Non-Big Two Comics Omnibus Thread

[Brian Fowler]

That depends on a few things. How big a Buffy/Angel fan are you, are you just talking about the currentish stuff, or do you want a broad overview of the 15+ years of Buffyverse comics?

[Black Angel]

Well the wife is a bigger fan than I am. She was reading season 8 but got turned off by that twilight arc. I think she's interested in it again and I was just gonna pick up all the graphic novels to this point.

[Brian Fowler]

Well, Twilight was the story for the whole of season 8.

Overall, they've been, you know, good, but only occasionally great.

It's also a lot of comics now, just fire the canonical Darkhorse stuff. Season 8 was 40 regular issues, two one shots, collected in 8 trades or four giant hardcovers (DC Absolute Edition size, though not quite that high of quality. But sewn bindings, ribbon bookmarks, beautiful painted covers...)

Season 9 was two 25 issue series, two minis, and is collected in 12 trades and they are about halfway through releasing the six hardcovers.

Season 10 is, I believe, supposed to be two thirty issue series, plus whatnot. Likely at least 12 trades and six hardcovers again.

[Brian Fowler]

Follow up question: How big a fan of Spike is she? Because IDW did some AMAZING Spike comics. Probably the best Buffyverse comics ever, imo. But Spike is my favorite fictional character ever, so YMMV. Or hers, I guess.

[odessasteps]

Over wally?

[Brian Fowler]

Yes.

I mean, not by a huge margin, but yes.

[bobholly138]

 

I wouldn't mind that, but Lynch did some amazing stuff. Worst part of Dark Horse getting the Angel license back was the Spike ongoing stopping at 8 issues.

Speaking of...how are the Buffy and Angel comics? Are they worth picking up?

 

I read Buffy Season 8 and it was meh. Started off good. Then got heavy into fan service. Then the reveal of who the big bad was ,well it was fucking stupid.

[_MJ_]

*Hands over ears while rocking back & forth*

"The Buffy comics aren't canon.  The Buffy comics aren't canon. Don't listen to Fowler. Don't listen to Fowler."

 

*Deep breath*

 

I have to keep telling myself...

[Brian Fowler]

Spike as King of a spaceship full of alien bugs is so totally canon.

And awesome.

[bobholly138]

Got in the new issues of Southern Bastards and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina today.

 

Just read Sabrina and holy fuck it went much darker than I expected. The only bad part of this series is it never comes out on time. It started what a year ago and so far only 4 issues have come out.

[odessasteps]

The biggest holy f moment in this week's book was the end of Lazarus.

[bobholly138]

Never read Lazarus. Keep hearing good stuff about it.

 

I am gonna try to read the newest issue of Southern Bastards before I goto bed.

[odessasteps]

Lazarus is a great book: a near future where the world is split up by mega rich oligarchs.

To pimp, i talked to Rucka about it on our podcast a few months ago.

[Brian Fowler]

One thing I should have mentioned:  Season 9 was a massive improvement over season 8.

[Jingus]

I would hope so. Season 8 had tons of interesting ideas, with zero clue of how to implement them. Like, for example: okay, Harmony becoming a reality TV star is pretty amusing. But how the hell do they explain those moments when the cameras catch her MURDERING A GUY ON TELEVISION and then her crime is never mentioned again? It's just like "LOL, wacky blonde vampire!" and somehow her popularity never shrink an inch. Also: okay, having Warren still be alive is kinda interesting (Amy saved his life with magic, if you're wondering, though she couldn't save his skin so now he's all like the dude from Hellraiser) but doesn't that completely invalidate a bunch of things we were told about Dark Willow? I'm pretty sure D'Hofferyn definitively said her victim was DEAD; and he's not the type of guy to get detail like that wrong.

[Brian Fowler]

Warren was a mistake. Whedon admitted he fucked up, forgot The First appeared as Warren and thus he was definitely dead.

Angel & Faith was better in season 9 than BTVS, but both are good.

So far, season ten has been the other way around, with Angel & Faith being okay and BTVS being awesome.

[Cliff Hanger]

MTMTE this week was completely bonkers, paying off tiny details from various points in the last four years with a story wherein the Autobots have to use their human avatars to visit a planet created from the subconscious of someone who has seen too many Earth sitcoms (and has no other context for humanity).  It's hilarious and bizarre and a little bit touching, and it looks like shit is about to hit the fan.

[odessasteps]

MTMTE this week was completely bonkers, paying off tiny details from various points in the last four years with a story wherein the Autobots have to use their human avatars to visit a planet created from the subconscious of someone who has seen too many Earth sitcoms (and has no other context for humanity).  It's hilarious and bizarre and a little bit touching, and it looks like shit is about to hit the fan.

House to Astonish guys were raving about this week's book. I know Al put it over when he was on my pod, but i cant bring myself to read a book about characters i dont care about.

[Black Angel]

Warren was a mistake. Whedon admitted he fucked up, forgot The First appeared as Warren and thus he was definitely dead.

Angel & Faith was better in season 9 than BTVS, but both are good.

So far, season ten has been the other way around, with Angel & Faith being okay and BTVS being awesome.

Ok cool. I already picked up most of the IDW Spike run for her and so I'll get these also. Thanks for the input.

[Spritenaut 32]

So, this morning, I decided it was time to reread Dreadstar.  I was a huge fan back in the day, but I haven't reread the run since Peter David took the book over from Starlin.  At one point I owned the first 50 issues or so (plus the Epic Illustrated stuff that preceded it), but it's been many years since the issues passed from my collection. 

 

Anyway, decided to order the tpb's, so I went to Amazon.... and realized the full run appears to never have been collected.  I was aware Dynamo put out a tpb a few years ago collecting the first year of the series, with plans to collect the rest, so I assumed at least the first 31 issues had been collected (I'm planning to reacquire issues 1-31.  31should have been/could have been the end of the series.  Starlin wrapped up the extended storyline a month earlier, stopped drawing the book at that point and only wrote a few more issues).

 

Apparently, Dynamo only released vol. 1 of the collection, back in 2012.  According to Amazon, Vol. 2 is slated for release in early 2016.  So maybe we get vol 3 in time for Christmas 2019?

 

Odd.  I assume low sales are to blame, but either collect the run in a timely fashion or don't.  3 1/2 years between trade paperbacks to collect a book over a decade old is sorta absurd.

 

Oh well, the original issues aren't hard to get via eBay.

[bobholly138]

So, this morning, I decided it was time to reread Dreadstar.  I was a huge fan back in the day, but I haven't reread the run since Peter David took the book over from Starlin.  At one point I owned the first 50 issues or so (plus the Epic Illustrated stuff that preceded it), but it's been many years since the issues passed from my collection. 

 

Anyway, decided to order the tpb's, so I went to Amazon.... and realized the full run appears to never have been collected.  I was aware Dynamo put out a tpb a few years ago collecting the first year of the series, with plans to collect the rest, so I assumed at least the first 31 issues had been collected (I'm planning to reacquire issues 1-31.  31should have been/could have been the end of the series.  Starlin wrapped up the extended storyline a month earlier, stopped drawing the book at that point and only wrote a few more issues).

 

Apparently, Dynamo only released vol. 1 of the collection, back in 2012.  According to Amazon, Vol. 2 is slated for release in early 2016.  So maybe we get vol 3 in time for Christmas 2019?

 

Odd.  I assume low sales are to blame, but either collect the run in a timely fashion or don't.  3 1/2 years between trade paperbacks to collect a book over a decade old is sorta absurd.

 

Oh well, the original issues aren't hard to get via eBay.

I got an almost complete run I have pulled out of quarter/50 or dollar bins Still need to one day read them.

[odessasteps]

Happy new Bandette Day

[WholeFnMachine]

In the past week I have read Lost Dogs, Essex County, the Nobody, & the Underwater Welder. Goddamn is Jeff Lemire amazing.

[twiztor]

finished my read of the '92-'94 Malibu Comics.

it started off with just wanting to read 'the Protectors' and quickly blossomed out into also reading the spin-offs.

then i found out the "Genesis" storyline crossed over with the 'Ex-Mutants' and "Dinosaurs For Hire' series.

also checked out 'Dead Clown' since it was mentioned a few times and only 3 issues.

 

thoughts:

the Protectors series proper was awesome. i absolutely loved it.

all the spinoffs were at least decent. Did a good job adding backstory to individual characters.

Ex-Mutants was ok. The first issue wasn't very good but it picked up steam as it went along. there were a few dropped plots. then the protags all got superpowers and the comic jumped the shark.

Dinos for Hire wasn't good. Not funny, the plot was as thin as the paper it was printed on, the the crossover wasn't.

Dead Clown was ok for what it was. expected little, and got about that.

 

the only thing i couldn't find (although i didn't look too terribly hard) was the Miss Fury 4-issue miniseries from a year or so before the Protectors started. oh well.

[The Unholy Dragon]

Black Mask Studios stuff is on Comixology now. Due to hype and interest in what I've seen I grabbed the first four issues of "We Can Never Go Home". I'll let you know how it is when I've read it.

Has anyone checked out Young Terrorists? It seems interesting but even with 80ish story pages, $6.99 is a bit much for a first issue gamble. Especially for me given how awful the Canadian dollar is right now.