quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: No recommendations in two months? C'mon Legion World, give 'em to us!
I'll have to say that anyone not reading Jonah Hex every month is missing a great story and in danger of being a person I no longer respect, like or want to see live a fruitful life. Jonah Hex is simply smashing all notions that a western comic can't survive, that a series of done in comics can't survive and that a quality comic book can come out every single month. The writing is always tight, the stories are fantastic and the artwork is just a monthly dose of the best thing on the stands.
Not only should you go buy the latest issue, you should go do it right now. Best part? Every issue is a jumping on point.
Curse you. I have to get another issue later this week now. Great stuff, and I only read 1 and 50. Good thing is, I have a lot of reading to catch up on.
From: Turn around... | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Gotta put in a recommendation for Atomic Robo--anyone not picking this up is really missing the boat. It's a fun series, action-packed, with some great science-fiction and awesomely likable characters. Every issue has hilarious moments. And Robo is just about 100 years old, and his long history makes the larger mythology of the series so fascinating.
Any issue is basically a jumping on point, even mid-miniseries.
Eryk, Lash, Lardy--how are you guys not reading this yet? Especially you, Eryk! This could restore your faith in comics.
Dev and others with kids--this is also a comic that I think kids would love as well, though of course equally enjoyable to adults!
I need more convincing Des! There's an eBay lot on the first TPB that's minutes from ending (for a bargain price) that I've been on the fence as to whether or not to buy! Does it have memorable characters, or is it just big, fun robot action?
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Characters are highly memorable! Nikola Tesla is a major character! There is a guy who works with Robo named Jensen that is COMPLETELY AWESOME. He's like Batman and he's put in situations that totally mirror Batman in the JLI.
Stories are complex, loaded with science but have a slight whimsical touch!
Backstory is so large you can't help but try to figure it out whenever you open a comic!
Buy it! Totally worth it! You'll love it!
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Miner, Umbrella Academy (first series) just wasn't my cup of tea. My major problem with it was that the characters just didn't grab me. They were weird and quirky, yes, but they didn't breathe for me. For Cobie, backgrounds on art are often the deal-breaker on a comic. For me it's characterizations. If everyone feels like a stock character and I don't really care about any of them, that takes me out of the story. I picked it up on LW recommendations, and I can see why they liked it. But it didn't really do anything for me personally.
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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Characterization's usually important to me, too, and I think UA does have some of that. But mostly it's just out there, which is exactly what I was missing from comics at the time.
UA would never work for me as a monthly book, but in mini-sized doses it does fine.
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I think the Atomic Robo guys are more concerned with making an action/comedy series than worrying about long-term development of characters. But AR does not lack character development, I'll put it that way.
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It sounds a little more up my alley, then. Not every title has to be on, say, the level of Scalped in characterization. If they grab me and make me want to see what happens next, then that's enough. There was just too little of that feeling in UA for me at all.
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Lardy, I think AR won't be what you expect and you'll be glad you got it. It certainly is different enough from everything else that I like having it on my pull list. Trust me that Atomic Robo himself is a really deep character who you'll love almost instantly and that will grow over time.
quote:Originally posted by Officer Taylor: Miner, Umbrella Academy (first series) just wasn't my cup of tea. My major problem with it was that the characters just didn't grab me. They were weird and quirky, yes, but they didn't breathe for me. For Cobie, backgrounds on art are often the deal-breaker on a comic. For me it's characterizations. If everyone feels like a stock character and I don't really care about any of them, that takes me out of the story. I picked it up on LW recommendations, and I can see why they liked it. But it didn't really do anything for me personally.
I was still reading posts last night when I was holding the baby before bed (posting from my phone at this point would have been too hard) and I noticed this. You know, you're certainly right, but I don't know when I started to feel this way. I’ve *always* been a ‘story over the art’ kind of reader, where I’d take a great story with mediocre art but couldn’t stand a beautiful artfully done comic with a bad story. Ever since day one. My father, meanwhile, is the opposite (and he’s given me several speeches about comics being a visual medium, mind you ).
But at one point, possibly after a few film classes I had in college, I started to really pick up on what the artist has to bring to the table other than what the writer and editor tell them to do (mis en scene, dynamic energy in the panels, etc.). And I went and looked at the Golden, Atomic, Silver and Bronze Age stories I co-own and I noticed how the greats did it too. So these days, when I notice an empty background, I truly feel like the artist isn’t trying hard enough, doesn’t know what the hell their doing (and needs an editor) or is actually just trying to make a quick buck. So it grates on me—it’s become my personal pet-peeve.
I hear you on characterizations too, of course, but I’ve come to realize that’s your own pet-peeve too. I enjoy when you take a character to task even if I’m not as vehement about as you are.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Okay, here is a comic book that jumped immediately from a "Random Comic Review" post to "Any Recommendations" as I've just put it down and was so impressed by it that I had to stop whatever I had planned next and post about it. Previously, I had reviewed the Top Cow / Robert Kirkman "Pilot Season" Murderer, which I also recommended. I liked it so much, I hoped it won the contest. Now I'm not so sure, because I just read the third Kirkman outing (I skipped Demonic, the 2nd) and I was pretty blow away. The comic book was Stealth and anyone who is a fan of Robert Kirkman, fascinating characters with just about no analogues in all of comics and incredible twists need to pick it up.
Honestly, the premise starts off pretty strait forward but then has a twist or two that is both incredibly fascinating and also really dynamic in the sense that after only one issue, I was feeling some real emotional concern for these characters.
I'm biting my tongue because I can't really say much about it without giving away the entire thing. Trust: any preconcieved notions you might have about Top Cow, Kirkman or whatever are wrong. I almost passed this up and only decided to get it because Comic Book Resources gave it a glowing review and I'm spending so much more time at home these days I wanted more material to read. Man, am I glad I did!
"Characters" is the word of the day here (naturally as a Kirkman comic) but everything else clicks: artwork, pacing, moodiness...*everything*.
Solid buy! One of the best hooks I've ever read in comics before. The hook, though is not a story-driven hook (like Thunderbolts #1), but a character-driven hook. I'm dying to know what happens to the two main characters.
Hopefully someone buys (I'm looking at you Kirkman fans) and we can discuss some spoilers.
FYI, Top Cow's "Pilot Season" is this thing were they release 5 different one-shots and then the fans vote on their favorite and it gets continued as a series. This year, they are doing 5 Robert Kirkman projects.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Recommended for kids of all ages, but especially to those just learning to read and who are still too young for superheroes, is "The Toon Treasury of Classic Children's Comics." Spanning stories from the dawn of comic books in the late 30s through just before superheroes took over in the early 60s, it's a wonderfully eclectic selection of timeless whimsy, weirdness, and wonder. The $40 price tag is a bit steep, but you can probably find a copy to borrow from your local library.
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^This absolutely sounds like something I'll be looking for in the next few years. I definitely want to try out various comics for my son (and next few kids too ) when they can start reading and your description sounds perfect for that.
In a few years I will certainly be on the look out for comics to read with my kids so I will need your advice, Stealth! You know *all* the best Disney, cartoon-related and other groovy ones.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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