What Are You Reading?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

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.

[Avaitor]

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.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

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.

[Foggle]

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...

[VLordGTZ]

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. 

[Foggle]

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. 

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

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

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.

[Dr. Insomniac]

but 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.

[Painted Outlaw]

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.

[Foggle]

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!

[Mustang]

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.

[Dr. Insomniac]

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.

[Avaitor]

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.

[LumRanmaYasha]

All awesome reads! Hope you enjoy them! 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

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.