Greg's Comic Book Club #21: Participation Thread

This was certainly an interesting month for me. First off Required Reading About Betty's Boob by Vero Cazot/Julie Rocheleau I did not know what I was getting into when I got this book. I was a little worried going in as all I knew about it was that it was partially about breast cancer and I am coming on the year anniversary of a close family friend passing because of the horrible disease. Then I opened the book and was immediately enthralled. I loved the style they used almost like a silent film. It really showed the power behind Rocheleau's stunning artwork. I love the story and the themes of having to rebuild yourself after something tragic. But where I am most impressed by this book is that it made me laugh. A lot. I'm truly impressed that the artistic comedy in a book about breast cancer was top notch. What I read this month: Valkyrie: Jane Foster #5 Jane Foster is really starting to fit into her new role within the Marvel Universe really well with the final issue of her first arc. I love her in this role as working with both the Asgardian side of the realms as well as the very human side. That said, I hope this series begins to take more risks with the idea and gets really weird with it. The first arc was awesome and I think they have something really unique here among all of the other Marvel storylines happening right now. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #13: I have really been enjoying the current arc of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man as Spidey is finally putting an end to the Under York troubles. But where this book shines is Spidey's interactions with the Fantastic Four. I've always loved seeing Pete with them because he really is a part of the family and we really get to see his relationships with all of the members. I especially love the Science Five joke between Pete and Reed. If you haven't read it, it's exactly what you would expect and is wonderful.

Griffin Thenell

Required Reading: About Betty's Boob by Vero Cazot/Julie Rocheleau What a powerful read. How something so horrible like cancer, literally losing a part of you and telling a story of how a character overcomes that with barely any dialog is just incredibly impressive to me. Though I never experienced breast cancer, this story resonated with me more than I thought it would. Elisabeth/Betty's journey through self-acceptance through pain and loss of both her breast and her significant other is inspiring. The illustrations are so fucking beautiful, there's no other words that can really describe it. What I read in November---only one book! Way too busy playing video games. Batman: Creature of the Night-Book 4 by Kurt Busiek, John Paul Leon and Todd Klein Almost a year and a half since Book Three, we finally get a conclusion, and it was definitely worth the wait. Seeing the struggle of Bruce Wainwright with The Creature, his family and friends and mental illness I feel hasn't been explored in a way like this before, and is a very unique story with a lot to say. It's heavy, and very deep---thanks to Busiek's writing. John Paul Leon's art and coloring is wonderful, he really up the ante in this finale. And I feel Todd Klein needs to have a shoutout in this. The lettering in this series is probably the most important piece, and he really did a excellent job shining through the personalities of these characters who are narrating the story. Recommend picking up the trade when it comes out in February.

Kala Del Giorno

Wow, kind of light this month. I wasn’t going to comment this month, as I haven’t read much, but I feel like I should now. Required Reading: About Betty’s Boob What a book, man. It makes sense that an artist would pick this for required reading, this is such a great example of storytelling through art. As a guy, a mastectomy is not something that I think about often, so it was incredibly interesting to me to experience this through Betty’s perspective. Seeing this woman go through this horrible ordeal, to see her hit so many low points throughout her healing process was heartbreaking. Being ok with the skin we’re in is something we all struggle with, so seeing Betty finally make peace with her body was quite endearing. I’m quite glad this was the required reading this month, as I probably wouldn’t have heard of this otherwise. I haven’t read much else, I haven’t had the time. Hopefully more time will free up after this holiday season. Comics are cool, love being part of this club!

Hi Greg and mysterious co-host (if one exists), last month I busy having a flu and flying to London. But here are some of the comics that I read in the last few weeks: Required Reading About Betty’s Boob This book is absolutely wonderful. It starts off with Betty, the main character of the story at her lowest point, just when she survived breast cancer and had a mastectomy. I would have expected to see more about her life before her therapy and the operation, but this book is about how to regain self-confidence and joy of life after a life-altering experience. I like that the entire book barely has text bubbles and nearly no dialogues (except text inlays just like in silent movies), so the entire story is shown with lots of movements, actions and lots of emotional expressions. This also goes very well with the artwork which is absolutely beautiful. This book manages to show Betty’s way from her lowest point in life to new beginnings of a happy life as a celebrated burlesque dancer (that happens to look like Betty Boop with a P). I loved this book. Thanks for picking this book as a required reading. So… on to some of the other books that I’ve read Liebesstrasse While browsing through Comixology Sales, I found this Original from Comixology which got my attention from the obvious German name which translates to Lovestreet in English. It’s about an American who emigrated to Germany in the early 1930s who fell in love with a German named Philip. At first, they enjoyed their newly-found love, travel across Europe, but their love is doomed to fail, just as the Nazis started to gain power and began their rule of terror against jews, political enemies and homosexuals (or as they refer to it in one scene as „warm brothers“). As their secret love is found out, Philip is being imprisoned and Sam is being deported back to the US. They remain separated for years with Sam still hoping that Philip’s still alive. Even though this single particular story is quite sad to see, it’s even more to see if you consider that similar stories happened by the thousands, if not millions during the 1930s and eventually World War II. The only problem that I have with this graphic novel is the artwork that is quite edgy and simple coloring. That being said, it’s still a happysad book that I can recommend everyone. Star Wars Allegiance - Journey to Rise of Skywalker The hype machine begins for the final installment of the Skywalker Saga. This 4-issue-series shows the Resistance hiding at the garbage planet of Anoat (just as a reminder: this planet was briefly mentioned in Empire Strikes Back and was considered to have nothing there) while the First Order tries to brutally punish any planet or society that has had contact to the Resistance or even helped them in any way. While Finn and Poe have their own little side adventure, Leia, Rey and many other Resistance fighters try to convince some of the Mon Calamari to give them new capital ships for their upcoming fight. It’s an interesting, short read, with a big cliffhanger at the end for the people of Mon Cala that is supposed to be resolved in the Rise of Skywalker and I don’t know if this is already a major spoiler, but it does not seem to have a peaceful resolution. And I’m wondering how much of this story is going to have an impact to the final movie. Captain America - Winter in America The beginning of Ta-Nehisi Coates run on Captain America. Coming off of the big Secret Empire event, Cap is back being Cap, but as his evil Hydra counter-part was responsible for the previous events, Steve Rogers tries to atone for Hydra Caps deeds and tries to find new meaning for using the name Captain America again. It’s a great, thoughtful book and I’m stoked to continue reading Coates’ direction for the character. Buffy/Angel Truth be told, I have been a Buffy fan for the last… well… 20 years now. And I never thought, I would read a reboot of the same classic story in today’s times. However, some things have changed drastically. With the rise of smart phones and the Internet and a more LGBTQ-friendly society the life of the Scooby Gang is now more influenced with texting, Instagram and Twitter, Xander is a now blogger and Willow’s struggle with her sexuality throughout several seasons as shown in the original TV series has been drastically reduced: she is an out-and-proud lesbian already from page 1. But some things are still the same: They still try to scout for vampires or evil devils. Like Drusilla and Spike. It’s such a joy to see those characters back again. Same goes for Angel, who already fights demons as similar as in the Angel TV show. I especially liked the idea of a demon that feeds on vanity and who gets an extra all-you-can-eat-buffet just by browsing through instagram. Currently both separate series have their first cross-over named Hellmouth and I’m looking forward to the first on-paper team-up of that famous couple. That’s it from my side for now. It was again a pleasure meeting you, Nick and Tim in London and all the other best friends like MCFixer, Mark Freeman, JerriKoe, Vitz Patel, Joanne (to name a few) and I guess I didn’t spread my flu again this time :-) Question for Greg: With the classic Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline now being adapted for the Arrowverse, what major storyline (from any property) would you like to see adapted on a visual medium (movies, TV or video game)?

Arvel Crynyd

Hey Geg and mystery guest, Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Crisis! Required Reading: My New Year's Resolution is to get better about Required Reading. What I've been reading: X-Men #1 and #2: I've been reading all of the Dawn of X Books but only 2 have really jumped out to me and this is one of them. In issue 1, I love the seeing the Summers family being happy on the moon and it's nice to see Cyclops get some type of "reward" for all the work he's put into the X-Men over the years (The sneaky mutant threesomes are also fun). Issue 2 was a nice look at Scott as a father and I liked that Hickman didn't touch on the weirdness of Scott working with his kids who are both from two different future timelines. He just treats them like his kids and that's neat! (I also love how wacky Teen Cable is) Marauders: I like what's going on in this book, specifically seeing Kitty (Now Kate) being a badass! I love when writers make their characters adequately competent and show how much of a powerhouse someone can be when they use their powers correctly. In this case, we've now had 2 issues of Kitty being a pissed off pirate and not taking shit from anyone! Spider-Man: Velocity: This book deserves soooo much more attention! People are probably ignoring it because it's in the game universe but they shouldn't. It's telling a great story about Peter's Velocity suit (The one that slows down enemies) and it's got a cool new speedster character as well. Each issue is more engaging than the last and it does a great job of telling it's own story while still acknowledging the events of the game. Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis: I just read Infinite Crisis a few months ago so seeing this darker take on it was really cool. I feel like Beetle's turn was a bit "too much too fast" but that can be hand-waved away since everyone in this multiverse is apparently more inclined to make dark choices. His whole story reminded me of Robot from Invincible but it made a bit more sense (imo). Question for Greg and guest: Is there any comic or storyline you really want to read but have never gotten around to? I've always wanted to read Red Lantern Supergirl but I always want to start with Johns' GL stuff and never end up finishing.

Those silly Americans enjoying a holiday. What fool would do that? Also, Hi!

Sorry if you see this twice but I think I deleted my last comment by accident.

Ollo Greg and Guest TBA Before I talk comics, just want to say it was great meeting you Greg at the UK meet and greet. It was a magical 1.2 milliseconds. #kfuk more like #kfqueuek, am I right. I’m just joshing with ya, I had a fantastic time hanging out with all the best friends. KF really is an amazing community. Hope to see you guys again next year (fingers crossed). Now Comics; Required Reading; Sorry Kris, I didn’t get round to it this month. It’s on the list though, I promise. What I’ve Been Reading (not a lot); BLACK SCIENCE; It’s here, the end of Black Science. I’m going to miss it. While I’m not a huge fan of Remender’s work, Black Science is the exception. I’ll never forget the amazing ending to the third trade paperback that solidified it as one of the greatest series ever written (in my opinion of course). This final chapter, while not being the best in the run, was certainly a good ending for the book. It somehow manages to be a happy ending and a miserable ending at the same time. And I can’t think of something that suits Black Science more than that. I give it 5 “The art by Matteo Scalera is also amazing. That is all” outta 5. CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS: Due to the upcoming CW cross over, I decided it was finally time to fill a gap in my comics history. While I get what this book meant at the time, it’s a serious case of old comic is old for me. I found my self pretty quickly starting to skim read, then just skipping over whole pages. The dialogue just felt so dated and boring. I don’t really blame the writer of the artist for that as its a product of its time. But time has moved on and that does not help this book. I give it 2 “who the hell is Arion; the high mage of Atlantis” outta 5. Edit: The comments are light this month, so I’m back to recommend Valiant comics for the sixth millionth time (I’ll never stop). Valiant relaunched in 2012 and has become one of the best places for superhero stories ever. They only ever publish between 4 to 9 books at once making continuity actually work. I always say it’s like the MCU of comics. I pretty sure almost all their stuff is on ComiXology Unlimited as well. Here are a few recommendations HARBINGER + HARBINGER OMEGAS (#25 + #3 issues. Complete); Harbinger is effectively x-men but instead of being a way to show racism it about showing mental health. It focus on a small group of teens that are all struggling from mental health in different ways. While also learning how to use their newfound powers. THE VALIANT (#4 issues, Complete); The Valiant was a mini-event book that they did a few years into the reboot. It's a good place to jump on as a new reader as they give you a little sample of most of their big characters. It’s also important for my next recommendation. BLOODSHOT REBORN (#9 issues. The run goes on past #9 but #9 is a close the that arc); This is a book about PTSD and depression disguised as a superhero story. Its a great deep look into the mind of bloodshot the former brainwashed assassin with no memories of who he was before he became the monster. Written by Jeff Lemire as well (Descender, Black Hammer and many more). IVAR, TIMEWALKER (#12 issues, Complete); The Scientist Neela Sethi is about to discover time travel but before she does a jaded Time Traveller (Ivar) shows up to save her life. Seeing as she is not in danger at the time, she doesn't take him very seriously. But it turned out he was just a little early, and before you know it, they are travelling through time trying to escape her hunters. Lots of twist and turns in here that I don’t want to spoil. And yes, I will continue to recommend this every month because I’m a stubborn rat who just wants people to read this fantastic story.

Oh and I didn't catch you in London, but hi!

Katie Gallacher

I checked last night but ended up going to sleep instead of writing my comment, I'm glad you'd replied by the time I got here today, because I was thinking the same thing! I'd been wondering if I'd missed an update that this month was postponed or something, but it's probably just that Thanksgiving distracted all the Americans :)

Katie Gallacher

It is light on comments this month. I was worried I was going to be the only one when I checked this morning. Kind of thought I was in the wrong place. It's good to know I'm not crazy.

Greg, I just wanted to say how great it was to meet you in London, I can’t tell you how much it meant to me! :) Question(s) If you had to choose 1 publisher (DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse etc) and could only read comics from them from now on, which would you choose and why? Since this month seems to be light on comments, I’ll be greedy with a second question: Is Oliver by Gary Whitta going to get a second print run? It’s been out of stock since launch day (I thought maybe you could get some inside info). Required reading (Betty’s Boob) Where were the words?? (I’m joking.) I’m not very artistically minded so my heart fell slightly when I realised the story was going to be told purely through the art, but in the end I found it to be a touching story. It did a great job of bringing the different character’s personalities to life without any dialogue. In particular, the message of still having bad days even when you’re generally moving forwards really resonated with me. 2nd Required reading (Back Widow: The Name of the Rose) This was awesome and a great example of how much storytelling can fit into a short comic. It’s become my favourite Marvel comic (admittedly it’s a very short list) and I was honestly surprised I connected with all the characters so quickly considering they weren’t the versions I’m used to (from the MCU). Much like with We Stand on Guard, a part of me was left wishing they’d done a much longer run because I wanted to see so much more of that world, but at the same time I’m glad they kept it contained and just told the story they wanted to, because they did that so perfectly. What I’ve been reading The Walking Dead Compendium 4 (the final 48 issues) I know I’m late to the party here and I went back to watch the previous issues so I also know Greg doesn’t agree with me, but I feel to need to rant anyway. What a massive disappointment!! I loved this series so much in the beginning. There’s a letter to readers by Robert Kirkmann at the end (I’m not sure if it’s in single issues too) where he says the original plan was to end once they reached Alexandria; have a full-page close-up of Rick’s face turn into a close-up of his weathered statue then pan out to show the statue in a built-up but now derelict Alexandria, with Walkers roaming the streets. How good would that have been?! Maybe I’m being too bleak, but to me the whole point of the series was pain and suffering, struggling against the inevitable end, and making the best of the journey. Giving it a happy, optimistic ending seemed so “off”; I even spent the entire jump forward waiting for the reveal that it was just Carl’s fantasy after falling off the cart. Not to mention that after 150ish issues, for the Commonwealth to suddenly show up so near the end felt way too rushed. Maybe if half-way through the series TWD had transitioned to a political/philosophical book about what system of rule to establish if you’re given a blank slate I would have been more accepting of the ending (and that sounds like something I’d be interested in reading, too!) The only positive thing I can say is that I’m glad it ended rather than dragging it out until it died, because it deserves better than that. In his letter Kirkmann says he ended it when he did because he realised he didn’t have another 100 issues to tell, but I think it needed either another 100 to do the ending properly or to have ended 100 earlier to make it work (I think it could have ended after All Out War, with the jump to the fair being the epilogue). Also, given the ending it had, how cool would it have been if the school from Telltale (or certain characters, but I’m trying to avoid spoilers) had been shown in the background somewhere in Commonwealth? Preacher volume 2 I got distracted after finishing volume 1 so it’s taken me a while to go back. I’m still enjoying this series, and the wider religious themes are great. But there are areas that make me cringe, where I don’t think it’s aged well. To give an example from volume 2, there was a point where they needed to infiltrate a sex party and the idea that you knew they were disgusting bad guys just from the orgy and costumes felt really judgemental in the modern day (then it turned out they were making child porn in the back room, so okay, they really were bad guys). It’s still much more readable/less egregious than The Boys! Superman: American Alien I think I’m finally starting to ‘get’ Superman with this book. The way it jumped through time with him growing up was genius and one of the best origin stories I’ve read. I’d recommend it to pretty much anyone: I think it would be a great read for someone new to comics, for someone who’s a long-time Superman fan, or for any Superman-haters! I’d love to read more stories where Clark’s young and inexperienced compared to Batman (and co) – I think that’s much more interesting than him being the slightly removed and untouchable leader. And although not directly related, the mistaken-identity chapter reminded me that Greg: watching you get the Batman symbol shaved onto your chest for Extra Life felt just like reading the issue of Rebirth where Bruce and Clark switched costumes! Heart Attack #1 (Shawn Kittelsen) I’m not used to reading single issues, so I felt like the comic was over before it began! But it was a really interesting read that’s left me wanting more. It has just enough fantasy in it (x-men style mutations) while also telling a very real story about persecution and division in modern society. I’m looking forward to seeing how the relationship develops between the two characters who were unwillingly thrown together this issue, but I think the real standout is that it’s not shying away from its political message. Since all proceeds are being donated it seems like the perfect series to actually read per issue (instead of waiting for the trade).

Katie Gallacher

Its missing a ':' between the https & //www. Heather's link is on a mobile version, so the phone OS probably figured that out.

This link worked for me: https://m.comixology.com/About-Bettys-Boob/digital-comic/686806#

Required reading is bringing up a dead link

Garry Hormann