What Collected Edition are you reading now?

[Balakin]

Girl Haven: a trans coming out story as a "we found ourselves in a magical realm that we have to save now" narrative. It's not exactly subtle and I think it could have been twice the length (a common theme with my recent reads) but for the younger target audience it probably will deliver more than it did for me. Art was god but it felt rushed at the start, but I think it really found itself by the end (which is only natural after drawing a 100+ pages).
All in all decent, I'd recommend it for younger kids who are just figuring themselves out.

Bingo love: I've heard so much hype for this book and I can see the appeal, but once again, I feel like it was a bit rushed.
It's about two women in love who get separated as teenagers (due to their family's disapproval) and find each other again 50 years later.
The original story is about 90 pages but the deluxe has shorter stories in the back which flash out their lives more and I really think those short stories should have been part of the original graphic novel.
Good concept tho, good art, likeable characters.

Tell no tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas: Story of an all female pirate crew with characters based on some actual historical accounts.
Lots of fun, good narrative, really liked the art, it was very expressive and clear. I'd definitely read a second volume and/or watch an animated movie.

Taproot: Story of a gardener who can see ghosts and one of the ghosts has a crush on him. Also there is some magical menace looming.
This needed another hundred pages and some rearranging with the structure because the pacing felt really off. Maybe I was just tired when reading it but it really seemed like the plot only kicked in about half way through but when it did I realized I barely knew the characters, so the climax felt unearned, and then we get a whole new separate adventure after, which just felt slapped on.
A lot of good ideas but they are either not well developed, not well placed or just felt like a set up for another story.

Despite me being critical of 3 out of 4 books, I'm still a hundred times more excited reading these than picking up any mainstream books.

[Foxy]

Reading further through X-Men 90s stuff. Just finished Phalanx Covenant and the Cable & X-Force Omnibus and now on to X-Men: Legionquest.

I think I will just push ahead and finish the rest of the 90s with Age of Apocalypse, Onlsaught etc. up to and including Eve of Destruction. But I may need a short break in between as I have been reading X-Men nonstop for 8 omnibus and OHCs

[Andru]

I started "Thanos: The Infinity Saga" omnibus and gave up after "The Infinity Relativity".

I love Starlin's older work, especially everything collected in "The Infinity Origin" omnibus. But I just cannot seem to connect with this newer material.

[captchuck]

I'm currently reading the original printing of Thor #2 which contains Journey into Mystery # 101-110.

[Enigma]

I'd forgotten how good Last Stand of the Wreckers is. I'm weeping

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

Finished Avengers: No Road Home. An enjoyable read, similar to No Surrender i.e. pretty well written and good art.

[Foxy]

Finished X-Men Legionquest OHC and just started the Age of Apocalypse Omnibus. AoA was my second omnibus ever and I read it back in 2016 with all my X-Men knowledge being based on the movies. One of the movies had a post-credit scene with Apocalypse so I got interested and found the omnibus. Even with my limited knowledge, I could see that some of the characters were different but a lot of the characters (maybe even most) I had never heard of. Still enjoyed it a lot. Now that I have read everything leading up to it, it makes for a much better experience.

[Deathstroke]

I finished reading Black Magick, Volume 1: Awakening Part 1 today.

[Enigma]

Girl Haven: a trans coming out story as a "we found ourselves in a magical realm that we have to save now" narrative. It's not exactly subtle and I think it could have been twice the length (a common theme with my recent reads) but for the younger target audience it probably will deliver more than it did for me. Art was god but it felt rushed at the start, but I think it really found itself by the end (which is only natural after drawing a 100+ pages).
All in all decent, I'd recommend it for younger kids who are just figuring themselves out.

Bingo love: I've heard so much hype for this book and I can see the appeal, but once again, I feel like it was a bit rushed.
It's about two women in love who get separated as teenagers (due to their family's disapproval) and find each other again 50 years later.
The original story is about 90 pages but the deluxe has shorter stories in the back which flash out their lives more and I really think those short stories should have been part of the original graphic novel.
Good concept tho, good art, likeable characters.

Tell no tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas: Story of an all female pirate crew with characters based on some actual historical accounts.
Lots of fun, good narrative, really liked the art, it was very expressive and clear. I'd definitely read a second volume and/or watch an animated movie.

Taproot: Story of a gardener who can see ghosts and one of the ghosts has a crush on him. Also there is some magical menace looming.
This needed another hundred pages and some rearranging with the structure because the pacing felt really off. Maybe I was just tired when reading it but it really seemed like the plot only kicked in about half way through but when it did I realized I barely knew the characters, so the climax felt unearned, and then we get a whole new separate adventure after, which just felt slapped on.
A lot of good ideas but they are either not well developed, not well placed or just felt like a set up for another story.

Despite me being critical of 3 out of 4 books, I'm still a hundred times more excited reading these than picking up any mainstream books.

As a trans person, I get frustrated with every transgender character I see in books (see them most often in prose) being a teenager transitioning. I think the only transgender representation I've read that I genuinely liked was in Alex Marshal's Crimson Empire trilogy. It doesn't sound like this one is going to change that

[Balakin]

As a trans person, I get frustrated with every transgender character I see in books (see them most often in prose) being a teenager transitioning. I think the only transgender representation I've read that I genuinely liked was in Alex Marshal's Crimson Empire trilogy. It doesn't sound like this one is going to change that

Since I'm not trans myself I can't tell you from experience if it's good or not, I can only judge it as a story and my absorbed knowledge of gender issues from the internet and people I know.
I think Girl Haven is probably a good book for middle graders or maybe slightly older, but I don't think adults will get as much of a kick out of it.
Now that I think about it most books I've read only really tackle non binary characters (I haven't read Gender Queer yet, that might be a good one). Maybe Snapdragon has a kid who's eventually gonna identify trans (Snapdragon is a really good YA/Middle grade GN tho) and Kelly Thompson's Jem and the holograms has a trans character (who is already trans and the only drama is that she has to tell her band members).

[bretmaverick2]

John Byrne’s SUPERMAN /BATMAN: GENERATIONS.

Entertaining! One long Elseworlds story.

[Steroid]

Just finished The Eternals Omnibus which I liked and have now gotten started on the New Warriors Omnibus. I'm only a couple of issues into it but I'm legit loving this book.

[Johnny Thunders!]

The Silver Age Doom Patrol Omnibus makes that series a contender for best Silver Age Super Hero comic. Some of the individual panels and almost all the covers and villain designs look pop art museum ready.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

I've started that beast of an Omnibus - War of the Realms.

[Hive]

After having read the TPBs leading up to X-men Vs. Apocalypse: The Twelve Omnibus, I sure didn't have high expectations from it. But most of it was actually quite decent, some parts even outright good. Alan Davis is a step up.

But I'm really not a fan of the design for the "mysterious" Horseman of Apocalypse, Death... they could and should have come up with something better for him. He was far from the iconic Archangel re-design, that's for sure.

I don't think I'll ever become a fan of the X-crossovers of the 80's and 90's, though. The different tone and look from the various books makes for too incoherent a story when reading it as a whole.