Comic Book Coffee Break #54

  Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break!  Today I'm having Jockey Streets Three Falls blend coffee with cream and Vanilla.

It's been a minute, but I eventually finished my New 52 Superman reread.

DC Comics

I don't even remember why now, but I decided to do a reread of the New 52 Superman.  My memories were that It started clunky, but by the time I reached Final Days of Superman I was completely invested. I went back to see if I could capture that magic again, and found I really couldn't. 

Wait though. 

I was going to have my wife read along, but was only going to give her the necessary and/or top tier volumes to read.  That proved harder than I'd expected.  I did enjoy the second half of the reread, but I kept waiting for the one that knocked it out of the park and it just never really came. Still, when I got to Final Days, I found it just as moving. That Truth to Final Days stretch is some of my favorite Superman of all time.  The issue is that it's not any one volume or story. And taken piecemeal, it doesn't really hold up. It's a package deal, and you've got to be in the right place for it or it doesn't land. So it didn't really work to isolate the best stories from the era. I think what I like is deeper than that. It gets the essence of Superman and his core goodness better than most. 

Starting with Truth his powers are in decline, but he can't stop being Superman.  Not because of outside pressure or expectations, he just can't stop.  It's who he is.  Powers are irrelevant.  So he just keeps going, even when it stops being practical or realistic. 

Then you move into a false sense of security when powers are restored, only to be undercut with the events leading in to Final Days.  Again, I don't think this should really work, but for me it did. The final issues are incredibly moving and I found myself mourning the New 52 version of the character.  Even with the reveal that the original is back on the job, you still have to accept that the fact that the character you've been following since the Grant Morrison relaunch is just dead. And that's forever. 

What's stark about that is typically, when a character dies in comics, it's rare that real feelings are attached because you know it isn't going to stick. This is different though, because, yes there will always be a Superman.  Just not this one.  

And I liked this one. 

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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. 

Comic Book Coffee Break #50

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.

Marvel

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. 

Comic Book Coffee Break #49

Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break. Home again and back to the Folgers Noir.  It doesn't solve gritty mysteries, but it is a dark roast. 

Let's talk Comic Books!

This was the last week of Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month so I read The
Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen.  Ultimately this is about a son trying to come out to his mother.  It interweaves their lives with the folktales they share to come to a point of openness.  It looks great and serves it's purpose well. I would read more by this author.

Marvel Comics

While on vacation last week I stopped at Chautauqua Comics and picked up a random Cap comic called Captain America & the Korvac Saga by Ben McCool and Craig Rousseau.  I wasn't really familiar with the original story that this is inspired by and I found this 2011 version to be a little dull. Basically Cap and Guardians of the Galaxy go into the future to fight (?) Korvac.  I grabbed this because it looked self-contained and I loved the smaller size.  It worked fine to sit in an Airbnb and read, but left next to no impact.

DC Comics

Back to my Superman New 52 reread. I picked up Superman V.6: Men of Tomorrow by Geoff Johns and John Romita, Jr. This was a lot of fun to revisit. I think Johns' sensibilities and Romita Jr.'s style came together well to make the first truly good Superman story of the New 52 era. I've enjoyed a few stories here and there, but this might be the fist of this run that I'd recommend to someone. It looks cool and the story actually manages to feel unique. We'll done fellas.

Other

I picked up One Trick Pony by Nathan Hale.  It's a YA graphic that's an homage to the Pied Piper.  We are doing a Fairytale Adaptations theme over on Howe's Things, so I grabbed a few to read.  This was quick and distinct.  I really liked the limited use of the colors and the overall design. Check it out!

Finally, I read Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier. This is a biography of Jack Kirby, interlaced with art, comic excerpts and even full stories. I really loved it.  I knew the broad strokes of the story, but I found this to be immensely readable and very informative. This was a gift from my old co-host Eric Mikols.  Thanks Buddy!

Next Time...

I'm still chugging away at my Simon/Kirby Crime collection, plus more Superman, more Fairytale adaptations and some retro Captain America. 

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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.

Comic Book Coffee Break #44

Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break. Today I'm drinking Folgers' Coffeehouse Blend with Irish Creme syrup and a little creamer.  The best part of waking up...

Anyway, let's talk comic books. 

Archie Comics

Curveball! My hold on Archie V.3: Archie and Katy Keene came in at the library so I popped it to the top of the stack.  The series has been a little on the decline since the glory days of the Mark Waid relaunch, but I enjoyed the last volume (Archie & Sabrina) quite a bit. With this volume they pulled the old bait and switch. I might have been more open to this had it just been marketed as what it is, a Katy Keene mini series. Releasing it as Archie v.3 sets up different expectations that were not well met. (Though realistically I wouldn't have picked up a Katy Keene mini series so I guess touché.) Anyway, boring. I wanted more of Archie & Sabrina.

DC Comics

I made good on my Superman promises.  First, I finished Superman in the Seventies by Elliot S! Maggin, et al. What a nostalgic romp this was. Brought me back to the glory days of my childhood comic shop, a teal, windowless building filled with quarter bins. These were the kinds of issues I would dig for. Just beyond the extreme goofiness of the 60s Superman and before the Byrne "this is effing serious" relaunch in the 80s.  We got some Jack Kirby, the infamous Lois Lane vs. race issue and just a ton of goofy fun.  I'd read Superman in the Fifties forever ago and now I might just have to read all of the decade collections.  Good times.

On to New 52, where I was on Superman: Doomed.  I liked it the first time and I liked it now. A lot goes down in this book. Superman is bit by the Doomsday bug, there's a Braniac angle, Superman/Wonder Woman romance, Red Lantern Supergirl, and on and on.  It's impressive that this collection never loses the thread. It also does something that the DCEU never does.  It makes a case for Superman's goodness and sets him up to be this necessary figure in the world, something the characters seem to realize while stuff is going down.  I really liked it. This is where the New 52 Superman really starts to hit the mark. I'm looking forward to what's next.

Marvel

Quirky X-Men title?  Check. This week it was X-Men Ronin by J. Torres and Makoto Nakatsuka. This was a real win for me. I love when they set out to do a take on characters and actually succeed.  This wasn't a case where they changed the costume designs and called it good.  Conversely it wasn't just X-Men in name only. This was an honest to goodness reimaging of the characters in a very successful way. The redesigns are good and there's a ton of good character work, particularly with Jean (!) and Storm. Yes, the art gets a little fan servicey at times, but the overall story and tone are what really sell it here. I loved it.

Next time on Comic Book Coffee Break: 

Well, I do want to finish Secret Avengers as I'd planned, plus a little Black Panther to round out the Marvel side. I'll continue New 52 Superman and try to pick up where I left off in the Rebirth era. I think I'm on Nightwing which would be great!  See you then.

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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 for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 

I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library.

Comic Book Coffee Break #39

No coffee today. We swung into Tim Horton's and I don't love their coffee so I got tea, which I do like. XL, 4 sugars.

Let's talk comic books. 

DC Comics

So in the last issue I said I was planning to re-read the Superman Truth arc from the New 52. As I was looking for the right place to start I decided to just do a whole reread of New 52 Superman.  This era of Superman has a pretty notorious rep and I hadn't read it since it dropped the first time and I really couldn't remember. I started with Grant Morrison's Action Comics Omnibus. This comprises the first 18 issues plus an annual and a #0.  The art is primarily by Rags Morales. Right away were are off to a weird start.  As I recall the lead up to the New 52 was a streamlined, back to basics kind of take on DC Comics. If that's really the goal, who in the world thought Grant Morrison was the one? I do have to admit the first 5 or so issues where we have t-shirt Superman doing some street level stuff, I was a pretty in. But then that vanishes and we go on the typical trippy, Quaalude-fueled ride that is a Grant Morrison story.  And there's no transition.  It's just suddenly aliens and demons and time travel and Mxyzptlk. I don't get it. 

Then there's the art. I guess that's a place where I would have gone with a classic, shiny, spit-curled kind of vibe.  Instead it feels very loose and inconsistent. Superman is unrecognizable from panel to panel.  It's weird and I found it to be very unpleasant. What's more, nothing from this run made any lasting impact on the character.

Over on the mainline title we have two volumes, Superman: What Price Tomorrow? and Secrets and Lies. While the art feels better and the clear shake up in status quo with Lois, Clark and Jimmy is there, nothing feels fresh about it. Again, if you are going for a shiny, modern take why dust off old guard writers like George Perez and Dan Jurgens. I don't say that to throw shade, it's just an odd choice, one that doesn't pay off.  Neither lasts long and I think that's for the best. My estimation of these volumes hasn't changed with this reread.  They are utterly skippable and ultimately inconsequential, but the art in Secrets and Lies is pretty great.

Next comes the big H'El on Earth storyline which features crossover issues from the Superboy (just awful) and Supergirl (my favorite of the New 52) series.

Marvel Comics

Over in Marvel, I finally sat down and read the two issues that make up X-Men: Days of Future Past.  I feel like this is one of those rare situations where the later adaptations really make the story. I found these two issues to be relatively brief and not particularly exciting. I am, of course, familiar with the animated adaption from the 90s and the later Fox film (Rogue Cut, all the way), but for whatever reason I had never read this. I'm a sucker for time travel and those adaptations were some of my favorites from their respective series. 

Next, I read Daredevil: Noir by Alex Irvine in preparation for my upcoming interview. My first experience with the Noir line came a few years ago when I was prepping to interview author Fred van Lente. He had written X-Men: Noir and while I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Fred, I can't say the same for X-Men Noir.  More recently I read Luke Cage: Noir and that was a real standout. I think Cage just works in that setting and the same is true for Daredevil. 

It makes sense that this would be a good spotlight for the character. Saying Daredevil: Noir is practically redundant. I haven't read a ton of Daredevil comics, but I recognized the changes from the source and found it worked really well in this standalone story.

This is cheating because it isn't a comic, but I read the prose novel Generation X. What a weird one this was. I loved the old X-Men prose novels and typically enjoy the writing of Elliot S! Maggin and Scott Lobdell.  This was a little wacky though. They did a good job of establishing this team as connected, but separate from the X-Men proper. It didn't have that feel of X-Men without the X-Men as these types of things so often do. It also made me want to read the Generation X comics, so that's a win all around. 

 (Fun fact: I interviewed author Elliot S! Maggin over on the All the Books Show.)

Everything Else

Finally, I read The Comic Book Story of Baseball, also by Alex Irvine. I likely wouldn't have picked this up had it not been for my upcoming interview with the author, but I'm glad I did. It was an incredibly thorough history, but still managed to be fun and engaging. I learned a lot and it made me want to pick up some more Baseball books.  We'll see.

For next time, I'm planning to pick up Alex Irvine's Iron Man run, continue my New 52 Superman re-read and maybe pick up an X-Men book. I'm in the mood.

P.S. Another feature of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break was the Quarter Bin segment.  Each week I would drag a random issue out of my childhood longbox and revisit. Look for that dropping on Wednesday. 

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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 for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 

I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library.