Well first of the year. What have you've bought, what are you looking forward to in the coming month and which story arcs are blowing goats or kicking ass?

Idea's for the coming year. DC looks to have a strong line up. With Rebirth still kicking some major ass and DC COUNTDWON leading to this years "crisis" should provide some sort of goodness. A lot of talentated artist (jim lee) and writers (johns) keeping it up to speed. With the ALL STAR titles and Batman Begins in theaters this should be a good year for DC.

Marvel has some nice books coming out with Bendis at the helm. Secret Wars continuing as well as the ten year anniversary of AoA this should lead to interesting things. Starting the year off with a new Avenegers line up is another plus to some degree.

so talk about comics, recommend items.

I'm not reading any of the Avengers Re-assembled books. Waste of time, as I know most of the titles will probably run 18 issues and then get canned as sales plummet to make way for the next hype machine. Then everything will be returned to normal in a few years, with little upset in the Status Quo.

...same goes for Green Lantern: Rebirth. I don't like how they're just dropping Kyle off into character Limbo just to revitalize Hal. The best Hal stories now are the ones that are told around the tables at Warriors. They should be left there.

Fantastic Four is my favorite "mainstream" Marvel book right now. Waid and Weiringo leaving signals the end of my patronage of any of Marvel's books that show up on the radar. They're the ultimate proof of Joe Quesada's formula of putting a great writer and artist team on a book for an extended tenure and letting them draw out great character stories.

Current reads:

Marvel:

Fantastic Four (soon to be terminated)
She-Hulk (on life support)
Astonishing X-men: See here i have a problem, because on the one hand, I really love this book and every single panel in it, but on the other hand, it's almost totally and utterly contrived and there's very little actual original writing other than the strangely out-of-place humor that does very little to advance the story.
Daredevil
Supreme Power (making less and less sense with every issue)

DC:

Y: The Last Man (sometimes I wish I didn't have to wait until the next issue)
Ex Machina (gaining steam)
The Losers
WE3 (Grant Morrison in his element)
The Legion of Super Heroes (finally, readable Legion book)
Adam Strange (DC is really going for it's Silver Age revitalization)
Superman/Batman (Interestingly enough, the only readable Superman OR Batman book)
Gotham Central (present company notwithstanding)
JLA/JLA Classified
Other:

Rising Stars (great series coming to a less-than-stellar conclusion IMO)
The Walking Dead
Invincible

I'm not sure I would really call Rebirth the same as Dissemembled. Hal's turn was realy out of left field back in the day when all the DC characters were getting updated for the latest craze of collectors.

Besides that, Kyle isn't getting dumped off. He'll still be around. Hell, they are bringing in all the old lanterns. Guy included with the Corps not to far away. I'm sure they will find a place for everyone of them.

Thanks - I downloaded the 28 issues of ALIAS, but have yet to read them.

Her Hero kick is great. The shot of her looking at Johnny Storm's picture is worth the read alone.

Anyone reading Daredevil? I stopped reading but I continue to think that maybe I should keep reading it (he's one of my favorite characters). What does everyone think of the current arc or the title in general?

What about Conan? I was blown away with the first arc (issue 1-7). But the last couple of issues....I don't know. The covers kinda suck, the art is slipping just a tad (some panels look rushed...compare the first issue to the last one...there is a difference). Is now a good time to jump ship and try something new? Heck, maybe this is one book that'd be better in collected format.

It's one of those books I'll never drop b/c I have every issue since the original series, but I absolutely hate what Bendis has done (or rather not done) with the book. He has bascially spent over 2 years on the comic doing absolutely nothing. He outs DD only for him to deny it & then has gone nowhere with the story. It just feels like you read the same thing every single issue. The art reflects this as well, Maleev's computer generated bland panels all look the same.


It's tied for my favorite comic along with a few others. I think the covers are amazing as are the interiors. I'm a Conan fanatic so for me it's still the best Conan comic ever done & the closest to Howard's original book. I don't think there are many comics coming out better than this, so if your looking to jump ship you probably just don't have much interest in the character.

Sessa, it's not that I'm really wanting to jump ship. It's just that I have a limited budget and I'm not sure if I might be better off trying something else. That's my problem these days....there are just so damn many good books and I can't afford them all (well, I could if I stopped buying back issues, but that's not going to happen).

Due to the last monthly thread, I decided to check out a bunch of new titles. I think I got carried away: I bought so much I qualified for free shipping with my biweekly shipment at Midtowncomics ($75).

Forgot to link this.

For anyone looking to try something new this Wed, I have the first review anywhere of Breach #1 over at BrokentFrontier.com

http://www.brokenfrontier.com/review...ils.php?id=142

The most recent story - murder mystery nonsense - was a retelling of an old story, rather than something new from Busiek, FWIW. I agree that it wasn't particularly good.

here's a list of the new stuff this week:

DARK HORSE
SEP040023 DOCTOR SOLAR MAN OF THE ATOM VOLUME 1 HC $49.95
OCT040045 GHOST IN THE SHELL VOL 2 MAN MACHINE INTERFACE TP (MR) $24.95
OCT040024 GRENDEL DEVILS REIGN #7 (Of 7) $3.50
SEP040059 KINGDOM OF THE WICKED HC $15.95
JUN040089 LUIS ROYO STATUE (MR) $150.00

DC COMICS
NOV040317 AUTHORITY FRACTURED WORLDS TP (MR) $17.95
NOV040266 BREACH #1 $2.95
NOV040242 CATWOMAN RELENTLESS TP $19.95
JUN041128 CLASSIC ANIMATION SERIES SUPERMAN BIZARRO MAQUETTE $89.95
NOV040328 CONSTANTINE MOVIE ADAPTATION (MR) $6.95
NOV040329 CONSTANTINE THE HELLBLAZER COLLECTION TP (MR) $14.95
NOV040265 DEADSHOT #2 (OF 5) $2.95
NOV040236 DETECTIVE COMICS #802 $2.95
NOV040267 FIRESTORM #9 $2.50
OCT040286 FLASH #217 $2.25
NOV040320 INTIMATES #3 $2.95
NOV040281 JUSTICE LEAGUE ELITE #7 (OF 12) $2.50
NOV040295 JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #5 $2.25
APR040399 KINGDOM COME SUPERMAN BY ALEX ROSS SIGNATURE EDITION AF $250.00
NOV040298 LOONEY TUNES #122 $2.25
NOV040299 MAD MAGAZINE #450 $3.50
NOV040315 MADARA VOL 2 TP (MR) $9.95
NOV040286 QUESTION #3 (OF 6) $2.95
NOV040255 SUPERMAN STRENGTH #1 (OF 3) $5.95
NOV040254 SUPERMAN UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE TP $14.95
NOV040349 SWAMP THING #11 (MR) $2.95
APR040401 TEEN TITANS CYBORG MAQUETTE $89.95
NOV040303 TOE TAGS FEATURING GEORGE ROMERO #4 (MR) $2.95
NOV040331 VERTIGO SECRET FILES HELLBLAZER NEW PTG #1 (O/A) (MR) $4.95
NOV040326 WILD GIRL #3 (OF 6) $2.95

IMAGE
MAR041389 BLOODSTREAM #4 (Of 4) (MR) $2.95
OCT041510 FLAMING CARROT #1 $2.95
OCT041520 LIBERTY MEADOWS CREATURE COMFORTS VOL 2 TP $14.95
OCT041522 NOBLE CAUSES #6 $3.50
OCT041524 PVP #13 $2.95
OCT041550 STRYKEFORCE #1-5 READER SET $12.99
OCT041551 STRYKEFORCE #1-5 READER SET SGN $19.99
OCT041532 TALES OF TELLOS #3 (Of 3) $3.50
OCT041515 THE GIFT #9 $2.99

MARVEL
NOV041818 ALPHA FLIGHT #11 $2.99
OCT041744 CAPTAIN AMERICA #2 $2.99
NOV041832 ELEKTRA MOVIE TP $12.99
NOV041831 ELEKTRA THE HAND TP $13.99
NOV041801 FANTASTIC FOUR FOES #1 (OF 6) $2.99
NOV041789 INCREDIBLE HULK #77 (NOTE PRICE) $2.99
NOV041807 JUBILEE #5 (OF 6) $2.99
NOV041805 MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN #19 $2.25
NOV041842 MARVEL KNIGHTS 2099 TP $13.99
OCT041743 NEW AVENGERS #2 $2.25
NOV041843 POWERLESS TP $14.99
NOV041770 SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #23 $2.25
NOV041773 SPIDER-GIRL #82 $2.99
NOV041774 SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED #7 $2.99
NOV041782 TOMB OF DRACULA #4 $2.99
NOV041833 ULTIMATE ELEKTRA DEVILS DUE TP $11.99
OCT041720 ULTIMATE X-MEN #54 $2.25
NOV041815 X-MEN FANTASTIC FOUR #2 (OF 5) $3.50
NOV041759 X-MEN PHOENIX ENDSONG #1 (OF 5) $2.99

WIZARD
NOV042261 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN WIZARD ACE ED #3 (O/A) PI
NOV042259 BTVS PALZ TOYFARE EX FIGURE PI
NOV042255 INQUEST GAMER VALLEJO EVERQUEST CVR #118 $4.99
NOV042256 INQUEST GAMER YU GI OH CVR #118 $4.99

COMICS
NOV042794 AGAPE SC (O/A) (A) $14.95
SEP042385 ANT VOL 1 DAYS LIKE THESE TP $9.95
OCT042406 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #88 $2.19
AUG042635 ARMY OF DARKNESS ASHES 2 ASHES #4 (MR) $2.99
OCT043065 BASTARD TP VOL 6 (MR) $9.99
OCT043066 BATTLE ANGEL ALITA VOL 7 2ND ED TP $9.95
OCT043214 BECKETTS BASKETBALL CARD PLUS #13 $9.99
SEP042691 BELLY BUTTON #2 (MR) $4.95
OCT042410 BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #130 $3.59
NOV042795 BIG ASS COMIX #1 (O/A) (A) $3.95
NOV042796 BIG ASS COMIX #2 #0 (O/A) (A) $3.95
JUL042715 BLACK TIGER LEGACY OF FURY #4 (Of 4) (MR) $2.99
OCT043067 BLUE SPRING VOL 1 GN (MR) $9.99
SEP042323 BOMBABY TP $13.95
NOV042797 BONNIE AND CLAUDIA TP (O/A) (A) $14.95
SEP043024 BOOTLEG #12 (A) $3.95
SEP042656 CAPTAIN AMERICA EPTING SGN #1 $19.99
OCT043068 CASE CLOSED VOL 3 GN $9.95
SEP042464 CAVEWOMAN MERIEMS GALLERY #4 (MR) $3.25
SEP042465 CAVEWOMAN MERIEMS GALLERY NUDE COVER #4 (MR) $3.25
OCT042779 CSI DOMINOS #5 (Of 5) $3.99
OCT042598 DARKSTALKERS CVR A #2 $2.95
OCT042599 DARKSTALKERS CVR B #2 $2.95
OCT042429 DAVE JOHNSON SKETCHBOOK (O/A) $6.99
OCT042503 DAVE JOHNSON SKETCHBOOK BLACK CVR ED $14.99
SEP042651 DF AVENGERS BENDIS SGN #1 $19.99
NOV042657 DF GAMBIT #1 SGN $19.99
NOV042646 DF JLA AVENGERS COLL EDITION HC TEAM SGN $149.99
JUN042483 DF SUPERMAN BATMAN #10 SUPER SGN SERIES SET $49.99
OCT042683 DF SUPERMAN BATMAN LOEB SGN #14 (RES) $29.99
NOV042664 DF TEEN TITANS B&W CVR CARDY REMARKED #1 (RES) $69.99
OCT042664 DF ULTIMATES VOL 2 #1 MILLAR SGN $29.99
AUG042714 DF WOLVERINE MILLAR SGN #20 $29.95
AUG042912 FURRLOUGH #142 $3.50
SEP042702 GIRL + GIRL #1 (A) $3.95
SEP042303 GIRL GENIUS VOL 3 HC $36.95
OCT042357 GOLD DIGGER #59 $2.99
NOV042798 HORNY BIKER SLUTS #3 (A) $3.95
NOV042799 HORNY BIKER SLUTS #4 (A) $3.95
NOV042800 HORNY BIKER SLUTS #5 (A) $3.95
NOV042801 HORNY BIKER SLUTS #6 (A) $3.95
OCT042537 JILL CHILL & BARON OF GLACIER MOUNTAIN GN $19.95
NOV042803 JUNKWAFFEL #2 (MR) $2.50
NOV042804 JUNKWAFFEL #3 (MR) $2.50
NOV042805 JUNKWAFFEL #4 (MR) $2.50
OCT042784 LORE #5 (MR) $5.99
NOV042867 MAITENA VOL 3 WOMEN ON THE EDGE TP $12.00
OCT043089 MEGAMAN VOL 5 NT WARRIOR GN $7.95
SEP042840 MILK #44 (A) $3.50
OCT042893 PLASTIC FARM #8 (MR) $2.95
OCT043099 PLEASE SAVE MY EARTH VOL 8 TP $9.99
SEP042841 POUNDCAKE VOLUME 1 TP (A) $11.95
NOV042291 PRETEAR MANGA VOL 4 TP $9.99
NOV042289 PRINCESS TUTU MANGA VOL 1 TP (RES) $9.99
OCT043101 PROJECT ARMS VOL 7 TP $9.95
OCT042321 PROOF OF CONCEPT GN $12.95
OCT043104 SAIKANO VOL 3 GN $9.95
NOV042711 SIN CITY ANGELS #1 (A) $3.95
NOV042569 SLAYERS PREMIUM VOL 1 GN (MR) $9.99
SEP042525 SOULSEARCHERS #69 $2.50
SEP042714 SPUNKY KNIGHT EXTREME #4 (A) $3.95
NOV042712 STICKY #1 (A) $4.95
SEP042267 STRANGERS IN PARADISE #70 $2.95
OCT042281 STRANGERS IN PARADISE BOOK 3 PART 6 HC $49.95
OCT043110 TOUGH VOL 1 GN (MR) $9.99
AUG042888 TRANSFORMERS WAR WITHIN #1-NDC EXC GOLD FOIL CVR ED $14.99
OCT043111 VAGABOND VOL 18 TP $9.95
OCT043055 VALKYRIE GOLDEN AGE COLLECTION VOL 1 TP $14.95
OCT043112 VIDEO GIRL AI VOL 10 TP $9.99
OCT043113 VIDEO GIRL AI VOL 5 2ND ED $9.99
OCT043114 VIDEO GIRL AI VOL 6 2ND ED $9.99
AUG042886 WITCHBLADE #75 WIZ WORLD PHILLY 2004 NESTLER GOLD CVR ED $17.99
AUG042887 WITCHBLADE #75 WIZ WORLD PHILLY 2004 NESTLER PLATINUM CVR ED $39.99
SEP042382 YOUNGBLOOD IMPERIAL #1 $2.99

MAGAZINES
OCT043061 ANIMERICA JAN 05 VOL 13 #1 $4.99
OCT043215 BECKETT FOOTBALL #178 $4.99
NOV043102 BECKETTS NEOPETS MAGAZINE FEB MAR 2005 $9.99
NOV043086 COMIC SHOP NEWS #916 PI
OCT043308 HUSTLER MAO555 $7.99
OCT043222 LEES TOY REVIEW JAN 2005 #147 $5.95
OCT043236 OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE SPECIAL #3 HALO $9.99
OCT043237 PC GAMER MAGAZINE W/CD-ROM FEB 05 $7.99
OCT043273 PLAYBOY MAGAZINE LINGERIE FEB MAR 2005 (A) $7.99
OCT043276 PLAYBOY SPECIAL FEB MAR 2005 (A) $7.99
JUL042969 SNATCH SPECIAL SASHA OGATA LTD CVR (A) $14.95
OCT043285 STARLOG #331 $7.99
OCT043229 TOY CARS AND MODELS MAGAZINE FEB 2005 #83 $5.99

wow, what a weak week.

I like small weeks...helps make up for the other three each month.

Have they set a relaese date for the fourth "Invincible" TPB, yet??? I'm hooked!

Holy shit. DC NEWS DC NEWS

FRANK MILLER AND JIM LEE are the creative team for BATMAN ALLSTAR:
http://www.newsarama.com/DC/AS/AS_Batman.htm

we already knew it was Jim Lee behind the work, but having legend frank miller on the story. wow.

To hell with that -- the real Batman story of the day is that Englehart/Rogers are doing more Batman! Yippee!!!!!!!

http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse...6%26t%3D003281

Sweet.

Reading the prices on that list reminds me why I stopped buying comics.

God, I'd love to participate more in this thread, but I've given up almost all monthly comics in favor of tpb's & hardcover collections. So, I'll chime in where I can & ask some questions of this knowledgable crew.

CONAN:
1 of the 2 comics I get, I find it just okay. I'm not blown away by either the writing or the art (I still prefer comic art inked) nor do I particularly like the typed font. It is still a good comic, just not great. More in like with Howard's work but I think I may have enjoyed the early Marvel stuff more.

SOLO:
Just got the second issue yesterday (I use a mail order service which puts me even further behind you guys) and haven't had a chance to read it. The first one, from Tim Sale was okay. It isn't every day an artist is told: do anything you want. I'm hoping for some inspired work.

I think Ultimate Spider-Man is great. I get the hard cover collections of these and just finished the last one last night. I've always liked Bagley and it is nice to this kind of commitment to a title. Also, it feels like the least "forced" of the Ultimates stuff that I've read so far. Spidey hasn't really changed for the sake of change, Bendis is just telling good stories. And they feel fresh, like the Spidey stories I was reading 30 years ago felt to me then.

Just read the Ultimates HC and thought it was good. It is difficult to adjust to Cap not being such a boy scout but that is the angle I liked best. Hell, not only was this guy a soldier in WWII, he was the BEST soldier in WWII. As I've recently become interested in WWII history and have the opportunity to talk with some of the men of the 101st Airborne I've come to some understanding or appreciation (as best I can from such a distance) of how these soldiers felt during their time in the army. Everything else, eh. Though Hitch was great.

Regarding DAREDEVIL - I have the hardcovers of that series as well, though I don't recall one in quite some time. Is this series off the Hard cover list? Same with PUNISHER. I remember reading that there were no more HULK HC's after the 2 that were released, although tpb's are still coming out. Same w/ X-Force/X-Static, only 1 HC then tpb's only. Right?

I read the Fantastic Four hardcover and I'm not sure I see what it seems everyone else does. It was a good comic and I enjoyed it but it isn't one of my favorites.

Just got DC's NEW FRONTIER in yesterday's shipment as well. I notice it is Vol. 1. Is the rest of the material published just not compiled yet, or did Cooke end the mini-series in the middle to come back to later?

Enjoy your adventures!

This is great news!

At least very good news. Terry Austin was THE best inker in his day, but his day is done. I'm don't recall exactly when he altered his style (sometime after he began writing) but I hated it the moment I saw it. Those pages look better than I was expecting so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Hooray for Frank Miller on Batman! I'd be absolutely thrilled if the artist was Mazzuchelli!!! Though I guess that Jim Lee guy is okay.

Cooke completed the miniseries. I guess they just didn't compile the rest, yet. It's a hell of a book, by the way.

Me am wanting Share the Hate for Bizarro Stories compilation coming out in spring at Amazon:

Link To Book on Amazon Site

Me want Hate sent to someone else at [email protected]

Me not thank you


Hello!

I have a new early review up at BrokenFrontier.com. The first review anywhere for a great new on-going series; Majestic #1 coming out next week:

http://www.brokenfrontier.com/review...ils.php?id=148

Nowadays, Terry Austin looks like he inks with a thick sharpie pen, much to my dislike as well. I loved his ink on Marshall Rogers' Batman artwork way back in the Englehart/Rogers/Austin days, but I guess we're stuck with Austin's current inking style.

I'm reading Firestorm right now. Why does every Black, yes in this case Firestorm, have to have a fucked up life, family, and confused ethics and morals?