ComiXology

[direstraits]

There was a time when I travel weekly to a mall (sorta) near where I went to school to pick up my weekly dose of comics. Those times were tricky - comics were not available for cheap where I am, and I was a secondary school student to boot (I don't know your equivalent education level, I was about 13-14). Pocket money was saved and squandered on them.

Fast forward - comics specialty shops are almost all extinct here, overtaken completely by larger book store chains carrying trade paperbacks and graphic novels at not-ridiculous prices. And since trades typically target those of us who grew up with single issues and are now earning their own money, everyone who read them found no more reason to visit specialty stores. Which means harder to get variety in our comics diet.

Which brings me to ComiXology. I find this app utterly horrifying. The ease in which to buy books, and the several-times-a-week sales of a variety of books practically guarantees my loyalty. I've spent enough to build a nice little library in the ether, which may disappear if Comixology goes under. However, with the company disclosing that they have over 100M digital comics downloads last year, with the next 100 million coming before the end of this year, it doesn't seem likely in the short term.

It has allowed me to read books that I could never have gotten otherwise, or cheaper than I would have if I were to pick it up from the shop, with a few taps on my digital device. This is nuts, and amazing.

 

[Peder]

This is nuts, and amazing.

You are right DS! Just looked at the site and it is absolutely amazing -- and with free previews available, too. Just absolutely unbelievable!
One more step into a future where everything will be available online from one's armchair and a single screen.
A very near future, that is.

(But who will have just a single screen anymore? )

 

[direstraits]

See anything there that might interest you there, Peder? It does have quite a lot of stuff that aren't superheroes... A very good percentage of the stuff I buy there aren't superheroes.

If you don't mind superheroes, one of the more interesting ones I found is called Irredeemable by Mark Waid. It tells of a Superman figure who basically crumbled under the weight of constantly being expected to save the world at every moment, by a jaded population who are ungrateful and takes him for granted. He finally snaps, turns into a murderous (lots of people being fried by his heat vision) psychopath. The story is about his fall, about how the world is cowering, his onslaught being held back by his ex-super teammates (your Justice League) who are nowhere near his level of power. And what they do to try to stop him.

Good deconstruction of the indestructible superhero. Good read, and reading it makes you want to know how it ends.

 

[Meadow337]

One of these days I will actually act on my desire to read graphic novels. There are some really cool stories out there that I keep seeing made into movies - V for Vendetta as one example that comes to mind - and thinking I really need to read some but other things keep being more important.

 

[Peder]

See anything there that might interest you there, Peder? It does have quite a lot of stuff that aren't superheroes... A very good percentage of the stuff I buy there aren't superheroes.

Dunno, yet, DS.
I only took a quick look, but was immediately awe-struck by the number of titles available and the nice display.
But, truth also to tell, comic books/graphic novels haven't caught on with me, though I have purchased the occasional ones of interest. Somehow, I think I am too ingrained with reading linear narrative text and imagining the associated images (or not). But Sin City as a movie was truly fabulous. And I did grow up on Prince Valiant, which seems to have gone considerably downhill whenever I see it now. My memories of it way back are that the artwork then was impressive.
So, some time soon I'll be taking a closer look at ComiXology to see what they have.
Who knows?
Best wishes and thanks
Peder

 

[direstraits]

I would recommend two books, if you haven't already read them. One is Maus by Art Spiegelman (recommended it to you a few times now, Peder, get to it! ), which is about a Polish Jew's effort to elude capture in Nazi Poland, eventual capture, and his story of survival, as written up by his son. The other is Alan Moore's Watchmen. The book is better than the movie.

I have plenty more recommendations, but there are already quite a few in this forum already.

 

[Meadow337]

I'm sorry but neither sound like my cup of tea. I honestly can't stand stories or movies about Vietnam and WW2 is very iffy as well.

 

[direstraits]

As a kungfu buff, I'd recommend Infinite Kung Fu!

 

[Meadow337]

one of these days ... one of these days!

 

[Peder]

I would recommend two books, if you haven't already read them. One is Maus by Art Spiegelman (recommended it to you a few times now, Peder, get to it! .

LOL! Yuh got me there, podnuh, dead center!

Yes, I know very well of both Maus and Watchmen. They used to be prominent in the displays on my usual route through my favorite bookstore. But, alas, Borders is no more, so your recommendations will now have to live on in memory on my long TBR list -- which is where they are going right now. That's as much as I can promise for the moment.

 

[direstraits]

Haha, of course. We've more than we can read in a lifetime, anyhow, and we need to prioritize!

 

[Peder]

Seems to me a post got dropped, so here goes again:

OK, I broke down and bought Maus and In The Shadow of No Towers by Spiegelman.
Also a couple of regular books by Qiu Xiaolong, Death of a Red Heroine, and Years of Red Dust, Stories of Shanghai.
Now for the reading! But The Fall of the House of Dixie comes first.
Good hearing from you,
Cheers

 

[Meadow337]

Seems to me a post got dropped, so here goes again:

OK, I broke down and bought Maus and In The Shadow of No Towers by Spiegelman.
Also a couple of regular books by Qiu Xiaolong, Death of a Red Heroine, and Years of Red Dust, Stories of Shanghai.
Now for the reading! But The Fall of the House of Dixie comes first.
Good hearing from you,
Cheers

I hope you enjoy the books by Qiu Xiaolong as much as I have!

 

[direstraits]

Hey if everyone is going to do a qiu xiaolong then I'm going to do it too! Need to check which one I have, though....

 

[Meadow337]

Hey if everyone is going to do a qiu xiaolong then I'm going to do it too! Need to check which one I have, though....

Ok so we are managing to go off topic here (ssh! I won't tell if you don't ha ha ha) but I did suggest Death of a Red Heroine for the next book of the month.

http://www.bookandreader.com/threads/vote-for-september-2013-thrillers.25821/

If ya wanna you know like participate

 

[Peder]

Oops! Major sorry.
Back to regular programming.
Started In the Shadow of No Towers. Fascinating, and it flows. Beautiful large double size format -- board book, as I learn they call it. Will gobble it up quickly.
Only problem is where to put it on the shelf/coffee table.
Have to read it standing up, I suppose.

 

[direstraits]

Nice! I'm not familiar with In the Shadow of No Towers, so you've got to tell me if that's good. I don't think I've seen that around here.

Btw, Meadow/Peder, my Qiu Xiaolong is A Case of Two Cities. I usually prefer to start at the very first book of any series, but I hadn't realized this was book 4, but I did sorta know that they are not exactly dependent on each other, so it should be ok.

If you do get the Sept book of the month discussion going, Meadow, I will just read and nod along with you guys.

 

[Meadow337]

Nice! I'm not familiar with In the Shadow of No Towers, so you've got to tell me if that's good. I don't think I've seen that around here.

Btw, Meadow/Peder, my Qiu Xiaolong is A Case of Two Cities. I usually prefer to start at the very first book of any series, but I hadn't realized this was book 4, but I did sorta know that they are not exactly dependent on each other, so it should be ok.

If you do get the Sept book of the month discussion going, Meadow, I will just read and nod along with you guys.

Ai lol ok ok I'm going to find a graphic novel and download it TODAY!

hmm the books aren't dependent on each other in terms of the case to be solved, but there is a development in the story of the characters. It isn't drastic as I read them out of order as well but I did go back and reread them in order to follow that development properly.

Its still being voted on

OK lol revise that - I will get a graphic novel the next time I'm up late - the files are huge!

(I have free late night data)

 

[Peder]

If you do get the Sept book of the month discussion going, Meadow, I will just read and nod along with you guys.

Good idea! I might nod along without reading. Just kidding, but I do have to make progress on the stack of TBRs I already have and want to get through. If I keep pushing down, I'll never make any headway.

The Spiegelman No Towers was an amazon "people also bought "suggestion when I ordered Maus. I hadn't heard of it before, either, but it looked good and so far I am not disappointed.

 

[Meadow337]

Good idea! I might nod along without reading. Just kidding, but I do have to make progress on the stack of TBRs I already have and want to get through. If I keep pushing down, I'll never make any headway.

The Spiegelman No Towers was an amazon "people also bought "suggestion when I ordered Maus. I hadn't heard of it before, either, but it looked good and so far I am not disappointed.

It's not pushing down LOL it's re-prioritizing!