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

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

Francis wrote: "I've not got a particular title in mind, but I'd really like to get into the Valiant universe more, is there a good starting off point that someone could nominate?"

I'd start with X-O Manowar or Harbinger.

I really dug this. It was even better than Black Bolt. Supernatural noir is one of my favorite genres and this one didn't disappoint. Making the main character a black female journalist in 1972 Detroit worked very well for keeping Abbott in the midst of the action and adding plenty of antagonists. I wanted to punch half the characters in this book due to their racist and misogynistic treatment of our main character.

My Review

OK to air.

The Terrifics - I don't get this whole New Age of Heroes initiative. They're supposed to be artist driven, but no artist has stayed on a book for more than 3 issues. Plus, they are all blatant ripoffs of Marvel properties. This one being the worst. It's almost a spoof.
Deathstroke Vol. 5 - I'm loving Priest's run on this book.
Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins - This was a lot of fun. I've never heard of the podcast this was based on, but I'm going to give it a listen now.
Abbott - I really liked this. I'm glad we read it.
Raven: Daughter of Darkness Vol. 1 - I like the supporting cast Wolfman has given Raven.
Midnighter and Apollo - Midnighter goes to hell to save Apollo.
Star Trek / Legion of Super-Heroes - A generic by the numbers crossover.
Black Panther Vol 5 - Coates finally seems to be getting the hang of writing comics.
Jonah Hex: Shadows West - Still my favorite take on the character. I like the weird western approach.
Red Thorn Vol 1 - Urban fantasy with a Scottish slant.
The United States of Murder Vol 1 - Disappointing. I thought the premise was kind of dumb.

Crossed dipped too much into the torture porn category for me. I've read a few different volumes.

Wayland wrote: "Nightwing has been my favorite character since the New Teen Titans started. I'm still getting the book to give it a chance, but I'm seriously about to drop both Nightwing and Titans both."

Honestly, they should bring Chuck Dixon back to write Nightwing. His run in the 90's is still the best IMO. And Dan Abnett does not get the Titans at all. I'd like to see what Christopher Priest could do with the series.

Aaron wrote: "For some reason it cut out “Asian-American Ron Lim” from my comment. This app has bugs."

It's there. Must just be cut off in the app.

I'll second Ultimate Spider-Man. I think Bendis's interpretation of Spidey is the best I've ever read. I thought the Ultimate line was a dumb idea until someone handed me Ultimate Spider-Man #1. I was instantly sold. His entire run of Peter Parker and Miles Morales is absolutely fantastic.

Kait wrote: "I definitely want to read more of this series!"

I blazed through the series in a week. It's one hell of a read.

For me, Venom and Carnage were so overused for years that I can't stand either character. Although Rick Remender did bring new life to Venom when Flash Thompson had the symbiote.

Some classics for me would be Kraven's Last Hunt and The Death of Jean DeWolff. More recently, I thought the Superior Spider-Man was really interesting. I especially enjoyed how it caused Peter to finally get his act together.

Daniel wrote: "It allows you to add multiples
So if you have Batman 1-30
U can highlight all of them
It’s rather intuitive but feel free to check online for all tier features"

That's excellent. I have a lot of long runs.

Daniel wrote: "Chad
You can add manually as well by title name and issue , I do not know about cover recognition"

Manual from the phone would be a pain for that many comics. I'd probably go with the desktop version if I have to enter manually.

Daniel wrote: "I use the CLZ app i posted about earlier. I just scan things using the bar code. ."

Does CLZ have photo recognition for covers? Most of my comics were direct market and didn't have bar codes. I've got 10,000+ comics from 1985-2002 I'd like to catalog.

Erin wrote: "Chad wrote: "What part of STL is it in, Erin? I'm on Long Island now but grew up outside STL. In fact, I just flew back from STL yesterday."

Ha! That's awesome! I've only lived here for a few year..."

Star Clipper is where I used to go when I'd come into town too. Fantasy books in Fairview Heights is where I went for my weekly comics for the last several years I lived in the area.

Erin wrote: "My favorite shop right now is Apotheosis Comics in STL (worth a trip if you're ever in the area!) It doesn't have the largest selection (don't get me wrong, they still have a ton!) but they have ev..."

What part of STL is it in, Erin? I'm on Long Island now but grew up outside STL. In fact, I just flew back from STL yesterday.

I love this series and have read through it a couple of times now. It's like a horror version of Fargo. Seeley and Norton do a great job of furthering the mystery with each arc. Those Jenny Frison covers are works of art! Jumping ahead a bit the ending of the series did feel a bit rushed to me though. My only complaint about the whole series.

My Review of Vol. 1

For those of you that aren't aware, this is being turned into a movie. Here's the trailer.

OK TO AIR

Aaron wrote: "Just wanna let everyone here know... if you haven’t read Northlander by Brian Wood, you’re missing something special.

I just started volume 1 and I am LOVING this. The art is exceptional... it’s g..."

You'll probably want to check out the Black Road when you finish Northlander. It's basically a continuation of the series.

Babyteeth. It really made me take notice of Danny Cates. A fantastic riff on Rosemary's Baby.

Stephanie wrote: "Chad wrote: "Rick wrote: "I am Rick, I am from Kansas, I have been reading comics off and on most of my life. Earliest comic memories are Harvey/Disney/Archie’s. I set a goal for myself this year o..."

You should speak with your local librarian. They're generally pretty receptive to adding things for their patrons. Chances are they didn't even realize how much comic content is available on Hoopla that your library system doesn't provide. They get all of the DC and Image graphic novels the day they are released plus have tons of stuff by Dark Horse, Marvel, IDW, Valiant, Boom, Dynamite and many others. It's a fantastic resource, especially since most libraries have no idea what graphic novels to order.

I'm a big proponent of making use of your local library. Your property taxes pay for it, so they should get the stuff you want to read. Our library system is fantastic. They even have 3D printers and scanners you can use.

Rick wrote: "I am Rick, I am from Kansas, I have been reading comics off and on most of my life. Earliest comic memories are Harvey/Disney/Archie’s. I set a goal for myself this year of reading 50 trade paper b..."

Welcome Rick. Have you heard of www.hoopladigital.com? It's a website with thousands of graphic novels you can borrow digital copies from through your local library. It's pretty awesome.

Mike wrote: "I also read the last two volumes of Darth Vader: Star Wars: Darth Vader, Vol. 3: The Shu-Torun War & Star Wars: Darth Vader, Vol. 4: End of Games. Star Wars books can REALLY pull me in sometimes. "

I'm always surprised at how good the Marvel Star Wars comics are. The Star Wars books have felt very neutered since they started the new canon.