After not reading comics for almost two months, I finally went and picked up all of the comics I hadn’t bought and in this monstrous stack was Amazing Spider-Man #618. Penned by Dan Slott with art by Marcos Martin, this was the issue I have been looking forward to for months (since I heard word of it back in August) that was apart of Spider-Man’s “The Gauntlet.”
In case you haven’t been keeping up with Amazing Spider-Man, what’s been happening is this: all of Spidey’s old villains have been coming back… with a vengeance. The thing is, they’re not coming back to get Spider-Man, but they’re coming back to do what they do best: do selfish things. So far, we’ve had Electro, Sandman, Rhino (2.0) and this weeks baddy–Mysterio.
It’s been all very good so far, but this week’s issue… I wasn’t feeling it so much, which is a huge surprise since I have an absolute love for Dan Slott’s Spider-Man. But let’s talk more after the break.
That’s my question for you today. Do you buy comic books? If so, why? What keeps you coming back each month to each book you buy?
I’ve stated on many occasions that I’m an avid X-Men fan and each month I come back to my X-books knowing that the story is going to go forward to something great–and also, small hopes that Gambit will make an appearance. Marvel has (pretty much) had solid writing on the part of X-Men for the last 10 years or so and since I started picking up single issues instead of trades (which started roughly a year and a half ago) I’ve been buying at least one X-book a month because they’re that good. Of course, as of right now I’m buying almost all the X-books (Uncanny X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor, X-Men: Legacy, Cable)… because I’m a super nerd.
But I also pick up a lot of non-X-books.
Invincible Iron Man, for instance, is a book I’ve been buying since I read the first issue of “World’s Most Wanted.” Combining the art of Salvador Larroca and the writing of Matt Fraction, the 12 issue story arc has kept me wanting more and more each month. Both the plot and the art are above and beyond what I ever thought possible for a story focused on Iron Man. This is one of the books I’m going to classify as “I’m glad I started reading/buying when I did.”
Incredible Hercules. I have been reading Incredible Hercules since it’s first issue after World War Hulk, but I didn’t start buying it until issue #125 or so. Since then, I have bought the back issues of the comic (back to #112). This is a comic that when I read it, I don’t want it to end. The story and the writing in general is simply fantastic. It drives the comic beyond what I would ever expect from a Marvel comic. It’s strange to say, but this comic is so good, I’m surprised it hasn’t been canceled yet. Do you know what I mean?
Marvel aside, I do grab some DC/Vertigo comics as well as some independents.
Detective Comics. This is the one comic book I never thought I’d see myself reading a year ago. To me Detective Comics and Action Comics are the definitive DC comics and a year ago I wanted nothing to do with DC. I was a fool. On a whim I picked up Detective Comics #854 after a buddy of mine recommended it to me. This is another one of those “I’m glad I started reading/buying when I did” comics as I can not stop loving every piece of this comic. The art alone keeps me coming back each month.
The Vertigo comic I read right now that keeps me wanting more each month is DMZ. A comic I started buying back around issue #35, I wish I owned #1-34 because Brian Wood’s story is just fan-flipping-tastic. This is probably the best non-super-hero comic I have ever read in my life. Period.
Outside of Robert Kirkman’s plethoraofsexy-timecomic books, I read some random independent comics because I always like to try out the indie publishers here and there to see if there is greatness out there. Warren Ellis‘ torrent of comics that he releases tend to keep me buying every month (most recently Supergod and Ignition City), Garth Ennis‘ Crossed, and Mark Waid’s Irredeemable keep me wanting more every month. With these indie comics, it’s a sick hunger I get for more story each month. Wendigo style.
There are a few others in there I buy but the comics above are the ones I always look forward to the most. But again, I have to know, why do you buy comics? What keeps you coming back to your favorite titles? Let me know in the comments.
If you judged this book by its cover, you'd be absolutely right: it kicks ass.
For the last few months, Marvel has released a series of one shots, collectively called “The List,” in which Norman Osborn enacts devious plots against various heroes in the Marvel Universe. Each issue has been a self-contained story, and for the most part, they have all been rather enjoyable. This week saw the release of the best one to date, which stars Wolverine.
As novel an idea as it may be for Wolverine to star in a comic </sarcasm>, I was more intrigued by the guest stars of this issue: Noh-Varr and Fantomex. Both characters were created by Grant Morrison, and have either been mishandled or ignored completely since Morrison left for DC a few years ago. It’s good to see writer Jason Aaron take these characters (as well as other concepts from Morrison’sX-Menrun) and use them to craft one of the most fun comics I’ve read in a long time. This comic has tons of action and is funny as hell. All of the characters get some great lines, particularly Osborn.
Not only does this comic contain a great story, but like a good DVD, it has plenty of bonus features, including Marvel Universe entries for Fantomex and Marvel Boy, and a short Wolverine story written by Aaron earlier in his career.
Highly recommended. You get a lot of bang for your 4 bucks here.
He's keeping a running tally of all the continuity mistakes...
What has come before: Norman Osborn (formerly the Green Goblin, now the Iron Patriot) pretty much runs America. Clint Barton (formerly Hawkeye, now Ronin) seems to be more upset about this than anyone (even Spider-Man, oddly enough).
This comic dredges up some mixed emotions in me. I’ll get into it further after the break, as there are some spoilers contained herein.
What has happened before: The Kree and the Shi’Ar went to war again, this time lead by Earth-born conquerors (Black Bolt and Vulcan, respectively). The Kree won when Black Bolt set off a doomsday weapon that appeared to kill both Vulcan and himself. While all this was going on, the former Shi’Ar empress, Lilandra, was assassinated by what appears to have been Darkhawk.
If the War of Kings miniseries had a failing, it was that the ending was rather abrupt. Thankfully, this issue provided a much needed epilogue for this epic crossover. Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning maintain their high level of quality output here, as does artist Paul Pelletier. Like their Secret Invasion: War of Kings one shot, this issue concisely sums up the previous crossover, tells a self-contained story, and provides all the necessary set up for the next crossover event. My only problem with it is that it makes me want to follow the upcoming Realm of Kings crossover, despite my crossover fatigue and rapidly shrinking comics budget.
Of course, if Marvel continues to publish transitional one-shots of such high quality, I may just skip the crossovers altogether and buy these every few months…
Amazing Spider-Man #618 — Have you ever played Twister?
What has happened before: The Kree and the Shi’Ar went to war again, this time lead by Earth-born conquerors (Black Bolt and Vulcan, respectively). The Kree won when Black Bolt set off a doomsday weapon that appeared to kill both Vulcan and himself. While all this was going on, the former Shi’Ar empress, Lilandra, was assassinated by what appears to have been Darkhawk.
