It's no secret that I'm a fan of comic books. Ever since I was a small child, I have been a fan of a variety of super heroes. However, my love of them came not from comics themselves, but from the television series they were in. I remember well watching the old Superman cartoons, an old video with some of The Fantastic Four, and the 90's Spider-Man and X-men cartoons as well. But I'd never picked up a single comic. This trend continued for a long while, while my interest in the heroes remained kindled through TV and later film. Until, that is, Iron Man hit theaters. It was upon seeing that movie that I decided I would make an effort to start reading comics. I've had limited success, given how few places there were to purchase comics in my old hometown. But I have managed to finally get into the hobby a bit, and I've found a place to buy the comics from that feels comfortable enough that I like going in. I'm hardly an extensive reader, due to a lack of funds as well as simple ignorance; I don't know what's good and what's not. It's not as though that's all that shocking. There's dozens upon dozens of different books out there, each with their own creative team, and it's hard to figure out which ones are good based solely on the cover. I have a general knowledge of a lot of the books, as far as what the main characters are like, but I've no idea how good the writing is, or what is currently going on in most series. It can be overwhelming, to become a new reader, when you go into a shop and see a massive wall filled to the bursting with comics featuring characters you've never heard of, multiple different titles about the same character, and trying to find a book that you can actually pick up, read, and understand what's going on without having to research the comic's history.
Fortunately for me, Marvel has started their "Marvel NOW" initiative, wherein they've restarted a bunch of titles, but without wiping away the history of some of them. A lot of the titles didn't seem interesting, but a few did, and thus I picked them up and began reading. Here now, are my thoughts concerning the books I picked up.
Deadpool, issues #1-3. Deadpool was one of the first books of the NOW movement, and started back in November. The first thing I had heard about the series, prior to its start was that they were switching to a completely different creative team. I had read a few issues of the old Deadpool series, as well as heard its praises sung by many people, and so I was of course a little upset when I found out that such a wonderful team was being replaced. When I read the first issue, it seemed like my fears were grounded. The dialogue didn't seem to flow quite naturally, and the puns seemed terribly forced. Not only that, but the art, while good, wasn't as good as I had seen from the previous book. However, I'd already bought the second issue anyway, so I felt I may as well read it. I'm very glad that I did. It seems like the writing managed to find the proper flow, and began to feel natural, which included some good humor (as any Deadpool book needs). The only problem I have with the series thus far is that Deadpool's signature little yellow boxes are gone, which is a shame. However, one of his inner voices has been replaced by Ben Franklin, so I can't complain too much. Issue three continued the trend set by two, and I was pleased to see that. I look forward to receiving future issues, as I was given the wonderful gift of a subscription to Deadpool by my beloved.
Thor: God of Thunder. Thor's been one of those heroes that has always intrigued me, mainly because of the fact that he's based on one of my favorite mythological figures. I'd never been able to get into the series though, because it felt... off somehow. I read a description of what was going to be happening in the God of Thunder series, and found myself interested enough to actually pick up the first issue. When I opened to the first page, I read of an account of Thor tracking down and defeating a troll that had been harassing a viking village, followed by the celebration of its death. It was wonderful, everything I'd hoped for when I picked the book up, and the rest of the story didn't disappoint. The writing was engaging, telling an interesting story with good pacing so that I never felt a single page drag or move too quickly. The artwork was likewise great, fitting the style of the writing superbly. My only complaint is that I didn't pick up the other issue that was available at the time, because I definitely want to see where the story goes.
Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolts is a superhero team that I know next to nothing about. If you had told me a year ago that I'd be picking up an issue of it, I'd be asking why. But when I saw the lineup they had for the series, I was more than a little intrigued. Deadpool, Venom (Flash Thompson), Red Hulk, The Punisher, and Elektra all on the same team? That struck me as more than a little odd. Elektra and the Punisher had never really interested me all that much. Red Hulk I was only mildly interested in. But I'd been reading the Venom series that had Flash paired up with the symbiote, and I'd thoroughly enjoyed the few issues I'd managed to acquire. Deadpool has always been one of those characters that seemed like he couldn't be part of a team for any length of time. So, I had to pick the first issue up, just to see what it was about. I then found out that the writer for the series was the same one as for the old Deadpool series, which pleased me, and made me want the book more. I was pleased with the book, but not as thoroughly as I was hoping. The pacing of the whole thing was kind of slow, and it focused mostly upon General Ross (Red Hulk) and Punisher, but I feel that the slow start may be a bit necessary. I'm certainly still interested, enough to pick up the next issue when I get the chance.
I'm looking forward to the next chance I get to walk into the comic shop and pick up my desired titles. If anyone has any recommendations, by all means, leave a comment. I'm always happy to hear suggestions from people about things I may like.
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