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[Kipp]

Nextwave, Runaways by BKV, Immortal Iron Fist by Fraction, Astonishing X-Men by Whedon, Fantastic Four/FF by Hickman, and Uncanny X-Force by Remender. That right there should take you a month or two or more depending on how fast you devour the issues.

I wish I could read that fast.

On the other hand, being a super slow reader, I do get more entertainment time for my money I suppose.

But it is frustrating not being able to read all the things I want to read.
That is one thing I've sort of grown out of in the year or so I've been reading comics now though. Up until a few months ago, whenever I'd be reading a trade, I'd already be looking forward to being done with it so that I could start something new (not because I wasn't enjoying it, but because there was too much I wanted to read). Thankfully, that feeling seems to have gone away and now I can happily focus on whatever comic I'm reading at the moment without just wanting to finish so that I can read one of the many other comics I want read.

 

[Zombine]

The biggest thing to come to terms with is that you will most likely never read all the comics out there or even all the comics worth reading.

This. On the Marvel end I focus on the quirky books and X-men. I miss out on all of the Avenger talk but I am ok with that.

DC, I focus on a handful of select titles, and Image books I almost always trade wait with the exception of a few books.

Even I, Mr. Moneybags have an endgame when it comes to my hardcover collection. I know I won't read everything, I don't plan on reading everything, but what I do collect are the books I enjoy, or have enjoyed in the past.

 

[Espi]

The biggest thing to come to terms with is that you will most likely never read all the comics out there or even all the comics worth reading.

This is the worst.

Every time I stop by here or talk to people about comics, I always think "shit, I need to start reading that too" then realize I can't. Either because time or money, or both.

 

[Zombine]

This is the worst.

Every time I stop by here or talk to people about comics, I always think "shit, I need to start reading that too" then realize I can't. Either because time or money, or both.

If that's the case, then be super loud about whatever it is that you are reading. Flex your fandom and I guarantee you that you'll get a page of responses and you can join in.

I posted a Ninja Turtle figure and it turned ComicGAF into TurtleGAF for like 2 pages.

 

[Messi]

Donatello is the best turtle. No debate. No contest.

 

[Owzers]

This is the worst.

Every time I stop by here or talk to people about comics, I always think "shit, I need to start reading that too" then realize I can't. Either because time or money, or both.

Only the strong survive. If what's being talked about looks better than what you're reading, drop your worst title for it. Even dropping from 50 titles to 30 a month, and feeling like i'm missing out on stuff i dropped ( all new x-men, green lantern stuff, etc), i'm still struggling to finish my stack of comics before my next monthly shipment hits. Trades are the worst too, unless i'm fully engaged in the story, it's tough to go 6 or 7 issues into a series without wanting to jump to something else. Green Arrow vol 4 by Lemire was a struggle.

 

[Zombine]

Donatello is the best turtle. No debate. No contest.

Exactly. That's why I can deal with an Nocenti writing Catwoman for a little while, because Frank Quitely is polarizing as fuck and The Wicked + The Divine is amazing. Original Sin is pretty solid also.

Here's some art:

Spoiler

This is ComicGAF.

 

[Freezasaurus]

"Someone else is just as bad" has never worked as a legitimate excuse for anything. Yes, the sexual objectification of women is everywhere, but that doesn't mean that comic books (like video games) aren't as good a place as any to start changing that.

Agreed! But there are also some battles I'm not going to personally fight. Sexy Catwoman or Starfire, for example, whereas I'd be much more bothered by, say, a sexified Batgirl who has traditionally been rather reserved. But, then, I also fully admit to being unable to always distinguish when something is truly objectifying versus something caught up in overzealous PC social justice warriors.

I'll be blunt. The female objectification issue isn't going to change / stop / end. It's there in the first place because corporations know (or at least think) that it works in their favor to boost sales. You can parade around lobbying in front of Congress about it, or make a giant bonfire out of the entire print run of the SI: swimsuit issue. As long as media companies have the perception that female objectification is a successful marketing tactic, they're going to do it.

It is nice to see subtle things happen, in the realm of reducing female objectification. Take, for example, Red Sonja. Her covers are still very cheesecake, but in the interiors you're starting to see her dress more reasonably. She wears this full chain shirt more often than not, for example.

I'm not sure how much clothing comes into play. I mean, you can have Huntress in her full bodysuit, and I'd still find her to be a sexy character. She may not have a spotlight aimed at her sexuality the way Starfire does, but she's still easy on the eyes. There are scantily-clad female characters out there because the public as a whole wants to look at them. That's why forcing any change on the issue (at least in the current climate) is such an insurmountable task. Doesn't make it right, but This is the world. It's not the one we were supposed to have, but it's the one we made.

Hmm, just a little question here, guys. I am an ex-comic reader but never really stopped following the scene from afar. And every now and then I get this urge to read again but...
Without even talking about the delirious cover prices, how do you guys achieve to sort out what you are reading or not ? I mean not so long ago you had 1-2 books for a character / team and that was that.

If a book looks interesting to me, I'll pick up the first couple issues. If it doesn't hold me, I drop it. The majority of my pull-list these days is made up of indy books. There are too many good books out there to waste time and money on things you aren't totally enjoying. It might seem like a bit of work, but I'm constantly purging my pull-list of things that I'm no longer enjoying so I can rotate in new titles. In the instances where there are four or five books focusing on a single character or team that I like, I'll pick and choose, but usually not without trying them all first. X-Men, for example, is my Marvel bread and butter. I read All-New and Uncanny, and I used to read Wolverine & The X-Men when Aaron was writing it. But I haven't been enjoying the latter as much since Latour took over, and I did try Amazing X-Men and Brian Wood's X-Men as well. I just kept the series I do enjoy.

 

[Espi]

Only the strong survive. If what's being talked about looks better than what you're reading, drop your worst title for it.

I read Batman Beyond, Green Arrow and Saga (along with others). I don't think there's anything better than those three.

It's not that I'm jealous of other people's stuff, I just want to read everything that's good.

 

[Tyrant Rave]

Exactly. That's why I can deal with an Nocenti writing Catwoman for a little while, because Frank Quitely is polarizing as fuck and The Wicked + The Divine is amazing. Original Sin is pretty solid also.

Here's some art:

Spoiler

This is ComicGAF.

this is the most interesting post I've ever read on ComicsGAF

 

[Messi]

I'd argue Queen Nocenti has removed all sexuality from Catwoman. Along with any personality she had. DC went to the polar opposite from Winick and March.

 

[Bii]

Once again I truly appreciate all the advices and the fact that when speaking about my more personal problems I wasn't made fun of. And yup, I'm hovering over the Marvel Unlimited sub. It won't solve the choice problem, but it sure as hell will help the budget one.
This discussion is helpful. There is merits in having an outside view on things. Maybe I could shut down my completist side, just go for some big DC / Marvel titles to satiate it, and enjoy all the titles that really interest me. I mean, when facing the harduous selection of what to read, choosing not to read is an easy but faulty solution.
Maybe I could read what I always loved and follow this thread for advices.
Got other advices ? Keep them coming, I'm loving it.

I used to be the kind of guy who wouldn't start something unless it was from the beginning (comics, movies, games). I'd realize it a few years later that I'm missing out on a lot of great things. I'll make a recommendation for you to read (if you haven't already) and that is Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo's current run on Batman. Their run started in 2011 with DC's New 52 launch and is still going strong today. You can pick up the first volume titled The Court of Owls and it collects issues #1-7: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1401235425/?tag=neogaf0e-20

You really don't need to know any back stories or side stories to enjoy it. If you've already read it, just continue where you left off.

Speaking of which, I never read issues #13-17 and had bought volume 3 awhile back when the hardcover was only $10 at Amazon after some promotion code.

-

Batman, Vol. 3: Death of the Family

I went back and finished reading this. And wow, there were so many great (for better or worse) moments. So Joker has been gone for a year and he's now making a return, but for what purpose? These few issues touch upon Batman and Joker's dynamic relationship and it reads like a horror story. There's a sense of anxiousness and hopelessness as I thumb through each page. There were even a few sequences where I felt very uneasy. Especially the "living wall" illustrating past memories of Batman. I had to take a double take just to understand what I was seeing. And then there's the dinner scene...wow.

Batman's ascension through the stairwell in Arkham Asylum was pretty damn cool. Makes me want to go back and play the video game since I never finished it.

 

[Zombine]

I feel like Death of The Family highlighted why Batman is such an awful hero.

 

[Messi]

Bii makes me wish I was a better poster.

 

[Uno Venova]

I feel like Death of The Family highlighted why Batman is such an awful hero.

You mean him not doing shit about Joker regardless of how many friends he tortures and how many officers necks he snaps?

 

[Zombine]

Bii makes me wish I was a better poster.

If you bought that Amanda Connor artwork on that site you'd be a print.

 

[Kipp]

If that's the case, then be super loud about whatever it is that you are reading. Flex your fandom and I guarantee you that you'll get a page of responses and you can join in.

Lies. No matter what I do, nobody will ever care about Life and Times of Martha Washington.

Speaking of, where's ecoshifting been? He was my only fellow Martha Washington fan. Now I'm alone. So alone.

 

[Serpentine]

You mean him not doing shit about Joker regardless of how many friends he tortures and how many officers necks he snaps?

Yuuuup. It's like at this point he should just fuckin kill him

 

[Owzers]

Iron Fist #3 - I like and don't get this book at the same time. My chief complaint is it just doesn't feel "right", it doesn't seem like a Marvel continuity Iron Fist book. It's grim dark, i don't recognize the character as Danny Rand, and it basically reads like Spider-man Reign but it doesn't want to be a mini. It reminds me of what Remender did with Dimenzion Z, a long story arc that read like a mini that desperately wants to name drop itself into an ongoing.

 

[Tyrant Rave]

Bii makes me wish I was a better poster.

Your counter will never be as white as Bii's

I'm so far behind on DC books. I'm a trade behind on Batwoman since I wait on paperbacks for it and I'm like three trades behind on Batman. I also want to check out Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Red Lanterns, Batman and Robin, that Shazam trade, and more. I shouldn't have taken a break from them.

 

[Espi]

Yuuuup. It's like at this point he should just fuckin kill him

but then the Joker wins

better to let everyone suffer and die for years. it's for the greater good!

 

[Zombine]

Lies. No matter what I do, nobody will ever care about Life and Times of Martha Washington.

Speaking of, where's ecoshifting been? He was my only fellow Martha Washington fan. Now I'm alone. So alone.

I just had to google that and it looks awesome. If you posted pics I can guarantee you someone other than myself would take interest. I'm gonna check it out soon. Strong, female lead with Gibbons art and Frank Miller. That's gold right there.

 

[Freezasaurus]

I feel like Death of The Family highlighted why Batman is such an awful hero.

My issue with DotF was that through the entire storyline, you have all this shit going on,

Spoiler

Alfred getting kidnapped, allegedly losing his sight at the hands of the Joker

, and in the end, not a single bit of the status quo changed. There were really no lasting effects of that storyline. As much as I enjoyed reading it while it was going on, it may as well have not even happened.

 

[Zombine]

As much as I enjoyed reading it while it was going on, it may as well have no even happened.

It's almost like Bendis gave Snyder his notes from Battle of The Atom.

Edit: Martha Washington is 600 pages for $17 bucks on IST. That's ridiculous. If I didn't just buy Sirens and Rachel Rising I would bite on that right now.

 

[Espi]

that spoiler tag is almost as bad as modern Batman (can't speak on older Batman, maybe he was written to not be so awful)

 

[Bii]

If you bought that Amanda Connor artwork on that site you'd be a print.

You got me. Ahahahahahahhahahahahaha

but then the Joker wins

better to let everyone suffer and die for years. it's for the greater good!

My issue with DotF was that through the entire storyline, you have all this shit going on,

Spoiler

Alfred getting kidnapped, allegedly losing his sight at the hands of the Joker

, and in the end, not a single bit of the status quo changed. There were really no lasting effects of that storyline. As much as I enjoyed reading it while it was going on, it may as well have no even happened.

I had a problem with these issues as well, mostly with what Freezaouraotoshgfsus said. It kind of crumbled at the end but the ride was exhilarating, nonetheless.

 

[Rrongfield]

My issue with DotF was that through the entire storyline, you have all this shit going on,

Spoiler

Alfred getting kidnapped, allegedly losing his sight at the hands of the Joker

, and in the end, not a single bit of the status quo changed. There were really no lasting effects of that storyline. As much as I enjoyed reading it while it was going on, it may as well have not even happened.

Check those spoiler tags Freeze.

It also suffered of bad timing. All the hustle of

Spoiler

the Bat-Family being broken was inconsequential in the grander scale. After all, Damian died a couple of weeks later in Incorporated.

 

[Freezasaurus]

It's almost like Bendis gave Snyder his notes from Battle of The Atom.

Ha ha, yes. Exactly. Events need to have lasting effects so that they feel important. If the Watcher is alive again at the end of Original Sin, I'm going to be pissed.

Edit: Martha Washington is 600 pages for $17 bucks on IST. That's ridiculous.

Indeed. Because no one bought it.

Check those spoiler tags Freeze.

What's wrong with them, exactly?

 

[KoruptData]

My issue with DotF was that through the entire storyline, you have all this shit going on,

Spoiler

Alfred getting kidnapped, allegedly losing his sight at the hands of the Joker

, and in the end, not a single bit of the status quo changed. There were really no lasting effects of that storyline. As much as I enjoyed reading it while it was going on, it may as well have no even happened.

But it did. It was the Death of the Family. The very end, Bruce is explaining to Aldred how everybody was coming over to talk about things and everyone gave him some excuse as to why they were not showing up. Joker divided them. Jokers showed the rest Batmans true colors. He is a dick, he is selfish, he is stubborn. Complete opposite of what we have seen in Zero Year and hopefully we will see some other cool character progression from the events of Eternal and Snyders next arc.

 

[Messi]

Amazing spoiler fail

 

[Kipp]

Skippin right past a lot of those Death of the Family posts. I still haven't read Snyder's Batman but most definitely plan to. Haha

I just had to google that and it looks awesome. If you posted pics I can guarantee you someone other than myself would take interest. I'm gonna check it out soon. Strong, female lead with Gibbons art and Frank Miller. That's gold right there.

Firstly, thank you for showing interest. That makes me happy. Haha
And secondly, that is a brilliant idea. I'll definitely take some Bii-style pics in an hour or so.

Edit: Martha Washington is 600 pages for $17 bucks on IST. That's ridiculous. If I didn't just buy Sirens and Rachel Rising I would bite on that right now.

I know, right!? And it could be had for less than $10 shipped for a used copy on Amazon last I checked.
And to add, the paperback is the highest quality paperback I own. Super thick covers. Really well-done collection, too. Between every mini (since Martha Washington was essentially a collection of minis, but each mini was just an arc in the main storyline which is the life of the character Martha Washington) there's a great little foreword by either Miller or Gibbons. The book itself, even ignoring the fantastic comics within, is a real treat.

 

[Rrongfield]

What's wrong with them, exactly?

It seems MobileGaf didn't update your edit. It had [spoilers][/spoiler] around your spoilers.

 

[Zombine]

[spoilers]Snape kills Dumbledore[/spoiler]

 

[Freezasaurus]

It seems MobileGaf didn't update your edit. It had [spoilers][/spoiler] around your spoilers.

Yeah, I do that sometimes. Typo.

 

[Messi]

Yeah, I do that sometimes. Typo.

Unacceptable.

I think it would be better if you never came back to this thread.

 

[Owzers]

[spoilers]Snape kills Dumbledore[/spoiler]

O__________O i remember this being spoiled for me awhile back, someone typed the same thing during a random e3 stream i think......


it might have been you.

 

[Bii]

[spoilers]Snape kills Dumbledore[/spoiler]

youforreal?

I got my Mike Mitchell Marvel x Mondo portraits in. They're 12"x16", signed and numbered..

And for a size comparison:

 

[GrandHarrier]

But it did. It was the Death of the Family. The very end, Bruce is explaining to Aldred how everybody was coming over to talk about things and everyone gave him some excuse as to why they were not showing up. Joker divided them. Jokers showed the rest Batmans true colors. He is a dick, he is selfish, he is stubborn. Complete opposite of what we have seen in Zero Year and hopefully we will see some other cool character progression from the events of Eternal and Snyders next arc.

This is how I felt about it as well. It didn't bother me that someone didn't die. The Joker proved his point. He won in his own way.

 

[Freezasaurus]

Unacceptable.

I think it would be better if you never came back to this thread.

As soon as you stop buying Catwoman. XD

 

[Zombine]

O__________O i remember this being spoiled for me awhile back, someone typed the same thing during a random e3 stream i think......


it might have been you.

I had a nasty comic spoiler happen to me a year or so back. Went on Kotaku and they posted the trailer for Walking Dead Season 3, and boom, some asshat posted the spoiler for Walking Dead #100. Never again. I worked so hard catching up so I would be ready for that issue and it was ruined. This was long before I threw money around, so me actually getting all the books and all the issues was a big deal.

Edit: hand hovering over Martha Washington. I might do it.

Edit 2: gigity.

 

[krypt0nian]

My issue with DotF was that through the entire storyline, you have all this shit going on,

Spoiler

Alfred getting kidnapped, allegedly losing his sight at the hands of the Joker

, and in the end, not a single bit of the status quo changed. There were really no lasting effects of that storyline. As much as I enjoyed reading it while it was going on, it may as well have not even happened.

Did we read the same story? The title of the book came to pass and still is the new status quo. That's the definition of lasting effects.

 

[Kipp]

Edit: hand hovering over Martha Washington. I might do it.

Edit 2: gigity.

DOO IIIIT. Or you can wait until after I post my pictures in 10-15 minutes after I pick the good ones/edit them.

 

[Zombine]

DOO IIIIT. Or you can wait until after I post my pictures in 10-15 minutes after I pick the good ones/edit them.

Oh this is mine. No doubt. I'm having second thoughts because I want it badly, but I would need to make sure it arrives by Saturday. If it isn't It'll be stolen/shot back.

 

[Freezasaurus]

Did we read the same story? The title of the book came to pass and still is the new status quo. That's the definition of lasting effects.

It's not that I was actually waiting for someone to literally die. I mean I thought there would be some continuing fallout from a story with so much hype surrounding it. If they

Spoiler

actually blinded Alfred

for example. Just some token thing to make it evident that the storyline happened in the first place. Don't misunderstand, while I was reading it, I enjoyed it. It was exciting and suspenseful. After it was over, though, just like with Battle of the Atom, it felt like there were no real lasting effects. Similar to how they're

Spoiler

bringing Rogue and Scarlet Witch back from the dead

after this arc of Uncanny Avengers. It degrades the story into a marketing stunt with no ongoing effects for the characters that lived (or didn't) through it.

 

[krypt0nian]

It's not that I was actually waiting for someone to literally die. I mean I thought there would be some lasting effects from a story with so much hype surrounding it. If they

Spoiler

actually blinded Alfred

for example. Just some token thing to make it evident that the storyline happened in the first place. Don't misunderstand, while I was reading it, I enjoyed it. It was exciting and suspenseful. After it was over, though, just like with Battle of the Atom, it felt like there were no real lasting effects. Similar to how they're

Spoiler

bringing Rogue and Scarlet Witch back from the dead

after this arc of Uncanny Avengers. It degrades the story into a marketing stunt with no ongoing effects for the characters that lived (or didn't) through it.

I maintain that there were very lasting effects. Huge ones.

 

[Espi]

Pretty sure Joker's end game isn't to get Bruce to "snap"

by now his end game is to show Bruce that he's too big of a pussy to do what needs to be done. Bruce thinks he's winning but he's losing, like always.

"waaah my parents died. Now hundreds of others kids parents have to die, or parents have to lose their kids, because I'm too much of a bitch to do what I set out to do when I started dressing up as a bat in the first place"

 

[Freezasaurus]

Okay, time for list.

Batman Eternal #12
Chew #42
Deadly Class #6
Invincible #112
Saga #20
Trees #2
Guardians of the Galaxy #16
Ms. Marvel #5
Uncanny Avengers #21

I'm thinking of maybe picking up Revival #21 as well, since this is the issue where

Spoiler

Dana gets out of the quarantine zone

.

 

[Kipp]

Oh this is mine. No doubt. I'm having second thoughts because I want it badly, but I would need to make sure it arrives by Saturday. If it isn't It'll be stolen/shot back.

Awesome.
I'm looking forward to you reading it whenever you do, because then I won't just be one crazy guy liking some book nobody really knows about. We'll be two crazy guys liking some book nobody really knows about!


Anyways, here is why all y'all should read The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the Twenty-First Century by Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons:

First, check out this high quality paperback that can be yours for $17 on IST or $10 shipped used on Amazon (please ignore the rough edges mine has from being a used copy):

Anyways, throughout the story, really cool world-building/exposition techniques are used, such as using pages from magazines:

The comic is just the story of Martha Washington's life, but when I say "just," that kind of undersells it. Martha Washington tends to get up to some crazy shit.

Here she is kicking a Native American:

Here she is about to go Rambo on some dudes:

Here she is blowing up a giant attack robot in the form of a fast food mascot:

Here she is getting kicked in the face by a tennis player:

And here she is kicking ass in a futuristic war-suit thingy:

And then on top of that, you got your creepy but cute little sidekick who tags along for most of the book:

And some well-drawn helicopters also make an appearance:

So yeah, that's why you should buy Martha Washington I guess.
Obviously it doesn't take itself too seriously, but don't let the outrageousness fool you too much, because there is a genuinely great, emotional story in there too.
And obviously the whole book isn't action scenes like my photos would have you believe. It just would be no fun to take pictures of one person saying words to another person.

Please. I beg of you. Just read Martha Washington.


Edit: No matter what I do, I just can't match Bii's photos. I think it's because I don't have a white table.

 

[KoruptData]

The Sunday and I'm sick list...blah.

AQUAMAN #32 $2.99
BATMAN #32 (ZERO YEAR) $3.99
BATMAN ETERNAL #12 $2.99
FLASH #32 $2.99
JUSTICE LEAGUE #31 $3.99
NEW 52 FUTURES END #8 (WEEKLY) $2.99
RED LANTERNS #32 $2.99
SINESTRO #3 $2.99
SUPERMAN #32 $3.99
DEADLY CLASS #6 (MR) $3.50
REVIVAL #21 (MR) $2.99
SAGA #20 (MR) $2.99
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #3 ANMN $3.99
MS MARVEL #5 $2.99
UNCANNY AVENGERS #21 ANMN $3.99
RACHEL RISING #26 $3.99

 

[Zombine]

Yeah Martha Washington looks ridiculous. Getting that the very day I return.