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#1

Books & Comics / Re: Completely Self-absorbed T...

Last post by IndigoPrime - Today at 10:18:47 AM

Well, the endings of all the Marvel things are mostly the same: a big CGI fight. That's why I loved the ending to She-Hulk so much. It flipped everything on its head.

As for Ms. Marvel, the rumour was that her powers were changed because they're too similar to Mr. Fantastic's. But that messed up her powers intentionally mirroring teenage awkwardness and feelings dealing with appearance. And, yes, another series would have been great, but it looks like Disney+ suffers from noisy white mean grumbling whenever anything not directly aimed at them (and featuring someone they aspire to be) lands. A pity. But also not that surprising.

Glad you got the Muppets books. I hope you enjoy them. 

#2

General / Re: Mega City Book Club - a ne...

Last post by Eamonn Clarke - Today at 09:34:45 AM

Sloe Smycz joins me from Warsaw to discuss reading British comics in Poland, and to focus on a fascinating mix of skateboarding and Pat Mills' politics from the pages of Jinty. We talk about Pat's involvement in creating Jinty and writing this story, and the wonderful black and white artwork by Christine Ellingham.

https://megacitybookclub.blogspot.com/2024/05/260-concrete-surfer.html
and
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/260-concrete-surfer/id1116473423?i=1000654542494

#3

Books & Comics / Re: Completely Self-absorbed T...

Last post by BadlyDrawnKano - Today at 09:31:53 AM

His most recent thing for 2000 AD was Pandora Perfect (although he only wrote it and didn't draw the strip). His personal work includes Abigail & The Snowman, which my kid got out of the library and we both adored. Long OOP, mind. He's also created hundreds of semi-autobiographical dailies, which you can read on his website. There are currently three properly chunky HC collections on his web store. (They are superb. His packaging... less so. Although mine arrived OK.)

My recollection – I bought the book a decade ago – is it's much like The Muppet Show, in the main. So it doesn't really matter in which order you read. FWIW, someone on eBay is selling five trades for 25 quid right now.

Thanks so much for all of the above but the ebay link especially, after reading some of the comics on his website I bought those five trades and can't wait to read them.

I think had that been the case for me, I'd have enjoyed it more. I remember I largely did the first time around – although it was perhaps also boosted by running alongside a Captain America arc I abhorred (the Hydra thing). I'm into the Unworthy arc now, and it's very readable. But it's not "buy it in HC and put it on the shelf worthy" for me. (I one day had the option of buying just the God Butcher deluxe or the entire Aaron Thor run, for equivalent per-page prices, both of which were reasonable. I'm glad now I went for just the one book. Not sure I would have wanted to keep the others long term.)

I remember hearing about the Captain America / Hydra thing and thinking yeesh, that is something I really don't like the sound of, and the only friend  who has read it did not enjoy it at all. I've been thinking a lot about why I enjoyed Thor so much, as there were parts I thought were repetitive, especially the aspects about Thor being unworthy, but my lack of knowledge of all of the supporting characters got me past that, and when I think back to it, it is the Jane story I love the most.

And I think I feel the way about DC as you do with Marvel, there's a lot of comics from the late eighties / early nineties that I still love (Animal Man, Sandman, about 30 issues of Giffen/DeMatteis JLI / JLE runs, a big chunk of Hellblazer, Shade The Changing Man, Doom Patrol) but post 2000s discounting Vertigo I haven't found too much to get excited about. There are some, I thought Jeff Lemire's Animal Man run was superb, as was Brubaker's Gotham Central, and Morrison's Batman had high (and a couple of low) points, but with a lot of the characters I had that "Eh, I kind of feel like I've seen it all before" feeling. Though I guess I should back that up with the caveat that there's a lot out there that I haven't read.

I have the first HC of that. I need to get back into it. Not sure I've ever been in quite the right mood. (Also, annoyingly, Marvel did its usual thing and cancelled the collections in that format. There was – maybe is – an omni, but it's about the size of garden shed, so no thanks on that.)

I think it's a very funny, incredibly sweet natured comic, but I do occasionally wonder if my love for it comes from reading it at a time in the pandemic where everything felt rather bleak and no one quite knew how it would all play out, and so it was exactly what I needed at that point in time.

Mm. The films feel like going through the motions. The best of the recent ones for me was The Marvels, but mostly because Iman Vellani is such a joy as Ms. Marvel. And that just made me sad that she only got one TV series. I think apart from the Spidey films, I've not really annoyed one in a big way since Ragnarok, back in 2017.

The TV shows, though, I've mostly really liked. There are exceptions (Falcon/Winter Solider did not click with me at all), but I enjoyed She-Hulk's subversion, WandaVision's strange set-up, Hawkeye borrowing from my favourite run of the comics (bro), etc. But even there, we're now several series behind, and I'm honestly not sure if I care enough to watch Secret Invasion, Loki 2, What If 2 and Echo, not least given that no-one at Disney now seems invested in the Eries, and certainly not to the degree they will be ongoing and built upon.

There was so much scope in Ms. Marvel, but the TV show was ultimately just a way to introduce the character and shove her into a movie. This feels a lot like what happened in the comics, where she started as a really interesting character in her own book, before becoming subsumed into teams and ending up being just another superhero.

I've still got mixed feelings about the tv shows, I loved Wandavision bar the ending, thought the first Loki series was enjoyable, and liked the majority of the Ms. Marvel series, but in sone ways wish they'd had the budget so that she had the same powers in the show as she does in the comic. It was an inspired piece of casting though and Iman Vellani knocked it out of the park, and I really wish The Marvels had been a success so that we'd have either got another Ms Marvel tv series or a solo film, but now it seems sadly unlikely to happen. But the rest I haven't seen, and I can't say I've really got the urge to rectify that, right now at least.

Wonderful book. I hope everyone here owns a copy.

Absolutely!

#4

Off Topic / Re: Boys Adventure comic blog

Last post by Richard S. - Today at 06:44:17 AM

The penultimate selection of my photos from the recent exhibition, 'Norman Thelwell saves the planet', at the Cartoon Museum in London

https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/2024/05/norman-thelwell-saves-planet-part-9.html

[Dredd]

#5

Prog / Re: Prog 2381: A grizzly fate

Last post by Colin YNWA - 04 May, 2024, 09:58:23 PM

Hmmmm...

Well let's get too it shall we. Dredd, good in some ways, annoying in others. Why was this 8 pages? Rob Williams seems to get these extended endings a lot and this one just felt so indulgent and just wasn't justified for needed. The story ends as so many have done before BUT in this instance that's disappointing ... or is it... we don't know yet... I hope. So to be of any value this needs to open something else. If Moon is just gone and the point is "Death's coming... won't be long now." that's weak. If Moon's fate has some ramifications for Dredd and Williams' Dredd tales and take on the character then fine. It not this is just annoying as it stands.

This tale was enjoyable enough fun on one level but offered little new except that key specific of the ending which leaves a lot of questions... or not... and if its the latter its just poor... hmmm what a strange ending.

Everything else is top draw mind.

Aquila - nice turn of events.

Indigo Prime great stuff, and now want to re-read to piece a few bits together. I think I have a reading that works for me, we'll see but this was great.

Brink - genius as ever.

Proteus Vex - yes but she's the fun kinda mass murder. What a character what a story!

So great Prog except a decent Dredd that's left me with more questions than answers... I hope...

#6

Prog / Re: Prog 2381: A grizzly fate

Last post by IndigoPrime - 04 May, 2024, 07:51:30 PM

With Dredd, it was also a case of: what was the point in setting up the cadet? She's good. She's different. She's not a show off. He liked her. He didn't like many. Etc. Oh, and now she's dead. Could have been supporting cast. Could have grown. But no: dead. Yet another in the long, long, long list. I don't know why it annoyed me so much, but it just did. Maybe it was just: hey, this character seems intriguing. She could be interesting. But she was just more cannon fodder. Another red shirt to get killed in the service of the story. (Honestly, it wasn't even that shocking/surprising either. It was just sad.)

#7

Books & Comics / Re: Completely Self-absorbed T...

Last post by Le Fink - 04 May, 2024, 06:28:00 PM

Oh oh oh. Keep forgetting to say for alternative superhero takes the best two are from the house of Tharg (well ish) in Zenith and New Statesmen from Crisis which is next door to Tharg's Thrill-house so we'll take it as ours hey.

No doubt you've read them Doomlord666 but they need to be mentioned in any conversation of this type.

Ten seconders was fun too, and went Kirbyesque in the final act, with some great art from Edmund Bagwell.

[Dredd]

#8

Prog / Re: Prog 2381: A grizzly fate

Last post by Le Fink - 04 May, 2024, 06:21:07 PM

Cover is like a classic monster movie poster a la Jaws. Good stuff.

Spoilers...





Seconding Indigo Prime's view on Dredd which was brutal. Exciting, horrific, grisly and grim. The cadet's actions felt against type as IP says. On the other hand they were lucky to have survived that long, and Dredd nearly (should have?) got it too. Still, shame the new cadet character has been thrown away.

I felt it was time for Indigo Prime to end. It was fun for a while but there's only so long you can run with an hard to comprehend storyline before getting a bit fed up as a reader. It did feel a bit like more mad things were being thrown into the mix as a substitute for a story. Surely it doesn't have to be so opaque. Lee Carter did a sterling job visualising the craziness.

Aquila yes nice change to see progress made through reasoning. Oh hang on we have a decapitation too... that's just cakeism. Brilliant! Good episode.

Brink is sheer class. Aargh who is the client... what's going on with the PI... just superb. "We're close, I know all his codes"... hmmm. I want more of this!

Proteus Vex as IP says, phew... on the other hand Midnight is basically a mass murderer. Is any of this self defence now? Ah what the hell. Come on Midnight!

Good prog - agree that Dredd was a bit too grim this week.

#9

General / Re: Forthcoming Thrills - 2024

Last post by Dash Decent - 04 May, 2024, 03:41:41 PM

Rogue Toother.

#10

General / Re: New Romance* comic from Re...

Last post by Dash Decent - 04 May, 2024, 03:27:55 PM

I'm far, far away but didn't see any sign of a "Monster Fun" issue.  Picked up a "MAD" magazine comic and my daughter chose the Snoopy/Peanuts title amongst others.