What comic books have you read today? Part two.19596
 I'm a McNugget guzzler.
|
HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
I’ve been eagerly awaiting this. Likewise for Blood Brothers Mother #2 and Conan #3. It looks like three of the titles I seek a month are in magazine format. Oh wait, there is Pent House comics as well. 3.5 a month that is. |
||
| Post 251 • IP flag post | ||
 Beaten by boat oars
|
Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
Strange Tales v2 #5-7. Doc is on his way to his old stopping grounds in the Himalayas. He is slowly becoming corrupted by his use of black magic which keeps happening. He is joined by the Defenders for a spell. Also, Cloak and Dagger teleport to Doc which allows Nightmare to pull Doc into Cloak's... well, cloak. There is a battle there involving Nightmare and the heroes. Good guys win as evidenced by the series running for several more issues.    Sabretooth: Death Hunt #1-4. Sabretooth is sold out by Birdy (his assistant) and taken by the Tribune. There he has a bomb surgically implanted near his heart with orders to take out Mystique within 48 hours or kaboom. Sabretooth must have some supersonic travel capabilities because he manages to travel back and forth to Paris, confront both Wolverine and Mystique and get back in time to kick Tribune's ass who just so happens to be his kid. Yes, Graydon Creed is his child with Marvel's resident toxic whore: Mystique. Larry Hama's script is fast paced while Mark Texeira's art is highly stylized but fits in the 90s. Entertaining and gives some glimpses into Sabretooth's childhood and his past relationship with Mystique (who was disguised as a different person).     Sabretooth & Mystique #1-4. Set during the time frame where both characters are in the service of X-Factor, they both get away for a little bit. They team up when a previously believed to be dead Hydra scientist reappears and wants to cause havoc the world over. But AIM is also wanting what the scientist has worked on. More glimpses into Sabretooth's past with Mystique (again disguised as someone else) and Mystique's relationship with Destiny.     The 'Nam #21-30. The series is still following the monthly time-lapse format which is nice. It's doing a little more to flesh out some characters and touch on some real-life historical figures and events that occurred during the time frame. #23 has an appearance by Chris Noel during a USO show. I had never heard of her but apparently, she was a popular girl with the boys due to her spending a lot of time in Vietnam as a morale booster. The Ho Chi Minh trail, the assassination of RFK, the Paris Peace Talks and the Tet Offensive are also depicted. #26 was an especially good issue. It caught up with some of the characters who rotated out like Ed Marks and Rob Little and catches up on their lives and thoughts of how the war is going.           |
||
| Post 252 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
|
michaelekrupp private msg quote post Address this user | |
I’ve read far too many comics to cover here since the last time I checked in, so I’m just going to hit the highlights. Who’s Who was DC’s answer to the popular Marvel Universe handbooks. While this is certainly a worthwhile project, the timing of it seems a little weird, since DC is about to restructure their entire universe at that point with the Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series. Waiting a year might have made more sense. Still, this is an interesting series. The entries are not as detailed as the Marvel Universe books. They are more like Cliff Notes, covering just the basic info; don’t expect to be able to state definitively who is stronger or faster than whom after reading these. The diversity of artwork is nice, though, and there were some tidbits that I never knew or had forgotten about characters such as the Atomic Knight.  The first G.I. Joe Yearbook brought back some fond memories for me. The highlight here is a reprint of G.I. Joe #1. This was where I first read that particular story. My first G.I. Joe off the stands was #5 and, although I was able to score copies of issues 3 and 4 by trading with a friend, I was unable to acquire the first two issues back then. These were very expensive and sought after back issues back in the ‘80s, so getting to read the story here was a pretty big deal for me. The rest of the Yearbook is filled out with a general recap of the issues that had been published to that point (there was obviously a ton of new readers coming aboard then) and an article about the forthcoming animated G.I. Joe TV series.  This issue marked the beginning of the end for Mighty Crusaders and the Archie Adventure line. This came as no surprise since the entire line had been in disarray from virtually the beginning. At this point, Archie overhauled their staff on the adventure books and tried to use the series as a vehicle to promote a line of Mighty Crusaders action figures. Characters were brought in who were part of the toy line while characters who did not have action figure potential were either killed off or permanently written out of the series. The toy line soon flopped and the Archie Adventure line disappeared from the stands shortly thereafter.  This was another great issue of Star Trek! Trek is a series that has bounced around between publishers. IMO, DC did the best job on the series by far. Both this series and the later second DC series are consistently excellent. |
||
| Post 253 • IP flag post | ||
|
Beaten by boat oars
|
Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Pull list and some other stuff from the past week. No surprises in these, but I do like the storyline brewing in House of Slaughter when it isn't just about how much the boys like kissing one another. Ghostlore should be ending with issue #12. Cool concept that probably could have been pared down to a 6-8 issue series.  SW and DV are just going towards their conclusions, and I'll be done with the Marvel SW books after these and the Inquisitors miniseries end. Fun reads but nothing groundbreaking.  Get Fury #2. The art is like Jacen Burrows is trying to channel his inner Steve Dillon to go with the Garth Ennis script. The art isn't really working or there needs to be a different inker/colorist to match the feel of the writing. I like the story but it could benefit from a different artist.  Wolverine: Madripoor Knights #5. The conclusion of the series and it was a decent series. I would have preferred a more grounded element than some of the supernatural stuff that goes on given the characters and setting but it was a fun read. Claremont and Salazar are teaming up for a new Wolverine miniseries to come out soon. I'll pick up the first issue and see what it's about. Pretty sure it's also set in the past.  Transformers #9. Shockwave arrives on Earth and starts f**king people up. Awesome issue.  Sabretooth: Mary Shelley Overdrive. Sabretooth in the rare role of a "good guy". Maybe antihero is more like it. He saves a chick from being killed by mercenaries who smell dead but are alive. He smashes her when they get away then takes on the bad guys. In the end, Sabretooth is still a bad guy even if he occasionally does nice things.     Strange Tales v2 #8-11. Cloak & Dagger split for a bit due to Mr. Jip manipulating Cloak's thoughts. Cloak tries to get help from Dazzler to "feed" him light but to no avail, while Dagger hangs out with Black Cat who attempts to teach Dagger how to be kinda skanky and a thief. C&D get back together and take down Mr. Jip. Meanwhile, Dr. Strange has been teaming with Kaluu to prove he isn't black magician, yet he still uses black magic.     |
||
| Post 254 • IP flag post | ||
|
Collector
|
michaelekrupp private msg quote post Address this user | |
 I passed on the Hunger Dogs graphic novel when it came out, mainly because of the (then) hefty $5.95 price tag. Now, nearly 40 years later I finally read it. All I can say is “Wow!”. Jack Kirby, of course, had one of the lengthiest and most celebrated careers in the history of comics. Hunger Dogs is his magnum opus. It is the completion of the circle for one of the greatest talents ever to grace the printed page. The artwork, naturally, is incredible. Kirby holds nothing back, taking full advantage of the lavish format and the results are everything one would expect. What impresses me the most here, though, is Kirby’s writing. Kirby has never been known as a great writer, particularly of dialogue. While it’s true that Kirby’s words do not suddenly drip with the velvety smoothness of Stan Lee, he tells a very effective story, bringing his saga of the New Gods to a conclusion full of deep spiritual impact and nigh prophetic social commentary. I imagine the King felt a powerful sense of personal satisfaction after completing this project. All creative people know that there is no more satisfying feeling than knowing that you nailed it and said exactly what you wanted to say. I believe that with this graphic novel, Kirby finally accomplished what he set out to do when he left Marvel all those years before, and in doing so put an exclamation point on one of the greatest careers the art form has ever known. Everyone should read this. |
||
| Post 255 • IP flag post | ||
|
Collector
|
michaelekrupp private msg quote post Address this user | |
Just a few thoughts on last night’s reads before I grab tonight’s stack and climb into my chair.  As I was reading these last night it occurred to me that Thor and Iron Man were Marvel’s two best ongoing series going into 1985. Thor wraps up a major epic that had been running for several months with a cliffhanger that left me ready to dive into the next storyline. In Iron Man, Tony has finally dried out after battling alcoholism for the last two years. He finds himself donning the (old school) Iron Man armor for the first time in forever, but he is still quite a ways out from eventually reclaiming the Iron Man armor in issue 200.  Something else that occurred to me last night is that writing sword and sorcery type fantasy was not Bill Mantlo’s strong suit. Mantlo was probably one of the most prolific writers ever, and he seemed to be the go to guy if there was a deadline crunch somewhere. This led to him writing just about everything at one point or another. His Conan story here is passable but not great. He had also written the last couple of issues of Red Sonja during this time, which I thought were subpar at best. Mantlo seeems out of his element writing this type of material, and the Mantlo/ Pat Broderick combination on Red Sonja was odd indeed. |
||
| Post 256 • IP flag post | ||
|
I'm a McNugget guzzler.
|
HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
Call them what you will but I enjoyed these. There are four to five ongoing stories thru out the first 3 issues. A bit of smut is included, otherwise they were solid good reads. It took a while to procure the three to read in succession since I read the second one first.   |
||
| Post 257 • IP flag post | ||
 Please continue to ignore anything I post.
|
southerncross private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I've got the penthouse one but haven't read that yet. I've been falling way way behind in my reading and think I'm up to only Ultimate Spider-Man 2 and I have now 7 issues of Kneel to Zod to start reading. I did read this.  It has the Zombie story from Menace 5 in there. Best thing the first story is a new story created as the origin to the Zombie, a prelude story set before the reprinted Zombie story of Menace 5. |
||
| Post 258 • IP flag post | ||
|
Beaten by boat oars
|
Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
Strange Tales v2 #12-15. A gratuitous appearance by the Punisher in the Cloak and Dagger tale unfolds when a local dealer (at the instruction of Kingpin) informs Frank that illicit substances are being peddled by Cloak and Dagger out of their church. Frank goes to investigate while Power Pack also show up to help C&D. This is a bit of a throwaway story by Terry Austin while setting up Mr. Jip's return. On the back half, Doc is in the UK fighting alongside Kaluu and still utilizing his dark magic in an effort to clean up his mess.     Sabretooth: Open Season #1-4. The Coast Guard receives a distress call from one of the islands on Lake Superior of a "monster" killing people. Some of the Coasties debark the cutter to trek towards the signal. When they reach a cabin with chimney smoke, they find a bunch of corpses and two kids still alive. Sasquatch arrives to help resolve the situation. Sabretooth shows up and everyone thinks it is him killing everyone. In fact, Sabretooth has been hunting Wendigo. The ending was a little silly, and the art was inconsistent, but it was an honest effort. B-     The 'Nam #31-40. Several topics touched upon this set of issues includes ongoing racial tensions and US atrocities in Vietnam as well as the strife in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic Convention. Good stuff. Highly recommend this series thus far.           |
||
| Post 259 • IP flag post | ||
|
Collector
|
michaelekrupp private msg quote post Address this user | |
 Back when I was reading/filling in the August 1984 issues I decided to wait on Amazing High Adventure, mainly because I couldn’t find a copy in the price range I was comfortable with. I knew that eventually I would be able to find one in the discount boxes if I waited long enough, so I did. As of yesterday, my patience paid off and I was pretty excited to finally read this last night. Amazing High Adventure is Marvel’s attempt at re-creating EC’s legendary Two-Fisted Tales. They even went as far as getting John Severin to handle the artwork on the opening story. I think they succeeded in capturing the spirit of the EC books with four solid stories featuring a diversity of locales, subject matter and art styles. The Sienkiewicz cover also enhances the overall product. This was intended as a one shot, but the feedback must have been positive, because the series returned the following year for issues 2-5. I definitely recommend this book and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. |
||
| Post 261 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
|
willieCPA4646 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| DC: My Adventures With Superman #1 (based on the recent animated series). | ||
| Post 262 • IP flag post | ||
|
Beaten by boat oars
|
Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @michaelekrupp I do believe I will check out Amazing High Adventure after your post. I'm sure this is languishing in a back issue bin in the area. Strange Tales vol 2 #16-19. The series wraps up in some cliffhanger fashion. Cloak and Dagger's storyline ends in #18 and results in a cliffhanger that continues in Cloak and Dagger #1 (1988 series). #19 is also continued in C&D #1 as Mayhem's storyline finishes off in Strange Tales. #19 would have served better for C&D to resolve their storyline but it makes sense from a marketing standpoint to continue it in a first issue collector's item. Dr. Strange's story arc has a more complete resolution but also continues with Doctor Strange #1 (1988). I doubt I'll be picking up any of these series although I do have a few tie-in issues from them.     Rogue #1-4. Rogue's first series from 1994. I think these events take place slightly after Gambit's miniseries or some X-Men '91 storyline where they end up dealing with Bella Donna. In any case, Rogue goes to visit Cody (the kid she kissed as a young girl and drained his brain). Bella Donna and the Assassin's Guild want to exact some revenge on Rogue, so they steal Cody and Gambit is there to help out. Decent art and script.     Nam #41-51. Based on the cover, #41 is where you'd think the issue jumps the shark, but it doesn't. It deals with some of the boys talking about how superheroes or John Wayne would handle the NVA and VC. It is presented as daydreams and breaks up some of the seriousness of the past few issues. The rest of this little run follows different units and characters with a 3-part story from #49-51 that ends well for the pilot and also terribly for the pilot. #52-53 will jump the shark for a bit then we'll see how it goes from there.            |
||
| Post 263 • IP flag post | ||
 I'm waiting.... (tapping fingers).Splotches is gettin old! |
Nuffsaid111 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Disney villains from Dynamite Scar Hades Maleficent and now Cruella de Ville |
||
| Post 264 • IP flag post | ||
|
Beaten by boat oars
|
Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Took a little break from the Nam to read some other stuff over the last few days. I go back to actually working and not "teleworking" so my comic output will be a bit less moving forward. Let's get started. Daredevil: Love and War. This is more of a Kingpin story than DD, although he does partake. Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz tell an interesting tale of the Kingpin attempting to cure his catatonic wife, Vanessa. He starts by kidnapping the wife of a psychiatrist in order to have him help Vanessa. The shrink turns the tables on Kingpin and DD helps to rescue his wife. Truth be told, DD is more of a secondary character in this tale. While I can appreciate Sienkiewicz's art, I realize it isn't always my cup of tea, but at the time, I feel like his work would be groundbreaking because he was so different in the mainstream comic world.  Rogue v2 #1-4. There are probably some continuity issues with this tale, but it is definitely a character-driven story. By continuity, I mean the story is set early in Rogue's tenure with the X-Men but she doesn't have Carol Danvers' powers yet. In any case, Rogue does a lot of introspection and journeying before coming to the realization that she should be with the X-Men. Decent art but the writing was good. I'm not sure who Fiona Avery is but she seems to have some TV writing credits and her comic work seemed most active in the early to mid 2000s.     Solo #1-4. This guy is like Frank Castle but with the ability to teleport. He's a very 90s character complete with tons of pouches. Like guns, uses lethal means, motivated by personal loss, prior military experience, psychotic arch-nemesis, and has run-ins with Spider-Man? Sounds like Frank, but it's not. The story is fairly common, in that terrorists want to cause chaos while the antihero opposes them. While slightly generic, the last half of the last issue really makes the money with the message.     Storm #1-4. Storm is whisked away to an alternate dimension by Mikhail Rasputin (brother of Colossus) who reveals that he intends to have his Gene Nation cronies set off a big bomb in NYC. Storm is there and does her best to thwart his ambitions while also having to deal with Callisto. It's an ok story but nothing that will wow. I think it takes place slightly after UXM 325.     US Agent #1-4. Pretty solid tale of the Agent questioning his belonging to the West Coast Avengers then getting mindf***ed by a group which franchises the Scourge of the Underworld character. Some solid character growth for John Walker.     |
||
| Post 265 • IP flag post | ||
|
I'm a McNugget guzzler.
|
HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
This was a DSTLRY mag I borrowed from someone. The Momoko cover of Gone. A futuristic sci fi where apparently people aren't well enough off to have to board galaxy travel ships to steal food? This ended, Karai is screwed.  Keep on keeping on with the horror. Also this volume. Legacy issue 796 is next.  Not much going on here but for 9 bucks to read the 3 and learn more about Simmons, or Fitzgeralds kid, worth it.  There is a lot going on here. I'll have to read them all again when the run is over at 12. A lot of this story is driven by Dream but I'm not familiar with the Sandman run. Ive only read volume 1 which is 1-8? Without getting into the story John embarks his Freddy Mercury once again.  |
||
| Post 266 • IP flag post | ||
|
I'm a McNugget guzzler.
|
HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
| The man got me today for six covers of this. I bought into the hype because I was so happy to be getting Jason Aaron over Sophie Cambell. Sophie is a great writer but it was to the point I was sick of the undertones. I'm only making a post of a singe book in hopes of one of you folks to join me in the read. Grab issue one now, there are loads out there but diamond already has a bunch on back order. It's Jason Aaron people.  I forgot to mention I ran home like a school boy to read this. The rest of the pile is going to sit even though it's sweet stuff. Nice House by the Sea came out. Shudder 18, EC came out with a new book, Hello Darkness has an Ennis story in it. BRZRKR has a new volume that started today as well. |
||
| Post 267 • IP flag post | ||
|
Collector
|
michaelekrupp private msg quote post Address this user | |
 I recently began reading the Terry and the Pirates Master Collection volumes. These lavish, 11x14 coffee table books reprint the entire twelve year run of the classic comic strip in twelve volumes (plus a thirteenth companion volume containing behind the scenes stories and additional history on the strip). Volume 8 just dropped this week, with 9-12 yet to be published. In the comic book appearances that I have read (the Dell Four Color and Large Feature books and the Harvey series), the strip has been butchered by editing, reformatting, omission of key sequences, etc. While these comics definitely instilled a love of the source material, they also left me really wishing I could read the series as originally intended. These books finally make that wish a reality. The printing is amazing, the dailies are reproduced three to each 11x14 page, with the Sundays reprinted in full tabloid size from Milton Caniff’s syndicate proofs. Although these books are crazy expensive, they are SO worth the money! The work is undeniably deserving of this treatment. I personally am floored by the difference between these and what has been reprinted in the comics! As I view this work in the light that newspaper readers of the 1930s viewed it I clearly see why the comic books of the 30s and 40s were generally viewed as inferior and why most artists of the day strived to work for the syndicates. Comparing the fare offered in the early golden age comics to what Caniff was doing here is like comparing horses and buggies to rocket cars! Whether you are completely unfamiliar with Terry or are only familiar with what has been reprinted in comic book form, I urge you to look at these books. The cost may sting a little bit, but the rewards are tremendous!  |
||
| Post 268 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
|
spcardfan private msg quote post Address this user | |
Just picked this up in TP. Halfway through, really enjoying it. |
||
| Post 269 • IP flag post | ||
|
I'm a McNugget guzzler.
|
HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
All these are 1's that came out this week. Pick any one of them up so we can get a chat. Im not sure what to do here. It's sweet and I read By The Lake but parted with those volumes. Should I buy monthly to read? Wait and buy trade, or both?  BRZRKR has always been badass but there hasn't been enough story for me. At least not enough to make it prosper. Jason Aaron is up to the task here and it better not interfere with the turtles.  Get this book. Trust me. The EC is cool but if you like seedy shite this is it.  |
||
| Post 270 • IP flag post | ||
|
Beaten by boat oars
|
Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I forgot to add Hello Darkness to my pull list but I remember seeing it for pre-order. I'll get that added to my pull list tonight. I'm not doing a good job with not adding new stuff before I bow out of new comics. | ||
| Post 271 • IP flag post | ||
|
I'm a McNugget guzzler.
|
HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
I read the first 4 issues of this today. It seems as though I’ll be sucked in on it. |
||
| Post 272 • IP flag post | ||
|
Please continue to ignore anything I post.
|
southerncross private msg quote post Address this user | |
Read this  Hello Darkness, I bought this cover. And  |
||
| Post 273 • IP flag post | ||
 I blame the forum gremlins.
|
figment private msg quote post Address this user | |
Some of these are downright brilliant! |
||
| Post 274 • IP flag post | ||
|
I'm a McNugget guzzler.
|
HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by southerncrossWhich one did you prefer @southerncross? |
||
| Post 275 • IP flag post | ||
|
Please continue to ignore anything I post.
|
southerncross private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @HeinzDad I prefer the EC comic. Anthology stories should be complete in one issue. Hello Darkness has the odd story that continues and I don't want to be committed to read a story. I like the fact I can pick up the odd EC and read it and if I miss a issue it doesn't affect the next issue I buy to read. With that I found the art ok in some stories and not so good in others. Real good artists can mimic other artists work and it would of been really brilliant if they had one artist just draw in the 50s EC style. Just for a single story each issue. What you think about them? Also I found only a couple of stories had that twist. ECs are known for their twist endings. And why can't the characters introduce the stories and make a comment at the end. Like the witch and crypt keeper etc use to do. I'm at a 5/6 out of 10. Lots of room for improvement |
||
| Post 276 • IP flag post | ||
|
Collector
|
michaelekrupp private msg quote post Address this user | |
I just read this one for the first time. The first issue of Turtles that I bought back in the 80s was issue 6. That was just as the turtles began to explode in popularity. Within a few months turtlemania would sweep the comics world and the B&W explosion (and subsequent implosion) was officially underway. I was never a true fanatic, but I did enjoy the book back then. Looking at that historic first issue now, I am surprised at how much of a difference there was in the artwork between issues 1 and 6. By issue 6 the book had a stylized, even polished look. The art in issue 1 seems crude by comparison. The story in issue 1 wasn’t bad, but again the writing came a long way in a short period. It will be interesting to watch the learning curve unfold over the next few issues (they are free to read on my kindle). I am asking myself the question, if I had bought and read this book when it came out, would I have bought the next issue? Honestly I am not sure. It was probably better that I waited a few more issues before discovering it. |
||
| Post 277 • IP flag post | ||
|
I'm a McNugget guzzler.
|
HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I liked them both. I prefer to read the anthology though. Reading Shudder, Vampiress Carmilla, Creepshow, and now the EC, I can say I’d like a little more than the 5 page story. I’ve always searched more story though. I can’t stand small volume runs and not piecing things together. | ||
| Post 278 • IP flag post | ||
|
Please continue to ignore anything I post.
|
southerncross private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by michaelekrupp If you did buy issue one and kept it. You could of sold it to buy more bound comics I think you pick up? |
||
| Post 279 • IP flag post | ||
|
Collector
|
michaelekrupp private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @southerncross not sure what a first print Turtles 1 goes for in 2024, but given that there were only 3000 copies printed and the number of TMNT fans out there today I would say that you are spot on! I probably would have bought it if it had been released a little later. I got my first job in September of 1985, bagging groceries at the IGA, so my purchasing power (and my purchases) increased dramatically at that time. I was like a kid in a candy store, buying anything and everything that caught my interest, especially indie comics! I am guessing that issue 6, which is where I jumped on, probably came out in the fall of ‘85. | ||
| Post 280 • IP flag post | ||