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biglime

By biglime,
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Tangent

Tangent

Posted
Posted

It's more a continuing story but the Ultimate Spiderman TPBs are great, and each TPB is self contained. And they are very good up until the late teens of TPBs. They take downturn a few TPBs prior to Ultimatum IMO.

Unlike The Dark Knight Spiderman is generally quite upbeat, so there's usually a tonal difference to Batman. Otherwise the closest thing I can think of is Blue, which is a nice self-contained TPB, lovely art, well reviewed, but for me it lacks a certain vibrancy and fun that Ultimate Spiderman has.

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moosegrinder

moosegrinder

Posted
Posted

I've never read a Spider-Man comic before. Could someone recommend a great, self-contained story? Like, what's the Dark Knight Returns of Spider-Man comics?

You might like Spider-man Noir, which is one of the 'alternate universe' efforts. For proper 90's cheese, the 2 Carnage sagas I remember enjoying immensely but they might not have aged well. Can't remember the name of the first one but the second wad called Maximum Carnage

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spider-Man-Maximum-Carnage-Graphic-Novel/dp/0785109870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354868065&sr=8-1

Also, I don't know if they released the second TPB but Spider-man 2099 is fucking brilliant.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spider-Man-2099-Genesis-Peter-David/dp/1846534283/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354868125&sr=1-1

that was released in 2009, so Christ only knows if we'll see the rest :(

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Sabreman

Sabreman

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the suggestions, I misled a little with the DKR request I think - what I meant was what's the equivalent, standalone story that's highly regarded, not tonally similar. You know when people who haven't read Batman ask for suggestions and we say DKR, Killing Joke, Year One etc. Those go-to 'can't go wrong' examples.

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SeanR

SeanR

Posted
Posted

it's a question of continuity

DKR, Killing Joke, Year One

were all one-shot/mini-series prestige format collectors edition stories

spider-man 616 is a bit too "ongoing", which is why personally, I'd only recommend selected ultimate spider-man tpbs and maybe

Brand New Day Which was supposed to be a jumping in point for new readers, but didn't actually reset the timeline.

not in the same way that DC reset the DCU every 5-10 years, anyway.

Obviously Marvels if you want the whole "graphic novels as art" thing going on with some sweet Alex Ross work

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Talvalin

Talvalin

Posted
Posted
For proper 90's cheese, the 2 Carnage sagas I remember enjoying immensely but they might not have aged well. Can't remember the name of the first one but the second wad called Maximum Carnage

http://www.amazon.co...54868065&sr=8-1

Must...resist...urge..to...neg...

Maximum Carnage is hands down one of the worst Spiderman stories of all time and a shining example of the utter shit being put out by both Marvel and DC in the 90s.

http://www.toplessro..._the.php?page=4

Also, I don't know if they released the second TPB but Spider-man 2099 is fucking brilliant.

http://www.amazon.co...54868125&sr=1-1

that was released in 2009, so Christ only knows if we'll see the rest :(

Not enough +1's for this. I love Peter David's work and his run on Spider-Man 2099 was fantastic. It was a shame that Rick Leonardi didn't stay to the end as the replacement and guest artists were by and large terrible, but David didn't treat his readers like idiots and the characters were complex and had interesting relationships with each other. Argh. I wish Spider-Man comics were like this again.

Other excellent stuff includes:

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane (high-school era stories told from MJ's perspective)

Spider-Man: Blue (I've not read it but it's by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale and their takes on Batman and Superman have been excellent so...)

Another vote for Kraven's Last Hunt ("Spyder, spyder, burning bright! In the forests of the night. What immortal hand or eye, could catch thy fearful symmetry?")

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Talvalin

Talvalin

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Posted

I read that Topless Robot takedown of Maximum Bollocks a few months ago thinking "I'm glad I missed this" when my sister pointed out that she remembers reading it when I was at school. And if she read it back then, then I must have been the one who bought the comics... :facepalm:

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paddyo

paddyo

Posted
Posted

I got maximum carnage when it first came out and liked it so a few years back i decided to get it again and took a while tracking down all the individual issues then i re-read it... What a load of rubbish!! Just one fight after another for like 12 issues with different guests each issue lol

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Zappster

Zappster

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Posted

I'd recommend the Spider-man & Human Torch mini series written by Dan Slott. Strictly speaking it doesn't meet the criteria you're after beyond being self-contained stories. I still think it's worth reading though. It's a light and amusing series of stories set at various points in Marvel's history.

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c-cat114

c-cat114

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Posted

Away from Spidey a little (loved all the Chris Bachalo art issues but as much as I do like the character can't think o many good arks)

If you've not read Chew you're missing a hell of a comic. The 27-30 ark is the most wonderful, sad, funny and fabulous comic work I can think of. That said if anyone were starting up on it I'd read from issue 1 :) but 27 on is a four issue sucker punch of awesome.

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Flub

Flub

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Posted

Does anyone have a reading order for IDW's Transformers stuff and how it all fits together? I'm currently reading a series of trades set three years after the fighting did a lot of damage to Earth. The autobots end up allying themselves with the humans and a new Megatron with a badass railgun appears. Then all of a sudden we're into a story with Galvatron and it's referring back to some badass sounding stuff that happened earlier. I'm confused.

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SeanR

SeanR

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Posted

The HB edition is in transit to the Dropbox (my mums house).

SCORE!

It's not bad... Reads like the maxx and looks like wrightson and McFarland, but... It owes so much to DKR, you can't not shake it off, that sense of... "this is like that bit..." or "this is where..." I couldn't on my first read through.

Never thought of JJJ as Oliver queen though, heh...

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Arn X Treme

Arn X Treme

Posted
Posted

Does anyone have a reading order for IDW's Transformers stuff and how it all fits together? I'm currently reading a series of trades set three years after the fighting did a lot of damage to Earth. The autobots end up allying themselves with the humans and a new Megatron with a badass railgun appears. Then all of a sudden we're into a story with Galvatron and it's referring back to some badass sounding stuff that happened earlier. I'm confused.

This is a chronological order of the comics per which the timeline of events developed.

1-4. Megatron Origin #1-4

5. Spotlight - Orion Pax (unpublished)

6. Spotlight - Blurr

7-18. Autocracy #1-12

19-30. Monstrosity #1-12 (unpublished)

31. Spotlight - Thundercracker (unpublished)

32. Spotlight - Shockwave

33. Spotlight - Cliffjumper

34. Spotlight - Wheelie

35. Spotlight - Hot Rod

36. Spotlight - Sixshot

37. Spotlight - Ultra Magnus

38. Spotlight - Soundwave

39-42. Infiltration #0-3

43-45. Stormbringer #1-3

46-47. Infiltration #4-5

48. Stormbringer #4

49. Infiltration #6

50. Spotlight - Kup

51-54. New Avengers/Transformers #1-4

55-56. Escalation #1-2

57. Spotlight - Nightbeat

58-61. Escalation #3-6

62. Spotlight - Ramjet

63. Spotlight - Galvatron

64. Spotlight - Optimus Prime

65-68. Devastation #1-4

69. Spotlight - Blaster

70. Spotlight - Arcee

71-72. Devastation #5-6

73. Spotlight - Mirage

74. Spotlight - Grimlock

75-78. Revelation #1-4 (contains Spotlights on Cyclonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer & Sideswipe)

79-83. Maximum Dinobots #1-5

84. Spotlight - Drift

85. All Hail Megatron #15

86. Spotlight - Metroplex

87. Spotlight - Jazz

88-102. All Hail Megatron #1-14 & 16

103. Continuum

104. Spotlight - Prowl

105. Last Stand of the Wreckers #1

106. Transformers #1

107-108. Last Stand of the Wreckers #2-3

109. Transformers #2

110. Last Stand of the Wreckers #4

111-112. Transformers #3-4

113-116. Bumblebee #1-4

117-118. Transformers #5-6

119. Last Stand of the Wreckers #5

120-123. Ironhide #1-4

124-125. Transformers #7-8

126-129. Drift #1-4

130-131. Heart of Darkness #1-2

132. Infestation #1 (main series)

133-134. Infestation #1-2 (Transformers series)

135. Infestation #2 (main series)

136-137. Heart of Darkness #3-4

138-142. Transformers #9-13

143. Spotlight - Megatron (unpublished)

144-161. Transformers #14-31

162. Transformers: Death of Optimus Prime

163-165. More Than Meets the Eye #1-3

166-168. Robots in Disguise #1-3

169-170. More Than Meets the Eye #4-5

171-173. Robots in Disguise #4-6

174. More Than Meets the Eye #6

175. More Than Meets the Eye Annual

176-177. More Than Meets the Eye #7-8

178-180. Robots in Disguise #7-9

181. Robots in Disguise Annual

182-184. More Than Meets the Eye #9-11

185-190. Robots in Disguise #10-15 (12-15 unpublished)

191-194. More Than Meets the Eye #12-15 (unpublished)

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Arn X Treme

Arn X Treme

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Posted

Anyone read this weeks Avengers #1 by Hickman? He's turned it a bit too sci-fi for my liking but still added to my pull list.

Out of all the "movie" Avengers title i like this one the best, the personality of Banner is great i'm hoping with all the brainiacs in this line up he'll get a bigger part.

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Space Renegade Ulala

Space Renegade Ulala

Posted
Posted

And to follow up my previous Spider-LOL post, behold - the ending to Amazing Spider-Man 700. If I didn't know better, I'd almost swear Marvel were trying to nix the character because they know they won't get the film rights back for decades:

post-355-0-36147700-1355495611_thumb.jpg

Amazing and spectacularly terrible.

Sabe's earlier post about the best place to start with Spider-Man got me wondering, as it goes. Yeah, there's loads of classic/iconic Batman and X-Men stories, but I'm honestly having a hard time thinking of more than a couple of similarly iconic tales involving most other big names like Spider-Man, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc. Honestly, I'd suggest there's more classic stuff out there for guys like Thor and Daredevil than those three.

The Gwen Stacy/Green Goblin thing, Kraven's Last Hunt are all I've got for Spidey, there's not really anything in the same league as Batman's multitude of stuff (anyone who says 'CLONE SAGA!!!11' gets a punch in the cock). Similarly, All Star Superman, Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow, maybe Red Son and The Death of (if you're feeling generous) for big blue, and even then, the best ones are Elseworlds stuff.

Why is that, do you think?

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Space Renegade Ulala

Space Renegade Ulala

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Posted

I can't see that at work. Can you summarise it?

It's not the full thing but sure, I'll give it a stab! Are you sitting comfortably?

Peter (in Doc Ock's dying body) leads a kind of thrown together, half-assed Sinister Six against Ock (in Spider-Man's body). Spider-Man punches the Scorpion in the face, ripping off his jaw, horrifying bystanders and so realising just how much Peter had been holding back against bad guys over the years. Peter tries using some gizmo to swap their minds back into their proper bodies but Ock's one step ahead of him so it doesn't work. In the end, Peter discovers Ock has secretly always wanted to be a hero so the best Peter can do is re-write his memories so that Ock experiences the Uncle Ben moment and so is spurred on to be the best Spider-Man he can be.

Peter dies (supposedly for real this time but eh, comic books innit - I give it 18 months, tops) while Ock, still in Peter's body, decides he will apply his (mad scientist) genius and Spider-Man's abilities to be the best hero he can be, a Superior Spider-Man!!!11

Oh and he may have shagged MJ earlier on, just for added creepy wrongness.

And that is how you celebrate 50 years of webslinging hijinks and adventures, kids! Presumably the guys behind the Clone Saga are breaking out the bubbly at no longer being responsible for the worst Spidey story ever.

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