This always seemed interesting to me but felt very DC continuity heavy so I never tried it. Is that accurate or am I just dumb?
Checkmate is kinda in its own corner of DC lore so it's not so much that it's DC continuity heavy (every character gets explained well, they'll catch you up, at least from what I remember from the series) it's just that it's a very specific corner and it doesn't have a lot of "recognizable" characters.
I don’t know if this is at all common but I found it incredibly hard to read. The story was fine and touches on some darker things. But yeah, hard to read for an action packed Spidey comic.
Interesting, I plan to stop by my lcs this weekend and pick it up. Will definitely be the first thing I read
My affection for Jen Bartel is well documented, lol, & this is no exception. The coolest one of these for me, though, is the Ramona Fradon one. So wild that she’s in her 90s & been working since the 1950s, and is still producing work. Speaking of Jen, this DC Pride variant is for sure the one I want:
Caught up on Infinite Frontier and the latest Batman and I’m really worried about the direction given what we saw in Future State. The Magistrate stuff there made very little sense and was super unrealistic even for a comic. I hope with more time and an actual backstory it changes my mind.
I already thought a Steve/Sam/Bucky team-up miniseries (with US Agent thrown in for good measure) called “The United States of Captain America” was a fun little idea. Knowing that they’re introducing new characters who also use the mantle along the way, making it so that there’s Captains America everywhere & anyone can do it? And, starting that off with a queer character who’s also very rural working class, not stereotypically metropolitan? Awesome.
After a few months of reading it on and off I’ve finally reached the last run of Jason Aaron’s Thor. I’ve never been a big Thor fan but I’ve really loved this whole saga
I know some people here sub to Marvel Unlimited and/or DC Universe Infinite, but if you don't and want to see what the apps are like, I did a breakdown video for the two. I'm debating on doing one for Comixology since I like that app the least out of these 3 and think there's a ton of room for improvement there.
New series (seemingly a 2-oversized-issues miniseries?) prematurely announced by a trade listing. The Morrison fans I follow on Twitter are mixed on this announcement ‘cause they wanted them to embrace creator-owned after The Green Lantern wrapped up. I somewhat agree, but at the same time, if they’re gonna do one more DC project on their way out, this is perfect. I’m mixed on Janin’s art, but it did look much less awkwardly digital & more like good comics pages when Bellaire colored him on Wonder Woman. So, will probably be a great fit for this.
Yeah, that was a big recurring issue I had with his art in King’s Batman. Looked so overly modeled, stiff, & digital (and not in a cool digital illustration kinda way), like in a certain kind of video game. Happens any time he self-colors or has the wrong kinda colorist. I think the interiors will look better, though, based on how much Jordie Bellaire’s color palette & textures helped the Wonder Woman pages I saw: Still not my personal favorite style, but a clear improvement.
I have just finished Aaron’s Thor run and fuck I loved that. Fantastic ending to King Thor after the whole run. Kinda wish I had been reading it as it came out.
Carnage: Black, White & Blood #1 was overall decent. The first story, by Tini Howard & Ken Lashley, surprisingly didn't do a ton for me; weird little vignette set during Maximum Carnage that has something to do with ancient Rome, I guess? Second story, by Benjamin Percy & Sara Pichelli, was awesome; basically, what if Carnage, but in an old Western context. Last one, by Al Ewing & John McCrea, looked super cool visually & was a great idea, but I mostly skimmed it; instead of a traditional story, it's a one-person roleplay, choose-your-own-adventure time thing where you're playing as Carnage. Looking forward to what other creators bring to the other 3 issues. Also read last week's Radiant Black #2, which was dope. I liked the dynamic with the dad a lot and continue to like the friend, & the fight with the red guy was fun. One of the pages made me really happy with the helmet design because of the thoughts & emotions a series of head shots was able to communicate.
Radiant Black #1 was ok. I haven’t read #2 but I’m going to give it a couple of more issues to see if it will stick with me What are the Black, White & Blood books anyway? I’ve seen a couple but I didn’t really look further into them.
You know DC’s old (& recently revived) Batman: Black & White, and the similar current/upcoming color-themed anthologies for Superman & Wonder Woman? “Black, White & Blood” is Marvel’s more violent version of that premise. They’re anthology miniseries that are in black & white, plus red (mostly for blood), where different creators can tell standalone short stories for the title character.