Ok help me find something to read quick...

Chat about stuff other than Transformers.
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Hound
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Ok help me find something to read quick...

Post by Hound »

Ok, I'm looking at buying a TPB or two tomorrow when I go to the comic book shop since there is only one new comic coming out this week that I buy.

Here's the conditions:
I'm looking for something mature, like Vertigo-ish.

It must be something that I have not read which will make this incredibly hard as my collection is massive. Just to give you an idea steer clear of stuff by Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis and Garth Ennis. I've probably already read it.

It does need to be in TPB, as I'm not going to go hunting for single issues.

I want to get it tomorrow at the comic book shop I buy comics at so make it something that is actually in print. In other words don't suggest I get it off of ebay or something like that.

Alright, so there you go. I'm kind of leaning towards Fables but it's like a billion issues in and still an ongoing series. I kind of want something that is completed or almost done but that's not a condition because if the book is good for the whole run no reason not to stay with it.
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Zeeks
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Post by Zeeks »

Perhaps the Mouse Guard series? Wizard was pumping this quite a lot not too long ago.
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Dead Man Wade
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Post by Dead Man Wade »

Well, definitely Fables. Can't recommend that enough.

Beyond that, I'd suggest the following, if you haven't already read them.

Inhumans by Paul Jenkins
Rising Stars by JMS
DMZ
Superman Birthright by Mark Waid (surprisingly good take on the origin of Superman)
Mage: The Hero Discovered and The Hero Defined by Matt Wagner (only problem with this series is that the third series, The Hero Denied, has yet to even be announced)
Fear Agent by Rick Remender and Tony Moore
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Post by Denyer »

Do you focus on 'big' stuff by Ellis or have you dipped into his less well-known works much? Two I'd recommend are Ocean and JLA Classified: Maps Of Hell.
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Post by Halfshell »

Dead Man Wade wrote:Well, definitely Fables. Can't recommend that enough.
Yepyep.

Alias by Bendis? Though I'd suspect somebody like you would already have hit that.
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Post by Hound »

@DMW I've read Rising Stars and Superman Birthright but not the others. I have heard very good things about DMZ though.

@Denyer-I've got quite a bit of Ellis stuff, even the JLA Classified story. I've not read Ocean though, hmm. There was some of his smaller stuff I'd been looking at but had heard he was kind of hit and miss with those and steered clear.

@Brend-I've actually not read Alias which is odd because I've been on such a Bends kick of late. Are you reading his Avengers stuff? He's like the architect of the Marvel Universe right now...

Edit: So, umm, looks like the first volume of Fables is a lock. Maybe Oceans or Alias, I'll wait and see.
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Post by Denyer »

His output is hit-and-miss. Ocean's a fast and self-contained science-fiction read, though, with good production values and realistic-type characters.

I'd suggest not reading reviews of it, though, as it'd be a shame to spoil too much of the story with plot details ahead of time.

If you don't like the first book of Fables so much, give the second book (Animal Farm) a chance too.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

I found Ocean to be very... Furmany. Here are all my best bits in one place kind-of thing. Not sure I'd re-read once I knew what happened.

Orbiter's very good if you haven't read it. Very well done, uses the format well.

As for recommendations, I suspect you've read anything I have... er, The Boys maybe? It's mindless violence, but on the plus side it's mindless violence.
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Post by Hound »

Hmm, looks like it's going to be another day till I get there so keep suggesting.

The guy at the store I go to said Orbiter was bad.

I actually haven't read "The Boys" yet. I did manage to read Hitman, finally, a few months back. That is some great stuff.

Y'know I wouldn't have to make these choices if Green Lantern came out every day...
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Post by Zeeks »

Hound wrote:
Y'know I wouldn't have to make these choices if Green Lantern came out every day...
Amen to that. :up:
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Post by rattrap23 »

Though not exactly mature, you could get a Deadpool TPB

Also, as always I recommend buying Cerebus the Aardvark vol 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Marvel Boy by Grant Morrison, and I know you said no Moore, but they just re- released his first volume of Swamp-Thing on Hardcover.

As well from Image; Invincible, Savage Dragon, The Walking Dead, PVP.
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Post by Hound »

Ok so I got the first 2 Fables TPBs and the first Alias.

There were 3 volumes of Alias at the CB shop, that's all there is right? I figured it's not a lot of them to buy and it's Bendis so I'll give it a go.

I might have to give Orbiter and Ocean a shot. They only have Orbiter in hardcover which I don't like. It's not worth it to me to fork out extra cash for that when a softcover is just as good. I might do some searching.

I've no interest in Cerebus, sorry. I've got every issue of Savage Dragon already. What's PVP? I've read Swamp Thing already. Don't care for Deadpool. Maybe Invincible but probably way down the line.

Actually Fables will probably keep me reading for a good long time.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

To be fair on Orbiter, if you don't give a toss about space exploration I'd give it a miss. However, if you're interested in a fairly realistic account of what might happen if we go back to looking beyond our mudball, it's a real treat.

Some of Ellis' Image three-parters are worth a look for varying reasons too... Ministry of Space is really nicely done even if it's very light on plot, while Tokyo Storm Warning is good mad fun. Red was pretty neat as well, IIRC - sadly I think for trades they were paired up, panning out as a good series paired up with a poor series.

Ennis' Enemy Ace two-parter was very good as well, not sure if it made it into trade though. The Boys is brainless, completely stupid and very grimy, but it's so ridiculous it just bludgeons you into enjoyment. It's not as good as Hitman, but then very, very little is. Hitman's probably my favourite series now I think about it, that or Planetary (Miracleman has The Golden Age letting down the average, meaning I rarely read it all the way through... Plus reading the Silver Age pisses me off... what the **** was Avril up to?).
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Post by Halfshell »

Hound wrote:There were 3 volumes of Alias at the CB shop, that's all there is right? I figured it's not a lot of them to buy and it's Bendis so I'll give it a go.
There's four trades in total. Plus a one-shot "What If..." issue, which is only collected in the big "complete Alias" hardback. I've not read the issue, but going by the synopsis I've seen I'm really not missing out.

After that it was replaced by The Pulse for three (very short) trades. At which point it became far less standalone (and not as good, imo) and I think ended up just sort of folding into New Avengers or something.
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Post by Denyer »

Hound wrote:What's PVP?
http://www.pvponline.com/

Webcomic that to me reads most like most newspaper comic strips. Having said that, have just clicked through and found some kind of Watchmen parody involving non-PVP characters. May go and have another look if I get five minutes later.
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Post by Terome »

To be fair on Orbiter, if you don't give a toss about space exploration I'd give it a miss. However, if you're interested in a fairly realistic account of what might happen if we go back to looking beyond our mudball, it's a real treat.
I think I might just give that a go...

Fables should be all a man needs for a year or so, Hound. I'm currently reading The Boys but I wouldn't recommend it very heartily. It's got a lot of good ideas floating around it but nothing that hasn't been covered before in the usual gallery of 'Superheroes aren't so SUPER' books. It's also kind of awful when Robertson skips a book.

As for complete, self-contained whatsits, I'd recommend 'Black Hole' by Charles Burns or 'Goodbye, Chunky Rice' by Craig Thompson. The first is kind of terrifying and the second is about leaving people behind, which is also kind of terrifying. Oh, and for a high-standard monster story, I'd suggest 'Girls' by the Luna Brothers. It is more conventionally terrifying than the others.
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Post by Dead Man Wade »

Terome wrote:'Goodbye, Chunky Rice' by Craig Thompson
"Chunky Rice" is okay. "Blankets" is better.
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Post by Terome »

I wish to read 'Blankets.' I will do this shortly. Does it make me think of the girlfriends I should never have left in a highly idealised way? I feel like I deserve to be reminded of that.
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Post by Prowl1984 »

Y: the last man is worth a read, i got the first two volumes in a shiny hardcover for crimbo and i loved it, it's completed its run and the trade paperbacks are available most places. my problem is that now that i have said shiny hardcover i don't want to buy/read the remaining volumes until they're reprinted in the same format.
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Hound
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Post by Hound »

Prowl1984 wrote:Y: the last man is worth a read, i got the first two volumes in a shiny hardcover for crimbo and i loved it, it's completed its run and the trade paperbacks are available most places. my problem is that now that i have said shiny hardcover i don't want to buy/read the remaining volumes until they're reprinted in the same format.
Yeah, I know. I have the whole series.

I just finished reading Alias vol.1 and man she swears a lot. Emphasis on "a lot", but not as much as Rick Jones... heh.

Good stuff.
SPOILER! (select to read)
Now somehow during the course of this she's going to end up with Cage. I know because they're together now in Avengers. Have a kid and all.
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