Reading any DC comics these days?

[Seaward]

Since issue #1. Actually the Rebirth mini series before that.

It's up to #34 now and it's the first time I can say that Green Lantern is a great book.

I'm also reading Batman but Grant Morrison is so complex I always feel a little stupid reading it.

Thanks! I'll have to see what my local stores have on the shelves for GL.

Anything by Grant Morrison usually requires a thorough re-read once a storyline wraps up. A lot of the pieces aren't clear until the very end, but I've been enjoying being puzzled by the events in Batman. I haven't read the title consistently enough to know whether or not the sensory deprivation experience that he refers to as the start of some of the Batman RIP and Zurr-en -arrh stuff was in an old comic or just a new plot device, but I love the idea of Batman prepare a seperate personality should anyone attack the Bruce Wayne/Batman persona psychologically!

 

[Shatterer of Dreams]

Yes the current Batman run is great but as stated before if you read Grant Morrison (one of my favorite writters) you need to re-read the arc when it's finished and the story will just open up to you.

GL is a great run right now as well - i'm a little pived by the fact that the current arc is an origin tale (Again!) but it is a good story and a nice layover until rage of the red laterns and blackest night, which is the arc i'm most looking forward to.

I'm sad to see no Wonder Woman love though. Gail Simone is re-establishing her right now and has the perfect balance of action, comedy, and character developement. If you've ever read anything by Gail Simone you know that she is a great writer and Wonder Woman should not be missed (granted i'm biased since WW is my favorite.) Seriously though great title right now and everyone who reads it gets sucked in.

 

[Shatterer of Dreams]

I don't collect individual comics anymore aside from All-Star Superman, which is just super in every possible way. Sad to see it come to an end with the next issue. I always wait for the trade paperback's anymore. It's cheaper and you can read an entire storyline at once. I buy pretty much exclusively DC. The only Marvel character I collect are the Garth Ennis Punisher trades (I have all of them, I think) and the Dark Horse Conan trades. Everything else is DC and mostly Superman and Batman with a lot of JLA and JSA mixed in.

Does anyone have any Absolute Editions? These are so cool. I have World's Greatest Superheroes, Kingdom Come, Dark Knight Returns/Dark Knight Strikes Again, Hush, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Long Halloween.

I have the absolute editions of Kingdom Come, Worlds Greatest Heroes, Hush, Long Halloween, New Frontier, Watchmen, and the 2 Sandman volumes. Oh not really and absolute edition but the same kind of format i also have Alan Moore's Lost Girls.

 

[Seaward]

Absolute Editions are a great way to go, especially with some of the re-mastered art. The Sandman books are especially gorgeous, but my favorite Absolute collection has to be Planetary. Hush looks great, and Jim Lee is really at the top of his game in this series, really solid Batman arc, and features almost every top tier villian.

All-Star Superman has taken so many Superman tropes and turned them upside down. The Bizarro stuff was strangely poignant, I loved Lex walking Clark through prison, and the fate of the bottle city of Kandor brought a huge smile to my face. It'll be sad when this one ends, but it'll make an excellent re-read.

I recommend Superman: For All Season if anyone enjoyed Long Halloween and Dark Victory!

 

[plasmid303]

The Absolute editions are so expensive! I only have Absolute Sandman vol. 1 and 2 so far and they're awesome, but I only bought them because I had a 40% off coupon at the time.

For those who like the recent Batman run by Morrision: I hate it. Well, I hate the majority of it. The only good part was R.I.P. and reading through the sludge that lead up to it (Batman & Son, Res of Ra's, etc) was torture.

 

[Seaward]

I thought the Damien stuff was surprisingly shallow at first, but since he keeps popping up in little tidbits, I find I like that run a little better (never liked the Kubert art though.) The text issue with J V Fleet leads directly to the current R.I.P. stuff, same with the police force stuff, all leading to the most recent storyline. I haven't read the tie-in issues though, my comic shop manager warned me off of the other issues.

Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, and Alan Moore are guys I can read almost anything by. Promethea and Invisibles are two of my favorite comics, and always warrant a re-read. Promethea was the first time I was actually unnerved reading anything, after growing up on a steady diet of Stephen King, Clive Barker and horror movies.

 

[Batman5]

While I haven't been reading on a monthly basis anymore as the college I go to does not have a very gas mileage close comic store I can visit I must say that Action Comics atm is my favorite book. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank are amazing together and the story line regarding Brainiac is pretty inventive. Also Justice League of America and the Justice Society are both really good reads. Detective Comics as stated by Chris is also a fantastic read.
A really good Superman read can be found in Superman: Birthright and the whole Man of Steel volumes by John Byrne and other writers from the early 90s. Also an important Batman read is Batman: Year One, Long Halloween, Dark Victory and Robin Year One. While all are written by various writers IMO they follow a very a tight story line of the early years of Batman and Robin.

 

[plasmid303]

I'm a big Neil Gaiman fan so I'm anticipating his work on Batman. I know for certain the results will be awesome. After reading his short story "A Black & White World" from Batman: Black & White a few years ago, I couldn't wait for more Gaiman scribed Batman stories.

While I generally like Grant Morrison's work on Batman, I prefer his Animal Man stories and his stuff on All Star Superman (and the Invisibles, of course). When it comes to popular Batman writers, Jeph Loeb takes top spot for me. His work on The Long Halloween and the recent Superman/Batman are some of my favorites.

I picked up Alan Moore's Promethea a few months ago and am ashamed to say I haven't even opened the cover. It's on my shelf somewhere. That's what happens when you order tons of books and trades from Amazon.com and forget about some of them.

While I haven't been reading on a monthly basis anymore as the college I go to does not have a very gas mileage close comic store I can visit I must say that Action Comics atm is my favorite book. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank are amazing together and the story line regarding Brainiac is pretty inventive. Also Justice League of America and the Justice Society are both really good reads. Detective Comics as stated by Chris is also a fantastic read.
A really good Superman read can be found in Superman: Birthright and the whole Man of Steel volumes by John Byrne and other writers from the early 90s. Also an important Batman read is Batman: Year One, Long Halloween, Dark Victory and Robin Year One. While all are written by various writers IMO they follow a very a tight story line of the early years of Batman and Robin.

I totally forgot about Geoff Johns! He's done some great stuff, many of which are on my favorites list. I recently read Superman: Birthright (I love the artwork!) and liked it enough to look for more stories written by Mark Waid, of whom at that point I've only read Kingdom Come (best Elseworlds/JLA story ever, in my opinion). I would whole-heartedly recommend Kingdom Come to any DC beginner.

 

[Krypto]

I haven't picked up a new DC/Marvel book in a while, but call me crazy...I'm loving this graphic novel.

I hated issue #1 when it first came out (like 95% of readers), but I ended up getting the collected volume and I'm glad I did.

It's certainly different, but I can't help loving it.

If you can "get" what Miller is doing, it can be a lot of fun. I read the first few issues and felt conflicted. I have the trade paperback and I'm looking forward to revisiting it, hopefully with more favorable results.

Some Supes comics are awesome---but you'll need to be selective. All Star Superman was good, and of course the whole "Death of Supes" run was amazing. Also, "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" is worth looking at. Lastly (almost forgot), Brian Azarello's run on Superman w/ Jim Lee was enjoyable. Nothing groundbreaking, but worth the read.

If anyone's interested in Superman, you simply must check out Secret Identity and Red Son, two of the best Superman stories from the past decade. Also, the recent Richard Donner/Geoff Johns scribed Last Son and Escape from Bizarro World are both excellent as well.

All Star Supes is ending?

I loved vol. 1, although I hate 99% of Grant Morrison's stuff.

BTW, I left Ennis' Punisher run after the first volume. Is the rest of it on-par with "Welcome Back Frank"? (which is by the way, one of the greatest graphic novels ever written)

As far as I know, All-Star Superman is ending after 12 issues, which would be the next issue. It's sad. I love Morrison and Quitely's work on this series. It's such a breath of fresh air. I tend to enjoy most of Morrison's work a great deal, but he outdid himself with this series.

Anything Punisher written by Garth Ennis is worth checking out and 90% of it is brilliant, especially the MAX series, which is where Frank really should be distributed exclusively.

 

[Krypto]

While I haven't been reading on a monthly basis anymore as the college I go to does not have a very gas mileage close comic store I can visit I must say that Action Comics atm is my favorite book. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank are amazing together and the story line regarding Brainiac is pretty inventive. Also Justice League of America and the Justice Society are both really good reads. Detective Comics as stated by Chris is also a fantastic read.

It's so great seeing Christopher Reeve's Superman in comic book form. Frank said before his run that Reeve was a big influence on his take, but reading the comics, his Superman is flat-out Christopher Reeve and it's quite awesome.

A really good Superman read can be found in Superman: Birthright and the whole Man of Steel volumes by John Byrne and other writers from the early 90s. Also an important Batman read is Batman: Year One, Long Halloween, Dark Victory and Robin Year One. While all are written by various writers IMO they follow a very a tight story line of the early years of Batman and Robin.

I like Birthright quite a bit, although I still prefer For All Seasons as far as origin stories are concerned. The simplicity of Loeb and Sale's book is more fitting Clark's upbringing. I'm not a fan of Byrne's take on Superman at all really, starting with Superman not even being born on Krypton, but born on Earth once the capsule lands in Smallville. That whole run just left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[BeachBum]

I want to get The Killing Joke, Year One, Hush and Arkham Asylum next, I always hear good things about them.

Year One is amazing, I have no idea why Warner Bros didn't just tell Frank Miller to film Year One instead of doing Batman Begins (Year One story is far superior to BB, IMNSHO).

Arkham is strange, but then it IS about an insane asylum.

 

[Shatterer of Dreams]

Yeah issue 12 of All Star Superman came out yesterday and it was a great ending to great story. Honestly I think it's the best Superman Story I ever read. As krypto said the escape from bizarro world was a really good arc (fantastic art by Eric Powell and if your not reading the Goon then shame on you!)

 

[Krypto]

Year One is amazing, I have no idea why Warner Bros didn't just tell Frank Miller to film Year One instead of doing Batman Begins (Year One story is far superior to BB, IMNSHO).

Have you not seen what Miller is doing to Will Eisner's baby, The Spirit? It's quite atrocious.

 

[Shatterer of Dreams]

Year One is amazing, I have no idea why Warner Bros didn't just tell Frank Miller to film Year One instead of doing Batman Begins (Year One story is far superior to BB, IMNSHO).

Arkham is strange, but then it IS about an insane asylum.

The Arkham Asylum - A Serious House on Serious Earth is a great story. It got slammed when it first came out but it was ahead of its time and is now considered a classic. Always liked it though - sometimes i like the mental stuff more that the action stuff.

 

[Krypto]

Yeah issue 12 of All Star Superman came out yesterday and it was a great ending to great story. Honestly I think it's the best Superman Story I ever read.

I'll have to pick that up soon. It's definitely one of my favorite Superman stories. Top 5 for sure.

Also, another one that I rarely see get mentioned, but is very deserving - Superman: Exile. It's mid-80's Superman and it's one of the best stories from that decade.

 

[Shatterer of Dreams]

I'll have to pick that up soon. It's definitely one of my favorite Superman stories. Top 5 for sure.

Also, another one that I rarely see get mentioned, but is very deserving - Superman: Exile. It's mid-80's Superman and it's one of the best stories from that decade.

Man forgot about that one....good memory on the Supes stories.

 

[Hulksmashed]

Everyone stop what you are doing right now and go out and grab as many copies of Geoff Johns Green Lantern run as you can right now. Doesn't matter if you are a Marvel or DC fanboy. Just do it.

The man speaks the truth! Best book in the industry right now!

 

[Batman5]

I'm not a fan of Byrne's take on Superman at all really, starting with Superman not even being born on Krypton, but born on Earth once the capsule lands in Smallville. That whole run just left a bad taste in my mouth.

The reason I love the Byrne Superman is that it humanized the character. He no longer was the man who could move planets and still get a byline in. You got to actually meet Clark and see the world through his eyes and my favorite "fix" to the story was that it was Clark who is Superman not Superman who is Clark Kent. Clark is who was his entire life growing up in Smallville not Kal-El.

For me I can't stand the retrograde motion of Superman's character back to the silver age. Growing up on Byrne, Jurgens, Lois and Clark, Superman: The Animated Series and many other influences, it is like a slap in the face to say "No more of that Superman since Infinite Crisis. Nope now that multiple earths are here Superman must be super-smart, super-strong, and be able to do everything under the sun and more."

That limits the amount of stories you can do with him IMO. It reminds me of why I don't read Marvel anymore due to the whole Spider-Man: One More Day crap. And I know there are readers that feel different regarding this and prefer the SA Superman over the MA Superman characterization but for a reader who spent a lot of time loving this version of the character it is just a slap in the face.

Let me see Superman sweat, bleed and hunger. Let me see the struggle he has to go through to save the world so that he earns the name Superman.

 

[Fives]

just started reading batman hush(got absolute hush at amazon)....so far a great story and the artwork is amazing.....with jim lee behind it how couldnt it be? if anyone hasnt read this story and planning on doing so, i highly recommend you do so.

 

[Curt]

i never really got into graphic novels until my second year of college. i read things hear and there but i never got into them until The Dark Knight came out. i bought Arkham Asylum and even tho it was kinda hard to understand i loved it because of how creepy and insane it was and i loved how weird the joker was. Then after that i had to feed my craving so i bough The Complete Frank Miller Batman, which includes Batman: Yearone and the Dark Knight Returns and i love it! Batman: Yearone was amazing story telling and i am currently in the middle of The Dark Knight Returns. If you're a Batman fan, i would suggest reading Batman: Yearone because i believe that frank miller made the Batman how he is seen today.