Bam! Pow! Wham! The Comic Book Thread

SurrealBrain

I like Amitie.
From DC to Marvel, Image to Dark Horse and Acrhie to IDW, comic books have been around a while now. Many have inspired the superhero movies that we see a lot of in this day and age.

Some comics are based on existing properties (which makes up a good chunk of the ones I've read, really), like those old Nintendo comics. I'd like to see WarioWare join that list some day, but this is for a general comic discussion.

Anyways, I'll just start with what I've read. Due to worries of pay, I can't keep up all the time, but I do try. Man, I should consider a subscription to these series. I do prefer graphic novels, though.

I'll start with a Marvel comic, since they're probably the most well-known. Ironically, it's one that wasn't very famous until earlier this year. What is this one?
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Yes, Guardians of the Galaxy. Mostly keeping up with the graphic novels, since I missed out on the 2008 run the first time around, and missed out on quite a bit of the 2013 run, though it's still going now, and I have the first graphic novels of the respective runs.

It's mostly the modern series, because it's the one with the team from the movie (admittedly, I loved that film), though I did get a graphic novel from the original series (though it's the second volume, due to a mistake), and I plan on getting more. What I've read, while not as good as the movie, has been a blast so far, and I sincerely want to read more. The storytellin, while a bit iffy at times, is pretty solid stuff, and the art, an important aspect of comics, tends to be pretty good for the most part.

Next up, Archie Comics. Surely a few of you have heard of them, but ironically, I rarely read their main series. Instead, I mostly read their licensed output. So far?

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Yes, I enjoy the Sonic comics, warts and all. You either like this one, or you don't. Anyways, I enjoy it for the action, and the storytelling post-issue 160 (it was all over the place before then). The art can be all over the place, though it's been more consistently good post-160, mostly due to a more consisten style.. However, circumstances beyond Archie's control (which I prefer not to get into here) led to a reboot, thus forcing a lot of plot points to end without a proper conclusion, though Ian Flynn, the current writer, will release his old plans through what he calls the "Lost Hedgehog Tales."
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Fans of the original were split on whether or not this was a good thing. I do admit the circumstance behind it weren't the greatest, but personally, I don't mind the reboot itself. The writing remains fairly solid, and while still not without liberties (for instance, the current arc is a loose Sonic Unleashed adaptation with many differences), it brings it closer to the games. The art also remains good, though issue 254 has some pretty wonky art there.

Next Archie Comic series?
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I started reading this mostly because I liked Ian Flynn's work on Sonic, so I figured why not. Thing is, I wasn't too familiar with Mega Man prior to this. Afterward, however, I started playing the games, and they've been very fun. But this is for comics, so I'll just talk about the comics.

I like how they tell the story here. As someone who read the comics before playing the games, I can say that you don't need to have played the games to enjoy the comics, since the storytelling is pretty solid here as well, and the art is quite good most of the time. If you have, however, then it can make you appreciate the series even more, since it's a pretty faithful adaptation, and it makes many nods to the franchise. Not to mention they're adapting the spinoffs, not just the main series, the first of these being, surprisingly enough, Super Adventure Rockman, a Japan-only game. That adaptation takes the most liberties so far, but I liked it, and quite frankly, the fact that they adapted it at all shows how dedicated to the material they are.

Both Sonic and Mega Man had a crossover at one point.
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Same statements as above, though on Sonic's end, it led to the reboot. Funny thing is, this was before Super Smash Bros. put these two characters in a game. A second crossover will be released next year. I can't wait.

Now, for IDW.
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I've been a TMNT fan a long time, but until recently, I never really had a TMNT comic to read. Fortunately, IDW came to the rescue to make a new series, as well as making reprints of the older stuff more common.

IDW's own series takes many elements of past TMNT incarnations and puts them in one place, before the Nick show did something similar. It takes the tone of the originals, the characters from two previous cartoons, and puts some of its own stuff into it as well. The artwork illustrated the characters well most of the time, and the stories tend to be pretty good. Not to mention that Kevin Eastman is involved with the writing, and since he's one of the original creators, that's a plus by default.

I also read some reprints of the originals, and while the storytelling can be pretty haphazard, at least it's the kind of haphazard that makes you entertained regardless. It's pretty obvious Eastman and Laird were making stuff up as they went along, but I still had fun. Besides, the art still fit the tone well.

As for comic news, you may have heard that Darkwing Duck is getting a new comic in 2015, courtesy of Joe Books. If not, it's true, and altered reprints of the previous comic series will accompany it as the start of a new one. The comparison images were made by a user on another forum, but I think it sets the tone for what to expect from the newer versions, set to be released in January 21st. I think the newer version is an improvement from what I'm seeing.
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Any comics, or any news to discuss?
 
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Apologies for the double-post, but I found something American Disney Duck fans might be excited for.
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The solicits are as follows, and I quote:
"Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
(W) Jonathan Gray, Rodolfo Cimino (A) Romano Scarpa (CA) Derek Charm
Wak! Disney's richest epic hero returns! In "The Wrath of Gigabeagle," the McDuck Money Bin meets a monster-sized Beagle Boy mech!"

This is slated to be released in April, though don't get your hopes up too much.

So far, this is just translations of of Italian stories, but it's stuff that never reached American shores before, so it's still new to America. Still, hopefully once they can get the bulk of the work out of the way, they can make their own contributions to the world of Scrooge McDuck.

In somewhat related (old) news, Darkwing Duck: The Definitively Dangerous Edition has been delayed to February 11th. If you wondering why it might not arrive today, there's why.
 
I think you should make your posts shorter. The reason no one has commented yet because no one likes long, boring paragraphs.

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Got and read the Darkwing Duck omnibus. I'm gonna review it, because why not. It's copypasted from the other places I posted my opinion, because I'm bad with words, and it was the best I could type when I originally posted it.

I can't speak for the original versions of most of these stories. I only had the FCBD issue (which was a reprint of the first issue on one side, the first issue of the Chip n' Dale comic on the other) prior to this. It's largely the same as the version here.

That said, the new version does seem like an improvement based on the comparison images I've seen. Though I'd have to read the originals to judge them properly.

However, this does allow me to judge this book on its own merits. The dialogue is amazing, and the story is great as well. I love the jokes, and it manages to feel like the show without rehashing it.

I think F.O.W.L. Disposition is my favorite arc. It's the funniest to me, and I like Duckthulu's design.

Campaign Carnage was the one I was dreading the most, but surprisingly, that one is good, too. I like Cat-Tankerous especially, though the design of his suit may have something to do with it.

James Silvani's art is amazing, and you can tell he worked hard to make sure the characters looked how they did in the show.

Sabrina Alberghetti also drew Toy With Me, which was the Annual story. She did an amazing job there herself.

My only gripe is that it doesn't have the DuckTales/Darkwing Duck crossover, Dangerous Currency, in it. I'm aware that this arc had a whole ton of flaws, mainly because it was rushed, but I still would have loved to read it, though I can see how rewriting this one might be too much.

To make matters worse, that arc is, at least at the time of writing, well above what I'm willing to pay for any graphic novel. It's been rendered non-canon, but I would love to see it reprinted, perhaps call it "lost tale" or something along those lines to make it clear it's non-canon. It probably won't happen (especially since the story wasn't Disney-approved*), but I want it anyways.

Other than that, though, I love the omnibus, and I hope people will at least give it a shot. Even if you never watched the cartoon in your life, this omnibus does enough to introduce the characters to new readers, so it's a good jumping-on point as well.

Now, if they could reprint the original versions for those of us who don't have them, but want to compare them...

* Wonder where I got that info? Well, I actually asked the writer of the omnibus about it.
 
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Well, glad to see you like my posts. I should warn you, though, most the comics I like are usually love-it-or-hate-it. The Sonic comics are the most notable, but there are people out there who don't like the current run of Guardians of the Galaxy as well.

Here's my advice: read an issue or three, and see if you like it. If you like it, you can keep following it, but if you don't, you don't have to keep reading. In Sonic's case, definitely start with issue 252, or the graphic novel "Sonic the Hedgehog Vol 1: Countdown to Chaos." It's the start of the reboot.

Also, if you like a series, consider a subscription. It makes it easier to keep up with.
 
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I bought Vol. 8 of the Mega Man graphic novels.

It's great, but why did they go with lower quality paper for this one? Why not use the glossy paper they used for all the other volumes? Why use this newsprint?

It's affected the Sonic graphic novels as well. I thought the glossy paper felt better.

I can tolerate it, though, and the stories are still good reads. Still, it boggles the mind...
 
Wow. Comics in America are so incredibly different from comics in Europe xD
Series I really like:
Asterix & Obelix (French)
Calvin & Hobbes (American)
Some of the Lucky Luke authors (French)
Donald Duck (not the German ones. I like Barks' and a few Dutch ones')
Those are four of my favourites. There are definitely more series I really like, though. A comic series I really dislike is Garfield.
 
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Frank Miller returns to Batman...unfortunately. This is called DK: The Master Race. And no, the DK does not stand for Donkey Kong.

Not much is known about this work (wasn't announced very long ago), but going by Miller's track record...I'm scared...very scared...
 
I regret to say this, but...the Mega Man comics are gonna go on hiatus after issue 53.

These comics were the final push that convinced me to become a Mega Man fan in the first place. Who knows when, or even if they'll be back? I hope it will come back from it, but who knows?

If not...at least I still have what was already released, and I can still play the games I missed. There's also a new cartoon coming out, though the studio behind it, Man of Action Studios, is one whoste work I'm not a big fan of. I'll give it a cahnce, though.

Still, seeing them go, even tif temporarily, is gonna be hard. But I've found things that will keep me company.

EDIT: I made a mistake, it's issue 55. Still sad, though.
 
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I think now it's also a possibility to check out comics online, It'd be nice to start getting into Daredevil and Question's comics. Those two have a really neat concept.
Lately I've just been checking out Doom Patrol, it's quite interesting a " family " like super beings going out to stop crime. Makes me think if The Incredibles were inspired by their concept as it seems similar.

Really liked their DC Nation shorts and I also remembered they were featured on Teen Titans in which I first heard of them.





The Maxx is another interesting comic that doesn't have your average super hero formula. About a man who isn't the most mentally stable person, due to his psychosis he believes he is a super hero which in the comic changes between the real world to his " own world " called the outback. It's quite compelling especially since he believes his social worker is the queen of the " outback. " I'll link more about the series below.

comicvine.gamespot.com/maxx/4005-24863/
 
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The only comic series I've really kept up with is the Sonic series from Archie. Their stories can be hit or miss for me, but there's a pencil artist named Jamal Peppers whose work I enjoy in the comics.

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Arguably the coloring is what drives the main appeal of the cover art, but the way Peppers draws Eggman puts a smile on my face. His composition and the way he lays out his work is something I enjoy as well.
 
The only comic series I've really kept up with is the Sonic series from Archie. Their stories can be hit or miss for me, but there's a pencil artist named Jamal Peppers whose work I enjoy in the comics.

f21929b8cfd3829412889273dd131c2e-d3c7ul3.jpg


Arguably the coloring is what drives the main appeal of the cover art, but the way Peppers draws Eggman puts a smile on my face. His composition and the way he lays out his work is something I enjoy as well.

I used to read this back in the day. Haven't kept up with it in years though. Ditching Penders was a wise decision, shame he caused them so much grief. But from what I understand the comic is better than it's ever been, so good for them.
 
Well, it's better off without him anyways.

Seems Archie's adaptations in general are a love it or hate it affair; you either enjoy them, warts and all, or you don't.

I'm embarrassed to say I forgot about this thread until today. What's that say?
 
I got some entertainment out of them. I remember the Knuckles miniseries being pretty good, and I liked that one story that was about the Chaotix trying to solve a murder at an amusement park(?). Other than that I honestly don't remember much.

I will say their stories are probably much better than the crap SEGA's been pumping out lately though
 
My uncle bought me a couple of the first issues back in the day. I remember a special issue that focused on Sonic 3D Blast's story and it had two other stories with a spoof of an awards ceremony and Robotnik and Snively tracking one of the Freedom Fighters.

I prefer the way the stories of the comics are now, though. I wasn't a huge fan of the grittier story telling of Sonic SATAM and I'm glad that things seem lighter.

I'd say I enjoy the Lost World villains in the comics more than the game they were in, too.
 
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