Comic Books

New Comic Book Day is TYPICALLY Wednesday, however this week it's Christmas and your local comic shop is likely closed Christmas Day.

Sheesh! "Do they know it's comics day at all?" 🎅

So here's what to expect to see on THURSDAY.

As a life long Superman fan, who grew up on Christopher Reeve, I've been on the fence about this movie but I think this trailer has sold me.

I was thinking about it, and I can actually envision it. But I bet some people would HATE it. The character suits his style though. He has clauses in his contracts where he can never lose a fight, he can never look bad, ect ect ect. And that's Superman in a nutshell. There's no stakes, because he never loses. It's right up his ally.

It was great, that he didn't say a word until the very end.

Merry Christmas.

Another year has passed and we have lost more giants of the industry:

Full list here:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_in_comics

These hurt the most. :(

February 10: Paul Neary, British comic writer and artist (Madman), inker (Ultimates) and chief editor of Marvel UK, dies at age 74.[57][58]

Neary famously worked extensively with Alan Davis, another master.

February 24: Ramona Fradon, American comics artist (Adventure Comics, Brenda Starr, Reporter, co-creator of Metamorpho and Fire), dies at age 97.[62][63]

March 27: James A. Moore, American novelist, role-playing game author and comic writer (Hellraiser, Nocturnals), dies at age 58.[80]

M.D. Bright, American comic book artist (Iron Man, Green Lantern, Icon, Quantum and Woody), dies at age 68.[82][83]

April 1: Ed Piskor, American comic writer and artist (Hip Hop Family Tree, Wizzywig, Red Room, worked on X-Men stories), dies at age 41.[84][85] *Piskor committed suicide after being accused of sexual misconduct.

April 10: Trina Robbins, American comic writer, artist (It Ain't Me Babe, Wimmen's Comix, scripted stories for Wonder Woman and GoGirl!), author ((co)-wrote Womens and the Comics, A Century of Women Cartoonists, The Great Women Superheroes, From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women's Comics from Teens to Zines, The Great Women Cartoonists, Pretty in Ink) and activist (co-founder of Friends of Lulu), dies at age 85.[87][88]

May 14: Don Perlin, American comics artist (Werewolf by Night, ghosted The Spirit, continued Ghost Rider, co-creator of Moon Knight and Bloodshot), dies at age 94.[92][93]

June 20: Peter B. Gillis, American comic book writer (Strikeforce: Morituri, Captain America, Doctor Strange), dies at age 71.[105]

July 8: Michael Zulli, American comic book artist (The Puma Blues, The Sandman, Taboo), dies at age 71.[108][109]

September 2: Bernie Mireault, Canadian comic writer and artist (Bug-Eyed Monster, Mackenzie Queen, Dr. Robot) and colorist (Grendel), commits suicide at age 63.[128]

September 9: John Cassaday, American comic book artist (Planetary, Astonishing X-Men, Captain America), dies at age 52.[129][130]

October 31: Greg Hildebrandt, American illustrator and comic artist (Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Star Wars, Terry and the Pirates), dies at age 85. [153]

Short one for me this week,

Black Hammer Spiral City #2 - Black Hammer is pretty good, I need to pick up all the back issues. One of the few superhero things I like.

From The World Of Minor Threats Barfly #4 - Last of Barfly's saga so far. Good luck Shiteater, we love you! The Brood (the next Minor Threats series) is shaping up to be pretty good so far too.

Groo Minstrel Melodies #4 - My shop missed #3 I think.

Freddie The Fix #1 - One shot, looks interesting.

Moon Is Following Us #4 - Been a good series so far! Parents have to enter their kid's dreams to save her consciousness and wake her up.

Sacrificers #13 - Man, even as a god of vengeance, Pigeon has it rough.

That's it for me, what're you grabbing this week?

In 2000, Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon, and Jimmy Palmiotti revived The Punisher for Marvel Comics and Marvel Knights. In which the Punisher discovered that he had inspired copycat characters such as Mister Payback, who took his own personal brand of vengeance against corporate CEOs. Both in the boardroom…

…in the airspace above the city…

… and then taking his message to the media of the day as well.

However, Frank Castle has an issue with Mister Payback as much as he did with the Punisher wannabees, in that innocents got killed in his targeting of CEOs.

Jimmy Palmiotti also wrote, "In 2006 – based on an original story Justin and I did, we had a screenplay written by Chris and Ruth Gage called BALLERINA- About a sniper killing the CEOs of a corrupt corporation that made the studio rounds. Drawing of the character by since-passed Steve Lightle. The story was a soldier overseas gets word her retired military father killed himself. She comes home and finds out the company he worked for did it and takes out the CEO's as they hire assassins to take her out first." Any relation to the John Wick spinoff? "We shall see."

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/21241602

Rebellion Developments began life as a video game production studio, but over the past 25 years, it has become a force in the U.K. publishing industry, having developed a robust periodical, prose, trade comics, and collectibles business and broken into both tabletop gaming and merchandising. Rebellion also made a big investment in a media production facility as part of its plans to bring properties including Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper to both big and small screens.

Rebellion keeps its offices in four U.K. locations, including Oxford, where its headquarters is home to an archive of British comics and original artwork going back to the 19th century. The company took custody of this treasure trove when it completed the acquisition of Fleetwood, one of the two longtime U.K. comics publishers, in 2016. The purchase followed Rebellion’s acquisition of Fleetwood’s marquee asset, the landmark science fiction periodical 2000AD, in 2000, which marked the company’s first foray into the publishing industry.

Rebellion sees value in the stockpile of company-owned IP from 2000AD and the rest of its archive as fuel for its gaming and media businesses, but it also takes its role as custodian of the legacy of British comics very seriously. The archive is lovingly maintained in museum-quality conditions, pointing the way toward the future as well as the past.

...

While many of the company’s titles are aimed at British readers, Rebellion is reaching for more North American fans with the relaunch of another classic series, Battle Action, featuring a hard-hitting lead feature by Garth Ennis (The Boys, Preacher), as well as the first new work from Brian K. Vaughan (Saga) in some time. Gail Simone (Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey) is doing a four-part miniseries for Misty, a gothic horror/romance and another vintage title from the 1970s. Smith said that Rebellion is also putting together curated collections of archival material by such British comics superstars as Brian Bolland, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and others who got their start in the pages of 2000AD, featuring restored artwork and complete storylines.

...

Between Rebellion and Titan—the other major British comics publisher, whose lineup includes such licensed series as Blade Runner, Conan the Barbarian, The Simpsons and, of course, Doctor Who, alongside some original properties—comics publishing in the U.K. looks as healthy as it has been in quite a while.

So I only read two comics. Spiderman, and Batman.

The problem I've run into is with Spiderman, the comic has been running since the 1940s or whatever, as one continuous comic. I'm the type of person who gets obsessive over one thing, instead of casual about 10 things. So my natural instinct is to start reading at issue 1, and then go until current. Let's see, how many issues are there? Ohhhh.......oh that's a lot of issues.......

So obviously I'm not going to read them all, and not even in order. Even though that's what my brain is telling me I should do. At some point I have to let the logical side of me take the wheel and say NO! You're not going to go reading hundreds if not thousands of comics, just so you can stay current with monthly releases!

So my other option is Batman.

And Batman releases little arcs I guess you could call them. I'm currently reading a little 5 comic mini-series, which is like the perfect size for me. A nice complete comic I can read once per day, for 10 minutes, and at the end of the week I have a complete story. But the problem is, each complete story doesn't carry over to the next. Batman assumes you know a few core things about Batman. He's Bruce Wayne, his parents were murdered when he was a kid. He's constantly fighting crime to deal with his own mental illness of not being able to cope with the concept of crime. You know.....the basics.

But the individual stories don't carry over. Batman could kill Catwoman in a story. Murders her completely dead. And that will carry over the following issues. Until they reboot the whole damn thing, and then Catwoman is back. Never murdered. That's no longer canon. It mattered to the story you already read....but that's done now. We've moved on.

So I guess the thing I don't understand is, why can't comic books find the balance between "Neverending story that's literally lasted since before your grandpa was born, but somehow is still going today with the same people", and "Basic characters and themes stay the same, but individual stories will eventually mean absolutely nothing for having had them happen"? Why can't we get comics that can be 5-10 issue complete stories, but if a future story wants to mention it's past, then this character died. And no bringing them back. No making a replacement. I still haven't gotten in the comics how Miles Morales exists. I heard of him through the video game.....no clue how he comes to be though, or why he replaces spiderman.

I guess I'm just having difficulty finding points in comics where I'll say "I start here". Because I would like end dates. The open ended date of spiderman is intimidating. Even though Batman offers conclusions to the story, it's also disheartening to know that eventually what you're reading won't matter.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/19554773

The Comic Arts LA site has a list of artists and panel schedules.

Poster by Tola Howard.

Some good stuff for me this week

Toxic Avenger #3 - Actually been digging this series, I bought the first one just to read the "Message from Uncle Lloyd" but it ended up being (while updated and different) pretty faithful to the spirit of the OG.

In Bloom #1 - Art looks good, book looks creepy, will prob give it a shot.

Minor Arcana #4 - Unfortunately due to a damaged shipment I've had to wait for #3, hopefully I can get both this week.

From The World Of Minor Threats The Brood #1 - Ayyy more Minor Threats? Hell yeah! I'm in! The last one Barfly (still great, #4 out next week) wasn't written by Patton Oswalt (the hilarious comedian/actor) and Jordan Blum but this one is and I'm excited. If you've been sleeping on Minor Threats, check out all of them. (Minor Threats, The Alternates, MT: Fastest Way Down, Barfly, and now The Brood)

Batman Dark Patterns #1 - Maybe, I've been buying too many comics and need to cut back a bit.

Space Ghost #8 - Space Ghoooost.

Creepshow 2024 Holiday Special - Never missed a Creepshow and I'm not starting now.

Shiver SuspenStories #1 - Gotta give it a shot!

That's it for me, what are you pulling?

First two episodes have dropped and it pretty much slaps.

Following the continuity of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, the Creature Commandos are Amanda Waller's replacement Suicide Squad.

She's told she can't recuit people anymore, so she recruits monsters instead.

Based on the characters from Weird War Tales #93 in 1980:

Frankenstein's Monster, a vampire, and the Wolf Man killing Nazis in WWII. They were later joined by a gorgon.

The animated series updates the lineup... Frankenstein's Monster, Bride of Frankenstein, Weasel (from The Suicide Squad), Doctor Phosphorus (1st appearance Detective Comics #469), G.I. Robot (1st appearance Star Spangled War Stories #101), and mermaid, Dr. Nina Mazursky (1st appearance Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #1).

They are:

66. Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's Locke and Key - 172 points (5 first place votes) [Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft #1-6, Locke and Key:Head Games #1-6, Locke and Key:Crown of Shadows #1-6, Locke and Key: Keys to the Kingdom #1-6, Locke and Key:Clockworks #1-6, Locke and Key: Omega #1-5 and Locke and Key: Alpha #1-2 (plus the tie-in series, Locke and Key: Golden Age #1-3)]
67. Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo's Fantastic Four - 167 points (3 first place votes) [Fantastic Four Vol. 3 #60-70, Fantastic Four #500-524 (Wieringo as artist of 27 of the 36 issues)]
68. Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera's Scalped - 165 points (1 first place vote) [Scalped #1-60]
69. Steve Ditko and Stan Lee's Doctor Strange - 162 points (3 first place votes) [Strange Tales #110-111, 114-146]
70. Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum's X-Men - 160 points (2 first place votes) [X-Men #94-107 (and I guess Uncanny X-Men #145-164)]

Previously:

• 100-96
• 95-91
• 90-86
• 85-81
• 80-76
• 75-71

Short list for me this week which I don't mind because I still have to pick up last weeks!

Dread The Halls #1 - Yesssss! Bring the Halloween to Christmas! Too long has Christmas encroached on spooky territory, now we fight back!

I Hate Fairyland #18 - I love I Hate Fairyland.

Cruel Universe #5 - Cruel Universe is my favorite of these reboots so far for sure

That's it for me! Wha're you pulling this week?

https://x.com/inhyuklee/status/1862524681653309569

Awesome guide

I read comic books mostly online finally I bought a comic book. I chose my first comic book Superman because ,I forgot the comic book name but Superman is a child who breaks the mirror in frustration. After a day when he is resting on his father's lap, he says: "When you break something you are not just breaking things you are like hurting every one who made it in that way"damm that line makes me love Superman.

They are:

71. Larry Hama's initial run on G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero -158 points (3 first place votes) [G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1-7, 10-19, 21-118, 120-142, 144-152, 155]
72. Roy Thomas' Avengers – 157 points (1 first place vote) [The Avengers #35-104]
73. Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins' Flash – 153 points (2 first place votes) [Flash (Vol.2) #164-225]
74. Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men – 151 points (2 first place votes) [Astonishing X-Men #1-24, Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1]
75. Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo's Nightwing - 150 points (4 first place votes) [Nightwing #78-118]

Previously:

• 100-96
• 95-91
• 90-86
• 85-81
• 80-76

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/20547838

I was drawn to this graphic novel by its Liverpool setting. A brief flick revealed colour-suffused images of landmarks that I’ve come to love thanks to my scouse husband: the curved iron and glass roof of Lime Street station; the twin clock towers of the Royal Liver Building; even the space-age crow’s nest that sits atop St Johns Beacon, AKA the Radio City Tower. Chris Shepherd, who drew and wrote Anfield Road, grew up in the city, and his affection for it, even in the bleakest of times, can be felt on every page. When he gives us a series of drawings of the magnificent but (at the time the book is set) sorely neglected St George’s Hall, the murmuration of starlings that rises above it eventually forms the shape of a heart.

In the end, though, it was Shepherd’s story that made me hang around. A bildungsroman set in the 1980s, it’s about a teenage boy called Conor who lives with his grandmother, Mary, in a terraced house in Anfield Road, home of Liverpool FC. For Conor’s peers, this is a dream address. When the art teacher at their comprehensive asks the class to draw their heroes, the boys all sketch the Liverpool striker Ian Rush, the picture copied from the cover of Look-in magazine. But Conor has never even been to a match. His dreams are of London, where he hopes to attend art college, and by doing so escape his dysfunctional family.

They are:

76. Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima’s Lone Wolf and Cub – 148 points (2 first place votes) [Lone Wolf & Cub Vols. 1-28]
77. Roy Thomas' initial run on Conan – 145 points (2 first place votes) [Conan the Barbarian #1-115 and Savage Sword of Conan #1-79]
78. John Layman and Rob Guillory's Chew – 144 points (1 first place vote) [Chew #1-60]
79. Brian Michael Bendis' Avengers – 133 points (3 first place votes) [Avengers #500-503, New Avengers #1-64, Mighty Avengers #1-20, Dark Avengers #1-16, Avengers (Volume 4) #1-34, New Avengers (Volume 2) #1-34, Avengers Assemble #1-8, countless mini-series, one-shots and crossovers]
80. Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo – 132 points (8 first place votes) [Usagi Yojimbo #1-38 (Fantagraphics), #1-16 (Mirage), #1-172 (Dark Horse), #1-current (IDW)]

Previously:

• 100-96
• 95-91
• 90-86
• 85-81