Piss your pants funny at some points. Current writers take the old classic Kirby, Buscema, etc Young Girls In Love romance tales from the 60s and 70s and skewer the living hell out of them, changing the words, not the art. So while I can drool over how much attention was spent on the horrible fashions of the age (rendered in ridiculous detail by the artists!) I can laugh out loud at how they've taken an existing scene and just butchered it.
If you find this book anywhere, don't think twice...pick it up.
I have heard about this trade and been looking for a copy for a few months now. Gotta ask is there any Ditko artwork in it?
Piss your pants funny at some points. Current writers take the old classic Kirby, Buscema, etc Young Girls In Love romance tales from the 60s and 70s and skewer the living hell out of them, changing the words, not the art. So while I can drool over how much attention was spent on the horrible fashions of the age (rendered in ridiculous detail by the artists!) I can laugh out loud at how they've taken an existing scene and just butchered it.
If you find this book anywhere, don't think twice...pick it up.
I LOVED that book, and it did generate enough money that Marvel did a trade of Romance comics taken seriously.
Giffen did some for Boom Studios called "What were they thinking" that was very good as well.
I started reading comics in the very late 80s and early 90s. X-Men continuity scared the heck out of me as a kid. I just remember being lost about who was from what future timeline or keeping track of who was on what team at any given time, etc.
I've read very little X-Men over the years but I've decided to jump in with the MM Uncanny X-Men volumes.
This first one was great and I really enjoy how simple everything is. One team..a handful of new and old heroes, great stories and great art.
I'm looking forward(if not my wallet) to picking up the rest of the volumes in this series.
I've just finished the Black Orchid Deluxe edition, and have to say, it doesn't seem as good as I remember it to be. The art by McKean is still amazing, but the story feels pedestrian to me. I realise that this is relatively early in Gaiman's comics career, and it can be argued he's finding his voice but certain aspects didn't sit well with me. In particular, Batman doesn't sound like Starlin and Grant were writing him at the time (if I remember correctly). I don't think it was particularly poor, but Sandman and Books of Magic are more complete works in my opinion.
I've just finished the Black Orchid Deluxe edition, and have to say, it doesn't seem as good as I remember it to be. The art by McKean is still amazing, but the story feels pedestrian to me. I realise that this is relatively early in Gaiman's comics career, and it can be argued he's finding his voice but certain aspects didn't sit well with me. In particular, Batman doesn't sound like Starlin and Grant were writing him at the time (if I remember correctly). I don't think it was particularly poor, but Sandman and Books of Magic are more complete works in my opinion.
I know I am in the minority with this opinion,but I think Black Orchid holds up better than Sandman.
The Strange Talent of Luther Strode This was simply exceptional! I was laid up for about a week and read a bunch of stuff that I had in my to-read pile and this might have been the biggest standout of all. Excellent, excellent, excellent!
I also re-read Arkham Asylum and this is without a doubt my favorite Batman trade. It has always been in my top list but maybe it was the prescription drugs but it just cemented itself even more as my #1 Batman trade. Love it.
I've been up and down on Fables HCs over the years...
Vol 1 & 2 were good, but not as great as I'd heard this title was so I thought about dropping it... then I got Volume 3 with "The March of the Wooden Soldiers" and it all payed off in an amazing story! So Im back in, and then Volume 4 comes out, and it's *meh* The mean season was ok, and the outcome was a nice little twist, but there was the big text piece and it was underwhelming to say the least. So Im waffling on Volume 5, and decide one last try.
WOW. Three AMAZING stories. No weak points Jack Be Nimble Arabian Nights (and days) and Homelands Just fabulous storytelling from start to finish.
Im back on board. Which means I've read the first 45 issues now. Two amazing HCs, two ok HCs, and one snoozer...
Just finished Area 10 by Christos Gage.......very cool hadn't really ready a mystery/thriller graphic novel before but this one was fantastic. Christos and the artist Chris Samnee recently teamed back up for Angel & Faith and it was really good so I decided to check this out and it did not disappoint.
Just finished Area 10 by Christos Gage.......very cool hadn't really ready a mystery/thriller graphic novel before but this one was fantastic. Christos and the artist Chris Samnee recently teamed back up for Angel & Faith and it was really good so I decided to check this out and it did not disappoint.
I was reading nearly all the Vertigo hardback things when they were put out over the last few years, and this one really stood out as one of the better of the series. Samnee is an awesome artist, and I'm getting to like a lot more of Gage's work these days.
In a week once again short of reading time, I got through Spider-Man: Identity Crisis. Oh Marvel, how you love to fuck with your readers and characters. Aside form the variety in art styles, of which personally I preferred Wieringo and Ross above JRJR and Bennett, the most interesting thing in this collection was the pages that referred to Robbie Robertsons search for Pete and MJs baby, which I thought was to be ignored at all costs. Why reprint this decidedly average storyline with this sub-plot for all to see if, just maybe, it will be referenced in the future of the book? Is baby May Alpha?
Anyway we get 8 issues of Peter being 4 other identities, and eventually it all comes together so that he can stick it to Osborne and become Spidey again. Each other identity is not overtly interesting, with the influences of others, both Marvel and DC quite apparent. The bizarre thing is I remember really liking Slingers, the title that spun out of this storyline.
Well I read Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba's Daytripper from Vertigo & to say the least it was memorable & breathtaking. The art soaked you in w/ each chapter getting stranger & stranger discussing the meaning of life, the last chapter of life, death. Yes, the subject is taboo to say the least but if you stick w/ this book the reader will be rewarded with the knowledge that life is about choices & what happens to the main character in the book. The only things that comes even close is Essex County Trilogy by Jeff Lemire & Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons' Watchmen. So if you want to get out from the usual in your normal comic reading routine give Daytripper by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba a chance. You can't go wrong. 5 stars all the way just be sure to bring some tissues.
Currently reading The New Teen Titans Omnibus - Volume 2 by Wolfman and Perez. Loving the longer arcs in this volume. Brother Blood's introduction, Starfire's origin being explored and The Judas Contract all in one very handsome volume is great.
There's been a marked improvement in bind quality on this volume and it's much easier to read as a result. The artwork looks great and it's the best these stories have been presented. A great package for a great run.
I am just now reading the 6-part mini-series (it is collected in trade form though) Samurai's Blood from Image... Wow! This has been excellent and I'm sorry I let it sit in my pile so long unread! Beautiful art in many places and a very good storyline for a mini-series. It never really feels rushed or cramped by the six issue limitation which is awesome. You can read issue #1 for free: http://www.benaroyapublishing.com/category/samurai-news
Finished reading Avengers Assemble Vol.3 over the weekend. Im still enjoying going through these old Avengers stories but I think the other two volumes were better. I did like the Count Nefaria story at the end though.
Birds of Prey: End Run arrived today so I've just finished with that as well. I didnt really think Hawk and Dove added anything at all to the stories but apart from that really enjoyed it. In fact its yet another book I have read through and immediately afterwards realised how much I am missing the old DCU.
@mguy1977 is right on with his recommendation of Daytripper.
Along those same lines if you are looking for a "change of pace" trade read, and want to try something thats a little "Indie" I'm about 50 pages into Duncan the Wonder Dog and it is blowing my freaking mind. The art, the concepts, the text... whoah...
@Miraclemet, Duncan The Wonder Dog is insanely great! If he manages to actually keep his plan of like 9 volumes I'll be happy to wait the lifetime it will take.
@mguy1977 is right on with his recommendation of Daytripper.
Along those same lines if you are looking for a "change of pace" trade read, and want to try something thats a little "Indie" I'm about 50 pages into Duncan the Wonder Dog and it is blowing my freaking mind. The art, the concepts, the text... whoah...
Im still reading this thing, and Im forcing myself to take it slow. Probably 2/3 of the way thru it now.
You know when you are having a good meal, and at some point during the meal you realize how great it is and you consciously slow down eating so you can enjoy it longer and you dont want it to end?
thats what I'm doing right now with Duncan The Wonder Dog.
As per many of your recommendations, I'm reading Death Note now, and thoroughly enjoying it. I've gotten through five volumes so far. Vol. 5 was a little confusing at points, but hopefully things will get clarified soon. But excellent rec, peeps!
I just finished the new graphic memoir, Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel (who did Fun Home). I was a bit disappointed. It's very much filled with a lot of psychiatric jargon as she examines her relationship with her mother in the context of her psychotherapy and psycho-analysis. That wouldn't necessarily make it bad, per se - but I don't think it comes together that well in terms of a story. Her use of a disjointed chronology doesn't help here either - it's hard to get a feeling of her evolving and coming to a point. Around the middle or 2/3 of the way through the book she has a "breakthrough" of sorts, but you would think that might be what the climax of the book would be for. And to the extent its a memoir about her mother, I was a bit unclear as to whether there should have been more focus on her mother, or, as a memoir, the focus should stay on her. Either way, though, I think it had only limited success.
The art, OTOH, was excellent. It's a real step up from her work in Fun Home. she's definitely improved her craft. It was interesting, actually, after finishing the book, I decided to go back and re-read Fun Home, just to confirm that I really DID like it (my memory of it is that it's one of the all time best comics I've ever read! And once I started (I'm only about 2 chapters in), I was struck by how less refined her art in that book was (although it's still very good and suits the story very well), compared to the new book, and also, happy to see that I was once again enjoying the book quite a bit. Just a much more tightly written story - better focus on the characters and the ideas - where each chapter makes a point, and it all comes together as a complete book. To the extent that Are you My Mother? tried to do this, either I was unable to fully follow the points (definitely a possibility - I'm not very well schooled in psychoanalytic theory), or they just weren't made as well.
Overall, if you really liked Fun Home, I'd say, sure, go for this one, too. If you were just so=so on it, it's skippable, and if you never read it, go read THAT one before this!
Read the new hardcovers edition of the Stormwatch series by Ellis that ran before his stint on The Authority. Really good set of twelve "one and done" issues. I particularly loved the issue that was a conversation between Jenny Sparks and Jackson King. It followed Jenny through the decades of the 20th Century with a different art style evoking each era. We had early Superman, the Spirit, and a great homage to Watchmen in the 80's segment. I was expecting good things from this volume but was surprised how much I enjoyed it. A really well crafted bunch of stories.
Read the new hardcovers edition of the Stormwatch series by Ellis that ran before his stint on The Authority. Really good set of twelve "one and done" issues. I particularly loved the issue that was a conversation between Jenny Sparks and Jackson King. It followed Jenny through the decades of the 20th Century with a different art style evoking each era. We had early Superman, the Spirit, and a great homage to Watchmen in the 80's segment. I was expecting good things from this volume but was surprised how much I enjoyed it. A really well crafted bunch of stories.
Those are some really good issues. IIRC (but I might be wrong - it's been a while since I read it), the Jenny Sparks miniseries/TPB by Mark Millar - The Secret History of the Authority - also did a similar thing with multiple views through the decades and was pretty good (although not as good as those early Authoritys.
Well I read Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba's Daytripper from Vertigo & to say the least it was memorable & breathtaking. The art soaked you in w/ each chapter getting stranger & stranger discussing the meaning of life, the last chapter of life, death. Yes, the subject is taboo to say the least but if you stick w/ this book the reader will be rewarded with the knowledge that life is about choices & what happens to the main character in the book. The only things that comes even close is Essex County Trilogy by Jeff Lemire & Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons' Watchmen. So if you want to get out from the usual in your normal comic reading routine give Daytripper by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba a chance. You can't go wrong. 5 stars all the way just be sure to bring some tissues.
Matthew
Totally agree on this one. Easily one of the best comics/TPB's I've read in the past 10 years.
I've recently read Lone Wolf and Cub vols. 1-9, and am blazing through it much faster than I wanted to. It's great stuff. There's much more to it than I thought there would be. I'll finish the remainder probably in the next could of weeks (there's 16 if I hear correctly).
@ctowner1: I remember really enjoying Millar's History of Jenny Sparks mini but I completely agree that it wasn't a patch on that issue. Ellis really had an amazing run in Wildstorm around then with Stormwatch, The Authority and Planetary. No-one else could really stack up to him around then.
I've recently read Lone Wolf and Cub vols. 1-9, and am blazing through it much faster than I wanted to. It's great stuff. There's much more to it than I thought there would be. I'll finish the remainder probably in the next could of weeks (there's 16 if I hear correctly).
Comments
Giffen did some for Boom Studios called "What were they thinking" that was very good as well.
I started reading comics in the very late 80s and early 90s. X-Men continuity scared the heck out of me as a kid. I just remember being lost about who was from what future timeline or keeping track of who was on what team at any given time, etc.
I've read very little X-Men over the years but I've decided to jump in with the MM Uncanny X-Men volumes.
This first one was great and I really enjoy how simple everything is. One team..a handful of new and old heroes, great stories and great art.
I'm looking forward(if not my wallet) to picking up the rest of the volumes in this series.
I don't think it was particularly poor, but Sandman and Books of Magic are more complete works in my opinion.
I also re-read Arkham Asylum and this is without a doubt my favorite Batman trade. It has always been in my top list but maybe it was the prescription drugs but it just cemented itself even more as my #1 Batman trade. Love it.
Vol 1 & 2 were good, but not as great as I'd heard this title was so I thought about dropping it...
then I got Volume 3 with "The March of the Wooden Soldiers" and it all payed off in an amazing story!
So Im back in, and then Volume 4 comes out, and it's *meh* The mean season was ok, and the outcome was a nice little twist, but there was the big text piece and it was underwhelming to say the least.
So Im waffling on Volume 5, and decide one last try.
WOW.
Three AMAZING stories. No weak points
Jack Be Nimble
Arabian Nights (and days)
and Homelands
Just fabulous storytelling from start to finish.
Im back on board. Which means I've read the first 45 issues now. Two amazing HCs, two ok HCs, and one snoozer...
Wow, volume 5...
In a week once again short of reading time, I got through Spider-Man: Identity Crisis. Oh Marvel, how you love to fuck with your readers and characters. Aside form the variety in art styles, of which personally I preferred Wieringo and Ross above JRJR and Bennett, the most interesting thing in this collection was the pages that referred to Robbie Robertsons search for Pete and MJs baby, which I thought was to be ignored at all costs. Why reprint this decidedly average storyline with this sub-plot for all to see if, just maybe, it will be referenced in the future of the book? Is baby May Alpha?
Anyway we get 8 issues of Peter being 4 other identities, and eventually it all comes together so that he can stick it to Osborne and become Spidey again. Each other identity is not overtly interesting, with the influences of others, both Marvel and DC quite apparent. The bizarre thing is I remember really liking Slingers, the title that spun out of this storyline.
Matthew
There's been a marked improvement in bind quality on this volume and it's much easier to read as a result. The artwork looks great and it's the best these stories have been presented. A great package for a great run.
Birds of Prey: End Run arrived today so I've just finished with that as well. I didnt really think Hawk and Dove added anything at all to the stories but apart from that really enjoyed it. In fact its yet another book I have read through and immediately afterwards realised how much I am missing the old DCU.
Along those same lines if you are looking for a "change of pace" trade read, and want to try something thats a little "Indie" I'm about 50 pages into Duncan the Wonder Dog and it is blowing my freaking mind. The art, the concepts, the text... whoah...
You know when you are having a good meal, and at some point during the meal you realize how great it is and you consciously slow down eating so you can enjoy it longer and you dont want it to end?
thats what I'm doing right now with Duncan The Wonder Dog.
The art, OTOH, was excellent. It's a real step up from her work in Fun Home. she's definitely improved her craft. It was interesting, actually, after finishing the book, I decided to go back and re-read Fun Home, just to confirm that I really DID like it (my memory of it is that it's one of the all time best comics I've ever read! And once I started (I'm only about 2 chapters in), I was struck by how less refined her art in that book was (although it's still very good and suits the story very well), compared to the new book, and also, happy to see that I was once again enjoying the book quite a bit. Just a much more tightly written story - better focus on the characters and the ideas - where each chapter makes a point, and it all comes together as a complete book. To the extent that Are you My Mother? tried to do
this, either I was unable to fully follow the points (definitely a possibility - I'm not very well schooled in psychoanalytic theory), or they just weren't made as well.
Overall, if you really liked Fun Home, I'd say, sure, go for this one, too. If you were just so=so on it, it's skippable, and if you never read it, go read THAT one before this!
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