There are a lot of folks here who are comic fans. I'm not 100% sure who reads the comics or are just fans of the films, but for the most part there seems to be some pretty knowledgeable people here when it comes to the funny books. Figured this thread would work nicely for the overall discussion.
Post what you're reading too!
What I'm Reading:
PREACHER Book Three
Select Reviews: Once in a while I'll actually post a review to the "What I'm Reading" book. Here they are in "nsfw" tags due to length but, I assure you, they're safe for work
We Stand On Guard - 6.5/10:
Plowed through this in like an hour or less. Pretty good read and the art is magnificent, but it wasn't Brian K. Vaughan's best work by any means. He seems to work better in the serialized story genre, which this technically was, but it was a planned 6-issue miniseries, so it read more like a film in comic form. His character work is still on key, but in the limited story-space, some of them kind of fizzle out as opposed to have a satisfying end to their arc. And then there are some characters who don't fizzle out, but whose fates still leave a lot to be desired. Our main character is among that list.
Regardless, the overall story was strong enough and the concept of portraying the US' foreign policy as terrorism in a hypothetical 100-year time-jump was as interesting as it was bold - if a little awkward to read, being an American and all. Though it's easy enough to admit that this sort of wartime scenario wouldn't be difficult to imagine breaking out the exact way it does in this story, if the real-life situations mirrored the fantasy of this book. Which is a scary thought - as I'm assuming was the point: if we start warring as opposed to discussing over everything (water being the culprit here), where does it end?
So it was an interesting concept with extraordinary art, nearly perfect characterizations and some very memorable scenes, but the end was a bit of a disappointment and not many character arcs ended in any interesting way. I feel like this would have benefited if it were an on-going that ended after 2 or 3 years. It could have at least used 2 or 3 more issues to give proper time to all the characters. It was a cool concept, but a rare flub from Vaughan when it comes to a proper ending. image
Paper Girls: Volume 1 - 8.5/10:
I had already read the first 2 issues of Paper Girls before snagging the TPB, so the rest of the book was a breeze. This is another super strong story by Brian K Vaughan (LOST, Y The Last Man, Saga, Ex Machina, etc). It's very reminiscent of the nostalgic 80's "coming of age" movies - just with a sci-fi twist to keep it from straying too close. It's like a mix of Stand By Me, Gunther & The Paper Brigade, E.T. and, for a more modern comparison, the J.J. Abrams film Super 8. 4 bike-riding girls who deliver newspapers wake up early the morning after Halloween to find the town is in a real odd state. It's a plot that eventually delves into time travel, high-concept time wars and monster-ridden landscapes - but it does so in a way that is immediately reminiscent of the straight-forward coming of age stories we loved as kids. There are lots of pop-culture references - including one big one that actually acts as a really smart plot device to tease why things are going so crazy. This volume leaves you with the possible understanding of what drove certain characters to do what they did, while also not really over-indulging us with reveal after reveal.
I'd say definitely give it a shot if you're interested in that sort of thing. I can't wait until the next batch of issues is released.
Absolute Batman Incorporated by Grant Morrison - 8.5/10:
Firstly, this hardcover is gorgeous. It comes in a thick slipcover and the book itself is great quality. The art looks great on the bigger pages, and this book really is super big. I'm about two thirds done at this point and I've already read the 8 issues from the New 52, but the whole epic has just been a great read through. The ending is one I can look forward to as I read like when watching a favorite movie. This was Morrison's brain child and it ran alongside his now legendary 7-year run on Batman. While some of that run lacked the quality of a top notch Morrison story, Batman Incorporated does not. While the idea of a franchised international bat-team, especially one run by Bruce Wayne, is kind of a contrived premise, Morrison is able to work little bits of Batman's past and spin the folks he'd met over the years (even the obscure ones) into the tale to make it something really worth checking out.
I dug the first half of the book just fine - but it was mostly all exposition issues for what was to come. I know Morrison spread this series out to run alongside the rest of his run, but the early chapters really seem to drag a bit. Probably wouldn't have been my favorite Bat-title if I were subscribed. While at the same time, those issues re-establish the bits of Batman's mythos that you'll need to know for this story via mostly self-contained issues featuring small-time villains and small-time allies alike. Once you get past the set-up, the book really gets incredibly good. It pays off the slower earlier issues in the best ways, connecting the dots between each early chapter. The "New 52" era issues are the best however, as this story's ending is one of the better pulled-off endings I've seen in recent years, It's very satisfying despite a tragedy or two along the way. image
Inhumans by Paul Jenkins & Jae Lee - 9/10:
This is one of my all-time favorite superhero stories ever written. It's a very cinematic self-contained story that ran for, I believe, 12 issues. It's some of the best character work a Marvel team-up book has ever had. Strong lead characters, a very memorable villain and a fascinating plot makes this one worth picking up again every once in a while. Think this will be my 3rd or 4th read-through of it, but it's always a great time. This is also the book that my avatar is inspired by. It's the "Relax" narration panel from this book - advice Black Bolt (the Inhumans' king) would give his people if he could speak without risking his voice killing everyone around him. It's advice I constantly try to remember. image
The Walking Dead Compendium Vol. 1 - 7/10 The Walking Dead Compendium Vol. 2 - 8.5/10
So I put a halt to my Walking Dead comic marathon that I started in time for the new season in October. I plowed through the first 2 Compendiums but with the holidays, so many new books that I was eager to read fell into my lap. So while I do intend on starting the Volume 3 back up in February to coincide with the return of Season 7 of the TV show, I figured I'd move this out of the "What I'm Reading Now" section. My review: It's real good. About 2/3 of Volume 1 are very hard to read at times due to the characters talking far too much, over-explaining situations and sometimes long-monologuing (not a word) about the same events in 2 or 3 different scenes. However about halfway through the Prison arc, when the Governor becomes a pivotal character, the series really hit its stride. Volume 2 is non-stop great, featuring many of the most memorable moments from the comics. I am indeed looking forward to Compendium Vol. 3 when the mood strikes, because that's where the series hits "legendary" status in my eyes. image
Kingdom Come - 7/10
This was a real fun story with a neat concept that kind of got muddled with the art. While the artist has done great work on very similar stories, this one featured a few panels that were hard to follow. I'm not sure if it was lazy art or the script wasn't the easiest to follow, but some things got lost in translation throughout. Regardless it was very cool to see older, grizzled versions of the golden age superheroes pulled out of retirement to deal with the "new generation" of heroes who were fine with casualties and chaos anytime they fought. This story also pulled off yet another new take on the Superman/Batman relationship that pays off real dramatically toward the end. All in all, a great Secret Santa gift and a fun story worth the read. image
Paper Girls: Volume 2 - 8/10
This was a great follow up to Volume 1 even if the 80's setting was sorely missed. Our characters find themselves in modern day and on a journey to find their friend after being chased by some humans from the far future with a technology-rooted culture. This series keeps things intriguing by having the main character Erin interact with her 2016-self and the dynamic there is a highlight of the book. There is some very witty banter between the Erins. Some twists (both tragic and very interesting) are thrown along the way - but this is a series that should be read as spoiler-free as possible. It has as satisfying of a cliffhanger as Volume 1, so I'm very much looking forward to Volume 3. image
Redwall: The Graphic Novel - 7.5/10
While I've only ever read a couple of the Redwall novels, I've always been fascinated by the series and its lore. I'd never read the first novel so the fact that it was in graphic novel form really enticed me. I was a little disappointed in the lack of color, as the novels always painted the settings with lush colors, but I was able to look past it for the memorable characters and villains.. Kluny the Scourge is classic. However some of the art, especially when it came to the Abbey Mice, was too similar. It was a little difficult to tell the main characters apart. This gets a bump up in points because while the first half of the book plays as a fantasy-by-numbers book starring animal characters, it eventually becomes a story about a legendary knight being reborn in an abbey monk. It was a cool little plot twist that, while telegraphed, I really didn't see coming. It makes me want to read the Martin the Warrior novel soon. image
Thor by Jason Aaron & Russell Dauterman - 9/10
Really great stuff from this creative team. Having not kept up with the Thor comics the past few years (much longer actually), I got this for Christmas. I have to say, I was blown away by what I read. A great mystery (that isn't a mystery anymore but for me it was) of who IS the new Thor, and Odinson (the OG male Thor) gets a real nice new complexity to his character as the "Unworthy Thor." It seems despite the MCU, Thor's comic line has been able to avoid the mainstream issues that other Marvel comics have lately. This book made me rush to snag the next couple books from the duo: Battleworld: Thors & The Mighty Thor Vol.1 and it also reminded me to check out Journey Into Mystery by Kieron Gillen Vol. 1. image
Batman: The Court of Owls - 8/10 Batman: The City of Owls - 7/10 Batman: Death of the Family - 6/10
The Court of Owls - Court is a classic Batman story. It features new lore for the city of Gotham (something Snyder is great at), a new group of villains that were as intriguing as they were creepy, and a new threat that really made Batman seem like he was in an uphill battle. Hell, it even featured a climactic issue taking place in a giant death maze. Batman grew as a character, thinking he knew about Gotham better than anyone only to find out he can still learn new secrets. It also ended with a great cliffhanger if you were reading solely via trade paperback. It's too bad Snyder had a little trouble sticking the dismount. The City of Owls - This story starts up with the fun and memorable "Night of Owls" issue that features the Court's army of Talons (undead assassins) laying siege on Gotham and, most notably, Wayne Manor. It was a fun start to what would end up being an overly-telegraphed ending to what was set up in "Court of Owls." It also featured a reveal that left a bit to be desired - as it left a lot of ambiguity on the table. Which would have been a little more acceptable if the character involved played a larger role in Snyder's Batman, but having not appeared since, it kind of puts a damper on what could have been a little more menacing of an ending. Death of the Family - This is the story that got me back into collecting - and reading it without all the hype, it's really not that special. Nowhere near a top Joker story by any means. It featured a slasher-film version of Joker, not just in appearance (with his strapped on face-skin that had been removed a few months earlier) but also in character mechanics. Joker killed people a little too easily during the first issues, including snapping a bunch of cops necks in the dark somehow and drowning a bunch of rich kids. Which was the point, admittedly - to have an even more unhinged Joker. But as the story progressed it fell into cliche territory, with a bunch of well-tread Batman tropes: Joker trying to convince Batman he's weak due to the Bat-family, Batman and Nightwing arguing, Joker hosting a villain-fest for Batman (my #1 least favorite plot device in a Batman story is when the writer piles a bunch of high-profile villains into one issue), and Joker feeling some sort of misplaced "love" for Batman. And then there's the whole question of if the Joker knows who they all are or not. These are all themes I can get behind, but they've been presented far more accurately in better Joker stories - and not all crammed into 5 or 6 issues. There are some good moments in this story, with the highlight being the climactic Batcave chase that capped off the last issue, but that just wasn't enough to save the whole convoluted, almost try-hard story from being anything more than mediocre. This was a disappointment because Snyder had written one of the most memorable Joker scenes in modern Batman stories (in my opinion) just a few years earlier during his "Black Mirror" story. It was short and sweet and just perfect. His Joker in this story spoke in too many monologues about the same thing and just wasn't too funny. Capullo's art fudging ruled throughout all these books though.
However, Snyder took a much better whack at a Joker story with "Endgame," which is one of my favorite modern Joker stories, but that's not for another few volumes. Thankfully Snyder picked up his slack for the New 52 Batman origin which he told in epic fashion over the next 2 volumes. His run remained fun from that point on, and these books were still fun to read, but aside from "Court," the other ones are just average.
From Hell by Alan Moore - 7.5/10
After finally getting around to reading this book after getting it for Christmas 2 years ago, I can say it was worth the wait. Or has been. This book is a (fictionalized) investigation of the Jack the Ripper murders of the 1800's that suggests the string of homicides was an elaborate conspiracy pulled off by the Royal Family in order to keep the news of the Prince having an illegitimate child with a shopkeeper. This is based off a real theory but it has been debunked many times, even Moore himself. However, it's an interesting tale of what could have been all the same, while still managing to give an extremely accurate portrayal of the heinous acts and the aftermath they had on London at the time. The story of Sir William Gull is certainly intriguing to say the least. image
Uzumaki: Volume 1 - 7/10
Admittedly, I'm not the biggest manga reader - but I'm always willing to give interesting premises a shot. Dorohedoro Volume 1 is on deck, but I've been feeling a bit of a horror vibe lately and have been wanting to read this. Snagging it in a $15 lot with Revival Vol 1, Outcast Vol 1 and Wytches by Scott Snyder was just a bonus. Anyhow, this was a sort of starkly fun tale about a girl who lives in a town that's cursed by spirals. The shape. This is only Volume 1, so I'm not sure what the origin of these spirals are yet (if it's ever even revealed). This left me a little in the dark, but I decided to just go with it.
There were a few genuinely creepy moments in this one, but quite a few goofy moments that just didn't work for me. One example of something creepy was when two star-crossed lovers had somehow discovered a way to spiral into each other and opted for a life as intertwined spirals over their families keeping them apart. The imagery here, and at an earlier part of the book including a spiral-corpse, really hit home. One example of too goofy, however, was the two-girl showdown decided by who could get more attention based on the whacky spirals in their hair.
Unfortunately that second example was the story that ended Volume 1 so it kind of left off on an air fart, but the rest of the book has at least persuaded me to eventually check out Volume 2. image
Revival: Volume 1 - 7.5/10
I went into Revival completely in the dark and was pleasantly surprised. It was a quick read (a little too quick to be honest) but there were some really memorable characters. Many creepy moments too, and these first 5 issues really open up a few mysteries that I imagine the series tackles further down the road. Like Uzumaki, this first volume has gotten me interested in checking out volume 2.
There are some real questions presented about characters in this story that make me sort of anxious to read more, but these didn't really come until the last 2 issues. The first 3 were the standard "dead are coming back and the town doesn't know how to deal with it" situations with underlying tones of what was to come. My favorite aspect of the comic was the dynamic between a psychopath who claims to have met the devil and devotes his life to exercising demons by any fudgeed up means necessary, and a "revived" main character named Em who he claims is the devil incarnate. It's interesting because she definitely does some semi-dastardly things, and her actions within this first volume could easily fit the "devil in disguise" routine. The "demon" had a neat, simple and disturbing design too so I'm interested what more the series does with these entities moving forward. image
Wytches by Scott Snyder - 8/10
Real creepy, atmospheric tale about a girl who was "pledged" to the ancient Wytches that haunt a New Hampshire town. Great use of foreshadowing in this one, and the characters really worked. There is some clunky dialogue and silly character moments but otherwise, they all stand up.
I love the study of witches in general that this book features. Lots of lore - the "wytches" are portrayed as genetically "evolved" beings whose magic can grant anyone who pledges somebody to them their wildest dreams. They mark the portal to their world with ginger - thus the old "witches live in a gingerbread house" schtick. It's real fun the way Snyder presents the creatures as grounded in some sort of reality that is able to explain away a bunch of real-life myths about witches. image
Saga: Deluxe Edition Volume 1 - 10/10 Saga: Deluxe Edition Volume 2 - 10/10 Saga Volume 7: The War for Phang - 7.5/10
Image just dropped the Deluxe Edition Volume 2, so I re-read Deluxe Edition Volume 1 in anticipation. Plowed through both within a day or two, and then read where the story left off with the trade-paperback for Saga Volume 7, dubbed "The War for Phang". My "Phang" write-up contains spoilers, so beware.
The first book is an exercise in world-building, character development and story-telling. There's so much to this story that it's hard to want to type about it, but it's a fantasy epic that spans different planets over the course of one child, Hazel's life. She narrates it as we, the reader, get to watch her parents (two former soldiers of warring homeworlds) sacrifice everything to keep her hidden. Being a "hybrid" of two races, she is a highly sought-after person when news breaks of her existence.
The second book is more of the same - but better, if possible. Lots of incredible visuals, the characters are taken in directions that are genuinely surprising and the story progresses at exactly the right pace. Brian K Vaughn has a way of creating very personal moments on an epic sci-fi backdrop. This book just furthers the fun of the story, even if some major gore and violence occurs along the way. It's always done in a surprising and honestly interesting way.
Volume 7: The War for Phang was a noticeable step down in my opinion, but still a strong entry into the series compared to most comics. My issue with this portion of the story was its overly-bleak atmosphere. Saga can absolutely get bleak and tragic at times, but most of the time there is another character's plot to add some levity or color. In "The War for Phang", just about all the characters are brought to the lowest we've ever seen them. Some of the tragic nature seems a little forced, to be honest. One moment when a drugged out Prince Robot insinuates that he is either going to rape Alana (Hazel's mother) or kill himself was a little out-of-nowhere considering their relationship up to that point. Then the big twist in the last issue was fittingly tragic, but just seemed like another tack in this overly-bleak tale. There was also a 2-headed villain introduced in this batch of issues that, for the first time since Saga started, left me underwhelmed with the design of a character. And what makes that character worse, is that they (two heads) leave devastating effects in their wake for our main characters - but, having been killed at the end, ultimately won't play a huge part going forward. It felt a little too quick - to bring our characters so far low only to have the threat eliminated quickly, like they just needed an excuse to torture the characters.
I'm hoping all this leads to some real good character development in the issues to come ("Phang" was about 50/50 in that department) or else this volume will always sort of stick out as needlessly bleak portion of the story. image
> Read 12 or 13 issues of Invincible.... For obvious reasons like being able to flesh
> characters out better, I'd say the show is better. Not to say the comic is bad,
> though.
I like them equally. One was great for the comic book medium, one is great for the animated show medium. The show needed to add a bit more to make moving animation more interesting so it's more visually impressive but I'd rank them side-by-side, just two different formats.
>> Read 12 or 13 issues of Invincible.... For obvious reasons like being able to
> flesh
>> characters out better, I'd say the show is better. Not to say the comic is bad,
>> though.
>
> I like them equally. One was great for the comic book medium, one is great for the
> animated show medium. The show needed to add a bit more to make moving animation
> more interesting so it's more visually impressive but I'd rank them side-by-side,
> just two different formats.
Yeah, I'm up to 19 now and they even take stuff this late - the Mars issue wasn't in the first 12 issues. Just really a scenario of both are equally good, which is rare for comic to show adaptations. Extended fight scenes for the show obviously make it better in that sense.
This isn't my listing, but if anyone is looking for a cheap pickup these are a nice origin story for Magneto. I was honestly just surprised they were so inexpensive.
@kommie Happy Sweet Tooth Day. Whole season dropped to Netflix today. Based on 24 critic reviews, it’s 100% on Rotten Tomatoes so far (and %100 audience based on 15 reviews).
So, I liked episode 1. I will wait to see the rest with the woman, she wanted to watch it as well. If she doesn't like it I'll just watch the rest solo. Some stuff I've seen on Reddit says it still has the overall mature themes so it isn't totally "Disney-fied ". And I guess later episodes do have blood and gore, hence the TV-14 rating.
I’m up to episode 4 and I wouldn’t say it’s Disney-fied at all, Netflix doesn’t really seem to shy away from mature themes generally. I think the violence matches the tone of the show fine - there hasn’t been any gratuitous scenes, but there’s plenty of physical violence.
I will say that it seems like a much grittier, grounded version of Harry Potter’s genre for lack of better description - keeping in mind that HP got pretty damn dark as it went on. What I mean is it seems like kids/pre-teens would enjoy it for its very fantastical vibe and big sprawling wide shots, despite the fact that the plot, themes and characters are definitely rooted in darker, more realistic subject matter (even with the antlers and all).
I've read maybe the first 4 or 5 issues of the comic so far so I’m no expert on it, but it didn’t really seem overly gritty or anything. I mean there were violent moments but nothing to an “edgy” extent. Does it get a lot more brutal in later issues?
Loving the trajectory this.... (Slight TV show spoilers I suppose, but I haven’t read the comics so I have no idea if my theory is correct.)
...doctor and his wife are on. Seeing some very strong villain implications in them. Sympathetic for sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they, or at least the wife, will “break bad” soon enough and start acting morally bankrupt in order to find a cure. What they say about desperate times and all that.
And an actual spoiler regarding the events in Episode 4, unrelated to the above:
I’m not sure why the “animal army” sided with Tiger over Bear after the thing they claim to protect, a hybrid, literally spoke TO AN ANIMAL in front of them. You’d think they’d reject the overly-aggressive Tiger and just decide to follow Gus in a situation like that, especially since they all seemed more like normal animal-loving gamers than bloodthirsty cult followers, but whatev.
I guess on some level it does say something about radical upbringings and brainwash at an early age. Bear bred those kids to kill people who did wrong in their past, regardless of who they had become, and it backfired on her big time.
I dunno if you wanna read this since you’re not caught up on the show but...
I just got to Abbott finding Singh and his wife for the first time. Now I see Singh’s desperation will likely end up just being in service to Abbott’s douchebaggery, but I was really hoping he would have just developed into a villain naturally because the whole set up totally would have allowed for that.
PS don’t tell me if I'm wrong or right haha, I’ll find out soon enough. Gonna have the house to myself tonight, probably gonna finish the entire season in one go.
I don't do the whole comic book scene anymore, but a former colleague of mine started up his own business and is doing quite well if anyone is interested.
Also, there is no Essex County in Colorado. Kind of a weird thing, I wonder if Netflix will be making the Essex County show or movie. Not sure what's going on with that one. The street Singh lived on was Gideon Pl, another reference to a Lemire book.
So, I think it was @Kommie who mentioned that the live action Paper Girls TV show likely wouldn't involve the smoking element from the comics, obviously due to 1) the general public perception toward the act of smoking and 2) the fact that it's a kid who smokes throughout pretty much the entire series. But I'm watching The Haunting of Bly Manor and there are several scenes depicting a kid smoking and fidgeting with his lighter a bunch... so I don't think it's really that "taboo" to do include in fiction as long as it's not on mainstream network TV or blatant advertising toward kids.
So we may get Mac smoking a bunch after all, is my point.
> So, I think it was @Kommie who mentioned that the live action Paper Girls TV show
> likely wouldn't involve the smoking element from the comics, obviously due to 1)
> the general public perception toward the act of smoking and 2) the fact that it's
> a kid who smokes throughout pretty much the entire series. But I'm watching The Haunting
> of Bly Manor and there are several scenes depicting a kid smoking and fidgeting with
> his lighter a bunch... so I don't think it's really that "taboo" to do include in
> fiction as long as it's not on mainstream network TV or blatant advertising toward
> kids.
>
> So we may get Mac smoking a bunch after all, is my point.
Also, it's gonna be on Amazon who seem to have the better record for adaptations, so hopefully. It also depends on if they decide to modernize it or keep it 80's at the beginning.
Can anybody recommend me a good Western graphic novel (or starting place for a series)? They seem few and far between, and I wasn’t sure if there were any worth checking out.
> Can anybody recommend me a good Western graphic novel (or starting place for a series)?
> They seem few and far between, and I wasn’t sure if there were any worth checking
> out.
>
>
Preacher can be considered a western and it friggin rules. It's just a high concept western, not necessarily a "gunslinger defends town" sort of thing.
Saga also has western elements but in the same way something like Star Wars does. It's a fantasy sci fi story, but lots of western influences can be found there.
And Criminal is technically a "crime" comic, but there are also several western stories dressed up as city crime in there.
Typing these recommendations out makes me realize how desperately the comic world needs a nice epic western in the traditional style, straight up Wild West vibes. There are a ton of OLD western comics that are the equivalent of your dad's favorite western novels presented in a 1960s-style comic book, but those aren't necessarily the most satisfying long-term stories.
Created by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Nick Dragotta, the book is a science fiction Western set in a dystopian version of the United States whose fate rests with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
I’d also recommend googling “samurai graphic novel” or something of the sort and checking those out. Essentially samurais and westerns are one and the same story wise. Some good stuff out there, Musashi etc.
Yah I was gonna suggest that too. Tons of manga are about samurai, which is obvious. I bought the first volume of Vagabond recently, apparently it’s one of the most popular samurai manga. I guess it tells a fictionalized account of a real samurai’s adventures.
I also hear good things about Frank Miller’s story “Ronin” but haven’t checked it out yet. I imagine it’s got similar western elements.
> Yah I was gonna suggest that too. Tons of manga are about samurai, which is obvious.
> I bought the first volume of Vagabond recently, apparently it’s one of the most popular
> samurai manga. I guess it tells a fictionalized account of a real samurai’s adventures.
>
> I also hear good things about Frank Miller’s story “Ronin” but haven’t checked it
> out yet. I imagine it’s got similar western elements.
It's based after Miyamoto Musashi. Very much a Japanese thing. I got volume 1 recently and read it. Not sure if I'll continue it as the man character just seems like a complete egomaniac jerk, more or less.
I also ordered Berserk Deluxe Volume 2 back in May when it was all $30 due to the author's death. It still hasn't shipped. It's been so long Amazon sent me a -email to confirm I still want it.
>> Yah I was gonna suggest that too. Tons of manga are about samurai, which is obvious.
>> I bought the first volume of Vagabond recently, apparently it’s one of the most
> popular
>> samurai manga. I guess it tells a fictionalized account of a real samurai’s
> adventures.
>>
>> I also hear good things about Frank Miller’s story “Ronin” but haven’t checked
> it
>> out yet. I imagine it’s got similar western elements.
>
> It's based after Miyamoto Musashi. Very much a Japanese thing. I got volume 1 recently
> and read it. Not sure if I'll continue it as the man character just seems like a
> complete egomaniac jerk, more or less.
>
> I also ordered Berserk Deluxe Volume 2 back in May when it was all $30 due to the
> author's death. It still hasn't shipped. It's been so long Amazon sent me a -email
> to confirm I still want it.
I grabbed all of those Berserk deluxe editions as soon as they released, demand spiked but I think they’re still in print. I did see wario post that a few of them were back and sub 30$ this week. Also seeing vol 8-10 up for preorder already.
> It's based after Miyamoto Musashi. Very much a Japanese thing. I got volume 1 recently
> and read it. Not sure if I'll continue it as the man character just seems like a
> complete egomaniac jerk, more or less.
>
Tbh and this isn't a huge criticism of manga, but I feel like that trait fits with many anime/manga protagonists. I feel like the ones who aren't innately angsty come off SUPER confident. I haven't read Vagabond enough to know, only read the first few pages and so far he doesn't come off that way. I mean he's stumbling through the aftermath of a battle so that makes sense, I'll have to see what I think later.
Anyhow, watching Batman: The Long Halloween Part 1 right now and gosh darn is it something else. Miiiiles above modern DC animation imo. A lot of them tell great stories but the faux-anime style that they exclusively used for a few years sorta lost me. Long Halloween has what LOOKS like hand drawn backgrounds, reminiscent of the 90s Batman: The Animated Series which is one of my favorite shows ever. Not sure if this is just really well-done digital work to make it look hand drawn in that old school style, but they nail it regardless. It creates a great sense of atmosphere.
The character models are really good too, reminding me of early-mid 2000s cartoons with really thick line work used around the outline of the characters' body frame and with a lot more personality in the faces that I feel most modern DC animation lacks to a degree.
Pleasantly surprised with this so far... only about 20-25 minutes in but it feels so much more epic than their recent output that I've watched. Knowing the actual story, I can't imagine them messing this up, Killing Joke-style.
When they first started doing the DCAU movies, they claimed they were going to do them in the style of the artists they were adapting. Somewhere along the way, they got away from that and just had that same half-anime look in most of the movies. I'm glad to hear they are getting back to emulating the artists whose work they are adapting. I just picked up the previous 2 movies, but Long Halloween is definitely on my wish list too. Maybe I'll wait for the combo 1-2 in the same package this time, something I wish I had done with Dark Knight and Death of Superman.
Also, Jansen Ackles is a really great Batman. Not a Supernatural fan, never watched it, so I don't know what he's like otherwise but I think this is my favorite animated Batman since Conroy.
Just finished TLH. Man, that was great. It's been so long since I've read the graphic novel and this movie is making me realize I'm forgetting so much. Cannot wait for Part 2 in August, though it'll be tough not to re-read the graphic novel. I'm real tempted to, but almost want to save it until after I see the second half of the movie. Definitely check it out asap fellas, it's worth it. So atmospheric... there are some legit Kurosawa-style shots in there. Very impressed, and easily my favorite Batman animation since probably Under the Red Hood. That one and both Dark Knight Returns adaptations were great.
I'm starting to feel like the direct adaptations are what to look out for when it comes to Batman animated movies, the original ones where they mix-and-match elements of print stories are kind of hit-or-miss. The "Son of Batman" movies (I think trilogy) really effed up... they blew their load on Scott Snyder's Court of Owls origin story within an adaptation of a Grant Morrison story and it just didn't work. They just seem to give more love and attention to the direct adaptations.
That is, except for The Killing Joke. That movie was destroyed by the awful first half hour of forced original material. But we can't lay the blame completely on the original stuff... that story just isn't as good as most folks pretend it is. At least in my opinion. One of the worst "legacy" Batman stories I've ever read and I can't be convinced otherwise gosh darnit.
@theJaw Good thoughts, thanks for sharing. I feel like the discussion around these are pretty rare so it’s nice to hear some other opinions.
I still haven’t checked out the Son of Batman trilogy or Killing Joke, just because they seem pretty skippable. I will say that personally, I was not a fan of the Dark Knight Returns movies, though I love the graphic novel. I think what threw me off was that the whole “inner monologue” approach doesn’t really work in a movie format, and that’s what help gives TDKR it’s clear voice through the aging Batman. I also wasn’t a big fan of the Batman voice for that one, though he wasn’t too bad.
Cranston was great in Year One for sure, that one was probably in the upper tier of animated Batman for me. So was Under the Red Hood. And I really enjoyed Hush too.
Ultimately, I think Mask of the Phantasm may be my favorite. The Animated Series style and look are just so great to watch, and the story development is really good. Plus the voices are spot on (since it uses the Animated Series cast).
Did you watch Assault on Arkham? That one sucks, IMO. That may be the one I absolutely hate out of all the ones I’ve seen.
HBO Max is awesome for having all these. I wouldn’t really have an interest in paying for them, and they’re pretty easy viewing most of the time, since like you said, the output is pretty much all the same. That said, Long Halloween is definitely gonna get a lot more of my attention.
>> It's based after Miyamoto Musashi. Very much a Japanese thing. I got volume
> 1 recently
>> and read it. Not sure if I'll continue it as the man character just seems like
> a
>> complete egomaniac jerk, more or less.
>>
>
>
> Tbh and this isn't a huge criticism of manga, but I feel like that trait fits with
> many anime/manga protagonists. I feel like the ones who aren't innately angsty come
> off SUPER confident. I haven't read Vagabond enough to know, only read the first
> few pages and so far he doesn't come off that way. I mean he's stumbling through
> the aftermath of a battle so that makes sense, I'll have to see what I think later.
>
>
I don't dabble too much into Anime or Manga. Haven't watched Anime in forever and my Manga reading is Blade of the Immortal, Berserk, Lone Wolf and Cub (haven't read this in years, Dark Horse needs to reprint it) and Junji Ito stuff. The artwork has to be really good for me to read Manga. Vinland Saga is another well lauded one but it has that very Shonen Manga artwork style which is off-putting.
"In fact, the latest Nielsen streaming ratings for June have crowned Sweet Tooth as the most popular show of the month, drawing in 1.4 billion minutes worth of streams, almost double the 731 million brought in by Loki."
> "In fact, the latest Nielsen streaming ratings for June have crowned Sweet Tooth
> as the most popular show of the month, drawing in 1.4 billion minutes worth of streams,
> almost double the 731 million brought in by Loki."
>
> Pretty good chance Sweet Tooth gets a season 2.
You'd certainly think so, and I expect it, but Netflix does have a dodgy history with cancelling shows for what seems like no reason. Santa Clarita Diet was a really popular one on the net, with just as much "word of mouth" as any other show they've put out, but they still axed that. Same goes for Sabrina, I'm Not Okay with This, The Society, etc etc
Heck, they already ordered, announced and shot an episode of GLOW's would-be final season before cancelling that out of nowhere. Covid can be blamed to some extent but they could have just held off on production like literally every other show. If actual wrestling could find a way to stay running during the ENTIRE pandemic (to varying degrees of success), then it shouldn't have been too hard to pick production on GLOW back up when it was safer. If they had the confidence to get ALL the way to production of episodes, there's really no explaining why they decided it should be cancelled when so many other shows dealt with the same issues but remain on the air.
Anyhow, sorry for the rant, but I'm hoping Netflix doesn't pull a classic disappointment with Sweet Tooth. That'd be a bummer, especially given how Season 1 ended.
Don't they tend to cancel shows already seasons in moreso vs first season? I honestly don't really watch many Netflix shows. The only complete series I've watched from them is Dark. Gave up on Orange and The Witcher. I do want to watch Ozark though.
Read some new stuff: - Department of Truth Vol 1 (covers #1-5). So great. Can’t wait for the next ones. - Saga of the Swamp Thing Vol 1 - never read any Swamp Thing, but this was pretty good. Not sure if I’ll read the rest yet. - Batman: Last Knight on Earth. Decent, but not great. Gets pretty cliche by the end. Still an interesting concept.
> - Batman: Last Knight on Earth. Decent, but not great. Gets pretty cliche by the
> end. Still an interesting concept.
I got this last year and started it but it was so weird and I was more in the mood for a straight-forward Batman story at the time. Still plan on going back to it, even though I think my buddy half-spoiled the swerve of what the whole story winds up being, so I’m in a lot less of a rush.
In other news, got an Amazon gift card today and snagged Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 2. 700+ page hardcover. It’s the middle portion of Morrison’s legendary run on the series, and features the entire run of his Batman & Robin series + the “Return of Bruce Wayne” arc (after having “killed off” Bruce earlier in his run).
I’ve read most of his Batman & Robin run and loved the dynamic of a more lighthearted Batman (Dick Grayson) and a much more brooding Robin (Damian Wayne), so I’m pumped to jump back in.
Gonna read that then move directly into a reread of my giant “Absolute Batman Incorporated” hardcover, which I believe is the finale arc for Morrison’s Batman (and features a great finale issue that beautifully pays off the Dick/Damian dynamic).
> In other news, got an Amazon gift card today and snagged Batman by Grant Morrison
> Omnibus Vol. 2. 700+ page hardcover. It’s the middle portion of Morrison’s legendary
> run on the series, and features the entire run of his Batman & Robin series + the
> “Return of Bruce Wayne” arc (after having “killed off” Bruce earlier in his run).
>
>
> I’ve read most of his Batman & Robin run and loved the dynamic of a more lighthearted
> Batman (Dick Grayson) and a much more brooding Robin (Damian Wayne), so I’m pumped
> to jump back in.
>
> Gonna read that then move directly into a reread of my giant “Absolute Batman Incorporated”
> hardcover, which I believe is the finale arc for Morrison’s Batman (and features
> a great finale issue that beautifully pays off the Dick/Damian dynamic).
You've just completely ruined my opinion of your opinions, which I usually agree with. Morrison in general, and his Batman in particular, is such pretentious crape for the most part.
@Grenadier eh to each their own. He definitely has some lesser Batman stories (which is why I went straight to Omnibus Vol 2) but I can’t say I see what’s so pretentious about his Batman and Robin run or Batman Inc.
He tried getting a little too “trippy” with his earlier Bat-stuff (not at all a fan of Arkham Asylum), and the start of his actual run, but that evens out quick enough.
Otherwise, lots of folks are fans of his run... we can’t ALL be wrong gosh darnitall!
Yah I mean, I will say I feel like maybe Morrison gets a little too much praise relative to his output, solely because a lot of his stories really are purposely difficult to approach without the right mindset and/or prior knowledge for the property he's writing. There are lots of stories he's written that I feel are a little over-indulgent, Arkham Asylum being one of them. I can't get through that one, though I do understand its appeal. I also have a tough time with Morrison's Batman story "Gothic" which is strange because it seems about as straight-forward as a Morrison Batman story gets, but it's another I haven't been able to get all the way through despite multiple attempts.
I do feel like there will be little windows where I'm in the right "mood" for those stories, but so far they haven't hit me. That said, some of the Morrison stories I've read (again, like Batman Inc) are some really imaginative, interesting stories with themes that go a bit deeper than normal "superhero comic" fare.
I also think his run on X-Men was really good, even if it created a status quo that following writers had to (and failed to) live up to, which just resulted in a revamp a few years later.
I do like some of his stuff. X-Men, JLA, and the stuff when Dick was Batman all worked.
Any time he gets "trippy" as you put it just makes me feel like I wasted my money on the book. The Black Glove, and all that stuff with the League of Batmen, and Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? were all misses for me. I guess I see him missing more than hitting, especially more recently.
I know there's a League of Batmen book but I don't know if that was Morrison, you may be referring to Batman Incorporated (with the international Batmen and whatnot). That book is very far from the "trippiness" of his other stories and is actually very straight-forward. Otherwise the book I posted about buying that lowered your opinion of MY opinion is the book where Dick is Batman, which you feel worked, so hopefully that whole silly opinion situation has been redeemed haha
But yah, The Black Glove isn't great, and neither is Batman and Son or that whole first section of his "legendary" Batman run. It's not awful imo, but not that good either. It really picks up as he goes on, around where the hardcover I just bought picks up. And his work on Batman before he was head writer (Arkham Asylum, Whatever Happened, Gothic, etc) is definitely hit-or-miss, but I tend not to count those when talking about his legitimate run on the title.
Ah, my bad. It was around the time of Morrison's run, so I connected him to that.
It doesn't help that Morrison's run also features Damian heavily. The best thing they ever did with Damian was kill him off and give Bruce a new tragedy. But of course, they had to bring the little butt-hole back.
Oh I’m sure there will be plenty. They don’t even wait to pretend they actually watched & disliked the content itself these days, so it shouldn’t be too long before there’s some manufactured backlash online.
I remember really liking Y The Last Man tbh. I think I got the entire run via trade paperback from someone here on the GTZ. I’ve been meaning to give it a reread, maybe I will now to coincide with the show getting close to release.
On vacation up in Vermont and hung back at the cabin while the lady and pals hit the swimming hole nearby. Decided to finally read Book 3 of Essex County.
1) Love the Invincible shout out with the poster on the wall 2) hope my pals don’t come back anytime soon cause I need to get these cry boys outta my face.
Essex County truly is a masterpiece, thanks for the recommendation @Kommie
It reads a lot like a classic novel... like a To Kill a Mockingbird-esque story. It really is an incredibly emotional read.
If you liked Essex County, Royal City is very similar-ish to it. Most of his self drawn/written material is super grounded in reality type stories. Frogcatchers, Underwater Welder and Roughneck are also similar.
Essex County is optioned for a movie, or TV and if done right I think it could certainly win some major awards.
Definitely looking forward to whenever that comes out.
I have Underwater Welder next on the Lemire docket. Snagged it on Comixology because it’s free to “borrow” with an Unlimited account.
I also sorta wanna read his Thanos run. I’d honestly like to see what his mainstream superhero stuff is like after reading these “smaller” stories. Bet he adds a nice layer of depth to the stories he writes for those companies.
As much as I'd love to go to NYCC, it feels likes it's less focused on comics and more focused on the movies/tv shows/cosplay aspects of the hobby. I'd like to eventually go to Baltimore Comic Con or something, I have a Preacher #1 I'd like to get signed if Garth Ennis were to go. I know BKV is gonna be at this year's BCC.
I went to Boston Comic Con one year and it was a pretty fun time. Definitely not as "showy" as the big ones, much more of a focus on comics and whatnot though there were obviously a few movie/TV stars doing signings.
I know SDCC and NYCC are more like chores if you end up going because they're so huge and packed and there are so many panels that overlap, schedule-wise, so you could never see everything... but I'd still like to go to one or both at least one time.
NYCC has a virtual ticket this year if you're interested. $20 plus tax and ticket fee (~$25) gets you a stream of all the main stage panels, and audio stream of everything else.
I've done NYCC several times. The first few years before it got really huge were best, as you could actually navigate without waiting in lines for each panel room. Last time I went, you had to get in line in the morning to reserve a spot for the mainstage panels, then wait in line to actually get into those panels you reserved a seat for when the panel time actually was close. Ridiculous. They seem to have replaced that this year with an online reservation system, but I bet that means its easier to get locked out of the main stage stuff. I didn't want to face the crowds this year anyway, so the virtual ticket was ideal.
Hmm I may snag one of those virtual tickets. I mean, I know any news that comes from those panels will just be on the internet immediately after it hits the con, but whatever. Could still be a neat experience.
I really enjoy the online presentation for this sort of thing. DC Fandome last year was a legit fun time with exciting announcements. Hoping this year's Fandome is as good.
I'm still on the fence as to when I'll be reading. If I read month-to-month, it'll be digitally so I can still justify buying a collected physical release down the road. I read the majority of Saga via the big deluxe hardcovers, so I'm torn but I'll probably just switch to following it via trades now. No way I can wait like 3 more years for the hardcover.
> Y: The Last Man was canceled. For being in development hell for a long time, it's
> probably disappointing to everyone who made it.
Yah saw that, but BKV and the show’s director seem very confident that a Season 2 will happen on another network. I still haven’t watched Season 1 unfort.
Finally started reading Low Volume 1. Got this book years ago at Barnes and Noble but have put it off ever since. Rick Remender story about Earth's final generation of humans living on the bottom of the ocean because the sun has been quickly destroying the planet. Very cool sci-fi setting and an unconventional family situation, even if the first issue is a tiny bit predictable.
Friend will be giving me Volumes 2-4 in a few days and then I'll only need to read 5 to be caught up.
Anyone else reading this? Any idea if there's an endgame in sight or if this is just going to be ongoing for the time being? I feel like the concept only has legs for a few volumes but with it not over after 5 I'm wondering what else happens in the series.
@Kommie yah I noticed a bit of that in Vol 1 but it wasn’t too gratuitous yet. At least they allowed the wife character to take the main protagonist role (at least in Vol 1), and didn’t just make her a character with no agency.
Complete Lone Wolf and Cub for $25, it's a steal. Has others as well, but this is difficult to find in print so all of it for $25 is amazing. Only a little over a day left though.
Re-reading the third deluxe edition of Saga and man, this story is great. I forgot just how huge it is, and how little we've ACTUALLY gotten as to the overall big picture.
Spoilers below, but if you haven't caught up on Saga during the 3 year hiatus before its big return, I'm sure you won't care....
Anyhow, at the beginning of this hardcover (I think volume 7 of the trade paperbacks), it's insinuated by the dying Robot ambassador of the comet Phang that the "wings" and "horns" are actually conspiring together somehow, despite the whole story up until that point driving it into our skulls that these two factions have been warring for years. This is even the main catalyst for what puts out main characters on the run in the first place - a baby born between both sides, with both horns AND wings. Re-reading this scene with the ambassador asking "Or?" when questioned about who plans on killing off the comet, it's really a startling revelation.
I'm realizing now that despite like 10 issues releasing after that, we still haven't really gotten any follow up to how the two sides are working together exactly. Thankfully, we have a whole other half of the story to find out, but I appreciate how the first half of the comic really told this story from a ground-level POV - with characters finding crap out at the exact same time as the reader, and not finding out more until a long while after. It makes me feel like the second half is going to be SO MUCH larger in scale and stakes, now that they're gonna have to delve more into the actual factions at play.
Did either of you read Department of Truth? I’m about halfway through the second graphic novel and I’m still really enjoying it. SUPER dark at times but very good.
Also read Batman: Damned a couple weeks ago. Wasn’t a fan of that one.
Batman: Creature of the Night was good but not great.
Azzarello (writer of Damned) can be sort of hit-or-miss for me, but he co-wrote The Dark Knight III: The Master Race with Frank Miller and DKIII is easily my favorite of the famous "Dark Knight" series (with one of my favorite depictions of Superman) so he'll always be held in fairly high regards for me.
> So pumped, just hope I get re-caught up by then. Shouldn't be an issue haha.
So, on my recent re-read my one gripe is a lot of Marko's dialogue is just super cringey(? not sure how to describe it, cringey, lame, something else). Basically, any dialogue aimed at Alana ends with him saying "love" or some such lameness. It's not a deal-breaker but still kinda lame.
Issue #54 spoilers
And well, considering he's dead it won't be an issue going forward.
Yah he can be a bit corny at times, but then other times he can be a mega badass, so I don't mind it too much. Balances out enough for me.
Decided I'm going to be reading Saga month-to-month, but digitally. I have no space for a ton of comics right now anyhow, so I'll just take the digital route to stay kept up and then buy the Deluxe hardcovers as they release to keep up my the physical collection.
Not sure if it's just Saga 55 or not, but any attempt to 1-click buy it for Comixology/Kindle on Amazon doesn't work... can't even subscribe to the series. On the actual Kindle Fire, it says it can't connect to the store when I try checking out. Like I said, not sure if it's happening across the board or if it's just Saga 55, but it wouldn't surprise me if this issue dropping effed with the servers a bit.
Yeeeaaaah saw that. Gonna go ahead assure you (as I'm sure you already know) that it wasn't REALLY nudity or language that got Maus banned. Texas passed a bill to remove critical race theory as a requirement from schools, Florida advanced a bill to "ban making white people feel bad about racism", and now Tennessee is banning a book all about the struggles folks who faced racism on a genocidal level went through. Seems the most hillbilly of State governments are strangely trying to sweep racism as a whole under the rug (likely so they continue, you know, being racist).
Fudgein gross. I pulled out my hardcover of Maus last night after reading that story and plan on giving it another read just to stick it to the (rich white) man.
Reading a new issue of Saga was sort of surreal, really hit me how hard I missed the series as I got deeper into the issue.
Where the first half of the story had a lot of layers of gray when it comes to the "good and bad" sides regarding the characters' moralities, Chapter 55 draws CLEAR lines in black and white.
Obviously the (now weird drug dealing) crew revolving around Hazel are the "good guys", and the two bounty hunter weirdos (The Will and Gwendolyn) who fudge in front of both Marko's literal skull and Lying Cat herself are the primary villains. That scene, btw, ended up being fudging eerie, even with all the hyper-sexual nonsense. Obviously there will be more characters established and twists that will play into the plot moving forward, but I firmly believe the "main characters" who will be the major players in the long run are the characters they made a point to focus on in Issue 55.
Also, I had developed my theory (based on some online speculation) that Sophie would ultimately become Hazel's arch-nemesis in Saga's endgame, and now that The Will and Gwendolyn are in literal cahoots, that seems all the more likely now. I could see some big event happening where The Will and Gwen both get offed whenever Sophie is "of age", and she takes up their plight. Big too-early prediction: Sophie becomes Hazel's nemesis only to ultimately bond with her and pass up the bounty hunting life that got the two folks who brought her up killed. Maybe a bold guess but whatev.
Yeah when you think about how a comic script is written vs a film script... you really get very little story in single comic issues. Generally speaking, one page = one minute for a film script (whether it be TV or movie), so a comic issue is ultimately a tiny snapshot of an entire arc. Won't be able to REALLY judge it until the arc is wrapped up.
My (just about) brother-in-law gave me a late Secret Santa gift tonight - BRZRKR Volume 1. Apparently written by Keanu Reeves and the art in this book looks incredible. Interested to see what the story gets up to.
Haven’t been able to sleep tonight, got some rough news. So I did the adult thing and ordered the paperback release of Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth. I remember loving this right when I was getting back into comics hard around a decade ago, but feel like I’d appreciate it more now. I have the OG hardcover SOMEwhere but don’t feel like digging it out, and honestly don’t want to handle it more than necessary as it’s already a little beat up.
Really looking forward to revisiting it in a much lighter copy of the book haha
> Haven’t been able to sleep tonight, got some rough news. So I did the adult thing and ordered the paperback release of Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth.
> I remember loving this right when I was getting back into comics hard around a decade ago, but feel like I’d appreciate it more now. I have the OG hardcover SOMEwhere
> but don’t feel like digging it out, and honestly don’t want to handle it more than necessary as it’s already a little beat up.
>
> Really looking forward to revisiting it in a much lighter copy of the book haha
Read some stuff over the weekend, thanks to Hoopla:
- Moon Knight Vol 1: From the Dead. Been slowly getting into Moon Knight a little bit lately,. Found out pretty much all the graphic novels are on Hoopla which is cool, and I’d heard good things about this run (2014-15). Enjoyed this book quite a bit, though the short issues (22 pgs) really made some stories feel cut off at the knees. Apparently Warren Ellis is a really sucky guy, which is disappointing because I liked this a lot. Luckily future issues in the series are written by other authors. Issue #5 was especially good: basically one long fight scene that was done really well. Definitely plan to check out the other issues of this series. - V for Vendetta. My first time ever reading this, and I think to sum it up in a word: challenging. The huge number of characters to keep track of is made more difficult by the art style that I found sometimes difficult to follow, and the story I think ultimately takes on a little too much by the end. Not bad, but not as good as I had hoped. Probably will watch the movie at some point. - Batman: Ego. Interesting idea and solid execution, plus the short length helped it from becoming too overbearing. Enjoyed it.
I've grabbed quite a few of the old school Marvel Conan stuff, and the magazines. I had some great deals. There are some pretty good stories there for some simple adventure.
I'm also only 2 or 3 issues short of having the entire Dark Horse Conan run.
> Never even heard of it. Although it looks like Seth McFarland ripped off the character
> design for Stewie from this.
Chris Ware, creator of Jimmy Corrigan, even assumes this to be the case. Said the similarities are a little too coincidental to be "well, coincidental" and that he didn't want 7 years of his work to be available only to be accused of ripping off Family Guy. McFarlane claimed he had never seen the comic before creating Stewie but admitted the similarities were "shocking" and understands why Ware feels the way he does.
So do any of you collect a specific series or run?
For me it's Aliens, Predator, Star Wars, Robocop, Conan, Red Sonja, and Terminator. I haven't bought superhero stuff other than the occasional book in many years.
> So do any of you collect a specific series or run?
>
> For me it's Aliens, Predator, Star Wars, Robocop, Conan, Red Sonja, and Terminator.
> I haven't bought superhero stuff other than the occasional book in many years.
My main collection is Green Lantern. I have everything from 1959's Showcase 22 (first appearance) up until ... one of the Geoff John's run. I stopped right before Hal Jordan grew long hair and wore a trench coat and had a gauntlet and looked like a 1990's Rob Liefield character. No thanks.
When I was in high school I would pick up all kinds of crap each week. Mostly DC; Justice League, lots of garbage late 80's stuff like Manhunter, Power of the Atom, crap like that.
My father used to help pick up older stuff when we would go to conventions. We have a large run of Amazing Spider-man including issue #9 and sporadic issues up to 40 and then we have a complete run until after I stopped buying when Erik Larson stopped drawing it.
We have two boxes of core stuff: original X-Men 2, 5, 7, Iron Man 2, 4 and then 10-50, Amazing Spidey 129, Hulk 180, Green Lantern, early Batman, Justice League, etc. Lots of good stuff.
I stopped buying monthly books years ago. I've been picking up TPB's when the interest is there.
I did buy the Grant Morrison Green Lantern monthly issues but stopped after "Season 1".
I've got about 15 long boxes of stuff that I've collected since the early 80's.
> So do any of you collect a specific series or run?
>
> For me it's Aliens, Predator, Star Wars, Robocop, Conan, Red Sonja, and Terminator.
> I haven't bought superhero stuff other than the occasional book in many years.
Mainly just collect the Saga hardcovers and that's not really "active collecting" because they only come out once every 3 years or so. Guess you could say I collect Peanuts collections too.
I do have a complete collection of Scott Snyder's New 52 Batman run + a few variants and whatnot, so that's pretty neat. My boy @cliffsteele sent me an issue signed by artist Greg Capullo a few years back. The man.
Otherwise I just snag trade paperbacks of what interests me for the most part.
I have a small collection of comics signed by artists aren writers.
I have a first printing of Killing Joke by Brian Bolland.
I also have a first print hardcover of Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told that is signed by Marshall Rogers and ... I *think* Brian Bolland but I can't remember.
I've got the first three issues of the 80's Justice League signed by Kevin Maguire.
I've got Spiderman 298 and 299 signed by McFarlane. Also a bunch of Dirty Pair issues signed by Adam Warren.
I was recently talking about this with another comic collector who told me I was full of crap because I don't have any COA's or visual proof. I was a kid in the 80's. Nobody was issuing COA's or any of that bullcrap back then.
I've got more signatures but I'd have to dig into them all.
McFarlane was the worst. This was right after his Spider-Man series launched. Signings were standing in rows and he would just walk by and sign. It was assembly line. It was nuts.
My best is first appearance of Barbara Gordon Batgirl. Its probably a 5-6. I have like 5000 comics total, but mostly 80s-90s. I have decent stack of 12 cent cover Superman and Batman, but only a few of any significance other than the age. I bought like 300 or so in the 90s, then a several batches from yard sales etc. I have semi-focused on the Dark Horse stuff for years though. I really need to downsize.
An issue of the ORIGINAL Daredevil, the issue is older than my father. Fun note: Image brought this particular Daredevil back to be in Savage Dragon during the 90s: image
> @theJaw Death of the Family was really good. Cool one to have signed.
I definitely dug it, but I dug it a bit more when I was actively reading it month-to-month. Going back, I feel like it went a little too "slasher horror" with its treatment of Joker (police department scene seemed straight out of a Scream movie) and I tend to hate it when a bunch of famous rogues are crammed into an arc (and in this case, just one issue). Still an alright time though for sure, even if Scott Snyder's "Endgame" is his superior Joker story (and one of my favorites). "Endgame" just ties so well into the first part of "Zero Year" that was released about a year prior, where we see the New 52 Red Hood/Joker origin (which is another favorite of mine).
But as far as history goes, Death of the Family is when New 52's Batman really started getting eyes on it so I'm definitely happy to have an issue from that arc signed by the artist.
Yeah definitely a play on that title, but trying to make it seem more "epic" in that Joker could actually cause Batman to lose even more than just Robin at any given time.
I wasn't even born yet when Death IN the Family came out (I would be a year later), but that was one of the first Batman stories that I actually read front-to-back when I was a kid and helped hook me to the character forever. I had none of the baggage that readers of the time had against Jason Todd so I was legit devastated to see those death panels on the pages (even if the main one was spoiled on the cover). I probably just wasn't aware there was ever more than one Robin when I was that age, so it has stuck with me ever since.
Pretty great story in how much it feels like a legit detective drama with set pieces outside of Gotham, and then obviously the ending is iconic.
@razeak & @Sid_Ceaser Did you guys vote kill or no kill?
I have several signed books, but only a few have Certificates of Authenticity.
The neatest is probably a first edition TPB of The Death of Superman signed by the writer Dan Jurgens. It reads "For Hayden", so if anyone has a friend named Hayden that they want to get a nice gift for, please let me know.
What is everyone's opinion on TPBs? When there is a storyline that crosses over several titles, do you prefer the TPBs to contain only their original title, or complete the storyline in order? For example: Endgame. Batman (2013-2017) Vol. 7 collects Batman issues 35-40. Joker Endgame collects those same issues and includes the other one shots and crossover issues that complete the storyline.
My preference is the latter. I prefer to read a storyline in the order they were meant to be read. Without a reading chronology list, this is difficult with TPBs that simply compile consecutive issues from a single title. Without such a TPB, some of the one shots would not be included anywhere.
I'm currently bingeing DC's Metal and Death Metal TPBs, and I can't find a decent reading chronology anywhere. Once or twice there has been a note at the beginning of a story saying "read XXX first", but there haven't been enough of them.
@Tony I approach TPBs sort of the same way I approach seasons of TV. Sure some TV shows have different writers for different episodes, but all have show-runners that keep track of the actual story to keep it consistent. If you were to switch out a show-runner for another in between episodes and mix-and-match, it'd probably come out pretty uneven. I feel like that's the case with TPBs and comic runs too. When reading stories, I tend to stick to the primary writer as to keep the same consistent quality all the way through. For example, the other crossover issues in that Joker Endgame book (tbh I think they're just the backup stories included in the original issues) are written by other writers (in this case, probably James Tynion IV). Those are fun to have in the single issues but I feel including them in just one straight read-through of the main story would be distracting.
If they're included just in the back of the book then no harm no foul, I'm just always far less interested in the backup stories and will likely just skip them. And I do know DC tends to mash the work of the different writing teams together from time-to-time when compiling crossovers via omnibus - that's just not for me. I know for Death of the Family, they tied in all the Bat-family books for an issue or two to deal with what was going on in the main Batman story and I started collecting a bunch of them. They were fine but really did nothing to add to the main narrative at all, so they were pretty unnecessary looking back.
Damn, Jason Todd really was despised eh? Or was it just the desire to have some small say toward something that monumental? I would have felt terrible haha.
And yah, that take on the Joker is so menacing despite being so prim and proper for the most part. Like, I find that version of the Joker infinitely more terrifying than the "face mask" Joker from Death of the Family. So unsettling to look at and imagine as a real person, as opposed to looking at as a slasher horror monster.
That's true, Under the Red Hood is a classic Batman story at this point and I LOVE the animated adaptation (Death in the Family's adaptation, not so much).
Grant Morrision's wacky red headed Jason Todd was pretty fun too, whenever he'd show up in that run.
> Damn, Jason Todd really was despised eh? Or was it just the desire to have some small
> say toward something that monumental? I would have felt terrible haha.
>
I don't know if it was that he was really despised - this was at a time when comic characters weren't killed off all that often, so the novelty of readers voting one way or the other was kinda cool. I don't care either way about Jason Todd, I was more curious that if I voted for "die" if they would actually do it or if they'd find a way to keep him alive. Or kill him and bring him right back or something.
And it felt kinda neat to be involved somehow. But, still, after the issue came out I felt kinda guilty.
I liked how in the first issues of the Morrison "Batman" title Jason Todd was commenting on how wearing the red hood caused his face to break out. That was funny.
From what I can recall from the fan press at the time, Jason was pretty hated. Or at least that version of him.
When he was first introduced, he was basically a Dick Grayson clone. Circus kid, parents killed, the whole thing.
After Crisis on Infinite Earths, we got a new origin for Jason. Batman catches him trying to steal the hubcaps off the Batmobile. His father is a two-bit criminal, and Jason is living on the streets, in Crime Alley in fact. Bats basically tries to save him, figuring he will become another career criminal otherwise. This version of Jason is the hated one, as he displays a violent streak, and it is implied he kills a rapist who has diplomatic immunity. So I'm thinking people voted for him to die simply because he had it coming by that point.
Giving a few volumes of Scott Snyder's New 52 Batman run a re-read. After talking about it in here a bit and since The Batman reintroduced The Riddler, I figured I'd give "Zero Year" another look. In all honesty, I think this is my personal favorite Batman origin story. Year One rules, and is a great arc, but I dug how Zero Year spanned 3 full arcs (a full year) of the book and really delved into the evolution of Batman's positioning in the hierarchy of Gotham. It also featured a Bruce Wayne who was younger and more willing to joke around a bit. Similar to Dick Grayson but not quite to that extent - he has a dark humor about him which is more-or-less gone by the time we meet him in the first arc of Snyder's run, The Court of Owls.
It's broken down into 3 parts:
Secret City - Ultimately a story of pre-Batman Bruce Wayne acting as a disguised vigilante attempting to take down the Red Hood Gang but failing. That is, until he realizes he needs to become the Batman when an old piece of tech reveals a 360 scan of what will become the Batcave super imposed over the room of Wayne Manor where Bruce keeps a bust of his father. A nice side plot in this is Edward Nygma, before becoming The Riddler, pulling the strings behind Bruce's uncle's involvement with the Red Hood Gang and we see how he organically gets mixed up in Batman's story. Dark City - Starts with Batman vs. The Red Hood Gang (featuring Red Hood #1, the Joker before he's the Joker) which ends with a mash up of The Killing Joke's Joker origin and Batman 89's Joker origin to result in my personal favorite Joker origin. Even though we know it's him, the series does a good job in keeping it ambiguous (especially with the Joker stuff that comes later in Snyder's run). During that part, Batman blacked out a portion of the city to look like a Bat signal, but then after the Red Hood stuff, Riddler blacks the entire city out and Batman has to deal with a decently horrifying new take on villain Doctor Death. THIS is the Snyder horror I prefer over Death of the Family. Even with the crazy villain and Junji Ito-inspired depictions of Death's victims, it comes off way more subtle a "scary story" than DITF. Savage City - Batman has to save the now-flooded and overgrown Gotham city from The Riddler in the big finale.
Once again loved Secret City, and I'm starting in on the Doctor Death story line right now. I'm liking it a lot more than the first time I read it. I always dug the horror elements but it seemed like sort of a "side quest" after the Red Hood and on the road to The Riddler. I just didn't think Doctor Death belonged sandwiched between those two classic villains, but then realized Doctor Death is historically the first "super" villain Batman ever faced in Detective Comics #29 from 1939 and is arguably more "classic" than either of them.
ALSO finally spending off the last of my gift cards to order Books Five and Six of Preacher because I just remembered I have 4 but only got a bit of a way through it. Now I can read the back half of the series in one go. Hopefully. For some reason, for as much as I love the story and what they're building in Preacher, I always take extended breaks from it for some reason. Oh well, at least I'll have it all for when I'm ready to finish up.
Got Books Five and Six of Preacher, so I'm finally approaching the end game.
Gotta say, and this is just about the least important aspect of the comic, but I hate that Jesse got a new dog companion because this is the type of series where I could see just awful things happening to it. I mean they already showed what happened to Jesse's childhood dog and Cassidy straight up throws another dog through a pharmacy window at one point... so I don't have high hopes for the pup. No spoilers please, but I'm hoping this dog makes it out okay.
I wouldn’t freak out, just think the whole “create an attachment to a pet just to kill them off” is one of the cheaper storytelling tropes one can possibly implement. But I mean that said, human or animal, it’s a character regardless and you’re supposed to feel something for characters in a story.
...a Cassidy sacrificial redemption somewhere in the endgame. Been a dick his whole life, feels guilty about Tulip/Jesse and finally comes to his senses to save them somehow. At least that’s what I can see happening, but this book has thrown a few curveballs over its run. Starting the issue now where the homeless lady(?) fills Jesse in on how she knows Cassidy from the bar.
Ennis certainly did sorta swerve Cassidy into a real piece of crap these last two arcs. For a while he just came off as a compulsive weirdo who maybe felt loyalty a little too quickly, but after essentially keeping Tulip drugged up to make sure she stayed with him, he certainly comes off far worse. I know he was somewhat conflicted at first but after that month he seemed fine with their situation, and even forced her to kiss him like a real creep.
I am definitely digging the direction it's taking. There are a few lulls throughout the series but this last book is doing a good job of building toward the endgame. Just read the issue where...
...Jesse digs up the Saint of Killers' bones and gets him to realize that taking out God is necessary. Seeing the Saint acknowledge how he felt like there was "somethin' behind him waiting for him to become it" and then asking Jesse what his "damn plan" is was badass. Jesse ultimately made this dude realize he needed to become the devil in order to help him carry out his "job". Don't know if I'm interpreting that incorrectly or if the story is going to switch it up on me, but that issue was great.
So my earlier prediction was soooort of accurate, just presented in a way I hadn't imagined. I enjoyed that ending a bunch. At first I thought it was a bit of a cop out but the way the reveals were laid out, it made plenty of sense. I was gearing up for a mega depressing ending for a little bit there.
First 2 episodes of Preacher down. They're already remixing the story in big ways compared to the comics (already delving into the Saint of Killers' backstory even), which is fine. As usual, I know to hold the book and its adaptation as two entirely separate things so no worries there. Though I will say despite that, I probably could have given it a week or two before starting the show just to get some space between both versions of the story/characters.
I imagined Jesse with a much deeper drawl like the old-timey cowboy movies, but I've gotten used to this portrayal and am digging it enough. Cassidy is spot on as far as looks go, feels like they ripped the actor right out of the comics. Lack of sunglasses doesn't bother me, although I did love the scene at the end of the comics where you finally do see his eyes. It made that scene a lot more visceral, but whatev. He's also much more capable in huge fight scenarios than he was in the comics, but whatev. I figure since @Kommie mentioned him being more likeable in the show, the ending will probably be different in major ways as far as Jesse and Cassidy's relationship goes.
Tulip is the only one who's an entirely different character, and it's not just because of her appearance. She was fierce and capable in the comic (loved her bit in the endgame ps) but she's a lot more conniving and generally "criminal" in the show. Her and Jesse's relationship was clearly re-worked for the show.
Arseface looks too... clean. But I suppose it works best for live action. Fudging love that W. Earl Jones is the Sheriff, will always be a fan of his thanks to Deadwood. Also the red headed kid from the first episode with his abusive father was in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and he has a line that my gf and I always quote so it was neat to see him pop up here.
All in all, I know to take this as its own "thing" and will do my best not to hold it to the comics moving forward, this was just my adjustment phase haha. I'm definitely along for the ride and will enjoy what comic callbacks we do end up getting.
No sunglasses Cassidy works for the show, as the actor does a great job with his eyes. Acting would probably be worse with the sunglasses. Season 1 from what I remember was very slow and set-up-like, but the rest isn't. Season 1 also adapts the part of the comic where Jesse goes back to his hometown, so they kinda combine that part with the beginning. There is no meat-wife, but there is a small nod of sorts to it at the end. Odin Quincannon appears in season 1 played by Jackie Earle Haley. Humperdoo is great too when he shows up. The addition of Hitler was cool. The Preacher style humor definitely picks up in later seasons.
Herr Starr is great in the show, and all the wacky Allfather crap is still there. But if you watch it like an adaptation and not a pure 1:1 comic adaptation, it's fun once through.
Yah I saw Quincannon in one scene, surprised he showed up so early. Obv haven't gotten to Hitler yet, but that could probably go either way for me. I'll have to see how they do it. Glad we're getting the hometown stuff this season, that's one of my favorite arcs of the comics.
Also, is meat wife like... an iconic part of the comic to some people or something? You keep mentioning that it isn't in the show but considering it was only in one panel of the comic, I wouldn't really expect it to be & can't imagine anyone would care all that much haha
There are definitely some cool things that they directly take from the comics like:
"You gotta be one of the good guys, son:"
I know Ennis gets criticized a lot for the vulgarity and toilet humor/edgelord crap but there is still some great crap he does even in his vulgar stuff. Aside from Crossed that is, that crap's just vulgar for the sake of it.
It certainly isn't as bad an adaptation from what I hear about Locke & Key becoming a teen aimed show though. I'm not sure how you'd make Preacher into a show aimed at young kids though.
> I know Ennis gets criticized a lot for the vulgarity and toilet humor/edgelord crap
> but there is still some great crap he does even in his vulgar stuff. Aside from
> Crossed that is, that crap's just vulgar for the sake of it.
I mean for sure, Preacher was a great story front-to-back even with the edgy stuff in there. I don't even consider it THAT edgy considering it accentuates the story being told for the most part. Yah the Herr Starr stuff got weird plenty of times but it also aided in his character development the whole time through, so it's justified.
It isn't like The Boys, which just came off as super try-hard when I tried reading it. It's one thing to have edgy elements in a legitimate story, it's another thing to have edgy elements in a parody superhero story where a lot of it comes off as if a horny high school student were writing random scenes for his own personal amusement.
Though I will say finishing Preacher has made me want to maybe give The Boys another go. I just keep thinking "there HAS to be a good story in there somewhere, the guy who wrote Preacher wrote it!"
> It certainly isn't as bad an adaptation from what I hear about Locke & Key becoming
> a teen aimed show though. I'm not sure how you'd make Preacher into a show aimed
> at young kids though.
To be fair, the Locke & Key comics always sort of had that "young adult fantasy" vibe to it anyways. There were definitely horror-adjacent moments but the art style and overall concept sort of leaned more toward the young adult Harry Potter side of things as opposed to a story aimed at adults. The main selling point of the Locke & Key comics, for me, was the mystery and lore that gets unraveled as the story goes more so than a super deep plot (although there are some pretty great character moments in there).
I've seen most of the first season of the show and thought it was "just okay" in the way it goes about remixing the comic arcs, but the "geared toward teens" aspect was always sort of inevitable.
Yah that's the impression I got from attempting to read it. I have the first 2 omnibus volumes but there's like... 8? If it doesn't get worth it until the back half, I'll probably never make it.
Halfway through Episode 5 and I think I kinda have an idea as to what they're aiming for...
In the comics, we meet Jesse after Genesis binds with him and we see this caused an explosion that killed everyone in his church (town?), which in turn causes Jesse to lose faith in God and begin his "job" of hunting him down.
Seems like the show is just taking a more roundabout approach to get to Jesse's "last straw". He's definitely abusing his power, so I imagine he himself will likely end up being the reason for whatever tragedy's coming, whether that be Donny flying off the handle or Quincanon's newfound religious zeal backfiring somehow (or some other reason). Heck maybe there's just a surge of Genesis' powers for some reason and we still get the explosion - either way I get the impression they're introducing us to all these towsfolk like Emily so that it's a little more heavy when some major tragedy kills them off, which will, in theory, help us relate and empathize with Jesse.
Could be off-base with that but that's what I'm expecting, no need to let me know one way or the other as I'll see soon enough. I'm digging the show more with each episode though, especially the Saint's flashbacks, so that's neat.
Just finished Season 1 of Preacher. @Kommie when you said this season was him going back to his hometown, I was totally expecting the Grandma arc from the comics but that never happened. Wasn't Anville where they lived in the comics? Also, I take it meat-baby is the meat-wife allusion you were referring to?
I thought the whole "heaven phone" thing was a little silly. I wish the angels looked a little more like the angels from the comics (obv not sure if we ever get that version in seasons 2-4), and I feel the storytelling got a liiittle sloppy toward the end of the season (one episode in particular was a bit of a mess), but otherwise I dug the season/finale for the most part. Cool remix of the comic's background story.
I thought the cause of explosion was witty, though I sorta wish that still helped drive Jesse's search for God (as the episode presents it, he doesn't even know it happened). Effective way to get rid of all the characters who were no longer around after the first arc or two of the comics (while also nipping the Quincanon stuff in the bud early).
> Just finished Season 1 of Preacher. @Kommie when you said this season was him going
> back to his hometown, I was totally expecting the Grandma arc from the comics but
> that never happened. Wasn't Anville where they lived in the comics? Also, I take
> it meat-baby is the meat-wife allusion you were referring to?
>
>
I was referring to them combining the later Quincannon story from the comic into season 1. The Grandma stuff does happen in the show. And yeah, meat baby = meat wife
They definitely made Quincannon a bit more realistic in the show as opposed to the straight up cartoon character he was in the comics. That comic arc was one of the lulls I was referring to recently. Felt like Quincannon belonged in an entirely different comic and those issues dragged on a bit too long. Some of that is likely because of the cliffhanger that came right before it, and the knowledge that the series was ending much sooner than later.
lol I like that they had Jesse and Cassidy trick the acting agent by saying they had a role for Game of Thrones in the same episode Hitler appears, played by Noah Taylor, who played Locke in Game of Thrones.
lol when I started the Preacher show I never expected them to give Hitler...
...a redemption story. The balls on this show. Not huge into the concept of painting that stupid butt-hole in any sort of positive light but can't pretend I wasn't entertained by it nonetheless. I was iffy on the whole Hell story arc for this season but it turned out just fine.
Arseface is a lot less naive in the show compared to the books, interested to see where it goes from here.
I still enjoyed the show, the only new plot point they did that I really didn't like was the one involving the Chienese (I think they were chinese) black market thing. Not gonna post more as I'm sure if you're at that part.
Almost at the end of Season 3 Episode 1. Tulip is...
..."dead" and currently talking to God in the dog costume. I like that they're not just going with the comics version for how God looks (even though I loved that, especially when he points at Tulip to tell her he's a loving god), but I wish they carried this arc out the way the comics did. With Jodie shooting Tulip and God bringing her back, and then Jesse & Tulip extracting their revenge. They may still do that obv but I feel like the scene I'm watching now is supposed to be the show's version of that scene. I mean, Tulip already got shot and "died" so it'd be weird to do it again.
I take it you're enjoying it? Obviously it's never gonna be able to be 100% like the comic. All the humor is still there though, which matters a lot. Albeit it isn't as juvenile, mostly.
Yah definitely digging it so far. There are aspects I like more from the comics but all in all it's a good re-telling of ultimately the same story.
Honestly, it seems they got all my least-favorite arcs from the comic out of the way in the first 2 seasons and it was still entertaining. But now they're getting into the arcs that really grabbed me.
Back to comics, I'm finally going to plow through Sandman. Looking over the list of trades, I've only ever read Volume 2 for some reason. I remember absolutely loving it, and I have the first two here at the house, so I'm gonna give it the ol' complete read through.
Figured after Preacher, I may as well finally read one of the OTHER pillars in the comic world too.
Just wonder what I'll jump into after. I've now read Saga, Paper Girls, Preacher, The Walking Dead, Y The Last Man, Irredeemable, Invincible, Locke & Key & most of Hellboy (but I'm saving a full read-through of that for spooky season).
I'm sure I'm missing a few that I've read, but what other landmark lengthy comic series are there that I need to read?
I'm also a really huge fan of Terry Moore's "Strangers in Paradise". Not superheroes, but I've always loved the three-way relationship between the main characters. It tends to stretch into a little ridiculous territory now and then, but I still love it.
Oh yah, will be reading in order, can’t stand not going start to finish these days, & I’ll definitely give Strangers in Paradise a look. Haven’t been reading as many superhero books, craving some strong ongoing stories out of that genre lately.
I’m a big fan of Redwall from back in the day, so I’ve always been interested in Mouse Guard, and I actually have the first volume of Miracleman that I still need to read. Good calls, thanks for the reminders.
I have the fourth volume of that Rachel Rising series but never gave it a go because, well, it's the fourth volume. $30 is definitely not a bad deal for all those comics.
RE: the Preacher show. Never thought this would be a something I'd be analyzing but it's a little jarring how much wider Arseface's mouth gets by Season 3. In Season 1 it's tiny and by Season 3 it looks normal mouth-sized, just minus the lips and all. I imagine the actor wanted a bit more mobility in his face but it's taking some getting used to haha
So I started reading Sandman with the first paperback volume, and planned to read the second paperback because I already have it, but totally decided to move to the deluxe hardcovers. I bought Deluxe Volume 2 because it compiles paperback volumes 3 & 4, but 100% went and ordered Volume 1 after I saw the presentation of these books. Just look at this fudging cover, so shelf-worthy. Could do without the Audible ad printed directly on the paper, but otherwise, it’s gorgeous.
It's crazy how many times they keep re-releasing Sandman volumes.
I had some of the original paperbacks, and then in 2012 they released a box set remastered with new coloring and better paper stock that was to die for, so I nabbed that.
Now like every six months there are newer and newer releases with various covers. It's nuts that they constantly sell well, and especially nuts how big Sandman is now, twenty-something years later.
I love the series, it's so well done.
Also pick up the Death collection. At the very least pick up Death: the High Cost of Living which was the first Death mini series. That is one of my all time favorite stories.
I'm so happy that Sandman is still so popular.
I'm actually going to see Neil Gaiman in Boston this Friday night. I can't bring anything to sign, but I try to catch his Q&A's whenever he's around.
The coloring in The Sandman always bothered me when I tried to read it... I do realize it's from the 80's and that's the way it was but damn is it bad to me.
@Sid_Ceaser Damn I had no idea he'd be in town. What's it for? Just a Q&A meet and greet deal, or is there a convention that flew under my radar?
I'm sure I'll snag the Death books at some point too for sure. Sandman is so dense with story that it may be a while from now, but I definitely plan to indulge in as much of this universe as possible. Pretty pumped for the show coming out soon, but like with Preacher, I'll be finishing the comics before starting the show.
Have you read that Sandman: Overture miniseries that dropped in 2013? I haven't heard much talk about it, which surprised me considering how well received the original series was.
The late 80's and early 90's was a weird time for coloring. Especially when Vertigo launched. All these weird colors and some of the artists were really ... odd choices. I remember the person who did the Black Canary stuff and it was really ... weird looking.
The recolored stuff is really nice. I remember opening the first volume and I was like holy crap.
They did that recently with Killing Joke. I've spent most of my life seeing the Killing Joke in the original, ugly coloring. Then they did that recoloring and it's awesome, but it's jarring because I'm so used to looking at the old crap color.
I'm glad they are giving some of this stuff attention and getting the color quality updated. It's really great.
I love Gaiman's style of writing. He's my favorite.
> The coloring in The Sandman always bothered me when I tried to read it... I do realize
> it's from the 80's and that's the way it was but damn is it bad to me.
Tbh the coloring is a little bare bones in this Deluxe hardcover, which didn't feel like the case with the first paperback I read. I wonder if they straight up re-colored the entire thing for those releases?
But either way it doesn't bother me, I'm in Sandman for the story above all else. I often times find the simpler route to be more appealing in comics when it comes to the artwork and coloring... but then books like Paper Girls and Saga come along and the colors used in them blow my mind. The Scott Snyder New 52 Batman also has some wildly impressive coloring, which was sort of unexpected.
> The recolored stuff is really nice. I remember opening the first volume and I was
> like holy crap.
>
Oh okay so the paperback I have likely WAS recolored then eh? Weird that they didn't use those versions for the Deluxe books but whatev, I'll live. I wonder now if the older paperback of Volume 2 that I read years ago was recolored or not.
> @Sid_Ceaser Damn I had no idea he'd be in town. What's it for? Just a Q&A meet and
> greet deal, or is there a convention that flew under my radar?
>
> I'm sure I'll snag the Death books at some point too for sure. Sandman is so dense
> with story that it may be a while from now, but I definitely plan to indulge in as
> much of this universe as possible. Pretty pumped for the show coming out soon, but
> like with Preacher, I'll be finishing the comics before starting the show.
>
> Have you read that Sandman: Overture miniseries that dropped in 2013? I haven't heard
> much talk about it, which surprised me considering how well received the original
> series was.
He's going to be at the Emerson Colonial Theatre on Friday, April 29, 2022 at 8 PM. It's like a sit down interview with him with a Q&A. I saw him years back in Portsmouth NH for NHPR's Writers On a New England Stage and I'm assuming the format will be the same.
I've got the Overture series. Artistically it's out of this world. There is so much going on visually it's taken me a few read overs to digest it all.
I actually have a hardcover version that I want to sell/trade as I got the paperback a few months ago. Maybe we can work out a trade or something. It's good stuff.
It's a prequel that shows you how Dream ended up in the weakened state that let Anthony Burgess catch him in the glass dome.
There are so many versions being released I have no idea of what is recolored and what isn't. I'd think that anything released after 2012 would be the recolored versions.
> I actually have a hardcover version that I want to sell/trade as I got the paperback
> a few months ago. Maybe we can work out a trade or something. It's good stuff.
For sure, I'll let you know when I'm in the market for that bad boy.
That's an example of why I love GameTZ. You can just be in the middle of a conversation about a hobby or interest and someone may randomly be like "oh hey I have that, let's trade." Ya don't get that on Twitter or Reddit, I'll tell ya.
just pay shipping. I have two copies, Amazon fudgeed up lost one, got a replacement, and sent another. The lost one eventually showed up. It has some dings, but for shipping, it's not something to complain about.
I have tons I want to trade. I posted long lists of DC and Marvel along with some others a few years ago, but got almost no interest. Just to start: I have several Deadpool, Harley, and Justice League trades available.
Yeah I saw that earlier. Didn't give anything away but at the very least the characters look like their comic counterparts, and the dialogue used gives me hope. Apparently some folks on the "Amazon Preview" list have seen at least one episode and they say it's great, but the post I read said they had no knowledge of the comics so they're unsure as to how accurate it is.
I did see some distressing news on Reddit (so take it with a grain of salt) that they only opted to preemptively renew Paper Girls for a second season to keep the actors signed on so that they don't age up if said second season goes through, but apparently Amazon has already de-rigged the sets and whatnot which apparently isn't common if a studio has faith in the show.
They're spending so much press on LOTR that I feel like they don't really care about Paper Girls at all. There has been next to no news about it or publicity for it coming out so soon.
I'll probably give it a try but I only "kinda" care about LOTR in the first place. I dig the og trilogy enough but it was never really my thing, not a super fan or anything.
I just think it'd be a shame for them to give SO much focus on this LOTR prequel but not on a legitimately great story that has the potential to be a hit similar to Stranger Things. I prefer Paper Girls' story over what Stranger Things has put out up to this point (though I do enjoy the show for the most part), so it'd be a bummer if Paper Girls wasn't given a proper shot with actual promotion from Amazon.
@Kommie Got caught up on Saga. Definitely a slow burn of an arc but the character-driven intrigue that the series is known for definitely picks up as the issues roll on, and the arc ends on a surprisingly very emotional beat. NOW I'm upset that we have to wait until January to see what else is to come.
Probably posted about this book before but I’m unpacking my books since the move to fill the shelves, feeling nice and nostalgic. Just uncovered this: the very first “graphic novel” hardcover I ever got, same copy and all. My dad and I visited our local comic shop when I was like… 8 or 9, if not younger. We were in there to find a single issue for me, the dad would usually snag me an issue every week or two (usually Batman or X-Men), but he legit lit up when he saw this hardcover. He hadn’t realized they compiled issues from his childhood into full volumes like that. His excitement was contagious, so I suggested he snag it. Probably the one book I own where I actually appreciate the wear and tear on the slipcover. Wonderful memory, and probably why I’ve always loved Thor so much.
These little stories are so fun, the first issues for Thor, back before Thor got wildly epic. Love this stuff. image
Figured I'd open this thread back up. @hobbes21 's thread about The Last Ronin made me realize this one was closed. I've definitely been getting back into a comics frenzy lately so I'll be sharing thoughts along the way.
For right now I'm reading: -the issues of Saga I haven't gotten caught up on (61-64 so far) -The Last Ronin -The X-Cellenet (Michael Allred art rules)
Also think I'm going to start Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run. I hear it's relatable to certain folks despite being about a big ol' swamp monster. Also wanna check out Rusty Brown by Chris Ware and The Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire. Think I may track down some more Black Hammer stuff that I missed by Lemire too.
Batman: The Three Jokers - It was fine I guess... but in classic Geoff Johns fashion, it's trying to be an all-timer when it's nowhere close. The premise is that there may have been three Jokers all along, but the story itself makes that blatantly questionable real early and the ending is just... bad. The title is a gimmick, so if you're reading it for the intrigue, it's skippable. A much more effective way to muddle expectations regarding the Joker's origin was seen in Scott Snyder's New 52 run. In that, we get a way better Red Hood origin during the Zero Year event. Then in Endgame, Snyder also plays around with the idea that Joker is some ancient demonic entity but does so without committing to the idea, just making Batman question who or what it is he's been battling all these years. Just mentioning it does the story no justice, it's much more subtle than I'm making it seem but super interesting. Keeping an air of mystery is half the fun, but The Three Jokers goes the opposite direction and it's sorta lame.
Hellboy: The Return of Effie Kolb - This is a sequel to my favorite Hellboy story, The Crooked Man. It's much shorter and therefore super rushed, and ends up just being sorta disappointing. The art was great and Mignola still tells an entertaining enough story, but it's nowhere near as good as The Crooked Man.
The Vision - This is the one about the Vision and his family of Vision androids. It's surprisingly dark and existential. I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first but I really dug it by the time I finished it. I'm not sure if Marvel have really followed up with Vision after this story outside of a few crossover appearances, which is a shame. This story seems to set him off in a really interesting direction.
Currently reading:
One Piece - it's a daunting task, there is so much of it... but it's super fun. My pal is a lifelong fan of the manga, so him and the live-action show got me to give it a go. I'll probably be working on this for a long while.
Descender - Very interesting sci-fi story by emotional genius Jeff Lemire. Interested to see where the story goes.
Boom Comics' Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - Much more coherent and worthwhile than the TV shows. It's fun to see the classic Power Rangers lineup treated like an actual superhero book as opposed to a kids after school show.
Quickstops - Short stories written by Kevin Smith that take place in the Clerks universe. Simple, mindless fun.
Currently re-reading:
Hellboy: The Crooked Man - One of my all-time favorite stories ever and perfect for Halloween time. The disappointing sequel had me itching to read the original. Can't wait to see how they adapt this for the next movie.
Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy - Still the best Star Wars trilogy since the original trilogy. Every few years I revisit this one.
Haven't read anything in awhile but apparently Scott Snyder lives somewhat local to me and did a singing at a local store last week. He's stopped by this place many times before apparently.
I vote: go for it. It’s always great to stretch the artistic muscles. My buddy and I have been working on a comic for a while. Nothing to show off yet but it’s a sci-fi throwback to the goofier 90s style stuff like Earthworm Jim and The Tick. I have a ton of scripts and treatments typed up for different comic ideas, just need an artist that I have no money to pay haha. Thankfully the pal in question is a great artist for the story we’re trying to tell so we’re just approaching it as a side project for now.
Otherwise I’ve been dabbling with sketching around since getting my ipad. Recently drew Michael Cera as the Joker just for goofs:
> Batman: The Three Jokers - It was fine I guess... but in classic Geoff Johns fashion, it's trying to be an all-timer when it's nowhere close. The premise is that there may have been three Jokers all along, but the story itself makes that blatantly questionable real early and the ending is just... bad.
This story is set up in Justice League when Batman sits in the New Gods' Mobius Chair. To test it he asks two questions: Who killed my parents? and What is the Joker's real name. The chair tells him that there are three Jokers. The Three Jokers story answers some of the "old school" type comic book continuity questions about how the Joker has seemingly been in two places at once, how he keeps seemingly returning from the dead, and such. I believe it was Joker: Endgame that established he uses a Lazarus Pit (or something like it) to keep returning from the dead.
It has been quite some time since I read Three Jokers, but, as I recall, the Three Joker storyline never addresses why the existence of three distinct Jokers (or a sequence of Jokers) hadn't been established long before. One or more of them has been incarcerated often enough that DNA, fingerprints, dental records, x-rays of previous fractures, etc. would have shown it wasn't the same guy each time.
@Tony yah, in Endgame, it's shown Joker uses a pool of the chemical "Dionesium" to regenerate (forgot what it was called). But for a lot of the story Batman begins questioning what Joker really "is," with an immortal demon being hinted at due to Batman finding an old-timey photo of the Joker (or someone who looked a lot like him). He even seeks out the Talon to find out if Joker may have used what the Court used to keep him immortal, and one of the covers metaphorically suggests the whole "demon" gimmick by presenting Joker as a weird demon-looking creature.
Spoilers for the Three Jokers for anyone who hasn't read it .......... In Issue 2 or 3, it's revealed that Joker is legit just using yet another gas to turn people into "Jokers," and he's trying to turn Joe Chill into the ULTIMATE Joker so that he can haunt Batman entirely by "becoming" the man who killed his parents. So right away, it gives away that there aren't "three" Jokers, there are just several people that Joker MADE Jokers -- apparently with only two having actually survived the transition long enough to mess with Batman. Though there IS a segment in Three Jokers where an army of "Jokers" attack Batgirl and Red Hood who seem to have survived just fine haha. I guess that can technically explain why Joker appeared in two places at once, but doesn't really explain why the Mobius Chair suggested that there is objectively "three" when there is still really only one -- the one who Batman apparently knew the name of since the day he first appeared.
I'm content just pretending Three Jokers isn't canonical, and I'm honestly not even sure if it's supposed to be. Just a forgettable story that tried too hard to do something "different" with the continuity.
Some of you folks may know I recently got a freelance writing job in the TV/movies department of CBR.com, but I was recently also brought on board for the comics writing department too.
Do you folks have any recommendations of things to read or subjects that would make for an interesting analysis/feature? The way it works is that I can pitch an idea and if they think it'll do well on the site, they'll approve it. So if there's anything yall would want to see covered, let me know.
I'm being considered to be given access to the "DC Box," which would provide me access to DC comics about a month prior to their public release. So that's pretty neat. But I can also pitch ideas for books already out, so I'm all ears for ideas.
> Do you folks have any recommendations of things to read or subjects that would make for an interesting analysis/feature? The way it works is that I can pitch an idea and if they think it'll do well on the site, they'll approve it. So if there's anything
> yall would want to see covered, let me know.
>
I don't read CBR, but if they haven't been done already these might make interesting topics:
Why do digital comics cost as much as the printed version? I understand that the writers and artists should get the same amount for their work, but it seems logical that the costs of printing and distributing the physical copy would be much greater than those for a digital copy.
Why do the codes for digital copies expire so quickly - or at all? I buy a lot of books second hand and at dealer overstock sales, but the codes are usually expired by the time I get them.
What do people think about rebooting titles every couple of years? Putting the Legacy numbering on the cover helps, but unless you are buying the books as they come out it is hard to keep track of which series you are looking at when going through old issues. Finding a particular book in an online database or price guide is much more difficult with so many "Avengers" titles.
What do people think about identifying trade paperbacks by the author or only by the title of the storyline? I read a few tpbs on Hoopla, but sometimes I have to work too hard to find the next volume in the series. e,g, When I was reading through the Justice League series, I found Vol. 1 (issues 59 - 63) and Vol. 2 (issues 64 - 68) under "by Brian Michael Bendis". When I search for "Batman Vol. 1", it shows me "I am Gotham (issues 1-6), Their Dark Designs (issues 86-94), and Failsafe (issues 125-130) - for the same series.
In case anyone doesn’t know, public libraries often have graphic novel sections. Most libraries have at least one annual book sale. Some have them every 6 months.
I went to a book sale today and ended up buying 15 graphic novels for $1 each. Turns out many libraries are purging graphic novels and young adult books because they’re the two most challenged areas for book bans by outside community groups (like Moms for Liberty). Instead of hand vetting each book, they just purge entire sections and start over. It’s unfortunate but a lot of good deals out there.
Also I have a hardcover graphic novel named Batman: Hush 15th Anniversary Deluxe edition. Library markings, reinforced cover, tear in binding. All interior pages look great. Up for trade if anyone’s interested.
About 10-15 years ago a friend of mine was in charge of ordering items for the YA section of my local library. He was a superhero comic fan, and ordered a lot of Marvel and DC trade paperbacks. At the time, most Marvel hardbacks included codes for a free digital copy. I often checked out the books before anyone else and redeemed the codes for myself.
About 20 -25 years ago I purchased a pile of over 25 trade paperbacks for $2 each at a yard sale even though they were rough condition library copies. There were books from three different libraries, and when I got home I noticed none of them had "withdrawn" stamped in them. I took each book back its library to check and they had all been borrowed and not returned. Mostly I just got a "thank you" for returning them. Only one of the libraries said they had replaced the books so I could keep the two books that had been theirs.
I still get a few graphic novels and even a few standard comics from library sales near me. Many are donated and therefore don't have library markings. A few years ago my local library purged a huge amount of physical items: including books, CDs, and DVDs. Since these items are available on Hoopla, there is little reason to keep physical copies. Unless I just want a physical copy to keep, I read a lot of trade paperbacks on Hoopla.
Just read my first "review copy" of a comic book. It releases in a few days. 10-year-old me would be stoked right now (tbh 34-year-old me is decently pumped about it too).
I haven't heard of Panels. Is it possible to read books from other sources in Panels? I'm using Hoopla, Comixology, and (as of June 2023) Marvel Unlimited. All have the option of reading one panel at a time, but sometimes on the phone it is awkward because I either have to rotate the phone or enlarge the screen to read the text. How does Panels differ?
The only digital comics I get are the digital copies that come in Marvel books and the freebies (like FCBD issues) from Amazon. Amazon used to offer a lot of free comics and even TPBs, but they haven't offered any for a long time - except for the books the publishers offer free (like FCBD), Comixology used to offer a few books free every month (mostly Marvel first issues), but that stopped when they merged with Amazon.
