what do we do? we swiiiiiiiiiiim
Dec. 26th, 2006 12:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thehefnerI made off with a pretty sweet haul this year. My father was ridiculously generous (like, shockingly so) with the budget for stuff I could get for myself, so I set about taking some major steps to pump up my comic collection, as well as getting collections for some thing I already have in single issue form.
Eventually, I wanna replace everything I can in my collection with trade paperbacks and sell the single issues if I can, like to ebay or an online comic shop. I won't get much, I know that all too well, but I'd like to get something decent-ish. Those I can't (or am too lazy to go through the tedious process of selling), I'll donate to Children's Hospital, unless someone knows of a better cause or idea.
The entire run of STARMAN. This was a real risk, because even though I'd read it years ago, I didn't remember if I'd honestly like it. I mean, sure, it's utterly beloved, but so's Jeph Loeb's work. And bear in mind, this is written by James Robinson, the guy who raped Harvey Dent's character recently and the guy who wrote the scripts for movies like LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN and COMIC BOOK VILLAINS. And yet, I bought STARMAN anyway, because I thought it'd be a necessary addition and good for lending. I started to re-read the first volume yesterday. Holy CRAP, is this good stuff.
SWAMP THING volumes 3 to 6. An absolute must, early and brilliant Alan Moore, and a now-sadly-underappreciated-and-underread precursor to Gaiman's THE SANDMAN. I own volume 1 and really need to buy volume 2, which I still have on loan from Yancypants. That second volume has the single most chilling moment I've ever read in a comic. I *gasped* in horror when I first read that scene. Even today, when I read it straight through and get to that two-page spread... I shudder.
Grant Morrison's JLA, volumes 4-6. I run hot and cold on Grant Morrison, and I really, really don't know why he's so often hailed as the greatest comic writer today. I love, like, 40% of his stuff and the rest either leaves me cold, turns me off, or just plain befuddles me and doesn't leave me any humanity to get hold to to keep me going. That said, his Justice League stuff is similarly on-and-off, but when it's good, it's damn good superhero stuff. He even makes me like Kyle Rayner, which is especially troubling, considering how pro-Kyle anti-Hal he is (how can someone who gets Superman so well dislike Hal Jordan??), and I am very, very afraid when I lend these stories to someone like![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
spacechild, they're gonna prefer Kyle to Hal. The stuff is just that good.
ARKHAM ASYLUM, the anniversary hardcover special edition. Speaking of Grant Morrison, this is one of his best, but this is also so Dave McKean's book. This entire book is more breathtaking and nightmarish than all of his Sandman covers combined. But the real selling point is that this edition comes with Morrison's script, which actually explains the abstract, symbolic book, but in such a poetic way that it's almost like reading a novel. This book features the single scariest Joker I've ever seen and some wonderful insights into Harvey Dent/Two-Face. As a fan of the character, the last five pages are some of my very favorite of all time.
JSA vol. 1. This is to start replacing my near-complete run in floppy issue form. This book runs hot and cold as well, often times becoming bland and hokey (as so much of Geoff Johns can), but it's still some damn good superhero stuff nonetheless. After all, there was a time when DC refused to publish a new Justice Society book, canceling the critically-enjoyed and well-selling title because EIC Mike Carlin thought that DC should not be publishing a book about senior citizens. Geoff Johns and James Robinson proved Carlin very, very wrong, and even with the infusion of younger heroes in the team, it's evident that Wildcat, Jay Garrick, and Alan Scott are hardcore and will outlive us all.
BATMAN: THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD. Not to be confused with the fifteen-or-so old THE GREATEST BATMAN STORIES EVER TOLD, THE GREATEST BATMAN STORIES EVER TOLD, this collection is an absolute gem. Whenever somebody comes in looking for a recommendation for Batman, I do my best to steer them away from overhyped tripe like Loeb's "Long Halloween," "Dark Victory," and even worse, "Hush", not to mention that utter abortion of a crossover, "War Games," and point them towards this marvelous little collection. Unlike it's predecessor, it's thankfully light on golden and silver age stuff (but what they do have is essential reading) and features what might well be the ultimate single-issue Batman story, courtesy of Steve Englehart. An offbeat must for any collection.
SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES vol. 1 and 2: While virtually every review or thought regarding this series is, "Not as good as the Batman cartoon," it's still damn good. Tim Daly nails Superman beautifully, much better than the dude playing Supes on JUSTICE LEAGUE, not to mention a blast as Bizarro. Dana Delaney is the ultimate Lois Lane, and it's sad to think she's juuuuuuuuust too old to play her. Clancy Brown as Lex... what else can one say about his performance? His Lex isn't quite the revelation that Mark Hamill's Joker was, but it's every bit as masterful in a much subtler way, much like Lex Luthor himself. Some of my favorite guest voices to appear on this show include Ted Levine as Sinestro (how do you need to make a mustache-twirling bad guy scary? Get Buffallo Bill to voice him), Malcolm McDowell as Metallo, and perhaps the most perfect bit of voice casting I've ever seen, Gilbert Gottfried as Mr. Mxyzptlk. "Nuts! Nuts! Nuts!"
Christmas was great, but for the past couple days, I've just kinda been like a shark. Woody Allen's lines from ANNIE HALL follow me everywhere. I just have to keep going, keep working, keep myself distracted, because if I stop... well, I won't die, but I'll do the next worst thing. I'll think.
Eventually, I may post about it on LJ. I guess I just need to talk it out some more and figure some things out. I'm ok, I am. It's not even close to any of major shit I've gone through over the past few years, not even close, and that's an even better thing than you might realize, but I'll explain later. So really, one way or another, I'm ok. Or if I'm not, I will be soon enough. I just... don't really care to stop and think just now. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.
Back to work on the Harvey Dent fanfiction. I just hit the 100-page mark (double-spaced), and I reckon I'm little more than halfway finished.
Eventually, I wanna replace everything I can in my collection with trade paperbacks and sell the single issues if I can, like to ebay or an online comic shop. I won't get much, I know that all too well, but I'd like to get something decent-ish. Those I can't (or am too lazy to go through the tedious process of selling), I'll donate to Children's Hospital, unless someone knows of a better cause or idea.
The entire run of STARMAN. This was a real risk, because even though I'd read it years ago, I didn't remember if I'd honestly like it. I mean, sure, it's utterly beloved, but so's Jeph Loeb's work. And bear in mind, this is written by James Robinson, the guy who raped Harvey Dent's character recently and the guy who wrote the scripts for movies like LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN and COMIC BOOK VILLAINS. And yet, I bought STARMAN anyway, because I thought it'd be a necessary addition and good for lending. I started to re-read the first volume yesterday. Holy CRAP, is this good stuff.
SWAMP THING volumes 3 to 6. An absolute must, early and brilliant Alan Moore, and a now-sadly-underappreciated-and-underread precursor to Gaiman's THE SANDMAN. I own volume 1 and really need to buy volume 2, which I still have on loan from Yancypants. That second volume has the single most chilling moment I've ever read in a comic. I *gasped* in horror when I first read that scene. Even today, when I read it straight through and get to that two-page spread... I shudder.
Grant Morrison's JLA, volumes 4-6. I run hot and cold on Grant Morrison, and I really, really don't know why he's so often hailed as the greatest comic writer today. I love, like, 40% of his stuff and the rest either leaves me cold, turns me off, or just plain befuddles me and doesn't leave me any humanity to get hold to to keep me going. That said, his Justice League stuff is similarly on-and-off, but when it's good, it's damn good superhero stuff. He even makes me like Kyle Rayner, which is especially troubling, considering how pro-Kyle anti-Hal he is (how can someone who gets Superman so well dislike Hal Jordan??), and I am very, very afraid when I lend these stories to someone like
spacechild, they're gonna prefer Kyle to Hal. The stuff is just that good. ARKHAM ASYLUM, the anniversary hardcover special edition. Speaking of Grant Morrison, this is one of his best, but this is also so Dave McKean's book. This entire book is more breathtaking and nightmarish than all of his Sandman covers combined. But the real selling point is that this edition comes with Morrison's script, which actually explains the abstract, symbolic book, but in such a poetic way that it's almost like reading a novel. This book features the single scariest Joker I've ever seen and some wonderful insights into Harvey Dent/Two-Face. As a fan of the character, the last five pages are some of my very favorite of all time.
JSA vol. 1. This is to start replacing my near-complete run in floppy issue form. This book runs hot and cold as well, often times becoming bland and hokey (as so much of Geoff Johns can), but it's still some damn good superhero stuff nonetheless. After all, there was a time when DC refused to publish a new Justice Society book, canceling the critically-enjoyed and well-selling title because EIC Mike Carlin thought that DC should not be publishing a book about senior citizens. Geoff Johns and James Robinson proved Carlin very, very wrong, and even with the infusion of younger heroes in the team, it's evident that Wildcat, Jay Garrick, and Alan Scott are hardcore and will outlive us all.
BATMAN: THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD. Not to be confused with the fifteen-or-so old THE GREATEST BATMAN STORIES EVER TOLD, THE GREATEST BATMAN STORIES EVER TOLD, this collection is an absolute gem. Whenever somebody comes in looking for a recommendation for Batman, I do my best to steer them away from overhyped tripe like Loeb's "Long Halloween," "Dark Victory," and even worse, "Hush", not to mention that utter abortion of a crossover, "War Games," and point them towards this marvelous little collection. Unlike it's predecessor, it's thankfully light on golden and silver age stuff (but what they do have is essential reading) and features what might well be the ultimate single-issue Batman story, courtesy of Steve Englehart. An offbeat must for any collection.
SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES vol. 1 and 2: While virtually every review or thought regarding this series is, "Not as good as the Batman cartoon," it's still damn good. Tim Daly nails Superman beautifully, much better than the dude playing Supes on JUSTICE LEAGUE, not to mention a blast as Bizarro. Dana Delaney is the ultimate Lois Lane, and it's sad to think she's juuuuuuuuust too old to play her. Clancy Brown as Lex... what else can one say about his performance? His Lex isn't quite the revelation that Mark Hamill's Joker was, but it's every bit as masterful in a much subtler way, much like Lex Luthor himself. Some of my favorite guest voices to appear on this show include Ted Levine as Sinestro (how do you need to make a mustache-twirling bad guy scary? Get Buffallo Bill to voice him), Malcolm McDowell as Metallo, and perhaps the most perfect bit of voice casting I've ever seen, Gilbert Gottfried as Mr. Mxyzptlk. "Nuts! Nuts! Nuts!"
Christmas was great, but for the past couple days, I've just kinda been like a shark. Woody Allen's lines from ANNIE HALL follow me everywhere. I just have to keep going, keep working, keep myself distracted, because if I stop... well, I won't die, but I'll do the next worst thing. I'll think.
Eventually, I may post about it on LJ. I guess I just need to talk it out some more and figure some things out. I'm ok, I am. It's not even close to any of major shit I've gone through over the past few years, not even close, and that's an even better thing than you might realize, but I'll explain later. So really, one way or another, I'm ok. Or if I'm not, I will be soon enough. I just... don't really care to stop and think just now. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.
Back to work on the Harvey Dent fanfiction. I just hit the 100-page mark (double-spaced), and I reckon I'm little more than halfway finished.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 06:36 pm (UTC)You know where to find me if you want to do coffee or lunch or something.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 06:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 06:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 08:02 pm (UTC)Just sayin' that if you want some professional help, I got a guy.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 08:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 09:11 pm (UTC)That reminds me, are you a good source to do that with (and by "you" I mean "the store you work for")? I have most of the Sandman issues as well as a number of the early Books of Magic. The majority are in plastic sleeves with cardboard. They are collecting in my parents house, but I'm unwilling to sell them now if there is a possiblity that I could get more for them at a later date.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 09:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-27 02:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-28 10:21 pm (UTC)as for the other stuff.. i know we've discussed it, but if you need to vent more, you know i'm here to listen (and occasionally throw out a comment or two).
you're doing fine, even if it feels like crap.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-28 11:15 pm (UTC)Bloo just sent me a pretty awesome e-mail, so I'm feeling better. I think I'm good. But of course, as always, I'll keep it in mind.
Read my comics! I want to feed off your geekery!
no subject
Date: 2006-12-28 11:38 pm (UTC)so whats up with the email from Bloo?
you can emailme about it if you dont want to talk here on lj.