Comics

[LoA]

Loving Lords Leaping Ludicrously...http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/110541-DC-Comics-Rebooting-Entire-Universe-Back-to-1 and just when i was thinking about giving superhero comics another shot...

[Ninja D!]

Loving Lords Leaping Ludicrously...http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/110541-DC-Comics-Rebooting-Entire-Universe-Back-to-1 and just when i was thinking about giving superhero comics another shot...

Just because they're starting over at number 1, that doesn't have to mean it's actually a reboot. Thinking positiverly, that's the perfect jumping-on point to give them another shot.

In other news, at the thought of a DCU reboot, I feel like someone ran over my dog.

[LoA]

Well now that i think about it, it may be for the best. Once again Moviebob puts it best (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/the-big-picture/2568-Continanity). Maybe a new start isn't such a terrible idea, i just hope (yes, you may point and laugh at me) they do something with Captain Marvel (SHAZAM)....

[Ninja D!]

There was a miniseries a couple of years back called The Trials of SHAZAM that I enjoyed.

[Ninja D!]

I've been back at comics since a little bit before the New 52. I read all 52 of those (plus the minis that launched month 2) for the first two months. I give each new release at least a month or two to decide if I want to keep it or not.

Action Comics has been pretty good, if jumpy and getting confusing, but the book titled Superman was awful. New creative team starts this month, though.

Batman and Robin has been a bit disappointing and Batman The Dark Knight could be better. My biggest problem with Batman is the art when people are out of costumes but the Night of the Owls storyline has been pretty cool. I'm still reading most Batman related titles, though I dropped Catwoman right away and Red Hood and the Outlaws is probably next to go.

I really need to cut back on what I'm ordering even more, though. I've branched out into non-DC titles and it's getting to be a little too much. I'm also going to start preordering through Previews, so I'll be ordering 2 months in advance.

[Steerpike]

Anyone here into Vertigo stuff?  It's a nice alternative to superhero comics. Hellblazer is probably my personal favorite, though I really, really like Transmetropolitan as well, and of course Sandman.

[Ninja D!]

I picked up the first issue of Spaceman and didn't like it. There's a new Vertigo ongoing that starts this week that I've ordered. It's written by Paul Cornell and it's about someone that has been abducted by aliens running for president to save the world or something.

If you'rea Hellblazer fan, John Constantine is also in Justice League Dark, which has the dark magical style.

My favorite non-big two right now is Top Cow. IDW puts out some cool stuff, too.

[Steerpike]

Justice League Dark looks pretty interesting, though I'm very glad that the continuity is being kept separate - the Hellblazer universe quickly stopped participating in the main DC universe and morphed into something much closer to our own, to its great benefit.

[Elemental_Elf]

I am a big fan of marvel and have been consuming large quantities of Comics via their Digital Comics Unlimited subscription service.

Recently, I have been pining for Superman, Batman and the other DC super heroes. So I decided to start collecting New 52 comics.

I went to my local comic book store today and wound up picking up:

- Action Comics #7
- Batman #6
- The Flash #6
- The Justice League International #6
- Red Lanterns #2 & 3

I have read each comic and found Action Comics and Batman to be very good. The art was stellar and the writing solid. I disliked the Justice League International, not for any really reason, other than Booster Gold isn't acting like how I imagine/like Booster Gold to act (He's supposed to be snarky and fun, not the stern leader!). I can chalk this up to the fact that I am entering the series in the middle of a story arc, so I suppose we'll see how he acts next week. The Red Lantern was quite a shock - I imagined the Red Lanterns to be mindless Barbarians, not thoughtful and introspective. It was a big surprise and it guaranteed a few more purchases. The Flash was nice, not great, not bad... Just nice.

Can anyone tell me what the difference between all of the different Batman titles are? I know some are in the past and some are set in the current day but... Which is which?

[Ninja D!]

I've been thinking about picking up Hellblazer for months but I really need to thin out the comics I'm ordering. I'm spending as much as $50 some weeks.

Red Lanterns is weird...I think I'm with the majority in thinking they missed the mark but I keep reading it, anyway. I know that one is on #7 now, too, right?

Booster Gold has been growing as a character for years. I guess he's aging with his creator.

All of the Batman books are on the same timeline. The only DC books in a different time, off the top of my head, are All-Star Western, Batman Beyond Unlimited / Justice League Unlimited, Demon Knights, Legion of Superheroes, and Legion Lost. Also, Action Comics for this first arc (Justice League also was for the first arc but no longer). I don't know what gave you the idea that they took place at different times.

[Ninja D!]

I forgot something in my last reply; I'll give you that The Flash is incredibly cheesey and far from my favorite character but this is EXACTLY how Barry Allen is supposed to be. Combine that with the art that fits it very well and is absolutely beautiful in its cartoony glory any youhave quite possibly the best superhero book on the market. It's not my favorite but it's 100% on-target for what they're trying to do. It's like a silver age book put out today.

[Elemental_Elf]

I was talking to a big DC fan and he said with the new 52 that some of the comics were set 5 years ago, others 2 and the remainder in the present day (excluding far future and far past comics).

[Steerpike]

I've been thinking about picking up Hellblazer for months but I really need to thin out the comics I'm ordering.

I only ever buy comics in trade paperback form, personally.  There are some great Hellblazer trades out there.  In particular All His Engines, written by Mike Carey (who also did Lucifer), is a great "classic Constantine" story.

Hellblazer isn't for everyone.  I'd say give it a whirl if you're a fan of dark, supernatural stuff, urban fantasy, and/or horror.  They're not "actiony" comics in the slightest - most of the time Constantine deals with his problems with trickery, manipulation, and knowledge, and sometimes a bit of magic, but rarely physical violence or flashy powers.  Much time is spent on character development and solving mysteries.  The central character is morally ambiguous - far, far more so than someone like Batman, for example - and the content does not shirk from unpleasantness.

[Ninja D!]

I was talking to a big DC fan and he said with the new 52 that some of the comics were set 5 years ago, others 2 and the remainder in the present day (excluding far future and far past comics).

Justice League was, I think, five for the first arc and Action Comics was set some time before that. Otherwise, they're all together.

[LoA]

Wow, I've been gone a long time.... Sorry, lethal combination of school, Team Fortress 2, Pokemon, and the discovery of obscure cartoons that I feel guilty about not knowing anything about them.

This is both on and off topic, but i've been collecting alot of DC animated stuff, like Batman: Gotham Knights, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, and Justice League: Unlimited Vol. 1, being the most recent inclusion to my collection.

So here's a question for the comics industry; Why aren't comics written like cartoon episodes? The first episode of Batman: The Animated Series I showed to my mom was "Heart of Ice", and she loved it! Didn't have any real background in Batman except the Nolan films, and I think the Adam West batman. I didn't have to force her to watch all the episodes from the beginning, I just showed her the episode, and she got it immediately. So the point i'm trying to make is, that most of the Batman TAS episodes are self contained and don't require much background information. Why don't any comics I've heard of ever do the same, and why would it be so difficult to do so?

Also, has anyone else heard of Astro City? Looks pretty interesting.