The "I just read a comic book" thread

Darragh Greene · 01 Jan 2007

Well, 7 issues of Anmal Man have earned it its spot at the top of my list, and HtR has probably long absorbed praise for the book but hasn't opted for it. GA's piping hot, and, I think, decontructive of the Johns formula. Animal Man's just different.

When are you going to get 'round to reading GA 7, Doot?

Ocean Doot · 25 Oct 2007

Darragh Greene wrote:

Well, 7 issues of Anmal Man have earned it its spot at the top of my list, and HtR has probably long absorbed praise for the book but hasn't opted for it. GA's piping hot, and, I think, decontructive of the Johns formula. Animal Man's just different.

When are you going to get 'round to reading GA 7, Doot?

I went to the LCS searching for Glory (don't we all?), and totally forgot to buy GA 7.

Next time. Unless I forget again.

Darragh Greene · 01 Jan 2007

Just make sure you've enough money in hand.

Ocean Doot · 25 Oct 2007

Darragh Greene wrote:

Just make sure you've enough money in hand.

Giving money to DC. :sigh:

Will Alan Moore and his snake god see fit to forgive me?

Darragh Greene · 01 Jan 2007

Snake gods are notoriously slippy.

Simon · 26 Oct 2006

Ocean Doot wrote:

Darragh Greene wrote:

Just make sure you've enough money in hand.

Giving money to DC. :sigh:

Will Alan Moore and his snake god see fit to forgive me?

I think his snake god may have lost some of its power over the years. If you get what I mean.

Darragh Greene · 01 Jan 2007

The muscle tone in his wrist has degraded over time. Renowned pervert, Chris Claremont, on the other hand, has a confident grip, steeped in Nature.

Simon · 26 Oct 2006

Darragh Greene wrote:

The muscle tone in his wrist has degraded over time. Renowned pervert, Chris Claremont, on the other hand, has a confident grip, steeped in Nature.

A colour not found in nature too, I'd wager. :wink:

Darragh Greene · 01 Jan 2007

A colour of sweaty determination.

Simon · 26 Oct 2006

Darragh Greene wrote:

A colour of sweaty determination.

With a feeling of grim satisfaction afterwards.

Li'l Jay · 28 May 2006

Resurrection Man #7.

I would say this was the best issue yet. They should have started the series with this issue. Abnett and Lanning are using more explicit first-person thought bubbles. He can't figure out who he is and how his powers work (which is a given), but they've realized we need more spoon-feeding of his thoughts to enjoy it. He's piecing together where he was a bad guy in his former "real" life.

Simon · 26 Oct 2006

I looked at that when I was at the LCS yesterday. I'm going in again later in the week - if it's there, I'll get it and give it a read. I gave it up because every issue was just him being attacked by a pair of lesbian assassins, and it just got old really quickly.

Li'l Jay · 28 May 2006

Simon wrote:

I looked at that when I was at the LCS yesterday. I'm going in again later in the week - if it's there, I'll get it and give it a read. I gave it up because every issue was just him being attacked by a pair of lesbian assassins, and it just got old really quickly.

Once again, the common problem of dragging something out -- they have an idea, and they circled in on it for too long.

You ought to at least look at 7, just for the "comics theory" lesson -- would the series have worked better if it had started on this note? He's in the dark about his status, but ironically he explains his powers and situation much better in the 7th issue.

Hanzo the Razor · 24 Jun 2007

"Superman! Dammit, I can't fly!"

"I'm guessing that's the bad guy." "Good guess."

"You saved us!" "You're the world's greatest super-humans!"

So, I just read the New 52's Justice League #1 - 6 and I have to say, this is Liefeldian writing. I'm not even using hyperbole -- as a kid, I was a big fan of X-Force, Youngblood, etc. and this "plot" and "witty banter" style is right out of Rob's playbook.

Spoiler: show

The plot basically consists of random monsters randomly attacking Earth (for reasons not given, other than what I'm assuming is the standard 'taking over the world' business -- but even then, the plan doesn't seem to be much more than 'kill everyone'), a big tough bad guy showing up suddenly and kicking Superman's ass to prove how tough he is, then the Justice League develops the master strategy of "Hey, let's stab him in his eyes!", and then Cyborg works his technological mumbo-jumbo (because he's got computers and the Fourth World's Mother Box is like a computer, right? BRILLIANT!) and Superman punches him through a Boom Tube.

The plot to the original Youngblood mini-series, written by Liefeld himself, is about on the same level, or better. It's the same kind of interdimensional villain teleporting onto Earth to destroy it, the origin of a new superhero in the background and the heroes banding together to figure out a way to punch him back into his own dimension. It's essentially the exact same thing.

But hey, plots don't really matter, right? I mean, all superhero stories are mostly 'villain attacks, heroes react, villain fails'. It's all execution and the clever bits you put in -- I mean, Morrison's Justice League: New World Order is pretty similar -- aliens invade and Earth's greatest superheroes kick their asses.

The trouble is, the execution is awful. I'm guessing Johns was banking on "hilarious" dialogue and interesting character interactions to carry this one through -- but good god, was he wrong. First off, the dialogue has to actually be clever and funny; this reads like fan-fiction written to impress the guy's from the "Secret Stash" show. Except Kevin Smith isn't nearly this awful. And all the character interactions end up being tedious slugfests out of a Michael Bay movie and character depth to the extent of, "I'm the most badass hero here, why can't you other weak-asses see that? Plus, I'm WITTY, shitheads." It was eye-rollingly bad when Aquaman emerges from the sea and says something to the effect of, "Who's leader here? I vote me."

Oh, and what was up with Batman in issue #5? The world's greatest mind suddenly reveals his secret identity for no apparent reason to someone he's just met the day before for absolutely no gain whatsoever? I guess it was supposed to build trust between him and Green Lantern but he looks like even more of a tool when GL treats him like a loser right after -- "That moron's crazier than I am."

And then, for reasons I can't begin to fathom, takes off his mask and cape, peels off his chest emblem (who knew Batman made his bat-symbol detachable? Is it to trick people into thinking he's not Batman? "Me? Batman? Don't be ridiculous, Batman has a bat symbol on his bat costume. As you can see, my bat costume has no chest symbol, thanks.") and has a Parademon fly him into Apokolips to save Superman. Uh... why did you need to take off your mask, cape and chest logo to do that? "Holy Nonsensical Bullshit, Batman!"

From a writing standpoint, this is a massive failure on any level. Every hero except Cyborg seems to have the same cocky "I'm so fucking cool" personality and the plot amounts to people punching each other until they don't. What a waste of Jim Lee... I wish he was drawing Action Comics instead of this unbearable shit.

Writing: D-
Art: B+

Li'l Jay · 28 May 2006

I read through the first couple or three issues on the stands, trying to see if there was any appeal. It was immediately apparent that book sucked.

Simon · 26 Oct 2006

Some of the Batman stuff has been good (some of it not), and Wonder Woman appealed to me (but, once more, the story started going in circles pretty quickly), but the Superman stuff routinely bored me. I wanted to like it, but just didn't.

Aquaman was good, but it wasn't really anything we haven't seen before...I dunno. I jumped onto the relaunch with gusto, but not much of it stuck with me. I might get back into Batwing - I kind of miss that one. It was really involving.

Hanzo the Razor · 24 Jun 2007

I'm at the MVA right now, waiting to renew my license... just got through Action Comics #1 - 7. It's a breath of fresh air after the suckfest that was JLA #1 - 6. I really like this "fighting for the little guy" version of Superman... like a bulletproof Robin Hood. I love that a young Clark Kent has to live in the ghetto as a struggling reporter trying to make it.

The art is mostly good but Morales is fairly inconsistent at times; one page he'll have an amazing drawing and on another he's making awkward drawing mistakes. Still, short of a superstar like Quitely or Jim Lee, he's doing a good enough job.

If Jurgens doesn't impress me out of the gate, I'll drop Superman but as long as Morrison's on Action, I'm down for the long haul.

Rafael · 03 Dec 2006

Darragh Greene wrote:

By coincidence, I've just read in TPB the St Patrick's Day issue of The Boys. It's towards the end of a storyline parodying the X-Men and all the spin-off mutant teams. It's reasonably enjoyable, but Ennis is never at his best, I think, when he's preaching or mocking superhero tropes simply because he's done it so many times already: it's gotten old; in addition, comics really isn't the best medium for pages and pages of two blokes yapping in a pub -- not unless you've someone of the calibre of, say, Eisner drawing it, anyway.

I bailed out early on The Boys because of that. The joke got old and wasn't funny anymore.

TS Garp · **Joined:** 29 Dec 2006 **Posts:** 19845

X-Men: Season One
I would have loved it if I were a teenage girl.
It is pretty much the Jean Grey story.
If you are going to spend $25 on this era of X -Men, buy the paperback Masterwork of the first ten issues.

CAT · **Joined:** 08 Oct 2006 **Posts:** 18746

TS Garp wrote:

X-Men: Season One
I would have loved it if I were a teenage girl.
It is pretty much the Jean Grey story.
If you are going to spend $25 on this era of X -Men, buy the paperback Masterwork of the first ten issues.

Have you claimed your digital copy?

If so, whenever you open said digital copy, do you get spammed by the 'An Update Is Available' message, even though if you do update it, it just redownloads the whole thing and keeps giving the message anyway?

I can't see myself reading the digital copy much, if at all, but this is bugging the heck out of me, and I'm curious if it's a widespread bug, or specific to mine.

TS Garp · **Joined:** 29 Dec 2006 **Posts:** 19845

CAT wrote:

TS Garp wrote:

X-Men: Season One
I would have loved it if I were a teenage girl.
It is pretty much the Jean Grey story.
If you are going to spend $25 on this era of X -Men, buy the paperback Masterwork of the first ten issues.

Have you claimed your digital copy?

If so, whenever you open said digital copy, do you get spammed by the 'An Update Is Available' message, even though if you do update it, it just redownloads the whole thing and keeps giving the message anyway?

I can't see myself reading the digital copy much, if at all, but this is bugging the heck out of me, and I'm curious if it's a widespread bug, or specific to mine.

I had the same message. I hit ok, and it went away.
It did appear both times I opened it.

CAT · **Joined:** 08 Oct 2006 **Posts:** 18746

Cheers mate. That helps a lot. At least it's not just mine.

I just finished Fantastic Four Season One. I really enjoyed it. The art and designs were fantastic. The writing was solid enough. I could have done with less current pop culture references and less use of 'Oh My God' on what felt like every page, but otherwise it was decent.

Very happy to have it. I hope it gets a second volume by the same artist at least. I also liked the costumes. Nice update without really changing anything.

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