porcupine48 Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 2 hours ago, Calamerica said: I like the "convent contempt" part of the definition for some reason.... CAL who has been DYING to use his old phrase: " suffers NO fools"!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Aldred Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Cal could start off the new year here by providing a review of Iron Man and Sub-Mariner 1, maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Aldred Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 1 to 13 Werewolf by Night 31 to 41 (11 issues in total) A fairly mixed bag. The Moon Knight two-parter (32, 33, of course ) is good, much more easy for me to get into in remastered format, as Don Perlin’s art looked quite dull and muddy in the original newsprint version. The haunted house story (34 to 37) is the best of the Bronze Age issues, throwing every ghost / haunted house trope imaginable into the mix. Quite insane. The next multi-part story co-starring Brother Voodoo starts out well, with interesting ideas such as zombies (sorry, “zuvembies”) made of energy, but the writing eventually breaks down later, when Moench tries his hand at cosmic storytelling for a few pages. Good horror writer, no Jim Starlin. Moon Knight 29, 30 Classic Werewolf story. Fairly ordinary satanic cult plot, but Sienkiewicz’s art is fantastic. Raze, F For Fake, WeR138 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Aldred Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 (edited) As we've now gone into full Covid lockdown again here in England until March, there'll be plenty enough opportunity to read comics this year. Edited January 5, 2021 by Ken Aldred ttfitz, Talapas1 and F For Fake 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Savoyard23 Posted January 5, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 5, 2021 OK, I've got Legion (1984 Baxter) 14-16 down now. 5 new Legionnaires and if memory serves, this is where the title starts picking up a little steam again. 4 total for the year. WeR138, ttfitz, Raze and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s-man Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 I promised myself to make more of an effort to complete the 1000 book challenge this year. Last year was too much of a mess of stress and I sank into the boob tube for comfort. This year I have ample reading material which I will set aside and start on this week. I look forward to seeing everyone's book choices this year! Talapas1, Raze and ttfitz 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post F For Fake Posted January 5, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 5, 2021 Ok, kicking 2021 off with a bang. Went to the lake with the wife for a 4 day holiday weekend. Since it was cold and rainy (January, duh) there wasn’t much to do but play games, watch tv, eat, and read! I tried my darnedest in 2020, but got a late start and ended up a couple hundred books short of the goal of 1000. Love and Rockets v3 #9 - A new L&R is always cause for celebration, but even though I’ve been reading Los Bro’s for 30+ years, the lay-off between issues makes me feel like I need a “previously on Love & Rockets” primer with each new issue. I love Beto, but I often get lost trying to recall all of the Palomar characters and relationships. Xaime’s Hoppers stuff always sticks to my brain a little better. Solid issue, as you’d expect, but nothing explosive. 1 issue Holy Corpse Rising volumes 3,4,5 - I haven’t really kept up with manga for the last 20 years or so, but every once in a while something will catch my eye. In this case it was the gorgeous cheesecake covers. However there’s a lot more going on here, with this tale of a new crusader and his multiple witch wives, hunting and killing witches across Europe. It’s a little kinky, a little silly, very sexy, sometimes extraordinarily violent, and often anachronistic; but it’s very well drawn, features a lot of dense world building with glossaries and maps, and is a lot of fun. Each volume contains around 6 chapters of 25-30 pages, so I’m counting this as 18 issues between the three volumes. Uncle Scrooge - Mines of King Solomon and The 24 Carat Moon. I’m finally, nearly caught up on my Barks collections. Not sure what else to say about this stuff. It’s endlessly charming, beautifully illustrated, and a source of great comfort to me. Barks is widely known to be one of the best to ever do it, and there’s a reason for that! Hard to tally the “issues” on these collections, as some are 22 pagers, some are single page gags, and there’s several in between. So for these purposes, I’d consider 22 pages to equal a single comic, so 180 pages each volume would come out to around 16 issues. Batman by Paul Dini Omnibus - I hadn’t read the Detective issues since they were originally published, and I don’t think I’ve ever read the Streets of Gotham stuff at all. This was a very fun read. Dini knows how to tell a story in a single self contained issue, and he also leans into the Detective part of the Batman mythos. He’s also great with one off characters, and some who I feel could have had more of a career at DC, like Mad Hatter’s Wonderland Gang, the Carpenter, Little Italy and Zzz, the Bed Bug, Abuse, etc. Lots and lots of great ideas there. I’ll give this caveat: reading it all in one sitting, I was struck by just how much violence was centered around children. Children killing children, adults killing children, allusions to grotesque child abuse, etc. Now I’m really not a handwringer or overly sensitive to most things. I don’t have kids, or hell, even particularly LIKE kids. But it hit me kinda weird. So, a “trigger warning” to those who may be unsettled by such depictions. All in all, I still really enjoyed the book. Around 45 issues in this collection. So, that brings my 2021 total to 80 issues. Not bad! Scrooge, WeR138, ttfitz and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post srezvan Posted January 7, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 7, 2021 I'm glad to see this thread continue into 2021. This quickly became one of my favorites, especially given the huge slow down in the yard sales thread. I would encourage people to post here even if you don't get close to 1,000 books for the year. I never will, but it's always fun to find new reading material. My daughter and I continue to read the AoA storyline. We've now finished all the #3 issues, moving on to the #4s. Completely random issues that I wanted to read. The TMNT comic was all over the place! Maybe necessary for a TMNT completest, but nothing fantastic. The two Punisher issues featured the Reavers. I've always liked them in the X-Men. Not a bad storyline, but the antiquated technology gets me. Finally, Star Wars Bounty Hunters: Galaxy's Deadliest TPB (#1-5). I think there was a lot of type about this, probably because Boba Fett was on some of the covers. I thought it was a self-contained story, but the series keeps going. I thought the use of Fett was completely unnecessary and only served to sell books. You could have used anyone else in his place. The story was okay. I'll need to see how long it goes on for before I decide to pick up the rest. That's 11 so far this year. WeR138, F For Fake, Ken Aldred and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Raze Posted January 7, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 7, 2021 2-5 Wonder Woman Dead Earth This was a good mini series. Some pretty cool things happen so I wont spoil it for you. WeR138, F For Fake, Ken Aldred and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s-man Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 39 minutes ago, Raze said: 2-5 Wonder Woman Dead Earth This was a good mini series. Some pretty cool things happen so I wont spoil it for you. I just read the series description and it sounds pretty cool! You would recommend it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raze Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 1 hour ago, s-man said: I just read the series description and it sounds pretty cool! You would recommend it? Yes. I really liked it. I like Daniel Warren Johnson and my LCS had a 50% off day a few weeks ago I I picked it up. Wonder Woman is not drawn "HOT" SO it takes away her"sex appeal" so you can focus on the story and not her "attributes". With that said I highly recommend the new 52 Wonder Woman by Brain Azzarello! Great story! Ken Aldred and Talapas1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ttfitz Posted January 7, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 7, 2021 Trying to post a little more often on this thread, so it doesn't overwhelm... Oh, quick aside first for @piper who asked about keeping track - seriously though, I've been going a little more tech than back-of-the-envelope, but not much. I've just been keeping a note on the Memo app on my phone, adding stuff in as I read it. Anyway, first up... Something Is Killing the Children #13 Continuing to read this series, this being the latest issue. Enjoying it so far, I think, although I feel like it could move a little faster. The Shadow: Midnight in Moscow #1-6 I read this because - well, I'm currently sorting my comics and have reached the "S" titles from independents in 2015. After having read Howard Chaykin's slightly racy Blackhawk miniseries and the very racy Big Black Kiss, it's a little different to see that art style in more mainstream title. Well, still lots of blood, but you know what I mean, right? Anyway, probably not my favorite Chaykin, but still enjoyable. The Tick: FCBD 2013 The more of these I read, the more I think only Edlund knew how to handle the character. Kinda blah. So, starting the year off with the first 8. Ken Aldred, WeR138, F For Fake and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talapas1 Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 On 1/5/2021 at 3:51 PM, F For Fake said: So, that brings my 2021 total to 80 issues. Not bad! Dang! You are starting the year out right. I need to add some Scrooge books to the collection. I remember reading this giant old beat up Scrooge treasury that my school library had when I was a kid. I’d love to find that again. I may try and check out the Holy Corpse Rising series. I don’t do a ton of manga reading, but I’m a fan of dense world building so am intrigued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Savoyard23 Posted January 8, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 8, 2021 Legion (1984) 17-22, and randomly, Weird War Tales 25 and Marvel Team-Up 129 The MTU story was really good. DeMatteis usually delivers a fun story and, like Claremont, gives you your money's worth. Legion is always good, but I feel like I'm constantly waiting for the magic of 1983 back. I didn't buy a lot of this run off the stands - I would have, but I didn't have an easy time getting to somewhere that sold the direct-only issues. It was somewhere in the 30s that I was able to get back on the train. I've since collected the run and this is my first time reading it front to back. Up to 12. Raze, Talapas1, WeR138 and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeR138 Posted January 9, 2021 Author Share Posted January 9, 2021 Amazing Spider-Man 24 issues between 58 and 136. My collection starts mostly at 100 and I'm missing a lot of sequential issues, but it's still been a fun read. I don't believe I've own a single complete story arc. It amused me that just about every issue, Peter Parker ends up getting pummeled/drugged/concussed until he's literally seeing stars. No concussion protocol back then? As far as art goes: Love me some Romita Kingpin! By far my favorite iteration. A lot of nostalgia in these early bronze issues, as they are some of the earliest comics I can remember. 24 issues read. Raze, Ken Aldred, Savoyard23 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post THE_BEYONDER Posted January 11, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 11, 2021 On 1/5/2021 at 12:00 PM, THE_BEYONDER said: I’ve got DD 169-200 set aside to read. Whether or not I get around to reading them remains to be seen.... So I decided to get started on these, and discovered I had a copy of 167 so I started there. Meh It was ok, but I’m hoping they get better from here. Found this little gem in there... WeR138, Talapas1, DavidTheDavid and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s-man Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, THE_BEYONDER said: So I decided to get started on these, and discovered I had a copy of 167 so I started there. Meh It was ok, but I’m hoping they get better from here. Found this little gem in there... Always felt bad for how it ends with that character (no spoilers!) My personal favorite issue of the FM run is 165...the cover alone is great. I just started reading the Tick Omnibus (covers issues 1-6). Read the first two issues in it and really like the fun poking it does on Supes. Also I like Edlund's art work. Edited January 11, 2021 by s-man THE_BEYONDER, ttfitz and Talapas1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE_BEYONDER Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 DD 169-170 Miller at the helm.... Bullseye gets released and is crazier than ever. The mob puts a hit on the now retired Kingpin.... Vanessa kidnapped? Ken Aldred, Talapas1 and Raze 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Aldred Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 14 to 22 Quasar Classic Vol 1 (Quasar 1 to 9) One of my favourite, underrated series from the late 80s to mid 90s, with some excellent stories by Mark Gruenwald. This would’ve been better published as an Epic Collection, given the fluctuation in quality in the early stages of the title, with only the first third of this collection being particularly worthwhile. Issues 1 to 3 are excellent; a two-part origin of Quasar and a story with a transdimensional villain, setting up the cosmic protector direction of the title, but, the stories then falter and descend into monster, or ‘alien of the month’ repetition, with poor artwork. Left as is, the book is trade paperback bin fodder, which I got for £2.50 in a Comixology sale, whereas an Epic Collection, containing the first 20 issues or so, would’ve seen a quick improvement with the great Journey Into Mystery multi-parter, the classic super-speedster contest issue, and the arrival of the excellent Greg Capullo on artwork soon after. WeR138, Talapas1 and Raze 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savoyard23 Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 Good morning! Today's update is - Legion (1984) up to 29, and Marvel Team Up 130. Even 20. I am actually collecting the Miller DD run as we speak. I don't have a 168, unfortunately, and may want to wait for a price correction there, if that ever happens. (Or a good deal.). I bought a few off the stands here and there. I'm enjoying reading your thoughts on it. Raze, Talapas1, ttfitz and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...