive would not be a punishment that would fit the crime.

[Erigion]

Nothing else matters but The Ultimates.

[PsychoSaiya-jin]

Reading reading reading.

1.Moon Knight. Obviously. *points to av/sig combo*. One of the best reads I've had in awhile. I am in love with Moon the loon. Charlie Huston forever! I happpened to have had the pleasure of reading the first few chapters of this new Moon Knight too. Visually, he looks like Spawn's 'Player2' costume would be and character-wise he's something of a fallen has-been Batman.
It's the one thing I like about forgotten old heroes, the writers get a freedom to do whatever they like with them instead of keeping them in a permanent time-bubble like many of the biggest comic-book stars :)

I wonder if this'll last if he becomes popular.

Nothing else matters but The Ultimates. I've seen some of the Marvel Ultimate Universe. The Clone Saga contained gender-bending Parker and a furry MJ :(

[laborpilot86]

That was one of many good decisions that Shooter made in regards to the MU, Soundchazer-san.....

The Dark Phoenix Saga is a classic because of that devasteting ending........

[soundchazer]

That was one of many good decisions that Shooter made in regards to the MU, Soundchazer-san.....

The Dark Phoenix Saga is a classic because of that devasteting ending........

The way I see it, he is the best editor ever just behind Stan Lee. Even when he was editing Valiant he did an awesome job. Valiant was doing a great work. It is a shame it never got steam with the general public thanks to a little publishing company called Image and a contracting market. Well... it did sell 8 million copies of the books in tis first 5 years, but then between the market and Acclaim buying the company everything went down the crapper.

Think about it... during his tenure as Marvel editor-in-chief, X-Men was brought from the dead and Claremont/Byrne paring started, Spider Man got his black costume, Walter Simonson penned and pencilled Thor, Daredevil became dark and brooding thanks to Miller, the first creator independent projects started with the Epic line (only to be copied and perfect on DC with Vertigo), talents like Arthur Adams, John Romita Jr., Alan Davis, John Byrne, Chris Claremont, Walter Simonson, Frank Miller, Marc Silvestri, gave George Perez his big shot with Avengers... creating the second wave of acclaimed creators, some of who still produce comics to these days.

He was also responsible for tying other media with comics, being in charge of the development of comics like G.I.joe and The Transformers. During his tenure, the first alternative universe was created with New Universe.

All in all, the man was a freaking genius.


Edit: here is a GREAT article that chronicles what went on in Marvel during the Shooter years: http://phonogram.us/comics/adventures/spidey.htm

[f1rst children]

So - if you haven't read Civil War, just read these instead. You'll still get the basic gist of it, but without all of Millar ham-handery

Civil War 1 (http://mightygodking.livejournal.com/292662.html)
Civil War 2 (http://mightygodking.livejournal.com/294079.html)
Civil War 3 (http://mightygodking.livejournal.com/295709.html)
Civil War 4 (http://mightygodking.livejournal.com/297610.html)
Civil War 5 (http://mightygodking.livejournal.com/281748.html)
Civil War 6 (http://mightygodking.livejournal.com/291556.html)
Civil War 7 (http://mightygodking.livejournal.com/298916.html)

Also very much looking forward to the 3 new Timm-DCAU movies coming out in the next year, which will hopefully make up for the bizarre (rumored) Galactus casting in Fantastic Four 2.

c'mon, a freaking raincloud?

Yes, a big giant purple guy will look ridiculous on the screen. That's the entire point. FF is about Einsteinian Stretch Armstrongs and walking rockpiles anyways - at what point does anyone draw the line and say all that makes sense, but a purple miniskirt? Inconceivable!

[Mugs]

http://the-isb.blogspot.com/2007/02/civil-war-in-30-seconds.html This is a quicker recap.

[Tremolo]

Having recently rewatched the vastly underrated Hulk (shut up, I like it), I've got a hankering for getting started on some comic-based HULK SMASH. Has anyone got any thoughts on Peter David's mammoth twelve-year run of The Incredible Hulk? I've had my eye on the new Hulk Visonaries trades, and almost everyone seems to agree that it's the best Hulk you can possibly read, and I'm definitely after reading some awesome Hulk that isn't Planet Hulk.

[Mugs]

While I've only read bits and pieces of David's Hulk I liked what I read, professor Hulk is a nice change of pace for the character. Additionally I can attest to the the Future Imperfect mini, it's a good read.

[soundchazer]

Peter David for the longest time had the midas touch when it came to writing comic books. From his hiring during the Shooter years (with literally started with a bang by creating the eerie and creppy storyline in Spectacular Spider Man titled "Who killed Jean DeWolf?" to making X-Factor cool and funny again after several years of crappy writing, to the Hulk... the man was genius. Unfortunately, like most writers in comic bookdom over time, his voice and vision have become obsolete and barely excites anyone anymore... kind of like Byrne, Morrison or Claremont.

Still, there are plenty of good moments in his Hulk run... his creation of the seedy, underworld-savvy greyHulk was a moment of pure inspiration, and the famous battle between Wolverine and Hulk had its moments. In fact, I would consider his run to present the definitive version of the character.

[Dirty Harry]

It's funny hearing about Peter David doing good things. I really want to read his Hulk stuff, but all I've read of his is the terrible... just... terrible FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN. The worst Spider-Man title and probably the worst modern Marvel title I've ever read any bit of.


Unfortunately, like most writers in comic bookdom over time, his voice and vision have become obsolete and barely excites anyone anymore... kind of like Byrne, Morrison or Claremont.

Nice. >_>

[soundchazer]

It's funny hearing about Peter David doing good things. I really want to read his Hulk stuff, but all I've read of his is the terrible... just... terrible FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN. The worst Spider-Man title and probably the worst modern Marvel title I've ever read any bit of.



Nice. >_>

Hey... I'm just stating a fact... if you compare Morrison during his Invisibles/Animal Man/Doom Patrol era with the Superman/New X-Men or even the end of his JLA era... he is miles away past his prime.

[f1rst children]

I also enjoyed Gail Simone's run on Birds of Prey, thanks to which I have all but forgotten about the hideous TV show. I hope she can revitalize Wonder Woman the way she did BoP, because WW One Year Later has been just terrible.

Oh, and before I forget to plug the DCAU, Simone wrote the JLU episode "Double Date."

[Dirty Harry]

While I've only read bits and pieces of David's Hulk I liked what I read, professor Hulk is a nice change of pace for the character. Additionally I can attest to the the Future Imperfect mini, it's a good read.

Future Imperfect was pretty neat >_> like Total Recall meets the Hulk. Didn't realize it was written by David though, so :OOOOOOOO.

[ZZalapski]

Still, there are plenty of good moments in his Hulk run... his creation of the seedy, underworld-savvy greyHulk was a moment of pure inspiration, and the famous battle between Wolverine and Hulk had its moments. In fact, I would consider his run to present the definitive version of the character.

Anyone remember Hulk 378? It was the issue right after his personalities were merged; I think Herb Trimpe pencilled it while Dale Keown took a break during his run. Anyway, it was about the Rhino disguised as a department store Santa who ends up fighting the Grey Hulk, with a most unlikely conclusion, and it was hilarious.

I had that issue signed by Peter David at Midtown Comics about ten years ago, and (IIRC) he'd said he still gets a lot of compliments about that story.

[soundchazer]

Anyone remember Hulk 378? It was the issue right after his personalities were merged; I think Herb Trimpe pencilled it while Dale Keown took a break during his run. Anyway, it was about the Rhino disguised as a department store Santa who ends up fighting the Grey Hulk, with a most unlikely conclusion, and it was hilarious.

I had that issue signed by Peter David at Midtown Comics about ten years ago, and (IIRC) he'd said he still gets a lot of compliments about that story.

That has always been the thing with Peter David... he knows how to write funny stories.

[Mugs]

I figure this is a good place to post this one http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6584229.stm

[laborpilot86]

Thats just nifty.

There is a rare gas called Krypton (don't know its periodic table symbol, though)

[f1rst children]

"The new mineral does not contain fluorine (which it does in the film) and is white rather than green but, in all other respects, the chemistry matches that for the rock containing kryptonite."

There's white Kryptonite.

Let's also not forget finding Krypton. (http://archives.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/01/11/new.planet/index.html) Obviously the planet only appears to be undestroyed because of how long it takes the image/light to reach Earth.

And the Fortress of Solitude in Mexico. (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070409-crystal-cave.html)



Also - your opinions: This is or is not the creepiest Superman cover ever.

http://gasbandit.batcave.net/randompics/super.gif

photoshop

[soundchazer]

Thats just nifty.

There is a rare gas called Krypton (don't know its periodic table symbol, though)

symbol Kr and atomic number 36, and it is a noble gas.

As for creepy Superman covers, you should try this:

http://www.superdickery.com/

That page proves once and for all that Superman is a dick.

Here's a little taste of what you will find:

http://www.superdickery.com/images/dick/1296_4_081.jpg

and what is wrong with this picture?

http://www.superdickery.com/images/seduction/loisbackentrance5zq.jpg

or this one?

http://www.superdickery.com/images/seduction/woodenboner5ye.jpg

[Ghostmaster]

symbol Kr and atomic number 36, and it is a noble gas.

As for creepy Superman covers, you should try this:

http://www.superdickery.com/

That page proves once and for all that Superman is a dick.

Here's a little taste of what you will find:

http://www.superdickery.com/images/dick/1296_4_081.jpg

and what is wrong with this picture?

http://www.superdickery.com/images/seduction/loisbackentrance5zq.jpg

or this one?

http://www.superdickery.com/images/seduction/woodenboner5ye.jpg

Wow Joker I didn't know you swung that way although i could have guessed.

[soundchazer]

Superman... bondage queen:

http://www.superdickery.com/images/seduction/uhhh3te.jpg

Supes... say it isn't so...you pedomaniac...

http://www.su