Reading random comics

**icctrombone** · 01-20-2013, 10:08 PM

I usually read a small run of books at a time. The exception is when I go to a comic show and I will read what i pickup. Just read JBNM, Teen Titans, and Turok. That's pretty random. If I buy them and file them away, it could be years or never til I get to them.

**hondobrode** · 01-20-2013, 11:03 PM

I'm going to start doing this more often.

I like the idea.

Anyway, I pulled one at random off a stack. It worked out well that it's a one-shot from the Vertigo Voices imprint called The Eaters by Peter Milligan and Dean Ormston.

There's practically not such a thing as a bad Vertigo read, just that some are better than others, so, with that and faith in Milligan, I opened this to be introduced to the Quill's, an average middle-class American family who just happen to consume human flesh, as they snack their way across America. It's a black comedy of disturbing appetites and terrifying consequences.

This would make a good R-rated movie.

In fact, I'd like to see a return of the characters.

The Quill's are a close-knit clan, who live in the small town of Churchill. They were just regular folks who went to church on Sunday, worried about the educational system, and doing their best to raise their kids with tradational values.

There was just one catch : the Quill's were "eaters" (the term cannibals was quite derogatory and rude).

Granted, this did save them a lot of money on their grocery bills, but it did lead to certain complications. One is that the teenage daughter had a hard time with boyfriends, seeing as how the family always wound up killing them and eating them.

Trouble innocently came along when the Apple Pie Inc salesman awarded them their Family of the Year award. You can guess what happens there. His sales partner comes looking for him, and not immediately, but eventually, figures out what happens and seeks revenge, though he did quite like the "pork" dinner they shared with him.

The Quill's load up the Winnebago they've won, to go see, and taste, across this great America, and maybe drop into San Diego to see an old friend from their ballooning adventures years ago.

Disturbing, but funny, and Ormston's art works very well here too.

**thwhtGuardian** · 01-21-2013, 08:48 AM

That's kind of funny as I picked a Peter Milligan story as well today, Batman #452. I've never read The Eaters but that looks pretty interesting and I love Milligan's work.

This will sound a bit like a broken record but my favorite part of Batman# 452 is the cover by Mike Mignola. That isn't to be taken as I think the story is rubbish or anything, Dark Knight, Dark City is one of my favorite story lines but man the covers are great!

**hondobrode** · 01-21-2013, 10:24 AM

Funny, I remembered exactly the cover you're talking about. It must've made an impression on me too !

I've heard about Dark City a lot the last few years and am going to get it read, darn it.

**thwhtGuardian** · 01-21-2013, 10:35 AM

It's a pretty interesting story featuring the Riddler and a lot of Gotham's past, and it is one of the inspirations for Grant Morrison's Batman run.

**hondobrode** · 01-21-2013, 12:48 PM

Sounds great !

**Chris N** · 01-22-2013, 07:04 AM

Was that three random Milligan picks in a row? Spooky.

I love Milligan, but have not read the Eaters. I will rectify this. And I generally loved Milligan's Batman work, with Dark Knight Dark City perhaps being among the best of it.

My pick for last night Inhumans #11, the 2003-2004 series. Part of why I'm doing this is to remind myself of things. I realize I have a terrible recall for the comics I read as they came out monthly. I recall this series and the premise of Inhumans as exchange students, but no details. I'm pretty sure I read this issue 8 years ago when it came out, but you can't tell by how familiar any of it seems.

I love the Inhumans. Jenkins' work is where my love of them began, and Sean McKeever (always a solid writer, I find) makes of his class of next generation Inhumans through a combination of new characters and Jenkins' characters.

Conveniently, this is from when Marvel had decided to make the opening page a recap page, with a description of the story so far, and a list of all the character.

This issue, part 3 of a 4 part story, focuses on a wealthy man whose son is dying, and tells the story of all the attempts he's made to save his son, which has led us to where the issue picks up, where his hitman has kidnapped an Inhuman and killed her boyfriend. We see his story, the story of the scientists who are failing to solve the mystery of her genetic code-- men with competing notions of morality-- and the story of the Inhumans searching for their lost comrade.

A good issue. Definitely worth the remembering.

**Chris N** · 01-22-2013, 07:24 AM

So far, I'm pleased with this experiment. And the gods of chance have done a good job giving me a mix of terrible (Spawn), unremarkable (Birds of Prey), pretty solid (Inhumans), quite good (Spectre), and amazing (X-Statix). Two I'd never read, two I didn't recall well, and one I know and love.

**Chris N** · 01-22-2013, 08:16 AM

While waiting for my car windshield to be replaced, I have time for today's pick:

52 #42, by an assortment of people. I assume people are basically familar with (or absolutely indifferent to) DC's weekly title telling the story of a year, by several writers and starring several characers. The first two pages of this story are part of Montoya's path to becoming the Question. The rest is dedicated to the story of the Elongated Man. It's the twist reveal part of the detective story, where the detective reveals he's been on top of things for a while, and renarrates the story so far and all the clues he had noticed as to who the villain was. We thought Elongated Man had been on a desperate attempt to get his wife back from the dead. But in reality, he was planning to join her, sacrificing himself to stop a couple mystic villains.

This era of DC is what it is. The forums on the whole have stronger opinions about it than I do. It is fueled by nostalgically mining DC's history, but with fun replaced with rape and sadness. I'm an outsider to the DC universe. My love is Marvel, and I've picked around the DC universe out of a general interest in comic books and superheroes, and latched onto a few concepts/runs I liked, but don't have any strong emotional ties to most of the characters. Elongated Man is on the list of characters I just don't know well. I can imagine that to Elongated Man fans, this "death of Elongated Man" issue falls pretty flat. But you would need to ask them. Personally, I give the issue a shrug. Neither excited nor offended by it.

**Aaron King** · 01-22-2013, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by Chris N

This era of DC is what it is. The forums on the whole have stronger opinions about it than I do. It is fueled by nostalgically mining DC's history, but with fun replaced with rape and sadness. I'm an outsider to the DC universe. My love is Marvel, and I've picked around the DC universe out of a general interest in comic books and superheroes, and latched onto a few concepts/runs I liked, but don't have any strong emotional ties to most of the characters. Elongated Man is on the list of characters I just don't know well. I can imagine that to Elongated Man fans, this "death of Elongated Man" issue falls pretty flat. But you would need to ask them. Personally, I give the issue a shrug. Neither excited nor offended by it.

I thought that most of 52 was an attempt to move away from the violence of Infinite Crisis. There were some touches of violence and weird grossness (parts of the Black Adam story, Ralph's "Wicker Wife"), but I blame most of that on Johns. I enjoyed Ralph's eventual ending in 52, and I also liked the outer space story, the Question story, and the Metal Men/island of mad scientist aspects.

**hondobrode** · 01-22-2013, 10:23 AM

I remember really liking that Inhumans series. Jae Lee on art was perfectly suited too.

**thwhtGuardian** · 01-22-2013, 01:55 PM

Ha, I didn't even notice your Milligan pick Chris, that's an odd coincidence to say the least.

Today's pick was The Strange Case of Doctor Hyde #3(and 1,2 and 4) by Cole Haddon and M.S. Corley. Published in 2011 by Dark Horse this was a comic book that was simultaneously a sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," and a twist on the real-life case of the serial killer called Jack the Ripper with bits of Silence of the Lambs and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen thrown in for good measure.

**adam_warlock_2099** · 01-22-2013, 04:40 PM

I can dig this. Especially with a hold on purchasing new ones, this will give me something to entertain myself with. Today was a long 12 hour day and if anything the wife and I are going to try and play some RE6 together. But I'll give it a shot tomorrow, if not for sure the weekend.

**dupersuper** · 01-22-2013, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by Chris N

While waiting for my car windshield to be replaced, I have time for today's pick:

52 #42, by an assortment of people. I assume people are basically familar with (or absolutely indifferent to) DC's weekly title telling the story of a year, by several writers and starring several characers. The first two pages of this story are part of Montoya's path to becoming the Question. The rest is dedicated to the story of the Elongated Man. It's the twist reveal part of the detective story, where the detective reveals he's been on top of things for a while, and renarrates the story so far and all the clues he had noticed as to who the villain was. We thought Elongated Man had been on a desperate attempt to get his wife back from the dead. But in reality, he was planning to join her, sacrificing himself to stop a couple mystic villains.

This era of DC is what it is. The forums on the whole have stronger opinions about it than I do. It is fueled by nostalgically mining DC's history, but with fun replaced with rape and sadness. I'm an outsider to the DC universe. My love is Marvel, and I've picked around the DC universe out of a general interest in comic books and superheroes, and latched onto a few concepts/runs I liked, but don't have any strong emotional ties to most of the characters. Elongated Man is on the list of characters I just don't know well. I can imagine that to Elongated Man fans, this "death of Elongated Man" issue falls pretty flat. But you would need to ask them. Personally, I give the issue a shrug. Neither excited nor offended by it.

I always liked Ralph, and - while I'd obviously prefer he and Sue still alive - this was a pretty awesome way for him to go out.