|
Post by angilasman on Feb 25, 2012 13:32:27 GMT -5
I'm a Godzilla fan, but the mediocre quality of IDW's Godzilla books made buying the monthlies a real slog to get through. I bought Kingdom of Monsters up to issue 8 and all of Gangsters and Goliaths. There were some cool bits in there, but not enough for $8 a month.
Of course, I hope the series improves, in which case I'll probably go for the trades. Decompressed storytelling makes a single issue feel insubstantial - not to mention that a trade ends up costing less. The miniseries that started right after I stopped buying (Godzilla: Legends, which is basically a collection of unconnected one-shots by different creative teams) has gotten pretty good reviews, so I'm looking forward to getting that one in trade form.
|
|
Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
|
Post by Torgo on Feb 25, 2012 16:14:39 GMT -5
I'm hearing great things about Legends. I can't wait to see it for myself.
|
|
|
Post by angilasman on Feb 26, 2012 17:47:01 GMT -5
^Yeah, and with a trade I'm sure to get all that neat Arthur Adams and Bob Eggleton artwork (which were used as variant covers)!
|
|
|
Post by Joker on Mar 7, 2012 0:32:12 GMT -5
Read:
28 Days Later, Vol. 3: Hot Zone by Michael Alan Nelson, Declan Shalvey, and Leonardo Manco. Selena and her three comapnions push deeper into infected Scotland and suddenly find a bunch of mercenaries hunting and capturing the infected. A British military officer is looking for Selena specifically, so when they all get captured by the hardcases it would seem that their number has finally come up. This survival horror story just keeps getting better as the characters are three dimensional and the action is frantic.
A God Somewhere by John Arcudi and Peter Snejbjerg. Two Christian guys and their African American friend live ordinary lives in L.A. when one night a meteor hits an apartment building and transforms one of the brothers into a superhuman. He's a devout Christian and he begins a career in superheroism and alienates his friends and family. Then something goes wrong with him and he begins killing lots of people. The world now lives in fear of this guy who demands to be left alone by an adoring public while his friend tries to figure out what happened. A realistic look at the nature of power and corruption with well written characters and lots of carnage in a story where the man who seems to be decent because of his faith suddenly hurts the world deeply.
Vampirella Masters Series, Vol. 2 by Warren Ellis and various artists. Warren Ellis is one of the best writers in comics and brings a serious story to a silly premise. Vampirella's background is changed to being charged by her mother Lilith, the mother of all demons and vampires, with killing her children. It would appear that God has decided to end the world and this all leads to a face off between Vampi and a vampire coven that wants to slaughter the population of a city to resurrect the first vampire in the catacombs beneath it. What this ragged corpse tells them makes this one of the most powerful comics built around a silly character who is only really known for being super hot. There's also a dark story where it seems like Vampi will be romanced by Dracula, but it winds up being a different story entirely.
Vampirella Masters Series, Vol. 3 by Mark Millar and various artists. Where Ellis makes a serious story out of this idea Millar makes a silly spoof. Vampi has to find a town where vampires have set up shop only to find out that they're not the problem. A macho general wants the place leveled and the vamps exterminated. The in the second story a bunch of demonically possessed corpses attack everyone near another town in service of a black mirror that Vampi came through to come to Earth. Some sort of evil within it wants to come through and destroy humanity. The jokes fly fast and furious and nothing is to be taken seriously. The art is incredible as it seems to be based off of real models and looks like photos. Incredible art in a an increasingly silly story.
Hitman, Vol. 2: Ten Thousand Bullets by Garth Ennis and John McCrea. Tommy Monaghan continues his business as usual contract killer career as a Siamese twin gangster whose rotten dead brother wants revenge for his murder and keeps sending hitmen after Tommy. Then one bad guy shows up who knows exactly how to get to Tommy. A plan involving Hitman taking out a new vigilante named Nightfist is part of this slick killer's conspiracy. Then Tommy has to go down to Texas to take out a Mexican bad guy for a sheriff looking for a coffin full of money. But when the bad guy brings out his Klaus Kinski-looking super-killer things get much more complicated.
Tommy loses a lot in this volume which pushes him into being a hero on his own terms with his friend Natt. The first story feels like a Tarantino film set in the DC Universe and the second one has more of a Western feel with a final showdown in the street. The whole story is a delight for comic and action movie fans.
Weston Cage and Nicolas Cage's Voodoo Child by the Cages, Mike Carey, and various artists. In post-Katrina New Orleans a dark hero emerges from a crypt, resurrected by voodoo and powered by the same beliefs. Several young women have gone missing and a local detective is hunting down clues that point to a local construction crew and a scummy business man with a connection to the voodoo-powered vigilante Gabriel. The story moves along like a detective tale with lots of supernatural elements. Some don't make sense as Gabriel can't tounch the ground or Baron Samedi will take him to his hellish domain yet he runs around on the ground in several scenes. The story is good all the same. How much of it was written by Nicolas and his son Weston Caga and how much was done by Mike Carey is up in the air. The artwork is excellent though with New Orleans becoming a dark city full of danger.
Next up:
American Vampire, Vol. 3 by Scott Snyder, Raphael Albequerque, Sean Murphy, and Danijel Zezelj
Batman: Through the Looking Glass by Bruce Jones and Sam Kieth
The Stand, Vol. 6: The Night Has Come by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Mike Perkins
|
|
|
Post by angilasman on Mar 14, 2012 15:06:00 GMT -5
Well, the Godzilla titles left me underwhelmed (though, like I said, I look forward to the Legends trade), but another licensed comic based on a property I love has really come through: the second issue of Adventure Time with Finn and Jake, based on the Cartoon Network show, came out today and I feel it's about as good as a licenced comic can be. It really gets the characters and vibe of the show and it's produced by a bunch of indie comic creators who really get the medium of making comics. Another cool thing is that in an age of hardly anything happening in a single issue every Adventure Time issue has at least two stories, a chapter in an ongoing storyline and a standalone tale.
It's cool!
|
|
|
Post by Joker on Mar 21, 2012 0:16:39 GMT -5
Read:
American Vampire, Vol. 3 by Scott Snyder, Raphael Albequerque, Sean Murphy, and Danijel Zezelj. During WWII American vampire Pearl Preston has been living an easy life with her husband, working as a nurse and not knowing that he gave up the secret of killing American vamps to the vamp-killing group The Vassals of the Morning Star. When he gets enlisted by the Vassals for a secret mission to a Pacific island with some other slayers for the war effort she finds out and follows. So does deadly ex-outlaw Skinner Sweet to kill him, but the revelation of an uncategorized vamp species the Japanese are developing as a bioweapon throws a wrench into all of their plans. Meanwhile, American vamp Felicia Book and her partner Cashel McCogan infiltrate a Nazi castle stronghold in Eastern Europe to find a supposed cure for vamirism that could save Cashel's vamp infant son. The story has lots of action and horror with a vamp Nazi army in the second story that actually looks creepy. Recommended.
Batman: Through the Looking Glass by Bruce Jones and Sam Kieth. When a couple of Gotham's city council members die after a dinner Bruce Wayne attended he suddenly begins hallucinating that he's travelling through Wonderland on a trail that leads to Jervis Tetch, a villain who thinks he's The Mad Hatter. Even Robin and Alfred can't seem to stop him from his obsessive hunt for the truth. The crazy art style make this a very trippy comic, but it can't really be taken seriously. The Mad Hatter is more ridiculous than the Joker since he has only one gimmick and there are so many jokes that even matters of life and death are weak.
The Stand, Vol. 6: The Night Has Come by Stephen King, graphic adaptation by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Mike Perkins. As four leaders from the Boulder Free Zone are sent out of town to make their stand, Nadine Cross goes to Las Vegas ahead of them to her betrothed, the Dark Man, Randall Flagg. Spies inside of Vegas are being rooted out by Flagg and he is manifesting new powers even as his hold on all of the hardcases there is beginning to crumble. As he plans the destruction of Boulder there will have to be some sort of public display of strength, and four men are on their way there for execution...
Somehow this story remains powerful even as you start to question God's plan for everyone here. He'll kill almost everyone in the U.S. with a supervirus and choose a few people to survive while letting an embodiment of evil walk the earth to build an army to kill anyone he can't rule over. The climax is a bit too deus ex machina, with a cameo by Richard Bachman, but the story afterwards was probably the most moving part. This is the best comic adaptation I've ever read. Hopefully, they do more in the future.
Batman & Robin: Dark Knight Vs. White Knight by Paul Cornell, Judd Winick, and Scott McDaniel. A woman with a hole in her head named the Absence begins to put into effect a series of crimes against certain criminals where the clues are what's not there. A luminescent White Knight is offing the relatives of Gotham's rogues gallery with a final plan for the inmates at Arkham Asylum. Jason Todd/Red Hood is transferred to a regular prison where he racks up a body count until he busts out to rescue his disfigured sidekick, Scarlet, from some kidnappers. Can Batman/Dick Grayson and Robin/Damian Wayne stop these crimes in time? It's all very action-packed and fast-paced with the strongest one being Judd Winick's Red Hood tale.
Next up:
Irredeemable, Vol. 5 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause
Hitman, Vol. 3: Local Heroes by Garth Ennis and Joel McCrea
The Question, Vol. 1: Zen and Violence by Dennis O'Neil and Denys Cowan
Batman: Gates of Gotham by Scott Snyder, Kyle Higgins, Ryan Parrott, and various artists
Terror, Inc. by David Lapham and Patrick Zircher
The Dark Tower - The Gunslinger: The Battle of Tull by Stephen King, graphic adaptation by Robin Furth, Peter David, and Michael Lark
|
|
Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
|
Post by Torgo on Apr 2, 2012 1:38:19 GMT -5
Hey Angilasman, have you heard of the next Godzilla series, Half-Century War? If this is done right, it could be the most epic Godzilla comic ever.
|
|
|
Post by angilasman on Apr 2, 2012 14:24:58 GMT -5
Hey Angilasman, have you heard of the next Godzilla series, Half-Century War? If this is done right, it could be the most epic Godzilla comic ever. This is by far the most promising looking Godzilla project IDW has announced. I'm debating about whether to buy the monthlies or wait for the trades.
|
|
|
Post by Joker on Apr 3, 2012 19:01:51 GMT -5
Read:
Irredeemable, Vol. 5 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause. A chance to kill the Plutonian was seemingly squandered by superhero team leader Qubit, and the powerful short-fused hero Survivor decides to make him pay. Meanwhile, Plutonian and his resurrected friend Samsara go back to where the mass killings began and it is finally revealed that Samsara is possessed by Plutonian's old nemesis Modeus. Then the results of an old deal struck with an alien race winds up being the key to the end of all of the horror. This series is incredibly good with lots of destruction spicing up an already good character study.
Hitman, Vol. 3: Local Heroes by Garth Ennis and Joel McCrea. Tommy is contacted by a shady goverment organization that regulates superheroes to be their triggerman and when he says no they manage to get Green Lantern Kyle Rayner to go after him. Tommy has to come up with a plan to survive as the whole GCPD is gunning for him along with the ridiculous GL. Then Tommy and pals are contracted to take out a scientist who has perfected a zombie-making formula and they track him to the Gotham Aquarium where the genius unleashes it on all of the dead aquatic life there, leading to a wierd survival horror scenario where even the undead baby seals have to be smashed. It's tons of hilarious fun as Ennis skewers the DC Universe with wacky stories and loads of jokes. Fun as hell.
The Question, Vol. 1: Zen and Violence by Dennis O'Neil and Denys Cowan. Victor Szasz a.k.a. Vic Sage moonlights as the faceless vigilante The Question in Hub City to get dirt on the corrupt mayor's administration and broadcast it on his news show. But after he's stepped on all the wrong feet for so long things were bound to catch up with him and the real brains behind the drunken mayor, the evil Reverend, makes sure that he gets killed brutally. Somehow he survives and recieves a stern talking to from Batman and then extensive martial arts training from a wheelchair-bound master. Upon returning to Hub City and his former life his quest for justice ceases to be a messy affair born out of his adrenaline addiction and a much more focused mission. His old life means nothing to him now because only The Question remains.
Why didn't I know about this sooner?! The Question was a minor character on that Justice League Unlimited show for a few episodes and I never thought much about him until now. This comic winds up being a lot about martial arts action and philosophy with a very hard boiled edge to it. O'Neil doesn't shy away fro mcontrovertial subject matter like dirty cops, rape, and religious corruption in this dark story of rough justice. At one point the Reverend tries to blow up a schoolbus full of kids and the son of a terrorist purposefully scars himself with acid, making his face a mask of twisted flesh. This is one series that's got me hooked!
Batman: Gates of Gotham by Scott Snyder, Kyle Higgins, Ryan Parrott, and various artists. Someone is blowing up the architecture that belongs to the four families that made Gotham, the Elliots, the Kanes, the Cobblepots, and the Waynes. Some sort of bad guy in a steampunky suit is reponsible, a person with a connection to the past and the building of Gotham City. As Batman/Dick Grayson, Robin/Damian Wayne, Red Robin, and Black Bat all try to find the person responsible before the city crumbles, a past grudge surfaces that will have to be reckoned with. The story bounces back and forth between the 19th century and the present in a way that makes this detective yarn in a city built on shattered dreams becomes incredibly engrossing.
Terror, Inc. by David Lapham and Patrick Zircher. Mr. Terror used to be a viking pillager in the 5th century when he became afflicted with a curse that left him in a perpetual state of decay. Using whatever limbs he can find to replace his rotted ones he becomes the lover of a female warlord in the 12th century. When she is killed he takes her arm and has it bound to himself to remember his only true love. In the present day he runs some sort of business where he gets deadly jobs done easily with his limb restoring power. Then he gets set up by someone supposedly from homeland security and his beloved arm is lost to a deadly cult out to kill everyone. This is a gory, but not that compelling story with a hardcase zombie hero with no real remorse or any reason to symapathize with his plight. I sometimes wonder if Marvel just doesn't care...
Next up:
The Dark Tower - The Gunslinger: The Battle of Tull by Stephen King, graphic adaptation by Robin Furth, Peter David, and Michael Lark
Irredeemable, Vol. 6 by Mark Waid, Peter Krause, and Diego Barreto
Batman Vs. Bane by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan
28 Days Later, Vol. 4: Gangwar by Michael Alan Nelson and Ale Aragon
|
|
|
Post by Joker on Apr 17, 2012 18:35:26 GMT -5
Read:
The Dark Tower - The Gunslinger: The Battle of Tull by Stephen King, graphic adaptation by Robin Furth, Peter David, and Michael Lark. As Roland, the last gunslinger, wanders into the wasteland to pursue the Man in Black he comes across the small town of Tull, a place that's mostly unfriendly except for the local barkeep who exchanges information with him for sex. The Man in Black has already set a trap for the gunslinger by making a local preacher woman turn the whole town against him - which leads to a brutal showdown with the entire population.
This may be the only continuing story from Marvel that I like because of how well adapted it is. The living dead man Nort stands out as a highlight here by being a living reminder of how powerful the Man in Black is. The final showdown winds up being especially brutal with one man versus a town full of fanatics.
Irredeemable, Vol. 6 by Mark Waid, Peter Krause, and Diego Barreto. It would seem that this story is over as the Plutonian is suddenly captured by an alien race that makes him a vegetable and forces him into hard labor. The problem is that the new superman on Earth, Survivor, seems to want to make everything better - going as far as to pardon all supervillains on the planet to get their help with rebuilding everything Plutonian wrecked. Meanwhile, Plutonian is living out a fantasy in his own mind where he's a hero again, but it's only a matter of time before he wakes up. The story winds up still being engrossing even after the danger has seemingly passed.
Batman Versus Bane by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan. Actually, Batman doesn't fight Bane at all in this book. This is actually the origin of Bane. Born in a third world Carribean prison a young boy is sentenced to serve his late father's life sentence. The little boy is forced into the brutal world of prison survival and seems like he won't survive until one day he hits his head and has a vision of himself as physically and mentally perfect and when he awakens he's a hardcase. The warden thinks that he's the bane of his existence (which is where he finally gets a name) and imprisons him in a cell with a welded-shut door for over a decade. All that does is make him a legend among the other prisoners and he decides to educate himself and achieve physical perfection. Then he is enrolled in an experimental treatment that exposes him to a super-steroid called Venom. Now he want to get out and get to Gotham City where he will face off against the representation of his fear, Batman.
Bane is a very cool character in Batman comics and seeing his origin finally explains what he's all about. There's another story here where Bane goes looking for the identity of his late father and becomes a henchman to Ra's al Ghul to find the answer. It's essential reading if you want to know more about the villain before the new Batman film this year.
28 Days Later, Vol. 4: Gangwar by Michael Alan Nelson and Ale Aragon. As Selena and the two journalists push further into Scotland the suddenly come to a life and death decision and then are confronted with a drug dealer who has set himself up as the King of Scotland. Things get desperate as the infected become a minor threat in the face of a crazed despot and his minions. The story gets pretty intense as Selena has to make it thorugh the night in a cage surrounded by the infected and then has to deal with this new fiefdom.
Next up:
Invincible: The Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley
Hitman, Vol. 4: Ace of Killers by Garth Ennis, John McCrea, and Steve Pugh
Superior by Mark Millar and Lienil Yu
Mike Mignola's B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth - New World by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, and Guy Davis
|
|
|
Post by Don Quixote on Apr 26, 2012 16:27:12 GMT -5
I lurk in this thread quite a bit. Get ideas on what to read from Joker, mostly. Looking forward to what he thinks of Invincible, as I am flirting with the idea of picking it up as well.
That being said, I've finished reading the Scott Pilgrim series, and boy is it ever good. I was a big fan of the movie when it came out a year and a half ago, but never got around to reading the series until just recently. And considering I polished it off in a day and a half, I'm assuming I really enjoyed it.
Scott is a 23-year-old with no job, no prospects, and a band. He had a rough relationship just prior to the beginning of the first book, and now lives with Wallace Wells, his gay roommate. They share a bed. His band, Sex Bob-omb, is comprised of himself on bass, Stills on guitar and vocals, and Kim on drums. Like the film, the book starts with him having a "high school girlfriend", Knives Chau. Scott eventually runs into Ramona Flowers at the library (more accurately, stares at her from a staircase), and is smitten. Ramona is the girl running through his dreams, somehow (explained in the book). He eventually ends it with Knives (who remains obsessed for a good three volumes), and starts dating Ramona. It is at this point he is contacted by the League of Evil Exes member, Matthew Patel, who informs him that he will have to fight for Ramona's affections.
I won't divulge any more of the plot, as it is somewhat different from the film, but suffice it to say, it ended pretty well, and there was a little more of Scott's Ex (N.V. Adams) in it than in the film.
I think the unique thing about this book is that I've totally been there. I was unemployed for the better part of two years, right around the age Scott is in this series. I spent an inordinate time playing video games, sleeping on someone's floor and I even had a crush similar to Scott's. Didn't work out as well for me, but I'm in a better place now, so probably better it didn't.
Ultimately, the book is about growing up, learning to accept yourself and others, and the value of responsibility.
I was hesitant to pick up the book, but it's a great little slice of life comic with massive amounts of fighting and humor and a great deal of love story mixed in. A colorful and interesting cast of characters keeps it from being boring in the spots where there's not much action. The book is expertly written, and I'm already re-reading it.
So, the series has a bit of something for everyone. And I highly recommend it.
|
|
|
Post by Mighty Jack on Apr 27, 2012 0:38:06 GMT -5
GOD this comic is great! It's taking a darker path, more in line with traditional mythological stories, where Amazons aren't always very nice and the Gods are cruel and capricious. The book is highly imaginative, especially in regards to how the Gods are portrayed. (Cupid has pistols, which WW is pictured with) Cliff Chiangs art - his line work is amazing. This, with Animal Man, are my favorite comics right now. Also picked up Supergirl #8. It's the best issue yet, good character piece. The great George Perez does fill in art and he's still a master. He can pack more into a page, and yet it doesn't come off cramped. I love the details he puts into each panel. And Aquaman continues to shine. In issue 8 we get a look into Arthur's past, and a dark mystery surrounding Black Manta. The new Trades from DC will start being released in May, and I have Justice League on order. Apart from DC I also ordered Rachel Rising from Terry Moore. It's a about a woman who rises from her grave and attempts to solve her own murder. The trade was supposed to be out by now, but Amazon has nothing in stock so I don't know what's going on with that.
|
|
|
Post by angilasman on Apr 27, 2012 9:48:59 GMT -5
That being said, I've finished reading the Scott Pilgrim series, and boy is it ever good. I was a big fan of the movie when it came out a year and a half ago, but never got around to reading the series until just recently. And considering I polished it off in a day and a half, I'm assuming I really enjoyed it. Considering I've seen the film about half a dozen times I surprise myself in not having read this. I'm thinking about getting the new color volumes coming out soon. Been digging into European comics lately, which, aside from reading a few Tintin albums a few years ago, I knew almost nothing about. After Tintin the most successful European comic is Asterix, and I've become a pretty big fan already. It's set in Gaul (modern day France) during Roman rule and focuses on a small village of "indomitable Gauls" who hold out against the Romans... this isn't some historical drama, it's a bright and colorful cartoony adventure but (to compare it to two modern cartoons) like TV shows Phineas and Ferb and Adventure Time while it's good for kids it also displays a cleverness and subtlety only adults will get - mind you, I feel a bit stupid when a a joke about Latin comes up in Asterix. It's all Greek to me.
|
|
|
Post by Don Quixote on Apr 28, 2012 8:40:50 GMT -5
That being said, I've finished reading the Scott Pilgrim series, and boy is it ever good. I was a big fan of the movie when it came out a year and a half ago, but never got around to reading the series until just recently. And considering I polished it off in a day and a half, I'm assuming I really enjoyed it. Considering I've seen the film about half a dozen times I surprise myself in not having read this. I'm thinking about getting the new color volumes coming out soon. Don't know how good that's going to be, as there are a few jokes on how the book is in black and white in the narration, but it sounds like it's worth a look. I may check it out too. And yeah, I heartily recommend the series. It's a bit slower-paced than the film, but considering the film takes place over the course of no more than a month, and the books take place over the course of a year and change, that's to be expected.
|
|
|
Post by angilasman on Apr 28, 2012 14:13:24 GMT -5
Don't know how good that's going to be, as there are a few jokes on how the book is in black and white in the narration, but it sounds like it's worth a look. I may check it out too. I think O'Mally's going back into the book (George Lucas special edition style) to tweak some things as well with the new color editions (but unlike with Lucas, the original black and white versions aren't going anywhere).
|
|