Chad’s Comments (group member since Mar 22, 2018)

Chad’s comments from the I Read Comic Books group.

Marvel is giving away free ebooks of the first Black Widow novel until 5/22.

https://www.marvel.com/articles/cultu...

Kyle wrote: "Yeah it's pretty well filled out now. They're missing some stuff but the large majority of the keystone series have all of their most important runs. They even have some stuff you might not expect like Morrison's Doom Patrol, Planetary, 70's/80's Swamp Thing, etc..."

You've sold me now. Just have to get caught up with a few other things and then I'll sign up.

Kyle wrote: "It's the same system but they actually run a year behind, instead of 6 months. If being super up-to-date is important, it's probably not a great option."

How's the back catalog support? I'm actually more interested in reading stuff I missed from the 80s, 90s and 00s.

I'm not surprised Vertigo and Black Label stuff is missing. All of the MAX titles are missing on MU too. I guess we have to just splurge for the mature label books.

Kyle wrote: "I just read through DC Universe, so I'm a year behind"

What do you think of DC Universe and how does it compare to Marvel Unlimited? I have MU and love it. If DCU is the same, I'd sign up for it too. I looked into it a while back and it didn't have a lot of comics. Now it looks like it may be the reverse. They pulled most of the video content and it's mostly comics.

I started reading the first Lucifer Omnibus this weekend. Enzo decided he wanted to read it with me today.

Sounds cool.

Kate wrote: "Thanks for the heads up! Zander and I just binged the Locke & Key tv show and LOVED it!"

The wife and I finished it last weekend too. It started off slow but finished strong.

Another great Humble Bundle. This time all of Locke and Key along with everything else Joe Hill has did with IDW. If you haven't read Locke & Key yet, it's one of my all time favorite horror comics.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/jo...

Christopher wrote: "Can anyone vouch for Secret Invasion?"

Secret Invasion is good stuff. The lead up in New Avengers is even better.

Lenny wrote: "Welcome Kris and congrats on your daughter! I'm usually not into horror but Long Lost is one of the best two part series I've read."

I've been meaning to check this out upon your recommendation. I guess I'm going to have to break down and buy it digitally. The LCS hadn't ever heard of it when I asked about it a few weeks ago.

No one has mentioned it yet, but Yay! New comics next week! I still can't go into my comic book store here in NY but at least they can mail me some new stuff!

https://www.newsarama.com/49966-diamo...

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hea...

Erin wrote: "Random aside, it seems like every time I look up a comic on Goodreads I see that you've already read/reviewed it - total powerhouse! V. jealous. :)"

Yeah, I read a LOT. Luckily I have an understanding wife. ;)

Kris here. Scottish guy living in Houston, TX. I'm not entirely sure why, but the recent birth of my daughter has inspired me to get back into comics after an intermittent hiatus. Faves are everything from the best of the Big 2 to more niche titles (currently slightly obsessed with Ice Cream Man). Looking forward to suggestions in here.."

Welcome Kris,

A lot of people here are obsessed with Ice Cream Man. If you're looking for more horror comics I just finished the first volume of Something is Killing the Children. It was fantastic. Also, if you haven't read Locke and Key, it's one of my all time favorite horror comics.

Got caught up on some of my singles of the X-Men books over the past week.

X-Men Vol. 1 ★★★★
Some nice vignettes introducing new threats or reintroducing old favorite rogues of X-Men past.

Fallen Angels ★
The dumpster fire of the X-Men. The only good thing about it was the deceiving covers.

New Mutants ★★★
A pain in the butt to read in single issues. Each issue continued one of two different stories depending on if Rod Reis could keep up with the art or not. The New Mutants in space which was collected here was fun.

X-Force ★★★★
The covert ops team of the X-Men. Beast was written out of character but the rest was fine.

Excalibur ★★
Really inconsistent writing. Psylocke takes over as Captain Britain. Requires a lot of knowledge about the Braddock's family history to enjoy. Unfortunately, most of it was originally only published in Great Britain in the 80s.

Marauders ★★★★
My favorite of the X-Men books. Kitty Pryde becomes a pirate and joins the Hellfire Club. Lots of adventure and fun.

Eat, and Love Yourself ★★★★
A twenty-something with body dysmorphia learns to confront her eating disorder.

The Plot ★★★
Picked this up after hearing Mike talk about it on the Podcast. Classic horror in the vein of Eerie or House of Secrets.

Superman: Up in the Sky ★★★★★
This is a character study on Superman. It's about his tenacity, his will, his determination, his inability to give up even in the most hopeless circumstances.

Star Trek vs. Transformers ★★★
Fan service at its best. I thought it was clever to cross over with Star Trek: The Animated Series and give the book a Saturday morning cartoon look.

Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 ★★★★★
This was great. It's Tim Seeley's Imaginary Fiends crossed with a rated R Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Marvel is offering up rotating free comics every month, both on MU and Comixology.

https://www.marvel.com/articles/comic...

I think Dr. Aphra is a lot of fun. She along with the murder droids are a great addition to the Star Wars universe.

I've heard some rumors they may do FCBD later this year. Although if they do, I think regulars should go ahead and pay regular price for those books to help out retailers. Sort of a help Free Comic Book Shops (from Going Out of Business) Day.

Read some fantastic comics over the weekend.

Once & Future, Vol. 1 ★★★★★
Gillen and Mora flip the Arthurian legend on its ear.

House of X / Powers of X ★★★★★
The first time I've enjoyed the X-Men since Fraction and Gillen left the title 10 years ago. Hickman knocked it out of the park.

Batman, Volume 12: City of Bane Part 1 ★★★★★
Those two Cat and the Bat issues were fantastic. King really nailed that relationship.

Joe Golem: Occult Detective, Vol. 4: The Conjurors ★★★★
A good adaptation of the book by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden.

Archie vs. Predator II ★★★★★
I wish all inter-company crossovers were this good. I loved the meta nature and satire.

The Wild Storm, Vol. 4 ★★★★
Warren Ellis moves to The Authority phase of his condensed rendition of the Wildstorm universe.

Gotham High ★★
Trashy teen drama that you wouldn't know was based on Batman if DC didn't tell you.

COPRA Round 1-6 ★★★★
Michel Fiffe seems to be channeling early 80's Frank Miller writing an ode to the Suicide Squad. Wildly inventive and kinetic art.

Going to the Chapel ★★★★★
The author, David Pepose, has been on the podcast before. This was a ton of fun. A reluctant bride has her wedding held up by bank robbers. Lots of Quentin Tarantino level quirkiness ensues.

Unnatural, Vol. 1: Awakening ★★★
An adult version of Zootopia with Orwellian overtones.

Black Widow: The Name of the Rose ★★★★
I love the idea of a spy thriller set in the background of the Marvel universe.

Little Bird: The Fight for Elder's Hope ★★★★
A brutal, bloody dystopian comic with highly stylistic, Moebius inspired art.

Critical Role – Vox Machina: Origins ★★★★
I guess this is inspired by a podcast where some voice actors play D&D. I knew nothing about the podcast but still loved the comic. It's a fantasy D&D campaign filled with humor and adventure.

Lenny wrote: "Chad - In Dragon Hoops Yang actually addresses the Superman changes (that the execs wanted) and how he struggled with them. (It's a nonfiction story and he's a 'character' in it, and was in talks with DC during the events in Dragon Hoops.) Super interesting - and really unfortunate that DC boxed in Yang to write a story he didn't have much control over.."

Now you have me interested in this. I thought it was just a YA basketball GN.

Tom wrote: "I did not expect the short story at the end - and was wondering why that wasn't put into another issue or two."

Most of those short stories were created to allow Mark Buckingham a chance to breathe.