The Comic Book Thread

[SpaceBooger]

I'm curious to see what everyone's thoughts are on DC's New 52 now that we're this far into it? We're at a point where all the shiny newness should have worn off.

So, what do you guys think?

Now that the initial attempt to "wow" people has wore off. I am digging it for the most part. Most of the stuff that was crap is gone or revamped to work. I have enjoyed Batman, Superman, Justice League (both of them) and Wonder Woman, Nightwing, and Aquaman are all great/much improved - better than the old DCU.

If you dig Batman, check out the last three issues of Nightwing. The new team of Kyle Higgins and Brett Booth are a perfect match... not to mention giving Nightwing his own city - Chicago (the real city Gotham is based off of).

If you dig mythology check out Wonder Woman. All of the Greek gods have been modernized and are well represented in this series.

The only thing I don't like about the New 52 is that I was a self proclaimed continuity expert of the old DCU; now I am on equal ground with everyone else. This is why I think most people dislike the New 52.

[BurningDoom]

I'm not happy with it just because it's not MY DC Universe. I am familiar with that world and those characters, and I liked that. I don't know these new characters. And while my favorite books, the Green Lantern books, were barely chaged at all, it seemed the stories weren't as good as they were before the change.

That said, I am still enjoying the Green Lantern books, nonetheless, even if they aren't quite as good as they were before. And I'm enjoying Earth 2. However, things seem a little slow-moving in Earth 2.

Justice League I didn't like. It didn't feel like it lived up the title. The artwork is absolutely phenomenal. But the stories just seem kind of simplistic to me. I expect bigger and badder threats with the JL. Superman is, well, average. It's not bad, but it's not particularly good.

I haven't been following Batman or Wonder Woman. But I did just start on Batman with the first issue to Batman: Year Zero, which wasn't bad.

Captain Atom and Firestorm I wish I had followed. But on the bright side, it won't be hard to track down the back-issues since those books were already cancelled. I did get the first couple issues of both books, but then cut them due to my budget and trying to limit my comic purchases.

[Forlorn Drifter]

I've been happy with the reboot, seeing as the reboot happened at pretty much the same time I decided to get into comics, it works for me. Being new to comics, its a daunting task going into something with 50 years of history behind it. Part of the reason I still haven't gotten into Marvel.

I haven't had much cash though, so I haven't picked up books in a couple of months. Plus, I'm currently trying to figure out where I'm going with my Conan comics. I think the couple I have are from the 2004 run, but I'm not sure. I will be picking up the new series when I can though.

[Nemoide]

Honestly, when DC announced their "New 52" I saw it as the perfect excuse to jump OUT of their comics. I was only there for the Grant Morrison Batman and while I'm sure his run on other titles have been good, I really just want to read him making his crazy occult anarchist stuff like again.
So I turned my back on the DC Universe and haven't regretted it!

[Nemoide]

Has anybody else been following Sex, the Image Comics series by Joe Casey? Issue #4 came out today and I would say that it's my favorite currently-running superhero-related series.
It's not really a superhero comic as much as it is superhero-flavored I guess; the main character is a recently retired superhero. There's a lot of vague, unexplained goings-on, so backstories are generally not crystal-clear. The protagonist is realizing how repressed his entire life has been, how he doesn't know how to function in society, that he doesn't know how relationships or friendships really work. There's a lot more to it, but it's something that I think really has to be read to be appreciated. It makes me think of Watchmen or The Dark Knight Returns, while being something original. I really like its sensibilities and would recommend it to anyone who goes for that sort of thing.

Joe Casey has another series out called The Bounce. I picked up issue #2 today but haven't read it yet. The first issue piqued my interest and I'm curious about where it's going.

I've also been really loving where BPRD: Hell on Earth has been going. It feels like in so many comics, stories never really progress and nothing ever really changes. Not so with BPRD, where the world will clearly never be the same after (assuming there WILL be an after) the "Hell on Earth" title-change. It's been going for a few years, but continues to impress me.

And did anyone else read Richard Corben's Fall of the House of Usher? It was pretty fucked up in a great way.

[BurningDoom]

As a Spider-Man fan that grew up in the 90s, this news from Comic-Con has me a little excited:

http://www.newsarama.com/18412-superior-spider-man-faces-his-darkest-hours-in-venom-clash.html

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN Faces His 'Darkest Hours' in VENOM Clash



Spider-Man vs. Venom is an iconic Marvel match-up, and one that fans have witnessed multiple times before. But not this Spider-Man versus this Venom.

The four-issue "Darkest Hours" storyline starting with November's Superior Spider-Man #22, announced Thursday afternoon at Comic-Con International in San Diego, will feature the first encounter between Superior Spider-Man (Doctor Octopus's mind controlling Peter Parker's body) and Agent Venom (the classic symbiotic, now mostly under the control of long-time Spidey supporting cast member Flash Thompson).

Co-written by regular series writer Dan Slott and his frequent collaborator Christos Gage and illustrated by Humberto Ramos (one of Superior Spider-Man's three main artists), it's said to be a meaningful conflict for both characters — with the added context that Flash Thompson grew up idolizing Spider-Man, albeit a very different Spidey than the one currently operating.

Except this time, Spider-Man will likely be the more brutal side of this classic battle. Think this might be what finally pushes Thompson's symbiote over edge (which we've seen Flash walk a few times, now)?

[Forlorn Drifter]

I really wish HeavyMetal Magazine came in trades... or that I could find issues anywhere.

[RCBH928]

Wearing my flame suite ,

are comic books still a thing today? I know they used to be big way back but I heard that its just gone downhill now , while characters are still extremely popular, do people still buy the comic books?

Are they still in the form of thin magazines or do they come in book size?

[jfe2]

I've been reading the new Valiant stuff and its all been really good. The Harbinger Wars crossover was really cool.

[Forlorn Drifter]

Wearing my flame suite ,

are comic books still a thing today? I know they used to be big way back but I heard that its just gone downhill now , while characters are still extremely popular, do people still buy the comic books?

Are they still in the form of thin magazines or do they come in book size?

They're still popular. You could argue they've dropped off a bit, but they are picking back up quite a bit due to sales of digital comics and trades. (Trades are collections of multiple single comics in a series together.)

Batman sells like hotcakes, so certain characters are definitely extremely popular.

Comic type depends on the story. Some books come in graphic novels, just book sized comics. Others come in singles, the "magazine" style you described. Then there's trades, which many of the companies do, which collect multiple singles into a single book.