It begins. Galactus Hungers… for comic book discussion!
As usual, the full list of what I bought will be forthcoming at a later time, but the highlights of my comic purchases this week were :
Fables - As far as I’m concerned, this book can do no wrong.
Twisted Toyfare Theatre collection #1 and #3 - not strictly comics, but comic related. Already owned #2. Funniest. Stuff. Ever. If you are a (Superhero) comic book fan, and you have a sense of humor, you must love TTT.
Yesterday’s trip to the Great Escape yielded:
ToyFare: I agree, TTT is about the funniest thing I see every month. I want to be a caption write for them, and try online every month.
Ultimate X-Men: Interesting plot point…didn’t see that coming. Although I don’t think it will last, as the recap in the front of the book seems to imply it’s not true either. Did anyone else notice they called this part 5 of the arc on the cover, when it’s actually part 6? Just a little nit.
She-Hulk: My favorite new book out there. It will thankfully be there for me when Captain Marvel ceases its run in a month or so, so I’ll still have my dose of funny each month. My one gripe is the inconsistant art. He can make She-Hulk as cute as a button, but that was hands-down, the worst looking Thing I’ve ever seen. Thing does not have a Jimmy Durante nose; its basically 3 smallish rocks between his eyes, close to his brow. Been that way for nearly 40 years. You can’t just change a character because you don’t know how to draw him…who do you think you are, Frank Quitely? 
The Pulse: Cheap gimmick, putting Spider-Man on every cover, considering he’s not made an appearance yet. I love Bendis’ dialogs and that’s what this book is about. No superhero fights, just a tabloid in a superhero world. I’d prefer if this has stayed a Max title because some of the wording sounds forced to conform with guidelines, but it’s still an intriguing read so far.
I also picked up the TPB of Runaways earlier this week. I got the first issue when it first came out and liked it, but not enough to add another title to my list. But I recommend it to anyone looking for something inthe MU, but different from the norm. Setting it in L.A. gives Vaughn a fresh sandbox to play in. What I don’t care for is the Manga digest size. It looks awkward on my bookshelf with all my other TPBs. But hey, I can’t complain about the $7.99 price tag.
Just wanted to drop in and say I picked up **JLA/Avengers ** 1-4 and **Superman/Batman ** 5, 8-9 this weekend, and love 'em. I’m scrounging for the remaining S/B books, but can live without them for the time being. Couple quickies:
Superman/Batman #8: Should I have gotten the color cover or the pencil cover? I liked the pencil, and it was the only one left (compared to the pile of color covers). Manager said it wouldn’t make a difference.
What bags and boards do you guys use? Manager suggested Silver Age sized, since they’re a little easier to manipulate.
Any suggestions on where to look for the remaining Superman/Batman books, and what prices aren’t ridiculous?
If you liked the pencil one, then you got the right one. Don’t let anyone coerce you into buying more than one due to multiple covers. That gimmick was played out back inthe late 80’s and really lead to a huge decline in the industry. I despise the fact that it seems to be making a comeback. Buy the one you like best and you’ll be happy. I don’t think the long term “investment” difference will matter much.
I don’t bag anymore. I read them and box them (eventually). However, when I did bag, I used the modern age size since they fit the comic and gave them less room to shift around. Silver age being larger gives too much room for shifting and damage. I do use Silver age to package 5-6 books in one convenient spot though, so I can have one story arc per bag. I like the method myself though I’m sure some collectors would scream in horror if they saw it.
I think S/B 1-6 are available in a Hardcover … that’s probably the cheapest way to get them, since they seem highly collectible. The pencil cover for #8 was the first reprint … it really doesn’t make a difference except for collectible purposes… even then, if he had a ‘pile’ of color covers, that might be a third printing.
Bags and Boards … I’m not as good about using them as I should be. Silver Age works. As long as you books fit comfortably in the bags, there should be no issue … just make sure the board and bag size match.
My purchases for the week:
JSA # 61 - Fantastic. A deep exploration of the nature of the Spectre, combined with a super-hero story anchored firmly in JSA history, with easter eggs sprinkled throughout. Best issue of this series I’ve read in a while, and I do like it.
H-E-R-O # 16 - Eh. This issue felt very padded, and I have a feeling that the current four-part story, with decent editing, could have been three. There just wasn’t too much new material, other than seeing what the villain of the piece is up to. And in addition, it seems like there will be a predictable ending:
I predict that Robby Reed’s ex-wife Suzie gets killed because she was in the proximity of the fight that will happen between Robby, Jerry and the villain. The irony being, of course, that the only reason Robby was anywhere near her was because he thought he could save her.
My highlight of the week was District X, a Marvel Knights book. A well thought out story, with an interesting twist at the end makes me salivating for more. I am a bit fan of Marvel Knights (and Marvel Max), so seeing another book is great for me!
pVp #6 hit the shelves this week too. I am a big fan of Kurtz, as I have said before in these threads, but this book was exceptional. A satire on the Alternative Comics industry, this book features Skull the Troll in a staring roll:
Skull: What are my influences?
Brent: Pot?
Hehe…
FIGGIDDABOUDIT!!
Chynna Clugston-Major’s new Blue Monday series hit the stands today!!
HOORAYY!!!
She & Phil Foglio are the 2 most Fun people in comics today!
Hey, new Blue Monday? Didn’t see it… I’ll have to look for it.
My roster this week:
Emma Frost #11 - Really enjoying the peek into Emma’s backstory.
Green Arrow #38 - Interesting plot arc - not as good as Kevin Smith’s, but hey, what is?
Batman : Harley and Ivy #1 - Late getting this - I love it more than words can express. It hearkens back to the days of yore when we had the best animated Batman series ever on the air.
Batman #627 - Like the plot, but I’m not sold on the art.
Action Comics #815 - Hey! Gog! From the Kingdom! Plus an Art Adams cover? Sold!
Teen Titans #11 - Maybe it’s just me, but I really don’t care about this Raven arc. She’s just not interesting to me as a character anymore.
Bite Club #2 - Love the alternate thinking on vampires presented here… mixed with the mafia feel, I’ll probably be buying this one for some time to come.
Fables #25 - I hope they never change creative teams on this book. It’s perfect.
I really like this book too. The first issue blew me away, and the second was just as incredible. I can’t understand why I forgot to add this one to my list above.
Sadly though, its only a six issue run. Hopefully DC/Vertigo will extend it.
I got:
The Legion: I’ve decided to stick with this series, even though I feel like I came in late to the party. I guess there’s so much history to the LSH that there’s no possible way for me to get completely caught up at this point. At any rate, it seemed like a neat story that I didn’t really understand.
Swamp Thing: It’s been years since I read this regularly, but I’m liking the new series so far. Hopefully they can avoid just building it up too big and not being able to come up with the pay-off. Compared to the recent Hellblazers I’ve read, I’m starting to think that Constantine is most interesting when in a supporting role.
Hellboy Weird Tales: I didn’t mind it, but I just realized that I can’t remember a single thing from the issue. Or any of the previous ones, now that I think about it. I guess it just shows that Hellboy only just barely works, and if you remove any element of it, it just falls apart into inconsequential stories.
Y: The Last Man: TPB collecting the first however many issues. I got it on the recommendation of some other posts on the SDMB. I guess I liked it, but I wasn’t crazy about it. Seemed overly “written” in a lot of places.
Ironwolf: Another TPB; apparently this one is from 1992. I had never heard of it before, but just got it because the cover, and the pencils, were by Mike Mignola. It was inked by P. Craig Russell. Unfortunately, it was written by Howard Chaykin. I’ve never, ever liked anything he’s written, and I don’t know why I keep buying his stuff. This was big, rushed, confusing, and nonsensical. And Mignola’s art is fantastic for setting mood, but not so much when you’ve got a bunch of characters who need to look similar but not identical.
And a hijack:
Does anyone know a good comic book store in San Francisco? I’ve gone to “Comix Express” on Divisadero a couple of times, and I suppose it’s adequate, but the place just gives me a bad vibe that I can’t explain.
That’s not what you’re peeking at. :dubious:
I assure you, despite the cheesecakey covers, the material inside is not lascivious in the slightest.
Dude, you live right near the classiest, swankiest, coolest comic shop in the country, the Isotope Lounge!
They always have in-store events with big-name creators, drink-ups, art galleries, and even lucha libre (wrestling) competitions in the store! And James Sime, the owner, is a major advocate for comic book-reading, and the sharpest-dressed man in the industry. You’re lucky to have such a store close at hand!
Got the Marvels 10th Anniversary hardcover recently.
In addition to all four issues of the miniseries and the special issue #0, there are over 100 pages of various treats, bonuses and surprises, including early sketches, scripts and various drafts of the proposal for the series.
Well worth the $35.00 I paid for it on Amazon.