What Comic Books Have You Read Today?

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

Report what comic books you have read today--and tell us a little something about it while you're here!

[ClarkKent_DC]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

BATMAN '89 #5: I have touted this series as following it's own continuity rather than that of the movies (Billy Dee Williams rather than Tommy Lee Jones as Two Face, for example), but this issue features Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman.

Richard Willis said:

I'm not getting this series, but that is consistent in that it's still following the characters in the first two movies (Tim Burton directed).

It also throws in what would have been the Tim Burton films' version of Robin, who would have been played by Marlon Wayans. That whole subplot landed on the cutting room floor, so Marlon Wayans got paid $100,000 for not being in the movie, plus residuals.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

"Robin, who would have been played by Marlon Wayans."

Marlon Wayans? I remember hearing Eddie Murphy (then I remember hearing that was a publicity stunt). I should have at least mentioned it wasn't Chris O'Donnell. 

[ClarkKent_DC]

Eddie Murphy was touted as a possibility, but even then he was too old. 

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

And he was a bigger star than Wayans, too -- a headliner at that point. I doubt he would want to be cast as a sidekick. And I doubt Burton would want to cast him as such -- no audience would buy it.

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

Marc Spector: Moon Knight #58 - Just terrible. Frenchy sporting a bowl haircut, Plus, Seth the Immortal. BAHAHAHAH! Seth the Immortal!

[Doctor Hmmm?]

Comtinuing my Golden Age Heroes Reading project for this year, I'm currently working my way through the first volume of the Golden Age Starman Archives. Pretty good for the period. I think its Gardner Fox writing, but it's the Jack Burnley art that really seals the deal for me.

[Richard Willis]

Just picked up my books at my LCS.

My decision to buy the new World's Finest. Was the right one. I just read #1 and #2. Loved them!

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

The new World's Finest is great!

I took a few minutes this morning and read both issues of Convergence: Harley Quinn on DCUI, which I passed on when they first were published. Written by Steve Pugh with art by Phil Winslade, it's a fun read, as Harley (in her original costume) deals with life under the dome (we see Catwoman and Ivy too), and then faces off against Captain Carrot in the second part in the crossover series's nonsensical combat premise. Don't take it seriously, and it's a good time. 

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I'm having trouble making my mind up what to read next.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: Reading JLA #200 last week led me to issue #9 & #144. (Although Secret Origins #32 is still on the table, I haven't read it yet.) After that, inspired by the "Attack of the 50 Year Old Comic Books" blog, I moved on to JLA #3, with the intention of following up with Mystery in Space #75 and JLA #24, but I decided not to at this time because I may move on to the Adam Strange omnibus and don't want to get ahead of myself.

SANDMAN: I the first issue as well as #9 ("The Sound of Her Wings") and #18 ("A Dream of a Thousand Cats") and #19 ("A Midsummer Night's Dream") because those are my favorite of the early issues. I may also decide to read all of Sandman.

HOUSE OF MYSTERY: First, I started with the 1998 one-shot Welcome Back to... The House of Mystery, which comprises ten of the best stories (with art by Berni Wrightson, Wally Wood, Neal Adams, Bill Draut, Jim Aparo, Mike Sekowsky, Tom Palmer, Gil Kane and Alex Nino) with an all-new framing sequence written by Neil Gaiman. After that is was Sandman #2 ("Imperfect Hosts"). I may (at last) move on to the House of Mystery/Secrets omnibuses.

SWAMP THING: From House of Mystery I moved on to House of Secrets #92 and Saga of the Swamp Thing #33. I may also move on to a comprehensive reading of Swamp Thing with Tracy. 

[Jeff of Earth-J]

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1: I haven't enjoyed a Spider-Man comic this much in so long I can't remember. the one-two punch of "Sins Past" and "One More Day" drove me away, but I have returned from time-to-time. Largely, what I have seen is not "my" Spider-Man. This isn't either, but I have come to approach with with a new POV. I no longer think of this series (or most Marvel series, for that matter) as a continuation of the ongoing saga I had followed since childhood. I have come to think of Spider-Man (and, by extension, Marvel's entire line, really) as "Heroes Reborn" version that really have little to nothing to do with the original versions. (Marvel's penchant for constant renumbering makes that easy.) 

Something mysterious happened six months before the opening of the story but we're not told exactly what. Peter's on the outs with Aunt May. Also included in the cast are a variety of older characters such as Randy Roberts, The Human Torch, Tombstone, Hammer Head, The Rose and White Rabbit (!), who is handled with a surprising amount of verisimilitude. (Another gang was is brewing.) Randy wants to asks Tombstone for his daughter's hand in marriage. Mary Jane spends the entire issue avoiding Peter and, in the last scene, is shown with a man named Paul and two little children who call her "Mommy." My "Pick of the Week".

JUSTICE LEAGUE #75 (A.K.A. "DEATH OF THE JUSTICE LEAGUE"): As I mentioned elsewhere, a big, fat, expensive nothing burger.

THE UNBEATABLE BLUE BARON #1: The latest offering from Darin Henry's "Binge Books" line. This one is penciled by Ron Frenz and inked by Sal Buscema and features good, solid, "old school" storytelling. Blue Baron #1 is 48 pages, no ads, five bucks; Justice League #75 is 48 pages, a ton of ads, seven bucks. My sincere advice, if you were planning to buy JL #75, is to put that money toward Blue Baron #1. (The issue number is supplemented with "LGY 2" which gave me a chuckle.) 

HULK GRAND DESIGN: MADNESS: I am less enthusiastic about "Madness" than I was about "Monster" but that's only because of the issues being summarized (#301-474). That includes the "Crossroads" arc, John Byrne, Al Milgrom and Peter David's entire tenure. Again (as with "Monster"), I may quibble about which elements were included and which were left out, and (again as with "Monster"), "Madness" is less a reworking into "novel" form as it is a summary. But it's a good summary! It ends with the end of volume one (which is where I would end it), plus an epilogue which mentions "Planet Hulk," "World War Hulk," Red Hulk and Red She-Hulk, then concludes with the "full circle" ending of Future Imperfect. 

The two Jim Rugg covers together combine to form a diptych. Alternate covers by Geoff Darrow and Ed McGuinness.

WORLD'S FINEST #1: Based on Richard and Rob's enthusiastic responses, I gave this one a second read. It still just didn't click with me for some reason. I found it "disjointed."

SILVER SURFER: REBIRTH #4: The Surfer encounters four other versions of himself, drawn in the styles of Jack Kirby, John Buscema, Moebius and Mike Allred (also written in the style of those artists' respective writers). As with Green Lantern in Justice League #75 and Green Lantern #12 (discussed in another thread), Jack of Hearts is "killed" in this issue, yet is hearty and hale over in She-Hulk. I ask again, "What is continuity?"

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE V6 (1996-1999): "Romance is in the air as Michael starts dating a girl he hasn't seen since childhood... Elizabeth struggle to find her identity in high school... and April begins kindergarten. Meanwhile, Elly has to deal with the loss of a loved one, and John comes to peace with hitting the big 5-0. And if that isn't enough, Gordon and Tracey have a baby, Weed and Mike go on a world tour, and Lawrence meets his father for the first time!" 

[Richard Willis]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE V6 (1996-1999): "Romance is in the air as Michael starts dating a girl he hasn't seen since childhood... Elizabeth struggle to find her identity in high school... and April begins kindergarten. Meanwhile, Elly has to deal with the loss of a loved one, and John comes to peace with hitting the big 5-0. And if that isn't enough, Gordon and Tracey have a baby, Weed and Mike go on a world tour, and Lawrence meets his father for the first time!" 

I'm expecting mine in the mail on Monday or Tuesday. I previously bought all the TPB versions and am replacing them with these uniform HC editions. Truly love this strip.

[JD DeLuzio]

I loved this strip for many years, and it was a fun bonus that they sent Michael to college... in my adopted home town, where I've lived now most of my life (the entire strip is set in Ontario, Canada, though often subtly so). But I really felt it lost a lot during its last decade. However, tastes vary.

Richard Willis said:

Jeff of Earth-J said:

I'm expecting mine in the mail on Monday or Tuesday. I previously bought all the TPB versions and am replacing them with these uniform HC editions. Truly love this strip.