Started reading Hellblazer, which really makes the movie suck.

I think the movie was pretty embarrassing in its own right, but yeah I've been slowly reading my way through the series. I think I'm up to issue... 60, it's before Steve Dillon and Garth Ennis (of Preacher fame) started drawing/ writing it.

As for me... well a friend of mine gave me an anthology of American Splendor which I've been slowly making my way through. I do like how it's one of the few comic books that was squarely aimed at adults when the medium was still written around kids, but I just don't see what it is about it that made my friend puke rainbows over it.

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just 14 issues of slugfests

and i don't even like Carnage much

at least it has Iron Fist and Deathlok, and interesting villains like Shriek and Demogoblin

it was looooooooooong without much of a plot

also:-

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some sort of war between the Angels, with GR seeking revenge against some angel named Zadkiel - moves along like an R-Rated movie, though the final story, God Don't Exist in a Cell Block, is a rather funny black comedy

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really rather "hard-boiled" and very good - is a tale of Baron Zemo trying to "break" the new Captain America aka Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier (KGB soldier) - forms a part of a long continuing arc, the other parts which i'm getting soon

Is 300 worth trying? I heard the comics were good.

Usually I read comics from apps on my phone. Mostly free ones unless I have money to spend. Don't have a computer to download really so I go by recs. Read a lot of Marvel pop comics. The free ones are more obscure. Hit and miss too. I really liked Sam and Twich though. Quite stylish criminology.

it's hardly as good as the movie - it's also not a series - it's only one graphic novel

the art is sketchy, the story so-so - only thing good about it is that it's authentic historically - the Spartans are nude

Ah ok. Well since it's one novel suppose it's easy to try.

Hmm I like historical settings. Should probably find some more around.

My buddy published a comic with Image this past year called Moriarty: The Dark Chamber which is freaking awesome! I'd recommend it if anyone's interested in the whole Sherlock Holmes/Moriarty mystique.

Clever spammer is clever. :laughing:

Anyone here read comic books?
 

If so, what are some of your fave titles? Right now Im really into Batman, Green Lantern, Ressurection Man, All Star Western and Swamp.

Ive also been getting into Y The Last Man and Walking Dead recently.

got a whole bunch of Captain America as written by Ed Brubaker

have read them and will be posting reviews soon

here goes:-

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in which Bucky Barnes (Cap's old WW2 sidekick) returns and turns out to be a brainwashed ruthless assassin previously working for the KGB - nicely neo-Realistic, Modernist, also the standalone story "Lonesome Death of Jack Munroe" is probably the most harsh and brutal mainstream superhero story I've ever read

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the return of the Red Skull? not much of a fan of Crossbones (lackey) and I'm not familiar with Sin (RS' daughter) so I didn't enjoy this that much

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mostly details the story of Bucky in a Gulag after he was tried for being the Winter Soldier - like this, it's close to being an "action movie" in comic form

some more:-

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plays mostly like a multi-title crossover and details the "resurrection" of Captain America after his assassination by the Red Skull - too "superhero" for my liking

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mostly a courtroom drama after the next Captain America (Bucky Barnes) is exposed by the new Baron Nemo as being the KGB stooge Winter Soldier, mildly engaging cos it's not very realistic, has Sin again, the Red Skull's daughter, whom I don't quite like, but has Master Man, whom I do like

I've been rereading two DC comic series' that are criminally underrated and stand great by themselves but are still a part of the overall DC universe.

First up

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Gotham Central

This answers the question "what would happen if The Wire took place in Gotham City". It's a police procedural about the police officers in the Major Crimes Unit in Gotham City as they attempt to keep up with Batman and remain relevant in a city full of nutjobs with jetpacks and a seemingly endless supply of disenfranchised henchmen at their command. If you liked the darker gritty feel of the Christopher Nolan Batman movies then you'll probably really like this series.

Second we have

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Chase

Meet the DC universe equivalent of Agent Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D. A government agent for the Department of Extranormal Operations with an intense distrust of superheroes for the damage they cause. This was the basic concept of The Boys but without the humor. It showed a lot of potential but only lasted 10 issues but they are well worth your time.

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Silent Hill: Sinner's Reward
Just been reading this lately. By far the best Silent Hill comic, and really the only one which feels like it has a real grasp of the source material at hand. Conceptually it's closest to SH2 than anything else, which is alright with me, as I loved SH2 to bits.

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Just finished reading the series Incorruptible, and now about to start the companion series Irredeemable. These are an interesting twist on the super-hero genre, where the good guy becomes the bad guy, and vice versa. Incorruptible is told from the point of view of the bad-turned-good hero, and Irredeemable is of course told from the opposite POV. Besides the concept being unique and original, the story itself was had me riveted and the end was very satisfying, in my opinion. Also, it wasn't very long, only 30 issues which translates to 7 trade paperbacks. So if I were to recommend some graphic novels for a noob, this would be one of them.

I could totally see this being made into a movie. Based on the early artwork, I keep picturing a Clive Owen as the main bad/good guy, if he could get alot more buffed up anyway.

More suggestions guys! I'm heading to NY Comic Con and I'm going to pick up some comics and graphic novels. Taking all suggestions. Has anyone read Locke and Key? I have heard good things about it. Also this other one called Chew.

Just get a pic with a Power Girl with sufficiently ridiculous breasts and I'll be happy.

If you haven't read Transmetropolitan or Preacher I would highly recommend those two series' off the Vertigo imprint. The former is basically follows the adventures of a cyberpunk Hunter S. Thompson armed with a gun that makes you crap yourself (not out of fear or anything, you get shot with it and your bowels releases). The latter is a comic about a foul mouthed, hard drinking preacher who gets embedded with the power to make people do whatever he tells them to (The Word of God) and sets out on a global trip to find God and make him pay for abandoning his creation.

Oh also if you find any collections of The Maxx they're also well worth your time, probably the only decent thing to come out on the Image publication back in its early days.

Preacher is a damn fine read

i've also been reading Fatale....good story with a nice "noir" feel

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Miracleman

The history behind this superhero is pretty spectacular but what drew me to this was that it's basically ground zero the post-modern dark deconstruction of the superhero genre by Alan Moore. This character actually started out as Marvel Man and was a British superhero that was heavily based on the power set of Captain Marvel, but had to change the name to Miracleman for a US release to avoid a lawsuit from Marvel Comics. This comic has also been at the center of a long running legal battle between Neil Gaimen and Todd McFarlene, which actually attaches to another law suit between the two men based on Spawn comics royalties.

Lawsuits aside I'm really impressed with Alan Moore's writing in this one and can see how it really influenced Watchmen. It's also easily one of the most violent comics from this time period too, but I guess it kind of matches the deconstruction of the genre. I do like how the violence isn't just pandering violence that was so ubiquitous with later comics that I can see this inspired. Definitely would recommend this one if you're a fan of Watchmen or other Alan Moore comics.

Never was a big fan of super hero comics but anything by Neil Gaiman is god-tier, Love and Rockets is awesome and REALLY well-drawn, The Black Hole, of course American Splendor and anything involving Crumb or Pekar, and right now I'm reading the Walking Dead. Hate to be a hipster about it but I was reading the Walking Dead BEFORE I even knew there was a TV show and there's no comparison. Both are ****ing ace though so that just goes to show how great the comic is. I especially like the attention to detail in the art, it's very consistent considering how many different artists have worked on it over the years.

I started reading Walking Dead for an hour or so, but I lost interest. The character drama was just uncompelling and boring.

I think it's pretty realistic. Considering how tacky and cliched a lot of horror media stuff can be (especially with zombies) I was and continue to be impressed by Kirkman's writing. Obviously it's highly unlikely but if a zombie apocalypse did occur, I don't think events would play out too differently from the way they do in his comics. I'm not saying this is how you feel but I think a lot of people who read it are expecting more of an exciting action-packed blockbuster thriller kinda deal and it's not. It's about the characters and the choices they are forced to make and how they cope with their new way of life in a pretty ****ed up world. To some people that's just not as interesting as a comic full of zombie kick-assery.

I wasn't expecting a zombie-o-rama. I just wasn't drawn in by the character drama.

Picked up these bad boys recently. I'm also plotting on a copy of Arkham Asylum, but they jacked up the price to $50, so it'll have to wait.


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Already on my second read. First time I plowed through it in one go, but now I'm reading it a chapter at a time.




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I actually just finished reading this a second time, but I never actually owned it. Actually getting the urge to read it again.

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8-)

funny....i'm in the exact same boat :)

i ordered it and it should be here in a week or so

just started reading Saga

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so far so good....

I have a few issues of that(Saga). I haven't started it up yet though. Looking forward to it.

i think you'll dig it...its basically a romeo and juliet story but with half human half tvs and crazy spider women....:)

of and a bad ass cat

The hell is "tvs"? Urban Dictionary is no help.

Sorry as plural televisions

Oh...

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Not a comic book, but close enough. I just got a shirt with this pic on it. It's definitely one of those things that tries way too hard to look cool even though it's something so dorky that no one other than a dork will ever find it cool, but I don't give a ****.


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The Pulse

Pseudo sequel to the critically acclaimed MAX Imprint comic Alias that basically picks up where that left off. Still follows on the adventures of Jessica Jones, a former superhero who left the costumed crime fighting life, now living with boyfriend Luke Cage and dealing with her pregnancy. The framing device is that she joins the Daily Bugle as a consultant for a weekly column about superheroes.

Basically I'm reading it because I loved Alias and I think I'm going to track down more Marvel comic series' written by Brian Michael Bendis.

It's entirely possible that this is the single greatest thing I've ever seen on the internet. It's basically a fan generated web series inspired by Heath Ledger's Joker, and the guy who plays the Joker is pretty much the next best thing to the original. After a little while you even forget he isn't Heath. And it just gets consistently better and better as time went on. I'm really just astounded at just how well this was done and how much time, effort, and blood, sweat, and tears obviously went into this. And how they managed to do some of the things near the end on what must have been a non-existent budget I have no idea.

Seriously, if you haven't seen this and you have any love for Batman, then you owe it to yourself to watch this. I think I pretty much just spent the entirety of three or four hours watching it in its entirety and I'm just bummed it's over, although they've apparently started a second series.







The entirety of the series in one Youtube playlist.

Been reading a lot more superhero comics lately, so here's my parting thoughts on a what I've been reading:

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Cable and X-Force

Out of all the combinations of X-Force characters there have been over the years, this has by far been my favourite. Dr. Nemesis has become a new favourite of mine and I will be looking to expand upon the character. Other than that, the writer covered a lot of ground in just 19 issues, and while I have yet to see how the final story arc resolves, I would recommend this run if you're interested in mutants, but want something a little different to X-Men.

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The Immortal Iron First

Enjoyed this one more than I thought it would. It expanded upon the Iron Fist mythos showing that many other have held the title and all came to a tragic end. This had some great support character appearances with Luke Cage and Heroes for Hire and gave a little more humanity and character to Danny Rand.

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Captain Marvel Vol. 7

Easily one of Marvels better running comics from the last few years. The writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick, really has a grasp on this character and manages to make her feel both empowered but vulnerable, tactical but reckless, intelligent but impatient. Basically she's written to feel like a person, not just a wish fulfillment fantasy. Now obviously that's what comic book characters are suppose to be, but as an adult it's less about escapism and more about character conflict.

At the end of the day Carol Danvers is probably Marvel's strongest female superhero and I look forward to keeping up with the most current run.[

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Truth: Red, White & Black

A 7-issue run that uses the infamous and grotesque Tuskegee syphilis experiment as inspiration for the trials of the Super Soldier serum used to create Captain America. Basically the comic shows the army and clandestine government agencies using black soldiers as test subjects, sending the few who survived on suicide missions until only one soldier remains, Isaiah Bradley. I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but this is definitely one of Marvel's more seminal works from the last 14-years and definitely deserves a read from everyone.


Got a few more on the go, mostly based around female characters in the Marvel universe, plus a sci-fi fantasy series called Saga from Image.

Just picked up the trade paperback of this bad boy. Suck it.


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So I'm guessing he got his face sewn back on?

Anyway I decided to take a break from Marvel and start trying to mine DC for some gems, and here's what I've found so far.

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Green Lantern / Green Arrow by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams

I'll be first to admit that I tend to shy away from the '70's when it comes to comics. There's good stuff to be had, but I feel like it can be real chore to dig through and find the ones that still hold up. Out of all the series' to still hold up to this day, it's pretty surprising that it turns out to be the Green Lantern/Green Arrow teamup. Basically Hal Jordan (GL) has always been DC's tough guy John Wayne type of character who holds authority and following rules above all else, whereas Oliver Queen (GA) leans heavily towards the left of the political spectrum and sees himself as a modern-day Robin Hood. The basic premise of this series is to have their political and philosophical differences square off, while always trying to find some kind of compromise. Issues of racism (pictured), drug use (pictured), environmental decline, corruption, greed, and many other issues pop up throughout this run, but all are presented in such a way that it does not feel contrived or preachy, which is damn near impossible for this medium.

Out of all of them, the #85-86 "Snowbirds Don't Fly" is probably my favourite, because it could have so easily turned into a D.A.R.E. presentation, but instead dealt with drug use in a respectable manner that didn't just turn into a "drugs are whack" cliche like we got in the '80's (thank you Nancy Reagan). While the message is still there, Speedy (pictured just about to shoot up) has some relevant points and gets to take Green Arrow down a notch or two. Really the only cringe worthy part of this particular arc is the shoehorned in use of slang, which may have sounded hip and cool in the '70's but is just laughable today, which is a shame because I feel that could turn a lot of potential readers off.

I won't lie and say all their attempts to tackle big issues came out as well as that story arc, but they were at least valiant attempts and showcased the medium's potential before it got (mostly) squandered after 1986. The series was recently collected into a single volume and is well worth picking up. In fact, I think anyone who thinks of themselves as a Social Justice Warrior, or bemoans the same should read this as it's practically a how-to guide on how to deal with people with opposing viewpoints.


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Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters by Mike Grell

My first real introduction to the character of Green Arrow came from the CW series Arrow, and while it is a perfectly serviceable series given the network (if you've ever watched The CW you probably know what I mean by that statement, but if not I will elaborate upon request), I found myself far more curious about the character after reading Dennis O'Neil's take. I also find this particular 3 part series to be fascinating from a historical point, because it's only a year after Watchmen/ The Dark Knight Returns changed the face of comics forever. It's impossible not to see the influences of those two landmark comics leak into this series (as well as the rest of the industry), but at least here it's not done in the pandering way comics went in the '90's. Sure there's blood, swearing, killing, and brief nudity, but it really is balanced out by a reflection of Oliver Queen as a character as he comes to terms with his own mortality and age. His character growth feels organic and natural given the change in tone of comics as well as the state of the world at the time. This was 1987 at what was probably the height of the crack epidemic, and the beginnings of what I like to call "the end is neigh" style of journalism wherein there's nothing positive in world worth reporting on. It makes sense to change up the DC universe to reflect those changes and from a continuity standpoint it works out because of the events of "Crisis on Infinite Earths".

Basically there are two types of mature comics, those that have substance, and those that have style, and unfortunately most comics fall into the latter, hoping that blood, tits, and curse words will make the older audience not feel self-conscious about still being into something ostensibly marketed towards children. This one is definitely worth your time if you're unfamiliar with the DC character, who is probably one of the most human superheroes in the DC Universe.

If by haphazardly reattached with hooks into a terrifying rictus that requires the Joker to regularly apply eye drops as he no longer has functioning eyelids, then yes. I haven't finished it yet, as I always end up reading graphic novels as quickly as possible and end up wishing I'd taken my time, so I'm actually only a few issues in, but it's pretty excellent so far. Some of it is less so (like the Catwoman story), but the good ones have been really good. The Joker's reunion with both Harley Quinn, and what I'm assuming to be his first encounter with Barbara Gordon since The Killing Joke were pretty fantastic, especially the latter, as they really get into the emotional aspects of those relationships rather than just being "It's the Joker, dude! You know ****'s about to hit the fan when the Joker comes to town!"-style lazy storytelling that people seem to fall back on now that he's basically the Beatles of comic book villains. I'm a little bit into his confrontation with Red Hood, and even though I know Jason Todd's already met him since his return, I'm kind of stoked, given how this series seems to be about exploring the Joker's relationship toward the Batman and all of his inner circle rather than merely being Jokery. Should be properly intense.

I also dig how, even though the Joker's current incarnation is a transparent attempt at making him even creepier, they still do make him legitimately creepier. There's a scene involving a chainsaw during the Batgirl issue that made me chuckle in morbid satisfaction at how deliciously evil it was. The artwork definitely sells it too. There have already been more than a few soon-to-be iconic Joker closeups.

Even though I don't usually care that much for either of those characters I do want to read that at some point. I hear that it's supposed to be the sort of starting point of when comic books really started to mature so I imagine it's worth reading if only for the historical value. It sounds like it might be one of the only times up to that point where a sidekick actually improved a storyline.

Now wait, this is one your shirt? See I dig it but that particular joker looks like Jack Nicholson. Not at all like the Dini cartoons. Now that I would think would be the more scrutinized, by our fellow dorks and nerds then the shirt itself.