Every comic you've read in 2018

[jim]

My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies-Another fantastic and tragic Criminal story. I'm not sure about Mr. Phillips' kid colors, but on the other hand, Ms. Breitweiser is a tough act to follow.

Edited October 12, 2018 by jim
bolding title

[Donomark]

Batman: No Man's Land vol.2 (Ultimate): The more recent release of the No Man's Land issues that includes issues more tangential but still tied into the storyline like two Young Justice One-Shots. Honestly, aside from the Azrael issues, most of these new inclusions aren't integral, but it's still cool to see how wide a scope NML had on DC Comics at the time.

Nightwing #51 (2018): People are freaking out because Dick is now going by "Ric Grayson", thinking that DC is trying to get away from his original name. This wouldn't be the first time, as they tried pushing his full name as the norm around the new 52. It feels more like the story they're going with at this time rather than a full-on moving away from it. Everyone who knows him still calls him Dick. As for the story itself, it's whatever. No one asked for this and while it's not awful, it's still lame.

Batman #57 (2018): King's three part story concerning Bruce Wayne in Jury Duty was a thoughtful, delicate look into Batman's psyche. This three parter devolved into a typical modern Batman story where he punches his way through the end of the story. King tries to write poetry into it with flashbacks to Thomas Wayne, but this is still a comic where Batman punches his way through the problem. Because that's what people think Batman is now. 

Savage Dragon #239: Last issue ended in an intriguing direction. This issue that direction generally stays on track, but Larsen's writing comes off as too immature and insincere to work. 

Trade Paperbacks: 20

Single Issues: 239

 

[Dread]

Joe R. Lansdale's The Drive-In #1-4: from what I recall, this is really early Avatar. Christopher Golden adapting Lansdale's novel. VERY early Jacen Burrows work is rough, but it hints at his later triumphs. 

Savage Tales of Vampirella: not bad. Not that good either.

Suicide Squad #41: still killing it.

Immortal Men #2: I'll give it one more issue.

Venom #1: Nawww....I'm good.

X-Men Blue #27: Great!

A Walk Through Hell #1: I'll bite for one more.

All-New Wolverine #35: profoundly good. I'll miss this book.

Avengers #2: what a dud this reboot has turned into so quickly. I'm out.

Batman #47: Jesus, I'll give this one more issue.

Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers #1: this was really fun.

Captain America #702: alright.

Crude #2: Jesus...it's hard to breathe reading this book.

Daredevil #602: really good.

Death of Love #4: oof...what a drop in quality.

Hunt for Wolverine Claws of a Killer #1: this was really fucking fun.

Infidel #3: I'm not so into this. I might give it one more.

Infinity Countdown Daredevil #1: how is a story where the street slime bag Turk gets an Infinity Stone this good? How?

Justice League No Justice #2: this is such a DC story. I love it.

New Challengers #1: oof...not good.

Some Eros graphic novels:

-Hot Nights in Rangoon: horribly racist unreadable dreck.

-Karate Girl 2: also terrible.

-Young Witches 2: this is again, an awesome series. 

Comics: 940

Trades: 33

Graphic Novels: 19

Omnibus: 13

[Donomark]

Batgirl #28 (2018): I really like Paul Pellitier's artwork. I think this run is the best I've seen from him. Unfortunately Maighread Scott's characterization of the Gordon's is too basic, too pat to enjoy. The emotions of both Barbara and Jim after The Killing Joke are well-trodden territory, and not only does Scott not introduce anything new, but they're off as well. Babs is also written like a sneaky teenager, when she's not. I'm not hating this book again but I'm really not grooving on the characterization.

Detective Comics #991: Meh.

Action Comics #1004: THIS, I loved. Ryan Sook has been a terrific DC artist for the past ten or twelve years, and he never gets enough work. Bendis paces his scripts fat and full, there's never a dull moment. Loving that we've been seeing so much more of the Daily Planet after they'd been background noise since the start of Rebirth. Love Perry and Clark's interaction. The one thing against it is not that Lois calls Clark "Baby", but that she refers to him as that constantly. That's never been so frequent of a word for her, so it felt a touch off, but not so much that it killed my enjoyment of the issue.

Amazing Spider-Man #809: The villain plot with Odessa Drake I wasn't really interested in, but the Spidey/Marvel Heroes plot was another good story from Spencer. Another solid cliffhanger too.

Trade Paperbacks: 20

Single Issues: 243

[Dread]

Ninja-K #7: solid.

Peek a Boo #3: this is still really fun.

Quicksilver No Surrender #1: Terrible.

Superman Special #1:FINALLY settling what happened on Dinosaur Island because you know Bendis isn't going to. Lovely story.

The MIghty Thor At the Gates of Valhalla #1: fucking beautiful.

Comics: 945

Trades: 33

Graphic Novels: 19

Omnibus: 13

[Donomark]

Heroes in Crisis #2: This book wants to be the next Identity Crisis (A story I really like), but King's writing feels  pretentious. There's a lot of surface-level meta-writing going on. The Trinity are performing an autopsy and Wonder Woman says "Come on, you're Batman. You already know who did it.", not taking the situation seriously at all. Booster Gold feels egregiously out of character for someone who can't remember if he murdered a bunch of heroes, and the tonal switch from intense to light-hearted isn't pulled off well at all. It wants to be Identity Crisis, but can't keep itself straight to be effective.

Batman Secret Files #1 (2018): This was actually an enjoyable read. The various stories were told by outsiders to the Bat-Books, so there were more women and POC contributing interesting stories I've not seen before, or have seen rarely. King's story at the beginning was good. 

Trade Paperbacks: 20

Single Issues: 245

[Dread]

The Punisher #224: fucking excellent. Basically Punisher vs the Marvel universe but in War machine's armour.

Uber Invasion #13: still great.

Weapon H #3: I'm still digging this. Dario Agger is the best new Marvel villain in AGES.

X-Men Wedding Special #1: ugh...the worst.

X-Men Red #4: don't fuck this up don't fuck this up don't fuck this up.

Black Hammer Age of Doom #2: fucking great.

Brothers Dracul #2: this is really cool.

Champions #20: the shine is really off. I'll give it one more.

Detective Comics #981: not good.

GI Joe vs. Six Million Dollar Man #4: damn...this dropped off in quality big time

Her Infernal Descent #2: pretty, but pretty vacant.

Hit-Girl #4: solid end to this arc.

Hunt for Wolverine Mystery in Madripoor #1: for a bunch of miniseries for a story that will amount to likely nothing and Wolvie will just return on his own, these are really fun.

Incredible Hulk #717: this was an appropriate ending.

Infinity Countdown Darkhawk #1: Fucking fun, man. Never really liked the character before, but this is cool.

Invincible Iron Man #600: like a lot of recent Bendis stuff, it's actually pretty good if you skip the first five pages that have like 7000 words on them.

Justice League No Justice #3: story is fun, the art not so much.

Old Man Hawkeye #5: sleeper hit of the year.

Old Man Logan #40: sad to see this story end so quickly. I like Logan as Glob's mentor.

Pumpkinhead #4: solid.

Comics: 965

 Trades: 33

Graphic Novels: 19

Omnibus: 13

[Donomark]

The Immortal Hulk #8: OH MY GOD. This issue was jaw-dropping.

Batman #58 (2018): More hit-or-miss Tom King, this time hit. I liked this issue.

Border Town #1-#3: This isn't a brilliantly written comic, but I'm kinda grooving on the punch-in-your-face brazenness of it. I'd forgotten Ramon Villalobos was an artist, who I hadn't seen since he did fill-ins on Chris Burnham's Batman Inc. Work a few years back. Unfortunately, his style is very similar to Burnham's who is incredibly similar to Frank Quietly. There's not a ton of individual style, but I like them all. I also think the seriousness of the times calls for a little less-than-subtle approach to writing about kids of color  living in a racist town. I dunno...it really isn't brilliant, but I dig it. 

Trade Paperbacks: 20

Single Issues: 250

[Donomark]

Mister Miracle #12 (2018): Good stuff. Better than King's Batman, or at least more consistent.

Detective Comics #992: With this arc, the book's returned to it's b-list status that it dips in and out of whenever compared to the Batman title. It's not awful, but after a defining run and a solid follow-up, this will just end up being forgettable.

Superman #5 (2018): Good issue but Zod's been kind of overused lately, considering Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps. I love Ivan Reis' art, but I think I prefer Action Comics right now. 

Amazing Spider-Man #810: Good read. I prefer Felicia to be reformed, but she's been a bad guy again for over ten years now, so that's not something I can pin on Spencer, plus she's better than she has been. The MJ subplot was highly intriguing however.

Captain America #709: S'okay

Trade Paperbacks: 20

Single Issues: 255

[Dread]

Suicide Squad #42: still really good.

The Further Adventures of Nick Wilson #5: so great. What a fun read this was.

Silencer #5: still good.

The Terrifics #4: I'll give this one more. I want to like it, but I know I could write it a hell of a lot better and it bugs the fuck out of me.

The X-Files Case Files Florida Man #2: crazy and fun.

Weapon X #18: fucking Sabretooth...when is he gonna learn?

X-Men Gold #28: solid.

Aquaman/Jabberjaw Special #1: oh this was awful.

Ask For Mercy: The Key To Forever #1: not for me.

Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey Special #1: also awful.

Blackwood #1: not for me.

Cyber Force #3: this is tight and solid. Consistently.

Daredevil #603: still really good.

Doomsday Clock #5: really good.

Finger Filth: an Eros graphic novel of Bob Fingerman strips. Fun, but totally dumb.

Coley Running Wild 2: an Eros graphic novel. Terrible.

Comics: 979

 Trades: 33

Graphic Novels: 21

Omnibus: 13

[Missy]

What the hell is Erik Larsen doing in Savage Dragon? Today's issue was gross.

Maxine is raped to death. She's literally ripped in half by a demon's dick. Then the beast attempts to do the same thing to Horridus. What the fuck.

[Donomark]

19 hours ago, The Master said:

What the hell is Erik Larsen doing in Savage Dragon? Today's issue was gross.

 

  Hide contents

Maxine is raped to death. She's literally ripped in half by a demon's dick. Then the beast attempts to do the same thing to Horridus. What the fuck.

 

I read that last night and didn't know how to talk about it on the forum, so thanks for breaking the ice Mike.

IDK what Larsen's been on with this book. He's pretty aggressively in the "I'm old and I'll do whatever the fuck I want to because I'm a creative" cycle of his career, but the character of Maxine has vexed me for the past year or so ever since I started reading the book. It just doesn't come across like he cares to put in any respect or dignity into her, even if he thinks he is. The issue that dealt with her sex addiction a couple months back was an interesting turn, but he doesn't write with thematic continuity. And a ton of stuff happens in the background off-screen at the end that's supposed to be really upsetting, but we don't see it. It's not good.

[Donomark]

Nightwing #53 (2018): I was ready to write off this story and drop the title with the first page, but Zircher's return to the character kept me in and it wasn't half bad. Not great, but decent. 

Batman #59 (2018): Last issue was good, this was not. In fact this was actually really shittily written. If I never read someone trying to write Batman or Gordon sound serious by inserting the word "damn" in every speech bubble, it'll be too soon.

Trade Paperbacks: 20

Single Issues: 258

[Donomark]

Titans #30 (2018): Interesting issue. The Titans is such a hard team to re-invest into in this post-Rebirth era because they're probably the DC team with the biggest history, and since the new 52 it's just been sketchy at best. Like, at the end Kyle Rayner seemingly joins the team, but he was already on the Titans twenty years ago when he first appeared. So while this was a good issue, I personally can only care so much.

Heroes in Crisis #3: HO BOY. 

Spoiler

If this is seriously how Wally West dies, if he's dead at all, it's probably the worst death of all time. If Tom King thought people hated Batman #50...

Detective Comics #993: Didn't love this arc. Ready for Tomasi.

Batman Beyond #26 (2018): Consistently enjoyable. Batman Beyond has been a fun and engaging book for a long time now.

Batgirl #29 (2018): After a slew of Gail Simone-esque issues that I did not enjoy, the conclusion to this arc by Mairghread Scott was actually really solid. Peltier's artwork was at the top of its game, and the Barbara/Jim relationship was wonderfully depicted.

Action Comics #1005: LOVE THIS BOOK. Ryan Sook should be the regular artist. Of all the times I've seen Clark Kent change into Superman, for whatever reason in this issue the transition was almost surprising. 

Amazing Spider-Man #811: A+ issue. Spencer's run has mainly been broad comedy, but this goes back to the character-driven scenes of his first issue, as he rights another wrong from Brand New Day. 

Return of Wolverine #1-#3: So far this is pretty good. Steve McNiven's artwork on issue one was awesome, so Declan Shalvey's art is a step down, but Soule's writing is solid. I really like the usage of all the various Wolverine personas.

 

Trade Paperbacks: 20

Single Issues: 266

[dc20willsave]

4 hours ago, Donomark said:

Heroes in Crisis #3: HO BOY. 

  Hide contents

If this is seriously how Wally West dies, if he's dead at all, it's probably the worst death of all time. If Tom King thought people hated Batman #50...

 

I've been avoiding this one mainly because I can see one of two outcomes: 1) No one who dies is actually dead or 2) Someone retcons it within a couple of years.

I've been keeping with King's Batman run but it's starting to grate on me also to the point where I'm likely going to if it doesn't turn around within a couple of months. It's sad because I was mostly digging it up until #50.

[Donomark]

King's a good writer, but he's only so good. His Batman, ultimately, isn't as comparatively innovative as Scott Snyder's run, and at times is really basic and dumb. But the Heroes in Crisis story, as other have pointed out, seems to be almost an attack on therapy and self-help itself rather than the analysis and exploration of it.

[Dread]

The Flash/Speed Buggy Special #1: this whole second run of these specials are the absolute drizzling shits. The worst.

Harbinger Wars II #1: ehhh...I'll give it another.

Infinity Countdown Captain Marvel #1: not great.

Judge Dredd Under Siege #1: this seems like it's basically remaking the recent film and I guess I'm ok with that.

Justice League No Justice #4: this was profoundly DC. Profoundly DC. I love the ideas here and I love the wild nature of it all. The execution is less than stellar at times, but overall, good stuff.

Lockjaw #4: sleeper hit of the year.

The Man of Steel #1: I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

Marvel Two-In-One #6: so fucking good.

Comics: 987

 Trades: 33

Graphic Novels: 21

Omnibus: 13

 

[Venneh]

(Reminder to self to attempt to remember what all I've read since August 21st, probably not gonna remember it all but by god I'm gonna try)

[Donomark]

Batman #60 (2018): Terrible comic with good art and a good cliffhanger. But this is basic  shit.

Doomsday Clock #8: I liked this issue but I have no idea what it has to do with anything aside from the obvious metahuman backlash. Like, where did the Joker go?

Nightwing #54 (2018): S'ok

The Immortal Hulk #9-#10: This book f'n rocks

Trade Paperbacks: 20

Single Issues: 271

[Dread]

Pestilence: A Story of Satan #1: low-key contender for horror comic of the year here. Good shit.

Supersons/Dynomutt Special #1: the only one of this batch of crossovers that's readable. But this is very good.

The Last Siege #1: I'm intrigued for another.

Punisher #225: excellent.

The Realm #6: good,, but it's going to have to become something other than a fantasy-themed Walking Dead real quick if I'm to continue.

Comics: 992

Trades: 33

Graphic Novels: 21

Omnibus: 13

[dc20willsave]

X-Men Red #11: I haven't been keeping track (might try to do it next year) but I have to say, it's a crying shame that this book as been canceled. Like, this was seriously one of the best X-Books I have read in years and, considering Blue and Yellow were so wonderful, that says something. I could have read this for years but I'll just settle for 11 consistently good issues and an annual. I'm highly interested in how the resolution will work out in the X-Universe/How it will be forgotten for the next few years until some writer ignores it because they need a villain for their story.

[Donomark]

Detective Comics #994: Ooh, this was pretty good. Kind of an old fashioned mystery with decent gum-cracking thrills.

Batman and the Justice League: A four-chapter manga by Shiori Teshirogi. A Japanese boy travels to Gotham to learnt he secret behind his parent's disappearance. Along the way he runs into Batman, the Joker and Lex Luthor. The start of what had better be continued, I always love Japanese renditions of superheroes. Its always an engaging exercise of character creativity. 

Trade Paperbacks: 21

Single Issues: 272

[Donomark]

Superman #6 (2018): I don't really care about any of the Zod/Rogol/Krypton stuff, but Bendis' voice for Clark, Reis' artwork and the ending keeping me returning to this book.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1(2018): This was enjoyable. A decent first issue serving as an introduction to the character for the uninitiated. There must've been some time skip, because Miles is depicted like he's about 16 years old. 

Amazing Spider-Man #812: Good comics.

Trade Paperbacks: 21

Single Issues: 275

[Davedevil]

I believe Miles was 16-17 when the 616 and Ultimate universes merged. Especially since he had a bit of a thing with Spider-Gwen, who's 18-19, and it wasn't too weird.

[Dread]

We Are The Danger #1: this screams failed CW pitch.

X-Men Red Annual: This had its moments, but it wasn't anywhere near as good as the regular series.

Ant-Man & The Wasp #1: also had its moments, but I don't need more.

Astonishing X-Men #12: thought I'd give it another shot with the upcoming line-up change. I'm looking forward to more.

Batman #48: I swear, the build-up to this wedding is the fucking worst. I'm one issue away from dropping.

Captain America #703: decent.

Dazzler X-Song #1: nope.

Deadpool #1: nope.

Demi-God #2: pretty fun.

Doctor Starr and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrow #4: solid ending.

Hunt for Wolverine Weapon Lost #2: soldi.

The Immortal Hulk #1: holy shit. Another candidate for horror series of the year. Need to binge on the more recent issues.

Infinity Countdown #4: jesus, the art in this is the shits.

Justice League #1: not bad. I'll check out more.

The Man of Steel #2: still good. Still surprised.

Medieval Spawn & Witchblade #2: went into the crapper.

Red Sonja #16: Good end to this arc.

Shipwreck #6: This might be the most WTF book of the year for me. Hester is clearly doing the work of his fucking career here, but holy shit has Warren Ellis ever lost the knack for telling a story?

Sword Daughter #1: Will read more.

The Unexpected #1: I'm assuming most of these characters are from the abysmal Metal event thing, but I enjoyed this.

Vampironica #2: still really good.

Comics: 1013

Trades: 33

Graphic Novels: 21

Omnibus: 13