comics reading update, crossposted from rpg.net

[salinea]

Miscellaneous stuff I picked up at random at the library / borrowed from friends, etc. :

Avengers Kree - Skrull War
Rather weak. The storytelling is just wayyyyy confusing and muddled. (And I don't think it's just the Silver age aspect). I think the most amusement I got from that was seeing the parents of Teddy and Billy on the same panel... >_>

Korvac Saga
Also pretty weak, this time more because there's just too many characters for it to go anywhere. Has a couple of good moments though.

World War Hulk - Damage Control
Sheer brilliance.

Gaiman's The Eternals
I'm too much of a Zelazny fangirl to love part of this; buuuuuut I do resent how it's all premise, very little concrete payoff. I believe there was another series that did follow from there but that seems a bit little (also not exactly something I've seen recced around). And I'm not certain it works very well with the Marvel Universe.

Enigma
A bit aged. Lots of cool stuff though. Mostly enjoyed it.

Back on point:

The first 12 issues of Priest's Black Panther
Funny story: that book at my public library? Started in a very confusing way with a story called "The End". After some puzzling around, I figured it skipped the first 12 issues for some reason. I guess it's nice to know that not only does DC and Marvel hate us, so does Paninin! Anyway, I managed to procure myself those 12 issues by other means, and that was much less confusing, despite the anachronological storytelling. Also it was pretty awesome. Except for the way the narrator talks about the under age bodyguards/bethrothed girls in a disgustingly leering tone that is
Let's see if the story called "The End" makes more sense now

Black Widow - Web of Intrigue
Decent enough story. Didn't exactly blow my mind though.

Black Widow - Homecoming
You know when I said that from past experience I didn't think I liked Richard Morgan's handle of gender issues? I think I should have kept it at that. He makes Sheri Tepper look subtle, and manages to be more dis-empowering at the same time. It's not a bad story otherwise, there are so good bit, but huh, yeah, whatever.

Black Widow - Itsy Bitsy Spider & Breakdown
Now that's something else; pretty brilliant story and characterisation. Loved it.

Black Widow - Pale Little Spider
A bit more on the nose, but a very solid story still.

PAD's original run on X-Factor
Loved it. Excellent mix of humour and a sharp take on X-Men themes. Great gallery of characters. I never really warmed up to Guido in the current run of X-Factor but this totally did the work. Also Maddox to a lesser extent. Quicksilver's brilliant, I fell in love with Lorna in two seconds (they have the best bickering sibling relationships even if they weren't supposed to be siblings yet or were they? I suspect PAD had plans), & so on. Then it ends abruptly, which is a shame.

X-Cutionner Song
Kind of liked this more than I expect, actually. Not that it is good exactly, and it has a few bits that totally made me facepalm; however I mostly enjoyed it. Overblown soap opera family melodrama - my one big weakness.

Comments

[meganbmoore]

The first comics I ever bought were the X-Titles immediately after X-Cutioners song that were all aftermathy. I have a fondness for the arc that exceeds its quality as a result.

[salinea]

Nostalgia attack!! :3

Is that a rec?

[meganbmoore]

The only ones I actually remember arethe X-Force one where Sam Guthrie breaks up with Xavier and makes some allegories that I'd probably find amusing now (as opposed to Deep like I did during puberty) and the Uncanny X-Men issue (#297) that's mostly about Xavier temporarily being able to walk and bonding with Jubilee while she drags him around doing teen stuff. (She makes him rollerblade!) That one I actually reread several times a year for years, though not in some time. (I think it was actually therapeutic for me in a way because the reason my brother and I started getting into comics was that our father introduced us to them-because we liked the cartoons-as something of a distraction while our mother was in the hospital and then in therapy after an accident.)

[lilacsigil]

Yeah, I keep trying to read Black Panther stories because I find the idea of Wakanda really awesome and Black Panther is my favourite on the animated series, but they're just so obnoxious about the female characters that I stop reading.

I read Richard Morgan's Black Widow stuff when I didn't have any other Black Widow to read, so I got through it and I liked some of the backstory, but it wasn't great, and compared to Rucka and Liu's writing, it was pretty pathetic.

Original X-Factor was great fun!

[salinea]

Yeah, I love Black Panther so much in the animated series!!! Ttly my fav after Black Widow. It's disapointing to learn that apparently this is a repetitive problem :(

lol yeah, Liu was at her best on that and Rucka is Rucka. Grayson was no slouch either. XD


Soooooooo good. In retrospect, I am now slightly disappointed that PAD doesn't do much with the mutant themes anymore in the current run. I think he's one of the best with that.

[beckerbell]

The original run on X-Factor is still one of my favorites pretty much ever. It makes me so sad that PAD seems to have lost the magic touch he used to have! I remember reading the first few issues of his run on a Captain Marvel reboot somewhere along the way and just screaming with laughter. But any time I try to read anything of his now, it just feels lackluster and dull.

[salinea]

It was very very good.

I also like stuff that PAD is doing right now. It's not the same but I don't think he's lost the magic touch...