Read These Comics! - The Silver Surfer: Parable

If you would have asked me a week ago how many Stan Lee signatures I had in my comics collection, I would have told you three. The first time was in 1987, the second time in 1989, and the third time in 2014. Imagine my surprise when I sat down to re-read The Silver Surfer: Parable to find that he not only signed the first issue (as I remembered from '89) but the second issue in 1991. And as an added bonus, he signed the backboard and wrote "Excelsior!" Geez, how did I forget about that? I'm not even 100% sure what convention that was.

Anyway, since this series first came out in 1988, that places me at about thirteen years old when I first read it. I'm sure that I read it a few times after that, but adulthood brings fewer rereadings of comics, and it's safe to say that I haven't read these comics in over twenty years.

How does it hold up? Pretty well.

It's a solid story, and it doesn't read like what Stan did back in the 1960s. Even if you don't like the story, it's pretty clear that we have a master of the art form. He knows when to just let the pictures tell the story, and unlike some of the comics from the Silver Age, he doesn't bog it down in a lot of redundant exposition.

I should also say something about Jean "Moebius" Giraud. For those who don't know, he's a French artist, and this is one of the few American comics that he's done. I've read some of his other works, including the Western Blueberry, and some of The Incal. While I appreciated the art, I just couldn't get into them. Don't get me wrong, this is not me telling you to avoid them. By all means, check them out, because he has a lot of fans and is well-respected all over the world. The problem might be me.

My only complaint about the art is that this series wasn't printed on higher quality paper like it deserved. (There have been reprints that have rectified this.) Still, even that doesn't hurt it. While I complimented Lee on knowing when to let the pictures tell the story, he wouldn't have been able to do so if the artist didn't know how to tell a story.

Any story that features the world-devouring Galactus needs to make him look not just like a giant, but downright god-like. That's exactly what you get from this. It's especially important because in this out-of-continuity story, Galactus essentially comes down as just that - a god. Moebius really sells it, and the reader can really feel the terrifying grandeur of the character on each page.

When Galactus first arrives, he just stands there in the middle of the city. He doesn't break out his machines in order to devour the planet. He's like an old-time religious idol, and he's worshiped as one. This is exactly his plan, as he knows that the presence of a god will lead to chaos and the destruction of humanity, as nothing inspires people to kill like doing the will of a god. He doesn't even make any commandments, as he (rightfully) figures that some human will claim to speak for him soon enough. It's not until the Silver Surfer blasphemes this god that Galactus begins to move and shows what he truly is - a force of destruction. I don't want to say anything else about the story, as I hope that you're able to read it for yourself.

After reading a few interviews with Stan Lee, it's safe to say that he lies somewhere on the agnostic-atheist side of things when it comes to belief in God. But just like a lot of us nonbelievers, he's clearly interested in the subject and explores it here. As I said before, I was just a kid when I read this. It really stuck with me though, and I remember that this was an example of why I'd insist to adults that comics were not just for little kids. While I wouldn't tell you that it's like reading a book by a religious philosopher, it does throw out enough interesting ideas to get you thinking. This was certainly the case when I was 13, but even at 44 I'm finding that I can't get it off my mind.

Read These Comics! - The Don Rosa Library

In my very first installment of "Read These Comics!" I recommended the Carl Barks Library of Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge collections by Fantagraphics. In short, Carl Barks was known to fans of Disney Duck comics from the late 1940s to the early 1960s as "The Good Duck Artist". He created many memorable characters, most notably Scrooge McDuck.

There is one other "good duck artist" who stands out though, and that's Don Rosa, who did his work from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Thankfully, for fans like me who are a little late to the party, Fantagraphics is reprinting all of his Disney work as well. The third volume is the most recent release, and even though I'm barely halfway through it, I'm thinking that it's the best of the bunch so far. (I've been reading it out loud with my son, who wants to read nothing but Duck stories before bed lately.)

My introduction to Rosa's works came with a reprint of The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck (which I believe will be included in the next Fantagraphics volume). I had fond memories of the character both from some comics I had as a kid and from the old Ducktales cartoon. It was the recommended book of the week at my local comic book store, so I figured I'd give it a try. I wound up being pretty impressed with what a detailed and, ironically enough, human story it turned out to be. So, when I heard about these new collections, I knew that I'd be on board.

For those of you with fond memories of Uncle Scrooge from Ducktales, don't get into this expecting the same thing. In fact, Rosa has a sign that he puts up at conventions and other signings letting people know that it's NOT Ducktales that he's doing. (For instance, don't expect to see Launchpad McQuack.) His work is based on the Barks stories, even having created some sequels to some of them. (Although it should be noted that volume 2 does have the one Ducktales short story that Rosa did, so it's not 100% true to say it's not what he's doing.) However, I'd go so far as to reckon that if you like one, you might like the other. (Rosa himself has said that he liked the cartoon.) They're not the same, but they share a common ancestor. If Ducktales is a bobcat, Rosa's work is a jaguar.

If you've been picking up the various Carl Barks reprints (And why wouldn't you? Pretty sure I recommended it!) then you'll be pleasantly surprised to see that Rosa wasn't merely re-hashing the Barks stuff. While it certainly owes a debt to those comics, he successfully ventures off into new and exciting territory. For one, his stories get really deep into history, and the historical events outside of Duckburg overlap with real-world history, so you wind up learning a little something when Scrooge goes looking for a particular historical artifact. There are also some science lessons that are sprinkled throughout the adventures as well. Barks had his share of real-world lessons, but not nearly to the extent that Rosa takes things.

Rosa's artwork also is different from that of Barks, and the more you read, the more you notice it. Barks was an animator, and that comes through in his drawings, as one panel flows into the next, and you can almost feel the motion between them. Rosa has an engineering background, and that comes through in the amount of detail that he adds in every panel from the elaborate buildings to subtle gags going on in the background. People often write about that aspect of his work, but I've also noticed that there's a real cinematic quality to his work as well, as he'll use large panels to convey scenes of wonder, excitement, and even danger. (A particular shot of the ducks hanging from a cliff in the second volume especially stands out in my mind.)

Rosa is officially retired from doing comic books, and he has cited that one of the reasons why is how Disney treats its artists. In a nutshell, Disney doesn't publish its own comics, and various publishers pay the artists for the work that they do. However, it all winds up belonging to Disney, so it can be reprinted by other publishers without any royalties being paid to the artists - even when the artist's name is being used to promote the reprints! (As has happened to Rosa.) I think that it's safe to say that Rosa is making a bit of money off of these volumes though, as he's providing a lot of original text pieces for each one, including an introduction, detailed story notes, and a "Life and Times of Don Rosa" biography that continues from volume to volume. In those text pieces, you'll find the man to be one of the most self-deprecating artists out there, and if that was all you read, you'd think that the art would consist of a bunch of scribbles and stick figures. Maybe he's seeing something that I'm not, but I'm glad to be missing it, as I think that he's not only producing some exciting stories but some really great drawings as well. This is an example of the medium at its finest, and Rosa will take his place among the greats.

I have a feeling that I'm not the only long-time comic book reader who missed Rosa's work the first time around. While I never looked down upon any particular genre of comic books, I was primarily interested in superhero comics while he was doing his thing. (That's probably still true.) I suppose that as an American I have more of an excuse, as the man was more appreciated in Europe. (I hear he's treated like a rock star in Finland, believe it or not.) However, maybe it's not so bad of a thing, as Rosa has also explained in the text pieces that Fantagraphics is printing many of these stories as they should have been printed in the first place, the originals being plagued with bad coloring and other issues from publishers that didn't really understand comics. Also, these volumes are printed in a larger format than your standard comic, which helps with artwork that's as detailed as Rosa's. Perhaps it was worth the wait, and for me, it's even more fun to experience these stories with my son.

You can read about the time I met Rosa at the Big Wow Comicfest in San Jose here.

Read These Comics! - Dark Empire

Back in 1992, the world was getting ready to get excited about Star Wars again. Technically, this resurgence began in 1991 with the novel Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn, but it all started to get really exciting when Dark Horse Comics published the first Dark Empire series. This began a wave of Star Wars comics by the publisher, which was exciting because for the most part, there hadn't been any since 1986 when Marvel stopped publishing them.

It was also going to be another seven years until The Phantom Menace, and it was looking less and less likely that we'd ever get to see what happened beyond Return of the Jedi. With this series, we got to see the next step in the evolution of Luke Skywalker, as he fully embraces the dark side of the Force just as his father did before him. Why would he do such a thing? He figures that it's the only way to learn the secrets of a resurrected Emperor and ultimately defeat him. Unfortunately, he gets in too far, and it takes his sister, Leia, to bring him back to the light.

Lucas always declared that all of the novels, comic books, etc. were officially "non-canon". In other words, if he wanted to make movies that contradicted what happened in them, then it was the movies that were the official version. That's a bit different now that Disney owns the property, and everything fits into one large continuity. One way or the other, by the time the prequel trilogy came along, this story really doesn't work for a few reasons:

• Clones - The Emperor resurrects himself using clone technology. There are references to the Clone Wars, but they don't really jive with what happened in the prequel trilogy.
• The nature of the Emperor - In this series, Palpatine seems like more of a force (no pun intended) of nature rather than just the latest in a long line of Sith Lords. His power is almost god-like, being able to not only resurrect (although with the aid of technology) but to summon vast "force storms" that swallow everything in their path.
• The ambiguity - Part of the appeal of this series is the references to what went down with Luke's father. Since we didn't know the official version of those events, the reader is left to wonder if maybe Anakin Skywalker tried to join the dark side just to defeat it as well. (Turns out, not so much.)

There were two things that were somewhat controversial in this series, and I've heard fans complain about them. The first one is the resurrection of The Emperor. I have to admit that I kinda liked it. It makes a lot less sense now that we know what we know about how Sith Lords work, but I liked the idea of Palpatine being an embodiment of evil rather than just an evil guy, and to defeat him was to completely eradicate all evil - which is impossible. Plus, whenever I'd play with my action figures as a kid, I'd often do a story where The Emperor had returned, and it was going to have to be Luke himself who would have to defeat him once and for all.

The other problem was the return of Boba Fett. All he said was that the sarlaac found him "indigestible". (Later stories would elaborate on this.) I didn't have a problem with this one either. For starters, we didn't see him "die" so much as enter the mouth of the monster. Second, the sarlaac was said to take 1000 years to digest his victims. Looking at that monster, it was obviously gravity and some tentacles keeping people (and aliens) inside of it, and it didn't seem to chew its food at all. Lastly, Fett was wearing a jet pack. It had a malfunction, but with all of his body armor protecting him while he was inside the belly of the beast, I could easily see him rocketing his way out of there.

Re-reading the series recently, I was also struck by what a distinct artistic style artist Cam Kennedy employed. He not only did the art but the colors as well. As much as I like the new Star Wars books that Marvel is doing, they all have a very traditional look about them. Dark Horse let Kennedy employ some interesting color choices, giving the book a very distinct mood that went along with its rather grim theme.

Basically this story has become a "What If?" or "Imaginary Story" or "apocrypha" if you want to sound more religious. It's worth a look, or a re-look for long time fans. You might have to do some searching if you want to find it. Oh, and for the record, go ahead and skip the two sequels. I didn't even bother to keep those in my collection.

Read These Comics! - Boxers & Saints and a bit more

Last Wednesday, my local comic book store had a signing with Gene Luen Yang. He's the current writer on Superman and has done numerous creator-owned projects like American Born Chinese and today's specific recommendation, Boxers & Saints. It was a great opportunity to meet him, and he was really gracious to everybody who showed up for the signing. I got a chance to talk with him a little bit about the historical and mythological subject matter that his work deals with, and that sort of a thing is always a plus when it comes to signings.

I was intrigued by Boxers & Saints when I first heard about it, but it took a while for me to finally pick it up. What finally prompted me was when he was announced as the new Superman writer, as I have been picking up that title anyway. The thing that got my attention about this particular work though was that it covered a little piece of history that most folks don't know about - The Boxer Rebellion.

I first learned about it when I worked for Military.com, and I was writing brief text summaries of the various military engagements that involved the United States. It's still there, and I'm fairly certain that's the text that I wrote for it. In a nutshell, it was a war where a secret Chinese society, with the awesome name of The Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists, declared war on Western and Japanese influences in their country and attacked not just the foreigners but Chinese converts to Christianity. Eventually it would come to an end when an international coalition, including the United States, eliminated the "Boxers" as the society came to be known. (One disadvantage of the Boxers? They believed that bullets couldn't harm them. Turns out they were wrong.)


Lang's comic is actually two graphic novels, the first one titled Boxers and the second one Saints. The two just go together and you can usually find them sold in one slipcase. The first one tells the side from one of the Boxers and the other from a Chinese convert to Christianity. When I told Gene Yang about how I really liked that technique, he told me that it was due to his ambivalence about who the "good guy" was. Personally, I think that any honest telling of a war story will find it hard to create such clear-cut distinctions.

But just like any good war story in particular or good story in general, the appeal is in creating sympathy for both characters, even when you feel that they're making bad choices. The thing is, I can completely get why those Boxers wanted to do what they wanted to do. Who the hell were all those foreigners coming in and imposing their will on the Chinese? And what was up with this foreign religion and its complete disrespect of all their gods and customs? They basically reacted the way anybody else would, although they took on a violent solution, fueled by religious fervor.

At the same time, I can sympathize why some of the Chinese would convert over to the new religion of Christianity. I'm no Christian myself, but the religion definitely has an appeal compared to a lot of others, whether you think it's for good reasons or not. And more importantly, nobody wants to be persecuted for their beliefs, whether they're the traditional ones or newer, foreign ones.

One thing I also got to tell Mr. Yang was that I really loved how he incorporated Chinese mythology into the stories without making it feel like a textbook lesson. References to the gods are seamlessly blended into the overall story that both serves the theme and informs the reader. The same thing happens in Saints although with a lesson about Joan of Arc.

After finishing both volumes, you're left with that same feeling of ambivalence that the author described to me, and all that death and war seems like such a waste. That might be a common theme for war stories, but it's really the only honest one.

I don't know if I'll get a chance to write about it, but if you like this particular work, then I also highly recommend American Born Chinese. It's mostly autobiographical, and anybody who has ever felt like an outsider can relate to it. (But probably more if you're of Chinese descent, no doubt.) Just like Boxers & Saints, it also incorporates a good deal of Chinese mythology while not feeling didactic.

As for his first issue of Superman? It looks like it's off to a good start. I don't know if it was his plan or not, but the story picks up on recent events where Kal El not only has a new power where he essentially flares like a star (only to lose his powers for about a day until they recharge) but he also has had his secret identity revealed to the world. In other words, no more Clark Kent. Not sure how they'll put this genie back in the bottle, but I think that there are definitely some interesting possibilities if he's gotta be Superman 24 hours a day. Gene Luen Yang has showed that he can tell a good story with his own characters, so I trust him to do the same with the Man of Steel.

You can probably guess which guy has the last name of "Johnson" and which one has the last name of "Yang".

Read These Comics! - Giant Days

I'm not sure exactly why I picked up the first issue of Giant Days. I don't think that I'd fit into what one might describe as the target audience for this book aside from the fact that I simply love good comic books no matter what they're about. Apparently, it used to be a webcomic by writer/artist John Allison. The print edition is written by Allison and drawn by Lissa Treiman (an awesome talent if ever there was one). I never heard of it before, so it wasn't that which made me pick it up. Essentially the story is about a group of college girls in England and their relationship with each other. If you're familiar with Strangers in Paradise it's like that minus all of the darker moments and detours into crime/suspense. So, I'm sure that the creators were thinking that their main audience would consist of 41-year-old men.

What can I say? Good stories are good stories, and good comics are good comics. I'm guessing that it was Treiman's art that caught my attention and made me want to give this series a chance. That's probably true for the most part whenever I pick up a first issue of a new series. I care about the writing too, but it's harder to get a sense of that when you're just flipping through a book at the store. With that said, it's the story that's keeping me coming back for more, and it's also the reason why the latest issue was near the top of my stack when I sat down to read today's new releases. (They're up to issue four of six, by the way. If you can't get a hold of the back issues, I'm sure that a collected edition will soon follow when the entire series is released.)

I've been reading a lot of comics lately, which isn't a problem because I'm also really enjoying what I'm reading. However, I find myself reading a lot more creator-owned books, which means that I'm being introduced to a lot of new characters. In other words, I can't name the characters off the top of my head, as the superheroes of Marvel and DC Comics have filled up that particular bit of head space for learning the names of comic book characters. While I may not remember the names (but you can find out by looking at the image up above). I do remember each of them by their looks and personality types. Even though we're only on the fourth issue, they're all quite familiar to me by this point, and I can count on them to be true to their unique personalities.

What's also great about this series is that even though my head is cluttered with various characters, stories, and plotlines, I feel like I can easily get back into the swing of things with each issue. Pretty much every issue is self-contained, and I imagine that if you picked up the third issue, you'd be able to follow along just fine and not feel too lost. While I'm sure that this series will reward me even further when I sit down to read all of the issues in one sitting (which I very much plan to do) it's nice to be able to enjoy what's going on without having a very good recall.

All of this is, no doubt, an attribute of the writer, but let me gush about the art again. There is just so much life and personality to each one of these characters. The storytelling is always very clear, and it's never confusing as to what's going on from one panel to the next. Each character also has her own body language, and even if they all looked exactly the same, I could probably tell them apart based on that alone.

Perhaps I'm going too far, but I'd put the sense of timing and the fluidity of perceived motion up there with the likes of Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) and Carl Barks (Uncle Scrooge). I'm not sure whether John Allison describes in detail exactly how he wants everything laid out or whether Lissa Treiman makes those decisions, but either way it captures that special something that only can be done in comics.

I don't know what's next for this particular pair of creators. I wouldn't mind seeing more Giant Days. I also would be interested to see what else they can do, either together or apart.

Read These Comics! - The Infinity Revelation

I was originally thinking of doing another lengthy "Read These Comics!" entry, where I recommend several comics in one entry. Those tend to take a while, so I figured that I'd split it up a bit and write individual entries for specific titles. And that brings me to today's recommendation: Thanos: The Infinity Revelation.

While I generally try and recommend comics on my blog that I think would appeal to a broader audience than your average comic book fan like myself, this is definitely one for the Marvel fans. To be more specific, this is for fans of the "cosmic" stories involving Thanos, that bad guy who's been teased at the end of the Avengers movies.

Back when I was in high school, one of my favorite limited series was The Infinity Gauntlet. I recently reread it, and I was impressed by how well it all held up. The plot involved "The Mad Titan" Thanos getting a hold of the six infinity gems which essentially turned him into God. In an effort to impress his beloved mistress Death, he wipes out half of the life in the universe. Yet she begins to spurn him. He's finally able to serve her in a way that he thinks is worthy, but she begins to fear what he has become. To top it all off, you have a bunch of superheroes, cosmic beings, and the mysterious Adam Warlock getting together in an effort to stop him. That series was followed up by the disappointing Infinity War and Infinity Crusade.

Thanos has made many appearances over the last couple of decades, but now he's back in the hands of the man who created him (and the three aforementioned series) in the first of a series of graphic novels. (The second, The Infinity Revelation, has already come out. Maybe I'll write about it in another post.) Not only is Jim Starlin writing, but he's also providing the art. I'll admit that I was a bit hesitant to pick this up, but after flipping through it, I figured I'd give it a shot.

I found myself being really interested in the whole story, but when it was all over I remember thinking to myself, "I'm not entirely sure just what happened here." But this happens with a lot of things, and I wound up thinking about it a lot until I finally got around to rereading it. I think that I better understand the story now, but I still want to read it yet again to see what else I missed. I figure anything that makes me want to reread it is something good.

The plot is a bit difficult to explain, but basically Thanos becomes aware that there's something wrong with the universe, and the cosmic powers that control all creation have decided that he's the one who needs to fix it. You gotta be careful when you read this one, because there are actually two stories being told in two separate realities. About 99% of what happens in both of them is exactly the same thing, but if you pay attention to the details in the art, you can tell which one you're looking at. Sound confusing? It is. Kinda. Like I said, it made more sense on the second read. When everything is resolved, it doesn't seem like much has happened, and really this is all a setup for the next two parts of this trilogy. Anyway, like a lot of things I like, I can't quite explain what it is that I like so much about it.

One thing that's easy to explain though is Starlin's art. He wasn't drawing any of his own stories when I was reading them, but I've seen bits of it here and there. He always struck me as an above-average, competent artist. Inker Andy Smith is the perfect compliment to his clear lines and storytelling, and the colors by Frank D'Armata give everything just the right amount of weight.

Hopefully this entire trilogy will pay off, but I liked this one just fine on its own. If you're like me and loved the cosmic stuff from the early 90s, give this one a read.

Read these comics! - Part IV

I did this once before. Then I did it again. Then I done did it one more time.

Summer is just a few months away, and that means the Big Two (Marvel and DC) are gearing up for their big events. In the case of Marvel, we have Secret Wars, and with DC, we have Convergence. Normally I'm pretty excited about these things. I've loved stories like Civil War, Blackest Night, Forever Evil, Secret Invasion, Spider-Verse, etc. This year though? Meh. I think that the biggest problem is that I just can't seem to wrap my head around them. They both seem to involve parallel realities and fighting of some sort. The first issue of Convergence came out, and it was okay, I guess. I'll probably pick up the second issue, but I didn't get any of the ancillary titles. Honestly, this summer I'm looking more forward to what's going on at Image Comics, as they are attracting some top-notch talent.

Anyway, if you've been away from comics for a while, here are some books that I've been reading lately and enjoying quite a bit. Most of them are available, or soon will be, in at least one collected edition.

Birthright - One thing I always emphasize to my students is that Shakespeare never came up with new stories (possible exception: The Tempest). What he did, however, was take familiar stories and put a new spin on them. That's exactly what you have going on with this series by Joshua Williamson and Andrei Bressan.

The setup for the comic is a young, everyday boy getting lost in a magical and dangerous world filled with all kinds of fairy tale horrors. Even though the comic flashes back to his initial experiences in this world, that's not where the real story begins. It begins when he comes back to the normal world, and he's now a fully grown man, yet only a couple of years have passed by back home. His family has split apart, as his father was blamed for his disappearance. (That's probably one of the best subplots, as his father was basically a man who was redeeming his past by trying to be a good father.) Also, he's now older than his older brother, through the magic of time moving more quickly in the magical world where he went.

You can no doubt see the potential for problems that this can cause. How can the police believe that "Mikey" has returned home when he's a giant, muscular, tattooed, bearded man? What about the family? It was hard enough losing him in the first place, but this sort of a return only causes more problems, as a missing child is at least something that happens in what they consider to be real life.

All of this is interesting enough, but Williamson adds even more layers to the story, as it's obvious that Mikey hasn't just returned as a gruff warrior, but he's harboring a secret as well, and the two worlds are starting to collide together. Also, enough can't be said about Bressan's work. While his artwork really comes alive during the fantasy sequences, he also expertly handles all of the quieter moments and "real world" action.

Descender - I originally only wanted to write about comics that have had enough issues to be reprinted in a collected edition, but I simply love this series too much to not write about it, even though only the second issue has come out so far.

Much like how Birthright takes a familiar concept but gives the reader a new approach to it, the same thing goes for this series by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen. It's essentially the Pinocchio story, only it's about a robot boy in the future who is discovering his humanity. Yeah, I think that if I had only read that summary without having glanced at Nguyen's gorgeous artwork (always liked him, but he's doing amazing stuff here), I might not have given this series a chance.

First of all, the humanization of Tim-21 is done really well. I was already intrigued with him by the first issue, but I genuinely care for the character by the second one. Again though, just like Birthright, the familiar trope isn't the main story. We begin following Tim-21 after his family has died and he has awoken years later. Giant robots have attacked humanity in the meantime, and robots are targeted for elimination. Our protagonist has an extra big target on himself though, as there is some connection (as of yet unrevealed) between him and the giant robots.

Again, I've always liked Nguyen's artwork ever since I first saw it when he was drawing Detective Comics. It took a little getting used to, but his expressive characters and clear storytelling eventually grew on me. With this, he's handling all of the art, including the colors. It's definitely a step up.

Spider-Verse - I can't think of a time when I've ever been all-in for a crossover, collecting not just the main series but all of the supporting titles as well; however, I was in for the full thing when it came to this particular Spider-Man centered crossover.

One of my favorite series of comics of all time was Excalibur back when it was written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Alan Davis (and it got even better when Alan Davis took on both the writing and the art). One of the fun things about it was that it involved various parallel worlds, all of which interacted together as part of a huge bureaucracy called the Multiverse that was protected by the Captain Britains of each world. Spider-Verse is reminiscent of that, even including Spider-UK, the Captain Britain/Spider-Man hybrid of Earth 833.

The setup of this story involves the return of Morlun, a villain who has only appeared a couple of times in Spider-Man comics. The first time, he nearly killed Spider-Man. The second, he actually did kill him (Spidey got better.) Morlun was a pretty good addition to the canon of Spider-Man villains because he was like a force of nature. He had supposedly been around for generations, occasionally hunting various "totems" (basically people who represented animals). He didn't try and kill Spider-Man because he hated him. It's just what he did, and to him, it wasn't personal.

Anyway, with this story, we learn how Morlun was able to come back more than once (he's from another dimension, and he gets cloned whenever he "dies"). We also learn that his whole family is in on the totem-hunting game. In this story, they decide that they need to hunt spider-totems. And not just one of them. ALL of them. As in, all of them across the Multiverse. This means going after the Peter Parker we all know and love from the comics but every version of him and every other version of Spider-Man (or Spider-Girl/Woman in many cases).

The story started with a series of "Edge of Spider-Verse" stories, where we were introduced to all kinds of different Spider-people (including one where his famously deceased girlfriend Gwen was bitten by the spider instead and poor Peter Parker was the victim of a super villain). Those were a bit hit-or-miss but overall pretty interesting. My favorite was with a "Peter Parker" who was a bit of a budding young sociopath before getting bit by the spider. From there, you can imagine The Fly (Jeff Goldblum version) as he slowly loses what bit of humanity he has.

From there, the main storyline happened in The Amazing Spider-Man bi-monthly and subplots continued in Spider-Man 2099 and Spider-Woman. There were also a few miniseries that showcased various Spiders from across the Multiverse. Some fun bits included Miles "Ultimate Spider-Man" Morales teaming up with the Spider-Man from the 1960s TV cartoon. Walloping Websnappers!

Even though the artwork started to suffer toward the end of the story, I thought that the story wrapped up in a pretty satisfying way as it brought together subplots and developments that were set up throughout the entire story. I suppose that this one is for die-hard Spidey fans, and I'm one of them, so yeah, I dug it.

Southern Bastards - A couple of guys from The South, with a real love/hate relationship with it, create a comic that takes place in Craw County, Alabama. I don't know what The South is really like, the furthest I've ever gone is Monticello in Virginia. However, it's a very evocative setting in the hands of Jason Aaron and Jason Latour.

The eighth issue came out recently, and it finished up the second story arc. The first one featured Earl Tubb, a man who had left Craw County years ago, but he came back to right some wrongs. The second arc focuses on the antagonist, Euless Boss, and personally I found that one to be more compelling. Jason Aaron does a great job of creating a villain and then creating some sympathy for him. And now that his story is wrapped up, it looks like the story is going to focus on the daughter of Tubb. (Which is what I was expecting for the second arc, so I could be wrong about this one.)

I think that this series really speaks to the fact that I ultimately don't care too much what the subject matter is of a story so long as it's well told. A big part of this comic involves football, or to be more specific, Southern football culture. Apparently it's where the sun rises and sets in high schools along the South, as for many young men, it's their one chance to shine in their lives. (I'd hate to think of my life peaking in high school.) Also, with so many crime comic books taking place in various urban jungles, it's interesting to see one set deep in the South.

Just like the other books I'm recommending, enough can't be said about the artwork of Jason Latour. His characters are alive and expressive, and the colors help set the mood with his generous use of various shades of red.

Scott Pilgrim - Okay, I'm way behind the curve here, as this series came out years ago. I'm a big fan of the movie, and it was only inevitable that I would eventually pick up the comics. I hesitated for some time as when I flipped through them, it looked like they were too exactly like the movie, and I feared that it would feel like I'm just reading a bunch of storyboards.

Well, I finally bit the bullet and purchased the first five volumes of the new color hardcover reprints when my local comic book store had a big sale. It was a fairly big expenditure (even though it was like getting the fifth volume for free) but man, am I glad that I bought them. I think it's safe to say, even this soon, that these are some of my favorite comics of all time. Yes, it really is that good.

For me, the best comics are those where the story and art merges in a way that can only be done in a comic book. Don't get me wrong, the movie, Scott Pilgrim Versus the World, is genius at capturing some of the language and idiosyncrasies of the comic book. However, that still turns it all into a movie. Bryan Lee O'Malley's original creation captures everything that's glorious about comic books - one scene in particular comes to mind, that being the sequence where The Clash at Demonhead (a band fronted by Scott's ex-girlfriend) make their stage debut.

If you're somebody who loved the movie, then you need to read the comics. If you loved the movie and you love comics, then what the hell is wrong with you? Read the damn thing! And even if you've read the original black and white comics, you should check out these new color editions. I'm no black and white hater, and when it comes to some artists, I prefer their work in black and white (Terry Moore, for instance). However, these are so nicely done that they really make the characters jump out of the page.

While there are definitely some moments that nearly play out as storyboards for the movie, there's enough that's different for it all to be worth it.

So, that's all for this installment of me telling you what to do. There are some other great comics out there that I might get around to writing about in another installment sometime soon, including Batgirl by Cameron Stewart, Brendan Fletcher, and Babs Tarr; Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo; Velvet by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting; and pretty much anything that Mark Millar writes.

Read these comics - Part III

I like comics. I told you about some before, and I told you about some again. I realized that I left out some really good ones last time, so here are some more recommendations:

Sex Criminals - After I wrote my last list of recommendations, I looked over and saw these comics lying near the computer, and I realized that this was the series that I wanted to write about in the first place, yet somehow I forgot all about it!

Perhaps that's somewhat deliberate, as I also kind of DON'T want to write about it. Giving an overview of the plot makes it sound juvenile and smutty, but I wouldn't be too interested in it if that's all it had going for it. Writer Matt Fraction creates characters that you can both empathize with and care about. Also, it deals with matters of sex and sexual desires like they're normal - because they are. In other words, this one isn't for kids, but honestly? I think that a kid would get a healthier view of sex from this series than he or she would from watching music videos, romantic comedies, etc. - or worse, listening to advocates of "abstinence only".

Okay, so what's it about? It's about a young lady who stops time whenever she has an orgasm. She meets a fella who has the same ability. They figure that they can commit crimes when they do this, but there seems to be some people out there who can do the same thing, and their job is to stop people like them.

Yeah, I know, that sounds dumb. It's awesome though. Chip Zdarsky's art is top-notch as well.

Daredevil - This series recently got a reboot/renumbering from Marvel as Daredevil has moved from his hometown of Hells Kitchen (a neighborhood in New York, not the TV show) to San Francisco.

DD has always been a bit of a second fiddle in the Marvel Universe, as generally speaking, most people who don't read comics recognize him (unless they remember the not-so-great movie).  However, comics fans tend to consider him a pretty important character, as he's continuously had a monthly comic since the mid-1960s.

Since Frank Miller's run back in the 1980s, writers have really put Matt Murdock through the paces, completely destroying his life and then rebuilding it again. Sometimes it's better than others, and with Mark Waid's run on the series, a nice balance has been found of putting the Devil through hell, superhero fun, strong characterizations, and compelling storylines. It definitely has drama, but it's not a big bummer all the way through.

Perhaps the most compelling storyline lately has been the subplot with Foggy Nelson, Daredevil's best friend, and his battle with cancer. I read a lot of comics, and it's rare that one really touches me, but I've found myself setting down some of those issues, sighing, and just taking a moment to soak it all in afterward.

And of course, I must take a moment to compliment the clear storytelling skills of regular artist Chris Samnee. He's the perfect match for Waid's stories.

Starlight  - This isn't a Flash Gordon series, but it might as well be. The main character is Duke McQueen, a man who went to another world and rescued it from it tyrannical leader. Now he's an old man, living an unremarkable life, and nobody even believes that he did what he did. Shortly after his wife passes away, he's revisited by a native of the planet Tantalus, letting Duke know that he's needed once again.

It's a great setup, and the writing by Mark Millar is some of his best and most heartfelt. Goran Parlov's art is great as well, although I would have preferred it if somebody with a style more akin to Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon's creator) was on the book. But then again, perhaps that would have made the tribute to Flash a bit TOO obvious. anyway, I can't complain if it looks as good as it does.

One thing that I really like about Mark Millar's writing is that it's always so accessible. With some comics, I find that I forget what happened in the previous issue, and I enjoy them a lot more when I can sit down and read a whole bunch of them all at once. While Millar's stuff pays off in large doses as well, I always feel like I can pick up the current issue and be right on board with the story.

There haven't been any collected editions of this comic just yet, so pick up the individual issues if you can. Otherwise, I'm sure that a collection will come out eventually.

I should also mention, since I'm writing about what's essentially a Flash Gordon tribute, that the current Dynamite! Comics Flash Gordon series by Jeff Parker and Evan Shaner is shaping up to be a pretty solid read as well.

The Twilight Zone - Rod Serling's creation is given the comic book treatment by writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Guiu Vilanova. Fans of the show will probably dig it, even though it takes some liberties with the format. While the stories definitely have the vibe of a TW episode, they tie into one another. The first story arc has been completed, and we're about halfway through the second one. It's not entirely clear exactly how it's all going to tie together, but it's clear that there is a connection.

The first story deals with a Wall Street crook, Trevor Richmond, who's looking at some serious jail time. In order to avoid his fate, he pays a company to create a completely new identity for him. Not only that, but the company hires a guy to take his place so the authorities don't go looking for him.

In his new identity, Trevor learns that the new "Trevor" is a better man than him, and doing what he should be doing in the first place - taking responsibility and trying to make things right. Of course, this isn't going to stand, and he can't just go on with his new life.

The next story deals with a woman who keeps seeing visions of the future, and the mysterious company from the first story arc plays a more ambiguous part in it all.

Definitely some cool stuff.

Afterlife with Archie - Much like with Sex Criminals, I'm hesitant to actually write about this. The premise sounds stupid when I say it out loud, and honestly, I only bought the first issue as a bit of a curious lark. When I was done with it, my reaction was that it was far better than it had any right to be.

The premise is pretty simple. Do you know the Archie gang? Well, what if Jughead, in an attempt to bring his beloved dog back to life, accidentally unleashes a zombie apocalypse? Oh, and it's not funny.

I think that one of the reasons why this series works is that I grew up reading Archie comics. I already have something invested in the characters, and when things suddenly go so totally horrific, I feel like it's happening to people I care about.

I have a feeling though that this series would work well even if you were totally unaware of the comics or the characters. The publisher very wisely departed from the usual artistic style and got Francisco Francavilla to draw the series.

I've heard from more than a few people who were pretty skeptical at first, but writer Roberto Aguirre has managed to create something that hits a lot of nerves. I don't know how long he can keep this up, but since it doesn't feel gimmicky once you actually read it, I'm definitely on board for now.

Read these comics! - Part II

I read comic books. You should read comics. I've recommended some to you before. Here are some more recommendations:

Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood - This is the latest in Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales, and as you can maybe guess from the title, it's all about World War I. It probably sounds inappropriate, but I'm going to say it anyway, I've never associated The Great War with so much fun before, but this comic was a really compelling and entertaining read. It's the kind of thing you could hand to a kid who's showing some interest in that major historical event, or, in my case, it's a relatively quick refresher on all of the important events - while tossing in some facts that I had not known before. (I suppose it's also a handy lesson for anybody who wants to feel like he or she has some knowledge of the war but doesn't necessarily want to read any lengthy history books - which I've done in the past.)

Perhaps the most clever bit is how Hale uses different animals to represent the various warring factions (see image). It definitely helps having that visual cue to keep track of who's who, as there's a lot of different countries that got involved - and he barely even gets into the Middle Eastern campaign. Of course, it leads to a bit of a problem as both Germany and America have eagles as their national birds, so the Americans get to be bunnies instead.

I should probably point out that it, admittedly, makes sure to get to the American involvement, not so much because of the significance of the doughboys entering the war, but because this work is aimed at an American audience, and Hale figures that the readers want to know about its involvement. Still, it's not a piece of American propaganda (your first hint being that we are turned into bunnies) so people of any nationality could probably enjoy this fun history lesson.

Thor: God of Thunder - I realize that right now the buzz is all about Marvel and the (trust me, it's temporary) decision to make Thor a woman. People have asked me what I thought, and I for one am willing to give it a chance. Why? Because it's going to be written by Jason Aaron, who has been consistently turning out some of not only my favorite Thor comics, but favorite comics in general. There are no doubt a few collected editions of this particular series by this point, but I've been getting it in the individual issues.

There have been some multi-issue storylines and some done-in-one issues as well, and I really have a hard time picking what my favorite ones are. The first lengthy story involved a god-killer, and one of the single issue stories dealt with a "day in the life of Thor" and I thoroughly enjoyed them both.

What really separates Aaron's run on Thor is how the main character is treated. There isn't any of this hemming and hawing about him not really being a god but just an alien who was worshipped in the past as a god. No, he's a god. He shows up on a planet to provide rain because the inhabitants prayed to him. I guess we live in an age where people feel less worried about offending religious sensibilities (and why should it offend if you're a believer? It's not pretending to be fact.) Check out the following quote from CBR interview:

Aaron admitted that there's an undercurrent of faith and belief in much of his work, and that despite him being an atheist for half his life Thor is the god he would want to believe in. "It's a book about gods and I wanted to lean into the fact from the get go that Thor is a god," Aaron said. "I don't like in the movies where the Asgardians are aliens."

I didn't know this about him when I started reading the book, but it made sense to me why this book held such an appeal after finding out about it.

Black Science - I just breezed through a re-reading of Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera's series, and I found myself eagerly waiting for issue number seven. (The first five issues have been collected in a trade paperback.)

How to describe this series? Imagine a guy with a crack-addict's dedication to punching through the barriers of what can be done scientifically. He ignores the safety of himself, his family, his friends, and possibly the entire "Eververse", as it's called. Jumping through dimensions, things keep on getting crazier and crazier, and just when you think you've got a grip on where it's all going, another monkeywrench is thrown into the works.

Remender is doing some great work as well over on Marvel's Uncanny Avengers and some hit-and-miss stuff on Captain America. With this creator-owned project, he's really letting loose, and Scalera is the perfect pairing. His art style reminds me of the sort of thing you'd see in some old EC sci-fi comics, which I think is deliberate, without looking like a conscious attempt to mimic the style. I'm not sure how much instruction Remender gives him when it comes to rendering the different dimensions and aliens, but it all looks like it's come from some bizarre nightmare. Perhaps if I had done psychotropic drugs, I could have some point of reference with which to compare (or, you know, traveled to other dimensions) but this is what's great about comics - there's no limit to the imagination as a page filled with giant tortoises carrying pyramids on their backs costs just as much as a couple of people sitting down to talk.

Chicacabra - I greatly enjoyed writer/artist Tom Beland's True Story: Swear to God, so I was an easy sell on this particular graphic novel. Unlike his other work, which was pretty much autobiographical, this one delves into science fiction. However, just like True Story, the characters are complex and likeable, and there's a real sweetness to it all. Also, the art is lively and expressive.

Summarizing the plot doesn't do it justice, but the gist of it is that a Isabella, a teenager in Puerto Rico, gets "joined" with what's likely the last of the chupacabras, a strange species that was nearly wiped out by humanity long ago when settlers arrived in Puerto Rico, where this all takes place. That's all good and fun, and it's reminiscent of the early Stan Lee/Steve Ditko Spider-Man comics, although it takes its time to really explore the characters and is equally concerned with realistic human drama as it is sci-fi hijinks.

I've written recently about the growing influence of a female fanbase in comics and how I think that it's a positive thing. I don't know if that influenced Beland one way or the other when it came to creating this particular series, but if it did, then it's another sign that comics can only get better when they become more diverse. If you're looking for a fun comic that mixes superhero tropes with sci-fi, strong characterization, and a believable female protagonist, then this is a good one to get.

Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me - I've been reading comics a long time, and although I watched and enjoyed the movie American Splendor, I've yet to read anything by Harvey Pekar. This actually came out a couple of years ago in hardcover, but it's in paperback right now, and I just finished reading it a few days ago. Considering that Israel is in the news right now (hard to remember a time when it isn't) I was compelled to pick it up, and I breezed through it.

I'm not Jewish, and I don't know what it's like to be Jewish. I do try to listen and empathize with people though, and I imagine that few things must be more frustrating than to be Jewish and have criticisms of Israel. Even if the criticisms are legitimate, there are people (not just Jews) who are eager to label such a person as a "self-loathing Jew" because that's a lot easier than dealing with the content of their arguments. No doubt Pekar took some flack for this particular book.

If you're looking for some kind of hatchet-job on Israel, you're not going to find it here. If anything, the man is jaded, as he was raised to think that the formation of Israel was the right thing to do and that they were the good guys. As he got older, he discovered that things are not quite so black and white.

What's great about this is that it gives an overview of the history of the Jewish people, and there is no denying that they're a people who have endured a ridiculous amount of hardship and prejudice. What also becomes clear is that they're as human as any other group of people. They don't all think with a hive mind, and their actions should be as open to critique as any other.

I guess the one thing that surprised me is that I was almost expecting to find a really harsh indictment of Israel. That simply wasn't there, although I'm sure that those who have more of a black-or-white view of the world will find it anyway.

Read these comics!

Let's keep the intro brief. I read comic books. I love comic books. You should both read and love them as well. Here are a few examples of what's current and good:

The Fifth Beatle - Recently released by M Press, a division of Dark Horse Comics, this graphic novel tells the story of Brian Epstein, the original manager of The Beatles. He died in 1967, and a lot of folks will tell you that it's no coincidence that the band broke just a few years afterward. (I believe that John Lennon even said that he expected things to fall apart once Epstein died.)

It's a fascinating story, part of which because he was both gay and Jewish, two things that were pretty unpopular to be in 1960s England - in fact, homosexuality was a crime in that time and place. He was even given medication to "help" suppress his gay urges.

While it helps to create a sympathetic portrayal of the man, if you're expecting some kind of depressing "Oh, it's tough to be a gay Jew in 1960s England" story, then you should know that there's a lot more to it than that. The book makes it clear why he was considered to be the "Fifth Beatle" by Paul McCartney and so many others. The man's ambition and personality were instrumental in bringing the band to the masses and turning them into not just a success, but a cultural icon.

Even more important, this is a great example of the art form. I was surprised that this was Vivek J. Tiwary's first comics work, as he knows exactly when to let the art do the talking, and the dialogue is sharp - some of it being an obvious homage to the snappy patter found in A Hard Day's Night. Andrew C. Robinson, who does the bulk of the art, is a born storyteller. I always say that you can tell a great comic book artist if you can flip through the book and get a good sense of all the emotions and plot without reading any of the captions, and he certainly pulls that off. There are also several moments which are great examples of what can only be done in a comic book, like when he discovers the band playing in the Cavern Club.

This was one of my favorite comics of the year, and I recommend it to both comics and Beatles fans, and it's even better if you happen to be both.

Bandette - I had the pleasure of reading the first chapter for free on Comixology. When I saw that there was a collected edition, I had to buy it. I can read the original e-comic, but I think that I'll always be a fan of the more tangible sort of comics.

A year or so ago, I tried reading Tin Tin, but I had a hard time getting into it. I appreciated it, but I'd be lying if I said that I liked it too much. Supposedly, Bandette has a bit of its inspiration drawn from that favorite comic, so maybe people who like that old Belgian comic should definitely pick this one up.

It's hard to describe what's so appealing about this. Basically, the lead character is a thief who also helps the police. She's spunky, sassy, etc., and she speaks like her dialogue has been translated from French by somebody who isn't too familiar with actual English/American idioms. (I'm fairly certain that it's deliberate, as it works even though it shouldn't.) The artwork, as you can see, is lively and charming. The characters aren't spectacularly original, but they're done so well that it doesn't really matter.

I'd recommend this one to people who are simply fans of the art form and/or anybody who has a daughter. It's not that I think that boys won't like it, as I would hand it to Logan if he was old enough to read. Girls just need as many fun characters with whom they can relate as they can get, so here's another one for them.

The Superior Spider-Man - For those who don't know, The Amazing Spider-Man ended with Dr. Octopus and Peter Parker swapping bodies, only to have Peter die while trapped inside Doc Ock's body. At the last moment, all of Peter's memories flooded Octavius's mind, and he resolved that he wasn't going to use Spider-Man's life and body for evil but to continue as a crimefighter, although Ock was going to prove that he'd be a more effective, "superior" Spider-Man.

So Octavius is trying to be a hero, and in many ways, he's doing a better job than Peter ever did. He adds new gadgets to his suit. He has a private army (paid off with funds he acquired during his life of crime). He has "spider-bots" patrolling the city at all times, letting him know whenever he's needed.

He's even a better Peter Parker, finally getting his PhD, spending time with his aunt, and ditching Mary Jane, as it's a relationship that was clearly going nowhere. (Okay, that last one is a bit mean.)

We've seen stories where the identities of superheroes are taken on by somebody new. We've even seen it with Spider-Man, the most disastrous of which was the much-maligned Clone Saga. I have a confession to make though, and many longtime fans might agree - The Clone Saga was a very compelling tale when it first started, but it eventually went careening out of control, resulting in the train going off the rails, only to be put back on them when much damage had already been done. The reason for this is that there was a story set in motion with a definite beginning and end, but when it sold well, it was artificially inflated.

Of course, this story hasn't ended yet (and we all know that Peter Parker will have to return - it's just a matter of how and when) but I think that its saving grace is that there seems to be a definite plan in motion. If one looks back at the comics before all of this happened, it's easy to see that much of this was put into motion a long time ago. Also, while an issue here and there might simply spin the wheels a bit, there has been a definite progression from the beginning up until what's going on right now. Yeah, Ock-Spidey is "superior", but he has his flaws (extreme arrogance being one) and just like a Fourth Act Shakespearean Tragic Hero, various forces are starting to move against him - one being Peter's girlfriend Carly Cooper (who's figured out what's happened and can prove it!) and the Green Goblin, who has an army and has figured out how to stay out of range of the Spider-bots.

I think that this can be best compared to what happened in the now-classic Kraven's Last Hunt, where another villain tried to prove that he was better than Spider-Man, although Doc Ock is a very different kind of villain than Kraven ever was, and this is a more long-term story. Also, it's somewhat reminiscent of what Ed Brubaker did over in Captain America, having Bucky take over Cap's identity. The comparison there is that it's long-form storytelling with an ending in mind from the start. (At least, I hope so! It hasn't ended yet. Hopefully the writer, Dan Slott, will prove me right while still surprising me along the way.)

The Carl Barks Library - Fantagraphics has been reprinting all of the Disney duck comics by artist/writer Carl Barks, known back in the day when Disney comics didn't credit their creators as "The Good Duck Artist".

So far, they've reprinted one volume of Scrooge McDuck stories and four volumes of Donald Duck. Much like with Bandette, I recommend that anybody who's a fan of comics as an art form pick up at least one volume (I'm partial to the Scrooge one, Only a Poor Old Man) as it's another great example of what comics can do.

The stories are for children, but if you're like me and appreciate a well-told story no matter what the target audience is, then you'll probably like it as well. The stories are full of inventive fun and amusing characters. Probably my favorite supporting character is Gladstone Gander, Donald's cousin who has ridiculous luck and doesn't have to work because he stumbles upon money. Donald relentlessly tries to beat Gladstone again and again, only to be met with frustration. You always know that Donald's gonna lose, but he's got that Wile E. Coyote level of tenaciousness that you can't help but root for him even though you know the outcome. (And you also wouldn't mind Gladstone finally getting what's coming to him.)

My only warning is that you need to realize that these comics are from the 40s and 50s, and you won't find them to be the most politically correct sorts of stories when it comes to depicting various ethnicities. (Not that there's anything outright hateful, but it's definitely a product of its time.)

Fantagrpahics is also planning on reprinting the Duck comics of Don Rosa, who is generally thought of as the successor to Barks. That should be worth a purchase as well.

The Complete Peanuts - Fantagraphics (again) is currently publishing every flippin' strip that Charles M. Schulz ever did. I didn't really intend to pick this one up, as my memories of the strip have been tainted by its last decade, where it wasn't exactly Family Circus bad, but it wasn't very good either.

My interest was peaked when my son received a book that tells the "Great Pumpkin" story, which prompted me to show him the TV special of the same name. He absolutely loves both of them, and I found myself enjoying the story on a level that I probably hadn't as a child. Has there ever been a better metaphor for religious zeal than Linus's devotion to The Great Pumpkin? He's a smart kid, probably the smartest of the lot, yet he won't let go of his belief even in the face of overwhelming evidence against it.

So, I went and checked out a few volumes. I deliberately picked the 65-66 volume, since the TV special debuted around that time. This seems to be Schulz's peak period, according to a lot of fans, and I'm agreeing with that notion so far. I also have the 57-58 and 61-62 volumes, and while the earliest one is good, it didn't grab me the way the one from the mid-sixties did. I just started the one from the early sixties, and that's becoming a bit more of what I like, as Schulz explores philosophical issues that he'll later develop as the stories go along. It's no shock to me that the man eventually claimed to be a Secular Humanist - he's far too thoughtful to have remained religious (in my biased opinion, that is).

So, why are you still sitting around reading this? You have some recommendations. Go to your nearest comic book store and buy these comics!