New Comic Book Day Megathread

[Colin YNWA]

I recently read a summary of this whole new X-world and thanked my lucky stars that I used the end of the marvel universe a few years ago to break my addiction to these convoluted continuity tie-ins. AFAIC, the marvel universe I followed was destroyed, and I don't have the interest or energy to invest myself in a new one.

Yeah I was just really curious as to how anyone title would read in isolation, as an interesting comic in its own right. The comics I've enjoyed from Marvel of late have been very successful on that front. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Immortal Hulk, and the all too short Cyclops. So I was really curious to see if I could do that with a 'bigger' title. Too early to tell one way or another yet.

Thanks for the catch up folks. Hopefully I won't need any of that for one of the titles I'm experimenting with at least. Lets see how it goes. Fun to find out either way.

[I, Cosh]

Similar to that the idea of Si Spurrier on Hellblazer - One Shot has pulled me back for peak at that part of the DC Universe and I thought this was all the more successful. I enjoyed this and found it sustained in and of itself. Though to be fair it did feel like it should have been the first issue of the ongoing thats coming in a month or so. Oh and doesn't old man Constantine have a look of Bacchus about him!

Oh. I just assumed this was the first issue of the new series and waited for the trade. Might go back and grab it tonight.

[Link Prime]

I was actually going to ask if anyone was reading the X-Men comics since Hickman took over.
Watching from the sidelines was interesting.
Enough water has passed under the bridge between my break-up with Marvel comics (just after "A Vs X") and now to considerably dilute any investment I once had with the characters, so initially I thought a series / concept reformatting with a solid writer was a good idea - one that may actually lead to a pick-up out of curiosity.
Then I saw the HOX / POX structure (and price) and was immediately put off.
Didn't help that the artists were practically unknown to me - signalling, to my mind, that this wasn't getting the investment it should have with one or two 'superstar' artists assigned (to at least the mini series re-set).
So I didn't bother.

Then the reviews (and anecdotal chat with the guys at Big Bang Comics) came in for the first few issues, and I admit I felt a pang of remorse - jeez, could they really have pulled it off?
I was on holiday in Galway in August and popped into a comic shop. I had the first few issues of HOX / POX in my hands, but just before checking out put them back on the shelf.
Something held me back from diving back in to that wonderful world created by Claremont et al.

I've since read a few more reviews and think I made the right call.
Two key thoughts:
1) This isn't the X-Men. I don't think the X-Men comic I want to read will ever exist again. And that's ok.
2) Marvel, in typical Marvel fashion, just couldn't help themselves with releasing a flood of spin-off titles with lower tier creative teams. A real turn off for all but the most die-hard of wealthy fools.

[Greg M.]

A real turn off for all but the most die-hard of wealthy fools.

Guilty as charged on the counts of foolishness and die-hardism, but not the wealth.

I'll be buying the first issue of all the titles in the new X line, to see how they work out. HoxPox has proved... interesting. It must be the first time there's been a cohesive, line-wide approach since the Morrison era, and whilst I'm no special fan of Hickman, and am unconvinced by his characterisation, I'm cautiously willing to give it all a chance. Whether I'll like where it's going, I don't know, but I am at least convinced it's going somewhere, which is a novelty for the franchise.

[The Adventurer]

Crazy stacked week for me this week...

Getting...

2000 AD 2156
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 01
INFERIOR FIVE 03
NO ONE LEFT TO FIGHT 05
COPRA 02
JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE - PART 4 VOL 03
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES - URBAN LEGENDS 18

It's great having an on-going Legion title again, and even though I'm not a big Bendis fan his enthusiasm seems real enough.

Finding out Inferior Five has been cut from 12 issues to 6 has got me right pissed off. Giffen and Lemire's are killing it.

Copra is another barn burner. If you're at all a fan of mid 80s DC the better parts of early Image, or just like crazy action Copra is for you.

Haven't read the rest, but Jojo should be it's usual trip, and No One Left To Fight has been one of my top mini-series of this year, sad to see it end.

[Colin YNWA]

Finding out Inferior Five has been cut from 12 issues to 6 has got me right pissed off. Giffen and Lemire's are killing it.

Oh no I hadn't heard that, really enjoying the series. Where did you read this?

[The Adventurer]

Finding out Inferior Five has been cut from 12 issues to 6 has got me right pissed off. Giffen and Lemire's are killing it.

Oh no I hadn't heard that, really enjoying the series. Where did you read this?

The cover of issue 3 says 6 issue limited series. After the first 2 said 12. DC has offered no explanation yet.

[Proudhuff]

Only picked up Undiscovered Country and Strange Skies over East Berlin this week, both good stuff, but the UC get a bit silly at the end after a great start

[GordyM]

I'm still not sure if I'm enjoying Harleen or not. It's yet another retread of the "Harley and the Joker first meet" story but there's something about it that makes me believe it might be going into more original territory. Maybe give it one more issue...

[Frank]

Garth Ennis is writing a new comic - and it's not the kind of Garth Ennis comic where anyone gets anything up their arse, so everyone can relax and enjoy the storytelling!

And that's all there is to enjoy. No subtext^*, no themes, no continuity wrangling or character development. This is a linear tale of a mass murderer who decides to murder someone and murders a series of people in an attempt to discover the identity of the person he's decided to murder.

The premise is simple^**, but the pleasure here is the same satisfaction as admiring the formal perfection of Ikea furniture^*** As a girly man who's never used a rocket launcher or punched anyone in the throat, I've no way of knowing whether Ennis is researching all this or making shit up then taking the rest of the day off to watch Columbo repeats, but he writes Rampage Procedural very well.

The technical glossary and sardonic narrative voice have their own poetry and aesthetic appeal, even if Ennis is probably borrowing them from another author I've never read. Which makes me think I'd probably have enjoyed his Dredd much more if I hadn't read the TB Grover stories that inspired him. I don't like the art, but this is worth overcoming my general dissatisfaction with monthly comics.


* I mean, it's there if you're desperate for it, in the implicit comparison drawn between the way organised criminals conceal their ill-gotten gains by buying apartment blocks nobody will ever occupy in Manhattan and the way the global super-rich do exactly the same, but you have to stand on a chair and get on your tip-toes to reach for that one.

** So simple I'm sure it's probably been done before: [spoiler]someone, or, I assume, an organisation using The Punisher's M.O in their own activities, meaning the targets of their violence assume Frank Castle was responsible and focus their revenge efforts on him instead of their real attacker(s)[/spoiler].

*** The one in the store, not the wobbly monstrosity you sweat and puff over at home, which never quite embodies the clean lines and modernity of the demonstration model that made you buy it, convincing you think the treacherous Swedes have proper versions they put in stores, constructed by master craftsmen, and boggy Airfix kits they actually sell to punters.

[Proudhuff]

Garth Ennis is writing a new comic - and it's not the kind of Garth Ennis comic where anyone gets anything up their arse, so everyone can relax and enjoy the storytelling!

And that's all there is to enjoy. No subtext^*, no themes, no continuity wrangling or character development. This is a linear tale of a mass murderer who decides to murder someone and murders a series of people in an attempt to discover the identity of the person he's decided to murder.

The premise is simple^**, but the pleasure here is the same satisfaction as admiring the formal perfection of Ikea furniture^*** As a girly man who's never used a rocket launcher or punched anyone in the throat, I've no way of knowing whether Ennis is researching all this or making shit up then taking the rest of the day off to watch Columbo repeats, but he writes Rampage Procedural very well.

The technical glossary and sardonic narrative voice have their own poetry and aesthetic appeal, even if Ennis is probably borrowing them from another author I've never read. Which makes me think I'd probably have enjoyed his Dredd much more if I hadn't read the TB Grover stories that inspired him. I don't like the art, but this is worth overcoming my general dissatisfaction with monthly comics.


* I mean, it's there if you're desperate for it, in the implicit comparison drawn between the way organised criminals conceal their ill-gotten gains by buying apartment blocks nobody will ever occupy in Manhattan and the way the global super-rich do exactly the same, but you have to stand on a chair and get on your tip-toes to reach for that one.

** So simple I'm sure it's probably been done before: [spoiler]someone, or, I assume, an organisation using The Punisher's M.O in their own activities, meaning the targets of their violence assume Frank Castle was responsible and focus their revenge efforts on him instead of their real attacker(s)[/spoiler].

*** The one in the store, not the wobbly monstrosity you sweat and puff over at home, which never quite embodies the clean lines and modernity of the demonstration model that made you buy it, convincing you think the treacherous Swedes have proper versions they put in stores, constructed by master craftsmen, and boggy Airfix kits they actually sell to punters.

oh, saw that but never realised it was Ennis, will pick that up on my next sweep by FP, this week only picked up Trees which is extremely lightweight for the £ = page count.

Nice story and art but better to tradewait  these i think.

[Colin YNWA]

Well my experiment into trying to treat Marvel and DC comics as I would Image and Dark Horse - etc - comics is faring about as well as could be expected. I'm trying to approach them as stand alone stories with interesting themes or creative teams in the hope that I can get stories that will stop run over 6 issues as creators can't live off their creator owned work.

The trouble is the titles I'm trying aren't that good. I'm sure the good ones are out there but they aren't grabbing my attention so I'm not finding that.

Case in point New Mutants 1 - its not a bad comic its just kinda there. The art by Rod Reis is wonderful and to be honest the main reason tried this one over the numerous others it might have been. That and its kids in space which was kinda a neat theme. It kinda fails on both counts. The art is wonderful as said, Reis' Sienkiewicz style is just great but feels really out of place for the light bouncy tone of this tale. The story is kinda kids in space but lack the fun space pirate vibe of Cyclops from a few years ago. The Starjammers coming across as twats and the main driver for the series trying to catch up with Cannonball having absolutely no sense of adventure and excitment about it.

Agents of Wakanda 3 also fails in the reasons I'm trying this one. This one I go cos it seemed to have two of my all time fav characters Wasp and Ka-Zar... neither appear at all this time! The story and art are just so average and I have enough more than average superhero comics to last me this lifetime that I don't need more.

History of the Marvel Universe 5 at least does what it says on the tin and I enjoyed this for that as I have the rest of the series. Mind this summary of Marvel 2000s (plus I think?) reminds me quite why I've lost interest. Its just lurch from Earth shattering event Earth shattering event.

At least Immortal Hulk 26 is simply magnificent. A new storyline fresh and alertly introducing new readers and old to what's what in a tight gripping read.

Over at DC we get the utterly competant Lois Lane 5 this one I suspect will be served well by a re-read. Hence I'm sticking with it when I might have dropped it in terms of month to month enjoyment.

As the Adventurer pointed out Inferior Five 3 marks another failing the belief that DC or Marvel will be anymore reliable in getting nice decent runs out as this great series is cut in half. Such a shame.

So we are left to the 'indies' for the great stuff. Justice League and Black Hammer 5 allows Jeff Lemire to once again show why superheroes done without restraint are glorious vehicles for story. And while Copra 2 annoyed me again as the start feeling dropped in and lost still at the start as I tried to remember the poorly introduced scenario and characters from last time I once again found myself utterly engrossed by the end and willing to make the effort to hang in.

Which brings us to Grendel Devil's Odyssey 2 which gets book of the haul (probably only cos I decided I won't to comment on Immortal Hulk 26 up whitter as that's as good, if not even better than this comic... maybe) its quite brilliant. As Matt 'The Other' Wagner does a Firekind on us. In other words a wonderful examination of the ecology of an alien species intermixed with a gripping adventure.

[The Adventurer]

Have you read the previous Copra series? Because if not, you really really should. Especially if you're finding jumping straight in engrossing enough to stick with it.

[Colin YNWA]

Have you read the previous Copra series? Because if not, you really really should. Especially if you're finding jumping straight in engrossing enough to stick with it.

I've got it charging up my read pile. I picked them all up digitally.

[GordyM]

Dear God Gillen and Hans' Die is good.