Comic Books

Oh Joy, Frank Miller writing Batman.

You know, what with the last time going so well.

I'M THE GODDAM BATMAN

from the mind that nearly brought us ''Batman vs. Al Qaeda!''

Noob question from a Batman and Superman fan but not a comic reader.....why is Superman's badge dripping with blood there? Do Batman and Supes not like each other? Is this a suggestion that Batman could kill Superman?

CPC6128 wrote:Noob question from a Batman and Superman fan but not a comic reader.....why is Superman's badge dripping with blood there? Do Batman and Supes not like each other? Is this a suggestion that Batman could kill Superman?

It is a popular motif for the Superman logo that came from the sealed bag that the first run of Superman #75 (The Death of Superman) came in back in the 90s,
Also a lot of the Dark Knight Returns and The Dark Knight Strikes Again deals with conflict between Batman and Superman that stems from their differences. One of the main things that Dark Knight Returns is known for is the big fight between Superman and Batman which Batman, kind of, sort of, just about manages to win.

The Dark Knight Returns is a true classic of the medium even if its Right Wing Politics are starting to get a bit on the nose by today's standards. It is a book I tend to read once if not twice a year. The Dark Knight Strikes Again is also good in the sense that it is completely insane but is only worth reading if you really enjoy the first one. So I am expecting and looking forward to more of the same in the third instalment.

Oh and for @kerr, we did get Batman vs Al Qaeda in the guise of Holy Terror,

Yep  Batman became  ''The Fixer''

Is Frank Miller really as good as he used to be? He does seem to be overly "extreme" these days. 

I was intrigued to see that there is a Bill and Ted's Most Triumphant Return comic being released that is meant to be a kind of Part 3 for the series. I wouldn't mind reading that, if they do a collection, and it would be the first comic I've bought for a while. 

Wolvieware wrote:Is Frank Miller really as good as he used to be? He does seem to be overly "extreme" these days. 

I was intrigued to see that there is a Bill and Ted's Most Triumphant Return comic being released that is meant to be a kind of Part 3 for the series. I wouldn't mind reading that, if they do a collection, and it would be the first comic I've bought for a while. 

Didn't know about the Bill & Ted comic!

As for Frank Miller, his work for the past decade or so has been very infrequent and ridiculous. Like Alan Moore he is out of touch with a lot of what modern readers resonate with when it comes to comics.

I've just finished the first two trades of the new 52 Constantine and, hmm.

It was a bit too superhero-y for my preference for the character, particularly in the second of the two books (the first one had some decent flashes of John Constantine, hence my going back for the second).

I'd not read Hellblazer for quite some time (I gave up midway through Paul Jenkins stint, having joined at the start of Garth Ennis's) so maybe he'd shifted focus but Hellblazer was always down at heel and gritty, whereas the new 52 Constantine was a bit too flash, with Constantine doing as much magic in those two TPBs  as he had in the three or four years I'd read Hellblazer.

sorenlorensen wrote:I've just finished the first two trades of the new 52 Constantine and, hmm.

It was a bit too superhero-y for my preference for the character, particularly in the second of the two books (the first one had some decent flashes of John Constantine, hence my going back for the second).

I'd not read Hellblazer for quite some time (I gave up midway through Paul Jenkins stint, having joined at the start of Garth Ennis's) so maybe he'd shifted focus but Hellblazer was always down at heel and gritty, whereas the new 52 Constantine was a bit too flash, with Constantine doing as much magic in those two TPBs  as he had in the three or four years I'd read Hellblazer.

The recent relaunch of Constantine as part of DC's DC You line is apparently taking the book back to basics and making it more Hellblazer like. You can grab a free preview issue from ComiXology to see if it floats your boat: https://www.comixology.co.uk/Get-ready-for-The-New-DC-Universe/list/6952?list6952_pg=1

In other news I finally got around to reading Old Man Logan last night and I really enjoyed it!

The main reason I've read it is because this version of the character will soon be running around the main Marvel Universe after the new Secret Wars is over with. Also it is one of those must read Wolverine books that everyone always recommends. Personally I didn't see anything truly ground breaking in the book. It is just a cool idea, executed really, really well. If you are a Wolverine fan it is worth reading otherwise I would say check it out if you're a fan of alternate future/hero comes out of retirement stories.

I bought Old Man Logan on release and whilst it has some good and interesting ideas I found it to just be lacking. I like reading stuff by Mark Millar (Ultimates was bloody fab) but for me OML fell under his good ideas not so good execution titles.

After watching Winter Soldier again I'm seriously tempted to track down Brubaker's fantastic run on Captain America. Haven't read it since release all those years ago.

I got Spiderman Coming Home when it was £1.99 as the starting issue of one of those lets collect all the Marvel graphic novel sets... it was pretty darn good.

I also managed to grab Avengers X sanction, Ironman Stark Dissasembled and Batman the killing joke deluxe edition from a charity shop for £2 each.

Popped to the library yesterday and they had all ten graphic novels of Y: The Last Man.

Not read it before so looking forward to getting stuck in.

dste01 wrote:Popped to the library yesterday and they had all ten graphic novels of Y: The Last Man.

Not read it before so looking forward to getting stuck in.

It's a great series that is incredibly thought provoking.

Finished reading it all this weekend gone, thoroughly addictive and a damn good read.

Just finished Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years, a gorgeous hardcover book I got for Christmas. It's a collection of Batman comics from over the years, starting with his first appearance and going up to Court of Owls. It's amazing to literally see the change in comics over the years. I would have liked a little more commentary, a prose of the behind the scenes as you went, but as a glossy and chunky collection of comics it was still entertaining.

Ms. Marvel Vol 1: No Normal - The new Ms. Marvel who is the first Muslim character to headline a Marvel book. Was a decent enough read but was an origin story so would like to read more to see how the story goes.

Wolverine: Back in Japan - Again, decent enough read featuring the likes of Sabretooth and the Hand.

dste01 wrote:Ms. Marvel Vol 1: No Normal - The new Ms. Marvel who is the first Muslim character to headline a Marvel book. Was a decent enough read but was an origin story so would like to read more to see how the story goes.

Wolverine: Back in Japan - Again, decent enough read featuring the likes of Sabretooth and the Hand.

I recommend picking up more Ms. Marvel. It really comes into its own in the second and third arcs.

Cool, I'll see if the library has them next time I'm in.

Picked up about ten graphic novels from the library at the weekend that I'm currently working through. Just finished Batman/Wonder Woman: Fresh Faces which is a collection of very early stories by Brian K. Vaughan.

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear by Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.

Surprised that I haven't read this by now. It's a good read and you can clearly see where it influenced aspects of the series.

New Krypton: Volume One - I like these graphic novels but I've somehow ended up reading them completely out of order which is a right pain.

Villians for Hire: Knight takes King - In which Misty Knight takes on Purple Man. Enjoyable but could have done with an extra issue or two.

dste01 wrote:New Krypton: Volume One - I like these graphic novels but I've somehow ended up reading them completely out of order which is a right pain.

It was a real pain to follow at the time it came out. It was spread across multiple titles and they had these tiny coloured S symbols on the cover to "help" track the reading order. It is a good storyline though, builds up nicely to the big finale.

I cannot even remember if I've read the finale.

Might have to Wiki it to refresh my memory.

The Vinyl Underground volume one covering issues one to five.

Picked it up as it was cheap, meh.