Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch

This is the third in the Peter Grant (what if Harry Potter became a policeman sorta series). I read the first two earlier this year. See here and here if you don't believe me!

An enjoyable read. Some laugh-out-loud moments and likeable characters. A bit too many characters for me to keep track of reading this over the last few weeks but I just let the details of the plot wash over me and enjoy the ride.

Marvel Tales by Alan Davis

I bought and read this because it's actually Alan Davis doing a Clandestine story using major Marvel heroes annuals as a vehicle.

Unfortunately, although  the art is the usual Davis superb standard - the story just didn't grab me on first reading. It might if I read this at the end of re-reading the various mini-series featuring the Clandestine characters.

A near miss at the moment though. :-(

Triumph & Torment

The main story in this trade collection is a reprinting of the Roger Stern / Mike Mignola graphic novel staring Doom and Strange called "Triumph & Torment".

It's a great story and will be worth re-reading one day.

I also really enjoyed the short reprint from an old Amazing Adventures by Conway and Colan featuring ol' Doom using magic to try to free his mum's soul from hell.

I solid and worthwhile acquisition.

The Great Lakes Avengers

The Great Lakes Avengers debuted in West Coast Avengers #46 which is a cracking issue by John Byrne.

Actually reading this issue made me want to read the rest of his run even though he's not very kind to the Vision and the Scarlet Witch.

Anyway Dan Slott took this odd bunch of characters and wrote a 4 issue mini-series where they actually save the world but not without suffering a few casualties along the way. This was one of Slott's more humour orientated books but the drama works to.

I'd picked this up having had it recommended on the greatest Dan Slott stories ever told last May pretty cheap. It was well worth it.

Hawkeye Oversized Vol 1

This had been pre-ordered for so long I was keen to get to it and see what all the fuss was about. Well it's good stuff but typically it's always difficult to live up to the hype.

I did really appreciate the art by David Aja though. Some great design and layouts and more than a hint of Mazzuccelli about his work which is high praise indeed.

This was a nice package containing 12 issues and I'm pleased I waited for it in this format.

Hawkeye and Legends of the Dark Knight Jim Aparo volume 2

These two hardcover collections arrived this week - both look very nice when flicking through.

In the Shadow of Yavin

I must say I was disappointed by this after hearing so much hype about it.

On the positive side, the plot was interesting and the spaceship art was impressive.

On the negative side, Wood's style of narration felt weird to me (in particular his liking of putting caption boxes at the end of the scene rather than at the beginning)

I also felt all the human characters looked too similar. Some good art on the alien races.

At the moment I am undecided as to whether or not to continue with the series. I want to (it's Star Wars and our Edge of the Empire Roleplaying has certainly made SW the flavour of the month) but for a 6 issue series it took me too long to read - which says quite a bit!)

Two new trades

I thought I should purchase the first trade of Batwoman with J.H. Williams on art before reading the one I bought the other week.

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers was a bit of an impulse buy but it looks kinda fun and it was cheap.

A mixed lot of new purchases. Asterix, Star Wars and Morning Glories

Some new trades delivered courtesy of the postman and Amazon. I've still to read Vol 4 of Morning Glories so will probably wait until early next year when I've purchased Vol 6 to read all 3 consecutively.

Star Wars Vol 1 is supposed to capture the feel of the first movies and having played a bit of SW RPG in the last week I fancy reading this very soon.                               

I've also purchased my first new Asterix book in years. It's the brand new one not by Uderzo! Shock Horror. What will it be like? I'll find out soon!    

ACES issue 7

YIKES - it's a long time since issue 6 was finished.

But better late than never (or 25 years as between issue 4 and 5). This is the front cover and page 1 of my original comic written for my son's and my own benefit. This issue concludes the story started in issue 6. I'm quite pleased with how it all turned out.

Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman Omnibus

This arrived yesterday. I've been looking forward to it for some time.

It's a bit of a monster oversized hardback book. It collects; Dark Reign: Fantastic Four 1-5, Dark Reign: The Cabal, Fantastic Four 570-588 and  FF 1-5

I hope a second volume will be announced for next year.

My first DC New 52 Collections

I was doing some work related training last week in Birmingham and the venue was located above Forbidden Planet. Well I had to take a look when the course had finished.

I picked up 2 New 52 title that interested me. All Star Western by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmotti because I'd enjoyed their writing on Power Girl so I wanted to try something else.

Batwoman by J.H. Williams and W. Haden Blackman has received glowing reviews and the art looks great so I thought I'd try that too.

Star Wars Agent of the Empire Volume 2: Hard Targets

Well this was lots of fun. Actually better than Vol 1 which I enjoyed last year.

I'm not sure any more are scheduled so that's disappointing.

Incredible Hulk 238 - 243

Read some more Hulks over the last few days.

I was going to read a few more but issue 243 is the end of Roger Stern's fine run and was an excellent place to take a break for a short while. I do plan/hope to read to #250 before the end of the year.

Time to read some more Star Wars related stuff to get me in the mood for SW roleplaying in a couple of weeks.

Incredible Hulk 228 - 237

 Been cracking/plodding on with Hulk back issues. All Stern and Buscema efforts and an enjoyable read.

Pity Al Milgrom takes on cover duties as I'm not really impressed with his efforts such as below.

Thank goodness the interior art is alright. (And for the record - I'm generally OK with Milgrom's interior art but his covers generally are poot IMHO.

More Marvel Masterworks and a Classic Graphic Novel

 Incredible Hulk Masterworks vol 3softcover

 Iron Man Masterworks Vol 8

Dr Strange & Dr Doom Triumph and Torment Graphic Novel

All 3 arrived on the same day courtesy of the Book Depository who are often significantly cheaper than Amazon.

This means I've completed my Iron Man run.

A Star Wars bargain

Ebay bargain. A second hand but in nice condition copy of Vol 6 of the Star Wars reprints.

£2.09 plus postage but as the seller lived locally I popped round and gave him £3.

Just Volume 6 to get.

Back to reading the Incredible Hulk

I thought it was time to read some back issues and before I got side-tracked by Howard the Duck I was reading the Incredible Hulk.

In my opinion this is a good period with Roger Stern writing and Sal Buscema on art. However, the highlight of these latest issues I've read (Hulk 225-227) was actually the annual by Stern and Byrne. I'd heard this was a significantly above average annual and it was. Nice to see it also neatly fitted into the regular series continuity too.

Good stuff this and I'm going to continue with the Hulk to read at least a years worth (that'll be 1978 if anyones' interested).

Superman, Batman and She-Hulk all by John Byrne

I've finished these two graphic novels/trades/ comics etc. this week.

John Byrne was one of the first comic creators I began to take notice of and particularly look out for his stuff. I read my first DC comic as a result of him moving to DC to do Superman!

I enjoyed both of these. Perhaps not the She-Hulk quite as much as I expected but I had been waiting years to read it so it maybe had too much to live-up to. The Elseworlds Superman/Batman (written 1999) was fun.

SHIELD Architects of Forever

A bit of a strange one this.

Firstly, it looked lovely. Great art by Weaver. Secondly, an interesting concept.

On the downside, it's most definitely "to be continued" and I didn't know that when I bought it. Silly me. If it's not continued (and I don't believe at the moment it is scheduled to be) this could be viewed as a bit of extravagance.

At least I got it reasonably cheap.

Daredevil by Mark Waid Vol 1

This was a nice oversized hardback collection of the first 10 issues.

An enjoyable read with some nice art and fun stories. I'll be definitely getting the next oversized collection when it comes out.

Some new trades

I am trying to cut down a little on my new purchases as looking at the half-year review I'm buying more than I'm reading. But it's the end of the month so it is time to make some new purchases although maybe not as many.

The new stuff which has just arrived includes additions to current collections. Agent of Empire Volume 2 and Batman by Neal Adams Vol 3 (which I understand is the last in the series).

I'm intending to buy maybe two more trades in the next few weeks when they get released including Hulk Masterworks vol 3 but I'll see how good I am at resisting the temptation to buy more.

Saga Vol 2

So Saga volume 2 which includes the controversial issue 12.

Well, if I assume the hardcore video on the screen of the robot's head was the reason, it was both a big fuss about nothing and pointless to boot.

But moving swifting on, Saga is enjoyable without being amazing. I keep hoping for a surprise plot twist to give the story a feeling of the unexpected as at the moment it seems a bit too much by the numbers.

Finally finished Howard the Duck

It's taken me a bit of time to get here but I've made it and that's a reflection of how much I've enjoyed this series. I've enjoyed it enough to keep going but not enough to want to grab the next issue straight-away.

I always think of HtD as a key bronze age comic and I'm pleased I've read it. I know there's one more issue to read but that is rare and expensive in the UK and I'll have to give it a miss. A bit of a shame because I think Bill Mantlo took over quite well from Steve Gerber on writing duties.

I do so LOVE the cover to issue number 30 though.

Well..I'll be damed: Before Watchmen

This hardcover collection reprints two of the "controversal" Before Watchmen stories. Minutemen by Darwyn Cooke and Silk Spectre by Cooke and Amanda Conner. 10 issues collected in all in a nice package.

Now whilst I agree that Watchmen didn't NEED prequels, I enjoy the works by both these creators suffciently enough to overlook that fact (and any objections Alan Moore may have) to purchase and enjoy these stories.

What was nice about them was that they ( in my opinion at least) fit neatly into to the Watchmen storyline, have detailed art in respect of Dave Gibbon's work and both storylines were nice character studies rather than big action thrillers.

A good (but maybe not essential) read.

FF and Star Wars trades

I raced through these two trades over the weekend. The Star Wars one maybe just a bit too quickly but the action was near-enough none stop.

Some good moments in Fraction's FF too. It's got a nice quirky feel to the book.

Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

This took me about 5 weeks or so to read. Partly because I've not had that much time to read it as I've been busy doing other stuff in the holiday period (including painting figures and reading the rules for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG) but also because, althought interesting and never boring, this wasn't edge of your seat excitement.

Instead James Luceno has crafted a clever tale which describes Palpatine's rise to power and his apprentership to Darth Plagueis. The last few chapters of the book run parallel to The Phantom Menace and we get to see what was going on behind the scenes. Very interesting. It was very clever how Luceno managed to tie and explain all the plot points together.

I also learnt a great deal more about the Star Wars universe. Lots of refering to Wookiepedia to check what the various alien races looked like. Great prep for the RPG later this year.

Captain America Masterworks Vol 4

This hard back edition of Marvel Masterworks is vol 93 in the masterworks line but also Vol 4 reprinting Cap's adventures. Vol 3 will be out in paperback in approx a year but this volume and subsequent ones are many years away from the softcover treatment. Although I would have liked to get the official vol 4 I haven't spotted it available in this country and anyway £25 for a masterworks volume is about standard.

The stories in this look great. I recognise some of the artwork from old British reprints but it will be a treat to read these in colour and in their entirety.

Pacific Rim

Saw this film this week.

Nonsense of course. It's really just a modern take on an old Japanese monster movie but enjoyable. The story predictable but the action exciting and intense.

Sensational She-Hulk graphic novel

This arrived yesterday.

It's something I've coveted for a long time but never been at the top of my "wants" list as it's a one-off , stand-alone story. It was discussed in an interview with the author John Byrne I read years ago and since then I've wanted it but rarely seen it for sale. This FN copy was on ebay for £5 so that's a pretty good deal as far as I'm concerned.

She-Hulk has always been one of my favourite Marvel characters too and this story is set around the time she was part of the Fantastic Four (circa 1985) - just like she is at the mo in FF by Matt Fraction.