What comics/graphic novels are you reading? 2015

[Pinckle Wicker]

Thought I would just start a new thread on this as I think the other one hasn't been used for a while now. Hope that's ok with you all.

So far this year for me I have been reading:

Outcast. First book was pretty good. The story based around exorcism.
Black Science. A dimensional/time travelling lost in space type storyline which reminds me of something from 2000AD. Not bad.
Nailbiter. Am really enjoying this one. Serial Killer high japes but with a twist.

[Default to the negative]

Been getting back into comics, lately.

I marathoned through a large swathe of 'Hellblazer', finishing somewhere around issue #180. I enjoyed it, for the most part, but I had to skip some stuff. I couldn't be arsed with Garth Ennis's "pub banter" issues, so I ignored them.

I've also been reading 'American Vampire'. I enjoyed it in the beginning but, as usual, it ran out of steam and became repetitive after the first couple of volumes. It's always that way with comics.

And on that topic, and going back to Garth Ennis, I've been reading 'Crossed' too. If you're not familiar with it, I think it's best described as a more extreme and obscene version of The Walking Dead. Same as before - it starts off well, but then sub-par writers take over and repeat the same ideas until you completely lose interest.

One new series I'm enjoying is 'Southern Bastards', I'd recommend that.

[Small Man Big Horse]

And on that topic, and going back to Garth Ennis, I've been reading 'Crossed' too. If you're not familiar with it, I think it's best described as a more extreme and obscene version of The Walking Dead. Same as before - it starts off well, but then sub-par writers take over and repeat the same ideas until you completely lose interest.

Yeah, I felt the same way. It had a great premise but the other writers were pretty poor and lazy and I lost interest.

I'm only reading Sex Criminals on a monthly basis at the moment, but most of the time I wait for about 6 months and then catch up with all of my regular titles, which according to an old document on my pc are:
Morning Glories
Animal Man
Saga
The Walking Dead
Chew
Saucer Country
Rachel Rising
Fatale
The Manhattan Project
xombi

I've no idea if any of them have been cancelled in the meantime, I wouldn't be surprised though. And I'm sure I'm missing out on some really great stuff, but I haven't had the time to seek it out lately.

[Phil_A]

I've been renewing my acquaintance with Judge Dredd via the fortnightly Mega Collection volumes. The Apocalypse War is still as intense and powerful as ever - can only imagine how it must've felt reading this at the height of the Cold War (although the way things seem to be going we might not have to imagine). To have it end with a character who is with ostensibly the hero of the comic

Spoiler alert

wilfully committing genocide

[close]

is pretty fucking ballsy.

"The people? What have they got do with it?"

[holyzombiejesus]

I think I'm going to knock my weekly comic buying on the head. I sold lots of my individual issues of many Image titles when I moved house (including shipping 50 Morning Glories/ Rachel Rising/ Manhattan Projects to Australia) and might get rid of the last few on Saturday. They're just a pain in the arse. Will still get the compiled books though, so need to catch up on Sex Detectives and a few others.

I read Scott McCloud's The Sculptor recently and that was good.

Obviously the best graphic novel thing around is Chris Ware's weekly strip in Saturday's Guardian, twee as it may be.

[Milverton]

I've been renewing my acquaintance with Judge Dredd via the fortnightly Mega Collection volumes. The Apocalypse War is still as intense and powerful as ever - can only imagine how it must've felt reading this at the height of the Cold War (although the way things seem to be going we might not have to imagine). To have it end with a character who is with ostensibly the hero of the comic

Spoiler alert

wilfully committing genocide

[close]

is pretty fucking ballsy.

"The people? What have they got do with it?"

I've signed up for the JD mega-collection too. It's fantastic. Mind you, it's worth the money just for the smell of the pages when you remove the plastic.

As for others, the Miracleman hardbacks as they are released, although the whole "By the Original Writer" thing gets on my wick.

Zenith finally got a hardback release, but it seems only two of the planned four editions will actually see the light of day. All these years of waiting and no fucker seems to have bought it.

Now Dark Horse have decided to continue publishing the EC Archives after Gemstone stopped I've been picking up an edition a month. The Weird Science volumes are magnificent. They all are, of course.

Also, Eye Classics At The Mountains of Madness. Lovecraft meets Herge courtesy of Ian Culbard.

[Pinckle Wicker]

Yeah got the first re-release of The Miracleman books. Glad they are getting out but yeah Moore aint a happy chappy with any association these days. I think it's the same on the Swap Thing Saga too.

I totally forgot about the Zenith hardback release, nice one.

Speaking of old Alan, i got the first three Promethea books to my reading collection.
The Walking Dead - storyline is still going ok there.
Sex Criminals. Took the recommendation of here and not regretted it. Great and funny as well.
Prison Pit. Seems to have ended or on a break not sure.
Sugar Skull. The last of the Charles Burns recent books.

I would def recommend Black Science to fans of 2000AD. It has that zaniness and sci-fi appeal that was so often wonderfully captured by the comic.

[Delete Delete Delete]

I've signed up for the JD mega-collection too. It's fantastic. Mind you, it's worth the money just for the smell of the pages when you remove the plastic.

Those hard back part works look fantastic on the shelf, I'm about 3 and half years into the Ultimate Marvel Graphic novel collection (which is the set that proved that it was a viable thing) and its pretty awesome. Lovely printing, good paper stock and awesome covers. Its nice they have added a lot of silver age issues too, with the Death Of Captain Marvel, Warlock and Howard the Duck.

[Pinckle Wicker]

Those hard back part works look fantastic on the shelf, I'm about 3 and half years into the Ultimate Marvel Graphic novel collection (which is the set that proved that it was a viable thing) and its pretty awesome. Lovely printing, good paper stock and awesome covers. Its nice they have added a lot of silver age issues too, with the Death Of Captain Marvel, Warlock and Howard the Duck.

Had totally missed me this one. Think will sign-up possibly as well. It does look like a great way to collect them. My old monthlies and weeklies, from the eighties and early nineties, are a bit of a shabby mess i have say.

[Milverton]

Had totally missed me this one. Think will sign-up possibly as well. It does look like a great way to collect them. My old monthlies and weeklies, from the eighties and early nineties, are a bit of a shabby mess i have say.

I was really impressed with the quality. As mentioned above great stock and printing. They seem to be a bit of a labour of love by the partwork company, actually.

The spines will eventually form a panorama of Dredd characters, plus you get a 4" x 3" ish Dredd shield as part of the subscriber gifts, both facts appealing to my childishness and my completist nature.

[Pinckle Wicker]

Heh, yep that appeals to mine too. Would be a sin not to sign up, so have done so. Cheers for the heads up there on that one.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I was given the first volume of Black Science for Christmas. It's certainly a page turner - I sat down to read the first chapter and, before I knew it, I'd finished the whole book. It's quite impressive

Spoiler alert

how willing the writers are to kill off characters, especially as it ends with the ostensible villain as the lead (although, given the premise, they could always bring characters back from alternate dimensions).

[close]

That said, I haven't felt compelled to get hold of the next volume yet.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Wasn't part of the problem with Zenith the fact that it's stupidly expensive? They could have brought out the whole thing as a one volume graphic novel for about £14.99, instead of the initial limited edition hardback, and then putting it out one phase at a time.

Amazon is claiming that Phase 3 will be released in April, with the final book in July, so has it definitely been cancelled? Back in February 2000AD online were still reporting there due to be released too - http://www.2000adonline.com/news/17-02-2015/2000adannounces2015graphicnovelsschedule/

[Milverton]

Wasn't part of the problem with Zenith the fact that it's stupidly expensive? They could have brought out the whole thing as a one volume graphic novel for about £14.99, instead of the initial limited edition hardback, and then putting it out one phase at a time.

Amazon is claiming that Phase 3 will be released in April, with the final book in July, so has it definitely been cancelled? Back in February 2000AD online were still reporting there due to be released too - http://www.2000adonline.com/news/17-02-2015/2000adannounces2015graphicnovelsschedule/

I had all of them on order and got an email from Anazon saying both the third and fourth were now unavailable. Perhaps they are back on the schedule. I hope so. I assumed, based on the times I've had that happen before, that it meant they wouldn't see the light of day. They are pretty expensive, but the first two volumes were really well produced.

I remember the fate of Red Dragon being a real "F-uuuuck..." moment in my comic reading career.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Pax Americana, Bryan Talbot's Grandville Bete Noir, Dotter of Her Father's Eyes and Persepolis.

Gonna pick up Nemo: River of Ghosts, Crossed: +100, Grandville Noel and Providence in the coming weeks / months as I remember to.

[Spiteface]

Nothing adventurous:

Walking Dead
Batman & Robin
Batman Eternal
Batman

I'm looking forward to the main Batman book post-Convergence, when we get what looks like mecha-Batman, and the potential for some delicious, delicious crack.

Also, in a recent promotion on Comixology, got hold of all 3 volumes of the 70's Kamen Rider Manga, so I'm also going through that.

[Frazer]

I've been renewing my acquaintance with Judge Dredd via the fortnightly Mega Collection volumes. The Apocalypse War is still as intense and powerful as ever - can only imagine how it must've felt reading this at the height of the Cold War (although the way things seem to be going we might not have to imagine). To have it end with a character who is with ostensibly the hero of the comic

Spoiler alert

wilfully committing genocide

[close]

is pretty fucking ballsy.

"The people? What have they got do with it?"

In case you're not aware, the 18th Feb 2000AD Thrill-cast (available on iTunes) discusses the Apocalypse War and the Mega collection... also features Carlos Ezquerra!

[303]

I had all of them on order and got an email from Anazon saying both the third and fourth were now unavailable. Perhaps they are back on the schedule. I hope so. I assumed, based on the times I've had that happen before, that it meant they wouldn't see the light of day. They are pretty expensive, but the first two volumes were really well produced.

They are still coming out, for some reason Amazon relisted them, here's a link for Phase 3.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zenith-Grant-Morrison/dp/1781083207/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427388911&sr=1-1&keywords=zenith+phase+3

[Milverton]

They are still coming out, for some reason Amazon relisted them, here's a link for Phase 3.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zenith-Grant-Morrison/dp/1781083207/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427388911&sr=1-1&keywords=zenith+phase+3

Good news! Ordered.

Edit: Bit odd, this one. Volume three has a publishing date of April 7th, but isn't available through Amazon, only through three outside companies as used, not new, one of whom has it for sale for £999.11.

[BritishHobo]

I'm all new to graphic novels, so I'm still working my way through the staple-y stuff. Got Persepolis, Alison Bechdel's second book (I loved Fun Home, but this one is dry as all fuck), and I just recently got From Hell, which is so massive and lovely that I don't even want to touch it.

I've also been reading like mad the comic continuations of Buffy/Angel, which I'm so close to caught up on. Brian Lynch carries Angel on in a series that's really faithful to the show and clearly has a lot of love and passion poured into it... then he leaves, and it treads water for a while with daft storylines, ugly art and characters acting totally inconsistently with the show and other issues of the comic, then just sputters out in a crap conclusion that lifts a story wholesale from the Buffy comics. SHAME. The Buffy ones are better because, like the initial comics run of Angel, Joss Whedon's heavily involved in the writing.

[marquis_de_sad]

Have been intermittently reading BLAME, which is a Japanese cyberpunk thing. It's very nineties; grim, dark, etc. But not in a tough-guy way, more gothy and moody. It's enjoyably bleak. Sometimes let down by the draftsmanship (especially heads, faces and hair) but other than that the art's pretty great. Very much about the world rather than the story — architecture and space both play a large role. As you're reading it reminds you of every scifi film ever made, but again that's no problem. You can see Chris Cunningham's Bjork video in the robots, for example:

[Small Man Big Horse]

I'm all new to graphic novels, so I'm still working my way through the staple-y stuff. Got Persepolis, Alison Bechdel's second book (I loved Fun Home, but this one is dry as all fuck), and I just recently got From Hell, which is so massive and lovely that I don't even want to touch it.

I've also been reading like mad the comic continuations of Buffy/Angel, which I'm so close to caught up on. Brian Lynch carries Angel on in a series that's really faithful to the show and clearly has a lot of love and passion poured into it... then he leaves, and it treads water for a while with daft storylines, ugly art and characters acting totally inconsistently with the show and other issues of the comic, then just sputters out in a crap conclusion that lifts a story wholesale from the Buffy comics. SHAME. The Buffy ones are better because, like the initial comics run of Angel, Joss Whedon's heavily involved in the writing.

I've read the Buffy and Angel comics and enjoyed them some of the time (Dawn as a big horsey thing especially amused), but there's been some right old shite at times, I didn't get on with the whole Twilight thing at all, nor the major character they killed off,

Spoiler alert

but at least he's sort of back now

[close]

. I'm about six months behind at the moment but will catch up when I get the chance, but they're normally at the bottom of my comics list.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I spent a lazy afternoon catching up with the last 20 or so issues of The Walking Dead, and have to say I'm a bit disappointed.

Spoiler alert

I liked Negan well enough as a villain but the conclusion to All Out War was a bit dull, and ever since the two year time jump I'm just a bit, well, bored most of the time. Carl seems to becoming more and more central to the storyline and I can't stand the creepy little fucker, and whilst it's pleasing to see Rick actually happy for a change, it's also a bit boring too. The Whisperers plotline seems to be fairly weak, and I don't know what Kirkman can do with the series now, other than continuing to rebuild society in a fairly annoying way. I mean, we've seen Rick and co take on zombies a billion times and they're well trained killing machines now, we've seen them out in the wild and in safe(ish) environments, we know that humanity is the biggest threat and far worse than the actual Walking Dead twice with The Governor and Negan, and it seems to be just becoming a dull soap now.

[close]

I'd kind of like him to bring it to an end, but I can't imagine that happening any time soon.

[Pinckle Wicker]

I spent a lazy afternoon catching up with the last 20 or so issues of The Walking Dead, and have to say I'm a bit disappointed.

Spoiler alert

I liked Negan well enough as a villain but the conclusion to All Out War was a bit dull, and ever since the two year time jump I'm just a bit, well, bored most of the time. Carl seems to becoming more and more central to the storyline and I can't stand the creepy little fucker, and whilst it's pleasing to see Rick actually happy for a change, it's also a bit boring too. The Whisperers plotline seems to be fairly weak, and I don't know what Kirkman can do with the series now, other than continuing to rebuild society in a fairly annoying way. I mean, we've seen Rick and co take on zombies a billion times and they're well trained killing machines now, we've seen them out in the wild and in safe(ish) environments, we know that humanity is the biggest threat and far worse than the actual Walking Dead twice with The Governor and Negan, and it seems to be just becoming a dull soap now.

[close]

I'd kind of like him to bring it to an end, but I can't imagine that happening any time soon.

I agree with the majority of what you say but still have a lot of faith in the series and Kirkman's storytelling. I think there are a lot of aspects of an apocalyptic world that we haven't really encountered or explored as such.

Spoiler alert

Surely there is potentially others out there who got their shit together too. So i guess am holding out on things a bit picking up again. 

[close]

[Colin Sanction]

Without sounding like a sketch from Little Britain, are there any graphic novels that have a dark, spooky woods/magic forest type feel. Something with similar to the artwork of Daniel Danger? http://danieldanger.storenvy.com/

No 10 parts series that costs a fortune or zombies or any other that nonsense.

I was in a comic shop in York recently and the people in there seemed to start frothing at the mouth at the latest issue of something or other and I felt out of my depth even asking.

[samadriel]

Charles Burns' Black Hole sounds like just the one for you. The artwork's not really a match, but it is very good.

[Small Man Big Horse]

The Journal of Luke Kirby might be along the lines you're looking for, it comprises all of the Summer / Winter Magic stories from 2000AD about a young teenage magician, long before the days of Harry Potter. It's not been given an official release though and is hard to find a seeded version on the torrent sites that I know though, unfortunately.

[BritishHobo]

I've read the Buffy and Angel comics and enjoyed them some of the time (Dawn as a big horsey thing especially amused), but there's been some right old shite at times, I didn't get on with the whole Twilight thing at all, nor the major character they killed off,

Spoiler alert

but at least he's sort of back now

[close]

. I'm about six months behind at the moment but will catch up when I get the chance, but they're normally at the bottom of my comics list.

I've still got an arc to go on season 8, but I'm definitely feeling what you're saying. For one the format doesn't seem very effective at what made the show great - everything goes so fast, when the slow burn of everyday life and relationships was precisely what elevated the show beyond monster-of-the-week shite. Quite often I feel like I've missed major developments, because nothing really gets the chance to breathe.

Despite my issues with the Angel series, I like what they did with the story overall, and it felt consistent with the show, carrying on from a perfect ending without spoiling the integrity of that ending. Buffy not only

Spoiler alert

takes a thematically satisfying ending and turns it into something chaotic and nonsensical, but it shits over everything done in Angel (show and comics) as well - in reuniting the two franchises under one banner again, they reduce Angel back to a player in Buffy's story, and a really fucking shit and bizarre one. Everything that we've seen of Angel, all the development, all his relationships, his morals and his worldview, just slip away so he can represent a ridiculous viewpoint for Buffy to fight against.

[close]

Fuck knows why Whedon allowed them to go ahead with that after having supervised Brian Lynch's fantastic run.

They're also a bit too smug for me with the references. A big risk with these things is that they end up reading like fanfiction, too obsessed with in-jokes, and that comes up a lot. Likewise with other comic-book references. Xander and Andrew especially can be fucking intolerable with that.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Whedon's said he regrets a lot of Season 8, they got excited about what they could do in the comics that they never could afford in the tv series, like Dawn's fate, along with the huge amount of additional characters, and various locations, but for me it never quite worked. Plus for large periods everyone has separate storylines, and rarely spend much time together which frustrated. Plus personally I didn't get on with many of the new characters created, either.

I agree with you about Angel as well, though in Season 9 of Angel and Faith the character's far better written and the storyline as a whole worked for me, indeed I found it more enjoyable than Buffy S9. That's still worth reading (um, for free from your local library at least) but I wouldn't pay out for each individual issue.

Without giving too much away, I'm pleased to say I've been quite impressed with Season 10, it's more akin to the series and the

Spoiler alert

gang's pretty much finally all back together too, with the shittier new characters taking a backseat, which makes a big difference.

[close]

[Puce Moment]

I spent a lazy afternoon catching up with the last 20 or so issues of The Walking Dead, and have to say I'm a bit disappointed.

Spoiler alert

I liked Negan well enough as a villain but the conclusion to All Out War was a bit dull, and ever since the two year time jump I'm just a bit, well, bored most of the time. Carl seems to becoming more and more central to the storyline and I can't stand the creepy little fucker, and whilst it's pleasing to see Rick actually happy for a change, it's also a bit boring too. The Whisperers plotline seems to be fairly weak, and I don't know what Kirkman can do with the series now, other than continuing to rebuild society in a fairly annoying way. I mean, we've seen Rick and co take on zombies a billion times and they're well trained killing machines now, we've seen them out in the wild and in safe(ish) environments, we know that humanity is the biggest threat and far worse than the actual Walking Dead twice with The Governor and Negan, and it seems to be just becoming a dull soap now.

[close]

I'd kind of like him to bring it to an end, but I can't imagine that happening any time soon.

I broadly agree with that. My main problem with the last few issues, and for me it is actually quite important, is the way they REALLY whet our appetites

Spoiler alert

with the idea of a group of sentient Walkers, an utterly intriguing and terrifying prospect, only to reveal it as something far more mundane and meh. It almost felt like a fake cliff-hanger - a bit cheap and extremely deflating.

[close]