What COMICS have you been reading? ARCHIVE

Good call on Black Sad! Speaking of European comics, how about Donjon or Trolls of Troy?

I'm reading everything I can get from Hellboy and BPRD (including Lobster Johnson and Witchfinder Edward Grey). I've never been disappointed in any of the stories yet, on the contrary the overall story arch is truly epic.

In addition I'm still enjoying all the Atomic Robo comics, which every Ameritrasher should find a great read, really.

Also great (and probably obvious): Fables and Jack of Fables.

Northlanders is pretty good as well, it's about grim Viking stories and most of them had interesting stories. And American Vampire is also worth a try, unless you're tired of vampires all together: Stephen King writing for a comic book.


Anyone here that has an opinion on Umbrella Academy? It's on my to-read list, but I'm not ready to take the plunge. In addition I should really finish Lone Wolf & Cub with books 21-28.

I don't have much time (or money for that matter) to devote to comics these days, but I've been cruising through Scott Pilgrim which is great. I will say though, that I like the movie more because they did such a great job with the music and crazy visuals that can't be in the comic format.

A friend of mine just put up a few page preview of his first book, it's kinda like Monster Squad. Silly 80s adventure monster fighting vibe...
Extinct click on the preview.

That Blacksad art looks amazing, but I'm always kinda weirded out by furry kinda art now that I've seen the dark side thanks to the internet. I would have totally thought anthro dudes were so cool, and then I saw pictures that you just can't unsee...

Schlupp wrote:

Northlanders is pretty good as well, it's about grim Viking stories and most of them had interesting stories.

I want to check this out. The cover art made it look appealing, plus I just finished a historical fiction book on Vikings so I'm into the time period. Is this based on actual stories or historical in any way?

Anyone here that has an opinion on Umbrella Academy? It's on my to-read list, but I'm not ready to take the plunge.

I didn't like it. OTOH, you can have my copy. It feels like a cute idea that turns out fairly predictably and uninteresting. Characterization is meh. Art is nice.

I liked Chew somewhat better but it feels like everything is condensed storywise. From panel to panel I felt like I skipped several steps.

In addition I should really finish Lone Wolf & Cub with books 21-28.

The ending is not a let down in any way.

I'm enjoying:
Twin Spica, a manga about a teenage girl who wants to go to space and her astronaut school mates. It's sweet and slow-paced.

Set to Sea, an indie comic by Drew Weing (who I love). It's about a unsuccesful poet who gets shanghaied. The art is great and I really like the book.

SleightOfHand12 wrote:

metalface13 wrote:

Amazon has the Scott Pilgrim books on sale for about $4 each right now, so I ordered the rest of the series.

Link, pretty please? I just sold some stuff on eBay and I'm dying to get rid of all this money.

www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=sear...ott+pilgrim&x=8&y=17

I've merged the two COMICS threads.

I read Walking Dead trade 12 earlier this week. I really like where this series has gone as far as the current group dynamic and their motivations towards others.

I picked the right time to bail on comics. I haven't been enjoying Marvel much for years, since around the time that Bendis disassembled the Avengers and then put them back together wrong. Now DC has promoted Bob Harras to Editor-in-Chief. Harras is the guy who was EiC at Marvel when they went bankrupt. He screwed up the Avengers and the X-Men, turning them both into unreadable crap. He also brought in highly-overrated questionable talent like Rob Liefeld. And he was directly involved with the Clone Saga fiasco in the Spider-titles.

I have been blessed with a library system with remarkable graphic novel purchasing. I have found a ton of stuff there that is really excellent. I don't have the patience to pick up titles form a store like I did as a collecting teenager.

I tried it a little while back and picked up Northlanders. Very disappointing.

Here are some of the ones I have picked up recently (past year)

Ex Machine- Great art, great story great concept.

Dark Tower- Only picked up the Gunslinger Born so far. Wizard in Glass is one of my all time favorite books becuase of the action, the setting and the fable-like quality. This tells the story with a scope missing from the book. It fills in some of the gaps that were intentional in the books. It loses some of the pathos in the process but still good. Art is great.

Starman- Honestly not enjoying these as much as I feel like I am supposed to but I find myself still picking them up.

Incognito was a good story but the art sucked.

Criminal on the other hand has been hands-down one of the most enjoyable reads in a comic I have had in years. Crime Noir not supers. It does a great job of translating that genre to comic form and reminding the reader that comics can and should be something more the super heroes.

Just picked up Freak Angels 1 by Ellis. Never really liked Ellis stuff all that much but this was enjoyable.

Not in the past year but enoyed enough tp purchase:
League of Extraordinary Gentleman 1 and 2 are great, I like the class of pulp lit from which they draw. The third is terrible.

Surprisingly, libraries are including larger graphic novel collections. I would really recommend checking yours out and seeing what they have. I got to read stuff I wouldn't have found otherwise- for example Ex Machina in my case. I enjoyed them so much I have been acquiring the Deluxe Versions. I plan to do the same with Criminal just to have my own copy

Stan Leer wrote:

Just picked up Freak Angels 1 by Ellis. Never really liked Ellis stuff all that much but this was enjoyable.

I liked reading Freak Angels at first, but at some point I felt like it became way too free form with no plot direction other than "Hey, we'll be back next week"...I like stories that end.

Stan Leer wrote:

Starman- Honestly not enjoying these as much as I feel like I am supposed to but I find myself still picking them up.

I was feeling the same way, so I gave up after the fifth trade or so. Just before he went into space. The art is kind of terrible at times, and sometimes the writing feels very forced.

Shellhead wrote:

And he was directly involved with the Clone Saga fiasco in the Spider-titles.

Fuck anyone involved in that right in their stupid asses.

I read the first volume of Ex Machina, but couldn't really get into it. Which is a shame because Brian K. Vaughan is probably my favorite comics writer. I really hope he starts doing more comics again now that lost is done with.

I enjoyed volume 1 of Ex Machina, except for the artwork, which looked like somebody traced a bunch of photographs. I will eventually read the whole thing.

Shellhead wrote:

I enjoyed volume 1 of Ex Machina, except for the artwork, which looked like somebody traced a bunch of photographs. I will eventually read the whole thing.

The artist did trace a bunch of reference photos, didn't you see them in the back of the book?

Ex Machina- I like the photorealistic look. Not being focused on the fantastic/super elements of the stroy, each comic is served by the dialogue and expressions on the faces which inform the politics and and personal interactions.

Starman art was really terrible at times. I have never been a gold age kinda guy but I actually found those segments the deepest and most enjoyable. It feels like theey are trying to cram in too many internal references to the "Starman" title.

I enjoyed it so much I'll mention it again- if you get a chance check out Criminal. Coward is great book with which to start.

RE: Vaugh- Funny thing is I have tried to read other Vaughn stuff namely Y and didn't like it as much as Ex Machina. I think I got through the 4th trade and just didn't care about the main character. I plan to read the rest but I am no running out to try to fin them right now.

I got my girlfriend started on comics with Y the Last Man. I figured after one issue, she would either like it or hate it. I was wrong. She loved it. She stayed up all night reading the first 56 issues and then was very annoyed to learn that the last four issues weren't out yet. Overall, she enjoyed it, though she was disappointed by the fate of her favorite character.