Talk Back

[Patguy]

All Star Superman vol. 1: Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
Ambush Bug—Year None issues 1-5: Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming and Al Milgrom
Amphigorey, Amphigorey Too, Amphigorey Also, Amphigorey Again: Edward Gorey
Army@Love vol. 2: Rick Veitch and Gary Erskine
Astonishing X-Men vol. 4: Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
The Authority Prime: issues 3-6: Christos Gage and Darick Robertson
Battle Royale Ultimate Edition vol. 1: Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi
B.P.R.D. vols. 1-2: Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, et al.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer vols. 2-3: Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughn, Drew Goddard, Georges Jeanty, et al.
Captain Britain and MI:13 issues 1-8: Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk
Cosmic Boy issues 1-4: Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen, Ernie Colon, et al.
Countdown to Final Crisis issues 17-1: Paul Dini, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, et al.
Countdown to Mystery issues 4-8: Steve Gerber, et al.
The Dark Goodbye: vol. 1: Frank Marrafino and Drew Rausch
DC: The New Frontier vols. 1-2: Darwyn Cooke with Dave Stewart
DC Universe Decisions issues 1-4: Bill Willingham, Judd Winick, Rick Leonard, et al.
Dead, She Said issues 1-3: Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson
The Death of the New Gods issues 5-8: Jim Starlin, et al.
Doctor Thirteen—Architecture and Morality: Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang
Doctor Who (2008) issues 1-6: Gary Russell and Nick Roche
Doctor Who Classics vol. 1: Pat Mills, John Wagner, Paul Neary and Dave Gibbons
Dreamwar issues 1-6: Keith Giffen, Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott
Final Crisis issues 1-5: Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones
Glamourpuss: issues 1-4: Dave Sim
Green Lantern—Rebirth: Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver and Prentis Rollins
Green Lantern—No Fear: Geoff Johns, et al.
Green Lantern—Revenge of the Green Lanterns: Geoff Johns, et al.
Green Lantern Corps—Recharge: Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons and Patrick Gleason
Hellblazer—Bad Blood issues 1-4: Jamie Delano and Philip Bond
Hellblazer—The Fear Machine: Jamie Delano, et al.
Hellblazer—Rare Cuts: Jamie Delano, Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, et al.
Hellblazer—Joyride: Andy Diggle and Leonardo Manco
Hellboy vols. 1-7: Mike Mignola, et al.
Judenhass: Dave Sim
Justice League of America issues 17-27: Duane McDuffie, et al.
L.E.G.I.O.N. '89/'90/'91/'92/'93/'94 issues 1-70 and annuals: Keith Giffen, Alan Grant, Barry Kitson, et al.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen—The Black Dossier: Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 3) issues 23-63, and a few annuals: Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen, Greg LaRocque, Mike De Carlo, et al.
Monster: vols. 1-10: Naoki Urasawa
Queen and Country Definitive Edition vols. 1-3: Greg Rucka, et al.
R.E.B.E.L.S. '94/'95 issues 0-6: Tennessee Peyer, Derek Aucoin, et al.
Reign in Hell issues 1-6: Keith Giffen, Tom Derenick, Bill Sienkiewicz and Stephen Jorge Segovia
Salvation Run issues 3-7: Bill Willingham, Sean Chen, Walden Wong, et al.
Sandman Mystery Theatre—The Hourman and The Python: Matt Wagner, Steven T. Seagle, Guy Davis and Warren Pleece
The Sandman Presents: Love Street issues 1-3: Peter Hogan, Michael Zulli and Vince Locke
Secret Invasion issues 1-8: Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Yu
Secret Six—Six Degrees of Devastation: Gail Simone, Brad Walker and Jimmy Palmiotti
Secret Six issues 1-4: Gail Simone, Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood
Star Trek—Assignment Earth issues 1-5: John Byrne
Suicide Squad (2007) issues 5-8: John Ostrander, Jaui Pina and Robin Riggs
Trinity issues 1-30: Kurt Busiek, et al.
Ultimate Galactus Trilogy: Warren Ellis, et al.
Ultimate Human: Warren Ellis and Cary Nord
The Ultimates 2 Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch
Uzumaki vol. 3: Junji Ito
Villains United: Gail Simone, Dale Eaglesham and Val Semeiks
Whiteout—Melt: Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber
Wisdom—Rudiments of Wisdom: Paul Cornell, Trevor Hairsine and Manuel Garcia
Wonder Woman issues 17-41: George Perez, Mindy Newell, et al.
Plus various others, including Heartland, Hellblazer, Books of Magic/Hellblazer, Justice League Spectacular, DC Universe, DC Universe Halloween Special, DC Universe Last Will and Testament, Grant Morrison's Doctor Who, Final Crisis: Requiem; Submit; Resist, etc.

So here's another brief overview of one of my preferred time-wasting activities.

I'm still not finding lots of current comics that I really care for, but there are a few that have managed to sustain my interest: Trinity is mostly fine, although with Kurt Busiek writing Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, you'd think it would be better than it is. Paul Cornell (who I know from Doctor Who novels and scripts) has done a good job reviving Captain Britain, and I look forward to seeing where the series goes now that it's done crossing over with Marvel's big Secret Invasion event. Secret Invasion itself is pretty good, certainly better than DC's ultimately-pretty-dismal Countdown—although I'm reserving judgment on DC's Final Crisis until I figure out what the hell is going on in it.

As for older stuff:

Everything that's good about Queen and Country is taken directly from the great British TV show The Sandbaggers, including almost all of the character roles and dynamics, and much of the specific terminology (e.g., "mission twitch," "close of play, "you're on your bike," "P.A. to D.Ops"). One storyline in volume 2 absorbs elements from three distinct Sandbaggers episodes. Strangely, issue 3 of Ultimate Human is also a pastiche of The Sandbaggers. Is there something in the air?

Having now finished Paul Levitz’s run on Legion of Super-Heroes, I can say that he was at his best when Keith Giffen was co-plotting his stories. Much of the rest of the time, the plots seem to just wander around, spending issue after issue on thin schemes by second-rate villains (and almost all of the Legion’s villains are second-rate). Plus, as characterized by Levitz, none of the Legion members are at all likeable. Not one of them is able to sustain a conversation free of conflict. It’s very tedious to read dozens of issues with dialogue like:

Element Lad: Phantom Girl, fly down to that collapsed building and search for survivors!
Phantom Girl: Fuck you!*

Special mention should be made of Shrinking Violet, formerly one of the most retiring members. In the later Levitz issues, there’s an unstated but perfectly clear suggestion that she’s now in a romantic partnership with Lightning Lass. And because superhero writers are absolutely dismal at depicting same-sex relationships, this means that every word out of her mouth is defensive, bitter and sarcastic. Lightning Lass is little better.

It should be said that Keith Giffen isn’t always that great either. His current Reign in Hell is a big ugly mess. The latest Ambush Bug series is a little lackluster, sad to say. And as for his and Alan Grant’s L.E.G.I.O.N., the stories are of, let’s say, variable quality—but Lobo is still crap, no matter what.

What else?

Joss Whedon finished off his run on Astonishing X-Men in high style, with the usual Whedon mix of humor and pathos. There’s a brief scene with Spider-Man that’s one of the funniest things I’ve read in years. The Whedon-supervised Buffy comics continue well, although the novelty is wearing off a bit.

The Dark Goodbye's plot is H.P. Lovecraft by way of Mickey Spillane and the art is Bill Sienkewicz by way of Mike Mignola. This is okay. John Byrne’s further adventures of Gary Seven in Star Trek—Assignment Earth are also fun, though mostly because of the concept, not because of any genius in the execution. Gail Simone’s Secret Six is very good, and fills the hole in my heart left by the Suicide Squad, if that makes any bloody sense.

Most entertaining: Hellboy, The New Frontier, All Star Superman, Secret Six. Worst: Countdown to Infinite Crisis, Salvation Run. Most promising: the new Green Lantern. Long slow decline: Justice League of America.






* Phantom Girl never actually said that.

[shaw]

New Ambush bug?

[Patguy]

[Samurailynn]

How were Uzumaki and Monster? I just looked up a description of Uzumaki and it sounds pretty interesting.

My husband and I started watching the anime of Monster a couple of years ago, but he hates watching series that stretch out of a huge amount of episodes. (We started watching Bleach way back when, but it went on for so long that we eventually gave up.) However, he doesn't seem to mind manga that goes on for several volumes. I rarely find time to keep up with regular novels and manga, so my manga reading list is kind of short.

[Patguy]

Uzumaki is very strange, very disturbing. I liked it, but it's definitely not for the fainthearted. Speaking as a horror fan, I've never read anything like it, and that's saying something.

Monster is okay. I'm still trying to find a manga as gripping as Death Note, which I read last year, and Monster isn't quite up to that standard, but it's good enough that I'll read the rest of the volumes sometime in 2009.

The main problem with manga, as I see it, is the cost. Monster, for example, is 18 volumes long; at about ten bucks a pop, that's hugely expensive for what's really only a few hours of reading. I found most of my copies at a Border's closeout sale, so they were cheaper, but still.