The Letters Page
As we've mentioned before, there's way too much mail for us to answer in the shows, so we'll be answering some of it right here on the blog. As always, thanks for sending in your questions, and please keep shooting them over to tips@pulpsecret.com, call them in to 888-841-7549, or post a video response on YouTube!
Kevin from Centralia, WA:
Instead of saying "Hey guys, whats up?" I'll say "Yo Dudemasters? What do you think of those gnarly Ninja Turtles?" I picked up the recent issue (#42) of "Tales of the TMNT" and found it to be one of the most fun single issues I've picked up in recent history. I enjoy Jim Lawson's unique art style and this issue took me back to my childhood. I remember Pete once saying he got started with TMNT back in the day, do you guys still find the Turtles to be tubular or are they just bogus nowadays? What do you think gives a franchise staying power? Is it best for it to evolve with the initial audience or to stay true to what it was originally?You know, I LOVED the initial Eastman and Laird run on Ninja Turtles. It was fun, uncomplicated, and dark. I'd say it was probably the most adult comic I had read up to that point. That being said, I haven't really kept up with it for a very silly reason: I didn't like the cartoon series. In fact, it made me angry, even at a young age (my first nerd hatred! TMNT helped me grow up or something). So I haven't been interested in anything beyond that initial run, and any attempts to pick TMNT back up have been met with the same reaction. I think most authors today can't get the cartoon series out of their heads, or the pretty awful live action movies. We need someone to pick up where the first issues left off, with a gritty, but imaginative Ninja Turtle story. Readers, if one exists, let me know!
Genesis from Quezon City, Philippines:
Hey Alex, Justin, and of course my favorite Pete! I'm Genesis and I'm a HUGE fan of your comic book reviews. I always consider your opinions when buying comic books and it has worked wonders for me so far. My question for you guys is that in terms of collecting/reading comic books with story-arcs/crossovers, which is a better method: buying individual comic books monthly or just wait for the hardcover/paperback to come out?I'd say it's totally up to how badly you want it, and how much you read spoilers. I actually LIKE waiting for the trade, so I can sit down and read a story in a full chunk, rather than piece-meal over the course of months. But then there are some titles I NEED to read as soon as they come out, they're just that good. For example, Astonishing X-Men. If I was waiting for the trades, I'd be an old man. And though the story clearly will read better in collected form, the second that title comes out, I'm reading it. On the other hand, I'm currently reading Ex Machina is trades, and that's working out just fine for me. BKV's stories are dense, and it helps reading their intricacies in one chunk. So it's kind of a non-answer, but I'd say judge it in a story by story basis.
Karen asks:
I've just read The Boys and i found myself disappointed. Do you think I should stick with it?That's a tough one... I've really, really enjoyed The Boys so far, but the last arc was slow and a little confusing. That being said, the first arc was great, and I loved the last issue. If your objection is the content of the book, that's not going to change. If it was the political intrigue of the last plot-line, I'd say, yes, give it another chance. I mean... It's Simon Pegg.
Tom wonders:
Like many new viewers, I discovered The Stack through the magic of TiVo, and I'm happy I did: your show is easily one of the best things to have appeared on my television in a long, long time. The Stack reliably delivers funny yet insightful commentary on the comic-book medium, a medium I had forgotten after having entered the workforce many years ago. Now that your show has reminded me how good comics can be, I want to start reading comics again. The question is -- and I think many of your new viewers share it -- how do I get started with or back into comics? I haven't bought a comic book in fifteen years, and I'm wondering what I've missed and which titles I should start with. To distill it down to a two-part question: A) If you had a friend who had missed the last decade of comics, which back titles would you recommend he pick up to experience the best of what he had missed? B) Which current titles would you recommend to him as an introduction to the best that today's comics have to offer? Thanks for the great show, and I look forward to many more episodes!Welcome back, Tom! Comics missed you. Now, as to your questions... Definitely a wide selection of things to choose from. The last five years of Marvel have been particularly good and creative (despite what talk-back haters might say), so I'd pick a random swathe from there. Ultimate Spider-Man, in particular the Omnibus collection, is awesome. I'd also recommend the Omnibus of New X-Men, which, while not quite as strong ending as it begun, is still one of the most creative runs today. Similarly, I'd pick up it's spiritual follow-up, Astonishing X-Men. On the DC side, I've said it before, but I'll say it again: JSA, both the previous and current volumes, are probably the best crash course in DC history you can get. I'd also recommend, in a Geoff Johns frame of mind, to pick up his run on The Flash, which made me fall in love with comics again. For current titles you can jump right in on? The afore-mentioned JSA and Green Lantern, Blue Beetle, and Brave & The Bold. On the Marvel side, The Order is sadly ending, but is the best damn book I've read all year. Incredible Herc is developing into something rather wonderful, I think. And... Amazing Spider-Man is really fun (shut up, Pete).
Ben writes:
I run a site called Seekler and I thought we might have something your readers would enjoy. It's a list of the Best Batman Graphic Novels ever. The list is generated by combining the lists of Seekler users and lists we've found around the web. The cool thing is, if any of your readers want to, they can create their own lists which will be automatically integrated into the community-built list. The list has info about each book as well as reviews and a link to find out more info. Keep up the great work on the blog!Very cool app, Ben, and thanks for sending it on!letters, page
