Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities IMAGE explosions

So, I just got back from the CBS and in my stack-- an unbelievable amount of IMAGE books!

MORNING GLORIES 18

SAGA 2-3

AMERICA'S GOT POWERS 1 (I haven't read it yet but I am SO going to try to talk Dean Lee into us doing our own version of an American Idol-type superhero thingie)

DANGER CLUB 2

HELL YEAH 3

THE WALKING DEAD 97

SEVEN Image comics-- which TIED my DC amount purchased. Poor Marvel was left in the dust with only ONE comic bought (MARVEL ZOMBIES DESTROY! # 1)

The blue-eyed, chisel-jawed cutiepie I've had a crush on since the 90s that works there said, "Look at all these Independents... I like that!" which almost caused an entirely different type of explosion...

Image has emerged as—by far—the single best comic book company going these days. Not only do they have a business model I find morally better, but they also have the best comic book series on the market.

• Walking Dead – there’s a reason for its popularity!
• Chew – funniest comic on the market! With great characters and a complex storyline too!
• Morning Glories – fantastic! (Wait til you read the latest Lash!)
• Danger Club – best opening issue of a series I’ve read in…forever?
• Hell Yeah – surprise delight and really awesome new series!
• Saga – quite possibly the best new comic book series going, destined to be among the greatest ever in the medium!
• America’s Got Powers – another strong debut issue!
• Glory – brave and bold creators taking chances and also providing an amazing story!
• Prophet – science-fiction on a level few have ever reached, like Ridley Scott’s first alien film or Moebius’ European comics
• Fatale – the best crime / noir duo EVER in comics now bring the perhaps the best pulp / horror / noir series EVER to comics!
• Peter Panzerfaust – I haven’t smiled as widely and as warmly as I did the last three times when I read an issue of this series! An adventure series so good that along with Atomic Robo and Chew, it made Eryk Davis Ester believe in the medium again!
• Manhattan Projects & Secret – two new series by Jonathan Hickman that are already causing my brain to leak out my ears! Manhattan Projects was particularly awesome!
• Skullkickers – I came late to the party, but as my motto states, I’m just glad I came! ( ) I’m already blown away by how utterly terrific this series is and I’m currently hunting down back issues.
• Bulletproof Coffin – the single most creative thing in history besides perhaps the guy who first combined peanut butter and jelly!

Meanwhile…Thief of Thieves has finally kicked into high gear and is showing potential to be yet ANOTHER triumph by Kirkman & compatriots…Supreme has me definitely interesting on where its going, after Eric Larsen calmed me down in an interview…Mind the Gap #1 had a pretty awesome twist at the end of the first issue that made me sit up and take notice…and I’ve been eying that Strange Talent of Luthor Strode TPB for awhile. Plus, maybe its finally time to get back into Invincible? Double plus, I kind of like the Darkness by David Hine and am considering continuing after a ‘tryout’ issue.

So yeah, Image is rocking these days. I can’t believe I’m collecting all of these Image series. But each month a new one joins the pack—and its just as good as everything else! It gives me great pleasure to drop the crappy DC and Marvel books that have let me down and drained my pockets so that I can buy comics that actually make me enthusiastic for the hobby again!

On my radar: Dancer, Grim Leaper, Debris, Bedlam, Happy! and Jupiter's Children! All look like they're going to be fantastic!

But don't think I'm just some dude who likes a comic because a company publishes it! I've dropped Haunt and Super Dinosaur recently and said no to Bloodstryke, Epic Kill and others after trying them out. Each series must prove itself. Image is the only company that has series that actually do that on a consistent basis.

So how are these IMAGE titles stacking up for me? I am going to decide their fates in this very thread! Will they stay or will they GET THE BOOT??

Well, I just read MORNING GLORIES 13-18 in one sitting and YEAH. It works best like that. Keeping me fascinated and utterly surprised every issue, ESPCIALLY the huge surprise in 18!

So Morning Glories stays on the pull!

THE WALKING DEAD is safe, of course. It remains a top draw for me, despite a feeling like the book itself may be going in circles and there's not NEARLY enough time spent on character development of secondary castmembers. I have even forgotten many characters' names that have been around for 40 issues...

SAGA earns a spot on the pull after the terrific issues 2-3!

SUPREME 64 confirmed EVERY SINGLE ONE of my fears for a post-Moore version of this title. It is on the "1 more issue" bubble and if 65 follows the path 64 started, it will be the final issue I buy.

HELL YEAH 3... was good. My main complaint is the "alternate Ben heroes" massacre... man, a LOT of image books feature massacres it seems... but something interesting IS going on and I wanna see how it develops. I'm onboard for # 4.


DANGER CLUB 2... was a bit of a letdown. Mainly the opening pages bode very ill for my taste and what I wanna see in my comics. The rest was a mix of character building for Kid Vigilante and a slugfest between Transformer robot type heroes, which doesn't really float my boat.

I thought this book MIGHT be the next Brat Pack or Welcome to Tranquility but I'm pretty sure that won't be the case. I am giving it one more issue, so that puts it on the "1 issue bubble" list. # 3 will determine its fate!

I had the same exact reaction when I read the latest Supreme. I was so angry, in fact, I started hunting online for interviews with Larsen and reviews. One interview calmed me down a *little*. Larsen confirmed the other Supremes will remain a part of the cast and that not many characters actually died other than walk-on Supremes and Daxes. His words were "I'm giving Alan Moore's Supreme his biggest challenge yet: Rob Liefield's Supreme." So it looks like psycho Supreme isn't the star but the villain.

So...I feel a little better. (At least not fuming with anger). But all that does is make me want to continue to give it a chance. I'm still very much on the fence.

"America's Got Powers" was a strong first issue, though I kept wishing Todd Nauck would just bring back "Wild Guard."

Another great Image read is "Reed Gunther," an all-ages book with plenty of action and humor for adults. It has a great "Brisco County Jr." vibe to it.

I also hope to see "Marineman" return soon.

I think I need to check for a WILD GUARD trade.

AMERICA'S GOT POWERS 1... ummmm... here's another massacre scene. WHAT is it with IMAGE and massacre scenes? That's, like, crazy man.

Anyway, the massacre doesn't get TOO terribly deadly before it is ended-- and HOW it is ended is enough to make me wanna continue with issue 2! I'm kinda hoping the new player discovered here puts a complete and total end to massacres by issue 6...

AMERICA'S GOT POWERS 2 ...still keeping my interest.

HELL YEAH 4 ...I wanna meet the lesbian chick version of me from an alternate dimension! HELL YEAH is really starting to click.

SUPREME 65 ...Larsen surprised me. This issue gave me hope and earned my return next month.


DANGER CLUB 3 ...Yeah, I think the potential here is massive but the execution is just NOT working for me at ALL. My last issue of this.

After reading comments here about SAGA 4, I decided not to go forward with it.

Looking forward to MORNING GLORIES and TWD though!

awww I am waiting for the trade of Danger Club since my store only had issue 3.

America's Got Powers has me intrigued too.

I recently burned through Morning Glories Trade #3. So good. I even told the clerk at the CBS how good it was.

Peebs, I can send you DANGER CLUB issues 1-3 if you like, the execution may work better for you than for me

that would be sweet ass sweet!

Then send me your address either here or on FB

^ hm, nice move to get Peebz address!

I'm really enjoying Danger Club in a big way but it definitely isn't for everyone. Hopefully you like it more than Lash, Peebz!

I was so glad to read your comment on Supreme, Lash! I think Larsen is being more clever than we thought at first. My biggest fear was the "Liefield Supreme" would be the new protagonist. But what I think Larsen is doing is making him the series arch-villain--and *that* could get interesting.

Also, I recommend you try REVIVAL given your love of the zombie genre. I just did a mini-review in the Random Comics thread. A really solid debut issue that sets the series apart as unique and high quality.

Ps - also LOVING Hell Yeah!

Was REVIVAL the one that a sneak preview that had the old lady, the cat and all those teeth? Because it really looked kinda cool and creepy and made me think about trying it.

That's the one! That teeth scene was crazy-creepy.

I hesitated on buying this one but at the last minute grabbed it...and am really glad I did. I was delightfully surprised at how much it exceeded my expectations.

Shitsnacks, it's out already??? I just went to the CBS Weds... maybe I will have enough $$$ to go again next week!

And yes, Larsen is TOTES being more clever than I was willing to give him credit for... I readily admit, "My bad". SUPREME 65 was VERY intriguing!!

Although Suprememouse was really getting on my nerves. He should have died. I was THRILLED to see Sister Supreme survived!

And this month's Glory revealed that she may have acquired her very own Donna Troy...

MORNING GLORIES has fizzled out for me; # 21 will be my last issue of that. I also have decided not to proceed with AMERICA'S GOT POWERS past # 3.

That said, REVIVAL and IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS are threatening to enter-- my personal current TOP 5 COMICS!

I read Howard Chaykin's Black Kiss 2 #1 a coupla days ago, and.....well, let's preface this by saying this one was not for everyone. And probably not for most anyone else, either!

I didn't come into this blind at all. I read the original Black Kiss from the '80s two or three years ago. It's hard to describe, but I'd call it kind of a psycho-sexual/noirish/crime/mystery story that's a commentary of sorts on Hollywood. And, only at the end, we find out that there is a supernatural element to it that informs a lot of what we saw. For its time, it was one of the more graphically sexual books on the market.

Flashforward over twenty years later and we have here an apparent prequel, though there is no obvious connection to the original apparent in the first issue. And the degree of sexuality within is taken WAAAAAY up a notch from the original.

This issue has a pair of stories seemingly only connected through their similar themes of horror thru supernatural sexual violation.

The first story takes place in one of the earliest movie theatres and shows a crowd entranced by the new silent medium. Emphasis is placed on their near-worship of the new form of entertainment. As they watch, a creature emerges from the screen and violates them in a manner that has to be seen to believe.

The second story takes place about five years later aboard the Titanic on its fateful maiden voyage. A virgin male is about to have his first experience with a prostitute when the ship hits the iceberg. As the man flees for his life, a shape-shifting demon grabs him and takes his virginity horrifically by force. Later, the man is pulled from the ocean into one of the lifeboats and has apparently been cursed.

Like I said, this book is really, really graphically sexual. Male and female genitals are on display and violent nonconsensual intercourse is shown. You could easily call this porn, and I'd have a hard time disproving you.

To me, it was kind of like an old EC horror comic but with, well, graphic sex. I'd say there was some storytelling value. They were both cautionary tales of a sort with some definite subtext beyond just being gross or titillating. Plus, I think this will all relate to the original Black Kiss and is probably setting up to tell the history that lead up to that story.

It's black and white (as the original was) and is ably illustrated by Chaykin in his inimitable style. More than likely, he's trying to outdo the original's reputation for a more desensitized modern readership.

It's twisted, dark, gross and highly sexual, so most people won't like it. I'm not entirely sure I like it, but I'll be back for issue 2.

I read Harvest #1 the same night. This one was a really edgy story about the blackmarket for human organs. Specifically, it focuses on a disgraced surgeon who loses his medical license and is approached by an organization selling organs to remove the organs for them. We get to see the nuts and bolts of how he lost everything.

This was very well written and illustrated. Definite R-rated material, though, with strong language, gore and some sexuality. Nothing supernatural going on here. Kind of a neat idea for a movie or TV series, really. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to and am curious to see if the story plays out in some unexpected ways.