Whats everyone reading?

[Colin YNWA]

I've been trying to come up with a way to document it. Seems like a waste not to. Maybe I will make a thread and treat it like a blog.

The World's Greatest Comics Project

And there we have the way to do it. I've found I've really liked doing that with my 'The completely self absorbed 2000ad re-read thread' Thread. All the fun of a blog without the sense of commitment - which probabky means I end up posting more as I din't have to and do it when I want to... hence I want to more... if that makes sense.

And a captive audience.  Win win really.

Would love to hear about this, particularly intrigued by Thunderbolts which I never got round to but read chunks of as it crossed over with the Avengers run.

[Tjm86]

Marvel comics from between 1997 and 2004 (aproximately the time between Onsaught/Heroes Reborn and Avengers Disassembled/New Avengers. A period I like to call one of Marvels absolute best,

I think that an awful lot of folks might call that into question but I can understand where you are coming from.  Certainly the Avengers stuff was better than it had been and Morrison's attempt at X-men was better than some of the other stuff (Austen's run on Uncanny can only be described as execrable!) at the same time though, it was a long and painful climb out of the pit into which the company had crawled, one into which it seems to be crawling again post Disney.

For me, the best of the X-titles ran through Claremon't early years from Giant size 1 to the Mutant Massacre.  In particular his run with John Romita Jr.  The early New Mutants stuff and some of the annuals around this time were quality reading.  Post MM it really did seem that Marvel got crossover mad and the wheels seemed to come off.  There was still some good stuff but things like Fall of the Mutants, Inferno and the X-tinction Agenda showed how the tail increasingly wagged the dog.  The only thing that kept it going at times was the quality of the artwork but I think it's fair to say that by the mid nineties even that wasn't enough.  Probably not helped by the sheer volume of titles they were putting out.

[Colin YNWA]

For me, the best of the X-titles ran through Claremon't early years from Giant size 1 to the Mutant Massacre.  In particular his run with John Romita Jr.  The early New Mutants stuff and some of the annuals around this time were quality reading.  Post MM it really did seem that Marvel got crossover mad and the wheels seemed to come off.  There was still some good stuff but things like Fall of the Mutants, Inferno and the X-tinction Agenda showed how the tail increasingly wagged the dog.  The only thing that kept it going at times was the quality of the artwork but I think it's fair to say that by the mid nineties even that wasn't enough.  Probably not helped by the sheer volume of titles they were putting out.

Just goes to show how one man's meat is another man's poison. I tried to reread the Claremont stuff, which I was a MASSIVE fan of back in the day, and found it almost impossible to read, even the Byrne and Romita runs. Claremont sure knows how to plot, he builds a storyline over time like few others (when he gets to the end of the ideas that is, how many dropped storylines are there in his run!) and no one choreographs a fight between teams like he does... BUT and its a big but I find his dialogue and the meladrama he surrounds all this with almost impossible to get through. Which is such a shame as there's so much potential there.

I found the same thing when I revisited New Mutants run with Bill Sienkiewicz. Couldn't get through it glorious as it looked.

Now there is much to love during Shooter's time at Marvel, but a lot of what I loved as a kid hasn't survived the test of time. I even struggle with Frank Miller's Daredevil these days!

That post Heroes Reborn stuff I still enjoy, or I did last time I re-read it, not long after being so disappointed by Claremont's X-Men stuff. I do worry about how I'd get on with it now, but hopefully Adventure can tempt me to look again!

[Smith]

Thunderbolts was one of the first comics I read.A lot of love and memories there.

[Mardroid]

I recently finished The Leopard of Lime Street. The ammount borrowed from Spider-Man is a bit shocking, yet it does have a very different flavour. Overall, very enjoyable stuff.

Interesting thing: I think I noticed a continuity error, although it is explainable. [Spoiler]When he finds the trail of the imposter posing as him, he smells a leopard scent. It turns out the imposter is a circus acrobat, however. So what's with the scent? The costume? Was he just catching his own scent? (He does speculate this might be the case, due to his worry he is sleepwalking.)

It makes me wonder if they originally intended the imposter to have gained leopard powers too, but changed their minds later. Due to the episodic production they couldn't go back and edit it, obviously. Likely those reading it in Buster on a weekly basis didn't even notice.[/spoiler]

After reading The Leopard.... I read the Summer Magic volume. Very delightful stuff. There would be obvious comparisons with Harry Potter (which this pre-dates) , but aside from the basic premise, they're quite different tales, and the magic systems are different. I think it's fair to say that even with the magic and fantasy, the Kirby stories have a stronger leaning towards horror, although HP had some pretty horrific creatures, to be fair.

[Link Prime]

I picked up Highest House issue 1 the other day.

It's by Mike Carey and Peter Gross, the creative team behind (most of) Vertigo's 'Lucifer' and 'Unwritten'.

I loved both of those books, so unsurprisingly loved this too.
Stunningly presented in large format print, approximately the size of a Prog, and with career best artwork from Gross and instantly engaging story from Carey.

How the hell did I not even hear about this before?
Will make a point of getting issues 2-4 this weekend.

[Apestrife]

Just got through League of extraordinary gentlemen Vol 1-3, Black Dossier and the Nemo trilogy in time for the last and 4th volume starting next month.

Love Vol 1-2 and Black Dossier, and while I don't consider 3 and the Nemo books as good as those they still hold up really well. Some really funny and clever stories. Especially when having looked up a couple of books and movies which are referenced (something I think Vol 1-2 did the best, since they requires less knowledge of certain stories, like for example vol 3:s riff on [spoiler]Harry Potter[/spoiler].

One thing I noticed this time reading it is the amount of sleazy stuff. Wasn't just in the later volumes, but the first ones as well. Got me thinking that perhaps a bit less of it could'v made some of it more effectual. Not sure what the point is when even a pair of clouds are shaped as a pair of tits. Not the most titillating thing.

Hope vol 4 goes out going all in. Really excited getting to read the first issue next month

[The Adventurer]

Took a break from my Marvel Reading to go Comic Dollar Bin diving...

Found these at an Antique Store, just some random late 80s/early 90s indie stuff.


Finding those prompted me to head down to my local Comic shop and dig through their bins. Just for kicks. It took me two different days to go through everything

Day 1

Finding those three Super Patriot issues was great, since its one of the few Savage Dragon related series I've not yet read. Did not find issue 4 though. Which I worried about. Assorted issue #1s. Terminator The Burning Earth 1 was an interesting find, as it's the first comic work of Alex Ross.

Day 2 bore much fruit however




Found Super Patriot 4, which I practically jumped up and down in excitement about. A couple of Big Bang titles, a random E-Man issue. And an assortment of Keith Giffen deep cuts. Complete Trencher looks really good. Dominion was cancelled after two issues, I'm interested in the art though.

[Colin YNWA]

Arh I used to love that Don Simpson Megaton Man stuff - such fun.

[The Adventurer]

Arh I used to love that Don Simpson Megaton Man stuff - such fun.

I definitely want to get some more. I'm only really familiar with his crossover with the Savage Dragon, and a series of Back-ups that ran in Savage Dragon in the early 00s.

[abelardsnazz]

Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke. I've yet to come across another writer that evokes a sense of place and atmosphere as well as Burke does. He describes the weather, the smells and the sounds of places so you can imagine them perfectly. The plot is fairly standard Burke: flawed but essentially good protagonist goes up against forces outside his control, but here set before, during and after World War Two. I'll never get bored of reading Burke because of his descriptive ability.

[Theblazeuk]

Plowed through The Outsider by Stephen King in a couple of sittings. Nothing groundbreaking but thoroughly readable, a slightly too-quick jump to a full understanding of the supernatural is the only real flaw I had. Sad now it's over.

[wedgeski]

Recently finished the 'Fifth Season' trilogy by N. K. Jemisin, which was very good indeed. Re-read the original Earthsea trilogy by Ursula K. Le Guin ('Tombs of Atuan' exactly as brilliant as I remembered). Just finished 'Judges: The Avalanche' which felt clipped but was otherwise enjoyable. Currently ploughing through volume 14 of the Case Files -- Dredd at this point was entering my personal golden age, when I was old enough to realise just how brilliant and unique 2000AD was.

[TordelBack]

Tombs of Atuan is indeed brilliant, such an unexpected direction for a sequel, and planting the seeds of the later books in the series.  @Wedgeski: Have you read Tehanu, Other Wind and the short story stuff?  It's different, but very good.  We're supposed to be getting a final posthumous Ged story this year sometime as well , I believe.  That'll be hard to read.

So on foot of my FCBD copy of No. 1, I picked up the second issue of Barrier by Vaughan and Marcos Martin.  Terrific stuff, every clever device works.  Reminds me a bit of the expanded origin sequence in Concrete, so just the right level of disturbing.  Think I'll get the rest next time I'm in a comic shop.

[BPP]

with Barrier - is the Spanish dialogue reproduced in English anywhere?

That's not a mindfield SJW vs Alt-right question btw - I just glanced thru the FCBD version and wondered if they were going to move past making a POINT (which is fine) to making a story accessible to the consumer.