Comic books

[Kublakhan61]

tjc.com's message board. For an even more scholastic read head over to the http://hoodedutilitarian.blogspot.com/ - mental masturbation for the academic CB reader.

[Kibblesmith]

Awwwesome. I totally forgot about TCJ. I can feel the graphite under my fingernails already.

What about for poppy-er stuff? Make Mine Marvel, etc.

Also, podcasts? I really don't want to have to make one myself.

[waltkellysghost]

I'm halfway through Blankets. It reads like an indie Dawson's Crick drawn in the style of For Better or For Worse. The writing is getting pretty pretentious and it's my 4th graphic novel in a row where the main character has been an awkward weenie. But it's the highest rated comic on my whole Amazon list. Should I continue to the end?

The modern indy style is not without its own stereotypes. The "awkward weenie" is one of them.

[Eric Fishlegs]

Awwwesome. I totally forgot about TCJ. I can feel the graphite under my fingernails already.

What about for poppy-er stuff? Make Mine Marvel, etc.

Also, podcasts? I really don't want to have to make one myself.

For comics podcasts I like-  http://warrocketajax.com/ (which is actually the first place I ever heard about The Best Show for whatever that's worth. They get off topic sometimes but... I say listen to the most recent episode featuring Nate Cosby because it's pretty represetative of their typical episode. If you like it listen to more. If not then don't.

http://awesomedbycomics.blogspot.com/   The hosts (a husband and wife which makes for some good chemistry) basically discuss the comic that came out that week that they enjoyed.



There are others, but those are my 2 favorites.

[Rick in Salt Lake]

the last comic I'll ever love.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Sim/ Gerhard's opus. I'm not sure how enjoyable I'd say it is but its achievement cannot be denied.

I've been giving his current work "Glamourpuss" a shot, but so far it seems too unfocused, almost like it's more Sim's sketch tracing book than anything. At least that's how it seems from the first few issues.

I'm considering reading "Bone" or going back through my old issues of "Tales from the Beanworld"...

[cutout]

I'm halfway through Blankets. It reads like an indie Dawson's Crick drawn in the style of For Better or For Worse. The writing is getting pretty pretentious and it's my 4th graphic novel in a row where the main character has been an awkward weenie. But it's the highest rated comic on my whole Amazon list. Should I continue to the end?

The modern indy style is not without its own stereotypes. The "awkward weenie" is one of them.

I'm definitely learning that. I'm also 35 and maybe not the intended audience. It's also supply and demand. Some people love melancholy comics with self-pitying characters like they love melancholy music with a self-pitying singer (guilty). I was just surprised after being out of comics for 20 years that when I picked up a bunch of recent books from the indy comics canon, literally every lead character was a sad bastard with female troubles. That seems like an archetype (like the all-American superhero) that would get old after awhile.

[Rick in Salt Lake]

I was just surprised after being out of comics for 20 years that when I picked up a bunch of recent books from the indy comics canon, literally every lead character was a sad bastard with female troubles.

That is to say they're all like Buddy Bradley?

[snogrog]

Just started reading Planetary. Loving it to death. I got the two Absolute Editions because I am a HUGE fan of Cassaday's work. I cannot believe people had to wait like, 11 years for this to finish. i would never have been able to make sense of it with months or a year between issues. But as a whole? Wonderful. about 10 more issues to go.

I've wanted to do a comic podcast for a long time just never knew anybody else that really followed comics. If there's one thing I can talk about on end it's comics (and tv...).

I'm getting to the point where I haven't bought comics in 3 months and I really don't miss the singles that much. Is this what growing up feels like?

[snogrog]

Finished Planetary. Loved it.

Just finished the first five issue arc of Black Widow by Marjorie Liu and Daniel Acuna and it ruled. Very good espionage comic and while I usually dislike Acuna's art, it fit the story perfectly and he really knocked it out of the park.

About to go back and read a lof of the Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four run. Excited!

[Cotton]

Has anyone else read Jeff Lemire's Superboy? I'm really excited for how this might turn out.

Oh, and Criminal is back!

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

In the last couple of months I went from spending upwards of $100 a month on individual comics to getting everything from the library.  There are a few things I'll probably have to buy as trade paperbacks because the library doesn't have everything, but it'll be a while before I run out of comics.  I've even reread a few things I bought individually (specifically Grant Morrison's Final Crisis and Batman & Robin to see if they were any easier to follow.  They weren't really).  My local branch also has most of the Walking Dead series so I might check that out.

I miss my Wednesday ritual a little, but I really don't miss spending all that money and having to figure out what to do with hundreds of magazines I'll probably never read again.

Other comics read this way, with capsule reviews:

-Dan Clowes' Wilson, which was okay, but it feels like he's phoning it in a little.
-Brian Michael Bendis' House of M, which was also okay, but it has that problem of Bendis' where it feels like you're reading the minutes from a bunch of endless superhero meetings.
-A couple of editions from Carla Speed McNeil's Finder series, which is really good, kind of a cross between Love & Rockets and Fables, and is actually pretty hard to find.
-FOT Matt Fraction's Dark Avengers/X-Men: Utopia.  Good stuff!

[Steve of Bloomington]

I just read 'Logicomix', which is about Bertrand Russell, Wittgenstein, Von Neumann, Gödel, that whole gang. I very much liked it as a fan of Bertrand Russell. It acknowledges the 'mathematicians are all insane' stereotype, but doesn't wallow in it (still - many of the major characters: insane). Mostly it's a pretty straight re-telling of the story, with some discussion from the authors/artists along the way.

[fonpr]

'mathematicians are all insane' 

I telling Crazy Dave about this.

[redsplitwig]

This fall I starting reading Geoff Johns' Green Lantern run.  Started with Rebirth and just now getting into Blackest Night.  It's much better than I had imagined it being.  This is a very focused series and, other than a few digressions, it stays on the single driving story all the way through.  Pretty good read.
I'm usually a Marvel or indie guy, but catching up on the DC stuff has been fun.  I read a bunch of Grant Morrison's Batman this summer as well as Final Crisis.  Weird and not all good, but still fun.
Has anyone read Promethea by Alan Moore and JH Williams III?  I'm a big fan of Williams artwork, but I don't have many books he's done other than some Batman, Batwoman, and Desolation Jones.
Thanks for the great thread!

[Bryan]

I read a bunch of Promethea, and I didn't love it, despite generally being a fan of Alan Moore. It reminded me a lot of Sandman in that it serves as a survey of mythology and half-baked philosophy. If you're the kind of person who likes to use the word "magick" it will be right up your alley.

Alan Moore has earned the right to do whatever he wants, but as far as his work from that era, I prefer Tom Tomorrow, and the pulpier, more fun stories.