Anyone currently reading comics?

[ATenderLad]

Welp, it's been another couple weeks, and I feel like rambling about the comics I've read since last time. I'm gonna mix it up a little, and try to cover several books in bite-sized chunks this time. Here goes!

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DC COMICS​

Aquaman #4 (Writer Jeremy Adams, Artist John Timms, Colorist Rek Lokus) Spinning out of the event Absolute Power, where several characters lost or swapped powers, they've taken the opportunity to give Mera's "hydrokinesis" to Aquaman. (Honestly, it is the cooler power). King Arthur of Atlantis also has a shiny magic sword that extends into a trident. The current story revolves around "The Blue", a watery paralell to Swamp Things' "The Green". That's one way to jazz up a guy who talks to fish, I guess!

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Absolute Green Lantern #1 (Writer Al Ewing, Artist Jahnoy Lindsay) The latest Absolute re-imagining, and unsurprisingly it's another strong debut issue. Set in a fictional Nevada border town, the titular Green Lantern brings cosmic horror to a very mundane setting. It looks like Hal Jordan got dealt a particularly bad hand (pun intended, read the book to groan properly), and we'll be following the adventures of Jo Mullein from the *amazing* Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin. I'm champing at the bit for the next issue.

---

All Star Western Vol. 1 - Guns and Gotham (Writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, Artist Moritat, Colors Gabriel Bautista) Not a new book, but I've been meaning to catch up on it for years now. Bounty hunter, gunslinger, and all-around ornery cuss Jonah Hex mosies into Gotham on the trail of some wanted idiots. Hex hates cities (and most everything else) but finds himself looped into constant misadventures that keep him stuck in town, working far too closely with Jeremiah Arkham. (The psychologist who founds the famous asylum). Arkham is a nebbish academic, but he's absolutely fascinated by this violent, maladjusted sociopath who keeps solving problems. I'm a huge fan of westerns, but I think anyone could have a blast here.. There's six volumes collection the whole series, and while it loses steam eventually, the first three installments are great.

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Batgirl #3 (Writer Tate Brombal, Artist Takeshi Miyazawa, Colors Mike Spicer)

I've struggled a bit catching up to the current continuity of Gotham characters, but the new Cassandra Cain/Batgirl ongoing has been a delight. The first arc is entirely centered on her and the thorny relationship she has with her mother, Lady Shiva. Being a comic book, they work through that amidst a million murder attempts by mystically enhanced assassins.​

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MARVEL COMICS​

Incredible Hulk #19 (Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Artists Nic Klein and Danny Earls, Colors Matthew Wilson) A few years ago, Al Ewing wrapped up his Immortal Hulk series, a smash hit that will likely define the character the same way Planet Hulk did a decade prior. It brought some profound horror to the Hulk, layered in Biblical musings and modern social anxieties. While the next few writers aimed to be different, the latest series by is embracing Immortal Hulk instead. If Ewing's book was psychological horror, this baby is going full 70's grindhouse, like a movie called "Scream Slaughter! Till the Devil Knows You're Dead!" It reminds me of some of the older Ghost Rider books in that way, and the artwork is incredible.

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The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Writer Joe Kelly, Artist Pepe Larraz, Colors Marte Gracia) That's right, it's a new re-launch of the main Peter Parker book....and y'all, I think it's a Hush. I think we're doing Spider-Man: Hush. We're about to have a gauntlet of revamped old rogue's, some shadowy new guys are pulling the strings, and a childhood friend of Peter's that we've never met got introduced right here in the first issue. (I'm not saying that guy will turn out to be a villain, but yes I fucking am saying that). Fingers crossed!

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All-New Venom #4 (Writer Al Ewing, Artist Carlos Gomez, Colors Frank D'armata) So, that's a page of Venom being shot in the face with a miniaturized M.O.D.O.K., who then rapidly expands, resulting in the Funko Pop-themed nightmare on the bottom right panel. (Venom's head pops on the next page, but don't worry; it's comics, they get better!) The setup here is that after the recent Venom War event, Eddie Brock is stuck with Carnage, and Venom has a new mystery host. The debut issue presented it as a mystery, and at least four potential suspects. Their identity was revealed in this latest issue, and I won't spoil it except to say "I did not see that coming, and I love it!" Venom in general has had a *lot* going on the last few years, enough to perhaps be unwelcoming to a new reader. If that's you, I still think this book might be worth reading a few wiki articles.

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Eddie Brock: Carnage #1 (Writer Charles Soule, Artist Jesús Saíz, Colors Matt Hollingsworth) Speaking of Eddie Brock and Carnage, this "Parental Advisory" book is kind of old hat. Eddie Brock doing the "Lethal Protector" thing is nothing new, but the detail in the art really grabs your attention. The page I posted here features Eddie using tendrils to "taste" the minds of all his fellow passengers, and nearly all of the 60 or so faces and heads are unique. That must have taken forever!

---

DYNAMITE​

The Shadow 1941: Hitler's Astrologist
(Writer Denny O'Neil, Artist Micheal Kaluta, Colors Russ Heath)
​

Thanks to Cuestionador for suggesting this one! I watch enough old movies to have known where this book was going from the start, but it captures the feeling of WWII-era B-movies perfectly. It makes sense for the character, and more importantly it's *fucking gorgeous*. I'm approaching the image limit for the post, or I'd flood this thing with pages from the book.


....okay, maybe a couple more! ("MAGGOTS! Night has fallen on your twisted dream!" is such a dope-ass thing to shout before mowing down Nazi's).

​

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I was thinking about making these a bit more "digestible", so most of the images are thumbnails. Hopefully this layout looks neat and tidy? Anyhow, there's other good books coming out monthly, like Birds of Prey, The Immortal Thor, and Uncanny X-Men, but I've mentioned them all before. I also re-read Batman: Hush the other day, since the "sequel" is coming out.

...I think Jim Lee's artwork did most of the heavy lifting, but there's something interesting to the Jason Todd red herring. The identity of Hush is pretty obvious from the start, since it requires setting up a brand new character to "reveal" as the villain later. Teasing the return of one of the most famously dead characters in comics went a long way to masking that, though; "Bucky, Uncle Ben, and Jason Todd stay dead!", they used to say. The excitement over breaking one of the "rules", while pushing the Bat & Cat romance further than they ever had in post-Crisis comics made the whole thing feel more momentous.

Anyhow, there's always more comics! Till next time.

​

 

[Mr. Daddy]

I've still mostly been reading old comics while keeping up with the Absolute line as it releases. I was actually kinda sad to see that Absolute Flash didn't come out this week and seems to have had its schedule moved to be released the week between Absolute Batman and Absolute Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter. I'm really dying to know what happens next in, well, really all of them at this point actually. Batman's the only one that even started to have the initial excitement die down a little until I read issue 7 and it left on the cliffhanger that it does. I'm loving the horror angle that that whole line seems to be taking actually.

I've also been reading some more 30s comics, most recently from the Marvel side of things. Pre-Silver Age marvel is actually something I'm woefully unfamiliar with outside of Captain America, and I've been thoroughly entertained so far by the likes of The Masked Raider, original Human Torch, and Amazing Man. Still can't say I'm particularly fond of Namor, but I think it might be the permanent bedroom eyes he's got going on that are putting me off. Either that or the fact that it doesn't feel like the writer really knew what he wanted to do with him back then, either.​

 

[ATenderLad]

I've still mostly been reading old comics while keeping up with the Absolute line as it releases. I was actually kinda sad to see that Absolute Flash didn't come out this week and seems to have had its schedule moved to be released the week between Absolute Batman and Absolute Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter. I'm really dying to know what happens next in, well, really all of them at this point actually. Batman's the only one that even started to have the initial excitement die down a little until I read issue 7 and it left on the cliffhanger that it does. I'm loving the horror angle that that whole line seems to be taking actually.​

The freedom to mix up the genre a bit is something they’ve all pretty well embraced. It feels a lot less “business as usual”, and I think that’s done wonders for the stakes of each book.

By the way, how would you rank them so far?

I've also been reading some more 30s comics, most recently from the Marvel side of things. Pre-Silver Age marvel is actually something I'm woefully unfamiliar with outside of Captain America, and I've been thoroughly entertained so far by the likes of The Masked Raider, original Human Torch, and Amazing Man. Still can't say I'm particularly fond of Namor, but I think it might be the permanent bedroom eyes he's got going on that are putting me off. Either that or the fact that it doesn't feel like the writer really knew what he wanted to do with him back then, either.​

The Avenging Son is unmoved by your pleas. The Smolder will continue, unabated!

Actually I’ve been reading All Star Comics lately, the original Justice Society anthology book from 1940. The first issue has a Flash Gordon knockoff named Ultra-Man, Lord High Moderator of America, and he more or less single-handedly punches out World War III. ( Wacky bullshit aside, it also has an interesting tone of resentment towards a hypothetical European conflict dragging America into their problems. Given the year it was written, it’s safe to guess how the writer felt about getting involved in WWII).

 

[Mr. Daddy]

By the way, how would you rank them so far?​

It's a little difficult for me to rank Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern to Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman since they've really only just gotten started, but I think I've had enough time to sit with them to at least rank them comparatively on general hype and intrigue.

I'd say so far Absolute Batman is probably my least favorite. It's definitely fun, and I can see some potential for it to start going in a more substantial direction, but it does kinda feel like it
s the one that's doing what it can to take its time. Not that that's a bad thing or anything, but it's giving me a little less to be immediately excited or into when compared to the other books (though I must admit, this was certainly an interesting introduction to Black Mask for me.). So far despite probably having some of the most changes on paper, he feels the least immediately different in terms of what he does or how he functions, not to mention just who he is. I can see the potential though, especially in his friend group.

Girl Berserk- Excuse me, Absolute Wonder Woman would probably be next, but I think that's because if anything it's easily the slowest moving of the books so far. There's just not a lot of stuff that's happened despite having six issues, though that last cliffhanger has me very curious to see what's next. I love the way the mythology has been handled so far, and I'm really hoping they keep on Mattia de Iulis from issue 6, because I felt it was a massive upgrade personally. It's been fun getting to see Diana in a world not used to her again, and even more since she's got the hell powers going on, and I'm not gonna complain about more characters like Magik being around.

I'd probably put Absolute Flash next, but that comes with the caveat that it has potential for me to jump up this list depending on how the book proceeds, because a lot of what we know from what writers have said combined with the delivery of that first issue has me very intrigued, and Wally is a big plus.

Out of the original three, Absolute Superman has been my favorite so far. I'll admit that Jason Aaron's work is fairly hit-and-miss for me, but so far this is looking to be more hit than miss, which is great because when I do like something he does, I particularly enjoy it. I'm liking the direction of how a lot of things he's been setting up look like they may be going. Doing a mix of telling current events and Superman's backstory has also been doing a lot to keep me hooked, and I gotta say that so far I think I'm the most intrigued about this line's villains, especially with the most recent reveal.

Absolute Green Lantern had me curious when all we knew about it was the concept, but after the delivery, I'm dying to know what happens next. Cosmic horror is one of my favorite subgenres of horror, and the Green Lantern side of DC has always been something I've really liked, so this book is holding a lot of potential for me right in the palm of Hal's foreshadowing hand.

Martian Manhunter was my original favorite DC character, and he'd still be pretty high on my list, so I was already excited when we heard that he was getting an Absolute line. Then I heard that it was psychological horror, probably my favorite subgenre of horror, and that was all I needed to be hooked before an issue released. Then it did, and I absolute-ly loved everything about it. The art in particular I think is phenomenally well done, and is nailing what it wants to go for. I'd never really thought about the idea of using acid art to complement horror, but it was a great choice on the part of this team.
​

The first issue has a Flash Gordon knockoff named Ultra-Man, Lord High Moderator of America, and he more or less single-handedly punches out World War III. ( Wacky bullshit aside, it also has an interesting tone of resentment towards a hypothetical European conflict dragging America into their problems. Given the year it was written, it’s safe to guess how the writer felt about getting involved in WWII).​

Funnily enough there's a story in Marvel Mystery Comics that I got a similar feeling from. Issue 2, which was released October 1939, features an American Ace story that's the first part of his origin, where two fictional European countries go to war with each other over the death of a Duke, potentially threatening to go to an even greater scale. Definitely made me do a double take as I was reading it, and did it again when it featured on-panel child death.​

 

[ATenderLad]

It's a little difficult for me to rank Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern to Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman since they've really only just gotten started, but I think I've had enough time to sit with them to at least rank them comparatively on general hype and intrigue.​

Yeah, half of them only have one issue, but thanks for speculating with me!

I'd say so far Absolute Batman is probably my least favorite. It's definitely fun, and I can see some potential for it to start going in a more substantial direction, but it does kinda feel like it
s the one that's doing what it can to take its time. Not that that's a bad thing or anything, but it's giving me a little less to be immediately excited or into when compared to the other books (though I must admit, this was certainly an interesting introduction to Black Mask for me.). So far despite probably having some of the most changes on paper, he feels the least immediately different in terms of what he does or how he functions, not to mention just who he is. I can see the potential though, especially in his friend group.​

I feel the same, here. I think the first issue was a real whiz-bang action comic, but the changes feel a bit underwhelming. Batman goes through phases of losing his money/mansion/endless resources fairly often over the last twenty years; Absolute also borrows heavily from the blockbuster movies at times, which is a really common touchstone for the comics of the last decade as well.

I still think it's a really *good* example of what it is, but it's less a bold re-imagining and more a modernization a la Marvel's Ultimate line. There's some good changes in that sense, like Alfred not being a butler, and the friend group as you mentioned. (Possibly the Joker, though all we've got is a brief teaser so far).

Girl Berserk- Excuse me, Absolute Wonder Woman would probably be next, but I think that's because if anything it's easily the slowest moving of the books so far. There's just not a lot of stuff that's happened despite having six issues, though that last cliffhanger has me very curious to see what's next. I love the way the mythology has been handled so far, and I'm really hoping they keep on Mattia de Iulis from issue 6, because I felt it was a massive upgrade personally. It's been fun getting to see Diana in a world not used to her again, and even more since she's got the hell powers going on, and I'm not gonna complain about more characters like Magik being around.​

I love her new origin story, and the fact that she's still *Diana* but in a radically different circumstance makes the best parts of her character stand out more, in my opinion. She definitely got the coolest visual redesign!

I like Mattia de Iulis on the latest issue, but I'll admit I'm a little disappointed to see Sterling gone; their style - and inventive page layouts - were some of my favorite art in any ongoing book right now.

I'd probably put Absolute Flash next, but that comes with the caveat that it has potential for me to jump up this list depending on how the book proceeds, because a lot of what we know from what writers have said combined with the delivery of that first issue has me very intrigued, and Wally is a big plus.​

Yeah, the first issue didn't give a ton to go on. Fingers crossed, Mark Waids 90's run with Wally West was my introduction to The Flash, and still maybe my favorite version of the character. (Nostalgia, I know).

Out of the original three, Absolute Superman has been my favorite so far. I'll admit that Jason Aaron's work is fairly hit-and-miss for me, but so far this is looking to be more hit than miss, which is great because when I do like something he does, I particularly enjoy it. I'm liking the direction of how a lot of things he's been setting up look like they may be going. Doing a mix of telling current events and Superman's backstory has also been doing a lot to keep me hooked, and I gotta say that so far I think I'm the most intrigued about this line's villains, especially with the most recent reveal.​

Jason Aaron has spent years writing big "comic-booky" Marvel stories, with wacky cross-temporal Avengers teams and such. Absolute Superman feels like he has a *lot* to get off his chest, and he's biting with some real teeth. (That bit with Kal-El in school, being punished for not using the mandatory AI to help write his paper? Damn).

The nano-storm cape and outfit is a really fun visual, and while I never watched Smallville personally, "Young Hot Superman" seems to be a formula that works for people.

Absolute Green Lantern had me curious when all we knew about it was the concept, but after the delivery, I'm dying to know what happens next. Cosmic horror is one of my favorite subgenres of horror, and the Green Lantern side of DC has always been something I've really liked, so this book is holding a lot of potential for me right in the palm of Hal's foreshadowing hand.​

​

That transition from cut off mid-sentence to wide angle of disaster from outside is chilling, I'm so excited for the next issue.

Martian Manhunter was my original favorite DC character, and he'd still be pretty high on my list, so I was already excited when we heard that he was getting an Absolute line. Then I heard that it was psychological horror, probably my favorite subgenre of horror, and that was all I needed to be hooked before an issue released. Then it did, and I absolute-ly loved everything about it. The art in particular I think is phenomenally well done, and is nailing what it wants to go for. I'd never really thought about the idea of using acid art to complement horror, but it was a great choice on the part of this team.​

Hard agree, I'm almost dreading the point where this inevitably crosses over with the other books.

Funnily enough there's a story in Marvel Mystery Comics that I got a similar feeling from. Issue 2, which was released October 1939, features an American Ace story that's the first part of his origin, where two fictional European countries go to war with each other over the death of a Duke, potentially threatening to go to an even greater scale. Definitely made me do a double take as I was reading it, and did it again when it featured on-panel child death.​

Given that most of those writers (or their parents) had just gone through a Great War, there must have a been pretty constant anxiety over "It's happening again!" It's strange to see referred to so pointedly in children's books, but I suppose reports about the European war probably dominated the radio, and the news segments before a movie or serial would play in theaters. The kids were probably all talking about it too!

 

[fake-kun]

God, reading Archie Mega Man is like a slow torture that you can stop at any time, but won't because you're in too deep now.

 

[Swagmata]

Should I get/read The Death of Superman and The Long Halloween?


I'm preparing V for Vendetta and I would like to read 300 and Sin City but they're not a single volume.

The long Halloween for my money is probably the best Batman story. It’s like a Batman versus the god father fanfic it rules

Post automatically merged: Apr 13, 2025

Been collecting and reading a mix of usagi jojimbo and lone wolf and cub lately. Stan Sakai may be my American comics goat

 

[Deleted member 179251]

Am reading the boys comic from time to time, though all my attention at this moment is on reading fullmetal alchemist

 

[Cuestionador]

Welp, it's been another couple weeks, and I feel like rambling about the comics I've read since last time. I'm gonna mix it up a little, and try to cover several books in bite-sized chunks this time. Here goes!

---

DC COMICS​

View attachment 56783Aquaman #4 (Writer Jeremy Adams, Artist John Timms, Colorist Rek Lokus) Spinning out of the event Absolute Power, where several characters lost or swapped powers, they've taken the opportunity to give Mera's "hydrokinesis" to Aquaman. (Honestly, it is the cooler power). King Arthur of Atlantis also has a shiny magic sword that extends into a trident. The current story revolves around "The Blue", a watery paralell to Swamp Things' "The Green". That's one way to jazz up a guy who talks to fish, I guess!

---

View attachment 56852Absolute Green Lantern #1 (Writer Al Ewing, Artist Jahnoy Lindsay) The latest Absolute re-imagining, and unsurprisingly it's another strong debut issue. Set in a fictional Nevada border town, the titular Green Lantern brings cosmic horror to a very mundane setting. It looks like Hal Jordan got dealt a particularly bad hand (pun intended, read the book to groan properly), and we'll be following the adventures of Jo Mullein from the *amazing* Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin. I'm champing at the bit for the next issue.

---

View attachment 56858All Star Western Vol. 1 - Guns and Gotham (Writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, Artist Moritat, Colors Gabriel Bautista) Not a new book, but I've been meaning to catch up on it for years now. Bounty hunter, gunslinger, and all-around ornery cuss Jonah Hex mosies into Gotham on the trail of some wanted idiots. Hex hates cities (and most everything else) but finds himself looped into constant misadventures that keep him stuck in town, working far too closely with Jeremiah Arkham. (The psychologist who founds the famous asylum). Arkham is a nebbish academic, but he's absolutely fascinated by this violent, maladjusted sociopath who keeps solving problems. I'm a huge fan of westerns, but I think anyone could have a blast here.. There's six volumes collection the whole series, and while it loses steam eventually, the first three installments are great.

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Batgirl #3 (Writer Tate Brombal, Artist Takeshi Miyazawa, Colors Mike Spicer)
View attachment 56881View attachment 56882View attachment 56887
I've struggled a bit catching up to the current continuity of Gotham characters, but the new Cassandra Cain/Batgirl ongoing has been a delight. The first arc is entirely centered on her and the thorny relationship she has with her mother, Lady Shiva. Being a comic book, they work through that amidst a million murder attempts by mystically enhanced assassins.​

---

MARVEL COMICS​

View attachment 56890Incredible Hulk #19 (Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Artists Nic Klein and Danny Earls, Colors Matthew Wilson) A few years ago, Al Ewing wrapped up his Immortal Hulk series, a smash hit that will likely define the character the same way Planet Hulk did a decade prior. It brought some profound horror to the Hulk, layered in Biblical musings and modern social anxieties. While the next few writers aimed to be different, the latest series by is embracing Immortal Hulk instead. If Ewing's book was psychological horror, this baby is going full 70's grindhouse, like a movie called "Scream Slaughter! Till the Devil Knows You're Dead!" It reminds me of some of the older Ghost Rider books in that way, and the artwork is incredible.

---

View attachment 56895The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Writer Joe Kelly, Artist Pepe Larraz, Colors Marte Gracia) That's right, it's a new re-launch of the main Peter Parker book....and y'all, I think it's a Hush. I think we're doing Spider-Man: Hush. We're about to have a gauntlet of revamped old rogue's, some shadowy new guys are pulling the strings, and a childhood friend of Peter's that we've never met got introduced right here in the first issue. (I'm not saying that guy will turn out to be a villain, but yes I fucking am saying that). Fingers crossed!

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View attachment 56898All-New Venom #4 (Writer Al Ewing, Artist Carlos Gomez, Colors Frank D'armata) So, that's a page of Venom being shot in the face with a miniaturized M.O.D.O.K., who then rapidly expands, resulting in the Funko Pop-themed nightmare on the bottom right panel. (Venom's head pops on the next page, but don't worry; it's comics, they get better!) The setup here is that after the recent Venom War event, Eddie Brock is stuck with Carnage, and Venom has a new mystery host. The debut issue presented it as a mystery, and at least four potential suspects. Their identity was revealed in this latest issue, and I won't spoil it except to say "I did not see that coming, and I love it!" Venom in general has had a *lot* going on the last few years, enough to perhaps be unwelcoming to a new reader. If that's you, I still think this book might be worth reading a few wiki articles.

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View attachment 56906Eddie Brock: Carnage #1 (Writer Charles Soule, Artist Jesús Saíz, Colors Matt Hollingsworth) Speaking of Eddie Brock and Carnage, this "Parental Advisory" book is kind of old hat. Eddie Brock doing the "Lethal Protector" thing is nothing new, but the detail in the art really grabs your attention. The page I posted here features Eddie using tendrils to "taste" the minds of all his fellow passengers, and nearly all of the 60 or so faces and heads are unique. That must have taken forever!

---

DYNAMITE​

View attachment 56921
The Shadow 1941: Hitler's Astrologist
(Writer Denny O'Neil, Artist Micheal Kaluta, Colors Russ Heath)
​

View attachment 56930Thanks to Cuestionador for suggesting this one! I watch enough old movies to have known where this book was going from the start, but it captures the feeling of WWII-era B-movies perfectly. It makes sense for the character, and more importantly it's *fucking gorgeous*. I'm approaching the image limit for the post, or I'd flood this thing with pages from the book.


....okay, maybe a couple more! ("MAGGOTS! Night has fallen on your twisted dream!" is such a dope-ass thing to shout before mowing down Nazi's).

View attachment 56923View attachment 56926​

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I was thinking about making these a bit more "digestible", so most of the images are thumbnails. Hopefully this layout looks neat and tidy? Anyhow, there's other good books coming out monthly, like Birds of Prey, The Immortal Thor, and Uncanny X-Men, but I've mentioned them all before. I also re-read Batman: Hush the other day, since the "sequel" is coming out.

...I think Jim Lee's artwork did most of the heavy lifting, but there's something interesting to the Jason Todd red herring. The identity of Hush is pretty obvious from the start, since it requires setting up a brand new character to "reveal" as the villain later. Teasing the return of one of the most famously dead characters in comics went a long way to masking that, though; "Bucky, Uncle Ben, and Jason Todd stay dead!", they used to say. The excitement over breaking one of the "rules", while pushing the Bat & Cat romance further than they ever had in post-Crisis comics made the whole thing feel more momentous.

Anyhow, there's always more comics! Till next time.

​

Hello, sorry for my late answer! I yet to make a post with more recommendations, but thanks for reading The Shadow Graphic Novel! meanwhile i'm reading the Moon Knight run of Jed McKay in digital, the third and fourth TPB are my favourites, not a fan of Capuccio but some issues are well done, besides that i'm reading the second volume of the Punisher Essentials and i love it, Klaus Janson is a giant and Baron in the eighties was a great writer.

 

[Action_Hank]

Seeing this reminded me I need to read the X-O Manowar comics I downloaded because I heard about the character for the first time in the repo
https://retrogametalk.com/repository/sega_saturn_isos/iron-man-x-o-manowar-in-heavy-metal-usa/

game is however, unfortunately awful.

 

[fake-kun]

I'M FREE OF IAN FLYNN'S GRASP (FOR NOW)

YESSSSSSS

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I'M FREE OF IAN FLYNN'S GRASP (FOR NOW)

YESSSSSSS

Wasn't he praised by people before?

 

[fake-kun]

Wasn't he praised by people before?

Well, I'm not people, I can have whatever opinion I want about Ian.

 

[Tonberry]

I read ’Avengers & X-Men: Axis’ in preparation for ’Superior Iron Man’ and I liked it a lot. Simple honest goofy plot with a bunch of of cool moments.

Superior Iron Man is also really good, but I’m only on issue 3 so far.

 

[Mr. Daddy]

Star Wars day this year got me in a bit of a mood to read some Star Wars related comics again, so I reread a shorter trilogy of series that I didn't remember too well because of how long ago it was since I read them.


Dark Horse's Dawn of The Jedi trilogy (those being Force Storm, The Prisoner of Bogan, and Force War) really are neat comics that gave a lot of potential to launching a new time period that got completely screwed by Disney getting their hands on the rights to Star Wars as a whole and pretty much stopping all of the original Expanded Universe content that was coming out at the time. That trilogy is decent, but really kinda leaves a lot to be desired since it was, ya know, meant to lead into more stuff rather than being almost the entirety of the story from the time period in-universe.

The "Before the Republic" era is still probably one of my biggest comic-related "what could have been" musings that I'll never get over.

Also still been keeping up with Absolute Universe stuff, and I gotta say, they had probably one of the biggest teases I've seen come out of a Free Comic Book Day comic in a long time.​

 

[Octopus]

Absolute Universe

I've been seeing enough talk about the Absolute stuff (here in this prestigious thread even) to make me want to actually check it out. I think I'll start with Superman, which I hear a lot of people say is the best of Absolute so far.

 

[kingofdragons]

Reading the new Batgirl issues, Cass with her killer mommy Lady Shiva? oh the drama! yes please.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I've bought We3

I wanted a non-Superhero comic for once.

 

[ATenderLad]

Star Wars day this year got me in a bit of a mood to read some Star Wars related comics again, so I reread a shorter trilogy of series that I didn't remember too well because of how long ago it was since I read them.


Dark Horse's Dawn of The Jedi trilogy (those being Force Storm, The Prisoner of Bogan, and Force War) really are neat comics that gave a lot of potential to launching a new time period that got completely screwed by Disney getting their hands on the rights to Star Wars as a whole and pretty much stopping all of the original Expanded Universe content that was coming out at the time. That trilogy is decent, but really kinda leaves a lot to be desired since it was, ya know, meant to lead into more stuff rather than being almost the entirety of the story from the time period in-universe.​

It's weird what Disney *is* and *is not* okay with, I was just talking to a friend who was at a book festival panel on the topic of Disney's Twisted Tales....which is basically fan-fiction of Disney properties, but licensed? It's very strange.

Also still been keeping up with Absolute Universe stuff, and I gotta say, they had probably one of the biggest teases I've seen come out of a Free Comic Book Day comic in a long time.​

I've been seeing enough talk about the Absolute stuff (here in this prestigious thread even) to make me want to actually check it out. I think I'll start with Superman, which I hear a lot of people say is the best of Absolute so far.

Ugh, the Absolute books have been so good. The latest Absolute Superman just had it's first issue focused on one of the villains of this new setting, and ohmygoooooood it's the most fucking deranged version of this particularly well-known character. Genuinely, chilling shit.

I've bought We3
View attachment 68775

I wanted a non-Superhero comic for once.

Damn, this one is such a rough read if...well, for anyone with a pet or who loves animals in the least. Devastating, but so good. (Also, while it's not technically capeshit, James Gunn reportedly adores this book, and has pitched adaptations more than once. It wouldn't be surprising if the particularly sad Rocket backstory in the last GotG movie was influenced by We3).

Oh, and I forgot to quote @kingofdragons but I'm also loving that series, Batgirl is some classic drama mixed with fantastic looking kung fu treachery!

 

[Octopus]

I've bought We3
View attachment 68775

I wanted a non-Superhero comic for once.

That comic is amazing, and I'm never reading it ever again. That's my opinion on We3.

 

[Mr. Daddy]

It's weird what Disney *is* and *is not* okay with, I was just talking to a friend who was at a book festival panel on the topic of Disney's Twisted Tales....which is basically fan-fiction of Disney properties, but licensed? It's very strange.​

I think all that really matters to Disney is that it's something they have control with and that isn't going to compete with whatever it is they want to do with the properties they have

Disney couldn't really control the old expanded universe with the heavy changes we now know they wanted to make, and letting it continue would've competed with the new continuity so guess it had to get the axe unfortunately.

Honestly the biggest problem I think I still have with that decision today is the ugly Legends banner they put on reprints of everything now.

​

Ugh, the Absolute books have been so good. The latest Absolute Superman just had it's first issue focused on one of the villains of this new setting, and ohmygoooooood it's the most fucking deranged version of this particularly well-known character. Genuinely, chilling shit.​

This might be my favorite single issue of any of the books out so far, though the two issues of Absolute Martian Manhunter that are out are definitely really close.

​

I've been seeing enough talk about the Absolute stuff (here in this prestigious thread even) to make me want to actually check it out. I think I'll start with Superman, which I hear a lot of people say is the best of Absolute so far.​

That's definitely my favorite of the first three that have come out so far. Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern are also looking particularly promising, but they each only have a couple issues out so far as opposed to Superman's 7.​

 

[Yousef]

(Thank you @Octopus for the bump, and a pleasant handshake to each of your tentacles!)

5. Silver Age Superman: Similar to Batman, I love the generally silly "anything can happen" feel of this era of Superman, but there's so much more to it than that. Probably my most simple love for this era is seeing what they'll do with Superman. The writers were really given the reins to just do whatever they wanted as long as it didn't go against the Comics Code Authority, and it really shows. Another related part of my love for this era is that, essentially, every cover is clickbait. So, so, so many covers from this time period just make Superman look like an absolute psychopath (I believe the term for this trope is Superdickery), and the stories inside will if anything often be way, way worse than the cover, only for the last page or two to more than bend over backwards to show that Superman was actually doing the right thing (or at least the wrong thing for the right reasons) the whole time, and nobody else could understand it, or else his plan totally wouldn't work. The lives of all of his friends are at his whim, but everyone just kinda trusts him because it always works out. Another part is, like with Batman comics from this era, his stories are often just hilarious, though I think it's more unintentional here. I really don't think Superman adopting Jimmy Olsen only to abuse him so much that he doesn't want to be his son anymore is supposed to be funny, but it's absolutely hilarious. I'm lumping Superboy stories in here too, because those are Clark during this time period, and if anything they exemplify this last point even more. It's in those issues where we learn that Lex Luthor was actually also in Smallville when Clark was growing up, and the reason that Lex hates Superman is because Lex went bald because he screwed up making something with the chemicals Superboy gave him out of friendship. Superboy even saves his life in that accident by pulling him away from the chemicals, and he still decides to just dedicate his life to being one of the biggest haters of all time. It's just so silly, but they want you to take it all seriously which makes it even more hilarious. That said though, one of the biggest reasons I think I love this era is because of the parts where you can see they wanted to change, but couldn't. there's this whole arc where Lex goes with Superman to have a final fight on an alien planet, only for Lex to cheat and win but realize he has no way home. The planet happens to be inhabited, and thinks he's some great hero, and the writing makes it clear that this would have been an arc where they write him being redeemed. You can really tell they wanted to do this to, because around the same time they introduced Bizarro Lex, who is just a good guy. But, because of the CCA, they couldn't. Bad guys had to be bad guys. Those stories are still good as is, but I can only imagine how they would be different without the CCA being full blast during this period, and I feel like anything that can capture someone so much has to have some genuine merit.

4. The Mask: A theme some of you are probably noticing in my taste is that I absolutely love when writers are willing and able to go all in on a concept and roll with it to their heart's content, and I don't think there's a single comic that does that better than The Mask. It's really a shame to me that there isn't more content from this concept. The idea of a magical mask that preys on people by allowing them to act without inhibition, only for it to slowly and subtly corrupt their minds into absolute insanity is amazing. I think it really speaks and appeals to those thoughts people have of just "Man, if I could just get away with whatever I wanted, I'd go nuts right now". But the great thing is, it's not just some shallow gore porn either, because it uses that concept to really study and showcase the depth of the characters it presents. Kellaway in particular I think is probably The Mask at its peak in that regard, because you can really see and feel that slow mental decline, and you get to see how he reacts to and feels about it when the mask is off. The art is also fantastic, and the brutality of it really helps with a lot of the things the story is trying to do. Most importantly though, these comics are just god damn pure fun. There's almost no pages that aren't either showing something brutal, setting something up, or are really completely down time in any fashion. Every little ounce of this comic is just trying to be extreme and making you have fun with it, almost like a really messed up cartoon. Put simply, it's just fantastic in every sense.

3. Planet Hulk & World War Hulk: I'm lumping these together because I have similar feelings about both stories, and they're so tied to each other that I'd feel wrong just mentioning one of them. Planet Hulk is singlehandedly the story that took Hulk from being a character I generally liked to being a character I would describe as a favorite. I love getting to see Hulk just be himself and act in his own way without restrictions, and while his connection to Banner is a big part of why I like the character now, it's genuinely really refreshing to get to see a story that just focuses on Hulk himself. Not only that, it just feels good for Hulk to be unconditionally loved by some peers. No hidden layer of fear or mistrust, just genuine connection. Getting to see Hulk also be the lead hero in a story without any caveat to it is great, and for me at least is a great look into the Hulk as a character. That's not to say that it hadn't been done before this, but the exclusive look into him and how he develops from the connection he gets here is a great read. World War Hulk continues with the look of Hulk as a character and how he's developed, while also giving a bit of a cathartic beatdown to the people who wronged him by sending him off planet in the first place (even if they didn't necessarily all deserve it, but to avoid spoilers for those who haven't read it I will avoid getting into too great of detail). That's not even mentioning the surrounding characters and their arcs, particularly those of Miek and Hiroim. Red King is also a fantastic villain, and everything involving the Spikes are incredible. World War Hulk also has some fun side-stories in it, and gives a great spotlight to some characters that usually don't get to have it. Hulk's assault on the X-Mansion might also be one of my favorite moments in all of comics.

2. Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph & Torment: This is another comic where I struggle to even begin to talk about what I like about it so much. I love seeing villains get to get genuine character development, especially when its in relation to their backstories, and I've always felt Doom has one of the better backstories in comics. A comic with the concept of Doom trying to do what he can to do some good related to his backstory by saving his mother's soul from Mephisto is a concept that had me hooked immediately. The storytelling here is nothing short of phenomenal, and if you haven't read this, you should. Having one of my favorite heroes in Doctor Strange also helps a ton, and his dynamic with Doom is so much fun to read, especially because of the fact that Doom, despite trying to do something good, isn't a good person here. If you want an incredible showcase of these two characters at some of their best writing with a damn good story that had permanent development for Doom, read this.

1.​

So it had taken me months to reply here but I wanna say I completely adore everything written here and wholeheartedly agree with what’s said about Batman and Soup man!!

Gotta say, it’s actually kinda tragic that modern Batman is a victim of circumstance, which is morbidly fitting I guess? Tower of Babel, while not a comic I like, is one i can admire and cannot fault for its sincere attempt at deconstructing batsy. It’s a liiiiittle late for the party, but nothing harmful about what it’s trying to do here. That said, it was definitely severely misinterpreted by subsequent batty bat writers as a genuine attempt at changing the status quo, so many attempts at replicating sook followed, with none of the impact. Creating a twisted and warped version of the character that the original author never intended. Had ToB existed as an independent piece, it would’ve been an interesting alternate insight into the character. But now it exists as a piece of history that truly tainted the blue with dark and grey colors.

 

[ATenderLad]

This might be my favorite single issue of any of the books out so far, though the two issues of Absolute Martian Manhunter that are out are definitely really close.​

Oh, so you've read the delight that is Absolute Martian Manhunter #2, then?

It's only been two entries, but I've got a feeling this is going to be of the best things I read all year. It's inventive, it's gorgeous, it's layering the supernatural onto some real and scary topics...the wait for a new issue is killing me.

 

[kingofdragons]

I think all that really matters to Disney is that it's something they have control with and that isn't going to compete with whatever it is they want to do with the properties they have

Disney couldn't really control the old expanded universe with the heavy changes we now know they wanted to make, and letting it continue would've competed with the new continuity so guess it had to get the axe unfortunately.

Honestly the biggest problem I think I still have with that decision today is the ugly Legends banner they put on reprints of everything now.



This might be my favorite single issue of any of the books out so far, though the two issues of Absolute Martian Manhunter that are out are definitely really close.



That's definitely my favorite of the first three that have come out so far. Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern are also looking particularly promising, but they each only have a couple issues out so far as opposed to Superman's 7.​

ugh, dont get me started on star wars im still so mad.
The EU stuff was a copyright patchwork, Disney prefers everything they do to be owned completely by them and to not have to pay or negotiate with anybody else even for basic rights or creative decisions. The real money was in the merchandise, and they needed full rights control over it.
I actually really like most of the EU, I know not everyone shares the same opinion, it had some misses here and there, but at least even in those misses it tried to do something different. Disney are scumbags because what they are actually doing is just making their own knockoff version of the EU material, and because its done so fast and with so much outside meddling it shows and ends up being junk. The prequels were basically their own version of the originals, with a new Vader and all, the High Republic is a knockoff Old Republic, The new animated shows were supposed to be a starting point for their own cartoons and so on. All of that was tied to merchandise to replace the old merchandise. It failed so bad there's landfills with Star Wars toys and other junk now. Look at how bad their rides and hotel did at the parks, they invested billions into those and the returns have been abysmal.

And I agree, I hate the darn Legacy crap, we now have such an ugly split into 'canon' and 'legacy' lore its infuriating, especially when the old lore was so much better.

 

[Mr. Daddy]

Had ToB existed as an independent piece, it would’ve been an interesting alternate insight into the character. But now it exists as a piece of history that truly tainted the blue with dark and grey colors.​

Yeah, I think I'd have significantly fewer issues with Tower of Babel if it was just clearly marked as an Elseworld story or something like that. Even if it came to influence mainline comics then, I don't think it would have been as drastic as what we have now. I think the biggest thing that's always irked me about it though is that, while it's definitely first and foremost supposed to be a deconstruction, it also kinda feels like a sneaky backdoor "Batman isn't really powerful enough to stand next to all the other superheroes, we have to power him up" kind of plot, which I think really misses the point of why Batman is on the team to begin with. He doesn't need to be the guy that can single-handedly take anyone out with planning, but he absolutely should be the guy who can figure out how his team can get there together.
​

Oh, so you've read the delight that is Absolute Martian Manhunter #2, then?

View attachment 68847It's only been two entries, but I've got a feeling this is going to be of the best things I read all year. It's inventive, it's gorgeous, it's layering the supernatural onto some real and scary topics...the wait for a new issue is killing me.​

Yeah, I've been keeping up with each comic as it comes out. It's been killing me having to wait about a month for each issue .

Martian Manhunter #2 in particular has me dying, because so much of the art in the issues we have (especially "the shot" in issue 2) are exactly what I was wanting from the concept of that book, and I'm very interested to see how they're going to take the story they're building up going forward. The way they've been visualizing the Martian is also really fun, too.

​

ugh, dont get me started on star wars im still so mad.
The EU stuff was a copyright patchwork, Disney prefers everything they do to be owned completely by them and to not have to pay or negotiate with anybody else even for basic rights or creative decisions. The real money was in the merchandise, and they needed full rights control over it.
I actually really like most of the EU, I know not everyone shares the same opinion, it had some misses here and there, but at least even in those misses it tried to do something different. Disney are scumbags because what they are actually doing is just making their own knockoff version of the EU material, and because its done so fast and with so much outside meddling it shows and ends up being junk. The prequels were basically their own version of the originals, with a new Vader and all, the High Republic is a knockoff Old Republic, The new animated shows were supposed to be a starting point for their own cartoons and so on. All of that was tied to merchandise to replace the old merchandise. It failed so bad there's landfills with Star Wars toys and other junk now. Look at how bad their rides and hotel did at the parks, they invested billions into those and the returns have been abysmal.

And I agree, I hate the darn Legacy crap, we now have such an ugly split into 'canon' and 'legacy' lore its infuriating, especially when the old lore was so much better.​

If I had a nickel for every time Disney's new canon borrowed something from the EU and did it worse, I'd have Disney money. Jacen Solo Kylo Ren is not. I can't say that I've absolutely 100% hated everything Disney has done with Star Wars since they got it, but I could comfortably but it somewhere around 85%, which is a lot worse than the track record the EU had. I've always felt like most of the worse stuff from the EU was generally pretty inconsequential, like some of the more unknown short stories or some of the Young Reader's Novels. At least where comics are concerned, Star Wars was usually pretty damn strong.​