review what you are reading

Post by **dANdeLION** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 10:32 pm

sgt.null wrote: Doom Patrol - the John Byrne version. better than I had thought. just enough intrigue and mystery to keep me interested. plus a cameo by Metamorpho, who I always thought should be a member.

I'm glad you liked it, but unfortunately I'm hating it (so far). Byrne has set comics back 40 years in this series (which is ironic, as the plot line in issues 6-8 revolve around de-evolution). When he set the FF back 20 years in his first writing assignment, I was all for it, and for a while, it worked (he was still at his artistic peak then, which helped a lot). But to set DP back, he eliminated everything Morrison did, which is really what sets DP apart. It was a huge mistake to let him do DP.

The one thing I won't blame Byrne for (yet) is the new characters. I have to get JLA 94-99 in order to properly affix the blame there. I stopped buying JLA after issue 58, when DC finally convinced my the series had jumped the shark, so now I have to see if my local shop has them. Fortunately, the $1 sale is still going on. Anyway, a four-armed ape? A bargain basement Banshee and Marvel Girl? WTF? And since when did Larry Traynor join Slipknot? And the Chief....no, I can't go there. There're just not enough 4-letter words to express myself.....way to ignore every bit of character development Kupperberg, Morrison and Pollack achieved. I used to love Byrne, then kind of tolerated him, but on this series, I absolutely hate him.

I loved the Arcudi series, BTW. And the Giffen series. Great stuff there.

Post by **sgt.null** » Fri May 24, 2013 8:13 am

I haven't been able to read Byrne's arc as a whole so I was commenting on the single issues I have. I will just read it as an alternate earth Doom Patrol.

I find Nudge and the Gorilla to be forgettable. and Vortex is confusion, from what issues I have, I have no idea what he is.

I have been up in the air about the Kupperberg run. but I think like the Byrne issues, if I can find them cheap I will get them.

and thanks for letting me about the JLA crossover/launch. I will look for them .

a great Comic book resource for anyone interest is Comic Vine...

www.comicvine.com/

Post by **dANdeLION** » Sat May 25, 2013 12:26 am

The Vortex thing gets resolved near the end of the run, and after reading all the issues, I do think it got better as it went along. As for the Kupperberg run, I totally loved the Steve Lightle drawn issues, liked the Joe Staton drawn issues, and hated the Erik Larson marred issues, which means Kupperberg didn]t really leave much of an impression at all.

Right now, I'm forcing my way through the Pollack issues. To some extent, she wasn't to blame; Morrison left the story in a very hard place to continue. Plus, she had to know she was going to be compared to him.....and the artist she ended up with (Ted Mckeever) didn't really work. Issue 70, however, was great. Where she falls short with me is her obsession with sex/gender stuff. With Morrison, it was there, mainly via Rebis; with Pollack, it's center stage. I don't buy comics to get an illustrated version of the vagina monologues.

I rank the DP runs in this order:
Morrison (Vol 2, #s 19-63)
Giffen (Vol 5, #s 1-22)
Arcudi (Vol 3, #s 1-22)
Drake (Vol 1, #s 80-121)
Kupperberg & Lightle/Staton (DC Special #s 94-96, Vol 2, #s 1-6)
Pollack (Vol 2, #s 64-87)
Byrne (Vol 4, #s 1-18 )
Kupperburg & Larson (Vol 2, #s 7-18 )

There is another My Greatest Adventure run; it came out two years ago, Featured Cliff Steele (as far as I can tell from the covers) and lasted 6 issues; I'll rank it when I get them.

Post by **sgt.null** » Sun May 26, 2013 8:13 am

I've seen the most recent Robot Man run, I may be able to get some from Hastings.

my rankings...

Morrison (Vol 2, #s 19-63)
Giffen (Vol 5, #s 1-22)
Arcudi (Vol 3, #s 1-22)
Drake (Vol 1, #s 80-121)
Pollack (Vol 2, #s 64-87)
Byrne (Vol 4, #s 1-18 )
Kupperberg & Lightle/Staton (DC Special #s 94-96, Vol 2, #s 1-6)
Kupperburg & Larson (Vol 2, #s 7-18 )

I hate that to complete the modern era I have to buy anything Larson did. Kupperberg may move up after I read more. I read some of his issues when they first came out. but the may be better than my memory.

Wolfman did a great job when he had the DP crew show up in Teen Titans.

I need to get the Showcase issues as well. I had forgotten about them.

Post by **dANdeLION** » Sun May 26, 2013 1:17 pm

sgt.null wrote:
Wolfman did a great job when he had the DP crew show up in Teen Titans.

Yes. George Perez was great, too. That was my first encounter with DP, and what got me to buy the Kupperberg/Lightle issues.

Post by **I'm Murrin** » Sat Jul 06, 2013 9:28 pm

All-Star Superman. I was expecting good things from it, but it didn't quite meet those expectations. Maybe because I'm not much of a Superman reader.

It was good in the end, and the overall concept was interesting, but the early chapters seemed pretty mediocre. The whole one about Lois Lane getting powers for a day, which became about Superman, Atlas, and Samson competing for the right to date her, was a little boring and kinda sexist.

A large part of the comic, I think, is built around nostalgia - it's revisiting certain classic parts of the Superman comics' history and giving them a new spin. So you have Lois-gets-powers, you have a Jimmy Olsen episode, you have Superman fighting other Kryptonians. If I had the nostalgia for that stuff I might've appreciated All-Star Superman more.

Finally, I just can't quite like the artwork. I think it's that particular style of digital colouring and shading that just always looks wrong to me.

Post by **sgt.null** » Tue Jul 09, 2013 6:29 am

Murrin - I loved the Morrison All Star Superman. the Atlas / Samson thing I thought was done in good fun.

I also love the artwork.

Dial H #13 was an amazing issue. with something I had never seen before, an alternate earth of chalk graffiti. it was very well done, very touching at times.

Dial H is my favorite comic right now and it is ending soon. Mieville has been outstanding. I will be sad to see this go.

Post by **sgt.null** » Fri Aug 22, 2014 5:48 am

Doctor Who (the 11th Doctor) : #1 - a fun read, opening up a new aspect of this Doctor. a good start for fans. really want to get the 10th Doctor series.

Futures End : an Elseworlds tale, set a few years in the future. I have enjoyed it so far. haven't read anything on line about it, so learning the story as it progresses.

Suicide Squad : a relaunch. and it seems an unnecessary relaunch. brings in Deathstroke and the Joker's Daughter. not impressed and wondering how long to give it.

Uncanny Avengers - wraps up the storyline. no idea where it goes now. have enjoyed it, but I am a huge Remender (writer) and Acuna (artist) fan. so I may be a bit biased.

Justice League Dark - still enjoying it. would like to see a minor roster shake up. a good read.

All Star Western : still a good read. longest I have collected a Western comic.

Hawkeye - currently the best book out there. go pick it up.

Batman '66 : if you liked the tv show, you will like this. good fun.

Post by **I'm Murrin** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 9:34 pm

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll is a book full of really spooky, atmospheric horror stories, with a kind of dark fairytale feel to them. Very highly recommended.

Post by **sgt.null** » Fri Oct 10, 2014 6:47 am

well they canceled the Jonah Hex series. seems DC just doesn't like me all that much.

Post by **Orlion** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 2:27 am

Been reading some "new" storylines, so I'll post my thoughts here:

Deadpool vs Carnage: Pretty much what you would expect, which makes it fairly enjoyable. Nothing mind-blowing, just two psychopaths having at each other for a bit.

Civil War: For as much as everyone yaks this one up as if it were the best series since Secret Wars II, this was incredibly disappointing. Iron Man and his motives are pretty well developed, but Captain America's are so briefly touched upon you could probably miss it and assume he fought Iron Man just for the lolz. And it shows in the resolution as well.

Couple other notes: Sentry is on Iron Man's side. There is no way that Captain America and company have a chance...none. The only thing keeping Sentry from single-handedly winning the Civil War is Stark's attempts to not throw the other side in jail unless he has to.

And the Iron Spider suit is neat, I might look for some Spider-man issues from around this time. It's a shame Peter Parker must decide all his cool suits are evil and go back to regular classic Spider-man.

Avengers vs. X-men: I wasn't expecting much with this, so when it turned out pretty decent I was pretty happy. Cyclops is a dick. Wolverine is a dick (but he's a good child-murderer, so that's all right

) and Thor gets taken out continually like a bitch by one Phoenix Force Mutant where Spider-Man can take out two of them.... whatever, no wonder Mjolnir decided to go with a new owner.

Over all though, I was pretty satisfied.

Now I need to head to the comics store and get some of those new Axis comics.

Post by **I'm Murrin** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 8:18 am

Odd that you think people were talking up Civil War - I've always heard lots of criticism, that it was a good idea poorly executed.

Post by **sgt.null** » Sat Nov 08, 2014 6:53 pm

Orlion wrote:

Now I need to head to the comics store and get some of those new Axis comics.

pick up the Hobgoblin mini, it is excellent.

Post by **Orlion** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 7:29 pm

sgt.null wrote:
Orlion wrote:

Now I need to head to the comics store and get some of those new Axis comics.
pick up the Hobgoblin mini, it is excellent.

Took me a week, but I've picked it up.

AXIS: Hobgoblin: Thus far, this is a fun ride. Due to events going on in the main AXIS event, the Hobgoblin desires to do good and save the day! But that doesn't mean he can't earn a profit along the way. His financial success attracts the attention of the new, self-proclaimed Goblin King who wants a piece of the pie. With many a fun reference to older comic conventions, this is certainly quite enjoyable thus far.

AXIS: Carnage: Like the Hobgoblin, Carnage wishes to be a good guy. But, because he's a psychopath, he has very little idea of how to accomplish this. Meanwhile, a new Sin-Eater is going around executing people. More "serious" than the Hobgoblin mini but not without charm, the first issue sets up what might turn out to be a compelling villain that will also be a good foil for Carnage.

AXIS: Avengers and X-Men: This is the main event, and I've enjoyed it thus far. It's action pack with high stakes in the first three issues, leading to an event where Scarlet Witch is involved in messing up the Marvel Universe again. You'd think she would learn her lesson.

The second act is a bit slower but pretty much sets up for a lot of the side stuff going on, like

Captain America and the Mighty Avengers: Turned into an old man, Steve Rogers has turned over the Captain America identity to Sam Wilson. Watch, as this new progressive idea of Captain America begins his run as a total, ruthless dick.

And that is why Marvel Superheroes can't have nice things.

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 7:56 pm

Civil War was fantastic. In the beginning. Like most things, the greatness fades.

Post by **Orlion** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 8:05 pm

Fist and Faith wrote:Civil War was fantastic. In the beginning. Like most things, the greatness fades.

It was a good set up. Too bad it devolved into a superhero mosh pit...

Speaking of which, it seems Marvel superheroes end up fighting each other as much if not more than Marvel supervillains nowadays.

Post by **sgt.null** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:23 am

orlion : I like the idea of a new Sin-Eater, so I'll be looking for the Carnage. thanks.

read the first issue of the New Mighty Avengers. when did Falcon become such an ass?

Post by **Orlion** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:28 pm

sgt.null wrote:orlion : I like the idea of a new Sin-Eater, so I'll be looking for the Carnage. thanks.

And the second issue just came out yesterday!

Hilarity ensues as Carnage continues to try to be a goody two-shoes but has no idea how to go about it. An entertaining issue, but it definitely is getting ready for the third and final issue of this mini.

read the first issue of the New Mighty Avengers. when did Falcon become such an ass?

Around the same time Hobgoblin and Carnage decided they wanted to be good guys. Essentially, Scarlet Witch and Doom messed up a spell and inverted the personalities of pretty much all the villains and heroes in that area.

The new Captain America is before that happens, I think, so he's not an ass in that. Not sure where it is going, something about Hydra and children's blood.

Superior Iron Man is after the AXIS event or during or whatever, in which Tony Stark is a huge ass. That one seems like it could be interesting, I'd like to see what his new suit can do as it incorporates DNA from a symbiote.

Finally, the new Moon Knight... oh my god, the new Moon Knight!

Post by **Wildling** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:56 pm

Wait, what? New Moon Knight?!?!?

Post by **Orlion** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 4:15 pm

Wildling wrote:Wait, what? New Moon Knight?!?!?

Correct! Apparently there was a recent run with Brian Michael Bendis, but I haven't got a hold of those yet.

This year, it started with Warren Ellis as writer for the first six issues. Each one is (mostly) self contained and is pretty good at re-establishing the character, if a bit subtle on his multiple personalities.

Actually, there is a lot of subtlety which makes for good fun!

The Ellis issues have all ready been collected in a trade called Moon Knight: From the Dead.

Brian Wood is the current writer for Moon Knight, and I haven't gotten his third one yet (#9) because the bastards at the comic book store didn't order it, so I'll be picking it up today at a different store. It seems like there might be more of a story through the Brian Wood issues, though they are still pretty interesting in their own right. #8 is done in a sort of "found footage" style through security cameras, cell phone cameras, the Moon Knight's Scarabs, and the like.

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

review what you are reading