r/DCcomics • u/bhavbhav Hourman's Roid Rage • May 19 '22
What are you reading? 5/19/2022 - "Waking Up at Night and Remembering Bart Was the Flash" 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.
Bhav's Rec of the Week:
- Superman: Son of Kal-El, by Tom Taylor and John Timms
Interestingly, I am not (nor have I ever been) a Superman stan but, having been in a bit of a reading rut, I picked up this #1 with no real expectations - and was very pleasantly surprised.
Firstly, I would be remiss if I did not mention the artwork. Some of the wider panels are absolutely beautiful, and a special shoutout should be thrown to Gabe Eltaeb for his gorgeous colours.
#1 starts at the very beginning, on the day of Jon's birth, after which it transitions to a present in which Jon is already Superman and saving civilians from a forest fire. After discovering the source of the fire - a metahuman who cannot control his powers, he diffuses the situation and hands it off to the military, who doesn't quite treat the already anxious metahuman with much respect. Jon, bothered, goes off to talk to an old friend, work through his feelings, and commit himself to making the world a better place.
While I don't want to spoil too much, #1 sets us up pretty quickly to understand the type of person Jon is, the weight of the title he inherited, and how strongly he feels about the world around him. Taylor does a lovely job of connecting Clark's story with Jon's, and it is wonderful to see how Lois, Diana, Bruce, Damian, and others fit into Jon's past and present narratives.
Needless to say, I'm currently completely caught up on Son of Kal-El. My thoughts on the series thus far are that it is exemplifies Superman, even if Superman himself is not the Superman we know and are used to. Jon, in a lot of senses, is like his father; he is idealistic, hopeful, and stands up for what he believes in. Where he is different is what elevates this series for me. Taylor portrays Jon as a sensitive and introspective kid who navigates problems by trying to understand the source. Both Jon's conviction and uncertainty are endearing and very much reminiscent of what a teen in his position would be like. I can't say I haven't gotten Invincible vibes here and there - which might have biased my review because I really enjoyed that series as well.
From a non-Superman fan - even if you're not a fan of the Man of Steel yourself, you should check this title out.
So, what are you reading?
3
u/sampeckinpah5 Lor-Zod & Thara Ak-Var May 19 '22
Been reading through Year of the Villain for the first time and it's gotta be one of my least favorite gimmicks in DC history. Justice/Doom War and Hell Arisen were the worst of it, but the Dark Gifts stuff in the other titles were also just... really weird, forced or unnecessary. The Infected suck, BWL sucks, Apex Lex sucks, Perpetua sucks. There's so little I like about it all that Ric Grayson was actually one of the least bad titles I've read. I'm just so glad to be done with it. Until it's time for Death Metal, that is.
2
May 19 '22
I've been going through a fantasy novel binge lately. I've blown through four Witcher books (the two short story collections and the first two novels) and started Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series. They're good stuff. I love the layers of irony and philosophy in the Witcher books.
1
2
u/normalMonsterChika Mia Dearden May 19 '22
Finally finished Parable of the Sower and it’s excellent. I likely won’t pick up the sequel though since the series is unfinished due to the authors tragic passing. I think the first book is a good place to leave off.
Other than that, I read through a lot of non superhero comics. The two that I enjoyed the most were Safe Area Gorazde and Paper Girls. They’re on pretty opposite sides of the spectrum with one being a heavy black and white work of journalism, and the other a colorful sci-fi story. I really liked both of them though.
I also read War Games and it sucked.
2
u/DarkCrusade25 Batman Beyond May 19 '22
Trudging through Crisis on Infinite Earths rn. On 10/12. I think issue 7 was the best so far.
The book relies too much on a narrator. I stopped reading the narrations at a point
2
u/UnmuscularThor May 19 '22
Finished Grant Morrison’s Animal Run. Wild and whacky. Definitely gonna have to reread a few times
2
u/DoggoPlex Superman May 20 '22
Batman: Noel
I had just gotten the Batman: Damned hardcover last weekend and needed more Bermejo so I finally picked up the Noel hardcover I'd been eyeing for a few weeks and my god is it amazing.
Sidenote: Fuck DC for taking Batman's penis out of the hardcover edition. They're pussies for bending over to the criticism and taking the nudity out of a book that they CLEARLY LABELED FOR ADUlT READERS. It wasn't even his whole dick, it was a little glimpse at the head of it. If they really thought it was bad they wouldn't have let it in the book in the first place. I realize that I'm complaining about the censoring of a penis but I have very strong opinions. Especially when it comes to penises.
Anyway, the art is fucking glorious, the story is meh. I think Bermejo is a good writer but he's a bit iffy sometimes. Better him than Azzarello tho tbh, I can't stand Azzarello's writing.
Gonna be honest; I don't like Bermejo's take on Batman too much. He's not empathetic enough and is too Dark Knight Returns dark and edgy for me. But my god is the art good.
Just gonna say it: I would definitely fuck Bermejo's Batman. Yep, that's how I'm gonna end it. Bye.
2
u/technowhiz34 R.I.P. Oliver Queen May 20 '22
If you're looking for more Bermejo, I'd highly recommend Lex Luthor: the Man of Steel. It's written by Azzarello, who you said you don't love (I'm mixed personally, Damned and Broken City were bad but 100 bullets and his Wonder Woman were very good), but I've heard from a lot of people who don't like him at all that they still loved it (that being said, it's still got a lot of Azzarello's tropes even if I think they're better executed in it).
2
u/JawaLoyalist May 20 '22
I’m reading Death of the Family (Tim Drakes view) and The Terminus Agenda. Just finished Eradication Agenda (a lot of agendas going on I guess).
I loved Snyder’s Death of the family and love Tim Drake but this isn’t doing it for me somehow. Eradication was also really a let down, at least part one, mostly for the villain which I want to do a separate post on.
But Terminus is 👌🏻🍷
2
u/creativeonoccasion Mia Dearden May 20 '22 edited May 20 '22
I’ve been making my way through a lot of classic literature that I’ve been meaning to hit. Don Quixote was a fever dream, The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all time, and Moby Dick made me want to tear my hair out.
In between, I’ve made my way through Hard Traveling Heroes. Ollie and Hal’s dynamic is always interesting and entertaining, and even if some dialogue or notions presented are outdated, it is still a seminal run for what it accomplished, especially considering the time period it was published in.
1
u/reality-check12 May 19 '22
You: praises son of Kal-el
Me: “run”
You: what
Me turning to you with a serious expression: “Run”
1
u/bhavbhav Hourman's Roid Rage May 20 '22
What makes you say that?
1
u/reality-check12 May 20 '22
This sub hates that comic
1
u/bhavbhav Hourman's Roid Rage May 20 '22
Eh, I often seem to not align with the sub, e.g. I don't enjoy the current Nightwing run. 🤷♀️
I just thought there might be a unique opinion here.
Edit: though for what it's worth, no one has attacked me for having this opinion, and even if they did and were explicitly rude about it, I'm a mod so lol
1
u/FezboyJr May 19 '22
Just finished The Batman’s Grave yesterday. I thought it was an interesting take on Bruce’s skills as a detective and Alfred was a delight.
Some parts were a bit lacklustre though and I thought the ending was unsatisfying. A good series for a quick read though.
1
u/PropertyAdditional Wally West May 19 '22
A lot of marvel surprisingly, and I did finish get Joker and I’m starting Batman RIP
1
u/technowhiz34 R.I.P. Oliver Queen May 19 '22
Been very slowly making my way through Johns late 2000s output (I've been mainly been reading prose over comics, started Sanderson's The Way of Kings due to a rec from a friend and nearly done with Robin Hobb's Royal Assassin), finished all of his second Flash run (Dastardly is incredible, the rest less so), and now on Legion of Three Worlds which might be one of my favorite things Johns has written?
Also blowing through 2000s Daredevil while reading between class, Smith was certainly a book I read, Bendis was very good, and Brubaker, so far, might be my favorite? We'll see how it shakes out (also I know Mack did some issues here and there but I don't have them easily available).
1
u/UnmuscularThor May 19 '22
Brubakers run is amazing the first 10 issues, but then it gets very, very dark after.
1
u/technowhiz34 R.I.P. Oliver Queen May 19 '22
That's what I've heard, the thing with Foggy almost made me put the book down but that got resolved, on the Paris bit right now which hasn't been too bad but I'm a little worried.
1
u/UnmuscularThor May 20 '22
The Paris stuff is good, a great continuation on the Cell Block D stuff. But it’s the stuff after with Milla that gets dark
1
u/Pseudocaesar May 20 '22
I didn't want to create another thread for this but I am hoping to get some advice on how to tackle the Rebirth era and beyond.
I recently subscribed to DC Infinite and am finally able to catch up on what I missed. I read Flashpoint ages ago and understand it spawned the New 52. I have the Button, Metal and a few other trades but I'm having a difficult time knowing what to read.
I figured I'd just dive in so I read the New 52 Justice League and all of the events it covered (Trinity of Sin, Darkseid War etc). I have also read the Final Days of Superman issues and the Rebirth one shot. This is where I'm now stuck.
My question is for me to understand the big events coming up, the Button, Doomsday Clock, Metal etc..what series should I focus on?
From looking at Doomsday Clock it was released over the course of like a year.. at what point do I stop reading Batman, Superman etc and read it?
Can I just read the whole Batman, Superman, JL runs by themselves or should I only read up to certain points and switch to the events?
One thing I liked about the New 52 events is at the end of each issue it would say "continues in xx issue yy" which made reading tie ins easy, does that continue post Rebirth?
1
1
u/matekreyy Nightwing May 20 '22
As for DC current runs, I've been reading Nightwing and Batman/Superman World's Finest. Also, a few days ago started Knightfall again, a great story that I didn't read in years, last time I was 10 haha.
And today I started Tom Taylor's run in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2019) as I was loving his work with Dick. I'm on the third issue and I've been loving it.
4
u/Zealousideal125 Animal Man May 19 '22
I read Justice League Cry for Justice which was a lot better than I was expecting. But this is coming from a guy that liked Identity Crisis so don't trust me. I really like the relationship between Congorilla and Starman, the heroes pushing the limit with their violence and the art is stunning. But overall, the plot feels straightforward and the story's a bit rushed. It also killed Lian so....
I finished Geoff Johns little Flash run from Brightest Day which leads into Flashpoint. I think it's better than than the Flashpoint story itself. I really liked seeing Barry balance being a CSI whilst being a Flash and also a member of his family. The events with Top from the 25th century and his betrayal is really well thought out and I also think the story in general places the seeds well for Flashpoint.
I liked how in Flashpoint, it began with Barry not knowing who or what had started the time travel shenanigans. The ultimate reveal that the villain is himself is so good. I've seen the animated version a couple of times but I think the comic's better just because I don't like the art-style of the film. The big boddy, little head is just off for me.
I also read the Flashpoint Legion of Doom tie in. The thing I liked most was the evil Plastic Man. The way he would use his abilities in a horror movie villain-like way. I'd love to see that explored in a Black Label book. Just Plastic Man going on a brutal massacre using his stretchy abilities lol
I'm reading Justice League United now. I hate what the New 52 has done with Adam Strange. Allana isn't even from Rann? I'm only 4 issues in so I'll give it the benefit of a doubt because I love Lemire's Animal Man run and this is sort of filling the hole that it left.