The All New Comics Thread 2017+ Edition

[Artie Fufkin]

I found that a bit hit and miss, but the hits were great. Download the US pilot episode too. I wish Netflix or someone would take a crack at reviving that.

Yeah, Global Frequency VERY hit and miss. The hits slightly outweigh the misses, though. Overall, a good yarn. I watched the first 10 minutes of the pilot you mentioned, but the stream was too crap. I will try again.

I'm now half-way through All-Star Superman. I've never really read Superman before. And I'm just not getting this. Is it a pastiche? Tongue in cheek? Am I missing something? It's supposed to be amazing, yes?

[madhair60]

I found it just a really joyous piece of comic art and writing, to be honest.

[samadriel]

I'm now half-way through All-Star Superman. I've never really read Superman before. And I'm just not getting this. Is it a pastiche? Tongue in cheek? Am I missing something? It's supposed to be amazing, yes?

I found it to be pretty damn good a few pages back, it's a shame you're halfway through and it still hasn't clicked (I was pretty happy by the halfway point). It's definitely not tongue in cheek, although issues like the Bizarro adventure can be downright funny. It's really Morrison and Quitely reveling in all the crazy Silver Age shit that makes Supes a fun guy to read about, all cosmically overpowered and blessed with the courage, power and intelligence to do almost anything.

[Artie Fufkin]

I found it just a really joyous piece of comic art and writing, to be honest.

I found it to be pretty damn good a few pages back, it's a shame you're halfway through and it still hasn't clicked (I was pretty happy by the halfway point). It's definitely not tongue in cheek, although issues like the Bizarro adventure can be downright funny. It's really Morrison and Quitely reveling in all the crazy Silver Age shit that makes Supes a fun guy to read about, all cosmically overpowered and blessed with the courage, power and intelligence to do almost anything.

Quitely's art work, as always, is brilliant. Maybe I haven't gone into it with the right frame of mind. I'm just about to start issue 6.

Spoiler alert

Supes has just been to see Lex in prison.

[close]

[Mister Six]

Another All-Star Superman fan here. You have to look at it as a completely earnest love letter to Superman and what he represents. Morrison has been on a post-ironic, ultra-sincere kick for a couple of decades now and it doesn't look like it's going to end soon. The bombastic dialogue is just something Morrison likes to roll out from time to time, especially when he's doing comics in the style of those 1960s Jack Kirby-era yarns.

I'd suggest re-reading with that in mind and seeing if it clicks any better before you get to the other stuff.

[samadriel]

Perfect time to ask: where should I begin with, and navigate through, Morrison's Batman output? I don't know which books are his and which aren't (he had a few, right? Something called Batman RIP at some point? And was he writing for the main title? And is Detective Comics the main title? I know nothing about how the big two manage multi-title characters), but I like buying big omnibus editions of stuff on comixology, so if anyone can describe the shape of the Morrison Bat-world to me, I'll inevitably buy it all in the next sale and tuck in.

[Mister Six]

Someone has given a list of the Morrison trades in order here, with additional suggestions for contemporaneous books by other writers that fit into the continuity that Morrison established: https://www.reddit.com/r/DCcomics/comments/7b9rqp/comics_proper_reading_order_for_grant_morrison

It looks solid to me, although I've not read all of the run, and haven't read them since they were originally published. Definitely don't skip Final Crisis, which is (as the person says) dense but rewarding.

[samadriel]

Many thanks Six, I'll make good use of that. Hey, did you ever get a chance to read Battle Angel Alita? I recall you wanting to a long time ago, and the cult is most inviting!

[madhair60]

Perfect time to ask: where should I begin with, and navigate through, Morrison's Batman output? I don't know which books are his and which aren't (he had a few, right? Something called Batman RIP at some point? And was he writing for the main title? And is Detective Comics the main title? I know nothing about how the big two manage multi-title characters), but I like buying big omnibus editions of stuff on comixology, so if anyone can describe the shape of the Morrison Bat-world to me, I'll inevitably buy it all in the next sale and tuck in.

From memory: Batman & Son then Batman RIP is the start. Then Time and the Batman. Then look up Final Crisis on Wikipedia. Then look up Battle for the Cowl on Wikipedia. Then Batman and Robin vols 1 and 2. Then Return of Bruce Wayne. Then Batman and Robin vol 3. Then Batman Inc.

[Mister Six]

Many thanks Six, I'll make good use of that. Hey, did you ever get a chance to read Battle Angel Alita? I recall you wanting to a long time ago, and the cult is most inviting!

Ahhhh, I meant to, but I've had so much else to read! It'll happen at some point, though. The film just popped up on HBO's app and Mrs Six wants to watch it, so maybe I'll pick up the books and let her have a head start.

Anyway, I recently finished up The Invisibles, Book 4, the final trade of the recollected series, containing the back half of volume 2, all of volume 3, and some backmatter including Grant's final editorial from the last issue.

Bloody hell, I love this comic. Reading the whole thing (just about) back to back emphasises the dramatic shifts in tone and content, from the structurally complex and "difficult" volume 1, through the rootin', tootin' action-adventure of volume 2, and into the fragmented and faintly elegiac final volume. It's impressive how well everything ties together, though, with what seemed like forgotten or vestigial plotlines and characters from volume 1 being reintegrated into the storyline in a wholly convincing way. I'd totally forgotten about much of it, including [sp]the brain-bending meta stuff about Robin's fictionsuit[/sp], so it was a treat to re-experience it.

Can't recommend the series as a whole enough. Definitely Morrison's greatest work, up to this point at least. Looking forward to seeing how the TV show shapes up, if it does indeed eventuate...

[Artie Fufkin]

Another All-Star Superman fan here. You have to look at it as a completely earnest love letter to Superman and what he represents. Morrison has been on a post-ironic, ultra-sincere kick for a couple of decades now and it doesn't look like it's going to end soon. The bombastic dialogue is just something Morrison likes to roll out from time to time, especially when he's doing comics in the style of those 1960s Jack Kirby-era yarns.

I'd suggest re-reading with that in mind and seeing if it clicks any better before you get to the other stuff.

Cheers, Six. I've done so, and yes, I think you're right. The Bizzaro stuff is brilliant !

[Custard]

So Comixology have whacked up their prices substantially. Cos of Brexit, apparently

Fuck sakes

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/03/05/brexit-comixology-increase-prices-uk-67-pound-dollar-parity/

[Phil_A]

So Comixology have whacked up their prices substantially. Cos of Brexit, apparently

Fuck sakes

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/03/05/brexit-comixology-increase-prices-uk-67-pound-dollar-parity/

Oh well, back to just continuing to read everything for free on Readcomicsonline I guess.

I'm being slightly facetious, but I can't see this doing anything to stem the tide of comics piracy, it's just blatantly pushing people towards it.

[Custard]

I know, it's lunacy. I can imagine there'll be a huge dip in their sales now. Who's gonna pay 3.99/4.99 for a single issue digital comic? I laughed out loud when I saw they want 9.99 an issue of that recent Harley Quinn origin story. A tenner!

I'm just glad I stocked up the past two years, when the prices weren't laughable. Doubt I'll be buying anything off there again

[samadriel]

I feel bad for you poor Brexit-y suckers, the Australian prices are much more reasonable. I really wish they had Comixology Unlimited outside the US though, I'd save so much comic money.

I'm reading Alex Ross and Busiek's Marvels right now; the X-Men issue is a bit of a heartbreaker with the riots and the little mutant girl and so on. I'm also really enjoying my foray into Valiant Comics, but I might post further about that later. I still don't have much interest in Bloodshot, and it seems to me he's been somewhat artificially inserted into the major Valiant crossovers, but all the Toyo Harada stuff, like the Harbinger titles, some of the XO Manowar stuff and the Imperium titles I'm about to read, they seem really good. I guess I'm getting into superhero stuff rather late in my comics history, the reverse of most people.

[Phil_A]

I recently took the plunge with a Shonen Jump digital subscription, insanely good value if you like action-based manga.

Started off reading One Piece from the beginning, it's really good!

[kidsick5000]

So Comixology have whacked up their prices substantially. Cos of Brexit, apparently

Fuck sakes

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/03/05/brexit-comixology-increase-prices-uk-67-pound-dollar-parity/

That is shocking. Especially since it's Amazon, a company dedicated to pushing prices down

[Small Man Big Horse]

I'm reading Alex Ross and Busiek's Marvels right now; the X-Men issue is a bit of a heartbreaker with the riots and the little mutant girl and so on. I'm also really enjoying my foray into Valiant Comics, but I might post further about that later. I still don't have much interest in Bloodshot, and it seems to me he's been somewhat artificially inserted into the major Valiant crossovers, but all the Toyo Harada stuff, like the Harbinger titles, some of the XO Manowar stuff and the Imperium titles I'm about to read, they seem really good. I guess I'm getting into superhero stuff rather late in my comics history, the reverse of most people.

I'm a big fan of Marvels which I reread recently after picking up the graphic novel at a local charity shop.

And as for Valiant, I'd recommend reading Faith, it's a great deal of fun and I'm a big fan of the central character.

[samadriel]

Funny you should mention that, I decided to start reading Faith yesterday, having just finished Harbinger Renegade. (I said I'd read Imperium, but I decided I'd read Faith and Divinity first, the latter apparently tying in with Imperium a little bit.) Faith is good fun, and I particularly like the cartoony art of the fantasy sequences - Margeurite Sauvage might be the artist, I think? Must check out her other stuff.

[kidsick5000]

For those into the artier side of mainstream comics, Comixology has Wolverine Inner Fury (art by Bill Sienkiewicz) and Wolverine Killing with art by Kent Williams, both for $1.99. Nice

[Small Man Big Horse]

Funny you should mention that, I decided to start reading Faith yesterday, having just finished Harbinger Renegade. (I said I'd read Imperium, but I decided I'd read Faith and Divinity first, the latter apparently tying in with Imperium a little bit.) Faith is good fun, and I particularly like the cartoony art of the fantasy sequences - Margeurite Sauvage might be the artist, I think? Must check out her other stuff.

The art's by Francis Portela and Marguerite Sauvage apparently, and I'm a big fan of it, and think it's even better in the Dreamside mini-series where MJ Kim takes over. Oddly enough I tweeted Jody Houser just yesterday asking her if there were going to be any more Faith series and she didn't know, suggesting I contact Valiant, and after doing that there's a YA novel being produced but that's all currently, sadly.

[samadriel]

Valiant seem to do about an omnibus' worth of issues and then quit for a few years (that seemed to be the case with Archer & Armstrong and Quantum & Woody, they've since come back with slightly updated titles in recent years), but it seems to me that Faith is massively popular, so I bet she comes back soon. It's kind of funny how, in Unity, the team briefly signs up Faith because she's so charming, to boost their PR - even in-universe they made her a star. But, of course, Unity is a bit too grim and gritty for her...

[Mister Six]

Reading the Flintstones miniseries by Mark Russell and Steve Pugh, and I'm finding it quite frustrating. Pugh's art is gorgeous, and there are some quite funny gags, but the overriding point of the series is clearly to make BIG POLITICAL POINTS.

Which is fine, except that as of issue five, the points have been incredibly obvious and heavy-handed. Hey, do you know that consumerism is soulless and anxiety-causing, and that the value of an object is in the meaning you place in it, not the price that can be asked of it? Do you know that marriage is an arbitrary concept and there's no reason to exclude gay people from that? Do you know that racist authoritarianism and appeals to fear demonise minorities and cause violence? Do you? DO YOU?

And what makes it seem even more redundant is that so many of the targets/references are from shit that was relevant decades ago. Barney and Fred were in a caveman equivalent of 'Nam, for example. The prods at shopping are all low-grade '80s Gen X anti-consumerism at best. Everyone has TVs, but nobody has the internet.

This wouldn't be so bad, but none of this stuff is ever tied to a compelling story. Each issue is a series of loosely connected events/skits peppered with quippy, atomised "dialogue" that rarely feels like a conversation, and it's all in service to THE BIG POINTS, which are never as interesting or insightful as the author seems to think, being basically a grab-bag of obvious liberal complaints. I mean, I agree with all of them, but it feels like that's the point: it's a comic for people to nod sagely along with. Mental masturbation for smug liberals.

(Oh, and issues 2-5 all end in pretty much the same way - a surprise reveal of a "classic" Flintstones TV character. "This is how Dino/Pebbles/The Great Gazoo came to Bedrock!" Feels very lazy, like a way to imbue the preceding 20-ish pages with some kind of mythic weight by trading off 60 years of accumulated pop-culture cache.)

[samadriel]

Hey guys, are many companies posting free comics during this time of isolation? Valiant are posting a bunch of PDFs in a Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/ValiantComics/status/1238595175607345152?s=19

Just my luck, I bought "The Valiant" last week! That Dr Mirage comic has me interested in her series, so job done for the company there...

[Artie Fufkin]

Hey guys, are many companies posting free comics during this time of isolation? Valiant are posting a bunch of PDFs in a Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/ValiantComics/status/1238595175607345152?s=19

Just my luck, I bought "The Valiant" last week! That Dr Mirage comic has me interested in her series, so job done for the company there...

2000AD have released Judge Dredd Case Files vol 5 as a freebie

[samadriel]

Hey, I see that's got Apocalypse War in it, I remember reading a lot about that one awhile back. Thanks for the heads up.

[Artie Fufkin]

Hey, I see that's got Apocalypse War in it, I remember reading a lot about that one awhile back.

It's awesome!
And topical.

[Mister Six]

Actual new Marvel characters.

The creative team's hearts seem to be in the right places, but if your bold new vision is almost indistinguishable from alt-right "satire" you might want to rethink it a bit.



Also seems to be a bit of confusion within editorial, as they're supposed to be twins, but look at the way they're posed on the cover...



Or has Game of Thrones really mainstreamed fictional incest?

[samadriel]

Or has Game of Thrones really mainstreamed fictional incest?

Nah, it was Blades of Glory.

[samadriel]

Man, I was quite disappointed by the first collection of Shadowman (I read it so I'd be prepared for the Divinity: Stalinverse thing... I could follow the thread of all these big events all day, most of the time I'm enjoying unraveling the VU). Basically, Shadowman is Spawn with a tweak or two. I don't like Spawn, it's always struck me as '90s tryhard nonsense. and I expected better things of Shadowman based on the rather fun, creative story arc in Ninjak where he and Punk Mambo go to the Deadside. In Shadowman, the Deadside is a boring place with a handful of ghosts in it. Darque is a pretty formidable villain figure, despite the name, but a lot of the book is spent dealing with characters like Mr Twist, a demon so obviously birthed from Spawn he could've come out of a frog's arse. The dialogue and general storyline is packed with cliche too.  I'll probably try out the second omnibus since it's written by someone else (Peter Milligan, no less) and the character and his world are not totally without merit (the voodoo stuff is fun, and the aforementioned Ninjak story convinced me that the VU afterlife can be super cool - oh, and that reminds me, Dr Mirage shines in her cameo in this, as well ), but I won't be in a rush.

Divinity: Stalinverse was pretty good, but the side-series exploring the Soviet versions of our heroes was a bit disappointing. The bleakness of the main series was appropriate, as you need high stakes, but keeping that same tone throughout the side-stories just made them boring. "Escape from Gulag whatever" was kind of alright, but the rest have already evaporated from my mind. I don't see why it was necessary to have Shadowman and the Deadside feature so prominently either; I'd much, much rather have read an issue dedicated to the Soviet version of Peter Stanchek who got about one page in the main series.

So, all the Divinity trades thus far have been pretty good (I've bought "Eternity" but not read it yet), but "Heroes of the Glorious Stalinverse" turned out a bit shit.