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What are you reading right now?
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What are you reading right now? (August 2022)
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Slowly making my way through Peter Milligan and Mike Allred's X-Force / X-Statix run. Such a wild run.

That is a crazy series. I've been meaning to go back and read it again before starting their new followup series, the X-Cellent.


Once again, Brian Azzarello mistakes shock value for a good story. He makes Wild Dog part of the Insurrection on Jan 6th to get some buzz for the book.

This is a continuation of the first volume and the Vile parasite thing.

Donald Blake goes insane and starts attacking Asgardians.

Thor broods for 4 issue because Mjojnir no longer likes him.

The God of Hammers has taken Mjolnir and is murdering people across the ten realms. We finally find out what's going on with Mjolnir and it's a doozy.

Just when you think Rose Red finally has her act together, she does the one thing to cause a rift between her and Snow White. It's just inevitable that these two will always be at odds.

The only thing bad about this series is that it's coming to an end. The title is a misnomer though. This volume is full of sad events and the end of many of the characters.

The finale is something I'd come to expect from the series. You get your big battle at Fabletown, you get your resolution and little goodbyes to most of the main characters, and you get some new beginnings.

A strong debut from Rebecca Roanhorse. Echo has just received the Phoenix power and is having difficulties controlling its rage.

Ganke's been seeing Miles old girlfriend without telling Miles. Unfortunately, they never really get a chance to talk it out because a bunch of Miles's clones show up.

Miles goes on a date with Starling when Taskmaster attacks the two of them. He also gets a new costume that looks like trash.

Spinning out of Immortal Hulk, all of Hulk's buddies go off with Gamma Flight and help out a gamma irradiated town.

An Elseworlds Buffy story where she's lived to her 50's. Vampires have become citizens and slaying is illegal.

The best thing I have to say about this run is that I'm glad it's over.

Captain America, Spider-Man and Black Widow all die and reappear on an island full of swords and sorcery. That's about the last time this makes much sense.

I do have to say I liked this retelling of Hades and Persephone better than the first volume.

This is typical Nick Spender here. Writing a book with a gazillion plot points that go nowhere. The Chameleon isn't even the main villain in this story with his name on it. He's part of the B-Story.

Nick Spencer is the world's worst tease of a writer. Why would you retcon a story that's already ridiculously complicated only to make it more complicated?

Spider-Man fights 30 odd villains for 4 issues.

Donny Cates goes high concept sci-fi with his Hulk run. Banner is treating his body as a starship piloted by Banner and fueled by the Hulk's rage. It's really high concept as the art depicts it all as Banner operating a spaceship versus just saying Banner's mind is now in control of the Hulk's body.

300 years in the future of Sweet Tooth's world, another Gus wakes up in a forest with Father giving him life lessons. As Gus leaves this place we learn what's going just as Gus does.

Gerry Duggan turned into a great successor to Hickman's X-Men.
Re: Chad: I hadn't heard of that Buffy elseworld book, I have added it to my list! I have quite a few of the new Buffy books that I haven't read yet though, I suppose those should come first.
Also, I'm glad to hear Lore Olympus vol. 2 is an improvement. I liked volume one but oh boy it ended rough.
Also, I'm glad to hear Lore Olympus vol. 2 is an improvement. I liked volume one but oh boy it ended rough.

It just came out. It's not very good though. I'm not sure why they didn't just use the show's continuity and set it 30 years later. It would have made way more sense for a 4 issue story.

Dark Crisis #3
Immortal X-Men #5
X-Men Red #5
Once & Future #28
Shadow Service #14
DC Vs. Vampires #8
Here's what the IRCB folks read on this week's episode: Episode 336 | This Podcast Is Blessed By God
- Mike: The Con Artists, Public Domain #1 and #2
- Nick: Nights with a Cat, Vol. 1, Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Time is a River, Alien (2021-) Annual #1
- Kait: Dragon Hoops, Manga Classics Count Of Monte Cristo: New Edition
Check out the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear our thoughts on what we read! Or listen now at https://ircbpodcast.com/episodes/epis...
- Mike: The Con Artists, Public Domain #1 and #2
- Nick: Nights with a Cat, Vol. 1, Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Time is a River, Alien (2021-) Annual #1
- Kait: Dragon Hoops, Manga Classics Count Of Monte Cristo: New Edition
Check out the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear our thoughts on what we read! Or listen now at https://ircbpodcast.com/episodes/epis...

Whitney wrote: "I’m rereading Paper Girls."
I really need to do that! Have you watched the show at all yet?
I really need to do that! Have you watched the show at all yet?


MJ goes off to make a movie about Mysterio directed by Mysterio.

A rated R spin on Black Widow. The Soska sisters made their way by making horror flicks up in Canada. Now they've brought their dark vision to Marvel.

A fitting end to the very long running but sporadic series.

Daredevil teams up with Nomad and the Punisher to go after the syndicates attempting to divvy up the Kingpin's empire.

This was a blast. Hawkeye and Winter Soldier make a fantastic buddy cop type story.

Robin fights in the League of Lazarus. It's a Mortal Combat type story with fighters from around the world ascending to an island in a tournament to the death.

At this point what else can be said about Fables, that hasn't been said? If you've gotten this far, you must love it as much as I do. The finale is something I'd come to expect from the series.

The party returns to Baldur's Gate only to find there's a mindflayer taking over people's minds.

Bigby meets an Elseworlds Batman with an army of Robins in this disappointing crossover.

Marvel teenagers science their way out of trouble.

Lois Lane finds out she has a brother and not much else until the end.

Ali Baba wakes up Sleeping Beauty and the Snow Queen with "true love's kiss".

Fables gets dark when Rapunzel goes to Tokyo and we revisit her time among the Japanese Fables.

Garth Ennis and Liam Sharp come together to create one of the worst comic books I've ever read.

John Byrne wrecks the Scarlet Witch's and Vision's lives. This is the basis for WandaVision.

Tom King finishes his Batman run with this story taking place across three different time periods.

The war between humans and the Kuthaal hits full stride as they invade L.A., Paris, and Hong Kong.

Batgirl returns! Unfortunate for Oracle fans!

Gail Simone's Batgirlaissance continues.

Garth Ennis writes a neat war story about a career soldier who takes care of problems during missions. Has nothing to do with Peacemaker though.
Here's what the IRCB folks read on this week's episode: Episode 337 | I Like Unicorns Podcast
- Kara: DC League of Super-Pets: The Great Mxy-Up
- Danny: Too Tough to Die, Batman: One Dark Knight
- Kate: The Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 1
Check out the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear our thoughts on what we read! Or listen now at https://ircbpodcast.com/episodes/epis...
---
I'm still tackling the reading challenge books, and also read Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 1 because I've been loving these chill manga anthology-type series. I really enjoyed the tiny woodland creature design, and all the line work in the art. I'm on the fence about continuing the series though, as I only really enjoyed a few of the stories and my local library doesn't carry this series.
- Kara: DC League of Super-Pets: The Great Mxy-Up
- Danny: Too Tough to Die, Batman: One Dark Knight
- Kate: The Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 1
Check out the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear our thoughts on what we read! Or listen now at https://ircbpodcast.com/episodes/epis...
---
I'm still tackling the reading challenge books, and also read Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 1 because I've been loving these chill manga anthology-type series. I really enjoyed the tiny woodland creature design, and all the line work in the art. I'm on the fence about continuing the series though, as I only really enjoyed a few of the stories and my local library doesn't carry this series.


Batgirl must confront the Joker for the first time after he shot her when he kidnaps her mom.

Barbara is trying to deal with the guilt and rage of having to kill her brother while her father blames Batgirl and is trying to arrest her.

This volume is pretty schizophrenic in its storytelling. The first half is a bunch of one-off stories that don't work well together at all, mainly because they lack context.

This is just as bad as the Chuck Austen run. I thought Milligan would be a little better.

Peter Milligan has turned the X-Men into a full-on trashy soap opera. Mystique pretends to be a student in order to seduce Gambit. It gets into icky territory.

This team of dysfunctional X-Men plus Storm heads to Africa to investigate mutant animals where they come across Black Panther, the Red Ghost and a mad scientist.

Takes place immediately after House of M. Mutantkind has been decimated. That's when the Sentinels show up to turn Professor Xavier's mansion into a reservation for mutants.

I don't think Peter Milligan ever read an X-Man comic before getting the job of writing the X-Men. The characterizations are completely off.

Mark Russell does his same irreverent schtick with superheroes. This time with down on their luck heroes working the gig economy for an Uber type app for superheroes.

Dr. Doom is getting married. Mr. Fantastic is the Best Man. Everyone's going to Latveria for the wedding. Nothing could go wrong, could it?

This mostly focus on the Fantastic Four being parents to their kids while Johnny whines in the background about not being able to shut down his flame.

Namor remembers his childhood when Atlantis's heroes were corrupted by the King in Black.

To boldly go where no Grendel has gone before. Grendel Prime is sent on a mission to find a new planet that can support humanity after we'd pretty much destroyed the earth.

Hickman sets up his Fantastic Four run when Reed builds a Bridge to examine other realities to see how Civil War and Secret Invasion could have turned out differently.

Reed has decided to "Solve Everything". That's when he meets the Council of Reeds.

Four stand alone but interconnected stories of four strange cities rising out of obscurity.

Definitely has some horrific elements to it but this is very one note. A teenager apologizes to people causing them to melt into goo.

DC lets a bunch of new creators write Bat-Family stories.

The lanquid, long-winded narrator ruined this for me.

A woman goes down a rabbit hole when her father is murdered. She uncovers a group of serial killers hiding in plain sight, roaming the highways of the upper Midwest as truck drivers.

Some terrific stand alone Usagi Yojimbo stories.

Alfred gets his own comic from when he was a spy in his younger years.

Starts off pretty strong, giving off Twilight Zone vibes, but the story is only half-formed.

Ben Reilly takes over as Spider-Man when Peter falls ill.

A bunch of single-issue King in Black stories.

Slots in very well with Hulk: Future Imperfect, but then why wouldn't it considering Peter David wrote both of them.

This anthology gives us a lead-in to the new character, the immortal Redcoat who fought a magic wielding George Washington.

Wally West is back baby!

Marvel's first foray into the Alien universe doesn't really add anything other than some dream forms of new xenomorphs.

More stories of people trying to live among the zombies.

Savage Avengers #4
Star Wars #26
Black Adam #3
AXE: Death to the Mutants #1
Avengers 1,000,000 BC #1
Predator #1
Parker Girls #1 <-- Terry Moore's new Strangers in Paradise spinoff
AXE: Judgement Day #2
Superman: Son of Kal-El #14
X-Men Legends #1
Dark Crisis: Green Lantern #1
World's Finest #6
Dc Vs Vampires: All-Out War #2
Fire Power #23
New Mutants #28
Nightwing #95
X-Force #30
X-Men #13
Hulk #8
Timeless #1 <-- Marvel comic from the beginning of the year I decided to pick up.
Here's what the IRCB folks read on this week's episode: Episode 338 | Tripping Hazards In Hell
- Mike: 007 #1, Keeping Two
- Tia: The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1, Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957--Falling Sky
- Brian: Deadpool: Samurai, Vol. 1, Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol. 3: Jedi's End, 付き合ってあげてもいいかな 4 Tsukiatte Agete mo Ii ka na 4 through volume 6.
Check out the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear our thoughts on what we read! Or listen now at https://ircbpodcast.com/episodes/epis...
---
I'm reading Vinland Saga, Book 1 for the reading challenge. I'm only a few chapters in, and there's definitely some intriguing backstory going on.
- Mike: 007 #1, Keeping Two
- Tia: The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1, Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957--Falling Sky
- Brian: Deadpool: Samurai, Vol. 1, Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol. 3: Jedi's End, 付き合ってあげてもいいかな 4 Tsukiatte Agete mo Ii ka na 4 through volume 6.
Check out the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear our thoughts on what we read! Or listen now at https://ircbpodcast.com/episodes/epis...
---
I'm reading Vinland Saga, Book 1 for the reading challenge. I'm only a few chapters in, and there's definitely some intriguing backstory going on.


Explore the Fables version of Indo. Plus, the return of Prince Charming.

Cinderella gets sent on a new mission when Snow White is attacked by Mousemen.

Cinderella breaks out into her own series where she operates as a spy for Fabletown.

Cinderella remembers her past with the Fables version of the Cold War when an old foe resurfaces.

A new time God, Dominus, is eating time in order to keep his family in an old-timey pocket of time. Kamadi travels through time gathering heroes just in time to have them scattered across time.

The Star Wars Manga continues.

Three partners are looking to retire so they set up a deal with a younger crime lord. It all starts to go wrong as they become haunted by their past sins.

Joelle Jones makes one of these new Future State characters interesting. Hopefully we'll see more of Yara Flor.

Dr. Octopus shows up but the plot doesn't advance more than the Beyond Corporation may be nefarious.

Jed MacKay gets to write more Black Cat as she's around training Peter getting him back up to speed. The best issue is when Felicia and Mary Jane have to team up to find the Hood's cloak before he kills Peter.

This is just as bad as the Chuck Austen run. I thought Milligan would be a little better.

I don't think Peter Milligan has ever read an X-Men comic. Everyone is out of character. This is terrible.

A decent little horror anthology.

The Suicide Squad arrives in India to try and capture this new Swamp Thing.

Christine meets Knight Rider. The star here is the art. The art and coloring give off this 80's synthwave vibe that I loved. It was like a trip back to an 80's action movie.

Lord of the Rings thrown into the world of Mad Max. Fifteen years ago, orcs and trolls arrived in modern society and humanity is barely holding on.

Commissioner Gordon Vol. 2, I mean Joker Vol. 2 continues to bore.

A family drama about Lucius Fox's family.

I love how this starts with Reed letting loose on his fellow academics, leading him to start his own think tank of genius children in the Future Foundation.

It's hitting the fan all at once and the team is scattered. Ben becomes human, Sue is off in Atlantis, Reed is dealing with a pissed-off Galactus, Annihilus is about to breach the Negative Zone with a 2nd Annihilation Wave.

Remember the Council of Reeds from the first volume of Hickman's Fantastic Four run? They are back and it turns out these Reeds lack any kind of empathy or morals. They are completely cool with sacrificing our Earth for the "good" of the multiverse.

Black Manta is plagued by terrible headaches brought on by this new metal he found, but yet he is drawn to it. It has something to do with a lost tribe of Atlanteans. Meanwhile, there's a new threat out there gunning for both Black Manta and Atlantis. The art and coloring in this is awful.

Daredevil and Black Widow move to San Francisco where they fight the likes of Electro, Kilgrave the Purple Man, Mr. Fear, Stilt-Man, and Kraven the Hunter.

You won’t find any monsters here, just some toy sized military robots that plague a family on Christmas Day. Bunn has written a comic for children inspired by 80’s movies. Yes, it is also the plot of Small Soldiers.

If you were watching Falcon and the Winter Soldier and wondered where Isaiah Bradley came from, this is his story.

AXE: Judgement Day #3
By the Horns: Dark Earth #4
Fables #154
Marauders #5
Swamp Thing #16
Task Force Z #11
We Live: Age of the Palladions #5
Damage Control #1
Here's what the IRCB folks read on this week's episode: Episode 339 | Bat In One Ear, Bats Out The Other
- Mike: Aquaman: Andromeda (2022-) #2, 極主夫道 8
- Paloma: Flavor Girls #2
- Danny: Batman - One Bad Day (2022-) #1: The Riddler, New Mutants #28
Check out the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear our thoughts on what we read! Or listen now at https://ircbpodcast.com/episodes/epis...
This episode includes both of the podcast's new contributors!
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Re: Chad: Realm sees like what I wanted from Hinterkind. I'll have to check it out!
- Mike: Aquaman: Andromeda (2022-) #2, 極主夫道 8
- Paloma: Flavor Girls #2
- Danny: Batman - One Bad Day (2022-) #1: The Riddler, New Mutants #28
Check out the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear our thoughts on what we read! Or listen now at https://ircbpodcast.com/episodes/epis...
This episode includes both of the podcast's new contributors!
---
Re: Chad: Realm sees like what I wanted from Hinterkind. I'll have to check it out!

I thought the exact same thing!


Wonder Woman short stories only using black, white and gold.

When a dumpy housewife’s teenage daughter goes missing, this mother will do whatever it takes to get her back. Even take on drug dealers.

A Mexican couple must cross the border when they are pursued by a Cartel. What they find on the other side of the border may be just as bad in this mashup of Sicario and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Fables meets Queen & Country?!

This volume was about a Columbine scenario with magic. This could have been cool but the writing just wasn't very good. The idea of the series wasn't explained very well and the many subplots introduced don't pay off. I think they were expecting another 150 issue run and got 12.

Lobo starts a #cancelculture war with Superman because he's jealous. This book was stoopid.

Makes sense these books would crossover since Donny Cates is writing both of them. There are some cool moments but overall it's a bit bland.

Magik returns to Limbo to give it over to the Goblin Queen. They get attacked and her Soul Sword is destroyed.

Is there a run of Justice League more disappointing than Bendis's? Absolutely nothing happens in the 17 issues he wrote. How can he be so good at writing the Avengers and so poor at writing the Justice League?

You can really consider this Dark Crisis #0. The story itself is solid. None of it is shocking or surprising though. DC has been telling everyone for months what happens, plus it says what happens right on the cover.

Black Canary teams up with Deathstroke to investigate this new organization, T.R.U.S.T.

The Inhumans return to Earth and inject themselves into what's going on with the 4 secret cities.

This is what all those disparate plot threads of Hickman's have been building towards. It's big. It's epic. It's filled with pages that will make you day "DAMN!"

I love seeing Val, the creepy, manipulative 3-year old genius, work behind the scenes to make sure everything turns out like her older self told her to.

I always knew those frats were really satanic cults in disguise.

This is just dull when it should be exciting. Thanos is going around murdering Eternals and one of the Eternals is helping him.

The idea of a new parliament, a Parliament of Gears is a good one.

Great hard-boiled noir with a take-no-gruff female private eye.

A pirate timeline tries to hijack the main timeline leaving Kang to fight a version of Doom.

It’s about what is going on at the Farm while the main story is ending over in Fables. Kind of boring.

I really need to do that! Have you watched the show at all yet?"
Sorry, I didn’t see your question until now!
Yes and no. I am really really picky when it comes to adaptations. My mom has been watching the show and tells me some of the plot that is happening in the episodes. So I have concluded they have changed a lot. Too much for me to watch. I have watched some scenes with her.
Have you been watching the show, Erin?



I really need to do that! Have you watched the show at all yet?"
Sorry, I didn’t see your question until now!
Yes and no. I am really rea..."
I watched the first 2 episodes. They seemed to have changed both the tone and subject of the show and not for the better. It's a much more serious drama now. The Goonies type action and fun are missing. The focus seems to be on adult Erin versus kid Erin and not living up to childhood expectations. I decided to switch over and watch Sandman instead which I'm enjoying much more.

I really need to do that! Have you watched the show at all yet?"
Sorry, I didn’t see your question until now!
Yes and no...."
Yeah, I’m not happy with those changes. It’s a shame because the comic is SO fun and it was about the kids and their journey together, not the adults. Hopefully it will direct people watching the show to try out the comic.
Sandman is very good! I haven’t read the comics (it’s on my unending list of stuff to get to) but the show is great.

I haven't finished the TV show yet but what I've watched so far adheres to the comic pretty well other than character's genders and ethnicities being swapped and I'm cool with that as long as the characters are the same.
Here's what the IRCB folks read on this week's episode: Episode 340 | Blame It On The X-Men
- Mike: A.X.E.: Death To The Mutants (2022-) #1, Public Domain #3
- Paul: 20th Century Men #1, Kirby: Genesis - Silver Star Volume 1
- Kait: Magus of the Library, Vol. 1, Greatly They Dared
Check out the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear our thoughts on what we read! Or listen now at https://ircbpodcast.com/episodes/epis...
- Mike: A.X.E.: Death To The Mutants (2022-) #1, Public Domain #3
- Paul: 20th Century Men #1, Kirby: Genesis - Silver Star Volume 1
- Kait: Magus of the Library, Vol. 1, Greatly They Dared
Check out the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear our thoughts on what we read! Or listen now at https://ircbpodcast.com/episodes/epis...
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What are you reading this month? Checking out any of the comics all those new shows are based on? Tell us all about it!
As always, if you'd like to check out what the IRCB crew is reading, take a peek at the Top of My Pile posts over on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ircbpodcast