Saga, Vol.12

 
YES, it's that semi-annual time when Image Comics gather together the past years worth of issues and compile them into the next collected volume, this time for Volume Twelve of the long-running Brian K Vaughn/Fiona Staples epic SAGA!

As you might remember, I gave up on the monthly issue-by-issue format of reading the series with issue #56 and have been only reading them through the collected books, starting with Volume 10...so it's quite a long wait in between!

Re: Read: We Stand On Guard

 

 Brian K Vaughan/Steve Skroce Graphic Novel WE STAND ON GUARD: A one-off series that has been making the rounds again recently due to its almost spooky similarities to the current political climate, I just HAD to dig up out re-read it again!

Cool Characters and situations in a post-apocalyptic future where the United States is in Battle against Canada with hi-tech weaponry and giant freaking robots. Funnily enough, my friend tried to dissuade me from reading this, saying it was “meh”, but after reading just ONE chapter at Barnes and Nobles, I HAD to pick it up! Superb art and storytelling!!!

Saga, Vol.11

 Watching the HBO series GAME of THRONES, it seemed to me that they kept systematically killing off every cool character until by the end only second tier characters like Sam Tarley were running the show!( Small wonder I slowly but surely lost interest in the show as a whole!)

Sadly, it appears (at least to me) that they're doing the SAME thing with SAGA, using deaths to fuel shock and emotion t the end of each big story arc, but leaving us with weaker characters to follow in its wake.... VERY disappointed with how this volume ended.

Saga, Vol.10

 After the deaths of so many key characters in the last story arc, the new chapter was off to a rough start, and after two issues and losing interest fast, I really lost my fascination with this strip and no longer felt it was worth it to trudge into the comic shop each month to pick up each issue. So from that point on, i would begin only collecting the trades, and this is the first of them, collecting issues 55-60.

Oblivion Song, Vol.6

 Decent conclusion to a compelling series. Which is more than I can say about most of the series I followed recently.

East of West #45

 SO, this month, the Sci-Fi/Western series EAST of WEST concluded, and while it didn't have half the hugeness or EPIC-ness it promised, I WILL say that it had a complete and, ultimately, SATISFYING ending, one which I accept and will enjoy re-reading again and again!

The Wicked + The Divine #45

 REALLY? THAT was the ending to ALL the mystery and INTRIGUE hinted at throughout the series??? MAN, to say I'm disappointed and underwhelmed is the understatement of the year.

It's like that battle in Twilight where it ended up all an illusion in some guy's mind, only somehow worse. I don;'t even know if I can re-read the series knowing what is revealed at the end.

At least the artwork looked beautiful throughout the entire run. The individual issues I have still hold a place in my collection. 

Lazarus: Sourcebook Collection

 Not really any story at all, but more like a index type supplement (much like the far-superior EAST of WEST did) which i got duped into ordering. Well, it ended up being the last thing I got as I dropped the series after this.

For a series that started out so interesting and compelling, it slowly became a convoluted, meandering mess of which I found a chore to slog through of the brief times an issue actually came out!

Maybe when it's all said and done i'll revisit the series.

The Complete Phonogram

Lazarus Vol.1-5

With the arrival of Book Five, i decided to read LAZARUS right from the beginning, and now, having finished book 5, can honestly say this is one of the best freaking books out there!!!!
Sad to hear that the creative team is taking a break and handing it off to others...hope they retain the book's greatness!

The Wicked + Divine Vol.5: Imperial Phase I

Oh MAN this series is blowing me away right now!!! Can't believe I initially bailed on this series during the third arc, Wicked and Divine is getting so damn AWESOME that it's rivalling SAGA and THEY'RE NOT LIKE US for FAVORITE series right now!!!

Monstress Vol.1: Awakening

The Wicked + The Divine Vol.1-4

Loved Books  One and Two, but when Arc Three came around and they got new artists to do each episode, Ii REALLY lost interest in the series. Plus I had no idea where the storyline was going at that point.
But when i saw an open copy of the latest issue at Other Realms and realized Wilson Cowles was back as the regular artist, I decided to pick up the fourth arc to see if it got any better.
HOLY SHIT, IT DID! This series picked right up and started getting better and BETTER til I was BACK into the book, and now can barely WAIT for Book 5 (which should be coming out very soon)!!!

We Stand On Guard

Image had finally gotten around to issuing a trade paperback version of Brian K Vaughan and Steve Skroce's awesome WE STAND ON GUARD, when I saw the book on the "New Releases" shelf at Gecko Comics, I thought for one fleeting moment that they had made a sequel to the first book! But opening up the book, I calmed back down when I saw it was the same story i already had.
Having said that, when I got home, I realized it had been awhile since I'd read my copy, and so I broke it out to re-read again, and Goddamn if it isn't even better the second time around.
Funny that Gerg thought this book was mediocre, it was far more interesting than 99% of the superhero stuff he usually brings me, LOL

The Walking Dead, Vol.27: The Whisperer War

The Fuse, Vol.4: Constant Orbital Revolutions

They're Not Like Us #13

Yehaaaaawwww! They're not like us is BACK with their awesome THIRD arc where the players in our story start making moves and joining and severing alliances left and right! Nice to see the return of Dawn (Blurgirl) and Maisie, two characters I really love!
Aww, this is such a treat...you know, for awhile there i was worried that maybe the comic had gone on indefinite hiatus (as many of them do...it's the problem of creator owned strips...if the writer/artist loses interest, they sometimes drop it.) that I even ran to reddit to ask about it:

That was six months ago, and I was REALLY losing hope...and THEN to see NEW issues posted up in the "upcoming releases' section of Image Comics just blew my mind and I've been beside myself waiting for it!

Manifest Destiny Vol.4: Sasquatch

Continuing on with this wonderful series by Chris Dingess and Matthew Roberts

The Walking Dead Vol.25-26

Jason has been complaining that he's getting bored of watching The Walking Dead on AMC because he felt like ti was getting into a rut with the same old problems happening over nad over and over again...
Funny, that's the same problem I'm beginning to have with the COMIC! Rick just making the same dumb mistakes over and over again... really waiting for this thing to pick up.

Violent Love #1