Comic Book Reading Club #3 - Love & Rockets: Heartbreak Soup (***SPOILERS***)

Fysh

It's June, and that means a new Comic Book Reading Club thread. This time around I figured we should go for something a bit different, so I've picked the Love & Rockets collection "Heartbreak Soup" by Gilbert Hernandez.

As with the previous thread, I'm allowing any and all spoilers to be posted in plain text. If you haven't read the story and want to avoid spoilers, READ NO FURTHER.



For those who haven't read it, it is available from the following locations:

Comixology ($14.99)
Amazon.co.uk (£6.69, free delivery)
The Book Depository (£9.47, free delivery)
Waterstones (£9.99, to order)

I'm also sure that your local comic shop should be able to get it instore easily for you if you ask them.

This is a sizeable volume so it may take a few days for people to get through it, but as there are several stories in it I don't see any reason for people not to comment as they get through each story if they prefer. It's been a good while since I read this, but I remember adoring it when I first picked it up, so it will be interesting to see how it's aged.

Previous threads:
#1 - Superman: Red Son
#2: Spider-Man: Blue

Fysh

Right, the thread views suggest at least a bit of interest in this, but with no responses thus far I suppose I should get the ball rolling.

It's been years since I first read Heartbreak Soup but I remember really enjoying it. I've read a fair amount of Hernandez Bros stuff since then, and I generally prefer Gilbert's stuff to Jamie's. Reading Heartbreak Soup again from the beginning, I've found the first couple of stories kind of heavy going - we're pretty much dropped straight into Palomar's community and expected to hit the ground running. On the one hand, I like that the story introduces this barrage of characters as they crop up naturally, rather than contriving an excuse for everyone to turn up and introduce themselves - because over the course of a few stories you get to know them. On the other hand, it's a bit of a disorienting start (especially the way we jump around in time between stories) and combined with the intimately character-based nature of the stories and sedate pace at which many stories proceed, it can take a while before it clicks into place.

Having said that, I'm about 5 stories in thus far and enjoying the re-read, so for me at least this is a win.

Thwip!

I'm waiting on mine to deliver :P

TheEscapist

I ordered this on the Book Depository on the 14th and still no sign. Hoping it arrives tomorrow.

Fysh

Based on the staggeringly positive responses to this choice of book, I suspect I'm not going to be asked to choose the next month's reading again for quite some time :P

In saying that, I finished my re-read of this a week back or so, but haven't made time to write up my thoughts yet. I'll get that done by the weekend. Has anyone else received their copy/had a chance to get stuck into it?

Thwip!

I'm still waiting on mine to deliver. CURSE YOU AMAZON!

Might end up springing for the digital copy this weekend if it doesn't arrive by Friday

Thwip!

Still hasn't arrived

Fysh

Thwip! wrote: »

Still hasn't arrived

Wow, I totally jinxed this thing, didn't I?

Tell you what, let's put this one on hold and get the next one started. We can always come back to it later.

Any takers for the next book to read & discuss?

I ordered this on both amazon and in my local comic store the day that you put the post up and still no sign of either. I actually already own the damned thing but someone borrowed it and now denies ever doing so.

SouthTippBass

I'm a little late to the CBRC, and comics in general, but I read Red Son last week and have Spiderman blue ordered from Amazon at the moment. I just have a question about Red Son if somebody could just clarify for me...

So when Wonder Woman snapped her lasso, what happened her? She aged faster, lost her powers or what? Is the lasso connected to her powers or something? I obviously dont know a lot about WW so its probably a pretty noob question!

Cheers!

Thwip!

If everyone is ok with it I could suggest the next book? Or would anyone else like a turn?

Also price wise what are people willing to spend when it comes to this?

SouthTippBass

Go for it, I probably wont be able to keep up myself though. How often is a new comic recommened here? Is it monthly? Or just whenever ye feel the time is right?

Thwip!

Ok so I've basically narrowed my selection down to four options

1.

2.

3.

4.


Let me know which one you guys wanna go for. All of them are either recently enough released or recently reprinted so they shouldn't be too hard to find

My copy of Love & Rockets: Heartbreak Soup finally turned up today, just a shame it arrived at home in Mayo and not in Galway. When I ordered it I was expecting it to take a week at the most.

Fysh

I say we go with the crime anthology or the Dr Strange story for the next round.

Thwip!

The crime anthology is really good, but I don't know how many Comic Book stores would've ordered it but it is a brilliant volume. Doc Strange was only reprinted a few weeks ago so shouldn't be too hard to find and is also one of the best Doc Strange stories ever written. I'm happy with either one

SouthTippBass

Even though I wont be able to read it, I vote Dr.Strange. The character interests me, and I'v never read any of his comics.

I think that what we should do is alternate from month to month. I've found myself growing incredibly bored with a lot of Superhero stuff in recent years, Age of Ultron is one of the poorest things I've ever read and the sole reason the final issue came in a sealed bag was because Marvel were afraid the people may pick it up before buying and realise just what a piece of crap that issue was.

Sorry, went off on a little rant there, but my point is that with so many interesting out there, if someone wants to pick something a little less mainstream then a month or twos notice would be great.

Thwip!

Maybe decide on the two in advance? As in "This month we are reading Comic Book X and in a months time we'll be reading Comic Book Y" ?

Jayd0g

Thwip! wrote: »

Maybe decide on the two in advance? As in "This month we are reading Comic Book X and in a months time we'll be reading Comic Book Y" ?

That's a good idea, would allow time to order the book in advance. At the end of month X you could choose book Z to also allow time for delivery from book depository.

Fysh

OK, how about we say Dr Strange for the next book and the Crime Anthology for the month after that? Should make it fairly straightforward to get our hands on both books in a timely fashion, and we can revisit Heartbreak Soup once everyone's received their copy and had time to read it.

(I suggest Hawkeye: My Life As A Weapon if Dr Strange isn't a popular choice, incidentally - I've heard nothing but good things about it and have been wanting to read it for a while...)

Thwip!

Fysh wrote: »

OK, how about we say Dr Strange for the next book and the Crime Anthology for the month after that? Should make it fairly straightforward to get our hands on both books in a timely fashion, and we can revisit Heartbreak Soup once everyone's received their copy and had time to read it.

(I suggest Hawkeye: My Life As A Weapon if Dr Strange isn't a popular choice, incidentally - I've heard nothing but good things about it and have been wanting to read it for a while...)

I already own both so I'm easy either way :P

So what's the plan for the next one of these? I grabbed Hawkeye earlier this week in preperation for the next reading club.

Fysh

Right, new thread for Hawkeye Volume 1: My Life As A Weapon has been started and sticky'd. I guess we should park this thread for now and maybe revisit it at the end of the month once people have had time to read & digest their copies - it's not really something you can properly appreciate if you try to breeze through the entire thing in an hour.