Like anything serialized, no matter how good the beginning is, the rest is better because the author is able to build upon the foundation.
That being said, I almost find the one-shot stories to be better than his arc stories.
JD's Comic Book Thread
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Like anything serialized, no matter how good the beginning is, the rest is better because the author is able to build upon the foundation.
That being said, I almost find the one-shot stories to be better than his arc stories.
I liked Sandman all the way through, but the first couple of volumes are my favorites.
I just read Strange Fruit by J.G. Jones and Mark Waid. Incredible story and stunning artwork -- not surprising given the creators involved. What is surprising, however, is the timeliness of its ending.
With all of the news coverage recently about the Confederate flag, this comic comes up with a rather novel use for said flag on its final page.
This series should prove to be quite special.
With all of the news coverage recently about the Confederate flag, this comic comes up with a rather novel use for said flag on its final page.
This series should prove to be quite special.
^^^
I expect MDC and even Mile High to price it that high out of the gate.
It's an unusual marketing gimmick. I posted my thoughts on it some pages back and mentioned how I felt it was a dick move. A variant chaser for content vs just cover art is daring. VALIANT kinda did a test balloon with that Shadowman 13x, a small 8pg comic packaged with Bleeding Cool Magazine as a gap filler between the creative team shift of issues #12&13.
I expect MDC and even Mile High to price it that high out of the gate.
It's an unusual marketing gimmick. I posted my thoughts on it some pages back and mentioned how I felt it was a dick move. A variant chaser for content vs just cover art is daring. VALIANT kinda did a test balloon with that Shadowman 13x, a small 8pg comic packaged with Bleeding Cool Magazine as a gap filler between the creative team shift of issues #12&13.
I finished up the first arc, World's Greatest, in the Fantastic Four collection of the same name. I enjoyed the whole thing as much as the first few pages. It had some cool action scenes with the robot, and lots of good character stuff. This was my first experience with the comic book FF, and I really liked them. I'm taking a bit of a break to read some other stuff before I move on to the second arc in the collection, The Death of the Invisible Woman.
Got caught up on some reads:
TMNT #47(IDW): Hun and Casey have a showdown in the streets of the neighborhood for possession of it's soul and the outcome is great. It reminded me of that line about "standing up to the bully". Our Turtles are still coming to grip with Donnie's situation. Meanwhile Kari is trying to assert herself as leader of the Foot with Shredder MIA and presumed dead after the Technodrome/Burnow Island tussle when he walks in with Baxter Stockman. The conclusion of the issue sets up a battle with Stockman's Mouser/Flybots as they break into the Turtles Lair seeking to kill Splinter. The issue also sets up the April&Casey mini-series that just started a few weeks ago as they head out to the Am Southwest to find clues about the ancient map.
Black Hood #5(Archie): A really solid start to the first arc of their relaunched super hero line, Dark Circle. Greg gets some personal satisfaction and professional vindication. The issue also establishes him getting clean from his Oxy addiction following his facial scarring while setting up that he isn't done cleaning up the streets as Black Hood. The title is taking a 3month break before coming back with issue #6.
Barb Wire(DH): Dark Horse just ended Ghost/X/Captain Midnight and have restarted another Comics Greatest World character in Barb Wire. This opening issue felt a bit middling for me. I find it hard to call it a larger "set up" issue but see threads where that is likely the case. The mayor has enacted a touch clean up the streets program and Steel Harbor crime has been down for months. While the word isn't expressly used, gentrification, that is what is happening in the neighborhoods around the wharf and dock districts where Barbs club is located and lots of the gangs operate out of. She is tied into a Reality Show that follows her around, she's hard up for cash and the issue ends with her on the cusp of losing her bar w/an opportunity also present. I'm going to finish the first arc at least, see where these threads get pulled.
Book of Death(Valiant): The opening arc to their summer event that lays out where the future history of the Valiant heroes is going. Or likely going, as their is a slight time travel component in play that is a ripple from the Fall mini-series The VALIANT. The geomancer from the 41st century has been transplanted back to our time, complete with Book of the Geomancer. A recorded list of events as they played out on Earth. A very strong start and easter eggs are dropped about Valiant characters from the 90's that have yet to appear in the current re-booted universe. I was quite pleased with both art & story.
BoD:Legends of the Geomancer: This was the chase companion title to the main BoD event. My LCS held me a copy and it's a 12g book that appears it's going to give us the history of not just how the Geomancers came to be but perhaps tie it into the Fist&Steel himself as well, Gilad the Eternal Warrior.
Ninjak #4(Valiant): This issue has an opening page that picks up from #3 where Ninjak has been outed, his plan to overthrow the Weaponeers exposed by Roku, their chief bodyguarad and assassin. The issue then cuts to her origin and how she came to be which was really good and has it's own tie to another VALIANT character. The issue then has a closing page, still an extension of the opening page #3 continuation where Ninjak and Roku begin their 'final' dance. Issue #5 looks to be an issue full of splash pages and many pages of fighting. Looking forward to that!!
Unity #20(Valiant): This issue is a compilation of flashbacks on prior unnamed but clearly UNITY type groups that have come together over the centuries to battle/halt Warmonger. The purpose of the issue, as seen through her telling, is that no matter how many times mankind has tried to stop her chaos all they do is prolong the inevitable. The issue also serves to back up and support her as a qualified and dangerous opponent worth taking seriously. While I've enjoyed the title I'm wondering if it'll continue past #25. For both real world matters(it's sales are shrinking) and fictional(events revealed in Book of Death).
I hope so as the character Livewire is the often times spotlighted character in the book and Amanda deserves a place to shine.
Dead Drop #3(VALIANT): This non-connected mini series is about an alien virus that's been stolen from a high security compound. The first issue had X-O chasing one of the suspects but she managed to evade Aric and make her "dead drop" before disappearing. In issue #2 Archer is sent after the next leg and manages to get captured. Here in issue #3 Neville, the head of MI-6 whose been sending out agents for the recapture of the virus enlists misguided bad guy turned good Beta-Max into the fold. We find out in this issue that the Aliens themselves have disguised themselves as humans to infiltrate and take back their "virus". In issue #1 it's mentioned the virus is likely Vine, the most prominent alien race in the VU to date. These are clearly not Vine aliens so while we got some explanation on the antagonists which helps explain hopefully how a 20 something "girl" eluded XO I feel we still need answers aplenty in #4. Also...Beta-Max has his head separated from his body, however, since he's basically a cyborg I'm anticipating an upgrade for him and don't see him as really dead.
Also read and enjoyed Punisher #19 & Black Widow #19.
Anyone read Onyx #1 by IDW, that's up next in my pile.
TMNT #47(IDW): Hun and Casey have a showdown in the streets of the neighborhood for possession of it's soul and the outcome is great. It reminded me of that line about "standing up to the bully". Our Turtles are still coming to grip with Donnie's situation. Meanwhile Kari is trying to assert herself as leader of the Foot with Shredder MIA and presumed dead after the Technodrome/Burnow Island tussle when he walks in with Baxter Stockman. The conclusion of the issue sets up a battle with Stockman's Mouser/Flybots as they break into the Turtles Lair seeking to kill Splinter. The issue also sets up the April&Casey mini-series that just started a few weeks ago as they head out to the Am Southwest to find clues about the ancient map.
Black Hood #5(Archie): A really solid start to the first arc of their relaunched super hero line, Dark Circle. Greg gets some personal satisfaction and professional vindication. The issue also establishes him getting clean from his Oxy addiction following his facial scarring while setting up that he isn't done cleaning up the streets as Black Hood. The title is taking a 3month break before coming back with issue #6.
Barb Wire(DH): Dark Horse just ended Ghost/X/Captain Midnight and have restarted another Comics Greatest World character in Barb Wire. This opening issue felt a bit middling for me. I find it hard to call it a larger "set up" issue but see threads where that is likely the case. The mayor has enacted a touch clean up the streets program and Steel Harbor crime has been down for months. While the word isn't expressly used, gentrification, that is what is happening in the neighborhoods around the wharf and dock districts where Barbs club is located and lots of the gangs operate out of. She is tied into a Reality Show that follows her around, she's hard up for cash and the issue ends with her on the cusp of losing her bar w/an opportunity also present. I'm going to finish the first arc at least, see where these threads get pulled.
Book of Death(Valiant): The opening arc to their summer event that lays out where the future history of the Valiant heroes is going. Or likely going, as their is a slight time travel component in play that is a ripple from the Fall mini-series The VALIANT. The geomancer from the 41st century has been transplanted back to our time, complete with Book of the Geomancer. A recorded list of events as they played out on Earth. A very strong start and easter eggs are dropped about Valiant characters from the 90's that have yet to appear in the current re-booted universe. I was quite pleased with both art & story.
BoD:Legends of the Geomancer: This was the chase companion title to the main BoD event. My LCS held me a copy and it's a 12g book that appears it's going to give us the history of not just how the Geomancers came to be but perhaps tie it into the Fist&Steel himself as well, Gilad the Eternal Warrior.
Ninjak #4(Valiant): This issue has an opening page that picks up from #3 where Ninjak has been outed, his plan to overthrow the Weaponeers exposed by Roku, their chief bodyguarad and assassin. The issue then cuts to her origin and how she came to be which was really good and has it's own tie to another VALIANT character. The issue then has a closing page, still an extension of the opening page #3 continuation where Ninjak and Roku begin their 'final' dance. Issue #5 looks to be an issue full of splash pages and many pages of fighting. Looking forward to that!!
Unity #20(Valiant): This issue is a compilation of flashbacks on prior unnamed but clearly UNITY type groups that have come together over the centuries to battle/halt Warmonger. The purpose of the issue, as seen through her telling, is that no matter how many times mankind has tried to stop her chaos all they do is prolong the inevitable. The issue also serves to back up and support her as a qualified and dangerous opponent worth taking seriously. While I've enjoyed the title I'm wondering if it'll continue past #25. For both real world matters(it's sales are shrinking) and fictional(events revealed in Book of Death).
I hope so as the character Livewire is the often times spotlighted character in the book and Amanda deserves a place to shine.
Dead Drop #3(VALIANT): This non-connected mini series is about an alien virus that's been stolen from a high security compound. The first issue had X-O chasing one of the suspects but she managed to evade Aric and make her "dead drop" before disappearing. In issue #2 Archer is sent after the next leg and manages to get captured. Here in issue #3 Neville, the head of MI-6 whose been sending out agents for the recapture of the virus enlists misguided bad guy turned good Beta-Max into the fold. We find out in this issue that the Aliens themselves have disguised themselves as humans to infiltrate and take back their "virus". In issue #1 it's mentioned the virus is likely Vine, the most prominent alien race in the VU to date. These are clearly not Vine aliens so while we got some explanation on the antagonists which helps explain hopefully how a 20 something "girl" eluded XO I feel we still need answers aplenty in #4. Also...Beta-Max has his head separated from his body, however, since he's basically a cyborg I'm anticipating an upgrade for him and don't see him as really dead.
Also read and enjoyed Punisher #19 & Black Widow #19.
Anyone read Onyx #1 by IDW, that's up next in my pile.
I took advantage of Boom! Studios' Collections Sale, and picked up Lumberjanes Vol.1. I've been hearing a lot about how great LJ is so I'm looking forward to reading it.
I've gotten quite a few books, both comic and prose, lately so unless another sale like this pops up I'm probably not going to buy anything else for a while.
I've gotten quite a few books, both comic and prose, lately so unless another sale like this pops up I'm probably not going to buy anything else for a while.
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When you're done with Millar's run, check out Jonathon Hickman's Fantastic Four and FF run.
Oh, I plan too. The only reason I'm reading Millar's run is because somebody said I should read it before I read Hickman's run, which was what I was originally interested in. But I enjoyed World's Greatest enough that now I am looking forward to reading the rest of Millar's on it's own merits.
I just read the new relaunched "Archie" from Mark Waid and Fiona Staples, and am in love with it! If you at all enjoyed "Saved By The Bell"...you'll dig this, as that is what it has reminded me of so far. Also a very intriguing way of reintroducing these iconic characters thus far.
Onyx #1 from IDW
It was a good read and as you read it can feel the Aliens Marines meets Rom vibe with other sprinkling of sic-fi influences. At the end the creator has a page long acknowledgements and essentially confirms his love of ROM as an influence. I'm going to get the first arc, assuming it's an ongoing, I don't even know what it's status is in that regard.
It was a good read and as you read it can feel the Aliens Marines meets Rom vibe with other sprinkling of sic-fi influences. At the end the creator has a page long acknowledgements and essentially confirms his love of ROM as an influence. I'm going to get the first arc, assuming it's an ongoing, I don't even know what it's status is in that regard.
I finished up the second arc in the Fantastic Four: World's Greatest collected edition. I enjoyed this one a lot too. The whole New Defenders thing was fun, and I got a kick out of the reveals of who they all were. I suspected that Mrs. Deveuve was some kind of time traveler pretty early on, but I was not expecting her actual identity.
The end was pretty good, I liked how it lead to the title of the arc, The Death of the Invisible Woman. I was pretty sure I hadn't heard about Sue dying, so I was wondering what kind of a twist there was going to be at the end.
I wasn't entirely clear, was the Galactus the New Defenders had with them, the Galactus from their time, or our time?
The end was pretty good, I liked how it lead to the title of the arc, The Death of the Invisible Woman. I was pretty sure I hadn't heard about Sue dying, so I was wondering what kind of a twist there was going to be at the end.
I wasn't entirely clear, was the Galactus the New Defenders had with them, the Galactus from their time, or our time?
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