2021 Comic Reading Challenge

Always a good idea. 10/10 would recommend.

Amazons Attack is a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy it!

7 Likes

Amazons Attack: 14 issues from 2007
Crossover
OK, this is an… infamous event, and my first exposure to it was a very critical in-depth review, but we’ll see what I wind up thinking.

Issue-by-issue breakdown
  • Wonder Woman #6 by Jodi Picoult: I feel like I’ve seen Diana not knowing how to pump gas mocked pretty extensively, but in a weird way it sort of makes sense? I mean, she could have picked it up, but when would she have needed to? I’m not sure I know how to pump gas; I don’t drive so I’ve never needed to. Though I do think she’d have a better sense of how far money goes and gas prices in general. Also, everyone hates Nemesis, but his getting hyped about a Wonder Woman action figure is adorable. I think I love him. (I mean, I already liked him from Ostrander’s Suicide Squad, but he’s hated here specifically.)

  • Wonder Woman #7 by Jodi Picoult: … OK, scratch that, Nemesis is starting to get a little on my nerves.

  • Wonder Woman #8 by Jodi Picoult: Patience with Nemesis plummeting. At least Hippolyta is finally back to life?

  • Amazons Attack! #1 by Will Pfeifer: Enough famous monuments getting gratuitously blown up to make Roland Emmerich blush. I mean, I get that somebody decided to make this mediocre solo book arc into an event for some reason and you need to justify the separate miniseries, but how are we supposed to assume this stuff got rebuilt?

  • Wonder Woman #9 by Jodi Picoult: This issue has more of the actual plot than the event mini. Also, DC is going to run out of monuments very quickly at this rate.

  • Amazons Attack! #2 by Will Pfeifer: I think Philippus being reasonable is meant to be a good thing, but that the Amazons are participating in this at all despite apparently not being under whatever mind-whammy is affecting Hippolyta is really bad. Though Artemis is being reasonable too, so she must be mind controlled or a pod person or something. Also, apparently they took time out to light the entirety of Kansas on fire. This is an actual plot point we’re actually going with.

  • Wonder Woman #10 by Jodi Picoult: I’m noticing that there are a bunch of scenes that happen in both the event mini and here, but only make sense here. Also, the dramatic moment where Nemesis calls Wonder Woman “Diana” loses a lot of weight since it was very publicly known that Wonder Woman’s name was Diana well before she ever tried to do the secret identity thing. Also also, I finally know the context for the line. What line?

  • Amazons Attack! #3 by Will Pfeifer: This line.
    Bees My God Higher Quality
    For some reason, Batman is hilarious in this event. He’s so done with everything that’s going on.

  • Amazons Attack! #4 by Will Pfeifer: Wait, Wonder Girl and Supergirl attacked Air Force One for the sake of diplomacy? And the Bana are suddenly randomly evil again?

  • Wonder Woman #11 by J. Torres: OK. Magic nukes. Why not?

  • Amazons Attack! #5 by Will Pfeifer: Well, the shield and Grace Choi sure had a point. I don’t know what it is, but I’m pretending there was one.

  • Amazons Attack! #6 by Will Pfeifer: Nice of Circe to just roll up and explain her whole plan. I mean, at least Scooby-Doo villains wait until they get caught to do this. Even Bond villains wait until they’ve caught Bond to monologue at him. Circe just volunteers this stuff. And then Athena deus ex machinas the whole thing away, and then it turns out that Athena is actually Granny Goodness, and… that’s the end? That’s all we get? Wow. That’s impressively nonsensical. Like, I assume this was somehow Countdown or Final Crisis-related, but I don’t know how a reader was supposed to figure that out.

  • Wonder Woman #12 by J. Torres: I love how when they open the tomb, Steel is just standing there. They were really rushing to wrap all this up, weren’t they?

  • Wonder Woman #13 by J. Torres: OK, finally out of tie-ins. And I didn’t even read the Teen Titans, Catwoman, or Supergirl issues.

… Yeah, this was… something.
222.

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I think you and I are in the minority on this. I really enjoyed Amazons Attack. Maybe it helps that I was removed from the original release?

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@darkstarz

It’s funny- I don’t disagree with anything @JeepersItsTheJamags says in the review above. Nemesis is annoying. Kansas is on fire. Supergirl and Wonder Girl just smashed up Air Force 1. There is a lot of nonsense going on here.

But I still really loved the series.

I think for me the only unforgivable sin in what I read is it cannot be boring. Everything else I can deal with, although things too out of character do make me uneasy.

Then again, my favorite character is know for peace and war, love and battle, truth and espionage. She’s been a goddess of truth, warrior princess, clay brought to life, goddess of war, ambassador of peace, demigoddess daughter of Zeus, or Ares, or that weird-ass thing under Themyscira, a neck-snapping murderess, and one who loves everyone, so what exactly is out of character for her, anyways?

Oh, and I am from New Hampshire so this will never not be funny to me. :joy:

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Wonder Woman: 59 issues from 2008-2011
Writers: Gail Simone (31 issues, story in #600), Amanda Conner (story in #600), Louise Simonson (story in #600), Geoff Johns (story in #600), J. Michael Straczynski (4 issues, co-writer on 10 issues, story in #600), Phil Hester (co-writer on 10 issues)
OK, gorillas. I, uh, I can work with gorillas?

I was very tempted to make that my entire review, but when in doubt, I prefer to be longwinded.

Ahem, anyway, the Circle arc is sort of interesting. Captain Nazi and his henchmen sort of drag it down. They don’t accomplish much, and the fact that they’re Nazis doesn’t really build to a greater point other than an uncomfortable abundance of gratuitous swastikas. But Akyone and the Circle themselves are interesting antagonists, and also a good name for a band.

After I finished reading the space arc and wanted to write something about it, it took me about thirty seconds to remember that there was a second arc. Space arcs have a better track record than time travel arcs – it’s a low bar, but they clear it. And while it’s sort of an odd choice for Wonder Woman, this one actually did sort of fit, and had some interesting moments. It felt like filler, but it did the job of filler as well as it needed to. The Khunds getting more development than “Are evil, heroes punch them” was neat, I guess.

“The Ends of the Earth” is oh my god Aaron Lopresti’s art is gorgeous this is the best this book has looked since Pérez.

Ahem, I mean, uh, the story. Of the book. I feel like I might appreciate what’s going on a bit more if I were familiar with the ‘70s sword-and-sorcery comics it seems to be referencing (not to be confused with Sword of Sorcery, though the original volume of that apparently spun out of a much older Wonder Woman crossover, while the New 52 one also features two of these characters and the main feature is drawn by Lopresti, so… I don’t know that this information is at all actionable, but there it is), and I was a bit lost until I looked up the other three characters. But it’s still enjoyable.

I think I missed the title, but the arc with the movie was fun, especially having read that Action Comics story with the Queen of Fables recently as well. Though around this point, I should say that while Nemesis isn’t as obnoxious as he had been under one or two of the preceding writers, and has even gotten a couple pretty good scenes, I feel like we’re getting too little idea of what Diana actually sees in him.

For Rise of the Olympian, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, the villain looks perfectly ridiculous and has a name that even the most over-the-top ‘90s writers would find excessive. On the other hand, HOLY CRAP.

I mean, you’ve got this big, strong, scary masked monster that comes out of nowhere and beats up the hero, and then beats up the Justice League, and then the hero is going to throw down with it again and hey wait a second this is just Doomsday isn’t it

Ahem, anyway, I’m curious. So, back during Amazons Attack, Nemesis beat up Sarge Steel and locked him up while pretending to be him. But that wasn’t Sarge Steel, it was Everyman, who had beaten up the real Sarge Steel and locked him up while pretending to be him. But was that already Doctor Psycho, who had beaten up the real real Sarge Steel and locked him up while pretending to be him, or did that happen later? Have we even seen the real Sarge Steel in this series? Have we ever seen the real Sarge Steel? Is there a real Sarge Steel, or has he just been a series of Life Model Decoys this whole time?

The subplot with the gods and the Olympians feels abrupt and incomplete. Was this a tie-in to something else going on? Like, is this Countdown stuff? I feel like this is Countdown stuff.

I’m not sure whether the resolution to the Nemesis romance (?) subplot makes it better or worse. The whole thing still feels very perfunctory. I don’t even dislike Nemesis in general or here specifically; it’s just that the actual relationship feels like a perfunctory waste of time for both parties.

As far as the gratuitous Black Canary teamup goes, I love Dinah. That is all.

OK, everything from here to the bottom of the post, I read on a very long plane ride, so my comments are going to get a lot more vague because it’s not fresh in my memory.

Warkiller was a good arc (at least if you can pardon another more-‘90s-than-the-actual-‘90s name). It’s a bit odd because it feels like it was meant to be the climax of the run, but it kind of keeps going for another couple arcs that are more disconnected.

For the Children of Ares arc, I’m sorry, I just can’t stop thinking of them as a gang of five miniature Angus Youngs. That’s not a bad thing, necessarily, it just bears pointing out.

The Citizenry is a very, uh, we-ran-out-of-ideas kind of arc.

Anniversary issues are usually a little dull, and #600 lives down to that standard, but I guess it was kinda neat.

The “Odyssey” arc by Straczynski is, like… I guess it’s a passable elseworld? I don’t want to be down on it for being different from normal Wonder Woman continuity because that’s kind of the point, but it feels like much more generic urban fantasy stuff.
281.

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I have read a whole bunch of Injustice, some Hellblazer, some Justice League Dark, and continued reading the New Mutants. After the first month, my total is 603 comics.

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Dude, you gotta check out those SWORD OF SOCERY new52 books, at least #0-4. There’s Lopresti in full bloom and some sweet back up stories. Totally worth a quick read on a long trip.

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Oh, yeah, I read those last year. Prefer the original Amethyst story-wise, but I loved the visuals.

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And havin just read a book where GHOST RIDER fights a shark, I’m switchin over to a book where MAN-WOLF mixes it up with some mountain boys and the Hate-Monger…70s Marvel was glorious

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January 2021 Update

264 comics read in January
264 comics read in 2021 :joker_hv_2: :kingshark_hqas:
avg of 8.54 books read per day

List of Books Read
Comic Publisher Trade/Collection Date Read
Batman: Gotham Nights (2020) 0012 DC 01/01/2021
Batman: Gotham Nights (2020) 0013 DC 01/01/2021
Swamp Thing: New Roots (2020) 0003 DC 01/01/2021
Swamp Thing: New Roots (2020) 0004 DC 01/01/2021
The Scumbag (2020) 0003 Image 01/01/2021
Wonder Woman: Agent of Peace (2020) 0012 DC 01/01/2021
Titans: Titans Together (2020) 0001 DC 01/01/2021
Harley Quinn Black + White + Red (2020) 0012 DC 01/01/2021
Harley Quinn Black + White + Red (2020) 0013 DC 01/01/2021
Lois Lane (2019) 0001 DC 01/01/2021
Lois Lane (2019) 0002 DC 01/01/2021
Lois Lane (2019) 0003 DC 01/02/2021
Lois Lane (2019) 0004 DC 01/02/2021
Lois Lane (2019) 0005 DC 01/02/2021
Lois Lane (2019) 0006 DC 01/02/2021
Red Border (2020) 0001 AWA Upshot Red Border Vol. 1 01/02/2021
Red Border (2020) 0002 AWA Upshot Red Border Vol. 1 01/02/2021
Red Border (2020) 0003 AWA Upshot Red Border Vol. 1 01/02/2021
Red Border (2020) 0004 AWA Upshot Red Border Vol. 1 01/02/2021
Year Zero (2020) 0001 AWA Upshot Year Zero Vol. 1 01/02/2021
Year Zero (2020) 0002 AWA Upshot Year Zero Vol. 1 01/02/2021
Year Zero (2020) 0003 AWA Upshot Year Zero Vol. 1 01/02/2021
Year Zero (2020) 0004 AWA Upshot Year Zero Vol. 1 01/02/2021
Year Zero (2020) 0005 AWA Upshot Year Zero Vol. 1 01/02/2021
Dracula, Motherf**cker! (2020) 0001 Image 01/03/2021
Justice League America (1987) 0078 DC Wonder Woman and Justice League America Vol. 1 01/03/2021
Justice League America (1987) 0079 DC Wonder Woman and Justice League America Vol. 1 01/03/2021
House of Mystery (2008) 0011 Vertigo 01/03/2021
House of Mystery (2008) 0012 Vertigo 01/03/2021
House of Mystery (2008) 0013 Vertigo 01/03/2021
House of Mystery (2008) 0014 Vertigo 01/03/2021
New Year’s Evil Prometheus (1997) 0001 DC 01/03/2021
New Year’s Evil (2019) 0001 DC 01/03/2021
Batman: The Adventures Continue (2020) 0007 DC 01/03/2021
Batman: The Adventures Continue (2020) 0008 DC 01/03/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0001 DC 01/03/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0002 DC 01/03/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0003 DC 01/03/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0004 DC 01/03/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0005 DC 01/03/2021
Crossover (2020) 0001 Image 01/03/2021
Crossover (2020) 0002 Image 01/03/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0056 Top Cow 01/03/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0057 Top Cow 01/03/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0058 Top Cow 01/03/2021
House of X (2019) 0004 Marvel 01/03/2021
Powers of X (2019) 0004 Marvel 01/03/2021
House of X (2019) 0005 Marvel 01/03/2021
Powers of X (2019) 0005 Marvel 01/03/2021
House of X (2019) 0006 Marvel 01/03/2021
Powers of X (2019) 0006 Marvel 01/03/2021
Justice League America (1987) 0080 DC Wonder Woman and Justice League America Vol. 1 01/04/2021
Justice League America (1987) 0081 DC Wonder Woman and Justice League America Vol. 1 01/04/2021
Justice League America (1987) 0082 DC Wonder Woman and Justice League America Vol. 1 01/04/2021
Byte-Sized (2020) 0001 AWA Upshot 01/04/2021
X-Men (2019) 0001 Marvel 01/05/2021
Lois Lane (2019) 0007 DC 01/06/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0006 DC 01/06/2021
Crossover (2020) 0003 Image 01/06/2021
Future State: Wonder Woman (2021) 0001 DC 01/06/2021
Future State: Superman of Metropolis (2021) 0001 DC 01/06/2021
Hot Valley Days & Cocaine Nights (2020) 0001 Antarctic Press 01/07/2021
Future State: Harley Quinn (2021) 0001 DC 01/07/2021
Marauders (2019) 0001 Marvel 01/07/2021
Excalibur (2019) 0001 Marvel 01/07/2021
New Mutants (2019) 0001 Marvel 01/07/2021
X-Force (2019) 0001 Marvel 01/07/2021
Fallen Angels (2019) 0001 Marvel 01/08/2021
Durham Red: Better Red Than Dead! (2020) 0001 2000 AD Compilation of stories from misc 2000 AD Progs and others 01/08/2021
X-Men (2019) 0002 Marvel 01/09/2021
Sensational Wonder Woman (2021) 0001 DC 01/09/2021
Batman: The Adventures Continue (2020) 0009 DC 01/09/2021
Harley Quinn Black + White + Red (2020) 0014 DC 01/09/2021
Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020) 0011 DC 01/09/2021
Titans: Titans Together (2020) 0002 DC 01/09/2021
Titans: Burning Rage (2019) 0005 DC 01/09/2021
Swamp Thing: New Roots (2020) 0005 DC 01/09/2021
Excalibur (2019) 0002 Marvel 01/09/2021
Marauders (2019) 0002 Marvel 01/09/2021
The Huntress (1989) 0001 DC 01/09/2021
The Huntress (1989) 0002 DC 01/09/2021
The Huntress (1989) 0003 DC 01/09/2021
The Huntress (1989) 0004 DC 01/10/2021
The Huntress (1989) 0005 DC 01/10/2021
The Huntress (1989) 0006 DC 01/10/2021
New Mutants (2019) 0002 Marvel 01/10/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0006 DC 01/10/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0007 DC 01/10/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0008 DC 01/10/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0009 DC 01/10/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0010 DC 01/10/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0011 DC 01/10/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0012 DC 01/10/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0000 DC 01/10/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0013 DC 01/10/2021
Action Comics Annual (2012) 0001 DC 01/10/2021
Green Arrow (2001) 0001 DC 01/10/2021
Batman: Gotham Nights (2020) 0014 DC 01/10/2021
Knock Em Dead (2020) 0002 Aftershock 01/10/2021
Future State: The Flash (2021) 0001 DC 01/10/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0014 DC 01/11/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0015 DC 01/11/2021
Betty & Veronica (2016) 0001 Archie Comics Betty & Veronica by Adam Hughes 01/11/2021
Betty & Veronica (2016) 0002 Archie Comics Betty & Veronica by Adam Hughes 01/12/2021
Betty & Veronica (2016) 0003 Archie Comics Betty & Veronica by Adam Hughes 01/12/2021
Jughead (2015) 0012 Archie Comics Betty & Veronica by Adam Hughes 01/12/2021
Archie (2015) 0001 Archie Comics Archie: Varsity Edition Vol. 1 01/13/2021
Future State: Swamp Thing (2021) 0001 DC 01/13/2021
Future State: The Next Batman (2021) 0001 DC 01/13/2021
Archie (2015) 0002 Archie Comics Archie: Varsity Edition Vol. 1 01/14/2021
Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman (2021) 0001 DC 01/15/2021
DC Nation Presents: Future State (2020) 0001 DC 01/15/2021
Future State: Kara Zor-El, Superwoman (2021) 0001 DC 01/15/2021
Archie (2015) 0003 Archie Comics Archie: Varsity Edition Vol. 1 01/15/2021
Black Canary Wedding Planner (2007) 0001 DC 01/15/2021
Future State: Teen Titans (2021) 0001 DC 01/16/2021
Future State: Dark Detective (2021) 0001 DC 01/16/2021
Sensational Wonder Woman (2021) 0002 DC 01/16/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0059 Top Cow 01/16/2021
Tomb Raider (1999) 0025 Top Cow 01/16/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0060 Top Cow 01/16/2021
Evo (2003) 0001 Top Cow 01/16/2021
Archie (2015) 0004 Archie Comics Archie: Varsity Edition Vol. 1 01/16/2021
Snotgirl (2016) 0012 Image Snotgirl Vol. 3: Is This Real Life? 01/16/2021
Home Sick Pilots (2020) 0002 Image 01/16/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0061 Top Cow 01/16/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0062 Top Cow 01/16/2021
American Vampire 1976 (2020) 0004 DC Black Label 01/16/2021
Generations Shattered (2021) 0001 DC 01/16/2021
World of Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest (2021) 0001 Archie Comics 01/17/2021
Nightwing (2016) 0070 DC 01/18/2021
Nightwing (2016) 0071 DC 01/18/2021
Nightwing (2016) 0072 DC 01/18/2021
Nightwing (2016) 0073 DC 01/18/2021
Archie (2015) 0005 Archie Comics Archie: Varsity Edition Vol. 1 01/18/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0036 DC 01/18/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0037 DC 01/18/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0038 DC 01/18/2021
Action Comics (2011) 0039 DC 01/18/2021
Harley Quinn: Make 'Em Laugh (2020) 0001 DC 01/18/2021
Uncanny X-Men (1981) 458 Marvel 01/18/2021
Betty and Veronica: Friends Forever (2018) 0012 Archie Comics 01/19/2021
Archie Christmas Spectacular (2020) 0001 Archie Comics 01/20/2021
Plunge (2020) 0001 Hill House 01/20/2021
Static (1993) 0001 Milestone 01/20/2021
Uncanny X-Men (1981) 459 Marvel 01/21/2021
Harley Quinn: Make 'Em Laugh (2020) 0002 DC 01/21/2021
Harley Quinn: Make 'Em Laugh (2020) 0003 DC 01/21/2021
Plunge (2020) 0002 Hill House 01/21/2021
Plunge (2020) 0003 Hill House 01/21/2021
Plunge (2020) 0004 Hill House 01/21/2021
Hardware (1993) 0001 Milestone 01/22/2021
World’s Finest: Batwoman and Supergirl (2020) 0001 DC 01/22/2021
World’s Finest: Batwoman and Supergirl (2020) 0002 DC 01/22/2021
Birds of Prey: Sirens of Justice (2020) 0001 DC 01/22/2021
Birds of Prey: Sirens of Justice (2020) 0002 DC 01/22/2021
Lois Lane (2019) 0008 DC 01/22/2021
Lois Lane (2019) 0009 DC 01/22/2021
Lois Lane (2019) 0010 DC 01/22/2021
Lois Lane (2019) 0011 DC 01/22/2021
Lois Lane (2019) 0012 DC 01/22/2021
Byte-Sized (2020) 0002 AWA Upshot 01/23/2021
The Scumbag (2020) 0004 Image 01/23/2021
The Resistance Reborns (2020) 0001 AWA Upshot 01/23/2021
Batman (2016) 0021 DC Batman/The Flash: The Button Deluxe Edition 01/24/2021
The Flash (2016) 0021 DC Batman/The Flash: The Button Deluxe Edition 01/24/2021
Batman (2016) 0022 DC Batman/The Flash: The Button Deluxe Edition 01/24/2021
The Flash (2016) 0022 DC Batman/The Flash: The Button Deluxe Edition 01/24/2021
Ghosts (2020) 0001 DC 01/24/2021
Ghosts (2020) 0002 DC 01/24/2021
DCeased: Dead Planet (2020) 0007 DC 01/24/2021
Future State: Justice League (2021) 0001 DC 01/24/2021
Doomsday Clock (2017) 0001 DC Doomsday Clock: The Complete Collection 01/24/2021
Teen Titans Go! (2003) 0013 DC 01/25/2021
Josie and the Pussycats (2016) 0001 Archie Comics Josie and the Pussycats Vol. 1 01/25/2021
Josie and the Pussycats (2016) 0002 Archie Comics Josie and the Pussycats Vol. 1 01/26/2021
Future State: Catwoman (2021) 0001 DC 01/26/2021
Future State: Nightwing (2021) 0001 DC 01/26/2021
Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman (2021) 0001 DC 01/26/2021
Sensational Wonder Woman (2021) 0003 DC 01/26/2021
Future State: The Next Batman (2021) 0002 DC 01/27/2021
Haha (2021) 0001 Image 01/27/2021
Archie (2015) 0006 Archie Comics Archie: Varsity Edition Vol. 1 01/27/2021
Josie and the Pussycats (2016) 0003 Archie Comics Josie and the Pussycats Vol. 1 01/27/2021
Josie and the Pussycats (2016) 0004 Archie Comics Josie and the Pussycats Vol. 1 01/28/2021
E-Ratic (2020) 0001 AWA Upshot 01/28/2021
Battletoads: The Lost Adventure (2020) 0001 Titan Comics 01/28/2021
Battletoads: The Lost Adventure (2020) 0002 Titan Comics 01/28/2021
Irredeemable (2009) 0001 Boom Studios 01/28/2021
Future State: Aquaman (2021) 0001 DC 01/28/2021
Sensational Wonder Woman (2021) 0004 DC 01/28/2021
Future State: Batman/Superman (2021) 0001 DC 01/29/2021
Future State: Dark Detective (2021) 0002 DC 01/29/2021
Future State: Green Lantern (2021) 0001 DC 01/29/2021
Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes (2021) 0001 DC 01/29/2021
Future State: Robin Eternal (2021) 0001 DC 01/29/2021
Future State: Superman - Worlds of War (2021) 0001 DC 01/29/2021
Future State: Superman vs Imperious Lex (2021) 0001 DC 01/29/2021
Archangel 8 (2020) 0001 AWA Upshot Archangel 8 Vol. 1 01/30/2021
Archangel 8 (2020) 0002 AWA Upshot Archangel 8 Vol. 1 01/30/2021
Archangel 8 (2020) 0003 AWA Upshot Archangel 8 Vol. 1 01/30/2021
Archangel 8 (2020) 0004 AWA Upshot Archangel 8 Vol. 1 01/30/2021
Archangel 8 (2020) 0005 AWA Upshot Archangel 8 Vol. 1 01/30/2021
Future State: Shazam (2021) 0001 DC 01/30/2021
Future State: Suicide Squad (2021) 0001 DC 01/30/2021
The Other History of the DC Universe (2020) 0002 DC 01/30/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0063 Top Cow 01/30/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0064 Top Cow 01/30/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0065 Top Cow 01/30/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0066 Top Cow 01/30/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0067 Top Cow 01/30/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0068 Top Cow 01/30/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0069 Top Cow 01/30/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0070 Top Cow 01/30/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0071 Top Cow 01/30/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0072 Top Cow 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0073 Top Cow 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0074 Top Cow 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0075 Top Cow 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0076 Top Cow 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0077 Top Cow 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0078 Top Cow 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0079 Top Cow 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0080 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 1: Witch Hunt 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0081 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 1: Witch Hunt 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0082 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 1: Witch Hunt 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0083 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 1: Witch Hunt 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0084 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 1: Witch Hunt 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0085 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 1: Witch Hunt 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0086 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 2: Awakenings 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0087 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 2: Awakenings 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0088 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 2: Awakenings 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0089 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 2: Awakenings 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0090 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 2: Awakenings 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0091 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 2: Awakenings 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0092 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 2: Awakenings 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0093 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 3: Gods & Monsters 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0094 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 3: Gods & Monsters 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0095 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 3: Gods & Monsters 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0096 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 3: Gods & Monsters 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0097 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 3: Gods & Monsters 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0098 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 3: Gods & Monsters 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0099 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 3: Gods & Monsters 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0100 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 3: Gods & Monsters 01/31/2021
Witchblade: Bearers of the Blade (2006) 0001 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 3: Gods & Monsters 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0101 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 4: Eternal 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0102 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 4: Eternal 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0103 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 4: Eternal 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0104 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 4: Eternal 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0105 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 4: Eternal 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0106 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 4: Eternal 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0107 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 4: Eternal 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0108 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 4: Eternal 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0109 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 4: Eternal 01/31/2021
Witchblade 10th Anniversary Cover Gallery (2005) 0001 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 4: Eternal 01/31/2021
First Born: First Look (2007) 0001 Top Cow 01/31/2021
First Born (2007) 0001 Top Cow Artifact Orgins: First Born 01/31/2021
First Born (2007) 0002 Top Cow Artifact Orgins: First Born 01/31/2021
First Born (2007) 0003 Top Cow Artifact Orgins: First Born 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0110 Top Cow Artifact Orgins: First Born 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0111 Top Cow Artifact Orgins: First Born 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0112 Top Cow Artifact Orgins: First Born 01/31/2021
First Born: Aftermath (2008) 0001 Top Cow Artifact Orgins: First Born 01/31/2021
Witchblade (1995) 0113 Top Cow Witchblade Vol. 5 01/31/2021
Random Stats
Publisher COUNT of Comic
2000 AD 1
Aftershock 1
Antarctic Press 1
Archie Comics 17
AWA Upshot 18
Boom Studios 1
DC 118
DC Black Label 1
Hill House 4
Image 9
Marvel 18
Milestone 2
Titan Comics 2
Top Cow 67
Vertigo 4
Grand Total 264
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Skimming back through this, I realized I maybe was more ambiguous than I meant to be: I loved Simone’s run. Like, obviously it had its bumps, but the thing about her writing is that it’s actually fun and engaging enough that you can forgive its flaws even when there are a lot of them.

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January 2021
The Outsiders (1985) #11-12 2 1/2/2021
The Outsiders (1985) #13-15 3 1/4/2021
The Outsiders (1985) #16 1 1/5/2021
The Outsiders (1985) #17-18 2 1/6/2021
The Outsiders Special (1987) #1 1 1/6/2021
JSA Returns: All Star Comics (1999) #1 1 1/7/2021 JSA Book Club
JSA Returns: National Comics (1999) #1 1 1/7/2021 JSA Book Club
Fantastic Four (1961) #33 1 1/10/2021
JSA Returns: Smash Comics (1999) #1 1 1/12/2021 JSA Book Club
JSA Returns: Star Spangled Comics (1999) #1 1 1/12/2021 JSA Book Club
JSA Returns: Thrilling Comics (1999) #1 1 1/12/2021 JSA Book Club
JSA Returns: Sensation Comics (1999) #1 1 1/13/2021 JSA Book Club
JSA Returns: Adventure Comics (1999) #1 1 1/13/2021 JSA Book Club
JSA Returns: All-American Comics (1999) #1 1 1/13/2021 JSA Book Club
JSA Returns: All Star Comics (1999) #2 1 1/13/2021 JSA Book Club
Fantastic Four (1961) #34 1 1/15/2021
Fantastic Four (1961) #35-38 4 1/19/2021
Fantastic Four (1961) #39-40 2 1/20/2021
Fantastic Four (1961) #40-43 4 1/21/2021
Fantastic Four Annual (1965) #3 1 1/22/2021
The Outsiders (1985) #19 1 1/22/2021
The Outsiders (1985) #20-22 3 1/23/2021
Fantastic Four (1961) #44-46 3 1/24/2021
Fantastic Four (1961) #47-51 5 1/26/2021
Fantastic Four (1961) #52-53 2 1/29/2021
All-Star Squardron (1981) #7-8 2 1/31/2021 JSA Book Club

A total of 47 books this month and I still have 4 more issues of All-Star Squadron to read for the JSA Book Club. I was reading alot of the Fantastic Four Epic Collection and just got sidetracked from Outsiders.

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So, at the end of month one, I’ve racked up a grand total of 263 comics read, which is significantly better than the 171 that I had this time last year. Here’s the breakdown in graph form:
image.

DC Universe Infinite is obviously the victor here. I’ve been really getting into Injustice and Birds of Prey recently, so those booster my DCUI numbers dramatically. Most of the single issue count belongs to Death Metal and related tie ins as I continue to catch up on that.

Finally, here’s a breakdown of which days carried the most weight:
image

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finished the latest round of future state and Batman white knight: Harley Quin…side note BWK:HQ’s next issue looks like its going to be epic for a already epic series.
ok i need to make a word document to hold what all i have been reading.

5 Likes

So I did a ridiculous amount of reading this month.

I had the option to work a reduced shift for the month, and I had a week of vacation, and then I got really hooked on Injustice, so here we are.

I guess the number is really inflated because Injustice are so short compared to non-digital comics. I have been really enjoying it. Wow, what a story. I was blown away.

678 for the year. I’m back on 40 hours a week, no vacation for a while, and I’m almost done Injustice so I won’t be seeing these kind of numbers again.

The ones without a publisher are mostly Kickstarters. I love directly supporting people who want to make comics who would never have a chance to do so without Kickstarter.

It is kind of amazing how much these would have cost if I didn’t have DCUI and Marvel Unlimited. If they were around $5 each it would be over $3,390.

Summary

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Wonder Woman: 56 issues from 2011-2016
Writers: Brian Azzarello (37 Issues), John Ostrander (1 issue), Meredith Finch (18 issues)
Huh. All right, here’s the thing. I hate the new backstory for Diana and the Amazons. I hate the character designs. I have in the past disliked Azzarello’s work.

Given all of that, this is… weirdly fine? Like, I guess I’m not really that interested in Olympian politics or cutesy visual redesigns of mythological figures, which is the bulk of the book, but meh. I guess I liked Percy Jackson (the books, not the movies, please – I have some taste), so I can’t really ding this for being essentially the same thing.

I guess I was just expecting “unmitigated train wreck of epic proportions,” not “passably uninteresting but doing the best it can with a questionable premise.” Part of that is that some of the New 52-era characterization issues involving Wonder Woman like the murder-happy tendencies and the being Superman’s girlfriend that I’ve heard extensive criticism of seem to have mainly been in other books.

Though did we really need yet another Constantine clone (Clonstantine?)? Lennox comes out of nowhere and contributes very little other than exposition for how much attention he gets. He’s really out of place.

Also Orion… Uh. I think I miss Nemesis.

And you know what? I thought I understood the prophecy that’s motivating most of the action here, but the more the characters talk about it, the less certain I am that I have any clue what they’re talking about. They keep hedging and rephrasing it to suggest it could mean something different.

I’m also noticing that the longer this plot goes on, the less Diana is in it. Like, she’s kind of around, standing next to the characters who are important and occasionally winning fights against them, but she’s overall a very passive player in the whole thing.

The First Born is one of the villains who talks a really big game about how dangerous he is, but rarely seems to be able to conclusively beat anybody. Very Morrison.

The Forever Evil tie-in issue focusing on the Cheetah is interesting. I’m not totally sold on this iteration of the backstory, but John Ostrander and Wonder Woman are two great tastes that I feel like would taste great together.

Also, I have to say the tic of gods being referred to by their domains instead of their names half the time is really annoying. Like, this is a Wonder Woman book, and Ares is literally never actually called Ares. And I think “Strife” is Eris, but I don’t even know that for certain, especially since she seems to be the only god involved in the plot who’s not one of the Twelve Olympians. Well, other than a one-page appearance by Persephone that’s pretty much for shock value and doesn’t go anywhere. And this First Born guy, who’s original to the series, I guess.

I choose to believe the scene where she embraces her role as the new god of war and immediately takes her shoes off is a stealth Order of the Stick reference, but only because I don’t know what the point of all the gods not wearing shoes is to begin with.

So, despite all the preceding snark, and as annoying as some of the underlying continuity choices were, I didn’t hate this. Didn’t love it, but it was actually surprisingly readable.

OK, Meredith Finch’s run. So the elephant in the room here is Donna Troy, since she takes up a pretty big chunk of the plot. While I confess to never really having found Donna interesting, I find Evil Psychopath Donna even less so. The fact that it is her serves no purpose at all other than insulting Regular Donna’s fans. This could easily have been Devastation or an original character entirely. I mean, why would this character even be named that? The other Amazons all still have single, vaguely Greek-sounding names.

Though… I guess the ensuing redemption arc kind of makes up for most of that? And if that was the plan all along, maybe people just didn’t like it because they were impatient. I don’t know that there’s that much payoff, but it’s not like the character was ruined.

The closing arc is also a little odd, with how surprised Diana acts out to find out that—gasp!—the Greek gods are not very nice people. I think they all pretty much proved that back in Azzarello’s run. And then that’s all kind of glossed over when it turns out that Darth Maul- uh, I mean Hecate really is the villain.

Now, it’s on to Rebirth. Historically speaking, every time I’ve picked up a Greg Rucka book, I’ve tried to tell myself that this one was actually going to be good, honest, and that’s turned out to be true maybe… once? Twice? But I really don’t want to be That Guy who liked New 52 Wonder Woman better than Rebirth Wonder Woman, so I guess that’ll have to be the source of my misplaced optimism this time around.
337.

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Jan -
Adam Strange (2004) #1
Seven Soldiers of Victory (2005) #0
Promethea (1999) #1
(Month - 3, Total - 3)

Feb -
Adam Strange (2004) #2
Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld (1983) #1
Aquaman (2016) #43
Arion, Lord of Atlantis (1982) #1, 2
Challenge of the Unknown (Ace Magazines, 1950) #6
Justice League Dark (2018) #1-6
Justice League Dark/Wonder Woman: The Witching Hour (2018) #1
Legion of Super-Heroes (1980) #298 (Amethyst story)
Power Man (Marvel, 1974) #48
Promethea (1999) #2
The Question (1986) #1
Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight (2005) #1
Wonder Woman/Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour (2018) #1
Wonder Woman (2016) #56-60
(Month - 24, Total - 27)

Updated Feb 28th.

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I know I’ve been gushin overr marvel 70s lunacy but I have been diggin ALOT of DC. Both the new L.O.S.H and Young Justice books are interesting, but if you binge several issues of both in the same week it gets pretty clear that they’re the same book. The Batman’s grave is a solid read, minus of few “out of character” snarks from Alfred. It’s old school Bruce, solving crimes. Like, doing DETECTIVE STUFF. I wanted to pick it up in print, but glad I waited, it’s Ellis, so it reads better in chunks. Picked the PLUNGE as my first Hill House book, cause of Stuart Immomen, excellent book. Sci-fi Lovecraft, looking forward to reading more of these. And for a final plug, the new SUICIDE SQUAD RULES. It’s a nice twist on the concept with a solid mix of new and old characters. Ok, goin back in, I wanna read that Super Friends with Plastic Man that I never knew existed. Life is good.

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