The Comic Book Thread (spoilers)

[JairusCain]

I too am going to be picking up the Watchmen book. I'm hoping (because I haven't seen a whole lot of it) that the artwork in the book is along the style/quality of what I prefer.

I'm also thinking about getting Batman: The Long Halloween but I'm not quite sure yet. I just ordered and received The Killing Joke (2008 Deluxe Edition/Rerelease with new coloring and such) and I'm blown away by the artwork. I also got Arkham Asylum in the mail. NOT at all my style of art, but it definitely looks interesting.

Does anyone have any other good graphic novels to pick up? I'd prefer not to buy anything under 50 pages (I thought Killing Joke was longer when I ordered it, but oh well) as I'd like something that will take some time to read and that allows for good story development.

[TGC]

If you mean non Batman then:

-Runaways. Three oversized Trades collecting two volumes and a total of like 50 issues I think and a soft cover GN collecting Joss Whedon's five issue run. I can never recommend these books enough. They stand pretty much on their own and you don't need to know 50 years of continuity to start reading them. Awesome writing, great art, and just original.

-She-Hulk. There are four or five trades available, written by Dan Slott and Peter David. Quirky, fun, and funny, the early stuff is steeped heavily in Marvel continuity, but Slott explains all you need to know to understand it.

More to come.

[Boogey131]

I went on a bit of a spending spree yesterday and ordered the following

Stephen Kings The Dark Tower Premiere Hardcover collecting the first 7 issues which follow the stoy from the Wizard & The Glass novel.

The Walking Dead V1 HC collecting the first 12 issues

Runaways V1 HC(managed to find it on Forbidden Planet's website)

And then these books, which I haven't read

The latest Daredevil hardcover collection(Volume 6, collecting issues 76-81 plus older issues 16-19)

Criminal V1 and V2 trade paperbacks

I read though a lot of the Daredevil series, starting with Kevin Smiths run and up to the point Matt Murdoch was outed as Daredevil. I really enjoyed pretty much all of the main arcs and was just wondering if it gets better or worse. Daredevil is one of my favorite Marvel characters, so I think I can enjoy it unless something comes way out of left field in these few issues and changes my mind, please say it aint so.

And Criminal was just an impulse buy, I think I heard somebody mention this in relation to Powers and how they both share that same sort of Noir-ish theme, has anybody read the series and if so, did I make a wise choice in buying it?

[MalaCloudy Black]

That Dark Tower hardcover is awesome. My girlfriend got it for me last year as a gift and I love it.

[tristy]

I too am going to be picking up the Watchmen book. I'm hoping (because I haven't seen a whole lot of it) that the artwork in the book is along the style/quality of what I prefer.

I'm also thinking about getting Batman: The Long Halloween but I'm not quite sure yet. I just ordered and received The Killing Joke (2008 Deluxe Edition/Rerelease with new coloring and such) and I'm blown away by the artwork. I also got Arkham Asylum in the mail. NOT at all my style of art, but it definitely looks interesting.

Does anyone have any other good graphic novels to pick up? I'd prefer not to buy anything under 50 pages (I thought Killing Joke was longer when I ordered it, but oh well) as I'd like something that will take some time to read and that allows for good story development.

Watchmen's artwork isn't mindblowing or anything, but it's decent for the time period it was released in. It's something like 400+ pages, but I managed to finish the entire thing in 2 days.

[Mr. X]

Just made an order on Amazon.com for some TPBs:

Ultimate X-Men Vol. 6: Return of The King - Mark Millar

Ultimate X-Men Vol. 7: Blockbuster - Brian Michael Bendis

Ultimate X-Men Vol. 8: New Mutants - Brian Michael Bendis

Ultimate X-Men Vol. 9: The Tempest - Brian K. Vaughan

Ultimate X-Men Vol. 10: Cry Wolf - Brian K. Vaughan

My goal is to get all the UXM TPBs and from then on it'll probably be a mix of other Ultimate books with some of the classics that I have yet to read.

[Reddaye]

Just made an order on Amazon.com for some TPBs:

Ultimate X-Men Vol. 6: Return of The King - Mark Millar

Ultimate X-Men Vol. 7: Blockbuster - Brian Michael Bendis

Ultimate X-Men Vol. 8: New Mutants - Brian Michael Bendis

Ultimate X-Men Vol. 9: The Tempest - Brian K. Vaughan

Ultimate X-Men Vol. 10: Cry Wolf - Brian K. Vaughan

My goal is to get all the UXM TPBs and from then on it'll probably be a mix of other Ultimate books with some of the classics that I have yet to read.

Tread carefully with the trades beyond Volume 13: Magnetic North. Robert Kirkman's run usually get's very mixed reactions. Personally I wasn't much of a fan myself so I never bothered with buying his trades.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Yeah, you'll probably want to stop at UXM vol 10, or there abouts, it's already on shaky ground by that point, and it goes downhill more from there.

In random musings, Cable was very good this week, as was Criminal.

Oh, and you should all read Batman: The Killing Joke. NOW If possible.

Edited August 7, 2008 by timmayy Aaron XXIV

[Jimmy]

Yesterday I picked up Moon Knight #20 and Uncanny X-Men #500. X-Men has a new begining of a story named SFX and the first installement is pretty enjoyable. It's a bigger issue so there's obviously more story and it's good fun.

But Moon Knight blew me away, it also came with his first appearance Werewolf in Issue #32 and #33, which I actually think I enjoyed more than the main story which also included Werewolfs. This is odd for me, as I usually can;t get into older things for some strange reason. But I loved his first appearance in werewolf. The Main story is gory for what I've seen in Marvel comics. Heads coming off, bodies ripped apart and such. I loved the artwork and the story was pretty good. I'd definitely recomend picking this one up.

Also, I think my Watchmen copy is coming today. Which I can tell you, I'm hella excited for.

[JairusCain]

Yesterday I picked up Moon Knight #20 and Uncanny X-Men #500. X-Men has a new begining of a story named SFX and the first installement is pretty enjoyable. It's a bigger issue so there's obviously more story and it's good fun.

But Moon Knight blew me away, it also came with his first appearance Werewolf in Issue #32 and #33, which I actually think I enjoyed more than the main story which also included Werewolfs. This is odd for me, as I usually can;t get into older things for some strange reason. But I loved his first appearance in werewolf. The Main story is gory for what I've seen in Marvel comics. Heads coming off, bodies ripped apart and such. I loved the artwork and the story was pretty good. I'd definitely recomend picking this one up.

Also, I think my Watchmen copy is coming today. Which I can tell you, I'm hella excited for.

Tell me about it. I ordered my copy in the wee hours of Thursday morning from Amazon. com. Now, usually, if you order something at 4am on a Thursday and get overnight shipping, it should arrive by Friday afternoon. But no. Overnight shipping said it still wouldn't arrive until TUESDAY... so I said screw it and got free 2 day shipping and will have it Wednesday after noon. I'm pissed that it'll take so long to get here... but goddamn if I'm not excited as shit to read it.

[RoyWill Rumble]

It still blows my mind that people do not have The Watchmen, or at least read it.

Anyway, as for Wildcats, it's good, but I think there's better stuff out there from Moore. If you've read his other stuff, though, I'd read it.

As for Moore, V for Vendetta and League of Extraordinary Gentleman come to mind.

As for stuff in general?

Wormwood. Solid art. I don't know much of the story, but it seems rad. I've found volume one absolutely impossible to find, though, at least in Canada.

Fell. Same guy as Wormwood - Ben Templesmith. Same art style. There is no need for superpowers in this book. It's fucking brilliant and more people need to read it. Warren Ellis is involved, too.

Planetary:Crossing Worlds. Ellis takes on DC and does it pretty damned well.

Kick-Ass. It's not in tradeback yet obviously, but this book has just been fun. There's only three or four issues right now anyway so it's not hard to pick them up. Really violent, too.

The Dark Knight. I absolutely fucking DESPISE the art style in The Dark Knight, so much so that I cannot read it, but I will admit the story is great.

I'm only caught up to around 115 or so, but the general run of Ultimate Spidey has been pretty good. There's been a few flops as far as issues and arcs go, but then there's been arcs such as Carnage and Venom that are absolutely great. It's easy to read, too. Plus, in comparison to what's happening in Amazing Spider-Man right now it's something to hopefully look forward to if you like Spider-Man.

Once again, Arkham Asylum. It's a different take on Batman in quite a few ways and I fucking love it.

Gotham Central: Crime stories that are really well written and although I wasn't 100% sold on the art (I like flashy shit, I'll admit it) at first, it's grown and it fits the story well. Plus, Batman makes an appearance or two.

Marvel 1602. This was a different and fun read. Might be hard to find.

Bone. Amazing. Absolutely fucking solid.

Elephantmen. I don't think this is out in tradeback either, but I've read this off and on and it does not get enough recognition at all. It's great. A great premise, solid art, and great storytelling.

The Walking Dead: Good zombie fun. I'm caught up to about issue 35 or so.

The Ultimates. Fucking awesome. Cap is quite the badass in The Ultimates.

Speaking of, Ed Brubaker's run on Cap has been great from what I've read.

And speaking of Brubaker, I haven't read it personally, but I've heard Sleepless is good for the most part too.

If you wanna stray from the more obvious superheroes, I've heard Brubaker's work on The Immortal Iron Fist is solid.

A lot of Geoff Johns Green Lantern stuff I've heard is good, too. I haven't read it unfortunately.

And now speaking of Geoff Johns, RK is pimping the premise with his diary, and the original 52 is pretty rad itself - this coming from someone who often doesn't like DC, too.

That's all I've got.

Edited August 8, 2008 by Will.

[Johnny Latino Heat]

The Ultimates. Fucking awesome. Cap is quite the badass in The Ultimates.

V1 and and V2, right? You can't be talking about V3 as well

[Timmoru Suzuki]

To expand on what Will said, I will FOREVER pimp Brubaker and Fraction on The Immortal Iron Fist, rambling on a soapbox to anyone who will listen and then to those that don't care. The guy with the impossibly long name that also writes Cable has had one issue, which was fine.

As for other Brubaker, Criminal is very decent with a few great issues, his run on Cap has been brilliant, but the last few issues have been weak. His first volume on Daredevil was BRILLIANT. JUST BRILLIANT, but his run goes downhill from there, and at times has been pretty weak. He is also writing Uncanny X-Men at the moment, and it's developed into the most 'fun' current X-Title, though I have high hopes for Warren Ellis and Astonishing.

Marvel 1602 is great stuff too.

Even though I've only read one volume, I'd like to take this chance to shill DMZ.

This morning, I finished the last two issues of Garth Ennis' Dan Dare from Virgin comics, and enjoyed them immensely. I mildly recommend you check it out, especially if your British. It was a seven issue run, the first one is the single most British thing in, like, forever, and while it slowed a little around issue 3/4, it picked bakc up again and the last double lenght issue in particular was very good. Bad news is they might be hard to come by, but the graphic novel is out in the next month or so.

I marked for the ads in the latest Marvel comics for the new Deadpool series. If this isn't good, I consume the souls of all responsible.

Time for a question or two, Warren Ellis did 12 issues of Thunderbolts. I read the last six (Caged Angels) and really liked them. Is it worth getting the first 6 issues of his run ('Faith in Monsters' I think)?

Also, was the first issue after his run any good? It came out about 2/3 weeks ago and I left it because it wasn't Warren Ellis, but I can hear it calling me.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Did you guys know there was a comic based on Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past?

[Reddaye]

Time for a question or two, Warren Ellis did 12 issues of Thunderbolts. I read the last six (Caged Angels) and really liked them. Is it worth getting the first 6 issues of his run ('Faith in Monsters' I think)?

Also, was the first issue after his run any good? It came out about 2/3 weeks ago and I left it because it wasn't Warren Ellis, but I can hear it calling me.

In regards to Thunderbolts: Faith in Monsters I'd recommend picking it (or them if you're doing individual issues) up if you enjoyed Ellis' later Thunderbolts stuff. I'm not a rabid Thunderbolts fan myself but I found Faith in Monsters to be an enjoyable enough read. Worth picking up if the price is good, the TPB also includes issues #110-115 and Thunderbolts Special in case you were wondering.

No idea how things looks after Ellis' run honestly. I rearranged my subscriptions a while back to balance cost/quality and Thunderbolts is one I dropped. Probably keep up with it via trades.

With that being said here's a general question for those who browse the thread: anyone here read the newest X-Force book? The one with Wolverine, X-23, Warpath, and Wolfsbane. Just curious about everyone's opinions on the book since I hear everyone rave about it yet I can't seem to see the appeal. My issue #5 is on it's way (I've got #1-4 and Ain't No Dog) and it's yet to really capture my imagination. At this rate it's on my chopping block after the current arc finishes.

Any fans care to enlighten me a little? Maybe I'm missing something.

[Jimmy]

Cain, seriously? I ordered mine off Amazon and it arrived the next day. I just wasn't here to collect it, so I went and picked it up from the post office. I've read the first chapter. It really lays down ground for the following stuff. The first page just gripped me in, Rorscach is awesome. His narations are fantastic.

[Benji]

To expand on what Will said, I will FOREVER pimp Brubaker and Fraction on The Immortal Iron Fist, rambling on a soapbox to anyone who will listen and then to those that don't care.

I've said it before, I'll say it again, even if you don't read comics you will love their run, it was just pitch perfect, if you even slightly like any combo of the words "kung fu" "billionaire" "superhero" then you will either like this book or love it like I did, the art might be odd to a non-comic fan, but it's perfect for the tone of the book.

Time for a question or two, Warren Ellis did 12 issues of Thunderbolts. I read the last six (Caged Angels) and really liked them. Is it worth getting the first 6 issues of his run ('Faith in Monsters' I think)?

Also, was the first issue after his run any good? It came out about 2/3 weeks ago and I left it because it wasn't Warren Ellis, but I can hear it calling me.

The entire run was great, though it's one of few times I think it would've been better to read in monthly format because it really mentally built up the tension every time you read it. Worth getting for sure. Also, the follow-up, I don't want to judge after reading one issue so far, but it was enjoyable, but the paranoia and tense situations felt a little lacking in comparison to Ellis' run.

[RoyWill Rumble]

The Ultimates. Fucking awesome. Cap is quite the badass in The Ultimates.

V1 and and V2, right? You can't be talking about V3 as well

Haven't read volume three, actually.

So, I was at a comic book store today and found a few more.

Maus. Maus is just fucking fantastic.

Batman: Year One. I don't know how I forgot this, but it's good stuff. I still hate the art style in Miller's Batman work, but again, I'll admit the stories are fucking superb.

Alan Moore's The Swamp Thing.

And looking around on Amazon...

Speaking of Moore, I don't think From Hell gets enough attention. It's long as fuck, but it's good, too. Plus, who doesn't like Jack the Ripper?

The movie's awesome, but Akira the graphic novel fucking rocks.

Both Marvels and Kingdom Come surprised me. I thought they weren't going to be that great despite their praises, but they're really that great.

Not about superheroes or any of that shit in the least, but Ghost Stories is a graphic novel that surprised the hell out of me. A friend who really likes hockey (not that I don't) and knows I like comics told me to check it out. I did, and the story was amazing. The art is very interesting, too. It's part of a trilogy. I haven't read the first book called Tales From the Farm, and the third book isn't out until October, but if you're looking for something different, check it out. I want to read Tales From the Farm, too.

Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis. The man is usually a God, and here he is throughout basically all of the volumes. There's quite a few, though. Haven't read it all, but from what I did read I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Thanks for the Thunderbolts opinions guys.

To answer the X-Force query, I'm reading it, and it's on my chopping block too. I enjoyed the Wolverine/Cyclops discussion/argument in issue one, but the rest has been forgetable to be honest. After this arc I'm not buying, though I'm not even sure if it's a continuing series or not.

[JairusCain]

Cain, seriously? I ordered mine off Amazon and it arrived the next day. I just wasn't here to collect it, so I went and picked it up from the post office. I've read the first chapter. It really lays down ground for the following stuff. The first page just gripped me in, Rorscach is awesome. His narations are fantastic.

Yeah, a lot of the books said "Have by Friday August 8 if you order in the next 12 hours!" or something like that, but it didn't say it for Watchmen... I was pissed. I selected 1 DAY SHIPPING and it said "Estimated Delivery for this Item, August 12" and that was paying for shipping... so I opted to go for free shipping and get it on the 13th...