My Comic Book Meme

1: Favorite writer

Brian K Vaughn of  'Y The Last Man', 'Pride of Bagdad', and 'Ex Machina'
          

2: Favorite artist

 

 

Jack Kirby

         

3: Favorite cartoonist (writes and draws)

 

 

Alex Ross

 

4: Marvel, or DC? Why?

 

Always been a Marvel Zombie but I love DC comics from the Silver Age. Currently neither of the big two are doing anything to impress me. I hate the overhauls that both companies have made to their lines. They think that dumping continuity is the way to attract no readers but all that does is alienate long time fans. I am also mad that each company has been very slow in adapting to the Digital Age.

 

5: Favorite Marvel hero

 

 

 

Spider-Man or The Hulk, because the Hulk is always angry.

 

 

6: Favorite DC hero

It begins and end with Batman and the Bat Family (especially Batgirl)

          

7: Favorite single comic issue and why

 

 

Batman 246. It was the first comic book I ever read.

         

8: Favorite story-arc of your favorite character

 

 

'Born Again' The Frank Miller written Daredevil story.

         

9: Favorite graphic novel, or trade paperback

 

 

 Kingdom Come by Alex Ross and Mark Waid

 

10: Favorite on-going currently
 

The Walking Dead, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, Thunderbolts, Spider-Man

11: Favorite on-going of all time

I have never missed a month of X-men since the mid 80s. 

 

12: Favorite indie/creator-owned publisher

 

 

Dark Horse which makes great comics about the larger Star Wars Universe, Conan, Aliens, Predator and all the great things that Mike Mignola does like Hellboy.

         

13: Favorite horror comic

 

 

Loved those horror anthology comics that DC put out in the 70s - 'Witching Hour', 'House of Secrets', 'Weird Wars'.

         

14: Favorite sci-fi comic

 

Any of those cosmic titles Marvel does like Guardians of The Galaxy, Silver Surfer and Nova are great but so are the Alien and Predator comics done by Dark House.

         

15: Favorite crime comic

 

Scalped - an intense story of a cop trying to keep the law on a corrupt native reserve.

16: Worst comic you have ever read and why

 

 

Bible Archie comics. One summer at Bible Camp (I KNOW!!!) we got conned to do choirs in exchange for a box of comics. We worked our asses off and when we finally got our hands on the box we ran to read under a tree and discovered at the exact same time that these weren't regular Archie comics. They were BIBLE ARCHIES trying to shove the holy balloon juice down our throats.

         

17: Least favorite writer

 

Grant Morrison - I always got the feeling that he had half the story on paper and the other half in his head, hidden from the readers. His stories are so frustrating to read and enjoy with his most recent Batman arcs being a particular low point in my comic reading history. It feels like he has nothing but contempt for the comic reading fanbase and crappy writing is his way to punish us for not fully appreciating his 'genius'.

 

 

18: Least favorite artist

 

Do I really have to say it? Rob Leifeld. 30 years in the business and he still can't get his art right. He produces the same junk he did when he first made his splash on the scene. There are a lot of sites that analyze how bad his stuff is but I only need to leave this singular image to make my point.

 

 

19: Paper, or digital? Why?

 

 

 

I LOVE reading comics on the computer but there is nothing like having the actual comic in your hands. I love when I come across an old comic with the yellowed pages and that great old book smell. However, I like how I can store all my comics on one tablet and take my entire collection with me when I travel...when I actually start travelling again. I can find any comic I want to read online without having to go on an extensive real world search.

 

20: Favorite webcomic

 

Strangely enough I don't follow any web comics. I would love some recommendations from my readers. 

         

21: Favorite manga

 

 

The only manga I got into seriously was Akira.

          

22: Any Absolute editions, Omnibi, or oversized hardcovers?

 

I have boxes of hardcovers in my collection. I like those SHOWCASE PRESENTS black and white anthologies that give you 500 pages of story in one volume.

 

 

23: Your stance on events

 

Who would have thought that Image comics would be doing better comics than the Big Two. They are very smart by not trying to unite their entire line into one Universe. Each series exists separately from every other one. The Walking Dead and Invincible are prime examples of this. You don't need to buy 50 different issues a month just to keep up with one so-called 'event'. These 'events' never amount to any real change to the status quo so they end up just being filler - especially if someone like Brian Bendis is involved - just check out the latest Skrull Invasion story arc.

 

 

24: If there are only five comics you could only read what are they and why?

 

That is like asking me to choose between my children. I like and read a large selection of titles but these five would be the ones I would like to find washed up on shore in a waterproof case.

The Goon

 

Plop

 

 

Spider-Man

 

 

X-Men

 

The Legion Of Superheroes

 

 

25: A book you expected to not like, but ended up enjoying

 

Planetary - an excellent reconstruction of superhero archetypes that can be read in it's entirety as a 27 issue series. There are many great Easter eggs for people familiar with pulp literature. It's is so unlike any other comic book I have read before or since. I regret that it took me so long to rediscover this gem. The series was already finished by the time I picked it up and I read all 27 issues in one sitting.

Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner and Drummer are Planetary: Archaeologists of the Unknown; tasked with tracking down evidence of super-human activity, paranormal secrets and histories, like other universes, an island of dying monsters or a long-dead old friend.

Batman/Planetary is another fantastic stand alone issue featuring the Planetary characters and several shifting versions of Batman and how the two groups interact on the anniversary of the death of Bruce Wayne's Parents.

26: A book you expected to love, but ended up not enjoying

Wanted - I hated the casual depravity of the characters. There was no one to root for or even like. I enjoyed the motion picture only because they avoided the more distasteful elements of the story and kept to what made the story interesting in the first place. I picked it up because Millar wrote it and Superman - Red Son (one of my favorite Superman stories of all time). Maybe my expectations for Wanted were too high for me to enjoy the story which only left me cold. I will not be one out there begging for a sequel. My time spent in this universe was more than enough for me.

Wanted is a comic book limited series written by Mark Millar, with art by J. G. Jones. It features an amoral protagonist who discovers he is the heir to a career as a super villain assassin in a world where such villains have secretly taken control of the planet.

27: Favorite Marvel villain

 

 

 I do so love the Gloom that is Doctor Doom

         

28: Favorite DC villain

You can't go wrong with the Joker.

         

29: Favorite movie based off of a comic

 

 

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I must be the only one that enjoyed it enough to watch it every time it comes on TV. The way they portrayed Captain Nero as an Indian pirate was very satisfying to me.

30: Favorite TV show based off of a comic

 

 

 

The Walking Dead of course. The Kirkman comic was fantastic and kept you guessing with each painful cliffhanger. I am so glad that the show has so thoroughly adopted the grim attitude the comic book had. Never have I enjoyed a black and white comic more. If someone was smart they would find a way to do a live action version of Kirkman's superhero comic - Invincible which is also very well done.

 

 

31: Coolest superhero toy as a kid

 

I got more joy out of my Mego Spider-Man and my Evil Knievel Stunt Cycle than anything else. In fact they are the only figures to survive 'The Great Disaster' and I like to keep them close to my computer at all times.

 

         

33: Do you have a local comic shop? What is it called?
 

 The Bookworm's Den
      

34: Do you order comics off the web? What site do you use?

 

I only order graphic novels or trade paperbacks these days and they come from Amazon.         

35: Any collectibles, statues, or busts?

 

 

I like the manga inspired Bishoujo PVC figures of the Marvel/DC female Superheroes. I also have a few thousand action figures and vehicles in my collection.

         

36: Rarest comic book in your collection

 

 

I have a Spider-Man #26 in near mint condition. Of the 12000+ comics I have in long boxes, this is one of my most valuable issues. I also bought Giant Sized X-Men #1 mint off the rack and kept it in that condition ever since. It was the issue that introduced Wolverine to the X-Men Universe.

 

37: Any signed books, sketches, or otherwise?

 

I met Jim Shooter once back in the 90s and he wouldn't stop asking me why I liked his Valiant comics imprint  (which I really did). We must have talked for five minutes and he gave me a signed copy of Archer and Armstrong #1 for free. I have never been to Comic Convention but I want to go to the one in New York one year. I have buddies in The Big Apple that I can hang with. My mission would be to meet and get a picture with some of my favorite creators. I would die to tell Stan Lee what everyone tells him - that he got them through some bad times as a kid with his stories.

 

 

38: If you were to pick the dream superhero book you'd wanna read who would write it, and who would draw it, and what hero would it be about?

 

I have many stories that would make great graphic novels, movies or television series. I am a undiscovered gem of a storyteller. This is a character page I created for my graphic novel - Spellbound.

39: Crossovers you would like to see

 

 

I would love to see another round of AMALGAM comics where the characters in the DC and MARVEL Universe were merged together to create cool characters (like Batman and Wolverine to create Dark Claw). The series of comics they published under the AMALGAM banner were all interesting and creatively done.

 

 

40: Name some comics that have made you cry, laugh, feel frightened, and happy.

 

The story follows the journey of We3, a squad of three prototype "animal weapons," as they flee captivity. The group consists of a dog, "Bandit" a.k.a. "1"; a cat, "Tinker" a.k.a. "2"; and a rabbit, "Pirate" a.k.a. "3", who were all kidnapped from a nearby city and encased in robotic armor. They were also given a limited ability to speak through skull implants. Their body armor fields numerous weapons, including mine laying devices, machine guns and razor claws.

 

We3 meet and overcome numerous hazards on their flight to freedom, as they are pursued by the full might of the military, including other engineered animal weapons. They also encounter civilians, with varying reactions.