DC, MARVEL, Dark Horse Comics / Graphic Novels, TV Shows, Movies etc

Feeling a bit put out that

Supergirl S2:

I suspect he'll only pop up in a couple of episodes.



RIGHT! I just read Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye issue 55. There are a couple of epilogue issues, then a lame crossover, then it's relaunching as Transformers: Lost Light. So this was essentially the finale to a comic I've been reading for more than four years.

Transformers has a weird history. It started when Hasbro bought up a whole load of completely disparate Japanese transforming robot toys and decided to release them all under one brand. To that end, they hired Marvel to come up with a story, and we got the general idea: Alien robots from the planet Cybertron. The Autobots lead by Optimus Prime, fighting the Decepticons lead by Megatron.

From there, we had the cartoon and the comicbook, which diverged pretty quickly. After that we had the Generation 2 comics, Beast Wars, Japanese Animés... there are loads of completely separate continuities, all with their own strengths and weaknesses. The original comicbook series (which itself has a load of changes and extensions in the British version) has some great moments but also a lot of filler. The cartoons are varying levels of fun, exciting, funny and nostalgic. The movies and videogames might not be the smartest or most emotionally engaging pieces of storytelling but the action is phenomenal.

In 2005, IDW started publishing Transformers comics. Visually inspired by the original generation of comics and cartoons, they're a whole new continuity,  where the Transformers' war has ravaged the galaxy for millennia. It had its up and downs, but around 2011 it gained the writer James Roberts. Then, in 2012, he was given his own ongoing comicbook.

More Than Meets The Eye is set after the war has ended. A ragtag crew of Autobots explore the galaxy, trying to find the Knights of Cybertron. But really, it isn't about that: It's about people. Giant, transforming, mechanical people who spent the last four million years in endless civil war, but people. It explores their society, their history, what makes them click. They live and die. They fall in love. They fall out of love.

Roberts writes some of the best science fiction you'll read. Not just in Transformers, not even just in comicbooks. He writes hilarious comedy and heartfelt drama. The art is excellent throughout, the characters are memorable and this is the deepest, most well thought-out version of the Transformers' universe I've seen yet. I bloody love MTMTE. New issues are the highlight of my month. I've re-read the series repeatedly. Saving up a few issues to read them all on holiday has become a tradition for any summer break.

Some reasons I love MTMTE:

If you're into the robots in disguise, I cannot recommend it enough. Even if you're not, I really do think it's worth the time of anyone who reads comicbooks.

It's finally happening!  Not a retcon to the main series, but hey, we're finally getting our Spider-man ongoing comic with married Peter with family!

Don't really have any money right now except for the bare essentials entertainment wise but this is worth checking out, especially as someone who despises what they did with One More Day!

Yass! Obviously, I wish we'd just had this all along because OMD/BND was the worst, but I'll take what I can get.

Same. At least they're starting to make small backtracks on omd finally, maybe in a decade they might even finally retcon it!

Today I picked up issue 1-4 of MMPR and seen that is the first lot of the graphic novel set with issue 5 starting the next set which I think is out, also just ordering issue 0 online.

Anyway a lot is happening in the comic book world with Civil War II which will then reset the Marvel universe? I prefer Marvel as a whole but DC are just doing there rebirth at the moment and they have characters I really like such as Batman.

Now as some of the comic are only on issue 1 or not started yet, I'm thinking of going to my comic book shop and putting my name down for a run of something as I've always liked comics but it's always been where to start or I have to get a graphic novel to catch up etc

I'm looking at these but I don't want to get them all as I'll get MMPR, Serenity starts again this October as well but from DC I'm looking at either Batgirl, Batgirl & the Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad or Supergirl

I want something with a bit of everything in it and from the Harley New 52 novel I've got I have liked that. Any help would be great.

That's how they get you, man: You can't buy one book, you have to buy everything.

I know but now as it's at one or zero, I can get in but just what one to get as I would like them all but I can't afford them all even if it's only like £3 each.

I may just go Harley as I like what I've read in the past but would like a proper hero, seems to be no Power Girl.

I've always found the way to get in to a comic is to just pick a volume 1 trade up and start from there. Everyone has such a large history now that it's easier just to start somewhere, learn who the major players are from following it for a time, and then filling things in later and following up on fan favourite arcs once you're more familiar with the material.

Can't speak for DC since I'm more a marvel fan (always preferred the flamboyance in their heroes) but I doubt it's much different there. Heck the first Amazing Spider-man comic I read was the Coming Home arc from the early 2000's!

I prefer marvel overall but DC has Batman and characters in his universe, I plan to do what you're saying by jumping on issue 1 right now.

I like Marvel better overall. I think it does the stuff where all the heroes share one world and cross over with one another much better than DC, where most of the heroes feel independent and have their own made-up city. My favourite heroes in each, Spidey and Bats, work best on their own but also shine better than their peers in crossovers. Spidey's responsibility and dedication thing is stronger when he's around other heroes who get all the breaks he misses out on. With Batman, it's fun seeing him trounce other heroes.

I prefer Marvel overall too, which is odd, as two of my top three favourite superheroes are Superman and Batman (Spider-Man, natch). Their second tier (sorry, Thor and Iron Man, but...) seems better than DC's (though I do love the idea of Green Lantern).

In other news, I've finished watching Supergirl's first season. It's big fun and only slightly cheesy. Anyway, thanks to

Supergirl S1:

Drunkalilly wrote:

I like Marvel better overall. I think it does the stuff where all the heroes share one world and cross over with one another much better than DC, where most of the heroes feel independent and have their own made-up city. My favourite heroes in each, Spidey and Bats, work best on their own but also shine better than their peers in crossovers. Spidey's responsibility and dedication thing is stronger when he's around other heroes who get all the breaks he misses out on. With Batman, it's fun seeing him trounce other heroes.

Agree and in other mediums Marvel has been better most of the time or overall is better.

I've never really liked Spider-Man

masofdas wrote:

I've never really liked Spider-Man

Banned. For seven seconds.

I think what we're trying to say is "Why is that, mas?"

I've not read really any of the comics part from those ones you could get at a newsagent which would have a toy or something on the front. My exposure of Spidey is cartoons, films and games.

Most have been good and him as hero is fine but its the total package which is a bit urghh, his rouge gallery to me is weak and the side characters some are good like Black Cat but shes just a copy of Catwoman, then Peter Parker I don't like at all.

Only experienced Spidey through the cartoons and movies?  *Shudders at the thought*

Spidey's biggest problem in my opinion is that as far as media adaptions go he's had some seriously bad luck (I guess you could say he's had some Parker Luck eh!    )  So few of them get the balance between Peter and Spidey right personality wise for one, and when they do they mess something else up (there's a reason they've had to reboot his movies twice now!)

I can definitely understand someone not liking Spidey so much if they hadn't experienced the real thing. None of the ancillary media has ever quite got the character right. The closest is the incarnation who showed up in Civil War, but even that annoyed me because we've gone all the way back to 15-year-old Spidey again, even though the other characters are all grown up and established superheroes.

masofdas wrote:

Most have been good and him as hero is fine

The visceral joy of the web-spinning acrobatics is what makes even the worst films still worthwhile to me, and elevated some objectively crap videogames to among my favourites.

Quote :

his rouge gallery to me is weak

This surprises me, as I think he has the best rogues gallery in the biz, second only to maybe Batman. Goblin, Ock, Venom and Carnage, the Kingpin, Morlun, the Lizard... the list goes on and on!

Quote :

the side characters some are good like Black Cat but shes just a copy of Catwoman

She actually is quite unrelated to Catwoman. It's kind of a Pokémon/ Digimon thing, where they were originally two very separate things then they both evolved into a very similar thing. I actually prefer her to Catwoman, for the reason I'll come onto in a second...

Quote :

then Peter Parker I don't like at all.

This is entirely the fault of the films. The whiny, mopey loser in those is nothing like Peter Parker. In the comics, lots goes wrong in his life but he never stops being a likeable, funny guy. That's what makes him such an inspirational superhero; no matter how dark the storyline, Spidey is a ray of light.
The character in the comics is a perfect counterpoint to Batman. Batman's whole thing is that Bruce Wayne is a mask, which he wears as it is unavoidable if he wants to keep Batmanning. Spider-Man would much rather have a life, but knows there is a responsibility that comes with his powers. Every time he goes Spider-Manning, he's in over his head and he hides this by cracking wise and running his mouth. He's a comedian and a joker because he's insecure.
This is why the relationship between him and Cat is interesting. She tempts him towards enjoying his Spider-life, letting his hair down, running on rooftops and showing off their sexy bods in tight costumes. She plays on the Peter/ Spider-Man thing really well.


And don't even get me started on how wrong the films get MJ.

Ultimate Spidey was a good take on young Peter in a modern setting, alas it's partly responsible for why I'm fed up with the movies constantly doing that age. Ultimate Spidey is already the, imo, definitive take on the character at that age in a modern setting, the movies in contrast just get so much wrong.



Speaking of Spidey getting a wee bit impatient at bookdepository taking so much time shipping Spider-verse, almost a week now. Ah well, can't be helped. Just that it's holding up my reading of the first volume of JMS run since the plan was to read that, a day or two break, then dive in to Spider-verse.

To make this about anything besides a bit of a whinge, I'll probably read the first two volumes of Ms. Marvel to compensate for the lack of Spidey.

Is this the Carol Danvers Ms Marvel or the more recent one? I've read loads of the former, none of the latter.

The recent one, I was looking for another hero to follow a while back and heard about the praise and cult following the new Ms Marvel was getting, and the lack of baggage made it seem like a easy book to pick up.

You guys not think the mid-90's cartoon was a decent representation of Spidey along with some the games as how you describe the relationship between him and Black Cat is what is used in one of the PS1 games.

I liked the game, don't get me wrong and I would have at the time found his wisecracks funny but now I reckon I doubt it.