State of My Hobbies: Manga - Looking Towards 2019

I began collecting manga in 2017. That year I took on the ambitious task of collecting and catching up on One Piece. I read an article on IGN about the anime and how nobody should start on the manga now, it would just be too much to catch up on - CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

I did catch up on One Piece that year. Since 2017, I have collected Monster, Death Note, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (in hardcover), One Punch Man, My Hero Academia, Platinum End, Devilman Classic (Hardcover). I began Berserk, but am not caught up to it. I ended by the end of the Golden Age arc. I became aware of the new deluxe hardcover editions, so I am anxiously awaiting their arrival in March.

This Christmas, I was gifted a copy of Abara by Tsutomu Nihei, which I enjoyed, and three hardcover volumes of Junji Ito (Uzumaki, Tomie, and Gyo). I borrowed Uzimaki that first year from the same friend and absolutely fell in love with it.

I will continue to follow One Punch Man, One Piece, My Hero Academia, Berserk, Jojo, and Platinum End, but I feel like I want to expand a bit more into some new territory - perhaps smaller fare instead of sprawling epics.

I think first on my list will be to find Pluto and 20th Century Boys by Urasawa. Monster is one of my favorite series and it would be a disservice not to collect his other works. There are also additional Junji Ito volumes floating around (Frankenstein, Shiver, etc.).

Beyond that, I honestly don't know. Attack on Titan and Tokyo Ghoul are popular, but don't entirely speak to me - perhaps that is a mistake. Hunter x Hunter is another series that intrigues me. Vagabond, Vinland Saga, and Blade of the Immortal are also intriguing avenues to follow.

Manga has been an invaluable font for incredibly emotional story arcs. I know there is so much more left to discover off the beaten paths once I graduate from neophyte to a more sophisticated reader.

Silos - A Collecting Method for American Comic Books

For the past few years I have been struggling to organize my comic book collection. Trying to keep up with the whims of American comic book publishing can often feel like an impossible task. The latest trend, at least for Marvel, is the overpriced one-shot. Marvel will string these together as a series, instead of.....you know....publishing a series. They do this because they can charge 5$+ doing it this way. Another trick is to publish an epilogue one-shot after the end of a limited series. Why not just publish this as.....the last issue of the series? Oh another one.....how would Spider-Geddon #0, which was entirely an overpriced advertisement for the Spider-Man game for PS4. Like I said, it is impossible to keep up. How do you sort them accurately?

Finally, I came up with a system, I hope, will help me to streamline the mess. I've been using a system for 10+ years that I call the Perennial system. Only the classic volumes that are always in print:

Marvel -

• Avengers
• Spider-Man
• Hulk
• Iron Man
• Thor
• Captain America
• Daredevil
• Fantastic Four
• X-Men

DC -

• Action Comics
• Detective Comics
• Superman
• Batman
• Wonder Woman
• Green Lantern
• The Flash
• Aquaman
• Justice League

The rules are:

• Just follow the singular series
• Often get annuals
• Follow the series wherever they may go, as long as, it is a multi-part crossover.
• Get major event limited series only

This has been a great system for me over the years and works most of the time. However, it is extremely rigid in the sense that you rarely will get to try something new. What I wanted to change was the discovery mechanism and now, I think, I have finally found a solution. I call it the Silo solution, or Perennial+.

The idea is that new titles can be added as long as they follow the same rules and don't overlap. Marvel/DC love to publish derivative characters - a cadre of bat-vigilantes, spider-men, avenger teams and justice leagues, as well as, teen versions of every character they have. This is all noise I need to ignore.

Let's begin with the new adds under the Silo system:

Marvel - 

• Doctor Strange
• Black Panther
• The Punisher
• Venom
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Captain Marvel
• Deadpool
• Wolverine
• (Theoretically - Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Cable, Moon Knight, Sentry, etc.)

DC - 

• Green Arrow
• Shazam
• Hawkman
• (Theoretically - Atom, JSA, Legion of Super Heroes, Lobo)

Other -

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Conan the Barbarian
• (Theoretically - Spawn, G.I. Joe, Savage Dragon)

The idea was to develop a "new classics" list. Each had to exist in their own silo universe with their own main character and rogues gallery that does not rely on any other character in the silo. They have to be popular enough to support their own series for years. Another feature of this design is that I can get non-Marvel/DC characters as well.

The perks of the system:

• Allows for easy sorting as each silo is sorted linearly.
• Easy to follow each story as the story is linear within each silo.

What do I give up with this system?

• No more annuals unless they are part of a multi-part storyline. I have found over the years that those are the only annuals worth reading.

Every system has pros and cons. I needed a collecting method that was easy to sort and easy to follow in any publishing environment. In order to make the method work, I have to ignore what Marvel/DC want to do to entice me to spend more and enforce my spending pattern until Marvel/DC follow suit. Comic book publishing is small enough that individual spending patterns can have a large impact. For example, there used to be multiple ongoing Spider-Man titles for years. I argued against it for years and finally mandated to myself that I would never buy a Spider-Man series except the "main" one. Years later, there was only Amazing Spider-Man. Today, Marvel is just publishing Uncanny X-Men and some semi-random other series. The system works and it works over time, if, you are willing to play chicken with the publishers and not buy into publishing decisions you disagree with.

I want American comic books to be more like manga - linear and internally consistent. I am going to buy comics in a very specific way to encourage the publishers to publish comics exactly as I want to buy them.

Pull List - 8/8/2018 - Part 1

I've been using a tool to manage my pull list - leagueofcomicgeeks.com. It is a pretty awesome tool and I am very pleased with it. It has helped me manage my ever-expanding pull list.

I want to return to talking about upcoming issues, but with the volume I am now reading, it can be daunting for a single post.

Here are the first batch of pulls:

Amazing Spider-Man #804
Daredevil #606
Detective Comics #986
Fantastic Four #646
The Flash Vol. 5 #52

I've been toying with the idea of a thumbs-up, thumbs-down style of quickly-reviewing issues. The intent is to see trends in likability for a series over time. If a series is consistently unlikable, I should seriously consider dropping it. A tough prospect for an avid collector like myself, but I should have some standards.

Amazing Spider-Man #804 - Currently 2 Thumbs-Up

I was pleasantly surprised by the new creative team. I knew Ryan Ottley would do a good job, but Nick Spencer didn't seem great based on the preview pages Marvel sent out for the first issue. Thankfully, those preview pages were the worst pages in the whole issue and everything else was much better. When it comes to funny super-heroes this series is much, much better than the current Deadpool.

Daredevil #606 - Currently 1 Thumb-Up

Of all the major Marvel series, Daredevil remains the most consistent. Probably due to the fact that it avoids events like the plague. The current storyline involves Fisk as the Mayor and Murdock just recently quit as Deputy Mayor and then soon learns that Fisk rigged the election. Cue, the Find Out How Fisk Cheated Saga.

Detective Comics #986 - Currently 1 Thumb-Up

I was not happy with the previous Batman Eternal storyline. I don't like Batwoman as a character, maybe that had something to do with it. This time around, the role of Batman is replaced by Black Lightning and I have to admit I dig it. The art style is crisp and clean and dynamic, the covers have been interesting and even the characterization of the kiddos are not annoying. More, please.

Fantastic Four #646 - Currently N/A

Fantastic Four returns from a years-long hiatus. I have missed it a great deal. We get an interesting new creative team headed by Dan Slott and I am excited to see where he takes things. Covers by Esad Ribic provide some continuity in art, at least on the surface, from Secret Wars to now. I hope the continuity spreads beyond simply cover art.

The Flash Vol. 5 #52 - Currently Neutral

The one thing you can almost guarantee with a Flash comic book is the presence of bad art. Maybe it is the consistently low sales numbers that The Flash enjoys, but the series continue to have a litany of terrible artists over the years. In addition to the bad art, The Flash keeps a consistently bland  storyline. It is for that blandness, and my love of the character, that I seem unable to give this series a thumbs down. I mean it could be worse, I guess.

Doctor Strange #393 - Review

I was surprised to see the Infinity Wars tie-in image on the title. I guess I just didn't realize Marvel would use these existing series to tie-in to the overarching event. I have to say this is probably the best instance of an event tie-in that I have ever seen. It weaves seamlessly into the existing story. It also plays a pivotal part of the main story as it changes the owner of the time gem, so it will be interesting to see how this is referenced in the main series.

I am typically not a fan of the airbrush art look. I like the lines on the face to come from pencils and not coloring. It makes the line work look bare, but I think it is growing on me. It is probably done to keep up with a monthly schedule, so I can let it slide as long as it is consistent.

I think Kanna is a great addition to the series and I think the concept of Doctor Strange in space is interesting and original. I am really, really enjoying these new directions for each series that has come out of the Marvel Fresh Start. I recently saw that Marvel has been taking back dollar and market share from DC and I can see these books as part of that narrative.

The one thing I still don't understand though is Doctor Strange existentially. His fingers have nerve damage and yet he performs complex finger placements as part of being Sorcerer Supreme. Did he get them fixed? Does it matter? 

Incredible Hulk #719 (Immortal Hulk) - Review

Let's be honest, Hulk comics have not been the greatest comics on average. Sure, there have been legendary runs from Peter David and Greg Pak, but in between there have been some pretty mediocre comics.

Of all the films that star the Hulk, my favorite is The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton. The reason this one is my favorite is because they totally nailed how scary the Hulk would be in real life. This new series by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett feels like a further extension of that. What I really like about this new series is that it takes the idea even further and goes full-on horror.

I was really surprised by the art by Bennett in the first issue. It reminds me of the legendary Brian Bolland and I loved the double 2-page spread of the Hulk's face. Something about it felt so original.

This issue is a self-contained story that harkens back to the original idea that Banner's discoveries fall into the wrong hands. There are scenes in a graveyard, scenes steeped in darkness. It has a reanimator feel.

I was looking at the opening credits and realized the cover was by Alex Ross....how did I miss that. Compare this cover to the one for Captain America and this one feels like outside his comfort zone. I really like these covers.

I hope this team stays on the book a long time. If it remains consistent, it could be become one of the great Hulk runs which has me excited already.

X-Men: Gold #31 - Review

How about that marriage, huh? Yeah, well at least the fans got the long pined-for wedding of Gambit and Rogue. That is a hell of a consolation prize. We get just a bit of the fallout from the wedding before we are whisked away to the future, seeing that despite all their turmoil Shadowcat and Colossus still love each other and may still get together down the road - just not today.

God, it was good seeing Scott Summers again wasn't it???!!!

I was confused that we were seeing a glimpse into Extermination, but then the ending revealed it was just a hallucination and not real time travel - so erase from your memory all that bullshit I said before.

Poor Prestige was mind controlled - where the hell was Old Man Logan? Why isn't he on this team? That would have been perfect character work since he knows all about mind control. Oh well, none of that. Instead it looks like we might be blending with X-Men: Blue as Prestige laid waste to some of the originals.

This was a serviceable issue. Art was decent, story moved along. Your average X-Men comic.

Avengers #694 - Review

First of all, I will always use the legacy number when available. I absolutely hate relaunches and if I can reference a series while ignoring the constant relaunches the Big 2 are complicit in, I will. This is and will always be Avengers #694.

With that out of the way, how is the issue? Very good, actually. McGuinness gets top billing, but I see very little of his work here - only if I look really hard. Paco Medina does an amazing job and their styles are so similar, that it all blended together for me. I love the cartoon style at play here. It reminds me of the late great Mike Wieringo, who I still miss very much. I am so glad this style is alive and well after so many dark and gritty renditions of these characters.

One feature of comic books that I think is often overlooked in review is pacing. How does it read? If the most breezy Daniel Way comic is one end of the spectrum and Alan Moore is on the other, I would say this one is pretty solidly in the middle. I realized about three quarters of the way through that the issue wasn't finished yet and I found that comforting. It had just enough to make it feel like a full meal.

The plot has been a bit confusing in this story arc. For instance, why in the hell do they keep referencing the "Final Host", but not showing a single Dark Celestial. Is it multiple? I've never heard host referred to in the plural and I find it confusing every time they do it. I am sure there will be a good explanation for it eventually. Thankfully, we get more clarity on what is going on with the Celestials. Though whomever thought this arc would lead to the return of the Eternals was dead wrong (pun intended).

To be honest though, I am getting tired of these stories that reveal the truth about the past and bring something that is impossible to beat - only to be eventually defeated anyway. Like, can't we just move forward and introduce new characters without them having a reason to be away and dormant for long periods of time? There are only so many times you can go to that well before it runs dry - I am looking at you Bendis!

Anyway, I enjoyed it. Great art and pacing, some great moments for She-Hulk who I find compellingly sexy. Hey, what can I say....I like 'em thick.

My Comic Book Origins

Mighty Mutanimals was the first comic book I ever bought.

Felpausch, a regional grocery store, had a comic book section that I would eagerly browse when my parents would shop there.

The first issue of Bucky O'Hare by Continuity Comics was another comic book I purchased from the same store.

When my grandfather was in the hospital for cancer of the larynx and was having a laryngectomy, I had a lot of time on my hands while my parents were dealing with all that. It was in that hospital that I began drawing my own comic books. I recently learned that if I folded computer paper sideways and I planned out the pages, I could make my own comics. The one thing dad had a lot of was computer paper - he was always printing things.

Just like riding a bike. I drew this in less than a minute. Unfortunately, none of the original comics survived, but I can draw him exactly as he looked back then.

What I created that day was the Adventures of Stick Figure Man, but that wasn't my first comic book character. It was my second. In the fourth grade, we had an art assignment and I wanted to create an original super hero. I thought about all the various characters and their powers and realized the one hero they hadn't yet created had plant-based powers (I wasn't aware of Swamp Thing at the time). I created my own super hero I called Plant Man.

It was on this very assignment that I first met who would become my best friend, Andrew. I paid attention to everyone's submissions, comparing them to mine. Then I saw something that really took my breath away - someone had drawn almost perfect replications of the Simpsons. Then I felt something that I had never felt before or since - an impulsive desire to meet this person. I had never before or since wanted to meet anyone in my life. Even meeting my future wife on a blind date filled me with anxiety. Most of the time I just want to avoid people and observe them and learn from them afar. For whatever reason, I said to myself - I want to meet this person and I had absolutely no anxiety whatsoever. Whether he wanted to be my friend or not, over the years, I willed it to happen.

Andrew grew up to be quite a dapper fellow. I realize now that there are very few pictures of us together even though I was his best man at his wedding :/. Ironically, he turned out to be a much better writer than an artist. Ah, maybe a co-writer or editor instead? :D.

My lack of drawing ability always nagged at me and being an impatient kid, I never really had the discipline or time to practice. So over the years, I made friends with people who I thought could draw well. There were outliers of course, but unconsciously, I was always recruiting an artist to draw my comic books. Of course in almost 30 years, that still hasn't happened. I promised myself that if I couldn't convince anyone to be my artist, than I would take back up the pencil and do it myself. Here I am at 37 and I think finally ready to get started.