Every comic you've read in 2020


Missy

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Daredevil #16 (2020): Like he was with Spider-Man, Chip Zdarsky knows Daredevil in that real old school way. I've been digging his run consistently since it began. In this latest issue, there's a lot of the Netflix show in here, but with the circumstances of the storyline and the fact that the show ended a year ago, it's free from feeling forced or contrived. Jorge Fornes easily jumps from King's Batman to this book.

Miles Morales Spider-Man ##14: This book is almost as fun but the dialogue is a bit more hit or miss. But I'm now used to an older Miles and I'm loving the balance between his crime fighting life and his student life.

Issues: 2

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Immortal Hulk #26-#29: Still the best "superhero" comic out right now. I love a Bruce Banner that's arrogantly had it with humanity.

Amazing Spider-Man #37 (2020): Spencer continues to deliver a solid Peter Parker. I was beginning to fade on the tie-in issues to all the Marvel stuff going on, especially the Doom stuff, but this is a back to basics in his story and I'm back in for it.

Batman #86 (2020): Decent start to James Tynion IV's run, with some of the best Tony Daniel artwork I've seen in a while. He's a less engaging, B-grade Jim Lee for me, but he's still a solid artist. I don't like House Negro Lucius Fox tho, but Tynion didn't invent that.

Batman and the Outsiders #9: I want to like Bryan Edward Hill as a writer more than I can, because he's a Cassandra Cain fan and his discussions about writing all seem well informed. But his output rarely goes above mediocre for me. It's hardly ever bad, but it still hovers around stock and archetypal. So this was decent, but I wish it were better.

Young Justice #12 (2020): There's way too much dialogue in this issue to feel like you're drawn into caring what everyone is saying from panel to panel. It's ridiculous. I'm still digging this team but Bendis' infamous verbosity is swallowing this series whole. There's hardly a speck of space to breathe.

Issues: 10

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4 hours ago, The Master said:

Whhhaaatt?

It's the whole tech-whiz business that started with Batman Begins. I liked it alright for those movies, but in order to wholesale steal it for the comics, it's sapped Lucius of all of his agency. For years he was the sharpest guy in Gotham who didn't have anything to do with Batman. He made Wayne Enterprises into of the the DCU's most powerful companies, and he had his own family and host of problems with them. Now he's this bow-tie wearing subservient one-dimensional character who'll do whatever Bruce needs of him, and now knows Batman's identity. I feel that it's a borderline offensive turn for what used to be a really good character, but DC Comics in general doesn't have the patience for nuance when it comes to their supporting characters anymore.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Superman #19: Kinda not sure I believe Perry White's reaction here. Now that everyone knows Clark Kent is Superman, so many of Lois and Clark's Daily Planet stories would be called into question. But whatever, it's an okay issue.

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  • 3 weeks later...

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 4: The Tempest: After reading the LXG series a couple of years back, I was eager to dive back in for the final installment. I might've been less patient or disciplined in my reading for this, because for 85% I didn't know what the hell I was reading. It goes WAY out there. The most basic story beat I understood was that James Bond found the Fountain of Youth that Mina, Orlando and Emma Peel used, and with the help of the J-6 Team (assistants and hitmen all patterned just like Bonds Connery through Craig) is after them for revenge, or something. This was a relatively lighter book than vols.1, 2 Black Dossier and Century, which was nice to see as a change of pace. But no, I didn't know wtf was going on, there were so many twists of the comic form that in this reading at the moment I could not keep anything straight.

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I haven't been reading a lot of comics, but I have a chunk to put on here, and another chunk of stuff in the other room, I'll get to posting another time.

Pleasure Bound Pretorious: one of the last Eros GNs I've got. S&M without the Sunstone touch...or good art.

Nancy In Hell #2: Reads like one of the bad girl comics from the 90s. Not good.

Old Man Logan Annual #1: great. Fun to see The Punisher in this universe.

Pestilence: A Story of Satan #4: so good. One more to go I think.

Project Superpowers Chapter Three #2: I'm out. Sad that these characters so rarely get the treatment they deserve.

Thanos Legacy #1: Not great.

The Dreaming #1: Also not great. 

United States vs Murder Inc. #1: great start. First Bendis I've enjoyed in years.

Vampironica #3: this has more legs than the Jughead horror one. I dig this.

Weapon X #23: when all else fails, bring Deadpool in to guest. And it works.

X-Men Gold #35: not bad. This arc was pretty underwhelming even though it started off really well.

Archie 1941 #1: a depressing war story? Did not expect that. Don't expect to continue either.

Cemetery Beach #1: also haven't dug Ellis for years, but I'll give this another issue

Champions #24: a gun violence issue. Interesting 

Daredevil #608: I have no idea where this is going. And I kind of love it.

  • Issues: 14
  • Trades:
  • Omnibus:
  • Graphic Novel: 1
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Fantastic Four #2: Look, it's not too innovative, but I dug the shit out of it. I am a fan, and I am just fine with being serviced. Thank you.

Hot Lunch Special #2: this doesn't know what it is, but I know I'm not all-in.

House of Whispers #1: new Sandman-Universe series that I will also be bypassing.

Iceman #1: I liked the story just fine but holy hell is this art awful. How does Marvel think that's ok in 2019? (yes, old issue, like most of the stuff I'm reading as I'm behind).

Infinity Wars #3: still really good. Intriguing cliffhanger that I saw coming because of the issues published after this. 

It Came out on a Wednesday #1: not my thing. I don't know the last time I've enjoyed an anthology comic. Maybe I need to go back and reread my DHP issues.

Journey Into Mystery: The Birth of Krakatoa #1: This reads like really fucking good fanfic, and I'm totally ok with that. Going back to one of the weirdest creations in the Marvel U and telling its story with classic war heroes? Please. More.

Newbury & Hobbes #1: not my thing.

Old Man Logan #47 shocking how consistent this has been.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #26: solid.

Sunstone: Mercy vol 6: this is so consistently good. I love this series. It's a weird black sheep in all the modern stuff I'm reading. Closer to 90s slice of life comics than the Eros GN erotic comics stuff. Good shit.

X-Factor Epic Collection: All New, All Different X-Factor: this is my jam. I hope they collect the entire run of this line-up. It was underrated at its time. Though, I have to say that Larry Stroman pales in comparison to a lot of his similar contemporaries of this era, two of whom have stories in this collection and outshine him (Quesada and Raney). Havoc is my all-time favourite X-Man. No question.

Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men: so good. Beautiful art. I was worried that it would not compare to Jill Thompson's stuff, but it access beyond it in many ways. 

Legends of the Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle vol 2: Excellent. This is the start of Anarky and we're starting to bump up against Nightfall. Such a great era of Batman comics. 

  • Issues: 24
  • Trades: 2
  • Omnibus: 2
  • Graphic Novel: 1

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Genius Lanny Poffo: as much a story about Randy Savage as it is his brother. It's hardly gritty as it's told from Lanny's POV. Still a fun read.

Weapon H #7: this doesn't fail to impress. Just really fun pulp comics. Love the Captain America angle. 

X-23 #4: starting to tire of this series. Never dug the Cuckoos.

Black Hammer Age of Doom #5: decent. Not great.

X-Men Blue #35: this was good.

Captain America Annual #1: harmless. Zero impact to the story, though.

Secret Agent Deadpool #2: I might give it one more issue.

Dick Tracy: Dead or Alive #1: No thanks. I'm out.

G.I. Joe Silent Option #1: not bad. I'll try one more.

Ice Cream Man #7: still great.

Impossible Incorporated #1: nope. Not for me.

Infinity Wars: Soldier Supreme #1: I like the main series, but this is kind of eh...

Moth & Whisper #1: not my thing. I'm out.

Multiple Man #4: so great. Looking forward to the finale.

  • Issues: 37
  • Trades: 2
  • Omnibus: 2
  • Graphic Novel: 2
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  • 3 weeks later...

Ninja-K #11: still great. This is solid espionage storytelling with great action. By far the best thing the new Valiant has produced.

Patience! Conviction! Revenge! #1: Yeah, definitely not for me.

Return of Wolverine #1: this is really solid.

X-Men Gold #36: a fitting end. Not too bad.

Cold Spots #2: forgettable. I'm out.

Cyber Force #6: this is fun.

Die!Die!Die! #3: this is dumb. I'm out.

Doomsday Clock #7: still pretty solid.

Extermination #3: this is so 90s X-men event it's great.Love it

Faith Dreamside #1: Nawww...this character doesn't grab me the way she did in the 90s. I'm out.

Fearscape #1: kind of interesting premise. Not too far away from something I has planned to write. I'll stick around for another.

Friendo #1: nope. I'm out.

Gamma #1: WTF? I'm out.

Heroes in Crisis #1: ok, I'm intrigued.

Infinity Wars Iron Hammer #1: this sucked.

Justice League Dark #3: ok.

Justice League Odyssey #1: this is too weird not to check out further. Also: Sejic art.

Man-Eaters #1: ok, I'll do another.

  • Issues: 55
  • Trades: 2
  • Omnibus: 2
  • Graphic Novel: 2
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Justice League Elite #1-#12: One of the most emblematic of mid-2000s DC, this is vaguely implied to result from the fallout of Identity Crisis, Action Comics #775 and the like where the idea of superheroes and the lines that need to be crossed became more of the central concern. Recently revived Green Arrow, Wally West and Cassandra Cain (disguised as an assassin named Kasumi) team up with scant members of the Elite led by Vera Black (Manchester's sister) to run black ops missions, with the one rule being that they don't kill anyone. 

It was slow going for me at first, with Joe Kelly's writing feeling too much like Judd Winnick's which I generally don't prefer. Lots of swearing and a not-slight amount of racism involving all kinds of cultures. But early on a dictator is killed and the JLA want to know how it happened. That begins to drive the team apart and you get to see what they're really like when push comes to shove. Having not read the JLA run that predated this, I wasn't aware of the Apache characters Manitou Raven and Manitou Dawn. They were pretty interesting. The members of the Elite I could give a shit less of, although Vera was fairly sympathetic. And I do think the DC mains had their voices right for the most part. 

Ultimately I dug this, but it reminded me a lot of Winnick's Outsiders run which was almost good but went on too long indulging in the worst try-hard impulses at the time. A lot of "tHiS iSnT' yOuR dAd'S sUpErHeRoEs!"-ness going on in the wake of Identity Crisis, which is an infinitely better story.

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Marvel Comics #1000 hardcover: Collects Marvel Comics #1000-1001.

So #1000 was pretty good. 80 single-page stories celebrating the company year-by-year, all by a different team of creators, with a throughline from writer Al Ewing trying the history of the Marvel Universe together and reintroducing the concept of the Masked Raider, a minor Western character from Marvel Comics #1 that Mike and I spent a not-zero amount of time bagging on back in episode 750 of The Show, as a cosmic entity of vengeance that sounds like it might have the potential to be interesting if done right. Lots of good stuff in this.

Issue #1001, not so much. The loose story is done away with entirely and this feels like an issue cobbled together out of the unused pages from the previous issue.

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Robin 80th Anniversary Special: Dick Grayson stans have argued that the special should be squarely on him, and they're not *wrong*, but the other Robins aren't going to get this much appreciation, so I don't mind. Dick gets the bulk of the stories anyway, whereas everyone else gets one-to-two. Overall the stories were pretty good, with some classic writers like Chuck Dixon and Devin Grayson returning to the characters which I didn't think would ever happen considering how much they were burned by DC. (Granted Dixon did the Bane series but nevertheless). The Jason Todd and Steph Brown stories were my favorites. I complained on Twitter how try-hard a couple of the Dick stories were in trying to distinguish him and Bruce by writing Bruce as this inhuman monster, but even then they almost redeem themselves by the end. It's weird that the first one was written by Marv Wolfman, with yet another retelling of how Dick left the Batcave to become Nightwing.

I think this was more consistent than the Batman special, which was good but a couple of the stories in that were not as interesting. All of the Robins in this had at least one I liked, if not all of them.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Tart!: an eros graphic novel. Quite good, actually. Better than most.

Marvel Two-In-One #10: still really good.

Old Man Hawkeye #9: low-key one of Marvel's best lately.

Old Man Logan #48: still great.

Sentry #4: losing its shine.

Stranger Things #1: jesus, what's the point?

Punisher #2: this is great and I love that there is a consistently good Punisher book out regardless of how they renumber. Rosenberg is proving himself to be definitive.

Asgardians of the Galaxy #2: decent, but they had better amp it up.

The Realm #9: I'm bored with this one now. Very solid first arc and now floundering. I'm out.

Batman/The Maxx #1: holy shit...awful.

Blackbird #1: Not for me.

Border Town #2: this is great.

X-Men Blue #36: wonderful end.

Champions #25: kind of fun. We'll see where it goes.

X-Men Red #8: excellent and intense.

Dead Rabbit #1: interesting. I'm around for more.

Secret Agent Deadpool #3: I'm really enjoying this.

Death Orb #1: nonsensical. 

Errand Boys #1: not for me.

Infinity Wars Sleepwalker #1: It's 2020 and I really kind of enjoyed a books featuring Sleepwalker in the main role.

Iron Fist #1: yeah, not bad. I'll do another.

Jook Joint #1: not for me.

  • Issues: 76
  • Trades: 2
  • Omnibus: 2
  • Graphic Novel: 3
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  • 2 weeks later...

Star Wars #1-6 (1977): More thoughts on an upcoming episode of The Show, but this is an awesome piece of Star Wars media. It's almost the movie, but with bits added and removed, off-model characters, and a level of violence that is surprising. (A Rebel trooper gets his head blown clear off by a Stormtrooper, Greedo is shot in the dick, and Obi-Wan's death is shocking.) I'm partway into #7, so we'll see where this all goes.

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Turn Loose Our Death Rays And Kill Them All!: The Complete Works of Fletcher Hanks: Exactly what it says on the box, this hardcover collection from Fantagraphics puts together everything created by outsider comics artist/bugfuck angry nasty crazy person Fletcher Hanks during his brief career. For two years, between 1939 and 1941, Hanks churned out story after story of bizarre violence and weird vengeance, mostly for Fox Syndicate (Stardust the Super Wizard, an omnipotent alien who metes out ugly ironic punishments for evildoers that Michael Fleisher's Spectre would look at and say "Hey, not cool, man") and Fiction House (Fantomah, a jungle goddess who also spends a lot of time making various treasure hunters and poachers wish they'd never been born, and Big Red McClane, a lumberjack who never met a face he didn't want to punch), as well as a fleet of Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon ripoffs virtually indistinguishable from each other (Space Smith, Whirlwind Carter, Yank Wilson, son and so forth). These stories are absurd as fuck, clearly created by someone with a lot of anger at the world, and are a very bizarre blend of clean and cartoony while also being fascinatingly ugly.

Most of this material was covered in two previous paperbacks, I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets! and You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation! As per usual, the actual book is a thing of beauty from Fantagraphics. Sturdy paper, beautiful design, just an incredible piece of work.

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On 4/26/2020 at 5:22 PM, Dan said:

Turn Loose Our Death Rays And Kill Them All!: The Complete Works of Fletcher Hanks: Exactly what it says on the box, this hardcover collection from Fantagraphics puts together everything created by outsider comics artist/bugfuck angry nasty crazy person Fletcher Hanks during his brief career. For two years, between 1939 and 1941, Hanks churned out story after story of bizarre violence and weird vengeance, mostly for Fox Syndicate (Stardust the Super Wizard, an omnipotent alien who metes out ugly ironic punishments for evildoers that Michael Fleisher's Spectre would look at and say "Hey, not cool, man") and Fiction House (Fantomah, a jungle goddess who also spends a lot of time making various treasure hunters and poachers wish they'd never been born, and Big Red McClane, a lumberjack who never met a face he didn't want to punch), as well as a fleet of Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon ripoffs virtually indistinguishable from each other (Space Smith, Whirlwind Carter, Yank Wilson, son and so forth). These stories are absurd as fuck, clearly created by someone with a lot of anger at the world, and are a very bizarre blend of clean and cartoony while also being fascinatingly ugly.

Most of this material was covered in two previous paperbacks, I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets! and You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation! As per usual, the actual book is a thing of beauty from Fantagraphics. Sturdy paper, beautiful design, just an incredible piece of work.

I've had that fucker in my Amazon wishlist for so long.

Deadly Class vol 8 Never Go Back: this series continues to kill it.

Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories: eh...it was more like a history comic without real storytelling. Most of the stories are pretty well-known to me and there are much bigger wrestling fans than I). I could do without hearing Cornette's voice in my head as I read it though.

Future Quest Presents vol 2: legitimately one of the best superhero books on the market.

Hack/Slash Resurrection Vol 2: I wouldn't have ordered this if I'd known there was a new omnibus coming, but I did, so I read it. I really enjoy Vampirella in this book. Her continue involvement in the H/S world is cool.

The Sandman: Overture: lordy, this was not good. It was nigh-unreadable at times. The art was incredible, though.

Memorabilia: This is a fun sort of anthology graphic novel about the actual artist introducing a young artist to the greats: Ditko, Kirby and Wood including sections done homaging those artists' style. It's good. In the graphic novel version there's extra stories on Eisner (my least favourite in the book) and Richard Corben of all people. Really lovely tribute to them all. It's not a complicated story in any way. 

My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies: This is another Brubaker/Phillips graphic novel. It's better than Scene of the Crime but it didn't light me on fire.

Exterminator 17: this is a set of two graphic novels by Dionnet, drawn by Bilal and Baranko respectively. I love BIlal as an artist, but Baranko's GN is way better story-wise.

  • Issues: 76
  • Trades: 6
  • Omnibus: 2
  • Graphic Novel: 7
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Essential Godzilla King of the Monsters: Much of this deals with SHIELD trying to capture Godzilla and it's at its best when it doesn't stray too far into the Marvel Universe beyond that, but it is a blast when The Avengers and Fantastic Four show up. 

Cable & X-Force vol 1: This was ok. I'll try the next one.

Lollipop Kids #1: Yeah, not bad. I don't need more though.

Shatterstar #1: this was pretty good.

Sparrowhawk #1: completely forgettable.

Star Wars Adventures Tales from Vader's Castle: awful. Unreadably awful.

Taarna #3: pretty solid.

The Lone Ranger #1: this is good. Amazing art.

The Superior Octopus #1: I didn't really get it but kind of liked it.

These Savage Shores #1: pass

Uber Invasion #15: still great

United States Vs Murder Inc. #2: I gave it two issues. It still isn't very good.

Weapon H #8: this is awesome.

Weapon X #24: this was rad. It's really taken on its own tone after Wolverine left.

What if Flash Thomspon became Spider-Man #1: this was a hell of a lot of fun. Very much the look and feel of a classic What If story.

What If The X-Men were... #1: I couldn't even tell you what happens in this. It is the fucking worst. Cable and Domino pulling off something and there's an anime bullshit interlude. The worst. The polar opposite of the Spider-Man one.

Wonder Woman Justice League Dark The Witching Hour #1: this is not good.

X-Men Black Magneto #1: awesome

Zorro Swords of Hell #1: Zorro versus demons? Ok.

Astonishing X-Men #16: great. Maybe a little too goofy, but still great.

Bedtime Games #4: kind of fizzles out here

Black Hammer Age of Doom #6: the art is so bad it's distracting. Off. What happened here?

Captain America #4: not bad.

Captain Ginger #1: sure, I'll give it another look.

Cemetery Beach #2: not good. I'm out.

Cover #2: I just don't care.

Cursed Comics Cavalcade #1: not bad. Harmless

Daredevil #609: really fucking good.

Deadpool Secret Agent Deadpool #4: dumb fun.

Devil Within #1: didn't grab me.

  • Issues: 104
  • Trades: 7
  • Omnibus: 3
  • Graphic Novel: 7

 

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  • 5 weeks later...

Jesus...is this the first time one of these threads has been dormant for almost a month? I haven't been reading much either.

Dread Gods #4: loved this weird little series. Don't know if it will return.

Exorcsisters #1: not for me

High Heaven #1: I like the concept. I'll read another.

Infinite Dark #1: almost unreadable convoluted sci fi dreck.

Infinity Wars Weapon Hex #1: this is awful. Love the main series, but these Warps tie-ins are horrible.

What If? Classic vol 1, 2: these are great. I still prefer the 90s series, but a lot of these are fun. There's a couple here that are now canon, as far as I know (the Avengers of the 50s one that is Agents of Atlas and the Invaders continuing on after Captain America and Bucky dying). Looking forward to reading more.

  • Issues: 109
  • Trades: 9
  • Omnibus: 3
  • Graphic Novel: 7
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I've been reading through the first Marvel Star Wars Epic Collection. Dan and Mike covering the first six issues was what pushed me to finally read through this, checking it out through Prime Reading. The adaptation of the first movie was really solid, Star Wars really lends itself to the narration and pacing of comics of the time. The art was odd at times, but really striking more often than not. 

I'm a few issues into the follow-up arc, and I'm convinced it's a send-up of the whole thing. I know it's uncharted territory and Lucas was very firm on what the comics couldn't do, but it still feels like the total opposite of what a "The day after the big event" story would do, right down to having a parody of Luke. Art is a little less nice with this story, I can understand not doing an exact Harrison Ford likeness but he doesn't give the impression of Han.

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  • 3 weeks later...

This is going to be the least amount of comics I've read in a year in a very long time, I think. Time to up the standards of what I read to get rid of the chaff. I've got a stack of trades and stuff I've read too on top of these single issues, but I'm too lazy to add them right now. Haha!

Infinity Wars #4: solid. Way better than any of the tie-ins thus far.

Justice League Dark #4: way better than the previous entry in this arc. I really dug this one. I like this team.

Marvel Zombie #1: nice to see what ol' Simon Garth was up to in the Marvel Zombies universe. Great issue. Steffano Raffaele did one of my all-time favourite zombie comics, so his art here is extra appreciated.

Murder Falcon #1: a guy summons a heavy metal murder falcon to fight monsters by playing his guitar. Yes, I like this.

Ninja-K #12: consistently the best thing Valiant has done in the reboot.

Old Man Logan #49: only one more issue left. Will be sad to see it go. One of the best things Marvel's done in years.

Quantum Age #3: not bad. 

Red Hood Outlaw #27: really fucking good.

Scream! & Misty: this is a 2000AD horror anthology. Not bad. 

Shuri #1: not bad, but not good enough to keep reading. 

  • Issues: 119
  • Trades: 9
  • Omnibus: 3
  • Graphic Novel: 7
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