The official monthy comic book thread!

[Will]

I've been meaning to start this thread for a long time but I'm not sure how many people still buy comics outside of the nostalgic wave hitting like Transformers, He-Man, Thundercats, GI Joe and so on.

This thread is for any comics you guys buy or recommend, I'm going to start to review the weekly/monthly comic 'hauls' so here we go:

Captain Marvel #1(36 in Volume 4 )

Writer: Peter David
Artist: Chris Cross
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor(digital coloring/inking)

I wasn't too sure on why this title was rebooted exactly, only that it won some kind of voting contest but man was it just in time for me. Mostly because I'm one of those completists so if I miss an issue I stop buying it since it messes with the flow of a story arc.

Anyways, this issue kicks off with Rick Jones(Bruce Banner's buddy who was at the scene of the gamma bomb that created the Hulk) in a monlogue filling us in on his bond with his alter ego Genis/Captain Marvel and his current situation.

It seems Captain Marvel has gotten more of a handle on one of his super powers, one of which is 'cosmic awareness' which basically is a crime alarm for the universe. You'll see that after various events, it makes this power seem more cumbersome than helpful.
It's an interesting two way street in which Captain Marvel and Rick have to deal with when it comes to the consequences of their decisions.

Artwise, the book is one of the most gorgeous books this month. The inking is gone and in it's place, Chris Sotomayor colors over the inks giving it a softer almost painted look to it. Every creature is detailed to the texture and much props to the creative team, you'll see from epic ship invasion battles, to just all one on one brawls.

Peter David is among one of my favorite writers because of this book, it has sharp beleivable dialogue, witty jokes and great pacing.
This is a great time to jump on to this title since it's been 'rebooted' so I'm making it my business to add this excellent title to my monthly comic pull list.

Score: 9/10

Here are some images from the first few pages:
Cover
http://image.milehighcomics.com/firs.../capmv1cvr.gif
page 1
http://image.milehighcomics.com/firs...2/capmv1p1.gif
page 2
http://image.milehighcomics.com/firs...2/capmv1p2.gif
page 3
http://image.milehighcomics.com/firs...2/capmv1p3.gif
page 4
http://image.milehighcomics.com/firs...2/capmv1p4.gif

JLA #73

Writer: Joe Kelly
Artist: Yvel Guichet
Inker: Mark Propst

This issue is part 5 of the "Obsidian Age" which is in the middle of a storyarch. I recommend buying issues 66-72 to get up to full speed on the whole plot, although how it STILL remains confusing at times I don't know.

There are two JLA teams, one a new band(Nightwing, Firestorm, Green Arrow, Hawk Girl, Major Disastor, Jason Blood a.k.a Etrigan the Demon, and Faith) put together by Batman in a emergency situation while the other is the original team of Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Batman, Green Lantern, Plastic Man, and Martian Manhunter.

This month's focuses on the more interesting new JLA, and I say interesting because they are more of the underdogs than the powerhouse original team which leads to boredom after a while. The new JLA have the power but they need to prove themselves worthy of the JLA name with teamwork.

The new team drops on atlantis which is being held up by the earth's water somehow, only to see the carcases of what may be the old JLA team. They find the deadly inhabitant of the place and try to find a way to make sense of the whole situation to only end up with an odd twist by the end of the issue.

I like the back and forth type format this book is doing, showing us a past and present situation which makes the middle ground that the more interesting to find out by the end of the arc.

The art is good although not quite up to snuff with the past issues, the art seems more sketchy and less detailed than Doug Mahnke/Nygen's stuff and even Yvel's past month's work. The art was good enough to move the story along and while not great is quite solid. I'm really liking this 'makeshift JLA' so my interest is piqued as to how this will all end up on both sides of each team.

Sorry no images though.

Score: 8/10

Transformers: The War Within

Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Don Figueroa
Inks: Elaine & Don Figueroa

I was surprised to see this one out this soon but pleasantly surprised nontheless. This is one of the three Transformers books Dreamwave has started which tells the story of Optimus prime and the rest of the Autobots/Decepticons leading up to the generation 1 book.

The Decepticons are very close to taking over Cybertron after the fall of Sentinel Prime and the losses of several Autobot fronts. Optimus is an archiver at the time before he becomes Optimus Prime and isn't as forthcoming to becoming the leader of the Autobots.

He's actually nuetral and almost not wanting to do anything with the war, but within the Autobots desperate times a new leader must be chosen and he is it.

This is a great start along with Armada in the Dreamwave transformers universe. It's artwork hold up just as well as the other lines and it sure is beautiful. Since it's thousands of years in the past, the autobots and decepticons all look bulkier and a bit more blocky/simple but that makes sense. Grimlock is a huge tank-like vehicle while Optimus and Blue Streak/Bumble Bee are way more detailed/bulkier versions of themselves.

Another new series I'm happy to look forward to and also....IT'S TRANSFORMERS!

Issue #1

Cover to issue #2

Cover to issue #3


Score: 9/10

Spider-man(TPB)

Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artist: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Wayne Faucher

A compilation of issues 44-47 'Return of the Goblin'. Great read, and delves deeper into the sick mind of the Green Goblin using his mind games. Not to mention Parker's resilance and strength in dealing with him using not only his fists but his mind as well.

Beautiful colors and artwork which give it very animated look to it but at the same time using dark colors and shadows to tell the story in the way it should have.

Score: 8/10

Daredevil #37

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev

Electra pays Matt Murdock a visit and still has lingering troubles with his identify being revealed. The pacing on the book is moving a bit on the slow side but dammit is it a good book! Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev really made this a very detailed yet gritty superhero book while not going over the top with lame villains. Kingpin got his ass handed to him from within, Matt Murdock's secret identity was revealed while not going over the top and goofy. It's a cool kickass adult comic that people will be surprised to see seeing how it's a 'superhero' book. Amazing art with Hell's Kitchen NYC never looking more realistic than it has now. When this baby comes out in TPB form I'll be recommending it to everyone.

From issues 26-37 I give it a 10/10

Whew! I want to review and recommend a few more but these reviews take so long. Hopeully I'll have a faster review format.

There are also sites that are great for comic news and previews:

www.comicscontinuum.com

Great for comic previews, latest comic movie stuff and news.

http://www.popcultureshock.com/

A site that has everything cool in entertainment, HIGHLY recommended it covers Games, Movies, Comics, Music and even has it's own forums.

http://comicbookresources.com/

This site is a bit more on the industry side with alot of interviews but also a good amount of news and weekly updates.

And finally

www.thefourthrail.com

A good review site if you're itching to read what other guys think, and these guys are generally pretty good at reviewing comics. The Egbert and Roper of comics....only better. They also have columns and advance reviews.

Hope you guys enjoyed anything up there and found it useful. I also hope to see and share your thoughts on comics and the like whatever the genre.

[SpoDaddy]

About time someone started a good comics thread. Watchmen forever

[Will]

Thanks Spo.

Ah yes I must have that book soon, but I hear there's a new one out(maybe hardcover?). I saw in a Wizard mag that they released a version that had Dave and Alan commenting on what happens and why on panels, along with maybe a few more extras. Wizard said it was the closest thing to having DVD commentary so that sounds real cool.

[Green]

Damn good idea Will. I really appreciate the links, since I'm starved on good comic coverage.

About that Watchmen thing, I checked Amazon and there is nothing like that listed. Maybe its coming out later? I sure hope so.

[Saint of Killers]

I'm not about to do in-depth reviews but I'll list what I subscribe to (I'll probably miss a few; I buy way too many comics) with short comments about each:

100 Bullets - Easily my favorite current monthly comic. Azzarello's the man.

Agent X - I'm a huge Deadpool fan even though I hate the new costume/name. Gail Simone does a nice job writing, and Udon's cool.

Alias - Bendis is one of my top three favorite current writers. May be my favorite Bendis book after the last issue, which contained no action but had fantastic dialogue. I also like Gaydos's art alot.

Amazing Spider-Man - Good stuff, although not as good as Ultimate Spidey. I'm not a big fan of John Romita Jr., but Straczyinski's writing makes up for it.

Blade of the Immortal - I actually don't read that much manga, but I like Blade alot.

Captain America - I normally hate the character, but I like how Reiber writes him. Handles current terrorism hot topic very intelligently. Also dig the art.

Daredevil - Bendis rules.

Detective Comics - I love Rucka. I was going to drop it because Rucka's leaving, but Brubaker's taking over soon and he does crime stuff almost as well as Rucka.

Dicks - Funny as all hell. Ennis is at his best when he's not writing superhero stories.

Elektra - Like I said, I love Rucka.

Fables - Good stuff. Very verbose, but it pulls it off well. Great concept as well.

Fantastic Four - The first two issues of Waid's run haven't been all that great, but I give him the benefit of the doubt.

The Filth - Very odd. Reminds me of Transmet, but not as funny and much weirder. Dunno about it exactly, but I like Morrison so I'm sticking with it.

Green Arrow - I was going to drop this after Kevin Smith left, but Meltzer has written two fantastic issues. I like Phil Hester's art, even though it's not a style I usually enjoy.

Hellblazer - Another book I was going to drop when the writer (Azzarello) left, but Carey's written two great issues. Dillon on art's always fun, too.

The Incredible Hulk - The best the Hulk's been since Peter David's seminal run. The Hulk's probably my second favorite Marvel character behind Spidey, too. Neat conspiracy style story.

The League of Extraordinary Gentleman - Written by Alan Moore. That's all you need to know.

Liberty Meadows - Cho can be absolutely hilarious, plus he's a great artist.

New X-Men - It's not perfect, but I think it's the best current X-book.

Powers - Was my favorite monthly comic until I discovered 100 Bullets. Still very good, though.

The Punisher - I absolutely hated the last issue, but I love Ennis so much I still read it.

Queen & Country - This is why I love Rucka. Great, very realistic spy story. Handles terrorism even better than Cap.

Rising Stars - I think the first third of the story was the best so far, but it's still good.

Spider-Man/Black Cat - I don't like it at all, and I would've dropped it but there's only one more issue. The whole how the heroin is being delivered idea is beyond horrible. Kevin Smith can do so much better.

Spider-Man's Tangled Web - I normally wouldn't subscribe to a revolving writer/artist book, but 9/10s of Tangled Web's have been fantastic.

Tom Strong - See League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Tom Strong's Terrific Tales - Same.

Transmetropolitan - Just ended, but I put it on here anyway because anyone who doesn't read it needs to go get the trades.

Ulitmates - It's like a train wreck. I don't like it, but I'm strangely compelled to look. Every character is a complete asshole.

Ultimate Spider-Man - I love Spidey. I love Bendis. Together, they're almost perfect.

Ultimate X-Men - See Ultimates.

X-Statix (formerly X-Force) - Does the same thing Ultimates is trying to do (portray heores as less than perfect) but better. Also throws in great biting social commentary.

Y The Last Man - Cool concept, and the first few issues have good.

The following are on my pull list, but haven't come out yet:

Batman - Everyone's getting it for Lee's art, but I'm getting it because Jeph Loeb writes an incredible Batman. Check out The long Halloween and Dark Victory for proof.

Ghost in the Shell 2 - The original manga kicked the shit out of the anime.

Global Frequency - Must fill the Ellis void in my life left by the ending of Transmet.

MEK - see above.

War Story - Ennis does war comics so well. The last War Story comics were fantastic.

[Rich]

4 posts and almost the size of some threads with 40 posts on a page..

[Wolffen]

Nice to see someone else reading Liberty Meadows. The most recent issue with the crew at a comic convention had me rolling on the floor.
I'm interested to see what Cho will be doing with Shanara the She Devil for Marvel, seeing as it will be a MAX series.

My hold list:

Liberty Meadows
Strangers in Paradise (mostly for the wife...haven't read it for over a year now)
Transformers G1
Transformers: The War Within (GREAT series so far!)
Transformers Armada (by the same writer as above. Why isn't the cartoon this good???)
Captain Marvel
Iron Man (might be going bye-bye from my list. I love Mike Grell, but the series has been "eh" since he took over.
Wolverine (also probably going bye-bye)
Avengers (haven't had a chance to check out the non-Busiek issues yet...depending on how the new writer is, this might go as well)
Astro City (new issues next year finally!)
Hellboy (anything Hellboy)
Rising Stars (excellent series...looking to end with a bang)
Midnight Nation (damn! JMS is even better @ comics than as a tv writer!)
Crossgen books:
Sigil
Scion
Mystic
Meridan
Chronicles
(give Crossgen a try if you haven't already. It's not superhero fare, but there's something for almost everyone. Check out Comics On the Web for a free taste)
and Bone. One of the best B&W comics out there.

[Will]

Originally posted by Green
Damn good idea Will. I really appreciate the links, since I'm starved on good comic coverage.

About that Watchmen thing, I checked Amazon and there is nothing like that listed. Maybe its coming out later? I sure hope so.

No problem Green, thanks alot. You know, it's probably coming out later then because if it is I'll get that TPB instead.

Alias - Bendis is one of my top three favorite current writers. May be my favorite Bendis book after the last issue, which contained no action but had fantastic dialogue. I also like Gaydos's art alot.

Yeah I liked this one alot. The only reason I stopped buying it is because I had a huge stack of comics in the 'pull list' building up (which cost me alot) and along with a few missed issues I decided to cut this one out the monthly buy list. Having Videogames and comics as a hobby is sure expensive.

Amazing Spider-Man - Good stuff, although not as good as Ultimate Spidey. I'm not a big fan of John Romita Jr., but Straczyinski's writing makes up for it.

I agree on this one although I think John Romita Jr. has really stepped up in his work since Straczyinski came aboard along with the colorist which makes his work jump off more.

Captain America - I normally hate the character, but I like how Reiber writes him. Handles current terrorism hot topic very intelligently. Also dig the art.

I concur with this one too, I have issue 1 from the revamp but #2 is so hard to find here I haven't had the chance to buy it up to it's current issue. I'll wait for the trades, then buy it regularly when the new artist comes in for Cassaday(who does the best Cap outside of Hitch in Ultimates).

Daredevil - Bendis rules.

He does, I'm amazed how consistent in quality he is with Ultimate Spiderman, Daredevil, and Powers. I think his Daredevil stuff lately has been kicking the most ass.

Fantastic Four - The first two issues of Waid's run haven't been all that great, but I give him the benefit of the doubt.

Yeah, pretty standard FF right now, I think Mark Waid is just trying to give it a 'family' type quality(which has been done a million times before) but he should move along.

I want to see some cool discovery stuff like finding a new 'zone' or something. I like Chris Claremont's run wil Salvador alot since they went to alot of various places while still retaining the 'family' tone. I think they should be depicted as the Swiss Family Robinson with superpowers. I dig the art though Wieringo has improved alot and Paul Mounts's coloring while not as much eye candy as Liquid! is solid.

Green Arrow - I was going to drop this after Kevin Smith left, but Meltzer has written two fantastic issues. I like Phil Hester's art, even though it's not a style I usually enjoy.

I loved it not even being a Green Arrow fan and having almost no knowledge of his universe. I stopped buying it though because certain issues were hard to find and I had to cut it out the huge monthly list. If the TPB comes out of Smith's whole run I'll be nabbing that.

The Incredible Hulk - The best the Hulk's been since Peter David's seminal run. The Hulk's probably my second favorite Marvel character behind Spidey, too. Neat conspiracy style story.

Ditto.

New X-Men - It's not perfect, but I think it's the best current X-book.

Yup. It's a bit more depressing than the usual X-Men but that's what Uncanny is for. My only beef is the whole rotating artist thing. So far Ethan Van Sciver, Igor Kordley, John Paul Leon, Phil Jimenez and the often missed Frank Quitley have all drawn the title.

It definitely needs consistency in the art department. I would stick with Van Sciver and Quitely but from what I've read in Wizard Jimenez and Quitely are staying.

The Punisher - I absolutely hated the last issue, but I love Ennis so much I still read it.

The first run by Ennis was amazing and hilarious. It's hit and miss with me though as soon as it hit 'ongoing'. I kind ofliked the last issue if you mean the Wolverine/Punisher one. I've NEVER seen Wolverine take that much damage to his face and still fight, it was the coolest thing I've seen him get done to him, gives it almost a Terminator vibe. Plus as much as I love the hairball you see how goofy he is compared to Frank.

Rising Stars - I think the first third of the story was the best so far, but it's still good.

When it first started I thought it was great, but what it was aspiring to was impossible which was become the second Watchmen. It did try and I liked it for what it was, it was another book that suffered from rotating artists who I didn't like and think fit the series.

Spider-Man/Black Cat - I don't like it at all, and I would've dropped it but there's only one more issue. The whole how the heroin is being delivered idea is beyond horrible. Kevin Smith can do so much better.

If I had #1 I would still buy it but I'll wait for the trade. I read a few parts and I love the banter between Black Cat and Spidey, I like her way more than Mary Jane who has been a real bitch lately. The Dodson's sure draw pretty women though.

Ultimates - It's like a train wreck. I don't like it, but I'm strangely compelled to look. Every character is a complete asshole.

Ultimate Spider-Man - I love Spidey. I love Bendis. Together, they're almost perfect.

Ultimate X-Men - See Ultimates.

I love all the Ultimate stuff. Ultimates is the best written out of the 3 but the vibe from Spiderman and X-men are just right.

Ultimate X-men though feels kind of weird to me because while it does feel like a reborn good Chris Claremont era again, the characters feel colder than usual since everyone MUST be badass for some reason. I am enjoying it more though since Millar's characterization is improving and he's playing off various relationships between the characters very well.

Artwise, I only wish they kept Art Thibert and Richard Isanove because together with Adam they made some mind blowing art very rich in quality. Danny Miki and Dave Sewart are getting better but I found the art after the first two left sloppier and more bland.

Batman - Everyone's getting it for Lee's art, but I'm getting it because Jeph Loeb writes an incredible Batman. Check out The long Halloween and Dark Victory for proof.

I read the little preview Wizard had of the new Batman and Loeb does write a very detective, smart Batman. Jim Lee's art is amazing as well, I think he gives it a kick in the ass that it needed.

Ghost in the Shell 2 - The original manga kicked the shit out of the anime.

I usually never buy manga's but I'll be buying this one.

I also must mention the Thunderbolts and Black Panther. Thunderbolts is a great superhero action book that has many twists and turns and is written intelligently. Art has been inconsitent byt it's being rebooted for somereason with none of the same characters as of yet.

Black Panther is another amazingly consistent book every month. never has BP been written so well then by Christopher Priest. He turned him from a goofy Batman clone to someone who can be on par with Batman and the rest of the superheroes. Not to mention some beautful art by Sal Velluto and Bob Almond, rich with detail and quality.

Here's hoping it comes together well and the new writer gets the concept of Thunderbolts.
I also want to buy 100 bullets trades to catch up to the current stuff but it seems kind of daunting if there are more than 2 or 3.

I've been meaning to add the transformers stuff to my pull list so I have to redo the list and just put in stuff I will definitely buy. Wolfen I agree with the Iron man stuff and Wolverine was pretty good for only a while(most part the story with that insane serial killer with those tatoos who defeated Wolverine).

I'm glad I'm not the only one who buys an insane amount of comics too.

[taloony]

I haven't really collected for awhile now. All I'm buying is the new Transformers stuff, Rising Stars, and Knights of the Dinner Table.

About Batman, has anyone read Miller's DK? Is it any good? The eight dollar price tag has kept me away so far, and the art's ass.

[Saint of Killers]

Originally posted by taloony
About Batman, has anyone read Miller's DK? Is it any good?

Dark Knight Returns and Year One are fantastic. DK2 sucks.

and the art's ass.

I sincerely hope you're not talking about DKR (or even DK2, for that matter). Miller is the fucking man, writing and on pencils. Although I think his work looks better in black and white (see Sin City).