1000 Books in 2024 3 3

[Cat]

Alright, that's all 5 volumes of Dynamo 5 knocked out. I can power through them because they're just such. good. comics. Really, if every comic was up to these standards the industry would be laughing. Written by Jay Faerber with art by Mahmud Asrar for most of the series (the final mini is drawn by Julie Brihla, who has an excellent style that is very close to Mahmud's) I can't recommend this series enough. It's got twists and turns you haven't seen in a superhero comic, something that's near impossible to do. 

Anyway, that takes me up to an even 180 books so far for the year. I'm not sure what's next. Could be Starman, DKR, Watchmen, or some more Masters Of The Universe. I'll decide later. 

 

 

[mrlatko]

22-26: Villains for Hire 0.1-4 (Marvel Limited '11)

5 issue series that I set aside while doing some box inventory today.  I'm into villains recently for some reason.  This series was Misty Knight and her group of hired villains vs. Purple Man and his group of hired villains.  Pretty well written with some surprises, and solid art by Arlem.  Ending felt a bit rushed, but overall enjoyable.

[Djedi]

Athena Inc. The Manhunter Project 1-6

The concept is cool. These super assassins are created as two in one. The normal half of them lives a regular life. Then a genetic trigger causes them to change appearance and personality, becoming someone else, the ultimate weapon. The regular identity is a disguise or cover for the assassin. It might have been better if they had Gwen/Mary fighting outside enemies rather than being targeted by their own company. While the way they go allows the female lead to fight characters similar to herself, it's not done particularly well. The villains are mediocre. On the bright side, the two personas learning to work together gave it a decent character arch. Also enjoyed the good creator looking like Anthony Hopkins.

[rlextherobot]

Been home the last week tending to my sick cat, which it turns out lends itself to reading a lot of comics. 

57. Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow #5
58. I Hate this Place #9 
59. Jimmy Olsen #142
60. Jimmy Olsen #143
61. Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow #6 
62. Stormwatch #39 
63. Stormwatch #40
64. Sandman Universe Special: Hellblazer 
65. Punisher Max #26 
66. Punisher Max #27 
67. New Gods #5 
68. I Hate this Place #10 
69. Stormwatch #41 
70. Punisher Max #28 
71. Mister Miracle #5 
72. Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow #7
73. Stormwatch #42 
74. Stormwatch #43 
75. Forever People #6 
76. Books of Magic #14 
77. Punisher Max #29 
78. Punisher Max #30 
79. Punisher Max #31 
80. Punisher Max #32 
81. Punisher Max #33
82. Punisher Max #34 
83. Punisher Max #35 
84. Punisher Max #36 
85. Wonder Woman (vol. 6) #1 
86. Jimmy Olsen #144 
87. Jimmy Olsen #145 
88. Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow #8 
89. Strange Adventures #223 
90. Stormwatch #44
91. The Punisher #37 
92. The Penguin #1 
93. Mister Miracle #6 
94. Chamber of Darkness #4

Quick takes: 

- So clear to me on this reread that the King had a vision but no real plan for The Fourth World Saga. Its full of bizarre choices that would seem to contradict its scope, but also make it uniquely Kirby in ways that nobody since has really been able to capture. 
- Loved Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow, so decided to give Tom King's Penguin and Wonder Woman a shot. Both fine, but not grabbing me, will possibly try a few more of each before making a decision on whether to follow. Nice art on WW though. 
- I am Punisher Maxed out. The over the top violence and brutality are part of the appeal, but the nihilism of the book (especially in the The Slavers arc) takes its toll as a reader. Gonna give it a week or two before continuing. 
- Ellis' Stormwatch revisit is interesting, if only because you can see concepts he'd develop further in future works being born. Some pretty dicey art in spots, but overall a pretty good read. 
- I Hate this Place is great, and I recommend it if you want a fun modern horror book with some twists and turns. Its run was foreshortened (I assume for sales reasons) and you can tell they had to move some parts of the story along quickly to resolve them, but its still a solid read that doesn't feel unfinished. 

[AlexH]

On 1/19/2024 at 2:02 PM, AlexH said:

Rachel Rising #4-11

American Gods #1-5

Spider-Boy #1

What If #31 (1982)

Total 50

Rachel Rising #12-18

Illuminati #0-2
Adevntureman #1

Total: 61

[Cat]

Starman Omnibus Volume 1. So as you can see, I opted for James Robinson's Starman. I haven't read it since the Omni's came out circa 2008, so now's a really good time for a reread, especially with the comics hitting the 30 year old mark this year. I'll also be honest, I don't remember much at all. Joys of brain fog, everything is new again. We're off to a good, relatively stable start. Very 90's, but I can't exactly penalise it for that, now can I? 

A quality beginning to a quality series. That's 17 issues, taking me up to 197 for the year to date. 

[Ken Aldred]

Ex Machina 1 to 50, and Ex Machina Specials 1 to 4

Liked it. A lot of discussion about political issues of the time, some of which have shown progress in the intervening two decades, but that’s always a risk with the relevance type of comic book, as with Green Lantern back in the 70s. Still, I found Vaughan’s dialogue very engaging throughout, and there’s lots of great art from Tony Harris, Chris Sprouse, and John Paul Leon. Well worth reading.

2023 total = 96

[rlextherobot]

On 1/23/2024 at 7:30 AM, Ken Aldred said:

Ex Machina 1 to 50, and Ex Machina Specials 1 to 4

Liked it. A lot of discussion about political issues of the time, some of which have shown progress in the intervening two decades, but that’s always a risk with the relevance type of comic book, as with Green Lantern back in the 70s. Still, I found Vaughan’s dialogue very engaging throughout, and there’s lots of great art from Tony Harris, Chris Sprouse, and John Paul Leon. Well worth reading.

2023 total = 96

I keep meaning to revisit this book. It came out at the height of my BKV fandom (I still follow him, but don't love everything he's done in the years since this series was being released) and I remember it being my least favorite of his three ongoing titles of the time, the other two being Y and Runaways. 

[Ken Aldred]

On 1/23/2024 at 7:28 PM, rlextherobot said:

I keep meaning to revisit this book. It came out at the height of my BKV fandom (I still follow him, but don't love everything he's done in the years since this series was being released) and I remember it being my least favorite of his three ongoing titles of the time, the other two being Y and Runaways. 

Once you adjust to the procedural dialogue it’s involving enough throughout. It’s often compared to The West Wing, but I haven’t seen that series at all, so my analogy was Law and Order, which has the same type of debating on moral and political issues.

I suppose I appreciated it for being something different to a generic slugfest comic.

The final issue is a bit strange, as Mitch’s character changes quite jarringly. 

Edited January 23 by Ken Aldred

[rlextherobot]

95. Batman #252
96. Jimmy Olsen #146
97. John Constantine: Hellblazer #1
98. Sandman Mystery Theatre #20 
99. Transformers #3
100. New Gods #6
101. Jimm Olsen (vol. 2) #1 
102. Forever People #7 
103. Cobra Commander #1 
104. New Gods #7 

 

[Cat]

On 1/25/2024 at 2:41 AM, rlextherobot said:

95. Batman #252
96. Jimmy Olsen #146
97. John Constantine: Hellblazer #1
98. Sandman Mystery Theatre #20 
99. Transformers #3
100. New Gods #6
101. Jimm Olsen (vol. 2) #1 
102. Forever People #7 
103. Cobra Commander #1 
104. New Gods #7 

 

How was COBRA Commander? I won't get to read mine for a few weeks. 

[Cat]

Completed Starman Omni volume 2. Better than the first, more refined, better developed, which is good to see (although it was already off to a great start, mind you). I particularly enjoyed the story with Dr Fate, and while I normally hate holiday stories, the Christmas story here is just so good I can't help but enjoy it every time I read it. It always makes me smile. 

What more can I say, really? There's a reason this is a classic series. Recommended read. It takes me up to 214 for the year to date. 

[rlextherobot]

On 1/24/2024 at 11:17 AM, Cat said:

How was COBRA Commander? I won't get to read mine for a few weeks. 

I wanted to check it out because my buddy (who is as big a GI Joe nerd as I've known) said it was really good. I am not as into it as he was, but it does dig into some of the animated movie lore interesting ways, I'll give it a few issues. 

[Rockyjo3]

Jsa The Golden Age #1-4 

Justice Society of America (1991) #1-8 

Justice Society of America (1992) #1-10

All Star Comics (1999) #1-2 

All American Comics #1

Adventure Comics #1 

National Comics #1 

Sensation Comics #1 

Star Spangled Comics #1 

Thrilling Comics #1 

JSA Secret Files #1

Hawkman (2002) #1-4 

Uncanny X-men #173-175

Dont know what my total for the year is, I’ll do the math later  Going to try and just stick with Jsa, Green Lantern and X-men books/storylines. Otherwise I’ll be reading a dozen different titles, won’t remember anything and will never finish any of them 

[Cat]

On 1/26/2024 at 11:19 AM, Rockyjo3 said:

Jsa The Golden Age #1-4 

Justice Society of America (1991) #1-8 

Justice Society of America (1992) #1-10

All Star Comics (1999) #1-2 

All American Comics #1

Adventure Comics #1 

National Comics #1 

Sensation Comics #1 

Star Spangled Comics #1 

Thrilling Comics #1 

JSA Secret Files #1

Hawkman (2002) #1-4 

Uncanny X-men #173-175

Dont know what my total for the year is, I’ll do the math later  Going to try and just stick with Jsa, Green Lantern and X-men books/storylines. Otherwise I’ll be reading a dozen different titles, won’t remember anything and will never finish any of them 

Nice selection there, mate. 

[Cat]

Starman omnibus volume 3 is done. Again, the quality took another leap forward in the writing department, and the art didn't suffer, despite featuring far less of Tony Harris. The Shade miniseries was a very fun tale, of his vendetta with the Ludlow family over the decades, and kept things fresh and entertaining. His written journals were also a nice change of pace for the series, and were utilised well. This series really is something special. 

Next up, volume 4, which includes the crossover with Batman and Hellboy, and both the Golden Age and modern Starmen in different issues, which should be a lot of fun. James Robinson script and Mignola art just screams fun to me. 

I'm now up to 229 for the year. 

[rlextherobot]

105. John Constantine: Hellblazer #2
106. G.O.D.S. #4
107. Stormwatch #45
108. Stormwatch #46
109. Red Circle Sorcery #7
110. Mister Miracle #7
111. Jimmy Olsen #147

Quick notes: 

- Stormwatch reread is getting good. Art is still touch and go, but this is really the origin of the whole Authority/Boys/Wanted/Ultimates style of "adult" superhero book that would dominate the industry for a few years.  
- I have read every issue of G.O.D.S. and I have no idea what's going on and why I should care. I like Hickman and I have faith he has a vision and a plan, but its real hard to stay motivated to read this right now. 
- Red Circle Sorcery #7 was not great. Just a real step below any comparable Bronze horror comic in terms of story, with some nice-ish art. 
- Decided to check out some contemporary Hellblazer, heard the first Simon Spurrier run was good, I dunno, not really grabbing me yet but will continue through and see where it goes. 
 

[Cat]

Starman Omni volume 4 is done and dusted. It's difficult to say anything fresh about this. It's more of the same, enjoyable, and fresh, despite its age. I had one massive disappointment though, and that was the Starman/Batman/Hellboy crossover. It seemed like issue 1 starred the Golden Age Starman and was set in the Golden Age, with issue 2 being set in the current era. That's how I remembered them happening too. I was totally wrong. Ted Knight is basically a prop, and Batman appears a bit in the first, and basically has a cameo in the second issue. Mignola's strength is his period work. Why not give the man a Golden Age tale here?? It seems like such a waste to me. I wanted to see him draw Ted Knight as Starman, and the Golden Age Justice Society, in their prime. That's not what I got at all. A shame. A crying shame. 

Still, a recommended read. It's a very strong series. 

243 comics read so far this year. 

[srezvan]

30 comics so far this year.

I'm not loving the Zelda manga, but I'm reading them with my 7 year old son, and he's really enjoying them. That's what matters. We're almost half way through the box set. 

 

Civil War mini-series. This came out at a time when I wasn't reading a lot of comics, particularly moderns. Lots of the themes from the story have made its way into the MCU, but the original source material was a good read. I'm an X-Men fan, so I'll read the Civil War X-Men mini-series soon.

[AlexH]

On 1/22/2024 at 9:00 PM, AlexH said:

Rachel Rising #12-18

Illuminati #0-2
Adevntureman #1

Total: 61

The Eternals (2006) #1-7

Big Girl #1

Total 69