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Whats everyone reading?

Started by Paul faplad Finch, 30 March, 2009, 10:04:36 PM

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positronic

Quote from: sheridan on 20 May, 2017, 10:50:47 AM
Quote from: positronic on 19 May, 2017, 09:01:33 PM
Quote from: The Adventurer on 19 May, 2017, 08:39:05 PM
Also on the slab; Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders Book 3 and the  Johnny Nemo collection.

I've got TWO Johnny Nemo collections, one of which is a couple of decades old, and a more recent one from a few years back (one is hardcover and the other softcover), but they're not exactly the same, even though most of the stories are.

I've got a hardback Johnny Nemo collection, didn't realise there was also a paperback one out there.

The hardback is the more recent one. I think (I'll have to check) the earlier TP was entirely in black and white. When I get the chance, I'll haul them out and compare them, IIRC, there are slight differences in content.

positronic

Just read Cursed Earth Koburn (almost spelled it with a 'C', gotta watch that) in that Carlos Ezquerra collection. What a cool character, totally imperturbable -- so laid-back and laconic in nature that of course he rubs Old Stony Face the wrong way (which is exactly what's needed in a Dredd story).

That makes at least three (that I know of) Ezquerra characters who are dopplegangers for James Coburn (the others being Major Eazy and "Slippery" Jim DiGriz, a.k.a. The Stainless Steel Rat). I've read there was at least one other Koburn story which wasn't reprinted in the collection -- any more?

I can see where since it's basically a SF/Western (although the first, with Dredd, "Sturm and Dang", was more of a desert war story like Carlos' earlier Desert Rats), it could easily get cliched if repeated too often. [spoiler]I thought for sure Judge Bonaventura was going to be killed (or do the nasty with Koburn, it was pretty much a toss-up there in my mind), but surprisingly she survives and gets sent back to the Big Meg, her judgely celibacy still intact.[/spoiler]

Also read Hondo City Justice. Didn't like it as much as the earlier collection (I suspect I was swayed by the overall superior artwork in Hondo City Law by Frank Quitely and Colin MacNeil). Robbie Morrison could probably stand to do a bit more research on Japan. Some stuff just doesn't feel right, particularly the character names which seem more than a little off.

Then at the end of the collection is Steve Parkhouse's Tiger Sun, Dragon Moon... which just confused the heck out of me (taking place in 2140?), especially the ending (which made the story seem more like the opening arc of an ongoing series, setting up a longer-term threat). Even the final Judge Inspector Inaba story which precedes it ("Revenge of the 47 Ronin") seems to set up a larger menace (Black Sun) that remains unresolved at the end. The best story in here was the first one in black and white, the Dredd/Shimura story where he fights Deathfist, although I really liked Steve Parkhouse's artwork on TSDM.

Colin YNWA

Quote from: TordelBack on 20 May, 2017, 02:29:55 PM
Bone Sharps, Cowboys and Thunder Lizards, by Jim Ottaviani and Zander Cannon (of Top 10 and Smax fame) & Kevin Cannon (oddly the not-brothers are not mentioned by name on the cover, but rather by their company name, Big Time Attic - what's that about? Tax? Rights?).
130+...)

Have you read 'The Gilded Dinosaur' by Mark Jaffe for me a more successful account, though I did enjoy Bone Sharps. Gilded has the advantage of being a popular history so a bit apples and oranges, but if the history of the bone wars interests you I'd highly recommend it.

Fungus

Managed a few comics recently, may clear the decks in a few months at this rate. Piles to go at that point, foregoing anything new - besides Tharg.

Killed Or Be Killed 1-5. Fantastic. Adored The Fade-Out and this may not be as tightly plotted but who cares. On the writing side, Brubaker does domesticity and interpersonal gubbins as well as the OTT violence. He's still overshadowed by Sean Phillips. Look at the mood and expressions in every single panel. Outstanding. I've some Criminal trades signed by the man that I'll get to, eventually.

Lake of Fire 3. Another gem. I shouldn't care about medieval France with silly aliens. But the writing here is perfect, in language and handling of drama. Tremendous.

Providence 11. It fast-forwarded to the recent past. Confusing. It's this kind of navel-gazing that makes me think Jerusalem may be a bad idea. Especially given its length. One issue to go - I don't think I care anymore. If it ties loose ends up cleverly then that may be lost on me. Which is a shame.

Grendel v The Shadow 1-3. Published 2014 ? Reasonable, but functional artwork and dialogue that you'd need to be more invested in than I was. The Shadow has potential and the more political Grendel remains a favourite, but this wasn't hitting the heights. A ... crossover, then.

Dark Horse Presents 2,3. Again, very old news but I'm playing catch-up. #2 was the usual mixed-bag but #3 was enjoyable. Some new strips and much better quality. Slow-paced but convincing adventure plus double-page wordless spreads of... dinosaurs and stuff. Not usually my thing but - as the publisher declares in the issue - experimentation is what they're about.


The Adventurer

Quote from: Fungus on 21 May, 2017, 03:05:14 AM
Dark Horse Presents 2,3. Again, very old news but I'm playing catch-up. #2 was the usual mixed-bag but #3 was enjoyable. Some new strips and much better quality. Slow-paced but convincing adventure plus double-page wordless spreads of... dinosaurs and stuff. Not usually my thing but - as the publisher declares in the issue - experimentation is what they're about.



The first relaunch? Or the renumbering series? I only ask because one of my favorite series ran in the relaunch, and came back latter in the renumbering. FINDER. One of my favorite comics of all time.

THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

positronic

Quote from: The Adventurer on 21 May, 2017, 03:46:12 AM
Quote from: Fungus on 21 May, 2017, 03:05:14 AM
Dark Horse Presents 2,3. Again, very old news but I'm playing catch-up. #2 was the usual mixed-bag but #3 was enjoyable. Some new strips and much better quality. Slow-paced but convincing adventure plus double-page wordless spreads of... dinosaurs and stuff. Not usually my thing but - as the publisher declares in the issue - experimentation is what they're about.

The first relaunch? Or the renumbering series? I only ask because one of my favorite series ran in the relaunch, and came back latter in the renumbering. FINDER. One of my favorite comics of all time.

I was never a regular reader of DHP, but dipped in and out, if there were at least two strips/creators per issue that I was interested in.

Sadly, they've just published the last issue of the current volume, after 238 issues since 1986. Other than Heavy Metal, this was one of the very few long-running American anthology titles. I guess it's a little hard to build a solid reader base on a title where the strips and creators keep changing every few months. Nevertheless they did manage to publish some really good stuff over the years.

positronic

Quote from: positronic on 20 May, 2017, 04:24:23 PM
Quote from: sheridan on 20 May, 2017, 10:50:47 AM
Quote from: positronic on 19 May, 2017, 09:01:33 PM
Quote from: The Adventurer on 19 May, 2017, 08:39:05 PM
Also on the slab; Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders Book 3 and the  Johnny Nemo collection.

I've got TWO Johnny Nemo collections, one of which is a couple of decades old, and a more recent one from a few years back (one is hardcover and the other softcover), but they're not exactly the same, even though most of the stories are.

I've got a hardback Johnny Nemo collection, didn't realise there was also a paperback one out there.

The hardback is the more recent one. I think (I'll have to check) the earlier TP was entirely in black and white. When I get the chance, I'll haul them out and compare them, IIRC, there are slight differences in content.

Did some checking on this, and there have actually been three trade collections of Johnny Nemo!
The first one (topmost or leftmost, depending on your screen display) was published by Deadline in 1989 as a black & white softcover (which is the first one I'd gotten), the second was also a b&w sc collection published by Cyberosia in 2002 (which I was completely unaware of until checking), and the third (bottom or rightmost) was the hardcover published by Titan Books in 2014, which IIRC is partly color.


Apestrife

Read Rok of the Reds this morning while having my coffee. Manages to be both a great football comic as well as a cool scifi story. A joy to read.

sheridan

Quote from: positronic on 21 May, 2017, 08:22:44 AM
The hardback is the more recent one. I think (I'll have to check) the earlier TP was entirely in black and white. When I get the chance, I'll haul them out and compare them, IIRC, there are slight differences in content.

Did some checking on this, and there have actually been three trade collections of Johnny Nemo!
The first one (topmost or leftmost, depending on your screen display) was published by Deadline in 1989 as a black & white softcover (which is the first one I'd gotten), the second was also a b&w sc collection published by Cyberosia in 2002 (which I was completely unaware of until checking), and the third (bottom or rightmost) was the hardcover published by Titan Books in 2014, which IIRC is partly color.


The hardback is partly colour, yes - presumably reprinting as the stories were originally published.

The Adventurer

#6159
Quote from: positronic on 21 May, 2017, 08:10:24 AM
Quote from: The Adventurer on 21 May, 2017, 03:46:12 AM
Quote from: Fungus on 21 May, 2017, 03:05:14 AM
Dark Horse Presents 2,3. Again, very old news but I'm playing catch-up. #2 was the usual mixed-bag but #3 was enjoyable. Some new strips and much better quality. Slow-paced but convincing adventure plus double-page wordless spreads of... dinosaurs and stuff. Not usually my thing but - as the publisher declares in the issue - experimentation is what they're about.

The first relaunch? Or the renumbering series? I only ask because one of my favorite series ran in the relaunch, and came back latter in the renumbering. FINDER. One of my favorite comics of all time.

I was never a regular reader of DHP, but dipped in and out, if there were at least two strips/creators per issue that I was interested in.

Sadly, they've just published the last issue of the current volume, after 238 issues since 1986. Other than Heavy Metal, this was one of the very few long-running American anthology titles. I guess it's a little hard to build a solid reader base on a title where the strips and creators keep changing every few months. Nevertheless they did manage to publish some really good stuff over the years.

Oh wow, I just read an article explaining the situation, they solicited two more issues (33 and 34) but will cancel their orders. This also leaves more then a few strips dangling withou t conclusion. And that's real real bad!

DHPs biggest problem, IMO, is that many strips were treated as extended previews for future mini-series. They would publish an issue 0's worth of material, and then want you to read a follow up mini series. So you never really got any momentum behind anything.

It's best strips were the consistant ones, like FINDER, Brooklyn Blood, and Semiautomatic Magic.

THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

Colin YNWA

Quote from: The Adventurer on 21 May, 2017, 03:22:41 PM
Oh wow, I just read an article explaining the situation, they solicited two more issues (33 and 34) but will cancel their orders. This also leaves more then a few strips dangling withou t conclusion. And that's real real bad!

DHPs biggest problem, IMO, is that many strips were treated as extended previews for future mini-series. They would publish an issue 0's worth of material, and then want you to read a follow up mini series. So you never really got any momentum behind anything.

It's best strips were the consistant ones, like FINDER, Brooklyn Blood, and Semiautomatic Magic.

Didn't realise this had gone. I think you may have hit the nail on the head Adventurer. If you think back to the first series of DHP it carried some great stuff, Concrete, Bacchus, Aliens, Mr Monster and many more. A proper anthology with some genuinely exceptional series. I tried the latest series and soon got tired of not getting stories but previews.

Theblazeuk

 :o >:( :'(

I love DHP. I thought there was just some hiatus thing as so often occurs in comics.

It will be back! Beasts of Burden was my favourite thing of recentish years to come out of those pages but I was thoroughly enjoying Brooklyn Blood, and Semiautomagic made a great trade that I picked up whilst in NY. Would love to have seen more of that character. And always wished I could track down the whole story of Alabaster.

Bah.

Fungus

FWIW  The issues 2,3 I've just read were published 2014 I think. DHP simply a comic that sat at the bottom of the pile. As I say, enjoyed #3 which came as a surprise. Next up: 4-20 then done!

As Colin says, early DHP was fine comics, Concrete, Mr Monster and the like. Came across a Concrete portfolio the other day, oversized b & w Chadwick art... lovely.

Colin YNWA

Just finished the first trade of Locke and Key which I've picked up all the issues digitally in some sales or other (6 volumes is the entire story right?). While I'm not too fussed with the art, its servicable and doesn't detract from what's a gripping, absolutely gripping story.

Wonderful comics.

Can't wait to read the rest. I know there's a couple of fans here about so just wanted to chirp up with some more praise for this great horror comic.

Hawkmumbler

Each time I find someone else has got into Locke and Key, my heart initially swells with pride that another wonderful soul has found one of the greatest comics of the last decade...then my heart crumbles as I remember A)The series has concluded for quiet some time now, enough that a re-read is in order at least and B) The ending itself. Steel yourself, Colin, it's gonna be a bumpy rise.