What's the last TPB/collection you read?
Amazon time I guess.
09-19-13, 11:03 AM
#77
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
The father of one of my students is an inker for DC, so I asked her for some recommendations since I haven't read anything in AGES. Gave me a long list of titles to check out, starting with her faves, which included this, which she loaned to me:
Had already seen the film, which I enjoyed, despite Cera, but I couldn't get his voice outta my head as I read this.
I thought it telling that many of her dad's recommendations--despite being in the industry--were for things I'd read years ago, including The Dark Knight Returns, Sandman, Watchmen, The Killing Joke.
Curious as to what recent titles he comes back with.
Had already seen the film, which I enjoyed, despite Cera, but I couldn't get his voice outta my head as I read this.
I thought it telling that many of her dad's recommendations--despite being in the industry--were for things I'd read years ago, including The Dark Knight Returns, Sandman, Watchmen, The Killing Joke.
Curious as to what recent titles he comes back with.
09-19-13, 11:19 AM
#78
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Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
That continuity continues on until the New 52 and is one of the better runs in the Legion's history, IMO. After New 52, the continuity doesn't change, but for whatever reason, the quality of the book dropped (again IMO). The book continued until this month (I think), and has now been cancelled.
In December, DC will release Justice League 3000. Presumably, that takes place on Earth 0 until sales tank.
I really liked the Levitz run before the New52 hit. It felt like it lost it's way after that. Shooter's run was a mess. Don't know if it was him or editorial interference.
09-19-13, 01:27 PM
#79
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
Justice League 3000, the one that Maguire was fired from?
Shooter's blog (which is not being updated now) has long diatribes on what went wrong with his final Legion run, including calling out miscommunications with artist Francis Manapul, and his frustration with Johns resurrecting the original Legion without even telling him. Here's a bleedingcool article comparing what Shooter describes as his script and what Manapul drew.
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/09/...f-superheroes/
Shooter's blog (which is not being updated now) has long diatribes on what went wrong with his final Legion run, including calling out miscommunications with artist Francis Manapul, and his frustration with Johns resurrecting the original Legion without even telling him. Here's a bleedingcool article comparing what Shooter describes as his script and what Manapul drew.
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/09/...f-superheroes/
Last edited by fujishig; 09-19-13 at 02:45 PM.
09-19-13, 03:18 PM
#81
Banned by request
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
Been working my way through Strangers In Paradise again. I love having all the material in one place (I got the omnibus), but the size of this means I can only ever read it at home.
09-19-13, 06:31 PM
#83
Banned by request
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
As I said, the omnibus contains everything, but it's not portable in the slightest. I think there are mini collections, but there's a lot of them.
09-19-13, 06:33 PM
#84
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
Finished:
And there's just pages and pages of that type of thing. Without wikipedia's help, I would have had no idea what was even happening. The story ends with
Which...I don't know, I never get that fanboy boner that comic fans get when a major character dies, so I found the whole thing depressing.
And then
That bit was actually pretty cool. I'm looking forward to seeing how things play out in Iron Man. I just wish I didn't have to read a mediocre cross-over to get the full story.
And there's just pages and pages of that type of thing. Without wikipedia's help, I would have had no idea what was even happening. The story ends with
Spoiler:
And then
Spoiler:
09-20-13, 05:51 PM
#85
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
And while I won't argue that Jim Lee is a talented guy, I was just never a fan of his style. All of the panels are cluttered and noisy, every character has the same facial expression, and most of the time it is incredibly difficult to tell just what is happening. Not to mention the dialogue and captions, which are so cluttered and dense, that it is often hard to tell exactly what order they are supposed to be read in. Such a joyless chore to get through.
I recently read "Son of the Demon" for the first time. I've always owned the original hardcover but never opened the shrinkwrap. It's too late to do that now. I found a used but very good softbound copy for $1 at a used bookstore. I thought it was decent and it was suppose to be a story out of canon until recent years.
09-21-13, 09:42 AM
#86
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Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
I'm not sure how to tell you this, but ever since around Civil War or so (I realize it probably started with Secret War and then House of M, but Civil War seemed like the first major all company crossover one), the Marvel Universe has been basically one crossover to another crossover to another crossover to another crossover. Because Bendis was at the helm for most if not all of these, the seeds are all in New Avengers.
09-21-13, 09:49 AM
#87
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Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
Finished:
Not much to say, other than that I am totally loving these books. Smart and fun with excellent writing and terrific artwork.
Not much to say, other than that I am totally loving these books. Smart and fun with excellent writing and terrific artwork.
09-22-13, 08:26 AM
#88
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Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
I just finished the 8th Irredeemable book. I need to pick up the last two, and Incorruptible past the second book.
09-22-13, 11:54 AM
#90
Suspended
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
I just read the third collection of the Azarello/Chiang Wonder Woman run. They are knocking it out of the park. Probably the only non-Vertigo DC book I would hold up as excellent (Animal Man, Swamp Thing, and All-Star Western come close, but I have reservations about all three).
09-22-13, 07:53 PM
#92
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
Read The Theater from Zenescope today. It was a nice little set of horror/thriller tales. Nothing special, but an entertaining enough diversion from my diet of capes.
09-23-13, 09:22 AM
#93
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
Knocked out the Invincible Ultimate Collection #8 last night. It has been sitting on my to read pile and I just hadn't gotten around to it. I'm sure there are some mixed opinions on it, but I actually really enjoyed the Robot and Monster Girl storyline running in the background. It honestly continues to be one of the books that really helps me any time I feel like I'm starting to fatigue on the mainstream with events and what not.
09-23-13, 10:27 AM
#94
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Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
Finished:
What the hell was this worthless piece of shit? This felt like one of those Heroes Reborn reboots that Marvel put out in the mid-90s. It's like a Jim Lee sketchbook held together by the thinnest possible storyline that they could come up with. Each issue has four or five pointless double splash pages. You can almost hear the writer sigh with relief, like, "Phew, two pages down and I hardly had to write any dialogue or captions!" And each splash page is, like, Wonder Woman punching someone and saying "TAKE THAT!" Just awful, awful shit. Oh, and it's about an alien invasion that threatens Earth. They must have really strained themselves to come up with such a strikingly original concept.
The story is about the formation of the Justice League and how they first met. I'm assuming the creators of the book watched the Star Trek reboots, because at first all of the superheroes hate each other and are fighting for no reason at all. That shit is so edgy and kewl. But then guess what! They put aside their differences and become a team. You see, at first, all the characters are hitting Darkseid one at a time. But then Batman realizes, "Hey guys! If we hit Darkseid ALL AT THE SAME TIME, we'll stand a much better chance of defeating him." AND THEN IT TOTALLY WORKS!
None of the characters have any personality traits except for Green Lantern, whose main super power is to act like a giant dick all the time. And then halfway through the book, Batman takes off his mask and reveals his secret identity. Which is so totally Batman.
Oh, and Cyborg is a founding member of the Justice League now. Because diversity.
I don't have the book handy, but my favorite part is near the end, after the Justice League saves the day, a bunch of generic bystanders start cheering and saying stuff like, "YOU DID IT!" and "WE'RE SAVED!" And then one person says something like, "YOU ARE THE GREATEST HEROES EVER!"
This was my first foray into the New-52 and I am honestly in awe of how hilariously stupid the whole thing was.
What the hell was this worthless piece of shit? This felt like one of those Heroes Reborn reboots that Marvel put out in the mid-90s. It's like a Jim Lee sketchbook held together by the thinnest possible storyline that they could come up with. Each issue has four or five pointless double splash pages. You can almost hear the writer sigh with relief, like, "Phew, two pages down and I hardly had to write any dialogue or captions!" And each splash page is, like, Wonder Woman punching someone and saying "TAKE THAT!" Just awful, awful shit. Oh, and it's about an alien invasion that threatens Earth. They must have really strained themselves to come up with such a strikingly original concept. The story is about the formation of the Justice League and how they first met. I'm assuming the creators of the book watched the Star Trek reboots, because at first all of the superheroes hate each other and are fighting for no reason at all. That shit is so edgy and kewl. But then guess what! They put aside their differences and become a team. You see, at first, all the characters are hitting Darkseid one at a time. But then Batman realizes, "Hey guys! If we hit Darkseid ALL AT THE SAME TIME, we'll stand a much better chance of defeating him." AND THEN IT TOTALLY WORKS!
None of the characters have any personality traits except for Green Lantern, whose main super power is to act like a giant dick all the time. And then halfway through the book, Batman takes off his mask and reveals his secret identity. Which is so totally Batman.
Oh, and Cyborg is a founding member of the Justice League now. Because diversity.
I don't have the book handy, but my favorite part is near the end, after the Justice League saves the day, a bunch of generic bystanders start cheering and saying stuff like, "YOU DID IT!" and "WE'RE SAVED!" And then one person says something like, "YOU ARE THE GREATEST HEROES EVER!"
This was my first foray into the New-52 and I am honestly in awe of how hilariously stupid the whole thing was.
09-23-13, 11:24 AM
#95
Challenge Guru & Comic Nerd
Thread Starter
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
^ That makes me glad that I've held out on reading that particular book yet. Justice League Dark, Flash, and I Vampire were recent first trade reads of mine and decent enough.
But the Justice League has always been my favorite team, I own almost every issue since their Brave and Bold inception, so it saddens me that their beginnings in the new 52 were so poor. I'll get to the issues/trades soon I guess.
But the Justice League has always been my favorite team, I own almost every issue since their Brave and Bold inception, so it saddens me that their beginnings in the new 52 were so poor. I'll get to the issues/trades soon I guess.
09-23-13, 12:51 PM
#96
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
Finished:
What the hell was this worthless piece of shit? This felt like one of those Heroes Reborn reboots that Marvel put out in the mid-90s. It's like a Jim Lee sketchbook held together by the thinnest possible storyline that they could come up with. Each issue has four or five pointless double splash pages. You can almost hear the writer sigh with relief, like, "Phew, two pages down and I hardly had to write any dialogue or captions!" And each splash page is, like, Wonder Woman punching someone and saying "TAKE THAT!" Just awful, awful shit. Oh, and it's about an alien invasion that threatens Earth. They must have really strained themselves to come up with such a strikingly original concept.
The story is about the formation of the Justice League and how they first met. I'm assuming the creators of the book watched the Star Trek reboots, because at first all of the superheroes hate each other and are fighting for no reason at all. That shit is so edgy and kewl. But then guess what! They put aside their differences and become a team. You see, at first, all the characters are hitting Darkseid one at a time. But then Batman realizes, "Hey guys! If we hit Darkseid ALL AT THE SAME TIME, we'll stand a much better chance of defeating him." AND THEN IT TOTALLY WORKS!
None of the characters have any personality traits except for Green Lantern, whose main super power is to act like a giant dick all the time. And then halfway through the book, Batman takes off his mask and reveals his secret identity. Which is so totally Batman.
Oh, and Cyborg is a founding member of the Justice League now. Because diversity.
I don't have the book handy, but my favorite part is near the end, after the Justice League saves the day, a bunch of generic bystanders start cheering and saying stuff like, "YOU DID IT!" and "WE'RE SAVED!" And then one person says something like, "YOU ARE THE GREATEST HEROES EVER!"
This was my first foray into the New-52 and I am honestly in awe of how hilariously stupid the whole thing was.
What the hell was this worthless piece of shit? This felt like one of those Heroes Reborn reboots that Marvel put out in the mid-90s. It's like a Jim Lee sketchbook held together by the thinnest possible storyline that they could come up with. Each issue has four or five pointless double splash pages. You can almost hear the writer sigh with relief, like, "Phew, two pages down and I hardly had to write any dialogue or captions!" And each splash page is, like, Wonder Woman punching someone and saying "TAKE THAT!" Just awful, awful shit. Oh, and it's about an alien invasion that threatens Earth. They must have really strained themselves to come up with such a strikingly original concept. The story is about the formation of the Justice League and how they first met. I'm assuming the creators of the book watched the Star Trek reboots, because at first all of the superheroes hate each other and are fighting for no reason at all. That shit is so edgy and kewl. But then guess what! They put aside their differences and become a team. You see, at first, all the characters are hitting Darkseid one at a time. But then Batman realizes, "Hey guys! If we hit Darkseid ALL AT THE SAME TIME, we'll stand a much better chance of defeating him." AND THEN IT TOTALLY WORKS!
None of the characters have any personality traits except for Green Lantern, whose main super power is to act like a giant dick all the time. And then halfway through the book, Batman takes off his mask and reveals his secret identity. Which is so totally Batman.
Oh, and Cyborg is a founding member of the Justice League now. Because diversity.
I don't have the book handy, but my favorite part is near the end, after the Justice League saves the day, a bunch of generic bystanders start cheering and saying stuff like, "YOU DID IT!" and "WE'RE SAVED!" And then one person says something like, "YOU ARE THE GREATEST HEROES EVER!"
This was my first foray into the New-52 and I am honestly in awe of how hilariously stupid the whole thing was.
Hmm... a major event where a character from the mainstream universe gets stuck in a post-apocalyptic alternate universe where familiar characters are twisted because of a slight change to history. A Kubert does the art.
Sales are plummeting, so relaunch major characters in an alternate universe where everything starts from scratch, put it in the hands of Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld. Realize Liefeld just isn't working out and fire him early.
Artists are hot and writers are interchangeable anyway, let the artists write the books.
Need a boost in sales? Let's do holographic covers. Make them limited and collectible. $$$
It's like DC took pages out of the Marvel of the 90's playbook.
On a sidenote, according to this wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_Reborn
Sales were so good that Marvel asked Lee to extend Heroes Reborn indefinitely, as long as Lee drew one of the titles, and he refused.
09-23-13, 01:04 PM
#97
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
Finished:
What the hell was this worthless piece of shit? This felt like one of those Heroes Reborn reboots that Marvel put out in the mid-90s. It's like a Jim Lee sketchbook held together by the thinnest possible storyline that they could come up with. Each issue has four or five pointless double splash pages. You can almost hear the writer sigh with relief, like, "Phew, two pages down and I hardly had to write any dialogue or captions!" And each splash page is, like, Wonder Woman punching someone and saying "TAKE THAT!" Just awful, awful shit. Oh, and it's about an alien invasion that threatens Earth. They must have really strained themselves to come up with such a strikingly original concept.
The story is about the formation of the Justice League and how they first met. I'm assuming the creators of the book watched the Star Trek reboots, because at first all of the superheroes hate each other and are fighting for no reason at all. That shit is so edgy and kewl. But then guess what! They put aside their differences and become a team. You see, at first, all the characters are hitting Darkseid one at a time. But then Batman realizes, "Hey guys! If we hit Darkseid ALL AT THE SAME TIME, we'll stand a much better chance of defeating him." AND THEN IT TOTALLY WORKS!
None of the characters have any personality traits except for Green Lantern, whose main super power is to act like a giant dick all the time. And then halfway through the book, Batman takes off his mask and reveals his secret identity. Which is so totally Batman.
Oh, and Cyborg is a founding member of the Justice League now. Because diversity.
I don't have the book handy, but my favorite part is near the end, after the Justice League saves the day, a bunch of generic bystanders start cheering and saying stuff like, "YOU DID IT!" and "WE'RE SAVED!" And then one person says something like, "YOU ARE THE GREATEST HEROES EVER!"
This was my first foray into the New-52 and I am honestly in awe of how hilariously stupid the whole thing was.
What the hell was this worthless piece of shit? This felt like one of those Heroes Reborn reboots that Marvel put out in the mid-90s. It's like a Jim Lee sketchbook held together by the thinnest possible storyline that they could come up with. Each issue has four or five pointless double splash pages. You can almost hear the writer sigh with relief, like, "Phew, two pages down and I hardly had to write any dialogue or captions!" And each splash page is, like, Wonder Woman punching someone and saying "TAKE THAT!" Just awful, awful shit. Oh, and it's about an alien invasion that threatens Earth. They must have really strained themselves to come up with such a strikingly original concept. The story is about the formation of the Justice League and how they first met. I'm assuming the creators of the book watched the Star Trek reboots, because at first all of the superheroes hate each other and are fighting for no reason at all. That shit is so edgy and kewl. But then guess what! They put aside their differences and become a team. You see, at first, all the characters are hitting Darkseid one at a time. But then Batman realizes, "Hey guys! If we hit Darkseid ALL AT THE SAME TIME, we'll stand a much better chance of defeating him." AND THEN IT TOTALLY WORKS!
None of the characters have any personality traits except for Green Lantern, whose main super power is to act like a giant dick all the time. And then halfway through the book, Batman takes off his mask and reveals his secret identity. Which is so totally Batman.
Oh, and Cyborg is a founding member of the Justice League now. Because diversity.
I don't have the book handy, but my favorite part is near the end, after the Justice League saves the day, a bunch of generic bystanders start cheering and saying stuff like, "YOU DID IT!" and "WE'RE SAVED!" And then one person says something like, "YOU ARE THE GREATEST HEROES EVER!"
This was my first foray into the New-52 and I am honestly in awe of how hilariously stupid the whole thing was.
09-23-13, 04:26 PM
#98
Challenge Guru & Comic Nerd
Thread Starter
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
^ It's good to know that it gets better, but it sounds like it almost had to.
Coincidentally, in my alternating TPB reading program of old DC then new 52, I had the first Justice League International volume with me today, and decided to read it after Greg's other JL review.
It was quite mediocre, but ended better than it began.
Coincidentally, in my alternating TPB reading program of old DC then new 52, I had the first Justice League International volume with me today, and decided to read it after Greg's other JL review.
It was quite mediocre, but ended better than it began.
09-23-13, 05:09 PM
#99
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Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
No surprises there since Bob Harras is DC's EIC
Last edited by The Valeyard; 09-23-13 at 05:15 PM.
09-26-13, 09:39 AM
#100
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What's the last TPB/Graphic Novel you read?
Just finished this:
Started out pretty strong, both in story and especially art, but about halfway through, Hitch leaves and the story just sorta' shits the bed, and everyone "magically forgets" all that happened, just like in so many other major crossovers.
Also;
Yeah, pretty much that...
And now Marvel did the same - it's like a snake eating itself.
Started out pretty strong, both in story and especially art, but about halfway through, Hitch leaves and the story just sorta' shits the bed, and everyone "magically forgets" all that happened, just like in so many other major crossovers.
Also;
It's like DC took pages out of the Marvel of the 90's playbook.\
