Comic Books

Feeding Ghosts is a good read, glad she won the Pulitzer!

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374601652/feedingghosts/

NPR Interview here:

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/21/1196979443/nprs-book-of-the-day-draft-03-21-2024

Interesting bit: She doesn't consider herself a graphic novelist, this just seemed to be the best way for her to tell the story.

Good stuff to look for:

Geiger #14 - Part of the Ghost Machine imprint, all good reads.

Golden Rage Mother Knows Best #2 (Of 5) - Golden Girls meets Hunger Games. The OG 5 issue run was great, looking forward to see where this goes.

Huck Big Bad World #1 - Mark Millar's Huck is back. Superman crossed with Lenny from Of Mice and Men.

Space Ghost #12 - Been digging SG, Herculoids, and the SG/Jonny Quest crossover.

Ultimate Black Panther #16 - Ultimate X-Men #15 - I have to admit, the new Ultimate Universe stuff is getting old. Seems like they're just spinning their wheels.

Uncanny X-Men #14 - Still not sure what Marvel is trying to do with the X-books anymore.

X-Factor #10 - Final issue.

Reading crisis on multiple earths and Johnny Thunder seems like a really interesting character/concept. Basically his own genie? The powerscaling would be difficult but fun, I like how he just goes back and ruins the heroes origins so they don't exist anymore. Did think it was odd when he replaced superheroes with gangster counterparts by giving them their origins and that it worked for replacing superman too. Was he not an alien baby yet when that came out lol?

Some people want to be loved weird, "I wish that everyone would love they want to be loved"

Seems like taking away choice forever for everyone?

It's implied other humanoid species existed like lizardmen but a human made a wish to wipe all the other ones out and make humans the dominant/only species in one of the last times genies came. (Its just one panel where they say they wish the opressed were the opressor and another with lizardman having wishes in the past) Kinda fked up those species just dont exist anymore and don't get wished back lol.

I'm assuming apocalypse does something like this? (going off the movie where he evolves/upgrades some mutants)

I already know of dr manhattan, just read Divinity from Valiant and really enjoyed it's take on a human -> godlike being. Specifically where they have and exert power over reality, rather than just having more energy to pew at a higher scale.

I always find godlike stories more intresting when it isn't just them fighting at a grander scale and they actually use godlike powers to manipulate reality. Also when they start off as humans, arent born gods and haven't already existed forever.

New list is up! Let's see here..

Jumpscare #3

Let This One Be A Devil #3

Free Planet #1

Moon Is Following Us #9

Well that's it for me! What're y'all pulling?

They all have no last names, instead their middle name is their last name, and its singh, this is sometimes the case but it is fairly rare compared to them having last names and the middle name kaur irl. Every woman seems to be a singh tho, even the wives of singhs are singhs.
Is it just accidental misrepresentation?

Woman have the midde name kaur, very rarely singh, and they still have last names. Also find it odd how no Singh is ever religious or seen as a sikh when its very uncommon for them to be that way irl, even agnostic its a cultural identification, not about religion. Just find it odd how often Singh is used when they make an indian in any comics not just superhero related, but nothing about them is singh, they more represent indians fron any other state?

The accidental misrepresentation has irked me a bit since i heard of khan noonien singh, like its reversed, the mughal khans and sikh singhs killed each other quite a bit, and they made the middle name a last name and the last name a first name. Just a foreign exotic scary sounding name I guess. Apparently the crestor couldn't remember their cab drivers name so they made some weird mashup of brown ppl names. Like naming a villain Christ Muhammad , or jesus alluh

Id personally like literature/imagination materialization. The whole concept of powers not being controllable, manifesting beings more powerful than yourself really appeals to me.

For artifacts the H dial is my favorite. I love seeing different unique powers, outfits, etc. and always liked the idea of following the same person with different powers everytime they tried to use them.

Thought project superpowers was a fun read, reslly like the idea of modern writers/artists bringing now public domain superheroes back to life

(only a few of the MANY are pictured here.

Feel free to post your comic shop finds here!

I just picked up the 2025 Facsimile reprint of The Amazing Spider-Man #129, the issue that introduced the Punisher.

I genuinely appreciate the old art and the old school coloring. Seeing it freshly reprinted on quality paper rather than faded in an original old comic really kicks up the effect of the colors.

The heavy use of blue on black with sharp definition rather than modern digital gradients is a great look for the Punisher's costume.

The plot of the issue is simple, the Punisher is hired a Spider-Man villain called the Jackal. The Punisher is told that Spider-Man is a murderer.

Even in this first appearance, most of the core pillars of the Punisher are laid down. He is a marine veteran on a crusade against crime. He has a strong sense of justice which is what ends up putting him at odds with the Jackal when he discovers the setup against Spider-Man.

The below panel has a little bit of the Jackal's body unintentionally poking out of the panel. The book is full of these small imperfections and the panel borders are clearly hand drawn.

A great dynamic panel of which Marvel was famous for.

Another great panel with bold colors and minimal but evocative backgrounds.

Consent is important.

More dynamic Spider-Man posing.

The Punisher shocked that Spider-Man doesn't realize he is smack in the middle of his right goddamn mind.

New list is up! Looks like a short one for me this week!

Planet Death #0 - About a 0% chance I get my hands on this, we'll see if anyone near me gets it..

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Last Ronin II Re-Evolution #5

Lost Fantasy #1 - Don't know much but looks interesting enough.

Seasons #4 - Might be missing three, gotta remember to check..

Free For All #1 - Looks like I missed the first printing, whoops!

Well that's it for me this week, what're you pulling?

Or give life to inanimate objects? Was rewatching doom patrol and I really love the concept of bringing imaginary characters like gods/monsters to life being a power or pulling inworld comic book characters off the page and bringing them to life like flex mentallo?

Looking for series or stroylines/runs related to world hopping, just whatever yall found interesting or your favorite ones, I know its fairly common. Looking for basically isekai western comics, doesn't have to be superhero, really like the idea of superheroes in a fantasy world/realm (the inverse with them being heroes is fairly common)

Where they unlock their powers over time or have to earn them, have multiple powers or powers that get signficantly stronger over time til they are op.

Just read new superman and it was fun seeing the progression fantasy theme of him unlocking/earning/learning the powers instead of having them all at once.

Rogue sun and Radiant Black were fun reads that fit what i'm looking for.

Invinicible would loosely this catgeory since he gets all his powers at once and gets stronger over time but its the same powers, but everything else about it is progression fantasy (getting stronger over time, stronger villains, higher stakes, etc.)

Timed to Shakespeare Day, Joe Quesada is announcing ‘Undiscover’d’, a new line of comic books from Amazing Comics based on the timeless works of the Bard.

List is up! Sorry I'm late again, between the kitten and being busy at work plus all the normal stuff I've been swamped! I'm so far behind on my reading lol, and I haven't even picked up in a few weeks! Well let's see, what's for me?

Minor Arcana #6 - Loving this series from Jeff Lemire, also loved Fireflies. Psychic family and small town drama, pretty good so far!

Black Hammer Spiral City #5

From The World Of Minor Threats Welcome To Twilight #2 - Think I missed #1 but I'll have to grab it!

Assorted Crisis Events #2

Moonshine Bigfoot #1 - Didn't see the cover or synopsys but the name intrigues me.

Welp that's about it! What are y'all pulling this week?

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/27660145

Rob Liefeld: It’s a love letter to the team books that I grew up with, like The Avengers, The Titans, The Justice League, and The Fantastic Four that I grew up. Those books don't exist anymore, and let me tell you something, I miss them. There's a different dynamic. They don't approach these books in the same way. So, this is my love letter, and I think it's kind of a How To Do Team Books manual.

...

Youngblood #1 starts a storyline, but it is actually is 92nd issue of Youngblood. In eight issues, it will be the hundredth issue. And at that point, I'm flipping to legacy numbering, so you'll soon be picking up Youngblood #100, #101, #102... I originally didn't want to come back with issue #92, but my publisher, Eric Stevenson, helped me and said, "Rob, you're at this many issues. You should consider that going into it."

It's a brand new storyline. There is a new menace that they're encountering, but some of the things that he's doing tie back into events of extreme comics in the past. As issue #2 will reveal, there are some big consequences coming. If you've ever read a Youngblood comic, you know who they are on page 3; they're each identified. Then each character has a "get to know me" moment.

...

The other comic that I'm going to finish here in the next few weeks, because of the 50th anniversary of Giant-Size X-Men #1, is Giant-Size Youngblood #1. That's the standalone story that I think people are going to totally dig. I was drawing it as an homage to the X-Men one, which I believe is the most influential comic of the last 50 years and changed the game. It will be out in the Summer.

...

ScreenRant: You're also releasing Youngblood Deluxe #1 this April. What makes that the ultimate way to experience the series?

Rob Liefeld: That's taking you all the way back to the original. I did that on a whim in 2007 and 2008, and we collected it together in a hardcover, and the hardcover sold out. I remastered along with Joe Casey; we reshuffled pages, we made them new, but we never released them as singles. I went to get a hardcover because we were running low - and my wife lets me know when I break the cardinal rule of not having enough family copies - but they're like $150 bucks. These hardcovers are really hard to obtain.

It was supposed to be out this week, but tariffs delayed it by a week. Thank you, tariffs. But I think the buzz about Youngblood will be there, so you can jump on board. We're releasing one issue a month of the original series, remastered and recolored, as an all-new presentation of this original material. You get to see directors do it in film all the time, right? It's like a director's cut of Youngblood. I think it's a perfect storm of having something new with the classic material. Trust me, there are more exciting Youngblood merchandise and licensed products to come.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/27615437

I developed a love for graphic novels around ten years ago. Back then, I lined a bookshelf with volumes. Now my comics are digital, and I'm enjoying them even more.

Back then, there was a larger gap between a digital comic and a physical one due primarily to the LCD screens that most of us had. Our phones didn't have the pixel density that they do now, and our tablets had even less. It was perfectly fine and enjoyable, but I'm not sure I would call the experience better than print.

Display technology has come a long way since then. This is apparent when comparing the original Nintendo Switch released in 2017 with the Nintendo Switch 2 launching later this year. Even though they both use LCD panels, the difference is night and day. The Switch 2's LCD is even a big upgrade over the Switch OLED.

I now read comics on a pixel-dense 7.6-inch OLED screen. The colors pop more than they do on the physical page. The contrast ratio is striking. There's no counting pixels.

...

I only purchase DRM-free comics, buying from publishers that release their works without digital restrictions such as Image Comics, Iron Circus Comics, and Vault Comics.

Most of my collection has come though Humble Bundle. The site is usually offering at least one comic book bundle at any given moment in time. I purchase several bundles throughout the year, which each typically containing the entire run of multiple series.

This is an option that simply isn't viable with physical books. Quite frankly, it would cost me hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars to acquire physical copies of the comics I get for under $20 from Humble Bundle, if physical editions can still be found at all.

...

In the US, if you have a library card, you can read many comics for even less—as in, for free—through Hoopla. I find that, at least for western comics, Hoopa tends to have what I'm looking for. I still buy comics anyway because I prefer to read them in a separate app, but I can only imagine how many comics I might have read if Hoopla were around back when I was a teenager.

...

Besides, there's no reason you can't mix and match. Put physical copies of your favorites up on a shelf and carry all the rest with you when you leave the house.

New list is up! Sorry I'm late, I've been busy with work and the new kitty. Works out for me here that I have a short list this week:

Nothing! Looks like all my books took the week off, and that's just fine with me, damn vet bills!

What're y'all pulling this week?

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/27442885

We now live in darker and more morally ambiguous times. Anti-immigrant and right-wing parties have gained ground in the US and across Europe. Democracy appears to be losing its appeal for a generation. More than half of young people in the UK between the ages of 13 and 27 believe the country would be a better place if a strong leader was in charge who “did not have to bother with parliament and elections,” a poll showed in February.

This complex universe is reflected in the recently released You Must Take Part In Revolution (Street Noise Books), a dystopian graphic novel by Badiucao, a dissident Chinese artist living in Australia, and Melissa Chan, a Hong Kong-born American journalist who in 2012 was the first foreign correspondent in more than a decade to be expelled from China after reporting on subjects such as the country’s “black jails.” The novel takes Hong Kong’s 2019 protests as its starting point, telling an alternate history in which China and a proto-fascist US government (led by a woman) are at war, and Taiwan has been divided in two, Korea-like, by a demilitarized zone.

The plot concerns three idealistic young friends who develop different beliefs about the protests and are separated. It culminates when two of them reunite to take part in an assault on the Hong Kong prison where the third is being held, with a bloody outcome.

Video-game review site IGN named You Must Take Part In Revolution one of the most anticipated comics of 2025 and described it as “perfect” — a valuable endorsement for a book that’s trying to catch the interest of a younger demographic.

...

Graphic novels, at least in their more simplistic and escapist strands, have also reflected the world’s gathering democratic dystopia. Moore’s Watchmen set out in the 1980s to subvert the superhero genre, showing a group of flawed crimefighters grappling with their failings in retirement. The book frequently tops rankings of the greatest graphic novels. But the myth of the strongman (or woman) who will solve all the problems of an increasingly complex and confusing world clearly retains its allure.

The darkening trend of geopolitics offers a moment of opportunity for the graphic novel. Dystopian classics such as 1984, Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale, Slaughterhouse-Five, Lord of the Flies and Fahrenheit 451 have already been adapted into graphic form. A version of The Road appeared last year that was approved by author Cormac McCarthy before his death in 2023 (the illustrator is French cartoonist Manu Larcenet). In nonfiction, a graphic edition of On Tyranny, Timothy Snyder’s bestseller on how to survive and resist the arc toward authoritarianism, appeared in 2021.

Baby Blue, a thriller by Swedish comics artist Bim Eriksson published in March, is set in a society that polices emotions; it plays on the (very realistic) fears of an oppressive techno-surveillance state. R.U.R., released in December, is a graphic adaptation of a 1921 Czech play that gave us the word “robot.” “Dystopias are nothing new,” said Bill Campbell, head of the book’s US publisher Rosarium. One person’s dystopia is another’s reality, and for many, especially oppressed minorities, “reality isn’t particularly changing,” he said.

Still, publishers of more literary graphic novels are seeing dystopian themes as a breakthrough topic to attract general readers, according to Meg Lemke, graphic novels reviews editor at Publishers Weekly in New York. “There’s another surge of interest in dystopian and apocalyptic tales from across publishers,” Lemke said. The global graphic novel market will grow to almost $37 billion by 2032 from about $16 billion last year, Business Research Insights forecasts.

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