My big concern yesterday was grabbing Walking Dead #80 (fortunately, I got the last copy), which officially kicks off "No Way Out"--an arc which sees our survivors surrounded within their walled community by a mega-herd of zombies as far as the eye can see, and which promises to be the biggest disaster since the Governor's murderous assault on the prison. Despite the seeming suddenness of the onslaught, the survivors hunker in to relative safety with only one casualty. Rick, in his capacity as leader, outlines a sensible plan of action and reassures the community about the most worrisome points--how long can their food hold out, and what about Andrea being cut off/stranded in the tower? Kirkman seems to be settling in for a pretty long, smoldering burn here. I expect he'll be turning up the pressure and desperation no more than one or two notches per issue for a while to come. He's given himself tons of stress points, fuses, and powderkegs to work with and exploit, and I think we'll see a veritable symphony of ominous, alarming developments, building to a truly horrific crescendo. To mix a few more metaphors, the questions are where the whole situation will start to irrevocably unravel first, and how fast everything will go down the shitter once that tipping point is reached. I'm onboard for the whole slow-motion trainwreck.
Speaking of Kirkman, I'm also checking out Invincible on Sean T. Collins's enthusiastic recommendation. So far, I've read the first collection, with the second volume on the way from amazon. So far, okay--it hasn't knocked me on my ass yet, but then Walking Dead didn't really do that either until it was up in the high-forties, and then it really punched me head-over-heels. I'm optimistic about getting a worthwhile payoff. We'll see!
I'm also taking a big Grant Morrisson plunge. Josh Simmons, of all people, made me curious to check out All Star Superman. Someone gave me vol. 1 for xmas, and I've got 2 on the way along with Invincible. Then, Sean again finally convinced me to jump into the Batman stuff, so following his recommended reading order, I've got Batman and Son, Black Glove, and R.I.P. on the way in that same amazon purchase. I've also picked up the first two issues of Batman, Inc. and that other one-shot that came out around the same time, but I'll wait to read them until I've caught up.
On impulse, I went ahead and grabbed that Steel: Reign of Doomsday one-shot. I feel pretty meh about it, and may wait for reviews to come in before proceeding with any further issues in this crossover. It's not like I don't have enough other stuff to read.
I have to say, though, that shiny, snazzy Brightest Day hardcover collection I'm seeing everywhere I turn is irritatingly tempting. I've managed to stay off that bandwagon so far, but I can feel the sucker in me getting restless to check it out. Can anyone recommend strongly for or against it?
Then, I'm woefully behind in my Hack/Slash coverage, would like to post an update on my thoughts about The Boys (which I abandoned at one point and then got sucked back into), and even have a few minicomics I want to review. Plus a pile of manga. Oh, and that X-Men Omnibus. Jeez, I need more time!!!
3 comments:
Man, Walking Dead the comic kicks Walking Dead the show's ass up and down the block, doesn't it?
Taking everything else point by point:
More than any other superhero comic, Invincible requires (but rewards) your initial patience. I'm sure this is a bit maddening, but there's no ifs and or buts about it: You simply have to read through the first three volumes to be able to make your judgment.
Similarly, I remember Morrison's Bat-run not kicking into high gear until The Black Glove and J.H. Williams III's star turn with the art. And even then, it was RIP that made me say "whoa."
There's not a more infuriating decision in comics than the one DC made to release the very much single-story-unit All-Star Superman in two volumes. It really is like taking Watchmen and splitting it in half.
Ugh, Steel and Doomsday. Pass!
I don't see any need for you to read Brightest Day. I'm enjoying it, but it's a comic about hardcore DC Universe minutiae. I got the Absolute edition for Christmas, the first time it's ever been collected in one place, and it's a revelation.
Whoops, somehow my sentence about Absolute All-Star Superman got tacked onto the graf about Brightest Day. There's no Absolute Brightest Day! I meant Superman.
The back story of the Black Glove would make a great giallo
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