The plan THIS week is to dive back into more current, âhotâ books, GIDEONâS FALLS, SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN⊠spooky books.The weather is back to normal, so no longbox surfin, gonna be mostly digital.
Finished Final Crisis for 11 issues. So glad itâs over.
643 DC issues for the year.
Have not updated in a long whileâŠtoo busy reading comics. So what have I read?
Harley/Poison Ivy meet Betty and Veronica 1-6 (6)
Mage 1-8 (8)
Mighty Morphing Power Rangers 0-4 (5)
Justice League/power Rangers 1-6 (6)
Thunderbolts 1-81 (81)
Witcher 1-5 (5)
Witcher the fox 1-5 (5)
L.E.G.I.O.N. 1-70 (70)
Thunderbolts/Avengers 1-6 (6)
Captain America 333-353 (21)
That means I read 213 comics; Added to my previous total of 1118, brings me to 1332!
The weekâs plan fell thru, of course⊠Just finished SUPERMAN " panic in the sky"( old school fun) and just started Marvelâs Empyre( not bad, so far, new school fun i guess). My plan for next week, year, etc? NO MORE PLANS.
Itâs been a while since Iâve given an update in the thread. Comic reading slowed down a lot from about the middle of August to the middle of October as I was moving into college and adjusting to how weird things are. September was, by far, my least productive month. But, with the completion of Detective Comics #1027 this morning, Iâve finally gotten to one thousand comics. So a bit of a breakdown of the numbers:
About 57% of my total reading was done through DC Universe. 27% can be attributed Marvel Unlimited, with about 9.5% going to single (both physical and digital) issues, and another 3% belongs to Comixology. The rest goes to trade paperbacks.
My most read series was Spider-Man with a total of 130, although that is split up between Ultimate Spider-Man and Amazing Spider-Man. JSA has a total of 108 for second place, and Fantastic Four comes in third with 76. All together, the top three comprise about 30% of my overall reading.
Welcome back to the thread, Tornado, and congratulations on making it in the 1,000 Club. Sorry to hear about the rough patch, I had a similar problem this year moving to my dream home and officially retiring, while also adjusting to how weird things are. Love your percentage stats.
Captain America: 9 issues from 1995-1996
Writer: Mark Waid
Review
I gave up on this run before. Making another attempt, and⊠Yep, no, still pretty painful.
Aside from the general Cap cliché density, I think I liked Sharon Carter better in later stories where she at least had the decency to be boring instead of such a jerk about everything.
Like, whatâs good about all the Mark Waid books I like (the Flash, JLA, sorta Kingdom Come, probably more of his Daredevil than not, not as strong in Black Widow but still there to some extent) is that he creates really likable, well-developed characters and generates a lot of emotional investment in whatâs going on. But here itâs just bland, angry action. Another thing thatâs just⊠really unlike him.
Hm, let me add something here: Iâm posting this because Iâve finished this run, but Iâm currently reading Waidâs second run on Cap, and itâs also very unlike what he was doing here and more consistent with his usual style. (And better.) Which really adds to my sense that this was somehow rushed or otherwise interfered with.
3,594.
JLA: 18 issues from 2004
Writers: Joe Kelly (2 issues), Denny OâNeil (3 issues), John Byrne & Chris Claremont (5 issues?), Chuck Austen (6 issues), Kurt Busiek (1 issue)
So, this is⊠a really good year for this title, Joe Kelly notwithstanding. Probably the best itâs had. Maybe the best year any Justice League title has had.
Kellyâs last issue is⊠confusing.
OâNeilâs arc is a bit filler-ish, but good. Heâs always good.
The Byrne/Claremont arc⊠on one hand, the backstory makes very little sense and the villain is named Crucifer. On the other hand, itâs otherwise actually pretty good. Best the title has been since Waidâs run, honestly. Thereâs good character stuff, good tension, the plot hangs together, and the art looks nice.
Then Kelly comes back for #100 and- Oh, for crapâs sake. Look, man. We get it. You wrote Action 775 and it was very good. But it kind of defeats the point when the Elite keep showing back up every five minutes. This tries to be a new twist on a similar theme but it just sort of undercuts itself.
The âPain of the Godsâ arc by Chuck Austen is one that I think Iâd heard was bad, and itâs⊠not. Itâs actually very, very good. I mean, my chief nitpick is that I donât think the way he writes Martian Manhunter is very consistent with previous characterization (maybe fitting a younger/newer Jâonn but not really one whoâs been through the Detroit, JLI, and JLA eras), but other than that, itâs⊠honestly up there with the best of JLI and Waidâs JLA as one of my favorite JL comics. Itâs got a lot of emotional and thematic weight and character stuff thatâs usually pretty weak or missing from Justice League stuff.
So Busiek is just making sure JLA/Avengers is canon so Hawkeye as a JLA member is official, right? In all seriousness, that last issue is just the first of a longer arc, but it was also a really good issue. Wally is a little goofier and more hyperactive than Iâm used to his being in the comics, but animated JL was my introduction to him in particular and the Flash in general, so I donât totally mind it. Plus, playing those aspects up helps him stand out in a team-book/ensemble environment.
3,612.
Captain America: 12 issues from 1996-1997
Writers: Rob Liefeld (plotter on 6 issues), Jeph Loeb (scripter on 6 issues), James Robinson (6 issues)
Review
Hahahaha check out that art, this is the amazingly awful Liefeld content Iâve been missing out on by sticking to DC.
And I donât hate putting an eagle instead of an A on Capâs forehead, but can we talk about the fact that the design is blatantly ripped from Wonder Womanâs symbol?
Also, drinking game: Take a drink every time Capâs shield switches arms between panels.
What? Oh, the story? Meh, itâs⊠OK. Some of the intrigue and character bits are solid, but the overall plot is blaaaaaaaand. Like, the size of the following that a group of known war criminals who donât even pretend not to be Nazis manage to cobble together really strains credulity. Like, I get it, Captain America was a wartime character, but when the only villains he fights are also wartime baggage, it really makes him feel dated. And heâs sort of supposed to be dated, but not really in that way.
Liefeld and Loebâs last issue is mostly crossover tie-in, having very little connection to anything else going on, and Robinsonâs first issue is almost entirely exposition of things we already knew. In a series with only twelve issues, having two of them be filler is not particularly efficient. Thatâs, what, 17% of the series, rounding up a little? Yeesh.
Robinsonâs arc is predictable and phoned in, laying on thick with cliches that every Cap writer since Englehart at the very least has tread and retread and reretread. I actually deleted a three-paragraph rant about why this particular permutation is uniquely ineffective, but I decided it wasnât worth expending more effort on the review than the writer did on the story itself.
Liefeldâs plot was dumb in a similar way, but at least Loeb was kinda trying in terms of the script, and the villains being literal Nazis, while weird and implausible, was at least sort of cheesy and outrageous. With the amusingly ridiculous art, there was at least some unintentional entertainment value.
3,624.
Wild cowinkydink, Iâm gearin up to dive into some liefeld new52 stuff. Tell my family i loved them and here we goooooooooooooâŠ!!!
November
Whoâs Who (1985) 25, 26 - DC Library
Flash (appearances): - DC Library
Green Lantern (1960) 20, 29
Brave and the Bold (1955) 54
The New Teen Titans (1980) 7 - 14 - The New Teen Titans TPB vol. 1 & 2
DCAU Comics - DC Library
Superman Adventures (1996) 33 - 58
Digital First seriesâ - DC Library
Batman: Gotham Nights 6, 7
Aquaman: Deep Dives 6, 7
Superman: Man of Tomorrow 6, 7
Flash: Fastest Man Alive 6, 7
Wonder Woman: Agent of Peace 5 - 7
Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red 5 - 7
Batman: The Adventure Continues 1 - 3
DCeased: Hope at Worldâs End 1, 2
Groo vs. Conan 2 - 4 - Sergio Aragones Groo vs. Conan TPB
DCeased 1 - 6 - DC Library
DCeased: A Good Day to Die 1 - DC Library
Wonder Woman Conan 1 - 6 HC
Zatannaâs Search TPB
Hawman (1964) 4
Detective (1937) 336, 355
Atom (1962) 19
Green Lantern (1960) 42
Justice League of America (1960) 51
DC Blue Ribbon Digest (1980) 5
Month 76 - Year 884
Whoâs Who - Finished the series, it was fun to go back and reminisce on the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Was looking forward to the '87 Updates series, but not available on the Library, Comixology, or my local shop. So will be picking up with the Whoâs Who 1989 annuals. Just to see how the new continuity is panning out.
Still looking for hard copies of Flash from 1970 - 1985, meanwhile reading through the DC Library for all his appearances from 1959 - 1970. Flash and GL often team up together in both their seriesâ, always a fun read. In Green Lantern 20 Flash has to use GLâs power ring to try and save him. In Green Lantern 29, Flash and the rest of the Justice League decide if they want to intervene in GLâs latest threat against his life. While in Brave and Bold 54, Flash allows his teen sidekick to go help some other teen sidekicks take care of a bunch of rebellious '60s teens. (aka Not the first appearance of the Teen Titans, just the first appearance of a bunch of teen sidekicks getting together. 
)
The New Teen Titans first got together to face off with Ravenâs bad dad. In issue 7 they meet up with one of their old enemies Doctor Light, who brought his new crew, The Fearsome Five. In NTT #8, they take some me time in âA Day in the Lives . . .â. Issue 9 sees the Titans face one of Green Lanternâs old foes, the Puppeteer. In issue #10 Slade Wilson is back to harass them once again. The Titans travel to Paradise Island to get help from the Amazons to save Gar Loganâs life only to be confronted by their namesakes the Greek titans in issue 11, which continues in issue 12 with âThe Clash of the Titansâ. Issue 13 sees the rest of the Teen Titans (the males who were forbidden to set foot on Paradise Island) meet up with Robotman who is pursuing the killers of the Doom Patrol. After rescuing Mento, he attacks the Teen Titans in issue 14.
Continuing my third series set in the DC Animated Universe, Superman Adventures. Superman is faced with a bevy of problems and villains. An old high school bully, Toyman, Mxyzptlk, street thugs, Lex Luthor, space aliens, homeless children, evil wizards, Brainiac, and even the entire city of Metropolis take on Superman. But he gets help from Doctor Fate, Supergirl, and Mr. Miracle to face many threats great and small including finding a lost dog, becoming homeless, even losing his #1 fan to Batman over a Daily Planet news article. Many enjoyable tales both funny and heartwarming. All that and the series colorist, my favorite Marie Severin, in probably one of her last works.
The Digital First seriesâ continue with lots of great art and stories. Very inspiring. My two favorite characters are Batman and Flash, But my favorite stories are a toss up between Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn. Harley Quinn #7 was my favorite art, very simple tri-color palate, but highly effective in capturing Harleyâs craziness vibe. Thrilled to see two more seriesâ added to the fold. As much as I was anticipating Batman: the Adventure Continues, the new DCeased series got me hooked. I even read the original series to get caught up. I donât think George Romero could have done a better job.
Getting back into Conan, was great to see him team up with Groo. Two more complete polar opposites couldnât have been found. Conversely, Conan teaming up with Wonder Woman was like hand in glove. Gail Simone did a most excellent job fusing the two warriors together. The art was perfect for the story.
After reading Flash 198, guest starring the (then) new super hero Zatanna, I picked up the Zatannaâs Search TPB. One of DCâs first crossover stories Zatanna, spent 20 years (two in publication years) searching for her father Zatara, another personal favorite. It was great to reread this yarn after all these years and have it collected in one book.
Dude, you wanna read some crazy fun? Google up DIGITAL COMICS MUSEUM, create an account, totally free, and soak up all those public domain books. Early BLUE BEETLE, CAPTAIN MARVEL, PLASTIC MAN, etc. Good stuff
First hammock reading, now this. 
2006 Justice League 1-28
2006 Justice Society 1-34
2008 JSA Kingdom Come 1
2008 Magog 1
2008 The Kingdom 1
2008 Salvation Run 1-7
Total DC this year: 653
Iâm going to skip the JLA and JSA for a bit. Iâm here to read Wonder Woman and those comics had a decided lack of her in them. Once Iâm up to the present on WW I might skip back and finish them up.
Had a long plane ride and could only read DC books because Marvel Unlimited doesnât let you download more than like six at a time, so:
JSA: 13 issues from 2004
Writer: Geoff Johns
OK, you know what? Yeah. This is substantially better without Goyer getting in Johnsâ way. Iâm still not super into it, but the characters already feel a lot better developed. Could still use a smaller roster, but the one it has is being juggled all right.
Letâs see, specifics: The Black Adam arc was solid overall. The way the Courtney/Billy relationship was cut off was a bit odd (The Wisdom of Solomon apparently told Billy not to trust Jay Garrick with his secret identity? Is Jay that sketchy?) but I wasnât all that invested in it to begin with. The Spectre arc is great but Iâm biased because Tom Mandrake drawing the Spectre is my happy place. It keeps trying to convince us that Jesse and Rick are really hitting it off, and then heâs missing and dying for like six issues and she doesnât even appear, let alone react. The Sand arc was a little bluh, but I think I just donât like Sand specifically. Heâs sort of my symbol of the superficial-coolness-without-depth that characterized all of the Goyer-era stuff. Iâve been finding Rick fairly bland, but I do like Rex, so the Hourman arc was interesting.
But in general, the characters I actually like, like Doctor Mid-Nite and Stargirl, are getting more time to⊠not so much to do stuff but to be themselves and have their actual personality traits matter as much as their lists of superpowers.
3,637.
Batman: Gotham Knights: 9 issues from 2004
Writers: Scott Beatty (3 issues), A.J. Lieberman (6 issues)
Beatty is still not impressing me. I like most of these characters but nothing is quite clicking. King Snake being Baneâs father is also really dumb. I didnât get the sense that he was that much older than Bane, it contradicts the implications from books at the time, and it doesnât really say anything about either character.
Mixed feelings about what Iâve seen of Liebermanâs run so far. From moment to moment, thereâs some cool, interesting stuff going on. Prometheus is a bit of a loser, but he was overpowered and obnoxious to begin with so itâs also immensely satisfying. Characterization for the various protagonists seems relatively solid. The Riddler getting some focus is always a plus.
But Hush gets away with way too much nonsense. Half the things he does only work because heâs inexplicably this unstoppable hand-to-hand combatant, and some of his plans depend on just kind of arbitrarily winning at stuff. Also, the shirtless look is kinda dumb.
And absolutely everything being done with the Joker is indefensible. I think thatâs probably the main reason people donât like this, and itâs fair.
3,646.
Catwoman: 9 issues from 2004
Writer: Ed Brubaker
The main plot even directly âfesses up to being redundant with the original Black Mask arc. Only with 100% more Zeiss. And, like, writers are entitled to their pet villains, but Zeiss just has nothing going for him, man.
3,655.
Gotham Central: 12 issues from 2004
Writers: Ed Brubaker (5 issues and co-writer on 3), Greg Rucka (4 issues and co-writer on 3)
Finishing the Joker arc I started last time, and- Oh, would you stop with the Batman-suddenly-appears-at-the-end-and-resolves-it thing?!
And the Jokerâs plan makes no sense anyway. And not in a âThe Joker is crazy and trying to do something weirdâ way, in a âThis is a stupid way of accomplishing even the crazy goal he hasâ way. If his ultimate goal is to set off a bomb where itâll hit Christmas shoppers after he lulls everyone into a false sense of security by turning himself in, why did he bother with the initial shooting spree (which is otherwise basically unfunny) to scare everyone in the first place? Itâs the nefarious scheme equivalent of digging a hole and filling it back in.
The poison arc is actually sort of a clever mystery. Guest-starring a gratuitous Huntress cameo for what amounts to a red herring. And also the âCharacter with a similar silhouette to Batman is shown in silhouette to make you think itâs Batman for a momentâ clichĂ©, but guys, Huntress is on the cover, youâre not fooling anyone.
Mad Hatter arc is a bit frustrating. I actually sort of like Harvey Bullock, but after the indignity of the Officer Down crossover, he could stand to be left in peace. And if you had to not leave him in peace and you had to make him a gung ho idiot, you could at least not try to act like itâs a good thing when he gets off scot-free for being an idiot.
I guess thereâs nothing actively wrong with the last arc I read from â04, so thereâs that, I guess.
3,667.
Just finished 2006 Wonder Woman. 60 amazing issues. Great authors, great stories. Really enjoyed it!
Total DC: 710
After a couple cups of coffee, Iâll go into how AXECOP is gold and Liefeld aint all THAT badâŠ
I finally did it! Thanks to Thanksgiving break, I crossed the 1500 mark for the year. My previous best was 1642 3 years ago and that was a chore. I donât think m going to do that this year.
So what did I read?
Morning Glories 1-25 (25)
Freedom Fighters 1-9 (9)
Rebels 0-2 (3)
Ghost Special 1
Ghost 1-9 (9)
Ultimate Spider-Man 1-133, Annual 1 (134)
Chronos Commandos 1-5 (5)
That is 186 more comics read, added to my previous total of 1332, brings my total to 1518!