Die, the complete collected edition.

After three weeks of dedicated reading, I've finally finished reading Die. I can't lie it was a massive tomb, and has led me to almost constantly think 'I feel sorry for poor Santa who had to deliver it'.

For the longest time, I've heard a lot of good and interesting things about this series from Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans and Clayton Cowles which tells the story of six teenagers who are transported to a mysterious world during a Dungeons and Dragons game only to return two years later missing one of their number and the arm of another. Now, twenty years later, the 'survivors' are summoned together again when the mysterious 'Die' they were using in that game is returned to them, leading to these former players having to return to the game they thought they'd escaped.

However, despite the praise this (as well as Once and Future and many other Gillen series) had been getting, I was initially sceptical due to my being the only person in the world who didn't like his Young Avengers run (I still prefer the Heinberg/Cheung run to this day).

Thankfully though, a free copy of the first issue on Comixology convinced me to give it a go ...

... leading to this past Christmas and Father Christmas possibly acquiring a Hernia thanks to it (it is REALLY heavy).

I have to confess though, after three weeks and 20 issues (plus a D&D campaign's worth of backmatter content) I'm still just as unsure as to the story that Die was telling as I was at the beginning. However, this doesn't take from the fact that I found Gillen story as compelling as anything else in the world. Truthfully, despite a lot of mystery surrounding the story and direction/mission that had been set, I found myself night after night simply unable to put this collection down with a deeply intriguing world containing truly captivating (if not entirely likable) main characters. The scale which was given in Die was truly unreal in it's Jumanji meets the Neverending Story vibe and helped make the entire saga feel like it was more a dream rather than an experience which the characters were truly trapped in.

Of course, my view on the series being more dreamlike is in no small part to Stephanie Hans' artwork. A big draw during that first issue read which convinced me on Die's worth, I am absolutely in love with Hans work in this series. The style is just so gorgeous and, frankly, has such a dreamlike look to it in almost every page that I was continually convinced that the end would see a return to that first night a la Jumanji. However, while this did look dreamlike, it was equally nightmarish with so many brutal, heart-wrenching scenes which feel all the more so thanks to the artwork.

I will admit, I feel as if I'm being a little vague about Die, particularly given the impact it had on me.

True, the story beyond 'we have to get home' felt like Kieron kept it close to his chest right until the very end (and maybe even beyond in some aspects) and maybe that answer will be found in the backmatter (of which, thus far, I have barely scratched the surface). However, the more I read, the more I think I became convinced that this was not about the destination but about the journey.

Sure, by the end an overarching villain is revealed, but for me that seemed like less of what I cared about. As I read Die, I found myself wondering, is this a story about people being themselves? Because, sometimes, society makes us be and act a particular way, is this a tale about six people, forced to conform in some way normally, actually having the opportunity to be themselves and, in doing so, learn that they are actually being themselves in the real world or that, in Die, they are quite literally someone else entirely.

I think I'm rambling at this point but, suffice to say, this was an unbelievable comic series to read. Beautiful, addictive, thought-provoking, I'm glad that I listened to the hype and gave it a chance.

Now though, I find myself wondering if Gillen and Hans plan to return to this world, given that this collected edition says 'book 1' on the side.

Print or digital comics? My everlasting dilemma

 So, I'm currently on lunch at my day job and I've decided to try and find some new comic series to pick up (because, apparently, the giant pile by the side of my bed just isn't enough).

Now, I've found three which have caught my eye in the next few months. The first two are Superman related titles, with Tom Taylor and Clayton Henry releasing Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent followed a week later by Christopher Priest and Carlo Pagulayan's Superman: Lost, while the third is another Star Trek comic, in the form of Christopher Cantwell's Star Trek: Defiant. All three are incredibly tempting and it's a sad state of affairs that I can really only afford one of them.

(I've also found what appears to be a one-shot in the form of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Dog of War, but given that is released after the other three, I suspest this will be missed).

I'm unsure what kind of series Defiant is (an ongoing or a limited series), but both Superman series are of a limited nature (Jon Kent is 6 issues and Lost is 10) and, as a result I thought I'd investigate the possibility of picking one of those two up as a digital purchase (because it would save space in the long run).

Now, I haven't used comixology in a long while (from a purchasing point of view) because the set up is difficult to deal with and navigate as well as, quite frankly, Amazon get enough of my money and I'm still a little bitter about their gutting of this once great site.

Nonetheless, it is still the only place to buy digital comics and so I thought I'd take a look.

Sadly, none of these titles did not appear (because Amazon don't work in pre-ordering comics, apparently).

However, this isn't the thing which irked me the most. What irked me the most was, while I was there, I decided to at least check prices by comparing other comics of similar price ranges.

What I found was that a comic which is normally $3.99 (or £3.99 at my LCS) is £3.19 on Amazon, while a $4.99/£4.99 comic is now £3.99.

Maybe I'm crazy but this feels a little steep for a digital comic.

Now, it's been a while, but would guess that I previously would've accepted this price because it was a £0.80/£1 saving and, every penny helps (especially during current circumstances). However, with age has come something else, and it isn't in favour of only making an 80p/£1 saving. With the major upheavel that comes with buying off of Comixology nowadays, coupled with the fact that I've recently returned to a sense that physical reading is better/more enjoyable, I actually think that the saving needs to be greater, especailly as digital is still not 'owned' by me and could disappear at a moment's notice.

So, basically, this long ramble has brought to the conclusion that getting any new series through comixology just isn't worth the cost and trouble and that (if I can afford it), I'll be picking up one of those new series I mentioned from my LCS (who honestly deserve my coin more than Amazon).

... And when I say one of those new series, I really mean it'll be the one written by Tom Taylor and containing a guest appearance of the awesome Superman he created.

2023: A year of severe comic reading

This post was originally called 'a year of no more comics' but I thought I'd change it as I'm really not sure that would be a realistic objective for me.

The last 12 months has been a bit of a period for me and my love of comics. While I started last year in good spirits and a positive light, the need for another mid-year break from burnout, as well as the end of an era with Pipedream Comics going on indefinite hiatus, 2022 turned into something of a chore as it ended.

Well, chore is the wrong word because, as we reached Christmas, things certainly improved thanks to Do A Powerbomb, Ryan North's arrival on FF and, of course a Birthday and Christmas double bill which provided me a slew of quality trades.

Still, much of the middle of the past year sure felt like a hard slog.

However, with 2023 now here, I've found myself with a renewed sense of hope and optimism (which will hopefully last beyond the six month mark) as I make my plans for the next 12 months.

So, with that, I thought I'd go through all of my goals/resolutions for 2023!

1. Scale down the backlog (considerably) - This one has been a mainstay of my life for a couple of years now, but at this point it has become more of an absurdity than ever before. With a pile of graphic novels sat beside my bed (which includes a couple of collected editions from Christmas and even one from last Christmas), not to mention a small bundle of digital kickstarter rewards and enough comixology based comics that would certainly put my physical collection to shame, it feels like this year has got to be the one in which I make some serious headway on this backlog. This was primarily the reason why I was originally going to say no more comics, although it certainly is a foolish thing to say because there will always be a comic which acquires my intrigue. However, when all is said and done, burning through this backlog has to be my highest priority because what's the point in having all of these comics if I don't read them.

2. Reread older series, in order to trim down my collection - Speaking of reading, another 'resolution' (for want of a better word) is my plan to re-read a tremendous portionof my older comics. The reason for this is because, at nearly 40 years old and with a family including 2 small kids, space in my home is at a premium and now (thanks to that aforementioned pile I've just mentioned), my comics are overflowing at an insane level. However, not being a person who is particularly good at simply throwing things away, I've decided to try and re-read as many comics as I can (because, again, what's the point in having them if I don't read them). This way, if I find my tastes have changed to the extend that these particular comics no longer appeal to me, then I can arrange to sell/donate/throw away (maybe not so much that one) these particular comics and, thus, reduce some of the clutter in my home.

Also, it would give me plenty of fodder to write down my thoughts on. Speaking of which ...

3. Try and become something of a replacement for Pipedream Comics - This has been something I've been pondering about for the past couple of months. Since Pipedream Comics closed its doors, I've found myself with more time than I originally had (certainly for a couple of years now). Certainly, the site going on 'indefinite hiatus' was an opportunity to take a break and reassess things, especially given that, as of the time that the decision was made, I was going through a degree of burnout as my enjoyment when reading was waivering somewhat. However, now I've given myself a break and am in a better place, I'd love to try and make the time to bring focus to comics that might not neccesarily have as many eyes on them. Of course, I am aware that any credibility I had came from the site I worked for and so, there is little influence I can offer. However, the chance to try again at this kind of thing would certainly be something I wouldn't want to say no to, although it would be less a resolution and more and invitation to be taken up by others.

In the meantime though, there is one other resolution which can focus my attention ...

4. Build and release a kickstarter campaign for Predators - This is a resolution which has been a year in the making. Five years in fact, when you take into account that my previous comic making endeavour and subsequent discussion about it laid the first stones into the path. However, with almost continuous listening of podcast interview with other creators, as well as all of the terrific comics I got to read during 2022, I feel like I'm at a place where I want to move forward with my own current creative endeavour; Predators. The only issue is that, due to the cost of Living crisis (thanks Boris, Liz and the gang), trying to put together a legitimate amount of money to ask Robert Ahmad to finshed what he has already started (with two glorious pages) is being nothing short of difficult. Therefore, like many before me, I'm contemplating building a kickstarter campaign to gain the rest of the funds needed to finish the pages needed. Now, this is probably a fools errand and I can wager that I'll lose my confidence in achieving this many times over the coming year, but I want to try and do something given that I'm not getting any younger.

Speaking of not getting any younger. Finally ...

5. Remember that comics isn't the be all and end all - This should be a given but, if the last couple of months (as mentioned above, again) have shown me anything, it's that comics does tend to take up a tremendous amount of my thinking capacity. However, in the run up to Christmas, I did think that I found a better balance between comics and life than I've tended to have for a good long while. With that in mind, my last resolution is to continue to maintain that balance so that I continue to read plenty while not also overdoing it.

And there you have it, my resolutions/plans for 2023. Of course, I do have others, e.g. losing weight, getting fitter, all those stereotypical resolution that'll not doubt fail by the end of January, but these ones are those which relate to comics, which of course make them most important.

Hopefully I can follow through on all of these.

Fortunately, I've already made a start on them as I've already begun burning through Kieren Gillen and Stephanie Hans' Die.