comics, new and old

I’m still reading my way through old Legion of Super-Heroes issues and having a lot of fun with it.

I even went on Comixology and bought the tie-in Action/Superman issues for the big Superboy story. I’ll admit that it was just about as disappointing as I’d expected it to be, though there were some fun bits in it. The plot was obviously tossed together to reconcile Legion continuity with the (then) new status quo with Superman, and doesn’t really make any logical sense. (Then again, a lot of stuff in superhero comics doesn’t make much logical sense.) But it’s good to have finally read it, after seeing it referenced so often over the years.

I’m continuing to enjoy the trip down memory lane provided by the house ads, letters columns, and “Meanwhile” columns in these comics. (You don’t get any of that in the Comixology versions, so that’s one reason why it’s still cool to read the dead-tree back issues.) I just passed the point where DC was pushing Millennium and its umpteen crossover issues. I didn’t read Millennium when it came out, and I’ve never been tempted to pick up the back issues, but now I’m kind of curious. It doesn’t seem to be available on Comixology, and the collected edition isn’t currently in print (but it’s available used on Amazon). It seems to be one of those series that had a lot of hype, but it fizzled out pretty quickly. Maybe if I see it in somebody’s dollar box at a con, I’ll pick it up.

Meanwhile, I just picked up the second printing of the Rebirth Special, unfortunately now $5.99 instead of the original $2.99. I already read the digital version, but wanted to pick up a hard copy. I have a few of the recent “Rebirth” issues, but haven’t read any of them yet. Reaction to Rebirth seems to be mixed:

So overall, where is DC standing?  In a fog trying to get the comics closer to the tone and feel of 10 years ago, but still clinging to recent continuity.  Can they have their cake and eat it, too?

— from A Fix-Up, Not a Reboot: One Month into DC’s Rebirth

That article also mentions what I’d consider a nightmare scenario, though I admit it’s not entirely unlikely at this point: a “Justice League Vs. Watchmen” series. (Seriously, just leave Watchmen alone, please! It’s a great book and it should stand alone.)

I’d say that DC continuity at this point is so confusing that I’m best off just cherry-picking the stuff that gets good critical reaction, after it’s been published, in trade form or on Comixology, when it’s on sale. That’s what I’ve been doing with the New 52 stuff. I’ve read some of Snyder’s Batman, and some other stuff, and enjoyed it, but I really never wanted to get too caught up in the overall continuity.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.