f13.net

Wanted to make a quick list here of some upcoming books I recommend for the "wait for the trade" types:

Punisher Max: From First To Last HC (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785122761/sr=8-2/qid=1149224011/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-7523482-6873621?%5Fencoding=UTF8).  Collects three excellent Punisher one-shots by Garth Ennis, for fans and non-fans of the character alike.  Late September.

Nextwave: Agents Of H.A.T.E Volume 1: Hold On To Your Shorts Premiere HC (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785122788/qid=1149224379/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-7523482-6873621?s=books&v=glance&n=283155).  Don't need to say anything else here.  Late August.

X-Factor: The Longest Night Premiere HC (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785123512/qid=1149224379/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/002-7523482-6873621?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)  Current X-Factor series by Peter David.  August.

Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt Premiere HC (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/078512330X/qid=1149224848/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-7523482-6873621?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)  Still one of my favorite Spidey stories.  Late August.

Justice: Volume 1 (Hardcover) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401209696/qid=1149225160/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-7523482-6873621?s=books&v=glance&n=283155).  Certainly no Marvels or Kingdom Come, it's still got Alex Ross artwork, which alone typically makes it worth picking up for me.  September.

About all I can come up with right now but I'm sure I'll see some other stuff.

Finding myself inexplicably interested with the Punisher lately, so I may pick this one up.


You got it.  No question, I'm looking forward to this.


Hm.  Really?  I don't know, I'm skeptical.


Eh. Nah. Maybe for Spidey fans.


I know nothing of this- tell me more.  What's the story?

Let me put it this way, if you like Peter David's writing you'll probably love X-Factor.  This is some of the best stuff he's written.

I'm not a big Spidey fan, but I love Kraven's Last Hunt.  Part of it was due to the fact that it's the story that really got me into comics, but I also just loved the way it was written.  Spider-man wasn't the main character in the book.  It was much more about Kraven, which I know doesn't sound too appealing given that he isn't exactly the greatest comic book villain created, but a lot of humanity is added to Kraven and Vermin's characters that you can't help but feel sorry for them.  The art also achieved levels of atmosphere that Todd Mcfarlane only wishes he could duplicate.

I'll get back to you on Justice, as that requires a bit of a longer write up and the story is only about half done (the hardcover is only the first vol.).

Agreed. You don't have to be a Spidey fan to like Kraven's Last Hunt.

Disagree with Vel on him not being a great villian. He's one of Spider-Man's best.

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Also: How in the world can a comic reader not be a Spidey fan?

Well, it's similar to being a triangle but not necessarily being isosceles.

I like the character but have never been enough of a fan to pick up any of his books on a regular basis.

Hmm....Well, I don't either, I guess.  :-)

I don't pick up a lot of comic books actually. I just like the idea of them...Or something.

Easy. I've always felt Spidey was a whiney bitch. I've liked some of his older villains, but most of his villains created after the John Romita, Sr. run were crap. He's often been saddled with mediocre artists, or overrated artists like McFarlane. Did I mention he's a whiney bitch? I've loved the movies, but as a regular series, I can just never get into the character no matter how well he's written.

As for the Justice series, it's Super Friends vs. The Legion of Doom, only done seriously, and with goregous Alex Ross art. It's worth reading.

But you do like the original idea behind the character right? That's all I'm talking about. Not some particular take on him and whatnot.

I mean, I hate the majority of superhero comics to be honest....But yet, I like the general idea/archetype characters like Batman, the X-Men, the Flash, etc.. Even the Silver Surfer, who's probably the most appealing to me, has only about 10% good stuff written about him...If that. But his main story and schtick (what Stan Lee created pretty much) is what rocks. Same goes for Spider-Man.

The concept of Spidey is ok, but even in the best hands, I've just never liked the execution.

Kraven's Last Hunt was good. The stuff with Sin-Eater that Peter David did was great. Spider-man vs. Wolverine was good.

Spider-Man took a definite turn for the worse when MJ started getting more involved.

Couple more books to add to the list:

Ares: God Of War Premiere HC (Hardcover) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785123334/qid=1152600673/ref=br_lf_b_10/002-7523482-6873621?n=4400&s=books&v=glance):  From writer Michael Avon Oeming who brought us the rather lackluster story of the fall of the MU's Thor and Asgard comes a much better story about an assault on Marvel's Greek pantheon.  The pacing of the story is a bit off, but all in all it's a pretty enjoyable read.

Conan: Book Of Thoth (Paperback) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593076487/qid=1152600916/ref=br_lf_b_2/002-7523482-6873621?n=4397&s=books&v=glance):  Kurt Busiek's take on the origin of Conan villain Thoth-Amon.  If you like Conan comics, you'll probably want to check this out.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401211453/qid=1152601135/ref=br_lf_b_4/002-7523482-6873621?n=193766&s=books&v=glance):  Also from Busiek comes the first volume of his run on Aquaman.  Now it's hard for me to fully recommend this book as all the issues contained in it haven't been released yet so I haven't read the full arc.  Busiek also has this story on a bit of a slow burn, treating it more like a longer epic.  In other words this tpb won't really tell the complete story by itself so don't pick it up if you don't want to get into anything for the long haul.  Busiek's writing here is heavily influenced by his previous work on Conan.

Dr. Strange Vs. Dracula: The Montesi Formula TPB (Paperback) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785122443/qid=1152600743/ref=br_lf_b_7/002-7523482-6873621?n=4400&s=books&v=glance):  Ok, this isn't exactly required reading.  It is however a fairly fun Marvel tale from simpler times.  You've got Marv Wolfman writing, Dr. Strange, Blade, Frank Drake, Hannibal King, and the eradication of Vampires in the Marvel Universe (for a time anyway).