Hearing all the praise for Buffy I’m really sad that I missed it. My LCS was sold out when I finally made it in on Friday, so hopefully they got a reorder in before the deadline. Now I’m really looking forward to it.

And while on the recommendations kick–is there a good jumping on point for B.P.R.D.? I’m really enjoying the non-spandex world lately, and from what I hear this is another fun series without the tights.

If nothing else, there’s a Buffy second print on the way, so you should be able to get a copy soon.

As for B.P.R.D., I’d say your best bet is Plague of Frogs, which is the beginning of the Mignola/Davis stuff… if you like that, you should go back and pick up the rest, as all of them are good, but the Mignola/Davis stuff is especially good.

I think you could probably jump on with any given issue of B.P.R.D., since they do a new #1 every few months, if you’re looking for a budget way to jump on… but the best starting point is probably the Plague of Frogs trade.

I highly recommend that series, by the way… I’m not sure, but it might be another unofficial Hot Pants pick… the only possible holdout is D3, because I’m not sure if he’s read it or not.

And I repeat the sentiment of Mr. Duerr - how accessible is the new BPRD series? I think my only exposure to the Hellboy world was the $.25 issue they offered when the movie came out. I enjoyed it well enough, just kinda slipped out of my mind I guess. I like what little work I’ve seen from Guy Davis (from FF: Unstable Molecules), so there’s a plus. Could I jump on with this new #1, or do I need to hunt down some TPBs?

I would probably start a bit further back in the trades. Each mini-series is a stand-alone story of its own, but there are enough subplots carried through that are being dealt with in Garden of Souls that some background would probably be helpful. Hollow Earth and Other Stories is the first trade, though the real ongoing stuff kicks off with Plague of Frogs. I’d start with either of those, if you don’t want to go all the way back to the original Hellboy trades that BPRD spun off of.

On Fables, I also though the art was a strange fit in the first issue, but it really clicked with me in the second. This was my first exposure to Allred, and once I got used to his visual style it was a real pleasure to just look at the panels. Anyone have any recommendations for other stuff that a new fan might check out?

Allred is probably best known for his series Madman which I believe just came out in an omnibus edition last month.

A more wallet friendly option would be his run with Peter Milligan on X-Force (later changed to X-Statix).

1.) Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Like many others, I was pleasantly surprised by this. Most of the other Buffy comics I’ve sampled have left me unimpressed, even Fray which most people loved. I’m not crazy about the new Slayer Squad status quo, but I suppose it’s a logical outgrowth for how the series ended.

2.) 52 - I’m a little concerned that DC has stuffed too much of the plot for this series into the few remaining issues, but I’ll reserve judgment until the series is over.

3.) Fables - Maybe not the strongest arc ever, but even sub par Fables is still leagues above most other series.

4.) Knights of the Dinner Table - Despite the unsophisticated art, this series has always been high on my list due to its consistently funny writing and great character moments.

5.) Teen Titans - The fight scenes were a bit confusing in parts, but I still remain interested in the book.

And I repeat the sentiment of Mr. Duerr - how accessible is the new BPRD series? I think my only exposure to the Hellboy world was the $.25 issue they offered when the movie came out. I enjoyed it well enough, just kinda slipped out of my mind I guess. I like what little work I’ve seen from Guy Davis (from FF: Unstable Molecules), so there’s a plus. Could I jump on with this new #1, or do I need to hunt down some TPBs?

On Fables, I also though the art was a strange fit in the first issue, but it really clicked with me in the second. This was my first exposure to Allred, and once I got used to his visual style it was a real pleasure to just look at the panels. Anyone have any recommendations for other stuff that a new fan might check out?

And while on the recommendations kick–is there a good jumping on point for B.P.R.D.? I’m really enjoying the non-spandex world lately, and from what I hear this is another fun series without the tights.

hehe First thing I did when I got home was go to I-tunes and get the soundtrack, listening to it right now in fact. Great gaming music.

I can see that. In fact, though I wasn’t crazy about the music during the movie (it was too in-your-face, and I kept noticing it rather than it being a part of a seamless whole), I did think about downloading it for background gaming music, a purpose it seems perfect for.

You won’t get mocked by me as I enjoyed some things about the issue, though I found it a little hard to follow with the jumping around in time, granted I was tired when I read it. Two cliff hangers involving the same characters?

Thanks for the support

It was a little hard to follow at times. I felt all the individual scenes were really strong but the structure of issue didn’t work. The two time frames didn’t gel at all really but that didn’t stop me enjoying the issue. Two cliffhangers could lead to some serious problems in issue 29 though. And I don’t mean for the New Avengers…

2. Fantastic Four - You guys have been singing Dwayne McDuffie’s praises for months now so decided #543 was as good a place as any to check his work out. I must say I’m impressed. Not the best issue ever, the TV show gimmick didn’t really work (isn’t Luke Cage supposed to be in hiding?) but he has a great handle on the characters and their dynamic. I’ll be back for the next issue. Fun back ups too.

You know I forgot all about this issue, I have to agree, while it might not be the best FF issue I’ve read, McDuffie nails the characters and for the first time in a very long time I care about the FF again.

4. New Avengers - Will probably be ridiculed for this but another strong issue and I’m a MASSIVE Lenil Yu fan. And thankfully that “Cap’s alive” line from The Initiative was revealed to be a lie because it allows Brubaker to tell his “Death Of The Dream” arc over in Captain America without it being sabotaged by other books.

You won’t get mocked by me as I enjoyed some things about the issue, though I found it a little hard to follow with the jumping around in time, granted I was tired when I read it. Two cliff hangers involving the same characters?

2. Fantastic Four - You guys have been singing Dwayne McDuffie’s praises for months now so decided #543 was as good a place as any to check his work out. I must say I’m impressed. Not the best issue ever, the TV show gimmick didn’t really work (isn’t Luke Cage supposed to be in hiding?) but he has a great handle on the characters and their dynamic. I’ll be back for the next issue. Fun back ups too.

3. Buffy - A really light week for me this week so picked this up. Enjoyed it but it wasn’t fantastic. Interested to see where it goes and if it doesn’t hook me I’ll be back when Brian K. Vaughn starts his arc.

4. New Avengers - Will probably be ridiculed for this but another strong issue and I’m a MASSIVE Lenil Yu fan. And thankfully that “Cap’s alive” line from The Initiative was revealed to be a lie because it allows Brubaker to tell his “Death Of The Dream” arc over in Captain America without it being sabotaged by other books.

5. Brit - Picked all three issues up in the back issue bin for less than #1 cost. Bargain any day of the week. Great fun with cracking art on the first two issues from Tony Moore.

Would’ve picked up The Confession too but Diamond stiffed my local on their order. They did it with Dark Tower too so it’s trade for me with that now

I’m surprised to see both ‘Hack/Slash vs. Chucky’ and ‘Gen13′ listed this week. I haven’t read any real positive reviews of ‘Gen13′ since it’s recent launch, so I’m curious why you, Dan, liked it?

I’m digging the character bits, mostly. Characters have always been Gail’s forte and they certainly shine through in Gen 13. There’s also been a few cool new ideas, but its mainly been about character work for me.

If you’ve been liking the wacky, I’m guessing that new writer Zeb Wells won’t disappoint. He’s one of the funnier writers in comics, and probably a perfect match for Heroes for Hire. I ditched that book after one issue when I was disappointed with all the Civil War references, but now I want to go back and give it another shot with the trade coming out… I generally like Palmiotti/Gray, and I like a bunch of the characters in the series.

Thanks good to know. I too like a lot of characters and their inclusion is one of the things I like best about the series, especially some of the villains, there a subplot with the Headman currently coming to head. Gotta love that! While the Civil War is there there are some pretty good moments from it, especially the thing with Cap and Paladin.

…too much slow-mo and operatic music. It’s a pretty close translation of the graphic novel to the screen.

hehe First thing I did when I got home was go to I-tunes and get the soundtrack, listening to it right now in fact. Great gaming music.

4. Heroes for Hire #7- Been loving the wackiness of this book, I’ll be sorry to see Palmiotti and Gray leave.
5. Irredeemable Antman- A series I’m surprised I like as the premise of yet another jerk hero wasn’t one I was crazy about, but there ya have it.

If you’ve been liking the wacky, I’m guessing that new writer Zeb Wells won’t disappoint. He’s one of the funnier writers in comics, and probably a perfect match for Heroes for Hire. I ditched that book after one issue when I was disappointed with all the Civil War references, but now I want to go back and give it another shot with the trade coming out… I generally like Palmiotti/Gray, and I like a bunch of the characters in the series.

Irredeemable Ant-Man had a long, overly slow origin story (six issues?!) but I like the vibe of the book. I haven’t been big on most of Kirkman’s work at Marvel, but this one I like. I’ve been enjoying it, and might pick up the trade… if there is one. The book’s sales are so low, though, I don’t know how long it’ll survive.

1. Fables
2. The Spirit
3. B.P.R.D Garden of Souls
4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
5. New X-Men

Dave Farabee disappointed in the 300 movie? You may have wandered into the Norbit showing by accident. Check your ticket stub man. Seriously though, I thought it was fantastic. In keeping with the new movie coming up, how ’bout a TMNT podcast. It’s the franchise that got me into comics in the first place. Love the site guys. Thanks!

Actually, all four of the Panteon members who went to the 300 screening were disappointed in it. I think I was the only guy who enjoyed it on some level, although I also thought it was basically a little rote, too much slow-mo and operatic music. It’s a pretty close translation of the graphic novel to the screen, I’ll give it that… but I didn’t think it was a great flick.

Did I miss the final issue of the Damned?

I kept meaning to put that on my pull list!

No worries, I’ll get you one next week.

http://www.zyped.com/media.php?file=300.jpg

I really liked Buffy. I am highly skeptical of the scheduling, but whatever. I’m gonna buy it in every form they sell.. singles, softcover and hardcover mega awesomeness.

I’m no good at lists, so I’ll just omit that part.

On the 300 movie front…Well, I saw it last night and I have to say that I didn’t hate it. There were a few things that really grated on me (I lost count of how many slow motion shots were used…but 300 or more sounds plausible) but overall, I was entertained and that was all that I was looking to take away from the thing.

I’m a bit surprised to see Ant-man on a couple of lists - I loved the book at first, especially Hester and Parks on art, but like all books by Kirkman, it started to wear very thin on me.

Good point about Kirkman as I’ve found myself feeling much the same about him at times, so far though I’m still enjoying Antman, though had it been a better week for me, it might not have made the cut.

I think I’ll be the only one who won’t like Buffy….but then again, I’ve hardly ever watched the show.

Nope, yer not the only one, beat ya to it. And I’ve seen every episode.