The Comic Book Thread (spoilers)

[Herr Matzat]

iTunes just moved into Digital Comics, without even saiing.

The new Digital LP was used by Image Comics to put out 3 Digital Comics, one fully voiced and with background noises and all. It´s just 1.49€ over here. You get Mayhem! #1, X-Marks the Spot and The Enforcer. There also is a Makeing of video (22 Minutes) and a bunch of other extras (scetches and such)

All in all the pack weights almost 400MB and is soled as Digital LP of the Tyrese Song "Mayhem Take me Away" in some remix... the song is terrible, but it´s a neat way to get comics out there. Let´s hope they put the full miniseries out there and not just the number one.

[Gabriel]

I'm a whore, sue me.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170382085959

Ultimate Spider-Man volumes 1 to 12. Covers issues #1 all the way to #71. Just 99 cents to start, plus the shipping.

[RoyWill Rumble]

Alan Moore has to be about the only writer who can get me even remotely interested in Superman. "Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?", and the other stories included in the deluxe edition, are some of the best Supe stories I've ever read - mostly I just can't stand the character, and none of his enemies even begin to interest me, so being able to hold my attention at all is an achievement in a superhero story.

"Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?" I'm not sure about yet, though. It's Neil Gaiman, so obviously it's good in a delightfully abstract and somewhat metaphysical sense, and not being an avid DC reader but a fan of Batman in theory, I'm always most drawn to stories like this that attempt to tie up backstory, especially any that make any attempt to tie up the darker side of Batman with the lighter camper stuff, which is done to an extent here, and reminds me of the recent (well, to me, anyway) Batman Legends "What The Butler Saw?" in which it's implied that Batman only tolerated the more ridiculous villains and camper aspects of crimefighting (Bat-gadgets etc.) because it kept Dick Grayson amused.

Anyway, the only problem is that I feel it's just too short. The concept of the facts of Batman's death being irrelevant next to what the man ultimately stood for is great, but it could've done with a few more conflicting accounts of how he met his end - I'd have much rather seen more of The Joker's account of things than the couple of frames we got of it; after all, a story of Batman's end as told by The Joker? That's practically worth a mini-series in its own right, yet it's reduced to one of the least interesting bits of the story. Catwoman's account wasn't much better.

Really, the strong point of the whole thing, and another that could have been a mini-series all of its own, is Alfred's tale, which I genuinely loved;

The idea that, as in the backstory as accepted, Bruce Wayne created the "Batman" persona resulting from his parents death, but soon realised that fighting crime wouldn't bring them back and just fell into despair and loneliness, and gradually gave up crime-fighting is hardly new or innovative, but I love the concept of Alfred basically creating this rogue's gallery of increasingly absurd villains to keep Bruce Wayne occupied - and the suggestion that Bruce Wayne was still, at heart, a sheltered rich brat, not the dark spirit of the streets that Batman claimed to be (an aspect of the character I tend to find is ignored too often) meant that Alfred was able to keep up that level of trickery due to Wayne's detachment from everyday life - that's all interesting in itself, but the panels of Alfred's reflection as he applies the Joker's make-up results in one of the most chilling scenes I can remember in a Batman comic, and possibly my favourite alternate Joker origin story. I, for one, would love to read a series in which this was the actual reality of Batman.

Actually, the icing on the cake of Alfred's alternate reality is the line "They took Eddie Nash to the madhouse, the real one, not "Arkham"".

Try All-Star Superman. I, too, hate Superman's character, but I enjoyed All-Star Superman from what I read of it. I think it was a bit overrated by people, it's still really good and one of the few Superman stories I've enjoyed.

[Gabriel]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170382490305

Last shill here. First 16 volumes of Ultimate X-Men. $30 shipping, starting price is 99 cents.

I have two more auctions to list, but the big auctions, Ultimate Spidey and Ultimate X-Men, are both up.

[Captain Eo]

Where was Xavier during the Civil War arc?

[Johnny Latino Heat]

Wasn't he in space with a few of the X-Men to try and stop Vulcan? I think it was around that time, but I'm not sure.

[Captain Eo]

Perhaps, all wikipedia had to offer was Xavier wasn't on Earth.

Doing some research on the Marvel Illuminati.

[apsham]

Xavier was exhiled to Scotland after M-Day so he wasn't around for the Civil War.

[Jimmy]

Finished The Question Vol. 1 Issues 1-6 the other day, and I thought it was quality. I like heroes with a sense of realism, and The Question seems to have it all; likeable characters, smart stories and good arcs. I loved every minute of this and seriously suggest picking this up.

On that note, how are is; Marvel 1606 and 52? Two books I've been thinking about buying, just wanted to know the general opinion.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Marvel 1602 is one of the first graphic novels I read and is fucking ace.

I read the fist 2 and a half volumes of 52, and it was oh-hum. I think there's a bit of discussion on it a few pages back.

[AnnIQ Edison]

I've seen Marvel 1602 in the shop but haven't looked at it. What's it about?

[apsham]

Take some of the main, earlier characters in the Marvel universe. Transport them to 1602. Give them silly names like;

Four from the Fantastick

Peter Parquagh

Count Otto van Doom

And so on and so forth.

[AnnIQ Edison]

Ah. So how does that work in relation to everythng else? Are their powers still the same?

[Timmoru Suzuki]

In some cases. In others, no. For instance, it's a running joke in the comic that Peter Parker is almost constantly getting bitten by a spider, but never quite.

It does have it's own plot and storyline and reasons for the universe existing in 1602 and does a very good job of tying everyone together.

[AnnIQ Edison]

Hmmmmm.....I may have to check this out.

[TKz]

Anyone suggest some good Batman stories to read through?

I've read Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, Batman: Dark Victory, Batman: The Killing Joke, Batman: The Long Halloween, Joker, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: A Death In The Family.

I'm mainly looking for anything involving Two Face, Joker or Scarecrow. Though I'm a little interested in Bane as well.

[apsham]

Well since you already read Dark Victory and Long Halloween, might as well go with Year One.

[RoyWill Rumble]

Anyone know what Batman: Cacophony's like? Admittedly I am intrigued by it, and I've generally liked Kevin Smith's runs on comic books.

[DFF]

I'd go with Knightfall and Hush - a couple of great stories there.

[apsham]

I never really got what was all that amazing about Hush, people totally pimped it out.. but eh.