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)]

Last night really, but I read the "Death of Captain Stacy".

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

Started The Walking Dead Vol. 12: Life Among Them, which starts out relatively quiet. No one dies and there's no big crisis, other than the group discovering that Eugene was lying about being a government scientist on a mission. They've just decided to got to D.C. anyway when a stranger appears asking them to join his gated community nearby. There's a harrowing rescue mission in to Washington, and I stopped at the halfway point, as they reach the gates. At least I think it's the halfway point; I'd actually prefer to see issue breaks in the trade, since I know it was written for individual issues originally. The trade collections seem unnecessarily Spartan: no individual cover reproductions, no character or plot summaries, not even page numbers. And the back cover copy is unchanged from the first collection: why not at least summarize the contents? Anyone buying the 12th volume knows the series premise by now.

Also broke out another old Vertigo miniseries: Skin Graft: The Adventures of a Tattooed Man by Jerry Prosser and Warren Pleece. Based on an old Green Lantern villain, Abel Tarrant the Tattooed Man, who first appeared in 1963 (so Hal Jordan was the Lantern). I've read some Green Lantern from that era, but never encountered the character. His role here is to tattoo fellow convict John Oakes, who becomes the new Tattooed Man. No superheroics involved this time. Oakes gains fame as a tattoo artist after serving his time: then his clients start getting gruesomely murdered, their tattooed skin flayed off.

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

Finished everything. This Walking Dead collection has less action and more setup than the series has had in a long time. It's kind of a relaxed read for a change, although I still expected something to go wrong any minute. As someone else pointed out already, it's interesting to see the group as a possible threat to the new community here, instead of the reverse. I'm not sure if I shouldn't be pulling for the new community in this case. It's certainly a new dynamic, which is saying something for a series that reaches issue # 72 here. I liked Skin Graft better than I remembered, even though the ending was so mystical that I'm not sure about the roles of some of the characters. I think I'm going to continue rereading Vertigo miniseries in roughly chronological order. I'm more likely to rediscover ones I'd forgotten that way.

[Figserello]

I'd actually prefer to see issue breaks in the trade, since I know it was written for individual issues originally. The trade collections seem unnecessarily Spartan: no individual cover reproductions, no character or plot summaries, not even page numbers. And the back cover copy is unchanged from the first collection: why not at least summarize the contents? Anyone buying the 12th volume knows the series premise by now.

I'm only on the 2nd volume, and I noticed the back cover blurb was unchanged. Interesting that it continues unchanged. Perhaps Kirkman only wants to tell a serialised story that you need to read from the beginning, and is reserving the right not to spoil in any way what is coming up?

Normally the absence of issue divides annoys the hell out of me, but so far, I haven't minded it in Walking Dead. I've never read a series that is this compulsive before. You just have to see what happens next. I haven't been getting much sleep lately, but still, both nights I went to bed reading these books, I had to read to the end, much to my regret the next day. I was fine with just keeping turning the pages. It seems to suit the story Kirkman is telling.

I'll be getting the rest in quick succession, I think.

[Cavaliere (moderator emeritus)]

What I read that's worth mentioning is the first four parts of "Freshman Year: The Missing Chapters" in Archie & Friends #s 140-143. Two of them were very good and two were excellent.

[Chris Fluit]

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #1: pretty good overall but the "it's time to be proactive" speech makes me skeptical, I've read it dozens of times and rarely does it lead to something good

Steve Rogers, Super-Soldier #2: a decent superhero story but not up to the level of Brubaker's work on the main Captain America title

X-Men #2: the X-Men plan to fight vampires, but don't get around to it quite yet

[The Baron]

Chris Fluit said:

X-Men #2: the X-Men plan to fight vampires, but don't get around to it quite yet

Was there something good on TV? :)

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Oh, that reminds me... I read Namor #1. Marvel is really pushing to classify the Sub-Mariner under the "mutant" umbrella, an this series is contunuation of whatever's currently going on in the X-titles. It features underwater vampires and I never would have bought it if I had noticed the blood flowing from the two puncture wounds on Namor's neck as shown on the cover. I really hate vampires in superhero comics, and appropriately, this issue sucked.

[Alan M.]

Today I re-read the first 15 issues of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight. It's amazing how little of the specifics I remember from these issues...it's almost like reading them again for the first time! And I noticed Twilight (or at least his legs, as he hovers in the air watching Buffy's army) makes his appearance in issue 1...a good ten issues earlier than I had previously thought. It's fun reading this knowing -- well, with a half-dozen or so issues left, not "knowing where the storyline is ending," but at least knowing more of its ultimate direction, and seeing how it got from there to here.

Next up: Fray, and then issues 16-36.

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

I read Hawkeye and Mockingbird #2-4 and loved them. If you're a fan of super-hero comics and you haven't checked this one out, please do. It's a summer blockbuster type book that doesn't ask that you check your brain at the door. It's dense without being over-written. You never get bored, and the art is gorgeous.

This is, for all intents and purposes, my first exposure to these characters in any real way. Amazing stuff. Highest of all recommendations, and this may become my book of the year.

Oh, and I also read the Vertigo miniseries Congo Bill. That was also greatly enjoyable.

[Figserello]

Is that the post Secret Invasion book from a few summers ago? My library has it, but I didn't think it'd be too essential.

I loved Hawkeye, but I think Mockingbird came along after I moved on from Marvel comics in the early 80s.

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

Figserello said:

Is that the post Secret Invasion book from a few summers ago? My library has it, but I didn't think it'd be too essential.

I loved Hawkeye, but I think Mockingbird came along after I moved on from Marvel comics in the early 80s.

No, this one came out of Dark Reign, I believe. It's just...so good. Can't explain it. I have a stark-raving fear that this creative team's days are numbered. Simply because they're producing a great comic book month-in and month-out.