Hey nerd, what comics did you get this week?

[Alex B.]

The original Tick series was in black and white.

I have The Naked City collection, to which they added color.

Still, that Complete is pretty tempting. Sigh.

 

[Covar]

I highly suggest you get it. I have it and the second trade they put out (haven't read it yet) and I love the golden age size pages of the book. Speaking as a new Tick fan I must say the book is funny as hell.

The B&W explains how I never felt like I was missing something like I do with the Marvel Essentials and DC Showcases.

 

[Krisken]

The original Tick series was in black and white.

I have The Naked City collection, to which they added color.

Still, that Complete is pretty tempting. Sigh.

Ah, I see. Yeah, I have The Naked City.

 

[fade]

Superman: Secret Identity.

The premise is nice. It's our world, as we know it. Even more so than Earth-Prime. A boy named Clark Kent live in Kansas. He is keenly aware of the comic character. His parents named him Clark as a joke. Anyway, it just so happens he gains Superman's powers (though it's made very clear that they aren't of the magnitude of the comic Superman's).

Quick review: don't bother. The art is nice. It's colored pencils, like my own work, only with the color laid on much thicker. The rest of the story is whiny drivel. If you like drama, read it. Otherwise, all you get is four double-sized issues of whine. The most hilarious thing is that Clark, on like the third page, says that he's "no Holden Caufield", then proceeds to whine for the rest of the series.

Spoilers:
[spoiler:2qq3kk9k]No supervillains. Superman remains secretive. He marries a Lois (after being set up on a date as a joke). No explanation other than a couple of references to a meteor strike. The closest thing to a confrontation with a super-villain is never ever resolved.[/spoiler:2qq3kk9k]

Keep your money.

 

Superman: Secret Identity.

The premise is nice. It's our world, as we know it. Even more so than Earth-Prime. A boy named Clark Kent live in Kansas. He is keenly aware of the comic character. His parents named him Clark as a joke. Anyway, it just so happens he gains Superman's powers (though it's made very clear that they aren't of the magnitude of the comic Superman's).

Quick review: don't bother. The art is nice. It's colored pencils, like my own work, only with the color laid on much thicker. The rest of the story is whiny drivel. If you like drama, read it. Otherwise, all you get is four double-sized issues of whine. The most hilarious thing is that Clark, on like the third page, says that he's "no Holden Caufield", then proceeds to whine for the rest of the series.

Spoilers:
[spoiler:2pqjm0b3]No supervillains. Superman remains secretive. He marries a Lois (after being set up on a date as a joke). No explanation other than a couple of references to a meteor strike. The closest thing to a confrontation with a super-villain is never ever resolved.[/spoiler:2pqjm0b3]

Keep your money.

:waah:

That's my favourite piece of graphic literature, period. It's not SUPPOSED to be about fighting super villains and such, but how someone may deal with having a secret identity in our world.

 

[fade]

Yeah, I got that. But it was just so Dawson's Creek whiny. Maybe if they compressed it down to half the size, and made Clark into something less fussy, it would be better. I know it wasn't about super-villains. I was just pointing it out. Putting an adversary in might have pepped it up a little. It was like watching a sports star die of cancer.

-- Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:47 am --

It wasn't just the excessive whininess. It was Clark's pretentiousness, too. That part bugged the crud out of me, too. His real life, which he spent most of his time in, was perfect and successful. I guess that's it--it's not necessarily a supervillain I was looking for, but some kind of interaction or friction. We got a couple of brief ones, but mostly, the story was about this guy with a near-perfect life (barring some teen troubles) who got major frosting on his cake in the form of superpowers (and ohyeahbytheway, some government guys are mildly interested in him--but he takes care of that lickety-split with zero reprecussions). His biggest plot point is keeping it secret, which plays out really fast.

 

Mildly interested? Like how they captured him and wanted to cut him up and dissect him? How would that not make someone paranoid as all hell?

Again, this was a story about what it would be like for someone with Superman's powers to exist in our world. It was not, I repeat, NOT about superheroics and superhero daring-do. If you want that, Geoff Johns has been doing a great run on Action Comics for the last few years. I don't know where you got pretentiousness from the character, either. He was a thinker and a writer, which means he's contemplative about all of his actions. Sure, he was successful in life, but rarely could he let loose and be who he really was (which in a lot of ways, encapsulates Superman as a character).

-- Wed Jul 22, 2009 12:04 pm --

Speaking of Geoff Johns' run on Superman:

Last Son

I remember complaints from people about this story taking forever to finish because it was delayed and delayed and such. But you know what? It's a damn fun read, now that it's all finished. I think it was a result of Adam Kubert taking forever on the art. None of that matters, now that the story is completed.

I liked how they presented Zod, here. He was somewhat similar to the Zod we all know and love from the movie, but much more cunning and general-like. And I don't know what the consensus was on Christopher Kent, who was briefly adopted by Lois and Clark, but I kind of liked the kid. He wasn't in-your-face annoying or anything like that and you felt some sympathy for him due to [spoiler:22idlsz1]being abused by Zod.[/spoiler:22idlsz1]

I'm glad Kubert was able to do the art for the final issue. It was a really fun, unique style of several small panels to do the action sequences. It wound up being a lot of fun, something that I wish more artists would do, as opposed to the giant splash pages that's becoming more and more the norm.

I'd also bought the second volume of DMZ and Superman: Legion of Superheroes (another of Johns' run), but have yet to read them.

 

[fade]

Mildly interested? Like how they captured him and wanted to cut him up and dissect him? How would that not make someone paranoid as all *?

Again, this was a story about what it would be like for someone with Superman's powers to exist in our world. It was not, I repeat, NOT about superheroics and superhero daring-do. If you want that, Geoff Johns has been doing a great run on Action Comics for the last few years. I don't know where you got pretentiousness from the character, either. He was a thinker and a writer, which means he's contemplative about all of his actions. Sure, he was successful in life, but rarely could he let loose and be who he really was (which in a lot of ways, encapsulates Superman as a character).

Like I said, I got that. Like I said, it didn't have to be superhuman derring-do. Just something. Yeah, I read a lot of pretentiousness in Clark--usually in the things he thinks about while flying alone. But that's me. If you like it, go ahead. I didn't for stated reasons. Just don't keep misinterpreting what I'm saying about supervillains, since I've said twice now that it's not necessarily the superheroics. I just don't find it an interesting story without some conflict, be it superheroic or regular old life drama. That's why I was pointing out his successful (and uneventful beyond the ordinary) real life. I found it to be a one-trick story, and the one trick was well-explored by the end of the first book. After that it was like, "Oh jeez, he's complaining about no privacy and not getting to be his real self...again." Which I got. I know you keep pointing it out. I got it. Trust me. After he says it on every page for hundreds of pages, I couldn't help but get it.

 

*nods* Sorry, I thought that's what you were complaing about. I'm still waking up here today. But yeah, to each their own, I guess. Given that it's my favourite thing of all time in comics, I'm just having a hard time coming to terms with someone that didn't like it. :tongue: Agree to disagree and all that.

 

[Aisaku]

Mildly interested? Like how they captured him and wanted to cut him up and dissect him? How would that not make someone paranoid as all *?

^ This. Also Secret Identity is one of my favorite Superman stories. Everything about it is excellent.

 

Mildly interested? Like how they captured him and wanted to cut him up and dissect him? How would that not make someone paranoid as all *?

^ This. Also Secret Identity is one of my favorite Superman stories. Everything about it is excellent.

THANK YOU!!!! :clap:

 

[@Li3n]

I too remember it being underwhelming...

 

[Alex B.]

I liked Secret Identity, but it's been a while since I read it. I'll have to dig it out again when I get a chance.

Superman: For All Seasons is great.

 

[filmfanatic]

My most recent comic book purchases:

The Demon (a hardcover collection of Jack Kirby's 16-issue run of Etrigan the Demon)
Showcase Presents: Bat Lash (Eight issues from the short-lived Bat Lash series, along with a few other issues from series where he appeared)
Blackest Night #1 (which means I now possess the Black Lantern ring promotional! Huzzah!)

 

[Cajungal]

I found an issue of Birds of Prey in a quarter back issue box, so I grabbed it just to see what's what. I looked for more Walking Dead, too, but I can't afford the next book til I get paid again.

 

Nice, Film Fanatic! Hope you enjoy that Demon omnibus. I know I did, when I got it late last year.

I went on a little shopping spree and got a few of these pretty cheap:

-Devil Dinosaur Omnibus (KIRBY!)
-DMZ Vol.3 (I swear, this really is the best comic series I've read in a long time)
-Superman: Escape From Bizarro World (more Geoff Johns Superman; this one, like the others, is a lot of fun)
-Sleeper, Season 1 (from the same creative team as the OTHER fantastic comic series, Criminal, this one's just some great superhero mixed with espionage stuff)
-Justice League: The Nail (never read it, so I'm excited to read this Elseworld where the Kents had a flat tire due to a nail...so they never found Superman's crashed ship)

 

[Alex B.]

DMZ is great (just to back you up, there, Nick). I'm behind on it, though. Sleeper is on my list of wants.

I'm ashamed to say I just this past weekend obtained Volume 1 of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Also grabbed Spidey 600, which was great.

This week's pulls:

Detective 855 (I think I'm going to stop getting them, though, and trade this series)
Blackest Night Tales 3
New Avengers 55
Secret Warriors 6
Justice Society 29

Looking forward to next week, when I'll actually get all my July comics.

 

[wana10]

just grabbed the whatever happened to the caped crusader hardcover, spider-man noir, and jms' first thor volume(i love the scene where thor beats the crap out of ironman )
going to another comic shop tomorrow to grab dini's batman: death in the city.
add these to the ones i bought last week and the week before(heart of hush, batman: detective, private casebook, and harley quinn) and it all adds up to me spending too much on comics this month...
hooray for comics!

edit* wow...i had never read spider-man noir before buying it today and i am very impressed. great story, great art, i highly recommend it.

 

[Green_Lantern]

Mildly interested? Like how they captured him and wanted to cut him up and dissect him? How would that not make someone paranoid as all *?

Again, this was a story about what it would be like for someone with Superman's powers to exist in our world. It was not, I repeat, NOT about superheroics and superhero daring-do. If you want that, Geoff Johns has been doing a great run on Action Comics for the last few years. I don't know where you got pretentiousness from the character, either. He was a thinker and a writer, which means he's contemplative about all of his actions. Sure, he was successful in life, but rarely could he let loose and be who he really was (which in a lot of ways, encapsulates Superman as a character).

Like I said, I got that. Like I said, it didn't have to be superhuman derring-do. Just something. Yeah, I read a lot of pretentiousness in Clark--usually in the things he thinks about while flying alone. But that's me. If you like it, go ahead. I didn't for stated reasons. Just don't keep misinterpreting what I'm saying about supervillains, since I've said twice now that it's not necessarily the superheroics. I just don't find it an interesting story without some conflict, be it superheroic or regular old life drama. That's why I was pointing out his successful (and uneventful beyond the ordinary) real life. I found it to be a one-trick story, and the one trick was well-explored by the end of the first book. After that it was like, "Oh jeez, he's complaining about no privacy and not getting to be his real self...again." Which I got. I know you keep pointing it out. I got it. Trust me. After he says it on every page for hundreds of pages, I couldn't help but get it.

You must read in a different way than I did, because in my head Clark's voice/narration wasn't at all pretentious, quite the opposite, he is someone who is always questioning and always in doubt, he wants to understand and figure out thigs and even the conclusions that he gets (after a LOT of flying alone) still has some hints of "I am not sure", also, I loved the structure of the series with each book taking a chapter of his life. Also loved the art style, that is rather unusual for a comic book and somehow fits with the story theme/genre.

also, if I am correct, you liked that comic book, JLA: Acts of Gods, right? the one with the Christian Wonder Woman?

 

[filmfanatic]

Just picked up some more comics. Here's what I got:

Hitman: A Rage in Arkham
Saga of the Swamp Thing (Vol. 1 of Alan Moore's run)
Batman: Harley and Ivy
The Best of the Spirit