Comics, etc.

I haven't, but the 11 O'Clock Comics guys love the series. I might check out the show, though

I read the first volume of Deadly Class. I liked it, but not enough to complete it.

I read the first volume in 2017 and volume two last month. I can remember everything that happened in the former but I don’t remember anything at all about the latter. Take that as you will.

I love Deadly Class, and have read pretty much all of it. It's a very strange tone, super dark and grim on the one hand, but also deeply emotional and often quite funny on the other hand. Remender has some interesting essays at least in the early issues explaining some of the ways the story connects with his youth. He had a pretty rough childhood, apparently. I'd recommend the book.

Boy, I haven't thought about 11 O'Clock Comics in a long time, I used to listen to them all the time. I stopped sometime around when Chris Neseman left the show. Maybe I should give them another try. There were some things I really enjoyed about them, and they talked about some off-beat books I never would've heard of otherwise, but they also had some habits I really hated that eventually just overwhelmed me. Maybe I'll check back in with them.

So in the last month I've been reading through what I believe is the entire run of Mike Carey's Lucifer. I really, really like it....the art, the writing, the subject matter, and the religious and philosophical issues raised are delicious. But I've noticed that Carey, like Gaiman himself, though not so blatantly, repeatedly tends to write his hero into a corner from which there is no possible escape and then spring him by way of a surprise event (none dare call it deus ex machina) to resolve the conflict. The omnipotent antagonists are closing in, there's no way the weakened Lucifer can escape, things look grim, and then *poof!* Order is restored.

Obviously, this can happen in any kind of fantastic media--my family is reading through the Harry Potter series, and it happens there--but I'm noticing that it's much more effective when the surprise weapon/spell/item/tactic is well-integrated with the story, rather than an obscure reference that suddenly becomes critical. The resolution then feels cheap after such an exciting, hair-raising buildup.

This won't stop me from appreciating either Lucifer or Carey, but it's definitely something I've noticed, and, though I'm not a writer, it seems avoidable.

I love Lucifer. Its SUCH a strong run. Carey has talked about how strong a voice Lucifer has and I think that his drive for independence is there in everything he does.

Anyone else reading Immortal Hulk? It's started showing up in MU and it's great so far. It's a more horror style take on The Hulk.

I really need to re-up on MU. Has the interface improved in the last year or two?

bnpederson wrote:

I really need to re-up on MU. Has the interface improved in the last year or two?

Nope

mrlogical wrote:

Boy, I haven't thought about 11 O'Clock Comics in a long time, I used to listen to them all the time. I stopped sometime around when Chris Neseman left the show. Maybe I should give them another try. There were some things I really enjoyed about them, and they talked about some off-beat books I never would've heard of otherwise, but they also had some habits I really hated that eventually just overwhelmed me. Maybe I'll check back in with them.

I've been listening since Episode 1 about forever ago, and still enjoy the show. Most of the comics I read I discover through them. I just wish they read more manga .

bnpederson wrote:

I really need to re-up on MU. Has the interface improved in the last year or two?

They did an update a month or two ago (and transitioning my saved library to the updated version was a headache, of course). The changes aren't obvious, but it feels a bit more snappy now. The offline library seems to load more reliably now. But nothing else major. I still enjoy it quite a bit, despite the rocky periods.

Hangdog wrote:
bnpederson wrote:

I really need to re-up on MU. Has the interface improved in the last year or two?

They did an update a month or two ago (and transitioning my saved library to the updated version was a headache, of course). The changes aren't obvious, but it feels a bit more snappy now. The offline library seems to load more reliably now. But nothing else major. I still enjoy it quite a bit, despite the rocky periods.

I don't think the problem is the interface, so much as the Marvel naming & numbering conventions.

NathanialG wrote:
Hangdog wrote:
bnpederson wrote:

I really need to re-up on MU. Has the interface improved in the last year or two?

They did an update a month or two ago (and transitioning my saved library to the updated version was a headache, of course). The changes aren't obvious, but it feels a bit more snappy now. The offline library seems to load more reliably now. But nothing else major. I still enjoy it quite a bit, despite the rocky periods.

I don't think the problem is the interface, so much as the Marvel naming & numbering conventions.

THAT is certainly not fixed. I've been reading a lot of older stuff, and trying to find annuals is a real trial. I think they also give them a January of that year date no matter when they actually came out. Irritating.

A bad thing about comics, or at least the way I approach them: I'm a fan of the Flash in general, and really enjoyed when Josh Williamson relaunched the book a couple of years ago. I have bought every issue since then (they're in the low 60s now) but I have cooled on the book, and really haven't enjoyed much of the last 10-20 issues (much like the Green Lantern books' getting bogged down in all the different colored lanterns 5-10 years ago, the Flash has discovered other Forces in addition to the Speed Force, and it just feels kind of tedious and formulaic to me). So over the last 10 months or so, that's around $80 I've spent on Flash comics that I don't really like. But, because I liked the stuff that came before and have hopes that it'll get back on a more interesting track for me, and also because I just have this run of 60+ issues, I feel compelled to keep buying it each month. I guess I should just force myself to stop buying it, knowing that I'll always be able to get issues digitally if I hear it starts getting better again, but it's hard to stop the habit.

I'm thinking of canceling my comixology sub and doing the MU. To bad DC hasn't got their act together yet with comics. Their DC Universe service would be killer if they copied marvel.

I think MU is the way it is because it launched all the way back in 2007. I wonder if Marvel would launch the same kind of service in 2018. I kind of think they’d also go with something like what DC is doing. At this point, though, the negative press for changing up MU wouldn’t be worth it.

Justice League Dark continues to impress. It's seven issues in and I've enjoyed each one. Wonder Woman, and Zatanna, are totally boss. Speaking of Wonder Woman. That's another cracking good run. I joined the ride at #58 when G. Willow Wilson began writing, and she has gotten off to a great start. Quite impressed!

I may be in the minority, but Tom King has been losing me on the last few issues of Batman. I haven't really been hooked by Heroes in Crisis, either. Possibly judging harshly.

Kelly Thompson has continued the awesome on Mr & Mrs X. I hope the series is selling well. It's so good!

I have enjoyed the Uncanny X-Men relaunch. #1 through #10 were great. The recent Annual was superb! Kelly Thompson was involved amongst other good talent, so I shouldn't be surprised.

Gunning For Hits, an Image comic, is one of my favourite oddities. It's quite unlike anything else and if you've got the spare change I'd give it a chance. It's based in the music industry of the 80s' following a talent scout/music industry agent, who does what it takes to get his artist, written by someone who lived and breathed the industry, and actually knew David Bowie, who was signed by the label he worked for. I'm itching for more.

RnR, I'm with you on Tom King. I very much like his work overall, but the last few issues of Batman and Heroes in Crisis haven't been clicking with me. I'm also with you on the X-books: I *love* Mr. & Mrs. X, which I did not expect to love, and frankly I only started buying it because it was a mysteriously unspecified book when first solicited--if I'd known it would be this I don't think I would've bought it, but I'm glad I did. Kelly Thompson is a new fave of mine now. I liked the Uncanny relaunch too, but I am a little wary of the Age of X-Man--some interesting looking books there, but I kinda just want real Xbooks, and with my dumb habit of pre-ordering everything, these AoX books feel like an especially big gamble for me.

humble bundle has a fantasy manga bundle going on right now. I only note that Land of the Lustrous is in the $8 tier. For 5 volumes plus the other stuff seems like a good deal.

I picked up Female Furies #1 and it really had problems. I'm a big Big Barda fan, but this really just felt way off the mark of what it seemed like it was trying to do.

Spoiler:

The conceit seems to be the rise of Female Furies in a very over-the-top patronizing and chauvinistic Apokalips power structure. That part sounds interesting enough. There's some scenes of Granny not being informed of meetings, Desaad and Kanto complaining that she gets special treatment when she's just asking for a tryout for her team, things like that. Then to say it louder for the folks in the back, they even have scenes where the Furies are put through pageant trials and get lewd comments from Godfrey and Kanto. Fine, i can see going for unsubtle just to make sure there's no confusion.
But then they also include a comment about how Darkseid's rise to power was because his mother killed the woman he loved. Then there's two different situations of sexual assaults through coercion.
Just... haven't we figured out by now that women don't need to be sexually assaulted to kick off their narratives? And i get that the bad guys are from Apokalips, they're the embodiment of evil, but they've bombastic, cosmic, operatic, conceptual evil. This just feels lazy. Respect your characters!

Sorry, i needed to vent.

All that said, they make some amazing art and color choices for the flashback scenes which really nail the feel of the original Mister Miracle run without directly trying to ape Kirby's linework.

Mario_Alba wrote:
mrlogical wrote:

Boy, I haven't thought about 11 O'Clock Comics in a long time, I used to listen to them all the time. I stopped sometime around when Chris Neseman left the show. Maybe I should give them another try. There were some things I really enjoyed about them, and they talked about some off-beat books I never would've heard of otherwise, but they also had some habits I really hated that eventually just overwhelmed me. Maybe I'll check back in with them.

I've been listening since Episode 1 about forever ago, and still enjoy the show. Most of the comics I read I discover through them. I just wish they read more manga .

I'll have to check it out. Been looking for a comics podcast to get recommendations from. Anybody have any other suggestions?

I've listened to iFanboy for more than a decade now, a good review show discussing each week's new releases.

I used to watch their video show which was great for general introductions to books. Does the weekly show serve that function? Seems like it'd be more specific to individual issues instead.

Yeah, the weekly podcast is just a review of the notable individual issues released each week, although they also have regular "booksplode" (long talk about a particular series or graphic novel) and "talksplode" (interview with a creator) episodes too.

mrlogical wrote:

Yeah, the weekly podcast is just a review of the notable individual issues released each week, although they also have regular "booksplode" (long talk about a particular series or graphic novel) and "talksplode" (interview with a creator) episodes too.

That sounds perfect. I can subscribe and just listen to those when the pop up. Thank you!

I just caught up with Captain America. Bravo, Ta-Nehisi Coates. Issues #1-7 are well worth the time.

We see Steve Rogers up against corruption at top, the control of information, character assassinations, and how a well sculpted image can trump even the truth. How can Captain America come through this with uncertainty over whom to trust, and a nation that no longer trusts in him.

At the close of issue #7 Sharon Carter, seeking to fight against the injustice of it all, summons forth The Daughters of Liberty. Jessica Drew, Susan Storm, Mockingbird, Echo, Misty Knight, White Tiger and Annabelle Riggs, the human host of Valkyrie. I cannot wait to see where this leads. What an exciting turn of events.

The recent Captain America Annual #1, by Tini Howard, was a pleasant surprise, and a real feel good book. The back matter was interesting for some perspective on why, and how, the (one shot) arc came to be.

I recently started The Defenders, Jessica Jones, Infamous Iron Man, and Magneto. The first three are by Bendis and the last one is by Bunn. I didn't care for The Defenders, but the other three were excellent. In fact, Jessica Jones was so well-written it seemed to be primed for a screenplay, or should I say a tele-play. The first Jessica Jones volume was A Spy Came in From the Cold, Part Deux. No idea why The Defenders is of lesser quality than the other Bendis titles, but there we are.

I have a lot of time for the works of Brian Michael Bendis. I've found something in each of his books that hooked with great intrigue. I picked up a Bendis signed Action Comics #1000 today, with certificate and seal of authenticity. Number 242/1000! I've been loving his work on both Superman books, so I'm glad to have a signed #1000!

I re-read Heroes in Crisis #1-5 and I would like to change my tune. I had forgotten many details and as a sequence they read well. There's a lot to appreciate. I particularly like how Harley Quinn is being written. (My personal headspace is less fractured at present which helped with detail retention and subtlety appreciation.)

I still hold true that Batman #61-63 whilst somewhat interesting in scope were simply not as interesting in execution. And could have been a single issue. Possibly bleeding into the next. I did hear out a friend who considers them some of his favourite issues. He did cite that they're more long-game with references to issues way back at the beginning of King's run. Little in the way of instant gratification. Different stroikes!

Just finished the entire Neonomicon & Providence run by Moore and Burrows. It's a fascinating, obscure, opaque ride that even Moore himself admits is really dark and really horrible. But where I had little trouble following the action and the characters from Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (at least the first two volumes), Providence is pretty arcane...unless you are a Lovecraft devotee, you will miss a lot, or many of the references will be confusing. Now, on one hand, just having re-read The Name of the Rose and some associated companion texts, I love deep dives into a complicated meta-literary universe. On the other, it can merely seem masturbatory and scholarly for the sake of seeming scholarly. So I'm conflicted about how much I truly like Moore's more esoteric works, but clearly, I like them enough to buy them, post about them, and study them: Moore's Lovecraft universe and LoEG universe, annotated.

--paragraph dealing with Moore's penchant for sexual assault below--

However, there's no getting past the fact that Moore often uses female sexual assault as a plot device, and both his Lovecraft books include horrendous scenes that Moore tries to explain away, but in my eyes, simply cannot. In an interview, he admitted that he needed to make Lovecraft's misogyny, fear of sex, racism, and antisemitism supra-textual and modern, but his methods using rape and assault are lazy and offensive. And if it was just the horrible Lovecraftian world that elicited these actions, that would help explain their inclusion, but sexual assault is featured in Watchmen, The Killing Joke, and The League of the Extraordinary Gentlemen (Volume III) & The Black Dossier, and I'm probably missing other titles. Klint Finley has a blog post addressing some of the criticism Moore has received here.

So it would be hard to recommend Moore's Lovecraft series without enormous caveats except for the fact that the finale of the series is an allegory for a new reality many of us in the west, and especially in America, have been dealing with since 2016. Chris Mautner from TSS writes (bolding mine):

"Another of Moore’s stated goals with Providence is to find a way to make Lovecraft seem scary again, perhaps a more difficult task than you might think given that plush Cthulhu dolls are easily available for purchase these days (and indeed several are prominently placed in both Neonomicon and Providence). “I think what is perhaps needed is an effort to refocus the readership’s attention upon the things that are genuinely frightening or disturbing about Lovecraft’s writing,” Moore said in an interview last year, “such as his ruminations about our probable flight from knowledge and complexity, rather than on how cool a beard of tentacles looks.”

It’s that “flight from knowledge and complexity” that gives Providence a haunting correlation with our contemporary culture and politics. As the chaos (spoiler alert) that Black inadvertently sets loose starts to take hold of the world at large, various characters struggle in their attempt to not just process but come to terms with what they are bearing witnessing. And if their struggle to accept what by all rights should be utterly unacceptable bears any relation to Brexit or the recent presidential election (or, heck, any political event of the past few months), well, I’m sure that’s just good timing. I don’t know without rifling through my copies if anyone actually uses the phrase, “this is not normal” towards the end, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they did."

I recently read Batman: Year One where I was less than thrilled to discover that author Frank Miller had reduced Selina Kyle to the role of a sex worker prior to her becoming Catwoman. A dominatrix, to be exact. Not a fan of this one. Lazy. Unnecessary. Derogatory. Sexist. A real douchebag move. 1987 may have been cool with it, but I found it jarring.

Selina Kyle, is as relevant as Bruce Wayne, and Jim Gordon. Yet her origin is degrading whilst there's is honourable.