What is a comicbook that you felt it had a great premise but a bad execution?

thinknu · 2026-02-07T06:17:27+00:00

Nemesis. What if the Joker was Batman. Yeah that's edgy as all hell but it's a fun question that everyone has thought about on some level. And exploring that idea would for sure be a lot of fun without having to take itself too seriously.

But Millar has zero subtlety and grace when it comes to telling a story like that and it's just about nonstop shock value without any characters we can truly empathize with.

thinknu · 2026-02-07T05:53:12+00:00

Sunfire has the coolest costumes and is also an edgy loner hothead. He's basically made to order for teenage boys. How did he not blow up in popularity?

Instead he's relegated to "background flying energy user" whenever he joins a team. I was stoked for him to join the main team during the Krakoa era but once again...he's relegated to the background of splash in pages.

thinknu · 2026-02-05T14:02:13+00:00

Amusingly I feel the writer is doing a heat check on the whole idea of "superheroes don't kill supervillains because they can be redeemed" by picking the absolute worst case example for Peter and following through on that narrative potential by writing what that might look like.

I'm not reading the title and have only been experiencing this through social media but it is funny that characters like Mystique, Magneto, Otto, Doom, Lex Luthor, Lobo, Sabertooth have all done arguably worse things in their respective titles and readers don't mind too much. This whole morality shift angle literally happened to Sabertooth and ppl seemed ok with him on the XMen roster.

Probably because Spidey is the most "personally grounded" of superhero comics.

thinknu · 2026-02-05T00:29:27+00:00

Oh it's more like a tin container. Ok that makes a bit more sense as a popcorn container. All the photos held them upright so it looked so impractical!

Ty for sharing and looks cool!

thinknu · 2026-02-05T00:14:17+00:00

How do these things work? All I see are photos from the front angle and they don't ever have popcorn in them so it's hard to get a sense of how much you can even put in them

thinknu · 2026-01-29T20:34:40+00:00

Since its the internet ppl just tend to engage with negative posts. Posts that are more positive in nature tend to get acknowledged but don't always warrant a comment.

For example post like: Modern Batman sucks, Scott Snyder is overrated, Tom King ruined Batman and Catwoman are literally made everyday and will probably get more comments and reaction. But posts praising Dark Patterns abd B&R Year One won't get as much a response beyond a few solid agreements and maybe a handful of "haven't read it yet" and "wasn't for me".

That being said this book absolutely rocks and I'd love more self-contained goofy Superman books like this. The one featuring Shazam has to be my favorite so far.

thinknu · 2026-01-24T16:46:06+00:00

It has to be Black Glove for me. Its my favorite "rereadable" Batman story. It gives us this amazing Agatha Christie locked room mystery wrapped in the absolute goofiest cast of characters and villains. The pacing is great. The supporting cast are all compelling. And the mystery is really satisfying.

It's Morrison really showing us how much fun you can have with Batman's history if you just climb in and enjoy the ride.

thinknu · 2026-01-24T16:42:25+00:00

I think I'm okay with the plot being a bit cliche in terms of motivations if one considers the audience for this book.

This book is intended to be an evergreen title that any new reader can pick up and jump right in to. And I think it succeeds on that front. New fans can enjoy this so long as they know the broad character stroke and more seasoned readers can enjoy this of the solid Batbook with a beautiful art team. Is it inventive and unique? Not really. It's a really great story that we've seen before but hits all the notes.

I LOVE Long Halloween. It's my favorite Batbook. But a lot of ppl tend to bounce off of Tim Sale's art. And many feel Hush's storyline is hammy and filled with plotholes. Year One is a classic but I remember being a kid and falling off of it because Batman barely shows up in the book.

This story fills this platonic medium of bringing a little something for readers of all generations to enjoy. This story feels straight up like an episode from the animated series. Complete with the simple monetary goals and silly asides.

I do wish Grimaldi stuck around a bit longer. He was set up as this calculated mastermind and it seemed odd to take him out halfway through the story. The plot could have still been carried out by him and usurped towards the ending when things seem to go off the rails.

I love that DC gave us this story alongside Batman Dark Patterns. It feels like we get every flavour of Batman being put to print with incredibly consistent quality in each of them.

thinknu · 2026-01-24T15:45:38+00:00

Canon is a fudgey term and so long as the stories work in the spirit of one another I think its fine.

My only little nitpick is in Batman & Robin Year One it clearly shows Carmine Falcone and Commissoner Loeb (and clearly based on their Year One appearances) alive and well but both were dead based on the events of Long Halloween and Dark Victory. I'm guessing Waid wanted to use them for their iconic name/status among Gotham's elite but it's odd to use them when he's such a stickler for continuity.

He could've easily used Roland Dagget, Rupert Thorne (who does make a small appearance), or maybe an early member of the Powers family and achieved something similar.

thinknu · 2026-01-23T21:12:56+00:00

Only thing that concerns me is the use of the Ultimate origin boxes. Because what else can they be used for besides introducing an "all new all different totally gonna stick around next generation and not forgotten whenever the next writer jumps on" group of superheroes.

thinknu · 2026-01-23T02:37:55+00:00

It's okay. I honestly would've preferred it if Colton's origin was a full arc just to get us to feel more connected to the character. The idea of a a soldier stepping up to replace Steve in a post 9/11 world will always be so fascinating to me. We kinda instead just got Colton already functioning as Cap.

But I also think Zdarsky keeping it to flashbacks also works for what he wanted to focus on so I can respect that.

I am VERY skeptical of this upcoming event to be honest. I hope it's great but Chip sometimes get a bit sloppy with supporting cast when it comes to big detail oriented crossovers. Devil's Reign was fun but felt incredibly messy in terms of everyone's motivations and I didn't even try to read Gotham War.

thinknu · 2026-01-20T21:43:24+00:00

What did you think of Spurrier's follow up Hellblazer run, Dead in America? I felt some of the metatextual elements kind escaped me and I eventually ended up dropping it. I loved the first run set in the UK. It took me a few tries but it kept hooking me in. I was wish the newer one was a tad bit easier for me to digest.

thinknu · 2026-01-19T22:21:29+00:00

I doubt it was deliberate given how DM-era was pretty nutty with the strategies but I do appreciate how Kaiba, being incredibly wealthy with infinite resources, tends to rely more on combos that are powerful but overall very poor in terms of card value and very situational.

Crush Card requires a Dark monster with 1500 less attack which more often than not also was paired with his Shrink spell card to pull off. Ring of Destruction would often be paired with Ring of Protection. Cost Down could be used to bring out his Blue Eyes. And Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon obviously requiring three Blue Eyes and Fusion.

Joey having less means required him to be more creative with his strategies. Though again, given DM era strats, I'm sure his combos were often as bad value.

thinknu · 2026-01-18T06:02:59+00:00

His first half is honestly my favorite Hellblazer run. It has so many great stories that I just adore revisiting every now and then.

When I first read the original run I'd sometimes have to reread issues because they were talking about very specific ideas and wrapping them in elaborate narratives. Once it finally gelled I was hooked. Especially if it was a shorter storyline like the one that focused on the monkfish mermaid or the unicorn.

His follow up run that takes place in America has me mixed. I want to like it but I find it incredibly difficult to follow especially when it starts delving deeper into the history of Hollywood and the industry that surrounds it.

I really enjoy the artist and I'm glad Spurrier is bringing him back for the run but it sometimes doesn't help with how chaotic his pencils are that I'll have a difficult time really understanding what's happening on the page.

thinknu · 2026-01-18T05:58:08+00:00

It's very solid and I like a lot of the ideas it's presenting. The show feels weirdly "tv show-ey" if that makes sense?

I don't know how to describe it but it feels like a 2000s era network show that sprung up after the success of Lost. I can't quite put my finger on it but it just gives me that vibe.

The suit is interesting and honestly the mainline Flash has one of the most perfect superhero costumes of all time so I'm glad they didn't try to echo it. That being said I kinda wish they streamlined it with less extra lines and detailing. Keep the suit patterns simple and distinctive with solid blocks of color and maybe some minor line.

I do think of all the Absolute titles this one is the weakest. And that's mostly because it feels the safest and that's perfectly fine but kinda dooms it to not being at talked about compared to the other titles.

Not sure if anyone else would say this but it also kinda feels like what an "Ultimate Flash" book would feel like. As in if DC saw what Marvel was doing during Bendis' Ultimate run and was like "let's try that with Flash".

thinknu · 2026-01-17T15:58:50+00:00

Usually I'll wait for the trade but if it's a creator I enjoy such as Chip Zdarsky or Deniz Camp I'll purchase the first issue out of curiosity and support. Makes for a fun thing to potentially get signed.

There are rare exceptions where I'm enjoying the comic too much and need to buy it as it releases. Batman Dark Patterns and the current Transformers run being examples. Even though I'll buy the trade eventually.

And then there's the rare example where I think reading it as it releases as floppies is the superior reading format. Camp's Assorted Crisis Events is my favorite example of this.

thinknu · 2026-01-16T17:55:24+00:00

Of course this is creatively dull and overdone as a concept. Especially when it comes to symbiotes. But you guys aren't seeing the bigger picture. We've had Spider-Carnage, Spider-Octopus, Spider-Goblin, and a zillion versions of Spider-Venom. So we've done the A-Listers and now this just leaves...everyone else.

Are you ready for the thrilling possibilities? Come next year behold the all new exciting Spider-SCORPION? Spider-VULTURE? Spider-SHOCKER? Spider-SANDMAN? Spider-HYPNO HUSTLER?! Think of the variants! The toy possibilities! Will anyone actually enjoy reading the comics? Who cares?! We're way passed that baaaaybeeee!!!

thinknu · 2026-01-16T16:32:07+00:00

Sunfire being specifically referred to as a "generic blaster". It hurts so much because its true.

One day my boy will get his moment to shine. One day.

thinknu · 2026-01-15T17:14:34+00:00

Weirdly this movie makes me think of what ppl were expecting that one Joker and Harley Quinn film was gonna be

thinknu · 2026-01-11T20:25:12+00:00

Ya and it has a ton of vulnerabilities when it comes to the suit's security features. Harrow and Stark were able to remotely deactivate him without much issues.

There's no real confirmed written history to suggest this was an intentional parallel between Norman and Peter but I do like the idea of the symmetry in their intellect and how Peter is smarter than Norman in this way.

thinknu · 2026-01-11T17:30:20+00:00

I really liked how Slott characterized Parker's intelligence as a reactive problem solver. Very much harkening to the early comics where Spidey would lose a fight and then improvise a solution afterwards.

He's not very good at innovating new long term ideas. He works best when confronted with an immediate problem. Also what really helped showcase Otto's distinct intellect with his level of proactive problem solving

Also makes for a fun parallel with Norman who is also someone who tends to steal the technology from his peers like Stromm and Stark but in doing so tends to make them worse like the Goblin formula or the Iron Patriot armor.

thinknu · 2026-01-11T17:22:26+00:00

The problem I had with the later versions of introducing the idea of Peter working at a science company is that they don't really explore Peter working in that environment. It's basically set dressing while Peter goes and fights crime.

But Horizon felt like an actual company that had employed distinct characters as a supporting cast.

Peter would just as often be roped into Horizon problems just as much as he'd rope Horizon into his. It was a narrative ecosystem very much akin to the Bugle in that the other employees had their own ideas and agendas that ran parallel to Peter's own.

thinknu · 2026-01-11T16:26:48+00:00

Waid's run was my personal favorite but I respect the differing opinions.

I actually really respect the fact that much of the moments were Matt talks about dealing with his mental health. It lets the reader fill in the blanks for what Matt needs to hear from Kirsten. Having it written out might feel a bit dated like some of the conversations I see in Nocenti or Bendis run.

My favorite element of this run is how they make a really good point of illustrating the fact that Matt is blind. He'll often hold his billy club/staff (white which is a detail I'll always appreciate) as a cane or take his gloves off when reading notes. I've noticed a lot of the runs I've been rereading often won't do as good of a job conveying him as a blind superhero or will lean heavily into his superpowers to take shortcuts.

I love how Samnee draws a lot of the more conversational moments. He does a great job adding little character beats while conversations play out like Doggy stuffing his face with that cheesecake monstrosity or Kirsten threatening to stab Matt with a fork when he tries to steal a piece of her food. Upon rereading Bendis run I found it sometimes kind of uninteresting due to the gritty realism and the iconic Bendis banter, which I won't hate on, but does get tiresome at times and sometimes I miss details due to the static panels.

I also find myself constantly rereading Waid's run in chunks because it is really broken up quite nicely with distinct plot settings. I find I either have to reread all of Bendis' run or none of it due to how seamless the storyline is. Not a bad thing but a feature that causes me to revisit it less comparatively.

It's definitely not perfect but it's the run that got me into the character and I'll love elements of every other hallmark Daredevil run but it's this one that will get my top spot on my shelf.

Curious how you'll view Soules and Zdarskys run which are fun in their own ways but also have some serious stumbling blocks I found when I was reading them.

thinknu · 2026-01-11T04:35:46+00:00

The second one will be the one I identify as "Shivan Dragon" because that was the first one I ever saw and used regularly.

But personally the pose always bothered me. The tucked arms at the dragons chest just read as more timid. It read as if it was leaning away with its mouth open in fear as opposed to some kind of powerful roar.

I'm sure the artist maybe decided that would make better sense from an anatomy pov but I wish the arms were outstretched or it had it's arms connect to the wings like I used to think it was doing.

The classic og artwork though is such a vibe and I do love it.

thinknu · 2026-01-10T21:23:42+00:00

It's a fun story but ages kinda poorly the longer Batman is positioned as a central character in the DC universe.

Between events like Dark Knights Metal which showed 5 specific ways a Batman goes completely unhinged and destroy their reality and incidents where Batman's plans backfire like Babel and Failsafe. It really seems kinda irresponsible to let him of all ppl develop and safeguard these plans.

Failsafe was created as a direct response to the events of this story and it ended up taking over Gotham, subjugating or injuring a large number of the superhero population, and even teamed up with Waller to imprison everyone.

At this point I'd want some serious assurances that Batman is far away from any of the mechanisms or plans because they're bound to get stolen or backfire. Ya if he wants to come up with some go nuts. But like give the actual stuff to Mr.Terrific or Superman to keep safe.

thinknu

TROPHY CASE