The month of June was chosen for LGBT Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. In celebration of Pride Month, I want to welcome you to a Book Club featuring LGBT characters.
To kick off the Pride Book Club, we will be reading Midnighter.
WHAT TO READ
MIDNIGHTER (2015-) Issues 1-5
SPOILER discussion begins now and goes through June 8th. Let us know what you’re thinking of the comic as you read.
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:
Is this your introduction to Midnighter?
What do you think about the way the artist portrays action scenes?
Did you enjoy seeing Midnighter interacting with a certain BatFam member?
Are you interested in learning more about Midnighter?
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the overall story, characters, art, etc.
To answer the first question, definitely not my introduction – I’ve read him a good chunk back when he was in The Authority and in Grayson. I vaguely remember reading some of this series as well, but not much, it’ll probably feel fairly fresh.
LOL, I plan on this Book Club only being four weeks for Pride Month
I have to read Grayson! I never read Midnighter in that book, but am looking forward to it. I read this series when it was coming out and reread it like 2 times after that, but it’s still been 2-3 years since so I’m sure many parts will feel fresh to me as well
Haha, I definitely need to read Grayson. Just have to finish a few annuals from Batgirl, then I’ll move on to Nightwing and from there I’ll go to Grayson. IDK how long that will take though.
Okay, finished up these five issues. It was kind of hard to stop there, I’m definitely going to have to keep going and finish this run, probably move on to Midnighter and Apollo after that!
“2) What do you think about the way the artist portrays action scenes?”
It’s pretty cool – ACO does a good job of making the action as chaotic and bloody as the character requires, but still making it clear and easy to read. The other artist, Stephen Mooney also does a good job of keeping that up.
“3) Did you enjoy seeing Midnighter interacting with a certain BatFam member?”
Definitely! Initially, it felt kind of superfluous, like Orlando wrote Grayson in solely because he knows Grayson is popular and sexy beefcake between him and Midnighter would make some buzz. But in the end it helped continue to show Midnighter’s honorable side – he’s a bit of a sadistic, twisted, psychopathic dude, but there is a code to him, and as previous issues show, it comes from a genuine need to see justice done and from not wanting to see others suffer as he has.
More I think about it, it kind of makes me bummed that this Midnighter never met Batman – I think there definitely could have been some great drama there, because they are so similar and yet so different.
“4) Are you interested in learning more about Midnighter?”
Definitely. I want to keep reading so I can see what his actual past is.
Midnighter and Apollo is pretty good too. I totally get you on wanting to read more to learn more about M’s past.
The action scenes ACO does are really neat. At first, I had to adjust how I was looking at a page because it can be frenetic. It feels like an action movie. I like when they do windows/panels that are like x-rays showing what’s happening below the surface after every blow that’s dealt in a fight.
I love the Grayson interaction. It makes me want to hurry through Nightwing’s New 52 run so I can get to Grayson. Those scenes are steamy, but like you said, they do add to Midnighter’s honorable side in the end.
I really do wish this series had lasted longer and that we could have seen him interact with more of the DC Universe at large. Him meeting Batman would have been cool.
I was familiar with Midnighter before this series. I think I first heard of him around 2000 or so. Seems like I read about The Authority in an issue of Wizard around that time.
I didn’t read a book featuring Midnighter until WorldStorm began in 2006. That and the new volume of The Authority were my first times reading a book with him. Then came the Grifter/Midnighter mini which I remember being a hoot.
The art. I like it a great deal. I think Aco’s is a bit more intense and fits Midnighter’s style of bone cracking justice the best. Alec Morgan and Stephen Mooney step up admirably when needed.
I did enjoy the interaction Grayson. It was fun.
I’m all for more Midnighter. If he’s to be a topic for a subsequent week of this Book Club, could we give Midnighter/Apollo a read? I’ve been meaning to read that for a long time, but it always falls by the wayside for one reason or another.
@Vroom I had no idea he had a mini with Grifter. That actually makes a ton of sense for them to be teamed up.
I agree about ACO’s style just really fitting Midnighter’s fighting style the best. It really makes the book feel like an action movie.
I always love a good fight in a sauna lol They’re a hilarious duo. Would love to see them interacting more.
I’m definitely considering reading Midnighter/Apollo, but the month might not have enough weeks for that. Maybe if we have enough interest a bonus week could happen
I’ve just finished the first issue (and this is my first book club, woot!). It was good, though I had a hard time following what was going on in the beginning. Quite a lot of stuff I’ve never seen and those beginning pages were VERY busy. Back half of the issue is more straightforward though. I don’t think what was actually happening at first was confusing, but the way it was drawn made it hard to follow. Tons of colors and effects everywhere, and quite a lot of jargon I didn’t understand. I still don’t know who the terrorist folks were at the beginning or what they wanted.
Yay! Welcome @Mononon I’m glad you decided to give this book club a shot. Glad to have you.
I completely understand where you’re coming from. I had those same feelings the first time I read the book. The art is busy and frenetic. It took me a bit to get used to it and follow it. The attack at the beginning was conducted by Modoran mercenaries. I think the writer just likes to flex his knowledge (based on his other books I’ve read) about DC sometimes and that’s like a deep cut location in DC. It kind of comes back later in the series too.
I’m also guessing that it was a good chance to have an action scene and Midnighter’s powers on display while not having the reader feel like Midnighter was being too brutal because they were terrorists/mercenaries.
Welp, I guess I know which book club I have to participate in this month. Gotta represent and read my “family” for sure. I hope I can make time to read through whatever is selected.
The month of June was chosen for LGBT Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. In celebration of Pride Month, I want to welcome you to a Book Club featuring LGBT characters.
WHAT TO READ 
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:
IDK how long that will take though.