New Comic Book Day Megathread

[Hawkmumbler]

£0.69 for 19 pages of comic is about whatI would pay. As it is, i'll wait on a collected edition.

[Link Prime]

Next week's pull list takes a well deserved breather.
Two from Vertigo;

Sandman Overture 3 (Sporadic shipping aside, it's a lovely, lovely comic. I'll take what I can get from this creative team).
The Wake 10 (Finale to this enjoyable aquatic horror / sci-fi series. SGM's distinctive visuals have meshed very well with Snyder's epic tale. Recommended to 'Tooth fans).

[Link Prime]

I was suitably imprresed with issue 1 of Trees. Then issue 2 made me loose faith considerably.

I did try the first issue of Trees; interesting enough premise, but didn't quite make the cut.
I think I will try the 1st trade however (which will likely be a tenner).
I've a feeling it will work better in collected format.

Also, I've read that Jock will be providing guest art for issue 6.
The thoughts of not picking up a comic- any comic- by Warren Ellis & Jock fills me with cold, cold dread.

[Hawkmumbler]

I must have missed Sandman Overture being due this week. I've loved the previous two issues. Comic gold.

[Link Prime]

Yer ok this week Hawk, it's due on the 30th.

[The Adventurer]

I picked up TERRA FORMARS Vol.1 from the Kindle eBook shop on a whim.

If you like f-ed up manga. This is one of the more F-ed up from recent memory. Its got a ludicrous premise and eschews all plot structure expectations.

I can't say its very GOOD, but its certainly bizarre.

[Colin YNWA]

Read my stash while away over the last couple of nights and so a popped review here as much was as always. I got.

Wonder Woman 33
Jonah Hex 33
Forever People 2 (not bad not as good as the first - this is currently DCs (Universe that is) only hope of me having an ongoing!)

FBP 12
The Maxx 9
Winter World 2 (see Forever People less the DCU comments)
Ragnarok 1 - not a bad debut but we'll see how it develops

Batman 33 marks the end of my time with the current Batman run. I tried to read this but have lost so much enthusiasm for the series I only really skip read it. If people have similar feeling and have been reading the floppies I heartily recommend floppin' them. They get silly money considering they've all sold over 100,000 copies. Flogged the first 20 odd issues and did very well towards my tablet fund. Don't miss um a jot (and can always pick them up for a fraction of the price I got for them digitally if I ever decide to read them again!)

Doctor Who (eleventh Doctor) 1 wow how well did this capture the vibe of Matt Smith's run, did so quite brilliantly. The trouble is with all that runs strengths it also brought all its weakness. I was grinning at the first half, then getting a little frustrated with [spoiler]the love saves the day[/spoiler] ending. Still think I'll be sticking with this while the current creative team is around... mind Rob Williams seems to be off the book already?

[Hawkmumbler]

Another Tumble Weed week.

Sandman Overture #3: Stunning rt, gripping story. Love Sandman as much as ever.

Weekly Shounen Jump #35: One-shot from Toshiaki Iwashiro, creator of Psyren. Quite an enjoyable little tale. Mean while Kubo once agains fails to understand that less is more in Bleach.

[Colin YNWA]

Well San Deigo brought two possible bits of bad news. Greg Rucka is off Cyclops after issue 5 and I heard, though haven't seen it confirmed that Ragnarok may now not be ongoing but a 6 issue mini?

[SmallBlueThing]

Six for me this week.

Amazing Spider-Man #4. Original Sin tie-in- which seems to comprise of a convenient way for Peter to jump ahead in the narrative and find out what's been happening with 'Silk' (the previously-unknown female Spider-Man analogue introduced by Dan Slott in #1). I was unsure how Slott would approach massaging this fairly major addition into the main story without it seeming anachronistic. Thankfully, a big fight and a bloke with an eyeball for a head allows for various superheroes to suddenly see things they didn't previously know, and there we go.
Every time an issue of ASM plops through my door these days, I approach with caution. Slott is a writer whom I admire greatly, and I'm even growing to like the art of Humberto Ramos. However, there does seem to be an increasing stupidity about where this is heading and a moving away from the core values of Spidey- values that were so brilliantly highlighted, ironically, during the 'Superior' run- which was tremendous.

But, for all that, it's a cracker of an issue- it all flows nicely and there's a nice bit of foreshadowing, promising the return of one of Spidey's most effective villains. Also, Peter's love life gets more complicated again. None of this is "classic" Spider-Man, and none will probably stand up to rereading in decades to come, like the famous storylines of the past... but if you take it like the latest installment of the super-soap it's clearly designed to be, it's entertaining and compelling stuff.

Daredevil #6 Another Original Sin tie-in. The same fight gives Matt insight into the father he has spent his life idolising. To come to terms with this, he goes to find his mum (who has been living as a nun), only to find she has been arrested, imprisoned and due to be extradited to Wakanda.

Like most issues of Mark Waid's run, this is a masterclass in near-perfect comics storytelling and I can't praise it enough. The double page spread of Matt hiding in a cupboard listening to every conversation in the Wakandan Embassy is worth the outlay alone. And I cannot wait til the next issue.

Wonder Woman #33 Azzarello's series powers on towards its end, with two more issues to go after this. Here, Diana is held captive by The First Born and forced to watch as the Amazons are massacred. There are some surprising events, some deaths, much excellent dialogue and a cliffhanger that I'm sure will make sense next month. Once this is done, I'm rereading from the start and I'm damn sure I will never feel the compulsion to buy a Wonder Woman comic again, this having been the epitome of everything I had hoped for.

Batman Eternal #15 I'm a week behind on this, because I buy it for my youngest son and have to wait til he's read it before I'm allowed. Not a huge Batfan, but this is entertaining enough- there are too many characters, and too many of those characters highlight how awkwardly colourful costumes fit in with the "gritty, adult" Batman DC would like to sell to us. I'm confused as to the various Robins and Batmen/women of other countries. But for all that, the framing of Commissioner Gordon and his younger replacement is decently played out. I understand we are a quarter of the way through the series, and barring all that guff about the nano/cyberghost thing that attacked the Teen Titans a few issues back, it has all made a fair amount of sort-of sense so far. Little one likes it, anyway.

Conan The Avenger #4 Huge fun of Dark Horse's Conan here. Liked, but didn't love, the past three issues of this series. However, deeply disappointed by #4. Ugly art, confused storytelling and I can't really remember what happened to be honest. Also, no letters. Dark Horse's lively and intelligent letters pages in the Conan titles are part of their appeal- to find them missing was a sudden and very real blow.

Groo Vs Conan #1 I had been dreading this. Never read an issue of Groo in my life, love Conan, couldn't see how this could possibly work. It does! And then some! Very funny, very clever, beautifully drawn, subtle and it makes me want to go off and find more Groo. Job done. After Daredevil, the best comic I've read this week.

So there we go.

SBT

[Link Prime]

Next week's pull list takes a well deserved breather.
Two from Vertigo;

Sandman Overture 3 (Sporadic shipping aside, it's a lovely, lovely comic. I'll take what I can get from this creative team).
The Wake 10 (Finale to this enjoyable aquatic horror / sci-fi series. SGM's distinctive visuals have meshed very well with Snyder's epic tale. Recommended to 'Tooth fans).

I'm adding two more to this week's list, seeing as my LCS has a penchant for selling first issues for a mere 2 Euro. At that price they're worth a punt;

Bodies 1 (Don't know much about it, other than it's by former Droids Si Spencer & Dean Ormston. Recently seen by most of us in this months Harke & Burr Meg floppy).
Low 1 (Again, this totally slipped under my radar. Creative team is Rick Remender & Greg Tocchini, who previously cooked-up an enjoyable stint in Uncanny X-Force Vol 1).

As for next week, not much on the horizon;

Miracleman 9 (The much publicized 'birth issue', will probably be about as shocking as an episode of Eastenders to modern audiences. Still, I want to see what all the fuss is about).
Superior Spider-Man 32 (Back from cancellation! I gather that this is a two issue revival, detailing a flash-back story with Doc Ock as Spider-Man travelling to 2099. Yeah, don't try to think about that sentence too hard).

[Link Prime]

I heard, though haven't seen it confirmed that Ragnarok may now not be ongoing but a 6 issue mini?

Hope not!

I imagine it was never going to be a 'monthly' title though...lot of pressure on a 67 year old writer / artist.

[Colin YNWA]

Yeah think it was always planned as bi-monthly?

Anyway here's the quote (or maybe misquote?)

Even though Ragnarok will only be a six-issue series, there are a ton of ideas for future storylines. Simonson is also combing through some ideas from his Marvel Thor run although he's confident that the Ragnarok Thor will act very differently in his general behavior, powers and dialogue.

From this 'article' over at Bleeding Cool.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/07/26/simonson-revisits-norse-mythology-in-ragnarok-and-winsor-mccays-slumberland-returns-at-idw-summer-blockbuster-panel/

[The Adventurer]

My Digital Pulls for 07/30/14

2000 AD 1892 - Does what it does, and well. Solid.
EAST OF WEST 14 - This arc feels kind of weird, and not in the regular East of West way. Still enjoy its brand of madness.
THE FUSE 6 - Probably my last issue. I like this series, I've enjoyed this first arc. But its not quite good enough. Which is too bad.
MANHATTAN PROJECTS 22 - Last issue seemed like an excuse to make Laika more relevant as an actual character. Curious where that's going.
PROPHET 45 - I'm behind a few issues, end of this phase of the series is a good enough reason to get caught up.
WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP 35 - Current line-up is a bit shaky. Its fine, but there's a little less regular excitement then there was a month ago. Which isn't ideal for a weekly anthology.

[Link Prime]

From this 'article' over at Bleeding Cool.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/07/26/simonson-revisits-norse-mythology-in-ragnarok-and-winsor-mccays-slumberland-returns-at-idw-summer-blockbuster-panel/

Hadn't seen that Colin, cheers.

Another comic has caught my eye next week by the way; God is Dead: The Book of Acts 1.

http://www.midtowncomics.com/store/dp.asp?PRID=1353895

A story by Alan Moore about Glycon? Alright- could be interesting.