frinspar
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Post by frinspar on Aug 29, 2013 2:56:21 GMT -5
Necro's fucking brothers, damn.
The first Crossed story...works. It's undeniably intentionally offensive just to push the boundaries of gratuitous graphic violence, and getting past that it's decent enough, I guess. But really, without that element it's not very memorable or remarkable. It's been long enough from reading it to have it settle into my cells, and I can say with no hesitation that it's not really worth reading, unless you just want to read it. I won't warn against it, but I won't suggest it.
Edit: That sounds pretty wishy-washy LOL. But it's exactly how I feel about it.
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Aug 29, 2013 14:11:55 GMT -5
Ha, I never got the sense that it was so amazingly written that I felt I had to read it, but rather that it was so over the top and had so much hype about its insanity that I just have to satisfy my curiosity.
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frinspar
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Post by frinspar on Aug 29, 2013 14:38:43 GMT -5
It seems to me the only reason to read it is to be able to say "Yeah, I read it." when someone asks you. There's nothing to discuss outside of the violence. It's not some deep exploration providing insight into who is actually more human or that kind of shit. The characters and story itself are pretty run-of-the-mill survival story types.
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Asp Me Anything
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Post by Asp Me Anything on Aug 31, 2013 13:51:58 GMT -5
How about horse cock? You can always talk about that...
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skullshine
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Post by skullshine on Sept 14, 2013 0:54:04 GMT -5
So, what does everyone/anyone think about DC's Villains month? I like the concept, although here's a couple of bothersome issues (to me, anyway):
1. Short-printed books. Going by what I've read, DC is supposedly losing their ass on these 3-D covers, so they short-printed them and are filling out the print runs with standard, non 3-D covers. Shitty sales ploy, DC. Enhanced covers were a rip-off in the 90's, and they're a rip-off now.
2. With the buzz going around about the fucked up art submission thing from DC concerning Harley Quinn (or suicide porn as some have called it), I couldn't help but notice the bondage fetish DC has developed with these 3-D covers (mainly the Batman stuff). Lil' bit creepy, DC.....lil' bit creepy.
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skullshine
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Post by skullshine on Oct 16, 2013 17:47:35 GMT -5
I know I've mentioned the issues my friend at the local shop has had with Diamonds Distributors. Missing comics/wrong comics/too many copies of some comics. This has been an ongoing thing for years. He recently informed me that they were shutting down the warehouse in Tennessee from which he receives his stuff. He said his shipments would soon be coming from a new warehouse they're opening in New York state somewhere. Seeing as how this weeks shipment was to be the last from the current warehouse, it seems the Tennessee crew got one last joke on him. All the boxes in his shipment today were empty. Ouch.
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frinspar
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Post by frinspar on Oct 16, 2013 18:13:00 GMT -5
WTF? How does that even happen so regularly and everyone is able to keep their doors open?
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skullshine
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Post by skullshine on Oct 16, 2013 18:21:33 GMT -5
Two ways: 1. Diamonds are the sole distributor of comics. 2. My friends shop is very small, and he sells gaming merchandise and model kits and supplies as well as comics. He's not even really a blip on their radar. Which is most likely the reason the issues were never fixed. That or no one at that particular facility gives a shit to begin with.
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frinspar
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Post by frinspar on Oct 16, 2013 18:26:32 GMT -5
Fucking horrible. I feel for the guy. I can't believe somewhere along the line no one realized that the boxes were so light because they were empty. Unless it was on purpose, in which case, that's just evil.
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okcomputer
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Post by okcomputer on Oct 16, 2013 20:08:29 GMT -5
Every time my shop has missed a shipment of something, they always got the missing comics the next week.
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Asp Me Anything
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Post by Asp Me Anything on Oct 16, 2013 20:21:40 GMT -5
I liked most of the Villains month comics, but HATED Joker, Joker's Daughter, and Harley Quinn.
My top five favorites were, in no order:
The Riddler Lobo Relic (wordy as all fuck, but very interesting) The Rogues Black Adam
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skullshine
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Post by skullshine on Oct 17, 2013 3:38:35 GMT -5
Every time my shop has missed a shipment of something, they always got the missing comics the next week. He's gotten missing comics the next week in some cases, it's just the random assortment of mishaps that continually happens that boggles the mind. No one should ever have that level of difficulty with a distributor. It's ridiculous.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 23, 2013 17:09:43 GMT -5
Read a few Batman trades, anyone read these?
"Batman: Noel" - Lee Bermejo's art is incredibly unique and awesome, I loved his work on Batman/Deathblow, so I was really intrigued when I saw that he wrote this one too. It was an interesting concept to adapt Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" into a Batman story and he accomplished it brilliantly. In the beginning it seemed a bit simplistic and I was thinking the art would carry it, then a few pages later I realized the Scrooge in the narration was referring to Batman not Joker like I'd been reading it; and that added a new level of depth. But it really took off when the three ghosts were introduced and the choices for each were pure genius. The way the third was handled was mindblowingly clever and lead to a perfectly uplifting finale that left me warm and tingly with Christmas spirit.
"Dark Knight: Golden Dawn" - I like David Finch's art but kind of in a backhanded way, like I enjoy it because I feel like I could almost do what he does. It's got that remnant of Lee/Silvestri followers from the 90's feel to it and I notice a lot of the same flaws that I do with my own art. This is the first thing I've read of his that he wrote as well and I wasn't very impressed. The story felt like a fine Batman story but very formulaic, like it was just immitating the familiar beats. And a lot of the narration was way too on the nose and lacking style. A scene where Batman's thinking to himself that the unconscious Dawn Golden is so beautiful he can't help but stare was particularly cringeworthy, I wanted to yell "No, Batman would not think something that cliche and lame!" Finch's Penguin and Killer Croc designs were some of the worst I've seen, I don't know what he was going for, they were just really ugly. Ultimately a bunch of demons erupt and it was kind of cool, reminded me of an old Venom comic, but overall I thought it was a very weak effort and felt like an unremarkable 90's comic.
"Batman & Robin Must Die" - Grant Morrison is a madman, I don't think I can even explain the plot of this comic from memory but it was such a damn fun read. I don't remember the primary artist offhand but it was an amazing fit for such a trippy story. The digital detailing of the faces within the twisted misshapen heads added a genuinely creepy element comics rarely achieve, I don't know that I've ever been freaked out by an image of Joker but that was the case here. So, something about viral drug addictions, a resurrected Wayne relative being evil, the new Robin being the most ruthless caped crusader yet; it's an insane blast and I loved every minute.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 23, 2013 22:29:34 GMT -5
I'm also reading the first "Batman Incorporated" Vol. 1 trade and enjoying the hell out of it but feel like I don't get 80% of what's going on or being referenced. And I have the other Batman Incorporated Vol. 1 trade to read next but I'm not sure that'll help. Two volume 1's, it's like they're trying to make it impenetrable lol.
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Oct 24, 2013 15:41:51 GMT -5
Lol I've read Batman Inc. and had pretty much the same opinion. It all makes sense in the end, though.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 24, 2013 17:54:21 GMT -5
Okay cool, that's reassuring. Have you read any of the others I listed or can you recommend any other recent Batman stuff?
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frinspar
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Post by frinspar on Oct 24, 2013 17:57:08 GMT -5
I just read Hush, and was underwhelmed by the story.
The art was worth it though. Wonderful stuff from Lee.
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 24, 2013 18:04:20 GMT -5
I read that as it came out and enjoyed the story fine, but I had fairly low standards for comic stories back then. Jim Lee's art was the best it ever had been up until that point though, I could stare at it for hours, it just blew my mind; still does. I'd still like to add the trades to my collection eventually.
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okcomputer
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Post by okcomputer on Oct 24, 2013 19:38:52 GMT -5
Hush was the beginning of Jeph Loeb's descent into hackery. When he wrote Long Halloween and Dark Victory he was great (though Tim Sale helped a lot), and Hush is still a good read (mainly for the artwork, Jim Lee was at the top of his game) but everything Loeb has done since then is complete garbage.
A few months ago I took my Hush Absolute Edition off the shelf to read it again, but I couldn't really get into it. I guess my standards have improved too. The artwork is still amazing, especially on the ginormous Absolute pages, but the story itself is a little weak. I do really love the Superman fight though.
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frinspar
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Hi, Buck Melanoma. Moley Russell's wart.
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Post by frinspar on Oct 24, 2013 19:45:41 GMT -5
Obviously a big thing for me is that I just don't give a shit about Batman either. There are plenty of stories he's in that I've really liked, but I find him and his whole world of characters to be mostly uninteresting.
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okcomputer
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Post by okcomputer on Oct 24, 2013 19:53:18 GMT -5
You realize of course that's blasphemy. Everybody likes Batman. Everybody who isn't Hitler.
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frinspar
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Post by frinspar on Oct 24, 2013 19:56:32 GMT -5
Na na na na na na na na Blahtman!
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razkazz
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Post by razkazz on Oct 24, 2013 20:06:02 GMT -5
Is it the concept of vigilantes that turns you off to Batman, like with Punisher?
Okcomputer did you read "Batman & Robin Must Die"? I'd like to hear someone else's take on that twisted trippy adventure.
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okcomputer
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Post by okcomputer on Oct 24, 2013 20:14:27 GMT -5
The only Grant Morrison Batman comic I've read is The Return of Bruce Wayne. A time travel story with Caveman Batman, Pirate Batman, and Cowboy Batman sounded way too cool to not read. I read it and I had no idea what the fuck was happening in any of it.
One of these years when DC gets their shit together and collects the whole run across a few Omnibuses then I'll read it.
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frinspar
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Post by frinspar on Oct 24, 2013 20:25:17 GMT -5
No, it's not that, they're almost all vigilantes in comics anyway. I don't like many of the Batman characters much. They just don't strike that chord with me that others do. Don't much care if he wins or not or if he puts a proper beat down on any of his enemies in particular. I don't exactly dislike him either, I enjoyed the Keaton movies and his look is one of the best, most iconic designs ever. But he just doesn't hit me on an emotional level.
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okcomputer
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Post by okcomputer on Oct 24, 2013 20:30:25 GMT -5
He'd hit you on the crotchular level.
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frinspar
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Post by frinspar on Oct 24, 2013 20:30:49 GMT -5
I'd whip his ass.
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frinspar
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Hi, Buck Melanoma. Moley Russell's wart.
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Post by frinspar on Oct 25, 2013 16:31:20 GMT -5
"For Tomorrow" was not very good. The story was a bit confusing, then just silly. I did like the meetings between Superman and the priest, good stuff. Again, Lee is a master visual storyteller, but the story itself just wasn't done well. I am curious about the Mr. Orr character, I liked him. Equus, not so much.
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okcomputer
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Post by okcomputer on Oct 25, 2013 17:00:21 GMT -5
For Tomorrow was extremely not very good. Nice art, but that's it.
Jim Lee is drawing another Superman miniseries at the moment, and I'm looking forward to reading that when the trade comes out. "Unchained" I think it's called.
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frinspar
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Hi, Buck Melanoma. Moley Russell's wart.
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Post by frinspar on Oct 25, 2013 17:25:20 GMT -5
I need to go look at Bookman's used books again for some trades, but they mostly seem to have a burjillion fucking anime books, about a dozen Spider-Man trades and little else of any interest.
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