Reading comics can be so depressing...

[Ricky]

I got my monthly stack yesterday.
I really felt thrilled when I first looked over all the different covers.
I felt a lot less thrilled once I had read them.
The Majority of them had been mostly borning.

The only titles I really enjoyed reading were Supreme Power, the Black Widow and the ultimate books. Astonishing X-Men was okay, nothing special, but nice to read, and the whole rest of my stack just left me out cold.

I'd looked forward to reducing my pull-list anyway, but I hadn't expected to cut it in half just so soon. Which is to say, I felt so disappointed by most books, that I cancelled them right away.

My pull-list has dropped from 11 titles to 5 in just one day.
Supreme Power never made it onto the list, since I was going to buy it in trades. Somehow, I still get the one spare issue from my comic-store every month. I just can't restrain myself, it's too good. Still, the book's gonna pause for a few months, as far as I have heard, so I don't expect to buy any further issues for a while.
Black Widow is great, but it ended with the last issue I bought, so it's off my pull-list as well. (I'm waiting for the next mini, however. It's been announced at the end of the last issue)

MK: 4 was great, when it first came out, but the art became horrible after McNiven left and the stories lost a lot of quality as well. I had mostly kept it in hope of a few more good arcs. I had great hopes in the new arc ("Divine Time"), but after reading the first issue, I didn't see any inprovement coming.
MK Spiderman has been quite difficult to place. There had been extraordinary stuff inside, but also pretty boring stuff. Mostly it wasn't very ingenuitive writing, but just as bad stuff as possible happening to Peter Parker.
What kept me reading through the last few issues was the hope of a big pay-off in the last story arc, after everything was set in place in the first two. I've read up to issue 11 now, and the big pay-off is still nowhere in sight. I'll get issue 12, for completion's sake, but then I'm off.
Wolverine had a disappointing conclussion to Millar's first arc. It's weird, because it's well-written actually, but it just didn't connect. I mostly blame the art for that. I looked through the final issue again last night, tried to compare it with the first issue of the arc /which just pulled me in), and I couldn't believe it had been done by the same guy.
Astonishing X-Men hadn't really astonished me recently. The last issue had been pretty non-descript, so I told the guy from the store to put it off my list as I bought the current issue, which I saw as a good-bye issue. This issue was actually okay, but I haven't bothered yet to put the title back onto the list. I might. Or I might not. Don't know, yet.
Green Lantern: Rebirth was the only DC title I was reading. It started out nice, but it turned into a big all-out brawl 1-2 issues ago and I don't really need to see lots of guys I don't care about fight another two guys I don't care about neither.

So, starting next month, my pull-list is down to:
Ultimates 2
Ultimate FF
Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate Spiderman
Ultimate Secret

I'll eventually get Ultimate Ironman in trade, I guess, but I don't really see the necessity to buy the title right now.
Ultimate Spiderman actually surprised me, because this issue was really good, again. I cared about what happened to Peter when I read it, which I didn't during most other recent issues. After a horrible Wolverine-crossover and an equally bad Strange-story, Ultimate Spiderman seems to be be back on track.
Ultimate X-Men is getting better again, too. Best issue in this arc, so far.
Ultimate Nightmare was rounded up wonderfully, except for the illogical fight breaking out once the two teams meet. Except for that, just great.
Ultimates 2 is just as awesome as it always was. I'd actually been crying when I read the church scene.

Apart from those, I think I'll give The Authority a try, in trades most likely, and I'll try out the first trade from New Thunderbolts, once it comes out.

Oh, and I've read Watchmen last weekend. The best comic I've ever read. Too say the least. It's a very mature read, and not easily approachable, but once I had read it, all other comic books just paled in comparison.

 

[ProjectX2]

You should like Warren Ellis's run in Authority. I didn't really like Milalr's run. But I recommend the first two trades.

 

[E]

You should like Warren Ellis's run in Authority. I didn't really like Milalr's run. But I recommend the first two trades.

I think I've mentioned this before, but I checked out Ellis's first Authority trade and it literally bored me to sleep. I just couldn't get into it at all. So the notion of dumping comics because they are boring and picking up Authority is kind of funny to me.

 

[Nurhachi]

Well, Ricky, just as long as you keep getting Supreme Power

Also, might i suggest you try the first TPB of New Avengers as well as New Thunderbolts?

 

[Ricky]

New Avengers? Not likely.
I'm pretty Bendis-phobic recently, after all the bad stuff he's put out. I also turned from a Finch-fan to a Finch-hater recently.

Ellis' Authority boring? Well, to tell the truth, I've had a similar impression, when I skimmed through the first trade a year ago. I keep hearing good stuff about the book, however, so I decided it might be worth a try. I'm especially looking forward to Millar's run, because I love stories about the relationship between the government and the superheroes. Hope it's worth the money.

 

[René]

New Avengers? Not likely.
I'm pretty Bendis-phobic recently, after all the bad stuff he's put out.

That is so true. Evrything since the Venom Story arc has been... bleh... But after reading the first issues of the Hobgoblin story arc, it seems like a good
story arc. But we'll see what comes out in the end

 

[Ice]

I myself don't see why you don't like Astonishing X-Men. It has been really great. Whedon does an excellent job with the book.

 

[E]

I myself don't see why you don't like Astonishing X-Men. It has been really great. Whedon does an excellent job with the book.

I agree, but I can see where some people might find it slow or boring. It's very character-driven, moreso than just about any other comic I've read. It has a great mix of action in there too, but maybe not as much as other X-books.

That is not a criticism on my part, just an observation.

 

[Ricky]

Well, I imagine you want a serious answer.

There's quite a lot I liked initially about the book, which doesn't seem to be there anymore. The art impressed me like hell at first, but I've grown to find it boring recently. The plot about the Virus was interesting, especially the sub-plot about Hank. Orb turned out a lot more disapointing then I had first espected, however. The conclusion of the first arc left me pretty unimpressed.
The second started with an issue (#7) in which nothing even slightly interesting happens. Issue 8 was better, but still not anywere near overwhelming. Then again, I just care more about the ultimate characters then their 616-counterparts recently.

So, I dropped the book. I'll probably give it another try, once the second trade comes out, but I'm not too sure about it.


By the way, talking of long-winded books, UltimateE, Supreme Power is pretty much my favorite title right now...

 

[Bass]

Ellis' Authority boring? Well, to tell the truth, I've had a similar impression, when I skimmed through the first trade a year ago. I keep hearing good stuff about the book, however, so I decided it might be worth a try. I'm especially looking forward to Millar's run, because I love stories about the relationship between the government and the superheroes. Hope it's worth the money.

I found Ellis' authority run boring too - at first. It took me a couple of reads, but now I love it. Basically, if you're getting the Authority, I'll give you a very brief synposis:

Vol 1 "Relentless" #1-8 - two four-part arcs, the is the Authority versus the dictator of the island Gamhorra, who plans to dominate the world. The second arc is about the invasion of Albion, an alternate-universe where the British empire never fell and colluded with aliens. The main villain, Rebis, is great.

Vol 2 "Under New Management" #9-16 - two four-part arcs, the first is the final arc by Ellis and Hitch, where the Authority take on a very strange, otherworldly menace. The next arc is the beginning of Millar and Quitely's run, which is brilliant. It's the Authority versus Jack Kirby. This was the first arc I got of the Authority, and it's wonderful.

I didn't get the following trades, but rather in single issues. The four-part structure goes screwy here, so I'll fill you in on how the numbering works.

#17-20 are "Earth Inferno" which is poop for two issues, but has a brilliant climax once Quitely takes over the art again - #20 is the same kind of buzz as Hulk Does Manhattan.

#21 is a filler issue which is just an ad for "The Monarchy", a series that tanked.

#22 is the first issue of the last four-part arc by Millar and Quitely and in my opinion, the finest single issue of the Authority to date, with #20 being a damn close second.

At this point, Quitely went to Marvel to draw New X-Men, and as a result, the current arc was put on hold. #23-26 is a four-part arc written and drawn by another creative team, and is very poor. So avoid it if you can.

#27-29 are the final three parts of the arc started in 22 and while, not drawn by Quitely, are still a very exciting read. This arc was the last Authority arc for a while, then the series was relaunched, and I was never too fond of it since then.

The thing about the Ellis/Hitch and Millar/Quitely issues is that they feel really fresh, and exhilarating. So, I'd recommend anyone suffereing from "comic boredom" (and I have, so I feel your pain, Ricky) go for these.

That said, here are some other terrific books that are not dull at all, that you may like to try:

Global Frequency (written by Warren Ellis, various artists) - only 12 issues long, each issue is self-contained and is a ridiculous high-octane fun-fest. It's a superb sci-fi action series (not superheroes), and will cure boredom.

The Invincible Iron-Man (written by Ellis, painted by Adi Gravinov) - ongoing series that seems to be bi-monthly - #3 is out in April. It's a stellar work BUT it is a slow-paced one. If you want to cure your boredom, this emotional work might not satisfy.

Planetary (written by Warren Ellis, illustrated by John Cassady) - an ongoing series, that releases sporadically (when Cassady has time to do it), it is an unwinding, sinister story of the secret history of the Wildstorm universe. It's a powerful archaeological mystery - extremely satisfying. And be prepared to see many familiar faces through a dark, twisted mirror...

the Earth X trilogy (followed by Universe X and Paradise X - written by John Krueger and Alex Ross, various artists) - this is the most epic tale done in the 616 universe (or comics, for that matter), tieing up 40 years of plots into one cohesive, brilliant pattern. Mind-bending but amazing.

Superman: Red Son (Mark Millar and Dave Johnson) - an amazing story that redifines the iconography of the Superman genre by having his spaceship land in Soviet Russia. Absolutely beautiful.

Hellboy (Mike Mignola) - fast-paced occult horror. Action-packed and fantastically entertaining. Some trades, such as vol 3: The Chained Coffin are anthologies and contain many short stories. Definately worth its sticker price.

As for Ultimate stuff - Ultimate Fantastic Four #7-12 are Doom (which I LOVED) and the current 6-part arc called "N-Zone" it think is doing a splendid job of capturing the feel of unknown territory. After that Ellis is gone, and I think, I may drop the title. The first six issues were dull, and Millar, co-writer of them, is coming back. So I dunno how good it will be.

As for a regular, ongoing series, The Punisher by Garth Ennis and Doug Braithwaite (the artist who did both Universe X and Paradise X) is extremely well made. Dark, black violence - but this is a max series, so the violence is extremely graphic and there are tons of swearing. But it's really an amazing book.

My personal favourite is the Crime series 100 Bullets, written by Brian Azzarello (who did the fantastic "Banner" and "Cage" mini-series with the equally outstanding Roger Corben) and illustrated by the ridiculously good Eduardo Risso. This series is absolutely stunning in every issue, and is currently nearing #60 (its a 100-issue book), and also for mature readers - lots of swearing in this.

But then, you like Supreme Power (good man) so neither of the two above should be a problem.

Ricky, my man, I've been bored my comics so many times, it's times like these you really go out and try some new guys. I'm telling you, if you want something that will get your heart pumping: Global Frequency (even if it's finished), The Authority (Ellis or Millar), The Punisher, or 100 Bullets will cure you.

 

[E]

the Earth X trilogy

Earth X remains the most brilliantly written and executed series EVER. The fact that it's not 616 canon is a travesty.

 

[Ice]

Earth X remains the most brilliantly written and executed series EVER.

Agreed 100%.

 

[Bass]

Actually Earth X is 616 canon.

Think about it, the only way 616 is different now is since the Earth X trilogy ended. So before Earth X, Earth X was canon. 616 changed to divert from Earth X, but Earth X is canon.

If that made sense, then those of you who have not read Earth X may stand a chance at getting it.

I still don't get some parts of that trilogy.

 

[jtg3885]

I got my monthly stack yesterday.
I really felt thrilled when I first looked over all the different covers.
I felt a lot less thrilled once I had read them.
The Majority of them had been mostly borning.

Seriously man, do you ever stop *****ing? It seems like 66% of your posts are criticizing something about comics. Character portrayals, the pairings, now just content in general... why don't you just stop reading?

 

[TKM]

I got my monthly stack yesterday.
I really felt thrilled when I first looked over all the different covers.
I felt a lot less thrilled once I had read them.
The Majority of them had been mostly borning.

The only titles I really enjoyed reading were Supreme Power, the Black Widow and the ultimate books. Astonishing X-Men was okay, nothing special, but nice to read, and the whole rest of my stack just left me out cold.

I'd looked forward to reducing my pull-list anyway, but I hadn't expected to cut it in half just so soon. Which is to say, I felt so disappointed by most books, that I cancelled them right away.

My pull-list has dropped from 11 titles to 5 in just one day.
Supreme Power never made it onto the list, since I was going to buy it in trades. Somehow, I still get the one spare issue from my comic-store every month. I just can't restrain myself, it's too good. Still, the book's gonna pause for a few months, as far as I have heard, so I don't expect to buy any further issues for a while.
Black Widow is great, but it ended with the last issue I bought, so it's off my pull-list as well. (I'm waiting for the next mini, however. It's been announced at the end of the last issue)

MK: 4 was great, when it first came out, but the art became horrible after McNiven left and the stories lost a lot of quality as well. I had mostly kept it in hope of a few more good arcs. I had great hopes in the new arc ("Divine Time"), but after reading the first issue, I didn't see any inprovement coming.
MK Spiderman has been quite difficult to place. There had been extraordinary stuff inside, but also pretty boring stuff. Mostly it wasn't very ingenuitive writing, but just as bad stuff as possible happening to Peter Parker.
What kept me reading through the last few issues was the hope of a big pay-off in the last story arc, after everything was set in place in the first two. I've read up to issue 11 now, and the big pay-off is still nowhere in sight. I'll get issue 12, for completion's sake, but then I'm off.
Wolverine had a disappointing conclussion to Millar's first arc. It's weird, because it's well-written actually, but it just didn't connect. I mostly blame the art for that. I looked through the final issue again last night, tried to compare it with the first issue of the arc /which just pulled me in), and I couldn't believe it had been done by the same guy.
Astonishing X-Men hadn't really astonished me recently. The last issue had been pretty non-descript, so I told the guy from the store to put it off my list as I bought the current issue, which I saw as a good-bye issue. This issue was actually okay, but I haven't bothered yet to put the title back onto the list. I might. Or I might not. Don't know, yet.
Green Lantern: Rebirth was the only DC title I was reading. It started out nice, but it turned into a big all-out brawl 1-2 issues ago and I don't really need to see lots of guys I don't care about fight another two guys I don't care about neither.

So, starting next month, my pull-list is down to:
Ultimates 2
Ultimate FF
Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate Spiderman
Ultimate Secret

I'll eventually get Ultimate Ironman in trade, I guess, but I don't really see the necessity to buy the title right now.
Ultimate Spiderman actually surprised me, because this issue was really good, again. I cared about what happened to Peter when I read it, which I didn't during most other recent issues. After a horrible Wolverine-crossover and an equally bad Strange-story, Ultimate Spiderman seems to be be back on track.
Ultimate X-Men is getting better again, too. Best issue in this arc, so far.
Ultimate Nightmare was rounded up wonderfully, except for the illogical fight breaking out once the two teams meet. Except for that, just great.
Ultimates 2 is just as awesome as it always was. I'd actually been crying when I read the church scene.

Apart from those, I think I'll give The Authority a try, in trades most likely, and I'll try out the first trade from New Thunderbolts, once it comes out.

Oh, and I've read Watchmen last weekend. The best comic I've ever read. Too say the least. It's a very mature read, and not easily approachable, but once I had read it, all other comic books just paled in comparison.

Yeah Watchmen is the best by far. And that was almost forty years ago. Now all Moore writes are disappointing novels. But at least he's happy