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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 16, 2008 10:51:32 GMT
I believe that most of the crossovers are referenced in SI#6. Personally I think this way is better - if you don't want in you don't have to have in.
But how superb to see the twins back again (or so I hear) As we discussed previously they're on my list for an X-Men team. I believe Sabra also showed up this week.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Sept 16, 2008 10:55:46 GMT
Yeah they do appear in SI-X #2.
Andy
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 20, 2008 21:23:48 GMT
She Hulk 31 You may recall me saying That I'd bought She-Hulk 32 by accident when I wanted this issue which comes between X-Factor 33 & 34. When I walked into my LCS in Swindon they had a copy of the 1st print on the shelf so - Yoink ! Fills the gap in, story reads well as a whole. Captain Britain and MI-13 1 They also had a 2nd print of this. Didn't float my boat, sorry. EX MACHINA #38 (MR) Good as ever. 12 issues to go. Secret Invasion #6 brings everyone back to New York and brings Cap & Thor in (as heralded 2 issues ao and ignored last issue) Same format as House of M and Civil War. Stuff happens in the first 2 issues, then filler and stuff happens at the end. Could have been told in 4 issues. Secret Invasion: X-Men #2 Yeah, more fighting, more Nightcrawler being taunted by the Skrull religous thing. Aurora and Northstar !!!! Wooo ! X-Force show up as does Archangel. Not bad tie in, better than WWH:X-Men by far. Also shows Carey doing a decent job with the whole team to play with. Secret Invasion: Runaways/New Avengers 3 Not a great LS sorry. much prefer the YA by themselves. ALL STAR SUPERMAN #12 Morrison and Quitely's Superman story is done with a terrific last issue. Get the trade when it comes out. Mighty Avengers #18 A day in the life of Fury's howling commandos. They try to Kidnap Maria Hill (she really did listen to Nick though !) and then the Skrulls show up. Good, but am missing my Avengers fix Uncanny X-Men #502 More on the Hellfire Cult. Am having trouble with UXM. Books really isn't feeling right these last couple of issues. And what's with the new Dazzler costume ? What were they thinking ?? Big star shape all over her crotch ! X-Factor #35 And the really funny thing ? After a Skrull pretends to be Longshot for the last 2 issues the real thing turns up ! And it connects in with the She-Hulk crossover as it's following on from Darwin and his father being reunited. Liked this issue a lot.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 25, 2008 22:18:55 GMT
X-Men Manifest Destiny 1 3 Stories. Iceman & Mystique by Carey picking up what is obviously 2 of his favorite characters - ongoing. Boom Boom goes shopping ad meets a foe - ongoing. Karma - single issue tale. Not a bad compilation volume, but there's a lot of these for X-Men at the mo.
X-Force 7 & Iron Fist: Orson Randall: Death Queen of California en eroute.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 1, 2008 21:53:17 GMT
X-Force 7 I love this series. Read this issue three times on the day it turned up. The mix of continuity and violence is great. We've already got a bunch of old Human villains resurrected and running around causing trouble under the direction of Bastion. Now someone's paid the Vanisher to steal a sample of the Legacy virus. We also throw in some continuation of the Archangel stuff from last tiem out. This title just shouldn't work, but for me it's the best X-Book at the mo. Iron Fist: Orson Randall: Death Queen of California Reading this increased my faith in the new writing team for Iron Fist: first time out the gate with Orson Randall and they get it dead on. Secret Invasion: Thor 1 & 2 Beta Way Bill ! What's not to like  ?? While Donald Blake delivers a baby Asgard is attacked by Skrull. Decent stuff from the pen of Fraction. Got 2 of his Thor specials sitting here at the mo !
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Oct 2, 2008 16:12:21 GMT
COMIC BOOK COMICS 1-2 - excellent historical series of the history of the american comic book. Well written and researched with fantastic art. Well worth checking out.
Billy Batson & The Magic of Shazam 1-2 - by Mike Kunkel (responsible for the excellent Herobear and the Kid) and is a continuation of sorts from Jeff Smith's Shazam and the Monster Society of Evil. Fantastic all-ages title with glorious artwork.
Andy
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Post by legios on Oct 2, 2008 20:18:09 GMT
Billy Batson & The Magic of Shazam 1-2 - by Mike Kunkel (responsible for the excellent Herobear and the Kid) and is a continuation of sorts from Jeff Smith's Shazam and the Monster Society of Evil. Fantastic all-ages title with glorious artwork. Andy I'd seen this on the shelves and considered picking it up - I take it that it is worth the money from what you say. Might give it a go. Karl |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Oct 2, 2008 20:32:18 GMT
It is worth the money, it has a secret code in it and everything. A lot more reading in it than most mainstream supercomics.
Andy
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Post by legios on Oct 2, 2008 20:40:36 GMT
It is worth the money, it has a secret code in it and everything. How superb I may see if I can pick up a copy on my next comic run in that case. Karl |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Oct 2, 2008 20:45:56 GMT
It also feels like a proper comic being a Johnny DC title it's on newsprint.
Andy
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Post by legios on Oct 5, 2008 17:01:05 GMT
It also feels like a proper comic being a Johnny DC title it's on newsprint. Yes indeed it does. I picked it up on Friday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Accessible, fun superhero excitement that I can enjoy and that I would happily give to my kids - if I had any. Great stuff. I can see this becoming the only DC title I am picking up once "Legion of Superheroes" ends once they run out of Jim Shooters scripts. Karl |
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 5, 2008 20:12:27 GMT
I read issue 1 of that a while ago. Nowt wrong with it, but nothing on this Earth can ever interest me in Shazam. But it is perfectly decent. Just not my thing.
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 8, 2008 19:57:12 GMT
Powers vol 2 #30: This has been a dead comic walking for a while. For over a year it's slipped into a 'comes out whenever' format, which is a shame as it was fairly regular in its Image incarnation. This has been compounded by every issue's editorial assuring readers that it was back on track and there would be no more delays. I finally ran out of patience and dropped the book several months ago even though I still liked it. But then I heard it was cancelled and thought I'd pick up the last issue and it turns out I hadn't missed any, which speaks to how off schedule it was.
It's a decent, quiet epilogue to the current storyline with a major character getting a decent departure from the book. Unfortunately, the editorial/letters section makes no mention it's the last issue and even advertises #31, suggesting the book was killed suddenly. I only knew it was dead as I accidentally came across a reference to it part way through a Marvel panel report on one website!
A shame to see the book be pissed away. It was well past its peak but still a solid intelligent read, when it came out. Apparently, it's due to return for the 10th anniversary to tie in with a tv show. But after several 'Powers is back on track' notices (including #30!), I'll believe it when I see it.
And thus pretty much ends a life-long habit of single issues from the Big Two, a day I swore would never come. They are now too expensive for what you get in comparison with trades. I only bother with single issues from independants now and the UK TF mags.
Hum ho.
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Oct 8, 2008 21:34:31 GMT
Hmmm. If I can manage to get to a comics shop (being able to get _anywhere_ other than work and then home again would be good) this week I might pick that up, it would be nice to have the capstone to the run. Mind you, I gave up on "Powers" as single issues a bit before you did so I am a bit out of the loop storywise.
I think I will be following you most of the way down the road of giving up single issues in a short while. There isn't going to be a lot left I will be picking up that way certainly. I'm opting to switch "Captain Britain and MI13" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" to trades as of this month, and "Legion of Superheroes" is getting cancelled fairly soon anyway. In terms of the return on my entertainment pound the single issue format is looking somewhat unfavourable at the moment.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 9, 2008 20:33:43 GMT
X-Men: Legacy 216 Emma goes for a walk through Charles' memories. So so
X-Men: Original Sin 1 follows straight on with Logan finding out E&S havfe seen Charles and needs to talk to him. Also reprints the Classic X-Men 1 back up strip. Ties heavily into Wolverine Origins which I'm gonna have to buy for the next 2 issues.
X-Men: Manifest Destiny 2 Iceman & Mystique continues, odd tale with the Juggernaut in a bar, and Emma throws a wobbly when she thinks everyone hates her. Better than I've made it sound.
New Avengers 45 Wot the Skrulls did in House of M.
Avengers: The Initiative 17 Good stuff this month. The Shadow initiative attack the Skrulls and in the process cut the list of candidates for Mutant X down to 2 ! And then Jocosta appears. Woooo !
Captain America 42 Man Who Sold America pt6. An ending of sorts. Several people get shot. Bucky's still Cap. And the Skrull's plan goes really, really wrong. Great stuff and a reasonably satisfying conclusion. I might jump off here and go back to trades for this.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 9, 2008 20:35:35 GMT
I'm seriously thinking of going to trades. Many of what I buy - Cap, X-Force and Iron Fist get traded up anyway and I flo0g the issues in sets to pay for the trades. But actually severing that final link ....
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Oct 9, 2008 20:39:07 GMT
I'm almost totally done with singles from the big two, the only one at the moment is Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam from DC. I might try whatever title comes out to tie in with The Brave and the Bold but that's pretty much it. It's trades all the way from them.
Indies and small press I still pick up singles but that's all.
Andy
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 9, 2008 20:43:05 GMT
I'm pretty much the same. With Powers gone, no more single issues from the Big Two. Trades for what I read and stick to single issues for independants, inc TF.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Oct 9, 2008 20:52:58 GMT
It's so much more satisfying to be honest, given the utter wankery of the DC universe right now and Marvel's stuff that I want I'd rather get in trades, Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Britain & MI 13.
Andy
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 9, 2008 21:05:32 GMT
It's more cost and space motivated on my part. The last straw was noticing the increasing number of $3.99 comics at which point the trades become so much cheaper it's just getting silly. Plus, production values on single issues from independants are so much better (usually no ads during story, card covers, etc).
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Oct 12, 2008 20:00:41 GMT
An era is winding its way to an end - I am on the verge of virtually giving up on buying, and keeping single issues. Not only am I dropping most titles from Marvel, DC and Dark Horse as single issues and holding out for trades, but I am looking at getting rid of a lot of the accumulated comics that are in my house. Mostly they seem to be taking up space and sitting un-read, which means it is time for a serious rethink. As of this weekend I am down to only two titles in single issue format - "Legion of Superheroes" (until they run out of inventory of Shooter' scripts) and "Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam" - and by next year the latter will be my last single issue book, baring occasional things from smaller companies.
But, there are a few last things that I have picked up on Friday:-
"Powers" #30: And thus another era ends, volume 2 of "Powers" winds down with a final issue that serves as an excellent capstone to what we have seen so far from the series - both in its Image and Marvel runs. A very effective departure for a regular character, one that is both thematically fitting for "Powers" and also for the police procedural genre in general. There are few huge revelations, no action set-pieces or cosmic secrets to be revealed. Instead we have a low-key character piece which is very true to the cast of the book and is very satisfying in its own way. Very good stuff, and a good note on which to end the title. (I know it is supposed to come back when the TV series gets off the ground, but I am not holding my breath to be honest).
"The Invincible Iron Man"#6: Or, er, "Iron Man:Extremis: the remake"#6 if you prefer. Two things have become adundantly clear over the course of the first story arc of this title. Firstly that this arc is treading very much the same ground as Warren Ellis' "Extremis" story, only without the extremes of technofetishim that blighted the latter. Secondly that the Ezekiel Stane in this story has no connection whatsoever with the character of the same name that cropped up at the end of "The Order". (Not that I can blame Fraction for borrowing the name and bits of the concept for use in "Invincible Iron Man". I mean, it isn't as if there are many folk who read "The Order" anyway). The issue pretty much wraps up this story-arc in the way I was half-expecting it to do - playing the "take the technology out of the equation and it comes down to the man" card. It is unusual in that you don't often see an Iron Man comic coming down to a fist-fight and thumping folks with rocks. But for some reason it is somehow unsatisfying. Perhaps it is a sense that we have seen a lot of this before on a thematic level - the hero forced to face up to the kind of person he has to become in order to win through etc. There is nothing actually wrong with this story, except for the fact that it feels like it should have been much shorter. At three issues they could have cut a lot of unnecessary fiddle-faddle that contributed nothing, and cut out a lot of the circular restatements of peoples positions. A perfectly good comic and a story with some potential, but let down by the slow pacing. Will read very well in a trade, but not very satisfying as a monthly periodical On the strength of this I think I shall be departing the single issues at this point. May come back to it in trades in due course.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 2, 2008 21:44:50 GMT
Astonishing X-Men 27 Decent story, good art.
X-Men Legacy 217 More revelations about wot Xavier did to Wolverine
Uncanny X-Men 503 "What did you see ?" "My Dead Ex-Wife !" That about sums the issue up. Bit of a battle too but you'll be remembering it for who showed up at the end. Another clone I'll bet you.
X-Factor 36 usual fun & games
Mighty Avengers 19 Or wot Marvel Boy did.
New Avengers 46 See the villains reaction to Invasion and find out the power behind the Hood. Not a bad issue actually.
Captain America 43 Cap runs into one of Steve's old villains...... who working for someone who recognises him as the Winter Soldier.
Secret Invasion 7 of 8 A big battle. Clint ends up with a bow in his hands. Just what was in that growth serum "Hank" gave Jan a while back ?
So nothing wildly amazing but nothing terrible either. IIF, X-Force and SI: Thor en route to me, and I'm picking up last weeks comics (Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes #1, Avengers: The Initiative #18 & Secret Invasion: X-Men #3) tomorrow.
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Post by Jaymz on Nov 3, 2008 0:18:09 GMT
I'm picking up last weeks comics (Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes #1, Avengers: The Initiative #18 & Secret Invasion: X-Men #3) tomorrow. Let me know how that goes, didn't get any Ghost Boxes sent to us last week. |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 3, 2008 8:43:10 GMT
Aha, just going on what was on the shipping list on the web last week.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 4, 2008 23:09:09 GMT
As predicted Ghost Boxes was AWOL
Avengers: The Initiative #18 More Skrull slaying
Secret Invasion: X-Men #3 more fighting with a shock ending ...... But are Carey & Yost talking to each other both using the same item of X continuity ?
Wolverine Origins 29 Bought as it's an Original Sin tie in. Not too bad, though I feel no connection to the current Hellfire club at all ! Nobody I recognise inside the club bar Shaw
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Post by Jaymz on Nov 6, 2008 0:34:51 GMT
As predicted Ghost Boxes was AWOL It's in now, but seriously not worth it. $4 for 16 pages and a script = rip off |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 6, 2008 23:09:31 GMT
Astonishing X-Men Ghost Boxes 1 Pile of poo. 2 alternate universe stories. Problem is the first keeps talking about the 616 universe and that's blatantly not what happened there.
X-Men: Manifest Destiny 3 of 5 The Iceman tale continues apace, great tale about the Mutant found buried in the ground - I got to where they were going with it before the end and a great Yost/Ramos tale baout Colossus. Was good stuff.
Avengers Initiative Special Resolves the Hardball/Hydra thread - presumably after SI - and brings in some new stuff with Trauma. Good read, reminded me why I was buying A:I before SI started and dragged it in.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 7, 2008 23:03:52 GMT
3 little bundles of joy were awaiting me when i got home today:
Immortal Iron Fist 19 I think the new script team is getting the hang of it, this issue felt decent. Some of the spark was back.
X-Force 8 I love this title. Best X-Book at the mo. The bit with Foley and the tumour....
Secret Invasion: Thor 3 Fraction can write Thor. Very decent LS. Thor & Bill together is great !
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Nov 18, 2008 20:12:26 GMT
Just to digress a little I was interested to see a couple of entries in the Marvel Feb solicits here/ Most notably the Marvel: Your Universe title and the Astonishing Tales issue 1. It seems that Marvel haven't abandoned the Anthology format following the short-lived Marvel Comics Presents revival. Andy |
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 18, 2008 20:21:04 GMT
I wasn't aware Black Panther was 70 years old though! Buh?
-Ralph
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?? While Donald Blake delivers a baby Asgard is attacked by Skrull. Decent stuff from the pen of Fraction. Got 2 of his Thor specials sitting here at the mo !
