Harley Quinn Vol 3: Kiss, Kiss Bang, Stab

The next Harley Quinn collection.

Arrived on the day of release!

Not bad for free shipping. :-)

Star Wars The Force Awakens

Seen it now. Only the 5th day of release and it felt like I was waiting ages.

I felt it was worth the wait.

Not perfect, but very enjoyable.

iZombie Omnibus

A new Omnibus arrived yesterday!

Just as I was thinking about ordering Vol 2 of iZombie by Chris Robertson and Mike Allred after reading vol 1 , DC announced an Omnibus edition of the whole series.

I gave vol 1 to my nephew and sat back to wait for the complete story in a nice hardback format.

Doc Unknown via Kickstarter!

For the last couple of weeks I have been reading a recent Kickstarter comic purchase - Doc Unknown.

I got the third and final part and decided to re-read the earlier volumes as it had been some time since I had read them.These were fun, quick and easy to read comics. It was nice to read a story with an actual conclusion too!

Very pleased with my little Kickstarter extra - an original sketch of Doc Unknown by artist Ryan Cody!

Scarlett Couture

I've now read the four issue limited series of Scarlett Couture by Des Taylor and published by Titan comics.

It's your typical glamorous female spy tale elevated by Taylor's clean cheesecake style art. I'm not sure the story was strong enough to get me to come back for the next series but I certainly enjoyed the art.

Star Wars from Dark Horse

I've now read though all my Dark Horse SW trades. I'd read the first some time ago and wasn't that impressed but thinks definitely picked up in volumes 2 and 3.

Volume 4 was a bit of a mix with various stories. The main story wasn't really developed any further, probably as a result of DH losing the license.

Overall, I probably wouldn't have been worse off for not reading these but they didn't waste my time either. It will be interesting to compare these to the new Marvel stories which are just coming out.

Star Wars Princess Leia

The last of the first volumes of new Star Wars stories by Marvel arrived yesterday. Looks nice.

Just finishing the Dark Horse series at the moment!

Black Widow Vol 3

Purchases are slowing down quite a bit these days (but not as fast as my reading :-) ) but I have received the latest volume of Black Widow. I've not read any of the volumes yet but word seems good and it appears to be a nice self contained series. Just how I like them.

Dungeon Saga Kickstarter

Although I don't normally mention my gaming on this blog - except maybe to explain that I'm reading rulebooks rather than reading comics or novels - I have to mention getting Dungeon Saga.

This was a kickstarter I backed in August 2014 and has finally arrived. Lots of figures to paint and the rules look fairly straightforward. A fact I'm pleased about as I'm  listed in the credits under playtesting!

Fantastic Four 72 completes my collection!

I'm feeling a bit of a sense of accomplishment with this new purchase.

I think this is the final issue I require to complete my back-issue collection. It's a nice FN/VFN copy from ebay bought using proceeds from comic sales (particularly Amazing Spider-Man #361 1st Carnage)

Of course, I will probably buy more single issues but looking at the titles I intend to read when I eventually start reading my Marvel collection, I think I have them all. Some of the early stuff is in Marvel Masterworks or another collected edition but I have all the stories. FF#72 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby was the last single I was after.

If I get the opportunity I'll get more Dr Strange and Thor in collections but I don't mind if I don't.

Now I can look forward to starting Marvel from the beginning!

Another Star Wars trade - Vader

On the day the new trailer for The Force Awakens comes out, I get a new Star Wars trade. A quick flick though this and the previous one and I think the art is considerably better than the Dark Horse efforts I'm currently reading.

Hawkeye by Matt Fraction

It's so long since I read Vol 1 of Hawkguy that I decided to read it again before reading the remaining volumes. I'd bought Vol 1 in an nice oversized format  as it collected both Vols 1 & 2 of the trades but got volumes 3 and 4 in the regular trade editions as it looked like Marvel weren't going to do a vol 2 of the oversized and go straight to the omnibus. Perhaps I jumped the gun a little there.

My opinion hasn't changed much on re-reading but the whole story was certainly enjoyable.

Nice covers on the trades.

I'm undecided on whether or not to get the All-New Hawkeye by Jeff Lemire. The trade is out in November so I'll see what the reviews are like.

Star Wars back at Marvel

With Disney acquiring the rights to Star Wars, the comic adaptations have naturally moved from Dark Horse back to Marvel.

I recently completed the collections of the old Marvel stuff back in Dec last year and am currently reading the final Dark Horse comics as I'm in SW mode prepping for the new film and playing Force and Destiny RPG.

I'm giving the Dark Horse series another go. Perhaps by the end I'll have got used to Brian Woods style!

Update on new purchases

Not buying quite as much these days but extatic to finally get some Atomic Robo. The Everything Explodes collection is actually an Omnibus of the first three trades. It's just a shame it's not hardcover.

Saga is an ongoing story. I think it's taking a little break after the end of this volume so I'll try and catch-up.

Defenders 10

EXPENSIVE BACK-ISSUE ALERT!

This cost me £24 incl p&p off ebay. And it's only a FN- copy. Mind you higher grade copies are in the £80-£100 range so I'm making do with this one. Still £24 is quite a bit to pay for one issue and I reckon it's one of the most expensive bronze-age issues I've purchased. probably Iron Man 55 being the most.  It completes my Defenders run and the issue itself is important as it's a key issue in the Defenders vs Avengers war from 1973.

Pleased to have got this.

Black Science Vol 3

I only got this a short time ago and I decided to read it almost straight away (in between RPG books). Even though it was not that long since I read vol 2 I still felt a little lost reading this. Perhaps it really needs to be done in one go. An interesting story with some morally suspect main protagonists made the story more exciting as there was no guarantee characters would survive.

The story sort of reaches a conclusion but also appears to line up a sequel. We shall see.

Ace of Skulls by Chris Wooding

                                                  

Just doing a quick review on the blog and noticed that I'd not posted about finishing the Saga of the Ketty Jay when I finished "The Ace of Skulls" a few weeks ago.

A great series. A satisfying ending too.

I've not had much to post about recently as I've been reading Star Wars RPG material and I've been buying gaming stuff too.

However, I have bought volume 3 of a series I've been reading and am currently reading that before I look at some more comic material.

     

Only one purchase at Forbidden Planet in London

It was Gatecrasher. Which is an early Amander Conner/Palmiotti effort. Mark Waid script too. So some solid creators. £6,99 in the sale.

I think Vol 1 was the only volume.

And it was the only thing I bought.

How things change.

Recent New Purchases

The rate I'm acquiring new purchases is slowing down dramatically. There's plenty on my wish list but that stretches into Feb 2016. But I have got two new items recently.

These new additions complete some stories which means I can get on with reading them soon.

Been waiting for Hawkeye Vol 4 for ages as it was Nov 2014 when I got volume 3.

Nice to get  issue 4 of Scarlett Couture too.

Ant-Man

Just back home after watching this tonight with Luke.

Really enjoyed it. I thought they captured the feeling of shrinking really well.

Funny enough, the success of this movie has made my copy of Marvel Premiere #47 quite collectable. Just a quick check on ebay shows that a FN+ copy (which this is at the very least) would make £25+

The Iron Jackel

This was my holiday read. It's the third book in the "Tales of the Ketty Jay" series.

My first proper read on a Kindle. Nice.

Already started book 4 (on Kindle again. Tee hee).

Kickstarter comic - Denver

I'm just about to finish my holiday book and realised that I hadn't recorded finishing Denver. This is an original graphic novel (not a trade collection) which I purchased via Kickstarter. It arrived last August so it's only taken me the best part of a year to get round to reading it.

It was a good story. A crime novel set in the future. Nothing blindingly original but well told.

2015 Summary of the last six months

Halfway through the year, so it's time to check to see how I'm doing.

Note, the purpose of this blog is to keep a record rather than review of what I've bought and read. My aim is to be reading more than I'm buying as I've far too much stuff already!

For comparison this is what I bought in 2014 ;

New back-issues purchased      33
New trade collections                 33
New copies of Epic Collections, Masterworks  & Omnibus editions    16

This is what I read last year

Back-issues read      5
Trade collections read           34
Epic Collections, Masterworks  & Omnibus editions  read    1
Movies 4
Books 3

So what about the first six months of 2015

New back-issues and other comics purchased      10
New trade collections                 15
New copies of Epic Collections, Masterworks  & Omnibus editions    3

Wow! Definitely showing some serious signs of slowing down there. But did that mean I'm in the black when it came to reading?


Comics read      2
Trade collections read           8
Epic Collections, Masterworks  & Omnibus editions  read    0
Movies 3
Books 1

The answer is NO! It took me a long time to read Order of the Stick and the Guardians of the Galaxy trades and , for that reason, as well as the time spent reading RPG rulebooks, meant I was still in the red. Aarrrgh.

Plans for the next six months. Well we go on holiday soon so that means books and i hope to be gaming over the summer. So that means rulebooks.

But when I do get round to reading comics again I think I'll read Fatale by Brubaker, Miracleman and my She-Hulk and Black Widow trades.

Scarlett Couture issue 3

No 3 of a four issue series. I've not ordered number 4 yet. Perhaps I should.

Harley Quinn Vol 2 (hardcover)

Harley Quinn and Power Girl team-up as written by Palmiotti and Conner. A sure fire winner!

iZombie Vol 1

I'd never heard of this until I read it had been made into a TV show. Mike Allred is a good artist and I'm enjoying his work at the moment so I thought I would give Vol 1 a try.

And then read it before purchasing Vol 2 to make sure I liked it.

I will get vol 2. Interesting concept and I know the series has an ending so it's not an ongoing commitment.

Jurassic World

The family went to watch this film this afternoon.

Very similar in plot and conclusion to Jurassic Park but still an entertaining summer film.

This year could be a record one for movies. We shall see!

Velvet

Vol 1

Vol 2

I bought Volume 2 of Velvet by Brubaker and Epting last week and I've just realised when drafting this post that I didn't note that I got Vol 1 back in August 2014. How remiss of me!

Anyway more Brubaker goodness to read at some point but Fatale and probably his Catwoman run need to be read first.

Guardians of the Galaxy

I've just finished reading Vols 1 and 2 of Guardians of the Galaxy by Abnett and Lanning which covers issues 1 - 25 of the series and Rocket Raccoon vol 1 which has the first six issues of the new solo series.

I wanted to read these as the GotG film was based on the premise of this series but I found things hard going at first because the status quo of the Marvel Cosmic Universe was quite different from when I was last there. Things got better but it was never classic.

RR was nothing more than a daft, whimsical story. Fun, yes, but I could have lived without it.

New Purchases - both old and new

Plenty of stuff arriving and believe it or not I'm near to completing some trades and can blog about them soon.

First is Doctor Strange Masterworks vol 1. This is a new hardback printing of this once rare and, hence expensive, masterworks. I've not got any of these stories so I'm pleased with this. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. It's going to be a blast I know it.

Next up, iZombie.I've seen that this is now a TV show so I thought I should check out the first volume of the trades. Mike Allred does the art so definitely worth checking out.

And lastly, a variant (but unsigned) Scarlett Couture comic. Issue #2. Nice cover!

My Iron Man comic collection is now complete

With the recent purchase of this comic, Iron Man #172 cover dated July 1983 I have now completed my Iron Man collection. Hooray for me!

There are plenty of recent Iron Man comics I haven't got but I now own a complete run from issue 50 to #281. Those together with the Masterworks reprints means that all the issues up to June 1992.

Plenty to read then.

Mad Max Fury Road

At the beginning of the year there was plenty of movies I was looking forward to seeing at the cinema. Mad Max wasn't one of them but after reading so many positive comments I decided to go and see it with a mate.

Well it was enjoyable action packed nonsense. Very little plot got in the way of the set pieces but I expected that. Certainly not a wasted trip to the Showcase.

Varied new purchases

All-new Doop is an X-Static spin-off 5 issue mini-series released in 2014 which I picked-up cheap from ebay for £1.99 plus P&P. More than 50% less than the trade. Not read the X-Static omnibus yet but Doop was apparently a favourite character for readers.

Miracleman vol 3 is supposed to be a classic. Will definitely be reading these collections soon.