The All New Comics Thread 2023 + Edition

[bgmnts]

On further reflection, I think what annoys me about the prose in Providence is the fact that there is loads of good stuff in it, and that it isn't utilised within the media.

Moore has gone on record to say a lot of his work is unfilmable due to the way he utilises the techniques of comic books (I think). I agree very much with this and I do genuinely believe that the medium of comic strips/books/etc is a unique medium that synergises words and visual art to create a tableau vivant effect, which is then given a sense of movement in your imagination between the panels, very much like tapestries or whatever. Moore and his artist collaborators masterfully contributed to this medium, and is by far my favourite (possibly one of my favourite authors generally).

So I suppose to see the pages of prose felt like an almost betrayal or lack of faith in the medium, I don't know.

[13 schoolyards]

Well, he has given up comics to work exclusively in prose, so he probably was losing faith in the medium round about then. Plus it's increasingly clear in his final few series that a lot of what is driving him to still make comics is the way that "comics" (well, the industry) repeatedly fucked him over and treated him like shit for decades, so he's just gleefully ending the world (of comics) every chance he gets.

I feel like From Hell is the stronger work, if only because of the way its structured: the big revelation comes at the point where it fits in with real events, and Gull himself says it's all downhill after that so you expect him to just fade away - only for Moore to pull the legs out from under you and really drive home what it's all been about in a way that really sells the cosmic horror of it all without cheapening the human side to the story.

Providence is no less impactful, but it's largely working on one level - the horror is more obvious but it's more distanced and abstract. From Hell really excels in creating a cast of believable human characters and the horror develops from them. It's a world full of people, where Providence is a world full of ideas.

[bgmnts]

Well, he has given up comics to work exclusively in prose, so he probably was losing faith in the medium round about then.

Indeed, I actually have his Illuminations here somewhere ready to read, and enjoyed the half of Jerusalem I could manage so far very much.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

I... enjoyed the half of Jerusalem I could manage so far very much.

Fair play. I didn't get far at all with it. A shame because I genuinely loved Voice of the Fire

[bgmnts]

Oh this was just audiobook mind! I don't think I'd get very far reading it at all, I still haven't finished Les Miserables and I started that about 6 years ago.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Fair play. I didn't get far at all with it. A shame because I genuinely loved Voice of the Fire

I noticed that my local Scope had Watchmen for £2 today and I bought it as though I already have a copy it had some crappy water damage, and then I spotted Jerusalem for £6 in the same shop. I put it back at first, but then thought fuck it, maybe I could just read a page a day or something and then in four years I'll be able to say I managed to finish it in the end.

Unrelated, but I discovered that Grant Morrison's Starblazer issues are slowly being reprinted - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/184535799X/?coliid=I113GT4GOD00RN&colid=2KQY87Z8LW94E&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it came out in 2019, and https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1845359690/?coliid=I4J2GFYJ4WMZE&colid=2KQY87Z8LW94E&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it was published on the 25th. I've seen some mixed reviews commenting on how it's not really that good and Morrison was still learning the ropes, but I've added it to my Amazon wishlist and may pick one of them up one day.

Also, if I knew this I'd since forgotten it - https://www.digitalspy.com/comics/a433568/grant-morrison-collects-mbe/ - but I do remember Armando Iannuci getting a lot of flack for accepting his OBE, and even though Morrison said the following in an interview:

Morrison was asked in a previous interview with Comic Book Resources whether the MBE made him feel more chivalrous.

"No, it actually made me feel more evil, I think," he said. "I mean, when a howling witch hunt turns up on cue to accuse you of 'joining the Establishment' as if you'd signed up for the Secret Society of Super-Villains, what else can you do but cackle and rub your hands together?

"I'd love to tell you I'm now qualified to join the Round Table and declare war on Narnia but the truth is, absolutely nothing has changed."

It still surprises me they accepted it, but eh, maybe they had a good reason, even if I'm not sure what that might be. (Also apologies for the pronouns in the above quote, but I didn't change it as I wanted to quote from the site verbatim.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Atomic Robo Vol. 2 - Atomic Robo And The Dogs Of War by  Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener - I really liked the first volume but the cost put me off getting the second for a good while, but then I saw one on Ebay for a little over ten quid and, well, it's okay but it's nowhere near as good as the first volume. I think that's because the majority of it is set in the second world war but after an introduction from both Clevinger and Wegener about how their grandfather's fought in the war, and the kind of men they were, it feels like it wants to have its cake and eat it. So while the vast majority of it is action sequences with Robo making way too many not particularly funny quips, every so often there's a part which wants to comment on how horrendous the war was. The stories all follow a pretty stale formula as well as evil Nazi scientists have all but defeated Robo, apart from when they don't, and the villains felt cliched. There's some very short "b-stories" at the back of the collection which are set in various different post war time periods, and they're a lot better, but that just made me wish the main comic hadn't spent so much time in the 1940s. Hmmmm, I don't know, I guess I just feel disappointed after liking the first one so much, and the hints of greatness shown here, but I'm really not sure if I'll be buying any further collections, or not at over £10 a go at least. 3.25/5

[Mister Six]

It still surprises me they accepted it, but eh, maybe they had a good reason, even if I'm not sure what that might be. (Also apologies for the pronouns in the above quote, but I didn't change it as I wanted to quote from the site verbatim.

Morrison uses he/him pronouns in everyday life and doesn't really care about what people refer to him as, so I've reverted to he/him. He's welcomed the they/them business, but says it's something that's been imposed upon him by the internet, not something he's invoked himself.

[Mister Six]

Indeed, I actually have his Illuminations here somewhere ready to read, and enjoyed the half of Jerusalem I could manage so far very much.

I think the second book is the best - a lovely old romp. The first book is a bit of a struggle and the third just dribbles off at the end. But I think the whole thing is worth checking out, even if you do so very slowly.

[13 schoolyards]

Unrelated, but I discovered that Grant Morrison's Starblazer issues are slowly being reprinted - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/184535799X/?coliid=I113GT4GOD00RN&colid=2KQY87Z8LW94E&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it came out in 2019, and https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1845359690/?coliid=I4J2GFYJ4WMZE&colid=2KQY87Z8LW94E&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it was published on the 25th. I've seen some mixed reviews commenting on how it's not really that good and Morrison was still learning the ropes, but I've added it to my Amazon wishlist and may pick one of them up one day.

That first reprint collection is definitely worth picking up - if not for the Morrison story (which I haven't read so cannot judge), then definitely for the other one, which is probably a load of old crap script-wise but has art by 2000AD legend Mick McMahon in his prime (well, around the time he was also artist on The Judge Child Quest in the prog). I have the Starblazer issue here somewhere but I keep meaning to grab the reprint as I think it's printed slightly larger than the original's pocket-size

[Small Man Big Horse]

Morrison uses he/him pronouns in everyday life and doesn't really care about what people refer to him as, so I've reverted to he/him. He's welcomed the they/them business, but says it's something that's been imposed upon him by the internet, not something he's invoked himself.

Thanks for the clarification, shall do my best to remember it in the future.

That first reprint collection is definitely worth picking up - if not for the Morrison story (which I haven't read so cannot judge), then definitely for the other one, which is probably a load of old crap script-wise but has art by 2000AD legend Mick McMahon in his prime (well, around the time he was also artist on The Judge Child Quest in the prog). I have the Starblazer issue here somewhere but I keep meaning to grab the reprint as I think it's printed slightly larger than the original's pocket-size

Yeah, it's apparently a "full sized graphic novel" now, which I presume refers to the US trade paperback, but I'll move it closer to the top of my Amazon wish list.

[Gladys]

Morrison uses he/him pronouns in everyday life and doesn't really care about what people refer to him as, so I've reverted to he/him. He's welcomed the they/them business, but says it's something that's been imposed upon him by the internet, not something he's invoked himself.

I'm curious about this. I've seen it mentioned before online.  Is there a source or quote that references this? I only ask because the recent Europa edition of Luda has an author's bio that clearly uses they/them and I imagine Morrison would have had input into that or at least signed off on it.

[Mister Six]

I'm curious about this. I've seen it mentioned before online.  Is there a source or quote that references this? I only ask because the recent Europa edition of Luda has an author's bio that clearly uses they/them and I imagine Morrison would have had input into that or at least signed off on it.

Morrison's said it in online interviews that I can't be arsed digging up, but also said it at an audience Q&A that I attended when he was promoting Luda in NYC.

He's nonbinary in his understanding of his own gender and would have identified as such before now but didn't have the language back when he was a kid. He doesn't care what pronouns people use for him, and uses he/him himself, but is delighted and honoured to have had they/them bestowed upon him.

So yeah, you can use they/them and it's as correct as my he/him. I'd probably do the former myself, except Morrison's been in my head with male pronouns for almost 30 years, so sod it.

As for the book cover, I suspect that was a slightly cynical move on the publisher's part to avoid angry Twitter nonsense over a CISHET MALE (the worst kind of male) APPROPRIATING QUEER CULTURE #CANCELLUDA.

[Mister Six]

Thanks for the clarification, shall do my best to remember it in the future.

It's okay, you can use whatever you like without apology, that's all.

[Gladys]

Morrison's said it in online interviews that I can't be arsed digging up, but also said it at an audience Q&A that I attended when he was promoting Luda in NYC.

He's nonbinary in his understanding of his own gender and would have identified as such before now but didn't have the language back when he was a kid. He doesn't care what pronouns people use for him, and uses he/him himself, but is delighted and honoured to have had they/them bestowed upon him.

So yeah, you can use they/them and it's as correct as my he/him. I'd probably do the former myself, except Morrison's been in my head with male pronouns for almost 30 years, so sod it.

As for the book cover, I suspect that was a slightly cynical move on the publisher's part to avoid angry Twitter nonsense over a CISHET MALE (the worst kind of male) APPROPRIATING QUEER CULTURE #CANCELLUDA.

Thanks for the clarification. Makes sense. Anyway, Luda is a fabulous read so far.

[Gladys]

Thought i'd add some more to this thread as i'm new to the site.

I've really enjoyed Jeff Lemire's 'Phantom Road' recently. Lovely sparse art adding to the eeriness of the story. Looking forward to more of it when it comes out.

Latest issue of Saga was good as always although I tend to get more out of it by reading the collected editions and have a long run through.

I read Tom Veitch's run on Animal Man recently which was kind of shit but somehow I managed to get through it. I'd never read it first time round as I stopped reading not long after Morrison left - lost interest during Milligian's run and gave up although I started reading it again when Delano took over. It obviously pales next to Morrison's run but some of it is astoundingly bad. I was pleased to see Brett Ewins on art duty for one issue but that isssue is so dreadful I was sure it was some kind of ironic joke until the pay off never arrived. I'm planning on giving the Delano run  a re-read soon so that will be interesting.

Apart from that I have been re-reading a lot of Morrison - much of which I hadn't re-visited since it was first published. New-Xmen is loads of fun. I tend towards loving the more obscure esoteric side of their writing but I have a lot of time for their big superhero tales as well. I re-read the Batman run a while back and was blown away - i hadn't paid it too much attention originally but a proper re-read really paid off.

As I mentioned above - i'm loving Luda and i'm so pleased at finally getting a Morrison novel and it being so good. Hopefully more to come. I have a copy of Lovely Biscuits somewhere but I was never hugely impressed by it when it came out. A bit of a mix with some good stuff. Morrison has always worn his influences quite heavily which can be transformative and magical as in much of his comics but it can occasionally fall quite leadenly which I felt was the case in some of the short stories. I remember being a touch disapointed at the time of it's release that it didn't get anywhere near what Moore did with Voice of the Fire. Luda certainly does though.

[Mister Six]

I have a copy of Lovely Biscuits somewhere but I was never hugely impressed by it when it came out.

I'll buy it off you for £600 a fiver.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Latest issue of Saga was good as always although I tend to get more out of it by reading the collected editions and have a long run through.

That's how I feel, and I'm really quite tempted to wait for it to finish before then starting from the beginning again.

I read Tom Veitch's run on Animal Man recently which was kind of shit but somehow I managed to get through it. I'd never read it first time round as I stopped reading not long after Morrison left - lost interest during Milligian's run and gave up although I started reading it again when Delano took over. It obviously pales next to Morrison's run but some of it is astoundingly bad. I was pleased to see Brett Ewins on art duty for one issue but that isssue is so dreadful I was sure it was some kind of ironic joke until the pay off never arrived. I'm planning on giving the Delano run  a re-read soon so that will be interesting.

I love both the Morrison run and Jeff Lemire's New 52 version of the character, and don't mind Milligan's six issue run (though I did at the time it came out, but have mellowed to some of the ideas he has, even if the supporting characters are irritating). But then I managed about five issues of the Veitch run are yeesh, it's just awful and so I've yet to reach the Delano run. One day I will, but, well, not today that's for sure.

Summer Magic by Alan Mackenzie, John Ridgeway - So far I've read the Ridgeway Era and it's been a nostalgic delight, making me long for the days I first read the story, and the seemingly idyllic life in small towns in the sixties. Okay, it doesn't tackle many of the social issues present during that time, and some of the dialogue could be fresher (there's a comparison to events which uses the old "an onion has many layers" line, whereas when a cat is mentioned the word curiosity follows soon after), but there's also a certain elegance to the tale, and John Ridgeway's art is absolutely stunning, so I'd give the stories he drew / painted 5/5

Summer Magic - Sympathy For The Devil by Alan Mackenzie and Steve Parkhouse - The writing is still strong but I'm just not getting on with Steve Parkhouse's art, he can't draw noses for one thing, Luke seems to have put on wait and grown weirdly ugly in three months, and sometimes it looks like a Viz parody. I hope it'll grow on me, but right now because the art's so weak I can only rate it 3/5

[Gladys]

I'll buy it off you for £600 a fiver.

I've got a feeling now that I might have already sold it years back - unless it's stuck up the attic. It's a signed copy I got when it first came out so I might have done. You can get some of its contents elsewhere I think - certainly, 'Lovecraft in Heaven' is in the Starry Wisdom collection that came out years ago. That's worth a look for some of the other stuff in there - particularly, for me, the Rick Grimes comic who i'm a big fan of.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Here's a rewritten version of the Summer Magic review now that I've finished it:

Summer Magic - The Journal Of Luke Kirby by Alan Mackenzie, John Ridgeway - The Ridgeway Era (Summer Magic / The Night Walker, a couple of one off's) is a nostalgic delight, making me long for the days I first read the story, and the seemingly idyllic life in small towns in the sixties. Okay, it doesn't tackle many of the social issues present during that time, and some of the dialogue could be fresher (there's a comparison to events which uses the old "an onion has many layers" line, whereas when a cat is mentioned the word curiosity follows soon after), but there's also a certain elegance to the tale, and John Ridgeway's art is absolutely stunning, so I'd give the stories he drew / painted 5/5
The Journal Of Luke Kirby - Sympathy For The Devil by Alan Mackenzie and Steve Parkhouse - The writing is still okay but I'm just not getting on with Steve Parkhouse's art, he can't draw noses for one thing, Luke seems to have put on weight and grown weirdly ugly in three months, and sometimes it looks like a Viz parody. Once Luke arrives in Hell it all feels very odd, but not in a good way, and there's some great ideas here but the shitty art lets it down. 3/5
Luke Kirby - The Old Straight Track by Alan Mackenzie and Steve Parkhouse - Parkhouse is better here as he's responsible for inking and colouring his own art this time, but he still makes Luke look like some angry short thirty year old bachelor. The story is weak as well, it feels like MacKenzie sat down with a cheap "History of Magic in Britain" book and copied chunks of it. 2.75/5
Luke Kirby - The Price by Alan Mackenzie and John Ridgway - One final story for Luke sees John Ridgeway return and it only highlights how weak Parkhouse's art was. The story is average and nothing we haven't seen before, but I suppose it's a sort of okay a way to end Luke's tale. 3/5.
Overall the first two parts still make this an absolute must have, but once Ridgeway disappears there's no need to read the rest of it. 4/5

It's a shame that Makenzie didn't write more talks from Kirby's life, though if he had I'd only have wanted Ridgeway drawing it, but him dipping in and out of what took place in the sixties could have been very interesting, especially if we were given a teenage version of Kirby, and a more satisfying finale

[Oh, Nobody]

Peacemaker Tries Hard!

Enjoyed this, although it very much read like Garth Ennis lite. Steve Pugh is great at drawing gormless idiot faces so he was perfect for this, as Peacemaker is pretty much just the John Cena interpretation of the character.
My boys Monsieur Mallah and the Brain are handled much better in this than in Unstoppable Doom Patrol, and the Red Bee (in surely his first starring role since dubya dubya two) was great. Last issue felt a bit rushed but I wouldn't be against more of this.

One thing I didn't like was Peacemaker is listening to John Constantine's old band Mucous Membrane at one point and it's implied they're like a Motley Crue type cock rock band. THAT'S ONE REBOOT TOO FAR.

[13 schoolyards]

Oh hell no re: that Mucous Membrane retcon (I assume the lead singer was the space helmet version of John Constantine from Ennis' recent Six-Pack mini series). Though I suspect "old school punk" ranks somewhere below polka music as far as recognition in today's USA goes, which might make it tricky to get any laughs from it without making a change.

Otherwise good to hear the series holds up - I figured waiting for the trade was the way to go, which usually means "then forget about it entirely", but I'll make the effort in this case.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Peacemaker Tries Hard!
My boys Monsieur Mallah and the Brain are handled much better in this than in Unstoppable Doom Patrol

Oh man, I like Monsieur Mallah and the Brain so much, this is definitely going on my Amazon wishlist now, though that takes it up to 76 books, so my family better damn well be generous this Christmas!

Slaine - Dragontamer by Pat Mills and Leonardo Manco - Supposedly the final ever Slaine story, I wasn't expecting much from this. I'm  not Slaine's biggest fan in the first place and modern Mills has not been my cup of tea, but this was a decent final outing for the character. The art's absolutely stunning, which might be partially why I enjoyed it so much, but while the plot doesn't do anything that original the script is amusing enough and doesn't take itself too seriously, and the whole event doesn't outstay its welcome either. 4/5

Hero Squared, Vol.1: by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Joe Abraham - Issue 1 - I found this just a couple of days after Giffen's sad passing and was initially excited to find a new comedy comic by him. But only to begin with, and I think it's J.M. DeMatteis who is to blame. The plot sees two semi-slackers walking back having seen the latest superhero film and bickering and bantering, but when one of them gets home his superpowered double from a parallel universe bursts in. Cue lots of confusion and arguing and mockery of Superman types, and it's funny in places and the idea's a good one, but there's way, way too much dialogue. I know this is a common trait when it comes to Giffen and DeMatteis, but at the back there's a copy of the script that Giffen sends to the artist, before it's drawn and the art alone is sent to DeMatteis, who writes the dialogue based on half remembered conversations with Giffen, and while Giffen tends to include the odd pithy line DeMatteis expands that to around fifty words, and sometimes Giffen's original dialogue works better. There's three more issues that I've put off reading since but will one day, but it's no JLI, put it that way. A generous because it's so shit that Giffen's no longer with us 3/5

[Small Man Big Horse]

Haunt Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman, with art by Ryan Ottley and inks by Todd McFarlane - Agent Kilgore is killed while on a mission for a mysterious secret agency, but then pops up as a ghost whose brother is the only one who can see him, but when in danger the two merge together and become Venom. Or something that looks and acts like Venom, anyway, though I guess "Haunt" is a bit more violent. This is the comics equivalent of fast food, I did enjoy it while reading it but only as it was cheap, currently if I wanted to read the second volume it'd cost over ten quid and so I won't be doing that. 3.25/5

[Small Man Big Horse]

Strangers In Paradise Vol. 2 - Pages 1 - 120(ish) by Terry Moore - Picking up right after events in volume 1, Katchoo is forced in to working for her old boss, Darcy Parker.

Spoiler alert

Parker is part of a group who secretly controls America, and everything seems quite bleak for Katchoo who wants to leave (again) but knows Parker and her associates will murder Francine if she did. And then it's over in the space of about six pages. Francine's ex reveals the truth about his weirdo relationship with Rachel, Katchoo give her story to a journalist, and Darcy is quickly assassinated. That allows Katchoo, David and Francine to walk in to the sunset (or at least have a fun time at the beach), and then the next thing we're given in a flashback to Katchoo and Francine at school,

[close]

and blimey that's painful, dull, and full of cliches. I loved the gentle, sweet romantic comedy that the first volume gave us, but I'm not sure about this second lot at all. 1.5/5

[Mister Six]

I thought Strangers in Paradise was just some university rom-com thing, so finding out recently that it has conspiracies and vampires or ghosts or whatever from time to time seems really bloody odd.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I thought Strangers in Paradise was just some university rom-com thing, so finding out recently that it has conspiracies and vampires or ghosts or whatever from time to time seems really bloody odd.

It starts off that way and for about half of the first volume it's just a rom-com with some farce and occasionally slightly serious moments, but then the big conspiracy aspect comes in to it and really surprised. I'm going to finish this volume because I like the characters and Terry Moore's work in general, but I really hope it addresses the sudden shift in tone, otherwise it's going to come across as a really strange choice.

[madhair60]

isnt it just scud

[madhair60]

https://britishcomicscompilations.wordpress.com/

it looks like this site is no longer going to be maintained so I'd strongly recommend you rinse it while you can. I'd say let's try and do a full backup but there's a lot of stuff here, more than I can download. i'd scrape it but all the links are fucking external like mediafire.

[Gladys]

https://britishcomicscompilations.wordpress.com/

it looks like this site is no longer going to be maintained so I'd strongly recommend you rinse it while you can. I'd say let's try and do a full backup but there's a lot of stuff here, more than I can download. i'd scrape it but all the links are fucking external like mediafire.

Some great stuff there in the 2000AD and Crisis sections. I got a mixture of stuff I love and have read many times but will be great to have to hand (Bible John, New Adventures of Hitler, Straitgate, Zenith, Indigo Prime), stuff I remember liking when first published which I havent read since (Brigand Doom, Wroom, Big Dave, Button Man) and strips i've never read but have a good rep (Nikolai Dante, Mazeworld, Maniac 5). Cheers