Enjoying things that are bad does not preclude a sense of taste.

Most of Vaughan's stuff that I've read has been pop culture reference-athon-athon, and some of most of the REST is seriously overwrought. Amazon tribe that cuts their tits off in the postapocalypse. Yeeeeeeeeehaw.

I did not know it was possible to dislike Y: The Last Man, but I could see a person disliking it for the more absurd potions of it's plot. But I'll always hold it dear in my heart for having proablby the most shocking moment in comic books in the last decade.

But The Runaways? C'mon. What's wrong with that?

I read the first story arc of Runaways and found it pretty lackluster. The Gibborem weren't a very credible threat, and the resolution of the story-line ended with a whimper, not a bang. My favorite part was the Cloak and Dagger cameo. I also like how they continued in the proud tradition of the Power Pack by giving the youngest member, Bruiser, the most absurdly disproportionate super-powers. But that's about it.

I remember thinking at the time that it was the kind of comic book I would have loved to read as a pre-teen, but as an adult it didn't have much to offer me.

It might just be that Brian K. Vaughan seemed really good, since he was working in comics around the same time that Brian Bendis and Mark Millar were becoming big names, and really, how hard is it for anyone's stuff to seem better than theirs? But I stand by liking it regardless.

[quote="xenomouse"][quote="HeartOfMadness"]It might just be that Brian K. Vaughan seemed really good, since he was working in comics around the same time that Brian Bendis and Mark Millar were becoming big names, and really, how hard is it for anyone's stuff to seem better than theirs? But I stand by liking it regardless.
I'm not a Bendis devotee, but I definitely like Powers. Though, I think Oeming's art might add more charm for me than Bendis' writing.
I do like Oeming's art, and Powers is a really fantastic concept. But when I was reading it I was completely indifferent to the characters, and I was frustrated that in both of the first two story arcs

[quote="Squirrel"]It was part of Marvels youth line so that makes a lot of sense.

You know what I loved? Young Avengers. Can we have some Heinberg love?

[quote="HeartOfMadness"]I do like Oeming's art, and Powers is a really fantastic concept. But when I was reading it I was completely indifferent to the characters, and I was frustrated that in both of the first two story arcs...True dat. I definitely like the concept / story world more than the main characters. What I really don't like

[quote="xenomouse"][quote="HeartOfMadness"]I do like Oeming's art, and Powers is a really fantastic concept. But when I was reading it I was completely indifferent to the characters, and I was frustrated that in both of the first two story arcs...True dat. I definitely like the concept / story world more than the main characters. What I really don't like...
Wow. Yeah, that is an indescribably stupid choice of direction.

I read about that story, and thought it could be really good. Quite sad to hear it was done poorly.

Quite unrelated; is anybody at all interested in this Earth One reboot thing DC are doing? The DC version of Ultimate Marvel they want to roll out. As someone who owes a comic book interest to Ultimate Spider-Man, this may be the thing that gets me into DC. But I can't seem to be able to find any solid info on it, with the bloody vague name and all.

I'm not positive this is the case, but I'd thought the whole idea for Earth One was that it was going to be like Marvel's Ultimate lineup, where it's a series reboot, and heroes start their crimefighting careers in today's world. I do agree that this seems a little superfluous, given that Batman: Year One basically did this in the 80s, but it's hard to argue with the sales figures Marvel saw with Ultimate Spider-Man, X-Men, and The Ultimates.

The only retelling of Superman's origin you need is All Star Superman.

Sandman is interesting but covers a pretty wide swath of dark topics. It's quite humorous, but definitely dark.

[quote="Rhoe"]Sounds like its great. Just wish it was marvel instead of DC, could get it from their online service. Guess I'm picking up god knows how many trades, eh? Google tells me its in ten Trades, I'll spend money on one to check it out.
I'd recommend that that one isn't Preludes & Nocturnes, the first collection. It's still good, but it's not really representative of the rest of the series; it's pretty clear that Gaiman had yet to really find his feet and determine what, exactly, the series was going to be. I think Gaiman himself said that he doesn't feel like he hit his stride with Sandman until "The Sound of Her Wings," which is the very last issue of the first trade. I'd say start with volume 3, Dream Country, first; it's a collection of four single-issue stories that have nothing to do with the larger arc(s), but does give you a clearer idea of what kind of book Sandman is, while requiring little to no prior knowledge of the previous two volumes. If you like that, then check out Preludes & Nocturnes and The Doll's House.

So has anyone read his books? I was close to buying American Gods, but just kept forgetting.

American Gods ends up pretty cool, but it's very directionless until a little after the halfway mark. It took me two tries to get through it. I liked Neverwhere, though, and I really liked Good Omens, his collaboration with Terry Pratchett.

I liked Gaiman's short story A Study in Emerald. It was probably my favorite of the Shadows Over Baker Street tales.

If you do not own a copy of Shadows Over Baker Street you can read the story here
http://www.neilgaiman.com/p/Cool_Stuff/Short_Stories

A Study in Emerald was the only good story in that collection.

I don't know, mang. Anansi Boys had some pretty sloppy writing in it. I'm thinking specifically of the bit toward the conclusion where Gaiman pulls a deus-ex to get all of the characters into the same spot so he can tie up all the loose plot threads.

So I just finished reading all of the daredevil main series available on the online service, and I've gotta say it was pretty great. One thing that bothered me near the end is how Daredevil seems to be a much better Batman then batman ever was.

Like, batman is dark and broody, and an urban legend and hero of the night and stuff. But here's daredevil, who's been through so much worse, and is a lot less of a pyschopath, and doesn't adopt teenage boys for the purpose crimefighting, and he seems to be a much more convincing hero. Am I just missing something great about Batman?

Really? It's just the villains. Batman has always been defined by his rogues gallery. Daredevils stable is kind of meh. So while Matt is better than Bruce, Joker is better than Kingpin.

I always thought Batman's supporting cast was more interesting than Batman himself; the villains, obviously, but I'm also totally gay for Nightwing, I think Oracle is really cool, and Alfred is a total badass. Daredevil is a more interesting character than Batman, but he sort of has to be because he doesn't have such a rich cast to fall back upon. I mean, Foggy Nelson and Ben Urich are cool, but neither of them are Alfred-cool.

Bullseye only killed Elektra. Joker got a Robin and half a Batgirl.

I forgot Page. If you're gonna deduct on Elektra then Jason Todd is alive to... Damn.

[quote="Rhoe"]Bullseye got Elektra and Karen Page. And has tormented Daredevil way beyond batman and the joker. And he was pretty great in the Thunderbolts, and is now Hawkeye. That beats out the Joker. /quote]

Ok, drunk post pub rant time!

No.

No because of alaignment. Bullseye is a merc, he's in it for the cash, a quantifyable thing. If some guy cut him a cheque or made him a better offer he'd go torment some other super person. The Joker on the other hand is there beceuse he loves what he does, which is fuck shit up, he's in it for the lulz if you will. He'll stay untll Bats stops caring or one of them dies, and he'll mak every second of every confrontation aas crazy awesome as he can, just cause he can.

Joker > Bullseye.


P.S. Don't get me wrong, I fucking love Bullseye, useing anything as a deadly weapon is fucking cool, he just doesn't have the impact (maybe even because he has a power) that the Joker does....

Does Bullseye really have a power? Other than the admantium in his surgically reconstructed spine, I thought he was just an incredibly dangerous human being.

I was under the impression that Bullseye was a mutant with superhuman toughness, enhanced reflexes, and the ability to impart additional kinetic energy to any object that he throws. How else can you explain how he can turn a decidedly non-lethal implement, like a paper clip, into a deadly weapon? That's superhuman.

As for Batman, I really think it depends on who is writing him. If it's Frank Miller or his ilk, Batman is portrayed as being psychopathic, and that's not very interesting. I prefer it when Batman is written as an extremely intelligent human being, a brilliant detective, with a tragedy that weighs greatly upon him and prevents him from living a normal life. The Batman created by Bruce Tim and Paul Dini and their crew for the animated series embodies this interpretation.

I also like the Adam West Batman, but that's another story.

Then how do you explain his ability to kill people with a paper airplane?

[quote="HeartOfMadness"]the adamantium (which seems to vary, dependent upon who's writing the book at the time, between covering Bullseye's entire skeleton, Wolverine-style, or just his spine);

Are they just handing this stuff out now? I thought Wolverine only survived because of his healing powers.

[quote="xenomouse"][quote="Spankminister"][quote="HeartOfMadness"]the adamantium (which seems to vary, dependent upon who's writing the book at the time, between covering Bullseye's entire skeleton, Wolverine-style, or just his spine);

Are they just handing this stuff out now? I thought Wolverine only survived because of his healing powers.
Apparently they sell the stuff at any old corner store now:
List of characters with adamantium.
Well, I think having Bullseye survive when it's just covering his spine is something approaching reasonable; having his entire skeleton coated is dumb as hell. Because yeah, Wolverine only survived because he can heal super fast.

Also, how does adamantium skin even work? An indestructible metal shouldn't have enough flexibility to allow anyone with it coating their skin to...you know...move.