Octopus Overlords

I got Hush and the first of the Batman: Dark Knight New 52 graphic novels for my birthday and finished both this weekend. Both were great. I miss Batman.

I have completed the 2008-2012 Deadpool run. With the new ones through last November (6 month delay), I've read 6.5 years of his main title in just over three weeks.

Lately I've been reading Grant Morrison's late-90s run on JLA, which happened to come out during the decade or so that I was away from comics. It's great fun -- he's very good at coming up with appropriately epic challenges for the super-est of super-teams. Despite Morrison's extraordinary talent as a writer, however, Aquaman still comes across as largely superfluous. Poor Arthur.

Isgrimnur wrote:I have completed the 2008-2012 Deadpool run. With the new ones through last November (6 month delay), I've read 6.5 years of his main title in just over three weeks.

What device are you reading on?

Flipping between Chrome browser on the PC and the app on my iPhone 4S.

I'm about 60 issues deep into the Ultimate Spider Man line and it's still great. Looks fantastic on the iPad Mini retina too.

I've decided to stick with trade paperbacks after finding I'm going to spend way too much money on singles if I keep finding good stuff to read.

I'm absolutely loving Image's titles right now. I've got the first two issues of Nailbiter which are stellar. I just ordered the first volumes of Manifest Destiny, East & West, and Saga. Any other Image titles I should be reading?

YellowKing wrote:I've decided to stick with trade paperbacks after finding I'm going to spend way too much money on singles if I keep finding good stuff to read.

I'm absolutely loving Image's titles right now. I've got the first two issues of Nailbiter which are stellar. I just ordered the first volumes of Manifest Destiny, East & West, and Saga. Any other Image titles I should be reading?

If you like Saga, check out BKV's other titles I mentioned earlier in the thread.

I think you would really like the Manhattan Projects. Einstein, Feynman, Von Braun, Fermi, etc., but not quite as you remember them.

Ænima wrote:

YellowKing wrote:I've decided to stick with trade paperbacks after finding I'm going to spend way too much money on singles if I keep finding good stuff to read.

I'm absolutely loving Image's titles right now. I've got the first two issues of Nailbiter which are stellar. I just ordered the first volumes of Manifest Destiny, East & West, and Saga. Any other Image titles I should be reading?

If you like Saga, check out BKV's other titles I mentioned earlier in the thread.

BKV is awesome. He's like Sanderson to comics. I enjoy everything he does.

So a couple of months ago I stopped being able to get into my Marvel Unlimited account. It basically kept bringing me to the screen where it asked me to sign up, as if I didn't already have an account. I didn't have time to tackle the problem at the time and put it aside as a "later" issue and then promptly forgot about it. I checked my credit card statements today and they have billed me for the past couple of months. So I tried to log in again today and same issue. I log into the My Account page where I'm supposed to be able to cancel my subscription and nowhere on that page does it indicate that I have a subscription. It just recommends that I "SUBSCRIBE NOW!".

So I've emailed their support address asking them to cancel me and stop billing my credit card. I don't anticipate this going well.

Ok, that was quick. Already got a response and they credited me three months (which I never asked for) and cancelled my account no questions asked. Amazing customer service. Will subscribe again if I get the comics itch.

Marvel changes:

Marvel has been planning some big changes as of late, especially when it comes to their comics. Just recently the publisher announced an “All New” and “All Different” Marvel would soon be hitting the shelves, introducing a whole slew of new characters along with significant changes to existing ones. Now, along with the reboot, Marvel has also announces more accessibility, renewing an exclusive contract with ComiXology and expanding their digital publishing to Amazon.

Marvel has previously established a strong relationship with ComiXology as the company exclusively distributed and sells Marvel digital comic books across their applications. But in 2014, when Amazon acquired ComiXology, it had opened up even further opportunity for the comic book company. This deal not only will introduce over 12,000 single issues to the digital marketplace, but will also open up a new opportunity for Amazon and Kindle users. Comics will now be available on the Amazon Kindle platform.

DC / Hanna-Barbera

And this May, DC Entertainment is taking you back to those days with an all-new line of comics based on your favorite Hanna-Barbera characters. Featuring books like Scooby Apocalypse, Future Quest, Wacky Raceland and The Flintstones, DC is looking not to rehash old stories, but revitalize the characters in a new day and age — while keeping their charm, of course.

This is a very nice essay by Walt Simonson (of Thor fame) about being influenced by Jack Kirby.

I didn’t purchase the comics. After all, I was 18 years old and had outgrown comics. Sort of. So instead of buying them, I rode my bike from home back to the Drug Fair to reread the Journey into Mystery issues. More than once! The round trip was a good six or seven miles up hill and down dale. And after 4 or 5 such trips to reread the comics, I finally broke down and proved I was college material. I bought the damn things.

I've recently started buying comics again. I started with the new Star Wars comics - currently reading Star Wars, Kanan, Darth Vader...read a few issues of Princess Leia, didn't go after Lando or Chewbacca. I also am getting the new Archie comic...it's really a bunch of fun.

[Comics] I am collecting them for the first time. I love DC, but I have never really 'collected' before, and most of my reading has either been digital or trade paperbacks.

A couple of years ago someone gave me a few dozen comics (and about a hundred action figures) when I helped them clean out the storage area of a mutual friend who had died. There was nothing insanely valuable (and I'd be more of a collector than an investor), but there were a few interesting bits - Supergirl #1 and #2 in really good condition which are worth a little, a few older Justice League comics, and a metric ton of 60s Shazam! issues. A few other things like that.

I've been reading a lot, though, and today found myself in a booth in a local permanent swap meet that had some comics. I've finally decided to start a collection. I'm still poor, so I can't start getting first appearances or anything (although they did have a first appearance of Killer Croc that I really, really liked.) I picked up a couple of old Justice League issues from the 60s, but I think my first big project is going to be to get the whole original run of Batman: Knightfall. It's iconic, it has a lot of issues, and it isn't an insanely expensive run. I will likely only get an issue every month or two, but it gives me something to keep an eye out for. I picked up a near-mint copy of issue 11 (the one where Bane breaks Batman's back) for $4 today.

What have I started?

Given to me today as a gift:



That's Justice League Volume 1, #6 (so the sixth issue of the series) from 1961. I'm really, really happy to have this in my collection.

A couple of months ago I entered a drawing on a comics site. Looks like I won. This arrived today:



That's one of every cover variant of Action Comics #1000, plus a historical book on Superman that they put out for the occasion. I'm happy. Plus, I have an extra copy of the second one (the WWII cover), as I picked it up myself on release day. I'll give the extra to my former-nephew-in-law, I think.

Last comics I collected were Star Trek in the early to mid 90s.

EDIT: Star Trek series 2.

I do still have all my stuff from being young...Star Wars and The Secret Wars series, Not sure where my ROM, Uncanny X-Men, and Micronauts got to.

Blackhawk wrote: Fri Jun 08, 2018 12:57 pm A couple of months ago I entered a drawing on a comics site. Looks like I won.

Cool!

Never been into comics despite a halfhearted attempt several years ago when I read Iron Man Extremis, probably the first 30 issues of Ultra Spider Man, and a handful of others.

Got a new tablet and I'm trying again though. A few issues into the initial '98 run of Inhumans and it's impressing me. I'm curious about Moon Knight.

I sold all of my childhood comics when I went to college in 1977. Comic book guy gave me $125 for the box. There was a lot of crap in there, but must've been a few gems as well, because $125 was a fortune to a starving college student back then. That box probably would've been worth thousands today, but I needed $125 then more than I need thousands now.

I just inventoried and priced out most of my comics recently. I have six long boxes of mostly Marvel and some random Image, DC and other small publishers from the early 90's. I'd say that about 99% of my comics are worth cover price but there were a few gems in there that I should probably try to sell now while they are popular. My biggest surprise was my Amazing Spider-Man #300 (1st Venom appearance) which I'm assuming is trending right now with the Venom movie coming out soon.

Since I started this thread I'll give an update:

I'm still collecting here and there. I went back to single issues because I just love the look and feel of the old comics with the covers, etc. The trade paperbacks are fun for reading but not so much fun to collect.

I've been collecting a lot of horror comics and have several great issues from the '70s and '80s of GHOST, SECRETS OF HAUNTED HOUSE, and UNEXPECTED. I also bought a bunch of '80s Conan comics (I'm a huge Conan fan) to kick off that collection.

As far as newer stuff, the only series I've been really serious about is HAUNTED HORROR (2012) which is a series that reprints old EC horror comics. They're really nicely bound, though, so I've been trying to get that whole series.

In general, I'm mostly just hitting dollar boxes when I have the opportunity and picking up anything horror or Conan related. I'm not really being a completist, and I don't care much for actual value. I just think they're a ton of fun to browse through.

YellowKing wrote: Mon Jun 11, 2018 8:00 am Since I started this thread I'll give an update:

I'm still collecting here and there. I went back to single issues because I just love the look and feel of the old comics with the covers, etc. The trade paperbacks are fun for reading but not so much fun to collect.

I've been collecting a lot of horror comics and have several great issues from the '70s and '80s of GHOST, SECRETS OF HAUNTED HOUSE, and UNEXPECTED. I also bought a bunch of '80s Conan comics (I'm a huge Conan fan) to kick off that collection.

As far as newer stuff, the only series I've been really serious about is HAUNTED HORROR (2012) which is a series that reprints old EC horror comics. They're really nicely bound, though, so I've been trying to get that whole series.

In general, I'm mostly just hitting dollar boxes when I have the opportunity and picking up anything horror or Conan related. I'm not really being a completist, and I don't care much for actual value. I just think they're a ton of fun to browse through.

I once worked for the guy who invented the software to scan in black & white line drawings and color them on computer.
We did work for Marvel, DC, Image and a lot of up and coming publishers. Scanning and coloring the very first Conan cover was my first project.
Throughout my time, I collected tons of original artwork, proofs, photos, slides, first run editions, figures, signed artwork...you name it.
When I recently moved, last July, I didn't want the hassle of going thru everything and sorting what was valuable and what was nostalgic.
I kept a few personalized things, gave some of the cooler items to my Grandson, and tossed the rest. I'm sure that if I had the energy and time to go thru the multiple boxes and stacks of things, the stuff I tossed would have been worth a lot. It takes forever to collect stuff. You never realize how much you have until the time comes to move it.

I know I'm the only one really using this thread, but my ex-wife just picked these up for me at an antique store. Total cost was about four bucks.

The first is Flash volume 1, #174 from 1967. It's in really good condition (the tape is on the bag, not the comic.)

The second is Tales of the Teen Titans #44, book 3 of The Judas Contract. It has the origin of Deathstroke, Jericho taking his name, and best of all - is the first appearance of Nightwing. This one was on my 'short list.' To get it for less than what a new comic costs is amazing.

I went into the Terre Haute Books-A-Million today to pick up a copy of Detective Comics #1000 (a significant milestone, and Batman's 80th anniversary.) I discovered that they've stopped selling new comics. Given that the actual comics shop in town shut down a few months ago, there literally isn't anywhere within an hour's drive of me that sells new comics.

I ordered Detective Comics #1000 online, and paid as much as three new comic books in shipping. If it weren't such a significant issue of the comic that launched Batman, and from which DC gets its name, I wouldn't have bothered.

I'll take the opportunity to give an update since my last post was nearly a year ago.

I've continued collecting here and there, but have put the majority of my money into Conan. I decided that if I was going to collect, I needed to really focus on one "thing" or I'd just get overwhelmed. While my main love is Batman, that's a library of stuff that is simply too vast to even begin to wrap my brain around. Conan was a much more attainable goal.

So far I've managed to collect roughly 150 of the 275 Marvel Conan the Barbarian run which started in the late 70s. I don't put much (if any) stock in grade; these are mean to be reading copies and I have no grand plans to fund my kids college with them. I've also of course been buying the recent Conan reboot from Marvel after obtaining the rights from Dark Horse.

At some point I'll start grabbing the decade's worth of Dark Horse Conans, but I'm in less of a hurry on those since I have most of those in graphic novel form.

I will have to say focusing on one character has been very rewarding and makes the dollar box trips a lot easier.

YellowKing wrote: Thu Mar 28, 2019 2:32 pm

So far I've managed to collect roughly 150 of the 275 Marvel Conan the Barbarian run which started in the late 70s.

If you've any need for them, I have Conan the King #s 24 and 25, plus King Conan #5. All are Marvel, but I don't know if they're part of the series you're collecting. They were extras in a couple of boxes of miscellaneous comics I've gotten.

If you need those issues, they're yours in exchange for an address.

Awesome, thanks so much Blackhawk! I have a few of both series but not many. The plan is eventually to collect all the Marvel Conan series though, so they'll be much appreciated. I'll shoot you a PM.

Yep! Just let me figure out a way to get 'em packed safely, and I'll ship 'em out.

Shortbox, publisher of excellent indie one-shots, has a Kickstarter for their first large-print-run book.

Not really a collecting thing, but I've decided to step out on DC and read a few Marvel comics. I picked a couple of series - X-Men and Spider-Man - and have been giving them a whirl.

So far, I'm 11 issues into the All New X-Men (2012 Michael Bendis run), which was mentioned in several places as a good starting point. In those 11 issues about all that's happened is that Beast brought the original X-Men forward in time from the 60s (first issue), and then they all sat around the mansion arguing with each other (next ten issues.) I'm assuming that they'll get on with the story, but so far... it hasn't exactly drawn me in.

I've been on a Batman kick again. I found a good Batman reading order list that essentially catches you up on all the major storylines and graphic novels of the modern Batman era starting with Batman Year One and going right up through Rebirth. I couldn't find the link right off-hand, but if anyone is interested let me know and I can PM it to you. I wound up creating a list in DC Infinite so I can just blow right through them.

As far as actual collecting, I'm still slowly piecing together my original Marvel Conan the Barbarian run. I've slowed down significantly due to other priorities, but hope to get back to it in earnest once I have a more permanent place to house them.

Blackhawk wrote: Mon Jul 19, 2021 1:10 pm So far, I'm 11 issues into the All New X-Men (2012 Michael Bendis run), which was mentioned in several places as a good starting point. In those 11 issues about all that's happened is that Beast brought the original X-Men forward in time from the 60s (first issue), and then they all sat around the mansion arguing with each other (next ten issues.) I'm assuming that they'll get on with the story, but so far... it hasn't exactly drawn me in.

I petered out on that story arc too. It started promisingly, but then just kept... going. I wanted the original X-Men to save the world, learn a lesson, and go back to their own timeline. I assume at some point they do, but I gave up before it happened.

For X-Men stories, I still think the Dark Phoenix Saga from the 1980s is a great starting point. I also really like Astonishing X-Men (Joss Whedon, a very clear and self-contained storyline, but it works better if you already know the characters' personalities/relationships) and New X-Men (Grant Morrison, therefore weird and kind of hard to follow). Wolverine and the X-Men is a fun romp: Wolverine as headmaster of Xavier's school.

I've been reading the X-Force/X-Statix comics from the early 2000s. They are bizarre and so far removed from the X-Men that I'm surprised they ever got published, much less ran for multiple years. The premise is essentially, "What if team of superpowered mutants was owned and operated by a Silicon Valley tech bro?" Members die on a regular basis, their powers are extra-strange, and they're all more interested in celebrity than actually helping people.

AWS260 wrote: Mon Jul 19, 2021 2:29 pm For X-Men stories, I still think the Dark Phoenix Saga from the 1980s is a great starting point. I also really like Astonishing X-Men (Joss Whedon, a very clear and self-contained storyline, but it works better if you already know the characters' personalities/relationships) and New X-Men (Grant Morrison, therefore weird and kind of hard to follow). Wolverine and the X-Men is a fun romp: Wolverine as headmaster of Xavier's school.

Yeah, I may switch tracks. I feel like X-Men has potential, but this particular story just isn't going anywhere. It's either that or give Avengers a try.

Spidey I'm enjoying.

YellowKing wrote: Mon Jul 19, 2021 2:19 pm I've been on a Batman kick again. I found a good Batman reading order list that essentially catches you up on all the major storylines and graphic novels of the modern Batman era starting with Batman Year One and going right up through Rebirth. I couldn't find the link right off-hand, but if anyone is interested let me know and I can PM it to you. I wound up creating a list in DC Infinite so I can just blow right through them.

Actually, I wouldn't hate that link. I didn't start reading until a few years later, and I keep feeling like I'm missing some pieces. Largely because I started in the New 52 era, and when they de-booted I found myself with a few obvious holes in my knowledge.

AWS260 wrote: Mon Jul 19, 2021 2:29 pm For X-Men stories, I still think the Dark Phoenix Saga from the 1980s is a great starting point.

I'm sort of going that route. After doing more checking, I started off again with Chris Claremont's soft reboot from 1975 in Giant Size X-Men #1. That'll lead to the Phoenix material eventually.

Blackhawk wrote: Tue Jul 20, 2021 10:35 pm

AWS260 wrote: Mon Jul 19, 2021 2:29 pm For X-Men stories, I still think the Dark Phoenix Saga from the 1980s is a great starting point.

I'm sort of going that route. After doing more checking, I started off again with Chris Claremont's soft reboot from 1975 in Giant Size X-Men #1. That'll lead to the Phoenix material eventually.

Yeah I was just gonna say to get the full effect you want to start earlier so Jean's entire story arc carries more weight. The whole problem with the movies was just throwing Dark Phoenix onto people like they should understand the significance and care about Jean Grey. There's a lot of great storyline before the endgame portion.