Okay. I know that March is over, but I missed out on a whole month of comics due to knee surgery. I'll be getting all of my March titles in the mail within the next few days. However, without actually being able to go into a comic shop and look around, I've got a bad feeling that I'll miss some things. Any new titles, miniseries, or anything else out of the ordinary come out in March?

Also, I dread that my worst fears will be confirmed, but how is "Hawkman" now that Geoff Johns has left?

jim

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Not sure about Hawkman, Gamblor, sorry.

Has anyone read HUMAN TARGET or FALLEN ANGEL? Those are two titles on my list I might try, but they're so new I might pick up the entire run. Are they worth it?

As for what I'm reading, well, just ask Sessa, he seems to know just what I like. My current top ten favorite books:

SLEEPER
LOSERS
CATWOMAN
GOTHAM CENTRAL
DEAD @ 17 (mini)
Y: THE LAST MAN
CONAN
THE GOON
BIRDS OF PREY
ROSE AND THORN (mini)

(Wow, not a single Marvel title...interesting...)

Can someone tell me what's so special about Cooke's NEW FRONTIER? I love the art, but the story just isn't doing it for me.

I bought the first issue of Human Target because of recommendations (Wizard also gave it a good write-up), but I just couldn't get into it. I think I tried #2 & #3, as well. I guess it just wasn't my taste.

The TPB of the first five issues tho is reasonable, if you wanted to go that route.

Yeah, tha James Powell guy has some good comic book taste, you should listen to him

I've been so behind in my reading I think a lot of stuff I've been catching up on lately is still from 2003. But there are SOOOOOOOOO many good comics out here right now.

Here is what I'm diggin' the most & if you have to shell out some money, I think these are your best bets for something good to read.

The Walking Dead - Best horror comic on the market & IMO just 10 issues in, the greatest zombie comic ever created. It just captures the pure essense of all the classic zombie movies. None of this modern MTV bullshit or the overrated Steve Niles horro comic that never delivers. This book has graet character development, gore, tremendous art & atmosphere. And written by my new favorite writer in Robert Kirkman. Plus, in a few weeks the first trade comes out collecting the first 5-6 issues & it's only $10.



Queen & Country - The most well researched comic on the market. There has never been a bad issue, & it is so completely unique in every way. Plus, trades are available collecting the first 5-6 story-arcs.

Sleeper - First trade is out, second trade is soon to be out, & the prequel is also available in trade. Another completely unique book, & as good as anything out there.

Invincible - That Robert Kirkman guy again. This is the comic that Marvel's Ultimate line attempts to be but is not creative enough to accomplish. Kirkman's take on a young superhero dealing with his superhero father. First two trades are available & worth every penny.

Fallen Angel - I'm not just saying this b/c J.P. asked about it. In one of the most prolific writing career's in the business, this is Peter David's greatest work. He accomplished perhaps the hardest thing in all of mainstream comics. He created a brand new superhero with a unique spin on the genre. First trade is coming out soon & this book is truly worthy of being checked out. Also has great art buy a newcomer.

JSA - Best team book on the market. The book never let's down, it's old fashioned comic book super hero goodness at it's finest.

Punisher: The End - I HATE the Punisher. Actually, I've never read a punisher comic in my life, I only picked this up b/c one of my all-time favorite artists did the art & holy shit is this comic awesome. Definitely worth getting.

Conan - The best Conan has ever looked. Also the best new comic of 2004.

I think only one issue has come out of Hawkman since the creative team left but I'm pretty sure the book will be going down hill. Hawkman is one of my all-time favorite characters, but I don't like the new direction they are taking the book.

There is so much other great stuff out there. The Losers (the first trade is out for just $10), The Runaways, Fables, The Goon, Gotham Central, & tons more.

I think this Wed. is a pretty big/good new comic book day. Maybe someone should start a new "what did you get this week thread"

I can't help you with "Fallen Angel". (I missed out on it, so I'll wait for the first trade to give it a try), but "Human Target" is my pick for best new title. It's smart, suspenseful, and highly original. (Then again, I've been a big Peter Milligan fan since "Shade, the Changing Man", so I probably like it better than most. And I'm thrilled to see Milligan receive long overdue critical acclaim for this book and "X-Statx", especially since he had fallen into a bit of a slump with his more recent Vertigo books.) The first collection is out and, I believe, it's only about $10. Highly recommended.

Actually, I feel just the opposite. I've really liked the story, but it's taken a while for me to appreciate the art. I think that the problem that some people are having with this book is that it's a slow build. (That, and the hefty $6.95 cover price for a non-Prestige Format book.) I went into this book not knowing what it was going to be about and, until issue three I did not see much of a connection between the ongoing stories. (That's not to say that I didn't enjoy them. I just didn't see a bigger picture.) I think that the book has really started picking up with the latest issue. The first issues were just introduction, but not we're starting to see a bigger story take place. Part of the fun, for me at least, is trying to place all the charcters and situations (which can be a bit tough since I don't know as much as I'd like about The Suicide Squad, Challengers Of The Unknown, etc.) But the best part of the story so far has to be the Martian Manhunter/Batman storyline. They're both so very well written. I've never cared to much for Mr. J'Onzz, but now I'd love to see Cooke to a miniseries with the character. (The best moments of the series so far have been him learning the English language through television and his reaction when going to see a sci-fi movie about a Mars invasion.) When my last shipment came in from the comic shop, this issue stood out as the best of the bunch. (Not too shabby, considering that I had near 30 books in that shipment.)


My question is, What's so special about "Superman/Batman"???
It started off strong, but fell apart before the first story ended. The whole deal with the was one of the most awful things I've ever read in a comic. Consider this book dropped from my list.

I've recovered enough from my knee surgery, so I was actually able to make the trip to the comic shop last week. I saw the latest "Hawkman" on the stands, but didn't pick it up. Like Sessa17, Hawkman is one of my favorite characters, but I've just got a bad feeling about the new creative team and direction.

I also picked up the first two issues of the new "Swamp Thing" series (written by Andy Diggle of "The Losers" fame), and I have mixed feelings so far. I appreciate the fact that Diggle is trying to take the character back to its roots (no pun intended) and return it to its Alan Moore glory days, but DC/Vertigo have really messed up this character in the past decade. (There hasn't been anything worthwhile from the character since Millar's stint on the book...and even that wasn't great....just much better than it had been.) The continuity has become to convoluted, dull, and downright silly. It seems like Diggle's job (I believe that he's only writing the first 6 issues) is to untangle the mess that has been made of this character. The first two issues haven't been bad, but it's like trying to reverse a train wreck.
The art is, at times, simply amazing. Another real throwback to the style used during Alan Moore's run on the book. My only real gripe about the art has to do with how Breccia draws people's faces. (Why does everyone have such giant foreheads????) Hopefully, this will be straightened out in time.

As for my top 10 or so...

JSA - Sessa17's got it right again. The best team book on the market. There hasn't been a bad issue yet.

The Flash - I was initially a bit put off by the new direction of the book. (If it ain't broke, don't fix it.) I should have known better than to doubt Geoff Johns. While JSA is the best team book, The Flash remains the best solo hero book. (I must admit again, though, that I really miss Scott Kollins. I don't care for Porter's art and --- though I realize that this may seems like blasphemy to many --- I really don't Turner's art on the covers.)

Human Target - see first paragraph of this post.

Fables - How about a miniseries featuring the Wooden Soldiers? They've provided the best and funniest moments of this series to date.
I hate to say this, knowing how highly everyone (myself included) regards "Sandman", but....If this book continues on this course, it will easily be the best Vertigo book since the Gaiman day.
There. I said it. I feel better now.

Supreme Power - Another slow build. It gets better with each issue.

Others:
The Goon
X-Force
100 Bullets (back to a monthly schedule soon!)
Planetary (when it comes out).
The Runaways
Y - The Last Man

I'm also wondering what other comic book fans thought about the "Hellboy" movie. No spoilers please! I'll probably go see it later this week.

jim

I enjoyed Hellboy, but for entirely different reasons than I was expecting. That's all you'll get out of me. Oh, and I gave it a B.

So, if I get this right, because of this thread, I now need to add the following to my pull list:

Fallen Angel
Human Target
Walking Dead

That's just great. I finally narrowed down my pull list to 25, now it's up near 30 again. Good thing DEAD @ 17 and ROSE/THORN are minis.

Say, you know why I think I'm not enjoying NEW FRONTIER? Because I grew up with Marvel. I don't know much about any of the DC characters.

Sessa, did you hear there's going to be a new Conan cover artist?

No, but that's funny b/c I think the first 2 issues were near flawless, the only complaint I've had with the new series so far is the covers. I've never liked Lisner (sp?), he actually comes into my store every now & then, he lives around my area, & I think the covers don't match the interior (but then again, that's like 90% of comics nowadays). J.P., I am POSITIVE you will love The Walking Dead. I could never get into Human Target even though I really dig the art. It's well told, but I find the lead & most of the characters to be rather dull, I don't care what happens to who, so I gave up after issue #5. I think New Frontier is one of the best mini-series of the past 5+ years, I was a Marvel fan as a kid, but once I grew up I become a DC loyalists, their quality & characters are just so superior, & New Frontier really shows the heart of these characters, not to mention Darwyn Cooke is the most talented creator going right now.

As for Hellboy, I though it was incredible. It's one of my all-time favorite comics, so I was a tough critic. The cast was perfect, the movie had it's flaws but given it's such a hard & bizarre book to bring to life, I excused the flaws. I didn't like the ending nor the heavy CGI but there were enough positives to balance it out. Definitely liked it way more than Spider-man & a lot of other comic book movies.

I forgot to mention Rex Mundi, another comic EVERY comic book fan should be reading. Especially if you like From Hell, or any Holy Grail/Indiana Jones/religious conspiracy type books. The art is phenomenal & the amount of research that goes into the book is just mesmerizing. A truly intelligent comic if your looking for a deep, engrossing story, but it's not for everyone. The first trade is available & definitely worth checking out.

This week I finished the trades of
Formerly Known as Justice League - Could have been a lot better but I suppose most people would have complained if the jokes were different.
Thor: Vikings - Gorgeous Glen Fabry art and another Garth Ennis story thats just .... evil. I heard the Punisher: Born series was even worse but I'm waiting for the trade.

I'm currently in the middle of the Human Target trade and its very good - exploring some of the seedier characters that a mercenary is bound to run in to.

Next I'll probably read the new Fables trade coming out tomorrow.

Some good recommendations. Let me add a few:

Age of Bronze -- This is a gorgeous, meticulously researched book written and illustrated by Eric Shanower. It's a melding of the various myths and stories about the Trojan war. The frist 9 issues are collected in a hardcover and TPB, and a colelction of issues 10-19 is coming in the next few months. If you are at all interested in Greek mythology or literature, pick up this book. Now.

Plastic Man -- Kyle Baker is one of the unsung geniuses of the comics industry -- his Cowboy Wally Show ranks as one of the funniest comics of all time. His Plastic Man is true to form. It's great stuff, second only to the Jack Cole stuff in my opinion.

I've got a review of "Hellboy" up on my blog (link in my sig), and enjoyed it for what it was.

The comics I'm buying these days --

Amazing Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man (I'm a fool for anything Bendis is doing)
Powers (like this)
Daredevil (or this)
The Pulse (or even this)
Common Grounds (the writer's an old pal of mine, it's been nice to see him break through)
Fantastic Four
Runaways
X-Statix
Fables (I'm only buying it in trades though)
The Ultimates (all three times a year it comes out)
Superman/Batman (I'll admit my good will for the title is evaporating, but the first comic I ever bought was "World's Finest" and I just have this strange love for the idea of Supes and Bats together in one book)
Stray Bullets (whenever it comes out)
Supreme Power (coming to a slow boil, but beautifully done)
Wanted
Y The Last Man
Love & Rockets, Optic Nerve, Eightball (whenever they come out)

I loved the first trade - I'm anxiously awaiting the second. I got Shanower to autograph my copy at last year's APE.

What I love about the series, other than the research and story, is the fact that the Gods have been pretty much left out, to give a more realistic portrayal. This approach seems to have been copied in the upcoming Troy movie as well.

My monthly reading habits have changed of late. I've been dropping titles left and right. This is pretty much what I get every month now.

JSA
Fantastic Four
Planetary (Whenever it comes out)
The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist (also whenever it comes out)
Heroes Anonymous

I just picked up The Micronauts (Volume 2) from Devil's Due. I definately like the flavor of this issue as opposed to the previous run. This one seemed more in the style of Marvel's Micronauts from the 80s.

I just dropped Ultimates (Volume 1 just finished and I'm not sure if I'll pick up Volume 2 whenever it shows up) and New X-Men (Morrison's run is done and so am I).

I'll probably start picking up trades from now on. Supreme Power & Teen Titans are the first on my list.

Oh and I agree with Punisher: The End. A surprisingly GREAT read!

Andrew

FYI, The Born HC is out now, and is reasonably priced. I'm not sure if a TPB has been announced.

I know LD - but I'm sure the trade is imminent and I'll wait to see what the price difference is before I make a decision.

In case anyone is interested, I just posted my Interview with Kazu Kibuishi. This guy is great. He's funny. Talented. Smart. And he really cares about his creations and the fans. I hope the comics world continues to find new creators with this kind of attitude.

Oh, and his first issue of DAISY KUTTER is surprisingly great.

i just scurvy dogs #1 , pretty funny stuff

Damn you J.P., now your getting books before me. Pretty soon I'm going to ask you to recommend something to me Did you ask the guys at Viper for an advance copy, I'd like to do an early review of this for Broken Frontier.

Actually, Sessa, I asked them for an interview with Josh and they hooked me up with a pdf version before it hit the shelves. Same with Kazu.

But they recently put me on their "reviewer" list and I should be getting their books for a preview review.

I'm finding myself all over the place lately. I recently talked to Chris over at Top Shelf for interview and review opportunities too. This is a fun way to become a part of the industry, at least in some small way. But I'm doing too much lately. I need to slow down and enjoy some books without worrying about writing about them.

Finished the Human Target trade - good stuff.

Then I read the last Alias trade - wow. Its too bad about the new 'direction' and the de-empasizing of Jessica. I thought this was a unique title that should have been kept around longer. Oh well - I'll have to see how the new series is.

I also started the Fables trade and should finish before next week.

Finished the 3rd FABLES trade last night. Much better than the 2nd one. I'm on board again.

Just picked up the first 6 issues of MYSTIQUE for cheap on ebay. Read the first two issues and I'm enjoying it.

Also read a few more issues of GOON. That stuff is hilarious. Love it.

last night I read the entire arc of batman written by Azzrello, I have to say I thought it was increadible. I liked how it wasn't your a typicall batman. I like how he was a man haunted by his past deamons, driven to the point of near insanity. He was savage, he didn't think, and he made mistakes. I loved the ending, I love the noir style and I loved the art.

I read the first issue of the goon and I liked it, I was very tempted to pick up the TPB that came out last wendsday.

Other books I read and reccomend:

Conan
Wanted
Fables
Y the last man
Ult Fantastic Four
Mk Knights: Four
Chosen
Ant
Abazzazad
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Spectacular Spider-man: The Hunger

Just finished: Spectacular Spider-man: Countdown

Now: Peter Parker Spider-man: One Small Break