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Messages - rusty

#46
I got tired of waiting for Into the Badlands to come back from hiatus, so I went ahead and watched the first 8 episodes from season 3 that have been sitting on my dvr.  They were enjoyable, though maybe not quite as much as the first two seasons.  They do set up an interesting second half of the season.  I also liked the teases as to what happened to cause the breakdown in society.

I also watched the first episode of the new Doctor Who series.  It is only one episode, but I liked Jodie Whittaker as The Doctor.  I plan to watch the next four episodes tomorrow.  It is a short season with only 10 episodes so it will be over in another 5 weeks.
#47
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on November 03, 2018, 04:43:12 PM
I've come to the conclusion that it must be some sort of generational thing, since large numbers of people seem to have absolutely no problem with the idea. That goes for reading comics or e-books, as well. Then again, if a video is not being displayed in its correct aspect ratio it's immediately apparent to me (and annoying to the point where I just can't watch it), but apparently what's annoying to other people that they just can't stand is an area of their screen that isn't being used where nothing but black bars appear.

But that's coming from a guy who has no idea why anyone would want to text on a phone using a tiny keyboard when they could just call (even if it's just to leave a voicemail) or email someone. People not only seem to enjoy but actually prefer texting, though.


I've gotten used to reading ebooks on my phone, though usually it is when I am waiting somewhere and it helps pass the time.  I've started texting more since I got my iPhone a few years ago, but still prefer the phone call and actual talking.  I've adapted somewhat, though, as it had become clear that some of my friends are much easier to reach via text since they tend to respond to that more than a voicemail.  I will sometimes make use of the speech to text option with my texts where I just have to tap the microphone button and then dictate my text message, making sure to read it over for any errors.
#48
Stephen Mooney wrote and drew each of the issues for Half Past Danger and its sequel.  He did most of the covers, too.
I won't subscribe to the CBS service (or the DC service for that matter).  Discovery is coming to BluRay and DVD in a couple of weeks and a friend of mine who is getting it will let me borrow it to watch.  The same will probably happen for Titans and the other DC streaming originals eventually.  I have a Netflix subscription that I share with my niece and may give Hulu a trial some day in the distant future, but I don't like how all of these pay streaming services are popping up.  I will give the Apple one a try since it should be free for me to watch their content on my phone, though watching things on my phone is not ideal.
#49
I'm all caught up with IDW now.

Atomic Robo The Spectre of Tomorrow 1-5
Real Science Adventures 1-6 - The Atomic Robo books have been consistently entertaining for quite a while now.  The Atomic Robo series has plenty of humor and not as much adventure this time, though Robo does have to combat and defeat a long time nemesis.  The Real Science series takes place just after WWII and has a long aerial chase by pirates trying to recover one of their planes after being taken by the Flying She-Devils.  This series fills in some of the history of Robo's world.


Back to the Future 21-25
BTTF Biff to the Future 1-6
BTTF Tales from the Time Train 1-6 - These Back to the Future series have been a lot of fun.  I think they do a decent job capturing the feel of the movies.  The Biff series explores the world created by Biff taking the Sports Almanac back to the 1950s.  The Time Train series has the professor and his family visiting the New York World's Fair in 1939.

Donald and Mickey 1-4
DuckTales 0-13
Mickey and Donald Christmas Parade 3
Uncle Scrooge 28-40 and My First Millions 1
Walt Disney's Comics & Stories 739-744
Walt Disney Showcase 1-6 - These books mostly reprint stories from Europe that have never been published in the USA (except for the DuckTales series which I think is all new).  The tone is often a bit different than the classic Ducks (and Mouse) tales, but they are usually still pretty good.  There are a lot of stories available from Europe that have never been seen here and it is nice that IDW is putting a lot of them out.

Half Past Danger 2 #1-5 - A decent sequel in the Indiana Jones vein.  I enjoyed it and would read a third series.

Judge Dredd Blessed Earth 1-8
Judge Dredd Under Siege 1-4 - Blessed Earth takes place 10 years after Mega City Zero and a thousand years after the original Judge Dredd books.  It wasn't my favorite Dredd series, but it was okay.  I liked Under Siege a lot more which deals with mutants trying to take over a residential block near the edge of Mega City One.

Orphan Black Deviations 1-6 and Crazy Science 1 - The Deviations series is a 'What if Beth didn't jump in front of the subway train' story and I thought it was pretty entertaining.  The Crazy Science series got canceled after one issue due to low sales and hopefully it will be completed some day in a trade.

Saucer State 1-6 - This series continues Vertigo's Saucer Country series from a few years ago.  The President and a few others see aliens on occasion and the question is whether the aliens are real or just the product of microwave technology.  First contact may be on the horizon.  One more series is being kickstarted soon to finish off the story.  I've enjoyed it.

Star Trek Boldly Go 10-18
Star Trek Discovery The Light of Kahless 1-4, Succession 1-4 and Annual 1
Star Trek TNG Mirror Broken 1-5 and Through the Mirror 1-6 - Boldly Go continues the adventures of the reboot Enterprise crew.  I hope that their adventures continue in comic form since this was a good series.  Light of Kahless shows how the reunification of the Klingon Empire came about and was good.  Succession is a Mirror Universe series and I didn't find it as interesting, though it wasn't bad.  Mirror Broken shows how Picard gets the newly built Enterprise and holds on to it while Through the Mirror is a crossover between the Mirror Universe Enterprise and the regular universe Enterprise.  Both series were pretty good.

Star Wars Adventures FCBD 2017 2018 1-14 Annual 1 Tales from Vader's Castle 1
Star Wars Forces of Destiny (five one shots) - The Star Wars Adventures books feature two stories per issue from throughout the Star Wars timeline.  The characters change from issue to issue except for the occasional two parter.  They tend to be lighter in nature, but are fun.  The Forces of Destiny books focus on some of the female Star Wars characters (Ahsoka, Padme, Hera, Leia, Rey, Rose, Paige) and are pretty decent stories.

Tangled the Series 1-3 - About what you would expect, but decent Disney fare.

The Highest House 1-6 - In the beginning, Moth is a young boy sold into slavery by his mother.  He is taken to one of the most important houses in the realm where he will serve the family as a roofer and later in other ways.  This is a fantasy series by Mike Carey and Peter Gross and is very well done.  It is done in magazine size which I think suits the story well.  It looks like this will be told over many miniseries and I'm looking forward to the next one.



Dynamite is next
#50
Quote from: BettyReggie on October 30, 2018, 02:16:03 PM
I can't find The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina on Netflix. Is it only streaming or is it in discs you can rent?


Streaming only.  It should become available on disc eventually, but it will probably be at least a year or two.
#51
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on October 29, 2018, 08:17:51 PM
Nobody watched The Chilling Adventures of SABRINA on Netflix?

Wow, the apathy is mind-boggling. I mean, even I'M a little curious about this one, and usually I couldn't care less about this kind of stuff.

Can't believe Tuxedo Mark isn't all over this.
I plan on watching it, but am catching up on other shows first.  It will be available on Netflix for quite some time so there is no real hurry.
#52
I'm caught up on Aftershock now:


Animosity 8-15, World of Animosity 1, Animosity The Rise 2-3, Animosity Evolution 1-7 - One day, the animals of the world suddenly gain the power of speech and they have an intelligence equal to humans.  A lot of death follows with various groups battling.  Various groups are formed as well - some are only human, some only animal and some a partnership between the two.  In the main title, 11 year old Jessie survives the Wake in New York City, but her parents die.  Her loyal bloodhound Sandor and other friends that she make try to get her across the country to California where her half brother Adam live.  The last two titles focus on Adam, a veterinarian in San Francisco where animals run things, but humans are allowed with an animal guard.   Each of these series is pretty entertaining and well written.


Brilliant Trash 1-6 - Superpowers are now secretly available, but they are controlled by the government and a few private companies.  The world at large is mostly unaware of these abilities which come at the cost of the user's lifespan.  I thought the series was okay, but could have been better.


Jackpot 1-6 - What starts as a sort of con series along the lines of Oceans 11 turns into something else when one of the characters develops the ability to control probabilities through an innate understanding of the underlying calculus of the world.  I think the grifting storyline would have been more interesting.  The end result falls a bit flat, but wasn't bad.


The Normals 1-6 - The Normals are a fairly normal family - father, mother, teenage son and teenage daughter.  When the son falls and hits is head it leads the family to return to where the parents grew up, but things take a few unexpected turns.  I thought this series was pretty well done.  I would like to see a second series.


Rough Riders Riders on the Storm 1-6 - When President McKinley is shot, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Houdini, Jack Johnson, Thomas Edison, Annie Oakley and Monk Eastman reunite to try and foil the secret society that seems to be trying to kill the President and wreak more havoc.  I thought this was just as much fun as the first series.


Rough Riders Ride or Die 1-4 - This series takes us to 1906 when Alice Roosevelt is getting married.  The gang reunites for another adventure involving the supernatural.  I didn't think it was quite as good as the previous series.


World Reader 1-6 - A group of astronauts are searching distant planets that once held civilizations.  Among them is a woman who has psychic abilities and can see and communicate with the dead civilizations.  She discovers that a being seems to be going from world to world snuffing out life and she tries to find out why.  I thought the series was pretty good at the start, but fizzled a bit at the end.  Still a decent read.




IDW is next.
#53
I'm been using Previewsworld and its predecessor for the Weekly Releases lists since 2005.  It is pretty useful and each week I use it to make up a list of what I am expecting in my orders from that week, even though my shipments are monthly now.  I will also occasionally peak at the next week list.  I'll stick with the printed Previews catalog, though.  It only costs me 99 cents and I don't mind waiting until it shows up in my order the first week of the month.  The preorder setup at Mycomicshop comes in pretty handy as well and their layout tends to be a decent match for the printed book.  Plus you can only look at new material or graphic novels etc.


I've finished catching up on Valiant over the past few days.


Armstrong and the Vault of Spirits - Every year on Armstrong's birthday, Ivar opens up a vault with one bottle of wine (or other spirits) for each year Armstrong has been alive.  Funny and entertaining.  Archer and Armstrong was one of my favorite Valiant titles.


Bloodshot Salvation 1-12 - Bloodshot is living off the grid with his wife and daughter until he learns of Magic's crazy father and family and heads off to try and put a stop to it before trouble arises.  It doesn't quite go as planned.  This is a pretty good series.


Britannia We Who are About to Die 3-4 and Lost Eagles of Rome 1-4 - A nice historical series (of miniseries) about a Roman era detective.


Divinity 0 and Eternity 1-4 - I didn't really care for these as most Valiant series.


Faith and the Future Force 1-4, Faith Dreamside 1, Faith's Winter Wonderland Special 1 - Faith is a fun character.  The miniseries sees her having to assemble a team to help the Timewalker defeat an alien bent on killing off humanity in the distant past.  Plenty of humor as well.


Harbinger Renegades 5-8,0, Harbinger Wars Prelude 1-4 Aftermath - Hard Corps has been attacking and killing psiots including many children.  This eventually leads to a war.  The Hard Corps approach is kind of repulsive and I don't think is very convincing.  The stories were decent, but I don't like the setup.


Ninjak Shadowman Rapture 3-4, Ninjak vs the Valiant Universe 1-4, Ninja-K 1-11 - The first two series were pretty good, but the ongoing series is even better.  That one deals with the history of Britain's Ninja program, starting with Ninja-A during World War I, Ninja-B and so on.


Quantum and Woody 1-10 - This series has always been pretty funny and entertaining.  Eric Henderson continues to be the serious one trying to be a hero (Quantum) and his adopted brother Woody continues to be a goofball.  Then there is the goat...


Secret Weapons 2-4, 0, 0 Owen's Story - A group of people who gain abilities of questionable usefulness are now on the run from Hard Corps and are being aided by Livewire.  One member can talk to birds, another can make things appear out of thin air, but has little control over it and another can turn to stone.  This series was pretty good.


Shadowman Rae Sremmurd, ongoing 1-7 - The one shot deals with two young men who sell their souls to the devil in exchange for five years of fame and success.  The ongoing features the return to Earth from the Deadside of Shadowman after a long absence.  He has to deal with Baron Samedi and the history of the various Shadowmen is covered as well.  Shadowman has never been one of my favorite Valiant characters, but I liked these a lot.


Valiant High 1-4 - An interesting alternate take where the Valiant heroes are teenagers attending Valiant High with Harada as Principal.  It is sort of like the John Hughes films from the 1980s and is perhaps not the most original, but was fun.


War Mother 1-4 - In the distant future, groups of humans try to survive in a hostile environment.  The leader of one group is a woman who has a talent for survival.  It wasn't bad, but didn't feel necessary.


XO Manowar 5-19 - Aric is trying to make a life on a distant planet, but has been forced to join one side in a three way battle for supremacy.  He tries to make things better, but his plans don't really work out as he hoped.  He is also trying to deal with trauma from his past.   This series is pretty consistent and entertaining.




Aftershock is next.
#54
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on October 25, 2018, 12:06:07 AM
Quote from: rusty on October 20, 2018, 03:04:02 PM
I also read around a dozen comics from Joe Books.   Their output is nonexistent now so I am wondering if they have financial problems.

I haven't paid too much attention to JoeBooks, but they're still soliciting new product for January 2019 shipping (Disney Cinestory graphic novels). Only two items for that month's solicitation, but they're still in business.
Were these in the November Previews?  If so, I haven't received it yet.  I didn't see anything in the October Previews and the only item in the September Previews was a Wreck it Ralph activity book.  Their monthly comic titles stopped coming out earlier this year so maybe they are focusing on areas that sell better or make them more of a profit like the Cinestory books.
#55
I'm caught up on Titan Comics for now.


Assassin's Creed #1-14 - I've never played the games, but enjoyed the movie so I thought I'd check out the comics.  This first series from Titan was a lot of fun.  I plan to check out the other series from Titan and other publishers.


Dan Dare #1-4 - A good modern version of Dan Dare as the supertreen Mekon is now a prisoner and seems to be reformed.  Entertaining science fiction.


Forever War #1-6 and Forever Free #1-3 - These are pretty good adaptations of the Joe Haldeman science fiction novels.


Lost Fleet: Corsair #1-5 - I am a fan of Jack Campbell's various series - The Lost Fleet, The Lost Stars, Pillars of Reality, etc.  This is a nice side story in the Lost Fleet universe telling what happened to Black Jack Geary's great nephew and his escape from the Syndics.  More Lost Fleet comics would not be a bad thing.


Robotech #1-12 - I was a fan of the various comic series from Comico back in the 1980s.  I never watched the anime, though, and lost interest in the comics during the Sentinels run.  This updated version has been pretty good so far.


Torchwood The Culling #1-4 - Not as good as some of the other Torchwood series, but okay.  None of the comics measure up to the first two tv seasons, but that is likely an unreasonable expectation.




Up next is Valiant.
#56
I realized after I replied that Twin Spica isn't really the same type of SF manga, but it is pretty good.
I am a backer for DMP's Kimagure Orange Road and Wonder 3 kickstarters.  I have backed a couple other things from them as well and they have been really bad with these last few.  I think that they ran into some serious financial problems.  I have been much more patient than many, though one of the biggest problems has been a lack of communication.  They have gotten things turned around on the KOR kickstarter and I should get my books within the next month or two - only a couple of years late.  After that, I think there is one other backed up kickstarter before they get to the Wonder 3 books.  Hopefully we will get them by next summer.  I think that I ordered 6 or 7 manga with the add ons.
I'm not a fan of the digital only releases, but I can understand it if they are anticipating low print sales.  I would think that Space Brothers would sell pretty well, though.
One other thing I don't like, but can understand, is when the publisher publishes part of the series to sort of test the waters and skips around without publishing the entire series or even making the attempt.   This is what happened with Golgo 13 from Viz with a best of series that barely scratched the surface.  Same thing with Oishinbo from Viz and Drops of God from Vertical, though Vertical did start from the beginning before jumping ahead to try and increase sales.
#57
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on October 22, 2018, 10:29:38 AM
CRUSHER JOE #1-6 (Studio Ironcat 1998)

PLANETES Vol. 1-4.2 - For reasons that completely escape me, what should have been volumes 4 and 5 were instead marked as volumes 4.1 and 4.2 ... ? I don't know why; it's not like thematically they comprised a particular story arc together. Maybe in the original Japanese publication order Volume 4 was a single volume that (for whatever reason) had twice as many pages as the previous three volumes, and ToykoPop just split it in half for the English translation? It's a bit of a disappointment for the series to end as soon as it does, because it really doesn't feel like there's any sense of resolution, and many characters' plotlines are simply left dangling. I was also surprised to learn that there was a anime series adapted from the manga, since I'd never heard of it. There were a lot of side characters whose stories didn't really reach any satisfying ending. This could have been better-focused and a little less rambling off on tangents, but in general, it's a good kind of near-future hard-science based type of sci-fi that I enjoy a lot. ASTRA: LOST IN SPACE is another such similar series. Wish I could find more manga like this. It's SO near-future that much of the underlying backstory historical context has probably already been invalidated since the books were published by TokyoPop in 2004.


I enjoyed Crusher Joe.  I wonder if any company will license and publish the new Crusher Joe: Rebirth series.   


Planetes is a series that I love.  The fourth volume was double sized in Japan so it was understandable that it was split in two for English release, though it came across a bit strange.  I wish the series had been longer.  I also enjoyed Astra and finished reading it recently.


Have you tried Space Brothers and Twin Spica?  I have really enjoyed each of these.  Space Brothers is only available digitally, unfortunately, and certain volumes of Twin Spica can be a little more difficult to find/expensive these days.
#58
I read:

Bill and Ted Save the Universe #1-5 - another entertaining entry in the Bill and Ted universe.

Lucy Dreaming #1-5 - a girl finds that she has the power to enter other worlds when she is dreaming due to her parents scientific experiments.  It was fun.

Mech Cadet Yu #1-12 - Every four years, three giant mecha come down to Earth to bond with cadets at the academy so that they can aid in the fight against the alien Sharg.  Something unexpected happens with the latest bonding ceremony.  I enjoyed the series.

Misfit City #1-8 - Not much happens in the coastal town of Cannon Cove, except for the occasional fan of the 1980s kids movie The Gloomies which was filmed there shows up (guess which movie this is based on).   Then a pirate map turns up with bad guys trying to steal it from a group of kids who are trying to figure the map out.  A decent if somewhat predictable series.

Skybourne #1-5 - A Frank Cho series about the children of Lazarus who are immortals with great strength and other abilities.  Bloody but good.The Woods #33-36 - The end of a series about a group of high school students and their teachers who were kidnapped to an alien moon along with their school building and then had to survive for a few years. 


I'm all caught up with Boom now.  On to Titan Books.
#59
I've started getting caught up on the new comics from the past year or so that I fell behind on - probably around 1800 comics total.  My goal is to be caught up before Christmas so we'll see how that goes.

Today I read Motor Girl #1-10 by  Terry Moore.  It is about an Iraq war veteran who survived two bombings and torture during a year of captivity and new runs a junkyard in the desert.  Very well done.

I also read around a dozen comics from Joe Books.   Their output is nonexistent now so I am wondering if they have financial problems.
Bongo Comics is next and then I will move on to other publishers.
#60
Killjoys Season 4 - I'm halfway through the penultimate season about bounty hunters in the distant future.  It has been good so far, though not quite as much fun as the first three seasons.