Graphic Novel Comic Books & Graphic Novels

Meh, I just don't like all that superhero stuff, flashy or no. And that is a pretty interesting fact, I did not know that. I did kind of wonder though, it's like why leap when you can fly lol

 

I've been reading comics for years. Even back when I confused Comics for Manga's. I don't remember what comic I read first. I wish I did. For a long time I became addicted with reading every Superman comic I could get my hands on. Still do from time to time. I still read comics to this day. In the 10th grade I discovered my school's library had Volume 1, 2, and 3 for the series called the "The Runaways" released by Marvel. I've finally gone to a library and tracked down the rest of them. And now I'm distraught because the series stopped at Vol. 11. And no one has continued it in I don't know how long. I do know that a movie for the series was in the works. But they stopped it for the new Avenger's movie. :x I pray someone starts it up again.

 

Thought about making a new thread for this, but...meh.
Has anybody been keeping up with the new Batman storyline, Death of the Family?
Long story short, it seems like it aims to be the Joker's most intense storyline in history. The main story of it takes place in Batman and is written by Scott Snyder who is doing some amazing stuff with the Batfamily. It crosses over into Teen Titans, Suicide Squad, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Batgirl, Detective Comics, Catwoman, Nightwing, and Batman & Robin. Pretty much, in the first issue of Detective Comics a year ago, after the reboot (where the majority of Batman's history was left untouched, but condensed), a new villain named Dollmaker skinned off the Joker's face, with the Joker allowing him. The Clown Prince of Crime has been missing every since, for the entire year. Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) has completely recovered from her paralysis (which, pre-reboot, was permanent) that she got when the Joker shot her while wearing a Hawaiian shirt and hat. Harley Quinn (all sexified and stuff) has joined the Suicide Squad, but "snapped" and defected after hearing rumors of Joker's death, but she was brought back. The 1988(?) storyline where Joker beat the living **** out of Jason Todd, the second Robin, and blew him to kingdom come was called "A Death in the Family," and at this point, it's unclear (but assumed) if Snyder is referencing that storyline. Jason Todd came back to life and assumed the identity of the Red Hood, Joker's alias before he was clownified.
Anyway, a quick summary and review of Batman #13 and Batgirl #13, the first issues released in the storyline.

Spoiler

I don't think I've been this creeped out by a comic since Arkham Asylum.
Batman 13 opens up with Commissioner Gordon talking to Detective Bullock about the Gotham river flooding and a two-headed lion being born in the zoo. Commish talks about how history has made it so when similar things happen and then a big crime follows, the city sees the events as omens that were ignored. Apparently, the commissioner has hiding spots for his cigarettes throughout town (or it may have simply been on the roof of the police station) so his daughter, Barbara, doesn't catch him, but she's found all his hiding spots except the last one which he says is under his bed. When Bullock leaves and the Commish goes back downstairs, the lights go out and Gordon sees the Joker, though his face hidden by shadow. The Joker tries to tell a joke, but changes it while breaking the necks of officers ("A man walks into a bar..." "A clown walks into a bar..." "A clown walks into a police station..." "A clown breaks into a room wearing a Hawaiian shirt..." "A clown walks into a police station looking for his face!")
As the other officers are killed, while begging for their lives, Gordon begs Joker to leave them alone and go after him instead. In one of the creepier dialogues, Joker says that Gordon hides things, like the last pack of smokes that he "keeps in the wire netting under [his] bed." The Joker says sometimes he lays there, under Gordon's bed, listening to Gordon and just wants to reach up and...then he smacks the flashlight out of Gordon's hand, while laughing, and disappears. Batman shows up and Gordon is visibly shaken ("What did he say, Jim?" "He...told a joke, Batman. Oh, god, he told a joke.") They realize the Joker had taken his face back.

At the Batcave, Batman and Alfred ponder Joker's reappearance and his plans while Robin (Damian Wayne) says the Joker is a has-been. Batgirl (pissed that Batman didn't tell her abut Joker's return), Nightwing (Dick Grayson), and Red Robin (Tim Drake<3) call in asking about the news and Batman tells them not to worry about it and continue with their respective current business because this is between him and Joker, confident that he'll stop him again. Suddenly, on the TV, the Joker shows up to tell Gotham about his return. However, it is quickly apparent that the man is not the Joker and is being controlled by the Joker, who's behind him in the same jacket (so the man's arms are really the Joker's). The man reads off a tele-prompter that he (the Joker) will kill the Mayor that night while the Joker waves his arms before saying "I kill me! HAHAHAHA" and shoots the man in the head (the image is supposed to be the man shooting himself since his arms are actually the Joker's). Batman and Nightwing realize that the man is John...something (I forget the name), the son of the Joker's first victim when the Joker first appeared in Gotham and the first victim of Joker venom. Batman realizes that Joker is reenacting his old crimes. The mayor is confident that the Joker can't touch him in his fortress of an office, but Gordon still has a large group of officers outside his office. Batman has set up base above the elevator and has tested everything possible to figure out how the Joker will attack the mayor. Batman realizes something and runs back, only to find all of the officers dying from Joker Venom, except their mouths are twisted into a frown instead of the usual smile. Only Bats, Gordon, and the mayor are left alive. Batman and Alfred figure out how the Joker did it and find a clue that leads Batman to A.C.E. Chemicals Plant, where the Joker became the Joker after an altercation with Batman made him fall (as the Red Hood) into a vat of chemicals.

Once there, Batman finds Joker, in his old Red Hood get-up. Joker talks about how that's where it all began, but Batman notices the body language is off. He's knocked into an empty vat and trapped in. The Joker takes off the Red Hood helmet and reveals Harley Quinn's underneath while the Joker is speaking through the helmet. Joker reveals that he thinks Batman's allies have made him weak and he'll get rid of them in order to make Batman "the Batman Gotham deserves!" Batman demands to know where Joker is, but Harley says he's not the same "Mr. J" anymore and she seems terrified of what the Joker has planned.

At Wayne Manor, Alfred hears a scratching at the door and opens it, only to find the two-headed lion cub at the doorstep. He turns around to see the Joker about to attack him, finally showing his face. The Joker yells "Stop me if you've heard this one, Mr. Pennyworth!" and bursts into laughter as the story ends. He's wearing his real face as a mask, held to his head by a belt.

In a back-up issue, it shows the Joker talking to Harley, though she can't see him. He tells her to take off her clothes (AND SHE DOES. LIKE...SO GODDAMN EASILY. JUST "TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES." "OKAY!" HOW COME IT WAS NEVER THAT EASY FOR ME?). He tells her that he will make her like him, cutting off her face. Her vision will become red as the blood from her eyelids cover her eyes and, without her eyelids, she better stock up on eyedrops. He has her put on her Red Hood outfit with lots of padding in order for her to pretend to be him. He suddenly attacks and she screams. She opens her eyes and sees red, but realizes she's wearing the helmet. The Joker had tricked her and she's not sure if she wants to go through with it anymore.

All in all, this issue was ****ing glorious. Except for a few artistic things (Bullock's depiction, the way Batman [and Nightwing in the first issue of the series] look unmasked in certain panels is...strange). Otherwise, the art is great and definitely sets the tone for the issue. The story is...perfect for what it's supposed to be. A little detective work thrown in to show Batman's still a detective (though his technology did most of the work), the way Batman tells the others that this is personal (though he's obviously looking out for them), Damian's cockiness (I realized he hasn't really had any interaction with Joker, at least it doesn't seem like it after the reboot), Batgirl's anger, Gordon's fear, it's all understandable and definitely helps set the tone for their own issues. Oh, a point to make: the story is one big Joker plan to take out all of Batman's allies, though he's doing this in their own issues during their current stories. You don't have to read all series in order to get the full story; Snyder is brilliant at making crossovers self-contained so that there's one big story, but the important parts are in the main series. I, for one, don't plan on reading Suicide Squad, Detective Comics, Batgirl (after the one series I read), or Catwoman until I have some extra money to spend.
Not to mention, the way the Joker has a huge presence in the entire story, but is never fully shown until the end? It goes perfectly.

Now, for Batgirl

Spoiler

I have not kept up with Batgirl, at least the last few issues, so I won't go too into detail here. This issue is finishing up her current story arc while beginning the Joker attack on Barbara. Barbara is still fighting her newest villain, Knightfall, a socialite-turned criminal who blames costumed vigilantes for the rise of crime. Apparently, Knightfall's father was a "kingmaker," able to help put people in positions in power in Gotham (pretty sure it was as judges) with his influence. He was Knightfall's idol and she didn't care about any other boys until she met one who didn't want her for her money. Then it turns out he was crazy and had her tie up her family and watch as he "took away their skin." In her own words, "he did it for the lulz." Like I said, I haven't kept up with Batgirl, but it seems like Knightfall has been beating the crap out of her (the issue opened up with Batgirl being stabbed). Batgirl still manages to beat Knightfall, along with some help from a cop and Batwoman (who I'm assuming has been helping her in the previous issues. Also, Batwoman is not taking part in Death of the Family either because she's not exactly part of the Batfamily or because the writer chose not to include the story in his series). Barbara is recovering at her new home when her roommate walks in, wondering about the wound and showing their new cat, a Siamese named Alaska who Barbara finds gorgeous (and then Barbara remembers she used to have a Siamese named Alaska as a kid.) Barbara gets a call from her mother who lives...I don't know where, but her and the Commish are divorced). Her mother is terrified and says they're breaking in. Barbara freaks out and the issue goes to her mother's place and it shows three Joker thugs breaking in, all wearing Hawaiian shirts and hat and the leader having a gun. The issue ends with what looks like a group of people recruiting Batgirl's villains from this series.

For this one, I simply read it for Death of the Family. I haven't been too interested in Batgirl, at least not this series. However, I think it went nicely. Batwoman is always welcome in my book (no pun intended). The villain...not sure how she can take Batgirl so easily, though I'm sure that was explained in previous issues (it did say she willingly went to prison to "learn," but I still don't see how she can take someone with Batgirl's capabilities). I, for one, did not like the actual usage of the phrase "for the lulz," though it was a bit comical. It seems like Barbara's new roommate is going to be a relevant character (since the cat obviously has some significance) or Joker found a way to get her roommate the cat in order to freak Barbara out. The attack on Barbara's mother was nicely done, referencing The Killing Joke, the story where Joker paralyzed Barbara. I read somewhere that the Joker's plans are supposed to be terrifying because of that. In TKJ, Joker shot and paralyzed Barbara, stripped her naked, and took several pictures in order to attack her father. What will he do to her when he's actually going after her?

Anyway, Death in the Family is going to be huge and I highly recommend you read at least the main story of it (which takes place in

 

Oh, hey, it's been a month? I hate to bump, but I cannot stress enough how good Death of the Family is. Batman #14 came out earlier today (got my copy last night 8D) and oh my goodness, it's even better than the last one.

Spoiler

This issue opens exactly where the last one left off. Batman is trapped, demanding Harley to tell him where Joker is and what his plan is. Harley simply says he's gone and maybe Batman will come out as the next one, the way the Joker used to be, beautiful. She leaves as the vat that Batman is in starts filling up with a green chemical. Batman puts on a gas mask/scuba mask mixture and realizes that it's the same chemical that made the Joker into the Joker. He thinks about every ingredient of the chemical and he's been over it countless times. When he can't sleep, he goes over the slides again to find out if he missed some ingredient, but there wasn't any. The chemical should kill anybody exposed to it, but instead it turned a man into the Joker. Batman manages to blow the vat open and escapes. In a nice touch, the cloth of his costume is tattered revealing kevlar underneath. He heads to the cave and sends a high alert message to his allies, saying that the Joker may be targeting them.

Spoiler

When he arrives, he looks for Alfred for his help in figuring out the Joker's plan but instead finds an audio tape. The contents of the tape almost made me cry.
"Brucie! I hope you don't mind my borrowing your butler. I'm planning something very special for you-know-who, and I hear he's simply the best."
"Master Bruce, I'm sorry! This degenerate waste of--"
"Ssssshhhhhhh, Jeeves..."
"If you think being blindfolded intimidates me--"
"Hahahaha! You think you're...haHAHA! You're not blindfolded, good sir."
"But..."
"I burned your eyes with ammonia. Here, I"ll do it again for funnn!"
"AIEEEEEEEE!"
"Hahaha!"
As Bruce breaks down, the scene shifts to Gordon's bedroom. Batman arrives and tells Gordon that Joker has kidnapped Bruce Wayne's butler and that he's the next target (the audio tape had Gordon's name inscribed on it). He tells Gordon that he plans on taking him to a bunker. Gordon refuses, but Batman pulls a gun on him, demanding he comes. Gordon sees how drastic the situation is, but still refuses and says that 19 cops are dead and that's on him so he refuses to be taken out. Gordon pulls out a newspaper clipping from when Joker paralyzed his daughter and gets a papercut. Suddenly, he starts bleeding out nonstop.
The scene shifts to a hospital where Gordon's in bed while Nightwing and Batman are outside talking. Nightwing comments on how it's a family affair if the Joker is going after the entire Bat-family and Batman reveals that he's taken "Bruce Wayne's butler" and Nightwing freaks out. Nightwing notices that Batman is referring to Alfred as "Pennyworth" and demands that Batman stop talking in code because it's his way of not dealing with the situation. Batman snaps and calls him "Dick" saying it isn't easy for him to know that a psychopath has the man who raised him. Nightwing apologizes and Batman says he's not telling the rest of the family or else they'll go after the Joker and let their emotions get the better of them. Nightwing and Batman then wonder if Joker knows that Batman is Bruce Wayne, but Batman doesn't think so because the note and tape were addressed for Bruce. Alfred is well known for being the Wayne butler and since Wayne is financing Batman, Incorporated and Joker needs a "servant," then Alfred was his logical choice.

Batman then says that he knows where Joker plans on being next and tells Nightwing to head to an aqueduct. If Joker is reenacting his old crimes in new ways, then the next plan is to poison the reservoir. On his way to meet the Joker, Batman has an internal conflict because now is normally the time when he calls Alfred to discuss whatever case he's working on. He meets the Joker on a bridge where they first confronted each other. The Joker is standing there, still wearing his face as a mask. Batman notices that Joker is holding a remote so if he makes a move, Joker will pump poison into the reservoir, the same way he originally did it. Joker is "touched" that Batman remembers and starts reminiscing about the past and now lately, it's always "business" between them. He claims he already took care of that business so now they can just have a little chat "face-to-face...to face." Batman demands to know what business and Joker says that as soon as Batman gets a call, he'd throw a batarang at Joker just like last time (the next panel shows Batman was indeed holding onto a Batarang). Joker would then get hit, but would push the remote and poison the water so Batman would call his "little friend, the one who used to be Robin...Nightwing" and Nightwing would blow the aqueduct. The next panel shows the aqueduct blowing up with Nightwing being knocked backwards by the explosion (hence, the Joker already took care of that part for Batman). Then they would fight and Batman would save the city, but Joker would get a few people again, the same handful he got last time (the people that get their water before it reaches the pipes for the main city). He tells Batman that they tore down the housing projects that used to be there and put up a condo and because the new residents would most likely be the ones that Joker would get, he simply went ahead and "got them." Batman looks over the bridge and sees a couple dozen people underwater, dead.
In Joker's own words, the water is poisoned, the aqueduct is blown, and the people are dead. With the business out of the way, he and Batman can just talk. Batman attacks, but is trapped by wires attached to those little mechanical teeth things. Joker calls him his "King" and says that he's the "faithful court jester." The jester's job is deliver bad news, "especially the worst!" to the King because the jester's the only one the King can hear it from because he's the only one that can make the King laugh at it and at himself. And tonight, he has news for Batman. He speaks up so the Bat-family can hear it through Batman's commlink and yells that he knows who they are. He knows their secret identities, their names, addresses, "Heck, I even know which soap you each use in the shower (and why you always smell so good, Nightwing!). Joker than calls them a bunch of *******s and bursts into laughter. He calls them imposters and phonies like Gordon who's such a "bleeder" that he bleeds for everyone in the city. Joker reveals that he was just toying with Gordon and that he's coming for each of the Batfamily because they're the true villains, the one who's ruined his dear king. He pulls out a book and says that Batman has a secret that only Joker and he know and that secret let Joker learn it "all." He wrote it down in a book made from the skin of a bat, a bat taken straight from the Batcave. Batman calls him a liar, but Joker says that in seventy-two hours, all of the Batfamily will be dead (cue shocked faces of Nightwing, Red Robin, Batgirl, Red Hood, and Robin) and that Batman will be the one who kills them.


In the back-up issue, it shows the Penguin and his men pulling up to a church outside the city. When he walks in, there are several people in the pews in praying position dead. He realizes that they're the lieutenants of every crime family in Gotham. Before his men can find the culprit, they are all killed by the Joker leaving only the Clown Prince of Crime and the Penguin. Joker revels in the fun it is with to kill a man with an umbrella and Penguin realizes that Joker framed his gang as the murderers of the lieutenants. Penguin claims that is going start a full-scale war and Joker says he only wants to help. He calls the gangsters fakers and says only they (Joker and Penguin) see crime for what it really is and while Joker hates organized crime, he accepts that it's a necessary brand of evil in "his kingdom" (Batman's Gotham). He tells Penguin that all the criminals feed and give Batman purpose. They unknowingly worship him like the "Godking" he is. "Crime is the religion that keeps his city alive!" He says that Penguin is the bishop in the kingdom because he keeps the criminals fearful and Batman strong. At this point, Penguin asks that if he's the bishop, is the Joker the Anti-Christ. Joker gives him a choice: he'll take credit for murdering the rival gangs' lieutenants and in return, Penguin will attend a "special little get-together" that the Joker is planning. If Penguin refuses, then Joker will allow Penguin to take the blame for the murders and cause a full-scale gang war. Penguin says that he's listening and the entire issue ends.

Oh my god, I have no idea where to start. If the last issue was dark on creepy level, this issue is dark on a personal level. My main gripe with it, once again, is the art. Batman looks too young and Nightwing seems to always be smiling, even when's yelling in anger. The scene where Batman sees the bodies underwater, I couldn't tell if they were underwater, in ice, in a door of light, or if it even a hologram. Besides that, oh my god. Right off the bat (lolpun), I expected Batman to start smashing things here and there when listening to the tape, but of course, he wouldn't. Joker got extremely personal and took Alfred, Bruce's father, pretty much, and Batman not only never saw it coming, but he didn't know how he react. He simply buried his face in his palms and punched the wall. Batman pulling a gun on Gordon showed how horrible the situation was if it drove the man who hated guns to pull one. Once again, this shows how far Joker is willing to go if he attacked Bruce Wayne's butler without making the connection that Bruce Wayne is Batman...though the ending implies he actually does know. The way that Nightwing reacts serves as a nice way of showing that he was the first Robin; he's the one who's been with Batman the longest and knows him better than the rest; he's Batman's first son and knows Batman better than anyone, save Alfred, so he call Batman out when Batman is trying to not deal with the situation. The fact that Batman only told him about Alfred also reinforces the special relationship that he has with Dick that he doesn't have with the others. I don't know if "favorite" is the right word to use, but as much as the other Robins were Batman's sidekick, Dick has always been his "partner." The scene where Joker blows up the aqueduct, reveals the water's long been poisoned, and that people are already dead is genius on his part. If Batman is so focused on the business, how can he talk to him? The reveal that Joker sees Batman as the god of Gotham with crime as the religion is a dark touch on the character, but stays true to their dichotomy. Batman brings justice and good with a scowl while Joker wreaks havoc, chaos, and evil with a grin. Batman will never say that each is necessary to the other, but Joker believes it. Without Batman, there is no Joker (The Dark Knight Returns did a nice play on this) and without Joker, there is no Batman, at least in Joker's eyes. The way Joker sees it, all of his little "allies" have made the Batman weak to the point where he "can't even cage a few owls without help." So his plan to bring Batman back to his wonderful glory so he can truly be worshiped is to rid him of those annoying allies that humanize and weaken him. Joker doesn't see himself as the Batman's enemy, he's a part of what makes Batman Batman and what makes Batman great. He doesn't even consider himself on equal footing, but is instead his "jester." The way I see this going and judging by the released variant covers for the crossover (with Joker wearing each of the allies' masks), I think Joker will cause each Batally to go crazy in the same way that he did until Batman is forced to kill them.. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you haven't picked up Death of the Family, do so now. Batman #13 and #14 are the core issues (if you simply want the main story. I haven't picked up any of the other issues, though I plan on getting the Teen Titans and Red Hood tie-ins. I'll save Nightwing and Batgirl for last, but I have no interest in the others...and by "interest," I mean money to spend).

 

(Hoping this is the right place to post)

Well, after listening so much to the League of Extremely Ordinary Gentlemen and seeing Dark Knight Rises, I've decided to get into comic books (been more into manga). I've been apprehensive about picking up comic books thou because there are so many series and many if them seeing to be deep into their volume count and stories. I was waiting around at the book store and picked up "Legends of the Dark Knight" issue 2 simply because of what volume number it was.

I also have two graphic novels, both I got for free at conventions (Bad Kids Go To Hell, signed by the creators, which I thoroughly enjoyed because of the pure insanity it was, and The Cleaners, which I haven't had time to read).

Which comics could a newbie come into reading at this point in time?

 

It all depends on what you're interested in. Marvel and DC are always doing some good stories and crossovers with their characters. I think Marvel is still having it go on, but if not, it's their most current crossover but it's Avengers Vs X-Men, that's a pretty one to get into. And if you have a comic shop around you, I would suggest going their and seeing if they have Marvel Civil War, Marvel's Secret Invasion, Dark Avengers and Dark Horses Star Wars: Legacy, Knights of the Old Republic, and some of their other Star Wars ones, they were pretty amazing.

 

http://www.comixology.com/
On the right, there's a link to a category, "New to Comics." It has really good starting points.

 

Oh, I remember Captain America's first few comics... Those were glorious.

Am I going to upset people if I mention a comic that's not from DC or Marvel? ;< Because recently I've been reading issues of the walking dead, after having played the game and watching the first series. I have to say, Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard sure know how to piece together the dystopic, nightmarish world in the most beautiful fashion, and they never falter with the gore on their panels.

I'm currently on issue 100, where The Saviors do something to Glenn that is so heart-wrenching. As some of you may know, in the game there was a character named Glenn in the first episode, right? He was with Lee trying to save a young woman at the motel, but to no avail. Eventually, after most of the events on the first chapter, he decides to leave and make his way towards Atlanta to save his own friends, spurring the events that occured in both book and comic.

I find it so beautiful how... How fluid the story line is. Though, know this. This comic is not for the faint hearted. For those of you who do not know, the Walking Dead is a comic/game/series set place in a post apocalyptic world, and how survivors cope with day to day choices.

 

I've been reading the Pokemon Adventures Manga as well as the Kingdom Hearts Manga, but beyond that, I don't really read comics/graphic novels

 

I just recently started getting back into comics. I kinda fell out of them around the beginning of middle school and then all through high school.
This time though I'm actually getting much deeper into them than I was before. I've been reading a lot of Guardians of the Galaxy, Batgirl, Teen Titans, and some other things here and there. I bought the first tpb of Geoff Johns' Teen Titans (this is super nostalgic for me because those were the comics that my friend and I were huge into, Teen Titans being on CN at the time and all). I was at a local comic store the other day and bought some of the 2009 Batgirl stuff. I really liked it and can't wait to buy more. I actually went in there looking for some of the Cassandra Cain Batgirl books though. I still want to try some of those because one of the distinct memories I have from reading comics years ago was reading Batgirl #64 and loving it for some reason. Another one of those random things I remember is when Robin #126 came out and my friend and I freaked out because Robin was a girl now and that was big deal for us. Though somehow that kinda established my like for Stephanie Brown, which is why I was excited to see that she had gotten her own Batgirl book. I knew she became Batgirl at some point but I never knew where (I thought that the Cassandra Cain Batgirl book ran until New 52).
I also bought Superman Earth One Vol 1 a while ago and really liked that. All I can say is that right now I'm really loving the process of getting back into comics and finding what I like and remembering some of the old stuff I used to like.

 

I'm guessing this is the place to post so here it goes. I went to the comic store be my house a bought all of the Avengers Academy issues that were there (only like five or six.) I was wondering if anyone else had read them and had any opinions, if anyone reads this post, since I'm waiting to get all of them before I start reading them. The overall synopsis of it seems pretty good and it has two of my favorite characters in it (they're instructors but that's not the point).
And I also got the 13th issue of Avengers Arena which I plan on reading after Avengers Academy.