Image Comic of the Week Aug 20/14 - The Fade Out #1, Manifest Destiny #9, Supreme Blue Rose #2

[InformationGeek]

Another excellent issue of Manifest Destiny. Is it me, or is every issue of Manifest Destiny getting better and better? You could tell Chris and Mathew are having a blast with this title. The art is excellent and every issue now is just so much fun. I'm so glad I stuck it out with this title after the first arch (wasn't too thrilled with the plant infestation zombie arch), the concept is just too intriguing to me. We're getting to know the characters a lot more, just an overall fun title. I'm sticking with this till the end.

Personally, I liked the plant infestation zombie thing. I keep making things interesting for me in wanting to know just how messed up and different this fictional historical past was like. Plus, the appearance of the plant god quite surprised me. Frankly, I've loved this series from the very beginning, which is quite surprising considering it was a comic that I hadn't heard about until a week before it was released.

I don't know if I just pick the right books, but Image and Lackluster are never in the same sentence for me. Everything I read from Image is awesome, and heads and shoulders above anything (Except Batman and American Vampire) from the big two.

I totally agree, Image is just so far ahead of the rest of the publishers right now. I have read ONE series from Image in the last year that I didn't care for and I have read A LOT.

I dunno know about that. Image has quite a few lackluster, below average, to god-awful books, it's just no one talks or thinks about them. There's Drumhellar, Genius, Sovereign, Nowhere Men, Dark Engine, Satellite Sam, Undertow, Umbral, and a few others. They are batting the same average as Marvel to me (though light years ahead of Dark Horse, Boom, and Dynamite).

Also, despite quite a few I like, the only book that makes me super excited to read every month is Manifest Destiny. Before I say they take the lead or far ahead of the other publishers from my perspective, they need more than one or two more books to make me feel like that (IDW is even ahead of them in that department).

[Dorktron]

Totally agreed, it's great how the more creator-driven model is spreading too. Boom! is really catching up, Dark Horse announced a bunch before SDCC... Out of curiosity though, which is the one Image series you didn't like? I've sampled a few which I never continued with (Invincible, Sheltered) and recently dropped Zero. Should add though that none of these series are bad; they're just not 'my thing' enough to warrant a coveted spot on the pull list. Due to limited funds I need to be pretty strict and can't give series "an arc" to catch their groove. If I'm not loving something for 3 issues or more, it's pretty much gone.

It was Ghosted. I wouldn't call it bad per se, just not my cup o' tea. I have really high expectations with the whole ghost hunting genre and it just didn't do anything for me through the first arc.

[Dorktron]

I dunno know about that. Image has quite a few lackluster, below average, to god-awful books, it's just no one talks or thinks about them. There's Drumhellar, Genius, Sovereign, Nowhere Men, Dark Engine, Satellite Sam, Undertow, Umbral, and a few others. They are batting the same average as Marvel to me (though light years ahead of Dark Horse, Boom, and Dynamite).

I actually enjoy some of those you listed (Nowhere Men, Drumheller, Umbral) but, yes, there are always lesser books that every publisher puts out. But FOR ME, Image is light years ahead of every other publisher right now and there is plenty to look forward to in 2015.

Dark Engine is one I am planning to check out in trade. It is starting to get some decent buzz, too:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/08/...medium=twitter

[Groo Odyssey]

The only comic I have dropped from my Image pull has been Sovereign. Gave it three issues but nothing happened.

[Cryptid]

How you feeling about the storyline advancement in Trees? I am really enjoying it and it seems hardly anyone is reading it

It's hard to tell what counts as plot advancement in a book like Trees. The scientists studying the mechanical flowers make it sound like there might be some progress on the central mystery of what the trees are and what they do, but it's unclear whether Ellis means for the other subplots to converge or whether he simply wants to show many different cross-sections of this fictional world. In many ways, the current issues resemble the minimal approach to science-fiction in stories like Under the Dome, The Leftovers, or the first third of Childhood's End, where the plot follows the human reaction to an inexplicable event in relatively broad terms. So let's just hope the plan is more like Clarke and less like the other two. There are some neat sociological things going on in the story, but it's hard to tell what kind of plot we're supposed to be in.

But I loved Supreme: Blue Rose. It talks like Charles Stross and walks like David Lynch. What's not to like?

[manatree]

I read them both and Trees beat out the Fade Out in my book. Both are on my pull list. My only complaint about Trees is that with multiple story lines there are a lot of characters to keep up with. It's looking like not every story line will be in each issue, so I've started a character list to track bios and issues that they appear in. It's something that I often do with novels as well. However, I like the pace of the story. I did go back and re-read the earlier issues after reading this one.

I did enjoy the Fade Out and think that it will be a fun read. Haven't picked up the magazine edition. Part of me finds the whole alternative editions and covers to be a marketing scam to milk more cash from obsessive pack rats like me that feels the need to have complete sets. It's probably why I've worked in a library for over 20 years. Since it appears that the mag ed has some additional content, I'll probably cave in and buy it this weekend. I refuse to buy a comic just for an alternate cover.

[ysemaj]

It's hard to tell what counts as plot advancement in a book like Trees. The scientists studying the mechanical flowers make it sound like there might be some progress on the central mystery of what the trees are and what they do, but it's unclear whether Ellis means for the other subplots to converge or whether he simply wants to show many different cross-sections of this fictional world. In many ways, the current issues resemble the minimal approach to science-fiction in stories like Under the Dome, The Leftovers, or the first third of Childhood's End, where the plot follows the human reaction to an inexplicable event in relatively broad terms. So let's just hope the plan is more like Clarke and less like the other two. There are some neat sociological things going on in the story, but it's hard to tell what kind of plot we're supposed to be in.

But I loved Supreme: Blue Rose. It talks like Charles Stross and walks like David Lynch. What's not to like?

The scientist storyline is one of the most interesting story lines in the book, and I hope the mechanical flowers are developing to be something more than technological disruption. I can't see all of the sub-plots converging, unless he has some really great story telling that convinces us that they will all meet or something, which I doubt could happen. Yea, I like the minimal approach, seeing human reaction to events is so much more interesting than a focus on the actual zombies. In some way it's like The Walking Dead where the comic is actually about the characters rather than the zombies. It's one of my favourites on my pull so I really do hope it goes past the planned 8 issues, there's so much more potential for story telling!

Ah, you must be quite a die-hard sci fi fan then because Supreme: Blue Rose was a letdown for me this week. I really felt the storyline was relying heavily on readers knowledge of Moore's Supreme which I haven't read, and I feel like giving up on it or if I have the money on release day to buy #3 but not hope for much.

[ysemaj]

I read them both and Trees beat out the Fade Out in my book. Both are on my pull list. My only complaint about Trees is that with multiple story lines there are a lot of characters to keep up with. It's looking like not every story line will be in each issue, so I've started a character list to track bios and issues that they appear in. It's something that I often do with novels as well. However, I like the pace of the story. I did go back and re-read the earlier issues after reading this one.

I did enjoy the Fade Out and think that it will be a fun read. Haven't picked up the magazine edition. Part of me finds the whole alternative editions and covers to be a marketing scam to milk more cash from obsessive pack rats like me that feels the need to have complete sets. It's probably why I've worked in a library for over 20 years. Since it appears that the mag ed has some additional content, I'll probably cave in and buy it this weekend. I refuse to buy a comic just for an alternate cover.

I'm glad Trees has some votes even though I did vote The Fade Out (which I kind of regret now after a few re-reads!). I was disappointed that Eligia's storyline wasn't included in #4 because I think that is going to get really interesting. Still not fully sold on Chenglei's story yet.. for 3 issues we have seen him to practically nothing except adapting to Shu. Although #7s cover looks like things will be heating up for him I've re-read them a few times to keep track of the characters but I wish the reporter wasn't really a character, just find him really boring....

[Maxpower00044]

Personally, I liked the plant infestation zombie thing. I keep making things interesting for me in wanting to know just how messed up and different this fictional historical past was like. Plus, the appearance of the plant god quite surprised me. Frankly, I've loved this series from the very beginning, which is quite surprising considering it was a comic that I hadn't heard about until a week before it was released.






I dunno know about that. Image has quite a few lackluster, below average, to god-awful books, it's just no one talks or thinks about them. There's Drumhellar, Genius, Sovereign, Nowhere Men, Dark Engine, Satellite Sam, Undertow, Umbral, and a few others. They are batting the same average as Marvel to me (though light years ahead of Dark Horse, Boom, and Dynamite).

Also, despite quite a few I like, the only book that makes me super excited to read every month is Manifest Destiny. Before I say they take the lead or far ahead of the other publishers from my perspective, they need more than one or two more books to make me feel like that (IDW is even ahead of them in that department).

Considering you said Nowhere Men as a lackluster/awful book, I'm not sure I can agree with your tastes here. That book had some of the best world building than any book I've read.


Also, I meant out of the books I read. I'm sure there are awful books out there, but none of the ones I read I feel are bad. Worst book and only book I've dropped from Image, was the book Bedlam. Wasn't a fan of that one.

[matt levin]

Tried to vote for Alex and Ada again, but they were somehow left off this week's list: JUST because they weren't published again this week is NO reason to leave them off the list. For me, THE best book in the Image line. Although, as so many others have said here, Image is surely the leader in really interesting and well-done titles. Haven't read most of those listed for this week, though they're stacked up neatly in my soon-to-be-read pile. Soon as I read'm though, I'm betting The Fade Out, Trees, Saviors, and Stray Bullets will get my votes. Well.... given I haven't read any of'm yet, I voted for Bullets, as I have never been disappointed with Latham's stories--scared, yes, shocked, yes, horrified, often--but disappointed? Don't think so.

Image really seems to be the company best in position to do well, to be the industry leader, from their $1/#1 re-introduction issues (how I found Rat Queens) to their very reasonably-priced first collections of a title (how I solidified my 'need' for Rat Queens) to their very wide range of titles: I can't read every image title (as once, long, LONG ago I did with Marvel), nor do I really have an interest in 'every' Image title--but there are SO MANY titles I enjoy that Image is by far the leader in titles I read from every publisher--easily half or more of my pull list are Image comics these days, with indy titles making up all but perhaps 2% of the rest. (I still get two Marvels--one of which has been cancelled now) and perhaps four or five DC's).

[Dorktron]

I dunno know about that. Image has quite a few lackluster, below average, to god-awful books, it's just no one talks or thinks about them. There's Drumhellar, Genius, Sovereign, Nowhere Men, Dark Engine, Satellite Sam, Undertow, Umbral, and a few others. They are batting the same average as Marvel to me (though light years ahead of Dark Horse, Boom, and Dynamite).

Out of curiosity, what are your favorite Image titles going right now and what would you rate them out of 10? And what are your favorite non-Image titles and what would you rate them out of 10?

[InformationGeek]

Out of curiosity, what are your favorite Image titles going right now and what would you rate them out of 10? And what are your favorite non-Image titles and what would you rate them out of 10?

Sticking to ones with more than five issues and I truly love (really need to catch up on Mind the Gap)...

Chew (8.5 out of 10)
Lazarus (8.5 to 9 out of 10)
Manifest Destiny (9 out of 10)
Revival (8.5 out of 10)

Favorite Non-Image titles sticking to the same rules (books need to be still running. Also I really like Fables and Unwritten being my favorite and second favorite series, but far behind on them):

All-New Ghost Rider (8.5)
American Vampire: Second Cycle (8.5)
Batman (8.5)
Batman Eternal (9)
Black Widow (9)
Coffin Hill (8.5)
Green Arrow by Lemire (9)
Harley Quinn (8.5)
Hinterkind (8)
Justice League (9)
MLP: Friendship is Magic (8)
Swamp Thing (9.5)