The Comic Book Thread (spoilers)

[marksbros6]

Okay so I got for Christmas a years subscription to Marvel's Digital comics service. I am loving it so far. I trialed it when the first launched it years ago and it was a bit crap then, there were barely any full runs and and reader was buggy as hell.

The reader is fine now and they have pretty much anything up from when the superhero comics started up until stuff as recent as within the last few months. So far I've been reading the entire New X-Men run (not Grant Morrison, the one with the kids), the modern Captain America run and the Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire story from Uncanny X-Men. So much to read, its rather good. I highly recommend it to anyone, and if you pay a full year up front it costs less than £40.

I've been subscribing for a while and it is quite good for 'block reading' various lines.

My only gripe is how they will miss an issue (usually the last in a plot arc) seemingly to get you to buy the graphic novel. I mean I was going to buy Iron Man 'World's Most Wanted' anyway, but there isn't much excuse for the older stories missing issues?

[SRN]

Uh yeah, after re-watching the X-Men trilogy and seeing that it was not nearly as shit as I remembered, I sort of want to try to get into the comics. But seeing as their is a fucking shit-ton of lore, story and everything already established, and seeing as Marvel spread their storylines out across millions of magazines, where the fuck do I start? I am asking you comic book nerds for help, I want to be one of the cool guys.

Also, I know that the X-Men films probably aren't a good point to start but you know, it intrigued and caught so give me some advice and guidance. Be my Charles Xavier.

[Johnny Latino Heat]

Well, if you're starting, maybe try out with House of M onwards? It's the event that kind of creates the new status quo of mutantdom right now, with mutants being an endangered species and all and having to resort to the measures they have in the past few years.

[TGC]

Again I pimp the Ultimate Universe. Ultimate X-Men is the closest thing to the movies there is.

[SRN]

So, concerning the Ultimate universe, I am guessing trying to track down the Collections would be easiest? Perhaps the Ultimate Collections? And just start from there and grind my way through?

[TGC]

Yep. 100 issues to read, all of them collected a number of ways.

[stokeriño]

I've found the Ultimate X-Men collections that have 12 issues per volume (so in other words 2 trades in one), and of course the individual trades. Might get the first collection of those to give it a look.

Otherwise, I've got no real direction with my comic purchases at the moment. Over Christmas I got a few Fantastic Four books (Hickman stuff) and the first two Ultimates trades. I'm not sure I'm finding the Ultimates quite as gripping as actual Avengers stuff. Though part of that may be to do with a lot of the stuff near-ish to the beginning getting all Hulk-centred, and I've never been keen on Hulk...

Meanwhile I shall just potter around and wait for the post-Siege trades to come out in paperback.

[Herr Matzat]

[Boulder]

Also, you could just pick up the Omnibus of Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men. I'm not sure of the cost (though it's probably $75 retail and much cheaper online), but it collects all of his and John Cassaday's work on the characters. It's a streamlined look at the X-Men that makes for a good jumping-on point after seeing the movies. In fact, it's been called one of the most accessible X-Men works in years and years.

Also, is anybody reading T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents? This is one of those books that's going to get lost in the shuffle, but it's really good. The upside to it not getting a sales bump from being heaviy tied into DCU continuity is that anybody can just pick it up from issue one and follow along. Issue three just came out, and it was as good as the others. Nick Spencer is pretty much the fastest rising star in comics, and Cafu's art is great.

[TGC]

I think you kind of have to have some past knowledge of at least a few characters just to understand the big surprise reveal, but I do agree it is pretty great.

[Your Mom]

Anyone read Ex Machina? I just finished the first Deluxe Edition and it's really a great book. Like a cross between Iron Man and The West Wing. I figured some people here might like it.

[StevenRichardsRules]

I am not reading T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. What is it about?

Also, anyone read Nick Spencer's Infinite Vacation? I enjoyed his Forgetless series and think this one could be super interesting. IV kind of reminds me of The Tatami Galaxy (the anime that I've most recently enjoyed).

Also also, any other reccomendations? Some of my usual readings have kinda fallen flat ( Secret Six) for the last few books. I need something interesting.

[StevenRichardsRules]

Someone should explain to me what's going on in Batman: Detective Comics (that's the on with The Master as the villian, right?). I was flipping through it today and noticed a costumed Riddler with a female Riddler (his daughter, maybe?). I thought the Riddler was a private detective now. Since when did he turn bad again? Also, who's the chick?

[GhostMachine]

Someone should explain to me what's going on in Batman: Detective Comics (that's the on with The Master as the villian, right?). I was flipping through it today and noticed a costumed Riddler with a female Riddler (his daughter, maybe?). I thought the Riddler was a private detective now. Since when did he turn bad again? Also, who's the chick?

I'm not sure if the female character has been explained properly, but if I remember right she first showed up on the villain version of the Titans that Deathstroke formed.

As for the Riddler, he turned bad again during a storyarc in Batman while Bruce was still gone.

[GRIFT]

I just reread Immortal Iron Fist and the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven (beautifully collected as a hardcover) and wow, if ever there was a single storyline of a character that needs to be turned into a film this is it. I think I posted about how much I loved this run after the first time that I read it and it has certainly held up on the second read. It introduces the character of Danny Rand wonderfully and without the burden of being an outright origin tale all while building a rich multi-textural mythology.

What are some of your favorite storylines that you could see being turned to film?

Edited January 27, 2011 by GRIFT

[GRIFT]

Oh, and also Fat Cobra-- FTW.

[Herr Matzat]

So i took a look at the FF Death.

Let me get this straight. They got their nice base wich is more like a prison because you can only up the shields from the outside. No one gets in or out after that or something? (granted i did not pay much atention at all)

So after some poor soul needs to stay outside to activate the shield he is pritty much fucked. Exept let´s say HE IS JONNY FUCKING STORME who could just FLY AWAY... (or, as slow as the door was clothing, could have even jumped inside) but yeah, i bet the fraction of a second it slowed down the gigant army of monsters realy required him to sacrefice himself. :lmao:

But yeah kids, get angry at me, tell me how this is awsome and oh so sad. No wonder you need Marvel needs PR stunds to gather new (old) readers... if you can´t even make your bigest plot point in forever make sens in the slightest.

P.s. He will return, alive and well.

Edited January 27, 2011 by Michael Matzat on a Plane

[GRIFT]

I know I haven't been around the board in a while, but when did Matzat jump all the way to trolling?

In terms of the FF, I've recently read Hickman's entire run and he has taken one of my least favorite Marvel books and turned it into one of my favorites. He has very much so done for the FF, what Grant Morrison did for Batman and Robin. He has managed to rejuvenate the franchise with large, multifaceted story arcs, that offer changes in tones and new examinations of the characters and themes, moving forward characters who are 50 years old-- all while evoking a lot from the books past.

Will Johnny Storm be back? Of course. No one stays dead in comic books. Death in superhero comics is cyclical in its nature and while at times that can be frustrating, it is simply a part of the genre when it comes to the big two. If that is a big enough turn off to turn you away from the books entirely, fine. Limit yourself to reading something else, and miss out on what DOES make these books great. Reading superhero comics requires that we suspend our belief-- to believe that a man can turn to flame, that there is a 200 foot tall cosmic giant dressed in blue and purple gladiator garb and a ball cap who REALLY wants to eat the planet. But for the rest of us who can? Read this run. It has been beautifully drawn (art evocative of the first hundred issues or so), it has been written exceptionally well and with a clear sense of long term planning, and despite the remarks above-- a great attention to logic, character development, and a sense of progress for the franchise.

If you really need to dredge some reasoning up to justify Johnny's death-- Marvel's literal hot head has never been smart enough of a character to solve his problems with out jumping into a fight.

[GoGo Yubari]

I, for one, think it was very considerate of him to put the bulk of whatever his opinion was behind a spoiler cut.

[stokeriño]

Spoiler expanded...even if it is too late for GoGo.