Comic Books!

JBC · Post by **JBC** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 12:55 am

I was just wondering how many other comic fans we have here at shmups. Today was comic day for me - as i went and picked up the rest or Rann/Tanagar War, Green Lantern #4-5, Green Lantern Corps Recharge #1-2, New Avengers #11-12, Uncanny X-Men #464-465, and the first issue of Justice. Gots' me some readin' to do.

The n00b · Post by **The n00b** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:28 am

I don't like American comic books. There's too many continuity problems and just TOOO MUCH back story for my tastes. I think this is one case where japanese manga wins out. Stories should be self contained with a definite beginning and end.

JBC · Post by **JBC** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:48 am

Funny - i'm just the opposite... i love the confusion and complexity of american comics. Especially in stuff like X-Men... It's ALOT of stuff to tear into...

sven666 · Post by **sven666** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:52 am

sure i read comics.. sam henderson, ivan brunetti, peter bagge, milk & cheese etc.. cant stand superhero stuff tho

i used to read alot of marvel type stuff when i was a kid some +10yrs ago.. here in sweden we had a magazine called "MAGNUM" that featured stuff like judge dredd, AXA and catclaw (or whatever she was called, only looked at the tits anyways)...

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:58 am

I love sci-fi and horror comics.

Right now I'm reading Hideshi Hino horror comics and Charles Burns's Black Hole. Both are pretty good.

I just finished Junji Ito's Gyo which was the best comic I've ever mother-fucking read. Ever. Great art and premise.

I draw comics, for anyone interested...

http://spacebabes.netfirms.com

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:23 am

Mostly only read manga, and not much at that.

Neo Rasa · Post by **Neo Rasa** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:35 am

I don't think I like any manga that was made after say 1995 or so.

Western comics, I love all the older 2000 AD stuff, Strontium Dog, classic Judge Dredd, etc. I'm a huge Batman fan as well. That's the one mainstream character and universe I'll always think is awesome.

When I was younger I was a total Spider-Man nutcase, I still think the character is fun but I can't get into current comics at all anymore, I just buy graphic novels and the occasional back issue.

I really hate how Marvel started doing the "decompressed storytelling" (read: tons of intentional and admitted filler and milking like with Inu-Yasha) that so much manga employs. Part of the manga style is that it tends to have a little less dialogue to work with, and is supposed to be more about the sequential artwork setting the mood, but the artwork in 99.999999% of the manga that actually comes out in the US today is bland as hell.

Beyond all of that, Frank Miller is my favorite comics-related person ever. Not just for Sin City but for Batman: Year One, 300, Ronin, his run on Daredevil, fantastic stuff.

Ronin especially, EVERYONE should read that. It came out originally from like 1981 to 1983 I think? Originally published in six 100 page issues back when comic book production values were totally awesome instead of totally disgraceful. Extremely influential writing and artstyle in Ronin, moreso than I think anyone can possibly comprehend.

Manga fans especially would probably get a lot out of it. Read it, then read any cyberpunk manga made in the mid-eighties and up, it's fascinating to see how far-reaching the influence of Ronin is in that respect even though it's not that famous at all today.

As for manga, my favorite has always been and will always be Battle Angel Alita. The Akira manga is fantastic as well. It makes the movie look like the disjointed hodgepodge of storytelling that it is.

JBC · Post by **JBC** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 3:07 am

Oh, yeah! Ronin is the shit. I actually just read it for the first time about 3 years ago... They should make a movie...

Speaking of which - James Cameron is working on Battle Angel Alita right now.

Neo Rasa · Post by **Neo Rasa** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 3:24 am

Yeah I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with it. Supposedly going to be a huge mix of CGI but with tons of animatronics and other practical effects as well.

Sounds like Immortal, hopefully the end result looks better and actually has actors and a script.

It HAS to be rated R. I re-read the first volume of Battle Angel recently and the violence level is......gloriously overdone. It literally elevates exploitatively drawn violence to an artform.

Good to see another person that's read Ronin. I was young and stupid when I first read it and so I didn't get much out of it. Reading it again as I got more mature though I realized what was missing out on. Going through it somewhat regularly, even today I pick up on little nuances in the writing and the characters that I never noticed before. Such a well told story.

Ronin actually would make for a great movie. It's a shame we get Elektra and Man-Thing and Catwoman instead.

SAM · Post by **SAM** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 5:02 am

The n00b wrote:I don't like American comic books. There's too many continuity problems and just TOOO MUCH back story for my tastes. I think this is one case where japanese manga wins out. Stories should be self contained with a definite beginning and end.

I am into Japanese Manga and Anmine only.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 5:51 am

I never got into comics that weren't generic superhero stuff. Stuff like Watchmen, Sin City, Bone, Elfquest, or even the Star Wars stuff never really appealed to me. Then again, I've stopped reading comics since 1994 so I guess I'm not that interested.

I think what would be great is if older series (limited or regular) got scanned into official disc-based computerized versions. It would be cheaper than printing and while it may put a strain on the eyes, it's an efficient method of collecting lots of comics together.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:10 am

The only comic (aside from the Sunday funnies, heh heh) that I currently keep up with is the Evangelion manga, and of course the creator loves to take his sweet time putting out new volumes of it, so I don't read it too often. On the American side, I've seen a little bit of "Sandman," and liked what I saw; I wouldn't mind trying to acquire a bit of it for myself, but right now I have neither the time nor the money. As for "traditional" comic books, the premise behind them is usually a bit too preposterous to be saved by whatever the good points of it are, in my view.

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:29 am

I've never been a comic fan, but my last girlfriend turned me on to Astro City, which I really enjoyed. Not being a fan of the medium, I have no idea if the artwork or whatever is any good, but the story lines really appealed to me. Heart warming stuff.

CIT · Post by **CIT** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 4:29 pm

My favorite comic book:

Big fan of all his work.

Acid King · Post by **Acid King** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 5:03 pm

sven666 wrote:sure i read comics.. sam henderson, ivan brunetti, peter bagge, milk & cheese etc.. cant stand superhero stuff tho

i used to read alot of marvel type stuff when i was a kid some +10yrs ago.. here in sweden we had a magazine called "MAGNUM" that featured stuff like judge dredd, AXA and catclaw (or whatever she was called, only looked at the tits anyways)...

Peter Bagge does comics for a libertarian magazine called Reason. Good stuff.

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 5:48 pm

Seven Force wrote:My favorite comic book:

Big fan of all his work.

I recently heard about this. I'm very interested in it. Mind telling me what it's about? Some of the themes?

Or link me to a review.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 6:30 pm

I don't know much about comics, but I do highly recommend Daniel G. Clowes' Eightball. (Perhaps it's a series. What I have says on the back: Eightball #23, 2004 A.D.) Pretty good stuff.

dai jou bu · Post by **dai jou bu** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 6:33 pm

The comics I tend to stumble across are ones that are based on existing games like Magic: The Gathering (I've only read the one about the creation of Serra's world or something like that, probably along the Homelands timeline) or because I saw the anime adaption of the manga first.

judesalmon · Post by **judesalmon** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:07 pm

I used to read all the X-Men stuff, but kinda grew bored of it.

Fost · Post by **Fost** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 9:49 pm

I'm a 2000AD lifer with every issue. Sometimes there's just some fantastic little stories in there that I think most comic readers miss out on. Things like Banzai Battalion - tiny soldier robots that take on garden pests in the future, and band together to take on the criminals who try to hide from the law by taking the Banzai Battalion's elderly owners hostage. Then there's some truly epic stories, especially going back to the likes of the totally un-pc Apocalypse War.

I've never been a fan of super hero stuff, but I became a fan of Frank Miller through, my faves being: 'The Dark Knight Returns'. Elektra - Assasin, 3000, Big Guy and Rusty the Robot (with stunning art by Geoff Darrow) Sin City + that Yellow Bastard -which has to have my favourite opening page ever:

I never read much manga, but I recently got hooked reading Akira - so much better than the movie. Right now, I'm reading Nausicaa of the Valley fo the Wind. My wife got me all 7 books for my birthday (best present ever!), I'm only part way through, but I have to say I already know it's going to be one of my favourite comics of all time.

Neo Rasa · Post by **Neo Rasa** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 3:18 am

It's weird, That Yellow Bastard is my favorite of the Sin City stories, yet I think it was the weakest part of the movie acting and direction-wise.

I agree about that opening page. Stuff like that and the fantasy he has during the interrogation scene, that stuff can ONLY work as a comic book, it's beautiful.

2000 AD is great stuff.

There are so many awesome comics, it's a shame the especially shitty (IMO) stuff is what actually becomes popular and makes money. That goes for both hemispheres.

CIT · Post by **CIT** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:30 am

Andi wrote:I recently heard about this. I'm very interested in it. Mind telling me what it's about? Some of the themes?

Or link me to a review.

He usually draws in a faux-nostalgic 30s/40s/50s style. Stories are mostly David Lynchian horror-sexual weirdness.

You can check out some of his images here:

http://www.woodenmen.org/maruo/

Or read my friends' blog, they translate some of Maruo's work (as well as other Indie Manga):

http://samehat.blogspot.com/

Minzoku · Post by **Minzoku** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 8:13 am

I subscribe to one American comic... ironically

Well, Shutterbox, also, but it isn't really being released as a comic.

Oh, wait, and one indie comic

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 9:40 am

You and your damn furries again.

Oh, wait...

Minzoku · Post by **Minzoku** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 10:12 am

I don't read comics based on what the characters look like

The stories happen to kick ass

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 10:22 am

No, no. Perhaps I didn't explain myself.
<<<<<<< See?

Didn't mean to sound like a jerk. The comment was aimed at making fun of myself.

Minzoku · Post by **Minzoku** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 10:30 am

[/JOKE]

JBC · Post by **JBC** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 1:48 pm

Man, that's too bad about alot of you guys not reading superhero books. You're missing out on alot of great stuff.

Here's what i say - no one has any right to claim they don't like american superhero comics until they've read Green Lantern Rebirth. Read that and THEN make youre judgement.

[catch phrase]Seriously, Green Lantern Rebirth rocks. As a matter of fact Rebirth rocks my socks and if i where gay it'd rock my ass, too. Good thing i'm not gay. Rock on, Rebirth.[/catch phrase]

Neo Rasa · Post by **Neo Rasa** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 12:18 am

Not only that, but seriously, the entire eighties run of any Batman comic is great stuff. Also I will ALWAYS love the visceral, noir-type stories of the original Spector comics back from the thirties/forties when it was all about the Justice Society. Great stuff, detective stories with a supernatural twist.

Always awkward to read golden age Batman though, he carried a gun and would kill people willy nilly.

It was cool though that they worked his anti-gun psychosis into the character so well with what started as a way to clean up the comic to meet the comics code authority approval.

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 12:50 am

Neo Rasa wrote:Not only that, but seriously, the entire eighties run of any Batman comic is great stuff. Also I will ALWAYS love the visceral, noir-type stories of the original Spector comics back from the thirties/forties when it was all about the Justice Society. Great stuff, detective stories with a supernatural twist.

Always awkward to read golden age Batman though, he carried a gun and would kill people willy nilly.

It was cool though that they worked his anti-gun psychosis into the character so well with what started as a way to clean up the comic to meet the comics code authority approval.

Wha?

I've read early Batman and Detective Comics issues. I've only seen one panel where he used a gun and it was a gun he found on someone's body. He shot out the tire of a car and there was a text box that says "Batman never uses a gun unless absolutely necessary."