[Comics] What Comics are you Currently Reading Thread

Brubaker is one of the only writer in comics who I will check out anything he writes (Waid being the only one, although he has his misses for me on occassion). If he's teaming with Phillips it's an automatic must buy. So far the only thing by Brubaker I didn't care for was his run on Uncanny X-men, but I'm not sure how much of that is just my lack of interest when it comes to the X-titles.
It was probably, too, that he was under a lot of editorial pressure to tie it in with the rest of the X-Men universe. Not necessarily directly affecting titles, but keeping the continuity and characters in line. Might have even been told certain characters he had to use or something.
 
Yeah, I'm gonna check that out too.


As for today's reading, went through Batman #1 and Batman #2, the beginning of Tom King's run. I liked the first two issues of Detective Comics, but this kicked that into the gutter. While the first issue is mainly just a quickie crisis to get the ball rolling and hint/tease at some things (plus a sweet moment between Batman and Alfred), the second issue is packed. A lot happens, some excellent dialogue, setting up many interesting possibilities. Alfred gets some solid laughs with his dry humor. Jim Gordon is just so tired, but he's still marching on. And then the final two pages ...

Hugo Strange and Amanda Waller, working together on some probably not going to end well shit at Arkham. I have a feeling it's related to Gotham and Gotham Girl, but I'm not sure what. Both Batman comics right now involve people who think they're what Gotham City needs, but in this one those individuals are going at it more respectfully ... yet this may be a ruse.

Very much looking forward to #3 in a couple weeks.
 
I thought Attack on Titan was on break, but it turns out there were plenty of chapters being published and I just didn't know it, so I read through the last seven of them in one go.

Fuuuuuuuuuuck.

So many things went wrong ... and now just when something could be turned right, there's a horrible choice to be made.

Maybe we'll find out what's in the basement this year. Ha. Ha.
 
...what?! The basement is STILL a plot point?
I thought Attack on Titan was on break, but it turns out there were plenty of chapters being published and I just didn't know it, so I read through the last seven of them in one go.

Fuuuuuuuuuuck.

So many things went wrong ... and now just when something could be turned right, there's a horrible choice to be made.

Maybe we'll find out what's in the basement this year. Ha. Ha.
...the basement is still a plot-point? Jesus, that shit's like One Piece.
 
Read the first two issues of Green Lanterns, which is setting up to be a superhero buddy cop comic. There's a lot of great stuff; I love Jessica Cruz as a severely agoraphobic Green Lantern, a woman with great fear selected by the ring because she has the capacity to surmount great fear. Simon Baz is kind of a jerk, but growing on me. I can at least see why he's a jerk. The downside of it being a buddy cop story is that at the start of that kind of story, the two characters don't get along well. For a comic, that could be the first six or so issues of them learning to work together. So while I feel the payoff will be strong, it has to get there.

It's written by Geoff Johns, so I'm guessing my liking it is on the badside? :p I heard his main sin is that he doesn't pay attention to much continuity, even his own. Rebirth is perfect for them then, I suppose. This comic is guilty of the fake-out cover as soon as issue #2. The cover shows Red Lantern Bleez torturing Jessica and Simon ... not only does this not happen, but Bleez isn't even in the issue!

I'm amazed I like this so much despite the ridiculous names. I can see the justification of the Red Lanterns, but they'd improve their image if they didn't have things call Hell Towers, Rage Seeds, and weren't led by a guy named Atrocitus. That is some silver age pain right there.

Also wanted to read Peter David's run of The Incredible Hulk since college, but never got around to it. Looks like that shit's expensive! But rather than spent $170 minimum collecting the damn thing, turns out all those individual issues are on Marvel Unlimited. It would take me 17 months of that to add up the same cost, so even though I'd prefer reading these on my commute, for saving me $160 I think I can adjust my preferences.
 
You will be hard pressed to find a better Hulk run. Fortunately Hulk's a pretty easy character to write so a lot of stuff before and after David's run is still pretty good.
 
Worth it.
It was my introduction to Peter David.

--Patrick
Orrrr, just ten smackers to rent it :p. These trades went for $10 a piece on release and now volume 5 is $45 to $50 for even a shoddy used copy. And Marvel's not even done putting the whole run into trades. They've only hit #403 in the last epic collection. Another 500 page collection is coming in January, but with Future Imperfect thrown into it, it's probably only another 12 to 15 issues, so they still have a ways to go.

But the entire run is on the website, start to end. I've read a couple of the later issues (#425 to somewhere in the 430s) when I was little, but that was way past the gray and future Hulk stories I want to read. I've read the first two issues of the run so far; it seems he's having to wrap up some other storyline.
 
Oh what the hell, there's only two Incognitos and the last one was done 6 years ago!? Damn it! I want more. The story isn't over!
 
File this in my mental drawer labeled: GOD DAMN IT BUSIEK IT'S BEEN 13 YEARS WHY HAVEN'T YOU DONE THE FUCKING SEQUEL TO ARROWSMITH YOU PROMISED 10 YEARS AGO!? IT'S LITERALLY CALLED BOOK 1. THAT IMPLIES A FUCKING BOOK 2! I LOVE YOUR WORK BY THE WAY.

That drawer has a lot of writing on it.
 
Read The Flash today. More than any other title, you can feel the effects of Rebirth, and that's as it should be. Barry having to juggle in his brain that there are two Wally Wests, deciding to keep his and Batman's deductions between them until they know more.

On a pure Flash level though, the paneling! I don't always appreciate good paneling like I should (though I can pick out when it's bad--looking at you, Detective Comics 934, confused opening fight scene). But the paneling here is fantastic. It's so weird to be looking at a still image, but feeling Barry's speed.

Never read Flash before, so coming from the show, I note a few things:

- There's actually a Jitters in the comic? That really felt like a WB/CW "we need to make up a hangout place for the characters to hang out" like that club frequented by high schoolers in Buffy, or various coffee shops in various shows.
- Barry's being a fuck-up is from the comics. Good to know. I mean, his power is way better in the comic (I noted this with Wally in JL/JLU cartoons; knowing how to use the Speed Force and how to creatively take advantage of that power is super important), but he's still chronically late and can't prioritize.
- He's still a cool guy though. Zips to the arctic to warm up some people with his kinetic energy, wants to rebuild people's homes but the fire department says they can't do that yet and he leaves all dejected.
 
I'm a few issues into Peter David's Hulk run.

The good:
It lives up to the hype even this early on. I was kind of afraid that because this is from the era before comics were allowed to get more color variance per page and character thoughts were still portrayed in thought clouds instead of narrative boxes that it was going to read like some of the older X-Men stuff that I don't care for, i.e. very cheesy. That's absolutely not the case, and is absolutely apparent in the third issue when parts of the story dip into being about the wife of the sheriff, which felt like a very The Sandman thing to do, and it made the issue. The writing is excellent. And there's like 130 issues, without all of it even being collected yet? Damn.

The bad:
I'm not really enjoying reading this on Marvel Unlimited. My eyes strain from staring at the computer screen reading that intently and scrolling down is a pain. If it was just a few issues I was trying to catch up on for one thing or another, that'd be fine, but I actually want to read all this. I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and just buy the volumes, and just read volumes 5 and 6 (the expensive ones) on Marvel Unlimited another month when I get that far in the physical issues. Cutting those two out brings the price of the collection down by about $100.

The other good:
My LCBS had volume 3. I can tell it's been sitting on the shelf for years as the rims of the pages are dingier than anything else I've bought there, but it's a brand new copy. I'll have to see what else I can get my hands on.
 
I'm a few issues into Peter David's Hulk run.

The good:
It lives up to the hype even this early on. I was kind of afraid that because this is from the era before comics were allowed to get more color variance per page and character thoughts were still portrayed in thought clouds instead of narrative boxes that it was going to read like some of the older X-Men stuff that I don't care for, i.e. very cheesy. That's absolutely not the case, and is absolutely apparent in the third issue when parts of the story dip into being about the wife of the sheriff, which felt like a very The Sandman thing to do, and it made the issue. The writing is excellent. And there's like 130 issues, without all of it even being collected yet? Damn.

The bad:
I'm not really enjoying reading this on Marvel Unlimited. My eyes strain from staring at the computer screen reading that intently and scrolling down is a pain. If it was just a few issues I was trying to catch up on for one thing or another, that'd be fine, but I actually want to read all this. I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and just buy the volumes, and just read volumes 5 and 6 (the expensive ones) on Marvel Unlimited another month when I get that far in the physical issues. Cutting those two out brings the price of the collection down by about $100.

The other good:
My LCBS had volume 3. I can tell it's been sitting on the shelf for years as the rims of the pages are dingier than anything else I've bought there, but it's a brand new copy. I'll have to see what else I can get my hands on.
Two things:

1) Marvel never finished collecting his run in collections. :(
2) There's ONE issue late in his run that is not on Marvel Unlimited. I don't recall the issue off-hand, but it's somewhere shortly after Onslaught.
 
Two things:

1) Marvel never finished collecting his run in collections. :(
2) There's ONE issue late in his run that is not on Marvel Unlimited. I don't recall the issue off-hand, but it's somewhere shortly after Onslaught.
They're still working at it. January 2017 will see a 500-page Epic Collection that continues collecting the run (with Future Imperfect thrown in for some reason even though it's still in print with The End). Epic Collection: Ghosts of the Past ends with #403, leaving still another 60 (?) issues. If Future Imperfect is about 100 pages, assume a couple issues of other comics, Epic Collection: Future Imperfect should hit around issue #415. Still a ways to go, but at least they're still working at getting it all out there. Now if only they'd reprint some of the older collections.
 
They're still working at it. January 2017 will see a 500-page Epic Collection that continues collecting the run (with Future Imperfect thrown in for some reason even though it's still in print with The End). Epic Collection: Ghosts of the Past ends with #403, leaving still another 60 (?) issues. If Future Imperfect is about 100 pages, assume a couple issues of other comics, Epic Collection: Future Imperfect should hit around issue #415. Still a ways to go, but at least they're still working at getting it all out there. Now if only they'd reprint some of the older collections.
That's the thing. They're not consistent with the previous volumes, which was when they were doing the Visionaries series of collections. If they start over, they might as well do ultimate collections.
 
That's the thing. They're not consistent with the previous volumes, which was when they were doing the Visionaries series of collections. If they start over, they might as well do ultimate collections.
I'm not sure what you mean by consistent. Hulk Visionaries: Peter David volume 8 ends with #396, and Epic Collection: Ghosts of the Past begins with #397.

By reprint, I don't mean redoing them; I just mean do another printing of the Visionaries books. They did another printing of volume 1 in 2011, for example. Don't know if they did it for any of the others though.
 
I'm not sure what you mean by consistent. Hulk Visionaries: Peter David volume 8 ends with #396, and Epic Collection: Ghosts of the Past begins with #397.

By reprint, I don't mean redoing them; I just mean do another printing of the Visionaries books. They did another printing of volume 1 in 2011, for example. Don't know if they did it for any of the others though.
Sorry, when I mean consistent, I mean the book design, like the covers and spines. I like seeing them lined up on my shelf Vol 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. But now they're not doing that, at least with this particular run of a creator. If they're going to FINALLY continue on with David's run (after I've waited several years), then either restart it as ultimate editions or continue on the Visionaries style. Personally, I would've prefer the ultimate collections.

I know. It's fickle and really stupid.
 
I'm reading the "Demon in a Bottle" storyline for the first time ever. Did everybody in 1979 wear a collared polyester shirt?
 
Sorry, when I mean consistent, I mean the book design, like the covers and spines. I like seeing them lined up on my shelf Vol 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. But now they're not doing that, at least with this particular run of a creator. If they're going to FINALLY continue on with David's run (after I've waited several years), then either restart it as ultimate editions or continue on the Visionaries style. Personally, I would've prefer the ultimate collections.

I know. It's fickle and really stupid.
Yes :p. I guess that's just something I don't care about. I have all of Dan Slott's run of She-Hulk, in volumes 1, 2, 3, and 2, with that second 2 being the complete version of the printing, so it collects the old volumes 4 and 5. It looks dumb, but for $12 it was cheaper and more convenient.

Gwenpool is probably the only thing I find worth reading at Marvel right now.

Gonna read the new one on my way to work. Did you see the preview for October? Geez ...
 
Gwenpool is probably the only thing I find worth reading at Marvel right now.
Now having read #4, I'd rank it least among the issues. There were a couple funny bits, but since it was mostly action there wasn't a lot for the dialogue to do and it went really fast. Not to say it was bad, and this was built off events from #1, but it's not one I'm going to be pushing my wife to read ASAP like #3. Looking forward to her and Miles teaming up next month.
 
Now having read #4, I'd rank it least among the issues. There were a couple funny bits, but since it was mostly action there wasn't a lot for the dialogue to do and it went really fast. Not to say it was bad, and this was built off events from #1, but it's not one I'm going to be pushing my wife to read ASAP like #3. Looking forward to her and Miles teaming up next month.
Yeah it was more action than dialogue, and Hastings excels with dialogue. The upside is more GuriHiru, who do the cartoony style every other new artist seems to fail at exceedingly well.
 
Didn't really enjoy The Flash #2 either, but largely because it felt like very little happened. Next issue should be better.

Tomorrow reading the new Detective Comics ... this cover is horrifying, but nothing the likes of Clayface eating Batwoman would probably happen in the book. That said, I really hope something happens, because a 20-page book dividing its pages between six teammates and trying to give each a scene leaves very little room for anything to happen. Give someone the focus per issue and let the story move along.
 
Detective Comics got MUCH better. It did exactly what I was bitching about it not doing--made one character the issue's focus and let everyone and everything else revolve around that.

Still enjoying Action Comics--it's bizarre, because I wasn't going to pick these up because the summaries made it sound like not much happens per issue, and that's true, but there's so much character dynamic and intrigue that I finished the issue satisfied.

But more importantly, my wife said I can get some of the Peter David Hulk volumes for my birthday! :D Now that's a fucking win!

EDIT: Wow. Volume 4 in the Amazon marketplace had one for $12.50 with shipping, and then two for $15 under Prime. I've been eyeballing them, even last night, and figured I could do the shopping this morning. Overnight, some son of a bitch bought all three. I'm just in disbelief; I figured since more than one were in the same price range I'd be fine to wait. Did not count on that happening.
 
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Dave

Staff member
Just finished reading - from start to finish - the entire run of Preacher.

Yeah. That was pretty good.
 
Read Green Lanterns on a scan site, pretty good...but did anyone tell Geof Johns/Shane Davis that Bleez looks like she's doing a bad Morrigan cosplay?

I can not take her serious with those silly little bat wing ears, so silly!
 

Dave

Staff member
Ooh, was that your first time reading it? I'd like to hear more of your thoughts on it, sir.
I'll write some up later after I've slept. With my health issues and a storm that raged through I was literally up all night. 0 sleep. Not usre how I'm functioning right now.
 
Read Green Lanterns on a scan site, pretty good...but did anyone tell Geof Johns/Shane Davis that Bleez looks like she's doing a bad Morrigan cosplay?

I can not take her serious with those silly little bat wing ears, so silly!
I'm enjoying Green Lanterns, but I can't take the Red Lanterns seriously, batwings or not. The names are so silly. Hell Tower, Rage Seed, their leader now is Atrocitus. Sooo silver age. I don't mind because the book is solid, but the Red Lanterns come off as really goofy.
 
I'm enjoying Green Lanterns, but I can't take the Red Lanterns seriously, batwings or not. The names are so silly. Hell Tower, Rage Seed, their leader now is Atrocitus. Sooo silver age. I don't mind because the book is solid, but the Red Lanterns come off as really goofy.
Agreed they are super silly, hell the latest event they prophecized is called "Red Dawn". It was im-POSSIBLE not to cringe after reading that line.

Seriously if this doesn't lead to a bunch of Red Lanterns yelling out "WOLVERINES"! I'ma be irked.
 
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