The Dark Horse, Vertigo, Image, Indie, & Miscellaneous Thread

[lugaru]

So I just caught up with Walking Dead and I'm the happiest with the series that I've been in a while. I got bored for the rinse and repeat of them being on the road and now they are a little stable again, meaning Kirkman can flex his "soap opera" muscles and put on a little drama, romance, tragedy and character development without super high stakes.

I'll be catching up with Invincible today or tomorrow... love having a few days off.

[murs47]

Ya, Walking Dead has been exceptionally good lately. It makes me much more pumped for the television series.

[The Enigma]

The sense of safety etc. in volume 12 has got me as tense and edgy as the characters. And you just KNOW it won't last forever. Everything will get worse. Again. People will die. I will find myself caring increasingly less about the new characters brought in to replace them. The cycle will repeat. And yet I will masochistically keep reading it.

Who is the real monster? It's us, readers! Mindlessly shuffling to the comic shop month after month to get the latest issue: WE'RE THE WALKING DEAD!

[lugaru]

Heck yeah, so long as we keep buying this comic the protagonists will keep suffering... ever watch Last Action Hero? Arnie plays a movie version of himself and when he realizes that he is just a character in a movie he goes on a rant about how his wife dying and everything that happened to him was just for peoples entertainment.

Caught up with Invincible too, just had the issues pilling up. Kirkman has been crossing that book over but he also likes to jump into stories midway so I never know if I'm missing something that is in another issue. It always feels that way.

I'm so-so on invincible... right now it feels like DBZ with a major need to out-do the shock of the previous issue.

[Podmark]

So I was pretty impressed with the premiere of The Walking Dead TV show and decided to finally get into the comic. It was always on my radar since it's by Kirkman and everyone says great things about it. So I ordered The Walking Dead Compendium which includes the first 48 issues for around $40. Pretty great deal for anyone wanting to get into the series. Looking forward to reading it.

[Previsionary]

This thread rarely gets any love. Why is that? Well, I reviewed an older comic from Image. Ch-ch-check it: Killer of Demons

Yep, I just bumped this thread. Got somethin' to say about it? Deal.

[cmdrkoenig67]

Okay...I'm a big fan of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Godzilla, but I am really not digging either of their comic book series.  SPOILERS BELOW!

Buffy Season 8 from Dark Horse was just "okay" for me...It didn't really feel like the TV series to me either.  Plus Joss wrote in things that seemed to be just there for shock value (like Buffy having sex with another girl just for the heck of it).  I followed along as the series went, really hoping it would improve...But alas...

Now Buffy Season 9 is disappointing me too...It also doesn't feel like the TV series and the first issue felt entirely like a waste of paper...Buffy having a hangover, remembering her housewarming party at her new apartment in San Francisco where she partied and acted generally ridiculous.  The issue ends with lame joke on Buffy's student loans...ARGH!  Is some imposter posing as Joss Whedon writing these issues, because the writing pales in comparison to his work on the TV series?

For a time I was also collecting the Angel series, but that was so bad I dropped it after issue #3.

The new Godzilla series from IDW is just crap (IMHO)! The art isn't terribly good (it's sloppy and sometimes hard to figure out what's going on) and the writing is leaving a lot to be desired.  Issue #6 scene:  A Native American on a horse at Mt. Rushmore witnesses Godzilla destroying said monument with his death breath..."An unstoppable juggernaut destroying sacred monuments.  The irony."  The unnamed observer says. 

How is that Ironic?  Arrgh!  I'm dropping both of these books, they've been nothing but disappointments.

Dana

[Talavar]

Yeah, I read a little bit of Buffy Season 8 and found it quite lackluster, which is unfortunate.

In other news though, Unwritten, by Mike Carey at Vertigo, is awesome!

[bredon7777]

I quite liked Buffy season 8, but it went seriously off the rails at the end.

Spoiler

I didn't have a problem with Buffy/Satsu. I did however have a problem with Willow wondering what Buffy was like in bed. It's like someone had forgotten that Willow was "the sister Buffy never had", and the whole scene gave me an incest vibe that majorly squicked me out.  I could've lived with it had they not made the huge mistake of revealing the existence of vampires to the world- and having the world be on the side of the vampires. No, just no.  And the less said about the ridiculous ending arc, the better.

Season 9 is supposed to be a "back to basics" season, so I'll give it a shot. But it seems to be off schedule Issue #1 came out like 8-10 weeks ago, and no #2 yet.

Agree on "The Unwritten"- after "Locke and Key" its probably my favorite comic out there.

[Podmark]

But it seems to be off schedule Issue #1 came out like 8-10 weeks ago, and no #2 yet.

Actually, I'm pretty sure issue 2 is already out. Issue three is scheduled for November 9.

[Talavar]

Yes, I can't say enough how awesome Locke & Key is!  Great comic.  Unwritten too.

[murs47]

I keep hearing good things about Locke & Key...perhaps I should try it soon.

Is anyone reading the The Secret Talent of Luther Strode from Image? It's a pretty fun story so far.

[Xenolith]

I've read the first two arcs of Locke and Key.  I like them.  Pretty scary at times, pretty strange at other times.  The art is very good.

[Previsionary]

Another lawsuit, but this one is interesting: Robert Kirkman vs. Tony Moore over "The Walking Dead"

[Talavar]

Been a while since this thread saw any life, but I thought it a good place to relate that Neil Gaiman is writing a new Sandman mini-series, among other Vertigo news coming out of Comic Con.

Obligatory link: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=39735

[murs47]

Been a while since this thread saw any life, but I thought it a good place to relate that Neil Gaiman is writing a new Sandman mini-series, among other Vertigo news coming out of Comic Con.

Obligatory link: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=39735

I'm looking forward to it. I think I've enjoyed his Sandman shorts and minis more than the main series.

Did anybody pick up Punk Rock Jesus #1?

[murs47]

Scalped, the greatest comic series of all time has come to its natural conclusion this week. That was one heck of a ride. Kudos to Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera.

[laughing paradox]

Has anyone been reading Valiant comics?

Archer & Armstrong, Harbinger, X-O Manowar and Bloodshot have come out so far (I think Ninjak is also going to be released.).

I've never read a Valiant comic before, but these books now are pretty darn good. I'm a fan.. it makes me want to visit the back issue bins to see what I could pick up on old stories.

[murs47]

Harbinger is really good. I couldn't get in to Manowar or Bloodshot, though. They weren't bad, they just weren't for me. I haven't tried Archer + Armstrong yet.

[laughing paradox]

The latest Harbinger is so good.

They're releasing the X-O Manowar trade for only 10 bucks, which is a solid business plan. Even though I have the issues (and boy, do I have issues!), I'm going to buy the trade, too. You can't go wrong for only 10 bucks.

[murs47]

Will the Harbinger trade also be 10 bucks?

[Silver Shocker]

I been meaning to post here about the IDW Ghostbusters series (coulda sworn I already did, but oh well). Anyway if you're a big Ghostbusters fan and you haven't read it, you really gotta. It's gotta be the most authentic recreation of the tone, humor and characterization of the films ever made outside of the 2009 video game (which it references on a regular basis, along with about a million other things from all walks of the franchise). It's consistently my favorite book I pick up.

[SickAlice]

Currently, and for the past year if not more everything gets me more excited if it's not from the big two (I still read from their crop and enjoy some to mind you), especially if it's under the IDW, Top Cow, or Dynamite banner. Also I am HUGE on the latest Lady Death Boundless run. Tick New Series was also in my top five but...where did it go?

@Silver Shocker: Read all of the IDW Ghostbusters stuff, minis and full series. Every bit of it has been fantastic and I cosign your suggestion. In fact I think I saw in this seasons solicits that they're releasing a collection of the previous mini's and 1-shots, as well as the NOW comics run for late bloomers. Seriously invigorating stuff, I'll say my favorite of the entire was Displaced Aggression.

[Silver Shocker]

Yep, there's a 100-page reprint that's coming out this month, supposedly on the 24th. I'm planning to get that as I missed all the comics before the ongoing and I'm curious to see how they hold up.

[laughing paradox]

I went on a spending binge and bought up all of Locke & Key by Joe Hill.

My god, is that story engaging. I can't wait to see how it ends.

[SickAlice]

I'll take me a niece big slice of that new Cyberforce pie anytime it's ready. Loved everything related to this so far under the udder (Hunter-Killer, Cyberforce, Fusion, Velocity, Artifacts, ect). Not one let down yet.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=13884

Also really stoked about the groovy new guest star in Prophecy#4
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=13911

[murs47]

No one has been reading Punk Rock Jesus? For shame!

[Deaths Jester]

For those who haven't noticed yet, Astro City is now being put out by Vertigo after the Wildstorm imprint was folded.  Looks like it might be an ongoing but am unsure at this moment.

[Talavar]

For those who haven't noticed yet, Astro City is now being put out by Vertigo after the Wildstorm imprint was folded.  Looks like it might be an ongoing but am unsure at this moment.

I believe it is an ongoing again, with 3 or 4 issues out so far.

[Silver Shocker]

So according to the September solicits for IDW Ghostbusters #20 will be the final issue, described as the conclusion to IDW's Ghostbusters run. I'm going to wait and see if there's another book after that but if this is it I'm a bit surprised considering the current arc (which #20 concludes) is part of the franchise's anniversary. It was playing up connections to the original films with certain characters appearing in it and the threat involved, as well as the arc, "Mass Hysteria" being named after a notable Venkmen line. It came off as a bit of a jumping on point, and each issue had a recap page introducing all the characters. If this really is the end of the book, I think that's alright. The book had a nice long run, and I enjoyed it, but my fondness for it has faded a bit over time.