So I haven't updated in quite some time. That's because, with the whole finals thing and then moving onto Christmas shopping, combined with other stuff, I haven't had time to sit down and really go through any Showcases or anything like that. So the project is going to be postponed until after the holidays I guess.
However, I do have time to put up posts about more recent things. Comics of the past few years are much easier to read than the Showcases, due to them
a) being in color
b) different writing styles.
So I'll be posting some mini-reviews maybe?
Or not.
I'll try to get in a few mentions, though. The list keeps getting revised, but for now I'm pretty sure I've finally hashed out what I do and don't want to follow (war comics, for instance, have failed to grab my attention enough to justify me buying things like the Unknown Soldider and Enemy Ace anytime soon).
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Double Shot! Countdown 25 + 24
I kept putting off last week's comic review...and then it got to this week and I still hadn't done it. So now I'm just blasting them all out immediately.
Ready? Let's go. And remember, thar be spoilers.
All-New Atom 17: This title is usually one of my quality favorites--I consider it very enjoyable every month, even if it doesn't always hit the "Top Books" spot. Still, it's very fun, and I enjoy a good fun comic once in awhile. In all honesty, I can't remember what happened. Is that bad? Probably. It's been a week though. I remember that the cover looked fun. And I remember enjoying it. Sorry. This is a horrible review.
Booster Gold 4: Wow. So Supernova is Booster's dad. I personally didn't see that coming (although apparently the Booster experts did). It doesn't matter, this title is always great. The writing is excellent, the art is top form, and Skeets is hilarious. Plus, we have promises of Ice appearing soon. That alone keeps it on my pull list.
Countdown to Final Crisis 25: Apparently DC loves to point out that the Pied Piper is gay. You'd think that after twenty-six issues we'd remember that, but no, they need to remind us once again. That's alright though, because the rest of the issue was pretty enjoyable for Countdown. Karate Kid's storyline meets Firestorm and the Atomic Knights, and we actually get some resolution to dangling plot points left open at the end of Firestorm's ongoing series (well...not so much "resolution" as "continuation", because the story hasn't ended.) The "Desaad becomes Firestorm" was unexpected, and actually felt like decent progression. In all honesty, if Countdown had been like this from the beginning, it wouldn't have gotten the horrible reputation it now has.
Countdown to Final Crisis 24: Take that, Desaad! The Atomic Knights prove up to the task, and are able to prevent evilFirestorm from destroying things. Meanwhile, Mary Marvel actually stands up to Darkseid, fighting him (and actually hurting him?) before fleeing. While it's a complete about-face from the Mary we've seen so far, it's still truer to her character than anything in Countdown has been previously, so I'll take it. Meanwhile, Superman Prime gets angry and destroys Earth. It's not New Earth, but it's still an Earth. And he does it while wearing the superior black-Superman outfit from "Reign of the Supermen". I love that outfit, I really do. I'm curious as to what part of the Sinestro Corps brings this on.
Supergirl 23: Well, the art was pretty enough? The opening sequence with Batman was enjoyable, but other than that, neither myself nor my sister have any idea what happened here.
Superman 670: The arc started out great, had too much exposition in the middle, and then ended with an above average final issue. Not bad--not incredible, but all in all a satisfying story. I really love seeing Power Girl as part of the Superman Family now--I was skeptical at first about reintroducing that origin, but they've done a lot of good with it lately. And I love Chris Kent. I'm probably in the minority here, but I think he brings new potential to the Superman titles. Some people love to see the same type of story over and over, but change is good sometimes, and I think this will bring us some good times ahead.
Teen Titans East Special: Anima is not a pretty princess. She is a grunge rocker. She is also unbelievably powerful and is protected by a primal spirit. I fail to see how Mysterious Villain #17 managed to take her out so easily...especially since it seemed as if he was blasting her from underneath, so she had to have seen the shot coming...but whatever. The story wasn't bad. It was just filled with slaughter. On the art side...leg hair + Robin's short-pants = funny for no real reason.
Wonder Girl 3: Young Justice cameos are delicious. I love Cassie's new costume and really don't want it to vanish at the end of the mini, even though it's going to. I'm a little of the New Gods saturating everything, though, and this is coming from a New Gods fan. Still, the story was solid enough to justify my purchase.
Wonder Woman 14: I read the issue, and it was alright...but I'm still not entirely sure what's happening yet. I liked seeing Lt. Candy (I'm assuming this is Etta Candy--which is fun, but I'm hoping she stays true to her current incarnation from the George Perez reboot), and Diana living with talking gorillas adds all sorts of hilarity. So I'm going to stay with this title for awhile, because I want to have faith in it. So we'll see. As a single issue though...there just wasn't enough to catch me. But I choose to have faith in Gail Simone, who has many more hits than misses in my eyes.
Marvel Rundown: Amazing Spider-Girl is always fun. Annihilation: Conquest ties up the prequel mini's and goes full speed ahead with an excellent first issue that I loved despite not knowing who half the characters were. Astonishing X-Men was awesomesauce, while in the mainstream X-titles of Uncanny and X-Factor, we head into the Messiah Complex in two solid stories that leave me wanting more. Ms. Marvel was a title I grabbed as a last minute addition, and I wasn't disappointed--it deals with plot points that have been going on throughout the entire run. Mystic Arcana ends with its final issue, a Sister Grimm tie-in that left me satisfied. New Avengers is of standard New Avengers quality--a fast, enjoyable read. Nova...is he about to meet some sci-fi Marvel Zombies? I'm confused, but the title is always excellent. X-Men: Die By the Sword is modernClaremont, which I am satisfied, but not thrilled, with, but I want to pick up New Exiles due to Tom Grummet on the artwork, so I'm following this through.
Independents: Buffy's Season 8 moves on with its incredible Faith arc. Is it blasphemy to say that I'm enjoying this arc more than the first one? Because I think I am. And Fallen Angel is always an excellent title.
This whole thing would be more interesting if I wasn't so tired. Sorry.
Ready? Let's go. And remember, thar be spoilers.
All-New Atom 17: This title is usually one of my quality favorites--I consider it very enjoyable every month, even if it doesn't always hit the "Top Books" spot. Still, it's very fun, and I enjoy a good fun comic once in awhile. In all honesty, I can't remember what happened. Is that bad? Probably. It's been a week though. I remember that the cover looked fun. And I remember enjoying it. Sorry. This is a horrible review.
Booster Gold 4: Wow. So Supernova is Booster's dad. I personally didn't see that coming (although apparently the Booster experts did). It doesn't matter, this title is always great. The writing is excellent, the art is top form, and Skeets is hilarious. Plus, we have promises of Ice appearing soon. That alone keeps it on my pull list.
Countdown to Final Crisis 25: Apparently DC loves to point out that the Pied Piper is gay. You'd think that after twenty-six issues we'd remember that, but no, they need to remind us once again. That's alright though, because the rest of the issue was pretty enjoyable for Countdown. Karate Kid's storyline meets Firestorm and the Atomic Knights, and we actually get some resolution to dangling plot points left open at the end of Firestorm's ongoing series (well...not so much "resolution" as "continuation", because the story hasn't ended.) The "Desaad becomes Firestorm" was unexpected, and actually felt like decent progression. In all honesty, if Countdown had been like this from the beginning, it wouldn't have gotten the horrible reputation it now has.
Countdown to Final Crisis 24: Take that, Desaad! The Atomic Knights prove up to the task, and are able to prevent evilFirestorm from destroying things. Meanwhile, Mary Marvel actually stands up to Darkseid, fighting him (and actually hurting him?) before fleeing. While it's a complete about-face from the Mary we've seen so far, it's still truer to her character than anything in Countdown has been previously, so I'll take it. Meanwhile, Superman Prime gets angry and destroys Earth. It's not New Earth, but it's still an Earth. And he does it while wearing the superior black-Superman outfit from "Reign of the Supermen". I love that outfit, I really do. I'm curious as to what part of the Sinestro Corps brings this on.
Supergirl 23: Well, the art was pretty enough? The opening sequence with Batman was enjoyable, but other than that, neither myself nor my sister have any idea what happened here.
Superman 670: The arc started out great, had too much exposition in the middle, and then ended with an above average final issue. Not bad--not incredible, but all in all a satisfying story. I really love seeing Power Girl as part of the Superman Family now--I was skeptical at first about reintroducing that origin, but they've done a lot of good with it lately. And I love Chris Kent. I'm probably in the minority here, but I think he brings new potential to the Superman titles. Some people love to see the same type of story over and over, but change is good sometimes, and I think this will bring us some good times ahead.
Teen Titans East Special: Anima is not a pretty princess. She is a grunge rocker. She is also unbelievably powerful and is protected by a primal spirit. I fail to see how Mysterious Villain #17 managed to take her out so easily...especially since it seemed as if he was blasting her from underneath, so she had to have seen the shot coming...but whatever. The story wasn't bad. It was just filled with slaughter. On the art side...leg hair + Robin's short-pants = funny for no real reason.
Wonder Girl 3: Young Justice cameos are delicious. I love Cassie's new costume and really don't want it to vanish at the end of the mini, even though it's going to. I'm a little of the New Gods saturating everything, though, and this is coming from a New Gods fan. Still, the story was solid enough to justify my purchase.
Wonder Woman 14: I read the issue, and it was alright...but I'm still not entirely sure what's happening yet. I liked seeing Lt. Candy (I'm assuming this is Etta Candy--which is fun, but I'm hoping she stays true to her current incarnation from the George Perez reboot), and Diana living with talking gorillas adds all sorts of hilarity. So I'm going to stay with this title for awhile, because I want to have faith in it. So we'll see. As a single issue though...there just wasn't enough to catch me. But I choose to have faith in Gail Simone, who has many more hits than misses in my eyes.
Marvel Rundown: Amazing Spider-Girl is always fun. Annihilation: Conquest ties up the prequel mini's and goes full speed ahead with an excellent first issue that I loved despite not knowing who half the characters were. Astonishing X-Men was awesomesauce, while in the mainstream X-titles of Uncanny and X-Factor, we head into the Messiah Complex in two solid stories that leave me wanting more. Ms. Marvel was a title I grabbed as a last minute addition, and I wasn't disappointed--it deals with plot points that have been going on throughout the entire run. Mystic Arcana ends with its final issue, a Sister Grimm tie-in that left me satisfied. New Avengers is of standard New Avengers quality--a fast, enjoyable read. Nova...is he about to meet some sci-fi Marvel Zombies? I'm confused, but the title is always excellent. X-Men: Die By the Sword is modernClaremont, which I am satisfied, but not thrilled, with, but I want to pick up New Exiles due to Tom Grummet on the artwork, so I'm following this through.
Independents: Buffy's Season 8 moves on with its incredible Faith arc. Is it blasphemy to say that I'm enjoying this arc more than the first one? Because I think I am. And Fallen Angel is always an excellent title.
This whole thing would be more interesting if I wasn't so tired. Sorry.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Showcase Presents: Superman Volume 1
On one hand, this collection is a strong representation of what the Silver Age was--full of ideas just being thrown onto paper without any consideration for what it would mean. And there were actually a few ideas that were referenced again. That part was surprising.
On the other hand, it took me weeks to read, and has single-handedly made me question this blog project.
There were a number of instances where Superman was referenced as the only powered person in the world. This made no sense when compared to DC continuity...or even the other comics in this collection where Superman fought against other super-powered people.
Batman made an appearance though. That was fun.
Once you get past the obvious corny feel of the issues, they're actually pretty enjoyable. The potential in most of these things is pretty incredible, and in today's comics there'd be so much done with it. Writers would have planned out where to go with the nuances of each issue, and, sadly, how to break it down into multiple issues. At the risk of imitating every other internet comics commenter, we've really lost the art of individual issues in most comics today. Building them so that a trade tells a fully story may make sense from a business perspective, I guess, but it also means that the medium loses a lot of "character development" issues.
I was already introduced to a number of these issues through a reprint that collected some of the most famous Silver Age stories (ones that introduced Lori Lemaris and Supergirl were the more important ones). Both characters have played roles in the Superman mythos, Supergirl much more than Lori, and their introductions are reprinted here. Very nice for a new reader.
Stories bringing in Brainiac, Metallo, Kandor, and more were included, and as someone who has seen them develop into prominent concepts in modern comics, it was interesting to read how they got started. Metallo died in his debut story, interestingly, so I'm actually curious as to when he returned to play a big villain.
All in all, this is a collection I'd probably recommend to someone interested in reading older Superman comics. Would I suggest it to someone I wanted to get hooked on comics? No, just because it would probably scare them away with the corniness. But for someone already interested in comics, this might be good to read.
Next I'll be reviewing...the first Legion of Super-Heroes Archive, according to my list. But I've secretly already read that, so I'll be using this time to read the Haunted Tank Showcase in my attempt to get into war comics.
Don't tell anyone.
On the other hand, it took me weeks to read, and has single-handedly made me question this blog project.
There were a number of instances where Superman was referenced as the only powered person in the world. This made no sense when compared to DC continuity...or even the other comics in this collection where Superman fought against other super-powered people.
Batman made an appearance though. That was fun.
Once you get past the obvious corny feel of the issues, they're actually pretty enjoyable. The potential in most of these things is pretty incredible, and in today's comics there'd be so much done with it. Writers would have planned out where to go with the nuances of each issue, and, sadly, how to break it down into multiple issues. At the risk of imitating every other internet comics commenter, we've really lost the art of individual issues in most comics today. Building them so that a trade tells a fully story may make sense from a business perspective, I guess, but it also means that the medium loses a lot of "character development" issues.
I was already introduced to a number of these issues through a reprint that collected some of the most famous Silver Age stories (ones that introduced Lori Lemaris and Supergirl were the more important ones). Both characters have played roles in the Superman mythos, Supergirl much more than Lori, and their introductions are reprinted here. Very nice for a new reader.
Stories bringing in Brainiac, Metallo, Kandor, and more were included, and as someone who has seen them develop into prominent concepts in modern comics, it was interesting to read how they got started. Metallo died in his debut story, interestingly, so I'm actually curious as to when he returned to play a big villain.
All in all, this is a collection I'd probably recommend to someone interested in reading older Superman comics. Would I suggest it to someone I wanted to get hooked on comics? No, just because it would probably scare them away with the corniness. But for someone already interested in comics, this might be good to read.
Next I'll be reviewing...the first Legion of Super-Heroes Archive, according to my list. But I've secretly already read that, so I'll be using this time to read the Haunted Tank Showcase in my attempt to get into war comics.
Don't tell anyone.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume One
And so, the project truly begins.
First, a bit about my relationship with Jack Kirby's Fourth World, and Jack Kirby's work in general. When I was growing up, I didn't like any of it. At all. When the New Gods would appear in the Superman titles, I was confused and disinterested. When I would try to read older comics with Kirby's art, I'd grow bored and want to read something else. I never caught the appeal of the characters.
Until now.
This collection, priced at fifty dollars (psst...on Amazon you can get it new for $31.49!), was something that came out several months before I began this project. I thought it was interesting, but had no desire to pay that much money for something I didn't care about. Around the time I changed my mind, I began this project, so I relented and placed the order. It took me a little bit, but I started reading.
This was not the first time I had tried to read Jack Kirby's Fourth World stuff. Several years ago, my parents got me the first Jimmy Olsen trade from this saga as a Christmas present, along with some other Superman comic trades. I found it tedious, boring, and uninteresting to look at. So I was skeptical about reading this.
Let's start from the beginning, shall we?
Right away, we're treated to a number of full page pictures that capture close-ups of various characters, full of the energy that Kirby pumped into his work. Already I began to change my mind about all of this. The introduction by Grant Morrison was excellent--say what you will about how crazy Grant can get (and I will, especially when I get around to finally reading his Doom Patrol run), but he has ideas, and I'm told that he's one of the few people who managed to do the New Gods justice. So kudos there.
From the first pages of Jimmy Olsen, we're tossed right into a world full of brand new characters. The Newsboy Legion aren't necessarily new, technically, but they've been reinvisioned here as children (later retconned into clones) of the originals (co-created by Kirby). We also get Morgan Edge, the Outsiders (no, not those Outsiders), and, going into later issues, the Project (later known as Cadmus), Dubbilex the DNAlien, the Hairies, the Guardian, and more. And let me tell you, as someone who grew up on 90's Superboy comics, seeing these characters really made my day. The revival of the Guardian was when I was really pulled into all of this.
The Forever People were surprisingly interesting. They were obvious hippies, yes, but the character interactions and insane names left me wanting more. And I'm intrigued by the Infinity Man--really, who is he? Does he have limits?
The New Gods begins with the opening sequence to end all opening sequences. We get the epic of the Fourth World introduced to us in stunning glory, and it races onward, focused on Orion. Knowing the secrets of his parentage sort of ruined the mystery here by default, but on the other hand it allows me to notice the clues and nod along with the story. Excellent stuff here.
Finally, Mister Miracle. I never knew how Scott Free acquired the suit, and I was actually surprised to see that he wasn't the original Mister Miracle. And now I know how Oberon came into the picture, too. I'll admit, I'm having a little trouble reconciling the Granny Goodness presented here with how she's been presented elsewhere--not because of her personality or anything, but because of where her orphanage is based. I thought all of that was set on Apokalips? Instead, we find it on Earth, right? Confusing.
The slow introduction of the characters felt masterful. In the first issue of Jimmy Olsen, we get hints that something isn't right, that something major is on the horizon. In later issues, we get tastes--what is Apokalips? Who is Darkseid, and why is he the mastermind here? What is the true extent of these characters? All of this explodes from the page with the beginning of the New Gods title, and to read these issues as they progress...it's powerful.
Do they really have to kill these characters off?
I can't wait for the next Omnibus. Really, I can't. It sits on my shelf, taunting me with pictures of Miracle. I want to read it.
But I won't.
Not yet, anyway.
Until next time...when we review Showcase Presents: Superman Volume One!
First, a bit about my relationship with Jack Kirby's Fourth World, and Jack Kirby's work in general. When I was growing up, I didn't like any of it. At all. When the New Gods would appear in the Superman titles, I was confused and disinterested. When I would try to read older comics with Kirby's art, I'd grow bored and want to read something else. I never caught the appeal of the characters.
Until now.
This collection, priced at fifty dollars (psst...on Amazon you can get it new for $31.49!), was something that came out several months before I began this project. I thought it was interesting, but had no desire to pay that much money for something I didn't care about. Around the time I changed my mind, I began this project, so I relented and placed the order. It took me a little bit, but I started reading.
This was not the first time I had tried to read Jack Kirby's Fourth World stuff. Several years ago, my parents got me the first Jimmy Olsen trade from this saga as a Christmas present, along with some other Superman comic trades. I found it tedious, boring, and uninteresting to look at. So I was skeptical about reading this.
Let's start from the beginning, shall we?
Right away, we're treated to a number of full page pictures that capture close-ups of various characters, full of the energy that Kirby pumped into his work. Already I began to change my mind about all of this. The introduction by Grant Morrison was excellent--say what you will about how crazy Grant can get (and I will, especially when I get around to finally reading his Doom Patrol run), but he has ideas, and I'm told that he's one of the few people who managed to do the New Gods justice. So kudos there.
From the first pages of Jimmy Olsen, we're tossed right into a world full of brand new characters. The Newsboy Legion aren't necessarily new, technically, but they've been reinvisioned here as children (later retconned into clones) of the originals (co-created by Kirby). We also get Morgan Edge, the Outsiders (no, not those Outsiders), and, going into later issues, the Project (later known as Cadmus), Dubbilex the DNAlien, the Hairies, the Guardian, and more. And let me tell you, as someone who grew up on 90's Superboy comics, seeing these characters really made my day. The revival of the Guardian was when I was really pulled into all of this.
The Forever People were surprisingly interesting. They were obvious hippies, yes, but the character interactions and insane names left me wanting more. And I'm intrigued by the Infinity Man--really, who is he? Does he have limits?
The New Gods begins with the opening sequence to end all opening sequences. We get the epic of the Fourth World introduced to us in stunning glory, and it races onward, focused on Orion. Knowing the secrets of his parentage sort of ruined the mystery here by default, but on the other hand it allows me to notice the clues and nod along with the story. Excellent stuff here.
Finally, Mister Miracle. I never knew how Scott Free acquired the suit, and I was actually surprised to see that he wasn't the original Mister Miracle. And now I know how Oberon came into the picture, too. I'll admit, I'm having a little trouble reconciling the Granny Goodness presented here with how she's been presented elsewhere--not because of her personality or anything, but because of where her orphanage is based. I thought all of that was set on Apokalips? Instead, we find it on Earth, right? Confusing.
The slow introduction of the characters felt masterful. In the first issue of Jimmy Olsen, we get hints that something isn't right, that something major is on the horizon. In later issues, we get tastes--what is Apokalips? Who is Darkseid, and why is he the mastermind here? What is the true extent of these characters? All of this explodes from the page with the beginning of the New Gods title, and to read these issues as they progress...it's powerful.
Do they really have to kill these characters off?
I can't wait for the next Omnibus. Really, I can't. It sits on my shelf, taunting me with pictures of Miracle. I want to read it.
But I won't.
Not yet, anyway.
Until next time...when we review Showcase Presents: Superman Volume One!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Countdown 26
What? I'm on time this week? Perish the thought!
So I've gotta say, ever since I made the decision a month or so ago to start dropping lackluster titles, my reading experience each week has been, overall, a lot better. When I order the comics from worst-to-best for my sister, so that she can end with a high note, it's actually trouble for some stuff, because they're usually on pretty even levels of high quality.
Plus, it's a lot cheaper. Which helps, what with this insane project and all, where I have to buy a lot.
52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen 3 is one of those titles I wasn't looking forward to at first...until I learned Keith Giffen was writing it. Then I squealed with joy. For those that don't know, I love Giffen's work. From his eighties JLI and L.E.G.I.O.N., to his Legion of Super-Heroes stuff (both writing and art), all the way up to the recent Annihilation. It's very rare that he disappoints me--and the only time I can actually recall not liking something he wrote is his Blue Beetle, where, for some reason, he seemed to really be holding John Rogers back. Anyway. That has nothing to do with this issue, really. For the most part, this title has been filled with a lot, and this issue kept the ball rolling as they brought back Snapper Carr in a completely new role as a Checkmate spy. While it doesn't seem to fit with the Snapper references over in the GA/BC Wedding Special, I think this is a much better use of the character as opposed to the "Hey let's make fun of Snapper!" party that it was before, on the off-chance anyone remembered him.
Action Comics 858: Gary Frank? I remember him from the earliest issues of Peter David's Supergirl. Sadly, I think his art has really fallen. He seems to have embrace the skill of using a thousand little lines, presumably to enhance emotion and detail, but it just makes the art look bad. And the colorist doesn't really appeal to me, either. Still, the art was passable, and there were enough good pages to convince me to give him a chance. But I don't buy a comic for the art, save for rare occasions, and the story was what convinced me to pick up this title again. I'm a Legion fanatic. I love the mythology of that world, and I love all versions of the Legion, and this storyline--which suggests a resolution to the Legion confusion--is something I've been anticipating for a long time. The issue did not let me down. While I don't love the "Omg Clark is such a dork LOL" portrayal we've had recently (I liked that Clark was more "normal guy" following the Byrne reboot), I was able to get past that and enjoy everything about the Legion's appearance. We finally get a suitable retelling of how Clark met the Legion, paying homage to the pre-Crisis Superboy while still staying true to Clark's current backstory. And the current state of the Legion, in 3008? Wow. A lot has happened in the six months that have passed, Legion-time, since they went back for Lightning Saga. I really want to see how this develops. The next issue can't get here fast enough.
Countdown to Final Crisis 26 really picked up the pace. Whereas before, the Monitors sat around chatting while the other characters basically remained in the same status quo they were in for the past however-many-issues, we now have a war declared, and certain storylines are receiving more focus. It's as if they've adopted the 52 model of spending time on just a couple characters each week, as opposed to every one. And yeah--the Monitor full-page spread had the wrong number of characters. Big deal. It's a really stupid screw-up, but let's face it--the art in this issue is a lot better than it has been previously. Add this to the increased pace and stronger writing, it really feels as if DC is taking notice of how bad Countdown has been, and they're doing something about it. Of course, none of this makes up for that horrible "Re-Todd" line Donna had, and Kyle's annoying encouragement. My god. That panel ruined the entire book for me.
DC Infinite Halloween Special: The Riddler should not be in Arkham Asylum. I'm sick of zombies. And werewolves. That is all.
Justice Society of America 10: Somewhere between the previous issue and this one, I had finally gotten around to reading Kingdom Come. So my enjoyment of this storyline increased a lot. It has a lot of potential, I think, and can really provide a lot of strong moments--seeing Power Girl confront KC Superman, coming to terms with the death of Kal-L in the process, is something I'm really looking forward to. Speaking of Power Girl, she's been slowly growing into one of my favorite characters as of late. I love that she's considered part of the Superman Family now. It feels right to me.
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes 35: You know what? I think Bedard's doing a pretty decent job with the Legion in what is, admittedly, just a fill-in arc. The characterization, while lacking some of the minor nuances of the characters, is still mostly spot-on, and the storytelling makes for enjoyable Legion stories. While I don't think he's the perfect writer, and I am not sad that Shooter is replacing him at all (although that's probably because...well, it's Shooter), I think he did a solid job in this arc--this issue especially. It was the first one here where I really felt engaged in the story.
Quick Marvel Rundown: I finished the last issues of Annihilation Conquest: Quasar and Wraith (which I missed last week). Both proved that Annihilation is still one of the best things to happen to Marvel in awhile. New X-Men was standard New X-Men quality--strong, but not amazing--and X-Men: Messiah Complex got me really interested in the crossover. I mean, I was always going to collect it, but now I'm actually excited about it.
In addition to buying this stuff, I also took a final advantage of my store's trade and hardback sale. Remember--the trades are $4, and the hardbacks are half off an already discounted price. And then there's my 20% "pull list" discount on top of everything. So I got Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank (which will be added to an upcoming revised version of my "list"), Starman: Sons of the Father (the final trade, which means I now have to collect all the stuff between the first and the last), and--the one I'm most interested in--Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, a hardcover by Darwyn Cooke. I was really surprised to find it still in the pile. I would have expected it to sell out fast...but nope. I got really lucky. And for...what, probably around six dollars after all the discounts? Definitely a great deal for me. I can't wait to read it...and I'll probably read it this week, actually, and then read it again when I get to that point in my lists.
So I've gotta say, ever since I made the decision a month or so ago to start dropping lackluster titles, my reading experience each week has been, overall, a lot better. When I order the comics from worst-to-best for my sister, so that she can end with a high note, it's actually trouble for some stuff, because they're usually on pretty even levels of high quality.
Plus, it's a lot cheaper. Which helps, what with this insane project and all, where I have to buy a lot.
52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen 3 is one of those titles I wasn't looking forward to at first...until I learned Keith Giffen was writing it. Then I squealed with joy. For those that don't know, I love Giffen's work. From his eighties JLI and L.E.G.I.O.N., to his Legion of Super-Heroes stuff (both writing and art), all the way up to the recent Annihilation. It's very rare that he disappoints me--and the only time I can actually recall not liking something he wrote is his Blue Beetle, where, for some reason, he seemed to really be holding John Rogers back. Anyway. That has nothing to do with this issue, really. For the most part, this title has been filled with a lot, and this issue kept the ball rolling as they brought back Snapper Carr in a completely new role as a Checkmate spy. While it doesn't seem to fit with the Snapper references over in the GA/BC Wedding Special, I think this is a much better use of the character as opposed to the "Hey let's make fun of Snapper!" party that it was before, on the off-chance anyone remembered him.
Action Comics 858: Gary Frank? I remember him from the earliest issues of Peter David's Supergirl. Sadly, I think his art has really fallen. He seems to have embrace the skill of using a thousand little lines, presumably to enhance emotion and detail, but it just makes the art look bad. And the colorist doesn't really appeal to me, either. Still, the art was passable, and there were enough good pages to convince me to give him a chance. But I don't buy a comic for the art, save for rare occasions, and the story was what convinced me to pick up this title again. I'm a Legion fanatic. I love the mythology of that world, and I love all versions of the Legion, and this storyline--which suggests a resolution to the Legion confusion--is something I've been anticipating for a long time. The issue did not let me down. While I don't love the "Omg Clark is such a dork LOL" portrayal we've had recently (I liked that Clark was more "normal guy" following the Byrne reboot), I was able to get past that and enjoy everything about the Legion's appearance. We finally get a suitable retelling of how Clark met the Legion, paying homage to the pre-Crisis Superboy while still staying true to Clark's current backstory. And the current state of the Legion, in 3008? Wow. A lot has happened in the six months that have passed, Legion-time, since they went back for Lightning Saga. I really want to see how this develops. The next issue can't get here fast enough.
Countdown to Final Crisis 26 really picked up the pace. Whereas before, the Monitors sat around chatting while the other characters basically remained in the same status quo they were in for the past however-many-issues, we now have a war declared, and certain storylines are receiving more focus. It's as if they've adopted the 52 model of spending time on just a couple characters each week, as opposed to every one. And yeah--the Monitor full-page spread had the wrong number of characters. Big deal. It's a really stupid screw-up, but let's face it--the art in this issue is a lot better than it has been previously. Add this to the increased pace and stronger writing, it really feels as if DC is taking notice of how bad Countdown has been, and they're doing something about it. Of course, none of this makes up for that horrible "Re-Todd" line Donna had, and Kyle's annoying encouragement. My god. That panel ruined the entire book for me.
DC Infinite Halloween Special: The Riddler should not be in Arkham Asylum. I'm sick of zombies. And werewolves. That is all.
Justice Society of America 10: Somewhere between the previous issue and this one, I had finally gotten around to reading Kingdom Come. So my enjoyment of this storyline increased a lot. It has a lot of potential, I think, and can really provide a lot of strong moments--seeing Power Girl confront KC Superman, coming to terms with the death of Kal-L in the process, is something I'm really looking forward to. Speaking of Power Girl, she's been slowly growing into one of my favorite characters as of late. I love that she's considered part of the Superman Family now. It feels right to me.
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes 35: You know what? I think Bedard's doing a pretty decent job with the Legion in what is, admittedly, just a fill-in arc. The characterization, while lacking some of the minor nuances of the characters, is still mostly spot-on, and the storytelling makes for enjoyable Legion stories. While I don't think he's the perfect writer, and I am not sad that Shooter is replacing him at all (although that's probably because...well, it's Shooter), I think he did a solid job in this arc--this issue especially. It was the first one here where I really felt engaged in the story.
Quick Marvel Rundown: I finished the last issues of Annihilation Conquest: Quasar and Wraith (which I missed last week). Both proved that Annihilation is still one of the best things to happen to Marvel in awhile. New X-Men was standard New X-Men quality--strong, but not amazing--and X-Men: Messiah Complex got me really interested in the crossover. I mean, I was always going to collect it, but now I'm actually excited about it.
In addition to buying this stuff, I also took a final advantage of my store's trade and hardback sale. Remember--the trades are $4, and the hardbacks are half off an already discounted price. And then there's my 20% "pull list" discount on top of everything. So I got Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank (which will be added to an upcoming revised version of my "list"), Starman: Sons of the Father (the final trade, which means I now have to collect all the stuff between the first and the last), and--the one I'm most interested in--Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, a hardcover by Darwyn Cooke. I was really surprised to find it still in the pile. I would have expected it to sell out fast...but nope. I got really lucky. And for...what, probably around six dollars after all the discounts? Definitely a great deal for me. I can't wait to read it...and I'll probably read it this week, actually, and then read it again when I get to that point in my lists.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Countdown 27
Sorry, I'm late again.
By the way, here by spoilers.
Blue Beetle 20: This is a surprising issue. First of all--Peacemaker. Dead? Alive? It's already been spoiled by John Rogers, but since that issue hasn't come out, I won't comment. Look it up yourself. As for this issue? It was weird. As I said elsewhere, it was an anomaly where combining Awesome Comic A (Blue Beetle) with Awesome Comic B (Sinestro War) left us with Subpar Reading Experience (Blue Beetle 20). I just don't know what to make of it. There were some good parts, but mostly it was a letdown. However, this could be because it dealt with more of the scarab "mythology" regarding the Reach, which I know nothing about (having skipped issues 6-13 of this series). So maybe it'll read better once I've caught up on trades. But still...it was disappointing, at least compared to other issues of this comic.
Countdown 27: So yeah. Is it bad that, even just a few days later, I can't remember what happened in this issue without looking to something for reference? Anyway, I just found out that Buddy Blank's grandson was Kamandi, which is something that I should have known, but the link in my head didn't click. That pipes my interest. Sadly, the Karate Kid/OMAC plot is mostly ignored in this issue, save for...what, two pages?...mostly in favor of the ever-boring Challengers of the Beyond plot. And it's weird that I call them boring, because when Countdown started, the solicits of the "Search for Ray Palmer" one-shots were the only tie-in issues I was interested in. However, their story has basically gone nowhere since they ditched Atom for Kyle Rayner, and my interest left completely when they reached the Extremist homeworld. I was bored enough with the Extremists the first time I read Giffen's run on JLI, but I worked past it enough to enjoy the stories, because they were well-written. This doesn't seem to have that quality, sadly enough. I tried checking out the preview for the Lord Havok miniseries, and couldn't even get past the first page, it was so boring. I really don't know why DC felt the need to drag these characters up again--I doubt they were in particularly high demand.
Flash 233: I love this series. I really do. A lot of people seem to hate the idea of the "Wally and kids" focus on the title, but I think it's refreshing and fun. I enjoy seeing the kids participate in the adventures. Anyway, I don't agree with the comments that Wally bringing his kids into battle is anywhere on the same line as, say, Batman and his various Robins. Let's be honest: each of those Robins--and most teen sidekicks, for that matter--are highly trained, and are usually old enough to at least make rational decisions. Wally's children are basically ages eight and ten biologically, and they've only been alive for...what, a year and a half? They don't even have any of the limited life experience a normal ten-year-old would have. They have almost no training, and their powers fluctuate wildly, with, as far as I know, no warning. That makes their powers a liability, not an asset. And when you consider that the Flash fights powered rogues, while Batman's villains are often of the gangster variety, there's really a big difference. Getting off that tangent, this issue was a lot of fun, and I think the potential here is enormous. I didn't really enjoy the backup, oddly enough...it was well-done, but just didn't click with me. I don't have much interest in Jay as a solo character, though. In JSA I love him, but I couldn't read a book about him. Maybe that's why I didn't really enjoy this part of the backup.
Legion of Super-Heroes In the 31st Century is one of those fun titles that I can't help but love. The first two issues? Passably interesting at best, I'll admit. But everything after that has just been a great Legion story--enjoyable, easy to read, and, as previously mentioned, fun. I loved the take on the Amazons--as far as I can recall, that's never been explored in a Legion story before. Circe's involvement basically gave the whole plot away, yeah, but for non-comic readers just picking up this title, that wouldn't happen. And even when it does happen, it doesn't prevent the story from being enjoyable. I can't help but wonder how long the series will stay in this light-hearted, "Silver-Age-y" tone, though, what with the television show going to darker routes this season.
Superman 667: The first issue of this story arc completely reaffirmed my Superman love. This issue was good, but not great, unfortunately. The quality? Excellent. But I can only deal with so much sci-fi exposition at once, and having an entire issue of it pushed me past my limits. I'll give it another read, though, and maybe I'll enjoy it more. Still, this is already an excellent arc, by an excellent writer. I'm on board again for the long haul.
Teen Titans 52: Woah. That last page...big thing there. Can anyone tell me who the girl between Luthor's is (...inuendo ftw?), and who that big rocky guy is? Anyway, I'm a bit confused as to the artists now--Ale Garza seemed ready to be on Supergirl for the long haul, then transferred to this title after a few issues, and has now basically vanished, being replaced by Jamal Igle for now, and (I'm pretty sure) other artists on future solicits? What does that mean? I loved Garza's work here, and while I love Igle's as well, I just don't think know if this is the best title for him to shine. As for the writing side of the story...Sean McKeever is giving us an enjoyable Titans story. He's not really pushing any crazy boundaries, but it's far from being even mediocre. This is the sort of story that is, theoretically, the bread and butter of comics.
Quick Marvel Rundown: The only titles I got this week were X-Men: Die By the Sword and...well, X-Men. You know, the adjectiveless title. X-Men: Die By the Sword was decent, and X-Men was a lot more readable with the artist change. I liked certain aspects of the previous artistic team, but overall, I just couldn't enjoy the full book. This is much better. Endangered Species ended not with a big reveal, as I had expected, but with a somber acceptance of the mutant situation. I'm not sure how I feel about that--it sort of makes the back-up irrelevant, having not contained anything important other than "Yeah we can't fix it," even though we know it's going to change with Messiah Complex. Ah well.
And now, a quick glance at some independent titles...
Madame Mirage 1-3: Woah. And to think, I only grabbed this title due to interest with someone's avatar on a messageboard (thanks, Josie!) Paul Dini is doing pretty well with this title, I have to say. The major delay between issues 1 and 2 almost destroyed my interest, but things seem to be back on schedule (well, 2 and 3 were released a month apart, I think) and issue 3's revelations about Madame Mirage's identity, origins, and motives pulled me back in. For those who haven't tried this book, I'd really recommend giving it a shot.
Umbrella Academy 1-2: If you aren't reading this, start. Wow. I would have completely ignored this title if someone at my local comic shop hadn't suggested it, and I'm glad he did, because...wow. This is the sort of book that becomes a classic, and then, ultimately, a movie. I don't even know what to say about this book, other than a constant endorsement. Buy it.
By the way, here by spoilers.
Blue Beetle 20: This is a surprising issue. First of all--Peacemaker. Dead? Alive? It's already been spoiled by John Rogers, but since that issue hasn't come out, I won't comment. Look it up yourself. As for this issue? It was weird. As I said elsewhere, it was an anomaly where combining Awesome Comic A (Blue Beetle) with Awesome Comic B (Sinestro War) left us with Subpar Reading Experience (Blue Beetle 20). I just don't know what to make of it. There were some good parts, but mostly it was a letdown. However, this could be because it dealt with more of the scarab "mythology" regarding the Reach, which I know nothing about (having skipped issues 6-13 of this series). So maybe it'll read better once I've caught up on trades. But still...it was disappointing, at least compared to other issues of this comic.
Countdown 27: So yeah. Is it bad that, even just a few days later, I can't remember what happened in this issue without looking to something for reference? Anyway, I just found out that Buddy Blank's grandson was Kamandi, which is something that I should have known, but the link in my head didn't click. That pipes my interest. Sadly, the Karate Kid/OMAC plot is mostly ignored in this issue, save for...what, two pages?...mostly in favor of the ever-boring Challengers of the Beyond plot. And it's weird that I call them boring, because when Countdown started, the solicits of the "Search for Ray Palmer" one-shots were the only tie-in issues I was interested in. However, their story has basically gone nowhere since they ditched Atom for Kyle Rayner, and my interest left completely when they reached the Extremist homeworld. I was bored enough with the Extremists the first time I read Giffen's run on JLI, but I worked past it enough to enjoy the stories, because they were well-written. This doesn't seem to have that quality, sadly enough. I tried checking out the preview for the Lord Havok miniseries, and couldn't even get past the first page, it was so boring. I really don't know why DC felt the need to drag these characters up again--I doubt they were in particularly high demand.
Flash 233: I love this series. I really do. A lot of people seem to hate the idea of the "Wally and kids" focus on the title, but I think it's refreshing and fun. I enjoy seeing the kids participate in the adventures. Anyway, I don't agree with the comments that Wally bringing his kids into battle is anywhere on the same line as, say, Batman and his various Robins. Let's be honest: each of those Robins--and most teen sidekicks, for that matter--are highly trained, and are usually old enough to at least make rational decisions. Wally's children are basically ages eight and ten biologically, and they've only been alive for...what, a year and a half? They don't even have any of the limited life experience a normal ten-year-old would have. They have almost no training, and their powers fluctuate wildly, with, as far as I know, no warning. That makes their powers a liability, not an asset. And when you consider that the Flash fights powered rogues, while Batman's villains are often of the gangster variety, there's really a big difference. Getting off that tangent, this issue was a lot of fun, and I think the potential here is enormous. I didn't really enjoy the backup, oddly enough...it was well-done, but just didn't click with me. I don't have much interest in Jay as a solo character, though. In JSA I love him, but I couldn't read a book about him. Maybe that's why I didn't really enjoy this part of the backup.
Legion of Super-Heroes In the 31st Century is one of those fun titles that I can't help but love. The first two issues? Passably interesting at best, I'll admit. But everything after that has just been a great Legion story--enjoyable, easy to read, and, as previously mentioned, fun. I loved the take on the Amazons--as far as I can recall, that's never been explored in a Legion story before. Circe's involvement basically gave the whole plot away, yeah, but for non-comic readers just picking up this title, that wouldn't happen. And even when it does happen, it doesn't prevent the story from being enjoyable. I can't help but wonder how long the series will stay in this light-hearted, "Silver-Age-y" tone, though, what with the television show going to darker routes this season.
Superman 667: The first issue of this story arc completely reaffirmed my Superman love. This issue was good, but not great, unfortunately. The quality? Excellent. But I can only deal with so much sci-fi exposition at once, and having an entire issue of it pushed me past my limits. I'll give it another read, though, and maybe I'll enjoy it more. Still, this is already an excellent arc, by an excellent writer. I'm on board again for the long haul.
Teen Titans 52: Woah. That last page...big thing there. Can anyone tell me who the girl between Luthor's is (...inuendo ftw?), and who that big rocky guy is? Anyway, I'm a bit confused as to the artists now--Ale Garza seemed ready to be on Supergirl for the long haul, then transferred to this title after a few issues, and has now basically vanished, being replaced by Jamal Igle for now, and (I'm pretty sure) other artists on future solicits? What does that mean? I loved Garza's work here, and while I love Igle's as well, I just don't think know if this is the best title for him to shine. As for the writing side of the story...Sean McKeever is giving us an enjoyable Titans story. He's not really pushing any crazy boundaries, but it's far from being even mediocre. This is the sort of story that is, theoretically, the bread and butter of comics.
Quick Marvel Rundown: The only titles I got this week were X-Men: Die By the Sword and...well, X-Men. You know, the adjectiveless title. X-Men: Die By the Sword was decent, and X-Men was a lot more readable with the artist change. I liked certain aspects of the previous artistic team, but overall, I just couldn't enjoy the full book. This is much better. Endangered Species ended not with a big reveal, as I had expected, but with a somber acceptance of the mutant situation. I'm not sure how I feel about that--it sort of makes the back-up irrelevant, having not contained anything important other than "Yeah we can't fix it," even though we know it's going to change with Messiah Complex. Ah well.
And now, a quick glance at some independent titles...
Madame Mirage 1-3: Woah. And to think, I only grabbed this title due to interest with someone's avatar on a messageboard (thanks, Josie!) Paul Dini is doing pretty well with this title, I have to say. The major delay between issues 1 and 2 almost destroyed my interest, but things seem to be back on schedule (well, 2 and 3 were released a month apart, I think) and issue 3's revelations about Madame Mirage's identity, origins, and motives pulled me back in. For those who haven't tried this book, I'd really recommend giving it a shot.
Umbrella Academy 1-2: If you aren't reading this, start. Wow. I would have completely ignored this title if someone at my local comic shop hadn't suggested it, and I'm glad he did, because...wow. This is the sort of book that becomes a classic, and then, ultimately, a movie. I don't even know what to say about this book, other than a constant endorsement. Buy it.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The First List--Silver Age to Crisis On Infinite Earths
Yes. I'm very much delayed here. This may or may not be how the blog goes--who can say?
Instead of my normal Monday update (yes, it's currently very barely Thursday, but shush), where I would go over the comics I read this week, I've gone over my list of comics and written the whole thing out. This is Part One of what I will be officially reading--from the Silver Age to Crisis On Infinite Earths.
The order as listed here is the theoretical order, but may be subject to change. I own a lot of this, but still need to round out my Showcase collection, grab a few trades, etc. Some of this hasn't been released yet, but let's be honest--by the time I get to it on the list, it probably will be. The only items of concern are Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume 4 (which will probably be solicited soon, judging by the pacing of the previous three) and Showcase Present: The Great Disaster Featuring the Atomic Knights and Hercules. This Showcase originally had a very clear release date of October 24, but was removed from the schedule for no known reason. Given the apparent involvement of the Great Disaster in Countdown and the upcoming Final Crisis, I have no idea why it was removed--but regardless, I'm just hoping it will be re-solicited soon.
It should be noted that my local comic shop is having a major trade sale--tons of things available for four dollars each. Next Wednesday, I'll be raiding that set again and grabbing available Showcases. So there may be new items on this list--but unless they're available at the sale, I won't be buying them.
Items on upcoming solicitations may be added and read at any time.
Note that the order on this is NOT necessarily chronological. Everything involving Showcases and Archives is arranged as such to preserve my sanity. Excellent things, such as the Fourth World and the Legion Archives, are spread out in a more or less even distribution, so that I have something to look forward to when reading the various Silver Age Showcases. While they may not necessarily be in chronological order, they all happened around the same general time period of Awhile Ago, and since titles didn't have much continuity within themselves, let alone with other books, I don't feel it matters much what I read when. A chronological order is more or less established after the Showcase list is finished, and only becomes confusing when you add in the Legion issues (which are tossed in using publishing order instead of chronological order, given that, in chronological order, they'd be at the very end of my reading...except for the issues that cross over to present time, which would result in some very weird reading).
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume 1
Showcase Presents: Superman Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 1
Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 2
Showcase Presents: Challengers of the Unknown Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 3
Showcase Presents: Superman Volume 2
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume 2
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 4
Showcase Presents: Supergirl Volume 1
Showcase Presents: SHAZAM! Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 5
Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 6
Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Volume 2
Showcase Presents: Elongated Man Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 7
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume 3
Showcase Presents: Superman Volume 3
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 8
Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Volume 2
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 9
Showcase Presents: Superman Family Volume 1
Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 10
Showcase Presents: The Phantom Stranger Volume 1
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume 4
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 11
Showcase Presents: Superman Family Volume 2
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 12
Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Volume 2
Showcase Presents: The Great Disaster Featuring the Atomic Knights and Hercules Volume 1
Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Volume 3
Justice League of America: Zatanna's Search (To be read when appropriate with Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Volume 3)
Justice Society Volume 1
Justice Society Volume 2
Huntress: Dark Knight Daughter
Superman: 3-D
Legion of Super-Heroes 259-271
Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes 1-3
Legion of Super-Heroes 272-289
Legion of Super-Heroes: Great Darkness Saga
The New Teen Titans 18
The New Teen Titans 21-22
The New Teen Titans 26-27
Legion of Super-Heroes 295-300
The New Teen Titans: Terra Incognito
Legion of Super-Heroes 301-306
The New Teen Titans 35
Keebler Company Presents DC Comics' The New Teen Titans (Drug Special)
Showcase Presents: Batman and the Outsiders
Sword of the Atom
The New Teen Titans 38
The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
Legion of Super-Heroes 307-313
Tales of the Teen Titans 46-50
Legion of Super-Heroes: An Eye for an Eye
The New Teen Titans: Terror of Trigon
The New Teen Titans 6 (Reprinted as Tales of the Teen Titans 65)
Legion of Super-Heroes 7-8
DC Presents 80
Legion of Super-Heroes 9
Special: The Legion of Substitute Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes 10
Tales of the Teen Titans 51-55
The New Teen Titans 9-11 (Reprinted as Tales of the Teen Titans 68-70)
Legion of Super-Heroes 11-14
Tales of the Teen Titans 56-58
The New Teen Titans 12 (Reprinted as Tales of the Teen Titans 71)
Crisis On Infinite Earths
The New Teen Titans 13 (Reprinted as Tales of the Teen Titans 72; to be read when appropriate with Crisis On Infinite Earths)
The New Teen Titans 14 (To be read as appropriate with Crisis On Infinite Earths)
Legion of Super-Heroes 15 (To be read as appropriate with Crisis On Infinite Earths)
Legion of Super-Heroes Annual 1
Legion of Super-Heroes 16-18 (To be read as appropriate with Crisis On Infinite Earths)
Instead of my normal Monday update (yes, it's currently very barely Thursday, but shush), where I would go over the comics I read this week, I've gone over my list of comics and written the whole thing out. This is Part One of what I will be officially reading--from the Silver Age to Crisis On Infinite Earths.
The order as listed here is the theoretical order, but may be subject to change. I own a lot of this, but still need to round out my Showcase collection, grab a few trades, etc. Some of this hasn't been released yet, but let's be honest--by the time I get to it on the list, it probably will be. The only items of concern are Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume 4 (which will probably be solicited soon, judging by the pacing of the previous three) and Showcase Present: The Great Disaster Featuring the Atomic Knights and Hercules. This Showcase originally had a very clear release date of October 24, but was removed from the schedule for no known reason. Given the apparent involvement of the Great Disaster in Countdown and the upcoming Final Crisis, I have no idea why it was removed--but regardless, I'm just hoping it will be re-solicited soon.
It should be noted that my local comic shop is having a major trade sale--tons of things available for four dollars each. Next Wednesday, I'll be raiding that set again and grabbing available Showcases. So there may be new items on this list--but unless they're available at the sale, I won't be buying them.
Items on upcoming solicitations may be added and read at any time.
Note that the order on this is NOT necessarily chronological. Everything involving Showcases and Archives is arranged as such to preserve my sanity. Excellent things, such as the Fourth World and the Legion Archives, are spread out in a more or less even distribution, so that I have something to look forward to when reading the various Silver Age Showcases. While they may not necessarily be in chronological order, they all happened around the same general time period of Awhile Ago, and since titles didn't have much continuity within themselves, let alone with other books, I don't feel it matters much what I read when. A chronological order is more or less established after the Showcase list is finished, and only becomes confusing when you add in the Legion issues (which are tossed in using publishing order instead of chronological order, given that, in chronological order, they'd be at the very end of my reading...except for the issues that cross over to present time, which would result in some very weird reading).
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume 1
Showcase Presents: Superman Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 1
Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 2
Showcase Presents: Challengers of the Unknown Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 3
Showcase Presents: Superman Volume 2
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume 2
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 4
Showcase Presents: Supergirl Volume 1
Showcase Presents: SHAZAM! Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 5
Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 6
Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Volume 2
Showcase Presents: Elongated Man Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 7
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume 3
Showcase Presents: Superman Volume 3
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 8
Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Volume 2
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 9
Showcase Presents: Superman Family Volume 1
Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Volume 1
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 10
Showcase Presents: The Phantom Stranger Volume 1
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume 4
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 11
Showcase Presents: Superman Family Volume 2
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 12
Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Volume 2
Showcase Presents: The Great Disaster Featuring the Atomic Knights and Hercules Volume 1
Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Volume 3
Justice League of America: Zatanna's Search (To be read when appropriate with Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Volume 3)
Justice Society Volume 1
Justice Society Volume 2
Huntress: Dark Knight Daughter
Superman: 3-D
Legion of Super-Heroes 259-271
Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes 1-3
Legion of Super-Heroes 272-289
Legion of Super-Heroes: Great Darkness Saga
The New Teen Titans 18
The New Teen Titans 21-22
The New Teen Titans 26-27
Legion of Super-Heroes 295-300
The New Teen Titans: Terra Incognito
Legion of Super-Heroes 301-306
The New Teen Titans 35
Keebler Company Presents DC Comics' The New Teen Titans (Drug Special)
Showcase Presents: Batman and the Outsiders
Sword of the Atom
The New Teen Titans 38
The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
Legion of Super-Heroes 307-313
Tales of the Teen Titans 46-50
Legion of Super-Heroes: An Eye for an Eye
The New Teen Titans: Terror of Trigon
The New Teen Titans 6 (Reprinted as Tales of the Teen Titans 65)
Legion of Super-Heroes 7-8
DC Presents 80
Legion of Super-Heroes 9
Special: The Legion of Substitute Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes 10
Tales of the Teen Titans 51-55
The New Teen Titans 9-11 (Reprinted as Tales of the Teen Titans 68-70)
Legion of Super-Heroes 11-14
Tales of the Teen Titans 56-58
The New Teen Titans 12 (Reprinted as Tales of the Teen Titans 71)
Crisis On Infinite Earths
The New Teen Titans 13 (Reprinted as Tales of the Teen Titans 72; to be read when appropriate with Crisis On Infinite Earths)
The New Teen Titans 14 (To be read as appropriate with Crisis On Infinite Earths)
Legion of Super-Heroes 15 (To be read as appropriate with Crisis On Infinite Earths)
Legion of Super-Heroes Annual 1
Legion of Super-Heroes 16-18 (To be read as appropriate with Crisis On Infinite Earths)
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Countdown Week 28
For no logical reason, I've decided to title these "New comics this week" post by the Countdown week they correspond to, at least while said title is going on. Why? Because...well, it's easy enough. It's my blog. Shut up.
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis 57: I tried to drop this title so many times. After four issues of the new direction, I tossed it, only to grab all the back-issues I missed a few months later. Then the writer changed and I told myself I dropped it after the first three issues...then I wound up grabbing the next one. Then it was canceled, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to stay on the title until the end. It's not a BAD book, per say, and I don't have that "The new Aquaman sucks, let's boycott him" personality. The problem is, the book's not particularly good, either. It's just a mediocre superhero story, and for a final issue, it opens more questions than it solves, at least as far as I'm concerned--and we still don't have an explanation for NewAquaman's random appearance in JLofA#12 a few months back, where he was talking with Martian Manhunter about the League...even though "Joseph", as he now likes to be called, has no experience with the League whatsoever. And now he's apparently got part of Orin's soul in him? 'Kay. Wait, what? I spoiled the book for you? Eh. The book is so ignored, most of the people I talk to had no idea Orin was even killed off, which you'd think would be big news amongst the comics community, right?
Birds of Prey 111: Some people don't like Tony Bedard. I'm not one of them. Is he one of my all time favorite, absolutely-must-have writers? No. Sorry Tony. But I've enjoyed almost everything he's written ever since I wandered across an issue of the Exiles over a year back, and I followed his crossing to DC happily. The issue...to be honest, I'm not entirely sure it feels like Gail Simone left. There's a slight difference, but not that much, and I would actually be perfectly fine reading this title as an ongoing by Bedard, instead of just a few fill-in issues. We've got a fun story that furthers the emnity between Oracle and Calculator, set-up during Infinite Crisis and referenced again about a month or so ago in Countdown. This issue isn't breaking all sorts of barriers with it's storytelling or anything, but it's a solid, respectable story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Nothing wrong with that, right?
Brave and the Bold 7: My book of the week, easily. Could it be Mark Waid's excellent writing talent? Or perhaps George Perez's pencils, better than I have ever seen? Or maybe it was the done-in-one aspect of the story, starring Wonder Woman and Power Girl--two characters I've really warmed too lately--exploring the Library of Alexandria? More likely, it was all of these things combined. It's sad, really, because I almost didn't pick up this title, due to my nonexistent interest in a story arc featuring Batman and Green Lantern to start things off. But I'm oh-so-glad I did, because this book is consistently one of my favorites, and each issue is better than the last. If someone isn't picking this up, I'd recommend it in a heartbeat. I'm debating as to whether or not I want to buy this in collected form, as well.
Checkmate 19: I'm afraid this title is going to die. During the first twelve issues, this wasn't really much of a concern for me--it was decent enough, but hardly one of my favorites. During the Outsiders crossover, I was bored. But now? With the Fall of the Wall? I'm anxiously awaiting every new issue with baited breath. Rucka is hitting it out of the park. You know what this title needs, though? More Ice. Am I right? Come on, Fire's her guardian or whatever now--shove her in for an issue or two!
Countdown Week 28: Decompression! Yayyy! At least there's a little advancement in some issues now. Jimmy Olsen and Piper/Trickster are actually doing something different. Mary Marvel is still doing bad things with Eclipso, though, and Karate Kid and the Challengers are still on their respective scavenger hunts, the same places they were last issue. Ah well. Only six more months until Morrison saves us with Final Crisis.
Justice League of America 14: Dwayne McDuffie's run on the title, only two issues in (three, if you count the JLA Wedding Special), is already miles ahead of where Meltzer's was. The character building is less, I'll admit--but after twelve issues of slow plots and decompression, I'm actually excited by everything going on in this title. It has it's flaws--the obvious homages to JLU and the Superfriends, while enjoyable on one hand, can be very distracting--but for the most part, this is a very solid superhero story for this group that I haven't seen since...well, since the JLA title.
Quick Marvel Rundown: New Excalibur is randomly canceled even though they announced a new writer for it? Alright? Whatever. X-Men: Emperor Vulcan is annoying, but the fan in me demands I follow Rachel Grey. And Mighty Avengers was actually really good this month...unfortunately, the delays have almost killed my interest in the title.
No, I don't read Captain America month-to-month. I plan to eventually do a full trade run of the title, probably when I get so sick of DC during this project that I need a break. I estimate that'll occur somewhere between Crisis on Infinite Earths and Zero Hour.
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis 57: I tried to drop this title so many times. After four issues of the new direction, I tossed it, only to grab all the back-issues I missed a few months later. Then the writer changed and I told myself I dropped it after the first three issues...then I wound up grabbing the next one. Then it was canceled, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to stay on the title until the end. It's not a BAD book, per say, and I don't have that "The new Aquaman sucks, let's boycott him" personality. The problem is, the book's not particularly good, either. It's just a mediocre superhero story, and for a final issue, it opens more questions than it solves, at least as far as I'm concerned--and we still don't have an explanation for NewAquaman's random appearance in JLofA#12 a few months back, where he was talking with Martian Manhunter about the League...even though "Joseph", as he now likes to be called, has no experience with the League whatsoever. And now he's apparently got part of Orin's soul in him? 'Kay. Wait, what? I spoiled the book for you? Eh. The book is so ignored, most of the people I talk to had no idea Orin was even killed off, which you'd think would be big news amongst the comics community, right?
Birds of Prey 111: Some people don't like Tony Bedard. I'm not one of them. Is he one of my all time favorite, absolutely-must-have writers? No. Sorry Tony. But I've enjoyed almost everything he's written ever since I wandered across an issue of the Exiles over a year back, and I followed his crossing to DC happily. The issue...to be honest, I'm not entirely sure it feels like Gail Simone left. There's a slight difference, but not that much, and I would actually be perfectly fine reading this title as an ongoing by Bedard, instead of just a few fill-in issues. We've got a fun story that furthers the emnity between Oracle and Calculator, set-up during Infinite Crisis and referenced again about a month or so ago in Countdown. This issue isn't breaking all sorts of barriers with it's storytelling or anything, but it's a solid, respectable story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Nothing wrong with that, right?
Brave and the Bold 7: My book of the week, easily. Could it be Mark Waid's excellent writing talent? Or perhaps George Perez's pencils, better than I have ever seen? Or maybe it was the done-in-one aspect of the story, starring Wonder Woman and Power Girl--two characters I've really warmed too lately--exploring the Library of Alexandria? More likely, it was all of these things combined. It's sad, really, because I almost didn't pick up this title, due to my nonexistent interest in a story arc featuring Batman and Green Lantern to start things off. But I'm oh-so-glad I did, because this book is consistently one of my favorites, and each issue is better than the last. If someone isn't picking this up, I'd recommend it in a heartbeat. I'm debating as to whether or not I want to buy this in collected form, as well.
Checkmate 19: I'm afraid this title is going to die. During the first twelve issues, this wasn't really much of a concern for me--it was decent enough, but hardly one of my favorites. During the Outsiders crossover, I was bored. But now? With the Fall of the Wall? I'm anxiously awaiting every new issue with baited breath. Rucka is hitting it out of the park. You know what this title needs, though? More Ice. Am I right? Come on, Fire's her guardian or whatever now--shove her in for an issue or two!
Countdown Week 28: Decompression! Yayyy! At least there's a little advancement in some issues now. Jimmy Olsen and Piper/Trickster are actually doing something different. Mary Marvel is still doing bad things with Eclipso, though, and Karate Kid and the Challengers are still on their respective scavenger hunts, the same places they were last issue. Ah well. Only six more months until Morrison saves us with Final Crisis.
Justice League of America 14: Dwayne McDuffie's run on the title, only two issues in (three, if you count the JLA Wedding Special), is already miles ahead of where Meltzer's was. The character building is less, I'll admit--but after twelve issues of slow plots and decompression, I'm actually excited by everything going on in this title. It has it's flaws--the obvious homages to JLU and the Superfriends, while enjoyable on one hand, can be very distracting--but for the most part, this is a very solid superhero story for this group that I haven't seen since...well, since the JLA title.
Quick Marvel Rundown: New Excalibur is randomly canceled even though they announced a new writer for it? Alright? Whatever. X-Men: Emperor Vulcan is annoying, but the fan in me demands I follow Rachel Grey. And Mighty Avengers was actually really good this month...unfortunately, the delays have almost killed my interest in the title.
No, I don't read Captain America month-to-month. I plan to eventually do a full trade run of the title, probably when I get so sick of DC during this project that I need a break. I estimate that'll occur somewhere between Crisis on Infinite Earths and Zero Hour.
Format?!?
So in my infinite wisdom, I've realized that a blog of me going on about my experiences reading DC straight through...well, it may get boring in some parts. I'm sure everything I say is fascinating, obviously, but how many times do you need me to say "Well, this Showcase bored me, but I suffered through it?"
Probably just once, right?
So here's the deal. On Mondays, that's what you'll get--me going on about the DC stuff I read that week as part of my "project". I'll give the review, recommendations, blah blah blah...you know, everything I promised in my original post.
On Wednesdays, I'll post about the DC comics I bought that day (and, if there are any spectacular comics published by other companies I happen to buy, maybe I'll mention them--but this is a DC blog). So you'll get to learn my current buying practices, and watch as I look for excuses to stop buying titles, and then I'll plug my favorites excessively and you'll learn to hate me.
And then on Saturdays, I'll do my best to write up a post about any comic news from the week. For instance, if I had this blog a week ago, you'd probably see my reactions on the new Captain America images and on Chuck Dixon taking over Batman and the Outsiders from Tony Bedard. Instead, I'll skip that. But that's what Saturdays will be for.
And if, for some reason, I decide something is so dramatically important that it can't wait until one of those days, I may randomly post something else. These posts will probably seem inspired to only myself at the time, and the next day I'll want to delete them. But I won't. Probably.
And remember, procrastination is your friend. This means I'll probably ignore the schedule completely and promise I'll fix it all next week, without ever actually doing so.
In about two seconds I'll start my already-late "Wednesday" post of the comics I bought this week. See? I just started this thing yesterday and I'm messing everything up.
Probably just once, right?
So here's the deal. On Mondays, that's what you'll get--me going on about the DC stuff I read that week as part of my "project". I'll give the review, recommendations, blah blah blah...you know, everything I promised in my original post.
On Wednesdays, I'll post about the DC comics I bought that day (and, if there are any spectacular comics published by other companies I happen to buy, maybe I'll mention them--but this is a DC blog). So you'll get to learn my current buying practices, and watch as I look for excuses to stop buying titles, and then I'll plug my favorites excessively and you'll learn to hate me.
And then on Saturdays, I'll do my best to write up a post about any comic news from the week. For instance, if I had this blog a week ago, you'd probably see my reactions on the new Captain America images and on Chuck Dixon taking over Batman and the Outsiders from Tony Bedard. Instead, I'll skip that. But that's what Saturdays will be for.
And if, for some reason, I decide something is so dramatically important that it can't wait until one of those days, I may randomly post something else. These posts will probably seem inspired to only myself at the time, and the next day I'll want to delete them. But I won't. Probably.
And remember, procrastination is your friend. This means I'll probably ignore the schedule completely and promise I'll fix it all next week, without ever actually doing so.
In about two seconds I'll start my already-late "Wednesday" post of the comics I bought this week. See? I just started this thing yesterday and I'm messing everything up.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
So here's the deal.
For the past five months or so, I was chatting with one of the guys at my local comic book shop, and he was telling me all about how he was going through all of the old Justice League stuff, from the earliest pages to the Satellite era to the Detroit League, reading other comics in that same era as well (passing through Infinity Inc., the Justice Society revival, etc.) Even though I wasn't all that interested in the Silver Age stuff, I thought that hey, it might be fun to do a complete run-through of every comic I owned.
This thought, like many others, was quickly forgotten as I found a shiny moving object.
But then, for some reason, it kept coming back to me. It would be the perfect excuse to drop a ton of cash to grab all the trades I've been wanting, and to read all the comics I sort of tossed aside to make room for newer stuff, and maybe even to reorganize everything. Of course, such a task was pretty ridiculous. Who the hell would ever want to do that?
My sister was riveted by the idea.
So now the two of us are planning to read through everything. At first, I was content to just do everything from Post-Crisis onward. But then I bought the DC Universe: Complete Stories of Alan Moore trade-paperback. Mostly to get the Killing Joke, and so that I could actually read some Alan Moore comics (yes, I'm horrible for never reading them in the past. Sue me.)
Then I made the mistake of reading "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow." It was about the most awesome thing I'd seen in awhile. I grew up as a Superman fan, and during the 90's the only titles I collected were S-Family titles, so seeing the Superman mythos come to a conclusion like that...it was powerful. Of course, it was a completely different Superman than the one I had grown up reading--so now I was interested in Superman's Silver Age stories.
From there, it was a short jump to placing a seventy dollar order for a ton of Showcases on Ebay.
I've more or less "finalized" the list of comics I plan to purchase, for my reading pleasure, and my sister is continuously laughing at me when she sees me adding five new trades to my list every month when the new solicits come out. I can usually spend about a hundred dollars a month on ordering comics, though, and that doesn't count the new comics that come out weekly. So the list, while huge, is still most definitely manageable. It'll take awhile, but I think I can move through it and actually "complete" my DC collection, at least for the time being.
So here's the deal. I'm going to read a considerable chunk of stories--perhaps a full Showcase, perhaps a couple of trades, perhaps a few arcs of single issues, or some combination. Then I'll post on this blog, in the completely arrogant assumption that everyone on the internet is fascinated by my funnybook experiences. And we may even get my sister to chime in a few times--and she doesn't have the annoyingly continuity-obsessed mind that I do, so her views will probably be different.
I'm usually pretty objective about stuff. I have a tendency to love it when obscure characters (at least ones I've heard about somewhat) reappear, but other than that I like to think that I won't be unreasonably biased. If I'm able to find fault in some of my favorite writers and artists, then I can probably give a decent opinion of the stuff I read.
But if it has Ice in it, then all bets are off. I'll probably buy the comic for you and tie you down until you've read it.
This thought, like many others, was quickly forgotten as I found a shiny moving object.
But then, for some reason, it kept coming back to me. It would be the perfect excuse to drop a ton of cash to grab all the trades I've been wanting, and to read all the comics I sort of tossed aside to make room for newer stuff, and maybe even to reorganize everything. Of course, such a task was pretty ridiculous. Who the hell would ever want to do that?
My sister was riveted by the idea.
So now the two of us are planning to read through everything. At first, I was content to just do everything from Post-Crisis onward. But then I bought the DC Universe: Complete Stories of Alan Moore trade-paperback. Mostly to get the Killing Joke, and so that I could actually read some Alan Moore comics (yes, I'm horrible for never reading them in the past. Sue me.)
Then I made the mistake of reading "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow." It was about the most awesome thing I'd seen in awhile. I grew up as a Superman fan, and during the 90's the only titles I collected were S-Family titles, so seeing the Superman mythos come to a conclusion like that...it was powerful. Of course, it was a completely different Superman than the one I had grown up reading--so now I was interested in Superman's Silver Age stories.
From there, it was a short jump to placing a seventy dollar order for a ton of Showcases on Ebay.
I've more or less "finalized" the list of comics I plan to purchase, for my reading pleasure, and my sister is continuously laughing at me when she sees me adding five new trades to my list every month when the new solicits come out. I can usually spend about a hundred dollars a month on ordering comics, though, and that doesn't count the new comics that come out weekly. So the list, while huge, is still most definitely manageable. It'll take awhile, but I think I can move through it and actually "complete" my DC collection, at least for the time being.
So here's the deal. I'm going to read a considerable chunk of stories--perhaps a full Showcase, perhaps a couple of trades, perhaps a few arcs of single issues, or some combination. Then I'll post on this blog, in the completely arrogant assumption that everyone on the internet is fascinated by my funnybook experiences. And we may even get my sister to chime in a few times--and she doesn't have the annoyingly continuity-obsessed mind that I do, so her views will probably be different.
I'm usually pretty objective about stuff. I have a tendency to love it when obscure characters (at least ones I've heard about somewhat) reappear, but other than that I like to think that I won't be unreasonably biased. If I'm able to find fault in some of my favorite writers and artists, then I can probably give a decent opinion of the stuff I read.
But if it has Ice in it, then all bets are off. I'll probably buy the comic for you and tie you down until you've read it.
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