What comic are you reading at the moment.

simu wrote:

32 Stories - The complete Optic Nerve mini-comics by Adrian Tomine. Have not read yet but should be good.

Ooh, that sounds good - is it one big book or several volumes? I really have to get more of Tomine's stuff...

Lately, I am been reading:

Klarion The Witch Boy #2 - Not a bad issue, really, but somehow it feels a little hollow. Some nice touches (eg the Leviathan children) and it's still the strongest 7 Soldiers series so far for me, but I can't get rid of the itchy feeling that it's a placeholder issue more than anything else. Mind you, the artwork is still grabbing my eyeballs and yanking them out of my head, so I won't complain too much.

Mnevore #3 - As the different threads start to come together, I still can't tell whether this is bland or just a slow-burner. I shouldn't be wondering whether to carry on when I'm at the half-way point in the series, but on the other hand the concept won't get out of my brain because it is a very good one. Very likely I'll stick it to the end, but I hope it's worth it.

"Jimmy Corrigan : The Smartest Kid On Earth" by Chris Ware - I've already read it once, but got the chance to pick it up for £7, which was dead cheap. Certainly one of the best graphic novels I've ever read, and something I'm looking forward to reading again.

"Five is the perfect number" - another cheap purchase (£5), this is a nice self-contained story. It starts with a tale of mafia family loyalty, betrayal and revenge before becoming a story about hopes, dreams and the quest for personal redemption. The artwork is excellent, the murky world perfectly described by the wavering lines and 4-tone colour. Definitely worth a look.

I also wanted to pick up Little Star #3, but by the time I swung by Other Realms they seemed to be sold out. I have to get a box sorted out there, I'm sick of missing issues through not getting in first thing on a Thursday...

Dream Police #1

Picked this up on a whim and it was quite good fun. Sort of like a police procedural along the lines of CSI mixed in liberally with the dreamworld of the Sandman series. The only thing that grated was the constant weary "seen it all before attitude" of the central characters, since it's become such a cliché for police procedurals. Still, an intriguing new venture from Marvel that for me was unexpectedly good.

City Of Tomorrow #3

A somewhat meh follow-on, in that it progresses the story nicely enough but as Draco said, it's kind of hard to make yourself care. It seems to be Chaykin's prerogative to have series in which there are ideas I really dig, but which he then fails to explore enough to maintain my interest. Oh well. I'll leaf through #4 and decide whether to see it through. It is, at least, nicely illustrated.

Shining Knight #3

Quite a good follow-up to what felt like a weak second issue, since stuff actually happens. There's some exposition of history, and more importantly we finally get to see the Sheeda menace without going through veiled references. We're also given a hint as to what the die that Klarion or one of the Subway Pirates has picked up might actually be, and it seems to be quite important...

Albion #1

I don't know about anyone else, but I really enjoyed this. It was filled with enough silly little jokes to make me grin, and I like the idea of some sort of underground British superhero society enough to want this to be really good. That said, with Leah Moore scripting and her dad coming up with the premise, I'm not too worried about it.

Spaztic Colon #2

Now for the tasteless and un-pc humour. The second issue of what is possibly the best-titled comic I've seen, this was up to the first's standard. Artwork is ok, and a bit flaky in places - but this series isn't really about the visual flair, it's about the horribly mangled sense of humour that infects it like a cancer. Excellent stuff, as far as I'm concerned - although if you didn't find things like Johnny The Homicidal Maniac very funny, perhaps you should avoid it.

Elsinore #2

More of the story of Elsinore asylum; this issue we get to find out a bit more about the people housed in Elsinore as well as about the quest to find the Sinless Man. This is fairly grim and dark, and feels in tone like a cross between Se7en and Lars Von Trier's "The Kingdom" (and not that Stephen King crappy watered-down adaptation "Kingdom Hospital"). I think it's brilliant because it's nasty and visceral and combines horror with supernatural psychological elements, tying in conspiracy theories for good measure.

Solo #5 - Darwyn Cooke

Without a doubt the best Solo issue yet. I've never heard of this guy, but damn if this didn't feel like a complete piece of work instead of a portfolio. A clever little premise provides Darwyn with a way to tell several seemingly unconnected stories, each with their own artistic styles and quirks, in a way that feels expertly woven together. A far more cartoony style than other Solo-featured artists, this is why I've been following the series - I have a name to search for and a hunger for new reading matter in his style.

Sea Of Red #3

Continuing the unlikely genre-blending that has characterised this series, the crew hit boat troubles and are forced to escape to a nearby island where they meet a new and unexpected foe. Joel's desire to get good footage out of the conflict suggests that he really is willing to sacrifice every one of his companions along the way to making his film, but the others are fast tiring of his selfishness. This series seems to have momentarily lost direction, as the ending of #3 is a bit odd, but the visual style and storytelling style makes it more than worth following.

The Gloom #1

A pulp-pastiche of batman in particular, this opens with a wonderful riff on Batman's origin story. It goes on to develop into a lighthearted action romp set in the 1940's, in which The Gloom (cavalier vigilante armed with guns that shoot pure hellfire targeting only the guilty) fights crime in his city. He discovers that Nazi sympathisers are in his city attempting to gather followers in order to persuade the US Government to back down from joining the Allies in WWII, and must find a way to stop them and their leader, The Vermillion. It's very silly, but great fun. (This is being put out by the same guys publishing the new Mr T comic, which I feel compelled to buy purely because it's, well, Mr T and I'm an 80's child. It's on the same level as wanting the A-Team theme tune on your mobile phone.).

XIII #1

Heard about this through the game adaptation, I'm ashamed to say - but since Alias are now republishing it I figured I'd check out what the fuss was about. Nice crisp artwork, although it seems to lack flair at times (then again, it is a european comic from years ago, and would therefore have different stylistic concerns). The story is reminiscent of the Bourne Identity mixed with 100 Bullets, concerning a man who turns up almost dead on a beach, with only a tattoo on his neck and a key sewn into his shirt collar to remember his past by. He has been shot in the head and incurred an amnesia-like condition, and sets out to discover his past as unspecified enemies start trying to kill him for reasons unknown. Intriguing - I'll be buying the next couple of issues at least, just to see what the fuss is about.

Sin City : The Big Fat Kill

Yeah, I'm still on a high about the film. The film's version of this story isn't very far from the book at all, but it's still a joy to see Miller's beatifully-drawn and inked pages. Pulp noir with OTT violence, but then again pulled off with just the right style so that all you can do is sit and enjoy it while your jaw drops. The only complaint I had was that Miller drew out a certain revelation concerning Jackie-Boy's identity for about 5 or 6 pages, when it didn't feel like it really merited it. Then again, perhaps it's because I knew it was coming having seen the film. Worth a look if you enjoyed the film.

The Collected Brainstorm by Bryan Talbot

Latest random purchase from Cork's only headshop, this is a collection of 70's UK counterculture comics featuring such great stories as Chester Hackenbrush : Psychedelic Alchemist and his forays into inner space, Luther Arkwright's first adventure, and the Omega Report (a sci-fi b-movie story about aliens who try to conquer the earth through music). There's a lot of drug-use referenced in this, but it's extremely interesting not just from a historical perspective but also from a technical perspective - some of the shots and panel styles used by Talbot are extremely good for an underground comic. And the idea present behind Luther Arkwright is nothing short of brilliant. Well worth a look if you like traipsing about in the history of comics, and are willing to read something a bit different.

Haven't written on here in a while, so here we go:

Ocean #6

At long last, the concluding issue. It's longer than the rest of them, but I can't quite decide on it. There's some damn fine action sequences in it, and the art is as strong as ever, but somehow it feels like we've been promised more than we get when it comes to the aliens. The ending is a bit cheesy, to boot. Still, it's Warren Ellis on form, so I won't complain too much.

Mnevore #4

Things finally start getting interesting. After being deceived by a supposed friend, Kaley starts to find people around her as confused about their past as she is, and the salesman's obsession with the mnevore takes a dark turn. I'll have a look at the next issue, but it's a shame there's only 2 issues left - there should have been more of these kind of developments earlier in the series.

Little Star #3

Picked this up a few weeks after it was out, and it didn't disappoint. I like the charmingly simple artwork and storyline - there's a bit of family history, thinking back to when Cassie was born, as well as a bit of a panic attack when she goes missing in local shops. I don't know whether this is ongoing, or whether it'll finish after a few more issues, but it's a nice change from most of my regular reading.

Desolation Jones #2

The story of Jones' quest to find the stolen Hitler porn continues. He gets to meet another of the LA spy outcasts and finds out a bit more about the likeliest suspects. The artwork continues to be excellent, and I'm enjoying the way Ellis has set himself up with a way of writing about screwed-up characters. Jones has more than a little in common with Spider Jerusalem, which in my book is no bad thing. I've no idea where this is going to in the next four issues (which will wrap up the first story arc) but I'm looking forward to it anyway.

Army Of Darkness : Shop 'Till You Drop Dead #4

A somewhat lukewarm conclusion to the story - Ash somehow defeats the digital deaduns and makes his escape, returning as promised to the scientist's lab. It's fun, and it feels appropriate to the movie, but somehow the ending is a bit blah. I'm still not decided whether I'll check out the ongoing series when it comes out (Army of Darkness vs Reanimator), but I'll probably at least glance at the first issue...

Matador #3

A rather meh followup, unfortunately. Isabel scores with the guy she fancies, and feels empty for it. Then she has her disciplinary hearing, where it becomes apparent that the police know more than they're letting on about the Matador. A carbomb attempt on Isabel's life goes wrong and kills someone unexpected, while she gets kidnapped by the Matador...

Deal With The Devil #2 & 3

I've already read these when it was serialised in the now-dead Comic Book Digest, but the colouring work really adds depth and darkness to the series. Worth a look; an interesting twist on the "retired cop trying to tie up the one loose end" theme in crime fiction.

Bone rest #1

The cover caught my eye first, because the main character's look immediately appealed to me. Happily, this also turned out to be a damn fine start to what I hope is an ongoing original horror series. We start with a nameless character being dragged back into the world from some sort of afterlife, where no sooner does he appear than a magical creature, having possessed a usable body through a magical book, goes on the rampage to "set blood free". The two clash, and we start to learn a little bit about Adam Boon (Bone to his friends). Definitely one that I'll be keeping an eye open for.

Sin City : That Yellow Bastard

The last trade involving material from the film for me. As ever, the artwork is fantastic, and the story is strong. But there's a tiny problem which I noticed with The Big Fat Kill too - having seen the film, there's not a great deal other than the artwork to really engage me here. I already know, in quite a lot of detail, what's going to happen. Still, it's an enjoyable pastiche of pulp detective fiction. I'm looking forward to the other 3 trades, since I have no idea what their stories are about.

Flight Volume 1

A few months after picking up Volume 2, I found Volume 1 on a shelf in Other Realms. The material here is just as strong as it was in Volume 2, although there is much less of it (I'm guessing it's about 150 pages or so). 25 stories from a variety of writers, all independent but with some sort of adventure-type premise and a connection, however vague, to flying. If Volume 2 hadn't impressed me so much, this would be a contender for favourite purchase of the year. But that's still high praise, and I would say that this is definitely worth checking out. And the coolest thing is that as far as I can tell, it's all-ages too - it's not often all-ages books will engross me as much as this did.

Having not posted on here in a dog's age, I figured it's time to have a brief run-down on recent reading. I haven't made a long list of them, and I don't have hours to spend looking them up online, so:

Sin City - Family Values : A differently structured Sin City story, this is a nifty revenge tale combining Dwight McCarthy's character with Miho's deadliness. The story isn't exactly the most complex one ever told, but then again it doesn't really matter. It's good stuff with decent set pieces and more of Miller's fantastic silhouette artwork.

Sin City - Booze Broads & Bullets: A nice change to the rest of the books, this is a collection of short stories set in Sin City. Featuring the last Dwight McCarthy story, it's a worthwhile read. I have to pick up Hell & Back sometime soon...

The conclusion of MegaCity 909 was good albeit weird - apparently there will be at least one follow-up series, which I'll take a look at.

The conclusion to City Of Tomorrow was quite strong, considering. It's done what seems typical of Chaykin by setting up an initial premise that seems good in one way, then going off in another direction, but this at least felt like there was more development in it than Bite Club.

Still waiting on the conclusion to Mnevore.

I've picked up 1602 : A New World issues 1 & 2. They're passable, but nowhere near as good or as involving as the original 1602 was - however, issue 3 sees the introduction of the 17th century Iron Man, so I'll probably pick it up.

The Seven Soldiers storylines are starting to come together. The closing issues of Shining Knight and Guardian were good and set the scene for the bookend issue, and I re-read all the issues so far in one go on the weekend - there's loads of little nods between the different series so far which really add to the sense of a greater story being told.

The most recent issue of Solo was interesting - Jordi Bernet, a spanish artist whose work I've seen for years in the strip "Clara De Noche" (also known as "Betty by the hour" in english; the ongoing story about a hooker and her life). As usual an interesting look at a different style of artwork and visual presentation.

Y The Last Man : Ring Of Truth was a damn fine read, whose only fault is that it makes me want to read lots more of the story. The reason behind Yorick's survival is interesting, and the development of Hero's character is very good, given that so far she was basically a Fearsome Baddie.

Gave in and picked up the first Planetary trade and really enjoyed it; in a similar vein to Global Frequency (which started afterwards but I read first) it's, as far as I'm concerned, superheroes done the only way they can be made interesting. Great stuff. I'm now waiting for Other Realms to get the rest of the books in, and debating buying the bloody things online.

There was a long-awaited follow-up to "It was a dark and stormy night", an SLG comic about Little Gloomy, but to be honest it was pretty rubbish since it's trying to target Disney fans. Not worth the hassle.

Atomika #4 is good, probably the most interesting issue of the lot since it sees Atomika confronting the spirit of the russian dissidents, which will not die as it can regenerate itself in the boggy swamp the dissidents are forced to live in.

There's far more to add to this list but I'm at work and can barely remember all the stuff I've bought. More to come later, if I can be bothered.

So what's everyone else been reading?

Relatively slim pickings this week:

Bone Rest #3 : Continuing the Opificium Dei storyline, the mysterious Black Man brings a plage of rats to the city to aid him in his quest to redeem humanity of their sins. So far this is a damn fine and interestingly different horror comic. Definitely worth a look if you like things like Hellblazer.

Matador #5 : This series is starting to bore me, to be honest. The closing issue promises to reveal the secrets of the Matador, but since he's been second fiddle to the corruption story that Isabel finds herself in the middle of, it doesn't make much of a difference. Not worth picking up, overall.

1602 : A New World #3 : As Spideyman mentions, this picks up a bit with the old version of Iron Man putting in an appearance. However, this is marred for me by the clichéd version of J Jonah Jameson whose only mission in life, it seems, is to bitch at Parquah. The tone of the conversation between Parquah and Banner marrs what should have been an interesting conversation (are their "Witchbreed" powers a gift from God that they might redeem themselves with, or the external signs of their innate evil?), and frankly, as has been pointed out by others, this series isn't a patch on the original Gaiman-penned series.

Desolation Jones #3 : Further into Jones's search for the stolen Hitler Porn, Warren Ellis takes us into the LA porn industry. The writing is very Ellis, the artwork complimenting it magnificently. If you don't like Ellis's work, this probably won't convert you. If you do, however, it's another damn fine fix.

Mister Miracle #1 : The 5th series in Morrison's "Seven Soldiers Of Victory" storyline, I've been looking forward to this since I noticed the plug for it in one of the Zatanna issues. Mister Miracle starts off with the title character plummeting into a black hole and having a vision/spirit encounter. We later discover he is jaded and tired of living life always seeking new thrills; he latches onto this vision as a way of giving his life meaning, but seems to be losing the plot. There's an interesting discussion about the nature of good and evil and mankind's struggle with them, but outside of the greater context of the Seven Soldiers, this is a weak first issue. Should get better next issue, as the closing pages promise, but still...