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Post by SPS on May 12, 2008 19:59:47 GMT
This is a thread for what Graphic novels and comics you've read or re-read lately. So I'll start:
New X-Men vols. 2 and 3- Imperial is the strongest of Grant Morrison's X-Men run while vol. 3 has the weakest part of his run in it.
Marvels- Okay read, can't say whether I liked it or not overall
100 Bullets vol. 1- The first arc is rather lame especially if you've played GTA San Andreas, skip right to the second one in the trade as that is somewhat stronger, but could've used another part I think.
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Post by Elliot Kane on May 12, 2008 20:25:19 GMT
Batman: Lovers & Madmen. An attempt at a new Joker origin that completely fails in every regard because it really can't stand to The Killing Joke. It's not bad in and of itself, but really suffers by comparison.
Kade: Sun Of Perdition. Great concept and fantastic art, but sadly the story itself is disjointed and the characterisation nearly non-existent. A shame. It could have been so much more than it is.
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Post by Gray Lensman on May 13, 2008 0:25:33 GMT
My favorite books are generally common knowledge, so I'll throw out a few "lesser knowns" that I've run across lately. Big Badz: Chuck Dixon does an indy crime/horror series, and it's actually fairly decent. The art isn't much to write home about, but Dixon builds a convincing portrayal of a cop patrolling a condemned housing project in New York. And did I mention werewolves? Star Wars: Legacy: Still the closest to a real Star Wars epic that I've run across in a long time. Cade Skywalker is really an awesome character, and every issue is a snapshot of a new corner of the future of the Star Wars galaxy. John Ostrander is on his game with this book, moreso than I've seen in a long time. Clone Wars who? ;D Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol: I thought Morrison was bizarre before... but Doom Patrol takes the prize for the weirdest comic I've ever read. As Morrison stuff goes, I prefer his All-Star Superman on a craft level, but this book deserves credit for being a journey into sheer insanity. Great stuff.
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Post by SPS on May 13, 2008 5:29:44 GMT
the Long Haul- Rather dull train heist western. Obviously written for a younger audience. Takes 92 pages to meet all the characters. Overall not reccomended.
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Post by Gray Lensman on May 15, 2008 3:55:58 GMT
Captain Britain & MI13: A pretty decent start from Paul Cornell in the MU. John the Skrull is a pretty interesting character so far, and I like Cornell's take on Captain Britain. Still no fan of Wisdom, and I question Cornell's take on Spitfire, but otherwise it looks good so far.
I flipped through Guardians of the Galaxy #1... you know, I'd have liked this better if the classic cosmic heroes had actually appeared in it. Gamora has been replaced by a Skrull, Adam Warlock is barely recognizable, Mantis doesn't act at all like Steve Englehart's character, and Phyla-Vell doesn't act at all like the character she was in Captain Marvel. Do like the new Rocket Raccoon, though that may be just because I never actually read his original appearances. This might be more enjoyable to a new reader, but I found myself irritated by the sheer amount of mischaracterization all over this comic. Starlin can't come back to these characters fast enough for my liking...
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Post by SPS on May 25, 2008 18:15:05 GMT
Invincible vol. 1 Hardcover- Just freakin' amazing! This is what a superhero book should be! To accurately describe it would be Spider-Man crossed with Superman with a modern twist. Go out and buy it right now.
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Post by SPS on May 26, 2008 17:49:19 GMT
DMZ vol. 1- Really good, not sure what the plot is but I'll definetly check out the second volume.
Y- The Last Man vol. 1- Deserves every bit of praise it gets.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen- too slow to get started and I didn't think there was enough twists and whatnot
Ex Machina- Great art but didn't like it too much.
Invincible vol. 2- Good series, see yesterday's comments.
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Post by SPS on May 28, 2008 4:53:20 GMT
Fray- Joss' Whedon's comics work has yet to impress me. Good art but yeah just pretty average overall.
DMZ vol. 2- Again I really liked this one, DMZ is a great series.
Y: The Last Man vol. 2- It was like watching a good episode of a TV series. Yes I got that giddy.
The Walking Dead vol. 1- Not great but an okay zombie read. It so far hasn't distinguished itself in any way from other zombie films/books.
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Post by Gray Lensman on May 29, 2008 2:20:13 GMT
Non-spoilery reviews of new stuff I've seen... Final Crisis #1: A decent start, so far, but not yet really groundbreaking. It might be that it'll build the stakes more as it goes, though. Can't say I've ever been too fond of the Seven Soldiers version of the New Gods, but might be the series will sell me on that. Batman #679: Really loving Batman RIP so far... the Club of Villains is off to a great start, and I love the deep psychoanalysis that Morrison is giving Batman here. Dunno who the Black Glove is yet, but we're getting a compelling mystery that goes back to Batman's origin. Looking good.
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Post by philster on Jul 23, 2008 15:19:49 GMT
Animal Man, entire 89-issue series from the late 80's to middle 90's. I was interested in finding out what exactly Morrison's first stint was like on an American comic, even though I generally can't stand him - but I've always heard good things about Animal Man, so that tends to get a person curious. I didn't realize at the time he only did the first 25 issues, but they were actually likeable - I think it was the first time I ever liked something he did besides 52 (which he co-wrote with other people, so I'm not sure it should count).
Still, I went on and read the rest of the series anyway. Overall I think I like the Jamie Delano run the most. Always full of drama and intriguing twists, and I especially liked how he managed to turn it in a semi-horror book but still kept it on a realistic level and still addressed the same issues that Grant Morrison introduced in the book (animal rights, etc.). Too bad Jerry Prosser's subsequent run ruined the book! All it takes is bad writing to finally get a book cancelled, I guess...
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Brian Bolland's covers - I wish this man did more interior art. He's absolutely great.
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Post by philster on Jul 23, 2008 15:24:29 GMT
Ah, and for current comics, I'm following Thor, Daredevil, and Captain America - I'm LOVING Ed Brubaker and Straczynski's work on these. Also Thor: Age of Thunder and Reign of Blood. I think all 3 Marvel characters may actually be having the best writing in their history right now.
I also couldn't resist reading Kick-Ass, which is eye-opening, to say the least.
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Post by Gay Titan on Jul 23, 2008 16:48:14 GMT
Thanks to an awesome deal on HR's swap meet forum, I have the complete story run of the current Ms Marvel series. Carol Danvers is an interesting character that I really under-appreciated.
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Post by SPS on Aug 24, 2008 4:43:13 GMT
I bought a few GNs for the flight home today. They are:
Spider-Man: Reign- Surprisingly decent. It needs two more issues and it tugs at the heart strings a bit too obviously at times but I liked it. Works well as Spider-Man meets the Dark Knight.
Buffy:The Long Way Home- Better than Joss Whedon's other comics works but that's because it's Buffy. Still isn't in continuity for me but if the other arcs are better I may be convinced otherwise.
Watchmen- Going to read a chapter a day too see if it works better. Shockingly it's been printed 20 times.
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