Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities My Big-Ass Pile o'Trades Waiting To Be Read At My Whim

Yeep! I'll have to update my Pile List in the next coupla days! There have certainly been lots of wild additions since the last update!

Been over 3 months since the last update! I haven't read a great deal from the Pile in the interim, largely due to a pre-Baxter/2nd Levitz era LSH re-read and about a month spent putting a dent in my huge backlog of "new" floppies. (At least I'm now in 2016 with those! )

Meanwhile, my addiction to finding great deals on eBay hasn't faltered at all, so look toward the bottom to see all of the stunning additions I've made.....


Pile UPDATE (8/18/16)

Currently Reading
Marvel Masterworks: Captain America Vol. 7 (Englehart)
Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus Vol. 1

Recently Read
New Teen Titans Vol. 3
Darth Vader Vol. 2
Planet Hulk
Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders Vol. 4

To-Read Pile
Mage Vol. 2: The Hero Defined
West Coast Avengers Omnibus Vol. 2
Goldfish
Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus Vol. 2
Scout Vol. 2
Frank Miller's Ronin Deluxe Edition
Spider-Man by Roger Stern Omnibus
Marvel Masterworks: Silver Surfer Vol. 1
Iron Man by Michelinie, Layton & Romita, Jr. Omnibus
Murder Me Dead (David Lapham)
Stray Bullets Uber Alles Edition
Grimjack Omnibus Vol. 2
Jon Sable: Freelance Omnibus Vols. 1 & 2
Secret Six Vol. 1: Villains United
Underwater Welder
Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange Vol. 6
Flex Mentallo
Nemo: Heart of Ice, Roses of Berlin & River of Ghosts
Orion by Walt Simonson Omnibus
Shaman's Tears (Mike Grell)
Howard the Duck Omnibus
Just the Tips (a Sex Criminals companion by Fraction/Zdarsky)
Thor Omnibus Vol. 2
Marada the She-Wolf
Legends of the Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle Vol. 1
Bandette Vol. 2
Amazing Spider-Man: The Original Clone Saga (still have to read the Carrion stuff)
Swamp Thing (Brian K. Vaughn) Vols. 1 & 2
Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 3
Pride of Baghdad
Camelot 3000 Deluxe edition
Guardians of Galaxy Vol. 1 (Bendis)
Moon Knight Epic Collection Vols. 1 & 2
Star Wars: Legacy (Ostrander) Vols. 2-5
Star Wars: Tag & Bink Were Here
The Private Eye (Vaughn)
Descender Vol. 1
Deadpool Classics Vols. 1 & 2
Crossover Classics Marvel/DC Vol. 1
Paying for It by Chester Brown
Princess Leia
Secret History Omnibus Vols. 2 & 3
Showcase Presents Warlord Vol. 1
World War Hulk
Star Slammers Complete Collection
Essential Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 1
Crisis on Infinite Earths Deluxe Edition
Thanos: Infinity Revelation
The Wizard's Tale
Superman: Secret Identity

Recent Pile Additions Since Last Update
Twilight Children
Marvel Masterworks Captain America Vol. 8
New Teen Titans Vol. 4
Thor: The Mighty Avenger Complete Collection
Deadpool Classics Vol. 3
Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders Vol. 5
Wonder Woman: Earth One
Doom Patrol/Grant Morrison Omnibus
X-Statix Omnibus
Essential Amazing Spider-Man Vol 10
Ultimate Spider-Man: Chameleons
Doctor Strange/Jason Aaron Vol. 1
World War Hulk: Incredible Hercules
Batman by Moench & Jones Vol. 1
John Carter Warlord of Mars Marvel Omnibus
Essential Spectacular Spider-Man Vols. 2 & 3
Death & Return of Superman Omnibus
Southern Bastards Vol. 3

X-Statix Ominbus? Nice! Was it a good deal?

EDIT: And the Doom Patrol Omnibus! That thing's a beast. I can't find it for less than $130 Cdn (BEFORE shipping).

I got the DP Omnibus for $74.01 (+$6 shipping). It's used but in excellent condition. It retails for $150, and I got it for a shade under In-stock Trades' $82.50. (I'm always looking to beat the IST price on eBay. If I fail to, want it enough and lose patience, I just buy it at IST.)

X-Statix cost me $64.88 with free shipping. It was still sealed in shrinkwrap. Its cover price is $125. It's apparently not on IST now, unless there's a search error.

I'm SUPER patient and diligent about keeping up with eBay searches on a daily basis. It almost always pays off eventually. I think the one I've had the hardest time for the longest fining the deal I want is the Wonder Woman by George Perez Omnibus for under IST's $41. I think this is mostly because of her role in BvS and her upcoming solo film.

Lardy,

Why isn't X-Factor on your list??

Oh, I've got those put aside for when the mood hits. That doesn't mean it will be read last; I just consider that a separate thing. Kind of like the Pile is separate from the floppies, which were both separate from the Legion re-read I recently did. Plus, the X-factor thing is a combination of trades and floppies.

Hopefully, that makes some sense?

It does make sense. Thanks for explaining, Lardy, now I'm totally relieved.

I'm currently now reading my Tales of the Dark Knight/Norm Breyfogle hardcover, and I'm loving the HELL out of it! This isn't particularly surprising for me, but it's always a relief when you revisit old stories and feel just as enthused about it or more so than you did back in the day!

Norm's trademark style and touch with the Bat is already evident in his first story and only gets better from there. And after you read a few stories with other writers, it really takes off with his first Grant/Wagner scripts! I mean, FIRST THING with those guys, we get the first appearance of Scarface and the Ventriloquist, which I feel is Norm's most significant villain contribution to the mythos. GAWD, it was so great to re-experience them written and portrayed correctly after having later creative teams completely mess up the characters with new Ventriloquists and other crappy reinventions!

I don't want to make this wonderful hardcover seem all about the Ventriloquist and Scarface, but they were such masterful creations from the get-go. Scarface pronouncing his B's as G's (because of the ventriloquism). Wesker/the Ventriloquist's docile look that Norm makes such a wonderful caricature with. Scarface's insistence on talking to "me, not him!" Batman's refusal to do so. And just the wonderful, schizoid quality of it all!

And that's only 120 pages in, so far! Even before the standout 2-parter, we get a number of great one-offs with writers like Mike Barr and Max Allan Collins. The only stinker is a Millenium tie-in that makes almost no sense outside the context of that legendarily bad crossover. It's a shame because the central conceit involves exploring Gordon's past as a naval intelligence officer and, of course, some terrific Breyfogle art.

It's an awesome, gorgeous hardcover and a wonderful keepsake for fans of one of the best Batman artists ever. I'm looking forward to the last 300 pages and all the wonders that await within--and to the announced second volume in January!

Scarface (to a bartender): "Gottle of geer. GOTTLE OF GEER!"

LOL

Great stuff. Thanks, Lardy, for the reminders of what a treasure the Grant/Breyfogle-era Batman is.

I know, right?

And back to Ventriloquist/Scarface, I feel that they were the most significant Bat-villains to be introduced since, arguably, Ra's al Ghul. You could certainly make arguments in favor of Killer Croc and Black Mask, who are significant additions in the interim, but I personally feel Wesker and Scarface have a bigger hook and uniqueness to them. Like Croc, they were also immortalized in B:TAS, but if you look at how comparatively recently they debuted before the series and still made it in, I feel it speaks volumes!

It's a shame that DC has since messed with such a good thing when so many others in Batman's rogue's gallery remain relatively intact.

I'm jealous that you're rereading such an amazing era of Batman! Like you, I love this era (which helped cement as a major Bat-fan for life) and I'm a huge fan of Breyfogle.

I agree on the Ventriliquist and Scarface too. Huge favorites of mine since their debut, they're an excellent, genius addition to Batman's rogues gallery. I also love Croc and Black Mask equally as much, btw--I feel all three were just terrific; and although all are of the 1980's, it had actually been some time since the former two when the Ventriliquist was introduced.

If any good can come out all these DC reboots, hopefully it will be characters like the original Ventriliquist returning, back as they originally were before sub-par writers thought it a good idea to mess with a good thing.

Another great bit involving Scarface & the Ventriloquist is when Batman allows himself a rare (private) smile and chuckle at his new rouges' expense -- "I'll see to it that they end up GEHIND GARS."

Well, I'm sure you can re-read them, too, assuming they're accessible!



I'm not trying to dis Croc or Black Mask, but to me, the Ventriloquist and Scarface add some thing to Batman's rogues gallery that is not only unique and stylish but also felt like such a perfect addition that I just had to nod and think, "of course!"--if you know what I mean. Croc and Mask are cool but don't feel to me like there was a spot just waiting waiting for them amongst the ranks. The entertainment value they provide made any appearance something to be looked forward to, like the Joker used to be.

Hope that clarifies and distinguishes my feelings vis a vis when comparing them to Croc and Mask. I'd love to see some counterpoint, if you're game!



Hopefully, but only if whomever does so really loves the duo and understands how to do them justice.

I've noticed that Batman in these stories doesn't have a board up his ass all the time!

Yes, some of the then-concurrent writers of the Batman flagship book (*cough* Jim Starlin *cough*) could've taken a page or two from Alan Grant.

That's really gotten me interested in reading more about Helena, Lardy. I think your review nailed it - in the last issues of COIE, Helena shows exactly what you described. She is capable while still not being perfect, and her flaws make her endearing. I remember her crying after she found out she should not exist. Yet, she still somehow showed strength despite having her world torn to pieces.

When she was narrating her rude awakening, she even casually slips in a "I changed into my street clothes while out of sight. Always protect your secret identity." And she even did her detective work to find out about her existence.

I also felt sad for her death. It wasn't the best death. And the fact that she, Kole and Robin died just before the magicians succeeded in defeating the shadow demons was a big blow! I kept thinking, if only the magicians had succeeded a few moments earlier...

Yep, I think she was a great character for all those reasons and more. And no Helena Bertinelli or New 52 Helena Wayne can ever compare in my eyes. In a way, the deaths of such characters as Helena, Dick and Kole are the true legacy of Crisis because unlike Barry, Kara and some of the rest, there's never been a true resurrection (if any) or reboot that restored these characters as they were.

Thanks for reading the post and reacting, btw, Ibby. I hope you check out the trade. It won't blow anyone away as the best trade they've ever read, but you truly get a sense of this character and what made her special in a way that people who've only experienced later versions have never been able to.

So true. It's these "lost" characters that really get me.

As for Kara, I don't know her various selves well enough to say whether the post-Crisis versions are equivalent to the pre-crisis ones. I totally agree with you on Barry though.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Lardy. It was a pleasure to read yours. I'll definitely put this trade on my wish list!

I thought a little about Kara as I wrote that stuff above. While it's true that Kara may never be the same character she was until her death in Crisis, I think she has had moments and sparks (mostly the Gates/Igle run pre-New 52) that resonate to her original version. And it doesn't hurt that she has an outstanding portrayal ongoing in her own TV series. Helena, even with her restoration as Batman's daughter on a new version of Earth-2, still doesn't feel the same.

That's a good point, with all of Kara's portrayals, she's bound to have one that is very close to her original version.

And I agree about Helena, I read a little bit of the New 52 Helena and she just does not seem quite the same as the other versions.

The closest version of Helena to the pre-COIE version, for me, has been the Helena that appeared in the Post-Infinite Crisis Earth-2 stories. Specifically, the one where the Earth-1 Power Girl was drawn to Earth-2, only to find another Power Girl and another JSA existing there. The Helena that appeared there was the only E-2 JSAer with enough sense and compassion to call out the rest of the E-2 JSA for their shoddy treatment (and torture, dare I say!) of E-1 PG.

Yep, that was the closest, but it was so brief! I really thought geoff would do more with this new/old version of earth-2, but, IIRC, it fell by the wayside really quickly! I don't know if it ever reappeared outside of those handful of issues and before all was wiped clean for the New 52.

Pile UPDATE (10/01/16)

Currently Reading
Spider-Man by Roger Stern Omnibus
Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus Vol. 1

Recently Read
Essential Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man Vols. 1 & 2
Legends of the Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle Vol. 1
Amazing Spider-Man: The Original Clone Saga (the rest)
Essential Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 10

To-Read Pile
Mage Vol. 2: The Hero Defined
West Coast Avengers Omnibus Vol. 2
Goldfish
Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus Vol. 2
Scout Vol. 2
Frank Miller's Ronin Deluxe Edition
Marvel Masterworks: Silver Surfer Vol. 1
Iron Man by Michelinie, Layton & Romita, Jr. Omnibus
Murder Me Dead (David Lapham)
Stray Bullets Uber Alles Edition
Grimjack Omnibus Vol. 2
Jon Sable: Freelance Omnibus Vols. 1 & 2
Secret Six Vol. 1: Villains United
Underwater Welder
Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange Vol. 6
Flex Mentallo
Nemo: Heart of Ice, Roses of Berlin & River of Ghosts
Orion by Walt Simonson Omnibus
Shaman's Tears (Mike Grell)
Howard the Duck Omnibus
Just the Tips (a Sex Criminals companion by Fraction/Zdarsky)
Thor Omnibus Vol. 2
Marada the She-Wolf
Bandette Vol. 2
Swamp Thing (Brian K. Vaughn) Vols. 1 & 2
Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 3
Pride of Baghdad
Camelot 3000 Deluxe edition
Guardians of Galaxy Vol. 1 (Bendis)
Moon Knight Epic Collection Vols. 1 & 2
Star Wars: Legacy (Ostrander) Vols. 2-5
Star Wars: Tag & Bink Were Here
The Private Eye (Vaughn)
Descender Vol. 1
Deadpool Classics Vols. 1, 2 & 3
Crossover Classics Marvel/DC Vol. 1
Paying for It by Chester Brown
Princess Leia TPB
Secret History Omnibus Vols. 2 & 3
Showcase Presents Warlord Vol. 1
World War Hulk
Star Slammers Complete Collection
Crisis on Infinite Earths Deluxe Edition
Thanos: Infinity Revelation
The Wizard's Tale
Superman: Secret Identity
Twilight Children
Marvel Masterworks Captain America Vol. 8
New Teen Titans Vol. 4
Thor: The Mighty Avenger Complete Collection
Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders Vol. 5
Wonder Woman: Earth One
Doom Patrol/Grant Morrison Omnibus
X-Statix Omnibus
Ultimate Spider-Man: Chameleons
Doctor Strange/Jason Aaron Vol. 1
World War Hulk: Incredible Hercules
Batman by Moench & Jones Vol. 1
John Carter Warlord of Mars Marvel Omnibus
Essential Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 3
Death & Return of Superman Omnibus
Southern Bastards Vol. 3

Recent Pile Additions Since Last Update
All-Star Section Eight
Star Wars: Rebel Jail
Batgirl Vols. 1-3 (Stewart/Fletcher/Tarr)
Rachel Rising Vols. 1 & 2
iZombie Omnibus
Tales of the Batman: Alan Brennert
Wonder Woman by Perez Omnibus (finally!)
Lazarus Vol. 4
Incredible Hulk: Heart of the Atom
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Fables: Werewolves of Heartland

On the Way
Omega Men: End Is Here


So, reading-wise, I've really been invested in reading the Spidey stuff. I've woven in and out of the Essentials and trades and have finally gotten to the Stern Omnibus. Once I read thru that and the post-Stern portion of the Spectacular Essential Vol. 3, I will have officially read all of Amazing and Spectacular up to the point where I started buying both titles off the shelves. (I'll eventually go back and get the MTU Essentials to fill in those blanks, but I think most Spider-fans will agree that they aren't all that necessary.) As a big Spider-Man fan, I'm really happy about having finally accomplished that!

I may write a little more about this in the All-Spider-man thread if the mood strikes. I will say that Bill Mantlo was a surprisingly good Spider-scribe vs. my expectations. Denny O'neil, however, was pretty darn unmemorable during his (mercifully) brief run. But Roger stern---from the get-go, he just brings all the subtle and mature storytelling to the table that just confirms my longheld regard for him as one of the very best Spider-scribes of all time! (To refresh y'all's memory, I think it's Lee, Conway, Stern, PAD, DeMatteis, Slott--in order from earliest to most recent.) I mean right from the beginning--and without the steady artistic influence that won't come until he and JRJr finally get together in Amazing!

Awesome, Lardy!! Congratulations on reaching such a milestone with your Spidey reads!

Yeah, I agree that Denny O'Neil's Spidey stories were mostly a lost opportunity. But in fairness to Denny, he may have just needed a breather from the street-level crime drama stuff; after all, before he moved to Marvel, he'd been doing Batman stories for a full decade. And I, for one, find his Iron Man run has been unfairly vilified; it's not perfect, but it has an ambitious long-form novel scope, beginning with Tony falling off the wagon, and climaxing in IM 200 with him going toe-to-toe with the man who nearly destroyed him mind, body, and soul. Denny's IM was one of the few 80s Marvel runs outside of the mutant books to attempt something like that. Denny also distinguished himself as an editor during his time with Marvel -- all of John Byrne's Alpha Flight and Hulk work, Jo Duffy's Power Man & Iron Fist run, and...uh...Fr*nk M*ll*r's Daredevil (well, they can't all stand the test of time, BUT, to end this digression on a positive note, it's a little-known fact that, early on in his Marvel-editor stint, Denny actually gave none other than *Steve Bissette* his first big break into the comic book mainstream! I'll get into the details in Steve's own thread at some point, but...wow, small world, isn't it?)

And regarding your recent additions, I'm very excited about hearing what you think of Tom King's Omega Men. Also Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall, and especially the Wonder Woman Perez Omnibus, because even though I've come to believe its badly dated, it's also a great discussion topic (in a way, that's Diana's tragedy -- her stories tend to be more fun to talk about analytically than to actually read! IMHO.)

Also, it somehow slipped by me until now that you've been following Lazarus. Much as I usually dislike Rucka, and much as his current return to Diana's book has me underwhelmed from what little I read before I gave up on it (bringing back the Cheetah for the millionth time -- and to make things worse, it's the gross and creepy Perez version -- way to go, Greggy), I have to grudgingly admit I've been intrigued by Lazarus, since it's his own thing rather than some clumsy take on a familiar corporate IP. So whenever you get a chance, could you please give me like the gist of what's it's all about?

Lots to look forward to. I've read a number of them and haven't read just as many.

I have read Perez's Wonder Woman. I thought I quite liked it, but I dropped it moments after he stopped pencilling it, which is probably very telling.

I've been reading Lazarus too. Not from the start, so I've a few gaps, but look forward to thoughts on that too.

I read Perez's Wonder Woman when it came out, so it won't be "news" to me, but I do like purchasing memorable runs in Omnibus format, even if they're ones I have read. Omnibuses are just such a great, quality and relatively inexpensive format if you shop carefully. I have fond memory of George's WW, particularly the part of it he drew, which this collects the entirety of. (Chris Marrinan and company were a poor substitute, imo, and I dropped the book fairly quickly.) I loved George's designs for Olympus and the various gods.

As for Lazarus, after the last arc, I decided to switch to trades. It's a good book with a well-realized world, but the pace is Rucka's trademark glacier impression. This will be my first TPB, so we'll see how it goes. I will say, though, that the arc which made up Vol. 3 was easily the strongest yet and made me regret the switch somewhat. The developments and forward momentum of that arc were just what the book needed. (Recall that I am perpetually way behind in my floppy reading, so I made the decision to switch prior to the arc's completion, as I similarly did with Southern Bastards.)

Lazarus is basically set on Earth in the near future. Rucka extrapolates our present day to predict that corporations literally take over the world and split it up into x number of corporate-controlled territories. Each family that controls these territories keeps a tight circle of themselves and a percentage of skilled laborers that is a fraction of the population. All others are "waste" and completely subjugated.

Most families have a Lazarus who represents whatever technology helped establish its dominance and is also their military leader. The book focuses on the Carlyle family whose territory is basically the western half of what was the U.S. Forever Carlyle is their genetically-enhanced Lazarus. Over time, she questions her very identity and her role in the family.

That's a pellet description, but there's a lot more put into it.