What are you reading right now? (June 2020)

[Erin]

New comics are back! Anything you're particularly excited for? Still working on in the IRCB 2020 Reading Challenge? Tell us all about it!

Don't forget to check out what the IRCB crew is reading on the weekly public Top of My Pile posts!

[Chad]

Caught up on some Europe Comics over the weekend I had failed to review.

Esteban: The Whaler ★★★
A kid from Tierra del Fuego joins a whaling ship 100+ years ago.

Mia & Co. ★★
Preteen fluff.

Life and me (Pico Bogue, #1) ★
The Dennis the Menace of France. It's terrible.

Jeremy: A Tribute to Jef Nys ★★
A Belgian Little Rascals but not good.

A Dream for Three (Emma and Violette, #1) ★★
Two sisters try to make it into a ballet conservatory in Paris.

Children of the Resistance, Vol. 1: Opening Moves ★★★★
Two French teenagers resist the Nazi occupation by printing pamphlets on the back of wallpaper among other things.

Cervantes: The Genius's Fantasy Part 1 ★★★
Miguel de Cervantes's life structured as a play.

Southbound! (Glorious Summers, #1) ★★★★
The story of a Belgian family traveling to France on holiday in the 1970s. A great slice of life story.

Harmony's Necklace (Alcyon #1) ★★★
A classical Greek tale of the hero's journey as two teenagers set off in search of a mythological necklace.

Golam - Volume 1 - The Son of the Moon ★★
Pokemon set in an Arabian world.

[Xavier]

Cagaster Vol. 1, a standard post apocalyptic shonen manga with monsters. It’s a Read Now on Netgalley.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Xavier]

Vampire State Building. A graphic novel with Walking Dead co-creator Charlie Adlard on art duty. A fun fast-paced mashup of Die Hard and the Towering Inferno, with added vampires.

It’s a « Read Now » on Netgalley.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Chad]

This week's trip to the comic book shop.

Hellblazer #6
Shazam #12
Finger Guns #1 and #2
Birds of Prey
Catwoman 80th Anniversary

[Kyle]

I've done shockingly little reading this week but I've been working my way through Paying the Land. Very good.

[Chad]

Kyle wrote: "I've done shockingly little reading this week but I've been working my way through Paying the Land. Very good."


I have that in my pile to read as well. I'm glad to hear it's good.

[Nancy]

Chad wrote: "Kyle wrote: "I've done shockingly little reading this week but I've been working my way through Paying the Land. Very good."


I have that in my pile to read as well. I'm glad to he..."

Paying the Land is a deep and reflective look at life for the Dené and was very well researched. This dense non-fiction graphic novel will take time to get through but is worth it.

[Lenny]

I finished Magnificent Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: Destined (strong start for Saladin Ahmed's run) and now I'm rereading the March trilogy.

I am committing to reading only books with LGBTQ and/or POC creators this month.

[Brandon]

I'm slowly working through several long runs at the moment, taking a few issues at a time. Finally finishing off the first Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four Epic Collection, read the first arc of Busiek/Nord Conan, I read the Iron Fist Epic Collection with Claremont/Byrne stuff, and I guess that means I've finished the last of the fifth X-Men Epic Collection too. Just taking them each step by step and having fun with them.

[Ed]

Lenny wrote: "... I am committing to reading only books with LGBTQ and/or POC creators this month."

That's a good idea. I can't fully commit to that because I have several things already lined up. But I'll put an extra focus on that.

For example, I'll finally read volume 2 of DayBlack. (Get it direct from the artist here https://www.keefcross.com/ )

A few other possibilities:
Six Days in Cincinnati: A Graphic Account of the Riots That Shook the Nation a Decade Before Black Lives Matter
APB: Artists against Police Brutality: A Comic Book Anthology

[Chad]

This week's comic shop run:

Joker 80th Anniversary
Lois Lane #11
Killadelphia #6
Something Is Killing the Children #7
Artemis and the Assassin #2
Adventureman #1
The Batman's Grave #7
Excalibur #10
New Mutants #10
Legion of Super-Heroes #6

[Erin]

I've been busy this month! Trying to get through as many Eisner nominees as possible before they announce the winners - I find it fun to pick my own at home :)

Skyward, Vol. 1: My Low-G Life ★★★
Skyward, Vol. 2: Here There Be Dragonflies ★★★
I don't think I'll finish this series - honestly not sure what all the hype is about!

On a Sunbeam ★★★★★ - loved this!!

The Day of the Black Sun ★★★ - IRCB Discord Book Club pick - it was ok, but not really my thing. Lots of lovely close-up art of birds, lol

Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos ★★★★★ - per usual, Lucy Knisley shines in this GN about pregnancy and childbirth. I am violently averse to the idea of having a child, and this book even moved me!

The Comics Journal #304 ★★★★ - I read this for a reading challenge prompt about reading a literary journal. It had a great section on the economics and labor of the comics industry which I found really interesting, and an 80-page interview with Simon Hanselmann which was less interesting but still readable.

Descender, Vol. 2: Machine Moon ★★★★
Revival, Vol. 3: A Faraway Place ★★★★
Guts★★★★★
Ghosted in L.A., Vol. 1 ★★★★
Afterlift ★★★★
The Avant-Guards, Vol. 1 ★★★
The White Trees #1 ★★★★
Eat, and Love Yourself ★★★

[Lenny]

Ed - thank you for the recommendations! I'm looking forward to reading them.

Erin - great reads! I also didn't understand the hype behind Skyward.

Here's what I've been up to this week!

Rereading On a Sunbeam via webcomic
Ironheart Volume 1 and Volume 2
America, Vol. 1: The Life and Times of America Chavez
continuing March: Book One

starting The Totally Awesome Hulk!

[Kyle]

Man, I gotta get Kid Gloves. I hadn't read read any of Lucy Knisley until Age of License for the 2020 challenge and now she's one of my favorites.

Some good Marvel stuff on your list Lenny! I thought those Bendis volumes of Ironheart were okay but I preferred the run from Eve L. Ewing.

What I've been up to:
Bitter Root, Vol. 1: Family Business - ★★★★★
Valkyrie: Jane Foster, Vol. 1: The Sacred And The Profane - ★★★★★
Batman: Blink - ★★★★
Young Justice, Vol. 1: Gemworld - ★★★★
Sword Master, Vol. 1: War of the Ancients - ★★
Old Man Quill, Vol. 2 - ★★★
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order - Dark Temple - ★★

I didn't realize I'd read so many superhero books this week until I went back and looked.

[Brandon]

Erin wrote: "I don't think I'll finish this series - honestly not sure what all the hype is about!"

Well you've only got one volume of Skyward left! Personally I thought the first volume was interesting but it slowly went off the rails and became so wildly inconsistent weirdly paced predictable snore-fest. It went from one of my most anticipated titles after the first few issues to something I had to drop because I just couldn't be bothered to finish the second arc. I binged all 3 volumes after they were released and... yeah, not my fave indie book to come out these past few years.

Lenny wrote: "Ironheart Volume 1 and Volume 2"

Ooh, how is the Bendis stuff? I skipped right to Eve L. Ewing's title, kind of avoided the Bendis arc.

Kyle wrote: "Valkyrie: Jane Foster, Vol. 1: The Sacred And The Profane - ★★★★★"

Yes! I love the new Valkyrie ongoing, glad you're enjoying it. Bitter Root vol 1 is great too.

[Lenny]

Brandon wrote: "Ooh, how is the Bendis stuff? I skipped right to Eve L. Ewing's title, kind of avoided the Bendis arc."

The Bendis stuff was alright, volume 1 was a good introduction but volume 2 wasn't great. It felt very Bendis-y if that makes sense...Caselli's art was great though. I'm looking forward to Eve Ewing's run (glad you liked it too, Kyle!), bought volume one at my LCS last week.

Is there any required reading before the new Valkyrie? I'm still filling in some gaps on Jason Aaron's many Thor stories. (As you can see I'm catching up on Marvel in general w/the Unlimited subscription)

[Kyle]

Lenny wrote: "Is there any required reading before the new Valkyrie? I'm still filling in some gaps on Jason Aaron's many Thor stories."

I think if you've finished off Aaron's Mighty Thor and then just read the War of the Realms main event you'd be good for Valkyrie.

[Chad]

Lenny wrote: "Is there any required reading before the new Valkyrie? I'm still filling in some gaps on Jason Aaron's many Thor stories. (As you can see I'm catching up on Marvel in general w/the Unlimited subscription)"

I'd definitely read Aaron's Thor run first. Valkyrie spins out of War of the Realms.

[Whitney]

I've been reading some really entertaining series lately.

-Magical Girl Apocalypse, vols. 1-8

-Abara

-Nailbiter, vols. 1-6 - loved this one until the end

-The Cape - the villain's pov. very twisted.

-V for Vendetta - this one was so good I read it twice

-High Rise Invasion omni, vols. 1-10 - super light and fun read. can't wait for the rest to be released.

-What a Wonderful World, vols. 1 & 2

-Fetus Collection - a dementia horror and pretty brutal

-Hajime no Ippo, vols. 77-83

-Prison School omni, vol. 1 - i'm not a fan of ecchi but i watched the anime a while back and could not stop laughing. the books are even better.

[Ed]

Lenny wrote: "Ed - thank you for the recommendations! I'm looking forward to reading them...."

FYI: I've purchased "APB: Artists against Police Brutality" on comixology. I was expecting just comics, but there are also many text essays, which I don't like reading in comixology.

[Chad]

Last week's graphic novel reading:

Eclipse, Vol. 1 ★★★★
You Are Deadpool ★★★
Weapon H, Vol. 1: AWOL ★★★★
Weapon H, Vol. 2: War for Weirdworld ★★★
Hulkverines ★★★
Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Monster Squad ★★
Seeking the Truth (Through Lya's Eyes, Vol.1) ★★★★
The October Faction, Vol. 1 ★★★
The October Faction, Vol. 2 ★★★
The October Faction, Vol. 3 ★★★★
The October Faction, Vol. 4: Deadly Season ★★★★
The October Faction, Vol. 5: Supernatural Dreams ★★★★
Haunt, Vol. 4 ★
War of the Realms: Spider-Man/Daredevil ★★★
Planetoid, Vol. 1 ★★★
Year One: Batman/Ra's al Ghul ★★
Mae, Vol. 2 ★★★
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Vol. 6: Save Our School ★★
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Vol. 7: Bad Dream ★★★
Black Canary: Ignite ★★
2099 Companion ★★
Bix ★★★
Great Pacific Volume 1: Trashed! ★★★
Zero Girl ★★
Superman, Vol. 3: The Truth Revealed ★★★★★
Star Wars: Age of Republic - Heroes ★★★
Star Wars: Age of Republic - Villains ★★★★
Batman: The Caped Crusader Vol. 4 ★★★★
House Amok ★★

[Brandon]

Quite a few books, Chad! Which ones were your favourites worth recommending and which ones were the biggest disappointments?

[Nancy]

Whitney wrote: "I've been reading some really entertaining series lately.

-Magical Girl Apocalypse, vols. 1-8

-Abara

-Nailbiter, vols. 1-6 - loved this one until the end

-The Cape - the villain's pov. very tw..."

The Cape was crazy good! Read it's prequel The Cape:1969.

[Chad]

Brandon wrote: "Quite a few books, Chad! Which ones were your favourites worth recommending and which ones were the biggest disappointments?"

Superman, Vol. 3: The Truth Revealed was the best thing I read last week. Bendis drops a huge bombshell in that one.

Eclipse was a nice surprise. I like the world building. It's a murder mystery in a world where a solar flare caused the sun to burn you to a crisp so everyone in NYC lives underground coming above ground at night.

I ripped through all of The October Faction. It's the Addams Family if they were also monster hunters.



Haunt Vol. 4 and 2099 Companion were the biggest disappointments. Joe Casey and Nathan Fox came on board Haunt and burned that title to the ground within a couple of issues.

The 2099 Companion I was looking forward too. I liked the 2099 books from the 90s and thought these one shots were an extension of that. Instead Nick Spencer rebooted the 2099 universe and made these all origin stories where no one even shows up in costume until the final pages of each issue. They were horrible.

[Whitney]

Nancy wrote: "Whitney wrote: "I've been reading some really entertaining series lately.

-Magical Girl Apocalypse, vols. 1-8

-Abara

-Nailbiter, vols. 1-6 - loved this one until the end

-The Cape - the villai..."

OOo there's a prequel? Awesome, thanks!

[Chad]

Whitney wrote: "OOo there's a prequel? Awesome, thanks!"

There's a sidequel as well, but it's clearly a cash grab.

[Whitney]

Chad wrote: "Whitney wrote: "OOo there's a prequel? Awesome, thanks!"

There's a sidequel as well, but it's clearly a cash grab."

Not going to lie, I'll probably jump on that one too

[Chad]

This was a light week so I also bought all the Superman books that have come out since the last trades. I like most of what Bendis has done with Superman other than age up Jon.

Daphne Byrne #5
Dark Nights Death Metal #1
Dying Is Easy #5
The Man Who Effed Up Time #3
Superman #22
Frankenstein Undone #1

[Chad]

Marvel just put up a new prose Ms. Marvel short story by G. Willow Wilson. It's about Kamala living through the lockdown of the last three months.

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

[Brandon]

Managed to get through a few books this past week, not as much as I usually do but I managed to make a dent in a bunch of larger Epic/Complete collections! Going to copy Chad and just list mine here instead of rambling about all of them:

Doomsday Clock Part 1 ★
Doomsday Clock Part 2 ★
Fantastic Four Epic Collection Vol. 2: The Master Plan of Doctor Doom ★★★
Invincible, Vol. 5: The Facts of Life ★★★
Journey into Mystery: Fear Itself ★★★★★
The Old Guard, Book One: Opening Fire ★★★★★
Scooby-Doo Team-Up Vol. 2 ★
Scooby-Doo Team-Up Vol. 3 ★★★
Siege ★★★★
Siege: Thor ★★★
You Brought Me the Ocean ★★★★★

[Chad]

Brandon wrote: "Managed to get through a few books this past week, not as much as I usually do but I managed to make a dent in a bunch of larger Epic/Complete collections! Going to copy Chad and just list mine her..."

Boy, you really didn't like Doomsday Clock, huh. I still need to read the second arc this week.

[Chad]

Last week's graphic novel reading:

New Teen Titans Vol. 11 ★★★★
Night Owl Society ★★★★
Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Villains ★★★
The Flash, by Grant Morrison & Mark Millar ★★★★
The Flash by Mark Waid Book Seven ★★★★
Ghost Omnibus Volume 4 ★★★
Ghost Omnibus Volume 5 ★★★
Ghost Volume 1: In the Smoke and Din ★★★
Ghost Volume 2: The White City Butcher ★★★★
Ghost Volume 3: Against the Wilderness ★★★
Ghost Volume 4: A Death in the Family ★★
Brain Boy Volume 1: Psy vs. Psy ★★★★
Brain Boy Volume 2: The Men from G.E.S.T.A.L.T. ★★★
Milo's World Book 3: The Cloud Girl ★★★
The Terrifics, Vol. 3: The God Game ★★★
Batman Arkham: Black Mask ★★★★
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed ★★★★
Klaw Vol.3: The Cycle Renewed ★★★

[Brandon]

haha I think "really didn't like Doomsday Clock" is a bit of an understatement. I've retroactively made it my worst book of 2019, mostly because of Part 2.

Good to see you enjoyed Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed! That was a good OGN.

[Lenny]

My reads -
Ironheart, Vol. 1 by Eve Ewing & Luciano Vecchio (way better than Bendis)
The Totally Awesome Hulk, Vol. 1 by Greg Pak & Frank Cho
The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures by Noelle Stevenson
March: Book One by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin

currently reading
Black Panther: Long Live the King by Nnedi Okorafor and André Araújo
March: Book Two

[Kyle]

My reads -
Ironheart, Vol. 1 by Eve Ewing & Luciano Vecchio (way better than Bendis)
The Totally Awesome Hulk, Vol. 1 by Greg Pak & Frank Cho
The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures by Noelle Stevenson
March: Book One by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin"

I'm not sure about Totally Awesome Hulk (I vaguely remember it), but the rest of those are great. Glad to see you liked the Ewing run better too! And The Fire Never goes out is one of my favorites from this year, so far.

[Brandon]

I hope Totally Awesome Hulk works out for you! I only read a few bits of that run here and there, but it always seemed interesting.

And heck yeah for Ironheart.

[Chad]

Huge week at the comic book store. My wife is going to kill me.

Thor #5
Jimmy Olson #11
Suicide Squad #6
Plunge #4
Low Low Woods #6
Hellblazer #7
Five Years #10
Doctor Tomorrow #3
X-Ray Robot #1
Empire #0
S.O.S. Support Our Shops
Star Wars Bounty Hunters #3
Once & Future #7-8
Rescue 2020 #2
Iron Man 2020 #2
Year Zero #2
The Cimmarian Red Nails #1
Green Lantern 80th Anniversary
Batman The Smile Killer

[Nancy]

I didn't read a lot of graphic novels this month, as I've been reading some other genres, plus I watched all the episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series in its early 70s glory!

Spy x Family : An enjoyable first volume of a new manga series about an assassin, a spy and a telepath forming a family together. Typically not a fan of manga, this was better than I expected.

Off Season :  Detailing the inner life of a working-class man with a crumbling marriage during the election season that put Trump in the White House. It was poignant story about a family during an unsettling cultural moment that was very well done and will make you reflect on your own family during off-season times in your life.

Plutonia : A stand-alone story about five youth who find a dead super hero in the woods. Inspired by Stand By Me, and penned by Jeff Lemire, this story was disappointing.

Everything is an Emergency : The author/illustrator shares his real-life experiences with OCD. It addressed mental health issues in a respectful and hopeful way and shows that therapy can be a life-saver.

 

[Kyle]

I've had a busy week. There was a lot of stuff uploaded to Marvel Unlimited that finished off some volumes.

Go to Sleep (I Miss You): Cartoons from the Fog of New Parenthood - ★★★★★
Crocodile Baron, Vol. 1 - ★★★
Postal, Vol. 3 - ★★★
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Faithless - ★★★
History of the Marvel Universe - ★★★★
Future Foundation - ★★★★
Invaders, Vol. 2: Dead in the Water - ★★★
Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky, Vol. 3: Through Hell - ★★★★
Agents of Atlas: Pandemonium - ★★★★
Iron Man: The Ultron Agenda - ★★
Ghost-Spider, Vol. 1: Dog Days Are Over - ★★★★
Annihilation: Scourge - ★★
King Thor - ★★★★
Amazing Spider-Man by Nick Spencer, Vol. 7: 2099 - ★★
2099 Companion - ★
Star Wars, Vol. 13: Rogues and Rebels - ★★★★

[Mike, Host & Producer of IRCB!]

Finished The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil A Rún, Volume 4 this weekend, which was fantastic and I ordered the next 4 available volumes!

One Piece Update: Just wrapped up Chapter 506!

[Brandon]

Heck yeah Mike! That's a pretty interesting chapter.

[Chad]

Last week's reading. Caught up on a couple of prose books, so a little lighter this week.

Streamliner Vo. 1: Bye Bye Lisa Dora ★★★★★
A story about racing hot rods in the desert.

Dying is Easy ★★★
Crime noir from Joe Hill.

Martian Manhunter: Identity ★★
A retelling of the Martian Manhunter's origin with awful art from Riley Rossmo. Steve Orlando tries real hard to be Tom King.

Young Justice, Vol. 2: Lost in the Multiverse ★★★★
Young Justice gallivants across the multiverse.

Thor by Donny Cates Vol. 1: The Devourer King ★★★★★
Donny Cates does it again. Thor teams up with Galactus to stop the Black Winter that killed Galactus's universe.

You Brought Me the Ocean ★★★
A YA retelling of Geoff John's Aqualad story from Brightest Day adding in an LGBTQ love triangle.

Summer Spirit ★★
A preteen hangs out with her cousins and a ghost for the summer.

Green Lantern 80th Anniversary ★★★★
This was great. DC brought back a lot of the GL creative teams to write stories, including the last Denny O'Neill story.

Stig & Tilde #3: The Losers Club ★★
A lesser Lord of the Flies type story with poor, rudimentary art.

Primer ★★★★★
A fun kid's book with DC's newest superhero.

Batman and the Justice League Vol. 3 ★
An absolutely terrible manga. The lack of backgrounds turn this into a book of pinups.

Cuphead Volume 1: Comic Capers & Curios ★★★
So, yeah, they turned this video game into an old-timey comic.

Dragon Age: Blue Wraith ★★
This should have been much better than it actually was. It's a cool world and characters but poor storytelling and art.

Raiders ★★
A nihilistic and brutal Dungeons & Dragons derivative of Head Lopper.

[Nancy]

Chad- I had not heard of Dying is Easy by Joe Hill. I like his work and am looking forward to his new series/collection, Hill House Comics.

[Chad]

Nancy wrote: "Chad- I had not heard of Dying is Easy by Joe Hill. I like his work and am looking forward to his new series/collection, Hill House Comics."

The last issue of Dying Is Easy just came out from IDW a couple of weeks ago. I don't think the collection comes out until the fall.
It's just OK.

I've bought all of the Hill House comics but haven't had a chance to read them yet. The Hill House comics aren't all written by Hill.

[Brandon]

Here's a week's comics reading:

Le grand voyage ★★★★
Derrière la montagne ★★★★★
Invincible, Vol. 6: A Different World ★★★★★
Invincible, Vol. 7: Three's Company ★★★★
Journey into Mystery: Fear Itself Fallout ★★★★★
Journey into Mystery: The Terrorism Myth ★★★★★
Journey into Mystery/New Mutants: Exiled ★★★
Journey Into Mystery Volume 4: The Manchester Gods ★★★★★
My Boyfriend Is a Bear ★★★★★
Primer ★★★★★
Scooby-Doo Team-Up Vol. 4 ★
Scooby-Doo Team-Up Vol. 5 ★
Scooby Doo Team-Up Vol. 6 ★
Superman: The Golden Age, Vol. 1 ★★★★★

Pretty good week. Only two more volumes of that disappointing and repetitive Scooby-Doo Team-Up series before I'm finally done with it! Managed to finish up the last half of the Superman book, and am nearing the end of the Human Torch run on Strange Tales. Reading the Ditko Dr. Strange stuff that's in the back half of those issues, too, and it is phenomenal.

[Nancy]

Chad wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Chad- I had not heard of Dying is Easy by Joe Hill. I like his work and am looking forward to his new series/collection, Hill House Comics."

The last issue of Dying Is Easy just came..."

I only read graphic novel collections, so I sometimes have to wait a long time for issues to be collected into book form. I am aware that Joe Hill isn't writing all the stories for Hill House but I am still looking forward to the entire set of books. I requested some advance copies thru NetGalley, but haven't heard back yet if I am approved or not.

[Chad]

Nancy wrote: "Chad wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Chad- I had not heard of Dying is Easy by Joe Hill. I like his work and am looking forward to his new series/collection, Hill House Comics."

The last issue of Dying Is E..."

If you use Edelweiss, Dying Is Easy is available to request there.

[Lenny]

Brandon wrote: "I hope Totally Awesome Hulk works out for you! I only read a few bits of that run here and there, but it always seemed interesting."

Thanks Brandon! TAH was a lot of fun, probably the most I've enjoyed from a Hulk title.

And Mike - that amount of One Piece reading is amazing. I had no idea it went on for that long!

My reading this week, unfortunately not as impressive as many of you! And huh, mostly volume twos.
Black Panther: Long Live the King by Nnedi Okorafor and Andre Araujo
March: Book Two by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell
America, Vol. 2: Fast and Fuertona by Gabby Rivera and Joe Quinones
Doctor Aphra, Vol. 2: Doctor Aphra and the Enormous Profit by Kieron Gillen and Kev Walker