The Official Collected Editions Thread (New & Improved!)

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61

Man I’m gonna miss McKeever on this book. I wish Marvel would of given him a main title…

He did do a few 616 stories in the Spider-Man Family comics, though they were mostly fill in the gaps between ages old issues kind of stuff. Those are great and hopefully Marvel will decide to collect those in a trade one day. He did a Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends story where Spidey hooked up Firestar and Ice Man for a while and they broke up very briefly after lol (during this time Spidey was married) and he even brought in Video Man from that cartoon into 616 all while making the story fit between old Spider-Man and X-Men issues! Man this guy knows his Spider-Man! :lovin:

Oh well I’m looking forward to his Teen Titans comic.

62

due to excellent job news I was finally able to order the tpb’s that have been piling up on my want list. I got:

52 vol. 1
Exterminators vol. 2
Batman and the Mad Monk
Green Lantern Corps vol. 1
Runaways vol. 3 HC
Punisher MAX vol. 3 HC (btw…go out and read Man of Stone now if you havent)
Ultimate Galactus Trilogy HC
Superman: Camelot Falls
The Boys vol. 1
Annihilation vol. 2 HC
Jonah Hex vol. 2
Walking Dead vol. 2 HC

…yeah so about $200 worth of stuff:wgrin:

63

did anyone else think The Killing Joke is a little overrated? i just can’t buy how the story ends; considering what the Joker did in that arc, you’d expect old Bats to have pummelled him for like at least two pages or something. Since it’s Moore, naturally it can’t be garbage… but definitely like a high 7 out of 10 at most since the end RUINS it. Cute, but RUINOUS ending… hardly worthy for a Batman/Joker storyline finale.

im mostly a vertigo/marvel/image head right now, but i’m interested in the green lantern and flash. can anyone recommend good arcs in those two series with excellent writing? i like epic, but there’s only so much over the top everybody has god powers that I can take (/cough, marvel, /cough), and i don’t like emo. i really liked versions of GL and Flash from Kingdom Come, so if there’s any stories that explain how those powers developed or whatever I’d be game.

btw, if anyone is interested in experimenting with some titles they’ve heard about but don’t feel like shelling out the greenbacks to check out, hit me up for a good link.

64

The Killing Joke is kind of crummy, and Moore himself will be the first to admit that the payoff of the story doesn’t work. That said, The Killing Joke does offer a very fascinating look at the Joker, in spite of the misfire at the end, and the artwork is well done.

65

Got my copy of Batman and the Mad Monk the other day. Read it after I reread Monster Men. I think Wagner’s run was pretty good. It really felt like a big, comic version of an Animated Series episode. It has that awesome old-school mentality with new school verve.

I loved that part in Mad Monk where Batman was in the castle, and then the stairs he’s walking on just disappear and he just slides down into a deathtrap room where the walls have spikes and just close in on him. That was pretty entertaining… That cliffhanger- “The walls! They’re choke closing in!” was awesome.

I think The Killing Joke is one of the best Batman stories. It definitely not one of the best Alan Moore stories, but it’s beyond what most Bat-writers even attempt. It’s definitely a very British story. The resolution is very weird, but I think it works for the story. It’s unusual, but I thought it was affecting for a Batman and Joker tale. And Bolland hardly ever does interiors- that’s one of the best-looking Batman comics around.

For Flash comics, I think you gotta check out Geoff Johns’ run. According to wiki, he started on issue 164. His Flash run was amazing, just top tier superhero stuff. Until the last year or so, when he got caught up in making the comic tie-in with the Crises. It ended pretty ignominiously, but when it was on fire, it was FI-YA!

66

god damn…The Boys vol. 1 is probably the best start of a new series I have read in the past 12 months…this comic kicks ass

67

Now this is my kinda thread!

I doubt anyone will know of this book when I throw out the title, but earlier this week, I picked up a graphic novel called Penguin Bros. I’ve never heard of the book before but the whole concept of penguins in an action comic appealed to me and the artwork is really good. Haven’t read it yet, but it was cheap. Only $3.98.

I didn’t think Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane would go on for as long as it has. McKeever’s MJ books are usually only 4 books long but this ig going on book 18. I gotta get the TPBs sometime.

Marvel’s Essential line. I know I may be in the minority, but I’m a big fan of these books. Sure, they are in black & white but for 20+ comics at $16.99 its a good way to catch up on Marvel titles from the '60s-'80s. I love Claremon’ts reprinted work in Essential X-Men 1. Would Essential Silver Surfer 1 be worth picking up? I only read one SS comic and it was a reprint of SS #14, where he met Spidey, but it was very good.

68

Penguin Bros, eh? Sounds interesting. Tell us how it is after you read it.

Yeah, that Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane stuff started out as two Mary Jane miniseries before it officially became an ongoing. McKeever’s las issue is #20, but Marvel recently announced that Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise) will be the new writer. So it should still be good or possibly even better.

I like the Essential line, too. I actually think that Essential Howard the Duck truly is ESSENTIAL. For a '70s comic, it’s got some groundbreaking stuff. And the writing isn’t too shoddy. It’s got a sense of humor. Plus… Gene Colan artwork. There are some players whose art still looks just as good in black and white. Gene Colan is one such player.

I just wish the Essential line would reprint more modern comics. I respect and cherish Stan Lee as much as the next guy, but it’s tough to read some of his stuff. I mean a lot of the dialogue he wrote in the '60s was dated back in the '80s. So I can’t really force myself to slog through every single Spider-Man and FF. But those Essentials are definitely worth the money, even if Kirby’s art isn’t in color. It’s still good, y’know?

I actually have Essential Silver Surfer v.1. I’ve only read it once, but I think it’s good. Considering that it’s all his '60s comics, it’s great. It’s possibly one of the only times that Stan Lee’s over-the-top writing style really enhances the story. People say Spidey is emo. They don’t realize that Surfer gave birth to emo.

One of these days, I gotta get Essential Surfer v.2. They’re starting to get to the '80s/'90s Surfer comics… That means RON LIM POWERBLASTS. For the win, of course.

69

Picked up Punisher HC volume 3 recently. I only cared for the first half, but it’s very nice.

Also picked up the Fell HC wich is awesome.

Still waiting for my Planet Hulk HC though.

70

anyone have an opinion on the millar/land ultimate ff stuff? HC vol. 3 comes out tomorrow which collectes their two arcs

71

I think it’s decent. I am not a fan of Land’s art, so I didn’t think too much of it myself. But the stories and writing are pretty good. You can see where the Marvel Zombies came from, I guess. And that President Thor story was fun.

72

what about agents of atlas…it’s pretty thick for a premiere so I may splurge

73

I don’t know, I haven’t read Agents of Atlas. That’s definitely something that’s also on my Amazon wish list, though. The art’s really good. And you’re right, it’s thick for a premiere. All premieres should be priced like that. Some of the extras are old Golden Age comics, I think. I’ve heard good things about the series, and just flipping through it, I would bet that it doesn’t suck.

Never really read any of Jeff Parker’s work, though. Maybe an issue of Marvel Adventures once in a while, and some short stories in Marvel Romance comics, which were funny and entertaining. I heard his X-Men: First Class was also pretty good. That also just came out in HC.

74

Try to nab Mark Waid’s run on Captain America before Heroes Reborn. Part of it was “Man without a Country” and a run in with Red Skull with the Cosmic Cube, but I forget the title of that arc. I think it was Operation Rebirth or something like that.

Fun stuff.

75

letting people know Annihilation vol. 3 HC drops today

76

Ah, I remember some of the Waid Cap stories. I enjoyed them when I read them but I never felt any particular urge to go back and reread them. One of the weirdest ideas Waid used was using Cap to save Red Skull’s life (or was it vice versa? I forget). What I remember most about that run was Ron Garney’s art. For the longest time, I thought that was the last decent-looking series he drew because I didn’t like any of the art he’d done since then. It was only recently when I saw his Amazing Spider-Man that I felt like Garney was good again.

Here’s some of the TPBs I’ve read lately.

Secret Six: Six Degrees of Devastation - It was average, I think. I stopped reading Villains United after the third or fourth issue, but I managed to finish this one. The art’s above average. Catman is still kind of a ridiculous villain/anti-hero, but at least he’s got some personality. I still like Deadshot, too. The Deadshot miniseries by Christos Gage was superb (why isn’t THAT a TPB?!), and it’s nice to see some of the elements from that story touched upon in here.

Catwoman: The Replacements - The art is very good, especially the coloring. The story, not so much. The were a couple gaps in internal logic in the plot. Not to mention that I think the plot was silly. Mild SPOILER but it’s just a bad idea to give Selina a baby. There’s just no way that this comic could ever live up to Brubaker’s legacy.

Hawkman: Rise of the Golden Eagle - This was below average. TPB collects 9 issues, with various artists. Some of the art is pretty garbage, with all these lameass cleavage and butt shots of Hawkgirl. I don’t really need that stuff. The story was extremely lackluster. There were gaps in the story’s logic and it still ended up being completely predictable. Not to mention there’s at least one stupid deus ex machina. How many times can a guy fake his death and hold a fake funeral to trick his enemy? Sheesh. This might’ve been a decent story back in the '60s. Even back then, it might’ve been considered “quaint.” It’s hard to believe this was made a couple years ago and followed the Geoff Johns run.

The Ray: In A Blaze Of Power - Written back in the early nineties by Jack C. Harris (I’ve never heard of him) with art by Quesada. The art is really nice! But the story’s pretty boring. After the third issue, I just skimmed the rest of it. This was one of those comics that was definitely overwritten. Too much exposition, plenty of heavy-handed narration in thought balloons, and dated dialog (“Great heavens!”) with no sense of irony.

Green Lantern/Green Arrow volume 2 - This is some vintage stuff right here. Neal Adams art still looks great. The plots and ideas of the stories are interesting, with a lot of cool character moments interspersed. There’s definitely plenty of dialog and narration that dates the work, but overall, I think I can say this has stood the test of time. It has aged well and is probably some of the finest superhero comics of the '70s. Hey- at least it’s better than Spawn or Witchblade or Fathom.

77

Is Marvel’s Infinity Ghauntlet worth picking up? I’ve seen a copy at Borders but that sucker is like $30.

And I also need to get Watchmen because I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.

I’ve thought about getting DC’s Crissis On Infinite Earths but I heard it wasn’t newbie friendly and may require some knowledge of DC’s Earth-2 heroes and villians.

78

You need Watchmen. If the superhero genre were suddenly destroyed tomorrow, we could still recreate everything using Watchmen as the template. Not only is Watchmen essential for your comic book collection, but it’s essential FOR YOUR LIFE.

Infinity Gauntlet’s a fun story. I wouldn’t say pay 30 bones for it, though. Can’t you find it cheaper online somewhere?

And Crisis is just for (I hate to drop the f-bomb, but…) fanboys only. There’s no real other purpose in reading it.

79

crisis is a good intro to the dc universe for those who like to work. it presents you with this huge tapestry of characters and eras that may seem daunting at first but soon proves to be a great guide in finding new comics to follow and characters to read about.

80

my friend enjoys ultimate spider man, and civil war stuff more then Watchmen.

Should he be assassinated?