Trevor

DC Comics Challenge

What's a Comic Book Challenge?

- monthly threads to encourage more reading and discussion
- a way to figure out "what do I read next?"
- motivation to try different genres
- motivation to keep reading and make progress on our unread piles
- a place to get recommendations

How does it work?

- we pick a genre (or company, or title, or whatever) for a month
- we post in this thread and talk about what we plan to read and read throughout the month
- you could keep a spoilered list in one post and update it all month, or post as you read
- in theory the lists could be kept in a separate thread to allow for fancier formatting while avoiding clutter

What makes it a "challenge"?

- well, unofficially, the goal is to read 100 comics a month, but that isn't stressed
- the group discussion will challenge and encourage you to read more (the main goal of most participants I imagine)

Who can participate?

- anyone and everyone!
- you don't have to list your reading or even post at all to participate, but what's the fun in that?
- quasi-technically, anyone on the planet who reads a qualifying book for the month is a participant, whether they know it or not

When does it start and end?

- it begins at dusk on the last day of previous month, and ends at dawn on the first day of the next month
- this bonus time allows for possible "double counting" cross-Challenge content
- content eligible for both Challenges has the bonus of being able to be counted for all 24 hours of the last/first days of both Challenges

How does counting work?
- as with every other 'rule', we're pretty liberal and you can count any way you want really
- in general, a comic book counts as one
- for graphic novels and oversize books, feel free to count one for every twenty pages

Who wins?

- there are no losers, the person who reads one page a month is equal to the person who reads 20 books a day

What is the schedule?

January - TV/Movie/Book
February - Eisner/Harvey/Etc Winners
March - Rotating Company
April - TBD (random idea every year)
May - Make-Your-Own
June - Reality
July - Science Fiction
August - Fantasy
September - Outside-Your-Comfort-Zone
October - Horror
November - Comedy
December - Holiday (w/ bonus Thanksgiving and New Year's time)

Want a personal checklist to help you pick stuff to read?

Obviously you'll want to edit the below spoilered example checklist to fit your needs.

Trevor

2015 thread - DC
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/comic-book-...ch-2015-a.html
2016 thread - Marvel
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/comic-book-...ch-2016-a.html
2017 thread - Pick any non-big two
https://forum.dvdtalk.com/comic-book...ch-2017-a.html

shadokitty

Depending how much I read this month, I might start over on Blackest Night to start this Challenge off.

PhantomStranger

I plan to set aside time for Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil deluxe hardcover.

Trevor

Is that the one Jeff Smith worked on?

PhantomStranger

Yep.

davidh777

I've been reading The New Frontier for the Eisner challenge, so I'll read the second volume for this one.

3/9
Doom Patrol 86-89

Omega Men 1-6

shadokitty

I started today with a Superman TPB I got at Ollie's a couple weeks ago. It is a collection of early Superman stories from the 40s.

shadokitty

1. Action Comics #1

PhantomStranger

Reading the Superman: American Alien trade. It's one of the few recent, more notable Superman stories I haven't read yet.

I am also in the middle of reading Mark Waid's JLA story "Divided We Fall" from a trade I picked up at Ollie's sale.

shadokitty

2. Action Comics #2

Trevor

My recent ebay splurge included lots of ‘exclusive’ comics; store promotions and the like. One lot included some of the mini-comics that came in the 1980s Super Powers action figure line. Not sure how I missed not trying to collect these back in the day. Read the Superman mini tonight, and was surprised to find that he had a remotely summonable Supermobile.

PhantomStranger

http://davescomicheroes.blogspot.com...permobile.html

davidh777

Not long after I bought the Doom Patrol Silver Age Omnibus, I also picked up the first four single issues digitally for ease of reading. As it turns out, those weren't actually the first four issues because the series started with six issues of a mag called My Greatest Adventure that was then renamed Doom Patrol with the same numbering. I'll have to research whether I've read those (I picked up the Essentials volume long ago) but only the first of the DP issues was familiar to me:

Trevor

Woah, it was in the mainline comics too?! I could have sworn it was Super Powers only. Thanks PS! That’s not your blog is it?

PhantomStranger

It's a cool blog but not mine. I remembered that Supermobile toy and went looking for a pic of it. Those late Bronze Age comics got wacky at DC - one of the reasons I enjoy them.

Trevor

Stopped by my LCBS yesterday and they had a pile of a new freebie, The World of Krypton #1. The new cover (by Jason Badower) mentions ‘in partnership with SyFy’ and features actors from the new television show. Inside, it includes some fluff promo of the series, but is mostly a reprinting of the first issue of the 1987 mini-series by Byrne and Mignola. That was a nice little surprise and stroll down memory lane; I’ll have to dig out the rest of the mini.

shadokitty

Didn't have enough money left to pick it up after buying my movies, but when I was at Walmart today, I saw three packs of DC Comics, including Harley Quinn, and two other surprise issues.

PhantomStranger

I've seen them near the checkout counters where they keep baseball cards and such. I think they are $5 per pack. I think they are mostly early issues from the Rebirth era.

davidh777

I'm taking another pass through the '80s Omega Men. This is a series I hadn't thought about in decades until it popped up in a Comixology sale. No trade so I grabbed a bunch of digital singles, and I'm not even sure how far I read the original run, but I'm enjoying the stories and Giffen art. It's a little more raw than mainstream comics of the time in terms of violence and sexuality, but not too far out there because it's still DC, after all. I read some of the issues after I first bought them but got distracted so I'm seeing how far I can get this time.

PhantomStranger

I only remember Omega Men as introducing Lobo to the DC universe.