What are you reading? 30 March 2006

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

Busy week of reading for me. You might even detect a couple themes here.

V FOR VENDETTA
Catching the movie next week, if it's still in the theaters and not on DVD yet by then.

SECRET WAR HC
Disappointing, but not bad.

NEW AVENGERS Volume 3 Premiere Edition HC
I'm enjoying this a lot more than I thought I might.

NEW AVENGERS: THE ILLUMINATI
I bought the concept, liked the art, enjoyed the story. I'm properly hyped for CIVIL WAR now, too.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #92
Fun to see Spidey out of the city. Lotsa great wisecracking, too.

BOMB QUEEN #2
Insanely dark humor. Enjoying it. And, hey, there's even something anatomically correct for the ladies to enjoy. White spandex hides NOTHING.

I know I'm supposed to post longer reviews with all of these titles, but I'm saving much of it for future reviews.

-Augie

[dancj]

Is this thread the same thing as the regular "What did you read" thread? I'm not sure if I should post here or wait until that thread comes up...

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

Yeah, I should have labelled it that -- consider this one and the same thread.

-Augie

[pmpknface]

I just read Iron Man: The Inevitable #4 last night. Damn good stuff.

I'm up to issue #5 in the Rocketo tpb and lovin' it!

[atorifan]

i just read tonight: supreme power 1-16 excellent
squadron supreme not bad, i don't like some of the new char art (blur in particular)
new excalibur 1-5 interesting, and i'm ok with the char art change from orig excal. but why does it seem so slow a book, issues wise...

time for some non supes like tales of bloody mary

[DF2506]

I actually....didn't read any comics this week.....

Just couldn't get to the shop. Thanks for starting the thread Augie (lol, first you tell me thanks, then I tell you. lol).

I'm just too busy playing Kingdom Hearts 2 this week. :)

DF2506
" Hmm. Maybe I'll get to the shop in a couple of weeks. "

[pmpknface]

Personally, I'm going thru withdrawl. Every day I usually have lunch in the cafe at work and read comics. Since Jan I've been on this HUGE project and I've barely had time eat, let alone read comics.

My "unread" pile is growing! :(

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

I've found that the less comics I buy, the fewer show up on the unread stack.

Still, I'm running on ice here. I'm never going to put a dent in that back catalog of unread stuff. But I'm enjoying what I'm buying TODAY a lot more.

-Augie

[pmpknface]

I hear ya. I usually use my lunchtime reading (after I catch up on NEW books) to catch up on the unread pile. I've got a long box of Avengers to read, a Tomorrow Stories HC, some She-Hulk issues, etc...

I don't go to as many shows as I used to, and when I do I'm travelling so that prevents me from buying too much stuff, but I've got an FF run to complete. I'm going for 100 and up and I've got from 168 on. Then it'll be onto the the Defenders! :)

[torippu]

Here is what I have read this week so far:

Superman/Shazam: First Thunder #1~4 - Re-read the first three issues as it had been a while since they last shipped. Probably the best Shazam story that I have ever read. Ok, I'll admit, it's the first Shazam story that I can remember reading (aside from various team books where the character has appeared). Beautiful art from Joshua Middleton. I'm going to have to give the upcoming Shazam book by Judd Winick & Howard Porter a looksie now.

Infinite Crisis Secret Files & Origins 2006 - The price tag for this book was pretty steep ($5.99) but I think that it did a good job of fleshing out the back story for the IC bad guys for me.

Ultimate Spider-man #92 - another solid issue. Having not read Ultimate X-Men in many moons, Krakoa doesn't mean much to me. I'm getting the feeling that this arc is going to be a Bendis riff on The Running Man.

Invincible #30 - And the space story is over. I'm looking forward to Mark getting back to earth and to all of his pals. Still need to read the Capes back-up.

The Walking Dead #27 - Zombie Fight Club! Carol is going looney! Everyone is getting too comfortable at the prison and I think that something bad is going to happen soon. I'm absolutely loving the Cliff Rathburn back covers! If Adlard ever leaves, I'd give Cliff a shot at the book.

Savage Dragon #124 - Loved the retro, trashed cover. Great idea. This was the best the art has looked (except for that one panel where Alex's teeth are all wacky) since SD's return. I'm with Augie here, a bit too talky in points. The lettering is going to take a while to get used to. 45 panel pages? What was Erik thinking? Don't particularly care for the random pages of story thrown into the middle of the main story. Still need to read the back-up story.

Trip

[torippu]

I've found that the less comics I buy, the fewer show up on the unread stack.

Still, I'm running on ice here. I'm never going to put a dent in that back catalog of unread stuff. But I'm enjoying what I'm buying TODAY a lot more.

-Augie
I'm in agreement here - the less you buy, the easier it is to get through the reading pile. Now if only I could get to the point of buying fewer books on a monthly basis.

In recent months, I've been doing a good job of getting through all of the books that I have on my pull list - it's the TPB that are starting to pile up!

Trip

[Green Arrow Jr.]

Here goes my list:
Infinite Crisis
New Avengers
Teen Titans
Exiles
New Excalibur
Outsiders
Hulk
Thing
Frankenstein from Seven Soldiers

My favorite kind of books I love to read are Elseworlds/What if's I think that books about alternate Earths are great it expands the legends of the characters plus my secret favorite book is Youngblood which I can't explain.

[torippu]

I was also able to read the following books last night after the kids went to bed:

The Thing #5 - Next to Ultimate Spider-man, this is my favorite book being published by Marvel right now. I've never read the FF before on a regular basis, but Dan Slott is the man! Pull his Thing! The art from Andrea DiVito & Laura Villari is about as good as it gets in a superhero book. If they aren't exclusive to Marvel yet, I'd like to plead to Joe Q to sign them up now. Andrea has come a long way from the days of being an associate penciler at Crossgen, eh? Too bad, this was his last issue (according the Joe Fridays column at Newsarama yesterday). While I'm sad to see him/them go, I guess that I'll now be more inclined to give the Annihilation mini-series a try! Please read this book! Highly recommended by me (whatever that means to you)! :)

Danger Girl: Back in Black #1~4 - Yes, I'm a DG fanboy and am not ashamed to admit it! This was a fun mini-series, with an ending that hopefully leads to more DG stories. I found that I greatly enjoyed the art from Nick Bradshaw and if he is available for future books, I wouldn't complain.

The Long Haul OGN - Finally got around to reading this. A fast, enjoyable read! Love to see Eduardo Barretto illustrate another western story again.

[UniqueFrequency]

bad, this was his last issue (according the Joe Fridays column at Newsarama yesterday). While I'm sad to see him/them go, I guess that I'll now be more inclined to give the Annihilation mini-series a try!

who's taking over?

[torippu]

who's taking over?
Kieron Dwyer.

There's also some sweet character sketches for the Annihilation main players from DiVito. Do the clicky thing (http://www.newsarama.com/JoeFridays/JoeFridays44.html) and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

[UniqueFrequency]

Kieron Dwyer.


i can't remember what he's done... Kaboom? anything recently?

[torippu]

i can't remember what he's done... Kaboom? anything recently?
Hmm...good question. I think that he's had a self-published book that he has been working on the for the last several years. Didn't he do some Avengers issues (with Rick Remender) during the Geoff Johns run?

EDIT: Should've googled his name before posting. Here's a listing of his comic book work from his website: kierondwyer.com (http://www.kierondwyer.com/comics.htm).

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

Dwyer was the artist on CAPTAIN AMERICA when I first started reading it, back in 1989. Since then, he's done lots of little things, but I don't think he has a single long run on anything in particular. He's doing layouts on SEA OF RED right now, did his own indy book for awhile, and had that short AVENGERS run.

And he's also related in some way to John Byrne. (I think his mother was married to Byrne for a short time.)

Look at me - I'm turning into a gossip now.

-Augie

[Lonewalker]

How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale, by Jenna Jameson

[UniqueFrequency]

i've read:

Dead Girl #3
great issue. i wish Peter Milligan wrote X-men the same way.

Tag & Bink
it felt disjointed, but most of it was funny.

JLA: Classified #19
getting better and better. not loving the art, but the Hypothetical Soldiers are fun. I especially like Ghost Lion

Deadly Genesis #5
okay issue, not a fan of the brother v brother thing

New Avengers: Illuminati
enjoyed it, am now quite interested in Civil War

Ultimate Spidey #92
so far quite interesting, will probably need to judge it as a whole arc

Unread:
Captain America - 65th Anniversary Special Ed
hopefully i can get onto this tomorrow

[dancj]

i can't remember what he's done... Kaboom? anything recently?

He did the art on Superman: The Dark Side

He's quite good

[dancj]

Only three books this week (but pretend I got MK Spider-Man as TPBs and it could have been five)

I've read...

Marvel Knights Spider-Man vol 1 hardcover - Good fun story. It moved along at a good old pace and never had any pretentions of being more than it was. I would probably been frustrated if I'd read it spread accross the 3 TPBs though.
Ice Haven - I'm not sure if I ever actually enjoy Daniel Clowes's work, but it's oddly compelling. This is no exception
El Nino - A book from the brief DC/Humanoids team up. TBH, this one bored me silly - I've had to start reading Ultimates vol 2 book 1 as an antidote

[atorifan]

i read dark days 1-6 and found it better than return to barrow.

unwritten tales of the new universe: dp7 liked it on the whole, but the story seemed a little rushed to conclude.

criminal macabre 1-5 liked the gritty feel. i did find the art slightly distracting, as far as reading facial expressions mostly. and i liked how it tied in the modern monsters to the original, while seeming to keep a consistent logical relation to the current monsters.

cannon hawke 1-5, i think the prelude made the story complete, but should have just came in order. rather the way it seemed to be an afterthought/marketing gimmick. i liked the inner turmoil and the over all story plots. it did seem rather pis to place the grey matter sample in to the safe, since he was in shalla's demesne. and it didn't seem to cover what cannon was going to do with his sample, if he knew the importance of it (he did lock it up), nor was it referenced til it was stolen. since i haven't read fathom or soulfire yet, these questions may be answered.

that's all i read last night, on the whole i feel recompensed for my money :)

[UniqueFrequency]

just re-read the Sentry and Ronin arc of New Avengers.

definitely reads better in trade. need to find a good point to drop the book.

[pmpknface]

Read most of Sea of Red vol 2 last night and finished up Rocketo vol 1!

Rocketo is just cool, so damn cool! It's been a while since I read the 1st SoR, so I may have to go re-read that too.

I'm travelling to Baltimore for the Sox/O's game on Friday so I'll be bringing with me the recent Samaurai Executioner and Lady Snowblood's.

[De Carabas]

I've made a concerted effort to catch up on some series that I've fallen behind on.

Polly and the Pirates #1-4
Love this series!!! There are at least seven different quotes that are fighting in my head for my signature line. Can't wait for the last two issues.

Book of Lost Souls #1-4
I'm liking. I'm very impressed with Doran's art. I've had a hard time getting into A Distant Soil, and I wasn't that crazy about the look of Orbiter, but she is doing a helluva job on this. I may switch to trade though, for money reasons.

Rex Mundi vol. 1: The Guardian of the Temple TP
Rex Mundi vol. 2: The River Underground TP
Rex Mundi #13
This was rereading, rather than catch up reading, but now I can read #13-19 (which will be catch up reading). So glad I reread them though. This is not a series that can be left alone for long stretches.

Loveless #1-5
I lovelovelove Frusin's art! That was the real hook for me. Azzarello takes a while building up the story (no surprise there), but IMO Frusin makes the wait worthwhile. Again, budget may force this to be a wait-for-trade series, but I am sticking with this one.
One nitpick disguised as a warning: one of the main storytelling devices used is flashbacks, but these flashbacks occur in the same panel as our present-day characters. Sort of ghostly after-images. Most of the time the colorist (who also is doing a bang-up job) renders these flashback images in a different palette. One time they didn't amke it distinct enough, and Good God! was I confused. Instead of one person being chased in two different times, I thought it was two different people being chased at the same time. I mention this in the hopes of alleviating the confusion of others.

Revelations #1-6
Wow. So so so so so did not see that ending coming. Both Ramos and Jenkins did a spectacular job on this one. Wow.

EM

[UniqueFrequency]

Revelations #1-6
Wow. So so so so so did not see that ending coming. Both Ramos and Jenkins did a spectacular job on this one. Wow.
EM

can't wait for the trade for this. it sounds real fun!