Board 8 > Scarlet and Ed's really cool comics topic

(+) Yeah! (+)

I actually do like several of the variations on cyborg superman though he is the least interesting of the 4 to me.

See Cyborg superman kind of illustrates that loke for superman to be effective and not basically a villain he needs his emotional side

I DIS like the whole HES ACTUALLY SUPERGIRLS DAD angle though
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Oh, fuck that Zor-El nonsense.

I used to like Cyborg Superman the most of the four in the original story (I love the betrayal angle), but for years afterwards he became dull for me. Geoff Johns really pushed the suicidal angle, and that worked for me.
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That take on Eradicator is really neat but my favorite is still that incarnation of Superboy.

Defiant and arrogant and ultimately shut up by the presence of the man himself.
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This week:

Bloodshot: Salvation was backstory on the bad guy this week. Not bad, but I'm not sure I should care yet so it was less than it could be.

Maestros continues to be a rip-roaring good time. They have finally upped the stakes on the plot, so it's not all fun and games anymore though let's be clear it's still extremely fun. This is one of the best books on the market right now period.

Mister Miracle. It's Tom King. King is great. This was perhaps my favorite of this series thus far, and I think everyone knows it's been all good so far.

Retcon continues to suck. It appears this is #4 of 4 so hooray for small mercies. Don't bother.
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Yeah Mister Miracle has really been a great trip. It's weird that more people don't try to be somewhat experimental with New Gods.
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I re-read Longbow Hunters.

I always love the art in this story; it's simple but very clean - it works really well, and it's not really duplicated elsewhere in mainstream comics. As for the story itself, it's not exactly the most Earth-shatteringly original tale or anything, but it's a story that really changed what the Green Arrow was all about and the direction his series would take. All in all, I enjoy it mostly in anticipation for what will come later.

Rating: 78 out of 100
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I re-read Deus Ex Machina today.

I believe that the final issue is one of the best single issues in comic book history. In its time, it was so innovative and unique - even today, no one has ever broken the fourth wall and done it in such a moving and intimate manner. It's strange that at the very end of the story, you see Grant Morrison as such a lonely, sad man trying to recapture something he once lost. And meanwhile, Animal Man (for all the horror that has wreaked havoc on his life through this point) walks away happy and almost oblivious to what has gone before.

As for the rest of the story, I think it gets consistently better and better - honestly, it reaches Sandman levels of good. I love the Red Bee's appearance and Psycho-Pirate's resolution that was three years in the making. I like the constant jabs at grim and gritty realistic comics and the sly jab at how different writers don't take care of other writers' characters.

All in all, it's still one of Morrison's best works. Rating: 92 out of 100
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I should have thoughts about this week up tomorrow.
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Looking forward to it.
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I started reading Dangerous Habits today but my day just got away from me in a huge way. I'm sad because it breaks my streak. I guess I could try to finish but I'm feeling kind of down :(
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Weekly Comic Thoughts (from best to worst):

Mister Miracle #5

King is able to make the monotony of any single moment seem like the greatest thing ever in this book, and that might be the reason why I like it so much. I always talk about enjoying the downtime in Nightwing, or the interaction between the Bat family in Batman, and this book gives me that all the time. Its exactly what I want.

Detective Comics #970

I thought the last arc with the Victim Syndicate was a little underwhelming, so I was expecting to come into this one with more of that feeling, but what Ive seen so far has been good. I come to Tec for Bat-team character development, and I got that this issue, so I cant complain. Tim is back, Clayface and Cassandra are great, and Steph is as annoying as ever, all great.

Im still not really feeling the art though. All the characters look off.

Despicable Deadpool #290

Observation before reading: the cover claims Cable dies in this issue.

Update: It was correct, technically.

This book continues to be enjoyable for me.

Suicide Squad #31

I think this has been one of the better Rebirth arcs for this book. I know its been the most enjoyable for me. I knew Rick Flag would come back eventually, and Williams managed to not make it totally dumb. I really like how it almost feels like three stories are being told in each issue with the team in space, the team on the ground, and the back-up, even though its essentially just one. Not bad, overall.

Flash #36

This issue wasnt actually all that bad. Theres still your usual overused inner-monologue by Williamson, but otherwise, I had a good time with it. The Rogues are always fun, and unlike in the previous arc, it seems like we might be building up to something that actually matters. Its been awhile since we had some decent Barry humour as well, after the edginess that was Negative Flash, so thats good.

The Amazing Spider-Man #792

Part two of the Venom Inc. event, which will also crossover into the Venom series so Ill have to pick those up as well.

Im still enjoying it so far. At least theres some direction to the story, unlike the first few post-Legacy issues which were mostly one-offs.

Titans #18

Wally managed to stay dead for nearly two whole issues, which is longer than I expected, to be honest.

This image sums it up pretty well:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/283840868069408768/376457537425506324/boomerangpls.jpg
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Other than Titans, this was a really good week. I've got Spider-Man in the second-lowest spot, and yet I'd still say it was good.
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I re-read Dangerous Habits today. Normally it's all about that conclusion chapter, how wonderful Ennis builds to the final splash page... Constantine is such a wonderful bastard. But this time I read the epilogue chapter and realized how terrible Constantine screwed up. Death is going to follow him forever now. It's a Shakespearean tragedy on acid.

Anyways, rating - 90 out of 100.
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I re-read Multiversity.

It's really freaking great. Grant writes each issue simultaneously as Grant Morrison and whatever universe he's stealing for that issue. There's some serious Alan Moore in one issue, a definite sense of Jeff Smith in another... all of it is just fun as hell. I do have an issue with the planet of The Just. I really feel like Morrison kind of didn't stick the landing on that universe at all. And that's the only real issue of this series - it limits writers for the future. Because while yes, there are ways around the 52 world limit, Morrison chose to fill all of the 52 worlds, so a new writer is stuck in the position of Scott Snyder and forced to design alternate outs for new universes. It's really the one and only time Morrison has been short-sighted.

Aside from that, all of the art is just utterly gorgeous - and why shouldn't it be? One issue has 50 different artists! And it all works together. Even a Guidebook is amazing in the hands of Morrison. Did I mention how much I like Grant Morrison?

Rating: 89 out of 100
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comics.

Metal #4 out tomorrow!
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Metal #4 read.

So we're just going to go Blackest Night and turn the Hawks evil for a crossover again?
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Best part of Metal was SURPRISE STARRO

Also Batman was awesome and I really need to catch up
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Early Weekly Comic Thoughts! (from best to worst):

Batman #37

I dont know what youd have to put in a comic to make anything other than this my pick of the week. Tom King writes the perfect Bruce Wayne as Batman, if that makes sense, and I cant get enough of it. This issue rivals #27 as my favourite of the entire run, and possibly of all Batman single-issues. Superfriends the arc isnt something that ten years down the line youd call classic Batman story, but its also something I could see myself going back to multiple times and continually loving.

I almost dont want to go back to Batman in action. Give me Bat family in Tec, and Batman in Justice League, and Ill take stories about Bruce Wayne in Batman every other week happily.

Dark Nights Metal #4

Finally! It feels like Ive been waiting for the next main issue in this series forever. This would probably be my top book in almost any other week, which I think is a testament to my thoughts on Batman #37. I appreciate the recap at the beginning because, even after reading every tie-in, I still managed to forget where exactly we left off.

Im as confused as ever about whats going on with the Hawks, and if the two manifestations of them are new things or stuff I just dont know about, but it hasnt stopped me from enjoying this series. As always, there are small references that Im probably not understanding here, but it doesnt detract from the book at all. Greg Capullo continues to be my favourite artist as well. His Bruce Wayne is what I think of when I imagine the character (even though this wasnt exactly prime Bruce featured).

Hopefully the Hawkman Found issue coming out next week explains things.

Justice League #35

Priest continues to do well here. Eventually Im going to have to stop comparing everything he does with this book to what Hitch did, but two issues in you can clearly see the scope of the story hes telling and his take on the characters compared to Hitch, and its much better. This book isnt swinging for the fences and whiffing like it used to be, and I can finally say that its not one of the worst Rebirth books.

One nitpick I do have is that Im not sure about Priests Jessica Cruz. Shes never been my favourite character, but Im not sure why he seems to be going all-in on her Latina roots. There was almost two pages of Spanish dialogue in this issue, and as I was skimming through it, because I dont understand Spanish, I just thought to myself, whats the point of all this.

I almost forgot, we got a Martian Manhunter name drop! I dont really have any strong feelings one way or the other on the character, but I know a lot of people have been wondering whats up with him since Rebirth started.

Nightwing #35

Good start here for Humphries. I dont think Ive ever read anything from him before, so I wasnt sure exactly what to expect. Nothing mind-blowing in this set-up issue, but this Judge guy seems like he could be interesting. Dick is a small business owner!

Venom #159

I zoned out about three times over the course of reading this issue and had to re-read the page. I dont think thats ever a good sign.
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I've decided to drop Titans and all things Spider-Man from my pull list, partially for budget reasons, but also because I'm not enjoying them. It's only $10 a month, but, like with Venom this week, I often find myself not paying attention when I'm reading them, mostly because I don't care.

I started pulling ASM after Legacy because I wanted something Marvel, and figured it'd be the most "normal" book they have, but I just don't find it interesting enough to keep reading.

I pulled Titans right out of Rebirth for a variety of reasons. One was more Nightwing, but I don't think I'm missing out on much in that regard by dropping it, and the other was because I thought it'd have a bigger impact on the Rebirth story as a whole because of Wally, and that's clearly not the case. That, combined with horrible art and incredibly mediocre stories, makes it one of the few books I've ever dropped.

I've been reading comics since early 2014, and in that time I've only ever dropped:

Arkham Manor
Star Wars
Harley Quinn
JLA (Hitch and the current one)
Amazing Spider-Man
Titans
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I re-read A Death in the Family today.

It's just not that great. The writing is really sloppy. There's an interesting idea in this story - that the Joker could be under diplomatic immunity - but it's not explored at all. Instead, the entire tale revolves around a fan poll that went exactly the way everyone expected it to. Jason Todd is utterly unlikable and a poor substitute for Dick Grayson; his entire death is a welcome relief to fans who had to endure such a terrible character for so long.

Anyways, I rate it a 38 out of 100.
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Eddv's biweekly comics roundup:

DC

Wonder Woman #36

They are really building this book to a crescendo right now. But at the same time it has just successfully reminded me that they have discarded so much of Azzarello that I just sat there at the plot twist that ZEUS IS BACK AND HAS BEEN A BACKGROUND CHARACTER ALL ALONG kinda took me out of it and just got me mad at DC. But that aside the Jason/Diana/Grail/Darkseid dynamic was really solid. I am so glad this book doesn't suck anymore. Oh there was some B plot with Steve "literally who gives a shit" Trevor that I didn't care about, so it wasn't perfect.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #17

First of all, it should be illegal to have someone who is a crappier artist than the interior artist do the covers. McKone's work on this was just...its so bad. As for the issue itself, this Bizarro story has been draggin on way too long, I hadn't felt like this Suicide Squad interlude has contributed.....anything. That all changed this issue. I do really think its amusing how Lobdell keeps trying to make Harvest work as a DC villain. He tried multiple times in New 52, including a crossover the murdered my beloved Legion Lost title, and he is trying agin here. But he is doing a solid job this time at least because he used his own reputation for crappy writing and overcommitment to pet characters to hit me with the swerve. Well done sir.I get a kick out of Jason constantly rejecting Harley's advances, that was pretty satisfying. I also really liked the callbacks to Roy's relationship with Croc and Jason. I like these sorts of callbacks to Red Hood continuity. I also really enjoy how the Artemis/Harley dynamic actually managed to capture that GOOD Suicide Squad dynamic where everyone wasn't so buddy buddy.

Nightwing #34

The grand finale....ah wistful memories. I think overall I have a much more positive impression of this late Seeley run. I wasn't sure if it was being implied that Raptor was Dick's real father or just so close with Mary that she named her son after him but I thought that was a nice touch. I also really liked the run-offs here and especially the dynamic between Shawn and Dick. I am unsure whether I want to stay on this book with humpries considering I didn't especially love his Green Lanterns run but I don't want to switch to GLs either so I will give it a shot.

Batman Annual #2

This was a great recovery after what was a really rough, not all that entertaining Talia Al-Ghul vs Catwoman arc. This was fun and whimsical and yet got his point across perfectly and in the process humanized batman, which I really appreciate. If I have one giant, enormous, astronomical complaint about Snyder/Johns Batman of the last 6 years its how inhuman and perfect he was, culminating in that Moebius Chair Batman at the end of the Darkseid War. This is so much better and Catwoman as an honest to god foil to batman is just so good. Anyway, he got me really good with that ending. No fair Tom King. No fair. I wouldn't have even cared if Snyders Batman died.

Batman #36

This was a really cute issue. The dialogue was snappy and while like....given the continuity of Rebirth I don't quite...buy the whole best friends angle being a given, I am mostly ok with pretending the Rebirth continuity shakeups just didn't happen and that things are, basically, as they ever were with following from the New 52 Teamup title or the tons of years of history. I don't like Lois in this issue but I never do. I did think it was funny that they were working on the same case and the melodrama he built all issue was instantly dropped.
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MARVEL

Daredevil #596

Mayor Fisk, I think, speaks to the incredibly galvanized anti-Trump sentiment that exists among people who read comics. It's amazing to me that such an obvious Trump analogue story wherein Daredevil opposes the lying, criminal turned-politician right under his nose is a little on the nose for my tastes, but its also really fucking satisfying. I also really enjoy the vigilante aspect being played up for once in a way that is actually...vigilante-ish. The weird superhero aesthetic of the friendly neighborhood vig is such a Marvel thing that I don't like (and I don't particularly enjoy it with Batman but whatever the whole begrduging alliance with Gordon is a thing). Daredevil running from the cops, plotting an effective non-traditional strategy was really fun to read, good on you Soule.

Spider-Gwen #26

GWENOM!! They have been teasing this for a long time and honestly, its pretty great Matt Murdock as Kingpin shifting in. There has been a lot of culimination of the world they have built up. If this is really the end for Latour, this is shaping up to be a great swan song.

INDIE

Paper Girls #18

I really enjoy the mecha references in the giant invisible time war going on. I also like how literally every single person these girls encounter has some kind of agenda that makes it impossible for their views to align. Also, while Charlotte's views are certainly being presented as positive, but I enjoy that the very idea of what the morality and ethics of what should be done with time travel if such a thing would be possible and what the conflict over such ideological divisions would be are FASCINATING. The concept is like just a little too high but otherwise this is just as fantastic as Saga.

Sheena #4

As the first plot arc comes to an end here I am coming to grips with the fact that this is a pretty average re-imagining of a classic concept while kind of depriving her of what made her so cool and instead having her be all lecturey and the line between Sheena the savage and Sheena the enlightened SJW is pretty badly implemented. Frankly, I expect better of Bennet than this.

Archie #26

The meeeeeelodrama. Honestly this was really cleverly plotted. Waid's idea of taking the typical Archie schlock and treating it very seriously and realistically has done wonders for making me like...well most of the people in the Archie story really, other than the fact that Jughead has been tragically underused. I am looking forward to seeing how this shakes out - my prediction is that Archie and Veronica break up here but that Betty decides to go out with Dilton because thats the most interesting of the possible arrangements, but I could be wrong. The art was SUPER good here, especially the Mok's pencils.
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Random thoughts:

This batch of comics has another of those FROM THE PAGES OF METAL previews for Silencer and....I am not sure what the audience for this comic is. A BLACK FEMALE PUNISHER certainly doesn't feel like a DC hero. The Romita art and Abnett writing is enough to get me intrigued but...not much more.

On the month's order I decided to add Sideways, the Mera solo book, and Terrifics, owing to the amazing concept and a writer in Lemire that I generally trust. If theres enough positive press for The Immortal Men in this topic I will probably add that too. Mera is a limited run and of the rest I imagine only a few of them will survive long term but I enjoy the burst of creative energy here. I am also adding the Legenderry Red Sonja because I freaking LOVE the Legenderry world they have been building and I don't even like Steampunk that much.

I also decided to finally pull the plug Sheena now that its first arc is over and I feel pretty meh about it in general. I have considered pulling the plug on Nightwing and Super Sons as well now that Nightwing is having a creative change and Super Sons has been 2nd to last place in my power rankings for a while but I see theres a big arc for Jon on the horizon and I do at least want to peak at that. I imagine, given the recent Superman trajectory, that they'll find a way to ruin him for me.

I also LOVE Kurt Busiek, so I am going out today and purchasing the Batman: Creature of the Night issue if I can find it. Have you read it Scarlet?
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Eddv posted...

I also LOVE Kurt Busiek, so I am going out today and purchasing the Batman: Creature of the Night issue if I can find it. Have you read it Scarlet?

Yeah, I read it a couple weeks ago. Pretty good; reminded me of Superman: Secret Identity.
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Eddv posted...

Terrifics

By the way, got to preview this. It's fantastic (pun intended).
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scarletspeed7 posted...

Eddv posted...

I also LOVE Kurt Busiek, so I am going out today and purchasing the Batman: Creature of the Night issue if I can find it. Have you read it Scarlet?

Yeah, I read it a couple weeks ago. Pretty good; reminded me of Superman: Secret Identity.

That is pretty much exactly what I wanted it to be. Excellent.
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Re-read a couple things today while I was waiting for dinner to be ready. May read more.

"For the Man Who Has Everything" - I've never particularly enjoyed this adventure. I know it's become a very famous and landmark story, but I don't see what makes it so special, honestly. It's just a run-of-the-mill story. The only real thing of note is the subtle metatexual interpretation of Wonder Woman's kiss with Superman. All in all, I rate it a 57 out of 100.

Also re-read Batman #12 (the introduction of Harper Row). It's a medium issue. Harper doesn't really strike chords for me. Instead, I wish we could've have focused more on Cullen Row in this story. Rating: 50 out of 100

Finally, I re-read Batman Annual #1, the quasi tie-in to Night of Owls. Mister Freeze's origin here is altered significantly and for at least one story, it worked well. Freeze's unrequited love feels very fresh under these conditions, and his use of cold-based offense is very unique. Quite an enjoyable little tale. Rating: 71 out of 100
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Man, Harper Row. What a weird character. I'd chalk it up to just another failed experiment of the New 52, but not even Snyder gave a shit about her. He basically teased her in a few arcs, then started teasing Duke and decided he was way more interesting.

I would liked to have seen Harper take up the Oracle role, since there's no interest in having Barbara do both that and Batgirl.
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They retired Harper, which was weird. Rebirth teams didn't like her, I guess?
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Oh also I'll echo your sentiment on that Mr. Freeze annual. I remember a lot of nerd outrage about his unsympathetic origin story, but honestly I think most of what could be done with the tragic Freeze had already been done. The revised version was pretty chilling (ha!) and I liked the change of pace.

Croc has taken the place of Batman's token sympathetic villain now and I'll take Croc over Freeze any day.
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I'm not a particularly strong advocate of Croc, even now. I think honestly Clayface deserves more attention as a tragic villain. There's so much room to explore that - and of course you've got Man-Bat. I think I just don't like the way Croc talks, personally. Although he does throw big rocks sometimes, which is nice.
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I really enjoy Croc....in the hands of Lobdell.

Now that we can be more subtle about it Croc as a recovering alcoholic who's life has gotten away from him is really a character I like.

Harper Row was a character i really liked but in many ways she was just female Jason and we already have Jason for that.

I found her way more interesting than Duke at least. Outside of We Are Robin hes been a bore.
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Anyway, I kept with Holiday tradition and read the Archie Christmas Spectacular issue today.

Its the same schmaltzy 6/10 experience its always been and thats why its part of christmas.
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I think Clayface has been great in the current Detective Comics run. I don't really have knowledge of the rich history of the character, but his current role seems much better than generic Batman villain, which is what my other experiences with him have been.

I remember Harper getting much more screen-time in the Eternal stuff, but the general opinion on those two runs seems to be pretty mediocre. I enjoyed the initial Batman Eternal more than Batman & Robin, but I liked them for what they were.
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The big thing I dislike about both Eternals is the constant cliffhangers which make it practically unreadable in collected form.

I enjoyed both stories immensely.

I also enjoyed Futures End until uh, that ending.
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https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/12/25/dc-comics-remove-max-landis-superman-story-holiday-special-2017/

I had noticed that my physical copy of the Holiday Special didn't have the Landis story. Now I know why!
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Ah jeez. That's too bad. Landis was a great writer.
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I re-read Up, Up and Away today.

For those of you who aren't familiar, it was the first Superman storyline after Infinite Crisis. What struck me was just how much Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek resurrect in this story. A lot of people say it attempted to take Superman back to the Silver Age, but in reality it does a great job of bringing all eras of Superman into the present. It gives a new lease on life to a ton of great villains and it cleverly told a One Year Later story without giving away anything that made 52 so fantastic.

The art is solid and the writing is great. The only real complaint I have is just how much exposition is getting told in Superman thought balloons. There was a ton of information that Johns and Busiek were trying to convey quickly, but sometimes the writing becomes a spout of exposition. Also, a minor issue: Lex Luthor is pretty bland in this story. There's nothing specifically Luthor-y about him in this story until the very end.

Anyways, 77 out of 100.
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I just remembered we get more Doomsday Clock tomorrow. I haven't read any solicitations so I'm going in blind.
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For the first time ever my wife bought me some books for xmas.

I was super excited to unwrap the entire collection of Marvel Zombies! (All 3 collected books)

Best gift this season. =)
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Se7enthrust posted...

For the first time ever my wife bought me some books for xmas.

I was super excited to unwrap the entire collection of Marvel Zombies! (All 3 collected books)

Best gift this season. =)

Hate to break it to ya, but the main storyline has 5 books now, plus at least 4 other minis! You're in for a rude awakening...
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scarletspeed7 posted...

Se7enthrust posted...

For the first time ever my wife bought me some books for xmas.

I was super excited to unwrap the entire collection of Marvel Zombies! (All 3 collected books)

Best gift this season. =)

Hate to break it to ya, but the main storyline has 5 books now, plus at least 4 other minis! You're in for a rude awakening...

Wtf seriously???

I was told that there were only 3 books. :(
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1-5, Dead Days, Army of Darkness, Return, Destroy, Age of Ultron vs. Marvel Zombies... I'm sure there's more. It starts getting bad eventually.
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Hmm. The info I just checked out says that the 3 books I have contains everything related to the Main Marvel Zombies series up to 2014.

The only spin-offs I don't see listed are Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness #1-5 from 2007 and Marvel Zombies vs. Age of Ultron #1-4 from 2015.

Contents of the 3 Complete Collection Books I have:

Book #1
Ultimate Fantastic Four #2123, 3032
(Vs The Army of Darkness should be here in the timeline...)
Marvel Zombies #15
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days
Black Panther vol. 4 #2830

Book #2
Marvel Zombies 2 #1-5
Marvel Zombies 3 #14
Marvel Zombies 4 #14
Marvel Zombies: Return #15

Book #3
Marvel Apes: Prime Eight #1
Marvel Zombies: Evil Evolution
Marvel Zombies 5 #15
Marvel Zombies Supreme #15
Marvel Zombies Destroy #15
Marvel Zombies Halloween #1
(Vs. The Age of Ultron should be here in the timeline...)
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Oh nice. You have the Completes. That's a lot lot lot better for you.
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Big spoilers from Spider-Men II #5 today:

Ultimate Universe is back, baby!

Also, the second issue of Doomsday Clock was good, not great. Mime continues to be the best character in this story.
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Lmao Marvel.

How does anyone follow their shit.
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Sweet. I found the Marvel Zombies vs. Age of Ultron book at my local comic shop and just placed an order on Amazon for the Army of Darkness vs. Marvel Zombies book.

Now I will have the whole Zombies collection. =D (Assuming so since there hasn't been another addition since 2015)
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Not as far as I know!
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I've been reading a few old stories as of late. The first volume of Fables was today - I always forget that it was a completely different artist on volume one!
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