I know this isn't exactly fresh news but I was just curious as to other's thoughts on Secret Wars.
I only started reading comics a few years ago. I started out small, picking up a few graphic novels before I went full bore and started into singles territory. I had read a good bit of Marvel stuff before they did the NOW! imprint. So, while the name seemed a bit hokey, I jumped on Gambit, Hawkeye, Thor, Deadpool, Thunderbolts, and the new Punisher.
About a year into it, I discovered just how much Marvel is all about the money. 30 years old and I am still hit with naiveté. Deadpool especially, was a drain on my bank account. Bi-weekly on the main run and every month there was a side series or two!
Anyways, I think I am going to use this is a jumping off point for a lot of my Marvel reads. How about you folks?
P.S. New to Hubski and first post, hoping for some good conversation :)
I follow mainstream comics out of curiosity but I'm not interested or paid enough to buy them. Marvel seems more interesting than DC and their universe reboot looks a lot more well planned and creative than anything DC has done since CoIE, which is gasp for air as the industry shrinks and drowns in an inability to bring in new readers to match the movies' popularity. Marvel the comic book company is gasping for air too but they're buoyed by some Disney movies or toy licensing or something.
I'm with rd95 on the creator owned thing. I've read about 90% of Brian Vaughn's work and it's generally awesome. I can't recommend Pride of Baghdad or Ex Machina enough. I was kinda lukewarm to Y: The Last Man but I'm an outlier. His Runaways run is awesome too if you want to stick with Marvel. It's "his gift to the Marvel Universe" which Marvel doesn't seem to appreciate from what I understand they've done with the characters.
Image and Dark Horse are where it's at for actual storytelling instead of just shuffling shit around only to put it back the way it was shortly. I also have a soft spot for Top Shelf since they're local to me and I've heard their publisher speak. He very much understands the medium, what makes it unique and uses that to make books that are often heartfelt and mature (and not in the Marvel MAX way).
I really like comics, they were my first books, I want to like superheroes but can't do it for the monthly stuff that comes out. I could probably write a pseudo intellectual tract on why they're an important part of modern culture but it's been done.
I am definitely for creator owned content. I would say I read more from the other labels besides the "Big 2" now-a-days. Saga, Lazarus, East of West, and Uber to name a few, are really good reads.
I hear you. I have taken a couple of breaks when the issues slowed down a bit. East of West is good but Saga definitely outshines it. If you get the hankering, I would pick up Saga first.
I've pretty much switched entirely over to Valiant comics aside from Daredevil and Ms Marvel. Valiant got rebooted in 2012, doesn't have a whole bunch of titles and is consistently pumping out amazing stories and characters in their shared universe. Go check them out.
I have heard good things about Valiant and read a few that my buddy follows. I really liked the first few issues of X-O Manowar that I read.
I love comics as a medium. I'm not a very strong reader, so as embarrassing as it is to admit, I appreciate the fact that the images help move the story along.
That said, I don't read a lot of mainstream comics for a few reasons. I hate retcons and resets. I hate cross over events. I kind of hate the super hero genre in general with a few exceptions here and there.
As a result, I'm a huge fan of creator controlled comics. I feel that we are very fortunate that there is room in the market for companies like Image, Archaia, Dark Horse, First Second, and others. I think by giving the creators the control they need to tell the stories they want, you get magical results, no matter what genre of comic they choose to write. At the same time, I'm also a fan of small time creators and underdogs, and I feel like supporting those artists is money better spent.
So . . . yeah. Welcome to Hubski!
Thanks! I am a big fan of Dark Horse. The Firefly/Serenity stuff is pretty good and I really enjoy the Conan stories they adapted. Still working on those. There are a ton of trades for that run.
I don't know if you're into older comics, but if you are, Dark Horse is putting out a ton of omnibuses for their older properties from the '80s and '90s. Nexus, Ghost, Trekker, etc. It's a great way to get a ton of good material for your bookshelf real cheap.
That is fantastic, I hadn't heard that. Thanks for the information. Most of my graphic novel/trades collection is older stuff. Alan Moore's Swamp Thing in hardcover is my pride and joy.
Yes. My personal crown jewel at the moment is the Fear Agent Library Vol 1. and 2.
I wanted to get the hardcover Starman Omnibuses when they came out, but I couldn't justify spending the money. Now that they're hard to get a hold of, I kind of regret not getting them. Starman was just such a great series out of the 90s.
When you don't read the big event and that one series you've been enjoying since 2002 ends, it can be pretty frustrating.
A quick search on Google and I wasn't able to see what's happening with the Daredevil series. SO SAD!
I'm most looking forward to picking up with Miles Morales Spiderman. I would love a series where the events stop pooping all over his story and we get to see him learn to be Spider-man.
I'm still waiting to see how it goes. In the meantime I've been reading the Now! series for Moon Knight while I wait for Deadpool to come back.
The rushed ending for Deadpool kind of irritated me though. Not sure if I'll stick with it. I read the first couple of issues of Moon Knight. Good stuff.
I didn't like the ending either. I would have been A-OK with them ending it with him "killing" Deadpool by hanging up the costume to be Wade Wilson. Which was where I thought it was going at first.
I hope the next run they do post Secret Wars is better. I am really enjoying the latest Moon Knight run though.
I'm curious as to who will be writing the new run after SW.
Gerry Duggan with Mike Hawethorne and Tony Moore as the artists.