Every comic you've read in 2021

[Dread]

2 minutes ago, The Master said:

And I hate to say it, but it was Kirby's Hunger Dogs book. 😱

Yeah, for as much respect that DC treated Kirby with, fucking him over on an ending to the Fourth World was a shitty move. In my recollection, they cut the page count when he was half finished with it, too.

[Professor]

The Unwritten (Vol. 1 -8) -  Wasn't really into the story after the first trade.  But, I got the all from the library so I pressed on.  I think a lot of my early issues (with the early issues) was the split narrative that either went away after a while or I just got used to it.  Did enjoy the story for the most part, until

The Unwritten (Vol. 9): The Unwritten Fables - This was an utter piece of garbage.  I don't know what the idea was behind this.  This was not the ending of The Unwritten.  This was a Fables trade.  As such, having never reading said series, I have no idea who anybody is, what is going on and generally anything.  And there was very little effort made to help me out.  So  either I'm to have read all those books or it was a bad idea.  I seriously wonder if this was the planned ending to the series.  This feels like a 'planned ending that pissed off all the readers, so we had to go back and make a better ending'.  I don't think I've been this pissed at a comic in a long while.  This sucked.

(Edit: I had to look it up.  This series ends Dec 13, and the next one starts March 14.  Seems a little fast for my theory to work.)

The Unwritten: Apocalypse (Vol. 1 & 2) - It gives a better ending, that actually involves the characters of story.  Novel idea, right?  Still kinda bull tho (probably would have annoyed me more if not for the other 'ending'.)  I'll take a concrete ending over ambiguous any day.

The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor & The Ship That Sank Twice - Its weird.  The part of the first several issues (the story within the story), when self contained, was kinda my favorite out of all of this.  Weird.

[Dread]

Jason vs. Leatherface #1-3: This mini from the mid-nineties is written by Nancy Collins, who knows exactly what a Jason vs. Leatherface movie would look like. She made this work. Dumb fun. 

Immortal Hulk #26: This is so obviously the definitive run of the Hulk. It's wild. Like, it's not even a question.

• Issues: 75
• Trades: 5
• Omnibus: 5
• Graphic Novel: 8

[Missy]

Action Comics #127: Fun Tommy Tomorrow back-up.

Adventure Comics #309-315: As always, the Legion of Super-Hero stories are fun diversions from reality.

Adventure Comics #435-437: The prelude to Aquaman: The Death of a Prince, and it is not gelling with me

Batman / Fortnite: Zero Point #1: Not for me, but people are seeming to like it.

Batman Black & White #5 (2021): All around wonderful issue with great opening and closing stories. (They're both about Robins, so I'm on-brand here.)

Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga #1-3: Lord Death Man is.

Batman: The Long Halloween #1-6: Just about halfway through this, and wow. Never ever worked before, but I'm finally getting the appeal. Tim Sale is a fucking master.

Bishop #1-3: Didn't help me better understand the character, but looks amazing.

Daredevil #60-62 (1964): Super way behind on my Daredevil reading. Solid issues, if I recall, because it was street-level fighting. Colan is injecting a grimy, almost sweaty mid-1970s feel into the book, and it's barely 1970 at this point.

DCeased #1-6
DCeased: A Good Day to Die
DCeased: Dead Planet #1-7
DCeased: Hope at World's End #1-15
DCeased: Unkillables #1-3
The entire DCeased saga to-date (I'm sure there will be a third chapter), and it was a mostly solid tale. With it being all written by one person, it helps keep everything in order. Some smaller moments were greatly overlooked, but it's a DC alternate reality that feels closer than most others.

Dooms IV #1: Look. I'm not a good decision-maker.

Fantastic Four #15-22, Annual #1: Stan and Jake are hitting every thing out of the park. The Annual, especially, is a masterclass. It could and should be an epic movie.

He-Man and The Masters of the Multiverse #1-6: Not great, but He-Man loyalists are gonna love it.

Hellblazer: Rise and Fall #1-3: Hellblazer is always a "does it fit your tastes" type of book. This fit mine.

Hellfire Gala: The Official Guide: Sexy mutants being sexy. Colossus. 🔥

Iron Man #215-217: Prelude to The Armor Wars, and damn this is excellent.

King in Black #1-5: Not for me. Was hoping otherwise.

The Marvels #1: Imagine Astro City in the Marvel Universe.

Power of Shazam! OGN: Might save my thoughts for a podcast, but holy shit, y'all!

Real Fact Comics #6, 8, 13 16: The first Tommy Tomorrow comics. They're fine. Mostly spec fic.

Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow #1: A new What If? series and MORE NOW! NOW!

Star Trek: First Contact: Lacks all character depth.

Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #72 (1954): The LOSH make Jimmy an honorary member and it's super cute.

Trouble #1: Ehhhhhh.

Ultimate Nightmare #1-5
Ultimate Secret #1-4
Ultimate Extinction #1-5
The Ultimate Galactus Trilogy is a "Nick Fury has a big dick, y'all" tale that takes ages to build up, then ends in one issue.

Untold Tales of Spider-Man #-1: The Parkers are super-spies and John Romita Sr. draws it. Yes and please.

What If? #2 and 21: One sees Hulk with Banner's brain, thus reshaping the MU in wild ways, and other is a second chapter in the What if Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four saga. Both great.

World's Finest Comics #117-130: Always bonkers, not always the best, but always wholesome fun.

January: 157
February: 125
March: 185
April: 131
TOTAL: 598

[Dread]

Mike:  you're a fucking machine!

 

 

[Dread]

Man and Superman 100 Page Super Spectacular: Wolfman says this is the best Superman story he's written and puts it in his top 5 scripts period. I just find it so boring when writers go back to young Clark/new Superman to tell stories. I feel like it's top 3 go-to story tropes. 

Old Man Quill #1: Not bad. Just an excuse to tell a future GOTG story (Imagine that!) with a joke title. Intrigued.

Red Sonja #1: Already don't like this iteration.

Suicide Squad Black Files #4: Same old, same old. The supernatural story is GREAT and the Katana story is boring. C'mon. When ISN'T the Katana story boring?

Sword Daughter #6: Nah...

The Gunhawks #1:another Marvel 80th thing. Not bad.

Uncanny X-Men #11: Did they miscalculate when they were doing the Age of X thing? This seems out of place.

Vampirella vs Re-Animator #2: not great

Vindication #1: Nah...

Wolverine The Long Night #2: I'm really enjoying this series.

X-23 #9: same as last time. This is running on empty for me.

Pantheon #1-4: ANOTHER 90s Bill Willingham superhero series. Funny, for a famous comic writer, he's never been famous for superheroes. That's not for lack of trying. I was about to give up at issue two but didn't.t and three and four have been good. I'll probably finish it.Interesting way to introduce a whole superhero universe.

and from the bedside table:

Savage Dragon #253-7: Still killing it. Man, I should pitch a North Force miniseries to Larsen...

Graphic Fantasy #1, 2: These issue reprint the first comics that Dragon appeared in when Larsen was twenty or so. Look, they aren't fantastic, but his visual storytelling at that time was en pointe. 

Predator vs Magnus Robot Fighter #1,2: I've wanted to reread this for a long time. I forgot how early it is in the Valiant universe. Turok and X-O Manowar hadn't debuted yet! Lee Weeks' art on this is gorgeous.

Captain America Epic Collection Blood and Glory: this is a bit of a dark spot in Gruenwald's Cap run. This begins with parts 1, 8, 15 and an epilogue to Operation Galactic Storm. You can tell that he isn't too happy about derailing his long-running storyline he probably thought Cap had little reason to be there. He plays with the epilogue as a seed to remove Cap from the Avengers. THEN it's the six-part CapWolf saga which features Wolverine, Cable, Doctor Druid, Wolfsbane, Werewolf-by-Night, three brand-new villains and other cameos. Really feels like a directive to use Wolverine or another X-Man to spice things up and Gruenwald said fuck it! Let's throw them all in! The long-running thread of Crossbones, Diamondback, D-Man, US Agent and Falcon is really the only stuff that keeps this in the realm of Gruenwald's run. For as little page count they got. Then it's rounded out by the godawful Cap/Punisher miniseries, Blood and Glory. Definite mixed bag here. I kind of dug Capwolf.

Mister Miracle by Steve Englehart and Steve Gerber: this features five issues written by Englehart, three issues written by Gerber, and seemingly absent from the cover, three issues written by Bob Haney. None of them are particularly good. 

Tales of the Batman Marv Wolfman volume 1: this is a tale of two stories. It starts with an issue from 71 and ten issues from the early eighties and none of it is good. Then, there is a fun two-part crossover between the Outsiders and Teen Titans from 83 which is delightful. Finally, it's rounded out by one of my favourite Batman stories: the four-part Year 3 from 1989. It's the middle part of the best Batman story continuum after Death in the Family and before Lonely Place of Dying. Late eighties, early nineties is my Golden Age of Batman comics.

• Issues: 99
• Trades: 6
• Omnibus: 7
• Graphic Novel: 8

[Donomark]

Invincible vols.#1-#4

Read the first three trades in preparation for watching the show, which the internet could not stop talking about. Invincible was for years one of those titles that everyone was going on and on about, and I read an issue or two here or there but it never stuck. It's odd, the first two trades are perfectly harmless, supeheroics by numbers. It's slightly subversive but very straightforward. Cory Walker and later Ryan Ottely are solid draftsmen. I think once you reach the big twist in volume three, you look back on the preceding chapters and realized almost nothing happened for that length of time. Apparently Kirkman was instructed to up the stakes earlier than he planned on doing, as the book was in danger of being cancelled. I can see that, because it's kind of a slow burn. But Mark's likable, his supporting cast is likable. It's a highly recognizable world with the various Marvel and DC pastiches worn very strongly on their sleeve. It must be an Image thing to flat-out rip-off other characters from the Big 2, Erik Larsen's Image does that all the time where some characters are just off-brands of Marvel characters. But it's slightly less egregious in Invincible. Thoughts on the television show to follow in that thread. 

[Dread]

Pantheon #5-7: I'm still enjoying this.

Age of X-Man Next Gen #1: ok, I loved this.

Age of X-Man The Amazing Nightcrawler #1: I wanted more from a first issue of this. Good to see Meggan again, though.

Anthem #1: I guess this is based on a video game? It reads like it.

Pantheon #8-13: This went places and said some interesting shit. It sugared from having to establish a comic book world and a grand conspiracy and civil war to be played out over 13 issues. This is not something you expect from Bill Willingham. I want to say it's better than Ex-Mutants, but that isn't the greatest compliment from my recollection. I keep meaning to reread that.

• Issues: 111
• Trades: 6
• Omnibus: 7
• Graphic Novel: 8

[Dread]

Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #1: this was a lot more fun than it had any right to be.

Black Widow #2: This is still just...not bad.

Crackdown #1: log this in the Des Doesn't Like Sci Fi Comics Apparently column

Criminal #2: this was pretty great

Dead Man Logan #4: this is pretty fun. Still a worthy goodbye to OML. Still, no other alternate reality version of a comic book character has ever had a run this substantial.

Guardians of the Galaxy #2:This was good. I like this team, but I want the next issue to wow me.

• Issues: 117
• Trades: 6
• Omnibus: 7
• Graphic Novel: 8

[Missy]

52 #1-6: The plan this month was read all (or most) of 52, what with May 2021 being the 15th anniversary since the series debuted, but I got a little sidetracked for reasons I can’t remember. Anyway, this would be my first reading of the series should I complete. So far it’s been okay.

Action Comics #128: Some Tommy Tomorrow story. Don’t remember it. But it also included an exceptionally strange story with Superman helping a roughneck ginger kid beat a football team of hooligans. It’s odd.

Archie #1-3 (2015): The reboot series touches upon tried and true Archie tropes, but spins them into a more modern context.

Batman #404-407: It’s Year One, so it’s awesome.

Batman #436-439: This is Year Three, which is an interesting take on Dick’s origin.

Batman Adventures #1-2 (1992): These are much better than they deserve to be.

Batman: Creature of the Night #1-4: Set aside all expectations, ‘cause this is more a look at mental health in a world with a supernatural Batman.

Batman: Dark Victory #0-13: A worthy follow-up top The Long Halloween. It feels like there was meant to be one more, however, to end a Two-Face trilogy.

Batman: Full Circle: A sequel to Year Two that retcons some Joe Chill stuff.

Batman: The Long Halloween #7-13: Still a little confused on how many people were Holiday, but a very strong series.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #28-30: This is the Faces storyline, in which Two-Face seems to be establishing an island for “freaks,” but it loses steam by the end.

DC Comics Bombshells #1-9: Gotta get back to this series, ‘cause these are quick-but-solid adventures, and you can tell they’re leading to something much bigger.

DC Comics Presents #26: A New Teen Titans preview that does a wonderful job setting the stage for the first issue.

Deadpool: The Circle Chase #1-4: This was the era where every X-Men side character was getting their own miniseries, and this was fine for what it was. Can’t see me going back to it, not even for the Joe Mad art.

Deathblow and Wolverine #1-2: Much better than it had any right to be.

Detective Comics #27 (1937): An okay start to a legend.

Detective Comics #575-578 (1937): Year Two is all kinds of clunky.

Excalibur Special Edition: The introduction of the team, and it’s a fun, wild ride. And they were absolutely establishing Kitty’s bisexuality here.

Fantastic Four #32 (2018): Johnny sticks his dick where it doesn’t belong, and it will have MAJOR repercussions for years if Dan Slott takes there where I think he might.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1-2, Marvel Knights Spider-Man#19-20, and Amazing Spider-Man #525-526: The first third of The Other. What. The. Hell?

Generations: Banner Hulk and The Totally Awesome Hulk
Generations: Captain Marvel and Captain Mar-Vell
Generations: Ms. Marvel and Ms. Marvel
Generations: Hawkeye and Hawkeye
Generations: Iron Man and Ironheart
Generations: Miles Morales Spider-Man and Peter Parker Spider-Man
Generations: Phoenix and Jean Grey
Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America and Steve Rogers Captain America
Generations: The Unworthy Thor and The Mighty Thor
Mostly solid to excellent group of one-shots.

Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #37-41: The GLC faces off against The House of Zod and their cult followers, and it does not go well for the Lanterns.

Justice League: Last Ride #1: A new series set about five minutes into the future. The League is fractured, Superman is strained and they have to come back together to protect a very bad man from pretty much everyone in the universe.

Magneto #0 (1993): Reprints and a preview that really let you into his mind.

Magneto #1 (1996): I quit halfway through.

New Teen Titans #1-2: It is so easy to see how and why this became a classic, instant must-read.

Nightwing #79 (2016): Three issues in, and this just keeps getting better.

Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #2: This What If…? world continues to take Peter down a path he might not be able to return from.

Star Wars #15, 20, 26-30, 27 (2015): These comprise the From the Journals of Obi-Wan Kenobi TPB. The first few adventures are about Ben, and they see him watching over young Luke. The bulk of it, however, is a Yoda story told from Ben’s POV.

Superman / Batman #1-6: Went in really wanting my memories to not be accurate, but this spins into nonsense very quickly.

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #1-12 (2019): De-FUCKING-lightful!

Team 7 #1-4 (1994): No idea why I adored this as a teen. Not awful, but not whatever I thought it was.

Uncanny X-Men #410-443, New X-Men #155-156, and X-Men #157-164: The Chuck Austen run. If not for The Draco and the bullshit with Husk and Angel, this would be mostly forgettable. But they’re there. The Draco is boring, the Husk / Angel thing is trash, and so many topics are poorly handled.

World’s Finest Comics #131-132: I mean, it’s this book. So it’s wonky shenanigans.

X-Men #20 (2019): If Mystique doesn’t burn Krakoa to the ground, I will do it for her.

January: 157
February: 125
March: 185
April: 131
May: 177
TOTAL: 775

[Dread]

High Level #1: more sci fi I don't like.

Hulkverines #1: really fun.

Incursion #1: I'm a simple man. Give me Eternal Warrior protecting a Geomancer from an existential threat, and I'm happy. Even if it's an alien invasion, which is lower tier.

Justice League Dark #8: still really great. Looking forward to where they take this insanity. Low-key one of the best books DC has.

Love Romances #1: another 80 years of Marvel book that misses the mark almost completely.

Marvels Annotated #1: haven't read this series since it first came out. It's slow-going.

Murder Falcon #5: still fucking rad.

Old Man Quill #2: ok, this is better now that they're on earth. I LOVE the OML universe, and seeing the GOTG in it is pretty cool.

Return of Wolverine #5: this was great.

• Issues: 126
• Trades: 6
• Omnibus: 7
• Graphic Novel: 8

[Dread]

On 5/31/2021 at 11:05 PM, The Master said:

Team 7 #1-4 (1994): No idea why I adored this as a teen. Not awful, but not whatever I thought it was.

It's all concept. The art is great too, from what I recall. The story idea is fantastic. The connections to the wider Wildstorm Universe is what really made it special. It felt like it was culminating something. But, when that part of the whole deal is taken away it loses its punch. It's a bog standard miniseries as far as story delivery. That's just my opinion.

[Donomark]

Batman Earth One Volume 3: by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank

Pretty much as good as the previous volumes, if a bit faster reading. This feels more of a follow-up to volume two rather than a separate story. It continues the interest of the history of Gotham, its mythological evil, and Bruce's relation to the Arkhams. I don't tend to care about that stuff, but it's thematically central to this world, and it ends up speaking highly of Bruce's character. I always say that Geoff Johns openly shows disdain for Batman in his writing, clearly preferring the sunnier superheroes over him, but I do like how he characterizes Bruce in this Earth One series. He's not a different character but his determination signifies his youth. We get Catwoman in this but not much of a new villain on the on-set. The ending sequel-baits the big one, but this seems to also definitively end with a flashforward to what we'd want to see of this world with little elaboration, so I'm doubtful of a volume 4. Still, I liked all three volumes of this series, and although Alfred's a whiny dick with zero charm, I still dig this version of Batman.

[Donomark]

Insufferable: By Mark Waid and Peter Krause

I hadn't heard of this until tonight, reading about Irredeemable (which I bought the first trade for ten years ago but didn't continue with) and Incorruptible. The plot of this story is that there's this former Dynamic Duo father/son crime-fighting team who've since split up ever since the son angrily outed their identities and turned his crime-fighting career into a celebrity lifestyle. When mysterious forces invoke the death of their wife/mother, the two are forced to work together, despite constantly getting in each other's way. I think Waid said he meant to pitch this more as a comedy, and it's definitely comedic at times (the broadest gag being the father hero dragging his son via grappling hook as he drives off in their motorbike), but Peter Krause's artwork gives the mystery and flashbacks stronger dramatic heft. With the celebrity/social media angle, it plays as a more realistic satire of the Batman/Robin team, although luckily the similarities are only in the set up of the characters. Galahad - the son hero - isn't meant to be Nightwing or Jason Todd at all. Nocturnus, the father, is closer to Batman but is still his own character. But this was very enjoyable.

[Dread]

Rogue State #1: the art is definitely not for me.

Savage Sword of Conan #1: the second series Marvel started. This was good, but I think I'm passing.

Sharkey the Bounty Hunter #1: terrible

Shatterstar #5: what a great ending. Great little miniseries. Most people didn't give it a shot because the character is the worst. But he's actually quite great in this.

Stronghold #1: intriguing

The Last Space Race #3: yeah, this is not good.

Sarvane vol 1: a halfway decent erotic fantasy/sci fi GN elevated by Jordi Bernet's art. 

DC's 1st Issue Specials:This collects all 13 1st Issue Specials. I've written about the three by Kirby before. I really loved The Creeper (and I don't usually like Ditko), Metamorpho (I could look at Ramona Fradon's art all day) and, surprisingly, Lady Cop. It's a weird one. It feels like it was cropped to fit the page count. Like there are missing pages. But the idea is cool and the character is great. I've never even HEARD of The Outsiders before (not the Batman team, this is about circus freaks) and it's as awful as Starman. The Green Team is the most ridiculous idea ever for a title. I'll talk about Gerry Conway's New Gods in 3...2...1...

New Gods by Gerry Conway: sigh...the superheroification of the New Gods. It's a little brutal to read at times. While I disagree with a lot of the art choices (who decided to color Kalibak purple with dark blue clothes?), but Don Newton penciled so many of these issues it should say "by Gerry Conway and Don Newton." Newton's artwork is stellar. So is Rich Buckler's. The crossover with the JLA and JSA is pretty solid though.

Wolverine by Claremont and Miller: this is good shit. Say what you like about either of those guys, but this miniseries is fantastic. Also, the Uncanny issues where they go to Japan for Logan's wedding are great. Beautiful stuff.

Warlock by Jim Starlin The Complete Collection: this collects all the 70s stuff with Adam Warlock. Spectacular. Starlin LOVED his LSD and this really shows it. Haha! Some of these issues, Starlin wrote, drew, inked and coloured.

The Flash by Mark Waid vol 7: man, this is getting really rough. Is there one more to come? Two? The quality of this part of the run is really testing my obsessive collector's mentality.

Deadly Class vol 9: this book is still excellent.

• Issues: 132
• Trades: 8
• Omnibus: 11
• Graphic Novel: 9

[Donomark]

Sunstone volume #1: By *looks at notes* Stjepan Šejić.

Ero-romancer story about two women who fall in love while starting a BDSM relationship. It's been discussed on this forum before, wither by Des or Dan, but this series has been around for a while. Šejić's artwork is top-notch, particularly in the panels where he leans way into maximizing the emotional strength of the scene. It's like a Final Fantasy cutscene where the animation is way better than the average scene graphics. I will say that well into the aftermath of this series,  Šejić's art began to wain on me. He gives every woman the exact same mouth, particularly in their cheshire-like smiles, and it becomes derivative after a while. I'm thinking specifically with his Harley and Ivy artwork. But that didn't get to me while reading this, in part because Lisa's lip-biting, a trait I think all of his women share, was specifically commented on in the story. The writing is solid, with the interest really not on much eroticism at all. It's purely a by-product of these two women finding their way towards each other. Gotta imagine at the time this was groundbreaking stuff. Will endeavor to follow up with the subsequent volumes.

[Professor]

Stumptown Vol. 1-4 - I watched the now canceled show first, then read these.  That said, these were different enough from the show that I think I enjoyed them outside of previous influence.  Only real downside:  I have no idea how these would feel as single issues.  As is, the trades were really quick reads that felt like a satisfying TV episode.  I don't think the issues themselves have enough meat to be worth it.

[Delete]

The first three issues of the new Robin comic. I am a sucker for martial arts tournament stories. Damian is being written better he than he has been outside of Super Sons in years. Love him playing off Rose Wilson and Connor Hawke. Really liked the reveal of who will be filling the trope of the wise old sensei in this type of story at the end of the latest issue.

[Dread]

The Punisher #8: still great.

Uncanny X-Men #12: this is a weird issue. Not sure what's going on here other than everybody else being in an alternate reality. 

Wolverine Infinity Watch #1: this was fun.

Wonder Twins #1: hard pass.

Zodiac #1: a hero inside the GFT universe. Not great but decent. I'll pass on the rest.

Age of Conan: Belit, Queen of the Black Coast #1: I probably wouldn't follow through on this, but I'll keep reading as a WIP I'm doing is a woman pirate.

Age of X-Man Apocalypse and the X-Tracts #1: this is pretty fun. For some reason this reality shuns love and physical contact, so the ultimate villain is a hippie Apocalypse who preaches love and acceptance.

Age of X-Man: Next Gen #2: pretty good. A bit of a slip from the first issue.

Age of X-Man Prisoner X #1: Bishop in jail. Decent first issue.

Age of X-Man: The Amazing Nightcrawler #2: a definite slip from the first issue.

Age of X-Man: The Marvellous X-Men #2: the other side of the Apocalypse debate. I really have no idea what's going on here, but I kind of love it.

Age of X-Man: The X-Tremists #1, 2: this one I'm not the biggest fan of. 

Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #2:this is pretty bland. I'm gonna pass on the rest.

Asgardians fo the Galaxy #7: this was fun.

Assassin Nation #1: decent first issue.

• Issues: 148
• Trades: 8
• Omnibus: 11
• Graphic Novel: 9

[Missy]

Avengers #368: The opening of the Bloodties crossover begins in the aftermath of Fatal Attractions, so the X-Men are shattered. Logan is gone, Peter is nursing Magneto, and moral is low. Things get worse when Luna, the daughter of Crystal and Quicksilver, is abducted by one of Magneto's Acolytes for use as a political pawn. The issue is very wordy, but does an excellent job setting the stage for this crossover. I will be coming back to finish it.

Batman #217: After Dick heads off to college, Bruce changes the mission to one that's more about facing social ills. Quite a good jumping on point.

Batman #251: The Joker returns and begins killing his former henchmen. Excellent way to reintroduce the character.

Batman #416: The post-Crisis re-imagening of Dick's departure from the cave, as well as his first meeting with Jason. Bruce and Dick get into a heated, but much-needed fight over their relationship, and though things end on a sad note, there's a hint of hope.

Batman Black and White #1 (1996): The start of an amazing anthology series.

Birthright #1: One year after a boy disappears in the woods, he returns as an aged warrior from a fantasy realm. I can see the appeal, but not quite for me.

Fantastic Four #33: Johnny fucking Storm. Also, Namor's reaction is *chef's kiss*.

Green Arrow 80th Anniversary Special: A wonderful tribute to the character and the many takes on him throughout the years.

Green Arrow: Rebirth: I might dive into the Rebirth GA series based on this oneshot.

Hellions #12: Hellfire Gala goodness.

Heroes Reborn #1-2 (2021): Without the formation of The Avengers, The JLA forms in the Marvel Universe. Was gonna read the whole thing, tie-ins included, but I lost interest due to outside reasons.

Hitman #1-43, 1,000,000, Annual #1: Keeping it brief, this series can come off as ultra silly most of the time, but it gets into some very dark places and is not afraid to kill fan favorite characters.

Jonah Hex #1-5 (2006): Seriously one of the most underrated books of the mid 2000s.

Maniac of New York #1-5: A kind of re-imagening of Jason Takes Manhattan, but with a much higher body count. @Dread, you might want to give this a go.

Nightwing #81: This run is already amazing.

Radiant Black #1-5: Sort of a Green Lantern / Power Rangers crossover. Not sure where it's going yet, but it looks and reads great.

Robin #1-3 (2021): Robin is off on his own in a Mortal Kombat-like setting. He's an arrogant jerk, and I love it.

Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular: Much like the Green Arrow one, this dives into the various areas of all five -- yes, the count Stephanie -- Robins.

Sara: Female Russian snipers hunting Nazis in World War II. Would have stuck with it, but after three issues there was no plot.

Superman: The Earth Stealers: Very much a pre-Crisis story published post-Crisis. It's not for me, but it's not bad.

SWORD #6: More Hellfire Gala fun.

World's Finest Comics #133: I mean, it's WFC.

X-Men #56-57 (1963): A very early Havok story that didn't quite keep my interest.

X-Men #21 (2019): Again, Hellfire Gala.

January: 157
February: 125
March: 185
April: 131
May: 177
June: 86
TOTAL: 861

[Dread]

15 hours ago, The Master said:

 

Maniac of New York #1-5: A kind of re-imagening of Jason Takes Manhattan, but with a much higher body count. @Dread, you might want to give this a go.

 

Thanks! It's on my list!

[Dread]

Black Hammer '45 #1: I was really interested in checking this out, but the lettering is so precious and ridiculous that it's hard to read. I'm 41. I can't do the whole writing in upper and lower case with loopy stylized writing thing even with glasses. It's a bummer, because...

Black Hammer Age of Doom #8,9: This universe is great and I love exploring it.

Black Widow #3: ehhh...it's alright.

Sarvane: the Secret of Gor: the second volume of Sarvane by Trillo and Bernet. It's a better story for sure than the first one.

Calamity Kate #1: Definitely not my bag

Captain America #8: Coates' story is unfolding SUPER SLOWLY. There are elements I enjoy, but they're few and far between. I'll give it another issue or two.

Conan The Barbarian #4: the best issue of the series thus far. I love the episodic nature of this. And I have always loved the idea of King Conan. Very Odyssean. 

Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History #1: not bad

Criminal #3: Loving this.

Daredevil #2: Thankfully I haven't been spoiled on this, but I really hope that they don't swerve this. This is a story that needs to be told straight. DD is the perfect character to go through it.

Dark Red #1: interesting political horror. I'll try more.

Dead Man Logan #5: this is great 

Doomsday Clock #9: this is the first issue that felt like filler. Though there was a JLI vibe in it that I appreciated. How often do you get to see Guy Gardner in the greater DCU let alone the tentpole multiverse things?

Fantastic Four #7: So many writers slip into "Dr. Doom is the fucking greatest" when doing their FF runs. Who can blame them? I'd do it too. It's true.

Freedom Fighters #3: ooh, this kind of sucked. I'll give it one more to get back on track. 

GI Joe Silent Option #4: this was an ok miniseries,  but when you go for a small Joe team it feels really weird to include both Snake Eyes.

Guardians of the Galaxy #3: still really good. I missed the thing where the Sh'iar are a cult now, but whatever.

Heroes In Crisis #6: This was a dud

Ice Cream Man #10: the first one of these I've been ho-hum about.

Incursion #2: Here we go! This is fucking rad.

Invaders #2: another bit of a dud.

Justice League Dark #9: was I in a really bad mood when I read these?

Little Birds #1: not my thing.

Magnificent Ms. Marvel #1: I've liked this character in Champions, but this isn't for me.

Marvel Comics Presents #2: the Wolverine story is pretty great. The Mr. Fantastic Story is entirely forgettable. The Gorilla Man one wasn't great, but I enjoyed it.

Marvels Annotated #2: Look, this was alright, but I don't know if it deserves all the kudos it gets.

Meet the Skulls #1, 2: not a bad little side chunk of the MCU. I dug these.

Morning In America #1: I couldn't tell you word one about this book. Not good. Completely forgettable. 

Murder Falcon #6: it's a bit bullshit to introduce a cool new character and kill him in the next, but I love this series. 

Obey Me #0: almost unreadable.

Old Man Quill #3: still really fun. Loving the art in this.

Peter Cannon Thunderbolt #2: a character with HUGE potential that is not done well here.

Prison Witch #1: Not for me

Stronghold #2: this was quite cool. I dug it. This is sci fi, so I'm not entirely anti-sci-fi comics!

Suicide Squad Black Files #5: the Katana story is still boring AF to me. I used Kobra way better in my fan-fi! Haha! The second feature is still great.

Superior Spider-Man #3: not bad. I liked it.

The Batman Who Laughs The Grim Knight #1: not bad. 

Swamp Thing by Nancy A. Collins Omnibus: for such a relatively obscure character, Swamp Thing is maybe second to only Daredevil for creator runs that can be considered definitive. Wein/Wrightson, Moore/Bissette, Morrison/Millar/Hester and Collins/Eaton. The wildness calms in a  way from the Millar Hester stuff and settles into a Southern Bayou Gothic story that slowly ratchets up the insanity. Great stuff.

 

 

• Issues: 188
• Trades: 8
• Omnibus: 12
• Graphic Novel: 10

[Missy]

Adventures of Superman #454 and Superman #31 (1987): More of my slow read-through of Superman: Exile.

Amazing Spider-Man #378-379, Spectacular Spider-Man #201, Spider-Man #35, Spider-Man Unlimited #1, and Web of Spider-Man #101-102: The first half of Maximum Carnage. This time through it's much more enjoyable. Probably because I'm pacing myself.

Batman #414-430 (1940): Jim Starlin's run on Batman needs more attention, because between Ten Nights of The Beast, A Death in the Family, and the story about the serial killer, it's amazing.

Batman Adventures #3: Fine.

Cable #1-2 (2020): Didn't hook me.

Cable: Blood & Metal #1-2: You come for the John Romita Jr. art.

Carnage #1-5 (2016): This series has no right to be this good.

Detective Comics #1040 (1937): Bruce is in jail and a drunk reveals he knows The Secret.

Doom #1-3 (2000): Wasted concept.

Fantastic Four #34 (2018): Johnny's dick has gotten him in a lot of trouble. A LOT!

Fantastic Four: ¡Isla de la Muerte!: The story is good, but the art is excellent.

Hitman #44-46: The dinosaur issues. Next!

I Am Not Starfire: An excellent YA OGN all about Starfire's goth daughter. Think Ghost World but without the cynicism.

Iron Fist #1-7, 73-80 (2017): Solid enough, but the final three issues tie into a Doctor Strange crossover that does nothing for me. (The weird numbering is due to legacy numbering.)

The Mystery of the Meanest Teacher: A Johnny Constantine Graphic Novel: A YA Hellblazer OGN that is absolutely charming.

Nightwing #82 (2016): Apparently Dick has a half-sister. And she was raised by Tony Zucco.

Plunge #1-6: @Dread, you should give this a try.

Prodigy #1: Clearly Mark Millar wants this to be a movie. Which, fine. But write for the comic too, man.

The Punisher #85 (1987) and Punisher: War Journal #61: The prelude and opening chapter to Suicide Run. Kinda boring.

The Punisher #1-12 (2000): Welcome Back, Frank wasn't as full of Ennis-isms, but they were there.

Robin #4 (2021): Little bonding time between grandfather and grandson.

Star Trek: Year Five #20-21: Gonna have to read what's come before, because this is a solid continuation of the show beyond the third season.

Superman: Son of Kal-El #1: Excellent!

Superman and The Authority #1: Light on the story and I'm not keen on Superman being near The Authority, much less founding it, but I'll see where it goes.

Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #106: The issue where Lois changes her skin color to interview the African Americans living in Metropolis. I found it rather compelling, but it is sitting on the line between the Silver and Bronze Ages.

Superman: Red and Blue #1: An anthology comic. I'll read the next issue.

Unfollow #1-6: The inventor of a Twitter-like platform is dying and he's gifted his money to 140 people. If people die, the survivors get more money. You do the math as to what happens next. Didn't quite land for me.

January: 157
February: 125
March: 185
April: 131
May: 177
June: 86
July: 97
TOTAL: 958

[Donomark]

Quote

Nightwing #82 (2016): Apparently Dick has a half-sister. And she was raised by Tony Zucco.

Apparently is right

[Dread]

On 7/31/2021 at 6:32 PM, The Master said:

Plunge #1-6: @Dread, you should give this a try.

It's in my queue. That should tell you how far behind I am. I'm trying to streamline by not reading stuff that isn't super enjoyable. It's a process.