More Batman readings

I haven’t been posting here for a while as I was pretty occupied taking care of my son and wife during the holidays. I have however had some time to go on reading some books, and all of them were Batman stories…

First in line was Batman: Anarky trade paperback that collects Detective Comics #608-609, Batman Chronicles (1995-2000) #1, Batman: Shadow of the Bat (1992-2000) 40-41, and Anarky (1997 1st Series) #1-4 all written by Alan Grant. I had no idea who Anarky was at first, but it was a Batman story with Alan Grant in the mix so it couldn’t possibly turn out to be too bad. And I think that’s exactly how I felt when reading it: “Not too bad”. It did not really thrill me to read it, Anarky is an OK character between a hero (or a “vigilante” as he says in the book) and a villain who’s trying to save humanity by doing not-so-legal things that put him on Batman’s blacklist. The art was just horrible in the first story but it got better as I read on, without being astounding… So yeah… “Not too bad” is what fits best when talking about that book in my opinion.

The second trade paperback I read was Batman: Gothic. I was a bit disappointed by the art at first… I found it was too “fuzzy” like when there’s too much noise when watching TV (the kind of noise that makes the image sloppy) but when reading I found it matched the story pretty nicely and wasn’t bothered by it. I found the story interesting as it unveils a part of Bruce Wayne’s childhood, and the outcome was quite unexpected but I was a bit disappointed by it… Ends up like one of those Japanese animation series where they seem to have used up their entire budget and only have enough money to produce ONE episode. So of course everything gets mashed up and it leaves a lot to be desired… So that’s a bit how I felt, the whole story is a crescendo but it’s concluded in 1 page so it leaves a “So that’s it?” impression. But besides that the story was good and pretty creative too and I think it stands out a bit thanks to its originality.

Last but not least is Batman: Hush vol.1 & 2. I’ve finished reading the first volume and am half way through the second one, and damn that’s a good book. Jeph Loeb is the writer (remember A Long Halloween?) and artist is not Tim Sale this time but Jim Lee. Let me tell you the combination is great! The story’s good, the art and colouring are impeccable, plus you get to see Batman kicking some Metropolitan’s ass which doesn’t spoil anything. Really worth the time and money spent…

Watchmen completed!

… and what a trip it was! I went through the final chapter last night and by the time I flipped the last page I was like “Wow!” and I understood why it spurred so much interest. I won’t talk about what happens inside or anything as I wouldn’t want to spoil your read by giving out any hint on what happens. But I’ll just say it’s really worth putting the time reading the story… So to those of you who have not purchased a copy yet, it’s Xmas time soon so go buy one or get your girlfriend to offer it to you or something…

Still reading Watchmen

I have now reached the 8th chapter and am now really caught in the story. The first 2 or 3 issues were a bit “slow” to me… But after setting up the story and introducing the main characters it really became interesting to read. Add to this a good share of violence with a zest of sex and I was hooked up.

As I read through the different issues, I realized the story was set up in a parallel reality in which U.S. actually won the war in Viet-Nam and took the advantage over Russia. The only thing is they lose their edge and the Russians cease the opportunity and start invading Afghanistan which makes a lot of people go even crazier than they might have been to begin with. The story also lets us know more about some of its principal characters along the line. You get to understand their nature a bit more and see clearer in the way they behave which is always nice.

At first, I really didn’t see why this book was considered as one the bests, if not THE best comic book ever… But after going through those 8 chapters, I really got into the story, really got myself involved in the characters messed up lives, wanting to read on and on as I’m eager to know the end of it. Those 2 guys managed to pull out a trick that really worked on me… It’s not only the story itself but also the way it’s being built in the book, the storytelling part… You really have to read it as it’s difficult to explain with words… It’s a bit like trying to explain to somebody why Pulp Fiction is great. There’s just “something”… And talking about movies, Watchmen is also supposed to come out on the big screen, but honestly, now that I’m reading the book, I wonder how they’re going to reproduce that atmosphere and that gut feeling you get page after page.

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5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Avengers Titles
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Viz Titles

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Ghost Rider

For some reason I've been liking Ghost Rider's comics since my young age... I don’t know why I just seem to be attracted by the less popular characters whereas most people would be X-Men, Spider-Man or Superman addicts… So yeah, I liked Johnny Blaze and his curse and the whole story around it, that is, until someone decided to make a movie out of it. I was OK with Nicolas Cage until I watched that movie… Damn it, that was a waste of time and money. And the worst part is it deteriorated my views on that character and lost my interest in the comic book as well, like a lot of other people I guess.
Anyway, it seems I was wrong and the Ghost Rider franchise is still alive and well. I have read a nice review of issue#28 by Nooch and another of issue#29 over at CBR that confirmed this fact. Jason Aaron and Tan Eng Huat are currently working on those and it seems to be worth picking up, so I encourage you to include this title back in your “Let’s give it a try” pile.

And the winner is… Watchmen!!

Wrath of the Lick King has arrived and everybody’s playing it now, busy leveling up their toons as well as their professions. I wasn’t lucky enough to get my copy the day it went live and am still waiting to receive it. Noone’s willing to do any heroics, let alone 10-man raids like Karazhan or Zul’Aman so I spend my time exploring Kalimdor at the moment. Discovering parts of the map and farming ores for the auction house at the same time is only fun for a bit, that’s why I had to decide quickly on which book I was going to read after flipping the last page of Dark Victory.
Yesterday, I finally picked Watchmen as I heard many good things about it. It’s considered to be “the bible of comic books” (replace bible by what suits your religion best) and I usually enjoy Alan Moore’s work so that works for me.

At first, I was a bit “shocked” by the art that seemed a bit too “old fashion” even comparing to those Batman titles I was reading that came out more or less at the same time (mid to end 1980’s). But I got used to it and it didn’t matter anymore after a few pages.
Their style is quite fun to read… Or maybe I should say “not read”. You can get several panes without any dialog at all, just a guy walking around a crime scene, inspecting for any proof that could have been left behind. I also liked the way it started and ended: from extreme close-up to far-out. I am not sure it will be the case for all the chapters as I’ve only read the first one so far but I guess it is going to be.

The story takes place in New York City and it seems most of the super heroes have been “retired” by the government. Some accepted and began living a normal life, some did not and went rogue. That’s what the main character of this story, Rorschach, did… And although he seems to have quite an attitude, he’s kind enough to visit his old masked mates, who quit being super heroes, to warn them of potential danger coming their way.

That summarizes the first part of the story. Nothing revolutionary but Rorschach seems to be enough of an asshole for me to want to read further. I’ll keep posting as I read on.

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5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Archie Titles
Avengers Titles
DC A to L Titles
Image Titles

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Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Tough choice ahead

So I’ve finally found the time to finish reading Dark Victory. All in all it’s a great read and it ends the trilogy nicely. If I had to rate those 3 books in order of preference, it would be The Long Halloween first, followed by Dark Victory and Haunted Knight. I think I preferred The Long Halloween over the others because I somehow found the intrigue was better. I’ve changed my mind several times trying to guess who “Holiday” was, and Loeb and Sale got me several times… You get a new piece of info, you think you finally know, then it changes once more, setting your mind on something else, then reverses again to end up somewhere completely away from the first idea… I don’t know if you’re following my idea, read the book and you’ll figure out what I mean.

So what’s next? I’m not so sure myself… I have several books piled up on my desk right now, waiting for a charitable soul to pick one of them… There’s still several Batman books among them as well as others such as Watchmen, V for Vendetta and the complete Y The Last Man saga. Tough choice to make as they’re all very promising books… I’ll decide which one wins very soon and post about my impressions as soon as I start reading it.

Long time no hear (or read)

Hi all (not that anyone is actually reading this blog), I haven’t been around for some time… Well, life caught up with me, I got really busy at work and I basically spent all my spare time trying the new WoW patch 3.0 like everybody else.

Of course I still managed to get some reading done. I was in a Batman mood so I went through Haunted Knight, The Long Halloween and am about 70% through Dark Victory… And I have to say I really love those books. The first time I read Haunted Knight, I still had the chills from Batman: Year One and I have to admit I felt kinda disappointed by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s work at first. Not that it was bad or anything, it was just not up to par. But that was a mistake; it’s actually a great book that sets the tone for the next two. I love the art and storytelling and how the mix of both can make you feel the characters’ emotions, even when you cannot see their faces as lots of time, they’re just filled with black ink… I’ve recommended those books and the past and still recommend them now.

I’ve also mentioned one author I liked very much: Brian Wood. This week I finally read the first issue of DMZ and it is awesome. The art is great (he’s using colors as opposed to Channel Zero), it’s really detailed and dynamic too… Plus the story is really catchy. I was planning on waiting for all the trade paperbacks to be released before purchasing them but I got caught up and feel I want to read more right now… Maybe I’ll order the first 5 in my next purchase. I think the next one is coming up some time in February 2009.If you haven’t checked his work yet, head to his website’s download section and get some of the files available. They’re in PDF format so you may want to get a PDF reader first.There’s also a nice Channel Zero review written by Nooch over at J!NX.com you may want to check out.

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This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

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DC Comincs M to Z Titles
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Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Bongo Titles
DC Comics A to L Titles
Horror/Supernatural Titles
X-Men Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: ASGARD

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Batman Titles
Dark Horse Titles
Justice League/Society Titles
Marvel M to Z Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: TONYSTARK

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

How do you know your kid is “creative”?

I’ve heard this question a lot from young parents… They always wonder if their kid is creative or not. I’m not an expert, but I’ve always been thinking that you could consider your kid “creative” if he/she started doing “unconventional” things.

What do I mean by “unconventional”? Let’s say that if, one day, your child draws/paints the sea in pink instead of blue, you shouldn’t explain to him the sea should be blue but instead ask him the reason why he wanted it to be pink… And I’m pretty sure he/she will have an answer that makes perfect sense such as “One fish had a big nose bleed”. I think if his/her mind can make up something like this, it’s a good hint that he/she is somehow creative.

So where am I going with all this? I want to talk about a book of course… and about Sam, its main character, who happens to be a really creative kid. Is he talking about chronicle nose bleeds among fishes as well? No, he’s on another level…

As a kid, have you ever written a letter to Santa Claus when Christmas was approaching? Maybe you’ve had your kid write one too… Well Sam doesn’t. He decides he’d rather write a letter to Dracula on Halloween… There you go, I don’t have to say more to get you curious about this book.

If it tickles you as it tickles me, take a look at Dear Dracula, a new all-ages graphic novel by writer Josh Williamson and artist Vicente Navarrete. You can also follow this link to the CBR article to know the story behind the book itself and check out some samples. It looks really promising.

Weapon X: First Class

I wrote something yesterday about Wolverine: Origin and this morning I tumbled over some piece of news that's quite worth mentionning.

Marvel is planning the release of Weapon X: First Class... Yes, one more story for you Wolverine content hungry readers who want to know more about "Weapon X", the program that turned Logan into the Wolverine he is now. It's apparently going to be a trilogy and the first issue will be available in stores on November, 5th 2008 for USD3.99

If you would like to read the whole article and check out some pictures of that new book, you can follow that link to the CBR website.

Wolverine: Origin

In a previous post I wrote about which book to pick up if you wanted to start reading about Wolverine, I advised to get Best of Wolverine Vol.1. I still think it is a great book and everybody who intends to know about Wolverine should read it… However, I would like to go back on one of the statements I made in that particular post.

At the time, I mentioned it was a “must read” as it contained Weapon X and it was the beginning of it all… Well, it’s actually not. It is if you consider Wolverine wouldn’t be Wolverine without his adamantium skeleton, and it’s not if you want to have a full picture on Logan’s own life.

I recently read Wolverine: Origin, which is actually counting how Logan discovered he was a mutant. I loved the story itself as well as the art and colouring that made the book look like it was a collection of paintings.

It was quite a bold move to want to unveil Logan’s origin as it’s been unknown since the character was created. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at the beginning as I thought it would potentially ruin the character as his “unknown roots” were a big part of his success. Some people will tell you it did destroy Wolverine forever but I’d have to disagree with them as I was quite pleased with the content.

To sum up: Good story + great art = deserves your money

As a side note, the sequel to this book titled Wolverine: The End somehow received very mixed reviews and seems to be very disappointing… So I didn’t feel like spending the money and time on it but may purchase it later out of curiosity.

What’s up with Ironman?

Ironman, just like Batman, has always been one of my favorite comic characters. But when I compare them, I can’t help but still prefer Batman… And by far.

But when you really look into it, their stories are quite similar. They’re both rich industrialists/playboys who lost their parents when they were kids. Then they somehow decide to do the good around them, and use their wealth to design and build top-notch technological tools that will help them do so. Their stories start off so similarly I’ve always thought Ironman was Marvel’s answer to Batman… And as Stan Lee mentioned it before, he always wanted Ironman to shine and be able to stand next to the ones of the likes of Spiderman, but Tony Stark never quite made it there.

So I’m wondering… What made them SO different in the eyes of comic books readers when they’re actually so alike? In a “rich orphan” kind of way…

First, I thought Ironman’s popularity could have been much higher if Tony Stark actually was the only one who could wear his armor… Maybe they should have designed the magnetic breastplate, which was keeping the shrapnel bits from entering his heart, in a way that could have allowed it. Like someone without this “feature” would not be able to power up the suit or something like that. But later on, Marvel heals Tony Stark via heart implant which makes the breastplate useless… Bad call, I’d say…

Why? Because that would have made him unique… He would have been the one and only Ironman. Take Wolverine as an example: the original idea was Logan was a beefy kinda guy wearing gloves equipped with retractable claws, and that was it. This character never really took off before they actually made the claws parts of Logan’s own skeleton! Then a whole new story appeared and it got people sucked in…

But again… Batman is not the only one who can wear his crime fighting tights… Alfred could appear as Batman too for as far as I know, so it’s not uniqueness that gives him the edge over Ironman… So it could be anything from his badass costume to his detective skills. Maybe it’s just that more talented/creative writers and artists worked on Batman? Maybe readers prefer the noirish atmosphere in those stories? Or maybe the marketing team over at DC comics was better? Personally, I’ve always laughed at Ironman’s aliases (The Golden Avenger, Shellhead) and I’d rather be called The Dark Knight or The Caped Crusader, so yeah, maybe it was really marketing that did the trick.

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This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Daredevil Titles
DC comics M to Z Titles
Disney Ducks & Mice Titles
Spider-Man Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: KINGPIN

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

300... The return?

Director Zack Snyder announced that Frank Miller is writing the graphic novel that the movie's sequel will be based on. Events will take place between the Battle of Thermopylae and the Battle of Plataea, the battle that narrator Dilios (David Wenham) is at the end of "300." There's a whole year between the two battles and plenty of room for more story.

Brian Wood

In one of my previous posts, I advised you to pick up the Local trade paperback, which I didn’t know much about at the time. I took some time to look around for other details on this Brian Wood dude… Here’s what I found: before being the comic books writer/illustrator that he is now, he was actually designing video games… And not the crap ones you’ve never heard of as he worked on titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Max Payne. He even worked on short films for Nike! I suddenly realize why they managed to get so much money from me…

Anyway, as I really like his work on Local, I’ve checked other books he’d worked on and here’s what I found:

Channel Zero
Channel Zero Jennie One
Couscous Express
Pounded
The Couriers
Demo
The Tourist
Supermarket
DMZ (still working on the series. Planned ending in 2009)
Fight for tomorrow
The New York Four
Northlanders (still working on that one too. Planned ending in 2009 as well)

So I’m not saying they’re ALL going to be good books, but considering Brian Wood’s track record, I believe they’re worth a good look.
And if you like what he does and want to stay up to date with what’s going on with him, I suggest you visit his website or his blog or both!

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
1980's back issue comics
Horror/Supernatural titles
Marvel's Ultimate titles
Star Wars titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: WILDSTORM

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

300

Frank Miller tells the story of the battle at the Hot Gates of Thermopylae. 300 is an absolutely stunning recounting of the ancient Spartans’ heroism as they stood and fell before the might of the largest armed force on the planet. This simple tale of how one man refused to allow the glory of Greece to fade before a barbarous horde is punctuated by breathtaking battle scenes, glorious heroism, and base treachery.

There was a lot of criticism around this book as many complained Miller was deviating from the “facts” and not telling the story as it “really” happened (according to history books). I still enjoyed it because I was looking for a beautifully-drawn, action packed read, and this is exactly what I found. The edition I purchased, the oversized hardcover with high print quality, particularly showcases Miller's art and story as it really puts the pages in your face. Varley's vibrant colors are the cherry on the cake.

Side Note:
Although the movie contains almost everything in the novel (and even more), it is still well worth reading the book even if you've watched the movie.

About this week’s promotion

As you have seen in my previous post, Mycomicshop.com is having a weekly promotion which gives you 10% on all comics and graphic novels published in and after 1990. This is a great opportunity for everybody to pick up lots of books on the cheap. In addition to the ones I’ve mentioned before, here’s some books I think you should take this opportunity to pick up:

300
Local
Sin City (7 TPBs)
V for Vendetta
Y The Last Man (10 TPBs)

Totally 20 books… Some of you may think it’s a lot of books for a single order and it represents a lot of money too, but when you think about it, you get 10% off and you’ll only have to pay for shipment once.

Anyway, this does it for me and I’m going on a shopping spree… Make sure to pick up some issues.

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
1990 to current back issue comics
Charlton titles
Crime/Mystery/Detective titles
Dell titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: BUFFY

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Marvel Comics A to L titles
1970s comics
Romance titles
Classic Illustrated titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: BRAINIAC

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
DC Comics A to L titles
Marvel Civil War titles
Archie titles
War genre titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: MOLEMAN

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

How did you get to reading comics?

It was a hot summer afternoon. I was about 10 years old and was enjoying my summer holidays away from classrooms and teachers. My dad had to go shopping for groceries and asked me to come along, which I eventually agreed to.

In the supermarket, most of the kids my age would hang around the toys/video games section and organize some kind of Mario Bros. tournaments on what looked like an arcade machine but was in fact a NES… I believe most of us could not afford one at that time and were going to play on the display model at the supermarket instead.

For some reason, I decided not to join the other kids on that day and made my way to the books/comics section. Many books were available, especially French and Belgian titles such as The Adventures of Tintin or Lucky Luke.

While sifting through all the comics available on the shelves, I came across an interesting looking one, counting the tale of a fair skinned dude visiting the North Pole (that’s what I could guess from the cover). I started reading the story and eventually arrived at that critical moment where the main character slaughters Santa Claus… and all his helpers… as well as all the kids on Santa’s list… and probably their parents.

Yes, I was holding Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special trade paperback in my hands. That’s when I became a Lobo fan (and eventually started looking deeper into the comic book universe). Since then, I have read more Lobo stories such as The Last Czarnian, Infanticide, Lobo’s back which I recommend reading if you’re looking for some fun material and want to have a good laugh without having to think too much.

You're ready...! Almost... part 3

This would not be complete if I forgot mentioning Spider-Man. He's a very popular super hero and is probably now more than ever since it also became a Hollywood blockbuster. Actually, thanks to this rise in popularity, Marvel has been re-printing old issues so if you're interested in a specific super-hero, you now can buy trade paperbacks collecting them (usually titled Essential [insert hero's name]... Be careful though, it's usually printed on low quality paper and WILL be in black and white.
As I have not read ALL of spider-man books, i will, once again, try to list some of the ones that I think are really worth reading:

Spider-Man: Death of Captain Stacy by Stan Lee
A must read in which Captain Stacy (spider-man's mentor) gets assassinated.

Spider-Man: Death of Gwen Stacy by Gerry Conway and Gil Kane
Spider-Man's first love goes down... Just please take note that another trade paperback titled Spider-Man: Death of the Stacys is out and collects both those stories... Just keep in mind it does not include all the issues (missing Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 #96-98) so you may want to buy them separately.

Spider-Man: Clone Genesis by Gerry Conway and Len Wein
Contains the original stories of the Spider-Man Clone saga which makes a big part of Spider-Man stories. Anyone who is not familiar with this era should pick up this book.

Spider-Man: Birth of Venom by too many to write it down here...
As the title says, this book is about the birth of Venom and will give you the full background story of the Alien Costume that eventually became Venom.

Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck
Kraven was, in my opinion, the best Spider-Man's foe ever. This is by far my favorite Spider-Man story and Mike Zeck's art conveys that dark atmosphere perfectly. It is not their first encounter as Spider-Man has defeated Kraven in the past, but even you're new to Spider-Man, I believe this is THE book you have to read and won't regret it.

There you go... 5 books really worth mentioning. I haven't listed any dealing with Carnage... And some may not agree with me but I think those were just boring.

You're ready...! Almost... part 2

OK so you don't like Wolverine... Maybe he's too mean for you or something... Now if the idea of a rich playboy who's SO rich he doesn't need to work and instead spends his spare time trying to do something good for the society sounds nice to you, maybe you will like Bruce Wayne also known as Batman.
What I like in this character is not the fact that he's kicking bad guys' ass but more how he does it... If you think about it, most super heroes did not "choose" to be one before they actually went through some kind of DNA changing event that was out of their control and woke up one day with super powers... No... Batman does it using technology. One day he woke up and decided he was going to fight criminals in Gotham City and he knew he needed some kind of an edge (he is only human after all)... So he used his wealth to develop various equipment that would help him in his quest... So yeah, engineering rules~! (Yeah you guessed right, I'm an engineer...)
Anyway, you will find LOTS of books in which Batman appears or is the main character, but here is a short list of some of the ones you will definitely have to read:

Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
The beginning of it all... Bruce Wayne has been training away from Gotham and is now coming back. That's the book in which he meets Jim Gordon for the first time... Sounds familiar? Maybe you've watched Batman Begins?

Batman: Haunted Knight by Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale
First of a trilogy of trade paperbacks that regroups 3 Halloween stories: Fears, Madness and Ghosts

Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale
Second of the trilogy in which Batman, Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent have to work together to catch a serial killer who is getting rid of mobsters from the Falcone family. The story happens over a year between 2 Halloweens and the killer only acts on holidays. This is the story that sees the death of Harvey Dent and the birth of Two-Face.

Batman: Dark Victory by Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale
Last one of the trilogy. Batman's off chasing another killer whose crimes will involve Dick Grayson's parents. Batman then decides to take care of him and he eventually becomes Robin.

The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
This book reveals the origins of The Joker and marks the end of Batgirl as we know her as she gets paralyzed for the rest of her life.

Batman: Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
On April Fools Day, Arkham Asylum is taken over and the inmates demand Batman to be delivered to them in exchange of their hostages. In the process of getting back the detention center, Batman almost goes insane... Creepy story, great art, this book is considered a must have in any comic book collection.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
Batman is now "retired" but will put on his tights one more time to save the good old Gotham City. Considered a classic as well....

OK, I think that summarizes it... Of course lots of books are missing, like you could get the Knightfall saga if you'd like to see Bane, but I just wanted to list out the ones that I think are really worth your first order's money. If you get hooked up, order more!

You're ready...! Almost...

If you read my previous posts, you now know where to buy comics online as well as what those grades mean... You have acquired some money in some way (don't want to know how), created an account on one of those websites and are ready to place your first order. And suddenly, you realize you don't know what to buy as we haven't dealt with that subject yet.. Fear not, chances are you will find something interesting in one of my next posts.

I am pretty sure some of you will be seeking to buy some Wolverine books... And I'd agree with you as I think he's an awesome character (so does Marvel, they've been publishing his stories since the 80's)... I believe a good way to get you started is, well, from the beginning... So you might want to grab the following trade paperback: The Best of Wolverine Vol.1. This book includes Wolverine: Weapon X, by Barry Windsor-Smith, in which you'll learn how he actually became Wolverine, Wolverine, by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, gathering the 4 issues of his first mini-series, and 3 additional comics: Uncanny X-Men #205, Captain America Annual #8 and Incredible Hulk #181 (his first appearance EVER)

There you go, 320 pages of Wolverine action. Next up will be Batman. See you tomorrow.

Comic books grading

OK... So you've decided where to buy your comics and are now checking the different titles they have in stock. For the same title, you'll notice they somtimes have different prices. This usually has to do with different gradings... What it means is the closer to its "brand new" state the book is, the more you will have to pay for it. The different grades are:

• Mint (MT)
• Near Mint (NM)
• Very Fine (VF)
• Fine (FN)
• Very Good (VG)
• Good (GD)
• Fair (FR)
• Poor (PR)

You will basically never find any comic book in mint condition... OK, unless it's brand new but new books usually do not carry any grade. If you would like to know some more details about the above mentionned grades, you can read the grading standards page over at MileHigh. They can differ from shop to shop but they should basically be the same.

You will also find some CGC comics. CGC is a grading company that grades comics and then seals them inside hard plastic cotainers to prevent tampering. They're usually more expensive and CGC does not give the details on their grading standards.

Last thing, if you're willing to start a comics collection to retire on, you will probably be interested in Golden/Silver/Bronze age comics. This qualifies all the comics before the early 80's, which are basically the only ones worth something today. Comics published in later years will usually not turn you any profit.

How to quench your comics thirst

OK, so let's say you like reading comic books but you're not leaving near any shop selling this kind of item. These are basically the only 2 options you got:

1. Contact a friend who lives near a descent comic book shop and have him mail them to you.
2. Buy online.

Chances are you'll probably end up buying them online and this is a post that could help you out finding some descent websites... And the winners are:

• Amazon.com (Duh)
• Mycomicshop.com
• Milehighcomics.com

First up is Amazon... I believe it is probably the best choice if you live in the U.S. as they have most of the new/recent books for like the lowest prices and you can get free shipping on almost everything. This changes a bit when you live outside the U.S. though, especially if the country you live in happens NOT to be part of the ones Amazon's allowed to ship stuff to. As a reference, the last book I ordered from them took 1 month to arrive...

When you're in this kind of situation, you're happy to find "specialized" websites like Mile High and MyComicShop. I've noticed that Mile High was the more expensive of the bunch, but they always have tons of promotions so you may find something you like for 50% off... Their website's a bit "raw" but it's still OK. MyComicShop is a bit more to my liking, I like their website and prices and so on... Plus you get free local shipping over USD50 and free international shipping over USD100. I've actually created 2 similar orders in Amazon and MyComicShop, and thanks to their "free shipping over USD100", I was actually getting 2 more books from MyComicShop for the same price than Amazon.

To be complete, you can also get free local shipping over USD50 and free international shipping over USD125 if you order from Mile High.

So basically, if you live outside the U.S. and can diligently save up your comics money until reaching the required amount (USD100~125), you'd better wait and order a whole bunch at once... If you're not patient, then Amazon should be the best choice.

Welcome to Wanna Read Comics?

Hello World,
this first post is to actually mark the day of the creation of this I-hope-amazing blog. As its name suggests, I'll try to post interesting info for people who want to start reading comic books... IHence the blog's name: Wanna Read Comics?
Hope you'll enjoy my future posts.