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!

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

I finished up the first Seven Soldiers of Victory trade. As someone who has bagged on Grant Morrison quite a bit lately, I liked this quite a bit. Now, I just need to find the other trades.

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

Read the "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" two parter, plus a couple of the older stories from the back of the collection. That was certainly a Gaimanesque ending...but not very satisfying. I'll have to read it again, though, if only to more fully appreciate all of the period references in the art. For those who have been reading the Batman titles: did this give a reasonable conclusion to the final storyline in Batman & Detective Comics?

[Jeff of Earth-J]

After re-reading Sandman #1 over the weekend I went on to re-read "Preludes and Noctures". It's really amazing how many diverse sources Gaiman drew upon to create just this first arc: the Golden Age Sandman, DC's horror anthologies, the Silver Age JLA, Simon & Kirby's 1970s Sandman revamp, even some Fourth World thrown in there. In The Doll House he throws Infinity, Inc. and even Little Nemo in Slumberland into the mix, later still, Shakespeare.

[Alan M.]

What I read yesterday:

The second half of JLA: Rock of Ages (meaning I read JLA #13-15)
Secret Invasion: War Machine (reprinting Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #33-35)
The first Dark Avengers collection (reprinting Dark Avengers #1-6)
New Avengers: Search for the Sorcerer Supreme (reprinting New Avengers #51-54)
The first half of Avengers the Initiative: Secret Invasion (meaning I read Avengers: The Initiative #14-16)

...that might be it. I was busy catching up on some (mostly) recent stuff, in case you couldn't tell. :)

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I started reading The Sandman Companion yesterday in conjunction with my Sandman re-reading project. I bought this hardcover of analysis and opinion upon its initial publication 10 years ago with the intention of reading it along with some future re-reading of the entire series. I slogged through the opening chapters last night; they were very much intended for a different audience than I represent, explaining whay a comic book is and why one should bother reading one. It was a good section for non-comics readers (don't get me wrong), but I have higher hopes for the analysis itself.

It does relate an anecdote of Neil Gaiman's I found amusing, though (which I just discovered I can't do justice to relating off the top of my head; you'll just have to take my word for it).

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

I started reading The Sandman Companion yesterday in conjunction with my Sandman re-reading project. I bought this hardcover of analysis and opinion upon its initial publication 10 years ago with the intention of reading it along with some future re-reading of the entire series. I slogged through the opening chapters last night; they were very much intended for a different audience than I represent, explaining whay a comic book is and why one should bother reading one. It was a good section for non-comics readers (don't get me wrong), but I have higher hopes for the analysis itself.

It does relate an anecdote of Neil Gaiman's I found amusing, though (which I just discovered I can't do justice to relating off the top of my head; you'll just have to take my word for it).

I read the Sandman Companion along with my (relatively) recent rereading of Sandman. I think you'll find it more useful when you get past the introduction and in to the actual summary and commentary. I originally bought my (paperback) copy intending to hold onto it until rereading the series. I found myself dipping into it so much that I finally just read it straight through. Then I reread it along with the series.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

That's what I was hoping. Thanks, Mark!

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

Mark Sullivan said:

Read the "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" two parter, plus a couple of the older stories from the back of the collection. That was certainly a Gaimanesque ending...but not very satisfying. I'll have to read it again, though, if only to more fully appreciate all of the period references in the art. For those who have been reading the Batman titles: did this give a reasonable conclusion to the final storyline in Batman & Detective Comics?

I did read the "Caped Crusader" issues again. The art is pretty cool if you have any history with Batman. But I'm not sure it's really a Batman story. It's more like a Sandman story with Batman standing in for Morpheus.

[Figserello]

Mark Sullivan asked For those who have been reading the Batman titles: did this give a reasonable conclusion to the final storyline in Batman & Detective Comics?

ahead!

No, I'm afraid Gaiman's Batman tale doesn't really follow on from Morrison's run on Batman which lead to Bruce's 'death'. Note the quote marks! Batman: RIP didn't really show him dying, although he does climb out of his own grave towards the climax.

Batman is shown being blasted by Darkseid's Omega Sanction in Final Crisis, and it looks grim for him. (Have a look at the cover of the collected hardback!) However, by the end of Final Crisis, we are given to understand Batman isn't dead, but merely dispaced in time (or something).

Gaiman's tale is thus an 'imaginary' one. Or many, depending how you look at it.

I liked it. The dark tragedy of the man, balanced out with - 'But you get to BE Batman!' Typically twee Gaiman line, but it works here.

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

Thanks, Figs. I couldn't imagine how the story could fit into actual continuity, and this explains it. Of course it's not really "the last Batman story," either. Gaiman kind of cheated on that.

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

I read half of Eddie Campbell's (and Dan Best) The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard . I left this on the "to read" list while I caught up on the Alec and Bacchus series. It's a nice light entertainment, so far: funny and charming. I like all the little cartoons he does in the margins.

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

Today it was David Lloyd's Kickback, which he calls "a crime-noir thriller." It is indeed a very dark story, centering around police corruption--there's not a private eye in sight. There's an intertwined story about the protagonist's family history and repressed memories, which didn't entirely work for me. Nice climax and resolution at the end, though, like every good thriller should have.