What Collected Edition are you reading now?

[Hive]

Alright I hear ya. What mid-late 90s superhero comics do you think were going above and beyond? Morrison's JLA for sure.

Actually... I haven't yet read a mid-to-late 90's superhero comic that I was blown away by. Though I just started reading The Shattering as part of the Apocalypse: The Twelve omnibus (which itself started terribly), and I find that storyline to be quite decent so far. I'm hoping this will be the turning point for me.

[Balakin]

Actually... I haven't yet read a mid-to-late 90's superhero comic that I was blown away by. Though I just started reading The Shattering as part of the Apocalypse: The Twelve omnibus (which itself started terribly), and I find that storyline to be quite decent so far. I'm hoping this will be the turning point for me.

I agree that Morrison's JLA is really good, although Porter's art is very...of it's time. But I've seen worse.
I believe Ellis' Authority was late 90s. Stormwatch was before that so definitely fits in this category but IMO it's not as good as The authority (although it gets better and better as it goes on, especially when Hitch comes on board, I'd say worth a read).
Also, didn't Morrison's Doom patrol happen around that time? they did a Liefeld inspired parody issue so it must have been.

[csmith25]

Invincible Ultimate Collection Vol 2

[Foxy]

Interrupted my Cable & X-Force Omnibus to read the Phalanx Covenant OHC. As Wolverine is on the cover, I hope to see him again. He's been gone for some issues now.

[Hive]

After having read X-Men Mutant Massacre, Fall of The Mutants and Inferno in quick succession, I shall offer my ultra short review:

Everything by Chris Claremont is great at its' best, decent at its' worst. Everything by Louise Simonsen is decent at its' best, cringeworthy and juvenile at its' worst (looking especially at you, X-Terminators 1-4)...

Interrupted my Cable & X-Force Omnibus to read the Phalanx Covenant OHC. As Wolverine is on the cover, I hope to see him again. He's been gone for some issues now.

He'll show up again.

[Foxy]

Everything by Chris Claremont is great at its' best, decent at its' worst. Everything by Louise Simonsen is decent at its' best, cringeworthy and juvenile at its' worst (looking especially at you, X-Terminators 1-4)...

That's a very fair assessment

[Walter Simonson]

You like Walter Simonsen? Well, to each their own, I guess...

It's a shame really, as I like the concept of X-Factor v1 - but neither the writers nor artists throughout the run appeal to me. Especially not the Simonsens and Jon Bogdanove.

Fun trivia info on Louise Simonsen and her flair for characters: she actually wanted to name Cable "Commander X" - but Mr. Pouch Lover himself, Rob Liefeld, insisted on "Cable" (a wise decision, I'd say).

I'm old enough to know that corrections never catch up with misapprehensions, but I thought I would add something to this particular discussion just this once so it’ll be out there somewhere on the web. I am sorry you don't like my work or Jon's, but there's a lid for every pot. We don't happen to be yours. That's fine. And it doesn't matter if you're not crazy about Weezie's work either, although it would have more character flair if you spelled her last name correctly. But I'm really here to pass on one bit of X-trivia. 'Commander X' was never meant to be the final name of the character who eventually came to be called 'Cable'. I've seen that version of the story on the web more times than i can count. Weezie DID use it initially but as a place holder name for the character, until such time as she could come up with a final name for him. Somewhere during the process of nailing stuff down, Rob suggested Cable, a name he really liked, and Weezie felt that was fine, so she gave Rob's name to the character and that was how that came about. You can still credit Weezie for a wise decision, if you like.

[Ramsay Snow]

I've been reading the X Of Swords hardcover.....Before I bought this, I had only read the Hickman-penned issues, along with Hellions (As those are the only current X-books I really read), and what I had read from the event in those were solid.

The full event, via hardcover, on the other hand? Most of it's mediocre. The Hickman-penned issues felt serious, while a lot of the battles which commenced read somewhat juvenile. They were trying to go for some odd level of humor, playing the event out like a Q episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (With Saturnyne as Q, motivated by her being frustrated that Brian Braddock refuses to perform coitus with her). Difference being, of course, those Q episodes of STNG were pretty good, but this stuff was pretty bad. Oh, well.....I'm 3/4 done with the hardcover, and I'm just disappointed.

And, obviously, I have no problem with humor. I read Hellions by Zeb Wells, and he does humor well. Those other humor-fused issues of the event? I think not.

After having read X-Men Mutant Massacre, Fall of The Mutants and Inferno in quick succession, I shall offer my ultra short review:

Everything by Chris Claremont is great at its' best, decent at its' worst. Everything by Louise Simonsen is decent at its' best, cringeworthy and juvenile at its' worst (looking especially at you, X-Terminators 1-4)...

My memory could be off, but from what I remember, Claremont said he was essentially doing half-assed work with Inferno (And the 1-2 subsequent events Marvel forced him to write), because he got tired of Marvel pushing event stories on him for sales. He was cool with doing Mutant Massacre & Fall of the Mutants, from what I remember, which is why those two events were far better.

[Hive]

I'm old enough to know that corrections never catch up with misapprehensions, but I thought I would add something to this particular discussion just this once so it’ll be out there somewhere on the web. I am sorry you don't like my work or Jon's, but there's a lid for every pot. We don't happen to be yours. That's fine. And it doesn't matter if you're not crazy about Weezie's work either, although it would have more character flair if you spelled her last name correctly. But I'm really here to pass on one bit of X-trivia. 'Commander X' was never meant to be the final name of the character who eventually came to be called 'Cable'. I've seen that version of the story on the web more times than i can count. Weezie DID use it initially but as a place holder name for the character, until such time as she could come up with a final name for him. Somewhere during the process of nailing stuff down, Rob suggested Cable, a name he really liked, and Weezie felt that was fine, so she gave Rob's name to the character and that was how that came about. You can still credit Weezie for a wise decision, if you like.

Now I feel like such a jerk. First of all, I'd like to apologize to you both for my harsh words (and for mis-spelling your names). Sometimes, it can be easy to get lost in the fact that there are real human beings behind the creation of the comics we love (and sometimes love to critique). And in this case, I broke my own rule about not saying something online that I would not say to the person's face in real life. I'll admit that my critique was overly harsh (which is often the case for us rabid fans) and could have been relayed more politely. I don't actually dislike either of you as strongly as my words suggest, and I think you both also both gave birth to some great things during your time at Marvel (and DC, for that matter). In terms of the X-family for instance, I really enjoy the concept of Apocalypse as a villain and the revamp of Angel (one of the, in my opinion, least interesting mutants ever created) into Archangel, who suddenly got both a fascinating personality and backstory as well as one of the best superhero visual re-designs I've ever seen (which I assume was your creation?).

In regards to the Commander X/Cable story, I found it in an interview with Louise somewhere on the net - where the part regarding the former merely being a placeholder name must have been left out. Thank you for that tidbit, even though it makes the story a lot less interesting.

I hope you can accept my apologies. Thank you for your contributions to comics and all my best to the both of you.

My memory could be off, but from what I remember, Claremont said he was essentially doing half-assed work with Inferno (And the 1-2 subsequent events Marvel forced him to write), because he got tired of Marvel pushing event stories on him for sales. He was cool with doing Mutant Massacre & Fall of the Mutants, from what I remember, which is why those two events were far better.

Inferno was indeed the weaker of the 3 events, probably because it felt a lot more shoehorned and forced. Big comic book events like these often feel very forced and disjointed, as books with very distinct and different looks and feel are being mashed together to drive sales. This was especially the case for X-crossovers of the 80's and 90's, I feel. Massacre and Fall of weren't hit as badly by this as many others, probably due to the stories not actually crossing over as much as later events. Still, I'd probably have enjoyed those more if I had simply read them them as part of their own books instead of in the crossover books, jumping between very different writing styles and art styles.

[Johnny Thunders!]

I just finished Grant Morrison’s superman. It’s not the first time I’ve read it but it’s the first time it all falls into place. I always have to catch up to Morrison and it’s always worth it. I’m also reading Atom Bomb and Other Stories by Wally Wood And I can’t believe I never saw the connection to Rags Morales. Rags gives credit but I missed it every time.They both draw such a unique Superman. Just unbelievable!

[newparisian]

Powers- the Best Ever

This book is wayy past its zeitgeist era by a good decade. Apathy, thy name is inconsistent indie shipping.
But. I did like the series back in the day. This is a great conclusion, in the way only indies can do. Good emotional beats, nice reveals, and a solid ending.

9 out of 10.

[newparisian]

The Autumnlands v1-2

Second read through. Pretty good series, despite the predictable, archetypal characters. There's the obstructionist Henry Peter Gyrich ******* (the owl wizard). Young idealist learns the harsh truths of the world (Dunstan). Hardened warrior that learns to care for the helpless (Learoyd). Volume 2 drags though and could have been wrapped up sooner. Still, good writing and really solid art.

8 out of 10


Why did this series stop publishing?

[superheroes for hire]

I'm making another go at reading New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol.1.

[Foxy]

I'm old enough to know that corrections never catch up with misapprehensions, but I thought I would add something to this particular discussion just this once so it’ll be out there somewhere on the web. I am sorry you don't like my work or Jon's, but there's a lid for every pot. We don't happen to be yours. That's fine. And it doesn't matter if you're not crazy about Weezie's work either, although it would have more character flair if you spelled her last name correctly. But I'm really here to pass on one bit of X-trivia. 'Commander X' was never meant to be the final name of the character who eventually came to be called 'Cable'. I've seen that version of the story on the web more times than i can count. Weezie DID use it initially but as a place holder name for the character, until such time as she could come up with a final name for him. Somewhere during the process of nailing stuff down, Rob suggested Cable, a name he really liked, and Weezie felt that was fine, so she gave Rob's name to the character and that was how that came about. You can still credit Weezie for a wise decision, if you like.

Wow, what an honour to have you contribute here! I only really started reading US comics 6 years ago when I became aware of the omnibus format and one of the first runs I read was your Thor omnibus. I've read other Thor runs since but to me "Simonson Thor" will always be the gold standard

Thanks for providing us with some "inside" information Do you also have any inside information about the perceived sudden change of direction for the New Mutants? Because when I compare Mrs Simonson's work on X-Factor and New Mutants, to me it is so different that it might as well be from 2 different writers. The story out on the internet about the editorial mingling therefore actually seems quite credible.

[Bad Witch]

Well that escalated quickly!