What comic books have you read today? Part two.19596
 Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Thanks for the heads up! If Ennis is doing it, then it should be worth a read. | ||
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 I'm a McNugget guzzler.
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HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Here's some interesting things. I'd say I recommend every one of these new titles. I added these to the pull list since my lcs is ordering short these days. I picked up a copy of penthouse #1 on eBay since it's sold out from the suppliers.   Spectregraph is cool. Also kind of hard to get it seems.  This is formatted like Marvels Black, White, and Blood. Stand alone stories I liked whether I was familiar with the marvel characters at all. Pick this up with the same kind of freelance read.  |
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 Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Re-reading Watchmen TPB during an extended power outage (going on hour 30). Chapter 6 “The Abyss Gazes Also” should be considered among the all time great origin stories (Rorschach). It doesn’t require the other chapters to be a great read on its own. It’s a brilliantly crafted delivery. | ||
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Beaten by boat oars
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New stuff from the pull list. No world burners but some solid reads.   Cauldron of Horror #4. One of the good stories is about a movie star who hides her vampiric ways by essentially hiding her past until the vampire hunter comes a calling on set. It's modern but with a call-back sensibility to the horror titles of the past. I tend to forget the issues come out because I preorder them and then they eventually show up 3 months past the solicited release date.  Invaders #1-4. I'm not familiar with some of the heroes, but that's what keeps it fresh (from 1993) for me. Roy Thomas scripts a solid tale of the heroes of yesteryear duking it out with the Battle Axis who have allied themselves with persons with political differences (thanks, South Park) from Germany in 1941. The Battle Axis is looking to aid Dr. Death in causing an earthquake to destroy CA but the real idea is that the earthquake will release a deadly toxic gas the US has been storing since WWI. Good read and good to see the old time heroes get a small share of the limelight.     Jon Sable, Freelance #21-30. Sable is still recovering from being shot in issue #20 and it is good to see it as a persistent plot point in these issues. The three-part Contract story has Sable being hired by the CIA to eliminate his recurring villain, the Sparrow. Good story and suspense building in it. #25-27 deal with the entertaining story of Sable's parents and childhood told in flashback. #28-30 is a change of pace story from the grim n' gritty to the more light-hearted in which Grell presents an homage to the Maltese Falcon. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all these issues and I find the series to be very well done. If I had a gripe, it's that Grell draws all women the same. They all have the same nose, eyes, and build. It isn't enough to detract from the title but more of an observation I has seen throughout the series.           |
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 If the viagra is working you should be well over a 9.8.
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Quote:Originally Posted by Studley_Dudley Maybe that's where Greg Land picked it up. |
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Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by xkonk They picked it up from Ditko. |
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I'm a McNugget guzzler.
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HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
| While looking for this thread it became concerning to me that the watching and listening to threads were more popular than reading comics...... Anyways, I keep saying to myself Id wait to make one large post when done with my pile but it kinda isn't shrinking. Cool story  The first manga I ever read. It wasn't difficult, it just took me repeated reads of the first four pages to get it squared away. The story was awesome and I got er goin on Hulu and it's all Japanese with no sub titles. I was butt hurt.  Prolly check out a Conan Tpb from Titan.  A little less bubble gum than the last Venom mini series, I think Ill get them all.  I have 3 copies of this I didn't need if anyone wants one. I think ive read it a dozen times or so in Tpb.  Meh....  I mean, just behold. All a guy can say is, titties.....  Still phenomenal and we are approaching Legacy #800.  My two Spawn titles and a new one that was awesome in a mini series of 3. Check out Monolith, one has to have next to zero knowledge of the series and it's some good old fashioned violence with gore. Im pretty sure all Spawn titles are still only 2.99.    My only complaint about this is that the illustration DOES NOT match the story telling.  I've been surprised how much I've liked this. It's not actually BS.  |
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Beaten by boat oars
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Quote:Originally Posted by HeinzDad Agree. I like to think more of the people on here are readers and just don't post. On to the reads... Get Fury #1. Set during the Vietnam War, white Nick Fury is captured by the NVA when his aircraft goes down. Frank Castle is ordered to eliminate Fury in order to keep him from cracking under the pressure of being detained by soulless commies. I agree with @HeinzDad about the art. It doesn't gel with what is being written. Burrows art isn't bad, and I liked what he did on the Punisher: Soviet miniseries, but here something is off. Still a good read with Ennis doing his thing.  NFL Superpro One Shot and #1. Where to start? It's campy. The hero uses football puns when beating up the bad guys. It is bad but in a funny way. It's over the top and you can definitely tell this is just the NFL using comics as a way to clean up its image about steroids and sports gambling. I have to power through 11 more issues.   X-Men vs the Avengers #1-4. Set during the era where Magneto was attempting to be a good guy. Part of Asteroid M lands in a lake in Southeast Asia. Magneto is lured to the lake where the Soviet Super Soldiers and Crimson Dynamo want to assassinate him for his crimes against the USSR, even though communists aren't real people. The X-Men and Avengers are at odds over this and eventually work together because the Crimson Dynamo has been acting like a butthole all along. Some decent Silvestri art and a decent miniseries.     Jon Sable, Freelance #31-41. Some of the stories throughout these issues alluded to real-world scenarios of the time. Commies in South America, poachers in Africa, and militant white supremacists hanging out in the woods. The art became hit and miss here, as some of it was good and other times it was like Mike Grell ran out of time and just dropped off some sketches to the colorist (who rotated a bit here). #33 is a fun tale with Sergio Aragones art after the first few expository pages, creating a story within a story.            |
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Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by HeinzDad I think it's a legitimate observation. When I was younger, I could dive into a pile of comic books for hours. Now it takes a power outage or long train ride for me to settle into extended reading. I think it's the distraction of stimuli from internet and cable/streaming that has re-conditioned me and shortened my attention span. Even a good movie is likely to get paused or stopped several times before I finish it. |
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 I like bean sprouts.
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James42 private msg quote post Address this user | |
 If you are a Freedom Fighters fan, this should be a must read. If you are not familiar with them, I would not suggest this as an introduction. |
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 Collector
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michaelekrupp private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @HeinzDad Since this forum is offered through a third party grading company, it doesn’t surprise me that actually reading comics is not the highest priority among the membership. You can rest assured that I am always out here enthusiastically reading comics, even when I don’t find the time to report in for extended periods! Currently, I am about a dozen comics away from completing my reading of the February 1985 issues. I have been dragging my feet a little because I am still missing a handful of issues from March ‘85. I prefer to have everything in place when I begin reading each month. I will eventually clean these up on MCS, but I am holding off until I go to the Livonia show in June where I can hopefully fill in a few more holes. MCS is just so darn expensive! I have been spending most of my time lately in masterworks and omnibus land, primarily rotating between Iron Man, Defenders and Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man. I recently finished this:  And started this:  I am currently early into Roger Stern’s first stint on Spidey. Stern was one of the main Spidey scripters of the ‘80s and arguably the best of the bunch. He takes over here from the other main ‘80s Spider writer, Bill Mantlo, who would eventually return. The early issues of PPTSS are something of a mixed bag. There are some gems and a few clunkers(anyone remember the hypno hustler?  ) I think that the beginning of Steen’s tenure was when the book really started to ascend.I finished this volume last night:  This period of Iron Man features some pretty good stuff, but it suffers from the same problem as many 1970s Marvels: a revolving door of creative people. It seems like every other issue featured a different writer, artist or editor. It wasn’t even unusual for the creative team to change in the middle of a story. I get the feeling that nobody wanted IM as a regular assignment back then.  I am also currently enjoying Steve Gerber’s run on Defenders. It is definitely Gerber who established the book’s reputation as a quirky, off the wall non-team. Where else can you see the Hulk rescue a baby deer after “men killed Bambi’s mother!”. Naturally the deer became possessed by the spirit of an evil wizard. Nighthawk’s brain was surgically removed during this period and it spent several issues in a bowl of fluids as various folks possessed his body. And then there was the elf. An elf with a gun who randomly abducted people and apparently murdered them. Gerber left the book without ever resolving this plot and the elf just disappeared until J.M. DeMatteis brought him back many years later in an attempt to tie up loose ends. Whatever medication Gerber was taking back in the ‘70s, they probably should have looked at cutting the dosage. They were some fun comics, though! |
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I'm a McNugget guzzler.
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HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
I typically won’t post a single book but this was my whole day’s read. I had stuff to do around the house and I read this off and on the whole day. It was awesome. I laid on my ass and read it like I was 10 years old and sat on my porch with Heinz to finish it a few minutes ago. Absolutely beautiful on newsprint in black and white: |
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Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Pull list arrived + others. Star Wars FCBD sets up Vader #46. I believe the two current SW titles are heading towards conclusions with each issue 50. I added the upcoming Inquisitors miniseries to my pull list and that will most likely complete my SW buying this year. TLDR version of SW #46 continues Lando's trial at the hands of the Rebellion, however Mon Mothma was kidnapped an issue or two prior. Lando is on trial for selling an ancient droid to Jabba the Hutt but then stealing the droid back from Jabba during the Dark Droids storyline. Meanwhile in DV #46, Darth is being a total badass which causes serious plot holes with the films. If this dude is so powerful that he can do whatever he wants, then there is no reason that the Rebellion should have won at Yavin, or Endor. The writers that Marvel employs are essentially treating the character like the fanboys of the 90s did with Boba Fett.  HoS #23 continues a solid storyline where a rogue monster hunter is being tracked by two houses. I get hesitant when the writers return to this character because he mostly laments how his boyfriend is dead. This time around, they give the guy some balls plus the two houses hunting him have some interesting characters. I probably should have read Undiscovered Country in TPB form because I struggle to understand what is happening after a time. I like the concept but, again, I have trouble remembering past events because they only publish a few issues per year. I do believe the next issue is a possible conclusion to the series (def for this particular storyline).  Predator: The Last Hunt #4. This issue ends this storyarc. There may be more. In the end, girl power always wins even though Arnold couldn't kill one of these bastards.  Wolverine: Madripoor Knights #4. Wolvie and Cap go on a search n' rescue mission for Widow who the Hand want to turn into their super assassin (No relation to the WCW tag team from the 90s). One more issue left in a surprisingly good read.  Energon Universe FCBD. I was only interested in the Transformers portion of this. It also contains short stories for Void Rivals and GI Joe. The TF portion dealt with Megatron being expelled from the Ark before the TF crash into Earth and being recovered by the good citizens fo Cobra-La. F*** me. Ok, I powered through that portion, and it will eventually set up Megatron's return in the main title. The Void Rivals portion featured a TF side characters from season 3 of the G1 show. I liked the story in here and it is framing story for Hot Rod who also appears. I may add Void Rivals to my list. I know I said I would start cutting back before stopping with the new stuff, but this caught my attention. I paged through the GI Joe portion. It seemed fine.  Transformers #8. The Decepticons track down their old ship at the bottom of the ocean. Inside of the Nemesis, an irate Astrotrain is recovered while the Autobots revive Jetfire and are headed for a clash. This series has pulled me in for the long haul and I hope it does well.  Jon Sable, Freelance #42-50. Mike Grell still scripts the book and draws the covers but has ceded the interior art duties to others by this time. There are some good stories in here with a Sable stopping a terrorist plot in NYC, a hostage situation in a tower on Christmas that clearly isn't Die Hard, and a game of political intrigue in a European country. Six issues left before finishing this series.          |
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 I'm not a plagiarist. I'm also not illiterate.
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drmccoy74 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by HeinzDadhave you ever read any "lone wolf and cub"? It's a pretty good comic book from the mid 80's  |
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I'm a McNugget guzzler.
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HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I have not. I’ve heard of it but that’s all. | ||
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 Please continue to ignore anything I post.
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southerncross private msg quote post Address this user | |
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Collector
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michaelekrupp private msg quote post Address this user | |
A couple of Epic Comics from last night’s reading: Alien Legion is a comic that is really starting to grow on me. The concept is nothing particularly special; the Legion is basically a galactic version of the foreign legion. What makes the book interesting is the diverse group of characters, who become more interesting and engaging with each passing issue. Being a bi-monthly hurts it a little bit, mainly because I have read so many other comics in between each issue that I really have to think hard to remember what happened previously. Still, I find myself liking it a little more with each passing issue.  Starstruck may be the first Epic comic I have bought that I don’t particularly care for. I was unimpressed with the graphic novel and the first issue of the regular series is basically just more of the same. Starstruck was originally a play. I don’t think the comic is an adaptation of the play, more of a continuation. It follows the various characters who seem largely unconnected to each other through a centralizing sequence of events. It’s like a bunch of small stories that together contribute to a larger story. The thing is, none of the characters really connect with me and the whole thing seems somewhat meandering. If there is some grand plan to tie all the random situations and events together to tell a larger story I cannot see it yet. I do have a copy of issue two on hand, so I will be sticking with it that far at least. Chances are high I may drop out after that. (For the record the series lasted six issues.) |
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Collector
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michaelekrupp private msg quote post Address this user | |
Finally finished with the February 1985 issues! As is my custom I saved many of the first issues for the end, giving me the option to double up on them when I start the March issues. For a short period in the 1980s, V was an incredibly popular TV series. I never watched it myself, but at its peak it bordered on a pop culture phenomenon. The comic ran concurrently to the show but is not an adaptation. It assumes that the reader is familiar with the series and the characters. I thought it was alright, but it doesn’t exactly grab you by the throat. But, like I said, I never watched the TV show.  Superman:the Secret Years is designed to fill in the gap between Superboy leaving Smallville and turning up in Metropolis as Superman. In other words, Clark Kent’s college years. The series is written by Bob Rozakis, who is largely a writer of fill-in stories. It makes sense that he would be the guy to write a “fill-in” mini series. The first issue wasn’t bad. The artwork by Swan and Schaffenberger was pleasing and enhanced the retro feel of the story.  Jonni Thunder AKA Thunderbolt is an interesting experiment. It combines the superhero genre with the hard boiled detective. It’s also nice to see Dick Giordano handling the art chores. I enjoyed the first issue and am looking forward to the rest of the series.  The Barren Earth has been plodding along for almost two years as a backup feature in Warlord. The series has potential, but there is only so much that can be done with 7 or 8 pages a month. The series is finally given a chance to shine in its own mini series, and the first issue does not disappoint! They pulled out all the stops here, doing away with text pages and letters pages to add to the story page count. They obviously have a lot to cram into a four issue limited series and I am eager for the next installment! |
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 I blame the forum gremlins.
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figment private msg quote post Address this user | |
Onward into Infinity...  |
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 COLLECTOR
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| I’m making use of my Marvel Unlimited trial to finally read Planet of the Symbiotes from the 90’s. It takes place just after Separation Anxiety where Eddie Brock is questioning his relationship with the symbiote and how much of the violence and death he’s caused as Venom was his own or the symbiote’s influence. The story takes place across five issues. It’s mostly mindless fun. What didn’t really work for me was that the story tells you it’s some apocalyptic worldwide invasion but you only really get a brief newsbreak showing the invasion extending beyond New York. Otherwise the stoey just follows Spider-Man, Scarlet Spider, and Venom so the invasion doesn’t feel as big as the story wants to play it up as. What also doesn’t help convey the scale is the way it is resolved. It reminded me a lot of the source fo The Burn in Star Trek Discovery season 3. In this case, Venom’s symbiote is somehow made to scream in pain so terribly that the rest of the symbiotes decide to just die. Overall, I’d give the story a 6/10. It’s trying to do a major event without making it a major event.  |
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I blame the forum gremlins.
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figment private msg quote post Address this user | |
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 Collector
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willieCPA4646 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Batman and Robin Annual 2024 (Joshua Williamson / Howard Porter). Poison Ivy #17 - I'm about three issues behind. |
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I blame the forum gremlins.
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figment private msg quote post Address this user | |
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I'm a McNugget guzzler.
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HeinzDad private msg quote post Address this user | |
This is 11 short stories of the books that DSTLRY publishing is doing. They are mostly prequels. I'll pay 7 a month for this mag all year long. I'm completely blown away.   The second issue in and I'm not sure I can get past the illustrations.  |
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I blame the forum gremlins.
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figment private msg quote post Address this user | |
Finished 43 and realized I need a short diversion into Thanos' Quest before starting 44 and journey into Infinity. |
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Please continue to ignore anything I post.
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southerncross private msg quote post Address this user | |
 Reprint of past stories by Alex Toth, Neal Adams, Gil Kane and Bernie Wrightson. With new art work for games and pin ups l. |
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Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I have a lot of free time for the next few weeks as I wait to start my new job. My last day was 6/14 and I start with my new company on 7/1. Looking forward to it, but wanted a small break to get myself right before starting so I'll be posting with a little more regularity in the thread for two weeks. Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #1-7. Fast paced writing and superb art/inks by Marc Silvestri. Batman teams with Joker in order to stop some feral Joker-type things from decapitating people throughout Gotham. An interesting take on human experimentation gone wrong mixed with the dish always best-served cold: revenge!        Jon Sable: Freelance #51-56. I finished off the JSF series which ends with the well-done three-part story (#54-56) where Sable teams with his father. I liked this series, even though I felt it took a hit when Mike Grell stepped back from the art duties. Apparently, there is a follow-up series that ran for 20+ issues which was written for a bit by Marv Wolfman. It could be worth a look if I can get it for cheap.       NFL SuperPro #2-7. Jesus Christ, I only have a few issues left in this series. It's cheesy A.F. but it has its moments. I really like the football puns when fighting the bad guys. It appears that #6 was was offensive to the Hopi people and a lawsuit against Marvel was threatened. Even by the standards of the 90s, it was offensive. But, hey, #7 tried to make up for it by focusing on protecting the rainforest.       |
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 "There, their, they're."
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GAC private msg quote post Address this user | |
@Studley_Dudley Congrats on the new job!!!  |
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Collector
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michaelekrupp private msg quote post Address this user | |
Covering the last few days: Sun Devils has been amazing! As the conclusion approaches it just keeps getting better. I am going to miss this book when it is no longer in the rotation.  The Amethyst regular series is off to a great start. Really good issue of a very underrated series.  Kitty and Wolverine has really picked up after a slow start. Back in the ‘80s I dropped this after issue 1. The writing gets better, although Al Milgrom’s art still doesn’t thrill me.  I am really enjoying the Barren Earth mini. This issue had some plot twists that I absolutely did not see coming. Really good stuff!  After being slightly derailed by a Superman appearance that seemed unnecessary (except perhaps from a sales standpoint), Jemm is back on track. Solid issue this month.  Secret Wars is about ready to wrap up. It’s been a fun ride. Hard to go wrong with over two dozen heroes and villains duking it for twelve issues. Stuff like this is what comics were made for!  Jon Sable starts a new story arc this month, bringing back an old foe and featuring some nice character insights.  Mage was a little slow this month. The Grendel back up feature really irritated me. I actually gave up on trying to read it because the text was so ridiculously small! I don’t think a digital copy is available, so I guess I’ll be getting out a magnifying glass if I want to read this.  Things didn’t improve much when the other comic I had selected to read last night happened to be Judge Dredd. The text in JD is always smaller than normal due to the reduction from magazine size. At least it was readable!  |
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Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @michaelekrupp definitely giving me some ideas for some minis to pick up! | ||
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