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Welcome to: I Should Really Read This...

Everyone has a Pile of Shame in their life, right? Things like a heap of unwashed laundry, a stack of DVD’s still in their cellophane, a shelf of inviting books left to gather dust. We all have something. Life gets in the way. Time and energy slip through our fingers, leading to these little collections of “I should really get to that” artefacts.

Mine is Comic Books… I love comic books! I have innumerable comic books! From great big thousand-page omnibuses, to tremendously foxed well-thumbed singles. I think the medium is the pinnacle of storytelling.

That’s a very grandiose statement, but one I believe whole heartedly. If done right, they are a deliciously unlimited opportunity of both writing and art. They envelope us in engrossing, ever-lasting, ever-changing worlds: filled with captivating and challenging personalities and plots. From the bombastic escapades of classic caped superheroes to the subtle nuanced character pieces usually very personal to the writer.

No idea is off the table: You want to see a billionaire dressed as a bat and a chimpanzee with the mind of Sherlock Holmes stop a zombie outbreak? There’s a comic for that. You want to know how the death of a child shapes your art? There’s a comic for that. You want to see who wins in a fight between 1920’s New York Mafia and Red-Neck Werewolves? There’s a comic for that. Comics embrace the sublime and the ridiculous with open arms.

But if I love them so much, why do I have hundreds unread in my spare room? Why do I pick a book at random and "I should really read this..." Hopefully this little blog can help with that. I want to steadily go through my collection and share my thoughts.

To save me from rambling I’m going to set a little structure to my thoughts. Each review will consist of:

-          What am I reading? – As comics are so nebulous as seen from the outside, I’ll give the specifics of the issue / collection. Including the creative team and issue numbering. Just in case you’d like to join this journey with me.

-          What’s it about? – A brief summation of the plot or key events in the issue in question. In instances of long running series (especially Marvel or DC) there will inevitably be some spoilers. The cliff hanger nature of serial story telling always leads to a “Previously on” / “Next Time in” dichotomy. But I’ll lessen the blow as best I can.

-          What’s good about it? – Comics are amazing! But not everything in every comic is amazing. That said I can usually find something I enjoyed in every issue I pick up. In some cases, this will be gushing endorsements. The spectacular achievements in writing and art. The few extraordinary pieces.

-          What did I struggle with? – Taking the smooth with the rough. There will be things that snag me, that will nip at my enjoyment of the specimen at hand.

-          Would I recommend? – Balancing the good and the bad, would I in good conscious recommend this to you? And any caveats or supplements or even alternatives would I provide as well.