bishop2knight

We haven't had a new comic thread in a while, so I thought I'd see what everyone's reading. Here's what's on the top of my pile each month:

SLEEPER: Holy cow this story rocks. Can't wait for Season 2.

GOTHAM CENTRAL: I love a dark, gritty look at the "real" cops in a land of super heroes.

Y: THE LAST MAN: I'm just now catching up on the story. All I can say is Whoa!

I'm also getting into Bendis's DAREDEVIL and ULT. SPIDEY. I'm also learning that Gail Simone is one hell of a writer. ROSE & THORN is really keeping my interest, and BIRDS OF PREY is definately growing on me.

JasonF

I'm reading a little of this, a little of that. Some books I'm enjoying:

LEGION: I didn't start reading this until they rebooted the continuity about 10 years ago, but I've been keeping up with it ever since (and I also went back and bought just about everything from before they rebooted). A sentimental favorite of mine, but for the year or so, it's been really, really good.

SUPREME POWER: I'm not a huge fan of Straczynski -- the few Amazing Spider-Man issues I've picked up haven't grabbed me, I quit watching Jeremiah haflway through the first season, and I've never seen an episode of Babylon 5 (I know, I know). That said, I'm really digging this book.

FABLES: I'm not picking this up monthly, but I am picking up the trades (as I'm doing with Y: THE LAST MAN). A fun series.

ASTRO CITY: I love this book. Issue after issue, Busiek comes up with fascinating stories that seem so obvious in retrospect, you wonder why they haven't been written 100 times before. The Brent Anderson art and Alex Ross character designs don't hurt, either.

JLA/AVENGERS: This is the most gorgeous mainstream superhero series ever.

I'm also looking forward to Busiek & Nord's Conan.

auto

Re-reading all my Sandman graphic novels start to finish. When I'm done I'm going to read the new Sandman HC that just came out.

Man, I forgot how good these all were!

Sessa17

I just haven't had the time to make the weekly threads like I use to, but I'm always up for talking comics.

Here is what I'm getting right now, probably forgetting some stuff & not counting a lot of mini-series. The book listed first are what I'm diggin' the most & what I REALLY recommend others check out.

Fables
The Goon - The most creative comics on the market today.
Queen & Country - The most researched & intelligent comic out there.
The Walking Dead - Should be mandatory reading if you are a zombie fan.
The Runaways - The best book Marvel publishes.
Usagi Yojimbo - IS mandatory reading if you love samurai tales or the eastern culture.
Fallen Angel - The most underrated mainstream comic today. The best work of Peter David's career.
Hellboy
B.P.R.D.
Gotham Central
Dead@17 - The best indy title being published today.
Catwoman
Thor
Sleeper
Avengers
Batgirl
Birds Of Prey
Captain Marvel
Conan
Daredevil - Very close to dropping this
Emma Frost
Hawkman
The Incredible Hulk - See Daredevil
JSA - The best team book being published.
Liberty Meadows
New X-men
Uncanny X-men - the worste comic I still get.
Weapon X
Smax/Top Ten
New Mutants
NYX
Powers
Sojourn
Superman/Batman
Superman: Birthright
Superman - Gearing up for Azzarello taking over.
Thanos
The Losers
The Gift
The Flash - The best solo superhero comic being published.
Metal Hurlent
The Legion
The Ultimates
Wanted
Wonder Woman
X-Statix

In trade format only:
100 Bullets
Hellblazer

Any of you looking for a good place to talk comics. Head on over to http://brokenfrontier.com/ where I'm on their review staff. It's an awesome site w/ tons of creators posting on it.

Checkout some of my recent reviews:

The Monolith #1 - http://brokenfrontier.com/reviews/20.../monolith1.htm

Midnight Mass: Here There Be Monsters - This is a great new horror title from Vertigo. - http://brokenfrontier.com/reviews/20...nightmass1.htm

Global Frequency #11: http://brokenfrontier.com/reviews/20...requency11.htm

Crocker Jarmen

These days not much. Any of the comics I read don't come out monthly, in some cases they don't even come out yearly.

The one comic I was reading that came out fairly regularly was Chester Brown's interesting, oddly funny Louis Riel. Now that it's done, I'm wondering if there's any chance he'll go back to Underwater, which I was enjoying.

I keep waiting for another issue of Daniel Clowes Eightball to show up.

Another issue of Peepshow would be welcome, though I'm not holding my breath. Apparantly HBO is interested in developing it into a series. Between lawyer meetings and whacking off, I imagine Joe hasn't been getting too many panels down these days.

I remember when the Vertigo imprint was first launched, and there were a whole bunch of comics I was really into: Sandman, The Invisibles, I read Shade The Changing Man, as well as a lot of cool mini-series and one offs they were putting out. These days whenever I go to the comic shop it's slim pickings.

Shannon Nutt

THE AMAZING SPIDER MAN.

That's it...monthlies aren't as cheap as they used to be!

MrBob

Y the last man - this is what really got me back into comics. Excellent very mature, well written title, with some of the best covers in the business. I've heard that they are working on a movie script already. If they do it right it will be a hell of a movie, that won't need any CGI!

Fables, another mature title that is very well written. I read the first arch in TPB, and then I have recently bought all of the back issues from 6-21 and last castle. just finshed up getting the a couple of remaining books on saturday. I plan on reading them asap. I read last castle and it was an excellent graphic novel.

Ultimate Fantastic four. 2 issues in and I really like the direction they are going in this book. I never really read the original series.

Wanted: By mark millar, this book is insane and very mature.

Gamblor187

Agreed! The highest compliment that I can give "The Goon" is that it reminds me of Allred's "Madman". High praise, indeed!

So I'm not the only one reading this book after all!

Just recently pisked up all the "Hellboys" trades and love them. How similar is this title to "Hellboy"?

I've tried, but I just can't get into this book. Michael Lark's art, however, is excellent, and I'm glad to finally see him getting the attention he deserves.


You're Thor??? I'm tho thor I can hardly pith!

(Sorry...little Sandman joke there. Couldn't resist.)

I stopped reading this when Geoff Johns left. Is the new creative team any good?

Why would you drop this??? Oh, yeah! Because NOTHING EVER HAPPENS! (Still love the art, though.)

Any official word yet on who the new creative team will be when Geoff Johns and Rags leave?

Hmmm....Although it's not quite as good as it was, I still enjoy this book. It's not at the top of my list, but I never regret buying it, either.

Amen! And I love what they're doing with "Black Reign"!

When I destroyed my knee, I missed out on a few of my monthly titles. While I've tracked down most of them, I haven't bothered with "Powers". I've thought about it, but then I remember that I really have not enjoyed it in a long time.

But is this book any good right now? I'll definitely pick up the Azzarello stuff, but I haven't found a solo Suoerman book woth picking up in ages.

What do you think of the new direction. Although I have enjoyed the "Ignition" storyline, I really don't see the reason for all the changes. (And I really miss Scott Kollins' art.)

Amazing art. So-so storytelling.

With "Back From The Dead", this title is now officially the funniest monthly book by any publisher. (And also funniest book in recent memory...not counting the recent "Formerly Known As The Justice League" miniseries.)

Two of my favorite titles. Why only in trade? Although I do think that both of these books read better when you've got a whole storyline, I just can't do without my monthly (or bi-monthly right now for "100 Bullets") fix.

It's about time! I thought that I missed out on the final two issues. My eyes just about popped out of my head when I saw this on the stands a few weeks ago.

Other books:

Teen Titans - Forget about that garbage on the Cartoon Network. I had reservations about this title, but I started picking it up because I'm a die-hard Geoff Johns fan. It's been a great read so far.

Y: The Last Man - Losing a bit of its steam lately, but still worthwhile.

Human Target - My vote for best new title. No contest.


New Frontier - Onlu one issue in to this miniseries so far, but it was a hell of an issue!

Great titles that very rarely come out:
Planetary
Stray Bullets
Dork

nny

Crocker Jarmen, you sound exactly like me when it comes to indie comics, but I can't believe you can't find stuff to like in mainstream comics. Marvel and DC have gotten so good in the past few years. I guess I can understand if you don't like superheroes, but Vertigo's still putting out great non-superhero stuff. Of course many of the people working on mainstream superheros are doing less and less superhero type stories, so you may be surprised at what you end up liking anyway.

As for independent stuff, I'm not reading anything right now, but since you mentioned 3 of my favorite creators, I'd also recommend some other indies just in case you haven't read them. Since I imagine you have similar taste to me, make sure to pick up Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Box Office Poison, Optic Nerve, Stray Bullets, and Cerebus. Optic Nerve is one of the comics I include with Eightball and Peepshow on my MIA list.

Crocker Jarmen

Yeah, I really like Optic Nerve, especially now that Tomine is doing longer works. I read that the next issue of Optic Nerve will be part one of a three or four issue length story.

Cerebus is a comic I've been planning to take a look at for years now. I've read the occasional issue here and there (during the Reads controversy), but I've been thinking of picking up the first collection.

JTHM wasn't really for me. I haven't heard of Box Office Poison, can you describe what that's like/about. I might look into that.

I'm sure you've read The Acmne Novelty Library. Thrilling in every detail. I wouldn't complain about Chris Ware being MIA as I'm sure he needs a well deserved vacation.

A friend of mine who abondoned all comics years ago has been telling me that he's been getting back into a lot of stuff being put out now. Some new X-men stuff I think. I'm pretty fussy when it comes to superheros, but I have enjoyed alot of Batman, JLA, and X-men stuff. It's just hard to experiement with titles since they cost so much and I usually like to give a title two or three issues.

Ralph Wiggum

I average 8 books a week so I'm reading a fair amount.

My favorite "monthlies" at the moment:

Fables
The Goon
Gotham Central
Human Target
Love Fights
Sleeper
Supreme Power
Y, The Last Man

New(ish) books:

NYX
Punisher MAX (And I don't even like the character!)
Sword of Dracula
Ultimate Fantastic Four
The Walking Dead

I've been reading the Runaways, too. The last couple have been underwhelming; I didn't like how #10 wrapped up the second arc and #11 was only okay. I loved #1-9, though.

Did you guys dislike DareDevil #56? I didn't bother with the comic when Bendis was gone, but his return was quite good.

Wanted and DC: The New Frontier have been great so far as well.

Chew

Based on some buzz I read elsewhere, I picked up Wanted #1 and #2. I've only read the first one so far but, is this an ongoing monthly title or mini? I saw a advertisement saying "6 issues of Wanted from" and then it listed the creative team, so I wasn't sure.

nny

I'd say Box Office Poison is mainly about relationships and becoming an adult. The whole thing's been collected in a big volume that's really affordable. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846

While I'm recommending big, affordable books about relationships, I'd also highly recommend Blankets. Many people feel it was the best graphic novel of last year.

Do you read any Bendis? Bendis makes up almost half of the comics I buy on a monthly basis. Right now he's doing Ultimate Spiderman, Powers, Daredevil, Ultimate X-men, Ultimate Six and Ultimate Fantastic Four. Next week Pulse #1 comes out and this week Secret War #1 comes out by him and this amazing new artist who is making his US debut. http://www.dellotto.it/

That's 8 great mainstream comics right there. Of course 2 are limited series, Bendis' UXM run is limited, and UFF is co-written by Mark Millar (the most overrated writer in comics), but Bendis is one of the most amazing talents I've ever seen.

To continue with the topic of this thread I also buy (somewhat in order from most like to least like):
Y the Last Man
Supreme Power
Cerebus
Runaways
1602
New X-men
Teen Titans
X-Statix

That order may be a little messed up given the fact that I'm a couple months behind on most of my comics. Happily, in a couple of weeks, I'm going to have a lot of free time to catch up with all my comics.

Sessa17

You have great taste.

Quote:

Just recently pisked up all the "Hellboys" trades and love them. How similar is this title to "Hellboy"?

I'd say the B.P.R.D one-shots that have been coming out are only for die-hard Hellboy fans like myself. Hellboy is the ONE charachter in all of comics where I don't want other people writing him or drawing him or his cast. It's is purely Mignola that makes Hellboy so brilliant. But if anyone one person has to draw BPRD, then they got the right guy with Guy Davis. And the new BPRD monthly is written by Mignola, so it should be worth getting & similar to Hellboy.



I've tried, but I just can't get into this book. Michael Lark's art, however, is excellent, and I'm glad to finally see him getting the attention he deserves.

RE: Avengers

Quote:

I stopped reading this when Geoff Johns left. Is the new creative team any good?

No, the book is absolutely awful, but Coipel's art rules. It's just one of those comics I will never drop b/c I've been getting it for so long.



Re: Daredevil -

Quote:

Why would you drop this??? Oh, yeah! Because NOTHING EVER HAPPENS! (Still love the art, though.)

This will anger the Bendis lover that just posted, but IMO he is the most overrated writer in all of comics. Powers is BRILLIANT, but on every mainstream title he has written, the man is incapable of making anything happen. Ult, Spidery, just rehashes the same old crap, & the man spent over 2 years on Daredevil & did absolutely nothing with the book. He uses the same characters over & over again. And Maleev's art is computer generated crap. Every page & every panel & every cover of ever issue of DD he has done looks exactly the same.



RE: Hawkman -

Quote:

Any official word yet on who the new creative team will be when Geoff Johns and Rags leave?

It's not looking good, I forgot who the writer was but he is not anyone to get excited about & the artist may be Ryan Sook, who is just horrible.


Re: Superman -

Quote:

But is this book any good right now? I'll definitely pick up the Azzarello stuff, but I haven't found a solo Suoerman book woth picking up in ages.

Same here, it kind of sucks still. I'm about the only comic book fan in the world that doesn't really like Jim Lee, I'm just getting the new run for Azzarello.



Re: The Flash -

Quote:

What do you think of the new direction. Although I have enjoyed the "Ignition" storyline, I really don't see the reason for all the changes. (And I really miss Scott Kollins' art.)

I like the book even more since issue #200. I can't stand Kollins' art. I'm not a huge fan of the new guy, & I like Porter even less (did you see those Turner covers though, his stuff is amazing). But I think the last issue was phenomenal. Flash is the best book Johns writes, & the best work of his career IMO.



RE: 100 Bullets/Hellblazer -

Quote:

Two of my favorite titles. Why only in trade?

100 Bullets may be my all-time favorite comic book series. But the story is SO complex & events happen so subtley, that I feel it HAS to be read in complete story arcs. Every time a new trade comes out, I go back & re-read it from the beginning & always find something I missed before. I tried in the beginning reading it as a monthly & it was just a complete different reading experience, it just didn't feel right. Same with Hellblazer.

nny

In response to the Bendis slam, I will say that Daredevil is his most overrated title. He's won awards for it when I feel all of his other titles are far better. I still love it though and I couldn't disagree with you more about USM, but of course we've both expressed our feelings for USM several times on this board.

We really disagree about art too. I really like Maleev (although he really needs to improve his action scenes), Sook, and Kollins. I can't decide how I feel about Jim Lee though. I've liked him in the past, but I was very unimpressed by his Batman run. Of course I didn't really read it either, so maybe I'd enjoy it more in context.

What's Dead@17? I don't recognize that.

Sessa17

Powers is not only brilliant, but I think maybe one of only 2-3 comics being published that I think truly pushes the medium to a new level. So I so think Bendis has talent. I just don't think he can write mainstream heroes. He puts so much pointless dialogue into his comics, it drives me insane & I have yet to read a superhero comic he has written with one original idea in it.

Quote:

We really disagree about art too. I really like Maleev (although he really needs to improve his action scenes), Sook, and Kollins. I can't decide how I feel about Jim Lee though. I've liked him in the past, but I was very unimpressed by his Batman run. Of course I didn't really read it either, so maybe I'd enjoy it more in context.

It's cool. Most disagree w/ me on art. I like artists w/ their own distinct style that are very different. I cannot stand compturized, non-penciled art in comics. Greg Horn, Alex Maleev, these guys don't draw their stuff, they sit at a computer & program it in. Look at every single Daredevil cover Maleev has done, they all look exactly the same. And his panel structure is terrible. He will often use the same panels, in different pages, that is just blatant art padding, probably to fill deadlines.

Sook tries way to hard to be Mike Mignola, rather than develop his own style. He is just a horrible choice for Hawkman. Kollins I can at least see why people like him. I just don't dig his stuff, I find his art ugly w/ too many little slashes with his pencils.

Jim Lee everyone thinks I'm insane on, but I truly feel he is overrated. He constantly reuses his own images over & over again. His art is so stiff, everyone is always in some awkward pose in all of his panels. And he only draws about 3 different faces for every character he does. For his flashy style, I much prefer Mike Turner & think Marc Sylvestri is also better & really perfected Lee's style before Lee even hit big.


Dead@17 is simply one of the best new comics of the past few years. The first issue is probably one of the 2-3 single best debut issue of a comic book series I've ever read in my life. I recommend it to everyone at my store, always letting them have the first issue for free, & not one person has been let down. yet. Check out the website & watch the trailers.



http://www.vipercomics.com/

Crocker Jarmen

nny, Box Office Poison sounds like it's right up my alley. I'm definetely going to go look for it this weekend. Will probebly browse some of those other superhero titles you mentioned. Thanks for the tips.

travlr

Marvel
Supreme Power - I think this series is going to just keep getting better and better.
The Punisher- As long as Ennis is doing this book I'll keep reading.
DC
Rose and Thorn - Another good series that is just getting started.
Image
The Walking Dead - A very cool zombie book with a back story you can actually care about.
Something Wicked - Kick ass art by Jerry Beck and a cool story. I own several pages from the first two issues. Horror fans check this book out.
Avatar
The Drive In by Joe R Lansdale - A very cool Lansdale story with very nice B&W art
My Flesh Is Cool - Interesting new book from Avatar.

Sessa17

I completely forgot to add Rex Mundi to the books I get. Another book that EVERYONE should really check out. Great art, & a very well researched murder/sorcery/period piece much in the same vain as From Hell.

bishop2knight

Hmmm, I wonder why DEAD @ 17 is never on the shelves when I get to the store on Wednesdays. I'll have to look into getting the back issues.

Isn't there going to be a new mini following DEAD? Sometime in April?

MrBob

Anybody pick up Millar's chosen today? I got it and haven't had time to read it yet.

I finally read the second arc of Fables and it definetly blows the first arc away. Also Issue 11 was a great solo read.

jrsl76

Hellboy/BPRD - Lately the HB: Weird Tales and the BPRD one
shots haven't been doing it for me, but hopefully
with Mignola's return to writing (the ongoing BPRD
book with Guy Davis art), these will improve.
Batman - I'm done when Azzarello and Risso finish their "Broken
City" storyline, though I have to confess it isn't as good
as their 100 Bullets work (exception: Risso's always
amazing)

madcougar

I agree on Box Office Poison. It's a very good read.

Neitzl

Is anyone else as underwhelmed by 1602 as I am?
Ultimate Fantastic Four is great, I love it.
I really love Ultimate Six.
Fables is great, though I got into it late, and now, I may have
to get all the back issues. I hate getting TPBs, it's the collector in me that I have to have the original issues.
Strangers In Paradise: I have tons of these to read, but I used to love it hardcore. The David storyline is pretty interesting.

Chew

It's always the last to be read on a monthly basis. I'm getting it because it's Gaiman, but that's about the only reason.