2013 - Best year in comics, like EVER !

Well, at least if you can believe everything you read on the internet. Then the last year 2013 has really been a totally airwolf ride for comic readers.

And I´m not saying this to be sarcastic or to diss all the bloggers who - unlike me - did their review of 2013 on time. It´s just that, as always, I didn´t get to read most of the books that landed on the top ten lists of comics of 2013 so I probably will read most of those best comics in 2014.

Which is one of the reasons why I still wanted to do this look back on the best of 2013 although we are already in the middle of January. It´s the only time I can really do this, even if I have to use the old excuse that I´m doing it for my readers. I´m sure most of my readers have already read them, if not all the comics per se than at least the best of the best lists. Nevertheless, reactions to my last post were quite encouraging so I thought I should keep up writing positive things about comics. And what is more positive than writing about all the good comics that came out in 2013 ? Not that there weren´t bad comics out there. I´m sure I´ll go into a rant on all the crap that happened in 2013´s comics BUT not in this post. Here I´m going to look at the silver lining of the methaphorical dark clouds hanging over the collective comic readers heads this past year.

Now that being said, I can´t talk about 2013 without talking about the big two so there may be some negative things I might say about them but nothing I haven´t said before. One of the reasons for that is that - in my opinion - how good a comic year 2013 was for you depends on big part how successful you were in staying away from DC and Marvel. A lot of the comics on the best of lists are from other companies so if you only read the big two you missed out on a lot of fantastic stuff. Which you can now discover through this post. The other reason is that there are also quite a lot of books from the big two on those lists, strange as that may sound.

I guess this comes from being a huge corporate monster : there are still some creators who manage to fly under the radar and make good comics.

With all the hype and constant renumbering and coming up with such wonderful ideas like Doctor Octopus becoming Spider - Man, Avengers going total sci - fi and Nova turning into Doogie Howser the bigwigs at Marvel just don´t have the time to look into all the stuff they put out. Especially when they have three or four books on guys like Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and whatnot. So it shouldn´t be a surprise that quality books like DAREDEVIL or HAWKEYE get a free pass until it´s too late to really " improve " them because the fans and comic critics have already discovered it. And I don´t want to say that Marvel wouldn´t try to f - word it up because they care so much about their fans or critics. We all know that Marvel is now Disney and they are totally without morals BUT the thing they really do care about is the Benjamins. So if the book is already selling great and chances are it will not sell as good if you go in and change something Disney will probably let it continue. Which in the case of DAREDEVIL means restarting it under Marvel NOW with a number 1.

Because we don´t have enough of them. If you want to know why Disney keeps on doing that you just have to look at the newest catalogue, there is a Spider - Man trade with all of Spidey´s plethora of first issues included. Now whoever came up with the idea for this trade clearly has no idea WHY first issues are so sought after by comic fans and demand such exorbitant prices. Because I can tell you right now that this trade is not a very good read. It may be nice for people who don´t have all of the issues - which is questionable the way some of the restarts have been hyped - and want to compare the different series throughout the decades.

If you are a comic historian and want to write about the differences of the first issues and you can´t pay big bucks for them the trade is probably an invaluable resource. For all others probably not so much. But still the guy who proposed it did get approval and since they probably will put out more of it they need more number 1s so that will be a fixture for 2014.

But like I said, that´s not what I want to talk about so let´s get back to all the good comics that came out in 2013 and of which I managed to read some. In the case of Rob Bricken over at io9 who comes to the conclusion that 2013 Was an Absurdly Great Year for Comics I haven´t read any of his picks - which for me means there are still a lot of great comics for me to discover. Aside from the parts of Dark Horse´s MIND MGMT I read in DARK HORSE PRESENTS, still one of the best anthology books out there which you won´t find on any best of lists out there. Because they mostly concentrate on new books. So I will be mentioning some of the really great books I read in 2013 that have been going for years and are still fantastic. And speaking of books being still fantastic it seems that my prediction for FF was just a bit off as Mike Allred has managed to stay on the book for more than 12 issues. Of course the book´s still canceled with issue 16 and Mike Allred is now off to do the new SILVER SURFER book.

FF still managed to make a few top comics lists for 2013 and quite deservedly so, like the one by Mark Peters on SALON . Okay, he focuses mainly on superheroes and I´m not so sure about including SUPERIOR SPIDER - MAN in the list, but the rest seems to be solid. Like Grant Morrison´s BATMAN INCORPORATED, one of the few good books at DC.

Douglas Wolk on TIME Entertainment has a more eclectic list of Top 10 Comics and Graphic Novels of 2013 and the only comic I´ve heard of is FRAN by the brilliant Jim Woodring. Without any doubt this will be one of the highlights of 2014 for me and it may be included in my list of BEST COMICS I DID NOT READ IN 2013 - if I get to do one. Now even if I had already finished FRAN it would still be on the list because the comics by Jim Woodring are not the kind of comics you can read. Because for starters they don´t have any words. So you don´t really read them but you rather experience them. It´s like being on a psychedelic trip or having a rather vivid daydream with really good art. Yes, I always recommend these books because if you haven´t tried them you´re really missing out. As always Jim Woodring breaks new ground as this new book - for which the term graphic novel is nowhere near to doing it justice - is both, a prequel AND a sequel to CONGRESS OF THE ANIMAL. And if you want to know how that works, well, you just have to get the book, don´t you ?

Speaking about books to get, there are quite a few on Sean Fagan´s list on BUZZ FEED GEEKY and you can get an indication of how good 2013 was as a comic year because instead of trying to narrow it down to 10 he just went with The 19 Greatest Comics of The Year .

Again, I´m not sure about the whole SUPERIOR SPIDER - MAN thing, but besides such great books I actually read like BATMAN INCORPORATED and the insanely good ALL NEW X - MEN he also includes some books that have been on my " must check out " list for quite some time like HAWKEYE, AVENGERS ARENA, SHADOWMAN, THE UNWRITTEN or THIEF OF THIEVES. Add to that more than a handful of books I never heard of but which look really promising and you know why I had to include it.

Likewise Oliver Sava from A V CLUB gives us The best mainstream and superhero comics of 2013 which narrows it down to 20 titles. One of these days I have to find out where Huffington is because The Huffington Post manages to do a top 10 again AND include the brilliant RACHEL RISING by Terry Moore, hats of to them. Kudos also to Nick Gazin at VICE who modestly titles his list Here are the ten best comics of 2013, or at least some good comics that came out this year that you should buy . The title is as long as the actual descriptions are short. But do you really want to read another long winded list at this point ? No, I didn´t think so.

Since I already mentioned The Huffington Post, The Washington Post also has a top 10 list by David Betancourt which is confusing for me because while it´s labeled as Comic Riffs Top 10 Superhero Comics of the year it includes AMERICAN VAMPIRE, DJANGO UNCHAINED and THE SIXTH GUN. It also includes AGE OF ULTRON which I haven´t read yet and which is either one of the best books of 2013 or an incredibly huge crapfest.

WIRED has a neat list of The Best Comics of 2013 - And How to Read Them Online , which is really helpful. Publishers Weekly´s The Best Books of 2013 only include five books but all come with links to previews and videos. And if you want a more engaging read, When Worlds Collide : The Ten Best Comics of 2013 are really the top 10 out of 25 and it includes the link to where Timothy Callahan counts down the numbers 25 to 11.

On MTV com I couldn´t find a top 10 list for 2013 but instead they have The 10 Best Comic Books of December 2013 . If you are acessing the site from Germany like me they immediately try to shove you off to the german site but I don´t think they have anything about comics there.

PASTE magazine also has a top 10 list for 2013 although various people contributed to it. Some of the picks are already mentioned in the lists above but there are still a few interesting comics and graphic novels that haven´t been mentioned yet. I would have included it higher up in the post, but you have to go to the second page for the second part of the list and - at least for me - a list is not a list if you have to turn the page or in the case of a page on the internet click a button. It´s not that I´m saying those are not as good as the others that are featured here so far. But I´m a lazy son of a you know what and I guess some of my readers are also lazy. So we´re coming to the lists where you have to click a lot.

UPROXX has The Fifteen Best Comic Books of 2013 which is still acceptable because - while in no particular order - the list includes such favorites of mine like ASTRO CITY and ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG. And I hear AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE is all the rage with the kids.

And finally, WHAT CULTURE has the 50 Best Comics Of 2013 which means more clicking but there are some nice picks like A USERS GUIDE TO NEGLECTFUL PARENTING, IT CAME !, BURN THE ORPHANAGE, YOU´RE ALL JUST JEALOUS OF MY JETPACK, THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERHERO GIRL or BANDETTE which you won´t find on the other lists. And that´s it.

I hope this wasn´t too boring and I will include my own picks in a future post. Where I will probably ramble about everything I hated this year. But the reason why I wanted to do this first is that - for the most part - the best comics I read all year are always the same. So, I don´t know what we will be talking about in my next post - not exactly - but you have enough comics you can check out until then. I mean if this doesn´t at least triple the comics you´re putting on your amazon list then nothing will. For me, initially I wanted to catch up on my sleep and watch the 2014 People´s Choice Awards ( I watched the Golden Globes Yesterday ) but I spent almost the whole day writing this post. Maybe I can sleep Tomorrow.

THE PART WHERE YOU FEEL REALLY OLD OR REALLY BORED

But as always, the post isn´t finished without the video at the end. Which in this case are more than one. The first one is a video for all my german readers because it´s in german. Duuh, obviously. It´s for people born before 1980 and it basically explains why that was the greatest generation and all following generations were such slackers, losers and whiners.



The next one I found is a spanish version although it says that it´s for people born before 1975. Which is still my generation so it´s okay.



Now I tried to find an english version but there seems to be none. Either because the americans put down everything or because they are still ashamed of what they all did in the 80s. I did found this one from the UK and I only post it because I know Terry Hooper will get a kick out of it.



Another good one is WE DIDN´T OWN AN iPAD and the title says it all.



Since I almost cracked the 900 mark with 883 views last week I have to include the next one for any potential readers in America. It´s a lot of music groups, movies, tv show and toys but it includes Doogie Howser who I have mentioned in this post ( some of the younger readers probably never heard of him ) and I like the song by Huey Lewis & the News.



And finally, the last one about the 80s with a somewhat different selection of pop culture icons and paraphernalia that shows pretty good why the guys from Hollywood and the music industry are still ripping it off.



New to the blog ? Everything you need to know about TALES FROM THE KRYPTONIAN : top ten posts / more posts of interest

We cannot hold a torch to light another´s path without brightening our own.

Happy New Year ! and some S.T.R.A.F.E.

Finally 2012 has come and I want to wish all my readers a Happy New Year. I hope you survived the holidays in good condition and for those who do not have to work the next days ( I have to - bummer ) relaxing holidays.


I spent the last few days on which I didn´t work watching season 4 of DR. WHO since I had started while waiting for this year´s Christmas special. Now I could have watched it already BUT I wanted to see how the 4th season ends and I must say, BEST SERIES EVER. They really put out all the stops on this one so if you still don´t watch DR. WHO - shame on you.

I´m going to watch the special in a few minutes ( more like an hour knowing how long it takes to even do these short posts ) but I wanted to put a shoutout to my readers on the blog first. There haven´t been many posts last month but I hope to do more this month.

Of course I want to thank my longtime readers for sticking with me ( as TALES FROM THE KRYPTONIAN is now going for 7 years ) but I also want to greet all the newbies who just found the blog this year or Today. You´re all welcome and if you like what you read spread the word. Speaking of new and blog I want to give a warm " Welcome back ! " to fellow blogger Kitty Pryde whose blog I´D LOVE TO STAY HERE AND BE NORMAL has finally returned from a long hiatus. I haven´t read all new entries yet but that´s because the font size borders on the microscopic. So kudos, and keep blogging.

Since everybody and their dog is doing a best of 2011 list and last year I only posted other lists ( which I may be doing in one of the next posts ) I wanted to do my own version. I have always been a fan of COMIC SHOP NEWS Red K Awards and so I´m giving out my own version of an award. Being broke there is of course no money involved but the honor of being nominated is everything that counts - right ?


First I wanted to call them Outstanding Honored Recipiants For Excellence In Graphic Entertainment or short OHRFEIGE, but that was just too long. So instead I´ll go with Subzero´s Totally Random Awards For Excellence or short STRAFE. Okay, maybe that´s not so lucky but until I can come up with a better name that´s it.

BEST FOREIGN EDITION OF A GEORGE PEREZ COMIC

This STRAFE goes to the spanish edition of Marv Wolfman and George Perez Teen Titans CLASSICOS DC - NUEVOS TITANES. Not only are these some of the best comics ever written but the 500 page hardcovers are just beautiful to read and re - read, which you will do. Trust me.


True, I can´t say how they compare to DC´s newly released OMNIBUS but at 35 EUROS they only cost half as much and are at least affordable for the regular comic reader. Planeta has now lost the rights to DC but they went out in style and gave comic readers ( at least the ones fluent in spanish ) a big present.

BEST GEORGE PEREZ COMIC NOT F - ED UP BY THE NEW 52

Again we enter titans territory. Longtime fans of George Perez or the Titans have of course heard of the unfinished GAMES graphic novel. Long since has the story become one of many urban comic legends until it miraculously resurfaced as an actual comic project that is once again coming out. I have mentioned it a few times and I bought it as soon as it came out. But I didn´t read it right away. There are some comics, special ones, where I like to wait for a quiet moment and the right alignment of the stars to read it so I can give it my full attention.

The way last year had been going there was always something else to keep me occupied but this week I finally read it. Because if I was going to read one last comic in 2011 it had to be NEW TEEN TITANS - GAMES.


And let me tell you, it holds up to all the expectations you may have and more. I´m feeling a bit uncomfortable with these expressions but if the word " nerdgasm " has ever had any raison d'être ( pardon my french ) it´s to describe this comic. In one of the ads the graphic novel is called a swan song for the Teen Titans and I couldn´t phrase it better. George Perez´art is the best it´s ever been and reading Marv Wolfman´s words is like it´s only been a few weeks and not twentysomething years since he last wrote a Titans book. It´s seems that sometimes you CAN go home again.

The only negative thing I can say about it - but which I already predicted before reading it - is that it makes you painfully aware how low the TEEN TITANS have sunk since then. Which brings us to :

BEST TEEN TITANS COMIC NOT F - ED UP BY THE NEW 52

I´d like to say that the pre - new 52 TEEN TITANS comic was really that good, but to tell you the truth the last 6 issues of that run are still lying in my box at the comicshop and that alone should tell you everything there is to know. Too many changes in the writing departement, too many changes in the art departement and really, after Eddy Barrows left there hasn´t been anybody nearly as good on the book.

Adding to that the fiasko of the new incarnation of the book it should be no surprise that the best Teen Titans related comic right now is TINY TITANS by Art Baltazar and Franco. Aw yeah, Titans !


Every issue is funny, witty and can even be enjoyed by new readers who don´t understand all the in - jokes. This is something you can read with your kids and I especially like the " theme " issues like the " all redhead " issue or the " all Batgirls " issue. Highest recommendation.

BEST COMIC THAT CAN´T BE F - ED BY BAD TRANSLATIONS

I know it was technically published in 2010 and was on most Best Of lists in 2011 but since I only read it last year ( and I still haven´t gotten around to get CONGRESS OF THE ANIMALS ) Jim Woodring´s fantastic comic parable WEATHERCRAFT wins this category.


Back when I started reading american comics I probably never would have thought that one of the best comics I would read in the future would have no superheroes, be in black and white and have no words. But that´s the beauty of Jim Woodring´s FRANK series. He has his own way of telling ..... well, what exactly ? It´s not really a story as there is no narrator and the reader takes more the role of a spectator who is just a witness to certain happenings and has to come to his conclusions of his own.


If the events are real or taking place on a higher plane of existence - who knows ? If there is any logic to the comics it more closely resembles dream logic and so it is rather difficult to categorize the comics.


The only thing that is for sure is the feeling of spiritual enrichment you have after reading them. Comics for the mind, body and soul, beautifully drawn, printed in lush hardcovers by Fantagraphics all this without words. I guess that´s why everybody loves Jim Woodring´s comics.

click here for the weathercraft review on comics alliance

BEST WATCHMEN - LIKE COMIC THAT IS NOT WATCHMEN

Ever since Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons gamechanging WATCHMEN comic came out everybody has been waiting for the " next Watchmen " and there have also been a few who have been given that title. So far there have been none who really have come close - at least in my opinion - and I´m not sure if that´s even possible. WATCHMEN has had such a profound impact not only because of the great story, the great art, the big scope which it takes, the complexity and layers upon layers of story and meaning but also because of the time it came out. And because it was groundbreaking and a gamechanger. And that´s where the dilemma is. Once you have broken new ground you can´t un - break it again and then break it for a second time. What´s done is done. So most attempts to recreate such an experience are doomed to failure from the start.

Which is the reason why THE BULLETPROOF COFFIN by David Hine and Shaky Kane came totally out of left field for me. I hadn´t read any announcements, the covers I had seen didn´t really inspire me to run out and buy the comic and apart from an enthustiastic write - up on fellow blog COMICBITS ONLINE I never heard of it.


Now since I trust Terry Hooper´s taste in comics and because it was described as " a must read for fans of comics, superheroes, rayguns, dinosaurs, or pop culture or any combination of it " I ordered the trade and was totally overwhelmed by it. The comic is not like WATCHMEN in the sense that it is not a deconstruction of superheroes but it does manage to show you what really is possible in a comicbook. Comics like these only come around every decade.

I don´t want to spoiler anything but you will start to question things about comic convictions you believe to be true, you will change your thinking about real life and reality as this comic crosses over to the real world and even involves timetravel. No joke. The story is brilliant and even the art that didn´t impress me at first is totally point on. I don´t know if any other artist could have pulled it off. As the sequel begins this year it´s not too late to get this comic and remember rule number one : The Doctor lies.

BEST INFINITELY ONGOING COMIC BY THE SAME CREATOR

This is a no - brainer as Stan Sakai´s USAGI YOJIMBO has now entered it´s 25th year of publication. The black and white samurai saga is still going on strong with stories going from ghost stories to murder mysteries to moral plays to funny comedy as well as everything inbetween.


With a brush stroke that looks really simple while being anything but, Stan Sakai does epic as well as small world stuff depicting everyday medivial Japan and the human spectrum of emotions in funny animal characters that will make you laugh, shout and cry. This is better than any history book and far more entertaining. It´s a series everybody should be reading and it´s going to be on my pull list as long as it lasts.

BEST INFINITELY ONGOING COMIC BY THE SAME CREATOR WHO KILLS THE LEAD CHARACTER ON A REGULAR BASIS

Savage Dragon is dead. This is a sentence you can read in a lot of issues of SAVAGE DRAGON written, penciled and inked by creator Erik Larsen.

And not because they like to remind readers of it but because it happens again and again and again. I don´t know if Dragon is just an especially tenacious character but he just won´t stay dead. He really gets more mileage out of his recuperation powers than Wolverine but Erik Larsen still manages to make you think that THIS one is the final nail in the coffin. This time he even went so far that Dragon´s son Malcolm took over the book with stepsister / secret crush Angel. There were many readers who were sceptical about this risky step all but ready to leave the title at the first signs of weakness. But within a few issues Erik won them over and the book is better than ever.


Nobody is sure if Dragon is ever coming back, if it´s really Dragon who´s coming back or if they even want him to come back. What nobody questions is that this comic that takes place in real time ( yes, really ) has kicked into overdrive with the EMPEROR DRAGON storyline and is only gaining momentum.

BEST CONSECUTIVE SERIES OF COMICS BY THE SAME CREATOR

I know this sounds a bit complicated but now that STRANGERS IN PARADISE and the equally brilliant but shorter ECHO has ended that´s my way of honoring Terry Moore.


When the end of SIP was announced I was sad because I thought it would leave a whole - not only in my pull list but my life. I hadn´t come aboard with day 1 but rather after the third trade had been out and only after a recommendation by WIZARD magazine. One of the things I will be always indebted for to them.

And it was a rough transition. But then Terry moore started ECHO and showed that he can also do drama ( and brilliant sci fi ) in a METAL BIKINI book of all series. Now he has also finished this story and the new RACHEL RISING continues on this path of comic book greatness adding horror to the genres where Terry Moore leaves his distinctive mark.

BEST AMERICAN COMIC ANTHOLOGY WITH DIFFERENT CREATORS

I have mentioned it once or twice, one of the best series of last year - at least in my opinion - has been the new DARK HORSE PRESENTS. With a WHO´S WHO list of creators like Mike Mignola, Neal Adams, Paul Chadwick, Dave Gibbons, Richard Corben, Evan Dorkin, Fabio Moon, Steve Niles, Howard Chaykin, Geof Darrow, Eric Powell, Frank Miller, Steranko and Harlan Ellison it´s totally worth the 8 bucks for 80 pages. Except issue 3.


That was 104 pages for the same price. But really.

Anybody who can pluck down 4 bucks for a 22 page comic from the big two but has problems paying twice as much for what is almost four times the page count can´t calculate. So far every issue has delivered and what is more I have made the experience that my favorite comics are not always the ones by creators I already know but rather comics like Carla Speed McNeil´s FINDER or Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse´s RESIDENT ALIEN.

BEST GERMAN COMIC ANTHOLOGY WITH DIFFERENT CREATORS

Another winner that shouldn´t surprise longtime readers Levin Kurio´s HORROR SCHOCKER series is another one that gets some STRAFE.

Issue 27 has just come out and it´s everything a german comic and horrorfan could want. With every issue Levin manages to keep the high quality level of this homage to old classics like TALES FROM THE CRYPT, HAUNT OF FEAR and the likes while adding a modern touch. Showing that you really can tell a great story in just a few pages he serves up little horror vignettes that always deliver no matter if it starts in everyday life, ancient Rome or the farflung future.


In fact the stories that take place in post apocaliptic futures are always entertaining and full of social commentary about human society. Other fanfavorites are the Stories from the Styx starring Charon, the Ferryman or stories with an historical background and people that really existed like Hermann Cothmann, burgomaster of Lemgo who was called The Witchjudgde.


The list of artists is not as famous as the one of DARK HORSE PRESENTS but not less talented.





Besides HORROR SCHOCKER Levin Kurio also somehow manages to publish several other comics throughout the year like WEISSBLECH´S WELTBESTE COMICS ( Weissblech´s World´s Best Comics ) with such great titles like SCHAURIGER SCHUND ( Scary Trash )


of which the latest issue includes a new look at old classics like HEIDI courtesy of Dirk Eggers, Stefan Hagenow and Carsten Dörr .


preview pages weissblechs weltbeste comics 20 - schauriger schund

preview pages hammerharte horrorschocker / preview pages issue 27

And with that it´s once again time to wrap up things if I ever want to get some sleep before going to work on Monday. I managed to give out ten awards which is a lot and maybe I can come up with a few more in one of my next posts. For now I want to wish you all the best for 2012, good health ( which is only appreciated once it´s gone ) and great comics.


Today I´m leaving with two videos. The first one is DINNER FOR ONE a sketch that has been a fixture for my generation on Sylvester and really, you can´t start the New Year in Germany without seeing DINNER FOR ONE. So for all who missed it here´s your chance.



The second video is the brilliant last minutes of episode 11 of season 4 of Dr. WHO called TURN LEFT. I just love it how they can turn your whole world upside down with two words. And what´s even more Airwolf is that those two words are not only the message but also tell you who sent it.



New to the blog ? Everything you need to know about TALES FROM THE KRYPTONIAN : top ten posts / more posts of interest

I´m drowning in comics to read

As you can see this blog is still up and running so everything´s okay with my last post. Although I have to say I got more comments on that post than on most others - spam not included.


Since we´re on the subject of my last post I wanted to thank Geier from the most excellent Geierheim blog for providing me with the link to § 86 Strafgesetzbuch about the graphic depiction of swastikas or variations thereof. I also have to thank him for reminding me that the german version of Danger Girls was put on the Index of youthendangering publications because of the hammer symbols the Nazis had in the comic instead of swastikas. I changed that in the text.


Oh, and sorry, I have to apologize to all readers who followed the link for § 86 Strafgesetzbuch and ended up with the episode of ComicGeek Speak that had the conversation with the late Gene Colan . I already fixed that.


And last but not least I wanted to thank Terry Hooper from Comic BitsOnline to let me publish his mail which was the origin of the post.

I wanted to post earlier Today but it´s been really hot and I had to walk all the way to ALDI for some art supplies and afterwards I was really exhausted. I don´t know what´s wrong with me lately but whenever the heat outside is really intense I turn weak as a kitten. Or maybe I got a dose of red kryptonite because I felt like somebody had materialized his foot into my head and just stomped on my brain a few times. I couldn´t keep one train of thought so please bear with me when I´m shooting into a few tangents Today. And I´m going to correct any spelling mistakes - I promise. Now I have already finished another post since the post on german censorship but because I posted all the links for the DC comic news before my last post it´s now directly below it so you might have missed it.


Since it has been over a week since my last post you might ask yourself what I have been doing in the meantime. Well, from time to time there are moments when I´m kind of neglecting my comic collection and just buying the usual stuff from my pull list. And other times I want to close the gaps and try out some new stuff.

Usually I order a few things from different dealers at different times and they all arrive at the same time so I´m either waiting for new comics or swamped with them. And I have to say : having too much to read is better than not having anything to read. Because when I don´t have anything to read I get cranky and lazy ( Yes, more cranky and lazy than usual ) and on the other side when I have lots of stuff to read I´m energized and funny and daring.


This time around I´m trying to spread things a bit over the next few weeks. And since my budget is rather small I have to use different venues like amazon where you can get some books at bargain prices or the Paninicomicforum where people sell their used comics. Used meaning - in this case - read once or twice at the most.

I ordered two hardcovers at blackdog because they had them at a lower price than amazon but it looks like they have to order them first so it will take at least 2 weeks until I can read them. Last week I got the hardcover of ASTRO CITY - THE TARNISHED ANGEL at a bargain price from a guy at the Panini Comic Forum who didn´t like the resolution of the story. Well, it´s one of my favorite stories ( second only to the CONFESSIONS storyline ) and it will get a special place on my porn shelf rack.


Yes, so far I only have one shelf that´s visible the rest of my porn shelf is hidden. Okay, I also have a second porn shelf furniture but I have moved so often from room to room that it´s now three rooms from my new room. And I think if I try to move it one more time it´s going to fall apart.

Anyway, since the 2 hardcovers from blackdog still hadn´t arrived last Sunday I ordered three hardcovers from amazon and they arrived Today. That´s what I call fast keeping in mind that they didn´t receive my order on a working day. The three comics I ordered were ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES - THOR REBORN by Jeph Loeb and Frank Cho, WEATHERCRAFT by Jim Woodring and BULLETPROOF COFFIN by David Hine and Shaky Kane. Now the THOR REBORN HC I got because I was thinking about getting the trade but the hardcover was just cheaper through amazon. Okay, it was just by 1 EURO but if you think about the additional free shipping it´s really a good deal. I mean why would anyone pay more to get the softcover version or - even worse - the german softcover which might have a really bad translation ? I know I already have all the single issues but it´s Frank Cho and I just love his art. Although the doublepage spreads are better in the floppy version.


Okay, we´re probably never going to see an uncensored version of SHANNA even though Joe Quesada keeps announcing it every year. But aside from that I´m always excited to see new pages from him and I can´t wait to get my hands on his X - MEN SCHISM issue.

One thing I have to mention - before rereading the comic and doing a proper post on it - is that I always found it kind of weird that the only difference between the regular Black Panther and the " ultimate " Black Panther is that the ultimate version is mute. I´m not sure what the message is here. The only way to make the black dude on the team better was to shut him up ?

The second comic book I ordered, WEATHERCRAFT is a comic I wanted to get since January when I found out - through one of the various " best of 2010 " lists I posted in my yearend post of 2010 - that there is a new comic from Jim Woodring. I´m not sure if I got all the FRANK comics he did but I have all the issues that were published in Germany and some US issues ( which don´t include the comics where I have the german version ). Somebody once said that if there is an artist out there who can draw dreams it must be Jim Woodring. I hope I can do a post on the new comic from him - which is a graphic novel to boot - although it´s probably a bit difficult to explain that I buy a comic without words for the story.

I haven´t read it yet but so far all FRANK comics by Jim Woodring have been nothing less than brilliant and I don´t think this one is an exception.


And last but not least BULLETPROOF COFFIN is a comic where I´m taking a chance and it´s all Terry Hooper´s fault. I have never heard of this and wouldn´t have paid any attention if it hadn´t been for a post on Comic BitsOnline about the book. To quote the author of the review Paul Brown :

Hine’s script is clever and knowingly wry and self - mocking, while Shaky Kane is having enormous fun drawing everything any fanboy would want to draw, from Kirbyesque psychotic Vigilantes to Neon Tyrannosaurs, all coloured in an eyeball - shredding dayglo colourscheme Warhol would’ve been proud of.

If you love old comics, and you could do with a fun read, I urge you to go and nab Bulletproof Coffin where and while you can.

The art is obviously not the first selling point but how can you go wrong with a story about comic geeks, superheroes, dinosaurs, mad professors, scantily clad cavewomen with large breasts and the obligatory comic book within a comic book ?


I´m also thinking about doing a real post on one of my favorite series that ended to soon : LEAVE IT TO CHANCE by James Robinson and Paul Smith.

Lately I tend to get the paperback of a series rather than hunt for the single issues and in some cases I even prefer the hardcovers especially if it´s a comic where I just love the art. I have to confess most of the hardcovers I have were bargains or in a few instances I already knew I had to get the hardcover like with FINAL CRISIS - LEGION OF THREE WORLDS. But there are some comics I read more than once and in that case it´s easier to just pick up the hardcover. And they often are more durable than the trades. I don´t know if my JUSTICE SOCIETY - THY KINGDOM COME books would look so good in the trade version if I had re - read them as often as my hardcovers.

Now with LEAVE IT TO CHANCE the second and third volumes were offered on amazon in the hardcover version for 11 bucks ( there is still one copy of each in stock ) and just a few days earlier I had finished re - reading all the issues so the notion what a great series it had been was fresh in my mind.


I don´t know why I re - read them to begin with but I guess I was probably bagging my comics and decided to read them once again right after MIDNIGHT NATION. If you have a comic collection as extensive and widespread ( and with that I mean all over the house and parts in the basement ) as mine you often forget which comics you have and bagging comics can turn into a treasure hunt. You always end up finding things you had almost forgotten.

I don´t have all of my comics bagged but whenever I get comics through the mail or when I´m at the comicshop I collect the comic bags and when I have a big bundle I bag another box of comics. I even get the bags my brother receives by mail because he doesn´t believe in bagging comics. I tried to tell him more than once that it would increase the lifespan of his comics but so far he doesn´t believe me.

In any case whenever I´m bagging my comics - or looking for a particular comic - I re - discover some comics where it would be a shame to read them only once. With MIDNIGHT NATION I think it was mostly because I had forgotten most of the story and it´s one of J. M. Straczynsky´s best work. Not too mention Gary Frank´s gorgeous art. I think he really found his definite style in that one.

With LEAVE IT TO CHANCE I just wanted to read the story once more since it´s one of my favorite series and it ended far too soon.


So I had just read the whole run and when I saw the two hardcovers I just thought it would be nice to have them on the shelf. Back in the days when the series was still in full swing I missed the beginning so I had to get the first trade to read the start of Chance Falconer´s adventures in Devil´s Echo. And wouldn´t the three books look perfect together ?

No they don´t. Because the hardcovers don´t fit ! Yes, I got a huge surprise when they arrived because they are the hardcovers but they are in the oversized album format that rivals the european comic album format. I couldn´t believe it. Those things are huge. Now I only have to find volume one in that format. Man, for 11 bucks that´s a steal. I´m so glad I ordered them.


At the moment I have to muster all my strength not to order the CAPTAIN AMERICA OMNIBUS by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. I have all the issues, I bought the second Winter Soldier hardcover at the last comic fair in Stuttgart but less than 50 bucks ..... for an oversized hardcover that will cost me 75 bucks if I get it from my comicshop ..... let´s just say I´m tempted. But for the moment I´m still resisting.

My brother´s birthday is at the end of this month and I´m still don´t know what to get him. The last years I always got him one trade of NOVA and one trade of IMMORTAL IRON FIST but maybe I´ll go for something different this time. Something that´s not so predictable.


I thought about getting the third TRINITY trade for him since I gave him volume two for Christmas this year. But he still hasn´t found ( and read ) the first trade so I´m the only one who could really enjoy it. Oh, and don´t worry that he might find out what I´m giving him as a birthday present. My brothers never read my blog and one of them doesn´t even know the name of my blog.

So I´ll try to get something he wouldn´t expect, maybe the PENACE trade. Speedball kicked ass in that one, he just opens a can of whup - ass on the Marvel universe but it´s just one giant ..... oh no, that would be telling. There may be people out there who haven´t read it yet and I´m not going to spoil the mother of all punchlines.

Oh, I just realized that I have talked and talked about comics and I haven´t written anything about the GRATIS COMIC TAG which was supposed to be the topic of this post. I don´t know why, but I always get sidetracked when I´m starting with this topic. And I really want to do the reviews because then I can finally start to give the comics away. Which - by the way - is your clue to send me an e - mail if you interested in getting one of them.


I really should get to it as I already gave away the MUPPET SHOW comic.

Right now I´m still thinking about how best to give them away ( yes, I also didn´t think it would be so difficult to get rid of comics ) and I´m probably going to put a post on the blog and a thread on the Panini Comic Forum. I´m also undecided if it wouldn´t be best to write the reviews in german since the comics in question are german and only available to readers in Germany. And are my foreign readers really that interested in reading about german comics ( and BDs ) ? Maybe it´s just boring for them.

So, I have enough comics to read at the moment and also enough comics to write about. There are the comics I ordered, LEAVE IT TO CHANCE or the new LOVE AND CAPES miniseries I just finished I can write about. But first I have to do the post about the issues from the GRATIS COMIC TAG, dammit. Whew, this was supposed to be just a short post to let people know that the blog is still up and running but as always I got a bit carried away. The whole post reads a bit like a sales pitch. Although I would never recommend a comic that I haven´t bought and enjoyed myself. And if I have discovered such a rare gem I want to share it with others even if I might be biased or opinionated. But that´s why you read the blog in the first place, right ?


So as usual, time to wrap things up and if you have any comments or special requests ( like you´re dying to know more about LEAVE IT TO CHANCE ) just drop me a comment.

Since this post is about nothing in particular it´s a bit difficuklt to find a video that fits. So - since I have just watched the first two episodes of season 6 of Dr Who - here´s the official trailer for it. I swear, just when you think it can´t get any better they add another level of brilliance. How do they do it ?



New to the blog ? Everything you need to know about TALES FROM THE KRYPTONIAN : top ten posts / more posts of interest


Let the punishment fit the crime !