The General Comic Discussion Thread - Part 1

[Batmannerism]

Batman & The Outsiders making the list at all makes me very happy.

Back in the day BATO was my number one team book - far moreso than the JLA, who I only got into later on.

I think the BATO collected editions only came out recently - got to get me some.

Alan Davis had this amazing way of drawing katana when she was kicking ash.

 

[Batmannerism]

Batman & The Outsiders making the list at all makes me very happy.

Back in the day BATO was my number one team book - far moreso than the JLA, who I only got into later on.

I think the BATO collected editions only came out recently - got to get me some.

Alan Davis had this amazing way of drawing katana when she was kicking ash.

 

[Batmannerism]

Batman & The Outsiders making the list at all makes me very happy.

Back in the day BATO was my number one team book - far moreso than the JLA, who I only got into later on.

I think the BATO collected editions only came out recently - got to get me some.

Alan Davis had this amazing way of drawing katana when she was kicking ash.

 

[NDX]

Back in the day BATO was my number one team book - far moreso than the JLA, who I only got into later on.

I think the BATO collected editions only came out recently - got to get me some.

Alan Davis had this amazing way of drawing katana when she was kicking ash.

The hardcovers are something beautiful. I only have the first one but plan on remedying that by summer.

Jim Aparo was a huge influence on me wanting to draw.

 

[Batmannerism]

The hardcovers are something beautiful. I only have the first one but plan on remedying that by summer.

Jim Aparo was a huge influence on me wanting to draw.

I liked Aparo' s style, but I feel that the book lifted another notch when Davis took over art duties.

 

[NDX]

I might have only read 1 or 2 of his issues, when I bought a set of these back in 1990, it was of issues 1 - 24 and the annuals. I'll get to read his issues with book 3, I believe, so I'll be looking forward to that.

 

[Slade W]

I reread Tales of the Titans #53-55 recently and found the story to be quite enjoyable. In the story, Slade Wilson/Deathstroke was in trial after being captured by the Teen Titans in The Judas Contract. The TT were acting as witnesses in order to have Slade put in jail, and they were also trying to capture an alien that was set free from S.T.A.R. labs that they viewed as a threat. One of the main objectives of the story was to show how the TT had changed since the events of The Judas Contract, and their battles with Deathstroke and Terra. The alien they were trying to capture was very dangerous, but he hadn’t done anything wrong, nor did he plan to. All he wanted was to be safe and to be with a woman he had fallen in love with. The TT were not willing to give the alien a chance to explain himself, and were going after him using brute force and hurting him. When the TT got together in the beginning, something that drew them together was the feeling of not being wanted by others and not knowing their place in the world. They didn’t feel that others gave them a chance or wanted to hear their side of the story. Just because they had powers and were different, didn’t mean they were bad. Now, all this time later, they were treating an alien in a similar manner to how they were treated in the past.

It was a great way of displaying to us that their battles with Deathstroke and Terra had made them grow more cynical and less trusting (Slade had Terra join the TT and become a trusted member and friends, before betraying them and helping Deathstroke capture them by revealing to him their weaknesses and habits, so he could set traps that were tailor-made for each of them). Slade, like the TT, was once a hero, but his harsh experiences in life and being betrayed by the military, whom he did everything for and was willing to give his life for, had sent him down a dark path and had made him more cold and less trusting. In this story, it seems that the TT were possibly going to go down a similar path.

Nobody seemed more likely to go down such a route than Gar Logan/Beast Boy. He was out for blood and wanted to kill Slade himself. Gar was in love with Terra, and rather than view her as the psychopath that she was, he was blaming Slade for corrupting her. He seemed quite intransigent and had no interest in hearing Slade’s side of the story. He attacked Slade in prison, with the intention of killing him. Slade was able to evade his attacks, and due to him doing mercenary work for powerful politicians in high places in the past, he was able to get out of jail. Gar left him a message and told him to meet him, so they could finish things. Slade went to meet him, but went unmasked and unarmed. He was willing to let Gar kill him, and had no intention to fight. Gar was unable to bring himself to do it, and broke down crying. Slade then explained things to Gar, like how Terra was a psychopath was using Slade as much as he was using her, and how she always wanted to kill the TT, as well as lots of other people. Slade then explained how he was after the TT to honour his son by finishing his contract (his son Grant had a contract with a villainous organisation called the HIVE, where he was given powers in exchange for capturing the TT,but died as the genetic modifications made to him by HIVE led to him having a heart attack while fight the TT ). Slade acknowledged what he did was irrational, as he had no personal reason or gain to go after the TT, but did so out of love for his son.

This was something him and Gar had in common, as Gar was acting very irrationally because of his love for Terra. Another thing Slade had in common with him was that he too felt unwanted and didn’t know his place in the world (after the military were through with him) and he had also dealt with a very cruel betrayal (from the military), and this had played a big part in him going down the path he had. Slade told Gar that he had great friends in the TT who could help him through this difficult moment. Perhaps if Slade had people like that in his life, he would have turned out differently. In the end Gar let Slade go, and he even gave Gar some advice to help him deal with things.

Throughout the story, there were plenty of references to fire and heat, with weapons that were used, the weather, and comments made by the characters in the story. IMO, the writers intention was for this to be symbolic of things heating up, but also the characters becoming enlightened. In literature, one of the many things fire is symbolic of his enlightenment, and all the TT were enlightened in the story, as they learned that they were becoming what they initially wanted to fight against. Gar Logan was enlightened the most, after his conversation with Deathstroke, was able to let go of things and managed to avoid going down a dark path like Slade had.

 

[Slade W]

What stories, runs or issues do you guys reread the most?

 

[Slade W]

What stories, runs or issues do you guys reread the most?

 

[Bob Paisley]

Did something weird happen to Detective Comics 996? I tried to buy it in a couple of comic book shops, but no one had it. It's also unavailable on ComiXology. It's strange for Detective Comics to sell out or be unavailable.

 

[MMMMM...Pancakes]

Came across an interesting question the other day and want to hear what you guys have to say. What comic or tpb would you recommend to someone that’s interested in getting into comics?

 

[flickchick85]

Came across an interesting question the other day and want to hear what you guys have to say. What comic or tpb would you recommend to someone that’s interested in getting into comics?

Nothing too unique, experimental, or subversive. Something simple and straightforward so they can sort of wade into the shallow end. Like Superman: Birthright. That's practically a movie in comics form. Once they're more used to the format, then I'd start recommending Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, etc.

 

[flickchick85]

What stories, runs or issues do you guys reread the most?

Superman: Secret Identity, Morrison's Action Comics, Morrison and Waid's JLA runs, Superman: Birthright, Superman Unchained, Ostrander's Martian Manhunter, the 1st portion of Johns' Green Lantern, DeConnick's 2nd Captain Marvel run, Fraction's Hawkeye, Waid's Daredevil.

 

[Slade W]

Came across an interesting question the other day and want to hear what you guys have to say. What comic or tpb would you recommend to someone that’s interested in getting into comics?

Batman: Year One and The Killing Joke are short, but great stories and an excellent place to start, IMO. They are regarded as some of the best DC comic stories ever, but do not require a big time commitment, and you do not need to have read other comics to appreciate or understand them. If they are willing to dedicate a lot of time to a story, then Batman: The Long Halloween is a great choice, IMO. Other than the story and mystery being great and a lot of fun, the artwork is excellent.

The Dark Knight Returns is another great choice, IMO. It is regarded by most as the best Batman story ever, and isn't too long. Scott Snyder's Batman run is a brilliant way to get into the character. His Batman has a lot of history, but is still very accessible to new readers without much knowledge of the character and his stories, as Scott is very big into exposition.

All Batman stories, I know, but it is hardly surprising, as he has most of the best stuff, due to the character and concept being so good and having more top writers than most, if not all, superheroes. Only Superman can compete on the DC side of things, but I still think all of those Batman stories are a safer bet.

 

[MMMMM...Pancakes]

What stories, runs or issues do you guys reread the most?

I haven’t reread too many stories because I have so many unread books. But the few that I have are... Sinestro Corps War, Daredevil: Born Again, Final Crisis (because it was confusing the first time. Still kinda is), The Ultimates 2 vol. 2, Green Lantern: Rebirth, Batman: The Long Halloween, most of Frank Miller’s Daredevil run. That’s all I can think of.

 

[Slade W]

The Long Halloween, Killing Joke, Judas Contract, Dark Victory, The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen are some stories that I like to reread. Scott Snyder's Batman run is something I have been planning to reread for a while, but I either haven't found the time, or had a stronger desire to read something else.

 

[gohei_]

I'm currently working my way through the Batman Cataclysm and No Mans Land story.

Cataclysm was overall decent. I enjoyed most of it but some of the "filler" issues were just terribly boring to read and it suffered from some seriously bad art in some places.

Once the immediate chaos has passed and the citizens of Gotham start to live in this new No Mans Land though it quickly gets a lot more interesting. I never thought I would see a Batman that becomes the boss of a bunch of different villains and letting them run their operations with him overseeing it all.
This Nick Scratch character is so damn lame I can't believe it, and I also find Azrael to be completely uninteresting, and his issues are the toughest to get through.
This new Batgirl is supposed to be Cass Cain? There hasn't been a face reveal yet but I'm sure I read it before that this is where she is introduced. She sure does not resemble the Cass that I know though.

As a last note, I wish Tim Drake was more involved, cuz he's the reason I'm reading this in the first place.

 

[Babillygunn]

I absolutely love No Mans Land. The intimate stories are beautiful. In particular I love Hunteess/Scarecrow and the church. That story is a tremendous picture of love and grace and transcends comics. I also loved the stories with Ivy and the orphans as well as Two Face’s unintended moment by moment redemption. Then there is the story of Superman and the electrical engineer/power grid. All incredible, tight stories that read more as an anthology than a long comic run.

No Mans Land, to me, is a transcendent comic run that is more an exposition of human nature with superheroes and villains used as a backdrop. I totally understand why it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it.

 

[Babillygunn]

Favorite comic book character from your home state or country? (if not US)

I had to actually google mine. Being from Kentucky I usually get bigoted characters like the hate church in Kingsmen or the Watchdogs in Captain America (not sure if they were from Kentucky, but they might as well be). I guess Holly Hunters character in BvS was from Ky, but that doesn’t exactly help.

All I could find who was ok is Cannonball

 

[MMMMM...Pancakes]

I had to actually google mine. Being from Kentucky I usually get bigoted characters like the hate church in Kingsmen or the Watchdogs in Captain America (not sure if they were from Kentucky, but they might as well be). I guess Holly Hunters character in BvS was from Ky, but that doesn’t exactly help.

All I could find who was ok is Cannonball

You’ve got Abraham Lincoln. He’s been in many comic books.

 

[Babillygunn]

You’ve got Abraham Lincoln. He’s been in many comic books.

Lol. Good point. Odd fact: we had Lincoln and Jefferson Davis. So we actually had both presidents (north and south) during the Civil War.

 

[Slade W]

I reread Batman: Strange Apparitions recently and enjoyed it. Overall, I would give it a 7-7.5 out of 10. For those of you here who have read it, where would you place it the best Batman stories? Up there with TDKR, TKJ, TLH, AA, YO, or a level below those stories?

 

[gohei_]

I absolutely love No Mans Land. The intimate stories are beautiful. In particular I love Hunteess/Scarecrow and the church. That story is a tremendous picture of love and grace and transcends comics. I also loved the stories with Ivy and the orphans as well as Two Face’s unintended moment by moment redemption. Then there is the story of Superman and the electrical engineer/power grid. All incredible, tight stories that read more as an anthology than a long comic run.

No Mans Land, to me, is a transcendent comic run that is more an exposition of human nature with superheroes and villains used as a backdrop. I totally understand why it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it.

I wasn't all that fond of the Huntress/Scarecrow story and the Ivy part hasn't come up yet.
I really liked the Arkham arc though that ended with Dr Arkham releasing them all out into the wild.

I'm confused by Two-Face, just a few issues ago there was that bit where he rescued a bunch of people and he seemed to be walking the path of goodness but now he's back to himself and going to war against the GCPD and Penguin.

 

[MMMMM...Pancakes]

I’m interested in getting back into Marvel. I’ve been keeping up with Daredevil and Moon Knight, but other than that, I haven’t read anything from them since 2015, maybe 2014. Any recommendations? Not interested in Spider-Man or X-Men, so none of that please. I like X-Factor though. I started catching up on Thor where I left off. I have the Jonathan Hickman Avengers Omnibus vol 1.

 

[flickchick85]

I’m interested in getting back into Marvel. I’ve been keeping up with Daredevil and Moon Knight, but other than that, I haven’t read anything from them since 2015, maybe 2014. Any recommendations? Not interested in Spider-Man or X-Men, so none of that please. I like X-Factor though. I started catching up on Thor where I left off. I have the Jonathan Hickman Avengers Omnibus vol 1.

This is from before the time you left off, but did you ever read Fraction's Hawkeye? One of my favorite Marvel runs.