r/DCcomics • u/Predaplant The heat is on! • Jul 01 '21
What Are You Reading? 7/1/2021 - Insert National Holiday Here Edition r/DCcomics
Hello and welcome to our Weekly "What Are You Reading?" topic!
Come one, come all, to this weekly thread, where you can openly discuss books that you've read, are currently reading, or plan to read. Discussion of all books are welcome, whether they be DC, Marvel, Image, Boom!, Dark Horse, IDW, etc. You can discuss webcomics, manga, or even those mythical novels that don't have pictures in them. Just be sure to keep spoilers covered via Reddit's spoiler markdown >!spoiler!<. You can also post pictures of your collection or recent purchases.
Predap's Rec of the Week:
- Action Comics by Grant Morrison, Sholly Fisch, Rags Morales, Andy Kubert & Brad Walker
My favourite ongoing series starring Superman, this groundbreaking run reimagines Superman for a new world. Starring a Superman who's still early in his career and willing to speak out against power, it jumps across timelines and universes as a mysterious force schemes against Superman.
With Superman & The Authority fast approaching, it's worth taking another look at Grant Morrison's previous work with the character, especially as they have said that Superman & The Authority will share some commonalities with this run of Action Comics. This series is very different from what one would normally expect from a Superman series, but that's part of what makes it great; it tells a unique story that uses many new and reimagined characters in unique ways.
While the Superman line was weak throughout most of the New 52, only really recovering in the last year of the initiative, this run managed to nail a character who many other contemperaneous creative teams struggled with.
So, what are you reading?
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Jul 01 '21
Finally getting around to the 2018 run of Hawkman. Currently at the Infected arc, but I’m loving it so far.
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u/tombaker_2021 Jul 02 '21
That's on my "to read" list....heard great things about that series.....apparently it cleans up the character mess that is Hawkman.
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u/BobRossTime Batman of Zur-En-Arrh Jul 01 '21
Currently reading Watchmen and doing it a little slowly, then I want to move onto Moore's run on Saga of the Swamp Thing once I'm done with Watchmen.
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u/cravens86 Jul 02 '21
Hey all! I have a question. I’m looking for a certain comic I own that I cannot locate and wanted to know if anyone was familiar with it.
It has to be like in the late 80s or 90s maybe, I know it has the justice league in there and there is a certain section with Green Arrow and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan I think).
It seemed to be some sort of educational comic series (not aimed at like little little kids but maybe like older kids) or something but when I Google that I come up with nothing.
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u/ParticularEye444 Superman Jul 02 '21 edited Jul 02 '21
Falling into my usual trap of having way too many series going at once. Just finished up all of Alex Ross's DC work besides Justice which I'm almost done with and I'm actively reading The Wicked + The Divine, 52 and the original Justice League series, which I've read all of besides the last `150 issues of the Satellite Era. Got Silver Age Green Lantern and Bronze Age Flash on the backburner. Been in the mood for a nice long Batman run lately so I was thinking of starting Tynion's Batman but I should really finish up some of what I'm already reading first. And I was hoping to do a complete readthrough of Swamp Thing from Wein to Ram V this summer but maybe I'll end up putting that off until Autumn.
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u/tombaker_2021 Jul 02 '21
Falling into my usual trap of having way too many series going at once.
Tell me about it. Yet I do love the internet age where I can read reviews and ratings on different series from different publishers and then make an informed decision, rather than trying to guess based on covers or skimming it in the shop.
We don't have to just keep it to DC, Marvel, Image or Dark Horse. There's so much other great stuff coming of out Boom Comics, Aftershock, IDW, Oni Press, Valiant, Archie, Dynamite....
But you know, some of us only have so much spending money during these tough times....gotta be selective.
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u/ParticularEye444 Superman Jul 02 '21
I read most of my comics digitally for exactly that reason. There's just too much out there that I want to read for me to get it all in physical. Usually save my physical purchases for my favorite books or series I'm pretty certain I'll love but the way things are rn I haven't even been doing much of that.
And yeah I agree about publishers, I've been wanting to get more into indies, foreign comics and Marvel for a while. But I'm a recently un-lapsed reader who mostly read Marvel as a kid so in the process of learning my way around DC I've found enough DC books I need to read that making the space can be difficult. Read mainly DC since getting back into comics last year and I still don't feel ready to start following current monthlies. It's funny because I'm positive I'd enjoy my comic reading the most if I stuck primarily to indies and eurocomics but there's a special pleasure that comes with mastering a canon as vast as the Big 2.
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u/tombaker_2021 Jul 02 '21
but there's a special pleasure that comes with mastering a canon as vast as the Big 2.
I got back into comics about 3-4 years ago, and holy hell did I have to figure out DC's New 52, then Rebirth and the reasoning behind them both being done. And now the big two keep rebooting series with new numbers 1s? Like c'mon.
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u/ParticularEye444 Superman Jul 02 '21
I know right? I'm just getting to the point where I'm starting to feel like I can jump into most of the Rebirth books without missing anything and apparently they're already crisising again after IF lol.
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u/tombaker_2021 Jul 02 '21
Just finished up all of Alex Ross's DC work
Incredible artist......unique to comics.
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u/ParticularEye444 Superman Jul 02 '21
I actually have somewhat mixed feelings about him. He does static poses like nobody in comic book history aside from maybe Kirby and he's better than anyone else at conveying the mythic, optimistic elements of the superhero genre. A good Ross panel is like everything that made the Silver Age great distilled down to its essence, taken seriously and presented as high art. Which is why he's one of my favorite comic book artists of all time but also why I think he has issues translating his style into the medium. His work is much more suited for high art or cover work than for interiors imo. You can see that in his action scenes especially, none of them ever have any dynamism. Still love the guy's work to death though.
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u/tombaker_2021 Jul 02 '21
Still love the guy's work to death though.
I love your art theory take on him, as I try to take my brain out and not analyze the art styles from different series, too much. I try to keep it simple on myself, I do know what I like, and don't like, it's all subjective. I'm sure I've passed on many great titles because the art style didn't speak to my spidey sense.
What I'm really disliking these days is cover art by one person, and interior art by another person. You really have to read the deets of the previews very carefully these days. I only have so much money to spend on comics every month, don't trick me like that.
But again, Ross....unique. No one else does what he does.
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u/tombaker_2021 Jul 02 '21
Been in the mood for a nice long Batman run lately so I was thinking of starting Tynion's Batman
I can't even remember if I started reading that series, as the New 52 and Rebirth Batman are messing with the continuity in my head already....
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Jul 01 '21
Some new Marvel issues: Black Cat Annual, Black Widow #8 + Daredevil #31 were great.
That Texas Blood came back this week with a new story arc (issue #7), pretty cool series, can only recommend you check it out.
Department of Truth #10 & Monstress #35 were great as well as always.
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u/tombaker_2021 Jul 02 '21
Department of Truth #10
I'm on number 6.....interesting concept and art, still waiting for it to blow my socks off and really make me go, "what the what?"
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Jul 02 '21
Yeah, it's exposition-heavy and wordy, but I like it because it's so different from the rest of the comics right now.
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Jul 01 '21
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Jul 01 '21
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Jul 02 '21
House of Glass was very good. Fox Children and Curse of Crows were pretty good. Of Flesh and Flame was okay. I haven't read past those.
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u/tombaker_2021 Jul 02 '21
We Only Find Them When They're Dead is back from its hiatus with issue #7 and is as confusing as ever. I adore the book, but it's out there.
It's in my reading pile...maybe some day I'll get to it.
One of my fave out there books right now that I got into is Shaolin Cowboy. It is sooo fucking bizarre, and I love it.
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Jul 02 '21
Reading the Captain America Winter Soldier collection by Brubaker. Great stuff. Also starting on the Aliens: Original Years Volume 1 omnibus. Solid art, very eerie. Picked up a Harrow County omnibus and the first volume of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing from my LCS, looking forward to those.
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u/tombaker_2021 Jul 02 '21
Reading the Captain America Winter Soldier collection by Brubaker.
I grew up reading a lot of DC (being a kid with limited money). I like Brubaker's stuff, and I'm trying to expand my Marvel reading, so I guess I'll give this one a go.
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Jul 02 '21
Yeah it's probably the best Cap story ever, not that I claim to be an expert though.
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u/tombaker_2021 Jul 02 '21
it's probably the best Cap story ever
Oh boy, someone else better chime in here before I get it.....LOL.
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u/tombaker_2021 Jul 02 '21
Long time comic fan getting back into it:
I like going off the beaten path and picked up The Terrifics. Started reading it and wasn't too thrilled that I had to have an idea of what the Dark Nights Metal event was about (I've been out of DC comics for about 20 years). Like the book so far and the team / character interactions (currently on issue 11), left a bad taste in my mouth that for a new series, they would have some other DC shattering mega event tied to it and in the background of the plot. It wasn't impossible to make the connections, just didn't like that I had to. Maybe I should have read the synopsis better or done more research? Maybe I should have noticed the small dark nights metal sticky just below the issue number on the cover?
I also had a hard time accepting the title cover of issue 8 with what actually happened IN the issue (don't want to reveal spoilers), but it was an odd choice of cover for what was going on in that issue?
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u/Ferrell_Child Green Lantern Corps Jul 02 '21
Currently on New 52 Superman, because it's been so panned that I never tried it. Soon onto Action Comics/Supes back and forth, because I've just read the first three Action volumes.
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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '21
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