What are you reading?

[caro]

Hello everyone! I'm going to be helping eponymous moderate this community. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done, but there's no reason we can't start talking about comics in the meantime.

So what is everyone reading these days? What do you think of it? Would you recommend it?

I just finished the last volume of The Exterminators, which was an unfortunately rushed end to the series. I'm not sure I'd recommend it -- I think the series had potential, but with the cancellation and the truncated storylines, it just felt disappointing. I also recently read the first volume of Umbrella Academy, which was surprisingly fun. One of my favorite webcomics, Platinum Grit, just updated with Episode 19, and that was amazing. I definitely recommend Platinum Grit -- wacky but surprisingly layered story with expressive and increasingly gorgeous art.

Comments

[kespionage]

Recently I read Bone, which I would highly recommend. Something about it just caught at my head, I don't know why. The way it blends goofy cartoon with epic fantasy in both its art and plot, I think--I love the stories that only comics make possible.

Want to buy Runaways trades. Kind of broke. Very sad about that.

Even more recently I read Laika, which was a really neat look at the Soviet space program, but pretty tough on the heartstrings, especially if you don't know how it ends. I was thinking of reviewing it here, actually.

[caro]

Runaways is excellent. I recently finished Brian K. Vaughan's run on the series and am debating whether to keep reading, though.

Please do review Laika here! I think I heard of it over at Chris Sims' blog, but I'd like to know more.

I love the stories that only comics make possible.
You know, that there is why I love this medium so much.

[kespionage]

I've got up to volume 8, but I can't find any more in the local bookstores. The scans I saw of Whedon's run disappointed me and this whole Civil War mess has just tainted everything in the MU. *sigh* I'm still going to get them once I have a little cash. Prom and graduation are hell on the wallet.

I believe I will! As soon as I can get my scanner working and figure out how to put up pictures of just panels, not full pages.

[paxm]

I love Runaways -- which also makes me fear what is to come with the changes I've seen so far lately (post-Secret Invasion).

[paxm]

Hmmm... I've seen decent reviews of Umbrella Academy. What do you like most about it?

These days, I'm reading Secret Six by the brilliant Gail Simone, which just totally cracks me up, while intelligent at the same time. I have great love for those characters.

Also reading Uncanny X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, Secret Warriors (my newest favorite addition to my pull list), Wonder Woman and just added the re-launched Elektra. I also just got into Claymore (manga - never read manga in my entire life until now), and it's actually consuming the time that I get to read for fun.

I'll definitely be reading anything by Greg Rucka this summer. Maybe he'll make me like DC again.

[caro]

I just like how pulpy and wacky Umbrella Academy allows itself to be, while still touching on the slightly darker side of superheroism. There's a fun dysfunctional-family vibe to the characters. It's definitely worth a read, and there are a couple of issues online if you want to check it out before you buy.

[hitman]

i've been keeping up with the whole x-force/cable messiah war thing. i'm hooked.

[eponymous]

Thank you again for helping!

Things that I've read in the last month:

Lifelike, Dara Naraghi and various artists: I really liked how this displayed a wide range of art styles, and how those styles can pair with particular stories to add meaning. Some of the stories were stronger than others, but overall, I enjoyed it.

Aya of Yop City, Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie: I loved Aya for showing a vivid and thriving Africa--full of life and energy. It's not something that you see all that often in any media, so it was refreshing.

Jamilti & Other Stories, Rutu Modan: I love how Modan incorporates the grotesque into her work. These are all stories that she wrote before Exit Wounds (which I haven't been able to find at the library, yet). The title story has stuck in my mind pretty vividly. You can see how she begins to explore how the Israeli identity can shape a story.

Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud: This was rec'd to me by a friend who works in comics, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in thinking more critically about the medium and exploring how it works.

Daddy's Girl, Debbie Drechsler: Eh. Was ok, but I'm not super enthused. Drechsler's art definitely creates an intense mood for the pieces, but I was left wanting something more? Dunno.

Percy Gloom, Cathy Malkasian: I am in love with this book. It's gorgeous. The art is well-executed, and the story is whimsical. I love unlikely heroes and "distant lands"...

Lucky, Gabrielle Bell: I like Bell's style. Also, her journals resonate with me, I think because her stories are about situations so familiar to me.

Swallow Me Whole, Nate Powell: Another one that I fell in love with. I didn't want to return this to the library when I was done.

[bliumchik]

Coincidentally I just got the last issue of Umbrella Academy's volume two. It continues to be fun yet WTFy.

Recently I got Batman: Terror out of my library. It was... kind of crap. The seams are showing. All the plot devices are trying to do their jobs while shouting their job descriptions really loudly at everyone, and I don't know if you've ever tried that but it's not very efficient. I was left with the feeling that it SHOULD have been a good story, but somehow... it... just... wasn't. It was like they tried to make a cake by tossing all the right ingredients into a bowl and setting the microwave on high.

[mochi]

I recently read Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä. I had seen the movie before, but the comic is really a different story. It is really well drawn, with dynamic panels and interesting use of shading. I would recommend it to everyone. I read it as part of a class on modern Japanese fiction, and even people in the class who had never liked comics before loved it. It deals with some interesting questions about humanity, war, and nature. It's a pretty relevant work to our times, with all the concerns about global warming, and whether we're past the tipping point for environmental disaster. Plus, it's fun! And of course, drawn in Miyazaki's signature cute style.

[misconnection]

ex machina at the moment, along with a few x-men titles. i'm also looking to get some more issues of fables and i'm re-reading y: the last man (which is possibly my favourite comic book series ever).