|
Post by johnnyunusual on Jan 13, 2011 12:05:19 GMT -5
Comics are my favourite thing in the world. I love movies too, but comics will always be my number one. Anyone else like comics? Let's talk.
|
|
|
Post by cucumberboy on Jan 13, 2011 17:07:59 GMT -5
I like 'em. Not a huge comic buff but I've been getting into the classic Batman books lately. The Dark Knight Returns, Arkham Asylum, The Long Halloween, Push etc. I don't like usual comic book sensibilities, so unfortunately I can only read books that are more than fighting. But there are a lot of batman books that are almost psychological studies of the character, which is what makes the franchise so interesting to me. But I'll read pretty much any comic book that is well written. Alan Moore and such.
|
|
|
Post by johnnyunusual on Jan 13, 2011 23:18:56 GMT -5
If you enjoy Batman, I highly recommend Grant Morrison's (who wrote Arkham Asylum) current run on the book, which is a nice take on Batman that mixes the goofiness of the fifties comics (for the first act of the series anyway) with an unsettling look into Batman's mind and increasing madness (a man can only face so much tragedy before he can crack). The second act of the series (wherein he writes Batman & Robin) is a mix of the Adam West series (in terms of being very colourful) and David Lynch.
I think Grant Morrison might be the best idea man in comics. I can't wait until he finishes Seaguy.
I also want to recommend a creator: a Norwegian cartoonist named Jason. I've only read three of his books but I loved two of them to pieces (the other one was OK, but a bit of a letdown). I'd say his best book is I Killed Adolf Hitler, a sci-fi tale with an absolutely beautiful ending.
|
|
Dr Handsome
Full Member
...but you can call me Eric.
Posts: 240
|
Post by Dr Handsome on Jan 20, 2011 23:23:43 GMT -5
I'm mostly into independent comics. Bone, Y the Last Man and Scott Pilgrim are probably, off the top of my head, my three most memorable reads.
When it comes to superhero comics I've always had this fear of continuity so the only books I've really read have been notable single runs and the occasional paperback. Lately though I've been diving further into X-Men and I'm desperately looking for some guide to the original Chris Claremont run.
Well written arcs, notable character introductions, important plot points-- can anyone list a few?
Oh, and the first three volumes of Runaways, the issues written by Brian K. Vaughan, are essential in my mind. I've been waiting for the right moment to read Ex Machina-- I'll read anything Vaughan writes. I met him on the New York Comic Con floor a few years back and I could barely contain myself.
|
|
|
Post by Mladen on Jan 21, 2011 2:19:30 GMT -5
Hey all, glad to see some comic fans on here. Am mostly into classic comics, independent works, anything well-told and unique to read, and european comics and manga. I tend to steer away from action or children's books, but otherwise read nearly anything.
@dr Handsome, if you're curious about Chris Claremont, I always liked his" New Mutants", which I feel is a standout, and as it was an original creation by him its quite approachable. Wonderful artwork by Bill Sienkiewicz there too, which makes it stand out among other 90s super comics.
Anybody here taken part in 24 hr comics before?
|
|
|
Post by johnnyunusual on Jan 21, 2011 11:31:35 GMT -5
No, but I've met someone who has in my hometown and even got published in one of the books (despite making it to 24 pages), Gibson Twist. I interviewed him on my (and my friends) short lived comic book themed college radio show in 2005.
I think Bone is possibly my all time favourite comic, though I also LOVE EC Comics (which created both Tales from the Crypt and Mad).
For X-Men, I both recommend Grant Morrison's New X-Men and Joss Whedon and John Cassidy's Astonishing X-Men, both strong books that where continuity isn't essential, though if you must read one start with New X-Men, since Astonishing references that in a big way in the third arc.
Anyone here read manga? I want to recommend the works of Naoki Urasawa, an excellent thriller creator (20th Century Boys, Monster, Pluto) who does some amazing character work on his books. I'm looking forward to reading Billy Bat.
|
|
Dr Handsome
Full Member
...but you can call me Eric.
Posts: 240
|
Post by Dr Handsome on Jan 21, 2011 11:36:34 GMT -5
I'll have to give that one a look but self-contained spin-offs are really all I've been reading up to this point. What I'm really looking for is some sort of guide to Uncanny that lists particularly well written arcs, notable character introductions, important plot points.
I have no idea what 24 hour comics is but I'm assuming it has something to do with reading or creating or meticulously organizing comics by publisher and author in a 24 hour span.
|
|
|
Post by Mladen on Jan 21, 2011 23:04:58 GMT -5
I love Naoki Urasawa's work. I've been reading Billy Bat online through scanlations, since I couldn't wait another year or so for Viz to get around to it. its a very unusual story for him, but I really dig it, especially the whole meta angle on it, and the historical component is really well integrated. It was one of my fav comics of 2010 actually.
Other manga I really love is work by Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet, No.5), and Takehiko Inoue (Vagabond). That and have been revisiting some of Katsuhiro Otomo's non-Akira works, particularly short stories, all of it is very good. A recent surprise which I loved more than I thought I would was 'Gon' which is a silent manga about an tiny aggressive dinosaur that somehow survived to today and then antagonizes lots of other animals. Lots of great physical humor, beautifully illustrated.
24 hr comics are when you conceive, write, draw, and complete a 24 page comic within a 24 hour period. Its a good chance for local comic amateurs to meet up too, very challenging but surprising to realize how much you can accomplish in only 24 hours. There's a similar thing for film also, though I believe thats 48 hours, and you produce a short film?
As for a guide to uncanny... yikes. Your best bet is to talk to the guys at your local comic shop. they can point you towards better tpbs to look at. There've been so many retcons and returns to status quo that its difficult to just read the 'essential' or 'canon' stuff. Johnny mentioned Morrison's "New Mutants" as being one of the best X-men comic runs, which I agree with, but most of Morrison's work on it was retconned later, since Marvel editorial are idiots and don't know how to work with things that are different.
|
|
Dr Handsome
Full Member
...but you can call me Eric.
Posts: 240
|
Post by Dr Handsome on Jan 22, 2011 14:30:02 GMT -5
Well I've read a bit of Astonishing X-Men which, yeah, has the 'Joss Whedon Seal of Approval' right there on the cover. It's easy enough to follow but it does make me want to fill in the gaps and get the references. New X-Men sounds like a good next step then.
Unfortunately I don't speak manga.
|
|
|
Post by Mladen on Jan 23, 2011 20:20:26 GMT -5
Unfortunately I don't speak manga. Thats pretty much how I feel about superhero comics right there.
|
|
Dr Handsome
Full Member
...but you can call me Eric.
Posts: 240
|
Post by Dr Handsome on Jan 23, 2011 23:39:33 GMT -5
When it comes to superhero comics I personally am always hesitant to jump into some decades deep canon. I know that's got more to do with my own personal hangups than with the books themselves but I've only read one offs and single runs and that sort of thing.
Though I can see why someone, for different reasons, might avoid them altogether.
|
|
|
Post by Mladen on Jan 24, 2011 0:35:15 GMT -5
I also prefer one offs for much the same reason. I like it when I can feel the author's voice, which unfortunately is a feature noticeably absent from many editorially-driven superhero comics.
But as for manga, i'd just humbly suggest you maybe give it another go? Superhero comics are a specific genre, so its fair to expect a certain thing of them, but manga encompasses such a broad range of styles and story content (as well as a broad range of maturity levels, some very low), that just choosing not to read any is very similar to dismissing a Yoji Yamada film because your experience in Japanese movies thus far has been Godzilla sequels. Kind of the same difference between the manga work of Yoshihiro Tatsumi to "One Piece".
The problem is that a lot of manga fans are obsessive young teens, & not particularly well-read, so they (if I'm being honest) have awful taste and are going to give terrible recommendations.
Anyway, just wanted to recommend to maybe give manga another go sometime, because it can be very rewarding.
|
|
|
Post by johnnyunusual on Jan 24, 2011 13:56:37 GMT -5
Hey, I like One Piece. That said, I can definitely see why it might not be appealing to many (I appreciate it's whimsy and it is able to maintain a sense of fun that a lot of similar series seem to loose over time and the creator has a really neat art style I love). But I agree, an entire country's artistic output is not to be considered uniform. The other thing I like is they have genres I wish they had in American comics: like sports and gourmet (it's a lot more fascinating than it sounds).
|
|
|
Post by Mladen on Jan 24, 2011 20:22:54 GMT -5
One Piece is light and fun (and for that type of adventure manga its pretty good), but its not something i personally enjoy. Didn't intend to diss the comic outright, more of a comparison thing, since its pretty far removed from "A Drifting Life"... To prove it wasn't a diss, I actually really like Gojira (Godzilla) movies, even if they're a bit (a lot) silly.
Speaking of sports and gourmet, recently have been reading "Oishinbo". Mouth-watering! Agreed about their genre diversity. One of my fav manga is about the trials and tribulations of a trainee suburban firefighter. I can't ever imagine seeing that in an American comic.
|
|
|
Post by Mladen on Oct 11, 2011 0:14:00 GMT -5
@johnny, since this brief conversation, I've totally come around on One Piece after getting the chance to read a few volumes. Its really fun!
|
|
|
Post by johnnyunusual on Oct 12, 2011 15:24:43 GMT -5
Yeah, I think that the creator, despite relying on some shonen tropes I don't care for at times, has really strong characters and is very good at creating crazy fantasy worlds. Warning that in later volumes, certain arcs get stretched out WAY too long. The art remains fantastic, though.
|
|
|
Post by Mladen on Dec 6, 2011 2:20:43 GMT -5
Hello all,
I'm putting together my selections for the best (or my favourite) comics of 2011 for the comics podcast I co-host ("Extra Sequential"),
QUESTION FOR YOU GUYS/GIRLS: What are your selections of your favourite books/comics/manga from this year?
My shortlist so far: Big Questions - Anders Nilsen (Drawn & Quarterly) I will bite you - Joseph Lambert (Secret Acres)
|
|
|
Post by deadpool on Dec 6, 2011 9:25:28 GMT -5
I enjoy comic books but more of the characters and the stories. I don't often buy comics because you have to follow them from week to week or month to month and I often forget. I love deadpool comics (ovbiously) because of their humour and how they can make you love and identify with this character that by all rights you should hate like Tony Stark. I never read the actual comic but I know of it and played the game is Marvel Civil War. One of the best stories I've ever seen from a comic book. I like manga too but I useally just watch the anime but a few reccomindations are Death Note, Naruto and Haruhi Suzimaya.
|
|
|
Post by Mladen on Dec 13, 2011 21:39:33 GMT -5
I don't often buy comics because you have to follow them from week to week or month to month and I often forget. Not all comics, thankfully. I don't read 'periodical' comics for that reason too. Plus I just prefer a book. I never read the actual comic but I know of it and played the game is Marvel Civil War. One of the best stories I've ever seen from a comic book. The comic is a little different to the game. As a book it kind of disappointed me, since they promised that the two factions would be split on moral grounds and would present both, but the book clearly took only the liberal viewpoint as the 'correct' one, and mostly told the story from their perspective. Its fine for a superhero comic though. Just recently read Chester Brown's "Paying for it" in which he documents his real-life experiences in paying for sex with prostitutes. Its an interesting book, kind of fascinating to hear the kinds of conversations he has with the women, and the little surprising details. Also recently read the AX: Alternative Manga Anthology, which was interesting, but like many anthologies of alternative work, much of it was hit and miss, and for a few of the comics the focus is on being edgy rather than skilful. Then again, there's some beautiful and highly original work in there. Worth a read if you're into alternative comics, since the scene in Japan is similar to that in the West. Checked out Blue Estate and Who is Jake Ellis from Image Comics recently. I've heard the former described as Tarantino-esque, which is accurate but not entirely descriptive (its probably a bit closer to a film like Snatch). Its highly energetic and frantic, and the art is luscious and very Paul Pope-ish, great slick modern crime fiction. "Who is Jake Ellis" is a 6 issue miniseries and seems inevitable that it'll be turned into a movie. Its about a Jason Bourne-esque spy who is guided by a voice/ghost in his head (implanted by microchip), who gives him blow by blow instructions on how to take out an enemy, dismantle a gun, etc. Both are recommended comics.
|
|
|
Post by johnnyunusual on Dec 18, 2011 21:56:36 GMT -5
I read Ed Brubaker's Batman: the Man Who Laughs recently, but while it's a good story, it's pretty disappointingly by-the-numbers retelling of the first Joker story. The Doug Mahnke art is pretty rad though.
|
|