20 December 2024
───┐
2: │
───┘
│ 2 │date = '2024-12-18T00:29:25-05:00' │ 2 │date = '2024-12-18T00:29:25-05:00'
│ 3 │publish = '2024-12-19T06:00:00-05:00' │ 3 │publish = '2024-12-19T06:00:00-05:00'
│ 4 │title = 'Comics Recap - 2024' │ 4 │title = 'Comics Recap - 2024'
│ │ │ 5 │tags = ['comics', 'reading', 'recap']
│ │ │ 6 │[params]
│ │ │ 7 │ diffs = 'recap-2024-comics.md'
│ 5 │+++ │ 8 │+++
│ 6 │ │ 9 │
│ 7 │As I said in the [previous post]({{< relref "recap-20↵│ │
│ │24-books" >}}), I've also started reading comic books↵│ │
│ │ again. I stopped around 2020 when I moved, but hadn'↵│ │
│ │t really stopped buying the floopies so I have a mass↵│ │
│ │ive 4 year backlog of books. Some of them I'm going t↵│ │
│ │o just jump to something more current (Batman, Detect↵│ │
│ │ive Comics, Wonder Woman) while some I have a lot of ↵│ │
│ │catching up to do (Nightwing, Miles Morales). │ │
│ │ │ 10 │As I said in the [previous post]({{< relref "recap-20↵
│ │ │ │24-books" >}}), I've also
│ │ │ 11 │started reading comic books again. I stopped around 2↵
│ │ │ │020 when I moved, but
│ │ │ 12 │hadn't really stopped buying the floopies so I have a↵
│ │ │ │ massive 4 year backlog of
│ │ │ 13 │books. Some of them I'm going to just jump to somethi↵
│ │ │ │ng more current (Batman,
│ │ │ 14 │Detective Comics, Wonder Woman) while some I have a l↵
│ │ │ │ot of catching up to do
│ │ │ 15 │(Nightwing, Miles Morales). I had a brief spurt durin↵
│ │ │ │g the early part of the
│ │ │ 16 │year (May and June ish) where I was reading a couple ↵
│ │ │ │and had sorted my floopies
│ │ │ 17 │by book and into boxes of what I wanted to read. But ↵
│ │ │ │then summer came and work
│ │ │ 18 │got busy so I stopped reading. Picked back up again a↵
│ │ │ │round October and have been
│ │ │ 19 │getting thru at least a couple issues a week (which i↵
│ │ │ │sn't enough to eat away at
│ │ │ 20 │the backlog).
│ 8 │ │ 21 │
│ 9 │Books: │ │
│ 10 │- Cobra Commander │ │
│ 11 │- Dark Knights of Steel │ │
│ 12 │- Duke │ │
│ │ │ 22 │## Reviews-ish
│ │ │ 23 │### Energon Universe
│ │ │ 24 │Throughout the year, the *Energon Universe* books wer↵
│ │ │ │e what I looked forward to
│ │ │ 25 │week to week, even though I wasn't keeping up with th↵
│ │ │ │e reading. I've enjoyed
│ │ │ 26 │Robert Kirkman's writing previously on *Invincible* a↵
│ │ │ │nd *Fire Power*, so it was
│ │ │ 27 │an easy decision to pick up *Void Rivals*. Of the lim↴
│ │ │ │ …ited series I liked
│ │ │ 28 │*Scarlett* the best, Kelly Thompson is another writer↵
│ │ │ │ that I've enjoyed what I
│ │ │ 29 │read of hers. I also liked Marco Ferrari's art on it.↴
│ │ │ │ … *Void Rivals* and
│ │ │ 30 │*Transformers* have also been very fun to read. Thoug↵
│ │ │ │h I'm not 100% sold on the
│ │ │ 31 │art in *Transformers*, it gets a bit too busy for my ↵
│ │ │ │liking. Jury's still out on
│ │ │ 32 │*G.I. Joe*, have only read the first issue and I'm en↴
│ │ │ │ …joying it enough to
│ │ │ 33 │continue. I have no real prior history with *Transfor↵
│ │ │ │mers* and *G.I. Joe* so I
│ │ │ 34 │don't get any fan-service-y things the books may do, ↵
│ │ │ │I'm just enjoying the ride.
│ │ │ 35 │
│ │ │ 36 │### Other Non DC / Marvel Books
│ │ │ 37 │When I saw that *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* was do↵
│ │ │ │ing a soft reboot, I
│ │ │ 38 │figured it was as good a time as any to jump on, I'd ↵
│ │ │ │read Vols 1 and 2 of the
│ │ │ 39 │previous run and really enjoyed them, but I had them ↵
│ │ │ │as trades and so just fell
│ │ │ 40 │behind on them. I had read the two Jennika volumes th↵
│ │ │ │ey collected and loved
│ │ │ 41 │those and wanted more. 5 issues into this run and I'm↵
│ │ │ │ really enjoying it. The
│ │ │ 42 │art being different for each turtle is really neat. I↵
│ │ │ │'m curious to see where the
│ │ │ 43 │stroy goes with the second arc.
│ │ │ 44 │
│ │ │ 45 │I follow Kieron Gillen on Bluesky and had seen him ta↴
│ │ │ │ …lk about *The Power
│ │ │ 46 │Fantasy* for a couple months. It wasn't until issue 4↵
│ │ │ │ that I semi-impulsively
│ │ │ 47 │grabbed the the books all at once from my local shop.↵
│ │ │ │ Luckily they still had
│ │ │ 48 │copies of the first 4 or I don't think I would've pic↵
│ │ │ │ked it up. And thankfully I
│ │ │ 49 │did! I don't know if I've fallen in love with a book ↵
│ │ │ │faster. Caspar Wijngaard's
│ │ │ 50 │art is phenomenonal, I'm going to have to find more w↴
│ │ │ │ …ork by him.
│ │ │ 51 │
│ 13 │- Undiscovered Country │ 52 │I picked *Undiscovered Country* up when it started it↵
│ │ │ │'s run, one of those
│ 14 │- Robins │ │
│ 15 │- Shadow War (crossover) │ │
│ 16 │- Destro │ │
│ 17 │- Scarlett │ │
│ │ │ 53 │weirdly poorly timed books about a global pandemic re↵
│ │ │ │leasing a few months before
│ │ │ 54 │a real global pandemic. But I mostly enjoyed the stor↵
│ │ │ │y, it's been a little hard
│ │ │ 55 │following it issue to issue and in spurts the way I'v↵
│ │ │ │e read it. Sounds like
│ │ │ 56 │there's currently 36 issues, so we're 6 issues from t↵
│ │ │ │he end, but haven't seen
│ │ │ 57 │anything since issue 30 in July. It may sound like fa↵
│ │ │ │int praise but I think it's
│ │ │ 58 │a decent enough book to pick up and read. Not rush it↵
│ │ │ │ to the top of the stack,
│ │ │ 59 │but enough to add it at least.
│ │ │ 60 │
│ │ │ 61 │*Fire Power* is a book I really enjoyed and was sad i↵
│ │ │ │t ended. Chris Samnee's art
│ │ │ 62 │was what brought me to the book in the first place an↵
│ │ │ │d Kirkman's writing was
│ │ │ 63 │nice icing on the cake. I felt the ending was rushed ↵
│ │ │ │a little bit and wasn't
│ │ │ 64 │100% satisfied with the epilogue but overall the stor↵
│ │ │ │y is good enough to make up
│ │ │ 65 │for that.
│ │ │ 66 │
│ │ │ 67 │*Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters* was a really fun ↵
│ │ │ │quick series. I really
│ │ │ 68 │appreciate books that are around 12 issues. I think i↵
│ │ │ │t may be close to the ideal
│ │ │ 69 │length of a series. Another book drawn by Chris Samne↵
│ │ │ │e, another book with
│ │ │ 70 │gorgeous art. The writing for it was really fun, I th↵
│ │ │ │oroughly enjoyed the
│ │ │ 71 │relationship between the sisters.
│ │ │ 72 │
│ │ │ 73 │### Marvel Books
│ │ │ 74 │I always think of myself as someone who reads like ha↵
│ │ │ │lf Marvel half DC books,
│ │ │ 75 │but whenever I look at my lists it's like 80% DC. Not↵
│ │ │ │hing makes this more
│ │ │ 76 │evident than me only having finished / caught up on 2↵
│ │ │ │ Marvel books and am
│ │ │ 77 │working on catching up on a 3rd.
│ │ │ 78 │
│ │ │ 79 │*Hawkeye: Kate Bishop* was a fun miniseries. Kate Bis↵
│ │ │ │hop is a fun character and
│ │ │ 80 │I wish she'd get more books, but alas, other people d↵
│ │ │ │on't agree with my correct
│ │ │ 81 │opinions. Confining the story to a chateau was really↵
│ │ │ │ cool and felt like a good
│ │ │ 82 │way to keep the story confined. I read *Ms. Marvel: B↵
│ │ │ │eyond the Limit* early in
│ │ │ 83 │the year (along with *Hakeye*) and just really don't ↵
│ │ │ │remember much from it. But
│ │ │ 84 │I do remember that I enjoyed it and it made me want m↵
│ │ │ │ore Ms. Marvel (as always).
│ │ │ 85 │I'm glad I have 2 more miniseries of hers and then NY↴
│ │ │ │ …X to read.
│ │ │ 86 │
│ │ │ 87 │The last Marvel book I've been reading (so far this y↵
│ │ │ │ear) is *New Mutants*. I
│ │ │ 88 │usually gravitate towards the teen / young adult team↵
│ │ │ │ up books because they
│ │ │ 89 │generally lean towards non world ending threats. I en↵
│ │ │ │joyed the book a bit better
│ │ │ 90 │in the earlier issues of the run. The latest arc I re↵
│ │ │ │ad was Illyana giving
│ │ │ 91 │Madelyne the throne of Limbo and enjoyed it but the c↵
│ │ │ │ast really just being
│ │ │ 92 │Magik, Mirage, and Wolfsbane was a bit smaller than w↵
│ │ │ │hat I want from the book.
│ │ │ 93 │I'm still looking forward to wrapping up the book and↴
│ │ │ │ … seeing where the
│ │ │ 94 │characters end up (if they are able to do it cleanly)↵
│ │ │ │. I always want to read
│ │ │ 95 │more X-Men books but end up just not latching onto an↵
│ │ │ │y. I had dropped the main
│ │ │ 96 │X-Men book earlier so once this is done, NYX will be ↵
│ │ │ │the only I have and I'm
│ │ │ 97 │reading that because of Ms. Marvel.
│ │ │ 98 │
│ │ │ 99 │### DC Books
│ │ │ 100│First the books I didn't really care for the *Shadow ↵
│ │ │ │War* and *Lazarus Planet*
│ │ │ 101│crossovers. I am just very very tired of crossovers a↵
│ │ │ │t this point, there are too
│ │ │ 102│many of them. I skimmed thru *Batman vs Robin* for a ↵
│ │ │ │similar reason, I was just
│ │ │ 103│tired from the Lazarus Island stuff. I felt the endin↵
│ │ │ │g to Robin was good and
│ │ │ 104│didn't need to continue.
│ │ │ 105│
│ │ │ 106│A pseudo-crossover I did enjoy was Robins and that's ↵
│ │ │ │mostly because it left the
│ │ │ 107│other books alone. It didn't require me to read a cou↵
│ │ │ │ple of random issues for
│ │ │ 108│other books and you just needed to read issues 1 to 6↵
│ │ │ │ to get the whole story.
│ │ │ 109│I'm curious to see if Jenny Wren gets pulled into the↵
│ │ │ │ wider Batman mythos or if
│ │ │ 110│she just remains confined to this story. I really lik↵
│ │ │ │e when all of the Robins
│ │ │ 111│get together and interact. *Batman: Wayne Family Adve↵
│ │ │ │ntures* on Webtoons is
│ │ │ 112│another story where the Batfam acts like an actual fa↵
│ │ │ │mily and I really love when
│ │ │ 113│those dynamics are explored.
│ │ │ 114│
│ │ │ 115│I've only read the first 2 issues of *Batman The Long↵
│ │ │ │ Halloween: The Last
│ │ │ 116│Halloween* and am just kind of confused mostly becaus↵
│ │ │ │e I haven't read the
│ │ │ 117│*Batman: The Long Halloween Special* and barely remem↵
│ │ │ │ber what happened in *The
│ │ │ 118│Long Halloween*. I may but the book on hold until I g↵
│ │ │ │et around to reading
│ │ │ 119│*Batman: The Long Halloween Special* just to help thi↵
│ │ │ │ngs make more sense.
│ │ │ 120│*Batman / Catwoman* was a really good book. I like th↵
│ │ │ │e couple of Black Label
│ │ │ 121│books I've read that get to explore some part of a ch↵
│ │ │ │aracter. I really liked the
│ │ │ 122│3 timeline aspect of the book.
│ │ │ 123│
│ │ │ 124│*Dark Knights of Steel* is one of my favorite books i↵
│ │ │ │n a long while. I really
│ │ │ 125│love these wild alternate takes on characters, ploppi↵
│ │ │ │ng them down in a different
│ │ │ 126│setting. Marvel 1602 is another one book with a simil↵
│ │ │ │ar pitch that I've been
│ │ │ 127│wanting to check out for a while. Yasmine Putri's art↵
│ │ │ │ was beautiful thru the
│ │ │ 128│whole series and really enhanced Tom Taylor's writing↵
│ │ │ │. I thought they did the
│ │ │ 129│twists and reveals pretty well. I'm not always great ↵
│ │ │ │at picking up on them, but
│ │ │ 130│was impressed and enjoyed where they went with it. I'↵
│ │ │ │m really excited to read
│ │ │ 131│*Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter* and the *Tales fro↵
│ │ │ │m the Three Kingdoms*.
│ │ │ 132│
│ │ │ 133│*Zatanna: Bring Down the House* was another of the Bl↵
│ │ │ │ack Label books that I've
│ │ │ 134│enjoyed. I haven't read much of her character but am ↵
│ │ │ │always excited when she
│ │ │ 135│appears in movies and shows, so I made sure to pick t↵
│ │ │ │his book up when I saw it.
│ │ │ 136│I really loved the art in this one, thought it played↵
│ │ │ │ with the comics medium in
│ │ │ 137│a fun way.
│ │ │ 138│
│ │ │ 139│*Jenny Sparks* was a book I picked up on a whim and w↵
│ │ │ │as pretty impressed by. I'm
│ │ │ 140│not familiar with the character's Wildstorm backstory↵
│ │ │ │. It's a neat "punching
│ │ │ 141│won't solve the problem" story and think her annoyed-↵
│ │ │ │at-everyone attitude is
│ │ │ 142│enjoyable so far.
│ │ │ 143│
│ │ │ 144│*My Adventures with Superman* is one of my favorite t↵
│ │ │ │v shows of recent and the
│ │ │ 145│book has become one of my favorite tie-ins for the sh↵
│ │ │ │ow. I enjoyed the *Young
│ │ │ 146│Justice* books they've put out were good as well so t↵
│ │ │ │hought this would also be a
│ │ │ 147│good bet to pick up. The characters feel true to thei↵
│ │ │ │r show portrayals and I'm
│ │ │ 148│hoping there will be more than just the single arc.
│ │ │ 149│
│ │ │ 150│*Absolute Batman* and *Absolute Wonder Woman* have be↵
│ │ │ │en a cool new take on the
│ │ │ 151│characters so far. I think Bruce being friends with t↵
│ │ │ │he rogues and just a
│ │ │ 152│working class dude who has done all the jobs while Al↵
│ │ │ │fred is working for some
│ │ │ 153│weird shady government organization is fun and doesn'↵
│ │ │ │t stray far from the
│ │ │ 154│characters core. Same can be said of Wonder Woman gro↵
│ │ │ │wing up with Circe and
│ │ │ 155│learning magic from her. Plus riding Pegasus that is ↵
│ │ │ │all bones and having a
│ │ │ 156│massive sword is really dope. Kelly Thompson's writin↵
│ │ │ │g is always a joy for me so
│ │ │ 157│I'm looking forward to more *Absolute Wonder Woman*.
│ │ │ 158│
│ │ │ 159│## Books I'm Looking Forward To
│ │ │ 160│I was reading these prior and am excited to finish th↴
│ │ │ │ …em:
│ │ │ 161│- Batgirls
│ │ │ 162│- Strange Academy / Strange Academy Finals
│ │ │ 163│
│ │ │ 164│Mini series / Books that have concluded:
│ │ │ 165│- Fables: The Black Forest
│ │ │ 166│- Spider-Gwen / Ghost-Spider (almost all of her 5 iss↵
│ │ │ │ue miniseries from the past
│ │ │ 167│ 5 years or so)
│ │ │ 168│- Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace / Ms. Marvel: The New Mut↴
│ │ │ │ …ant
│ │ │ 169│- Primer: Clashing Colors
│ │ │ 170│- Tim Drake: Robin
│ │ │ 171│- Boy Wonder
│ │ │ 172│
│ │ │ 173│Ongoing Books / Mini series that haven't ended yet th↴
│ │ │ │ …at I need to start:
│ │ │ 174│- Birds of Prey
│ │ │ 175│- Batgirl
│ │ │ 176│- Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter
│ │ │ 177│- Laura Kinney: Wolverine
│ │ │ 178│- Miles Morales: Spider-Man
│ │ │ 179│- Nightwing
│ │ │ 180│- NYX
│ │ │ 181│- The Fade
│ │ │ 182│- Titans
│ │ │ 183│
│ │ │ 184│## Reading List of Completed / Ongoing Books
│ │ │ 185│### New books from this year
│ │ │ 186│- Energon Universe
│ │ │ 187│ - Cobra Commander
│ │ │ 188│ - Scarlett
│ │ │ 189│ - Destro
│ │ │ 190│ - GI Joe
│ 18 │- Zatanna: Bring Down the House │ 191│- Zatanna: Bring Down the House
│ 19 │- Transformers │ │
│ 20 │- GI Joe │ │
│ 21 │- Absolute Batman │ 192│- Absolute Batman
│ 22 │- Absolute Wonder Woman │ 193│- Absolute Wonder Woman
│ 23 │- Void Rivals │ │
│ 24 │- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles │ 194│- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
│ 25 │- Batman vs Robin │ │
│ 26 │- The Power Fantasy │ 195│- The Power Fantasy
│ 27 │- Batman / Catwoman │ │
│ 28 │- Jenny Sparks │ 196│- Jenny Sparks
│ 29 │- My Adventures with Superman │ 197│- My Adventures with Superman
│ 30 │- Batman - The Long Halloween - The Last Halloween │ 198│- Batman - The Long Halloween - The Last Halloween
│ │ │ 199│
│ │ │ 200│### Books from previous years
│ │ │ 201│- Energon Universe
│ │ │ 202│ - Duke
│ │ │ 203│ - Void Rivals
│ │ │ 204│ - Transformers
│ │ │ 205│- Dark Knights of Steel
│ │ │ 206│- Undiscovered Country
│ │ │ 207│- Robins
│ │ │ 208│- Robin
│ │ │ 209│- Shadow War (crossover)
│ │ │ 210│- Batman vs Robin
│ │ │ 211│- Batman / Catwoman
│ │ │ 212│- New Mutants
│ │ │ 213│- Fire Power
│ │ │ 214│- Hawkeye: Kate Bishop
│ │ │ 215│- Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters
│ │ │ 216│- Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit
\ No newline at end of file
