What I've Been Reading Lately: Comics

Lately I’ve been reading more comics than books, after a couple of disappointing book purchases from Kindle deals/Kindle First. Plus all the excitement of the Suicide Squad and Deadpool trailers kicked up my comic love a notch. I do have a few on my current series pull list, but mostly I’ve been going back to old issues and trades to get more backstory and complete my collections wherever necessary.

First up the current series:

Constantine: The Hellblazer comixology

“The dark adventures of DC's foremost occult detective continue in an all-new series as he investigates the cruelest case he's ever come across-his own dark history!”

It’s no secret that I love Constantine. I binge read all 300 issues, I’m working on the New 52 series and all its tie-ins (I already read Justice League Dark). The new run of the comic is really good, just as spooky, witty and clever. I love it.

The Wicked + The Divine comixology

“Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved. They are hated. In two years, they are dead. The team behind critically thermonuclear floor-fillers Young Avengers and PHONOGRAM reunite to start a new ongoing superhero fantasy with a beautiful oversized issue. Welcome to THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, where gods are the ultimate pop stars. But remember: just because you're immortal, doesn't mean you're going to live forever.”

This series is just such a unique idea (to me anyway) and its wo well written and engaging. I recommend it to everyone.

That’s about it for weekly/monthly reads, at least for now. Now the trades, one shots and back issues:

Hellboy: The Wild Hunt comixology || amazon

The writing and art as always is a thing of great beauty in its own unique way, I love Mike Mignola and Hellboy. Things are really heating up in the Hellboy storyline with this trade, the Queen of Blood has risen and Hellboy is confronting his own history.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man comixology || amazon

This is a collection of short stories rather than a full trade like The Wild Hunt. As such, as much as I adore Mike Mignola and Hellboy, this is one of the weaker trades. Like any collection it has

Lumberjanes vol 1 comixology || amazon

Everyone loves this comic, and I really wish I loved it as much as they did. It is good, and I did enjoy it, the characters are fun and while the art isn’t to my taste I can deal with it. I’m just not head over heels in love with it.

Priya’s Shakti #1 comixology

This was beautiful. It’s a painful story to read, because of the subject matter, but never once is it gratuitous. It’s also a fantastic way of spreading awareness and it’s free! Honestly I didn’t like the photo backgrounds with the drawn characters, but I understand why that would be a choice (I loathe drawing backgrounds myself) and why others would see it as adding depth and realism to panels. I recommend this to everyone.

Hexed comixology || amazon

Eh, I was so-so on this story. The concept was great and the stories and art were both done very well, it just never really grabbed me or drew me in as I would have hoped.

Deadpool: Games of Death comixology

This was a good story, a decent mystery with all the humour and bloodspatter you could expect from Deadpool. The art and the writing were both great in my opinion. Honestly there’s not a massive amount to say about this one shot, it's a Deadpool story and not massively long. 

So that sums up the currently reading and recently read comics, as you can probably tell I’ve really been binge reading comic books lately. Granted I managed to read a whole heap of them (including the two Hellboy Trades, which I have in hard copy) whilst I was in the hospital, but even in my spare time I’ve been going for comics over other books. Until recently when a work friend leant me The Long Earth anyway. That being said there are a fair few things I plan on maybe picking up either when they’re released or next payday comic buying binge.

DC Comics

I might pick up the Justice League United books as I grabbed one of the back issues and that wasn’t too bad. I also need to grab all the back issues of New Suicide Squad (New 52 onwards) as I started reading that a while ago. I’m also debating Gotham by Midnight, I have the first issue and the annual and I really loved the stories, but I just don’t like Ben Templesmith’s art (blasphemous for a horror comic fan I know).

Marvel

I do have my eye on maybe grabbing Deadpool vs Thanos when it comes out, I also need to get more of the Secret Wars stuff from Marvel, as well as Loki: Agent of Asgard as I read the first issue and really enjoyed it, and I’m planning to pick up the rest of the Matt Fraction Hawkeye run. I’ll probably grab a whole bunch of stuff to look at once Secret Wars finishes in September.

Image, Dark Horse and other

Hellboy in Hell because it’s a Hellboy title of course and Harrow County from Dark Horse which sounds darkly twisted and interesting. From Image I have my eye on Pretty Deadly and I’m sure I’ll manage to grab a few different titles from various indie/lesser known publishers, they often have the more niche stuff (which will always be my first love) and the best short series.