Attempting to kick off a new version of this as Ben’s one disappeared.
A MW tradition, and the cause of many an empty wallet!
The Trades Thread
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Hmm, I can appreciate the technical skill and ability that went into this, see why it received the praise it did, but, while I don’t hate it, neither do Iove it. I’ll still likely grab LE2 to see how it concludes but a 13-issue buildup is a real slow burn.
It never finished – it just spawned spin-off after spin-off (some great) until it did a team up and disappeared up its own hole.
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Black Hammer, Black Magic, Black Science… pfft!
aLl cOmIcS mAtTeR!!!
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Motherf*cker! I knew this was going to happen but it doesn’t take the sting out of it. After cancelling Lucifer at #18 (part 5 of a 6 part story) DC have just published vol 3 of the TPB containing what would have been #19. I have to buy the TPB to get the final part of the story. Nope. Not happening. The Vol 4 OGN can f*ck right off too.
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Whereas I kind of was going to stop reading after the second trade but, well, if it’s cancelled I might as well finish the story. So, everything balances out in the end, I suppose?
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I thought the idea was they’d finish off the cancelled books on digital because of the distribution hassle during Covid. That’s still quite crappy if you are a print reader but at least allows an option to just pay for one issue rather than the full trade.
Checked on Comixology though – same thing, issues end at #18, only volume 3 collection contains #19.
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So, everything balances out in the end, I suppose?
So happy for you, Christian. Tell me how it wraps up, won’t you?😠
I thought the idea was they’d finish off the cancelled books on digital because of the distribution hassle during Covid.
They’ve done that with every other series. But, in Lucifer’s case they planned to give it a fourth TPB as an OGN to finish the series off. The original idea was that #19 would be printed in that book. Clearly though no one making the decisions actually realised #19 was the final part of the third story arc 🤦♂️ Leading to this shit show.
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Doctor Strange Epic Collection 7: Triumph and Torment
This is very much a book of three halves, erm thirds.
The first is the weakest and commits one of the cardinal sins of comics. It’s the start of a new volume of Dr Strange (following his shared book Strange Tales) but it is in no way the start of a new series. Peter Gillis’ handful of issues are so heavily rooted in not only the events of Strange Tales, but also the previous volume of Doctor Strange that they’re not desperately accessible and feel more like a conclusion to those than a fresh start. They’re also not that good. Well, ok, the first couple, which involve Strange possessing a rat so he can defeat Dormammu who has possessed his body, are fun. But the last few see him reviving the Defenders and are garbage. A barely explained villain (the dragon of the moon, it turns out), a rubbish new status quo for the team (possessing/body sharing with some rando humans), obscure members (even by Defenders standards!) whose identities, powers and personalities are barely sketched in and then, worst of all, some “reincarnation of King Arthur” bollocks, which sees some guy have innate power over every British person. Blech.
No wonder all that is dropped without a trace with #5 when Roy and Dann Thomas take over. It’s very much the epitome of a restorative run. Strange gets his missing eye back, he gets all his magical doohickeys back, his confusing secret identity stuff is… well, made a bit more confusing really (the world thinks he’s dead, except he’s using the ID Stephen Sanders, but even his friends thought he was dead, so turned his house into a memorial foundation, except it’s actually somewhere else, and they all know he’s not dead and then his ex-girlfriend who does think he’s dead (even though he went and saw her in a Gillis issue) writes a book about him exposes his identity and that he’s not dead, but I don’t know what the deal is with Sanders).
That confusion aside, the Thomases do well resetting Strange’s status quo and telling interesting stories. Strange is made a bit more human (with some naturalistic dialogue when talking to people), which I like and the supporting cast, including the returning Rintrah, are all fun. The Thomases also take time in a back-up strip to tidy up and define stuff like Mordo’s back story, the history of the Darkhold, vampires, the Montesi formula etc, which is more entertaining than it might be.
Art for the main strips is by Jackson “Butch” Guice. I’m not familiar with his work this early on, mainly just Resurrection Man and Cap/Winter Soldier. There’s certainly some of the raw talent of that work present here, but boy is he fixated on mild cheesecake. Between Sara, Imei, Clea, Morgana and villains like the Enchantress, Guice gets a lot of opportunity to lovingly draw panels of beautiful women in mildly sexy poses and often conspicuously under-dressed. It’s not egregiously horny or overly sexualised particularly, but there are definite moments where his desire to draw a pretty girl again has got in the way of story-telling and undermines the finished product. Looks nice, mind.
The final section is the Triumph and Torment OGN by Stern and Mignola. I’ve never read this before and it’s pretty good. Possibly it’s impact has been lessened by decades of other stories mining the Doom occult angle, but it’s interesting, especially the Vishanti’s challenge at the beginning. Can’t say I’m bowled over by Mignola’s art though. This seems like proto-Hellboy.
Overall, it’s a little disjointed and has a shaky start, but this is a solid collection.
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Any ideas whom to contact? I’ve tweeted Dan Watters, but all that will do is likely make him feel bad about it. Be happy to contact someone else too.
Mark Doyle seems to be the editor in charge, might be worth a shout. You never know.
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What’s the problem? Did you get the variant with “Ben Smells” written on it?
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Thor OHC1
Picking up in the wake of Original Sin, this sees Jane Foster take up the role of Thor. What follows is a mostly smart, if at times, sledgehammer subtle and clunky, examination of role perception where gender is concerned.
Thor OHC2
Post Secret Wars, the one difficulty I had here was remembering that there was that post-event time jump. It could be said the continuation of the story from the previous one is depressing and it is, but it also fits. Odin’s a petty fucker. The arcs collected here are very much of the preparatory kind, building the way for future stories.
The Unworthy Thor
Seems strange that Marvel haven’t OHC’d this – as it’s a key part of Aaron’s run. The grand revelation of what Fury said to Thor to make him unworthy? It doesn’t really pay off here. It’s in future stories Aaron makes it work, but this adds that seed and the other hammer.
Thor OHC3
I don’t quite know how you take an idea like a Shi’Ar / Asgard war and completely balls it up, but that’s what happens here. All of the sudden the Shi’Ar have gods, also petty fuckers.
The next arc was far more effective – you understand why the character that becomes the War Thor does so.
The finale of all this was a suitably cataclysmic affair and worked well.
War of the Realms
Jumping to the Panini edition because I needed to see how plays out. There’s a lot here to like but the main series is very abbreviated – there’s loads of really good stuff here, like Dark Elves, being weak to iron, finding the Punisher is their ultimate nightmare, but it doesn’t have any chance to breathe. If anything, I’m more interested in reading the various spin-offs and tie-ins because there’s clearly enough fuel here for them all – so kind of handy there’s a super-size omnibus out in November. Despite the frenetic pace, I liked the story, it ties off Aaron’s run very effectively, leaving just one story left to tell….
King Thor
It’d be criminal of Marvel not to release an OHC of this because it is excellent. The presentation of it here is severely lacking. Despite that, Aaron and Ribic end the story they started so very long ago, in very fine fashion.
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Think of the slimmest, most flimsy, floppy book you can imagine and go past it to being even more so – that’s Marvel’s standard trade format. The material collected deserves better.
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Now, if they could find a reason to collect Top10 in a lovely hardcover I would <3
There was an Absolute edition out a while back, I don’t think it’s getting any better than that.
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Now, if they could find a reason to collect Top10 in a lovely hardcover I would <3 There was an Absolute edition out a while back, I don’t think it’s getting any better than that.
Now, if they could find a reason to collect Top10 in a lovely hardcover I would <3
There was an Absolute edition out a while back, I don’t think it’s getting any better than that.
Oh, oh, don’t I know it.
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😲 Dan, you can have mine for only £400. Deal?
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😲 Dan, you can have mine for only £400. Deal?
You are so kind
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I’ll go £399.97 for my copy.
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I’ll sell you both Daves and Vikrams copies for a tenner each.
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The Criminal: Cruel Summer HC is up at Books Etc for £20.01.
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I’ve been reading some 80s classics that I never read before: Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire JLI and Ostrander/McDonnell Suicide Squad. Both are excellent and, although they’re very different, exactly what I want from superhero comics.
Ostrander writes like Rucka before Rucka (and without the one fault I find with Rucka’s work: overuse of jargon) and Giffen/DeMatteis write stories that are both funny and warm. The character G’nort has already made me laugh out loud and is just a brilliant concept: a stupid, incompetent Green Lantern who the Guardians were forced to accept, so they assigned him to an uninhabited sector, not knowing it was the secret base of their archenemies, the android Manhunters. He ends up getting lost on their homeworld, spending all his time looking for a bathroom (which is something androids obviously don’t need).
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Ostrander is an interesting writer, in the 80s/90s he was mainly on DC lower tier books buy he always had an interesting take on them with quality storytelling. I’d pick up odd issues of stuff like Spectre and Firestorm and he was always doing solid and interesting material. If DC had an ‘unlimited’ service like Marvel I’d be strongly tempted to read those runs in full.
Reminds me a little of Peter David in that most of what he did had pretty universal critical praise but they struggled a bit translating that into sales. (I know David had a period, with some hot artists, where Hulk and X-Factor sold a lot but his career also has a lot of cancelled books).
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I haven’t read JLI/A/E/whatever either, but I’ve been reading Ostrander’s Suicide Squad in back issues from time to time. I’m about half way through, and I agree that it’s absolutely fantastic. I think the artwork diminishes the series’ widespread appeal, but it’s a really solid series, with great character building and real consequences.
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Yeah, Suicide Squad’s a lot more psychologically complex than other books I’ve read from the time period, aside from what was being written by Frank Miller and “British Invasion” writers. Like you say, there are real consequences to characters’ actions, allowed by most of the cast being C-list villains, and even the more heroic ones like Rick Flag can be bastards. At its core it’s a story about exploitation and abuse, and how even the worst of humanity deserve rights.
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I remember in what I read of his Firestorm book he picked up a lot of threads from Moore Swamp thing and had him as a fire elemental figure to play off Swampy’s status as earth elemental.
Jamie Delano had some similar ideas in Animal Man playing the ‘red’ off the ‘green’ concept but that was several years later so Ostrander was picking up on that stuff a lot quicker than other DC writers.
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Been re-reading my copy of Fantastic Four: Imaginauts, which collects the first seven issues of the Waid/Wieringo run, as well as the issue before their run that officially establishes the Thing as being Jewish. Waid’s approach is fresh yet familiar. He gets the characters. Of course, there is one scene involving rappers that made me kinda cringe. I also wondered if Waid knew any hip hop fans.
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I haven’t read JLI
To be fair I own every single issue of the various Giffen related JL series. Hunted them all down whilst collecting back issues was still a thing. Just haven’t had the time to read them yet. One day.
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I’ve been reading a lot of DC the past few months. My Morrison read-through continued with Animal Man and Doom Patrol. I don’t think I’ve ever liked either book as much as I do now, which is saying something considering how much I’ve always liked them. I related so much to Buddy Baker now, not just as a father (I didn’t have a kid the last time I read it) but as a leftist who feels intimidated by the breadth and complexity of the social and political problems in the world. The issue “Consquences” where Buddy has to answer for being involved in the sabotage of an animal testing lab that led to a firefighter being severely burned is probably the strongest of the bunch. The meta stuff in the book is cool but it’s the dramatic and political elements that really make this book work.
That said, Doom Patrol is probably even more moving. I’ve always related to Cliff Steele/Robotman but I relate even more to him now since I was diagnosed with OCD a couple years ago. Morrison writes Cliff as clinically depressed and self-loathing with a fatalist “I can never get better” outlook which I pretty much how I felt from the summer of 2018 up until my daughter was born in January 2019. But even while he’s going through this, Cliff is a devoted friend and tries to help those with mental health issues around him (namely Jane). That makes Niles Caulder’s betrayal all the more heart-breaking, because Cliff’s need to believe in other people even if he can’t believe in himself made him such an easy target to manipulate. Very powerful stuff. Morrison’s work is usually heavier on ideas than emotions but here the balance is perfect.
I also read (for the first time) Morrison’s run on The Flash, co-written by Mark Millar. It’s short, just nine issues, and is probably the only Morrison comic that is mainly a bunch of small-scale, street-level adventures without tying into some huge mega-plot. It’s a fun little read, although in the 90s Morrison and Millar were still adjusting to writing mainstream superhero comics and there’s some clunkiness on display here, as there was in JLA.
The standout issue is a standalone about a day in the life of Jay Garrick as he fills in for an injured Wally West. As Millar’s credited first I think he took the lead in writing it. Jay teams up with Alan Scott, battles Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang, grabs lunch with Wally and Dick Grayson, and visits Johnny Thunder in retirement, all while searching for villain-turned-friend the Thinker’s brain-boosting helmet so the dying Thinker can cure the cancer that’s killing him. What’s most affecting about the issue is that when Jay finally gives him the helmet, he doesn’t want it–he’s ready for death and urges Jay to accept it as he has.
Morrison and Millar also think of a fresh spin on the crossover. In their concluding issue of a three-parter shared with Green Lantern and Green Arrow, instead of conventionally concluding the plot of the previous two issues–a super battle on a cruise ship–they jump forward in time as Flash and the others are called in to testify in a court case about whether the villains are responsible for the deaths that occurred when the ship sunk. For their defense, the villains have blamed the deaths on the one villain who go away (Dr. Polaris) and Flash, GL, and GA’s ineptitude. It’s a clever way to make a crossover work for you and the fun, relaxed tone you’ve established for your own book.
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Finally got my hands on the Criminal: Cruel Summer HC.
It’s a great looking, beautifully designed book. There’s a lot of story here, loads of extras, and it’s oversized like the other Criminal deluxes.
Also it’s interesting that this hasn’t been released as a third volume of those deluxes, and in fact doesn’t bear the “Criminal” name at all.
I guess that’s maybe because this is a single complete story – unlike those other books that collect multiple arcs – but I think a big part of it is accessibility. Especially for casual readers it’s a lot easier to sell a standalone book like this than a “volume 3”, and this is a self-contained and accessible Criminal story that you could definitely start a new reader on.
It’s one of the reasons I think their new series of self-contained OGNs makes sense. A new reader can pick up any one of them fresh and enjoy it, and then discover the rest – rather than following the standard comics model and having to hook people with a “volume 1” and then see diminishing returns for the rest.
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Even by their own high standards, it’s a new high – Brubaker wasn’t kidding when he highlighted it in a recent newsletter.
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Also picked up this as somehow I misplaced my old copy over the years.
Wish there were more books like this on the stands today, giving creators that kind of freedom to cut loose and do whatever they want.
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Also it’s interesting that this hasn’t been released as a third volume of those deluxes, and in fact doesn’t bear the “Criminal” name at all.
I guess that’s maybe because this is a single complete story – unlike those other books that collect multiple arcs – but I think a big part of it is accessibility. Especially for casual readers it’s a lot easier to sell a standalone book like this than a “volume 3”, and this is a self-contained and accessible Criminal story that you could definitely start a new reader on.
I hadn’t considered that, but it makes a lot of sense. And of course, once a new reader finds and enjoys this one, they can easily seek out the other hardcover volumes, or TPBs if they prefer.
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It’s been a very slow moving trend in comics that I suspect will continue to move slowly but following the book publishing model is becoming more common. Periodicals are suffering in general and while they bring in a nicer cashflow building up a back catalogue of books is actually a more secure business model.
Trades have already overtaken the income level of issues after 20 years of most things being collected. Less mainstream (or more mainstream depending in your perspective) publishers like Fantagraphics quietly left the periodical market over 10 years ago and only do ‘albums’ as they are known in Europe. GOSH Comics in London have stopped stocking monthly books because it’s more secure for them too to sell books which are returnable.
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This is a good (fairly long) piece about Brubaker & Phillips’ move into OGNs that touches a little on what we’re talking about:
“Something’s Happening Here”: Exploring a Legendary Pair’s Reckless Move with Ed Brubaker
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The final Nikolai Dante part of the 2000AD partworks is out today. I’ve been saving them up since it started in 2017 to finally read the full series.
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You’re in for quite the time Paul.
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Recent reads:
Gideon Falls Volume 4
I’ve no idea what’s really going on in this book. It’s heading into trippy, time-travelling territory and multiple worlds, with a main course of vague dread and dismay. And, somehow, despite all that, the book works. Although I am happy to hear its concluding rather than keep spinning the wheels.
Murder Falcon
To say this lived up to its reputation here would be a, ahem, heavy understatement.
The idea is nuts, but the execution is so much better still – an extradimensional invasion is underway and the only to fight it is with otherworldly beings empowered by metal. Just reading those last few words sounds crazy but it works so damn well and all of that is down to Johnson. There are numerous double splash pages in this single volume, but each is perfectly deployed, perfectly placed for maximum impact.
And then there’s the ending…. Where maybe you thought you knew where it was going but, as it turns out, you really didn’t and that’s OK. This is perhaps one of the best examples of how to defy expectations in a way that feels fair, that doesn’t engage in gotcha moments or mockery. And the final resolution is nothing short of brilliant.
Get this, read it, love it.
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Murder Falcon To say this lived up to its reputation here would be a, ahem, heavy understatement. The idea is nuts, but the execution is so much better still – an extradimensional invasion is underway and the only to fight it is with otherworldly beings empowered by metal. Just reading those last few words sounds crazy but it works so damn well and all of that is down to Johnson. There are numerous double splash pages in this single volume, but each is perfectly deployed, perfectly placed for maximum impact. And then there’s the ending…. Where maybe you thought you knew where it was going but, as it turns out, you really didn’t and that’s OK. This is perhaps one of the best examples of how to defy expectations in a way that feels fair, that doesn’t engage in gotcha moments or mockery. And the final resolution is nothing short of brilliant. Get this, read it, love it.
Glad you enjoyed it Ben.
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Picked up the Matt Fraction-Kieron Dwyer Last of the Independents HC. It’s a good story, but I think I want to read it a second time without expecting a Brubaker/Phillips vibe, because I know that’s what I was doing the first time around.
I saw that in Forbidden Planet earlier today, was tempted to pick it up
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I enjoyed this a lot, for what it is, but as with Marvel Zombies I suspect the appeal is limited for those without a prior affection for the universe being decimated. As I do, I look forward to reading further instalments in future.
The first volume of Marvel Zombies was a lot of fun and hit at the right time of the zombie zeitgeist. The second volume was also good. Those first two were by Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips. They also did the Dead Days one-shot. Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness by John Layman and Fabiano Neves was also fun. After that, Marvel just milked it to death. I see where Marvel is trying to reboot the concept.
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Yes I enjoyed them. The artwork is variable as it tends to be on the digital first comics, they go with guys who can crank the pages out fast as they come out weekly but it’s generally decent. Storywise it’s very much the same style and tone as DCeased so I’d imagine anyone who likes the one will like the other.
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For what its worth, I agree with Gar. Worth a read!
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The first volume of Marvel Zombies was a lot of fun and hit at the right time of the zombie zeitgeist. The second volume was also good. Those first two were by Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips. They also did the Dead Days one-shot. Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness by John Layman and Fabiano Neves was also fun. After that, Marvel just milked it to death. I see where Marvel is trying to reboot the concept.
Of course, even those original minis spun out of the Millar/Land run on Ultimate Fantastic Four.
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Have noticed some of the big books aren’t there like the Hellblazer omnibus but could be the c19 effect, their advance listing has always been more limited.
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This is annoying – I wrote a really long post just now, tried submitting it and it’s totally not showing up. Let me see if I can copy and paste it here:
There was a time when Scott Snyder’s name on a book was a guarantee of quality. I’m still, arguably, his biggest fan hereabouts, but even I don’t think that’s true anymore. There have been too many mediocre books recently, where he’s playing the Good Company Man. And he plays it with sincerity, but too often the end result is lacking.
But, then you get a book that just reaches up and smacks you hard in the face, reminding you why you always want to give him another chance to blow you away.
The Wytches: Bad Egg Halloween Special, collecting and expanding on the 13 part short story from the Image+ magazine just did that to me.
It’s a pseudo- prequel and bridging story to the second story arc of the Wytches book (that was supposed to come out last year, but is still unannounced at this time). It expands on the scope of the mythos, whilst telling a creepy yet memorable and ultimately affecting story about the end of childhood and the transition to adult responsibilities.
Jock’s artwork and Matt Hollingsworth’s colours did a lot to make this book work so well, perfectly capturing the mood and nostalgia of the waning days of summers gone by.
What can I say? The book struck a chord. It worked better for me than the original mini did, if I’m honest.
Scott recently announced a move away from the mainstream DCU, and a renewed focus on his creator owned work going into 2021. I think that’s brilliant news, because this is clearly where he excels. I’m really happy that we finally get to see American Vampire wrap up, and look forward to the books he’ll be launching in the new year.
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An interesting little reminder that oversized pages in a book doesn’t always guarantee oversized art.
From the Criminal Cruel Summer hardcover and the corresponding story from the floppy of issue #1:
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Somebody has written a graphic novel based on Dio’s Holy Diver album.
Much as I love the album, not even a Sienkiewicz cover is going to make me spend $100 on something like this. But I guess there will be audience for it somewhere…
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An interesting little reminder that oversized pages in a book doesn’t always guarantee oversized art.
From the Criminal Cruel Summer hardcover and the corresponding story from the floppy of issue #1:
I don’t care; Brubaker/Phillips can do no wrong. It’s a fact.
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Somebody has written a graphic novel based on Dio’s Holy Diver album. Much as I love the album, not even a Sienkiewicz cover is going to make me spend $100 on something like this. But I guess there will be audience for it somewhere… Dio – Holy Diver
There’s also a $20 softcover option available.
The $100 one is a slipcased hardcover that comes with prints and a picture disc of the album.
I’m usually skeptical of these kinds of projects; they’re usually not very good, though there’s some definitely some talent involved here (Niles, Hampton, Sienkiewicz). I might bite on the $100 edition; it looks like it will at least be an interesting artifact.
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