MrTerrific

The comics came in today (Wed)!!

Superboy

Actually I agree in totality. Out of all the mainstream comics, most of them simply and utterly suck. High production values can mask a bad story, but time is the greatest test for a good comic. The late 80's and early 90's comics are virtually unreadable nowadays - the Image craze might have looked good, but it lacked staying power.

There are just so many barriers to entry into the comic industry that keep outsiders from ever picking up the hobby:

1. Comics are too expensive: it costs $3 to pick up your average comic now, and to read an entire story will cost around $20. Considering the amount of entertainment value you actually get out of them, however, comics are probably the worst deal when it comes to cost/benefit. And you cannot return them if you don't like them. And you can't rent them like movies. And they're not broadcast like tv shows if you're interested in an entire season set.

2. Hype. This is the biggest killer of comics. There is a common complaint that during the 90s up until now, X-men comics were virtually unreadable due to the heavy reliance on continuity and complex character history. As a long time X-fan, I have determined that this is not so. It is because the writing was simply bad. It was bad stories, bad usage of characters, boring, meandering, pedantic dialogue, a huge glut of stupid characters that no one even cares about anymore, lack of creative vision, and a general lack of creativity. The X-men faced the same problem Superman and Batman have for years: they had become properties of a company. Because of this, instead of serving a creative vision, they were serving a company that wanted to best appeal to its audience.

I doubt comics will last another few generations before the medium completely gives out.

Superboy

This week:

Hulk #2:

This comi- ah, who gives a fuck.

Superboy

Ex Machina #34

Brian K. Vaughan has the biographic single-issue comic DOWN. This issue flows freely, inviting the reader in every step of the way but not coming off as a trite reading off of the past of this character. It reminds me of how great Y: TLM's biographic issues were; self-contained stories with vignettes that told you everything that you could ever want to know about these characters. When the comic industry implodes, I'm glad that there's going to be comics like these still around.

boredsilly

I haven't read the next issue yet, but I'm hoping I like it. Is this issue a week or two late? It seems like it's been a while.

I have a bunch of Chris Ware stuff to read. Shawn Elliot, of the Games For Windows Podcast, gave a very impassioned recommendation for Ware's work that totally sold me on giving Ware a try. I'm going to start with Jimmy Corrigan and keep going if the books are to my tastes. Just flipping through Corrigan is a beautiful book. For some reason I thought it was a different kind of style of art (maybe more alternative?), but this shit is really pretty. Nice and clean just how I like it.

boredsilly

What's that saying about 90% of anything is crap? That's pretty true for any medium (with varying percentages of course). Look at tv. How many truly smart and/or expertly done shows are there? The great stuff is few and far between.* But there is plenty of schlock out there that is incredibly entertaining in it's own right. I don't get it, but people LOVE American Idol and Dancing With the Stars. Love it! The counterpart to comics for that is probably your typical run of the mill mainstream Superhero book...that isn't very good (just because I don't want to imply that mainstream Superheo book = crap, inherently). And all of those books have a place, just like paperback novels you buy at the airport, or reality tv, or bubble gum pop music. In a way, all of that stuff helps you to appreciate the great stuff (and even just the good stuff) when it comes along.

I find it curious that you say the late 80's/early 90's is unreadable, since that is as far back as I can really go. I appreciate what Stan, Jack, Ditko, Romita, Denny, Adams, and the rest did back in the day, and while the art still is great to look at, most of those stories are a chore to read for me. I don't find that most older comics hold up (outside of "look at how silly/simple/quaint stories used to be" factor) like classic movies, music, or books do. But from around the late 70's on I can find stuff to read, and that really begins to pick up in the mid-80's and into the 90's. Yes, the Image boom brought about style over substance, and along with it a lot of shit to wade through, but there are other books that fall out of that realm that are really very good still. Or at the very least entertaining (looking at you Knightfall, you glorious Bat-event you).

That Bane back breaking issue was to make me rich! That and Infinity Gauntlet #1! ...And all of the Death of Superman stuff. I was a gullible kid. But I did read the comics that were meant to make me a millionaire, so at least I enjoyed them at the time.

ivelostr2

X-force #1 - I didnt think this was as bad reported, not really enough there to make a judgement, but if we continue to have to hear wolverine whine how the rest of the team isn't ready for how they will feel, it's gonna get old quick.
X-factor #28 - I have only been reading x-factor for about 8 issues, but i have started to like it, I am going to need to go back and pick up some of the back issues, Maddrox was very minor character when i quit reading x-men in the mid 90s, but it is interesting to see him be the center peice here, I dont hate it.
Mighty Avengers #9 - I never picked up #8 because i have been avoiding the whole secret invasion crap, but Doom was on the cover of this issue, and I was interested in seeing how the whole Namor & Doom story line worked out. 1st of all, Namor is living with doom as of Namor #6, and never mentioned during an Avengers attack on Doom Castle? Sloppy...and there are six pages of this comic one after another dedicated to 3 double splash pages that make no sense placed together like that...lame, last avenger book i pick up for awhile.
DC:New Frontier - I have made it through the 1st trade and am into the 2nd trade. I really am enjoying it, as a rule i don't like origin retellings (I really dont think the miller/lee fucking batman series works, atleast not for me) but I like this, and i find myself not even noticing that the DC heroes are the back story for character developement. I am also suprised how much i like the art, i thought it might be distracting at first, but i actually dig it alot. Thanks for turning me on this book.

Superboy

That's GODDAMN BATMAN. Get it right, gawd.

boredsilly

X-Factor has been consistently good since its beginning. If you're going to go back, you might want to pick up the Madrox 4 issue mini that came out before X-Factor started. That series dovetails right into X-Factor, and it's pretty good.

They lost me during the Messiah stuff, but I'm looking forward to jumping back on to follow one of my favorite found families since the crew from Whedon's Angel.

Bronkster

I completely missed that mini when it came out so I'll be off hunting down those issues real quick. BTW, I checked the price guide and it says it's a 5-issue mini.

I'll officially go on record as stating that X-Factor is currently the only X-book worth reading.

bishop2knight

Is anyone reading Catwoman. I've always loved the character and have been interested in diving back into her life...

boredsilly

I think GiantRobo reads Catwoman, but he doesn't post that much.

I just went to the public library for the first time in maybe six years today. It's not that I don't like to read, but I started buying all of my books a while ago, and now just starting to realize that isn't really smart for me since I won't reread most of them. Anyways, I go to see whats doing and my local library has quite the graphic novel and manga selection! So now I'm going to work my way through all of the shit my library system has.

On my first trip I got the first 3 volumes of the Nana manga, Flight vol. 4, and I "read" Robot Dreams while I was there.

If you haven't, you might want to check out your library.

boredsilly

I don't read the other X-books, so I can't make an informed proclamation, but it is the only one I read. Astonishing had me for awhile, but I got lost in the teens. X-factor is the most intriguing x-book since X-statix for me.

fujishig

The Madrox mini was recently collected, though I think only in hardcover right now. I like how Peter David just took these relatively minor characters, so he wouldn't be tied down (though I guess Wolfsbane is now taken from him to go to X-force?), and just fully developed their characters along with his trademark humor. It bummed me out when his original X-factor run (with Havoc and crew, drawn by Quesada, who seemed to always be late) got cut short, but this one is even better.

True_Story1011

Anyone else pissed because Umbrella Acadamy is over - I really cant wait to see what else Gerald Way has planned [Besides another UA book( I cant believe I said that about an emo band member)]

True_Story1011

X-Force #1 - I would have to say that I wasnt very impressed with this title either. If it suppose to scream, 'badass!' it sure fell short of a cheek. I wasnt moved by Wolverine being the one member out of X-Men that never gave two craps and a funk now being Dr. Phil. Also was anyone else pissed that the promised Travis Charest cover never shipped?! Bryan Hitch cover did rock though!

Hulk #1 & 2 - I'm not as upset with this book as I am with X-Force. However, Abomination being taken out and the introduction of... well you'll see - it seems very contrived. I however loved the variant covers for these books - just wondering why they make the bitchin' covers they less produced covers. (OT) I just remember when Kaare Andrews was illustrating the Hulk covers I was loving them! (/OT)

Dead of Night #1 I absolutely love this book - I know its a re-establishment of the characters, but we are all in need of a great horror/sci-fi book that feels of the 60's - 70's titles. REFRESHING!

boredsilly

What's this about and who publishes it? And while it isn't heavy on the horror, Fear Agent has got you covered on the 70's scifi action.

True_Story1011

Marvel's MAX line - $3.99 Limited Series 1 of 4 - Like Tales from the Crypt, only the first issues delves in Man-Thing. Awesome EC'ish covers!

Giantrobo

No, I stopped reading after the "who's the baby's daddy" let down and to save $$.


You can also read them at Border's, Barne's & Noble, and other "you can sit on our couches and read our shit" bookstores....that's how I read the "Marvel Zombies" trade.

bishop2knight

Anyone read DEATHNOTE? I'm on volume two. I've been buying a manga a month to see what suits me, and this one really works. Good story, great art.

fujishig

DeathNote is very good, though there's a certain point in the story where most people think the series starts to go downhill. It's also very wordy. But it's a relatively short series with great artwork and an interesting premise.

bishop2knight

I'll have to keep my eye out for that downhill movement. If I remember right, there are at least 10 volumes, which seems way too long considering what's happened in only two volumes. But we'll see. At least it's good so far.

Ralph Jenkins

There's a certain moment when Death Note "jumps the shark"; you'll know it when you see it. I devoured the first 6-7 volumes of Death Note, but I lost interest after a certain plot development, and still have yet to finish the series.

I'm currently enjoying Claymore (also from Viz), but the release schedule is painfully slow.

People are saying that the comics from the late '80s to the early '90s don't
hold up today. I'm not sure if that's totally true. Here are the dates a few series started:

Mage (1984)
Watchmen (1986)
Grendel (1986)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986)
Batman: The Killing Joke (1988)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (1989)
Sandman (1989)
Batman / Grendel (1993)
Batman: The Long Halloween (1996)

boredsilly

I'm torn about Death Note. I want to try it, but I haven't decided whether to read the manga volumes or watch the anime. The volumes are surely less time consuming and are probably at the library, so I'm leaning that way.

But that will have to wait until I read Nana (assuming I like it enough to continue).

fujishig

That's a pretty big gap in the early 90's (and I never read Batman/Grendel). Certainly there were still some gems... Peter David on the Hulk, Valiant in the early Unity days, the birth of Vertigo, etc. But I think most people who were collecting comics at the time remember mostly the formation of Image (from the Marvel pre-Image days of McFarlane, Lee and co. to Spawn #1 and on), the Death of Superman, the proliferation of collectible gimmicks, and then the crash of the speculator market. It may have been my immaturity as a collector, but when I reread some of the comics I collected from that era, they just fall flat (Age of Apocalypse, or any x-title for that matter from that era, the various post demattius/maguire justice league books, all the early Image books, etc.)