My interest in the series definitely waxed and waned, but the basic premise of it – and the art, usually – was enough that even though there were parts I was less-than-thrilled with, I still like the series as a whole.

I can understand something poisoning you on a series though; honestly, if I hadn’t bought the first 17 issues of The Boys from eBay in a single fell swoop, I probably wouldn’t've stuck with that series, as the Russia-arc has drastically different (and not nearly as good, in my opinion) art. If I had been reading it as something that was on my pull-list when that happened, I would’ve canceled it and gone to find greener pastures, but since I had a stack of issues that carried on past that point, I forgave that minor misstep and continued with the series.

I’ll have to check out Millar’s work on Ultimate FF. The big thing I’m excited about right now is the Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer graphic novel that’s supposed to be out soon.

@WR: Don’t blame you on avoiding most superhero stuff. More people should, as 99% of it is boring, recylced paste. I would recommend Invincible for sure if you’ve never read, and at least checking out Millar’s issues of Ultimate FF (especially the zombie arc, which is just so fun).

Out of cuiriousity, how far did you make it through Ultimate X-Men? I stuck with it until Kirkman’s first arc, where I jumped ship.

Mike: Well, there is some “hurr hurr superheroes are dumb” going on, but there’s also a rather powerful and well-orchestrated opposition to the Boys, so it’s not totally one-sided. As for Transmet… there are definitely some stretches where it kind of drags, but overall it is an amazing series. Really, anything that long tends to have its slower stretches, eh? If you don’t like it you don’t like it, but it’s worth checking out at least.

I wasn’t a fan of Nextwave either, and I never read the Ultimate FF. I don’t usually read superhero stuff unless it’s twisted in some way (a la the Boys, or Irredeemable, etc.), though I admit to being a sucker for Ultimate X-men and Ultimate Spider-man.

And District 9 was amazing, easily one of the best Sci-fi movies of the last 10 years and one of the best movies of 2009.

@ WR: So much to discuss.

I’ve never tried Transmetropolitan, though it’s been recommended to me a few times. To be honest, I’ve been kind of skittish about Ellis’s work. N.E.X.T. Wave totallly annoyed me, which is lauded book in some circles, as I’m sure you know. I wasn’t crazy about his Ultimate FF run, and made it through 1.5 issues of his work on Astonishing X-Men. I liked G.I. Joe: Resolute, but at the same time, I wouldn’t say the writing was awesome.

Still, I feel like I should give him a chance. Transmet is easily his most famous work, and I should probably check it out. For all I know, Ellis could just be spotty like a bunch of other writers I like, Jeph Loeb being a good example of this. For every Ultimates 3, there is a Spider-man: Blue.

Sleeper sounds really interesting. I’ll add it to the list.

I know of the Boys, but don’t know why I haven’t picked it up. Besides Preacher, I’ve really enjoyed Ennis’ run on Punisher, making it through I don’t know how many trades. It might be one of the few series I’m actually up-to-date on. I guess I’ve stayed away from Boys because I’m afraid it’s going to be another “hurr hurr superheroes are dumb” book, but I should check it out because it is Garth Ennis after all.

As always, your compliments are far too kind. Thanks for coming by week after week.

@Dana: It was a rare weekend of me taking pity on Vanessa, as she usually gets dragged to all the Sci-fi movies that even partially grab my interest. I plan on seeing District 9 this weekend. I am going to rock soda and popcorn and it’s going to be great.

@John K: Mmm, I dunno if kids today are so sheltered. I had Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers, which were imaginative, but nothing too hard to follow. Now kids have straight-lsd shit like Yo Gabba Gabba and Lazytown. Youtube either one of those if you’re wondering what the heart of darkness looks like.

-Mike

Did anyone see District 9? I thought it was pretty awesome. I also find it funny that I opted for the big sci-fi movie by the video game director while Mike went for the tearjerker chick flick.

-dana

Sleeper is another good one. It’s a kind of spy-thing, but it’s plenty violent, and it has some interesting twists and turns. Also nice is that it is concluded (so no cliffhangers) and that it is collected in only 3 or 4 volumes (3 if you get the “season one” version, which has the first two trades gathered into one larger softcover, 4 if you buy the first two trades seperately).

Another recommendation would be The Boys. If I may steal a description from wikipedia (as you might’ve noticed by the fact that I explained Sleepers as a “spy-thing”, I’m not much for synopses), “The series is set in a contemporary world very much similar to real one, with one notable exception: a number of people have some form of superpower. The series follows a superpowered CIA squad, known informally as “The Boys”, whose job it is to keep watch on superheroes and, if necessary, intimidate or kill them.” Also of note – since you said you loved Preacher – is that Ennis said (again, stealing from Wiki) that the series would “out-Preacher Preacher”. It’s at around 33-34 issues, and I think maybe 5 trades at this point. It is truly a wonderfully dark comic.

Anyway, those are all based on the fact that we seem to have decently similar tastes. Also, the first two are complete, and readily available in trades, which is better than trying to get you hooked on 3 new monthlies, eh? The Boys is on-going, admittedly, but it’s *well* worth the cost.

Oh, and to the business that should well have come first:

A) This rocks for continuing the previous awesome comic.
B) This rocks because of the expressive body-work; look at the way Colin is leaning forward with his fingers spread in the second panel, and the way the kids’ arms are up in the third.
C) This rocks because the punchline is excellent.

Miss you.

@ JBony: Haha, thanks, your compliments are always appreciated. Your continued support means a lot to Dana and I, and I for one especially appreciate you sticking out our hilariously long hiatus. Also, God help you if you’re reading Megatokyo. I mean, I’l give them credit for being successful in their niche, which is not the same as mine. I’ll also cop to not really understanding the material or genre they’re catering to. Given all that though, I’ll still say, “Abandon hope all ye who enter here,” for anyone even thinking about Megatokyo.

-Mike