Fitz and the Fool - I've finished the trilogy!

                                       

I've now finished the final book in this trilogy.

This was awesome.

A really satisfying conclusion to 15 books (I think!) I was so pleasantly surprised that the Liveship Traders and The Dragon Keepers were incorporated into the conclusion of the Fitz and the Fool story.

2019 Update - Star Wars

So then. "The Rise of Skywalker".

Well that title is misleading.

This film was enjoyable but wasn't the fun filled conclusion I was really hoping for. I think it tried too hard.

Interestingly, "The Mandalorian" is much more fun because it's a simple story that doesn't tie itself in knots. 

2019 Update - Lots of Big Books

It's way past time for an update on my recent purchases as I've neglected posting about these items when they arrived. But I blame Brexit and Christmas.

When I say big books I mean BIG BOOKS. That "Ditko is Amazing" is HUGE!

The book is purely an indulgence on my part as I've all the stories in the Amazing Spider-man Omnibus #1 anyway but I just couldn't resist this.

The other Marvel books are two Fantastic Four Omnibus editions. Confusingly, each is a Number One! Of course they contain different stories.

I wanted the "Fantastic Four Omnibus" because its a decent reprint of FF issues 1-30. I'm now all ready for my long delayed re-reading of Marvel history from its early days.

"Fantastic Four by John Byrne Vol 1" reprints some of my favourite stories and after looking through the originals in early December, I just got the urge to splash out on this and have the comics with much improved reproduction.

The other books are both by Alan Moore.

"Absolute Swamp Thing Vol 1" has been on my wants list for ages and I'm so pleased DC have finally got round to publishing this. My previous reprints of these comics were from very old DC trades and left a great deal to be desired. So chuffed to get this and I will read this very soon together with my Swamp Thing Omnibus!

"The Tempest" is a large HC with the last League of Extraordinary Gentlemen story. This series has been a bit hit and miss but I got this for completeness. Hope it's good!

Joker The Bronze Age Omnibus

I've gotten out of the habit of posting recently mainly because I'm not buying many comics or collections or getting the time to read the stuff I already have, My reading time has been spent on RPG books and sometime the latest Robin Hobb trilogy which I'm halfway through,

I did buy this a few weeks ago when it first came out. Some of the stories I already had but there is a good amount of new Bronze Age Batman related material for me to get my teeth into when I eventually get the time to read these collections.

It's a nice looking book too which is well put together. I'm fine that it doesn't match the style of the other Omnibus editions as it's a character themed collection rather than a title. Just like the Diana Prince edition I got at the beginning of the year.

One last point, it seems strange NOT to have any omnibus editions on pre-order. I'm really running short of room and, to be honest with myself, I've probably got enough DC collections for me to have a good idea what DC was like in the silver and bronze age. I do have two more books due before the end of the year though. These are a bit different from anything I've bought before. More on them soon.

Batman Ego and Other Catwoman Tails

I've been wanting to read "Ego" by Darwyn Cooke for a bit and decided to give it a go as a change of pace from Bronze Age Conan stories.

Also "Ego" was good I preferred "Selena's Big Score" which was also included in the collection. That led me to continue reading Catwoman stories and I've now finished Vol 2 of Catwoman by Ed Brubaker.

Although Darwyn Cooke is no longer on art, these were still great stories and just proves what a fantastic writer Brubaker is.

Spider-man: Far from Home

Mysterio!

Awesome movie. I just loved this.

Mysterio in a film. AND done well.

New Omnibus Purchases

It's well past time to catch-up on this blog with What I've been buying, reading and watching.

First up are two Marvel Omnibus volumes the second of which is very close to the perfect book for me.

The Savage Sword of Conan Omnibus Vol 1 is a companion to Conan the Barbarian Omnibus I bought early on this year. It's another big book, full of stories that I've never read and a real interesting purchase for me.

John Buscema's art also looks fantastic in black and white.

By the way, I've read about half of the CtB omni. It's good but a little bit "samey" when reading one issue right after another and so after 13-14 issues I felt I needed a little break before resuming.

The second omnibus is Amazing Spider-man volume 4. This is just perfect.

The issues reprinted include my first ever Spider-man purchased story and so many other Bronze-Age classics which captured my imagination and made me a Spidey fan for life.

So even though I've all the originals of these issues (except for #129 1st Punisher) I just felt I had to get this and I absolutely love going through it. I guess it will help keep my originals in better condition.

Mister Miracle by Tom King

This run has been getting a lot of rave reviews recently and so I thought I'd give it a go after enjoying Tom King's vision run. I bought it a couple of months ago but thought I'd read it sooner rather than later as it is currently "flavour of the month" and it made a nice change from the Conan omnibus I am also currently reading.

I'm not sure that I totally got this to be honest. I was enjoying it but the ending seemed a bit anti-climatic so I'm wondering if I really understood what was going on.

Some nice art by Mitch Gerads and some neat observations on the trials of being a new parent.

Avengers: Endgame

The family went to see this on the opening day.  Well worth it and could well be my favourite although I'll reserve judgement until I've seen it a few more times.

The plot, which is probably full of holes if held under scrutiny, was fun, surprising and emotional.

A great end to the MCU Infinity Saga.

Captain Marvel movie

It's amazing to think that this is the 21st movie in what has become widely known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 21 films!? And they have almost taken over the box office in the process. 9 year old me would never have believed it.

This is another strong addition to the collection. It's not the best but still a fine movie and a better than average origin story.

Not long to wait until Avengers Endgame where Carol will apparently make quite a difference.

The Furthest Station

I was away in London for a couple of nights last weekend, so what better time to read this Peter Grant novella by Ben Aaronovitch with its London setting and the the Tube used as a plot device.

Again an enjoyable read but I do sometimes find myself wondering how the plot moves along. Perhaps a second reading would make things clearer and I probably will one day when the series concludes.

The latest book has now been published but I'm happy to wait until I can pick the kindle version up for a good price.

Rain Wild Chronicles Conclusion

Last  night I finished the last book of Robin Hobb's Rain Wild Chronicles. Whilst the story maybe not as strong as some of her previous efforts, the characters were still interesting enough to make this a worthwhile read.

Conan the Barbarian Omnibus Vol 1

I finally received my DM edition of this omnibus. I was happy to pay a little more to Forbidden Planet to get this as the regular version (which I'd actually pre-ordered from Amazon but then cancelled when this arrived) had an absolutely dreadful cover. I mean rally bad.

I was happy with a cover which reprints the cover to issue 1

Back-in-the-day, I didn't read Conan as I was very much into Marvel superheroes, so I've only previously read a small amount of Conan in the Marvel Treasury edition. So this a good value purchase for me as well as being a lovely collection.

Wonder Woman: Diana Prince Omnibus

This omnibus has just been published and it's a bit of a curiosity because it covers the time Wonder Woman was de-powered and fought crime as if she was a secret agent. These issues were originally published in the late 1960s and early 70s.

This will be interesting to read and it's nice to have some Bronze Age Wonder Woman to read.

The first of a few Omnibus editions I've on order for the first half of 2019!

Beginning the Rain Wild Chronicles by Robin Hobb

As New Year is coming up I thought I'd better get up-to-date with recording my reading as I've recently completed Books 1 and 2 of the Rain Wild Chronicles by Robin Hobb.

It's taken me sometime to read this, not any fault of the books themselves but the fact that I've seemed to have little time for reading. Evenings are currently occupied by watching Buffy and Angel box-sets and figure painting and football take-up my time during the day.

Anyway, Book 3 awaits and I'll continue until I finish all four books in the series.

The Crimes of Grindelwald

The family all went to see this movie last week.

I was a little disappointed to be honest. Perhaps it will feel better once it's part of the a complete story but there was an element of treading water going on.

For the record, I don't believe Grindelwald's big surprise at the end. I think he's messing with people.

The Silver Surfer by Dan Slott and Mike Allred

Last night I finished the fifth and final trade collection of Slott and Allred's Silver Surfer run.

All my versions were read on my Kindle and I didn't mind one bit reading the digital version.

Loved the series too. A satisfactory conclusion at the end was cleverly scripted. Great job all round.

Conan Treasury Edition 1975

So in the new year, Marvel will publish an Omnibus of the first 24 or so issues from their 1970s Conan comic. I'm interested in this as I've not read any of these stories and it's got a very good reputation.

Therefore, to test the waters so-to-speak, I finally read this Treasury edition which I've owned for years to see if I'd enjoy Conan stories.

Well....I do. And that Omnibus is now pre-ordered! Can't wait.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

                                        

A very enjoyable movie. The world wasn't at stake but there was lots of imaginative action and some great humour.

The New Teen Titans Vol 7 and 8 "The Judas Contract"

I've finally got round to completing these trades and reading the famous "Judas Contract" arc in NTT.

I really enjoyed that story and I can see why it became so popular and famous back in the day (1985).

Perez leaves after issue 50 (in Vol 8) and I feel the series suffered somewhat as a result. No shame in that because he is almost impossible to replace. Vol 8 finished with a reprint of issue 58 and it was a nice conclusion for me to complete my collection.