Just started collecting
Milestone comics. For those who don't know this was a DC imprint back in the 90's that ran for a few years then shut down. I they featured a more racially and culturally divers cast of characters in there books and dealt with the issue of race and class in there titles. I didn't know this going in; i just wanted to see if the comic, that Static Shock the tv series was based on, was any good. I picked up the first issue from a half price books for fifty cents. It was actually a pretty cool first issue and first arc of 4 issues (which i got in trade). I am sort of on a black super hero kick right now, so i decided to try and get the rest of the series on ebay. I found a great deal on a bunch of static books along with first issues of Icon, Blood Syndicate, and Kobolt books. Icon and Blood Syndicate were both very cool, but Kobolt did strike my fancy.
So far I am really feeling these books as a collector on a budget. These are great because they are not expensive books, and they are somewhat hard to find because they were not that popular(because of the 90's boom in my opinion). They also are just cool to read; they have great art, the stories grab you early on, and they approach issues you don't see often in comics.
So, i started with Static. Like i said it was a cool first couple issues just telling you who static is and what he is about. He basically is a black spider-man with electrical powers; a mouthy smart teenager who has real person problems. The thing that sets it apart is that he lives in the inner city and has dealt with the violence his entire life, right up until the moment he got his powers in fact. A draw back to the book is the language, it is very 90's and now it just seems like it is trying to be to "urban." I don't know if it is just dated or they are just trying to hard even for the 90's. It's good for coming out of the 90's, it doesn't have all the armor and guns and darkness (figuratively) that the 90's is known for (ie death of superman, lobo, azrael batman.) In the first arc they kept it simple, kid with powers deals with life with powers: saving people, keeping a job and teaming up with a bad guy because he found out he is "only friends" with a girl he likes.
Now, Icon is next. If you would of asked me before reading this book if i would find a black superman interesting i probably would have said no, but this book has grabbed me. This is a very conservative superman that doesn't really want to be, or thinks there is a need, to be a hero because he thinks people should help them selves. Also, the story behind his origins has was not explained in the first 4 issues, just a short flash back. He is an alien that crashed on earth, was changed into a black child by his ship then has lived over a hundred years as a black person in America. I would really like to know more about what he did before now on earth and what he did as an alien, or if he even knows. Draw back of the book is only that i want to know more about the character and his history(not really a draw back technically).
Last is Blood Syndicate. The whole idea of this book really intrigues me, I have had an interest in gangs there history, development, and impact on society for a while, and reading a book about a street gang that is given powers and seeing how they use those powers to do good and not so good is cool to me. This particular book i have only been able to read the first issues of, and it was great. I want to read more and see where this all goes.
Like I said in the beginning Kobolt did not grab me. It was very 90's. dude with a bunch of chain and a knife fights crime (think human Lobo). not good just look at the picture.
PS Just started Hardware and Shadow Cabinet. They are looking pretty good. More later
Well, i have made a lot of progress on my Milestone collecting i mentioned i was starting back in January. I have made substantial gains in Icon, Hardware, and Blood Syndicate, unfortunately not much progress in way of Static; the book that started it all. I just finished getting all 50 issues of Hardware last Sunday and that is pretty exciting. I have read the first 4 issues and its pretty interesting so far. I have less than 15 issues of left to get for both Blood Syndicate and Icon, and way less for Shadow Cabinet and Static. I lucked out and was able to get these books for free, just had to sort comics for a few Saturdays a few hours at a time. (suckers)
Since I last posted I have read Superior by Mark Millar out through Marvel's Icon line. I had got the first issue when it came out cause it was new and i needed something new. That first issue was meh (not bad not good), but I got the next few issue later during a lite week and they were pretty cool. Issue four leaves me wanting to know more, and I'm a sucker for weird cliff hangers. If i had to describe the book I would say it is Tom Hank's Big meets Shazam; kid is given powers by an unknown force (space monkey) but cannot turn back and has to live with his friend while playing superhero and tyring to let his parents know he is ok. Sound like a meh concept but Millar seems to know were he is going and I'm really digging the art by Leinil Francis Yu. I think I like this series and it could catch on because it doesn't have the normal continuity baggage a lot of comics have today.
