Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Your Current Pull List

I want to learn more about this Union group, but it's a slow burn so far. Snakes particularly intrigues me. What's with the funky speech bubbles? Is there an actual person under there, or just a mass of snakes all tangled up and walking like a man? Inquiring minds want to know!

Other than that, I'm mostly getting X-Men related stuff. I'm loving this whole Krakoa era. Tons of oddball characters are getting a chance to shine, and SWORD, Hellions and X-Factor are my current favorites, although Marauders, X-Men and New Mutants are also fun. Not really feeling X-Force or Excalibur yet, so I'm less invested in getting every issue of those (and I shun Cable and Wolverine's solo books).

Not much from DC these days, just Far Sector. Although I'm interested in this Vixen book I'm hearing about coming soon.

Eternals by Kieron Gillen. That's it.

Actually, there's also going to be a new X-Men book titled X-Men Legends. First issue due on the 17th of this month. It's veteran X-Men creators getting to tell some of the stories they'd originally intended to tell. First up: Fabian Nicieza and Adam-X, with Brett Booth as artist.

It is a little blocky looking where the plotting is concerned. But hopefully #2 being a bit better will be the start of a trend.


All the Irish people go "oh, so that's where all the snakes went!"

The character concepts are a bit on the nose, but hopefully some depth to their personalities will make up for it.


I did peek at one of the early Hickman issues of this. Big concept, emotionless characters executing the plot was what I got from it. As for the broader X-Verse, it seems to be an endless shuffling of a cast of thousands. New line-ups merge and split without any seeming difference. I did also peeked an issue of Excalibur. They were all hunting and killing Warwolves, because the writer presumably wanted us to think fox hunting was fun, rather than abhorrent. I'm not going to be touching that one again. I did notice that Apocalypse is now an ally. As with Juggernaut before, I don't know who the teams actually fight any more, if all the villains have switched over.

I read 3 pages preview of an issue, and it did look decent. My reluctance of touching anything DC, other than the Legion, put me off.

If this is Truth & Justice, it might already be out. It was on a preview site, where I get the list of upcoming comics from.

JLA vs Legion (limited series)
Hellboy: Silver Lantern Club (limited series)
Edgar Allan Poe: Snifter of Death (Limited Series - bought for my dad)
Sword of Hyperborea (Limited Series - Hellboy related)
Basilisk
Black Hammer Reborn

I've picked up the occassional Usagi Yojimbo and Chu.

Not much in the way of ongoings. On the other hand, I have picked up a number of Trades on Comixology. topped up my '80s back issues and bought a fair number of UK related things.

So, what are you picking up?

Pull List, or just as much click list these days, from the last month or so...

Animal Castle (Ablaze) - A similar premise to Animal Farm, but with lovely art and with some interesting differences.

The Lion & the Eagle (Aftershock) - old school British Commando comic, given more room to breathe by Garth Ennis

Dogs of London (Aftershock) - Written by Peter Milligan (Shade, loads of interesting 2000AD stuff). Begins as a gangster plot, but there's more going on in a super/supernatural twist.

The Goon (Albatross) - not read it yet, but it will be good. They are always good.

British Paranormal Society (Dark Horse) - Part of the Hellboy Universe, looking into the rum and uncanny.

Jenny Zero (Dark Horse) - I caught a couple of issues of the last series, so picked up the first of this one. Reluctant daughter of a nation's major super hero. She's less than thrilled about it.

Black Hammer: Reborn (Dark Horse): I've the last couple of issues to read of this one. Always surprises with the spin on older comics.

The Rocketeer: The Great Race (IDW) - Pulp fun.

Captain Carter (Marvel) - Spotted while I was looking for another UK based title. It's a bit rushed through a UK version of Captain America tropes, but has it's moments.

Alien (Marvel) - Spotted this when I was looking for the UK based title. I've picked up some recent issues

DC Pride (DC) - Legion/ Sarky/ Pride month winning combo. With me not bothering with the last Legion issue (I'll probably wait to the end/ TPB sale. Then I can read 6 Bendis issues to get the feeling of reading a single comic written by other people), it's back to zero DC shortly.

Vampirella: Dark Powers (Dynamite) - Legion writer Dan Abnett pulls off a fun and interesting parallel universe storyline with Vampirella and the Project Superpowers cast. Not one I'd normally have gone for. The Jae Lee cover made me peek, and I've picked earlier ones. (4 & 5 to read)

Creepshow (Skybound)
Back when family activity was going to the video store to rent a film for Saturday night, Creepshow was the one of the very few that would be rented more than once. Based on the echo of that, and my dad liking EC Comics, 've been picking this up. I'm getting digital versions, but will get the TPB for my non-digital reading dad. Issue one was suitably gory, but issue 2 dropped across the board.

Miracleman: The Silver Age (Marvel)
It's taken nearly 30 years for the plot to pick up from the point where Eclipse Comics went bankrupt. Mark Buckingham looks to have reworked a lot of the art for the newer release. Neil Gaiman is the writer, so that's a guarantee of some quality. The last arc had stories concerning humanity adapting to the natural and enforced changes stemming from the survival of Miracleman and a pantheon of allies. Gaiman wisely took a different tack to that of Alan Moore. This arc showed Young Miracleman (remember, these are UK analogues of the Marvel Family, continued when Fawcett stopped publishing) returned from the dead into a world he is struggling to adapt to. I'm a different reader to the one that read the older version. It will be interesting to see how these stories hold up (assuming Gaiman hasn’t revised them).

Frankenstein: New World (Dark Horse)
Normally I'd not bother, as stories, often digging the character from the grave, are mixed at best. I didn't pick up Mignola's take on this character until the second issue of a previous series. He neatly ties the character with the history of his universe. The title character's longevity enables him to survive where other Mignola creations might not. As such, this story takes place after the finale of Hellboy, in the world that exists after that Earth's Ragnarök. And we are exploring it for the first time with the title character and his companion.

20th Century Men (Image)
An alternate world take on super heroes centring around the cold war conflict in Afghanistan. While darker in tone, it has a distinct narrative voice reminding me of the Chimera Brigade, separating it from just another rehash of Watchmen.

Groo: Gods against Groo (Dark Horse)
I’ve not bought it yet, but I will be. I’ve no doubt about the quality, because it’s a title that has always been well worth picking up. What’s more, it will be a nice surprise for my dad.

various from Europe Comics
Europe Comics has links to Cinebook, Dargaud and others. So, thought provoking subjects, a wide variety of art styles and often aimed at an older reader.
There’s not always something that catches my attention, but I’ve not been disappointed in picking up any of the ones I’ve read. In the last few months I’ve read Noir Burlesque, Republic of the Skull, T'Zee: An African Tragedy and The Gold Chase

Elvira in Horrorland (Dynamite)
Like Frankenstein, this isn’t normally one I’d get. It’s written by someone with a genuine fondness/ knowledge of horror films. The premise has Elvira dropping right into the plots of films like the Shining, Alien, The Fly and Psycho. As each issue moves Elvira along to the next film, there’s only so much you can do within each plot, but there’s enough fun to more than keep it going.

Parker Girls (Abstract Studios)
The latest in the Strangers in Paradise connected series. There’s nothing wrong with the plot, but I’m really there for any humour, the art and the really nicely done dialogue and characterisation. With all that in there, it’s a safe bet for my pull list.

Time Before Time (Image)
A time travel story about criminal organisations, refugees and impending catastrophe. The structure of this one is done really well. The writer is aware of the bigger picture, allowing the reader to see fragments of the meta plot across the times the central characters visit.

Department of Truth (Image)
I picked up the first TPB, and from there went on to pick up the rest and the most recent couple of singles. The central premise is a very Fortean one, while still working in an us vs them to protect the world plot.

Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)
A comic with a standard and longevity that has never disappointed. A pull list standard, and often more.

I did pick up the first issue of the most recent Alien and Predator. There was a decent Alien story earlier in the year. But when the humans or their synthetic kill squads (poor Asimov) are every bit a match for the Aliens/Predators right out the gate, I think it misses the point.

The pay off of Peter Milligan’s The Dogs of London didn’t match the premise, but did capture some of the UK gangster films (possibly what it was aiming for)

What is everyone else picking up?

Nice list, Thoth. Some of them have piqued my curiosity.
Will comment if I follow through. Glad to see that Usagi and Groo are still going strong. Glad, too, that the latter will be a nice surprise for your dad.

Only two certainties on my horizon: Paul Levitz & Alan Davis's "Avengers War Across Time" and Peter David & Yildiray Cinar's "Joe Fixit." Regarding the latter, I have to say that even though PAD is my favorite writer, I gave up on his Maestro Prequel Trilogy early on. But "Joe Fixit," while also molded from Hulk continuity, is a much more appealing proposition to me. It's PAD revisiting and filling in some blanks on the big guy's Las Vegas mob enforcer Era. The reason this appeals to me is that the Vegas Era is IMHO the worst-drawn and most dated of PAD's Hulk iterations -- his original intent was to set the stories in Chicago, and for Marlo to be a prostitute. In other words, the new story might actually be an improvement! I'm imagining something more akin to PAD's much-missed noir crime fantasy series "Fallen Angel." We shall see. At the very least, the main villain is Wilson Fisk, which should be kewl.

Also, one maybe: "Scarlet Witch" by Steve Orlando & Sara Pichelli, if only because I love the way Pichelli draws.




Really? That's news to me.

Yup. Looking forward to Levitz and Davis. I'd pretty much read anything with Davis art work. So, it's not really able to go too badly wrong from there.

I'll take a peek at Joe Fixit. I'm not versed in the Hull or even Wilson Fisk really. So, it should be interesting.

Miracleman was Gaiman before Sandman. So, lots of ideas squinting against the light, coming out from the shadow (and probably beard) of Alan Moore.

The last Gaiman thing I read was the derivative feeling Neverwhere. No idea what he's been up to since. I see his name mentioned in connection to the Beeb every blue moon, and I saw an ad saying he was overseeing Sandman knock offs, to legitimise DC mining it. Did it not turn out well for him?

Regarding Gaiman, I was just being mean. I have always felt -- going back to 1993 and a young Fickles unable to see what the big deal was about Sandman -- that he's overrated and arrogant and needs to be taken down a peg. Or two. Or three hundred.

But, yes, that "franchising" of Sandman you mentioned appears to have been a disaster.

I have no idea whether or not the Sandman live action series is considered an unqualified success.

I had no idea if everything he had touched after Sandman had tanked or not. When I hear his name at the Beeb, it's a reverential mention of his name, rather than there being any substance. So, he seems highly regarded, perhaps partly due to him being successful, so they feel it must be good. Although, I'm sure a good many of them do like whatever it is.

I did buy Sandman right the way through. Now, I'm sure there are lots of solid later issues. But the ones that stick in my mind are the ones that had their base in the DCU. It started in the same way to Swamp Things...um...roots...in the mainstream, before...um...branching out on it's own, more singular path. I do recall Fury bieng in later issues, so perhaps it wasn't that far removed. I think I reread it not long after the final issue. But I haven;t looked at them since.

I'm not surprised if it was a disaster. Having the orginal autoer oversee things is more a passing of the torch stunt than anything else. I'm not even sure what would qualify as a disaster these days for them, in terms of sales or critical acclaim or whatever. Pandering websites and convention bubbles make it hard for me to tell.

I had no idea there was even a live action thing in the works, let alone out. It's probably how they gauge their real success now. If it sells on another medium then it's a hit.

Sandman as an arrogant focal character. If I get round to the British Comics thread, I can give examples of why it's a deliberate thing that you're not quite supposed to relate to in a positive way. It's like saying "Yeah! I love Wolverine, because I'm an emotionally stunted psychopath who is a danger to all around him too! And that's a cool thing to be!"

Thoth, I'd love it if you did the British Comics Thread.

I think I get what you're saying about Morpheus, but I still feel like all he deserves is for someone to give him a good kicking. Preferably Fury.

Definitely. Perhaps some connection at a certain age. But any moderately well adjusted person will just roll their eyes at best, or actively dislike at various levels beyond that. It's the sort of character that may not age well for the reader either, as the reader has grown up while the character remains childish and whiny (or clawy of it's Marvel).

Speaking of Marvel, this discussion has brought to mind a certain Avengers storyline where the villain was supposed to be a misunderstood antihero. Whether or not the writer actually succeeded at his intent is arguable. I'll elaborate over in the 2nd All Avengers thread.

In a nice bit of synchronicity, the latest Miracleman issue, by Gaiman, makes the very point about identification with certain heroes at a certain age, or maturity level. The character here, one of the first post humans in Miracleman's world, asks for his powers to be removed, even specifically mentioning the gold kryptonite parallel. He no longer needs the super powers. It's something he's worked through and now wants to get on with his human life.

As Sandman started firmly in the DCU, this ties directly into Moore's plot. With Moore, it was the human part of Miracleman who never wanted to return. The human subsumed into an ideal, as some readers can do with certain characters. So this character's request is of particular interest. Miracleman's wife never wanted powers at all, preferring to remain human. Gaiman is giving another view or response to Moore's writing of the main character.

Like Sandman and others being annoying, there are gaps in Miracleman's life. While it's not hitting the reader over the head, it's clear that Miracleman doesn't quite see or understand them. Super heroes that could be idealised, until you realise what you're giving up in the process of your own development.