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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2021 17:57:05 GMT -5
Read the "zero" volume of Thorgal this afternoon, collecting the first 2 published stories in the Thorgal cycle. The English translations started with Thorgal's youth and told the story in character chronological story I guess, but these two tales were the first Thorgal tales published, but the English translations skipped them initially. They were later published as Vol. 0 of the English translations by Cinebook. I quite enjoyed them. I have one volume in my library (The Archers, vol. 4 I think) that I flipped through when I picked it up at a warehouse sale for a buck a few years ago, but I hadn't read any of the series before. I was intrigued by what I saw in The Archers, but wanted to start at the beginning. I noticed that Hoopla had all the Cinebook volumes when browsing for the new month, so decided to jump in on this one. I quite enjoyed it. It's Viking era sword and sorcery fare, with a touch of sci-fi thrown in (spoilers for a character origin but I also got a bit of a Jack Katz First Kingdom vibe from that element of it). I liked the art both aesthetically and in terms of visual storytelling, I liked the stories, dug the characters (I have a new nominee for the 12 days for Christmas possibly), and overall liked the first two adventures quite a bit. I already borrowed Vol. 1 and will dive into that soon. -M
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 1, 2021 19:00:36 GMT -5
I’m up to The Forever People #8. It’s so nuts. I was looking at Mike’s Amazing World, and it says that The Forever People never appeared again after the last issue of The Forever People. That can’t be right! Can it? My memory sucks, but I'm almost positive I read a post-Kirby appearance by the Forever People somewhere. Maybe in the 80's? I sure miss comicdb.com! They definitely pop up now and then... I feel like I just read something with them in it that I was surprised about, but I don't recall what. edit: checked on Comic vine.. it was a cameo in Suicide Squad... looks like they were featured in a 2 part Young Justice story though. (because a few random appearances in 4th world related books)
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Post by commond on Dec 1, 2021 21:18:27 GMT -5
I've been reading quite a lot of stuff, but nothing that makes me want to read it every single day.
I'm slowly working my way through the early Sgt. Rock stories in Our Army at War. I like the art, and I like the Sarge, but the stories are repetitive. It feels like I've read the same three stories half a dozen times. I've also been reading Doom Patrol and Metal Men in small doses. They're the type of quirky Silver Age titles I enjoy, but I can't read more than an issue per week because of how repetitive the stories are, not to mention the attitude that Doc Magnus has toward women.
I began reading Planetary because it's on the CBR Top 100 list. I found it a bit smug at first, largely because I find Warren Ellis to be a bit smug, but it's slowly growing on me. I don't particularly care about all of the references to other comic books, but I do like a good mystery, and the art is impressive. I also began reading Ennis and Dillion's Punisher mini-series because it's on the same list. I don't know why I keep expecting something of substance from the Punisher. I should just accept it as an action flick. I thought Ennis would bring more to the table, but all he brought was a body count, and some of his worse traits from Hellblazer and Preacher, which usually involve mutilation. The part with the zoo animals was moronic to me.
I was inspired recently to read Lone Wolf & Cub again. It's certainly a great work of art, though personally I have had my fill of Samurai stories. Flaming Carrot is a lot of fun. That's probably the best title I'm reading at the moment. I love Bob Burden's offbeat sense of humour. The book has some great one liners in it. Mr.X is also good. I was disappointed that the Hernandez brothers left so soon, but Love and Rockets is one of my all-time favorite comic book series, so I guess it was for the greater good.
I've been struggling to get into Grimjack despite liking the creators involved but I'm persevering with it for the time being. I started a re-read of Ostrander's Spectre as well, and that's not holding up as well as I remembered, so perhaps I am not as fond of Ostrander as I thought.
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Post by spoon on Dec 1, 2021 21:50:38 GMT -5
I read Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale. I liked the retcon of the Krona story, because the "moral" of that story is pretty messed up. Other than that, it's a well-drawn story with some interesting power ring constructs, but not anything that really wowwed me. I had stopped reading Green Lantern by this point, so I'm not sure how well in fits into the Green Lantern continuity.
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Post by profh0011 on Dec 1, 2021 23:30:54 GMT -5
What got me was HOW on Earth did DC get LARRY NIVEN to write a GREEN LANTERN story?
From its debut, the Hal Jordan GL series has too often been a "sci-fi" story where science-fiction was pushed to the side in favor of 5th-rate super-villains...
That does seem to have changed since "REBIRTH". Although, I got bored and lost track of things (again) some ways into the "Sinestro War" (or whatever it was-- how many times can they keep bringing the SAME villains back from the dead?).
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 2, 2021 9:41:33 GMT -5
Batman #364
Published in 1983, it's part of the pre-Crisis Moench-Newton-Alcala run. Somehow the Batman books made it to my hometown a little more often that other American comics, and I have a handful of those... I really liked the creative team and the tone of the title. I even liked the pre-Crisis Jason Todd as a potential replacement for Robin!
Here, no secret crime empire, no kryptonite missiles on the moon, no cutting off the faces of people... Just a burglar who uses stage make-up to disguise himself. Yes, there was a time Batman caught burglars! Those were more innocent days, but no less interesting for all that.
A funny thing happens at one point: the burglar, who calls himself Chimera, is caught red-handed in a house he thought deserted (a teenager with the flu was still present, it turns out). Chimera provides his name: "Call me Chimera, Punk..." and then helpfully explains "pronounced Ky-meer-uh"!
I wonder how many people bother to explain how to pronounce a word they have just said out loud.
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Post by badwolf on Dec 2, 2021 10:23:09 GMT -5
I have finished the Swamp Thing Bronze Age Omnibus.
The first dozen issues (plus the proto-Swampy in House of Secrets) by Wein and Wrightson are great! They carry over the HoS vibe and incorporate it into an ongoing story.
Michelinie did a good job of keeping the spirit going, I thought. More great art by Redondo, not as dark as Wrightson but very nice. Conway is good for the most part, except for the last couple issues where he brought in a silly costumed villain for some reason.
The first series ends with a major development which is completely forgotten/ignored when the second series begins. Apparently the missing bit was covered in Challengers of the Unknown, which I'll probably never get to read.
Pasko's run goes pretty well for a while but boy does the story drag on and on, and make less sense the further it goes. More great art from Tom Yeates though. There's a two-part story by Dan Mishkin and the Hampton brothers that was like a breath of fresh air, and then it's back to Pasko. Bissette & Totleben take over the art. They are great with the grotesque but not so good with normal people. I think they get better though.
The book finishes with the adaptation of the awful Wes Craven film. Why did they waste Bruce Jones on this? He should have been writing the regular book.
4/5 because the earlier part of the book outweights the latter.
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Post by MDG on Dec 2, 2021 12:54:36 GMT -5
I have finished the Swamp Thing Bronze Age Omnibus. The first dozen issues (plus the proto-Swampy in House of Secrets) by Wein and Wrightson are great! They carry over the HoS vibe and incorporate it into an ongoing story. .... The first series ends with a major development which is completely forgotten/ignored when the second series begins. Apparently the missing bit was covered in Challengers of the Unknown, which I'll probably never get to read. Do they include the unpublished last issue that co-stars Hawkman? Not sure it was ever printed, but I've seen original pages from it. Pasko's run goes pretty well for a while but boy does the story drag on and on, and make less sense the further it goes.... The book finishes with the adaptation of the awful Wes Craven film. Why did they waste Bruce Jones on this? He should have been writing the regular book. When I re-read Pasko's run (years ago) I liked it better than off the stands, but never felt it was great.
I have the whole second series up to when Moore leaves, but never pulled the trigger on the movie adaptation. I think that was Annual #1.
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Post by badwolf on Dec 2, 2021 13:10:43 GMT -5
I have finished the Swamp Thing Bronze Age Omnibus. The first dozen issues (plus the proto-Swampy in House of Secrets) by Wein and Wrightson are great! They carry over the HoS vibe and incorporate it into an ongoing story. .... The first series ends with a major development which is completely forgotten/ignored when the second series begins. Apparently the missing bit was covered in Challengers of the Unknown, which I'll probably never get to read. Do they include the unpublished last issue that co-stars Hawkman? Not sure it was ever printed, but I've seen original pages from it. Pasko's run goes pretty well for a while but boy does the story drag on and on, and make less sense the further it goes.... The book finishes with the adaptation of the awful Wes Craven film. Why did they waste Bruce Jones on this? He should have been writing the regular book. When I re-read Pasko's run (years ago) I liked it better than off the stands, but never felt it was great.
I have the whole second series up to when Moore leaves, but never pulled the trigger on the movie adaptation. I think that was Annual #1.
Yes it is the first annual.
No, it doesn't include the Hawkman issue, though there is still a next issue blurb about it.
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 2, 2021 14:55:10 GMT -5
I finished The Forever People TPB.
Love it!
I requested Volume One of Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus and it’s already at the library. That was fast! I’m going to pick it up now and I’ll probably start it tonight.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 9,627
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Post by Confessor on Dec 2, 2021 17:23:23 GMT -5
I've been re-reading some D.R. and Quinch by Alan Moore for the first time since I was about 13 or 14, I guess. Boy, it really does not hold up well at all. I mean, I can totally see why I liked it so much back as a kid because it is very much written to appeal to young, wise-ass teenagers who think they're cool. But I'm in my late 40s now and it's just tedious rubbish. It's not the strip that has changed: it's me.
Very nice art by Alan Davis though.
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Post by berkley on Dec 2, 2021 18:27:58 GMT -5
I've been re-reading some D.R. and Quinch by Alan Moore for the first time since I was about 13 or 14, I guess. Boy, it really does not hold up well at all. I mean, I can totally see why I liked it so much back as a kid because it is very much written to appeal to young, wise-ass teenagers who think they're cool. But I'm in my late 40s now and it's just tedious rubbish. It's not the strip that has changed: it's me. Very nice art by Alan Davis though. Yeah, I read it for the first time a year or two ago when I was going through a lot of 2000AD stuff. I didn't hate it but probably one the least memorable things by Moore I've come across. I think my favourite story was the Hollywood one because everyone else was such an arsehole that the title characters were less annoying than usual.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Dec 2, 2021 20:38:05 GMT -5
I have finished the Swamp Thing Bronze Age Omnibus. The first dozen issues (plus the proto-Swampy in House of Secrets) by Wein and Wrightson are great! They carry over the HoS vibe and incorporate it into an ongoing story. .... The first series ends with a major development which is completely forgotten/ignored when the second series begins. Apparently the missing bit was covered in Challengers of the Unknown, which I'll probably never get to read. Do they include the unpublished last issue that co-stars Hawkman? Not sure it was ever printed, but I've seen original pages from it. Pasko's run goes pretty well for a while but boy does the story drag on and on, and make less sense the further it goes.... The book finishes with the adaptation of the awful Wes Craven film. Why did they waste Bruce Jones on this? He should have been writing the regular book. When I re-read Pasko's run (years ago) I liked it better than off the stands, but never felt it was great.
I have the whole second series up to when Moore leaves, but never pulled the trigger on the movie adaptation. I think that was Annual #1.
Have you read the run that Rick Veitch wrote? I think it stacks up pretty well against a lot of Moore's run and is better than the last year or so of Moore on the book (I felt he'd run out of steam). The down-side is that Veitch's run got truncated by editorial fiat, which also cost us a run by Neil Gaiman.
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Post by MDG on Dec 3, 2021 9:52:40 GMT -5
Have you read the run that Rick Veitch wrote? I think it stacks up pretty well against a lot of Moore's run and is better than the last year or so of Moore on the book (I felt he'd run out of steam). The down-side is that Veitch's run got truncated by editorial fiat, which also cost us a run by Neil Gaiman. I read them as they were coming out, but just for a while. TBH, after 60 or so issues, I think I was just getting tired of the character.
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Post by badwolf on Dec 3, 2021 10:04:44 GMT -5
Another thing about that Swamp Thing run... I never realized how many hidden secret villages there were around!
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