1000 books in 2021 5 5

[Savoyard23]

Legion (1984) 41-44

And then I have some random reads that resulted from my significant other needing a wardrobe fitting.

I drove with her to the nearby city where the store was, waited in the car, and she returned the favor by coming with me on the way home to an LCS I'd found in that city.

So...

Daredevil 191

Weird War Tales 29

ASM 105-106, 111-112, 251, 258

The ASMs 111-112 in particular were very nice and great deals!

I make that 53.

[piper]

On 1/18/2021 at 12:53 PM, piper said:

Read the following yesterday:

Original Sin: Thor & Loki: The Tenth Realm #5.1

Original Sin: Thor & Loki: The Tenth Realm #5.2

Original Sin: Thor & Loki: The Tenth Realm #5.3

Original Sin: Thor & Loki: The Tenth Realm #5.4

Original Sin: Thor & Loki: The Tenth Realm #5.5

Original Sin #6

Original Sin #7

Original Sin #8

Thor (2014 series) #1

Thor (2014 series) #2

Thor (2014 series) #3

Thor (2014 series) #4

Thor (2014 series) #5

Thor (2014 series) Annual #1

Thor (2014 series) #6

Thor (2014 series) #7

Thor (2014 series) #8

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #1

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #2

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #3

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #4

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #5

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #6

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #7

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #8

Did I mention the numbering and chronology is confusing during this era of Thor?

I enjoyed the idea that Thor has a sister and the reasoning behind Odinson no longer being worth.  The transition to a new Thor is also well done.

New tally is 93 Comics.  Did I really agree to read 1,000 issues this year?

Still reading Jason Aaron Thor...

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #9

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #10

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #11

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #12

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #13

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #14

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #15

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #16

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #17

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #18

Unworthy Thor #1

Unworthy Thor #2

Unworthy Thor #3

Unworthy Thor #4

Unworthy Thor #5

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #19

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #20

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #21

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #22

The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #23

Generations: The Unworthy Thor & The Mighty Thor

With the Marvel Legacy publishing initiative, Thor was given new numbering. This legacy numbering starts with issue #700.

Thor #700

Thor #701

Thor #702

Thor #703

Thor #704

Thor #705

Thor #706

Mighty Thor: At the Gates of Valhalla #1

 

New tally is 93+29= 122

I’m just about ready to read War of the Realms. 

[ttfitz]

Previously count - 47

The subject of today's listing is Television Shows.

24: Underground 1-5

Really enjoyed this show when it was on. This tells a tale of what Jack Bauer was doing between the end of the regular series and the follow up miniseries. So, if you took the show and removed all the elements that made it different - the intricate plots by terrorists and the discovery of them by the "heroes", the twists and turns as one thing gets stopped but another pops up - then what you would have left would be this comic. You know Jack is going to make it out the other end, so no tension there; the rest of the characters aren't developed even a little bit, so who cares about them; and the story was just kinda lame, too. NOT recommended, for anyone.

Sons of Anarchy: Redwood Original 1-12

Tells the story of 18-year-old Jax Teller, trying to follow in his father's footsteps by joining the SAMCRO crew, but doing what 18-year-olds are known for, screwing up. Not as good as the original series, but still decent.

So, looks like we are at... 64

Next up, Warren Ellis and his Trees....

[Ken Aldred]

On 1/25/2021 at 12:39 AM, kccoig14 said:

continuing on with the rest of Avengers World and then onto Time Runs Out. I'm pretty sure I don't need to read everything to be caught up with Hickman's run but I've really been enjoying the Marvel Now series

The Avengers / Secret Wars saga was a memorable highlight from last year's reading for me.  Recommended.

[Ken Aldred]

23 to 34

X-Men by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams

Issues 54 to 65 (12 issues)

At this stage, there’s really only the first run by Lee and Kirby, and the final run mainly by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams that I still have any interest in re-reading.

The first storyline involving the Living Pharaoh is my least favourite, having to wade through two poorly-drawn issues, 54 and 55, significant only for the introduction of Alex Summers, Havok.  In issue 56, Neal Adams arrives with art that in places is absolutely brilliant, and the following Sentinels story is an improvement. The solid work by Thomas continues with the Sauron, and Savage Land / Ka-Zar / Magneto arcs, the former being reminiscent of Adams’ Man-Bat over at DC, unsurprisingly.  The only real criticism I have is that these stories seem to be a bit rushed at the end, although cancellation of the title wasn’t far off, and maybe that was a factor?  So, decent enough Silver Age stories, excellent art.

Issue 64 is an interesting fill-in by Don Heck and Tom Palmer, having a go at emulating Adams’ style, and a good attempt, actually.

The final issue has some rushed-looking Adams art in places, and a trippy, mediocre story, retconned later as the global-level telepathic event which got Xavier noticed by Lilandra and the Shi'ar, and, in the subsequent Hidden Years series, why the Phoenix Force fixated on Jean Grey.

Edited January 27, 2021 by Ken Aldred

[srezvan]

60 comics so far this month. That's gotta be a record for me. Here's what I finished recently.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edgy #1-#5. It was very "meh." It was all over the place with a few interesting things. The best part was Han Solo and the baby sarlacc, but otherwise, I wasn't impressed.

 

Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect #1 and #2. Another classic that I've just never read. It was funny to read these right after Old Man Logan, because there are some very similar scenes about how the Hulks act in their old age. Some of the dialog was a little weak, but overall it was a fun read. It's inspired me to read Hulk: the End, so I'll pick that up and give it a read.

 

X-Universe #1 and #2. My daughter and I are reading some of the AoA backup stories now that we've completed the main 34 issue arc. I know feedback on these threads is mixed for AoA, but I love it. Sure, some of the stories were better than others. But these two were simply horrible. I don't have a single thing to say about them that's positive. After I finished it, I looked it up online to read reviews. It was funny to see how others reacted about the ending...it just ends. I was reading it to my daughter and I was like, "Uhhhh, I guess that's the end?" She just made a confused face at me.

[ttfitz]

2 hours ago, srezvan said:

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edgy #1-#5. It was very "meh."

So it wasn't very edgy, huh?

(Sorry, couldn't resist the typo, given your opinion)

2 hours ago, srezvan said:

Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect #1 and #2. Another classic that I've just never read.

I'm not really a Hulk fan, but I am a Peter David fan, so with the recent followups on this, I plan on giving it a try.

[RayJr]

27/1000

Today’s read 

Red Sonja vol 5 #23

Red Sonja The Price of Blood #2

Future State: Shazam #1

Future State: Batman/Superman #1

Future State: The Next Batman #2

Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1

Daredevil vol 1 #12

[srezvan]

66 comics completed in the month of January.

Strain: Mr. Quinlan Vampire Hunter #1 - #5. I read the full 32 issues (3 volumes) last year of the Strain. This was a nice edition (prequel). If you like the vampire genre, I think you'll enjoy this series. These are based on novels and there's also a TV series in case you want to experience this franchise in a different way.

 

[Raze]

35-49

Wolverine 7-9

Im glad the crossover with the X of Swords is over and its now back on track. This has been a fun read with great art by Kubert/Bogdanovic.

The Last God 1-12

I got these on a recommendation from my favorite YouTube channel (Thinking Critical). I normally don’t do anything fantasy related, but the art and story on this was really good. The covers are awesome the interiors are awesome and the story was great. I would recommend if you can get this when it comes out on trade or if you can find the single issues to pick it up.
I did not get the 2 Tie-in books for this series because Im tired of read tie-ins that dont help the story!
 

If you’re interested just send me a PM

[ttfitz]

8 hours ago, srezvan said:

Strain: Mr. Quinlan Vampire Hunter #1 - #5. I read the full 32 issues (3 volumes) last year of the Strain. This was a nice edition (prequel). If you like the vampire genre, I think you'll enjoy this series. These are based on novels and there's also a TV series in case you want to experience this franchise in a different way.

As mentioned in some of my updates, I have recently been in the "S" section of independent publishers in the mid 20-teens in my organizing quest, so I have seen a number of The Strain popping up. Haven't decided yet to give them a go - not sure I've reached the beginning yet (I'm working backwards chronologically).

[Scrooge]

January Count:

Collections: 4 @ 6 each = 24

Junji Ito - Venus in the blind spot

Kumiko Tsurita - The sky is blue with a single cloud

Modesty Blaise - Green Cobra

Naoki Urasawa - Mujirushi - The Sign of Dreams

Comics: 51

Ms. Marvel (2015) # 11 - 38 & Magnificent Ms. Marvel (2019) # 1 - 15

Spider-Man (2016) # 7 - 14

European Albums: 17 @ 2 each = 34

Alix - Le Dieu Sauvage

Aria - Vendéric

Blake & Mortimer - Le Mystère de la Grande Pyramide 1 & Vallée des Immortels 2

Carthago Adventures - Zana

Comanche - 1 - 3

Durango - 1 - Les chiens meurent en hiver

Lady S. - Code Vampiir

Le fils de l'officier - 1 - 3

Les Enfants du Capitaine Grant - 2 - 3

Rani - Reine

Yoko Tsuno - La spirale du temps

Manga: 22 @ 5 each = 110 [In the past I have counted these @ 7 each but this year, I'll be conservative @ 5 each]

Beastars - 6 - 8

Blue Flag - 1 - 3

Demon Slayer - 14 - 15

Fairy Tail - 100 Years Quest - 4

Haikyu!! - 39 - 40

Ms. Koizumi loves ramen noodles - 2

Quintessential Quintuplets - 9 - 10

The alchemist who survived … - 2

To your eternity - 12

Yona of the Dawn - 26

No Guns' Life - 5

Hell's Paradise - 1 - 4

That's a total of 219. January is always a good month in my count, I slow down from there.

Best Read / Discovery: Comanche. It's tough to call it a discovery when it was first released in the early 1970's. It's not the art by Hermann but the scenarios by Greg that made these my favorite read of the month. The way that the story flows from album to album is seamless and remains interesting. I quickly came to care about the crew of the 666 ranch.

Weirdest Read: Kumiko Tsurita - The sky is blue with a single cloud. This collection of 1960's alternative manga was out there. It's existentialist surrealism. It's stark and challenging. Kudos to the publisher to take a risk on putting this collection out.

Most disappointing Read: the latest collection of Junji Ito's work. Ito's work typically creeps me out. The horror stays with me. It's eerie and unrelenting. This last collection was far less entertaining than those in the past couple of years. Most of the material fell flat.

Series that I am dropping: Ms. Koizumi loves ramen noodles. Yes, it's a manga that follows a high-school girl as she goes to different ramen restaurants and she tells us about her order. By volume 2, it's played out its welcome on my reading list. I like food manga but this is really repetitive. A much better choice are the various volumes collecting select stories from Oishinbo. I wish we'd gotten more than the 7 volumes Viz put out 10 years ago.

Best second act: Beastars. Manga it seems start very strong and then get lost once the first arc is completed. In Beastars, the direction of the second arc appears stronger than the first one. It redeemed a series I was on the verge of cutting.

Nostalgic read: I am re-reading through the Blake & Mortimer series. Started in the late '40's and revived in the '90's, the reboot created stories that fit in between the original albums. I am now reading the series in the chronological order of the events and not of the album. It provides an extra layer of enjoyment to the entire series. Makes me appreciate more the recent albums.

Visually pleasing but ultimately blah: Naoki Urasawa's entry in the Louvre series. For years now the Louvre has edited comics whose stories center around the museum. Urasawa's art is as fantastic as ever and the story is moving at a good pace and has the usual plotting tropes of Urasawa (Master Keaton, Monster, 20th Century Boys, Pluto, etc.) but the ending needed to be a little stronger. Still, a page turner for any Urasawa fan.

Fun story arc: the sequence in Modesty Blaise: Eve and Adam has Modesty and Willie Garvin dropped in the middle of the desert with no resources go in full survival mode until they can make their way back to England to exact revenge. A great entry in the strip.

Finally, yes, Kamala Khan is a great and endearing character. Sometimes, I wish contemporary writers would allow for less introspection into their scripts and let the storylines play out without the constant minor moral dilemna playing in the hero's head. Ahmed's first arc was good in that he didn't fall into that trap ... but it drifted thereafter. And someone please tell them to make the character Josh disappear for good. His constant re-appearance has ruined too many stories already.

[ttfitz]

Previous count - 64

Something is Killing the Children #14

Still holding my interest, want to see where it goes. #15 is due out at the end of the month, and there hasn't been any further solicitations, so don't know if it's going to end or what.

And now, as promised:

Trees #1-14, Trees: Three Fates #1-5

Going down the Warren Ellis trail again, with better results this time. Some pretty good stories, but so far much less told about the actual "Trees" than I would like. We've been given very little about what the Trees are, why they are here, what's going on, any of that. But, if you are okay with that, it's a pretty good series.

If I've added right, I'm now at ... 84.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Starting off the month (and year) light. 8/1,000:

• Batman: Damned #1-3
• Superman: Year One #1-3
• Action Comics #444
• Batman #293

[Scrooge]

4 hours ago, ttfitz said:

We've been given very little about what the Trees are, why they are here, what's going on, any of that

That's why I did not continue after the first trade. It's called Trees and it's not quite about the Trees! Glad you are enjoying it.

[Savoyard23]

Legion (1984) Annual 2.

The sharp eyed Legion fans among you will notice that I'd read it out of order with the main series.

That's because I realized during my ongoing read that I did not own a copy, so to MyComicShop I went.  I also bought and read a bunch of other books:

Warlord 2

Weird War Tales 74

New Gods 9

Mystery in Space 112

Wonder Woman 270, 273, 287, 291, 292

Daredevil 179, 185

And Marvel Team-Up 136, 138, 139.

We close the books on January at 68 comics.  Which feels like a lot of comics, but I am actually off pace for the year!  Can I step it up?  I think I can.

[ttfitz]

10 hours ago, Angel of Death said:

Starting off the month (and year) light. 8/1,000:

• Batman: Damned #1-3

What did you think of this? My daughter and I were underwhelmed. 

[theCapraAegagrus]

13 hours ago, ttfitz said:

What did you think of this? My daughter and I were underwhelmed. 

Considering the hype of being the first Black Label title, I was, too. Relatively, I think it's "good" as a modern limited series.

The way that blood is designed into the artwork will always throw me off. It's weird.

Edited February 2, 2021 by Angel of Death
Wrong word.

[paperheart]

#1-50

Hellblazer #251-300

[ttfitz]

Previous count - 84

Magnus, Robot Fighter ('14 Dynamite series) 0-12

While I hadn't read the original Gold Key stories, I had read the Shooter/Valiant revival in the 90s and enjoyed it a great deal, so when I ran across this one in the Great Organization Attempt of 2020/21, I pulled them out for a look.

Overall, I enjoyed it. They kinda took the original concept and turned it on it's head, although it still remained fairly true to its roots. I thought giving Magnus the first name of "Russ" was a good touch (I don't think he had a first name before, but I might be mistaken).

Worth a read.

So, here we sit at ... 97