What Did You Read - July 2012

[dancj]

We somehow missed June. It's so near the end of the month that I'm calling this one July so it doesn't date so quickly:

Jonah Hex v3: Origins - More good stuff. I've also managed to hook my son with this volume too.

Scot Pilgrim v1-6 - I read volume 1 years ago and didn't like it that much, but then I watched the film and got caught up in the hype so I tried it again. I think watching the film helped me get the proper vibe from the book. I'm not sure I see what all the fuss is about, but it was all quite fun. The best thing about it is the weird reality it's set in where computer game rules apply so killing someone is nothing and they explode into coins when killed.

Dave Dorman's Rail - Good art, tedious story.

30 Days of Night - Good story if a bit too short. Glorious art/ I'm not sure how Ben Templesmith gets away with his barely coloured scribbling, but he does it with style.

30 Days of Night v2: Dark Days - The story is twice as long, but for the twist it takes to be convincing the story needed a much bigger build-up. Art is still glorious.

30 Days of Night v3: Return to Barrow - A good satisfying conclusion to the whole story. This would have been a good place to stop. Art is still glorious.

30 Days of Night v4: Bloodsucker Tales - The first story is decent, but suffers from art which isn't bad, but it's not Ben Templesmith. The second story had great Templesmith art, but I didn't enjoy it all - but that's a bit of a pattern for me with Matt Fraction.

30 Days of Night v5: Three Tales - All enjoyable stuff.

30 Days of Night v6: Spreading the Disease - The first volume with no Steve Niles. Overall It's a decent story. The art for the first issue or two was quite good, but then someone with a much more cartoony style took over and it didn't work at all for me.

[jclaus]

IRREDEEMABLE Vol. 9 (BOOM! Studios) - Mark Waid writer, Diego Barreto/Marcio Takara artists: covers the first part of the crossover with Incorruptible. Nice start to the mini-event. Some disturbing layers of the Plutonians onion are peeled back. The comic book trope of the inevitable connection between hero and arch-nemesis was handled well. I have enjoyed this series in trade format and feel that the pamphlet form may not do the title justice.

[pmpknface]

Other than the standard issues... I started GET JIRO! today. The OGN written by Anthony Bordain. Fun stuff! I'm 1/2 way through so far. The art is very tight, has this Meobius / Darrow quality to it. I think the story is about to get crazy...

[dancj]

30 Days of Night v7: Eban & Stella - I liked the idea of an Eban and Stella book. In reality though it was by far the weakest volume yet for me. The art wasn't bad, though it was sometimes tricky telling the characters apart.

30 Days of Night v8: Red Snow - good simple vampire fun with glorious Ben Templesmith art!

Jonah Hex v4: Only the Good Die Young - Decent stories. Not quite up there with the previous volume for me. Phil Noto's art was very nice - this book out him on my radar.

Dark Reign: Accept Change - Luckily I knew before going in that half of the book was secret files type crap that I have no interest in reading - and I made sure I only paid accordingly. The actual comics in the book varied in quality, but the problem for me is that practically all of them were basically adverts for new series. Stuff like that I expect to get for free. I did like the final story in the book though with Norman Osborn putting together his new Avengers. One thing's clear from the first story in the book though. Alex Maleev has no idea what Namor or Norman Osborn look like.

30 Days of Night v9: Beyond Barrow - with Steve Niles and Bill Seinbeiwicz this should have been bett than it was - but it wasn't. Far to slight to be worthwhile.

[pmpknface]

Dan - Are those 30 Days volumes in correct number order, or is that just the order you put them in? I think I've read the first 3 and then Beyond Barrow because of the Sienkiewicz art but that's it. I often thought of getting Red Snow because I think it may be ALL Templesmith, am i right?

Finished GET JIRO and loved it! It's a lot of fun and there's even room for a follow up. I hope they make another one!

[dancj]

Those are the correct order. From about volume 4 onwards they're numbered on the spine. After about volume 6 the order doesn't really matter though.

[torippu]

Other than the standard issues... I started GET JIRO! today. The OGN written by Anthony Bordain. Fun stuff! I'm 1/2 way through so far. The art is very tight, has this Meobius / Darrow quality to it. I think the story is about to get crazy...

Completely irrelevant fact here...I was at the same school as the artist of Get Jiro!, Langdon Foss, when I spent a year abroad as an exchange student in Japan. Not sure we ever said more than 10 words to each other but I am pretty sure that he designed the commemorative t-shirt that we all purchased before returning home to our respective countries.

[pmpknface]

Completely irrelevant fact here...I was at the same school as the artist of Get Jiro!, Langdon Foss, when I spent a year abroad as an exchange student in Japan. Not sure we ever said more than 10 words to each other but I am pretty sure that he designed the commemorative t-shirt that we all purchased before returning home to our respective countries.

Cool! Can't wait to see what he does next.

[pmpknface]

Finally got around to reading the latest WALKING DEAD, vol. 16. Lots of fun developments, beheaddings, and general bad stuff. Good volume! Obviously setup, but not short on action. Can't wait for more!

Also started FATALE today! I'm 4 out of the 5 issues in, and I like it better than I thought I would. I know out of this combo I should expect to love it, but I overthought the supernatural aspect of it. It's actually well played so far! Phillips's art is even better than I remembered. Normally a time shift doesn't work so well, but I think this works perfectly so far. Can't wait to see how this pans out.

Oh - also started SILVER STREAK ARCHIVES and I'm loving it!

[dancj]

Neil Gaiman's Midnight Days - decent collection of stories. Hold Me wasn't quite as good as I remember - but still good. The Brother Power story was better than I remember, but still not great (and not as good as Hold Me). The Bissette/Tottleben Swamp Thing story was a nice unexpected bonus. Sandman Midnight Theatre was fine, but had an weak ending.

Put the Book Back on the Shelf - mostly mediocre, but sometimes interesting. For some unknown reason The Grass Beneath My Feet had me welling up a bit. For me that is the gem of the whole book.

[pmpknface]

Funny, after I finish up FATALE today I'm going to move on to Neil's Black Orchid that was recently reprinted in a nice HC. I started it a month ago but didn't get very far. I liked what I read, but was only a few pages in.

[torippu]

I did end up reading GET JIRO! this week. Overall, an enjoyable read. You can see some of Bourdain's disdain for various people and themes the cooking world in the book. The art was, unsurprisingly, very good.

Amazing Spider-Man #690 - I've been enjoying the heck out of this Lizard arc!

[dancj]

Funny, after I finish up FATALE today I'm going to move on to Neil's Black Orchid that was recently reprinted in a nice HC. I started it a month ago but didn't get very far. I liked what I read, but was only a few pages in.

That was merely okay for me. The story is decent enough, but it's the art that shines.

[pmpknface]

That was merely okay for me. The story is decent enough, but it's the art that shines.

I'll agree with that. However I think that it's just the opening chapter and it will get better. I'm willing to find out. At this point, I looked at the ad in the back for all the Bru / Phillips collections and I have ALL of them. Why stop now?

I bought SAGA #1 but never read it. Is that good? Anyone???

[pmpknface]

Also started the Mile Manara v. 2 collection. Man... this guys can draw! And I haven't even gotten to the females yet - I'm just talking realistic looking tall ships and things like that. Unreal!