The Watchtower - A thread for all comics

[citation deducer]

I bought 300 yesterday, and felt pretty cheated. Its waaaaaaaay too short. And pretty shallow content-wise

[Rowan Morrison]

I bought 300 yesterday, and felt pretty cheated. Its waaaaaaaay too short. And pretty shallow content-wise

It's a grower, I think. I wasn't that impressed at first, but now I really like it. The hardback made a big difference, being able to see the proper widescreen layout. It's like a kid's book, a great object. Some of the compositions and layouts are stunning, and it reads like Miller has hacked it out of rock. It's pretty funny in places, too.

It's short, no doubt about that - and in terms of content I guess it's driven more by Miller's appreciation of the story than anything else. Well, give it a month or so and then re-read, I say.

[citation deducer]

I just squished a spider with mine.

Some sort of pun or other, but I can't currently think of one.

[Uncle Mike]

Who fancies telling me about Tom Strong? I keep thinking about picking it up, but I haven't quite got around to it.

[Girth Certificate]

I found Tom Strong quite patchy, and rather smug, to be honest.

[K]

Who fancies telling me about Tom Strong? I keep thinking about picking it up, but I haven't quite got around to it.

The first volume's great - pure sense-of-wonder escapism, with every page exploding with ideas. The second I didn't enjoy so much, mainly because each story is so short. Moore's celebrating golden-age sci-fi (among other things) in Tom Strong, so you can see why each story's so compact, but it just doesn't give the ideas enough room to breath.

As I said though, Vol. 1 is excellent. It's well worth the eight quid or so you can get it for on eBay, and you may enjoy the later stuff a bit more than I did.

[Professor Puzzles]

I got me the Absolute Sandman. The main problem I have is that I can't seem to find a comfortable position to read it in. It's superbly unwieldy and magnificently heavy - Who could ask for more from their literature?

[Rowan Morrison]

I've just got the remaining volume (actually one of the early ones) I needed of Fantagraphics' reprints of Krazy Kat - they're up to the second year of colour at the moment, and there are several more to come. Then they're going to reprint the very early stuff, which they've left so far beacuse they were reprinted in the early 90s by Eclipse (I've got a few of those already and I think they tend to be rare nowadays for some reason). I also grabbed a marketplace copy of The Art of George Herriman, which is gorgeous.

These strips are phenomenal, especially considering their age. The writing is enjoyable and genuinely funny and the artwork is magnificent - Herriman presents visual gags you'd probably date as being created forty or fifty years later - any clever postmodern panel tricks you've seen in modern comics were almost certainly done by Herriman before the end of the second World War - and his mock Monument Valley landscapes - especially in some of the larger watercolours he did - are simple but stunning evocations of the Arizona / Utah landscape. But beyond all that, Krazy Kat makes for an utterly unique whole - there'll never be anything else even remotely like it, and it works completely.

The new voulmes' covers from Chris Ware are also a delight.

I've also just received a great little bundle of zines and minicomics from Global Hobo in the US. There's some beautiful stuff in there, all hand-assembled stuff with gloriously crafted covers. I'd forgotten what I'd ordered, so I'm going to have great fun tonight reminding myself. Then I'm going to put together another order.

[Andy_Why]

I've just recently noticed an advertisement for Darwyn Cooke's story for DC, New Frontier. Now, I have no idea what the story is, but I love Cooke's stuff and I'm tempted to pick it up just because it's his work.

Can anyone shed any more light on it?

I've just read 300 myself actually, and it does seem fairly slight, I have to agree. It's still enjoyable though, but I'm finding it harder and harder to look at Miller's objectively these days, due to being SO disappointed with his recent work. Still, it is a beautiful looking book.

[Rowan Morrison]

Alright, between us we must have plenty of Christmas comics to drone on about. I know I have, so I'll go first.

The first volumes of the new EC reprints are now out, and I've got the first two - Weird Science and Shock Suspenstories. They're both excellent, nicely bound and printed on quality paper that brings out the colours a treat. That's especially nice, because all I've had to go on so far are muddy reprints and Russ Cochran's black and white volumes. The stories are a mixed bunch - some show their age, some were duff to begin with, and some are still classics - but the art is fantastic, and it's only going to get better as the volumes progress.

Suspenstories is sobering at times - it features a handful of EC's 'preachies', which tend to be about racial murders (and the parts played in them by the various authorities). They hammer home their point crudely, but then you reflect on what British kids were reading in their comics at the time, while over in the States people were feeling it necessary to point out via comics that you shouldn't lynch black people or stamp suspected communists to death, because, you know, perhaps they're not taking their hat off for the flag because they were blinded in World War II. Did you ever think of that, you monsters?

Anyway, it's not all moralistic high ground in Suspenstories, you get plenty of gruesome twisters in which all the narrator's dinner guests have been beheaded and suchlike. It also has the original story for the Terry Thomas segment of the Vault of Horror film in which his wife spills a drink and end up bottling his internal organs in neatly labelled jars.

Weird Science isn't quite so gruesome, as you might expect, but it does feature some classic 50s sci-fi scenarios and a number of treats such as Harvey Kurtzman's Man and Superman and some remarkable work from Wally Wood and Al Feldstein. The next volumes are coming later this month, I believe. Buy them all!

Speaking of Kurtzman, I've also got my hands on the long-awaited Comics Journal Library volume of interviews with the man, and it's magnificent. A huge square affair jammed with classic interviews, artwork, comics and photos that ably demonstrate how important a debt we all owe Kurtzman today, even if we hate comics or know nothing about them. You should be able to get this for around a tenner, which is a good price for something priceless.

I also unwrapped the recent DC collection of Mad 1-6. The paper's not as nice as the other EC reprints (the Mad book is published by DC) and I already had an earlier softbound volume, so it didn't hold as much novelty, I'd read it all before. But it's still a nice book, and the content is as vital as it ever was - you get Superduperman, which is worth the price of the whole thing. Hopefully they'll get a move on with the second volume soon. If you've never read the original Mads in their original form it's seriously essential.

What else? I got some Adrian Tomine stuff from my wishlist for Christmas, which was pretty good in a Raymond Carver way. I'd only ever seen excerpts of his work before, so it was nice to dig into a larger pile. From what I've read so far he seems to work better on very short stories, the two or three pagers, but I'll certainly be investigating further.

The last two Acme Novelty Libraries, the first two parts of Rusty Brown. Gorgeous to look at, but as with Jimmy Corrigan I'm not convinced Ware is as good as he could be at carrying a narrative. He's clever, but it sometimes gets in the way. It makes a nice contrast with Tomine, I suppose, who rarely does anything that's visually remarkable but whose stories go all the smoother for it. It's still staggering to see what Ware can communicate with just a couple of shapes when he's on form, but I suspecct that in a collected volume this would be heavy going.

There must be stuff I haven't mentioned, but this has led me neatly to the tea break, and I've given you at least £80 of stuff to go and order straight away, so I suggest you pop over to Amazon while I'm sorting out the drinks.

[Campfire_Burning]

I had a mostly trade paperback Christmas, which is largely thanks to this forum - this thread, even. Fables, The Sandman, Runaways, The Losers (sad to see it go), and I've still got The Compleat Moonshadow to read.

I also read Blankets just before Christmas, and that was amazing, if ever so emo. Many thanks to the people who recommended it.

[Silent Runner]

Your order for The Complete Nemesis The Warlock has been posted.

Yes! I love when stuff I've forgotten I ordered gets posted. 320 Pages of Warlock-y goodness on it's way.

[Rowan Morrison]

I should have provided a link to at least this, the Kurtzman Comics Journal Library volume. From under £7! I cannot recommend it highly enough. I've tried and I just can't.

[sandman]

back in the 80s I was a massive comic fan (mostly DC stuff). Then I discovered girls, got married, got a mortgage and comics didn't seem so important to me anymore. I'd whip out the old DKR or Miracleman stuff to read now and again, but it wasn't really the same. I tried to read more up-to-date stuff in the late 90s, when it seemed everything critcally acclaimed was being written by Ennis. I'm not a big fan of his, so I again left comics alone.

Yet recently I've started buying them again. And there really is some excellent stuff being written nowadays. I tend to stick just to GNs now, the days of me buying monthly comics are behind me. It seems that little has changed in that all the best writers are British. What has changed is that Marvel comics are very very good, which simply wasn't the case in the mid-late 80s.

Some of my faves in the last few months

Wanted - brilliant stuff indeed.

Hellblazer - As mentioned I'm not a fan of Ennis and thought that what I'd read of his run was very poor. I've been reading some of Azzarello's and Carey's stuff and its a real return to form.

The Ultimates - I'm sure much has been written about this title. Apparently there is massive publication gaps - reminds me of the Miracleman delays. Just how Marvel comics should be. fun to read, well drawn fights and silly plotlines.

Fables - a bit tough going in places - doesn't always flow that well, but its worth it because this is a beatiful title.

100 Bullets - I didn't like this at first, and I'm still not a big fan of the artwork, but the writing is up there with the best of Moore and Miller.

New X Men - Morrison run - Feels like The Ulimates on coke.

Lucifer - First class in every aspect.

Some dissapointments

Ultimate Spiderman - just dire. Bendis is good on The New Avengers, but this stinks

Superman by Azzarello - poorly written - a real low for him

but all in all I've loved getting back "into" comics again.

[DLNY]

The real prize this Christmas was the New X-Men Omnibus. I've been holding out for a complete hardcover of Morrison's run for ages and by god, it was worth the wait. It's a gorgeous tome (with the exception perhaps of the Igor Kordey emergency fill-ins but can you blame him with such pressure?). Collected together you can really appreciate how well written it all was, each arc being ace on it's own but also all connected as part of this sprawling epic which finishes with the audacious 'Here Comes Tomorrow'.

Highly recommended.

[Rowan Morrison]

The real prize this Christmas was the New X-Men Omnibus.

I was literally just about to ask if anyone had got that when I read the mention in Sandman's post above yours. It's tempting, but purely for the Morrison as I know absolutely bugger all about the non-Kirby X-Men. Do you need to be a Marvelite to get the most out of it, or does it stand up well on its own?

[Andy_Why]

It stands up extremely well on its own. Some of Morrison's best work IMO

[Rowan Morrison]

It stands up extremely well on its own. Some of Morrison's best work IMO

Cheers. Well, that's a project for payday, then. But it's only going to make our need for a new bookcase even more obvious. I bet it stands up very well on its own physically, too.

[So. Angry.]

It stands up extremely well on its own. Some of Morrison's best work IMO

I'd definitely second that. And I hate the X-Men.

And while we're on the subject of Morrison is All Star Superman #6 out this week?

[Rev]

Some dissapointments

Ultimate Spiderman - just dire. Bendis is good on The New Avengers, but this stinks

As of Issue 50ish it's had some very rough parts, but the first 30 issues are near perfection in my eyes. It's suffered from trying to be "different" recently, to mixed effect.

The only thing I got for Christmas was Sandman 1, which I haven't read until now.

And while we're on the subject of Morrison is All Star Superman #6 out this week?

Yes. Although not until tomorrow in my comic store, damn Bank Holidays.

[TheShend]

Chirstmas gave me the opportunity to pick up the following:

Preacher Vol.8 & Vol.9

I really enjoyed this series, the humour was right up my street so to speak what with the swearing, perversion and hilarious violence. Oh and the Saint of Killers, what can be said of this hardman? Is it me, or do characters with hats and trenchcoats seem to be the best? V, Rorshach, Q and now the Saint of Killers.

John Constantine: HellBlazer Vol.1 (Issues 1 -

Needed something to start after finishing Preacher and this seemed worth a punt. Although i'm still in 2 minds about Constantine's speach come poetry when he's talking to himself/describing things, the stories are interesting and alittle perturbed, the way they trap that Mnemnoth thingy in his mate, urgh. Other stuff like the young girl going with 3 other girls to a house to get 'married', the tension and revelation in that one was really interesting. I'm going to stick with this I think and porbably pick Moore's run of Swamp Thing, as it's gone and turned up in his digs at then end, better see what the crack is there.

Aliens: Rogue

Fancied another Alien romp and a big fuck off Alpha Male Alien running about the place will do me just fine. I liked this one, more thought out and interesting despite the obligatory bonkers scientist on the fringes of space with a hive aliens to play with! Yeah, not as good as Stronghold though

In the manga corner, the 3rd volume of Path of the Assassin came my way, alot of ass and tits in this series compared to Lone Wolf & Cub and Samurai Executioner, not that i'm complaining as they're not typical 11 year old hentai fantasy girlzomgwtf!! but like, woman of the period.

I do struggle to keep up with the pace mind as i'm getting confused with who's who and who's doule crossing who and who has allegiances to who etc. Still good reading mind.

That's me done, ta.

[Nick R]

I've just recently noticed an advertisement for Darwyn Cooke's story for DC, New Frontier. Now, I have no idea what the story is, but I love Cooke's stuff and I'm tempted to pick it up just because it's his work.

Can anyone shed any more light on it?

I read the first volume of it recently, and even though I'm not very familiar with some of the more obscure characters featured, it's excellent, and the art is beautiful. There's a superb sequence with the Flash (Barry Allen) rescuing his girlfriend Iris, and a memorable scene with Superman and Wonder Woman in Vietnam. The Wikipedia article (which contains couple of spoilers) mentions "The Right Stuff", and I did find the tone reminded me of that film - and not just because Chuck Yeager appears briefly. (Coincidentally, I bought a copy of that book around the same time I read the comic, though I haven't read it yet.)

So, yeah, it's highly recommended. It's just a shame my library doesn't seem to have the second volume. I'll have to see if they can order it!

[DLNY]

I was literally just about to ask if anyone had got that when I read the mention in Sandman's post above yours. It's tempting, but purely for the Morrison as I know absolutely bugger all about the non-Kirby X-Men. Do you need to be a Marvelite to get the most out of it, or does it stand up well on its own?

If you needed any more persuading, the best thing about the run is that it's almost entirely free of all of the preceeding million years of continuity. It's all streamlined and feels so fresh. The general approach was to make the X-Men as accessible as possible from the off.

The book also includes a load of extras - the 'Nuff Said' script (one month Marvel set a challenge for all their books to have no words), some back-up artwork, concept sketches and most importantly, the 'Morrison Manifesto' which was his pitch document for the series (and was included in the original 'E is for Extinction' trade).

[Sarlaccfood]

Found The Death Of Superman in a second hand bookstore the other day.

Absolute load of shit, no wonder somebody got rid of it.

[Professor Puzzles]

Anyone who reads Manga should try 'Monster'. It's a bit like 'The Fugitive' and a bit like 'Silence of the Lambs.'

Anyone who doesn't read Manga should try it anyway as it is ace.

[therev]

Been out of comics for a year or two, but new Buffy by Joss Whedon is dragging me back in and I'm setting up a sub with Forbidden Planet online for a few titles. No more than ten quid a month all in. Got my Bat-fix covered and I may sub to JLA for widescreen DCU fun, but I'm after something in the Marvel universe. Possibly an X-Men or Spidey title. Something fun with big super-hero urban action and maybe the chance of an odd appearance by The Hulk. I used to really like Deadpool back a few years ago with his fourth-wall-breaking funnies, so I'm maybe looking at Cable/Deadpool, but I'm not sure what's good or bad right now. Any recommendations for ongoing monthly titles that may fit the bill?

[So. Angry.]

Got my Bat-fix covered and I may sub to JLA for widescreen DCU fun

I wouldn't. Unless you consider Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman standing round a table talking about who should be on the team for over four issues "widescreen fun". Get Birds of Prey (issue 100 was a good jumping on point) or JSA instead if you want an ongoing. Which Bat-title are you getting? Cause it should be Dini's Detective Comics.

but I'm after something in the Marvel universe. Possibly an X-Men or Spidey title. Something fun with big super-hero urban action and maybe the chance of an odd appearance by The Hulk.

Marvel Adventures Avengers sounds like your best bet then. It's supposedly a kid's book but it's better written than the main books Avengers at the moment. If you really want a Spider-man title then get Friendly Neighborhood but I'd really say you should try either Brubaker's Captain America or Daredevil.

I used to really like Deadpool back a few years ago with his fourth-wall-breaking funnies, so I'm maybe looking at Cable/Deadpool, but I'm not sure what's good or bad right now. Any recommendations for ongoing monthly titles that may fit the bill?

I actually dropped Cable/Deadpool a few months back. It's not as good as either Simone's or Kelly's run on the solo Deadpool and to be honest the number of laughs per issue has plummetted recently. Peaked somewhere around issue #14 IMO. Compare it to Joe Kelly's recent Superman/Batman annual with the Crime Syndicate Earth version of Deathstroke and you can see how weak it is...

Other hero stuff? Well you could always try The Midnighter's solo series and Uncle Sam & The Freedom Fighters has pretty much been straight super-hero action for the past six issues...

[therev]

I wouldn't. Unless you consider Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman standing round a table talking about who should be on the team for over four issues "widescreen fun". Get Birds of Prey (issue 100 was a good jumping on point) or JSA instead if you want an ongoing. Which Bat-title are you getting? Cause it should be Dini's Detective Comics.

I'm getting Tec, Batman and Batman/Superman for now. I was reading Birds of Prey up to about 70-something, I think. Somewhere around there when I gave up on the comics. I see JLA's rebooted itself and will be revealing a brand new team soon. Maybe things will pick up then. Not sure what shape I'll find the DCU in after that Infinite Crisis thing.

Marvel Adventures Avengers sounds like your best bet then. It's supposedly a kid's book but it's better written than the main books Avengers at the moment. If you really want a Spider-man title then get Friendly Neighborhood but I'd really say you should try either Brubaker's Captain America or Daredevil.

Ah, now I do like Brubaker. Maybe I'll give one of those a go. I was always more of a DC man than a Marvel guy. Was reading Whedon's X-book and that was about it, I think.

I actually dropped Cable/Deadpool a few months back. It's not as good as either Simone's or Kelly's run on the solo Deadpool and to be honest the number of laughs per issue has plummetted recently. Peaked somewhere around issue #14 IMO. Compare it to Joe Kelly's recent Superman/Batman annual with the Crime Syndicate Earth version of Deathstroke and you can see how weak it is...

Okay, Cable/Deadpool is off the table for now. It was Kelly's run I remember, I think.

Other hero stuff? Well you could always try The Midnighter's solo series and Uncle Sam & The Freedom Fighters has pretty much been straight super-hero action for the past six issues...

Ah, I remember The Midnighter. Did love early Authority.

[Jim Miles]

Is there a site (or search on a site) which lists comic books released in the past 5 weeks and in the coming 5 weeks?

[alan cummings]

It stands up extremely well on its own. Some of Morrison's best work IMO

Fantastic, I have had this on my (obviously adamantine-reinforced) bedside table since Christmas but bar the occasional nervous glance in its direction haven't plucked up the courage to do much with it yet.

Hellblazer - As mentioned I'm not a fan of Ennis and thought that what I'd read of his run was very poor. I've been reading some of Azzarello's and Carey's stuff and its a real return to form.

Lucifer - First class in every aspect.

Thats odd, in my opinion Ennis's Hellblazer is some of the best stories the comic has seen, while Azzarello's was a low point for me. Each to his own I guess. STaying with Ennis, I have really been ploughing through the Punisher collections from my library, particularly the new MAX stories, recently. Its a guilty pleasure - I know they are doing me no good, and they aren't exactly enlightening or cultural. But I just can't seem to get enough of the wacky ways he comes up with of bumping (many) people off. I missed his dark humour since Preacher as well.

Totally agree about Lucifer, I think it has been my favourite ongoing DC serial since, ooh, The Invisibles, maybe, can't wait for the last collection which is due soon I think?