Comics, etc.

trowan wrote:

So no love for the group Google spreadsheet?

Sorry. I wanted to hit my blog readers too (all.. uh.. five of them), so it seemed simpler for me this way. If we all settle on the Google Spreadsheet I'll port some of my stuff there too.
---Todd

Jolly Bill wrote:

I used to be a huge comic collecter a while ago (geez, 8 years now?). Way back when all the 2099 series were out was when I would read anything I could get my hands on. I've lapsed since, but I'm starting to pick it back up now, mainly with trade paperbacks so that I can get whole storylines without waiting or spending oodles of cash.

Can anyone recommend to me the series I absolutely MUST have or read while I'm getting back into it?

While we're at it, what are your favorite series or storylines of all time?

If you look through the thread a bit, you'll see lots of good recommendations. I've been partial to the current runs of X-Factor, Captain America, and Green Lantern. If you're a Whedon/Buffy fan, definitely get the two trades that are out right now for Buffy: Season 8.
---Todd

ubrakto wrote:
trowan wrote:

So no love for the group Google spreadsheet?

Sorry. I wanted to hit my blog readers too (all.. uh.. five of them), so it seemed simpler for me this way. If we all settle on the Google Spreadsheet I'll port some of my stuff there too.
---Todd

If anyone wants to do the Google spreadsheet, send me your email so I can give you edit rights. We should probably come up with some type of format, I just through it up there without much thought.

trowan wrote:
ubrakto wrote:
trowan wrote:

So no love for the group Google spreadsheet?

Sorry. I wanted to hit my blog readers too (all.. uh.. five of them), so it seemed simpler for me this way. If we all settle on the Google Spreadsheet I'll port some of my stuff there too.
---Todd

If anyone wants to do the Google spreadsheet, send me your email so I can give you edit rights. We should probably come up with some type of format, I just through it up there without much thought.

Will Google spreadsheets do tabs like Excel? Maybe a tab per person with those columns?

ChrisLTD wrote:

Thanks to this thread (and TDK), last night I ordered Palestine, Watchmen, Batman: The Long Halloween, and (because I just read Kavalier & Clay) the Amazing Adventures of the Escapist Vol. I.

I haven't read comics in a few years. If this foray proves to be enjoyable, I can imagine spending a lot more money on recommendations from this thread.

Thanks guys!

Oh my, someone's first reading of The Long Halloween. I envy you sir.

Afterwards wait a little while and then get Dark Victory. Same author, artists, and a direct continuation of the storyline.

Chiggie Von Richthofen wrote:

Oh my, someone's first reading of The Long Halloween. I envy you sir.

Afterwards wait a little while and then get Dark Victory. Same author, artists, and a direct continuation of the storyline.

Putting it on my wishlist right now. Thanks!

Hemidal wrote:

Will Google spreadsheets do tabs like Excel? Maybe a tab per person with those columns?

Yeah, it does tabs (at the bottom). We can do that, right now I just have a buy/trade tab and a want tab.

Chiggie Von Richthofen wrote:

Oh my, someone's first reading of The Long Halloween. I envy you sir.

Afterwards wait a little while and then get Dark Victory. Same author, artists, and a direct continuation of the storyline.

I bought all of the Loeb/Sale Batman books quite recently (the one not yet mentioned is Haunted Night) as well as the Catwoman: When In Rome tie-in. All recommended, though The Long Halloween is the best.

For ayone looking for a recommendation, Alias by Bendis and Gaydos is amazing. It's a very adult title, dealing with the life of a failed superhero. I know that Bendis bashing is somewhat en-vogue these days, but this was written before he became Marvel's go-to guy. His Daredevil run has a very similar style.

spider_j wrote:

For ayone looking for a recommendation, Alias by Bendis and Gaydos is amazing. It's a very adult title, dealing with the life of a failed superhero. I know that Bendis bashing is somewhat en-vogue these days, but this was written before he became Marvel's go-to guy. His Daredevil run has a very similar style.

Plus some butt sex from Luke, Power Man, Cage too. I have the entire series, it was very well written, butt sex aside.

trowan wrote:

Yeah, it does tabs (at the bottom). We can do that, right now I just have a buy/trade tab and a want tab.

I guess I was just being selfish (go figure). I was thinking about trading or selling, it didn't matter to me. I just throw out what I have to offer, and if you're interested you let it be known. Actually, if we separated the user tabs into top part being for offer and bottom being the wanted section, you could probably easily see if someone has something you're looking for and what they're looking for too.

Hemidal wrote:
spider_j wrote:

For ayone looking for a recommendation, Alias by Bendis and Gaydos is amazing. It's a very adult title, dealing with the life of a failed superhero. I know that Bendis bashing is somewhat en-vogue these days, but this was written before he became Marvel's go-to guy. His Daredevil run has a very similar style.

Plus some butt sex from Luke, Power Man, Cage too. I have the entire series, it was very well written, butt sex aside.

I'm not buying Hemidal's aversion to butt sex for a second.

ChrisLTD wrote:

I'm not buying Hemidal's aversion to butt sex for a second.

OK, catcher man...

...now on to the further derailment of this thread.

I still don't think Bendis is a bad writer. Shill or no shill.

Having just finished The Losers, my love for the medium has returned to me.

Watchmen I'd half-finished before Legion moved and took his copy with him, so I'm going to pick up my own and re-read it to completion. I'm going to have to get The Long Halloween now.

Largely I'm keeping an eye on what comes out of Vertigo. But it's going to be really hard to follow up The Losers. My palate and expectations are much greater as a result.

Chiggie Von Richthofen wrote:

I still don't think Bendis is a bad writer. Shill or no shill.

I've never warmed up to the guy... haven't read anything of his that I've actually liked (as much as I've tried). Just not my style, I guess. BTW, I bought all the trades for ALIAS at once (they were 50% off), and don't really care for it. Anyone interested in buying them, PM me.

------------

On a totally unrelated note,

If you haven't checked it out, both DC and IMAGE are messing around with the idea of "motion comics," which take the original comic art and present it as sort of an audiobook, with limited animation, background music, etc.

So far, DC has released the first issue of WATCHMEN for free.

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/M...

Xbox LIVE is supposed to be selling BATMAN: MAD LOVE, but I haven't been able to check that out yet.

IMAGE (through MTV) is doing INVINCIBLE the same way:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/M...

I really loved the WATCHMEN video... nice orchestral music, nice animation... the only knock people have against it is that it uses a single narrator for all of the parts (just like most audio books).

The INVINCIBLE series seems a little less sophisticated with the animation, but it does have a full cast of voice actors. There's a free "preview" available on iTunes right now, so it's kind of hard to judge without seeing a full episode. Still, it's cool to see comic companies embracing new technology.

Wait...Power Man butt sex? Are you serious? Isn't his wife pregnant or something? Is that kosher?

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Wait...Power Man butt sex? Are you serious? Isn't his wife pregnant or something? Is that kosher?

Uhh... his "wife" is ALIAS (whatever the hell her real name is)... the butt sex was the dawn of a beautiful relationship.

Logan wrote:

Largely I'm keeping an eye on what comes out of Vertigo. But it's going to be really hard to follow up The Losers. My palate and expectations are much greater as a result.

Look into DMZ from Vertigo. You may like it.

ChrisLTD wrote:

...and (because I just read Kavalier & Clay) the Amazing Adventures of the Escapist Vol. I....

I would highly, highly recommend The Escapists, by Brian K. Vaughan of Y: The Last Man and Lost fame. The "Adventures of..." books are comics celebs doing pulp-throwback Escapists stories, and while I support the idea whole hog, I never could be bothered to check it out.

The Escapists, though, is like a spiritual descendant of Kavalier and Clay, which actually uses the novel as continuity. Very clever, very well done, and has some great Phillip Bond artwork for the first chapter, and a passable Steve Rolston-doing-Phillip Bond on the art chores for the rest of the run.

Logan wrote:

Largely I'm keeping an eye on what comes out of Vertigo. But it's going to be really hard to follow up The Losers. My palate and expectations are much greater as a result.

Andy Diggle's been writing Hellblazer for awhile now, and I think there's at least one collection of his out now...scratch that, there's two. I think The Laughing Magician is the start of his run, but I'd double check the issue numbers in the descriptions for the sequencing. He did an excellent two-parter pretty recently in the floppies which might end the Joyride book -- I'm not sure, but maybe.

I'd recommend -- for Vertigo-ey goodness along those lines -- Brian Wood's DMZ to scratch that Losers itch -- Wood wears his liberal bleeding heart on his sleeve, and at times the book can be a little hipster for its own good, but the second trade is a rip-roaring read.

Scalped may be a little closer in tone to The Losers, but I'm still only halfway through the first trade so I can't make a universal recommend.

ChrisLTD wrote:
Chiggie Von Richthofen wrote:

Oh my, someone's first reading of The Long Halloween. I envy you sir.

Afterwards wait a little while and then get Dark Victory. Same author, artists, and a direct continuation of the storyline.

Putting it on my wishlist right now. Thanks!

And for more Loeb/Sale, jump on Haunted Knight, which is sort of an antecedent to the excellent Long Halloween; Superman: For All Seasons -- which is an excellent by-the-numbers Superman story; Daredevil: Yellow, one of the first post TLH books they did for Marvel; Spider-Man: Blue, which is the best of their Marvel stuff, even if it bangs the "mourning Gwen Stacy gong" rather loudly; and Hulk: Gray, which I remember liking fine enough, but that was about as much as I can recall.

And if you want some cracked-out early work of theirs, look at Challengers of the Unknown. It's a weird, late 80s reinvention of classic Kirby which works in some ways, and doesn't work at all in many other ways.

spider_j wrote:

I know that Bendis bashing is somewhat en-vogue these days, but this was written before he became Marvel's go-to guy. His Daredevil run has a very similar style.

Bendis's Daredevil run is awesome -- and still pales in comparison to Alias. I've been a Bendis fan since Jinx moving to Image days -- and I say screw the haters. The sheer volume of his good work can drown out his stinky moments (which still happen, but aren't as pronounced as everyone makes it out to be).

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Wait...Power Man butt sex? Are you serious? Isn't his wife pregnant or something? Is that kosher?

Had the baby. Same character, actually. And the scene was kinda tasteful -- see, Jessica Jones is impervious to pain, and was at her worst psychologically, so she just wanted to feel anything and...

...wait, why am I defending the scene again...?

And that's what I get for taking so long with my post. SommerMatt and bnpederson -- so much quicker on the uptake...

Since we're talking recommendations and butt sex here, how many pages has it been since someone mentioned that Preacher is possibly the greatest comics achievement of all time? Plenty of butt sex to go around, I assure you.

RSPaulette wrote:

I would highly, highly recommend The Escapists, by Brian K. Vaughan of Y: The Last Man and Lost fame. The "Adventures of..." books are comics celebs doing pulp-throwback Escapists stories, and while I support the idea whole hog, I never could be bothered to check it out.

The Escapists, though, is like a spiritual descendant of Kavalier and Clay, which actually uses the novel as continuity. Very clever, very well done, and has some great Phillip Bond artwork for the first chapter, and a passable Steve Rolston-doing-Phillip Bond on the art chores for the rest of the run.

Added to my wishlist.

I love having all of you guys as my personal shopping assistants.

And for anyone that may be a Wolverine fan, I have damn near every issue of Wolverine V3 (legally) and even though it hasn't been near the top of the entire industry as far as story telling goes, it never seems to lose that "Adventures of Logan" campiness that V1 started a while back.

You're going to love them or hate them, but, it's still worth sitting down and casually going through the trades at the book store.

I am too far gone in the character to care how ridiculous they get at this point.

Enemy of the State v.1,2 were viscerally exciting to read, in my opinion.

I'm going to get up on your spreadsheet Trowan. I'm just dragging my feet.

As far as Bendis, started reading his stuff when I got into Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men. I was hooked from then on. His dialogue always felt natural, to the point that if I sat down and read a big block of his stuff, I would find my own speech patterns changing for a little while after. The rhythm and timing really get into your head.

Then I got into the New Avengers and even though I wasn't wild about the over all concept, I still saw that same level of character interaction that I really like.

I don't think Bendis is a bad writer, I think he works for a company that has a mentally deranged Editor-in-Chief.

He's making lemonade as far as I see it.

I'll try to put some stuff up on the spreadsheet this weekend.

I just finished, uh, finishing Astonishing X-Men. Wow. That was a really fantastic 25 issue (is that count right?) arc.

Those will be put onto the "doesn't leave the house until I'm dead and burried" shelf.

SommerMatt wrote:
Fedaykin98 wrote:

Wait...Power Man butt sex? Are you serious? Isn't his wife pregnant or something? Is that kosher?

Uhh... his "wife" is ALIAS (whatever the hell her real name is)... the butt sex was the dawn of a beautiful relationship.

I don't remember that happening, but I stopped reading around World War Hulk.

Grenn wrote:

I don't remember that happening, but I stopped reading around World War Hulk.

It was in ALIAS # 1, about six years before World War Hulk.

(Has it really been that long?)

RSPaulette wrote:
Grenn wrote:

I don't remember that happening, but I stopped reading around World War Hulk.

It was in ALIAS # 1, about six years before World War Hulk.

(Has it really been that long?)

Ahhhh, I get it. I never read any of that MAX "Rated R" stuff.

Chiggie Von Richthofen wrote:

I just finished, uh, finishing Astonishing X-Men. Wow. That was a really fantastic 25 issue (is that count right?) arc.

Those will be put onto the "doesn't leave the house until I'm dead and burried" shelf.

After Hemidal's Astonishing dislike of the final issue on the previous page I'm glad to hear that you liked how it ended as much as I did.
---Todd

Grenn wrote:
RSPaulette wrote:
Grenn wrote:

I don't remember that happening, but I stopped reading around World War Hulk.

It was in ALIAS # 1, about six years before World War Hulk.

(Has it really been that long?)

Ahhhh, I get it. I never read any of that MAX "Rated R" stuff.

I think thats a big part of what turned me off the book... the whole "oooh, we're naughty now!" vibe. Butt sex aside, the very first word of dialog from Alias #1 is "f*ck."