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Post by Valentine Smith on Apr 10, 2012 16:40:27 GMT -5
All Star Superman = easily the best Superman story of the last 25 years. Maybe longer.
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ShogunLogan
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If you shoot me, you're liable to lose a lot of those humanitarian awards.
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Post by ShogunLogan on Apr 10, 2012 17:55:20 GMT -5
Val---you should be proud...I'm currently reading a biography of Jack Kirby by Mark Evanier.  |
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Post by Valentine Smith on Apr 10, 2012 23:44:04 GMT -5
I am! That's a nice book. I have a copy but haven't given it a thorough read yet.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2012 11:46:23 GMT -5
Smallville: Season 11. It sucks balls.
Ongoing Ghostbusters. It took me a while to warm up to the cartoon-style, simplistic art, but the storytelling is pretty solid. It's hard to find in town since I have no comic shop (just a Hastings), and I'm missing a few print issues. So I said fuck it and went digital.
I was reading the new Action and Superman, but I gave up about four issues in. Just the same ol' shit I quit reading 10 years ago. Only difference is he's not married and has a slightly different costume. Just nothing to make me want to part with my money. This is why I wait for collected editions.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2012 13:09:50 GMT -5
Action started well, I thought, then got a little lame, and really came back strong with the last couple of issues. Like, REALLY strong.
Superman was pretty much awful until #7. Much improvement but not great, yet. It could get there.
I really enjoy all the changes in the comics. It's kinda cool, really. New but the same, basically. I likes.
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Keith
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Post by Keith on Apr 27, 2012 14:13:07 GMT -5
Finally had a chance to finish All Star Superman. Beautiful books. The story was great, I loved it. I want to go watch my Blu Ray of it now. Wish a little more from the books would have made it in the animated feature. I got the two volumes for my birthday and it was just great. Cassie is actually gonna sit down and read them, which'll be soon since she's gonna be laid up for a few weeks since she had her second back surgery yesterday. She's never sat down and read comics before, I hope she likes it  that'll be my way of being able to buy more graphic novels lol. |
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Post by Jor-L5150 on Aug 28, 2012 16:34:07 GMT -5
Superman SECRET ORIGIN
meh- its good, but not in the same league as john's other superman stories.
since it is an origin, its obviously a matter of when and how not if and maybe it's going to tick off the obligatory beats.
as a way to modify byrnes' superman (which technically was still continuity) and infuse jeph loebs neo-silver age experiment and then marry the superman books to his neo-silver/donnerverse i think it does the job.
i like it better than "birthright", but "man of steel" is still cooler imo.
love johns superman stuff overall though.
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Post by Valentine Smith on Aug 28, 2012 19:29:59 GMT -5
I agree. My problem with Secret Origin is how strangely compressed/decompressed it is. The first couple of issues take place over a span of YEARS. The rest of the series appears to happen in the space of about thirty minutes.
BUT, Byrne had the luxury of knowing that MoS wasn't just a one-shot deal. Byrne's Superman #1 pretty much picks up a few weeks after MoS #6 leaves off. Johns didn't have that option, so I guess it makes sense that they try to show as much of Superman's villains and supporting cast as possible. But it doesn't make it a good story decision.
At least with the new 52, we have one book set in the past, exploring the character from day one, while the other book deals with the present. I think it's a pretty sensible way to handle characters that support multiple titles.
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cypher85
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Back off, man. I'm a scientist
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Post by cypher85 on Aug 30, 2012 8:48:07 GMT -5
Yesterday I signed up for mail delivery through my LCS. I didn't even know that they provided that service, until I was picking up my subscriptions and saw them putting stacks into fedex packaging. Sure it's an extra 5 bucks a month. But, saves me the hassle of driving through town every couple of weeks to pick up my books. Now they will be delivered to my door  . Plus unlike other mail order services I get to still support my LCS, and whereas others make you put in your orders when previews come out 3 months in advance, I can keep my regular subscriptions going without ever needing to redo them. And I still have the flexibility to call them the week something is coming out and either add it to my list or drop it. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2012 1:15:05 GMT -5
Gads, I haven't read a comic in about a month now. I really kinda burnt myself the heck out this summer. I read SO much. I've read over 30 TPBs and countless single issues of various things since January. I'm feeling it starting to crawl back into my interests, though.
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Post by eccentricbeing on Sept 15, 2012 11:16:49 GMT -5
Thats how I feel, except I read more like 10 TPBs. I'm still reading, but I'm taking it slowly. I read All-Star Superman a couple of weeks ago. I liked it. I found it a bit weird at times though. Superman's world is pretty damn weird.
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Post by Valentine Smith on Sept 15, 2012 18:48:11 GMT -5
I own over a thousand Superman comics. If I was told I could keep ONE Superman story, it would probably be All Star Superman. In my opinion, it's the most beautiful, nuanced portrayal of everything the character stands for. It's not the most action-packed, but it's the one that makes me feel the best.
And I love the fact that it somehow manages to touch on every important aspect of the legend, almost as if every Superman story ever told exists within its continuity, but still is completely accessible. It would be IMPOSSIBLE to properly adapt this to the screen (and I still haven't seen the animated version, but I intend to), simply because it can only really exist as a comic, feeding on 75 years of Superman history.
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Post by eccentricbeing on Sept 15, 2012 23:56:48 GMT -5
Every time I read it, I kept thinking this was the Superman version of The Dark Knight Returns in that, like you said, pinpointed every aspect of Superman. And it was also a last hurrah.
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Post by Valentine Smith on Sept 16, 2012 8:13:58 GMT -5
I'd put it up there with Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2012 13:25:46 GMT -5
CHRIST.
If I had to keep just one...
Yowzas...I mean...one story? The Death and Return, I guess, that whole thing, but that's a big huge for that, it's a cheat.
I suppose I'd have to go with For All Seasons.
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Post by Valentine Smith on Sept 16, 2012 14:22:10 GMT -5
I love Death and Return. It's a fun, over-the-top, action movie that has some fun with the Superman mythology. It's got plenty of triumphant, awesome moments. It's always in the front of my mind whenever I start thinking about my favorite Superman comics. It does the kind of story it does about as well as it can be done. Better than it has any right to be, really.
But nothing makes me feel the way All Star does. I read that, and I honestly feel like Superman is looking out for me. It's interesting...Death and Return is one of those "makes you want to BE Superman" stories. All Star makes me actually believe IN Superman. There's something immensely powerful about Superman as almost an abstract concept in All Star. It's almost religious. All Star doesn't make me want to be Superman. It makes me want to live my life in such a way, and make other people happy, in a way that Superman would approve of.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2012 14:19:52 GMT -5
Captain America: Civil War
This one was poorly reviewed as some intermediary between the Brubaker beginning and the Death. I loved it. I even got a little teary eyed at times. I just REALLY love this character and all around him at this point. I love Bucky. I mean, it's all just so damn great. I hope the Death stuff is good. I'm sure it is.
Wolverine
This is the one the next movie is based on. I thought it would be a little different, I didn't know much about it, but I still really liked it. It'll be interesting to see how the movie works the story. This was quite violent. Very fun, well written. Miller's art isn't the best here, though, it's kinda...eh...
Marvels
This one was incredible. It brought out a lot of emotions in me. Anger. Regret. Fear. Hope. So well done. I can't believe I hadn't read this until now. It's beautiful. Epic. Kinda flat ending but I suppose that's the only way such a bombastic story could possibly end.
JLA: Morrison Run #1
I REALLY didn't like the art in this at all, except for the one issue where Porter didn't do the art. The stories are all pretty damn good, too. A few goosebump inducing moments. Morrison REALLY writes Flash and Superman well. Like, alarmingly well. I may end up getting more Action comics if he's still on it.
Superman: Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
How DARE I not have read this until the other day. This was simply extraordinary. It's the collection with the other stuff by Morrison, the Swamp Thing story and the "What Do You Get For The Man Who Has Everything?" one. This shit is so fucking good. I want more Superman stories from this era and earlier. Any recommendations for good crazy Superman things pre-Crisis?
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Kirok
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"You have failed this city!"
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Post by Kirok on Oct 25, 2012 14:38:56 GMT -5
Captain America: Civil WarThis one was poorly reviewed as some intermediary between the Brubaker beginning and the Death. I loved it. I even got a little teary eyed at times. I just REALLY love this character and all around him at this point. I love Bucky. I mean, it's all just so damn great. I hope the Death stuff is good. I'm sure it is. Brubaker's run on Captain America is probably my favorite run of anyone on anything. I got into Cap last year because of the movie, started with "Winter Soldier" and kept on reading. Brilliant stuff, and it's catapulted Cap up to being my favorite Marvel superhero.
Superman: Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?How DARE I not have read this until the other day. This was simply extraordinary. It's the collection with the other stuff by Morrison, the Swamp Thing story and the "What Do You Get For The Man Who Has Everything?" one. This shit is so fucking good. I want more Superman stories from this era and earlier. Any recommendations for good crazy Superman things pre-Crisis? I think you meant Moore, not Morrison.  But yeah, great story and the a perfect way to close the book on that era of the character. |
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Post by Valentine Smith on Oct 25, 2012 17:18:34 GMT -5
The art really sinks a lot of Morrison's JLA run. These really SHOULD be the greatest Justice League comics EVER. But Howard Porter's art is really, really dated. It's a shame, really.
pre-Crisis Supes is tricky. It's the kind of thing where you have to just sorta buy a stack of 'em and hope for the best. Most stuff written by Maggin is good, and there's some great Cary Bates stuff. Most of the time, you're guaranteed some great Curt Swan/Murphy Anderson, Kurt Schaffenberger, or Gil Kane art. Almost all of 'em are one and done. I happen to LOVE the era of Superman that "Whatever Happened To..." brings to a close (the TV Reporter, ultra-powerful, bronze age Supes). Superman #400 is one of my favorite single issues of ANYTHING. Can't recommend it enough. Fits in nicely with those two Moore stories. Your best bet is to just buy a huge lot of 'em on eBay (they're REALLY cheap...nobody wants them) or at a comic-con. Put some music on, get right, turn off your brain, and just read 'em like you would as a kid. Some of 'em will just leave you scratching your head or yawning, but other times you just get Superman dealing with some really crazy, wonderful stuff. There's one Action Comics two-parter where Jonathan Kent, thanks to a deal he made with some weird aliens when Clark was a kid, and knowing he wouldn't be alive to see Clark grow up to be SuperMAN, comes back. Basically, these aliens warp reality for two days, so that Jonathan never died, and the world reacts accordingly. The glitch is, it doesn't work on Superman. So everyone else is acting like nothing is wrong, and Clark is like "Why the fuck is my Dad still alive?" But he goes with it, because it clearly really IS Jonathan. It's an incredible story, and I cry almost every time I read it and then call my Dad...
More as I think of 'em...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2012 1:19:12 GMT -5
Good catch, Kirok. I meant Moore, indeed. Moore is my favorite comic writer ever, I think. I love him so. I used to not be too fond of Morrison but I'm starting to really come around. Maybe I oughta read the Invisibles again.
And Val, what issues are those, the ones that make you cry and call papa? I want'em. I totally will buy a random bunch of them on eBay. That's half the fun! Just getting random shit and seeing what's good and, I gotta say, it's all pretty much good to me. It's all so fun.
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Post by Valentine Smith on Oct 26, 2012 8:46:30 GMT -5
Action Comics #507 and 508.
As a general rule, I've found that Superman was the better title than Action in the 70s and 80s, but there are exceptions. If you just start poking around on eBay for lots of Superman in the high 200s/and 300s, and Action in the 400s and low 500s, you'll probably find a bunch of big lots for cheap. Most of this stuff will never be collected.
You'll get a bunch of lousy stuff, too. But, here's the thing. You end up paying 50 cents or a buck an issue, and each comic has more story than four issues of current comics. When you sit down and read a bronze age Superman comic, it's not over in five minutes.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2012 12:20:23 GMT -5
Ah, yes, 400, I got that one. It was excellent. I love the back cover, it has the MOS style S! Okay, I picked out a random bunch of Superman stuff from all those eras you mentioned and the Jon Kent ones, $15 plus shipping. Not bad.
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Post by Valentine Smith on Oct 26, 2012 12:31:55 GMT -5
superman.nu/Is the best resource for pre-Crisis Superman info. A few other things worth checking out. the following mini-series: Krypton ChroniclesWorld of Krypton (the pre-Crisis one) Superman: The Secret Years (Supes in college. The basis for the Superboy tv show) The Phantom Zone (THIS is what Superman II should have been) Do some searches for stuff you dig. Brainiac stories. Phantom Zone villain stories (there aren't a lot), etc. It's also just come to my attention that Marv Wolfman and Gil Kane did a run on Action Comics together around 1983. It was kind of a soft-reboot for the title. I think I need to get these...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2012 13:28:29 GMT -5
Yes, starts at #539, I had already gotten that one and just picked up a few more. I dig Braniac stuff, so I'm getting a bunch of those. This'll be grand!
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Post by SupermanUF on Dec 13, 2012 9:15:12 GMT -5
I love Death and Return. It's a fun, over-the-top, action movie that has some fun with the Superman mythology. It's got plenty of triumphant, awesome moments. It's always in the front of my mind whenever I start thinking about my favorite Superman comics. It does the kind of story it does about as well as it can be done. Better than it has any right to be, really. But nothing makes me feel the way All Star does. I read that, and I honestly feel like Superman is looking out for me. It's interesting... Death and Return is one of those "makes you want to BE Superman" stories. All Star makes me actually believe IN Superman. There's something immensely powerful about Superman as almost an abstract concept in All Star. It's almost religious. All Star doesn't make me want to be Superman. It makes me want to live my life in such a way, and make other people happy, in a way that Superman would approve of. Shit, I read the first issue of this years ago when it first came out and thought it was awful. Isn't All-Star the one where he takes Lois to the Fortress in the first issue and makes her wear that kryptonian suit? It was just so goofy. I just thought it was such a strange, weak way to start I had no interest in reading any more. You mean it actually gets better? |
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that'll be my way of being able to buy more graphic novels lol. 
But yeah, great story and the a perfect way to close the book on that era of the character. 