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Just got Copra #16 in the mail today  Copra has been my cape comics fix ever since weening myself off company comics, but it's been so good that I don't really miss the big two superheroes that much. I just wish Fiffe would work with some kind of publisher for printing and distribution purposes. As it stands, his current model seems to only be able to support his established fans, since each issue has a very limited printing and back issues and the compendiums are basically impossible to obtain at this point (I had to get the first couple of compendiums secondhand off eBay). I don't mind buying directly from him for double the price of a standard comic, but it's hard to convince my friends to go to some etsy store that happens to share the same space as his wife's homemade jewelry. Really, my gripe is more that I so dearly want Fiffe to blow up super big and for more people to be able to read Copra. Dude not only writes, draws, inks, colors, and letters his own stuff, but also mails everything out himself. EVERY MONTH. It's incredible how consistently good this comic is, considering the huge amount of work that has to go into it. Everybody's probably heard of Copra by now, but you're really doing yourself a disservice by not checking it out. It truly lives up to the buzz. You can even read the entire first issue for free at Michel Fiffe's site. A new compendium that collects the first six issues is also coming out in the next month or two, so that would be a perfect jumping on point.
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Jul 27, 2014 00:27
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I've been following the Copra hype for over a year, as a huge fan of John Ostrander's Suicide Squad, but I don't buy singles and I decided to skip the earlier compendiums because I figured a larger collected edition was inevitable. I still check Fiffe's website weekly for when they put the TPB with #1-6 on sale, and I'll buy it the minute it comes up for preorder.
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Jul 27, 2014 03:57
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It's obvious that Fiffe working for Marvel is slowing Copra down just a little bit, but it's cool. I share the frustration about how tough it can be to get caught up at this point, but it'll all get worked out in time. To use another self-published book as an example, in the early to mid-80s it was really difficult to get caught up on Cerebus without spending ridiculous amounts of money on back issues, limited run reprints, etc. But once Sim got it all figured out, you could go into a comic shop and comfortably get it all. Speaking of Ellis (last page), his first issue of Supreme was pretty interesting last week. Kind of overkill on the David Lynch references. One or two would have been a cute little nod, but they were just all over the place, and kind of distracting. Really interested to see where he's going with the story, though, as it obviously is picking up from the end of Moore and Larsen's runs.
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Jul 28, 2014 14:46
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chime_on posted:It's obvious that Fiffe working for Marvel is slowing Copra down just a little bit, but it's cool. I share the frustration about how tough it can be to get caught up at this point, but it'll all get worked out in time. To use another self-published book as an example, in the early to mid-80s it was really difficult to get caught up on Cerebus without spending ridiculous amounts of money on back issues, limited run reprints, etc. But once Sim got it all figured out, you could go into a comic shop and comfortably get it all. As much as I gripe about availability, part of me is in absolute wonder at how he's able to make self-publishing work for his purposes. It would be a feel-good industry story even if it wasn't some of the best superhero comics on top of all that. Anyway, the last issue of Prophet's main series came out today. I don't think there's any other comic that gives me more of an electric tingle using less words than Prophet. I'm looking forward to the concluding Earth War series and the supplementary Prophet Strikefiles, but I'm kind of saddened that we're about to reach the end of it all. On the upside, Graham and his wife, Marian Churchland, will soon be doing work on 8house, which looks like more sci-fi goodness.
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Jul 31, 2014 01:00
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moot the hopple posted:Anyway, the last issue of Prophet's main series came out today. I don't think there's any other comic that gives me more of an electric tingle using less words than Prophet. I'm looking forward to the concluding Earth War series and the supplementary Prophet Strikefiles, but I'm kind of saddened that we're about to reach the end of it all. On the upside, Graham and his wife, Marian Churchland, will soon be doing work on 8house, which looks like more sci-fi goodness. I need to catch up! I've only read, in the trade paperbacks, Vol 1 (twice), and started Vol 2 when it came out but didn't finish it. The Strikefiles issues look really cool, I hope they're collected in the next volume.
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Jul 31, 2014 01:51
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Did anyone read Supreme: Blue Rose yet? I'm intrigued because I loved Alan Moore's Supreme run, I usually enjoy Warren Ellis (and he tends to work with great artists), and the title makes it sound influenced by David Lynch (and possibly even Twin Peaks) in some way. But all of the reviews I've read are pretty vague about how it actually was. Unfortunately, I'm a trade-waiter anyway, but is this worth the wait?
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Aug 2, 2014 03:57
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Big Bad Voodoo Lou posted:Did anyone read Supreme: Blue Rose yet? I'm intrigued because I loved Alan Moore's Supreme run, I usually enjoy Warren Ellis (and he tends to work with great artists), and the title makes it sound influenced by David Lynch (and possibly even Twin Peaks) in some way. But all of the reviews I've read are pretty vague about how it actually was. Unfortunately, I'm a trade-waiter anyway, but is this worth the wait? 
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Aug 2, 2014 14:49
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Agreeing with TheQat. There isn't really much to say about it yet, unlike Moon Knight or Trees which started with something distinctive. The art is really neat, but I don't know if the blue lines in the background are for anything, our if that's just how the artist does things.
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Aug 2, 2014 15:25
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How is Pretty Deadly? Thinkin' about getting that trade. I love Deconnick as a personality and what she's doing to help women in comics, but I thought the few issues I read of Captain Marvel were a snoozefest.
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Aug 2, 2014 16:25
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Unmature posted:How is Pretty Deadly? Thinkin' about getting that trade. I love Deconnick as a personality and what she's doing to help women in comics, but I thought the few issues I read of Captain Marvel were a snoozefest. The art is great, but the writing is par for the course for DeConnick, so nothing special.
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Aug 2, 2014 17:01
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Unmature posted:How is Pretty Deadly? Thinkin' about getting that trade. I love Deconnick as a personality and what she's doing to help women in comics, but I thought the few issues I read of Captain Marvel were a snoozefest. I thought it was really, really good. Some modern Jodorowsky poo poo.
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Aug 2, 2014 17:03
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Unmature posted:How is Pretty Deadly? Thinkin' about getting that trade. I love Deconnick as a personality and what she's doing to help women in comics, but I thought the few issues I read of Captain Marvel were a snoozefest. I liked the first trade, but the ending seemed super rushed/sudden to me. Art is superlative though.
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Aug 2, 2014 17:04
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Maybe I'll check it out. These 10 dollar trades (and my employee discount) make it easier to take risks on comics like this. Wouldn't do it for a 15 dollar trade, but I'll pick up a 10 dollar one for some pretty art and okay writing.
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Aug 2, 2014 18:18
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I'm trade waiting pretty deadly so I've only seen the first book, but I like it a lot so far.
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Aug 2, 2014 19:49
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I've been picking through Warren Ellis' less popular/small press works whenever they show up for cheap on Amazon market or eBay, and they all kind of blend together into a bland pablum in my head. With stuff like Orbiter, Ministry of Space, and Atmospherics, Ellis starts with a sometimes novel sci-fi premise that struggles to sustain itself for the entire book or just flags away to a weak ending. A lot of his characters follow a cookie-cutter formula (manic pixie dream girl, hard-nosed professional, eccentric scientist) and wind up sharing the same sarcastic voice anyway. But I think with a writer as prolific as Ellis, things can't help but become a little formulaic as you read enough of their stuff to discover their idiosyncratic and sometimes annoying tics. It's kind of like how I feel about Stephen King, where I can see at least a basic competency for storytelling yet the appeal of their work wears thin as they retread old ground.
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Aug 3, 2014 01:16
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A lot of Ellis' minor work is interesting for being his experiments in different formats: OGNs, "graphic novellas", BD imitations, 2 or 3-part miniseries, webcomics. You can point at them any time someone starts crying about decompressed storytelling - sure Ellis did that, and his Ultimate FF was a prime offender and it was mediocre-to-awful, he also did a million other things, including a whole lot of series famous for their strict done-in-one structure. I think Red and Crecy are wonderful little comics and Ministry of Space has amazing Chris Weston art. It is a pity that Ignition City was mostly ignored and did not get a sequel - with a good artist it could've been a perfect Planetary outtake. I don't have the problem with smug cynical bastards in Ellis' comics as I do with Brian K. Vaughan and Joss Whedon - maybe the context, ideas and action help to skip around the edges.
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Aug 3, 2014 13:21
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fatherboxx posted:A lot of Ellis' minor work is interesting for being his experiments in different formats: OGNs, "graphic novellas", BD imitations, 2 or 3-part miniseries, webcomics. You can point at them any time someone starts crying about decompressed storytelling - sure Ellis did that, and his Ultimate FF was a prime offender and it was mediocre-to-awful, he also did a million other things, including a whole lot of series famous for their strict done-in-one structure. I think Red and Crecy are wonderful little comics and Ministry of Space has amazing Chris Weston art. If not for the art, I would have loved Ignition City. It was like Deadwood, but with retro sci-fi elements mixed with the Western setting. But the art just ruined it for me, with big, ugly reptilian "cattle" taking disgusting shits everywhere. It wasn't funny -- it was just gross. But Ellis does "done-in-one" stories better than almost anyone else in the business: Planetary, Global Frequency, Fell, and Secret Avengers were all good to excellent, and I can't wait to read his Moon Knight.
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Aug 3, 2014 14:24
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I'll say this for Ellis, he certainly knows how to produce some very stylish comics. His latest Moon Knight had a lot of cinematographic flair, with the panel arrangement for each issue's title page sort of evoking a letterboxed opening sequence and these high octane scenes that allowed Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire to showcase some exhilarating artwork. The only problem is that there isn't much substance beyond the style. In Moon Knight, there was essentially no character development. The main character went out on some strange and exciting adventures but stayed static the whole time, which lately seems to be the blueprint for a lot of Ellis' work on a company property. The moments where Marc Specter is all alone and you're actually given a glimpse into the state of his mind were all too tantalizingly brief. The done-in-one tenant works fine when dealing with the central premise of each issue, since each episode wraps up neatly in the end and it would frankly lose something if Ellis tried to explicate every detail to death, but it's less satisfying when trying to explore the main character's own ongoing story. I guess my complaints with Ellis' recent output boils down to wishing he would do more. It's been a long time since I've seen him go for broke with an actual, top-to-bottom complete story. Still, Moon Knight had a lot of potential and I'm looking forward to the Moon Knight team reuniting for Injection next year.
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Aug 4, 2014 01:23
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fatherboxx posted:I don't have the problem with smug cynical bastards in Ellis' comics as I do with Brian K. Vaughan and Joss Whedon - maybe the context, ideas and action help to skip around the edges. One of the prevailing characteristics of Ellis's stock cynical bastard, I think, is that it's often a shell. Most of them seem to be frustrated idealists who are numbing the pain that frustration somehow, often through vices and behavior, but one of the beats of the story is often the point where they recapture their idealism and use it to motivate themselves towards making a positive change. Elijah Snow's the easiest character to point at as an example, since he's a grumpy, cynical douchebag, but the whole point of the Planetary organization is to investigate, stockpile, and use the strange and weird facets of the world to the world's benefit. You could make an argument that Ellis's opening arcs of Authority are about that transition stage, where Jenny in particular shakes off her years of malaise in favor of going out and just doing something. The cynical bastard when encountered in other works, conversely, often doesn't have quite as well-earned a cynicism, nor are they as willing to discard it when it's no longer of use. Ellis's problem is overuse of the archetype, but when he uses it, he at least uses it quite well.
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Aug 4, 2014 01:46
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I loved Low. Something caught me there that hasn't really on Black Science or Deadly Class.
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Aug 4, 2014 13:23
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Teenage Fansub posted:I loved Low. Something caught me there that hasn't really on Black Science or Deadly Class. The first half I was kind of not in to it. It felt like Remender had just dropped the reader in to a families life one day without any information about said family or the world etc. But then they went on the hunt and it was really great. Total 180 for me. I guess the difference betweent the first and second half of the book was that the second gave me a reason to want to know more about the world where as the first didnt give me that.
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Aug 5, 2014 15:49
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I dug the Fatale ending. Sort of want to read the first issue over again now.
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Aug 5, 2014 15:53
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I only just got caught up today but Lazarus has been consistently superior through its first ten issues. It's got a thorough array of interesting characters, a horrifically-realized dystopia that strikes a nice balance between the familiar and the unfamiliar, world-building that evades boring exposition, and loving brutal Michael Lark art. Is anybody else reading it?
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Aug 9, 2014 23:58
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The guy credited as the editor for Lazarus is former BSS mod David "hermanos" Brothers, in case anyone wasn't aware.
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Aug 9, 2014 23:59
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Kull the Conqueror posted:I only just got caught up today but Lazarus has been consistently superior through its first ten issues. It's got a thorough array of interesting characters, a horrifically-realized dystopia that strikes a nice balance between the familiar and the unfamiliar, world-building that evades boring exposition, and loving brutal Michael Lark art. Is anybody else reading it?
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Aug 10, 2014 00:06
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AV Club posted a preview and interview with the creators of The Fade Out. Some interesting workmanship details like Betty Breitweiser's thoughts behind her palette selections and Sean Philips' move to full digital art.
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Aug 10, 2014 01:10
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Finally reading American Flagg for the first time. These panel layouts, you guys. These laaaaayooooooouts.
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Aug 10, 2014 02:16
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Unmature posted:Finally reading American Flagg for the first time. These panel layouts, you guys. These laaaaayooooooouts. Are you reading it in singles, the old oversized First Comics TPBs, or the more recent reprinted hardcover? I read that the reproductions of the original art in the hardcover lost a lot of detail. I used to have the three First Comics TPBs (reprinting #1-3, 4-6, and 7-9), and that was some of the most gorgeous art I've ever seen, especially those layouts. Chaykin might not be setting the art world on fire today, but anyone who complains about what Bendis and Fraction see in him has never read American Flagg. I'd argue he was the best artist in the '80s, above Byrne, Perez, McFarlane, and any other superstars of that era.
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Aug 10, 2014 05:12
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Low was pretty cool. I hope it either is 5-10 great issues or a properly constructed 25. I don't want it to fall to bits and not go anywhere. Supreme Blue Rose is pretty badass. I hope image does more of these Liefield reboots.
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Aug 10, 2014 13:10
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Big Bad Voodoo Lou posted:Are you reading it in singles, the old oversized First Comics TPBs, or the more recent reprinted hardcover? I read that the reproductions of the original art in the hardcover lost a lot of detail. The Image trades.
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Aug 10, 2014 19:49
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moot the hopple posted:AV Club posted a preview and interview with the creators of The Fade Out. Some interesting workmanship details like Betty Breitweiser's thoughts behind her palette selections and Sean Philips' move to full digital art. quote:only decided to do this project right before Sean and I announced our Five Year Deal at Image, though. I was waffling between The Fade Out and a sci-fi idea we were talking about This better not have bumped Incognito back another year.
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Aug 11, 2014 14:03
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I also want more Incognito more than anything else from these guys but I also hope that The Fade Out does well for them. You get the sense that Brubaker is really passionate about this project. The big draws for me is seeing them finally doing period noir without any genre mashups and Bettie Breitweiser, whose coloring really seems to be upping their game based on the preview (the latter, lukewarm parts of Brubaker's Captain America run were buoyed for me whenever she and her husband did the pages).
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Aug 12, 2014 04:47
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Kull the Conqueror posted:world-building that evades boring exposition
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Aug 12, 2014 16:45
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Alhazred posted:It would be nice with some exposition though, the only reason I knew what the gently caress was going on in that comic was because of the blurb. I think a good example of what I'm referring to is in the latest issue. We knew barely anything about what the Hock Family was like before this, but by the end of the issue we have a pretty good idea, and it wasn't because of a series of captions that go "The Hock Family is an Orwellian nightmare." The information is very organically weaved into the narrative, in terms of both image and text. It sounds so simple and obvious but I feel like it's really rare to see it exercised so well. Incidentally the letters pages are full of ancillary info but I can't be bothered to read it all.
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Aug 12, 2014 19:48
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So I just read this: Animals #1: Chickens It's a 32 page story set in a grounded world where everything is a Funny Animal, and the things they eat are humans. The ever present forces in their lives is the local slaughterhouse and their familial dysfunction. It's a relatable story that's well told. I think a good bit of goons would like it. Have an 8 page preview. http://www.ericgrissom.com/post/67484733705/heres-an-eight-page-preview-of-chickens-art-by The first two volumes are avalable on comixology. https://www.comixology.com/Animals/comics-series/16464 There's also a Gumroad Pay-What-You-Want for #1. https://gumroad.com/l/qaxa
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Aug 12, 2014 21:55
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The art in Supreme: Blue Rose is pretty good ,despite all female characters having the same super-model face. The plot is pleasantly weird and disconnected up date (is this an Ellis thing? First thing of his I've read aside from Crécy), but I'll stick with it for a few more issues to see if it goes anywhere interesting. Anyone else pick up issue #2?
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Aug 21, 2014 03:32
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The first issue of Supreme: Blue Rose inspired me to reread Planetary. I'm about halfway through it, and it's just drat great and I can't recommend it enough. I really loved the Prophet reboot, so I'm hoping that this Supreme reboot is comparably weird and awesome.
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Aug 21, 2014 06:12
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Mahler posted:The art in Supreme: Blue Rose is pretty good ,despite all female characters having the same super-model face. The plot is pleasantly weird and disconnected up date (is this an Ellis thing? First thing of his I've read aside from Crécy), but I'll stick with it for a few more issues to see if it goes anywhere interesting. Anyone else pick up issue #2? Ive read the first two issues of Blue Rose and I dont really know what the gently caress is going on. To compare, I am also reading his Moon Knight series and Trees. Moon Knight is pretty straight forward but still a nice cut above your average Marvel comic. Trees has a similar structure to Blue Rose in that its a bunch of stories happening simultaneously and its not quite clear how they fit together. But two issues in to Blue Rose I dont even know what the central point is. Or rather I wouldnt if it wasnt a remake/reboot thing. Its still that disconnected. I plan on continuing to read it though, in case it pays off. But its relly only got one or two more issues to give me something. Also I think the art is kinda dumb and over stylized. The scribble marks everywhere and 'out of focus' thing seem like they are trying really hard to do... something. Like, I would get the scribbles and blurriness if I thought it was meant to represent something, but its on every panel and every page, no matter what story line they are following or whats happening so whats the point? As for the rest of Ellis' work, I really liked Fell and I own all of Planetary but havent read it yet. In non-Ellis news, always excited to see another Stay Bullets:Killers on the shelves. This months was pretty tame but its a pretty great series so far. I thought about the last panel a good bit. Very effective. WinnebagoWarrior fucked around with this message at 15:03 on Aug 21, 2014 |
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Aug 21, 2014 14:44
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I'm a week late but Zero #10 was excellent. The series has taken its time developing a minor number of characters and it's really paid off in these last two issues. #10 was like a great Twilight Zone episode.
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Aug 21, 2014 16:44
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WinnebagoWarrior posted:In non-Ellis news, always excited to see another Stay Bullets:Killers on the shelves. This months was pretty tame but its a pretty great series so far. I thought about the last panel a good bit. Very effective. I thought it was a cool way of Lapham subverting expectations. At this point, we're so used to Virginia dealing with creeps, and Paul seems to ticks all the markers for a dirtbag, but in the end there's a perfectly mundane and innocent explanation for everything, which is rarely the case in her turbulent life. The real meat of this issue is seeing the chink develop in Eli and Virginia's relationship, which is still very much in it's honeymoon phase despite some hardships. My biggest worry is that star-crossed lovers rarely work out in Stray Bullets 
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Aug 22, 2014 06:28
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