Tom’s Comments (group member since Jan 17, 2019)

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

Well, this worked out nicely. I read Bitch Planet: Triple Feature, Vol. 1 - a group of 15 stories spread over 5 issues collected into a trade. I enjoyed how they fleshed out the world in which the main story takes place.

Chad wrote: "Tom wrote: "I read Bitch Planet, Vol. 2: President Bitch. They (De Konnick and Leandro) certainly know how to bring an arc to a climax. Good stuff."

Are they ever going to finish t..."

Absoutely no idea. Given the way Vol 2 ends, a Vol 3 had to be envisaged.

I read Bitch Planet, Vol. 2: President Bitch. They (De Konnick and Leandro) certainly know how to bring an arc to a climax. Good stuff.

I read the stunningly illustrated The Little Red Wolf by Amélie Fléchais (author and artist). The art hooked me from the very first page, and the story/fable was well done too.

From The Podcast Crew:
[X] Tia - The Black Monday Murders, Volume 1: All Hail, God Mammon 4 Stars
[X] Paul - The Book Tour 3 Stars
[X] Kait - Algeria Is Beautiful Like America 5 Stars
[X] Kara - Afterlife with Archie, Vol. 1: Escape from Riverdale 4 Stars
[X] Kate - Guts 4 Stars
[X] Brian - Spider-Man: The Spider's Shadow 3 Stars
[X] Nick - The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 1 4 Stars
[X] René - Burn the Witch, Vol. 1 3 Stars
[X] Zander - The Good Asian, Vol. 1 4 Stars
[X] Mike - Aster of Pan 3 Stars

Patreon:
[X] Kyle D - Two Brothers 3 Stars
[X] Matt D - Dragon Hoops 4 Stars
[X] Paul G - Incredible Doom 5 Stars
[X] Jolamprex - Star Wars: Jango Fett - Open Seasons 3 Stars
[X] Stephanie - Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts 4 Stars
[X] Erin - The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott 5 Stars
[X] Geoff - Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1 3 Stars
[X] Brandon - The Many Deaths of Laila Starr 4 Stars
[X] Tom - Vinland Saga, Vol. 1 4 Stars
[X] Peter - Ultramega vol. 1 3 Stars

Book of the Month:
[X] February: The Little Red Wolf 5 Stars
[X] March: Bitch Planet, Vol. 2: President Bitch 4 Stars
[X] April: Bitch Planet: Triple Feature, Vol. 1 4 Stars
[X] May: Nimona 5 Stars
[X] June: Far Sector 5 Stars
[X] July: Wrassle Castle Book 1: Learning the Ropes 4 Stars
[X] August: Preludes & Nocturnes 4 Stars
[X] September: The Good Asian, Volume 2 3 Stars
[X] October: A Very DC Halloween 4 Stars
[X] November: Stranger Planet 4 Stars
[X] December: The Boys Omnibus Vol. 1 3 Stars

The Book of Five Rings

It was part of last year's challenge, but I think it deserves a wider audience. Plate Tectonics: An Illustrated Memoir by Margaux Motin.

Is anyone else reading along with the Giant Days IRCB podcast? The series is SO good, as is the podcast.

(Oops, I meant for this to go into general. Mods please move or delete. Thanks!)

IRCB Regular Members
[X] Tia - Heartbeat 2 Stars
[X] Paul - God and Science: Return of the Ti-Girls 3 Stars
[X] Kait - The Old Guard, Book One: Opening Fire 4 Stars
[X] Kara - By Chance or Providence 4 Stars
[X] Kate - Spinning 5 Stars
[X] Brian - We Only Find Them When They're Dead Vol. 1 4 Stars
[X] Nick - Bang! - 3 Stars
[X] René - Hell Warden Higuma, Vol. 1 4 Stars
[X] Mike - A Gift for a Ghost 3 Stars

Patreon Member Picks
[X] Kyle D - American Elf 1999 3 Stars
[X] Geoff - East of West, Vol. 1: The Promise 4 Stars
[X] Erin - Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation 4 Stars
[X] Tom - The 7 Deadly Sins 4 Stars
[X] Danny - Batman: Creature of the Night 4 Stars
[X] Simon - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Color Classics, Vol. 1 4 Stars
[X] Brandon - Waves 5 Stars
[X] Cinco - Cosmoknights 3 Stars

I think this is one of those books that sticks with one after the last page has been turned. At least it did for me.

Some thoughts:
(view spoiler)[Art changes both the creator and the viewer - like the performance artist's piece that got so many people to love/become obsessed with her that she stopped doing it.

Art is often a distillation of life, like when Dolores finds that the "I love you" piece isn't true anymore, she dives into life and has experiences that ultimately become her shark performance. She also wants to learn from art because she creates the tempest at the end of the book, asking the mini-mes to show her how to brave.

Over the course of the book, the artists create the artworks that are listed at the beginning, including container and concealment, as well as masks (they make their mini-mes into versions of themselves they'd rather be). (hide spoiler)]

Ok to air.

Being on comixology unlimited/Hoopla probably woudn't hurt.

Best: Plate Tectonics: An Illustrated Memoir
Honorable Mention: An Age of License: A Travelogue

Most Surprising (in a good way): Cat Diary: Yon & Muu; 猫日記よん&むー; Neko Nikki Yon to Mū
Honorable Mention: One Soul

The closest I got to liking manga: D.Gray-man, Vol. 1

Most poignant: Ghost Tree
Honorable mention: Pride of Baghdad

Comixology has Immortal Hulk on sale (ends today). With CU discount, the trades are $2.54+tax.

I finished Britannia, Vol. 1 and really liked it. But then again I'm a sucker for anything having to do with Ancient Rome, so there is that.

Started Fall of Cthulhu, Vol. 1: The Fugue and Britannia, Vol. 1 and am enjoying both so far.

Not comics, but The Uncanny Valley: Tales from a Lost Town is a short story anthology that is tailor made for this time of year (as most of the stories are horror-themed).

A bit of an update. So far I've read:

The Black Mage
Usagi Yojimbo, Vol. 1: The Ronin
Dragonseed #1 : When Dragons Cry
Dragonseed Vol. 2 (Dragonseed
Dragonseed Vol. 3 (Dragonseed
A Fire Story

Black Mage - Chapter One; I thought it seemed a bit on the nose, but I think it really paid off at the end of the chapter.

Thank you for the encouragement and advice! Just to be clear, my complaint here is not having enough time to get to all the things I enjoy, not that reading prose or comics is a chore. I'm reminded of Burgess Meredith's character in the Twilight Zone episode Time Enough At Last, so many books, so little time.

As members of the Discord Book Club likely already know (or not), I read comics as kid - the typical Marvel/DC cape rags like Dr. Strange, The Flash and Green Lantern. Fast forward more years than I'd care to count, and those colorful emissaries from different worlds are but a mere memory. Wanting to rectify this situation, I sought out an internet forum where such fans and readers congregated, which is how I landed on IRCB's doorstep. Immediately prior to this arrival, I had read the entirety of Marvel's Civil War story arc and loved it. My quest at the time was to find something as all encompassing/engaging. I ended up settling on DC’s Rebirth event and started with Rebirth #1, which immediately hooked me. While I did not understand everything that was going on, I recognized enough to get a foothold and thus begin the journey. I also started participating in the challenges here on Goodreads to widen the scope of my comic reading beyond superherodom.
Unfortunately, habit eventually got back into the driver’s seat and I slowly but surely retreated back to the world of prose. Not because the comics were in any way lacking, just that I had/have commitments to two such book clubs, which sometimes takes up the available reading time. Toward that end, I started participating in the Discord Book Club, figuring it would further widen my reading experiences, and also to commit to reading whatever books were selected. Unfortunately, this strategy often looks like a student cramming the night before a test – i.e., reading the entire volume the night before or day of the club meeting. In the interest of thwarting habit (using the if you can’t beat them join them tactic), I’ve decided to commit to reading two comic issues per week. (Not volumes, issues). I figured I can ratchet up the number and shorten the duration as I form the habit. Also, posting the issues I’ve read with a short blurb about them will help with accountability.

This is the first I've seen anything about the character. The show seems to be coming together quite nicely.