Weekly Reader, July 21, 2021

[Gay Titan]

My LCS was having a back issue sale. So I dug into their long boxes.

DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1
Deathstroke #4 (1991)
Hawk & Dove #4, 5 (2011)... I didn't realize it only lasted for eight issues.
Terror Titans #3, 5

[Jeff]

DC Universe Infinite
Dark Nights: Death Metal #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #2
Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #3
Dark Nights: Death Metal Guidebook #1
Justice League #53
Dark Nights: Death Metal Trinity Crisis #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal Speed Metal #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal Multiverse’s End #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #4
Dark Nights: Death Metal Robin King #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal Rise of the New God #1
Justice League #54
Justice League #55
Justice League #56
Justice League #57
Dark Nights: Death Metal Infinite Hour Exxxtreme #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #5
Dark Nights: Death Metal The Multiverse Who Laughs #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #6
Dark Nights: Death Metal The Secret Origin #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last 52: War of the Multiverses #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #7

ComiXology Unlimited
Ascender #16
Black Hammer:Reborn #2
Hey Kids! Comics! #1
The Old Guard: Tales Through Time #3
Serial #3
Snow Angel Season Two #2
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #1
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #2
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #3
Stray Bullets Vol 1: Innocence of Nihilism

---------------------------------------------

Dark Nights: Death Metal #5 - I’m ready for this to end.  They’ve started to just drag it out with more convoluted dialogue that doesn’t make sense.

Dark Nights: Death Metal The Multiverse Who Laughs #1 - Total filler issue.  Just a bunch of random “What if?” type stories that have nothing to do with the main event.  And not very good stories at that.  Skippable.

Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1 - Another filler issue.  Mainly everyone sitting around and self reflecting like a CW episode the night before the battle.  Let’s talk.

Dark Nights: Death Metal #6 - it’s about time.  They really drug out this second act unnecessarily.  This issue finally pivots us to the final battle.  Hopefully it will get back to the decent story telling of the first issues.

[Gay Titan]

Dark Nights: Death Metal #5 - I’m ready for this to end.  They’ve started to just drag it out with more convoluted dialogue that doesn’t make sense.

Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1 - Another filler issue.  Mainly everyone sitting around and self reflecting like a CW episode the night before the battle.  Let’s talk.

LOL. I completely agree. I don't see why this entire series couldn't be done in 2 months. As much as I love my Titans, that entire issue was nothing but unnecessary angst.

[Perry]

I guess that is why I started to lose interest before I got halfway through.
Good art though. Have I mentioned that
 

[Jeff]

DC Universe Infinite
Dark Nights: Death Metal #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #2
Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #3
Dark Nights: Death Metal Guidebook #1
Justice League #53
Dark Nights: Death Metal Trinity Crisis #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal Speed Metal #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal Multiverse’s End #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #4
Dark Nights: Death Metal Robin King #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal Rise of the New God #1
Justice League #54
Justice League #55
Justice League #56
Justice League #57
Dark Nights: Death Metal Infinite Hour Exxxtreme #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #5
Dark Nights: Death Metal The Multiverse Who Laughs #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #6
Dark Nights: Death Metal The Secret Origin #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last 52: War of the Multiverses #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #7

ComiXology Unlimited
Ascender #16
Black Hammer:Reborn #2
Hey Kids! Comics! #1
The Old Guard: Tales Through Time #3
Serial #3
Snow Angel Season Two #2
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #1
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #2
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #3
Stray Bullets Vol 1: Innocence of Nihilism

---------------------------------------------

Dark Nights: Death Metal The Secret Origin #1 - Ah thank goodness.  A good story again.  And perhaps redemption?

Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last 52: War of the Multiverses #1 - Another filler but at least it was filled with stories about the fights.  The only one I really enjoyed was the Titans one.

Dark Nights: Death Metal #7 - Hmmmm. We’ll, ok.  It’s over I guess.  And I really don’t understand how this gets us to Future State.  But perhaps Infinite Frontier will.  I think they’ve restored the time line and if that means the JSA is back than I’m all for it.  Now if just means my Legion will be coming back then I’ll be happy. 

In the end this had some good stories, some bad stories.  Overall though I’m left unsatisfied.

[Perry]

Dark Nights: Death Metal #7 - Hmmmm. We’ll, ok.  It’s over I guess.

 

After I gave up on reading this mini, I searched to see what the ending was, or ended up doing, or tried to do and I think that, while I do like what the out come seems to be

A return to the multiverse

and I would have liked to have had that journey to get there, I just hated everything to do with that Perpetua crap. Especially what Luthor allowed her to do to him
 

I think they’ve restored the time line and if that means the JSA is back than I’m all for it.  Now if just means my Legion will be coming back then I’ll be happy. 

Well it gave us the Bendis Legion ... what more do you want? 

[Jimmy T]

Rodney, Jeff, my thoughts mirrored all your own as well.

In fact, Jeff's line of 'It's over I guess' is my EXACT reaction. I read it. I get the meta message that all the past Crisis' stories count, and we're gonna make them count. Okay, fine...sure, I guess?

Also, is this Metal sub-universe of evil anti-actions gone now? PLEASE?!?! Where apparently only Batman's anti-good is the most influential to it? I'm still confused about the Metal Dark universe. Please go away and never, ever come back.

Like Jeff, I found all the Dark Metal tie-ins to be mostly absurdly filler, ESPECIALLY the last 3 months of things. A good idea or part here and there when it was a favorite character, but that's it!

Now I gotta get caught back up to current (okay DCI current ) reading.

Then I gotta read King in Black. Ugh. I'm a glutton for punishment!!

[Jimmy T]

So, I did read:

Dark Metal #7 -the further this gets put in the past, the better. In fact, it helped me to NOT go back and reread the original Metal.

Immortal Hulk 45-great ending!!! Go JOE!!

Amazing Spider-man 63- what a different feel and direction from the last 6 months. Okay, I guess. Kinda. sorta?

X-men 19 - Again this Vault stuff. So...terribly horrible to make these people live hundred of years, if not more, to expect them to die, all in the name of a war of survival...yeah, its for the mutants greater good, but its HARSH

Wolverine 8-10 - the weird quibble I have about Wolverine's swiss cheese memory is that it was mostly fixed by ...Way writing...before this reboot of the Island work of Hickman's. I guess his memories are junk again.

[Perry]

X-men 19 - Again this Vault stuff. So...terribly horrible to make these people live hundred of years, if not more, to expect them to die, all in the name of a war of survival...yeah, its for the mutants greater good, but its HARSH

Yeah it is! Xavier is getting out of hand

Still need to read

Way of X#1 (Reread)
Eternals #4

One more day for the new MU titles to hit, so I went ahead and got a couple new #1's instead of going back to Hickman's F.F or the Defenders (which I need to make sure not to stay away too long as I will do what I always do and get side-tracked by other titles and never get back to what I wanted to read
 
But anyway, these are also titles I have always been interested in so ...

Invaders #1 (1975) - This was very odd to read as there are editor's note captions in a couple places in the book that literally say
* see Invaders #1
I'm like "Am I not reading Invaders #1?
Turns out that this issue (and issue #2) was all set to be Giant-Size Invaders #2 when Marvel decided to stop printing the 50¢ books and go to smaller page count 25¢ size titles. So they essentially ripped the story that WAS going to be in GS-Invaders into two, smaller issues and made them Invaders #1 and Invaders #2 BUT they kept all the same writing in issue #1 due to time constraints, but edited issue #2's content a little as they had more time.
That all said, there are a couple things I want to say about reading this issue -
1- I tried to look for Giant-Size Invaders #1 to read, as obviously there was one printed, but its not up on MU 
2- Frank Robbins art is no-where near as bad in this first issue ... other than one panel. Very Frank Robbins
 




L.E.G.I.O.N '89 #1 (1989 ... duh  ) - So I have always wanted to read this and I really needed to start using my subscription to DCI so I added this series (Still have JSA and Injustice stuff to get through  ). I knew nothing about this series other than, I thought, it being about the Legion of Super-Heroes. Well, it is, kind of. For those not in the know (which I believe will be a total of zero people  ), this series takes place after the Invasion event in 1988. As we all know, I assume, is that the Legion is based in the 31st century so ... yeah ... this is a precursor series to all of that stuff. I totally was not aware of that. I had just thought it was another version or booting of my LoSHs. The fact that this is prior to them ... waaaaaaay prior to them ... kind of makes me want to read it even more. Plus, I rediscovered  there is a "sister" title that starts a few months after this issue that is about the Legion, my Legion, five years after the Magic Wars.
I told myself "MAGIC WAR?" ... Oh, yeah? So know I have to add the last arc of Levitz run so I can read that arc and be ready for the five years later stuff.
Did I just complicate myself? I think so, I know I complicated my reading
 



*************************************************

Black Hammer: Reborn #2

Doctor Strange #7 (1975)
Doctor Strange #8 (1975)
Moon Knight #1

Nightwing #82
Blue and Gold #1

[Jimmy T]

I did a good amount of reading the other 2 nights!

THOR 14: The best, consistent, greatest title from Marvel for a decade plus. Oh MAN This finale had it all, and boy did I love every moment of it!! So damned GREAT!

BETA RAY BILL 1: Such sadness for Bill, such heart ache, gimme more Bill! I want this!

MAESTRO 4: Hee hee, still awesome! Always awesome!!

IRON MAN 8: Uh...its so...eclectic, but I think I"m enjoying it! LOL

WOLVERINE 11: I have never liked vampires mixed in with the MCU proper. Against Blade? Or monster hunters? Fine. As a worldly opponent to mutants? Don't care. That attitude is not changed here in the slightest.

DAREDEVIL 29: Definitely a different kind of Hornhead in Hell's Kitchen! I'm still enjoying my time through this run of Zdarsky's.

WARHAMMER 40K 3-5: I dig me some Space Marines, and Gillen delivered! I'm a fan of the genre, and a fan of this!!

GOTG 9-13: Umm...hmmm...ah....wha? I'm not sure...what I feel? If I was paying for this, I'd drop it. As it is, I think I'm interested enough to see where it continues to go.

DARKHAWK HEART OF THE HAWK: I love how 90s lame but retro/nostalgic AWESOME this character is!!! I found it to be fun.


JUSTICE LEAGUE 40-41: I thought I had to wait until Dark Metal was over to read this. Nope, I've been missing out! Time to read! Doug Mahnke! Eradicator!! Count me in!!

Then I'll try to get Batman/Superman caught up....then onto Future State looks!

[Perry]

THOR 14: The best, consistent, greatest title from Marvel for a decade plus. Oh MAN This finale had it all, and boy did I love every moment of it!! So damned GREAT!

Preach it! Comics are expensive(Ha, news flash  ) but it was still hard for me to stop getting this darn book. Even though the wait is a mere 3 tinee months. Immortal was rough as well, but this ... yeah, I miss it so

BETA RAY BILL 1: Such sadness for Bill, such heart ache, gimme more Bill! I want this!

Once again the congregation says "Amen"

WARHAMMER 40K 3-5: I dig me some Space Marines, and Gillen delivered! I'm a fan of the genre, and a fan of this!!

Always loved the look of the miniatures of this property. I see one or two of the huge print omnibi at the used book store quite often, but as I don't read novels too much anymore (can't remember when I read my last one) I walk away. But man the covers look cool on those puppies as well

GOTG 9-13: Umm...hmmm...ah....wha? I'm not sure...what I feel? If I was paying for this, I'd drop it. As it is, I think I'm interested enough to see where it continues to go. [/quote]

I think, aside from not being sure mentally about this book  , that the two "Young Avengers" spoil this for me. As much as I truly want to read about most of the characters in this, especially Kl'rt the Super Skrull  , I just have no interest, whatsoever, in reading anything about Wiccan and the Hulkling. And while non of that feeling stems from them being gay, at all, I just find them characters I can't stand. I think it stems from both the way I was introduced to them (HEINBERG!!!)  , and that I really, really really really, hate the name Hulkling.
 


Still need to read

Way of X#1 (Reread)
Eternals #4

I looked for the new MU books this morning around 2am as I was up with leg pain and wanted to start reading them, but Marvel had yet to update the new week's offerings, so I read some old LoSH to try and line up the two Keith Giffen series

Legion of Super-Heroes #57 (1989)
Legion of Super-Heroes #58 (1989)
Legion of Super-Heroes #59 (1989) - I decided I wanted to read the Magic War arc but also wanted to jump in a little earlier to catch any carryover conversations or whatever so I started three issues back and I gotta say wow, Levitz (with the help/aid of Giffen) really got hardcore towards the end of his time on this title. The Emerald Empress has never been so damn harsh and issue #58, unbeknownst to me, was also

the death of the same floating eye having member of the Fatal Five

Jeff, if you are a fan of the Emerald Empress and have never read these two (or you have and have since forgotten about 'em), I would hit up #57 and #58 ... and maybe even #56 as the way #57 opened it may also tie-in ... but I found these two issues more than enough to get the story. Very glad I took the time to read those two issues.
Oh, and issue #59 was a decent "look back" story of the original Invisible Boy, for those wondering 





*************************************************

Black Hammer: Reborn #2

Doctor Strange #7 (1975)
Doctor Strange #8 (1975)
Moon Knight #1
Invaders #1 (1975)

Nightwing #82
Blue and Gold #1
L.E.G.I.O.N '89 #1 (1989)

[Jeff]

Not a bad idea Perry.  I should figure out where I stopped reading those and pick back back up.

[Jeff]

I’m going to go ahead and add the three titles that dropped on MU this morning because you know I’m not waiting three days to read Way of X!

Marvel Unlimited
ADD:  ETERNALS #4
ADD:   WAY OF X #1
ADD:   X-FORCE #19

DC Universe Infinite
Dark Nights: Death Metal #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #2
Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #3
Dark Nights: Death Metal Guidebook #1
Justice League #53
Dark Nights: Death Metal Trinity Crisis #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal Speed Metal #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal Multiverse’s End #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #4
Dark Nights: Death Metal Robin King #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal Rise of the New God #1
Justice League #54
Justice League #55
Justice League #56
Justice League #57
Dark Nights: Death Metal Infinite Hour Exxxtreme #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #5
Dark Nights: Death Metal The Multiverse Who Laughs #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #6
Dark Nights: Death Metal The Secret Origin #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last 52: War of the Multiverses #1
Dark Nights: Death Metal #7

ComiXology Unlimited
Ascender #16
Black Hammer:Reborn #2
Hey Kids! Comics! #1
The Old Guard: Tales Through Time #3
Serial #3
Snow Angel Season Two #2
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #1
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #2
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #3
Stray Bullets Vol 1: Innocence of Nihilism

---------------------------------------------

Ascender #16 - The players are coming together and the story is headed for a crescendo.  I think the final battle starts next issue.

Black Hammer:Reborn #2 - I’m digging this. :-)

Hey Kids! Comics! #1 - Interesting first issue.  It’s kind of a history of the comics industry with the names changed to protect the not so innocent.  I’m getting hooked.

The Old Guard: Tales Through Time #3 - Kind of boring.  First story was more interesting. It was by Bendis.

Serial #3 - another good chapter.  Hard to only read one issue at a time.  I want more!

Snow Angel Season Two #2 - continuing to learn more about this world.  Finally finding more people has only raised more questions! Love it.

[Gay Titan]

L.E.G.I.O.N '89 #1.... LOVED the first couple years but then it just got stupid. Great characters!

[Perry]

L.E.G.I.O.N '89 #1.... LOVED the first couple years but then it just got stupid. Great characters!

Uh-Oh. 

Thanks for the heads-up