Comic books anyone?

[Honolulu_Blue]

I just picked up the frist three "Y: The Last Man Standing" TBPs. I've been meaning to for a while and finally found them at Barnes & Noble and was able to use my gift card.

I also picked up "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud. It's basically a comic book that explains the medium of comics and the different techniques and styles that are used. I am very much looking forward to reading this.

[FrogMan]

speaking of buys, my order of Powers (vol 1 HC) and Watchmen have come in and woah. I've started reading Powers first, since I'd started reading it online and the quality of that hardcover is very nice, pretty dans heavy book, I didn't expect that, with a whole bunch of extras at the end (interview, scripts, such things). Yeah, I'm a newb.

FM

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

bought a couple of spider-man t-shirts (and even a cool looking buttoned shirt) for my four year old a couple days ago and among the copyright tags, there was one claiming you could get 3 free comics.

Here'S a link to the offer:
www.marvel.com/3free

Bascially a 3 issue subscription for Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, or Ultimate X-Men, that will not renew itself, where you only pay shipping charges, $3 ($5 for canadians).

You can also subscribe to 12 issues of some of their series for $18.97 ($28.97 for canadians) which seems to be a bit lower than their regular fee.

FM

As a birthday present, I just subscribed Andrew to 12 issues of Marvel Adventures Spider-Man. I figured that he's starting to learn English and that should be just the right incentive for him to read regularly without it being too tough a read.

And he's been into Spider-Man since he was, what, maybe 8 months old. Mommy used to give him the bottle while watching it on TV in the afternoon. The kid's got much more comic knowledge than his old man, that's for sure...

FM

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

speaking of Ex Machina, I just downloaded issue #1 from the comic's page on dccomics:
http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=2500

FM

okay, took me a while to realize that DC not only had the first issue of Ex Machina, but also for many of their Vertigo line of comics, many of them that had been mentionned in this thread. I've downloaded the first issue of quite a few to take a look at (Y the Last man, Lucifer, 100 Bullets, Fables, Transmetropolitan), but you can check it out for yourself:
http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?cat=VERTIGO

Any graphic novel with a bolded #1 next to it has a downloadable first issue. Some others only have sneak peek.

I also read the first issue of Runaways in the digital comics section over on marvel.com. That convinced me to put in an order for the first hardcover of the series.

I finished the first hardcover of Powers and really enjoyed it. I can't for the second one to be released. Supposed to be in early May.

I'm currently reading Watchmen and finding it very good, lots of fun.

FM

[WVUFAN]

For the 1 or 2 people that might be interested, here's my monthly pull list for comics:

The Authority - Yes, Morrison's writing it, but The Authority is one of my favorite books. Get the original series trades with Ellis and Millar writing them. Fantastic stuff)

Avengers: The Initiative -- New ongoing Avengers title based off the "50 States Initiative" gimmick. War Machine leads the team.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8: I'm a Buffy fan, and Whedon is writing this. 'Nuff said.

Countdown: New DC series coming off the weekly 52 series.

Crossing Midnight: Vertigo series by Mike Carey with Japanese mythology. Really interesting.

Fall of Cthulhu: New ongoing Lovecraftian series by Boom! Studios.

Friday the 13th: One of the best written comics out there. SERIOUSLY. It's much more than just Jason killing people. I was very much surprised at the writing quality of this title.

Gen13: Revamp of the 1990's series by Gale Simone.

Immortal Iron Fist: Ed Brubaker writes this. I've got stuff from all three incarnations of the character, and this is so far been the best one. Art is very Jae Lee-ish.

Justice Society of America: The best drawn monthly title period. Dale Eaglesham(the artist) is the man.

Mighty Avengers: Second ongoing title with Frank Cho as the artist. Here's an example of Frank Cho artwork

NewUniversal: Back in the 1980's, Marvel tried to create a new line of comics called "The New Universe" where superheros were inserted into a world much like our own. It didn't work, mostly because it was not done in a "realistic" way. This is Warren Ellis taking characters in those original series and twisting them in his own unique way.

Welcome to Tranquility: Wildstorm title about what happens when heroes retire. They go to a retirement town, called Tranquility. Cool concept.

[Neuqua]

This thread inspired me (never read a comic in my life) to take a look at a few comic books at the local Barnes the other day, and I honestly did not know they were as expensive as they are.

I need to find a cheap hobby.

[cuervo72]

What the heck - I'll post mine too, now that I actually may be building one.

Justice Society of America - agreed with WVUFAN, I like this a lot. Doesn't hurt that it has a cute redhead in it. But not my #1 at the moment. That goes to...

The Spirit - I don't know what it is exactly, but this one really works for me. I like the art a lot, I like the character a lot - heroic, but imperfect. It has adventure, with a good bit of humor. It will probably get me to read Eisner's originals too.

Green Lantern - just because I've always liked GL. Though I was a little less than thrilled with #18, mainly with the style of the art [from what I understand, there is a sub artist on this current arc]. Oh, that and it seemed like GL was just Maverick with a ring (even *looked* a little like Tom Cruise to me). Sinestro Corps though, that was pretty good.

Birds of Prey - I think Morgado would have kept yelling at me to read this until I did. Kurtism backed him up - they're both fans of Simone. And you know what? I liked it.

(Very) Possibles:

Shadowpact - I haven't read this yet, but I intend to. I mean, it has a talking chimp. I can't resist that.

Dr. Fate - Held up due to a change in artist, but I will check this out when it comes out.

Justice League of America - yeah, I'll probably end up adding this too, though it may take a back seat to Justice Society. The JLA/JSA crossover will force me to try a couple anyway.


It's funny - I was just thinking about Frank Cho and wondering what he might be doing (glanced upon a few Liberty Meadows books the other day). I've liked what I've seen of his stuff (ok, so that has mainly been large chested, scantily clad women, but whatever), so I may give that a try. Even if it's Marvel.

(hrm.... http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/n...TAVN003cov.jpg )

[cuervo72]

Dola. This is true Neuqua. I think my wife would cut me off eventually if I kept buying at the early pace that I have the past couple weeks. Luckily, my library appears to have quite a nice collection of TPBs (DKR, New Frontier, the Sandman series, Fables, Best of The Spirit).

Oh - and I think I might try Countdown too. Came in too late for 52, though I am considering the trades when they come out.

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

The Spirit - I don't know what it is exactly, but this one really works for me. I like the art a lot, I like the character a lot - heroic, but imperfect. It has adventure, with a good bit of humor. It will probably get me to read Eisner's originals too.

I haven't tried this, but alot of people I know really enjoys it. It would be wierd seeing the Spirit drawn by someone other than Eisner. I might give it a shot.

It's funny - I was just thinking about Frank Cho and wondering what he might be doing (glanced upon a few Liberty Meadows books the other day). I've liked what I've seen of his stuff (ok, so that has mainly been large chested, scantily clad women, but whatever), so I may give that a try. Even if it's Marvel.

(hrm.... http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/n...TAVN003cov.jpg )

I looked far and wide for a Safe for Work Frank Cho picture that's not uber Cartoony (he does a strip called Liberty Meadows that's very cartoony). It's hard to find. :-)

[hukarez]

I spend waaaay too much money on TPBs every damn Wednesday.

That being said, and having glanced at the collection currently in my bookshelf (not much room left, everything's in the closet or in boxes somewhere), the current books I'm following up on eagerly are:

Conan: Dark Horse published, Kurt Busiek and Cary Nord. I hope these two stay on this run for a long while, and if anyone can find a hardcover copy of Volume 1 of Conan, please let me know!

Runaways: Yeah, I still subscribe on it's second running, though I still collect the TPB hardcovers when I can. Still looking for Volume 2 hardcover, though I'm sure it's a matter of me just waiting for the local shops to get more stock of it.

The Walking Dead: Volume 1 is out on hardcover, and I'm very much tempted to pick it up - if the Borders that I saw it at had one in a far more acceptable condition.

Ultimate X-Men: It's been awhile since I've been reading these, and like the other Ultimate lines, I keep these softcover. Honestly, I haven't read anything past Volume 11, I think, though I continue on this strictly for continuity.

Ultimate Fantastic Four: It's on Volume 7 now, though I can't recall reading past Volume 5. Still collecting it however!

Punisher: Garth Ennis' run, which I think is supposed to switch over from MAX to Marvel Knights. Volume 6, still going strong for me.

Supreme Power: Still collecting this as well, up to Volume 3 for me. There's another edition out there, in hardcover format, something of a precursor I think? Not quite sure, haven't looked into it.

The Ultimates (2): My favorite out of all the Ultimate lines, and I'm extremely pissed off at how Marvel is seriously fucking this up with inconsistent releases.

Cable & Deadpool: Hands down, one of my most favored and treasured series that I've been following up on. Deadpool! Whee! Up to Volume 5 still, and eagerly checking Diamond Comics for upcoming releases!

Annihilation: Snagged up Volume 1 of the hardcover. Eagerly awaiting for Volume 2 (I'm very patient, since I don't collect these issues) as well as seeing what happens to the space-side of things.

Beyond!: Just picked this up in hardcover format (Marvel). Haven't really gotten a chance to dig in yet.

Moon Knight: The Bottom: Marc Specter! Yeeeeah!!

Batman: Under the Hood: Volume 1 and 2, good reads.

Batman: Hush Returns: Had to get some sort of closure over the Batman Hush 2 volume release not too long ago.

Secret Six: Gail Simone's triumphant sequel to Villains United! Woohoo, Catman!

GLA: Misassembled: So they're called the Great Lakes Champions now. Still, when you've got a teammate called 'Squirrel Girl', you simply can't lose! Unless you're the GLC though. Haha! Good, funny stuff.

Ultimate Adventures: One Tin Soldier: A nice spoof of Marvel's version of Batman and Robin, let's face it, Chicago needs more superheroes in the Marvel Universe, no?

Spider Man: The Other (Evolve or Die): Seriously a good book explaining a lot of things about Spider Man during those New Avengers run. Having picked this up at the same time with Powers, it was a good month.

Captain Atom: Armageddon: Took me awhile to figure things out, since I haven't really followed up with the DC universe in awhile. I did snag up the Identity Crisis TPB awhile ago, and went through it, however I hadn't really delved deeply into a single character since picking up Flash: Rogue War near the end of last year.

Overall, I still keep an eye out for any future Seven Soldiers of Victory TPBs, Ex Machina and District X TPBs if I come across another. I still have my collection of The Authority books, but honestly, Grant's writing is boring me with that series.
In a month or two from now, Planet Hulk is coming out - and my buddy has been keeping me up to date with how World War Hulk is going to be an exciting thing to read about this summer.

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Birds of Prey - I think Morgado would have kept yelling at me to read this until I did. Kurtism backed him up - they're both fans of Simone. And you know what? I liked it.

If you're a fan of Gail Simone (and I am), check out Gen-13 and Welcome to Tranquility. Both are written by her, are relatively new titles which require no backstory to get into them (Gen-13 is a complete revamp/retcon) and are easy to slide into.

[cuervo72]

Oh, Ex Machina. That's another series my library has.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by hukarez

Secret Six: Gail Simone's triumphant sequel to Villains United! Woohoo, Catman!

How's "Secret Six"? I loved Villians United and planned to pick up Secret Six once it came out on TPB.

While I really enjoy Simone's writing, I've always been a huge Deadshot fan. I've loved him since his time in "Suicide Squad." In fact, he's easily my favorite D.C. Character. Well, along with Rorschach from "Watchmen", but I don't think he really counts.

[kurtism]

Ok, since it seems the (relatively) cool thing to do, here is my list of current titles:

Birds of Prey - for me, as good as a monthly gets. Funny, exciting, and interesting characters.
Powers - talked about Powers before. Bendis at his best, with great stylized art by Oeming.
Astonishing X-Men - Joss. Cassaday.
Buffy Season 8 - Joss. Buffy.
Justice League of America - bumpy start so far, but I'm willing to wait to see where Metzler is going.
Justice Society of America - great, great stuff. Eaglesham's art is, as mentioned above, top notch. And I've always had a love for these characters.
Firestorm - interesting run. Current storyline involves the New Gods, which seems to bring me in every time.
Superman Confidential - at least through the initial story arc by Darwyn Cooke with art by Tim Sale.
All-Star Superman - when it comes out... neither Morrison nor Quietly are reknowned for their timeliness.
The Ultimates Vol. 2 - speaking of reliability, apparently Bryan Hitch does about a page a month... been waiting on issue 13 for about half a year I think, and this 13 issue series will end up taking about 3 years... great work, guys!
Shazam - both the Winick/Porter mini and the Jeff Smith mini. Great stuff, particularly the art by Porter. Jeff Smith simply tells great stories.
Astro City - Whenever it comes out...
the Brave and the Bold - fun team-up book. Busiek can always be counted on for a solid tale.
Teen Titans - not sure if I'll keep this once Geoff Johns steps down, but his run has been great. His replacement, Adam Beechen, has done a solid job on Robin, so I'd guess the new run will also be ok.
Green Arrow - guilty as charged, I'm a huge Ollie Queen mark.
Thunderbolts - yeah, odd choice as my lone Marvel book. Perhaps if JMS had not crapped on Spidey, I'd still be reading Amazing.
Manhunter - former prosecutor turned vigilante? Interesting characters and great art? Yes please.
Green Lantern - don't get every issue, but the ones I do grab hold my attention.

I keep up with other books through various means, so I am usually up to speed on the big happenings in DC; less so with Marvel. I collect Daredevil and 100 Bullets via trade; the latter is particularly suited for trade-waiting.

[cuervo72]

Firestorm huh? I've seen it mentioned in more than one place I think that it is surprisingly (underated) good.

[FrogMan]

thanks to all of you for sharing your lists, I hate you at the same time. Now a whole bunch of new stuff I wanna check out

Since I've never read any comics before, my reading is right now entirely done from TPBs. Powers is currently the only series I've read that will be a must buy as soon as the second hardcover comes out. I'm currently reading Watchmen but that's a one shot.

Among near future reads I have the following:
Runaways really liked issue #1 and have placed an order for the first hardcover (issues 1-8 I think), 3-5 weeks delay.

Blade of the Immortal I bought a couple TPBs for $3 each from a local comic shop, #2 and #10, skimmed through the #2 and I'm quite impressed by it. It's all black and white but pretty well done. It's probably my heart of martial artists that makes me like it though. It comes with a glossary at the end of each book for Japanese words that remain in the text. I like its authenticity. An order for TPB #1 has been placed but there's a 3-5 weeks delay as with Runaways, but they're on the same order, so it'll all get to me around mid-May.

Ex Machina the first TPB will also be on my next order after again reading the first issue, then maybe one per month or so.

Y: The Last Man another one that I will be getting into after reading the first issue online.

Ultimate Spider-Man & Ultimate X-Men these are two that have tons of hardcover trades that I'll want to dig into.

FM

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

Blade of the Immortal I bought a couple TPBs for $3 each from a local comic shop, #2 and #10, skimmed through the #2 and I'm quite impressed by it. It's all black and white but pretty well done. It's probably my heart of martial artists that makes me like it though. It comes with a glossary at the end of each book for Japanese words that remain in the text. I like its authenticity. An order for TPB #1 has been placed but there's a 3-5 weeks delay as with Runaways, but they're on the same order, so it'll all get to me around mid-May.

I would suggest "Lone Wolf and Cub" if you're a fan of samurai-ish stories. Dark Horse has several trades with the entire series.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

I would suggest "Lone Wolf and Cub" if you're a fan of samurai-ish stories. Dark Horse has several trades with the entire series.

thanks. Checked it out on darkhorse.com and they have a big preview of the first TPB, may be something I'll wanna check further. Foudn 18 TPBs available in all at amazon.ca, one of my shopping spots.

Definitely is a manga that I could live with, as opposed to the big eyed ones, heh. That's also one big thing that Blade has for it...

FM

[FrogMan]

dola,

holy moly, comicbookdb has 28 TPBs of Lone Wolf in their database while Blade is up to 16 but the series is still going...

FM

[lordscarlet]

I'll post my subscription list later.. It's way too long. I'm just trying a lot of books out and I really need to trim it down.

[cuervo72]

Ok, Mighty Avengers is now officially on my list, until the day comes when Frank Cho stops drawing hot babes.

[lordscarlet]

Mighty Avengers #1 didn't have a lot of cleavage, but it was fine. I'm new to the Marvel world, so we'll see how it goes. As a kid I read Image, so both Marvel and DC are fairly new to me, but DC has more "classic" characters that I am familiar with.

[cuervo72]

Well, it's not only cleavage that Cho does well, imo. He draws a mighty fine ass, too. (really, I like the entire proportions he uses)

By and large I agree, DC >> Marvel, at least for my own tastes. Those are the heroes I grew up with (hi Superfriends!). But I figured I'd give this one a shot.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

For the 1 or 2 people that might be interested, here's my monthly pull list for comics:

The Authority - Yes, Morrison's writing it, but The Authority is one of my favorite books. Get the original series trades with Ellis and Millar writing them. Fantastic stuff)

Avengers: The Initiative -- New ongoing Avengers title based off the "50 States Initiative" gimmick. War Machine leads the team.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8: I'm a Buffy fan, and Whedon is writing this. 'Nuff said.

Countdown: New DC series coming off the weekly 52 series.

Crossing Midnight: Vertigo series by Mike Carey with Japanese mythology. Really interesting.

Fall of Cthulhu: New ongoing Lovecraftian series by Boom! Studios.

Friday the 13th: One of the best written comics out there. SERIOUSLY. It's much more than just Jason killing people. I was very much surprised at the writing quality of this title.

Gen13: Revamp of the 1990's series by Gale Simone.

Immortal Iron Fist: Ed Brubaker writes this. I've got stuff from all three incarnations of the character, and this is so far been the best one. Art is very Jae Lee-ish.

Justice Society of America: The best drawn monthly title period. Dale Eaglesham(the artist) is the man.

Mighty Avengers: Second ongoing title with Frank Cho as the artist. Here's an example of Frank Cho artwork

NewUniversal: Back in the 1980's, Marvel tried to create a new line of comics called "The New Universe" where superheros were inserted into a world much like our own. It didn't work, mostly because it was not done in a "realistic" way. This is Warren Ellis taking characters in those original series and twisting them in his own unique way.

Welcome to Tranquility: Wildstorm title about what happens when heroes retire. They go to a retirement town, called Tranquility. Cool concept.

it's now official, I hate you. With the Lone Wolf and Cub suggestion you were cool cause you introduced me to some old stuff I could try to get in TPBs without sinking into the comic subscription thing, but I just researched that list of yours and damn! Too many new things (i.e. on their fourth issue or less) that I find very cool. AAAAARRGGGG!!!

Adding to my hell is the fact that I have found a canadian online place that does subscription with very reasonable shipping fees (www.everythingcomics.ca) which makes me very, very tempted to start a 4-5 comics pull list. As of now, the list would look like this:

New Universal don't know about you, but the whole premise of it has a very Heroes feel to it, I like the idea behind it

Immortal Iron Fist the fist thing is getting to me, some Japanese background it, interesting

Mighty Avengers okay, WVUFAN, you're not the only one to blame for that one. Cuervo and the babe talk has me on the ready, that and I discovered that it's written by Powers' Brian Michael Bendis.

Welcome to Tranquility I like the idea behind it, looks pretty cool.

Omega Flight well, that one I found on my own, a team of Canadian Superheroes!!! And to top it off, it's written by Powers' co-creator and artist Michael Avon Oeming. The first issue is coming up and the previews I've seen looked interesting. Some shots for the Canadian Parliament. LOL

FM

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

i
New Universal don't know about you, but the whole premise of it has a very Heroes feel to it, I like the idea behind it

The original lineup back in the mid-80's I think was the first attempt at a "realistic" look at superheros. But, yeah, I agree with you.

Immortal Iron Fist the fist thing is getting to me, some Japanese background it, interesting

Give Crossing Midnight a shot. I would describe it as Sandman meets Japanese mythology.

Mighty Avengers okay, WVUFAN, you're not the only one to blame for that one. Cuervo and the babe talk has me on the ready, that and I discovered that it's written by Powers' Brian Michael Bendis.

Frank Cho is very good at drawing beautiful women.

If Omega Flight does well (it's a limited series right now), they'll turn it into an ongoing.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by kurtism

Justice League of America - bumpy start so far, but I'm willing to wait to see where Metzler is going.

quick question if you're still reading the thread, mostly about Meltzer writing for comics, how is he?

I ask this because I'm a huge Meltzer fan, have read every one of his novels, except the most recent one, which I will get when it shows up on bookcloseouts.com.

FM

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

Give Crossing Midnight a shot. I would describe it as Sandman meets Japanese mythology.

Yeah, I thought about it, read a little about it and I'm not too sure how if I'd like it. Seems a bit too mythic and fantastic for my taste. I connect with the martial arts aspects of Japan, but not all that much with the deep spirituality within.

That, and I need to draw the line somewhere. I wanna keep some money to go after older stuff, TPB style. There's just a whole lot of stuff I wanna read right now, gotta control myself, heh.

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

If Omega Flight does well (it's a limited series right now), they'll turn it into an ongoing.

Interesting. I had seen the "#1 (of 5)" next to it on the online store, but didn't really know what it meant. Thanks for the info.

FM

[kurtism]

Metzler is solid, imo. I liked Identity Crisis (7 issue mini he did a couple years ago, available in trade), even if it was a bit dark and overly-retcon happy. His run on JLA has been ok, but certainly not as good as Johns on JSA.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by kurtism

Metzler is solid, imo. I liked Identity Crisis (7 issue mini he did a couple years ago, available in trade), even if it was a bit dark and overly-retcon happy. His run on JLA has been ok, but certainly not as good as Johns on JSA.

I wanted to like Identity Crisis, but I just... didn't. It seemed off to me some how. Perhaps it's because I am not too terribly familair with all the intricacies of the D.C. personalties, but it was just... I dunno.

[FrogMan]

anybody have read (or even simply heard of) Sam Noir Samurai Detective?

It's fairly new, from Image Comics, and written by a team of newcomers to print comics. They've only put out a couple of three issues mini series which I came upon #3 of the second series while looking at what was shipping this week.

Pretty much every review I see is very positive, here are a few links:
http://www.playbackstl.com/index.php...3016&Itemid=31
http://www.brokenfrontier.com/review...ls.php?id=1013
http://fractalmatter.com/main/?p=379
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=82595

The newsarama one has a ten page preview of the first issue and Image has the 3rd issue (or part of it) to read online.
http://www.imagecomics.com/onlinecomics.php (link on the right side)

That one would probably make it as my sixth if I ever get started with that subscription...

FM

[hukarez]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

How's "Secret Six"? I loved Villians United and planned to pick up Secret Six once it came out on TPB.

While I really enjoy Simone's writing, I've always been a huge Deadshot fan. I've loved him since his time in "Suicide Squad." In fact, he's easily my favorite D.C. Character. Well, along with Rorschach from "Watchmen", but I don't think he really counts.

I'm sorry I got to this pretty late - I've only been a few pages into it, but I'm slowly getting into how it's progressing as of late. I've been on a spending binge - which is pretty unwise for me to do so (especially after today's latest releases, or should I say 'yesterday') since I've been laid off from work.

As of now, I'm getting into 'part 2' of the book, but it seems pretty promising so far. I don't think I've been really into a book like this since Identity Disc...or Marvel's "Usual Suspects" so to speak.

[hukarez]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

How's "Secret Six"? I loved Villians United and planned to pick up Secret Six once it came out on TPB.

While I really enjoy Simone's writing, I've always been a huge Deadshot fan. I've loved him since his time in "Suicide Squad." In fact, he's easily my favorite D.C. Character. Well, along with Rorschach from "Watchmen", but I don't think he really counts.

I'm sorry I got to this pretty late - I've only been a few pages into it, but I'm slowly getting into how it's progressing as of late. I've been on a spending binge - which is pretty unwise for me to do so (especially after today's latest releases, or should I say 'yesterday') since I've been laid off from work.

As of now, I'm getting into 'part 2' of the book, but it seems pretty promising so far. I don't think I've been really into a book like this since Identity Disc...or Marvel's "Usual Suspects" so to speak.

[WVUFAN]

I just picked up a great new comic today called "The Secret History" which is a square bound comic (first of seven volumes). Originally in French, it was written by Jean-Pierre Pecau and drawn by Igor Korday, which drew X-Men for a good while.

FANTASTIC story. It's a nice take of how certain big events in history were actually set in motion by 4 people protecting totems. Sounds strange, but it really works. Each volume is a separate section in history -- the first volume centers on the beginning and also in ancient Egypt.

I highly recommend it. The story is interesting and the art is fantastic.

hxxp://www.aspcomics.com

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

it's now official, I hate you. With the Lone Wolf and Cub suggestion you were cool cause you introduced me to some old stuff I could try to get in TPBs without sinking into the comic subscription thing, but I just researched that list of yours and damn! Too many new things (i.e. on their fourth issue or less) that I find very cool. AAAAARRGGGG!!!

Adding to my hell is the fact that I have found a canadian online place that does subscription with very reasonable shipping fees (www.everythingcomics.ca) which makes me very, very tempted to start a 4-5 comics pull list. As of now, the list would look like this:

New Universal don't know about you, but the whole premise of it has a very Heroes feel to it, I like the idea behind it

Immortal Iron Fist the fist thing is getting to me, some Japanese background it, interesting

Mighty Avengers okay, WVUFAN, you're not the only one to blame for that one. Cuervo and the babe talk has me on the ready, that and I discovered that it's written by Powers' Brian Michael Bendis.

Welcome to Tranquility I like the idea behind it, looks pretty cool.

Omega Flight well, that one I found on my own, a team of Canadian Superheroes!!! And to top it off, it's written by Powers' co-creator and artist Michael Avon Oeming. The first issue is coming up and the previews I've seen looked interesting. Some shots for the Canadian Parliament. LOL

FM

Okay, I did set up the pull list with everythingcomics as well as ordered all the issues to bring myself current, damn you WVUFAN

I'm starting with the 5 listed above in addition to Sam Noir which I talked about previously.

Another one is tugging at me though, Loners from Marvel. #1 of an original series of 6 is supposed to be released this week. Looks like something in the vein of Runaways, mainly about heroes who were once teen superheros but now in the young adulthood, have to go through therapy to live out of the spandex. A preview is available:
http://bullpenbulletinspodcast.com/i...d=240&Itemid=2

FM

[FrogMan]

oh, and that Secret History series is definitely on my radar list, looks very interesting. Can't find it anywhere though and the same 48 page issues in French are selling for 22.95$cdn over at amazon.ca, ouch.

FM

[SFL Cat]

Honestly, I stopped collecting comics when they cost less than a dollar (.75). I had several thousand. If I had held on to them, I would have had some valuable books now. Grrrrr!!!

I was a Marvel kid. Spider Man was my favorite. Also collected The Hulk, Fantastic Four, Thor, Avengers, Defenders -- and most of the lesser character titles such as Dare Devil, Dr. Strange, Black Panther, etc. etc.

DC sucked balls at the time except for Neal Adams' retro rendition of Batman...when he went from the Adam West inspired camp icon back to his mysterious roots and bad guys started calling him "The" Batman again.

I also really liked the old reprints of Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Junior, and even...Mary Marvel. That series had a nice fantasy element that I enjoyed (although the talking Tiger, Mr. Tawny, was a bit much for me).

Every now and then I'll look at today's comics in a book store and I feel two things...I'm saddened that almost every hero I grew up with has been "reimaged" for modern times, and that the themes in most books are so bleak. I'm also amazed that people actually shell out the money they want for these things...for a lot less pages than I got when I was a kid.

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by SFL Cat

I also really liked the old reprints of Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Junior, and even...Mary Marvel.

Every now and then I'll look at today's comics in a book store and I feel two things...I'm saddened that almost every hero I grew up with has been "reimaged" for modern times, and that the themes in most books are so bleak. I'm also amazed that people actually shell out the money they want for these things...for a lot less pages than I got when I was a kid.

Jeff Smith, who did a comic series called "Bone" aimed at kids, is retooling Captain Marvel. Might be something you might like.

And the new weekly series Countdown's main character will be Mary Marvel. Many think she's getting an ongoing title after Countdown is done.

[KWhit]

I'd like to get caught up with the Dark Tower series. Any suggestions as to the best place to get the back issues and subscribe to the future ones?

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by KWhit

I'd like to get caught up with the Dark Tower series. Any suggestions as to the best place to get the back issues and subscribe to the future ones?

A couple of places I go to online is: www.midtowncomics.com for back issues, and www.scifigenre.com for subscriptions. Midtown's books are immaculate when they arrive and decently priced. SciFiGenre has the best subscription service I know of the ones I've tried.

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

I don't read anything regularly, but i'm looking forward to the Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8 stuff (continues where the TV show left off). Yes, Im a fan of Buffy. deal with it.

Couple of people have mentioned Brian K Vaughn in this thread (he writes Y the Last Man among other things). Just read that the second arc on the Season 8 Buffy comics (issues 6-11) will be written by Vaughn and be about Faith.

[FrogMan]

I'm currently reading the Original Sins TPB from the Hellblazer series (collects issues #1 through #9) and damn, this thing is scaring me, very powerful, riveting stuff. I can now see how different it is from the movie.

My wife just doesn't want me to tell her anything of the stories, she's afraid she'll have nightmares about it.

FM

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

I'm currently reading the Original Sins TPB from the Hellblazer series (collects issues #1 through #9) and damn, this thing is scaring me, very powerful, riveting stuff. I can now see how different it is from the movie.

My wife just doesn't want me to tell her anything of the stories, she's afraid she'll have nightmares about it.

FM

I have a bunch of those Hellblazer TPBs. It's somewhat of a mixed bag at times, but usually much more hit than miss, especially when you have the right combination of writer (especially anything written by Garth Ennis or Warren Ellis) and artist.

I am readig Red Sepulchre at the moment and enjoying it quite a bit.

I think Dangerous Habits is probably my favorite. I liked Son of Man quite a bit too.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

If Omega Flight does well (it's a limited series right now), they'll turn it into an ongoing.

don't know what this means for it becoming an ongoing, but Marvel has announced that Omega Flight #1 has sold out and that they're going to a second printing.

Omega Flight #1 Sells Out & Goes Back To Print

Marvel is pleased to announce that Omega Flight #1, featuring the debut of Canada's new super team, has sold out at Diamond. Featuring the talents of writer Mike Oeming (Thor) and Scott Kolins (Avengers: Earth Mightiest Heroes), the inaugural issue of this limited series has struck a chord with both retailers and fans.

To meet demand for this issue, Marvel Comics is going back to print on Omega Flight #1 with a variant cover featuring interior art by Scott Kolins.

In the wake of Civil War, Canada has put together its own super-team called Omega Flight, the last line of defense for the Great White North against super villain insurgents from abroad. Unfortunately for the Canadians, before Omega Flight can band together, a powerful team of villains have decided to turn their northern neighbor in a playground for plundering.

Note, Omega Flight #1 may still be available at the retailer level. Marvel advises that retailers check their orders for upcoming issues as Omega Flight continues to benefit from strong reviews and word of mouth. Also, don't miss your chance to find how it all began—check out Alpha Flight Classic Vol.1, in stores now, presenting the first 8 issues of the Canadian superteam's adventures.

I've yet to receive my copy as I'd agree to delay the first shipment for a week, so I can't really comment on the quality of the series. Still very much looking forward to it.

FM

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

don't know what this means for it becoming an ongoing, but Marvel has announced that Omega Flight #1 has sold out and that they're going to a second printing.



I've yet to receive my copy as I'd agree to delay the first shipment for a week, so I can't really comment on the quality of the series. Still very much looking forward to it.

FM

Best I could describe it .. it's very anti-limited series-ish.

Most limited series, because they have to tell the full story in a certain number of issues (usually 4 or 5), then compress the story to get as much out of each issue as possible, especially when dealing with a new team or character. It was the exact opposite in this one. They only introed I think 2 or 3 characters in the issue, and it was definately reading as if this is gonna be ongoing.

Initally it was supposed to be ongoing, then they switched it to a mini. Maybe the first issue was written before they decided to change the format.

[cuervo72]

Looking forward to tomorrow: BoP #105, JLA #8, Shadowpact #12, The Spirit #5, WWIII 1-4, Mighty Avengers #2, maybe Brave & the Bold #3. Lots of comics for me!! (and one more, if Dr. Fate #1 is actually out...some question about that as they changed artists, but their site still lists it for 4/18).

Good timing too, as I've caught up pretty much, having gone through the monthlies I've bought, along with Watchmen, Fables 2 & 3, New Frontier, Best of The Spirit.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

Best I could describe it .. it's very anti-limited series-ish.

Most limited series, because they have to tell the full story in a certain number of issues (usually 4 or 5), then compress the story to get as much out of each issue as possible, especially when dealing with a new team or character. It was the exact opposite in this one. They only introed I think 2 or 3 characters in the issue, and it was definately reading as if this is gonna be ongoing.

very interesting, thanks for the info. Very much looking forward to reading it.

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

Initally it was supposed to be ongoing, then they switched it to a mini. Maybe the first issue was written before they decided to change the format.

from what I've read, the going from "announced ongoing" to "limited series" has created some sort of outrage in the community. Lots of emails were sent to Marvel, some of them apparently not really nice. I also read that Michael Avon Oeming was very much into this project and I also think that this first issue might have been written before the switch to limited series had been announced...

We'll see...

FM

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Looking forward to tomorrow: BoP #105, JLA #8, Shadowpact #12, The Spirit #5, WWIII 1-4, Mighty Avengers #2, maybe Brave & the Bold #3. Lots of comics for me!! (and one more, if Dr. Fate #1 is actually out...some question about that as they changed artists, but their site still lists it for 4/18).

You probably already know this, but Gail Simone is leaving Birds of Prey. She's taking over as the new Wonder Woman writer.

[cuervo72]

Yeah...I actually forgot to mention that when she gets there, I'll probably be picking up WW too. And kurtism has assured me that McKeever will do just fine on BoP (which I couldn't find at my local today, which annoyed me...also, McKeever pops up at Newsarama and seems to be a good guy).

Loved Brave & Bold, btw. I'll be looking for the first two to catch up, and I think I'll be adding Blue Beetle as well.

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Yeah...I actually forgot to mention that when she gets there, I'll probably be picking up WW too. And kurtism has assured me that McKeever will do just fine on BoP (which I couldn't find at my local today, which annoyed me...also, McKeever pops up at Newsarama and seems to be a good guy).

I have a few books by McKeever, he's good times. I think BoP is in good hands. I am stoked for Simone on WW, though. She's a perfect fit for that title.

Loved Brave & Bold, btw. I'll be looking for the first two to catch up, and I think I'll be adding Blue Beetle as well.

I buy Brave and the Bold because it has one of my favorite writers (Mark Waid) and my second favorite artist outside of Dale Englesham (George Perez). Perez's stuff never ceases to amaze me. He puts so much in each panel.

In issue #2, the teenaged Supergirl hits on Green Lantern, who constantly has to say "She's Seventeen" to himself over and over again. Funny stuff.