General Comics Thread

**wiggum** · October 9th, 2011, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by Raoul Duke

Any anthologies you guys can recommend? I like the sample platter of style they can provide and short stories that get right to the point.

I know its been mentioned, but Doomed! is a fantastic black and white book.

The new Creepy Comics are getting steadily better and better, I especially liked a recent story about an insane demon hunting clown. You could also spend some money and get some of the high quality reprints of the original Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella magazines that Dark Horse and Dynamite have been putting out. (These are especially cool because you can check out some stuff from some of the "old" masters like Frazetta and Neil Adams)

You could also try out the Sandman Endless Nights book, has some great artwork and storytelling.

If you are not interested in straight horror should try out Batman: Black and White. The first volume is probably the best, with art from Simon Bisley, Richard Corben and Kevin Nowlan (I'm not normally a fan of Nowlan, but his story in this anthology is excellent).

You can also try out some Hellboy. Because of the weird way that hellboy has been published over the years, some of the early trades have more of an anthology feel. You can try out Chained Coffin and Others, The Right Hand of Doom and The Troll Witch and Others. All of these collections are great and Troll witch even features a stories illustrated by Richard Corben and P. Craig Russell.

Speaking of Hellboy...Does anyone else here read his titles regularly? If not, please try it out, you'll thank me.

**Psychotime** · October 9th, 2011, 07:55 PM

I haven't read Hellboy in a long long time, but I need to start BPRD before I go back.

Last thing I remember is some stuff with mermaids or something like that? Hellboy had already quit the Bureau and was on his own.

**Raoul Duke** · October 9th, 2011, 08:22 PM

Bruce Timm has to be the classiest story teller DC has ever come across.

Oh yeah Paul Dinni and Alex Ross are an awesome pair.

**N D Hill** · October 9th, 2011, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by wiggum

You can also try out some Hellboy. Because of the weird way that hellboy has been published over the years, some of the early trades have more of an anthology feel. You can try out Chained Coffin and Others, The Right Hand of Doom and The Troll Witch and Others. All of these collections are great and Troll witch even features a stories illustrated by Richard Corben and P. Craig Russell.

Speaking of Hellboy...Does anyone else here read his titles regularly? If not, please try it out, you'll thank me.

I'm a huge Hellboy fan and I've been following all of the Hellboy books with the exception of weird tales. And yes; Richard Corben's contributions have been amazing. BPRD is just as fun, quirky and creepy. It started off feeling like spin-off titles typically do but it came into its own very quickly. Guy Davis's art and John Arcudi's writing has done a lot to define it as a rich and fully realized title. The characters are rich and multi-demonsional and have great, believable interplay between each other. Especially considering that they are a fishman, a poltergeist, a pyro-kinetic girl, a homunculus and a zombie, etc.

**FightingSeraph** · October 9th, 2011, 08:37 PM

Raoul: I have to agree with you on Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alex Ross.

By the way, I don't know if you guys would like this, but:
http://www.i-mockery.com/comics
I Thought that this was worth mentioning before this thread went under.

**Arshes Nei** · October 10th, 2011, 04:09 PM

On a business note, looks like there's an odd spat over Amazon's exclusive Kindle release of DC comics http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/07/tech...ney_technology

**Psychotime** · October 10th, 2011, 05:29 PM

Wow, that sounds really petty.

Doesn't really affect me because more often than not I buy trades off of Amazon over Barnes and Noble anyway. I don't even like digital books unless I have no other choice.

The only comics I can say I buy out of Barnes and Noble are the Japanese ones because I can get the best price there thanks to signing up for their yearly membership thing that shaves 10% off any purchase. They have the occasional 20% off coupon that adds to the 10, but those get used on anything but comics. More often than not it's still cheaper to get it on Amazon.

**Arshes Nei** · October 10th, 2011, 08:11 PM

Comics have the advantage to ...well take advantage of digital medium. Zooming in on panels, an animation or sound effect can make it fun if done right.

**Arshes Nei** · October 14th, 2011, 03:07 PM

Bumping, may be a tired subject for some...

I actually like this article because it has a roundtable of people remarking on comics (mostly Superhero ones) but it can go for a lot of artists too.

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/1...erhero-comics/

I really like Kurt Busiek's response because that's what hit the nail on the head. The Sameness.

Also Men-Ups has totally made my day.

**TinyBird** · October 17th, 2011, 12:35 PM

I know this is supposed to be more for current comics, but because "current" as a word associated with comics is pretty much a joke here (there are no weekly comics here, stuff like Spider-Man gets a monthly magazine which collects all the weekly American mags) hope you don't mind if I indulge in more general comic buggery? I mean this was published this year at least, that's as current as I can get.

Because Marvel, what the hell were they thinking when they re-released Vampire Tales... in A5 format?!
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I mean I'm happy that they did re-release them so that I don't have to.. uh.. "read them from the internet" if you know what I mean or buy all the single magazines that were printed in 70's and cost ridiculously in postage but man, why didn't they stick to the Essential Marvel size but squeezed all that text and gorgeous ink to a size of a malnourished puppy?

But in any case, if you like short vampire stories, interminable angsting of the Spider-Man villain Morbius and some really great ink work, I suggest to check these out, even in the teeny size.

**Psychotime** · October 17th, 2011, 02:02 PM

I know this is supposed to be more for current comics,

Don't worry, it isn't.

Anyone out there able to recommend some stuff by Jill Thompson? Scary Godmother and Beasts of Burden have been on my list for a while. Her watercolors are amazing.

**TinyBird** · October 17th, 2011, 03:04 PM

I haven't read much of Jill Thompson outside Beasts of Burden (which is excellent) and Dead Boy Detectives (which... um.. yeah, not very fond of the "pseudomanga" in that) but I may suggest you to search down the the short stories she did for Hellboy: Weird Tales and Grendel:Black, White and Red/Red, White and Black. They were pretty neat.

**wiggum** · October 17th, 2011, 10:33 PM

OMG!!! I forgot to mention The Amazing Screw on Head!!!

This book collects 4 or 5 stories written and drawn by Mike Mignola. It is quintessential Mignola. It represents him in the same way the Sin City books represent Frank Miller.

It has some of the strangest stories I've ever read, The Prisoner of Mars is a particular favorite. If you happen to run across this collection it is worth a purchase.

As far as Jill Thompson goes...I've only seen the stuff she did in Neil Giaman's Sandman. And to be perfectly honest I thought it was pretty weak. That probably isn't representative, but it's not the best place to see her work.

**Joncameronli** · October 18th, 2011, 11:06 AM

Did anyone here check out Morning Glories? Really well written thriller/mystery. Always holding you by the nose and never revealing enough.

American Vampire, too is a fantastic comic by Scott Snyder that plays with everything you expect a vampire to be but nothing like what they're portrayed in pop culture.

**Vermis** · October 19th, 2011, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by TinyBird

why didn't they stick to the Essential Marvel size but squeezed all that text and gorgeous ink to a size of a malnourished puppy?

Reminds me of the Black Library, Games Workshop's publishing arm. Their Warhammer Monthly comic didn't feature too many great stories and artists, but they did have some examples like Darkblade, Titan, Daemonifuge, etc. Then when they published the TPB collections, they thought it'd be a good idea to print them in a shrivelled, pocket-size manga format.

**Psychotime** · October 19th, 2011, 07:37 PM

The Japanese stuff gets shrunk a good bit as well when they go to trade paperback.

EDIT:For some reason I can't Google a good example. I'll take a picture or something.

**Turaziel** · October 21st, 2011, 09:37 PM

Good thing Barbucci and Skydoll are mentioned in this thread.

Anyway, I loved getting into a comics with a rich background. seeing at least a page referencing towards an earlier issue or different series does make it look like the comic it self is but a small piece of a larger story.

I started reading Spider-man comics for about a year or 2 but got out of it after "A brand new day". The entire story seemed a like a cheap way to restore the status quo so we can go back to the Monthly chasing of the green goblin who kidnapped aunt May.

Right now I'm catching up on tons of Batman lore. (I've never watched the cartoons or the comics)

**OmenSpirits** · October 21st, 2011, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by Psychotime

Wow, that sounds really petty.

Doesn't really affect me because more often than not I buy trades off of Amazon over Barnes and Noble anyway. I don't even like digital books unless I have no other choice.

The only comics I can say I buy out of Barnes and Noble are the Japanese ones because I can get the best price there thanks to signing up for their yearly membership thing that shaves 10% off any purchase. They have the occasional 20% off coupon that adds to the 10, but those get used on anything but comics. More often than not it's still cheaper to get it on Amazon.

That was the shortest KR series to date.

But I still want it (completist in me).

**Psychotime** · October 21st, 2011, 11:53 PM

It's probably my favorite KR of the Showa era, just because of how strange it is compared to all the others I've seen. Lacking of a better word, it's trippy. I wish I could find the Henshin sequence on youtube, it just sets the tone. Plus it's unusually violent for a kids show, let alone a Rider series. That was the reason it got canceled, if I read correctly.

Has anyone here read Jen Wang's Koko Be Good? It's been siting on my shelf since the beginning of summer. I do know it got pretty popular on the other forum I go to, though. How odd is it that I'm most likely the one that showed it to them in the first place?

**Raoul Duke** · October 25th, 2011, 05:29 PM

I wonder if the feature length Goon movie is ever coming out. I'm guessing it got canned. If you look it up on IMDB, it never happened.

**bhanu** · October 26th, 2011, 12:20 AM

Looking at Al Columbia's Pim and Francie
Work of a genius cartoonist

Raoul- Really??????
Damn I was so looking forward to it. :/

**Tim Murphy** · October 26th, 2011, 12:49 AM

Just finished the first volume of Skullkickers.

If you enjoy some humorous fantasy violence, or if you play/enjoy D&D or other D20 type games, I'd definitely check it out. It's not deep or anything if that's what you're looking for, but it's not really supposed to be.

**Psychotime** · October 26th, 2011, 02:59 PM

Anyone here ever read stuff by Jim Woodring? Anyone who claims that their biggest inspiration is BIMBO'S INITIATION is definitely someone I should give a look.

**bhanu** · October 30th, 2011, 01:44 PM

Jim Woodring's the boss.

And heres Michael Deforge
His aesthetics might be in the same area as Woodring..
Anyways... heres some stuff

**TinyBird** · November 10th, 2011, 04:09 AM

Decided to ask, has anyone read The Heckler comics? Though bit hard to find (at least the name is unique enough to not get lost, unlike ugh... the "Warlock" comics...), I'm planning on buying some of these since they look pretty interesting (and it's not hard to see that the same guy created Ambush Bug).
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**Psychotime** · November 10th, 2011, 08:10 PM

The 80's had some weird but interesting stuff, didn't it?

Action Comics #3 is a nice step up from the last issue, which felt a bit like a speedbump. My only complaint is I think the artist made Jimmy Olsen look too old. I liked the way R.B. Silva drew him better in that one shot from last year.

Ultimate Spider-Man #4 has gotten the origin stuff over with now and is starting the story right after Miles first made his debut fighting that Kangaroo dude or whatever his name was.

I really need to finish the Peter Parker story before I continue with Miles. I was only about halfway through and kinda dropped it when the new one came around. It's enjoyable.

When I was picking those up I noticed that Marvel is making the Defenders reassemble (or redefend, or whatever their catch phrase is) once again. They're doing some really lame thing with the Hulk.

See that purple thing in the background? That's his new form, Nul, some kind of demon or something that possesses his body and he's going to Dr. Strange for help because he's frightened of what the monster inside him is capable of. Yes, very creative.

Dr. Strange has a terrible new costume, too.

For a team up book, they lack variety in colors, and that's criminal for a team up book. These characters are only a team under special circumstances, they aren't the X-Men or the Fantastic Four, so there's no reason their costumes should blend together so much. And it's an easy fix! Give Dr. Strange his classic flamboyant costume that he should always have, and put Namor back in his speedo, or at least change the color of the vest. Only one character should be wearing a black costume. Two is too much, and three shouldn't be tolerated.

Also, I know I'm REALLY late to be asking, what was the point of making a Red Hulk and Red She-Hulk? Granted I don't know anything about the characters or their origin stories or whatever, but look at them! They're recolors! They didn't even want to try and give them good names!

And how dare they split up Iron Fist and Luke Cage! Ok, now I'm just being a baby. I've never even read an Iron Fist or Luke Cage story (but I plan on it).

**OmenSpirits** · November 10th, 2011, 09:22 PM

Stick with 2003 and back for Marvel, IMO.

**Vermis** · November 15th, 2011, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by Psychotime

They're doing some really lame thing with the Hulk.

See that purple thing in the background? That's his new form, Nul, some kind of demon or something that possesses his body and he's going to Dr. Strange for help because he's frightened of what the monster inside him is capable of. Yes, very creative.

Er...? Sounds like you've been out of the loop.

The latest big (and fairly disappointing) Marvel crossover event was Fear Itself. Odin's long-lost and evil brother, the Serpent, who feeds on humanity's fear, is freed from millenia of imprisonment. To make the world properly stain it's pants, he summons seven hammers (a bit like Thor's) which cause seven heroes and villains to be possessed by his servants, the Worthy. The Hulk was possessed by Nul, and looked like this...

... not purple and tusky.
Now the event's over and the Serpent's defeated, the seven aren't possessed anymore. But apparently Nul's still running around somewhere in a physical form and the Hulk needs help from Strange's magic powers to take him down.
If you want to talk about terrible things they're doing with the Hulk, look at his own rebooted title.

Also, the Red Hulk caused a bit of ill-feeling when Jeph Loeb threw him at the Marvel U and made all kinds of crazy things happen as only Jeph Loeb can. But now most Marvel nerds (that I've seen) agree that current writer Jeff Parker's turned the title into one of Marvel's best at the mo. Some of us even prefer Red Hulk to the original, right now...

But you might've known some of this if you'd bothered finding out about the characters or their origin stories or whatever.

Recolours are nothing new or inherently bad, either. Look at Joe Fixit. Look at Miles Morales, even. DC has several full corps of them too, IIRC.

**Psychotime** · November 15th, 2011, 10:35 PM