999 Reading Challenge Review and Discussion Tread

[RickV]

Yeah it is all 12 with that weird Nazi story at the end too.

[S. Earl]

Yeah it is all 12 with that weird Nazi story at the end too.

Yeah, I don't know what to make of that one. Kind of think it should have started and stopped with the page about his discussion with Eisner. A bit too sensationalistic if you ask me.

[David]

The Wheelman -  Duane Swierczynski

Pretty good heist / noir book. it starts off feeling like it is going to be just the same as the movie Drive. Highly competent getaway on a revenge mission. But it doesn't quite go that way.

This is a quick read with what seems like a twist on every second page. Some of them you will never see coming.

Thanks David!

 

Glad ya dug it!

Feel like reading The Blonde or Severance Package now?

[David]

Not to derail the thread with my two cents, but as cool as Enemy of the State is, it's not the be all/end all of Wolverine stories.

But I'm always happy to see it means so much to folks.

[S. Earl]

Not to derail the thread with my two cents, but as cool as Enemy of the State is, it's not the be all/end all of Wolverine stories.

But I'm always happy to see it means so much to folks.

I don't think it's the best Wolvie story of all time, I'd have to sit down and really think about that. But at some point I realized that I have about 300+ issues of Wolverine comics, and by george I've enjoyed far more of them then the ones that I haven't. And I certainly think that Enemy of the state is a high watermark for Romita, Wolverine, and Millar. Much of that has to do with the OH SHIT DID THAT JUST HAPPEN cliffhangers while reading it monthly.

But hey, I really liked Logan by Vaughn and Risso also, and I don't think that one is remembered very fondly either by most folks.

[Farrell]

But hey, I really liked Logan by Vaughn and Risso also, and I don't think that one is remembered very fondly either by most folks.

You're right, in my case at least, and I'm a fan of Vaughan, Risso AND Wolverine in Japan stories.  Go figure.

[David]

Logan wasn't bad at all.  And they did it right by offering a black and white version, too.

[Farrell]

Logan wasn't bad at all.  And they did it right by offering a black and white version, too.

I should have gotten that version.

It wasn't bad.  At the time, I was hoping for really, really good considering the creators involved.

[Jeppe]

You're right, in my case at least, and I'm a fan of Vaughan, Risso AND Wolverine in Japan stories.  Go figure.

Now you're talking. Personally I think the Miller/Claremont miniseries was leagues ahead of Enemy of the State

[S. Earl]

Now you're talking. Personally I think the Miller/Claremont miniseries was leagues ahead of Enemy of the State

That's like comparing The Avengers and Daek Knight Rises

[Night (Travis) Nurse]

Just comparing Enemy of the State by Miller with "Enemy of the State" by Aaron. Aaron tells a much better story with voices of the MU characters that ring truer than Miller who all speak as if in a Michal Bay movie just waiting to deliver the next gag. Also Aarons story has substance and ramifications whereas Millers is just big action with no consequence. I like Wolverine. I like Wolverine stories. This one just felt blahhh to me. Wolverine is more then big action and fighting. The character has heart and depth and can be written that way by those those who choose. The entire run of Aarons is smash dab awesome concluding with a great story line in Japan.

Travis

[RickV]

Batman Year 100 - Paul Pope with Jose Villarrubia
Really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really good.

[TurningAsher]

Coming off of Superman: Earth One with a less than glowing affection, I was skeptical of this story at first. I mean sure I tend to be a huge fan of Johns and Frank as a creative duo (their Earthman/ Legion story in action is one of my all-time  favorites), but I've been reading a lot of Batman lately, and between the new 52, the movie, and the flashpoint books I've read for this challenge; I'm a little over saturated with renditions of cape and cowl…

So feel me when I tell you how refreshing and awesome this book was as not only a stand alone work, but a pallet cleanser that serves to remind a sometimes jaded reader why Gotham is such a beloved chunk of real-estate in the Warner Brothers stable.

When we meet Thomas he is a man on a mission to repair the city he loves from within by running for mayor. But the race has not been without its troubles, and the rich man reaches out to his most trusted friend from across the pond. Enter an Alfred unlike those we have known in the past. This pennyworth, this wounded soldier Thomas saved on some long remembered battlefield has been brought to Wayne manor as head of security in light of recent threats to the candidate and his family.

From the jump there are new tensions here than what we are used to, and new questions about the relationships between characters who look either super familiar to us (Thomas) or unlike any incarnation we have known (Alfred).

Stubborn as always, the head of the house of Wayne, refusing to allow his security detail to color his family's weekly movie night ventures out into the belly of a city already lost. While most of what happens next in this origin story is familiar to us, the guilt these events builds in Alfred changes the relationship he has with the boy who would be bat. There's an air of responsibility that colors his staying on as manservant that leads to training in the fighting arts which wasn't there before. What follows is a fascinating romp through the birth of a hero where gadgets don't work, the Penguin is a terrifying badass, the Batman isn't, and the lineage of Martha is given a name that really changes everything about why Bruce's mind unhinges the way it does in the face of his parents brutal murder.

While I won't reveal any more about the book for fear of spoiling what I so enjoyed.

What I will tell you is that I love Elseworld stories, and I think there is something malleable about DC characters that allows them to be rebooted and blended and re-envisioned in ways that strengthens some central narrative well DC can always turn to. Earth One is one of those interpretations which makes the concept of alternate imaginings so great by refreshing a character people love for a wider audience that may otherwise be too afraid to  dip it into the mire of years and years of comic continuity no matter how much they like the movies.

5/5 Go check it out!

[evaD]

Underwater Welder- If you Lemiere's other graphic novels or Sweet Tooth, you'll enjoy this. I actually added this to my list and swapped out another book I was planning to purchase. A little against the intent, but I figured since I'm buying most of the books for the challenge rather than working from an existing regina pile, what's it going to hurt. I'm glad I did. I think the strength of the book is Lemiere's ability to capture the mood. His art is certainly not polished, and I think he's a better writer than an artist (I hope that isn't an insult to him), but I think the pairing of his words and pictures is very powerful.

Daredevil v. 1. - Waid does a great job of starting off this new run and taking the tone of the book in the complete oposite direction. I think it's a breath of fresh air for Daredevil. I think where it perhaps fails is that I feel no need to continue any further. That's probably just me, I read the original run from issue 1 up through 1989. (I wasn't around to pick up those early issues as they came out, but started buying them in the early 80's.) I read the Kevin Smith reboot and I think I even read some of Bendis' run. I stopped reading Daredevil over a decade ago and really feel no need to go back. Waid told a great tale and the art was wonderful, but it didn't draw me back in.

[evaD]

Fictionauts - I'm not sure how to talk about this book. I thought it was really cool. Not entirely polished, but fun inventive, creative, and unique. The artist had a lot of unusual settings and objects thrown at him and he manages to pull it off pretty well. The writer was playing with the nature of reality and its interaction with fiction. There were so many ideas being thrown around it could easily been a much longer book. I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys Grant Morrison or Alan Moore. I don't think it's quite in the same league, but it's playing with the same materials as they like to play with and does so without feeling derivative. While the artist keeps up with the story admirably, I didn't feel in awe of it. It was definitely the weak link for me, but I would chalk that up to personal taste rather than any failing on the artist's part.

[Night (Travis) Nurse]

Going to go through a few I finished up recently.

Top 10 Vol. 1 - Alan Moore:
I was avoiding this one because lately I have been re reading a lot of Moore and using a fine tooth comb as I read it. V for Vendetta, Watchmen, LoEG Omnibus, Neonomicon. Ive been spending a lot of time re reading these and its heavy, hard work. Moore is so deep and has so many hidden things that it takes time to really dig over the surface. That said I had this loaned to me from a cousin and have been avoiding it under the pre conception that it was another weighty work dealing with super cops who underneath were really as bad as the people the fought against. I was expecting a cross between Watchmen and LoEG with Easter eggs. What I got was one of my favorite Moore works of all time. A light hearted fun, well written piece that made me laugh and intrigued as to a greater mystery. The pacing was immaculate bouncing from one set of partners on a case to another through the precinct. The Characters are fantastic and I know there are some easter eggs but you dont need to look for them at all to enjoy this work. Cant wait to read Vol. 2
5/5

Green Hornet Vol. 2 by Kevin Smith and Johnathan Lau
Nothing special here, more generic Dynamite Super Hero stuff. Better then the movie though, Lau is the stand out here. His art is great, wonderful character design on an old hero. I love Green Hornet and even though this wasn't amazing Im going to continue as Phil Heaster takes over writing on Vol. 3
3/5

Scalped Vol. 8 by Jason Aaron
umm what can I say, this continues to be one of the best comics out and one of my all time favorite stories. Cant wait to see where it all goes.
5/5

Travis

[S. Earl]

I seem to have misplaced the link to the google spreadsheet

[Ryan 'gobo' C.]

This is the link I have: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag5PWCD-JRQUdG9KMUxydXJFcFVFekFsQTV1OTU4WXc

It should show up in your list of Documents when logging into Google though.

[S. Earl]

This is the link I have: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag5PWCD-JRQUdG9KMUxydXJFcFVFekFsQTV1OTU4WXc

It should show up in your list of Documents when logging into Google though.

... You are correct. It does. Shows how often I poke around in my googles.

Thanks Gobo!

[RickV]

I am annoyed that I tend to wait for getting all the volumes of something I know is done before reading it.

Oh well it made for a nice weekend of Daredevil.

Miller, Janson & Others Daredevil Vol 1-3
What is amazing about these is reading them the evolution as the stories grow and build is astounding and happens at a frighteningly fast pace. Also the balance between keeping it a Daredevil book yet also mixing in all the stuff with the immortal ninjas of The Hand is so deftly done.

Which of course leads to

Born Again
Really really good, for a lot of the same reasons. There isn't a lot to say about it because everyone working on it is working at such a high level. I do prefer the earlier stuff more than it.