Comics For 2/1/06

[Gray Lensman]

Another new comics week has come and gone. What did everyone get?

A pretty full load for me...

Fury: Peacemaker #1
Legion of Super-Heroes #14
Rann-Thanagar War Special
X-Factor #3
Green Lantern #8
Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #3
Punisher #30

All in all, a pretty good week. A great week for Garth Ennis, and some interesting stuff on the Green Lantern front.

[jesse]

SEVEN SOLDIERS: BULLETEER #3
CAPTAIN AMERICA #14

[Gray Lensman]

Oh, yeah, picked up another thing...

I also got the DC Universe: The Stories Of Alan Moore TPB. I've meant to get this for quite some time, but never got around to it. Moore is the closest thing to a guarantee of quality in comics that I can think of.

[hector]

Did you liked it? It's one of my favorite trades, though I have the one without The Killing Joke and WHTTMOT.

Have you tried Swamp Thing, Steve? It's probably the best Vertigo ever, and when in company of The Invisibles, Preacher and even Sandman, it's saying a lot.

[Gray Lensman]

hector said:

Did you liked it? It's one of my favorite trades, though I have the one without The Killing Joke and WHTTMOT.

I haven't finished it yet, though I've enjoyed the stories I've so far read. I was already familiar with Killing Joke, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow (still my favorite Superman story), and "Mogo Doesn't Socialize".

"For The Man Who Has Everything" is rather good, though it has that rawness of early Moore. Still, a lot of Moore's strengths are in it, especially on the idea level. Moore is also a master worldbuilder, and that shows well in his version of Krypton.

It's odd that I should read this story now. "For The Man Who Has Everything" is especially interesting considering that Geoff Johns borrowed heavily from it in recent Green Lantern issues. Including the Black Mercy and the themes of missing family.

The others, I still need to get to, but will soon enough. Moore is one of those writers I study very closely.

Have you tried Swamp Thing, Steve? It's probably the best Vertigo ever, and when in company of The Invisibles, Preacher and even Sandman, it's saying a lot.

Very little, truth be told. I've found a couple of back issues of Swamp Thing in the bins and enjoyed them, but haven't followed up since. Maybe I'll get the Moore trades one of these days.

[Duncan]

Oh, you really, really should. It isn't totally necessary to begin with vol.1; I think I started at 3 and was fine, and to be honest some of the American Gothic stuff, whilst being a blueprint for Neil Gaiman's entire career, washes over me. I like the DCU stuff best, in vols. 5-6, really. The Adam Strange story is amazing, as is 'My Blue Heaven' - which in retrospect is probably what I'd consider Moore's finest single issue ever.

The saddest book I got this week was of course, FF/Iron Man: Big in Japan #4 - it was difficult to read with any perspective, thinking of the dreadful waste of life and creativity that Seth Fisher's death constitutes, but was, of course, beautiful, anarchic and zany and really constituted a blueprint for what I'd like(d) to have seen in future from mainstream US comics.

[hector]

greylensman said:

hector said:

I haven't finished it yet, though I've enjoyed the stories I've so far read. I was already familiar with Killing Joke, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow (still my favorite Superman story), and "Mogo Doesn't Socialize".

Only the Mogo story? The F-Sharp Bell short story was gold. And the Abin Sur one was creepy.

"For The Man Who Has Everything" is rather good, though it has that rawness of early Moore. Still, a lot of Moore's strengths are in it, especially on the idea level. Moore is also a master worldbuilder, and that shows well in his version of Krypton.

And unreedeimg depression of the time.

It's odd that I should read this story now. "For The Man Who Has Everything" is especially interesting considering that Geoff Johns borrowed heavily from it in recent Green Lantern issues. Including the Black Mercy and the themes of missing family.

I'm undecided between rip-off and homage. But since the difference is mainly semantic and wheter you like the writer or not, I'd go with 'Homage'

Very little, truth be told. I've found a couple of back issues of Swamp Thing in the bins and enjoyed them, but haven't followed up since. Maybe I'll get the Moore trades one of these days.

As Duncan said, they are very good. I would recommend to start at the beggining, though. And he's right about it being a cornerstone of Gaiman's career. Since you like Sandman, you'll probably like it. Sandman is practically a sequel.

[Gray Lensman]

Duncan...

Probably for the best, since the earliest Moore stuff tends to be his rawest. I'll keep a lookout for Volume 3, then.

Hector...

Only the Mogo story? The F-Sharp Bell short story was gold. And the Abin Sur one was creepy.

Well, those were the ones that I already had in back issues.

I've finished the whole trade now, and it really is quite good. I liked the F-Sharp Bell story, as well as the Abin Sur flashback. I wouldn't mind seeing the new GLC take on the Empire of Tears... they were nasty villains for a one-shot.

I'm undecided between rip-off and homage. But since the difference is mainly semantic and wheter you like the writer or not, I'd go with 'Homage'

I like Johns when he's on his game, generally enjoy his GL, but I lean closer to ripoff here. To me, an homage is when you add something new to something borrowed. Moore borrowed a lot from Superman in his Supreme, for instance, but he did bring new things to the table. I didn't see so much of that in Johns' GL, though Hal's character development was solid.

Still, if you're going to steal ideas, Alan Moore is the guy to steal from.

As Duncan said, they are very good. I would recommend to start at the beggining, though. And he's right about it being a cornerstone of Gaiman's career. Since you like Sandman, you'll probably like it. Sandman is practically a sequel

Yeah, I think I can see where Alan Moore is the founding father of Vertigo. That showed probably best with his Phantom Stranger story and the Superman/Swamp Thing issue. The tone and approach is very Vertigo-esque. Or, maybe more accurately, the later Vertigo writers followed Moore.

Vertigo-- the great stories, anyway-- tends to build from the last groundbreaking work to the next. The same is true of Lucifer, in that it owes a lot to Sandman. It really shows how much Alan Moore brought to this industry, looking at it now.

[hector]

greylensman said:

Probably for the best, since the earliest Moore stuff tends to be his rawest. I'll keep a lookout for Volume 3, then.

It's more of a case of Moore changing the tone of the series than his own skills as a writer. Swamp Thing was mainly a horror book and the first volumes of Swamp Thing reflect that. Vol. 1 is worth alone for th Anatomy Lesson issue, which is one of the most important issues in comic book history. And the second because of the beautiful relationship between Abby and Swampy.
...

I've finished the whole trade now, and it really is quite good. I liked the F-Sharp Bell story, as well as the Abin Sur flashback. I wouldn't mind seeing the new GLC take on the Empire of Tears... they were nasty villains for a one-shot.

The Empire of Tears have appeared once more since then. But yeah, I wouldn't mind a return.

I like Johns when he's on his game, generally enjoy his GL, but I lean closer to ripoff here. To me, an homage is when you add something new to something borrowed. Moore borrowed a lot from Superman in his Supreme, for instance, but he did bring new things to the table. I didn't see so much of that in Johns' GL, though Hal's character development was solid.

The Black Death is little more than a plot device to show something, so in the case of Johns using it I tend more of a homage, since he used it to further the development of Hal like you said, throwing up some much needed for Ollie, too, since he's been in the crapper with Winnick writing him.

Yeah, I think I can see where Alan Moore is the founding father of Vertigo. That showed probably best with his Phantom Stranger story and the Superman/Swamp Thing issue. The tone and approach is very Vertigo-esque. Or, maybe more accurately, the later Vertigo writers followed Moore.

Interestingly, three of the four possible origins of the Stranger reflect the same tone, except for the dreadful Galactus rip-off. So it maybe has something to do with the character.

Vertigo-- the great stories, anyway-- tends to build from the last groundbreaking work to the next. The same is true of Lucifer, in that it owes a lot to Sandman.

Curiously, I see Vertigo in a different light. The true groundbreaking Vertigo series, Sandman, The Invisibles, Preacher, 100 Bullets, Y and Fables; more than build what on what has come before, does something entirely different.

[Gay Titan]

JSA Classified #8
Wonder Woman #225
Outsiders #33
New Excalibur #4

[Duncan]

While I like those other GLC stories, I am obsessed with the Abin Sur/Empire of Tears one; apparently it was banned right off the bat by the CCA initially, later repealed, obvs. It's just the perfect, what? 8/12-pager. I really want those other characters in the prophesy to appear; Manx, the Sentient City and the Children of the White Lobe. O'Neill's art is pretty terrifying; I think I can kinda see the CCA's point.