Comic Book Chatter

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https://www.dcuniverse.com/news/dc-univ ... infinite/

DC Universe is changing, becoming DC Universe Infinite. It's becoming a comics/community only app, losing it's original tv/movie material. That doesn't affect me so much, since I'm only on it for the comics anyway. And for those outside of the United States, they said this...

"Will DC UNIVERSE INFINITE be available outside of the United States?

At launch in January 2021, DC UNIVERSE INFINITE will only be available in the United States. Expanding to our international fans is important to us so we are working to bring DC UNIVERSE INFINITE to additional countries by summer 2021. Stay tuned for more updates."

[Alex79]

I started reading the comic book adaption of Stephen King's The Stand. I'm not familiar with the book, although I broadly knew it was about a plague and the post-apocalypse, but that's all I've heard. I'm sure I watched the 80s or 90s miniseries on TV back in the day, but I can't remember a single thing about it!

Anyway, I'm 3 issues in and really enjoying it so far. It's rather macabrely (might have made that word up) appropriate at the moment I suppose, and as I read I can't help applying the story to current world events, but if anything, that's kind of adding to the experience, in a rather awful way. But yeah, thumbs up so far.

[Alex79]

I started reading the comic book adaption of Stephen King's The Stand.

My word, this is very good.

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I started reading the comic book adaption of Stephen King's The Stand.

My word, this is very good.

I haven't read either, but my wife really liked the book. And it's going to be a show soon?

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Just recently finished Rob Kirkman's Invincible after starting in in 2007...
I'm much happier with that series trajectory and ending than I was with the Walking Dead.

I also started Kieron Gillen's Wicked + Divine. I have no idea what to make of it, four volumes in. I kind of hate it, but am at a point where I'm at least intrigued to see what will happen next.

Also, I've been reading a lot of DC's Black Label comics, with some being great (Harleen) and other beings atrocious (Dark Knight: The Golden Child). It's also starting to feel like it's DC's Joker Label.

[Alex79]

I've got loads of new stuff to read but I fancied something a bit different, so looked online at a few 'best graphic novel lists'. One that came up a few times was a series called Love and Rockets. Apparently it's been running since the early 80s, and has won loads of awards and seems to be pretty much universally praised. Surprised I'd never heard of it, so I downloaded the first couple of volumes to trial it and see what it was all about.

Honestly, I can't make head nor tail of it! I'm right at the start but it feels like I've suddenly starting watching a show halfway through season 12. The stories seem to make no sense from one panel to the next and it's almost as though someone dropped a book and sellotaped it back together in a random order!

I'm going to persevere with the first volume just because so many people can't be wrong (despite what Brexit, the Tory Party and Coldplay would suggest), but so far, it's not exactly grabbed me.

Anyone familiar with it?

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I finished Kieron Gillen's Wicked + Divine. I still have no clue what I've read. I was never in it, never cared for the characters. Not my jam at all.

One of the coolest books from the DC Black Label was Wonder Woman: Dead Earth. It had an 80s punk rock, Fist of the North Star vibe throughout and I think it should go down as a classic akin to the Dark Knight Returns.

Speaking of the Dark Knight, I finished Tom King's Batman run (weird, but interesting), the Black Label book Last Knight on Earth (weird, cluttered, still liked it), Snyder's the Batman Who Laughs (no thanks) and Geoff Johns' Three Jokers (why?).

Going back to Hellblazer. I read the first five trades years ago and just picked up where I left off.

I've got no room in my life to start/lead another podcast, but if someone started a Cane and Rinse-style comic podcast, I'd love to do something productive with these decades of comic reading.

[Flabyo]

Honestly, I think to enjoy wicdiv it helps to be British and/or *really* into the fan culture around pop music and those who make it.

[Alex79]

Speaking of the Dark Knight, I finished Tom King's Batman run (weird, but interesting)

Oh, I'm still very early on in his run and didn't realise he'd finished. Who's writing the mainline book now, is it a 'new' banner like New 52 and Rebirth or just carrying on as 'Batman'?

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Speaking of the Dark Knight, I finished Tom King's Batman run (weird, but interesting)

Oh, I'm still very early on in his run and didn't realise he'd finished. Who's writing the mainline book now, is it a 'new' banner like New 52 and Rebirth or just carrying on as 'Batman'?

Well, he finished his 85 issues on the main Batman series and now he's doing a 12 issue run, but over on the DC Black Label, so how much it's canon is up in the air.

James Tynion IV took over the main Batman series, no banner at the moment. Tynion did Detective Comics for about 50 issues concurrent with King's Batman. I'm actually waiting on that run from my library. I figure if he wrote the character that long and then kept going, he probably has something to say.

[Alex79]

Hmm yeah I looked it up and on Amazon it seems they're just resetting the volume number, so Tom King's final book was volume 13, and now on to James Tynion volume 1.

Also, I've just read The Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire. Had it about 4 years and only just got round to it. It's good, worth a read.

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I'm on Volume 11 of Hellblazer at the moment. Really enjoyed the Garth Ennis run, Paul Jenkins' run is a bit less compelling. I have 11-14 available in physical form from my library, but I'll be switching to Hoopla to read the rest. Also, just found out Vertigo's Lucifer series by Mike Carey is available on my library's Hoopla as well, a series I've never been able to find! Excited for that!

Also, still chugging along with James Tynion IV's Detective Comics run. Enjoying the rare "team" book in the Bat-verse.

In preparation for WandaVision, I read Tom King's Vision series. It was very good. I probably enjoyed it more than his Mister Miracle run.

[Alex79]

Coming towards the end of the comic adaption of The Stand now, just started the final book, and pleased to report it's maintained high quality throughout. Really recommend this to anyone who has any interest in post apocalyptic, road trip, supernatural fantasy. Yeah, I guess that's quite specific, but it's a great read.

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Coming towards the end of the comic adaption of The Stand now, just started the final book, and pleased to report it's maintained high quality throughout. Really recommend this to anyone who has any interest in post apocalyptic, road trip, supernatural fantasy. Yeah, I guess that's quite specific, but it's a great read.

Have you or are you going to watch the show? I've heard less than stellar things about it.

[Alex79]

Have you or are you going to watch the show? I've heard less than stellar things about it.

I watched the first episode and they've completely butchered it. The show itself wasn't terrible - I've happily watched worse. But for some unknown reason, they jump around the timeline like Tarantino on 8 cans of Red Bull. It's like every single scene is a different point of the story - day of outbreak > 45 days later > 12 days later > immediate aftermath > 6 months later etc etc. Makes the whole thing terribly incoherent. Even as someone familiar with the story, it was a mess. Dread to think what anyone else thought of it.

[Alex79]

Just read the 3 issue mini series from last year, Joker: Killer Smile, followed by the one shot epilogue, Batman: The Smile Killer. You can really consider them one 4 part story, but they were pretty good. Existential horror, psychological warfare, just something a little different for a change. Worth a look.

[duskvstweak]

Just read the 3 issue mini series from last year, Joker: Killer Smile, followed by the one shot epilogue, Batman: The Smile Killer. You can really consider them one 4 part story, but they were pretty good. Existential horror, psychological warfare, just something a little different for a change. Worth a look.

Yeah, Jeff Lemire is always interesting. I made the mistake of reading this directly after Harleen, so the comparisons were very fresh in my head. The whole DC Black Label has been a bit too Joker heavy, in my own opinion, but Killer Smile has it's own feel for sure.

Finished James Tynion IV's Detective Comics/Batmen run. It was good without ever crossing over into classic territory. It's different from many of the Bat-stories I've read, but it just felt a few steps from greatness.

I'm onto Brian Azzarello's Hellblazer run. I'm no fan of him, but I was also no fan of Paul Jenkin's Hellblazer time, so we'll see. Finished volume two of Lucifer. It's gone in different direction than just being a Sandman spinoff, it actually reminds me more of Fables right now.

My library has a bunch of the IDW Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hardcovers, so I read the first volume (first 13 issues with some oneshots) and it was a lot of fun. But, then, I'm never very objective when it comes to the Turtles.

Finished volume 29 of Usagi Yojimbo. It was good, because it's always good. The series has never tripped.

Also, for some reason, boredom perhaps, I started reading Mutant X, the 1999-2001 series about Alex Summers trapped in an alternate universe that's supposed to be one of the worst X-titles around. I'm 17 issues in.

[Alex79]

Finished volume two of Lucifer. It's gone in different direction than just being a Sandman spinoff, it actually reminds me more of Fables right now.

Mike Carey's original series? I've only got the first volume of that, I must have had it over 20 years. Always meant to read the rest of the series but never got around to it. Still on my giant list for sometime never though!

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Finished volume two of Lucifer. It's gone in different direction than just being a Sandman spinoff, it actually reminds me more of Fables right now.

Mike Carey's original series? I've only got the first volume of that, I must have had it over 20 years. Always meant to read the rest of the series but never got around to it. Still on my giant list for sometime never though!

Yep, my library's Hoopla account has all five volumes. It's a series I always wanted to read but I almost never saw the trades out in the wild, let alone libraries.

[Alex79]

Finally finished the Marvel comics adaption of The Stand. It didn't dip in quality once throughout its 31 issue run. Excellent story and writing, highly enjoyable from start to finish.