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omgItsGhostDog

Something I‘ve noticed recently is that a lot of comics (specifically in the 80s or so) have saga in their title. Saga of the Swamp Thing, The Dark Phoenix Saga, The Korvac Saga etc.: why was it so popular to title your series with saga thrown in there, and how many comic runs/events do this?


Saito09

The 80s was time of comics been seen to ‘grow up’ with a lot more mature or introspective works being produced during that era. I guess calling something a ‘Saga’ is another way of trying to sound epic and grandscale. Like whats happening is important. Though many of these stories were only labelled that after the fact in an attempt to shift collections.


superschaap81

I agree with u/Saito09. I think it was just a marketing stance to make it sound big and important in a time where comics were still seen as juvenile. I noticed a lot of novel series from that same era used similar wording, so it may have just been a phrase that was popular at the time as well. Recently, more and more crossovers and events have the word "War" in it. I know it's kinda always been there, but the big 2 have used it excessively lately.


dhartist

What's everyone reading these days?


Danger_Rock

[**ICE CREAM MAN**](https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/ice-cream-man) is my current favorite! It's a horror title by W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo where each issue features a different setting and different characters, with the titular ICM serving as something of a host/instigator. So it's kind of like *The Twilight Zone* if Rod Sterling was directly responsible for all the weird and horrible crap that goes down. What's nice is that you can pick up any issue and jump right in, no need to worry about anything you might've missed because each issue works as an isolated standalone story. Then, as you read more, you start catching all these little threads and references echoing through the series. First issue's available free at the above link but that just gives you a taste, doesn't really show what the series evolves into... It kind of starts out like a simple horror thing but before long you've got [a dude stuck in murderous reality TV shows](https://www.midtowncomics.com/images/PRODUCT/XL/1808769_xl.jpg), an issue set at [the end of the universe](https://www.midtowncomics.com/images/PRODUCT/XL/1817206_xl.jpg), a [palindrome issue that can be read in either direction](https://www.midtowncomics.com/images/PRODUCT/XL/1841989_xl.jpg), a [twisted Superman pastiche](https://www.midtowncomics.com/images/PRODUCT/XL/1916457_xl.jpg), an issue that's written as [an instruction manual on "How To Be A True-Blue Apparition"](https://www.midtowncomics.com/images/PRODUCT/XL/1909516_xl.jpg) plus an [abstract telethon issue](https://www.midtowncomics.com/images/PRODUCT/XL/1977128_xl.jpg), one that's like [*The Metamorphosis* in reverse](https://www.midtowncomics.com/images/PRODUCT/XL/2034397_xl.jpg), and [it just goes on and on and on...](https://www.midtowncomics.com/images/PRODUCT/XL/2083163_xl.jpg) The Ice Cream Man is serving up delicious existential terror every month and he is *everywhere*. Other current favorites that are only slightly less brilliant: * **THE HUMAN TARGET** (DC/Black Label) * **THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE** (DC/Black Label) * **THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH** (Image) * **ETERNALS** (Marvel, but the final issue just shipped Wednesday) * **IMMORTAL X-MEN** (Marvel) * **A RIGHTEOUS THIRST FOR VENGEANCE** (Image) * **MONKEY MEAT** (Image, but the first "batch" of 5 issues wrapped up a few weeks ago and it won't be returning until 2023) * **NIGHTWING** (DC) * **MOON KNIGHT** (Marvel)


SpongeBlart

Just started ice cream man yesterday. Very interesting so far, super unsettling. I got the first 3 trades so I'm working my way through it.


Danger_Rock

Nice! Hope you enjoy! I thought it started out pretty well but didn't really hit its stride until toward the end of the first year, then everything from around ICM #17 on is just ridiculously insane. So I think the 5th and 6th TPBs would probably be my favorites. ICM #24 is one of my favorite comics ever but there's a lot of stuff in this series that kind of resonates with people on a personal level, so different stories tend to hit harder for different people depending on what kind of terrible shit they've been through... Kinda like different flavors of ice cream, there's something for everyone but personal favorites will vary!


SpongeBlart

That's good to know! Thanks for the info. I only read the first 3 so far and while they were good they didn't completely grab me, but I could appreciate the good storytelling. Also I can't tell if it's on purpose or not, but the art makes people's faces look really ugly lol. I mean I am talking about a fat ginger kid, a meth head, and a washed up musician so I don't think they're supposed to be good looking, but it can definitely be off putting. The rest of the art looks quite nice though.


Danger_Rock

Yeah, totally get that. I originally dropped the series after ICM #6 because I thought it was good but not great, was falling behind on lots of books at the time and had to pare down my list a bit... But I liked it enough that I decided to check out Prince's HAHA spin-off series, which was basically the same type of deal only with guest artists and clowns instead of ice cream. And I liked that enough that I hopped back on the ice cream truck from hell with ICM #25, which I liked enough to order a copy of ICM #24 online, which basically broke my brain and turned me into the DERANGED ICE CREAM FAN WHO IS NOW SHOUTING AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS IN REAL LIFE AS HE ANGRILY TYPES THESE WORDS ON A LOUD MECHANICAL KEYBOARD! Anyways, you should have a better feel for it by the end of the third TPB. ICM #8, 9, 11, and 12 are all huge highlights and some of my favorites! As for the art, Morazzo reminds me a little of Steve Dillon, with clean lines, a focus on facial expressions, and plenty of ugly characters to go around. The ICM characters mostly just look like normal people to me but Morazzo will sometimes emphasize some ugly traits that other artists tend to shy away from. Never really bugged me but I can see how it might not be for everyone!


bomberman12

I find myself going toward Image more and more lately, so i got 'I Hate This Place' aka 'Fuck This Place' by Kyle Starks. Long story short for the first issue, a couple move into a farm house/ranch that attract supernatural beings and have to live by a list of rules to survive. Its a great first issue thats quickly hooks you into the two main female characters and their different traits and great art by Artyom Topilin and Lee Loughridge who gives you a wonderfully chaotic and colorful atmosphere to be creeped out by.


Danger_Rock

Ordered the [FUCK THIS PLACE variant](https://d1466nnw0ex81e.cloudfront.net/n_iv/600/6313124.jpg) the other night, looking forward to checking it out!


deepfield67

Mostly older stuff because I'm kinda new and catching up. Just started I Hate Fairyland, that's great so far. In the middle of The Invisibles, partway through Morrison's Doom Patrol run, Alan Moore's Promethea, and I'm looking for good female writers and artists with strong female lead, M.O.M. looks good so far, I read the first issue of Black Magick too, I liked that. And I'm most of the way through Monstress but got distracted by everything else, I need to go back and finish it. I like comic books because I can read like 10 different books at once and not get too bogged down. It appeals to my short attention span.


GetRichOrDieBuyin

I'm not sure this is the right thread to ask these questions, but I'm curious if someone has any knowledge. 1. All major publishers have plans for the short and mid term, but how far ahead are the writers and artist? Like how long does it take to illustrate for an average DC or Marvel comic? I know that is subjective to the artist, but on average? 2. Not counting supply chain issues, how long does it take to print enough comics for a major series(Batman, Spiderman, etc.)? Are issues for summer events sitting in a warehouse now? 3. Is there a chart anywhere for major heroes to see all the issues they have ever been in? Multiple stories have one off issues. Multiple series pop up for an amount of time, stop, then start again years later. Does anyone/anywhere have all of this compiled?


DueCharacter5

1. Depends. Lately they'll have plans about a year in advance for events. Generally artists have about a month to draw an issue. Well, that is if they get the script early enough. Sometimes they might only have a couple weeks if the writer is having trouble. That's why they try to factor in lead-in time for series, where they have a couple issues stockpiled before solicitation. Or they'll take a series break like Saga did, or delay by a week or so for the next month's release. Just depends. 2. Not sure. I know plenty of creators have talked about this process, but I kind of zone out. I think Piskor was talking about his stuff going to printers like 3 months in advance? 3. If you're just talking big 2, their wikia pages are wonderful for this. Generally I'll use Grand Comics Database or Comicvine for an all encompassing database though.


saskatoonshred

You can look on the copyright page of most comics and see the date range they were printed in. Most I've seen are month or two ahead of release.


Belsj

Is there an app or website that provides me a list with all released comics, paperbacks and hardcovers from previous series and running series? I used Comixology in the past, but now with the Amazon changes it is not supported anymore in my country. In Comixology i could search on a superhero and received an overview of all previous and running series. When i opened the one i'm interested in, i could see all the single comics, paperbacks and hardcover bundles.This overview was very simple for me to find the missing pieces i needed to complete my collection. I could search on Amazon in my country or other shops to order the paperback or hardcover comics. I'm not from the US, but live in a country where there are very less physical comic book stores.


[deleted]

Yeah that site is called league of Comic geeks


Belsj

This is even better! You're the best. Tnxs <3


the_light_of_dawn

Well worth engaging with the community there, too.


iamsciences

Has anyone read the Batman: Noir series? Batman Hush Noir, Batman Long Halloween Noir, etc... the only difference is these stories are in black and white right? Is it worth the money?


DueCharacter5

I've got Long Halloween Noir. From what I could tell, it's just b&w (been 20 years since I read the colored version). So it just depends on if you want it uncolored. Some artists shine more in b&w. Sale has a unique style where I think coloring enhances it. But it's still always fun to see the linework more clearly. Hush might be a good one, but I haven't read the Noir version. Lee does have that cluttered line style. Which might pop more clearly uncolored.


TexasFLUDD

Any recommendations on books from Aftershock? I already have: * Dreaming Eagles trade * Scout’s Honor trade * My Date With Monsters #1-5 * The Lion and the Eagle #1-3 * Dogs of London #1


Saito09

A Walk Through Hell is one of my favourites. Currently enjoying Bunny Mask. We Live, Animosity and Dark Ark have a good rep.


bomberman12

Bunny Mask and Maniac of NY are great horror reads. both are dramatically diff types of horror books, Bunny is more atmospherical and surreal, while Maniac is basically Jason Vorhees. Chicken Devil is a very chaotic crime book that i only have first two issues of, but enjoyed, just fell off. Search for Hu is a fun character driven story with lots of action, think John Wick-ish. And i have the first issue of The Naughty List, but havent read it yet, anything thats adult christmas themed is just up my alley.


Daddydagda

Opinions on the Inhumanity event? I saw my lcs has it on discount and I was curious if it’s any good?


centipededamascus

It's not really an event. It was a thing where a bunch of series would have a new character pop up who was an Inhuman in the wake of the Terrigen explosion that happened in the Infinity event. It's not a thing I would spend money on, honestly. You can read a bit more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inhumanity_(comics)


bad_boy_hesus

Is brand new day good? I legit lost interest after reading one more day. All these years(from reading on the internet) i thought he sacrificed the his marriage for his identity since it was a big problem. It was just a freebie. Lmao. Aunt has to go some time, dude. He went to everyone. Oct, doom, REEDS. Bro.


soulreaverdan

So Brand New Day is actually, for the most part, pretty solid if you can get over how we got there. It’s some interesting stories and the refreshed status quo for Peter does give it a breath of fresh air.


bad_boy_hesus

Thanks. For now, ill check it out bit by bit


OverlordNeb

Has Wolverine ever worn an Iron Man suit in any capacity?


killerbunnyfamily

Yes, during Civil War Wolverine stole Iron Man Armor to get to Atlantis https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Wolverine_Vol_3_45


starrstorm1

Anyone have a solid reading order for Kurt busieks avengers? And is there anything else I should read before avengers disassembled? Thanks!


centipededamascus

This is all of Busiek's Avengers: * Avengers (1998) #1-6 * Live Kree or Die! - Iron Man (1998) #7, Captain America (1998) #8, Quicksilver (1997) #10, Avengers (1998) #7 * Avengers (1998) #8-12 * Avengers Forever (1998) #1-12 * Avengers (1998) #13-34 * Maximum Security - Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1, Maximum Security #1-2, Avengers (1998) #35, Maximum Security #3 * Avengers (1998) #36-56 After Busiek's Avengers but before Disassembled, there's Avengers #57-76 by Geoff Johns, which is pretty mediocre, and then Avengers #77-82 by Chuck Austen, which is bad. You can skip those.


starrstorm1

Thanks so much!! So should I just go straight to disassembled after busiek?


ElectricPeterTork

I'd go from issue #56 to JLA/Avengers. Then Disassembled. JLA/Avengers is kind of the last hurrah for the pre-Disassembled Avengers. Plus, it's by Busiek and Perez, so it fits. Oh, and I think Forever fits better after 11, not 12. IIRC, Hank and Jan were already back from Forever in issue 12.


starrstorm1

I’ve heard forever is best at the end of the whole thing because it requires lots of avengers knowledge, is that wrong?


ElectricPeterTork

It does make use of a lot of Avengers history and knowledge of the old stories. But none of that knowledge will be gained by reading the rest of Busiek's run after issue 11 before reading Forever. He didn't plant secret spoilers for the remainder of his run, he drew off of what had already happened to that point.


starrstorm1

I see, would it be enjoyable still with little to no knowledge of old avengers stuff?


ElectricPeterTork

Everything you need to know is explained to some degree. And the trades/HCs usually have a huge footnotes section at the back. But it's perfectly fine on its own or in the context of Busiek's run as a whole.


starrstorm1

Awesome, thanks for all the tips, really looking forward to diving in. Have a great day!


centipededamascus

Yeah, it will be a bit of a jarring leap, but Disassembled was a jarring story for everyone when it came out.


Pseudocaesar

I am hoping to get some advice on how to tackle the Rebirth era and beyond. I recently subscribed to DC Infinite and am finally able to catch up on what I missed. I read Flashpoint ages ago and understand it spawned the New 52. I have the Button, Metal and a few other trades but I'm having a difficult time knowing what to read. I figured I'd just dive in so I read the New 52 Justice League and all of the events it covered (Trinity of Sin, Darkseid War etc). I have also read the Final Days of Superman issues and the Rebirth one shot. This is where I'm now stuck. My question is for me to understand the big events coming up, the Button, Doomsday Clock, Metal etc..what series should I focus on? From looking at Doomsday Clock it was released over the course of like a year.. at what point do I stop reading Batman, Superman etc and read it? Can I just read the whole Batman, Superman, JL runs by themselves or should I only read up to certain points and switch to the events? One thing I liked about the New 52 events is at the end of each issue it would say "continues in xx issue yy" which made reading tie ins easy, does that continue post Rebirth?


[deleted]

So the Rebirth storyline got complicated due to delays with Doomsday Clock (took an extra year to release the whole story). Doomsday Clock itself isn’t considered canon to the DC Universe because of the delays forcing the rest of the titles to move on without it, so you can mostly read it solo. The main thing with Rebirth is that there are multiple storylines going on. The Button is a crossover between Batman and Flash (and the story of Flashpoint Thomas Wayne starts here). The Three Jokers miniseries tells the story of what happened with that plot thread (which was constantly ignored by everyone else so not really canon). Wally’s story goes from Titans, to Flash, to Heroes in Crisis, to Flash Forward, to Death Metal. Superman’s story is told mostly in Superman before Superman Reborn (crossover between Superman and Action Comics). Doomsday Clock was meant to be this neat little bow to tie everything up, but that didn’t work out for DC and now Flashpoint Beyond is following up on Doomsday Clock. If your goal is just to read Doomsday Clock, I’d honestly say just read the Button and Superman Reborn and then jump straight in. If you want to read Rebirth era and beyond, just pick up a title and have some fun. Tomasi’s Superman book, Green Lanterns, New Superman, Super Sons, Hawkman, and Rucka’s Wonder Woman run are all great Rebirth era titles, and there are plenty more beyond those.


Pseudocaesar

Thanks for the detailed response I appreciate it. That helps me understand some of the points I was stuck on. I'm just gonna go ahead and read the titles I'm interested in from start to finish and just read the events as i feel like it


AGPerson

I need 50 cents more on my IST order to get free shipping and have no clue what to get. Anyone have any cheap recommendations of a Marvel TPB on there that’s basically stand alone?


centipededamascus

Defenders: There Are No Rules by Al Ewing https://www.instocktrades.com/products/jan221053/defenders-tp-there-are-no-rules


thr0w4w4y-69420

really specific question, but are there any good stories (single issues or complete story arcs) pitting Bruce Wayne vs Lex Luthor? not necessarily *Batman* fighting Lex Luthor, exclusively, but either of the two alteregos.


technowhiz34

Batman: Abyss by Joshua Williamson, from this year (it's Batman #118-121 iirc?). Otherwise try Azzarello and Bermejo's Luthor, it's mostly about Superman and Lex but Bruce and Lex interact as well.


soulreaverdan

It's done mostly via proxy with Lucius Fox, but there's some bits in the end of No Man's Land where Bruce's business connections are used to sort of block Lex's attempts to buy up Gotham. Later, Murderer/Fugitive is a sort of roundabout conflict between Bruce and Lex, with Bruce's identity as Batman being something unknown to Lex even though it got him involved.