Comic Book Fans....

[SPTO]

Re: Comic Book Fans....

Okay went through the DCs

- Loving Batman &.... the Carrie Kelly subplot is bubbling pretty well under the main story and I thought that this issue was breezy and fun compared to the last few issues. I always like it when Batman and Catwoman work together on a caper.

- The 2nd part of the Trinity War is VERY intriguing and i'm liking that this isn't going to be your typical "heroes taking on the Big Bad" kind of story. I'm wondering what

Spoiler

The Question

has to do with this though. It's all very mysterious and intriguing.

- Everything else seems kinda "there" at the moment which isn't a bad thing but it doesn't make for any eye popping, remarkable comics. I do have an observation about DC/Marvel which I'll probably post up in a day or two. As a preview though it has to do with the companies' stances black ops agencies and the military etc etc.

[GiantYankee]

Re: Comic Book Fans....

Downloaded the comiXology app for my android phone. Read Walking Dead 1 (free) on phone and on laptop. Really impressed by the quality in both formats. It's worth trying out if you are interested. Might buy a tablet now...

[JBH3]

Downloaded the comiXology app for my android phone. Read Walking Dead 1 (free) on phone and on laptop. Really impressed by the quality in both formats. It's worth trying out if you are interested. Might buy a tablet now...

Hey, only 121 issues left

[GiantYankee]

Re: Comic Book Fans....

Hey, only 121 issues left

Lol. Don't think I'll be buying Walking Dead. 121 issues are too many issues to try and catch up on. Looking forward to buying and reading Trinity War. Do I need any books to help set the stage or can I jump right in?

[SPTO]

Re: Comic Book Fans....

Whoops I realized I never got to my DC/Marvel attitudes toward governmental liaisons so might as well do it now. I've noticed that the Big Two have completely different approaches to how they present government backed superhero initiatives. DC is very cynical and expresses a view that is a conspiracy theorist's wet dream of how evil and manipulative the government can be while Marvel had some of that especially in the Civil War/Norman Osborn led H.A.M.M.E.R. initiatives takes a more cooperative view and one that shows the military industrial complex as being flexible enough working with the superhero community.

Let's examine this more closely:

DC: You have Amanda Waller running a government sanctioned Justice League that is trying to usurp the real JLA and in the process has made Steve Trevor into a real chump. I especially liked the scene in the 2nd issue of the Trinity War storyline where

Spoiler

Wonder Woman calls Trevor out for being part of a group trying to take over. He tries to protest and say they're still friends but clearly WW has lost respect for him because if there were any issues with the JLA Trevor should've at least went to her to iron things out rather than cobble together a group that is being controlled/manipulated by Waller/the US government.

. Clearly it seems the US government is not comfortable with a bunch of heroes they can't completely control for their own purposes.

- You also have Waller heading up some black ops organization (I think A.R.G.U.S.) which completely manipulated Vibe into being their lap dog and when he realizes it and tries to rescue Gypsy from her imprisonment all hell breaks loose. The way Waller and ARGUS seems to handle inter-dimensional beings is much in the same way as conspiracy theorists believe the government handles UFO/Aliens.

- Last but not least Waller also heads up the Suicide Squad and while they're not exactly clean cut people she basically has them doing whatever the hell she wants to do covertly against their will for the most part.


Marvel: There is a much stronger sense of cooperation and the US Government doesn't seem so malevolent. SHIELD which in the DC Universe would be a lot shadier actually seem to be less cloak and dagger as they have a UN based front to the public. There is a sense that while SHIELD and SWORD aren't exactly arm in arm with the superhero community they're at least willing partners. I think this has a great deal to do with the fact that two of the big guns in the Marvel U have ties to the government and the military industrial complex. Captain America has a long history working in a military and governmental capacity to the point that he's the most trusted superhero around. If he feels that things are getting a bit shady he won't hesitate to call the government/military on their BS. Iron Man/Tony Stark basically made his fortune supplying weaponry to the government so there's that link that's explicit in his history.

Now I know in the Civil War period they did play around with those dynamics and made the government auspices very malevolent but when that happened eventually the heroes of the Marvel U fought against it bitterly whereas in the DCU it's just a fact of life.

The only thing that kind of compares with what's going on in the DCU is the use of The Hulk as a walking WMD and indeed it looks like there's going to be a major complication in Banner/Hulk's employment with SHIELD. This is presented very straightforwardly and while it's a bit manipulative and shady it isn't hammered at the reader with a sledgehammer the way these things are presented in the DCU.


Anyways that's just something I thought of while i've been reading these comics. Maybe i'm just overthinking things but it really does seem like the Big Two approach these issues and realities in very different ways.

[JBH3]

@ SPTO: I havent been reading Avengers anymore and aside from Hulk/Hawkeye most of my comic reading has been JL & JLA.

I like the DC angle though, which I think is where it should be... the Justice League is the most powerful entity on the planet so any Government should have a contingency plan, the same way in which Batman has such a plan for his fellow JL compadres.

I think comparing the two is inadequate because Cap and Iron Man have a storied history of being an extension of the USA (born and raised, good'ol old fashioned Americans) while some of the DC heroes have been adopted and are either aliens or are considered heroes or vigilantes or even outcasts (Cyborg?) depending on which section of the DCU populus would be asked.

[goh]

Re: Comic Book Fans....

Boo Trinity War...it made everything $4 this week. So I skipped JLD. Only got Injustice,Batma '66 and Constatine.

[SPTO]

Re: Comic Book Fans....

@ SPTO: I havent been reading Avengers anymore and aside from Hulk/Hawkeye most of my comic reading has been JL & JLA.

I like the DC angle though, which I think is where it should be... the Justice League is the most powerful entity on the planet so any Government should have a contingency plan, the same way in which Batman has such a plan for his fellow JL compadres.

I think comparing the two is inadequate because Cap and Iron Man have a storied history of being an extension of the USA (born and raised, good'ol old fashioned Americans) while some of the DC heroes have been adopted and are either aliens or are considered heroes or vigilantes or even outcasts (Cyborg?) depending on which section of the DCU populus would be asked.

Good points made, and I agree the DCU take on it is a little more realistic but it's just OPPRESSIVE to read the same POV in every DCU book. I'd like a little more optimism in at least one book y'know?


BTW outside of the Big Two, you all should be reading TMNT. AWESOME comic book and the current City Fall story arc is quite engrossing. The latest issue that came out this week (it's a monthly book) had a very major plot turn.

[JBH3]

Good points made, and I agree the DCU take on it is a little more realistic but it's just OPPRESSIVE to read the same POV in every DCU book. I'd like a little more optimism in at least one book y'know?


BTW outside of the Big Two, you all should be reading TMNT. AWESOME comic book and the current City Fall story arc is quite engrossing. The latest issue that came out this week (it's a monthly book) had a very major plot turn.

See with TMNT the premise of reading about crime fighting ninja turtles just doesn't do it for me now at the ripe old age of 32...but I am interested in the xbla title coming soon.

Speaking of teenagers, is anyone reading DCUs green team, teen trillionaires? I see that Deathstroke is on the cover... is he supposed to be taking his rightful seat upon the throne of teenage nemesis, a LA new teen titans?

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[SPTO]

Re: Comic Book Fans....

See with TMNT the premise of reading about crime fighting ninja turtles just doesn't do it for me now at the ripe old age of 32...but I am interested in the xbla title coming soon.

I'm only about a year or so older than you but I understand. The TMNT as they're presented in the comics this time around are pretty interesting. There's a backstory of how they're reincarnated souls from the father and sons in Japan that were struck down by Oroki Saki etc etc. There's some good bit of nuance in the stories as it's not all black and while.

Other than the turtles I have very little interest reading teen group books except Wolverine and the X-Men though the focus is split evenly between the adults and kids in that book.

[JBH3]

Re: Comic Book Fans....

I'm only about a year or so older than you but I understand. The TMNT as they're presented in the comics this time around are pretty interesting. There's a backstory of how they're reincarnated souls from the father and sons in Japan that were struck down by Oroki Saki etc etc. There's some good bit of nuance in the stories as it's not all black and while.

Other than the turtles I have very little interest reading teen group books except Wolverine and the X-Men though the focus is split evenly between the adults and kids in that book.

Yea, I was just joking about the age thing, but really I seem to have less interest in TMNT from a comic perspective.

Something I was thinking about, regarding the Batman Zero Year story, you think this is Scott Snyder/DC's way of not advancing a Batman story while the JL, JLA, and JLD Trinity Arc works its way out? Llike it would've been weird to have Bats hunting down Pandora/Wonder Woman in the JL books and then fighting crime in Gotham on his off days lol.

[JBH3]

Re: Comic Book Fans....

Oh yea... for anyone who is interested, I picked up an Overstreet Comicbook Priceguide last weekend. If anyone wants a few books priced post the title, volume, and issue # here. No more than 5 titles please.

[mestevo]

Oh yea... for anyone who is interested, I picked up an Overstreet Comicbook Priceguide last weekend. If anyone wants a few books priced post the title, volume, and issue # here. No more than 5 titles please.

Amazing Spider-Man 41. Probably my most valuable title if it was in better shape. Got it signed by Stan Lee last month.

Getting a statue of Wolverine signed tomorrow by 2 of his creators

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

[SPTO]

Re: Comic Book Fans....

Something I was thinking about, regarding the Batman Zero Year story, you think this is Scott Snyder/DC's way of not advancing a Batman story while the JL, JLA, and JLD Trinity Arc works its way out? Llike it would've been weird to have Bats hunting down Pandora/Wonder Woman in the JL books and then fighting crime in Gotham on his off days lol.

Good question, I assume that's the case. Right now the two main Superman titles are in some weird crossover between each other which i've kinda tuned out and WW has her own story in her book about protecting the last son of the Gods. Those are all pretty standalone and don't interfere with what's going on with the Trinity War storyline.

[JBH3]

Amazing Spider-Man 41. Probably my most valuable title if it was in better shape. Got it signed by Stan Lee last month.

Getting a statue of Wolverine signed tomorrow by 2 of his creators

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

Amazing Spider-Man #41, 1st Rhino app, $825.00 if 9.2, $33.00 if 2.0.