Comics I've read.
Just a random and ever growing list of all the comics I have had the pleasure of reading. A personal checklist if you will with little notes/reviews for reminders.
List items
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An awesome "Origin" story for Hell's Kitchen's finest protector. The art panel layout and of course he writing are all of immense quality. The story itself revolves around a retelling of Matt's past in a Memento Mori regarding Karen. The book is incredibly sad as is the character himself but at the same time uplifting and motivating. This book captures the essence of who Matt Murdoc and Daredevil are supposed to be.
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A really great series that I found myself more attached to than I expected to be. Nathan Edmunson and Mitch Gerads are the creative team behind a very solid Punisher story that sees Frank leaving New York and headed west to California in pursuit of a new crime organiztion named Dos Sols. The book has a lot of little quirks and appearances that I enjoyed seeing such as Electro, Black Widow, Sam Wilson as Cap and an awesome new member to The Punisher's aid Loot a wild coyote turned pet. The art in the book I found very compelling and refreshing for a Punisher tale as they are usually quite dark. The writing is also really good and gives good insight into Frank as The Punisher. In the end I was a lot more impressed than I thought I would be with this book and highly recommend it to people looking for an introductory level Punisher story that isnt on the hyper-mature side.
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There is something about Garth Ennis that I find truly compelling. He never ceases to amaze me the brutality and shock he can instill through comics. Punisher Born is yet another striking example of his style. A great story that focuses on Frank while he is still in Vietnam and serves as a bit of an origin for what drove him and his thirst for war. There are some very interesting self reflection moments in this comic from a man named Stevie Goodwin and from Frank himself.
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I am relatively new to Superman when it comes to complete stories or arcs that I've read, so I looked around a bit and found people talking about this particular arc. I have to say I agree with the majority and this comic is awesome. My first real exposure to Brainiac and I have to say he is exactly up my alley in terms of villainy. I have always enjoyed the cold calculated and ruthlessly efficient antagonists more. Brainiac in these issues has a very Ultron like vibe to me, a great counterpoint to the ultra heroic Superman. That said the art is great and the writing is what you expect from Geoff Johns (nothing but top notch). I look forward to delving into more random Superman stories in the future as this was a good arc to be consumed independently.
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I have not read the entirety of Crossed but I have read enough to give a general synopsis. Crossed is easily the most disturbing comic I have ever read, the amount of violence, sexual portrayal and other vicious acts are common place in this comic. This is also the first thing I have ever read from Avatar Press, a company with a propencity towards these kinds of books. It is not a terrible comic by any means the story structures are fairly amusing and the art, particularly when it comes to very graphic scenes of unspeakable acts is of high quality. I will say that you have to be in a specific type of mood to read a comic like this as it is certainly not one for the faint of heart. As I continue to read I hope that more developes through the course of the story and that it isnt just shocking to be shocking.
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A really awesome superhero story featuring some very original characters in the highly violent Avatar Press world. The art is quite good however not really my style but it serves to deliver the real treat of a story. Absolution Rubicon introduces you to characters known as Enhanciles a race very similar to Inhumans from Marvel from my reading. They all have cool and unique powers and are the standard antihero type. The villain of the comic is a real menace The Polymath is an instant classic villain. He is ruthless, violent and highly psychotic. While it is a short comic I was really glad to read something in the superhero line not from the big 2.
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A really innovative take on the Werewolf genre that explores not only the werewolf as a savage beast but also a complex curse that sculpts the lives of those it has possessed, The art is incredible in this book the colors and theme add a sense of despair to the already horrifying werewolf. Cullen Bunn is one of my favorite writers and he delivers a helluva story to boot in this book. It centers around a man chasing shadows of where the curse has occurred in the past as he moves to try and eliminate it once and for all. In the end a great horror style comic
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An interesting comic from Avatar Press and acclaimed writer Max Brooks. I read The Zombie Survival Guide when I was a kid and loved it but I never got around to reading his bigger work World War Z (Although I saw the movie). This comic retains the style of both of his aforementioned works but adds a new little twist to it, Vampires. The art in the comic in good and the sort of standard fare of Avatar Press and the story is also in the same class, good not great. The comic does show a strange evolution as the vampires learn of new forms of weaponry and warfare. They progress from mere hand to hand combat to military grade weaponry, and in Max Brooks style I feel that this is a metaphor for how humanity deals with warfare. A decent enough comic if you are looking for a zombie (subdead)or vampire book.
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Carnage has been on of my favorite Marvel villains for a very long time. People have complained that the character is one-dimensional but that simplicity is part of why I like him. Carnage Mind Bomb is an excellent one-shot that shows exactly what he is. A deranged serial killer mixed with a vicious alien life form. This comic really explores the evil that Carnage is and the way he sees the world. In a sort of Hannibal Lecter style story written incredibly well by Warren Ellis and drawn by Kyle Hotz, this is an essential read for fans of the character.
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The arc of Reign of Doomsday spans many different DC titles so making sure you have every piece is a little tricky. That said it leads to a fantastic story that is as epic as I have come to expect from Superman stories. Doomsday is still one of my favorite villains of all time and he is just as awesome and even more unique in this arc. This arc is my first time really reading about some of the supporting characters like Cyborg Superman, Steel, and Eradicator. All are great in their own way but the real stars of the show are the original super 3 facing off against an even more dangerous version of Doomsday than ever before. The writing throughout the entire arc is overall pretty solid there are some strange hits and misses occasionally but it leads to a cohesive story in the end. Much the same can be said of the art, some issues and panels show incredible work from the respective artists while others can leave you a bit on the confused side.
If you are even slightly a fan of the Man of Steel or one of his greatest villains you should definitely check this arc out.
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I really loved this super sized issue. There are many different stories going on within it and they are all incredible. The main event is the end of the Black Ring arc (a story I was not familiar with) but it ended with an exciting Lex v Clark battle. The segment of the Reign of Doomsday arc reveal that there are clones of the killing machine that the group must face off with. The other 5 stories are all very special and unique in their own way. The Life Support story is short and sweet and absolutely gorgeous. The Autobiography chapter (my personal favorite) features Clark talking with Sarva a giant space hippo in a fun cosmic adventure. The Friday Night story is my least favorite of the lot and is fairly unremarkable in many ways. The Only Human story is a screenplay of some standard super heroics. The last story (The Incident) is one that I also really enjoyed and controversy aside I found the political style of this quite interesting. It had a somewhat Watchmen-esque vibe to it and showed Superman's heroism in a different light.
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I have yet to finish this series as the issues are somewhat hard to find but I have to say I really like the premise so far an ancient race of Dark Gods control the world from the shadows and require sacrifices be made to them for things to stay in order. As a huge fan of Justin Jordan I can say the writing is strong here but not his best and as for the art (in the standard Avatar Press fashion) everything if flush with ultra violent detail and creatures of horror.
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An absolutely incredible arc of what is shaping up to be one of my favorite horror comics. This particular volume focuses around the Locke family moving into the Keystone estate after an immense tragedy has befallen the family. I have never read anything else by Joe Hill but am extremely interested to look into some of his other work (particularly his novels). The story and writing in this comic are incredibly creepy and unsettling. This feeling is carried by the dark and even more foreboding art style. I find it very hard to get scared reading a book let alone a comic but this book somehow finds a way. A horror book to the fullest extent if you are even somewhat of a fan of the genre these books are not to be missed.
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Continuing the incredible story of the Locke family in the second arc of Locke and Key. Head Games picks up immediately where the first arc left off. The shattered remnants of the Locke family continue to discover more keys throughout the house and things appear to be turning back to normal. This arc deals a bit less in the conventional horror style and more into a mind-bending and strange style. You learn a lot more about other characters outside of the immediate members of the Locke family in this arc and they all play their own integral roles in the stories development. The art and writing is as impeccable as ever and is only getting stronger the farther in the series goes. Not as shocking as the first but just as entertaining another winning comic.
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The first comic I have ever read from Oni Press, and what a comic it is. Having read the first 2 trades I can say this is a comic a lot more people should be reading. If you like science fiction, time travel or Lost this is right up your alley. The book starts off in a very primitive art style that really works for the first few issues but then evolves into something much more modern while retaining the grit from the start. It can be a bit muddy and hard to follow at times, there were several instances where I had to go back and reread to make sure I saw everything clearly. This is a real stuggle with the use of cursive in the book. I understand it is from future letter perspectives but it is still fairly difficult to read. The story is really the strongest part of the book. A fascinating concept that would make an excellent TV show (if done properly) the book centers around a group of 5 friends that discover a mysterious bunker buried in the ground (ala Lost) that cryptically has all of their names on it sans one. The story reaches very far and may sometimes extend its own reach but it is such an original book I can forgive the minor grievances.
A really special little gem that I look forward to reading until its undoubtedly insane conclusion
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A fantastic Lord of The Flies esque story centering around a prepper community known as Safe Haven. There are a ton of great things about this book (and just to rattle off a few in quick succession) such as the art, writing, characters, and general feel of the book. The writing in the comic is top not Ed Brissan presents a very realistic feeling comic as the community of Safe Haven lies in wait for the inevitable doomsday which does come in a rather unsuspected form. This leads to a lot of interesting and unique characters most of which are the kids of the community. Their personalities range from the rational and well centered to completely erratic and volatile. This creates a really cool dynamic and tension between the groups. This tension quickly causes things to spiral completely out of control. The story has a tremendous amount of Lord of The Flies style influence but does a great job in carving its own path and telling a story worth reading.
The art is another stellar component of the book, Johnnie Christmas has a very detailed art style that couple with some stark color work from Shari Chankhamma makes for a great apocalyptic vibe to the comic.
I was really blown away by my time with Sheltered, I came into it with only a slight recommendation of what was to come. I can't express enough that Sheltered tells a truly fantastic story that is really worthy or reading.
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Having played all of the Splinter Cell games I am a huge fan of the series. I came in not expecting much but the writing from Nathan Edmunson (This felt a lot like the recent Punisher run) and solid art by Marc Lamming and Ian Harring make me happy to say that this comic keeps it true to form. Sam Fisher is as badass as ever.
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An incredibly complex science fiction story that crafts one of the most intricate and disturbingly detailed worlds I have ever seen. I must confess that I picked this book up with the relaunch so I am not familiar with the lore of John Prophet but I have to say that the atmosphere in the book is unbelievable. At times a bit hard to follow (what with artist changes and the general insanity of plot development) this comic pulls no punches to exposing you to a vast and fascinating future dystopic universe
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I solid but fairly forgettable story of my favorite Jedi slaying machine. The core of the story is relatively interesting. A group of padawans set out on an assassination style mission with Grievous as the target. They go against the will of the Jedi council and their training in the Light Side. Grievous in the meantime captured and destroys the Ugnaut homeworld leaving on a hidden few and a set of younglings alive (that he hopes to transform into cyborg warriors like himself). The book ends in an exciting battle that has little impact as the fate of General Grievous is already known from the films
The art and writing in the comic are pretty standard, the art in particular is passable however some panels are somewhat muddied and hard to make out. The writing is also kind of lackluster but still conveys a decent enough story about an interesting character that didnt get his fair due in the films (See the Genndy Tartakovsky Clone Wars for a better look at the real Grievous)
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A really awesome miniseries featuring a ton of my favorite characters from the Star Wars franchise, including Darth Maul, General Grievous, Count Dooku, Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan and even Mandalorians.
The story focuses on a newly revived Maul as he plots revenge against his master that betrayed him. He enlisted the services of various mercenary groups including The Black Suns and Mandalorians to aide him is his quest.
The comic has some solid art and tells a compelling story despite being only 4 issues. The newly introduced characters (to me at least) of Mother Talzin and Nightbrother Viscus are awesome.
A highlight in particular to this book was the final issue which ends in an epic battle between all the aforementioned characters in a true display of force power.
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My favorite X-men story I have ever read. Granted from this series I have only read the Joss Whedon and John Cassaday run of the first 24 issues but I left the book stunned by how good it was.
To set the scene the series takes place over several different arcs all with their own merit and charm, making it extremely difficult to pick a favorite.
This book encompasses everything I had hoped for out of X-Men books that I had read since I was a little kid. The diverse set of characters and strong unique leads make for an engaging and heartfelt read. I grew attached to characters I had little experience or concern for very quickly, namely Colossus and Kitty Pryde, an incredible couple that you really root for.
My favorite arc was probably the Danger story (Introduced in the previous run by Grant Morrison which I hope to read next). This arc was a little bit of everything, drama, horror, action, suspense, and even a bit of romance thrown in there. This was my first exposure to the character Danger and she is a total badass amd ever-menacing villain.
My overall thoughts about this series were as positive as almost everyone that read it. Being the first comic I have ever read written by Joss Whedon I was extremely impressed and am looking forward to checking out his comic side work for his lovechild Buffy. John Cassadays work was a solid as ever and he is at the pinnacle of his game in this book. There are several mostly silent panels where the art communicates far better than words could in the scenario. The team together really knock it out of the park and make this a must read for any veteran X-men fan or someone new hoping to join the fray like me.
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Having read a few issues of Crossed: Badlands I felt I needed to go back to the source with what is essentially The Crossed origins. I was very pleasantly surprised to find it written by one of my all time favorite writers Garth Ennis and still drawn by Jacen Burrows.
I had a little idea what was in store here have a light exposure to the franchise before and having read a lot of Garth Ennis's comics before his no-holds-barred approach was to be expected.
What I got with this comic compared to the other Crossed I had read felt like it had a bit more substance to it. The characters felt relate-able but all people you wouldn't want to know. It was a nicely refined story that was still packed with all the shock value you come to expect from this franchise and writer.
Reading this somewhat revitalized mt interest in the series as a whole and I will give Crossed Badlands another shot now. All in all a solid comic that is very hard to recommend to anyone whose composure is less than that of scrap iron but a quality story nonetheless.
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An incredible one-shot story written by Dave Gibbons and drawn by Mike Mignola that tells the tale of a highly religious man named Selkirk and his doomed crew of the Nova Maru.
This is an awesome little Alien horror comic that is perfectly self-contained while still remaining engaging. The writing by Dave Gibbons had a chilling and uneasy quality to it considering it focuses largely upon religious themes and prayers. The main character Selkirk (Basically the only character in the story aside from Dean and Foss) has a zealot-like quality to him that blinds him to danger and also protects him from harm. The story has interesting ethical themes to it as well consisting of greed, faith and human motivation.
The art by Mike Mignola is spectacular, this is the first non-Hellboy comic I have ever read that he has done the art on and it comes as no surprise but his art is just as immaculate as ever. The darkness that he invokes and his clever uses of "dream sequence" are downright incredible.
All in all a super good Aliens story in a bite-sized little package.
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