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Post by Duragizer on Feb 26, 2019 19:11:50 GMT -5
 Had the art been rendered in the style of John Tenniel, this would've been an instant classic. As is, it's headache-inducing, forgettable crap.  |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 1, 2019 14:18:34 GMT -5
Got a grab bag at Newbury Comics (10 recent Marvels for $7.99... pretty awesome deal!) The outside books were Doctor Strange (which I'd read from the libary a bit) and a Domino Annual that got my attention with Outlaw on the cover (who I like for some reason)
The pack was alot less random than I would have guessed.. with 1/2 the books Doctor Strange books.. good to know they do that for future grabs. I got:
Doctor Strange 23, 26, 383
Doctor Strange: Damnation 1, 3
Domino Annual #1
Exiles #5-6
Sentry #2
Infinity Countdown #5
Overall, very good purchase for $8 I think!
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Post by String on Mar 2, 2019 14:14:46 GMT -5
Okay, so finally read the new Shazam #1 by Johns and Eaglesham (my LCS had to re-order copies, apparently it sold out there). Really liked the tone and feel of this, art was great. (I should get #2-3 in my next batch in the mail).
So emboldened, I decided to go back and read Nu52 Shazam by Johns and Frank. I had started it awhile back after but got distracted before even getting halfway through it. Now, for the most part, I enjoyed it. The costume still rankles me but the new twists and additions Johns had made have me intrigued. Family has always been one of Shazam's core themes and expanding that family would seem to make sense as long as Johns gives proper attention to each one now.
However, what I really find lacking is the complete absences of the Elders. No Hercules, Mercury, Atlas, Zeus, just this magic..living...lightning....force, whatever. He can shoot lightning bolts now (which I think is merely an expansion of the oft-overused tactic of the magic lightning bolt striking Superman as an attack).
Where's the history? That was part of the charm of the Fawcett characters, the ties to history and myths. Do they think kids won't know these mythological beings nowadays? It seems like an unnecessary modern update.
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Post by Batflunkie on Mar 2, 2019 19:21:19 GMT -5
Okay, so finally read the new Shazam #1 by Johns and Eaglesham (my LCS had to re-order copies, apparently it sold out there). Really liked the tone and feel of this, art was great. (I should get #2-3 in my next batch in the mail). So emboldened, I decided to go back and read Nu52 Shazam by Johns and Frank. I had started it awhile back after but got distracted before even getting halfway through it. Now, for the most part, I enjoyed it. The costume still rankles me but the new twists and additions Johns had made have me intrigued. Family has always been one of Shazam's core themes and expanding that family would seem to make sense as long as Johns gives proper attention to each one now. However, what I really find lacking is the complete absences of the Elders. No Hercules, Mercury, Atlas, Zeus, just this magic..living...lightning....force, whatever. He can shoot lightning bolts now (which I think is merely an expansion of the oft-overused tactic of the magic lightning bolt striking Superman as an attack). Where's the history? That was part of the charm of the Fawcett characters, the ties to history and myths. Do they think kids won't know these mythological beings nowadays? It seems like an unnecessary modern update. John's take on the Big Red Cheese just comes off as incredibly tone deaf, utterly oblivious to what made Shazam! such a beloved property to begin with. Billy comes off as a bit of a brat who in no way shape or form should be given the powers of god. I get that Billy might be "acting out" since he's disenfranchised with foster families, but compare him to Golden Age or even Power Of Shazam! Billy Batson, who's still happy and go-lucky even having lost his mother, father, and sister
IDK, just my two cents....
Despite this, I'm still looking forward to the movie
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Post by urrutiap on Mar 13, 2019 20:10:41 GMT -5
Earlier today I read Wolverine Infinity Watch issue 1. the whole thing was good but dumb as in too much goofy humor with Wolverine, Future Pheonix Wolverine and Loki
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Post by Trevor on Mar 14, 2019 9:56:06 GMT -5
Finally dove into Fraction and Aja’s Hawkeye series from 2012. Really impressed so far, fun stuff.
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Post by wickedmountain on Mar 15, 2019 23:06:33 GMT -5
Read these digitally lately
X-MEN BLUE #1 AND #2
X-MEN GOLD #1 AND #2
X-MEN RED #1 AND #2
Magnificent MS MARVEL #1
NextGen #1
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Post by Duragizer on Mar 16, 2019 20:31:14 GMT -5
 Liked the story; liked that it was set in the continuity of the original movie; STRONGLY disliked the art. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2019 13:08:41 GMT -5
Started reading (but haven't finished yet) Blood Feud by Cullen Bunn and Drew Moss from Oni Press, released in 2015/2016.  It's a southern horror story set in the Ozarks featuring a Hatfield/McCoy like feud between two families, one of a stock similar to Innsmouth stock (the Whateleys-even the name is an allusion to Lovecraft) and the other a family of vampires/ghouls (the Stubbs), and the locals caught in between (who are the protagonists of the story). The art is very stylized in a more cartoonish mold...  but it works to set the mood and tone of the story, and the visual storytelling is very strong. It is an homage, almost a love letter to classic horror (the variant covers to the series as it was released were homages to classic horror movie posters.. variant for #1...  and what I have read so far has been quite enjoyable. It's a 5 issue mini, I have the trade edition I picked up on one of my Ollie's runs for $5, and I am looking forward to reading the remaining few issues. -M |
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Post by hondobrode on Mar 21, 2019 18:27:21 GMT -5
Re-reading and catching up on Bloodshot.
Outstanding stuff.
A guilty pleasure for me; on paper, I shouldn't like this Captain America / Wolverine / Punisher character but I love it despite that.
All the creators just knock it out of the park.
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Post by rberman on Mar 24, 2019 20:07:19 GMT -5
My kids like Art Baltazar's Tiny Titans series...  So I thought I'd give Skottie Young's Giant-Size Little Marvel: A vs X a go.  It's not quite the same thing. Tiny Titans has 1-4 page stories totally devoid of violence or even unpleasant feelings. Little AvX is a lot more about the fighting, with lots of gritted teeth in the service of a multi-issue story in which the Li'l Avengers and Li'l X-Men spar first over whose hot dog stand Blob will patronize, then over recruiting rights to the new kids in school. There are a few "butts" (in the dialogue, not the art) and even a barely averted "Kick your a..." that isn't exactly what my early reading 3 year old needs. Li'l Galactus is cute, though.  Filling out the trade volume is a one-shot of A-Babies vs X-Babies in case you wanted to see the same dynamic play out in diapers rather than kindergarten.  So... maybe when he's older. My kid, I mean. And baby Galactus too, I suppose. |
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Post by Batflunkie on Mar 27, 2019 19:17:14 GMT -5
The new Humphries Dial H For Hero
Good start to a idea that always thought was good on paper, but lacking as far as execution went in the Silver Age
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Post by EdoBosnar on Mar 28, 2019 3:55:15 GMT -5
My kids like Art Baltazar's Tiny Titans series... (...) Some kid friendly material from Marvel you might want to check out, if you haven't already, is Franklin Richards, Son of Genius, by Chris Eliopoulos. It's cute (and very, probably purposefully, Calvin-and-Hobbesish) and, as far as I recall (it's been a few years since I've read them), there's no disturbing violence or off-color language or any of that kind of stuff. The original comics have been reprinted in a few digests and, I think, in two tpbs.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Mar 28, 2019 5:50:36 GMT -5
And I just remembered: throwing the net a little wider, some really good kid-friendly comics are the Zita the Spacegirl books by Ben Hatke. They are thoroughly delightful, and can be enjoyed by adults.  |
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Post by Dizzy D on Mar 28, 2019 10:59:01 GMT -5
I picked up some trades/OGNs last week:
Crowded volume 1 (Image Comics): in the not-so-far future, an app exists to crowdfund the legal murder of people. Everyone can chip in if they want somebody to die and the person who kills the person gets the money. A regular girl finds out that she is the target of a 1 million dollar (and counting) campaign and many people around her try to take a shot at the million dollars. She hires a bodyguard to protect her (contracts are only valid for 1 month and once you survive, you can never be the target of a contract again). I loved the cartoony art, but also a story I found very interesting. The bodyguard is sceptical of her client's claims of innocence (and so am I, more and more as I read it). Eagerly awaiting the next trade.
Sunstone: Mercy (or Sunstone volume 6, even if it originally was intended as a spin-off, but Sejic has figured out how marketing works and if you have a succesfull property, use that name in your spin-off to make it clear). A prequel/sidestory to Sunstone, a series that started out as webcomics by artist/writer Stjepan Sejic to deal with the frustration of working on monthly comics, that then got turned into a series of graphic novels (a bit cleaned up. There are a lot of simularities between Sunstone and Empowered, with both starting as pin-ups/short jokes with adult content, but then the characters start to develop personalities so the original material no longer fits them). In Sunstone we meet Ally and Lisa, two girls who are into BDSM who start a sexual relationship that turns romantic. Mercy is the story of Alan (Ally's best friend/former sexual partner) and Anne (friend of Lisa). The story opens with the two of them married and Anne pregnant and recounting the story of their relationship. During this first part, the two never meet and recount their previous relationships (Alan with Ally, Anne with Laura). It's more explicit than Sunstone was, but it's still one of my favourite comics out these days. It's a bit of relationship drama, but the art is great, characters are likeable and it's often funny.
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