Whats everyone reading?

[Mabs]

I've just read 'Old Man Logan' which is a Mark Millar story about Wolverine in a post apocalyptic future in which all super heroes are dead and the villains control America.

Has anyone read this? It's absolutely awful!

For some reason it seems to be rather well regarded on the Internet but I found it really quite cringeworthy.
I suppose it would be okay as a fairly slight plot for a post apocalypse revenge story but it doesn't suit the Marvel universe at all.

Not a single character feels authentic and the situations feel totally unbelievable (which is saying something for a story set in the Marvel universe). Every character seems to be 'badass' and needlessly cruel and violent (Millar should just write a Snake Plisken comic if this is what he wants) and there's lots of unnecessary swearing, incest and infanticide.

Terrible - one of the worst things I've read for ages.

As much as I feel Millar can be a knob sometimes with his work, I must say I quite enjoyed Old Man Logan. It was genuinely engaging, with some great moments such as that SNIKT moment third of the way through, as Wolverine had taken a vow of 'celibacy' as we know, never to use his claws again. So the build up to it was great as was the line that followed. Not to mention him going all apeshit and cutting everything or everyone to ribbons. The artwork was great too by Steve McNiven, rendering Wolverine like Clint Easwood, and Millar no doubt took ideas from Unforgiven in the comic's central premise. I agree the Incestious Banner brood were very unlikeable, and I know Hulk fans won't be too pleased with the depiction of Bruce Banner. But those are minor quirks, Millar does stay away from his now customary pop culture references, and like i said there were some genuinely tense and exciting moments, so on the whole Old Man Logan wasn't too bad a read for me.

[JamesC]

I agree that the artwork was really good.

Wolverine himself seemed almost like the same character from the Marvel universe as we know it but other than that I just couldn't get my head around any of it.

[spoiler]Bruce Banner has started a hillbilly family with his cousin (She Hulk - forget her real name). They're cruel and stupid and they eat people. WTF? Bruce Banner is a genius scientist and his cousin is a lawyer! One, I don't believe they would have an incestuous relationship and two, I see no reason that their offspring would be red necks.

The villains that work together don't convince either.

The Kingpin seems to be some Gangsta type that's taken over Magneto's domain. He killed Magneto because he got old and getting old is sad and rubbish so even if you have the power to create a base on an artificial moon made from an asteroid you can still get a cap put in yo ass by a playa. The Kingpin then gets his head cut off by Spider Man's grand daughter who is a psycho.

The mastermind behind the whole scheme was the Red Skull who has set himself up as president and now controls America. He's given chunks of the country over to other Super Villains to look after. One of these is Doctor Doom.
Victor Von fucking Doom! Like there's any way that character would play second fiddle to the Red Skull and have any motivation to control a slice of Post Apocalyptic America when he already controls Latveria completely legally.
There is also no mention of more cosmic level heroes like Silver Surfer, Adam Warlock, Quasar and the like. I suppose they've just decided to let Earth get on with it.

My point is that however fun the central plot is, with Wolverine becoming a pacifist, (and yes, I agree it's satisfying when he finally pops his claws) it's hard to have any investment in the story when the world it's set in is completely unbelievable and everybody acts out of character.

It's like reading a Dredd story where Anderson has decided to control everyone's mind and is having crazy sex with Kleggs while Judge Dredd sits in the Cursed Earth smoking a pipe because he can't be bothered anymore.
[/spoiler]

[Spikes]

Now that really is sharing the love!

Indeed. Has anyone ever said that the 2000ad fans/forum are the best? If not, somebody ought to.

[Frank]

It's like reading a Dredd story where Anderson has decided to control everyone's mind and is having crazy sex with Kleggs while Judge Dredd sits in the Cursed Earth smoking a pipe because he can't be bothered anymore.

I'd like to buy your story, Lisa.

[Mabs]

I agree that the artwork was really good.

Wolverine himself seemed almost like the same character from the Marvel universe as we know it but other than that I just couldn't get my head around any of it.

[spoiler]Bruce Banner has started a hillbilly family with his cousin (She Hulk - forget her real name). They're cruel and stupid and they eat people. WTF? Bruce Banner is a genius scientist and his cousin is a lawyer! One, I don't believe they would have an incestuous relationship and two, I see no reason that their offspring would be red necks.

The villains that work together don't convince either.

The Kingpin seems to be some Gangsta type that's taken over Magneto's domain. He killed Magneto because he got old and getting old is sad and rubbish so even if you have the power to create a base on an artificial moon made from an asteroid you can still get a cap put in yo ass by a playa. The Kingpin then gets his head cut off by Spider Man's grand daughter who is a psycho.

The mastermind behind the whole scheme was the Red Skull who has set himself up as president and now controls America. He's given chunks of the country over to other Super Villains to look after. One of these is Doctor Doom.
Victor Von fucking Doom! Like there's any way that character would play second fiddle to the Red Skull and have any motivation to control a slice of Post Apocalyptic America when he already controls Latveria completely legally.
There is also no mention of more cosmic level heroes like Silver Surfer, Adam Warlock, Quasar and the like. I suppose they've just decided to let Earth get on with it.

My point is that however fun the central plot is, with Wolverine becoming a pacifist, (and yes, I agree it's satisfying when he finally pops his claws) it's hard to have any investment in the story when the world it's set in is completely unbelievable and everybody acts out of character.

It's like reading a Dredd story where Anderson has decided to control everyone's mind and is having crazy sex with Kleggs while Judge Dredd sits in the Cursed Earth smoking a pipe because he can't be bothered anymore.
[/spoiler]

Ha ha! That's a Dredd story I'd love to read! 

Your points are valid, and while I do agree with them I think seeing as it's a re-imagining of the central character and characters from the Marvel universe, I didn't really mind that much. It's like a "what if" tale, and I suppose the writer had free reigns to write what he wanted to write. The story is more in tone with the Marvel Max line and quite hard hitting with gratuitous violence and what not, and I think the reason why the characters are unlikeable is because the whole world they inhabit is also unlikeable and cold. To be honest I thought it was well realised in that regard. You're right about the Silver Surfer, where the hell was he? But then his inclusion would probably hinder the plot somewhat and maybe Millar chickened out! And Doom would definitely not play second fiddle to Red Skull, I agree.

I might give this comic another read, see if I still feel the same with what you have outlined in mind.

[Tjm86]

A grand selection of those gorgeous old Titan reprint books. Sent to me, for nowt, by a fellow CAF'er - and 2000ad fan (dont think he posts on here...).

So a nice re-read of the VC's (books 1 and 2) tonight. 

Now that really is sharing the love! I must add VC's to my list, which I shall probably get to in about 2016!

I have to admit to an affection for the ongoing series over recent years.  Unlike the Rogue Trooper reboots this was one series that definitely did not outstay its welcome.  The first are definitive classics but the subsequent series are definitely worth the time.

On the non graphic front enjoying Stross' Neptune's Brood. In the same miluea as Saturn's Children.  Prefer his Laundry Stuff but very little of his that falls into the 'why did I bother' category.

[Basilisk]

I've read a lot, and i mean a lot, these days.

Yesterday, i've finished Dredd's CCF5. The road to the Apocalypse War that (i think) began with that "innocent" short story on CCF3, ends with a Bang, and... quite a bang!.

[spoiler]BlockMania... and then the main dish... what carnage. Top action, nukes everywhere, war, more war... but... i have yet to read more Dredd CCFs and i have a few stand alone tomes... what Dredd's Says: something like MC-1 was not ready for an invasion. Not only because of sabotages, Blockmanias... and nuke ar'us... but for the massive army that East-Meg 1 deployed to crush the city. ¿MC-1 doesn't have(or had), an army of some kind?. Apart from Judges, and the City-Def from the buildings, the TADs Suppanukes ... i don't see too many tanks, etc. They were owerwhelmed, simple as that.
[/spoiler]

Ezquerra at the top of the mountain. Really, really good stuff.

And now i fix the pieces toguether of an

[spoiler]East-Meg story from the ¿Megazine?, from newer issues. That of the train to EM-2, with those "whyyyy" mutie-ghosts... they're "survivors" from the Apocalypse War... from the alternate, peaceful Earth that ate the TADs thanks to the Shield-dimensional barrel. In that story we can see how this was discovered, and was converted into a defensive system, without any care for the other Earth.[/spoiler]

[Judge Brian]

I've just read 'Old Man Logan' which is a Mark Millar story about Wolverine in a post apocalyptic future in which all super heroes are dead and the villains control America.

Has anyone read this? It's absolutely awful!

For some reason it seems to be rather well regarded on the Internet but I found it really quite cringeworthy.
I suppose it would be okay as a fairly slight plot for a post apocalypse revenge story but it doesn't suit the Marvel universe at all.

Not a single character feels authentic and the situations feel totally unbelievable (which is saying something for a story set in the Marvel universe). Every character seems to be 'badass' and needlessly cruel and violent (Millar should just write a Snake Plisken comic if this is what he wants) and there's lots of unnecessary swearing, incest and infanticide.

Terrible - one of the worst things I've read for ages.

Yeah, I thought it was awful as well. Abslolutely wrong for the Marvel universe. Millar loves to write about extreme perversion.

[Judge Brian]

I've read a lot, and i mean a lot, these days.

Yesterday, i've finished Dredd's CCF5. The road to the Apocalypse War that (i think) began with that "innocent" short story on CCF3, ends with a Bang, and... quite a bang!.

[spoiler]BlockMania... and then the main dish... what carnage. Top action, nukes everywhere, war, more war... but... i have yet to read more Dredd CCFs and i have a few stand alone tomes... what Dredd's Says: something like MC-1 was not ready for an invasion. Not only because of sabotages, Blockmanias... and nuke ar'us... but for the massive army that East-Meg 1 deployed to crush the city. ¿MC-1 doesn't have(or had), an army of some kind?. Apart from Judges, and the City-Def from the buildings, the TADs Suppanukes ... i don't see too many tanks, etc. They were owerwhelmed, simple as that.
[/spoiler]

Ezquerra at the top of the mountain. Really, really good stuff.

And now i fix the pieces together of an

[spoiler]East-Meg story from the ¿Megazine?, from newer issues. That of the train to EM-2, with those "whyyyy" mutie-ghosts... they're "survivors" from the Apocalypse War... from the alternate, peaceful Earth that ate the TADs thanks to the Shield-dimensional barrel. In that story we can see how this was discovered, and was converted into a defensive system, without any care for the other Earth.[/spoiler]

When Dredd first came to america, it seemed to me that there had been a war and all the survivors gathered in the least radioactive spots to build the mega-cities. a few issues later we were told of the war that President Booth started & that he was now in fort Knox paying for his crimes.

It still seemed to me that it would be very hard for any other city-state to attack any other city-state. Let alone be able to develop the technology to travel to another dimension. Why didn't the Sovs just conquer that peaceful dimension & live there?

I guess my musings lead me to the realization that Dredd & Mega-city 1 was created at a time when logic & realistic detail weren't considered when writing for children's comics. Now that it's written for an older audience, all the illogical bits are entrenched into the lore & to change it would be sacrilege. I mean why would the justice department allow guns & ammo to be sold? Alcohol is ok, but sugar & caffeine isn't? 

[Skullmo]

I just finished reading the whole of Grant Morrison's run on Doom Patrol - it was one of the best comics I have read, it dipped in places but was generally amazing. It is hard to believe the same guy wrote so much guff for 2000ad.

[Professor Bear]

I've just read 'Old Man Logan' which is a Mark Millar story about Wolverine in a post apocalyptic future in which all super heroes are dead and the villains control America.

Has anyone read this? It's absolutely awful!

I remember Millar talking about the Spider-Girl character at the time and listing all the reasons she was evil, including "she's black."  Oddly, he has not revisited this statement for some reason.

[SuperSurfer]

Recently picked up from my local Oxfam Jonah Hex #1 (2006) for 50p. Bagged with backing board. And also three bagged Wednesday Comics for 50p each. I would've bought more of those but wasn't sure which issues I already have.

[TordelBack]

Re-read Bryan Talbot's Alice in Sunderland.  And then had to read it again.  Wow.  It loses its way a bit right at the end, and there are a few loose ends I'd like to have seen tied up, but if I had my life to live again I like to think I would devote myself to making just one book like this - it's almost everything I think worthwhile set between two covers, exploration of place, myth, the intersection of local history and global history, art, identity, and the stories we fabricate, perpetuate and forget about who we are and where we come from.

My favourite bit has to be in the acknowledgements: "This book was produced with absolutely no help from the Newscastle-based Arts Council England (North East), who turned down the grant application for this Sunderland-based book".

When you think what Talbot has in print these days:  the Luther Arkwrights, Dotter of her Father's Eye, Tale of One Bad Rat, Sandmanand Hellblazer, Nemesis and Dredd, the Grandville books, Alice...  an incredible body of work, both broad and deep.  What a guy.

[Link Prime]

Indeed.
Alice in Sunderland is an almost dizzying read (like a psychedelic version of the London Tour chapter of 'From Hell').
One of Talbot's finest accomplishments, and one to read before you die I'd say.

[Ancient Otter]

Speaking of Brian Talbot, has anyone read the graphic novel he produced under a pseudonym, Metronome?