So whether it's right in front of you or on your backlog, what comics are you reading?
For me, I'm still hanging on to Birds of Prey.
I'm currently reading One Piece and Bakuman as far as currently running shounen series go, as well as the current GTO run (which is also quite good).
I'm also almost done reading Bokurano.
I need to get back to reading 20th Century Boys.
Also, someone still needs to recommend me any good comics involving Dr. Strange....
Just read the newest chapter of Vinland Saga. I think this is a good chance to say you guys should start reading this one. The newest chapter finally answered some questions and seems to indicate it'll really begin rolling out soon. I like these slower character based chapters, but it will be nice to see the plot starting to move again.
I started reading Saga of the Swamp Thing, since I got the first two volumes for Christmas.
Only three issues in, and I'm digging it so far. I like how it's written like an old horror comic from the 50's before the comics code was put up, but with enough clever scientific logic to make it stand out.
Can't wait to get more into it.
I'm back to reading Tokyo Crazy Paradise after getting derailed from it for so long. I still really like this one, and it is a constant reminder that I should look into more shojo.
The second volume of the french translation of "El Eternauta" arrived in the mail today, so I've been busy reading that; hands down one of the finest alien invasion stories I can think of in any media. On the manga-front, I'm currently reading "Lone Wolf & Cub", which is also terrific stuff and something I'd recommend to anyone who likes well-drawn, tightly plotted comics.
Oh, and allow me to join Desensitized in the "Vinland Saga" praise. Askeladd in particular is one of my favorite characters ever.
I found my local library yesterday and since I already put some stuff on hold weeks ago, they had the following waiting on me:
The Walking Dead Volume 13
Batman Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?
Invincible Ultimate Collection Volume 5
Scott Pilgrim Volume 3
The Invincible Iron Man Volume 1
DMZ Book 1
Oh, I forgot to mention, on New Year's Eve to New Year's I read Scott Pilgrim volume 1. Now that's the way to bring in 2011. I am officially hooked. Sucks that my library had volume 3 for me before volume 2 but I'll wait. I got the Batman comic thanks to Insomniac's recommendation, DMZ off of a website's recommendation, same goes for Invincible Iron Man and I plan on reading The Walking Dead and then Invincible first since they are my two favorite currently running series. Kirkman is the best of today. I also put Planetary on hold thanks to Insomniac's rec and he reminded me to try and get Incognito. I also plan on getting two Wolverine comics, a Punisher and the first volume of Deadpool's series. And since all the DVDs I just got are based on comics, I'll list them too:
Batman Volume 2 Disc 1
Saint Seiya V. 10 and 11
Outlaw Star Collection 1 and 2 (at least I think OS has a comic, lol)
I have Collection 3 at the library but I can only check out 5 DVDs at a time. Also, I got the wrong Batman because I've already seen it. I watched Night of the Ninja anyway today and the Mad Hatter episode where he puts Batman in a dream world....up until the part where Batman starts dreaming then I took it out.
Quote from: Pharass on January 03, 2011, 12:44:45 PM
The second volume of the french translation of "El Eternauta" arrived in the mail today, so I've been busy reading that; hands down one of the finest alien invasion stories I can think of in any media. On the manga-front, I'm currently reading "Lone Wolf & Cub", which is also terrific stuff and something I'd recommend to anyone who likes well-drawn, tightly plotted comics.
Oh, and allow me to join Desensitized in the "Vinland Saga" praise. Askeladd in particular is one of my favorite characters ever.
You get a 'Fuck yeah.' from me for reading Lone Wolf And Cub. The movies are at the very top of my list of movies to watch. After I watch the rest, I'll read Samurai Executioner then go onto Lone Wolf & Cub.
Are the FMP light novels available in the US? Wish my library could carry those.
The first 3 are, and Tokyopop had announced that they planned to have the 4th and 5th volumes released later this year.
Yesterday I read The Walking Dead Volume 13 and Invincible Ultimate Collection Volume 5.
TWD moved along the story just fine. Invincible reminded me how much I could care less about the Image universe. Invincible's cast is fine but I don't give a shit about those other Image characters. I wish they had more story in V. 5. They only had one issue for the really important part but they did have some good development for Mark and another character I won't spoil. But yeah, I want to see more of the important shit and less of Mark's shitty Earth villains.
I also read Batman Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader? today.
I read Invincible Iron Man a few days ago. The first story was great, the second showed me how fucking stupid Dark Reign is.
I was reading Please Teacher, and found this DBZ reference:
http://www.anymanga.com/please-teacher/001/004/009/
The book I'm reading is "The Second Life Of Bree Tanner"...
Started reading Historie by Hitoshi Iwaaki yesterday and so far it's been excellent. For those of you haven't heard of it, Historie is a historical manga about Eumenes, the secretary and advisor to Alexander the Great.
Between this and Vinland Saga there seem to be on-going trend among manga-artists in the seinen category to make well-researched and gripping manga about historical characters and moments from western civilisation. Personally, I hope this continues for awhile, since both of the aforementioned examples are awesome (I've heard good things about Cesare as well, but haven't checked it out yet).
I read Scott Pilgrim V. 2 I believe two days ago. Tony Hawk references FTW!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm currently reading Naruto, Bleach, Yandere Kanojo, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai : Minagoroshi, Matsuribayashi, Tsumihoroboshi and Meakashi and Doraemon.
I read Scott Pilgrim Vol. 3 a week ago. I'm loving this comic so much
I read DMZ volume 1 last night/early this morning. I didn't know it would have so much personality. I'm hooked.
Today I got DMZ Book 2 and Planetary Book 1 and 2. I'm excited to continue reading DMZ and I know I'll love Planetary. The book has, "This was made for Anthony..." all over it. It feels good to get back to comic book reading. I also put three volumes of the latest Deadpool series on hold.
Finished with the last volume of Gotham Central. Aside from a random oneshot about Captain Marvel, it's a solid finish. Sucks that DC is seldom following up on any of these characters. Even Montoya hasn't been seeing much action since Rucka left.
I read DMZ volume 2 a few days and Planetary Volume 1 and 2 over the last 3 days. DMZ continues to suck me in and Planetary is now another series I'm into. I got to say that a crackhead could have figured out who The Fourth Man was. Seriously, I figured it out before the issue they revealed it in.
Over the last couple of weeks, I've read Deadpool volume 1-3. Volume 1 was okay but volume 2 and 3 had moments that made me laugh prett hard.
I've also read DMZ Volume 6. Seems like they are taking Matty out of his role. I doubt this'll last long.
Over the last two days I've read DMZ Volume 7-9. Despite getting so many from the library, I'm ready through the ones I got. I was surprised that I was up to a volme that came out last year. What can I say? It's addictive. I'm putting more on hold now and will read Planetary Voume 3....and a much as I've been holding this of because I don't want reading this series to come to an end, Scott Pilgrim Volume 6. :cry:
This morning I finally got around to reading Scott Pilgrim V. 6. I've been holding it off because I didn't want to be done reading such a great series :'( but it's been a week since I finished the rest of my comic book stack so I gave it. I was surprised that the ending was satisfying, well at least imo. I also liked how long the "final boss battle" was.
I read A Channel and Freezing last night. Pretty good stories I'll say.
Heard Freezing was alright, although it did distract Dall-Young Lim from Unbalance x Unbalance.
Over the last week or two I have read:
Planetary Vol. 4 (Good ending to the series)
Punisher MAX Vol. 3: Mother Russia (Hell yeah, Punisher MAX is good again after that Irish Kitchen shit)
Punisher Welcome to the Bayou (Crazy comic)
Incognito (Cant stop laughing at how Zack talked about how stupid the lady he saved in the alley was)
Wolverine Origin (So sad)
Wolverine
Wolverine Weapon X
I'm reading Invincible Ultimate Collection Vol. 6 next (about time I got this and it sounds like its going to be great as hell!)
Then Punisher War Journal vol. 1 and for the 3 people that haven't noticed, I'm in a real mood for Punisher and Wolverine comics. About to put some more War Journal and MAX volumes on hold. And some more Deadpools.
I finally came back to reading 20th Century Boys after taking a hiatus from the manga for nearly a year now. I'm currently on chapter 65, and the story is as good as ever, but I must admit that I tend to get a little tired of Urasawa's tendency to jump around from character perspective so frequently. To be more specific, I don't mind that he does it, as I still loved Monster despite him using that technique quite a bit, but in this story he seems to do it more frequently than ever, only giving one character a chapter or 2 of how their part of the story is unfolding before switching to another character's perspective, and he rotates/cycles through them until a new major plot-changing development comes underway. I think my problem, though, is that I get really interested in what I'm reading and then want to see that continue for just a little bit longer since I want to get more of a feel for what's going on (in terms of that particular character's situation), before he cycles back to another character, and then another one so soon after that. I think the main reason for why I have a problem with it, though, is because Urasawa tends to keep piling on more and more questions while only giving a few answers at a time, so the amount of questions that I need to keep track of grows a bit too much at times, and then when the answer to something is revealed I almost completely forgot that I was at one point curious about that to begin with.
Well, that probably doesn't make much sense to anyone, but that's just the way I feel about the manga, so far. That said, though, its still a damn interesting story and the fact that it actually takes me effort to pull myself away from reading it really shows how masterful Urasawa is at writing a captivating story.
The first arc of the manga has a lot of that because there's just too much going on. Eventually he slows down on it and lets the story breath, but the first part can be very overwhelming because of how much he tries to show you.
I'm a little more than half-way done with 20th Century Boys, right now (well, that's not including any of the chapters from 21st Century Boys added to the total chapter count), and its definitely a great read and full of all sorts of Urasawa awesomeness. But, still, I can't help but feel that its a tad bit weaker in delivery than Monster was. I think one issue I sort of have with it is that it mostly feels way too easy to predict upcoming twists, and this does seem intentional since Urasawa throws in all sorts of hints and foreshadowing to upcoming events and big reveals, but I'm not sure I quite like that style of story-telling as much as how he just completely throws people for a loop with Monster (yet when you read/watch it, you never get the feeling that it was random, in that the twist always makes sense, even if it was completely unexpected). In 20th Century Boys, it also never feels random which is a good thing, and it does always make sense, but its just missing that factor of being unpredictable, which hurts its overall quality just a little bit, IMO.
Still, its top-notch story-telling by a top-notch mangaka, so there isn't much else that I can complain about, anyways. ;)
I think it gets better and better as it goes. The first arc is nice as a mystery, but is overstuffed, and the second is kind of insular but has a lot of nice character moments and some cool plot twists. The third part is by far my favorite, however. It brings it from being great into being awesome.
Monster wins in consistency and characters, though. I think that comes from there being a tighter cast, so there's less to focus on.
I finished 20th Century Boys and now I'm starting 21st Century Boys. I'm confused, though, how many chapters long is this supposed to be? The place where I'm reading it has it go straight up to chapter 16, and then....chapter 40, and then 78....am I missing something?
Anyways, its still a great manga, and I actually wanted to mention that I heard the song that goes along with Kenji's song on youtube (I think Naoki Urasawa released it on a CD with volume 20 o the manga or something like that). I'm not a music buff like the rest of you, and I don't understand any Japanese, but I still think its a pretty awesome song, personally. Has anyone else heard it?
The title change was only because of the year changing in the manga, it wasn't for any plot related purpose that I can remember.
The song was pretty cool from what I remember, it would kinda have to be considering its place in the story. ;D
I just finished 21st Century Boys. Such a great manga. I'm pretty sure that I still prefer Monster by a bit for its consistency and perfect length (I'll admit, at some points I felt that 20th Century Boys kind of dragged and it could have been just a little bit shorter, IMO, but the overall product was still nothing short of amazing, regardless). I guess now I'll move onto Pluto and give that a shot but with lower expectations since I hear its not quite as good as Monster or 20th Century Boys, then I'll check out Happy (I think that's what its called), and any other Urasawa works which I haven't read, and then I'll try catching up with Billy Bat.
BTW, Has anyone seen the live action movies for 20th Century Boys? Does anyone know if they are any good at all? I'm a little skeptical after how craptacular those Death Note live-action films were, but if the movies are faithful enough to the source material and unlike DN if they actually have "good" acting, then I'd be up for checking them out sometime.
The movies are actually really good. I saw the first two parts at a film festival two years ago and it was a real treat. They did the concept and story justice, and the added realism to Urasawa's ideas are quite disturbing at times. I'd recommend them.
Happy is such a hard manga to read. It's quality, I can't argue with it because it is good, it's just so hard to read. Yawara is a bit easier to read, and quite similar, but I'm not sure if it's written quite as well.
Pluto is really good. I think my only negative against it is that he's too slavish to Tezuka's original story that the story suffers for it by the end because he simply refuses to change the story to suit his characters more. but, it's really good. A great combo of Tezuka's worldview and Urasawa's storytelling.
I'm glad you enjoyed the story. 20th Century Boys is quite an expansive story with a ton of characters and fun ideas that makes it a joy to read. While Monster is one of my favorite manga, 20th Century Boys cemented Urasawa as my favorite mangaka. I'm waiting for Billy Bat to get further ahead before I get into it, because I find it hard to read his material unless I can sit down and absorb a lot of it.
Yeah, his work is so damn addicting that I'd get kind of pissed if I caught up to something he was currently doing and then actually had to start WAITING for chapters to release. :>
20th Century Boys (SPOILERS BELOW):
I noticed a bit of a plot-hole in 20/21CB. Manjoume was trapped in the virtual reality world and Kenji reasoned that he was killed while still having the VR visor on. However, in the flash-back scene of his death in 20CB, we clearly see that he has them off and is even consciously aware of his real world surroundings as he talks to Takasugi, and he even shows fear knowing that he's going to die right before she shoots and kills him. It just doesn't really add up that he should still have some form of his presence stuck in the VR world, but then again Urasawa can be forgiven for messing around with a few details and ret-conning some stuff given the overall quality of the story.
Also, I really would have liked to know how Kenji escaped from that explosion. Urasawa never explained that bit either, though the way it was initially presented I could already tell that he didn't really die in it, so to be honest it came as no surprise to me when he was revealed to be alive much later on in the story. The fact that they showed the time-bomb ticking by itself in some panels without zooming out to show Kenji still standing in the robot kind of gave it away, as best as Urasawa tried to cover that up. Its also totally against Urasawa's story-telling style to kill off a character so abruptly before he's served his full purpose in the story, and knowing that Kenji still had so much business let unfinished, I knew it would only be a matter of time before he showed up again. Still, it was a great moment when he finally made his big return later on, and it was well worth the wait.
Oh, BTW, I was a little confused about Kenji's revelation that the TRUE "Friend" was Katsumata, at the end. I know that there was a rumor that Katsumata had died and his ghost could be seen at night in the science room dissecting carp, but how could every single classmate of Kenji and even the teachers buy that forever if he was still there, just with the same exact mask as Sadakiyo? I mean, sooner or later you'd expect somebody to find out who he was when he was still going to the same school. It just seems like its stretching things a bit too much, but once again, it can be forgiven in the grand-scheme of things.
Speaking of Sadakiyo, I have to say he was by far the most tragic character in the series, IMO. Even though he killed Mon-chan (I only call him that because I forget his full name, lol), I couldn't help but pity him, as he was basically either bullied/looked down upon or just completely forgotten altogether for most of his whole life. It was kind of nice that Kenji made his virtual reality self actually acknowledge him at the end, and that somehow that caused the real-life Sadakiyo to smile before he died.
Oh, One more thing....WTF was that virtual reality supposed to be. It clearly isn't an instrument to interact with the past since it didn't affect the future of the real world, at all, but its not so simple that it can all just be computerized stuff, since the characters in it clearly have real-life thoughts, feelings, and memories, and Kanna was even able to psychically communicate with the virtual child Kenji. Its really weird, and I kind of wish more insight was given into what it really was, since I know it couldn't have just been a simple simulation machine.
*Spoilers for 20CB*
While I haven't read it in a while, I always thought he escaped there with his last breath, but didn't quite make it... Or maybe he did. Even though he was a horrible person, I still kinda felt sorry for him. That's one hell of a way to go.
Katsumata is the one thing about the series that I didn't care for in the story. He seemed a bit forced in, and his existence as a whole seems tenuous at best, but the way Urasawa wrote him, I think that was the point that his whole existence was basically like that. The whole 'blending into the background' thing I noticed is a common theme in Japanese works, gag manga use it as jokes, and serious manga use it as motivation. I'm guessing it's a culture thing, and it's sort of lost on me, even if I get what he's going for.
Kenji... Well, after Roberto in Monster, I knew to expect something like that from Urasawa. He's not the type to kill someone off if their 'purpose' has yet to be fulfilled. No one dies pointlessly in his stories. I assume like that episode of KOTH 'He got blow'd out by da explosion... owww' by being in just the right place escaping from it.
I almost get the impression that a lot of what happened in the past were lies or half-truths and not everything went the way the flashbacks and VR told us. Especially considering who made it. It probably help explains why the Katsumata thing is so odd.
I thought the VR machine was like a time machine in that it pulled from that period of time and instead of physically put the user into that time period, brought the time period (though simulated) to the user through the machine making it basically time travel without any of the risks involved. It's a very odd idea, but considering the sci-fi bent in the last third after Friend takes over Japan, it makes more sense. If that happened in the first arc, that would be some shitty storytelling.
But the thing is, if it really did bring them back to that time even if they weren't really physically manifested in it, it should have still had some sort of affect on the present. Either that, or its going by the DBZ rule of time-line of an alternate dimension, so what you do there doesn't affect what happens in the time-line of your own dimension. That'd make more sense. Either way, I don't buy that the people in the VR simulation are really simulations. They are real living breathing people....within the fiction Universe of the manga that is, of course. :P
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on June 03, 2011, 01:06:44 AM
But the thing is, if it really did bring them back to that time even if they weren't really physically manifested in it, it should have still had some sort of affect on the present. Either that, or its going by the DBZ rule of time-line of an alternate dimension, so what you do there doesn't affect what happens in the time-line of your own dimension. That'd make more sense. Either way, I don't buy that the people in the VR simulation are really simulations. They are real living breathing people....within the fiction Universe of the manga that is, of course. :P
Well, I mean it takes the data from that time period and puts the user in it without sending the user into the past and potentially fucking things up. That way the past can be explored, and timeline damage can't be sustained because the user doesn't go into the physical past in order to mess with events.
It's not real time travel in that the user isn't traveling through time, but time is being brought to the user, filtered through a machine so shit can't be busted.
If that makes sense. The concept is hard to talk about. :drool:
I started reading Pluto, and I'm currently 3 chapters in. Its off to a sort of slow start, even a bit slower than Monster and 20th Century Boys, IMO, but its still got quality writing to back it up and I'm sure it'll pick up its pace soon enough.
Also, aside from that, I'm really in the mood for a classic shonen series, so I'm going to start reading Flame of Recca pretty soon since I here the manga for it is really good (and I've been told to ignore the anime, which I probably will do). I might also switch from watching Saint Seiya to reading the manga since that'll likely be faster paced than the anime, though I have to admit that I do like what I've seen of the anime, so far for that particular series.
I'm currently 25 chapters into Flame of Recca. I have to admit its pretty decent so far considering that its in its really early stages (most shonen, even classic ones, usually sort of suck with their first few arcs, but this stuff is OK), which kind of surprised me, and it looks like the author of this manga had already had further big plot points planned out by this point with all of the foreshadowing that he did early on.
I also have to say, I really don't get why this gets labeled as a YYH rip-off, unless its something that happens in a later arc or something. I can definitely see how it certainly borrowed some things from YYH, such as Recca being a delinquent much like Yusuke and having a rival friend very similar to Kuwabara (in fact Domon almost feels too much like Kuwabara, but I still wouldn't really call it a rip-off as much as a great character type that should be used in more shonen to begin with ;) ). That kid who used the weapon Ensui also serves as the "intelligent pretty boy" character of the group, like Kurama (well, where I'm at he's not part of the group yet, but its made extremely obvious that he'll eventually join the group later on), and there are probably some other character parallels that I could come up with if I read some more, but the point is that they feel more like that same type of character rather than carbon copies of those characters. They each still have their own substance and unique attributes about them that still makes them their own characters. It definitely doesn't seem like a rip-off of anything, or if it is, than I'd say that FoR is just as much as rip-off of YYH as it is a rip-off of Saint Seiya (which is to say that all its guilty of is following some traditional shonen tropes just like those preceding series themselves did). Its really still its own story when you get down to it, though.
Got a copy of From Hell from the library. This is supposed to be the book that made Neil Gaiman want to throw up upon hearing about the plot, so expectations run high.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on June 08, 2011, 12:00:41 AM
I'm currently 25 chapters into Flame of Recca. I have to admit its pretty decent so far considering that its in its really early stages (most shonen, even classic ones, usually sort of suck with their first few arcs, but this stuff is OK), which kind of surprised me, and it looks like the author of this manga had already had further big plot points planned out by this point with all of the foreshadowing that he did early on.
I also have to say, I really don't get why this gets labeled as a YYH rip-off, unless its something that happens in a later arc or something. I can definitely see how it certainly borrowed some things from YYH, such as Recca being a delinquent much like Yusuke and having a rival friend very similar to Kuwabara (in fact Domon almost feels too much like Kuwabara, but I still wouldn't really call it a rip-off as much as a great character type that should be used in more shonen to begin with ;) ). That kid who used the weapon Ensui also serves as the "intelligent pretty boy" character of the group, like Kurama (well, where I'm at he's not part of the group yet, but its made extremely obvious that he'll eventually join the group later on), and there are probably some other character parallels that I could come up with if I read some more, but the point is that they feel more like that same type of character rather than carbon copies of those characters. They each still have their own substance and unique attributes about them that still makes them their own characters. It definitely doesn't seem like a rip-off of anything, or if it is, than I'd say that FoR is just as much as rip-off of YYH as it is a rip-off of Saint Seiya (which is to say that all its guilty of is following some traditional shonen tropes just like those preceding series themselves did). Its really still its own story when you get down to it, though.
Jesus christ, you read fast. Been wanting to read Flame Of Recca.
A week or so ago, I read The Killer volume 1 and Spider-Man 2099. Will be continuing to read both.
Domon and the Ensui kid feel like Kuwabara and Kurama until you get further along. Domon isn't as lunkheaded as Kuwabara and is actually one of the best of the group and the Ensui kid while he has a cool head is not anywhere near a planner or as strong as Kurama was.
He starts with similar tropes of characters and builds away from them.
Currently rereading bits of the YYH manga for reference.
Awesome panel:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi166.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fu100%2FJDesensitized%2F6162059f.jpg&hash=d24b7718055928dc92ce940dfdcc88d0288331f1)
Yeah, at the right parts the manga is just as engaging as the anime, and while I still prefer the anime on the whole, to Togashi's credit he has some moments in the manga that were so good that not even the anime could do them justice. I think that Togashi's primary strength is to keep things moving at a quick pace and to keep the level of exposition to a minimum (well, HXH has a lot of exposition, but its almost always necessary), especially with the YYH manga which always gets straight down to the point. In this regard, I kind of wish that Flame of Recca had also taken this little aspect of YYH as well, since the story in FoR, while interesting, can at times get bogged down by awkward pacing. Of course, Togashi just rushed things too much with the final arc, whereas he took things a bit too slow with the first arc, but overall its clear that he had everything under complete control after Yusuke came back to life up until the end of the Chapter Black arc.
The manga just went up on my list.
I'm currently reading Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War. After lurking on CBR's forum and seeing people claim it as a "must-read" arc, I decided to play ball. Also, since I didn't know much about GL, thought it would be an exciting and helpful read.
I'm on issue #3 right now and the build-up is really good. Lots of action, I see that John & the crew aren't afraid of killing off characters. :0
Done with the Sinestro Corps War. Now reading Rage of the Red Lanterns. Outta figured that reading this would give me more insight on the Red Lanterns and what they'll be doing in Green Lantern: The Animated Series. Surprised I'm this far up in the franchise, mainly because of the fact when I first started reading it was all about Hal Jordan returning to Hal joining the rage team. Can't wait until Blackest Night though, from the reviews I heard it was good or just exciting.
Rage of the Red Lanterns is pretty good so far. Liking the way I'm learning about the seven corps. Willpower, fear, rage, compassion, love, and most importantly IMO, hope. Technically that's six corps if you exclude Agent Orange, but whatever, I'm enjoying this comic!
I realized that I should start getting in to the works of the highly respected Osamu Tezuka (and to a lesser extent I need to try some stuff from Leiji Matsumoto later on). I decided to start reading Black Jack since its easy enough to find and is a good length of 17 volumes (not too short or too long, which is perfect for me). I only intended to read one chapter now but I already got an entire volume down in no time. Its REALLY good. I also have to say that I love the art-style (I really do miss the more simplistic art-style of the early era of anime, to be honest).
Anyways, if the entire series is really this good, then I'll be jumping into Astro Boy right away after I'm done with this.
I'm also slowly getting back into trying to finish up Flame of Recca. I liked the tournament arc but everything after that has been kind of boring so far, to be honest, but I'm hoping that it will pick up its pace once again as I keep moving forward with the story.
Read a Batman oneshot called Gotham Noir by Brubaker and Phillips. It's so good that it just seems unfair that we don't get more stories like these instead of Morrison's clusterfuck.
Read a bit of LOEG: 1969. And it sadly seems that Moore's finally lost it.
Not his sanity, which has been gone since the Eocene era, but his quality. Some of his more recent works like this and Neonomicon haven't been hitting the right spots. Most of the book just seemed to be dedicated to "BWAHAHA! Look at how much 60s British culture I've researched!" instead of focusing on anything resembling a story.
The Favorite Manga thread reminded me that I haven't finished 20th Century Boys yet, so I'm on the last volume and will probably read 21st sometime tomorrow morning. Is it odd that I find Takasu more unnerving than Friend?
I've read Joshua the first album in the comic Le Pouvoir des Innocents (The Power of the Innocents). A French comic that takes place in NY. This first album out of five serves mostly to setup the plot and introduce us to the various protagonists and it does an excellent job with that. I will reserve final judgment until I've read the entire series, but for now this series has the potential to be one of my all-time favorites.
What with the upcoming new Rurouni Kenshin anime AND live-action movie coming out in the near future, I thought that now was as good a time as any to re-read the manga since I haven't gone back to it in years.
Even though the first arc is considerably weaker than everything that comes after it, it still amazes me how well the story-telling of this manga has aged. I could swear that Watsuki was a veteran mangaka when he wrote RK so masterfully, and yet he was considered a complete newbie among fellow mangaka when he first started this series (as his first major serialization, in fact). Its funny how everything he did after RK is what feels like the work of a newbie to the field when he was technically a veteran by the time he finished RK. I guess its sort of similar to how various artists/authors come out with one big hit which manages to strike a cord with many people and get them hooked, but then fail to capture that same level of success with any of their other works (much like Mario Puzo with The Godfather).
I really hope that the new anime and live-action film manage to be both faithful and overall well-executed adaptations of the manga, as it deserves to have another brilliant adaptation of it (with the last one having been Trust and Betrayal, something I plan to re-watch later on, as well).
It's one of my favorite manga just because of how well everything is executed, like Watsuki just knew this world inside and out. The timeless feel and writing never gets old, either.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on September 05, 2011, 03:38:54 PM
What with the upcoming new Rurouni Kenshin anime AND live-action movie coming out in the near future, I thought that now was as good a time as any to re-read the manga since I haven't gone back to it in years.
Even though the first arc is considerably weaker than everything that comes after it, it still amazes me how well the story-telling of this manga has aged. I could swear that Watsuki was a veteran mangaka when he wrote RK so masterfully, and yet he was considered a complete newbie among fellow mangaka when he first started this series (as his first major serialization, in fact). Its funny how everything he did after RK is what feels like the work of a newbie to the field when he was technically a veteran by the time he finished RK. I guess its sort of similar to how various artists/authors come out with one big hit which manages to strike a cord with many people and get them hooked, but then fail to capture that same level of success with any of their other works (much like Mario Puzo with The Godfather).
I really hope that the new anime and live-action film manage to be both faithful and overall well-executed adaptations of the manga, as it deserves to have another brilliant adaptation of it (with the last one having been Trust and Betrayal, something I plan to re-watch later on, as well).
It seems like all writers went brain dead after the 90s. Still got to read the manga. I have a pretty big backlog.
So I read a handful of the DCnU comics, and guess what? I liked some of them. Didn't really like Action Comics though, since Superman just seems more like Bat/Spider-Man in the first issue.
Thunderbolts (Ellis Run) - Proof that Civil War wasn't complete shit. If you're a fan of Norman Osborn, you'll love this comic.
Incognito Bad Influences - A bit like if Raymond Chandler wrote a superhero story. Would definitely recommend.
Buffy Season 9 #1 - Great that it's nowhere near of a clusterfuck as the ending of S8 was. Still wary though.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on September 15, 2011, 06:08:32 PM
Thunderbolts (Ellis Run) - Proof that Civil War wasn't complete shit. If you're a fan of Norman Osborn, you'll love this comic.
Incognito Bad Influences - A bit like if Raymond Chandler wrote a superhero story. Would definitely recommend.
Buffy Season 9 #1 - Great that it's nowhere near of a clusterfuck as the ending of S8 was. Still wary though.
The Incognito sequel? I've been waiting to get that.
Scott Pilgrim volumes look interesting so far. Definitely more backstory than the movie.
Quote from: Angus on September 19, 2011, 05:16:24 PM
Scott Pilgrim volumes look interesting so far. Definitely more backstory than the movie.
I love Scott Pilgrim. :thumbup:
Please give me some recommendations.
Is it as nasty as it sounds?
:whuh: May I have another recommendation?
Quote from: gunswordfist on September 20, 2011, 09:46:11 AM
Quote from: Angus on September 19, 2011, 05:16:24 PM
Scott Pilgrim volumes look interesting so far. Definitely more backstory than the movie.
I love Scott Pilgrim. :thumbup:
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2009/07/28/the-best-video-game-moments-in-scott-pilgrim/
I also like the footnote "blog" page in the book where he listed Death Note and Azumanga Daioh among his favorite mangas.
Scalped has been on my "to-read" list awhile now, it's about high time I actually checked it out. So many comics, so little time.
The last two comics I read were Amy; the second volume of Le Pouvoir des Innocents by Hirn & Brunschwig and Le Trepassé de Kermellec, the first volume of L'Epervier by Pellerin.
Volume 2 in Brunschwig & Hirn's political thriller about the mayoral election in NY, manages to be even more gripping than the first: The characters grow and become more involving and the mysterious conspiracy becomes more complex and byzantine with each new revelation. I'm convinced that this comic would be a success if someone bothered to translate it into English. Still three volumes to go, but this is already one of the greatest comics I've read in a long time.
As for L'Epervier, it's a classic adventure tale of finest quality, complete with a charismatic hero, falsely accused for a crime he didn't commit, a colorful supporting cast and dastardly villains. Great, very entertaining stuff.
The recent one I've been reading is Shokora no Mahou (Magic Chocolate). It's like a sweet version of xxxHolic :blush:
Last week I read Sleeper Book 2 and yesterday I read New X-Men Volume 1 and Incognito Bad Influence. I'm obviously a Brubaker/Sean Phillips fan plus I have Criminal: Coward that I'll be reading soon.
Recently I read the second volume of 100 Bullets. A very compelling read indeed, I liked the first volume but the second one was even better, mostly because there's a sense that a huge, sweeping storyline is about to unfold from the short-stories in the first volume. Agent Graves, who at first seemed to be Nemesis incarnate, providing those who had been wronged in the past with the means of getting even, is clearly working towards some specific goal, it shall be interesting to see what it is.
I could easily see 100 Bullets become a TV-show on HBO or something. I'd watch it.
Quote from: Pharass on October 29, 2011, 01:43:15 PM
Recently I read the second volume of 100 Bullets. A very compelling read indeed, I liked the first volume but the second one was even better, mostly because there's a sense that a huge, sweeping storyline is about to unfold from the short-stories in the first volume. Agent Graves, who at first seemed to be Nemesis incarnate, providing those who had been wronged in the past with the means of getting even, is clearly working towards some specific goal, it shall be interesting to see what it is.
I could easily see 100 Bullets become a TV-show on HBO or something. I'd watch it.
My absolute favorite comic book series. ;D
Over the last few days I've read:
New X-Men Volume 1
Incognito Bad Influences
DMZ Volume 10- I don't really like it when they do the whole "let's tell short stories of all these other characters" thing but they did it so well this time, even though the main character was pushed to a small part at the end of the book. Good comeback though.
I read The Walking Dead Volume 14 two nights ago.
"If it's dead-- fucking kill it!"
"It's a motherfucking herd!"
Abraham dropped some good lines.
Things got dire, including a cliffhanger that I would considered the worst possible scenario (sad wise :( , not bad writing wise since this is TWD and all.)
Yesterday I read the first volume of Samurai Executioner. Great stuff, but than I wouldn't expect anything less from the team that brought us Lone Wolf and Cub.
Quote from: Pharass on November 28, 2011, 11:30:30 AM
Yesterday I read the first volume of Samurai Executioner. Great stuff, but than I wouldn't expect anything less from the team that brought us Lone Wolf and Cub.
;D That's the one and only manga I've ever read. LOVED IT. I plan on reading the entire series and then it's "sequel" Lone Wolf and Cub.
Anyway, this weekend I read volume 2 and 3 of Deadpool & Cable Ultimate Collection. Boy, was that a lot of reading. Good stuff even though it got (understandably) weaking in the last few issues. Can't wait until next year so I can start/continue/finish all of Deadpool's other series from my library.
Comic books I've recently read:
American Vampire Volume 1
American Vampire Volume 2
Batman Thrillkiller
Superman Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?/Superman/Swamp Thing/For The Man Who Has Everything...
I'm really loving the hell out of American Vampire. I see why everyone's screaming about Scott Snyder.
It was good to finally read some Batman Noir.
I loved reading WHTTMOT again and I got to read For The Man Who Has Everything...for the first time.
This weekend I read:
Punisher MAX Volume 4 Up Is Down, Black Is White- This is the Punisher comic I've been waiting to get, the reason why I got into the Punisher comics and partial responsible for getting me into comics. I read a magazine article about what comic books should new readers or whatever get into and Punisher MAX was among them. They were talking about this story about how some up and comer gangster dug up and disgraced Frank Castle's dead family. That sounded so interesting. Also, Up Is Down, Black Is White is the sequel to MAX Volume 1, In The Beginning, my absolute favorite Punisher comic book of all time (and introduced me to my favorite comic book artist). It's not as good as In The Beginning but in the end, it was a good sequel and wrapup. I got to get Volume 5. Garth Ennis is the man.
Scalped Volume 2- This one caught my interest. I'm still not convinced that this series should be longer than 3 volumes though.
Recently, I've read:
Le Collectionneur: Le Collier de Padmasumbawa by Toppi
The fifth book in Toppi's series about the mysterious Collector, I haven't read any of the other volumes in the series, but I'm pretty sure that they can be read independently from one another. The comic is about the aforementioned Collector, a man who travels through the world searching for obscure artifacts, some of them imbued with mysterious powers. The story while quite good is really just an excuse for Toppi to show of his artistic skills and seeing as how Toppi's art is gorgeous to look at, I'm completely on board with this. The main character is quite interesting too: While he helps the downtrodden, he's also completely ruthless and doesn't really care if the artifacts he's after already belong to somebody.
L'Esprit du Vent: L'Homme Sans Visage
Another excellent installment in a series that's quickly become one of my favorites. The plot in this volume involves a disfigured former actor, a banker whose solution to solving poverty is too simply eliminate the poor, a hanging judge and other shady figures. Great read.
So, unlike you above posters I haven't been reading any sophisticated stuff at all since my brain hungers for more mindless and cliche material that doesn't force me to think at all, since I have to do enough thinking for my college exams.
Not too long ago I read the Korean Manga/Manwha (whatever you want to call it doesn't make a difference to me, really) The Breaker. Its a completely cliche and mostly predictable martial arts shonen manga (or whatever the Korean equivalent for shonen is called, but its basically a shonen as far as I'm concerned) and there's nothing truly spectacular about it, but to be honest I really found myself enjoying it, not really because of the story or anything like that because like I said its mostly typical shonen stuff, but in terms of just execution, I feel that its at least done pretty well and is fairly entertaining IF you happen to be a sucker for many of those shonen tropes and cliches (which I guiltily admit I am in fact a sucker for). It sort of reminds of me HSDK back when that was actually a martial arts manga and before it became a full-on ecchi manga without any further point or purpose. In this case, though, the manga never forgot what it was and stuck to its guns as a shonen, and for that its at least a decent read for me.
I've been reading the sequel series New Waves, which is basically the "2nd act" of the full story-line since its already a planned trilogy, and like many sequels in brings many of its own improvements as well as its downgrades from first part. On the downside the most interesting character in the manwha who was pretty much the main character of the 1st part is barely present in this series because this part focuses more on his disciple. On the plus side the disciple character at least grew a pair and even though he's kind of boring since he's as goody-goody as you'd expect a typical shonen protagonist to be, he at least works well in combination with all of the supporting cast who are at the very least more interesting than he is (IMO). Also what's kind of nice is that he has lost his abilities in this part of the series, so he has to manage to survive tough encounters with enemies using nothing but his wits most of the time since he can barely do anything to physically damage them, and that actually leads to some pretty interesting strategies on his part and its a nice alternative to just having flat-out fighting all of the time. Overall its not bad.
Anyways, when the Summer rolls around I'll probably start reading good stuff again, but for now this is a nice little guilty pleasure of mine, and now that I'm caught up with the series I'll probably follow it for a little while to see where it goes.
Last week, I read:
Amazing Spider-Man: Matters Of Life And Death- This was actually my first real venture into Spider-Man, shockingly enough since I love the character so much but before that all I read was the Civil War story where Aunt May was shot, #1 which was in the back of one or two comics that weren't Spider-Man and the story Deadpool Classic made fun of. Anyway, yeah Dan Slott has me hooked. This book had everything: Spider-Man going through rough times, good action, competent villains, someone dying and a good amount of laugh moments. I was laughing pretty hard during some of the parts.
Agents Of Atlas volume 1- Good to read a Marvel team back that's not a lineup of recycled names. This was decent enough for me to give volume 2 a try.
To....yesterday:
2 volumes of Amazing Spider-Man- OK, I stupidly read these out of order. These were the first two Spidey comics in Dan Slott's run, the comic above was the third. Well I'm caught up now good.
Friday night:
Scalped High Lonesome- Okay, I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY liking this series now. Got to see why Nitz cared so much about those FBI agents.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on January 28, 2012, 08:02:42 PM
So, unlike you above posters I haven't been reading any sophisticated stuff at all since my brain hungers for more mindless and cliche material that doesn't force me to think at all, since I have to do enough thinking for my college exams.
Not too long ago I read the Korean Manga/Manwha (whatever you want to call it doesn't make a difference to me, really) The Breaker. Its a completely cliche and mostly predictable martial arts shonen manga (or whatever the Korean equivalent for shonen is called, but its basically a shonen as far as I'm concerned) and there's nothing truly spectacular about it, but to be honest I really found myself enjoying it, not really because of the story or anything like that because like I said its mostly typical shonen stuff, but in terms of just execution, I feel that its at least done pretty well and is fairly entertaining IF you happen to be a sucker for many of those shonen tropes and cliches (which I guiltily admit I am in fact a sucker for). It sort of reminds of me HSDK back when that was actually a martial arts manga and before it became a full-on ecchi manga without any further point or purpose. In this case, though, the manga never forgot what it was and stuck to its guns as a shonen, and for that its at least a decent read for me.
I've been reading the sequel series New Waves, which is basically the "2nd act" of the full story-line since its already a planned trilogy, and like many sequels in brings many of its own improvements as well as its downgrades from first part. On the downside the most interesting character in the manwha who was pretty much the main character of the 1st part is barely present in this series because this part focuses more on his disciple. On the plus side the disciple character at least grew a pair and even though he's kind of boring since he's as goody-goody as you'd expect a typical shonen protagonist to be, he at least works well in combination with all of the supporting cast who are at the very least more interesting than he is (IMO). Also what's kind of nice is that he has lost his abilities in this part of the series, so he has to manage to survive tough encounters with enemies using nothing but his wits most of the time since he can barely do anything to physically damage them, and that actually leads to some pretty interesting strategies on his part and its a nice alternative to just having flat-out fighting all of the time. Overall its not bad.
Anyways, when the Summer rolls around I'll probably start reading good stuff again, but for now this is a nice little guilty pleasure of mine, and now that I'm caught up with the series I'll probably follow it for a little while to see where it goes.
If you want good comics that don't need you to think, Nextwave.
As for myself, I'm starting The Contract With God trilogy. Gotta get some Will Eisner in my brain.
For now, I'm reading Puella Magi Kazumi Magica, spinoff from Madoka Magica.
And how they twisted every single part being a magical girl is horrifying enough :o
Over the weekend I read Deadpool V. 6 I Rule, You Suck, Deadpool Vol. 7, Space Oddity and The Walking Dead Volume 15.
LOL @ the aliens having Halo guns in Space Oddity. I instantly recognized that. Also, the moon that got high off of snorting planets he destroys was something else.
Thank GOD Volume 15 of The Walking Dead finally got here. I've been waiting since last year for that. In this volume minor characters got fleshed out. They're covering all bases. Looks like the main threat to the group will be from within again. If this goes down like they are hinting, things could get messy. Also, fuck yeah at my 2 favorite characters surviving. They were pretty much the main targets throughout this book but they made it.
Over the last two days I've read Scalped V. 6, Scalped V. 7, Static Trial By Fire and G.I. Joe Cobra. All good.
I read the first volume of Animal Land, the manga Makoto Raiku, creator of Zatch/Gash Bell is currently working on. I got to say that this story made me feel things. With Manoko, the main tanuki of the series trying to save the baby from death because it was the only thing left that resembled a family to her. But then there's my favorite character's back story. So far Kurokagi the Wild Cat is my favorite character. At first he was a hunter that hunted for his own food, then after he hunted down a vixen that turned out to be a mother that was nursing her young, and then when the young took to him, he just left him there. Then the next day he saw that by leaving the baby vixen behind, it died. Because of that he vows to protect the village of the Tanukis. He noticed the baby human and told him that he was weak. But after the baby convinced the other Tanukis to take care of the wounded Kurokagi, he decided that he will not only protect the Tanukis, but the human boy that can talk to the animals as well.
Oh, I didn't even know he had a new one.
Makoto Raiku is kind of underrated, in my opinion. He has a completely unique style and way or storytelling and nothing ever quite goes the way you would expect it to. I'll definitely keep my eyes out for this one.
Yeah, I was told by a few people on another board I go to about this series and since it did have an English release, I decided to pick it up. So far there are only 3 volumes with an English release and I know that there are 8 volumes in Japan right now. He doesn't work for Shogakukan anymore ever since he sued them for losing a bunch of his art and said that they mistreated their Manga artist. Because VIZ was associated with Shogakukan, that's why Zatch Bell manga was cut short in America. Now he works for Kodansha.
Yesterday I read Avengers Academy Volume 1...ugh, it has pretty much every type of teenager I hate. I almost fell asleep before half way through the book and only the fact that I'm a completion whore compelled me to finish.
Today I read The Immortal Iron Fist Volume 4: The Mortal Iron Fist. Phew, thank God, a good sequel to the first two volumes and at the end the story seems to be going exactly where I wanted volume 3 to go. I also love the fact that Seven...erm Five Immortal Weapons came back. It's like a superhero family where no one is related and no one has the same exact powers as the others..exactly how I like it. Will be checking out Volume 5.
Reading Queen & Country by Greg Rucka. Makes for a fine espionage piece, and fun to see Bryan Lee O'Malley draw realistically.
Kuroko no Basuke has managed to keep me entertained for such a while. Who knew that after 3 years running it would finally get an anime? It should be interesting to see animated since it relies on so much odd and awkward movement. Should be interesting.
I'm not the biggest fan of sports manga (IMO since Prince Of Tennis, the genre's been a joke) but this one manages to bring back what made them so fun once upon a time. And the manga has no issue with keeping up the pace, which makes it a joy to read. Honestly, I recommend it if you want something fun and a bit more grounded to read.
Yesterday, the third and first volume of Le Pouvoir des Innocents and Universal War One respectively finally arrived in the mail. My opinion of both is quite favorable: Universal War One has the potential to be a truly great work of science fiction and as for Le Pouvoir... I believe I've already stated my love for that series. English translation, please.
On the manga-front, I've been reading Sanctuary and it's absolutely amazing. The art by Ryoichi Ikegami is great and as for the story? Well, while I did enjoy the Fist of the Northstar manga (although, I've currently put it on hold, it lost something after the death of a certain character) I believe Sanctuary to be Buronson's magnum opus. It really showed me what the man is capable of when it comes to crafting intricate story-lines and memorable characters.
I first read about this manga in the Swedish gaming magazine Super Play some 12-13 years ago and never really gave it much thought until recently. Not sure why I dismissed it back then, probably because I was young and stupid.
What's Universal War One?
French Science Fiction series about a military unit consisting of various misfits that find itself involved in the first Universal War.. I believe Marvel has published it in English.
Here's a few samples of the artwork:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bdtheque.com%2Frepupload%2FG%2FG_241_7.jpg&hash=87dcf3f3319b8e34189e777ef3c4ba7f569bcaa1)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bdtheque.com%2Frepupload%2FG%2FG_241_3.jpg&hash=976f5fb90fe5335013f99c24225ecc5fc7010efe)
Looks awesome.
On Friday night/early Sat. morning (up 'til a little past 1) I read more than 250 of the first pages of Shadowhawk. Then today I finished the other 250 or so. What I got to say about Shadowhawk: DAMN! Shadowhawk (speaking in 3rd person): You are Shadowhawk. DAMN!
Was this supposed to be a Batman ripoff? Scifi? Fantasy? Shadowhawk just jumped all over the place. Now I got to go see what Alan Moore and Matt Groening had to do with this comic book anyway.
I read Scalped Volume 8 this Saturday- Best line of the century:
Booo, motherfuckers! I've got a gun!
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
I just finished reading Avatar: The Last Airbender The Promise Part 1. I did read the leak before but I did make a promise to myself that if I ever saw it in a book store I would buy it. It felt like an episode of the TV show which is good. I was kind of interested in a plot point about how the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom would response to Zuko being the new king and how they would try to restore harmony among the nations. I just hope Zuko doesn't end up being like his dad cause Aang promised Zuko that he would kill him if he became like his father.
Quote from: Daxdiv on March 09, 2012, 02:11:26 PM
I just finished reading Avatar: The Last Airbender The Promise Part 1. I did read the leak before but I did make a promise to myself that if I ever saw it in a book store I would buy it. It felt like an episode of the TV show which is good. I was kind of interested in a plot point about how the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom would response to Zuko being the new king and how they would try to restore harmony among the nations. I just hope Zuko doesn't end up being like his dad cause Aang promised Zuko that he would kill him if he became like his father.
Damn, Aang said that?
Quote from: gunswordfist on March 09, 2012, 02:18:51 PM
Quote from: Daxdiv on March 09, 2012, 02:11:26 PM
I just finished reading Avatar: The Last Airbender The Promise Part 1. I did read the leak before but I did make a promise to myself that if I ever saw it in a book store I would buy it. It felt like an episode of the TV show which is good. I was kind of interested in a plot point about how the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom would response to Zuko being the new king and how they would try to restore harmony among the nations. I just hope Zuko doesn't end up being like his dad cause Aang promised Zuko that he would kill him if he became like his father.
Damn, Aang said that?
Well it was more Zuko telling Aang that he if he ever fell out of line and became like his dad, that it's OK to end him. Aang is struggling with himself when he learned that Zuko was backing out of Harmony Restoration Movement, which was an agreement between the Earth King and Zuko to get the Fire Nation colonies out of the Earth Kingdom and to restore balance to the nations. Zuko did act like a hot head when Aang was trying to figure out what was wrong with Zuko in one of the colonies. Then he went Avatar State when Zuko was pushing Aang since Aang being the kind-hearted kid he is, he wanted a peaceful talk, it was Zuko that was being stubborn. Then Katara had to calm him down since that probably wouldn't have been the best decision.
Remember, since Aang didn't kill Ozai, who was pure evil all the way through, what do you think is going to go through his head if he has to end Zuko, his friend and Fire Bending teacher? Roku told him that it's OK since it was a promise made by Zuko when his mind was clear and that Roku regretted not ending Sozin's life and Roku still regrets that.
Yesterday I read:
Deadpool Classic Volume 4- YAY! Deadpool's origin revealed. Very nice.
Annihilation Conquest Book 1- Eh, it was ok. Will continue just because I love Marvel's Cosmicverse.
This weekend I read:
Batman Streets Of Gotham Volume 1: Hush Money- Hush is back! Hush is back! And another Hush story written by Paul Dini who also wrote the HIGHLY recommended Heart Of Hush. It started out strong but it dragged on a little bit at the end. Things will hopefully pick up in the 2nd half though.
Superman Godfall- Confusing story. Art is great though.
Finally taking a bite into Maus.
This week I've read Crogan's March by Chris Schweizer and Banana Fish vol 4 by Akimi Yoshida.
Crogan's March is a historical adventure comic that takes place in the French colonies of North Africa in 1912 and focuses on Peter Crogan who has almost finished serving his time in the Foreign Legion. This was a great read and the author managed to blend the humorous elements of the story with more serious stuff expertly. I haven't read the previous book in the series, Crogan's Vengeance (which is about pirates) but it's not necessary in order to understand this one, since each book is a stand-alone story focusing on a different member of the Crogan family. Highly recommended.
As for Banana Fish, it continues to be awesome. The pacing in this manga is one of the best I've seen; between the action-scenes and the plot-revelations, there's never a dead moment. Top manga for sure.
Spider-Man Blue has got to be one of the saddest comics I've ever read. My Spidey read history is very low so it's probably my favorite right now. Tim Sale does a good job at drawing old-school Spider-Man art but his Green Goblin sucks.
This weekend I read:
Batman Streets Of Gotham V. 2- Bleh, I guess I shouldn't have expected Hush to come back after he got owned in the last issue.
Dynamo 5 Volume 1 Post Nuclear Family- Now this superhero team book, I love. That's is the kind of book I've been looking for. Great premise, none of the superheroes are annoying and I laughed out loud a bit during reading it.
Oi, I'm looking for somebody who knows his Jack Kirby, because I'm thinking about buying those Fourth World omnibuses and wondering how good they are.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on April 13, 2012, 05:43:37 PM
Oi, I'm looking for somebody who knows his Jack Kirby, because I'm thinking about buying those Fourth World omnibuses and wondering how good they are.
New Gods is the fucking shiznight. I haven't read anything else from that collection though.
I've been reading mostly prose for a while, so I felt that I'd take some time to read and reread some comics so I don't neglect the format so much. I pulled out some of my favorite X-Men stories earlier today, and I'm going through The Killing Joke now. Next I plan on rereading Kraven's Last Hunt.
I also plan to buy this sweet-looking Hawkeye hardcover that contains the first miniseries and other key issues when I score some more money in anticipation for Avengers.
I've been meaning to read that and Kraven's First Hunt and Grim Hunt.
Today I:
Finished Grendel War Child- Vampires, zombies, pirates, oh may! The kind of comic book I've been looking for.
Batman Beyond Hush Beyond: I believe this is the last Hush book out there. Catwoman Beyond, Terry meeting Dick Grayson, Cadmus, at least one of Terry's villain being murdered and them clearing stating that this is after The Return of The Joker are all in this book. Not as quite as good as it sounds but it's worth the read.
I'm reading Slam Dunk.
Manga of the '90s seemed more focused on the outsiders, the underdogs, the weird, and the troubled compared to now when most characters are boring straight man characters. That said, this is probably the best sports manga there is. It easily avoids every trope the genre is known for, manages to have a great sense of humor and drama, and still manages to through out the curve-balls.
Its yet another one of those old-school series that I need to get around to someday. Speaking of old-school manga, I still need to finish Flame of Recca one of these days.
Also, seeing as how I pretty much hold you to be AR's resident expert on all things old-school shonen manga, do you have any particular recommendations on good series that I may not have read? It can be anything really, sports, action, comedy, drama, just so long as its something that would interest me. And before you say BECK, I plan to try both the manga and the anime at some point this summer, so I mean something besides that. ;)
Well, I'm not so much of an "expert" as I look into what I like which are usually character-based stories and adventure-style pieces. Mostly about the journey and those in it, which the 90s had a lot of when it comes to Japan. ;)
I'll throw out a few that I myself still need to read, but have been given the recommendations from people I trust:
Violinist Of Hamelin - This has a weird history. It varies between a dark serious piece and off the wall comedy depending on what version you're reading or watching, but it is easily one of Japan's most popular pieces.
Tokyo Crazy Paradise - This is technically a shoujo even though it has a lot of fighting, but I read a bunch of it (before I lost my place) and it was a fun read.
Nausicaa Valley Of The Wind - Natch, but it has a much longer story than the Ghibli film.
Please Save My Earth! - I've recommended this before, but I think everyone here would like this. this is a Shoujo, but it is actually a very good character piece with a lot of good twists and turns. Again, just because it's "Shoujo" doesn't mean it's all pretty boys and boxed lunches.
Master Keaton - Though he was just the artist, this is really where it feels like Urasawa got his chops from.
Dominion Tank Police - Honestly, I like this the best of Masamune Shirow's work as it is the most straightforward and has the best characters.
Akira - I'm just throwing this in because it's Akira. The anime is completely different to this.
Fushigi Yugi - Is probably the most well known manga that I know nothing about. It's on my list.
I will say to avoid both Happy! and Yawara! despite both being done by Naoki Urasawa are both pretty identical, and Happy! is absolutely infuriating to read due to insane (and I mean CRAZY) amounts of character beat down while Yawara! is pretty typical.
You know pretty much everything else, (or wouldn't be interested in stuff like Greenwood or Maison Ikkoku) but I think you would enjoy most of that.
You should also read Sakigake!! Otokojuku. The first chapters are absolutely hilarious and the later ones are awesome as hell.
Thanks for the recommendations, guys! :thumbup:
That gives me a lot of options to choose from over the summer. I think I may go for Dominion Tank Police if I get a chance, since its one of the more popular of the "unpopular" anime (not necessarily obscure, but far off from mainstream among anime fans as well), but whenever I have heard anything about it I've only heard positive opinions so far.
Hmm, apparently there is one more Hush story I need to read. I'll get House Of Hush asap. And Flashpoint for his small part in the comic. And finally download that long ass update for DC Universe Online because he' s in that game. And get Arkham City because he's voiced by Kevin Conroy in that game.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on April 17, 2012, 09:34:31 PM
Thanks for the recommendations, guys! :thumbup:
That gives me a lot of options to choose from over the summer. I think I may go for Dominion Tank Police if I get a chance, since its one of the more popular of the "unpopular" anime (not necessarily obscure, but far off from mainstream among anime fans as well), but whenever I have heard anything about it I've only heard positive opinions so far.
I LOVE New Dominion Tank Police. I don't know anything about the series that may or may not be before the OVA though.
Got a chance to read some of All-Star Superman today.
It's a shame that McDuffie's take on it (RIP) wasn't too solid. It still contains the admiration for silver age comics that make these so great, but I don't think it should have been adapted. The comics are too linear, and are meant to be that way.
It was a nice try, though.
ASS is the greatest Superman story period.
Saturday I:
Finished Deadpool Classic volume 5-
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.tvtropes.org%2Fpmwiki%2Fpub%2Fimages%2F2590-deadpool_400.jpg&hash=250772d12db844fd0b26fd238579de8f91af4278)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv348%2FBPMdotEXE%2FRandom%2Fdeadpool-shoryuken.jpg&hash=e89ca125a7b92bd26aeef40479c6405228345a07)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.4thletter.net%2Fgavok%2Fdeadpool%2F15.jpg&hash=c13f86dda79d1bae67ba7def2e2695d480ab0ce8)
I loved so much during this comic.
Batman Broken City- The writer/artist (Brian Azzarello/Eduardo Risso) from my favorite comic book series, 100 Bullets, does Batman. Me likey.
Wolverine Logan- Eduardo Risso again does art for one of my favorite character's books. Interesting seeing Wolverine look like Lono. Also, Brian Vaughn is the writer for Logan. Nice little book.
Deadpool is the best. I need to pick up some more of the Classic TPBs soon...
Quote from: Foggle on April 22, 2012, 11:04:56 AM
Deadpool is the best. I need to pick up some more of the Classic TPBs soon...
I need to do the same..next year. That's the only way I'll get them from my library. Hmm, wonder if I can get Deadpool Corps and Max.
The Goon Issue #39. This time Eric Powell tackles all these reboots/reimages that comic book go through by putting The Good through various things like new costumes, new backstories, making him gay and all that other jazz. Great read as always, still am psyched over the fact that The Goon will be monthly soon.
Read Crisis again.
Ho hum.
on Infinite Earths.
^^^^^Borrowed it from the library once, didn't get around to reading it:
On today, yet another comic book Saturday, I:
Finished The Killer Volume 3- Is...is that political commentary I smell?! I thought this wasthe last one. Will get volume 4. I love this series because it has a realistic take on assassinations (even though the plot is getting out there) and it's art doesn't even try to be gritty and manages to get the job done anyway.
Superman President Lex Luthor- There, I read it Avaitor. On to Superman/Batman Public Enemies (the comic) next.
Wolverine The Best There Is Contagion: Why oh why did I read this nasty shit. :shit: I was warned and everything and I got the wrong comic book like I suspected.
I'm reading Supreme by Alan Moore. Dear Christ, this is the best Superman story ever.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on April 30, 2012, 10:08:30 PM
I'm reading Supreme by Alan Moore. Dear Christ, this is the best Superman story ever.
The Image ripoff right? Either I forgot or I didn't know Moore wrote for Supreme. Either way, I'll check it out.
Oh damn. May want to pick this up... (http://kotaku.com/5906295/heres-the-exclusive-first-look-at-the-max-payne-3-comic?utm_campaign=socialflow_kotaku_twitter&utm_source=kotaku_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow)
Damn....Even more MP-related stuff for me to buy....
Last comic I read was the first volume of Il Etait Une Fois en France, entitled L'Empire de Monsieur Joseph. Set in Nazi-occupied France, it tells the story of Joseph Joanovici, a Jewish iron-supplier who had deals with both the resistance and the Nazis. I wasn't familiar with Joanovici (who was a real-life person) before reading this comic, so I can't say what parts of the story that were and what parts were fiction. That said, the first volume was a great read with a wonderfully complex and morally ambiguous protagonist, so I'll definitely check out the rest.
Quote from: Foggle on May 01, 2012, 12:41:45 AM
Oh damn. May want to pick this up... (http://kotaku.com/5906295/heres-the-exclusive-first-look-at-the-max-payne-3-comic?utm_campaign=socialflow_kotaku_twitter&utm_source=kotaku_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow)
I was sold after they said Sam Lake. I can't think of any vg developer who'd be better for comics period.
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 01, 2012, 10:35:08 AM
Quote from: Foggle on May 01, 2012, 12:41:45 AM
Oh damn. May want to pick this up... (http://kotaku.com/5906295/heres-the-exclusive-first-look-at-the-max-payne-3-comic?utm_campaign=socialflow_kotaku_twitter&utm_source=kotaku_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow)
I was sold after they said Sam Lake. I can't think of any vg developer who'd be better for comics period.
That's exactly what sold me on it, too. :joy:
Quote from: Foggle on May 01, 2012, 10:40:33 AM
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 01, 2012, 10:35:08 AM
Quote from: Foggle on May 01, 2012, 12:41:45 AM
Oh damn. May want to pick this up... (http://kotaku.com/5906295/heres-the-exclusive-first-look-at-the-max-payne-3-comic?utm_campaign=socialflow_kotaku_twitter&utm_source=kotaku_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow)
I was sold after they said Sam Lake. I can't think of any vg developer who'd be better for comics period.
That's exactly what sold me on it, too. :joy:
:shakeshakeshake:
I've recently taken an interest in Mark Waid's work, and with Irredeemable wrapping up next month, I'm thinking about going for that.
I want that and his other series with a similar name. (What was it called again?)
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 02, 2012, 11:45:05 PM
I want that and his other series with a similar name. (What was it called again?)
Incorruptible
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on May 02, 2012, 11:29:20 PM
I've recently taken an interest in Mark Waid's work, and with Irredeemable wrapping up next month, I'm thinking about going for that.
Do you like getting kicked in the crotch a lot? Then Irredeemable is for you! ;)
It is written well, however.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on May 02, 2012, 11:47:14 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 02, 2012, 11:45:05 PM
I want that and his other series with a similar name. (What was it called again?)
Incorruptible
Thanks! Once I got another spot on my ILLs, I'm putting Irredeemable on hold.
First issue is free!
http://www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne3/comics
Yesterday I read:
Batman Gotham Noir- A comic starring Jim Gordon that's about him being framed for murdered from the team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips? Of course it was going to be good. They also didn't resort to being all shock value and whatever. There's actually little blood in this comic.
Thor The Mighty Avenger Volume 2- WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 WHHHHYYYYYYY!!!! This is the end, THE FUCK?!!! That was such a cock teasing ending. This series should still be going on. Ugh, top my list of comic that was finished too soon.
Today:
The Immortal Iron Fist Volume 5 Escape From The Eighth- Believe this is the end to the main story of Iron Fist's series. It was decent.
G.I. Jone Cobra Volume 3- Meh.
G.I. Joe Cobra Volume 4- :swoon: FIVE STARS!!! V. 3 was basically filler shit. I wish the entire series was as good as either this volume or volume 1. Chuckles having a battle of the minds with one of the villains was great.
Ultimate Comics Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1- I'm back into this series now. Whatever they rebooted or whatever worked. I sucked back into this world.
I think 4 comics in one day is the highest # of comics I've ever read in a day. I believe I did this a few other times.
I suddenly have the hunger for X-Men comics. But what to read?
Claremont's Uncanny run is just incredible. But I'd suggest looking up the Dark Phoenix arc and his Wolverine moiniseries for starters.
^I would go with that, personally.
Recently read Spider-Man/Human Torch. If you wanna see how the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon should've been handled, I highly recommend this. It shows the relationship between Spidey and Johnny over the decades, with tons of nods to the original comics (there's even a Hostess Fruit Pies reference that helps to save the day!) and plenty of heart. It's one of my new favorite Spidey stories.
Reading Ultimate Comics Ultimate Spider-Man reminded me of that. I like how the art looks like screenshots from an animated movie.
Seeing most member's ignorance with Marvel gives me the incentive to work on yet another list.
I'm just wondering if I should go for a top 25 or lower, and to focus on Marvel in general or primarily the Avengers.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 11, 2012, 09:06:36 PM
Seeing most member's ignorance with Marvel gives me the incentive to work on yet another list.
Do it. I wanna build up a comics backlog that doesn't just consist of Vertigo.
QuoteI'm just wondering if I should go for a top 25 or lower, and to focus on Marvel in general or primarily the Avengers.
25, Marvel in general.
All right, top 25 Marvel stories here we go.
I'll put up a short list of my own for comparison.
1. The Sandman
2. Planetary
3. Transmetropolitan
4. Nextwave
5. Ex Machina
6. Watchmen
7. Swamp Thing (Alan Moore run)
8. Gotham Central
9. Secret Six
10. Y The Last Man
I dunno what my own favorite list would consist of, besides Scott Pilgrim being #1.
Go for it. I'd love a list of the top 25 best Marvel comics to read for reference. :thumbup:
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 11, 2012, 11:57:34 PM
Go for it. I'd love a list of the top 25 best Marvel comics to read for reference. :thumbup:
And if you need a reference fast, I could help.
Iron Man: Extremis - A very decompressed story about Iron Man getting back to his roots. It's gonna one of the stories used for Iron Man 3, so it might be helpful to read it.
Astonishing X-Men (Whedon run) - This was the first X-Men I remember reading, actually. While it does expect you to know about some crap that happened in previous runs, it doesn't detract from the characterization. Kitty Pryde is at her top here.
Invincible Iron Man - Doesn't require to know about anything Iron Man related outside of the first movie. In fact, it kind of serves as a thematic sequel to the first movie, with Tony Stark having to face the remnants of Iron Monger's wrath.
Captain America: Winter Soldier - A gritty introduction to the Man out of Time. Though it's main twist has long been spoiled, it still serves as a good opener to the Cap mythos.
Runaways (Vaughan run) - This is something you should look for if you want witty dialogue combined with deep character writing. Plus, trades are 7.99 a pop, so it's the cheapest of the lot.
Punisher MAX (Ennis run) - I don't understand how Punisher hasn't gotten a good movie yet, when there's superb source material to adapt from here. Dark enough to make the most hardened comic readers squirm, the series shows how brutal it can really be for those facing the Punisher's trigger.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on May 12, 2012, 12:19:45 AMAstonishing X-Men (Whedon run) - This was the first X-Men I remember reading, actually. While it does expect you to know about some crap that happened in previous runs, it doesn't detract from the characterization. Kitty Pryde is at her top here.
Really? I'm not a big comic reader, but when it comes to X-Men, it's usually Claremont's stuff that's most remembered. I saw the vid-comic on Netflix of this run you mention here, but it was merely fine. Pretty standard X-Men, really.
Another one I would recommend is Exiles because unlike most comics, it's pretty unpredictable. Until Whedon took over, and it became a Psylocke comic, killed the best characters, then it outright died.
And be sure to read Runaways up until the original team leaves. That's a series that never had the potential to be ongoing, and it was better for it.
QuoteReally? I'm not a big comic reader, but when it comes to X-Men, it's usually Claremont's stuff that's most remembered.
Yeah, my dealings with comics only range from at least 4 years ago, and the most recommended X-Men comic I heard of was Whedon's. And being a huge Buffy fan at the time, I just latched on.
Though I got some Claremont comics from the library. Will probably read those soon.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on May 12, 2012, 12:19:45 AM
Iron Man: Extremis - A very decompressed story about Iron Man getting back to his roots. It's gonna one of the stories used for Iron Man 3, so it might be helpful to read it.
Yeah, I heard that Iron Man 3 would be based off of that, so I may hit that up if I manage to come across it sometime this summer.
QuoteAstonishing X-Men (Whedon run) - This was the first X-Men I remember reading, actually. While it does expect you to know about some crap that happened in previous runs, it doesn't detract from the characterization. Kitty Pryde is at her top here.
How much crap are we talking about? I mean, I know the most popular characters and I am aware of some basic plot-lines, but I am still a newbie to the comics, so would I really be able to understand the story in Whedon's run? If so, I may check it out since I've heard good things about Astonishing X-Men.
QuoteInvincible Iron Man - Doesn't require to know about anything Iron Man related outside of the first movie. In fact, it kind of serves as a thematic sequel to the first movie, with Tony Stark having to face the remnants of Iron Monger's wrath.
That sounds like the perfect type of comic for me, especially since I liked Iron Man the best in the first movie, so I may check that out as well.
QuoteCaptain America: Winter Soldier - A gritty introduction to the Man out of Time. Though it's main twist has long been spoiled, it still serves as a good opener to the Cap mythos.
Yeah, Captain America has proven to be my favorite Avenger in both the EMH and the movies, so this may be my top priority to check out.
QuoteRunaways (Vaughan run) - This is something you should look for if you want witty dialogue combined with deep character writing. Plus, trades are 7.99 a pop, so it's the cheapest of the lot.
Punisher MAX (Ennis run) - I don't understand how Punisher hasn't gotten a good movie yet, when there's superb source material to adapt from here. Dark enough to make the most hardened comic readers squirm, the series shows how brutal it can really be for those facing the Punisher's trigger.
I'll definitely keep an eye out for these as well.
I honestly have never read a Punisher story that I've liked, but at the same time, I have yet to read any of Ennis' stuff. I have a small list of TPBs to look for, so I should keep an extra eye out for them.
QuoteHow much crap are we talking about? I mean, I know the most popular characters and I am aware of some basic plot-lines, but I am still a newbie to the comics, so would I really be able to understand the story in Whedon's run? If so, I may check it out since I've heard good things about Astonishing X-Men.
Just something about how the mutant colony of Genosha got massacred by Professor X's twin sister. Other than that, you'll be fine.
Hmmmm.....I might wanna Wiki whatever that story you're referring to is just so that I'm familiar with the back-story.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 12, 2012, 12:54:33 AM
I honestly have never read a Punisher story that I've liked, but at the same time, I have yet to read any of Ennis' stuff. I have a small list of TPBs to look for, so I should keep an extra eye out for them.
What I've read of Punisher MAX was really good.
I finished Infinite Kung fu today. I was geeking out during the Gordon Liu intro. I loved the Shaw Brothers studio sighting and the Ong-Bak ending. Also, obvious 5 venom references.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on May 12, 2012, 12:19:45 AM
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 11, 2012, 11:57:34 PM
Go for it. I'd love a list of the top 25 best Marvel comics to read for reference. :thumbup:
And if you need a reference fast, I could help.
Iron Man: Extremis - A very decompressed story about Iron Man getting back to his roots. It's gonna one of the stories used for Iron Man 3, so it might be helpful to read it.
Astonishing X-Men (Whedon run) - This was the first X-Men I remember reading, actually. While it does expect you to know about some crap that happened in previous runs, it doesn't detract from the characterization. Kitty Pryde is at her top here.
Invincible Iron Man - Doesn't require to know about anything Iron Man related outside of the first movie. In fact, it kind of serves as a thematic sequel to the first movie, with Tony Stark having to face the remnants of Iron Monger's wrath.
Captain America: Winter Soldier - A gritty introduction to the Man out of Time. Though it's main twist has long been spoiled, it still serves as a good opener to the Cap mythos.
Runaways (Vaughan run) - This is something you should look for if you want witty dialogue combined with deep character writing. Plus, trades are 7.99 a pop, so it's the cheapest of the lot.
Punisher MAX (Ennis run) - I don't understand how Punisher hasn't gotten a good movie yet, when there's superb source material to adapt from here. Dark enough to make the most hardened comic readers squirm, the series shows how brutal it can really be for those facing the Punisher's trigger.
Oh whoa, I got Extremis this week and I've read all of those except Captain America.
My local library has the first few volumes of The Walking Dead, so I can actually start reading that series. I only read the first issue today since I got a call from my dad to run some errands for him, so I didn't really get much time to read. I'll go back tomorrow, though, and try and plow through a few volumes of the comic. I did read the first issue, though.
If you watched any of the show, you'll appreciate the comic 10X more due to it actually being good, especially when you compare the end of volume 1.
That Hawkeye hardcover I talked about earlier? It was actually $10. I hit that up today.
Found some Sweet Tooth and Hellblazer at the library.
I finished reading the first volume of The Walking Dead. I only saw the first season of the TV show, but yeah, his is miles better than that confused piece of tripe. It doesn't waste time on useless plot points and spends a good amount of time developing the characters, and can be pretty tense when things finally start getting dangerous. I also notice that Lori and Shane are characterized significantly different in the comic than how they were in the TV series. In the TV series they were both unlikable and selfish pricks who I both wanted to see get offed right away. In the comic, Lori doesn't act like such a bitch toward her own husband, and as for Shane, while he did go crazy before he died, I could actually kind of sympathize with him, what with how he coveted Lori but had no chance with her once Rick showed back up, and you could tell that he felt genuinely guilty about forcing the group to stay near the city, even though he didn't want to admit that he was wrong in that decision.
Anyways, I'll try and visit my library again this week to continue reading through the series.
Yeah, the creators of the show admit that they only use the comics for a templete to come up with story ideas, and they loosely adapt, if at all, from the GNs. They mess with characters, plot points and scenarios a lot otherwise.
Hmmm, I never really thought that much of Shane.
Glad you finished Volume 1. It just makes the show's pace seem that much worse.
Warning: For some reason Tony Moore leaves the comic and takes his great art with him. To be specific, the art following Volume 2 is ugly. And at the start of Volume 2, a lot of new characters get introduced and it might be confusing to get to differentiate them and the returning cast from Volume 1 because the very different art makes it hard to tell which character is which (except for Lori, Rick and Carl, because of the spotlight they get)
Zot! That's what I read last night instead of sleeping. The Earth stories are shockingly good.
Yeah, the artwork has gotten rather sloppy in volume 2, so far. This clearly looks like a completely different artist from volume 1. That's a shame, because I liked the consistency of that artwork and I got used to the character designs from it, whereas in this everyone seems like they are hiding in the shadows for some reason.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 16, 2012, 01:09:07 AM
Yeah, the artwork has gotten rather sloppy in volume 2, so far. This clearly looks like a completely different artist from volume 1. That's a shame, because I liked the consistency of that artwork and I got used to the character designs from it, whereas in this everyone seems like they are hiding in the shadows for some reason.
:D Yeah, Volume 2 and beyond artwork, not good. But it doesn;t even bother me, even on a subconscious level. The writing makes up for it that well. Still word prefer Moore's art though. :sweat:
Yeah, haven't noticed in volume 2. I'll need to catch up someday. Haven't even finished the TV series.
Good lord this sounds amazing. (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38653)
Quote from: Foggle on May 16, 2012, 06:45:09 PM
Good lord this sounds amazing. (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38653)
Punisher did it first.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on May 16, 2012, 06:48:25 PM
Quote from: Foggle on May 16, 2012, 06:45:09 PM
Good lord this sounds amazing. (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38653)
Punisher did it first.
Yeah, but I bet this one'll be funnier.
lol
Oh, this reminds me, Foggle, have you read Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness? I just learned of it.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 16, 2012, 06:53:06 PM
Oh, this reminds me, Foggle, have you read Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness? I just learned of it.
I did not even know such a thing existed! That sounds amazing.
Also, I hope they include the Punisher version in the Deadpool TPB. That's one of my favorite comics.
I finished reading volume 3 of The Walking Dead. Damn....Shit got intense. I mean, holy crap was their a huge body count in that volume alone. The good thing is that it doesn't feel forced just for gore but rather seems to be handled by genuinely good writing, IMO. I also just wanted to mention that this is miles better than the manga High School of the Dead, which I attempted reading about a year ago. Unlike that series, this one actually has characters that get development and that you care about and you actually do know that characters can easily die, whereas in HSOTD anyone with boobs will live, and save for the main character, any male character is immediately dead. Yeah, this series easily trumps that piece of shit.
Anyways, the one bad thing about it being so intense is that its not something I can marathon. I'm going to have to take a break from this series because quite frankly it gets to be a bit too much for me at times. So far its definitely good, though.
Been reading more Judge Dredd with The Cursed Earth and The Day The Law Died. And with that along with Halo Jones, I've become more and more entrenched with 2000AD comics to read. I've heard really good things about Nemesis the Warlock, Nikolai Dante, and Rogue Trooper. Lately, I've found more of a craving for sci-fi (sans superheroes) comics and the progs have managed to satiate that feeling quite well.
Quote from: Foggle on May 16, 2012, 06:45:09 PM
Good lord this sounds amazing. (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38653)
*snickers at Professor X's flaming wheelchair* So much Deadpool I gotta read and looks like this will make the list.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 18, 2012, 12:03:32 AM
I finished reading volume 3 of The Walking Dead. Damn....Shit got intense. I mean, holy crap was their a huge body count in that volume alone. The good thing is that it doesn't feel forced just for gore but rather seems to be handled by genuinely good writing, IMO. I also just wanted to mention that this is miles better than the manga High School of the Dead, which I attempted reading about a year ago. Unlike that series, this one actually has characters that get development and that you care about and you actually do know that characters can easily die, whereas in HSOTD anyone with boobs will live, and save for the main character, any male character is immediately dead. Yeah, this series easily trumps that piece of shit.
Anyways, the one bad thing about it being so intense is that its not something I can marathon. I'm going to have to take a break from this series because quite frankly it gets to be a bit too much for me at times. So far its definitely good, though.
What's the basic gist of Volume 3 again? It's been so long.
Heh, I guess the chests in HSOTD doesn't count as development. .3.
Volume 3 starts at the prison.
I should have picked up the offer to get that other library card to get back into The Walking Dead series. Oh well.
Quote from: Angus on May 18, 2012, 12:13:17 PM
Heh, I guess the chests in HSOTD doesn't count as development. .3.
Volume 3 starts at the prison.
I should have picked up the offer to get that other library card to get back into The Walking Dead series. Oh well.
Oh shit, my favorite arc. Or zombie storyline period. Michonne has already been introduced at that point right? This all reminds me how much faster paced the comic books are.
Today I:
Finished:
The Amazing Spider-Man Happy - What a waste of a great concept. They wasted too much time on some stupid Doctor Strange/Dormarru or whaever his name is plot and little time going through Spider-Man's greatest (or worst, tragic wise) adventures. I wish they showed Peter blowing out his birthday candles and being thrown into the past to relive his greatest stories without much of an explanation like I imagined. UGH!!!!
Started and finished:
Green Arrow Year One: Itsalright. The first GA comic I've ever read and I'm going by a chronological list a site made and next would be:
Green Lantern Green Arrow- My my! Am I impressed! The dialogue is barely outdated, one of my first eye openers, and I love how Green Lantern morally is tested and question in the since that he's basically a beat cop that listens to whatever "The Man" tells him to do, or something like that. :sly:
So I've started my Claremont binge with God Loves Man Kills and Proteus. Even with Avaitor's praise, I was still surprised by how good the former was. It's striking, to say the least. I mean, if it weren't a superhero comic book, it'd probably be the kind of thing they'd teach in schools.
Though I have to admit, I'm starting to see some flaws in Claremont's writing. Like, how he seems to tell instead of show. Honestly, his comics are some of the most wordy that I've read. For example, there are several instances per issue where he narrates things that don't need narration. And the thought bubbles. I remember reading in a V For Vendetta interview how Alan didn't put in thought bubbles because he wanted the readers to think for their own on what the characters' motivations are doing. And I'm starting to see why he did that after reading these books.
Now that's not to say that Claremont's a bad writer. He's extremely good at what he does. However, his style just hasn't aged well, as can be seen with how X-Men Forever isn't as big of a hit as everyone thought it would've been.
In Naruto someone just pulled a Kurama Vs. Elder Toguro. You know, while that was clever back then, such a technique is kind of lazy now.
And no, I'm not really keeping up with Naruto. I just read it every now and then when bored.
I still read the manga out of sheer habit even though I find it incredibly boring to this day (its actually the first manga I ever started reading aside from a little bit of Death Note, which is why I still follow it). I saw that fight and the way in which the technique was executed was extremely predictable and lazy. In the Kurama fight it came as a surprise since we didn't know what he was entirely capable of. In this fight it was done by a character who specializes in illusions and mind-trickery, so there's nothing special or surprising about him pulling a technique like that off. Also, the fights in Naruto are just boring in general. The action scenes are drawn so sloppy and hard to follow, and the actual strategies are boring and feel pointless because every character feels like they have at least a billion techniques/powers/abilities that they can rely on and throw out for convenience sake rather than having a few specialties and skills that they have to find unique and creative ways to utilize.
The story itself is also pretty lame right now. The whole circumstances for this "war" seem so ridiculous and forced. I honestly have no idea why people are actually praising this series. It hasn't really evolved at all. Its just gotten more ridiculous with time, IMO.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 23, 2012, 12:28:08 PM
In Naruto someone just pulled a Kurama Vs. Elder Toguro. You know, while that was clever back then, such a technique is kind of lazy now.
And no, I'm not really keeping up with Naruto. I just read it every now and then when bored.
Oh, I was sitting here thinking, "When did Kurama and Toguro fight?" "Is he saying what it would be like if they actually fought?""Did this happen in the manga?" Then I remembered who Elder Toguro was. :lol: ET is probably still stuck in that cave.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 23, 2012, 01:02:06 PM
I still read the manga out of sheer habit even though I find it incredibly boring to this day (its actually the first manga I ever started reading aside from a little bit of Death Note, which is why I still follow it). I saw that fight and the way in which the technique was executed was extremely predictable and lazy. In the Kurama fight it came as a surprise since we didn't know what he was entirely capable of. In this fight it was done by a character who specializes in illusions and mind-trickery, so there's nothing special or surprising about him pulling a technique like that off. Also, the fights in Naruto are just boring in general. The action scenes are drawn so sloppy and hard to follow, and the actual strategies are boring and feel pointless because every character feels like they have at least a billion techniques/powers/abilities that they can rely on and throw out for convenience sake rather than having a few specialties and skills that they have to find unique and creative ways to utilize.
The story itself is also pretty lame right now. The whole circumstances for this "war" seem so ridiculous and forced. I honestly have no idea why people are actually praising this series. It hasn't really evolved at all. Its just gotten more ridiculous with time, IMO.
tbh, I like the way the fights are done in the Ultimate Ninja Storm QTE-sequences are superior to the source material. Take this fight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9OlF7ZuE8g) for instance. That fight had
horrid pacing in the anime, but here, it condenses a fight that took like half-a-dozen chapters/episodes to 3-minutes while still capturing the over-the-topness of the battle, while simultaneously upping the intensity of it.
That's what the fights in most shounen should be like.
I don't care much for Naruto right now either (I haven't even read a chapter in ages), I guess what's happening is pretty interesting, but I dunno, I'll just stick with the UNS games for now. Really, the only reasons I pay attention to Naruto and Bleach nowadays are out of habit. And in Bleach's case, there's a chance that one of my favorite characters will pop up again after so many years of absence (and he never even got a proper resolution), I know his presence alone won't make the manga's quality any better, but he's one of the few characters who was legitimately fun to watch.
Speaking of Kurama, I found it pretty amusing that that's also the name of the 9-tailed beast inside Naruto. :D
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m4o67cRQ781rvp3h4o1_500.jpg&hash=e239161ae81877d53a44042d3026f52fd25e67b4)
God, I love him.
:swoon:
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 28, 2012, 12:53:25 AM
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m4o67cRQ781rvp3h4o1_500.jpg&hash=e239161ae81877d53a44042d3026f52fd25e67b4)
God, I love him.
Naruto in 5 seconds.
On Saturday I:
Finished: Green Lantern/Green Arrow Volume 3- The finale volume of the series seeing as it was canceled. It had the famous drug issues featuring Speedy being addicted to heroin and John Stewart's first appearance (that was a pleasant surprise) strange enough, this volume had a lot more outdated dialogue than the first and the ending was weak, seeing as it was canceled. So we didn't get to see the "unhappy ending" that I believe was hinted in the first issue of the series and I wonder if Green Arrow ever ran for mayor.
thak you GSF, that was the joke.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 28, 2012, 06:16:02 PM
thak you GSF, that was the joke.
At least I know how to spell, Avaitor. >:(
I forgot to mention I read Shade The Changing Man: American Scream this weekend...what in the fuck was that?! :whuh:
I dunno if EK still reads Kenichi, but yeesh this fight will NOT end.
I like Hongo and all, but if he wins (and they keep setting it up that he will), it will really feel like a massive cheat. You can't give someone like 57 death blows, be far more experienced and stronger, not take a single blow, and somehow lose a fight in one move. Hongo is one of the best, but he's been simply outclassed and story-wise he should lose here. I understand the whole "tenacity" argument in shonen for an underdog beating a better opponent, but in Kenichi, when someone is given tons of deathblows without even landing a single proper hit, they tend to lose.
Also, this fight has been going on for like Frieza Vs. Goku lengths and neither character are protagonists. For all the potential this manga has, they do some really dumb things to hold it back. That's probably why I barely ever read it.
I've read it on and off since I stopped reading it regularly just to see if it has gotten any better (needless to say, it hasn't). It seems to me like the mangaka for this series realized that he could just get away with being lazy and writing bare-bones story-arcs and dragged out fights since he's still getting paid either way as long as the series keeps on running (and unfortunately long-running series sort of have a loyal and developed fan-base that still support the series even if it severely declines in quality), so the result is what we've been getting for the last 200 or so chapters, or basically ever since the end of the D of D arc, which was the last enjoyable arc in the series. I thought up to that point it was an extremely generic but admittedly fun shonen series for anyone who enjoyed the genre. Now its just a glorified ecchi with fights that would put DBZ logic to shame. I have skimmed through the fight you are talking about since there isn't much actually going on in terms of "reading," in these chapters, but whereas Goku and Frieza's fight was really long, at least it felt engaging since both characters had their limits. This fight just relies in using the same exact fake-out trick every single chapter.
They show you that despite both of them being master class, Junezad severely outclasses Hongo, and if the fight had ended a few chapters back with Hongo clearly showing his tenacity but his effort ultimately being futile in the end, that would have been great, and it would have ended the matter right there. Instead, they make it so that he's basically a fucking zombie that won't stay dead, and despite the fact that he can't even land a hit on Junezad and clearly is far below his level of experience, they are still setting him up for some major underdog win, which is downright ridiculous in this case. The thing is, if he wins by just landing a single powerful blow on his opponent while having taken multiple fatal blows himself, that'll just once again repeat the logic that has killed this series (and many other shonen, for that matter), from being interesting in any conceivable way. Who wants to read a story where the good guy (or in this case the less evil guy) will basically never lose just because they stand for what's right and the bad guy will always lose no matter how much stronger he is just because he's the bad guy?
For the record, I actually like the idea of 2 villains fighting each other, and had this scenario been handled by a more talented author, it could have been an engaging battle. Instead its just another worthless piece of tripe that is pretty much representative of what's wrong with modern shonen series in general.
So in the latest Batman comic, Nora Fries is no longer Mr. Freeze's wife. In fact, she never knew him. She's just some human popsicle that Freeze found and got obsessed over.
Oh modern comics and their obsession with grit! :blush:
Now you're just some creep that I used to know.
That's not creepy at all.
Oh, and Freeze killed his own mom back when he was a kid.
Still not creepy. Still not creepy at all.
Stupid.
I think the word you're looking for is "Stupid".
Eh, Snyder's run is still a good run, all things considered.
I wouldn't really know, but turning an actual character with depth into a stock psychopath is pretty terrible.
It would be about as dumb as it being revealed that Alfred hires actors to play villains that Batman must defeat so Bruce can keep his sanity... Oh wait. :sly:
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 02, 2012, 09:50:58 PM
It would be about as dumb as it being revealed that Alfred hires actors to play villains that Batman must defeat so Bruce can keep his sanity... Oh wait. :sly:
Please tell me this is not a real thing that really happened. PLEASE. :srs: :srs: :srs:
Quote from: Foggle on June 02, 2012, 09:53:37 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 02, 2012, 09:50:58 PM
It would be about as dumb as it being revealed that Alfred hires actors to play villains that Batman must defeat so Bruce can keep his sanity... Oh wait. :sly:
Please tell me this is not a real thing that really happened. PLEASE. :srs: :srs: :srs:
Happened... in a non-canon oneshot by Gaiman. It's much, much better than it sounds.
Quote from: Foggle on June 02, 2012, 09:53:37 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 02, 2012, 09:50:58 PM
It would be about as dumb as it being revealed that Alfred hires actors to play villains that Batman must defeat so Bruce can keep his sanity... Oh wait. :sly:
Please tell me this is not a real thing that really happened. PLEASE. :srs: :srs: :srs:
Neil Gaiman even came up with it! (http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Batman:_Whatever_Happened_to_the_Caped_Crusader%3F)
QuoteTo ensure Bruce's happiness, Alfred does something drastic. He hires an old friend, Eddie Nash, from the acting troupe to play a villain for Bruce. With the combined efforts of Eddie and Alfred, they come up with the "Riddle Master", which evolves into the Riddler, and thus the game begins. Bruce, as Batman, would go out each night to fight the duo's staged crimes. When there was no crime to fight, Alfred would call his thespian friends to excite Bruce. Alfred finally realizes that the game must go further, that Bruce needs a "Moby Dick to his Ahab," and with white greasepaint, red lipstick, and a green wig, Alfred transforms himself into the Joker. The game continues for a while, but nothing good lasts forever.
Bruce has become a brilliant detective, and figures out that Alfred is indeed the Joker and his friends have been playing villains. Bruce, enraged, asks Alfred why he would do such a thing. Alfred simply responds "Because you needed it, sir." In the night, the Bat-Signal shines in the sky, and Bruce explains that as he is still Batman, whether he was real or not, he must heed the call. Alfred tells Bruce that there is no need for him to go out, that it was just a game. Bruce ask Alfred if Batman would ever give up, Alfred responds "No, Sir. I do not believe Batman would ever lie down and die." Alfred sees the Bat-Signal and states that he did not call anyone to turn it on, Bruce tells Alfred that Batman is needed now more than ever before.
At a local zoo, Eddie Nash is armed, has taken children hostage and has been calling for Batman the whole time. Batman approaches the gun wielding Eddie and tries to coax him out of such nonsense, telling him he's completely aware of the ruse. Eddie, who has fully embraced the role of the Riddler, solidly refuses, and wishes to only go by the name Riddler. Batman takes a step forward, asking for Eddie's gun. When it looks as if Eddie is going to hand it over to Batman, Eddie pulls the trigger and Batman falls to the ground, as the children run away in fear.
Back at the funeral, narrator-Batman remarks upon how ridiculous the story was. "Do you know how much of that story is impossible? Alfred couldn't have been the Joker. I mean, I can see the Joker. Sitting there, I can...am I dead?"
Deep stuff.
:whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh:
Quote from: Foggle on June 02, 2012, 10:04:02 PM
:whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.comicvine.com%2Fuploads%2F2%2F27967%2F707745-alfred_s_joke_super.jpg&hash=0e93a378ae14e18a374b98d50033b1c0d7a076e5)
And screw you guys. I loved this story.
I don't even have any issue with the rest of the story, it's just that particular part is... dumb.
Even dumber than Kevin Smith's run?
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on June 02, 2012, 10:16:29 PM
Even dumber than Kevin Smith's run?
Nothing is dumber than Kevin Smith's run. Nothing.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on June 02, 2012, 10:16:29 PM
Even dumber than Kevin Smith's run?
Smith's run would be at like #3, this would be at like #9 on a top ten.
So then, what would be #1? I'm honestly really curious.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on June 02, 2012, 10:19:54 PM
So then, what would be #1? I'm honestly really curious.
Is it ASSBAR?
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on June 02, 2012, 10:19:54 PM
So then, what would be #1? I'm honestly really curious.
And #2.
Well I hope this page restores your faith in comics a little.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m4yv3jbBTS1qgwideo1_500.png&hash=388e2359d07c644d7063497097095e17fa0635b1)
What they did to Jason Todd might be my #2. Ironically, I really liked the way Vietti handled it in the movie and that might be one of my favorite Batman stories. But the lazy way the comics have handled it is pretty much everything I don't like about them.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on June 02, 2012, 10:20:16 PM
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on June 02, 2012, 10:19:54 PM
So then, what would be #1? I'm honestly really curious.
Is it ASSBAR?
Isn't that everyone's #1? It doesn't get more embarrassing than that.
Though this new Freeze thing might shoot him up the list!
What is ASSBAR?
Quote from: Foggle on June 02, 2012, 10:29:41 PM
What is ASSBAR?
All-Star Batman & Robin.
Which is awful, yes, but I wouldn't keep TDKSB too far behind it.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on June 02, 2012, 10:31:05 PM
Quote from: Foggle on June 02, 2012, 10:29:41 PM
What is ASSBAR?
All-Star Batman & Robin.
Which is awful, yes, but I wouldn't keep TDKSB too far behind it.
Yeah, I almost forgot about that... Thanks! ;)
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 02, 2012, 10:33:05 PM
Quote from: Brak's Dad on June 02, 2012, 10:31:05 PM
Quote from: Foggle on June 02, 2012, 10:29:41 PM
What is ASSBAR?
All-Star Batman & Robin.
Which is awful, yes, but I wouldn't keep TDKSB too far behind it.
Yeah, I almost forgot about that... Thanks! ;)
Where would you put it on your list?
Quote from: Brak's Dad on June 02, 2012, 10:31:05 PM
All-Star Batman & Robin.
Which is awful, yes, but I wouldn't keep TDKSB too far behind it.
I need scans of the worst parts, if you have them! I struggle to think of what could possibly be worse than Batman pissing himself...
Quote from: Foggle on June 02, 2012, 10:35:01 PM
Quote from: Brak's Dad on June 02, 2012, 10:31:05 PM
All-Star Batman & Robin.
Which is awful, yes, but I wouldn't keep TDKSB too far behind it.
I need scans of the worst parts, if you have them! I struggle to think of what could possibly be worse than Batman pissing himself...
After the Wayne's get murdered by Joe Chill, little Bruce fondles his dead mom's breast.
To be honest I'm almost tempted to just make a "Frank Miller" spot at this rate. But it probably would be high up.
A few of them are listed here. (http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-worst-moments-in-dc-comics.php)
A shame how the writer here thinks Retconning Hal Jordan's past is good writing, though. Emerald Twilight is not something that should be forgotten with something so simple.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on June 02, 2012, 10:36:27 PM
After the Wayne's get murdered by Joe Chill, little Bruce fondles his dead mom's breast.
WHAT
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on June 02, 2012, 10:05:33 PM
Quote from: Foggle on June 02, 2012, 10:04:02 PM
:whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh: :whuh:
http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/2/27967/707745-alfred_s_joke_super.jpg
And screw you guys. I loved this story.
Amen brother. Thanks for telling me about this comic book's existence. Some jackasses don't understand what alternate universes mean.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 02, 2012, 10:36:44 PM
A shame how the writer here thinks Retconning Hal Jordan's past is good writing, though. Emerald Twilight is not something that should be forgotten with something so simple.
I was talking about that earlier. Like with Jean Grey, they retconned Hal being guilty of anything.
Anyway, today I read:
Human Target Strike Zones- It's about the new(er) Human Target character, Christopher Chance that the tv show is loosely based off of. Unlike the show, when he takes place as people who are targeted, he wears disguises. It had some decent stories.
Friday:
Silver Surfer Requiem- Story about Silver Surfer dying. He visits/is visited by some of the top characters in the Marvel universe and goes on a small adventure that has an interesting storyline in of itself. Very heart felt comic book.
Quote from: Foggle on June 02, 2012, 10:40:35 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on June 02, 2012, 10:36:27 PM
After the Wayne's get murdered by Joe Chill, little Bruce fondles his dead mom's breast.
WHAT
Frank Miller's idea of Batman is basically a caveman who is good at hiding.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 02, 2012, 10:50:41 PM
Quote from: Foggle on June 02, 2012, 10:40:35 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on June 02, 2012, 10:36:27 PM
After the Wayne's get murdered by Joe Chill, little Bruce fondles his dead mom's breast.
WHAT
Frank Miller's idea of Batman is basically a caveman who is good at hiding.
Basically Marv from Sin City, but with Bat-ears.
I gotta say, though, that the most recent episode of Young Justice (which was written by YJ comic creator Peter David) has really made me want to get the series somehow. Unfortunately I don't own many comics anymore (lack of space), and I'm assuming the series is impossible to get via graphic novel nowadays.
I really enjoyed the original series for being basically a modern version of Silver Age style comics and a good dose of humor. Shame that changed when they were drafted into the Teen Titans and basically became like every other DC series.
Quote from: Foggle on June 02, 2012, 10:40:35 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on June 02, 2012, 10:36:27 PM
After the Wayne's get murdered by Joe Chill, little Bruce fondles his dead mom's breast.
WHAT
Wow, here I thought that us talking about butts in the CN Nostalgia thread was weird.
So I just discovered that a Marvel podcast featuring these two lovely gents is up.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F25.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m48nwh1LV51rw6hzpo1_1280.jpg&hash=68b5657af8e7e61a622f9da0750f0cbf8cdaacc6)
Totally listening to it now.
So I read the first issue of Before Watchmen (didn't buy it though), and it was really good. It builds on your knowledge of Watchmen and gives plenty of awesome moments with it. It truly feels like something good enough to be up to Moore's prestige.
I also read the Earth-2 issue with Alan Scott coming out. :imnothappy:
I also read Before Watchmen as well, I ended up buying it though. A good read, I felt like this writer had a good feel for the Minutemen team and showed it off in their past.
Uh, so does Before Watchmen combine all the stories or are they in separate comics?
I wanna start reading the new Journey Into Mysterys, so I might pick up a copy of these too.
It's a mini series. Only 1 Issue has been released so far, and that one focuses on the Minutemen. Starts with Hollis writing Under the Hood. Next week is Silk Spectre's turn.
This week I finally got around to read the first volume of Scalped by Jason Aaron & R.M. Gu?ra. Scalped is a comic that I've been meaning to check out for a long time and the first volume completely lived up to my expectations. Great stuff.
Another great comic I've read recently is Lloyd Singer by Luc Brunschwig & Olivier Neuray. Brunschwig is one of the best writers who work in comics today and the fact that none of his work is available in English is a mystery to me.
Yay! Scalped is great.
I tried reading the new Journey Into Mystery, but couldn't really get into it. I mean, it started off with a James Bond joke. And not a good one.
I like the idea of kid Loki, and getting to explore his more comic side before we see him in adult form, but maybe I'm just burned out with young adult stuff.
And I also got the Minuteman comic, which I liked a lot better. Although the art was pretty weak to me IMO.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m5go8tEBNC1qzw4uno1_1280.jpg&hash=f3a0dd2364f80d476c1e1c48dcf62cd480fa3eed)
Judas Priest...
....
Yeah, I'm done with comics. For good, this time.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on June 11, 2012, 04:07:41 PM
....
Yeah, I'm done with comics. For good, this time.
Mainstream comics. We still have good indie shit like The Boys and Saga.
...is it bad that I laughed after having first seen this?
Quote from: Kiddington on June 11, 2012, 04:59:22 PM
...is it bad that I laughed after having first seen this?
I thought it was hilarious.
In a bad way.
Quote from: Foggle on June 11, 2012, 05:13:37 PM
Quote from: Kiddington on June 11, 2012, 04:59:22 PM
...is it bad that I laughed after having first seen this?
I thought it was hilarious.
In a bad way.
Same here, pretty much.
Quote from: Kiddington on June 11, 2012, 04:59:22 PM
...is it bad that I laughed after having first seen this?
I'm black and I laughed so yeah, you're ok. :D
Haha, I'm still laughing.
This weekend I read Spider-Man Back In Black. Sooooo, it was alright, I guess, until the part where I was apparently reading One More Day...on purpose. :whuh: All you need to know why that was a very bad idea:
Something about Uncle Ben coming back to the past from an alternate future and being involved in some murder mystery...oh and getting killed. Don't forget that.
Hell, to throw in a few more reasons for no reasons: Peter grows some bone or whatever stringers out of his arms for no reason. There's some talk about how some spiders ate Peter's original body..WHAT?!
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m5j5cojuSG1rqy822o1_500.jpg&hash=1a71fe48cf05813154671c54ae603e5ee2f12ed2)
WHERE IS THIS FROM
oh my
I miss the silver age.
That's when something like this would have been good.
I dunno, there's one Lee & Kirby issue of FF that I didn't like, and it ended with this.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_543wI3Z8gDM%2FTStM_EwpbWI%2FAAAAAAAAA60%2F_i57WDPpcr0%2Fs1600%2FFF21%2B-%2BTrue%2BMonger%2BRevealed.jpg&hash=cda56d98607180f63f5556ffe2543b8038415e2c)
"Old Man Hitler!"
"Und I would've gotten away with it, if it hadn't been for you meddling superheroes."
----------
Why does the new Green Lantern carry a gun? Is it because he's black? Seems rather inappropriate, if that's the case (not to mention unnecessary, he's a Green Lantern after all). Doesn't DC have people to check on stuff like this? I guess not.
Oh, here's another genius move from DC on top of a fully loaded GL.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F25.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m5kx0hOpGW1rpbikxo1_500.jpg&hash=c7522e248c8e014a17686461f367f74fe50aa75a)
Kat Von Dwoman
Wow.
Before I get in trouble, I want to say that there's nothing wrong with busty or curvy women. Not at all. If DC wanted to take one of their female characters and add a few pounds to them anywhere else to prove that not al of their super heroines have to be stick figures, that would be cool.
That's not what they're doing here at all. They're aiming for the Tn'A crowd here, especially since Selina Kyle is in leather at like all times. And that's just... weird. And stupid. It's a comic book.
I'd hit that. :D
If the writing is good then I wouldn't care about the cover.
On Friday I read Irredeemable Vol. 1 on Friday. .....*snickers* That was more like "What if Superman's life was fucked up." than a deconstruction on superheroes. Seemed very unintentionally hilarious to me.
On Saturday I read about half of Supreme The Story Of The Year (another Superman ripoff...yay.) then I stopped. It wasn't the fact that the comic book was extremely confused, I just didn't feel like reading at all. I believe that's the first time I stopped reading a comic without a planned time to recontinue. I'll do it next time.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on June 11, 2012, 04:14:31 PM
Quote from: Brak's Dad on June 11, 2012, 04:07:41 PM
....
Yeah, I'm done with comics. For good, this time.
Mainstream comics. We still have good indie shit like The Boys and Saga.
How good is Saga? I hear it's supposed to be the next big thing.
I just read the Deadpool Team Up comic with Hell Cow.
The fuck was that?
I'm still reading out of habit. I just want it to end already. Though I never got why they'd always take 15 minutes to explain their techniques to their enemies. Don't tell him why you're winning. Just use his confusion to your advantage and kill the bastard!
Quote from: Nel on July 14, 2012, 01:34:33 AM
I'm still reading out of habit. I just want it to end already. Though I never got why they'd always take 15 minutes to explain their techniques to their enemies. Don't tell him why you're winning. Just use his confusion to your advantage and kill the bastard!
???
I know you're probably talking about an overly-long shounen. But which one?
:wth:
Naruto. My bad. I think I thought the page I was reading was the most recent one, when really it was pages back. Woopsie.
Read Punisher Barracuda weeks ago. I like how Ennis can keep on making stories that are like good action movie sequels. How does he do it?
Over the last two days I:
Finished Green Arrow Longbow Hunters- Continuing my Green Arrow recommendations order. I'm starting to really become a Green Arrow fan. Also, dear God do I love the art in this one. Can't wait to continue going through his greatest stories.
Read DMZ- This is the 2nd to last one, I believe. I want to see this made into a TV show just so America can shit itself.
American Vampire Volume 3- Dear lord, I definitely like this more than Scalped. Just saying that it's my favorite recent series. It started out with an interesting flashback of Skinner Sweet's and then followed with two highly entertaining wars against vampires. I loved those adventures. This series is entering all time favorite territory.
Recently I've read:
100 Bullets vol 3
Scalped vol 2
The Goon vol 1
And The Ballad of the Salt Sea
There's not much I can say about either Bullets or Scalped, they continue to impress me deeply both when it comes to art and storytelling, so instead I'm going to talk a bit about the other two.
The Goon is a comic that I've been curious about for quite sometime and having finally read the first volume I can only say that it's one of the funniest comics I've read in a long time. It's not often that I actually laugh out loud when reading a comic, even if I find it funny, but I did when I read this one.
The Ballad of the Salt Sea is, of course, one of the all-time classics; introducing Hugo Pratt's most famous character, Corto Maltese. This is an excellent adventure-story filled with interesting, larger-than-life characters. It's available in English again in the first time since forever, so I definitely recommend you guys pick it up if you get the chance. My only complaint is that my copy seemed to have a few errors/typos in it. For example: "Stupid cannibal, if he'd bee a little more careful, we could've been friends." Yeah, pretty sure there's an "n" missing there. Still, it's nothing that affects the quality of Pratt's artistic and storytelling abilities, which are those of a master.
100 Bullets is my all time favorite comic book series. I want to see it get animated.
Paraphasing:
Deadpool (to The Punisher): You want to pee on him, don't you?
Spider-Man: That is NOT going to happen.
:lol: I was laughing randomly just thinking about that. That was from Deadpool Suicide Kings which I read Friday night. Decent comic book with a few good laughs.
Quote from: gunswordfist on July 22, 2012, 06:48:24 PM
100 Bullets is my all time favorite comic book series. I want to see it get animated.
An animated series would be great. Plus, I think Risso's art would take the step from comics to animation really well, without many changes to it.
I wish we got more non-superhero animation adaptations of comic books.
Quote from: gunswordfist on July 23, 2012, 05:18:31 PM
I wish we got more non-superhero animation adaptations of comic books.
You and me both.
Friday:
Green Arrow Quiver- Pretty elaborate Green Arrow resurrection story and yes it had a lot of dialogue. My favorite out of the 3.
Saturday:
Green Arrow Archer's Quest- Oliver travels around with his son. It was already.
Green Arrow City Walls: OK, again with the demons? Why do they think Queen should be fighting so many demons? Mia's annoying as hell and they waste The Riddler's appearance in the book. Overall...it was a decent book.
And that's me continuing the recommended Green Arrow stories. I'm liking the character more and more.
So, I met up with an old friend of mine and he loaned me the 6 issues of Iron Man: Extremis, since he used to collect a lot of comics being released as individual issues. Its nice that this story doesn't really expect you to have any real knowledge of the extended Universe of Marvel or even common Iron Man lore, as I was able to follow the story quite well. The art-work was a bit too realistic looking, for my liking, but I can tell that a lot of effort went into it and I suppose it does look really good, its just not my cup of tea, though. I felt that the story was rather interesting, but I found the last 2 issues to be incredibly rushed, and Iron Man's solution to his problem was underwhelmingly anticlimactic, IMO. Still, it was interesting enough for a quick read-through. I'll take recommendations for other Iron Man stories, though, and I'll see if my friend has any of them, as I remember him having quite a collection of comics (at least from my perspective), and he told me that he has still kept most of them, though not all of them are in great condition except for his favorites (they are all readable, though, of course).
This is perfect time to read Extremis, since that's going to be the basis for a big chunk of Iron Man 3.
Oh, one of my favorite Iron Man storylines is the Dragon Seed saga. It's a solid introduction to the Mandarin for you, and even has Fin Fang Foo. You already know Tony Stark/IM and Brody, so you should be good.
Quote from: Avaitor on July 30, 2012, 09:34:04 AM
This is perfect time to read Extremis, since that's going to be the basis for a big chunk of Iron Man 3.
Oh, one of my favorite Iron Man storylines is the Dragon Seed saga. It's a solid introduction to the Mandarin for you, and even has Fin Fang Foo. You already know Tony Stark/IM and Brody, so you should be good.
Ohhh, the dragon. And I'm surprised that they are actually going to have some Extremis influence in the next film just like some article wanted.
Anyway, I recommend....hmmm, Invincible Iron Man Omnibus vol. 1. It's after Extremis based off of what I just read. What makes it more interesting is it's basically a sequel to the first movie. You know how they sometimes make comics influenced by what's happening in the movies (Thor The Mighty Avenger, The Man Who Laughs). Anyway, the first half is that and it's a good story and easy to jump into. I would know, I've never read an Iron Man comic before. The 2nd half, IGNORE. Long story short, Iron Man is chased by a Norman Osborn who is head of national security after killing aliens and has red, white and blue Iron Man armor called Iron Patriot. It's stupider tha it sounds.
After reading it, I can see that the first 2 films took at least a little bit of influence from Extremis with some of their elements. The first movie used the origin story from Extremis and the 2nd movie sort of took the idea of something causing Tony to slowly die which forced him to come up with a solution that also ended up being a major upgrade for him. It looks like the 3rd movie is supposed to base a lot more of itself on the Extremis plot-line, but obviously its still going to have to be quite different since it also has the Mandarin in it. I don't know who he is, and after reading the Extremis arc I still don't, because he's not in it. That makes it interesting to see how this movie will incorporate that particular villain into this plot-line.
Unfortunately my friend didn't have the Iron Man story that Avaitor was talking about in his collection, but to my delight he DID have Infinity Gauntlet, which he gladly loaned to me. I can't wait to read it. The premise sounds pretty epic.
Now THAT's perfect reading for Avengers 2. ;)
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on July 30, 2012, 02:42:04 PM
After reading it, I can see that the first 2 films took at least a little bit of influence from Extremis with some of their elements. The first movie used the origin story from Extremis and the 2nd movie sort of took the idea of something causing Tony to slowly die which forced him to come up with a solution that also ended up being a major upgrade for him. It looks like the 3rd movie is supposed to base a lot more of itself on the Extremis plot-line, but obviously its still going to have to be quite different since it also has the Mandarin in it. I don't know who he is, and after reading the Extremis arc I still don't, because he's not in it. That makes it interesting to see how this movie will incorporate that particular villain into this plot-line.
Hmm, I wanted The Mandarin in the story instead of it being about Extremis...and funny enough, it's going to have both.
The last comics I've read are both manga: Akira vol 1 and Banana Fish vol 5.
Considering what a classic of the medium Akira is, I'm actually a bit ashamed to admit that I haven't got around to read it sooner; especially considering that I loved the movie when I was twelve. The first volume completely lived up to my expectations: Gorgeous artwork that reminded me of Moebius and an exciting storyline, that already differs in many ways from it's adaption (no wonder seeing as how the movie came out before the manga was finished, akin to Nausica? of the Valley of the Wind) while still having a familiar feel to it.
Banana Fish keeps holding the same high quality as before with the fifth volume offering new characters and new plot-twists. I especially liked the dinner-scene between Ash and Dino, which is loaded with polite, controlled menace. Of course, I've always been a sucker for scenes in which the hero and villain chats amiably while planning to outwit/kill each other, so there's that.
Did I mention that the volume 5 has one of the best cliffhangers I've seen in a manga?
So, I'm exactly half-way through the Infinity Gauntlet story-arc, and all of the superheroes are about to go to War with Thanos and most of them will probably be obliterated in the process.
Adam Warlock is one deceptive bastard....:>
Quote from: Pharass on July 31, 2012, 09:17:52 AM
The last comics I've read are both manga: Akira vol 1 and Banana Fish vol 5.
Considering what a classic of the medium Akira is, I'm actually a bit ashamed to admit that I haven't got around to read it sooner; especially considering that I loved the movie when I was twelve. The first volume completely lived up to my expectations: Gorgeous artwork that reminded me of Moebius and an exciting storyline, that already differs in many ways from it's adaption (no wonder seeing as how the movie came out before the manga was finished, akin to Nausica? of the Valley of the Wind) while still having a familiar feel to it.
I've been meaning to read the manga, one of these days. Those volumes look enormous, though. I wonder how much the whole set would cost me.
So Linkara reviewed One More Day. (http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/2012/07/200th-episode.html) Be warned, this is a big one. Double length and full of guest shots, since it's the 200th review.
Linkara refers to his top 15 comics he'll never review frequently, where he previously touched on OMD. if you want to see that, ]here you go. (http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/linkara/at4w/27731-at4w-top15comicsineverreview)
Haven't sat down and read a comic in ages, and the only thing I'm anticipating is the Sandman prequel. I should read Fatale though. Heard that one was good.
I finished Infinity Gauntlet. Now I need to find some more essential Marvel reading.
Ruins.
Quote from: Avaitor on July 31, 2012, 12:27:18 PM
So Linkara reviewed One More Day. (http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/2012/07/200th-episode.html) Be warned, this is a big one. Double length and full of guest shots, since it's the 200th review.
Linkara refers to his top 15 comics he'll never review frequently, where he previously touched on OMD. if you want to see that, ]here you go. (http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/linkara/at4w/27731-at4w-top15comicsineverreview)
Why are the guest shots, if you don't mind me asking? I like Linkara and his in-depth reviews, but I'm not a big fan of guest shots.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 31, 2012, 11:06:26 PM
Quote from: Avaitor on July 31, 2012, 12:27:18 PM
So Linkara reviewed One More Day. (http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/2012/07/200th-episode.html) Be warned, this is a big one. Double length and full of guest shots, since it's the 200th review.
Linkara refers to his top 15 comics he'll never review frequently, where he previously touched on OMD. if you want to see that, ]here you go. (http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/linkara/at4w/27731-at4w-top15comicsineverreview)
Why are the guest shots, if you don't mind me asking? I like Linkara and his in-depth reviews, but I'm not a big fan of guest shots.
I'm surprised that he got SFDebris on board.
I'm finally getting around to reading the Walking Dead. Yeah, big surprise really. Don't know what stopped me before. Just finished the first chapter in the Compendium, and it's good stuff. Shame it had to end that way for Shane near the end. Guess the old saying is true, when people think their life is in hell, they'll act all crazy.
I think if you're quick enough, you can actually skip through all the guest stars. They don't really add anything other than attempts to make a deal with Linkara.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on July 31, 2012, 07:50:02 PM
Haven't sat down and read a comic in ages, and the only thing I'm anticipating is the Sandman prequel. I should read Fatale though. Heard that one was good.
Damn, everything is getting a prequel.
I want to look into Fatale.
Quote from: Daxdiv on July 31, 2012, 11:34:16 PM
I'm finally getting around to reading the Walking Dead. Yeah, big surprise really. Don't know what stopped me before. Just finished the first chapter in the Compendium, and it's good stuff. Shame it had to end that way for Shane near the end. Guess the old saying is true, when people think their life is in hell, they'll act all crazy.
Did I mention that I love love love The Walking Dead yet? Anyway, I'm still waiting for the next volume. Things are getting scarier and it's because the way the people are acting and not the zombies. God I love this series,
Wow, that comic was a lot worse than I would have imagined, and shame on Quesada for that whole "Escapist fantasy" spiel for not only being completely incorrect but also horrendously condescending and insulting. But then I could say the same for a lot of his work and decisions.
Also, kudos on Linkara for the whole analyzation of why comic writers can't seem to "get" grown-up Spider-Man.
I actually found this review to have a lot of good jokes. I've tried to appreciate Linkara's work before but most of the time its just a case of "I can't really get his style of humor....probably because I don't read comics." That said, even though I don't read comics and have certainly never read this one, all of his complaints rang completely true, here, and that's a big thing of what turns me off from trying to get into some modern superhero comics. I'm sure there are a ton of great ones, but there are ones like this that I here a lot about that just piss me off. Its like the writers are trying to bring classic characters to dark places and explore deeper themes, which I'm cool with, except some of them don't seem to have the actual talent to do that and just end up sounding too preachy and condescending, and confuse dark story-telling for having characters act like idiots and being downright mean-spirited. I hope that shit like this and Ultimatum don't represent modern Marvel superhero comics in general, because if that was the case then I would be quite sad, and of course would only ever try to get into the classic runs of Marvel comic books.
So you're saying you don't play Ninja Gaiden because you lead a massively unfulfilling life and want the ninja life that was owed to you? ;)
Seriously though, my issue with comics is that you can't have strong continuity and never-ending stories at the same time. It doesn't work as this shows, since you can never really develop anything beyond a certain point. That's why comics are rapidly losing popularity.
Either have a continuous story that comes to an end, or you have serial stories that are stand alone stories not tied to any overarching continuity. I think comic readers want those things instead of what they're getting.
Or they could've gone the Spider-Girl route.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on August 01, 2012, 08:41:10 PM
Or they could've gone the Spider-Girl route.
Oh you mean the whole episodic adventures with multi-part stories thing? It's probably why Spider-Girl has been better than Spider-Man for years.
The thing is, like I've said before, JMS was a good writer for Spider-Man. This would still be one of weakest, cheapest storylines regardless, but there are plenty of moments where you can tell that there's executive meddling. And by "executive", I mean Joe Quesada.
OMD just reeks of awfulness, from beginning to end, and you can still feel it in the comics today. Every comic with Spidey today.
Haven't watched anything from Linkara in years, but that was a great review. Really enjoyed it. :joy:
Yeah, I think going by an episodic nature with story arcs that don't heavily relate to one another is probably the best way for comic books to go if they want to be more accessible to the average reader. I mean, if you think about it, animated TV shows have been using that format for years and it has worked gloriously. I mean, you don't need to have seen the the Cadmus arc of JLU to fully follow and enjoy any of the season 4 episodes, and stuff like BTAS and BB are almost completely episodic, and both are great shows. If comic books want to have a strong sense of continuity, then they should be organized in an easy to understand chronological order of volumes rather than having a bunch of clustered up stories that people need to research just to find the very beginning of where to start at. If they want to have an arc-based structure or different stand-alone story-lines, then make them "STAND ALONE" rather than expecting people to have read everything that came before it.
I do find it rather tragic that very few comics have tried to accomplish a arc that has lasted for hundreds of issues though. Cerebus tried it, resulting in an insane creator who has invented at least several religions. I do know that Robert Kirkman wishes to try something like that for The Walking Dead, but patience is a cruel virtue.
TB&TB does it too. It has entirely episodic adventures with multi-part storylines and foreshadowing in unrelated episodes and it worked great.
This whole obsession with crossovers and sweeping "grand" epics with "dire consequences", while refusing to develop characters just leads to a big 'ol yawn from me.
For instance I thought having Dick Grayson become Batman was a good idea as it showed progression. I mean, it wasn't like BTAS or TB&TB where it was serial stories with some multi-parters- it was an ongoing story that never ends. With that formula it requires that eventually either something changes or people get bored. Then what happens? They reset to status-quo in the most ridiculous way possible because "Bruce Wayne has to always be Batman"... Then what's the point of having an ongoing story if it can never change?
I'm just thinking, is it too hard to ask for a sweeping grand epic in the likes of A Song of Ice & Fire or The Wire, and have it done right? Then again, most of the great finite graphic novels usually end at ten volumes.
The problem is, at least from my experience, to do something like that you need a lot of planning and time to do it right. It can't just be rushed out and winged like so many of these arcs are nowadays. If you have a story to tell, then logically it has to have a beginning, middle, and end, as well as a point- no matter how long or short the story is. Looking at the recent "Epic" comic arcs prove that these are clearly not thought on very long or very hard.
Especially if your name is Garth Ennis.
Someone must have read the latest Boys issue. :sly:
I just realized you could have put any of his works in place of that and it would illicit the same response from me.
Man, I must really not like the man's work.
To be fair, Hellblazer was good. Punisher was good. The Boys, while still good, reads like a deranged diatribe about how superheroes are the absolute worst thing to happen to society.
I'm glad my local library stocked up on 20th Century Boys :thumbup:
Sometimes I forget how ugly some of the later Avengers cover art could be.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F25.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m8i3kzjI2K1ryctvko1_500.png&hash=85fb0fdfc9616f86e71c538dae8ee87be5601d5c)
So, my friend came back and this time he brought me the first few volumes of essential Spider-Man. I think it covers the first 100 issues or so.
Avaitor, do you have any good stories within those issues to recommend to me in particular? I doubt that I'll have enough time to read them all before I have to go back to college, so I'm interested in reading the most "essential' ones. ;)
First 100? Off the top of my head:
- Read the origin. It's not exactly one of the best stories, but it is a national landmark
- I think the Lizard has the best origin story of his earliest villains. That's #6
- There's a really cool 2-parter involving Doc Ock killing Betty Brant's brother and Spidey trying to have his revenge. That should be 13 & 14
- The first 2 annual stories are a lot of fun. The first introduces the Sinister Six and has Aunt May meet Doc Ock for the first time, and the second is a crossover with Doctor Strange
- I've recommended's 32 and 33 before, but you might also want to read #31, since it introduces the whole arc
- Near the end of the second Essential book has the two-parter where Spidey and the Green Goblin learn each other's secrets. Those were classics I forget which issues exactly, but I have a T-shirt of the cover of the second one, and the cover to the first is also the cover on that exact collection. You can easily find them.
- #50. A classic story which Spider-Man 2 took a lot of points from, especially one particular panel.
- Near the late 90's, there's the classic 3-parter where Harry gets addicted to drugs which the comics code did not approve of. That's actually a really good story.
I only own the first 3 Essentials, so my memory on the latter part of the first 100 issues are a little hazy, but I hope that helps you.
Quote from: Avaitor on August 11, 2012, 01:35:01 PM
- Read the origin. It's not exactly one of the best stories, but it is a national landmark
Is that Amazing Fantasy #15 that you're referring to?
Quote- I think the Lizard has the best origin story of his earliest villains. That's #6
Oh, that sounds good, especially after having watched the recent movie featuring The Lizard as the main villain.
Quote- The first 2 annual stories are a lot of fun. The first introduces the Sinister Six and has Aunt May meet Doc Ock for the first time, and the second is a crossover with Doctor Strange
I need to read more story featuring Doctor Strange, now that I think about it. I don't know anything about him, but he was pretty awesome in Infinity Gauntlet.
Quote- I've recommended's 32 and 33 before, but you might also want to read #31, since it introduces the whole arc
Oh yeah, that was in your favorites list, wasn't it? That sounds great. :thumbup:
Quote- Near the end of the second Essential book has the two-parter where Spidey and the Green Goblin learn each other's secrets. Those were classics I forget which issues exactly, but I have a T-shirt of the cover of the second one, and the cover to the first is also the cover on that exact collection. You can easily find them.
Yup. The funny thing is that I've always wanted to read that story since I learned about it in the special features of the DVD of the first Spider-Man movie.
Quote- Near the late 90's, there's the classic 3-parter where Harry gets addicted to drugs which the comics code did not approve of. That's actually a really good story.
Oh, that reminds me of that part in TSSM where Harry was addicted to that Green Goblin syrum/formula/juice thing. Was that a reference to this particular story?
QuoteI only own the first 3 Essentials, so my memory on the latter part of the first 100 issues are a little hazy, but I hope that helps you.
Yeah, thanks a lot. That gives me a really good idea of what to read. ;)
Whoa, that makes me want to read that. So did the new movie do Doc Connors any justice. I of course saw it day one on my birthday but never read a good story with him in it.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on August 11, 2012, 01:44:04 PM
Is that Amazing Fantasy #15 that you're referring to?
Yep. :)
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on August 11, 2012, 01:44:04 PMYup. The funny thing is that I've always wanted to read that story since I learned about it in the special features of the DVD of the first Spider-Man movie.
It's a very eye-opening read in terms of Norman's character and his relationship with Harry. I mentioned before on my list that the story of the Osborns was very tragic, and you get a basic idea of just how so when you read the Goblin's origin. And of course you know how Norman's life ends.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on August 11, 2012, 01:44:04 PM
Oh, that reminds me of that part in TSSM where Harry was addicted to that Green Goblin syrum/formula/juice thing. Was that a reference to this particular story?
I think it was! How have I not made that connection before?
Quote from: gunswordfist on August 11, 2012, 01:48:30 PM
Whoa, that makes me want to read that. So did the new movie do Doc Connors any justice. I of course saw it day one on my birthday but never read a good story with him in it.
Hate to double post, but I actually haven't seen TASM yet, so I can't really say.
Did you like the Lizard in it?
Quote from: Avaitor on August 11, 2012, 01:58:26 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on August 11, 2012, 01:48:30 PM
Whoa, that makes me want to read that. So did the new movie do Doc Connors any justice. I of course saw it day one on my birthday but never read a good story with him in it.
Hate to double post, but I actually haven't seen TASM yet, so I can't really say.
Did you like the Lizard in it?
Yes, he was a pretty good villain. I believe I read a piece on comicvine about him wanting the world to be perfect (meaning turning everyone into lizards) is what they wanted to see be his plan in the movie, which it was, which was a pleasant surprise for me. I also like how Connors was surprisingly intelligent as The Lizard and the moments where he had his signature white labcoat on.
I feel a bit differently. I found Connors himself to be a very interesting character, and the movie built him up quite nicely. Once he became The Lizard, though, his simultaneous transformation into a villain felt too abrupt by the movie's pacing, and he came off as a kind of generic villain, IMO. GSF is right about him still being intelligent as The Lizard, but there wasn't enough going on to explore his character as The Lizard, and for the most part he was just doing generic bad guy stuff in the 2nd half of the movie.
Hmm, well with the Lizard in the comics, when Connors turns into him, he's still about as smart as ever, but eventually loses his perception of life as a human as time goes on.
As a villain, the Lizard isn't much of a villain, so it sounds pretty accurate.
Hmmmm....I just read the story Spider-Man Vs. The Chameleon because it featured the Fantastic Four in it, and then it hit me. I never realized that the Fantastic Four were created before Spider-Man. I really need to brush up on my comic book superhero history.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on August 11, 2012, 02:33:36 PM
Hmmmm....I just read the story Spider-Man Vs. The Chameleon because it featured the Fantastic Four in it, and then it hit me. I never realized that the Fantastic Four were created for Spider-Man. I really need to brush up on my comic book superhero history.
Wait, what?
The first Fantastic Four story was made in 1961, a full year before the first Spider-Man.
Sorry, that was a typo in my post. I meant to say that "I never realized that the Fantastic Four were created "BEFORE" Spider-Man. :P
Haha, fair enough.
Yeah, the Fantastic Four was the first major creation Stan Lee made during the silver age of Marvel.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on August 11, 2012, 02:24:33 PM
I feel a bit differently. I found Connors himself to be a very interesting character, and the movie built him up quite nicely. Once he became The Lizard, though, his simultaneous transformation into a villain felt too abrupt by the movie's pacing, and he came off as a kind of generic villain, IMO. GSF is right about him still being intelligent as The Lizard, but there wasn't enough going on to explore his character as The Lizard, and for the most part he was just doing generic bad guy stuff in the 2nd half of the movie.
Well that is a fair assessment. The Lizard didn't really have much to develop to....since it's a giant lizard that wants to create other giant lizards but for that kind of character, he's pretty smart for that type of character.
I think I was surprised when I heard Spider-Man came after Fantastic Four. Didn't know it was just by a year either.
I read issues #5 and 6 (I read 5 just because it had Dr. Doom in it). Its interesting to read the Lizard's debut story after having seen the movie. The movie is actually pretty accurate to the original story in terms of most of the circumstances, with the exception that Connors actually doesn't have a family in the movie like he does in the comics, and in the comics Peter Parker has to go down to Florida with Jameson tagging along in order to fight the Lizard, whereas in the movie Connors works for Oscorp in a research building that's conveniently located right smack-dab in the middle of NYC, where Peter Parker of course lives. I find both of those to be acceptable changes, and I do actually appreciate now how the movie made it a point to show Connors gradually lose his humanity as the Lizard (as he did in that single issue story) rather than becoming a complete monster right away.
It'll also be interesting to see how the character evolves over these first 100 issues, even if I'm not going to spend time reading all of them. Its roughly about a decade's worth of work, so there's bound to be some big changes that I notice, especially once I get done with the Lee/Ditko era and move onto the Lee/Romita era of the Spider-Man comics.
Also, one particular story that my friend recommended I read that Avaitor didn't was issues #89-90, which he said features a major character death, so I'll go check that out as well when I get the chance.
Well I think you knew that Connors does have a family, since you see them in SSM. He'll show up again later, because he eventually moves to NYC.
Oh yeah, those are important ones, if I remember right. Totally worth reading.
Spider-Man called the Fantastic Four overrated. I find that absolutely hilarious for some reason.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on August 12, 2012, 11:29:30 PM
Spider-Man called the Fantastic Four overrated. I find that absolutely hilarious for some reason.
:D Now that's funny.
Spidey's feud with the Fantastic Four in his earliest adventures, especially the Torch, was a lot of fun.
Quote from: Avaitor on August 13, 2012, 10:21:51 AM
Spidey's feud with the Fantastic Four in his earliest adventures, especially the Torch, was a lot of fun.
Haha, I'm going to have to read that. I just assumed he always got along with them.
So, J.J.J. actually envies Spider-Man because of his heroics and forcing him to realize what a selfish person he's always been his whole life. I honestly never thought about it that way, but it sure does make a lot of sense.
Also, I laughed at that corny Scooby-Doo-like moment where the Big Man was revealed to be Frederick Foswell, and he remarks: "And I would've gotten away with it, too...."
Honestly, I'm quite surprised with the kinds of themes that the early issues of Spider-Man can bring up, which I admittedly underestimated because of its age, but it is definitely somewhat hampered by the corny dialogue and narrative from that 1960's style of slang and whatnot.
Yeah, campiness is one of the things that makes me have a hard time with a lot of older comics.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on August 13, 2012, 05:50:05 PM
So, J.J.J. actually envies Spider-Man because of his heroics and forcing him to realize what a selfish person he's always been his whole life. I honestly never thought about it that way, but it sure does make a lot of sense.
Yeah, there's been a couple of different explanations towards Jameson's dislike of Spidey, and this was the first used. Another good one was how he felt Spider-Man overshadowed his son in SSM.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on August 13, 2012, 05:50:05 PM
Honestly, I'm quite surprised with the kinds of themes that the early issues of Spider-Man can bring up, which I admittedly underestimated because of its age, but it is definitely somewhat hampered by the corny dialogue and narrative from that 1960's style of slang and whatnot.
Very true. As much as I love Lee's dialogue, a lot of his lines sound really dated today. It's also a little irritating that there's a need for him to write down EVERYTHING that happens, in the eyes of witnesses in case readers don't understand. DC kind of did the same thing too though, and with considerably less of a focus on story and character development, which is why the Marvel stuff from this era holds up a lot better IMO.
Here's something I just thought about: almost everybody says that Gwen Stacy was Peter's first love interest in the comics, but that's not the case at all. Betty Brant is clearly his first love interest (at the point I'm at, Gwen Stacy's character doesn't even exist, yet). I'm guessing they never actually hook up, and that Gwen is the first girl Peter manages to get really close to, but still, its false to say that Gwen was Peter's first love, yet everyone always says that for some reason.
The thing about Betty Brant is that her fling with Peter wasn't very serious. They both liked each other, but Peter was a little too young for her, and Ned Leeds was more of a fit for her. True, Peter did like her a bit, but I've always found it to be more of a schoolboy crush than a serious affection, which he later had with Gwen and MJ.
True, but even if it was a crush she was still his first love interest, with emphasis on the word "interest," which doesn't necessarily imply a serious affection. In that regard, I just find it kind of deceitful to say that Gwen was his first interest. She WAS his first real girlfriend, though, so that statement would probably be more true.
If there ever really was a movie in existence called "The Nameless Thing From The Black Lagoon In The Murky Swamp!" I'd totally watch it. :thumbup:
Read the first volume of Planetary today. Can't believe it took me this long to actually begun reading this comic; the first volume was extremely entertaining. As a fan of pulp I especially enjoyed the appearances of Doc Savage and Dr Fu Manchu (albeit under changed names). So, yeah, add this to my ever-growing list of comics I'm going to read more of.
Nameless Thing from the Black Lagoon? Cool. Hope it's better than Revenge of the Creature.
Finally caught up on Fairy Tail; I'm such a sucker for tournament arcs. ;)
Quote from: Pharass on August 16, 2012, 10:50:59 AM
Read the first volume of Planetary today. Can't believe it took me this long to actually begun reading this comic; the first volume was extremely entertaining. As a fan of pulp I especially enjoyed the appearances of Doc Savage and Dr Fu Manchu (albeit under changed names). So, yeah, add this to my ever-growing list of comics I'm going to read more of.
The series is great. Can't think Insomniac enough for that recommendation.
I'm half-way through the first Spider-Man annual and its suitably pretty epic, what with the Sinister Six and all of the guest appearances. I also like how Peter temporarily loses his powers (but I hate how Stan Lee felt the need to explain that it was because of the guilt he was feeling when remembering Uncle Ben's death), and then regains them when he realizes he needs them most to save Betty and Aunt May from the Sinister Six.
One thing I noticed in this issue, though, is that Peter can make some pretty stupid decisions. I mean, the Human Torch offers to help him, and you'd think that with his beloved aunt and "sort of" girlfriend in serious danger being held captive by 6 of his strongest enemies up to that point, he'd want all the help he can get, but he turns Torch down just because the matter is too "personal" to him. I mean, I know its a personal matter, but sometimes practicality should be held in the way of pride, and I don't see anything practical about Spider-Man turning down free help when he could really use it.
That reminds me, I've heard Spider-Man described as a stupid. Is there any truth to this?
That's kind of true, yeah. Peter Parker makes a lot of bad decisions. Some of them from his earlier days can be blamed due to him being a teenager, who are admittedly confused easily. But he still says and does a lot of stupid shit up to this day.
I blame it on weak writing more than anything. It's also worth noting that one of my least favorite aspects of USM is how they go out of the way to make Spidey look dumb, even forgetting that he's incredibly book smart.
I heard he punched some fire guy (Firelord?!) in the face with his bare hand which I imagine was very painful and stupid.
Seeing the level of respect that Johnny Storm has for Spider-Man despite their ongoing rivalry is pretty admirable. He was literally the only superhero and basically the only other person besides Flash Thompson who didn't believe that Spider-Man had turned into a coward, and he even looked kind of hurt at the thought of that being a possibility. I also like how they throw plenty of banter at each other while they're fighting together after Spider-Man rescues Johnny Storm from Sandman and The Enforcers.
I mentioned it here before, but the Spider-Man/Human Torch miniseries from a few years back is really worth a read. It contains a lot of references to the Spidey and FF comics over the years, especially the ones where the two team up, as we see adventures with them over the years.
Even if you can't find all the references, it's still a fun read with solid dialogue.
What's the mini-series called? I'll look it up if I can find it in some sort of compilation book.
Spider-Man/Human Torch. I referenced the name in the post. You should be able to find a hardcover or paperback of it easily.
Oh, well....that's certainly a very straightforward title. :sweat:
I'll look it up on Amazon since I doubt my local bookstore will have it (it has a pretty pitiful selection of comics and manga, unfortunately).
My friend also said he'll let me hold onto the 5 volumes of Essential Spider-Man which he lent me, being that I'm good about keeping stuff I borrow in good condition, so I don't have to rush through it, anymore, and I can just give it back to him whenever I come visit back home. I may just order the rest of the volumes for myself after I finish the ones I have right now.
Read Top 10 Vol. 1 last weekend. Decent enough superhero cop comic from Alan Moore. I'll be checking out volume 2 soon.
On Friday, I started Top 10 Vol. 2, on Saturday I finished it. Alan Moore sure does know how to quickly make characters likable. My favorite: (in no order):
Jack Phantom
Joe Pi
Irma
Girl 1
Jeff Smax
And I loved all the character sightings such as Plastic Man, Astro Boy and I think I saw Ms. Marvel.
Got Sleeper: Season One today. I should probably start out by saying that I went into the series without having read a single Wildcats comic and not having any idea who characters like John Lynch or Tao were. Fortunately, that didn't prevent me from absolutely loving this first volume: Sleeper is an incredibly well-crafted and suspenseful tale of espionnage, focusing on a lone agent who has managed to infiltrate an organisation of supervillains. Aside from the risk of him being exposed a lot of the drama in the comic comes from the main character's inner conflict regarding the web of lies that he's stuck in and the fact that among the people he's spying on there are those that he's actually grown closer too, even if those people happen to be villainous.
Highly recommended.
Exactly how I feel about Sleeper. :thumbup:
I didn't even know Tao or John Lynch had anything to do with Wildcats.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F25.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_ma0oxleAJ91qiccx7o1_500.png&hash=d538580bd17edd550300cefc1087a289dfacf8c7)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_ma0oxleAJ91qiccx7o2_500.png&hash=ccce2e0a3d04829be63db6fb699ec43eae753131)
Two things I love, together.
If this really happened, Frank would have shot Deadpool before he said a thing! /angrycomicnerd
:D
Over the last two days I read Invincible Ultimate Collection Volume 7. The Viltrumite War was a decent badass arc. I like how the Viltrumite's are basically Kryptonians with Saiyan mentality.
I hate Oliver's and Tech Jacket's dialogue. So awful.
I guess Mark going full retard will built up well enough. I guess...
More Robert Kirkman love:
Read The Walking Dead 16. Some characters have become pretty detached and the next big story arc has been revealed.
This series has a way of making you worrying like crazy about characters. And not just them dying. It goes from losing a limb to them breaking down emotionally. In this one, I wanted to flip to the end to see if everyone was alright. Every time it looked like something could happen I'm always moving my eyes quickly to the bottom corner of the right page to see if the characters involved are intact. Didn't help that a Bull's Eye was put on my two favorite characters.
Finished the second volume of Ode to Kirihito today.
It's easy to see why Tezuka considered this his favorite of all his works: Kirihito is nothing short of a masterpiece. It mixes gloriously weird/insane stuff such a disease that causes humans to resemble dogs, a human tempura and much more with a gripping plot that involves everything from diabolical conspiracies and corruption in the medical system to questions of what it is that truly makes us human. Excellent, gripping stuff and one of the greatest manga I've read.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_mb0uv82b8t1qbujox.jpg&hash=6e484d64bf3d22fc10e82f81caf98f5aebb34cb6)
Because of all the people DC needs to appeal to, hardware aficionados are totally at the top of the list.
Over the last two weekends I read Deadpool Operation Annihilation and Batman: The Black Mirror. Meh for both. The Deadpool comic was the first Deadpool comic I didn't like. Specifically, the first half where all his friends go after him. It was so lame and forced. The story where he goes The Hulk again was funny though.
Batman The Black Mirror had the same tone as Dini's not too long ago run, Grayson's Batman and some new villains that are important to Gotham's underground are explored, and just like Dini's, Snyder's story was underwhelming too. I didn't care for any of those new villains and The Joker that was used in the book was horrible. He was just like every other comic book psycho that can't talk straight. I of course love Snyder's writing thanks to American Vampire (and Dini with Heart Of Hush, among many other things) but here it's just forgettable, overrated stories.
The last two comics I read were Tramp vol. 8 by Kraehn and Jusseaume and Alim le Tanneur vol. 2 by Lupano and Augustin
The eight volume of Tramp continues the third story-arc of the series which takes place during the First Indochina War. This book consists mainly of flashback, featuring the main character's father, who turn out to be quite a fascinating character in his own right.
As for the second volume of Alim, it ramps up the danger posed to the protagonists considerably. Having discovered something that could topple the very belief system that their nation is built on, they're currently on the run, having escaped to what amounts to what is basically a thinly veiled version of Thibet. However, they're pursued by Torq Djihid, a truly bloodthirsty fanatic if there ever was one.
Both Tramp and Alim le Tanneur are among my favorite comics to date. They both feature excellent artwork and storytelling. Needless to say, they're two comics I wish would be translated to english.
I was just at Barnes And Noble, picking up book 2 of Avatar: The Promise... and I saw the hardcover, color edition of Scott Pilgrim's first book. So much want! But it was $25, and alas, I am a poor man. :frown:
How do those look? I'd heard about them, but I wasn't sure if it was worth double dipping just to have them in color, especially since the black and white is part of the charm(it'd kind of be like if they rereleased Clerks in color).
It looks good. And it's big. Like, way bigger than the original graphic novels, it's almost the size of a coffee table book.
Wait, Scott Pilgrim comes in color?
Yeah, they are reissuing the books in color. I think only the first one is out right now.
Yeah, the color version of Scott Pilgrim Vs The World comes out next month.
Ah sweet. An excuse to reread the books. Maybe I can see what the hell color Ramona's hair was now.
Just know that the rereleases aren't due to be finished until 2014, they are only releasing two volumes a year. Don't ask me why.
When I went to see Frankenweenie I decided to stop at Barnes and Noble and decided to buy Avatar The Last Airbender: The Promise Part 3. It did give a reason as to how the Air Acolytes came to be in Korra. Aang wanted to preserve his culture, but at the same time he didn't want it to belong to history and since he has a fanbase that was pretty dedicated to the ways of the Air Nomads. That and Aang decided to cut his ties to Avatar Roku due to how different the world was compared to what he went through and how Roku's views are very different than the views Aang has.
Through out this, I guess you can see that the colony of Yu Dao might become Republic City. Also, it set up the next set of books they plan to make, where we finally search for Zuko's mom.
Though out the The Promise, I enjoyed Part 2 more, if only for the parts where we saw Toph's school and teaching kids to metal bend and beat up a Fire bending teacher and his students.
So the Avatar books are actually good?
I read Rurouni Kenshin volume 2 yesterday. It had the story of my 2nd favorite RK episode, the one where Kenshin fights Jin-e. Specifically the last fight, which was the very first episode I saw of the show and that made me a fan after being very skeptical of the show I've never heard of at the time. I didn't know/forgot that Jin-e was in the Shinsengumi, I forgot/didn't know he committed suicide and I was always confused at whether he had his arm chopped off or whatever since I remember the tv series editing for that part being pretty bad.
Well, Toonami specifically cut out the part where he stabs himself so its easy to miss that he commits suicide if you watched it back on Cartoon Network.
Quote from: gunswordfist on October 14, 2012, 10:29:39 AM
So the Avatar books are actually good?
Yeah. I just finished Part 2 of The Promise and this really does feel like you're reading an episode out. All the humor and action is still there, so the guy writing it is doing a pretty good job, I think.
Yeah, the guy writing is actually an award-winning author, and I really enjoyed some of his original work.
Yeah after reading all 3 parts of this, I am interested in reading Gene Luen Kuei's Eisner Award Winning story just to see what this guys does with his original work.
Though if you haven't picked up this mini-series, I think an Omnibus is coming out in March 2013. I will admit that I only bought Part 3 due to the fact that I feel like I needed to complete the set and I felt buying and waiting for the omnibus after buying parts 1 and 2 felt stupid in a way. I mean according to Amazon, it's not coming out until March. I wasn't going to wait that long when I only had 1 volume left to complete it.
Quote from: Comeau on October 12, 2012, 11:27:56 PM
Just know that the rereleases aren't due to be finished until 2014, they are only releasing two volumes a year. Don't ask me why.
THE WHAT FUCKING WHAT????!!!!! ??????????????????????????????? :shit:
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on October 14, 2012, 11:49:42 AM
Well, Toonami specifically cut out the part where he stabs himself so its easy to miss that he commits suicide if you watched it back on Cartoon Network.
I did. Then I watched it on DVD uncut, last year I believe. At least I think I watched it on DVD...or maybe I watched it edited and didn't realize it. IDK, my memory SUCKS.
Quote from: Nel on October 14, 2012, 12:38:32 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on October 14, 2012, 10:29:39 AM
So the Avatar books are actually good?
Yeah. I just finished Part 2 of The Promise and this really does feel like you're reading an episode out. All the humor and action is still there, so the guy writing it is doing a pretty good job, I think.
A-mazing. I will go ahead and not read any of those comics until Korra is done being the Avatar because I like being surprised by what happened with the characters and whatnot during the show.
You're not going to be spoiled by the books when it comes to Korra. If anything, watching Korra has already spoiled what happens in the books.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on October 15, 2012, 10:35:32 AM
You're not going to be spoiled by the books when it comes to Korra. If anything, watching Korra has already spoiled what happens in the books.
Yep, listen to this man. It's pretty much due to Korra that the events in the book have become forgone conclusions in the first place and I'm pretty sure that will stay true with the new mini-series The Search, still won't stop me from reading that. In fact you know how Korra was supposed to premiere later than expected? Well this book was supposed to fill that gap between them and Korra's premiere was supposed to happen sometime after Volume 3 was released. I say if you watch Korra and haven't read the comics, there's nothing that that will be spoiled in the comics because you watch Korra.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on October 15, 2012, 10:35:32 AM
You're not going to be spoiled by the books when it comes to Korra. If anything, watching Korra has already spoiled what happens in the books.
I meant the reverse. I want to see what's realized in the books...actually I more specifically want to see what happened with all the characters and everything else by watching the show. I like doing it that way. I still don't know what's up with Zuko or if he's still alive. I want to experience reveals like that through the show. I'm sure I'll enjoy the comics either way but the show is the first place I want to learn things like that.
Did you know that there's a "Garfield" comic book? Yeah, it started back in May.
I bought one issue, and it's on par with the "Garfield and Friends" TV series. See my review (and some sample pages) here (http://bakertoons.blogspot.com/2012/10/garfield-comic-books.html)
Got the first fRex Mundi Omnibus in the mail today and am currently making my way through it. So far, I'm quite impressed with this comic and a huge reason for that that is the world it's set in. Writer Arvid Nelson has created an alternative version of Europe in the 1930's; a Europe that's still in the grip of feudalism, where magic is real and where the holy inquisition is still around. In addition, I also got quite strong noir- vibe from the story, with it's down on his luck protagonist, corrupt lawmen and at least one beautiful and mysterious woman. Definitely a comic worth checking out.
J Michael Straczynski has spurned my wrath and mockery.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on October 31, 2012, 06:34:54 PM
J Michael Straczynski has spurned my wrath and mockery.
What now?
Quote from: Avaitor on October 31, 2012, 06:39:36 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on October 31, 2012, 06:34:54 PM
J Michael Straczynski has spurned my wrath and mockery.
What now?
Superman sleeps with a hooker, and his penis apparently teaches her the error of her ways. Then, he throws her pimp into the Arctic.
"What're you doing here?"
"I killed a hooker. She made a crack about me being faster than a speeding bullet, so I ripped her in half like a phone book."
Now, you are officially a better Superman writer than JMS.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on October 31, 2012, 06:44:53 PM
Now, you are officially a better Superman writer than JMS.
You mean Seth MacFarlane is a better Superman writer!
Or whoever wrote that episode. I don't even recall which one that's from.
Whatever. Anyone is a better Superman writer than JMS now. Even John Byrne.
I thought Supes was still walking the Earth, Kane from Kung-Fu style, under JMS' writing.
Quote from: Avaitor on October 31, 2012, 06:48:55 PM
I thought Supes was still walking the Earth, Kane from Kung-Fu style, under JMS' writing.
No, that got canned and replaced with New Fustercluck. This JMS story is supposed to be the Superman that DC is introducing to newcomers and casual comics fans.
Reading through the older Deadpool stuff again. All of it, this time... only read about half of each run in the past, and never really looked at the pre-Circle Chase stuff before.
Goddamn, X-Force is bad. The parts with DP are pretty fun, but it's just so fucking boring, and the art is hella' ugly. Unfortunately, you pretty much have to read the first 15 issues to make any sort of sense out of The Circle Chase and Sins Of The Past. Circle Chase was also pretty mediocre for the most part, but Sins Of The Past has actually been excellent so far, now that I have the proper context for it. Very funny and exciting; quite well-written at times.
The Deadpool Classic TPBs are really nicely done. High quality printings, I highly recommend them. And if you want to see Deadpool's X-Force appearances, they're scattered throughout two hardcovers named A Force To Be Reckoned With and Under The Gun, which are extremely well put together. A whole lot of effort for some shitty comics. :lol:
I have a soft spot for some of the original X-Force and Cable stories, but yeah, Liefeld's not an artist.
Well, I like Cable, Domino, and of course Deadpool, but the other characters really drag it down for me. Black Tom is awesome too. Garrison Kane and Siryn are alright.
The last two comics I read were Planetary vol 2 and Sweet Tooth vol 1.
Planetary continues to be great; I loved the first volume, but this one manages to be even better. In volume 2 we get to know more about The Four and Ellis does a great job establishing them as a group of truly fearsome villains. By the way, I don't think I mentioned how great the artwork is in this book last time, so it's time to rectify that. The artwork is gorgeous to look at and John Cassaday is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists in the medium.
Sweet Tooth shows a lot of potential; I like the post-apocalyptic setting and the characters. However, I can't think of much else to write about it at this moment. I'll definitely check out the next volume though.
Yeah, Cassaday did a great job with Whedon's Astonishing X-Men too. nd 'm glad you're loving Planetary. Damn good comic book series.
If you want a good teenage superhero comic book, read Dynamo 5. I read volume 2 yesterday and it had me reading fast because I wanted to see what was going to happen next so badly. The characters have a lot on their plate but they aren't whiny at all. They try to address problems instead of just whining. I believe they're all 17-19 years old so there's no early teen typically annoying storylines going on and there's no character in the team that you should clearly hate which usually goes with the territory. Plus the original premise for this series makes it so interesting.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F25.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_mddwqciRbN1qkinreo1_1280.png&hash=8701c5fb8f667e96b5a145ddf69229a7ac1e9c8d)
So Bruce was in the honor roll. No surprise there.
Read Punisher Slavers on Saturday. Hmmm, I wonder if any of the facts they mentioned are true. And as always, Garth makes these books seem like good action movie sequels. Where does he get all these great ideas from?
http://marvelentertainment.tumblr.com/post/35870767121/celebrate-the-many-years-of-marvel-comics-and
"There's No Way My High School Baseball Manager Can Be This Slutty!"
Again!! is such a great manga. It might be slice of life, but it really seems to have little love for current genre cliches.
Today I read 100 Bullets vol. 4 and Banana Fish vol. 6.
I don't really have anything to say about them, they're both among my favorite comics that I currently read.
100 Bullets...FUCK YEAH!!!
I'm actually not currently reading these, but I'll get to it, at least..!
- Several stories by H.P. Lovecraft, I've barely come halfway through this giant book, but the stories are great..!
- Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, I should probably get the english version...
- Alien: The Illustrated Story, because Alien freaking rocks!!!
Yesterday I started Criminal Volume 2: Lawless and today I finished. What a good little crime story. I love reading Phillips'/Brubakers' stories. I definitely want to get the next volume.
I also Samurai Executioner Volume 2: Two Bodies, Two Minds was read by me today. I FINALLY read the second volume of the first manga I've ever read. So far it's just been Samurai Executioner and Rurouni Kenshin. The two could not be more different. Best way I could describe SE is it's more like detective stories. The main character has only been in one fight and it happened in this volume. But more importantly how the character thinks was went into and I'm liking Asaemon more and more. Even then, the stories are more about the crimes that occur. Asaemon didn't appear until 91 pages into the book this time and I can't complain. Very well written and gritty and all of that.
Aside from some volumes of Hellsing and a Japanese DMC comic my ex bought me, the only manga I've really read is a bunch of H-doujins......
.-.;;;;;;;
Does that make me a bad person?
Edjumacate me!
Youuuuuuuuuuuu can't handle my grammar
DAMMIT JOHN YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO TELL YOU TO READ SO I WON'T
Read anything by this guy: http://myanimelist.net/people/1867/Naoki_Urasawa
I've been wanting to read 20th Century Boys.
In my opinion he's the best pop writer to come out of Japan since Tezuka. The battle between good and evil, truths, vices, hopes, dreams, hate, love, faith, human beings, and history, and he even wraps them in an engaging and original plot on top of it.
Quote from: gunswordfist on November 25, 2012, 08:52:39 PM
I've been wanting to read 20th Century Boys.
Everyone should read
20th Century Boys and the rest of Urasawa's body of work, of course.
Read the latest
Blake & Mortimer, it was pretty good. Nothing amazing, but it was a decent mystery-story and I did like how Blake's past tied into the plot. So all in all, I enjoyed it.
I also read the first volume of
Lincoln; a French western-comic about an outlaw who one day meets God and is granted immortality by him. I really liked this one, especially the dialogue and interaction with the main characters. Definitely a comic I'll keep reading.
DC... it's so hard to defend you when you make such stupid decisions like fire Gail Simone and allow Karen Berger to leave. I don't want to say that Marvel's doing better, but it's starting to look like that.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on December 10, 2012, 07:45:15 AM
DC... it's so hard to defend you when you make such stupid decisions like fire Gail Simone and allow Karen Berger to leave. I don't want to say that Marvel's doing better, but it's starting to look like that.
Marvel's animation department may be utterly horrible right now, but they're definitely doing far better with their comics and films at the moment.
And Snyder is leaving Swamp Thing. So DC officially only has 2 comics worth reading now.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on December 10, 2012, 07:57:08 PM
And Snyder is leaving Swamp Thing. So DC officially only has 2 comics worth reading now.
Grifter's one of them, right?
Quote from: gunswordfist on December 11, 2012, 12:15:55 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on December 10, 2012, 07:57:08 PM
And Snyder is leaving Swamp Thing. So DC officially only has 2 comics worth reading now.
Grifter's one of them, right?
No, Batman and Animal Man.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on December 11, 2012, 03:37:30 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on December 11, 2012, 12:15:55 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on December 10, 2012, 07:57:08 PM
And Snyder is leaving Swamp Thing. So DC officially only has 2 comics worth reading now.
Grifter's one of them, right?
No, Batman and Animal Man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggXmKPMaHMo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggXmKPMaHMo)
Quote from: gunswordfist on December 11, 2012, 04:02:47 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on December 11, 2012, 03:37:30 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on December 11, 2012, 12:15:55 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on December 10, 2012, 07:57:08 PM
And Snyder is leaving Swamp Thing. So DC officially only has 2 comics worth reading now.
Grifter's one of them, right?
No, Batman and Animal Man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggXmKPMaHMo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggXmKPMaHMo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSHaCzb3yYk
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on December 11, 2012, 04:15:02 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on December 11, 2012, 04:02:47 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on December 11, 2012, 03:37:30 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on December 11, 2012, 12:15:55 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on December 10, 2012, 07:57:08 PM
And Snyder is leaving Swamp Thing. So DC officially only has 2 comics worth reading now.
Grifter's one of them, right?
No, Batman and Animal Man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggXmKPMaHMo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggXmKPMaHMo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSHaCzb3yYk
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_mcu4alOTyd1r6qh5d.jpg&hash=aae4eb2e4b8ae71c186f70c59127d04367f441d4)
^There's some things that should simply just not exist. That pic is one of those things.
Quote from: Comeau on December 11, 2012, 06:03:19 PM
^There's some things that should simply just not exist. That pic is one of those things.
Yes, that was totally uncalled for, Mr. Avaitor. I am shocked by this ludicrous display.
So, do I win?
Quote from: Avaitor on December 11, 2012, 06:27:46 PM
So, do I win?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmRGkOPo-9E
Picked up 2 collections for cheap- a Marvel Essentials volume of their horror comics, and JMS' Silver Surfer GN.
There's a lot more at the local comic book shop I want to get for cheap as well.
Yeah, my pretty Japanese wife is confused by the Lee/Ditko era of Spider-Man.
Read the second volume of Akira. The majority of this volume is basically one huge chase-scene as the various characters try to get to, or prevent each other from getting to the place where Akira is sealed away. It's an awesome chase-scene though, with lots of action and some surprising turns in the story.
Gail Simone has trolled me. I must salute in how successful that trolling was.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on December 21, 2012, 03:09:11 PM
Gail Simone has trolled me. I must salute in how successful that trolling was.
Was it all a ruse and she didn't actually get kicked off of Batgirl?
I don't even know anymore. :rtard:
I will be getting Essential Thor Volume 2 (contains "To Become An Immortal") and Darkhawk Classic Volume 1 and a few volumes of Deadpool comics soon enough.
Sweet! ;)
Quote from: Avaitor on December 21, 2012, 10:32:23 PM
Sweet! ;)
;D I read Dynamo 5 Volume 3 last night. It was the 'major temporary changes in the team' volume. The big boss villain no one had time to care about was also dealt. It was entertaining but I'm not too sure what's next.
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Well done, God on earth.
Shame that I am now reminded that the only version of Spider-Man is now Peter Parker is Ultimate Spider-Man Cartoon and the Movie.
I don't get it.
But then- Quesada. What's there to get?
I read Punisher MAX Barracuda 2 days ago. Garth Ennis is great.
I'm currently reading Rosario to Vampire II, and Hell's Kitchen.
And both stories are quite interesting:
-The first one is quite as much horror how Alucard awakens.
-The second one is cooking craziness :rtard:
Read Punisher Vol. 8 Widowmaker. Too emo for me.
I really need to start reading comics. As much as I like the characters from Avengers, Spider-Man, X-Men, and other iconic series I've yet to read any comics. Since getting into manga I've become real cheap since this stuff can be found online.
In any case, I've only been reading Bleach, Naruto, and Fairy Tail. D-Grayman gets a read here and there along with Hajime no Ippo.
Quote from: Grave on January 05, 2013, 02:19:56 AM
I really need to start reading comics. As much as I like the characters from Avengers, Spider-Man, X-Men, and other iconic series I've yet to read any comics.
Same. I've been thinking about checking out one of the Essentials.
Well if you want to get into some of their classic stories, I have this list to check out (http://animationrevelation.com/forum/index.php?topic=654.0).
I should probably get back into reading those Essential Spider-Man volumes, myself.
Read X-Men Schism today. It's like they are trying their hardest to make Cyclops completely unlikable.
Read the fifth and final volume of Le Pouvoir des Innocents recently. Absolutely fantastic, it definitely helps cement this one of the best comics I've ever read.
Read Green Arrow Straight Shooter today. Oliver Queen is a favorite now.
My reading list, as of 1/7/13:
All-Star Western
Popeye (IDW)
Joe Palooka (IDW)
Sherlock Holmes (Dynamite)
The Shadow (Dynamite)
Masks (Dynamite)
Joe Kubert Presents
3 of the above are miniseries. Just read the Shadow Special over the weekend. Great stuff.
As a long time reader-collector, I am disheartened by what they're doing at DC & Marvel lately, and I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. Rather than try to educate today's generation of readers, they're rewriting history, if you will, shifting on the fly, and tossing a double bird to the older readers (like me) who know better.
Finally got to read ASM 700. And honestly, I did not dislike it at all. In fact, Peter Parker's not even dead if you look at the event from a certain philosophical standpoint. The Superior Spider-Man may have Ock's personality, but Peter's memories to go along with that. And if you go by the idea that nurturing affects our identity than nature, then Doc Ock's actually the one who's dead. Really, we just have a Peter Parker who suddenly has super-intelligence and more of a headstrong thing going on.
I read Rurouni Kenshin v. 9 and Here Come...Daredevil yesterday.
I'm starting to like Saito more. I'm paying more and close attention to Shishio. He seems more interesting already.
I believe HCD is the first full Daredevil comic I've ever read. I've been holding it off since I haven't been that interested in the character. It was good to finally start reading his 2012 run that people have been saying is great, this book was pretty good and I'll be reading more of Waid's run on the series.
I read Superior Spider-Man 1 today. Right now Otto Octavius as Peter Parker feels like Tony Stark 2.0 right now. As for Spider-Man, Otto has shown more cunning and a bit of being an anti-hero as he was planning to kill someone before he stopped. Does hint that there might more of an internal struggle between Peter and Otto as shown in ASM 700, since Peter's spirit is hanging on and he's trying to find a way to get back.
Anyone feel like a laugh? (http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/03/22/super-dictionary-dc-comics/)
That was fucking amazing. :thumbup:
Its 4 AM over here, and I basically woke up the whole house when I burst out laughing uncontrollably as I was reading that article. Man, tears are still streaming down my face. That may just be the funniest thing that I've ever read. :D
I want this book so bad.
Cracked's article (http://www.cracked.com/article_19446_the-6-most-wtf-special-edition-comics-ever-released_p3.html?wa_user1=3&wa_user2=Weird+World&wa_user3=article&wa_user4=noincite) is also great.
Over the last two days I read Rurouni Kenshin v. 10 and 11. I think Aoshi telling Shishio to have his men go after and torture the Oniwabanshu made no kind of sense. He basically goes crazy because his men died and his goal wouldn't make sense since his clan can't be the strongest if Makoto wipes them out. I thought he may have just said that because he knew the Owls would lose up until I started typing this but then he shows up his damn self and threatens to attack them.
I swear Sano's role in this arc seems so pointless. When the story goes to him, it seems too much like a distraction from the important stuff.
Did some comic book I recently read...hmmm, I think it was Criminal v. 2 that also talked about how having two cuts simultaneously from two put together blades makes wounds hard to sew up. I knew Cho was going to say that right after he pulled out those blades. Maybe I just remember it from the anime?
Sanosuke really had no purpose in the Kyoto arc. As a matter of fact, neither did Kaoru and Yahiko. Its just that all 3 of them had become staple characters, and Sanosuke in particular was pretty popular, so including him in the arc fighting alongside Kenshin and Saito was done to please the readers rather than it really making much sense. Well, it does make sense for Sanosuke himself to want to join, but it felt out of character to Saito to just so easily allow him to join along when he had earlier gone out of his way to make sure that Sanosuke didn't bother slowing him and Kenshin down by coming along with them. Sanosuke himself is the hot-head who wants to prove that he can fight with the big boys, and because he sees Kenshin and Saito as his rivals, but of course he's WAY, WAY below their skill level (and Aoshi's as well), and that shows in this arc.
Still, I have to admit that while his inclusion was done for the sake of popularity among readers rather than if it made sense or not, I'd probably be one of those readers who would've demanded for it to happen because Sanosuke to me is an integral part of the series. Sure, he's not really necessary in the Kyoto arc or even the Revenge arc, but he's a fun character that really contributes his own element to the manga. Without him, the whole series would feel completely different and, IMO, it might have become too uptight for its own good. So, for what its worth, I think his inclusion still helps the manga in a way, or at least it helps it become a bit more entertaining for me.
Sanosuke (and Yahiko) are also more closer to the typical shounen hero, so having them around provides a good foil for Kenshin I think.
Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Kaoru were more important as reminders to Kenshin that this war and his past life were no longer who he was. They were there only to remind him of who he became since leaving his past behind. They weren't important on a plot level, but without them Kenshin might have lost himself to his past.
And yeah, Aoshi was an idiot. He gets called out on it a bunch.
Oh yeah, I definitely want Sano around too. I wish he somehow had a better role in the plot but there realistically isn't much for him to do.
And yeah Aoshi, why you so stupid?
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on January 13, 2013, 12:30:15 PM
Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Kaoru were more important as reminders to Kenshin that this war and his past life were no longer who he was. They were there only to remind him of who he became since leaving his past behind. They weren't important on a plot level, but without them Kenshin might have lost himself to his past.
Well, I wouldn't say that none of them were important on a plot level. Kaoru was VERY integral to the plot of the Revenge arc, as well as a bunch of the mini-arcs in the beginning in Tokyo. Sanosuke did have his moments as well. Yahiko, though, was pretty much never a necessary character to have in the series. His inclusion and overall existence in the manga was purely there to please the younger readers, as Watsuki and his editor most likely thought that they'd need some sort of child-figure to keep the attention of the little kids, since as I said having adult protagonists usually wasn't a very popular move for most shonen. Rurouni Kenshin, Fist of the North Star, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and of course the 2nd half of Dragon Ball are among the few Shonen Jump titles that got away with it, but with Dragon Ball Goku started out as a child and even when he was an adult, the manga still had Gohan for the child element, and later Goten and Trunks. With Fist of the North Star, Kenshiro always had those 2 little brats following him around, as well :P
Having said all of that, though, I never minded Yahiko much as a character. He could have been a really annoying character that dragged down the series, but Watsuki wisely limited his usage and when he did use him he typically had Yahiko act at least a bit more mature that you would expect. So, IMO, he handled him fairly well for a child character.
They were all important to the Revenge arc, but I meant in the Kyoto arc their drive was to get Kenshin to remember that he was not a killer anymore. they were more important thematically, but they did have their place in the story. They weren't crammed in the story like the non-Saiyan characters post-Namek.
Yahiko was a good character because every time he got too cocky he was usually immediately humbled by someone better, IMO. Also, by the end, he wasn't really obnoxious anymore.
I actually like Aoshi despite him falling off his path. If there was one character that I didn't care for in RK it would be Sanosuke. He's a badass in his own right, but he's also one of those that need to shut-up. I think his character might've been handled better in the manga, but I know for sure he annoyed me in the anime, especially when we got to the Kyoto arc.
I like Aoshi as well. I almost had a heart attack when he first appeared in the Kyoto arc in the anime. Big comeback :shakeshakeshake:
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I am not worried at all about Batman's future.
Read Rurouni Kenshin V. 12 yesterday. Here's the 2nd thing the anime improved on: instead of Kenshin's freaking hand shaking when his master is about to lethally attack him like Kenshin does in the manga, from what I remember from the anime, Kenshin showed he was scared by taking a step back.
Side note: The first thing the anime did better was Kenshin vs Saito. In the manga, they just charged at each other and then one attack or counterattack lands. Rinse, wash, repeat. The anime fight had the smoothest anime in the entire show and attack wise, much more went on. Also, I love the part where Saito easily came in the dojo via asking while the camera is at their feet and he just waltzes right in.
Back to the subject, I like how Hiko pointed out probably everything wrong with Kenshin and made him value his life so much. I like how the training turned out. Kenshin gets two new moves AND becomes a better person.
In general, I've always said that I actually think that the anime adaptation of the Kyoto arc is a great adaptation of the manga, and generally even improves on in in some way, like in the scenes that you mentioned. I know that Avaitor and Desensitized have a strange distaste for the anime (I mean the entire thing, rather than just the crappy filler episodes), but I have read the manga and while I prefer that over the anime because it tells a completely story and obviously isn't bogged down by a terrible 3rd season of filler, I do love watching the Kyoto arc in the anime, and I'll be honest and say that I consider it to be the very best version of that arc. There's a lot of smooth animation in the fight scenes, the music in that arc is superb and its used to great effect in some of the most memorable scenes of the arc, and in general it keeps all of the substance of the manga while adding in its own stylistic touch in key scenes that make them stand out even better, IMO.
Its worth nothing that Kazuhiro Furuhashi had a key role in directing various episodes of Rurouni Kenshin, and if I'm not mistaken that he directed the whole fight scene between Kenshin and Saito, as well as a lot of the most memorable scenes of the Kyoto arc. He was also the main director of the Hunter X Hunter 1999 TV series, and his stylistic flair shows in that as well (he also helped to clean up a lot of the crappy parts in Togashi's writing, making for some more consistently good story-telling). Now, I don't really know how much influence he has really had in the anime adaptations of either of those series, but I often seen anime fans credit him as making some genuinely good anime adaptations of those particular classic shonen series, so if that's the case then I agree that he did a damn good job when it came to the non-filler material of RK that he directed as well as all of the HXH TV series as a whole.
Stupid PS3.
One 'mo anime comparison. In the anime, Anji stopped Usui from killing someone and it was later revealed that Usui didn't fight him because Anji would lose but still be able to injure him iirc, so it wouldn't have been worth the risk. In the manga Usui just says he won't force Anji to kill anyone (and no civilian is present) and just walks away. I wonder if this means their gap in skill is much wider in the comic.
Seeing Kenshin use his experience as hitokiri to figure out Shishio's plans was great but him knowing Shishio was going to be on a merchant ship was too farfetched. Watsuki could have left that part out and Kenshin just finding the ship with steam coming out of it would have been fine.
I love how Sano shined during the whole ship sequence. He goes on to get undermined by the arc's main villain and then Shishio gets a big surprise when he sees Sano is skilled and blows his ship up.
I actually have the anime's music and voices play in my head (On the next episode of Rurouni Kenshin dun dun! :lol: )
I remember back on tv.com how stupid Avaitor's disregard of the show was.
I had no clue KF worked on HXH. (still need to watch that) All this talk makes me want to rewatch the anime version of the Kyoto arc.
I like the anime as a decent adaption. I think they made the first arc drag a bit too much and I wasn't pleased with some of the fights (the Soujiro Vs. Kenshin fight is my favorite in the manga) but as a whole it was pretty good when it followed the manga. Everything after Kyoto in the anime was just a waste of time and didn't touch on any of the themes in the manga, but everyone already knows that.
That doesn't mean I dislike it (though I do after Kyoto), I just don't like it nearly as much as the manga.
I love the Soujiro vs Kenshin fight in the anime. It keeps all of the intensity of the manga version and has great background music on top of that. I don't see that as an inferior adaptation of the fight at all.
I don't know, I think the anime pretty much nailed the Kyoto arc, at least for me. I can agree that the mini-arcs in Tokyo were a big step down from the manga, as was the terrible 3rd season of filler, but as far as I'm concerned the Kyoto arc is terrific in the TV anime. Personally I would love to see a proper adaptation of the entire RK TV series from start to finish with Furuhashi as the head director. I think it would be great.
The thing about Furuhashi that I've noticed is that, at least with shonen series, he seems to do a great job of adapting material that already exists and makes it work at its best in anime form, even if a few changes are made in the process (nothing that totally defies the original work, though). However, he completely drops the ball when it comes to producing original material of his own. The perfect example is the Samurai X OVAs, in which he directed both of them. Trust and Betrayal was an excellent adaptation of the flash-back of Kenshin's past in the manga. Meanwhile, the less said about Reflection, the better....
I dunno, I haven't seen the anime in a long time, but I do remember enjoying it enough. Maybe I'll watch it again someday to refresh my opinion of it.
Did Furahashi really direct the post-Kyoto episodes and Reflection? Man, there's an obvious reason why this guy isn't a writer.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on January 20, 2013, 04:24:26 PM
Did Furahashi really direct the post-Kyoto episodes and Reflection? Man, there's an obvious reason why this guy isn't a writer.
I'm not sure if he actually directed any of the post-Kyoto episodes. If I'm not mistaken, he was mainly an episode director for Rurouni Kenshin, so he directed key episodes rather than the whole thing, but its very possible that he did some of the filler episodes. I'd have to research that to be sure about it, though. He did definitely direct reflection, though, which leads me to believe that the guy is brilliant at adapting good material that is already there, but terrible at any original material that the anime writers come up with.
In that regard, though, he was never credited as a writer for Reflection, so I don't know if he actually came up with the story for that, but then again, I hear that directors in Japan apparently take on certain responsibilities that differ from the definition of a director as we know it in the west, so maybe he did write it. Either way, Reflection blew, and his "directing" can certainly be blamed for that, among other things.
Read The Walking Dead Volume 17 last night. Ugh! I saw it coming. One of my top two favorite characters got killed :( His death scene was horrific and kind of laughable because it was so horrific. I cannot wait until the new main villain dies, that bastard. Did I mention that his intro was kind of laughable?
Read Wolverine Get Mystique this morning and started Wolverine And The X-Men Volume 1 a minute after that. I need to go and finish that comic.
Read volume 13 of Rurouni Kenshin. Oh so Anji and Usui did have a staredown. It was just revealed after the kyoto fire story.
I was wondering if Anji was the third strongest member of the Juppongatana and got the answer like a page later. His backstory was brutal. I was actually surprised by that head squishing. I hate how they made it seem like Tsubani (sp?)wanted to jump his bones at every turn in the anime.
I'm also liking the Juppongatana more and more. I like the inner group dynamic and how they don't act like a bunch of hollow henchmen.
My local comic book shop has been kind of weak with their Avengers back issues, only having theirs go as far back as the 300's, but they've recently acquired a buttload of issues, some dating back to single digits. I got a couple of the Korvacs-era issues (160-170's) for $2 each, and I'm hoping to earn some more money to get some of the older ones.
It's been too long since I worked on my collection.
So I think I'm going to send Linkara a request.
I finished reading Slam Dunk. MMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNN was that a fucking intense climax! Now that's how you end a manga. So many long-running series unfortunately succumb to weak pay-offs, but the ending to the last match in Slam Dunk really had me on edge the whole time. It was a good ending that both felt rewarding and realistic, in that Shohoku won their game against Sannoh, but at the cost of basically wearing themselves out to the point of not being able to make their way any further into the championship (also Sakuragi downright couldn't play after that game because of his spinal injury). So, in essence, they did manage to beat what many considered to be the best High School team in the nation of Japan, but still didn't win the championship due to facing them early in the tournament.
Now, as good as the ending was, this is actually one of those manga that didn't overstay its welcome and I actually wanted to see more of when I was finished reading it, which is always a good sign of how good something is. That said, its probably best that it ended on a high note, and the author was smart to move onto other things.
So, now I started reading Vagabond just because its by the same author. Its....pretty slow so far, but I guess I should have expected a very different tone from a more historical manga, as opposed to the hyperactive nature of a shonen sports series. Its also jarring to see just how different in tone this manga is from this previous work. Won was a light-hearted and fun shonen, whereas this manga so far seems to be more of a dark and more subdued samurai story (with plenty of blood to boot).
Read 20th Century Boys vol. 1 and Rurouni Kenshin vol. 15.
Yep, Soujiro vs Kenshin is better suited for manga. I'm at the start of that bout.
That's one of my favorite parts of the whole manga.
I finished the Hunter X Hunter manga up to it's current point, recently. Awesome stuff, way better than the Yu Yu Hakusho manga on the whole in terms of consistent art quality. None of the arcs are Chapter Black level in terms of story perfection, though, but I think Chimera Ant is one of my favorite manga arcs of all time now, (Yorkshin was awesome too, but as a whole I felt more invested in the characters' survival in Chimera Ant, and because the art in Chimera Ant was really epic at times).
Not sure what I'm going to read next. Probably Rurouni Kenshin, since I've been wanting to get into that series for a while now.
Quote from: Cartoon X on February 02, 2013, 11:29:32 PM
I finished the Hunter X Hunter manga up to it's current point, recently. Awesome stuff, way better than the Yu Yu Hakusho manga on the whole in terms of consistent art quality. None of the arcs are Chapter Black level in terms of story perfection, though, but I think Chimera Ant is one of my favorite manga arcs of all time now, (Yorkshin was awesome too, but as a whole I felt more invested in the characters' survival in Chimera Ant, and because the art in Chimera Ant was really epic at times).
Well, personally I thought YYH was great up until the end of the Chapter Black arc in the manga (the Three Kings arc was awful, though). The anime was a really good improvement over the manga in general, though. Its one of those rare anime that takes the source material and both faithfully adapts it and even improves on it in certain areas. As for Hunter X Hunter, I think its Togashi's better manga on the whole (though this is yet another case where I prefer the anime to the manga, in this case the 1999 version), but YYH is more of a personal favorite of mine (and in that regard, I'd say the anime version of YYH is better and more consistent than HXH).
At any rate, I'm a huge fan of both series. Personally I found the York Shin City arc to be my favorite in HXH. Its the most consistent in quality, tone, and theme, and it is paced perfectly. The Chimera Ant arc is certainly Togashi's most epic arc in terms of scale, and on the whole I do really like it, but I had a lot of issues with certain aspects of the arc. I could go into detail about it at a later time, but I'll just say that my biggest problems were the inconsistent pacing and narrative (as in, why did we suddenly get a narrator explaining everything for the entire 2nd half of the arc?), as well as how the ending kind of felt dragged out. That said, I still do really like many aspects of the arc, so the good definitely outweighs the bad for me. The only arc of HXH I really don't care for is Greed Island, which just felt kind of off, and has the misfortune of being stuck smack-dab in-between 2 MUCH better arcs (as many issues as I have with Chimera, it was miles better than anything in Greed Island).
Overall, though, HXH is one of my favorite shonen series. It has the disguise of a simple, light-hearted shonen series on the exterior which causes a lot of people to assume that its just generic, formulaic stuff, but it evolves into something deceptively dark as the series progresses, and not in that way in which it seems like its trying too hard to be edgy, but it does so in a natural way that just feels pretty damn unsettling in how well it actually works out for this series.
QuoteNot sure what I'm going to read next. Probably Rurouni Kenshin, since I've been wanting to get into that series for a while now.
I'd highly recommend it, myself. Just keep in mind that you might not dig the beginning. Its kind of generic and somewhat bland material that doesn't properly emulate the good writing and characterization that the series is capable of. If you make it up to the Kyoto arc and beyond, though, then you're in for a real treat, I'd say.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on February 03, 2013, 12:32:00 AM
Well, personally I thought YYH was great up until the end of the Chapter Black arc in the manga (the Three Kings arc was awful, though). The anime was a really good improvement over the manga in general, though. Its one of those rare anime that takes the source material and both faithfully adapts it and even improves on it in certain areas. As for Hunter X Hunter, I think its Togashi's better manga on the whole (though this is yet another case where I prefer the anime to the manga, in this case the 1999 version), but YYH is more of a personal favorite of mine (and in that regard, I'd say the anime version of YYH is better and more consistent than HXH).
Oh, I LOVE the
Yu Yu Hakusho anime (it's my 8th favorite anime). It's just that, I tried re-reading it recently and got disgusted at how lazy Togashi's art started to get in the middle of the Chapter Black arc. It's such a great arc in the anime, and the manga version just feels super underwhelming to me nowadays. And Three Kings is flat out tedious to go through in the manga, while the anime version is still great stuff to watch. Whereas, with
Hunter X Hunter, I haven't watched much of the anime version to compare it too, and the horribly drawn chapters were not enough to destroy my interest in the stories of each arc, while going through the last few volumes of
Yu Yu Hakusho made me wish I was watching the anime instead.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on February 03, 2013, 12:32:00 AM
I'd highly recommend it, myself. Just keep in mind that you might not dig the beginning. Its kind of generic and somewhat bland material that doesn't properly emulate the good writing and characterization that the series is capable of. If you make it up to the Kyoto arc and beyond, though, then you're in for a real treat, I'd say.
Thanks for the heads up! I watched the first episode of the anime a while back and liked it, which is why I want to read the manga (I don't have the time to watch 90+ episodes of a shonen anime nowadays). I'm not easily vowed, but I have a good feeling about
Rurouni Kenshin and have heard lots of great things about the manga, so unless the early stuff is reaallly boring I probably will stick with it until the end.
Quote from: Cartoon X on February 03, 2013, 01:07:59 AM
Oh, I LOVE the Yu Yu Hakusho anime (it's my 8th favorite anime). It's just that, I tried re-reading it recently and got disgusted at how lazy Togashi's art started to get in the middle of the Chapter Black arc. It's such a great arc in the anime, and the manga version just feels super underwhelming to me nowadays. And Three Kings is flat out tedious to go through in the manga, while the anime version is still great stuff to watch. Whereas, with Hunter X Hunter, I haven't watched much of the anime version to compare it too, and the horribly drawn chapters were not enough to destroy my interest in the stories of each arc, while going through the last few volumes of Yu Yu Hakusho made me wish I was watching the anime instead.
Oh yeah, Togashi has some HORRIBLE artwork when he's clearly being lazy, though to be fair there's just as much of it in Hunter X Hunter (if not more so), than YYH. That said, I still love Chapter Black in the manga. The anime version made it even better, making it my favorite shonen arc of all time. I really only think the YYH manga truly faltered with the Three Kings arc. The thing about Togashi's writing is that when he's on top of his game, he writes the best material in all of shonen, hands down. However, when his heart is not in his writing and he gets lazy, he can come out with some truly atrocious stuff. He's a really polarized mangaka in that way, IMO. Thankfully, most of what he writes is good material, and that's why he's my personal favorite shonen mangaka that I'm aware of, despite all of the flaws I find in his work.
At any rate, I love both YYH and HXH. If I were to break up the arcs between them, here's how I would personally rank them in terms of overall quality (based on the manga):
Chapter Black (YYH) > York Shin City (HXH) > Dark Tournament (YYH) > Chimera (HXH) > Hunter Exams (HXH) > Zoldyck (HXH) > Spirit Detective (YYH) > Chairman Election (HXH) > Heavens Arena (HXH) >>>> Greed Island (HXH) >>>>>>>>>>>>> Three Kings (YYH)
Everything up through Heavens Arena are legitimately good arcs, IMO, with the top 4 having some of Togashi's most amazing writing (even though I find the Chimera arc to be flawed)
QuoteThanks for the heads up! I watched the first episode of the anime a while back and liked it, which is why I want to read the manga (I don't have the time to watch 90+ episodes of a shonen anime nowadays). I'm not easily vowed, but I have a good feeling about Rurouni Kenshin and have heard lots of great things about the manga, so unless the early stuff is reaallly boring I probably will stick with it until the end.
None of the beginning material is bad in the least. I just meant that its nothing that's deserving of the hype that the series has garnered. If you go in expecting too much you might be initially disappointed. I was just pointing out that the truly great parts of the series start with the Kyoto/Shishio arc. Everything from that point on for the rest of the series is pretty much top quality material, IMO.
Quote from: Avaitor on February 02, 2013, 05:37:34 PM
That's one of my favorite parts of the whole manga.
Good to hear.
Quote from: gunswordfist on February 03, 2013, 12:15:25 PM
Quote from: Avaitor on February 02, 2013, 05:37:34 PM
That's one of my favorite parts of the whole manga.
Good to hear.
Not to say they botched it in the anime, but in the manga it's just soooo good and perfectly executed. It made him go from a character I didn't care about to one of my favorites.
Read volume 16 of Rurouni Kenshin last week. If I hadn't watch the anime, I know I would have expected the Soujiro fight to be Kenshin just facing some kid that smiles. It is so much more than that. I didn't know Soujiri was 18 and I wonder if he killed that mean looking baby when he murdered the family. Anyway, it's interesting that Soujiro had surpressed emotions even before he met Shishio.
Can't wait until Shishio vs Saito starts in the next volume
Read the first volume of The Unwritten today and liked it a lot. The concept about how stories are real and that fiction and reality influence each other has been done before, but it's a concept that appeals to me and Carey & Gross handles it very well. The characters are interesting and believable, both the fictional ones and the historical ones. All in all, I think this has the potential to become a new favorite of mine. At any rate, I'll definitely check out the next volume.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m3jppyhSY91qfa4ixo1_500.jpg&hash=4f5b3bcc07c0b86235562b1cd83a41ead78c0afc)
Gimme.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Ff%2Ff5%2FSh%25C5%258Dnen_Magazine_first_issue.jpg&hash=ffb5230d6fd5abdd9a2459ecaa96895b0461aa06)
John Belushi?
Some of Dan Slott's Mighty Avengers I got from the library just cause.
Why isn't Pym written like this more often?
I finished Scalped a few weeks ago. Another good recommendation from Dr. Insomniac. That's 3 for 3.
So, I finally started reading Excel Saga. That said, I only managed to finish the 1st chapter, so I'll reserve my thoughts on it until I finish at least the first 2 volumes.
Other than that, I also borrowed volume 2 of Essential Spider-Man from a friend of mine, again, and resumed reading from where I last left off in the summer, which was with the 23rd issue. For as goofy as the early Spider-Man stories are, they are still fairly entertaining, IMO. I can't wait until I get to some of the more famous stories, though, as those are the ones that I've really been wanting to read.
So on Marvel's digital distribution site and app, basically all of their first issues are available to stream for free.
Gogogo.
I've started reading a lot of different manga recently. Mermaid Saga, Urusei Yatsura, Rurouni Kenshin, GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, and Black Cat.
Mermaid Saga is a lot darker than Takahashi's more popular mangas, but is still pretty enjoyable. Urusei Yatsura is fun, but sometimes the abuse on Ataru gets to be too much for my tastes, and none of the characters are nearly as funny or well-developed as the cast in Ranma 1/2. Both are good reads, and make me want to check out Maison Ikkou soon.
I'm about one volume into Rurouni Kenshin and Black Cat, and I think both are pretty good, but I'm hoping they both pick up a bit in the next volumes. I'm actually kinda suprised that Black Cat starts completley different from the anime, which I've only seen the first episode of, but judging from JesuOtaku's review of the anime, the manga might be completely different in general in it's characterization and development of the characters in it's early arcs, which suprises me.
Of this bunch, GTO: 14 Days in Shonan is my favorite new read. It must take place after the anime/original manga, but I can follow it pretty well even without having seen them, and the story is really gripping. Onizuka is a really fun, awesome, and badass character with a lot of depth to him, and the idea of a former punk taking care of foster kids is a great concept. The other characters are great too, but the designs for the a couple of the female characters look the same a lot of the time and it's hard for me to distinguish between them. I've only read the first two volumes and the fifth and sixth ones, because those were the only ones my library has right now, but I'm definately going to read the rest and check out the original manga and anime series as well!
Shonan takes place during GTO actually. My biggest problem is that it's basically GTO just with a smaller cast of characters and is basically a throwaway sidestory in the end since none of these characters ever show up again in GTO. I think that's my biggest disappointment with it.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on March 10, 2013, 04:49:51 PM
Shonan takes place during GTO actually. My biggest problem is that it's basically GTO just with a smaller cast of characters and is basically a throwaway sidestory in the end since none of these characters ever show up again in GTO. I think that's my biggest disappointment with it.
Hmm, I see. I've never seen the original manga or anime, so I didn't know that. Although, looking it up, Shonan was written years after the end of the original manga series, so that's probably why the characters never show up in the original manga.
My problem with it is that its clearly just there because GTO was popular. It has little of the wit and charm that made Shounan Junai Gumi and the original GTO such fun series, in the first place, IMO. I don't necessarily think its bad, though, but I did lose interest in it after about 50 or so chapters. Those other kids just aren't as interesting as the ones from the original series, anyways (which is probably why the author had to bring in some older characters about half-way through).
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on March 10, 2013, 06:35:48 PM
My problem with it is that its clearly just there because GTO was popular. It has little of the wit and charm that made Shounan Junai Gumi and the original GTO such fun series, in the first place, IMO. I don't necessarily think its bad, though, but I did lose interest in it after about 50 or so chapters. Those other kids just aren't as interesting as the ones from the original series, anyways (which is probably why the author had to bring in some older characters about half-way through).
Hmm, I've really enjoyed what I've read of it so far. I've never read the other GTO mangas or watched the anime, though, so I'd probably have a different opinion once I get around to reading/watching those.
Over the last few days I've read:
Deadpool Headtrip - Decent adventure but it seemed to go on for two long. For some reason I imagined Betty's and the head's voice to be in a British accent.
Rurouni Kenshin Volume 20 - The events in Rememberance are giving some context on what's happening in the present day of the Rurouni world including grudges two of the comrades have. One more volume and that backstory will be complete.
Deadpool Classic Volume 6 - Too repetitive. Thom Cruz, Shaddup, Regis, Albuerquerque and DP whining about how everyone is going to betray him was said too much.
Quote from: Avaitor on March 10, 2013, 03:26:56 PM
So on Marvel's digital distribution site and app, basically all of their first issues are available to stream for free.
Gogogo.
Well, I got a few of the comics I attempted to download, but I still can't download the rest on my phone. I'm annoyed because I can't get the one I want the most, the first issue of the recent Hawkeye series, to DL.
Ah well, I have a couple of goodies to read anyway, including some choice Deadpool titles.
Volume 21 of Rurouni Kenshin last night
Rememberance storyline got finished. How Tomoe died wasn't stupid like in the movie. I believe Tomoe caught the ninja guy's arm in Trust & Betrayal iirc which is dumb since if she could do that then Kenshin would have had no problem slicing him up. It made sense in the manga because they probably had tunnel vision while trying to kill each other and Tomoe could get in the way (without the stupid arm catching) like that. And I finally paid attention to how Kenshin got the cross shaped scar.
I still think it's weird that Shishio had flame attacks back then but how badly he owned that traitor was fucking hilariously.
I liked how battle with the comrades started in this book and there was a decent amount of action.
Read Rurouni Kenshin volume 22 a few days ago. I'm liking this arc but really wondering how it's going to last a few more books. It seems like things could wrap up real soon but I'll just have to see how a delivery of something will effect things.
I finished Deadpool Classic 7 yesterday. Funny how serious things began and how it got sillier and sillier. It started out with an issue that was a straight up noir story for crying out loud then it goes all the way to a tale about DP getting a sidekick.
Quote from: Cartoon X on March 10, 2013, 04:28:37 PM
Urusei Yatsura is fun, but sometimes the abuse on Ataru gets to be too much for my tastes, and none of the characters are nearly as funny or well-developed as the cast in Ranma 1/2. Both are good reads, and make me want to check out Maison Ikkou soon.
I'd like to kindly rescind this earlier comment. I've now found the characters in
Urusei Yatsura to be quite enjoyable in their own right, and some of them on par with my favorite
Ranma 1/2 characters (Mendo and Ryoko's relationship reminds me a lot of the Kuno siblings' relationship in
Ranma 1/2, actually). However, I do find Jariten and Onsen-Mark annoying, though, and do not enjoy chapters that feature them prominently. Hopefully they dont appear as much as I continue to read on...
Mehhhh
So I decided to catalogue all the Avengers comics I own, and I'm going by what they've released so far in the Essentials books. There are only 8 volumes so far, but they add in the crossovers that matter and cut out the issues that are just reprints, so these are good to go by.
In the eight-volumes worth of comics from these collections, I have 9 of these issues- 8 from the main Avengers comic line, and one Giant-Size book. I need to work up on my collection fast.
But yeah, if you're curious, they tend to put out these books every two years now, and the last one just came out last year. So I'll have to wait another year for the next one to come out to check up on. But we might get another one the year after, thanks to the second movie.
Read American Vampire Volume 4 this weekend. More backstory on Skinner Sweet. He's turning into my favorite new villain.
I read:
Samurai Executioner v 6- This series is truly timeless. Asaemon goes through a few 'family/status changes'
Saga v. 1 - Not impressed. Didn't care for the by edginess or all the drawn sucks. I will probably continue this series due to one character though.
The Last Days Of American Crime v. 1 - I is impressed. Rick Remender, who also write the Bulletstorm video game, did a good job here. Very interesting concept with a good plot.
Currently on the hunt for W.I.T.C.H. as part of a foreign animation/comics article series I'm doing for a blog I'm putting together with some guys on Twitter. The show was pretty great, even before Greg Weisman came on for the second season, so I'm hoping the source material is just as much fun.
Welp, I just got my first Avengers issue from back in the double-digits. #61, for only $10.
I'm building my collection!
Over the last two days I've read:
Criminal V. 3 - Damn that was sad. Nice intro by John Singleton.
Rurouni Kenshin v. 23 - Man, Saito's fights are always short. Enishi/Himura finally starts
RK v. 24- ?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish they went through with it. I was kind of hoping they would plot twist it away and then when they did, I saw it from a mile away and wish they didn't.
RK v. 25- And things ate starting to come together.
Its true that the part in RK where a certain character turns out to be alive is pretty predictable and a total cop-out, but I still enjoyed the rest of the story past that point, so its one of those things that I can look past in favor of what I did like. Its the same with Genkai's "death" in YYH. I feel like bringing her back was sort of a cop-out, but she had some important moments in the following arc, and it turned out that it was a fucking awesome arc, with her parts included, so it was something in which I felt the good outweighed the bad.
I will say that the final set of fights in RK are all pretty lame and anticlimactic, EXCEPT for Kenshin's last fight, which is awesome in a ridiculously over-the-top sort of way, IMO.
I think they showed not too long after that that the story could still go on after something like that. Kenshin.still doesn't know what really happened at the point I'm at.
And the whole Genkai died and came back thing didn't feel like a copout until I went back and watched the entire arc, which is of course weird since I saw Chapter Black before the DT episodes I missed.
Oh and I completely believed the RK character was dead for at least a little bit since they had a funeral and everything. I'll give them credit for that.
That was a good one! In this issue, the team, which consisted of Hawkeye, the Vision and Black Panther get a surprise visit from Doctor Strange in request to help him tackle a pair of fire and ice creatures. The Black Knight, who wasn't a member just yet, comes over and teams up with them. It leads to a good fight, and I swear that there was some Lovecraftian influence.
Even more interesting to me though, was the letters page. This came out just a couple of months after the Vision's first appearance and his joining of the team, and the letters almost entirely involved those stories, just complimenting these great issues. And then there's one girl who asked about the Wasp's fashion sense, just cause.
I really need to get into classic stories. I have to get that Thor comic again and actually read it. Apparently Justice League Unlimited had a story that was based on an old tale that the comic about Odin being cruel with Jane and Thor is also based on.
I read Criminal volume 4 and 5. V. 4 was crazy and v 5 brought back my favorite character.
So I recently discovered there actually is a comic store very close to me, so I'm going to check that out. Any idea what I should look out for?
Quote from: Graywulf on April 18, 2013, 02:07:37 PM
So I recently discovered there actually is a comic store very close to me, so I'm going to check that out. Any idea what I should look out for?
If there's a prose author you like who writes comics, go for them.
Unless you like Orson Scott Card. His comics do not stack up.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on April 18, 2013, 03:45:46 PM
Quote from: Graywulf on April 18, 2013, 02:07:37 PM
So I recently discovered there actually is a comic store very close to me, so I'm going to check that out. Any idea what I should look out for?
If there's a prose author you like who writes comics, go for them.
Yes. Favorite prose author. I totally have one of those...
Anything that doesn't have the name Miller or Ennis attached.
Quote from: Graywulf on April 18, 2013, 04:29:00 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on April 18, 2013, 03:45:46 PM
Quote from: Graywulf on April 18, 2013, 02:07:37 PM
So I recently discovered there actually is a comic store very close to me, so I'm going to check that out. Any idea what I should look out for?
If there's a prose author you like who writes comics, go for them.
Yes. Favorite prose author. I totally have one of those...
Hawkeye, Saga, Fatale, Batgirl.
Also, what does Desen have against Ennis?
Nothing really, I think I was thinking of someone else. I haven't kept up with comics in a while so my names are all messed up.
Frank Miller is great and I'll assume you were really joking about Ennis and aren't actually that dumb.
A week or maybe more ago I read:
Criminal v. 6: Sean Phillips having a clever use of a different type of art style spliced into one of these stories rears its head again. Criminal goes in a bit of a different direction and I loved it.
Rurouni Kenshin v. 26: Man was that Sano story drawn out. Good to see the final conflict start though.
Quote from: gunswordfist on April 18, 2013, 07:51:20 PM
Rurouni Kenshin v. 26: Man was that Sano story drawn out. Good to see the final conflict start though.
I actually really liked that story. But, that may just be because Sano's my favorite RK character (well, tied with Saito, anyways).
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on April 18, 2013, 09:10:16 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on April 18, 2013, 07:51:20 PM
Rurouni Kenshin v. 26: Man was that Sano story drawn out. Good to see the final conflict start though.
I actually really liked that story. But, that may just be because Sano's my favorite RK character (well, tied with Saito, anyways).
Funny, Sano is my favorite too, along with Saito. (I think Saito may have surpassed him though) It's just that Sano is too unsure of what the hell he wants to do and that showed in that story. Plus it felt like an intermission or something because he came back like nothing happened to do the same thing he's been doing (basically just lending Kenshin a hand).
I think the whole purpose of that side-story, however, was to make Saito realize that he can't just so easily get fed up with his friends and abandon them, like he did with Kenshin when he was depressed over "Kaoru's death." He abandoned his father and little sister when he was a kid to fight in the war, just thinking of his father as a coward. After returning home and helping him out, I guess it was just a good way for Sano to let off some steam and come back to his senses in order to support Kenshin. At any rate, I'm certainly not complaining about the side-story, as it was a nice way to give Sano some solo glory before the series ended, and I'm always up for that.
Speaking of Hawkeye, I did very much enjoy the first issue.
Especially since they plugged this gem at the end. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqQ0CMi2DH4) More comics should have jazz recommendations in them.
So my local shop offers a subscription service, where you subscribe to at least five monthly titles and pick them up when you visit the store. I think they might put them in you file or something. And you get a 10% discount on ALL Comics (back & new issues), trade paperbacks and graphic novels.
Is buying five monthly titles really worth it? Sorry, I'm just new to this whole thing.
Just wait for the trades.
Quote from: Graywulf on April 19, 2013, 08:44:25 AM
Is buying five monthly titles really worth it? Sorry, I'm just new to this whole thing.
Nah. Just use the single issues they have in the store (or online) to sample various series and then buy the trade paperbacks of the ones you like. You'll save money, and have all the comics in easy-to-read-and-store books without ads. :)
However, if there's a series you really like, and fear is in danger of being canceled, then you should buy the single issues to support it.
Quote from: Foggle on April 19, 2013, 10:09:04 AM
Quote from: Graywulf on April 19, 2013, 08:44:25 AM
Is buying five monthly titles really worth it? Sorry, I'm just new to this whole thing.
However, if there's a series you really like, and fear is in danger of being canceled, then you should buy the single issues to support it.
Yeah, thats what I was thinking about doing. Only getting the series I'm afraid won't last long. A 10% discount really isn't all that good.
Luckily, my library has a pretty good selection of trades, so I'm looking into that. Hawkeye, Saga, and Fatale look really cool. Gotta find trades for those.
And I really appreciate all the advice. :)
To celebrate my coming graduation from high school, I have decided to start and finish every manga series I have ever wanted to read and some series I never quite finished and need to re-read between now and the fall.
Here's what I haven't started yet and will be going through. If anyone has some other suggestions for me, please tell.
20th Century Boys
Animal Land
Battle Royale
Eyeshield 21
Slam Dunk
Buso Renkin
Psyren
Akira
Phoenix
Black Jack
Astro Boy
Message to Adolf
Dororo
Fushigi Yugi
Hajime no Ippo
Cromartie High School
Love Hina
Kinnikuman
Captain Tsubasa
Kimagure Orange Road
Gintama
Saint Seiya
Rave Master
Black Lagoon
Monster
Maison Ikkoku
Rin-ne
One Man Punch
Flame of Recca
Yakkite! Japan
Bastard!
Kochikame (if I can find the scans...)
Enigma
Level E
Golgo 13
Kuroko no Basket
Sket Dance
Magi
To Love Ru
Reborn
Medaka Box
Cowa!
Bamboo Blade
Lone Wolf and Cub
Samurai Executioner
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Pluto
Banana Fish
Ode to Kirihito
Blade of the Immortal
Seizon Life
Vinland Saga
Sanctuary
Galaxy Express 999
Kaiji
Sakigate! Otokojuku
Billy Bat
Waga Tousou
Eagle
Beck
Apollo's Song
Vagabond
Ichi the Killer
Hayate Cross Blade
Please save my earth!
Hikaru no Go!
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Area 88
Domu
MxO
Alablaster
Shounan Junai Gumi
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Fist of the North Star
And here is the stuff I will re-read because I skipped some parts or never finished them:
Dr. Slump
Prince of Tennis
Case Closed/Detective Conan
Ouran High School Host Club
School Rumble
Zatch Bell!
Pokemon Adventures
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Mermaid Saga
Neko Majin Z
Death Note
Yotsuba
Trigun Maximum (I actually have finished all of this series before, but I'm going to re-read it anyway, cause it's Trigun)
One Pound Gospel
Ranma 1/2
Lupin the Third
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
And here's what I'm currently going through, and have yet to finish:
Urusei Yatsura: After three months, I am almost at the end. Just the last ten chapters left. I know you guys don't care for Takahashi's works, but I really enjoyed this series and I'll be sad to finish it. I'll probably re-read it once I'm done just because I've enjoyed it so much. I also like the movies (I haven't seen the last two yet though) too, especially Beautiful Dreamer. I'd give the anime a try, but it's 195 episodes, which is way too long a commitment for me nowadays. I'll probably watch some of the adaptions of my favorite chapters, though.
Great Teacher Onizuka (the original): Hilarious! Well, the art more than the actual jokes most of the time for me, but lots of heart and fun and a great read! I'm currently 75 chapters into it, so I'm about 3/8ths done. Might slow down how much I read though, just to preserve my fun with the series a little bit longer.
Rurouni Kenshin: I finished volume 5 recently, and yeah, the series hasn't particularly stood out so far. Not to say that it is not enjoyable, because the art is fantastic and I do laugh sometimes during the comedic bits, but it's not done enough for me yet to truly get into it. However, I'm not at the famous Kyoto arc yet, so I'm guessing that'll be where the series truly becomes special and my opinion of it will change for the better.
Berserk: Finished four volumes so far, and am now into Guts' backstory. Bloody fun to be sure, but like Rurouni Kenshin, it hasn't won me over just yet. From what I've heard, though, I won't have long to wait to see the series shine.
Black Cat: Three volumes in, and it's pretty good so far, with a likeable cast lacking most of the traits I find annoying in stuff like Naruto. Not as good as Kenshin, but I think I like it more than Berserk right now, if only because Train, Sven, and Eve are more likeable protagonists for me than Guts, who I still like and sympathize with, mind you, but three likeable main characters>one. But I'm not far in either of them, so who knows, maybe my opinion will change.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: 5 volumes in, so I've completed the Black Moon arc. You know, I never watched the anime when it aired on Toonami, but I watched a couple episodes a year or so back and thought what I saw was ok, and learned enough about the storyline to be shocked at some of the changes the anime made to the manga's story. Yeah, it's quite different indeed, and very fast paced. However, sometimes the art is a bit confusing to follow, and the villains go before they have time to establish much personality, so it looses points with me on those fronts. Still, it's not a bad series by any means, and the Black Moon arc was a definite improvement over the Dark Kingdom arc, so I think I'll stick with it for now.
Excel Saga: I started reading this after my interest was piqued by Foggle's review, and I must say this: THANK. YOU. SIR! Easily one of the funniest manga's I've ever read, even if it is also the wordiest! I'm currently searching for a copy of volume five to read online, since my library doesn't have it or seven and eight. I've read volumes 12-15 already on a whim because my library had them available at the same time, so I'm eager to see the introductions of some certain characters. Out of all the manga I'm currently reading, this has been the most enjoyable one for me.
All together, that makes 98 manga I'm going to try to finish before the fall. Maybe more if I add any new picks to the list. Will I succeed? Probably not. But hey, might as well try anyway. ;)
I also need to get back to reading Excel Saga. I haven't forgotten about it at all. I've just been extremely busy preparing for my college finals, as well as multi-tasking a shit-ton of projects that are due by next week. :sweat:
But, don't worry, I'll get back to the series as soon as I finish my semester! :thumbup:
Personally, I'm having a bit of a hard time deciding what to read next and whether I should prioritize some titles which intrigue me, but I haven't had the time/opportunity to read yet, or if I should get caught up with some older titles in my collection that I have neglected. Decisions, decisions..
Cartoon X: Here's a list of manga that are among my own personal favorites and that I'd recommend to anyone, most of it historical fiction and mystery stuff:
Lone Wolf and Cub
Samurai Executioner
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Pluto
Banana Fish
Ode to Kirihito
Blade of the Immortal
Seizon Life
Vinland Saga
I should point out that the last two titles have not been officially released in English. Well, Vinland Saga apparently has, but the first volume won't come out until later this year. Anyway, I hope I've been of some assistance.
Thanks, Pharass. I'm going to add those series to my to-read list in my original post. As for those two series not officially translated yet, I'm fine with just reading scans. That's what I had to do with Urusei Yatsura since Viz never released the series and full and what they did release has been out of print for more than a decade.
Quote from: Cartoon X on April 21, 2013, 12:35:29 AM
Excel Saga: I started reading this after my interest was piqued by Foggle's review, and I must say this: THANK. YOU. SIR! Easily one of the funniest manga's I've ever read, even if it is also the wordiest! I'm currently searching for a copy of volume five to read online, since my library doesn't have it or seven and eight. I've read volumes 12-15 already on a whim because my library had them available at the same time, so I'm eager to see the introductions of some certain characters. Out of all the manga I'm currently reading, this has been the most enjoyable one for me.
Ahh, missed this post until now.
Glad you enjoyed my article! And I'm even gladder you started reading the series! :)
Quote from: Foggle on April 21, 2013, 03:30:08 PM
Glad you enjoyed my article! And I'm even gladder you started reading the series! :)
Thanks for writing that article.
Excel Saga is great! :)
Erm, Guyver? Absolutely alll other manga I could suggest was mentioned.
I read Punisher War Journal v. 1 a few days ago. l*m not the biggest fan of Punisher going after supervillians but it was nice seeing him work under Captain America*s command.
I read Deadpool v. 9 Institutionalized a day or two ago... :whuh:
Yesterday I read Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter. I love the movie Payback which is a semi-adaptation of Stark's famous book but this comic does it so much better.
The new Aquaman is awesome.
Saga and Fatale are interesting, but not my cup of tea.
Over the last few days I've read: New X-Men v. 2...., ok now I'm just confused. Couldn't even start v. 3 bc it had detached pages put in the wrong order.
Daredevil by Mark Waid v. 2 - Not as good as v. 1 and the Black Cat relationship is forced but I'm addicted as ever.
On Friday I started Rurouni Kenshin v. 27, finished it on Saturday. I wanted to hold it off even longer since I hate finishing off great series but I was bored and the book is due back not long from today. Yep, the supporting cast's final fights sucked. Saito's fights get shorter and shorter. Kenshin vs Enishi is heating up. Kenshin's answer sounds like what he planned to do the whole time except he mentioned what he felt his crime was.
The worst thing about the final fights for the supporting cast was that it was so shoehorned in there just to give them something to do. Its one of those things in which I find that less would have been more. By this point in the series, all of the supporting cast, including Yahiko of all people, had proven their worth in battle and had shown their growth as characters. The whole Enishi ordeal was Kenshin's problem to deal with, though, and I feel that the whole deal with those 4 lazily designed generic warriors could have been removed from the story entirely and nothing of value would have been lost in the process. Kenshin vs. Enishi is all we needed to see by that point, and the rest just felt like filler.
Funny enough, I found Yahiko's fight to be the most important out of the 4. It was the 2nd time he beat someone good with no help. So his was the only fight I didn't mind even though the fight itself sucked.
This blog has been posting a solid list of Marvel stories worth reading (http://marveloki.tumblr.com/tagged/neverending-list), and I've been tweaking my queue according. I've read most of the Avengers stories on here (the last one aside), but there are other new ones to me in here that make me interested in keeping up.
Yesteray I finally read Ironman Extremis. Between ek talking about it and my brother saying it had a movie or something, I had to get it out of the way. I see they retconned Ironman's disgusting Vietnam origin. Good. I'm still thinking over how good the interview in the story was. Ellis is such a talented writer. I wish I could see IM3 soon because this was a good warmup to it. EK and everyone else, if you haven't yet, go read Matt Fraction Invincible Ironman. It's similar to Extremis except it's less deep and more epic. The movies were smart to take elements from both.
Finished reading JLA Year One yesterday after starting it on Saturday. That comic book is way too fucking long and it was a bit too all over the place. On the plus side, it pretty much made me a Hal Jordan fan. It sucks that his movie sucks and he got little love in the DCAU. He's the most criminally underused JLAer when it comes to mediums outside of comics.
Read JLA American Dreams today....unfortunately. Between Captain Anime Atom Superman, the nonsensical plot, the shitty art and JLA fighting an angel named ASMODEL, I could barely bare it.
Just read Avengers: X-Sanction, and... it's not so bad. I mean, it's Jeph Loeb, and the guy's literal weakness is present. Shit, he has a flashback with a flashforward in it! That's just bad writing.
But surprisingly, I found his character work passable. His Spidey quips were fair, as was his exchanges with Wolverine. He also got a lot of the other characters on well enough, although I don't think I'll ever get used to Red Hulk. But what worked the best for me is Cable, primarily the storyline with him and Hope. The story actually feels like a coda to Loeb's grief to his late son, which in its own way works. I'd say that it's one of his better books.
Read Daredevil by Mark Waid v. 3 on Thursday. DD is going through the ringer. I wonder what'll happen next.
Ugh, I need to write up my progress reports on this manga challenge I'm doing much more often or I can't talk about what I've read well. It's been a while since my last post and I've read a lot of different manga. I won't talk about the ending of Urusei Yatsura yet since I want to watch it's movie adaption first to compare them, but as for the rest...
Rurouni Kenshin - Read 6 and 7. I think I'm sold on the series. That might be jumping the gun, but volume 7 put everything in volume 1-6 in perspective. The series has been really good so far, and I know from hearsay that it'll only get better from here.
Berserk- Read through volume 7. Honestly, my opinion on the series hasn't changed since last time, although I like Guts and Casca a lot better as characters now.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon - Read volume 6. Did not see the twist with Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, and was surprised that they were lesbians. I'm sure the anime wrote that part out huh. Anyway, story is shaping out pretty well, although it does bother me a little that the villains in this manga are kind of forgettable if they are not the main villain of the arc. Oh well.
Excel Saga - It's just not fair. I can't find a copy of volume 5 or 7 anywhere. :-[ At least I got to read Elaga's introduction chapters in volume 8, though. Sigh... such a hilarious and unique manga. I'll move on to volume 9 for now, but at some point I really want to find 5 and 7 and read them.
School Rumble - Read volume 1. I never actually read the manga from the beginning before, I just watched the anime. But the manga is still as funny as the anime in these first few episodes, although the anime makes changes I would consider were for the better. One thing that surprised me is that Eri feels like a very different character than she does in her first few appearances in the anime. Like, she is used to overreact to the weirdness of the characters and being made fun of for being high and mighty. In the anime she was a little more down to earth in her first few episodes than she was in this volume. Anyway, it was nice to revisit these early School Rumble moments in manga form this time, and I still got lots of laughs, so really all there is to it is to just read the next volume!
Slam Dunk - Read the first three volumes. This manga is awesome. Seriously, it is hilarious off the bat and Sakuragi is really likeable even though he is so incredibly arrogant, which is a balance most manga characters cant mange at all. I'm fudging pumped to read the next volumes, so I'm just going to get to it! Yeah!
20th Century Boys Read the first volume. Since nothing major happened, I don't know exactly what to think of the characters and story yet, except that I like them. This whole Friend mystery is really interesting and I like Urasawa's art and humor styles, so I'm looking forward to reading more volumes.
Buso Renkin - Read volume 1. This was written by Watsuki? Really? After Rurouni Kenshin this was the best he could create? It's not bad or anything, but it's super disappointing coming from the creator of Rurouni Kenshin. I'm honestly not very enthusiastic about this series so far, but it's short, so unless it becomes unreadable I'll continue with it...
Psyren- Read volume one. Pretty interesting so far, even if the concept and characters feel a little familiar. I'm curious to learn more about what the Psyren world exactly is and what the game entails.
Rave Master - Read volume 1. It's okay, but like Buso Renkin, I'm not feeling it. Still, it's certainly got a nice sense of humor and a likeable enough protagonist, so I'll still continue reading it, although to be honest I'm going to go through all the manga on my to read list beginning to end regardless of how awful they are or become anyway, so I can only hope for the best.
Attack on Titan- Read volumes 1 & 2. I did not see that twist near the end of two coming. At the same time, I think this manga is going perhaps a tad bit overboard on the violence and this whole "the world is cruel" philosophy is always overdone and misused anytime its used in any work of fiction, but goddamn is the manga gorgeously drawn. You can see why the anime puts a lot of effort in making this story shine in it's fight scenes and dramatic moments. Just have to read and watch more, and hope this series keeps getting better!
Zatch Bell!- Read volumes 1-4. I'm reminded why I enjoy this series. In fact, it holds up quite well, better than I expected. Now, to be fair, there is nothing exactly different in terms of storytelling or themes that sets this manga apart from other shonen series, at least not so far. And in fact, there are a lot of flaws and formula in the story as well. But I love these characters. I love Kiyo's change from an arrogant and unsociable jerk to a true friend with a good heart, and I love Zatch Bell himself, a character embodying the innocence that only a child could have and a heart bigger than his stature. Really the kind of characters you want to root for and their relationship with each other carries this story. Folgore and Kanchome were actually fantastic and hilarious characters, much more so than what I remembered, and I know they only become better ones as the series progresses. Tia and Megumi are kind of bland though, although to be honest they never did much for me when I was a kid either so it's nothing new I suppose. Sherry and Brago, while they don't do all that much in the story until the Millennium Momodo arc, were set up all right and the brief moments they have in these early chapters hint at the sort of relationship they have with each other and Sherry's insecurities, so that was nice. Really though, what makes this manga special though is it's great sense of humor and Raiku's unique art style. Right now the story is rather plain and formulaic, but if I remember correctly the London arc is really good and then the general encounters with other Mamodo get more interesting after that as well. So really I had a lot of fun revisiting this series and am likely to continue to have more fun reading on forwards.
So I guess I haven't made that much progress on my manga reading, but at least I have a list and plan to get myself more experienced with various manga now. Aside from the now completed but fondly remembered Urusei Yatsura, the best manga I'm going through would still be Excel Saga, but Slam Dunk and Rurouni Kenshin are now following verryy closely behind, so aside from some dud series, things are going pretty good with my manga reading so far. I need to do a similar thing like this for novels, movies, and anime too, but one thing at a time. :sweat:
Yeah, Rurouni Kenshin has very much been Watsuki's "one-hit wonder" as far as manga series go. Nothing he has written since has even been in the same league of quality as Rurouni Kenshin. Its like he took all his talent, good story ideas, and interesting characterization and dumped it all into that one series, and honestly its my personal favorite manga series (shonen or otherwise), but its also disappointing to see that Watsuki can't even come close to producing the same quality of work with any of his other series. Its a shame, because he clearly had to have been talented to write-up something like Rurouni Kenshin, ut maybe he just became one of those authors who has a really big hit and then gets lazy and writes very generic and third-rate stories for the rest of their career, and just manage to make sales off of their name recognition alone (which is only good enough thanks to their first major series being a hit). Maybe I'm looking too much into it, but that's certainly the vibe that I get from his later works.
Berserk is really weird. It starts out excellent and consistently gets better and better, but then the quality just drops off suddenly. The latest volumes aren't even worth reading IMO. Hopefully Miura gets back on track soon.
Quote from: Foggle on May 12, 2013, 02:17:57 AM
Berserk is really weird. It starts out excellent and consistently gets better and better, but then the quality just drops off suddenly.
So it's like
The Simpsons? :>
Eh, I'm being strict on myself and reading through entire manga series even if I find they are or become awful, so I'll have to deal with that when it comes I suppose. I just hope that the best parts are so excellent they can outweigh the bad. And I especially hope that
Berserk doesn't become shit like how
Bleach did after it's peak at the Soul Society arc. But like that's going to happen....
R-Right?..... :butbut:
As for
Buso Renkin, Watsuki's notes about how he came up with the series and his thought process in creating the characters indicates to me that he
was actually trying and enthusiastic about the series. I guess somehow
Rurouni Kenshin was simply a story that he really understood how to make work, and ultimately as he went on it progressed naturally for him. Some storytellers really do just have one story they really want to tell and make work like magic, while straining to create a work that can rival the first. Not everybody can be Toriyama or Tezuka, I suppose, and effortlessly create fun and entertaining stories again and again even if they are just winging it (in Toriyama's case, of course).
Berserk never really becomes bad, but the newer chapters are... odd. Let's just say that going straight from the earliest volumes to the newest ones is like following up The Dark Knight with Batman: The Movie (starring Adam West).
Also, I'm glad to see you're enjoying Excel Saga so much! It really is a special manga.
Apparently Watsuki recently rebooted Kenshin. What are your thoughts on that, E-K?
Quote from: Foggle on May 12, 2013, 02:42:05 AM
Berserk never really becomes bad, but the newer chapters are... odd. Let's just say that going straight from the earliest volumes to the newest ones is like following up The Dark Knight with Batman: The Movie (starring Adam West).
Phew. At least it's not
Bleach terrible. That would have sucked. I'll see what's up with those chapters when I get to them.
Quote from: Foggle on May 12, 2013, 02:42:05 AM
Also, I'm glad to see you're enjoying Excel Saga so much! It really is a special manga.
:) ;) ;D
Quote from: Foggle on May 12, 2013, 02:42:05 AM
Apparently Watsuki recently rebooted Kenshin. What are your thoughts on that, E-K?
I don't know about how Ensatsu-ken feels about it, but personally I checked out the first two chapters and thought they were all right, but also just a re-tread of what I had already read of the story that really didn't offer much new. Then again, I only read two chapters, so after I finish
Rurouni Kenshin the original I might try to give it another shot. Although, I would much rather read Sawaii's new
Bobobo spinoff starring Don Patch as the main character (which no doubt he's happy about ;)), but not only will the series never be localized in the U.S., no one is doing scans of it at all either. Sigh... :'(
Quote from: Cartoon X on May 12, 2013, 02:34:33 AM
Quote from: Foggle on May 12, 2013, 02:17:57 AM
Berserk is really weird. It starts out excellent and consistently gets better and better, but then the quality just drops off suddenly.
So it's like The Simpsons? :>
Eh, I'm being strict on myself and reading through entire manga series even if I find they are or become awful, so I'll have to deal with that when it comes I suppose. I just hope that the best parts are so excellent they can outweigh the bad. And I especially hope that Berserk doesn't become shit like how Bleach did after it's peak at the Soul Society arc. But like that's going to happen....
R-Right?..... :butbut:
As for Buso Renkin, Watsuki's notes about how he came up with the series and his thought process in creating the characters indicates to me that he was actually trying and enthusiastic about the series. I guess somehow Rurouni Kenshin was simply a story that he really understood how to make work, and ultimately as he went on it progressed naturally for him. Some storytellers really do just have one story they really want to tell and make work like magic, while straining to create a work that can rival the first. Not everybody can be Toriyama or Tezuka, I suppose, and effortlessly create fun and entertaining stories again and again even if they are just winging it (in Toriyama's case, of course).
Yeah, that's how I suspect it is with Watsuki. He probably had one great idea that turned into a great series and probably could only do watered down versions of it afterwards instead of something unique.
Reboot, huh? Now I'm going to have to stop holding off v. 28 to give that a quick peek. But I don't wanna finish this great series :cry:
Watsuki didn't reboot the series, or at least not in the sense that you think. He just wrote up a few chapters for a movie tie-in last year when the live-action movie was being hyped up, in order to help market it. Its basically just a very brief mish-mash of characters from the series having their roles slightly changed and having fights and stuff. Its nothing as big as a full-on reboot, and as for its quality, its pretty much on par with all of Watsuki's post-RK work, meaning that its mostly just mediocre and forgettable.
Finished Green Arrow Moving Targets two days ago. Mia was made more bearable in this one. The story also showed that Green Arrow has a decent Rogues Gallery with the introduction of Brick (Y'all have seen Roy fight him on Young Justice), Drakon returning and Deathstroke. I HATE what they did with The Riddler though.
Right now I am reading the Higurashi manga for the first time (outside of one earlier attempt maybe five years ago), and I find it vastly superior to both the anime and the visual novel. It's not heavily abridged like the anime is, but it has much better pacing than the VN because most of the worthless exposition is removed. Unlike the anime, the brilliant foreshadowing and plausible storytelling is left intact, and unlike the VN, the characters are likeable instead of neurotic. Very much a best of both worlds sort of thing. The art is really hit or miss, though... the different artists seem to either do a great job with the serious scenes or the silly ones, but never both.
Oh yeah, I read the first couple of volumes of the manga w hile ago, and I very much liked them. I need to read the rest.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 13, 2013, 11:46:20 AM
Oh yeah, I read the first couple of volumes of the manga w hile ago, and I very much liked them. I need to read the rest.
First arc is about the same in the manga as the anime and VN. There really isn't much special you can do with Onikakushi since it basically just boils down to a satire on generic dating sims in the end. The manga gets a lot more interesting afterward; it deviates from and expands on the other versions of the story for the better. The manga-exclusive arcs are also quite good so far.
Currently reading Sleeper season two and the new edition of Message to Adolf from Vertical. Sleeper continues to be a great series, with Holden getting further and further mixed up in Lynch's and Tao's byzantine schemes. Adolf of course, is a classic and the new edition is a thing of beauty.
Quote from: Pharass on May 15, 2013, 07:30:12 AM
Currently reading Sleeper season two and the new edition of Message to Adolf from Vertical. Sleeper continues to be a great series, with Holden getting further and further mixed up in Lynch's and Tao's byzantine schemes. Adolf of course, is a classic and the new edition is a thing of beauty.
Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips works are great. I was just thinking about the last volume of Criminal I read.
My local comic book shop has a month-long celebration for Free Comic Book Day, since the main day does so well for them. this year, if you spend at least $3 over there every Saturday, you can win a free first volume of one of a handful of graphic novels.
I'm just buying various Avengers back issues, and taking this chance to get the first volume of DMZ. :D
Please read DMZ.
Finished reading War Of Kings today. I really liked it. Started out much faster than Annihilation and a lot of it was about decisions being made that are in the grey zone.
One of the free comics I got from the place today was a 90's-ea Guardians of the Galaxy issue. Yikes, you can totally feel Liefeld's influence in this one. Half of the time I was reading it, I thought this was an X-Force book, and that's not exactly a good thing.
I also got a reprint of "The Night That Gwen Stacy Died", along with its follow-up. I actually did not know that this is what this issue was, since I didn't really scan the cover, but just saw that it was a Spidey book. I actually don't own a reprint of the second part (I own the first story in at least one other printing, though), so it's nice to have.
Heh Guardians Of The Galaxy showed up in War Of Kings. Or at least the new ones did
Well now would be a good time to get acquainted with them, since their movie is coming up soon.
I believe they're using the 2008 lineup, so that run would be ideal to check out. Rocket Raccoon's miniseries is something else that I need to personally check out, as well.
Yeah, I was thinking that when GotG showed up. A RR series sounds interesting. I need to finish Annihilation Conquest then read that.
The whole of the RR miniseries is available in the Annihilation Classic collection, among a bunch of other cool stuff.
Check it out. (http://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=19338203)
Thanks!
Quote from: Avaitor on May 18, 2013, 07:54:41 PM
One of the free comics I got from the place today was a 90's-ea Guardians of the Galaxy issue. Yikes, you can totally feel Liefeld's influence in this one. Half of the time I was reading it, I thought this was an X-Force book, and that's not exactly a good thing.
Way too many 90's comics are like that. Gawd, dat Liefeld art...
I finished Rurouni Kenshin volume 28 today thus finishing the series :'( It was sad for me from the start because of the intro where Watsuki was serious for once, thanked everyone and drew himself bowing. Not even when I finished 100 Bullets was I this sad to end a series
Yeah, whenever a long-running series with characters I actually give a shit about has a good run all of the way through (with maybe a few stumbles in quality in-between), I get pretty sad to see it end, too. Good thing most series I read fuck-up somewhere along the line, then! ;D
lol Shitty series also don't make me depressed. Finding out that a 3rd of the book was actually a preview of another Watsuki series that I want give a chance meaning that the ending of RK snuck up on me out of nowhere was depressing though :cry:
Yeah, I'm always sad when I finish something I really like. I was quite sad to finish Urusei Yatsura recently, since it had a very consistent run through and through, and I felt Takahashi could have gone on with the series for a bit longer (although it was already really long, but anyway). However, at the same time I'm glad when a great series has a deserved and great ending. I'd rather series have a short lifespan where they are consistent in quality throughout it's run and have a great ending, then if they went on forever and ever continually decreasing in quality and maybe even not achieving a satisfactory ending.
Hell, why don't I just list all of the series that I was sad to complete?
Let's see. There's:
Yu Yu Hakusho (the anime in this case, but I just had to list it)
Monster
20th Century Boys
Hikaru no Go
Rurouni Kenshin
Great Teacher Onizuka (I know about Shonan 14 days, but that's an in-between-quel, not a sequel)
Dragon Ball
Slam Dunk
Bakuman
Hmm..., while I have completed my fair share of manga, only a couple I would say I was heart-breaking sad to finish:
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
Urusei Yatsura
InuYasha
Ranma 1/2
Trigun Maximum
Lupin the Third
(I'm not counting the ones where it was the anime ending that got to me and not the manga one, like Yu Yu Hakusho, but it's a complete list nonetheless.)
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 21, 2013, 07:58:35 PM
Yu Yu Hakusho
I was sad to finish it because he let the quality drop like a rock and never brought it back to the standard it deserved. It's completely terrible after about the time Yusuke decides to go to Demon World and never gets better.
I'm glad the anime managed to salvage it.
Quote from: Cartoon X on May 21, 2013, 05:45:59 PM
Yeah, I'm always sad when I finish something I really like. I was quite sad to finish Urusei Yatsura recently, since it had a very consistent run through and through, and I felt Takahashi could have gone on with the series for a bit longer (although it was already really long, but anyway). However, at the same time I'm glad when a great series has a deserved and great ending. I'd rather series have a short lifespan where they are consistent in quality throughout it's run and have a great ending, then if they went on forever and ever continually decreasing in quality and maybe even not achieving a satisfactory ending.
Yeah, with both RK and 100 Bullets, they could have went on forever but I'd take their good endings over that any day.
I read part 4 of Superman: Birthright. This is turning out to easily be the best Superman-related thing that I've experienced, so far. Clark Kent/Superman is more likable and relate-able in this story than I've ever seen him in anything else. Admittedly this is so far the only actual comic that I've read for this character, though, so that's probably not much to go on, but its certainly better than any of his TV or film iterations that I've seen.
I was just going to mention how sad the ending of Superman Birthright made me. Also Superman Secret Identity tugged a few heartstrings as well.
This new Deadpool run is the real deal. Second arc has been FUCKING AMAZING so far. I'm really engrossed in the story and I've actually been surprised at how dark it's gotten at times. Really good stuff!
Oh man, I really need to catch up. I was surprised how dark Deadpool Classic got.
I've gone back to reading Essential Spider-Man. I just got to the graduation issue. For an old and campy 1960's comic, these stories can still be surprisingly entertaining. I really liked the first 2 Spider-Man annuals a lot, as well, and I'll probably work my way around to the 3rd one soon.
I'm also starting up Excel Saga volume 2 today.
I need to start on that and Essential X-Men.
The third annual's a fun one. That's where Spidey turns down the Avengers. :P
Read this if you've finished 100 Bulletshttp://www.comicvine.com/articles/interview-brian-azzarello-talks-100-bullets-brothe/1100-146607/ (http://www.comicvine.com/articles/interview-brian-azzarello-talks-100-bullets-brothe/1100-146607/) :swoon: This is my most anticipated comic now, even ahead of any upcoming Deadpool comic.
The Court of Owls ending was kind of anti-climatic, and the last issue was just a standard downtrodden-kid-saves-Batman story, but I still liked it.
Now to the next one...
Nothing new or special. Naruto and Bleach which has been a roller coaster. I'd still read D-Grayman, but it seems like getting new chapters of that comes every 3 months or something.
Since May 24, I read:
Cyclops v. 1 - Just like DMZ, it's a comic book that has commentary on the war or something like that.
Daredevil V 4 - Shit got weird a third into this comic.
JLA Rock Of Ages - Another nonsensical Justice League story by Grant Morrison with mediocre art. Is Grant's writing always so random in team superhero books because New X-Men is just like this.
JLA World War III - Same as above
Spider-Man Noir - I was so impressed and surprised by this comic. They quickly established how much Parker cares about people, this is the best Spider-Man origin story I've ever read, I liked it more than any other Spider-Man story I've read so far (Mostly just Ultimate, I haven't read any classics yet) and I loved the art (how it looks when Spidey moves fast is cool and I love his Noir costume). I thought this would be some filmsy alternate reality book and even put off reading it but now this is one of my favorites.
World War Hulk - A sequel to possibly my favorite superhero comic, Planet Hulk. This was actually supposed to be one of the first comic books I'd ever read but someone suggested that I read Planet Hulk first and after that, I didn't really want to read a story that I thought would be a mindless action fest. WWH was mostly that but I did like the idea of Hulk coming back to Earth to be the strongest villain there while arriving in a cool spaceship with a well made group of aliens on his side. And the action was great. Some serious displays of power were shown
So I was picking up the newest Deadpool issue yesterday (I'm slow, I know), when I noticed a stack of X-Men #1 variants next to the cash register. These special covers had the logo of my local comic shop plastered down at the bottom, and upon talking to the lady at the counter, I discovered that this Texas store is apparently now enough of a big deal to get its own exclusive covers. I attempted to find pictures of this cover online, but to no avail, which leads me to believe that it truly is exclusive to this relatively small franchise. It's signed by the artist, as well. DO I NOW HAVE AN IRREPLACEABLE COLLECTOR'S ITEM!?!?!
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F3INNrSI.jpg&hash=b1a560303206c8aec453556b84e0059570df56bc)
So apparently some guy on eBay is selling unsigned copies of these for $24 apiece... and six people have actually bought them. Whoa.
Anyway, as for the comic itself, it's pretty good. I know fuck all about X-Men aside from how hilarious the 90's cartoon is, but I enjoyed this first issue. It didn't blow me away, but comic books with primarily female leads are pretty rare, so I figure I'll keep reading for a time just to support the idea behind it.
Woah, looks pretty cool. I wish I lived near a comic book store. Alas, none exist anywhere near where I live, because New Jersey is the most boring (and idiotic) state in the entire country.
In other news, I finally got back into reading Excel Saga (see, I haven't forgotten about it!) and I just finished volume 2, and the series is slowly starting to develop into something more interesting than what it initially seemed like it would be. I can't wait to start volume 3! :thumbup:
I read JLA Divided We Fall a few days ago. Another confusing ass JLA comic. I did come away liking Plastic Man more. I kind of imagined him in his BTATB voice and he had the best part in the book.
The Incredible Hulk vol. 1. I finished it yesterday. Jason Aaron's run looks like it'll be a lot of fun ;D
So, I just started reading Attack on Titan since apparently its one of the better shonen series to be currently running, and being that I actually like good shonen series, I finally had to get around to checking it out. Now, normally I don't like series that try to be dark and edgy just to look cool to people, but just a few chapters into this series, I think its a pretty decent read so far. Nothing about it stands out to me as being great, just yet, but its seems pretty competently written for a shonen series given the subject-material at hand, none of the characters annoy me yet (which is a good sign, of course), and although its violent, unlike in something like Hunter X Hunter, the violence in this series actually makes sense, and it doesn't seem like its trying too hard to come off as dark. It just seems like its, at least so far, a more unique type of shonen story that just happens to be a little bit darker than most. I'm certainly interested enough to continue reading this manga for now.
At this point, Titan is only good for me because of the animated action scenes. I can't see the manga being nearly as enjoyable without them, though honestly, its fuck-awful pacing (which is still better than Aku no Hana's, btw) has made me lose interest almost completely.
Well, I haven't seen the anime yet, so I have no idea what to say about that at the moment. I'm only like 4 chapters into the manga, so I can't really say anything about the pacing problems until I get around to them. Obviously the early parts move the story along fine, but I'm assuming some stuff might be dragged out later on, or it may be like Dragon Ball where all of the pacing problems exist only in the anime. Either way, I'm too early into the series to know about any of this stuff. I'm merely saying that as it stands, I liked the first volume of the manga. Not that I think its great stuff, but its entertaining stuff, to say the least.
If I do encounter a lot of stuff that I don't like with the manga, however, I'll be sure to note it as I come to that stuff.
As for the action scenes, while its obviously going to look better in animation, I have a particular appreciation for well-done action in manga/comics if the artist does a good job of illustrating the sort of motions that these characters make, which is harder to do than a lot of people realize. Its why I can still enjoy the action scenes in something like Dragon Ball even if its not actually animated, because I still get a clear sense of the over-the-top sort of motions going on. So far, Titan has been surprisingly good about its action scenes as far as the manga goes, but its not for everyone unless you sort of have an appreciation for that sort of thing.
As for story and character problems, once again, I'm still only a volume into the series, so I'll keep note of that as they come.
I also have an appreciation for good comic book action scenes, but I still like them more when they're (well) animated. Titan can be fairly ridiculous (in a good way), and I think that works better as anime than manga. Then again, I've never actually read the original work, so I'm just talking out of my ass here.
After 5 chapters of reading the manga, I can give you a general idea of my strengths and weaknesses of the series so far.
Strengths:
-I like the art-style (subjective, I know, but its worth mentioning)
-I like the fluidity of the action scenes
-The idea of the society that the last remaining humans live in is pretty interesting
-For a shonen series, the characters are well-defined, and their personalities are understandable, even if they are a bit shallow
-The 3D motion gear is both a means to creat unique action scenes, and they are just fucking bad-ass weapons
-The story hasn't thrown in any stupid plot-twists yet, but then again I'm only 5 chapters in
-The violence and gore is just right for this kind of series, as its present to show how gritty things can get, but its not overdone
-The main characters are surprisingly clever in their ingenuity, and unlike most shonen series, they haven't made any stupid decisions yet (or ones that just flat-out make no sense), but then again, I'm still only 5 chapters in
Weaknesses:
-The Titans are just a 1-dimensional force of opposition, and I'm a guy who prefers 3-dimensional villains
-Some people act unrealistically 1-dimensional; one particular example is when Mikasa slayed a Titan, and then went to a group of people trying to take refuge in the inner district and asked them why the hell they haven't gone in yet since her comrades were dying trying to protect them. Them some rich ass-hole says he doesn't want to let them in because he's just a 1-dimensional ass-hole who only exists to stir up controversy, and tells Mikasa that her kind are supposed to die for them just to get the readers to easily hate him and side with the soldiers. I hate these 1-dimensional kind of ass-holes, not just because they are supposed to be hated, but because they are a cheap device to twist the emotions of the audience in a way that the author intends without letting them get to their own conclusions for themselves. So far, it hasn't happened too much, so its a small gripe, but it still ticks me off.
And that's my thoughts on the series so far. I'll add more stuff to both lists as I continue reading it.
Got the third volumes of Scalped and Planetary today. These two series just keep getting better and better with each new volume, Planetary was especially satisfying this time around with one or more awe-inspiring moments happening on nearly every single page.
Quote from: Pharass on July 03, 2013, 03:02:00 PM
Got the third volumes of Scalped and Planetary today. These two series just keep getting better and better with each new volume, Planetary was especially satisfying this time around with one or more awe-inspiring moments happening on nearly every single page.
I love both, especially Planetary ;D
Did you ever finish 100 Bullets?
Still in the process of reading it. I read quite a lot of different titles, so my buying-schedule for each one tends to be pretty irregular, if not non-existent.
OK, I've been reading more of Attack On Titan, and while I still say that its a decent shonen series up to this point, I could see how this might have bad pacing in the anime. The thing is, in a manga its OK since you can read at your own pace, so I really have no problem with the pacing here. In the anime, however, from what I've heard it covers little more than a chapter per episode, which is obviously a big problem, since a chapter of manga does NOT cover nearly as much as a single anime episode should be able to, so in that regard it could make this series feel awfully slow-paced and dragged out in anime form.
As far as Titan goes, though, I think its main strength is that the story has just enough intrigue to keep me reading. Which is to say its good at not letting you know too much about the Titans as creatures or about how the last human civilization works, but it also doesn't make the mistake of raising too many questions either. It remains pretty focused on a few key things, which I think works out in the series's favor. Its major weakness for me, however, is in its characters. The main 3 characters are fine enough, IMO. None of them have gotten any interesting development, but they are understandable and likable for who they are. Everybody else....yeah, I can't even remember their names, let alone actually give a shit about whether they liver or die, and for a survival type series like this, that's a major problem. Still, unlike many stories of this ilk, I'll at least say that there aren't any characters who downright piss me off in any unintentional way, so that's a major plus. What I mean to say is that, this series at least isn't complete horse-shit like Gantz, IMO.
As for the whole tone of the series being too dark n' edgy or whatever....this is one case where I don't entirely get that complaint. People are being horribly eaten alive by disgusting monsters....what the hell do you expect but for them to be pretty grim? Are they supposed to occasionally die or watch their friends get eaten with a smug grin on their face? I can understand if this tone is not your thing, but even so, the tone still makes sense given the context of the series, so I don't really see any merit to this complaint, yet. Its just like how I don't get people hating on Shinji from NGE so much when you consider that his actions and emotions make sense based on how everyone treats him like complete shit for no reason. If anything, I'd direct my hate towards the other characters putting a shit-load of pressure on a freaking teenager than on the poor sap himself. My point is that sometimes I don't know what the fuck people are talking about when they make certain complaints.
One thing I will speak out against is people calling this series great, though. Its not. Not even close. Now, if you disagree with me and like it that much, I'm not going to say you're wrong, but I'm only judging it based on my standards. I attest that its a genuinely decent read. It is NOT, however, comparable to something like Madoka Magica, for instance. Yes, that's a completely different kind of series, I know, but my point is that the latter is a series I would consider great (even if its not a personal favorite of mine). Its great because it brings so much to the table that you'd probably need to re-watch it at least once to get everything out of it. The show has running themes that stay consistent throughout, terrific world-building, characters that develop in a natural way throughout the series without any of it feeling forced, and tons of interesting subtext that you by no means need to read into to enjoy Madoka Magica as a story, but does enrich the experience even further if you do (though, the story is just fine on its own). Its also a story that's never up its own ass, so that helps too. Oh, and its got pacing down perfectly. Compare that to Titan and....its just a story of people trying not to get eaten by giants. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but there's nothing more to it, either. The characters are 2-dimensional at best, and as an added weakness to this kind of series based on its premise, there really isn't an interesting villain. They could make a human foil within the ranks, but that cliche is pretty tired so I'm actually glad that they haven't resorted to that just yet (though the series very well may do that the further along in it I read).
Now, comparing it to another shonen to be a bit more fair, it still doesn't quite measure up to something like Hunter X Hunter either, IMO. I'll give Titan credit for having violence that isn't nearly as senseless as in HXH, and it never even comes close to the lows of that series, but it never reaches the highs it has, either. At its best, HXH presents some pretty interesting themes, wonderfully 3-dimensional villains, VERY interesting psychological struggles BETWEEN the protagonists and villains, and if nothing else, the general weirdness of the series can also be seen as a tad bit refreshing as even when its dark and gritty, it still feels insanely different from anything you've read before, sometimes for the worse, but usually its a good thing.
So, yeah, Titan doesn't quite compare to the best of shonen, either. That said, I could probably pit it with something like Death Note. Both are darker sorts of shonen series that aren't incredibly deep but both series have authors who KNOW that they aren't writing deep series, and instead play to the strengths of their own respective series pretty wisely. Death Note just happens to be more up my alley, but you could say Titan is about on the same level in terms of quality, so if its not your thing its perfectly reasonable to hate on it, but since it doesn't try to treat itself like more than it is (like Gantz does), I do still enjoy this series on a base level of: I like action, violence, and a little bit of mello-drama without going too overboard on it. So, yeah, despite it being a flawed series and nowhere near great, I do still find it to be a decent read based on the grounds that I just mentioned.
I agree with you completely about Titan, E-K. I was really taken in by the first few episodes, but I've honestly lost interest now.
Now, if you want to read something with good character development and a lot of subtleties, you could continue Excel Saga... :humhumhum:
Quote from: Foggle on July 05, 2013, 02:02:46 PM
I agree with you completely about Titan, E-K. I was really taken in by the first few episodes, but I've honestly lost interest now.
Well, I haven't lost interest in the series, to be clear. I just never thought it was anything near great, but reading it for what it is, I find it to be an amusing way to kill time, if that makes any sense.
QuoteNow, if you want to read something with good character development and a lot of subtleties, you could continue Excel Saga... :humhumhum:
I am reading it. I just take a break in-between volumes is all. I'm going to be starting volume 3 soon. :thumbup:
How far into the story are you? If you're where I think you are, shit's about to get real, and said shit getting real is what made me stop caring about the series. As for it being "too dark", I don't think it is on the whole, but a couple of moments in the story made me groan at how edgy they were attempting to be. Also, the only character I liked at all was Potato Girl.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on July 05, 2013, 02:06:43 PM
I am reading it. I just take a break in-between volumes is all. I'm going to be starting volume 3 soon. :thumbup:
:D The build up is slow, but I think you'll really get into it once you hit a certain point.
Quote from: Foggle on July 05, 2013, 02:11:42 PM
How far into the story are you? If you're where I think you are, shit's about to get real, and said shit getting real is what made me stop caring about the series. As for it being "too dark", I don't think it is on the whole, but a couple of moments in the story made me groan at how edgy they were attempting to be. Also, the only character I liked at all was Potato Girl.
I'm at the part after they used that boulder to block the hole in the wall, and now I'm in the middle of all the flash-backs of their training. I don't mind the main 3 characters as it is. They aren't great characters by any means, but I don't see how they are unlikable, either (at least not yet). I don't really see anything noteworthy or memorable about any of the other characters, though.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on July 05, 2013, 02:06:43 PM
:D The build up is slow, but I think you'll really get into it once you hit a certain point.
Yeah, I'm sure that'll happen too. I'm just pacing myself while reading it for now until I get to the "hooking" point.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on July 05, 2013, 01:44:23 PM
Its major weakness for me, however, is in its characters. The main 3 characters are fine enough, IMO. None of them have gotten any interesting development, but they are understandable and likable for who they are. Everybody else....yeah, I can't even remember their names, let alone actually give a shit about whether they liver or die, and for a survival type series like this, that's a major problem.
This is my biggest problem with the series too. A lot of minor characters are introduced...but very few of them leave an impact and even the ones whose names I can remember barely do anything to make me really care about them. I like Armin, and Reiner at least got some spotlight that made the twist in Chapter 43 work for me, but even those characters don't have the depth or charisma that usually attracts me and invests me in a character and a series.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on July 05, 2013, 01:44:23 PM
The characters are 2-dimensional at best, and as an added weakness to this kind of series based on its premise, there really isn't an interesting villain. They could make a human foil within the ranks, but that cliche is pretty tired so I'm actually glad that they haven't resorted to that just yet (though the series very well may do that the further along in it I read).
Oh, how disappointed you are going to be ;) (although the Beast Titan might actually be the real deal as far as a decent Titan antagonist in the series).
Attack on Titan's anime's pacing is okay as adaptions go. The more disappointing part of the anime will likely be the fact it won't end up ending at a good concluding point, although I guess they can manage to adapt through the Female Titan arc with decent enough pacing at least. In any case, I don't think this manga or the anime are as great as people have hyped. As far as new anime this year went,
Gargantia was the best, with
The Devil is A Part-Timer a close second.
I'm still reading Attack on Titan. However, I also recently started re-reading Saint Seiya from scratch since it was way too long ago where I left off in the anime and I needed to start from scratch, and I just decided to go for the manga this time. I'm also going to be starting up Excel Saga volume 3, fairly soon. Finally, I remembered that I still have yet to finish Flame of Recca, so I should probably go do that soon.
Alright, this right here made me laugh my ass off for how genuinely over-the-top stupid it is...
Spoiler
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi13.mangapanda.com%2Fshingeki-no-kyojin%2F40%2Fshingeki-no-kyojin-3741757.jpg&hash=fc0e589d2ccbc588e11b4f50d791409096a77da4)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi6.mangapanda.com%2Fshingeki-no-kyojin%2F40%2Fshingeki-no-kyojin-3741759.jpg&hash=6d2a15238fa30b9c6b2f2b73ca6947b659a9d17d)
Clearly Attack on Titan is the most brilliant comedy series of our time. There have been so many more moments that have made me flat-out laugh than there are parts that I have taken seriously, so clearly its meant to be humorous... right? :>
That is stupid for at least three different reasons. It has to be intentional.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 09, 2013, 09:18:43 PM
That is stupid for at least three different reasons. It has to be intentional.
To be fair, even though a good chunk of AoT is unintentionally stupid, I DO legitimately believe that this scene is meant to be intentionally dumb to get a chuckle out of the reader. It just doesn't fit in with the style of anything else presented in the manga, even the other stupid stuff, so it kind of feels like the author was at least in on the joke, here. Of course I could be entirely wrong, but either way, I do oddly find that AoT becomes more entertaining for its unintentionally stupid moments than it becomes boring or anything else. Its not like Gantz where it just makes me hate its entire existence, but more like I just find its existence to be oddly amusing, even if its not really due to genuinely good writing.
That art is all over the place.
So I recently realized that while I'm starting to really get into American comics, I've read next to no manga, so I was wondering if you guys had any recommendations. I already have Excel Saga and 20th Century Boys on my list. I can't say I would prefer any particular genre, although I do enjoy mystery/thrillers like Monster or Death Note.
Pretty much anything by Urasawa that isn't on your list should be added. Some Tezuka would be good as well.
Rurouni Kenshin first of all.
I second both Avaitor's and Desensitized's recommendations.
Also, while its not specifically the type of series you were looking for, I also recommend checking out Dragon Ball (the manga, of course) if you haven't already done so. Its a classic shounen series that's really a pretty damn entertaining comedy/adventure series for the first half of its run, and turns into a mostly awesome action series for the remainder of its run (with the Cell arc being the exception, IMO).
Kenshin and DB are other great calls! I'd say give the Akira manga a look if you get a chance to find them.
Mostly I said RK first because it is something anyone can read and enjoy and relate to in some way all at the same time. Really, I think it's the perfect first manga to read since it has about everything that people like about manga.
I echo pretty much all of the above nominations and add some of my own:
Sanctuary by Sho Fumimura & Ryoichi Ikegami:
two ambitious young men; one a politician, the other a Yakuza boss, try to take control over Japan and change the country for the better. Lots of underhanded scheming and other hilarities ensue).
Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima:
What can I say? It's a classic and deservedly so. I'd also recommend Samurai Executioner by the same team.
Banana Fish by Akimi Yoshida
Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki
I'll stop there, hopefully one of these titles will arouse your interests.
Thanks for all the recommendations! I'll probably start with Rurouni Kenshin since I've been meaning to look into that. I'll probably do 20th Century Boys after that, and I can use the Great Manga Series thread for more stuff to read.
But again, thanks for all the suggestions.
Just to be clear, is the latter half of the Dragon Ball manga is better then the anime adaption, right?
Quote from: ShadowGentleman on July 11, 2013, 06:21:48 PM
Just to be clear, is the latter half of the Dragon Ball manga is better then the anime adaption, right?
You mean the Z half? Yes, it's way better in the manga.
Quote from: ShadowGentleman on July 11, 2013, 06:21:48 PM
Just to be clear, is the latter half of the Dragon Ball manga is better then the anime adaption, right?
Its hundreds of times better than the original anime adaptation, and its also even much better that the "recut" version (Dragon Ball Z Kai), though if you do want to see the best available anime adaptation of the latter half of DB (at least up to the Cell arc, which still sucks either way), then DBZ Kai is still overall a pretty entertaining piece (mostly thanks to a MUCH improved English dub).
Either way, though, the manga is the best way to go, and offers the most consistent quality and pacing.
As for Rurouni Kenshin, its my favorite manga ever, personally. That said, keep in mind that its not perfect, and the first few stories are kind of weak in some ways, but still good, overall. I think the real point that should suck you in, however, is the Kyoto arc, which comes about a third of the way into the series. Its one of the few shonen story arcs that are comparable in quality to Yu Yu Hakusho's Chapter Black arc, IMO.
Once Saito shows up, it pretty much gets great until the end.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 11, 2013, 07:50:02 PM
Once Saito shows up, it pretty much gets great until the end.
I also want to add that Saito is the best example ever of how to do an anti-hero. He qualifies because he's certainly not a good guy, but he has strict principles he sticks by which keeps him from straying past the line and becoming a villain. Unlike Aoshi, Saito doesn't really change throughout the series, but this is one of those rare cases where I kind of admire that about him, since he's a guy who has easily had years of experience and wisdom to craft him into the person he is throughout the series, and as it stands he's just such an exciting yet intimidating character whenever he's around. It figures that just the mere introduction of his presence in the series automatically spices everything up to a new level of extremes. ;D
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on July 11, 2013, 10:18:50 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 11, 2013, 07:50:02 PM
Once Saito shows up, it pretty much gets great until the end.
I also want to add that Saito is the best example ever of how to do an anti-hero. He qualifies because he's certainly not a good guy, but he has strict principles he sticks by which keeps him from straying past the line and becoming a villain. Unlike Aoshi, Saito doesn't really change throughout the series, but this is one of those rare cases where I kind of admire that about him, since he's a guy who has easily had years of experience and wisdom to craft him into the person he is throughout the series, and as it stands he's just such an exciting yet intimidating character whenever he's around. It figures that just the mere introduction of his presence in the series automatically spices everything up to a new level of extremes. ;D
I think he changes, but in subtle ways and attitude. The subtlety works for a character who is always on an off/on switch when it comes to his attitude. It's why the series is so good. :D
Well, yeah, he does have some subtle changes, but what I mainly meant to say is that the core of his character's resolve always remains the same throughout the entire series. He doesn't change his ways at all just because he allies himself with "the good guys" of the show. He's a character with his own moral code and his own sense of justice, and he sticks to those principles no matter what, which I admire. It becomes a case in which the other characters have to just deal with it, because they realize that at the end of the day, they'd rather have the dude on their side rather than against them, and that just shows you what a force he is to reckon with.
Spoiler
On that note, I like that even Kenshin never actually manages to outright beat him throughout the entirety of the series. Both of their battles were fought out to a draw, and the rivalry between the 2 characters is left at a complete stalemate right up to the very end, which is actually something I really like, since most other shonen series would just have the hero pointlessly fight their rival one more time before the series ended and have the hero win just to show that the main character is the strongest, which really pisses me off. I'm glad that Watsuki didn't do that with Saito, though.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on July 11, 2013, 10:50:01 PM
Well, yeah, he does have some subtle changes, but what I mainly meant to say is that the core of his character's resolve always remains the same throughout the entire series. He doesn't change his ways at all just because he allies himself with "the good guys" of the show. He's a character with his own moral code and his own sense of justice, and he sticks to those principles no matter what, which I admire. It becomes a case in which the other characters have to just deal with it, because they realize that at the end of the day, they'd rather have the dude on their side rather than against them, and that just shows you what a force he is to reckon with.
Spoiler
On that note, I like that even Kenshin never actually manages to outright beat him throughout the entirety of the series. Both of their battles were fought out to a draw, and the rivalry between the 2 characters is left at a complete stalemate right up to the very end, which is actually something I really like, since most other shonen series would just have the hero pointlessly fight their rival one more time before the series ended and have the hero win just to show that the main character is the strongest, which really pisses me off. I'm glad that Watsuki didn't do that with Saito, though.
Spoiler
Here's my interpretation, but I think the reason Saito didn't want to fight Kenshin in the end had nothing to do with the fact that he wasn't the same person before because that never stopped him from fighting Kenshin before. I really believe the reason he didn't want to fight him was because he was unable to see him as an enemy any longer and knew that fighting him held no benefit for either of them any longer. By the end of the story he knew that their era had passed (which is what the whole Revenge arc was about) and with it he had to move on himself and let his pride go or be trapped like Einishi and Shishio. It felt like that was his whole angle in the story was that he could have been the next Shishio but what kept him from drifting over the line was that he was willing to deal with the hand he was dealt and they weren't.
I think that's probably why he doesn't change all that much on the surface, because of all the characters he is the one that is the least obsessed with 'correcting the wrongs of the past' of any of the characters outside of still seeing Kenshin as an object which he eventually is no longer able to do by the end of the story.
Though I'm sure most people think his first appearance means he'll be the big villain- he isn't exactly shy at that point. :sweat:
I agree with the point that you made about Saito's character, but I wasn't arguing against that in the first place. What I was basically saying is that, even if he accepted the new era for what it was, he didn't let it change his principles or outlook on life, which is what I admire about his character. He dealt with it and was able to let go of the past, but at the same time, he didn't let go of who he was and what he stood for, if that makes any sense to you.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on July 11, 2013, 11:16:24 PM
I agree with the point that you made about Saito's character, but I wasn't arguing against that in the first place. What I was basically saying is that, even if he accepted the new era for what it was, he didn't let it change his principles or outlook on life, which is what I admire about his character. He dealt with it and was able to let go of the past, but at the same time, he didn't let go of who he was and what he stood for, if that makes any sense to you.
I agree. I do feel he lost some of his lust for battle, but he does pretty much still seem like Saito otherwise. He probably just won't be walking up to people's places looking for fights no more. :lol:
Rurouni Kenshin, huh? Always fun to discuss. ;D
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 11, 2013, 11:19:51 PMI agree. I do feel he lost some of his lust for battle, but he does pretty much still seem like Saito otherwise. He probably just won't be walking up to people's places looking for fights no more. :lol:
Well, yeah, he IS slightly less psychotic than he originally was....only slightly, though. :sly:
QuoteRurouni Kenshin, huh? Always fun to discuss. ;D
I still can't believe this was the only great story Watsuki had up his sleeve. Don't get me wrong, I will praise the guy even if this was the only truly memorable work he ever came out with, but I do feel a bit disappointed that the rest of his body of work could never even come close to living up to Rurouni Kenshin. I suppose he just used up his only good story ideas on this one series, but oh well, he did clearly have some talent to even just manage to come up with this.
Buso Renkin was incredibly undercooked and Frankenstein was incredibly overcooked. He needs to temper his ideas more, BR was just half-thought out and FS was over-thought.
His strength is obviously in historical fare, but generic modern shonen and misreading a classic book don't exactly make for good manga stories.
Some artists seem to only have one or two tricks up their sleeves, Look at Aaron Sorkin, for instance.
Quote from: Avaitor on July 11, 2013, 11:37:30 PM
Some artists seem to only have one or two tricks up their sleeves, Look at Aaron Sorkin, for instance.
The thing about Rurouni Kenshin, though, is that it didn't feel like a trick. It felt like it came from a genuinely talented writer. But the rest of Watsuki's works are pretty mediocre from what I've read of them (and that's being a bit generous). Something like Death Note, a series which I do really love, could pass as something that I could see was a well-done trick from an author, though thankfully that wasn't the case and Bakuman was also great. That said, my point was that there are some series like Death Note which you could see as being a "one-hit-wonder" of sorts (I know that's a music term, but it applies here as well), in that its shallow but incredibly well-crafted and entertaining to such an extreme that it works so well. But, if the author of that series turned out really lame works after that, then you could buy that DN was the only good work he had up his sleeve to begin with. Rurouni Kenshin is one of those rare shonen series with layers to it, though, and you'd think that whoever wrote that really knew what the fuck they were doing with manga. But I suppose Watsuki was more interested in doing whatever was popular at the time in all of his following manga series, and as a result, none of them have been particularly great following the success of Rurouni Kenshin.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on July 11, 2013, 11:47:53 PM
Quote from: Avaitor on July 11, 2013, 11:37:30 PM
Some artists seem to only have one or two tricks up their sleeves, Look at Aaron Sorkin, for instance.
The thing about Rurouni Kenshin, though, is that it didn't feel like a trick. It felt like it came from a genuinely talented writer. But the rest of Watsuki's works are pretty mediocre from what I've read of them (and that's being a bit generous). Something like Death Note, a series which I do really love, could pass as something that I could see was a well-done trick from an author, though thankfully that wasn't the case and Bakuman was also great. That said, my point was that there are some series like Death Note which you could see as being a "one-hit-wonder" of sorts (I know that's a music term, but it applies here as well), in that its shallow but incredibly well-crafted and entertaining to such an extreme that it works so well. But, if the author of that series turned out really lame works after that, then you could buy that DN was the only good work he had up his sleeve to begin with. Rurouni Kenshin is one of those rare shonen series with layers to it, though, and you'd think that whoever wrote that really knew what the fuck they were doing with manga. But I suppose Watsuki was more interested in doing whatever was popular at the time in all of his following manga series, and as a result, none of them have been particularly great following the success of Rurouni Kenshin.
The big trick behind Rurouni Kenshin was a simple plot guided by compelling characters that you wanted to learn more about. I can't even remember a single name of any of his characters from the other stories never mind whatever plot they were supposed to guide. I mean, the guy even studied up on a lot of Japanese history from that era to make sure it held together AND gave each character multiple motivations and a decent amount of history behind them. He put everything into it but made sure it was still simple and straightforward so that anyone could pick it up and enjoy it, which is something that only a few writers have managed in the manga area. His commentary on abominations like Reflections proves even more that he knew he was doing all that, too.
He should be writing something at least on par with Vinland Saga right now. Why he isn't either means he has a bad filter on general concepts or a bad editor that can't help him filter his ideas, possibly both.
Honestly, he probably frustrates me more than Togashi because on the manga level Rurouni Kenshin is better as a whole piece to YYH and HxH and he should be at least doing material on that level.
Yeah, I agree, but I think that's because Togashi and Watsuki are 2 very different writers. With Rurouni Kenshin, you get the feeling that its a story that Watsuki REALLY wanted to tell, which is why it turned out so good. With all of his other works, you get the feeling that he's only doing what he thinks is popular at the time just for the sake of trying to be popular, forgetting that RK itself was a popular series based on quality rather than feeding into whatever fads were going on in the shonen genre at the time.
As for Togashi, whether you love or hate his work on the whole, you have to give the guy credit for being one of the few mangaka who clearly writes what he feels like and doesn't give a shit about what's popular or mainstream. In some ways this can be for the worse, but more often than not its for the better and really makes his works stand-out from the rest of the genre in great ways. I mean, can you name one shonen series that is even REMOTELY like HXH? I don't think it can be done, because if nothing else, that series is incredibly unique in its tone, overall feeling, and in its genuinely interesting world and welcoming sense of weirdness (and I feel being a little weird at times can be a good thing in proper doses).
I second Samurai Executioner. EDIT: I like all of the smaller stories Kenshin had at the beginning of the series with the exception of the shitty Rujuta arc. I was actually hoping they would return to that format for a bit after the Kyoto arc but instead they quickly got neck deep into Jinchu
Currently reading two series: The Railgun manga and Triage X manga
Got 100 Bullets vol. 5 and Rex Mundi Omnibus vol. 2 in the mail today. I haven't read them yet, so I'll post my thoughts on them once I've done that.
Naruto - Meh, this has been a rollercoaster, but since the arrival of the hokage in this war I've been pretty bored with what I've been seeing. I guess I'm one of those devious types that wanted
Spoiler
Sasuke to be sided with Obito, just to see the hokage pitted against Naruto and folks, or at the very least, I wanted to see Orochimaru sided with Obito
, but since I didn't get that it's been almost a snooze-fest, especially now.
Fairy Tail - I'm actually on the verge of dropping this. I just can't get into this anymore.
Hajime no Ippo - Best series I've read since Psyren. I should probably read this from the beginning since I don't think I'll be able to find it in anime form anywhere. The only problem I have with this is that the mangaka takes forever to get anywhere, especially considering that the chapters I've seen are no longer than 15 pages, but I will say that he/she surely knows how to build up and get me anticipated for a fight.
Quote from: Pharass on August 28, 2013, 08:08:20 AM
Got 100 Bullets vol. 5 and Rex Mundi Omnibus vol. 2 in the mail today. I haven't read them yet, so I'll post my thoughts on them once I've done that.
It's 100 Bullets, so you'll enjoy it. ;)
ek, have you read Superman Secret Identity or All-Star Superman yet?
Quote from: Grave on August 28, 2013, 07:20:21 PM
Naruto - Meh, this has been a rollercoaster, but since the arrival of the hokage in this war I've been pretty bored with what I've been seeing. I guess I'm one of those devious types that wanted Spoiler
Sasuke to be sided with Obito, just to see the hokage pitted against Naruto and folks, or at the very least, I wanted to see Orochimaru sided with Obito
Fairy Tail - I'm actually on the verge of dropping this. I just can't get into this anymore.
Yeah, I already gave up on both a while back...just couldn't stand them anymore. I'd suggest you check out the
Toriko manga if you do end up dropping
Fairy Tail, since it's pretty enjoyable despite being simple light shonen-action fun, and it's most recent story arc has been absolutely great so far, probably more enjoyable on a chapter per chapter basis than the newer
One Piece chapters even.
Quote from: Cartoon X on August 28, 2013, 10:50:05 PM
Quote from: Grave on August 28, 2013, 07:20:21 PM
Naruto - Meh, this has been a rollercoaster, but since the arrival of the hokage in this war I've been pretty bored with what I've been seeing. I guess I'm one of those devious types that wanted Spoiler
Sasuke to be sided with Obito, just to see the hokage pitted against Naruto and folks, or at the very least, I wanted to see Orochimaru sided with Obito
Fairy Tail - I'm actually on the verge of dropping this. I just can't get into this anymore.
Yeah, I already gave up on both a while back...just couldn't stand them anymore. I'd suggest you check out the Toriko manga if you do end up dropping Fairy Tail, since it's pretty enjoyable despite being simple light shonen-action fun, and it's most recent story arc has been absolutely great so far, probably more enjoyable on a chapter per chapter basis than the newer One Piece chapters even.
I tried Toriko once, and haven't went back to it since, but I suppose the question I have is what's the main character like? If he's another Goku clone then I'm definitely gonna bypass it. I've had about all I can take with main characters who're geniuses on the battlefield but can't think worth a lick elsewhere.
Although, I must admit I haven't had much of a desire to try anything new either.
Toriko is carefree in attitude much like Goku, Luffy, and the like but he certainly isn't stupid, and despite his goofiness and over-the-topness when it comes to enjoying good food he acts fairly normally compared to other shonen manga protagonists. I don't think he'd turn you off from the series.
We need more main characters in shonen series who are like Kenshin Himura. By that, I don't mean that they necessarily have to have some intricate back-story or anything like that, but more that they should have a really good balance between a serious and humorous side. When Kenshin is normal, he can be lighthearted, caring, and even funny, but when he's serious he has that bad-ass persona that let's you know that he's the real deal. All the while he never feels like he's ever invincible, and he clearly has his own character development to go through as the series progresses, besides just what he went through in his past.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on August 29, 2013, 05:08:11 PM
We need more main characters in shonen series who are like Kenshin Himura. By that, I don't mean that they necessarily have to have some intricate back-story or anything like that, but more that they should have a really good balance between a serious and humorous side. When Kenshin is normal, he can be lighthearted, caring, and even funny, but when he's serious he has that bad-ass persona that let's you know that he's the real deal. All the while he never feels like he's ever invincible, and he clearly has his own character development to go through as the series progresses, besides just what he went through in his past.
I agree 100%. This is all I really ask for. Even though I'm no fan of secondary characters who're there just for comedic purposes I can settle for them, but just give me more main characters who're like Kenshin. I don't think I've even seen a character come close to being similar to Kenshin.
I'd even settle for having more main characters similar to Yusuke, even though one could say Ichigo was close to that, but I'd argue that he's way too fragile and easy to break (in terms of emotions and whatnot). Ageha Yoshina (Psyren) on the other hand, imo is the next best thing next to Yusuke.
Quote from: Grave on August 29, 2013, 06:06:37 PMI don't think I've even seen a character come close to being similar to Kenshin.
I've always found Vash to be pretty similar. Althrough, Trigun is a seinen series rather than a shounen.
QuoteI'd even settle for having more main characters similar to Yusuke, even though one could say Ichigo was close to that, but I'd argue that he's way too fragile and easy to break (in terms of emotions and whatnot). Ageha Yoshina (Psyren) on the other hand, imo is the next best thing next to Yusuke.
Agreed, on both counts.
Yusuke isn't an incredibly deep character, but I love how he's not your standard "goody-two-shoes" protagonist that you see in most shounen series. He is certainly the "good guy" of the series, but he's usually not really concerned about what's morally right in a situation (and any concerns he did have was resolved in his confrontation with Doctor), and instead focuses on the best way to get the job done. There's that, and he also has that quality of being a total bad-ass when the situation calls for it, but also never seems invincible or too over-powered at any point in the series, just like Kenshin. And also, even though he's not "book smart" by any means, I like how he's not a total goof-ball idiot outside of just fights, like most main characters in shounen series are. There was a time when I used to find that quality amusing, but seeing almost every generic shounen series out there use that character trope to death completely burned me out of it, and now I find ANY character of that type to be more annoying than fun, with the exception of Goku and Luffy, though Luffy is starting to get one my nerves at times. I give Goku a pass because he's probably the only "right" way to even do that character to begin with, IMO.
Kenshin predates Vash though, so Nightow could have certainly drawn some inspiration for the character from him. Also, the first Trigun manga was shonen. When the series became Trigun Maximum, then, it became seinin (of course, the anime is also seinen, but the manga came first). ;)
Again, Toriko is pretty refreshing as a modern shonen protagonist in some senses since he's not an idiot in any capacity, ever, and only acts goofy when it comes to eating and savoring good food (these moments being genuinely funny). Otherwise he acts carefree, but when it comes to his job he is professional and always takes it seriously. I don't think he'd get on anyone's nerves.
And I've also always loved that Yusuke wasn't a goody-two shows hero and never became one. :thumbup:
I want a main character like Leorio. Not overly tough, not overly goofy, has a brain and a lot of charisma.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on August 29, 2013, 10:56:51 PM
I want a main character like Leorio. Not overly tough, not overly goofy, has a brain and a lot of charisma.
Hmmm.
And yeah, Vash and Kenshin are similar. I always prefered Vash because he has more personality but reading the RK manga really made me appreciate the little things about Kenshin.
A few thoughts on the last two comics I read:
100 Bullets continues being awesome. The protagonist of the fifth volume is one Milo Garrett; a private-dick who has gotten in way over his head, as private-dicks are wont to do. Milo is an interesting addition to the motley crew that is the cast of 100 Bullets, not least when it comes to his character design. Not sure why, but there's something about a face hidden behind bandages that I've always found to be a very striking visual.
Rex Mundi is a comic that really should be more well-known. Arvid Nelson's alternative Europe in which the Inquisition is still a thing and magic is real is one of the most complete and interesting worlds I've visited. In addition, the art by Juan Ferreyra is simply amazing.
Quote from: Pharass on August 30, 2013, 09:04:42 AM
A few thoughts on the last two comics I read:
100 Bullets continues being awesome. The protagonist of the fifth volume is one Milo Garrett; a private-dick who has gotten in way over his head, as private-dicks are wont to do. Milo is an interesting addition to the motley crew that is the cast of 100 Bullets, not least when it comes to his character design. Not sure why, but there's something about a face hidden behind bandages that I've always found to be a very striking visual.
Rex Mundi is a comic that really should be more well-known. Arvid Nelson's alternative Europe in which the Inquisition is still a thing and magic is real is one of the most complete and interesting worlds I've visited. In addition, the art by Juan Ferreyra is simply amazing.
Milo was, I believe, one of my top 4 favorite 100 Bullets characters. 100 Bullets should be mandatory reading for AR. My absolute favorite comic book series.
I've been reading part 1 & 2 of the latest Avatar: The Last Airbender trilogy, The Search. So far, like how The Promise felt like a lost episode of the series, The Search continues that trend. Right now, the story does focus more on Zuko, Azula, and Ursa. We do get a glimpse of what Ursa's life was and how before she was betrothed to Ozai, she was engaged to another man called Ikem. You know how Iroh said in "Avatar and the Firelord" that Ursa is a descendent of Roku? Well that's the reason Ozai and Ursa got married, the royal family wanted some selective breeding, with having the bloodlines of the royal family, along with one of the previous Avatar, they thought they could make a firebender of great power.
As far as what Aang is doing in this series... some stuff that does deal with the Spirit World, since we did encounter this Wolf in the first volume, then in the end of volume 2 we meet this figure called "The Mother of Faces"
Though they did throw one major plot twist
Spoiler
Apparently, Zuko is not Ozai's son, but rather Ikem. This could change with part 3, but even I was stunned when I realized what I read. Zuko actually did take that news better than I expected, since he did mention that it does explain how he got exiled, and how his father treated him.
As for other stuff, The Search does confirm that Ursa played a part in killing Azulon, she made some poison that doesn't leave a trace. Her banishment was arranged by Ozai in exchange to spare Zuko and to kill off his Azulon so he could get the Throne.
Even if that one major plot twist does feel very out of left field, I'm still enjoying this mini-series, as it does explain some stuff that was left ambiguous in the series proper. I do look forward to part 3 in October.
I actually read the comics, as well, though I forgot to mention that before (in my case, it turned out that my local library had them up to date). As for the plot twist:
Spoiler
It honestly didn't feel that out of left-field to me. The show pretty much hinted that Ursa was involved in Azulon's death as early as the episode "Zuko Alone" with her banishment coinciding exactly with the time of Azulon's untimely demise. Really, I wouldn't even call that much of a plot twist. I'm pretty sure fans must have suspected for a long time now that she played a hand in his death in exchange for Zuko's life.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on August 30, 2013, 10:18:09 PM
I actually read the comics, as well, though I forgot to mention that before (in my case, it turned out that my local library had them up to date). As for the plot twist:
Spoiler
It honestly didn't feel that out of left-field to me. The show pretty much hinted that Ursa was involved in Azulon's death as early as the episode "Zuko Alone" with her banishment coinciding exactly with the time of Azulon's untimely demise. Really, I wouldn't even call that much of a plot twist. I'm pretty sure fans must have suspected for a long time now that she played a hand in his death in exchange for Zuko's life.
Actually... I just put that other one in the spoiler tag cause I was lazy. I was mostly referring to the other plot twist, since it did make it on TV Tropes page for Fan-Disliked Explanation. Probably should have separated those 2 in retrospect. But still, the other minor one was that was one of the most speculated things in the show's fandom.
Oh, I see, well:
Spoiler
To me, that other plot twist makes sense as well. The thing about Zuko not being Ozai's son explains why he was never a prodigy at firebending like his sister Azula was. I mean, it makes more sense that he can be a pretty good firebender in his own right being the descendant of Avatar Roku himself, but being that both of his direct parents were non-benders, it would also make sense that he's certainly not naturally talented with it. That would also make Ozai's natural dislike for his own son (and favoritism of Azula) make sense, especially since he was willing to kill Zuko at one point until Ursa intervened, AND he banished him without a second thought just for speaking out against him.
So, yeah, I'd say that other twist isn't completely out of let field, either.
For comic books I think everyone should read, I'd go: (ordered by how much I like them)
1. 100 Bullets
2. Watchmen
3. The Walking Dead
4. All-Star Superman
5. Planet Hulk
I'll do a list of what I think are the top 5 most essential "shounen" manga to read:
1. Rurouni Kenshin (entry to drama/action manga)
2. Dragon Ball (entry to adventure/comedy/action manga)
3. Black Jack (entry to Tezuka manga)
4. Slam Dunk (entry to sports manga)
5. Death Note (entry to shallow but insanely entertaining "mind-game" type manga)
And for "seinen" manga:
Monster, Pluto, 20th Century Boys, or Berserk (take your pick; you really can't go wrong)
Still need to continue 20th Century Boys.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on August 31, 2013, 10:42:46 PM
I'll do a list of what I think are the top 5 most essential "shounen" manga to read:
1. Rurouni Kenshin (entry to drama/action manga)
2. Dragon Ball (entry to adventure/comedy/action manga)
3. Black Jack (entry to Tezuka manga)
4. Slam Dunk (entry to sports manga)
5. Death Note (entry to shallow but insanely entertaining "mind-game" type manga)
No
Shonan Junai Gumi or even
Great Teacher Onizuka? I'm surprised E-K. :o
Anyway, I definitely can't disagree with you, since those 5 are easily some of the greatest shonen manga of all time. So instead, I will make a Top 5 most underrated Shonen manga nobody here but me has read but could like and really, really should check out list :awesome:
1.
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (representing action-comedy)- Insane satire of action-adventure shonen manga, while still being one itself, with hilarious character and beautiful irreverence. My favorite manga.
EVER.
2.
Urusei Yatsura (representing romantic comedy)- A classic manga comedy from Rumiko Takahashi, and arguably her best or second best work depending on how you feel about
Maison Ikkoku. ;)
3.
Astro Boy (representing classic and Tezuka's manga) - How can you not read this manga? It's a classic for a reason, and you'll be surprised at how...political it can get in some arcs. Otherwise, it's simply great storytelling from the master of manga.
4.
Animal Land (representing currently ongoing and drama manga) - This doesn't even have a Wikapedia page, which shows how really underrated it is! But it's a smart story, probably the best ongoing shonen manga right now (yes, I know
Kuroko's Basketball is excellent, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet), and I can guarantee you that you'll find this a breath of fresh air from modern battle shonen manga cliches and sensibilities.
5.
Yotsuba (representing slice of life manga) - Life,
real life, can be very funny, especially if it's the life of a naive little kid playing around, carefree, every day. No extreme wackiness in this manga; most everything is plausible in real life, and all the funnier for it.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on August 31, 2013, 10:42:46 PMMonster, Pluto, 20th Century Boys, or Berserk (take your pick; you really can't go wrong)
Everyone should also read
Excel Saga, the greatest seinin comedy ever,
Oishinbo, the greatest seinin cooking manga ever, and
Maison Ikkoku, the greatest seinin romance story ever. Those are, of course, my personal opinions,
but...
I'm right! 8)
Speaking of seinin manga,
Lone Wolf and Cub is a top priority for me to read once I'm done going through
Maison Ikkoku, since it's apparenlty, y'know, the greatest manga ever and all. :sweat:
I've read Astro Boy and Yotsuba!
Quote from: Cartoon X on August 31, 2013, 11:53:23 PMNo Shonan Junai Gumi or even Great Teacher Onizuka? I'm surprised E-K. :o
And no Yu Yu Hakusho, Hunter X Hunter, One Piece, or Bakuman, for that matter. I wanted to keep it to the top 5 most essential shounen manga, which I believe are those 5 series, rather than my personal favorite shounen manga (though to be fair, all 5 of those series are among my personal favorites, regardless).
Quote from: Cartoon X on August 31, 2013, 11:53:23 PM
1. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (representing action-comedy)- Insane satire of action-adventure shonen manga, while still being one itself, with hilarious character and beautiful irreverence. My favorite manga. EVER.
I'll check it out eventually.
Quote4. Animal Land (representing currently ongoing and drama manga) - This doesn't even have a Wikapedia page, which shows how really underrated it is! But it's a smart story, probably the best ongoing shonen manga right now
I really need to get around to Animal Land, one of these days.
Quote(yes, I know Kuroko's Basketball is excellent, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet)
Kuroko No Basket is a good read, for sure, but I don't think I'd call it the best currently running shounen manga, myself, especially since I feel that the manga kind of became a little bit less interesting after Seirin High vs Tōō (Gakuen) Academy, though to be fair I read the manga in chunks at a time, and currently I'm about 20-30 chapters behind the current story, but I doubt that'd be enough to automatically make me change my mind. The series is fun, though sort of lacks the grandiosity of something like Slam Dunk, which IMO is still the superior manga, on the whole. At any rate, I do think it's definitely worth reading this series, and it's easily one of the better currently running shounen manga around, but I certainly wouldn't call it the best, especially if we're going by overall quality, since One Piece is, IMO, still the best current shounen in terms of overall quality (even if I have my issues with the post time-skip stuff; although, it is getting better again).
Read Samurai Executioner first. It comes before Lone Wolf And Cub (the characters are in the same world) I would have read LWAC and made it my first manga series but I heard about SE and I don't regret my decision. ;D
The current arc in Kuroko is a flashback to what the Generation was like at their prime. I'm assuming this will be the build-up to the last match. As a whole I think it's the best sports manga since Slam Dunk since, despite being the same sport, manages to carve an identity of its own.
I also second Maison Ikkoku as being Takahashi's best work by far.
Currently running manga I enjoy:
1. Kuroko No Basket
2. Again!
3. Vinland Saga
That is all. (HxH isn't running)
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on September 01, 2013, 06:51:25 PMThe current arc in Kuroko is a flashback to what the Generation was like at their prime. I'm assuming this will be the build-up to the last match. As a whole I think it's the best sports manga since Slam Dunk since, despite being the same sport, manages to carve an identity of its own.
I haven't read that many sports manga, to be honest, so I couldn't say what the best ones are, myself.
As for Kuroko, I do really enjoy it, but there are a couple of things that prevent it from being as great as (or even surpassing) Slam Dunk for me. For one thing, once we get past Kise and Midorima, the last 3 members are basically the same basic character. They are all that type of shounen character who is all like "I'm the best and I never lose no matter what, so what's the point of even playing basketball?" You just know that Seiring will eventually beat them, and then they will all be like "Oh! I lost! I guess I need to work hard for next time and learn to love the sport some more!" That worked really well for Aomine, but then when we get to Murasakibara and Akashi, it already got old, even if the author tried to put a different spin on them with their personalities. I actually find both Kise and Midorima more interesting for that reason, as they feel distinct among the rest of the team, and actually took Kuroko and his team more seriously from the get-go. They just seem like they naturally have a better code o sportsmanship to them.
Another thing that kind of bugs me is that the later matches can get a little bit too silly with the "techniques" that players use (seriously, if this stuff were real, these kids would already be above the freaking NBA level). I wouldn't mind this if the series was naturally over the top to begin with, but the series was for the most part pretty grounded in reality with it's sense of basketball physics, much like Slam Dunk, so when you get techniques that sound like shounen attacks (Vanishing Drive, Phantom Shot, etc.), and they use these skills constantly throughout the manga, it starts to feel a less believable, and while the manga is still entertaining, that holds it back a bit for me from being as good as Slam Dunk's matches were. On that note, one thing that peeved me was the use of "The Zone" in the manga. Unlike some of the other techniques I didn't mind this in it's first use between Kagami and Aomine, because they were clear rivals in terms of being the same type of basketball player, and the respective aces o their teams. It worked well for that match, especially since you got the sense that Kagami got into that state out of sheer desperation to beat Aomine. What ticked me off is that it should have just ended, there. I was a little annoyed to see the author use this again as a Deus Ex Machina right away in the match against Murasakibara's team, Yosen. In this regard, I feel similar to this about how you feel about the Super Saiyan transformation in DBZ, in that I feel that "The Zone" is something that worked best only once, and having it used so soon again after that just made it feel so much less special, IMO.
At any rate, I'm nitpicking here. It probably sounds like I hate the manga reading all of that, but like I said, I still think it's really good. I just feel that it could have been better than it is if it avoided some of those issues I had with it, but I'm not going to complain to much given that this is one of the few really good manga that's still running in Weekly Shounen Jump.
QuoteCurrently running manga I enjoy:
1. Kuroko No Basket
2. Again!
3. Vinland Saga
Has Billy Bat ended a while ago, or something? I was waiting for it to finish before I started reading it, given how addicting Urasawa's series can get, which would really frustrate me if I started it and then couldn't finish it.
QuoteThat is all. (HxH isn't running)
That's also why I didn't count HXH as my favorite currently running shounen manga, either.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on September 01, 2013, 08:49:07 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on September 01, 2013, 06:51:25 PMThe current arc in Kuroko is a flashback to what the Generation was like at their prime. I'm assuming this will be the build-up to the last match. As a whole I think it's the best sports manga since Slam Dunk since, despite being the same sport, manages to carve an identity of its own.
I haven't read that many sports manga, to be honest, so I couldn't say what the best ones are, myself.
As for Kuroko, I do really enjoy it, but there are a couple of things that prevent it from being as great as (or even surpassing) Slam Dunk for me. For one thing, once we get past Kise and Midorima, the last 3 members are basically the same basic character. They are all that type of shounen character who is all like "I'm the best and I never lose no matter what, so what's the point of even playing basketball?" You just know that Seiring will eventually beat them, and then they will all be like "Oh! I lost! I guess I need to work hard for next time and learn to love the sport some more!" That worked really well for Aomine, but then when we get to Murasakibara and Akashi, it already got old, even if the author tried to put a different spin on them with their personalities. I actually find both Kise and Midorima more interesting for that reason, as they feel distinct among the rest of the team, and actually took Kuroko and his team more seriously from the get-go. They just seem like they naturally have a better code o sportsmanship to them.
I actually have liked the characters more because of the flashback arc where you see that they didn't just 'learn' to appreciate the sport, they actually lost touch with it. It's simple, but since this is hot-blooded shonen I feel it works. You see how they branch off to be that way, and it makes sense in its own little way. Akashi is most definitely not much like Murasakibara who simply doesn't care (if anything he might care TOO much). Aomine is better once you see what makes him tick.
QuoteAnother thing that kind of bugs me is that the later matches can get a little bit too silly with the "techniques" that players use (seriously, if this stuff were real, these kids would already be above the freaking NBA level). I wouldn't mind this if the series was naturally over the top to begin with, but the series was for the most part pretty grounded in reality with it's sense of basketball physics, much like Slam Dunk, so when you get techniques that sound like shounen attacks (Vanishing Drive, Phantom Shot, etc.), and they use these skills constantly throughout the manga, it starts to feel a less believable, and while the manga is still entertaining, that holds it back a bit for me from being as good as Slam Dunk's matches were. On that note, one thing that peeved me was the use of "The Zone" in the manga. Unlike some of the other techniques I didn't mind this in it's first use between Kagami and Aomine, because they were clear rivals in terms of being the same type of basketball player, and the respective aces o their teams. It worked well for that match, especially since you got the sense that Kagami got into that state out of sheer desperation to beat Aomine. What ticked me off is that it should have just ended, there. I was a little annoyed to see the author use this again as a Deus Ex Machina right away in the match against Murasakibara's team, Yosen. In this regard, I feel similar to this about how you feel about the Super Saiyan transformation in DBZ, in that I feel that "The Zone" is something that worked best only once, and having it used so soon again after that just made it feel so much less special, IMO.
Yep, this is where the 'shonen' stuff comes into play which is why some people either hate the techniques or think they don't go far enough with them. But not to spoil it for you or anything, but 'the Zone' is never used after the game with Murasakibara (and it does little to help him, he still loses the game) which makes it a little less overpowered than your standard power-up. Also, to be fair with Kuroko's techniques, they're all based on his tricky movement and aren't like crazy over-the-top plays or anything. I'm not sure how far you got, but they don't always work and certain ones simply don't anymore. It's all about figuring them out.
QuoteAt any rate, I'm nitpicking here. It probably sounds like I hate the manga reading all of that, but like I said, I still think it's really good. I just feel that it could have been better than it is if it avoided some of those issues I had with it, but I'm not going to complain to much given that this is one of the few really good manga that's still running in Weekly Shounen Jump.
I don't think it's perfect, but when I read it I get the excitement the author is putting into it and how much he respects both the sport and shonen. I also feel the idea of someone like Kuroko as the MAIN character (not a side-character or 'weird' friend) distinguishes it further. It's not Slam Dunk, but that's probably a good thing that it's a separate approach.
QuoteQuoteCurrently running manga I enjoy:
1. Kuroko No Basket
2. Again!
3. Vinland Saga
Has Billy Bat ended a while ago, or something? I was waiting for it to finish before I started reading it, given how addicting Urasawa's series can get, which would really frustrate me if I started it and then couldn't finish it.
I forgot about it. Mainly because I can't read Urasawa manga until it's finished. I couldn't tell you how good it is!
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on September 01, 2013, 09:26:54 PM
I actually have liked the characters more because of the flashback arc where you see that they didn't just 'learn' to appreciate the sport, they actually lost touch with it. It's simple, but since this is hot-blooded shonen I feel it works. You see how they branch off to be that way, and it makes sense in its own little way. Akashi is most definitely not much like Murasakibara who simply doesn't care (if anything he might care TOO much). Aomine is better once you see what makes him tick.
But, that's what I was saying about the author trying to cover things up with their different personalities. Yes, those aspects of the characters are different, but the core concept of them is the same: they all have an unhealthy superiority complex due to how used to winning they are. That aspect doesn't really change between them, IMO.
QuoteYep, this is where the 'shonen' stuff comes into play which is why some people either hate the techniques or think they don't go far enough with them. But not to spoil it for you or anything, but 'the Zone' is never used after the game with Murasakibara (and it does little to help him, he still loses the game) which makes it a little less overpowered than your standard power-up. Also, to be fair with Kuroko's techniques, they're all based on his tricky movement and aren't like crazy over-the-top plays or anything. I'm not sure how far you got, but they don't always work and certain ones simply don't anymore. It's all about figuring them out.
Actually, I made a mistake naming Kuroko's techniques as the ones that bug me. I was just trying to think of the names of the other techniques, and his were the ones that came to mind, so I just typed it up without thinking. Since it's a shounen manga, I can accept some suspenion of disbelief. What I starts messing things up for me a bit is when some abilities get a bit too ridiculous, like Akashi's ability to use his eyes to perceive the future moves of the people he plays against. Maybe they dissect this skill passed where I have read (all I've gotten, so far, is that he can perceive people's heart-beats and fine details and stuff like that to make predictions, which also sounds a bit too far-fetched), but the way they make it sound is that he can literally predict the future, which just feels way too out there in a manga with a relatively believable atmosphere for the most part. Make no mistake, though, the techniques don't ruin it for me as an overall series, it's just that the more ridiculous ones feel out of place in this series, IMO.
As for the part about "The Zone" not being used again after the 2nd time, I'm glad to hear that. It was a really nice climax to the final few minutes between the match with Seirin and Gakuen. Having Kagami use it again in the next match did hurt it a bit for me, but if that's the last time that he uses it, then I won't be too peeved. But something tells me that we're going to see that technique spring up again, anyways, at least by the final match in the series.
QuoteI don't think it's perfect, but when I read it I get the excitement the author is putting into it and how much he respects both the sport and shonen. I also feel the idea of someone like Kuroko as the MAIN character (not a side-character or 'weird' friend) distinguishes it further. It's not Slam Dunk, but that's probably a good thing that it's a separate approach.
I agree with this. If this series were done by any other author who wanted to do a generic sports manga, Kuroko would just be a quirky supporting character, and the star of the serious would be someone like Kagami. However, Kuroko makes himself Kagami's "shadow," and vows to support him in being the best player in Japan by using his own set of skills to help bring out the best in Kagami, as Kuroko himself just doesn't have the height or physique to become the best individual player (that's just the reality of the situation). So for all intents and purposes, Kuroko is like Kagami's side-kick, but he is the main character of the series, so this is really a manga about the side-kick. Though, to be fair, even Kuroko eventually becomes more than just that, and even though the manga is named after Kuroko, I think it's fair to say that Kagami gets just as much focus so as it wouldn't be a stretch to call him a main character as well. To me, this manga is really about Kuroko and Kagami as a duo, and the obvious theme being teamwork focuses on how these 2 use their different talents to bring out the best in each other. While neither Kuroko or Kagami could really stand up to the Generation of Miracles individually, as a team they can surpass them, which I believe is the whole point of the manga. That said, I believe the reason Kuroko is considered the more important main character is because he is basically the center of the team (and I don't mean in terms of his position, since he is obviously not a "center" :D ). As the center of the team, he helps enhance the team's performance through his unique set of skills, which is why he's the most significant character in a manga that's all about what it means to be a team.
If you haven't gotten to the game with Kuroko Vs. Kise, I think you really should. I think that might have been the best game in the manga so far (and all the games are usually entertaining) and that last point... awesome! It's a good one. If I'm not mistaken it's intense from page one, and nobody uses 'the Zone' (if I'm not mistaken... if they do and I don't remember, it does no good) which I think was a good way to make it pretty fast-paced.
Though right now we're in a flashback arc, it's still pretty entertaining. But I don't think the 'Emperor Eye' is him seeing the future, it's some kind of a stare that intimidates and puts opponents off balance for something like a Milli-second which he uses to force himself through. I don't know how to explain it properly, but it's more psychological intimidation than perception even if it might go a bit too far for most readers. Him 'knowing' what's going to happen is just him studying his opponent and their plays, it's not a special ability.
Anyway, Kuroko's goal of not being the best player, but the best teammate is quite fresh. I think that makes him the most valuable player even if he isn't the best. Especially when the rest of the team becomes able to catch his passes.
It's certainly the most fun thing running in Jump.
Quote from: Foggle on August 31, 2013, 11:54:27 PM
I've read Astro Boy and Yotsuba!
:swoon:
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on September 01, 2013, 12:38:46 AM
And no Yu Yu Hakusho, Hunter X Hunter, One Piece, or Bakuman, for that matter. I wanted to keep it to the top 5 most essential shounen manga, which I believe are those 5 series, rather than my personal favorite shounen manga (though to be fair, all 5 of those series are among my personal favorites, regardless).
True, but I would have suspected you to suggest
Shonan Junai Gumi since you like it a lot and consider it the best "delinquent story" manga. ;) As for
Yu Yu Hakusho and
Hunter X Hunter, I know you prefer the anime adaptions over their manga because they improve on the source material, so I wasn't surprised to see you not mention them.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on September 01, 2013, 06:51:25 PM
Currently running manga I enjoy:
1. Kuroko No Basket
2. Again!
3. Vinland Saga
That is all. (HxH isn't running)
On that note,
Vinland Saga is something I've been meaning to get to as well. Haven't heard of
Again! before, but it sounds interesting enough, so I'll check it out sometime. Like the rest of you, I'm waiting for
Billy Bat to finish before I read more than I have of it.
Right now I only follow three currently running manga as they come out:
One Piece,
Toriko, and
Detective Conan. I would be following
Animal Land and that Don Patch spinoff manga Sawaii is writing... but sadly, no one scans them. :cry:
I dropped everything I didn't enjoy, like
Naruto and
Fairy Tail, months ago, while some stuff I had mixed opinions of like
Soul Eater and
Medaka Box have simply ended. As for other currenlty-running stuff I like such as
Yotsuba and
Pokemon Adventures...it's really just easier to me to just wait for the proper english translations, since I'm way behind on most of them. Anyways, right now, on a week by week basis, I feel new chapters of
Toriko best new chapters of
One Piece in entertainment, although admittedly
Toriko is/was in a pretty intense and climatic arc these past few months, whereas
One Piece is just in build-up. Still, all three are consistently enjoyable for me, so I can't complain, although I would like to be reading some currently running seinin as well, but most of the stuff I'm interested in has too many chapters for me to really want to catch up right now, so I'll wait until I get around to them on my backlog.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on September 01, 2013, 06:51:25 PM
I also second Maison Ikkoku as being Takahashi's best work by far.
I don't know which between
Urusei Yatsura and
Maison Ikkoku I like best. Both are two of my absolute favorite anime/manga franchises... Actually, I haven't finished the manga of
Maison Ikkoku yet, though I have watched the anime, OVA, and movie. Likewise, with
Urusei Yatsura I haven't watched more than a couple episodes of the anime and the OVAs, although I have read the manga and watched all the movies :lol:. I have to finish both franchises completely in order for me to determine which I ultimately prefer to be totally honest. Right now, though, if I had to rank all of Takahashi's works that I've read/watched in order it would go:
1.
Urusei Yatsura (based on the manga, films, and what I've seen of the anime)
2.
Maison Ikkoku (based on the anime, OVA, films, and what I've read of the manga)
3.
Ranma 1/2 (based on the manga, anime, OVA's, and movies)
4.
InuYasha (based on the manga and
The Final Act. I have never and still don't care for the first anime and the movies)
5.
Mermaid Saga (based on the manga)
6.
One Pound Gospel (based on the manga)
I really enjoy all of these series, though. I need to finish the
Maison Ikkoku manga properly, mind you, but I can safely say that it,
Urusei Yatsura,
Ranma 1/2, and
InuYasha make my top 20 favorite manga list while
Maison Ikkoku and
Ranma 1/2's animes make my top 10, and of course, I love the
Urusei Yatsura films immensely and three of them make my top 30 favorite films list. I know her works aren't favored as highly anymore because of, well, the
InuYasha anime, but I've enjoyed her works in their various forms immensely overall. That said, I would only recommend
Urusei Yatsura and
Maison Ikkoku, anime or manga, to people here because they are definitely her best and most well-written (and least repetitive) works, and even if you didn't like or even hated
InuYasha I would encourage you guys to try UY and MI because they, and this is coming from a fan of that series mind you, are
nothing like it and are
leaps and bounds more enjoyable in terms of characters, stories, and overall execution. :humhumhum:
I've enjoyed what I've encountered of her pre-Ranma work, but I thought Maison Ikkoku was on its own level. And one of the few romance series I liked that didn't grate on my nerves.
The end of the Seirin vs. Kaijou match in the Winter Cup semi-finals was actually where I left off. It was indeed a great match, though my personal favorite match in the series was still the 2nd match between Seirin and Gakuen (I just use that name because I can never be sure of the correct spelling or Tou-oh? Academy). Being that it was Seirin's "revenge" match against Aomine and his team, it just felt so damn intense to me from start to finish. And, just like the semi-finals match, it also had a final point that had me absolutely on the edge of my seat until the last second.
Uh... (http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=86556)
what the
Click the uh... (http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=86556) ;)
D'oh! :sweat:
...wow, that's a...er, 'strange' thing to draw to get a job.
I'm going to make a prediction regarding the manga for Kuroko no Basket. I think that Seirin is going to ultimately lose against Rakuzan, but that it'll be a close game which pushes Akashi to the edge of his limit, and and will cause him to change in some way to unlock his supposed full potential.
Well, there's only two ways for it to really go but that wouldn't surprise me since its the finals.
The question is if what will happen after the match.
I just feel that things have been going way too smoothly for Seirin so far. They've already managed to beat 3 teams with players from the Generation of Miracles in a row, so if they beat Akashi on their first try and won the Winter Cup, then it would seem too easy, IMO. I'm not entirely sure if the manga will necessarily end with this game, but either way I just feel that the Winter Cup finals will end with Seirin having become a much stronger team from their experiences, but only walking away with 2nd place. If its the ending match of the series, though, then they'll definitely at least end up changing Akashi for the better, and gaining Rakuzan's respect as a rival team.
DC really has gone crazy. (http://whatculture.com/comics/justice-league-of-canada-to-replace-justice-league-of-america-in-2014.php)
Quote from: Avaitor on September 07, 2013, 12:10:01 AM
DC really has gone crazy. (http://whatculture.com/comics/justice-league-of-canada-to-replace-justice-league-of-america-in-2014.php)
What the...is that legit? I don't follow the JLA comics but seriously, replacing it with a Justice League of Canada? Why? What's the point? Do DC comics sell better in Canada or something? ???
They're obviously hoping to make this the newest JL member.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F31.media.tumblr.com%2F90686d424bd2d345d1b84ac810a66926%2Ftumblr_mmjxbakA2g1qa5lo8o1_500.gif&hash=79ec9e2cd341c9d89bc318fb78dcee81fb89202d)
But what would be her superpower? Singing innuendo-ridden songs about Beavers? ;)
Quote from: Cartoon X on September 07, 2013, 09:28:25 PM
But what would be her superpower? Singing innuendo-ridden songs about Beavers? ;)
That and math. And don't forget the robot!
I just finished reading Homunculus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus_%28manga%29). It was really good, even if kinda disturbing in some scenes. I really didn't expect it would end the way it did.
Going to try Ichi the Killer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichi_the_Killer_%28manga%29) next, since it's by the same author.
Ichi is really good! Have you seen the movie? It's one of my favorites. :el_hail:
Nope, haven't seen the movie, but I want to now.
Reading the manga, and I see it's already pretty messed up from beginning, even more than Homunculus. I like it, I will keep reading.
The JLC is me, a couple of beavers, and Celine Dion.
I die on the first page.
I've been on this "serious guy silly girls" theme, so Fujimura-kun Mates and Seitokai Yakuindomo have been my favorites this year.
Angus! How's it been, bud?
Quote from: Avaitor on September 07, 2013, 12:10:01 AM
DC really has gone crazy. (http://whatculture.com/comics/justice-league-of-canada-to-replace-justice-league-of-america-in-2014.php)
http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/4471728.html
Quote from: Foggle on September 13, 2013, 12:14:40 AM
Quote from: Avaitor on September 07, 2013, 12:10:01 AM
DC really has gone crazy. (http://whatculture.com/comics/justice-league-of-canada-to-replace-justice-league-of-america-in-2014.php)
http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/4471728.html
:zonk:
If you aren't reading the current Deadpool run, you really should be. It started off good, and it just gets better and better with each passing issue. #16 is a straight up masterpiece. This particular arc has the potential to go down as one of the greatest Deadpool stories of all time IMO.
How do they do it? It's like 99% of the Deadpool comics are good to great.
Manga I have recently/currently reading:
Gunsmith Cats
Triage X
The Sacred Blacksmith
I've been reading Hajime no Ippo as of late (I'm currently in the mid 400's). I wasn't too big on the fight between Ippo and that guy from Okinawa, but it did essentially neutralize the Dempsey Roll, which is great because that attack was becoming too overpowered, IMO. I was also getting tired of seeing it used to win matches, so it looks like now Ippo will have to work on something brand new in order to be able to fight against Miyata, as well as all of his future opponents.
I won a trivia game at the theatrical showing for S.H.I.E.L.D., and as a result won a $10 gift card for my local comic book shop. I'm going to decide if I use it for a graphic novel or a Funko vinyl figure when I go tomorrow.
There's a Trigun omnibus coming out in a few months. I've been waiting for one for the original series for a while now, so I finally have a point to get them for my re-read.
I'm currently just over 500 chapters into Hajime no Ippo. The manga has definitely picked up steam again. Ippo's last fight was great, and I like how the current flashback is finally going into the story about his father, which was only ever teased at since the beginning of the series.
Is that for Trigun or Trigun Maximum? I remember the second volume was pretty thick for the first series.
The one coming out is for the original Trigun series. Maximum already has omnibus collections coming out.
Like Ensatsu-ken, I'll be reading Hajime no Ippo, probably in the same spot where he's at since I want to pick up where New Challenger ended at.
And then after what seems like almost a year or 2, I'll be getting back into One Piece again as well. Figured a good starting place would be the Alabasta arc since I don't feel like trudging through Buggy and whatnot. With Naruto being so bad at this point, and Bleach being fairly mediocre I figured Oda would've probably hit his stride again since I thought the content after Impel Down was going at a downward spiral, and then having the crew come together the way they did, I couldn't really get back into it. "Shrugs" we'll see.
Ughhh...Naruto....It has been so goddamn boring that it's downright painful to read. You know, I don't like Naruto to begin with, but compared to the quality of the manga now, the early stuff almost comes off as legitimately good. At least that stuff went somewhere. I feel like with this extremely long war arc, Masashi Kishimoto is trying to establish that Naruto has evolved as a series both in scope and depth, and he's clearly trying to shove philosophical and psychological themes and whatnot down people's throats with these character. The only problem is that, Kishimoto is not Togashi. He doesn't have the talent to pull this kind of stuff off. Say what you will about the Chimera Ant arc's faults, and it does have plenty of them, but it also had legitimately great writing. Gon and Killua went through some excellent character development that came as natural based on the events unfolding before them, and Meruem's character development as a villain was expertly handled, and once again made sense based on who he was as a character to begin with.
With Tobi from Naruto, he's a completely contrived villain who is more of a vehicle to spew out twisted ideals about the world rather than being an actual believable character who feels like he naturally progressed to the point that he did. So, he had a tragic back story....like, every other character in this fucking series. What makes him stand-out so much from the rest that made him go on his path? What, just some old guy (Madara) telling him some stuff about the world suddenly convinces him to do a complete 180 and become a villain? That's the biggest bullshit that I've ever seen. It baffles me that there are STILL people out there who think this stuff is legitimately good, and even more so that some think that Naruto is one of the best shounen out there for doing "original" stuff such as this. Seriously, this type of villain has been done so many times before, and much better at that. Sensui from Yu Yu Hakusho had a similar concept behind him, except his character actually made sense based on who he was and how he was already a character who would naturally progress to the point where he would become a villain. Also, his goal wasn't as stupid as creating a virtual dream world.
And if you want to know something really sad, even old-school video games have done this type of villain before. Ninja Gaiden III on the NES (yes, a fucking Ninja Gaiden game) had a villain who was basically about going against humanity itself for being corrupt and evil. It was just as stupid and came completely out of left-field, but at least that game had the excuse of being a campy NES title that took less than an hour to beat. This shit in Naruto has been going on for ages, now.
Anyways, I'm done ranting about this crap, but it really does piss me off with how bad it is.
On a brighter note, Hajime no Ippo is still an awesome manga so far (I'm around chapter 540, at this point). As far as sports manga go, this one is kind of making me realize some other problems that I have with Kuroko no Basket, which I still like quite a bit, but it definitely feels lacking when I read it now after having seen and read so much of HnI.
Quote from: Cartoon X on May 12, 2013, 01:02:37 AM
Ugh, I need to write up my progress reports on this manga challenge I'm doing much more often or I can't talk about what I've read well...
Didn't learn from your mistakes, eh? :thinkin:
Anyway, I didn't accomplish my goal of finishing 100+ manga series in the summer, not that I expected to. The point was to try and read and finish all sorts of manga to have as much experience with manga as I do with cartoons, and just to try out some good series I hadn't read yet in general. So, to that effect, I succeeded, and have read and/or finished a shit-load of different manga these past four months. I'm going to just list them, because if I'm going to talk about them I'd rather say something meaningful an I can't with a couple of them because they aren't fresh in my memory, so instead I'll just grade them based on a scale, and add comments on some of them if need be.
20th Century Boys volumes 2-5. Reaction: 9.5/10 - Man, I am in love with this series so far! The Friends conspiracy moved way faster than I thought it would, and I downright loved Kenji's attempts to stop the Friends in 2 and 3, and of course Otcho's storyline in volume 4. The characters are really nicely defined, too, with Kenji, Yukiji, and Otcho being my favorites at the moment, and I might come to like this cast much more than
Monster's, crazy as that may sound. But I am a little confused as to why there was a sudden timeskip so early on in the series. I am liking Kanna as a protagonist from what little I've seen her in action, but it's jarring to go from Kenji, Otcho, and company preparing to stop a giant robot to see what his niece is up to 14 years in the future. But that said, it's still got me interested, and I am thinking on binging on the rest of the series in the next two weeks until I finish it!
Animal Land volumes 1-7. Reaction: 10/10 - I may be in love with
20th, but I am downright
adoring this series! Makoto Raiku hasn't lost his great sense of humor from
Zatch Bell, but he has significantly increased his storytelling skills. And that's
Animal Land's greatest feature, it's story. It takes no easy ways out, is downright brutal and harsh when it has to be, but never lets it's dark elements overwhelm the plot to the point where there is no hope or joy. There are several tear-jerking moments, and the plot seems to be going to an interesting place. Taroza has to be the most reasonable shonen manga protagonist I've seen, as he genuinely has to think out what's best in a world based solely on survival, but his optimism is inspiring as well. I have to admit that I am a teeny bit disappointed that the setting is a post-apocalyptic future rather than some spiritual world, because the explanation for why the 5 humans are in Animal Land is a little convoluted. That doesn't change the fact it's a great story completely devoid of the bothersome qualities found in modern shonen manga, and a breath of fresh air in the battle-heavy manga output these days. I'd like to confirm that it's the best shonen manga currently running (
One Piece is still the best in overall quality, but I'm talking about on a per chapter basis
right now), but sadly, no one translates this series. That said, I'll eagerly buy future volumes to see where Raiku will take the story after Taroza's decision at the end of volume 7. I'm expecting a time-skip, maybe with Taroza, Riemu, and Capri as teenagers or adults, but I really don't know where the story will go at this point, but since
Zatch Bell only got better and better as it went on, I have faith
Animal Land'll continue to please and surprise me.
Astro Boy volumes 1-2 Reaction: 9/10 - The first of four Tezuka manga I've read, and the only one I haven't finished, I have to say that this series deserves it's iconic status and is testament enough to Tezuka's status as the "God of Manga." It's quality holds up in comparison to the seinin work of his I've read and I dare say is better than several currently running manga in terms of story. It's simple and uncomplicated, but it's not sophomoric, quite the opposite. I still need to read more of the series, but it's a shame it isn't talked much about in comparison to his other works, even if it's still his most famous because of the anime.
Dororo. Reaction: 10/10 - The second of the four Tezuka manga I've read, and the first I completed. Even with it's rushed ending, it was still a fun ride to the finish, and Hyakkimaru is a great and interesting character.
Barbara. Reaction: 10/10 - Of all of his works, this is my favorite manga by Tezuka. A tale exploring the depths of sanity and madness, morality and sin, with two interesting and complicated leads...even with Tezuka's trademark humor, this is certainly an "adult" manga, and the darkest of all the works of his I've read. God bless Kickstarter and DMP for helping to translate this gem of manga.
Apollo's Song. Reaction: 10/10. - The second best manga about love, as far as I'm concerned, exploring the nature of the emotion, human weaknesses and imperfections, and overall just a great character-driven story.
Great Teacher Onizuka. Reaction: 9/10. - I admit, I was getting a little bored with the series during the lost fieldtrip money arc, but those last 100 chapters more than made up for it. Overall I think it's an excellent story with great humor. I have to say that the art can be a little cluttered, and character designs are often hard to differentiate, but the fact that Onizuka really is one of the greatest characters in anime/manga makes up for it in my book.
Monster. Reaction: 10/10. - It's a masterpiece. I can't think of much to fault the manga for, and unlike some critics, I absolutely adore the ending. Best manga ever made? I dunno, since I haven't read every manga out there, but as far as I'm concerned, it definitely is one of the greatest and a work of almost unparalleled quality.
Maison Ikkoku. Reaction: 10/10. - I'm surprised at the anime's ability to turn one chapter into a 22 minute episode without things feeling slow. But I'm also surprised at how much more story there is in the manga that the anime leaves out. But in either form,
Maison Ikkoku is my favorite love story, and that has to do with how "real" Kyoko and Godai feel to me. Character interactions don't feel forced, there's no sappiness, and yes, while Takahashi's sense of humor and ridiculousness makes it seem not that realistic, it's still a damn funny, well-written, and characterized series. It was an excellent manga, and I'm sad to finish it. :'(
Excel Saga volumes 9-26. Reaction: 10/10. - I think the fact
Excel Saga is now my second favorite manga of all time says a lot about how awesome it is. I said this before in the Greatest Manga Series thread, and I'll say it again: I
dare you to find a smarter, funnier, well-crafted, well-drawn, well-scripted, and well-cast manga.
You can't, because there is none. :il_hahaha:
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon volumes 7-11. Reaction: 8/10. - It may be blatantly formulaic, but it doesn't hurt my enjoyment of the story one bit. The Pharoh 90 and Dead Moon Circus arcs were both awesome, Sailor Saturn is cool, character development improves, and this new arc against Sailor Galattica is taking the story towards an interesting direction for it's finale. Certainly, this is a manga that gets better and better as you read through it, and I'm interested in seeing how it all ends in volume 12.
Codename: Sailor V volume 1. Reaction: 9/10. - I thought this was honestly genuinely funny, and lacked some of
Sailor Moon's repetitive drama. The fact that Minako is a funnier, more interesting character to me than Usagi helps it a bit as well. I appreciate a good, pure comedy, and I think this series really works as that, so I'm hoping volume 2 will be just as good.
Rurouni Kenshin volumes 8-10. Reaction: 9/10. - The Kyoto arc still hasn't picked up steam, but it's certainly well-written so far. I know that this arc gets really good, so I'm hoping that the return of Aoshi, teappearance of Hiko, and the reunion of Kenshin and Kaoru at the end of volume 10 is a signal for the excellency I've been promised in future volumes to come.
Berserk volumes 8-11. Reaction: 9.5/10. - I...am not in love with this series. I don't know why; it's awesome. Guts, Griffith, and Casca are great, well-developed characters and the Golden Age arc is excellent, but I'm not getting "feels" for it yet. Eh, there's still two volumes left of this arc, and I really do like it to consider myself a fan of it. You've got me invested, so win me over
Berserk!
Slam Dunk volumes 4-6. Reaction: 9/10. - That basketball game was
looooong, but still, it was pretty awesome. Sakuragi's behavior did annoy me at parts, though, but I still like him. I wish I could elaborate more on what I liked and disliked, but's it's been two months since I read these volumes, which shows me that I need to do these progress logs more regularly. :sweat:
Buso Renkin volumes 2-4. Reaction: 6.5/10. - It's not bad. I think it has some pretty good comedy moments, myself. I like Moonface's design. But...the story isn't that great, none of the characters besides maybe Papillon are actually interesting, and it tries to mix ridiculousness and dramatic parts too unevenly to make it work. I can't believe Watsuki made this after
Kenshin, because it certainly feels more like a work by an unexperienced mangaka rather than someone who created a story that was excellent right off the bat and got/gets even better to the point of being consider one of the greatest mangas of all time. I'm still going to finish it, eventually, but geez, what happened Watsuki?
Eyeshield 21 volume 1. Reaction: 8/10. - Still a funny and likeable sports series, and hopefully I'll get to finish the story this time now that I'm reading it instead of trying to watch it on sub-only dvd's.
Akira volumes 1-2. Reaction: 8/10. - I can't say I really like any of the characters in this story, but I do think it's ideas are interesting, and the story is good. More or less though, I love the artwork, which is some of the most detailed I've seen. It's so high quality, it looks amazing even by modern standards. I'm just hoping that now that Akira has awoken the characters will grow on me more so that I can enjoy the story better than I have.
Dr. Slump volumes 1-4. Reaction: 9/10. - Oh god, I forgot how funny this series was! This series really feels the most "Toriyama" of all his manga, to me. Even though I prefer
Dragonball by a significant margin, this series is the fullest expression of Toriyama's sense of humor and artistic imagination. More importantly though, it's hilarious, and stands the test of time. I'm glad the second manga I ever read still holds up to be one of the best manga comedies I've read to this day.
The Prince of Tennis volume 2. Reaction: 7.5/10. - This volume wasn't all that bad objectively. The matches between Ryoma and Inoue and Ryoma and Kaido were pretty logical and well-done. None of the characters in this series are actually well-defined, at least yet, but I guess I have to give my "guilty pleasure" manga more credit for having parts that really are, actually, pretty well-written and decent.
Case Closed volumes 1-3. Reaction: 8.5/10. - Nothing different from what I've already seen multiple times in the anime, so overall pretty great stuff. With this earlier stuff, though, I think I prefer watching the anime to reading the manga. The anime shouldn't have changed the ending to that one story in volume 3, though. That sure bit them in the ass when Ai Haibara shows up in volume 18. :lol:
Zatch Bell! volumes 5-6. Reaction: 8/10. - I still like this series, but I forgot how formulaic and..."shonen-y" it is in the begging. Still fun to read and packed with great Raiku humor and characters, but definitely not as good as I remembered. I guess the sheer excellency of
Animal Land and to an extent
Hunter X Hunter have simply spoiled me when it comes to shonen series. :sly:
Pokemon Adventures volumes 1-9. Reaction: 9/10. -
Pokemon Adventures is awesome, the best
Pokemon story ever. I wish the anime was as good as it. Seriously, the Yellow arc is one of my favorites in any manga, and I think the GSC arc will be even better from what I'm reading of it.
Pokemon really has not ever been more epic. ;D
Black Cat volumes 4-8. Reaction: 9/10. -
Black Cat continues to endear me with it's characters and story, and now that Creed's rebellion has started, things can only fet more interesting from here on out. Certainly underrated, and it makes me want to check out the anime. If Train really is as different in it as I've heard he is though...
Shaman King volumes 1-2. Reaction: 7/10. - VlordGTZ loves this series, but two volumes in...and I think it's just alright. There really isn't anything to it that's bad, but at the same time, there was little that stood out to me, and it's type of stories, humor, and character are very "shonen," for better or worse. I'll see where it goes, but after they spend 2/3 of the volume on one battle this early on...
Oishinibo volumes Izakaya: Pub Food, Rice, and Vegetables. Reaction: 9/10. - A great manga about cooking. Informative, likable, and interesting, I really liked this manga and it's a shame it's so under the radar considering it could have had great appeal among food-loving folks everywhere. I managed to buy 4 of the volumes recently, two of which I haven't read yet, so I'm going to eagerly swallow up more of this series until I'm full!
Hikaru no Go volume 1. Reaction: 7/10. - I loved this anime when it was on Toonami Jetstream when I was in middle school, but revisiting this beginning...it's alright, but not that interesting to me anymore. Hikaru is a lot more of a jerk and "shonen"-protagonisty than I remembered, although Sai is still pretty cool. I'm going to read more, because I know where this story goes, and I have good memories of the anime, but this first volume disappointed me as a point of re-visitation.
Path of the Assassin volumes 1-3. Reaction: 9.5/10. - I picked this up accidentally thinking it was
Lone Wolf and Cub, but I don't regret it in the slightest, because it's a good manga about a man's journey into power, helped in the shadows by his ninja assistant. I'm definitely interested in reading more of this, and starting
Lone Wolf and Cub officially as well.
Drifters volume 1. Reaction: 8/10. - The creator of
Hellsing's newest manga didn't disappoint me, filled my action-thirsts, but left me hungry for more. All I could ask for, really, and I'm curious to see what this series has in store in future volumes.
Fullmetal Panic! Sigma volumes 1-2. Reaction: 9/10. - I read this so I could vote in the Greatest Manga Thread, and liked it so much that I read two volumes worth before I knew it. I haven't watched the animes yet, so I knew nothing about the series going into it, but all the same I found it interesting and addicting and really like Sosuke and Kaname. After reading these volumes, I'm definitely going to watch the anime as soon as I can and go through this story in it's entirety, cause it really is quite good.
Beck volumes 1-2. Reaction: 9/10. - To make a manga about music work...that takes some real skill. This manga surprises me in how likable it is right off the bat and how well it portrayed the thrill of music despite not being able to convey sound. Heh, I should watch that dvd set I got of the anime sometime soon.
Ghost in the Shell volume 1. Reaction: 9.5/10. - This manga was excellent, and just as good as the anime, probably better than the movie. I mean, this volume contains the movie's basic plot, as well as elements that appear in
Stand Alone Complex, but the characters feel more fleshed out, things are explained more clearly, and, honestly, the humor in this manga makes everything feel more palpable and natural than they do in the movie, and maybe
Stand Alone Complex at parts. I certainly like the Major best in the manga's portrayal of her compared to her in the anime and movie, at the very least. I curious as to how volume 2 will go, considering the Major and Puppeteer are now one in the same. I also wonder why the anime adaptions of
Ghost in the Shell make everyone so serious all the time... :thinkin:
Attack on Titan - I've completely caught up on the series, and I think it's okay, but not as great as everyone makes it out to be. Mainly, I am not very invested in a lot of the characters, even the better characterized and developed ones like Mikasa and Armin. It's a good series so far, and I'll keep up with it, but if the story drags along as it did in the first few chapters after the end of the Female Titan arc I wont hesitate to drop it. So Far: 7/10.
Deadman Wonderland - This has to be the second series I've ever kept up with that has ended. How was the ending? Pretty fucking shitty. I don't really think this manga was ever really good. I liked parts of it, which is why I stuck with it until the end, but really, it was a pretty poorly done series overall, and I like having one less manga to follow now that I didn't have to drop. Overall: 5/10.
Soul Eater - To think another manga I've been keeping up with for years would suddenly end...I was disappointed with the final chapter, but re-reading the whole final arc, it was actually quite good. I think the series' quality is pretty inconsistent as a whole, but it was honestly a pretty decent manga, despite some of the problems I had with it's plot and character developments. I'm glad it's over, because I felt a decline in quality after Medusa died that was exaggerated by the fact the chapters only came out monthly, but I enjoyed the ride, and I'll remember it fondly enough. Overall: 8/10.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run volumes 1-2. Reaction: 9/10.
Psyren volumes 2-3. Reaction: 8/10.
Revolutionary Girl Utena volumes 1-2. Reaction: 7/10.
Ouran High School Host Club volumes 1-2. Reaction: 7.5/10.
School Rumble volume 2. Reaction: 9/10.
Phew, that was a heck of a lot of manga. To think even more awaits me... :-X
Quote from: Cartoon X on September 28, 2013, 09:39:46 PM
Excel Saga volumes 9-26. Reaction: 10/10. - I think the fact Excel Saga is now my second favorite manga of all time says a lot about how awesome it is. I said this before in the Greatest Manga Series thread, and I'll say it again: I dare you to find a smarter, funnier, well-crafted, well-drawn, well-scripted, and well-cast manga.
You can't, because there is none. :il_hahaha:
:e_hail: :el_hail:
Quote from: Cartoon X on September 28, 2013, 09:39:46 PM
Great Teacher Onizuka. Reaction: 9/10. - I admit, I was getting a little bored with the series during the lost fieldtrip money arc, but those last 100 chapters more than made up for it. Overall I think it's an excellent story with great humor. I have to say that the art can be a little cluttered, and character designs are often hard to differentiate, but the fact that Onizuka really is one of the greatest characters in anime/manga makes up for it in my book.
That arc you fixate on was really short, though, and barely took up that much of the story. And when I said that the manga went downhill with the 2nd half, I should clarify that I really meant the last quarter of it or so, and even then I still mostly liked the series. I just found that it had some stupid plot points by then. The thing with the female teacher introducing a points system into the school for the teachers was pretty dumb, IMO, and having her control a group of kids who knew martial arts was way too ridiculous, even for this series. It's still one of my favorites, though, but I definitely think that the first 150 chapters or so were distinctly better than the last 1/4th of the manga.
The whole thing is better than Shounan 14 Days, though. That series just recycled all of the elements that we had already seen done so well in GTO, except with more ridiculous gags (in a bad way), and worse writing.
QuoteRurouni Kenshin volumes 8-10. Reaction: 9/10. - The Kyoto arc still hasn't picked up steam, but it's certainly well-written so far. I know that this arc gets really good, so I'm hoping that the return of Aoshi, teappearance of Hiko, and the reunion of Kenshin and Kaoru at the end of volume 10 is a signal for the excellency I've been promised in future volumes to come.
The early parts of the Kyoto arc are great, but more so in retrospect than on your first run through the series. At any rate you still have a long way to go before the end of the arc (IIRC, this arc ends on volume 18 of the manga). I also think that the TV anime version of this arc was excellent. It's the one part that the TV anime got right, whereas the first season had too much filler, and the last season was nothing BUT filler.
QuoteSlam Dunk volumes 4-6. Reaction: 9/10. - That basketball game was looooong, but still, it was pretty awesome. Sakuragi's behavior did annoy me at parts, though, but I still like him. I wish I could elaborate more on what I liked and disliked, but's it's been two months since I read these volumes, which shows me that I need to do these progress logs more regularly. :sweat:
Rukawa's character type is the one that annoys me more in series like this. That said, both he and Sakuragi become less like their original selves and more interesting characters as the series progresses.
QuoteHikaru no Go volume 1. Reaction: 7/10. - I loved this anime when it was on Toonami Jetstream when I was in middle school, but revisiting this beginning...it's alright, but not that interesting to me anymore. Hikaru is a lot more of a jerk and "shonen"-protagonisty than I remembered, although Sai is still pretty cool. I'm going to read more, because I know where this story goes, and I have good memories of the anime, but this first volume disappointed me as a point of re-visitation.
I read the manga first, so I stopped the anime when I realized that it was just a carbon-copy of the manga. I think the series picks up steam around the time that Hikaru joins the Insei, but it's been a while since I've read this manga, myself, so I'll need to look into it again as well.
Fullmetal Panic! Sigma volumes 1-2. Reaction: 9/10. - I read this so I could vote in the Greatest Manga Thread, and liked it so much that I read two volumes worth before I knew it. I haven't watched the animes yet, so I knew nothing about the series going into it, but all the same I found it interesting and addicting and really like Sosuke and Kaname. After reading these volumes, I'm definitely going to watch the anime as soon as I can and go through this story in it's entirety, cause it really is quite good.[/quote]
Before you read more of this manga, I first suggest taking a hiatus from it to watch the 1st anime. It's nothing great (well, I really have a lot of love for it, but it is out of bias for being one of the earliest anime that I watched on DVD), but it is the beginning to the story (which Sigma doesn't cover). After that, watch TSR, which I believe the first 2 volumes of Sigma covered, but the anime was much better than the manga, in this regard (and even the original light-novels as well, IMO). Then, continue reading Sigma from that point on. That said, I would recommend reading the original light novels first and then Sigma, but I can vouch for Sigma being pretty faithful to the novels as it is, so either way is acceptable.
QuoteAttack on Titan - I've completely caught up on the series, and I think it's okay, but not as great as everyone makes it out to be. Mainly, I am not very invested in a lot of the characters, even the better characterized and developed ones like Mikasa and Armin. It's a good series so far, and I'll keep up with it, but if the story drags along as it did in the first few chapters after the end of the Female Titan arc I wont hesitate to drop it. So Far: 7/10.
Yeah, pretty much my thoughts on the series in a nutshell.
It's not as bad as some of the haters make it out to be, but it's not really that great of a series, either.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on September 28, 2013, 10:10:23 PM
That arc you fixate on was really short, though, and barely took up that much of the story.
I know, but it did last around a volume or so IIRC, and I was already burned out on the series from the previous arcs and didn't find it that interesting until the end. I don't think it was bad, only that it was where I was starting to lose interest in the series until they went to Okinawa, which and after which the series kept my interest and enjoyment in it until the end. I did think elements of the final arc were a bit ridiculous, but I still enjoyed it well-enough, and I really did enjoy the manga overall, and I'm going to read
Shounan Junai Gumi after I'm done with
20th Century Boys and
Pluto.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on September 28, 2013, 10:10:23 PM
Rukawa's character type is the one that annoys me more in series like this. That said, both he and Sakuragi become less like their original selves and more interesting characters as the series progresses.
That's good to hear. I don't dislike either of them as they are now, but I'm glad to know they'll get some good character development as the series progresses.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on September 28, 2013, 10:10:23 PM
Before you read more of this manga, I first suggest taking a hiatus from it to watch the 1st anime. It's nothing great (well, I really have a lot of love for it, but it is out of bias for being one of the earliest anime that I watched on DVD), but it is the beginning to the story (which Sigma doesn't cover). After that, watch TSR, which I believe the first 2 volumes of Sigma covered, but the anime was much better than the manga, in this regard (and even the original light-novels as well, IMO). Then, continue reading Sigma from that point on. That said, I would recommend reading the original light novels first and then Sigma, but I can vouch for Sigma being pretty faithful to the novels as it is, so either way is acceptable.
I was planning to watch the animes before I continued with the manga, so I will. :) I'll also try to read the light novels. Are they all legally available, or will I have to read fan-translations like with the
Sigma manga?
Quote from: Cartoon X on September 28, 2013, 10:44:02 PMThat's good to hear. I don't dislike either of them as they are now, but I'm glad to know they'll get some good character development as the series progresses.
Well, Sakuragi will still always be a knuckle-head goof-ball, and Rukawa will still always be an ass a times, but Sakuragi grows a more serious passion for Basketball as the series progresses, and proves himself to really be more clever than you would think he is capable of being in the beginning of the series, and Rukawa becomes a better teammate over time rather than just the team's Ace to tries to act solo all of the time out of pride.
QuoteI was planning to watch the animes before I continued with the manga, so I will. :) I'll also try to read the light novels. Are they all legally available, or will I have to read fan-translations like with the Sigma manga?
The first 5 main story volumes were published in English and released by the now defunct Tokyo Pop. That said, they may be hard to find, but the anime covers up to that point in the story-line, anyways. Everything after that was never officially released in English, anywhere, so you will have to rely on fan translations for those, but the fan translations were expertly done, and the people who did them put a lot of effort into them to make it really feel like you were reading an actual well-written novel, so they are totally worth reading. Early on when I was reading some of the later novels, I had to reply on crappy translations (not crappy from being inaccurate, but rather from bad grammar and lot's of typos). However, since then, I recall that the novels ended up getting proper translations from better sources, but I honestly don't remember where the links to those translations are, anymore, so I'll have to look it up again, sometime later.
QuoteWith Tobi from Naruto, he's a completely contrived villain who is more of a vehicle to spew out twisted ideals about the world rather than being an actual believable character who feels like he naturally progressed to the point that he did.
"Look!! There's nothing in my heart!! I don't even feel pain!!"
Quote from: Rynnec on September 28, 2013, 11:41:59 PM"Look!! There's nothing in my heart!! I don't even feel pain!!"
"I will destroy this reality and create a new one!" (Or some shit like that...)
Seriously, the guy isn't even a character. He's just another emo-vessel for Kishimoto to write stupid lines for.
Also, have you seen Y Ruler of Time's list of the top 5 stupidest evil villain plots in manga? Tobi's on that list for a good reason. ;)
Yep. I think you linked to it a while ago. What's worse is that most of the stupidity Y pointed out about Tobi's plan happened when he was still "cool".
I liked Tobi back when he had his mask on, but ever since he lost it, he just became an emo-bitch. I can't take him even remotely seriously, hell, I can hardly take the series as a whole seriously at this point.
I love Neo Ultra Mike's thoughts on the latest chapter of
Naruto over at Toonzone, as it honestly sums up everything wrong with the series right now:
Quote
Kishimoto: Alright now it's time for Naruto and Sasuke to charge forward at Obito-Flower... I mean Obito Ten Tails Jinkurrki. Yeah that sounds better, kind of.
Kishimoto's Editor: Wait a minute, didn't you already establish Senju DNA is the only thing that hurts Obito anymore?
Kishimoto: And?
Kishimoto's Editor: Sasuke doesn't have any Senju DNA, so what's he going to do?
Kishimoto: Uhhhhhhhh.......... I mean uh..... I mean uhoffffffffffffffff course he does!
Kishimoto's Editor: What? Where.
Kishimoto: Well uh it turns out that uh... yeah what did Orochimaru give Sasuke like 600 chapter ago?
Kishimoto's Editor: The curse seal?
Kishimoto: Well it turns out that curse seal uh was also made with Senju DNA cause uh Orochimaru probably also had that.
Kishimoto's Editor: I don't think he did-
Kishimoto: Well he did now!
Kishimoto's Editor: Yeah well even if that was the case shouldn't Sasuke not even have that anymore as that was removed from his body entirely?
Kishimoto: Uh... Juugo gives him some energy which recharges it which allows him to cover up the Susanno in curse seals and thus give him an aura of Senju DNA.
Kishimoto's Editor: ... You just made that up randomly didn't you?
Kishimoto: No this has been in the plan for years man.
Kishimoto's Editor: No it hasn't. I mean, why would Juugo even know to let out his chakra enough to boost Sasuke's to get the curse seal back? And why if the curse seal had Senju DNA in it, did everyone feel it as chakra, when it's been established senju and chakra energies are different?
Kishimoto: Look this is totally sensical and everyone will be cool with it.
Kishimoto's Editor: Yeah, name one person who likes this plot twist.
Jacob T. Paschal: (Overherad) Wait Sasuke has senjuu DNA? That totally makes sense! This chapter is so great.
Kishimoto: There see? People like it.
Kishimoto's Editor: Isn't that the same random voice that actually thought the tree that bears a fruit that gave people Chakra made sense and wasn't a continuity ruining failure of epic proportions?
Kishimoto: Yup.
Kishimoto's Editor: (Sighs) Okay what's in the rest of this?
Kishimoto: Okay we start off with everyone looking at Sasuke and Naruto, a two page spread of the foxes chakra powering up young Uzumaki-
Kishimoto's Editor: Okay a waste of one fifth of the chapter. Then what?
Kishimoto: Then the explanation followed by Orochimaru explaining he can't do anything.
Kishimoto's Editor: That also feels pointless.
Kishimoto: No cause it leads to a comedic scene of Karin puching Sugitesu.
Kishimoto's Editor: Uh why?
Kishimoto: Cause I keep telling you a woman being angry and randomly hitting a guy for no real reason is funny. Why is that still such a foriegn concept to you?
Kishimoto's Editor: I'd ask why it's a foriegn concept that you find that funny but since our reader base laps it up, I don't care. So then what?
Kishimoto: Well then the second hokage notices Naruto and Sasuke and talks about them.
Kishimoto's Editor: You know this feels even more pointless. Wasn't the whole purpose of having Naruto and Sasuke charge forward last chapter to actually get the action going again?
Kishimoto: That will happen eventually but see this builds up things.
Kishimoto's Editor: What things?
Kishimoto: Because see talking about Naruto reminds him of his brother when he was hokage and-
Kishimoto's Editor: No.
Kishimoto: Huh?
Kishimoto's Editor: You are NOT having more unneeded, poorly timed flashbacks.
Kishimoto: But... but half of Naruto is unneeded flashbacks.
Kishimoto's Editor: Sorry but you wasted that last time when you expanded the chapter just to have 5 pages of it just be scenes we already seen and didn't need to see again.
Kishimoto: But but... but this is new material-
Kishimoto's Editor: I don't care.
Kishimoto: But it shows the meeting of the original kages.
Kishimoto;s Editor: No one wants to see that.
Jacob T. Paschal: (Offscreen) Wow the first five kages! Super cool man.
Kishimoto's Editor: Seriously who is that guy and how does he keep answering back?
Kisimoto: Don't worry about that. Anyway see in the meeting Harishama is over bowing his head to try and be respectful cause see he wants peace between the kages-
Kishimoto's Editor: No!
Kishimoto: But see there's tension because the Kazekage wants more money for his Bjuu beast because the sand village doesn't have a stable economy and I guess they can't just like move or anything if they don't live in a place with viable resources.
Kishimoto's Editor: Stop talking!
Kishimoto: And see everyone's arguing but Harishama just wants peace-
Kishimoto's Editor: Stop wasting time!
Kishimoto: And see it's all symbolic because the five hokages land and get ready to fight and that's how the chapter ends. So see, it is important.
Kishimoto's Editor: No it isn't!
Kishimoto: But... what about the kages-
Kishimoto's Editor: Look as YOU established not even a year ago, these guys were NOTHING compared to Madara, who isn't even the big threat now and is fighting with Harishama. Why is them being here signfiicant? Why waste so much time on flashbacks of characters not related to these events or groups already on the same side for some symbolism already shoved down our throats on people who won't contribute anything?
Kishimoto: Oh come on it shows unity and strength.
Kishimoto's Editor: You can't just have moments build up on unity if this is just going to end with Naruto alone stomping out Obito. This is just why I told you to drop that chapter building up Shikamaru and his dad building up a plan, or on showcasting Sakura if again it doesn't lead anywhere.
Kishimoto: But this will.
Kishimoto's Editor: Yeah you keep saying that, and guess what? NOTHING HAPPENS!
Kishimoto: It makes us all lots of money because people still are eating up these chapters, and stretching this fight into it's twenty eight inning hasn't seemed to negativley impacted our sales any.
Kishimoto's Editor: ... Okay, that's ONE thing you said today that's made sense but still what about integrity, or listening to what your fans say.
Kishimoto: I'm finishing this story the way I want so that's my integrity, and if we really are making some people happy, who cares what some other people have to say? No one's making them watch it and if they're only continuing forward to complain, then that's their tastes, not mine. Let them like or dislike my work: I'm doing what I want and going out by hitting all the notes I wished to before hand. Maybe it's not the Naruto people have in mind but in the end it's still my Naruto, believe it... or not.
Kishimoto's Editor: (Sighs) Fine, we'll put it in. Curse you and your ability to make a speech every so often that is actually kind of moving.
Kishimoto: Yeah besides we're still making people happy, especially that one guy.
Jacob T. Paschal: (Offscreen) Hey want to hear why I think this story's pacing works yet for some reason think One Piece's story doesn't?
Kishimoto's Editor: (Groans) I really need to just say "whatever" and stop questioning things, cause talking about them with people who aren't logicial is just making my head hurt more.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on September 28, 2013, 09:32:54 PM
Ughhh...Naruto....It has been so goddamn boring that it's downright painful to read. You know, I don't like Naruto to begin with, but compared to the quality of the manga now, the early stuff almost comes off as legitimately good. At least that stuff went somewhere. I feel like with this extremely long war arc, Masashi Kishimoto is trying to establish that Naruto has evolved as a series both in scope and depth, and he's clearly trying to shove philosophical and psychological themes and whatnot down people's throats with these character. The only problem is that, Kishimoto is not Togashi. He doesn't have the talent to pull this kind of stuff off. Say what you will about the Chimera Ant arc's faults, and it does have plenty of them, but it also had legitimately great writing. Gon and Killua went through some excellent character development that came as natural based on the events unfolding before them, and Meruem's character development as a villain was expertly handled, and once again made sense based on who he was as a character to begin with.
Don't get me started about Naruto's flaws. I can go on for some time there. But yes, Tobi, before revealing that he was Obito was definitely a lot more interesting. Since he was revealed as Obito (I swear, I hated this idea to begin with) the series itself took a nose dive, and then to top it all off it's as if there's no competent character in this series so everyone has to rely on Naruto (I hated that in DBZ, and I hate it in everything else as well).
Quote from: Cartoon XI love Neo Ultra Mike's thoughts on the latest chapter of Naruto over at Toonzone, as it honestly sums up everything wrong with the series right now:
Yeah, he got a chuckle outta me as well. Jacob's been on the brunt of lashings as of late.
Jacob deserves the lashings. I have no problem with a guy who's opinions I downright don't agree with, but JTP seems to be under the deluded notion that his opinions are truth itself. This guy is praising Naruto like it's the second coming, yet is complaining that nothing is happening in the Hunter X Hunter anime lately (or, pardon me, "nothing interesting"). I pretty much highlighted all of the important shit going on in this week's episode the day before he posted that, but apparently he must have fallen asleep when watching it.
In fact, let me show you!
Here's what I wrote:
QuoteSo, this week we learn that the selection process has already started, and entire villages are being wiped out in the process. Meanwhile, some of the old squadron leaders are now allying themselves with the true king. As for Gon and Killua, they have gone their separate ways for the time being. Now Gon is alone and has two chimera ants attacking him while using the darkness to their advantage, and at the same time he has another one with a cloaking ability stalking him. Killua on the other hand has gone off on his own to be a bad-ass and kill a whole mess of chimera ant soldiers that are attempting to start the selection process early.
So, yeah, shit's finally going down, now. And on top of that, we even get some good old fashioned politics thrown in for good measure!
And Jacob's response:
QuoteWow, nothing of interest happened in this episode.
I'm guessing it didn't have enough contrived plot twists for him.
I honestly don't know what Jacob considers "good" or "interesting." It's one thing to not like watching One Piece dubbed and all, and another thing to somehow hate the series now after quitting it during Fishman Island and contradicting his former opinions, but he's raving about new Bleach and Naruto chapters even though many of them barely are progressing the plot at all (like what is the case for most of both series' recent few chapters), and thinks a Hunter X Hunter episode chock full of plot development and set up for some intense happenings is boring? I just don't get it.
His "my opinion is better than yours because I know more about japanese animation production" attitude rubs me the wrong way as well, as well as his consistently and unfailry negative opinions towards dubs. If Jacob had his way, there wouldn't be any dubs or subs and we'd all have to learn japanese in order to watch anime at all. :D
I don't know how else Monster should have ended for certain people to like it.
Spoiler
If Johan would have died at the end it would have ruined the whole point of the story.
What happened was the best possible outcome.
Yeah, the ending of Monster was perfect.
Who doesn't like Monster's ending? I want names. :sly:
I thought the ending was perfect because 1. Johan's ideal plan going awry due to a factor he didn't consider, Whim's father, was the last event that destroyed his myth of being a "Monster," and showed he really was just a human being all along, the final scene of the series, showing his hospital bed empty, effectively illustrating that "the Monster is gone," and 2. Tenma avoided having to bear the burden of killing a person, and could stick to his morals by saving Johan, a human beings', life, and could return to live his life helping people and saving people's lives. There are probably other reason I could say the ending works, but I feel thematically and in terms of the character arcs the ending was really the only sensical way to close the series.
Quote from: Foggle on September 29, 2013, 09:00:05 PM
Yeah, the ending of Monster was perfect.
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Wait, Jacob hated Monster's finale?
I thought it was a copout *runs*
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on September 29, 2013, 06:13:37 PM
Jacob deserves the lashings. I have no problem with a guy who's opinions I downright don't agree with, but JTP seems to be under the deluded notion that his opinions are truth itself. This guy is praising Naruto like it's the second coming, yet is complaining that nothing is happening in the Hunter X Hunter anime lately (or, pardon me, "nothing interesting"). I pretty much highlighted all of the important shit going on in this week's episode the day before he posted that, but apparently he must have fallen asleep when watching it.
In fact, let me show you!
Here's what I wrote:
QuoteSo, this week we learn that the selection process has already started, and entire villages are being wiped out in the process. Meanwhile, some of the old squadron leaders are now allying themselves with the true king. As for Gon and Killua, they have gone their separate ways for the time being. Now Gon is alone and has two chimera ants attacking him while using the darkness to their advantage, and at the same time he has another one with a cloaking ability stalking him. Killua on the other hand has gone off on his own to be a bad-ass and kill a whole mess of chimera ant soldiers that are attempting to start the selection process early.
So, yeah, shit's finally going down, now. And on top of that, we even get some good old fashioned politics thrown in for good measure!
And Jacob's response:
QuoteWow, nothing of interest happened in this episode.
I'm guessing it didn't have enough contrived plot twists for him.
Yeah, I stopped reading anything he had to say a long time ago. I try my hardest to not go off on anyone, but Jacob is one (along with a few others) where I actually had to use the ignore function.
Anyway, started reading
One Piece again yesterday. Started with Nami vs Mr. 1's partner (I just read this stuff yesterday and I can't remember her name for nothing). I think when I ranked the arc's I gave the Alabasta arc a 4.5/5. I'd probably take it down to about a 4 instead. Then again I'm probably just a bit impatient and want to hurry up and get to Water 7 (I think that's the name lol). You know what, I take that back, I know that's the problem. Nothing wrong with the arc outside of the the draggy-ness, just want to get to where I thought the story really hooked me at, but at the same time I need to read this just to remember everything as well.
One Piece
In the end I ended up skipping most of these chapters anyway just so I can read Water 7 on up. Yeah, my patience didn't last long for that lol. Most of the characters in this arc really was a great addition, although, I can't say I'm a fan of Franky, but then again I do recall saying this back when I first read this arc as well. However, I don't recall him ever growing onto me either. That dynamic fight between Luffy and Usopp didn't have much of an impact on me like the first time I read this either, and that's mainly because I became less tolerant of both types of characters than back then as well. Sanji, Zoro, Nami and Robin still keep me intrigued/entertained, though, that's for sure.
Once I'm caught up on OP, I'll immediately move onto HnI.
I should probably give Slam Dunk a try as well since my sister been trying to get me into that series, or was it the football series.. I can't remember. I think it was Slam Dunk though.
Well, I've heard great things about Eyeshield 21, myself, so maybe I should check that one out as well. However, Slam Dunk is great. The only thing I should warn you about is that Sakuragi, the main character, is the type that I happen to know you're not a fan of. Of course, it's not like he's the only character who gets focus in the series, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Speaking of Hajime no Ippo, I'm just over the 600 chapter mark, and am currently in the middle of the Itagaki vs. Imai fight. Man, if Imai is doing this unexpectedly well in the beginning of the fight, than by traditional shounen logic, I'm thinking that he's going to get his ass seriously kicked later on in the fight. It just never bodes well if things seem too easy at first.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on October 04, 2013, 05:08:41 PM
Well, I've heard great things about Eyeshield 21, myself, so maybe I should check that one out as well.
Eyeshield 21 is really enjoyable. Well, at least the parts I've watched/read, which admittedly is mostly the beginning of the series. One of these days I need to restart the series and finish it, but I'd say it's worth checking out.
Spoiler
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I stop reading you for a few months, and you seem to have gotten worse,
Fairy Tail. Shamelessly much, much worse. :burn:
How low will you sink, Mashima? Is it really necessary to squeeze in tasteless fanservice at every possible opportunity? Good lord, even Kubo doesn't sink as low as that, and he's just as bad a writer. Bah...
I also tried to read the newest
Naruto and
Bleach chapters. I nearly threw up reading the
Naruto one. Everyone kissing Naruto's ass like that, even Shikimaru, and that taking up the whole chapter, pure shit, right there. Not only did the entire dialogue sound forced, unnatural, and corny, but it did
nothing to move the story forward. It was shameless ass-kissing to hype up what a great, swell hero Naruto is worried about everyone even though he is tired and burdened with responsibility and whatever crap that was said in that chapter. How do people read this crap and not get pissed off? :whuh:
The
Bleach chapter was just mediocre, in that nothing happened except, surprise, the villains aint' dead and Hitsugaya and Soi Fon are getting their asses kicked. But wait, what's this, Urahara has miraculously developed a way for them to get back their Bankais? Without any buildup whatsoever, and so quickly into this entire thing? Yeah...screw you Kubo. Just get this shit over with already so I can say I've read all of your disappointing series and be done with it for good.
Thank god for
One Piece and
Toriko! These last two weeks have led to some great plot developments, with the conflict with Doflamingo now being taken up a notch with Sanji engaging him in battle, and I'm enjoying Midora's backstory in
Toriko as well, even if it isn't all that fresh. Definitely takes the sour taste of
Naruto,
Bleach, and
Fairy Tail out of my mouth, but good lord I swear those series are reaching all time lows right now. I wish I could just stay away and be done with them for good, like
D. Grayman, but they are so, so close to their ends and I've been keeping up with them for so many years I want the satisfaction of finishing them, but boy howdy are they making it difficult for me, and despite my attempts to drop them at several times curiosity keeps puling me back into the abyss... it's like a harmful addiction that never ends. :imnothappy:
Anyways,
Soul Eater ending reminded me that I haven't kept up with
Black Butler in a long ass time. I might as well pick up from where I left off on that one. Don't care for the characters much (really bland, although Ciel and Sebastian are twisted in a way that makes them somewhat interesting), but at least the story is good. First I should catch up on
Vinland Saga,
Hajime no Ippo,
Kuroko no Basket, and
Gintama since I really like what I've read of those, and maybe
Rin-Ne as well if only because it's Takahashi's currently ongoing series and it's apparently a
Ranma 1/2-esque action comedy. Really, at this point I just want to be keeping up with some
good manga aside from my three go-to's. :sweat:
Quote from: Cartoon X on October 04, 2013, 07:17:41 PM
Spoiler
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I stop reading you for a few months, and you seem to have gotten worse, Fairy Tail. Shamelessly much, much worse. :burn:
How low will you sink, Mashima? Is it really necessary to squeeze in tasteless fanservice at every possible opportunity? Good lord, even Kubo doesn't sink as low as that, and he's just as bad a writer. Bah...
THANK YOU! People seem to think I'm harsh on Fairy Tail because I call it a lighter version of Tenjou Tenge, and perhaps I'm probably being too harsh on TT for that matter since that was fairly interesting, but, yes, this tasteless fanservice has been going on since the Gildartz was introduced. I mean, for the most part we knew that Lucy was going to be the focal point when it came to fanservice since the series started, but it's gotten out of hand now, and it's one of the reasons why I stopped reading/caring for it.
I just saw the popularity poll for the best fights in Hajime no Ippo at the beginning of the last chapter that I read (it was voted on by readers, obviously). Remember how I said that Ippo vs. Sendo (2nd match/championship) was my favorite anime/manga fight ever? Well, glad to see that Japan agrees with me. :sly:
I've finished volumes 6-14 of 20th Century Boys, and ho boy, was that some great manga! Urasawa has balls to do what he did to the Friend like that, although obviously a replacement has appeared, and I'm curious to see how that'll play out. I think it's odd how the Friend Land's simulation acts so much like a time-machine kinda thing, since Yoshitsune and Kanna's conversations with Kamisama, young Yoshitsune, and Donkey are odd since those latter's personalities seem too perfectly captured to seem like just a simulation, but maybe that'll be clarified later on. Well, otherwise the story has been gripping and interesting so far and I'll be interested in plowing through the next 10 volumes to see where this all goes.
I went to London again recently and aside from visiting museums and stuff, I also had time to add some new titles to my already overflowing bookshelf. Here's what I bought:
100 Bullet vol 6
Scalped vol 5
Hellblazer vol 1
The Unwritten vol 2
Criminal vol 3
I've read some bits and pieces of Hellblazer before, but I've never read the comic from the beginning. I decided that it was time to rectify this.
I also find it an interesting coincidence that both the sixth and fifth volumes of Scalped and 100 Bullets respectively consists of various short-stories that focuses on one member of each comics' growing cast. Of course, both also move the main plot of their respective series forward.
Quote from: Pharass on October 05, 2013, 01:54:03 PM
I went to London again recently and aside from visiting museums and stuff, I also had time to add some new titles to my already overflowing bookshelf. Here's what I bought:
100 Bullet vol 6
Scalped vol 5
Hellblazer vol 1
The Unwritten vol 2
Criminal vol 3
I've read some bits and pieces of Hellblazer before, but I've never read the comic from the beginning. I decided that it was time to rectify this.
I also find it an interesting coincidence that both the sixth and fifth volumes of Scalped and 100 Bullets respectively consists of various short-stories that focuses on one member of each comics' growing cast. Of course, both also move the main plot of their respective series forward.
100 Bullets, Scalped and Criminal are great. I can't thank Insomniac enough for getting me into Scalped.
I've finished 20th Century Boys and 21st Century Boys, and yeah, it was incredible. Admittedly, there were some parts of the 3FE arc that I wasn't that interested in (most of the events not involving Kenji and Otcho in the first 2/3rds of that arc), but it was still an excellent story through and through and I love the ending, myself, even if the identity of the second friend is a bit out there. I suppose i still like Monster more because it's more focused and didn't have any parts I wasn't into, but this manga is only about a rank lower than it on my favorites list regardless. Now I'll move onto Pluto, and then I'll have finished all of Urasawa's english-translated manga, and then I'll read Billy Bat up to it's current point as well.
I read up to date with Kuroko no Basket again.
And....yeah, what do you know, right off the bat Kagami uses "The Zone" again. This thing is officially the sports series equivalent of a Super Saiyan transformation, especially since all of the other players become irrelevant while Kagami is doing it. Sorry, but aside from the one match between Aomine and Kagami where the idea worked, the author has since made it a lazy writing device. I'm probably going to take another break from this manga again to let the final match gain a decent amout of chapters that I can read in one go, as I just don't have the patience to sit through this really slow pacing on a weekly basis.
In more positive news, One Piece is finally picking up again with the current manga. For the first time in over two complete story arcs, the story is actually taking coherent shape in an interesting way, and the most interesting characters of this arc seem to be everyone BUT the Straw Hat pirates, themselves.
I wish we had another Best Villain competition so I could nominate Lincoln Redcrow.
Today I did something I've never done before; I bought the first volume of a manga/comic series I have never read before. Well, I've read a sample chapter before, but not a good chunk of the series to say I'm familiar with it. However, I think Vinland Saga was worth this experiment, and I look forward to reading it. ;)
I hope you enjoy it.
Dangit, I don't know if reading the current chapters of Hajime no Ippo's a good idea, especially considering that the chapters are so short, and the mangaka does so much dragging (or rather, it feels as if there's so much dragging), but at the same time I can't help but read it because it's been a while since New Challenger and I want to see where Ippo stands when it comes to world boxing, but then again I really need to stop reading the current chapters and start where New Challenger left off.
I haven't bothered reading any of the current chapters yet. I'm almost 700 chapters into the manga, so I'll catch up with the story myself over the next few months.
Quote from: gunswordfist on October 09, 2013, 12:19:23 PM
I wish we had another Best Villain competition so I could nominate Lincoln Redcrow.
Red Crow is great, he reminds me a lot of Al Swearengen from Deadwood.
Nitz is a pretty good villain as well, though he's more of the "love-to-hate" type.
I personally would be on-board for another Best Villain tournament. After all, I've discovered plenty of new villains since the last one.
Quote from: Pharass on October 13, 2013, 10:43:14 AM
Quote from: gunswordfist on October 09, 2013, 12:19:23 PM
I wish we had another Best Villain competition so I could nominate Lincoln Redcrow.
Red Crow is great, he reminds me a lot of Al Swearengen from Deadwood.
Nitz is a pretty good villain as well, though he's more of the "love-to-hate" type.
I personally would be on-board for another Best Villain tournament. After all, I've discovered plenty of new villains since the last one.
Sounds like I need to watch Deadwood.
There was a point where Redcrow became almost too likable then soon after that got toned down with a flashback of him doing something despicable. Same for Nitz except overall I don't like Nitz. That's the beauty of it all.
I say we need another Best Villain tournament ASAP.
Quote from: gunswordfist on October 13, 2013, 01:24:44 PM
Quote from: Pharass on October 13, 2013, 10:43:14 AM
Quote from: gunswordfist on October 09, 2013, 12:19:23 PM
I wish we had another Best Villain competition so I could nominate Lincoln Redcrow.
Red Crow is great, he reminds me a lot of Al Swearengen from Deadwood.
Nitz is a pretty good villain as well, though he's more of the "love-to-hate" type.
I personally would be on-board for another Best Villain tournament. After all, I've discovered plenty of new villains since the last one.
Sounds like I need to watch Deadwood.
There was a point where Redcrow became almost too likable then soon after that got toned down with a flashback of him doing something despicable. Same for Nitz except overall I don't like Nitz. That's the beauty of it all.
I say we need another Best Villain tournament ASAP.
You should definitely watch Deadwood, it's an excellent show and Ian McShane as Swearengen is one of the best characters to ever grace the small screen.
I wouldn't mind hosting another villain tournament (it's been awhile since the last one), but I want to get done with the Best Manga tournament first. Of course, you can always start one up yourself.
Quote from: Pharass on October 13, 2013, 03:07:13 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on October 13, 2013, 01:24:44 PM
Quote from: Pharass on October 13, 2013, 10:43:14 AM
Quote from: gunswordfist on October 09, 2013, 12:19:23 PM
I wish we had another Best Villain competition so I could nominate Lincoln Redcrow.
Red Crow is great, he reminds me a lot of Al Swearengen from Deadwood.
Nitz is a pretty good villain as well, though he's more of the "love-to-hate" type.
I personally would be on-board for another Best Villain tournament. After all, I've discovered plenty of new villains since the last one.
Sounds like I need to watch Deadwood.
There was a point where Redcrow became almost too likable then soon after that got toned down with a flashback of him doing something despicable. Same for Nitz except overall I don't like Nitz. That's the beauty of it all.
I say we need another Best Villain tournament ASAP.
You should definitely watch Deadwood, it's an excellent show and Ian McShane as Swearengen is one of the best characters to ever grace the small screen.
I wouldn't mind hosting another villain tournament (it's been awhile since the last one), but I want to get done with the Best Manga tournament first. Of course, you can always start one up yourself.
I'll see if I can get around to watching it.
So you were the one to host the Best Villain tournament? I am lazy so I'll just want for someone else to do it. :D
I'm currently 730+ chapters into HnI. I pretty much knew that they would cancel the Ippo vs. Miyata fight, because that's pretty much obviously never going to happen until the end of the series (IF it even ever actually ends). That said, they pretty much handled that whole issue well, showing Ippo's disappointment at basically losing the chance to meet his goal of fighting against Miyata as a pro. Still, I'm waiting for them to reveal the reason for why the match was really canceled. Just like all of the characters at the Kamogawa gym, I want to hear a damn good explanation for this, otherwise I'd be pissed at a reader and call the cancellation of the fight a complete cop-out.
So I decided to read Bleach again, but like everything else I can't really start at the beginning so I'm starting at the point where Byakuya fight against Renji. I know Bleach is frowned upon by many, and despite it being as terrible as it is (and I'd tell anyone to stay away from it in a heartbeat) I still have a soft spot for it. It's what got me into manga (much like how DBZ got most into anime, although, I'd say Rurouni Kenshin got me into anime over DBZ)
With that being said One Piece hasn't been able to hold my interest despite me being at the best point of the series (Enes Lobby).
Hajime no Ippo on the otherhand, this past chapter was a good one. I guess once I finish my run-through on Bleach, I'll start at chapter 414-ish and work my way up.
I finished Pluto today. The ending was not as intense as I was hoping, but overall it was a great, focused story exploring some interesting (and someday, maybe even quite relevant) identity and "what-does-it-mean-to-be-human"/humanity themes, and the fact it was an excellent remake of an Astro Boy storyline makes it pretty cool too. I might go so far as to say, because of how focused and consistently developed and well-written the story, themes, and characters were, that I like it a bit more than 20th Century Boys, which I do love, mind you, but also felt somewhat all over the place, shifted character focus around a bit too much, and had some slow parts, honestly. Either way, all three of Urasawa's english-translated manga are top favorites of mine now, and whenever Billy Bat finishes I'll come back and finish that series as well.
I also caught up on Black Butler, if only to have another ongoing manga to keep up with now that I've dropped some series or they've finally finished. It wasn't too hard to catch up, since I left off at the end of the previous arc already, so I could come into the recent arc fresh and completely finish it. It was...alright. I'll give it credit for having the first exciting game of cricket (or, any game of cricket, really) that I've ever seen depicted in comics/manga. The overall story itself was kinda eh. Not bad, but it was pretty predictable, and the Circus arc did the formula so, so much better and had a much more interesting payoff. Not to say I'm not intrigued by the fact that Undertaker seems to be a villain/possible series big bad and the Queen is planning to create a zombie army, and whatnot, but of course it'll take forever for the series to get back to those plot points, which reminds me of how irritating it can be keeping up with monthly series, sometimes. Anyway, it was a decent arc and far better than a lot of other arcs in other certain ongoing manga, and at the very least I can jump in and follow this new "Werewolf" arc that has just started, now.
I don't entirely agree with you about 20th Century Boys. The story was all over the place for the first 50 chapters, yeah, but after that it was really well-focused until the final act of the story, which was initially a bit messy again but also regained its focus before long. As for Pluto, I do like it, but I definitely feel that 20th Century Boys had the stronger characters. Pluto had a lot of interesting characters as well, since that's Urasawa's strength as a writer, but I didn't find any single character in it to be quite as engaging as Kenji or Ocho were.
At any rate, it's been a long while since I've read Pluto, so it's definitely due for a re-read, but I don't think I'd change my opinion on it too much after reading it again (which is to say that I think it's fucking amazing, but not quite as good as Urasawa's Big 2 for me). Also, if I'm to be honest, I actually do still like the parts of 20th Century Boys which weren't strictly linear. I called them messy since that's how you described those parts, but really they don't come off as messy at all after re-reading the story and knowing everything that encompasses the story throughout the timeline in retrospect. Have you only read 20th Century Boys once, or did you re-read it yet? I'd say that if you've only gone through it once, wait about a year or so and then try it again and see if those parts that you thought were all over the place don't make more sense to you as to why they were structured that way upon reading them again. While 20th Century Boys is not my favorite Urasawa manga, I do believe that it is actually more interesting to re-read time than it is on the first run through.
Speaking of which, I recently finished the first 2 or so volumes of 20th Century Boys. Overall it's good, but it does feel a bit slow. But with all the chapters that are left, that doesn't really bother me.
And I'm going to start Pluto soon as well.
The story drastically changes after the first 50 chapters or so. I won't spoil anything for you, but you'll definitely want to stick around to see where things really pick up from.
20th Century Boys greatest weakness is its slow start, but once you get passed it you quickly understand why it had that slow start.
It's needed.
I'd also like to point out that I think the first act of the series is much more enjoyable on a re-read, and doesn't feel slow to me at all.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on October 20, 2013, 04:59:27 PM
I don't entirely agree with you about 20th Century Boys. The story was all over the place for the first 50 chapters, yeah, but after that it was really well-focused until the final act of the story, which was initially a bit messy again but also regained its focus before long. As for Pluto, I do like it, but I definitely feel that 20th Century Boys had the stronger characters. Pluto had a lot of interesting characters as well, since that's Urasawa's strength as a writer, but I didn't find any single character in it to be quite as engaging as Kenji or Ocho were.
Also, if I'm to be honest, I actually do still like the parts of 20th Century Boys which weren't strictly linear. I called them messy since that's how you described those parts, but really they don't come off as messy at all after re-reading the story and knowing everything that encompasses the story throughout the timeline in retrospect. Have you only read 20th Century Boys once, or did you re-read it yet? I'd say that if you've only gone through it once, wait about a year or so and then try it again and see if those parts that you thought were all over the place don't make more sense to you as to why they were structured that way upon reading them again. While 20th Century Boys is not my favorite Urasawa manga, I do believe that it is actually more interesting to re-read time than it is on the first run through.
To be honest, pretty much all my minor problems with the series has to do with the 3FE part of the story. I actually have zero problems with how things happened and how the story progressed in the 1999 and 2014 arcs; in fact, the second part of the story is probably my favorite part, and focus shifts between characters a ton in that. However, when it was done in 3FE, going from Otcho, to those random kids, to Kanna, and then ultimately Kenji...that's were I felt kinda fatigued with the story. I felt that I got what the idea Urasawa was going for already (childhood should remain that, you have to grow up and accept the responsibilities of adulthood, etc.), so it just felt like it was taking longer than it needed to get to the finale, and the shifting focus between characters in that part kinda irritated rather than intrigued me at that point. So, I guess I shouldn't have said I had a problem with the shifting character focus and plotlines in the series overall; just when it comes to the 3FE part of the story. I do agree, though, that the very end of the arc and
21st Century Boys regains a consistent focus and builds to a satisfactory conclusion, but whereas
Monster and
Pluto was consistently engaging to me,
20th Century Boys had moments of the story where I was loosing interest, and while those moments occurred later on in the final act of the story, they still happened, and that affects my feelings towards the series overall when I compare it to
Monster and
Pluto. That said, I have only read it once (although, I only finished it, like, two weeks ago anyway so it's still fresh in my mind...), so it would be in my best interest to re-read the series at some point, but first time around I had little problems with anything in the first two parts of the story and it was only the third part which weakened the series for me, so I'm not sure if the re-read from the beginning with the knowledge of how the story plays out will significantly alter my opinion on that part.
As far as characters go, it's true that
20th Century Boys had a lot of great characters (my top favorites being in order: Yoshitsune, Kenji, Otcho, Manjome, and Koizumi), but
Pluto has Gesicht, and keeps the focus of the story (even after he dies) on Gesicht, and developed his story and character in an excellent manner, and honestly, even if he is the most notable character in that manga, I like him much more than any
20th Century Boys character and that helps in my preference of
Pluto to
20th Century Boys (reminder, though, it's a small preference.
Pluto would probably be #8 on my favorites list and
20th Century Boys would be #9). Plus, I am sorta biased on the fact that
Pluto is a re-interpreatation of an Astro Boy storyline and it's characters, and I found the contrasts between Urasawa and Tezuka's depictions of Atom and Dr. Tenma particularly intriguing, so that also helps play a role in my preference for
Pluto as well. I love both manga, mind you, but right now I feel I enjoyed
Pluto as a whole much stronger overall, and that's why I say I like it better than
20th Century Boys which had moments where I was loosing interest. That said, I will eventually give both mangas a good re-read at some point, so let's wait and see which I like better in, say, a year from now. ;)
I'm watching the third live-action movie now; it really compresses the series, and there's supposedly a different ending. :il_hahaha:
I remember having to re-read some of the volumes though to absorb what was going on.
I haven't seen the live-action movies, are they any good?
The last comics I read were Banana Fish vol 7 by Akimi Yoshida and The Isle of 100,000 Graves by Fabien Vehlmann and Jason.
The seventh volume of Banana Fish is probably the most light-hearted one so far, with several humorous scenes. There's a heavy focus on the relationship between our ead characters Ash and Eiji as well as the surrogate-father-son relationship between Ash and Max. At the same time, Akimi Yoshida keeps moving the plot forward as both heores and villains scheme against each other. I've seen Banana Fish referred to as the shoujo manga for people who don't like shoujo and although my exposure to the genre (whether in anime or manga format) is limited, I'd say that's a fairly apt description; I can't think of another shoujo manga like it.
The Isle of 100,000 Graves tells the story of a young girl named Gwenny who discovers a treasure map in a bottle. Believing that the map may lead her to her father, who went missing in search for a treasure years earlier, Gwenny enlists the aid of a pirate-crew. Soon they've ended up on the titular island, only to discover that it's name is more than apt: The Isle of 100, 000 Graves is home to a hangman's academy, wherein children are thought the fine arts of torture and execution.
If the above synopsis make it sound as if Isle is an unrelentingly grim tale it's not; Vehlmann and Jason have crafted an excellent adventure story with some truly memorable characters. I especially enjoyed the scenes at the hangman's academy, which is the source of several great moments of black humor.
They're pretty good adaptions. Definitely about as good a live action adaption as you could expect.
I should finish watching the Lone Wolf And Cub films...
I found this manga app on my phone so right now I only have 5 series; Bleach, Psyren, Samurai Deeper Kyo, Hajime no Ippo, and Rurouni Kenshin. Eventually, I plan on getting Code Breaker simply because its by the same person that did SDK, and I like his artwork. Other than that, there's not much I really plan on reading or getting into.
As for HnI, great chapters for this week. It's probably not gonna happen, but I really hope this fight gets animated, because simply reading it does no justice. Because chapters seem to end so quickly, there's not much to go on except for the explanation from other characters. As bad as I'm making these chapters sound, they weren't. It's just I don't think it'll get animated.
Well, the current season of the anime is only around the mid-400's, chapter-wise, so it's certainly a long ways off. At any rate I'm still only on chapter 770, so it'll be at least a few more weeks before I'm caught up with the current manga.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-11-09/animal-land-manga-final-volume-to-ship-next-march
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fo6RvAca.gif&hash=e282e541a8752f55aeb04bd253c6329631db87b4)
Well, getting 14 volumes is pretty good run all things considering, especially for a monthly series that's been running since 2009.
ANIMAL LAND IS OVER ALREADY? NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But, at the same time, it's nice to know that it'll end without ever having horrible pacing like other manga. I really need to go out and start buying the volumes, especially now that I know the series has an ending point. Dax, have you read #8 yet? I need to get to it, but from what I heard, it may be the best volume yet!. ;D
And hopefully this means an anime adaption can happen soon, preferably through a good studio, and not a crappy cheap one like Toei, who did Zatch Bell. I love Animal Land a whole lot, so I'd really hope that if an anime for it gets made, it really is well-made, like the kind of love Attack on Titan got.
An anime would be great, actually. This is one story that would benefit from the animation.
It's a shame that its ending so soon, but at least if it gets an adaption it won't be stretched thin by clumps of useless episodes.
I don't feel like doing a lengthy update on my manga reading, so I'm going to keep this short.
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic - I've read up to chapter 138, which is where the anime is currently at, so I'll stop reading more of it until Kingdom is over, for now. I think the anime vastly improves the manga in it's re-editing of the story, moving scenes around, abridging or even omitting some elements of stories, combining it into a more cohesive, effective whole. However, that is not to say the manga's story is bad. The Balbadd arc in particular is excellent even in the manga and the anime actually changes very little to it other than making Ithnan the Weapons/Arms Dealer instead of it being half of the Banker, which admittedly is a pretty great change since it makes the Balbadd arc and Zagan arc flow better and have more weight, but I digress. Though, yeah, the Zagan arc is the part of the story most affected by the anime's changes, since the anime takes elements from the stuff after it back in Sindria, and honestly that plus other big changes makes it a much more intense arc in the anime. There are some nice moments in the manga like seeing what happened to Ahbmad and Sahbmad and Amon coming out to talk with Alibaba, but overall the material is much better executed in the way the anime presented it. The manga is alright, better than a lot of it's contemporaries, but I think the anime helps the story to be even better than it is, and that's pretty much all I can say about it atm.
Berserk - I've read through volume 21. People said the Conviction arc was filler, but I dunno, I enjoyed the heck out of it. Isidro, though...I dunno, Puck was alright, but another comic relief character that should probably be easily killings for demons but isn't for some reason? Not sure why Miura would add a character like that. I do like Farnese and her servant (forgotten his name atm), so I'm hoping they do shit in the future of the story since they probably are going to become Guts' allies at some point. The biggest gripe I have about the story though is Casca...and from what I've heard, she isn't going to get any better. She was such a great character, and now she's gone dumb and used as comic relief. Because she was raped. Bleh. But all of that aside...Berserk is officially one of my favorite manga. Trepidations I may have about what's ahead, but the Golden Age arc was incredible, one of the best story arcs I've read in manga, and for "filler" I enjoyed the hell out of the Conviction arc and was enthralled reading through #19-21. I know it seems sudden for me to so abruptly have warmed up to it if my reflections for the first seven volumes had indicated, but now that I've read this much of the story, and had time to re-read and reflect, I'm loving it. Same deal for Rurouni Kenshin, btw, that's also officially one of my top favorite manga now (though I'm not finished with it yet). So I'm still excited to read more of the story, wary of some...questionable, not so good stuff that might come down the line, but I don't think they'll be anything so bad as to make me not consider this series as one of my favorites, all the same.
And as far as the ongoing manga I keep up with are going, One Piece is doing pretty great and I am pumped to see where this arc is going, Magi I've just started following but it's in a new arc and the past two comedy-relief chapters were amusing, I'm haven't been sure where Toriko is going ever since Midora killed the chairman, Case Closed is Case Closed which means it's consistently entertaining, I've randomly read the latest Rin-ne and it's not Takahashi at her best at all but it's Urusei/Ranma-y enough for me to try and catch up on it for now, Black Butler and Attack on Titan are doing decent though nothing has happened in them that I get excited for, and Bleach and Naruto I'm only reading because they are ALMOST FINALLY FUCKING OVER (though it'll probably be a good few months before they finish, but both should end next year), and both are mediocre but I'm willing to hang on to see them finish after investing years of my life knowing about these characters/story.
Overall I'm having fun in my manga reading. My current agenda is finishing Akira before Toonami airs it and Rurouni Kenshin before the month is done, both of which I can probably manage. Still need to read that Vinland Saga volume I bought, though...
I'm 800+ chapters into HnI. By now the series has definitely been stuck in an undeniable formula, but it's still interesting enough to warrant reading and catching up with. That said, the first anime was perfect in that it literally covered the best parts of the story to begin with, before it started to lose steam and fluctuate in quality. Of course, the manga still has its high points even after that part of the story, which is why I keep reading it. If I were to redo my top 10 fights list, I'd now have to find room to include both Takamura vs. Brian Hawk AND Ippo vs. Sawamura on there. Those are some of the most exhilarating fights in any manga or anime series ever.
Also, I just started reading yet another Boxing manga out of curiosity, Ashita no Joe. I ADORE the classic art-style that you find in series like this, from back in the 60's to 70's. as for the series itself, I've only read the first chapter so far, so I can't say how I feel about it yet, but despite its age, it still looks like it could be a pretty strong series on the whole.
Ashita no Joe is usually considered a classic and one of the best manga/anime ever made. It wasn't just Bakuman that made that claim, it seems to be widely loved there.
Quote from: Cartoon X on November 22, 2013, 09:37:03 PMStill need to read that Vinland Saga volume I bought, though...
:thinkin:
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on November 22, 2013, 11:22:10 PMAshita no Joe is usually considered a classic and one of the best manga/anime ever made. It wasn't just Bakuman that made that claim, it seems to be widely loved there.
I'm aware of that. It was also clearly HnI's main inspiration. I saw a crossover picture in the manga for HnI featuring Ippo shaking hands with Joe, which is what piqued my interest in checking it out.
What's your take on the series, BTW? I'm assuming that you've read it since it always seems to me like you've read everything. ;)
I haven't read much, unfortunately. It's always been on my list to read through someday, and I've looked up a bunch about it but... I never got around to it. Someday, hopefully.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on November 22, 2013, 11:22:10 PM
Quote from: Cartoon X on November 22, 2013, 09:37:03 PMStill need to read that Vinland Saga volume I bought, though...
:thinkin:
I forgot about it for a little while cause I was reading
Rurouni Kenshin,
Berserk,
Ghost in the Shell, etc. I want to finish
Akira first, but I'll definitely be getting to
Vinland pretty soon. ;)
OK, then I'll let you know how it is when I read more of it, myself. :D
I also intend to start Eyeshield 21 soon. I've grown somewhat fascinated with the shounen sports genre, not because I think it's inherently great, but it's a really entertaining sub-genre in both a cheesy and genuine way, and I'm trying to discern it's own set of tropes and cliches that somehow make its formula work.
Oh, and once I catch up to HnI, I'll probably start Detective Conan as my next long-running shounen manga.
On the topic of Ashita no Joe, I've been interested in that series for a few years now as well. I'll probably go through and catch up on
Hajime no Ippo first, but let me know if it's truly worthy of it's classic title, E-K. ;)
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on November 22, 2013, 11:39:41 PM
I also intend to start Eyeshield 21 soon. I've grown somewhat fascinated with the shounen sports genre, not because I think it's inherently great, but it's a really entertaining sub-genre in both a cheesy and genuine way, and I'm trying to discern it's own set of tropes and cliches that somehow make its formula work.
I enjoy
Eyeshield 21, though admittedly I've never finished it and I began a re-read of it a short while back that I haven't made much progress on. However, I will say that it's a very likable series and I think you'd enjoy reading it, though again, my memory on after the first few volumes is fuzzy and incomplete at best.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on November 22, 2013, 11:39:41 PMOh, and once I catch up to HnI, I'll probably start Detective Conan as my next long-running shounen manga.
One thing you should know about
Case Closed is that you have to make peace with the fact the "plot" isn't going to go anywhere climatic anytime soon and just enjoy it as an episodic detective/mystery series, which I enjoy it as. That isn't to say that core plot development never happens, but it's pretty rare and it's not really the "point" of the series. In fact, the "plot" doesn't really get rolling until a certain character (my favorite character in the entire series, btw) shows up in volume 18, after which there are periodically arcs featuring the Black Organization and FBI and a whole lot of stuff I'm not gonna spoil. I still enjoy new chapters of the series, and the new mysteries, and the series maintains a pretty great quality for running as long as it has and for the kind of series it is. I do think the anime improves on the storylines it adapts from the manga for the most part, but the anime is also mostly comprised of filler mysteries because of how the manga is, so it's definitely easier to read the series than watch. Anyway, that's just my two cents as a long-time
Detective Conan/
Case Closed fan. I hope you enjoy reading it when you get to it. :D
So apparently Warren Ellis is going to write for Moon Knight now. Color me intrigued.
Also, I got a freebie copy of the first issue of Saga, so Imma check out if it's worth picking up the volumes for. I actually have a gift card for the comic book shop thanks to a Build a Dalek game, and while I was considering using it towards a Black Widow graphic novel I've been eyeing for a while, who knows, I might go for this instead.
I'm 8 chapters into Ashita no Joe so far, and I'm really enjoying it. I love how it really doesn't just jump into boxing. So far, its been mor about Joe's life on the streets, and only now that he's in juvenile prison does he start showing any interest in boxing. He feels more like an actual character than just someone written to make the sport look awesome.
Meanwhile in that other boxing manga that I'm reading, I'm honestly finding the Miyata vs. Randy Boy Jr. fight to be dissapointingly underwhelming given all of the build-up to it. Still, this manga overall has produced a ton of great and memorable fights, so here are my top 5 favorites so far.
1. Ippo Makanouchi vs. Takeshi Sendo (JFC match)
2. Mamoru Takamura vs. Brian Hawk (WBC JMW World Title match)
3. Ippo Makanouchi vs. Ryuuhei Sawamura (JFC defense)
4. Eiji Date vs. Ricardo Martinez (WBA FW World Title match)
5. Ippo Makanouchi vs. Ichirou Miyata (4-round spar)
An honorable mention has to go to Mashiba vs. Sawamura. Seeing 2 of the most heel-ish fighters in the series duke it out was way too much fun.
I just read volume 1 of Flame of Recca today. It was...okay. Nothing particularly notable so far, but the character interactions worked for me pretty well which is enough to make me want to read more (I'm an easy to please guy if likeable and/or interesting characters are in the mix).
I finally finished Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable. While I felt it wasn't as good as Stardust Crusaders or Battle Tendency, the arc was still quite enjoyable and Yoshikage Kira was a pretty good antagonist.
I'm really liking where Ashita no Joe is going. I'm 16 chapters in and not a single boxing match has happened yet, which I'm realizing is only because this manga is currently more about the character and his story than it is about the sport. And, I do like other sports manga that I've read/watched quite a bit, but Joe is awesome just for being a well-rounded character in general. I also love how he's not a goodie-two-shoes sports role-model. He's a hooligan who's currently in a juvenile prison and probably just got his term extended for a failed break-out attempt. And, now he finally has a rival. After Rikiishi knocked him out with just a single punch, it looks like this is where he's finally starting to consider taking boxing seriously.
Quote from: Cartoon X on November 30, 2013, 12:37:27 AMI just read volume 1 of Flame of Recca today. It was...okay. Nothing particularly notable so far, but the character interactions worked for me pretty well which is enough to make me want to read more (I'm an easy to please guy if likeable and/or interesting characters are in the mix).
Flame of Recca is very much a time capsule of typical 90's shounen. It embodies all of the tropes and cliches of the genre in one neat package. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though, as it gets better and starts to execute them well. For me, the highlight was the tournament arc, which isn't quite as good as YYH's Dark Tournament, but it's still a really entertaining point in the series. I stopped reading not too long after that because the story kind of slowed down for me, but overall it's one of those manga that is good but never quite reaches the heights of greatness.
I gave up on Recca after the first volume.
Flame of Recca is a good shonen, but not great. I do recommend reading it because it's fairly good for what it is.
I suggest reading MAR afterward if only to see the fate of one particular character. (Otherwise it's not all that good)
Heh, I watched/read all of MAR back when the first half of the anime streamed on Toonami Jetstream (and I even have a copy of volume 14 of the manga, which has the final two fights of the Chess Games). I liked it as a kid, but when I re-visited it in 2010 or whatever I found it rather dull (didn't help that most of the entire series is basically a tournament arc).
Despite MAR's general meh-ness, I am perfectly willing to read more Flame of Recca for now since I liked the first volume well enough (and because it's a fast read). I probably will not be in a rush to read anymore, but whenever I see a volume about at the library I'll pick it up. Though I'm calling that the character you are referring to is Nanashi, because I recall that there were several hints in MAR itself that he was from another world.
Anyways, I've caught up on Magi, and all I want to say about it atm is that I'm excited for what'll happen in the next arc since Magnostadt had some serious game-changing developments. It'll be fun to watch it in the anime.
I have also finished up to volume 25 of Rurouni Kenshin. The Remembrance arc was classic tragedy, pure and simple. Everything else in the Revenge arc is pretty great and so far I might end up loving this arc more than I did Kyoto. I'll probably finish the series tonight after I finish some homework I need to get done, since I'm keen and excited to finish this story. ;)
I'll be interested to see your opinions. :)
I'm about 6 volumes into Ashita no Joe. Yep, definitely living up to being one of the best manga ever, so far.
Okay....I'm going to have to give Bleach some credit for creating a villain who LITERALLY gets his power and can revive himself from near-death from his sidekick cheering him on. That is some amusingly meta shit there.
I finished Rurouni Kenshin sunday night. I have to say I loved the entire series and the Revenge arc was really what's made it one of my top favorite manga now. I should probably explain more about what I liked about it, but I'm too lazy atm. You guys can ask me questions on what I thought on some parts though.
I'm trying to finish Akira before the movie airs on Toonami saturday. I'm about half-way done, and while I didn't totally enjoy the first two volumes when I originally read them I do really now upon re-reading, and the third was basically an epic all-out chase/battle in the middle of the Neo-Tokyo for about half the volume with a literally explosive ending, which was pure awesome. If the second half is just as good it could easily be another all-time favorite for me.
I've also been reading Rin-ne, since it's the only one of Takahashi's major works I have not finished yet. It's basically Ranma-esque in tone, with some amusing bits, but from what I've read of later chapters it doesn't seem like it'll get as good as Ranma 1/2 much less Urusei Yatsura. Still a fairly enjoyable read, though, and I can't help but be amused at several gags like Rokumon's frequent malevolent tendencies, Sayaka's apathy to all the weirdness, and Rin-ne's poverty problems. I still wish Takahashi's talents would be best utilized in a josei drama/romance/comedy/horror series with female leads much like her various Rumic Theater one-shots rather than another shonen comedy. I'm sad to think that she'll probably never make one at this point. :imnothappy:
So, guys, Ashita no Joe is like....really good. I mean, REALLY good! I mean the type of good where you have a really well-written story that will easily entertain younger readers yet has enough clever subtext to it reflective of lower-class Japanese society at the time of post WWII economic conditions to give the adults a little extra bit of interesting commentary. It also doesn't have fights that last forever and is in fact a completely character-driven series. It's the type of good that feels way ahead of its time. It's basically the type of good you almost don't ever see in shounen anymore.
Well shit, guess I'm going to have to read Ashita no Joe asap!
"Stand, Joe! Stand up and fight, Joe!"
-Last line of Ashita no Joe Part I
Remember when Kenji referenced that line in 20th Century Boys? Well, now that I've seen it in context, I finally understand just what it means, and all I'll say is that it's not referencing the type of situation that you probably expect it to. It's something MUCH heavier than a mere boxing match. But, yeah, I can see why this manga has earned its reputation as one of the best ever. Every great series that I like has that one moment where so much raw tension and emotion adds up in one sequence that I automatically realize that it's a favorite for me. The ending to Part I of the manga was that very moment for me. I can't wait to keep reading on! :thumbup:
So, there are no official English releases of ANJ (manga or anime), and I'm almost caught up with the fan translations which currently only go as far as volume 13 (and the series is 20 volumes long). And yes, it's still as awesome a manga as ever, so having to wait for new releases is going to be bitch.
I finished
Akira before the movie aired on Toonami saturday. I loved it. It takes a while to really like the characters, but as the story goes on they become more endearing, Tetsuo particularly develops as an interesting villain. The plot is far more coherent and straight-forward than the anime film as well, which just helped me enjoy it more. The Great Tokyo Empire portion of the manga, the part the anime film does not adapt, is just a pretty damn great arc of manga and one of my favorites now. I will also say that 50% of what I love about the manga is Otomo's art. Seriously, this guy can fucking draw. Neo-Tokyo as a city is incredibly detailed, and feels like an authentic city, unlike in other manga where they just feel like backgrounds. And also...his battle scenes. Pure. Awesome. The last 40 pages of volume 3 is basically the entire explosion of Neo-Tokyo and it is jaw-dropping. Goddamn, I wish there was a proper anime adaption of the manga. The movie is amazing on every technical level and the plot isn't that bad for condensing as much as it did, but really, giving the story it's proper breathing room and getting to like the characters better, plus of course the sheer epicness of the battles in the manga, would probably make it one of the best anime ever. As it stands, though, I'm fine with just the manga and anime film, and both are favorites of mine now.
Anyway, I've been reading more
Rinne and am on volume 4 now. Honestly...it's actually quite amusing. Rinne and Sakura are actually very different from Takahashi's usual leads, which is refreshing, and the sense of humor is more low-key but still feels classic Takahashi. It's nowhere near
Ranma levels, much less
Urusei Yatsura levels, of hilarity, but it's a great light read that suits my tastes just fine.
Speaking of Takahashi series, I randomly re-read volumes 22-36 of the
Ranma 1/2 manga on a whim. I actually only planned to revisit the Musk Dynasty arc in volumes 22-23, but I ended up reading it all the way to the end. Man, I have to totally disagree with anybody who says
Ranma starts to teeter in quality past the first Pantyhose Taro arc/mid-way through. For me,
Ranma is consistently entertaining. Few of the stories I re-read didn't tickle my funny bone again. "Seeds of Doom" and "King of Debt" still have me in stitches, particularly. And plus, any Nodoka Saotome storyline is great. House of the Sea, House of the Mountain/Imposter Ranma is one of my favorite parts of the entire series and one of my favorite manga arcs in general. Overall
Ranma just has enormous re-read value for me and I really can't wait to buy the omnibus re-releases. Though, I still wish the unarguably superior
Maison Ikkoku and
Urusei Yatsura would get some as well, but considering how obscure they seem to be among anime fans these days, it's probably never gonna happen.
And finally, E-K's gushing over
Ashita no Joe made me desire to check out the series, and I certainly do love it. Joe is an entertaining, punk-ish character (which I always enjoy) and I love how it's taking it's time to set-up Joe actually getting interested and motivated to be a boxer at all. Though I have to say that Danpei steals his scenes for me. He wants to train Joe out of personal reasons, but he's got such a great heart and really does care for his well-being, even though Joe is such a jerk and abuses his trust. He's just one of those types of characters that really appeals to me, personally. But I do like Joe. I like protagonists who are kind of jerks but good(ish) people anyway and Joe certainly is that. He's got big visions of grandeur but goes about it in underhanded ways, and is quite the street-punk. But he's likable, again, and there are really plenty of scenes that really just make him feel very human to me, such as his outbursts at Danpei and that woman during his trial. It'll be cool to see how he grows into the iconic character he still is in Japan. The characters and plot are doing wonders for me, but that's not all. Yes, I'm not gonna lie, I love the classic manga-art style as well. To be honest it actually feels very Tezuka-like, but that was probably just the style back then. I'll have better thoughts on the series as I read more of it, but it's definitely living up to E-K's hype so far.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on December 10, 2013, 12:52:42 AM
So, there are no official English releases of ANJ (manga or anime), and I'm almost caught up with the fan translations which currently only go as far as volume 13 (and the series is 20 volumes long). And yes, it's still as awesome a manga as ever, so having to wait for new releases is going to be bitch.
Shit. I was hoping Mangahere was just slow on the updates. Boo, boo, I say boo! >:(
Glad to see that you're enjoying it! Just wait until the latter half of the Juvenile Prison arc, though. That's when the story REALLY starts, and Joe begins to become the iconic character that he's known as today. It's funny that I like Joe so much, since when you think about it, he's the archetypical hot-headed shounen character (in fact he probably freaking created that archetype). I was trying to discern what quality he had that made him stand out from the rest, and I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that, despite his attitude, he's a very human character. There's no better example of that than the ending to Part I of the manga. If that alone doesn't make this one of your favorite manga, then I don't know what will.
And yeah, Danpei is a terrific character, as is Nishi, who basically becomes Joe's best friend throughout the series. And then there's Rikiishi, who's by far the best rival character that I've ever seen in a shounen series.
Anyways, just keep reading. It only gets better and better as it goes along. It's no wonder that it's so highly regarded as a classic in Japan.
I just caught up with the scans for ANJ. Man, it's going to be hell having to wait for new releases, especially considering that the manga has been completed for literally 40 years. :(
Got the first issue/volume of Zorn & Dirna today. It's a French fantasy comic set in a world where ages ago Death was imprisoned by the king inside a magic mirror. As a result nobody dies anymore, the only downside to this is that people's bodies keep getting older, eventually beginning to rot (the king is an exception to the rule; looking at the mirror has stopped from aging). Those whose bodies have grown too old are sent away to get their heads chopped off, allowing their souls to escape their bodies. However, since the soul of the executed always take up residence in the executor's body, the only people assigned to head-chopping duty are condemned criminals. The main characters are a pair of siblings who both have the special power of killing people simply by touching them. Naturally, this leads to them being chased around by various individuals who'd like to use these powers for their own purposes.
The first issue (feels a bit weird to call it volume when it's only 48 pages long) mostly serves to introduce the characters and the world they inhabit. That said, I enjoyed it a lot; the characters are good and the concept is definitely intriguing. I'll stick around to see where it goes.
Sounds very interesting.
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Oh, Joe....your parallel parking skills are even worse than mine! :>
I love how I can somehow relate to even the most minor jokes in this manga.
So, I was thinking about reading the Winter Soldier story-line in preparation for the upcoming Captain America movie, and I had 2 questions about it:
1. Is this a good story-line worth reading?
2. Is there a single graphic novel compilation of it, or do I have to purchase it in separate volumes?
I was just talking about him. I wonder if the story is good as well. I hear that it is.
So, I'm 860+ chapters into HnI. Man, for as much build-up as it received, that Miyata vs. Randy Boy Jr. fight was a real bore. Overall, the series was at itspeakduring it's first 400 chapters or so, and the first anime is better than the manga for cutting out the needless fluff and just focusing on all of the good stuff. That said, the series has still mostly been worth reading with high points like with Sawamura and Itagaki's match against Imai (which is pretty much the most interesting thing that his character ever did).
At this point in the manga, they are now gearing up for Ippo's next match, which I'm not too excited about if only because his opponent doesn't interest me that much yet. I kind of wish that we didn't have to go through all of these OBPF fights and instead Ippo could just go right ahead and directly challenge World Rankers. That's one thing that Ashita no Joe does much better. It skips through all of the fights that nobody really cares about and just gets straight to the interesting stuff.
Got the latest Blake & Mortimer. It started out fine, but fell apart towards the end. Too much shit going on, felt like it should have been a two-parter. The uneven quality of the artwork didn't help things either, for some reason this volume had two artists and while one of them (Antoine Aubin) is great, the other guy is not.
On a more positive note I also got a collection of the first three volumes of Le Chant des Stryges, a long-running French comic and so far, it's a really interesting mix between a conspiracy thriller and supernatural horror.
I didn't only watch a lot anime over the last month...I watched Breaking Bad and The Wire read a lot of manga too! I have to keep my thoughts briefer than I'd like since some of this stuff isn't as fresh in my mind:
Excel Saga volume 27 - A fantastic final volume! There were some parts I'm still a little iffy on concerning the story overall, but damn was it wrapped up well. I absolutely love the final chapter. Everything just felt so right (except for loli Umi...wtf is up with that?). Overall, and excellent ending to what is basically tied with Bobobo as my favorite manga ever. I really must re-read and collect this series as soon as I can.
Sailor Moon volume 12 - Another amazing ending to a great series. Probably the single best volume of Sailor Moon, in fact. The darkest, most personal conflict Usagi has ever faced, and the development of her character really shines through here. A wholly satisfying finale on every level.
Animal Land volume 8 - Speaking of satisfying, there was nothing like the joy I felt reading this new Animal Land volume. It wastes no time. The first chapter shocked me. I seriously did not think Raiku would ever do that, but he did. And then Taroza's reaction...I love how he is now willing to do whatever it takes in order to create a world without suffering, even if he has to do evil things and be called a demon in the process. A very atypical characterization, and I'm glad to see the timeskip as well. I'm a little iffy on Capri siding with Giller, since she even knows he's just using her, but she gives a legitimate rationale and it's true Taroza's plans are not best for her family (or other carnivores, really). I eagerly await seeing how their confrontation is resolved in the next volume.
Vinland Saga volume 1 - Fiiinnnnallly got around to reading this, and damn was it as good as I expected. The art is seriously fantastic, and Thorfinn's backstory was a really cool mini-arc. And Askeladd is my kind of villain; a charismatic but terrible person who takes gambles but plays for keeps. But since this volume was pure backstory aside from the first two chapters, I have high expectations for the main story. I'll pick up volume 2 (which is out now!) as soon as I can.
Even A Monkey Can Draw Manga volume 1 - Wow, in some ways this series puts Bakuman to shame. It's a harsh, scathing satire of the manga industry done in an over-the-top, zealous style, and I was laughing my ass off cover to cover. As a story, Bakuman is clearly better, but as manga about making manga this series is on a whole other level. I really hope to read more of it, if I can find the rest of the volumes.
Kaoru Mori: Everything and Anything - Kaoru Mori is a mangaka whose works I've had an eye on for a while, but haven't actually got a chance to read yet. This collection of short stories ranged from sweet, to disturbing, to hilarious, and I really dig her style and storytelling. I really must read A Bride's Story as soon as I can.
The Disappearance of Yuki Nagato volume 4 - Sorta fun, sorta boring, I dunno. Nagato losing her memory and becoming "someone else" was a cool idea that had potential, but I'm not sure it was done very well. At least it was a self-contained story that only lasted this volume. Still, if that new anime is based on this series, I really do hope they change things up a bit to make it more exciting to watch.
Genshiken volumes 1-2 - I didn't know what to expect, but this series is actually quite funny. I hang around nerds like this all the time, and I can relate to some of the stuff here. But really, the jokes are just genuinely funny, the characters likable, and it doesn't go too over-the-top like most manga/animes comedies, which made for a refreshing reading experience. I definitely plan to read more as soon as I can.
Yotsuba&! volumes 1-2 - I bought a Yotsuba volume on sale recently, and on a whim decided to re-read the series since I hadn't read it in quite a while. Just as charming and funny as ever. We need more kid characters like Yotsuba in comics and cartoons. We really do.
Gintama volumes 1-3 - I've been meaning to read this series for a while since it's one of the most popular manga comedies still running right now. I got some good laughs, for sure, but I was disappointed to see traces of battle shonen in this. Now, while I know this series never becomes full on battle shonen, I do know it has serious arc, and personally, I prefer the comedy-focused parts of this series than those more serious ones. But like I said, there were many great bits in these volumes that had me laughing, and I plan to read more whenever I am able to.
Rin-ne volumes 7-9 - I dunno, Rinne just works for me. I find it amusing. Not as much as Urusei Yatsura or Ranma, but still so. And Takahashi does some different things in this series that makes it not feel so much like those works too. Sayaka and Rinne are dramatically different as characters and in their relationship than Ranma/Akane and InuYasha/Kagome, and that makes them more interesting to me, Sayaka moreso because there is an enigmatic quality to her personality as well. Weakest of the 5 long-running Takahashi series, maybe, but I'm enjoying it so far and think I'll continue to enjoy it for a while too.
Hayate, the Combat Butler volumes 1-3 - I decided to try reading this since it's a popular long-running manga comedy and I'm into manga comedies. First chapter was not very strong, but very quickly after that it grew in absurdity and I quickly started enjoying it. I haven't heard the best of things about recent chapters/volumes, but for now I think I'll stick with and enjoy it's silliness.
Rumic Theater volumes 1-2 and Rumic World volume 3 - Collections of Rumiko Takahashi's short stories. Some really interesting, creative, and funny stuff here. A lot of it further cements my belief Takahashi should be writing horror or romantic-comedy seinin series instead of shonen, but alas.
Berserk volumes 22-25 - Y'know, I don't find the introduction of magic that out of place in Berserk, mainly because the last arc in many ways felt like a natural progression to that kind of fantasy territory. Furthermore, I think Serpico, Farnese, Isidro, and Schierke are more interesting characters than the majority of the Band of the Hawk in the Golden Age arc, and Serpico in particular I've grown quite fond with. I still hate how Casca is now. She's a burden to Guts now, whatever, but I miss the strong character she used to be in the Golden Age arc, and from what I've heard Miura does worse things with her in recent volumes. Bleh. Overall I enjoyed these volumes a whole lot, my only issue being the banter between Schieke and Isidro and Puck and that female fairy really annoying and poor comic relief (especially for a series like this), but it's not too bad either. And hey, I really am curious to see what Griffith's plan to get his own kingdom is, especially now that he has a new, demonic Band of the Hawk serving him. That should be something to look forward to, right?
One-Punch Man chapters 1-33 - I created a thread for this and wrote a bunch of shit there, so read that. In short, though, this is just a fun manga with fantastic art and battle scenes that I really think will be a Titan-level hit as soon as it gets an anime.
Ashita no Joe volumes 3-7 - This series is brilliant. On track to being one of my all time favorites. Joe, Danpei, Rikiishi, Nishi...all well-formed and likable characters. It's uplifting, relatable, pulls out some great social satire, boxing satire, and a fantastic character driven sports story. I really feel tension in the matches in this series, from Joe v. Aoyama to Joe v. Rikiishi to Joe v. Wolf. Despite it's age it is a modern story on the level of even Osamu Tezuka's finest manga, imo. The characters especially, I'm vowed by how well-written they are. Puts scores of modern characters in shonen manga to shame. Anyway, more on the topic of the plot and not broad stuff, Rikishi's dedication to lower his weight to bantamweight, despite it being dangerous, maybe deadly, and his skinny body afterwards was a shocking scene for me. Rikiishi's quarrel with Yoko, training scenes, and that match were some seriously intense stuff. I'm anxious to see how Joe and Rikiishi's re-match will turn out. But yeah, this is one of the best mangas I've ever read and I love it, and I plan to watch the anime once I'm done with the available translations.
Joe and Rikiishi hold what I consider to be the best and most iconic manga/anime rivalry of all time (before this it was Goku and Vegeta for me). Rikiishi's intense weight-loss regimen is some seriously intense stuff. Hajime no Ippo paid tribute to that with Takamura in the Bryan Hawk story arc, which I also recommend checking out, though it's not on the same level as this one. But beyond their second boxing match being downright legendary, it's what comes right after it that makes this one of the greatest series of all-time for me. It delves into some really heavy subject-matter that VERY few shounen series are willing to touch, and even less can pull off right. This series executes it perfectly, and if by the end of Part I this manga doesn't manage to be one of your favorites, then you would clearly be a person who has very different interests than me. But, considering how similar many of our opinions are, I have a good feeling that you'll probably love it just as much as I do.
Seriously, putting Breaking Bad aside, this series puts anything that I'm currently watching or have recently watched, anime or otherwise, to shame, IMO.
I also love the little touches in this manga as well, like how Joe follows Nishi at night and finds out that he's cheating on his weight-management and rightfully punches him right in the stomach for betraying Danpei's trust in him. This manga is full of great little scenes like that, and isn't just fixated on the big picture all of the time, which I feel works in its favor.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on January 25, 2014, 05:13:29 PM
Seriously, putting Breaking Bad aside, this series puts anything that I'm currently watching or have recently watched, anime or otherwise, to shame, IMO.
Add
The Wire alongside
Breaking Bad and this is an opinion I can totally second, and I think I am watching and reading A LOT of great stuff right now.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on January 25, 2014, 05:13:29 PM
Joe and Rikiishi hold what I consider to be the best and most iconic manga/anime rivalries of all time (before this it was Goku and Vegeta for me). Rikiishi's intense weight-loss regimen is some seriously intense stuff.
Yeah, I love their rivalry. Right now I think it's on a whole other level than any other I've seen.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on January 25, 2014, 05:13:29 PM
I also love the little touches in this manga as well, like how Joe follows Rikiishi at night and finds out that he's cheating on his weight-management and rightfully punches him right in the stomach for betraying Danpei's trust in him. This manga is full of great little scenes like that, and isn't just fixated on the big picture all of the time, which I feel works in its favor.
That was a great moment, especially since it shows the flawed side of a very human character like Nishi while also Joe's loyalty to both Danpei and Nishi. A lot of stories would either not bother with moments like that or otherwise make them a big deal or mini-arc on it's own. Here it's a small scene, but had enough build up and lasted long enough to be an effective, purposeful scene. When small stuff like that is so well-done, it's now wonder the story as a whole is so darn good. ;)
The local comic book shop has recently received a shitload of Essential books at half-price, so I took the chance to get the 4th Spider-Man. Depending on how well I do at the place's geek trivia game this weekend, I'll probably end up getting even more soon.
I've been catching up on Unwritten, East to West, and have been reading Lazarus and Velvet since they started. Unwritten makes for a very interesting look at fiction, like how stories like Harry Potter can affect the general public to almost paranormal levels. Though I admit the side characters are often more interesting than the main ones. East to West is pretty cool due to being an apocalyptic western with all sorts of moments going on. Absolutely none of the characters are good people, but the game's in seeing which Horseman of the Apocalypse can outdo the other. It's a shame it's only nine issues in though, but that's the thing with comics. Same with Lazarus and Velvet, since they're extremely good espionage thrillers, but only started late last year. Since it's too early in their runs to properly judge, all I can say is that I love what Rucka and Brubaker do in their respective routes.
Pharass, have you finished 100 Bullets, Scalped and Criminal?
Ensatsu-ken, did you ever finish Watchmen and Superman Birthright?
Angus, how much of The Walking Dead have you read?
For me: no and no.
I do need to read more non-super hero comics. Or pretty much, more non-Marvel or DC comics. Although to be fair, I'm mostly reading prose as of late, with only the odd chance to pull out an older Marvel comic of mine.
Actually, I remember getting the first volume of DMZ from a promo a while ago and enjoying it a lot, but I never got around to getting the rest of it. I should change that.
Yeah, the comics market outside of Marvel and DC's gotten pretty cool. Especially Image, which has become insanely good over the last few years. Maybe it's a change in editorial, but they've become a publisher I can really sink my teeth into. The only thing that would make it better is if the next Fell finally got released.
I'm always hearing that I should get more into Image, so I'll try to do that.
I need to make a list of comics to try out.
Start with The Walking Dead, if you haven't already.
I LOVE DMZ! I want that to be made into a live action series just so USA can freak out. :D
I didn't win a gift card at geek trivia, but at our monthly comic roundtable, volume 6 was one of many freebies handed out, which I hit up, and I bought volume 5 with my own money today. Almost done with 4 now, so I have plenty of Spidey to go.
Oh, and I got another free essential book from geek trivia- the first Captain Marvel. I'm more familiar with Mrs. Marvel, but hey, I saw an opportunity and I said yes.
Random lists of my favorite characters in certain series:
The Walking Dead:
3. Rick
2. Glenn
1. Carl
Invincible:
2. Mark Grayson
1. Cecil
100 Bullets:
4. Cordova
3. Milo
2. Wylie Times
1. Lono
Scalped:
3. Dashiell Badhorse
2. Early Dino
3. Ragin' Redcrow (probably my favorite new character since...since, whoa, I'd have to go way back. He's my favorite character in this entire list)
I've started to read Assassination Classroom recently, and I'm about 30 chapters in. It's one of the biggest hits in Weekly Shonen Jump right now; recent rankings have shown it to consistently get #2 behind One Piece nowadays, and last december it was named the #1 choice manga for male readers in a list made by professional manga experts (and this list included seinin titles too). So far, I think it's very amusing. The basic stories in the manga are sort of remind me of Great Teacher Onizuka, in that they involve Koro-sensei helping out students in trouble and getting them to realize their skills and potential. It's not quite as good with those stories because it doesn't go as far or as potent with them as Onizuka does, but it makes up for it with a bizarre sense of humor that I find quite amicable. Korosensei is absolutely hilarious; he's this ultra dangerous and kinda sinister creature, but he has this big goofy grin and octopus-like design and he's so damn friendly and polite that he can't help but be likable, and again, he really cares about his students even though their job is to kill him. I mean, he even encourages them to try their best to kill him. He gives them advice and helps them improve their skills! He's got to be the nicest, coolest villain protagonist ever. I can't say the students stand out that much though, except for Karma and Ritsu, though Nagisa isn't too bad as a major protagonist despite not having that much of a distinct personality. It's really Korosensei's assistant teachers, Bitch-sensei and Karasuma (both of which are also trying to assassinate him) that provide the most memorable moments aside from Korosensei himself, so far. Overall, it's a fun manga so far, though I don't see quite how it's become practically the #2 manga in Jump right now behind OP (though to be fair it's basically neck and neck with Naruto and Toriko, and sometimes Kuroko for that honor). Of course, I have 48 chapters until I catch up, and what I've heard tells me it gets better so I'll see.
One of my focuses right now is to catch up on every ongoing manga that interests me. After I catch up on Classroom I'll tackle Kuroko no Basket which has been long over due for me to read. Aside from that I'm covering my bases with Tezuka and Urasawa, and I'll have some thoughts on what I've been reading of them soon. I plan to read through Black Lagoon before Toonami airs it as I've only read a volume's worth of the manga before, and I want to get through Mushi-shi before the new anime comes in April. Hopefully I can get the free time to do all that, since March'll be a busy month for me...
Read the third volume of The Unwritten; this series keeps getting better. My favorite thing about this volume was the part that focused on Lizzie's origin (or rather origins), which is told in the style of one of those choose-your-own-adventure books, great stuff.
There's also a lot of Mr Pullman in this volume, which is always a good thing. Pullman is quickly becoming one of my favorite villains in comics.
I loved reading choose-your-adventure stories as a kid. Speaking of villains, any chance you'll do the Greatest Villain Tournament? I want to do a different type myself soon.
After hearing about how The Matrix ripped off The Invisibles, I really want to read that comic book myself. It sounds very interesting. Also, after seeing that Lewis Larosa has done some art for Harbinger and Shadowman while I was liking up his work to favorite on tumblr after I signed up on the site early this morning, I'll be checking those out too. They look very cool.
Quote from: gunswordfist on March 02, 2014, 06:17:26 PM
I loved reading choose-your-adventure stories as a kid. Speaking of villains, any chance you'll do the Greatest Villain Tournament? I want to do a different type myself soon.
I've decided to wait until the Greatest Animated Movie Tournament is finished. So feel free to go ahead and do what you've planned to do. If you want, you can always host the Greatest Villain Tournament in my place.
Quote from: Pharass on March 03, 2014, 03:03:19 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on March 02, 2014, 06:17:26 PM
I loved reading choose-your-adventure stories as a kid. Speaking of villains, any chance you'll do the Greatest Villain Tournament? I want to do a different type myself soon.
I've decided to wait until the Greatest Animated Movie Tournament is finished.
At the pace
that's going you're going to be waiting for a looooooonnnnggg time. :blush:
Quote from: Cartoon X on March 03, 2014, 03:13:38 PM
Quote from: Pharass on March 03, 2014, 03:03:19 PM
Quote from: gunswordfist on March 02, 2014, 06:17:26 PM
I loved reading choose-your-adventure stories as a kid. Speaking of villains, any chance you'll do the Greatest Villain Tournament? I want to do a different type myself soon.
I've decided to wait until the Greatest Animated Movie Tournament is finished.
At the pace that's going you're going to be waiting for a looooooonnnnggg time. :blush:
But his computer is "broken"
I just started reading a manga called REAL, about wheelchair basketball, written by the very same guy who did Slam Dunk and Vagabond. It's pretty good stuff so far, though I'm not that far into it, yet.
Meanwhile, I'm currently 950+ chapters into HnI. Man, this manga has definitely gone on for way too long. It's not bad or anything, but it's incredibly repetitive by this point. I still love the anime and the first 300-400 chapters of the manga, but after that its mostly mediocre. With a few pretty good parts in between. Even so, I'm still probably going to catch up to the current releases since now I'm finally less than 100 chapters behind.
I finished volume 1 of REAL. Yep, this one's definitely a keeper. Man, Inoue Takehiko is so talented. Slam Dunk was one of the best shounen sports manga ever, but who knew that the same author could write such good Seinen material as well? Despite also being about basketball, this manga is very different in both tone and general themes to SD, and it goes much deeper with developing the characters, at least so far.
Speaking of Takehiko, I also need to get back into reading Vagabond one of these days.
While browsing around at the book store today, I came across Captain America: The Winter Soldier (the complete run). I was SO tempted to buy it, but at $25 + tax, the price was a little too steep for me, right now.
Caught up with the Ashita no Joe manga, and wrote brief thoughts on that in the respective thread. Still great as ever. Still on track to being my favorite manga.
I've also caught up with Assassination Classroom. It still amazes me how popular this series has become. It totally deserves it. I don't think there's else anything quite like it. It's a comedy manga, that takes cues from Great Teacher Onizuka (and I assume similar non-traditonal authority figure motivates/helps out kids manga), combines it with the occasional clever battle stories, and blends it together with slice of life humor. It's an interesting mix that plays off, and at this point, the many characters of the story, including Nagisa who I previously considered a bit bland, have come into their own and have become fun characters in their own right.
The series had it's first series story arc between chapters 60-73. At first I was hesitant to read what I thought was going to be a transition into more battle-shonen territory (which are, so far, my least favorite aspects of Gintama), but the way it was presented was really interesting. With Korosensei unable to fight, the students and Karasuma and Irina had to manage on their own to take down deadly, professionally trained assassins. I think their skills, which were shown developing in previous chapters, were employed believably here without it seeming ridiculous or questionable. The students were still way weaker against the professional assassins, and had to rely on carefully planned tactics in order to survive. I especially enjoyed Nagisa's "fight" with the mastermind, which was completely one of wit and exploiting his enemy's nerves. It was a great moment for his character. The arc had great moments for nearly all the characters, in fact, especially Terasaka, who has quickly become one of my favorite characters in the series.
Overall, if the manga can create more interesting, tactical and strategic fights and arcs like they did here in the future, than I think I can enjoy more serious, battle-shonen esque moments from it. I'm sure another serious arc is brewing, considering all the assassins that are being slaughtered (including Irina's teacher, which surprised me), and Iotina and Shiro on the move again. I like the more down to earth, comedy/slice of life stories and assassination plots, though, so hopefully the series still balances those as it goes forward. Overall, I'm really enjoying this manga, and it's definitely a deserved hit. I hope it continues to be consistently entertaining and gain respectable popularity when it comes over to the states, too.
Now that I'm caught up with Assassination Classroom, I'm now starting to read Kuroko no Basket. I'm only 5 chapters in, but I was surprised that they are already facing off against a member of the Generation of Miracles so quickly. It's nice the series doesn't waste time. I have to say the manga is very entertaining for me so far. The humor works, and Kuroko and Kagami are likable and fun characters, and the coach is a blast too. As far as "starts" go, I might give Kuroko an edge over Slam Dunk since while I also enjoyed that series right off the bat, this one feels like it's done more this early on to establish the characters and their goals than that did. Still, I have much more of both series I need to get through, so I can't really compare until I'm done with them. Hopefully I can catch up to Kuroko before the end of the month.
I've read about half of Ode to Kirihito so far. Definitely an amazing medical drama exploring human perceptions, biases, morals, discrimination, and pride; Tezuka is such a masterful writer. Way before his time, imo. This'll no doubt be up there with Barbara, MW, and Swallowing the Earth once I'm done with it. I plan to finish reading all of Tezuka's manga (that have been translated) before the school year ends. With how busy I am, that'll probably amount to binge reading his stuff on the last few, no very busy days of school, but since my library has all of his translated work readily available it's an opportunity I want to take advantage of.
And I still plan to read through Mushi-shi and the Black Lagoon manga this month. I hope I can manage that, since I really want to be able to watch Mushi-shi 2 when it comes out next season, and I don't know if I can finish the anime before then. With Black Lagoon, I just want to read it to celebrate the anime's debut on Toonami, and also just to finally be caught up on it so I can have another seinin manga to read alongside One-Punch Man and All You Need Is Kill.
I just finished volume 3 of REAL. While its not necessarily as energetic as Slam Dunk, it's honestly just as good for a different reason, and that's character development. Inoue Takehiko really proves that he knows exactly how to evoke strong emotions in scenes that need them, and this manga has had p,entry of great moments of that already. While it's. a bit predictable where the story and characters are heading, it's the kind of predictable where you look forward to what's coming thanks to amazing execution and really likable characters who you genuinely want to see overcome their obstacles.
So I read a comic called Rover Red Charlie, that's sort of like Homeward Bound. The only difference is this.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fabload.de%2Fimg%2F6eapmb.png&hash=d30c617f3f869429adfce7380282e2fa2d6a9548)
*closed tab*
Boy, am I glad I wasn't at work when I saw that.
The guys at the comic book shop have been trying to get me to read Afterlife With Archie for a while, so I finally caved in and bought the first issue (apparently the GN is going to cost more than it will to buy the issues, which is why I didn't wait).
It's pretty much what you'd expect and hope from the title- Walking Dead with Archie characters, and thankfully, they don't tone it down much at all. It works even better if you're familiar with the comics, because they add in a bunch of references here and there. If I can squeeze my budget tight enough, I'll try to get the next couple of issues as soon as I can.
I'm about 55 chapters into Kuroko no Basket. Everything's still pretty good so far. I do enjoy the characters a lot, at least the main ones. The matches themselves are good, though I honestly found the match with Tohoh a bit underwhelming for a pivotal match for Seirin, but it was a lot of fun nonetheless. I will say I am a bit impatient to catch up with the series because I've discovered other manga that I really am itching to read asap, but the series should pick up from here from what I understand so I look forward to that.
Now, what are some of those manga I'm itching to read? Well, Kimagure Orange Road for one. I only decided to check out what the first chapter was like out of curiosity...and I ended up reading an entire volume's worth of content in no time. This is exactly the kind of series I've been looking for ever since I finsihed Maison Ikkoku! A down to earth romance series with engaging, interesting leads with strong characterizations and interesting dilemmas. Even putting aside the fantastical aspect of the series (the Kasuga family's esp powers), this is simply the perfect kind of slice of life romance comedy, one that I haven't been able to find since finishing Ikkoku. Comparing first volumes, I still would give a slight edge to Ikkoku because it deals with, well, the problems of young adults which I can relate to and appreciate these days more than that of teenagers, but it's still fantastic and so, so fun so far. I haven't been THIS excited to read something in a long, long time; not even Joe, which even though I liked it from the start, took me until the Juvenille Prison arc to really become fascinated with it. This is just what I've wanted to read for so long now, and skimming thoughts and reviews calling this a masterpiece and totally on Ikkoku's level, I wager I am in for a hell of a treat. I want to switch to the anime for a while, if only because I don't want to feel unmotivated to watch the anime later on when I get busy because I already know the story, but yeah, I think I've found a future favorite here, a call I normally refuse to make until I'm a good way into a series (like with Kenshin and Berserk, where it took me several volumes until I could say, yes, I love these series). So yeah, I REALLY want more Kimagure in my life soon as possible.
I have plenty of other series on my backlog I hope to get through soon. Tezuka stuff, as I've said before, is my priority to catch up on. After that, there are plenty of significant titles at my library that I want to burn through. Really, my plan is basically for the last week of school, when I don't have anything left to do, to just go to the library after school and binge read as much manga as possible. My anime and live-action series backlog is a tedious thing for me since I find myself with so little time to invest in series I don't already watch these days, but with manga I am able to read stuff more flexibly and quickly, and it's in general it's just more fun for me. I wouldn't be surprised if I manage to knock out quite a bit of my backlog even before the end of this year.
The rematch with To-oh Academy is much better than the first match, though to be fair the first match wasn't supposed to be anything spectacular. It was supposed to be something that just blurred by,being no big deal for To-oh while being a crushing defeat for Seirin to show how outclassed they were. Watching the whole second half of the match in detail would have been rather boring without any hope of winning, so the author spared us the slot through and just skipped ahead to where Seirin were defeated by a huge margin. If you think about it, AnJ did the same thing during Joe's downfall for pretty much the same reason.
As far as Basketball manga goes, though, I am thoroughly enjoying Inoue Takehiko's REAL, which just may be his best manga yet, even more than Slam Dunk or Vagabond. I'm 5 volumes in and this is really more of a character study of cripples than it is a sports manga, but that's perfectly fine since the characters are incredibly likable and interesting. It's by far the best currently running manga that I'm reading, though I'm not caught up with the scans, and the scans are not caught up with the current releases in Japan, as far as I'm aware.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on March 17, 2014, 05:37:29 PM
The rematch with To-oh Academy is much better than the first match, though to be fair the first match wasn't supposed to be any thing spectacular. It was supposed to be something that just blurred by,being no big deal for To-oh while being a crushing defeat for Seirin to show how outclassed they were. Watching the whole second half of the match in detail would have been rather boring without any hope of winning, so the author spared us the slot through and just skipped ahead to where Seirin were defeated by a huge margin. If you think about it, AnJ did the same thing during Joe's downfall for pretty much the same reason.
Nah, see, I actually liked that. It was great that they were struggling against them even before Aomine showed up and then it just got worse when Kagami started suffering from fatigue and Kuroko's passes became ineffective. And yeah, there was no point in watching the match past Kagami being benched, and I liked how they just sped through that stuff (and Seirin's succeeding losing matches too). It's just that the match itself just kinda dragged a bit somehow for me, and while there was a lot of interesting things going on, the action on the court wasn't necessarily as tense as I felt it could've been. I expect the re-match will be much better executed.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on March 17, 2014, 05:37:29 PM
As far as Basketball manga goes, though, I am thoroughly enjoying Inoue Takehiko's REAL, which just may be his best manga yet, even more than Slam Dunk or Vagabond. I'm 5 volumes in and this is really more of a character study of cripples than it is a sports manga, but that's perfectly fine since the characters are incredibly likable and interesting. It's by far the best currently running manga that I'm reading, though I'm not caught up with the scans, and the scans are not caught up with the current releases in Japan, as far as I'm aware.
Wow,
Real sounds really good! It was already on my backlog anyway and there's only ten or so volumes out in the states, so maybe I could make it a binge read one weekend sometime soon.
Quote from: Cartoon X on March 17, 2014, 06:52:12 PMWow, REAL sounds REAL-ly good!
Sorry, but I had to fix that for the obvious pun that you missed. :P
But, yeah, it's a good manga with only 10 volumes out in English, but the 5 volumes that I've read so far are crammed with content, so don't expect it to have a lot of action scenes that makes it go by as a fast read like stuff along the lines of Slam Dunk or Kuroko no Basket. ;)
I purposely avoided calling attention to the pun. That seemed too obvious for me. :D
I prefer character focused stories with lots of development and insight on the characters, than fast, action-heavy stuff, so I'll probably love REAL. Based on experience the longest it has taken me to read a volume of manga is Ghost in the Shell, which took me two and a half hours to finish because there was so much dialogue and information to take in. I don't think a volume of REAL will take that long since from what I've seen they aren't any more thick than a normal volume of something like Excel Saga, which takes me 50 minutes to an hour to read on average. With only 10 volumes, if it does take me as long to get through a volume of REAL it'll still only be 10 hours, which is manageable on a day I don't need to do much (not that I have those kinda days anymore, but the summer will probably give a lot more recreational downtime in any case).
Matoi Family Secret Technique
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fz.mhcdn.net%2Fstore%2Fmanga%2F14344%2F001.0%2Fcompressed%2Fl059.jpg%3Fv%3D11391045941&hash=29ee64844a0aa75118803913f6e926e3bfb9e314)
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Pfft, she stole that technique from Ussop! :sly:
Quote from: Cartoon X on March 27, 2014, 07:25:50 AM
Pfft, she stole that technique from Ussop! :sly:
It is a great strategy. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7aW0Uj3778)
At the moment:
20th Century Boys - I'm about half way through this, and damn is it hard to stop. The plot keeps getting thicker and thicker as new character become the focus and old ones return. It's also done a very good job at making it hard to figure out just what the hell is going on.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders - About a third of the way through this. While this is great and I can see why it's so popular, I can't help but feel like I'm enjoying this slightly less then the first two parts, mainly because I'm not really liking Jotaro as much as Jonathan or Joseph. Still, the fights keep getting better, and I'm getting even more hyped for the anime.
Assorted Superman Stories - I finished rereading For All Seasons, which remains one of my favorite Superman stories ever. I've also been reading various other story arcs. My favorite scene so far was Superman pulling a pretzel out of a pouch in his cape. :D
One-Punch Man -Spoiler
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Ah man, I was marathoning the heck out of 20th Century Boys at the half-way point. Once I started a volume, I just couldn't put it down no matter how hard I tried, and once I finished one, I immediately turned to my pile for the next. I will say that I found the third act of the series wasn't quite as excellent to me as the first two parts (it starts kinda slow to me and doesn't pick up until the return of a certain you-know-who), but it's still pretty damn great.
I haven't read Stardust Crusaders yet, but Vlord has confided to me that he also didn't care for Jotaro as much as he did Joseph, and that he liked Battle Tendency better. Regardless, I know from reviews (especially a certain Mr. Jason Thompson's) that Stardust excels in the sheer badassery of it's fights, and I'm itching to see those animated. As far as the manga goes, I plan to go through all of JoJo's this summer, alongside a fair chunk of my voluminous backlog, so I'll see how I feel about it when I get to it.
And I'm glad to see you're enjoying One-Punch Man! ;D
I just finished JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Vento Aureo. I felt that it was weakest part of the series so far, but it still was pretty good. The fights have continued to be quite entertaining, and I also liked that the story gave some further insight on Stand Arrows since they were important in Part 4. I'll probably start on Part 6 in a few weeks. I also want to start reading Ashita no Joe, Excel Saga, Sailor Moon, and a few other manga when I find the time.
Quote from: VLordGTZ on March 29, 2014, 11:30:53 PM
I also want to start reading Ashita no Joe, Excel Saga, Sailor Moon, and a few other manga when I find the time.
What's stopping you? You freaking have all of the
Excel Saga,
Sailor Moon, and
Oishinbo volumes to read right down in the basement! Just do it already! :sweat:
And read the
Vinland Saga,
Trigun Maximum,
Ranma 1/2, and
Dororo volumes while you're at it. Really, when we've got the physical copies, it makes no sense to just let them sit on the shelf unread, y'know? :P
I'm almost caught up on Kuroko no Basket. I'll post my thoughts on the series once I am.
I finished Ode to Kirihito on friday. The series was excellent. A gripping medical drama and exploration of racial discrimination, ethics, love, and politics. I can easily see Kirihito as an influence for Dr. Tenma's character in Monster just as much as it is obvious how Yuki Michio in MW inspired Johan Liebert. I loved the series, and it may have surpassed Barbara as my favorite work by Tezuka, though time will tell if that stays true.
Meanwhile, I continue my re-reads of Astro Boy and Black Jack, and am kicking myself for not revisiting them for over 7 years. They are making a far greater impression on me now than when I was a kid, and with Astro Boy, I'm continually surprised with just how thoughtful it is while still managing a balance between action and comedy. And Black Jack is incredible beyond description. Everything, from the varied plots, to Black Jack himself, is perfectly done and it makes for an addicting read. At the rate I'm going, I'll be able to finish them very soon. Which is good, because then I can tackle Phoenix and Buddha, and really every other Tezuka manga I can find in print at the library.
Hajime no Ippo
I see Ippo is still keeping up with #2. I'm actually liking him (forgot #2's name) a lot more.
Bleach
Didn't really care for the last 2-3 chapters. I used to like Kenpachi, but his character bores me these days. Get owned and you'd think he'd be a little more humble, but "shrugs". I liked seeing Renji off Mask de Masculine (kinda name is that?), and seeing Rukia's bankai... I like her bankai, but not her. You'd think Toshiro would be able to do something of that nature... Anyway, I know I'm probably the only one that actually likes Bleach (the manga) so yeah.
Naruto
Lot's of up's and down's, but mainly down's. Naruto nearly killed the latest chapter for me, but I did like seeing what the 6 sage guy was like. And as much as I like Madara (or the Uchiha's) I'm ready for this war to end. The longer this goes on the more tired I become of Madara.
I'm still stuck in the mid-900's of HnI. The Itagaki vs. Saeki fight is so long and boring and needlessly drawn out for a conclusion that anyone with half a brain can predict: Itagaki will win. I think what pisses me off about this character is how Morikawa has been teasing that he'll have a heel turn eventually, but after hundreds of chapters he has yet to capitalize on this concept (unless it has already happened in the current releases, but I'm less than. Hundred chapters behind, now). That would give the character a much more interesting conflict, whereas right now he just feels like Ippo's annoying comic relief side-kick, with the emphasis on annoying, which is a shame because he could be a much better character if Morikawa wasn't so damn hell-bent on keeping things at status-quo for as long as possible.
The new Deadpool issue coming out next week contains work from the following writers: Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn, Fabian Nicieza, Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Christopher Priest, Jimmy Palmiotti, Frank Tieri, Gail Simone, Daniel Way, and Victor Gischler.
And here's the cover art: http://www.comicbookresources.com/imgsrv/preview/0/0/1/Deadpool-27-Cover-64c29.jpg
MY BONER
Looks good!
Quote from: Foggle on April 02, 2014, 11:52:21 PM
The new Deadpool issue coming out next week contains work from the following writers: Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn, Fabian Nicieza, Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Christopher Priest, Jimmy Palmiotti, Frank Tieri, Gail Simone, Daniel Way, and Victor Gischler.
And here's the cover art: http://www.comicbookresources.com/imgsrv/preview/0/0/1/Deadpool-27-Cover-64c29.jpg
MY BONER
:worship:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BkabkhTCMAAT-NH.png)
I managed to get a lot of stuff at used bookstore I frequent for only $20 bucks this week! Probably my best haul there this whole year in terms of price and quantity! ;D
Aw yeah, Zot and Watamote.
I remember having a subscription to Cartoon Cartoons. They weren't anything special, but I enjoyed the books anyway. Not to mention that I believe that some of the artists and writers from the shows worked on some of the books here and there.
Danny wrote the first EEnEstory in the book, and Gennedy used to help with the Dexter book. Not to mention that the PPG episode with the Powerpuff squirrel was an adaptation from a story in its comics.
Re-reading Astro Boy has really made me appreciate just hold daring and political it is. For a so-called "kids" series, it's completely ahead of it's time, and honestly, the themes and messages it explores are still much better executed than most of modern shonen manga, and it's content is shockingly brutal.
I mean, what other series has the main character die after protecting a random Vietnamese village, that has a pregnant woman who is about to go into labor, from being obliterated by hydrogren bombs by U.S. soliders in the Vietnam War....only for that sacrifice to be in vein when the village is bombed again the next day, and everybody he sacrificed his life to protect dies. Including the newborn baby.
Say Astro Boy isn't dark, I dare you.
Tiger Mask (chapters 1-8):
This is all that has been translated so far, and it looks like this series was dropped, so that's a shame, but I did really enjoy what I read. Unlike Ashita no Joe, this one is clearly meant more for the kids (despite some explicit violence by our standards), but that certainly doesn't take away from its charm. In fact, the simplicity of it all pretty much IS its charm, IMO. It has that Speed Racer type vibe where the characters and plots are shallow, yet the story is clearly self-aware of that and just tries to have as much fun with itself as possible. It's like how in Speed Racer they always had those "Hmmm....Who could Racer X be?" moments, when it's so obvious to the audience. It's the same as how Naoto's childhood friend makes the connection that Naoto appeared back in Japan the same time that Tiger Mask did, but then Naoto puts on a show to make himself look like a weakling when attempting to fight some thugs, and then she thinks that she must have just been too paranoid. For some people that's too old-fashioned and cheesy, but for some reason I just love that shit. And this is Takamori's writing, so he makes it all in good fun, and I was genuinely interested in continuing with the story. It's a shame that the rest of this will probably never be translated. I'd really love to read the rest of it. :(
I'd also love to read Star of the Giants, as well. I've heard that it's an absolute classic, possibly comparable to Ashita no Joe, but I suppose I'll never know for sure unless I learn Japanese.
REAL (chapters 40-44):
I absolutely LOVE the characters in this series. Kiyoharu can kind of be a dick at times, but the guy is still genuinely likable in his ambition to be the best, and despite him yelling at his teammates all of the time for their mistakes, he has proven his loyalty to the team as he would never abandon them, even when the coach of a much better team, the Dreamers, offered to bring him on board, which would be much better for his future career, but he refused. Of course, then he got too hot-headed and accepted a deal to join the team IF the Tigers were defeated by the Dreamers, and what do you know, they did lose. Of course, in this case, it was because one of their key members got injured, and they had no replacement for him, so the rest of the game was played on a handicap. Because of that, even though the Dreamers won, the Coach was pretty nice about not going through with the deal since he said that he shouldn't feel proud that his team won with a handicap, so he made the deal with Kiyoharu to follow through the deal next year if the Dreamers won again.
As for Nomiya, he's like a much more mature version of Sakuragi from Slam Dunk. He's easily my 2nd favorite delinquent character ever, right now, as a close second to Eikichi Onizuka. You just gotta love this guy. He's got more heart to him than any other character in this series, and I love his determination to willingly improve himself as a human being. I love how in one scene he gets really agitated at Hisanobu after he makes a snide comment about him, and is about to snap at him, but then he calms himself down and helps Hisanobu readjust himself in his hospital bed. The guy has quickly escalated from the lovable goof-ball type character to one of the most likable guys that I've ever seen in a manga or anime series, period.
And Hisanobu, man is his character arc great. I've seen the jerk-wad who ends up turning his life around shtick done plenty of times before, but this is one of the best examples of it. Granted, that, he's still at a relatively low point in his life, but I can tell where his character arc is going. He starts out as one of the most popular kids in school, and often thinks little of other people, until the fateful accident which completely cripples him for good. His depression is probably as close to realistic as I've seen any manga series get. But once you learn of his back-story and his struggle to come into acceptance with his disability and go on living his life, he instantly becomes arguably the most compelling character in the story, in terms of which character you become the most invested in reading about.
Man, I'm impressed by Inoue Takehiko's talent as a writer. Slam Dunk was a fun shounen series, and it's still one of my favorites. But REAL? Man, I tell you, this is Urasawa level character writing in terms of how good it is, and I don't think I'm exaggerating things when I say that. I'm really excited to read more of this series.
Dragon Ball Minus was published in Weekly Shonen Jump this week. A neat little story if you like to ignore what the anime has been feeding you. Turns out, Goku was 3 when he was sent out, Bardock didn't have a crew like the special did, his wife is cute, and I kind of wonder if Toriyama forgot about Zarbon and Dodoria since they weren't there in the special. Then I remember it's Toriyama and he barely remembers minor characters like them and the fact that the end of Jaco The Galactic Patrolman kind of gave it's own lore to what Goku was like when he first landed on Earth.
Quote from: Daxdiv on April 08, 2014, 01:34:33 PM
Dragon Ball Minus was published in Weekly Shonen Jump this week. A neat little story if you like to ignore what the anime has been feeding you. Turns out, Goku was 3 when he was sent out, Bardock didn't have a crew like the special did, his wife is cute, and I kind of wonder if Toriyama forgot about Zarbon and Dodoria since they weren't there in the special. Then I remember it's Toriyama and he barely remembers minor characters like them and the fact that the end of Jaco The Galactic Patrolman kind of gave it's own lore to what Goku was like when he first landed on Earth.
And Akira just spawned 5,000 more DBZ arguments.
Looks like my re-read of Astro Boy has hit a snag. The college library only has up to volume 9, and there are only a few scattered volumes I can read available at the public library. Darn. But the "Astro Boy Stories" arc was amazing, a full analysis of discrimination, humanity, the advance of robotics and it's ramifications, what constitutes a human life, all this and more under a story that takes Astro Boy back to the past, forcing him to confront tragedy after tragedy, and ultimately, back to his own birth, and rise to being the hero he became. A fascinating story arc on so many levels and certainly one of my most favorites in manga now (though, admittedly, I found the ending a bit weak, but it was still good). Man, I can't believe I read this series as a kid and didn't see just how amazing it really is before now. I'm looking forward to the omnibus re-releases coming this fall.
With my Astro Boy re-read is in a temporary halt, I'm just going to plow through all of Phoenix, which my library has the entirety of, and I've never read, despite it being considered Tezuka's most ambitious and best work and all. Should be fun. :)
Outside of the Tezuka manga I'm going through, I read what's translated of Tiger Mask last week, and I found it alright. It's definitely a more standard, basic kind of series in terms of plot and characters than Ashita no Joe, but it was interesting enough for what I saw. The fights did kinda get boring, though, since after a while seeing Tiger Mask beat up his opponents with fouls and in cruel ways became kinda tiring, which is why I liked how in the last fight of what's translated he actually showed he could beat an opponent in an honorable way, to teach a good lesson to a little boy from the orphanage in actions rather than mere words. That was a good moment. I would like to read more of it, if more ever gets translated, since while it seems like a rather formulaic series, it's also fun for it's simplicity, and it's only 14 volumes, anyway.
To be fair, you can't really judge a Takamori series based on just the first few chapters. Had I done that for Joe, it would've come off as a fun gag manga, but without the depth or nuance that came with later story arcs. Also, Tiger Mask came out earlier in Takamori's career, so its only fair to assume that he improved with experience.
Both Tiger Mask and Ashita no Joe came out in 1968, actually. :P
Of course, you can never judge any manga as a whole just based on the initial chapters, and after just looking up some info on what sort of stuff happens in the series later on, it does seem like it develops more nuances in it's story and characters later on. Until I can read the whole manga, though, I won't really know the extent of it's potential and quality, so I'll have to wait on more translations or learn japanese one day and find out.
Quote from: Cartoon X on April 15, 2014, 12:57:02 PM
Both Tiger Mask and Ashita no Joe came out in 1968, actually. :P
I've seen sources say that it came out in 1966, 2 years before AnJ.
Hmm. I can't find any sources that say the manga came out in 1966, myself. Wikipedia says 1968, and every other article I've read on it just says it came out in the "1960's." Can you link the ones you found that say it came out in 1966?
Someone edited the Wiki article then, because it said 1966 when I looked into it a couple months back. I'm 100% certain of this. Ill try to find another source though.
Waiting for the new episode of Stardust Crusaders was just killing me, so to get my fix I just blew through the first two volumes of the part in the manga. Man, JoJo's is just so damn addicting. I really love how creative, over the top, and crazy each and every fight has been so far. It seems less ambitious than part two in terms of the story, at least so far, but it also has a classic adventure vibe going for it on top of fun characters, humor, and, of course, fight scenes, and great cliffhangers at the end of each chapter makes it a hell of a page-turner. I'm really looking forward to seeing it all animated.
One day I'm going to learn Japanese just so I can read the rest of Takamori's untranslated works.
While most of his works are sports series, I've noticed one stand-out is Ai to Makoto, which is a romance story, but it must still be pretty popular to have gotten a film adaptation as recently as in 2012 (and directed by Takashi Miike, no less).
My copy of Templar written by Jordan Mechner and drawn by Leuyen Pham and Alex Puvilland arrived today. I had read the first part of the story earlier, when it was published under the name Solomon's Thieves a few years back and I had been waiting too find out what happened ever since. Well, now the wait is over and I have to say it was worth the wait: Mechner, Pham & Puvilland delivers a splendid adventure story, featuring everything that the genre requires, from heavily flawed yet likable heroes to dangerous, scheming villains. Highly recommended.
I'm almost fully caught up with REAL (at least what scans of it are out so far). This manga is absolutely stellar. If you liked Slam Dunk at all, this is definitely worth checking out just to see how much Inoue Tatsuhiko has improved as a writer since then.
Blew through the first volume of The Legend of Koizumi today. Man, I wish I knew more about Japanese politics and mahjong, because I would probably love this manga even more if I did. But even without not knowing how the game works or what kind of person the actual Koizumi is, it's still a hilarious over-the-top political mahjong manga that's also clearly parodying old-school shonen series. And for the politicians I do recognize, like Bush, Bush Sr., Kim Jong Il, and Putin, I fucking love their characterizations and how ridiculous they are (W. Bush being a whiny daddy's boy is hilarious, as is Bush Sr.'s portrayal as a total badass). It's a fun, funny manga and because it's a quick read and only 9 volumes thus far I'll get back to reading more of it soon as the summer starts (I can't wait to get to the part where Hitler becomes "The Legendary Super Aryan.") :D
Over a third done with Stardust Crusaders, having finished the "Death 13" story. My favorite fight so far has got to be "The Lovers" as it's the first time Jotaro can't just punch his enemy into submission, but has to bide his time while letting Kakyoin and Polnareff try to take out The Lovers inside Joseph brain. I also liked how The Lovers, and Steely Dan, are in actuality really weak physically, but the way Steely Dan uses The Lovers makes it incredibly deadly and dangerous. And I thought HxH's Nen made for interesting abilities, but Stands just blow them out of the water in terms of how creative and varied they are. Togashi must have been inspired by Stands when he made Nen powers, methinks. I'm really enjoying the series so far, so much that I just can't stop reading it when I get the chance. I don't know if I like it better than Battle Tendency yet, since that's stills stronger plot-wise, but I love the battles and characters in this arc a whole lot, which is why it's such a fun read for me. Jotaro might not be as interesting a protagonist as Joseph, but he's surrounded by fun, interesting characters in Kakyoin, Joseph, and Polnareff, so it balances out, and there are a lot of great character interactions and moments. I'll probably finish SC by the end of next week, since I don't feel like reading anything else except it and Black Jack when it comes to manga right now, and a volume of SC just takes maybe 40 minutes to read on average cause it's so battle-heavy.
Also a third done with my Black Jack re-read. Since after next Friday I'll essentially be done with the important stuff I have to do this semester (well, I've got one major assignment left after next week, but it shouldn't be too hard to find time to do it), I'm going to try finishing the entire series by the end of next weekend.
Yeah, part of the reason JoJo (and SC in particular) became as popular as it did was the introduction of Stands. They were a real game changer that meant Araki could do some truly...well...bizarre things in his fights that you didn't see anywhere else. It also meant that characters had to rely more on their wits to win a fight, rather then brute strength. I think part of the reason SC isn't as strong plot wise as BT is that it uses the whole "stand user of the week" format so different kinds of Stands could be experimented with. Just wait until you get to Egypt. ;)
And while I agree Jotaro isn't as interesting as Joseph, I''l admit that he has grown on my a bit. Really they're aren't any main characters in JoJo that I've disliked so far.
Quote from: The Shadow Gentleman on April 19, 2014, 02:51:43 PM
Yeah, part of the reason JoJo (and SC in particular) became as popular as it did was the introduction of Stands. They were a real game changer that meant Araki could do some truly...well...bizarre things in his fights that you didn't see anywhere else. It also meant that characters had to rely more on their wits to win a fight, rather then brute strength. I think part of the reason SC isn't as strong plot wise as BT is that it uses the whole "stand user of the week" format so different kinds of Stands could be experimented with. Just wait until you get to Egypt. ;)
Well, I've known for a while now that Stands were the big reason why JoJo's got popular (and why part 3 is the most popular), but now that I've seen them in action, I can totally see why. ;) And since I love wit-based fights rather than strength based ones (one of the biggest reasons why I love YYH and HxH), I absolutely adore what I've seen so far, even though the story is a mostly villain/stand of the week affair. :)
I'm actually at Egypt already! Just finished volume 8. I was wondering when Iggy'd show up. ;D
Quote from: The Shadow Gentleman on April 19, 2014, 02:51:43 PM
Really they're aren't any main characters in JoJo that I've disliked so far.
Polnareff is my favorite.
Quote from: Cartoon X on April 19, 2014, 03:43:36 PM
Just finished volume 8. I was wondering when Iggy'd show up. ;D
He first shows up in volume 9, the same time the Egyptian God stands start appearing.
Quote
Polnareff is my favorite.
Kakyoin's mine. (Well, besides Joseph of course)
Quote from: The Shadow Gentleman on April 19, 2014, 04:30:10 PM
Quote from: Cartoon X on April 19, 2014, 03:43:36 PM
Just finished volume 8. I was wondering when Iggy'd show up. ;D
He first shows up in volume 9, the same time the Egyptian God stands start appearing.
The first volume he appears in is volume 8 in Viz's official english print version, which is what I refer to. :P
Quote from: The Shadow Gentleman on April 19, 2014, 04:30:10 PM
Kakyoin's mine. (Well, besides Joseph of course)
Kakyoin's awesome! I love him too, but Polnareff just walks the line between being badass and a total goofball while also having the most "heart" among the team, which is why I find him the most endearing to me (besides Joseph, who I still like best when factoring in part 2).
Quote from: Cartoon X on April 19, 2014, 06:54:03 PM
The first volume he appears in is volume 8 in Viz's official english print version, which is what I refer to. :P
You're reading Viz's translation, CX?
Quote from: Cartoon X on April 19, 2014, 03:43:36 PM
Polnareff is my favorite.
:swoon:
Quote from: VLordGTZ on April 19, 2014, 07:01:59 PM
Quote from: Cartoon X on April 19, 2014, 06:54:03 PM
The first volume he appears in is volume 8 in Viz's official english print version, which is what I refer to. :P
You're reading Viz's translation, CX?
No, I'm reading scans, but I'm tracking my progress through how many volumes there are in Viz's release.
Besides...there is only 1 chapter of
Stardust Crusaders in volume 12 of the overall series. I hardly think that's enough to think of that volume as the first volume of the arc. Viz's version just moves that chapter into what was originally volume 13, so for my money, part 3 is 16 volumes long, not 17.
Quote from: Cartoon X on April 19, 2014, 06:54:03 PM
Quote from: The Shadow Gentleman on April 19, 2014, 04:30:10 PM
Quote from: Cartoon X on April 19, 2014, 03:43:36 PM
Just finished volume 8. I was wondering when Iggy'd show up. ;D
He first shows up in volume 9, the same time the Egyptian God stands start appearing.
The first volume he appears in is volume 8 in Viz's official english print version, which is what I refer to. :P
Yeah, I recently realized I've been reading a different translation from the Viz realse, which explains why the names aren't changed.
QuoteQuote from: The Shadow Gentleman on April 19, 2014, 04:30:10 PM
Kakyoin's mine. (Well, besides Joseph of course)
Kakyoin's awesome! I love him too, but Polnareff just walks the line between being badass and a total goofball while also having the most "heart" among the team, which is why I find him the most endearing to me (besides Joseph, who I still like best when factoring in part 2).
Agreed. :)
Yeah, so, I finished reading Stardust Crusaders about two hours ago. I couldn't help it. I just didn't feel like doing anything else until I had finished it; it was just that damn good to me. And boy, were those final battles fucking intense. From D'Arby the Gambler all the way to the final bout with Dio, I was on the edge of my seat and just had to keep going and going because it was all so damn engrossing. And man, the fight with Vanilla Ice, fucking brutal, more so than even the fight with Dio, imo. I also finally came around to Jotaro, and really appreciate his calm but calculating personality. He's not as fun as Joseph, but I do think he's a great and interesting character in his own right. So, in the end, I loved all the main characters of Stardust really strongly.
I guess I am somewhat disappointed with Dio, because I felt that he didn't really have the charisma to him he had in the first part, but he was still an excellent villain. I loved the final battle between Jotaro and Dio. It was a tense life and death struggle the whole time, and only barely did Jotaro achieve victory, but when he did, it was so, so satisfying. Overall, reading part 3 has really shown me just why this series is so loved, and why people consider it the pinnicle of the battle shonen genre. Because it is. Honestly, I have not seen a series that had so many varied battles, so many of them non-violent and physical even, with so much creativity, and never a overused element. Not just the fights, every character was likable without the annoying cliche behaviors one expects of battle-shonen characters. Hell, Joseph's silliness aside, the cast felt like genuinely real people, and they said and did things that "normal" people would do, at least as far as that description applies to manga. Now, while I don't think part 3's story as a whole is better than part two's, I also think it's strong in it's own right and fascinatingly so considering that it took the format of villain of the week battles and made it into something incredibly addictive but never repetitive. I loved Battle Tendency, but it's Stardust Crusaders that has finally pushed Jojo's into my being one of my all time favorite manga now, and not only that, but my all time favorite Shonen Jump manga as well. It just has it all. I look forward to reading Diamond is Unbreakable and beyond as soon as the summer rolls around.
Quote from: Cartoon X on April 21, 2014, 01:30:31 AM
Yeah, so, I finished reading Stardust Crusaders about two hours ago. I couldn't help it. I just didn't feel like doing anything else until I had finished it; it was just that damn good to me. And boy, were those final battles fucking intense. From D'Arby the Gambler all the way to the final bout with Dio, I was on the edge of my seat and just had to keep going and going because it was all so damn engrossing. And man, the fight with Vanilla Ice, fucking brutal, more so than even the fight with Dio, imo. I also finally came around to Jotaro, and really appreciate his calm but calculating personality. He's not as fun as Joseph, but I do think he's a great and interesting character in his own right. So, in the end, I loved all the main characters of Stardust really strongly.
I guess I am somewhat disappointed with Dio, because I felt that he didn't really have the charisma to him he had in the first part, but he was still an excellent villain. I loved the final battle between Jotaro and Dio. It was a tense life and death struggle the whole time, and only barely did Jotaro achieve victory, but when he did, it was so, so satisfying. Overall, reading part 3 has really shown me just why this series is so loved, and why people consider it the pinnicle of the battle shonen genre. Because it is. Honestly, I have not seen a series that had so many varied battles, so many of them non-violent and physical even, with so much creativity, and never a overused element. Not just the fights, every character was likable without the annoying cliche behaviors one expects of battle-shonen characters. Hell, Joseph's silliness aside, the cast felt like genuinely real people, and they said and did things that "normal" people would do, at least as far as that description applies to manga. Now, while I don't think part 3's story as a whole is better than part two's, I also think it's strong in it's own right and fascinatingly so considering that it took the format of villain of the week battles and made it into something incredibly addictive but never repetitive. I loved Battle Tendency, but it's Stardust Crusaders that has finally pushed Jojo's into my being one of my all time favorite manga now, and not only that, but my all time favorite Shonen Jump manga as well. It just has it all. I look forward to reading Diamond is Unbreakable and beyond as soon as the summer rolls around.
Agreed on all fronts, good sir.
I'll try and finish SC sometime this week. I'm at the D'Arby the Gamer fight, which becoming my new favorite fight.
I don't know why I delayed it so much, but I finally made the time to read Volume 8 of Animal Land. I will say that is probably is one of my favorite volumes so far. Poor Taroza and Moko, at least Taroza got stronger and was more motivated to complete his goal of a utopia where Animals can live in peace and not eat one another. Glad that Volume 9 should be arriving at my doorstep tomorrow, cause that cliffhanger probably would have left me in suspense and try to hunt down the scans.
Whoa...you guys remember how I bought Watamote volume 3 on April 4th? I just found out that volume wasn't supposed to come out until April 22nd! I went and checked some in-store versions, and my copy is most certainly legit, so I gotta wonder why Strands was selling it over two weeks early and for only $3. And the thing is, this has happened before; back when I bought The Disappearance of Yuki Nagato volume 5 last December, not only did I get it for $2, but three weeks earlier than anyone should've. I'm not even sure how this happens, but it's most certainly strange...
Hmm... the only bookstore I go to is Barnes and Noble and I either order stuff from Amazon or RightStuf. I only get my shit earlier from RightStuf since they tend to do that and have a long history of that. But then again, I don't really go into the city as much as I would like.
I visit this bookstore called Strands every friday. They sell both used and new books, but most of the used books they sell are in like-new condition and they sell several old, out of print titles as well, and most of their stuff is $2 off the normal prices at other bookstores while some stuff can be up to 70% off. I've managed to find and buy lots of great stuff there this past year, including titles I couldn't find at nearly as good a price elsewhere (last week I got Black Lagoon volume 3 there for $3), but the fact that they have sold stuff that shouldn't have been released yet 2-3 weeks early twice now is still strange.
I visit B&N sometimes, but nowadays I just buy most of my manga and anime from Rightstuf and Amazon. I have gotten stuff early from Rightstuf as well (the Ranma 1/2 blu-ray, for instance), but never for as cheap or as early as I got Watamote volume 3 at Strands.
Just finished Stardust Crusaders. Man, that was one awesome final fight, and a perfect way to end the struggle of the first 3 parts. While I still somewhat prefer BT, but its easy to see why SC became so popular. The battles are just so creative, and some of the best weren't even physical fights. I eagerly wait to see the rest of the series animated, and what the rest of the manga is like. I'll probably start DIU after I get some headway in my backlog.
Freed from the shackles of school, and recovering from being sick due to work-exhaustion, I managed to read some more manga recently.
Ashita no Joe volumes 19-20 - I have nothing more to say about this than I didn't already say in the ANJ anime thread back in March. An incredible ending to a fantastically written story, and one that sealed this series as my favorite manga.
Rohan at the Louvre - The only other Jojo's-related manga outside of Stardust Crusaders to be legally available in english. I probably should've waited until I finished part 4, since from hat I understand Rohan is first introduced there, but this worked well as a stand alone story. The story is not particularly stand-out, since it's short, but Araki's artwork was gorgeous in full-color and Rohan was an interesting enough character to make this a page-turner, and I appreciated the backstory and development he was given here, which makes me interested in seeing him in the main manga. A good read, at the end of the day.
Attack on Titan: Before the Fall volume 1 - Very interesting so far, especially since it promises some backstory on the world of AOT, and Kuklo and Charle are already more interesting characters than Eren and Mikasa. I might try to keep up with it since it's a monthly series, only 6 chapters currently out, and it's a fast read.
Attack on Titan: Junior High volume 1 - Well...this ain't no Haruhi-chan I tell you what. Lame, boring chibi humor that barely plays with the series' characters and tropes. Bleh.
Rin-ne volume 14 - Skipped a few volumes, only 'cause the library had this and RN isn't a series that's very plot heavy anyway. This volume basically contained Renge's debut, which was interesting, and I do like the character. The series is still a fun read, though sadly not on the level of the best comedy manga out there, especially not UY. I'm still going to keep reading it, though.
In the end I didn't get to finish Black Jack or Phoenix before the school year ended, but my local library has them, so I'll fix that as soon as possible. First I'm going to just finish off Kuroko since I still have 50 chapters of that to finish before I'm all caught up. After that I've got plenty of stuff I want to read and finish but I'm still figuring out the best way to prioritize it all.
At about Chapter 7 of Ashita no Joe. I can tell that the translation is odd early in the books, with lines like "Joe used our children to pleasure himself!" going on.
The first few volumes were done by someone else, but they seem to be mostly accurate to the source material. The translations get much better once Hox takes over, though. His feel more like what you'd expect to find from official translations if they were done by Viz or some such company.
I'm at Chapter 33, with the Rikishi fight. 140 chapters or so to go.
Nice! The series really starts to pick up during the Juvenile Prison arc and gets better from there on out. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on Joe and Rikishi's second fight, and it's aftermath.
If you're going by the scans (which go up to "chapter 108"), the chapter count isn't really accurate since a large chunk of those are just clusters of chapters put together in one. But, either way, it's irrelevant, once you get to the Hox scans which are separated by volume.
Also, if you want to see why I said this series has more balls than most modern-running shounen manga, then just wait until you get to the end of Part I. And don't spoil it for yourself by reading Wikipedia or anything like that. :humhumhum:
Unless I get banned from this forum :humhumhum:, I'll be sure to talk about it. So far, I like Danpei and Rikishi the most. I'm still wondering what Joe's beef with Miss Yoko is though.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on May 09, 2014, 06:37:16 PM
Unless I get banned from this forum :humhumhum:, I'll be sure to talk about it. So far, I like Danpei and Rikishi the most. I'm still wondering what Joe's beef with Miss Yoko is though.
Hox does a great job of explaining it in his article, but I can't really recommend reading that until after you finish the series since it's very spoiler-heavy.
As for how I initially interpreted it, myself, though, I think it has to do with Joe thinking of Yoko as "fake." She's a philanthropist, sure, but to Joe a true do-gooder who just does good things unconditionally is pretty much non-existent. In his mind, Yoko is just acting charitable for the publicity, or to at least feel better about herself. And, in a way, he's not entirely wrong, and I think Yoko realizes this to some degree when she starts retaliating by antagonizing him in return. If you really think about it, her organizing the boxing match wasn't really for Joe or Rikiishi's sake, and it sure as hell wasn't for the other inmates. I think she really did want to see Joe get smacked around for hitting a little to close to home and offending her, and at the same time she could justify it by saying that she was doing it because Rikiishi wanted to fight him, and by making it an organized fight, he couldn't get into trouble for it. That's just my interpretation, but the early translations make it kind of ambiguous with how the dialogue specifically plays out.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 09, 2014, 06:35:11 PM
If you're going by the scans (which go up to "chapter 108"), the chapter count isn't really accurate since a large chunk of those are just clusters of chapters put together in one. But, either way, it's irrelevant, once you get to the Hox scans which are separated by volume.
AnJ has 171 chapters according to MyAnimeList, so if he's on chapter 33 he does have about 140 chapters to go.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 09, 2014, 06:35:11 PM
Also, if you want to see why I said this series has more balls than most modern-running shounen manga, then just wait until you get to the end of Part I. And don't spoil it for yourself by reading Wikipedia or anything like that. :humhumhum:
But don't get the wrong idea. The end of part 1 isn't amazing and impressive just for being "ballsy," but because of how well it's written. It's consequences affect the characters in serious, lasting ways and do not just resolve themselves quickly and without real effect like it would in most modern shonen series. It instead results in a fascinating personal struggle for Joe that no other modern battle or sports shonen series could write better, as far as I've seen.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on May 09, 2014, 06:37:16 PM
Unless I get banned from this forum :humhumhum:, I'll be sure to talk about it. So far, I like Danpei and Rikishi the most. I'm still wondering what Joe's beef with Miss Yoko is though.
Cool, Danpei and Rikishi were both favorites of mine at this stage as well, and they really are great characters through and through (and you'll see why soon enough). ;)
That's precisely what I meant when I said ballsy, though. It's a total status-quo changer that affects the rest of the entire series. Aside from One Piece, I haven't read another modern shounen manga that does that, and even OP hasn't handled its successive events nearly as well as AnJ did, IMO.
Also, going by part 1, Danpei and Rikiishi were my favorite characters as well, though I did really like Joe, even with all of his character flaws, precisely because he was intentionally written that way. Throughout part 2 of the series, though, Joe and Yoko became my favorites. Yoko especially gets some excellent characterization later on down the line, and it's almost surprising how well-written of a female character she is given that this was a shounen manga from a much more misogynistic time in Japan.
Done with chapter 47, and I'm still siding with Rikishi more than Joe at this point. Rikishi knows how to keep his composure while being able to use a guy's anger against them.
It's worth mentioning that Rikiishi was the most popular character at the time of the manga's serialization. But in Joe's defense, his outrageous personality makes perfect sense given his upbringing, or lack thereof. Having said that, while it's subtle, you should notice Joe gradually getting less and less impulsive and quick-tempered as the series progresses. His character wouldn't have become a Japanese icon if he stayed the same throughout the entire series. He especially gets some excellent development in part 2, but that's still a ways off for you, based on where you're at right now.
I keep on forgetting to check out the AnJ link you provided earlier. You should totally send that my way again.
Anyway, the local comic book shop is doing their annual Free Comic Book May deal where if you spend at least $3 each Saturday, you're able to get a free GN. I decided to spend my share yesterday on the first issue of the new Magneto book, which has the weirdest-looking Sentinel I've seen. It's a decent introduction issue too, with a unique art style, so I'm interested in keeping up with it.
I've also been recommended to try out Rat Queens from a lot of the people there. That might be my purchase next week.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 11, 2014, 12:15:05 PM
I keep on forgetting to check out the AnJ link you provided earlier. You should totally send that my way again.
Here: http://www.mangahere.co/manga/ashita_no_joe/ (http://www.mangahere.co/manga/ashita_no_joe/)
Thanks!
I'm 7 chapters in, and despite there not being too many fight scenes, each one has been incredibly handsome. It's a nice read so far.
I like how AnJ does not start off with many fights for a long time, instead focusing on building and establishing Joe and Danpei's characters and Joe becoming motivated to learn boxing. It's a good reflection on how this manga is more character-driven than it is subject-driven. That said, starting in the prison arc there's a lot more fighting, and they get better and better from there on out, though fights are not really the appeal of AnJ to me, but you'll see what makes this manga really special the further you read into it.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but reaching the end of Part I is, IMO, where this manga goes from being good to great. If that doesn't hook you on the story, then I dont know what will.
But, yes, the Juvenile Prison arc is where the series starts to rise in quality, IMO.
Oh, I'm enjoying it thus far. Actually, I just read the next chapter, and Joe practicing some moves out in his cell is one of my favorite scenes tto date. I'm definitely going to read a couple more chapters today, so let's see how far I can go.
Yeah, I enjoyed the beginning as well. It starts out as a rather fun gag manga, and slowly evolves into a much grander story as it progresses. The pacing in this series is perfect, IMO. Joe in particular really starts to impress me with his character development, which happens gradually during the Juvenile Prison arc, and progresses even further after he leaves prison.
I wouldn't say it's really a gag manga (I think there is a difference between being a gag manga and having regular comedy) at the beginning, but there is more emphasis on the humor I guess. But indeed, the subtle but consistent growth of the characters is what makes the story more engaging as it goes on.
Quote from: Cartoon X on May 11, 2014, 05:51:17 PM
I wouldn't say it's really a gag manga (there is a difference between being a gag manga and having regular comedy) at the beginning, but there is more emphasis on humor. But indeed, the subtle but consistent growth of the characters is what makes the story more engaging as it goes on.
I'm perfectly aware of what a gag manga is. The beginning of AnJ fits the tropes. No central plot formulates for a good few chapters, and a lot of focus is put on Joe's shenanigans. Remember that a gag manga doesn't have to be purely just humor, but can also have some genuine moments dispersed in the mix, as long as it's mostly humor. Ever since Bakuman, everyone seems to get the idea that gag manga is nothing but silliness. Shounan Junai Gumi is also classified as a gag manga and it still has some serious points to it.
Bakuman? Dr. Slump and Bobobo are what defined what a gag-manga was to me years before I ever even read that series. ::)
Because of them, I always think of gag manga as pure comedies without any seriousness to them. Otherwise, I just think of a comedy-focused manga to be just that, a comedy. But I do realize most people use the gag manga label for all manga comedies in general, and I suppose I can see early AnJ as sort of a gag comedy at the beginning on that front.
Quote from: Cartoon X on May 11, 2014, 06:09:34 PM
Bakuman? Dr. Slump and Bobobo are what defined what a gag-manga was to me years before I ever even read that series. ::)
I'm talking about it's commentary on gag manga. Not that Bakuman was a gag manga itself. People see what Bakuman's commentary on a genre is and think of the genre in that way, even if there is more nuance to it than that.
I knew what you meant. I'm just saying I actually had read gag manga series way before ever reading Bakuman and it's commentary on the subject, and those titles gave me an impression of what I think a gag manga to be like.
What's up with that ninja kid? He's awesome!
Ninja kid?
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 13, 2014, 11:31:45 AM
Ninja kid?
In chapters 37 and 38, the little guy who snuck his way to win the fight.
Oh, Aoyama. Yeah, I liked him too. I always like seeing characters who aren't strong in the traditional sense manage to take advantage of his personal strengths and his opponents weaknesses to become capable, and with Aoyama, I enjoyed him becoming more confident in himself and someone who couldn't be picked on anymore, and a worthy opponent for Joe. It's too bad he doesn't appear again after the Prison arc (outside of a brief cameo as a spectator of Joe's final fight), though admittedly he isn't strong enough to survive in the harsh world of professional boxing, so it was perhaps for the best.
Oh, you mean Aoyama. He's a pretty fun character. His fight with Joe is surprisingly entertaining.
Yeah, I hit their fight, which is also awesome.
We don't see much of Aoyama later on, huh? That's a shame. He's a cool character.
Well, if I have just one gripe with this manga, it's that Takamori and Chiba create these awesome one-shot characters who never get used again. That said, the excellent character development of the main characters makes up for that. Joe and Yoko especially get great development later on.
I checked out all 31 volumes of Slam Dunk from the library and was planning to marathon read them, but then I remembered I hadn't finished catching up on Kuroko no Basket, so I decided to do that today, and am now fully caught up. To be perfectly honest, I have become really tired with the series. None of the matches since the rematch with To'ou have really felt very intense to me, and a lot of that is because the handling of the character drama is not really well done. In the match against Yosen I found myself incapable of caring about Kagami and Tatsuya's promise and rivalry because not only was it put out of the spotlight for 50 chapters by that point and not explored much outside of the one flashback but also because it was being balanced with stuff regarding Kiyoshi and also Murasakibara starting to become motivated into playing seriously/realizing he likes basketball. Everything was too thinly set-up and explored and was clumped together, and as a result only a couple moments from each really made an impression on me. I feel the problem is that Fujimaki tries to incorporate too many characters and character arcs into each match without properly establishing why they need to be cared about. I can't honestly say most of the teammates of the Generation of Miracles outside of three or four really left much of an impression on me, and even on Seirun while I do care about Kuroko, Kagami, Kiyoshi, and Hyuuga, the rest of the team has little personality or are much of developed characters and while I can remember some of their names because of their design that doesn't mean I can find myself to care about them, which is a problem in the current match with Rakuzan since Fujimaki is trying to make the entire team contribute to the match in some way, and instead of finding myself caring about, say, Koga getting backstory and him missing his chance to stop Mibuchi's shot, I'm just bored reading it.
I also have to say that Akashi...well, I couldn't take him seriously the very first time he showed up. I mean, he tried to stab Kagami with scissors because he didn't show respect to him or whatever. I'm sorry, but I when I saw that I just laughed at how stupid it was. Even with the explanation that he knew Kagami would dodge, it still is such a dumb action for the main antagonist in a sports series to do. It doesn't help that Akashi's dialogue is almost completely comprised of him saying victory is everything and he is the best and everyone else is inferior, and while I get the principles of the angle break and Emperor's Eye, they just came across as too over the top to me in execution, as is the way everyone is so intimidated by him. Akashi's personality just rubs me the wrong way and I roll my eyes in a lot of his scenes before the flashback arc. Speaking of, I was hoping that arc would explain why he acts the way he does, so maybe I could take him more seriously/like him better, but while I understand the character type of the pressured high-class young child who is pressured to be first no matter what, the way the change in Akashi happens is too sudden, and it felt like he made a 180 out of the blue. There were scenes that hinted he had two sides to him, yes, but for him to suddenly change all of a sudden in one match with Murasakibara with such a lack of focus on showing him feeling pressured beforehand and being conflicted with both of those sides of himself made it come across as too radical to feel natural. It doesn't help that he became a complete asshole afterwards, and toying with the team Kuroko's friend was on to make the scores match up was just too over the top cruel and unbelievable for me. And as far as the match with Rakuzan is going now, he doesn't really show any hint of depth or change at this point even though we're on the fourth quarter. Instead, he's become more of an unlikeable, shallow power-obsessed character through his treatment of Mayuzumi and how the way he enters the zone is by giving up on his teammates as useless and playing solo, forgoing any effort of teamwork. I must say, I've seen my share of antagonists in manga, but few have annoyed me more than Akashi.
The big problem I'm having right now though is caring about what's going on...because honestly, reading through this climatic match, I find myself utterly bored at most of what's going on. Well, yes, there have been moments I've enjoyed like when Kuroko's misdirection is completely broken, and Mayuzumi was reveled as "Phantom Player" 2.0, and the moment where Kuroko's determination revived Seirun's spirits when they had lost all hope from Rakuzan's 25-point lead on them. But I don't feel anything for this anymore. Back in the rematch against To'ou, I felt what was on the line there, and while that match felt like it was dragging for me, it was that intensity of the stakes on both sides that made it work for me and invested me. Here, though, while I know what should be on the line, and it's occasionally addressed, the stakes feel too distant to me. Whether it's because Seirun has come from behind or an intense situation multiple times now and so that schtick has finally tired me, or whether it's because the characters have lacked genuine character development for over a hundred chapters and some like Kiyoshi and Hyuuga have been put out of focus so long I can no longer feel what's at stake for them, I'm not sure, but what I do know is that outside of maybe Kuroko, I can't seem to care about what's happening to the characters on either Seirun or Rakuzan, Seirun. What characters get focused on is out of whack and all over the place and none of the characters on Rakuzan's team are much of interesting characters (I feel bad for Mayuzumi, but what do I know about him, and why should I care about him?). So, the funny thing is, while this is supposed to be KnB's climatic match, this is easily the least interesting match I've read in the manga since the first match with To'ou.
I don't want to come across like I hate the series now or anything, cause I don't. I enjoyed the series well until the Yosen match, and pieces of everything after that, and outside of how the Akashi stuff was handled I really enjoyed the Generation of Miracles flashback arc as one of the better parts of the series. But right now, I'm starting to feel about it as I did many a manga I've tired of in the past, and honestly, after thirty chapters, I'm really hoping that this match with Rakuzan ends soon, regardless of the outcome (though Akashi better change his ways or something because goddamit I don't want to endure another year of him as the antagonist). I don't know if the manga should continue after that because Kuroko's misdirection really can't work anymore and stuff so idk how Fujimaki would write around that, but I'm sick of the Winter Cup already and would rather see the series move on to something else or end.
Anyway, I'll start reading Slam Dunk soon. First I might try and finish catching up on Vinland Saga though, so I'll see if I can do that tomorrow.
That's kind of the problem with most shounen sports series that go on for too long. They begin to lose steam in one way or another. With Kuroko it's trying to balance out too many characters. With Hajime no Ippo it's repeating the same goddamn formula for over a thousand chapters. With Hikaru no Go it's losing Sai, who actually provided a lot of interesting commentary in the manga. Granted that, I did actually enjoy the semi-finals re-match with Kaijo, but I do agree about the match with Yosen being a bore. I can't comment on Akashi's match because I stopped reading after the Tekou arc to give they manga time to finish up that entire match first, as it's not fun to read that in weekly increments.
Ashita no Joe is the rare manga, as I've found, that knew just when to call it quits. The only time it began to feel extraneous was with the Harimou arc, and what happened after that? It wrapped shit up with the final battle. Takamori and Chiba knew what they were doing.
Then there's REAL, which follows no kind of formula, and could go on indefinitely, but is almost always entertaining for me to read thanks to great characters.
What about Slam Dunk? I know it ends well, but does it drag at parts too?
Only near the end. But it drags in a good way.
The second to last game is the only part of the series that I didn't enjoy, but it was more forgettable than anything else. The final match, though, more than makes up for it. I think of it as one of those legendary moments in shounen manga, equivalent to the likes of Joe vs. Rikiishi, Joe vs. Mendoza, Goku vs. Vegeta (1st fight), and so on.
I will warn you, though. Slam a Dunk has Rukawa, who is more or less the "Sasuke" of the series (though not quite as bad as that character can be).
So Foggle and I read League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 2009. I have a few notes compiled from reading it.
- Alan Moore has absolutely no room to complain about people bastardizing his works when he has a skeletal Thomas the Tank Engine go to a blood-drenched Hogwarts just so a half-senile Mina Murray can fight a crazy Harry Potter who kills people with his penis.
- Alan Moore may possibly be a brony if a reference to Zap Apples means anything.
- He also appears to enjoy the recent seasons of the Simpsons enough to reference those too.
- None of the characters even look like the people they're supposed to be. M looks absolutely nothing like Judi Dench. I guess that's meant to skirt through copyright, but when even the public domain characters look nothing like their original selves...
- Some parts of the book are kind of racist with the random Golliwoggs in the background. It kind of gets balanced by the just-as random cameos from Stringer Bell. Kind of.
- The artist really loves to draw a nipple shot as often as he can. I can't tell if he's doing it himself or if Alan Moore's giving him detailed notes to add in as many nipple slips as possible.
- I'm wondering if Alan Moore's editors even look at the damn thing before publishing his stuff, or are they going for the "It's the guy who wrote Watchmen, so his work will be brilliant regardless" stance?
- There were points where Foggle's internet connection crashed and the noise of dogs barking out of nowhere. I've been cast under the idea that Alan Moore was cursing us for not liking his comic.
- I'm in love/hate with the idea of the President from 24 succeeding the President from The West Wing while being advised by Malcolm Tucker from the Thick of It.
Just hit chapter 60, and damn, Joe should've backed down. I understand that he wanted to prove his worthiness, but the match was declared over. And that was pretty rough.
Edit: Now I'm on 61, and I can't say that I'm too surprised about Joe failing his test.
Joe is a very violent character. I'd be lying if I said I didn't find that kind of appealing with how goodie-goodie every shounen protagonist is these days, but to the manga's credit, his aggressiveness is not portrayed in a positive light, and it comes with its own set of consequences.
Very true. The only other lead shonen character I can think of with a violent streak like Joe's is Yusuke, and I can see some clear influence from AnJ with him.
There's also Onizuka and a few other delinquent characters. For all of Joe's anger issues, though, I think he's got enough redeeming qualities to make him an overall well-balanced character. For instance, getting Wolf to attack him in front of the media and knocking him out proved that he can be incredibly clever when the situation calls for it.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 14, 2014, 07:03:23 PM
There's also Onizuka and a few other delinquent characters. For all of Joe's anger issues, though, I think he's got enough redeeming qualities to make him an overall well-balanced character. For instance, getting Wolf to attack him in front of the media and knocking him out proved that he can be incredibly clever when the situation calls for it.
:D Smooth.
Wolf has got to be a bigger asshole than Joe. Just look at the way he beat the kids up! But it lead to a hell of a fight. Riikishi's fight right after was awesome, as well.
Yeah, the fight between Joe and Wolf is the first time that the conflict ever becomes truly personal (besides Rikiishi, anyways). Unlike Rikiishi, a Joe is downright pissed at Wolf for what he does to the kids for spying on him. The match itself lives up to the build-up, and even for people who weren't a fan of Joe's character before, I think that this is the first time that you can be completely on his side.
This also leads into one of the best story-arcs in the series. Joe and Rikiishi's second clash is not only memorable, but IMO it escalates the series to new heights, and into the status of a true classic.
Finished Volume 8. Whoa.
Spoiler
And now we've reached the "no one is safe" portion of the series (well, no one who actually steps in the ring t get their face punched in, anyways)....in a sports manga. Also keep in mind that Rikiishi was an insanely popular character in the manga at the time of his death. Upon reflection, this is what Chiba Tetsuya had to say about it: http://youtu.be/q3hubP194-c
The aftermath is what makes it so great, though. I love Joe's character arc from this point to the Carlos Rivera arc.
Oh, so I did take up my friends' recommendation on Rat Queens, and I liked it! It's almost like a hybrid between LOTR and Orange is the New Black, which works quite well.
I'll be keeping an eye out for the second volume, although I believe that production has paused on the series currently.
Got through volume 9 this morning while eating breakfast. It felt really elegiac, seeing these characters go through some mourning. In a way, it was like a refresher for the new plot to begin.
Volume 9 is one of my favorites. It pretty much breaks the characters down to their emotional cores, and this is the first time we realky get to explore an entirely new facet of Joe's character. I love how there was absolutely no cop out here. Joe now has to live with the consequences of his actions, even if the outcome was unintentional on his part.
I've started reading Stardust Crsaders. I'm not that far in but Jotaro's ability will make for some pretty interesting and....well, "bizarre" fights down the line.
I also picked up X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga, which I plan to start reading soon.
And as for Vinland Saga, I was going to start that today until I noticed that a new volume of REAL has been uploaded. So, I'll catch up with that first and then start Vinland Saga.
We started from a story about a 19th Century Englishman learning how to fight his adopted Vampire brother and an army of the undead, and now we've ended up with a Japanese high school student discovering his newfound abilities as is the standard shounen series set-up. Why am I not surprised.
Jotaro also kind of seems like a dick, but the concepts presented in the series so far are interesting, and having Dio return as the main villain of the series should be awesome, so I'm definitely excited to read forward.
Meanwhile I'm about 3 issues into The Dark Phoenix Saga from X-Men, and I'm surprised to see that Scott currently seems more sensible than Professor Xavier. I mean, Xavier gets pissed at Scott for not going back to their headquarters after the rescue mission of the other X-Men, but Scott brings up the completely true point that the HQ has obviously been tapped/bugged since crucial information, only attainable from Cerebro, immediately leaked out to The Hellfire Club. But Xavier just seems pretty bitter towards Scott for no reason though (or possibly there is a reason that I just don't know because I haven't read any X-Men comics before). Other than that Jean/Phoenix development, while predictable, is being handled pretty well as she slowly seems to start behaving more out of control, with her fight with Emma Frost being border-line heel-ish on her part (I'm assuming that Emma Frost isn't actually dead, but if she is then that's a full on heel-turn from Jean).
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on May 25, 2014, 04:11:03 PM
We started from a story about a 19th Century Englishman learning how to fight his adopted Vampire brother and an army of the undead, and now we've ended up with a Japanese high school student discovering his newfound abilities as is the standard shounen series set-up. Why am I not surprised.
In part 4 it becomes a murder-mystery, in part 5 it becomes an italian mafia crime story, in part 6 it becomes a prison break, and in part 7 it becomes a wild west racing series.
JoJo's adventure is most certainly bizarre. ;)
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on May 25, 2014, 04:11:03 PM
Jotaro also kind of seems like a dick, but the concepts presented in the series so far are interesting, and having Dio return as the main villain of the series should be awesome, so I'm definitely excited to read forward.
Well, Dio doesn't appear much until the final two volumes, so you shouldn't expect him to do as much as he did in part 1. :sweat:
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on May 25, 2014, 04:11:03 PMMeanwhile I'm about 3 issues into The Dark Phoenix Saga from X-Men, and I'm surprised to see that Scott currently seems more sensible than Professor Xavier. I mean, Xavier gets pissed at Scott for not going back to their headquarters after the rescue mission of the other X-Men, but Scott brings up the completely true point that the HQ has obviously been tapped/bugged since crucial information, only attainable from Cerebro, immediately leaked out to The Hellfire Club. But Xavier just seems pretty bitter towards Scott for no reason though (or possibly there is a reason that I just don't know because I haven't read any X-Men comics before). Other than that Jean/Phoenix development, while predictable, is being handled pretty well as she slowly seems to start behaving more out of control, with her fight with Emma Frost being border-line heel-ish on her part (I'm assuming that Emma Frost isn't actually dead, but if she is then that's a full on heel-turn from Jean).
I can't speak for this arc, but sometimes the comic writers really fail at writing Xavier and make him into a jerk. They sometimes do it to Cyclops, too. I just wonder if maybe certain writers have problems with "boy scout" style characters.
The impression that I'm getting for this arc is that Xavier has the best of intentions for the X-Men, but Scott is arguing a fair point that they are all adults now and don't quite need the same sort of guidance that he provided back when they were still developing their powers and their ways of coping with their lives as mutants. Also, apparently Scott has been leading the X-Men during the absence of Xavier for a while, so maybe he does like the feeling of Cavier trying to undermine his authority now that he's gotten used to it.
Kind of sad we may never see another bowling boom. Oh well.
Guta lala Suda lala...
I finished reading The a Dark Phoenix Saga. I never liked The Last Stand to begin with, but now that I also see how badly it botched its own source material, I understand the hate for it a lot more.
Please recommend more iconic Marvel story-lines that I should probably read.
Anyways, now I'll focus on catching up with REAL, and also continuing to read JoJo, while simultaneously starting Vinland Saga.
Any version of Dark Phoenix that includes Jean killing Scott fails by default. Oddly enough, Exiles had an arc wondering what would happen if she did. It didn't end well for anyone.
A better question would be wondering what exactly Last Stand got right.
It was more entertaining than X2, for one.
Just found out that Hawkeye is ending this month, at least with Fraction as the writer. Damn.
Has he had any other good series in the past?
Quote from: gunswordfist on July 16, 2014, 11:28:57 PM
Has he had any other good series in the past?
Hawkeye or Matt Fraction?
Hawkeye. I love Fraction's Iron Man and Iron fist though.
His first miniseries in the 80's is very good. He has a handful of other miniseries and short-lived series, but this one is the first since that to realy take off.
I recently got the following comics:
100 Bullets vol 7
The Unwritten vol 4
American Vampire vol 2
All three were excellent reads (as usual), each doing a great job of moving their respective stories forward and introducing new and interesting characters. If you haven't read any of these titles yet, I recommend checking them out.
Yay on continuing to read 100 Bullets and American Vampire! 100 Bullets is my favorite comic book series ever and American Vampire is my 2nd favorite ungoing comic book series (assuming it hasn't ended since I last left off.)
I just finished JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean. It's definitely one of my favorite Parts of JoJo so far. The main cast was great, and I found Pucci to be an interesting villain. I'm definitely looking forward to reading Steel Ball Run (especially since I've heard that it's the best part of the series).
A few days ago, I also finished reading Sailor Moon. While I didn't really care for the first 2 story arcs, I quite enjoyed the last 3 arcs. I also liked that Usagi matured as the story progressed, and I found her to be a very likable character by the end of the series.
I used to think the Chimera Ant arc of Hunter X Hunter was pushing the boundaries for graphic violence/disturbing imagery for a modern shonen manga.
Then I read Franken Fran.
...yeah....Hunter X Hunter's got nothing on that. And Franken Fran's a comedy. :lol:
sounds scary.
Quote from: Cartoon X on August 08, 2014, 09:26:54 PM
I used to think the Chimera Ant arc of Hunter X Hunter was pushing the boundaries for graphic violence/disturbing imagery for a modern shonen manga.
Then I read Franken Fran.
...yeah....Hunter X Hunter's got nothing on that. And Franken Fran's a comedy. :lol:
The artwork of HXH was always too cartoony for me to consider it too violent a serious way. It was more of the cheap "shock value" that I found to be unpleasant, such as Meruem killing a little girl for no reason and eating her brain. Visually it wasn't disturbing, but just in terms of the concept I found it to be repulsive. As for gore and such, I think that there are plenty of series that are more graphic than HXH, partly due to having much less shitty artwork.
Well, I was never myself disturbed by anything that happened in HXH or Franken Fran, but before reading the latter I did think the former had more "cruel" violence in the Chimera Ant arc on a conceptual level than most other contemporary shonen manga. If we're just talking about bloodiness and body part loss or whatever, basic gore, than even stuff like Bleach are much bloodier and violent shonen manga, but not much of shock/horror value can be found in anything that happens in the violence or anything else. Franken Fran isn't any less cartoony in it's art style than HXH, but yet the majority of the stuff that happens in it is much more disturbing than in any other shonen manga I've read so far, not because it's more violent than other series (it's not, really), but because the body horror/implications of what happens to many of the people in it is just that much more cruel.
Got a shitton of comic books today.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F3s7mxdn.jpg&hash=a392c4fc7376e8c3d4c2a31d22f4de6578fc8de9)
Groo the Wanderer (Epic Comics) # 11, 34, 36, 40, 50, 51, 52, 53
Sergio Aragones Action Speaks #2, 3, 5, 6
Sergio Aragones Louder Than Words #2, 3
Sergio Aragones Day of the Dead (one shot)
MAD Magazine #276, 317, 400
SpongeBob Comics #34
Lumberjanes #1
Simpsons Illustrated #11
Popeye Classics (Sagendorf reprints) #25
Usagi Yojimbo Senso #1
It's probably obvious, but I'm a Sergio Aragones fan 8-)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.batoto.net%2Fcomics%2F2014%2F08%2F13%2Fm%2Fread53eaefbe3c677%2Fimg000012.png&hash=ab80ec2ea055a729d66ff04a03a6d178c37248f0)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.batoto.net%2Fcomics%2F2014%2F08%2F13%2Fm%2Fread53eaefbe3c677%2Fimg000013.png&hash=c70bec7c4ccceb4eecbb795e9ed5ed33ba5b4f89)
Murcielago is the best manga you're not reading.
^ Well then, I won't not be reading it for long.
I just finished Daytripper. A great story of a person's life told at different ages. Probably one of my favorite comics ever. Highly recommended.
Quote from: Mr. Big on August 12, 2014, 01:57:24 AM
It's probably obvious, but I'm a Sergio Aragones fan 8-)
O0
Managed to score the first volumes of three manga at the bookstore today for $10: Ooku: The Inner Chambers, The Heroic Legend of Arslan, and Shokugeki no Soma. I was especially pleased to get the Soma volume. I've been enjoying the series for a while now, but don't have any space in my budget to keep up with the releases as they come out. Hopefully I can score future volumes of it for discounted prices later on in the year as well.
I picked AnJ back up, and holy shit, the end to his fight with Rikiishi. You know which one I mean.
I was waiting for you to get to that part. ;D
As I was saying way earlier on, I really enjoyed the series up to this point, but it's after this part where it truly became cemented as a favorite for me. The next arc is personally my favorite in the entire series.
Quote from: Avaitor on September 12, 2014, 01:35:55 AM
I picked AnJ back up, and holy shit, the end to his fight with Rikiishi. You know which one I mean.
Wow, and just in time too! ;)
Yeah, the aftermath of that fight hits hard, and has a lasting impact on the series. It only gets better from there.
Ugh, it looks like Dark Horse has delayed the release of the first Astro Boy omnibus to a yet undetermined date. And right when there's a sale on Dark Horse manga on Right Stuf too. :oo:
I just finished reading Dr. Slump. Overall, It was a great series, and it's clear that Toriyama had a lot of fun making it. It has definitely become one of my favorite manga. I think I'll now start reading Ashita no Joe and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run since they've been on my backlog for a while.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Dr. Slump is really Toriyama's representative work. More so than Dragon Ball, it perfectly and fully showcases all his skill and eccentricities. It is by far his most personal work, capturing everything he loves to draw and write about in one succinct 18-volume series, and there is simply no one else who could've created it. Dragon Ball was a story created in part by Toriyama being nudged along by editors to make a marketable battle shonen adventure, the sure path to fame and success. But Dr. Slump is pure Toriyama, nothing else, and the fact that it got popular, immensely popular, I might add, is a testament to his skills as a creator. In Dragon Ball, you can tell there were times that Toriyama was getting tired of drawing and writing the series, especially during the Cell arc. And it kept going do to popular demand, and Toriyama couldn't end it when he wanted. But there is never a point in Dr. Slump that feels like Toriyama is getting bored or tired: he always puts his A-game and feels like he's having a lot of fun with it, and that comes across in the series as well, which makes it a wonderful read beginning to end, and it lasts just as long as Toriyama wanted to, just right the point where he felt he didn't have any more ideas for it and needed to stop lest the quality suffer. It's a fantastic manga, and I don't think you can truly understand the depth of Toriyama's skills as a mangaka, and what made him stand out among his contemporaries, and still today, without reading it. I know there might be some people who may not appreciate it's sense of humor, and just prefer the more story-driven action adventure nature of DB, but even so, I will always stand by my opinion that it ranks among the very best manga comedies, and perhaps manga in general, ever made. While Dragon Ball will always be my favorite thing he's done, for incredibly personal reasons, I must say that Dr. Slump is actually arguably his best work: it's his best drawn, it's his funniest, it's his most creative, and there is nothing else before or since that has ever been like it. It was the series that really made me a life-long fan of not just Dragon Ball, but Toriyama himself, and he was the first person I ever became a fan of as a result, and it's why I will always respect and admire him as an artist and creator, and why he will always be one of my favorite mangaka.
Yeah, I don't believe for a second that Gyokuen/Arba is dead. A villain as important as that wouldn't be done in off screen. It's probably some ploy by Judar. If not, then perhaps she allowed him to think that she was dead for her own reasons, but when and if she actually dies, it'd have to be a big enough moment to be on screen. We didn't just spend an entire flash-back learning about her past in Alma Torran in order for her character arc to just be dropped for no reason. Clearly, this is a Red Herring by Ohtaka.
And, while on the subject of Dr. Slump, I have always wondered: Does it take place wit hint the Dragon Ball Universe? I've heard mixed opinions from fans. Some say that because of the Penguin Island cameos during the General Blue Saga, it does. However other fans have pointed out that there are some direct contradictions between the content of Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball, and have instead suggested that the DB cameos should be considered as an alternate reality version of the main DS cast rather than the actual DS series taking place within the same continuity. I suppose that I'll have to read it for myself, some time, just to figure it out.
There's really no way it can. In Dr. Slump, the Sun has a smiley face and talks, there are anthropomorphic poop, there is an entirely different god of the universe that has no relation to the Kais, Arale and Obatchaman split the earth in half multiple times (http://media.animevice.com/uploads/0/9491/414632-oba_arale_earth_busts_super.jpg), etc, all of which are certainly not seen in Dragon Ball. Essentially, I believe that the Penguin Village seen in Dragon Ball is an alternate version existing in the DB universe, where most of the things that have happened to the characters happened (since the characters are all as they are at the end of Slump), but following the rules of the DB world rather than the Slump world.
Yeah, that was the other fan theory that I was talking about having heard a lot. I suppose the people who think otherwise either haven't read enough of Dr. Slump, or just really try to stretch their logic as much as possible for no real reason other than to not admit that they are wrong.
I picked AnJ back up, now that I have a little more free time.
Damn, Gondou plays dirty.
I love the use of Wolf as a recurring character, and how Gondo essentially points out how his fate, which seems similar to Joe's at first, is incredibly different. Whereas Wolf has been hiding behind his past glory but utterly lost his fighting spirit in the face of defeat, Joe still has his spark, and Gondo can see that, even if Joe is unaware of it himself. That said, I like how Joe steps in to defend his former rival, all the same. Previously, he wouldn't bother himself to do anything for anyone, besides himself. It really goes to show how much he, and his perspective on life, has changed.
It's worth pointing our that the anime is a lot more sympathetic to Wolf as a character, though, and actually portrays him in a more positive light. He also gets some added scenes with Joe (as does Gondo) which I find to be particularly well handled.
Oh sweet, I'll have to keep that in mind. I have to pause right now, so my last chapter was 78. Hopefully I can read some more tonight.
Carlos is making me a little uncomfortable, but I can't tell if it's because of his chauvinistic ways or his racist portrayal. It's most likely both.
I don't think it's a racist portrayal. The manga is much smarter than that, IMO. He's purposely written to be a womanizer and very egocentric. He's meant to represent the "playboy" athlete celebrities of that generation. As proof that the author isn't being racist, though, just look at Mendoza's character. He's portrayed as respectable and represents the ideal athlete. Hell, in many cases Joe is made to look like the ass-hole whenever he confronts him.
So, with Carlos, his character is intentionally written to be a bit of an unlikable douchebag, but even then, he has some redeeming qualities to him that makes him a bit more sympathetic later on.
Also, I don't know if you've taken notice to it, but Takamori and Chiba have some interesting commentary on sexism with Yoko's character. None of the other owners or chairman in the Japanese Boxing Commission take her seriously, and they clearly look down on her as a woman. Yet, she uses people underestimating her to her advantage and is shown to be better at their "game" than they are. By no means does it portray her as a saint, but on the contrary, she's very bold and can play just as dirty as the guys in terms of behind the scenes business. I personally find it to be very clever in a more subtle way, rather than directly rubbing the issue in your face. That's just my interpretation, though.
Hmm, you have a good point. I didn't think that Carlos was meant to be likable, at least not with his womanizing attitude. If he was, then I'd have some issues, but I get what you're talking about.
And I guess he isn't racist, but I did kind of get that vibe at first. Then again, it's 3:30 am and I'm waiting for a Fellini movie to air on TCM, so I may not be in the best train of thought right now. Chapter 90 had a great ending, though.
I think that he becomes a little more likable after he gains some respect for Joe, but his main purpose is to be Joe's motivation in place of Rikiishi. In that regard, I think he's still at least portrayed in a respectable light, what with how he makes quick work of the Japanese champion like its nothing. Takamori and Chiba don't shy away from the fact that the Japanese are considered to be largely inferior when it comes to most international sports.
I just finished reading Parasyte. I loved Shinichi's development throughout the story as well as the story's message about humanity. CX was right when he called it the greatest action-horror manga ever. I think I'll now go back to reading Ashita no Joe and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run (both of which are great so far :)).
I'm glad to see you enjoyed it. Parasyte is definitely a classic, and worthy of being considered one of the best manga out there.
I also need to get back to reading SBR. I have a lot of things I want to finish reading before the end of the year...
I'll read Parasyte after I finish the anime, since it seems to have enough differences from the anime adaptation, but is still close enough where I don't want to spoil future plot points for myself.
Anyways, I hope that you enjoy AnJ, VLord. I think that it's great all-around, personally, but it definitely became a favorite of mine after the Rikiishi arc.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B1MsYFyCQAAZTEn.jpg)
Did anyone buy the next Monster release yet?
I was actually going to put in on my Christmas list, but I ended up with a little more cash than usual to hold me back until I get this job, so I went for it anyway. I can't wait to dig into it!
Mine came a week back. I'm not at home, of course, so I won't have a chance to read it until Thanksgiving break.
Quote from: Avaitor on November 01, 2014, 02:23:12 PM
Did anyone buy the next Monster release yet?
I was actually going to put in on my Christmas list, but I ended up with a little more cash than usual to hold me back until I get this job, so I went for it anyway. I can't wait to dig into it!
Yes, it was one book out of several that I bought on my recent trip.
I also bought volumes 5-6 of
The Unwritten. Guys, despite some serious competition, I think this might well be my favorite Vertigo series. These two volumes seem to build towards some sort of climax as Tom and his friends learn more about the conspiracy they're up against and actually start to take the fight to the enemy. We also learn the origins of the villains Frau Rausch and Mr. Pullman, both of which are interesting.
As usual, I recommend this series highly.
So the latest chapter of Attack On Titan has shirtless Eren being kept in bondage by who I believe is his dad and, uh, this... scene:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FXTLiMQz.png&hash=b23926f783d749e5c43cfed667a49dadcdb830e7)
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I fucking hate this series.
I had to look this up because I thought it was a doujin, and those hopes were dashed.
Quote from: Foggle on November 08, 2014, 05:01:29 AM
So the latest chapter of Attack On Titan has shirtless Eren being kept in bondage by who I believe is his dad and, uh, this... scene:
...I take it you skipped the last few chapters? That's not Eren's dad...
But yeah, that was a fucking stupid scene. It's a shame that AoT has to constantly have these really fucking dumb moments that make it hard to like, because otherwise, storywise, I do think some good developments have been happening in the last few chapters, and I say that as someone who never bought into the hype of the series and fucking hate that entire stretch of chapters from the end of the Female Titan arc to the ones at the beginning of this year.
What I can't stand is how most fans will blindly just find anything that this series does to be "mature" and "awesome" and "well-written," losing any notion of what any of that stuff even means in the process. While I never bought into the hype from the beginning, I could at least see why this series resonated with so many people up to the Female Titan arc. However, it got pretty stupid at more than just a few points after that, and to see the fan base generally accept all of that as good writing is really what ticked me off.
Like, take Death Note for example. While I do admittedly like the second arc overall, I have always fully admitted and pointed out that it has tons of problems. It's not great writing by any means, and it has several unintentionally stupid moments, but I find that I like the style and I still find enough entertaining moments in the mix to keep me interested, hence why I still enjoy it. That said, I will never deny that the series went downhill from its prime after the L arc. Now take these AoT fans, and most will not only childishly defend this series by saying that it hasn't gone way downhill. No, they'll actualky insist that it's got even better, and that if you complain about it and scenes like this, you just "can't handle the maturity of them," which is just such a load of bull.
Quote from: Cartoon X on November 08, 2014, 08:33:50 AM
...I take it you skipped the last few chapters? That's not Eren's dad...
I did, but the end of the latest chapter seems to heavily imply that it was his dad, and the art is so nondescript that it kind of looked like him to me. :sweat:
I will say, that as a non-fan of this series, I do think the last few chapters, which finally progressed the story past this whole revolution thing and revealed the origins of the Titans, why Eren can turn into a Titan, the fate of his father, among other developments, have been mostly solid and "good." However, the series time and time again has to kill my good will towards it by having ridiculously stupid scenes and moments like....that. There are well-written parts and enjoyable to this series, but as a whole, it's incredibly inconsistent, and laughably bad at it's worst. Moreover, it is not mature by any stretch of the imagination. I think that single image basically shoots down any claim you can make that it is. How it handles things is in fact often very immature, even moreso than I would expect from most battle-shonen series, but because the series presented this "dark" and "grim" tone at the beginning a lot of people eat it up as something really adult, when it's really not. I read shonen manga that are far, far more mature than AoT has ever been, in terms of handling their subject matter, characters, and in their tone, and AoT is a joke comparatively. That said, I don't hate this series. It would just be another inoffensive mediocre shonen manga to me, if not for the fact that there is a huge fanbase for this series, and it has this huge appeal, and has become basically the most popular anime/manga series worldwide, to the point where it does tick me off to see it being more praised than it really should be, especially in the face of scenes like that and others that have happened this very year.
Quote from: Foggle on November 08, 2014, 12:07:07 PM
Quote from: Cartoon X on November 08, 2014, 08:33:50 AM
...I take it you skipped the last few chapters? That's not Eren's dad...
I did, but the end of the latest chapter seems to heavily imply that it was his dad, and the art is so nondescript that it kind of looked like him to me. :sweat:
Ah, I see. Well, looking back at it again, the way it's all depicted and the parallels drawn, it does make it look like Historia's father is actually Eren's father. Perhaps the fate shown for him in the last chapter was a lie (somehow), and the guy who's claiming to be Historia's father now is actually Eren's after all. I kind of doubt it though, since that would contradict a few things shown in the last chapter...
What in the fucking hell did I just witness? This was published in a Shonen Magazine?
Some shonen manga like to get away with some weird shit, but I didn't realize Isayama meant it literally.
Quote from: Daxdiv on November 09, 2014, 03:12:30 AM
What in the fucking hell did I just witness? This was published in a Shonen Magazine?
I take it you've never read
Franken Fran. :awesome:
I'm way behind when it comes to Attack On Titan. Last time I read it, the protagonists were trying to bring down the government (or something like that, my memory's a bit fuzzy). The scene posted by Foggle doesn't exactly make me eager to continue reading it.
On a more positive note, I've been reading Nickelodeon by Dowman Sayman and found it to be an enjoyable read. I guess the best way to describe it would be to call it the manga-equivalent of The Twilight Zone (albeit with a few recurring characters), so I definitely recommend it if you enjoy that sort of thing.
Earlier this week, I finished Ashita no Joe. This series exceeded my expectations. Everything from the Rikiishi Tooru arc to the final fight with Jose Mendoza was absolutely amazing. I can easily say that AnJ has become one of my favorite manga (it's pretty much tied with JoJo and Maison Ikkoku for being my all time favorite). I'll definitely check out the anime adaptions at some point, and I hope that I can one day read Takamori's other works.
Glad to hear it! ;D
I love this manga so much. The art style is so simple yet so fluid, but what really got me is the level of nuance and emotional depth to these characters. Sure, they start out simple ebough, but once you get to the Tooru Rikiishi arc, you really see a new layer to everyone, especially Joe.
It's not really so much that this manga does its human aspects better than any other manga, as there are others that I could compare to it which you could argue are better. The reason that it's my favorite is because it combines that with really smart writing, and almost never takes the easy way out of any given situation.
this manga has so much passion put into it that you can really see how heavily it influenced future sports manga, and shonen manga in general. It's almost hard to believe that Takamori (in collaboration with Chiba, of course) did this while simultaneously working on multiple other series at the same time.
(https://38.media.tumblr.com/700033c12cbd37f87200204060a07f35/tumblr_mommbaFQX91s54j2po8_1280.jpg)
Nothing says the 60s quite like a man in a chain mail miniskirt and white go-go boots punching evil robots.
I recently finished Relish, a short autobiographical comic about the odd relationships we all have with our food. As someone with a big appetite (to put it politely) who has recently began a to learn to actually cook, I related to a lot to it. Plus it's not as melodramatic like a lot of autobiographical graphic novels I've read.
As of approximately 3:15am today I have been completely caught up on the entirety of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure to date. It took me a little over 11 months, but I've finally accomplished it. This is a very JoJoyous day.
I'll probably make lists of my favorite moments/fights/etc. sometime down the line (whenever I find the time), but FTR I'd rank the parts:
Steel Ball Run > Stone Ocean > Diamond is Unbreakable > Vento Aureo > JoJolion (so far) > Stardust Crusaders > Battle Tendency > Phantom Blood
is jojo still running (jesus fucking christ if it is) or it hasn't been fully translated or something?
It's still running.
Quote from: gunswordfist on February 04, 2015, 12:21:41 PM
is jojo still running (jesus fucking christ if it is) or it hasn't been fully translated or something?
It's still running, but each arc is its own thing with its own characters and such, so it's more like 8 separate manga rather than one super long mega-story.
Granted that they are all loosely connected within the same Universe and continuity, just via different generations and characters. Also, it's hardly one of yhe longest running manga out there. There are several that absolutely dwarf its current serialization length and time.
Every part is able to stand on it's own, but every few are specifically focused around shared plot elements. Parts 1-3 are about the Stone Masks and defeating Dio, parts 4-6 are about the mystery behind Stand Arrows and Dio's legacy, and parts 7 & 8 both involve the Holy Corpse Parts. Parts 1-6 are also all ultimately centered around the grudge between the Joestars and Dio and it's consequences throughout generations, which ends definitively in Stone Ocean and does not carry over into SBR and JoJolion for certain spoilery reasons. It's also worth noting that SBR was not considered a JoJo's part until it was moved to Young Jump, so Stone Ocean was presumably the end of the series before then (which makes sense considering it's ending).
In terms of volume count, JJBA is the 7th longest manga. In terms of years, though, there are dozens that have been running longer than it.
either way...o.O. I thought the author was some dead legend by now because the series started before i was born, lol. Seriously, i just assumed something that came before street fighter 2 ended long ago.
*runs out of thread due to spoilers*
On the contrary. It's a common joke in the JJBA fandom that Araki looks like he hasn't aged a day since the series started.
heh, i am not surprised. i am sure he is a cheery guy so that helps.
I've started reading Batman: Knightfall (part 1).
I'll post my thoughts on it later.
Also, does anyone know if the Michael Korvac Saga is a good read in the comics? I enjoyed the AEMH episode of it as a fun Avengers/Guardians of the Galaxy crossover. I was tempted to buy it, but decided against it since I already havemore than enough reading material to sustain me for a while.
I was also really tempted to pick up the Deadpool Classic Omnibus and the Deadpool & Cable Omnibus, but at $140 a piece they were both way too overpriced.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on February 07, 2015, 05:04:49 PM
I've started reading Batman: Knightfall (part 1).
Aww yeah
QuoteAlso, does anyone know if the Michael Korvac Saga is a good read in the comics? I enjoyed the AEMH episode of it as a fun Avengers/Guardians of the Galaxy crossover. I was tempted to buy it, but decided against it since I already havemore than enough reading material to sustain me for a while.
I haven't read it yet, but I've heard good things about it, and many people consider it one of the best Avengers stories.
QuoteI was also really tempted to pick up the Deadpool Classic Omnibus and the Deadpool & Cable Omnibus, but at $140 a piece they were both way too overpriced.
They're only around $75 each on Amazon and other online shops from what I'm looking at.
As for my own readings, I've recently found a great little fairy tale series called Castle Waiting. It's focused more on the lives of the occupants of an old castle turned refuge rather then a grand adventure, and it's very funny and charming.
Sounds good. I'll probably get around to it after I finish the Knightfall trilogy (I'll pick up the other 2 volumes once I find them for a good deal).
As for Deadpool, I think that I'll just wait for my next birthday to get the Omnibus.
Knightfall is the shit. First Batman comic I ever read that wasn't based on the cartoons.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on February 07, 2015, 05:04:49 PM
I was also really tempted to pick up the Deadpool Classic Omnibus and the Deadpool & Cable Omnibus, but at $140 a piece they were both way too overpriced.
I would either start with Cable & Deadpool or the most recent solo run by Gerry Duggan & Brian Posehn. The Classic stuff is excellent (particularly Joe Kelly's, Gail Simone's, and Mark Waid's runs), but it isn't as newbie-friendly, and it expects you to have at least some knowledge of early 90's X-Force comics if you want to make sense of the earlier material (The Circle Chase in particular is nearly unintelligible at times if taken on its own). C&DP and Marvel Now DP are faster-paced and much easier to get into on their own, so I think they'd serve as a better introduction to the character, personally.
I remember having read the first 7 or 8 issues of Deadpool a few years ago and didn't particularly have a hard time following it, but maybe it got a little more confusing later on.
Either way, I've wanted to read Cable & Deadpool for a while, now. Also, if I'm not mistaken, isn't Cable supposed to be Cyclops' s son from the future?
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on February 07, 2015, 08:47:46 PM
I remember having read the first 7 or 8 issues of Deadpool a few years ago and didn't particularly have a hard time following it, but maybe it got a little more confusing later on.
Joe Kelly's run isn't particularly confusing, but Deadpool Classic begins with The Circle Chase and Sins of the Past, both of which are important to the character's backstory and expect you to have prior knowledge of X-Force. That said, SOTP is still fairly understandable on its own, it's just that TCC is the first thing included in the Classic collection outside of New Mutants 98, and is a terrible introduction to the character by itself IMO.
But, since you've already read some of Joe Kelly's run, just ignore everything I wrote and go with Deadpool Classic. ;)
QuoteEither way, I've wanted to read Cable & Deadpool for a while, now. Also, if I'm not mistaken, isn't Cable supposed to be Cyclops' s son from the future?
Yep!
Kind of a minor thing, but while we're on the subject:
Both Cable and Deadpool have been featured as playable characters in the MvC games, but separately. Am I the onky obe whobthinjs that they should've both been included in the same game? It seems like a huge missed opportunity not to do so.
On another note, I happened to come across The Death of Captain America for a ridiculously cheap price. Now, since this has to do with the Civil War story-line, I fully expect it to suck, but I couldn't pass it up for how cheap it was, so I'll still at least have an amusing time picking it to pieces if it's bad.
That does however bring up the question: What are some good Captain America story-lines? I want to read more about the character, but don't have any clue where to start.
Also, on the DC side of things, I want to get into more stories involving Deathstroke/Slade Wilson.
oh whoa, ensatsuken is actually reading cool comics.
yo, pharass, did you know that a new volume of criminal came out last month after all these years? it stars teeg lawless, father of my favorite criminal character, tracy lawless.
i also want to start brother lono and catch up on american vampire.
i think i heard death of captain america is good but don't quote me. i rerecommend full cycle and identity crisis, even though identity crisis is rage inducing among dc fans for some reason. i also want to check out the teen titans/x-men crossover which i hear is good and deathstroke rocks in it based on the scans i saw. oh and deathstroke makes a decent appearance in a judd winick green arrow comic when oliver is mayor. any deathstroke story by winick is probably a winner. and judas contract is said to be great as well.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on February 07, 2015, 09:17:32 PM
That does however bring up the question: What are some good Captain America story-lines? I want to read more about the character, but don't have any clue where to start.
Everyone I've ever asked has said that the run by Brubaker, which begins with the Winter Soldier story, is one of the best runs of Cap there is, so you can start their. I've also heard good things about what Englehart did.[/quote]
Quote from: gunswordfist on February 07, 2015, 09:56:53 PM
even though identity crisis is rage inducing among dc fans for some reason.
Well, it is pretty stupid, so that might have something to do with it.
*shoots shadow*
Today, I finished reading InuYasha. While it was not on the same level as Maison Ikkoku, it was still pretty good, especially in the later half of the series. The manga was also way better than the original anime (which I found to be incredibly slow and boring). Overall, the series was better than I expected it to be, and I'm glad that I finally read it after many years of procrastination.
Interestingly, Death of Captain America is by Brubaker, so maybe it'll actually be good despite the Civil War involvement.
oh yeah, he co-created criminal as well and wrote immortal ironfist...i might have to check that comic out myself.
I own most of the Korvac Saga. It's among my favorite Avengers arc, and worth a look.
All this talk reminds me I do want to try out more superhero comics. I was looking into reading those essential collections I've seen around to start with, and then other move onto other storylines I heard good things about.
I am trying to read more comics, especially ones from the 90s since they remind me of better times in my life. Does anyone here know of some good 90s Marvel and DC tpbs?
On the manga side of the spectrum, I am starting on Sumomomo Momomo. I like Magi and want to see what Ohtaka's first work is like. I also plan on reading Flame of Recca sooner or later.
Recca is a decent manga. For me it never quite reached the heights of greatness, though.
In terms of manga, what kinds of stuff do you usually prefer?
Anyways, as for comics, I know next to nothing about Marvel or DC either, but Knightfall, which I'm reading right now, is from the 90's and in TPB, and so far it's amazing.
It has just occurred to me that I have NEVER seen Bane done this well in any adaptation, not even in the animated series. I liked him well enough in other mediums, but this is the first time he's ever truly impressed me as a villain.
hmmm, knightfall does have my favorite bane. i can recommend superman comics to any who is interested. i am drawing blanks on other superhero comics right now for some reason. hmm, astonishing x-men, matt fraction invincible ironman, thor the mighty avenger, annihilation and planet hulk are all mostly beginner friendly. annihilation starts out slow on earth and has focus on some nobody little girl in volume 1 and constantly changes art throughout the 4 volumes so it might be a bit jarring to get into.
Recently I bought the twelfth omnibus edition of Vagabond for half-off the list price at the bookstore I frequent. I just found out today that wasn't supposed to even be out until late April.
This isn't the first time I've bought a new manga volume weeks before it's intended release date at that store, but a whole three months ahead? I honestly have no idea how they've even been getting a hold of those copies that far ahead, much less how they are able to sell them that far ahead of the release date at all. It's a good deal for me, but it really is quite bizarre.
i bet those comic books "just fell off of a truck".
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on February 08, 2015, 10:28:36 AM
Recca is a decent manga. For me it never quite reached the heights of greatness, though.
In terms of manga, what kinds of stuff do you usually prefer?
Anyways, as for comics, I know next to nothing about Marvel or DC either, but Knightfall, which I'm reading right now, is from the 90's and in TPB, and so far it's amazing.
It has just occurred to me that I have NEVER seen Bane done this well in any adaptation, not even in the animated series. I liked him well enough in other mediums, but this is the first time he's ever truly impressed me as a villain.
Partly why I haven't read Recca yet is because I prefer reading physical copies of manga. I'll do online reading but only for keeping up with new chapters for ongoing series like Nanatsu no Taizai and unlicensed series like Medaka Box. I'll probably purchase a chunk of Recca off eBay or some other place since it's hard finding the volumes in stores.
As far as manga goes, I tend to read 90s shounen and seinen the most. I can go from reading something like Houshin Engi one read through to Oh My Goddess! the next.
Knightfall sounds cool. I'll put it on my stuff to look for list.
I haven't had too much time to red comics or manga, but I should dig through the third Monster omnibus soon, and I've been meaning to pick up the OTGW prequel book as well.
After Weekly Manga Recap announced on Wednesday that their next review was going to be Mx0, I decided I might as well finally check it out. It didn't take me that long, so I also decided I should finally finish reading Psyren too, so now I've finally read both of the most commonly lauded 00's battle shonen cult hits. I enjoyed both series, though I didn't really find them necessarily fresh compared to most battle shonen. Neither endeared me to their story or characters on a particularly strong level, but for the most part I thought both were well written in what they presented and were fun reads. Between the two I'd say I liked Mx0 a bit more mainly because though there wasn't much story to it I liked how it focused more on low-key situations based in it's school setting without any real villains or the common battle-shonen "fighting lots of enemies of increasing difficultly" arc structure and had a good sense of humor, while I felt Psyren sort of dropped a lot of it's more intriguing elements after the person behind Nemesis Q was revealed and became a more straightforward battle shonen story with a few elements that, because it was forced to end prematurely, it wasn't able to execute as effectively as I'd have liked to see. I also didn't really care for Psyren's final arc, especially the whole plot twist with Mithra which seemed to come out of nowhere, but I do think that considering the circumstances the mangaka did a commendable job of tying things up the best he could to give readers a satisfying ending. Overall, I thought both were enjoyable series, but have to admit that, considering their reputations and strong cult followings, they didn't live up to expectations for me, and I didn't find them much more interesting and unique compared to other contemporary above average battle shonen. I will say that I do look more forward to seeing where Kagamigami goes after reading Psyren, though, because the mangaka really does have the talent to tell a very fun and well-written shonen series, and I hope he can find more success with his new work.
It's been so long since I read Mx0, and I never got that far into Psyren, but eventually I'll circle back around to both of these manga. I have a massive backlog, though.
They don't strike me as series that you'd really care for based on your opinions on a few contemporary battle shonen manga, but I do think they are worth giving a try at some point.
I liked Mx0 just fine when I first read it (and I did on fact complete it), but my tastes have changed a lot since then, so I'll have to see how it holds up. As for Psyren, I liked the little that I read of it. I wouldn't call it great, by any stretch, but certainly enjoyable.
Yep, the end of Psyren was forced. The last arc was unfortunately not allowed any room to breathe, but he did what he could to finish it right.
Mx0 was simply fun. It wasn't the most inventive thing ever, but it had a lot of fun with itself and its world, and for that I like it. It's a shame it ended when it did, because I think it could have really been great if given time to build up, but as it is it's a pretty fun story.
I initially ignored Psyren and Mx0 but with all this talk about them, I'll add them to my list of stuff to check out. It'll be a while before I get to them, though, as I need to finish reading Medaka Box and I am going to order a set of Flame of Recca volumes so my plate will be full until then.
I looked through the first volume of X-Men's Onslaught Saga and it looked so damn good that I purchased it in a heart beat. It's taking me back to the times I played the X-Men games on my Sega Genesis and watched the cartoon series. Unfortunately, I never knew about the comics since none of my friends read any nor did my family buy any for me.
I went to the bookstore and they were out of KnightQuest copies. I could just buy the E-book version, but I really want to collect the TPBs for this story-line.
In the Meantime I'm reading the E-book version of The Long Halloween. I know that Jeph Loeb isn't well liked for butchering the Marvel TV shows these days, but I've heard that some of his DC work from earlier in his career is actually quite good. The premise for this story intrigued me well enough, so I've decided to give it a shot.
it's probably his best work.
Didn't he do one of the Hush story-lines? I always thought that was your favorite Batman comic.
Jeph Loeb's earlier DC work is pretty good, yeah.
i like hush more than most but tlh and its sequel are better, from what i remember.
my favorite batman comics are the dark knight returns, heart of hush (paul dini wrote it and its easily hush's best comic) and lovers & madmen.
I haven't read TDKR, but I watched the 2-part animated movie adaptation and really liked it.
I find it incredibly funny how Frank Miller holds the unique distinction of writing one of the best and most iconic Batman stories of all time, and one of the worst and most notoriously terrible Batman stories of all time.
Also, on the subject of animated adaptations, while I loved Justice League: The New Frontier, I remember that Bruce Timm said in an interview that he regretted having to cut so much out of it and wished that he could've made it two parts long. So, I really want to read the original GN sometime. I slso want to read Kingdom Come and WWIII, and too many othet famous JL story-lines to name.
Also, for future reference, can anyone recommend me some good comic books with the Jaime Reyes incarnation of Blue Beetle, and/or also some good stuff with Booster Gold in it?
i remember timm saying that about new frontier. i've only seen it on cn and loved it. i wonder if they edited out any of the movie for tv.
edit: i hear geoff johns run on booster gold is good.
I believe this (http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Beetle-Book-1-Shellshocked/dp/1401209653/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1424474908&sr=8-6&keywords=Blue+Beetle) might be the best place to start with Jaime Reyes' Blue Beetle since it is his first appearance. The original series is pretty good as a whole, IIRC.
So, I just noticed that the scene in The Dark Knight where Batman meets with Gordon and Dent on a rooftop was a tribute to a very similar scene from The Long Halloween.
...i need to reread the long halloween.
Out of curiosity, is Ed Brubaker's run on Iron Fist any good? I saw volumes 1-3 on sale for $7 each at the book store the other day.
YES!
I didn't go through the whole run, but I really like what I've read of it.
those immortal ironfist comics are what made me a danny rand fan and have two of my top 10/5 favorite comic book teams, both with iron fist as the star member. i nominated it in the greatest comic book ever tournament for a reason.
Alright, I'll check those out next, while I look for new copies of KnightQuest and KnightSend.
good. on that note, did you finish knightfall?
Yes, if you mean just volume 1 of the trilogy.
i meant the whole thing, lol
Then that question is a bit redundant since you posted it JUST after I said that I'm looking for copies of the other two volumes, which insinuates that I haven't read them yet. ;)
i wasn't paying attention, lol
What's everyone's favorite black & white western comics books? All of mine are of course all of my favorite indie comics (The Walking Dead, Scott Pilgrim, Scud and Infinite Kungfu)
Persepolis, Maus, Zot, and Scott Pilgrim immediately come to mind for me.
:unimpressed: I have not read the former 3.
The original TMNT run, on top of the stuff already mentioned.
Scud and Platinum Grit!
You have always loved those comics, Fog.
EK, have you read everything that has been mentioned before you? Just curious, And bored. Mostly bored.
Not all of those. No. I have checked out parts of most of those series, but haven't finished reading any.
I need to read TMNT. Don't know why I haven't yet..Also, does anyone know if all of the original run came out in color yet?
From Hell.
My older brother has been reading that one lately. I should ask to borrow it from him when he's done.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on March 04, 2015, 02:14:29 AM
From Hell.
My favorite Alan Moore comic. What do you think about it, Dr?
I recently read
Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoët. You know, I honestly can't remember when I last read a comic that lived up to its title, so well. Beautiful? The water-colored artwork is lovely to look at. As for the "Darkness" part? Yeah, this book is dark alright. Its a story filled with cruel acts, some of them thoughtless, others calculated and deliberate. Not even the kindly, naive heroine manages to stay untainted by all the shit that goes on around her. Great read, its the second comic I've read written by Vehlmann and he's quickly becoming one of my favorite writers in the medium.
Add Parker and Donnie (Criminal Volume 1: Coward) to my list of favorite comic book noir characters (even if Parker is a book adaptation). My favorite noir comics off of the top of my head:
100 Bullets
Criminal
Batman Thrillkiller
Batman Nine Lives
Spider-Man Noir (ok, this is really a stretch)
I'm drawing blanks here, lol.
Does anyone know of any good Spy, Noir and/or Undercover comics? Thanks in advance.
For spy-comics, I'd recommend Queen and Country by Greg Rucka. As for noir? Try Stray Bullets by David Lapham.
Thanks, Pharass. I knew I could count on you. :)
So I read the new Ms. Marvel, and they kept mentioning Inhumans in every other page. I know Marvel's trying to shill Inhumans as the new big thing, but it's as obnoxious as a few years ago when Deadpool was in everything.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on March 12, 2015, 12:50:47 AM
So I read the new Ms. Marvel, and they kept mentioning Inhumans in every other page. I know Marvel's trying to shill Inhumans as the new big thing, but it's as obnoxious as a few years ago when Deadpool was in everything.
:srs: Prepare to get shanked by me and Foggle.
But seriously, just a day ago I was thinking about how The Inhumans could be big if done right....sounds like Marvel isn't doing it right.
While I haven't been watching it since the end of season 1, isn't Marvel also shoehorning in some Inhumans related plot into AOS right now?
If they keep this up, they'll make people sick of the Inhumans before the actual movie even begins production.
The problem with Deadpool popping up everywhere back then is that nobody knew how to properly write him. He ended up having lots of terrible appearances in random comics that either turned potential new readers off of the character or annoyed people who were already fans because he was OOC. I've seen plenty of people who think DP is awful and refuse to read the good runs because of this.
I actually agree. Just a day or two I saw Deadpool on an online cover of something he should have not been in. :wth: (Don't ask me to remember what it was)
I liked what I saw of The Inhumans in what I've read of War Of Kings. That seemed like a good arc. I want to finish it. It made me a Gladiator fan as well.
Quote from: Foggle on March 12, 2015, 11:53:25 AM
The problem with Deadpool popping up everywhere back then is that nobody knew how to properly write him. He ended up having lots of terrible appearances in random comics that either turned potential new readers off of the character or annoyed people who were already fans because he was OOC. I've seen plenty of people who think DP is awful and refuse to read the good runs because of this.
Yes, this was my experience. My friend introduced me to Deadpool long before he got popular. He was a mega-fan. Then they started shoving the character down everyone's throats and he was EVERYWHERE. Even my friend started getting sick of him. It also didn't help that he was fairly awfully written most of the time. Thankfully that's all died down now.
If this Inhumans push is anything like that, be ready to outright hate them for a while until Marvel finally backs off.
Deadpool is an excellent character, easily one of Marvel's greatest and deepest. The good runs are excellent and by far some of the most consistent superhero comics ever, but he's also very hard to write for most people, so many of his appearances outside the monthly and various limiteds are godawful.
Trying to do my top 30 favorite comic book villains and heroes. Damn, I did not know I had about 50 favorite heroes until I tried to do a least. Sheesh, this is hard. :gonk:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.comicvine.com%2Fuploads%2Foriginal%2F0%2F6063%2F4446048-xm92_hires.0.jpg&hash=831e00c1473d317d776c961346c016224747d96f) Love it!
Awesome!
My favorite X-Men team (including Beast, Nightcrawler and Colossus on it.)
Quote from: gunswordfist on March 13, 2015, 06:03:59 PM
My favorite X-Men team (including Beast, Nightcrawler and Colossus on it.)
Same here, as well as Jean Grey. (Same additional characters, too.)
Might be the one I grew up with, but I enjoy all the contrasting personalities working as a team.
I almost specifically didn't mention Jean, :D , but I hear that they made her kind of week in the cartoons compared to how she was in the comics at the time.
She's much better elsewhere.
But yeah, that team of ten with Charles being Charles is my personal favorite bunch.
Yeah, before Charles started being sketchy? Even though I did kind of like that in Astonishing (and that's my 2nd favorite team)
I need to catch up on The Walking Dead, Invincible, American Vampire, Mark Waid's Daredevil (I know it's finished now) and that The Incredible Hulk run I was on. I think it was Jason Aaron's? Hulk Island was pretty cool.
I read Volumes 1-16 of Flame of Recca. It's a good manga but it takes a lot of ideas from YuYu Hakusho so it loses originality points. Still, I like the art style since it has that aggressive 90's look I love so much and the characters are likeable. Nobuyuki Anzai was also an assistant to Kazuhiro Fujita of Ushio and Tora (One manga I really want to be licensed) so he's cool in my book. I bought the first twenty volumes in a set and got some others in a comic book clearance store but I will read then later since I want to finish reading Sumomomo Momomo and Medaka Box.
At the same clearance store, I also bought Marvel's Blink four issue mini-series that lead into Exiles. Blink's a really cool character and she has become one of my favorite female comic heroes. She can really trip up her opponents and her personality exudes spunkiness. I can't wait to read more Exiles; I've already read some but I didn't know about the Blink mini-series until I saw it at the store.
What are some good comics for a 5 year old?
Owly seems like a good choice. http://www.amazon.com/Owly-Vol-Home-Bittersweet-Summer/dp/1891830627
Oh, and Bone! http://www.amazon.com/Bone-Complete-Cartoon-Epic-One/dp/188896314X
Thank you! Hmm, Owly was mentioned before. I'll take a peek at what it's about.
Quote from: gunswordfist on April 03, 2015, 08:05:51 PM
What are some good comics for a 5 year old?
You could try this (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603090754/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl_encoding=UTF8&colid=3S73STEVQHF9N&coliid=I1K7V9EJHGO108), this (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1596435828/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3S73STEVQHF9N&coliid=IZMM1PI2FQLCM), or this (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936393670/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3S73STEVQHF9N&coliid=I2JFP8ZO2TO3YX).
Quote from: Foggle on April 03, 2015, 08:11:25 PM
Oh, and Bone! http://www.amazon.com/Bone-Complete-Cartoon-Epic-One/dp/188896314X
And
especially this.
Thank you, Shadow!
Anything from him (http://www.amazon.com/Carl-Barks/e/B00456LMES/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_6?qid=1428120353&sr=1-6).
Thanks!
JoJo's making me want to get back into reading American Vampire. :(
I ordered a bunch of comic book over the last two or three days from my library. I can't wait to catch up on American Vampire, The Walking Dead, Daredevil By Mark Waid, Deadpool Classic and more, such as the sequel to 100 Bullets, Brother Lono. :kabapu:
Today I got a couple of Deadpool comics, a couple of American Vampire comics and a The Walking Dead Volume. I am pretty happy about this. ;D
Quote from: gunswordfist on April 27, 2015, 08:51:24 PM
Today I got a couple of Deadpool comics
:thumbup:
I've started reading Howard the Duck and Spider-Gwen; also getting around to some Deadpool back issues I haven't been through yet. Also, I plan on finally finishing both Excel Saga and Ultimate Spider-Man soon. My re-read of both is slow but fun. :)
I got The ones with Deadpool and Deadpool Kill The Marvel Universe.
Spider-Gwen seems interesting...well, I just pretty much mean the art since I know so little about it. :D I'd catch up on Ultimate Comics Ultimate Spider-Man before I'd read that though. And I thought you finished Excel Saga like 30 years ago.
Quote from: gunswordfist on April 27, 2015, 09:02:34 PM
I got The ones with Deadpool and Deadpool Kill The Marvel Universe.
Good choices! I love the Spider-Man and Captain America crossovers in that first one. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe is pretty divisive, but I'm a big fan. Be sure to pick up Deadpool Killustrated if you like that one - it's a masterpiece.
QuoteSpider-Gwen seems interesting...well, I just pretty much mean the art since I know so little about it. :D I'd catch up on Ultimate Comics Ultimate Spider-Man before I'd read that though. And I thought you finished Excel Saga like 30 years ago.
The art and writing are both really great IMO. There are only like 4 issues out so far (including that Spider-Verse thing), so it's not exactly a lengthy read. :lol:
The Ultimate Universe is awful, as is the USM TV show, but I love Bendis' Spider-Man. He makes the characters and story so engaging.
The final volume of Excel Saga only just came out last year. :-X The story is extremely hard to follow, so I wanted to revisit the previous 25 volumes before reading the last two. Sadly, I got bogged down with other things, so my re-read had to be postponed.
Never heard of Deadpool Killustrated. I love good Deadpool comics that I have never heard of! Thank you!
I'll see where I'll stand on DKtMU. I forget if I knew a little bit about The ones with Deadpool. I basically just picked up every Deadpool book the library had. lol
lol That's right, SG did just start.
Bendis does write a good Spider-Man
I assumed Excel Saga was finished like 10 years ago. :rtard: I hope you can do that reread soon. :)
Quote from: gunswordfist on April 27, 2015, 10:09:29 PM
Never heard of Deadpool Killustrated. I love good Deadpool comics that I have never heard of! Thank you!
It's the sequel to Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe. ;) There's also a third part called Deadpool Kills Deadpool, but I haven't read that one yet.
QuoteI forget if I knew a little bit about The ones with Deadpool. I basically just picked up every Deadpool book the library had. lol
It has the three Annuals from the most recent run by Duggan and Posehn, as well as a Captain America crossover one-shot that leads into the Axis story arc. You might not want to read that last one until you've at least read through The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (volume 3) due to potential spoilers, though.
QuoteBendis does write a good Spider-Man
I'm iffy on his writing for certain books, but he really defined Peter Parker for me, and Miles Morales is an excellent addition to the Marvel universe, if a bit underutilized. His characterization of Peter is the best I've ever seen - nuanced and flawed, but still funny and likable.
Quote from: Foggle on April 27, 2015, 11:26:49 PM
It's the sequel to Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe. ;) There's also a third part called Deadpool Kills Deadpool, but I haven't read that one yet.
I'm not sure how a book like that would have a sequel...WAIT, DON'T TELL ME!
QuoteIt has the three Annuals from the most recent run by Duggan and Posehn, as well as a Captain America crossover one-shot that leads into the Axis story arc. You might not want to read that last one until you've at least read through The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (volume 3) due to potential spoilers, though.
I have no idea what the Axis arc is but jst in case, I won't read it yet. Thanks. :)
Quote
I'm iffy on his writing for certain books, but he really defined Peter Parker for me, and Miles Morales is an excellent addition to the Marvel universe, if a bit underutilized. His characterization of Peter is the best I've ever seen - nuanced and flawed, but still funny and likable.
I think Ultimate Spider-Man may actually be my 2nd favorite Spider-Man. I think I kind of lumped him in with 616 lol. I think I read a short comic book featuring 616 Spidey but Ultimate was the first one that I really read a lot of.
Quote from: gunswordfist on April 27, 2015, 11:41:03 PM
I have no idea what the Axis arc is but jst in case, I won't read it yet. Thanks. :)
It's a bit complicated to follow, but I really love the newest Deadpool run! Here's my suggested reading order if you want to get the most out of it:
Vol. 1: Dead Presidents
Vol. 2: Soul Hunter
Vol. 3: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
Vol. 4: Deadpool vs. S.H.I.E.L.D.
Dracula's Gauntlet (this is extremely important and good; definitely should have been volume 5 IMO)
Vol. 5: The Wedding of Deadpool
Vol. 6: Original Sin
The Ones With Deadpool (specifically the Captain America crossover, you can read the rest whenever)
Hawkeye vs. Deadpool (not really necessary, but it's also written by Duggan and definitely worth reading)
Vol. 7: Axis (sadly the cliffhanger in #38 leads into an issue of the stupid crossover event - Avengers & X-Men: Axis #7 - which isn't included in the book. you only really miss one fight scene if you skip it, though)
Vol. 8: All Good Things
QuoteI think Ultimate Spider-Man may actually be my 2nd favorite Spider-Man. I think I kind of lumped him in with 616 lol. I think I read a short comic book featuring 616 Spidey but Ultimate was the first one that I really read a lot of.
Which one is your favorite? I'll have to check it out.
Ultimate Spidey isn't too terribly different from 616 Spider-Man or anything, I just feel that Bendis did the best job with the character of any writer. :D
Thanks! I will follow that order. I had no clue Deadpool was on another good run. I actually have Dead Presidents on hold at the library, iirc.
Spider-Man Noir is my favorite and my 4th favorite superhero overall. Peter in that seems to be the most well put together version of the character that I've ever seen. Also, the art is very cool and surprisingly enough, he isn't a killing machine in the book. I have his 2nd story on hold. As far as I know, he's only in two stories. Edit: And yeah, Ultimate Spidey is pretty much the same as 616. :D
Cool, I should check that out then. I loved the Noir levels in Shattered Dimensions. :)
I think that's why Ultimate Spider-Man was pretty much the only good book in the Ultimate universe... it didn't ruin his character like what happened to everyone else. It was more of a reboot than anything, really.
Shattered Dimensions was the first time I've seen Noir myself. :) I still need to get past his 2nd level though, lol.
I think Ultimate universe was originally supposed to be just for Spider-Man. It of course started out with his separate universe reboot, which explains a lot about other book's quality.
Speaking of great Spider-Man comics, check out this one: http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/5267901.html
:huh: Stopped on #1. My interest is piqued. I'll get the comic myself.
How's Howard The Duck?
Anyway, I'm surprised that the Garth Ennis wrote The Thousand seeing how he claims to hate superheroes so much. lol
I'm getting Spider-Man Noir Eyes Without A Face soon and I'll tell y'all how it is after I read it.
Quote from: gunswordfist on April 29, 2015, 07:26:28 PM
How's Howard The Duck?
Hilarious. Chip Zdarsky's writing is amazing. I'd love to see him do a Deadpool book someday.
QuoteAnyway, I'm surprised that the Garth Ennis wrote The Thousand seeing how he claims to hate superheroes so much. lol
Apparently he loves Superman and doesn't mind a few others (including Spider-Man, I suppose).
...also, I have no fucking clue what Howard The Duck is about. I just saw him for the first time on a cover at comicvine like days ago and before that, just heard him in jokes where people bring up his name among serious superheroes.
Apparently Garth Ennis' least favorite superhero is Wolverine...but then he did intro for Wolverine Enemy Of The State where he praised the book. :wth: I think he mentioned how he didn't really like superheroes there too. :wth: :wth: :wth: :wth:
Howard the Duck is about a talking duck living in a world of superheroes; ironically, he's the most "normal" protagonist in the Marvel universe. The current Howard series seems to be a parody/crossover book making light of comic books/characters past and present, while I hear the original series was more barbed and often used as a soapbox decrying conservative politics. It's good stuff.
Garth Ennis is a talented writer, but he's also completely nuts and has put out a lot of offensive/bad books over the years. His work is best avoided unless you hear it frequently praised beforehand.
I should have expected Howard The Duck to be about just that.
Some of his shit seems scary but I'll always love him for Punisher MAX. It single-handedly made me a fan of the character.
Punisher MAX is amazing. :)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1246.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fgg613%2Fhairweavekilla1%2Fdap-o.gif&hash=6e87b88ca78493aadd78290d7e0bdf67012ce41b)
I finished all of Ennis' run...albeit not in order, despite trying. I need to read all of his that starts with Welcome Back, Frank. That might be my favorite Punisher story.
I read Spider-Man Noir Eyes Without A Face earlier...I never thought I'd see Spider-Man fight Nazis.
Read Daredevil by Mark waid Volume 5 today. It was decent, plus darker than this specific series has been but not as good as some of the other Volumes. Also, I really like Foggy in this.
Also, I've been wondering if Daredevil got enhanced senses from the radioactive waste itself and not just from it making him lose his sight and this volume clearly answered that.
I just finished The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect. Decent story.
I finished reading Invincible Ultimate Collection Volume 8 a few hours ago tonight. The first 2 thirds were interesting but then things got pretty mediocre with the last 3rd. They focused on Robot and Monster Girl and their story sounds as uninteresting as their names (and as uninteresting as they are). Kirkman could have done their backstory in half an issue and solved their present conflict in no more than 2 issues. Instead, we got at least 3 issues (4?) of boring, stretched out events and a battle with little worth remembering in it and an anticlimatic ending.
Oh yeah, read Volume 6 of Daredevil this morning. Now it just seems like they are doing short stories.
I have just finished The Walking Dead Volume 18. Good book. :) I'm liking my favorite character even more. I am loving his development. We got to learn some more about The Big Bad. I like him a little bit so far. And the next major arc is about to start. There hasn't been one since The Governor, which is of curse the best zombie story ever.
Nextwave was an outrageously fun series. I wish it had some kind of adaption.
As a dog lover, I really enjoyed Good Dog, and the way it presented
And since I must always satisfy my space fetish, Planetes has been my jam this week.
Hmm, I probably should finally read Nextwave.
Quote from: gunswordfist on June 03, 2015, 11:43:05 AM
Hmm, I probably should finally read Nextwave.
(https://40.media.tumblr.com/439ac40c66bf8f63d28c859d5e844e8e/tumblr_mm3gh3g27Q1rauix6o1_400.png)
Nextwave is pure Foggle.
:blush:
:joy:
I finished volume 8 of DeDeadpool goes back to Weapon X, fights Sabertooth, tragedy strikes, gets revived with piss (ok, maybe not), T-Ray finally returns and he gets a cosmic addition to his rogue's gallery. This seems lower in quality than all the other volumes, from what I can remember
I found the first 3 volumes of Kenshin for $5 total, and added a figure of Kurama from the 2004 toyline for an additional $2. Not a bad day.
I also got the first volume of the recent Elektra series the other day, which I'll get to soon. Most likely before RK, since I spent more on that.
Those the omnibuses or the individual volumes?
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 05, 2015, 03:44:16 PM
Those the omnibuses or the individual volumes?
Individual.
I forget, do the omnibuses come with 2 or 3 volumes?
All of the Kenshin omnibi are 3 volumes long, except for the last one, which is 4 volumes.
Good job on buying Kenshin.
I kind of want to check out Elektra's series. Besides it apparently getting killed off fast, I've heard good things about it and love the art I've seen.
Awesome, so I basically got the first omnibus for a great price!
I'll look for the others later. This sure deserves a re-read from me, anyway.
Recently finished Bacchus by Eddie Campbell. I wrote about the first two volumes on my blog a short while ago, so go there if you want the gist of it. Anyway, I think this may be my new favorite comic, or at the very least its in my top five. It was just consistently great from start to finish and it definitely made me interested in checking out more of Campbell's solo stuff.
May I have a link to your blog? (I scrubbed my history so I lost it.) I tend to link your views on comics. :)
Quote from: gunswordfist on June 06, 2015, 04:30:27 PM
May I have a link to your blog? (I scrubbed my history so I lost it.) I tend to link your views on comics. :)
Of course. Just click on the globe below my avatar.
Doh, of course. Thank you. :)
I just completed Volume 5 of American Vampire. It feels good to return to this comic after years. I can't wait to catch up. The Lord Of Nightmares/Dracula arc was decent and then 3 of my 5 favorite characters teamed up. I've never seen a character juggle a dark and good side quite like Pearl Jones. She's turning into my favorite comic book heroine ever, if she's not already there.
I started Deadpool Classic Volume 9 early this morning. I love Udon art. I'll finish the book later today.
In other news, I plan on reading a decent amount of comics to continue to reshape my favorite comic book characters lists. So far it looks like Pearl Jones, Omni-Man, Spider-Man Noir, Ultimate Peter Parker and Maestro are on the rise.
Got the second and fourth volume of Zorn & Dirna and Il Etait Une Fois En France respectively.
Volume 2 of Zorn & Dirna was very good, I could tell when I read the first volume that this comic had a lot of potential and it seems to live up to it. In this volume, the two titular characters meet their parents and we are introduced to the main villain of the comic: The Crown prince, who's a real piece of work. All of this takes place in a world where people no longer die and as result, everything has gone down the toilet. In short, its good fun and I'm looking forward to reading the next volume.
The fourth volume of Il Etait.. was just as excellent as the previous three. In this one, we see the end of an era as the Allied forces begin closing in on Paris. Meanwhile, Joseph Joanovici must keep the Resistance and the Nazis from finding out that he's been playing both sides, but at what cost? A great read that features one of the most complex and morally ambiguous protagonists I've seen in a comic.
Within the last hour finished Fury My War Is Gone. A decent start to Garth Ennis' Fury run. He loves telling Vietnam stories and that was the best part.
Today I finished Immortal Weapons (the back cover to it is my sig). How'd I rank their stories:
5. Bride Of 9 Spiders - 2 out of 5 - This one kind of gave me a headache and we learned little about her except she's pretty much a villain
4. Tiger's Beautiful Daughter - 2 1/2 out of 5 - Pretty standard "female warriors rise to power" story in my opinion but I like Li Hua's personality and addition to being like Milena and Kitana with her fighting style, she reminded me of Wonder Woman in this. Still my least favorite Immortal Weapon though. :P
3. Prince Of Orphans - 3 out of 5 - At the...near the end of the book, Iron Fist shows up (I was actually hoping he wouldn't due to me just wanting to see the Weapons) and John Aman aka Prince Of Orphans shows up to tell Rand to go to Asia or millions will perish. Iron Fist finally gets there and has to fight a 200 foot monster while Aman takes on an army of spirits. It's a pretty standard action adventure comic and we learn exactly nothing about Aman but it was a fun read.
2. Fat Cobra - 4 out of 5 - My favorite Immortal Weapon not named Danny Rand now. I love how they recount some of his ridiculous adventures and not-too-proud-of exploits. I won't spoil anything here.
1. Dog Brother #1 - 5 out of 5 - I wish I could give this story an award. I love the tale about two kids trying to maintain their innocence and believe in something more than their corrupt, drug ridden surrounding with some fantasy mixed in. This issue alone is worth picking up the entire book.
All in all, I like the Immortal Weapons more. I wish I could have learned more about them like but this was still good. Also, my head would explode if they showed up in Season 2 or 3 of Iron Fist.
I read a collection of short stories (http://myanimelist.net/manga/3874/The_Push_Man_and_Other_Stories) by Yoshihiro Tatsumi, one of the pioneers of alternative manga. Pretty creepy stuff, a lot of which is influenced by police reports. Still a great insight into the early gekiga scene, and I plan to explore his other work. I really need to finish A Drifting Life.
I'm glad to see someone else on this board exploring Tatsumi's work! :thumbup: He was one of the best, and his work is like nothing you can find in mainstream manga. If you're interested in checking out a collection of other alternative manga from a variety of different creators, I suggest hunting down a copy of AX (http://www.amazon.com/AX-Volume-Collection-Alternative-Manga/dp/1603090428), a single volume collection that really shows the breadth and variety within the alternative manga scene, the kinds of stuff that probably won't ever get published in the U.S. manga market again.
I've been looking into getting that for a while. Thanks for reminding me.
I just finished Volume 19 of The Walking Dead. I'm loving Jesus.
I finished Thor Gorr The God Butcher this afternoon. Pretty good story...except this was just part of it. Dammit, I expect comics with the main villain in the title to actually have a complete story. Sighs, I'll finish it one day. Also, I love Jason Aaron's writing. He writes a good Thor (I like him even more now), Fat Cobra, Hulk and Wolverine.
Barnes and Noble is expanding their Graphic Novel and Manga sections nationwide. (http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/07/08-1/barnes-noble-announces-an-expanded-selection-of-graphic-novels-and-manga)
I always thought that their sections were pretty big as is, but this is definitely good news in regards to how well comics must be selling these days.
My local B&N only had one side of a shelf for both Western comics AND manga. They were split up half and half, and the selection was always pretty limited. So, this is good news for stores like mine which are seriously lacking in content.
Last time I was there they were doing some serious renovation in that aisle, so that would explain why.
Great news to hear.
Quote from: gunswordfist on July 07, 2015, 12:39:27 AM
I finished Thor Gorr The God Butcher this afternoon. Pretty good story...except this was just part of it. Dammit, I expect comics with the main villain in the title to actually have a complete story. Sighs, I'll finish it one day. Also, I love Jason Aaron's writing. He writes a good Thor (I like him even more now), Fat Cobra, Hulk and Wolverine.
Also, I didn't know people could pray to Thor and he can hear them. ???
Heads up- you can get a month of Marvel Unlimited for only a penny if you act on it now!
Whoa, Udon Entertainment has licensed The Rose of Versailles and will release it in 2-in-1 editions starting next year. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-07-11/udon-entertainment-adds-rose-of-versailles-manga/.90349)
ROV is one of the most classic manga there is, and one of the oldest to have never been licensed in the U.S. thus far too. Perhaps the day AnJ gets released in print in the west is not that far off after all.
Visited my local B&N today, and they definitely did increase the size of their Graphic Novels section quite a bit. Unfortunately, the expansion seemed to come at the cost of some of the less popular titles, though. That's a bit disappointing, but I mainly buy my stuff online or on sale these days anyway, so it doesn't affect me too much, and I can be happy about the sheer quantity of Deadpool comics they've got now (the second most represented franchise there after Batman!) as well as the prominence of AssClass in the manga section. Since I was there, I opted to take advantage of the last day of the DC sale and bought some comics I was interested in: the first Superfriends collection, the first Batman Inc. (the pre-New 52 one), and Green Lantern: Blackest Night. I look forward to going through them. If only there was a Marvel sale...there was a lot more there I would have been willing to buy (especially Deadpool) than the DC offerings. In any case, I'll probably go back next sunday for the manga sale and fill some gaps or catch up on series I've fallen behind on collecting.
I didn't even know you bought Western comics.
What? Did you think I only read manga? :D
Admittedly, I don't buy superhero comics as often because I don't find the price/page ratio cost-effective most of the time, but I take advantage of sales and deals whenever I can.
I just finished Flash: The Return Of Barry Allen. That was the first time I found myself enjoying the character The Flash and a story he's featured in in a comic book.
Is anyone else hitting up the Marvel Unlimited deal? You have until the 20th to get a month of it for only a penny.
I just did, and I'm trying to decide what I'm going to go through first. Probably Ms. Marvel.
Well, I read the first Ms. Marvel arc, and it's pretty decent so far. This is definitely written for younger audiences, and it shows, but it fits that role well. Primarily since Kamala is a likable character, and it's being very fair to her Pakistani roots and building her world up. I'll definitely try to read the rest of what's available next.
After this, I might give Superior Spider-Man a try. I've heard good things about it.
Tonight, I read Volume 7 of America Vampire. I found out what the main villain of this arc is. eep!....
I used some spare cash that I got as a gift today and bought the first 3 volumes of Vinland Saga, which I've been meaning to start reading for a while, now. I was going to buy Knightquest, but the only copy that I could find was in pretty poor condition.
I read through A Silent Voice on CR.
What did you think of it?
It was decent.
Spoiler
I mean it was great. :sly:
As a story about bullying it sure went the whole nine yards not only looking at the various motivations and factors that might lead to it, but also the effect it can have on individuals. On the other hand, there's a good message of true friendship and tenacity without giving up as well as a theme of repentance and forgiveness that runs throughout that also helped quite a bit. The movie sub-plot added a lot to this as well.
It also helps that the characters were multi-sided. Even some characters I had no real sympathy for (mostly Kawai) grew on me as I learned more about them and where they were coming from. The two Sho-chan's remained my favorite characters, but the rest were just as engaging. It's a shame it wasn't very long, but then there wasn't much more story to tell.
The only thing I'm not sure about was what exactly that part at the ending meant when Ishida saw the kid and his parents. What was that about? Was it implying something about him that I didn't catch?
All in all, it definitely deserves every bit of praise it's earned.
It's just uninspired PSA bull-shit.
Spoiler
It also happens to be the best manga of last year, and among the best that I've ever read. :D
Now go read REAL.
On another note, I'm enjoying Vinland Saga so far, though I'm only 10 chapters in. I usually don't like extended flashbacks, but Yukimura is a good enough writer to place something like that early on in the story rather than interrupt a more interesting story-line by haphazardly forcing something like this on readers as exposition at a much later point in the story (you all know what I'm referring to, here).
I also like that Askeladd, despite being antagonized by Thorfinn, doesn't strike me as a one-dimensional villain. That's really about all that I can say so far, though, since I'm still not even past the first volume yet.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 27, 2015, 03:40:31 PM
Now go read REAL.
I was hoping it'd be at CR, too. But that doesn't seem to be the case.
It's still on the list!
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 27, 2015, 03:40:31 PMOn another note, I'm enjoying Vinland Saga so far, though I'm only 10 chapters in. I usually don't like extended flashbacks, but Yukimura is a good enough writer to place something like that early on in the story rather than interrupt a more interesting story-line by haphazardly forcing something like this on readers as exposition at a much later point in the story (you all know what I'm referring to, here).
I also like that Askeladd, despite being antagonized by Thorfinn, doesn't strike me as a one-dimensional villain. That's really about all that I can say so far, though, since I'm still not even past the first volume yet.
Askeladd is a villain in every sense of the word, but his motivations are interesting as how he chooses to achieve them. By the end of the first part, you really get a sense of who he really is. It's a contrast of the two most important father figures in Thorfinn's life. Both his real father and Askeladd, and where they both end up leading him. The relationship between good and evil figure heavily into forming who Thorfinn becomes. It's quite a fascinating journey.
The only thing that sucks about Vinland Saga is how nobody literally seems to know it exists. An anime of the first two arcs would go a long way in fixing that.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 27, 2015, 03:08:55 PM
It was decent.
Spoiler
I mean it was great. :sly:
As a story about bullying it sure went the whole nine yards not only looking at the various motivations and factors that might lead to it, but also the effect it can have on individuals. On the other hand, there's a good message of true friendship and tenacity without giving up as well as a theme of repentance and forgiveness that runs throughout that also helped quite a bit. The movie sub-plot added a lot to this as well.
It also helps that the characters were multi-sided. Even some characters I had no real sympathy for (mostly Kawai) grew on me as I learned more about them and where they were coming from. The two Sho-chan's remained my favorite characters, but the rest were just as engaging. It's a shame it wasn't very long, but then there wasn't much more story to tell.
The only thing I'm not sure about was what exactly that part at the ending meant when Ishida saw the kid and his parents. What was that about? Was it implying something about him that I didn't catch?
All in all, it definitely deserves every bit of praise it's earned.
Spoiler
I'm glad you liked it. :) I loved it for everything you mention; it was a tight and well-written exploration of the consequences of bullying, as well as themes of repentance and friendship, with well-rounded and understandably human characters. Keeping up with it's final third last year was one of the best experiences I had reading a currently-running manga, as you probably could have figured by all the praises I sung about it. :D
As far as your question goes, the father of the kid that bumped into Ishida is implied to be Keisuke, who was one of Ishida's old friends at the beginning of the series who later turned on him and bullied him, and then later saved him from drowning after he fell from the balcony. There's a few potential thematic reasons it may have been included, one of which being emphasizing the theme of how there's often more to a person and their life than what you might see from your interactions with them, and another being that your future might not always turn out the way you expected it to be, but there's always good possibilities open to you so long as you embrace your past mistakes and move on. That's what I took away from it, at least.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 27, 2015, 03:40:31 PM
On another note, I'm enjoying Vinland Saga so far, though I'm only 10 chapters in. I usually don't like extended flashbacks, but Yukimura is a good enough writer to place something like that early on in the story rather than interrupt a more interesting story-line by haphazardly forcing something like this on readers as exposition at a much later point in the story (you all know what I'm referring to, here).
I also like that Askeladd, despite being antagonized by Thorfinn, doesn't strike me as a one-dimensional villain. That's really about all that I can say so far, though, since I'm still not even past the first volume yet.
I find he way the flashback in VS is placed is akin to
Berserk's; we jump right into a lot of action to hook the reader and get a sense of what to expect from the series later on, see a glimpse of who Thorfinn is as a person, what his goal is, and set-up for the larger story-line, and the flashback allows us to see how he got to that point and see how the rivalry/antagonism between our protagonist and the antagonist originally manifested. It has a different effect on your perception of the character as opposed to the series starting out with Thorfinn as a child and the story progressing linearly from there. The flashback itself only comprises a volume's worth of content (half the first volume of the U.S. edition), so it doesn't interrupt the story for too long.
Askeladd is a very well-rounded character and is likable, even sympathetic in a lot of respects. He's more of a villain-protagonist rather than being
the villain, but he still very much lives up to the villain part of that and does a lot of humanly evil things. You'll learn more about him as you continue further in the series.
I've encountered my fair share of fans on the Internet, but it's just unfortunate that the manga sells so poorly in the West. It's a shame, too, because I really dig the high quality hardcover editions that they put out. It's very fancy, and the cover artwork looks great. That said, if you owned a huge manga/comic book collection (which I don't), then I imagind it would frustrate you how it stands out too much from all of the paperback editions of other stuff on your shelves. But honestly, stuff like that doesn't really bother me at all.
Quote from: Cartoon X on July 27, 2015, 03:58:43 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 27, 2015, 03:08:55 PM
It was decent.
Spoiler
I mean it was great. :sly:
As a story about bullying it sure went the whole nine yards not only looking at the various motivations and factors that might lead to it, but also the effect it can have on individuals. On the other hand, there's a good message of true friendship and tenacity without giving up as well as a theme of repentance and forgiveness that runs throughout that also helped quite a bit. The movie sub-plot added a lot to this as well.
It also helps that the characters were multi-sided. Even some characters I had no real sympathy for (mostly Kawai) grew on me as I learned more about them and where they were coming from. The two Sho-chan's remained my favorite characters, but the rest were just as engaging. It's a shame it wasn't very long, but then there wasn't much more story to tell.
The only thing I'm not sure about was what exactly that part at the ending meant when Ishida saw the kid and his parents. What was that about? Was it implying something about him that I didn't catch?
All in all, it definitely deserves every bit of praise it's earned.
Spoiler
I'm glad you liked it. :) I loved it for everything you mention; it was a tight and well-written exploration of the consequences of bullying, as well as themes of repentance and friendship, with well-rounded and understandably human characters. Keeping up with it's final third last year was one of the best experiences I had reading a currently-running manga, as you probably could have figured by all the praises I sung about it. :D
As far as your question goes, the father of the kid that bumped into Ishida is implied to be Keisuke, who was one of Ishida's old friends at the beginning of the series who later turned on him and bullied him, and then later saved him from drowning after he fell from the balcony. There's a few potential thematic reasons it may have been included, one of which being emphasizing the theme of how there's often more to a person and their life than what you might see from your interactions with them, and another being that your future might not always turn out the way you expected it to be, but there's always good possibilities open to you so long as you embrace your past mistakes and move on. That's what I took away from it, at least.
Spoiler
Oh, I was wondering if that was him, but couldn't be sure. Mostly because we knew the least of him of all Ishida's former classmates. But maybe that was the point? That there was still more out there that we didn't know about, just as there is always more out there we don't know about in regards to other people.
Either way, it was a great read. Thanks for singing its praises for so long!
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 27, 2015, 03:54:29 PM
I was hoping it'd be at CR, too. But that doesn't seem to be the case.
It's still on the list!
REAL is a Viz license, and CR primarily runs Kodansha stuff. You're going to have to look for the printed volumes or read scans for that one, I'm afraid.
But while you're still on CR, you could start reading the freshly-added
Princess Jellyfish! :humhumhum:
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 27, 2015, 04:01:46 PM
I've encountered my fair share of fans on the Internet, but it's just unfortunate that the manga sells so poorly in the West. It's a shame, too, because I really dig the high quality hardcover editions that they put out. It's very fancy, and the cover artwork looks great. That said, if you owned a huge manga/comic book collection (which I don't), then I imagind it would frustrate you how it stands out too much from all of the paperback editions of other stuff on your shelves. But honestly, stuff like that doesn't really bother me at all.
I would love to collect more manga in hard-cover, personally. As someone who does have a fairly sizable collection, they don't look out of place next to my other large-sized manga at all.
Personally, I think it deserves to be at least on Berserk's level in terms of success, but it just doesn't have the same level of exposure.
I still have to collect the manga, myself. I just haven't had much extra money recently and my manga budget has been relegated to Monster.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cd/Spider-Man_and_Zoids_%28no._49_-_comic_book_cover%29.jpg)
How the hell does that exist and I never knew about it!?! :huh:
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 28, 2015, 12:35:08 PM
How the hell does that exist and I never knew about it!?! :huh:
I'm 2 volumes into Vinland Saga now. I'm going to have to continue it online after volume 3 since I can't afford to buy any other volumes right now, and even if I could, there's only about 6 or 7 that have been released by Kodansha USA so far, and they are way behind the Japanese releases.
As for the series, I love it when a series of any nature gets into world building, especially via politics. As a historical series, it may have some actual history to rely on, but I figure it to be loosely based on history at best given its exaggerated nature, so a lot if what's there really is on good writing.
My only negative is that grown up Thorfinn is kind of a dick, but that also seems intentional and makes sense given his backstory, and I fully expect him to change and develop as the series progresses, so it's more of an observation right now on my part, as opposed to an actual critique. Though I do have to note that, as the main character of the story, his presence has felt a bit lacking so far. I mean, yes, he's there in most scenes, but he feels like more of a backseat character right now, while interestingly enough, the antagonist Askeladd currently seems to be the driving force of the early part of the story, at least up until this point, so far.
Actually, Kodansha's editions of Vinland Saga are two-in-one omnibi. The five volumes that Kodansha has put out so far are equivalent to the first ten volumes of the japanese releases, and there are only 16 volumes of those so far. Kodansha currently plans to release up to the seventh volume of their edition, which will be the equivalent of covering through the 14th volume of the japanese releases, which will mean they will have at least covered through the entirety of the Ketil Farm arc, which is a good stopping point in case they aren't able to publish any more.
Thorfinn does get something out of this arc, but it's true that Askeladd is the driving force, and arguably the "main character," of the Prologue arc. The bulk of Thorfinn's development will come during the Ketil Farm arc (which we put on our Story Arcs list), wherein he truly becomes the main driving force of the story.
Yeah. I've heard a bit about that.
As for Ketil Farm, I hear mixed things about it, but obviously I trust you and Desensitized more than your typical manga fan (most of whom don't know shit).
The main complaint that I hear is that Ketil Farm feels like it's a completely different series from the story that people got invested in. But of course the counter-argument is that it's the natural progression of Thorfinn's character arc. Regardless, I'll formulate my own opinion on it once I finally get that far.
Those who feel it is like a completely different series are missing the point of contrast between the two. Redemption, sacrifice, life, hope, and faith, are all heavily touched on in both parts but without both parts neither part would be as strong. It's not just about Thorfinn (though he becomes amazing in the second arc) but about the entire world that changes around the characters.
And yeah, it's not terribly accurate to history in regards to events that happened, but I think of it more of a legendary myth type of story.
The Ketil Farm arc is to Vinland Saga and Thorfinn's character arc as the Farming Village arc is to Vagabond and Musashi's. It's an essential and necessary part of the character's journey and development, and about larger thematic concepts complemented by preceding parts.
Weekly Manga Recap did a good review of the series a few years ago. (http://weeklymangarecap.podbean.com/e/vinland-saga/) The Ketil Farm arc wasn't even close to finishing back then, but they both had the opinion that it was a fitting and logical direction for the series.
I finished the first 3 volumes of Vinland Saga. I'm going to continue to read the series online from here for now.
Overall I enjoy it quite a bit so far, but I have a few minor gripes, most notably that Prince Canute's character development from a timid pushover to a confident leader was way too abrupt and not very convincing. I get that removing his bodyguard helped to take him out of his safe zone and keep him from having a crutch to lean on, but his actual transition after that could have actually benefited from being a bit slower and more gradual, rather than having him become so resolute and enlightened after just one conversation with the friar.
Other than that, though, it's pretty top-notch stuff.
I've also recently begun reading the Bone series by Jeff Smith, which I got as a gift from a friend. This kind of simplistic art-style and humorous yet very serialized form of story-telling is really up my alley, so far.
Canute's change is abrupt, I agree, but he doesn't stop changing here. I don't want to spoil anything else from it, though.
Glad you're liking it!
I finished the Ketil Farm arc.
Spoiler
I think that it's a great character development arc and really brings in a sense of heart that was previously (though, also intentionally) lacking from the series. That said, I really disliked the Gardar sub-plot. I have a few reasons for not liking it, but it's the only blemish on an otherwise great string of writing.
As for the people who hate this turn for the series, I can understand why, but also believe that they are being very narrow-minded. It's just like the people who complain about "nothing happening" in the last two ASOIAF books. People tend to get invested in what a story is at the beginning, and then when it takes its next natural turn into a new phase and ends up feeling completely different than what came before, people say that it's going off track and completely miss the point of how the series was always headed this way.
This is the natural progression of Thorfinn's character arc. I once saw a review which said that Thorfinn becoming more peaceful didn't make any sense. That person was on about how cool and bad-ass of a character he was before the Ketil farm arc, and it's clear that he was focused more on superficial stuff like that as opposed to what the message of Thorfinn's character arc was actually saying. He was going down a dark path for revenge, and when he lost his chance at that forever, he had a complete mental breakdown since he couldn't process what to do with his life anymore. That whole "bad-ass" phase of his life was really just the "bad" part of his life and the Ketil Farm arc demonstrated how much it ended up causing him to suffer later on (in that regard, it really reminds me of Arya's story-line from ASOIAF, but probably with a happier outcome).
The people who miss that are too fixated on the idea of what they originally perceived this series to be, rather than viewing it for what it is. It's not the story of an epic war of conquest to crown a new king. It's the story of a boy who grows up through hardship and violence but comes of age as a man of peace throughout his life experiences. The former story-line only ever came up as an extension of Thorfinn's life experiences and what he happened to be involved with at the time.
When he moved on from that, so too did the story. And yes, it did explore Canute's character, still, but only because it would end up tying back into Thorfinn's character arc.
Yup, I agree completely. Glad you enjoyed it!
Glad you liked it! ;D
I've been reading Jim Steranko's run of Strange Tales recently. Other than some moments that haven't aged well like anything with Yellow Claw, it was really fun. There were some layouts and panels that made me go "This is from the 60s?!" It's all so stylish. Hope someone at Marvel Studios rereads these when they eventually make a Nick Fury movie.
My last two reads were Disappearance Diary and Any Empire. The first is an autobiography of the times a famous manga artist left his work to live as a homeless man. It also some insite into how the manga industry really works, which is interesting. The later was a nice anti-war/violence story with incredible art. The story was kind of eh but I could appreciate what it was going for.
I'm 12 issues into the 2008 GOTG run, and really enjoying it. I'm going to have to stop soon though, since my first month of Marvel Unlimited is about to be up, and I don't really have the $10 to spare right now.
Maybe the next time they do a promotion like this, I'll try to keep it for a little longer. It is a great deal, to have so many of the company's comics in wide access, but now just isn't a great time for my financially.
But if you haven't read this run yet, you really should give it a look. It's easy to see how it influenced the film, and it's pretty fun on its own.
I'm pretty sure that's the version I read. It is pretty good.
Also, I just double-checked to see if volume 5 of Monster was out yet, since Barnes & Noble only seems to carry the first 3 nowadays, and indeed it is.
With my paycheck coming tomorrow (yes, I can save enough money to complete my collection), I'm going to order it from Amazon, since with Prime, it'll come out to be less than $15 total.
I have the first 5 volumes sitting on my shelf. I also have the next three pre-ordered. I sure do hope after they're done that 20th Century Boys is next.
I'd have the fifth volume on my shelf if Rightstuf would hurry up and ship my order already. I still have things I ordered months ago that I haven't received yet. Their new system clearly has some growing pains to work through. :unimpressed:
I ffiiiinnnaaaaalllllyyyyy finished my first Judge Dredd comic book, The Cursed Earth. I've been lazy about that for over a week now. It's a pretty standard brutal 70s scifi action/adventure, including no shortages of robots, mutants and dinosaurs but I really loved the ending and now I have 3 more characters to add to my favorites.
I finally got the other two parts of Knightfall. I'll be reading through them soon.
Finally got to read the Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck after a long time searching for a copy. The wait was worth it. Couldn't move my attention to anything else while turning through page after page.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on August 30, 2015, 04:38:55 AM
Finally got to read the Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck after a long time searching for a copy. The wait was worth it. Couldn't move my attention to anything else while turning through page after page.
You lucky dog. I wish I could get my hands on a physical copy.
It's a fantastic story.
I've read most of Deadpool Classic V. 9 over the last few days, including today. Healing Factor is decent. It's a storyline that seems to think it's more epic than it really is but I like it and it made Taskmaster one of my top 30 favorite villains, even if he is basically a protagonist that's always on Deadpool's side this time around. Agent X is kind of growing on me even though so far it's a bit too much like 90s "let's replace the hero" stories.
Quote from: gunswordfist on August 30, 2015, 02:41:20 PM
Agent X is kind of growing on me even though so far it's a bit too much like 90s "let's replace the hero" stories.
It's a parody of those, I think.
It seems very self-aware. Not to mention that they are practically screaming out loud that Deadpool will be back at any moment.
EDIT: Hey buddy, Classic V. 10 is Headtrip or whatever, which I already read so which DP book should I get my from library after V. 9?
Looking at my shelf, volume 10 is actually the last part of Deadpool Classic; volume 11 is Head Trip. So definitely get 10.
After that, I suggest either Cable & Deadpool or the most recent Marvel Now series. :)
I've read most/half of Cable/Deadpool twice. It was the series that made me a fan.
I wish that Marvel/DC comics were less expensive and were also more often organized into coherent volumes that made it easier to follow stories chronologically. That's really the only thing preventing me from getting into more stuff.
But especially the price of some of these comics can be utterly ridiculous, unless you know just how to shop for them online, I suppose. The picture at the very bottom of this list explains it pretty well:
http://www.dorkly.com/post/74658/comic-book-store
Quote from: gunswordfist on August 30, 2015, 03:48:46 PM
It seems very self-aware. Not to mention that they are practically screaming out loud that Deadpool will be back at any moment.
EDIT: Hey buddy, Classic V. 10 is Headtrip or whatever, which I already read so which DP book should I get my from library after V. 9?
lmao, I actually have Deadpool Classic Vol. 10...
If you have a device that can handle it, and can afford the $10 a month, Marvel Unlimited really is a good offer. It's not complete, but you get access to a lot of great comics on there, a good deal of the important ones.
I think that most things Deadpool are on there, as well.
Since my internet's been out, I've read a few comics in the last few days:
-I completed Deadpool Volume 9. I wouldn't mind seeing Alex and Taskmaster show up in a Deadpool movie sequel. This afternoon I read up to halfway of Volume 10. Seeing Daniel Way's name helped me stop reading. And by stop I mean complete halt.
-Invincible Ultimate Collection Volume 9: Yep, this has really not been as interesting since the Viltrumite War concluded. It's basically been a bunch of infighting. I want something new, dammit. The good news is I think Omni-Man is my favorite character in the series, surpassing Cecil, now so he just keeps on shining and not just for the obvious change in this book. Plus, the ending was worthy of the "Holy fuck" statement.
-The Walking Dead Volume 20 and 21. These books consist of the entire All Out War (Part One and Part Two), the first major arc since The Governor. This war was getting interesting...then it kind of fizzled out. It was kind of a combination of going on a bit too long and ending kind of abruptly, if that even makes sense. Basically, I think it would have been more exciting if the final battle took place in a previous battle..because the previous battle was much more exciting...Bleh, entertainment wise aside, there was some good character development, outside of someone getting into a forced leadership role out of nowhere. I have no clue where the series will go now. Dear God, I found Kirkman doesn't go with infighting...like he did in Invincible. That would ruin Walking Dead for me. Give me something big like the group running into the government and then getting told how the zombie outbreak happened. Uh, lastly, All Out War did not surpass The Governor for the title of my favorite zombie story ever (even though Negan is a trillion times better at being a villain than said character). I guess I'd put this around Dawn Of The Dead Remake and Shaun Of The Dead. Not on the level of Dawn Of The Dead original. At least based on the original. One more thing...I wonder if the shitty tv show has reached the group getting to Alexandria.
Quote from: gunswordfist on September 04, 2015, 04:31:12 AM
Seeing Daniel Way's name helped me stopped reading. And by stop I mean complete halt.
:lol: Don't worry, he only wrote one issue in volume 10!
Thank you. :sweat: I was also burned out from how long that final Fight-Man battle was and distracted by getting my internet back so that didn't help.
Okay, so I've mentioned my local comic book shop here before. One thing they like to do is to help support other local businesses, be it by offering unique donuts made by a bakery, or offering gift cards to clothes shops for various events.
One thing they've recently been doing is holding trivia challenges at one of our restaurants each Sunday night. They're all themed to different geeky things, like Marvel, DC, Harry Potter, Walking Dead... this week was dedicated to Buffy and Whedon material, so I came over. And I tied for first! I even got some of the AOS questions right, since they only really asked stuff about the first season, and mostly about Mike/Deadlok, who didn't annoy me as much as the main cast. But yeah, don't test me on Buffy. :P
My prize was 4 $10 gift cards, and vouchers for a free meal and drink at the restaurant. I'll save those vouchers for later, probably whenever I'm back in town, but I did use those gift cards when I'm there.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F36.media.tumblr.com%2Ffcaecc65ea3e0053663c7a38045ab762%2Ftumblr_nubmb6J7li1r6se0bo1_1280.jpg&hash=2b7dc253400292198d1dacc778368a809729fd2c)
My inventory!
This is when the Hawkeye comics start to make a pretty unique change. From what I can tell, they alternate between stories with Clint and Kate, and this paperback collects the first of Kate's solo material. It's pretty cool stuff, and it allows her to shine on her own without needing to rely on Clint to remain interesting. She's a fun character and has a lot of shades to her, and it helps that she's complimented by a solid mystery story with a varied cast of characters. Including a Columbo tribute, of all things. I can't wait to see what happens next, but I am curious about Clint's story, since he was not in a good place when Kate left him in the beginning of this trade.
Oh, and the Barney Pop was a good buy, since it's apparently out of print, along with the rest of the first HB series, aside from Huckleberry Hound. I would have gotten Fred too, if I could find him, but I do prefer Barney, anyway. I wish I could go back for the next couple of challenges, since they're just as perfect for me- Disney and 90's/00's cartoons. But I don't think I could make those work.
Nice haul!
AOS shouldn't even be considered to be a Joss Whedon show.
Nice that you got all of that cool stuff, though.
As for me, I'm on Knight's End and will have to find a new DC comic to read after I finish it (I think I'll just stick to core DC characters for now). I really want to read The New Frontier, but all I can find is an expensive hard-cover version that retails for $50, which is ridiculous. Even the E-versions is too expensive at $40 to download.
I'm also about half-way through the Namek arc on my re-read of Dragon Ball. I really wish more people would read the damn manga. It's amazing how much better this arc is when you see it the way that Toriyama actually presented it.
And I'm playing catch-up with AOT right now since I initially took a break from it over a year ago on the grounds of it being really dull at the time of that story-arc.
Awesome that you won and awesome that you're around a comic book shop that supports other local businesses. That just seems really cool.
I've been wanting to get into Hawkeye. I believe I said I wanted to read his (and Taskmaster's) series awhile ago. I might get around to it.
Oh, speaking of Hawkeye, my roommate now has a copy of the first paperback, as well as the first for Jane Foster's take on Thor. When I get the time, I'll take this chance to finally dig into the latter.
I can't say I'm interested in that Thor.
I just finished Deadpool Classic Volume 10. Alex Hayden has really grown on me
The first volume of Tyler Cross by Fabien Nury and Bruno was offered for free on Izneo recently, so I downloaded it and only just now got around to it. One of Nury's previous works is Il Etait Une Fois En France which is one of my all-time favorite comics. Tyler Cross doesn't reach quite the same heights, but its still a very entertaining gangster-story and Bruno's artwork is nice to look at and would translate well if this was ever made into, say, an animated movie.
I might have to check that out. :)
I got 100 Bullets: Brother Lono. I'll tell you how that is, assuming you haven't already read it.
Quote from: gunswordfist on September 24, 2015, 03:49:39 PM
I might have to check that out. :)
I got 100 Bullets: Brother Lono. I'll tell you how that is, assuming you haven't already read it.
Haven't read it yet. In fact, I'm not even done with the main series of
100 Bullets. Too many other titles have taken up my time lately.
Regarding
Tyler Cross, I should point out that I read it in French. I'm not sure if there's an English translation available at the moment.
My French is!...will, non-existent. :-[ :D
I need to stop assuming that everyone has finished every series they like. :-X
After about a week of reading, I finally finished Judge Dredd: The Day The Law Died. Caligula's craziness and his rule over Mega City-One was pretty damn funny. Certainly one of my favorite villains now.
Spoiler
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.comicvine.com%2Fuploads%2Fscale_super%2F0%2F6063%2F4840843-img_0503.jpg&hash=d3664ca92adf44a08cfdd8cd12cb2ad336d71eaf)
I want to own every variant of this issue, fuck.
They are awesome!
:il_hahaha:
Spoiler
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-4EX2iTQ9U8w%2FVhUj0Qzj0GI%2FAAAAAAABTFI%2Fvj2mHdthtuo%2Fs1600%2FDeadpool_1_Johnson_Candy_Variant.jpg&hash=295de786efd6bb1515c9a40ee2b34545c93823c4)
I didn't read the description the first time. :D Now if only Barnett goes back to walking out to You Wa Shock.
OK ok, so a few early morning ago, I started Volume 22 of The Walking Dead and got about halfway through before I went to bed. Then this very early morning, I continued and completed Volume 22. HOLY SHIT, BATMAN! I'm liking what will probably be the next set of villains. Robert Kirkman took a great underexplored idea all the way from Volume 1 and applied it here. It only looks like it's going to get bigger. I'm geeking out and I'm not sure I've ever been this excited to read more TWD.
After almost 3 long years, I have finally caught up with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure!!! In terms of part 8, it is really good so far, and I love the story's large mystery aspect. I look forward to reading it on a monthly basis from now on. Right now, my ranks for each part would probably be:
Steel Ball Run > Stone Ocean > Diamond Is Unbreakable > JoJolion (so far) > Stardust Crusaders > Battle Tendency > Vento Aureo > Phantom Blood
Now that I have JoJo out of the way, I'll probably focus on catching up with Blood Blockade Battlefront and finishing Barefoot Gen.
I might need to do that one day.
Read Taskmaster: Unthinkable. I've been meaning to read a comic book starring him for some time. I didn't expect it to be this comedic. I also assume they retconned a lot of his past in it.
My box-set containing both volumes of Boxers and Saints, Gene Luen Yang's comic about the Boxer Rebellion as seen through the eyes of a young man who becomes one of its leaders and a girl who has converted to the catholic faith, arrived today. I just finished the first volume, Boxers and it was terrific. Yang does a great job at making the reader sympathize with Little Bao and his comrades, without condoning their methods, which grow more and more extreme. Highly recommended. Now, on to the next volume.
After about a year since I started it, I finally finished reading Lone Wolf and Cub. Truly a classic worthy of all the praise bestowed upon it, and one of the best manga ever made, no doubt about it.
I need to finish Samurai Executioner so I can finally start that.
I read a little bit of All Star Section 8, and I couldn't help but notice a similarity to another panel.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CW_MUOFWkAE86yI.jpg:large)
I tried reading a few chapters of Nisekoi. Romcoms aren't really my cup of tea, so I don't think that I can get into this one based on what I've seen so far.
I've also been reading a short manga called Spirit Circle based on the recommendation of a friend. It's fairly decent so far.
I caught up with the current scans of Yowamushi Pedal, which only goes a bit past the ending of Grande Road, so I'Lloyd really just have to wait for season three to come out to see how the series unfolds from here.
I recently caught up with Dark Horse's releases of Blood Blockade Battlefront. Just like its anime adaption, it was extremely entertaining. I'm looking forward to reading the 8th volume when it eventually comes out in the US. ;D
I've also been continuing to read Barefoot Gen, and it is getting even better with each volume. It'll probably become one of my favorite manga once I am done with it.
Once I'm done with Barefoot Gen, I'm going to focus on finishing Gundam: The Origin and FINALLY start reading Excel Saga and Lupin III.
Now, I'm curious Dr. What's the context for the first panel?
As for me, the last comic I read was Nanjing: The Burning City by Ethan Young. It tells the story of two Chinese soldiers trapped in the city of Nanjing during the Japanese occupation of the city.
As one would except from a comic with this theme, The Burning City has its share of bleak and horrifying scenes, but it also features plenty of courage, compassion and genuine heroism. Excellent characterization as well, the lead protagonist and antagonist in particular are both great characters and it was interesting to see them interact with each other.
Highly recommended.
Quote from: Pharass on January 11, 2016, 05:50:41 AMNow, I'm curious Dr. What's the context for the first panel?
For which manga?
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on January 11, 2016, 09:19:23 AM
Quote from: Pharass on January 11, 2016, 05:50:41 AMNow, I'm curious Dr. What's the context for the first panel?
For which manga?
I think he's talking about the Superman/Johan pic.
Been reading the VizBig edition of Dragon Ball, and I've almost totally forgotten how brisk the pacing is. The story's pacing is just perfect. Few manga manage to be as constantly engaging so fast. For an example of what I mean, the first volume ends right at the beginning of the first tournament. All of the Pilaf stuff and training fit in this one edition. If you weren't a fan before reading it, you surely would be after.
Woops. I forgot about Dr. Insomniac's post. :sweat:
And yeah, re-reading Dragon Ball really cemented how well it works as a manga. I've seen few other shonen series with better pacing than this one.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on January 11, 2016, 10:29:10 AM
Woops. I forgot about Dr. Insomniac's post. :sweat:
Yeah, I should perhaps have been clearer. My apologies everybody. :sweat:
Quote from: Pharass on January 11, 2016, 12:53:02 PM
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on January 11, 2016, 10:29:10 AM
Woops. I forgot about Dr. Insomniac's post. :sweat:
Yeah, I should perhaps have been clearer. My apologies everybody. :sweat:
One of the main characters is going through a rough patch in his life, and imagines Superman handing him whiskey as a sort of encouragement.
I just read through my old edition of GetBackers Volume 1 thanks to the fighting game thread.
The manga has aged pretty well. The translation's added slang is hilarious but since it meshes with the comedy it is easier to stomach than it normally would be. It really succeeds in the two main characters that bounce off each other very well both in the comedy and in the action. I remembered the similarity in the art and looked it up and sure enough Rando Ayamine was an assistant to Tohru Fujisawa on GTO. I'm surprised I only managed to pick up the first volume because it's a pretty good first volume.
Even though it's out of print, it's pretty cheap online so maybe I'll put a few of them on my wishlist. Apparently volume 25 is a good stopping place so if I ever get that far, at least I'll know where to call it quits.
That makes me want to dig out my old volumes and see if I can get through the series.
Great, now you're going to get me started on reading this series. :il_hahaha:
Well, it isn't really the type of series being written much these days, so it does have that going for it. I do wish Kodansha would at least put it online or something, though.
Finally got around to read the first volume of Fables by Bill Willingham. It was...OK.
Aside from the whole fairy-tale angle, volume 1 is a fairly standard murder-mystery story, something I though the video-game adaptation, The Wolf Among Us did better. Still, a fairly entertaining read and I've heard from reliable sources that the comic improves in volume 2, so I'll check that one out when I get the time.
I also read the first issue of Why I Hate Saturn by Kyle Baker and it was great; easily one of the funniest comics I've read in a long time. For some reason, only issue 1 (out of 3) are available at Comixology, which seems a bit odd, since this is a pretty old comic.
Oh, and I noticed some typos and stuff, but they didn't really impede my enjoyment of the actual content.
Oh, Best Buy has the first volume of Assassination Classroom for $3 right now. Since they also carry manga sometimes, I guess.
This would be a good chance to give the series a shot, so I'll probably go back and hit that up.
Quote from: VLordGTZ on January 10, 2016, 04:13:39 PM
I recently caught up with Dark Horse's releases of Blood Blockade Battlefront. Just like its anime adaption, it was extremely entertaining. I'm looking forward to reading the 8th volume when it eventually comes out in the US. ;D
Unfortunately, Dark Horse don't seem to care about that manga anymore as well as Drifters. I keep checking their release schedule and the next volumes (8 and 4 respectively) are never on there. They've also given Eden the shaft as well. It's just four volumes away from completion and they aren't bringing the rest over. Damnit, Dark Horse, quit dicking around! :e_angry:
Rant over. I'm currently reading Teppu online (since that's my only choice unless Kodansha USA licenses it) and I plan on reading the volumes of Flame of Recca I haven't gotten around to yet (17-26). I also plan on reading the 1996 issues of Avengers and Fantastic Four that lead up to the Onslaught saga. Non comic and manga-wise, I am reading Kieran Shea's Koko Takes A Holiday. The new generation of sci-fi has been pretty damn good.
Well last year, Dark Horse mentioned on their blog that volume 8 of BBB is "on it's way". (https://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/2095/manga-monday-blood-blockade-battlefront) Considering that the sales of the manga have risen in the US thanks to the anime, I think Dark Horse is still planning to release it.
I'm not sure about Drifters volume 4, but hopefully it will be released this year since the anime adaption will be coming out soon.
Also, BBB had a bit of delay in Japan due to changing magazines again. There's probably a lot of stuff they need to get around.
Quote from: VLordGTZ on March 15, 2016, 11:49:12 AM
Well last year, Dark Horse mentioned on their blog that volume 8 of BBB is "on it's way". (https://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/2095/manga-monday-blood-blockade-battlefront) Considering that the sales of the manga have risen in the US thanks to the anime, I think Dark Horse is still planning to release it.
I'm not sure about Drifters volume 4, but hopefully it will be released this year since the anime adaption will be coming out soon.
Hmmmm, I wonder how I missed that? Are there any blog posts about Eden?
It seems that the last time Eden was mentioned was around the release of volume 14. (https://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/1634/manga-mondays-return-eden) It doesn't sound like it was selling well, but considering the 2 year gaps between their releases of the last 2 volumes, it's possible Dark Horse may still have plans to release the rest (though, I wouldn't be surprised otherwise).
I finished the first volume of Assassination Classroom, and while I don't really love it, I can see why this caught on. There's a cool premise here, and there are some clever moments. I mainly like the mystery behind the teacher, who's too creepy to look away from, and helps to deflate the general blandness of the students thus far.
I might try to get to the later volumes, but I'm not sure if I want to continue buying it at full price yet.
Assassination Classroom is great series, but it can take some time to grow on you. Korosensei is the main source of entertainment in the early chapters, but the students and other supports characters become quite well-developed and fun over time (especially Nagisa, Karma, and a character introduce in Volume 2). Personally, I feel that it starts picking up at around Volume 4 and continues to get even better as it goes on from there.
Cool! Since I don't really think that I can afford to buy the rest of it as of now, I might stick to reading it online, but I'm interested in sticking around.
Right now, I'm reading on:
-Gokukoku no Brynhildr
-Onepunch Man
-Mahou Shoujo of the End
-Chocolat no Mahou
-Kingdom Hearts II
-Fairy Tail
Maybe I need to keep up with the current story for now.
Read the second-to-last volume of Il Etait Une Fois En France by Fabien Nury and Sylvain Vallé. The volume, which is titled Le Petit Juge de Melun is something of a departure from its predecessors, since the primary focus lies not on the comics' main character, Joseph Joanovici, but rather on judge Legentil, a minor character in the very first volume, who becomes increasingly obsessed with taking Joanivici down. Fittingly enough, the volume begins with that famous "He who fights monsters..." quote by Nietzsche.
While I didn't find Le Petit Juge as excellent as the first four volumes, its still a worthy installment in a comic which ranks among my all-time favorites.
Finally found a cache of Ditko-era Strange to read so I can get hook on the character. Can't wait to get to the Eternity Saga. Anyone know any other good storylines?
Reading Denny O'Neil's Question run. I shamefully haven't read much O'Neil, but this is great.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on April 19, 2016, 07:13:00 AM
Reading Denny O'Neil's Question run. I shamefully haven't read much O'Neil, but this is great.
It really is. Shame it's so difficult to get a hold of these days. DC should consider putting their old stuff online.
Iirc, I have only read his Green Lantern/Green Arrow, which is so damn good. How that got canceled is beyond me.
Reading Mike Grell's Arrow run. Great compliment to the Question run I read weeks ago. Really makes me wish DC did more street-level comics like this. They've always been better at street than Marvel, and it gets bothering when they forget about that.
Which story was that again?
Longbow Hunters. Introduces Shado and Green Arrow becoming more bloodthirsty.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.essentialwebcomics.com%2Fshowcase%2Fimages%2Fstories%2Frjd%2Fthe-longbow-hunters-sample-page-02.jpg&hash=bae759df7ebbab391e967b2e691ff2c67997d8b2)
...I can't believe I forgot how good that art is...
Barnes & Noble is doing a buy 2, get 1 free deal for all manga until the 19th.
I want to use this opportunity to collect and start reading A Silent Voice, and I might when I get my paycheck next week. Or I might wait for the next sale, since I've been spending a lot lately. :sweat:
It's totally worth going bankruptcy for. Just splurge and but it anyways. :>
In all seriousness it's a great read, but it's always important to make sure that you spend money on only what you can afford. However, at only nine volumes, at least it's not a terribly huge commitment to invest in. ;)
Hmm, I recall seeing that 7 was the final volume when I went earlier today. Or maybe I read that wrong?
I was also considering MHA, but from what I've been hearing, that seems to be better experienced through the anime right now, or continuing Assassination Classroom, but I might just go straight to the anime instead. But if I can find the other VizBig editions of Kenshin, that's priority #1.
Quote from: Avaitor on July 09, 2016, 10:30:51 PMHmm, I recall seeing that 7 was the final volume when I went earlier today. Or maybe I read that wrong?
You might be right. For whatever reason I remember it as nine, but either way it's a short series.
QuoteI was also considering MHA, but from what I've been hearing, that seems to be better experienced through the anime right now, or continuing Assassination Classroom, but I might just go straight to the anime instead. But if I can find the other VizBig editions of Kenshin, that's priority #1.
My Hero Academia is a good read. However, the early material does suffer a bit from feeling rather rushed (especially in retrospect), and the anime helps to really flesh that part of the series out. That said, the manga gets better as it progresses and at its current point in the story it is by far the best series running in WSJ right now.
Please do read A Silent Voice. :joy: It's a series that I've raved so much about (http://animationrevelation.com/forum/index.php?topic=93.msg82752#msg82752) and still keep finding new things to say about to this day.
Currently reading both Soul Eater and Black Cat from two different local libraries. Soul Eater is a lot of fun and Black Cat is decent from what I've read of both so far. I'll have to wait a while to read the third volume of Black Cat, though, since the library's original copy got withdrawn due to water damage. Some might ask why don't I just look up scans online but I have my reasons, mainly that I prefer reading hard copies of manga unless they're unlicensed.
Quote from: LumRanmaYasha on July 09, 2016, 11:03:16 PM
Please do read A Silent Voice. :joy: It's a series that I've raved so much about (http://animationrevelation.com/forum/index.php?topic=93.msg82752#msg82752) and still keep finding new things to say about to this day.
I've read the first four volumes. Liked them a lot, will read more.
Recently re-read my collection of
Scalped volumes in order to refresh my memory regarding the finer details of the plot. Noticed that for some reason I own the fifth volume, but not the fourth one. I should rectify that.
The nearest B&N didn't have volume 2, so I'm going to check out another one tomorrow or Tuesday if I'm off.
Quote from: Pharass on July 17, 2016, 03:07:42 PM
Quote from: LumRanmaYasha on July 09, 2016, 11:03:16 PM
Please do read A Silent Voice. :joy: It's a series that I've raved so much about (http://animationrevelation.com/forum/index.php?topic=93.msg82752#msg82752) and still keep finding new things to say about to this day.
I've read the first four volumes. Liked them a lot, will read more.
Recently re-read my collection of Scalped volumes in order to refresh my memory regarding the finer details of the plot. Noticed that for some reason I own the fifth volume, but not the fourth one. I should rectify that.
I need to reread Scalped myself.
MOAR SPENDING
So I've been to 3 different B&NNs, and cannot find volume 2 of A Silent Voice anywhere. As a result, I bought volume 1... along with the last Monster set, and the second VizBig edition of RK. This is way more than I intended to spend, but I don't regret it, since these were all immediate goals anyway.
Now that I've finished collecting and rereading Monster, I can safely say that this is still my favorite manga, and that Viz knocked these releases out of the park. They're going to look so nice in my collection.
Let's hope that they do 20th Century Boys next.
I'd think they would since only 20th Century Boys and Pluto are left to do. 12 volumes of 20th Century Boys and 4 volumes of Pluto would be very easy releases.
Unfortunately, Billy Bat is Kodansha, so Viz won't be getting it.
It took me a little bit to get into A Silent Voice. The first chapter wasn't all that engaging, and it took a while to build to something. But by the time I finished the first volume, I immediately ordered the second, and Amazon should have it over by Friday.
I think the important thing so far is that I don't feel at all sorry for Shoya. He was far too mean to Shoko, and deserved the hazing he's taken. Sometimes it's not all that fun to see how cruel he gets, but I couldn't put it down somewhere between the second and third chapters.
I didn't feel sorry for him, up to a point.
Then when the others were overly vindictive to him for doing exactly what he did, that annoyed me. They dog-piled on him and pretended he was the source of all their misery, when they were all just as guilty as he was.
The fact that they carried their abuse of him over into middle school was my breaking point. At some point you have to let it go and move on, but they just kept hammering on him for basically no reason except vindictiveness. At that point I had no sympathy for any of his old friends.
To be fair, you aren't really meant to feel sorry for him (at least not in the first third or so of the story). The whole story is about his redemption, and in order for one to redeem themselves they have to have done something terrible in the first place, so Shoya's punishment is pretty just in the early volumes.
It's sort of akin to the character arcs of Theon or Jaime in ASOIAF, in which they start out as ass-holes, are punished for it, and change for the better as a result of dealing with those consrquences. That's the appeal of stories like this, and it's a far cry better than your typical PSA BS that so often gets pushed down our throats by the media and countless after-school specials in regard to anti-bullying. Typically, it's an unrealistically one-dimensional person pitted against some other brat who we are supposed to identify with just because he's the victim. It's a lot more ballsy from a writing standpoint to humanize a bully and tell an entire story from his point of view.
Yeah, I pretty much have to agree with everything Spark and the Dr. wrote in their posts. Don't really have anything to add to the discussion beyond that, I'm afraid.
Changing subject a bit, I went on another trip to Stockholm recently (accompanied by my mother and sister) and, among other things, I took the opportunity to add to my ever-growing collection of comics. Unfortunately, I was unable to procure the volume of Scalped I'm missing (I'll just have to order it on-line or buy a digital copy), but I did buy a bunch of other comics; both volumes of old favorites that I hadn't read (Corto Maltese and Usagi Yojimbo) as well as comics that had been sitting on my to-read list for ages (volume 1 of Buddha and Habibi). All of which were great reads.
All in all, it was a good hunt.
Hopefully you can get a good deal on Scalped!
Just picked up Astro Boy Omnibus volumes 2 and 3 today. I REALLY wanted to get volume 4, but I just don't have the funds right now. But hey, at least I got all of the One Upon A Time arc to read through! I was actually really tempted to pick up Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol, which I had been looking for recently, but despite temptations I passed it up to get the third AB Omnibus so that I could complete that very story arc.
Bought and read volume 4 of Scalped. Great as usual, Red Crow continues to be my favorite character, though my favorite part of this volume was probably the one that focused on Carol, as we learn what the source for her resentment towards her father is. I say probably, because this volume contains lots of terrific (and terrifying) moments.
That's such a sad backstory.
While I was in Atlanta, I found the second omnibus of Astro Boy for half-off, and bought it.
I still need to get the first, but I'm pretty happy to finally start.
The great thing about a series like Astro Boy is that it's made up of episodic stories for the most part, so you can pretty much start anywhere. Hell, the omnibus editions have the stories published out of order as it is.
The first volume does have "The Greatest Robot On Earth", though, which I highly recommend reading eventually since it's such an iconic story.
I'm still working my way through the second Omnibus, myself, and haven't quite reached "Once Upon A Time" yet, but so far I have found that "Crucifix Island" really resonated with me. It's probably my second favorite story that I've read from the series so far.
I'm just a few chapters in to Once Upon A Time, but one thing that I found interesting right off the bat is this story-line's placement in the volume order. This is one of the later entries in the series' original run by Tezuka. Yes, I know that Tezuka wrote this manga on and off, and had different stories published over various different publications (ranging from shonen magazines to newspapers), but by "original run" I mean any piece of Astro Boy manga both written and illustrated by Tezuka himself.
Anyways, my point is that this story came out in 1969, whereas all the previous stories from this omnibus were either from the late 50's or very early 60's in their chronology. So, it's just really fascinating to see how much Tezuka's story-telling and art style changed (and quite frankly improved immensely), when jumping through time over the course of an entire decade. That isn't to say that his earlier stories were bad by any means, but you can clearly tell that there is a lot more thought put into his later works, no doubt due to having had a lot more experience by that point in time.
I just read through volume 5 of My Hero Academia, and there was a little note at the end. Since this volume ends at the end of the Sports Festival, I thought it was a neat tidbit Horikoshi through in.
QuoteSports Festival
When I was putting this arc together in my mind, it was going to be a vehicle for Todoroki's development. There'd be two chapters for the obstacle race, one for the interlude, two for the cavalry battle, and about five for the tournament itself. That was the grand plan, but when I started drawing, I realized I needed to showcase all these different characters, so it couldn't be as succinct as I'd imagined.
Since then, I had a talk with Naruto's Kishimoto Sensei, and he told me, "Whenever you make a estimate for the length of an arc, count on it ballooning to twice that length." How right he is. Wow.
I'm going full throttle with the volumes to come, too, so thanks for your support.
All's well that end's well.
Reading this arc to completion in volume form gave me a new respect for it, and I'm glad to see it was a real learning experience for Horikoshi, for which this still remains the longest arc.
It dovetails immediately into the Stain arc, seeing as both Ida's brother and development begins near the end, and Todoroki begins to come full circle by his fight with Midoriya (which is probably when the arc hits the roof in excitement until the end), not to mention Uraraka and Bakugo who looking back now you can see a lot of the seeds to sprout later. Even things like Tokoyami's weakness, and Kirishima's feelings of inadequacy come back later. The choice of the anime staff to make season 2 both of these arcs was a smart one.
LumRanmaYasha was right about the arc being better than you would think. I'm still of the opinion that it's probably the weakest part of the series so far, but that is mostly due to what Horikoshi said here. It was his first big arc and its weaknesses mostly stem from that. But there are a lot of great things here. All the character development is great, the obstacle race is typical Horikoshi cleverness, and the back half of the tournament has some really exciting character moments with an intriguing end to the arc.
What comes next is undoubtedly better (and it hasn't dipped in quality since, which is amazing) but for being the weakest part of the series, the Sports Festival really isn't so weak. Good going, Horikoshi.
I recently bought some Hunter x Hunter volumes I had been needing to fill a huge gap in my collection of the manga from RightStuf and also got one of their Viz 30th Anniversary coins for the order. They still have the coins available last I checked. It feels good to finally get all the volumes of the manga after years of some being out of print.
Some might give Viz flak for some things but I have to give them a lot of praise for re-printing many of their lesser known series. Dark Horse has been giving fans of Eden It's An Endless World! the shaft lately by not re-printing certain volumes of the series as well as not bringing over the last four despite how they claim to love the manga.
I'm currently working my way through Astro Boy Omnibus 3, and will post my thoughts on it once I'm finished.
I also FINALLY picked up Justice League: The New Frontier (paperback edition), which I've been wanting to get for years.
And I got Doom Patrol Vol. 1, so I look forward to that as well.
I started up JoJo's again. I took a break after finishing part 5 a few months ago. I'm currently 10 chapters into Stone Ocean and I already like it better than parts 1, 3, and 5, which got me to realize that I've developed sort of a Star Trek movie complex with the original JoJo's timeline. Well, not to say that any of the odd-numbered parts are bad. On the contrary they're all quite good in their own rights. However, I just find that parts 2 and 4 are the ones that particularly catered to my personal tastes, and those are the story arcs that I would readily revisit. So far, even though it's early, part 6 seems to be following in the footsteps of arcs like those, and much like how part 4's Morioh City was a very creative and interesting setting, Stone Ocean's Green Dolphin Street Prison seems rife with both story-telling and battle scenario possibilities.
Overall, Stone Ocean is off to a great start.
Recently I decided to re-read the four volumes of the French comic The Third Testament by Xavier Dorison and Alex Alice. The last time I read this comic was six years ago and so, I was curious to see if it was as good as I remembered it.
The best thing about The Third Testament is, without a doubt, Alice's art; which is excellent and suits the story very well. As for the story itself, it can best be described as a mix between The Name of the Rose and Raiders of the Lost Ark, without being quite on the same level as either of those. I think the biggest setback for this comic are the protagonists. In my opinion they're not very interesting; Marbourg is your typical grizzled old warrior with some demons in his past (and he looks like Connery to boot) and Elisabeth is your standard spirited young woman, who despite the comic taking place in medieval times, sometimes comes across as a time-traveler from the 21st century, more than anything else.
Don't get me wrong, The Third Testament is far from a bad comic. The story is competently told and there are plenty of exciting scenes. That said, its not one of my favorites.
Read Peplum by the French cartoonist Blutch. I've heard of the man before, but this is the first comic I read by him. Its a strange, intriguing and quite disturbing work, helped by some truly excellent black-and-white artwork.
I've been collecting and reading A Silent Voice on and off for the past couple of months, and finished it last night. Wow, what a great experience this was!
The series does a great job of giving each of its characters their time to shine and develop. Besides making Shoya a little more likable than he originally was, it does a good job of explaining each of the rest of the cast's thinking methods, and why they act the way they do. Even Shoko's mother, who I initially couldn't stand. And it's a fantastic read all the way through- possibly one of the best manga I've experienced.
So the new Flintstones comic is really cool. First time I've laughed my ass off from the franchise since... well, ever. Just all the dark humor placed in Bedrock is so absurd. I love it for that.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FhYOEmYu.jpg&hash=4a70fd71f333d43c9912ef51689958450922f139)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=komuDnY8OEA (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=komuDnY8OEA)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cvg3zG_WcAAXSu1.jpg)
My copy of the first book of Black Museum came in today. It's got a good solid hardcover and binding. Hopefully I'll get to read it tonight, but I read the first few pages and it's pretty obviously Fujita in style. So glad to have one of his works finally translated.
I also just bought the first volume of The Black Museum. I'll probably get around to it this weekend, but good god is Fujita's artwork so damn good.
Black Museum's cover is so beautiful.
That Flintstones comic looks interesting (and those are not words I ever expected to use together in a sentence). I'll have to check it out at some point.
By the way, would you guys be up for a "Greatest Comic" Tournament? I'm thinking of opening a nomination thread, once the "Greatest Anime Episode" tournament is finished.
Sure, why not?
I'm down. But if you're gonna wait until the "Greatest Anime Episode" tournament is finished I suggest you guys start voting in that again so it actually can. :humhumhum:
On second thought, perhaps I should start a nomination thread now, instead of waiting. Barring any objections, of course.
I'm always down for more competitions. That said, I would like to see people start participating in the "Anime Episode" game again and get that back on track first.
After discovering that Fantagraphics has been doing exceptionally detailed hardcover releases of various Disney comic storyteller's works, I decided to treat myself to their first Barks release. It was a great purchase, as it has some of his best Donald stories brought to life with exceptional coloring restoration and strong paper to back it up. There's also a bit of a Barks biography in here, and some reviews for the stories included at the end.
They're also releasing editions for Floyd Gottfredson and Don Rosa's works. If I get some Christmas money like I'm expecting to, I think that I'll get the first Rosa edition next. I'm especially excited to hit volumes 4 and 5, as the Life and Times of Scrooge works are included in those.
So I was on a thread where people very angry at Civil War II and modern Marvel comics in general cried for Jim Shooter to come back to fix Bendis' bullshit. And I found his review of Miles Morales' first issue. (http://jimshooter.com/2011/10/ultimate-comics-all-new-spider-man-1.html/)
Of the comics I've read since I last posted in this thread, the best one by far is The Art of Charlie Chan Hock-Chye by Sonny Liew. An outstanding book, one of those works that is well-deserving of the title masterpiece and takes the medium to new heights. This is the first comic by Liew I've read and I'm definitely checking out more from him (the superhero comic he did with Gene Yang looks interesting).
Another great comic was The Coldest City by Anthony Johnston and Sam Hart, which I recommend heartily to anyone who wants some quality spy-fiction, in the vein of John Le Carré.
Finally, I also read the first volumes of DMZ and Immortal Iron Fist respectively. Both were good and I'm interested in reading the subsequent volumes.
Quote from: Pharass on January 04, 2017, 06:20:38 AM
Finally, I also read the first volumes of DMZ and Immortal Iron Fist respectively. Both were good and I'm interested in reading the subsequent volumes.
Alright!!! I love those comic books. It's why Iron Fist will be my favorite Marvel superhero to come to Netflix.
So, I picked up World Trigger again, and I'm currently in the middle of the Invasion arc. I was enjoying the Rank Wars well enough, but then it got interrupted by this story-line, and the big problem that I'm having with this one is how overloaded it is with characters. We have tons of characters, both familiar and brand new, who are all involved in this battle, which I get is for two reasons: to make the conflict feel large scale and because Osamu and Chika are far too inexperienced to actually be of enough use in this situation at this point in time. But it jumps around between too many characters who I quite frankly have no investment in yet, and the flow is all over the place. It'd at least be interesting to follow one of the more capable fighters of the main four, either Kuga or Jin, who I do actually have some investment in, rather than not having any central focus for this arc which really makes the narrative feel like a complete mess.
Im hoping that the future arcs can go back to feeling more focused. I'm all for giving other characters a chance to shine and grow on you, but overloading us with so much at once while barely giving any one single person that much screen-time or development doesn't really do any favors for anyone.
I got Walt Simonson's Thor omnibus from the library, a mammoth brick of 1130 pages, and plowed through a quarter of it this morning. Especially impressed by Beta Ray Bill. I wish the Thor movies had this level of gravity going in, because of all the ranges the MCU has, Thor's still not quite one they've managed to master.
I really liked Thor in AEMH and the very little of Marvel stories which I've read that feature him. It's a shame that the movies, while entertaining, can't seem to manage to capture the grandiosty and excitement of his stories from the comics, especially since Chris Hemsworth is not getting to utilize his full potential given how well he fits for that character.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on January 11, 2017, 10:10:38 AM
I got Walt Simonson's Thor omnibus from the library, a mammoth brick of 1130 pages, and plowed through a quarter of it this morning. Especially impressed by Beta Ray Bill. I wish the Thor movies had this level of gravity going in, because of all the ranges the MCU has, Thor's still not quite one they've managed to master.
Not to mention that his movies are average, at best.
So, I've been reading Green Lantern: Hal Jordan (the post-Infinite Crisis run), and I'm really surprised by how easily accessible it is, starting from a retelling of the origin story and progressing smoothly as a regular serialized story. It makes me realize that most of the superhero comic books that I've read have been one-off stories or alternate Universe affairs, many of which I do legitimately like, but I'm still most keen to serialized story-telling that is more about telling fun stories as opposed to being more artistic and trying to explore deep concepts.
Of course, I'm only one volume in so it could get shitty later on (sort of like how Knightfall was great, but the follow-ups Kinghtquest and Knightsend were complete schlock), but I'm really enjoying the story so far, and plan to continue it.
Can anyone recommend any other serialized runs that are easy to get into from scratch, and are more traditional serialized story-lines? Stuff like this and Ed Brubaker's Captain America and Iron Fist runs are really what are most up my alley when it comes to comic books. In fact, I recently picked up the first two volumes of Ed Brubaker's Batman run just because I wanted to give it a chance since I liked everything that I've read if his work so far (I have yet to get around to those books, though). I also have the first volume of Mark Waid's Wally West Flash run, which I plan to get around to soon as well.
On the manga side of things I'm caught up with five WSJ series which I'm reading on a weekly basis (except for World Trigger, which is still on hiatus). The other four are One Piece, My Hero Academia, Black Clover, and Food Wars! One Piece and MHA are on fucking fire right now. Easily the two best things currently running in Jump. The rest are alright, but I must admit that my interest in them is waning a bit.
I have taken a break from my re-read of the early parts of One Piece, after having finished the Baroque Works Saga. I'm going to read through the first two volumes of The Black Museum, which have been sitting on my shelf for a while untouched, and then get back to One Piece. In the meantime, I have also been re-reading Psyren, which is easily Toshiaki Iwashiro's most successful series to date....which makes me sad since it's at best only a moderate success, despite how enjoyable it is. This makes me want to check out Kagamigami despite its early cancellation since I have heard good things about it, as well as his previous work, Mieru Hito. It feels like this guy has legitimate potential to do good manga, but never manages to have the breakout success and popularity needed to ever tell the complete stories that he wants to tell. I do genuinely hope that much like Kohei Horikoshi with MHA (which was his first big success after two or three failed Jump manga with early cancellations), Iwashiro finally manages to catch a big break with his next manga (assuming that he publishes it in Jump) since he really deserves the success, IMO.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on January 22, 2017, 01:10:09 PM
Can anyone recommend any other serialized runs that are easy to get into from scratch, and are more traditional serialized story-lines? Stuff like this and Ed Brubaker's Captain America and Iron Fist runs are really what are most up my alley when it comes to comic books. In fact, I recently picked up the first two volumes of Ed Brubaker's Batman run just because I wanted to give it a chance since I liked everything that I've read if his work so far (I have yet to get around to those books, though). I also have the first volume of Mark Waid's Wally West Flash run, which I plan to get around to soon as well.
I've been really critical of modern Marvel comics lately, but Vision by Tom King is extremely good. And while not as great, his current run on Batman has been refreshing after all the crap the Snyder run went through. And there's always Moore's Swamp Thing and Gaiman's Sandman in case you haven't gotten to them yet.
I've been meaning to read Sandman for the longest time now. I think I'll get around to it after I actually get through American Gods, which I've had for over a year and still haven't read yet (I keep forgetting that I have it since it's a digital download). :sweat:
Thanks for the recommendations. I'll look into those as well.
The Joe Kelly and Gerry Duggan Deadpool runs are extremely good IMO (with the latter being what I'd consider Marvel's strongest current offering), as well as Cable & Deadpool. Though he's usually just paraded around like a Looney Tunes character, Kelly and Duggan write DP with pathos and complexities that put almost any other superhero book to shame.
Also, the newest Power Man & Iron Fist series is awesome.
I've read fragments of different Deadpool comics here and there, and generally have enjoyed all of it. One of these days I'll get around to reading the character's best runs properly.
And I could always do with some more Luke Cage and Iron Fist. ;)
I'm just gonna recommend Fables. I love it and it tells a great story. I'm only through volume 5, but its really good.
Somebody donated a huge chunk of Eyeshield 21 volumes (2-19) to the library I work at and my friend who works in the Young Adult section set them aside for me since she knows I am a manga reader. She did have to send one of the volumes away because it was damaged but the others are in good shape and I bought the first two volumes (library policy) of the chunk. I bought a cheap copy of the first volume on Amazon and will eventually get the others from my friend as well as a better copy of the one she had to throw out. I don't like American football but I like Murata's art style so I will read it.
I've been going through a bunch of the Barks collections, and I have a couple more, plus a Rosa, to go through. After those, I have a few more GNs to read. The comic book shop had its annual geek trivia event, and my team tied for second, so I'm using my gift card to pick up volume 4 of Fraction's Hawkeye and volume 2 of Rat Queens, both of which I remembered that I'm behind on. And I also won a copy of volume 1 of Whedon's Astonishing X-Men, which I've been wanting to read again.
Excited to hit these up soon.
I love Astonishing X-Men so much. Congratulations! I want to read Fraction's Hawkeye.
Fraction's Hawkeye is quite good. He does a good job of making Clint and Kate equally likable as leads, right as they split apart and get more solo time.
I'm also thinking of giving Slott's Silver Surfer a shot. I found the first volume for a good price, and I also have his 50th anniversary special from last year. But I don't want to be too reliant on Marvel's stuff. I should give other comics a shot, as well.
While Marvel's recent... decisions with the X-Men have proven controversial to say the least, I'm wondering how exactly can the X-Men progress as a narrative in a way that's not stupid? It just seems like Claremont, Morrison, Whedon, Gillen, etc. have pushed the franchise to its limits that it's hard for a writer to innovate the X-Men brand.
I really have a spending problem. :sweat:
Since my last post, I ordered the first volume of Slott's Silver Surfer and the second of Whedon's Astonishing X-Men... and I also have a couple of different Conan books in my cart, along with an Archie collection, and the first volumes of JJBA, Death Note, and Astro Boy. At least with the last one, I have a copy of the second that I got for cheap a while ago to go with it. And I've also been thinking of rereading Sandman and Y: The Last Man, as well as continuing DMZ and Slam Dunk.
Plus I'm still neck deep in my go-through of Barks and Rosa's duckverse. Ah well, at least I'm being entertained.
The first two Astro Boy stories which I would recommend would be "The Greatest Robot On Earth" (contained in Omnibus volume 1) and "Once Upon A Time" (contained in Omnibi volumes 2 and 3). The latter is a rather lengthy affair, but it's totally worth it. Easily one of the best pieces of so-called "children's fiction" that I've ever read (as in, it can get pretty fucked up and dark for a children's manga).
There are other good stories to be sure, but those two are essential reading.
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I'm baffled by Marvel's decision for this. Having the Inhumans essentially gas Mutants to death with Terrigen Mist, while portraying the Inhumans as if we're supposed to like them. And that's not even getting to the part where Cyclops tries to stop his race from being gassed to death, but civilians start acting like he's Hitler for doing something the exact opposite of what the real Hitler would have done. Of all the options they had to introduce Inhumans to a new audience, they chose the absolute worst path.
Ugh...just ugh. I
My favorite part is when the writer tried to justify his pet characters essentially committing genocide by saying the deadly mist is more like a peanut allergy. (http://www.cbr.com/x-position-charles-soule-x-men-inhumans/)
Everything Marvel's done with the Inhumans has been completely unintelligible from both a commercial and literary standpoint. They want to introduce new mutant-like characters to use in the MCU because Fox owns the X-Men rights - that makes sense. But they introduce them by having them genocide an entire race filled with beloved superheroes dating back over 50 years? A race that's traditionally been used as an allegory for oppressed minorities? How are we supposed to think that's interesting or cool? It's baffling.
I realize if Marvel couldn't negotiate with Sony to co-opt the Spider-Man film rights, Spidey would probably be given the same treatment in the comics X-Men and Fantastic Four are dealing with right now.
It's one thing for corporate higher-ups to phase out the production of properties that Marvel Studios doesn't hold the film-rights to. I can understand that even if I don't agree with it. However, to have actual comic book writers so blatantly have them just killed off like its nothing, and to have another group of characters which Marvel is trying to promote be the ones to do it just produces the opposite effect of what they intend. Fans will be enraged by how badly the X-Men property has been bastardized and disposed of, and all the while the Inhumans are certainly living up to their namesake. I can't tell whether it's more hilarious or sad that we're actually meant to perceive them as good guys and sympathize with them after shit like that.
I know Marvel says they want to make amends by announcing some new X-titles, but it just feels like a hollow courtesy considering all the issues their recent comics have had even beyond throwing the mutants to the back of the bus. Issues that seem to contradict what the films want to do despite all this talk of MCU synergy. Like when a new Captain America movie is released and the public is latching onto and embracing Chris Evans for his political stances and genuinely loving his role? Turn Cap into a Nazi in a series of arcs that have still yet to resolve while the writer keeps digging himself deeper by claiming his idea is original and too radical for someone like DC. Or when the MCU needs to hype people into liking Captain Marvel when her movie comes out? Turn her into a war criminal who murders or imprisons long-time friends all because a psychic told her to, while blurting out plans to build a planetary wall to keep alien invaders out because Marvel's favorite superheroine also needs to be a Trump analogue for whatever reason. And the worst part? Those are only the tip of the iceberg in many, many mistakes that have made Marvel's recent comics a trainwreck I can't just take my eyes off of. All of this at the same time DC fixes themselves from all of that New 52 garbage and make some entertaining comics.
Read the first Yen Press edition of Murciélago. Fun read and I am glad it was licensed. Kuro looks like Hellsing's Rip van Winkle reincarnated in another manga! :swoon:
Also bought the first two Fire Force volumes as well as the latest Viz volume of Boku no Hero Academia and I have some unread Soul Eater volumes. I have quite a few goodies to mentally munch on.
Comixology had a sale on Warren Ellis comics recently and I took the opportunity to by vol. 1 of Desolation Jones, a comic which have been on my to-read list for some time. The first volume, which revolves around the ex-spy turned private investigator main character being hired to recover a stolen porn-film, directed by Adolf Hitler, was a terrific read and I can't help but feel bummed out knowing that the comic was abandoned after only eight issues.
I've also read the first volume of Wild's End by Dan Abnett & I.N.J. Culbard. Alien-invasion stories isn't usually something I seek out, but I had heard a lot of good things about Wild's End and thought I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did, this was another great read. Wild's End has been described as The War of the Worlds meets The Wind In the Willows and that's fairly accurate. I really liked the cast of characters, particularly Clive and Susan and am interested to see what will happen to them next.
Hajime no Ippo. After Bleach ended I was pretty much done with manga, but I forgot that I still read this series lol. Anyway, much has changed since I last posted about this series. I can't stand Ippo. I have no problem with being a goody-goody, but I there are times where it's too much, and it just irks me. He cheers for everyone, alright, cool but when you speak bad about Miyata, he pouts, and I'm like really? This past chapter I really hope was a wake-up call for Ippo because, in the ring, Ippo is great, but outside the ring he annoys me. Miyata and Sendo are still my favorites (Do I really need to speak on them?). Ippo vs #2 world ranked was so good. I probably need to go back and read that fight (I might be getting this fight mixed up with Takamura and that Bison dude). I can't remember his name, but I did like the battle between the two. Takamura is too good, but there are times where I want/need someone to knock him down a peg or 2.
I haven't started reading them yet, but I got two new books today.
First is a How to Train Your Dragon comic that takes place after the second movie. Flipping through it and the art looks really nice, especially the dragons. They look great.
I also got the beautiful deluxe edition hardcover Ghost in the Shell. It's awesome just to look at. I've never read the original story, so I'm looking forward to it.
My comic/manga stack is looking really big right now. Got to read more!
To kill time before watching Samurai Jack, I read Steve Ditko's legendary underground classic Mr. A. For anybody who ever argues that Stan Lee didn't do anything of worth in Spider-Man's creative development, I point to them to Mr. A. It has the most redundant, meandering dialogue possible, with one issue where the word "sob" is said in every word bubble, and another issue where the antagonist always refers to Mr. A as "one guy" without notice. The paneling and pacing are so stilted, making reading five pages seem like forever at some points. The title character is a jackass who has to hammer his moral absolutism to everyone he encounters. I remember reading Alan Moore say that he wrote Rorschach as a toned down version of Mr. A, and he wasn't kidding. Everything that comes out of his mouth is nothing but confused diatribes about how "good is good" and "evil is evil" and how there is nothing in-between. Even his walkways are littered with speeches about how truth and justice are virtues against lies and injustice. And that complete lack of self-awareness was what made it a hilarious read. Something that more people should read to get a good giggle, and to see how one of the founding fathers of Marvel descended into a raving Objectivist loon.
I decided to use B&N's 20% coupon to pick up the first 3-pack for One Piece. I figured that it was time to give it another shot, but I have a big stack of stuff to go through first. I'll hopefully get to it soon, though.
Glad to see you give it another shot. It really is a great long-running series. It has its highs and lows (though even its lows are more "underwhelming" then ever being badly written), but on the whole it's a lot of fun in that early Dragon Ball sort of way. In the manga in particular Oda's unique art-style really shines, and while the early stories are very simple and basic, Oda's ability as a writer to build up extensive plot threads by carefully planting seeds and paying them off big time later on is what constantly keeps the main story so engaging, while all of the whimsy and sense of adventure from everything in-between is what keeps the series enjoyable from a moment-to-moment basis.
I think it's around the Enies Lobby arc where I finally had the realization that this series was intensively planned out from the beginning for all of the big and well-earned "holy shit" moments and reveals were in that arc and how well it connected so many other parts of the story and characters that may have previously seemed unrelated. Oda has a bit of that George R. R. Martin vibe in that regard. But most of all I love seeing him delve into stories that are clearly inspire by something. Like, Oda is a fan of Tim Burton's earlier work, and the Thriller Bark arc is like a love-letter to those kinds of movies, especially stuff like The Nightmare Before Christmas which I recall reading was one of Oda's favorite films. The point being that One Piece feels very inspired at times and that really helps to add to its charm, IMO.
Granted, the early stuff may be slow for first time readers, but personally I've really grown to appreciate it.
I will say that I never had a problem with the art style. In fact, I like how cartoony it looks, and that it sticks out so well. I know the art is a turn-off for western audiences, but that was never one of my issues with OP. Especially compared to, say, Naruto, which I always felt looked kind of boring.
I couldn't get into the characters or story at the time, but it's been a long time since I tried it, and I'm a different person. But even if I do really get into OP, I'll probably take my time, since it's not the cheapest investment, and I have a long time to catch up. But I'll see how it goes first.
Hope you enjoy OP Avaitor! It's a great time to get into it with it's 20th anniversary coming up. Some say it doesn't hit it's stride until Arlong Park, but personally I think there's a lot of strong material from the start, and that first omnibus covers a great chunk to get a feel for the series.
Quote from: Avaitor on March 17, 2017, 07:09:47 PM
I will say that I never had a problem with the art style. In fact, I like how cartoony it looks, and that it sticks out so well. I know the art is a turn-off for western audiences, but that was never one of my issues with OP. Especially compared to, say, Naruto, which I always felt looked kind of boring.
It's funny, but OP's cartoony style is actually what attracted me as a kid. I've always thought it was reminiscent or at least heavily inspired by Toriyama's art, which was a big selling point considering I was becoming a big fan of DB and
Dr. Slump at the time. OP's art and character designs have a lot of personality, and it definitely has some of the most expressive and impressive art in a long-running shonen action title, especially during it's prime between Water 7 and Marineford.
I just posted about manga a moment ago, but I'm still reading comics right now. :P
Well, I finished refreshing myself on duck comics (man, if you haven't read a Carl Barks story, you're really missing out IMO), I decided to finally check out the first volume of Superior Spider-Man, like I've been meaning to. It's pretty good stuff so far. Of all things, Octavius is a decent Spider-Man, but he's missing what it takes to be human. Even if it's Parker. That said, I do think the addition of Peter doing what he can to fight Octavius' negative influence does draw me in. It's that bit of decency that he brought into Kraven's Last Hunt that makes it such a great story.
I probably should have got the edition with Dying Wish, so I could have understood the story better, but it's fine.
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A lot of what the Marvel editors said a few days ago regarding diversity and sales was dumb, since Alonso managed to both alienate fans of the new trends, and critics who are still waiting for an answer to many faults in recent runs. But they have a sincere lack of awareness if they do not understand why comic readers are buying a book where Peter's allowed to have a family with MJ. A book where One More Day never happened.
I haven't really commented on the matter, but Marvel is ran by morons. I've been having little patience for them lately. Yikes.
Anyway, my girlfriend recently showed me a cool used bookstore, and I went back today. I picked up the second volume of DMZ, since I read the first one a while ago and wanted to read more. What I didn't know is that they lower their prices after their merch has been in stock for a while, and this was here for about 3 years. So it went fro $7 to just around $4.
Not only do I plan to go back and get more volumes soon, I intend to check out their manga. They have a bunch of Kenshin and OP volumes, and if they've been around long enough, it would be cheaper to buy them in bulk rather than Viz's omnibus editions.
I went back to that book store and got volumes 7-9 of Kenshin, and the next 2 Superior Spider-Man books. Not bad, all in all.
I forgot to mention this, but I did finish reading the first Vizbig collection of OP, and y'no, part of me feels like I'll never get into this series the same way many others have. I appreciate Oda's love for adventure and his character building, but so far, it's still not grabbing me.
But I do think that the characters are pretty likable, and they're already starting to shape up for bigger and better things. I might get to more of the franchise, but it's not a top priority right now.
One Piece takes a while to grow on some people, and like many series, it's probably harder to fall in love with the older you get and the more exposure to similar stories you have. Many find Arlong Park to be the arc that sold them on the series, so I'm curious to see your reactions when you get to there (it would be around the 3rd omnibus).
I can definitely understand that. I had a similar feeling about One Piece this early on, and much like my experience with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, it very much took me quite a while to really grow an appreciation for the material. Keep in mind that while I like the early material a lot more than I used to, it comes from retrospect more than from my initial viewing of it.
I really don't like using the "it improves over time" argument (mostly since it applies to a lot of things), and if a work doesn't grab you then it just doesn't grab you. That said, should you ever see fit to move further with the series at a later point in time, it is worth noting that it builds on its characters and lore quite a bit and in very interesting ways. That more than anything is why so many people, including myself, hold it in such high regard, rather than just instantly loving the series from the start.
But, of course, should you decide to drop it, I'm still glad to see that you at least gave it another fair shot.
If you don't like the Arlong Park arc then you probably won't like the series as a whole. It takes a bit to get rolling.
Quote from: LumRanmaYasha on April 12, 2017, 04:17:16 PM
One Piece takes a while to grow on some people, and like many series, it's probably harder to fall in love with the older you get and the more exposure to similar stories you have. Many find Arlong Park to be the arc that sold them on the series, so I'm curious to see your reactions when you get to there (it would be around the 3rd omnibus).
Since I own the first 8 omnibi, I can tell you guys for certain that it starts in the third one but mostly takes place in the fourth omnibi and runs through a bit into the fifth one.
I'll give it until at least the fifth, but I won't get to reading it regularly. Like right now, I used a gift card I won for the local comic book store from their Disney trivia event to pick up the first Immortal Iron Fist set, and I just ordered the first Princess Knight set as well.
But I'm still interested in giving OP more of a shot. It's not my top priority right now, but I can do more than just read the first few volumes.
Oh boy, read the latest chapter. Shit's about to go down! :shakeshakeshake:
So I have to admit, I'm not very familiar with Iron Fist. I've read some of his original run, but I was not impressed by it, and while his stuff with Luke is more appealing, I just never got around to checking and getting into much of his own stuff. I've read the first 7 issues of Immortal Iron Fist so far, and whatever doubts I've had with the character are removed here. I think this is terrific stuff.
Too bad that most of the people who worked on the show didn't seem to read it.
YAY!!! Immortal Iron Fist is the good shit! I nominated it years ago for a reason.
I have been thinking about how, funny enough, those comics are just as dark as the show. But of course with much better writing and just as much lighter elements. Iron Fist would be better off as a mystical big budget movie series. TV can't handle it. I wouldn't be surprised if we never saw K'un Lun or that Danny never gets more than a glowing skeleton fist in the show.
We eventually get to see a little bit of K'un Lun, but it's basically too little too late at that point, and not too memorable. One of my biggest problems with the show was its refusal to delve into Danny's training or experiences until the very end. I understand that it wouldn't be cheap to bring a lot of this to screen, but you know what? In that case, don't make an Iron Fist show.
My copy of Vertical's first Princess Knight collection came in the mail. I was skimming through it, and I'm in awe of Tezuka's work here. His Disney influence is still felt, but you can tell that his style was in full effect here. But I'm kind of mad at myself for ordering it, since the second set is not cheap to order at all. Even Vertical's site has it sold out. So it's almost like I'm teasing myself.
While I've been getting more into the world of manga, I've also been trying to keep up with modern comics. So I tend to buy an issue or two of a new title that crosses my eyes to see if it's worth investing into later, and here are some of my thoughts.
The Old Guard- I like the build-up that Rucka is doing here with the mythology and characters. It's early on and already feels fairly rich. The art matches the tone very well, and helps to contribute to a story that I definitely intend to check out in trade form when it hits.
Grass Kings- I like how smooth and painted the art style is. This is a little less intense than some of the other books I've been checking out, but the story is nonetheless interesting. Part of me wants to just collect it monthly instead of waiting for the trade.
Man-Thing- I have to admit, I checked this out for the novelty. R.L. Stine writing a comic! But then I remembered that Stine was never a great writer, and Man-Thing was never a great character... the Hollywood satire seems like a good fit for today's super hero climate, especially a purposefully-picked D-lister, but there's nothing really fresh or exciting here. Even Stine's side one-off story doesn't work as more than a half-assed EC throwback.
Galaxy of Brutality Space Riders- Pretty crazy, like a mix between Guardians, Space Dandy, and Lobo. If that sounds like something you're interested in, I don't think that I need to say anything more. I can see the art style not being for everyone, but I dig it, myself.
Namwolf- This one disappointed me, since I liked the concept, but the art style and general story didn't wow me. Maybe it'll get better as it goes along, but I'll just wait for word of mouth on it. Which is a shame, since I liked the idea of An American Werewolf in Wartime Vietnam.
God Country- I've been buying this monthly, and I don't regret it. The story is larger than life and wholly human all at once, and makes for an interesting parallel towards alzheimer's. Once this wraps up (unless it gets extended), I intend to do a fuller review for it.
Yeah, generally the smaller companies are making more exciting stuff. I also really wanted to check out the new Aliens book, but it's been selling rapidly. But the guy I caught at this comic shop sold me on the Batman/Flash/Watchmen crossover, so we'll see about that!
I also found a bunch of books in 50 cent piles, including some from a bunch of different series I've been wanting to try, like Southern Bastards, Black Science, and Rick and Morty, among others. I'll try to get to this soon as well.
I'd be iffy on the Watchmen crossover if it weren't for Tom King writing it. King did a great job on Vision and Omega Men, and his Batman run so far has been fun.
I finally found a copy of Aliens: Dead Orbit, and I have to admit that I was a tiny bit disappointed. My big issue is that the human characters look kind of blah, and they don't mesh with the stronger set design in the comic. But I do kind of like the cast we have here, and when the Xenomorph finally appears... yeah, I think I'm going to buy the next issue.
I also got the first of the new Predator miniseries, Hunters. This one I actually liked better since I like the idea of the crew searching for the Predators having experience and actually knowing what they're looking for. It's a cool change of pace, and it's building into something awesome. The bit of action in the beginning is especially getting me pumped.
Back to manga, I finally found Vertical's second collection of Princess Knight for a reasonable price, so I ordered that. And I also went on a whim and ordered the first 4 volumes of Pluto from a charity-ran second-hand dealer on eBay. I only stopped there because their copy of volume 5 was already sold. But the first volume came in today, and I'm excited to reread it.
As for now, I'm on the second omnibus of One Piece. I think Usopp is my favorite character so far. I liked his introduction arc the best thus far, and I appreciate that as goofy as he is, the guy really wants to do good and to live up to or surpass his father. While I also appreciate how Zoro and Nami contrast with Luffy, I think it's similarly nice to see him relate to Usopp. It's a good balance thus far.
Ussop's my favorite character too, and his introduction arc is what really started getting me hooked on OP early on. He's one of the weakest characters physically, is often cowardly, and has extremely low self-confidence beneath his bombastic facade, but when the chips are down he'll stand up for what's right and the honor of his friends more than anyone. His character development is arguably the strongest between all the Straw Hats and he's responsible for a good chunk of my favorite moments in the series.
Usopp's a really fun character. My favorite Straw Hat is probably Zoro, though he may be surpassed by another character in the current manga if he officially joins the Straw Hats. I'll refrain from mentioning him for spoiler reasons, though, since his name does come up within a relatively early arc despite not making an actual appearance in the manga until hundreds of chapters later. As for Zoro, though, I like how Oda balances his goofy side with the fact that he can also be a legitimate bad-ass.
As for what I'm reading, I'm keeping up with a bunch of Shonen Jump manga, though I dropped Hungry Marie since what I have read is really unappealing to me and I figured that if I'm to read any gender-bender comedy with a main character who knows martial arts, it might as well be Ranma 1/2 instead.
I recently bought the first volume of Dragon Ball Super (because it's Dragon Ball and I just can't help but own any piece of official DB content that I can get my hands on) and Ichi-F, which is a documentary/memoir about working at the Fukushima Power Plant after the 2011 earthquakes in Japan.
On the comic book side of things, I'm just about to start reading Ed Brubaker's Batman run, which I've had the first two volumes of sitting on my shelf for months despite not getting around to it until now.
I just read the first volume of Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai. It's safe to say that Hiroyuki Takei is back on his absolute A-game, and this might be the best start to one of his series yet! While their wasn't a ton of plot development until the last few chapters, the volume did a good job of depicting Norachiyo as an entertaining and interesting protagonist. It's also filled with some superb action scenes and Takei's art looks even better than I remember. Overall, I'm glad to see Takei hasn't lost his touch, and I'll definitely be checking out Volume 2 as well as keeping up with Kodansha USA's future releases of the series.
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Sometimes, I remember that time Alan Moore wrote a comic where Harry Potter shot up Hogwarts and killed everybody.
I have volumes 8-10 of Slam Dunk to read here, but I haven't got to them because I only have volume 7 in its original Japanese. :sweat: The seller I ordered it from accidentally sent me that, and sent me a refund when they couldn't find a copy of the translation. So I tried it again elsewhere, and at least I have this if I want to start collecting it in its original Japanese.
I haven't really talked about Slam Dunk yet, but I'm really enjoying it. The pacing is great so far, even for someone who doesn't normally like sports. I'm also not one for second-hand embarrassment (it's one reason that The Office never clicked with me), but I do find it entertaining to see Sakuragi make an ass of himself. Part of what helps is that he's generally too proud to actually be embarrassed, so instead he jumps to his next stunt. He'd be a fun character on his own, but seeing that he actually does have a talent for basketball is what drives the story, and I hope to see him nourish that talent.
Mainly, I want to get to volume 7 already, since the sixth ends with introductions to a couple of characters who seem that they'll add more to the story.
Slam Dunk is a great read. I have read and watched my fair share of sports manga and anime, and with the exception of Ashita no Joe, Slam Dunk is my personal favorite among them. It doesn't do anything radically different for the genre, even for its time, and it has its tropes, but the core cast of characters are so damn entertaining and easy to route for that you can't help but be endeared by their struggles.
For a point of record of how much this series meant to people, it's ending is ultimately what signaled the end of Shonen Jump's Golden Age. Dragon Ball, which ended about a year prior, saw the publication lose approximately half a million subscribers. Slam Dunk's departure, however, caused it to take a hit of approximately two million. That says a lot about its importance to the magazine, and you can still see its influence to thus day in any number of sports manga.
I never knew about Ashita no Joe until I joined this forum. Is that a bad thing? ???
As far as sports manga go, I've only read All Rounder Meguru, Teppu, and Toppu GP. The first and last are because I love the respective mangakas (Hiroki Endo and K?suke Fujishima) of those mangas and Teppu looked interesting; it was also completely scanned and short. I'd love to read Rising Impact since Nakaba Suzuki drew it but no one seems interested in translating the rest of it.
Quote from: Markness on May 22, 2017, 02:05:24 PMI never knew about Ashita no Joe until I joined this forum. Is that a bad thing? ???
It's an iconic and historically significant manga in Japan, both as a Shonen sports series and just in general. But it's pretty obscure in the West, and has never been officially licensed over here, so it's not surprising that you haven't heard of it.
Most English-speaking anime and manga fans mostly only seem to recognize the name by it being referenced in other popular anime and manga series, like Bakuman, 20th Century Boys, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
Unfortunately where I live (Central Texas Bible Belt), it's rare to encounter anyone who doesn't think all anime and manga is just Dragon Ball; usually just the Z anime and nothing more. It gets really annoying when I try to bring up something else and all I get for the most part is "Huh? I never heard of that." as an automatic response. These people don't even acknowledge Akira Toriyama as a mangaka, they just think "Yah! DBZ fucking rocks!" and it makes us level headed anime/manga fans look bad. Sure, every now and then I'll encounter someone who likes One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Soul Eater, and Fairy Tail so they atleast know series besides Dragon Ball are out there but in general, I tend to be the only one in the immediate area who is truly passionate about anime and manga.
Bought the first volume of Shaman King from Viz's digital store. I'm planning to go through the series properly from start to finish. I watched part of the anime back in the day, but I never read any of the manga, so most of this series is new to me.
I also dug out my copy of Grant Morrison's DOOM Patrol volume one and plan to go through that as well.
After loving the first two volumes of
Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai, I decided it was time for me to finally revisit/finish Hiroyuki Takei's previous series, starting with
Karakuri Doji Ultimo. While it was still enjoyable, reading the first volume again has cemented to me that it's easily Takei's weakest start to a series. To be fair, this was probably due to how messy and underdeveloped Stan Lee's original concept was. By the fourth chapter, it's clear that Takei had realize this and started to deviate from Lee's "Pure Good vs. Pure Evil" idea, and instead make something more akin to his own style. I only made it up to Volume 2 the last time I read
Ultimo, so it'll be interesting for me to see what happens beyond that point.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on May 25, 2017, 03:56:28 PM
Bought the first volume of Shaman King from Viz's digital store. I'm planning to go through the series properly from start to finish. I watched part of the anime back in the day, but I never read any of the manga, so most of this series is new to me.
What a coincidence, I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts on the series, E-k. I read the first 13 volumes about 4 years ago and liked it a lot. I own the first 24 volumes and my local library has the last 8, so once I'm done with
Ultimo, I plan on restarting
Shaman King from the beginning.
Outside of reading Takei's series, I've been slowly catching up with
Kimetsu no Yaiba,
Haikyu,
World Trigger, and
Yuna of Yuragi Manor which I'm all enjoying. I'm also currently collecting
Ultimate Muscle, and am hoping to have all the necessary volumes to do a full read-through of it by July.
A few other series I'm planning to read soon include:
Black Cat
Bakuman
Gundam: The Origin (Volumes "V" and onwards)
Fire Force
To Your Eternity
I also just picked up the first two volumes of Nekogahara.
First of all, can we all just agree that the art is amazing? I mean, I'm also reading the first volume of Shaman King right now, and the art is very unique and fairly high quality for one of Takei's earlier works, but the utter world of difference between the style that he uses in that manga and Stray Cat Samurai just goes to show you how much he has improved as an artist over the years.
Also, this is probably the best first chapter of a manga that I've read since My Hero Academia. I can't wait to read more of this and Shaman King.
Finished reading the first two volumes of Nekogahara. It's hard to believe that this is from the same guy who made Shaman King. It's pretty bonkers stuff, and kind of written as self-aware schlock, but for me at least it's the right kind of crazy that makes it an entertaining and easy read. The artwork is absolutely insane, though. Going back and forth between this and the first volume of Shaman King really did a lot to display how much Takei has improved his artwork over time. This series definitely isn't for everyone, though, so I can't openly recommend it, but if it sounds up your alley than give it a shot.
I also recently picked up the first four VizBig editions of Dragon Ball. This is more for my collection than anything else, since I re-read the series just two years ago, but I've been flipping through some of my favorite moments of the early parts of the series, and it absolutely baffles me how anyone could claim that Toriyama didn't really hit his stride with the series until much later on in its run. The early material is so packed with wit and charm that it still amazes me to this day how insanely well-composed and clever it is. People who criticize Dragon Ball of being a dumb or cliche series really need to sit down and actually read this shit, because it's some of the best comic book material that I've ever experienced to this very day, and it's full of incredibly good humor and a really terrific flow to its narrative that just puts so many other serializations to shame.
Part of me wonders what would have happened if Dragon Ball had not been adapted into an anime back when it was originally running, and instead got the same high quality treatment as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure while also being released during the same period of time in which legally streaming anime became such a big thing. I wonder if people's outlook on the series would be a lot fresher than what it has been for all of the over-exposure that the series has gotten through the anime over the past couple of decades.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on May 28, 2017, 01:37:19 PM
I also recently picked up the first four VizBig editions of Dragon Ball. This is more for my collection than anything else, since I re-read the series just two years ago, but I've been flipping through some of my favorite moments of the early parts of the series, and it absolutely baffles me how anyone could claim that Toriyama didn't really hit his stride with the series until much later on in its run. The early material is so packed with wit and charm that it still amazes me to this day how insanely well-composed and clever it is. People who criticize Dragon Ball of being a dumb or cliche series really need to sit down and actually read this shit, because it's some of the best comic book material that I've ever experienced to this very day, and it's full of incredibly good humor and a really terrific flow to its narrative that just puts so many other serializations to shame.
Both the mindless bashers and excessive fanboys (Not directing this at you) burn my nerves. The mindless bashers just think everything Dragon Ball is just the Z anime and act like you are a man-child. The excessive fanboys fall into two camps: the camp that only cares about the Z anime and never reads the manga because of some lazy excuse like "I am too lazy to read x number of volumes!" when they have no problem re-watching the episodes for the 100th time over and the camp that thinks if something isn't Dragon Ball then it "sucks ass".
I bought the second volume of Murciélago last night. I wonder how long the series can stay on the shelf before soccer moms complain?
Quote from: Markness on May 28, 2017, 03:57:42 PM
I bought the second volume of Murciélago last night. I wonder how long the series can stay on the shelf before soccer moms complain?
I'd be more worried about right wing anime fans/MRA's whining and typical tumblr-tard complaining, and I doubt they'll be too loud since it doesn't have an anime yet. I need to pick up the second volume myself, but I did see copies of the first volume being featured on some special shelves along with other manga such as AoT and My Hero Academia at my local Books-a-Million, so hopefully that means it's selling well over here.
I finally got around to finally finishing two short manga a while back.
Gogh and the Idiots was fun, and it was a refeshing to have a series where the main characters were likable and interesting right off the bat. Not the biggest fan of romantic plots but I thought the whole thing was handled well and it kept the drama reasonable. I also really dig the art style, and hope to read more of the author's work later.
Benkei in New York was short but the plots were generally well handled. I like good crime stories so I appreciated the different approach this took. And more Jiro Taniguchi is always welcomed.
Quote from: Markness on May 28, 2017, 03:57:42 PM
I bought the second volume of Murciélago last night. I wonder how long the series can stay on the shelf before soccer moms complain?
I highly doubt anything like that will happen.
I read the first volume of Nekogaraha. It feels like a throwback to that early 80s style trashy manga that just doesn't really get made anymore. I'd definitely read more.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on May 28, 2017, 01:37:19 PM
Finished reading the first two volumes of Nekogahara. It's hard to believe that this is from the same guy who made Shaman King. It's pretty bonkers stuff, and kind of written in as self-aware schlock, but for me at least it's the right kind of crazy that makes it an entertaining and easy read. The artwork is absolutely insane, though. Going back and forth between this and the first volume of Shaman King really did a lot to display how much Takei has improved his artwork over time. This series definitely isn't for everyone, though, so I can't openly recommend it, but if it sounds up your alley than give it a shot.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 28, 2017, 08:05:30 PM
I read the first volume of Nekogaraha. It feels like a throwback to that early 80s style trashy manga that just doesn't really get made anymore. I'd definitely read more.
I'm glad to see that you both enjoyed it! While Nekogahara's story is simpler than Shaman King and Ultimo's, it embraces it in an entertaining way and highlights Takei's strong points as a mangaka. Takei has definitely improved his art since his early Shaman King days, but it also seems that he has changed how he approaches the art in his work as well. If you compare Nekogahara's art to the art in the last few chapters of Ultimo (which ended and started respectively around the same time), they look quite different. In Nekogahara, Takei appears to be placing a larger emphasis on the artwork by utilizing larger panels as well as more two-page spreads than his previous works. Personally, I think this helps make the his action scenes more engaging than ever while also showcasing his full abilities as an artist. Nekogahara really shows that Takei hasn't lost his touch and is continually trying to improve as a creator.
Picked up the fifth Dragon Ball VizBig edition. I'm going to hold off on collecting DBZ for now since my local BAM is missing several volumes and I don't feel like ordering it online due to not having a private mailing address yet. Still, though, it's nice to finally own all of he classic-era portion of the series in high-quality print.
I also picked up Blade of the Immortal omnibus two.
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Ahahahahaha... oh, Secret Empire.
Good lord no. What are you doing Marvel? Stop!
I can't believe they canned Silk but this shit gets a major event after already festering for a year. :srs:
I don't get why Marvel doesn't seem to realize that no one wants their events. Every time one of them receives some kind of backlash... they announce another one that's even worse.
In other news, I was hoping to start collecting Saint Seiya, and it seems like Viz still has most of it in print... aside from the first volume, of all things. I should probably focus on what I'm collecting now, anyway.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 31, 2017, 09:26:15 AM
In other news, I was hoping to start collecting Saint Seiya, and it seems like Viz still has most of it in print... aside from the first volume, of all things. I should probably focus on what I'm collecting now, anyway.
Yeah, Saint Seiya is a bit of a pain to collect physically now days. I think some of the volumes go for even $90 now used. Luckily, Viz has released the entire series digitally, so it's still possible to legally read the series in English.
Speaking of slowly going out of print manga, I managed to get volumes 1 & 3-12 of Beet The Vandel Buster for $23 (which is about how much Volume 12 alone goes for now). I'll probably buy Volume 2 sometime soon, and then give the series a proper read.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on May 31, 2017, 02:52:32 AM
Spoiler
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Ahahahahaha... oh, Secret Empire.
NO, YOU STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY CASTLE, YOU CLUSTERFUCK!! And it's bad enough that it also sounds like a BDSM line. :whuh:
This is why Illuminated Comics is my preferred vision of Marvel events.
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I have been binge reading MHA and it's become one of my new favorites. :thumbup: Horikoshi is one of the best current mangakas on the block and his first series, Oumagadoki Zoo, is definitely worth reading as well. I like how he reuses Sakamata for MHA. He was a cool character back in that series; truly monstrous and intimidating. He is even cooler now in MHA.
I'm a few arcs into Shaman King. As a fan of battle shonen manga, I can say that this one is fairly generic, but in an odd way it's kind of interesting to read if only for how I know about Takei being creatively frustrated with the lack of creative freedom he was allowed due to various mandates and restrictions by WSJ's editorial staff.
It seems very clear that he had very different intentions for the series than what it ended up being. For example, the series has a very JoJo's-esque aesthetic to its battles, but it feels oddly watered down to be more appropriate for a younger audience (despite the fact that they were both technically running in Shonen Jump at the same time). However, while it forcibly has that message of "friendship" that is present in many battle shonen, but which WSJ series in the previous decade had to beat their audience over tge head with (no doubt the image that the company was pushing at that time), it feels jarring to see some of Yoh's early opponents become his allies when literally half of them were pretty cold-blooded murderers with no redeeming qualities before. I mean, its nothing new for the genre, but it feels especially jarring and forced here. And having already read some of Nekogahara, I have a pretty good idea of the types of morally deficient characters that Takei prefers to write when he's unrestrained. This is pure speculation on my part, but I can't help but wonder if he wanted to write a battle tournament type series with less traditionally good characters similar to JJBA, but was awkwardly forced to weave that into a more black and white good and bad guy type of story that the editorial staff at Shonen Jump wanted him to make. If nothing else, it would explain the jarring disconnect between how clear villains with really skewed morals are treated as allies and get off scott-free just because "power of friendship" logic is applied.
Or, you know, it could also just be the early parts of the manga that are like this and Takei's general lack of experience as a writer at the time. But really, even though it was only a little, Nekogahara is so jarringly different, even for as many years later as it is, that I can't even draw the slightest similarities between his style for that and Shaman King other than that half the characters in SK are clearly psychotic until the main characters beats them into agreeing with his viewpoints (one of the less endearing battle shonen tropes, even for me).
A lot of it is Takei getting his feet wet. A lot of what you're talking about shows up later in the manga (and anime!) with far more devious villains and dark themes. At the beginning he was probably still trying to figure out how to work everything out.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 09, 2017, 04:28:31 PM
A lot of it is Takei getting his feet wet. A lot of what you're talking about shows up later in the manga (and anime!) with far more devious villains and dark themes. At the beginning he was probably still trying to figure out how to work everything out.
With Shaman King being his first major series, it likely took Takei a while to get his barrings. Takei's writing style has certainly changed from his early Shaman King days, but I think that's mainly due to his increased experience. By the time Nekogahara came out, Takei already had four major series under his belt, including Ultimo which focuses a lot on moral ambiguity. It's not too surprising that the implementation of his ideas has become a lot better after nearly two decades of manga publication.
After it having been sitting on my shelf for months, I finally read through both volumes of The Black Museum by Kazuhiro Fujita. As expected it was a really great story, and it further displays what a talented and varied storyteller Fujita is. I'm especially impressed by how he handles the themes of despair and bonding, and I like how this story clearly takes a lot of inspiration from classic English plays, and not just in the fact that it quotes and references them a bunch of times, but also in how its narrative unfolds, touching on the classic elements of drama, tragedy, and even comedy. It really says a lot about Fujita's ability to write compelling characters that, despite being such a short story, I really cared a lot about the two main characters by the end of it all. And also, as random as it was, including a cameo from Watsuki's characters from Embalming at the end was a nice surprise. I didn't realize that Fujita and Watsuki knew each other.
It really bums me out that Ushio and Tora didn't get more recognition than it did. The people who have seen it mostly seem to have liked it, yet it hardly ever got discussed that much when it was airing, and now it seems like almost everyone has moved on and forgotten about it, meaning that it was probably not much of a hit or at best a modest success, so the chances of another of Fujita's manga (such as Karakuri Circus) being adapted into an anime are rather slim. Even so, I sitll plan to check out his other works when I get a chance.
Now I'll be moving onto Blade of the Immortal, which I have the first two omnibi for, and I will also be starting Ed Brubaker's Batman run, which I also have two volumes for. I still have a huge backlog of comics and manga that I bought from last year which I just haven't gotten to yet.
Now that I've been reading a lot more manga, one of the key differences I've noticed between manga and comics is that the Japanese don't really do individual chapters, aside from some gag comics I guess. Obviously western comics have plenty of serialization, but a lot of these books can take an issue or two off to focus on a side character or just go away from the action. Oftentimes these do contribute to the story at core, but I find that off chapters like that are a rarity in manga. Everything is generally connected to the bigger picture.
There's obviously plenty of other differences between eastern and western comics, but a lot of it is cultural. And I am enjoying my time reading both.
Well, there are a lot of older non-gag manga that have plenty of one-off stories between the main arcs, but yeah, generally most stuff in the action genre these days tends to be focused on the bigger picture right from the get-go.
As for Ushio & Tora's popularity, the anime did increase manga sales, it did introduce every other place in the world to Fujita on a larger scale, and said anime has been dubbed and has not yet been released here yet. The only haters have been manga purists who will admit you can't tell anything is missing (because the way it was done, nothing actually was skipped--it happened off-screen) and those who gave up by episode 3 or so. I'd say it was a success all the way around.
All I'm hoping is that Sentai is planning to court Toonami with their dub. The series really deserves the exposure, and the should give it the attention it needs to fully break out.
I'm still introducing this series to people, by the way. I've yet to meet any who dislike it.
Sakuragi losing his father due to being surrounded by a group of gang members wanting payback is pretty sad, but also pretty true to his character.
And it also feels like something that would have happened to Kuwabara.
Because of a Barnes & Noble buy 2 get 1 free deal, I have volumes 1 and 2 of My Hero Academia on the way!!!!
I'm not gonna lie, I haven't been this hyped to read/watch something since Magi. And that's one of my favorite anime/manga of all time. So, I'm excited. I just feel like I'm gonna love it and I really hope I do.
And hopefully Toonami will air it soon.
Careful of hype, though. I love MHA, but just don't expect it to be an instant classic from the get-go. It starts out pretty strong, IMO, even if it's a set up that has been done before, but like most shonen it takes a few volumes before it really hits its stride.
Quote from: Avaitor on June 15, 2017, 01:39:57 AM
Sakuragi losing his father due to being surrounded by a group of gang members wanting payback is pretty sad, but also pretty true to his character.
And it also feels like something that would have happened to Kuwabara.
That part always gets me. It comes out of nowhere in an otherwise straightforward sports series to suddenly have a heavy dramatic moment like that, but it's very indicative of the kind of character writing that Inoue would perfect in his later work.
Quote from: Dreamer2 on June 16, 2017, 12:50:54 AM
Because of a Barnes & Noble buy 2 get 1 free deal, I have volumes 1 and 2 of My Hero Academia on the way!!!!
I'm not gonna lie, I haven't been this hyped to read/watch something since Magi. And that's one of my favorite anime/manga of all time. So, I'm excited. I just feel like I'm gonna love it and I really hope I do.
And hopefully Toonami will air it soon.
Hope you like it! In my opinion, the first four volumes are good, but the series hits its stride in volume 5 and has been great ever since.
The first season of the anime covers the first two and a half volumes, in case you're curious.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on June 16, 2017, 07:44:00 AM
Quote from: Avaitor on June 15, 2017, 01:39:57 AM
Sakuragi losing his father due to being surrounded by a group of gang members wanting payback is pretty sad, but also pretty true to his character.
And it also feels like something that would have happened to Kuwabara.
That part always gets me. It comes out of nowhere in an otherwise straightforward sports series to suddenly have a heavy dramatic moment like that, but it's very indicative of the kind of character writing that Inoue would perfect in his later work.
It's surprising, but a great moment. Inoue hints at deeper character moments throughout the series with Akagi and Mitsui, but this was a bit more direct, and it works well.
If Real and Vagabond have more stuff like this, I'm definitely excited to get to them when I'm done with Slam Dunk. And I'll probably try to use the B&N sale to get more SD and Parasyte volumes (I have the first coming elsewhere), but I need to save a little money up first.
Quote from: Avaitor on June 17, 2017, 11:29:48 AM
If Real and Vagabond have more stuff like this, I'm definitely excited to get to them when I'm done with Slam Dunk. And I'll probably try to use the B&N sale to get more SD and Parasyte volumes (I have the first coming elsewhere), but I need to save a little money up first.
Just so you know, you wouldn't be able to get Parasyte under the buy 2 get 1 free thing because its only for Viz manga. Of course B&N does stuff like this all the time, so they may have one with all manga some other time soon.
Quote from: Avaitor on June 17, 2017, 11:29:48 AMIt's surprising, but a great moment. Inoue hints at deeper character moments throughout the series with Akagi and Mitsui, but this was a bit more direct, and it works well.
If Real and Vagabond have more stuff like this, I'm definitely excited to get to them when I'm done with Slam Dunk. And I'll probably try to use the B&N sale to get more SD and Parasyte volumes (I have the first coming elsewhere), but I need to save a little money up first.
With Slam Dunk I feel as though Inoue, while clearly talented at writing great characters, was still finding his footing somewhat as an author. However I also read a very insightful interview in which he elaborated on how much his philosophy had changed between Slam Dunk and REAL, in which he had a mentality on the importance of winning and triumph when he wrote SD, whereas these days he feels that you should always strive for the best while still acknowledging that it's more important how you choose to live despite your circumstances and whether or not you manage to accomplish your goals.
My Hero Avademia volumes 1+2 ( plus some other stuff) arrived yesterday and tonight I read volume 1. Yeah, I think I just found a series I'm gonna follow. This was a whole lot of fun, even if a majority of it was relatively predictable. But, it was a volume 1 and a good chunk of the time volume 1s and first episodes can be pretty predictable.
But, I just wanted something to enjoy and I got exactly that. Fun, interesting characters in an interesting world. I can already tell Deku is my type of protagonist and I look forward to seeing his adventures.
I was also happy that a character (Aizawa) who I felt like was going to annoy me throughout the upcoming volumes and stuff, became likeable in one panel, just by smiling at Deku. I thought they were gonna run with the antagonistic teacher, who tries to get the lowly student to quit or expelled. So, that was nice.
Overall, this was a great read and I'm really happy I have volume 2 sitting over there. I usually don't get more than one volume at a time to start off a series, just in case I don't like it. But, I just felt like I would like it a lot and so far so good. I'll probably get to it sometime next week.
Glad to see that you enjoy it. The first few volumes are fun. The Stain arc (which starts in either volume 5 or 6) is where the series gets great, IMO.
The anime is also a really well-done adaptation, so it would be a great fit for Toonami, IMO.
I just finished the Shohoku vs Ryonan match, which, as per the rest of the series thus far, was fantastic. My favorite moment came at the end, when Taoka admits that underestimated Sakuragi and Kogure's talents, which cost him the game. Kogure's three-pointer is another favorite moment, and one that honest to god made me cheer as I was reading. He's one of my favorite characters, so seeing him help the team out like that really excited me.
This just shows the brilliance of this series, that it makes someone like me, who isn't really into sports at all, as nervous and excited to read it as I am. I think that's just a mark of the best sports series, that no matter your stance, if the characters and pacing are strong and believable enough, it's all the easier to become engaged.
Shohoku Vs. Ryonan is my favorite match of the Summer Inter-High Qualifiers saga. I just love great comeback matches, and this is one of my favorites. In particular, I really like how high the stakes are, as this match is Shohoku's last chance at qualifying for the official Inter-High tournament. On top of that, this is the ultimate underdog scenario, as not only did they lose to Ryonan in their previous practice match, but they also suffered a crushing defeat to Kainan earlier on as well, and worst of all was the huge blow to Sakuragi's confidence. To see him and the rest of the team come back from all of that is extremely rewarding.
There are surprising amount of great sports manga and anime, and much like you, Slam Dunk was my gateway into this genre (and still one of my favorites). Granted, I had also read Hikaru no Go several years prior (which is also great), but that's a bit different since it's technically not an athletic sport and also involves a supernatural twist.
While Slam Dunk and Ashita no Joe are among my absolute favorites in the genre, there have been some other great ones that I've gotten into as well, such as Eyeshield 21, Hajime no Ippo, and Baby Steps.
As for me I recently picked up Young Justice Vol. 1 and have been re-reading some of the early stories (I did read the first few issues of YJ several years ago). These are pretty fun, light-hearted stories that are easy to enjoy, but admittedly I was also tempted to delve back into it because my fandom of My Hero Academia has gotten me into the mood for teenage superhero stories, and more than anything it's really interesting to see how the West portrays their teenage archetypes compared to the East, and what similarities and differences they have between each other.
I've been meaning to get to the series you mentioned, along with Haikyu!!, and of course REAL, at some point. I have a friend who really likes Eyeshield 21 who keeps trying to sell it to me, and while it sounds good, I have a lot of other things I'm catching up with now, so I plan to save that for later.
I also hear that a lot of the scans aren't that great, so like Slam Dunk, I might need to consider buying the volumes themselves.
As far as Haikyuu! goes, if you have a CR subscription, then I strongly recommend watching the anime over reading the manga. It is superior to its source material in every conceivable way.
I rarely ever go with scans now, myself, unless it's a series that just isn't available in English in any official capacity like Ashita no Joe or Hajime no Ippo.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 01, 2017, 06:33:34 PM
As far as Haikyuu! goes, if you have a CR subscription, then I strongly recommend watching the anime over reading the manga. It is superior to its source material in every conceivable way.
Alright, I'll keep that in mind!
Also, what is the better method for HnI, the manga or anime? I was thinking of watching it, but if the manga is superior, I'll get to that instead.
The anime is directed by Satoshi Nishimura. He did Trigun and Ushio & Tora.
It's well worth seeing if you can find it.
The anime is definitely the way to go for HnI. Unfortunately, the old DVDs from Geneon are long out of print, and there's no legal way to stream the first two seasons (but for some reason CR has the third season). Of course, the manga isn't available in English (officially), either, but just keep in mind that you may have to stream the series online like I did (I watched the whole thing on YouTube, but it has probably been taken down since then).
Anyways, the first two seasons (along with the TV movie and OVA), cover all of the best material from the manga anyways, IMO. With the former concluding with Ippo's JFC title match, and the latter concluding with the Takamura Vs. Bryan Hawk match, both of which make up the two best fights in the entire series (and arguably rank among the best of all time in either the sports or battle genres).
Anything after that is fine to check out if you're interested, but IMO the first two seasons covered the manga at its absolute peak. The rest is generally good, but can't quite measure up, IMO.
Here's hoping Discotek picks it up sooner than later. They scoop up a lot of old licenses, but there are some great ones still floating around without a home for little reason. HnI is definitely one of them.
I picked up Superman and Justice League America Vol. 1 earlier today. I've been wanting to get some 90's Justice League comics for a good while now and this is just what the doctor ordered! :kabapu:
I'm glad to see you like My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness and the first omnibus of I Am a Hero, Lum. I've recently ordered both, and they should be here soon. I have some more Slam Dunk to read first, then I'm hoping to dig into these.
Excellent! We go even more in-depth on Lesbian Experience on our upcoming Manga Mavericks about it and My Brother's Husband (which should be out by Monday), but suffice to say I really resonated with it and it might nudge into my top 20 favorite manga. I hope you'll enjoy it and I Am a Hero when you get a chance to read them!
MLEWL came in last week, and I absolutely loved it. It's a reminder of the importance of personality and honesty, and one of the strongest page-turners I've read in a while. I agree with your review 100% and I'll definitely check out that podcast. I Am a Hero still isn't here yet, though.
But do you know which series I've recently tried that I couldn't get into? Ooku: The Inner Chambers. I really liked the concept, but I've found it very dry so far, and the use of old-timey English in the translation has done no favors for me. I don't think that I'll stick around for it. But I did also recently get the first volume of Berserk, which fared much better for me. One of these days, I'll finally finish the original anime, but I'm interested in getting through the manga first.
Also, B&N has a buy 2, get 1 deal for Yen Press manga. Which is cool... except they haven't released anything that I'm interested in. :sweat: I'm hoping for Kodansha to have this sale next, or maybe Viz again.
I'm really happy with the response MLEWL has received. It's a smashing critical success and the sales have been extraordinarily high. It's breaking down barriers and opening up doors for more manga/comics like it to be published, which is why it's great so many people have been sharing and spreading the word about it.
I've liked what I read of Ooku, but it is a pretty slow story. I'd stick with the manga for Berserk, since the original anime, while well-done, cuts a lot out and doesn't even conclude the Golden Age arc (and those recent anime movies & tv seasons are garbage adaptations).
Yen Press has a few great titles. I really recommend anything by Kaoru Mori, who is one of my favorite mangaka for her thoroughly researched historical settings and intricately detailed artwork, as well as just telling great romance stories. Emma was recently re-released in five hardcover omnibuses, so I think that series would definitely be worth giving a read.
Outside of her work, Yotsuba&! is always a delight and one of the most charming slice-of-life/childhood manga out there that I think has a near-universal appeal. Yowamushi Pedal is a pretty fun sports manga, Murcielago is an awesomely trasy manga about a psychopathic lesbian serial-killer turned detective, and Thermae Romae is a fun historical-fantasy manga about bathhouses that turns into this weird time-traveling romance story as it goes along. They have a couple big shonen titles like Soul Eater and Black Butler that aren't necessarily great but are pretty fun reads overall and I have some fondness for them. There's also a few titles that I've heard good things about/seen the anime of but I haven't read yet, like Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, The Royal Tutor, Kakegurui, and Scum's Wish, as well as Sumomomo Momomo which was the series Shinobu Ohtaka did before Magi. So they have a couple of titles in their catalog that I think are worth giving a second look. They're a pretty eclectic publisher.
Yeah, Soul Eater and Sumomomo Momomo are the way to go when it comes to Yen Press. I also recommend Omamori Himari, Demonizer Zilch, and Akame ga Kiru! as well.
Quote from: Avaitor on July 16, 2017, 08:23:30 AM
But I did also recently get the first volume of Berserk, which fared much better for me. One of these days, I'll finally finish the original anime, but I'm interested in getting through the manga first.
I actually recommend watching all of the original anime first before reading the manga. Yes, the manga is superior but the original anime will make you appreciate it more. It actually made me crave more Berserk; I know that sounds like I am saying it isn't satisfying enough but it's hard to explain. The animation also holds up well today and the music is intoxicating. The new adaptations should be avoided like the plague, though.
How often do you guys re-read your favorite series? I recently re-read my volumes of Nanatsu no Taizai and it was fun reliving the moments that made it my favorite manga as well as seeing details I had forgotten about.
Heads up that Souboutei chapters 2 and 3 were finally put up.
I've recently been reading Scott Snyder's run of Batman. I finished the first seven issues and I honestly don't get why this is so well-received by many comic book fans (at least I've seen people praising it before). The writing here is pretty dumb. Like, there's a part where Bruce says that The Court of Owls doesn't exist because he couldn't prove that they existed when he was a little kid and had absolutely no real detective skills. What? So now that he's a full-grown man with a much more well-developed brain and not just the skills but also the tech needed to conduct proper investigations, he refuses to follow any compelling leads all because he already checked back when he wasn't even old enough to be a high school student? Aside from that I'm also not really a fan of how Bruce is written here, and the Court of Owls seem like a terribly underwhelming group of antagonists so far. I'll keep reading on further, but so far I'm pretty unimpressed. I mean, this is far from the worst Batman related thing that I've checked out (it's definitely no ASs-BAR), but it's easily some of the weaker Batman material that I've read so far.
I have also read two Superman comics recently, both of which I really enjoyed a lot more than I expected. One was All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison. I remember watching the DTV animated feature adaptation of this a few years back and being kind of disappointed with it, but I think that reading the story since then has changed my stance on it. Back then I didn't really appreciate how this was trying to be different from the standard Superman story and was telling a much more emotionally compelling series of vignettes, but reading it now made the material really resonate with me a lot stronger, especially with how it gets down to the core values of Superman as a character and comes up with really interesting adventures for him to partake that are interesting in that he can't just use brute force to overcome most of them. I think that the only story that didn't really work for me was the Bizarro one, but other than that it was a good read. I also read American Alien by Max Landis. And yes, I'm well aware of what a controversial screenwriter he is in that, pretty much most of what he's written is trash. But, casting my opinions of his other work aside, this series of short stories on its own were very compelling and, much like Morrison's All-Star Superman, this really does get to the core of the character, though in this case focuses a lot more on the Clark Kent persona and how he tries to be more human. It's also funny how American Alien details the beginning years of his life whereas All-Star Superman are about his last few months leading up to his death, but either way both iterations of the character have the same kind of heart behind them. Those kinds of stories really strike a cord with me.
If anyone has any more Superman stories to recommend to me, I'm definitely up for checking them out if I can acquire them easily enough.
As for manga, I had Blade of the Immortal sitting on my shelf for months now. I had been reading the first omnibus in bits and pieces, and it was fine. However when I got to the "On Silent Wings" story from Omnibus II, I instantly became hooked. Up to that point this was a pretty serviceable Samurai manga, but now I'm really engrossed with the characters and overarching plot that they are going through, and I honestly can't wait to for the next Omnibus to be released on store shelves. I'll have to check the Dark Horse Comics app to see if they are selling as of the volumes digitally since I believe the whole manga had already been fully translated years ago. My only real gripe with the releases here is that this is yet another series that DH had originally released in its flipped form and has neglected to correct for its re-release (just like with Astro Boy). The artwork is fucking amazing and I can't help but feel that I would want to view it in its originally intended right-to-left alignment, but hey, I can't complain too much since the actual quality of the book itself is top notch.
I finally finished Slam Dunk last night, and wow, what a ride. I think that it had a terrific ending, and rightfully had a massive range of emotions. It was the perfect balance between happy, spot-on, and bittersweet. But I was really impressed with all the character moments in the final game, from Sakuragi recognizing Rukawa's talents, to Akagi recognizing Sakuragi's place, to Sakuragi and Rukawa finally high-fiving. The action throughout was great, but it's a testament to Inoue's talents that he could find room for little moments like constantly in between a really intense game.
As for now, I finally found the first volume of Nausicaa that I've had for a while, and also have the second volume of Parasyte and the second and third Berserks to read, but I'll save those for later. I also finally got the newest Barks and Rosa collections, which I'm dying to crack open. The new DuckTales series has me in a duck book mood again (in fact, when I'm done with these, I'm going back to the volume with "Tralla La" in it, given that the recently released short had Scrooge and the kids escape from the place), and there's great stories in these sets. I just hope that the next ones aren't also delayed, since I wanted them for birthday gifts.
I remember liking Court of Owls when it first came out, but everything Snyder wrote after felt stupid. Especially that shit with the Joker's new face, Harper Row, or Gordon becoming Batman. I remember someone pointing out just how much Snyder ripped off from Morrison's run, except watered down and more friendly for film/show adaptations. And he was right. Snyder's run felt less like it was telling its own story, and more like he was following the Bendis/Millar model and making material in the hopes that a future Batman film will adapt it and he'll get royalties. That's why I've preferred Tom King's current run. He plays more fast and loose than Snyder ever did.
As for Superman stories, I want to recommend Final Crisis because Morrison follows up on what he did with All-Star and writes a radical take on Superman, but the comic only makes any sense if you've read quite a bit of Morrison's prior DC work like Seven Soldiers, Animal Man, 52, Batman RIP, and so on. Superman: Secret Identity by Kurt Busiek is great, with a Superman who feels both realistic and highly idealistic. And while it's not officially a Superman story, Supreme by Alan Moore. It was his love letter to Superman, especially when he had burned bridges with DC at the time.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 29, 2017, 01:50:21 PM
I have also read two Superman comics recently, both of which I really enjoyed a lot more than I expected. One was All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison. I remember watching the DTV animated feature adaptation of this a few years back and being kind of disappointed with it, but I think that reading the story since then has changed my stance on it. Back then I didn't really appreciate how this was trying to be different from the standard Superman story and was telling a much more emotionally compelling series of vignettes, but reading it now made the material really resonate with me a lot stronger, especially with how it gets down to the core values of Superman as a character and comes up with really interesting adventures for him to partake that are interesting in that he can't just use brute force to overcome most of them. I think that the only story that didn't really work for me was the Bizarro one, but other than that it was a good read. I also read American Alien by Max Landis. And yes, I'm well aware of what a controversial screenwriter he is in that, pretty much most of what he's written is trash. But, casting my opinions of his other work aside, this series of short stories on its own were very compelling and, much like Morrison's All-Star Superman, this really does get to the core of the character, though in this case focuses a lot more on the Clark Kent persona and how he tries to be more human. It's also funny how American Alien details the beginning years of his life whereas All-Star Superman are about his last few months leading up to his death, but either way both iterations of the character have the same kind of heart behind them. Those kinds of stories really strike a cord with me.
If anyone has any more Superman stories to recommend to me, I'm definitely up for checking them out if I can acquire them easily enough.
All Star Superman was a really great read. My opinions on Morrison stuff usually ends up mixed. Final Crisis and some of his Batman stuff come to mind. But, I really enjoyed this. Its been a while, but my favorite parts were probably the Pa Kent stuff and the stuff Luthor in prison. I should look into Morrison's X-Men and Batman (Grayson) and Robin (Damien) when I get a chance.
As for recommendations, if you've never read them, I'd go with Superman: Red Son. Its my favorite Superman story. Earlier this year (I think it was this year) I read a TPB of Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. Its not a great story, but there is some decent stuff in there. The TPB also had a surprisingly good Swamp Man/Superman story plus For the Man Who Has Everything, which is really good.
I bought the first two volumes of SGRS (Descending Stories), though I don't plan to read them for a bit since I've already watched the anime and I also have other manga that I'm currently working my way through at the moment. I just wanted to pick them up to show my support for the series. As for Blade of the Immortal, sadly I just can't wait for the next omnibus to be released since these releases are far too slow for my liking, so I'm just going to have the buy the individual volumes electronically. I'm not even sure if the Takashi Miike move is out yet (kind of insane that he has both this and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable releasing in the same year). Either way, though, I don't plan to check out the film until I finish the entire manga just in case anything might get spoiled for me, since what I've seen of the trailer actually looks surprisingly faithful to the first few volumes of the original manga. I also tried watching an episode of the anime from several years ago, but the animation and direction were garbage just from the first episode alone, so yeah, definitely dropping that one.
Thanks for the recommendations, guys!
Dr. Insomniac: I actually went ahead and picked up the first two volumes of Tom King's Batman run at my local BAM (they had a buy two get one free deal going on for DC comics, with last week having that deal for Marvel comics and the week before it was for manga). I'm going to finish up through volume three of the Snyder run since that's what I have of that, and I probably won't continue past that point since I'm not too impressed by his material so far. After that I'll probably go through King's stuff, which probably won't take me more than an hour given how short these two volumes seem.
Dreamer2: Red Son has actually been on my radar for a while, now. Unfortunately, since I currently lack a personal private mailing address I don't want to order any physical copies of anything online. So when it comes to comics, I mostly just have to go by what I can find stocked at my local BAM, which is sadly kind of random and has a lot less options for comics and manga in general than most other BAMs that I have been to. It was quite a while before I happened to find ASSM stocked there. Maybe one of these days Red Son will just pop up out of nowhere, or maybe once I move out of this location that I'm temporarily living at, I'll set up a proper mailing address for which I can order stuff right to my doorstep.
Quote from: Avaitor on July 29, 2017, 02:51:24 PMI finally finished Slam Dunk last night, and wow, what a ride. I think that it had a terrific ending, and rightfully had a massive range of emotions. It was the perfect balance between happy, spot-on, and bittersweet. But I was really impressed with all the character moments in the final game, from Sakuragi recognizing Rukawa's talents, to Akagi recognizing Sakuragi's place, to Sakuragi and Rukawa finally high-fiving. The action throughout was great, but it's a testament to Inoue's talents that he could find room for little moments like constantly in between a really intense game.
I'm really glad that you liked it. The final match is my favorite match in any sports manga. I really just love how great and memorable Inoue's characters are, and especially in how they interact with each other and how their teamwork is fully realized in the final moments of the final game. Slam Dunk is easily one of my top three favorite Shonen Jump manga along with Dragon Ball and Rurouni Kenshin, and also one of my favorite sports manga of all time.
I just read Scott Snyder's take on Mr. Freeze....goddammit. :srs:
Honestly, the Jarvis Pennyworth one-shot was the only thing that I've read from this run so far that I actually thought was kind of decent in its own way. The Harper Row story was kind of dumb but at least tolerable. But I haven't liked anything else that I've read from this run so far. I think one of my biggest problems (among many) is that I don't really identify with Snyder's version of Batman. Some might say that Batman is Batman and you should already know who he is going into it, but the thing is, that's not really true. There exist tons of different iterations of the character, and it's up to any individual author to clearly define to the audience their take on it. The Adam West Batman is not Miller's Batman (and I mean Miller's Batman before he turned him into a borderline psychopath). Miller's Batman is not the one from the animated series, and the one from the animated series is not the one from Nolan's movies. Each version of Batman is different depending on who's behind who's behind that interpretation of him, and I need to have a clear sense of who that Bruce Wayne and Batman is. I remember that in one of MistareFusion's Dragon Ball Dissection videos, he covered Dragon Ball minus and used a similar example with Batman to criticize how Dragon Ball Minus's Bardock was not the same character as the one from the original TV special, but was also woefully underdeveloped and undefined as a character to the point where he just felt like nothing but blatant fan-service as opposed to an actual character. That's kind of how I feel about Snyder's take on Bruce Wayne/Batman. I don't know what his personality or values really are as a character. He just seems to exist solely for the purpose of moving the plot forward, and in that regard I find this interpretation to be pretty flat and impossible to really connect with.
I have one more volume from what I have available to go through, and then I'll be dropping the run after that. I really can't wait to get to Tom King's stuff and hope that it is much better than this.
Alright, so it turns out that BOI Omnibus III actually already IS out, and was released earlier this month. My local BAM just hasn't stocked it yet because it's lame and never gets anything cool in. I may have to find a way to order it online because this is a series that is definitely worth owning in hard copy.
Quote from: Markness on July 22, 2017, 11:50:32 AM
I actually recommend watching all of the original anime first before reading the manga. Yes, the manga is superior but the original anime will make you appreciate it more. It actually made me crave more Berserk; I know that sounds like I am saying it isn't satisfying enough but it's hard to explain. The animation also holds up well today and the music is intoxicating. The new adaptations should be avoided like the plague, though.
The first anime is worth watching for sure. But you definitely have to double back and re-read those events in the manga because there's a fair bit they take out, including characters that are important to the rest of the story.
Quote from: Markness on July 22, 2017, 11:50:32 AM
How often do you guys re-read your favorite series? I recently re-read my volumes of Nanatsu no Taizai and it was fun reliving the moments that made it my favorite manga as well as seeing details I had forgotten about.
I enjoy re-reading my favorites every now and again. I don't get the chance to often since I feel more obligated to read new stuff, but once in a while I pick up a book off my self and find myself engrossed in reading it over again. I re-read stuff I own digitally much more just because there are a lot of opportunities when I'm out of the house and just waiting around and need something to occupy my time. I've re-read
Dr. Slump and
Saint Seiya more times than any other manga in the last year because of this.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 26, 2017, 04:21:03 PM
Heads up that Souboutei chapters 2 and 3 were finally put up.
Awesome! Will have to give those a read when I get the chance to. Glad to see the scanlation group is continuing with it, though I'd really prefer Viz or Yen Press or whoever would get on licensing it.
Quote from: Avaitor on July 29, 2017, 02:51:24 PM
I finally finished Slam Dunk last night, and wow, what a ride. I think that it had a terrific ending, and rightfully had a massive range of emotions. It was the perfect balance between happy, spot-on, and bittersweet. But I was really impressed with all the character moments in the final game, from Sakuragi recognizing Rukawa's talents, to Akagi recognizing Sakuragi's place, to Sakuragi and Rukawa finally high-fiving. The action throughout was great, but it's a testament to Inoue's talents that he could find room for little moments like constantly in between a really intense game.
Glad you enjoyed it! That final game is really what makes the series for me. A perfect swirl of intense emotions and personal stakes that makes the payoff feel incredibly satisfying and the ending feel appropriate even though they didn't progress further in the tournament. I like the rest of the manga, but I love that final match with Sannoh.
So, I decided to just fold and start buying the digital volumes of Blade of the Immortal rather than waiting for the omnibus releases for the rest of the series. Of course, admittedly I may double dip and buy the future omnibi once they come out since they are such high quality releases and, IMO, worth collecting.
On another note I just finished the Death of the Family storyline from Scott Snyder's run and was utterly repulsed by it....and not in the intended way. What is it with writers trying to make Batman dark and edgy just for the sake of it? It's like everyone read Frank Miller's earlier Batman stories like Year One and TDKR and completely missed the point of what made those stories so good....including Miller himself, with his later attempts at writing for Batman.
I have the first two volumes of Tom King's run ready to start reading, so hopefully that's a lot better. I've also been reading bits and pieces of the classic series here a and there. A couple of years ago I read the Kinghtfall trilogy, and lately I've been reading the issues with Jason Todd in them (pre-Death in the Family). As hokie and dated as some of this material may be, it all has a genuinely fun charm to it, IMO. Certainly more enjoyable than anything that I read from Snyder's material.
I'm enjoying the I Am Gotham story so far. Most notably, I just like how Batman is actually being a superhero and saving lives for a change. Right from the very start of this story it hit me that I never actually saw anything of this sort happening in what I read of Snyder's material.
Yeah, Tom King's had a grip on Batman that I haven't seen in a while. I know others have complained that his run is a little slow and they're not fond of some events that happen with Bane or Selina, but I think he's been able to explore Bruce's character further than other Bat-writers have in the past few years. He also did wonders for Vision in that 12-issue Vision series he did for Marvel, so much that I saw Paul Bettany praising the book (https://twitter.com/Paul_Bettany/status/727674479946678274). Better reception than Chris Evans gave to his character's comic.
And if you haven't, I strongly suggest you read Grant Morrison's Batman run too. I know I called it a clusterfuck years back, but rereading parts of it recently has been an absolute joy. It is very daunting though given the amount of trades and other runs Morrison connected to his story, but here's a reading guide to make things easier.
Spoiler
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Fc7d80cd480a84d4d423cf40712f04025%2Ftumblr_mlqqhq0tRe1rpok63o1_1280.gif&hash=1039cb7d1e0313db93398583f3ac4addbba98979)
I read through both the "I am Gotham" and "I am Suicide" stories from King's material. I really enjoyed both, though I do have to question why that whole elaborate plan of Catwoman fake double-crossing Batman only to reveal herself as a double agent was even necessary. I mean, it seems like they managed to totally catch Bane by surprise with their fake plan, anyways. Even in that regard, it seems a little presumptuous that Batman knew for sure that when he initially let Bane capture him that he would just lock him up with both his suit and gear still on him instead of just stripping him of those and even possibly outright killing him. It's nitpicking, of course, and like I said I still enjoyed the story, but that whole setup did feel a bit too convenient and lucky for my liking.
Also, thanks for the list of Grant Morrison stuff to read. That said, spending several minutes just trying to decipher how to properly read that chart (even with the key description included) really does remind me of just how daunting following comic book continuity can be, even for just the works of a single writer. Like, I could see a series like One Piece or Berserk being an intimidating proposition for people due to their sheer length, but at least it's clear where to start and where the catch up point is. It's literally as simple as going in sequential order. With comic books it's very telling that I need a chart just to understand what the sequential order of reading even is.
Not to say that this factor dissuaded me from reading them anymore. Obviously I've been reading my share lately. I just figured that it was worth pointing out what a tough sell it can be for some people.
I finally finished Karakuri Doji Ultimo. While I can say for sure that it's the weakest Takei's major works, it had some great ideas and solid action scenes. You can really tell that Takei took the simplistic concept Stan Lee gave him and turned it into something much deeper and fleshed out. That being said, the series has some noticeable blemishes. The series didn't start off very strong and felt a bit rushed and convoluted near the end due to all the time travel antics. Overall though, it was a fun ride and I'm glad that I saw it through to the end.
I'll likely go and finish Shaman King pretty soon, but for now I'm going to read Death Note since I've never actually read it ( :humhumhum:).
I finished volume 3 of My Hero Academia! I'm trying to take my time with it, but I'm probably gonna end up reading volume 4 later this week because I actually have it right now. I was kind of tempted to just read it tonight. That's how much I was into it.
It's still super fun with lots and lots of great characters. The battle with the villains was really well done and I really liked how they handled All Might. Deku is like the perfect protagonist. Yeah, I've probably seen characters like him lots of times before, but I don't care, he's fantastic. How he won the obstacle course was great! I love when I can really get into a story and root for the hero. That's always nice.
If it's really only gonna get better from here, than I'm pretty hyped up.
But, I'm a little bummed about DeMarco basically saying that Toonami can't get My Hero Academia right now. Who knows if they ever will. I guess I'll just watch it subbed once I get caught up with the manga. I want to watch some of this stuff animated!
The dub for MHA is also quite good, and actually on par with the sub, IMO. I end up watching both since it gets simul-dubbed, but you would need to be subscribed to FUNimation to get access to the dub. That said, the sub is perfect as well, of course.
Anyways, I'm glad that you're really enjoying it. Currently it's tied with The Promised Neverland as my second favorite currently running Weekly Shonen Jump manga (right behind One Piece as my favorite). The encounter with Stain is where it really gets good for me, which should be coming up sometime around volume 6 or 7, I believe.
The series really hits its stride in volume 5 which is the end of the Sports Festival. If you're liking it now, you'll like it even more by then.
It's a shame Toonami hasn't picked this up. I can't imagine it not being popular.
The obstacle course is the hardest I've ever rooted for Midoriya, in the anime. Hell, maybe the hardest I've ever rooted for a fictional character.
I just finished Volume 1 of Morrison's Doom Patrol run. Aside from that one story about a some dude's tattoos having the power to summon a giant eyeball that could erase the Universe, it was some pretty entertaining stuff. I especially liked the last story in the volume which did a great job of showcasing just how funny Morrison can be. I have volume 2 ready to start tomorrow, but I'll need to shop around for the third volume. Incidentally, I was wondering if it was worth it to read any other Doom Patrol material outside of Morrison's run, or if his work on it was the only good stuff from the series?
I've also been trying to shop around for the Animal Man Omnibus, but it's fairly expensive online and I'm not sure if it's worth spending more than $100 on, so I may have to come back to that one. If it's available digitally anywhere for cheaper, that would be a better alternative for me.
The current Gerard Way run is okay, I guess? The thing about post-Morrison Doom Patrol is that future writers either just copied his approach like the Rachel Pollack run or did more traditional superhero fare like John Byrne did. And neither of those runs have been collected anyway. The only other runs that have been put into trades are the Way books going on right now, the original Doom Patrol comics from the 60s, and a run Keith Giffen did.
Actually, I did find Doom Patrol volume 4 available online, which covers Pollack's material, since volume 3 covers the end of Morrison's run. So technically at least part of her run has been collected, if not all of it. That said, if it's just a pale imitation of Morrison's work, then I'll probably pass on it.
I've also been wanting to read some of Morrison's shorter works as well, such as the few issues of The Flash that he did when his buddy Mark Waid wanted to take a break, but before that I do want to read Waid's run leading up to that point, but I'd need to order the subsequent volumes online since my local BAM only carries the first volume of his run for The Flash.
I decided to pick up a couple of singles I've been meaning to get for a while, and a recent one. One of those was the last issue of God Country, which was a terrific finish to a terrific story. The art's great, but what really sells it is despite the bigness in its scope, the story is a sweet intimate piece that keeps its power from start to finish. The trade should be out now, and I highly recommend it.
I also got the first issue of Dark Nights: Metal, and while I've recently read some criticism of Snyder's writing, I liked this one. I'd say it's one of the better beginnings to an event story that I've read in a while, and has me interested in keeping up. The last big event I can recall being interested in was Blackest Night, and even I dropped that by the end,
I've been reading some of Ed Brubaker's Batman run, which is rather mediocre on the whole. I really enjoy what I've read of his Captain America and Iron Fist runs, as well as his stand-alone Graphic Novel series Criminal under Image comics, but I suppose he was just less experienced back when he worked on Batman.
I've also started reading some of Frank Miller's work on Daredevil. It's really baffling just how good his 80's work is. Most of it still holds up remarkably well, and unlike other dark and gritty comic books, these actually work because they have a sense of purpose to them with actual stories to tell that do a great job of both understanding the core values of these iconic characters while also completely redefining them for a new generation of comic book readers.
Somehow, it's hard to believe that the guy who wrote works like The Man Without Fear and The Dark Knight Returns is the same person as the one who wrote the things that he has in the 2000's.
I'm almost done with volume 2 of Doom Patrol, and it'll be a while before I can get volume 3 since I'll probably have to buy it online. In the meantime, I plan on moving onto some of Morrison's work on Batman.
And I'm currently up to volume 10 of Blade of the Immortal. Seeing as how this series is 31 volumes long, I'm really curious to see how the story can go on for so much longer as it does seem like it has a clear-cut ending point that it's going for and the pacing has been surprisingly brisk in the past few volumes, so it feels like it could easily end in another 5-10 volumes, but it'll be interesting to see how Samura actually manages to keep the story going on for so much longer, and if he's able to maintain its quality throughout its entire run.
That reminds me, a local used bookstore has Elektra: Assassin for a decent price, and I'm thinking of picking it up soon. I haven't read it in a while, but I recall enjoying it.
QuoteSomehow, it's hard to believe that the guy who wrote works like The Man Without Fear and The Dark Knight Returns is the same person as the one who wrote the things that he has in the 2000's.
I heard a combination of health problems (look at some recent pictures of him alongside Stan Lee, (http://www.comicsbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_0665.jpg) and remember that he's over 3 decades younger than Stan) and his reaction to 9/11 really screwed up his thought process in the last two decades.
Anyway, I've been reading Hitman by Garth Ennis. Pretty funny, even if it can be bipolar in its subject matter. Sometimes, Ennis mercilessly mocks Green Lantern and conservative values. Other times, he shows an almost saccharine adoration for American military soldiers and Superman.
I've read the second volume of Superman and Justice League America as well as the first volume of Wonder Woman and Justice League America. I'm starting the Geoff Johns run of Teen Titans. I bought the latest TPB of it called Book One and it's a good read so far. I'd say it's a good start for those who want to give DC a shot.
I'm really enjoying the visuals of Berserk. The story itself is good, too, but some of the designs get downright Lovecraftian, and looks incredible. Volume 3 only gets to the first chapter of The Golden Age, so I need to get more volumes soon.
I also got around to finding my copy of the first volume of Nausicaa. I read it all before years ago, but it's still a treat to go through. Miyazaki's artwork is enchanting, and helps to bring you into his world. The worldbuilding is also fantastic, and just like Berserk, has me pumped to buy more of it.
But now, I'm going to read the original Alien vs Predator story, and then Dark Horse's original Aliens sequel comic. I was able to get Loot Crate's anniversary edition of the latter for cheap, which retains Hicks and Newt's roles. Hey, ignoring Alien 3 is fine by me, :awesome:
Berserk starts out neat and keeps getting better but then starts to gradually decrease in quality and the newest storylines feel like filler arcs from a Shounen Jump manga. I gave up before they got off the boat (did they ever get off the boat?) but it's one of the sharpest declines I've ever seen in a long-running comic series. :(
That's something I'm curious about then- is there a good stopping point, or should I just continue through with it?
Quote from: Foggle on August 28, 2017, 03:27:09 PMthe newest storylines feel like filler arcs from a Shounen Jump manga.
Since when do manga have filler arcs? :sly:
I personally disagree that Berserk suffers that bad a decline. The arc on the boat was incredibly frustrating because Miura's inconsistent schedule meant it dragged on for years, and that arc didn't add much to the story outside of some character development for Farnese and Shierke and a mermaid joining Gut's band. But ultimately it's just three volumes worth of content, and everything since then has been very interesting - from that short arc where Rickert reunites with Griffith in Falconia, to Guts and co. finally reaching the Fairies' island and starting to cure Casca's trauma. I think Berserk is still worth reading and am sticking with it to the end. However, I've stopped keeping up with the chapters as they come out and am just waiting for when they're compiled in volumes. It's really much more enjoyable to digest the series in a large chunk than trying to keep pace with it's irregular release schedule.
But in terms of a stopping point, there's two good ones. The first is at the end of the Golden Age, which ends in the middle of volume 14. The second would be after the Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc, which ends in volume 34. For reference, the infamous "boat" arc is volumes 35-37.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on August 28, 2017, 03:56:43 PM
Quote from: Foggle on August 28, 2017, 03:27:09 PMthe newest storylines feel like filler arcs from a Shounen Jump manga.
Since when do manga have filler arcs? :sly:
I seem to recall people complaining about Naruto and Bleach having arcs in the manga that served no purpose other than to fill space until the authors were inspired to move the story forward. But, I meant to say "manga adaptation." :sweat:
Quote from: LumRanmaYasha on August 28, 2017, 04:09:31 PM
I personally disagree that Berserk suffers that bad a decline.
I just remember the last volume I found particularly engaging was in the early 20s or sonething. The story has barely progressed over the past decade and, like Black Lagoon, will probably never see anything resembling a satisfying conclusion.
I still really need to get around to reading Berserk, but one thing that has always stopped me is that Dark Horse has the manga ridiculously over-priced at $15 per single volume and haven't even bothered to collect it into much more reasonably priced omnibi like they have for stuff like Astro Boy and Blade of the Immortal. On the other hand, the fan translations and scans that I have found online are borderline unreadable, at least for the first several volumes. So just the act of trying to read this manga is a pain for me.
Quote from: Foggle on August 28, 2017, 04:20:53 PMI seem to recall people complaining about Naruto and Bleach having arcs in the manga that served no purpose other than to fill space until the authors were inspired to move the story forward. But, I meant to say "manga adaptation." :sweat:
Well, I call BS on that because saying that Bleach has bad filler arcs implies that it actually had any good material to begin with. :>
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on August 28, 2017, 04:28:38 PM
I still really need to get around to reading Berserk, but one thing that has always stopped me is that Dark Horse has the manga ridiculously over-priced at $15 per single volume and haven't even bothered to collect it into much more reasonably priced omnibi like they have for stuff like Astro Boy and Blade of the Immortal. On the other hand, the fan translations and scans that I have found online are borderline unreadable, at least for the first several volumes. So just the act of trying to read this manga is a pain for me.
Yeah, that's been my problem for a while. I've only been able to read Berserk since the local used bookstore I lurk had the first few volumes for $5 or $6 a pop. I'll check Amazon later if the next volumes are on there for cheap, but I can't really spend more than $10 for a GN.
Quote from: Foggle on August 28, 2017, 04:20:53 PM
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on August 28, 2017, 03:56:43 PM
Quote from: Foggle on August 28, 2017, 03:27:09 PMthe newest storylines feel like filler arcs from a Shounen Jump manga.
Since when do manga have filler arcs? :sly:
I seem to recall people complaining about Naruto and Bleach having arcs in the manga that served no purpose other than to fill space until the authors were inspired to move the story forward. But, I meant to say "manga adaptation." :sweat:
You're not wrong. The Fullbringer arc in
Bleach and pretty much most of the Ninja War in
Naruto were basically filler. :humhumhum:
Quote from: Foggle on August 28, 2017, 04:20:53 PM
I just remember the last volume I found particularly engaging was in the early 20s or sonething. The story has barely progressed over the past decade and, like Black Lagoon, will probably never see anything resembling a satisfying conclusion.
I agree that the story has progressed at a snail's pace these last ten years. But personally I still feel engaged with
Berserk's story and think that where it is now is finally making headways on stuff that's been long overdue. It probably helps that I only caught up around when the boat arc was ending so I didn't have to suffer through it over the course of years.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on August 28, 2017, 04:28:38 PM
I still really need to get around to reading Berserk, but one thing that has always stopped me is that Dark Horse has the manga ridiculously over-priced at $15 per single volume and haven't even bothered to collect it into much more reasonably priced omnibi like they have for stuff like Astro Boy and Blade of the Immortal. On the other hand, the fan translations and scans that I have found online are borderline unreadable, at least for the first several volumes. So just the act of trying to read this manga is a pain for me.
They're still pricier than a volume of most series, but
Berserk volumes go for around $11.25 on Rightstuf (https://www.rightstufanime.com/category/Manga?keywords=berserk), and you can grab digital copies for most volumes on Kindle for about $9 (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=berserk+manga&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aberserk+manga).
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FEbeVzKE.jpg&hash=5364f58ee0cc5120795051a08da7396b3b831eb2)
So this was published in the letters page for a Marvel comic.
Just finished volume 2 of Doom Patrol. I won't lie, some of those later issues got so out there in metaphysical techno-jargon that it became a bit hard to follow at times. I'll need to find the third volume online since my local BAM doesn't carry it, but it'll be some time before I can open a private mailbox for myself. It's just as well though as I may want to revisit some of these issues to try and make more sense of what's going on before moving on to more stuff.
I'm of two minds about Morrison's run on it so far. On the one hand, it's undeniably an intriguing read that really stimulates your mind to think outside the realms of normal story-telling conventions. On the other hand it can, at times, be so dense Morrison's own personal lingo that the mere act of trying to discern what he's even trying to say with any particular given story can feel like homework.
Or, you know, maybe I'm just too stupid to get it all. There's always that possibility as well. ;)
The original Alien vs. Predator comic is pretty good. The artwork's solid, and it gives us a better protagonist in the middle of the conflict than the actual film does. I do plan to check out the other stories here later, but the one AVP I'm primarily interested in checking out right now is AVP: Booty, which is in the second omnibus. The book store does have that, so I'll get it soon.
I'm really impressed by Aliens: Outbreak, though. It's a shame that Alien 3 deemed this as non-canon, since it's a much better sequel than that was, even without Ripley. Still though, getting Hicks and Newt to take on a newly-found Queen. Doesn't that sound great?
In case anybody was interested in reading some Guardians of the Galaxy, here's the guide to read that. Much less convoluted than the Morrison guide, but I'm pretty sure half of these books require a long trip to Amazon to buy.
Spoiler
(https://i.imgur.com/FUM3v.jpg)
You automatically win for recommending Annihilation.
So, I came across Y The Last Man Princess Jellyfish at my local BAM, both newly stocked there. I was tempted to pick both of them up since I know that Avaitor is a big fan of the former and that Lum considers the latter to be one of his favorites. Unfortunately, I decided to hold off on both since I'm depositing a large sum of money in an investment account and thus want to save up my money for a while before I start buying more stuff.
In the meanwhile I have primarily been switching between manga and comic books. On the manga side of things I'm reading Weekly Shonen Jump on a regular basis while finishing about one volume of Blade of the Immortal per week, though I will also have to take a break from the latter since I don't want to buy anymore full volumes until after my next two pay-checks, especially since I have some monthly bills coming up.
On the comic book side of things I have mostly been reading Batman stuff, in addition to some Daredevil on the side (I really want to get around to that Frank Miller omnibus collection for DD). Most recently I have started reading Nightwing from DC Rebirth, and I'm working my way through Judd Winick's run on Batman which I will immediately follow up with Grant Morrison's run (both Batman and Son along with R.I.P. have been sitting in my collection for over a month, at this point).
I finished Volume One of Nightwing from DC Rebirth and really enjoyed it. Probably about as much as King's Batman from DC Rebirth as well. If other series from this reboot are as entertaining and easy to follow as these two are, I might check out more stuff from the current Rebirth era. I will say that I wasn't too big on The Night of the Monster Men crossover, though. It felt way too underwhelming for a premise as awesome-sounding as Batman and company fighting Kaiju.
In the meantime, though, while I'm saving up money for more comics, I still plan to read more stuff from Grant Morrison and Frank Miller (and maybe more of Mark Waid's Flash run if I can find it) first since those two writers seem to have material that I find to be the most interesting.
On the manga side of things I'm up through volume eleven of Blade of the Immortal, but will have to take a forced break from that as well for now until I can afford to buy some more volumes.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on August 30, 2017, 02:10:23 PM
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FEbeVzKE.jpg&hash=5364f58ee0cc5120795051a08da7396b3b831eb2)
So this was published in the letters page for a Marvel comic.
Huh. That anon's message made it in after all.
I finished volume 2 of Nightwing from DC Rebirth. I don't think that I'd want to go out of my way to read other Nightwing comics like I have for Batman, but I really do enjoy his Rebirth material and will probably continue reading it digitally via the single issues. If I was to be honest, I may even like it just a smidge more than Batman's Rebirth serialization, but I also plan to read further along in that as well, of course.
I finished reading Book One of Geoff Johns' run of Teen Titans and I feel like I've majorly made up for lost time since I used to see the first TPB of it at the library I work at but never read it.
I also read the Power Girl Power Trip TPB that also features Geoff Johns as the writer. It was a fun read although opinions on it are very YMMV.
I plan on reading my IvX trades of Extraordinary X-Men and Uncanny X-Men once I get the IvX All New X-Men trade.
Secret Empire is finally over and done with. It was a joy to read it just to see how dumb it could get, peaking with Tony Stark's ghost getting the upper hand against Hydracap because he discovered an Inhuman who could barf out pieces of the Cosmic Cube. As a serious comic book, it failed at everything it set out to do (exploring Steve's vices and darker personality traits? Nah, he's actually a doppelganger and the real Steve was hiding all along! Analyzing and figuring out how America could succumb to HYDRA's control? No, just let it happen in a snap and do nothing with the premise beyond a few paper-thin allegories). But as a comedy, it's quite successful.
It really is rather amusing how painfully lacking in self-awareness that some people at Marvel are that they would present something of this nature or the X-Men Holocaust as serious story-telling that's supposed to please readers.
In other news I read Batman and Son by Grant Morrison. I'm not sure what to make of this one honestly. It's probably my least favorite thing that I've read of his so far, but in all honesty I can't really tell if I actually dislike it or not. It's more that I had too much trouble following it past a certain point. Like, the actual story-line involving Damien Wayne only took up roughly a third of the actual book, and finding him to be an insufferable little shit, it was a bit hard to get invested in that plot. I have no idea what the fuck was up with that all-text Joker story, and don't think that I'll ever quite make sense of what was going through Morrison's head with that one. Then there was a story-line that started and got Interrupted with another story-line before concluding at the end of the volume. I actually liked the middle bit with Batman solving a murder mystery in the Club of Heroes. Any throwback to Batman's days of actual detective work is good stuff in my eyes. The other story-line about The Black Glove was really confusing and all over the place, though. I wasn't sure who was doing what or why they were doing it.
Perhaps this is just a sign that I really do need to read all of Grant Morrison's work in sequential order....or I just don't get this particular story.
Yeah, Batman and Son is a rough ride. I don't know a single person who read it and didn't hate Damian. But the Batmen of All Nations was a fun idea that I wish was still going in the comics.
Is that Batman Incorporated, or am I thinking of a completely different comic?
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on September 14, 2017, 04:19:30 PM
Is that Batman Incorporated, or am I thinking of a completely different comic?
Kind of, the Batmen of all Nations are part of Batman Inc alongside the main Bat-family.
Just picked up the first two volumes of Y: The Last Man. I'm really looking forward into delving into this one just based on the Children of Men-esque premise alone.
I also got Volume 3 of Tom King's Batman run, which just popped up on the shelf at my local BAM. No sign of Nightwing Volume 3 yet, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled.
Alright, so just out of curiosity, where's the comic where Tim Drake dies? I've seen it referenced like five times between Batman and Nightwing Rebirth, and I can't even fathom how many more times it'll come up if I read Detective Comics, Batgirl, and other Batmen-related comics. You win DC. Now just tell me which fucking story that is and stop beating me over the head with it.
Tim Drake dies? Criminy, DC has a hate of the poor kid.
It's even more odd when you take into account that Jason Todd is alive and well in the current continuity....
Of course, growing up with Tim Drake as my main Robin in the later BTAS episodes, you'd think that he'd be my favorite for that role, but honestly I've grown a bit more partial to Dick Grayson over the years. He just seems to have the perfect balance of chemistry with Batman as Robin (or hell, even as Nightwing). He's not quite as submissive and resigned to the role as Tim Drake, but also not nearly as hot-headed and arrogant as Jason Todd.
All the Robins have distinct personalities and legacies, but DC has spent a long time dumping on the character who has had the title the longest. And I like their distinct identities as Nightwing, Red Hood, and Red Robin. But yeesh, give Tim a break already. I like that he's more reserved and balanced than the others and more of a team player. He's always been my favorite, but DC really doesn't know what to do with him since Damian came around and it shows. I'm still a bit annoyed over him being cut from Under the Red Hood as it would have added a lot to that movie.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on September 14, 2017, 08:34:41 PM
Alright, so just out of curiosity, where's the comic where Tim Drake dies? I've seen it referenced like five times between Batman and Nightwing Rebirth, and I can't even fathom how many more times it'll come up if I read Detective Comics, Batgirl, and other Batmen-related comics. You win DC. Now just tell me which fucking story that is and stop beating me over the head with it.
Detective Comics 943, (https://www.newsarama.com/31192-detective-comics-writer-on-tim-drake-s-death-what-comes-next.html) but the death doesn't even stick. He's revealed to be still alive in some other comic I can't remember. Eitherway, DC's definitely sidelining him and Kon in favor of pushing Damian and Superman's kid. It's one thing to be killed off, but it's another to be sidelined and become a D-lister.
As for Dick, I'm wondering at what point in the comics did he go from getting pissed off at Bruce and becoming Nightwing to reconciling with him.
If I'm not mistaken, didn't he originally enter the Teen Titans as Robin, and then later become Nightwing with writers retconning in his dispute with Batman as the reason for his name and costume change? I'm not quite sure, but I recall learning somewhere that his debut as Nightwing was in Teen Titans.
As for reconciling with each other, I recall Bruce and Dick sort of confronting each other about the tension between them after Dick just met Jason Todd as Robin for the first time.
That said, the lopsided and utterly dense continuity of comic book superheroes makes me realize how fans of this genre who say that they can't get into any long-running manga or anime because they go on for too long are complete hypocrites. At least those series do actually end after a while.
QuoteIf I'm not mistaken, didn't he originally enter the Teen Titans as Robin, and then later become Nightwing with writers retconning in his dispute with Batman as the reason for his name and costume change? I'm not quite sure, but I recall learning somewhere that his debut as Nightwing was in Teen Titans.
Yeah, that was the original story that Dick became Nightwing while at TT with no ill will toward Bruce, but then after the first Crisis, writers decided to make Dick and Bruce parting ways more dramatic by putting them at odds with each other. And that's where BTAS probably got it from, considering how they had Dick wanting little to nothing to do with Bruce by the end, and being a complete no-show during Batman Beyond.
I'm both impressed and perplexed that Batman could somehow get all of the villains in Arkham Asylum to put their lives on the line to stall Bane for him. You'd expect most of them to stay out of their feud. Where's the scene where he pulled that miracle off?
It doesn't make much sense, but I think it was supposed to be a thematic turnaround of what Bane did to Batman back in Knightfall. Where he sicked a bunch of Arkham villains at Batman to wear him down.
Well I certainly got the whole role reversal (of sorts) theme from Batman's recurring "I'm going to break your damn back" line from the second volume. I just found it kind of odd that it would extend this far with how he wears Bane down the exact same way that Bane did to him in Knightfall.
Regardless, it doesn't really bother me all that much (I've given a pass to much bigger plot conveniences than this) but it was just so absurd that I couldn't resist pointing it out. Oddly enough it kind of reminds me of a similar sort of set-up in One Piece of all things, where Luffy teams up with former enemies in a high security prison, though in this case it's to break out of it so it does make sense that they'd work together for that reason, despite past grudges.
So, I'm still mostly a novice in Western comic books, but out of everything that I've read so far my personal favorite still remains The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke, which I read a few years back and just recently dug out of my collection to re-read.
Can anyone recommend me any comics with a similar tone and style? Those bright and hopeful stories are what resonate with me the most.
Astro City by Kurt Busiek. A hundred issues and counting of Busiek's tribute to Silver Age heroes, with a huge cast and in-universe history, but with enough flexibility that most arcs can be read in any order.
Sorry, I missed this post for some reason. I looked it up and Astro City definitely looks up my alley. Since it's not something my local BAM carries, though, I will either have to wait until I get a private mailing address and order it online, or check to see if it's on Comixology if that's cheaper.
I also noticed that apparently Alex Ross does the cover art, which is a really nice touch.
Yeah, it's on Comixology. (https://www.comixology.com/search?search=astro+city)
Anyway, there's another recent comic I think more people here should read. New Super-Man by Gene Luen Yang. It does everything Marvel should be doing with legacy characters. The main character isn't shilled, given rewards for existing, or propped up to be one of the best people in the world (Clark doesn't even know about his existence until well in the run), he's just an asshole kid with powers who slowly grows and learns to fit the Superman ideal. There's even a Chinese Justice League, where Chinese Batman is just some fat guy. It re-introduces and re-analyzes many of DC's other Asian characters like the Great Ten, Wonder Woman's kung fu teacher back in the 70s, and a familiar face from the very first Detective Comics. There's a lot of heart to this run, and it really won me back to GLY's comics after how bad those Avatar ones where.
But on the subject of Marvel legacy characters, one specific example that I find funny is the new Wasp, Nadia Pym. She's meant to be Hank's never before seen daughter who went through the Red Room training that Natasha did, is the 10th smartest person in the Marvel universe, starts her own gang of other quirky geniuses, and has a girlfriend who also happens to be a ninja. I'm sad her comic ended before Marvel could reveal she invented her own version of the super soldier serum, and is worthy of picking up Thor's hammer.
I think that I mentioned a while ago that I got all 3 of JJBA Part One volumes for a good price. So far, it's not too different from the anime, but I really do like seeing Araki's art. The anime looks cool as well, but reading the manga makes it feel like I'm closer to his original vision. I like the use of genre in Phantom Blood, but I don't think that it's spectacularly written, so I can get through it without really being in love.
When I get the chance, I'll order the first volume of Part Two, which is available for a good price on Amazon.
There's a certain distinct quality to Araki's art that simply just can't be completely captured by anyone else and that you won't find in the anime, no matter how well made it is (that said, I do feel that his earlier stuff is rather awkward to look at in retrospect).
I tend to feel the same way about artwork from people like Toriyama, Inoue, Fujita, Chiba, and Miura, though, among a select few others. It doesn't even really have to do with the quality of their art itself, either, but rather the specific personality of it.
Like, Takeshi Obata is one of my favorite artists, but I do feel like his art can be replicated in a way that translates well into anime without losing anything significant. With some artists it feels like their work only really shines through at 100% in manga form, and trying to make it work in another medium inevitably means having to lose some of that unique charm.
I definitely feel that way about some mangaka. Not so much with Togashi, for instance. He can make some really clever designs, but from a lot of what I've scanned, his laziness often shows up, to the point that I'm not really dying to collect YYH or HXH.
Togashi is a very peculiar character among mangaka. I recall reading in an interview with him that seeing the artwork in a series like Bastard made him realize that he would flat-out never be that good, and thus it sort of demotivated him from even trying to improve the quality of his art. Instead he opted to try and stand out with his writing, and the further along he has come in his career, the more unique it has gotten. Even then, he's the type to flat-out stop trying when he he's not into it. Yu Yu Hakusho ended, according to him, because he grew tired of writing it the way that he had been up through the Chapter Black arc and his editor denied him the opportunity to experiment with the series and characters in ways that he wanted to since it could upset the then current readers. So then Togashi just lost interest which is why the last arc is so badly rushed in the manga and the anime staff had to make their best effort to salvage what they could (Togashi has actually since apologized for ending YYH the way that he did, though).
While I don't necessarily agree with his philosophy on making manga, I can't deny that it also may be what makes his so interesting. He strikes me as a guy who decides to go all out in some aspects and only works when he really feels up to it, whereas he has a "don't-give-a-shit" attitude about aspects of his manga that he doesn't believe that he can excel at, or simply doesn't work when he's just not feeling like he's in the right mindset for it.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZuDk8fo.jpg)
I found a recent comic where Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange team up to fight Mephisto. And he talks like this. Bravo, Bendis.
I always seem to hear mixed things about Bendis. Some people seem to either love his work or hate it with a passion. It's why I've been cautious to pick up any comics with his name on it. I really don't know what I'd be in for.
On another note, I picked up New Super-Man volume 1 based on Dr. Insomniac's recommendation. I also picked up Batman Beyond volume 1 simply because BAM was having a deal for DC comics going on so I ended up getting it for half off with my membership card.
I also picked up SGRS volume 3 which just came in stock.
Consensus is that Bendis used to be good when he did street-level heroes (Ultimate Spider-Man, Alias, Daredevil), but then Marvel hired him to mainline bigger comics and eventually event ones like House of M, Secret Invasion, and Civil War II. Now he's just known for dialogue that goes in circles (http://illuminatingcomics.tumblr.com/post/125835148455/sitting-a-five-pages-parody-five-pages-five), pissing off X-Men fans, and self-inserting his daughter as the new Iron Man.
I stand by my opinion that the original run of Ultimate Spider-Man is one of the best things Marvel has ever published. I think Bendis is (was?) a talented writer but he eventually started believing his own hype and hasn't written anything worthwhile in a long time.
I started reading Hack/Slash last night (first comic I've picked up in maybe half a year) and it's really fun B-horror schlock, something I can rarely resist. Would make a great film or TV show IMO.
I'll never forgive Bendis (or Sam Raimi, for that matter) for confusing Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy as characters.
Still your tongue, knave; the Raimi films have aged like fine wine!
Spoiler
I agree, though. SSM continues to be the best Spider-Man story.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJERWjbVAAAATs_.jpg)
Quote from: Foggle on September 23, 2017, 11:54:06 PM
Still your tongue, knave; the Raimi films have aged like fine wine!
I don't know about that. Some of the political messages in those films are pretty racy even for their time.
Oh yeah, Bendis killed off Rhodey because he saw the Civil War trailer and assumed War Machine died in that movie.
I have my issues, but I do agree that Bendis can be a good writer, and I even do like a decent chunk of USM. But he's definitely gotten a little too big for his britches as the years have gone by.
Also, I finished the manga of Phantom Blood, and I think that I prefer it to the anime. Araki certainly improved as a writer in the years to come, but I always felt that Part 1's anime felt rushed. This confirms my belief that it should have been adapted into 13 episodes- the pacing works better here all around. And I always forget how much I like Baron Zeppeli- the guy's a hoot, as well as a unique mentor for Jonathan.
Now I've decided to do a change of pace and go back to comics. I've wanted to read something Hulk related for a while, since I have a surprising gap on the character. I thought about getting some of Peter Davidson's run, which my local comic book shop has for fairly decent prices, until I remembered that I won a free copy of the first Essential collection for the Rampaging Hulk from them a while ago. I've only read the first 2 issues so far, but it's pretty cool, if a little uneven. This is a combination of the more mature magazine format that Marvel did back in the day, mixed in with pulpy sci-fi stories and traditional Marvel crossovers. It shouldn't work, but I've been enjoying it all so far.
Since I was planning to see the Tokyo Ghoul live-action movie this week, I decided to finally read through the entire manga. Overall, I really enjoyed it. The gore was a bit much at times, but the core narrative is quite well done imo. Kaneki's gradually progression into depravity and questioning of his own humanity was especially interesting. It felt reminiscent of Shinichi from Parasyte at first, but Kaneki's character went in a much more morally grey and somber direction. Amon's development was probably the other major highlight for me, and seeing his perception of ghouls and humans shift throughout the course of the series was cool too see. I think my biggest complaint with the series would be that Touka is basically shafted in the final arc in favor of focusing on Kaneki and his gang. They're interesting characters and all, but it's disappointing to see Touka being thrown away after having such a large role in the previous arcs and being well developed to boot. In any case, I just bought volume 1 of Tokyo Ghoul Re and I'll probably be keeping up with Viz's releases moving forward. LumRanmaYasha wants to do a discussion about it on Manga Mavericks, so I'll probably go more in-depth on my thoughts on there.
I also started reading Kuroko's Basketball, and as of volume 4, I'm enjoying it. It doesn't do anything particularly special as far as sports manga go, but it still manages to keep the games entertaining by focusing on "highlights" of the matches rather than depicting the entire course of the games like series such as Haikyu. I know the manga falls apart near the end but I think I'll stick with it, especially since sports manga are fairly quick reads.
So... Bendis is now a DC exclusive, and he's planning on writing Legion of Superheroes. I don't know what to make of this news. I've strongly disliked his writing as of recently, but it's going to be hard to imagine the current Marvel comics without him.
Alonso's finally leaving from his editor position at Marvel. (https://twitter.com/Marvel/status/931563080659726336) Good riddance. He made Quesada's worst actions look palatable by comparison.
The new Marvel editor-in-chief pretended to be a Japanese guy named Akira Yoshida when writing comics years ago. (https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/11/28/marvel-eic-c-b-cebulski-akira-yoshida/) Not just as a pen name, but he cultivated an identity for this persona, and even convinced some Marvel staff members that this was a real person. Hilarious.
A local comic shop here had a half-off graphic novels deal today. Surprisingly, this also included manga, but at the same time, it wasn't too surprising, since their manga section is pretty slim and outdated. Seriously, they have old single volumes of Dragon Ball, Ranma, and even Monster.
I got the second and third volumes of Invincible, and the third of Animal Land. The latter was perfect, since I got volume 2 a good while ago and have been wanting to read more for a bit. And I've been interested in reading more of Invincible for a while. I read the first volume or so back in high school, during this period I had where instead of eating lunch and hanging out, I'd spend my break in the library and reading whatever comics they had. I remember enjoying it, but it's been a long time. I'll look for volume 1 again soon.
I have plenty of time anyway, since I'm currently reading Leviathan Wakes. I also have a couple of other things to read, and I plan to order the next Carl Barks volume from Fantagraphics soon, so I'm in no major rush.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on December 01, 2017, 06:19:57 AM
The new Marvel editor-in-chief pretended to be a Japanese guy named Akira Yoshida when writing comics years ago. (https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/11/28/marvel-eic-c-b-cebulski-akira-yoshida/) Not just as a pen name, but he cultivated an identity for this persona, and even convinced some Marvel staff members that this was a real person. Hilarious.
Did I mention that Marvel is dead to me?
Invincible is pretty damn good!
I read the DC Holiday Special, and it was a wild ride. A Sgt Rock Hannukah Special with Nazis, Slade threatening to beat his children on Christmas, Swamp Thing giving astronauts a Christmas tree while they wait for impending nuclear war, and Clark inviting John Constantine for Christmas dinner. The tone was all over the place, but it was the most fun comic I've read since that Batman/Elmer Fudd crossover.
Oh, and I read through Grant Morrison's X-Men run. It starts off really good and introduces all these new characters and themes regarding mutants and how they're becoming the norm in society, but then it all crashes with the Magneto reveal. Even though I already knew about it for years, it comes out with no foreshadowing or clues. In fact, it contradicts huge parts of the run. And the epilogue is so stupid. But overall, it's probably the most ambitious storytelling that X-Men comics have had to offer in the past two decades.
While I generally like most of what I read of Morrison's work, I do come across some duds from time to time. Like, his Batman run. On the one hand I kind of respect how experimental and different it feels from what any other Batman writers have produced, but on the other hand it feels like a chore to read at best and like a comic for crazy people at worst. I'm still trying to struggle through RIP. I have heard that some of Morrison's other Batman material is a marked improvement over this, like Inc. or Batman & Robin, but I'm left a bit weary of reading any more of his Batman stories after this.
I used a Barnes & Noble coupon to order volume 1 of Invincible, which just arrived today. Since I finished Leviathan Wakes, and can't get around to the other Expanse books right now, I might jump straight into these.
Now I'm trying to fight myself into not using another one of their coupons to order the first Golden Kamuy volume.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on December 09, 2017, 12:20:55 PM
While I generally like most of what I read of Morrison's work, I do come across some duds from time to time. Like, his Batman run. On the one hand I kind of respect how experimental and different it feels from what any other Batman writers have produced, but on the other hand it feels like a chore to read at best and like a comic for crazy people at worst. I'm still trying to struggle through RIP. I have heard that some of Morrison's other Batman material is a marked improvement over this, like Inc. or Batman & Robin, but I'm left a bit weary of reading any more of his Batman stories after this.
RIP made no sense to me whatsoever when I read it years ago, but rereading this year was easier to digest. I was reading in an interview that Morrison's X-Men was supposed to be an answer to the X-Men movies that were coming out at the time, and I think that's what he was doing with Batman here. Where the Nolan movies were made to be grounded and have little to no otherworldly elements, and the DCAU Batman fed into the "Bat-God" idea too much that it was hard to give him a challenge, Morrison does the exact opposite and makes Batman go on hallucinogenic adventures while fighting and repeatedly losing to larger-than-life mirrors of himself.
But then again, there's a reason why so little of Morrison's books have been adapted for TV and film compared to the other big British writers. Ennis has Preacher and parts of the Punisher show. Ellis has both Red movies and Iron Man 3. Gaiman has Lucifer, American Gods, and Coraline. Moore begrudgingly has Watchmen, From Hell, V For Vendetta, and LXG. Whereas up until Happy's premiere a few days ago, all Morrison had was a couple DTV DC animated films and Angel Salvadore and Negasonic Teenage Warhead showing up in the X-Men movies.
The Dan Slott era of Spider-Man is finally ending. (http://www.superherohype.com/news/409567-the-full-marvel-march-2018-solicitations#/slide/7)
Quick question for anyone who uses Comixology via the app: is it just harder to search out titles this way or do they simply lack certain issues of certain series?
The other day I was searching for Thor comics and found Masterworks collections going from volume four onwards, but couldn't manage to pull up the first three volumes. I also found the Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Daredevil collection first volume but couldn't find anything past that. There's an option to select "see all" but it never does anything when I click on it (using a Samsung device, in this case).
Also, is DC Rebirth: Batman Vol. 4 out yet? Because it looks like I can only find single issues for anything going past what Vol. 3 covers.
Oh, and if anyone wants to recommend me some story arcs that don't require an extensive amount of background knowledge on one or several comic book series/characters to understand and enjoy, I'm all ears.
Well, nevermind the stuff about the volumes. Apparently I just have to type in the specific comic I'm looking for in the search bar. Still kind of dumb that it gives me some difficulty simply trying to display a list of all of the comics for one particular series, though.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on December 20, 2017, 10:35:52 AM
Oh, and if anyone wants to recommend me some story arcs that don't require an extensive amount of background knowledge on one or several comic book series/characters to understand and enjoy, I'm all ears.
Those 6-issue gigs Warren Ellis does for comics like Moon Knight and Karnak are usually fun to read without any previous knowledge of the characters.
I do remember reading Extremis several years ago and liking it. Granted I did feel that the characters could be a tad flat in serving a tone that took itself just a bit too seriously. That said, it did work out as a genuinely good science fiction story. If Ellis's work is generally like that then I'll probably enjoy reading other stuff by him.
I have to say that my absolute favorite thing about Frank Miller's Daredevil run (from what I've read so far) is how good of a villain he can write in Wilson Fisk. Of course he's the best part of Daredevil on Netflix as well, albeit for different reasons. Whereas on the show he's more compelling because of how interesting his character and backstory are, comic Kingpin (at least in Miller's run) really lives up to his namesake, keeping the entire criminal underground of New York under his control and completely outwitting all parties, DD included, with strategic and well-planned power moves. It really feels like his mind is what makes him so dangerous and formidable. My favorite scene is when he has DD cornered but offers him his life and even throws in Bullseye to sweeten the deal only because it's convenient for him to have DD turn in his competition for him. Of course he could easily just kill DD right there, but the fact that he actually gets him to admit defeat and just suck it up and take what he can get is something that you don't often see supervillains accomplish. He effectively wins that scenario and DD can't do jack shit about it. That's how an intimidating and effective Marvel villain should be.
Picked up Descending Stories (SGRS) Volume 4 today with some of my Christmas money.
I also bought a bunch of DC Rebirth comics, including The Flash volume 4, Batman volume 4, Batman: Detective Comics volumes 1-4, and the second volume of New Super-Man.
I was looking for Nightwing volume 4 as well, but couldn't find it in stock.
I read through all of the collected volumes of the Rebirth Batman run over Christmas weekend and I really enjoyed it, especially volume 4. The War of Jokes and Riddles was incredibly engrossing and one of the best Joker and Riddler stories I've experienced. And my god, what Tom King did with Kite Man...Hell Yeah. Definitely going to be keeping up with this run, and I plan to check up on some other Rebirth comics when I get time.
Speaking of The War of Jokes and Riddles, it manages to be a better Joker story AND a better Riddler story than either Death of the Family or Zero Year from Snyder's run, IMO, the former of which I personally can't stand and the latter of which I find to be a mediocre story arc that's vastly overrated by the fanbase (as is Court of Owls, IMO). The Flash/Batman Rebirth crossover story, The Button, was also quite fun. Night of the Monster Men was disappointingly underwhelming, though, given how exciting the set-up for it was.
In addition to reading Flash rebirth, I'm almost done with the second volume of Mark Waid's Flash run. I'll admit that I was wondering what the big deal was with the first volume, but I can really see Waid hitting his stride here and improving as a writer with the material from the second volume, adding layers to Wally West's character and managing to show a good sense of how to create compelling drama without it feeling forced. I'll definitely be continuing with this run to see where it goes from here until Grant Morrison and Mark Millar take over.
Also just snagged myself a digital copy of Moon Knight by Warren Ellis on Comixology since it was on sale for $3 until New Year's Day.
There are rumors that Nick Spencer will be the new head writer of Amazing Spider-Man. I don't understand why, since even from a financial standpoint, Secret Empire did poorly for a crossover event comic. It's rewarding somebody for failing.
I haven't had as much time to read lately, which has me sad. I ended up getting the first volume of Golden Kamuy, and also found the next 2 Invincible volumes for $2 a pop. Not to mention that I got the latest Barks collection for Christmas. But I haven't been able to find time for any of these yet.
Sweet. How are you liking Invincible?
You know, I find it kind of interesting that Tom King's Batman run is so divisive among fans, but more so because a lot of people seem pissed that he replaced Scott Snyder on the main Batman series than anything else. Though, doesn't Snyder still have All-Star Batman?
What I would like to know is just what everyone else finds so damn great about Snyder's run, though. I haven't read all of it yet, but I have read all the way up through Zero Year, and either I need to read it again or I'm clearly missing something here. The Court of Owls was a neat idea for a story but absolutely nothing interesting is done with it. Batman discovers a secret society that controls Gotham from underground and behind the scenes, but nothing interesting is done besides just the premise. The Court is a group of mostly faceless, nameless villains with little to no personality. There is hardly anything explored about Bruce's character in reaction to this discovery. It's a thoroughly "meh" story if I've ever read one. Death of the Family was just a struggle to even read through. You all know I hate stories with little substance beyond blatant shock value, and well....yeah, not something I can ever really get behind. And then there's Zero Year, which I'll say is relatively better than the other two story arcs, but once again I find that it lacks any real sense of personality or tension, and The Riddler is actually kind of boring, here, IMO. It's barely mediocre for me.
Tom King's run is far from perfect, but it has a unique feel and identity to it which grabs me, but beyond that it explores Batman as a character and his surrounding mythos in new and interesting ways. Snyder's run from what I've read feels like it has the appearance of that without the actual substance to back it up (and in some cases the writing is outright stupid), yet clearly I'm in the minority on that since apparently it's so well-loved and regarded among the fan-base.
And much of Snyder's run is just Morrison's run (secret society that wants to get rid of Batman, villain who claims to be one of Bruce's relatives, someone else taking the Batman mantle while Bruce is seemingly dead, a divisive new sidekick who sounds like they came out of a fanfic) but watered down and made more accessible to casual readers. He's even using Morrison's Hypercrisis theory for that Dark Nights Metal crossover.
Just read the six issues of Moon Knight written by Warren Ellis. Now those were some pretty awesome short stories, ranging from pulp noir to dark humor to outright trippy. Not sure if the character's other stories are at all like that, but it certainly has me interested to read more.
Moon Knight's more traditional stories are an interesting mix of Batman, The Mummy, and Magnum PI. It's not for everyone, but I enjoy the character. Ellis' take is pretty cool, too.
I got around to reading the first volume of Golden Kamuy last night, and I like it so far. I especially admire the amount of research that went into it. I know little about the Ainu, so it's cool to learn more about indigenous Japanese. Sugimoto and Asirpa are good characters so far, and I'm curious to see where the story goes.
I noticed something cool while at the grocery store- it looks like Marvel has worked with Archie to make digest reprints. They had a collection that looks like has a bunch of X-Men stories in it for $7, including the first story. I picked it up, since I think it's a good idea.
I read the first issue of The Snagglepuss Chronicles. To emphasize how ridiculous this premise is, this isn't just a comic about Snagglepuss, this is a comic that overlays Hanna-Barbera characters like Quick Draw McGraw and Huckleberry Hound onto McCarthyist America and how Communist witch hunts were tearing apart and ruining lives in Hollywood. This should be the stupidest comic ever, but it all works really well. Excited for the next issue.
I finished volume 2 of Mark Waid's Flash run. While it still shows its age in a number of ways, this was a marked improvement over the first volume and it's always great to see a writer improve over the course of their series. The fake Barry Allen story-line was surprisingly resonant on an emotional level, though its held back by a plot twist that, while kind of obvious, also happens to be needlessly convoluted and stupid. If you can look past that, though, it's a good read, IMO. Also, Jay Garrick, Johnny Quick, and Max Mercury work way too damn well together for a trio of old speedsters, and they have some genuinely funny banter between them. That alone deserves its own spin-off series. I hope they come back for future stories in Waid's run. I'll get around to volume 3 for sure, though probably not for a little while as I take a break from this run to read some other stuff.
I also finished the first three volumes of Batman: Detective Comics (Rebirth) and will probably get around to the fourth tomorrow. It's a really fun run, and a genuinely good team-based series. This actually made Azrael a likable character for me, which is saying a lot given how insufferable I found him in Knightquest an Knightsend. In general I've been pretty happy with all six different Rebirth series that I've checked out (Batman, Batman DC, Batman Beyond, Nightwing, The Flash, and New Superman), albeit to varying degrees. If you want to recommend any other good runs in Rebirth, Dr. Insomniac, I'm definitely up for it.
I also bought The Demon by Jack Kirby. I still have to finish reading Mister Miracle by him as well, but I'll be sure to check this one out once I complete that book.
In terms of manga, I've read up through volume 4 of SGRS. I know I'm in the minority here, but I actually kind of prefer the manga to the first season of the anime. While the anime is incredibly well-acted and well-directed, I can't help but feel that the pacing can be rather slow at times, and I just find it easier to discern the double-meaning (both in terms of each story's message and also their larger meaning in the narrative) of the actual Rakugo performances when I read them at my own pace as opposed to the anime in which my lack of understanding of the Japanese language and intricate pronunciations and mannerisms leaves me oblivious to all of the more nuanced aspects of this series. Though, to be fair, that's not the anime's fault, but rather my own lack of understanding. Even so, that's why I said that I prefer the manga personally, as opposed to saying that one is better than the other.
So, I happen to have a Comixology Unlimited subscription and was able to attain the first three volumes of Ultimate Spider-Man for free. I just went through the first volume and I've got to be honest: the writing hasn't aged so well. In some regards it almost feels more dated than the Steve Ditko-era issues that I read a few years ago. While those had the cheese factor (which arguably is part of its charm) a lot of those stories are intentionally tongue-in-cheek, and while there are some more serious ones (like the issue with Betty's brother getting killed while Spider-Man fights Doctor Octopus) which can also be hokey in their execution, there is still a feeling of genuine heart to them. Nothing in Ultimate Spider-Man strikes me as outright bad so far, but it does feel like it suffers from a case of trying too hard to take itself seriously. It's nowhere near as bad as the "edgy" comics of the 90's, but it does kind of feel like it has some of their bad habits which lingered into the early 2000's in that the work feels more concerned with trying to be a more realistic take on a classic character rather than just trying to be a fun comic book with a good heart and morals that both kids and older readers who want to bring out their inner child can enjoy.
To be fair, though, it's only the first volume, so it could improve, but man is this iteration of the series slow-paced as all hell.
I just caught the end of Barnes & Noble's buy 2, get 1 free manga sale to get the first 2 VizBig's of Dragon Ball, along with volume 2 of Golden Kamuy. For a total of $30, I get 7 volumes of manga. Not bad at all.
Love those VizBig editions. Great quality of paper and ink, and the page-size is perfect. I own all of Dragon Ball in this format as well as the first two volumes of DBZ (I'll get around to collecting the rest of the series eventually). I've also been meaning to collect Vagabond in this format as well.
Yeah, I was really liking the VizBig editions of Kenshin that I have, but in light of recent events... I think that if I do ever get around to completing my collection, I'll go for used copies.
I traded in some stuff at a used book store I don't have much use for anymore, and was able to use the credit I received for volumes 3 and 4 of Akira. I'm really excited, since I've really been enjoying the series when I get to read it, but the volumes are too rich for my blood. Even here, they're $20, which shouldn't be too bad in theory, since you get a lot of material in these volumes, but I just can't drop that much for one book at a time, y'no?
But so far, it's been a really good read, and has been adding to my enjoyment of the movie, rather than removing. Like Nausicaa, while the original mange is a more full experience, the film feels more like a compliment rather than a detriment.
You know, reading through Jack Kirby's Mr. Miracle run, I was kind of surprised to see Darkseid's Furies become allies to Scott and Barda, since I've only ever seen them as villains in the DC animated series and features. They work surprisingly well alongside the good guys, though.
I don't know how to feel about people who watched Black Panther picking up copies of the Hudlin run. Maybe they'll get some laughs from that one issue where Wakanda refuses to give up the cure for cancer, or the arc where Storm meets Skrull Martin Luther King Jr.
And I just read the Dastardly and Muttley comic by Garth Ennis. I've got to say, I've never expected a comic about Dick Dastardly to make me feel so many emotions before.
I'm really enjoying Dan Jurgens's Batman Beyond Rebirth run. It feels like a natural extension of the animated series.
I've also been having my eye on the first volume of Nextwave by Warren Ellis. I was really tempted to buy it, but I have too many other back volumes of other comics to work my way through first before I can justify buying more.
The guys at Sequart have made a documentary all about Claremont's run on the X-Men. (http://sequart.org/magazine/68275/expanded-chris-claremont-x-men-documentary-available-from-amazon-video-itunes/)
Here's the trailer. (https://youtu.be/mBeGWartq3g)
So are there any good comic websites left anymore? CBR has gone down the drains. BleedingCool somehow became even more like TMZ than before. ComicsAlliance was in the pits even before it got closed down. I could use a site that still knows how to type pretty about comics.
I ordered last month's Loot Anime box since it had Astro Boy and Robotech stuff in it. I got a nice light-up figure and poster for the former and a beanie for the latter, along with a Psycho-Pass shirt (which reminds me that I need to finish at least the first series), and in what ultimately made me happiest for the purchase, the first volume of Battle Angel Alita!
I read it way back in high school when I saw that my school's library had it, and I've been wanting to read it again for ages, but the original series has been out of print for ages. I have heard that it was relicensed now that the movie is actually happening, but almost forgot until I got this exclusive cover!
I'm almost done reading Scott Snyder's mainline Batman run. Perhaps it's from lowered expectations given how unimpressed I was with most of his material, but the Jim Gordon arc was surprisingly decent, all things considered. I expected it to be a lot dumber than what we actually got, though as I understand it, this was more co-written with James Tynion than a solo affair from Snyder, but perhaps I misunderstood. At any rate, it was nothing all that great, but it was mostly better than what came before. Still, it's a vastly overrated run IMO, and I can't help but shake the feeling that Snyder tried way too hard to ape Grant Morrison's unique writing style. I'm not even talking about how his run rips off a lot of story elements from Morrison's run, but rather that it feels like he's trying to make his work come off just as metatextual as Morrison's, but it feels far more forced in his case.
At any rate, after I'm done with this I'm debating on whether to jump into Mark Waid's Daredevil run or finally start out on Nextwave.
So, does anyone know the best way to go about collecting Ed Brubaker's Captain America run? I want to read the whole thing but don't want to buy single issues and the actual volumes are pretty small at about 5 or 6 issues each. Is the run available at all in omnibus format?
Here's the reading order. (https://comicvine.gamespot.com/profile/veshark/blog/captain-america-by-ed-brubaker-reading-order/104475/) There were omnibuses, but the first volume went out of print a while ago.
Got the Winter Soldier hardcover. I also already read The Death of Captain America arc a few years ago, and my TPB of it is back at the house in New Jersey. I'll have to collect the other volumes separately.
Currently, though, I'm reading this: https://youtu.be/Xuosmf1_mKs
Nextwave is love.
I've been reading Promethea after years of it collecting dust on my shelf. There's an entire issue dedicated to explaining how tarot cards work while the bottom of each page is about Aleister Crowley. It's got wonderful art, but I'm not sure if I can make sense of the story.
I've been wanting to read more Superman stories by Grant Morrison, and was considering collecting his Action Comics run, but that's where it gets a bit tricky for me. His stuff is either fairly accessible or insanely rooted in decades-worth of comic book lore that it's impossible to comprehend his stories unless you've somehow managed to read everything he's referencing. So, I was wondering if his Action Comics run was the former or the latter.
It's the former, since it was meant to be a sort of reboot for Superman as per the New 52.
That's good to know. I'll give it a look at some point, though I'm also deciding between that or one of Warren Ellis's original series as my next read (probably Transmetropolitan).
So, I've recently read through Ed Brubaker's Captain America run all the way up through the Death of Captain America arc. I haven't read any issues featuring Bucky as Captain America, but I did read Brubaker's subsequent Winter Soldier run, which I actually liked better than his Captain America material. His Captain America run was good, but I'm just a bit spoiled by the MCU interpretation of the character which I feels manages to surpass the source material in regards to The Winter Soldier and Civil War story-lines.
I also read through all of Batman and Robin Eternal, which was a pretty mediocre story arc overall, with both some low points and occasionally good moments throughout. But seriously, what is it with The New 52 era of Batman comics trying so hard to push Harper Row as the next major Batman character? Unless I'm missing something, she has been consistently uninteresting in every appearance that she's ever made so far among what I've read.
Lately I've been wanting to read through Walt Simonson's run on Thor, since I've heard unanimous praise about how legendary and iconic it is, but I was wondering if it's something that you can only get into after reading a good chunk of Thor's preceding material, or if it's easy enough to pick up as a jumping off point. I'll leave it up to the resident comic experts on this board to let me know which.
It's been a long time since I've read most of Simonson's material, but I think you should be fine. At most, you might need to do a quick wiki check, which isn't too difficult.
That's good to know. I'll need to save up my funds a bit, but I'll probably get around to reading that this summer.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on April 25, 2018, 02:12:17 PM
I also read through all of Batman and Robin Eternal, which was a pretty mediocre story arc overall, with both some low points and occasionally good moments throughout. But seriously, what is it with The New 52 era of Batman comics trying so hard to push Harper Row as the next major Batman character? Unless I'm missing something, she has been consistently uninteresting in every appearance that she's ever made so far among what I've read.
Oh, Harper. I assumed Snyder wrote her as the new Robin, so he could have more of a fingerprint on Batman than he already has through the Court of Owls and Duke Thomas, but DC didn't want to boot Damian out of his role. So she existed in this weird limbo where she's supposedly an important member of the Bat-family but doesn't actually do anything notable. She didn't offer anything that Tim, Stephanie, or Cassandra already did.
I've tried reading some of the older issues of Moon Knight from the Doug Moench run, and it's pretty boring and dated. It's also surprisingly sexist with how it treats Marlene's character (and I say this as a strong opposer of SJW's and PC culture). In this particular case it really does suffer from a lot of bad tendencies and tropes from superhero comics of that era. I'll probably just stick to the newer stuff from Ellis's take on the character and onward, since that has been a pretty excellent reinterpretation so far.
On another note, I got Walter Simonson's "The Mighty Thor" omnibus a few days ago and I'm really digging it. What's interesting is that while the stories do adhere to an episodic format standard of superhero stories of the time, Simonson also has a good grasp on how to build off of those stories to make something that also plays out well on a larger scale in the long-term. It seems like he does the episodic adventures with Thor while using supporting characters like Baldur and Odin, as well as villains like Loki, Lorelei, Malekith, and who I'm assuming is Surtur (the guy forging that big-ass sword in the background of every issue so far) to tell and interweve a more serialized narrative in the background, this setting up for (and even occasionally foreshadowing) future story-lines. It makes this run a lot easier to binge-read than most other comics from the 80's.
Strangely enough this kind of reminds me of Eichiro Oda's style of story-telling, albeit he tends to go for really long plays by setting up future arcs literal years in advance.
Still reading through Walter Simonson's run. Just finished the Surtur saga, which I remember Avaitor talking about on a list of his favorite Marvel stories quite a few years ago (boy does that bring back memories). At any rate, it's really good stuff, and it helps that Simonson really spent some time building up to it, which is a rarity for superhero stories of that era which tended to be more short-sighted and episodic. While I have been, and still am, a staunch defender of Thor: Ragnarok, I can certainly sympathize with the folk who felt cheated out of seeing the iconic fight against Surtur with Thor, Loki, and Odin working together to take him down, as that certainly is some pretty memorable material. On the other hand, though, I'd argue that it was The Dark World's fault for not utilizing Malekith properly to set up for that confrontation in the first place.
At any rate, this run has been great so far. I can't wait to read more.
I read Invincible Ultimate Collection Volume 10. What a rollercoaster. Also the current main villain has some valid points, as much as I hate to say that. Still too dull for me to be one of my favorite baddies, IMO.
I got myself the first omnibus volume of Devilman which arrived in the mail today. I also plan on getting Captain Harlock which releases tomorrow.
Oh nice, those are already out! I need to check those out.
So those Batman #50 spoilers. The spoilers that DC's Twitter linked to for god knows what reason.
Spoiler
Selina cancelling the marriage because she thinks a happy Batman would be a detriment to his crimefighting career is such bullshit. I get it. The Big Two have a huge distaste for superheroes getting married because they think that makes them boring. And nobody was expecting this to be anything other than a short-term thing at best. But fuck that. You shouldn't lure people in for a couple dozen issues all for an excuse many comic readers and critics have disagreed with ever since One More Day. And you can't go for the "Batman having a family would stifle his abilities" argument when he has one of the largest families in his universe. I've been a fan of Tom King's work, but this is where I have to disagree with him. He did wonders giving Vision a family, and making his a loving yet complicated one. So I'm disappointed he's not going for that route with Batman.
It's kind of nuts how similar in structure the Suicide Squad Rebirth comic is to the movie in the early issues. Were these written simultaneously to be the same general story or something? At any rate, it's a fairly average comic going by the first volume, Jim Lee's gorgeous artwork aside.
Now that I've just about finished Walt Simonson's Thor run (which absolutely lives up to its praise), I'm going to check out Ed Brubaker's Secret Avengers run, and I also picked up Marvel 1602 and Eternals (both by Neil Gaiman) for under $10 each at a clearance sale, so I'll check those out as well.
On a side note, I'm listening to the Norse Mythology audiobook narrated by Gaiman himself, and he has such a soothing voice that makes him a naturally great story-teller. I wouldn't mind him narrating some of his own motion comics if they ever made any.
On the manga side of things I'd like to note to everyone that Kimetsu no Yaiba has officially released its first volume and I highly recommend this series. While it does have an uncharacteristically slow and somber start for a Shonen Jump manga, the build-up is well worth it, IMO, and it's my favorite currently running series in the publication.
Also, To Your Eternity (from the author of A Silent Voice) is getting close to releasing its sixth volume in English and it's one of the best currently running manga period, IMO, so definitely get on that if you haven't already.
Barnes & Noble is having another buy 2/get 1 free Viz sale, so I'm trying to decide what to do- should I do what I did last time and get some more VizBigs of Dragon Ball along with Golden Kamuy volumes, or should I try to continue a collection of something I've been meaning to finish but forgot, like Nausicaa? The latter will be cheaper, and I could possibly do two separate transactions of it before the sale ends, completing my collection. But what entices me about the former is that I've been on a serious Jump kick lately (I've even found cheap editions of the first 3-in-1's of Naruto and Bleach in hopes of giving them another shot), and I like the idea of collecting more DB.
I'll try to decide soon, while the getting's still good.
*Cough*
QuoteOn the manga side of things I'd like to note to everyone that Kimetsu no Yaiba has officially released its first volume and I highly recommend this series.
*Cough*
....Oh, sorry, don't mind me. Just clearing my throat. :sly:
In all seriousness, though, I'd say go for the option that brings you the most value for your money. You can't go wrong with any VizBig or Nausicaa. I'd advise against Bleach though. That series doesn't need any more chances.
I'd say that Food Wars! is pretty decent if you like competition manga, but to be honest the whole series went massively downhill once Azami was introduced and never fully recovered, so it makes it hard to really recommend since there is little payoff to sticking with it. Also the ecchi can be obnoxiously bad at times.
Also, it's a long-shot but if you're store carries volumes of any older, less popular Jump titles, both Hikaru no Go and Psyren would be worth looking into. I doubt it, though, since both are out of print (though easy enough to find online). I only mention it because my local store occasionally stocks old obscure series like those at seemingly random chance. That said, you could easily buy either of those for digital download anyways.
Besides that, have I recommended To Your Eternity yet? If not, then I'll just say that it's my favorite currently running shonen manga period. It's not from Jump or even Viz, but it's definitely worth reading if you ever get the opportunity and have the inclination to experience something truly unique and different.
In terms of my reading, I recently read through Mark Waid's 6-issue Captain America run and I fucking loved it. I wish he could've written more. While I do enjoy Brubaker's take on the character, the more cheerful, optimistic Cap is the one that I most admire. In general I feel like Brubaker tries too hard to be gritty and serious to the point where it backfires at times (his Secret Avengers run was outright boring and devoid of any personality whatsoever, IMO). Meanwhile, what I've read of Waid's work in general seems to have a much stronger grasp of what makes superheroes so fun and endearing in the first place, though I'm not trying to say that Brubaker is incapable of writing anything good (still miles better than Scott Snyder, IMO).
I'm probably going to stick with online purchases, since the website has Amazon-like prices (at least for B&N members), as opposed to in-store MSRP. I have KnY in mind, as well as Promised Neverland and Astra in Space, so maybe I might just get the first volumes of each of those instead? But I feel like I start too many series and never finish any, so that's why I'm thinking about Nauiscaa and DB.
I've heard your thoughts about the recent decline of Food Wars, and that's partly why I'm thinking of watching the anime instead, in hopes that the series will fix some of those issues when it gets there. But we'll see how I feel when I get there.
I totally get that notion, as I have way too many half-finished manga and comics myself. That said, I don't mind so much when I'm keeping up with releases rather than starting a completed series from scratch. Like, if everything was available for a long-running series from the get-go I might hesitate to get into it due to commitment. But with something like, say, TYE or Devilman or various DC Rebirth series which have volumes newly in print being released once every few months, I don't mind keeping up with those releases since I stagger my reading pattern to contribute one to a few hours worth of reading to each of those series once every few months as their individual volume releases are spaced apart. That way I can still cover multiple series without feeling completely overwhelmed by juggling so many at once.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 06, 2018, 12:07:02 AM
In terms of my reading, I recently read through Mark Waid's 6-issue Captain America run and I fucking loved it. I wish he could've written more. While I do enjoy Brubaker's take on the character, the more cheerful, optimistic Cap is the one that I most admire. In general I feel like Brubaker tries too hard to be gritty and serious to the point where it backfires at times (his Secret Avengers run was outright boring and devoid of any personality whatsoever, IMO). Meanwhile, what I've read of Waid's work in general seems to have a much stronger grasp of what makes superheroes so fun and endearing in the first place, though I'm not trying to say that Brubaker is incapable of writing anything good (still miles better than Scott Snyder, IMO).
Looking back, Brubaker's run felt like his attempt to make Captain America feel like an HBO/Showtime drama than a traditional superhero comic. That kind of grit you get from primetime TV shows and pulp novels but still fitting in the comic format. You can see something similar to that in his crime comics like Criminal and Fade Out. The problem was, Brubaker's story with Cap felt like a 3-act tale (Bring back Bucky, kill off Steve, then turn Bucky into Cap) that had tons of other acts taped to the end and the sides.
Yeah, I read the first volume of Criminal and didn't much care for it. To me it felt like too much of it was trying to ape the style of a gritty crime drama yet it didn't have much of anything to say about the subject matter. It was more concerned with its appearance than its actual content. Kill or be Killed was even worse. It was schlock without any sense of self-awareness and I couldn't even make it through a single volume.
I do think that his Cap run has some genuinely good beats to it, and I also genuinely enjoyed what I read of his Iron Fist run so I think he's capable of writing good material, but his desire to give his serializations a dark and overly-serious edge can hold him back more often than not.
Personally, I find that the movie version of The Winter Soldier managed to accomplish what he was trying to do with that arc in the comic books without compromising Cap's character or personality. It's definitely the superior version of that story in my eyes.
Still, I'd love to read more content like Waid's for Captain America. I genuinely get a sense of his love and understanding of superheroes as characters first and foremost. Like, I didn't get why Wally West had so many fans until I started reading his Flash run and seeing how he balanced both humor and heart with the character. It's telling too, because his story-telling is rather weak early on and shows his inexperience, yet his characterization keeps a lot of those early issues of his engaging, all the same.
I was going to order Nausicaa, but ended up going with another series I've been meaning to finish with Pluto. Now I'm only one volume short on that, and I put the Nausicaa volumes into my saved for later cart in case I have a little more for them before the sale runs out.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 06, 2018, 11:35:52 AM
Yeah, I read the first volume of Criminal and didn't much care for it. To me it felt like too much of it was trying to ape the style of a gritty crime drama yet it didn't have much of anything to say about the subject matter. It was more concerned with its appearance than its actual content. Kill or be Killed was even worse. It was schlock without any sense of self-awareness and I couldn't even make it through a single volume.
I remember liking Criminal. I think being more concerned with its appearance was just Brubaker trying to adhere more to old-school detective/crime novels and differentiate himself with the rest of the market, as a way to establish himself as THE noir comic writer these days. I do agree that Kill or be Killed didn't hook me at all.
QuoteI do think that his Cap run has some genuinely good beats to it, and I also genuinely enjoyed what I read of his Iron Fist run so I think he's capable of writing good material, but his desire to give his serializations a dark and overly-serious edge can hold him back more often than not.
Still, I'd love to read more content like Waid's for Captain America. I genuinely get a sense of his love and understanding of superheroes as characters first and foremost. Like, I didn't get why Wally West had so many fans until I started reading his Flash run and seeing how he balanced both humor and heart with the character. It's telling too, because his story-telling is rather weak early on and shows his inexperience, yet his characterization keeps a lot of those early issues of his engaging, all the same.
If anything, all the recent hit and misses like everything Spencer make me nostalgic for Brubaker Cap. He had more of a vision for the character that consecutive writers didn't. As for Waid, I like some of his stuff, and he does Cap well, but he's been on his off-game recently. Champions was awful, especially for a guy who previously knew how to write teens in his Impulse run.
Admittedly I'm not as familiar with Waid's body of work so I have yet to read any of his bad stuff, though to be fair any comic book writer who's been in the industry long enough is bound to have some misses (this is true for even Moore and Morrison). I suppose it comes with the experimental nature of the industry.
I also don't want to make it sound like I didn't like Brubaker's Cap run. I did. It's just that it's not my favorite version of Cap as a character. Granted, I understand that there were story-line reasons for Cap acting a bit grimmer here since this was immediately following an event where Scarlet Witch killed off some Avengers, so I'm not faulting it from a story-telling angle.
At any rate, I'm genuinely enjoying Neil Gaiman's "Eternals" mini-series. It's also telling that despite this taking place in a post Civil-War sort of set-up, Gaiman is somehow able to make Stark not seem like the completely irredeemable ass-hole that Millar wrote him as.
Every time I think about Civil War, I think of something new to complain about it. Like how Millar thought Stark was in the right despite all of his actions. How all the political implications haven't aged well at all, like when the pro-registration side kills a black superhero, and Tony defends himself by saying that's what any police officer would have done. And how a society where superheroes are now forced to register and serve the government, a government that in-universe helped created Sentinels, is treated like a happy ending.
Got my copy of Kimetsu no Yaiba volume 1 in the mail today. Man, it's a lot easier to appreciate this series' unique artstyle in a high quality physical release than reading it online.
I got my copy of volume 1 a few weeks ago, and damn does it look nice! I'm so happy to finally have this series in print! Now if only we could get it simulpubbed in WSJ.....
The first 14 volumes of BECK are free on Comixology for Unlimited users so I've started going through that series. I watched the anime over ten years ago and barely remember it other than liking it back in the day. That said I'm really enjoying the manga despite having the obvious disadvantage of not being able to hear the music, but that's not really much of a detriment since the story is really about a boy discovering his passion for music rather than any of the actual music itself. Really good read so far.
I also started reading Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man and downed the first dozen issues in one sitting. I'll be honest, I went into this with relatively low expectations since I haven't been terribly impressed with the few things from Brian Michael-Bendis that I've managed to read, but I'll give credit where it's due and say that so far this has been a solid run with tight-pacing and a good handle on its core characters. I might check out more of early issues of Ultimate Spider-Man after reading through the rest of this run if it's handled as well.
Kodansha USA also licensed the creator of Beck's current series Seven Shakespeares (https://www.comixology.com/Seven-Shakespeares-comiXology-Originals/comics-series/118206?ref=Y29taWMvdmlldy9kZXNrdG9wL2JyZWFkY3J1bWJz)!
It's really cool seeing Kodansha USA pick up some more titles that I thought would never be licensed/re-licensed.
Yeah, I noticed that one as well, the first few volumes of which are also free for Comixology Unlimited users. I'll probably check it out after I finish BECK, which may take a while considering my current schedule.
Finished volume 2 of Miles Morales Spider-Man. I'm still really enjoying this run. Volume 3 is currently out of stock on Amazon and I can't seem to pull it up in Comixology for some reason either (search results only pull up issues as early as the 2014 run and on) so I guess I'll have to try and find it from another online vendor.
So, I've been reading superhero comics regularly for about two years now and still know next to nothing about them and am in no way qualified to have an opinion on them but I figured that I'd list my preferred favorites so far just because I had nothing better to do at the moment.
Top 5 Marvel:
5. Captain America (Mark Waid)
4. Moon Knight (Warren Ellis)
3. The Mighty Thor (Walter Simonson)
2. Daredevil/The Man Without Fear (Frank Miller's entire run + miniseries)
1. Hawkeye (Matt Fraction)
There are of course plenty of honorable mentions I could name and a ton of comics that I still haven't gotten to yet. I'm currently enjoying Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) and Spider-Man (Miles Morales) but am only a couple of volumes into each of those runs. I also really liked the Eternals mini-series by Neil Gaiman and have been reading the classic Lee/Ditko Spider-Man era comics on and off. I did read the Dark Phoenix Saga, but that was over five years ago and I'd need to get around to reading the Chris Claremont X-Men Omnibus in order to re-read and re-evaluate it. Also can't forget to mention the excellent Dr. Strange mini-series by Brian K. Vaughan, and Nextwave could have just as easily been in Moon Knight's spot (the latter just marginally edged it out as my favorite Warren Ellis thing for Marvel, so far). The ones that I listed as favorites may not all be classics, but those appeal to my personal tastes the most. Obviously the more that I read the more that a list like this would change, but please feel free to recommend me any Marvel reading material that you think I would enjoy based on my preferences here.
Top 5 DC (Non-Batman):
5. Doom Patrol (Grant Morrison)
4. Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (Keith Giffen)
3. Watchmen (Alan Moore)
2. All-Star Super-Man (Grant Morrison)
1. The New Frontier (Darwyn Cooke)
Doom Patrol would be higher but I still have yet to read volume three. As for honorable mentions I'd have to go with Mark Waid's Flash run (which I still need to read more of) as well as some of the DC Rebirth stuff.
Top 5 Batman:
5. Rebirth (Tom King)
4. Knightfall (various writers)
3. The Long Halloween/Dark Victory (Loeb & Sale)
2. The Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller)
1. Year One (Frank Miller)
I'll give Snyder just a bit of credit and say that The Black Mirror was alright, though I find his main series run to be massively overrated by the fanbase. Other honorable mentions would basically fall to other classic Batman stories that I respect well enough but aren't personal favorites, like A Death in the Family, Hush, Under the Red Hood, and The Killing Joke, among others.
For me, in no particular order.
Top 5 Marvel
Nextwave (Ellis)
Captain Britain and MI:13 (Cornell)
Captain America (Brubaker)
The Vision (King)
Punisher MAX (Ennis)
Honorary mentions being Abnett and Lanning's Guardians of the Galaxy, Hickman's Secret Warriors, Claremont/Morrison/Whedon's X-Men, Priest's Black Panther, and Brubaker's Books of Doom. Also that Doom and Strange comic Mignola worked on.
Top 5 Non-Batman DC:
The Sandman (Gaiman)
Secret Six (Simone)
The Question (O'Neil)
Swamp Thing (Moore)
Final Crisis (Morrison)
Top 5 Batman:
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (Morrison)
Year One (Miller)
Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader (Gaiman)
Black Mirror (Snyder)
Gotham Central (Brubaker & Rucka) (even if it's technically more a GCPD comic than a Batman one)
I forgot about it but I'd also probably list Brubaker's Captain America and Iron Fist runs as honorable mentions as well. I also enjoyed his short-lived Winter Soldier run. I also just picked up Captain America Reborn which I will give a read through fairly soon.
Since you brought it up, I'm wondering what it was about Snyder's Black Mirror story that made it work better than his actual Batman run (IMO; I know that I'm in the minority here). Is it just that he has a better handle on characters like Grayson and Gordon than he does on Wayne. I mean, thinking about it, the best part of his 50-issue Batman run was surprisingly enough the stuff from after Bruce Wayne "died" and Gordon took over for him (I'm probably in the minority on that too).
As for Arkham, that's another one that I read years ago before I was somewhat better versed in Batman, so at the time it was confusing and nonsensical to me, but it's probably due for a re-read at some point. I do remember reading a background story about how the artist didn't want to work on a Batman comic and that there was some friction between him and Morrison creatively clashing with one another. Any truth to that?
Is Punisher MAX kind to newcomers or do I have to do some pre-reading to get into it?
The Sandman has been on my to read list for the longest time. I really need to get around to it. Perhaps after I finish Norse Mythology and Neverwhere (almost done with the former), about to start the latter.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 18, 2018, 04:45:54 PM
Since you brought it up, I'm wondering what it was about Snyder's Black Mirror story that made it work better than his actual Batman run (IMO; I know that I'm in the minority here). Is it just that he has a better handle on characters like Grayson and Gordon than he does on Wayne. I mean, thinking about it, the best part of his 50-issue Batman run was surprisingly enough the stuff from after Bruce Wayne "died" and Gordon took over for him (I'm probably in the minority on that too).
I assume that was because Black Mirror was a side-thing that only took around a dozen issues to do, while his Batman run plus the Batman Eternal range left him tired out and scraping for new stories to tell. I thought there was some good stuff in the Court of Owls arc, but from Death of the Family onward, it felt like Snyder didn't have enough ideas for a 50-issue run.
QuoteI do remember reading a background story about how the artist didn't want to work on a Batman comic and that there was some friction between him and Morrison creatively clashing with one another. Any truth to that?
From what I can find, it was more them going on their separate ways, and McKean leaving mainstream comics for illustration work on album covers and Gaiman's children's books.
QuoteIs Punisher MAX kind to newcomers or do I have to do some pre-reading to get into it?
No pre-reading, especially since it takes place in its own universe.
I found that the first volume of Punisher Max is available to read for free on Comixology Unlimited, so I'll give it a look at some point later on.
Comixology Unlimited has been having a big SDCC sale, and I found that a lot of Hellboy books were available for a massive discount (some up to 75% off) and managed to get digital copies of the first two omnibi for $4 each. Seems like a pretty good deal.
I'm already trying to read and order a bunch of different series, but a friend of mine is showing me the current releases of the original W.I.T.C.H. comics. While she's not a fan of the series, and I was a bit too old to have childhood attachments to it, I'm having a bit of a nostalgia overload for when I used to DVR the show from Jetix, and I'm considering ordering them.
I read the first volume of X-Men Grand Design, a comic miniseries that tries to distill all of the X-Men mythos into one cohesive whole through pulp art. While it's basically a recap, it captures how weird the X-Men, especially the pre-Claremont era, can be.
Volume 3 of Miles Morales Ultimate Spider-Man finally came in the mail. It's at times like this that I'm reminded that the interconnectivity of superhero comics means that individual series don't necessarily read as cohesive stories all of the way through. The first two volumes stood fine on their own but volume three pretty much starts out with the Cataclysm event from Ultimate Spider-Man and then skips the actual event to get to the next solo Miles Morales story. This in and of itself is fine but the drastic change in tone and implied time-skip make it painfully obvious that I'm missing some important events that happened with the character. Additionally, I feel like certain plot points had to be either rushed or left underdeveloped in order to tie in with this event. Like, I feel as though Miles revealing his identity to his father lacked the proper build-up, and I was enjoying the little team that he had formed with Spider-Woman, Bombshell, Cloak, and Dagger, so it was a bit disappointing to see that come to an abrupt end (especially since Champions apparently isn't that great). It also just feels like a bunch of character relationships inexplicably changed off screen.
At the same time I'm not too keen to go out and read Cataclysm since other than being weary of event comics, I'm not sure if I'll really comprehend what's going on with all of the other characters from other series. Now I suppose I know what people who skipped some important Marvel crossover movies would feel like going into the next installment of a solo series.
That said, it's still an enjoyable read, just feeling like a huge chunk of story and character development is missing from it.
Anyways, I'll be moving onto Spider-Verse right after this volume.
So I finally got around to finishing Shaman King, and damn was it fantastic! I go into my thoughts a bit more in a upcoming Manga Mavericks ep about it (shameless plug :sweat:), but it really was entertaining from beginning to end, and Yoh and co's development as characters is wholeheartedly satisfying. I had already viewed Takei as a fantastic mangaka because of Karakuri Doji Ultimo and Nekogahara, but this just further cemented his talents for me.
As far as other things I've been reading, I'm still slowly making my way through Whistle, and it continues to surprise me with its creativity and unique flair as a sports manga. It's a real shame that the series isn't talked about more nowadays, because it's definitely a standout sports series within Jump's history.
So, I've started reading James Robinson's Starman run, and holy shit is it good. I'm only a few issues in, but I'm just amazed at the quality of the writing and how seamlessly the story flows from issue to issue. And mind you, this is from a series written during the dark age of comics in the 90's, so it's amazing how ahead of its time it feels compared to most of its contemporaries. I also really dig the artwork, and Jack Knight is quickly becoming one of my favorite DC characters. Considering how long this run is, I'm not sure if it can hold this level of quality over the entire thing, but if at least the first few books are as good as the first few issues that I've read, then it'll be well worth the praise that it has garnered over the years. I just find it a bit hard to believe that this is written by the same guy who wrote Cry for Justice, but then again, a lot of really good writers have written their share of garbage stuff too, so I guess that it makes sense in that regard.
Quote from: VLordGTZ on August 06, 2018, 01:02:06 PMI had already viewed Takei as a fantastic mangaka because of Karakuri Doji Ultimo and Nekogahara, but this just further cemented his talents for me.
Speaking of Nekogara, is it just me or are these volume releases for it ridiculously slow? I collected the first two volumes last year, the third volume this year, and am still waiting until next month for the fourth volume to release. Hell, by the time I had collected the third volume I had to go back and re-read the first two because it had already been several months since I had last visited them and I didn't remember a good chunk of the story details up to that point.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on August 25, 2018, 05:14:46 PM
So, I've started reading James Robinson's Starman run, and holy shit is it good. I'm only a few issues in, but I'm just amazed at the quality of the writing and how seamlessly the story flows from issue to issue. And mind you, this is from a series written during the dark age of comics in the 90's, so it's amazing how ahead of its time it feels compared to most of its contemporaries. I also really dig the artwork, and Jack Knight is quickly becoming one of my favorite DC characters. Considering how long this run is, I'm not sure if it can hold this level of quality over the entire thing, but if at least the first few books are as good as the first few issues that I've read, then it'll be well worth the praise that it has garnered over the years.
I love those types of comics DC/Vertigo does. Where a writer takes a previously D-list comic character, and twists them into a completely new person while playing with decades of comic book history. Starman does that just as well as many of the other examples like Doom Patrol. And I understand DC and James Robinson made an agreement about it, but it's a shame Jack Knight hasn't shown up in ages.
Yeah (speaking of Doom Patrol, I finally have volume 3 coming in the mail this week), as far as DC/Vertigo comics go, these re-imaginings have been among my favorites.
As for not using the Jack Knight character in any modern stories, I suppose that it's a bit of a double-edged sword. He's a great character that it'd be awesome to see more of, however if he were handed off to bad or even mediocre writers, it could easily ruin the great and complex character that Robinson set up in his run. In that regard, I've been soured on Batman a bit by his oversaturarion and numerous really bad takes on him. I also feel kind of similarly about some of the Watchmen characters from the bits that I've read of Before Watchmen, as other writers seem to miss the point of them entirely, even though apparently Dave Gibbons still had some contributions or at least a part to play in the writing process for those comics from what I've heard.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on August 26, 2018, 09:19:58 PM
In that regard, I've been soured on Batman a bit by his oversaturarion and numerous really bad takes on him. I also feel kind of similarly about some of the Watchmen characters from the bits that I've read of Before Watchmen, as other writers seem to miss the point of them entirely, even though apparently Dave Gibbons still had some contributions or at least a part to play in the writing process for those comics from what I've heard.
Yeah, even though I've come to terms with Batman essentially being a neverending character, I get that. It's why I have cold feet over that new Sandman Universe comic, even if Gaiman is overseeing it. As for Before Watchmen or Doomsday Clock or whatever, Gibbons had nothing to do with either and doesn't consider them canon, which was still less acidic than Moore's reaction.
Oh, that's good to know. Looks like I had read some misinformation. Sadly that happens quite a bit.
I read the Adventures of Luther Arkwright a couple days ago. It's a really cerebral book where every panel is filled with tons of detail. Like if someone took the best parts of The Invisibles and V For Vendetta and taped them together.
So, is the Sandman in Starman supposed to be the Sandman from Neil Gaiman's comic or is it a completely different interpretation of that character or just a different character with the same name altogether? I really liked the Sand and Stars arc, and that character was a standout for me, but I get the feeling that it's a completely different character than Gaiman's Sandman.
Speaking of Starman, I can't seem to find the third omnibus in stock anywhere for a reasonable price. Amazon has it at $200+ and up, which is ludicrous, and other sites that I've looked at don't currently have it in stock. I may just have to buy the rest of the series digitally at this point, which is a real shame since I actually do enjoy the bonus content in the physical releases, especially getting to read about James Robinson's detailed thought process in writing this series.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on September 09, 2018, 09:57:32 PM
So, is the Sandman in Starman supposed to be the Sandman from Neil Gaiman's comic or is it a completely different interpretation of that character or just a different character with the same name altogether? I really liked the Sand and Stars arc, and that character was a standout for me, but I get the feeling that it's a completely different character than Gaiman's Sandman.
He's Wesley Dodds, the Golden Age Sandman. The Sandman in Neil Gaiman's run is Dream of the Endless. But like Dream, he also has his own Vertigo series.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandman_Mystery_Theatre
I've just started reading J. Michael Straczynski's run on Thor, and I have to say that it's super satisfying to see him knock the ass-hole version of post-Civil War Tony Stark down a peg. I can't fucking stand this take on the character, especially because he has no remorse for anything that he's done and is treated by Millar like he's completely in the right. Meanwhile, far better writers cleverly make it clear just what their stance is on Stark after the events of Civil War by how they portray him as well as how other characters react to him. Thor essentially tells him to go fuck-off in the most bad-ass and intimidating way ever, and in Gaiman's Eternals mini-series he basically showcases Stark as little more than an ignorant tool for the government. Ed Brubaker interestingly tries to redeem him at least a little bit by showing him as being more sympathetic to Captain America's side after Cap's death, having at least a little bit of regret about their falling out, but every other post-Civil War story that I've read so far largely seems to ignore this characterization.
That's why I find it so odd when comic book purists bitch about the movie version of Civil War. I'm not saying that it's a perfect movie by any means (of the three Russo Brothers' MCU movies so far, it's easily the weakest for me), but it does a far better job than the comic book of handling its core characters, and in this version Tony's actions, while clearly wrong, are at least more understandable due to his clearly defined motivations of guilt after Age of Ultron. The comic book version of Tony Stark in and after Civil War is complete character assassination that basically makes him act like a fucking prick with no real development whatsoever, and again, somehow we're genuinely meant to see him as the hero of that story. It just blows my mind how some people can legitimately claim to prefer that version of the story.
I liked the Civil War movie, but the way Marvel as a whole keeps bringing up the Civil War comic as one of their biggest events on par with the Dark Phoenix Saga or the time Gwen Stacy died instead of treating it for what it is, a poorly-written mess with horrible characterization and political messages that have aged miserably, it's like if DC kept celebrating Amazons Attack or Cry for Justice and made adaptations and sequels of those comics.
So, I've been following the 2016 run of Spider-Man (Miles Morales), which I got around to after reading Secret Wars. I was enjoying it about as much as the Ultimate Comics run until the story had to get itself involved in the Civil War II story-line. Not only did it make the solo-run for Miles feel narratively disjointed (and no, I'm not buying into Marvel's crap and won't read Civil War II just because it heavily features Miles in it), but every tidbit I learned about the events of it from off-screen really didn't sit well with me. Also, having had no prior exposure to Carol Danvers aside from AEMH (which I liked her in, but unfortunately the series didn't last too long after she joined the team), everything that I've heard about her makes her seem like the biggest ass-hole ever. So, is this just character assassination on the level of what the original Civil War did with Tony Stark, or is this more or less what her character is normally like?
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on September 17, 2018, 04:47:37 PM
So, I've been following the 2016 run of Spider-Man (Miles Morales), which I got around to after reading Secret Wars. I was enjoying it about as much as the Ultimate Comics run until the story had to get itself involved in the Civil War II story-line. Not only did it make the solo-run for Miles feel narratively disjointed (and no, I'm not buying into Marvel's crap and won't read Civil War II just because it heavily features Miles in it), but every tidbit I learned about the events of it from off-screen really didn't sit well with me. Also, having had no prior exposure to Carol Danvers aside from AEMH (which I liked her in, but unfortunately the series didn't last too long after she joined the team), everything that I've heard about her makes her seem like the biggest ass-hole ever. So, is this just character assassination on the level of what the original Civil War did with Tony Stark, or is this more or less what her character is normally like?
For sanity and amusement's sake, I suggest you read this "version" of Civil War II and pretend this is the canon edition. (http://illuminatingcomics.tumblr.com/post/158105476535/the-worst-thing-after-a-war-is-a-war-fought) As for Carol herself, she's a... difficult person. Even when the writers try to write her as an all-loving hero, she's not the most likeable character. And the movie's gonna have to majorly overhaul her personality if they want audiences to like her, like how they removed many of T'Challa and Wakanda's unsavory aspects for the Black Panther movie. It's the reason why she's had multiple Issue #1s over the past decade alone.
I'm actually pretty confident that the MCU take on her will be a lot more appealing than her comic book counterpart. They seem to have a pretty good track record with taking less than savory elements from the source material and doing interesting new things with them to make for an overall better product. And as I said, I found the way that Danvers was characterized in AEMH to be perfectly fine, even though she didn't get all that much screen-time in her Captain Marvel persona before the show got canned. If they have something along those lines for the movie I think we'll be fine.
They could also do what they've done in the past for some of their villains and give her some attributes of other likable heroes mixed in with some of her own personality. For example, they could use some of the naive innocence and buoyant optimism of Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) combined with a more Captain America-like sense of non-hostile but still stern authority rather than being the female Hitler that Civil War II seems to portray her as. They'd still have to retain enough elements of Captain Marvel's original persona to still have her resemble her comic book counterpart in some way (like they did with T' Challa), but that seems pretty doable to me.
Reading The Filth. What was apparently Grant Morrison's pitch for a Nick Fury comic, but was then retooled into something so bizarre that it led to Grant attempting suicide at least once when writing the book. So far, there have been several cat corpses, a Communist Monkey murdering people, some vague commentary about superhero comics that makes no sense, and a critique on pedophile-hunting mobs.
So I recently finished Ms. Marvel volume 4, and it's a good example of how a shared Universe in comic books that need to build up to major reboot events every several years can be a bit of a double-edged sword. I was really into the series and the natural progression of Kamala's character arc, so when it had to inevitably tie into the Universe-shattering (literally) event of Secret Wars, it was a bit sad that certain plot points and character beats that were being built up to naturally over time had to be rushed to a quick conclusion (and mind you, I actually did enjoy Secret Wars as a story in itself). I have yet to get to the current run of Ms. Marvel from after that event, but if it's handled like what happened with Miles Morales, it'll cherry pick pieces of continuity established from the original Universe's run while either resetting, altering, or completely removing other pieces of background from the first run, which doesn't kill the series for me by any means, but it does essentially dial back all of the momentum that it had built up for me when it was going on before the event took place. And it just feels jarring and disjointed from a narrative standpoint, to say the least. And even if I end up starting to enjoy Kamala's adventures again just like I did with Miles, I'll inevitably have to get around to HER portion of Civil War II....uugghhh....:srs:
Well, at least after that point it might pick up again....
**Looks up next major Marvel event**
Oh no....:whuh:
Yeah, it seemed like Marvel wasn't expecting Kamala to be the breakout success that she became when she first came out, so they went jittery and started shoving her in every team and event possible whether or not it made sense, and turning what should have been a look into a little corner of the Marvel universe uninterrupted by everyone else into something that had to follow along with whatever Bendis, Nick Spencer, or Charles "Mutant genocide is just a peanut allergy" Soule were planning. I think that's why the Guardians of the Galaxy comics from the mid-2000s are still admired, because the writers didn't have to throw future plot point because Tony Stark was being an asshole back on Earth.
Yeah, and it doesn't do these events any favors either by trying to overstuff them with so many characters to the point of feeling like fanservice trumps any sense of narrative focus (and not even good fanservice st that). The reason that I did still enjoy Secret Wars was because the story only focused on certain core characters with some other heroes being relegated to mostly cameos. I could follow it just fine despite not knowing a lot of the comic book lore and history leading up to it. Meanwhile, in addition to having an infuriatingly bad message, Civil War reads like an incoherent mess even if you are familiar with most of its core characters.
Mostly seems like it's because Marvel doesn't know the strengths of their own writers at times. Instead of hiring a writer who can handle juggling around dozens of characters in a massive event comic, they often pick writers like Bendis who are better at small street-level tales than huge ones. It's like if Marvel Studios hired the Netflix showrunners to direct and write Infinity War.
Their incessant need for crossover events is one of Marvel's biggest problems as of late. The stories aren't strong enough to justify keeping up with the main books, let alone the numerous crossovers, and there's zero casual appeal. It really feels like they're doing everything they can to turn movie and TV fans off from the actual comics.
Which is a shame, since there are good books being made by them, but even a lot of the best ones get screwed over by the numerous events.
Crossover events could work. It's just they're all dumb ideas like Carol and Tony getting into a fight because they don't know how psychics work, everybody treating Cyclops like he's worse than Hitler just because he doesn't want the Inhumans to gas his people to death, or Captain America becoming a Nazi. These events are the big comics that even casual fans who barely read comics will notice, so it's baffling how these books with the most exposure have stupid plots like these. Wouldn't they want the most popular comics they're selling off shelves to not have a dumb premise anybody could see?
I mean, you look at an event like Infinity Gauntlet which has several heroes, villains, and even cosmic entities coming together and temporarily unifying to stop an ultimate Universe-shattering threat. That sounds pretty epic and makes me want to know more about the characters and larger Universe surrounding such an event.
Meanwhile we have these other ones that seem pretty hell-bent on finding new ways to ruin well-established characters and lore for no other reason than Marvel's top writers and editors apparently having a free-pass to do whatever they want without anyone of sense reigning them in.
Marvel should really lay off the "heroes fight each other" trope. It seldom works well and they keep finding more contrived reasons for characters to start fighting each other. They've done it for so many times that comics where heroes all have to team up to fight an overpowered villain like Apocalypse sounds refreshing by comparison.
Saw that Demon in a Bottle was available to read for free for Comixology Unlimited members. I've been wanting to read this one for a while so I added it to my Borrow list, though it'll take me a bit of time to get around to it.
I've actually been making a conscious effort to try and read any of the stories featured on Avaitor's old list from several years ago (boy does that bring back memories) whenever I manage to come across them.
Wow, that's a throwback. If I was to do the list now, it would be totally different. Although I honestly don't read nearly as many western comics as I used to.
I read that Batman Damned comic that everybody keeps talking about because of Bruce's penis. Other than that, there's nothing really going on because Azzarello and Batman are never a good match (those extra scenes in The Killing Joke movie he wrote can attest to that). I am wondering why it's part of that new Black Label thing instead of Vertigo. I thought along with being DC's creator-owned imprint, Vertigo doubled as their brand for adult DC stories like Hellblazer and Sandman. John Constantine even shows up in the comic to add to that Vertigo feel, so it's bewildering.
So, I just finished Straczynski's run on Thor, and I absolutely loved it. I'd almost put it on par with Simonson's run, but unfortunately he didn't get the chance to finish it since apparently Marvel wanted him to prematurely rap-up the Loki and Dr. Doom story-line in order to tie into their next big event, Siege (I'm starting to see a pattern here). That said, I'm not sure why they handed the last three issues of this arc off to another writer instead of Straczynski just finishing what he started, even if having to rush it a bit. All the same, I'll still read Latverian Prometheus to see how this story-line ends, and I'll also read Siege since it's free to read for Comixology Unlimited members. After that I'll probably take a short break from Thor before reading Thor: God of Thunder, which I also hear a lot of good things about. I know that Fraction had a run in-between that, but from what I hear it's pretty forgettable stuff and mediocre at best, and not really essential for getting into Aaron's run with the character.
There's also a Loki comic in-between that series of Thor runs, Journey Into Mystery. Tom Hiddleston gave his seal of approval to it. (https://www.cosmicbooknews.com/content/tom-hiddlestons-letter-printed-journey-mystery-645-thanks-kieron-gillen)
I always love it when comic book movie actors get really into their characters. You can tell that people like Tom Hiddleston and Chris Evans (among various others) actually do really give a shit about their characters and how they are portrayed on the screen (in Evans's case, as I hear it, he pushed for a darker tone for the second Captain America movie before they even brought the Russo Brothers on-board).
That Loki run sounds like a lot of fun. Like a lot of other things, though, I've just added it onto my Comixology wish list for now since I have way too much in my backlog to get around to it anytime soon. I work through that list when I start to finish off a number of other series, though, so I'll probably manage to start reading it within the next few months.
I read through that Dark Night comic Paul Dini wrote, where he talks about that time he was mugged and almost killed and it messed with his psyche for a while. The comic plays it up a little by having his conscience symbolized by various BTAS characters, with them guiding his love life and his work ethic. Dini has a moment where he almost becomes Batman mentally. He also talks about this unmade BTAS/Sandman crossover episode where Batman would have met Dream (who Dini suggested would have been played by John Hurt) and Death, but his producers turned it down for being too metafictional.
I love that comic, some of his best work imo.
Alright, so I've literally searched for weeks to see if I could get a hard copy of Starman Omnibus Vol. 3 for anything under $100, but it's apparently rare enough for that to flat-out not be possible. Some sites advertise it as being cheaper but when you click on the link it says it's out of stock and then shows where you can buy it used for a ridiculous $200+, so I pretty much gave up on trying to read it that way. As it stands now, I can get most of the individual issues that make up that volume digitally on Comixology. However I'm not sure if The Shade #1-4 which are also part of that collection are the same ones that are in the 12-issue miniseries by James Robinson (as there are no other issues of The Shade in any other part of the collection), or if it's part of some original mini-series that he did in conjunction with the run of Starman, which seems more likely since the publication date of his mini-series seems to be from well after his Starman run was over.
If anyone knows anything about that, please let me know. I'm kind of a completionist when it comes to these things, and in general I kind of consider it criminal for a series this good to be so hard to collect.
As soon as I get my next paycheck, I'm going ahead and buying the hard copies of the rest of the omnibi volumes before those get ridiculously expensive as well.
I've read the three volumes of Made in Abyss that Seven Seas has published so far and I am looking forward to getting the fourth one later this month. This series has some heavily divided opinions from what I've seen on some forums and YouTube videos but I personally enjoy it. It has an interesting setting and the characters are well crafted. Nanachi making Reg put her friend out of her misery is also one of the most emotionally powerful moments I've ever read in a manga.
I had some credit with one of the comic book stores I frequent and got $20 off the X-Men The Hunt for Professor X TPB. I've wanted to get it for so long but I had to read some other X-Men comics first. I've also been reading the respective Volumes 3 of both Fantastic Four and Avengers as well as late 90's DC like JLA and JSA.
What I learned from reading Starman today: Crimes and Misdemeanors is Batman's favorite Woody Allen movie.
On that note, I can't help but feel as though Robinson portrayed Batman as a bit too much of an uptight dick in his crossover with Jack Knight and Sentinel. I mean, it makes sense that someone with his personality clashing with Jack's personality would lead to tension between them, but he was kind of a jerk to everyone here, including Sentinel; and even Batman strikes me as someone who is usually at least respectful of veteran heroes. I can't tell if Robinson wrote him this way because he didn't like the character and was sort of satirizing him by making him into an extreme version of himself (which is entirely possible given the tone of Starman on the whole), or if he literally just thought that's the way that Batman should act at the time that he was writing this series.
It's similar to how Geoff Johns writes Batman. It seems to them, he provides an easy bad cop for their main character to call out.
Got to read volume two of Wonder Woman Earth One. It's far from the weirdest reinvention of a character Grant Morrison's done, but still remarkably weird compared to other Wonder Woman books. The Invisible Jet is now a vagina-shaped ship. The Amazonians don't just preach submission as the path to happiness, but outright BDSM. The main villain is a pick-up artist/hostage negotiator who tries to manipulate Wonder Woman sexually. Diana even gets to ride a kangaroo. The story and themes all have a Le Guin quality to it, and does a better job reconstructing Wonder Woman from the ground up than Batman and Superman's Earth One books did. Even if Morrison gets really indulgent here.
While I'm still not the most experienced with Grant Morrison, my opinions of his work tend to fall into one of two general lines of thought: he's either writing a genius weird story or a pretentious weird story. I really love stuff like Doom Patrol and All-Star Superman because, despite embracing really crazy, out-there concepts, there is a clear straight-forward point to those stories and Morrison doesn't seem to lose site of always keeping the reader engaged. In some of what I consider to be his weaker-stories, such as a good chunk of Morrison's Batman run at least up through RIP (though, to be fair, there are some good bits sprinkled in there), I feel as though he gets too self-indulgent in data-mining lots of older and obscure bits of continuity. Stuff that would alienate most non-hardcore Batman fans, and generally tries too hard to capture that weird nature of his writing that he doesn't even really bother to make his stories and characters interesting enough on their own. Generally I prefer his stories that makes reader want to keep reading from issue-to-issue like you would expect any good story to do. A Serious House on Serious Earth falls somewhere in-between these two categories for me.
Yeah, Grant can be crazy. I do like he's styled himself as the antithesis to Alan Moore in writing, creative decisions, relationship with DC, type of magic, how they style their head, and even their own names. Even though I've known it for a while, it's still bizarre that two of the people who have shaped and re-invented mainstream and independent comics for decades are wizards who are exact opposites and despise each others' guts.
And while Morrison can trip over and write garbage like the latter half of New X-Men, I appreciate that he makes his comics weird. For characters as old as Batman and Superman, you need to be weird in order to innovate them. Do the things you couldn't get away with in the movies or the shows. Even his most normal and straightforward comics like JLA have that subversiveness that I believe more comic writers should strive for.
I absolutely love Grant Morrison for the reasons Marquis listed above. His writing/storytelling can definitely be a little too much at times, and I don't always enjoy his work, but I think he's a genius. He loves and understands superhero comics to an extent that I don't think most people (myself included) ever could, and he just does whatever he wants with that. I wish there were more comic book authors like him out there, though I understand why there aren't.
Well, saying that you like him for how different he is from other comic book writers but then also wishing that there were more comic book writers like him is a bit of a contradictory statement, isn't it? :sly:
Like I said, though, I absolutely do love some of his series while others don't work for me as well, but I still need to read a lot more of his stuff. I've been wanting to work my way around to Animal Man and the Invisibles, as it's actually a lot of his earlier DC comics that seem to resonate with me the most.
Also, on a side note, I kind of feel as though I could draw a lot of similarities between Grant Morrison and Chiaki J. Konaka. Granted, the latter wasn't nearly as prolific and flat-out stopped doing anime after the late 2000's, but I feel similarly about both of them as writers, in that they have some pretty insane stuff out there and I have mixed feelings of them on the whole, but they are consistently pretty weird. And just like Morrison has at least a few straightforward hits, Konaka has his fan-beloved season of Digimon which a lot of people (myself included) still love to this day, and he also did that really bizarre second season of The Big O which has actually grown on me personally over time. Anyways, that's just an observation that I made on my part.
Oh, and since I'm currently reading it, James Robinson's Starman run actually hits a lot of the same notes as what I love about Morrison at his best, namely in his Doom Patrol run (which Robinson cited as a direct inspiration for his work on Starman, which is easy to see).
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 11, 2018, 10:50:15 PM
Chiaki J. Konaka. Granted, the latter wasn't nearly as prolific and flat-out stopped doing anime after the late 2000's, but I feel similarly about both of them as writers, in that they have some pretty insane stuff out there and I have mixed feelings of them on the whole, but they are consistently pretty weird.
That's still a sore spot for me. Even when he wrote shit, it was interesting shit. Something worth untangling and analyzing than the storm of isekai shows coming out right now (and yeah, I know the irony in Tamers technically being an isekai series). I wish he'd come back and write something like that Tamers 2 outline he's been mentioning on his Twitter. Especially since Urobuchi, who spiritually filled in Konaka's shoes as the weird, dark, Lovecraftian anime writer, has been too busy doing Godzilla and Chinese puppet shows to helm any recent anime.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 11, 2018, 10:50:15 PM
Well, saying that you like him for how different he is from other comic book writers but then also wishing that there were more comic book writers like him is a bit of a contradictory statement, isn't it? :sly:
Well, you know... :humhumhum: I mostly love him because of his creativity and obvious love for comics. But yeah, if every writer was like him, then his work wouldn't be nearly as interesting.
Chiaki Konaka is also the shit. He wrote a live action film directed by Takashi Shimizu (the Ju-On guy) named Marebito and it's one of my favorite horror movies. It wasn't particularly well-received and has many obvious flaws but it's super intriguing and I loved it for that. Also helped me discover The Shaver Mystery, which is also really interesting.
I wouldn't want every writer to be like him. Mark Millar tries to be like Morrison, was even his protege for a while, and his work is awful. I just want more writers to be more experimental and ambitious like Morrison is.
I'd also throw Scott Snyder into that category of Morrison knock-off writers. He can occasionally come up with inventive ideas and pull them off really well, like with The Black Mirror, but his main Batman run feels like it tries too hard to be subversive yet just comes off as either really dumb or an obvious cheap attempt at shock value, sometimes both (like with Death of the Family or his Mr. Freeze one-shot).
For old times' sake, I read Buffy Season 12, what is meant to be the finale to all the Dark Horse comics and the series as a whole if that reboot show stays a reboot (the Boom comics version of Buffy will also be a reboot). I jumped off the Buffy comics early in Season 9 because after how promising the start of Season 8 was, it mutated into the worst traits of tie-in comics. Where characters who were never romantic to each other in the show suddenly hook up, and all the Big Bads are just derivative of show Big Bads with a fraction of what made those villains memorable. As for Season 12? Meh. It's not unreadable, I like all the fanservice going on, and seeing Illyria is always nice, but it's hard to care. Maybe it's because Whedon barely has anything to do with these aside from occasionally giving notes to the writer, but all the characters lack that spark they do in the show and the early Season 8 run. It feels like filler before they get to the real arc, except I know that real arc is never going to happen. Like I said about Morrison, it's possible to write characters who can go on forever as long as you stay innovative. And it's sad a show as innovative as Buffy hasn't found that in its comics. Just the same old "Buffy has a love triangle with Angel and Spike" rabble.
Spoiler
Also, Buffy and Faith become police officers at the end. And that's dumb.
I've been wanting to update with a couple of things I've been reading on and off lately, which on the top of my head includes:
-Akira- I had read a little bit of the manga way back when, but only recently bought all of the volumes and sat the whole thing down. It's a true epic, and I really admire Otomo's scope. Just like Nausicaa, while this helps to fill in some of the cracks of the movie adaptation, it also compliments the movie, and only helps me to like it as much as before, if not ever. Also, Chiyoko is amazing. I wish the movie had more time for her.
-Blame!- A good post-apocalyptic counterpart to Akira, but I don't read it that often because it is not cheap. Whenever my Speedway Rewards card has enough points, I'm able to get a $25 Amazon gift card, and it's then that I order a volume. I do quite like it so far, though. I'm curious to fill in the blanks to how society ended up like this, and I like the characters alright so far. I'm halfway in, and I'm definitely curious to see how it wraps up.
-Dragon Ball- I started a full read of the manga ages ago, but stopped during the first tournament. My current reread has me paused early into the Red Ribbon arc, with Goku recently reuniting with Bulma. As familiar as I am with the story and characters, I like getting to read all of this again with increased knowledge of the development of battle shonen, as it's clear that DB created a good amount of it. I especially like how the early chapters have a certain breeziness to them, that Toriyama is changing the status quo in each chapter, and having a blast. You can see an end game when Pilaf and Shenron arrive, but I'm glad that he didn't end it too soon (not that Jump would have let him, anyway). But yeah, aside from Togashi's stuff, I think this is about as good as you can get shonen wise.
-Yu-Gi-Oh!- You know, for as much as I loved YGO as a kid, I didn't pay much attention to the manga outside of the earliest Jump books I got. For the first couple of years it was on in the states especially, I liked it nearly as much, if not more, than DB and YYH, yet I mostly stuck to its anime and card game. It's probably because the earliest chapters don't really touch on Duel Monsters, which is what I signed up for elsewhere. So reading these earliest chapters now, it's interesting to see what stuck early on, like the core four friends and Yugi's Yami ability, and to see what changes as it went along. What it really reminds me of, though, are oldddd school Marvel comics, back when Stan Lee wrote everything and would reuse plots on the daily. You have the protagonist and his tight-knit group, a threat of the week where he seems powerless, just to wait for the right time to duck out and save the day, and an unrequited crush on a girl who loves his alter ego. It kind of works, but I'm more interested in seeing where things go later on. I think my last chapter introduced Mokuba, who's trying to get revenge on Yugi for how he epically beat Kaiba in proto-Duel Monsters. Not too bad, honestly.
Plus, I'm still reading and rereading Barks' comics, which I think are as close to perfect as they can be. Terrific character writing, great world-building, and solid artwork. He was called the good duck artist for a reason.
Yeah, I've noticed that Blame! is pretty pricey, which much like Berserk is one reason that I've held off on reading it for now.
Also, glad that you're enjoying your re-read of Dragon Ball. For as many faults as the series would acquire in the later years of it's run, not enough people give Toriyama nearly enough credit for the unique balancing of tone and slick pacing of the early portions of Dragon Ball, and even in the later arcs he still had strong enough story-telling capabilities to keep the plot engaging and made you want to keep reading, even if many of his writing decisions didn't quite hold up from a logical standpoint (Mistare Fusion really points out a lot of these very well, even some that I hadn't noticed before).
As for me, I recently received Nekogahara Vol. 4 and Space Pirate Captain Harlock Vol. 2 in the mail earlier this week. Neko has gotten genuinely better in it's story-telling with each volume, but it said in the back description that this was the penultimate volume so I guess the next one is the last one? Seems kind of odd since there seems to be room for a lot more story left.
I only read through a few chapters of Harlock's second volume so far, but it still hasn't failed to impress me, and the simplistic yet nuanced writing sensibilities of Leiji Matsumoto is easily on par with those of Osamu Tezuka, himself.
I also just finished Starman Omnibus 4 and read through the Starman/Batman/Hellboy crossover story. What confuses me is that this story seems to treat Hellboy as existing in the DC Universe, but I've also been reading through the first Hellboy omnibus and I've received no indication of that whatsoever, which is especially the case because it's from a completely different publisher. Just seemed like kind of a weird decision for this crossover story to explain things that way is all.
I bought the third and fourth omnibi of Hellboy for $4 a piece which was one of the many deals going on for Comixology's Halloween sale (that's the same price that I got the first two omnibi for during the Comic-Con sale). I've been reading through the series by a chapter or two a night for a little bit now, and I'm almost done with the first Omnibus. I'll say right off the bat that I really love Mignola's artwork. It may not be for everyone, but something about his simplistic yet incredibly unique designs and style really works for me. Story-wise I've been enjoying the characters but the narrative hasn't really won me over as anything all that special at this point. It's more serviceable stuff for cool monsters and fun exchanges to happen, which is good enough to make the comic an entertaining read but not quite the classic that the series has become known as quite yet. Of course, I still have a lot more material to go through so I won't be surprised to see things pick up in later story arcs, but either way, I am still enjoying this for now.
I will say that while I hear from a lot of comic book fans that the Guillermo del Toro movies are bad compared to the source material, while it takes a lot of liberties (though, to be fair, so do a lot of comic book movies, even a ton of MCU films), I still can't agree that he completely missed the mark. At least so far as the first volume goes, I think that the two movies that del Toro did had a pretty good grasp on the spirit of the source material. I feel as though Hellboy's character is changed a bit to make him sound more like a gruff tough-guy than he does in the comics, and in that regard I can see how it may peeve fans a bit since he comes off at least a little more intellectual in the comics so far, but at the same time I don't feel that the movies ever really went that far with the concept. I still feel that the core concept of him being a demon trying to fit in with humans is still kept central to his character in both versions.
At any rate, I'll be reading through all of the material that I have collected eventually, so perhaps my opinion will sway over time, but I'm perfectly content liking both versions of the IP, myself.
I'm almost done with the second Hellboy Omnibus. I'll move onto The Wild Hunt after that and then take a break from the main series to read through the short story collections. The stories themselves can be hit or miss, but I tend to like Hellboy's interactions with the other BPRD members as opposed to his solo outings (and yes, I plan on reading Hellboy and the BPRD collected editions eventually as well).
So, since I wanted to read the 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy run, I've been reading through Annihilation as a starting point (which I will follow up with Annihilation: Conquest before stating the Guardians run). I'm reading it digitally on Comixology in its three collected volumes (I'm currently on the third and final volume). Overall, as far as event comics go, I really appreciate the structure of this one being so much more concise and easy to follow, with a series of chronologically arranged miniseries leading into the main event rather than having to read random issues here and there from other long-running solo and team titles. It makes the story feel a lot more coherent, and is somewhat like the format of the movies in that you experience a few stand-alone stories before they all tie-into the main event proper. Also, I wish that Spider-Verse's collected edition would have arranged its stories in chronological order rather than the weird structure that they chose to go with for that book. The main event was laid out in a straight six-issues and then all of the tie-in issues followed it, but a lot of those tie-in issues actually contained essential plot points for the main series, which made it super confusing going form issue to issue and feeling that I had missed a lot off-screen. I actually feel like I need to re-read the event at some point just to get a better grasp on the overall layout of the story. I still got the gist of everything going on, but it did feel really disorienting reading it the way the book had laid out rather than in chronological order. Not sure what genius came up with the idea to organize the book that way, but needless to say, I much prefer how Annihilation's collected addition arranges everything.
I've been reading through Annihilation and I love how even in this Marvel cosmic event that barely spends any time on Earth, Nova still finds time to point out how fucking stupid Civil War was. I especially like the comment: "They're split into warring factions down there...of no use to us, to anyone! It's as if they've forgotten how to be heroes!"
The more I read, the more I get the idea that not only was Civil War a divisive event among fans, but even of many of the writers working at Marvel at the time. Granted, I don't know enough behind-the-scenes info to back up that presumption, but it just seems way too obvious unless I'm reading too much into their work.
QuoteThe more I read, the more I get the idea that not only was Civil War a divisive event among fans, but even of many of the writers working at Marvel at the time. Granted, I don't know enough behind-the-scenes info to back up that presumption, but it just seems way too obvious unless I'm reading too much into their work.
I think so. "Mark Millar licks goats" aside, some of the tie-in comics I read felt annoyed at best in regards to the event. Few of them seemed to like the idea, let alone side with Tony's pro-registration agenda. Even recently, there was a Captain America comic that brought back the reporter who harassed Cap about NASCAR and American Idol, and mocked her. Granted, it was Nick Spencer, so it's a bad event comic looking down on another bad event comic, but it illustrates how much of a pain it could be to do event comics, especially ones like Civil War.
So, I ended up buying a bunch of comics on Comixology for their Black Friday sale. A lot of good deals with insanely low prices were there, so I kind of splurged and spent over $100 on titles that I had been planning to read eventually, but collectively I saved over $300 on what I got compared to if I had bought them at their standard price, and it's quite a lot of reading material. I picked up:
Animal Man (1988) Vol. 1-3 (comprising the entire Grant Morrison run)
Flex Mentallo
The Flash (Mark Waid) Vol. 3 & 4
Green Lanterns Vol. 1-6
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Annihilation: Conquest Vol. 1 & 2
Ms. Marvel Vol. 6-9
Avengers (Jonathan Hickman) Vol. 2-6
Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories Collection Vol. 1 & 2
That's a pretty damn good haul, even for a digital sale. And keep in mind, that isn't including the multitude of titles that were newly available as "Borrows" which I could add to my list for free.
I read through Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang, a comic duology showing two perspectives of the Chinese Boxer Rebellion.
Picked up the first 3 volumes of Excel Saga at this Newbury Comics I know about in Boston for about 6 dollars a pop last Saturday. No, I don't know how or why they were there - especially for that price - but like heck was I gonna argue against it. I haven't sat down and actually read through them yet but in skimming through them, I thought that a) Viz did a good job here and b) the volumes seemed pretty entertaining. It's got that whole feel of "Everything in Japanese culture is terrible and I will make a chapter out of it" as Zetsubou-sensei had done but, well, as much as I like Szs (and I do!), I assume Excel Saga's characters will be more grounded than SzS' cast. And, I find that refreshing in a sense.
In short, I give it a :e_hail: :h_hail: so far.
Awesome!!!! I hope you enjoy them and go on to read the later volumes too. I need to give my copies a re-read someday soon. :el_hail:
I don't suppose there's ever been any notions of a reprint at any point, have there? It's doubtful, but it'd be neat if Viz could do some limited release volumes that combined two volumes in one like they have for some other manga. I know that the manga is available digitally, and I still plan to get around to it at some point, of course.
I actually have a bunch of volumes around here just waiting for me to get around to reading them. The first 13, aside from vol 5, in fact.
My backlog is pretty crazy, as you can tell. :sweat:
I got the entire Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four run on Comixology, who were having a sale on the series. Including some volumes that were available as borrows, I spent roughly $35 for over 100-issues of content (including annuals), so all-in-all it was a pretty good deal. There were also the Archie Goodwin, John Byrne, Walt Siminson, Mark Waid, and Jonathan Hickman runs on sale as well, but I just don't have the funds for more than this right now since I'm saving up for Christmas gifts for friends and family.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on December 03, 2018, 06:34:07 PM
I don't suppose there's ever been any notions of a reprint at any point, have there? It's doubtful, but it'd be neat if Viz could do some limited release volumes that combined two volumes in one like they have for some other manga. I know that the manga is available digitally, and I still plan to get around to it at some point, of course.
It's actually not available digitally anymore; they took the books down from their website like a month after the final volume came out. I'm pretty sure Viz dropped the license because it wasn't making them any money, so there will probably never be two-in-one re-releases either. I kind of want to just upload all the books somewhere so that everyone can read them, but the legality of that would be questionable at best even if they don't own the rights anymore...
Someone already dumped rips of the digital release online, actually. That being said, it's a shame that the series is getting harder to read legally. I'm glad that Lum and I own the entire series already, even though I still need to finish reading it. :sweat:
Quote from: VLordGTZ on December 04, 2018, 08:08:18 PM
Someone already dumped rips of the digital release online, actually. That being said, it's a shame that the series is getting harder to read legally. I'm glad that Lum and I own the entire series already, even though I still need to finish reading it. :sweat:
Micki! just linked me to them today! Since they're on archive.org, that means Viz must have let the license drop and they've become public domain now. Here's the collection for anyone interested: https://archive.org/details/manga_Excel_Saga :e_hail: :h_hail: :el_hail: :im_nabeshin: :il_hahaha:
So, I just finished James Robinson's Starman run. I think I'm most blown away by the fact that a series of this high a level of quality is so obscure these days. I mean, like, I get that DC can't use the Jack Knight character (or any of the other Knights, I suppose) in any new stories without James Robinson's permission, but it's a shame that it isn't easily available. I mean, you could find print copies online for not that much (which I did), but they are pretty overpriced, ESPECIALLY Omnibus 3 which I couldn't find available for anything under $200 (and those were for used copies, at that). But, you know, of course I still bought them, except for Omnibus 3, which in itself made me realize that this series isn't even properly bundled on any digital sites. Comixology has the entire thing, but only in single-issues, which is basically how I had to read the content from the third Omnibus (but it was so, so worth it).
What really strikes me so much about this run, though, is how atypical it is for a superhero comic book that was serialized under one of the big two publishers. I'm hardly an expert, but I've read enough comics to know not really to expect a traditional beginning, middle, and end story set-up from any given writer's run unless it's for a miniseries that takes place within it's own little continuity that could, at best, only vaguely be related to the grander Universe at large. However, this series felt like it's own stand-alone story first and foremost, while still clearly establishing itself as part of the DC Universe, even if it's only a small part of it. Hell, actually, one thing I adore about this series is how it acknowledges what a small-time superhero Starman is and wears that like a badge of honor. It really is a story about the little guy and how he gets by in a world of giants, all the while finding contentment within the life that he's made for himself. I know that the usual line of thought is that Marvel heroes are relate-able whereas DC heroes are role-models, but that doesn't always hold true for either side, and if someone ever asked me to name a relate-able DC character, Jack Knight would now be the first one who pops into my head. Even his minor little obsessions into various pieces of pop culture eerily remind me of how I tend to be in my downtime.
I also really love how interconnected the stories and characters in this series feel. In many ways this run reminds me of JoJo's Part 4, of all things, in how much like Morioh, Opal City feels like a fully realized place, as if it were alive and a character unto itself. The regular landmarks and reoccurring characters/inhabitants popping up throughout the story, as well as the rich history of the town explored throughout the run, really gives it a sense of familiarity that gives off an extremely bittersweet feeling when Jack finally decides to hang up his jacket and move out by the end to start his new life. Additionally, while I'm not sure how much Robinson had planned out in advance while writing this story, I'm really impressed with his level of foreshadowing and long-term story-telling. While it's not quite GRRM or Eichiro Oda levels of insanity, there is a real sense of satisfaction at seeing seeds planted in earlier stories pay off way later on in a way that feels organic to the plot and makes everything that you read feel like it matters. That even includes annuals and side-stories that at first feel like filler.
While I'd still say that The New Frontier mini-series is still overall my favorite DC comic (and favorite western comic book in general), Starman has now become my favorite comic book run period (counting DC, Marvel, or anything else).
Next I had wanted to get around to Dennis O'Neil's run on The Question....but I realized that too is ridiculously hard to find unless I want to go back to collecting it in single issues....which I will probably do, but I'm going to have to hold off on it for a while longer if that's the case. I guess I'll go back to re-reading and finally finishing Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol run, then move onto The Planetary which I got the Ominbus of for my birthday a couple months back.
Quotebut it's a shame that it isn't easily available.
I'm not sure why. The Hellboy trades are still sold from Volume 1 and up, and that has a mixture of pulp, legacies, and playing with the concept of the comic superhero like Starman does. It should be selling in perpetuity on Barnes and Noble shelves like Sandman, Kingdom Come, and Watchmen are. But no one seems to be biting. A shame.
Finally got to those volumes of Excel Saga I bought. I quite enjoyed them and, Excel is a fun protagonist. That said, I'm glad they brought Hyatt in when they did because I'm not sure if Excel could've carried more than a volume on her own and seeing the two of them play off each other is pretty fun and most of what kept me reading. On Kabapu's side of things, I don't mind him too much and I'm glad the neighbors got something to do since I wasn't sure how I felt on them at first and just wanted more time for Across haha. Though, that could be because I had to spend most of it trying to figure out what Sumiyoshi was saying; I'm still not sure on what "Howay" is supposed to be...
I'm not sure if this manga will reach into being my favorite (it'll have to work pretty hard to beat out Gunslinger Girl for me) but, I'm quite interested in reading the rest of this. Oh, and Dr. Iwata is great. He's total scum if you look at him morally as a person but, it plays so ridiculously that I can't help but laugh at it anyway.
Kabapu is the funniest character for me. There's a long stretch later on where his crew gets more focus than the main characters and those are some of the best parts imo. Hyatt is a great foil for Excel but things get even better when Elgala is introduced. Gah, you're making me wanna read it again! :sumi_embarrassed:
Hajime no Ippo
Since that time it was revealed that Ippo had CTE I stepped away from this. I'm not much of an emotional guy to much things, and I don't particularly care for Ippo's character, but seeing that killed my mojo/vibe for the series for a while. I just got back into it recently and I'm liking the direction it's heading. Almost making it seem like Ippo may be able to get back in the ring. Story-wise, I'm more interested than ever. I won't go into any detail though.
I hate the Superman comic right now. They've aged up Jon and turned him into a completely different character for no real reason. It only took until now for Lois and Clark to realize trusting a resurrected Jor-El might be a bad thing, especially when the last run established that this Jor-El was crazy and shouldn't have been trusted. I hate it. It's as bad as that JMS run where Superman walked across America.
Barnes & Noble has a 25% off coupon for members this weekend, so I used it on the first volume of Urusei Yatsura.
I'm excited to finally start it! But first, I need to get through volumes 5-7 of Berserk. As well as the first 2 Perfect Editions of 20th Century Boys. And Tezuka's MW. And the first volume of Dororo. And the first volume of Queen and Country. And VizBig volume 5 of Dragon Ball. And what I'm currently reading now, Princess Jellyfish.
All awesome reads! Hope you enjoy them! :thumbup:
Just finished reading the final issue of the Killmonger run by Bryan Hill which released this month. It's a really good mini-series that I recommend to anyone who was a fan of his character in the movie.
It also makes me realize how awesome it would be if Kingpin could actually interact with any of the big MCU characters.
Heroes in Crisis somehow manages to outdo Identity Crisis in melodrama.
Just finished reading Thor: God of Thunder. For as much praise as the God Butcher story gets (which I certainly liked), a lot of my favorite stuff from that run actually comes from after that arc.
Now I'm reading Loki: Agent of Asgard in conjunction with Thor & Loki: Original Sin, which I will complete both of before moving onto Jason Aaron's next Thor run (with Jane Foster as Thor).
I'm still working my way through the Jason Aaron's collective run on Thor. I finished God of Thunder and the Thor and Loki spin-off of Original Sin as well as Original Sin the main event, and realized that although I also saw it show up in a reading list for Aaron's Thor run since he worked on that event, it actually hard barely anything to do with that run other than Thor losing the ability to lift Mjolnir for some reason. That makes me wonder whether it is really worth it to read Axis or not, since that also showed up as tying into Aaron's run, however after the main Original Sin comic book (which was a convoluted mess, IMO), I'm kind of weary of reading through another event. That's especially if it barely ties into the main Thor run at all. If I can just skip that, then I'll go straight ahead into starting the Jane Foster era of his Thor run. The funny thing about Aaron is that I'm not a fan of his Thanos mini-series and found his Doctor Strange material from the past few years to be rather average at best. However he really nails Thor in a way that makes me want to keep reading more of his take on the character and his mythos. That said, I think I've learned that the same is true of a lot of comic book writers. They try their hands and various different projects, many of which may not work out since they aren't really a good fit for that property, but what really counts are the ones where their love and passion for what they are writing really shines through. In that regard, Matt Fraction has an incredibly boring take on Thor that was a slog to read through, but his Hawkeye run helped to completely redefine the character going forward and is currently my favorite Marvel comic.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that a comic book writer's (more specifically those working for big franchises like Marvel or DC) successes count for more than their failures.
Oh, also, I got this:
(https://i.ibb.co/xfXfKT5/20190603-171414.jpg)
I just couldn't resist and I figured at the rate that these volumes would release at, it was a perfect way for me to start reading this series properly after wanting to get into it for all of these years.
Awesome! Hope you enjoy Berserk! I bought the deluxe edition a while back too, and while I'm not crazy on the price point it really is a great release. The large paper size is awesome because the art is dense with details that are gorgeous to appreciate enlarged on high-quality paper stock. 3-in-1 collections will work great for the series too, especially with this first book, which essentially contains the entirety of the first arc with a little bit of the start of Golden Age thrown in. Since I haven't collected the series yet I'm gonna be keeping up with the remainder of these releases, and luckily they'll be coming out infrequently enough that I won't have to blow my book budget on them too often. ;D
One Piece
Not fully caught up but I made it past the cake arc. The arcs leading up to it weren't bad imo (especially dressrosa) it's just that none of the villains, outside of Doflamingo felt threatening; almost filler-ish. I feel like both Sanji and Zoro (probably even Brook) could've handled Hody by themselves (especially considering where I'm at now). Caesar just feels like a joke. I'd go as far as to say that Vergo (?) felt more like a threat over Caesar, but overall the arcs were entertaining. Zoro, to me just don't feel like he's had a challenge at all.
Character wise, it was Zoro and Ace that kept me going throughout the earlier arcs before the Whitebeard war. Now it's more or less Zoro and that damn Law. Law's not on the same level as Ace in terms favorite but he's damn near. I like his design overall and his demeanor is something I'd favor. Back then my favorite characters were Ace, Shanks, Zoro and Mihawk. Law pretty much makes 5 with Katakuri making 6.
Now Luffy. That character trait is something I will always hate, but I respect him the most (out of all the characters with that airhead mentality). Gear 4 is a crazy idea and it's something I never would've thought of or imagined him developing into. Coming from Street Fighter perspective (I hate stretchy characters) I'd love to see this design implemented in an actual fighting game (Make it happen ASW) and seeing it in motion is something else. I am anxiously waiting for what other forms Gear 4 can take form of (I gotta imagine a tiger or lion)
I really feel like One Piece had a really tough time finding it's footing again after the time-skip. It eventually got back on track, but man did it take it's time getting there. Things have been consistently pretty great since Whole Cake Island, though, IMO, especially with the higher level characters making things feel like a real challenge for the Straw Hat crew, again.
I've been reading Keith Giffen's run on Justice League International and it has been an absolute blast so far. I'm only one volume in but the team dynamic is already more well-established than most team books that I've read at this point, and the humor still holds up remarkably well today, especially the political satire despite it being in reference to different events going on in the world at the time it was being written. This also found a way to keep Guy Gardner as a genuinely rude, hot-tempered, misogynistic ass-hole while still coming off as legitimately funny (usually because he's the butt of the joke) rather than annoying, especially with Batman constantly keeping him in check. This is also one of my favorite iterations of Booster Gold that I've read so far. This series has the potential to be among my favorite DC reads if it managed to somehow maintain this level of quality throughout it's run.
On the manga side of things, I haven't ventured too much put of currently running WSJ titles in a while, but I've started reading Witch Hat Atelier and I've been thoroughly impressed so far by it's distinct and memorable artwork along with it's light-hearted yet narratively focused tone. This also has an incredibly well-designed magic system that arguably rivals HXH's Nen system and could possibly even surpass it. This is Kingkiller Chronicle level of good design, at that. Also, Coco is a thoroughly enjoyable lead that manages to make the innocent, naive, and eager to learn and grow protagonist archetype feel somehow fresh.
Jojolion for the last couple years has been a frustrating read. Everything after Damo's death feels directionless and there are only hints as to who the main villain is. I've been watching some videos to help me make sense of the plot, (https://youtu.be/l6hZfCl0n8g) and while they definitely clear up the puzzle plot at the moment, I'm still stuck questioning how Araki is going to tie this all up. Or maybe I should wait 2 decades when David Production makes the anime.
I've been reading The Immortal Hulk. I haven't ever read a solo Hulk book prior to this but I'm liking this run a lot. It's very accessible to new readers and really tells this story more as a psychological thriller than a normal superhero book. It's the kind of tone that would be perfect for the movies if they ever tried to make a new Hulk solo film (probably won't happen since Universal still owns the rights).
I particularly like how it gives the story more of a horror set-up with The Hulk only coming out at night rather than being triggered through rage. I also like how this is a smarter version of The Hulk that has something of a Punisher-esque persona. This version of Bruce Banner is also an inherently more interesting character than most other versions that I've been exposed to.
Reading through Lucifer by Mike Carey. The tone and aesthetic's got a very Amadeus feel to it. Half of it, at least. I'm only a few arcs in, but it quickly develops a formula where a young woman from a shitty background gets an even worse deal in life because they indirectly get involved with Lucifer's game. And then it happens to another young woman. And another. Not saying that's bad, but the pattern gets repetitive and a sign this comic was meant to be read on a monthly issue basis instead of trades.
And as Jill Presto keeps showing up, it's growing more obvious that she was meant to be Zatanna but DC's editors said no and forced Carey to make another character.
Decided to read One More Day for curiosity's sake, and because Nick Spencer's been jabbing a stick at it recently. Always either skimmed through the book or used angry forum posts and video essays to avoid reading it in full. Reading it a decade after the fan rage was at its high, the comic's as awful as its reputation suggests, but it's also really funny like the part where Doctor Strange gives Peter a long-winded speech about the inevitability of death even though both of them have seen friends and enemies rise from the dead tons of times. Or the scene where Peter turns into Gabe Newell and whines about escapist fiction not matching real life. Or how all of this is indirectly Tony's fault.
I can't think of a big superhero comic that ruined their character as much as this did. At least with the awful Batman comics like ASSBAR or Widening Gyre, they're set in AUs and have lasting impact whatsoever. Even the X-Men seem to be healing from that Inhumans push a few years ago. Maybe Heroes in Crisis roughed Wally West up, but not to this degree. And the saddest part is they could have written a comic that ruins Peter and MJ's marriage without all the bullshit. Keep Aunt May getting shot, but Peter steals experimental Stark tech from Tony to heal her in desperation and anger at his former comrade, but knowing this makes him one of the world's most wanted criminals for stealing from the director of SHIELD, he has to run away from his old life and break all ties with Mary Jane lest SHIELD's more morally gray divisions target her. A spider without a web to lean back on. New storytelling opportunities by making Spidey an outsider superhero again. No reality-warping hi-jinks or superheroes with the powers and knowledge to heal vital organ failure too incompetent to stop a bullet wound on an old lady. JMS' run wouldn't have ended on a retcon that erases his entire tenure. But they didn't do that. Instead, we got the Spider-Verse comic and Doc Ock possessing Peter.
I actually really enjoyed Superior Spider-Man.
But yeah, while I haven't read it, everything about OMD sounds awful, and it's no wonder the series had so much trouble finding solid footing again after the damage of that story-line.
This may just be a rumor, but I've heard it said that Joe Quesada made it an editorial mandate to break up Peter and MJ.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on September 18, 2019, 08:39:48 AM
This may just be a rumor, but I've heard it said that Joe Quesada made it an editorial mandate to break up Peter and MJ.
Rumor? I thought that was common knowledge.
It probably is. Keep in mind that I'm pretty poorly versed in all of the behind-the-scenes politics that have gone on at Marvel aside from some of the most notorious cases during the Stan Lee era.
I just caught up with Act Age today. I literally binge-read 57 chapters (from where I had last left off) in two days. I haven't binge-read anything in literally YEARS. It's so fucking good it's kind of scary.
I'd be annoyed that it isn't more popular stateside, but until just a few days ago I was one of the people brushing it off until a later date, so that'd make me a hypocrite, lol.
Granted, it does get off to a slow start which is why I initially took a break from it, but it's been top-notch as fuck ever since the Tenkyu Theatrical Company arc. I haven't done this in a while but this is one of those series that I feel confident enough about recommending to others. If anyone gets a chance, definitely look into this manga. It's absolutely worth your time.
Found a Twitter thread explaining how much Suicide Squad, specifically the Ostrander run, captures what I love about the DC universe. (https://twitter.com/Darren_Mooney/status/1179099099985072140) Some of the best DC comics like Swamp Thing, Sandman, Animal Man, Starman are all about taking DC characters who were left behind the cracks by obscurity or previous lack of success, and re-contextualizing them into characters who revel in the corners that A-listers like Batman often ignore. Ostrander's Suicide Squad is nothing but that, taking characters who had no meaning or purpose in their lives thanks to reboots or prematurely cancelled runs, and taping their broken puzzle pieces into one new whole.
Speaking of Starman, it looks like DC is planning a re-release for next year with mega-sized omnibi editions. I usually don't double-dip but I'm really tempted to get this release as it will allow me to physically own the first half of the series (much of which I had to buy digitally thanks to volume 3 being out of print and rare enough to be overpriced). Not to mention that it will contain The Shade mini-series from the 90's that isn't available in print anywhere but in said third volume. That always bothered me because I had to skip them which made parts of the climactic story arc needlessly confusing since it heavily references that story.
That Sucidide Squad run sounds interesting. I've been reading Secret Six on and off, which also uses less popular villain characters, and while it gets off to a slow start it has started picking up a bit. I'd be cool to check out Sucide Squad after finishing this series.
I also tend to really like comic book runs that pair up or examine obscure characters from a given publication's history. Nextwave is probably one of my favorites in that regard, and it's a shame that Marvel doesn't have other miniseries to highlight other obscure characters of their own. I've also really been loving JLI, and while none of those characters are obscure, a good chunk of them are clearly far from A-listers, so it allows writers to take more creative liberty with how they portray them.
I'm currently on volume 3 of JLI and this series is just so much goddamn fun. I also read the crossover story with Ostrander's Suicide Squad that Insomniac was talking about a bit ago, so I'll definitely get back around to that series, eventually.
Anyways, what I think allows the sense of humor in JLI to still stand the test of time is how character-driven it is. The social commentary may be in reference to things going on during the 80's, but they are generalized and integrated into the comic itself well enough to the point of not getting lost in just being referential humor, but actually manages to still pertain to the story at hand. Likewise, while even the more serious characters are uncharacteristically more humorous, I think this run can get away with it largely because they are still playing it straight within the context of the fictional Universe itself. It's also just kind of fun to see the days when cape comics could just have fun and have a set if issues with a villain who wanted to force Earth into a bargain trade agreement, and the top politicians are treating it like a nuisance of the month rather than a global threat.
Also, after having read all of Jack Kirby's original run on Mister Miracle, I'm really happy with how many good moments Scott has gotten in this series up to this point. He's easily my favorite JLI member with Booster Gold as a close second.
I read Batman: Death in the Family yesterday. You know, even though everyone remembers this as the one where Jason Todd dies, that's the least weird moment in the book. The story takes a really odd turn into US-Iran relations, and the last act with the Joker becoming the Iranian ambassador to the UN almost feels like one of those WWII-era wartime comics in regards to its treatment of late 80s global politics. Jason's death is an afterthought compared to all that. The entire comic is tonally all over the place. It switches back and forth from Joker going on wacky schemes with the Iranian military to Batman grimly looking upon mass starvation in Ethiopian villages. I heard Mark Hamill say WB was going to adapt this comic into another one of those animated movies, and I don't know how they possibly could without taking giant liberties on everything except the Jason parts.
I mean, they already did adapt Jason Todd's death in Under The Red Hood, which you even reviewed on our old blog about a decade ago.
I read the story myself two years ago and pretty much got the same vibes. About the only thing in it that actually had any emotional weight to it was Superman showing up and trying to console Batman, as well as prevent him from going over the edge. But, for how dark it's supposed to be, it's kind of absurdly silly. While that could work in other circumstances, as you've said it just feels tonally inconsistent with how serious the story is supposed to be. Being real here, this was clearly just done for a sales push since readers hated Jason Todd anyways and they had people vote on if he died to generate buzz and sell issues. It was never properly set up to have any lasting emotional weight to it.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 12, 2019, 06:45:30 PM
I mean, they already did adapt Jason Todd's death in Under The Red Hood, which you even reviewed on our old blog about a decade ago.
Which was what confused me at first, because they're apparently doing it again. (https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/dc-planning-batman-death-family-animated-movie/) There are hundreds of Batman stories they could adapt into potentially wonderful animated movies, but they're stuck adapting things they already made movies out of. Though I say "potentially" because a lot of the recent DC animated movies they've done have been either bland like the Hush movie or lame like the Batman and Harley Quinn one. Or those movies that takes place in their own little DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU?). The closest one that stood out to me was that Death/Return of Superman one from last year.
As for Death in the Family, it did seem like DC was hot off the success of Dark Knight Returns and wanted to do something similar with the main continuity. Touching on political hot buttons at the time, Batman losing Jason, Superman working for the government and trying to stop Batman's vigilantism from going too far, the Joker going on absurdly silly violence (going to a talk show and going on a murderous rampage in TDKR's case, something I definitely noticed the recent Joker movie cribbing from). It's all there, but nowhere nearly as well-executed. And I don't even like Dark Knight Returns all that much.
I like TDKR myself, as I feel that Miller did a good job of establishing that alternate Universe and distinguishing that version of Batman as a different character from the main continuity (Year One proves that he knew how to write a more traditional Batman). Of course, this was pre-mental breakdown Frank Miller. Now ASSBAR, that's where shit got really fucked up.
As for the current animated movies....yeah, they're pretty garbage. Gotham By Gaslight at least had a decent animation style and competent people to work on it, even if it was average at best, and the TMNT crossover at least felt like something I would have genuinely enjoyed as a kid. Everything else since Flashpoint has been so dull and lifeless, though, and I genuinely can't stand the stilted animation style that literally every animated DC movie uses at this point. These all come off as lackluster adaptations of popular story-lines. And I didn't even bother checking out the Justice League movie that was supposedly part of JLU's continuity. While they mimicked the animation style, I'm sure the story and characters would have felt just as stock and recycled as anything else that DC animated has done recently.
The thing is, I'm not so blinded by nostalgia to think that the old DCAU stuff was perfect. I can see a lot of the flaws in the older stuff as well. However, re-watching random BTAS, STAS, BB, and JL/U episodes, they still almost always manage to entertain me because there was a clear sense of passion in creating those and that translates into the final product. These most recent movies have felt like they are almost only being done out of obligation and nobody really enjoys working on them.
I definitely respect TDKR and find some things to like about it like Carrie or the focus on Batman's aging psyche, but I couldn't get over the endless talking head news anchor exposition that happens throughout the comic. And because the average panels per page is 16 instead of 6 or 9 like regular comics, it means a lot of talking that grinds any momentum to a halt.
As for the Justice League movie, yeah. I watched it and it amounted to a bland JLU episode stretched to seventysomething minutes. I'll admit it was a little fun seeing this incarnation of the League again, and I didn't dislike the new characters introduced, but it's hard to say anything else about it other than it exists.
It just seems baffling to me why they would even bother with a new movie set in that Universe unless they could reunite the original seven. I mean, I suppose it could get the movie a few more sales from desperately nostalgic fans, but I doubt that would really amount to much more than usual. It just feels kind of pointless if it's only the trinity being involved with new characters, in which case it could have just as well been set in a different Universe.
I don't get it either. Making another DCAU thing sounds like something that would require a bigger occasion than some League members fighting a bunch of Legion of Superheroes villains. I don't think they even advertised it any more than the other movies either. It was just "Hey, have a JLU movie. Whatever." If they ever do make a movie with all of the original seven back, they better come up with something interesting for them to do instead of fight a forgettable C-list villain or defend Earth against another alien invasion. It fucking sucks Dwayne McDuffie isn't around anymore to steer these films or DC cartoons in general in a better direction. The years since his death have been rough on the brand.
I found this thread regarding Tom King's Batman. (https://twitter.com/jblacksomething/status/1185276831819169792) After how good his opening Batman stories were, I've been on the fence for the later half of King's run. I appreciate him going for a more reflective, philosophical Batman, but it doesn't work when he has to tie it to big events like Bane conquering Gotham again, and all the issues with Flashpoint Thomas are polarizing. And I still have a bad aftertaste from the way he handled the wedding.
I was really liking King's run up through The War of Jokes and Riddles and some of the smaller one-off stories after that. However, it has been kind of a slog to read through ever since that point.
On another note, I recently just read the first issue of Superman Destroys the Klan, which is a remake/re-interpretation of the old radio drama from the 40's. It's written by Gene Luen Yang who also did New Superman (I only read the first two volumes of that, but they were entertaining). It's really charming and fun, especially with a Superman new to his powers and who has to be witty since he's not even sure how to fly yet. This reminds me a lot of Jeff Smith's remake of the classic Shazam! story "The Monster Society of Evil," as well as something like Roger Langridge's "Thor: The Mighty Avenger." It's both fun and campy in a very self-aware way like those other two works, and it's the perfect kind of comic to introduce children to superheroes with.
It's definitely shaping up to be a fun little miniseries.
Hajime no Ippo - I hate you, Morikawa. Playing with my emotions. Just put Ippo back in the ring already or rename the series to Hajime no Sendo. Seeing Ippo as a teacher/coach don't suit him at all, but the build up of everything revolving around him is so good.
Morrison gets mad at the DC Universe.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EKzofVpWkAktBrN.jpg)
I love my local comic book shop. They had the second omnibus of Starman for only $10. It's so cheap because it's a little bent, which I'm totally fine with. Now to find the first one, although apparently it's out of print. Or at least the paperback editions are.
Either way, I wouldn't get to it for a while. My queue is just ever growing.
I know that DC is supposed to be releasing a massive Compendium edition of Starman early next year (which I believe contains material all the way up to the third Omnibus). Granted, it'll be rather pricey, but will at least put some of that material back in print. However, almost everything pertaining to James Robinson's Starman run is available on Comixology (which is what I had to use to read Omnibus 3 material since it was ridiculously overpriced on online websites), albeit in single issues. The only thing missing is the 4-issue Shade miniseries, which I still haven't read because I also can't find it in print anywhere. It's unfortunate, too, because despite being a supposed side-story, it plays a big part in the climax of the series, which made several events really confusing to me until I went back and read about them online.
Still, despite being a chore to collect, I think that Starman is worth it. I'd say it's my second favorite DC comic behind The New Frontier.
I'm stacked with books, mostly manga and comics, that I need to finish reading, and I finally got around to one of them, as I just wrapped up Blame! Y'no, I'm generally pretty over post-apocalyptic and tech based stories, but this one mostly worked for me. I loved Nihei's sense of atmosphere, how he makes the Megastructure feel massive and uninviting, as well as his use of blank spaces throughout. It feels increasingly big and creepy, in a way that never relents.
Characterwise it's not as strong, which is ultimately fine, but explains why I couldn't read too much of it in one sitting, besides how I needed to take time to collect the series due to its price. I'm glad to get the master editions, though, as the art really pops in this format. I do recommend it, even if it isn't an all-time favorite.
Recently read the third and final issue of Superman Smashes the Klan. This was a really fun and well-constructed mini-series that is one of those comics I would use to introduce a kid to the medium with. It's actually kind of refreshing to read a modern superhero comic that is entertaining for any age but is also first and foremost good reading material for children. It really reminds me of Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil or Thor: The Mighty Avenger in that regard.
I've been reading a nearby library's copies of Blue Exorcist, Seraph of the End, and The Promised Neverland. I've requested Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba from them and they told me they would get back to me on it. From my own collection, I've been reading Made in Abyss and Twin Star Exorcists. Anyone here besides me like any of these mangas?
Two more questions I have are should I read Shaman King and are the Viz volumes worth buying or should I hold out in the event Kodansha Comics decides to publish the books themselves?
I was reading Twin Star Exorcists up until the middle of the tournament arc. I kind of had to take a break from manga after that and never ended up picking it back up but I thought it was decent enough after the first arc.
I read the first 80 or so chapters of Shaman King and was really enjoying it, but I also fell off track with that at the same time as TSE and also didn't end up getting back into it. That said, it's a pretty entertaining series if you enjoy traditional battle shonen manga.
The arc after it has a very powerful heart string tugging moment which makes me wish it was recognized more and shows that it has quite a lot of depth. It had me recall another emotionally powerful moment from the mangaka's previous series, Binbougami ga!.
I also like 90's shonen battle manga so I might pick it back up. I have read that the standard tank?ban edition does not have the true ending since that only came out when it got a kanzenban release. I hope that maybe Kodansha Comics puts it out.
Are the VizBigs of Dragon Ball the English versions of the kanzenbans or only similar to them?
I read Spider-Man: Life Story yesterday, and it's so impressive to see a comic distill all of Peter's achievements and failures all into one story like this. Only problem is it compresses six decades of storylines into six issues, so there's next to no time exploring any of the what-if moments the comic introduces.
Been reading bits of My Hero Academia. I think I'm currently on chapter 18 (not entirely sure, I know villains have shown up and the students are getting ready to fight). I've seen bits of it already on Adult Swim so I know so far that the character that intrigues me the most is Todoroki (?). I almost always go for the edgy guy. I don't want to compare the two, but at the moment I like this far moreso than Demon Slayer.
Quote from: Mustang on March 27, 2020, 10:44:23 PM
Been reading bits of My Hero Academia. I think I'm currently on chapter 18 (not entirely sure, I know villains have shown up and the students are getting ready to fight). I've seen bits of it already on Adult Swim so I know so far that the character that intrigues me the most is Todoroki (?). I almost always go for the edgy guy. I don't want to compare the two, but at the moment I like this far moreso than Demon Slayer.
You are correct. Shoto Todoroki is my favorite character of MHA. I can relate to him and his design is well done.
I haven't read Demon Slayer. I've heard it's ending but once things are back to normal in the world and should the library I frequent orders the series, I will read it.
Besides Gusha no Hoshi, are there any manga from last year or in the last two months worth reading?
I also prefer MHA to Demon Slayer, although I only have the anime to compare them with. I can see the appeal of the latter, but I really clicked with MHA immediately. I'm not as in love with this most recent season, though, but I might just feel that way because the previous season was so good.
I think MHA has a far better start than Demon Slayer, but I much prefer the long game story of the latter, personally. I'm still a fan of both, but MHA does, at least for me, have that issue of struggling to juggle too many characters in later arcs from time to time, messing with the pacing. Demon Slayer's tight focus, giving each side character their time to shine in separate arcs, works much better to my liking. I also kind of just feel like it's really great at capturing those smaller moments in character development and delivering those emotional gut-punches in the later arcs. I also feel like the fights are more interesting for my liking due to characters having to all deal with swordplay and thus having their own creative spins and styles on their techniques, rather than the JoJo's style of everybody having powers that work most convenient to the situation when needed.
Also, while on the subject of Demon Slayer, goddamn were these last few chapters brutal. If this is indeed the conclusion then it's going to be a really bittersweet one, but we'll have to see how the next few chapters pan out.
I hope it ends better than Nanatsu no Taizai. That was my favorite manga for a long time until it went downhill during the last few arcs.
I mean, if the series is ending here (no announcement has been made yet to my knowledge, though I wouldn't be surprised to see one soon), it would be the result of a natural conclusion to the narrative rather than a decline in quality among readers. The series has still proven to be popular in the weekly rankings as well as consistently topping the sales charts.
As it stands, the latest arc has been one of the best and most intense, so if the series does stick the landing with an actual ending here, I'd argue that it's ending on a high note. That is of course, assuming it's definitely ending. This is a popular WSJ series, so it could very well go on if the editorial department wants it to, but everything up to this point just feels like it's the prime moment to wrap up the story.
Hickman X-Men's been pretty fun so far. Especially appreciating how high-concept it is compared to the last decade and a half's worth of X-Men comics. Every issue is swimming in new ideas like Moira MacTaggert's powers and the redefinition of Mutant culture, and it's something that X-Men has sorely needed.
I read through Doomquest recently, and that's the kind of cheesy 80's style superhero shenanigans that I love. It's a ridiculous time-travel/fantasy plot but with Iron Man as the main protagonist as opposed to a more naturally mystic style character like Doctor Strange. It's that contrast of of a text-based, modern-minded hero completely out of his element that makes this kind of story so entertaining, especially because it is of course played completely straight. This is the kind of stuff that you can especially get away with in the medium of comics versus films or TV.
I just read Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt by Kieron Gillen. The closest way to describe it is that it's a tribute to Watchmen that's sick of other tributes to Watchmen. It's like an essay all about Watchmen's influence on comics adapted into comic form, and how much it has a grip on the comics medium. It's only 5 issues, so it doesn't delve deep quite enough, but Gillen gets his point across well.
I really loved Gillen's Journey Into Mystery run, and have been wanting to read more works from that writer, so I'll definitely try checking this out after a few other series on my backlog.
Anyways, comics-wise I'm 30+ issues into the Lee/Kirby era of FF, and while these stories can be a bit tiring to read with how dialogue-heavy Lee's writing is, there is a unique charm to them that grows on me the more that I read of it. I don't know of it's the fact that I'm slowly getting into the mindset of a young reader from the 60's, but I am definitely enjoying the series more as it goes along, as dated as it is. It also helps that Kirby's art has immensely improved over the course of just a few years worth of issues. Switching to Chic Stone as an inker certainly may have helped in that regard, but I'm also noticing far more dynamic panel layouts, as well as more dramatic camera angles to convey the action. It's starting to become apparent why Kirby is so highly regarded among comic book artists.
I also finished Giffen and Demateis's JLI run a couple of weeks back and absolutely loved it. I have read some other good stuff by Giffen but Mateis's dialogue really stole the show, and I'd be interested to read more of his work later on.
In terms of manga I re-caught up with Act Age after taking a break from it late last year, and it kind of blows my mind how this series constantly improves. It's one of those series that keeps getting better even when I think it has peaked, and one of the few modern series that it actually hurts for me to have to wait for new chapters to drop, hence why I gave it some time to give me a big chunk to read at once. Unfortunately, I finished it all in one really long sitting, and I'm back to square one again. :sweat:
I've been up to read some Fantastic Four again lately, actually. While a lot of Lee and Kirby's original books show their age, I think their FF material is still quite good, not only for its time but especially as it goes on and develops the characters and gets weirder. I have the first Essential volume, but I've been thinking of selling it off and saving up to collect the Epic Collections, as black and white doesn't do Kirby's designs and justice. Walt Simonson's run is also pretty good, and I'm interested in collecting those Epic Collections, as well.
I just finished reading Parasyte, myself. I really do admire how well-paced the series is. You can tell that Iwaaki is doing his best to ensure that the series stays fresh and exciting, and doesn't overstay its welcome. Characters are revealed and developed at a respectable pace, as is the backbone of the Parasites. It helps that Shinichi and Migi have a strong, well-built bond between each other that develops throughout the series. I don't love how Goto is posed as the ultimate threat with like 10 chapters to go, but it's not uncommon for final villains to be revealed so late in a run. Besides him, I generally like how it ends.
Now I'm reminded that I need to finish the anime. I paused at episode 10 for whatever reason. Maybe I'll speed through that after I finish GITS and catch up on Craig of the Creek.
Thanks to Amazon sales, I've binged through a few volumes of Mirage's original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles run, which is something I've been wanting to do for ages since the 2003 series ended. I have a few single issues, but this is my first time reading from the beginning. Not only is it interesting seeing the original iteration of the classic Turtles storylines, it's also just a blast to read through in general. The "underground" really shines through in the awesome B&W art, the fight-scenes surprisingly well done for an american comic (albeit, one that proudly wears its Miller inspiration on its sleeve, and Miller is known for writing fight scenes well), and the storylines themselves are still incredibly fun and hold up great. The only problems are that, being in black & white and preceding the cartoon (obviously), the turtles themselves are hard to tell apart unless you look at which weapons they're holding (and sometimes even that isn't enough) and the art and writing take a small dip in quality in the first part of volume 3, which is also when Eastman and Laird were going through some personal issues with each other, fortunately the quality picks up right before the Return to New York arc and stays that way until the end of the volume. The collections also only collect the issues Eastman and Laird were personally involved in, so unless you have a local comics shop that carry those individual issues, then you're SoL on that front.
I have the fourth volume that starts the City At War storyline, but I'll tackle that once the paperback version of volume 5 is closer to releasing. On a related note; reading these volumes has gotten me even more interested in reading more of Frank Miller's early output like Batman Year One (which I read and enjoyed) and Ronin (which I'm currently reading). I also have Daredevil Born Again but haven't read through it yet since I kind of want to read through Miller's earlier DD stuff first.
I recently binged through the first two Compendiums of Invincible in the span of just over a week and I genuinely enjoy this series. It kind of reminds me of a manga like Hinter X Hunter in how it seamlessly switches back and forth between dark/hyper-violent and optimistic/cheerful tones at will. It's an entertaining take on the superhero genre that has the benefit of having a single creative team behind it for it's entire run so it gets a sense of cohesion that most of the big titles can't really get with how many different directions they are inevitably pulled in by different talents taking over them.
It's not a perfect series by any means, but I can see why it has such a strong following, and at this point I consider myself a fan as well.
I'll be starting a full read through of The Sandman by Neil Gaiman soon. I was reading American Flagg! as well as Denny O'Neil's run on Green Lantern/Green Arrow. I'm about half-way through the former and nearly done with the latter, so with those two down I'll move onto the Vertigo title. I was also planning to read Lucifer after Sandman, but went ahead and bought the Omnibus today when I saw it marked down on Amazon from $110 to $70, which I just couldn't pass up.
Speaking of Sandman, Audible recently released an audio drama adaptation of the comic starring James McAvoy as Dream. (https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Sandman-Audiobook/B086WP794Z)
You know, I just started reading The Sandman and I kind of forgot that quite a few Vertigo titles still technically take place in DC's continuity from the post-COIE Universe. So, I was genuinely surprised for a minute when characters like John Constantine and the Justice League are brought up. It's kind of cool how this story is completely it's own unique thing that is decidedly not superhero-oriented but can still cross over with that Universe, even if only in brief passing. Makes me kind of wish that the MCU would be ballsy enough to try something with one of their non-superhero properties, like Damage Control, or even another attempt at a Howard the Duck movie that sticks closer to the spirit of Steve Gerber's vision of the character. It could add a unique new perspective into the franchise.
Kaiju No. 8 has been a thoroughly fun battle shonen manga so far. It's still really early on, but the series has promise and is so far a good example of how a story doesn't really need to break the mold to be entertaining. It's full of the usual tropes, but the execution is where it really shines since it has a good sense of pacing so far and has genuinely well-written humor combined with good artwork that gives life to the action scenes. It kind of feels like a version of Attack on Titsn that doesn't take itself way too seriously for it's own good, at least so far.
I also finished the first volume of The Sandman and am almost done with Invincible. I'll figure out what to move onto from there.
Catching up on Hickman X-Men. The lens of the new status quo is still greatly magnified from other X-Men runs, which I really like and makes Krakoa feel like a lived in sovereign nation, but does end up requiring so many characters to keep track of. A bit disappointed though that the other currently-running X-comics aren't interested in playing ball with the new rules and prefer to do traditional X-Men.
Can I start with House/Powers of X and move on from there or do I have to read anything before that to follow the story?
I was hoping it would be like other current Marvel titles since I could follow Cate's Venom run and Ewing's Immortal Hulk run with no issues.
Speaking of X-Men, I've been reading Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force. At first I wasn't really feeling it but the run really picked up for me with the Dark Angel Saga.
Yeah, House/Powers of X is the start of the arc. There are some obscure characters who show up, but they're all presented with at least a little explanation.
Is Dawn of X the follow-up to that, then? I'll do a bit of research, but I definitely wanted to get into the current X-Men run. I like what I've read of Hickman's Avengers material and I really liked Secret Wars as well, so I've already gotten somewhat acclimated to his unique story-telling style.
HoX/PoX are the 12 issues that set up the new status quo, and Dawn of X is what they're using to call all the X-team comics within this new era. With Hickman personally writing the flagship title and Giant-Size oneshots, while everyone else writes the spinoffs like Excalibur, New Mutants, and X-Force.
I just read through all 12 combined issues of HoX/PoX, and I'm definitely a fan of it. Much like with Secret Wars, I love Hickman's ability to work with so much lore and juggle so many characters while combining it with high-concept Sci-Fi and Fantasy elements in a way that feels seamless. At the same time, he's able to do it in such a way that the story is still mostly accessible to newcomers. I probably won't keep up with every ongoing X-title, but I definitely plan on reading Hickman's X-Men run.
Just read through Spider-Man: Life Story. This is definitely worthy of the praise it has gotten. Makes me want to read a lot more Spider-Man to better appreciate it's homage and commentary of the character's extensive history. However, it also works incredibly well as a stand-alone elseworld story.
Read a little of the BTAS comic Burnett and Dini have been doing lately. It's fine, but redundant in places. There's no reason to bring in Jason Todd when Return of the Joker already did the "Bruce fails one of his Robins and they come back as a mentally broken villain" story in this universe.
I just finished finished Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. Well, technically I still have the short stories collection volume "Endless Nights" left to read, but I've finished the main story's run. I don't know that another work of fiction in this medium has ever put me through such a wide spectrum of emotions reading through it. Granted, not every story worked out to the same level of quality, and there were more than a few bits that went completely over my head due to my poor background of very little experience with classic English literature, but that's all the more reason it's impressive that this series still resonated with me all the same. I'm glad that I paced myself at one volume a week rather than trying to binge it all in one go, as this is definitely a series that it's better to take your time with.
As it stands I don't know where I would rank The Sandman among my favorite comics, but it's definitely up there, and I'd say that it's easily the best Vertigo title that I've read (though Animal man just slightly wins out as my personal favorite). I'll take a short break between this and Lucifer, but needless to say that I'm glad to have finally gotten around to this series. I think the search for Destruction arc (I'm not sure what the official title would be if there is one) is my personal favorite of the entire series. Dream and Delirium's chemistry is just priceless, all of the side characters are memorable (this is really where characters like Matthew and Mervyn came into their own), and the ending is beautifully melancholic in the best way possible. The Kindly Ones arc is a close second, though I fully admit to not quite understanding parts of it's ending. I'll definitely be glad to re-read it at some point, though.
Some of The Sandman cast show up again in a few other DC Comics. Lex meets Death in an Action Comics issue, (https://i.imgur.com/Lc9aVdG_d.webp?maxwidth=728&fidelity=grand) Dream pops up (https://i.stack.imgur.com/iWZwd.jpg) once in a while, (https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/3/32/Daniel_Hall_Prime_Earth_0001.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170923134223) and there are some recent comics showing what happened after. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandman_Universe) I haven't read any of them except a handful of The Dreaming issues though, so I don't know about their quality.
I'm aware that there is newer stuff, but just like you I know nothing about them. I may check it out eventually, though.
Well, Sinestro had sex with Hal's clone in the new Green Lantern. That's one step closer to a canon ship.
Was expecting little from Three Jokers, but my God, that ending reveal was dumb.
Spoiler
So you know how the Joker had a pregnant wife in The Killing Joke? Turns out she faked her death to get away from him, and he really was just an asshole even before being forced into crime.
For all my gripes about King's run, his new Batman/Catwoman issue hit the spot I've been missing in Batman comics lately. I don't dislike Tynion's run at all and he has plenty of fun moments, but I found it doesn't do much to push Batman into new territory. And the new territory we do get is Bruce and Lucius committing tax evasion that will eventually culminate in Lucius' son becoming Batman.
I checked out and read the first four volumes of the Twilight Princess manga from one of the libraries in my area. I want to play the game if my younger brother still has it and will let me borrow his Wii if he still has that as well but the manga will do for now.
I haven't read Terra Formars for a long spell now and ordered volumes 18 through 22. I'll read those and see if I still like the series.
I've started reading Chip Zdarsky's Daredevil run after all of the positive word of mouth that it has gotten and yeah, it's been really solid so far. In many ways it feels like a spiritual follow-up of sorts to the Netflix series in terms of it's tone and story-telling. I also like how it showcases the more methodical side of Wilson Fisk compared to his more violent thug side. It has the right amount of street-level grit without overdoing it (at least as far as the first few issues are concerned).
Quote from: Markness on February 13, 2021, 05:16:50 PMI checked out and read the first four volumes of the Twilight Princess manga from one of the libraries in my area. I want to play the game if my younger brother still has it and will let me borrow his Wii if he still has that as well but the manga will do for now.
I've been curious to check out some of the Zelda manga adaptations just to see how they translate into that kind of format given how basic most of their stories are (a few notable exceptions aside). Twilight Princess in particular seems to have gotten the best treatment in that regard given how it's story is stretched over multiple volumes instead of just one or two. That said, I imagine quite a few creative liberties must have been taken in that regard given that the story of the game is still pretty simple, all things considered, and the manga must have more original material to fill up those volumes with.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on February 15, 2021, 04:29:23 PM
Quote from: Markness on February 13, 2021, 05:16:50 PMI checked out and read the first four volumes of the Twilight Princess manga from one of the libraries in my area. I want to play the game if my younger brother still has it and will let me borrow his Wii if he still has that as well but the manga will do for now.
I've been curious to check out some of the Zelda manga adaptations just to see how they translate into that kind of format given how basic most of their stories are (a few notable exceptions aside). Twilight Princess in particular seems to have gotten the best treatment in that regard given how it's story is stretched over multiple volumes instead of just one or two. That said, I imagine quite a few creative liberties must have been taken in that regard given that the story of the game is still pretty simple, all things considered, and the manga must have more original material to fill up those volumes with.
I came across this list and Twilight Princess came in first: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbr.com/zelda-every-manga-adaptation-ranked/amp/
As I said before, I haven't played the game (I finally became a Zelda fan near the end of last year and currently playing BotW. I hope to still play Twilight Princess if my younger brother still has it.) but from what I remember seeing of the gameplay, the manga looks consistent with the game. It's well drawn and nothing so far feels tacked on or like filler for the sake of taking up space.
Well, that's good to know. When I was referring to padding the story out with extra content, though, I wasn't really criticizing it as meaningless filler, just noting that it would have to add more stuff for it to last as long as it has. Twilight Princess does have a fair amount of story as a Zelda game, but not quite enough to last more than maybe three volumes if it were a direct adaptation. In this case, I hear that the manga gives Link an origin story, so that right there is added content which is not found in the actual game, as an example.
Anyways, as far as games go it's pretty good, if a bit safe and predictable by Zelda standards. That said, despite being more linear, I prefer it's dungeons to BOTW's Divine Beasts and shrines, but conversely find the overworld to be rather barren in comparison. Still, it's a solid enough example of why the formula established by ALttP and OoT still works so well.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on February 15, 2021, 04:29:23 PM
I've started reading Chip Zdarsky's Daredevil run after all of the positive word of mouth that it has gotten and yeah, it's been really solid so far. In many ways it feels like a spiritual follow-up of sorts to the Netflix series in terms of it's tone and story-telling. I also like how it showcases the more methodical side of Wilson Fisk compared to his more violent thug side. It has the right amount of street-level grit without overdoing it (at least as far as the first few issues are concerned).
I should get to reading that. I loved what Zdarsky did with Spider-Man so much in Life Story and Spectacular that I think it's not an exaggeration to call him the best Spider-Man writer in the last decade or two.
I forgot that he wrote Life Story. I loved that as well, and should check out more of his work.
I'm 23-issues into his Daredevil run and it's legit the best take on the character and his mythos that I've read since Frank Miller's original run. I think Zdarsky does a pretty great job with long-term serialized story-telling in how he keeps the beat-to-beat pacing of the story feeling constantly engaging in a way that very few writers can. Most comics I read these days, even ones that I really like, I tend to read a couple of issues at a time. With this one I've binged nearly 5 volumes in two separate sittings which is rare for me these days.
I think part of what works is that the Stromwyns are the most interesting comic book villains that I've seen in a while. Zdarsky does a good job of making them threatening not through any superpowers but rather what they can do to people with their endless corrupt political influence, while also making you want to see them get taken down hard. It's also great in how Matt Murdock, Detective North, and Wilson Fisk have three ongoing character arcs throughout this run that constantly play off each other in interesting ways. All three play into the central theme of this ongoing story arc which I essentially interpret as the difference between morality and legality. Murdock has placed much of his faith in the concept of the legal justice system working, but is realizing that the system is far from fool-proof and can be taken advantage of to the point of being immoral (again, the Stromwyns). Cole North is just as against vigilantes as he is against criminals of any kind, but is learning about the gray area to the way that the justice system works and that his ideals don't always hold true. And Fisk is obsessed with trying to leave his criminal past behind and go completely legitimate, but quickly gets the up-and-up about how the political system is just as shady and back-stabby as his criminal empire ever was, just under the guise of not technically being against the law.
There's a lot more to it than that, of course, but this core thesis really works for me and helps the story that Zdarsky is trying to tell stand out all the more.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on February 17, 2021, 01:13:44 PM
Well, that's good to know. When I was referring to padding the story out with extra content, though, I wasn't really criticizing it as meaningless filler, just noting that it would have to add more stuff for it to last as long as it has. Twilight Princess does have a fair amount of story as a Zelda game, but not quite enough to last more than maybe three volumes if it were a direct adaptation. In this case, I hear that the manga gives Link an origin story, so that right there is added content which is not found in the actual game, as an example.
Anyways, as far as games go it's pretty good, if a bit safe and predictable by Zelda standards. That said, despite being more linear, I prefer it's dungeons to BOTW's Divine Beasts and shrines, but conversely find the overworld to be rather barren in comparison. Still, it's a solid enough example of why the formula established by ALttP and OoT still works so well.
I didn't think you were criticizing it. I was just stating how I felt about it and I wish more video game to manga adaptations were like it. The Guilty Gear manga posted on Guilty Gear's official site is really good from what I've read of it so far and I would happily buy it if it came out in physical form, especially if more content is produced. I haven't read the recent KOF manga but since it's five or six volumes long, it's probably a good adaptation.
I like BotW so far but it can be overwhelming due to it being an open world game and I am not really climatized to that genre. I feel the same about Final Fantasy XV and the remake of VII made me put it aside for a good long while.
I just read The Kill Lock yesterday and it's definitely a pretty great 6-issue stand-alone series. I definitely recommend checking it out, especially since it's available for free to Comixology Unlimited members. The ending also did a good job of wrapping things up in an unexpected but still thematically satisfying way, IMO.
I also started reading Ice Cream Man, which is shaping up to be a pretty solid modern horror anthology comic book.
I've also been reading through Chris Claremont's Uncanny X-Men run ever since I caught up to the current Daredevil issues. I did previously read the Dark Phoenix Saga as a TPB several years ago back when I was still in college, but that was out of context of the issues leading up to it and either way my memory of it is fuzzy at best so it's worth revisiting. When it comes to these old critically acclaimed runs it's always interesting to look at them under a modern perspective. Something like the Lee/Kirby FF run was wildly dated in many ways but I could still eventually appreciate in on it's own once I got a feel for the material and was able to somewhat adjust my mindset to the standards of the time period it was produced in. Same with Dennis O'Neil's Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman material from the 70's that I've read. However, there is also stuff like Frank Miller's Daredevil run which, regardless of how shitty of a person Miller has come off as in his later years, I can't deny holds up remarkably well even today. And JLI from the late 80's is also perhaps one of my favorite comic books ever as well..
As for Claremont's X-Men run so far (I'm currently up to issue #110), it sort of falls in-between. It does fall into a lot of trappings that other Marvel comics of it's era tended to fall in that could make them a bit less accessible for modern readers. Mostly formulaic stuff such as having forgettable villain-of-the week stories preoccupying much of the content and having out of left field plot conveniences to try and wrap up certain stories within an issue rather than let them play out more narutally. However, as it goes on, I do see how good of a job Claremont has done with the new team, fleshing out and fully realizing every character as individuals as well as in terms of their inter-personal relationships with each other. He also really shines at planting seeds for long term story-lines with the Phoenix Saga stuff, and given the time period handles the drama surprisingly maturely given how many young readers would have been picking up these books (even though plenty of adults also read these comics as well). Currently, I'm not quite as in love with it as some people are, but I do definitely enjoy it enough to keep reading, and do really respect how it pushed the boundaries of what you could do in these kinds of comics for that time period. As I keep reading, though, it may continue to grow on me more.
I read some Claremont ages ago, and while I liked plenty of it like DOFP and God Loves Man Kills, and maybe it was because Claremont was often butting heads with Shooter during this time, but his way of storytelling had an obvious weak point. He could plant seeds and make them grow and intertwine, but they were never going to blossom and reach a definitive all-consuming climax. On a franchise standpoint, all these plot threads branching out and seldom ending were all a boon and proved to be the impetus for the countless X-titles or Insert-Adjective-Here X-Men comics, but it also became a little annoying even if you're used to seeing comic book characters go on forever. Like finding out Scott has a huge family tree of Summerses, and all the members of that family tree have their own story arcs and casts, and also all the other X-Men have secret family members with their own spinoff comics like Charles' son or Colossus' sister. And even when Claremont was invited back to end his X-Men on his own terms with X-Men: The End, it felt clumsy and almost unwilling to connect all of his prior plot threads into a fitting conclusion.
I've read a good chunk of the original X-Treme X-Men which Claremont helmed in the early 00's. It's gotten a lot of mixed reviews but it's honestly better than Chuck Austen's Uncanny X-Men run which is awful in terms of both art and writing. X-Treme X-Men has a dark and visceral art style and while the writing drags some, the good parts make up for it. Claremont also returned to Uncanny X-Men after Austen got the well deserved boot; I have all the trades of that run but I haven't read them yet. I need to close the gaps by reading X-Men Forever, X-Men Black Sun, Grant Morrison's New X-Men, and the last trade of X-Treme X-Men.
I re-read the first 12 volumes of Fire Force and the volumes I didn't read previously (13-21). My interest in this manga has been renewed and I look forward to Vol. 22 which is coming out soon. I am also re-reading the first volume of Orient and will get the second volume that is coming out at the same time as Fire Force Vol. 22.
I also read the second volume of Hyde & Closer and will read the next three once my order from RightStuf which has volumes three and four in it (I bought Vol. 5 from a seller on eBay) comes in along with Black Cat volumes 11 and 12. I've been collecting Black Cat since the library I read it from years ago no longer carries it and some of the volumes on the aftermarket are very pricey, especially 9, 15, and 16. Same with Atsushi Ohkubo's first manga, B. Ichi. All the volumes of it have prices that will make you go "Ouch!" if you see them.
I've been reading Ostrander's Suicide Squad run but only very sparsely up to now. With how much praise and critical acclaim the run has gotten by fans, I think it's been alright so far, but I haven't really been wowed yet. That said, I'm only on the second volume and it is improving bit by bit, maybe as Ostrander gets more comfortable with his plotting and character dynamics. It still has the chance to grow on me over the next few volumes, so we'll see if it really wins me over or not.
I'm back up to the Dark Phoenix Saga in Chris Claremont's early Uncanny X-Men run, which I originally read back around 2012 I think in the TPB format. This time, however, I have the full run's context before going into the arc which definitely improves it a lot. I still think, at least so far, it's a really good arc for it's time and with how influential it was as well as incorporating pretty heavy concepts back when comics were widely seen as still being only for children by many (and arguably, there are still sadly many who believe this mentality). That said, I don't know if I'd quite put it on par with Miller's Daredevil run from around the same time, or some of the more iconic Spider-Man story-lines between the 70's and 80's as well. Up to now, as someone coming into Chris Claremont's stuff fresh without any previous nostalgia for it, I do appreciate what he did for the time and I do think that even today it's generally pretty good (so far), but I wouldn't personally call it great, myself, at least not yet.
I've been reading Gintama as well, though I'm only 30-something chapters in right now. This is my third attempt to get into this series, except this time I'm trying the manga over the anime mainly because of time constraints. There are some bits of humor that definitely work for me but others just aren't my cup of tea, but I plan on giving it at least the first 100 chapters before I really decide whether or not this series of for me. After all, some series I initially couldn't get into (such as One Piece and World Trigger, among others) took around that long before they really got to a point that hooked me, but once they did I was treated to some of the best material to come out of Weekly Shonen Jump that I had ever read. So, I'm hoping that I can get to that point with this series as well.
I think with Dark Phoenix, there's the fact that not only has it been adapted so many times, but it's influenced other franchises from Dark Willow in Buffy to the White Violin in Umbrella Academy that it's hard to value it on its own terms. It also unintentionally pigeonholed Jean Grey in a sense.
I gave Grant Morrison's run of New X-Men a shot and it honestly felt so masochistic to read that I had to drop it. The characters felt too different from what we were familiar of them from before, Frank Quitely's art was queasy to behold, there was no connection with what was going on with Uncanny X-Men and X-Treme X-Men, and the pacing was painfully slow. I loved JLA but none of those qualities were to be found in New X-Men. I tried to like it because it's supposedly something you can get used to and it was rated better than Chuck Austen's writing for Uncanny X-Men but I just felt like I wanted to read something else. Joe Casey's run of Uncanny X-Men at least has good art and X-Treme X-Men has consistent writing as well as good art.
I am glad I picked Fire Force back up and I did read some online chapters of Orient the year it debuted but with the physical volumes being released in the US finally, I am truly reading it now. Fire Force is getting better the more it goes on and Orient has the fun and adventurous tones of Magi. Ohkubo says Fire Force will be his last manga and it lives up to Soul Eater. Ohtaka is still a good mangaka and Orient is a worthy successor to Magi.
I haven't read New X-Men but I have come to learn that there are primarily two types of Grant Morrison comics: stories that emphasize deeper themes and challenge conceptions of the genre while still maintaining an approachable narrative that emphasizes his love of superheroes or comic books in general, and stories that are just self-indulgent pretentious jibber-jabber because Morrison wants to flex his hard-core knowledge of superhero continuity and make ludicrous amounts of meta-commentary on it at the expense of reader enjoyment. Comics like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, Flex Mentallo, and ASSM fall into the former category and are genuinely great reads. Comics like ASHOSE, The Invisibles, Final Crisis, and parts of his Batman run fall onto the latter category and are kind of a chore to get through, IMO.
I love New X-Men for most of the run, but the final arc with the Magneto reveal's garbage and the ending's even worse. The thing about Morrison's tenure is that they were given the job to purposely shake up the X-Men formula after decades of Claremont and Claremont-like writers, and to make the X-comics feel fresh and new again after a long time in that status quo. Their manifesto on X-Men explains it better than I could. (https://soyleyendacharlie.blogspot.com/2010/07/morrison-manifesto.html) But thanks to the last arc and editors and fans getting shaky at some of the changes made, we got back to Claremont-style stories for a while until Hickman got his shot at the wheel.
And while Morrison can get ahead of themselves a few times, I'm fond of both types of their comics. Final Crisis is a mess, but it's an endearing mess that I think captures how big and psychologically daunting a Crisis story is than all the other stories where all the DC heroes team up to fight one giant bad guy. The Invisibles is Morrison at their most personal and unchained, and it's wildly inconsistent from what I remember, but it was pretty fun and I can understand why the Wachowskis took some ideas to make The Matrix. And for their Batman run, I love it for the most part. It's what happens when you take every version of Batman at that point from Adam West to Nolan to BTAS and Brave & the Bold and shove it in a magic Scottish blender. Morrison gets that Batman not just as a franchise but as a character is inherently contradictory. Like I fucking hate the "Why doesn't Bruce just use his money to repair Gotham instead of beating up poor people?" take that floods Twitter every month, but it gets at the idea that Bruce's story is insane when read as the life of one man, and Morrison does all they can to dance with that interpretation.
With Batman (I still have yet to read all of Morrison's run) I wasn't really knocking it for the ideas it presents and themes that it tackles, but rather how ridiculously hard it is to even comprehend some of his stories unless you have a near encyclopedic knowledge of decades-worth of previous content to understand the meta-commentary that Morrison goes for. I understand and even like the idea of merging all of these Batman interpretations into one as a central thesis for his wildly inconsistent characterization through various mediums. However, it feels like it's really hard to appreciate at times if you aren't at least partially as well-versed in Batman lore as Morrison himself. I suppose that can be a general criticism for some of his other work as well. More often than not so far I like Grant Morrison's writing, but it's somewhat ironic that despite how critical he is of the overtly gritty and depressing comics popularized by writers like Alan Moore and Frank Miller in the mid-to-late 80's for their questionable entertainment value, he has kind if occasionally done something similar with a different approach. As opposed to dark and gritty he can sometimes come off as overly obtuse in his writing approach, to questionable entertainment value.
Don't get me wrong, whether or not his stories work for me, I respect his constant ability to challenge readers with his writing, so I'm not bashing any of his stories. That said, "The Coyote Gospel" is my preferred kind of Grant Morrison, with a strong and poignant meta-nerrative that never completely overtakes the surface narrative. It's equal parts entertaining and inciteful upon re-reads.
Just my two-cents, anyways.
Morrison's criticism of Moore often sounds rooted in personal reasons than constructive criticism, same with Moore's criticism of Morrison. It's like a Joan Crawford/Bette Davis rivalry between them. Though at least Morrison occasionally acknowledges the absurdity of it at times, like in their recent Wonder Woman comic.
And I do agree that their Batman run can be a hard read at times. I didn't understand most of it when I first read it ages ago, but the comics benefited greatly from rereads and seeing how later Batman runs have fumbled the ball to a degree. I kind of see it as the flipside of the Dini BTAS-style mode of Batman storytelling, where BTAS refines Batman lore into something accessible, Morrison exacerbates it to ambitious levels. Which I think DC knew when they had Dini write Detective Comics around the same time as Morrison's first act of their Batman stories.
I just read volume one of Asadora! in one sitting and already have the second volume pre-ordered. Trust Naoki Urusawa to be able to hook me in no time at all. Makes me finally want to get around to reading Billy Bat, which I'll just have to read scans for even though I haven't done that in a while since it doesn't look like it will be officially available in English anytime soon.
I've also finally gotten onto reading Lucifer, as of late. I read through all of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman last year and while doing so picked up both omnibus volumes of Lucifer for a really great deal to read at a later time after finishing the main series. I just got up through The House of Windowless Rooms arc and this series is proving to be a pretty damn great run so far, that feels like far more than just an in-Universe spinoff. While The Sandman had a overarching story, it was really more about the power and meaning of stories and story-telling in and of itself, so it had a more disjointed narrative style that both worked to it's benefit and detriment in different ways. Lucifer, at least so far, while still retaining a familiar element to The Sandman does seem to put a good deal more focus on it's core story-line which makes it a somewhat more engaging read for me when consuming multiple issues at once.
I'm also strongly considering getting the new Books of Magic omnibus that just recently released, though I'll try to see if I can find a similarly good deal for it.
I just got up to this issue of Uncanny X-Men and couldn't help but chuckle at the placement of this ad:
(https://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/mg/6/80/5372a89c0c9a4/detail.jpg)
Because an issue about grief and mourning after the tragic death of a beloved character is the perfect place to promote a toy shopping spree. I can't help but be amused by the tone-deafness of it.
Also, I started reading Master Keaton and am really digging the series so far. It's kind of like Sherlock Holmes meets Indiana Jones.
Maybe the shopping spree was an excuse to sell off some old Jean Grey action figures. :>
Lucky for whoever sangged those up considering how much some of those figures would be worth by the time the X-Men exploded in popularity with the animated series. ;)
Anyone looking forward to Way of X and X-Corps? The former looks good since Nightcrawler will be the main X-Man and Blink will be featured as well. X-Corps will have both Angel and M/Penance sharing the spotlight.
Way of X sounds interesting, especially with Spurrier writing. I haven't read much of his books, but everything I read from him is always a surprise.
Been reading more of Hickman's Fantastic Four run, and it's so all-encompassing that I struggle to see what later F4 comics can do. The run's the most thorough dissection of Reed as a person in every aspect, from how much his relationship with his father mirrors and contrasts with his relationship with his own children, to how different he is from the countless other Reeds who show up, to how alike and how separate he is to Doom, to what and why he's driven to scientific advancement. It stretches his character to its natural conclusion, pun intended.
And then I read a little of the recent run, and the book's drastically worse in every way, including shit like revealing Franklin was just pretending to be a Mutant or it wasn't Reed's fault for the original accident that turned them all into freaks and some aliens intentionally did it instead.
I've been meaning to read Hickman's FF run for a while, but for now I'm still committed to trying to get to that point by reading all main FF runs in publication order. I'm about 150-issues in which brings me to the mid-70's, so I still have a LONG way to go.
Speaking of which, does anyone remember the weird era where Medusa replaces Susan on the team, and The Human Torch starts wearing a red costume? Because that's where I am right now, and it really makes me appreciate the Lee/Kirby run all the more for how much more focused the vision of the series was at that point with it's characters and stories, as silly and outlandish as comics of those era were. These ones I'm currently reading are silly and outlandish, of course, but also feel utterly directionless as if the writers are throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. It's why my progress has significantly slowed down as of late.
I haven't read it, but I know of it. Always felt like between all the FF eras Marvel fans know about, there's all the ones that gentrify the FF and forget they're not the Avengers while sending them off on adventures indistinguishable from what other Marvel teams do except maybe a little bit more sci-fi. I could say that for any phase in a Marvel team comic where the writer doesn't have a distinctive style or a unique goal in mind and they start throwing in or taking away characters without rhyme or reason, something many Avengers or X-Men comics are guilty of, but it just feels more noticeable when the FF fall into that pit given how much the family aspect is played up.
Also, I still haven't read much of The Avengers from that era, but every time I see Quicksilver featured in a crossover story he comes across as a total dick. Is it just the specific stories I'm reading or is that his character? Like, most recently he stopped talking to Wanda because he doesn't approve of her dating Vision for whatever reason, and treats her incredibly rude for apparently no reason.
Yeah, that's Pietro's character. The X-Men movies softened him up considerably. Partially why most of the cartoons straight up make him a villain.
Whether it be Fantastic Four or X-Men (I think even once in Iron Man), I think I've seen Doctor Doom insist his foes have dinner with him at least half a dozen times by now. I wouldn't be surprised if he's done this with The Avengers as well. I'd consider it a personal character trope at this point and am quite frankly surprised that I haven't seen any meme associated with this given how popular of a meme subject Doctor Doom is among the Marvel Comics community.
Conan the Barbarian too.
(https://static2.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Savage-Avengers-8-Comic-Preview-2.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&h=1123&dpr=1.5)
All the fancy dinners are Doom's attempts to be friendly with various characters because his ego's too big to let him casually talk with characters in any situation that isn't in his control.
Of course. Conan should be a no-brainer. I think he had Baldur as a guest as well in JMS's Thor run, but I can't remember if that was a dinner or just a formal meeting in trying to propose an alliance between Latveria and Asgard.
And to be clear, I love this side of Doom. It's part of what makes him a quint-essential silver age villain. I just find it amusing how much he resorts to this tactic throughout his several decades worth of appearances throughout multiple titles.
Read the latest Fantastic Four because people a couple days ago were pissed off at it, and yeah... Johnny cheating on his girlfriend by cucking Doom is stupid. Every time I hear about the latest FF run, it's always something like "Franklin becomes an emo asshole" or "The accident that mutated the Four wasn't an accident, and some aliens did it".
I'm still on 70's era FF comics, but I don't think I'll really bother going past Hickman's run when I eventually get to it.
I recently read up through issue 150 of The Uncanny X-Men, which is a good point to take a break from the run so I can read some other stuff as well. My opinion on Chris Claremont's writing mostly remains the same. I can see why this run was so influential, but I do think it's a case of other comics and media that it influenced doing the same kinds of stuff better. It's done well enough that I was still entertained for the most part, but very little of it really wowed me. I will say that the character work and team dynamic of the main team is easily Claremont's biggest strength as a writer up to the point that I read. He does a great job of making the team feel like a family and also having multi-layered personalities and internal conflicts. In particular I really see why Wolverine quickly became a fan favorite with a combination of his wild, animalistic nature and his more humorous and friendly side. It's actually kind of refreshing to see this version of him which makes an effort to tame his more violent nature somewhat because he genuinely cares about his friends. I much prefer it to the gruff and bitter loner archetype that he tends to get characterized as by other writers in future comic books. I also liked how Claremont added layers of complexity and nuance to Magneto, most notably the moment where he immediately regretted attacking Kitty Pride in the heat of the moment since she was just a kid, even if she was his enemy. It makes him feel more human, ironically enough. That said, when he introduced the Kitty and Colossus pairing in DOFP, it was fine given their ages in that timeline, but to then try to make that a thing in the normal timeline when Kitty is barely even a teenager is just uncomfortably weird.
I recently got the Spider-Man by Roger Stern omnibus at a really good deal, and I've only had time to go through the first four issues of the collection yesterday, but these are really fun classic stories so far that, while more light-hearted in nature than Spider-Man's much darker story-lines, shows that you can have fun with this stuff and not every Spider-Man related story HAS to deal with Peter's personal melodrama. I'm sure several stories in here will also deal with that, but it's good to have a combination of those opposing elements.
In terms of manga I'm still making my way through Master Keaton which is great. I'll usually read one or two chapters a night and every story so far has been either fun, heartfelt, or engaging on some level.
My Hero Academia has had it's ups and downs for me, but the current material has been very good and there is a lot more tension with the huge shake up to the status quo now that we've enter the story's final act.
The same could be said for One Piece, which is also at a high point right now, IMO. I'm a bit surprised at how badly things are going for the protagonists at this point given how much the narrative feels like things should be going in their favor, but that's what keeps the story at hand from feeling too predictable.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on May 14, 2021, 12:55:21 PM
I'm still on 70's era FF comics, but I don't think I'll really bother going past Hickman's run when I eventually get to it.
Yeah, Secret Wars 2015 just seems like such a fitting conclusion to the Fantastic Four that I kind of pretend that's their ending and they ride off into the sunset. I hope another weird and interesting writer gets a chance to write an FF run in the future, and what I've heard about Fantastic Four Life Story sounds cool (https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/the-fantastic-four-remake-their-history-in-fantastic-four-life-story), but I'm not holding my breath for the mainline title until a certain writer who loves to google their name and search for anyone criticizing their work leaves.
And yeah, that's not the end of Marvel giving Kitty weird relationships. She dates a guy even older than Colossus once she moves to Excalibur, and while she's fully an adult by the time it happens, I don't understand why they made her Star-Lord's girlfriend for a stint. Ultimate Marvel made her Spider-Man's GF for some reason. Claremont also hooks her up with Scott and Jean's daughter from the future in his non-canon ending to X-Men, which isn't weird by itself, but it adds another branch to the Cyclops family tree.
I'm 7-issues into Tomasi's Superman run and I already love it. Like all of the best Superman stories, it puts emphasis in the "man" more than the "super" aspect. It's more about Clark's relationship with his family and his son's coming of age rather than an all-powerful God fighting a bunch of villains. That aspect is the background of the story. It makes me realize all the more how utterly sick I am of all the overly edgy portrayals of Superman in recent media.
Reading a little of Department of Truth. So far, Tynion's Batman run's been fine but nothing there grabs me, but this book from him is far more engrossing.
Ironic how hard Marvel pushed Inhumans as the new X-Men before giving up ("They're oppressed just like the Mutants!" "They're attacked by killer racist robots just like the Mutants!" "Ignore the giant space kingdom, guys!"), and now the X-Men have their own outer space kingdom just like the Inhumans used to.
(https://i.redd.it/vrtkxj1i4o571.jpg)
I still haven't read the issues of the Hellfire Gala event besides one (X-Corp 2). I have stacks of books of all sorts I need to read but haven't gotten to them because my mental health is really low once again like it was last summer.
The heat in my state is also sickeningly hot and when I get home from work, I am drained.
Yeah, seasonal depression can be awful.
Superman and the Authority just started, but I'm thinking it's one of DC's most interesting comics this year for a ton of reasons. Besides being Morrison's last DC book for a while because they want to focus on TV work, it's also a sequel to "What's So Funny about Truth, Justice, and the American Way?" but this time Superman thinks that maybe he needs Manchester Black's way of doing things this time. And from a meta viewpoint, where the Authority was the new popular superhero comic that DC reacted negatively to in the first story, they're all but relics here in need of reconstructing. What used to be the middle finger to the Justice League and a show of what superheroes would really do if they had to save the world became shrouded in satires and parodies like the Justice Lords, the Elite, and the Ultramarine Corps. And any shot at re-inventing the Authority since then rarely did well, or sometimes did well but ended thanks to various reasons. Really doesn't help that Ellis and Millar are the people who created the Authority and made it popular, and those two have completely different reputations now than 20 years ago. But in Morrison's story, they recognize that the spark of the Authority, superheroes who want to improve the world instead of just protecting it, is still something worth striving for even when handled poorly or if you want to make a "Justice League goes too far" plot. And tying it back to an older Superman with weakened powers but strengthened wisdom allying with Manchester makes a delightful contrast to how even though "What's So Funny?" is meant to be a retort to edgy anti-heroes and how their way of doing things is sometimes just as useless as their straight-laced counterparts, there was still a hint of "Old guard is jealous of new blood" there that didn't exactly work for me.
Given Morrison's well-established thoughts and feelings on Superman and how his public perception has been treated since comics started trying to be more edgy, this story does really seem to have a vibe of the the old guard and new guard coming to terms with one another. Morrison can be unpredictable with how he goes about his stories but he tends to have an optimistic outlook when it comes to the greater themes of his stories, so I feel as though Manchester Black will be impacted by Superman in some way by the conclusion of this miniseries.
Looking back at that CBR interview they did, and how much they disagreed with the idea Superman would become a fascist as soon as one of his loved ones like Lois or Flash died. Which is one of the unfortunate influences from the DCAU, that multiple STAS and JL/JLU episodes show a death of a loved one is all it takes to turn Clark evil. And as good as the Cadmus arc was, it relied so heavily on the scenario he's one bad day away from snapping that it's hard not to rewatch episodes and think "Yeah, this is the seed that sprout Injustice and every other half-hearted evil Superman pitch".
To be fair, at least in JLU he ended up making the decision NOT to kill Luthor/Braniac of his own accord. While it's implied that this is because he was exposed to the Justice Lords and saw how bad he could become, it still shows that Superman is more nuanced than that and can make the decision to still not kill even after "seemingly" losing one of his teammates.
I feel what was lost in later stories was any trace of that nuance.
Started reading The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck by Don Rosa, which came in an excellent quality two-volume hardcover set. It's a really fun and charming story so far.
I finished John Ostrander's Suicide Squad run, though I'm not sure why it's not referred to as the Ostrander/Yale run since Kim Yale co-wrote a lot of it with him.
Anyways, it's a solid run but I think at least for me it's not a personal favorite. I do think that the character work is it's biggest strength. In particular, Amanda Waller, Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, Nightshade, and Nemesis get the best overall character arcs and have layers of depth and nuance to them. Vertigo also gets a good arc that plays into the core theme of the run, though it's mostly in the last third. And "Boomer-butt" is an effective comic relief character while still showcasing him as a legitimate threat when it counts.
That said, I found many of the actual stories to be all over the place, with messy plotting in several instances and a lot of contrivances and conveniences happening on a regular basis. Also, while infusing the stories with real-world politics was a bit more fresh as a concept around the mid-to-late 80's, I do feel as though other series both contemporary and after this one have arguably done that aspect better.
Like I said, I still think it's good, but it doesn't quite live up to the greatness that I often see it get praised for. Just my personal opinion, though. I'd still be interested enough to check out some of Ostrander's other work, of course.
Also, I'm a few issues into George Perez's Wonder Woman run and while it's too early for me to comment on it's quality, let me just say that the artwork is phenomenal. I can see why Perez has been so highly regarded in the industry for his art. His use of panel structure and the clarity of how he arranges a page or spread really boosts the story-telling that either he or other writers are capable of, and it's a level above most of his contemporaries as well as even modern day professionals in the industry.
They also did a good job re-interpreting Barbara into Oracle. I used to think it was silly that Barbara couldn't call Bruce or Dick to find someone who could repair her spinal injury since they've also suffered from crippling injuries yet found a way to get better, but after years of forgettable Barbara-as-Batgirl stories compared to how much better her characterization was in this and Birds of Prey, and reading why people wish she was Oracle full-time again, I get their point now.
Yeah, I do like how Barbara was portrayed as highly intelligent and resourceful as Oracle in this series. I didn't realize that it was this series which was largely responsible for characterizing her that way in the first place, but if it was then it definitely deserves props for that as well.
Since JMS showed up on my feed because he's been campaigning to be the new Doctor Who showrunner for some reason, I read some of his recent comics. Which surprised me, since I thought he left comics after his Superman comic about Clark walking across America and solving societal ills indicated One More Day wasn't an isolated problem. He wrote something called The Resistance, and it's about Covid giving people superpowers who fight a Presidential administration that's totally not an allegory for a certain real-life politician (though the artist traces over pictures of Ed Harris and Michael Keaton for him, there are quite a lot of actors whose likenesses are being used). If you think that sounds unsubtle and kind of tasteless, that's because it is. The bluntness reminds me of that one recent Digimon Tamers stage play where the characters fight a villain literally named "Political Correctness". I think some writers have forgotten what metaphors are, and present their messages with the subtlety of a neon-colored machine gun.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_R_fzfXsAEmwZ1?format=jpg&name=small)
One thing I really like about Morrison's Superman is their disdain for stories using Superman as a nostalgia totem, those "new flavor-of-the-month superheroes are nothing compared to the old school!" stories that even good comics like Kingdom Come trap themselves into.
I also read a little of the recent Amazing Spider-Man, and I don't understand any of it. It's a nightmare of continuity and doppelgangers. If the sanest thing in the story is Harry tricking Norman into having sex with Mysterio, then something's gone horribly wrong.
Going to read some Crossgen and Aspen titles later this week. I will read some new issues from DC and Marvel, namely the Harley Quinn The Animated Series #1 and some of the current X-Books I still care about, but I will need a break after that.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on September 16, 2021, 02:52:10 AM
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_R_fzfXsAEmwZ1?format=jpg&name=small)
One thing I really like about Morrison's Superman is their disdain for stories using Superman as a nostalgia totem, those "new flavor-of-the-month superheroes are nothing compared to the old school!" stories that even good comics like Kingdom Come trap themselves into.
I also read a little of the recent Amazing Spider-Man, and I don't understand any of it. It's a nightmare of continuity and doppelgangers. If the sanest thing in the story is Harry tricking Norman into having sex with Mysterio, then something's gone horribly wrong.
This entire miniseries has been a very refreshing commentary on the current state of superhero trends and the fandom in general with the dichotomy between Superman and Manchester Black. It manages to do that without beating you over the head about it's themes. Superman clearly comes from an older, more classical way of thinking, or so it seems at first, whereas MB is more about the current trends, like why fret about killing villains and how overly idealistic the older superhero mentality is.
What I love is that you can clearly see that Superman actually values the change that can be brought by the next generation, but also points out that not all of the old stuff is as senseless as people think, as demonstrated in those panels that you posted.
It's something I notice going on all the time among modern fans whether it be for comics or movies. Reading something like this feels rather cathartic in that regard as somewhat of a response to that pro-edgy mentality.
Morrison's Batman and Robin is a lot of fun so far (I'm only one volume in, granted). I found his solo run before Final Crisis to be a bit too hard to get into with how obtuse and referential to past continuity his material could be. At least so far, B&R seems to be less heavy-handed and feels like it has just enough of the modern grit of Batman stories while also somehow balancing it with the fun camp of previous decades. It's much more up my alley, personally.
Booster Gold by Dan Jurgens is a surprisingly well thought-put comic so far just from the first few issues (it's only a handful of issues long, anyways, and is more of a miniseries). I expected it to be just flat-out parody, but Booster shows a decent amount of nuance and pathos as a character that clearly carried into JLI later on, so it looks like that's where they got that characterization from in the first place.
I'm also reading the alien costume saga collection for Spider-Man, which at least initially plays put like typical Spider-Man stories, so it does seem like the whole symbiote angle wasn't initially planned and this was originally just meant to be a power-up for Peter to shake things up a little for readers.
On the manga side I'm reading through Mashle: Magic and Muscles which is a really entertaining parody of various things like battle shonen series and Harry Potter (among other things), that feels like a far more comedic version of Black Clover (and personally is more to my preference, so far). It's been a while since a manga could make me laugh out loud.
Been reading some more Fantastic Four again. I won't lie, I'm kind of slogging through the issues leading up to John Byrne's run, which is really what I want to get to, but kind of want to still stick to my commitment to reading the entire mainline publication. That said, I can safely say that the 70's was a pretty weird and directionless era for this series. It's passed from writer to writer back and forth and all over the place like a game of hot potato with nobody sticking with the series long enough to develop a clear vision for it. Even writers like Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway seem to struggle with coming up with fresh and interesting stories and seem to resort to rehashing Lee/Kirby era plots with Doctor Doom, Galactus, and so on without any real sense of gravity to the stories, even by that era's standards. It's no wonder that whenever the discussion topic of the best FF runs comes up, this entire period of publication is entirely forgotten about.
I also read the most recent chapter of One Piece (1,026), and it's moments like this that really remind me of why this series has justified it's length. Among other things, there is just such a strong emotional impact to seeing something achieved that was alluded to literally hundreds of chapters ago (nearly 600 in this case). That's not the only reason, of course, as there are a lot of strong story details that this series is able to utilize thanks to it's length and interconnected plot threads and characters, but the big moments also hit that much harder because they have built up in your subconcious as a reader for so long as well. This truly felt earned and made me excited to see this character that I've followed for over a thousand chapters reach this high of a level. One Piece isn't my favorite series ever, there are other shonen or fantasy that I would rank above it, but it's definitely up there, and I can definitively say that it has the best use of long-form story-telling that I have ever seen in fiction.
Something I've noticed about Tynion-era Batman is it's the first era in a long time that cares more about the Bat-family than Bruce, by vastly increasing the amount of supporting heroes and remembering Cassandra and Stephanie exist. Snyder did that too by introducing Harper and Duke, but not to this degree. One of the spinoff comics even gives Tim something after Morrison, Snyder, and King left him in the background to focus on Bruce's relationship with his other sidekicks. And it's an interesting feeling, since I haven't cared much for the last time the Batman comics valued the Bat-family more than Batman. They always went into that direction where the story portrayed Bruce as an asshole father figure who treated his children like pawns. Which, yeah, I get it. A vigilante recruiting lonely kids to become soldiers in his war on crime looks horrible these days, which is why adaptations either age Robin up to an adult or do away with him entirely. But that previous era didn't come up with anything else to say about that other than scolding and surface-level criticisms, never anything unique to say, or anything that helped Bruce change as a character because they were still keeping up the status quo despite criticizing that same status quo. You can only poke at the problem without fixing the problem so many times before it eventually became baggage, and hypocritical baggage in some cases like when one of Bruce's trusted friends lets one of his Robins die to make a point to him about using children as pawns (which got retconned when everyone pointed out how stupid that was). Not to say everything about that time was bad, I still have fond memories of Gotham Central and Birds of Prey, but it was absolutely a time when Batman was the least interesting part of Bat-comics. Of course, Tynion's run doesn't share those problems, he knows how to write Batman, but it's still worth noting.
I'm definitely liking the direction the comics are going in right now! I've always loved the Bat-Family aspect and lamented its loss in the New 52, but yeah, it sucked how often Batman was portrayed as a deadbeat asshole and editorial kept trying to "deconstruct" it with godawful events like War Games. Literally everyone into this stuff just wants to see Batman as a nice guy dad with a portrayal similar to how he was in TAS or the Silver Age. I'm overjoyed that Cassandra Cain is finally back (with her original costume!) and even though the solicits make it sound like they've been mysteriously de-aged and it's being written for young teens, I'm so excited to see her team up with Stephanie again in the Batgirls book! :el_hail:
Recently, it came to me that All-Star Batman and Robin was Miller thinking "Realistically, what kind of person would take a recently-orphaned kid and turn him into a vigilante who fights serial killers like the Joker?" and came to the logical conclusion. And Morrison's process for Damian was "In order to make Bruce look good in this mentor/ward relationship, the Robin in question would have to be the kind of psychopath who makes Bruce look normal by comparison".
I'm on the fence about the Bat-Family, personally. While I love the characters, I can't think of that many stories I like that revolve around them besides Birds of Prey. Most of the Nightwing ones I read were fine, most of the Tim Drake ones I read were fine, most of the Batgirl ones... you know what I mean. One of the recent Zdarsky stories in Urban Legends was the first time I liked a Jason Todd story. And it's telling even though Dick's been Nightwing for so long, he only has a couple of popular villains in his rogues' gallery, and Slade's mostly gotten a lot of popularity because "morally conflicted vigilante who recruits teens and turns them into soldiers, and neglects his loved ones for the mission" makes him a dark mirror of Batman than anything. I think Morrison gave the Batman world much needed change by shifting Bat-stories away from detective procedurals to a character study of Bruce and what it means to be Batman, while taking all the old conceptions like "Batman's a grumpy asshole" or "Batman can beat anyone with prep time" and turning them all on their heads.
I do think a lot of the blame for most Bat-Family stories being frustratingly lacking lies more with the old-guard executives at DC (who thankfully seem to have been ousted recently) rather than the actual creative teams. They desperately wanted to ensure that no one could ever have character development, that the status quo would never change outside of poorly thought out retcons, and enforced weird restrictions that made Batman look like a shithead, among other things. The early Cassandra stories were mostly good/great, at least, though I admit I don't have much familiarity with many other family-centric books outside of Gail Simone's work, which is almost always fantastic. Urban Legends is awesome so far and Chip Zdarsky has been one of my favorite comic book writers ever since I read his Howard the Duck run. I don't particularly care for Damian but Morrison is a mad genius and he definitely did right by Batman imo.
Yeah, you look at the major Batman stories of the mid 90s to mid 2000s, and they're mostly huge collabs with 5 or 6 writers working on one story, or a bunch of stories that never quite form a long epic run akin to Morrison/Snyder/King/Tynion. There was seldomly a Batman run by a single writer for very long. It was always rotating teams of Rucka/Brubaker/Dixon/Willingham/Robinson and an assortment of other writers that made sure the only consistent creative voice in that era was the editor instead of any one author. Even the ones before that like Knightfall were the result of a team of writers juggling plot points at each other instead of a focused vision.
Well, they did it. They somehow managed to to cast out OMD in such an unsatisfying way. (https://www.comicsxf.com/2021/09/29/amazing-spider-man-74-ends-with-more-questions-than-answers-the-biggest-one-is-why-were-reading-it/) I hadn't been keeping up with the current run of Amazing, mostly knowing what happened through word of mouth, but I did read the last few arcs and thought "What the hell is all this?" Harry clones. Mayday prophecies. The reason why Mephisto specifically wanted Peter's marriage. It's too focused on repairing bad stories than doing anything new, and its repairs make the bad stories even more ludicrous.
So, Morrison's final issue of their Superman run. Loved it. Great as a metaphor for passing the baton to the current roster of Superman writers and opening up new pathways, like Multiversity except other writers are willing to play ball this time. Wish this miniseries was far longer than 4 issues though.
But then I saw this and got annoyed. (https://twitter.com/screenrant/status/1449039019115941889) I think taking the metaphor out and literally making superheroes do real-world activism or fight the real issues never works because it becomes a dead end. You're left wondering why Superman doesn't just refreeze the ice caps with his freeze breath, or why he won't break into Amazon HQ and leak Bezos' secret files with Lois' help, but if a comic did that it would come off as tacky wish fulfillment that doesn't offer an applicable situation. You can't really do comics in the vein of O'Neil's Green Arrow/Green Lantern run anymore. That kind of story only works with small-scale, personal tales like Superman Smashes the Klan. Otherwise, you have to make an allegorical version of real-world troubles with an alien planet version of climate change or a fictional DC equivalent of Amazon to make it work, or something like Immortal Hulk that asks harder questions than the readers are willing to think about.
speaking of Ewing, I read his Ultimates run. He managed to make Carol and America Chavez into wonderful characters to read, gave some much needed second wind to characters I already loved like Monica and T'Challa, and escalated it into a huge cosmic war. If Marvel were smart, they'd dump a truckload of money at Ewing's place and let him write whatever he wanted. He, Hickman, and Zdarsky are the trio saving Marvel Comics right now.
Since Superman and the Authority ended, I thought I'd read Morrison's Action Comics run that I started ages ago but never finished. It's not as good as All-Star Superman, but "not as good as All-Star Superman" is still a great Superman comic. I think the reason it doesn't receive anywhere near the critical recognition All-Star gets is it's a lot messier, more open-ended than the pure concentrated energy in that book. Because for one thing, it pretends to be an origin story for Superman, when it reveals itself to be a time-travel story. Morrison even invents knockoffs of the Daleks for Clark to fight. And it's definitely more confusing since the plot revolves heavily around the Fifth Dimension and Mxyzptlk's people. That said, while he goes on a ton of weird adventures in only 18 issues, the Clark Kent in this comic's very much grounded in human roots. He's a working-class Superman who goes after corrupt businessmen and tries his hardest to put justice back in the hands of the people.
I really did like Morrison's mini-series on Superman and the Authority. It felt like a good response and criticism of the modern sensibilities of modern comic book stories (even in the movies these days, really) of trying to be edgier and treating past stuff like a relic. Manchester Black essentially represents the modern ideal superhero to a lot of modern fans, whereas Superman in this story is remnant from an older era that Manchester sees as outdated. What's interesting is that Superman in this story (and let's be honest, he's really an extension of Morrison himself in terms of his viewpoints and use of dialogue to get the author's voice across) isn't outright against Manchester. On the contrary, he only wants to see the newer generation succeed, and does note how the more progressive nature and ability to tackle modern social issues is a positive of modern heroes (and in effect modern comic book stories). However, the more needlessly cynical side of theser characters is where he finds fault and what needs to be improved on.
That's just a very rough, watered-down interpretation of this story, but regardless, it was an interesting read for sure.
I've started reading Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion. I'm only a couple of issues in, but it definitely has my interest as an action/horror comic. I found Tynion's Batman material to be inoffensive and roughly average (some of it was enjoyable, but most of it was forgettable to me), but this story seems to have a lot more of a personal touch to it, and you can tell this is more of a passion project for him than Batman was, or at the very least that's what it feels like to me.
I also recently read the Beta Ray Bill miniseries by David Warren Johnson, and it was a surprisingly fun and engaging read that felt like it accomplished a lot for the character in just a few issues. Much like Bryan Hill's Killmonger miniseries, it manages to really do a great job of putting the spotlight on what many see as a secondary Marvel character, and making it feel like you have learned something new about them that adds a layer of nuance to their persona.
I've also been reading The Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore. It's one of those classic runs that I was bound to get around to eventually, and I have to say that this one has been utterly excellent so far (I'm only one volume in out of the six-volume box set). Say what you will about how obtuse much of Morrison's later work has been, and the guy hasn't exactly been portrayed in the most positive light in regard to how negative he has constantly been about the comic book industry at large (granted, at least some of that is how comic book journalists go out of their way to portray and over-emphasize that side of him), but much like with Frank Miller that hardly matters when strictly considering how good his stories were at his peak as a writer. With this series you can clearly see just how firm of a grasp Moore had on telling an interesting story that was not only unique in it's medium, but also felt ahead of it's time with a more cohesive narrative than most of it's contemporaries which felt more episodic and disjointed in nature.
What was both cool and miserable about Superman and the Authority was its genesis. Originally, Morrison was going to leave DC after Green Lantern to focus on TV work, but then they heard DiDio's plan to make a fascist authoritarian Superman so they went back one last time to go "No. That's not how we do things here." (https://gizmodo.com/grant-morrisons-as-sick-of-tyrant-superman-as-you-are-1848202158?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=dlvrit&utm_content=io9)
I've caught up Zdarsky's Daredevil lately, and I love it. Minus a Karen Page, it feels like the Season 4 we never got. I especially love what the comic's done with Elektra, forcing her to play by Matt's rules this time and having to prove to him that she can be just as much a protector of the weak as he is, while still making it clear she's not just filling in his shoes.
Today is the last day of Barnes & Noble's half-off hardcovers sale, and while right now is supposed to be a financially tight period for me, I do want to check it out. I ideally want to get the next couple of Carl Barks volumes I need, but I doubt they'll have them, and this sale is in-store only. So I may get the first volume or two of FOTNS instead.
Went from curiously checking out to outright binging Something is Killing the Children. It's a really engaging read. It's nothing original as the concept has been done many times before, and it's not what I'd call an instant classic by any means, but it knows what kind of story it is and how to keep it's material interesting from issue to issue. Again, my only other exposure to James Tynion was his Detective Comics run, which I was mostly indifferent to (I didn't particularly get much out of it, but also found very little to actually dislike about it), but this title feels like it has real passion and energy put behind it.
I've also just started Kieron Gillen's ongoing title, Once & Future, but have only read the first issue so far and don't have much to go on to formulate an opinion on it yet.
Yeah, Tynion's fine on Batman, but he's got so much more energy in his creator-owned work. I wish his Batman comics had the same ferocity Department of Truth did.
I read a trade of the first 8 issues of The Mighty Thor by Dan Jurgens and John Romita Jr. It's a good starting point for new Thor readers without having to go back many decades and the art has a nice roughness to it. I bought the follow up trade and look forward to more.
The Hickman era of X-Men concluded yesterday.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIXaq3wX0AASi8E?format=jpg&name=small)
Revealing the Quiet Council went from Charles and Erik's opportunity to turn Mutantdom around to their own ironic Circle of Hell they can never escape from (hence the title Inferno), and the irony that Artificial Intelligent life feels just as stigmatized by Mutant supremacy as Mutants were by humans, ends this all on a philosophically bleak note. Curious what Gillen will do now he's got the baton.
So trying to live away from humans was a failed experiment?
I honestly want to see Apocalypse and X-Man (Nate Grey) again.
If anything, the experiment's gone too well. Hickman said the reason he's leaving was because his original plans were hampered by his co-writers enjoying the new Krakoa status quo too much to write it out
I'll have to re-read some storylines, then. Depression eats my memories. :bleh:
I do remember Apocalypse saying he will meet Professor X and Magneto again. Under what terms, though? Considering him being a historical enemy of the X-Men, I don't think it will go good. He's reunited with his old family so he doesn't need to play nice.
I think the flashforward in Inferno's third part was Hickman's way of going "Okay, before I go, here's what I was going to do with Apocalypse, the Children of the Vault, the Phalanx, etc. before I decided to leave early". Along with all the other original but unexecuted plans he laid out in this interview. (https://www.xplainthexmen.com/2022/01/358-giant-size-special-10/)
Do you think there's a chance we will see X-Man/Nate Grey again? It's going to sound odd but he's honestly my favorite mutant character.
Probably. It's X-Men, and all sorts of unexpected characters have come back in the Krakoa era.
I am glad M/Penance got some attention. Her brother Emplate I think should've gotten some page time. I don't think he can resist draining her mutant energy for much longer.
I just want to say that I've grown an unexpected appreciation for Len Wein over the last few years. It's funny, most comic book writers that I like I discover by reading their creator-owned series or superhero runs based on recommendations. With Len Wein, though, it's more like all of the classic stuff that I have read, I took notice that he would do a few issues here and there in-between major runs, but they always stood out to me for having a generally more well thought-out story structure than some of his contemporaries. LIke, for as much as Chris Claremont gets credit for really establishing the identity of the X-Men as a series more than Lee and Kirby, it was Len Wein with Giant-Sized X-Men and the first few issues that really did a great job of kicking off a new status-quo before passing the reigns off to Claremont. And yeah, of course the guy who wrote the series consistently for nearly two-decades deserves the credit that he gets, but I don't think that Len's contribution should be overlooked either. And again, his FF story arc and other issues he did were the best that I've read since after the Lee/Kirby era, which I have mostly slogged through over the past year and a half since it lacked any real structure and various writers didn't seem to know what to do with it (even usually good ones from that era, like Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway). Likewise, the same is true of various other Marvel and DC books that I've read over the last few years. I'm not sure if he's more popular than I realize among classic comic book fans and I just miss out on those conversations, but aside from the Comic Tropes episode on him after his passing, I hardly see him brought up that much in conversations of classic writers. At any rate, it's just an observation on my part.
I've recently started reading Middlewest and am absolutely loving it. It's right up my alley in terms of what I like to see from a Fantasy story. I'll probably finish it over the next couple of nights since it's a fairly brief read. I've also been enjoying Animosity quite a bit and it's darkly satirical social commentary along with a genuinely interesting story that can be as humorous as it is morbid.
Yeah, I don't hear much discussion of Len Wein besides "Oh yeah, the guy who edited Watchmen". Which is a total shame for someone who created Logan, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Swamp Thing. Sure, most of the characters he made found their voice once other writers like Claremont took over, but he still set up the building blocks there. And Giant-Sized X-Men is at least a more recognizable ancestor to modern X-Men than Lee and Kirby's iteration.
Speaking of X-Men, I've been reading Gillen's run. On one hand, I love what it does with Mr. Sinister while providing a ton of building blocks bridging the 2000s era of X-Men with the current one. But then it gets bogged down by AvX taking over the plot, and Cyclops turns evil for no reason.
This video does a pretty good job of examining how there was more to his writing sensibilities than what's on the surface: https://youtu.be/qxFsu2T7O2w
And this interview with him really delves into a bit more of his thought process and personal history of how he came to love comics: https://youtu.be/ivo96u0irNA
You can really tell that he was a person who loved what he did and took writing comics seriously, well before stuff like Alan Moore's Watchmen or Neil Gaiman's The Sandman made people more widely accept the medium as a legitimate artform.
As for X-Men, I LOVE HOX/POX, and the first few issues of Hickman's run that I read. That said, I made the mistake of trying to follow and sequentially read every ongoing X-book, and some just aren't my cup of tea. I think I'll try to go back and read through all of Hickman's run and Marauders as well, both of which I really was enjoying. I might do the same for Excalibur which I was lukewarm to but had the potential to get better. The others weren't really doing it for me, though.
Out of all the recent X-Books, besides the ones I already mentioned like Way of X and Marauders, I really liked SWORD. SWORD's a lovely combination of Al Ewing writing favorite characters of mine like Storm, Magneto, and Abigail Brand, and it's a shame I haven't heard much discussion of it even though it's the Immortal Hulk guy working on a handful of popular X-Men members. It's actually confusing why none of the acclaim IH's gotten is helping his other books find popularity. He wrote a GOTG run I've heard nothing but good things about, and that got canned after only 18 issues. Though Marvel re-titling SWORD to X-Men Red might help it find some more attention. Doesn't help anybody getting into the comics via the MCU won't understand why the comic version of SWORD looks almost nothing like Wandavision's.
I read the second trade collection of Dan Jurgens' The Mighty Thor. I am liking it more and more with each page turn.
I read the last two volumes of Murciélago. Barnes & Noble, or at least the one I regularly go to, are no longer going to put it on their shelves. Could it be content or that it's a niche manga?
Since X-Men's no longer my source for Hickman, this site suddenly reminded me I hadn't read his first comic The Nightly News yet. (https://www.comicbookherald.com/hickmania-1-the-nightly-news-w-zack-quaintance/) A very rough, angry, unfiltered take on mid-2000s mainstream news media. Its layout is so unconventional it's almost unhinged. I'm kind of into it, but I'm also glad Hickman focuses on writing most of his own comics instead of drawing them too.
I've been reading some issues of EC comics here and there, not in any particular order since they are all just a collection of one-off short stories. It's more to do with my fascination with the history of American comic books, but there is a definite appeal to the simplicity yet implied darkness of some of these stories. You can also tell that writers and artistis were a lot more creatively free in the telling of these stories other than having a strict page limit in which to tell them. There is a certain aspect to them that you realize would never have been allowed in the early days of the CCA. It all comes off as tame by today's standards, and honestly even by some of the later decades of comics published under the CCA stamp, but you can also tell that they were written without the fear of having to be scrutinized by any sensors.
Some recent DCEU rumors got me to look at Nightwing again, and I might have said this before, but while I like Dick Grayson as a character and I like his Nightwing suit, I don't like Nightwing in execution. He's limited to just being Batman with less issues, fighting less interesting villains, in a less interesting Gotham. How many Nightwing fans can explain why they like Bludhaven or villains like Blockbuster or Lady Vic? And maybe it's his billy clubs and how his one other arch-nemesis is an oversized crime boss, but he comes off as a duller Daredevil too. And it's not like DC doesn't know how to make Batman clones interesting, or else Green Arrow would be wallowing in obscurity. but Nightwing as an era of Dick's life is something that's lasted for almost 40 years give or take the times he was Batman or an Agent. Maybe it's my Morrison bias showing, but I can think of so many more cool moments from his few years as Batman than his decades as Nightwing.
This article says it more clearly than I can. (https://urbaneturtle.com/2021/03/16/who-is-dick-grayson/)
I actually kind of liked the idea of Dick Grayson taking over the mantle of Batman longterm, but DC would never allow the status quo to be changed for that long. The Black Mirror is still a legitimately great Batman story with Dick Grayson in the role, and it shows how he stands on his own taking a less cynical approach to crimefighting than Bruce tended to do in many of his 90's and 2000's stories. I feel like with Nightwing, it could work best if Bludhaven wasn't just trying to be a clone of Gotham and if Dick Grayson was taking on darker villains but with a more optimistic mind-set than Bruce. Given how the Nightwing name was actually inspried by Grayson's interactions with Superman, it would make sense to have him kind of be an ideological compromise as a character and in his attitude between Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne.
As it stands, what I have read of various Nightwing stories here and there have been generally fine. However, nothing really memorable either. I do think that he probably stood out the most apart from Batman as leader of the Teen Titans. At least in that regard, I could never imagine Bruce ever being a team leader as he's too much of a lone-wolf, only occasionally working with other individuals or a sidekick or two. Even when Detective comics essentially became a Batman team-up book, Bruce wasn't so much calling the shots as just working alongside a bunch of other superheroes that were in one way or another trained or inspired by him. At least in that regard Dick has proven himself to be a genuine leader.
At any rate, I've been reading The Avengers: Judgement Day Epic Collection, which contains the latter issues of the Roger Stern run, and it has been really well done so far. Despite being from the late 80's, it still has a more classic superhero story vibe to it but with more intricate plots and story arcs that spanned multiple issues which became more popular during that era of superhero comics. After finishing this book I may go back and read his earlier issues of the run as well. I do know that this is yet another case in which Stern's run was essentially cut short due to behind-the-scenes drama with the editors, which makes me feel kind of bad for the guy. I mean, essentially the same thing happened during his Spider-Man run when his editor of that book screwed him over by revealing the Hobgoblin's identity in a spin-off book without telling him, and it ended up being a character he never actually intended for it to be. It was supposed to be Richard Fisk, but he told his editor that it would be Ned Leeds since he didn't trust him, but also did not realize that they would actually take him at his word and reveal that without consulting him.
Then again, mainstream comic books and behind-the-scenes drama kind of go hand in hand, especially in those days.
I think it's a case of few of the writers knowing where to take Dick without undermining him. They were going for that "student surpasses the teacher" angle, but it didn't work when Gotham and Bludhaven are in driving distance of each other, and Dick's city is worse off than Bruce's. Making him Batman at least cut out the middle man and gave him a sense that he's now the mentor instead of the rookie. But of course, that couldn't last, and neither was his stint as a globetrotting agent, so he's just sort of there while all the DC writers with something to say usually go directly to Batman instead of settling for Nightwing. It's the opposite of the problem I've seen happen with Amazing Spider-Man, where none of Marvel's best writers do ASM, and many of them compromise by doing Daredevil instead.
I've gotta say, I always love hearing about behind-the-scenes disputes between creators and big publishers from the 70's and 80's for just how wild some of these stories got over time. One of the most notorious and well-documented ones was Steve Gerber's battle with Marvel over the rights to Howard The Duck, which this video covers in detail: https://youtu.be/KoDqGVo63C8
It's interesting in that, while I'm usually in support of the creator, I can't really say that Marvel technically did anything wrong here. They honored their end of the contract, and furthermore it's clear that Gerber wasn't giving the various artists that he worked with their due, so he wasn't exactly a saint himself. Still, you just have to sit back and laugh at the shots and jabs that both sides took toward each other over the years, like with Gerber representing Marvel with the evil organization God Corps. Then Jim Shooter retaliated by portraying a clear stand-in for Gerber as a supervillain who attacked a publication office that was working on a character that he had created.
Skimmed through the really early Peacemaker comics, and it's quaint the ironic gimmick was "this diplomat who considers himself a man of peace is also a gun-toting soldier!" instead of "this gun-toting soldier is deeply disturbed and his concept of peace is an utter joke!" that not only the show but most post-Comedian portrayals of Peacemaker I've heard of go for. Also interesting how little of a footprint he has compared to other Charlton characters like Captain Atom or The Question. More than Thunderbolt or Nightshade, but still relatively obscure. It took until Gunn and John Cena for DC to capitalize on a character who's "What if Captain America was a piece of shit?"
FF: Life Story was disappointing. I like Russell's other books, and it started off promising, but it ended up reaffirming my opinion that Secret Wars 2015 was too conclusive and left no room for any future good Fantastic Four stories. Heard good things about Walter Mosley's The Thing though, so maybe I'll get to reading that and see if that changes my stance.
Also read a little of Justice League Incarnate, and Jesus, the levels of continuity porn are excruciating. Using decades of comic continuity is perfectly fine if it's in service to enhancing character drama or the themes of the story, like Immortal Hulk did. But here, the continuity's just in service to more continuity. Feels like the writer recapping every previous DC Crisis to me, but to what end?
Akane-Banashi has cemented itself as my current favorite WSJ title running right now (though there are still at least half a dozen that I need to catch up to, so as always that's subject to change) and it has really helped fill a void left by the cancellation of Act Age a few years back (a very justified cancellation, but it still hurts given the quality of the series itself). I'm really loving how this mangaka manages to capture the intricacies and nuances of Rakugo performances in visual and text based medium without the benefit of voice acting, so needless to say that's extremely hard to do. It's also one of the few manga that I would actually probably still watch an anime for if it were to ever be adapted since it could genuinely benefit from great performances.
Meanwhile, One Piece is at a really interesting spot since it's just now about to start it's final saga and I'm eagerly anticipating what direction Oda is going to take the story in going forward.
Spy X Family has been pretty consistently entertaining but I must admit that I'm kind of wanting some kind of shake-up to the status quo to happen soon since I do feel that the gag of nobody knowing the Forger's identities outside of the already in-the-loop characters (including the Forgers not knowing about each other) has just about run it's course and the gags surrounding that are starting to get rather repetitive, IMO. I'm not asking for anything major even, but something that will change one or two key dynamics of the series going forward.
I haven't read any Western comic books in several months now, but I'm gearing up to get back into reading Fantastic Four (I took a break after issue #200 but really do want to move onto John Byrne's iconic run which comes up soon), and I also want to get back to Something is Killing the Children which I took a full year break from to allow for some new material since it wasn't the best story to read month-to-month given that it's pacing is better suited to binge-reading an arc at a time, IMO.
I took a break from comics from Superhero comics for most of this year due to some burnout from trying to dabble in too many titles at once, but I've been getting back into it at a more healthy, slower pace, though I'm mostly sticking to classic titles for now.
That said, I have started reading The Human Target by Tom King (which I suppose is Superhero adjacent) and while I'm not all the way through it yet (I'm not even sure if the final issue has been released or not yet), it's another pretty damn good and creative run that functions as a really good character study. Basically, outside of his Batman run (which I at least liked parts of early on but went way off the rails around volume 5 or 6, IMO), I really do like Tom King as a writer. I think he's probably just better suited to B-list or more obscure characters than to the mainstream ones, which honestly is kind of what I have come to prefer anyways as of late.
I just got the 12th Deluxe Edition of Berserk delivered to me this week, though I'm still only volume 11 right now so it'll be a few days before I get around to it. Now that I've finally gotten through a majority of Berserk after having it on my backlog for like two decades, I can honestly say it deserves it's reputation as an all-time great. That said, while I would consider The Golden Age to be one of the best ever written manga story arcs, I will say that as a whole, Berserk tends to be great more for it's characters, art, and moments of emotional brilliance rather than it's overall story, which is kind of messy and can feel like it's meandering at times. Just an honest criticism on my part, but that doesn't take away from what it does well. A great series can still have it's flaws, afterall, but yeah, consider me a massive Berserk fan as well at this point. It's just such a shame that we will never get to see Miura's complete vision for the series through to it's conclusion due to his sad passing. I'm sure that Mori will do his best, but I don't expect it to feel the same. Still, I look forward to what comes in the future for the series.
I'm also reading Mark Grunewald's Captain America run (which Falcon and The Winter Soldier borrowed heavily from) and it's been fairly well done and surprisingly a bit more nuanced than I expected given the time that it came out, while still having a genuinely fun and appropriate amount of classic Superhero camp to it all.
So I've been reading Avengers by Kurt Busiek since the first Ominibus was finally reprinted, and it definitely has been a pretty fun time so far. This honestly feels like the closest I've gotten in both tone and story-telling to the AEMH cartoon series and it's perfectly up my alley. It's just kind of nice to see a superhero series from this era that isn't afraid to be goofy and kid-friendly enough while still taking itself seriously enough to be the right balance of entertaining for any age. In that regard, it's the equivalent of what something like Superman: The Animated Series was which was running around the same time as this comic book run had started. I have to say, though, with George Perez as artist, I'm honestly surprised by how much I'm not really feeling the character designs here. The thing is, I absolutely love his artwork from DC in stuff like Crisis on Infinite Earths and Wonder Woman from the mid-to-late 80's into the early 90's, as well as the first couple of issues of Infinity Gauntlet that he did before dropping out of the project, but it feels like he's too influenced by the common trends of 90's aesthetics in this series. It just doesn't work for me, and so far is one of those things that I just kind of have to look past to enjoy the other aspects of the series. I mean, he still has a pretty good sense of layouts, and it's obvious why he was wanted for a project like this in the first place given his innate talent to depict so many distinct characters on each panel and page at once, but this is certainly an adaptation of his style that I'm not personally a fan of. Who knows, though, maybe it will grow on me over time.
I'm also reading the manga for Blue Lock after catching up to the anime. I'll admit outright that this series is nothing amazing in the sports genre, but it's honestly just what I needed at a time like this and is still undeniably well done. It's probably on par with something like Kuroko no Baket or Haikyuu (but also holds my interest a little bit better), in being a highly exaggerated version of the sport it's representing, but is also appropriately stylized for that tone, and manages to keep itself engaging over a long stretch of chapters with it's own twist on the genre being more specifically about strikers and individual players battling it out in a Battle Royale type scenario (except with Football/Soccer instead of people killing each other) rather than a traditional team-based story. It's a fun and engaging enough read, and sometimes that's all I need.
Been keeping up with Zdarsky and Ram V's Batman/Detective runs, and Zdarsky's Batman is fine. A little too reliant on referencing Morrison instead of doing its own thing, but I know he can do great work like in Daredevil, so I'm just waiting for the momentum to pick up. As of now, it's been doing a narrative dialog with the early 2000s Batman comics and how emotionally unhealthy that version of Bruce is, calling him out for enacting so many failsafe procedures in case his teammates turned rogue. It's a curious note to start on, since even though I thought Batman as a narrative moved on from Bruce as this unhinged and paranoid, I still see that era of his pop up in discussion with either nostalgia or scorn. Something the comic further builds up on by using Tim as a major character and figuring out his place after years of being sort of there with no real direction.
As for Detective Comics, it's for more ambitious. It's depicting Gotham City like it's a gothic macabre opera, with all the aristocratic manipulation and Harvey Dent being dragged out of sanity again to become a pawn. Where Zdarsky's Batman is good but traditional, V's Detective goes hard in shaking up the playing field and adding a couple new factors into Gotham's crime scene.
I finished Gillen's Eternals, including its crossover/follow-up AXE: Judgment Day. And it was a curious experience. I don't think I'll ever be completely sold on the Eternals as a concept, not even Gaiman could do that and I remember liking that book. What I got here was very high-concept, but not especially intriguing in characterization. It says something that I greatly preferred Judgment Day, where Gillen writes and excels at characters I enjoy like Emma Frost and Tony and gets to play around with and tear apart a bigger corner of the Marvel universe. While the main players like Ikaris and Ajak I barely cared about, though Druig and Sersi were okay. But Starfox is the one exception, he's the one Eternal who just steals the scene every time he shows up. And I never really cared about him in anything else I read, but he's the most fun out of all of them in these books. The movie should've consulted with Gillen for notes and used this version of Starfox as the main character in their film, instead of leaving him to a post-credits scene with Harry Styles rather than a more charismatic Bowie-esque actor.
In addition to Avengers, I've also started to read Busiek's Thinderbolts run as well. I really like his classic approach to superheroes fused with modern (at the time) writing tendencies. It feels so contrary to most of what was being produced in the late 90's and stands out to me as more timeless in nature. It's not all perfect, but what's there has a lot of charm to it.
Been reading Hickman's Manhattan Projects, an alternate history comic where all of the WWII-era scientists like Oppenheimer, Einstein, Von Braun, etc. go horribly insane and challenge each other and alternate-universe versions of themselves with absurd sci-fi inventions. Basically "what if Rick and Morty didn't run out of ideas after the first couple seasons?" I always suspected Harmon and the rest of the R&M writers were huge Hickman fans because of stuff like ripping off the Council of Reeds and taking the "anti-hero scientist who has a hard time being a father figure" archetype Hickman regularly uses and playing it for shock value, but after reading the first few trades of MP, I came out surprised that Hickman hasn't filed lawsuits yet. Or at the very least ask them for a "Special Thanks" credit.
Kind of a random thought and I don't know if this would he considered a hot-take but between all of the hottest comic book artists of the 70's, I think I would rank Gene Colan to be my favorite by far. He had a more realistic style than most of his contemporaries and his Marvel work felt distinct rather than many other artists trying to emulate or adapt Kirby's, Ditko's, or Buscema's styles from the 60's (among others).
I'm sure most people would list Neil Adam's at the top, and he definitely deserves all of the praise that he gets, but to me Colan's feels ahead of it's time not only in the level of detail but also in the composition of how he displayed dramatic emotions or action from panel to panel. His work on stuff like Capatain Marvel, Daredevil, and especially Tomb of Dracula are some key examples.
It's always odd to me that I don't see his body of work get brought up more often.
I just finished 20th Century Men by Deniz Camp and Stipan Morian, a comic that takes a lot of the traditional superhero iconography but then turns it inside-out and wraps it around a middle-finger at the military-industrial complex. It's such a dense read, every issue goes for a different storytelling style, plenty of echoes of real-life Cold War history are mashed together to create plenty of horror and beauty.
Psyren - I remember loving this series back when I was going through my phase of "on and off again" with Bleach, Naruto and One Piece. I hated that it didn't get the love back then, but reading it now, there's some interesting stuff, but it don't really hold up. I know I like Matsuri, Kagetora and Kyle, but everyone else just feel so bland. There are different personalities and whatnot, but they're on the boring side. To be fair though, since back then compared to now, I've been exposed to the likes of Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia. And then, obviously One Piece. So while my taste in characters is still relatively the same (I will always love the badass/edgelord characters), I can tolerate some of the more "annoying/silly" ones these days, and I think that's what Psyren is missing (which sounds weird in my head); Some of that annoying factor to balance out all the seriousness.
I really liked the early chapters of Psyren but haven't read it in quite a few years. The story really fell off in the final 2 or 3 arcs though you could tell it was due to imminent cancelation and the author trying to scramble towards an ending.
It's interesting since the author has mentored other mangaka who have gone on to be more successful with their future series, but I think Psyren's biggest detriment was lacking a unique identity of it's own. I mean, it had a solid enough foundation and set-up, but the execution itself felt like a competently done version of stuff people had already seen before. That's not to say ot was bad by any means, but lacking in any sort of quirks to give it some of it's own character or identity means that it doesn't stand out amongst it's competition and consequently doesn't hold readers' interest enough to want to keep reading it week to week.
To go back to talk about Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer), the story is admittedly as basic as they come, but regardless of your thoughts on it, the actual execution of the story beats feel so unique from anything else that was running in WSJ at the time.
My Hero Academia, Spy X Family, Mashle, and various successful series from the past decade all seem to have that in common. There is nothing else quite like them. The tropes are the same, but the actual reading experience evokes the specific and unique voice of it's respective author. I believe Psyren kind of lacked that and felt similar to a number of other series you could be reading at the time.
I've been reading Quasar by Mark Grunewald. I've also read some of his Captain America material (which FATWS took heavy inspiration from) and he's definitely one of the better mainstream superhero writers of his era when it comes to establishing and developing narrative threads in his stories as well as writing supporting characters with some level of nuance to them. Shame that Quasar gets, like, one of the worst deaths ever in Aanaihilation.
I've been catching up on some of the newer WSJ titles. Most I'm pretty "eh" on, but Martial Master Asumi (from the author of Hinomaru Zumo, which I still need to finished but loved) is pretty promising so far. Makes me wonder why there aren't more MMA manga in the sports genre. There are a few but it's really the perfect blend of traditional fighting series' and realistic athletic sports.
Also, Akane-Banashi still continues to be my favorite ongoing title in the publication other than One Piece.
I finally resumed reading The Fantastic Four. As a reminder, this is a series that I wanted to experiment with by reading it from it's very first issue all the way throug to Hickman's Secret Wars (which is essentally the ending of the original Marvel Comics Universe).
The 60's era of writing is very dense in wording and in many respects kind of impenetrable to a modern reader with current sensibilities, but Stan Lee's and Jack Kirby's original run really grew on me. The phrase "it's a product of it's time" is one that I have mixed feelings about, because while it can certainly be applied to several works of art, I firmly believe that something that was good then should still be able to showcase that to future observers in some form or fashion, and for me I think Lee and Kirby's run really showed a sense of momentum and creative experimentation that probably did a lot for the FF's early success in comics. The writing was honestly rather messy and the stories themselves nonsensical when held up to any kind of scrutiny, but what made it all work was a clear level of energy and excitement put into nearly every issue of their legendary run. The Galactus Trilogy is where Lee really seemed to hit his stride with how to structure FF stories and it's also around the same time where Kirby nailed the most iconic version of his look for the characters. The issues from that point almost always had an organic sense of continuity with most issues seamlessly leading into the next with very few closing out with a neat little bow to lead into the next story, as was typical of comics at the time. This would have undoubtedly left readers eager to see what would happen next and provide incentive to keep coming back for more. Also, there was that one issue where they went to a planet where all of it's inhabitants were inspired by and designed their entire civiliation around 1920's American mobster culture, and while I'm not sure which came first, I'm pretty sure Lee stole that whole concept from an episode of classic Star Trek, but it still works in it's own early Marvel comics way.
Anyways, I was consistently reading through the series at a steady pace up to that point. Then I got to the 70's era of the FF's publication, and man, I have to be honest, that was a slog. There's a reason I clearly Lee and Kirby's stuff in just a few months, but it took me a couple of years to get through the next decade of the serialization. There were a few stand-out issues here and there by legendary writers and artists like Archie Goodwin or Marv Wolfman, but even then they seemed at best to be doing servicable imitations of the peak of the Lee and Kirby era. Of note was Goodwin's Doctor Doom centered issue and Wolfman's ambitious Galactus story arc where the FF strike a tenuous alliance with one of their greatest foes to take down an even bigger threat. That said, there were a lot of mediocre stories filling out most of the bunch, and some downright bad ones in there as well. It says a lot that I can barely remember even half of it after reading all of it. Even other greats like Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway just couldn't seem to wrap their heads around writing a truly great FF story, which shows how tricky it is to really get this team right.
That said, I'm currently into the 240's in issues right now, firmly in the 80's era, and more importantly well into John Byrne's legendary run on the series. You may have heard good things about it among enthusisasts of classic comic book runs, but let me tell you, after dragging my feet through the previous decade of FF comics all because of my prior commitment, this shit is like tasting the nectar of the gods in comparison. I'm back to reading multiple issues back-to-back and actually feeling constantly engaged and excited by the possibilities presented in the stories and how the characters are constantly evolving, and I'm still early on in this run. Byrne clearly had a vision for the series, and what I love is these are very much Science Fiction stories first and foremost and Superhero stories second. He pays proper respect and homage to what Lee and Kirby started and makes it still feel like those same characters in the same Universe, while writing in a style more befitting of Rod Serling. At the same time this is the era of Marvel Comics where writers like Frank Miller and Chris Claremont, among several others, were injecting more real world adult issues into their stories, be it gun violence explored in Daredevil or further exploring the dangers of severe prejudice in X-Men. John Byrne does that for several issues, including even child abuse which surprised me after enduring a decade of safe, flavorless vanilla stories from the 70's.
If the rest of the run goes along this smooth, this could definitely end up in my top 5 favorite Marvel comic book runs, and it has me excited to read the FF again.
Also, speaking of Wolfman, I've also started reading The New Teen Titans, which if I'm not mistaken he was working on simultaneously as the time he was writing his FF story arc, and while I liked his FF material well enough (one of the few stand-outs between Lee/Kirby and Byrne) it's very clear to see where his actual passions truly lied around that time.
Zdarsky Batman lost me with the recent issue. It felt as if either he or the editors read almost every single stupid joke I make when talking about DC and taking it all completely seriously, from Bruce beating up his kids to him talking to another superpowered version of himself behind locked bars as if it's Naruto and the 9-tailed Fox, right down to having a random Vandal Savage cliffhanger. Really glad Vandal didn't ramble on about plans or the Light, because then I would've thought "Oh God, are they reading my mind? And not using it well?"
But on the other side of the Big Two, Hickman is gonna save Spidey fans from the Apaulcalypse. So that's a nice surprise. (https://www.gamesradar.com/ultimate-spider-man-returns-with-hickman-and-checchetto/)
I haven't read his Batman run, but if I'm being honest while I loved the first two story arcs of Zdarsky's Daredevil run, it did kind of lose me after 30-something issues. It feels like he had a really good idea for an initial start to the series and a great set of character arcs for Matt and Fisk, but after that the momentum of the story just lost a lot of steam for me, and I wasn't a fan of the way certain characters acted after a period of time. Still, those first 20-30 issues are genuinely great and I would go back to them.
I feel like Batman in general has suffered a bit from writers feeling compelled to go to certain extremes or try outlandish things in order to stand out. On the one had, I can sympathize, since how exactly do you do something new with a character that has been around for nearly a century? On the other hand, I look at some of these stories and say to myself: "OK, but why did you think THAT was a good idea?" I remember Zdarsky not wanting to do a mainline Spider-Man run just for the reason that he felt he would inevitably enrage fans. So I'm kind of surprised that he's working on Batman who's fanbase is no less hostile to stuff they dislike. As for me, unless it's something egregious, I can mostly separate my dislike of a work from being too hard to the writer themselves as a person. Like, I liked Black Mirror and Court of Owls from Scott Snyder, but found the rest of his Batman material to range from mid to outright awful, but I'm not going to lambast him more than just not liking his material. Same with Tom King, who actually has written other stuff that I genuinely like.
On the positive side of things, I am already more than half-way through John Byrne's Fantastic Four run (including his material on The Thing, which I'm reading side-by-side with it) and it has genuinely and consistently gotten better-and-better. It's one of those hyped comic book runs that lives up to it's status as a "classic" and holds up incredibly well today, IMO. And I'm aware that Byrne has pissed a lot of people off with his "grumpy old-man" take on comic book superheroes, but I'm just judging the work itself and this so far has been the best FF material that I've read (I still have a ways to go before I reach Waid's and Hickman's runs), and may very well go down as one of my all-time favorite comic book runs if it holds this level of quality until it finishes.
My increased investment in FF over the past few years has actually made me more worried about the upcoming MCU movie because I'm skeptical of them being able to do this series justice with their current track record.
On the manga side of things I'm still reading the usual suspects, but I also started reading Yu-Gi-Oh, just because I had the itching for a 90's/early 2000's style Shonen Jump manga. The premise is of course ridiculous and every single character would be a certifiably insane person if this took place in real life, which is of course just the way I like my Jump manga, so good start overall.
I don't know, I really liked his Daredevil run, even well into Devil's Reign, and it was what gave me hope that his Batman run would be pretty cool. Since if you can write a great Daredevil, you should be able to write a great Batman. Though I assume DD's editorial is more loose than Batman's.
And I think with Batman comics, every writer wants to make the big Batman run that people remember years afterward, and an episodic run where Bruce stops Riddler or Poison Ivy from bombing city hall or robbing a bank every issue doesn't make the splash that another "Gotham City is in hell and Bruce must challenge his very ideals if he wants to save his city's soul... again" story promises. But the problem is the latter's become its own cliche now, and plots like Bruce facing off against a generations-long secret aristocratic society that's been pulling Gotham's strings for centuries or Bruce letting his on-and-off relationship with Selina tear apart the Bat-family are repeating themselves to diminishing returns. Like maybe you don't want to do what Paul Dini can do a 100 times better, but you also shouldn't do what Grant Morrison can do a 100 times better, so I guess what I'm saying is Batman writers aren't being outlandish enough and finding a third, new option.
The other problem is Bruce's supporting cast needs desperate untangling. There are way too many Bat-family members, it's like if in Doctor Who the Doctor just kept all his companions around long past their character arc, even while introducing new companions, instead of letting characters leave after a few seasons. And I get they're never gonna write out Dick, or write out Gordon, or at least not for more than a few years, but then there are the characters that genuinely have nothing left to do anymore and the writers don't know what to give them, but they still hang out in the Batcave because nobody has the heart to give them a farewell story. Like Tim. The writers still like Tim enough not to kill him off, let him retire with his boring boyfriend, or make him move to another city, but they don't like him enough to figure out what to do with him now that he hasn't been the main Robin for quite some time. Even adaptations of Tim don't really give a shit despite bothering to bring him in. DCAU Tim is basically Jason with a different name (street kid who retires because the Joker tortures him and then temporarily turns into a bad guy). Arkham game Tim is a weird fusion of Dick and Damian while designed to look like an elderly Eminem for no reason. Animated YJ Tim is just a background prop. Nobody's known what to do with him for ages at this point, but he's still around just because.
Finally started reading Jujutsu Kaisen. I've always been interested in the series. I just never got around to read/watch it. I've seen some clips of some of the fights (that animation is God-tier quality, but then again, compared to back then from what I've seen of MHA, DS and now JK, all anime seem to be going crazy with the animation side of things) and liked what I saw, but I saw some stuff (spoiled myself a bit) in some of the recent chapters and had to start fresh to catch up. The big rhetorical question I have is "When did that happen" hence the catching up lol. I will say like most shonen, it does have a slow start, but comparing to say, like Naruto or Bleach, this has a more interesting start up. Kinda reminds me of Yu Yu Hakusho/Hunter x Hunter in a sense (Probably even more closer to Psyren now that I'm thinking about it). Like, while small, the action is there, and is good when it hits, but the build up seems to be the more focal point, and I'm digging it.
Characters seems good. I will say that while I haven't seen anyone that irritates me (to be fair, I brush a lot off my shoulders now. If you'd introduced me to One Piece, Naruto or Inuyasha now, certain character traits wouldn't nearly bother me as much. It'd be a nuisance for sure, but nothing damaging), there aren't too many standouts either. Hell, the only one that I'd go up and arms over is Gojo. I'm only on chapter 32 though, so there's time.
Overall, it's interesting. Not hooked, but it's interesting.
Gobble Gobble by the way.
I am currently reading or about to pick back up many titles. They would be Dan Jurgen's The Mighty Thor, the original Peter David run of Young Justice, the original The Titans, Mike Carey's Lucifer, and six titles from Crossgen. Those six would be Mystic, Sigil, Scion, Meridian, The First, and Crux.
Spoiler
Thank you Hickman for giving me a JJJ/Uncle Ben buddy journalist dramedy.
So continuing with my on and off again randomness with anime and manga, this time I went back to Psyren. I know, last time I found myself saying that it didn't hold up, but if I recall I think I was at the point where Dholaki was introduced, and thinking further back (when I first started this series), this was the point where I got hooked. Definitely skipping around just to see if something could reignite that spark, and started around chapters 93-95, low and behold Grana vs Miroku. (If Yagumo Matsuri is/was my favorite in this series, he had to be 1-B then) The fight itself is not special, but I like Grana's power in general. He's Jean Grey lol. Personality-wise, so lemme see, I'm still for the Vergil's, Sesshoumaru's, Byakuya's, Itachi's, Hiei's hands down, buuuuuuuut the Ace's, Mustang's, Shanks, Dante's, Gojo's, Usui's, have been the characters I favor as of late and Grana kinda fits in that space.
As far as lighting that spark, not quite, but it was good to jump into that fight specifically. I might go a little further to see the invasion point, but I may stay away from it because this was definitely in that area where it was declining.
Still reading One Piece as well. I don't have much to say to be honest. Not that it hasn't been good because it has, but there's been nothing to get me hyped up. I could be like "Saturn you piece of shit", but that's not me lol. I have been questioning the strength lately of Akainu, Kizaru and Aokiji as of late though.