Whats everyone reading?

[Colin YNWA]

As I said ruffled feathers!

I'm a bit of a fan of The Atom. Big fan of Roger Stern's run on the character but happily got on with Identity Crisis. The fact is its was a tight, well crafted crime yarn dressed as a fun superhero romp and really have never quite settled for the idea that it changed the tone and nature of DC comics. The change was coming and was seen all over the place. The fact that this was such a big hit is the only reason why I can think of as to why its labelled as a watershed moment, or some such.

Its not that significant, but that doesn't stop it being a good comic story.

[Mardroid]

The rape scene? Come off it, it wasn't that gratuitous alls said and done.

I actually agree. I was referring to other peoples reactions not my own.

[Professor Bear]

The rape scene? Come off it, it wasn't that gratuitous alls said and done.

I would argue that a money shot is not essential to make a rape scene gratuitous.

My recollection is that few people actually cared much about Identity Crisis until an ex-DC staffer revealed that the editors had sat down and decided that they were going to do a miniseries with a rape as the central conceit before the writer or artist was even hired and it's been this which has cast a shadow over the book in the years since more than any "negative fan reaction to treatment of a beloved character."  I found Identity Crisis to be a bog-standard men-in-pajamas funnybook and couldn't give a toss about Ralph or Sue, but I did find the fetishising and monetisation of a sexual assault to be deeply disturbing even before you get to the fact that it's being done in a book for children.

If I was going to be mad at it, though, it'd probably be because one of the main characters from Robin was killed off in IC rather than in Robin's own title.  Don't get me wrong, I'd given up on that book by then as it had gone downhill badly from the Chuck Dixon years (yes, it had gone downhill from a time when it was scripted BY CHUCK DIXON), but if I'd still been hanging in there, I like to think that would have hacked me right off.

[Mardroid]

When I first read Identity Crisis a few years back I came to it without the preknowledge of the rape or the controversy surrounding it.

And yes the assault was disturbing as it was supposed to be, but it wasn't particularly explicit. It was disturbing because it was pretty clear what was going on (without actually showing much except hands) but it was the right kind of shock. I.e. you are appalled by it. Not titillated.

Should they have done it? Well, if I were a writer I'd personally steer well clear of rape scenes. On the other hand I wouldn't steer clear of murder.. and arguably that's as bad if not worse, so arguably I've got my moral compass is wonky. (Alan Moore makes a good point concerning that in a recent referenced on this forum.)

In the end I wouldn't say the rape was central to the story though, although the fact of the attack (and it could be any attack. Interestingly they never once mention the word 'rape' in the book, although it's clear that's what's going on) was.  [spoiler] It's about how being a superhero affects your family and how far you'd be willing to go to protect them and the moral issues that can bring up.[/spoiler] Oh and the great detective story of course.

As for being a story for children... I think it is very clearly an adult comic.

[PreacherCain]

I was so jealous seeing Tombo's complete B.P.R.D Hardcover collection on another thread, that I decided to finish my own collection off ( I had the first two books). So I hastily purchased Vol. 3 and 1/3 of the way through reading (Just finished The Universal Machine) and I'm finding myself having to yank my jaw off the ground! What a beautiful story.....I was so close to tears!  , and of course we have our usual creepy goings on not least involving Dr. Corrigan's trip to France as the rest of the team sit around a table discussing his/ her own brush with loss and death. It was a brilliant opening, utterly gripping and Guy Davis' artwork as usual, had my mouth watering. And Dave Stewart's colours......

So after finishing this book I'll be purchasing the last one in the Plague of Frogs arc, and then I can look on at Tombo's book shelf without feeling envious as hell! 

I just powered through all the Hellboy and B.R.P.D hardcovers over Christmas. They'd been on my shelf for ages, can't believe it took me so long to dive in. Stuck now though since it doesn't look like there's any immediate plans to collect the Hell on Earth series as hardcovers

Aye they're great collections. Dark Horse will do the same for Hell on Earth but likely won't start releasing them until that arc is wrapped up. That's how it worked for Plague of Frogs.

They are releasing BPRD issues at a much faster pace these days, often multiple titles a month. The James Harren stuff is amazing. It does seem to be going somewhere and soon, though I suspect it's all predicated on Mignola's schedule for Hellboy in Hell.

[Professor Bear]

When I first read Identity Crisis a few years back I came to it without the preknowledge of the rape or the controversy surrounding it.

Which kind of makes my point about it not being a noteworthy book away from those things.

[spoiler] It's about how being a superhero affects your family and how far you'd be willing to go to protect them and the moral issues that can bring up.[/spoiler]

Again, this kind of makes my point about it not being noteworthy as you are describing pretty much every superhero narrative ever.

As for being a story for children... I think it is very clearly an adult comic.

As an adult - or at least someone who has been tried as one - I would argue that it takes more to be an 'adult' comic than gore and sexual violence.

[Apestrife]

Alan Moore and Kevin O'neil's League of extraordinary gentlemen. LOEG 1-2, Black Dossier, Century p.1-3 and Nemo: Heart of Ice.

Got a bit confused/disappointed at first when I looked through the Black dossier and the first two Century books a couple of years ago. Not only alot of text, there was also alot of characters and stuff I had no idea about what it was.

But last week I sat down and read everything. And I kind of liked it. Grew on me, more and more for each lengthy text filled with obscure references in Black dossier or those 3D glasses you wear in the end of it. The mix of different secret agents and 1984's Big brother was also a brilliant things.

The same goes for Century. While there are no monsters in it that tops either Hyde or Griffin, there's still some good and fun characters in it. Especially WHO turns out to be the antichrist haha. I wasn't too fond at first about the apparent focus on sex (and it being a book by Alan, there's some rape in there too) but I somewhat found it to fit the story's "Mankind is kept alive by bestial acts.".

I think Century will read even better when released as a collection this summer!

Nemo: Heart of ice was short but quite sweet, I especially like it's focus on adventure (feeling a bit more like loeg 1, 2) It did at first feel like it relied too much on Lovecraft's Mtn of madness it felt like it came to it's own in the end with Jenni Nemo softening up a bit. And with Roses of Berlin (with Chaplin's Dictator ruling Germany and a League led by Dr Mabuse!!!) out in March, I think Heart of Ice is a good first part. I hope it follows up more on the Ayesha "She" mystery woman (who Jenny stole some stuff from in this story) too, so that the "Pool of Fire" gets a bit more fleshed out other than in just text.

All and all Loeg isn't the adventure I wanted it to be (like p1 and 2) but it's really growing on me. And I think/hope the Nemo books will become a return to form for the series.

[TordelBack]

Good to hear, Apestrife!

For myself I have been inhaling Search/Destroy Agency Files Vol. 2, which must be one of the single greatest volumes of collected comics ever published.  So many fantastic stories, so much variation in tone and theme, and an almost unimaginable achievement as a body of B&W comics art.  As good as comics get.

[Mardroid]

When I first read Identity Crisis a few years back I came to it without the preknowledge of the rape or the controversy surrounding it.

Which kind of makes my point about it not being a noteworthy book away from those things.

[spoiler] It's about how being a superhero affects your family and how far you'd be willing to go to protect them and the moral issues that can bring up.[/spoiler]

Again, this kind of makes my point about it not being noteworthy as you are describing pretty much every superhero narrative ever.

As for being a story for children... I think it is very clearly an adult comic.

As an adult - or at least someone who has been tried as one - I would argue that it takes more to be an 'adult' comic than gore and sexual violence.

I agree. And this does, in my opinion. The sexual violence is suggested rather than explicit, and,the gore isn't all that. Okay... there are pools of blood on occasion.

[spoiler]Actually they never did explain how Flash recovered getting skewered by Deathstroke's sword die they? I guess speed healing comes with the package. Incidentally Death stroke is a real hard-case isn't he? He has a minor power compared to the others but boy does it go a long way...[/spoiler]

[Apestrife]

Good to hear, Apestrife!

For myself I have been inhaling Search/Destroy Agency Files Vol. 2, which must be one of the single greatest volumes of collected comics ever published.  So many fantastic stories, so much variation in tone and theme, and an almost unimaginable achievement as a body of B&W comics art.  As good as comics get.

Both SD files vol 2 and 3 (if you haven't read it then you totally should. "Rage" is awesome!) are some of the best things I'v read. Especially Portrait of a mutant. Such a great origin story!

[TordelBack]

Both SD files vol 2 and 3 (if you haven't read it then you totally should.

Read most of the contents in the Prog, and many times since, but doesn't stop me being bowled over by the material all over again.  There's just so much of it, all good, all by Ezquerra at the height of his considerable powers, and the way Portrait and Outlaw seem to bookend Volume 2 is just polystyrene icing on the thrillcake.

The other thing that really comes across is how the Alpha of Life and Death is an entirely natural evolution of the boy we meet in Portrait.

[Apestrife]

Both SD files vol 2 and 3 (if you haven't read it then you totally should.

Read most of the contents in the Prog, and many times since, but doesn't stop me being bowled over by the material all over again.  There's just so much of it, all good, all by Ezquerra at the height of his considerable powers, and the way Portrait and Outlaw seem to bookend Volume 2 is just polystyrene icing on the thrillcake.

The other thing that really comes across is how the Alpha of Life and Death is an entirely natural evolution of the boy we meet in Portrait.

I fully agree. That's why I love the new chapters so much. Johnny has been where he is now before, but now he's just fed up with it.

I'm really hoping that the latest (Last?) Life and death part will bring things to a full circle. Because then it'll fit right in (as two GNs) besides SD files vol 2 and 3.

And other than that (weekly Dredd and SD) I'm getting two monthly Brian Azzarello fixes with Brother Lono and Wonder Woman. Love those books. Especially Wonder Woman. Love that her real greatness isn't arm strength but her heart. Which also sometimes is her biggest weakness

[TordelBack]

I fully agree. That's why I love the new chapters so much. Johnny has been where he is now before, but now he's just fed up with it.

The thing that really struck me is that this is the third time that Johnny has watched the powers of New Britain try to exterminate his people.  First the State and its death camps in Portrait, then the Church and its 'relocation' programme in Final Solution, and now it appears that Big Business has finally succeeded. Even allowing for Johnny's sense of fairness and his relationships with norms like Ruth and Wulf and the folk of Smiley's World, I can't see how his current attitude is anything but a predictable extension of his habitual coldness when faced with what by now must seem like an inevitability.  What's he supposed to say, "let's have a good clean fight and another negotiated settlement - maybe third time's the charm"?

[Apestrife]

I fully agree. That's why I love the new chapters so much. Johnny has been where he is now before, but now he's just fed up with it.

The thing that really struck me is that this is the third time that Johnny has watched the powers of New Britain try to exterminate his people.  First the State and its death camps in Portrait, then the Church and its 'relocation' programme in Final Solution, and now it appears that Big Business has finally succeeded. Even allowing for Johnny's sense of fairness and his relationships with norms like Ruth and Wulf and the folk of Smiley's World, I can't see how his current attitude is anything but a predictable extension of his habitual coldness when faced with what by now must seem like an inevitability.  What's he supposed to say, "let's have a good clean fight and another negotiated settlement - maybe third time's the charm"?

Yeah, I definitely think it's in character of him. While I understand those who want him to keep on being a hero, I think it's understandable why he's in such place as he is right now.

I really like that there's not telling where it's heading either. Would be cool if Wagner actually went the whole way with the genocide thing as with Dredd in Apocalypse war! Been a while since I read something like that!

And today I sat down and read 1500 pages of the Brian Wood penned DMZ. A wt-If scenario where New York is turned into a war zone (not prison) that's cut off from the rest of the US. An intern in hopes of wielding his camera arrives to the city together with some more renowned journalists. But things go sore and the intern is left alone in the DMZ (former NY) and has a 3 year long career as a photo journalist. A really gritty and interesting book. Really liked it.

Best thing about it was the characters. The main character Matt's downward spiral into journalism hell leads to a bunch of interesting meetings. Everything from the dedicated "doctor" Zee, a ruler of China town to the failed suicide bomber Amina. Every character elegantly balances on a edge between fantastic and realistic.

Only negatives would be some of the art. Some of it was a bit too smudgy. Especially that of artists (there's one main one, but some different ones now and then) who already has a smudgy style. Also one or two plot threads felt like it was repeated at least once, but since it's all well written I can't really complain can I.

All and all. Felt a bit like if Escape from New York with a camera eye instead of a eye patch and less 80s punk savagery and more modern day conflict.

It's also out as a Vertigo Deluxe HC ed. this Feb. Will probably end up as 5 books containing around 300 pages each, and also on my bookshelf besides my 100Bullets Del. HC:s (Which I'll read in time for 100Bullets Brother Lono's last issue next month)

[sheldipez]

Going through all the Before Watchmen series back to back.

Minutemen did an excellent job paying respect to the original whilst also expanding the backstory without feeling exploitative. Silk Spectre and Comedian was a waste of paper & time and pretty much the opposite of Minutemen.

Onwards I go....