I recently went on a reading binge to catch up on my most current DCBS shipment and some books I bought at a local mall. Some of the highlights included:
Amulet Vol. 1 - 5 (Graphix) - I had been familiar with Kazu Kibuishi's work because of the Flight and Explorer anthologies. Now, after reading the first five volumes of Amulet, he's become one of my favorite writers. Amulet has it all. Great characters, a complex story full of unexpected twists and turns, breathtaking artwork. If you're a fan of Bone, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars, Amulet takes all of the best elements of those stories and combines them with Kibuishi's own unique vision to create one of the best fantasy stories currently being presented in any medium.
Brilliant Trash #1 (Aftershock Comics) - A clever sci-fi satire of the media and how it impacts our lives. Not sure if I like the pacing of the first issue but there's enough going on in the plot department to make me want to read further. I dig Priscilla Petraites' artwork.
A Polar Bear in Love Vol. 1 (Yen Press) - Wow. I bought this book purely because I was amused by the novelty of the concept and was blown away by how intense and emotional of a story it is. A male polar bear falls in love with a male seal. The seal is initially afraid the polar bear is going to eat him and is also uncomfortable about the fact that both are the same sex. The polar bear slowly begins to convince the seal that he is truly in love and doesn't want to harm him. The seal begins to accept this and believes he might love the polar bear back. This is a story about trust and faith, which are essentially the foundations of love. I highly recommend this to anyone with an open mind looking for a unique interpretation of these abstract and complex emotions.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Vol. 1 & 2 (Kodansha Comics) - This is a really fun fantasy story about a man who dies saving the lives of two coworkers and, as the title suggests, is reincarnated on another world as a slime monster. The series heavily references a number of sci-fi movies and other manga, as well as RPG video games. The main character is extremely likable and the story is a perfect blend of humor and drama.
The Wendy Project OGN (Super Genius) - A story about a teenage girl who crashes her car into a lake. Her two younger brothers were in the car with her and she sees her youngest brother float away into the sky. When no body is recovered from the crash, she believes that he has been carried away to Neverland after seeing Peter Pan-related images everywhere she goes. Everyone else thinks she's crazy but that doesn't deter her from embarking on a journey to find the truth and save her missing brother. This is an intense and emotional story with an ambiguous ending that doesn't answer every question proposed in the narrative, but, is nonetheless satisfying.
The above books I mentioned are the books that I enjoyed the most. A few others I also read and liked, but have less to comment on, are:
Combed Clap of Thunder (Retrofit/Big Planet) Doppelganger #1 (Alterna Comics) Long Lost #1 (Scout Comics) Magritte: This is Not a Biography OGN (Self Made Hero)
Finally got around to reading Thanos #13 and it really was a fun read.
[SPOILERS]The whole thing with the blood snow was creepy yet very cool. When the Ghost Rider showed up I rolled my eyes at yet another version of the character until we find out he is from the future. Very nice art and a fun story..can't beat it.
Amulet Vol. 1 - 5 (Graphix) - I had been familiar with Kazu Kibuishi's work because of the Flight and Explorer anthologies. Now, after reading the first five volumes of Amulet, he's become one of my favorite writers. Amulet has it all. Great characters, a complex story full of unexpected twists and turns, breathtaking artwork. If you're a fan of Bone, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars, Amulet takes all of the best elements of those stories and combines them with Kibuishi's own unique vision to create one of the best fantasy stories currently being presented in any medium.
I second this. It's a great series. However, I think it was only supposed to be a three-parter. I think I have yet to read vol. 5.
Amulet Vol. 1 - 5 (Graphix) - I had been familiar with Kazu Kibuishi's work because of the Flight and Explorer anthologies. Now, after reading the first five volumes of Amulet, he's become one of my favorite writers. Amulet has it all. Great characters, a complex story full of unexpected twists and turns, breathtaking artwork. If you're a fan of Bone, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars, Amulet takes all of the best elements of those stories and combines them with Kibuishi's own unique vision to create one of the best fantasy stories currently being presented in any medium.
I second this. It's a great series. However, I think it was only supposed to be a three-parter. I think I have yet to read vol. 5.
It's actually up to Vol. 7 now. I haven't read the two latest volumes. It's a series my wife has been collecting. She purchased the first five volumes at various Wild Pig sales and insisted that I read them because she thought they'd be right up my alley. I bought her the next two volumes as an early Christmas present and am waiting until she reads them before I get caught up.
It's become a very special series for us now because since I first got my wife into comics years ago, this is the first time she and I have followed a new series together as it comes out.
Caught up on "Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil," a spin-off of "Black Hammer" focusing on Hammer's daughter's attempts to find out what happened to the missing heroes. So far, I am loving it. I hope when the heroes from the actual Black Hammer series manage to eventually escape their alternate reality existence, that Lemire considers a Spiral City book. I'd be "all in" on that. He's got a lot of potential for some awesome world-building here, I think.
Caught up on "Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil," a spin-off of "Black Hammer" focusing on Hammer's daughter's attempts to find out what happened to the missing heroes. So far, I am loving it. I hope when the heroes from the actual Black Hammer series manage to eventually escape their alternate reality existence, that Lemire considers a Spiral City book. I'd be "all in" on that. He's got a lot of potential for some awesome world-building here, I think.
I have the issues but have been saving them because I haven't read the 2nd Black Hammer TPB. Does SF: aLoE spoil anything or should I be fine reading it before volume 2?
I recently went on a reading binge to catch up on my most current DCBS shipment and some books I bought at a local mall. Some of the highlights included...
Great suggestions, you've given me a couple to put on my Amazon wishlist! Thanks for your list :)
On vacation this week, so I was able to read all six volumes of Harrow County. The story has a lot in common with Terry Moore’s Rachel Rising (young female protagonist who's a reincarnated witch), but it’s also quite different. Harrow County is a tightly constructed, though open-ended, story; the four-issue story arcs make for a good, brisk pace. The setting and time period aren’t clearly defined, but it appears to be set in rural North Carolina (or something like it) circa the 1930s. Generally speaking, I'm not much of a fan of horror, but I do enjoy gothic horror, and the Southern gothic horror of this book suits me fine.
One of the biggest draws of the book for me is Tyler Crook’s gorgeous watercolors. That’s right, this comic is fully hand-painted (except for a few fill-in issues drawn by Carla Speed McNeil which are digitally painted). I've been a fan of Tyler’s work since the Petrograd graphic novel, and he’s only gotten better.
While I enjoyed Rachel Rising, there were periods where I think it got a little sidetracked to the detriment of the story as a whole. So far Harrow County has been completely on point, and I wish it hadn't taken me so long to get around to reading it. I give it a solid A—highly recommended for those who like creepy books with a Southern drawl, or just really well told, well drawn comics.
I have only read the first couple of issues of Harrow County but I agree with you about Tyler Crook's beautiful artwork. It's good to know it's a good book. I'll eventually get around to reading it.
I just read Notel, the latest by Stuart McMillen. It's the story of a 1973 experiment centering in a town in Canada that didn't have television reception and the impact of that on it's citizens. It's a really fascinating read. Check it, and more, out on his website. http://www.stuartmcmillen.com/comics/
Initial impression is that there is more to it than I thought there would be. I was expecting a pretty standard "smart historic person in scifi shenanigans" but it's more than that. da Vinci's assistant appears to be a layered character, so I'm interested in learning more about her.
I am a huge fan of Ennis, and have read most of everything he is done, though I had missed this.
While not among his or McCrea's best work, I really enjoyed this as one of those easy to miss diamonds in the rough of that era. In fact, from Ennis' introductions, and what others have said, this is one of those runs that comes at the tail end of an existing book, at a time when main editorial attention seemed to be more focused on other things, giving the creators (and, it seems, some supportive editors on the series) a lot of rope to try things and get away with things that were surprising for a non-Vertigo title. This series was a lot of dark fun, with a tone that would appeal to fans of Ennis' more gallows humor sort of work, and makes for a meaty read across the two trades. The only downside for me was that, between the stylized lettering for various demons and angels, as well as the density of Etrigan's rhyming dialogue, it can be dense reading. I found I would usually need to just read an issue or two at a time before switching to something else. But I'm glad this book was available again, and I would especially recommend it for fans of Ennis/MCCrea's other work, like Hitman and Dicks.
I am a huge fan of Ennis, and have read most of everything he is done, though I had missed this.
While not among his or McCrea's best work, I really enjoyed this as one of those easy to miss diamonds in the rough of that era. In fact, from Ennis' introductions, and what others have said, this is one of those runs that comes at the tail end of an existing book, at a time when main editorial attention seemed to be more focused on other things, giving the creators (and, it seems, some supportive editors on the series) a lot of rope to try things and get away with things that were surprising for a non-Vertigo title. This series was a lot of dark fun, with a tone that would appeal to fans of Ennis' more gallows humor sort of work, and makes for a meaty read across the two trades. The only downside for me was that, between the stylized lettering for various demons and angels, as well as the density of Etrigan's rhyming dialogue, it can be dense reading. I found I would usually need to just read an issue or two at a time before switching to something else. But I'm glad this book was available again, and I would especially recommend it for fans of Ennis/MCCrea's other work, like Hitman and Dicks.
That's funny, I'm currently reading/re-reading Kirby's original run. I got the collection for Christmas, and it has restored the handful of pages and panels that were cut for ads. I've never read it all the way through in consecutive order, so I figured it was about time to rectify that. Outside of maybe Mister Miracle, The Demon is my favorite of Kirby's DC work.
As for the Ennis run, I'm not a fan. I loved what Alan Grant did on the series, and didn't care for the change of tone. I dropped it pretty quickly. Maybe I would have given it more of a chance if there had been a break between the two, but I'm not much of an Ennis fan in general, so maybe not.
I am a huge fan of Ennis, and have read most of everything he is done, though I had missed this.
While not among his or McCrea's best work, I really enjoyed this as one of those easy to miss diamonds in the rough of that era. In fact, from Ennis' introductions, and what others have said, this is one of those runs that comes at the tail end of an existing book, at a time when main editorial attention seemed to be more focused on other things, giving the creators (and, it seems, some supportive editors on the series) a lot of rope to try things and get away with things that were surprising for a non-Vertigo title. This series was a lot of dark fun, with a tone that would appeal to fans of Ennis' more gallows humor sort of work, and makes for a meaty read across the two trades. The only downside for me was that, between the stylized lettering for various demons and angels, as well as the density of Etrigan's rhyming dialogue, it can be dense reading. I found I would usually need to just read an issue or two at a time before switching to something else. But I'm glad this book was available again, and I would especially recommend it for fans of Ennis/MCCrea's other work, like Hitman and Dicks.
That's funny, I'm currently reading/re-reading Kirby's original run. I got the collection for Christmas, and it has restored the handful of pages and panels that were cut for ads. I've never read it all the way through in consecutive order, so I figured it was about time to rectify that. Outside of maybe Mister Miracle, The Demon is my favorite of Kirby's DC work.
As for the Ennis run, I'm not a fan. I loved what Alan Grant did on the series, and didn't care for the change of tone. I dropped it pretty quickly. Maybe I would have given it more of a chance if there had been a break between the two, but I'm not much of an Ennis fan in general, so maybe not.
Admittedly, I have not read that much of the character outside of him in Swamp Thing-- I have not read the original Kirby, and I can remember getting some issues here and there of the Alan Grant issues back in the '90s, maybe when finding them on the cheap, and liking it, but not really following it. And I came to this wanting Ennis to be Ennis, which this is, and he and McCrea were clearly interested in doing their own thing more than doing what Grant and others had been doing. And I know what Ennis does is not everyone's cuppa.
Kirby's Demon is awesome, but I never read the Ennis Demon (unless you count Hitman crossover). Which is odd because I think that Hitman is the best comic I've ever read of Ennis.
Kirby's Demon is awesome, but I never read the Ennis Demon (unless you count Hitman crossover). Which is odd because I think that Hitman is the best comic I've ever read of Ennis.
Hitman and Demon have been the big missing spots of all my Ennis reading (partly because mid to late ‘90s were when I almost entirely stopped reading comics). Hoping to do the Hitman trades soon.
I checked out the first trade of Clean Room by Gail Simone and Jon Davis-Hunt from Hoopla on a whim. I'm about halfway through it and very much enjoying it.
Marvel Two in One #1 I liked the book quite a bit and it's beautiful to look at. But, I wonder if its time to modify the Thing's speech pattern? It feels dated. Perhaps soften it a bit?
Thanks to people recommending it, I checked out the first collection of Black Hammer. The first issue didn't really grab me, but once I read the second one, I was all in. Great book!
Also, I read the second issue of Kurt Busiek & John Paul Leon's Batman: Creature of the Night. I am loving this series. The way Busiek is bringing in aspects of the Batman mythos to this "real" elseworld is fun, and his writing, both the dialogue and the plotting, is crisp and spot-on. And Leon's art is just beautiful and fist perfectly with the story and character.
I've been reading the Rook Archives... pretty good... sort of a cross between Doctor Who and those cowboy novels your grandpa read. Volume 2 has delved into Vampirella and Pantha, which is becoming a dealbreaker... Don't know if I will continue to Vol. 3.
Just finished Simonson's FF run, which was great (via an Epic Collection). His art is unbelievably unique.
Ordered some Alien Legion omnubi and can't wait to read them.
Thanks to people recommending it, I checked out the first collection of Black Hammer. The first issue didn't really grab me, but once I read the second one, I was all in. Great book!
Awesome. I think Lemire could really be onto something big with Black Hammer. He's got a rare opportunity to create an awesome, entirely new, superhero universe, set completely apart from DC and Marvel. I've said before, I'd be "all in" for any books set in the Spiral City universe.
(Uh, assuming the current Black Hammer gang is able to escape that hell hole of a small town they're living in, that is!)
X-Men: Gold Annual Vol. 1 - Not regularly reading X-Men anymore but it's the 30th anniversary of Excalibur which is still one of my favorite titles and they got "the band" back together. Couldn't resist and loved it. It was always the "fun" X-book and the cover by Adams re-capturing the iconic first issue cover was great.
Comments
Amulet Vol. 1 - 5 (Graphix) - I had been familiar with Kazu Kibuishi's work because of the Flight and Explorer anthologies. Now, after reading the first five volumes of Amulet, he's become one of my favorite writers. Amulet has it all. Great characters, a complex story full of unexpected twists and turns, breathtaking artwork. If you're a fan of Bone, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars, Amulet takes all of the best elements of those stories and combines them with Kibuishi's own unique vision to create one of the best fantasy stories currently being presented in any medium.
Brilliant Trash #1 (Aftershock Comics) - A clever sci-fi satire of the media and how it impacts our lives. Not sure if I like the pacing of the first issue but there's enough going on in the plot department to make me want to read further. I dig Priscilla Petraites' artwork.
A Polar Bear in Love Vol. 1 (Yen Press) - Wow. I bought this book purely because I was amused by the novelty of the concept and was blown away by how intense and emotional of a story it is. A male polar bear falls in love with a male seal. The seal is initially afraid the polar bear is going to eat him and is also uncomfortable about the fact that both are the same sex. The polar bear slowly begins to convince the seal that he is truly in love and doesn't want to harm him. The seal begins to accept this and believes he might love the polar bear back.
This is a story about trust and faith, which are essentially the foundations of love. I highly recommend this to anyone with an open mind looking for a unique interpretation of these abstract and complex emotions.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Vol. 1 & 2 (Kodansha Comics) - This is a really fun fantasy story about a man who dies saving the lives of two coworkers and, as the title suggests, is reincarnated on another world as a slime monster. The series heavily references a number of sci-fi movies and other manga, as well as RPG video games. The main character is extremely likable and the story is a perfect blend of humor and drama.
The Wendy Project OGN (Super Genius) - A story about a teenage girl who crashes her car into a lake. Her two younger brothers were in the car with her and she sees her youngest brother float away into the sky. When no body is recovered from the crash, she believes that he has been carried away to Neverland after seeing Peter Pan-related images everywhere she goes. Everyone else thinks she's crazy but that doesn't deter her from embarking on a journey to find the truth and save her missing brother.
This is an intense and emotional story with an ambiguous ending that doesn't answer every question proposed in the narrative, but, is nonetheless satisfying.
The above books I mentioned are the books that I enjoyed the most. A few others I also read and liked, but have less to comment on, are:
Combed Clap of Thunder (Retrofit/Big Planet)
Doppelganger #1 (Alterna Comics)
Long Lost #1 (Scout Comics)
Magritte: This is Not a Biography OGN (Self Made Hero)
[SPOILERS]The whole thing with the blood snow was creepy yet very cool. When the Ghost Rider showed up I rolled my eyes at yet another version of the character until we find out he is from the future. Very nice art and a fun story..can't beat it.
It's become a very special series for us now because since I first got my wife into comics years ago, this is the first time she and I have followed a new series together as it comes out.
.
One of the biggest draws of the book for me is Tyler Crook’s gorgeous watercolors. That’s right, this comic is fully hand-painted (except for a few fill-in issues drawn by Carla Speed McNeil which are digitally painted). I've been a fan of Tyler’s work since the Petrograd graphic novel, and he’s only gotten better.
While I enjoyed Rachel Rising, there were periods where I think it got a little sidetracked to the detriment of the story as a whole. So far Harrow County has been completely on point, and I wish it hadn't taken me so long to get around to reading it. I give it a solid A—highly recommended for those who like creepy books with a Southern drawl, or just really well told, well drawn comics.
Initial impression is that there is more to it than I thought there would be. I was expecting a pretty standard "smart historic person in scifi shenanigans" but it's more than that. da Vinci's assistant appears to be a layered character, so I'm interested in learning more about her.
I am a huge fan of Ennis, and have read most of everything he is done, though I had missed this.
While not among his or McCrea's best work, I really enjoyed this as one of those easy to miss diamonds in the rough of that era. In fact, from Ennis' introductions, and what others have said, this is one of those runs that comes at the tail end of an existing book, at a time when main editorial attention seemed to be more focused on other things, giving the creators (and, it seems, some supportive editors on the series) a lot of rope to try things and get away with things that were surprising for a non-Vertigo title. This series was a lot of dark fun, with a tone that would appeal to fans of Ennis' more gallows humor sort of work, and makes for a meaty read across the two trades. The only downside for me was that, between the stylized lettering for various demons and angels, as well as the density of Etrigan's rhyming dialogue, it can be dense reading. I found I would usually need to just read an issue or two at a time before switching to something else. But I'm glad this book was available again, and I would especially recommend it for fans of Ennis/MCCrea's other work, like Hitman and Dicks.
As for the Ennis run, I'm not a fan. I loved what Alan Grant did on the series, and didn't care for the change of tone. I dropped it pretty quickly. Maybe I would have given it more of a chance if there had been a break between the two, but I'm not much of an Ennis fan in general, so maybe not.
The Annual was a terrific one and done story. Both it and this years Aquaman Annual were wonderful. 38 was also a one and done and was excellent.
I liked the book quite a bit and it's beautiful to look at. But, I wonder if its time to modify the Thing's speech pattern? It feels dated. Perhaps soften it a bit?
Also, I read the second issue of Kurt Busiek & John Paul Leon's Batman: Creature of the Night. I am loving this series. The way Busiek is bringing in aspects of the Batman mythos to this "real" elseworld is fun, and his writing, both the dialogue and the plotting, is crisp and spot-on. And Leon's art is just beautiful and fist perfectly with the story and character.
Just finished Simonson's FF run, which was great (via an Epic Collection). His art is unbelievably unique.
Ordered some Alien Legion omnubi and can't wait to read them.
(Uh, assuming the current Black Hammer gang is able to escape that hell hole of a small town they're living in, that is!)
Lady Killer Vol. 2 (tpb). I really enjoyed the first trade. Vol. 2 was even better.
Mister Miracle. Awesome book.