Whats everyone reading?

[mygrimmbrother]

Books is pretty much all I gots for Christmas this year (which suits me fine). Got a right mix too - The Forever War (the omnibus edition), The Communist Manifesto, Volumes 2 & 3 of the french Long John Silver GNs (thanks to Dunk! for the tip-off there), Valerian vol 1 (also a cinebook GN), The Edinburgh Dead, The Sickness unto Death (Kierkergaard) and Existentialism & Humanism by Satre.

Decided to finally have a go at reading some philosophy, hence the last 2. In fact, if I've had a New Year's Resolution at all this year, it's to finally read some stuff I should have read years ago, so that's Jules Verne, R.E. Howard, The Golden Bough and more Conan Doyle I reckon.

[Spaceghost]

I decided to treat myself to a few comic books with my xmas bonus.

The Complete Nemesis the Warlock Book III - I've been trying to lay my hands on this for ages now and thanks to a tip off from SBT I managed to mail order this copy from a shop in Brighton. I'd never read these last 3 books before as they were in 2000 AD during my 'off' periods.

To be honest, I'm a bit underwhelmed by what we're offered. Book 8 is a flashback to Purity's early days as part of the rebellion and her first encounter with, and manipulation by, Nemesis. It's decent enough with 'too clean' artwork and the odd plot twist but nothing too earth shattering.

After the stunning book 7, I was expecting great things from book 9 which sees John Hicklenton return to provide the art. This is, unfortunately, the worst Nemesis book of all. The story makes no sense, most of the characters serve no purpose whatsoever (apart from to irritate) and the confrontations between Nemesis and Torquemada seem tired and boring. The art is as mental as usual from Hicklenton but as he usually doesn't bother too much with background detail, you're left struggling to place the events in any context and it all seems to take place in a blurry, dirty cave.

Book 10, with the gorgeous Henry Flint art was like a breath of fresh air after the muddled mess of book 9 but it still has problems. The story has gone back to basics with a return to the simple thrills of Nemesis and Torquemada duking it out at high speed in the Travel Tubes and Torquemada plotting to unleash his 'ultimate weapon'.

It all ends rather suddenly and a bit unsatisfactoraly however, as if Pat Mills just wanted to call it a day. Nice to see Kev O'Neill back though, even for just one episode.

The extra's at the back are of mixed quality with nothing particularly essential included. I can't help but wish that the 'filler' stories which were originally published between books 9 and 10 had been placed in the book in that order. It would have made more sense and bridged the gap between the two.

I was going to talk about a couple of other books I bought but as I've rambled on for too long about Nemesis, I'll save them for another post.

[James Stacey]

It did go downhill towards the end. It's what made Deadlock good though as that was more of a return to form. Pity it only had a short run.

[Evil Pants]

Read the first issue of Brubaker and Philip's Fatale....and I'm in love.

I knew I would be. I've been having a long-term dalliance with their work for many years now. Thankfully, my wife's ok with it. But they're at a new level now. Their sense of pacing, their craftsmanship, their confidence in storytelling...it's just gotten better over the years.

I could honestly break down every single page, and every single panel, and describe in detail how the work they're doing is head over heels above almost everyone else working in North American comics right now...but I'll let the work speak for itself.

[I, Cosh]

Ministry of Space. What a lovely book.

I've always consciously avoided Warren Ellis as I had him pegged as an unpleasant, haranguing cynic. Not sure why, possibly on the strength of only ever having read the first collection of Transmetropolitan. Whatever the reason, I wasn't expecting this to have the tone it does. If you've read it, you'll know there is a darker undercurrent towards the end - the worm in the wood as it were - but I found that to be a gentle and possibly necessary corrective to all that had gone before.

There's not really much of a story. It's own alternative history is the story, with a tacked on strand about the rather obvious source of the eponymous Ministry's funding, but it's told with heart and just the right amount of irony in its stiff upper lip and it has Chris Weston essentially drawing Dan Dare before he really drew Dan Dare.

I suppose the real reason I liked it so much is expressed by Mr Ellis in his afterword where he talks about his own feelings on the exploration of space. How it could have been, how it was, how it is. The bottom line is that I fucking love the idea of space. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taB9mFqDx9c. So when he talks about the universality of identification with astronauts I know exactly what he means. The space race was obviously driven by national and military ambitions and scoring any major advance would be a PR coup for the winners. Yet, I've always felt that when somebody, a human being, walks out onto the moon it really doesn't matter whether they're American or Russian or Chinese or Ethiopian. It's their shared humanity that speaks to the idealist fool in me.

So, anyway. Ministry of Space. It's better than The Boys or The Walking Dead.

[Dandontdare]

Ministry of Space. What a lovely book.

Hear hear. I don't own this but I've taken it ouit of the library several times in recent years. Top stuff.

[TordelBack]

It is marvelous stuff.  The underplayed way the final twist (the snake in the garden, as it were) is delivered makes it doubly powerful, and its bite permits the rest of the story to be pure glorious space porn. 

[Davek]

Started reading Oliver Twist - my first Dickens and enjoying it immensely.  Just got past the 'can I have some more' part in the workhouse.

[SuperSurfer]

I'm reading 'With the Old Breed', the personal account of Eugene B Sledge ('Sledgehammer') who served as a US Marine in the Pacific in WWII.

Part of HBO's 'Pacific' series is based on his story. I bought the 'Pacific' DVD box set months ago and managed to watch it over Xmas, so then decided to download 'With the Old Breed' from iTunes. (I'm reading it on my iPhone which I'm finding very handy. I like the fact that it's always with me and I can read it wherever I am.)

The book is a gripping, shocking read. What those guys endured and witnessed was just off the scale. Sledgehammer refers to the war as a "meat grinder". He states that there are two wars. The war fought on the front line and the war fought away from the front line. He says that even those 100 yards behind the front line don't know what goes on and that he cringes whenever politicians say they are going to war. As a US Marine he was in the thick of it.

My interest in this topic kicked off having watched the documentary series 'Hell in the Pacific' on 4OD – a must see series for anyone with even a passing interest. US and British servicemen are interviewed in this. Regarding fighting between the Japanese and US, the narrator states that "both sides cast off civilsed taboos". 

Neither book or the TV series glorifies war. Both tell it how it was.

As for the HBO 'Pacific' series I thought that also was brilliant. I found it rather schmaltzy for first three or so episodes but then it really picked up.

The four part documentary:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/hell-in-the-pacific/4od

Book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/279-1630458-5748866?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=old+breed&x=0&y=0

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/with-the-old-breed/id435967920?mt=11

[JAMESCOR]

Read the new translation of The Incal not that it makes much more sense in English, terrific fun though. Second volume of Valerian which improves on the first and from what I've seen of the French ones it tends to get better as it goes on. Bargain buy of the holiday season though was volume 2 of TV21 only a fiver in Gosh well worth it for some vintage Bellamy, Noble and Embelton.Rob Davis' Don Quixote is well worth a look it's kind of been over shadowed by his involvement in Nelson. Finally on the comic front my guilty pleasures is again from Cinebook the early volumes of Blake and Mortimer and Lucky Luke.

Never seem to find much time for you know proper books but The Milkman in the Night by Kurkov was a bleakly funny treat.

[NorthVox]

Fired my way through Durham Red: The Scarlet Cantos last night, gonna get cracking on Vermin Stars and Emptry Suns tonight.

[HdE]

I just read the Transformers one-shot 'The Death Of Optimus Prime' tonight.

No laughing at the back there!

This book is a starting point for two new ongoing series from IDW, co-written by John Barber and James Roberts, the two scribes of the respective series.

Now, I can't stress this enough - not only is this one of the best Transformers comics I've ever read (for those with an interest in such things) but it's also oneof the best single issues of a comic book I've read in the last... forever.

It's a really dense, full read, and manages to do a great job of setting up the two new books without ever feeling like a set up! There's plenty of great drama and dialogue, and the art, by Nick Roche, is absolutely stellar.

I STRONGLY recommend this book, as well as the first issue of 'Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye', by James Roberts (with Nick on art again). Both books are of uncommonly good quality, and I honestly believe they'll entertain even non-fans. Go grab 'em!

[Radbacker]

oooh, me likey Transformers comics but the last few I've got had atrocious art, poor colouring and the art just didn't flow, all the characters looked the same.  Mught give this a burl though, whats the art like?

CU Radbacker

[TordelBack]

Orc Stain Vol 1, by James Stokoe.  I'd completely ignored this book, generally not enjoying D&D, LotR or WH40K spin-off comics, until the great Colin Smith gave it a thumbs-up shortly before I stumbled across a copy.  It's brilliant, really, really brilliant, and doesn't involve any of those orc-ridden franchises or any element of the wider fantasy genre at all.  The art is a mix of Paul Pope and Moebius coloured by Brendan McCarthy (even writing that makes me drool - you may have seen his hyper-detailed Galactus in Strange Tales), the story and characters are very like early Cerebus without the pastiche, the insane organic world is rich, dramatic and hilarious. 

Unfortunately the schedule seems to be more at the Paul Pope end of the spectrum than the Dave Sim one, I think he's currently only 2 issues beyond the first trade, which was published in 2010 - totally understandable when you see the work in even a single panel, but still a pity.  Even so, buy it, support this man, his story must be told!  Just a shame about the title.

[Davek]

I just read the Transformers one-shot 'The Death Of Optimus Prime' tonight.

No laughing at the back there!

TBH I would never think to read a Transformers comic but your review and the fact that its a one-shot has got me intrigued.  Still undecided though - may take a look in the shop 

Orc Stain Vol 1, by James Stokoe. 

Sounds good - added to wish list.