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The Watchtower - A thread for all comics

biglime

By biglime
in Arts & Literature

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paddyo

paddyo

Posted
Posted

hey guys, wondering if any of you could help me please.

First of all i am looking for some new series to get into, i am missing secret six now its stopped as i loved the mix of dark humour and violence and i also love deadpool for the same reasons. Any recommendations on comical books but also a little bit of depth to them?

And what just great series at the minute would people recommend?

Finally does anybody know of a good website for comic reviews and more importantly previews so i know whats coming up and can order it in time to get the issues when they ship? rather than missing them then having to try and order a 2nd printing or something :S

thanks guys :)

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Space Renegade Ulala

Space Renegade Ulala

Posted
Posted

Oh yes:

post-355-0-89335600-1349822549_thumb.jpg

DAT SMILE, etc. I've never been one for the Avengers in any variety but Kid Loki owns too much for me to not check this out. He's basically the Marvel John Constantine these days.

hey guys, wondering if any of you could help me please.

First of all i am looking for some new series to get into, i am missing secret six now its stopped as i loved the mix of dark humour and violence and i also love deadpool for the same reasons. Any recommendations on comical books but also a little bit of depth to them?

And what just great series at the minute would people recommend?

Finally does anybody know of a good website for comic reviews and more importantly previews so i know whats coming up and can order it in time to get the issues when they ship? rather than missing them then having to try and order a 2nd printing or something :S

thanks guys :)

Sorry, Paddy, I'm racking my brains trying to think of something recent in a similar vein and coming up with zip. Hopefully someone will have some decent suggestions for you soon!

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Anne Summers

Anne Summers

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Posted

Whats that about?

Basically a guy who was the inspiration for a best selling series of kids' novels about a boy magician, written by his father (Imagine JK Rowling had based Harry Potter on a real son she had) ,but the dad disappeared leaving the final novel unwritten - and all the legions of fans around the world basically think the guy IS the character, so he's a kind of celebrity despite being a bit of a waster. And it sort of turns out that he is the character in a way because his father was involved in some shady business with some real life magicians. Lots of stuff about how literature crosses over with the real world, lots of literary references (they end up inside Moby Dick and several other great works of fiction). Lots of flashbacks to how people like Byron and Kipling were involved with the secret cabal that's trying to control the world's stories. I'm really enjoying it so far.

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Zappster

Zappster

Posted
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Comic book resources is probably your best bet for the website, especially for previews. The dates are US but I think they're pretty much the same as UK dates...

http://www.comicbook...es.com/previews

Yeah. This. CBR covers that quite well.

Other sites that I use include: ComicsAlliance, Multiversity Comics, and iFanboy.

I also use this site to keep tabs on what is coming out during any particular week.

Oh yes:

DAT SMILE, etc. I've never been one for the Avengers in any variety but Kid Loki owns too much for me to not check this out. He's basically the Marvel John Constantine these days.

You should check out the original Young Avengers series written by Allan Heinberg. I thought it was good at the time (still need to read the most recent Children's Crusade series though), and the general consensus seems to be that the Heinberg written Young Avengers issues are about the only ones worth reading. It could serve as a good intro to some of the characters that will be appearing in this new series, which by the way, let me just say, YAY at the new creative team. Probably the most exciting Marvel NOW announcement so far.

Sorry, Paddy, I'm racking my brains trying to think of something recent in a similar vein and coming up with zip. Hopefully someone will have some decent suggestions for you soon!

I'm struggling to think of anything recently that's been like Secret Six, paddyo. You could try out some of the team books I suppose. I'll throw out a few names that I've seen get positive feedback in the last year or so: The Boys, Justice League Dark, Demon Knights, Thunderbolts (Jeff Parker's run) and Uncanny X-force (the stuff written by Remender has been getting rave reviews). Some other good series have been recommended on the previous pages by myself and others as well. Worth checking those out.

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  • 2 weeks later...
SpagMasterSwift

SpagMasterSwift

Posted
Posted

I'm a bit wary of coming into this thread, not because I think the comics basement of an internet gaming forum will be populated by the essence of geeky elitist fandom (I'm sure you're all very personable and friendly), but somewhat fearful due to the comic series that has brought me here. Before Watchmen.

I'll refrain from going into a nostalgic self indulgent journey through my comic past, though it would be a rather short trip if I'm honest. I'd say I'm more of a casual reader, currently happy viewing issues on my iPad via Comixology. On the '7 Ages of Fan!' scale I went from Newcomer to Collector then skipped straight to Nostalgist and back to Newcomer again. The recent reemergence of Cerebus High Society and TMNT originals (digital) has helped fan the flames, but it has been the controversial prequel to the mother of all Graphic Novels that has kept me hooked.

Yes, Silk Spectre has been rather kooky and more skew toward a female reader. But its playful 60s approach, while at times a little too Scooby-Do, has at least been colourful. Perhaps that is damning with faint praise, lets just say I've enjoyed it as a guilty pleasure.

Minutemen, Comedian and Nite Owl haven't really stood out for me as of yet. With such a barrage of material some stories are bound to be overshadowed - which brings me to the big hitters of this series. Doctor Manhattan, Rorschach and especially (and perhaps most surprisingly) Ozymandias are all wonderful reads. If you can bring yourself to betray your own comic book ethics and embrace all that is wrong with the industry you may find there is a lot to enjoy here. So far Doctor Manhattan has found an element of the original story and crow barred it open allowing events to spin off in a new and interesting direction. Rorschach, in my opinion, is written perfectly in the characters voice and is as brutal and disturbing as I'd hoped. But it's Ozymandias that is the real treasure here. The art is both striking and elegant, I wasn't familiar with Jae Lee's work prior to this, but I really have fallen in love with his style. Any recommendations for other work by him would be greatly appreciated.

Its not all good however, characters often feel like they are based on their cinematic versions rather than the originals, which isn't a huge problem, but does often jar and is an unwelcome reminder of the cash grab I'm trying to put to the back of my mind. Some moments (such as how the Comedian got his iconic badge) end up demystify rather than feeling like an important addition to the overal Watchmen world. There is no doubt that these prequels (like most) do damage the original, which certainly leaves me conflicted.

So there we are. My head is in the lions mouth so to speak. Anybody else willing to admit they've been reading this series? What are you're thoughts on it so far?

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Space Renegade Ulala

Space Renegade Ulala

Posted
Posted

I must confess, I'm not remotely interested in it, and see it as a cash-grab telling tales that never needed to be told. I do hear that both Silk Spectre and Minutemen are supposedly quite good though, while unfortunately Rorschach and Comedian are both said to be at the other end of the spectrum, with some straight up screw ups and bad characterisation, despite the talent involved.

Anyway, never mind all that. Everyone should be reading Hawkeye. Seriously, bro it's *brill*, it's just Clint and Kate getting up to shit and having a blast. Bro.

Bro bro bro.

(Man, I *heart* the Tracksuit Draculas. You can shove your Darkseids and your Doctor Dooms up your arse)

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Zappster

Zappster

Posted
Posted

I don't know why you'd be fearful. Most of the regular posters here seem a well adjusted bunch and we don't have any of the regular forum trolls taking an interest. It's a pretty safe haven as far as my experience has been concerned.

My view is there's nothing wrong with liking it and I'm not going to deride someone for enjoying something. Even something that's been as contentious as the Before Watchmen books. I don't have a problem with the books existing but I'm not really interested in any of them bar Darwyn Cooke's work, and that's mainly because I'm a fan of his artwork. I'll probably check out the collected edition of the Minutemen at some point.

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paddyo

paddyo

Posted
Posted

I'm torn on the Before Watchmen series, not due to the Ethics, I believe that its just business really as with anything else, but rather the fact that part of me doesnt want to know anymore about those characters, to leave it in my iomagination of how they used to be, but the other half of me is desperate to see what has been written!! I sup[pose i have missed getting the single issues of the series from my local shop now so probably wont bother!!

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rumblecat

rumblecat

Posted
Posted
...while unfortunately Rorschach and Comedian are both said to be at the other end of the spectrum, with some straight up screw ups and bad characterisation, despite the talent involved.

Yeah, I've got to agree with that, I've thought both of them have had great artwork, but bad writing. Rorschach feels like a missed opportunity, going down the predictable route and even throwing in a scarred 'supervillain' in the Rawhead character- just a cliched comic book villain. There's still two issues left so it might take an interesting turn, but it's pretty much just The Punisher in different clothing- just like any depth or intrigue- it's all on the page.

Just realised that it's Brian Azzarello who writes both of them... there was an interview with him on Ain't It Cool by Matt Adler where he seemed to miss the point of the character a bit-

BA: Well, I don't want to speak for any of the other writers, but for me, it's a chance to explore what makes these characters who they are. Rorschach is a really fascinating character; so many people identify with him, and I don't know why. Do you?

MA: I think because, as dark as he is, he's an idealist.

BA: I don't know, he's got a really twisted worldview.

MA: Yeah, but in the end, he's the only one who really fights for the truth; everyone else is sort of willing to compromise and go along with the lie.

BA: Huh, I never thought of it that way.

It does seem having read them now that he fundamentally doesn't quite get the character.

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zuum

zuum

Posted
Posted

I've just finished The Hive by Charles Burns which I thought was going to be the sequel to X'ed Out but which turns out to be just the second part. It's great, which won't be a surprise if you've ever read anything else by him, and it also won't come as a surprise to hear that it's pretty creepy and a bit surreal.

I also have, unread, the colossal Building Stories by Chris Ware. When I ordered it the Amazon made it look like a bog-standard hardback but what turned up was a board-game size box crammed full of books, pamplets, comics, a kind of standy-up board thing and some other stuff, none of which I've yet had the chance to read. Truth be told I feel a bit intimidated.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Flub

Flub

Posted
Posted

I've just read the first issue of DC's new Amethyst comic. It was decent enough but the more interesting thing was the backup strip. It's telling the story of Beowulf fighting the Grendel except halfway through they have to hide from Waynetech Battlemechs packing nuclear power cores, 55mm cannons and anti-personnel rockets. Very very strange

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rumblecat

rumblecat

Posted
Posted

It's a shame about Hellblazer, although Milligan's run has been pretty terrible sadly- a real shadow of the guy who wrote stuff like Bad Company, Enigma, Shade etc. I still think Garth Ennis' run was the highlight of it, he moved the character away from the over-elaborate wordiness of Jamie Delano, and turned him into more of a real person. A real person who spends all his time in the pub, drinking Guinness, but still more real.

It does feel like time to give the character a fresh start. He's pushing sixty and comes across mostly as a dirty old has-been in the current comics, unless he stumbles across a fountain of youth there's not many places for the character to go now, and the weight of continued history and continuity doesn't do long running characters any favours. However if the new version plays out like Justice League Dark then that'll be a fucking shame... always felt the character was at his best where he was finding quiet horrors in familiar places. My favourite issue is still the one-off that John Smith did where Constantine goes to the laundry.

09270791576956058.jpg

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OogyBoogy

OogyBoogy

Posted
Posted

So Marvel is having its own reboot, calling it Marvel NOW. I first heard about this a few weeks ago when I was told that the Amazing Spider-Man was coming to an end with issue 700, and re-booted with The Superior Spider-Man.

Has anyone read the Uncanny Avengers and is it any good? I went ahead and subscribed to it along with the All New X-Men, which sounds interesting.

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Arn X Treme

Arn X Treme

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I didn't think much too Uncanny Avengers either, if you want a taster of things Marvel Now try and pick up Marvel Now Point One as that sets up and previews a lot of the other titles.

I will try the new Nova title, as well as Bendis's take on Guardians Of The Galaxy (movie lead in cash cow) to see how bad it is.

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