What I'm Reading Now

Kingdom Come - link - This is supposed to be one of the great comic book mini-series of the past couple decades, or so I have been led to believe. I've seen plenty of his artwork all over the internet but I believe that this may be the Alex Ross-drawn story that I have ever read.

I'm one chapter in. So far I like. At first I was concerned with knowing who all the characters were but as I've gotten into the story I've lost that urge. Its enough for me to just get the general gist of the story and enjoy it for what it is. I like how the main character isn't a superhero but an ordinary human. The painted look and feel of the book work for me, in large part because of the scale and apocryphal tone of the story.

Mixed Vegetables v1 - link - a shoujo manga, about Hanayu who comes from a family of pastry chefs and wants to marry Hayato (one of her classmates) who comes from a family of sushi chefs. What drew me to this manga initially was the cooking angle of it. I knew about the romance but that was secondary in my mind and I thought it was going to be secondary in the story. Wrong.

Hanayu's determination to get Hayato to propose (they are only classmates at the beginning of the story) was a bit annoying, at first, probably because it made her seem one dimensional. When she panicked after he asked her out in menu (chapter) 2 it made her seem more real and I started to enjoy the story more. I did like the humor from the get go. I'm only three chapters in but I like. Hopefully the rest of this book will be as good as the first three chapters, or better.

What I Wanna Read ii

More stuff that I wanna read...

Limited Series

I've read parts of both these stories. Neither of these are ongoing although one of them does star one of the most popular comic book characters ever.

Batman: Death and the Maidens - link - I bought the first issue of this nine-issue mini-series, when it first came out. At the time I was looking to cut back on my comic book buying and didn't buy any more issues for that reason. Since then I have heard a lot of good things about it. Most recently it was brought to my attention during the recent Wordballoon interview with writer Greg Rucka. I don't read a whole lotta Batman comics but this one sounds like it would be worth my time, primarily because of who wrote it and my past experience (Queen & Country; Batman/Huntress: Cry For Blood) with his comic books.

Rocketo - link - I've got the first few issues of this series. I love the style employed by the artist. Some of his creations leave me stunned by their beauty and the amount of creativity they show. Its kind of how I feel when I read China Mieville's novels. That's not to say that the two are comparable just that they are both very creative. So far there are only two collections but hopefully one day there will be more.

What I Wanna Read

Just for my own reference, and because I am thinking about it and have the time right now, here are some trades/series that I would like to read and have heard good things about but have yet to dive into:

Ongoing Series

DC Comics

• Booster Gold - link - time travel, need I say more? - where to begin? 52-Pickup

• Secret Six - link - it just sounds cool, ok? where to begin? Villains United

Marvel Comics

• Captain America - link - Ed Brubaker's run of course; I read the first two trades some time ago but dropped it not realizing how big the story was going to get; should give it another try; where to begin? Captain America Omnibus

Vertigo

• Scalped - link - where to begin? Indian Country
  

• Ex Machina - link - I thought Y: The Last Man was great so why not give Brian K another try? where to begin? The First Hundred Days
  

• Fables - link - sounds like can't miss comics; where to begin? Legends in Exile

There may be others series that aren't coming to mind right now. I also have a list of limited series or runs within (and across) ongoing series but I'll get to those later. That's it for now.

The Nightly News

The Nightly News is getting better. I'm reading a chapter a week, usually on Saturdays and I read chapter 4 today. Prior to this it felt a bit predictable. Sure it looks different but in this case that wasn't enough for me. I'm glad I've stuck with it. I've got two more chapters to go. I'm interested to see where it ends up. Will it go back to being predictable or continue on the dynamic course it seems to be on?

FCBD 2009

I went to Barbarian for Free Comic Book Day. I didn't get any of the free comic books but they were having a sale: 20% off all trades. I picked up Powers v11 and Daredevil: Cruel & Unusual. and saved roughly $7.50 (including tax).


I have yet to read v10 of Powers but I've already got 11 and 12, now. I ordered v10 and asked about 20th Century Boys v2, even though I have yet to read v1. I think they understood that I want them to order it for me.

April roundup

Bleach 21 - My original plan called for me to drop Bleach after the Soul Society arc ended, which it did, but all intents and purposes, in v20. The first few chapters of v21 wrap up a couple of loose ends but it is more or less epilogue. Now that I've finished v21 and read the beginning of the new arc I want more, so I bought v22. The story is good in this series but the art is better.

Blue Mondays v2: Absolute Beginners - I liked this collection as much, possibly more than the previous one. It certainly made me want more. I like the manga influences on this book, even though it doesn't look manga. The writer/artist definitely has her own style. Lots of gals cursing in this book, I like it. Not always my cup o' tea but since I don't see or read comics like this too much I like it. Ok, some of the twists and turns seem a little ridiculous but once again this isn't one of many teen romance comics that I read.

Negation v3: Hounded - Loved this the first time around, when it was first released in individual issues. It isn't quite the same rereading it in a collection. Its easier to avoid the cliffhanger endings and I have a (somewhat faded) recollection of what is going to happen. Still it was a fun read. I've got v4, the last of the series and plan on reading it in the near future.

Powers v9: Psychotic

Powers v9: Psychotic - by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming; Collects # 7 - 12 of the Marvel/Icon run.

Unlike some of the earlier trade paperback collections this feels like more than one story; three stories to be precise. Two of them take place in the foreground and one in the background. The two foreground stories are related. In the first (Act I) a superhero is killed by a cop. Turns out the dead superhero, the man behind the mask, isn't the same person who he was thought to be. The investigation by Detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim leads in an unexpected direction and eventually taking them back to the person who originally wore the mask.

In act II, the extremely powerful gem that gave the hero his powers, both incarnations, goes missing. With the FBI threatening to step into the matter Walker and Pilgrim launch an investigation to figure out how it disappeared from the evidence room in Police HQ.

Meanwhile, throughout these six chapters, Deena is with a pesky ex-boyfriend. She is determined that the relationship is over but he doesn't want to let it go. Her refusal to even talk it over with him leads him, in an act of desperation to do something very stupid. There is some resolution this storyline but I get the feeling that it will continue in the next collection or possibly the one after.

Good plot developments in this collection but overall it feels like an "inbetweener": there are character and plot developments without resolution. The Act I and II story lines felt a bit like filler material. Filler for what? For the Deena's Boyfriend storyline which isn't really resolved in this collection. So I liked it but don't think it would be a good place to start reading Powers. You really should start at the beginning. I do plan to continue reading this series.