I let Lazarus pile up for about a year or more. I kept buying it because it started strong and I trusted it would stay that way. And then I've been able to enjoy a whole pile of them today.
I would put this next to Queen and Country as Rucka's finest work, and I loved Lark on other things, too, but he's killing it on this. I will be sad to be caught up, and have to start waiting between issues again.
I buy Lazarus in trades, and I've read the first 2 volumes. They were okay, but I didn't get what all the fuss was about. I rebought a lot of the issues on comixology to see if the back matter improved the story. It helped a lot. Its not my favorite book by Image right now, but it is enjoyable enough.
The Humans 1-8 Has anyone else tried this series? I've not heard anyone talk about it.
I cannot in good conscience recommend this book, but I have enjoyed it. It reads like an xrated prequel to Sons of Anarchy (with apes instead of people).
The Humans is for mature readers only; I cannot stress this enough. It's a 10 issue series so if you to try it out get it digitally from the Image site (not on comixology).
Ms. Marvel was, once again, an excellent example of compelling storytelling. Unfortunately, it threatens to be, yet another example of universal continuity and crappy crossover events getting in the way.
The Humans 1-8 Has anyone else tried this series? I've not heard anyone talk about it.
I'm a little behind. I've read issues 1-6. I've been loving the series so far. The letters pages are especially fun. I really dig the fan art and soundtracks.
Other stuff I've been reading lately:
I just picked up Volumes 1-3 of Paul Jenkins' Deathmatch published by BOOM! Studios. Solid storytelling and character development augmented by beautiful Carlos Magno art(if you want to see more of his artwork in a more recent series, check out Lantern City from BOOM!'s Archaia imprint.) The ending was a bit lackluster and I have to be honest and admit that the Watchmen influence is so blatant it borders on plagiarism at some points but I still recommend it to fans of the creative team or to anyone who enjoys an alternative take on the super hero genre beyond Marvel or DC.
I also just read the first issue of Awake from Action Lab. I felt a bit overwhelmed by being thrust into the story without much background. However, I wasn't intimidated enough not to buy issue #2 and am prepared to enjoy the ride on this one. The artwork definitely stands out for me and really compliments the more fantastical story elements while still providing clear expression for the characters, making them seem three-dimensional and relatable despite a general lack of exposition.
Finally, I read a couple of one-shots from Retrofit/Big Planet. Debbie's Inferno and Drawn Onward. Of the two, I liked Drawn Onward better. The palindrome style of storytelling that Matt Madden uses is a neat device. It's a little shaky at times but it does enhance the mood of the comic, especially when one considers that the story is told from the memory of an unreliable narrator.
Just finished B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth vol. 10: The Devil's Wings. Hellboy and B.P.R.D. have got to be some of the better consistent releases for the horror/paranormal genre nay... comics in general! Great story, and great googly-moogly, the art is always beautiful. I'm only getting it in trades, but I look forward to diving into each series whenever they show up in my DCBS shipment.
Finally I have finished League of Extraordinary Gentlemen volume 3 Century. Ive only had the books sitting around for what felt like a century.
The story was really good; the was also pretty strong. I really liked that each individual book (1909, 1969, and 2009) told an individual and complete story. Moore and O'neill can tell a masterful story.
The deus ex machina in book 3 was the absolute best.
Reviewers note: It seemed a little more literary than previous volumes, and had a lot of TV/movie/book references. I Found a website with annotations for the 3 books and wikipedia helped.
Better than I expected but not as good as I have heard others claim it to be.
The Pros: *The art was very good - especially when you consider the timeframe *The stories were long narratives that would last for several months. The dailies had a story and the Sunday strip had a different story.
The Cons: *Popeye starting out is not really very likeable, especially in the dailies. By the end of the vol with the Sunday strips, the character starts to get more fleshed out and turns a corner. *Reading this in collected form means you get a lot of repetitive jokes and situations. Popeye gets mad and knocks someone out is great if you see it once a day or once a week. When you see it on every Sunday strip for 50 pages in a row...well...
Just nitpicks: *Popeye is just Popeye. He survives 32 gun shot wounds and no explanation. It just is. *I have never understood why Popeye or any of the various guys she teased, kept chasing after Olive Oyl.
Better than I expected but not as good as I have heard others claim it to be.
The Pros: *The art was very good - especially when you consider the timeframe *The stories were long narratives that would last for several months. The dailies had a story and the Sunday strip had a different story.
The Cons: *Popeye starting out is not really very likeable, especially in the dailies. By the end of the vol with the Sunday strips, the character starts to get more fleshed out and turns a corner. *Reading this in collected form means you get a lot of repetitive jokes and situations. Popeye gets mad and knocks someone out is great if you see it once a day or once a week. When you see it on every Sunday strip for 50 pages in a row...well...
Just nitpicks: *Popeye is just Popeye. He survives 32 gun shot wounds and no explanation. It just is. *I have never understood why Popeye or any of the various guys she teased, kept chasing after Olive Oyl.
It gets a lot better around Volume 3.
And, hey, I guess when you spend half your life at sea, pretty much anything in a skirt starts to look good.
I have the rest of the volumes on my too be read pile. I am looking forward to them. It might be a while till I get to them though. The pile is large and what is picked from it is somewhat random.
The Shield #1-Been waiting on this Dark Circle book for what seems like a year now. Good art and an interesting story.
The Black Hood #6-Howard Chaykin's art is great as always. I don't see many people talking about this series. But so far it has been one of the best superheroish comics I have read in at least 4 years.
Just nitpicks: *Popeye is just Popeye. He survives 32 gun shot wounds and no explanation. It just is.
IIRC, it's the set up to one of my favourite jokes in that volume, where the doctor can't remove 13 of the bullets, so Popeye asks him to put some of the removed bullets back so it's not unlucky.
I just recently picked up the Brubaker/Fraction run of the Immortal Iron Fist 1-27 and really enjoyed it. The Immortal Weapon story line was so good. Art was edgy and I think it really matched the gritty story perfectly. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it yet. I was also able to pick up the first 4 issues of Bendis's Alias run introducing Jessica Jones for an absolute steal online...I have not dove into them yet. I want to get the rest of the series before I do. Do any of you guys have any input on that series? Good or bad?
I just picked up Chew 51 and I really liked it. You do not see Tony at all as the story revolves around Olive. Loved it and if you're into Chew then pick it up. Highly recommend the series as a whole. I got on board to Chew a little late, but once I got them all it was one of those story lines that I couldn't out down.
Until next week, Remember - You bend it, you bought it!
I just recently picked up the Brubaker/Fraction run of the Immortal Iron Fist 1-27 and really enjoyed it. The Immortal Weapon story line was so good. Art was edgy and I think it really matched the gritty story perfectly. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it yet.
That was a really great series. I loved the introduction of the legacy Iron Fists especially Orsen
Just read the Darkseid War Batman spin-off written by Peter Tomasi. Awesome, awesome, awesome! There are so many aspects of this story that I liked. First off this is Bruce, and not the mind wiped Bruce from the Scott Snyder Batman series. Secondly, the interactions he has with both Alfred and Gordon really point out the changes that have taken over now that he controls the Mobius Chair. The part with Joe Chill was the best tho. Tomasi always has the right knack for writing Batman. Check out this one shot but I recommend jumping over to Justice League to read the main story written by Geoff Johns.
I know it's current, but I have just made my way through the first four issues of Batman and Robin Eternal. I don't know if this story is just more compelling than Futures End or Batman Eternal, or if it is that they are telling it in 26 issues, as opposed to 52, but either way, it has been very enjoyable. The interplay/dialogue between the Robin's is absolutely stellar.
A Silent Voice Volume 3 - The last scene in this book is worth the price alone. This series continues to be an intense and emotional character-driven story of enlightenment and redemption.
Bitch Planet #5 - For $3.99 this book contains twenty-four pages of ad-free story and THIRTEEN! pages of excellent backmatter that includes essays by the creators and other guest writers, letters pages complete with very personal and intelligent responses to each letter by the creators and essay writers from previous issues, fan art and photos sent in by fans. Bitch Planet is easily one of the most important comics being published right now. Do the world a favor and recommend this series to the next person you meet that tells you they "want to get into comics but don't know what to read."
Book Of Death #1 - I'm mostly unfamiliar with the goings-on in the Valiant Universe. The only Valiant titles I've ever read are the Divinity mini-series, the first issue of Ninjak and a couple of free preview books of Bloodshot Reborn and Ivar, Timewalker. With that said, I found Book Of Death easy enough to understand. The plot is engaging and the artwork is gorgeous, which has been my experience with the other titles I've read from the publisher. The only thing holding me back from buying more Valiant books is my reluctance to commit to a shared universe since my comics budget is tight and there are so many other books I find interesting. I do see myself purchasing many Valiant trades in the future, however.
Those are all the newer titles I've read this week. I also recently read The Barefoot Serpent by Scott Morse, which I bought at Wild Pig's Halloween ComicFest event. I found Scott Morse's storytelling technique of bookending the main story with a biography of Kurosawa to be fascinating and rewarding when I was able to draw parallels between the two. The theme of hope was quite refreshing when contrasted with the more cynical nature of many of today's comics.
Wayward #6-10 I've professed my love for this series before, but man the second arc got turnt up to 11.
For those unfamiliar with Wayward the basic premise is: What if Buffy lived in Tokyo? Jim Zub writes the book, and Steve Cummings and John Rauch are doing excellent work on the art. The essays in the back explaining Japanese culture and yakoi (Japanese Demons/Spirits) are really excellent.
Get Jiro: Blood & Sushi - The prequel to the very fun & good Get Jiro. It wasn't as good as Get Jiro, but it is worth the read if you liked the original.
Get Jiro - In the future LA is ruled by food culture; chefs are like gods ruling the city from their ivory grills. Jiro is a sushi chef from the outskirts of the city that gets dragged into war between LA's two biggest culinary empires. written by Anthony Bourdan and Joel Rose. I've talked about my love for this book before; it reminds me of a Geof Darrow book (Shaolin Cowboy or Hard Boiled) only with way more plot (the art isn't as good a Darrow, but it has a similar energy/vibe). I've read this at least twice before tonite, and after finishing Blood & Sushi I wanted to reread the original. This one is a strong recommend.
Plot- set in 196x the industrial military complex decides that the next wave of war will be in space and begin to create 9 prototype cyborgs to be the future soldiers. These unwilling volunteers rebel against their makers and are on the run from the Merchants of Death.
I love classic manga; Speedracer is one of the biggest reasons I started reading Japanese comics. So decided to dip my toe into the Cyborg 009 series. The art and story are great, however it can be a little difficult to follow in places. The first volume does great job setting up the world, main bad guys, and the basics of our hero Super Joe, Cyborg 009. It is a little light on the characterization of the other Cyborgs, but I think over the next 10 volumes that will changes.
Klaus #1 - For those who enjoy Morrison's more grounded work this first issue delivers a fairly straight-forward origin story of Santa Claus...with only one psychedelic freak-out toward the end.
Scooby-Doo Team-Up #13 - I've never been the biggest Scooby-Doo fan but considering Deadman and The Phantom Stranger are two of my favorite DC characters and they appear in this issue alongside The Spectre and the Scooby Gang this was a must-buy for me when I saw it solicited in Previews.
This issue is a lot of fun and remains faithful in spirit to the Scooby cartoons I watched as a kid while also including a plethora ("Jefe, what is a plethora?") of nods to the mystical side of the DC Universe.
The icing on the cake is a scene about two thirds of the way through the story in which The Spectre finds a new host to help Deadman, Phantom Stranger and the Gang battle Tannarak. "Rengeance!"
Red Wolf #1-Really good and I am wondering where this is going in later issues. Dr Strange 1,2-Again really good. Black Hood #7-Archie's Black Circle stuff has been great. But I barely see anyone talking about it.
Comments
I rebought a lot of the issues on comixology to see if the back matter improved the story.
It helped a lot. Its not my favorite book by Image right now, but it is enjoyable enough.
Has anyone else tried this series? I've not heard anyone talk about it.
I cannot in good conscience recommend this book, but I have enjoyed it. It reads like an xrated prequel to Sons of Anarchy (with apes instead of people).
The Humans is for mature readers only; I cannot stress this enough. It's a 10 issue series so if you to try it out get it digitally from the Image site (not on comixology).
Other stuff I've been reading lately:
I just picked up Volumes 1-3 of Paul Jenkins' Deathmatch published by BOOM! Studios. Solid storytelling and character development augmented by beautiful Carlos Magno art(if you want to see more of his artwork in a more recent series, check out Lantern City from BOOM!'s Archaia imprint.) The ending was a bit lackluster and I have to be honest and admit that the Watchmen influence is so blatant it borders on plagiarism at some points but I still recommend it to fans of the creative team or to anyone who enjoys an alternative take on the super hero genre beyond Marvel or DC.
I also just read the first issue of Awake from Action Lab. I felt a bit overwhelmed by being thrust into the story without much background. However, I wasn't intimidated enough not to buy issue #2 and am prepared to enjoy the ride on this one. The artwork definitely stands out for me and really compliments the more fantastical story elements while still providing clear expression for the characters, making them seem three-dimensional and relatable despite a general lack of exposition.
Finally, I read a couple of one-shots from Retrofit/Big Planet. Debbie's Inferno and Drawn Onward. Of the two, I liked Drawn Onward better. The palindrome style of storytelling that Matt Madden uses is a neat device. It's a little shaky at times but it does enhance the mood of the comic, especially when one considers that the story is told from the memory of an unreliable narrator.
the horror/paranormal genrenay... comics in general! Great story, and great googly-moogly, the art is always beautiful. I'm only getting it in trades, but I look forward to diving into each series whenever they show up in my DCBS shipment.The story was really good; the was also pretty strong. I really liked that each individual book (1909, 1969, and 2009) told an individual and complete story. Moore and O'neill can tell a masterful story.
The deus ex machina in book 3 was the absolute best.
Reviewers note: It seemed a little more literary than previous volumes, and had a lot of TV/movie/book references. I Found a website with annotations for the 3 books and wikipedia helped.
Better than I expected but not as good as I have heard others claim it to be.
The Pros:
*The art was very good - especially when you consider the timeframe
*The stories were long narratives that would last for several months. The dailies had a story and the Sunday strip had a different story.
The Cons:
*Popeye starting out is not really very likeable, especially in the dailies. By the end of the vol with the Sunday strips, the character starts to get more fleshed out and turns a corner.
*Reading this in collected form means you get a lot of repetitive jokes and situations. Popeye gets mad and knocks someone out is great if you see it once a day or once a week. When you see it on every Sunday strip for 50 pages in a row...well...
Just nitpicks:
*Popeye is just Popeye. He survives 32 gun shot wounds and no explanation. It just is.
*I have never understood why Popeye or any of the various guys she teased, kept chasing after Olive Oyl.
And, hey, I guess when you spend half your life at sea, pretty much anything in a skirt starts to look good.
The Black Hood #6-Howard Chaykin's art is great as always. I don't see many people talking about this series. But so far it has been one of the best superheroish comics I have read in at least 4 years.
I just picked up Chew 51 and I really liked it. You do not see Tony at all as the story revolves around Olive. Loved it and if you're into Chew then pick it up. Highly recommend the series as a whole. I got on board to Chew a little late, but once I got them all it was one of those story lines that I couldn't out down.
Until next week,
Remember - You bend it, you bought it!
Bitch Planet #5 - For $3.99 this book contains twenty-four pages of ad-free story and THIRTEEN! pages of excellent backmatter that includes essays by the creators and other guest writers, letters pages complete with very personal and intelligent responses to each letter by the creators and essay writers from previous issues, fan art and photos sent in by fans.
Bitch Planet is easily one of the most important comics being published right now. Do the world a favor and recommend this series to the next person you meet that tells you they "want to get into comics but don't know what to read."
Book Of Death #1 - I'm mostly unfamiliar with the goings-on in the Valiant Universe. The only Valiant titles I've ever read are the Divinity mini-series, the first issue of Ninjak and a couple of free preview books of Bloodshot Reborn and Ivar, Timewalker. With that said, I found Book Of Death easy enough to understand. The plot is engaging and the artwork is gorgeous, which has been my experience with the other titles I've read from the publisher.
The only thing holding me back from buying more Valiant books is my reluctance to commit to a shared universe since my comics budget is tight and there are so many other books I find interesting. I do see myself purchasing many Valiant trades in the future, however.
Those are all the newer titles I've read this week. I also recently read The Barefoot Serpent by Scott Morse, which I bought at Wild Pig's Halloween ComicFest event. I found Scott Morse's storytelling technique of bookending the main story with a biography of Kurosawa to be fascinating and rewarding when I was able to draw parallels between the two. The theme of hope was quite refreshing when contrasted with the more cynical nature of many of today's comics.
I've professed my love for this series before, but man the second arc got turnt up to 11.
For those unfamiliar with Wayward the basic premise is: What if Buffy lived in Tokyo? Jim Zub writes the book, and Steve Cummings and John Rauch are doing excellent work on the art. The essays in the back explaining Japanese culture and yakoi (Japanese Demons/Spirits) are really excellent.
Get Jiro - In the future LA is ruled by food culture; chefs are like gods ruling the city from their ivory grills. Jiro is a sushi chef from the outskirts of the city that gets dragged into war between LA's two biggest culinary empires. written by Anthony Bourdan and Joel Rose.
I've talked about my love for this book before; it reminds me of a Geof Darrow book (Shaolin Cowboy or Hard Boiled) only with way more plot (the art isn't as good a Darrow, but it has a similar energy/vibe). I've read this at least twice before tonite, and after finishing Blood & Sushi I wanted to reread the original. This one is a strong recommend.
Man what a great off the wall psychedelic story of a Space Rider (like Mad Max in a skull shaped space ship) traveling the cosmos and kicking butt.
If you like the Steve Ditko third eye Dr. Strange stories or late 60s-70s Sci-fi you might want to check the book
Plot- set in 196x the industrial military complex decides that the next wave of war will be in space and begin to create 9 prototype cyborgs to be the future soldiers. These unwilling volunteers rebel against their makers and are on the run from the Merchants of Death.
I love classic manga; Speedracer is one of the biggest reasons I started reading Japanese comics. So decided to dip my toe into the Cyborg 009 series. The art and story are great, however it can be a little difficult to follow in places. The first volume does great job setting up the world, main bad guys, and the basics of our hero Super Joe, Cyborg 009. It is a little light on the characterization of the other Cyborgs, but I think over the next 10 volumes that will changes.
I give volume 1 a thumbs up.
Hercules #1
Dr. Strange #1-2
The Vision #1-2
Dark Knight III - The Master Race #1
Huck #1
The Goddamned #1
Paper Girls #1-3
Plutona #1-3
Scooby-Doo Team-Up #13 - I've never been the biggest Scooby-Doo fan but considering Deadman and The Phantom Stranger are two of my favorite DC characters and they appear in this issue alongside The Spectre and the Scooby Gang this was a must-buy for me when I saw it solicited in Previews.
This issue is a lot of fun and remains faithful in spirit to the Scooby cartoons I watched as a kid while also including a plethora ("Jefe, what is a plethora?") of nods to the mystical side of the DC Universe.
The icing on the cake is a scene about two thirds of the way through the story in which The Spectre finds a new host to help Deadman, Phantom Stranger and the Gang battle Tannarak. "Rengeance!"
Dr Strange 1,2-Again really good.
Black Hood #7-Archie's Black Circle stuff has been great. But I barely see anyone talking about it.