.Are you tired of reading comics in short, monthly instalments?
Do you yearn for nice, smart books with spines, dustjackets and no ads?
Are you willing to pay ridiculously inflated prices for hardcover reprints of comics you already own in three different editions, just because the page size in the new version is ½” bigger?
Then this is the thread for you!
Return to the Thirteenth Floor
This is an OK book, it’s good, not great but neither is it bad. It catches up to Maxwell Tower decades later. Adams weaves in nods to times past, that Max is obsolete and there was a fire, but the tower got patched up.
As ever, there is an array of deserving subjects for the 13th floor. But you can’t zombify a bunch of total bastards without getting noticed. The way that resolved is quite smart and even leaves a door open for a Max series.
Art is pretty good, with a mix of artists covering the black and white pages, with Irving supplying colour pages. There’s a very clever set of pages which render an upskirting perv getting the tables turned on him, rendered in the style of the Beano and Dandy.
GCPD: The Blue Wall
This is an interesting book. It invokes the likes of Gotham Central, a predecessor of near 20 years past.
Ridley uses three cadets as his lead characters, all of whom get eaten up and spat out by the system they joined. One leaves, one goes off the rails completely and another survives it.
Where it doesn’t succeed is in perhaps not going far enough or hesitating on following through. Ortega, whose family is from Puerto Rico, gets racist hazing. He kills a dealer in an arrest but that isn’t enough for it to stop. Ortega’s going off the rails and killing the squad of racist officers is going too far, but hovering over this is: What would have stopped it short of that? Ortega had shot dead a criminal, is there a minimum number or will there always be some other “reason” he falls foul of?
Then there’s Renee Montota who is a strangely ineffective figure in this story. Dealing with a past of alcoholism, Two-Face trauma and imposter syndrome explains it in part. But why did she want the job of Commissioner? This never gets any real attention.
By taking the path through the middle, the book ends up saying little. There are whispers in the background of needing to change bad culture, but they, and other points, are background whispers only.
Yeah, I think you’re wanting the wrong things from the series – it’s about bad things happening to bad people who entirely deserve it. That’s it.
If you want something that’s going to really mess with your head, that’s why there’s Lemire-Sorrentino.
I see Secret Six Omnibus 1 Hardcover – June 11 2024
848 pages – by Gail Simone (Author), Nicola Scott (Illustrator), Brad Walker (Illustrator)
Was this one of those things people were raving about? Or am I thinking of something else?
Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk
Secret Six is pretty good. Hopefully they’ll include the material between the initial series and the relaunch that was completely ignored (not even a text summary) but the recent(ish) tpbs. Bit jarring without that context.
I see Secret Six Omnibus 1 Hardcover – June 11 2024
848 pages – by Gail Simone (Author), Nicola Scott (Illustrator), Brad Walker (Illustrator)Was this one of those things people were raving about? Or am I thinking of something else?
Yes, Secret Six was one of the only DC books I read when it was running. I reread it all fairly recently and still enjoyed it a lot, though I think it suffered post-New 52 reboot.
Maybe best remembered these days for the reintroduction of King Shark?
I just read the Young Animals Doom Patrol run by Gerard Way (trades available by way of kindle unlimited), and I thought it was pretty good. Just a lot of good absurdist fun, by someone who clearly loves the franchise.
Just got an e-mail update from Amazon.
What If? Into The Multiverse Omnibus should arrive October 10th.
I had forgotten all about that. 2 years ago I ordered.
Thank fuck for the “lowest price guarantee”.
Currently on beautiful Galiano Island (Southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland).
Just me and a friend for a few days, more guys show up Tuesday and/or Wednesday (after Iron Maiden Monday night).
Anyways, a 9 day stay for me, going to get some reading done.
Today was Reckless. Reread first few, now caught up on all 5.
Preaching to the choir on this one, but if you haven’t, or are waiting for some kind of omnibus, no, these books are perfect as is, and damn fine reads.
Also turned friend into immediate fan (and even though it’s his family’s cabin, and we’re good friends, and it’s only the two of us, there would be some kind of argument if he didnt like it).
So when the other guys show up, there will still be reading, but board games too.
Brought a ton of stuff i haven’t read, and still won’t get through it all, but will prioritize.
A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance, Die, Kill or Be Killed, Once and Future.
Hope to get through those, plus some of many trades.
And for every friend I turn this stuff onto, you can pat yourself on the back (and you know who you are).
Some stuff I was right there, some (lots) from you.
I’ll take the credit and get to be the cool kid for a minute.
Gotham City: Year One
For some the idea that some of Batman’s ancestors, like his grandfather, were not good people will be problematic. For others it will be more of a “no shit Sherlock” take, as few aristocrat families got to their high position without some dodgy dealings.
While presented as a year one story, this is not a history of Gotham. The maths are a little odd as it’s said to be 80 years ago but is set in the 60s, which is a couple of decades later.
Still, these compact, contained stories is what King is best at. Aides by a superb art team of Hester and Bellaire, whose colours are excellent, they spin a tale of a doomed city. At the same time King weaves through Gotham a social division on race lines, one that has personal meaning for Slam. King isn’t that subtle a writer but here he’s lighter than you might expect. This is one of the smartest parts of the story but one that you come to not knowing much of it.
The story swirls around various pieces, the origin of Crime Alley and why, the site of what became the Ace Chemical plant, even the batcave. But that last one really doesn’t work and is King falling into his tendency of going one step too far.
Overall, this is a good noir tale. It’s not a Batman story.
We’re going to move house soon, so I’ve started trying to sell some trade paperbacks. I’m coming to the point where I don’t really want to own stuff anymore that’ll just lie around, so I’ll try to get rid of any and all books that I know I’m not going to ever re-read. Which is most of them if I’m being honest. Life’s just too short.
There’s not a big market for English-language comic books here, though, so I don’t know how much I can get rid of for at least a somewhat reasonable price. I did just sell the Descender trades.
I did a big clear out when I needed to sell my old flat and storage was so expensive. I did it very quickly and I maybe have some regrets.
I’m now trying to read what I didn’t give away to be sure I love the things I cherish.
I hope someone in the Mind Camden charity shop found this and got all giddy (I am an idiot)
I have just read Nightmare Country, James Tynion’s Dreaming series that stars The Corinthian, and it’s pretty damn great, I thought. I expected this to be a limited series and to be finished at the end of it, but it ends on a cliffhanger… and, you know, it’s fucking annoying to try and get information about a comic book when you’re not actually following this kind of news continually. The DC page for Nightmare Country, for example, does not tell you that there’s currently a follow-up mini-series called Nightmare Country: The Glasshouse, and conversely the page for The Glass House does not have a link referring back to the original series. What a fucked-up nightmare it would be to try and catch any of this if you’re not an experienced comics reader and just liked the Corinthian in the TV show…
Well, whatever. Happy to see it’s happening, because Thessaly popped up in the last issue of Vol.1 and I really want to see what happens next.
For your hitlist Christian, the hardback trade for Glass House is set for April 2024. If you haven’t already found it that is.
Pichethote is new to me, but I’m planning on checking that one out, as well.
He used to be an editor of the Vertigo line.
Dealer Alert
Where The Body Was can now be pre-ordered from SpeedyHen for £16.41, still at the old RRP of £22.99, which has gone up to RRP £24.99
Astro City Opus Edition is also active at the hefty price of £76.12 but does collect eight trades worth of content.
Brubaker and Phillips must be annoyed that Where The Body Was is going to miss the Christmas release window.
A couple of recent hardcovers that I’ve enjoyed.
Noir Burlesque
This was an excellent read. It has all the ingredients of classic noir – guns, gangsters, sexy femme fatales, cool cars, revenge plots, a heist gone wrong and plenty of ugly violence, set in 1950s New York – all brought to life by Enrico Marini’s utterly gorgeous painted artwork. It might not win any awards for originality, but it’s a solid story and a really fantastic looking book.
There’s also lots of examples of the story being told purely through the visuals, which is really nice to see. It’s an oversized HC too, so the art really pops.
Hard Case Crime are putting out some good stuff at the moment.
Monica
I thought this was a pretty great new work from Daniel Clowes, a really brilliant and unique book.
It plays with structure and plot in unusual ways – I’m still thinking about how some of the various pieces fit together – and has some fun with different genres (and accompanying wild visuals), but it also manages to present a grounded central story that has a strong emotional core, and which I found unexpectedly moving by the end.
One that I think I’ll definitely come back to for a reread and pick up on more of the subtleties.
DC Comics announces DC Compact Comics graphic novels starting June 2024
Today, global publisher DC announced a new line in their graphic novel slate: DC Compact Comics. Featuring a 5.5″ x 8.5″ standard book trim for trade paperback novels, the new format pulls bestselling, new-reader-friendly titles from DC’s evergreen library as the first books offered in this new lineup of compact editions of adult graphic novels. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, among others, will go on sale beginning in June 2024, retailing at $9.99 US, to launch DC’s new program.
“The DC Compact Comics price and sizing is perfect for readers of prose and manga looking to pick up a new-reader-friendly storyline in a self-contained full color graphic novel,” said Anne DePies, SVP & General Manager, DC. “This 5.5″ x 8.5″ paper cut is the most widely circulated softcover book size in the US and is popular among graphic novel aficionados in international markets. At $9.99, it’s a great price point for retailers to stock these classic titles. For readers, DC Compact Comics deliver a new graphic novel reading experience that fits in the palm of their hands, with no loss of readability.”
The new line will showcase DC stories across many genres, including science fiction, thrillers, horror, fantasy, adventure, and mystery. Featured among the DC Compact Comics launch titles in 2024 are DC’s recent Hugo Award-winning sci-fi graphic novel Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell, along with perennial classic graphic novels like Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman, Batman: Hush, Batman: The Court of Owls, and more.
The initial DC Compact Comics launch in 2024 will offer the following titles at $9.99 US:
- Watchmen (9781779527325) by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons
- Batman: The Court of Owls (9781779527271) by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo
- All-Star Superman (9781779527257) by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely
- Far Sector (9781779527295) by N.K. Jemisin, Jamal Campbell
- Wonder Woman: Earth One (9781779527332) by Grant Morrison, Yanick Paquette
- American Vampire Book One (9781779527349) by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, Rafael Albuquerque
- Batman: Hush (9781779527264) by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee
- Joker (9781779527318) by Brian Azzarello, Lee Bermejo
- Harley Quinn & the Gotham City Sirens (9781779527301) by Paul Dini, Peter Calloway, Tony Bedard, Guillem March, Andres Guinaldo
- Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman (9781779527288) by Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker
World’s Finest: Superman and Batman Volume 2
Waid and Mora continue to be a brilliant creative pairing. Where the temptation would be to do a bigger story out of Robin being lost in the past, it’s wrapped up in one very fun and compact issue.
The main arc is a story that, by now, it is known they return to – the origin of Boy Thunder, who would become Magog and kill the Joker. Again, good ideas, well executed.
I don’t like cape books much, but Mark Waid is almost always a joy to read.
I actually think it’s a pretty good idea. Getting $9.99 collections of stuff like All-Star Superman and Watchmen and Snyder’s Batman into the hands of younger readers is a great advert for some of DC’s best material, and hopefully they see some success with it.
The market is in a very different place to 20 years ago – manga is even more popular among western readers and has become much more mainstream in general, and Big Two comics are proportionally much more expensive now in comparison with manga – so I think cheap digests aimed at the manga audience is a pretty smart move.
My only concern would be readability – some visual details in stuff like Watchmen or ASS could get lost when shrunk down to digest size – so hopefully the print quality is sufficient that the art is fully legible.
I actually think it’s a pretty good idea. Getting $9.99 collections of stuff like All-Star Superman and Watchmen and Snyder’s Batman into the hands of younger readers is a great advert for some of DC’s best material, and hopefully they see some success with it.
The market is in a very different place to 20 years ago – manga is even more popular among western readers and has become much more mainstream in general, and Big Two comics are proportionally much more expensive now in comparison with manga – so I think cheap digests aimed at the manga audience is a pretty smart move.
My only concern would be readability – some visual details in stuff like Watchmen or ASS could get lost when shrunk down to digest size – so hopefully the print quality is sufficient that the art is fully legible.
Shrinking US comics down to digest size is definitely an issue. I can’t imagine Watchmen will be very readable at that size.
But the bigger problem is that this ploy fundamentally misunderstands why manga is popular with its (predominantly young) audience. It’s not because the books are that size and black and white (though that does help keep the price down) it’s because the big series are generally quite distinctive from pretty much anything else available to them in any other medium; they’re generally quick reads; they’re cohesive worlds of their own yet also often long running. It’s no mystery that manga sells tonnes because if you get a kid hooked on One Piece with its first volume there’s literally 105 volumes for them to move onto. Clearly numbered volumes! You’re not going to get that with Watchmen or All-Star Superman. Anyone who buys it is going to have read a sub-par edition of a stand-alone story that is unconnected to anything else they might then see and consider moving onto – all of which is in a different trim/format and confusing to find an in-road to. Say anyone reads Wonder Woman: Earth One in this format: what do they go to next?
The one thing I find people who don’t read a lot of comics seem to fixate on is whether things “count”. For instance, years ago, one guy I know bought half a dozen of the usual recommended Batman “classics” and then spent ages asking me why they contradicted each other, like Morrison’s Arkham Asylum curing Two-Face not being reflected in other stories and bits of Batman: Year One being dropped elsewhere. Because he assumed, quite fairly, that everything was canon and that every book with the Batman name in the title would be part of a cohesive whole. As much as we dismiss continuity obsession as being a die-hard fan thing, casuals just want to know what is and isn’t part of a series, because everyone loves getting lost in a series – we all know this from the success of things like Harry Potter, Game Of Thrones and the MCU. The notion that your average comics-curious reader might just want to read a random continuity free story with a novel take on the character is misguided, imo. Those things are usually only of interest to those of us already very familiar with the characters and able to appreciate the differences and changes.
If DC want to hook the mythical manga audience, they’d be better off just doing big, thick trades with cheap paper – maybe even black and white like the old Showcase Presents trades – of their recent mainstream friendly characters’ titles, like Batman, Harley Quinn, The Flash and Blue Beetle, all with big clear, consistent numbering and no ambiguity. “This is Batman. It starts here. Read this and then go read this next one.”
Shrinking US comics down to digest size is definitely an issue. I can’t imagine Watchmen will be very readable at that size.
Should be pointed out these aren’t manga-size; they’re the same size Marvel and DC have used for all their YA stuff for years now. They’re just using it for their top-selling adult GNs now too, presumably to get the people who buy all those YA books into their mainstream content.
Back in the 1970s when I was a kid, Marvel reprinted the original run of Amazing Spider-Man comics in black and white and they were paperback novel size. For a very young child, they ere great.
The latest announcement from Near Mint Condition seems to have created a bit of a furore. Marvel are going to publish a Mutant Massacre Prelude Omnibus in 2024, that will contain exactly what everyone wanted in the recent Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Vol 5 but were told that we couldn’t have because it would make the book too big 
The main difference are those early X-Factor issues featuring the return of Jean Grey. Apparently those are inconsequential to Uncanny X-Men readers 
Now I recognise that the Prelude will probably retail for more than Vol 5 did, but I would have gladly paid the extra to have those issues included. I cannot, however, justify double dipping on Omnibuses because of this.
Will be interesting to see how this one plays out with the overwhelming feedback that Omar had gotten.
I don’t understand the logic. They’re clearly hoping people will double dip. It’s a pretty blatant cash grab. I’ll just stick with my black & white Essential X-Factors. I’m not a big fan of Louise’s writing. I was only interested for Walt’s art.
X-factor 1-8 are the worst.
If that’s all the difference is, I’m alright, though if they could fix the mis-matching spine I might go again :)
Dealer Alert
Blackwell’s have Adventureman Volume 3 for £12.14.
It’s due April 2024 and for a hardback it’s a good price, especially if it is an OHC to match the other two.
Be warned, I think it’s only two issues long.
Recent reads:
The Cosmic Detective
This is pretty much Lemire, Kindt and Rubin doing a homage to Kirby’s cosmic stories. It works well, with good art from Rubin. It’s an entertaining read built around a good central mystery.
Phantom Road Volume 1
This is a clever horror story that is tilted more towards the psychological, with a side of world-shifting and shadowy conspiracy. It’s a good opening act that I’m intrigued to see where it goes.
Old Dog: Redact
This contribution to the old-hard-bastard sub-genre is one of the better ones. It’s also a writer-artist piece from Shalvey. One that I hope he continues, as the last pages throw quite the curveball.
What makes this stand a bit apart from its competitors is Lynch isn’t listing after his long-gone youth, nor being entirely contemptuous to those younger than him.
The Forged: Volume 1
As it happens it doesn’t make much difference if your bunch of military bastards are male or female, but this, along with the revelation that women vary, is something the messed-up world we have hasn’t caught up to, so this story can easily look more radical than it is.
The real trick is making your military bastards entertaining bastards and Rucka does that well, as he unfurls a sort of female Warhammer-type far future, although there’s a Jodorowsky influence here too. That combination turns out to make for a fun story.
Now, if only that fourth Lazarus hardback would turn up.
Now, if only that fourth Lazarus hardback would turn up.
Right, I forgot about the Lazarus HC re-issues. Looks like it already happened as I just ordered Books 1, 2, & 3 (arriving tomorrow).
Thanks for the reminder.
Don’t even have a listing for the fourth HC.
Shit competition here in Canada. Chapters/Indigo had the exact same prices on each book as Amazon.
Then a store by store search has similar results and I gave up and gave Amazon my money yet again.
Why? Hard to compete with delivery top my front door.
If I buy from someone else they could use a different courier service and if I miss it then I have to drive a ways to pick up.
Amazon will get it to my front door. Canada Post usually too, but there’s 100 other delivery companies, 99 of which hate me.
Slots
This is another from my “I’ve been meaning to buy this for ages” list. I really like Dan Panosian as an artist but he doesn’t seem to do much interior work. So a six issue mini series by him? Sure, sign me up (you know, six years after the trade was released).
Panosian also wrote Slots though and, well… let’s just say he’s not joined the short list of comics artists that are as good at writing as they are drawing. Slots is the story of a 50s-ish loser former boxer who rolls back into Las Vegas to… Actually, I’m not entirely sure what his aim was. He ends up trying to help his friend/ex who owns a small casino stop her daughter/best burlesque dancer from going to work for his former best friend/step-dad to his estranged son. It’s a story that is utterly cluttered with characters, none of whom really have space to gain any depth at all. On top of that, the story isn’t particularly good, suffering mainly from poor pacing. At one point there’s a two month jump in the story and the only way this is conveyed is in a throwaway line of dialogue.
The art’s pretty nice though.
This was published by Skybound, which I didn’t realise, I thought it was a straight Image deal. I will say this for Kirkman’s hypocritical, IP stealing little fiefdom within Image – really nice paper quality on their trades. Luxurious even.
I really like Dan Panosian as an artist but he doesn’t seem to do much interior work.
If you haven’t done so already check out CANARY #1, a series from Dark Horse Comics released earlier this month written by Steve Snyder with gorgeous artwork from Dan Panosian. This began as a Comixology-only book but now is being released in print. More info at the Dark Horse website
My LCS is selling off a ton of trades cheap which were sitting in storage – not even on the shelves! I found a copy of Hey Buddy!, the first collection of the Buddy Bradley stories from Peter Bagge’s seminal early 90’s indie title Hate. This is one of those comics I’ve known about since it was being published, I remember Bagge getting in a lot of shit back in the day for selling T-shirts that read “I like HATE and I hate everything else!” around the same time as the “Bart Simpson, Underachiever” shirt was causing controversy, but never got around to reading it. UNTIL NOW…
So these stories are a follow-on from earlier Bagge strips about a dysfunctional family, Buddy being the eldest son who’s now moved across America – to Seattle with the comic kicking off right before the Grunge scene explodes – and explores his life and foibles. The first strip is setup with Buddy talking to an unseen friend, explaining his current life and introducing his roommates before getting into a shouting match with his roommate and nominal best friend Stinky. This story sets up a lot of the vibe and energy that will progress through the rest of the book – Buddy and Stinky have a relationship that veers wildly from friendship to near-violent confrontation, Buddy is incredibly judgemental and opinionated – doing himself no favours as he’s either unwilling or unable to moderate his tone and he spends a lot of time arguing with basically everyone around him. In the second story he starts going out with Lisa, a highly-strung feminist who’s similarly quick to anger and the formula is pretty much set there – Buddy is going about his life, usually doing something with Stinky or Lisa and then someone says something that sets the other person off but by the end of the story it’s mostly resolved.
There’s one story in here, where one of Buddy’s brothers shows up and he’s this big reactionary beefchunk and it really stands out because his brother is a lot like Buddy but stronger and conservative, so when he picks a fight it’s physically imposing and intimidating and Buddy has no choice but to be more diplomatic around him. it’s interesting because the political issues discussed in that story are basically identical to the arguments Americans have today.
The presentation of the comic is very interesting, there’s so much dialogue on every page, but Bagge manages to balance it with the art, which is a very impressive combination of caricature for the characters with far more realistic rendering for the background. There’s a lot of heavy lines and deep shadow that works brilliantly to create a sense of negative space at times, and the characters are constantly moving around even when a page has like 8 or 9 panels. It’s some exceptional art on a technical level even if you don’t like Bagge’s style.
I definitely enjoyed the stories, but they are very much of their time and there’s racist, sexist and homophobic language on display at points – used generally when Buddy is being horrible for the most part – so it doesn’t meet modern sensibilities in a lot of ways. I’m going to track down some more and keep reading though.
Recent reads:
Superman: HC1: Supercorp
This is a good and smart start to a new take on these characters. Williamson does some clever moves here from Livewire as a podcasting villain, to Lex transferring Lexcorp to Superman, with new villains from his past enhancing Superman’s adversaries.
Campbell’s art is, as you’d expect, excellent. I know why he cannot do every issue but his art will be missed on future ones.
Adventures of Superman HC
This story uses a great many past stories, some I’ve heard of, but all of them I have not read. Does the story work then? Yes, yes it does. Because Taylor knows to supply enough summary info to get me up to speed.
This continues themes he developed in the prior Superman: Son of Kal-El title. Namely a rejection of the superhero tendency to punch first and talk later, along with the idea that everything must be resolved by a physical punch-up.
That makes for an excellent resolution where Jon verbally dissects Injustice Superman’s support, his justifications, his claims for having to be way he has become. It is a bit unresolved, but could get resolved in another book. The only weakness is a last page, to be continued link to the Beast World event that wasn’t needed.
More than any other comics writer I can think of, Remender’s stories live or die by their endings. Black Science’s rips it apart, Fear Agent’s elevates it massively.
The Scumbag
I was in two minds as to giving this a go, but it was better than expected. Sure, it had your usual shock tactics, but they’re easily skipped over. Along the way Remender lobs various potshots at how US discourse has devolved into my way or else. And then there’s the final pages which are pass/fail. For me it worked as a concluding comment on someone who had terminally screwed their life over.
A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance
This is an interesting piece of work. It uses far more extended silent sequences than Remender’s other works. The art is excellent across the book, with a very clear style, akin to BD albums.
It’s also a kind of anti-superhero story, not in the sense of superheroes suck, but that the lead character doesn’t suddenly gain incredible skills over the course of the story. Instead, he’s in over his head and pretty much stays in that position. He gets some skill boosts but never enough to become an action hero.
The ending is where it is at, as the rich super-bastard behind it all finds he cannot escape paying for his tide of blood cover-up of a decade before. That he is a Trump-like, screw-your-feelings-snowflake type only makes it better still.
A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance
I really enjoyed this one. A tight, no-fat story with fantastic art and really strong visual storytelling.
I really enjoyed this one. A tight, no-fat story with fantastic art and really strong visual storytelling.
Agreed! One of the finest standalone stories I’ve read in this decade, with a perfect blend of writer and artist. This could have been done without dialogue, and I still would have understood and appreciated the story.
I really enjoyed this one. A tight, no-fat story with fantastic art and really strong visual storytelling.
Agreed! One of the finest standalone stories I’ve read in this century, with a perfect blend of writer and artist. This could have been done without dialogue, and I still would have understood and appreciated the story.
Secret Six
Another series where I’d lost momentum in picking it up (twice even, as I had the original trades of Villains United and the first mini-series, then traded up to the newer editions from about 2015) and made a concerted effort recently to finish it off. And – like that final volume of New 52 Booster Gold, 8th Doctor DWM and House of Mystery – another instance where it really wasn’t worth the effort.
It’s annoying because it starts off so well. The first volume, which is Villains United and the first Secret Six mini, is still really great. Simone’s writing is sharp and funny, the concept is good, there’s a nice mix of characters and there’s lovely art from Dale Eaglesham. Then things stumble in volume 2. It not only doesn’t bother collecting a Birds of Prey story arc that has big changes to the team, but it doesn’t even mention or summarise it. So queue one trip to a wiki to find out what happened to Knockout and we’re away, with lovely Nicola Scott art on a story that… well, it’s an overly long one about loads of villains fighting over a macguffin and it never really ties together properly. The rest of the trade is made up of a story where the Six are hired to work security from some guy who is building a prison nation for the world using slavery, which isn’t desperately interesting.
It’s around here that the series’ problems start to show. Scott is gone and never replaced by anyone particularly interesting. The main artist after her is Jim Calafiore, a guy who I’d had my fill of years earlier when he was “regular fill-in artist” on Exiles. I don’t particularly like his art style and he can only draw about four faces shared between everyone. But Simone’s writing also starts to become an issue. It feels… like it’s trying too hard, I guess. I like her work on Birds of Prey (well, I remember thinking I did – I’m worried it won’t hold up now) because it was female superheroes written by a woman giving a genuine female perspective on things. Secret Six feels more like the one girl in a stereotypical D&D group who tries really hard to fit in with the guys by one upping them on their bad attitudes. The characters are so desperate to dark and edgy it gets quickly tiresome. The whole surrogate father-daughter thing between Bane and Scandal is ridiculous, cheapening. almost infantilising, Scandal considerably.
The third volume ties the book in more with the Suicide Squad, along with a Darkest Night cross-over, none of which interests me and dilutes the team and series’s own identity as it increasingly just feels like ersatz-Suicide Squad. There’s a none-too-good story about Catman becoming a dangerous killer in revenge for the maybe death of his son, like the series needed to snuff out any sense of lightness or morals. Then volume 4 opens with an extended story set in the world of Warlord, of all things. A confused, contrived mess that again pulls in Suicide Squad elements (along with some bits from Simone’s BoP) and it feels really disconnected from what the series originally was. Another cross-over, here with the Doom Patrol, where again DC’s collected editions department gives you absolutely no help in understanding anything from that series that isn’t explicitly explained in the story.
It got to the point, when the book does an extended trip to hell, that I just bailed and skimmed through the rest. Had to laugh at a page where Calafiore is asked to draw Scandal (light-skinned, short auburn hair), Knockout (light skinned, long red hair), Lianna (light skinned, long red hair) and Lianna’s friend they set up with Bane (light skinned, short red hair) and the reader is expected to be able to easily distinguish between any of them in close-up.
What a disappointment.
Thanks for that. I’ve been on the fence about getting the Omnibus. I keep hearing that it’s a great run but Simone’s Wonder Woman lost me pretty quickly; although to be fair her BOP was mostly fun throughout. Sounds like this is one to check out on DCUI rather than in the deluxe hardcover collection.
Yeah, I’d definitely read it before committing to a big OHC of it.
I’ve actually decided that I’m going to do that for all these (many, many) unfinished series I have: “acquire” them digitally and then decide if it’s worth actually dropping the money on the trades, especially the out of print ones.
Where The Body Was HC
This was, predictably, excellent – and feels a bit different from what Brubaker and Phillips have done before.
Rather than a tight focus on a single character or two, this is a compelling collage of lives and stories that keeps you guessing, with a cast who all feel real and three-dimensional.
The art is beautiful and expressive, detailed yet still with a kind of loose energy that gives it life, and with the colours really helping to bring out an intangible sense of nostalgia and yearning.
Superb stuff.
Got it from FP this weekend.
Usually Amazon and other booksellers are a week or two behind comics shops as standard. So I guess it’s the Christmas holidays adding another couple of weeks to that delay.
The Klaus Kickstarter I pledged to last year finally arrived today. It’s a gorgeous book. Fabric cover, silver embossed ink, Christmas themed endpapers, … it’s an incredibly beautiful package.
There’s a regular deluxe edition hardcover available for about 1/2 the price I paid for this. But it is far less attractive, with none of the frills of this edition. Your mileage may vary but I’m very happy I backed this. It’s a lovely Christmas present for myself 
I also only just realised that Dan Mora, particularly early Dan Mora as in this collection, has a style very similar to Dale Keown’s. It’s almost uncanny. Fortunately, Dan is a lot faster.
Thanks for that! Didnt know it existed. Just ordered the regular Deluxe Edition from Amazon.
Cheers!
I’ve had digital copies of Monstress vols 1-4 for ages – probably from a humble bundle. I picked them up a few nights ago, and though I initially felt a little overwhelmed with the world presented and the jump right into it, I’m most the way through volume 2 and loving it. Its not note perfect, but its a lot of fun.
As soon as the Christmas post is over, I’ll be getting the deluxe hardcovers I think, as I’m sure I’ll want to read it again.
Next to read are my hardcover purchases Coda or Death or Glory, then some recent Alex de Campi.
Any other recommendations?
If you like Remender then the Righteous Thirst For Vengeance hardcover is a nice complete package. Great art.
If you like Remender then the Righteous Thirst For Vengeance hardcover is a nice complete package. Great art.
You are totally right. Righteous Thirst was my introduction – I bought it digitally, and then grabbed the HC as soon as it came out.
For those interested, looks like Lemire-Ngyuen’s Little Monsters is getting an OHC next year in May.
Not one I’m inclined to go for though.
Nocterra Volume 3
Realised I hadn’t reviewed this. It’s a good finale, though word is the book is going to continue. It could end here. There’s all manner of fitting pay-offs and character returns, all well depicted by Daniel’s art.
Love Everlasting Volume 2
This is a series that has my intellectual interest despite being a rather cold tale. The meta aspect of King dissecting romance and melodrama is the core of the book, but it’s good the next arc is it as this isn’t the kind of story that benefits from being spun out.
Hellboy and the BPRD: 1957
As might be expected, this is a fun collection of creepy stories, with good art.
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead OHC
This is an epic SF take spun across centuries, told in 15 issues, by Ewing and Di Meo. Proof that Ewing had it all worked out is in the series timeline extra too.
As to the actual story, it’s best kept mysterious. Not all questions are answered but enough are. Di Meo’s vibrant art is a key part of it, using colour shifts for different scenes and characters. Ewing uses the concept of the gods as a way to examine humanity. No surprise to anyone that a giant mess results.
Marvel issues are going up to $4.99, which explains some of the 2024 trades RRPs. Pretty much confirms my plans to get put of buying OHCs / Omnibuses. DC is about done. There’s a set of Marvel ones across 2024 but they’re either freestanding or conclusion volumes.
After Jan 2025, there’ll be two left to hopefully get:
– Peter David X-Factor Volume 4
– An X-Men combo of X-Tinction Agenda / Days of Future Present.
Plus maybe final Krakoa X-book ones but who knows what Marvel will do there.
James Tynion brought Cass back in his Batman & Robin: Eternal series, and had both her and Stephanie as core members of his Gotham Knights team in Detective Comics. Towards the end of the latter run, some multi-versal shenanigans had the two of them see a vision of themselves as their previous Batgirl selves. Subsequent Bat-books, including Tynion’s Batman run, coalesced around the idea and eventually they both started wearing the Bat again (I think during the Joker War chaos). There was no magic re-introduction as such. Tynion just wanted them back, more or less.
Almost two years since the last issue came out I finally managed to sit down and read Echolands #1 – 6, by Blackman, Williams, Klein and Stewart. Posting my thoughts here as the trade has also been out for a long time now.
This is a wonderful book. A tour de force of creativity by all involved. The artwork is beautiful, as to be expected, but presented in a double page landscape format; which I thought was a gimmick that would wear thin quite quickly, but Williams’ panel layouts are so cleverly constructed that you don’t even notice after a while.
I’ve long been a fan of stories that combine different genres together. It’s always fun to see superheroes interact with the supernatural, or science fiction meeting sword & sorcery, etc. When done well the melting pots of familiar genre tropes can deliver a fun and quirky new experience to savour. Echolands does that both “in story” and visually, with Williams employing quite different artistic techniques for characters depending upon their background and abilities, often in the same panel. The overall effect is quite astonishing to witness.
Lots of thought has been given to the quality of the comic too. The paperstock is lovely – thick and glossy – with cardstock covers. Each issue is full of back matter and letters pages that take me back to the “good old days” of Vertigo. Each issue takes an age to read!
My only complaint, if I’m being petty, is that the story just ends rather than concludes, and it’s 2 years later with no sign of #7 being released. There are few answers to the many questions asked, about this world, and the characters that inhabit it. I’m eager for more. Whenever that may be.
Some good news?
My only complaint, if I’m being petty, is that the story just ends rather than concludes, and it’s 2 years later with no sign of #7 being released. There are few answers to the many questions asked, about this world, and the characters that inhabit it. I’m eager for more. Whenever that may be.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C1GQQgBxcvj
I had noticed ;)
Recently read Barnstormers, which is a nice little period crime tale, and – this is an old one – Terry Moore’s Motor Girl, which I thought was fantastic. Very funny and very moving; Terry Moore at his best.
I think we can all agree that Lazarus: Risen was an abject failure, right? The quarterly schedule, double sized issues was an ambitious idea, but I feared that it was going to be a bit of a disaster for sales and momentum when they announced it originally. Being generous in excusing lockdown delays when Diamond stopped shipping books for a few months, they managed to sustain this schedule for the first 5 issues before things went completely off the rails. Quarterly became annual. And after #7, which came out 18 months ago now, the book’s been on indefinite hiatus. Which, is unfortunate, because this book is so fucking good.
The events of “Fracture II” really throw everything up in the air. Up is down. Black is white. Things you thought you knew about this world and the assumptions you made along the way are exposed as lies. It’s very effective storytelling. Kudos to the entire creative team.
Now, clearly, the story isn’t over yet, and the narrator of these revelations is questionable. So are we any closer to the objective truth? Or is everything subjective? And, if so, beware those manipulating your emotions for their own ends.
In the end pages of the #7, Greg talks about returning to the monthly format for the final stretch of the book (12 – 14 issues), but only soliciting it when there’s enough in the can to guarantee no further delays. I think that’s wise, both narratively and commercially. Once they start I think the climatic events of a series like this need to hit one after another consistently or it really will be disappointing, to say the least. I think I saw him suggest a 2024 release date. I cannot wait!
Yeah, the delays and uncertainty killed Lazarus for me. A shame as it was very good. I always planned to go back once the whole thing was finished.
Que?
I’m also a bit baffled, but I’m sure I’ll kick myself when I get it.
