I Read Comic Books discussion
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What are you reading right now?
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What are you reading right now? (March 2021)
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Last week's adventures in comics.
Heavy Vol. 1 ★★This comic is an absolute mess.
Money Shot, Vol. 1 ★★★★A sex comedy about a group of scientists who turn to porn to fund their trips to other planets after funding dries up.
Money Shot, Vol. 2 ★★Vol. 2 adds a Trump like president and a complicated story that's hard to follow.
Villainous ★★★Flips the script on who the heroes and villains are. Good idea but poor execution.
Vampire: The Masquerade Volume 1 ★★★★A solid comic based in the world of the RPG about an enforcer for the vampire clan of Minneapolis / St. Paul.
The Collected Toppi Vol.5: The Eastern Path ★★★★These short stories by a legendary Italian artist are great. I love these collections.
Waluk: The Great Journey ★★★Stories following a young polar bear, Waluk, and his mentor, Eskimo, as they traverse the Arctic.
A Man Among Ye, Vol. 1 ★★★A fun, pirate adventure story featuring Anne Bonny and Mary Read.
Sera and the Royal Stars Vol. 2 ★★Audrey Mok's art is great but it can't carry this fetch quest of a story.
Shadowman by Andy Diggle Deluxe Edition ★★★★The Shadowman is the latest descendant of the Boniface line, bonded with a Loa, he protects New Orleans.
Dead Day ★★★★On Dead Day, the dead return to their families for the night. They are not traditional zombies per se. They still have their memories and aren't thirsting for brains. The story revolves around one family and how a dead loved one is looking for revenge.
Manhunter by Archie Goodwin and Walter Simonson Deluxe Edition ★★★★In 1973, Archie Goodwin teamed up with new artist Walt Simonson on a groundbreaking story told in the 8-page backup stories of Detective Comics.
Lucifer, Vol. 4: The Devil At Heart ★★★Lucifer has had enough and decides to end it all.
Legion of Super-Heroes: Before the Darkness Vol. 1 ★★★★DC may have picked the world's worst cover for this trade but I love this era of the Legion of Super-Heroes but I love this era of LSH.
Anti/Hero ★★★★This was comics for kids done right.
Batman, Vol. 2: The Joker War ★★★★The Joker steals Bruce Wayne's money and uses it to wreak havoc on Gotham.
Wow, so much great reading, Chad!After Marauders I kept going with more Dawn of X titles. Made my way through X-Men (Hickman), Vol. 1, Excalibur, Vol. 1, New Mutants by Hickman, Vol. 1 and New Mutants by Brisson, Vol. 1. Overall pretty good stuff! Hickman's New Mutants was a surprise favorite but Marauders is still my fave overall.
I also read Noir: A Collection of Crime Comics for last month's BoTM (meh), and two Reading Challenge books - Spinning by Tillie Walden and Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer. Both were great but I'm especially in love with Cosmoknights. Absolutely adored it.
My reading week:-Batman, vol. 4: Zero Year
-Genshiken Omni, vol. 3
-I'll Win You Over, Sempai, vol. 1
-My Love Story, vols. 6-8
-Tract
-You Got Me, Sempai, vols. 4-5
Chad wrote: "... The Collected Toppi Vol.5: The Eastern Path ★★★★These short stories by a legendary Italian artist are great. I love these collections...."
I've only read The Collector. That was my first introduction to his work. While I appreciate the art, I really don't care for the story.
This week's LCS trip. Lots of new number ones since I had a small pull list this week.Thunderbolts: King in Black #3
BRZRKR #1 <-- Keanu Reeves wrote a comic. Sort of Matt Kindt more than likely did all the work.
Suicide Squad #1
The Plot #8
Hellions #10 <-- This had a parental advisory. Now I'm curious.
Fire Power #9
Infinite Frontier #0 <-- DC setting the table for post Future State
Wiccan and Hulking: King in Black #1
Demon Days: X-Men #1 <-- Peach Momoko doing a samurai version of the X-Men
The Swamp Thing #1
Nocterra #1 <-- Scott Snyder and Troy Daniel's new horror comic
Mod
- Mike: Waves, The Firelight Isle, Vol. 2: The Nameless Dark
- Kait: The End of Summer, Snapdragon
- Nick: Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy #6, Haha #1, Black Hammer: Visions #1
Check out the episode to hear what we thought.
Last week's adventures in comics.
Aquaman Vol. 4 Echoes of A Life Lived Well ★★★★Aquaman's current run ends with a wedding and Ocean Master making another play for Atlantis.
Hawkman, Vol. 4 Hawks Eternal ★★★★A good end to a great resurrection of Hawkman.
Strange Academy: First Class ★★★★Hogwarts set on Earth-616. The magical characters of the Marvel universe start a school for magical kids.
Green Lantern: Circle of Fire ★★★Some old Kyle Rayner GL comics by Brian K. Vaughan and Judd Winnick.
Ragnarök, Vol. 3: The Breaking of Helheim ★★★★Walt Simonson's Metal take on Thor continues.
Old Man Quill, Vol. 1: Nobody's Fault but My Own ★★★★This was a fine addition to Marvel's Old Man universe. Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy come to Earth to find a weapon to stop the Universal Church.
Black Widow: Welcome To The Game ★★★A darker espionage take on Black Widow with some subpar art. Yes I know it's Bill Sienkiewicz but his finishes on someone else's pencils aren't great.
Shadow Service Vol. 1 ★★★★Spycraft meets witchcraft as a witch / private investigator is recruited into MI666. I'm loving this comic.
Dry Foot ★★Four Latino teenagers in 80's Miami decide to rob a drug dealer in this poorly paced comic.
Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Rift ★★★★Team Avatar heads to an area sacred to Air Nation only to find it has been industrialized. Now Aang has to do with an angry spirit who was promised the land would remain unclaimed.
Avatar: The Last Airbender: Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy ★★★Toph grows bored with her staid life teaching classes. This isn't very exciting.
Breaklands Season One: The Chase ★★Mad Max meets the X-Men. In an apocalyptic future, everyone has powers except for Kasa. When her brother is kidnapped, she must track him down.
The Complete Emily the Strange: All Things Strange ★Little interludes with Goth kid Emily about how bored she is. After reading her stories I can identify with her.
Dragon Age: The First Five Graphic Novels ★★★★These comics built around the edges of the Dragon Age games are surprisingly solid.
Mod
- Mike: SFSX (Safe Sex), Vol. 1: Protection
- Kara: Scarlet Witch, Vol. 1: Witches' Road
- Nick: BRZRKR #1 Star Wars, Vol. 12: Rebels and Rogues
Check out the episode to hear what we thought.
--
I also read Hellions #8 last night and that series continues to be the best Dawn of X book... it's wacky and wonderful all at once without being too campy and weird. I love it.
Today's trip to the LCS.American Vampire: 1976 #6
X-Factor #8
Strange Academy #9
Serial #2
Scout's Honor #3
Resident Alien: Your Ride's Here #4
The Goon #13
Eternals #3
The Autumnal #5
Sweet Tooth: The Return #5
Wolverine: Black, White & Blood #4
Children of the Atom #1
The Joker #1
Batman: Urban Legends #1
Deadpool Nerdy Thirty
Rorschach #6
Reading update:
X-Men by Jonathan Hickman, Vol. 2
Heathen, Vol. 3
Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling
I read this comics last weekCaptain America: Winter Soldier, Volume 1
Iron Man: Extremis
Batman, Volume 13: City of Bane, Part 2
Uncanny X-Men: Wolverine and Cyclops, Vol. 1
Uncanny X-Men: Wolverine and Cyclops, Vol. 2
Star Wars: Darth Maul - Death Sentence
A lot of classic stuff, it was a good week!
I re-read all of Fatale from Brubaker and Phillips last week. It actually wasn't as good as I remembered it being. It was one of the first creator owned series I read when I got back into comics a decade or so ago and having read better work from Brubaker and Phillips since, I'm pretty comfortable saying it was just alright all these years later.
Last week's light comic book reading.
Colonel Weird: Cosmagog ★★★★★Tyler Crook's art is stunning in this wonderfully told story of a man unstuck in time.
The World of Black Hammer: Library Edition, Volume 2 ★★★★The art in Black Hammer '45 by Matt Kindt is pretty awful. The Quantum Age is a far superior ode to Legion of Super-Heroes.
The Only Living Girl #1: The Island at the Edge of Infinity ★★★In this sequel to The Only Living Boy graphic novels for kids, Zee awakens in this weird amalgam world of her father's creation.
The Keeper, Vol. 1: The Angel of Malta ★★★James Bond joins the Priesthood.
Streamliner 2: All-In Day ★★★★Rockabilly racing at its best.
John Carpenter Presents Storm Kids: Grimms Town Terror Tales Rise of the Candy Creeper ★★★A middle school comic updating the Hansel and Gretel story as monster fighters.
Aster of Pan ★★★Post-apocalypse dodgeball.
Books of Magic, Vol. 3: Dwelling in Possibility ★★★★David Barnett comes on board to tie up the loose ends of the book for the last 5 issues. His writing is really good, so this book is at its best just as it ends.
TKO Shorts #1: Seeds of Eden ★★★When the creator for a self sustaining space station visits for the first time, things take an unsettling turn. I hadn't even realized TKO had put out 3 one shots.
TKO Shorts #3: Night Train ★★★★A quick little horror story about a baby that just won't quit crying and an older brother that hasn't slept in days.
Fantastic Four: Grand Design ★I expected the FF version of Ed Piskor's work on the X-Men. Instead I got the Black Panther joining up with four other colored panthers (including Shuri as the Pink Panther) to form Voltron to fight Galactus.
Dungeons & Dragons: Infernal Tides ★★★★★Jim Zub and Max Dunbar return to their heroes of Baldur's Gate. This was great!
The Seeds ★★Even some interesting artwork by David Aja couldn't save this mess of a story by Ann Nocenti.
Catwoman Vol. 4: Come Home, Alley Cat ★★★★Catwoman returns to Gotham. I really like Ram V.'s writing.
Noir: A Collection of Crime Comics ★★★★As with any anthology there's good and bad. Highlights are the Criminal story and the Brian Azzarello story.
The Joker War Saga ★★★The Joker War itself I gave 4 stars but the way these tie-in stories are inserted interrupt the main story. I suggest reading those in the collections for those books instead.
X-Men: Misfits ★A vapid tween reimagining of the Xavier school where it's a manga about Kitty Pryde being the only girl at a school of hot boys. Completely awful and boring.
21: The Story of Roberto Clemente ★★★I found the art style interesting but felt the author didn't spend nearly enough time on Clemente's career or humanitarian causes.
Age of X-Man: The Marvelous X-Men ★★The X-Men meet Brave New World. Ultimately, this story was REALLY boring. Nothing at all happens in the main title.
X-Treme X-Men: Mekanix - Good, sometimes weird, classic Kitty Pryde by Chris Claremont. 
Infinity Gauntlet - Classic I've been meaning to read and it's 100% worth it. Very different from the MCU interpretation.
Waves - Read for the 2021 Reading Challenge, a moving and heartbreaking memoir about miscarriage. Highly recommend but I think there should be some kind of heads up for the group - this could be very painful for some readers.
Lenny wrote: "Infinity Gauntlet - Classic I've been meaning to read and it's 100% worth it. Very different from the MCU interpretation."Did your version include Thanos' Quest? If not, it's definitely worth searching out. It's a very cool preamble to Infinity Gauntlet.
Last 2 weeks:-A Man Among Ye, vol. 1
-Bliss #5
-Crisis on Infinite Earths, vol. 1
-Crisis on Multiple Earths, vol. 1
-DC Comics: Zero Year
-DC Presents Annual #1
-Diana Prince, WW, vol. 1
-The Flash vol. 1 #123
-Green Lantern vol. 2 #40
-You Got Me, Sempai, vol. 6
This week's trip to the LCS.Midnight Western Theatre #1
X-Force #18
Thor #13
SWORD #4
Spider-Woman #10
Abbott 1973 #3
Nightwing #78
Justice League #59
Superman: Red and Blue #1
Ultra Mega #1
Chad wrote: "Abbott 1973 #3"Ooooh! I didn't know there was a sequel to Abbot. Must get!
Mod
This week's trip in comics.
The Oligarch ★★★A solid story about a Russian oligarch wrongly imprisoned. The prison is attacked and he escapes with some kind of global conspiracy unfolding having to do with the world's oil supply.
Ghost Hog ★★★This was an OK comic for children. It's about a hog haunting a plum tree looking for the Hunter who killed her.
Enter the Wolf ★★★In a world filled with anthropomorphic animals in addition to humans, Jack Wolfgang is a world renown food critic by day and a CIA agent by night.
Birds of a Feather ★★★The second Jack Wolfgang story.
The Trap ★A dying ship magnate buys a decrepit ship with the intentions of sinking her and committing insurance fraud.
Sleeping Beauty ★Something of a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale that abandons the premise early on to tell a story about the Sleeping Beauty trying to get into ballet school.
The Man Who Shot Chris Kyle - Part 1 ★★★Fabien Nury's speculation on what happened to Chris Kyle.
Young Mozart ★★★A series of Calvin and Hobbes-esque comic strips about a young Mozart and his family.
Just One Breath ★This was REALLY hard to follow. Just way too many characters and separate stories going on.
Luisa: Now and Then ★★★★★A 33-year old single woman meets her 15-year old self and they are both disgusted with one another. The younger by how she turned out, the older by how she used to dress and act.
Polar, Vol. 1: Came from the Cold ★★★Think Jim Steranko's Nick Fury drawn by Frank Miller. This thing oozes fake machismo.
An Unkindness of Ravens #1 ★★★Seems to be The Craft meets Mean Girls.
Wynd #1 ★★★This first issue was mostly world building. Wynd seems to be some kind of werecreature which is outlawed in Pipetown. Magical creatures are being hunted down. Has a very YA feel to it.
Age of X-Man: Prisoner X ★★★One of the better Age of X-Man titles which isn't saying much. Bishop is sent to prison for falling in love which is interesting. However, that's not ever explored. The Age of X-Man event was a real clunker.
Void Trip ★Tries real hard to be Fear and Loathing in Outer Space but ultimately says nothing.
The Day of the Black Sun ★★★★A man washes up on the beach with a bullet in his skull. When he awakes he's amnesiac. Months later people come looking for him and the chase is on. XIII is a comic that's been going on since 1984.
Ironheart, Vol. 1: Those With Courage ★★★Eve Ewing's writing is dialogue heavy. It's clear she is still feeling her way through writing comics so the writing is somewhat unfocused as well. Still. it's a solid start for a new writer.
Ironheart, Vol. 2: Ten Rings ★★★Riri teams up with Wasp, Dr. Strange and Shuri as she tries to track down the Ten Rings' goal. Loved the return of the New Warriors' characters Silhouette and her evil brother Midnight's Fire.
Creepy Archives, Vol. 1 ★★★★I love these little horror vignettes of old. The art's great too and the lack of color just adds to the atmosphere.
James Bond: Reflections of Death ★★★Dynamite brings in some big comic book writers for these James Bond one-shots.
The Shadow 1941: Hitler's Astrologer ★★★I like how O'Neill and Kaluta tied this into Rudolph Hess's real-world obsession with astrology and Hitler's general obsession with the occult.
Bad Boy ★★★Frank Miller and Simon Bisley team up in this short graphic novella of a boy living in a time loop.
The Victories Volume 2: Transhuman ★★This arc of The Victories kicks off a false flag operation designed to turn people against the champions.
The Victories Volume 3: Posthuman ★★★Oeming is doing his best to incorporate every conspiracy theory he can with the bad guys. The Illuminati or New World Order seem to be behind everything.
The Victories Volume 4: Metahuman ★★★I've determined Michael Avon Oeming must be a pseudonym for the Ancient Aliens guy from the History channel.
The Six Million Dollar Man ★★Hastings can't make up his mind whether to play this straight or not. The first couple of issues are a straight up Six Million Dollar Man story but then devolves into Steve's limbs going out of control and Steve hitting himself.
Justice League: Cry for Justice ★★★A really dark take on the JLA. The Atom tortures people while Dan Didio's hate for a certain group of characters manifests itself within.
Mod
- Mike: Inkblot #1-5
- René: Toriko Chapters 325-327, ROBOT×LASERBEAM Chapters 17-62, The Faraway Paladin: Volume 1: The Boy in the City of the Dead
- Paul: Demon Days: X-Men #1, Wonder Woman (2016-) #770
Check out the episode to hear what we thought.
--
I also had a chance to read Demon Days: X-Men #1 and I really enjoyed it.
Mod
The Oligarch ★★★A solid story about a Russian oligarch wrongly imprisoned. The prison is attacked and he escapes with some kind of glo..."
Wynd #1 looked really fun. I might have to snag that!
Mike wrote: "Wynd #1 looked really fun. I might have to snag that!."I could have used more setup in the first issue. I decided to trade wait this one.
Today's trip to the LCS.Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens #1
Batman: White Knight Presents Harley Quinn #6
Carnage: Black, White & Blood #1
Stray Dogs #2
Alien #1
Barbalien: Red Planet #5
Cable #9
Excalibur #19
Miskatonic #5
Once & Future #17
Year Zero: Vol. 2 #5
I'm a little late with this list but here it is:-Batman #401
-Cosmic Boy #1
-Detective Comics #568
-Haha #2
-JLA #258
-My Love Story, vols. 9-12
-Something is Killing the Children #15
-Tom Thomson
-The Walking Dead D #10
-Wonder Woman (Perez), vol. 1
-Yowamushi Pedal Omni, vol. 11
Last week's adventures in comics.
Mike Mignola: The Quarantine Sketchbook ★★★★★A collection of the sketches Mignola sold to raise money for the World Central Kitchen. Those sketches have raised over $325K and the profits of this book will go to the charity as well.
Covid Chronicles: A Comics Anthology ★★★★★A fantastic anthology of true stories about the current pandemic.
Averee ★★★A social commentary on a near future scenario where a social ranking app controls what things you have access to in life.
Snow Angels: A Short Story ★★★A little, prose, teaser story set in the world of Lemire's new Snow Angels comic drawn by Jock.
Getting It Together, Volume 1 ★★Tries real hard to be a Millennial Friends.
Big Girls, Vol. 1 ★★★In the near future, a virus has caused some boys to mutate into giant kaiju nicknamed "Jacks" while the girls sometimes grow to gargantuan proportions as well.
Inkblot, Vol. 1 ★A cat travels through time and space often visiting a family of sibling sorcerers at random points in their lives. There's barely a story here.
Friend of the Devil ★★★★★Brubaker and Phillips tackle the Satanic Panic of the 70's and 80's in their new Reckless GN. If you like your noir sun-soaked by the California sun, then this is the book for you.
The Scumbag, Vol. 1: Snowblower Indemnity ★★Begins as Rick Remender's parody of old school SHIELD / HYDRA. Instead of Nick Fury getting the Infinity Formula, a useless piece of crap accidentally shoots it up instead. This was exhausting to read.
Nightwing: The Joker War ★★★I am ecstatic that the Ric Grayson era is finally over. Too bad it took some nonsense with the Joker brianwashing him to bring it to a close.
Justice League of America, Vol. 7: Team History ★★James Robinson continues to keep this team in transition and it's boring.
Justice League of America, Vol. 8: Dark Things ★★★A bland JLA / JSA team-up that is nothing more than one prolonged fight. Alan Scott is taken over by the Starheart and the Starheart starts driving random heroes crazy as he grows in power.
Justice League of America, Vol. 9: Omega ★★★I really like the idea of turning the Justice League over to the 2nd generation of heroes, mainly the Titans. The Crime Syndicate returns in this volume.
Justice League of America, Vol. 10: The Rise of Eclipso ★★★★My favorite arc of James Robinson's run just as the series ends. Eclipso returns to attempt to destroy the world.
The Unstoppable Wasp: Built On Hope ★★This prose novel is mainly about how Nadia takes on too many projects and can't maintain a balance and how she deals with her bipolar disorder.
Amethyst ★★A six issue fetch quest where Princess Amethyst just tours Gemworld.
Transformers '84: Secrets and Lies ★★★A new recount of the Transformers trip to earth told by the double agent Punch / Counterpunch. Not a fan of Optimus Prime's new motives.
Red Sonja Volume 1: Scorched Earth ★★★★Mark Russell takes a different tack with Red Sonja. She's suckered into becoming the Queen of Hyrkania just in time to be invaded by an Emperor attempting to take over the world.
Red Sonja, Vol. 2: The Queen's Gambit ★★★★Mark Russell finishes up his first year of Red Sonja by ending Red Sonja's war with Zamara. He does so in satisfying fashion with his characteristic wit and social commentary.
Vampirella/Red Sonja, Vol. 1: These Dark Synchronicities ★★★In this ongoing crossover title, Red Sonja is unstuck in time. She meets Vampirella in Russia 1969 and pulls her along for the ride.
American Gods, Vol. 3: The Moment of the Storm ★★★★The third act of American Gods. All the gods are gathering while Shadow holds vigil.
Spider-Ham: Aporkalypse Now ★★★★If you enjoyed Spider-Ham's appearances in Spider-Geddon, the Web Warriors, or Into the Spider-Verse then you'll more than likely enjoy this as well.
Spider-Man 2099 vs. Venom 2099 ★★★★Spider-Man 2099 meets the Spider-Man of 1995 as they wake up in each other's time. Then there's some OK filler stories from Spider-Man 2099 Unlimited before we get our first glimpse at Venom 2099.
My reading week:-Birthright #47
-Fire Power #9
-Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 2 vols. 1-3
-Karmen #1
-My Love Story vol. 13
-Nailbiter Returns #9-10
-Sabrina: Something Wicked #5
-The Water Dragon's Bride vols. 1-11
Mod
I could have used more setup in the first issue. I decided to trade wait this one."
Good to know - I'll probably do the same!
Mod
- Mike: I Killed Adolf Hitler, Barbalien: Red Planet #5
- Paul: The Plot #8, The Swamp Thing (2021-) #1
- Zanne: Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus: Prostitution and Religious Obedience in the Bible, The Goddamned: The Virgin Brides #4
This week's episode was especially solid with our special guest. I hope you all get a chance to check it out!
This week's trip to the LCS.X-Men #19
Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black #5
Shadow Service #6
Strange Adventures #9
Batman / Catwoman #4
Nuclear Family #2
Young Hellboy #2
X-Men Legends #2
Crossover #5
Ghost Rider: King in Black #1
The Other History of the DC Universe #3
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I Read Comic Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Swamp Thing #1 (other topics)The Goddamned: The Virgin Brides #4 (other topics)
Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus: Prostitution and Religious Obedience in the Bible (other topics)
I Killed Adolf Hitler (other topics)
Barbalien: Red Planet #5 (other topics)
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As a reminder, the IRCB 2021 Reading Challenge is now live! Check out the challenge here: IRCB 2021 Recommended Reading Challenge
As always, you can check out what the IRCB crew is reading on the weekly Top of My Pile posts on Patreon!