What comic books/graphic novels are you reading at the moment?

[Wish]

Spider Man loves Mary Jane.

It's an alternate continuity thing focusing on Mary Jane in high school, and her interactions with other A-listers from Spider-Man. It's basically shoujo manga with American characters for an American audience. They even got a Japanese guy to draw it.

I liked it for what it was.

 

[Azzagorn]

I've just read the first three Fables Graphics and the second Goon one by Eric Powell as well as Marvels not so great Halo one. I'd never read graphic novels before but my friend lent me them and boy am I glad he did. Its opened my eyes to a new medium of reading!

 

[HoopyFrood]

Despite having been lent them a long while back (and reading through the first four) today I got stuck into Frank Miller's Elektra: Assassin.

And ended up reading all eight issues in one sitting.

SO GOOD. Such a crazy plot, and with the best characters. Elektra, mystical, enigmatic Elektra who looks absolutely amazing in every single panel she's in. Garrett, who can be hilarious and tragic and literally a machine. The Beast. Ken Wind and his creepy face. Perry -- lunatic Perry. Chastity, doing whatever it takes to complete her job, but telling you off if you dare even think of swearing.

The art is stunning, completely complementing the mad story.

Definitely up there as one of the best things I've read. As in, all reading materials. I don't want to give them back. Luckily, technically I don't have to.

 

[No One]

Despite having been lent them a long while back (and reading through the first four) today I got stuck into Frank Miller's Elektra: Assassin.

And ended up reading all eight issues in one sitting.

SO GOOD. Such a crazy plot, and with the best characters. Elektra, mystical, enigmatic Elektra who looks absolutely amazing in every single panel she's in. Garrett, who can be hilarious and tragic and literally a machine. The Beast. Ken Wind and his creepy face. Perry -- lunatic Perry. Chastity, doing whatever it takes to complete her job, but telling you off if you dare even think of swearing.

The art is stunning, completely complementing the mad story.

Definitely up there as one of the best things I've read. As in, all reading materials. I don't want to give them back. Luckily, technically I don't have to.

Woohoo! So very glad you liked it.

I remember when I first looked at them as a young 'un, I hated the artwork, but as I, ahem, matured, I grew to love it more and more. Now I can't imagine it being any better. So visceral at times and so beautiful at others. As you say, it complements the story perfectly.

And no, you don't have to give them back, but you better look after them

 

[Perpetual Man]

That has to be one of the few Frank Miller books that I have not read...

At a time when I am seriously truncating what comic books I read, I'm working my way through the back log of material I bought before cancelling most of my regular order.

So currently working through most of the X-Men and related titles (so quite a lot then). Following that just the ones that I am sticking with (nearly a years worth of each - Fables, The Boys, Wheel of Time, Game of Thrones, Next Men and a few limited series.

 

[No One]

That has to be one of the few Frank Miller books that I have not read...

Oddly enough, I'm now thinking I just haven't read enough of Miller's work. I'm familiar with his work on Daredevil and I only vaguely recall his stuff on The Dark Knight, but other than that there's a whole lot of his work which I really ought to look into. Sin City for starters.

Needless to say, I'd highly recommend the Elektra: Assassin series. It's Elektra as she was meant to be, envisioned by Miller without any of the shackles of mainstream comics.

Oh, and Hoopy says, quote, "DO IT!"

(Good luck with going through all those x-men by the way! )

 

[Perpetual Man]

Oddly enough, I'm now thinking I just haven't read enough of Miller's work. I'm familiar with his work on Daredevil and I only vaguely recall his stuff on The Dark Knight, but other than that there's a whole lot of his work which I really ought to look into. Sin City for starters.

Needless to say, I'd highly recommend the Elektra: Assassin series. It's Elektra as she was meant to be, envisioned by Miller without any of the shackles of mainstream comics.

Oh, and Hoopy says, quote, "DO IT!"

(Good luck with going through all those x-men by the way! )

Sin City is well worth the effort, there are a couple that are not quite as good as the others but as a whole they are magnificent.

With all the stuff Miller gets mentioned for one that slips under the radar is Daredevil: Born Again, probably my favourite Miller story.

My plan is to finish all my back logged monthly titles and then start buying a few graphic novels, so Elektra can go on to the top of that.

 

[Patrick Mahon]

Not a genre graphic novel, but I've just finished reading Art Spiegelman's 'The Complete Maus'. Been meaning to read it for a long time, but was prompted to get on with it when Spiegelman was on BBC Radio 4's Bookclub two Sundays ago. He was an eloquent advocate for his own work, without being in any way arrogant, so I got it the following Sunday. Well, well worth reading. I've also got Spiegelman's new book, 'MetaMAUS', which is a non-fiction exploration of how he went about writing Maus. Looking forward to getting stuck into that next.

 

[Moonbat]

Just finished Transmetropolitan vol 2 and 3 (need to get the other 7 as I love it)

Got Conan vol 5 to get started on (waiting for vol 6 to arrive)

Also I have recently joined the Marvel Ultimate Graphic novels collection - waiting for 3 and 4 to arrive (shortly I hope)

And, on the advice of someone here I bought the vessel of terror, which I have yet to start.

Oh, and finished my Gunslinger/dark tower book 1 (I read them in the wrong order, but book 1 is the, in my opinion, the one that I knew most of from the books) so now I have the road to home to read and then I think I've read them all.

So, in a word, lots.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Not a genre graphic novel, but I've just finished reading Art Spiegelman's 'The Complete Maus'. Been meaning to read it for a long time, but was prompted to get on with it when Spiegelman was on BBC Radio 4's Bookclub two Sundays ago. He was an eloquent advocate for his own work, without being in any way arrogant, so I got it the following Sunday. Well, well worth reading. I've also got Spiegelman's new book, 'MetaMAUS', which is a non-fiction exploration of how he went about writing Maus. Looking forward to getting stuck into that next.

Maus is a phenomenal graphic novel, thanks for mentioning the MetaMAUS I did not know about it, is definitely worth looking at.

 

[Magnus85]

Just finished Maus the other day. Outstanding book.

And, on the advice of someone here I bought the vessel of terror, which I have yet to start.

Was that my advice? It probably could've been, because I'm the author of TVOT, haha.

Let me know what you think of it once you're done!

 

[Wish]

Maus was quite good.

I got the latest issue of the Dark Knight to see if I wanted to add it to my monthly titles, but it didn't impress, and I'm getting too many bat books already. Also got the first issue of Conan (Queen of the Black Coast), so we'll see how that goes. When did Conan stop being Marvel and start being Dark Horse?

 

[Moonbat]

I'm the author of TVOT, haha.

Let me know what you think of it once you're done!

Well Magnus, you asked for it....

ok, well first off I am intrigued at how you managed to get this made, not in a bad way, but how/when you wrote it, did you know the artist/colourers personally, what was your journey once written to having a graphic novel published?

But onto the story, well, to be honest I wasn't that impressed. It started quite well, but then it kind of descended into a cliche of lovecraftian horror. There was little or no explanation for what the megagnappa (I probably spelt that wrong) did or how it managed to do the things it did to people. I don't want to post any spoilers so I wont go into details, but it would have benefitted from a slower build up of tension and intrigue. I did like the flashback parts and I think I understood that ...spoiler... the people weren't actually dying they just looked that way, so that is why the infected (if they were infected by the megagnappaor just mentally delusioned) people kind the others and said sorry...spoiler... but it wasn't fully explained (maybe the ambiguity is for the best) and the end felt sort of crammed with too much happening, like a crescendo rather than a conclusion.

I did enjoy reading it, I felt it looked great (the 1st half especially) and it is a welcome addition to my collection.

 

[Magnus85]

I set out to write it as a GN, and found the team along the way. Didn't know anyone of them before I started, no. The wonders of the internet.

As a story/book, it is, like you say, a bit crammed. Pages are a luxury in comic writing, and I had to keep within my budget. In hindsight I would have slightly changed certain things, yeah. But we're working on a sequel (and a third book), so we can explore all of the notions set up in The Vessel of Terror. I say explore, and not explain, as I want the reader to come to their own conclusions and answers.

Glad you enjoyed the read!

 

[Pedro Del Mar]

Can we have a link to some information on TVOT please Magnus?

 

[Magnus85]

Sure thing: http://www.magnus-aspli.com/VesselofTerror.html

And if anyone is going to the London Super Comic Con this weekend, I'll be there at the Markosia booth 4pm each day, so pop by for a chat!
http://www.londonsupercomicconvention.com/

 

[Atelier182]

I`m reading archie sonic the hedgehog and megaman comics there really awsome.

i`m reading kon aswell.

 

[Pedro Del Mar]

Thanks Magnus, would have loved to have called in to Comic Con but at a wedding this weekend!

TVOT looks right up my street!

 

[dask]

Stories from Batman and Detective Comics featuring Batman's "new look" beginning with it's introduction in Detective Comics 327, May 1964. This was the dead of the Silver Age and it was obvious DC needed a new strategy to battle the new powerhouse on the block, Marvel. A hardcore Marvelite at the time I didn't appreciate DC's efforts to change without losing its distinctive character but many decades later I'm enjoying them now.

 

[Moonbat]

I've read Conan vol 5 (vol 6 just arrived) and Dark tower - the road home, but I have also received issues 3 & 4 of the Marvel ultimate graphic novel collection (Ultimates 1 and Ironman extremis) and read them both.
Not sure if I have any left to read, must get some more.