The Latest Haul....And Big Decisions

Hello again!

This won't be a long post, but I just thought I'd share the latest selection of awesome comics that I have acquired.

First up, to complete the first Venom appearances, ASM #299 and #300 (To go with #298 that I showed in my last post. Haven't seen it? Check it out! http://comicbookguy38.blogspot.ie/2013/10/everybody-say-hello-to-venom.html)

Awesome issues, delighted to add them to my collection. Also, kudos to my LCS for doing a great deal with them (The owner actually walked me through the grading of them!)

Next up, the Doomsday run for Superman, which joins my previously purchased Death of Superman/Funeral for a Friend run. Looking forward to reading a great battle!

And lastly, Batman: Death of the Family, which just looks unbelievable! I absolutely love the Joker, and this seems to be regarded as a modern Joker classic, just had to have it!

And, these Batman issues actually lead me to my last point for this post (and also addresses the second part of the post title). After much deliberation, hours of reading some fantastic and inspiring blogs, and a lot of nice lengthy chats with my LCS owner (possibly the friendliest guy ever!), I have decided, since I love this hobby so much so far, and since I love having complete collections of things, aaaaaaand because I love Spidey and the B-man, I am now officially declaring the start of my quests to own a complete collection of Amazing Spider-Man, and Batman Vol. 1 (and maybe the New 52 Vol. 2, since I just got Death of the Family there). Big quest I know, but...... It shall be very, very enjoyable!

So there you have it! Stay tuned in here for some craaaazy buying, and hopefully you will see some beautiful comics! 

The Star Wars: Familiar, But Different.

Star Wars. Everybody knows Star Wars. George Lucas' masterpiece has captivated millions around the world. Star Wars mania is everywhere. Do you know Star Wars? Of course you do. But do you know The Star Wars?

Where did it all come from? Darth Vader, did he always have the helmet? Han Solo, he was a green alien, what? The version of Star Wars that we all know and love wasn't Lucas' first rendition of the story. Oh no. So what was Lucas' initial story like? Every Star Wars fan yearns to know, to see the little seed from which the legacy has grown from. And now, thanks to Dark Horse Comics, we can.

'The Star Wars' is the créme de la créme for fans of Star Wars and comics. The Bible, so to speak. When I first saw #1 sitting there on the shelf in my local comic shop, I nearly tripped over myself in a rush to have it. I shouted "Take my money!" at staff, then hopped on my speeder bike and rushed home, just ahead of a sandstorm (slight exaggeration there). Anyway, net result was I bought the comic, read it, and was blown away. It. Is. Magnificent.

Where to start? The story is unbelievable. It is so familiar, yet still so different. And that makes it great. There is that feeling that you know the story, know the universe, which means you are already straight away engaged and attached to these characters. But then it is all new, different scenes, different names (although a lot of names that are in the finished Star Wars, just with different characters). The story also has that Star Wars type of storytelling, where it gracefully unfolds. I have heard some people complaining that the story is taking too long for anything to happen, but I believe it is moving at the perfect pace to enable the reader to thoroughly engage with and enjoy it.

Secondly, the art is awe-inspiring. Just look at that cover! Each panel is flawless, and the colouring is muted yet graceful. The illustrating of each character's face is what really makes the art fantastic, as you can immediately see what that character is feeling through flawless facial expressions. A big hand to the artists!

I've just finished #2, and it is as good, if not even better than the first! In this issue, we see the Death Star (although it has a different name) and boy is it big! The action comes thick and fast in this issue, and I will definitely have to read it again to catch everything that just bursts out at you through each stunning panel. My favourite part of this issue though was the first appearance of the two most likeable characters in the whole Star Wars universe. I won't say who, as I don't want to spoil the surprise, but lets just say that if I did want to tell you, it would be quite easy, as "I am fluent in over six million forms of communication"!

Hope you are enjoying the blog so far, and keep an eye out for more of 'The Star Wars'!

Everybody say 'Hello' to Venom!

Spider-Man was the very first superhero that got me into comics back when I was younger (He is 'Amazing' after all), and naturally, now that I've started actually collecting, I'm really interested in picking up some great key 'Amazing Spider-Man' issues.

So, without further ado, here is my most prized 'Amazing Spider-Man' issue (so far!)

I'm sure you will all recognise it as ASM #298 from March 1988, with the first (very brief) appearance of Venom!

I have been looking at the first appearances of Venom issues for a while now, trying to price them up on ebay and all, so when I saw this in my local comic shop (which incidentally has been nominated for 'Best Irish Comic Shop') yesterday, I just had to have it.

This here is the first page, showing the title of the story in this issue. What I love straight away about older comics is the type of paper they are printed on, that thin, slightly off white newspaper-y type of paper is awesome! I much prefer it to the newer shiny paper that modern comics are printed on, but maybe that's just me....anyone else have a preference?

And here of course is the all-important page! No explanation necessary here!

The rest of my ASM collection at the moment (remember I'm just over a month into collecting comics) consists of ASM #529 - 538, the build up to civil war, and the Spidey civil war issues.

However, my local comic shop has just gotten in a load of ASM issues from about #250-700, so I most certainly will be looking through them in the next few weeks (as well as perhaps slightly drooling over them.....)

Stay tuned!

Superman/Wonder Woman #1

Alright, so I've just finished the awesome first issue of Superman/Wonder Woman, and just thought I'd share some quick thoughts about it.

As you have probably already guessed, I thought it was an awesome book! I'm really liking The New 52 Superman, just look at my review of Superman Unchained. Now, I'm not saying that this is a better version of Supes (wouldn't want to offend anyone), I just think that this action-packed take on Superman is very entertaining. Of course, I also love the traditional Superman, I'm actually also collecting The Adventures of Superman, as well as slowly building up my Superman back issues.

Anyway, this first issue is a very promising start to the series. Similar to Superman Unchained, it is very action heavy, which I think is great, and makes for some epic panels and splash pages! However, this series seems to add an extra layer, something that (so far) Superman Unchained does not really have. Along with the action, there is also the personal and emotional element of storytelling added to this book, as shown in the scenes that involve the Superman/Wonder Woman relationship. 

Actually, the authors make great use of that side of the story, layering it over the action scenes. In particular, this makes the last panel of this issue very impactful, which has me desperate for the next issue (helped along by the fact that the artwork is epic in this panel!) 

One issue in, and this series looks like it should be great. It is definitely on my pull list!

Lights, Camera, Action! (Or, pens, paper and... uh... action!)

So, I've just finished reading the first three issues of 'Superman Unchained', and thought I'd share my thoughts on them.

Well, the first thought is "Wow!" As you can see, I have the Director's Cut version of #1. This is due to the fact that every comic shop I went into near me was sold out of the standard #1. However, I am actually glad I have this version, for a few reasons.

Firstly, the art is unbelievable! The fact that it isn't coloured in, and is just the bare bones sketching actually looks great. Secondly, the second half of the book is a reprint of the story script that Scott sent to Jim Lee, Matt Idelson and Chris Conroy. I found it fascinating to read the script version of the story, and to see how much thought actually goes into creating something like this. Also, it's great to see the respect Scott has for Lee's work, as he says in a number of places that Lee is free to change anything if he has something better.

The iceing on the cake for the Director's Cut version are the few pages of artwork at the back, that show all the variant covers for the first issue. Some great covers!

Now, my opinion on the actual stories....Well, in relation to the title of this post, these three issues are more like a movie than any other comic I've read. Right from the off, the books are filled with Hollywood style action. The scene with the falling space station is awesome! 

The second issue also starts off straight away with the action, and I think the way that the tension is built up by Superman narrating the seconds ticking by really pulls you into the story. Of course, the fact that Batman also features in this issue adds another splash of epic to the book!

Finally, in the third issue, Superman comes face to face with Wraith, and it makes for a damn cool scene. Much like the last two issues, there is a heavy emphasis on action. There is however, a bit more dialogue in this issue, as we get a brief history of where Wraith came from. Unfortunately, Scott doesn't give us a lot here, so perhaps we will find out more in later issues. At the end of the book, Wraith makes quite a foreboding statement, which certainly has me excited for the next installment!

Overall, I have really enjoyed these first few books of The New 52 style Superman. The action flows very well, and never makes for a dull moment. It actually makes for quite a lot of awesome scenes, with some seriously epic panels! 

What have you thought of the Superman Unchained series so far? It'd be great to hear other people's opinions, so drop a comment if you can!

And so it begins......

Hello there!

Thank you for checking out my blog, I hope you'll find it interesting ('cause that means you'll stay!).

I'm going to try not waffle on for this post, but basically, this is my first blog, and I started it really just to keep up to date with the comic scene, hopefully entertain people, and post some reviews of comics I'm reading (and post lots of lovely photos of my collection...as it slowly grows!)

When I was a kid, I used to collect some comics, but these were mainly uk reprints sold in newsagents. However, one evening a few weeks ago, as I hurried along to the bus stop on my way home from college, head bent against the chill wind, I saw something yellow and black in the corner of my eye. I stopped, turned around, and noticed a sandwich board sign with the classic Batman symbol on it, advertising a comic shop upstairs in a building. I experienced a fleeting moment of indecision, then said "Ah what the hell" and started climbing the stairs. Who knew that little phrase would set me off down the slippery slope of obsessive collecting......

So anyway, I went into the shop, and it was beautiful. It was heaven. Boxes, boxes of comics everywhere. Literally thousands, tens of thousands of comics! I said hello to the (very) friendly staff, and began to browse.....

I left the shop a while later, my wallet lighter and some comics in my bag. That was my first experience of what is now my beloved local comic shop. I literally have to force myself not to go in there some days. .....It's hard.....

Ok, so I hope you're still with me. Time for some pictures now!

Here is my humble collection so far ( I have only been collecting for, what, three weeks? Not too bad...It will grow, oh believe me it will grow!)

Here are just some of the sections to my collection so far. First up is Batman.

Next we have the Punisher ( I picked up all five of the Punisher War Zone single issues last Friday, great condition too!)

I have also picked up the first two issues of The Star Wars. I still have to read them yet, but they look great, and are a must for someone that loves Star Wars and comics ( i.e me)

And now we move onto some Superman issues! I don't even know how, but it seems I have become a big fan of collecting superman comics. I'll be honest, I never used to like Superman as a kid, but y'know how it is, you just buy one comic, that turns into two, then you collect all of Funeral for a Friend, you start hunting down Doomsday issues, you're on about three different Superman titles ( I actually am on three!), then it gets really bad when you start getting duplicate issues, one unopened collector's set, one to read......Maybe I should seek help now.

So there is a quick tour of my collection to date! Before I wrap this post up, I'll show you a nice classic story arc that I just had to pick up.

All four parts of A Death in the Family, all NM condition, and all ( I think) 1st prints! They just look so good..... Haven't read the story yet, as the last of the four to arrive in the post (actually the first part) only came today, but can't wait to read them! I'll post my opinions on them once I've read them.

Oh yes, last thing! Here is my work desk, which I like to display three comics on ( I usually rotate them every week). At the moment they are Amazing Spider-Man #529-531, the lead up to Civil War. Picked them up along with the other Spider-Man Civil War tie-ins on Friday (Friday was a costly day on the bank balance).

So that's all for now, I really hope I didn't bore you to tears and that you'll be back for my next post! Feel free to comment, that would be great. 

To leave you with a quote (that will most likely be very accurate for me in later years, the way I'm going) from the legendary Comic Book Guy: 

"I've spent my entire life doing nothing but collecting comic books... and now there's only time to say... LIFE WELL SPENT!"

Until next time....