For the curious, here's a list of the graphic novels I've acquired since the last time I wrote about comics:
Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men (E is for Extinction, Imperial, and New Worlds). Let me lay it out in black and white: I really disliked these books. I thought I'd be able to stick it out 'til the end of the run, but I had to stop midway. I suppose I'm a traditionalist as far as X-men canon is concerned. In my opinion, the plot twists and turns really have more shock value than anything else (although I think it reads better as individual comics than in collected edition). Also, I thought the art was really terrible. Frank Quitely's art wasn't to my liking but I could live with it. Ethan van Scriver's wasn't too bad, but nothing great either. Igor Kordey, however, I think was the worst of the lot. Times like this I miss Joe Madureira. But then that's just a matter of preference.
Similarly, I got a copy of Decimation: X-men (The Day After) and wasn't too impressed. Maybe my expectations were too high, as this is where the House of M left off. I did enjoy the artwork though (Salvador Larocca has his moments, especially when colored properly).
On to the stuff I liked (all of which are DC titles). First, I thoroughly enjoyed the first two volumes of the Superman/Batman series, Public Enemies and Supergirl respectively. The plots are good (with the actual stories less so), but all in all I think it's good clean fun. Jeph Loeb really gets into the heads of Supes and Bats, and its amusing to see how different the two are (and how similar at the same time). However, I think these are more Superman than Batman books, though. As for the artwork, Ed McGuinnes's cartoony art in the first volume was more to my liking than Michael Turner's in the second (I think Turner's cover work is much better than his interiors). Can't wait for the collected third and fourth editions in paperback. I'd definitely recommend trying these out if you're up for a casual read; just don't expect a deeply complex story.
On a whim, decided to pick up the rebooted Teen Titans by Geoff Johns and Mike McKone. These I liked. The first volume (A Kid's Game) just depicts how the team assembles, and the second (Family Lost) carries the story a bit further. Both the writing and the pencils are strong. There's a little bit of everything here that can appeal to all sorts of readers. I think fans of the old Teen Titans will think that this reboot does justice to that legacy. Also, while the stories are sufficiently straightforward to appeal to a younger demographic, they do have relatively shocking twists that will keep older readers interested. By and large these books have given me the most value for money (it's $10 each), and I will most definitely continue with the series. In fact, part of my motivation is just to make it to when Tony Daniel takes over pencilling duties: from the little I've seen, I like his artwork.
Finally, thanks to Amazon.com (as well as my good friend JAZ for pushing me in the right direction) I got my hands on copies of all the volumes of Warren Ellis's and John Cassaday's Planetary. Bloody brilliant! Words escape me. Premise: a team of "superhuman" archaeologists traverse the world to uncover its secret history; that is, a history that encompasses practically everything that's appeared in popular fiction (particularly comic books), all of which are true. That's perhaps an inaccurate summary, but it'll do. At first, I thought that the story was meandering along aimlessly; but when it comes together, boy does it ever! And I cannot say enough about John Cassaday's work. I can't wait for the series to end and be collected in paperback. I might just hold my breath for that. It's that good.
I have a long, long list of other titles I intend to collect as soon as I find the money to do so. I won't list it here for fear of looking like more of a nerd than I really am.
Yeah. Right.
2 comments:
glad i was able to convert another Planetary fan.
And I'm almost envious that you got in with absolutely no knowledge at all, and that the whole "Fourth Man" conspiracy was being introduced as it should have been.
(my main frustration with the series is I knew who the Fourth Man was before I went and collected the books).
was the Fourth Man reveal shocking to you? or did you have your suspicions?
Warren Ellis' other work are worth checking out. Although Planetary is his "lightest" work in terms of tone (well, The Authority is bit lighter). The rest get pretty dark, with very acidic humor. Not dark in the "grim" sense, but in the sense that he very often tries to make his readers uncomfortable.
If you're willing to risk it, check out TRANSMETROPOLITAN, his 10-volume Vertigo series. The first two volumes (or 12 issues) should be enough to convince you if you want to sitck around and finish the series or not.
(this may be the second time I plug TRANSMET. hmm.)
Grr. Fine. You prompted me to type up a comment to your comment (albeit a belated one).
I had no idea who the Fourth Man was. To be honest, right before the big reveal my only concern was trying to figure out where the heck the story was going. Even when I did suspect, the idea seemed so absurd that it just had to be dismissed. Then it was revealed. And things got very interesting, very quickly.
One of the things I like about Planetary in particular is how the story takes on a different color each time you read it. At the very least, that's the case with me.
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