Comic book thread

Discuss everything comic book related, uhhmmm talk about comic books you're currently reading or comic books you like, the works. Was going through the movies thread and noticed a good amount of users who read comic books, I don't get to read a lot myself but I try to check out stuff recommended.

Few months ago a close pal recommended I check out Wanted and lent me his comics. I'd watched the movie only and it made me realize what a butcher-job the movie accomplished with a good story. Not a lot of characters but very interesting bunch like Shithead, Professor, Imp, Fuckwit, Fox and more. The story sets itself in a world where superheroes and villains have had a big battle but villains prevailed victorious.
Superheroes had their memories altered and some remaining ones like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman think they're actors playing their roles.
Written by Mark Miller, check it out.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
IncantatioN said:
Few months ago a close pal recommended I check out Wanted and lent me his comics. I'd watched the movie only and it made me realize what a butcher-job the movie accomplished with a good story. Not a lot of characters but very interesting bunch like Shithead, Professor, Imp, Fuckwit, Fox and more. The story sets itself in a world where superheroes and villains have had a big battle but villains prevailed victorious.
Superheroes had their memories altered and some remaining ones like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman think they're actors playing their roles.
Written by Mark Miller, check it out.

Wanted was fucking awful. The message it set out was stupid, as were the characters. The end page to the book was an absolute joke.

Actually, Millar is a joke. He's a one-trick pony, and usually when he starts something he loses interest in it, so it starts to suck (Nemsis, Swamp thing, 1986, Fantastic Four, the list goes on). The only two pieces of his work I can and will recommend are Superior and his work on the Ultimates (both 1 and 2). Other than that, Millar relies solely on shock value. Honestly, I can't believe the guy gets as much work as he does.

If you want to read some good comics, then I highly recommend the following:

Midnight Nation, by J. Michael Straczynski
The entire run of Geoff Johns' Green Lantern
All of Grant Morrison's run on Batman
Grant Morrison's run on Animalman
Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing
Garth Ennis' Preacher
Garth Ennis' Punisher Max
Garth Ennis' Hitman
Kingdom Come, by Mark Waid
Superman: Birthright, by Mark Waid
All of Hellboy and BPRD, by Mike Mignola and John Byrne
DMZ, by Brian Wood
Supreme Power, by J. Michael Straczynski
Planetary, by Warren Ellis
The Authority, by Warren Ellis
Irredeemable, by Mark Waid
Saga, by Brian K. Vaughn
Killing Joke, by Alan Moore
Tom Strong by Alan Moore, or anything the Alan Moore writes under the ABC imrpint

And those are just off the top of my head. Once you read any of those, you'll realize how massive a piece of shit Wanted really is.
 
Great post, thanks mate, I'll check them out. Incidentally I have Kingdom Come at home, will read that next.

With the superhero genre, I feel a bit intimidated because I don't know where to start or in what order, I can imagine there's a lot of material out there for Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, X-Men and so on.
 
Johnstantine said:
Garth Ennis' Preacher

Finished Volume 1 of Preacher. The art got a bit of getting used to since I don't read a lot of comics. Those single page artworks of individual issues were cool. Favorite characters so far - Cassidy and badass Saint of Killers. I couldn't put it down and read up until the story about Jesse's Mom n Dad in the beginning of Volume 2. I can see how it's a concern among fans that this's being adapted on TV.
 
I actually finished Preacher myself not too long ago. I got very mixed feelings about it, just geneally very uneven as it progresses imo. You got some great drama, some epic stories, and some jawdroppingly random and hilarious stuff. Some pages feels like straight out of a Tarantino movie. But some stuff I was really disappointed with. Maybe you´ll know what Im talking about once you get to those points.

All in all, I think the first volume is probably the best, with the Ancient History special as a close second.

I guess I´ll wait to discuss it in-depth til you finish it too or wanna adress something further into it.
 
Just recently got a hold of the TPB copy of Bullet to the Head that was recently adapted into the Walter Hill/Sly Stallone movie, will let you know how it is once I'm done with it.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Hanma_Baki said:
I actually finished Preacher myself not too long ago. I got very mixed feelings about it, just geneally very uneven as it progresses imo. You got some great drama, some epic stories, and some jawdroppingly random and hilarious stuff. Some pages feels like straight out of a Tarantino movie. But some stuff I was really disappointed with. Maybe you´ll know what Im talking about once you get to those points.

All in all, I think the first volume is probably the best, with the Ancient History special as a close second.

I guess I´ll wait to discuss it in-depth til you finish it too or wanna adress something further into it.

Wow, what parts did you feel were uneven?

Preacher is one of my favorite series. Garth Ennis' best, for obvious reasons (his run on Hitman is a close second). The story just gets better and better as it goes on, so I'm not sure how you felt it was uneven.

On a personal note, I've been going back and rereading some faves of mine. Hellboy, BPRD, and Lobster Johnson have been at the top of the list.

Even delved out and read some good Superman stories. Birthright was fantastic, as was All-Star superman. I highly recommend both of them for anyone who is a fan of Supes. And if you aren't a fan, then these books might be just what it takes for you to become one.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Hanma_Baki said:
I actually finished Preacher myself not too long ago. I got very mixed feelings about it, just geneally very uneven as it progresses imo. You got some great drama, some epic stories, and some jawdroppingly random and hilarious stuff. Some pages feels like straight out of a Tarantino movie. But some stuff I was really disappointed with. Maybe you´ll know what Im talking about once you get to those points.

It's been more than 10 years since I read it, but I thought Preacher was top-notch. One of the best American comics series, easily. I can't recall specifics, but I remember the only real problem I had with it is that the series kind of lost its momentum toward the end, and I don't think I was totally satisfied with the tone of the ending. But all told, I loved it. So many memorable characters and scenes that you just don't get with anything else in the industry.

It's so well written and executed in the format that all this talk of adaptation makes me cringe...
 
Johnstantine said:
Wow, what parts did you feel were uneven?

Preacher is one of my favorite series. Garth Ennis' best, for obvious reasons (his run on Hitman is a close second). The story just gets better and better as it goes on, so I'm not sure how you felt it was uneven.

Haha sorry if Im taking a crap on holy ground here man :iva: But tbh Im gonna have to get back to you if you want specifics on this one. I read it all in a couple of days so its pretty much a blur right now. But I felt like it occasionally lost focus somehow and almost got borderline shallow at times -which is exactly why I felt a bit disheartened at those moments since it was so great otherwise.

For instance
I thought he went a bit too much over the top with Jesse´s kicking ass all the time. I remember thinking "Ok, we get it. Hes a badass motherfucker. Now can we please move on to the actual story?" at times. Hey its not like its bad, I just thought it ate a bit too much pages, its only nine books after all. I would have liked a bit more of that epic substance Garth was a master at producing.

Then there were those conversations that kinda just felt like excuses to show off some creative cussing, again, groovy and fun but not really any substance...like, at all.

And then theres probably my biggest issue.
The whole thing about Cassidy. Perhaps Im biased here since he was my fave character. But its not even about what happens, its the way its depicted. It felt like Garth was such a master story teller and not wasting any time, especially about the drama, but at this point it just felt a bit clumsy imo. Felt like he dragged on those scenes with Cass and Tulip for an eternity. How many times did he confront her with those pathetic attempts? I swear every time I thought something different would happen but it was practically the same scene over and over. How many pages was spent on that? Ok, I guess it was supposed to be a building-up process but I that dont make it any less irritating. Essentially I just didnt like the way it went down and that those chapters could have been so much more, or much more variation anyway. But hey, it could just be that Im a stupid perfectionist. I tend to get very critical when theres something I really like, so i guess its partly a good thing.

Anyway, I usually take about at least year and revisit the book/comic/film in question, and see if my interpretations/views have changed. In most cases they actually do, Idk, we´ll see.

Oh and I was just about to kick off the HD collection of Hitman, I always wanted to play them...and Im definitely gonna have to check out Garth´s version, thanks. (LOL I totally just thought of Starr as the Hitman :iva:)

Walter said:
...the series kind of lost its momentum toward the end, and I don't think I was totally satisfied with the tone of the ending.

Yeah it felt a bit abrupt to me, I mean I held the very book in my hands so I pretty much knew the amount of pages left. But it felt so hyped up and I just think it went by a bit too fast. Afterwards when I thought about what actually happened though, it IS a pretty epic ending indeed. But like you said, the "tone" didnt totally satisfy my either. And total satisfaction required! :zodd:

It's been more than 10 years since I read it, but I thought Preacher was top-notch. One of the best American comics series, easily. I can't recall specifics.......So many memorable characters and scenes that you just don't get with anything else in the industry........It's so well written and executed in the format that all this talk of adaptation makes me cringe...

Yeah I agree. Its very well written/executed, which is why my annoying brain sets the bar even higher and tend to get a bit critical at times. Its a bad habit I seem to have a hard time breaking, especially with comics and manga for some reason.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Hanma_Baki said:
Oh and I was just about to kick off the HD collection of Hitman, I always wanted to play them...and Im definitely gonna have to check out Garth´s version, thanks. (LOL I totally just thought of Starr as the Hitman :iva:)

The comic is in no way associated with that franchise, actually.

As for what you said (I'm too lazy to go back and quote it, sorry=/), Preacher was actually Ennis' first major project, so that's pretty much him developing his chops. He was writing Hitman around the same time, if not a little later.

Honestly, though, Ennis peaked with Preacher/Hitman. Everything after that is either mediocre or just a rehash of all the characters in Preacher. He has a few gems here and there, but nothing too spectacular. The Boys was supposed to "out Preacher Preacher" but ending up sucking so SO hard. It was awful.
 
The comic is in no way associated with that franchise, actually

Even though I kinda figured as much, I interpreted "his run on Hitman" as "his version of Hitman." :iva:


As for what you said (I'm too lazy to go back and quote it, sorry=/),

I actually thought I was gonna get badly burned here, man, so no worries :serpico:

...And rightly so. I can understand why Preacher might be a very nationally/culturally revered title. Im not american though, so theres bound to be some stuff that´ll escape me. Thats not to say I dont dig that style, quite on the contrary.
 
IncantatioN said:
Great post, thanks mate, I'll check them out. Incidentally I have Kingdom Come at home, will read that next.

With the superhero genre, I feel a bit intimidated because I don't know where to start or in what order, I can imagine there's a lot of material out there for Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, X-Men and so on.

I have a metric ass ton of graphic novels and i would be willing to sell them half price. I have over 30 batman ones I also have preacher infinity gauntlet, even Halo, I can point you in the right direction where to start etc. as well.
 
Finished Bullet to the Head today and it's actually not bad, not perfect but not bad. Interestingly enough this particular comic is abit more fulfilling than the Walter Hill/Sly Stallone film that came out 2 years ago. The story is reminiscent of buddy cop films from the 80's but at least in the comic the characters are somewhat engaging than in the film, I'd recommend it for anyone who is interested in Crime stories.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Skullgrin140 said:
Finished Bullet to the Head today and it's actually not bad, not perfect but not bad. Interestingly enough this particular comic is abit more fulfilling than the Walter Hill/Sly Stallone film that came out 2 years ago. The story is reminiscent of buddy cop films from the 80's but at least in the comic the characters are somewhat engaging than in the film, I'd recommend it for anyone who is interested in Crime stories.

If you want to read a good crime series, read Gotham Central by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka. It delves into the lives of member of GCPD. It's SO good. About 36 or 37 issues long. I recommend reading it for a better look at how the politics work in the city. I read it as it came out, so I can only imagine how good it is in trade format.
 
Finished Preacher today, it's been a pretty good ride. Depressing back stories, whether it's Jesse or Tulip or Cassidy's fall into his ways and his addiction. Her Starr is hilarious with everything he does or when he's cussing out Hoover or Featherstone, he's good at being an asshole. I can't single out good moments, there's just so so much. Although, I'll admit that last chapter was a surprise and I'm not happy with it or the final volume, I expected it to be desolate like the tone of the series, in the sense, how would Jesse survive a battle with God or at that other-worldy level(?).
Jesse not taking on God head-on felt like a cop-out because all along he's setting himself up for it and he keeps saying it over and over with conviction. And, he does what he sets out to do, doesn't he? Maybe I'm reading it wrong but it felt like one of those perfect Hollywood movie ending moments (Jesse got his eye back + Tulip, she got what she wanted, Cassidy went back to being a human).
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
IncantatioN said:
Finished Preacher today, it's been a pretty good ride. Depressing back stories, whether it's Jesse or Tulip or Cassidy's fall into his ways and his addiction. Her Starr is hilarious with everything he does or when he's cussing out Hoover or Featherstone, he's good at being an asshole. I can't single out good moments, there's just so so much. Although, I'll admit that last chapter was a surprise and I'm not happy with it or the final volume, I expected it to be desolate like the tone of the series, in the sense, how would Jesse survive a battle with God or at that other-worldy level(?).
Jesse not taking on God head-on felt like a cop-out because all along he's setting himself up for it and he keeps saying it over and over with conviction. And, he does what he sets out to do, doesn't he? Maybe I'm reading it wrong but it felt like one of those perfect Hollywood movie ending moments (Jesse got his eye back + Tulip, she got what she wanted, Cassidy went back to being a human).

Cassady made the deal with God, though. The deal was he would give him Jesse, which in turn would give him the power back. But he also said to make sure Jesse lives and that he himself would live. Once God restores the order he returns to heaven where the Saint is waiting for him. You see when Cassady makes the deal, but I can't remember what chapter. He even goes into detail with explaining everything in the note he wrote for Jesse, albeit leaving out the deal.

And of course it was going to be a Hollywood ending. Think of how many western flick references there were, and how much it alluded to John Wayne. Hell, the dude might as well have been a character in the series. Jesse and Tulip riding off into the sunset on the final? Absolutely perfect and fitting to the series.
 
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