Getting into Ann Nocenti's Daredevil run.

Even at the time I don't think they stacked up evenly. The writing for BTAS is much richer and the animation has a distinct identity.

True. The ones at the end largely contribute to the further development of Cass 'cause they team up.

Despite Doomsday being nothing more than a plot device and Funeral for a Friend dragging a bit, this is still my favorite Superman saga.
#SupermanDay

Aside from a couple Azrael and Catwoman issues near the end, I don't know that any of the non-Batmam tie-ins matter much to the main story.

Isn't the original collection just like four or five trades? That probably cuts out a third to half of what's in the two omnibuses. I can definitely see the value there.

I could see this story working very well in a straight prose format.

The length of No Man's Land makes repeated reading feel daunting. Maybe I need an "Essential No Man's Land" to correct for that length. Even so, I'm quite happy to have experienced the entire story from beginning to end.

The rest of No Man's Land's ending was extremely effective. Starting with Bane's destruction of public records, the pace of storytelling really picked up. Having issues overlap at certain points in the story helped that pacing considerably.

Joker's antics grew tiresome for me, especially where Harley was concerned. His final act--stealing the babies and the killing Gordon's wife--felt shoehorned in to create jeopardy that ultimately wasn't necessary.

Batgirl's introduction also felt somewhat forced. The character's ever-present nature in No Man's Land's latter half did a lot to make her feel a part of the overall team. Her unique nonspeaking quality made it hard to connect with the character, though.

Huntress's arc was interesting, though Batman's decision to exile her from the overall team felt very forced and not fitting particularly well with that story arc's events. That said, it allowed her to be in position to advance Petit's arc.

I was surprised to find the Azrael issues so effective at character examination. Azrael's ongoing interactions with Dr. Thompkins were compelling.

The other non-Batman Gotham titles were frequently a mixed bag. The Robin and Nightwing entries I found to be the weakest. I wasn't a huge fan of the Catwoman issues, but they felt more integral.

Indeed, every time Superman or some other hero made an appearance, it begged the question of why DC's heroes so completely abandoned Gotham. Obviously, that simply has to be a storytelling conceit. But it interferes with the suspension of disbelief.

My chief complaint is No Man's Land's length and the meandering quality it has in the middle. There are a lot of issues that feel tacked on. This is especially the case with the non Gotham titles featuring other heroes.

I finally, finally, FINALLY finished my first read through of Batman: No Man's Land. It is definitely not without its flaws, and I don't think I'd call it an event given its length and very free-flowing nature. But on balance, it was pretty good.

Yes. It makes the final issues where he actually returns and Henshaw has been revealed as a big bad feel like they have stakes because you got invested in all four.

The original plan wasn't to stretch it out so long with Reign of the Supermen. After such a big deal got made of his death, the editors and then writers decided they couldn't have it just be a few months, that that would feel too much like a bait and switch.

Yup. Knowing I'd be luckily vaporized was such a comfort. 🤣

It gives a little extra context to Infinity Gauntlet. It is also Starlin and Lim at their best (or damn near close to it).

Every now and then I have to give The Thanos Quest a #TopShelfFriday mention. Two books that show off how amazing the medium can be. They can be a little difficult to come by but the solid writing and gorgeous art make it worthwhile.

Scud: The Whole Shebang. Easiest choice I ever made.

Ah, the Mike Carey run. Great stuff. Not talked about nearly enough despite being one of the longest X book runs. Around 75 issues, I think.

I only came in to Astonishing in the back half at the time. Couldn't figure out what the hype was about because I had heard the first stuff was so good. The delays didn't help, either.

Alex Paknadel is a great writer when it comes to telling complex character oriented stories that are still fun and exciting. This is actually the only X book I am pulling at the moment, and it's great. I definitely encourage everyone to check out any series Paknadel writes.

This is why I find Marvel's behavior so reminiscent of the 90s. The first issue of Gen 13 vol 2 had 13 variants. Insane in hindsight. At least, l thought so until Marvel started doing even more than that for some issues. They didn't increase in value then, and they won't increase in value now.

I would love to know what the sales drop-off is between a first issue with blind bag variants and a second issue without them. Like, Daredevil #1 did the gimmick, and I'm sure it sold like crazy. But what are 2, 3, and 4 gonna do?

Or are we headed for blind bags on every issue?

You'd think finding ways to keep series going longer than five issues would be a better way to lock down a revenue stream. But I guess that would require creative effort, and we can't have that!

The gimmicks just keep getting more ridiculous. A million variant covers aren't enough. Now it's time to lean not just into speculators but also influencers and people who love the lottery. Sometimes, it really feels like Marvel is doing their damnedest to recreate the 90s crash.