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The last full novel that I read was The Scarlet Letter, which was for my American Literature class. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, as despite knowing it is a classic, most people I know despise it.

 

Currently reading Black by Ted Dekker, and I'm beginning to remember why I liked him so much. I was a huge fan in junior high and high school, but the more I read of his works, the less I liked him. He is excellent at writing thrillers--he tends to start things off with a bang (sometimes literally)--and he has some great twists. The problem is, his books are almost like romance novels; they have a certain formula, even for characters, and they don't deviate much. Again, what he does write is excellent, but after reading several of his novels in a row, it feels like the same story told in a slightly different way and in a different place. I especially dislike his so-obsessed-with-someone-or-something-that-he-cannot-think-properly-and-does-stupid-things main characters. Once I discovered this, I stopped reading his stuff for a long time (the only exception being The Priest's Graveyard, which, despite being dark and a little twisted, is quite different from his other works, and it resonates with me in a strange way).

 

However, I got the itch to read The Circle Trilogy, of which Black is the first part, and I'm not regretting it. I can see that same old formula popping up, but since I haven't been exposed to it in a long time, it works. I can't wait to read the other two.

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The last full novel that I read was The Scarlet Letter, which was for my American Literature class. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, as despite knowing it is a classic, most people I know despise it.

I'm one of those people. :/

There aren't many books that I flat-out dislike, but that's one of them.

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The last full novel that I read was The Scarlet Letter, which was for my American Literature class. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, as despite knowing it is a classic, most people I know despise it.

I'm one of those people. :/

There aren't many books that I flat-out dislike, but that's one of them.

 

 

Really? Is there any particular reason? I suppose part of the reason I liked it was the context in which I read it, but I'm still curious why so many people dislike it.

My epic: For Them (Review Topic)

 

BZPRPG: Trauer and Faora

 

Bionifight Ultimate: Daedalus Drachoren and Von Worten Undtränen

 

The Elder Scrolls: Ashfall: K'Larn

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The last full novel that I read was The Scarlet Letter, which was for my American Literature class. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, as despite knowing it is a classic, most people I know despise it.

I'm one of those people. :/

There aren't many books that I flat-out dislike, but that's one of them.

Really? Is there any particular reason? I suppose part of the reason I liked it was the context in which I read it, but I'm still curious why so many people dislike it.

Honestly, I don't find it very well written (not in the way you might think I mean; I do typically love books written in an older, 17-1800's style, I think it isn't written well by the same standards you would judge pretty much any book, such as rambling sentence-paragraphs (ironic that this is becoming one), fairly boring characters, etc., as well as a quite boring plot that doesn't... really... go anywhere, that I remember.

(Keep in mind that I read this two or so years ago.)

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The last full novel that I read was The Scarlet Letter, which was for my American Literature class. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, as despite knowing it is a classic, most people I know despise it.

I'm one of those people. :/

There aren't many books that I flat-out dislike, but that's one of them.

 

 

Really? Is there any particular reason? I suppose part of the reason I liked it was the context in which I read it, but I'm still curious why so many people dislike it.

 

Honestly, I don't find it very well written (not in the way you might think I mean; I do typically love book written in an older, 17-1800's style, I think it isn't written well by the same standards you would judge pretty much any book, such as rambling sentence-paragraphs (ironic that this is becoming one), fairly boring characters, etc., as well as a quite boring plot that doesn't... really... go anywhere, that I remember.

(Keep in mind that I read this two or so years ago.)

 

 

Now that you mention it, all those things are true, but none of them really bothered me. Again, though, I think my liking the book had to do with the context in which I read it. It was for an American literature class, and we had previously read stuff by William Bradford, John Winthrop, and the like. It was interesting to see how Hawthorne incorporated their beliefs and then kind of turned them on their heads. A lot of that had to do with the ambiguities present within The Scarlet Letter. But I can definitely see why someone wouldn't like it.

 

EDIT: Finished the Circle Trilogy. It was... well, it was incredible. I had forgotten how effective a writer he is. The story resonated with me in a way it didn't the first time I read it. To be honest, I'm a sucker for a well-written story of redemption and love, and that's basically what the Circle Trilogy is all about.

Edited by (Daedalus)

My epic: For Them (Review Topic)

 

BZPRPG: Trauer and Faora

 

Bionifight Ultimate: Daedalus Drachoren and Von Worten Undtränen

 

The Elder Scrolls: Ashfall: K'Larn

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  • 1 month later...

(finally) Just finished reading Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline. Such a fun and amazing read. All I want to do is immediately re-read it.

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Since my last post, I have read The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, Jaws by Peter Benchley, Jaws 2 by Hank Searls, and 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Great books, the lot of them. I'm currently reading Sue Grafton's "L" is for Lawless. I read the preceding books fairly recently, and since I haven't read the latest book in the series, I figured I'd pick the series back up and read all the books currently out.

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The Elder Scrolls: Ashfall: K'Larn

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  • 2 weeks later...

Finished L is for Lawless, and then found out I hadn't actually left off there. Apparently I'd just skipped it (can't remember why). So, I picked up where I actually left off, which was P is for Peril. I finished that along with Q is for Quarry and R is for Ricochet, and I'm currently reading S is for Silence, which is when Grafton started incorporating third-person chapters. When I first read it, I didn't really like the addition, but now I appreciate the way they flesh out the story in ways that's hard to do with a solely first-person narrator.

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The Elder Scrolls: Ashfall: K'Larn

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Finished Ashen Winter a few days ago, I really like books that take place close to home.

Not much of an avid reader these days.

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Finished T is for Trespass. This one is quite a bit darker than most of the other books. The conflict between Kinsey and the antagonist is much more psychological and it is present throughout much of the book. It's alos different from the others in that Kinsey knows who committed the crime pretty early on, she just needs to prove it by figuring out how and why.

 

Now I'm on U is for Undertow. I remember next to nothing about this one, so it should be interesting to see again how it plays out.

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BZPRPG: Trauer and Faora

 

Bionifight Ultimate: Daedalus Drachoren and Von Worten Undtränen

 

The Elder Scrolls: Ashfall: K'Larn

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Finished up Star Wars: Survivor's Quest the other night. T'was one of the EU novels I've been really meaning to get to because the premise was interesting and I've loved all of Zahn's work. But... it's probably my least favorite. Half of it just seemed to be retroactive setup for tidbits of the NJO series and the rest didn't feel like it got truly resolved.

 

Last night I started A Song of Ice and Fire: A Clash of Kings. I imagine I'll be reading this for quite a while heh.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Blessed Child by Ted Dekker. I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, because my mom and my sister both tried to read it and got bored a few chapters in. I loved it, however. I'm currently reading the sequel, A Man Called Blessed. I'm having a little harder time getting into this one, but I aim to finish it. It just might take me longer.

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Aquaman: The Trench, by Geoff Jones. This an excellent revamp of a character people have not taken seriously since the Super Friends TV show (despite Aquaman continuously having good-sub par stories since it's creation, while every-other comic-book character has their ups and downs; he does too, just not as apparent), and the story acknowledges this. Throughout the story, Aquaman is openly ridiculed by everybody: police, nerds, journalists, SNL, mercenaries, and store clerks, you name it. Despite this, the man continues to help out the city of Boston from his deceased father's lighthouse, Beachrock (his home; there are one or two brief flashbacks to Atlantis, but not many details). Aquaman, or rather Arthur Curry, did not choose this alias, but rather people gave it to him mockingly, and have started to do the same to his wife and dog (which neither he nor she do not take kindly to). Throughout the graphic novel, however, he gains a little bit of respect (not a whole lot), and I can't wait to get the next one (or maybe even two!) this weekend. In short, when the Aquaman movie comes out, they have to use this and the following graphic novels as a source for an origin story, if they do not they are simply stupid. Simple as that; the GN itself was like watching a part of a movie.

 

=======================================================================

 

I am currently reading Who Killed Atilla: The Night Atilla Died. Traditional history has it that Atilla simply died on his wedding night by a nosebleed before his planned assault on Constantinople. But the author claims that he has found evidence that Atilla simply did not die but was assassinated, and the history that was taught to us surrounding this event is propaganda, by the usage of philology (the study of understanding and recreating extinct languages and cultures by using what has been written about said things by other peoples). It is quite interesting so far.

 

I can believe it possible to be propaganda, much of the history of that time was twisted in some form or another, especially by the Catholic Church in less then a couple of centuries(look up Donations of Constantine), but the Roman Empire at the same time is not innocent in this despite them usually being the better party (look up The Alexiad, which I have read)

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Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s Mother Night. Very interesting book; I personally loved it, but I could see how some wouldn't (hard to empathise with an ex-Nazi, even if they were a spy). Interesting contrast to his later novels; it was vaguely reminiscent of Heller's political satire, less fantastical in scope, more visceral.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I finally dropped A Man Called Blessed. I wanted to see what would come of the main plot/conflict, but the typical-of-Ted-Dekker characters were starting to get on my nerves, and I already knew how much of the book was going to turn out (a bit of irony, really, as many of Dekker's later books would become known (at least for me) for their surprising twists). Basically, it was kind of boring.

 

So instead I read Never Let You Go by Erin Healy. Despite a few "What in the world?" moments (the good kind) toward the beginning, this book has a fairly slow buildup, but about halfway (maybe two thirds of the way in) in, things pick up and stay exciting. Even if it stayed somewhat slow, though, it would be worth the read, as Healy does an excellent job with making very real characters. The plot is done well, though I have a soft spot for plots that deal strongly with love and forgiveness.

 

Interestingly enough, Erin Healy's first two books (Kiss, which I have read (it is also a really good book), and Burn, which, sadly, I have not read) were coauthored by Ted Dekker, and if it wasn't for that, I probably never would have read her works, which would have been a shame.

My epic: For Them (Review Topic)

 

BZPRPG: Trauer and Faora

 

Bionifight Ultimate: Daedalus Drachoren and Von Worten Undtränen

 

The Elder Scrolls: Ashfall: K'Larn

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  • 3 weeks later...

Alright, I have read a few books:

 

Batman Vol 1: The Court of Owls: This book was extremely well done and is worthy of movie material. I await to see if the Court of Owls and their Talon assassins make an appearance in the next Batman movie. It will be nice to not have the Joker featured as the main villain for once in media (one of the reasons why i love Batman Begins). If you want a classic noir story, some high-tech gadgets, and see Batman lose his mind and become scared of owls, buy this book.

 

Superman | Braniac: Though no longer canon (what a shame), I read this so i could have an understanding of Braniac as I never really knew why the guy abducted cities and shrunk them for a collection. Well let me say, that if Braniac makes a movie appearance, it needs to be this variation, as he is cold and will stop at nothing to get what he wants, not to mention that Superman can barely fight him. With the last note, it was quite refreshing to see Superman on edge and using every ounce of his power to stop a foe that is so powerful and driven towards his goals (and a bit creepy I might add). The pace for this book was like an action-packed movie and moves very fast during the climax, and though it was turned into an animated movie just because of how good it is, I hear it's not as good as the book (what's new?). If you don't care for Superman, this is one of the few books you must get because he and the cast of characters are well developed.

 

Aquaman Vol 2: The Others: This follows Aquaman Vol 1: The Trench, in which Black Manta has returned from a past that the book explains; not to mention the book gives at least a little bit of a history for Aquaman as Vol 1: The Trench was very vague about his past. Basically, he has his own private rag-tag team of superheros called The Others and they must protect ancient relics, and he was a much darker person in the past. I will not say anymore (as that would lead to spoilers) other then I like the reasonable feud between Arthur Curry and Black Manta (name has yet to be revealed). This was better then Vol 1: The Trench IMO.

 

 

Aquaman Vol 3: Throne of Atlantis: If you have read the previous stories and thought Aquaman was pretty cool, then you will be amazed to find that he is just outright epic in the book. This graphic novel finally reveals just about everything with Aquaman's past, and formally introduces King Orm Marius of Atlantis (Arthur Curry's half-brother), or as the surface dweller's call him, "Ocean Master" :rolleyes: (he has been mentioned a couple of time, but never seen). He wields the Crown of Oceans (allows him to control water to powerful degree) and the Trident of Storms (allows him to create hurricane, thunder storms, twisters (etc), and summon lightning bolts from his trident). I love the way Orm is shown to be a sincere antagonist, you understand where he coming from and how he must protect and avenge his people, but he must be stopped; I actually feel bad for him. :(  Orm Marius is now one of my favorite DC antagonists . Aspects of this story will definitely be used on the upcoming Aquaman live-action film(s) (Zach Snyder has heavily hinted at it), and so I cannot wait to see that and the animated movie of Throne of Atlantis. From what I have heard, the animated movie for Throne of Atlantis is epic in action, but it tries to cram in the stories for the previous two Aquaman graphic novels with this one and thus loses the Shakespearean relationship between the half-brothers; I heard it can be a jumbled up unless you have read the original sources.

 

I was going to show a picture of from the GN, one of the most epic battle scenes from DC comics, but I'll let you decide if you want to buy the book (and it's predecessors), or just google it. instead, here is is an action packed rip form the Graphic Novel:

 

The Duel for the Throne of Atlantis:

 

*Orm yelling at Arthur as he continuously strikes at him with a bolt of lightning from his trident, all while a maelstrom pours and tremendous sea waves crash* The poison of the surface world has corrupted your mind! All my life I've wanted to save you Arthur. *grabs Arthur and hurls him through a few buildings* When I was a child, I was told stories of the terror that the air-breathers brought upon us. And when I learned I had an older brother trapped up here, I wept. *leaps before his fallen brother* For years, I begged the Atlantean Guard to bring you home, but they refused to venture to this world. Which is why I took the throne in the first place. *charges his trident of storms* I built up the Atllantean army so I could come here and find you myself. But you found Atlantis first. I wept again that day --- because I loved you as any brother should. *unleashes the full might of the surrounding maelstrom via lightning bolts upon his brother, frowning and eyes watering behind his goggled helmet-crown as it flashes in the light of the lightning*

Edited by Iaredios

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  • 2 weeks later...

Been reading through Usagi Yojimbo again since it's coming off of hiatus this year. Just wrapped up Wanderer's Road, which has one of my favorite issues-"The Blade of the Gods". Really nice, atmospheric issue that introduces Jei, who is perhaps the most memorable antagonist in the series. Kinda wish he'd pop up in the various TMNT cartoon appearances, but he'd be a terrible fit for the usually-lighter tone of the cartoons.

 

Usagi Yojimbo is probably one of the best comics out there, with very few (if any) bad issues. It also doesn't really fall into the slump Cerebus did, where the author went more than a bit crazy during its run. It also doesn't fall into the problem that the Mirage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did, where it just kinda got dumb after awhile (even if the later volumes were marked improvements from the Larsen/Image run). Certainly worth a read.

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Been reading through Usagi Yojimbo again since it's coming off of hiatus this year. Just wrapped up Wanderer's Road, which has one of my favorite issues-"The Blade of the Gods". Really nice, atmospheric issue that introduces Jei, who is perhaps the most memorable antagonist in the series. Kinda wish he'd pop up in the various TMNT cartoon appearances, but he'd be a terrible fit for the usually-lighter tone of the cartoons.

 

Usagi Yojimbo is probably one of the best comics out there, with very few (if any) bad issues. It also doesn't really fall into the slump Cerebus did, where the author went more than a bit crazy during its run. It also doesn't fall into the problem that the Mirage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did, where it just kinda got dumb after awhile (even if the later volumes were marked improvements from the Larsen/Image run). Certainly worth a read.

I've never read any of the TNMT comics/graphic novels. I grew up with the animated series that run in the early 2000's. Based on that, where do you think would be a good place to start?

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Been reading through Usagi Yojimbo again since it's coming off of hiatus this year. Just wrapped up Wanderer's Road, which has one of my favorite issues-"The Blade of the Gods". Really nice, atmospheric issue that introduces Jei, who is perhaps the most memorable antagonist in the series. Kinda wish he'd pop up in the various TMNT cartoon appearances, but he'd be a terrible fit for the usually-lighter tone of the cartoons.

 

Usagi Yojimbo is probably one of the best comics out there, with very few (if any) bad issues. It also doesn't really fall into the slump Cerebus did, where the author went more than a bit crazy during its run. It also doesn't fall into the problem that the Mirage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did, where it just kinda got dumb after awhile (even if the later volumes were marked improvements from the Larsen/Image run). Certainly worth a read.

I've never read any of the TNMT comics/graphic novels. I grew up with the animated series that run in the early 2000's. Based on that, where do you think would be a good place to start?

 

They've been reprinting the 80's Mirage stuff as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection hardcovers, which is probably the best way to get into that version. It's what the 2000's series was mostly based on. If you've got a problem with gore and profanity, though, don't go for it- Mirage TMNT is full of it. The trades are missing a few issues, be it because of licensing problems (issue 8, the Cerebus the Aardvark crossover) or low quality (most of the 'guest writer' period).

 

IDW's doing a pretty solid standalone too- also just named Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's supposed to be pretty good, taking bits and pieces from every incarnation. I've only read a few issues from this one, so I can't say for sure.

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Been reading through Usagi Yojimbo again since it's coming off of hiatus this year. Just wrapped up Wanderer's Road, which has one of my favorite issues-"The Blade of the Gods". Really nice, atmospheric issue that introduces Jei, who is perhaps the most memorable antagonist in the series. Kinda wish he'd pop up in the various TMNT cartoon appearances, but he'd be a terrible fit for the usually-lighter tone of the cartoons.

 

Usagi Yojimbo is probably one of the best comics out there, with very few (if any) bad issues. It also doesn't really fall into the slump Cerebus did, where the author went more than a bit crazy during its run. It also doesn't fall into the problem that the Mirage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did, where it just kinda got dumb after awhile (even if the later volumes were marked improvements from the Larsen/Image run). Certainly worth a read.

I've never read any of the TNMT comics/graphic novels. I grew up with the animated series that run in the early 2000's. Based on that, where do you think would be a good place to start?

 

They've been reprinting the 80's Mirage stuff as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection hardcovers, which is probably the best way to get into that version. It's what the 2000's series was mostly based on. If you've got a problem with gore and profanity, though, don't go for it- Mirage TMNT is full of it. The trades are missing a few issues, be it because of licensing problems (issue 8, the Cerebus the Aardvark crossover) or low quality (most of the 'guest writer' period).

 

IDW's doing a pretty solid standalone too- also just named Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's supposed to be pretty good, taking bits and pieces from every incarnation. I've only read a few issues from this one, so I can't say for sure.

 

Thanks for helping me out. :D I loved the TMNT series I grew up with.

 

Alright, so then the Mirage run is what I have been wanting. Much of that was written by Jack Kurby, right? I heard that he either created TMNT or basically made it his own.

 

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A RUDE AWAKENING - A Spherus Magna redo | Tzais-Kuluu  |  Pushing Back The Tide  |  Last Words  |  Black Coronation  | Blue Man Bound | Visions of Thasos   ن

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Three men on a boat by Jerome Klapka. It was fun from the first page to the last, something not many books can achieve and something I do not usually seek in books. It had its few nice moments of depth here and there, well placed and well written.

Right now I'm reading a biology text on biodiversity. I'm almost done.

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Right now I'm reading a biology text on biodiversity. I'm almost done.

Well that must be interesting. Have fun!

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Oh, I almost forgot. I read Lovecraft's The music of Erich Zann yesterday. He deemed it his best work; to me it wasn't particularily impressive, though it has its intense moments. At the mountains of madness and moreover The shadow over Innsmouth (especially for the twist at the ending) have both a special place in my heart, above all his other works.

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Been reading through Usagi Yojimbo again since it's coming off of hiatus this year. Just wrapped up Wanderer's Road, which has one of my favorite issues-"The Blade of the Gods". Really nice, atmospheric issue that introduces Jei, who is perhaps the most memorable antagonist in the series. Kinda wish he'd pop up in the various TMNT cartoon appearances, but he'd be a terrible fit for the usually-lighter tone of the cartoons.

 

Usagi Yojimbo is probably one of the best comics out there, with very few (if any) bad issues. It also doesn't really fall into the slump Cerebus did, where the author went more than a bit crazy during its run. It also doesn't fall into the problem that the Mirage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did, where it just kinda got dumb after awhile (even if the later volumes were marked improvements from the Larsen/Image run). Certainly worth a read.

I've never read any of the TNMT comics/graphic novels. I grew up with the animated series that run in the early 2000's. Based on that, where do you think would be a good place to start?

 

They've been reprinting the 80's Mirage stuff as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection hardcovers, which is probably the best way to get into that version. It's what the 2000's series was mostly based on. If you've got a problem with gore and profanity, though, don't go for it- Mirage TMNT is full of it. The trades are missing a few issues, be it because of licensing problems (issue 8, the Cerebus the Aardvark crossover) or low quality (most of the 'guest writer' period).

 

IDW's doing a pretty solid standalone too- also just named Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's supposed to be pretty good, taking bits and pieces from every incarnation. I've only read a few issues from this one, so I can't say for sure.

 

Thanks for helping me out. :D I loved the TMNT series I grew up with.

 

Alright, so then the Mirage run is what I have been wanting. Much of that was written by Jack Kurby, right? I heard that he either created TMNT or basically made it his own.

 

Nah, Eastman and Laird. Jack Kirby was an influence, but he never directly contributed to the series.

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Finished the Great Usagi Yojimbo Reread just now. Read all 200+ issues in a span of two weeks, from Usagi's first appearance in Albedo and Critters to the 144th issue of the Dark Horse run. Not counting Space Usagi and Senso, of course.

 

Great comic. Reminded me why I fell in love with it in the first place.

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  • 1 month later...

Breezed through "The Hunger Games" earlier this year. I need to re-read George R. R. Martin's "A Clash of Kings" some time, there's some details in there that I believe I missed.

The Night King's BIONICLE 2.0 Collection
Toa Masters: [IIIIII] Toa Uniters: [IIIIII] Protectors: [IIIIII] Creatures: [IIIIII] Mask Maker: [II] Shadow Spawn: [III] Umarak: [II]
Kulta's Horde: [II]
 

"...The cold winds shall rise, and the dead shall rise with them..."

 

"And all the world shall feel... our... FREEZE!"

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I thought this topic was dead and made a new one. Sorry about that.

 

New 53 Aquaman Vol. 4: Death of a King

By Geoff Johns

The story deals with the aftermath of Throne of Atlantis, with Arthur Curry, whose Atlantean name is Orin and Justice League alias being Aquaman, as forcefully taking the throne of Atlantis from his half-brother Orm Marius and attempt to pacify relations between the United States and Atlantis. No one recognizes Atlantis as a real country and simply label the Atlanteans as terrorists led by a super hero. Arthur is having a difficult time controlling his new-found subjects (many of them would like to free Orm, overthrow Orin  and continue waging war upon the surface world) as well as trying to legitimize his country in the eyes of the United Nations. Much of the story then deals with Arthur conducting military operations (each of which he personally leads) to take back stolen Atlantean technology from terrorists, militias, and black market pirates. All the while Arthur tries to reunite the leftover nations that make-up the old Atlantean Empire from ancient times, a message going to all sea life that they are under Arthur Curry's political control that unintentionally awakens the first Atlantean ruler, the legendary Dead King, King Atlan himself, from a long slumber. Undead and controlling ice, he crawls towards Arthur in an effort to reconquer his long lost kingdom "That which is rightfully mine!". Through fragments, the book also tells the ancient history of Atlantis, telling some of it's foundations, artifacts, and describes the fall of Atlantis by a battle between Atlan and his brother Orin, a civil war, and later it's sinking (Orin's blonde hair signifying a supposed unlucky curse to any Atlantean with blonde hair as they are descendants of the original Orin, including Aquaman himself), as well as the origin of the talismans that The Others use.


 
In short, this book was epic and was flawless, and along with Throne of Atlantis it was written like a movie and as such should be used for an Aquaman movie. It needs to be the plot for a movie. Arthur Curry also grows a beard in this (finally!). The art in the book was beautiful. Death of a King was the last title for Geoff Johns run on Aquaman and finishes up just about every plot line introduced since the reboot.

 

 

 

Aquaman and The Others Vol. 1: Legacy of Gold

By Dan Jurgens

Taking place either during (near the beginning) or after Aquaman Vol. 4: Death of a King (not sure), it deals with The Others being gathered by the de facto leader Aquaman to help hunt down people who are using ancient Atlantean technology that, in the outbreak of the brief Atlantean-American War, was stolen and recovered by Death of a King secondary-villain Scavenger and sold to the highest bidder (black market always has shady people so everyone with the tech is presumably bad). The goal is to find the stolen artifacts and weapons, and destroy them. Such people encountered using illegally obtained Atlantean technology includes: a skin-walker in the Apache Nation in Arizona who aims to create a new Apacheria with an army of undead skin-walkers and take back Arizona from the United States, and a witch in Hong Kong who claims to be the very one that fought King Arthur of Brittania back in the dark ages (maybe another, I forget). While these missions are happening The Others gains a new member (young Apache medicine woman), and there are spies/agents that are trying to take the Atlantean Talismans of King Atlan from The Others. The thievery agents come into full view in the second half of the story, where a hateful near-immortal, OP inventor named Legend (he has forgotten his real name from the Bronze Age) was the one behind trying to take the talismans back to seal his immortality, with his Makuta-level over-powered (yet weaker) daughter and son to help him out.

 

Legacy of Gold had an interesting story and was an adventure, though not nearly as epic as Death of a King. It explored more backstory to King Atlan and the complete origin of the Talismans of Atlan. The story I felt could have been done better at times (like I am curious on how the really old man Legend had children). It was cool to see some paranormal stuff (especially rooted Apache myths), like seeing Vostok again as a ghost, as well as seeing Arizona get featured (I even went to the featured reservation earlier this year :P ). The coloring and art in-general on this book was great, but it felt lacking in comparison to the main-line Aquaman graphic novels.

 

 

 

New 52 Batman Vol. 2: City of Owls 

By Scott Snyder

Picks up right where Court of Owls left off, as it stats off with Bruce Wayne dealing with post-traumatic stress from dealing with the Court of Owls, and almost immediately the army of Talons seen at the end of Court of Owls invading Wayne Manor and epic fighting ensues that also has Batman piloting a small mech to fight off all of the undead ninjas. Robin, Nightwing, and even Alfred Pennyworth are thrown into the fighting (bad arse Alfred ftw). The story also deals with a semi-spoiler about Bruce's family and features a clash with it. Bruce actually has some emotion in this. Good to know you are human after all. The last chapter deals with Viktor Fries, aka Mr. Freeze. He has always been a sympathetic villain, one that I always enjoyed, but what if there was a twist to his back story? A sinister one? Well Batman is here to clear some things up.

 

It has been a while since I read this one, but from what I remember I loved this. City of Owls concludes the plot from the previous book Court of Owls, but there is a third Owl book that comes after Batman Vol. 3, so I am intrigued by what that story could be. And I was shocked by the revelation of Mr. Freeze's origin. Maybe he isn't so innocent after all...  Great art as always, the detailed edginess fits Gotham City very well.

 

 

New 52 The Flash Vol. 1: Moving Forward

By Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato

Unlike some of the other DC characters that were rebooted, Barry Allen was spared from that, though the world he lives in has changed. Starting with the Flashpoint cross-over event and the prelude to the New 52 reboot, The Flash was the one that caused the universe to change and in turn caused the reboot by altering history and attempting to repair it. Barry Allen remembers multiple universes now, the old DC canon, the alternate one that he has created, and the universe that he now lives in.

 

The main plot with this title is that Barry has discovered new ability to go with his powers, as well as having an old friend show up. His new ability is to think fast, mentally calculating each and every probability and he from what he has observed he know what is going to happen (of course, he can't make judgements on things he did not see). The second thing, hey, Barry has a high school buddy named Manuel come back! But he has brought along company: himself. After a struggle against thousands of Manuels that threaten both the original's life and all of Central City, The Flash has to deal with an infuriated Capatin Cold. This later leads to being trapped in the Speed Force with an insane super-powered ex-marine from World War II. While all that stuff is happening, a band of sentient gorillas are discussing the future of a power hungry gorilla named Grodd, and more stuff happens with him that I find interesting.

 

Great story, very well written for being the two authors first time writing. A nice change for me from the edgy Batman and the rising to power story that is Aquaman, as it is reminiscent of older comic books, not heavy with overly serious themes, even though it just barely touched on a couple. The title pages are even nostalgic, shwoing artistic ways to write out the following into the environment, "DC comics presents: THE FLASH! In... *insert title here*". Just nice little things like that are weird in a good way. :P  There a couple of references to Flashpoint, but if you never read those like I haven't then you should be fine (I only have the animated movie to go off of). If you want smart writing that literally has a fast pace and beautiful art work, please do go read this.

 

 

 

Absolute Sandman Vol. 1

by Neil Gaiman

In the beginning of time, when the Lord created the universe and life began, the aspects of life (most specifically sentient life) were birthed in the personified forms of these respected aspects. Destiny, Death, Dream, Delirium/Delight, Desire, and Despair. There is one missing but he will be told of eventually. This story is about Dream, whom has gone by many names, in the tongues of mankind he has also been called Morpheus, Ik'tail, and The Sandman, among thousands more on both Earth and across the stars and metaphysical realms. He has skin that is as white as fresh fallen snow, and eyes as black as the void of space and filled with the twinkle of the stars that occupy that void; his hair is also the color of pure blackness, and his clothing usually take the form of a large robe that like-wise is as black as space's void but end with smokeless fire the eternally burns. Dream also possess three artifacts he created from his own essence in the beginning of time and helped him in his duties: The Helm of Dreams (usually worn when facing something that could be dangerous and increases his power), his power ruby the Dreamstone (a stone of physical 'dream stuff', when activated it allows people to manipulate dreams and imagination; also increases Dream's power), and his Sleep Pouch (a never ending bag of 'sleep sand' that when blown onto people they instantly sleep and start dreaming of whatever Dream wants them too). He has pridefully and dutifully done his duties as the incarnation of imagination by constructing dreams and nightmares that allow lifeforms to escape from their material lives and live out their fantasies or fears. He is aided by the Storyteller Brothers, Cain and Abel, who help him in constructing and planting the seeds of imagination and stories into the minds of people when their spirits visit his kingdom in their sleep.

 

Well, in the early Twentieth Century, in a bid to capture Dream's older sister Death, an Occult Order in London accidentally captured Dream. There they held him as their prisoner and demanding that they be given things beyond his power, such as immortality and infinite wealth, all the while he was trapped naked, cold, and hungry for 70 years. His original captor died and his son inherited the prisoner, continuing his father's futile demands rather then releasing him. In the 1980's Dream was able to escape and punished all those involved that were still living. He goes back to his realm to find that Dream Kingdom had been under serious decay and that much of the darkness that slowly encroached the Twentieth Century was caused by his absence. The rest of the book deals with him cleaning up house, as he retrieves his stolen talismans by contacting the likes of John Constantine, the Justice League (specifically the Martian Manhunter and some other guy) and Lucifer. Afterwards he continues to stabilize Dreamworld, by destroying and exiling former servants of his that have gone rogue and evil (one of them was behind the rise of serial killers in that century)), taking away the dreams and giving nightmares to those that deserve such things and vice versa respectfully. Then end of the massive book gives origins and side stories to various things that have either popped up or will pop up later, the last one being a short story on his sister death.

 

First off, this book is huge and heavy (I have it in hard-cover), it was hard to read it sometimes because of this and other times when I walk around the house with it I felt like I was holding a holy book of some sort. :lol: ; okay, now that that is out of the way....

 

Absolute Sandman Vol.1 is a must-read, and is very mythological. It gives insight into the metaphysical properties of the post-Crisis DC Universe and stands well on it's own if you are not involved with the rest of DC Comics. The art has shown it's age sometimes but for it's time it is great. But the writing is even better, forging a story that will no doubt be carried down hundreds of years from now and even further. Half-way into the book I forgot about Dream's brief contact with the Justice League and felt that I was in a unique world. A word of warning though: this graphic novel, or omnibus, whatever, is very mature. It has nudity, brutal killings, graphic fictional depictions of Heck, and discusses mature themes, so tread carefully. If none of that stuff bothers you, go right on ahead and read it already! I am currently reading Absolute Sandman Vol. 2.

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A RUDE AWAKENING - A Spherus Magna redo | Tzais-Kuluu  |  Pushing Back The Tide  |  Last Words  |  Black Coronation  | Blue Man Bound | Visions of Thasos   ن

We are all but grey specks in a dark complex before a single white light

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Oh man, been a while since I updated here.

I finished The Black Prism, then read The Shining, The Iliad, The Odyssey, Frankenstein, a bunch of H.P. Lovecraft stuff, some Edgar Allan Poe stuff, and am over halfway through Dracula. (Gotta finish it by Halloween!)

I also listened to like 30+ episodes of Welcome to Night Vale, which doesn't exactly count as book-reading, but I sort of think of it as an audiobook.

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