Community The Comics & Manga Thread - From Cape books, to Shonens, to Webcomics, to Shoujos, to Alternative, to Manhwas & more!
- Thread starter Tizoc
- Start date
I can't wait for the torture to finally be over so we can all properly get gut punched with you-know-who's fate. Because Berserk probably ain't that kind of story.FINALLY BERSERK IS RETURNING ON APRIL 26TH!
I'll take that opportunity to gush about Makoto Yukimura. He did one of the best space/close future sci-fi stories that had both a great and believable world and actually told a meaningful story.
He did that not just once, but several times over through every one of the Toy Box's characters. I think the one that got me most was Tanabe and Hachimaki's for how close to home they hit. The world is one where space exploration has just kicked off. Astronauts go mining for Helium-3 in the solar system while on earth, its orbit is clogged with debris and skirts dangerously close to the Kessler Syndrome. The manga focuses on the daily lives of the crew of the Toy Box, one of the ships whose uneviable task is to cleanup up all these debris.
Those are the stories of people who try and find their places in life, how they change from their initial selves and misconceptions about the world. To make a long story short, this is a manga about love and life. It's a seinen truly deserving of the name.
Not content with writing that masterpiece, Yukimura went on to start working on a little manga called Vinland Saga. Oh boy.
This is the point at which you notice that I've been talking about a manga's story more than its art and that should tell you something when it looks like this :
Yeah, it looks pretty freaking impressive. The workload behind it was the reason the manga moved to a monthly release schedule, beyond manga creation being an insane weekly workload. His art was actually was one of the strong draws of planetes, setting up an amazing atmosphere before the story took me in after a few pages.
Vinland Saga tells the story of Thorfinn, a young icelandic boy who dreams of viking raids and adventures. His father, on the other hand, has other ideas about violence and murder. The story picks up when Thorfinn sneaks on a ship due to join others on an expedition south to do the usual viking occupation : raiding and pillaging for riches while making their ancestors proud.
It's an incredible saga where years pass by and characters go through radical changes. Makoto Yukimura is one of the only mangakas that manages to talk about violence, wisdom and peace with such maturity and still make you love blood-knight, battle-obsessed vikings. The way he manages to make you feel a yearning for peace, the depth of life and the absurdity of violence in a battle-oriented seinen is a tour de force that I highly recommend reading for yourself.
I remember reading a lot of "his art sucks now, there's no black" and I'm like "dude, if this is bad art I want to be a bad artist".
My main disappointment is how Titania's design is worse then in the one-shot (the one I posted above). But holding out hope she changes. I love Nihei's spikey dresses,
Actually I don't! The arc in Falconia seems to be over for now so a return to continue the previous scene seems possible.
- Thread Starter
- #56
Reposting from Era
I read through vol 1 to 4 of Hickman's new avengers run, pre secret wars and...i didnt like it.
It kept repeating the same themes over and over and over and i disliked the bleakness of it all. I guess i wanted to give it a fair judgement by reading thru it all, but by the end of vol. 4 it just didnt do it for me.
I read through vol 1 to 4 of Hickman's new avengers run, pre secret wars and...i didnt like it.
It kept repeating the same themes over and over and over and i disliked the bleakness of it all. I guess i wanted to give it a fair judgement by reading thru it all, but by the end of vol. 4 it just didnt do it for me.
- Thread Starter
- #57
I recently read through Kurt Busiek's Astro City which is a love letter to super hero comics. What i like about it is how the heroes are just doing the right thing, no questionable morales or any such nonsense. Theyre good men and women putting their lives on the line against destructive forces. While the charavters can feel too much like expies of existing characters from dc and marvel, they manage to stand out on their own. I personally like the first 3 or so books in the series, but it is a solid read overall. I am behind by 2 books atm (14 & 15) so ill catch up to it in the near future.
Going to catch up on immortal hulk soon too.
Going to catch up on immortal hulk soon too.
I'm trying to finish Goodnight Punpun, but it's seriously bumming the hell out of me.
Looks amazing, it's just that the story hits way too close to home.
Looks amazing, it's just that the story hits way too close to home.
- Thread Starter
- #60
Read thru some Blacksad comics recently and they are good stuff. Art is wonderful and the stories and characters are great. There is nudity and sex but overall its a great series with some really strong moments.
Didn't post in here yet, but I can't say how much it warms my heart to see this thread, thanks Tizoc !
Oh and btw, a little question to our resident Transformers expert (s ?) : so the new series is a prequel ? Did I get it right ? Can I get in without reading the bajillion books already published before ? Yeah, I'm sure they are good, I remember the thread, but I already read far too much stuff to add 100+ issues runs like it's free candy.
Oh and btw, a little question to our resident Transformers expert (s ?) : so the new series is a prequel ? Did I get it right ? Can I get in without reading the bajillion books already published before ? Yeah, I'm sure they are good, I remember the thread, but I already read far too much stuff to add 100+ issues runs like it's free candy.
I too would suggest taking a read of this series, the first three books are absolutely fantastic. It kinda falls off from there whenAnimalman by Jeff Lemire
I fell off DC and Marvel around 2012 when the New 52 (DC) launched, while Marvel was going loco about its sudden popularity and shoehorning the MCU into its books among other boring directions.
Animalman by Lemire was a series I'd heard praise for but didn't get into at the time. I recently got to read all 5 books of the series and...well it's good I think, not necessarily for me, as I prefer Morrison's Animalman run a lot more.
The premise has Buddy discovering his daughter has super powers which allow her to revive dead animals, he then learns of The Red, a congregation of all living non-plant things being connected together and is being threatened by The Rot, the personification of death and decay. Now Buddy has to deal with his daughter's newfound powers while protecting her and his family from The Rot that is beginning to take over the world.
One way to describe this series is that it's a horror series, though how scary it is is up to the reader. I found there to be A LOT of creepy and disturbing imagery in this book
Don't open if you're squeemish about such things.Code:https://i.imgur.com/EQPXRRs.jpg https://imgur.com/4e9Unkc
Travel Foreman's art is pretty distinctive and quite good all things considered though.
If you're considering reading it, try to see if Book 1 would interest you, then move onto the next book in order, long as you're interest is still there for the series.
Although the series appears to tie in to another New 52 series of the time, Swamp Thing, that series is not needed to enjoy this one, and at best can be read stand alone.
Swamp Thing crosses over with it
Lemire really does the family aspect well, even if I couldn't stand the son's terrible haircut.
Real life has helped me create a huge tpb backlog of Ms Marvel, Wicked and the Divine, and Sex Criminals that I absolutely need to burn through, as I'm running out of shelf space. I would recommend any of those books and the first 5 Sunstone graphic novels. What can I say, I was sold on them by the other place and it was worth it.
I'm thinking I'm going to trade-in/sell Greg Rucka's Veil because Demon Revenge Misogyny just doesn't have the appeal it once did (especially the ending). Southern Cross too, maybe for the tpb in that case.
Also, for any other METATorontonians, TCAF is this weekend and Kieron "RockPaperShotgun/Xmen/Phonogram/Wicked and the Divine' will be there. I expect all of us to ask him about NGJ.
- Thread Starter
- #65
The current IDW Transformers comic series is a reboot. Wait for the trade as the current issues are slow and seem to be one book split into 6 parts :V
, the previous series has concluded, and I keep wanting to make an expanded reading list for it. For now, here's one I wrote for a TF comics bundle from Humble that they put up in March
Community - MetaSteam | March 2019 - The Core Values of One-Handed Fighting
:grinning-face-with-smiling-eyes: I have over 5600 games/DLCs on my wishlist, so I certainly rival with lashman on that front. ;) --- Speaking of Willowbrooke Post, I received a discount code that gives a further 30% off, but since I pre-ordered the game elsewhere, if anyone wants it let me...
metacouncil.com
Yesterday's readings : The Gravedigggers Union #1-4 and The Magic Order #1-6
I felt like reading something other than DC or Marvel for a change (I've got an addiction issue with capes) so...
The Magic Order (2018)
Magic is real. Magicians have since time immemorial fought a war against the dark things behind the curtain in order for normal people to keep their blessed illusions, and lives. But every magician is not as benevolent, some nasty fuckers are targeting the Magic Order and his leader. Things are about to get nasty.
Hmm, well, It's a Mark Millar book.
...
If you ever read one, I can maybe stop here.
Now I don't hate the man, I pretty much avoided the man for years because I didn't care, but it ends here, I don't have any bone to grind with him. He looks like one huge asshole full of himself, but he's hardly the first nor the last, so... And to my surprise, when I read Old Man Logan a few years ago, I enjoyed what I saw. It was hollow, but cinematic, enjoyable, a popcorn flick on paper.
And it's exactly what The Magic Order is, too.
It's nice to look, at, I mean you can make far worse than Olivier Coipel. It's enjoyable like a solid supernatural actionner. And, that's pretty much all (well there is also a very divisive abortion element in issue 2). I will grant it that I didn't see the "truth" coming, and that motivations are handled well enough, but at the end of the day, it's a nice solid read. And it is also hollow as fuck. You won't come out of it with anything. No subtlety, no big character evolution, it's just there.
Buuut as a piece of entertainment, I can't hate it, it was a nice read.
....
It's a Mark Millar book.
The Gravediggers Union
Got a vampire issue ? A ghost one, or maybe a zombie infestation ? You call the Gravediggers, baby !
We didn't start on a good footing this book and me. My expectations were quite different than what I got. It looked like a fun pulpy action book and it's, well, pulpy, but not particularly fun (more light-Lovecraft than Scooby-Doo), and not very actionny. I wouldn't say the book is serious, but the themes it tackles are indeed. And I don't really like the art.
But nevertheless, it's good, it's solid. You can't predict where it goes and the ride is enjoyable. Saying that one issue of GU is more "written" than the whole Magic Order may be hyperbole, but eh... maybe not by a long shot.
I'm still undecided about me reading the whole thing, but if you were waiting for a weird mix of Lovecraft, Father issues and Ecological crisis (!) this is it.
I sound a lot harsher than I'm truly feeling on this book. Maybe it's simply because I haven't the slightest clue about what it wants to tell on the long run. It still could turn memorable or a waste of time, the payoff is blurry.
I felt like reading something other than DC or Marvel for a change (I've got an addiction issue with capes) so...
The Magic Order (2018)
Magic is real. Magicians have since time immemorial fought a war against the dark things behind the curtain in order for normal people to keep their blessed illusions, and lives. But every magician is not as benevolent, some nasty fuckers are targeting the Magic Order and his leader. Things are about to get nasty.
Hmm, well, It's a Mark Millar book.
...
If you ever read one, I can maybe stop here.
Now I don't hate the man, I pretty much avoided the man for years because I didn't care, but it ends here, I don't have any bone to grind with him. He looks like one huge asshole full of himself, but he's hardly the first nor the last, so... And to my surprise, when I read Old Man Logan a few years ago, I enjoyed what I saw. It was hollow, but cinematic, enjoyable, a popcorn flick on paper.
And it's exactly what The Magic Order is, too.
It's nice to look, at, I mean you can make far worse than Olivier Coipel. It's enjoyable like a solid supernatural actionner. And, that's pretty much all (well there is also a very divisive abortion element in issue 2). I will grant it that I didn't see the "truth" coming, and that motivations are handled well enough, but at the end of the day, it's a nice solid read. And it is also hollow as fuck. You won't come out of it with anything. No subtlety, no big character evolution, it's just there.
Buuut as a piece of entertainment, I can't hate it, it was a nice read.
....
It's a Mark Millar book.
The Gravediggers Union
Got a vampire issue ? A ghost one, or maybe a zombie infestation ? You call the Gravediggers, baby !
We didn't start on a good footing this book and me. My expectations were quite different than what I got. It looked like a fun pulpy action book and it's, well, pulpy, but not particularly fun (more light-Lovecraft than Scooby-Doo), and not very actionny. I wouldn't say the book is serious, but the themes it tackles are indeed. And I don't really like the art.
But nevertheless, it's good, it's solid. You can't predict where it goes and the ride is enjoyable. Saying that one issue of GU is more "written" than the whole Magic Order may be hyperbole, but eh... maybe not by a long shot.
I'm still undecided about me reading the whole thing, but if you were waiting for a weird mix of Lovecraft, Father issues and Ecological crisis (!) this is it.
I sound a lot harsher than I'm truly feeling on this book. Maybe it's simply because I haven't the slightest clue about what it wants to tell on the long run. It still could turn memorable or a waste of time, the payoff is blurry.
I loved Punpun, but yeah, it managed to get me in a pretty dark place.
Which is kind of an impressive feat, I guess. I'm not one that gets triggered that much, and it's not like its themes are much related to my life experiences (except generic depression maybe), but damn.
I remember finishing it a couple of weeks before one of my trips to Japan, and it totally killed all the buzz (it came back the minute I landed at Narita of course).
Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any other Asano work that I appreciate as much as Punpun and Solanin.
Somehow it feels to me like either he wants to be too clever/incomprehensible, or just he exaggerates the depressivity just as a shock kind of thing.
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Sorry if it's the wrong thread, but does ANN in the crusade against superhero movies and comic books or something? I tried to read their review of Ultraman and cringed every time they made some idiotic attempt at taking a jab at the popularity of Marvel and, to a lesser degree, DC. Plus, their click-baity headlines about Into The Spider-Verse beating Mirai at every turn makes me think that they've lost their marbles. I mean, it's pretty damn pathetic to drool over one nerd thing and then play the cool kid when talking about another.
On topic, I've been reading Lemire's Gideon Falls recently, and man, this thing is one of the best horror stories I experienced in the last couple of years, some of the art and colours are so mesmerizing and atmospheric they give me chills. Definitely the best horror CB I've read since Locke & Key, check it out if you have time
On topic, I've been reading Lemire's Gideon Falls recently, and man, this thing is one of the best horror stories I experienced in the last couple of years, some of the art and colours are so mesmerizing and atmospheric they give me chills. Definitely the best horror CB I've read since Locke & Key, check it out if you have time
I loved Gideon Falls. I paused when shit began to hit the fan big time. Nooooo, I wasn't scared 
- Thread Starter
- #77
I should read gideon falls.
Locke and Key is great and i need to reread it someday.
Locke and Key is great and i need to reread it someday.
I have read several books since my last post but not sure about clogging up the thread with reviews. Not that my opinion is of particular note.
Let's see... some Usagi Yojimbo, some Groo, the new Vampirella FCBD 2019... and I just began Prodigy and Sharkey by Millar. You will really think I can't stand the guy but like I tried to say that's not really true. He provides good mindless entertainment when I'm feeling like I don't want to use my brain. And boy do those two titles deliver !
No, not on the entertainment side, on the brainless one
Let's see... some Usagi Yojimbo, some Groo, the new Vampirella FCBD 2019... and I just began Prodigy and Sharkey by Millar. You will really think I can't stand the guy but like I tried to say that's not really true. He provides good mindless entertainment when I'm feeling like I don't want to use my brain. And boy do those two titles deliver !
No, not on the entertainment side, on the brainless one
- Thread Starter
- #82
I recently finished reading through JMS' Spiderman, ending with Back in Black (because screw OMD it is terrible eugh).
I'd say his run as its peak while Romita Jr. is the artist. The stories after him are OK for the most part, Romita really leaves an impression on you with his art as the stories are told. Plus it's great to see Peter reconciling with May and MJ coming back into his life, and his direction as a teacher was nice too.
I'd say his run as its peak while Romita Jr. is the artist. The stories after him are OK for the most part, Romita really leaves an impression on you with his art as the stories are told. Plus it's great to see Peter reconciling with May and MJ coming back into his life, and his direction as a teacher was nice too.
Read some more Groo. I'm reserving judgement for the time being because I'm torn about it. Aragones has all my sympathy and love since I read some of his auto-biographical short comics in Solo, and over the different issues Groo and his wacky world is growing on me.
Buuutt at the same time, Aragones often use the most childish humor imaginable, I mean you can politely laugh, sometimes. And there is an excessive use of repetition in the narration, the joke being the fact fact the the same thing happens over and over again.
At the same time, yeah, endearing world and characters.
Tried the first chapter of Samurai 8 on Shonen Jump. Not really interested. I don't hate it either. It's just that I think I'm tired of the protag destined to grand things shonen trope. Unfortunate that there isn't a Seinen Jump with the same subscription mechanism.
The art is cool, the narration is confusing at first but mostly clears up, I mean yeah, it's maybe a good sci-fi shonen, but I can't say there is anything really out of the ordinary here.
Buuutt at the same time, Aragones often use the most childish humor imaginable, I mean you can politely laugh, sometimes. And there is an excessive use of repetition in the narration, the joke being the fact fact the the same thing happens over and over again.
At the same time, yeah, endearing world and characters.
Tried the first chapter of Samurai 8 on Shonen Jump. Not really interested. I don't hate it either. It's just that I think I'm tired of the protag destined to grand things shonen trope. Unfortunate that there isn't a Seinen Jump with the same subscription mechanism.
The art is cool, the narration is confusing at first but mostly clears up, I mean yeah, it's maybe a good sci-fi shonen, but I can't say there is anything really out of the ordinary here.
I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of buying the Fanatical Tank Girl bundle to fill a gap in my comic culture, but as always (there was an humble version of this bundles, wasn’t it ?) someone threw up a tons of comics in there without the slight bit of guidance,
A visit on the wikipedia page doesn’t help to sort out this unholy mess. And let’s say you don’t think reading the series from the beginning is not that important (you monster), I think we can agree that it would be nice to know in what order you are meant to read this fucking bundle.
For fuck’s sake, the original TPB was 15 issues long, and in there the Classic Tank Girl books only go to 10. Are Classic TG issues bigger than their original counterparts, is the publisher not willing to bundle more ? Fuck if I know.
Undecipherable.
A visit on the wikipedia page doesn’t help to sort out this unholy mess. And let’s say you don’t think reading the series from the beginning is not that important (you monster), I think we can agree that it would be nice to know in what order you are meant to read this fucking bundle.
For fuck’s sake, the original TPB was 15 issues long, and in there the Classic Tank Girl books only go to 10. Are Classic TG issues bigger than their original counterparts, is the publisher not willing to bundle more ? Fuck if I know.
Undecipherable.
My days of reading Donald Duck are long behind me and only getting Surface Pro got me to start reading comics again because of how easy it is.
Transmetropolitan is probably the best thing I ever read and highly recommend it to anyone, especially in our current political climate.
Metabarons is a grand space opera spanning multiple generations with some amazing art by Juan Giménez.
Transmetropolitan is probably the best thing I ever read and highly recommend it to anyone, especially in our current political climate.
Metabarons is a grand space opera spanning multiple generations with some amazing art by Juan Giménez.
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I've finally read Snyder's A.D.: After Death, had a hardcover copy for about a year and while Scott is my favorite cb writer (best Batman stories of the last two decades, did I mention that Grant Morrison sucks?), I can't say that I enjoyed it all that much. The story is interesting, but I think the format is wrong (it should've been a proper novella) and the ending while emotional is a bit trivial. Lemire's art definitely not my cup of tea either.
I also reread Kon's Opus and, honestly, metacommentary felt more like a gimmick that carried a so-so "bang bang, shoot shoot" shounen manga.
I also reread Kon's Opus and, honestly, metacommentary felt more like a gimmick that carried a so-so "bang bang, shoot shoot" shounen manga.
That look, it burns into my soul ! That's the "you are French and you didn't even read your Euro classics" lookMetabarons is a grand space opera spanning multiple generations with some amazing art by Juan Giménez.
So, Tom King leaves Batman? I have mixed feelings about his run. Annuals were great, but long arcs not so much. Hopefully, he'll stick to weird ass stuff like Vision and Mister Miracle and gritty thrillers ala Sheriff of Babylon.
Just don't bring BMB! Please!
Just don't bring BMB! Please!
- Thread Starter
- #95
The Flash 2016 Rebirth series is quite good IMO. It does seem very jarring to compare Barry's character in his main book to how he is written in other series where he comes off like his movie version (hyperactive rookie).
This is prob. the first time I actually felt for Barry. Wally II is a neat character too.
This is prob. the first time I actually felt for Barry. Wally II is a neat character too.
I legit haven't read any of Tom King's Batman stuff. I need to read Detective Comics since it has characters I like.
You can read Annuals, they're probably the best things coming out of his run. DC should've given Bats to Tynion after Snyder left for JL.
I'm knee deep in 2000 AD goodness. Discovering all these classics is paradise. I'm half tempted to make a thread dedicated to it, but being a relative noob, the thing is tricky. Or I could simply talk about it here. We will see.
Read 2000 AD, old, new, in one form or another, people !
Read 2000 AD, old, new, in one form or another, people !
God, i feel old. I remember deciding to spend my pocket money on a subscription to 2000AD when Slaine's first episode came out. I had hundreds of them up until a few years ago when they got moldy in storage after my accident and i couldn't go and check them so they had to be binned together with a bunch of my other childhood book collections.
Now i'm bummed out thinking about it.
Read 2000AD People!
Now i'm bummed out thinking about it.
Read 2000AD People!
Uh, outside of Dredd, there is no legal way for me to read 2000 AD, shame, I like nonsensical British universes that clearly making fun of all the things right-wing loves, but still very much enjoyable even if you read them the most straight way possible.