Comic books and Manga Thread

[JRH]

The GI Joe comic from Marvel (and the IDW continuation, but I havent gotten to that yet) is worth checking out too, surprisingly enough. It gets really good once it starts focusing on the various power plays and backstabbing in Cobra, in fact, I'd argue that the Cobras, not the joes, are really the main characters (though the Joes get plenty of moments to shine during the battle scenes).

[Ricky Jackson]

Loved Marvel GI Joe as a kid. It was really well done as far as fleshing out the characters from the cartoon 

[Mad Dog]

Larry Hama is the man!

[Ricky Jackson]

What do folks think about Remender/JR Jr's 2012-13 10 issue Captain America "Dimension Z" story? I powered through it this morning and was pleasantly surprised actually. I've always been a JR Jr fan and he's in full on Kirby New Gods mode here, especially with the Big Barda-inspired Jet Black character. A science fiction/cosmic/fantasy take on Cap is definitely unique and the story is actually pretty cool, mixed with flashbacks to his youth in depression era New York, and the end leaves him a man out of time again with his life totally turned upside down. Not sure if I'll continue with it, as JR Jr is done after #10. Really good stuff. Next up on my 2012 Marvel trip is Fraction's Fantastic Four and FF

[Mad Dog]

I hated it at the time personally. I might be more agreeable to it now but it just didn't sit right with me coming off of Brubaker's amazing and down to earth espionage comics.

[Ricky Jackson]

I can see that. It's definitely a complete and total change from what came before. I was a big fan of Brubaker's run, although I stopped collecting comics around 2009. Obviously I didnt read this as it was happening. I didnt have high expectations going in, but I got totally sucked in as soon as I realized the story they were trying to tell. At this point in my superhero comics reading, I really love the idea of placing a long-established character in a completely foreign setting genre wise. When I was younger I would've probably been resistant to such radical change. But at the same time, the story is, at it's heart, consistent with themes that have run through Cap comics forever 

[Mad Dog]

I think where I was also disappointed is I really liked X-Force with Remenber and this just kind of missed the mark. But I had been reading Cap for 8 years monthly by this point and it just wasn't the right time. I might give this a second chance though. I like the idea of taking characters out of their comfort zone for certain stories. I liked Iron Man going into space around this time as well.

[Mad Dog]

Also, this was during the All-New relaunch and it really got lost in the shuffle of a lot of books that were just starting.

[Ricky Jackson]

I get that, coming after such a long and acclaimed run, it would kinda be ignored at the time. Honestly, I was only interested in checking it out to see JR Jr on a Cap book 

[Matt D]

It was weird and a little offputting but some of the specific story beats were both good and striking with the kid being an interesting component. I remember at the time feeling like it came too close to another seemingly "imaginary" story but I recall what that was off the top of my head.

[dawho5]

I enjoyed Dimension Z.  My favorite Cap run is Brubaker, but I tend to like the "familiar character in unfamiliar surroundings" stories too.  I think it was OJ way back in this thread who said that Cap is a hard character to write interesting stories for and I agree.  It's kinda the same deal as Superman where you have to really love the character (and I do in the case of Cap) to sit through a lot of the samey reactions he has to whatever it is the villains are doing.  The villains do a lot of the heavy lifting in the morally upright hero stories.  If you don't really get into those moments where the hero comes through and figures out how to fix things in a satisfactory way to them a lot of it will fall flat for you.  Also, if taken wrong Cap will come across as super stuffy and authoritarian with some of the less law-abiding heroes when he makes appearances depending on the writer.

Somebody on page 8 mentioned that a lot of the Astro City books were pulled from Kindle.  I read that in late 2020 Busiek announced he was going to start releasing Astro City in graphic novel form with no monthly comics.  No timeframe, but very exciting!

 

[Reel]

8 hours ago, dawho5 said:

Somebody on page 8 mentioned that a lot of the Astro City books were pulled from Kindle.  I read that in late 2020 Busiek announced he was going to start releasing Astro City in graphic novel form with no monthly comics.  No timeframe, but very exciting!

 

I just read the first two runs on my kindle within the last month, can't speak to the most recent stuff though. 

[Ricky Jackson]

All I can find on Kindle for Astro City are a few single issues but none of the collected editions. Nothing on Comixology 

[Reel]

I read them as single issues on comixology unlimited, I don't know if that plays into it. They are categorized in a weird way and in a way that makes them hard to find in search, but if you find the first issue of a run, when you get to the end of the issue, it'll link to the next. 

[Shrike02]

Speaking as a huge fan of Astro City I must recommend buying the trades. They are worth every penny.

[Ricky Jackson]

I would buy the trades but they're bloody expensive and/or out of stock/print. My library system has a bunch of them, so I'll probably go that route. It's a pain in the ass, because they were all on Kindle free with an unlimited subscription (Comixology unlimited is unavailable in Canada because of reasons) until last September or so and then they were pulled 

[Shrike02]

They're all out of print? That surprises me. I filled in the gaps in my collection these past few years and bought the new releases at my local comic shop or at Chapters. If the more recent ones are out of stock with online retailers that sucks.

[Ricky Jackson]

Yeah, it seems like if you didnt nab them when they first came out you can't find them in brick and mortar stores. Amazon is largely expensive/out of stock. Ebay is way too expensive with shipping factored in 

[SomethingSavage]

23 hours ago, Ricky Jackson said:

What do folks think about Remender/JR Jr's 2012-13 10 issue Captain America "Dimension Z" story? I powered through it this morning and was pleasantly surprised actually. I've always been a JR Jr fan and he's in full on Kirby New Gods mode here, especially with the Big Barda-inspired Jet Black character. A science fiction/cosmic/fantasy take on Cap is definitely unique and the story is actually pretty cool, mixed with flashbacks to his youth in depression era New York, and the end leaves him a man out of time again with his life totally turned upside down. Not sure if I'll continue with it, as JR Jr is done after #10. Really good stuff. Next up on my 2012 Marvel trip is Fraction's Fantastic Four and FF

You're not alone, brutha. I dug the story, but it *was* at a time when I was just reintroducing myself to contemporary Marvel comics, so maybe I just missed reading Cap and really enjoyed seeing him in such a unique setting for his solo series. I thought they tapped into some interesting themes, the art was amazing, and it all wrapped up neatly.

I believe I have my immediate feedback somewhere in this thread a couple of years ago when I initially read the arc. Probably right before I dove into Secret Empire, if I recall correctly.

I find that being outside the bubble really helps make these arcs more enjoyable though. I'm not plugged into a lot of what's happening AS it unfolds. I wait for trades, let the love/hate whiplash reactions die down, and give things a thorough read after the fact.

I tend to view my wrestling and binge watch seasons of TV very much the same way.

Anyway, I came here to ask you guys for some recommendations. I've caught up on a lot of modern comics over the last few years since getting back into things. There was just SO MUCH I missed out on during my time away.

So, next up on the agenda is modern Daredevil. And by modern I guess I mean everything from Bendis on up to current day. Bendis seems to be the standard answer I get as to a starting point, but what do you guys say?

Courtesy of podcasts like Geek History Lesson and Only Stupid Answers, I know Mark Waid's run is one I've got to check out soon, too.

Can you guys point me in the direction of specific arcs/issues? I'm pretty much a blank slate when it comes to Daredevil, aside from the Miller stuff from the heyday of my fandom. I'm wide open for suggestions. Any recs are much appreciated.

[Mad Dog]

My guess is Busiek is signing with a new company and the IP goes with him. Conan and Star Wars both got pulled off or digital platforms when they moved to Marvel. 

[Shrike02]

19 minutes ago, Mad Dog said:

My guess is Busiek is signing with a new company and the IP goes with him. Conan and Star Wars both got pulled off or digital platforms when they moved to Marvel. 

That's a very likely hypothesis. Busiek's Astro City is creator-owned.

[dawho5]

As for Daredevil, if you read the Bendis run I would follow up with the Brubaker run.  Not only because Brubaker is my favorite contemporary writer, it came right after and is also really good.

[Matt D]

Might have mentioned it, but I'm twenty issues into the Zdarsky DD run and it's just excellent. I'd put it up with those two runs so far.

[Mad Dog]

17 hours ago, Ricky Jackson said:

Yeah, it seems like if you didnt nab them when they first came out you can't find them in brick and mortar stores. Amazon is largely expensive/out of stock. Ebay is way too expensive with shipping factored in 

I know you are in Canada. Do you want me to keep an eye out at local Half Price books for Astro City stuff? 

[Ricky Jackson]

Yeah, sure. Thanks man!