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Last Comic Read

Started by Magnetica, 20 August, 2018, 05:57:25 PM

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The Adventurer


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The Adventurer

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Stellar 3 & 4 by Joe Keatinge and Bret Blevins from Skybound and Image Comics. It's pretty cool sci-fi/superhero thing, the art is great.

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The Adventurer

Just finished, Batman White Knight. I don't read a lot of Batman comics, not a super fan of the character honestly, but I really liked Batman White Knight, I'm glad I took a chance on it. Sean Murphy's a pretty solid creator, Joe the Barbarian (w/ Morrison), and Punk Rock Jesus were pretty great series too. So its really no surprise his Batman elseworld wouldn't also be pretty impressive. I think its suppose to get a sequel at some point, featuring Azrael. So, that's something to look forward too.

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Colin YNWA

Damnit the comics industry and its readers is such a frustrating beast. So many great stories that we see start don't get the ending they deserve. Just look at the number of 'in hiatus' comics on my pull list. The reasons are many and varied but most common is almost certianly they haven't found their audience and thus have been let slip aside, or curtailed. It does more head in. Batman gets his junk out and the market does its nut and comics fly off the shelves. Wonderful creators produce enhanting work and 80% of the time it dies on its arse.

Case in point and origin of this ill informed rant is Hinterkind. Just done a re-read and by George does that reveal this comic by our own Ian Edginton and Francesco Trifogli as the glorious epic tale it should have been. And expose it as the curtailed frustration it became. It always remains good, but it could have been great. Its a cheap and easy comparison to say its Game of Thrones meets Walking Dead meets errr something will elves and goblins but its just that, but done very well. You alas also get the sense of where corners had to be cut and idea that could have happily filled six issues where condensed into one.

Such a shame this comic deserved an audience and while it tells its tale and remains entertaining to the last it could have and should have been so much more.

Colin YNWA

Let's keep this thread going, so I'll put this here rather than the 'What's everyone reading' thread.

Just read the first 17 issues of Black Science by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera. I've actually picked up the first 18 issues from various Image sales of Humble Bundle or whatever but 1-17 seem to tell one story - all be it with a mighty cliffhanger to pull you back for what happens next - so stopped there.

Unlike so many other stories I ranted about last time this one seems to have found the audience it deserves and is still going strong but these 17 issues tell the tale of a largely duplicitous bound of 'dimensionauts' cast out and lost hoping between dimensions and trying to survive while the search for what they call home. The issue is what that home and family is to them... well that and various members of the troupe keep dieing! This grim death toll means the series has that genuine tension and fear for the characters, a bit like The Walking Dead. And just as you assume certain characters are safe the story demands otherwise - even if its a bluff... or is it...

Anyway it gripping stuff helped by great, kinetic art. Even if Matteo Scalera does rather do the pointy nose thing that seems so in vogue in comic are these days... what is it with the sharp pointy noses... a minor point.

So yeah I'll defo be picking the rest of the issues of this up as the next Image sale comes around. Enjoyed it so much might even track down the physical copies. Great sci-fi action adventure with strong, characters and geniune emotional tension.

Fungus

Terrific series, Black Science. Remender does have those family themes at the forefront of many of his books. For that reason, and the fact I've read less of it than others series, I'd plump for Deadly Class as favourite  though. Plan to resume his stuff in trade, paper, form in a bit.

And Scalera's art in the flesh is energetic, lovely stuff  :)

Colin YNWA

I've started to work my way through Stray Bullets David and Maria Lapham's tale of crime in Baltimore impacting on small town America, well it is up to issue 14 which I've just finished.

Man this is quite exceptional comics. I mean really really good. The way they weave seemingly unrelated stories together is masterful and the characters.... The characters are second to none. Just brilliant. Its compelling, as its grounded, as its fantastical, as its familar, as its original, as its beautiful, as its ugly, as its crazy funny, as its chilling.

Really this comic has it all and I can't recommend this series enough.

AlexF

Just finished the three volumes of Unfollow By Rob Williams and Mike Dowling (+ other artists). I love love loved the first volume, thought the second was pretty good, and, sad to say, found the finale quite a let down. I think it suffers from the problem of the premise being so contemporary and so interesting that the solution couldn't satisfy because we just don't know yet what it would be like if:

a billionaire gave his money away to random people - but told them to kill each other
a cult leader managed to become a worldwide sensation
someone successfully turned off the internet, even for a few days

So much stuff to speculate on, but I'm bored with greed/violence being the themes that get explored.

Fungus

Quote from: AlexF on 12 March, 2019, 11:50:23 AM
Just finished the three volumes of Unfollow By Rob Williams and Mike Dowling (+ other artists). I love love loved the first volume, thought the second was pretty good, and, sad to say, found the finale quite a let down. I think it suffers from the problem of the premise being so contemporary and so interesting that the solution couldn't satisfy because we just don't know yet what it would be like if:

a billionaire gave his money away to random people - but told them to kill each other
a cult leader managed to become a worldwide sensation
someone successfully turned off the internet, even for a few days

So much stuff to speculate on, but I'm bored with greed/violence being the themes that get explored.

Agree completely on the strong start that fizzled out, but only slightly, mind. This is one to read in collected form I suspect, with more characters and story than usual. I know things went over my head reading this each month. A big factor in my dropping of monthlies in favour of trades these days.

Colin YNWA

I did a re-read a wee while ago and while it did feel curtailed I think it holds up well. All be it a little compromised on it's ability to explore it's themes with the depth they deserved.

Mind looks fantastic throughout.

Colin YNWA

Quote from: Colin YNWA on 09 March, 2019, 09:03:37 PM
I've started to work my way through Stray Bullets David and Maria Lapham's tale of crime in Baltimore impacting on small town America, well it is up to issue 14 which I've just finished.

Man this is quite exceptional comics. I mean really really good. The way they weave seemingly unrelated stories together is masterful and the characters.... The characters are second to none. Just brilliant. Its compelling, as its grounded, as its fantastical, as its familar, as its original, as its beautiful, as its ugly, as its crazy funny, as its chilling.

Really this comic has it all and I can't recommend this series enough.

Read the complete first run up to 41 and it remains quite superb through out. I don't think I've been quite this blown away by a new to me read since Locke and Keye... and this might be even better than that. Just a brilliant, brilliant comic.

Colin YNWA

I'll give this thread another go before slopping back off to the 'What's everyone reading' thread.

On my jollies at the moment and spent a relaxed last couple of evenings reading 'Paleo - The Complete Collection' by Jim Lawson and by heck its a delight... well delight might be the wrong word its a wonder. Hard and authentic, rendered so that while its all that its also easy on the eye.

Basically if you enjoy Ricardo Delgado's 'Age of Reptiles' you'll love this too.

Hawkmumbler

I DO love Age of Reptiles so this is being added to my wishlist.

Colin YNWA

First half of Grant and Breyfoglye's Batman run, well up to Detective 614 when it starts to cross over with Bats main title where I'm giving it a little break to get back to my 'Prog Slog' before picking up the second half soon.

Its everything I remember it to be. It just brilliant superhero stuff. Some of the moralising can be simplistic, but its always powerful stuff even with that. Alan Grant's tales are as kinetic and dynamic as Norm Breyfogle's art. I always find it a little weird that in the early issues we still see Bats using payphones, or striding down the street. Its not long however before its all wrapped caps, swinging with speed and energy and lurking on gargoyles. So quickly they release what makes the Dark Knight work with such a lasting impact. Bats will never be the same again.

As I recall it tails off a little in the second half as crossovers and tie-ins kill some of the momentum, still has some really fantastic moments but may not be quite as good as these definitive Batman comics.

Colin YNWA

Well I always think Grant and Breyfoglye's Batman run, goes off the boil a little in the second half - what absolute poppycock. Its just as strong. from the introduction of Tim Drake as Robin (3 I think) in a glorious study of fear using The Scarecrow. Development of Bats wider supporting cast with great ideas for Jom Gordon, nice Catwoman work, the movie inspired reintroduction of Vicki Vale and giving us Harold there's some great work. There some great 3 and 4 parters, some thrilling and moving one parters. Its just Batman done right.

I call this a Grant and Breyfogle re-read but its possible fairer to call it a Breyfogle re-read. While the wonderous Mr Grant does the vaste, vaste majority of the heavy lifting here BUT I've included 'The Idiot' by Pete Milligan - a four parter, 2 parts by Breyfogle, 2 by Jim Aparo and I'd forgotten what a blinder this one is. One of my favourites from this period and that's saying a lot given how well I regard Alan Grant's stuff - which reminds me I must re-buy 'Dark Knight, Dark City' Pete Milligan's Riddler story I've not read for an age.

Anyway 61 issues down and I'm taking a final break before soonish getting back to the last 14 or so issues, which are a little more sporadic - might also track done Anarchy which I've never read.

If you've not read these comics and like Bats you are doing yourself a great disservice.