It started with a little grain of idea and I just sat down and wrote it in one go. I was happy with how it turned out, and it makes me want to try again!
Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break! This morning I had Yuban Coffee with cream and Irish Creme syrup. Good stuff.
DC Comics
My copy of the DC Pride anthology came in just in time. I'm loving these DC anthologies. Standouts for me were the Green Lantern/Alan Scott story and Flash vs. Reflek. It was also cool to see Dreamer make her way to comics. I'd love to see more from that character.
Continuing with New 52 Superman, I read Batman/Superman: Truth Hurts. Look, I am loving this whole arc. I don't care much about Jim Gordon Batman, but it worked well in this collection. Plus Superman teams up with Batgirl, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd as if it were a gift just for me.
Marvel
I got back on track with Cap and Falcon, reading Marvel Masterworks: Captain America V. 10. This set of issues from 1976 sees Jack Kirby return, this time as both artist and author. I love and will continue to love Kirby, but his complete disregard for the story that came before is pretty bold. He did the same thing with Black Panther. I loved seeing the Kirby style return, but I was digging the contemporary 70s stories that came before and this felt like an unnecessary disruption. (More on Kirby in a minute)
Other Stuff
We were working on a "Tales & Tails" Summer Reading Program over at the library so I picked up some of Erin Hunter's Warriors series. I read the first novel Into the Void, then picked up a three-volume manga series called Graystripe's Adventures. The book was a little too serious for my taste, but I had a pretty good time with the manga. Basically a wild cat and a house cat (or "kittypet" as they are called) opt to hit the streets and returns to the Warriors home in the forest. The story is pretty straightforward they have highs and lows, they save a group of barn cats and then continue on in their quest. It's written by regular comic book writer Dan Jolley, and he does a nice job of adapting the series. I probably wouldn't read more, but this was a fun little excursion nonetheless.
Finally, back to Kirby. I read The Simon & Kirby Library: Crime. This is made up of mostly true-crime stories from the 1940s. They were a little do similar to read back to back like this, so I'm sure that colored the experience. My main complaint is similar to one I had with the Science Fiction volume. There just isn't enough editorial content. You're given an into and then you're off. I would have liked it if the issues had more commentary or were broken up into sections. As is it just felt like a content dump and it wasn't a particularly enjoyable read. Still, as a fan of early comics history, I'm glad to have read it. (My copy has a bookplate signed by Joe Simon, so that made it extra cool.)
Next Time...
I'm in the home stretch with New 52 Superman so I will check back in when I finish that.
Oh, also, I guest hosted an episode of 90s Music Got Me Like. You can find it here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break! I was in Utah last week, so now I'm playing catch-up! This morning I had a small Tim Horton's Coffee with cream and sugar. I don't really care for their coffee, which is why I usually get tea. Anyway...
Let's talk comic books!
We were doing a Fairy Tale episode for Howe's Things so I finally read Fables V.1 by Bill Wyndam. My friend Kendra has been recommending it for years. Legends in Exile is basically a murder mystery looking into the death of Snow White's sister Rose Red. I get the appeal and it really sticks to its groove, but I don't expect to check back in. I find the premise a little hard to get past and it never quite got over that hump in my mind.
Next, I read Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye V.1 by James Roberts. I don't know why, but I have a fondness for the Transformers, and yet I never seem to settle on a version of them that I like. (I loved the Transformers/Star Trek crossover, but that hardly counts.) This version looks great, but don't let that V.1 confuse you. This is not a very good hopping on point.
I'm doing a guest-spot on Previously on X-Men so I picked up some Deadpool. This week was Deadpool vs. X-Force by Duane Swierczynski and Pepe Laraz. This was harmless, but not particularly intriguing. It's a time travel story where Deadpool is going back and messing things up so Cable assembles a proto X-Force and goes after him. It's fun how it intersects with Deadpool's first appearance.
DC
I'm rounding the corner on my New 52 Superman reread. I read Superman: Before Truth and Action Comics: Truth. This is setting up the fall of New 52 Superman. Oddly enough the actual Truth story wasn't as impactful as I remember. Some of the villains and side plots drag down the story. It works best when we get an introspective Superman, but he keeps having to rumble. I'll looking forward to the grand conclusion.
Next Time...
I'm reading the Batman/Superman and Superman/Wonder Woman volumes to complete the Truth story, and then finally getting back to the vintage Cap reading.
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You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.
The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there.
You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network.
I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library.
