Comic Book Chatter

This is the place where you can conflab about all the other stuff besides videogames
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Alex79
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

Post by Alex79 »

Oh really? That's a shame I guess that you bought four books and didn't like it. I started it recently and am enjoying it, but it is very 'soap opera'. Y: The Last Man remains one of my favourite all time series though. I've only ever read it once, the entire run during a holiday to Lanzarote about ten years ago. I'm thinking of reading it again soon, I might actually buy the books this time. I read it all on a tiny iPod touch first time round!
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

Post by ThirdMan »

I bought the four of them during a Comixology sale so at least it wasn't a big purchase.

There's a type of humour running throughout the series that's also endemic in comics generally. I blithely dismissed it as 'adolescent' but it's clearly a calculated and major element of many publishers' output. You can see it in Saga's use of profanity, indulging itself as if its parents aren't looking. I felt immature when I was reading it.

However I'm clearly in the minority because it's bagged every major award multiple times, and even though I didn't like it, I can see why its social commentary and gender politics have struck the right chord. I'm happy to hear you're enjoying it.

Yeah, I too downloaded Y: The Last Man. I read it all on an iPhone! I've promised myself that I'll eventually pick up the omnibus edition which collects the entire series. It definitely belongs on my shelf.
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

Post by duskvstweak »

I re-sub to Comixology every now and then, whenever I'm getting a bit burnt out on my Marvel Unlimited and need something different. I've been using this month's sub to read through Wildstorm and Authority, which I loved. Also the semi-recent Bloodshot series, which started out great and then went downhill with crossovers I had no intention of following up on. Might go back and check out the original 90s issues of that and Shadow Man...
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

Post by Alex79 »

I have just finished reading The Sandman: Overture, and I'm genuinely disappointed to report I didn't really like it. I found it confusing, and in places borderline incoherent - the closest approximation I can find to reference is Grant Morrison's diabolical run on Batman. This was nowhere near as bad as that, but equally difficult to follow.

I've been a Sandman since I was a 17 year old boy in 1997 or thereabouts. I still consider it my favourite comic book series of all time, and this certainly didn't sour my view on it, but after waiting so many years I just wish I'd enjoyed this more. I think I'm going to have to read it again.

I know Flabyo enjoyed this book, and would love to talk about it some more if you're interested in posting your thoughts?

EDIT: I will add, everything about this book other than the story is amazing. Beautiful, psychedelic artwork, lovely gated fold out pages, tons of content and interviews at the end and just really nicely presented. It's definitely nice to have on the shelf.

EDIT 2: Added a 'didn't' that was meant to be there and changed the meaning of the whole sentence!!!
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

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I think the massive gap in time between me reading the original series and overture might have something to do with it.

I mainly liked .. spoiler time...
Spoiler: show
The main idea of it was that it filled in one of the gaps, and gave a little more context to why Dream commits his elaborate suicide at the end of The Kindly Ones.

On Overture he works with Desire to essentially reboot the universe, with the result that only he knows it happened. So now you can read the Sandman stories sent in the period after he escapes his imprisonment as him coming to terms with the fact that he’s not actually *from* this universe, and that they need a Dream who is.

As I said up thread, I know a lot of people aren’t fond of it, some prefer to not have threads tied off, I just found it to be quite a fun turn of things.
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

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Yeah it does put the previous (but chronologically later) work in an interesting context, I guess. I did enjoy the final panel of the main story (before the epilogue), that seemed a nice thing to loop it back to the start of the series. Yeah, I think I'm someone who really prefers ends tied up and literal meanings to things, which really begs the question as to why I enjoyed the original series so much in the first place! Having re-read the entire run over the last 12 months though, I definitely still do love it.
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

Post by duskvstweak »

That's too bad about the Overture! I loved it, though I haven't reread the main series since I was a teenager. My wife got me the full set for our anniversary so I've got to sit down and do it now!
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

Post by Alex79 »

I'm currently reading the Spider-Man Marvel Masterworks series, which is a reprint of the entire run of the Amazing Spider-Man series. Going right back to 1963, these stories really are timeless, really enjoying them. I've got the same for the Hulk ready to read, too.

I'm also about to start properly Saga Of The Swamp Thing which is the Alan Moore run on the character from the early 80's. Only read a bit of it before, but I got a couple of the trade paperbacks for Christmas and really excited to get in to them.
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

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Alex79uk wrote: March 3rd, 2020, 2:35 pm I'm currently reading the Spider-Man Marvel Masterworks series, which is a reprint of the entire run of the Amazing Spider-Man series. Going right back to 1963, these stories really are timeless, really enjoying them. I've got the same for the Hulk ready to read, too.

I'm also about to start properly Saga Of The Swamp Thing which is the Alan Moore run on the character from the early 80's. Only read a bit of it before, but I got a couple of the trade paperbacks for Christmas and really excited to get in to them.
1. I think Stan Lee's Spider-Man is exactly that, timeless. It's amazing (ha!) to compare those stories to what was going on in comics around the same time, especially DC. When I was first getting into comics, my library at the Essential Spider-Man collection, the black and white reprints and I devoured them.

2. I read Swamp Thing in my twenties and I loved it. I think Alan Moore's Gothic horror in those books also makes them a bit timeless as well. You're in for a treat!
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

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Has anyone on here kept up with Batman..?

I finished the Batman New 52 run a couple of years ago and loved it, one of my all time favorite runs. I'm now looking at starting Rebirth.

I've been slowly collecting the Bat-Family books over the last couple of years and am not really that interested in characters outside of these few. But, I have some questions I was hoping someone might be able to help with.

1) Batman Rebirth #1 starts with Duke Thomas turning up at Wayne Manor. I had to go and remind myself who he was as I'd totally forgotten about him, and realised there's a series I'd not picked up whilst collecting Rebirth - We Are Robin. Where would this come in the Rebirth timeline? Should I read it before the first Batman book (I collect trades rather than single issues) or does it come a bit later on.

2) Is there an 'event' that bridges the gap between New 52 and Rebirth, and is it worth reading? Rebirth seems to start rather abruptly with Flash spinning through time and everyone forgetting stuff from the past (in DC Rebirth #1) and I feel like I've missed something!

3) I've also been collecting Dark Nights: Metal. Would anyone be able to tell me where I should read this in relation to the Bat-series of books?

4) Same question as above but for Doomsday Clock.

Apologies for all the questions, but thought I'd see if anyone knows!
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

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Alex79uk wrote: March 12th, 2020, 8:58 pm Has anyone on here kept up with Batman..?

I finished the Batman New 52 run a couple of years ago and loved it, one of my all time favorite runs. I'm now looking at starting Rebirth.

I've been slowly collecting the Bat-Family books over the last couple of years and am not really that interested in characters outside of these few. But, I have some questions I was hoping someone might be able to help with.

1) Batman Rebirth #1 starts with Duke Thomas turning up at Wayne Manor. I had to go and remind myself who he was as I'd totally forgotten about him, and realised there's a series I'd not picked up whilst collecting Rebirth - We Are Robin. Where would this come in the Rebirth timeline? Should I read it before the first Batman book (I collect trades rather than single issues) or does it come a bit later on.

2) Is there an 'event' that bridges the gap between New 52 and Rebirth, and is it worth reading? Rebirth seems to start rather abruptly with Flash spinning through time and everyone forgetting stuff from the past (in DC Rebirth #1) and I feel like I've missed something!

3) I've also been collecting Dark Nights: Metal. Would anyone be able to tell me where I should read this in relation to the Bat-series of books?

4) Same question as above but for Doomsday Clock.

Apologies for all the questions, but thought I'd see if anyone knows!
I've been keeping up with Tom King's Batman. It's worth reading...even though I haven't loved everything he's done. He's got a unique style that has been rubbing me the wrong way, but I can't deny he's got a vision (he also wrote the Vision). That would be what I would suggest reading, and see how you feel about it.

Now, I could be wrong, but I think you can just pick up DC Universe: Rebirth #1 and then go with whichever title you like (such as Batman).

I think it's safe to read Dark Nights: Metal whenever you want? I read it when it hit trades and I did fine, even though it got messy.
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

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Current humble bundle is the Dynamite comics take on James Bond.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/jame ... mite-books

These are *really* good. They started out with the Bond estate asking Warren Ellis to write a bond comic based on the bond from the books rather than the one from the movies. (That one is ‘Vargr’).

They only get better from there.
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

Post by PallasRil »

Vargr is very good Bond. I picked up the latest issue by Vita Ayala and Danny Lore and the quality continues.
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

Post by duskvstweak »

Marvel Unlimited is doing a free month with select stories. Might be a nice way to spend your days right now...

https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/ ... =85684248

And Comixology has a 60 day free trial right now. It works even if you've had an account before, because I did, and now I do!

https://www.comixology.com/unlimited
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

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Ah brilliant, nice one :)

EDIT: Ah man, we can't get Comixology Unlimited in the UK, it's US only at the moment :(

EDIT 2: Hmm, seems like our equivalent is Kindle Unlimited which features quite a few comics.
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

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I finally started my DC Rebirth read of the Bat-Family books (sticking to Batman, Nightwing, Detective Comics and All-Star Batman - it would be easy to go overboard so having to limit it somehow!)

I read the launch Rebirth issue and then went back to read the Robin War books, before actually getting to the main course with the first Batman book, I Am Gotham, today.

I must say, after having been gathering up these books for over two years and coming from The New 52 which is probably my favorite Batman run of all time, I found I Am Gotham really quite disappointing. Weak story, poor writing, Tom King seems to have completely misjudged these characters.

I've read multiple reports that the series picks up once it gets going so I'm going to stick with it (I mean I've got about 15 of the books now!) so hopefully it'll get better. But not a great start.
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

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Alex79uk wrote: May 8th, 2020, 4:12 pm I finally started my DC Rebirth read of the Bat-Family books (sticking to Batman, Nightwing, Detective Comics and All-Star Batman - it would be easy to go overboard so having to limit it somehow!)

I read the launch Rebirth issue and then went back to read the Robin War books, before actually getting to the main course with the first Batman book, I Am Gotham, today.

I must say, after having been gathering up these books for over two years and coming from The New 52 which is probably my favorite Batman run of all time, I found I Am Gotham really quite disappointing. Weak story, poor writing, Tom King seems to have completely misjudged these characters.

I've read multiple reports that the series picks up once it gets going so I'm going to stick with it (I mean I've got about 15 of the books now!) so hopefully it'll get better. But not a great start.
That first Batman book isn't good. A few volumes aren't good. Honestly, for me, Tom King's Batman is always interesting, rarely great. Lots of things that probably sound good when talking about them, but I've yet to love anything he's done with the character. And, off page, he comes across rather arrogant and pretentious about his running, talking about it's status in the Batman-canon before history has decided anything.

Volume 4 picks up, depending on your tastes. Stick with it before you make up your mind, because he does do a lot of different stuff and the early volumes don't feel the same as the latter ones. But, yeah, I keep hoping for greatness and getting disappointed.
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

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I've just finished reading Road To Perdition by Max Collins. It's the graphic novel which the (very average) Tom Hanks film was based on, and it really is a fantastic read. It's small, paperback sized, black and white artwork and really embodies the pulp fiction (not the film) nature of old gangster comics and stuff. Set in prohibition era Chicago it's a tale of revenge and retribution. I've had the book for the best part of 20 years and only just got around to reading it!

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone knew of any similar comics, 1920's-30's era gangster stuff, that sort of thing. It's a bit niche I realise, but wondered if anyone knew of anything. Ta!
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

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And I'm now reading another book I've owned for 25 years and never even opened! Enigma by Peter Milligan. I remember shoplifting it from a Birmingham branch of WH Smith with a wayward friend, who egged me on, in the summer of 1996.

It contains, probably, one of the boldest ever opening lines in a comic book:

"You could say it all started in Arizona. Twenty-five years ago. On a farm. It was an ordinary sort of farm in Arizona. The kind of place where you'd have sexual relations with your parents and end up shooting someone.".

Ok... I'm listening...

:lol:
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Re: Comic Book Chatter

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Alex79uk wrote: June 24th, 2020, 5:24 pm And I'm now reading another book I've owned for 25 years and never even opened! Enigma by Peter Milligan. I remember shoplifting it from a Birmingham branch of WH Smith with a wayward friend, who egged me on, in the summer of 1996.

It contains, probably, one of the boldest ever opening lines in a comic book:

"You could say it all started in Arizona. Twenty-five years ago. On a farm. It was an ordinary sort of farm in Arizona. The kind of place where you'd have sexual relations with your parents and end up shooting someone.".

Ok... I'm listening...

:lol:
Well... It is very, very rare that I'll bail on a comic halfway through a book, but that's what I've done. This is just pure drivel, absolute nonsense, terrible writing, horrible artwork. It's just a horrible book!

The alarm bells should've started clanging when I noticed Grant Morrison (hack, writer of pure, unmitigated shite) was singing its praises in the foreword.

Man, time to move on to the next book. I do not recommend this to anyone!

EDIT: I'm finally going to embark on Alan Moore's From Hell. It's a beast of a book, and has been staring me out on my book shelf for 15 or so years. I've only ever read a few pages and found it to be hard going, but I'm going to try to give it the attention it deserves at last.
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