Let's Read Comics [Archive] - TheHolo.Net Forums

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 3rd, 2013, 11:15:41 AM

This past year or so I have made the jump from occasionally buying a graphic novel, to visit my local comic book shop every week to pick up new issues. It occurs to me that there are other people here reading comics (sometimes the very same comics that I am :o) so why don't we have a thread about them? to share our inevitable anguish

Titles that I currently 'pull' / subscribe to:

DC
Batgirl
Batman
Batwoman :swoon:
Batman and Robin

Marvel
All New X-Men
Captain Marvel :swoon:
Thor: God of Thunder

Image
Lost Vegas
Mourning Glories
Saga

If you don't read comics and would like recommendations on a graphic novel or on-going series to try, post up which characters you like or would like to explore more, or even just what kind of stories / genres you would be interested in reading :)

Captain Untouchable

Mar 3rd, 2013, 11:44:16 AM

Flux

Mar 3rd, 2013, 11:45:05 AM

I'm not reading anything in DC. They really only had my attention when I was a kid, and then it was their cartoons, not their comics, that I enjoyed.

For Marvel...well, I have the list here.

Marvel

Avenging Spider-Man
The Superior Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
Ms. Marvel (Is she Captain Marvel now? Or is that different?)

Plus whatever one-shoes and mini-series catch my eye. I've been reading Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog since I was 10, so it's a little late to stop now. Archie only just started a comic for Mega Man, and it's been a good run so far. I've got some Ninja Turtles stuff from IDW, and just picked up a big hardback collection of original Eastman and Laird TMNT comics (which were holy crap amazing), so I'm set to go for a while here.

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 3rd, 2013, 11:49:26 AM

I'm only reading DC at the moment; I'm a little bit behind because of when in the month my money comes in, but I'm playing catch-up with -

Batman
Batgirl
Batwoman
Aquaman
Green Arrow
I've also been reading the Smallville Season 11 comics, as well as the Arrow tie-ins. I'm not enjoying Green Arrow a huge amount (yet) because something feels a little 'off', but I'm sorta sticking with him out of solidarity.

My next wave of purchases is probably going to include some Batman and Robin, and possibly some Flash. I've been toying with getting some Green Lantern comics as well, but there are just so many series on the go right now: going to have to do a lot more research before I do that.

Oh, and I need to buy more Saga, because it is amazing.

How far through with Green Arrow are you? Apparently it really picks up around issue #17 - they got a new writer and artist, so it apparently feels like a mini reboot.

The guy who has been writing all of the Green Lantern books for the last 9 years is also leaving as of June, so it might be a good time then to hop on board since (IIRC?) the current writer is planning to tie up a whole bunch of story lines before he passes the baton.

Batman and Robin is definitely worth reading, although... you know. Sad.

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 3rd, 2013, 11:53:12 AM

Captain Untouchable

Mar 3rd, 2013, 11:56:10 AM

Geoff Johns, the current GL writer is amazing. He wrote the Aquaman stuff I've read, and it totally made me fall in love with the character, and I've read bits and pieces of his other stuff and really enjoyed it. He's also responsible for a lot of the best episodes of DC television in recent years. He seems to really "get" characters, and that's really enjoyable to read/watch/experience.

I'm tempted to hold fire on GL until I hear some feedback on what his successor does with it. I'd hate to start reading Geoff Johns stuff, get hooked on it, and then have the new guy not live up to my enjoyment factor.

I'm still a few issues behind on Green Arrow, so I'll soldier through. The first arc was interesting, but the character just didn't "feel" right. He didn't have any of the wit, charm, or morality that I love about Arrow. When the Smallville comics are doing a better job of writing Green Arrow than mainstream DC is, that's worrisome.

Zhe'chot

Mar 3rd, 2013, 12:00:54 PM

Marvel

Avenging Spider-Man
The Superior Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
Ms. Marvel (Is she Captain Marvel now? Or is that different?)

How much have you read lately? Because Amazing Spider-Man, isn't that kind of... over? :ohno

Also yes, Ms Marvel (Carol Danvers) is Captain Marvel as of July last year :)

I don't know if it is or not. I'm only just getting the chance to read the latest issues today. I'll check back in with you later tonight and let you know. I got poor, then I enlisted, so I lost track of Ms. Danvers a bit. I knew she was wearing the old Captain Marvel costume, but didn't know if she was taking the name or not.

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 3rd, 2013, 12:01:04 PM

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 3rd, 2013, 12:03:50 PM

I don't know if it is or not. I'm only just getting the chance to read the latest issues today. I'll check back in with you later tonight and let you know. I got poor, then I enlisted, so I lost track of Ms. Danvers a bit. I knew she was wearing the old Captain Marvel costume, but didn't know if she was taking the name or not.

If this is the first catch up you're having in a while, you've got a big surprise in store!

Zereth Lancer

Mar 3rd, 2013, 12:20:01 PM

I only read Deadpool and Deadpool related comics. Period.

Zhe'chot

Mar 3rd, 2013, 12:22:27 PM

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 3rd, 2013, 01:17:58 PM

I only read Deadpool and Deadpool related comics. Period.

Are you reading the current storc arc, with the undead presidents?

Zereth Lancer

Mar 3rd, 2013, 02:40:43 PM

I actually haven't picked one up in awhile so I'm pretty behind. I think the newest one I read was the one with the Hit Monkey. I need to update my library :/

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 3rd, 2013, 03:23:09 PM

I haven't read any of his stories, but some of the covers I've seen on the shelves lately have been... interesting :lol

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 5th, 2013, 05:24:29 PM

Wow, this is a slow week for me. Only two books to pick up:

All New X-Men #8
Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1

I also got Batman: Ego and Other Tails trade out from the library :) Discovering that my local library has a fairly decently sized graphic novels section was awesome.

I added Batman and Robin to my pull list tonight, looking forward to the direction that book is going to be taking after the events of Batman, Incorporated #8 :whaa

Emelie Shadowstar

Mar 6th, 2013, 08:24:55 AM

Let's see here...

Abstract Studio
Rachel Rising

BOOM! Studios
Adventure Time
Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake
what of it? They're fun. :|

DC - mostly new 52
All Star Western (Ok so technically I'm only up to #4...)
Batman (and a few others in the bat-family when storylines cross)
Batman and Robin (only up to #6 here but... best Robin everrrr. Yes I've Read Batman Incorporated #8)
Batwoman (Second the :swoon: - the art is SO EFFING PRETTY)
Suicide Squad (really more of a guilty pleasure. Not sure if I'd ever recommend it)
Injustice: Gods Among Us (Just started this arc/series)

Image
Chew
Choker (hurrry upppp Bens!)
Lady Mechanika (Wish Comixology would give me #3 already *grump*)
Morning Glories (My tattoo artist got me hooked on this. Mechanika too!)

Marvel
All-New X-Men
Captain Marvel <3 (Thanks Jones)
Hawkeye
Nextwave: Agents of HATE (catching up but oh my... the lols)
Thor: God of Thunder

Titan
Lenore :3:

Vertigo
American Vampire

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 6th, 2013, 11:26:41 AM

Mourning Glories is stupidly good. I blasted through the first 3 collected editions in one afternoon.

Also dayum Sarah you pull a whole lotta stuff!

Captain Untouchable

Mar 6th, 2013, 11:51:56 AM

I just spent $60 in one go for comics. Bought the rest of the issues of Batgirl and Saga that I didn't have; picked up the first couple of issues of Batman and Robin, and Flash; got some more Aquaman; and probably something else though I don't remember what it was.

I'm still behind on Batwoman and Green Arrow, and I'm tempted by Batman Incorporated, a couple of the Green Lantern titles, and maybe one or two of the Justice League ones as well (damn them for having a series that features Booster Gold!). Still haven't dipped into any Marvel as yet, but Tumblr keeps showing me so much awesome Thor and Captain Marvel art that I might have to fix that.

I've never really bought comics before, so I'm still feeling my way around to find the sort of stuff I like. Also, it's super-difficult for me to read books at the moment what with the brain symptoms of the being ill stuff, so comics is basically the only way of getting stories into my brain without a TV being involved, which is why I'm going a little OTT on my acquisitions. Hopefully once I'm caught up I'll be able to settle into the routine of just pulling the latest issues of stuff. :uhoh

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 6th, 2013, 12:12:03 PM

Grant Morrison's run on Batman Inc is ending as of issue #12 so if you want to read it and don't mind waiting, I'd recommend holding out for the collected hardback: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Batman-Incorporated-Volume-Demon-Star/dp/1401238882/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362593221&sr=8-2-spell

On the Marvel side of things, apart from the stuff I pull I have also really enjoyed Avengers, New Avengers, Journey into Mystery and Uncanny X-Men. Young Avengers is supposed to be great too.

I will be picking up X-Men (the all female team :eee) when that launches next month.

Also re: this weeks books, I know I harp on about the art in Batwoman but I love the style in All New X-Men. All the colours just... pop and the expressions and great. I haven't read through Guardians of the Galaxy yet so no opinions to offer. I did think about getting the first Age of Ultron issue, but only because it was so shiny and pretty. I restrained myself.

Captain Untouchable

Mar 6th, 2013, 01:43:30 PM

Will that collected issue be available in digital format as well, or is it only something you can get for a physical copy? I'm really enjoying having digital copies of everything: traversing London's public transport is so much more enjoyable when I've got comics on my phone to read while I do it. I'm also obsessive about getting sets of things, and it's already kinda bugging me that I have physical rather than digital copies of the first four Aquaman issues. :uhoh

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 6th, 2013, 01:50:30 PM

I'm not sure how it will be sold on Comixology tbh. Sometime they sell collected editions, sometimes not.

'm also obsessive about getting sets of things, and it's already kinda bugging me that I have physical rather than digital copies of the first four Aquaman issues.

Yeah, this is bugging me with All New X-Men. I have #6 onwards as physical and the previous ones as digital. I had to get the 2nd printing of Thor: God of Thunder #4 because I had #1-3 and #5 in physical but somehow missed #4 :dood: nerd rage

Captain Untouchable

Mar 6th, 2013, 08:00:41 PM

Sweet jesus, is that who I think it is on the cover (http://o6untouchable.tumblr.com/post/44751472059/batwoman-18-holy-crap-is-mr-freeze-in) of Batwoman #18? :ohno

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 7th, 2013, 03:39:24 PM

Greg Capullo extended his contract with DC :eee

http://readcomicbooks.net/home/capullo-signs-dc-contract-extension/

Flux

Mar 7th, 2013, 05:42:53 PM

Long live the Superior Spider-Man! :eee

Captain Untouchable

Mar 7th, 2013, 09:12:09 PM

I'm now up to issue 11 of Aquaman and I can't stop. The first arc - The Trench - introduced a pretty cool new interpretation of AC (thanks to Geoff Johns), but the second - The Others - is so effing good. There's a whole slew of Atlantis lore, a pretty shocking reveal about why Aquaman and Black Manta are nemeses, and a whole team of really cool and interesting heroes that AC hung out with before the League. I cannot recommend this enough.

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 10th, 2013, 12:26:08 PM

Holy crap: http://t.co/98rh67LIO3

700+ Marvel #1 issues free on Comixology right now

Saidra

Mar 10th, 2013, 01:38:47 PM

yessss!! *goes on download spree*

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 10th, 2013, 02:33:27 PM

I now have no idea wth to read :whaa

EDIT: anyone else get a little tear in their eye over the last page of Batman this month? also Batman and Robin waaaagh should not have read that while listening to "An End, Once and For All" from the Mass Effect 3 soundtrack

Captain Untouchable

Mar 13th, 2013, 05:07:58 PM

Did anyone manage to get hold of any of the Marvel #1 titles?

I only bothered trying to get the Marvel Now! stuff, and despite clicking the "add all to basket" button it managed to not 'buy' some of them... haven't looked at a list to work out which ones were missing, but Captain Marvel definitely isn't there. :(

I've admittedly only read a couple, but I'm finding the Marvel Now! stuff a lot harder to follow than the New 52 stuff. I don't know if that's purely because I've been reading New 52 titles by extremely good readers, or if it's because New 52 was a full-on reboot so they tried a lot harder to make it new-person friendly... I've been dumped in at the middle in both instances, but with DC it feels like the water's only waist deep instead of being miles over my head.

Don't get me wrong, it's always nice to get free anything. I just wish it hadn't made it impossible for me to by the last few Batman and Robin issues. Been anxious to find out what happens for days. :ohno

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 14th, 2013, 12:05:03 PM

I got a bunch of Marvel #1s... haven't really started chipping away at reading them yet, though.

Marvel Now! is tricky in that unlike New 52, it's not a reboot. A lot of the events happening in these books are influenced by previous Marvel titles. The X-Men and Avengers books follow the fallout of the AvX story arc, so presume that the reader has a certain amount of knowledge about the history of the universe. New 52 also presumes a certain level of knowledge, but mostly about the basic concept for the character, e.g. you need to know that Batman is Batman, that he's had a number of sidekicks and the various basic histories of those sidekicks... but you don't need an in-depth knowledge of their pasts to get into their individual titles.

Some of the Marvel Now books are actually really accessible. Thor: God of Thunder isn't tied in at all with any other Thor stories, as far as I can tell, and it's a great read. All New X-Men does assume that you have some foreknowledge of the X-Men, and the events of AvX, but I've yet to read AvX and it's making sense (for the most part) to me. I'm enjoying it anyway :) Same goes for Captain Marvel and Avengers Assemble. There's obviously history behind these characters but, especially in the case of the Avengers, you pick up pretty fast what's going on.

Captain Untouchable

Mar 14th, 2013, 01:52:53 PM

It's not that I'm unaware of the events. It just seems that Marvel Now is focusing on plot exposition in #1, whereas New 52 focused on character exposition and let you suss the plot out for yourself. It's still early days, and it's just a different style: I'm just finding that DC is doing a better job of "show don't tell" so far.

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 14th, 2013, 01:55:37 PM

Have you tried Captain Marvel and Thor: God of Thunder?

Captain Untouchable

Mar 14th, 2013, 01:58:24 PM

I wasn't able to get Captain Marvel for some reason: "add all to basket" didn't work as advertised unfortunately. I have Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man downloading at the moment: wanted to see if the approach was different on a solo series.

Vansen Tyree

Mar 15th, 2013, 05:17:19 PM

I've read a few of the solo Issue #1's now. I found Thor and Superior Spiderman to be the best of the bunch: both managed to let a lot of character and personality shine through, and they got straight on with the story. Thor did this by just having Thor be Thor without dwelling on past events at all... Superior Spiderman on the other hand did a clever job of making it's exposition feel like it was moving the story forward. I'm maybe going to pick up a few more issues of these, just to see how they evolve.

I really liked the way that the characters were brought to life in Iron Man and Captain America; but the actual plot of Iron Man felt a bit surplus to requirements alongside the Tony being Tony scenes... and after setting up a really interesting dynamic between Cap and Sharon Carter, they went and dumped him in a situation where he won't see her for a while. On top of that, neither portrayal seemed to quite jive with the way the characters were shown in in Avengers #1... maybe it's just how my brain is lately, or maybe Series X is meant to take place after Series Y and it just isn't clear, but it just felt a bit messy.

On the DC front, I have now read Batman Inc #8. Part of me was a little disappointed: there's been so much hype about Damian's death, but in the story it just sort of came out of nowhere. On the other hand, I guess that makes it resonate even more: it made it so that "being Robin" was the thing that killed him, rather than anyone/anything specifically exceptional. He died in the line of duty like a good little soldier... and that makes Batman's reactions to it all even more tragic.

I'm curious about what is going to happen with the Batman and Robin series. Is it stopping after Issue #18, or is it going to continue with a replacement Robin / as a "Bat Family" series? I have my fingers tightly crossed for Stephanie Brown, but it seems like they're setting up that Harper lass for it instead.

Also, I've picked up some Nightwing, Red Hood, and Teen Titans, because I've gone my whole life without comic books and now I'm overcompensating in a big way, it seems. :uhoh

Captain Untouchable

Mar 16th, 2013, 01:50:17 PM

Picked up some of the DC team comics - figured I'd see if I just don't get on with team series, or if it's a Marvel thing.

Birds of Prey and Justice League are FANTASTIC. They're introducing characters slowly so you get time to see how they interact before they add more. The Birds of Prey have a really cool lineup so far, and there's a kind of badass Charlie's Angels spy vibe to them. Justice League on the other hand is really driving home how much ego these characters have, and how vastly different they all are. Will definitely be adding both to my pull list.

Still have Red Hood and Teen Titans to go. Kinda hope I don't like them, because my pull list is getting crazy. :ohno

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 17th, 2013, 08:51:19 AM

I'm curious about what is going to happen with the Batman and Robin series. Is it stopping after Issue #18, or is it going to continue with a replacement Robin / as a "Bat Family" series? I have my fingers tightly crossed for Stephanie Brown, but it seems like they're setting up that Harper lass for it instead.

Batman and Robin is going to have a different title for the next... 5 issues I think? Batman and Red Robin, Batman and Nightwing, Batman and Catwoman, etc. I forget exactly what they all are.

I don't see how Stephanie Brown could come into the equation at all, at this stage. Wouldn't make a whole lot of sense when she hasn't featured in the New 52 at all.

Captain Untouchable

Mar 17th, 2013, 04:13:39 PM

It depends how they introduced Stephanie Brown. I could see it working if she had a Barbara Gordon / Carrie Kelly sort of origin story: she makes the costume herself, shows up totally out of the blue without Batman's endorsement/approval, and maybe even Batman doesn't know who she is to begin with. As Batman finds out what the deal is with this kid, the audience finds out about her father, etc. That's how I'd introduce her given the chance, anyhow. :uhoh

On top of everything else, I read the first three issues of Nightwing and was absolutely blown away by how much I liked the character. They have a really, really strong sense of who the character is, and they've done a really good job of the whole "I don't agree with the way Batman does X, so I'm doing Y instead," mentality without it coming across even slightly bratty.

My comic book list currently looks like -
Batman - up to date
Batman and Robin - up to date
Batgirl - up to date
Batwoman - still catching up
Nightwing - three issues in; thoroughly enjoying
Red Hood and the Outlaws - just started; not a fan of new Starfire yet, but Jason is winning me over, esp. his adorbs "favourite memory"
Birds of Prey - just started; really cool, really interesting character combos
Teen Titans - three issues in; really enjoying the Tim-Cassie dynamic
Green Arrow - still catching up; and hoping the new creative team improves things
Aquaman - up to date... arguably the best New 52 I've read so far
Justice League - read a few because of Aquaman; now starting from the beginning. AWESOME character dynamics

I'm contemplating getting some Flash comics. Wally West is my favourite of the Flash incarnations, but I know that Flash in Justice League is Barry, and Kid Flash in Teen Titans appears to be Bart... curious to see if Wally is one of the characters missing from the space time continuum. Also toying with picking up some Catwoman, since that seems to be the only other Bat Family story I'm missing... but that would mean I'm reading thirteen New 52 stories. And that's before I've even started thinking about Green Lantern. :uhoh

On the Marvel front, I read and enjoyed Savage Wolverine #1 and Thunderbolts #1. Cable and X-Force was pretty cool, so that might maybe warrant another look. Fantastic Four #1 and FF #1 (art style = yuck) didn't grab me.

Marvel comics I'm thinking of picking up another volume or two of -
Thor: God of Thunder - if only to see more of metal arm beardy eye-patch Thor
Superior Spiderman - because there's a strong sense of character there
Savage Wolverine - mainly because Wolverine vs Dinosaurs is the stuff awesomeness is made of
Captain Marvel - because I didn't get a chance to read her yet, and the artwork looks awesome
Thunderbolts - five words: Punisher, Venom, Electra, Deadpool, Red Hulk... okay, six words
All-New X-Men - #1 didn't grab me, but Jenny's review of a later issue did, so worth a second look
Cable and X-Force - mainly because of eyepatch solidarity

If I do all of the above... that's twenty comics.

WHAT HAVE YOU GUYS DONE TO ME??!! :cry

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 17th, 2013, 04:42:50 PM

Catwoman is not worth the price of a monthly book IMO. Maybe in trade, but otherwise... I'd try some of the older Catwoman arcs if you're interested in the character. Anything written by Ed Brubaker or with a cover image by Adam Hughes is excellent Catwoman.

Captain Untouchable

Mar 17th, 2013, 05:51:44 PM

Oh thank god. My only interest in Catwoman was my obsessive collective disorder, so if it's not a series worth reading I'll steer clear. :uhoh

I'm definitely planning to pick up some classic ye olde comic series / collected editions / graphic novels / etc. Specifically I'm thinking about The Killing Joke, A Death in the Family, and Under the Red Hood on the Batman front, plus Green Arrow: Year One, The Longbow Hunters, and Quiver for Green Arrow.

I might try and get a hold of the Blackest Night stuff... but I just looked at the list of hardbacks/etc and can't fathom what the hell is going on there... not sure which one is the core/essential stuff, or if I need to read all of it, etc.

Banner Laverick

Mar 17th, 2013, 07:11:18 PM

Everyone should read "Hawkeye".

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 18th, 2013, 12:36:13 PM

Hawkguy, Hawkeye and Pizza Dog :B

EDIT: It's the time of the week :eee

Banner Laverick

Mar 20th, 2013, 05:09:48 PM

Hawkguy, Hawkeye and Pizza Dog :B

EDIT: It's the time of the week :eee

The first Hawkeye trade is out. I can't wait to get it - I got the first issue in that Marvel Free #1s deal. So good.

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 20th, 2013, 05:40:09 PM

I'm about halfway through the trade. Read #1 a while back, enjoyed it but decided to wait on the trade. It's excellent so far.

Captain Untouchable

Mar 20th, 2013, 06:50:11 PM

I'm on a bit of a Justice League kick at the moment.

About half-way through Justice League International. Booster Gold, Guy Gardner, and Batman are making a fun threesome. Rocket Red and August General in Iron are pretty fun, if a little caricature. It's not the best series in the world... but it only ran for twelve issues, and it seems to tie into other titles.

Justice League of America just started. It has Geoff Johns writing, and a team that features Green Arrow, Catwoman, Martian Manhunter, the new Green Lantern (who I know nothing about), and is being run by Steve Trevor. I love Geoff Johns' characterisations and this is no exception... and the way all the JL titles tie together is really cool.

Also picked up some Justice League Dark to find out what the dealio with Pandora is, since she keeps showing up in other titles. Don't know much about the team... but it has Zatanna and John Constantine, so it could well be awesome.

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 22nd, 2013, 12:57:24 PM

BKV has a 'pay what you want' book out, and it's excellent.

http://panelsyndicate.com/

Captain Untouchable

Mar 22nd, 2013, 03:48:59 PM

The new update to the Comixology app on my phone lets me sort by publisher instead of just alphabetical. I am way more excited by that than any normal person has cause to be.

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 22nd, 2013, 03:57:46 PM

Is that the pull list app? I love that one :D

Captain Untouchable

Mar 22nd, 2013, 04:45:16 PM

Nope, just the regular comic reader one. Haven't got a proper pull list set up... wasn't up to date on enough series to justify the effort before now.

Well, that and laziness.

Mostly laziness.

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 23rd, 2013, 10:20:31 AM

Ah, fair enough. The pull list app doesn't actually pull anything for you, it just reminds you when stuff is coming out. So it's handy for knowing what to expect when I visit the comic book shop :)

How are you enjoying the 'group' books as opposed to the stand-alone books? I was looking over my pull list and I realised that I tend to gravitate mainly towards titles that are centered around a single character (Batman, Batgirl, Batwoman, Captain Marvel, Invincible) and not so many about a larger team (All New X-Men and Avengers Assemble). I wonder why that is o_O

One team title that I am thinking of grabbing in trade soon is Avengers Arena, because a couple of the podcasts that I listen to have been saying good stuff about it. I read issue #1 and although I didn't know any of the characters to begin with, and found the villain a bit cheesy, I found it surprisingly.. intriguing? Enough that I'll probably grab the trade, anyway.

Also can I just say how much I missed J H Williams art on Batwoman this month? Trevor McCarthy did a solid job but Williams is such a hard act to follow.

Captain Untouchable

Mar 23rd, 2013, 12:55:58 PM

I suppose it depends on what you mean by 'group' books.

In terms of writing style, Batwoman is an ensemble story. Those colour-coded voice over boxes are used very sparingly (if at all - I can't even think what her box look like), and while there is only one character on the front cover, there are a lot of other characters who are really important to the story: and those characters often have their own scenes which are fairly well separated from the main plot. I'm at Issue #11 at the moment, so in addition to Batwoman and the DEO hunting Medusa, I'm seeing Sawyer's police investigation as well as Kate's father and Bette in the hospital. Sure, Batgirl and Batman have supporting characters (Alfred, the Commissioner, Barbara's room-mate whose name I've forgotten), but they're usually just there to give Barbara or Bruce someone to talk to rather than carrying the story on their own.

The full-on team series are pretty much the same: it's just that a few more of the characters are on the front cover. Justice League and Justice League of America are particularly superb, because Geoff Johns is absolutely amazing at writing dialogue and banter in a way that conveys the personalities of the characters perfectly. Red Hood and the Outlaws is also good, though it took a few issues to get into it: by the time the trio are at their first "boss fight" the banter really kicks, and it becomes super-fun. Teen Titans is also good, though I'm still at the beginning of that, and have only met three of the team.

Justice League Dark is not so good. They're trying to do the whole noir detective style to it, with all those colour boxes. It works really well for Batman, Batgirl, and Nightwing... but when you've got an ensemble story with four or five different plot arcs, each one being told separately and narrated by a different character, you end up spending most of your time squinting at the colour boxes trying to work out who it's meant to be.

tl;dr

Geoff Johns good. Justice League Dark bad.

Dasquian Belargic

Mar 29th, 2013, 03:28:27 AM

If people didn't already, pick up The Private Eye #1 from http://panelsyndicate.com/ - you can pay whatever price you want for it, but it's a great first issue by an excellent creative team.

This week, the only thing that was on my pull list was Mourning Glories, which is still easily the most wtf worthy book on my list. I think I need to go back and re-read the whole run so far tbh 'cause it's so mind-bendy that I don't even :whaa

Dasquian Belargic

Apr 4th, 2013, 04:07:15 PM

The only thing I had to read this week was All New X-Men, and for some reason it wasn't shipped to my LCS on time :( So probably not gonna see that til next week... when a crap ton of stuff is out :eee Batgirl, Batman, Batman and Robin, Captain Marvel, Saga, Avengers Assemble, Thor: God of Thunder... all in one week!!!

Banner Laverick

Apr 4th, 2013, 04:10:05 PM

Deadpool #7 looks AMAZING.

Seriously. Look for previews. The story is absurd, which is perfect. It has Spider-man AND Iron Man, too.

Captain Untouchable

Apr 6th, 2013, 11:05:13 PM

Just reached the Batwoman + Wonder Woman arc. Having only encountered New 52 Diana in Justice League so far, it's really interesting seeing them come at the same version of the character from a different angle. Also, I've been waiting until the comics tell me to read Issue #0, and holy hell Batwoman's origin story is badass. :ohno

Dasquian Belargic

Apr 7th, 2013, 05:29:08 AM

I love those two as a team :swoon:

Captain Untouchable

Apr 7th, 2013, 06:00:47 PM

Picked up moar comics!

Have the last five issues of Batwoman, so should be caught up in a day or two. :ohno

Picked up a few more Green Arrows. I'm in the Ann Nocenti run (second creative team) now. I found the transition pretty jarring both in terms of art style and writing... and I'm pretty stunned at how sexist it is. They've pretty much abandoned everything about the character and are just using him as a "men are pigs" vehicle. He was just kidnapped by genetically identical clone triplets, who he had sex with on his private jet, and (not exaggerating) the plot is now "One of them saved him, but because Oliver is a man he cannot tell the (100% identical) clones apart." The quality of writing basically amounts to "chauvinism, lol, amirite?" and it's pretty disappointing. Hopefully when I get to Jeff Lemire writing in a few issues time, there'll be an improvement.

Also picked up the first few issues of Earth 2, and holy hell is it good. Earth 2 is an alternate reality that uses the 1940s / Justice Society versions of characters. However, they've been revamped to make them "now", and the story is set in a post-Apokolips world where the Earth's governments and militaries are united. The character redesigns look amazing, and everyone's origin story has been recreated in a really cool, interesting way. There isn't much crossover with the main New 52 continuity, so if you fancy a really good team/ensemble story but don't want to get caught up in the tangled mess of Justice League titles, I cannot stress enough how much I recommend this series.

I'm sort of tempted to pick up some Wonder Woman, just to get a little more perspective on this incarnation of the character... but I'm not really sure what it's about. Has anyone around these here parts read any of New 52 Wonder Woman?

Dasquian Belargic

Apr 8th, 2013, 11:16:16 AM

I keep meaning to read some, especially after her time in Batwoman, but never get around to it... if you try any, let me know how it is.

EDIT: I was just in the library picking up some stuff and they had the first Wonder Woman trade from the New 52. I love the artwork, and the story - which is centered around the disappearance of Zeus and the ensuing fight over the throne of Olympus - is actually really cool. I can see now why she was such a natural fit for a crossover with Batwoman, since the whole first arc in new 52 Batwoman was revolving around myths and legends.

Captain Untouchable

Apr 17th, 2013, 02:10:35 PM

I was going to pick up some WW, but got distracted by some old school beardy Green Arrow comics. Just Year One and Longbow Hunters for now.

Having read Batman #19 I am super-excited for Justice League #19, because I get the feeling that Bruce's coping-with-loss failure is going to escalate in a big way. And the ending of Batgirl #19 was just tragic... I sense a shitstorm brewing on the horizon there too.

I noticed Batgirl on a recent Birds of Prey cover. Methinks I need to get caught up on that - still only a few issues in.

Dasquian Belargic

Apr 17th, 2013, 03:08:14 PM

The solicits for the next few Batgirl covers definitely suggest that Barbara is going to have a rough time of it :(

I have seen a few panels from Birds of Prey with Babs in them, and keep feeling tempted to hop onto that title... but I think I'm probably going to see if the trades get decent reviews and then maybe pick something up.

Captain Untouchable

Apr 17th, 2013, 11:06:07 PM

From my limited experience of comics, I think Birds would be the best team title for you to start with. You like your kick-ass women, and its pretty gentle with introducing the additional characters - as far as I've read it seems to focus on Canary as the main character / narrator which makes it much less confusing. At this point their enemy is more like a terrorist group than a supervillain, so it's a little more grounded, lots of ass kicking rather than "special effects", and it's more about skilled and smart people: not people who win purely because they're gods or superaliens. To my mind, it nests into the BatFam corner as far as style and tone goes.

Dasquian Belargic

Apr 19th, 2013, 12:31:57 PM

I have read some of the initial run of BoP, from the old DCU (or whatever the pre new 52 continuity was called), and did enjoy the premise. If you're interested at all, check out http://www.tradereadingorder.com/character/birds-of-prey/ for a great reading order (that site is invaluable when you're trying to navigate through continuity)

Hopefully whoever is donated the New 52 trades to my local library will get BoP :D

Captain Untouchable

May 3rd, 2013, 09:30:33 PM

Anyone read / planning to read The Movement? The concept (as I understand it) hasn't really grabbed me... but on the other hand Gail Simone.

Dasquian Belargic

May 4th, 2013, 05:57:31 AM

I picked it up on Wednesday (because.. Gail Simone!) and it's not bad. It seems to be getting a fair amount of positive press. It's mainly characters who are either totally new to DC, or who have only had smaller parts in other titles before, so it'll be interesting to learn about their origins, what brings them together and such.

On another, just got home from Free Comic Book Day.... oof, I'm tired @_@

Captain Untouchable

May 14th, 2013, 05:56:18 AM

I don't understand why DC keeps trying to tell me what is going to happen in comic books in August. It's May... August is at least three issues away. Screw the next plot arc: all I'm interested in is what happens after the damned cliffhanger the last issue left me with. (I'm looking at you, Gail Simone. :shakefist)

Does that make me a bad comic book nerd? :uhoh

Dasquian Belargic

May 15th, 2013, 01:31:06 PM

I try not to pay too much attention to the solicits, although I never end up going blind into stuff. Marvel and DC both run ads for upcoming events and arcs in their comics months in advance of the event/arc actually starting. Take this week: Avengers Assemble: The Enemy Within, the AA/Captain Marvel crossover. I have been seeing the cover of this first issue in various other Marvel books for what feels like months now. I kind of like seeing the covers though, especially where the Batladies are concerned. The art is always so pretty :3:

Pretty quiet week for me, pull-wise. I have a bunch of trades to catch up on reading though including:

* Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D
* Spider-Men
* Promethea, Book 1
* Fantastic Four Vol. 1: New Departures, New Arrivals