1000 books in 2017

[krisis]

2017 Total: 540 issues in 107 days, 38 new issues read, now 54% done!
(+246 issues from 1k pace, -51 issues from 2017 pace)

Average Issue Rating: 3.34/5 (no change!)

Most-Read Series: (no change!)
1. Justice League (2011) - 50 issues
2. Gotham Central (2003) - 40 issues
3. Wonder Woman (1987) - 31 issues

Highest-Rated Series:
1. Clean Room (2015) - 4.42/5 (+1.08 avg)
2. Black Monday Murders (2016) - 4.33/5 (+.99 avg)
3. Detective Comics (2016) - 4.28 (+.94 avg)

I'm back with my Q2 report

2017 Total: 734 issues in 181 days!
(+238 issues from 1k pace, -266 issues from 2017 pace)

Average Issue Rating: 3.33/5 (-.01)

Most-Read Series: (no change!)

Highest-Rated Series:
1. Powerless (2017) - 4.67 (+1.34 avg)
2. Clean Room (2015) - 4.42/5 (+1.09 avg)
3. Heathen (2017) - 4.38/5 (+1.04 avg)

Read since last check-in, with *s on runs I recommend:
All-Star Batman (2016) #1-2
Batman (2016) #9-21
Batman / Elmer Fudd (2017) #1
Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider (2017) #1
Black Panther (2016) #1-3 & 13
Brave Chef Brianna (2017) #1
Cable (2017) #1
Coady and the Creepies (2017) #1-3
Colossi (2017) #1-3
Creep #1-2
Cyberforce (1992) #1-2
Dark Days - The Forge (2017) #1
Death's Head II (1992) #1-4
Heathen (2017) #1-4*
Helena Crash (2017) #1
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (1993) #1-3
Iceman (2017) #1
Injection (2015) #1-7*
Insexts (2015) #1-2
Iron Fist (2017) #1-2
Jean Grey (2017) #1
Kim and Kim (2016) #1-4*
Lazarus (2011) #1-21 & Prequel *
Lumberjanes #21-24
Men of Wrath (2014) #1-3
Mossy (2017) #1
Nailbiter (2014) #1-30 & Hack/Slash
Nick Fury (2017) #1
Powerless (2017) #1-3*
Rockstars (2016) #1
Royals (2017) #1 ( & Inhumans Prime)
Secret Empire (2017) #0
Silk (2015A) #1-3, 5-7*
Silk (2015B) #1-4*
Snowfall (2016) #1
Superman (2016) #1-6
The Assignment (2017) #1-3
The Flash (2016) #1-8*
The Pride #1-3
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe #1-2
The Wild Storm (2017) #3
Weapon X (2017) #2
WildC.A.T.s (1992) #21
Wolf #5-7
Wonder Woman (1987) #31-35
Wonder Woman (2016) #15-25, Annual 1, Steve Trevor Special
X-Men Blue (2017) #2
X-Men Gold (2017) #2
Zealot (1995) #1-3

[Enigma]

That is quite some pace you're reading at! I like the detail too

[Mister Mets]

DC/ Looney Tunes (6 Issues Worth): Generally successful experiment reimagining the characters of Looney Tunes in the DC world. The King/ Weeks Elmer Fudd/ Batman crossover is particularly excellent.

Batman and Robin Eternal #1-26: This saga about Batman's sidekicks dealing with the consequences of one of Batman's previous battles isn't bad (dialogue's clever, character interactions are decent, art's nice) but it's padded, and highlights that there are just too many sidekicks.

Deadpool (Volume 2) #1-31/ Thunderbolts #130-131: Generally fun but disposable series. The highlight is a Bullseye three-parter that explores Wade's past, while allowing Way and Medina to show hyperviolent Looney Tunes.

Archie Volume 2 #1-19: An excellent relaunch, and a joy to read.

Two-Step #1-3: Fun fully-realized world.

Sandman #41-49/ 51-56: Lesser Sandman volumes, but still damn good stuff, as the series heads to a conclusion.

Graphic Novel #20: Hostage
Excellent piece of comics reporting, showing the life of a French NGO worker during the months he spends as a hostage of the Chechnens. Great storytelling.

Graphic Novel #21: In The Days of the Mob
Jack Kirby at the height of his powers on crime comics not approved the Comics Code of Authority. Very interesting and generally successful experiment.

And some Spider-Man...

Spectacular Spider-Man #189
Nova #12/ Amazing Spider-Man #172, 346-347:
Peter Parker Spider-Man #44-47:
Spider-Man: The Lost Years #1-3/ Redemption #1-4

Total So Far....914 Issues, 21 Graphic Novels

Best of the Batch: Hostage

[Dark-Flux]

What did you think of Motor Crush? It isn't my favourite Image book so far, but I do think that it has some promise and will be stronger in the second arc.

Yeah, its not amaaaazing but i like it well enough to contnue. I like the premise and the art is cool. But yeah, im hoping the second arc will up the ante, what with the supernatural-esque stuff coming in.

[Enigma]

Haha, yeah, I get what you mean there. Mets, what is 'Hostage' like? I have another book by him on my wishlist and I like the sound of 'Hostage' too!

[TomSlick]

Tangled Web omnibus (22)
JLA Year One OHC (12)

Total: 34

Overall Total: 1,181

[docgru]

2017 Week 26

Caroline Baldwin Intégrale 1 (10 issues)
Superman 370-379, 381-387, 399, 402, Annual 9 (21 issues)
Action Comics 529-533, 542-546, 552-554, 557-559, 561 (17 issues)

Total for the week: 48
Total for the year: 763

[Mister Mets]

Haha, yeah, I get what you mean there. Mets, what is 'Hostage' like? I have another book by him on my wishlist and I like the sound of 'Hostage' too!

Hostage is excellent. The basic idea is that it follows the day to day life of a French NGO worker who is taken hostage by some Chechens. He spends most of his time in a small room, although this is kept interesting as he's trying to figure out what's going on in the rest of the world (his sister is getting married, he has educated guesses about the process of negotiating.) A history buff, there are sequences where he reimagines famous military battles. He's no James Bond, so his plans to escape armed strangers are going to be more realistic, and sometimes backfire (he nearly loses his hand in an attempt to get out of handcuffs.) It also takes advantage of the comic book form quite well, with a story that isn't meant to be in another medium.

It is also quite accessible. I gave it to my 70-year old dad to read (he doesn't pick up that many comics), and he enjoyed it.

[Enigma]

Ah, awesome stuff. Definitely on my list! Thanks

[Mister Mets]

Captain America (Nick Spencer) #1-8: Fun action series that generally shows self-awareness about the controversial repercussions of a Harlem liberal as the new Captain America, while also developing a decent cast.

WELCOME TO PLEASANT HILL PROLOGUE 1, ASSAULT ON PLEASANT HILL ALPHA 1, AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. 3-4, UNCANNY AVENGERS 7, ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS 7-8, NEW AVENGERS 8-10, UNCANNY AVENGERS 8, ILLUMINATI 6, HOWLING COMMANDOS 6, ASSAULT ON PLEASANT HILL OMEGA 1: The crossover might have a few too many side-stories (although it's ten bucks on kindle so I can't really fault in on cost) and has a chaotic reading order, but it's a solid execution of a decent concept (supervillains brainwashed in a Prisoner style town revolt.)

Deadpool: The Circle Chase #1-4/ Sins of the Past #1-4: Decent 90s action elevated by the fun, morally ambiguous lead.

Wonder Woman Rebirth/ #1-25/ Annual/ 75th Anniversary Special: There's clever storytelling, with half the issues in the past and half the issues in the present day. It's a bit padded, and the continuity questions are a bit overblown, but it is a compelling crisis for Diana, with solid revelations and payoff.

Jessica Jones #1-6: It's probably not as strong as the original Marvel MAX title, and I don't buy the trainwreck aspects of the lead at this point in her life, although the mysteries are decent, dealing with compelling and dark repercussions of recent Marvel events.

Rick and Morty #16-20, 24, 25:

Blue Monday: The Kids are alright #1-3: Solid turn of the millennium Oni teen comedy, even if the characters are a little too interested in silent movies. The prank war is fun.

Sandman #57-75: The 13 issue "Kindly Ones" epic and six issues of "The Wake" tie up the saga very nicely, as Dream makes a final stand, and it all feels like a tragedy that couldn't end any other way.

Thunderbolts #0, 23-25: Decent series about an especially dysfunctional team, with more reason than most for the screw-ups.

Avengers (Volume 3) #12-15: Solid Avengers tales with great Perez art. The villains aren't that compelling, though the interactions and character problems are great.

Iron Man/ Captain America Annual '98, Citizen V/ Captain America Annual '98) Decent double-sized one-offs spotlighting key characters during Busiek's Heroes Rebirth Avengers titles.

Total So Far....1017 Issues, 21 Graphic Novels

Best of the Batch: "The Kindly Ones" from Sandman.

My goal is to read 2017 issues this year, as well as 52 graphic novels, and I should be able to meet that. I've got 1,000 regular issues and 31 graphic novels to go.

As an incentive to read more older stuff, I'm coming up with additional challenges within the category.

• 100 comics from the Golden Age (up until 1949)
• 100 comics from the 1950s
• 100 comics from the 1960s
• 100 comics from the 1970s
• 100 comics from the 1980s
• 100 comics from the 1990s
• 100 comics from the 2000s
• 100 comics from the 2010s
• 100 black and white comics
• 100 comics from the Comics Journal's Top 100 comics of the 20th Century list.

I'll count reprints within their original era even if I read it in a different format than in which they were originally published (IE- the Kitchen Sink Spirit reprints would count as 1940s comics.) I'm probably not going to have much of a challenge with recent decades. Translations would count for the decade in which the stories were published. Black and white comics would be those originally published in black & white, and that I read in black & white.

[Bloodbones]

Update for June:

JUNE 2017


Cable #1 (1)
Spider-Man (2016) #5 (1)
Injustice: Gods Among Us Year One #1-6 (6)
New Super-Man #1-2 (2)
Action Comics #957-958 (2)
X-Men Gold #3 (1)
Jean Grey #2 (1)
Redneck #2 (1)
All-New Wolverine #7-8 (2)
Super Sons #3 (1)
Superman Rebirth #12-13 (2)
Babyteeth #1 (1)
The Defenders #1 (1)
Hawkeye #1 (1)
Iron Fist #4 (1)
Postal #1-4 (4)
Simpsons Comics #239 (1)
Shirtless Bear Fighter #1 (1)
Totally Awesome Hulk #2-3 (2)
DC Universe Rebirth HC (4)
Deadpool vs Punisher #2 (1)
Extremity #1 (1)
Batman: The Killing Joke (3)
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #1 (1)


Total June 2017: 42

Total since April 1st 2017: 125


The only one I didn't really enjoy is Cable.

Really love Injustice so far! Great read. New Super-Man is a great discovery too, fun read. Shirtless Bear Fighter is awesome! Can't wait to read the rest. Postal TPB #1 was a gift from my girlfriend and didn't know what this book was but it's pretty good! Probably will pick the other volumes. Great reads overall.

Alex

[Mister Mets]

The Spirit (Darwyn Cooke) #1-12: Possibly Darwyn Cooke's most underrated work (mainly because everything he did is so often acclaimed. It's an excellent update of what make Eisner's work tick, allowing him to play around with the art-form, and tell mostly standalone stories with a unifying arc (a new villain with ties to the origin.

300 #1-5: It's quite historically inaccurate, but a lot of fun, and it is about something (uncompromising honor.)

Nikopol Trilogy (originally 3 issues/ albums): Weird series. Very beautifully illustrated, with a convoluted arc (three, come to think of it), and that might be very well be on purpose.

Carnage #1-16: Solid horror comic, building on three Spider-Man villains and people caught up in the fight against them. It takes a demonic turn, although it gets there logically, and says some interesting things about the characters.

DK III: The Master Race #1-9: The art is nice, but the first time reading all of it, it's mainly underwhelming. There are some cool moments, but I think the narrative makes some wrong decisions which limits the story's ability to say something meaningful (Batman fakes his death early on which limits the power of a scene in the climax, Superman and Wonder Woman have the more interesting story when their daughter joins the bad guys.)

Cartoon History of the Universe #1-7: The most fun history textbook ever, looking at all the things leading to the development of the human race, up until conflicts of the classical era.

Sugar and Spike #1-6, 24: Very charming 1950s series about talking toddlers, that is a lot more subversive than you would expect. It reminds me of early Dennis the Menace in that respect (and if you haven't read that, you're missing out.)

Graphic Novel #22) Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth
Beautiful art by Alex Ross with a story that might be a decent standalone issue (though I don't mind padding if it leads to more nice Alex Ross art) about an epiphany for Diana.

Graphic Novel #23) Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia
This might very well be the best Wonder Woman story (and the most accessible of the great ones) as her sense of honor gets her into conflict with Batman, and ancient forces.

Graphic Novel #24) He Done Her Wrong
One of the wordless novels of the early Great Depression. A generic narrative of a scoundrel cheating a couple stuffed with fantastic gags by Milt Gross.

Graphic Novel #25) Una Semaine De Bonte
One of the earliest proto-graphic novels, it's a surrealist remix of 19th Century book illustrations. Intriguing, and public domain, so you can check it out online.

Total So Far: 25 Graphic Novels, 1070 issues

New challenges tally: 25 issues from the 2010s, 12 issues from the 2000s, 6 issues from the 1990s, 7 issues from the 1980s, 7 issues from the 1950s, 7 black & white issues, 14 issues from Comics Journal's Top 100 (Cartoon History, Sugar and Spike)

Best of the batch: Cartoon History of the Universe. It is simultaneously hilarious, educational, and morally instructive.

[UltimateTy]

Wonder Woman by George Perez Omnibus Vol 2 (#30-33)
Justice League vs. Suicide Squad (10 issues)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Vol. 2 (#5-8)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Annual #1
Black Market (#1-4)
Spider-Man #18
Secret Empire #5
Nick Fury (#3-4)
Black Panther #15
Batman Elmer Fudd Special #1
Invincible (#1-8)
Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man #1

Total = 697

[docgru]

2017 Week 27

Barbe Rouge Intégrale 9 (6 issues)
Superman 389-396 (8 issues)
Action Comics 547-551, 560-562, 573 (9 issues)

Total for the week: 23
Total for the year: 786

[awayne83]

Update:

Joe Hill IDW Collection (12) - Couple page turners in here. Haven't finished the last story yet. Not a big horror fan, so i probably won't revisit. Also my copy had some messed up signatures for the first several issues. Seem to have this happen with IDW more than any other publisher

Invincible HC v8 (12) - solid as usual

Kraven's Last Hunt Epic (20) - had several double size or more issues so i counted for 20, sue me. Took at minute to get my mind back in 80s mode, but enjoyed this for the most part, even the Spidey Slayer 2 parter

Venom (2016) v1 TP (6) - Rarely buy Marvel trades, but Venom back being Venom? How could i not? 12 year old me would've had some strong words if I didn't. I've been keeping up with the monthly thread in the Spider-Man forum, and those people have been ripping on this hard. Whatever. It's not perfect, but as a means to an end it's not bad, and I've been waiting a long time for a return to the original status quo.

357 + 50 = 407 for the year