But I also have to buy them. I buy a lot of comics.

the longer version (I've been sick, so not really feeling like thinking/posting too hard)...

Every week I go and buy new comics. No set number, just "enough" to last me ~week, and of course depends on what has come out and what I'm catching up on.

Some weeks are rich with stuff I'm actively loving. Others not so much, so I'll grab something interesting to try or whatever. Sometimes I drop something after 2-3 issues of not loving it, or if a story wraps up and a new one starts that I'm not feeling as much.

On top of this, I made this huge list of 90's books I want to read, and have started reading.

What I'm saying is - I buy and read a lot of comics right now. So I have to prioritize. And the best way to do that is by sticking with stuff that's grabbing me hard, and not reading stuff that isn't grabbing me hard.

So with Bats, I am not saying I totally will not read Gotham/Suicide, but at this point Gotham is already compiled into a collection. I'm not going to hunt down the issues, but rather I'd just wait until I saw a good price on the collected book. I'm in no rush. I have too much other stuff keeping me busy.

Sure I gotcha.

Sorry. I thought you said you weren't planning to revisit it. I think that would be a shame. Honestly, I'm behind on it now, but I think all of Rebirth's first 6 months is worth reading. It will continue to be, as long as the Watchmen and DC universes are hurtling toward one another. How that all ends is going to be some epic shit.

Imagine the conflict! Superman vs. Dr. Manhatten! Barry Allen and Wally West vs. Ozymandias! Batman vs. a resurrected or undead Rorschach?? What happened/happens?! Did Barry CAUSE the Watchmen alternate timeline? Did he disrupt it somehow with Flashpoint, or in the destruction of Flashpoint? I mean... the questions, people!!!

Anyway, I'm reading that Thor now. It is good.

I really want the Watchmen/DC Universe thing to happen, yeah. It seems like many fans of both sides don't really want it, but I'm all for it.

But yeah my main point w/ Bats was that I'm in no hurry to go back to the beginning now. I'd be cool w/ reading it later in trade form, but I'm not gonna go hunt for issues #3-13 at this point.

The DC Rebirth TPBs are starting to come out. I've been getting the Batmans in single issues but was wondering if there's any others I need to check out in collected editions

I think Action Comics is the best. Granted, it's mostly an extended fight between Superman and Doomsday, but it takes place in a universe where that fight has already taken place, and only a few people are aware of that (Superman, Lois, the puppet-master behind the whole thing), which adds a lot of depth to the story.

Throw in a recently deceased Superman, a still-living but apparently powerless doppelgänger, apparently of Clark Kent, and a Lex Luther with uncertain motives and you've got a pretty goddamn weird and interesting story. Plus, the fight scenes are just incredible. Really. Check it out.

Awesome, good to know. Thanks! I'll definitely be getting the Superman ones as they come out and always wondered what the deal was with Action. Does it relate to Superman in the same way Detective relates to Batman?

Yes! Quite! In fact, one could easily view them as the same comic, only one is for Supes and the other is for Bats. In other words, Detective Comcis is Batman's Action Comics and vice-versa.

Story arcs tend to overlap, or jump, between the regular Superman monthly and Action Comics, and the same is true for Batman/Detective Comics. Also, both characters made their first appearance in the non-titular comic. Superman famously made his debut in 1938's Action Comics #1, while Batman first appeared in the following year's Detective Comics #27. Old farts!

But the Rebirth has some weird implications for Superman, since there have been two Superman versions in DC for some time now. Action Comics reverted back to its pre New 52 numbering, and features that Superman picking up where dead New 52 Superman left off. Superman Rebirth also features that Superman, but in a different context. Still, the main Superman in DC is once again the Superman from the old days, and both titles are playing with... y'know.. the WTF-ness of all that.

So in that sense they don't relate to one another in the same way, as the Batman in Detective Comics is and always has been the Batman in Batman. There's only one Batman (actually that's entirely accurate but it'll have to do for now), so his titles aren't dealing with the ramifications of one Bruce Wayne dying and another returning from another universe after a lengthy absence.

BUT... long story short, yes. They are essentially equal. They serve the same purpose for both characters. The defining difference is that Action Comics began with Superman, as did... well... everything. Superman got popular and got his own title, but maintained Action Comics, which is more likely to veer off into sidestories involving Lois, Jimmy, Luther, etc. but which is still a Supes comic.

Detective Comics was meant for more earth-bound stories, and though it came before Superman's first appearance, it took on a new purpose the following year when Superman debuted and took over the world. Detectice became the place for more earth-bound stories. It existed for two years before Batman showed up, but he was popular as hell, and he took over. Ever since, Detective Comics has been a Batman thing. And like Action Comics, it is more likely to focus on Bat-family escapades than Batman.

For instance, the Rebirth Detectice Comics is about a team assembled by Batman, including Batwoman and Red Robin and fucking Clayface (?) ... Batman Rebirth is a BATMAN deal. Sure, you have Catwoman and Nightwing and stuff, but it's a Bruce Wayne joint, for sure.

Have I crippled your interest sufficiently by bludgeoning you over the head with answers to questions you never asked? :)

No, quite the opposite. The reason I asked was because, apart from obviously knowing what you're talking about, you always tell me all I need to know. So genuine thanks!

I became really interested in the DC universe last year and the Rebirth thing seemed to be a great opportunity to jump in. I guessed that Batman and Superman were at the core of it so thought I'd concentrate on them. I just wasn't sure how the offshoot titles like Action and Detective really worked, or how essential they were.

... speaking of universes ...



The King in Yellow

Adaptation of the key stories from Chamber's book.

Only flicked through it so far but looks great ...

Ok. WHAT.

More Yellow King stuff? What is this?

WHO. IS. THE. YELLOW. KING.

Yeah, it seems like references in True Detective to the Yellow King have made lots of people interested in Robert Chambers' book, The King in Yellow, where it originates. I've read lots of snobby comments online, saying that in order to understand True Detective, you have to read Chambers, which to me is nonsense.

It's more relevant to fans of Lovecraft in that they both dealt with similar ideas. Chambers got their first and Lovecraft was a fan but only actually discovered him after writing most of his own stuff. So there's no actual influence, more like they were just kindred spirits. Saying that, some 'Lovecraftian' writers have brought them together. At which point it all gets horribly complicated and nerdy.

I googled this looking for a cheap copy and found this site, which appears to offer the stories for free. Though I am a-confused because I thought this was from the 1800s, and when I click the link to "Repairer of Reputations," it seems to be set in the mid-20th century. Though admittedly I just skimmed a few words from a few paragraphs.

Eh?

http://www.sff.net/people/doylemacdonald/l_kiy.htm

Repairer of Reputations is set in the future, but only to account for some political developments in the story. It might take a few reads to really sink in (it did for me) but it's an awesome story. The most accessible way into the general concept is to read The Yellow Sign first, then RoR.

So... there's a comic book adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" coming out March 15 from Dark Horse Comics. Neil says it's "surprisingly faithful."

Check it out.

Here's a preview:


And here's the cover of issue #1:

You got it dood. That buffalo springfield album iz going down!

That's it motherfucker. Slambang was right — you're going on the ignore list. You are just ALL ABOUT the fucking meaningless drivel, and it's giving me brain scurvy. Nighty night jackass.

Conan, Vol. 17, Shadows over Kush, TPB

Loved Fred Van Lente's Conan stuff so I've gone back to the start of his run. Total hardcore, tentacle-driven, mega-ness.

crickets in this thread.

hey sev

Yeah I know -- been waiting for it. Scott Snyder also returning with major Batman event, "Dark Nights - Metal" this summer.

Crazy shit happening in Superman/Action Comics too. Way behind on all of it.

Band wreaked havoc on Gotham big time in the conclusion of the Batman arc you weren't into. I haven't even read it yet, but looks pretty brutal.

it's not exactly that I wasn't into it... just... time. Like, I was so far behind already. With current stuff I like buying issues. SO I tend to wait for a jumping on point like a new story arc. Admittedly, I found Gotham/Gotham Girl pretty uninteresting though. I did read some random issues, like um, was it #14 I think that was kind of a one-shot about Bats and Cats on the roof?

Usually stuff that's gotten on a while I'll wait and go back and read a collection instead. But I mean, I keep pretty busy with new issues - and you know I'm more Marvel (and IDW) than DC.

Right now I'm pretty up on so much stuff...

Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows
The Avengers
Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures
Deadpool: Til Death Do Us...
Hawkeye
Hulk
Infamous Iron Man
Jessica Jones
Supergirl
Supergirl: Being Super
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe

I'm probably forgetting stuff. Throw in the random one-shots I pick up or new series I'm looking at (plus new Resurrexion stuff that's coming out) AND all the old books I'm reading (currently in the middle of Infinity Gauntlet)... well, point is I'm reading a lot and it's already hard to keep up so I just kind of ebb and flow with whatever catches my eye.

But I'll check out this The Button stuff because NEW WATCHMEN y'know?

Man, we have very different comic book priorities. Lol!

I'm downright ASHAMED that I let Batman and Superman lapse. I know that comics are going to offer up the best material for those two, what with the JUSTICE LEAGUE trailer looking pretty goddamn terrible, and not having any Superman to speak of (have you seen it?). So I feel like dropping the ball on the comics is something I need to correct for ASAP, but at this point I'm so far behind that I don't even know where to start back up.

My local book store STILL doesn't carry any Marvel except Star Wars titles. Only D.C., and not much of that considering how much is out there. God I miss living in the city sometimes.

well, yeah. But no surprises there. You grew up a DC kid. I grew up a Marvel kid.

oh and yeah I saw the JLA trailer. I'm pretty excited for it actually. I think they made Flash and Aquaman look cool. Wonder Woman looks so badass - I'm very excited for her solo film. She was one of the best things about BvS really.

As far as no Supes - I mean... if he is in it then it's prob meant to be a surprise seeing as how they'll have to address the fact that they y'know, offed him several movies ago now.

I think I've told you that I have MULTIPLE comic shops in driving distance to both work and home. So that level of access is why I have gotten into buying issues weekly so much. It's easy for me.

If I didn't have that option I'm sure I'd just buy collections online. Or maybe some digital stuff.

I did recently get some older stuff thru the mail...

Spider-Man: Return Of The Sinister Six
X-Force: Force To Be Reckoned With
X-Men: Xtinction Agenda

I feel like the Wonder Woman movie might be the only genuinely good film of the bunch, and I hope Justice League is good, just because I don't want Gal Gadot to be tied to a sucky project while pursuing her own solo film. It looks fucking great, with an excellent cast. Looks like it could be DC's answer to Captain America AND Thor at the same time.

It would really be a shame if WW sucked. Really. After 75 years without a single movie, the character had earned this. And yeah, she was one of the best parts of BvS. Batman was the worst. Ugh.

I am NOT HAPPY about Gotham Ciry Sirens ... Megan Fox as Poison Ivy?! Fuck that shit. Just make a Harley Quin solo film. Or better yet, Suicide Squad 2. I thought the first one was good enough, despite Jared Leto's dumb ass. Plus it had that's scene where "Black Skinhead" played over Deadshot shooting the shit out of shit, so... #objectivelyawesome.

True enough. But I did grow up loving Captain America, Daredevil and a few other characters from Marvel. And my appreciation for them has grown with the execution of their Netflix lineup (just rewatched DD season 2, and they totally nailed Punisher... just nailed him.)

Really looking forward to Thor: Ragnarok and The Defenders.

Did you catch Iron Fist? Not terrible, but not great.

The chick who played Colleen Wing would have been AWESOME in this Ghost in the Shell movie. Sigh. Missed opportunities. #whitewashing.

I didn't think casting had been official on Sirens yet. I will see it no matter.

Haven't watched Iron Fist yet. I will, but reluctant.

Yup. It's Megan Fucking Fox as Poison Ivy. Not all roles have been cast, but that one has.

Holy gods, what a tremendously shit idea. Wow. Fuck me. Gotta be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. This is like being shot in the face by D.C./WB. Just shot in the motherfucking face.

Jesus goddamn Christ. It's the return of Halle Berry's Catwoman. Weird stupid adaptations of ... what? Just characters for the fuck of it. Not stories or universes. Just "Oh, this idea I just pulled out of my asshole like a tapeworm will make some money despite being terrible. WHY NOT?"

Face palm.

And Justice League looks like shit. The constant use of "Icky Thump" isn't helping anyone.

All they had to do was make a great screen adaptation of Batman (DONE, FORGET IT, IT'S OVER, LEAVE IT ALONE), Wonder Woman and Superman. That's it. In my opinion a Justice League movie is an obscenely stupid thing to attempt just now. They should have just focused on the big three and then, when those heroes were successfully adapted, MAYBE done a Trinity thing. After which point they could mine the D-league like Marvel has done and revamp smaller characters to keep the money rolling in.


Maybe in 10 years Nolan and Bale will do a direct adaptation of Dark Knight Returns, just to remind them of what they had and lost.

hmm. I know you're a much bigger DC fan than me, so that's probably why you're so upset about this stuff - or rather, why you're judging it more harshly.

I think JLA looks good. And I have no problem w/ "Icky Thump" haha.

And honestly, Meghan Fox really doesn't bother me. I know everyone is supposed to hate her, but I don't. I thought she was excellent in Jennifer's Body for one thing. And she worked out fine in the recent TMNT movies (which btw, I was like "OMG what are they doing casting her as April????" as TMNT is the big big big comic franchise for me that I've been obsessed w/ my whole life). So I don't know. If she is Poison Ivy - she is NOT who I would have cast (Amy Adams? Emma Stone? Uh, that redhead from Oculus maybe?) but I'm not really upset either. I'll still be interested to see how it works out.

On that note, I watched Dark Knight Rises over the weekend, which I hadn't yet. It was *good* but easily the weakest of the trilogy. I know you're a huge Bane fan. And Bane was good here and interesting, but eh, I just thought that the first two movies were so much... MORE.

Oh, and what was w/ JGL's character being "Robin" at the end? That was kind of shoe-horned no? Like, he wasn't Dick. But we were supposed to conclude he would be Robin? Was there some kind of plan for a Nightwing movie or something that never happened?

Ok, first off, I'm actually not really a Bane fan... not traditionally. I thought he was LAME-O in "Knightfall," and lame-o in most of the incarnations that followed. However, once The Dark Knight Rises came out, I developed a new respect for the character. Nolan's vision was the best thing that ever happened to Bane, and he's been "leveled-up" in the comics as a result.
Nolan had big shoes to fill when Ledger kicked the bucket (RIP), and he needed to bring in someone who posed an equal threat to that of the Joker. Nobody in the Batman universe can really compare to the Joker when it comes to menace and being a perfect psychological match for Batman, but Bane is as close as they come. He is, at least, a PHYSICAL match for Batman... but he's also supposed to be Batman's kind of equal opposite (a "there but for the grace of God goes Batman"), and he was never successfully executed that way in any media until ...Rises.
Nolan needed someone who was, like, BORN to play Bane, and he also needed to revamp the character to turn him into a thing that could conceivably exist in Nolan's hyperrealistic Batman world. He did an EXCELLENT job of this, and Tom Hardy was motherfucking BORN to play Bane, and to have that help launch his career.

So... long winded reply I know, but... I am a post-Nolan Bane fan. Not a "Bane fan." Y'know? The way Hardy carried himself in the movie was just perfect. He studied the vocal patterns of a famous British Gypsy barenuckle boxing champion who was a nasty piece of work, and he made all of his motions and vocal deliveries pitch perfect and loaded with AWESOME MENACE. Loved it!!

Regarding "Robin" ... the answer to all of your questions is "No."
Nolan never intended to bring Robin into his vision. He was adamant about it in fact. The little thing at the end was supposed to just be a kind of inside joke -- a mini meta-moment for fans to giggle about, but nooo!! Everyone had to start speculating about whether JGL was going to be Robin in a solo movie or some shit. Jesus, there has never been a Robin whose name was actually "Robin," for fuck's sake, but people missed that. It was an attempt at knowing humor, that's all.

It's been a while since I've seen the film, but it's the only film in recent memory that I have paid to see twice in the theater. Initially, I liked it more than Batman Begins. But now, I see Batman Begins and TDKR sad beung irrevocably connected. The films need each other. The Dark Knight is clearly the best of the bunch and one of the best goddamn movies ever made if you ask me (or, say, the Internet), and it stands alone. The other two are equally good in my mind.

There was a TON going on in TDKR ... there was obviously a bit of Knightfall, a bit of Dark Knight Returns, and a shitload of No Man's Land. These are three of the most crucial Batman stories of all time. But I don't know how much of the comics you've read so I don't know if it will matter to you.

Anyway, if im a fan of any particular Batman character other than Batman is Joker. He's the perfect villain. Fuck Hannibal Lecter, and fuck the dude from Die Hard and fuck Dr. No. The Joker is archetypal and primal and primordial -- a character without a sub-plot (unless you take the non-canon "origin" stories seriously, which you shouldn't), who solely exists to be the ultimate foil for the ultimate human hero.

The fact that Nolan successfully pulled off (check it): Ra's Al fucking Ghul, Scarecrow, Carmine "the Roman" Falcone, Harvey Dent AND Twi-Face, the BEST JOKER EVER, Talia Al Ghul, BANE and fucking redeemed Catwoman is nothing short of remarkable. Best movie trilogy of all time. Best.

What were we talking about again? Oh yeah, Megan Fox and stupid Gotham City Sirens. WHY IS THAT EVEN AN IDEA?! What do you think the chances are that it will be well-liked and commercially successful? I say there is no chance, goddamnit, and the fact that they're readying this abomination before they even have a Batman movie firmed up is just ABSURD. Affleck wants to quit, why are they fucking doing this? To cash in on a trend obviously. It's not even based on anything.

With all this discussion on DC movies, what do you guys think of the news of Joss Whedon writing/directing a Batgirl solo movie?

I don't personally see any need for a Batgirl movie. I guess if Joss Whedon's directing it then it stands a better chance of being good than, say, Gotham City fucking Makes-No-Sense-Sirens, and I appreciate that he's probably looking for a way to continue being part of the culture since Marvel more or less ousted him from Avengers-land, but the main problem I have with all of this Bat-stuff (like the Nightwing movie that's apparently in the works, and all the rest) is that it ALL hinges on a pretty goddamn bad Batman. It's not that Ben Affleck sucks -- though I know that's the popular opinion -- but he's just not turning any heads with his performance so far, and he clearly wants to be DONE being Batman as soon as possible.

He was a bad choice from the beginning just because of how people would respond, and because he already did Daredevil (poorly). If he can't pull of Batman-lite, why would anyone think he'd be able to pull off Batman?

So, essentially, because the goal of EVERYTHING at both Marvel and D.C. seems to be shared universes, I think it's kind of doomed from the start. All of it. Because it's predicated on a Batman that has, like, NO chance of being permanent.

Now, I have a ton of confidence in Joss Whedon. Just a ton. The first Avengers movie suffered from some abysmal costume choices, but the second one was awesome (I know I've said I didn't like it as much as the first previously, but I re-watched the both of them last fall, and Ultron is the better movie... even if I'm the only one who thinks so), and his other movies -- mostly Serenity and Cabin in the Woods -- are fucking GREAT. Dark and funny in all the right ways. So I'm sure whatever he does will be great fun, but if it's based on a failing, crumbling premise (the current fat-head Batman who sucks big), then what's the point?

I do think there's potential for a "Bat-verse" film series. I really do. But now is not the time. If they waited a bit -- waited for Justice League to come and go and get splattered by Rotten Tomatoes -- then I think they could do something like this. But it would require a whole lot of re-assessing and re-casting.

I think if they wanted to do a new Batman, and do it well, it would have to be different from what's come before, especially if the intention is to breed a bunch of spin-offs. A movie titled "Gotham City" that focused equally on Gordon, Bruce Wayne, a villain or two, and maybe the measured, careful assimilation of a sidekick, would be refreshing. Then they would have a basic storyline (think Star Wars, the first trilogy) with plenty of opportunities for side-stories, like maybe Killing Joke or The Long Halloween.

Do a Bat-verse movie that's about more than just Batman, and let it spread its wings (lol). Hire an ace director and an ensemble cast that just kicks fucking ass all over the place, and make the central story revolve around Gotham. If it works, you have tons of ammunition for Nightwing and Batgirl, but if Marvel and Star Wars and Harry Potter have taught us anything about successful branding, it's that you need to start off with a SOLID main story.

I think planning future movies around Ben Affleck and Jared Leto is just insane. They're just asking for punishment. Begging for it, really.

Jesus, it hasn't even been five years since the Nolan films ended. If I want to see Batman, I'll watch those movies. So will everyone else. D.C. would probably make more money if they put Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises back in theaters and IMAX for a summer than by doing anything else.

I think it's Wonder Woman's turn. And Superman's turn to have a really solid, well-rounded modern trilogy devoted to that incredible character. Doing Batman shit is just stupid, because everything they do will be measured against Nolan's films, and come out looking like a sprinkled turd.

obviousky I have a pretty big chip on my shoulder about all of this. I clearly care too much about comic book stuff. But it PAINS me to admit that MARVEL is doing a better job all around than D.C. That's painful man. Seriously. Ouch. Marvel is just killing D.C. Their reign will end, certainly, but for now, they've got TV (Agents of Shield), premium tv (The Netflix shows) and movies under their thumb. DC has a bunch of entertaining-if-unrelentingly-stupid Dawson's Creek supershows (Supergirl, Arrow, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Gotham) and some movies that seem to be fundamentally damaged. Even when they're good (Man of Steel) or ok (Suicide Squad), people just don't LIKE them, or even WANT to like them.

That's an issue that needs to be addressed. God dammit.

Alright guys I got some Apple gift cards for my birthday and I'm looking to get at least one new comic collection with it. Obviously being a big horror fan and with the recent Bernie Wrightson passing I'm keen on getting Swamp Thing, but from what I can see those first 20 issues that he worked on are in a collection called Swamp Thing Dark Genesis, and that collection isn't in the iBooks store. From what I can tell that Saga of Swamp Thing Book One(haven't purchased it just yet) starts at issue 21.

Batman #21 -- the beginning of "THE BUTTON" -- comes out, like, tomorrow.

I just re-read Flashpoint in preparation. Flashpoint is actually a bit overrated in my opinion. Can't wait to see the arc pick back up and maybe become more interesting.

yup. It's on my shopping list for tomorrow, along w/ Deadpool #29 (part 6 of 6 of "Til Death Do Us..."), and the new Guardians Of The Galaxy "Dream On" one-shot.

I'm reading this Image comic right now called "SAGA."

Anyone heard of it?

It's sci-if. VERY adult, but with a Star Wars kind of feel and some kickass art. I'm on the second TPB right now. It is very VERY good and I would recommend it to anyone/everyone who's into this shit.

Heard very good things but haven't checked it out yet.

just finished reading Batman #21... did you pick it up sev???