Eivion Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Finally finished up Forever Evil last night along with the Justice League #30 and JLA #14. Not really sure what bothered people about the ending. I thought it did well wrapping things up, making Luthor look great, and setting up a decent amount of things to explore for the next year or so. The last page in particular set up a story with tons of potential if done well. JLA #14 was a solid epilogue and set up for Justice League United. I thought Justice League #30 was good with a seamless transition from Forever Evil to the next story with Lutohr joining. Only thing I'm not sure on is Luthor knowing Bruce Wayne is Batman. There is interesting potential there, but it feels like a bit much. It just doesn't feel like it would work in the long term as its leaves Bruce way too exposed. I'm also not sure Johns is the one who should be exploring such a storyline. Other than that and the amount of time it took to finish I actually liked Forever Evil on the whole. It has other flaws,but nothing that takes away much from it for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiztor Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 i rather enjoyed Forever Evil, even tho it took WAY too long to come out. the part you spoilered is what interests me the most about the fallout, i'm interested to see where/how that point gets explored. the last page actually didn't do much for me at all. i know that's what most people seem to be gushing about, but it just resulted in an eye roll here. can't wait for the new Grayson book tho. super psyched to see a new direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeFnMachine Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 I'm with Eivion & twiztor on Forever Evil. Here I bought all the crossovers in books I didn't normally read as well as Blight, Arkham War, and Rogues, and then I felt that the ending fell flat. Also, in regards to what Eivion spoilered, HATED that and do not see how it can be sustained in any way. I'm interested in the Grayson book, however I do wish they had just done that with a different character and kept him as Nightwing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 I'm with CA on the "Luthor knows Bruce is Batman." This proves that maybe the reason Lex is the smartest guy in the DCU is because everyone else is really fucking dumb, because it REALLY can't be hard to put it together after the Grayson reveal. As for the ending Christ, we've already seen what happens when Johns writers a tribute/sequel to COIE. A bad comic. Why would you possibly be interested in seeing him do it again 10 years later? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiztor Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 so bleedingcool has the inked/unpublished Nightwing #30 pages up. i guess the entire issue was finished but then replaced with the one we got (featuring the new creative team). these come from the artist, who is/was offering them for sale. this one really shows closure. with the bat family (amongst others) and was very well done. not to say that Seeley & King's wasn't, but two totally different approaches. if you're into that sort of thing, check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Interested in following the reception to the Grayson book with the big change in direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeFnMachine Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I finished Gotham Central yesterday, what a gut punch of a final story. Fantastic writing, great compelling characters, anyone who hasn't read it, should. I really hope this is what the Gotham TV show is like. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eivion Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I doubt the tv show will be much like it at all. It seems more focused on introducing younger versions of the main Batman characters rather than telling good cop stories within Gotham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiztor Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I doubt the tv show will be much like it at all. It seems more focused on introducing younger versions of the main Batman characters rather than telling good cop stories within Gotham. my thoughts exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I read Batman #26, a monthly UK magazine collecting Batman #29, Batman and Aquaman #29 and Nightwing #27 in this order. Batman #29 continues Zero Year, the retelling of Batman’s origin as Batman has to contend with the Riddler and Doctor Death. It was a good issue. The issue starts with one of my favourite things from it, the opening pages with young Bruce, his father and mother. I like when we get a look at them as a family before you know what. My other highlight was Greg Capullo’s tribute to The Dark Knight Returns #1 classic cover. Batman and Aquaman #29 sees Batman out to reclaim the bodies of Talia al Ghul and Damian Wayne taken from Wayne Manor’s burial plot by Ra’s al Ghul. The location takes him to Aquaman’s Atlantis. This was a very good issue. In Nightwing #29 Nightwing enter an uneasy alliance with Marionette to take down the Mad Hatter, it was a decent issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeFnMachine Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Am I the only one who absolutely LOVES Ant Lucia's bombshell covers?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eivion Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 52 Volumes 1-4. Ralph Dibny's journey to revive his wife was kind of sad and depressing to read, but at the same time I loved the conclusion both in how he turned everything on his manipulators and found his wife again in death. The Starfire, Animal Man, Adam Strange, & Lobo team was incredibly odd but worked almost surprisingly well. Only disappointment I had was probably the conclusion of the battle with Lady Styx. it was just a bit too short. The Everyman story was pretty great. Natasha was damn annoying but her character arc as still a good one. What really made it for me was Steel vs. Luthor. In general I enjoy reading about Steel, but seeing him match up against Luthor was something to see. Luthor just made it so damn personal, and the conclusion of the whole just left John looking so badass. It was great finally seeing Renee's journey to become Question. The friendship with Vic was done so well, and made everything mean so much more when Vic started to gradually go. I also enjoyed the introduction of Batwoman and her and Renee's relationship. I had heard for a while now that 52's introduction of Kate was a misfire, but I didn't find anything really wrong with it. She could had gotten a bit more building, but that was about it. The mad scientists of Oolong Island were good fun and I liked how their story merged with Black Adam's. Black Adam's story might have been the most depressing one. It was so cruel seeing Isis, Osiris, & Sobek built up and Adam slowly regain a certain level of humanity he had lost only to see it all taken away in the worst way possible. It was made worse by them going the completely irredeemable route with Adam's destruction of Bialya. And then you have poor Atom Smasher who was just in complete denial of Adam's actions. It was just sad to see him so wrong here after he defended Adam so much in the past. Booster Gold's Story with Rip and Skeets was good with a few decent surprises. I do love that in the end Booster actually save the multiverse. Overall this was a nice array of good stories that managed to avoid focusing on the top level heroes of the DCU like the Trinity and main Justice League crew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spritenaut 32 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I loved 52. At the time, I had quit reading comics all together and hadn't been to a comic shop in years. Picked up the first 52 trade one day in a bookstore and got hooked. I've never quite gone back to reading a lot of monthlies or keeping a pull list, but I follow a few titles and pick up trades and complete runs from time to time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I wish they'd done more with the Ghost Dibnys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spritenaut 32 Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Anyone reading Justice League Dark? How has it been since DeMatteis took over writing chores? I just caught up on Phantom Stranger and am digging it. DeMatteis might be my favorite comic book writer ever, but I'm a much bigger fan of his pre-Justice League work than post. When he tries to be funny, it generally falls flat for me. I love the JM who wrote Defenders, Moonshadow, the Dr. Fate mini, etc. Also, does anyone else like Earth-2 more since Robinson left. A lot of people seem to think Earth-2 was a return to form for JDR, but I was kinda underwhelmed. It's been a really fun book of late (I do really like Robinson's FF book, fwiw). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I stopped reading it when JDR left, honestly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spritenaut 32 Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I stopped reading it when JDR left, honestly. Yeah, I think a lot of people did. I wasn't familiar with Tom Taylor, so I ignored the book for several months, then did a lot of catchup at once. It's one of my favorite books lately, with both the art and writing clicking for me. I'm really digging the focus on Earth-2 versions of Supes/Bats/Red Tornado/etc. Taylor has managed to do a fresh take on both well-known Justice League characters and the JSA concept in general. I like Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, etc., but after Johns, it's really hard to do much fresh with those characters or the group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 JDR was the only thing overcoming my massive hatred of the concept of undoing the legacy heroes and moving them back to an alternate earth and making them young and all that. It (along with all the Wally West stuff I oft rant about) gutted my very favorite thing about comic books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 I had my waiter at lunch strike up a comics conversation today because i was reading stuff on my ipad. It gave me a chance to perform my new52 "jumping off point" rant. The guy said he was souring on DC because it was so dark and violent. He also said his favorite DC character was Deathstroke and he missed him being an anti-hero. I said i was so old, i remember him as a teen titans villain. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 DC has had this weird (presumably Geoff Johns led) feel over the last decade of moving more and more towards "the status quo of the 70's with new levels of limb removal never before seen in mainstream superhero comics." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 The topic of limb removal and Johns did come up. The guy (a black guy prob in his early 20s) did not know that Harley Quinn was created for the BTAS and not in the comics. He wanted to know when i thought the Joker became a crazy killer. He thought it was Ledger. I said really was probably O'Neil/Adams or if not, Englehart/Rogers Joker Fish story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 He was kind of a crazy killer way back in his earliest appearances in the golden age, but, yeah, either Laughing Fish or The Joker's Five Way Revenge is where it came back and kept building to where he is now. I'd actually argue that's been in a way necessary though, given where they have gone with Batman. If Bats is gonna be that dark, and be that competent, then Joker has to be that evil, and that much of a force of nature. Of course, one can debate whether or not Batman needs to be so dark and godlike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 He said after the Caesar Romero Joker on the tv show. I had mentioned the only dc book i now read was Batman 66. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Ah, then, yeah, it's one of those two. With a big assist from Miller, of course, who codified the whole Batman universe for decades to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 It indeed was Denny O'Neill and Neal Adams with "Five Way Revenge" in 1973. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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