I had a hectic day yesterday, so my focus is on the collab instead of random side stuff (that will be in my actual posts still)

Slowly chipping away at the next GA between work and extracurriculars!

In the meantime, I thought it'd be fun to see what we've all been reading on the comic end of things. What's a comic you loved that you've read recently? And for those who haven't, what's a favourite comic of yours, or one you'd like to check out?

If not comics, is there some other superhero/comic-inspired media you think everyone should experience?

I recently played Dispatch!

It was okay, it certainly has its flaws but is otherwise a nice little labour of love to the superhero genre I think.

As for something Superhero everyone should experience. Big question, easy answer. If not easy, then a predictable one from me. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I don't quite know what my life would look like without Buffy and I can't name the amount of inspiration I've had from the show and the characters. It was really pivotal to me as a kid, and I remember it fondly and vividly as the first serialised show I enjoyed and was OBSESSED with growing up. Just seeing Buffy and her friends hunting down the monster of the week and there were plenty of episodes that scared me! I remember having to hide behind my grandma at Go Fish when she was babysitting me that evening 😂

Not only for me, but Buffy has inspired a lot of our modern media as well, her impact is massive.

A fun fact about me is I'm an actual Slayer Academic too seeing as my Bachelors thesis was on Buffy. Everytime I rewatch I get a new appreciation or spot something new, relate on a new level, find a deeper level of hatred for Xander Harris etc. Just last night I went down a rabbit hole having realised my entire aesthetic is that of a modern witch with the cure for a soulless creature on a floppy disk. Iykyk 💔💔

Slowly chipping away at the next GA between work and extracurriculars!

In the meantime, I thought it'd be fun to see what we've all been reading on the comic end of things. What's a comic you loved that you've read recently? And for those who haven't, what's a favourite comic of yours, or one you'd like to check out?

If not comics, is there some other superhero/comic-inspired media you think everyone should experience?

Media-wise I've been in a Twin Peaks shaped hole since December as my partner and I finally decided to watch it for the first time as part of our Lynch renaissance over the past year or so (only Elephant Man, Wild At Heart, and Lost Highway to go now) and haven't really been playing much except Slay The Spire and falling into a big Fallout: New Vegas spiral again. I've gotten back into reading as my New Year's Resolution but unfortunately nothing superhero and everything I've read so far has been kind of crap anyway.

However my brother got me Batman: Three Jokers (which I've heard middling things about) and Batman: Gotham Nocturne Act 1 (which I know nothing about at all) so I suppose I'll read them soon. I've been intrigued by Absolute Martian Manhunter but as I missed the first few issues and nowhere near me is stocking back-issues I'll have to wait until a full collection comes out. We did watch the second season of Sandman on Netflix in November finally which we really really enjoyed! I've always loved the idea of beings who are anthropomorphic embodiments of abstract concepts so to see that utilized in the Endless was neat. As many people know I'm a bit of a fake fan; I like the movies and the tv shows and the video games but I don't actually read that much comics, and what I have read is almost exclusively graphic novels rather than weekly/monthly paperback comic issues. I don't know what I'd recommend as a result; I think most of my suggestions would ultimately be a bit pedestrian? Go read Hellblazer Vol 1, or play the Batman Arkham trilogy, or watch the Del Toro Hellboy movies. I think Long Halloween is the single greatest Batman story ever written, if that somehow slipped past you. I've heard good things about the GOTG game which is sitting in my backlog so I may get around to that.

Not a comic, but a superhero book I started recently was the novel Batman: Revolution by John Jackson Miller. It's set in the world of the Tim Burton films and introduces The Riddler to that world after introducing Clayface in the last book, Batman: Resurrection. These hit a specific nostalgia for me as a fan of that version and Miller 100% recreates the feeling and characterizations in a way that none of the tie-in novelizations or the Batman '89 comic even attempts. Definitely a great read as a sort of time capsule.

In terms of comics, I already gushed elsewhere about my big Fall readthrough of most of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Image work, in addition to Brubaker's Velvet with Steve Epting. Seriously, some of the best comics' work that has ever existed if you're even a passing fan of noir and crime fiction, whether you're into stories set in the 20's, the 70's, or contemporary. My personal recommendation is to just start Criminal: Volume 1 with the Coward arc and keep going.

But for superhero fare, I've been having a blast with Absolute Flash and Absolute Martian Manhunter. Both books take the most risk with their respective heroes' lore and use it to shape something that feels fresh and new. On the Marvel side, the current run of Ultimate Spider-Man fills a similar niche and is about to wrap up. Al Ewing's Immortal Thor and now Mortal Thor runs are also excellent and a great examination of The God of Thunder.

Absolute Batman. Its a pretty fun comic run so far. Its not profound or deep but its just a really fun book to read. I also just watched the entire Crisis on Infinite Earth Movies which those are fantastic. The love letter to the animation of the past and the care for the characters where they are up against the most dangerous of the multiverse but they never lose who they are. Love heroes stories like that.

This is going to be an out there pick for media that I think comic/superhero fans should watch/read is My Hero Academia. It is the quintessential anime that cares for Superheroes. It is an anime through and through but it has an appreciation for the comics that came before it and Superhero culture that I don't think any anime has ever presented. In its purest form, it is about being a hero and what that means but deeper it goes to show how heroes affect the world around them and how their presence positively or negatively impact their world if they aren't careful in they use their powers. Its one of my favorites.

Wait...

You guys read comics?

Gonna have a post for Box and Co this weekend, sorry for the delay. Had a vacation plus started a new job recently.

As for too comics for me it’s gotta be either the New 52 All Star Western run. I’m a sucker for cowboys and I love the western bits of DC’s lore. Plus I remeber the art being real good (and it got me hooked in to Dr.13, my beloved).

Just a half round of words and thoughts on some of the recent IC 😊
More to come this weekend!

@Captain Uni

@Colonel Sep

@Lord Wraith

Green Arrow, Hulk, Daredevil, Batman, Iron Fist to continue with!

I so enjoy reading your combat sequences, they have so much punch and vibrancy to them

Being complimented by a writer of your calibre is always inspiring but this is honestly this comment means so much to me. I've always struggled with combat, but recently I've been trying some new things and going at it with new gusto and I'm glad to see you think it's working.

Happy Mindfuck Monday.

Thank you again to Roman for a great collab that gave me some inspiration and juice for the latest in the Frost saga.

Every day I draw closer to a Scemma endgame. This song came up on my shuffle while I was writing that piece and it felt very fitting to them, especially this scene.

Admittedly a bit of a dud compared to the first one but I'll get outta the winter season after my next post hopefully into the meat and potatoes of my main arc

Admittedly a bit of a dud compared to the first one but I'll get outta the winter season after my next post hopefully into the meat and potatoes of my main arc

Lies! It was great! :)

My training courses are done. My brain is more mush than usual. I'll get to work on what I owe you all in the next couple of days.

Don't mind me, just brushing off the cobwebs 🧹

Don't mind me, just brushing off the cobwebs 🧹

It's best to keep it clean.

Time to grease the cogs.

I brushed off the cobwebs two weeks ago, that’s why I’m confused

I brushed off the cobwebs two weeks ago, that’s why I’m confused

No you were still pretty firmly entrenched in the cobwebs my man.

Who's shooting webs?