The Comic Book Thread

[BryLmoo]

i'm really liking the new batman arc...tony daniel is doing a great job so far....(holds breath for future issues).

 

[Comrade Porn King Mikhail]

If you like The Walking Dead, try Rotten from Moonstone Press. It's also a very good zombie comic, but not set in a post apocalyptic setting. It's set during the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes, so it's a new take on an old idea.

Cool, thanks for the heads up! Last time I read comics in a dedicated manner was back in the mid-90s. Then the Marvel/DC soap opera crap recyling made me quit. I'll read popular dedicated storylines here and there (like Hush, 1602) and reread my fave mainstreams like Maus, Watchmen, Dark Knight, etc.

I haven't felt like plunking down the money to "risk" on certain titles but am glad I went with the Walking Dead. Anyone else have recommendations of good current non-superhero stuff that involves post-apocalyptic tales or murder-mystery stuff like Jinx/Torso? Thx!

 

[SPINMASTER X]

I went to go pick up a my comics i have in my "account" at the local store and the owner just gave me a shit load of Lantern rings to go with all the blackest night shit I bought. Me = happy man and yes I actually wore one. The orange ring to be exact.

 

[genjiglove]

I went to go pick up a my comics i have in my "account" at the local store and the owner just gave me a shit load of Lantern rings to go with all the blackest night shit I bought. Me = happy man and yes I actually wore one. The orange ring to be exact.

MINE!

 

[IsamuBlue]

I went to go pick up a my comics i have in my "account" at the local store and the owner just gave me a shit load of Lantern rings to go with all the blackest night shit I bought. Me = happy man and yes I actually wore one. The orange ring to be exact.

The orange ring is cool. Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine...lol.

Edit: Damn! genjiglove beat me to it!

Yea, certain Blackest Night tie-ins come with a different power ring. I thought about getting the different comics, but it totals to about $32 before tax, but I noticed that once all the rings are out, midtowncomics.com are selling all eight for $12.99 + shipping. Just a cheaper route for those collecting them. I want to get the black ring for myself.

 

[genjiglove]

Did all of the tie ins that come with rings come out this week?

 

[SPINMASTER X]

Don't know exactly. I haven't been keeping up with comics for like a 2 months. I just showed up at the store and get handed a stack of comics and some rings.

 

[Electric Grave]

I picked up The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb. I've got through the first few chapters and I love the artwork --though I have to say the story is rather silly and unbelievable. You'd swear it was written by a bunch of barely-literate peasants making random things up to explain the universe... still, I plan to read it through.

I worked with Dabel bro as an art director for a while back, it was a fiasco 'cause although they are all extremely nice people they are religious as hell and well, I'm not. So when I was given teh task to run the art direction for this book I left the place. The book was called Hymns and it was just like the one you're talking about.

On another note, I gave my niece fables vol 1 & 2, she loved it! Firts comic book that I feel anyone can get into. I also thought that the MK Black Panther was a book that anyone cold get into, at least the first and second arc.

 

[HeartlessNinny]

Don't know exactly. I haven't been keeping up with comics for like a 2 months. I just showed up at the store and get handed a stack of comics and some rings.

A friend of mine owns a comic store, and I was just talking to him about this the other day. Apparently, they give you rings (which the stores have to pay for) in accordance with how many comics you order, but each ring is tied to a certain title. So if you want one of those things, you had to order a shitload of the new Doom Patrol book (which no one reads).

Seemed like a bullshit promotion to me. I looked at those rings and they were kind of chintzy and cheap looking anyways, like something you'd dig out of a cereal box. I told my friend I didn't give a shit about them. Apparently they're fetching a lot of money on eBay though.

 

[Taiso]

At the comic store I shop at, the manager there was pretty excited about the promotion because it was a new kind of marketing gimmick. It's actually a lot more fun than the cynical bullshit promos of Marvel in the 90s, what with all the packed in collectible cards and foil covers and whanot.

Sure the rings are cheaply produced crap, but at least it seems like a fun kind of promo that will only affect the value of the books themselves if people start buying them up to get the rings. It could happen, but I doubt it.

So far, at my comic store, the promotion's been well received.

 

[HeartlessNinny]

Well, I speak only for myself, of course (and my friend too in this case). I don't know why people get so worked up about those rings, but hey, if you like 'em, go nuts.

It wasn't a very good promotion for my friend though, that's all I was saying. In order to get some of those rings, he'd have had to order a ton of comics that no one would buy, so there's little doubt he'd lose a lot of money on the deal. That's how he explained it to me, anyway.

 

[Taiso]

I'm sure every store owner/manager of a comic shop has those fears about promos like these, and I'm sure on any occasion, the promo can tank and cost the store a lot of cash. It's definitely a real concern.

Does DC do well in your area? I know that a lot of times, tastes in comics can be regional based on the community's tastes influencing what other people read/buy.

 

[SPINMASTER X]

I like the rings because they are really cheesy and dorky, I mean is it really a suprise(look at all of my pics). The whole world of the Lanterns is one of my favorites too.

I don't think that they've ever released Lantern rings either so this is a first.

 

[Taiso]

I read the first trade of Top 10 this past week.

It's a lot more humorous than I was expecting out of Alan Moore, to be honest. I enjoyed it and will probably pick up volume 2 since that's all there is for the 'main' line. I know Alan Moore wrote a WWII era story that explains the creation of Neopolis in better detail and he did a Smax mini where he goes back to his homeworld, but I don't think I care enough about the world of Top 10 to steep myself in it quite that much.

It was pretty good, though.

My problem with Moore has always been that I don't feel his characters. They all seem like ciphers for the theme he's trying to establish, and I don't believe that theme is the most important thing in a written work. This is not to impune his work at all, as I consider his Swamp Thing, Watchmen and V For Vendetta among some of the best stuff I've ever read. I think it's just something about his style I've never really been able to get into, although I readily concur that he's a fine, fine writer.

 

[genjiglove]

I picked up Adventure Comics #4 today, its a Blackest Night tie in. I don't want to say anything about it because its a pretty interesting issue but I suggest anyone who has enjoyed the DC Universe for the last few years to check it out.

 

[Taiso]

Matt Fraction/Salvador Laroccda's The Invincible Iron Man totaly sucks.

And by 'totally sucks', I mean it is the fucking most awesome and best Iron Man I've read since the Michelene/Layton days.

Maybe even better.

Between this run on Iron Man, the new Thor and the return of Steve Rogers, Marvel''s holy trinity has rarely been better. I can't remember a time when all three of these characters were being handled so expertly all at the same time.

I have a hard time deciding which one of the three is the best offering so I'm just going to say 'read them all.'

FINALLY, seeing these three great and venerable Marvel icons given the respect they deserve is such a great and refreshing thing. And with Spidey and the Hulk also being so compelling right now, this is a great time to be a reader of great, non mutant superheroes in the MU.

Also, it needs to be said that Millar and Pacheco have returned the Ultimates/Ultimate Avengers to their former glory. The current storyline is pretty fantastic so far, even though my boy Cap finally got taken out. Took all of these new Avengers to do it, too. Hell yeah.

 

[HeartlessNinny]

Matt Fraction/Salvador Laroccda's The Invincible Iron Man totaly sucks.

And by 'totally sucks', I mean it is the fucking most awesome and best Iron Man I've read since the Michelene/Layton days.

Maybe even better.

Between this run on Iron Man, the new Thor and the return of Steve Rogers, Marvel''s holy trinity has rarely been better. I can't remember a time when all three of these characters were being handled so expertly all at the same time.

I have a hard time deciding which one of the three is the best offering so I'm just going to say 'read them all.'

FINALLY, seeing these three great and venerable Marvel icons given the respect they deserve is such a great and refreshing thing. And with Spidey and the Hulk also being so compelling right now, this is a great time to be a reader of great, non mutant superheroes in the MU.

Also, it needs to be said that Millar and Pacheco have returned the Ultimates/Ultimate Avengers to their former glory. The current storyline is pretty fantastic so far, even though my boy Cap finally got taken out. Took all of these new Avengers to do it, too. Hell yeah.

Yeah, I just read the latest Invincible Iron Man last night. Very cool. I was pretty mad that they charged $3.99 for it and only gave me a fuckin series recap for my buck, though (which was printed on its own for free, to boot — fuck you, Marvel. Seriously).

I have to say though, I read the first issue of Ultimate Avengers and I thought it was a pale shadow (at best) of the Ultimates. The art was great, but the taint of Jeph Loeb hadn't washed off by a long shot, and the entire premise was just silly to me. I thumbed through the second issue and thought it was no better. Easy pass for me. (Plus it's four bucks too, which is fucking bullshit.)

 

[Taiso]

I totally get where you're coming from with Ultimate Comics Avengers and the 'Jeph Loeb taint', but I've basically looked at the entire relaunch of the Ultimate universe after Ultimatum as Marvel's attempt to clean slate the whole thing.

EVERYTHING.

That includes Ultimates III and Ultimatum itself. I'm sort of looking at it all as a 'reset button' and even though Ultimates III and Ultimatum have set the tone for this new line of books and established some starting points, having to experience the Loeb offerings is entirely unnecessary. I still smart at the knowledge that so many characters were pointlessly killed off, but as long as the stories are good, I can live with the fallout from Ultimates III and Ultimatum.

So far, I think Millar has done what he set out to do when he returned to the Ultimates. He's focused on telling good stories using these characters in story arcs with complex political overtones. With the whole origin of the Red Skull being tied to Cap directly and the US government trying to hide knowledge of that from everyone, and with Cap going rogue to find out the whole truth, I'm satisfied so far.

And with the introduction of the new/replacement superheroes, Millar has again found new and interesting ways to introduce Marvel concepts into the Ultimate universe.

To stay on Loeb a bit longer:

Let's just hope that after Fall Of The Hulks, they stop letting Jeph Loeb write the arcs that shape any variatio of the MU. Red Hulk was a fun read until Loeb started taking it too seriously. The Hulk books seemed as though they'd found their way, but stripping Banner of his ability to change into the Hulk (sure to return very soon) and focusing on Red Hulk as a prime player are turning out to be horrible mistakes. I dislike Red She Hulk so far but until I know where these red variations are coming from, and also 'evil Doc Samson' for that matter, I reserve final judgement. If it leads to something good, I can accept it. I also dislike Skaar, too-if I want Conan, I'll just read Conan. Jen Walters is perfectly fine, and is the only Hulk spinoff I've ever really liked. Although it must be said that I REALLY like the new She-Hulk, Thundra's daughter, a whole heck of a lot.

 

[HeartlessNinny]

I totally get where you're coming from with Ultimate Comics Avengers and the 'Jeph Loeb taint', but I've basically looked at the entire relaunch of the Ultimate universe after Ultimatum as Marvel's attempt to clean slate the whole thing.

EVERYTHING.

That includes Ultimates III and Ultimatum itself. I'm sort of looking at it all as a 'reset button' and even though Ultimates III and Ultimatum have set the tone for this new line of books and established some starting points, having to experience the Loeb offerings is entirely unnecessary. I still smart at the knowledge that so many characters were pointlessly killed off, but as long as the stories are good, I can live with the fallout from Ultimates III and Ultimatum.

I dunno man. Ultimate Avengers may have set out to be a relaunch, but it still feels like Loeb's Ultimate universe, not Millar's. In the Ultimates, everything had gravity, and Loeb swept all that away in favour of silliness. Add to that the fact that Ultimate Spider-Man got a terrible new artist (and yet another stupid price hike) and I found I just didn't give a shit about the Ultimate universe anymore. It used to be that was where you'd find edgy new stuff in comics, but now it's just a haven for pointless 90s-style throwbacks.

My comic book store owning friend made an interesting observation. He pointed out that a lot of those new universes (including the original New Universe in the 80s) got a bit stale after a while, and the creators in charge of 'em didn't seem to have any ideas. So they just blow everything up and try and start it again (like when Star Brand accidentally blew up... Denver, was it?), but that's just a sensational move that rubs out any and all character development, so you wind up not caring about the universe at all anymore. Sometime later the whole thing gets shitcanned.

To me it's clear that there isn't a lot of tread left on the Ultimate universe's tires. Even the writers that made it great are just clinging to a thread. I'd be surprised if it lasted another couple of years — four or five at the absolute most. It's true that it was getting a bit stagnant, but destroying New York and killing everybody was about the worst thing they could have done to make it interesting again. For me, at least, it had the opposite effect — I dropped every Ultimate title I was getting (though I think by that point I was down to just Spider-Man anyway). Either way I think it's pretty shitty now, and really has no reason to exist. You used to be able to tell stories there that you couldn't in the regular Marvel universe, but Loeb took that to mean 'kill everybody' instead of 'be innovative.' Now the whole thing's fucked.

 

[Taiso]

I dunno man. Ultimate Avengers may have set out to be a relaunch, but it still feels like Loeb's Ultimate universe, not Millar's. In the Ultimates, everything had gravity, and Loeb swept all that away in favour of silliness. Add to that the fact that Ultimate Spider-Man got a terrible new artist (and yet another stupid price hike) and I found I just didn't give a shit about the Ultimate universe anymore. It used to be that was where you'd find edgy new stuff in comics, but now it's just a haven for pointless 90s-style throwbacks.

RE: Ultimate Avengers

So far I've felt Millar's made the best possible use of the shitty situation Marvel and Jeph Loeb put the characters in. While I am not chomping at the bit the same way I was when Ultimates and Ultimates 2 were being released, I have not been disappointed at all by this new take. And 'silliness' is a pretty innacurate term to describe what's happening in Ultimate Avengers right now. I'd say that the book captures the intrigue of the previous Millar runs, but I just don't think it's clicking with you anymore because Ultmatum has completely devalued the Ultimate brand for you. Can't fault you for not liking it, but I will argue that it's a good title with my dying breath because it is.

RE: Ultimate Spider-Man's new artist

I like him. Reminds me of Humberto Ramos, only on time. And it fits with the current thrust of the book's storytelling so I am cool with it.

RE: 90s throwback storytelling

As I largely walked away from superhero comics in the early 90s for a long time, I don't have the cynical view of that time period that you have. I walked away from superhero books in the 90s because the storytelling was becoming what it was, but I got out before I became thoroughly disgusted. All I know is that if the current slate of Ultimate books is 90s throwback, I don't remember Marvel books of the 90s being as enjoyable as these three new titles are.

My comic book store owning friend made an interesting observation. He pointed out that a lot of those new universes (including the original New Universe in the 80s) got a bit stale after a while, and the creators in charge of 'em didn't seem to have any ideas. So they just blow everything up and try and start it again (like when Star Brand accidentally blew up... Denver, was it?), but that's just a sensational move that rubs out any and all character development, so you wind up not caring about the universe at all anymore. Sometime later the whole thing gets shitcanned.

I'll agree with this sentiment in that these sweeping changes do end up being a death knell for the line. Once you've changed everything so drastically that audiences have to refamiliarize themselves with a new world all over again, you're basically telling people not to care anymore.

I don't even think I have a problem with the concept of Ultimatum as much as I have a problem with many of the key events of the whole damned thing. And Loeb's writing was very compact and convenient. I just don't think he's very good at these world changing events with Marvel characters at all. Long Halloween and Dark Victory are great, but they probably should have given Ultimatum to someone that can handle writing this kind of stuff.

Need I elaborate on how much he fucked up with his interpretation of Ultimate Thor? No? Moving on, if for no other reason than to avoid further griping.

To me it's clear that there isn't a lot of tread left on the Ultimate universe's tires. Even the writers that made it great are just clinging to a thread. I'd be surprised if it lasted another couple of years — four or five at the absolute most. It's true that it was getting a bit stagnant, but destroying New York and killing everybody was about the worst thing they could have done to make it interesting again. For me, at least, it had the opposite effect — I dropped every Ultimate title I was getting (though I think by that point I was down to just Spider-Man anyway). Either way I think it's pretty shitty now, and really has no reason to exist. You used to be able to tell stories there that you couldn't in the regular Marvel universe, but Loeb took that to mean 'kill everybody' instead of 'be innovative.' Now the whole thing's fucked.

Well, remember (and I think you know this) that Loeb didn't just go and proclaim he was going to kill everyone in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Marvel had a plan and he was the trigger man, is all. Even if Loeb pitched it, he had to go through a system of checks and balances to get his requests approved, and that was probably not a simple or easy process. I don't think Ultimatum was haphazardly conceived at all. Just haphazardly executed.

I'll still carry a torch for the Ultimate Marvel Universe for now. I'm still thoroughly impressed with Millar's handle on the Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Spidey is the only Bendis book I actually like: as excited as I am for The Seige, knowing Bendis is writing it probably means it will start out really great and tank out at the end with some bullshit contrivance just like everything else he's ever written. Ultimate Armor Wars is well written so I am enjoying it on that level but I don't really know where it's going, or why this particular story even needs to be told. It doesn't feel like something Ellis wants to write, it's more something Marvel asked him to write. But so far, so good.

 

[Taiso]

Spider-Man And The Secret Wars:

I really, really liked this comic. Basically, goes back and tells little 'side stories' that took place during the Secret Wars comic from the mid eighties. Seeing the characters as they were presented back then was a real blast, and the writer seemed to be in tune with the characters. He paid proper respect to them, seemed to understand their personas perfectly and their chemistry with one another was top notch.

The artwork was very reminiscent of Chris Sprouse/Chris Bachalo's glossy style, with excellent inks and colors, maybe with some Arthur Adams thrown in there when it came to anatomy (especially jawlines.)

The best thing about it was that the comic seemed to 'understand' what made the Marvel brand so awesome back in the day and it hit with me on all cylinders. Absolutely loved it and it's definitely in the top five of my current 'must reads.' Can't wait for the second issue.

 

[darcotrigger]

I just picked up an original Tales of Suspense #39. It's not super mint or anything, but I gotta say it was pretty f'n glorious to sit and read the book this evening.

That's one thing I can scratch off the list of dorky ass things I wanna do before I die.

 

[aria]

Question:

I just finished the volume of Y: The Last Man... please tell me it gets better. The story is so riddled with forced hip dialogue/references that I feel like I'm reading an early Kevin Smith screenplay; it gets in the way of what seems like could be a much more interesting story (and leaves characters making decisions that aren't very convincing at times). I know its got a big following, so I'm assuming that the story gets more compelling after they prepare to leave Boston.

 

[Taiso]

I can't answer your question about Y, but I can say this:

READ SCOTT PILGRIM!

I was hesitant to read it at first because I didn't initially like the art direction, but it's really pretty damn good. The art is a LOT better than my first impression was leading me to believe, and the story is quirky and funny and filled with excellent characters.

 

[HeartlessNinny]

Question:

I just finished the volume of Y: The Last Man... please tell me it gets better. The story is so riddled with forced hip dialogue/references that I feel like I'm reading an early Kevin Smith screenplay; it gets in the way of what seems like could be a much more interesting story (and leaves characters making decisions that aren't very convincing at times). I know its got a big following, so I'm assuming that the story gets more compelling after they prepare to leave Boston.

Stop reading it right now. If you don't like it now, you'll probably positively hate it by the end (the story holes widen — big time).

Y is easily the most overrated comic of all time. It's good, sure, but there are dozens of critics who say it's their favourite comic ever, and that's just crazy talk.

The story is compelling (I think so at least), but the shit that seems to be bothering you doesn't get any better, and the characterization is pretty piss poor — it's an obviously plot-driven story, and Vaugh will fucking hammer his characters into place to suit it.