What comic books/graphic novels are you reading at the moment?

Wow, it amazes me how many people and how much work have gone into all of these X-Men comics. I've never once picked up an X-Men comic, though I love the concept. I really want to pick them up, but I'm finding it hard to be motivated. Any way you want to try and sell me on them? Like what is it about these comics that really attracted you and caused you to stay with them?
 
If I was going to be completely honest I would say there is far to much X-Saturation on the shelves at the moment, there are four core titles alone - All New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, The Amazing X-Men and Wolverine and the X-Men, not to mention all the satellite titles like Wolverine (and all his variations), X-Force, X-Factor and so on and on... The stories are good, but being thrown straight in... well that's a bit of a push.

How did I start? Well a loooong time ago Marvel UK did a series of reprinting the original Jack Kirby/Stan Lee issues. I got them and enjoyed them, but they did not blow me away. The concept was what caught my attention rather than the stories.

Then I saw on a newstand a proper US style comic book. It was the X-Men, but not like anything I had seen. Issue 171. I bought it. It was nothing like the reprints, different characters slower stories, plot threads that were dangling a,d it drew me in.

At the time there was only one regular X-title and it was easy to follow month by month. It was like looking into peoples. The Uncanny X-Men written by Chris Claremont with art by Walt Simonson (guest artist, regular artist Paul Smith was about the leave and be replaced).

Claremont wrote the title for nearly 17 years consecutively, and the sales alone should show how popular he made it. Going from a second rate bi-monthly title, to best selling comic book for it's time, and expanding... first to The New Mutants, then X-Factor and Excalibur until you reach today. Claremont left a long time ago now, but for the first time the team feels nearly as good as when he was writing it.

And if you want a real hard sell: The Dark Phoenix saga. Available in graphic novel form it is considered a classic of the genre, and regularly voted the top story of all time - or close to it. Written by Claremont with art by John Byrne, it is both of them in their prime, telling a story that was written issue to issue but felt as though it were a masterwork planned and intricately plotted from the word go. It puts the characters through the ringer, it changes the whole dynamic, and it shows just how good a comic story can be told when all the right pieces are in play.
 
Has anyone read the Dark Tower comics by MArvel. I found those to be brilliant. The first few recover old ground and don't really add anything new to the story but eventually they expand the dark tower multiverse. The art work is amazing. Though they were only in hard back so quite costly when i was buying them.
 
I picked up the first trade of Hickman's Manhattan Projects, which presents an alternative history involving Einstein, Oppenheimer, and von Braun, amongst others. It was good stuff, and Hickman didn't do the art. (I was put off by how much graphic art he used in Nightly News.)
 
I'm doing a few days reading comics in an attempt to clear some of the backlog (again), so there will be probably be a few posts in the coming days. I'll try and keep away from the obvious stuff...

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This is a new series from Image comics written and drawn by newcomer Larime Taylor. Currently on the third issue, it is something totally different to my normal reading material, but is an exceptional piece of work.

The strip is in black and white, the art clean and consistent and is matched with a story that is dark and compelling.

Zoey is a young woman, spreading her wings and starting at college. There she is offered the chance at starting a radio show, a talk based show where others can phone in with their troubles and she can try and help with their issues.

The fact that she has come from a background which involves tragedy is considered a common point with the callers so she might be able to help...

Of course the title of the comic is A Voice in the Dark, which could well be reference to the show, but... if you take the other point of reference for dark, as in something bad, dark thoughts there might be a deeper meaning to the title.

You see Zoey is a murderer and she might be ready to do it again...

There are some exceptional things that could be said about the writer/artist. Look him up online and you might be even more surprised at the talent displayed in the pages.
 
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Although this is just another superhero title and one that could well be part of the Avengers side of the Marvel Universe, it is also something more.

Writer James Robinson might not be the most prolific writer, but he is one of the best superhero writers around. His Starman for DC was a highlight of the time, and since the new 52 he wrote the superb Earth 2. However he has taken the plunge and gone to Marvel, where he will be writing two titles in the second phase of the companies MARVEL NOW offensive.

Later this year he will be relaunching the Fantastic 4, but he starts of with the All-New Invaders, art provided by Steve Pugh.

The Invaders is one of the oldest teams around, part of the World War 2 output, that saw Captain America and Bucky teamed with the original Human Torch, his partner Toro, Prince Namor and Spitfire (to name but a few).

Every now and then there is an attempt to resurrect the team, and this is the latest.

Robinson's writing seems to have adapted to a more standard Marvel style, but he does not hold back as he wades in no holds barred opening story, that involves a secret from the past, the Kree empire and Hela, the Norse goddess of death.

Nothing small then.

A good solid start it will be interesting to see where it goes.
 
Been reading Transformers MTMTE, and I have zero shame for doing so. Tons of fun.
 
Currently re-reading Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis before moving on to The Boys series by Garth Ennis.
 
A long time ago a drama writer created a science fiction television series. In many ways it was ground-breaking. After all it opened the door to the widespread use of cgi in television shows, but perhaps most importantly it was the concept of an ongoing interlinking story arc that would run for five years. A beginning middle and end. The show was Babylon 5, the writer J Michael Straczynski.

Following the success of the show, he moved on to a spin-off series that failed, and writing movie scripts - including the Oscar nominated, Clint Eastwood directed The Changeling. But somewhere along the way he added something else to his belt and began writing comics. Initially he wrote exclusively for Marvel, working on a number of titles, but his main run was on the main Spider-man book, a run that culminated in the ground-breaking, some would say annoying One More Day, a tale tat rewrote Spidey continuity. It also saw the end of JMS' run at Marvel, and he headed for DC, where he was given key characters to develop, Superman and Wonder Woman. This did not last long. Almost immediately JMS went missing on scripting duties and although he was credited as plotter or co writer, it was obvious he was not giving it his all. Possibly because having been given two major characters to redevelop DC did a major u-turn and announced Flashpoint and all the changes that would bring.

JMS then vanished from the comic arena.

A few months ago he returned, working for a number of different companies, but most notably Image. All of the comics though came under the banner of Joe’s Comics, an umbrella company that will be part of any comics JMS publishes, no matter what company does the actual publishing...

However for now the comics are all under Image.

There are five titles, Dream Police, Protectors Inc., The Adventures of Apocalypse Al, Ten Grand and Sidekick.

It might seem a bit odd to find a single writer kicking out five (six more on that in a moment) titles a month, but then we are talking about the man who holds the record for the most consecutive episodes of an ongoing television series written by a single writer, so I think it may well probable that he can keep on top of the comics.

I have yet to read Ten Grand, Dream Police does not launch until the end of April - although it is something that was originally published by Marvel (or at least the first issue was) many years ago.

Protectors Inc. Reads in some ways like a The Boys light, with the heroes achieving a level of fame and then living off the excesses. It does not go as far as The Boys hedonism and is already going in a different direction.

Sidekick - Is a nice little study at what it must be like to be the Sidekick of a major superhero. Always in the shadow of the counterpart, not really a hero in your own right. It is an interesting idea and already going in some thought-provoking directions.

Apocalypse Al is just on issue 2 and is probably my favourite so far. A private investigator who deals with the encroaching forces of evil. Okay it might be a bit like a female Harry Dresden, but it is an entertaining world populated by interesting characters and an intriguing opening story arc.

On top of this, and outside of the Joe’s Comics remit, there is a Twilight Zone comic based on the legendary series of the same name. One of the more modern revivals is a show that JMS worked on, so perhaps it is fitting that he would write this as well, especially as it is an intriguing and spooky story of a man who gives up his life to avoid prosecution for financial crimes, only to find he does not like the outcome...

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Uber is my favourite title at the moment, it is something different while still maintaining the superhuman aesthetic that is at the heart of comics. Written by Keiron Gillen with art by Cannan White it melds the alternative history genre firmly with super-heroics, but in an adult manner, that is as horrific as it is thrilling.

It is the end of the war, the German forces are falling back on Berlin as the allies close in on them. Hitler is preparing for the end in his bunker... But something is about to pay off.

Instead of backing the V2 rocket program, which has been left to progress without the backing it had; the Nazi’s have been experimenting with a strange substance that has been found to give a small percentage of the population incredible powers. And as the Russian forces close in the terrifying enhanced beings are unleashed and turn the tide of the war.

The story follows the war as it progresses, following the desperate attempt of the Allies to come up with a way of stopping the onslaught, developing an arms race in a totally different manner. There are also some intriguing asides to things that might be coming, like the Americans working on something huge of their own (Atomic weapons perhaps?) and the very nature of the chemical that is causing so much trouble.

The art is perfect throughout, very fitting for the story, and the depiction of the powers is never less than terrible, not hiding the fact that these things are weapons and they do horrendous damage.

Each issue sees Gillen himself writing about two pages talking about the series and why he has done what he has done in context to history, which gives an insight not often seen in comics.

Well into it’s run now, the earlier issues have been (or are due) to be collected into graphic novel form.

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Rat Queens by Kurtis J Wiebe and Roc Upchurch

Rat Queens has been receiving quite a lot of attention for being a well written, well draw book, with a cast of strong, different female characters.

And it is just that - and a lot of fun to boot.

The Rat Queens are a group of adventurers, all female that are in many ways the standard Role-playing archetypes. Halfling, Elf, Dwarf, magic-user... but if they are it is the Dungeons and Dragons generation all growned up. There is adult behaviour, adult language and a lot of humour. Not to mention a rather enjoyable story as well. When all the adventurers in one small town are sent out on different quests it seems like a normal day - until it becomes apparent that the quests are all traps set up to kill off all the adventurers. Just who would do such a thing?

And are they ready for the consequences?

I think one of the best things in the book is that everything happens for a reason, there are no sudden twists thrown in just for the hell of it, the set piece finale is something that grows from event earlier in the story, which makes it all the more satisfying.

All the characters work well and come across as individuals. They all look different and in the space of these five collected issues become people you like reading about, something that not all comics can do, even those that have been around for years.

It also never forgets its roots, ending each issue with a caption that not only teases the next byt includes a dice roll of how to get there....

Well worth a read for any comic book, or fantasy fan.

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Warren Ellis' The Trees was quite good although the premise is exactly the same as the Hugo Gernsback novel Ultimate World granted the execution is entirely different.
 
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