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What comics have you been reading?

Started by irishmoxie, March 30, 2016, 10:49:35 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

DeCarlo Rules

#1545
MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 #2 (of 4)
SAVAGE DRAGON #239
STELLAR #5
ICE CREAM MAN #8
RICK & MORTY #43
THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP (2018) #1
MARVEL ZOMBIE #1
(one-shot)
THE SENTRY #5 (of 5)
THE TERRIFICS #9
TERRIFICS ANNUAL #1
HEROES IN CRISIS #2
(of 9)
DETECTIVE COMICS #991
BATMAN SECRET FILES 2018 #1
SCOOBY-DOO! TEAM-UP #42
(Gorilla Warfare!)
THE GREEN LANTERN #1
INFINITY WARS #5
(of 6)
TRUE BELIEVERS: WHAT IF THE SILVER SURFER POSSESSED THE INFINITY GAUNTLET? #1
MARVEL HEARTBREAKERS #1
(2010/one-shot)

rusty

I'm caught up on Dynamite now.


Classic Battlestar Galactica 0
BSG vs BSG 1-6 - I enjoyed the preview issue for the classic series and the crossover between old school and new school Galactica was pretty cool.


Doc Savage: Ring of Fire 1-4 - This was a nice miniseries with action in the Pacific.  Good art and story.  Pat Savage plays a bit larger role in this series.


Dresden Files: Dog Men 1-6 - Harry is suffering lots of rage from his recent encounters with various supernatural entities.  In this original story, one of the council members enlists his aid for a road trip to a town where a family has been attacked by creatures from the woods, but it turns out that there are two possibilities, not just one.  I liked the Dresden Files tv show and plan to read the novels some day.  The comics are fun.


Green Hornet 1-5
Green Hornet '66 Meets Will Eisner's Spirit 1-5 - The Green Hornet mini series starts with Britt missing and the newspaper in danger of a takeover.  A new Green Hornet has to step up and the action eventually shifts to other cities in the search for what happened to Britt.   In the Spirit miniseries, Spirit has been missing since the early-mid 1950s.  Britt Reid is demonstrating the Newspaper of the Future (a computer that makes predictions) at the Chicago World Expo.  The computer predicts that Spirit will resurface that night and this is the start of a battle against Kid Kraken and his crew which involves missing astronauts and more.  Both series were fun.


James Bond Black Box 1-6
James Bond The Body 1-6
James Bond Kill Chain 1-6
James Bond M, Moneypenny and Solstice one shots - All are fairly typical Bond adventures, though M and Moneypenny take center stage in their one shots.  Good stuff if you are a Bond fan.


Legenderry Red Sonja 1-5
Red Sonja 7-21 - The Legenderry series features a steam punk era Red Sonja and was pretty good.  The regular series has a time displaced Red Sonja traveling through the present day U.S. trying to find a way home.  Lots of fun.  I thought it became a bit less interesting when she got back to her own time, but it was still good.


Librarians 1-4 - Kind of pedestrian, but it was okay.


Lone Ranger 1 - The new series is off to a decent start.


Magnus 2-5
Sovereigns 0-5
Turok 1-5 - I'm not really a fan of this iteration of these characters.  Hopefully they reboot it again.


Mighty Mouse 3-5 - This was a fun miniseries where Mighty Mouse and his cartoon physics cross over into our world.


Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie 1-6 - Frank Hardy has been murdered and his sons are the suspects.  While it was interesting having all the classic characters at least mentioned here like the Bobbsey Twins, Rover Boys, Tom Swift, etc., I didn't like the way most of these characters were used.  I think I would have enjoyed this series more if they had used original characters.


Project Superpowers 0-2 - So far, so good, though perhaps not quite as good as the original series.


Red Rising Sons of Ares 1-6 - Kind of a slow start, but it got better.  A knowledge of the Red Rising world is kind of needed for this.

Sherlock Holmes Vanishing Man 1-4 - A good adventure with Professor Moriarty pulling the strings.


Spirit: The Corpse Makers 1-5 - A fast paced adventure involving people going missing leading to Spirit investigating.  It was a decent series.


I have a few trades to read and then on to Image Comics which will take a while.

DeCarlo Rules

#1547
Quote from: rusty on November 08, 2018, 10:11:03 AM
I'm caught up on Dynamite now.

I don't know what to say about Dynamite. I wish they'd give as much attention to the stories and interior artwork as they do to the covers. I buy a fair number of their titles, just based on my liking the characters, but sometimes it seems like I'm just getting them for the covers.

There are some examples of good stuff, where they're at the top of their game (The Shadow: The Death of Margo Lane, Doc Savage: Ring of Fire, Will Eisner's The Spirit: The Corpse Makers, Edgar Rice Burroughs' The Greatest Adventure, Sherlock Holmes, Vampirella: Roses For the Dead, Dawn/Vampirella, and Vampirella (2014, Volume 2, the one written by Nancy Collins). And the recent Sheena was better than expected and the new Elvira: Mistress of the Dark is pretty good so far (my expectations were kind of low at this point, so it's a pleasant surprise). Unfortunately, they just seem to be too few and far between, considering all the titles they put out.

And then there are far too many instances where they're really a letdown: Green Hornet '66 Meets Will Eisner's Spirit (not even the real Spirit), the Gold Key stuff, Bettie Page, that most recent wave of reboots of The Shadow, Green Hornet, Vampirella, and Dejah Thoris, and (turning out to be a big disappointment for me) the long-awaited return of Project Superpowers. Mighty Mouse didn't quite click for me -- I think it was because, while it seemed like a fun spin on the character, the artwork just didn't cut it. They needed someone who could draw the story in a way that would have made it funnier to read. I say that as a guy who absolutely loves what Sholly Fisch is doing every month writing Scooby-Doo Team-Up. Anyway, it always feels like (barring well-known talent) most Dynamite series are going to be a real crap shoot when you pick them up. And then a lot of them are just middling-fair, like Red Sonja/Tarzan (but then I'm not really a Gail Simone fan).

They also publish a bunch of licensed properties that I don't read (Battlestar Galactica, Charlie's Angels, Dresden Files, James Bond, John Wick, Nancy Drew, Red Sonja) that I can't comment on. I'd kind of like to read James Bond, but since they're not doing the movie Bond, I'll wait until they actually adapt one of Fleming's books, or at least do an original story set in continuity in that time period. I can see why they update 007 for movie audiences (which makes it a different character), but to me the real Bond is set during the height of the Cold War, and he's a character of that time.

DeCarlo Rules

#1548
DETECTIVE COMICS: THE COMPLETE COVERS MINI-HC VOL 01 - Reprints the covers of the first 300 issues of Detective Comics, one per page. Not quite what I was expecting when I ordered it... I think I thought it would be about the size of a Big Little Book (typically about 3.5" x 4.5" and 1.5" thick, 432 pages, although the page count may vary). This turned out to be only about the size of a deck of playing cards or a pack of cigarettes (2.5" x 3.5"), which didn't exactly make reading the cover text (which is close to the only text in this book) easy on the eyes, when you consider that the actual cover images are even smaller than the page size. And the cover price is $11.99! Abbeville Press published a similar series of 'Tiny Folio' books documenting the cover history of DC icons (2 volumes each of Batman in Detective Comics, and Superman in Action Comics, 300 covers per volume) back in 1993-94, and those books were approximately 4" x 4.5" and 320 pages (although they were softcovers). These are still available on Amazon, so I'd recommend anyone interested to purchase those instead.

ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF DARK #3 (of ?)- Written by David Avallone and drawn by Dave Acosta (the same team that produced previous Dynamite series Twilight Zone: The Shadow, and Doc Savage: Ring of Fire, both of which were excellent, if much less funny), and it captures the humor of Elvira quite well. Very 'meta' and 4th-wall breaking-y. The plot, such as it is, concerns Elvira lost in time, meeting up with such horror icons as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe, and (in this issue) Bram Stoker -- all the while being pursued through time by Vlad the Impaler. How this came to be is revealed in this issue and involves another famous icon of gothic fiction.

MAGICA DE SPELL GIANT HALLOWEEN HEX #2 - Like last year's Halloween Special, this one features Magica's family, and is a sequel to last year's. Nothing in particular to do with Halloween per se, but a good Magica De Spell story.

UNCLE SCROOGE: MY FIRST MILLIONS #2 (OF 4) - I don't know if it's me, but this feels sort of out of place, continuity-wise. That might seem odd to talk about continuity in a Disney comic, but Don Rosa's The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, following up on a lot of bits and pieces of continuity introduced by Carl Barks in earlier Scrooge stories, fairly well defines Scrooge's early years (while still leaving plenty of open spots for further stories). This just doesn't feel like it fits with that at all. The story in this issue, which covers how Scrooge made his second million, has to do with him building the world's first transcontinental railroad . It's established in the story that this took place in times when the telegraph had been invented, but not telephones or radio. In the real world, the transcontinental railroad happened in 1869. Along the way, Scrooge invents the Super Bowl Championship game (which didn't happen in the real world until 1967). IIRC, in Don Rosa's earlier 'Life and Times' story (elaborating on things first established by Barks), Scrooge made his first million during the Klondike Gold Rush (which in the real world took place between 1896 and 1899). The stories in this series are okay in and of themselves, but I'm a little disappointed that they don't seem to square with the previously-established history of Scrooge McDuck.

STAR WARS ADVENTURES: DESTROYER DOWN #1 (of 3) - The IDW Star Wars Adventures series is kind of frustrating me. On the one hand, it's nominally more accessible than, say, Marvel's Star Wars comics, with stories that don't just go on forever (although admittedly, that's exactly what some people want in a Star Wars comic). For me, though, the main attraction (or potential attraction) is not just stories set in the Star Wars universe and featuring Star Wars characters, it's stories drawn by Derek Charm featuring Star Wars characters. I'll admit I'm probably unusual here, in that I've been a growing fan of Charm's work since first encountering it on IDW's earlier Starfleet Academy (which I would have fervently wished to become an ongoing series). The frustration happens for me because I cannot get a single longer Star Wars Adventures story arc drawn entirely by Derek Charm, which is what it's going to take to commit me to this IDW franchise of miniseries. To the average buyer, it doesn't matter: "Oh, it's a Star Wars comic book. I LIKE Star Wars; I like comics; therefore I'll buy it." For me, it's... "Well, there are tons of Star Wars comics; I like Star Wars, but not enough to buy ALL of them, especially when I'm already getting tons of other comics." So what makes one Star Wars comic book different from another? For me, it's a creator whose work I really like, working in that universe. But at best, it seems I can only get from 1/3 to 1/2 of each issue's allotted story pages drawn by Derek Charm. This issue is no different, with the first half (Destroyer Down, Episode 1) drawn by Derek Charm, and the last half (The Ghost Ship, Part 1) drawn Jon Sommariva. That's not to say that the artwork of Jon Sommariva is bad; it's not. The latter story, 'Ghost Ship' functions as kind of a prequel to the former, 'Destroyer Down'. No idea how this will look in a collected edition, but continuity-wise, it should probably be ordered as Ghost Ship, Parts 1-3, followed by Destroyer Down, Parts 1-3. No idea why IDW chooses to tell the story in serialized form the way they are. Both stories are written by Scott Beatty (who I've always liked as a writer), and really, when you get down to it, the main feature and backup story are really a single story. Can't I just get to read one longer, self-contained story arc drawn by Derek Charm? Please, IDW, I'm begging you!

OUTER DARKNESS #1 - A promising start to this new science-fiction/horror hybrid series that has a Starfleet-like setup of 'continuing mission', combined with the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft. I've previously enjoyed the work of writer John Layman on Mars Attacks (IDW) and DC's Detective Comics, so I figure I'll give this series a one-arc trial at least. Too soon to say for sure, but it looks like it could be interesting, and the art style is unique and bold. Here's hoping.

KICK-ASS #9 - I'm just kind of losing interest in this one, and in its companion title HIT-GIRL. They're getting too far away from the original premise, which was the idea of the RLSH (Real-Life SuperHero) subculture. The execution is still fairly good, but this new Kick-Ass is a different character entirely wearing the same costume (and no other connection to Dave Liszewski, the original Kick-Ass).

JUGHEAD #184 (Sept 1970)
LIFE WITH ARCHIE #101 (Sept 1970)
ARCHIE #219 (July 1972)
ARCHIE'S JOKES [ARCHIE GIANT SERIES] #198 (Aug 1972)

DeCarlo Rules



DAGWOOD SPLITS THE ATOM! (1949)
  Story, art and cover by Joe Musial. King Features Syndicate comic strip characters star in an educational story about nuclear physics (expanded from a 1948 article that appeared in Popular Science magazine).

Mandrake the Magician takes the scientific position, explaining to Dagwood and Blondie the basics of atomic power. Numerous other characters appear as well, including Jiggs and Maggie from Bringing Up Father, the Katzenjammer Kids, Henry, Snuffy Smith, and Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Wimpy. The upper 3/5ths of each page consists of a single comic panel with word balloons, while the bottom 2/5ths of each page contains text elaborating on the idea presented in detail. Page 28 consists of a multiple-choice quiz (18 questions) to test what you've learned by reading (correct answers provided inside back cover).
Back in 2012, the genesis of the special comic, which was published by Harvey Comics and distributed to schools for free, and was also included as an item in A.C. Gilbert Co.'s No. U-238 Atomic Energy Lab Kit in 1950, was explained by the anonymous "Archivist" at the KFS website (http://comicskingdom.com):
Quote
The how and why of atom-splitting was explained many times in many ways, but mostly, a lot of people were confused or unsure about just how that energy was created or what were the prospects for usage. General Leslie Groves, who had lead the Manhattan Project during the War, and now in retirement, was a respected expert on all things atomic. He first developed an idea for presenting the atomic story for laypeople with cartoons, and approached Joe Musial with this concept.

Joe Musial was an all-around utility player for the syndicate. He could write stories, do ghost work on any number of strips and comic books in different styles, even outside the Hearst realm.

As the head of "King Features Educational Division," he first created an exhibit for the atomic show at the New York Golden Jubilee exhibition in 1948, explaining the workings of atomic power with King Features' cartoon stars. This led to the comic book version.



General Groves wrote a preface in the finished book, and other contributors included Hearst columnist, Bob Considine, as well as several physicists and a quote from Bernard Baruch.

The most popular strip stars during that era were the Bumsteads, so naturally they would be the leads in the book. The "story" inside was that Blondie and Dagwood, accompanied by the rest of the King characters, attend a public lecture given by Mandrake on just what atoms are made of, how they get pulled apart, and what causes them to detonate.  The Bumsteads  are magically transported to atomic size so they can inspect the various neutrons, protons and electrons doing their stuff up close while a scientific explanation narrates the pages below the cartoons. Though Chic Young's photo is inserted in the opening of the book, doubtless no one else but Musial drew the illustrations.

The story begins, "THIS BOOK TELLS what an atom is, how it can be split and what happens when it is split. Here, therefore, is a comic book that is different from any you have ever seen." You might think that a comic book such as this produced in 1949 would be viewed in hindsight as hokey, naive and oversimplifing a complex topic, but nothing could be further from the truth. Still as relevant today as it was nearly 70 years ago.


rusty

Since I have over 300 Image comics to catch up on, I'm breaking it up a bit.   B-F to start


Barrier 1-5 - This book touches upon the barriers to understanding that are thrown up by differences in language, race, species, experience, etc.   The main characters are Liddy, a widowed young rancher near the Mexican border and Oscar, a man from Honduras who is trying to escape gang violence and reach the United States in hopes of a better life.  They get thrown together by 'circumstances'.  It was a decent series, but I wouldn't rank it near the top of my favorites from Vaughan.


Birthright 26-31 - We learn more about the Nevermind and the world of Terenos as Mike's family tries to find a way to free him from the Nevermind's influence.  This is a pretty good fantasy series and I think that it has gotten a little bit better as it has progressed.


Black Cloud 1-10 - Zelda is of the Old Blood, but has been living in the normal world in exile for quite some time.  Her return to her homeland with a spoiled young man in tow disrupts things in many ways.  Zelda has always been a good talker, but her decisions haven't had good results.  I enjoyed this series and it reached a fairly decent conclusion.


Black Magick 7-11 - Rowan Black is a police detective who also happens to be a powerful witch.  She doesn't use her powers for evil, but is hunted by a couple of groups nevertheless.  A very nice series touching upon the occult and fantasy elements.


Black Monday Murders 7-8 - A number of groups have profited for a long time through their dealings with the god Mammon.  A police detective investigating a murder and a professor uncover more info in these issues.  This series is pretty good, but comes out too infrequently like many Hickman books.


Copperhead 15-19 - The sheriff has disappeared thanks to her late sister's husband and his current girlfriend.  The mayor appoints an interim sheriff and deputy to try and find her while also protecting her son.  This science fiction western has a few interesting turns here as we find out the background of the sheriff and what brought her to the planet. I have been enjoying the series.


Descender 22-32 - The time for the battle between the robots and the UGC arrives and we find out a lot more about the Harvesters who attacked the UGC years earlier.  Tim-21 is the key to everything and all the groups want him, but he only wants to be reunited with his friend Andy.  It all comes to a conclusion here in a fast paced story that also sets the stage for the sequel, Ascender, which I am looking forward to.


The Dying and the Dead 4-6 - Another enjoyable Hickman book that comes out far too infrequently.  The story advances a bit as a group of soldiers are detailed on a special mission to Miyajima in August 1945.  Hirohito wants to live forever and plans to make a trade with the Spear of Destiny to achieve his goal.


Eclipse 9-11 - The sun changed years ago and now kills anybody who goes out there unprotected, except for a few daywalkers who are immune.  Solarity is a company that runs things now and is killing off all of these daywalkers in order to stay in power.  I've enjoyed the book so far.


Elsewhere 1-8 - Amelia Earhart fell through a bright light when she parachuted away from her failing plane and ended up..Elsewhere.  She befriends the natives, helps defeat an evil warlord, goes on an adventure to return home and finds that a lot of time has passed.  This is a decent adventure story, though I found it kind of lacking in complexity.  It was stil entertaining enough, but kind of predictable.


Eternal Empire 1-10 - The Eternal Empress has been conquering the lands of Saia for 120 years and is getting close to having the whole continent under her control.  Tair is a female slave in a snowy region of Saia who has finally had enough and makes her escape soon after having visions of a land of warmth.  Rion is a male slave from a different part of Saia who also has visions.  These visions lead to the two meeting and discovering that when they are close to each other, they gain some ability to control fire.  They only want to find a place where they can live in peace, but are drawn into trying to defeat the Empress since there will soon be no place outside of her reach.  I like Luna's art and the story was pretty decent as well.


Evolution 1-10 - I thought that this series would be a bit more science fiction, but is more in the horror genre.  A number of people are getting infected with something that can cause great changes in their body and make them look like monsters, but it may just be an advanced case of evolution hitting in a short period of time.  Throw in a mysterious group and a cult and it is a decent story, though the art style employed here is a bit muddled and can make the characters difficult to differentiate.


The Fix 9-12 - This is a fun, but crazy series.  It also comes out far too infrequently.  Corrupt cops, a brothel, a plucky dog and lots of wild humor.




DeCarlo Rules

Quote from: rusty on November 11, 2018, 10:31:46 PM
Since I have over 300 Image comics to catch up on, I'm breaking it up a bit.   B-F to start

Wow, that is a lot of titles (considering it's just B through F), Rusty. Do you have (in your head, or can you approximate by some rough figuring) how many different titles (in progress, ongoing or limited series) you're reading at any given time, including all publishers? I mean the things that actually do get published on some sort of semi-regular schedule, not those things that are once-in-a-blue-moon (like for example, the various comic strip reprint series from IDW's Library of American Comics, which are probably no more often than annual at best).

What I really wanted to ask though, is did you not get Ian Boothby and Gisèle Lagacé's new Image series EXORSISTERS? (Begins with an E, right?) If not, you should really check that one out. Twin sisters (but not really) Cate and Kate Harrow are supernatural investigators and as close as can be (spoilers again, not really twins), but totally different in personality. Like Betty and Veronica, or more apropos, like Patty and Cathy Lane in The Patty Duke Show. Fun-filled supernatural situation comedy ensues. I like Gisèle's other stuff with Dave Lumsdon -- Ménage à 3, Eerie Cuties and Magick Chicks (in increasing order of how much I like them) but I feel like Exorsisters has the potential to be even funnier, and it's already off to a great start. I really hope it's an ongoing series from Image and not just a limited series.



[SPOILER: A lot of the covers seem to have this split-image or mirror-reflection motif, and that's a clue about the true nature of the Exorsisters.]


rusty

I remember debating picking up Exorsisters, but ultimately decided to pass based on the preview.  Since you are recommending it, I will plan on checking the trade out when it eventually is released.  Even if I was collecting it, though, I wouldn't be reading it.  My policy on many new series, especially from Image and smaller companies or miniseries, is to keep the books in a box as they are released and to read the title when it is complete or when four or five issues are out. 

As for the number of titles I have going, it is hard to say with the frequency that various titles are published.  Looking at my latest orders from DCBS and Mycomicshop (which is where I get my new comics and graphic novels), there are about 150 different ongoing or limited series, leaving out specials, annuals and so on.  There are probably another 20-30 titles or more that just didn't have an issue during that month.

When I was teaching, I would start falling behind in my reading around the end of September/beginning of October and it would get worse as the school year progressed.  When school got out in June, there would often be 800-1000 comics to get caught up on and it would take me a month or so to get caught up.  Due to a variety of circumstances, I never got caught up during the summer of 2017 so my pile this year was even bigger.  I spent time getting caught up on the manga backlog and am now getting caught up on the comics.  Since I am retired, though, I should be able to stay fairly caught up.  I get my comics during the first week or two of each month so that means each month I will have a large stack to work through, but nothing like what built up over the past 16 months.

DeCarlo Rules

#1553
Quote from: rusty on November 12, 2018, 08:29:47 AM
I remember debating picking up Exorsisters, but ultimately decided to pass based on the preview.  Since you are recommending it, I will plan on checking the trade out when it eventually is released.  Even if I was collecting it, though, I wouldn't be reading it.  My policy on many new series, especially from Image and smaller companies or miniseries, is to keep the books in a box as they are released and to read the title when it is complete or when four or five issues are out. 

Well, if you are retired I guess it explains how you have so much time to read all those comics.

Given that you're saying you might check out Exorsisters in trade, I wonder (based on your reading habits of waiting months to read 5 issues or so of any given title) why you're not just getting the trade collections of all those other titles to begin with. I mean I can see it where some people just want (theoretically at least, presuming that they can find the time) to read things while they're still "fresh", and not wait on a gap of several months until the trade collection is released, but it seems like by the time you're getting around to those particular issue numbers, the TP collection must already be available or at least imminent within the next month or so. It seems like next to nothing (getting to the real fringe publishers otherwise) that isn't getting that trade collection, almost like clockwork in today's comic publishing world.

For myself, I know there are a few titles where I'd start off buying the individual issues, then for one reason or another, never get around to catching up on the title until the trade collection was out or due out soon. When that happens I just sort of scratch my head and wonder what I was thinking. If I was going to wait that long to read those comics, then why didn't I just wait for the trade in the first place?

rusty

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on November 12, 2018, 08:54:30 AM
Well, if you are retired I guess it explains how you have so much time to read all those comics.

Given that you're saying you might check out Exorsisters in trade, I wonder (based on your reading habits of waiting months to read 5 issues or so of any given title) why you're not just getting the trade collections of all those other titles to begin with. I mean I can see it where some people just want (theoretically at least, presuming that they can find the time) to read things while they're still "fresh", and not wait on a gap of several months until the trade collection is released, but it seems like by the time you're getting around to those particular issue numbers, the TP collection must already be available or at least imminent within the next month or so. It seems like next to nothing (getting to the real fringe publishers otherwise) that isn't getting that trade collection, almost like clockwork in today's comic publishing world.
I have been reading/collecting a lot of titles since since my early teens.  It increased when I started working at a comic book store when I was 16 (in 1986) and has stayed that way even after the store closed in 2005.  I also read 100-200 books each year, though more have them have been audiobooks in recent years.
I like the individual comic format more than the trade is one of the main reasons that I stick with it.  I will often save up a bunch of issues to read early in the run, but then will read them as they come out (assuming that I have the time) after that.  I don't mind reading trades for series that I didn't buy as individual issues, but will usually just check them out of the library instead of buying them.

DeCarlo Rules

#1555
Quote from: rusty on November 12, 2018, 12:08:07 PM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on November 12, 2018, 08:54:30 AM
Well, if you are retired I guess it explains how you have so much time to read all those comics.

Given that you're saying you might check out Exorsisters in trade, I wonder (based on your reading habits of waiting months to read 5 issues or so of any given title) why you're not just getting the trade collections of all those other titles to begin with. I mean I can see it where some people just want (theoretically at least, presuming that they can find the time) to read things while they're still "fresh", and not wait on a gap of several months until the trade collection is released, but it seems like by the time you're getting around to those particular issue numbers, the TP collection must already be available or at least imminent within the next month or so. It seems like next to nothing (getting to the real fringe publishers otherwise) that isn't getting that trade collection, almost like clockwork in today's comic publishing world.

I have been reading/collecting a lot of titles since since my early teens.  It increased when I started working at a comic book store when I was 16 (in 1986) and has stayed that way even after the store closed in 2005.  I also read 100-200 books each year, though more have them have been audiobooks in recent years.
I like the individual comic format more than the trade is one of the main reasons that I stick with it.  I will often save up a bunch of issues to read early in the run, but then will read them as they come out (assuming that I have the time) after that.  I don't mind reading trades for series that I didn't buy as individual issues, but will usually just check them out of the library instead of buying them.

I've largely gone the other way. If I can stand to wait until it's released, I prefer reading (and collecting, and owning) the trade collection. All of that bagging/boarding and (if we're talking about something older that I'm re-reading after a long time) UN-bagging or RE-bagging/boarding (depending on age) gets tedious after a while and the trades just seem much more convenient, more durable, and less susceptible to damage through routine handling. That's truer than ever of comic stories published in the last couple of decades, because the stories are being designed to fit the collected edition format.

As a side note, I'll make the observation that manga stories, whose individual chapters as anthologized in various Japanese manga periodicals (mostly weekly or bi-weekly, sometimes monthly) are basically analogous to an American floppy comic book, could be (and used to be) published first in English translation in the U.S. standard popular periodical format, but now they're going straight to collected editions of 200 or more pages, and they read much better that way. I really think U.S. comic publishing would have been much better off if it stuck to a disposable first-publication format (CHEAP! ... as MAD Magazine used to say...) instead of making an expensive, computer-colored, slick-paper 'disposable' comic that no one is ever going to dispose of, but which requires post-publication protection (in the form of bags and boards) from normal handling.

rusty

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on November 12, 2018, 12:32:20 PM

I've largely gone the other way. If I can stand to wait until it's released, I prefer reading (and collecting, and owning) the trade collection. All of that bagging/boarding and (if we're talking about something older that I'm re-reading after a long time) UN-bagging or RE-bagging/boarding (depending on age) gets tedious after a while and the trades just seem much more convenient, more durable, and less susceptible to damage through routine handling. That's truer than ever of comic stories published in the last couple of decades, because the stories are being designed to fit the collected edition format.

As a side note, I'll make the observation that manga stories, whose individual chapters as anthologized in various Japanese manga periodicals (mostly weekly or bi-weekly, sometimes monthly) are basically analogous to an American floppy comic book, could be (and used to be) published first in English translation in the U.S. standard popular periodical format, but now they're going straight to collected editions of 200 or more pages, and they read much better that way. I really think U.S. comic publishing would have been much better off if it stuck to a disposable first-publication format (CHEAP! ... as MAD Magazine used to say...) instead of making an expensive, computer-colored, slick-paper 'disposable' comic that no one is ever going to dispose of, but which requires post-publication protection (in the form of bags and boards) from normal handling.
I don't use bags and boards, except on older, more valuable comics so that isn't an issue for me as much.  I do prefer the collected editions for manga.  if the U.S. publishers were to switch to that format, though, I would probably drastically decrease what I buy and just use the library for many things I wanted to read.

BettyReggie

#1557
The Nameless City - Volume #1

rusty

Image Comics H to M


Hadrian's Wall 1-8 - A science fiction murder mystery on a spaceship.  A detective is hired for what is said to be a routine check into an accidental death.  However, it turns out to be a much bigger deal and not just because the dead guy was married to the detective's ex-wife and shot him four times years earlier.   This was a pretty decent story.


Hit-Girl 1-9 - I didn't really like the first arc that much, but I did enjoy the second arc in Canada.  The art was much better and Lemire's story was more interesting.  The third arc is off to a decent start.


Horizon 13-18 - We learn a lot more about Lincoln here and this science fiction tale is brought to a premature end since it was canceled, but they had enough time to wrap up a number of things.  I enjoyed it while it lasted.


invincible 138-144 - The End of All Things did wrap things up nicely and then we get a peak at the future.  I was on board this series from the first issue and it has been consistently entertaining.  I'm glad it went out on its own terms.


Jupiter's Legacy 2 1-5 - How do you take on a group of superhero kids who murdered the parents and now essentially rule the world?  Recruit a bunch of supervillains to take them on.  A fun series that sets up the final series next year.


Kick-Ass 1-9 - I'm actually enjoying the new Kick-Ass, a former marine sergeant trying to earn some money to provide for her family.


Kill or Be Killed 1-20 - A man tries to commit suicide, but fails and starts seeing a demon who forces him to kill at least one person a month or die.  He becomes a vigilante and targets bad people.  I've been a fan of Brubaker and Phillips since Sleeper came out 15 years ago though I enjoyed other works like Lowlife from Brubaker before that.  This series is entertaining as expected.


Kingsman The Red Diamond 1-6 - I didn't think this was as much fun as the first two series (or the movies either), but it was okay.  I liked Kwaito, the South African agent.


Lazarus X+66 1-6
Lazarus Sourcebook vol.3 Vassalovka
Lazarus 27-28 - The miniseries does a nice job giving us background on some of the other families and some of the minor  characters from the main book like Casey Solomon.  It was a fun series.  The ongoing series returned with a two parter about Jonah Carlyle and sets the stage for the next major arc.  Unfortunately, that arc, which was supposed to start in September, has not even been solicited yet.  Lazarus has been a very good series about a future world taken over by a small number of families.


Maestros 1-7 - I wasn't sure about this series after the first issue, but it grew on me and I enjoyed it.  The Maestro is a big and powerful magician who rules most of the magic realm.  He is also kind of cruel, though with a mean sense of humor.  When he and almost all of his wives and children are killed, Will's mother comes to find him and inform him that he is the new Maestro.  He had been raised on Earth and never quite fit in with the people in the magic realm and he now institutes a bunch of reforms.  This was a funny series that told a decent story, too.


Manifest Destiny 30-35 - What if the Lewis and Clark expedition found tons of weird and supernatural stuff.  Strange animal, plant life and a bunch more.  This has been a pretty strange, but enjoyable series.

rusty

I'm finally caught up with Image. 


Image Comics O-W


Oblivion Song 1-8 - One day 10 years ago, part of Philadelphia traded places with part of an alien world with monsters that ended up killing lots of people, not to mention those who were gone to this other world.  A scientist developed a method to change frequencies and reach this other world to rescue people in the hopes of finding his brother.  This has been a pretty decent series so far from Robert Kirkman.


Paklis 1-5 - This is a science fiction anthology which I hoped would be better, but I didn't enjoy that much, though the art wasn't bad.


Paper Girls 16-25 - A time traveling adventure with a group of paper girls from the 1980s.  This series has been really good.


Pisces 1-3 - A science fiction/horror series that was canceled early.  It was okay, but hadn't found its stride yet.


Port of Earth 1-8 - Aliens show up one day and work out an agreement to build a port just off of San Francisco in exchange for technology to convert water to energy.  However, humans are not allowed at the port.  I found the art rather dull with the choice of color palette.  The story wasn't much better at first, but did pick up over the last few issues.  I don't think I will continue with year two.


Realm 1-10 - Kind of a D&D type adventure.  The world has changed and computer chips and devices that use them no longer work.  Magic and monsters now roam the lands as well.  A man is hired to escort a small group from Chicago to Kansas City.  I've been enjoying this series so far.


Rocket Girl 8-10 - Lots of delays in this title, but the final three issues wrapped things up.  I liked the series quite a bit and hope they return to it some day.


Rose 1-13 - This is a decent, if somewhat average fantasy series.


Royal City 1-14 - I like most books from Jeff Lemire.  This one is certainly no exception.  It deals with a father who spends most of his time working on old radios, a mother who snipes all the time and is having an affair, the oldest son who had one hit novel, but has writer's block, a daughter who is a realtor and is trying to close down a plant as part of a big deal and a younger son who is an alcoholic, a drug addict and not very trustworthy.  All are still haunted by the death of the youngest son back in 1993.  A very well done series.


Sacred Creatures 1-6 - The seven deadly sins are all real and have been around for thousands of years along with their opposites, kept in check by the archangel Naviel.  They hatch a plot to kill Naviel and free themselves to do whatever they want.  I thought this was very good and I loo forward to the next part.


Saga 45-54 - An excellent series as usual, though a bit brutal toward the end.  It will be a long break before the next part.


Sleepless 1-8 - Those knights who take the Sleepless vow remain awake and hard to injure for years on end until their minds start to drift and then they fall asleep until death claims them.  One such knight is pledged to Poppy, the illegitimate daughter of the late king.  He has to work to protect her from those who would do her harm after her uncle takes the throne.  A very nice series so far that wraps up in a few months.


Snowfall 1-9 - Climate change and the work of one scientist have caused snow to become extremely rare.  Society is a bit different in 2045 now as a result.  I didn't enjoy this series as much as I had hoped.  I didn't really buy the premise and found most of the characters kind of dull and the story a bit muddled.


Southern Cross 13-14 - A science fiction/horror series that I like, but has suffered massive delays for some reason.


Thief of Thieves 38-41 - This series started out as an Oceans 11 type series, but has evolved somewhat.  I still enjoy it a lot and there are only a couple of issues left.


Void Trip 1-5 - Ana and Gabriel are the last two humans and they travel around in a space camper high on space froot.  This is kind of a trippy series, but I thought it was fun.


Wicked + Divine 30-39, Christmas Annual, The Funnies, 1373AD, 1923AD - Every 90 years, 12 young people ascend to godhood.  They shine brightly, but are dead within two years.  This has been going on for about 6000 years.  There is a lot more to it and we learn more of the backstory here.  One more arc until this enjoyable series ends.



Wytches Bad Egg Halloween Special - It has been a while since the Wytches miniseries.  This is a good horror special and I am looking forward to the next miniseries, which may come out in 2019.




Dark Horse is next.




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