@@Furburn This actually IS A THING. The team adapting it has to create a script that describes the page, like you would if you're adapting a movie into a book novelization. GraphicAudio made some of these, but they have sound effects and a full cast. The Marvel GraphicAudio adaptions are now available in all digital audiobook stores but the DC GraphicAudio adaptions are missing. Probably in licensing limbo. The Ms. Marvel comic audiobook adaptions are the first I listened too.
Brian Azzarellos New 52 run on Wonder Woman is genuinely awesome too - it's very fantastical, and gives WW this ensemble of other characters around her that are all really interesting. You dudes should check it out!
Exactly, the first 35 issues where it focuses on her dysfunctional greek god family is amazing and all the characters are brilliant, the art is really unique too.
I really hope Jay Garrick goes back in time and fixes this video so it's just you guys talking for 25 minutes about the greatest DC character: Booster Gold.
In the Green Lantern section, I would recommend Geoff Johns whole nine year run. But in terms of accessibility, you could also read Rebirth, Sinestro Corps War and Blackest Night. While part of the whole nine year run, I think they’re also good as stand alone stories.
I know I definitely used Blackest Night as a jumping off point for Green Lantern. It's surprising how well it works as a starter when it's also a big event
@@MrDamsky100 It's not really a great starting point to get into comics. I agree that for a comic reader who is generally aware of the Lantern general mythos of the moment (with the spectrum and all) and knows the general history of superheroes, those that died and came back etc... it's a great starting point but it would be a pretty confusing story for people who have no comic background at all. That's a comic recommend for people going back into comics but for starting I would always recommend something that is more self contained, shorter and easier to read as a standalone, ideally a self contained story like a mini series. Once someone gets hooked on something simple I'd start porposing large events like this (or Crisis or Flashpoint) and let them decide what other characters interest them and go from there. One of the stories I used and successfully got people to go from "yeah it wasn't bad" to being interested in reading more was Tower of Babel. Or if they are more into artwork anything Alex Ross ever done.
Blackest Night helped me catch up with DC, as I had stopped following the main continuity in the late 90s. With the internet, I was able to research any of the story points, or characters that I had missed in those years in between. There are some really harsh endings to some of those comics. A hero would accomplish something that was so difficult, only to have dead friends show up as Black Lanterns to psychologically torture them until they escape or are turned as well.
@@BrandonNielsen87 Story is alright. It's a bit clunky, and the ending doesn't stick the landing, but the intrigue and mystery at the beginning is awesome, and the (true) big bad behind it all was a nice twist.
@Benjamin Roxburgh i hear a lot of people say that so its ok you're not alone. my favorite batman stories are either Arkham Asylum a serious house on a serious earth, most of Scott Snyders run up until the flashback stuff, and Grant Morrisons Batman & Robin run.
Some of my recommendations (other than what these guys suggested ofcourse) - 1. Superman - American Alien by Max Landis 2. Wonder Woman - Wonder Woman Earth One by Grant Morrison 3. Green Lantern - Omega Men by Tom King 4. Batman - Grant Morrison's Saga, Black Mirror by Scott Snyder, Earth One by Geoff Johns and many more. Much like Daredevil Batman has way too many entertaining comic book stories.
Morrison's Batman run is my favorite but I don't think it's suited for first time readers. Too layered and reference heavy a lot of people who try it get lost. It's kind of a love letter to Batman's history that's better appreciated when you're more familiar with other works.
I loved Green Lantern: Earth One, it was much more interesting than the average green lantern book. Seeing Hal explore space in search of Oa was great.
For the Justice League, I’d say good starting points are: Justice League of America: The Tornado’s Path Justice League New 52 vol 1 Justice (artwork by Alex Ross)
Ashley Tuchin Justice (by Alex Ross), is my favourite comic of all time and it boasts the JLA, Doom Patrol, Metal Men, Teen Titans, Legion of Doom and Brainiac all beautifully painted by the man himself
For anyone interested at all in Superman, I'd highly recommend the comic Superman: Up in the Sky. Its a modern love letter to the character and gives you a great insight into why Superman has remained iconic for so long
If you want to read a proper Superman story, I highly, highly recommend All-Star Superman. It’s my favorite comic of all time. It’s beautifully written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Frank Quitely. And it perfectly captures the character and inspire you to be someone better
I do still think its better to read a few Superman stories before All-star like Secret Origin and For all seasons because they help you first understand the character and really get to love all the characters in his stories and then jump into All-star when you have a bit of a deeper understanding of the character and know more than just what the movies did with Superman.
As someone who read all-star superman very early on, i think its not a great first book. I enjoyed it, but I hadnt read enough of superman to understand enough of what hes about to really get it, it just struck me as a fairly quaint little story. I hadnt read enough "superman punches a thing" comics to really appreciate the character underneath, and therefore appreciate the much more subtle, less punchey (despite him being able to lift ten quintillion earths) all star superman.
Be better? Please. Superman is the biggest hypocrite of them all, his greatest weakness isn't kryptonite it's moral ambiguity.God forbid he be put in a situation where he has to make a hard decision where he has to ACTIVELY choose to sacrifice lives to choose to do what is morally right or choose where there is no right choice, easy when the universe you inherit allows you to be "good" without sacrificing or living with the consequences, He risks nothing being "good". Let's also talk about his morals, He preaches how moral he is and how he doesn't have the right to choose who lives or dies but he does so when he chooses who he saves over other people if you choose to save a kid from drowning and let someone fall off a building you have no right pretending you don't choose who lives or dies or have a moral leg to stand on.
Also remember when Superman actively chose to kill very casually in the Golden Age? What moral hero And he never admits it in the comics that he did, acknowledging it exists, they just gloss over that era.
7:14 language trivia time: As you guys might know, Ivan Reis is brazilian and the brazilian portuguese pronunciation for "Reis" would be something like "Haes" in english. End of language trivia time.
I picked up “The War of Jokes and Riddles” recently and that’s a very good time. Same thing as Long Halloween and Hush where you need to have some understanding of the main players but it’s also a really good insight into the lore and mythology of Gotham City. New 52 Justice League, mostly volume 1 because it kind of shits the bed after that, is also a really solid JL origin story.
@@CorbCorbin you should go back and watch the video again, give it a like and subscribe then tell your friends. Any comic books missed the first time will surely appear.
For Superman I would recommend Superman: American Alien, it's out of continuity but shows Superman over 7 different parts of his life, starting with when he 1st gets his powers all the way up until he embraces being superman
6:03 Mason: "...And speaking of sexy, volume 4 of that series is illustrated by a guy called Stjepan Sejic." Sunstone fans: "Yeah, That sounds about right."
hot tip: the DC animated universe is the absolute best way to introduce yourself to DC characters & lore. (young justice isn’t in the DCAU, but i recommend watching it afterwards. it covers a LOT of ground)
It's a nice switch that James is the one who derails the conversation with shenanigans. Really turns the tables on Mason with a taste of his own medicine. Metaphors.
Sitting there reading the mason quote on the “All TerrainMan” picture and then waiting for him to say it was the most exciting 30 seconds of my weekend.
Superman: I've really enjoyed Grant Morrison's "Action Comics Superman" Green Lantern: Ron Marz run on "Green Lantern" with Kyle Rayner is pretty fun to read! Shazam! by Geoff Johns both the New 52 and current series Other recommendations: Tom Kings "Mister Miracle" John Ostranders "The Spectre" Peter Milligans "Justice League Dark"
Great video! Some recent stories I really like are: Man and Superman by Marv Wolfmann - Clark Kents first couple of weeks in Metropolis The Flash: Year One by Joshua Williamson - recent retelling of Barry Allens origin Shazam! (New 52) by Geoff Johns - Shazam's origin, great for fans of the movie
Johns’ main goal in his DC work has always been the simplification of characters’ histories to the essential elements. I understand some people’s complaints about how simple he goes sometimes, but he’s basically done every character by now and I’m rarely disappointed. He’s the perfect writer for newcomers to comics.
One of the first Batman stories I read because I realized that most of the Batman merch my parents got me as a 2003 baby was based on Jim Lee’s art from when he illustrated Batman: Hush lol
The Long Halloween was one of my first comic stories and I absolutely loved the mysterious story. Highly recommend it and it’s follow-up, Dark Victory.
If your looking for a superman story, I've heard that All Star Superman is a good defining series for superman's character, though I haven't read it myself yet so I'm not to sure how good of a jumping of point it is, just one I hear being recommended a lot
My picks: Greg Rucka's Wonder Woman Geoff Johns' Flash Geoff Johns' Green Lantern New 52 or Rebirth Aquaman New 52 Batman The New Teen Titans Tim Seeley's Nightwing John Ostrander's Suicide Squad Rebirth Green Arrow
They talk about it in a bit the full episode but don't think it's a good book for someone just getting into comics. Mason said he like Omega Men maxiseries with Kyle Rayner, and James talks about the Batman issue of The Button, which were (coincidentally?) also writing by King.
Although really really good, probably not a great place to start imo - especially if the reader isn't familiar with Mister Miracle, the New Gods and Apokolips. Really, reading Jack Kirby's New God's and Mister Miracle from the 70's first would be ideal.
My green lantern interest sky rocketed in the order of geoff John's green lantern, loving jon Stewart in justice league TAS, then the two animated movies (two of the best in the straight to dvd line up, one of them being an anthology which blew me away, like "really the green lantern universe is that big". And then finally I watched the green lantern animated show, which I was very much pleasantly surprised by. Earth one was the tail end of that and sealed the deal completely with being a fan of the different characters and the overall mythology. What a world we live in where we get a great guardians of the galaxy movie before a great green lantern movie.
I cannot stress this enough: Wonder Woman - the Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang run (just called 'Wonder Woman') is the best thing to happen to WW in decades
I can't believe they left out George Perez Wonder Woman series. Its easily the best one. John Byrne had a great run on Wonder Woman too. These guys have no clue about DC.
Batman '66! That was a great and fun run based on the Adam West TV show. I wish it had lasted longer... They introduced '66 versions of Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Clayface, Two-Face (with appearance based on William Shatner!) and in the Wonder Woman crossover, Ra's Al-Ghoul!
Great video! I recommend Trinity by Matt Wagner. It's a stand alone story about Superman and Batman (who already know each other) meeting Wonder Woman for the first time
Flash: Seconded the New 52 series. The art alone sells that book for me. It's dynamic, visually engaging, the colors and composition of the panels is just a pure treat and it makes for a kick-ass read! Give the first 4-5 volumes a try. Rebirth is also okay, but I didn't love it as much, found myself dropping it after Vol 2. Batman: You really can't go wrong with Year 1 and Long Halloween as a sequel. The followup to Long Halloween is often overlooked IMO, Dark Victory (goes more into Two Face) Green Arrow: The Lemire Run on the New 52 is so much fun as mentioned, it's as good as you can get your GA! Pretty inspired by the critically acclaimed Immortal Iron Fist series from 08, for good reason, it's a lot of fun to read. Also recommend Green Arrow: Year One by Andy Diggle and with art by Jock. It's also quite timeless! Green Lantern: Honestly it's a big investment but if you're down to go all the way, then everything Geoff Johns did with that character in the whole Blackest Night saga is amazing. Starting with "No Fear" all the way to Blackest Night, you're in for one of the best space epic sagas comics has to offer, period! If you only need to read 1 comic from that entire run, however, I HIGHLY recommend the Sinestro Corps War. If that hooks you in, give the rest a shot, you'll love it. You can even go up to New 52 stuff, with the Third Army arc. If you're looking for fun jumping on points, I'll always recommend team books. Give New 52 Justice League a try, and then figure out what characters make you tick and check out their solo books! Also highly recommend Mister Miracle by Tom King. It's *kinda* standalone of the DC universe at large, and I liked it a lot.
Always so fun to listen to your show guys!!! You missed the take of late Darwin Cook on Superman (art by Tim Sale) : Kryptonite Also the run of Darwin Cook on CatWoman is an excellent intro to that character Finally the Mini Series "New Frontier" (also by Darwin Cook) is the perfect intro on the Justice League and an excellent intro on characters like Flash, Green Lanterne and Martian Manhunter
*Wonder Woman: True Amazon*, a stand alone original graphic novel that tackles her origin in a different way. *Batman: Turning Points*, a 5 issue mini examining the friendship between Batman and Commissioner Gordon over the years. *Sinestro*, by Cullen Bunn and Dale Eaglesham, focusing on the Green Lantern baddie, and making him quite interesting to follow, while still keeping his bite he has as a baddie. *Robin: Son of Batman*, volume 1 is Year of Blood and volume 2 is Dawn of the Demons. A miniseries focusing on Damien Wayne atoning for the awful stuff he did when he was with the League of Assassins.
14:53 I think I owned that one in the early 80s..!? Attack of the Green Lantern Corps, maybe... I think maybe it was an ad in a Batman or Superman comic. I had one of each and just reread them all of the time.
2:38 He is the main guy doing the current X-Men run (9 of the 12 issues announced so far), pretty much every Marvel series nowadays has an artist do 5 or 6 issues then leave for a few or an arc then returns. He'll probably surpass his runs on Avengers & New Avengers which were his old leaders. He is still probably the most active of the artists who popped up in the early 2000s.
Since you guys seem to really enjoy talking comic books on this channel, I would truly ADORE it if you would consider looking at and talking about Monstress; pinned by Marjorie Liu and illustrated by Sana Takeda. It's not Marvel or DC. It's an Image Comics original and it deserves a lot of Spotlight. Far more than it gets. In the fact that nobody knows it or talks about it is criminal. The storytelling is deep and sprawling, the characters are memorable and the artwork is, for lack of a better word, awe-inspiring. It's a comic series that reads like a well-thought-out fiction novel more so then a comic book and that's due largely to the fact that it's writer IS a legitimate novelist. There are no spin-offs, off shoots, alternate universes, doppelganger characters, wacky side plots, universe ending reboots or any other frivolous and confusing menucha that's inherent in the comic genre. It's just a singular straightforward fantasy war story whose 28th installment just dropped this month and whose narrative has yet to reach its finale. And it's a VERY GOOD fantasy war story. And if it nudges you to read it at all, it is a Hugo Award-winning work of fiction.
I used to work in comic book shop for years in NY, and Mark Waid used to come in all the time, what a lovely human being, and so giving. I have not seen or talked to him in 20 years almost, and I am suer he has no idea who I am, but he certainly left a mark for being an amazing human being.
Superman: All Star Superman by Grant Morrison. Flash: Rebirth (Barry Allen) ; Return of Barry Allen (Wally West) Green Lantern: Rebirth Batman: Batman Adventures; Batman and Robin Adventures (made for kids, but awesome stories) Also the Green Lantern/ Green Arrow series was in the 60s, written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Neal Adams. Thanks guys!
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman is great read and I think it is a great introduction into comics. It's not really a superhero comic but the stories and artwork are fantastic. The Sandman is also set in the DC universe. So there's appearances by familiar characters like John Constantine.
I absolutely love Superman: Secret Identity. Such a great story. I like a lot of B-Grade and C-Grade superheroes. So, I hope you don't mind if I recommend two of my faves, Plastic Man and the Red Hood. Plastic Man has a 4 issue mini series from the 80s by Phil Foglio and Hilary Barta. It is a wonderful and short introduction. You get introduced to the silliness and goofiness of Plastic Man. It helped me become more of a fan after his appearances on Batman the Brave and the Bold, tv show. For the Red Hood, read the Rebirth run of Red Hood & The Outlaws. The Dexter Soy's artwork is masterful. They show the character as much more sympathetic, his relationship with Bizarro is touching and Artemis is pretty solid in her own right. Its leagues better then the New 52 run, with better art and with characters that actually compliment each other well. They even have an annual issue fleshing out Dick Grayson's and Jason Todd's relationship, which was much appreciated. Also, for Batman. I would recommend Long Halloween. But if you've already read that, the writer and artist have made several other Batman books, its been forever since I read Dark Victory, but I have read Haunted Knight (and enjoyed it very much). Once again after you've gone and read Long Halloween, that could be a great direction to go towards.
8:52 Just wanna clarify that Buccelato and Manapul were co-authors and Manapul did the art! Manapul is one of my comic book idols, his panelling, colors, and art style in general are amazing.
The New 52 run of Animal Man has 5 volumes written by Jeff Lemire and just amazing artwork! Revolves around Buddy trying to be a good dad while also dealing with some new mystical horrors revolving around his powers. Can Buddy protect the world and keep his family safe at the same time? (Just a little summary to get you interested). This is probably my favorite DC comic story and Buddy is definitely my ALL time favorite DC character and want everyone to know about him!
The big DC Zero Year hardcover is also a nice sort of intro for a bunch of different characters (Batman, Green Arrow, Superman, Batgirl, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Catwoman I think?, Batwoman, a few more I believe?, And one of the Green Lanterns but it's when he's a soldier before he joined the GL Corps). Definitely an interesting read.
I will never fail to recommend DC New Frontier for a great jumping off point. It gets a little bogged down with silver age characters, but if you know the general concepts behind Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, etc, it's a great retelling of how the Justice League formed. Plus the art is amazing.
Superman rebirth by Tomasi and Patrick Gleason is my favorite series mostly because it has Clark and Lois Lane being great parents to their 10 year old son Jonathan Samuel kent superboy who’s really awesome and adorable.
Superman - Superman: Birthright, Superman: Secret Origin, All-Star Superman, Superman: For All Seasons Batman - Batman: Year One, Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: The Killing Joke, Batman: Hush, Batman: The Court of Owls Wonder Woman - George Perez' run, Greg Rucka's DC Rebirth run The Flash - The Flash: Rebirth Green Lantern - Green Lantern: Rebirth Aquaman - Geoff Johns' New 52 run Teen Titans - New Teen Titans by Wolfman & Perez A few other DC Comics to read: The New Frontier, Watchmen, Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol, The Sandman, Gotham Central
People believe The Avengers started the trend of taking B list hero's and putting them on a team. The Justice League International did that way back in the day.
For some reason it's tough to find great Wonder Woman stories. The one I liked the best was a stand alone origin retelling called Wonder Woman The True Amazon. Superhero stories can sometimes become silly and lack gravitas but this story, shockingly, brought a tear to my eye. Told more like a fairy tale, it's just a great story, irrespective of it's comic connection.
Superman by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason is an amazing run that I think you can start with if you know about the end of the new 52 (or just do a quick Google about it) because this is my personal favourite run of supes and the one I point to when people say superman is boring. Such a good run and a new omnibus just got released of it 👌🏻shout out to the Omni collectors out there
Jay-mes and May-son. Are hilarious. James with his baby head. Lmao. Also, All-Star Superman. I highly recommend. The All-Star “god damn” Batman is something we don’t speak about. Lol.
Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum illustrated by Dave McKean (creator of the Sandman covers) is a quintessential Batman book. New Frontier, written and illustrated by the late, great Darwin Cooke is a Justice League classic. and for less traditional takes, Superman: Red Son, Batman: Snow, and Batman: Year 100; each has a unique spin to re-envision the characters.
DC's the New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke focuses on the transition from the golden to silver age of comics during the late 1950's. The art is beautiful and the timeline of DC continuity fits so perfectly that I'd love to some elements transitioned into the movies.
I don't have any good "starter" comics, but if you're already somewhat familiar with the lore, my go-to recs are Batman: White Knight, All-Star Superman, and Kingdom Come.
I’m not all the way through the video so you might mention this I’m passing later on but I have a few others I’ll throw into the mix. Wonder Woman: War of the Gods is a personal favorite, I’m not sure what the reception is on that comic but it’s probably not all that great cause I never hear anyone mention it but I thought it was spectacular and it’s what got me into WW comics. It really delves into WWs mythology, the Amazons, the Gods, and even the other DC heroes. Lobo is even in one issue if I remember correctly. And Sinestro Corps War for GL, that’s probably my favorite comic run of all time Edit: also Tom King’s Mr Miracle
holy shit, Stjepan Šejić has drawn for actual dc now? that's so fucking awesome. i remember stumbling upon sunstone one day on like, deviantart or something and loving it. good for him, that makes me really happy.
a serious house on a serious earth was amazing, really got me into reading comics more. I guess it was accessible as when I read it I knew nothing about DC or Batman beyond tv shows from childhood. It's self contained and reads like danielewski but in an easily digestible way. At least for something with the art style and plot it has.
I might also suggest the ‘90s JLA run, penned largely by Grant Morrison, but also with some Mark Waid in there as well. Granted, it does occasionally require foreknowledge of characters, and it’s a bit all over the place if you’re just reading it, and not the individual titles of the various heroes, but it’s pretty iconic and fun and goofy and so on. Wally West Flash, Martian Manhunter, coupla’ Wonder Womans… decent stuff.
These are our preferences but if you've got any let us know! Not here though this is hardly the time or place.
i only read audio comic books. it's...a difficult way to live life.
Justice (artwork by Alex Ross) is my definitive Justice League book that I’d recommend to anyone wanting to give the Justice League a try
Can you do this type of video for marvel please
@@samjackson9560 think they are doing that on weekly planet this week
@@Furburn This actually IS A THING. The team adapting it has to create a script that describes the page, like you would if you're adapting a movie into a book novelization. GraphicAudio made some of these, but they have sound effects and a full cast. The Marvel GraphicAudio adaptions are now available in all digital audiobook stores but the DC GraphicAudio adaptions are missing. Probably in licensing limbo.
The Ms. Marvel comic audiobook adaptions are the first I listened too.
It's like whenever I run out of videos to watch, James and Mason know
Or when I run out of TH-camrs sponsored by Raycon, Raycon seems to know.
How good are eggs
Well they post three times a week on the same days each week, but yes, the thing you said, also
YES
It’s true
James is so funny and charismatic - it's easy to forget he really is a comic encyclopedia.
And he knows all the anime, too.
@@Mitsuraga My favourite anime is *Jay Garrick.*
and a goose
Brian Azzarellos New 52 run on Wonder Woman is genuinely awesome too - it's very fantastical, and gives WW this ensemble of other characters around her that are all really interesting. You dudes should check it out!
Exactly, the first 35 issues where it focuses on her dysfunctional greek god family is amazing and all the characters are brilliant, the art is really unique too.
You clearly made this up, they named every comic ever and I didn't see it in the video.
It’s official. Aunty Donna has spoken
Little Boy Hades with a Candle for a head still deeply unsettles me though
Can’t beat that Cliff Chiang art either! Nicest guy too!
George Perez's run on Wonder Woman is a great intro to her origins.
I'm starting that run and the art is great!
RIP
I really hope Jay Garrick goes back in time and fixes this video so it's just you guys talking for 25 minutes about the greatest DC character: Booster Gold.
You mean green lantern.
Diosnel Frica
Yeah, Booster Gold when he was a Lantern.
What about the fact that the lightning bolt on his chest is coming out of his pants? There might be something going on there, or not.
In the Green Lantern section, I would recommend Geoff Johns whole nine year run. But in terms of accessibility, you could also read Rebirth, Sinestro Corps War and Blackest Night. While part of the whole nine year run, I think they’re also good as stand alone stories.
I know I definitely used Blackest Night as a jumping off point for Green Lantern. It's surprising how well it works as a starter when it's also a big event
Definitely the best modern Lantern run.
@@MrDamsky100 It's not really a great starting point to get into comics. I agree that for a comic reader who is generally aware of the Lantern general mythos of the moment (with the spectrum and all) and knows the general history of superheroes, those that died and came back etc... it's a great starting point but it would be a pretty confusing story for people who have no comic background at all. That's a comic recommend for people going back into comics but for starting I would always recommend something that is more self contained, shorter and easier to read as a standalone, ideally a self contained story like a mini series. Once someone gets hooked on something simple I'd start porposing large events like this (or Crisis or Flashpoint) and let them decide what other characters interest them and go from there.
One of the stories I used and successfully got people to go from "yeah it wasn't bad" to being interested in reading more was Tower of Babel.
Or if they are more into artwork anything Alex Ross ever done.
@@bigbrotherlop87 Oh no definitely. As I said it was my jumping off point for Green Lantern, not for comics as a whole. That's more what I meant
Blackest Night helped me catch up with DC, as I had stopped following the main continuity in the late 90s.
With the internet, I was able to research any of the story points, or characters that I had missed in those years in between.
There are some really harsh endings to some of those comics. A hero would accomplish something that was so difficult, only to have dead friends show up as Black Lanterns to psychologically torture them until they escape or are turned as well.
You can tell how much Mason loves comics, he took this very seriously and wasn’t his usual quippy self. I love seeing him really show his insight
"Hush" was one of my first Batman/DC books and I highly recommend it, even as an entry point.
Just for looking at the pretty artwork? Yeah. For story? No. The story is lackluster.
@@BrandonNielsen87 i have to disagree I love the story and the approach of batman and other characters
@@BrandonNielsen87 Story is alright. It's a bit clunky, and the ending doesn't stick the landing, but the intrigue and mystery at the beginning is awesome, and the (true) big bad behind it all was a nice twist.
When i read it i was underwhelmed but everyone makes it sounds so great. I just think people got my expectations too high. Super disappointing story
@Benjamin Roxburgh i hear a lot of people say that so its ok you're not alone. my favorite batman stories are either Arkham Asylum a serious house on a serious earth, most of Scott Snyders run up until the flashback stuff, and Grant Morrisons Batman & Robin run.
All I have to offer is Batman Hush and Batman and Dracula: Red Rain
The artwork alone for those comics are brilliant and astounding.
Some of my recommendations (other than what these guys suggested ofcourse) -
1. Superman - American Alien by Max Landis
2. Wonder Woman - Wonder Woman Earth One by Grant Morrison
3. Green Lantern - Omega Men by Tom King
4. Batman - Grant Morrison's Saga, Black Mirror by Scott Snyder, Earth One by Geoff Johns and many more. Much like Daredevil Batman has way too many entertaining comic book stories.
Morrison's Batman run is my favorite but I don't think it's suited for first time readers. Too layered and reference heavy a lot of people who try it get lost. It's kind of a love letter to Batman's history that's better appreciated when you're more familiar with other works.
I loved Green Lantern: Earth One, it was much more interesting than the average green lantern book. Seeing Hal explore space in search of Oa was great.
For the Justice League, I’d say good starting points are:
Justice League of America: The Tornado’s Path
Justice League New 52 vol 1
Justice (artwork by Alex Ross)
JLA the whole run is great. Terror Incognita and Trial By Fire are some personal favourites.
JLA: New World Order by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter
JLA: Year One by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson
You had me at Alex Ross!
Ashley Tuchin Justice (by Alex Ross), is my favourite comic of all time and it boasts the JLA, Doom Patrol, Metal Men, Teen Titans, Legion of Doom and Brainiac all beautifully painted by the man himself
Dilemma Whatson The art is obviously great but the story itself isn’t anything special.
Everyone should read DC's The New Frontier.
Its a classic.
And then watch the animated movie.
Crisdean Mackinnon as well as the new Justice league dark movie
Darwyn Cook’s artwork is incredible in everything, but especially this
I absolutely love The New Frontier. The setting, the artwork, the stories, I see absolutely nothing wrong with any of it.
I’m glad everyone seems to deem Long Halloween as one of the best Batman comics ever made 😍
I'd take that over Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns anyday.
Crisdean Mackinnon 100% agreed
It is...it is...
I likes that they didn't mention The Killing Joke. It's been done to death by now.
@@somerandolad well no... and it's a sequel to Millers Year One anyway... there is no Long Halloween without TDKR
For anyone interested at all in Superman, I'd highly recommend the comic Superman: Up in the Sky. Its a modern love letter to the character and gives you a great insight into why Superman has remained iconic for so long
Wow, James' bit about Jay Garrick was hilarious! I can't remember why he started it but boy I enjoyed that bit!
If you want to read a proper Superman story, I highly, highly recommend All-Star Superman. It’s my favorite comic of all time. It’s beautifully written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Frank Quitely. And it perfectly captures the character and inspire you to be someone better
I do still think its better to read a few Superman stories before All-star like Secret Origin and For all seasons because they help you first understand the character and really get to love all the characters in his stories and then jump into All-star when you have a bit of a deeper understanding of the character and know more than just what the movies did with Superman.
All Star is a great comic, but I think you should have some other superman comics under your belt before going into it to fully appreciate it
As someone who read all-star superman very early on, i think its not a great first book. I enjoyed it, but I hadnt read enough of superman to understand enough of what hes about to really get it, it just struck me as a fairly quaint little story.
I hadnt read enough "superman punches a thing" comics to really appreciate the character underneath, and therefore appreciate the much more subtle, less punchey (despite him being able to lift ten quintillion earths) all star superman.
Be better? Please. Superman is the biggest hypocrite of them all, his greatest weakness isn't kryptonite it's moral ambiguity.God forbid he be put in a situation where he has to make a hard decision where he has to ACTIVELY choose to sacrifice lives to choose to do what is morally right or choose where there is no right choice, easy when the universe you inherit allows you to be "good" without sacrificing or living with the consequences, He risks nothing being "good". Let's also talk about his morals, He preaches how moral he is and how he doesn't have the right to choose who lives or dies but he does so when he chooses who he saves over other people if you choose to save a kid from drowning and let someone fall off a building you have no right pretending you don't choose who lives or dies or have a moral leg to stand on.
Also remember when Superman actively chose to kill very casually in the Golden Age? What moral hero And he never admits it in the comics that he did, acknowledging it exists, they just gloss over that era.
7:14 language trivia time:
As you guys might know, Ivan Reis is brazilian and the brazilian portuguese pronunciation for "Reis" would be something like "Haes" in english. End of language trivia time.
@Ablin Reko NO, YOU DO
I picked up “The War of Jokes and Riddles” recently and that’s a very good time. Same thing as Long Halloween and Hush where you need to have some understanding of the main players but it’s also a really good insight into the lore and mythology of Gotham City.
New 52 Justice League, mostly volume 1 because it kind of shits the bed after that, is also a really solid JL origin story.
Crazy how they mention every single DC book ever written in the entire history of humankind
🤣 What’s actually crazy, is how they barely mentioned a drop in the ocean of DC books, in continuity or not.
@@CorbCorbin What are you talking about? They got them all.
CorbCorbin are you crazy? They talked about pretty much almost practically pretty close to literally all of em!
@@CorbCorbin you should go back and watch the video again, give it a like and subscribe then tell your friends.
Any comic books missed the first time will surely appear.
CorbCorbin yes you are right
Grant Morrison's current GL run is also very good. On the subject of Morrison, where was All Star Superman?
Kinda shocked that wasn't mentioned. One of the quintessential superman stories.
I already listened to the podcast of this... but WHO CARES?! I’ll listen again
Stellvia Hoenheim it’s also on Spotify, they drop one every Monday
@Stellvia Hoenheim They mention it like every video, including this one.
Stellvia Hoenheim search the weekly planet
James is really getting on Mason's nerves and I love it.
Is James the one wearing the tin hat?
For Superman I would recommend Superman: American Alien, it's out of continuity but shows Superman over 7 different parts of his life, starting with when he 1st gets his powers all the way up until he embraces being superman
Movie on the way
Never stop making content, gentlemen.
6:03 Mason: "...And speaking of sexy, volume 4 of that series is illustrated by a guy called Stjepan Sejic."
Sunstone fans: "Yeah, That sounds about right."
hot tip: the DC animated universe is the absolute best way to introduce yourself to DC characters & lore. (young justice isn’t in the DCAU, but i recommend watching it afterwards. it covers a LOT of ground)
It's a nice switch that James is the one who derails the conversation with shenanigans. Really turns the tables on Mason with a taste of his own medicine. Metaphors.
Sitting there reading the mason quote on the “All TerrainMan” picture and then waiting for him to say it was the most exciting 30 seconds of my weekend.
Superman: I've really enjoyed Grant Morrison's "Action Comics Superman"
Green Lantern: Ron Marz run on "Green Lantern" with Kyle Rayner is pretty fun to read!
Shazam! by Geoff Johns both the New 52 and current series
Other recommendations:
Tom Kings "Mister Miracle"
John Ostranders "The Spectre"
Peter Milligans "Justice League Dark"
Great video! Some recent stories I really like are:
Man and Superman by Marv Wolfmann - Clark Kents first couple of weeks in Metropolis
The Flash: Year One by Joshua Williamson - recent retelling of Barry Allens origin
Shazam! (New 52) by Geoff Johns - Shazam's origin, great for fans of the movie
you can tell he was a teacher bc he can’t pronounce nicola
Basically any Geoff Johns stories are the go to hahaha
Johns’ main goal in his DC work has always been the simplification of characters’ histories to the essential elements. I understand some people’s complaints about how simple he goes sometimes, but he’s basically done every character by now and I’m rarely disappointed. He’s the perfect writer for newcomers to comics.
Geoff johns is a really competent writer. His Green Lantern run is so much fun.
You can't forget Ethan Van Scivers art.
Hush is phenomenal. Probably my favorite comic ever. Jim Lee’s art is amazing, and Jeph Loeb is a genius. I really love Hush.
One of the first Batman stories I read because I realized that most of the Batman merch my parents got me as a 2003 baby was based on Jim Lee’s art from when he illustrated Batman: Hush lol
Great clip guys, I started DC Comic with Blackest night, not the most friendly to newbies but still a great read!
The Long Halloween was one of my first comic stories and I absolutely loved the mysterious story. Highly recommend it and it’s follow-up, Dark Victory.
The Flash: Rebirth by Geoff Johns?
I really wish I'd read that before Flashpoint not after. Would've made Thawne's defeat in Flashpoint more impactful for me I'm sure. (As a Flash noob)
Justice league odyssey is a good book for cyborg it's him, azrael, star fire, Jessica cruise and darkseid pretty fun read
an amazing Green arrow comic is green arrow: year one. the art is incredible, it was one of the first comics I ever read and it's awesome
Superman secret identity is my favorite comic and I'm glad it's on the list
If your looking for a superman story, I've heard that All Star Superman is a good defining series for superman's character, though I haven't read it myself yet so I'm not to sure how good of a jumping of point it is, just one I hear being recommended a lot
Never stop using shots from Spider-Man 3. Thank you.
My picks:
Greg Rucka's Wonder Woman
Geoff Johns' Flash
Geoff Johns' Green Lantern
New 52 or Rebirth Aquaman
New 52 Batman
The New Teen Titans
Tim Seeley's Nightwing
John Ostrander's Suicide Squad
Rebirth Green Arrow
The fact that Mister Miracle by Tom King wasnt mentioned offends me
They talk about it in a bit the full episode but don't think it's a good book for someone just getting into comics. Mason said he like Omega Men maxiseries with Kyle Rayner, and James talks about the Batman issue of The Button, which were (coincidentally?) also writing by King.
Although really really good, probably not a great place to start imo - especially if the reader isn't familiar with Mister Miracle, the New Gods and Apokolips. Really, reading Jack Kirby's New God's and Mister Miracle from the 70's first would be ideal.
Nice to see Tom King get love, seeing how most people hate his work on Batman.
My green lantern interest sky rocketed in the order of geoff John's green lantern, loving jon Stewart in justice league TAS, then the two animated movies (two of the best in the straight to dvd line up, one of them being an anthology which blew me away, like "really the green lantern universe is that big". And then finally I watched the green lantern animated show, which I was very much pleasantly surprised by. Earth one was the tail end of that and sealed the deal completely with being a fan of the different characters and the overall mythology.
What a world we live in where we get a great guardians of the galaxy movie before a great green lantern movie.
I cannot stress this enough: Wonder Woman - the Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang run (just called 'Wonder Woman') is the best thing to happen to WW in decades
I can't believe they left out George Perez Wonder Woman series. Its easily the best one. John Byrne had a great run on Wonder Woman too. These guys have no clue about DC.
MR.DC COMICS Didn’t they openly say they weren’t experts? That’s what the rest of us nerds are for. I personally adore the first Rucka run on WW.
Batman '66! That was a great and fun run based on the Adam West TV show. I wish it had lasted longer... They introduced '66 versions of Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Clayface, Two-Face (with appearance based on William Shatner!) and in the Wonder Woman crossover, Ra's Al-Ghoul!
Superman: Secret Identity is fantastic! It's one of my favorite Superman stories along with All-Star Superman.
You should’ve done Robin: Year of Blood. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a really good concept that really redeems the character of Damian Wayne
A great starting point would be The Brave and the Bold. The run from the 70s by Haney and Aparo. Batman team-up book .
Last time I was this early James was single with no kids, a dog or a house!
Ok
I would definitely recommend Morrison's JLA.
I agree, its what got me into DC comics.
Great video! I recommend Trinity by Matt Wagner. It's a stand alone story about Superman and Batman (who already know each other) meeting Wonder Woman for the first time
Flash: Seconded the New 52 series. The art alone sells that book for me. It's dynamic, visually engaging, the colors and composition of the panels is just a pure treat and it makes for a kick-ass read! Give the first 4-5 volumes a try. Rebirth is also okay, but I didn't love it as much, found myself dropping it after Vol 2.
Batman: You really can't go wrong with Year 1 and Long Halloween as a sequel. The followup to Long Halloween is often overlooked IMO, Dark Victory (goes more into Two Face)
Green Arrow: The Lemire Run on the New 52 is so much fun as mentioned, it's as good as you can get your GA! Pretty inspired by the critically acclaimed Immortal Iron Fist series from 08, for good reason, it's a lot of fun to read. Also recommend Green Arrow: Year One by Andy Diggle and with art by Jock. It's also quite timeless!
Green Lantern: Honestly it's a big investment but if you're down to go all the way, then everything Geoff Johns did with that character in the whole Blackest Night saga is amazing. Starting with "No Fear" all the way to Blackest Night, you're in for one of the best space epic sagas comics has to offer, period! If you only need to read 1 comic from that entire run, however, I HIGHLY recommend the Sinestro Corps War. If that hooks you in, give the rest a shot, you'll love it. You can even go up to New 52 stuff, with the Third Army arc.
If you're looking for fun jumping on points, I'll always recommend team books. Give New 52 Justice League a try, and then figure out what characters make you tick and check out their solo books!
Also highly recommend Mister Miracle by Tom King. It's *kinda* standalone of the DC universe at large, and I liked it a lot.
2:23 which is also really really good. I think even today is great for anyone new to Superman.
Batman: White Knight for sure! It's a great read with a very interesting story and you should check it out
Always so fun to listen to your show guys!!!
You missed the take of late Darwin Cook on Superman (art by Tim Sale) : Kryptonite
Also the run of Darwin Cook on CatWoman is an excellent intro to that character
Finally the Mini Series "New Frontier" (also by Darwin Cook) is the perfect intro on the Justice League and an excellent intro on characters like Flash, Green Lanterne and Martian Manhunter
*Wonder Woman: True Amazon*, a stand alone original graphic novel that tackles her origin in a different way.
*Batman: Turning Points*, a 5 issue mini examining the friendship between Batman and Commissioner Gordon over the years.
*Sinestro*, by Cullen Bunn and Dale Eaglesham, focusing on the Green Lantern baddie, and making him quite interesting to follow, while still keeping his bite he has as a baddie.
*Robin: Son of Batman*, volume 1 is Year of Blood and volume 2 is Dawn of the Demons. A miniseries focusing on Damien Wayne atoning for the awful stuff he did when he was with the League of Assassins.
This is great, I never know where to start so it's great to hear suggestions. Please do this for other comic publisher.
14:53 I think I owned that one in the early 80s..!?
Attack of the Green Lantern Corps, maybe... I think maybe it was an ad in a Batman or Superman comic. I had one of each and just reread them all of the time.
Tales of... came out in 81. So maybe there were ads for those that I half remember.
I wonder if there’s a box of that stuff in my folks’ attic
love the fact that james sounds like hes panicking frantically about being found out about his jay garrick secret throughout the entire episode
2:38 He is the main guy doing the current X-Men run (9 of the 12 issues announced so far), pretty much every Marvel series nowadays has an artist do 5 or 6 issues then leave for a few or an arc then returns. He'll probably surpass his runs on Avengers & New Avengers which were his old leaders. He is still probably the most active of the artists who popped up in the early 2000s.
Since you guys seem to really enjoy talking comic books on this channel, I would truly ADORE it if you would consider looking at and talking about Monstress; pinned by Marjorie Liu and illustrated by Sana Takeda. It's not Marvel or DC. It's an Image Comics original and it deserves a lot of Spotlight. Far more than it gets. In the fact that nobody knows it or talks about it is criminal. The storytelling is deep and sprawling, the characters are memorable and the artwork is, for lack of a better word, awe-inspiring. It's a comic series that reads like a well-thought-out fiction novel more so then a comic book and that's due largely to the fact that it's writer IS a legitimate novelist.
There are no spin-offs, off shoots, alternate universes, doppelganger characters, wacky side plots, universe ending reboots or any other frivolous and confusing menucha that's inherent in the comic genre. It's just a singular straightforward fantasy war story whose 28th installment just dropped this month and whose narrative has yet to reach its finale. And it's a VERY GOOD fantasy war story.
And if it nudges you to read it at all, it is a Hugo Award-winning work of fiction.
Secret Identity is one of my favorites! 👍👏👏👏
Superman Birthright is absolutely amazing and I’m so happy they put it here.
They literally named every issue of every series dc has ever produced, fantastic video
This has been my favorite video so far.
I used to work in comic book shop for years in NY, and Mark Waid used to come in all the time, what a lovely human being, and so giving. I have not seen or talked to him in 20 years almost, and I am suer he has no idea who I am, but he certainly left a mark for being an amazing human being.
I recommend Superman from 2016 by Peter tomasi it’s a story about Superman and Lois raising a son and it’s really great
It's funny that this came out right now I just stared reading batman year one since I remember liking the movie when it came out
Superman: All Star Superman by Grant Morrison.
Flash: Rebirth (Barry Allen) ; Return of Barry Allen (Wally West)
Green Lantern: Rebirth
Batman: Batman Adventures; Batman and Robin Adventures (made for kids, but awesome stories)
Also the Green Lantern/ Green Arrow series was in the 60s, written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Neal Adams.
Thanks guys!
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman is great read and I think it is a great introduction into comics. It's not really a superhero comic but the stories and artwork are fantastic. The Sandman is also set in the DC universe. So there's appearances by familiar characters like John Constantine.
I absolutely love Superman: Secret Identity. Such a great story.
I like a lot of B-Grade and C-Grade superheroes. So, I hope you don't mind if I recommend two of my faves, Plastic Man and the Red Hood.
Plastic Man has a 4 issue mini series from the 80s by Phil Foglio and Hilary Barta. It is a wonderful and short introduction. You get introduced to the silliness and goofiness of Plastic Man. It helped me become more of a fan after his appearances on Batman the Brave and the Bold, tv show.
For the Red Hood, read the Rebirth run of Red Hood & The Outlaws. The Dexter Soy's artwork is masterful. They show the character as much more sympathetic, his relationship with Bizarro is touching and Artemis is pretty solid in her own right. Its leagues better then the New 52 run, with better art and with characters that actually compliment each other well. They even have an annual issue fleshing out Dick Grayson's and Jason Todd's relationship, which was much appreciated.
Also, for Batman. I would recommend Long Halloween. But if you've already read that, the writer and artist have made several other Batman books, its been forever since I read Dark Victory, but I have read Haunted Knight (and enjoyed it very much). Once again after you've gone and read Long Halloween, that could be a great direction to go towards.
The new series Wonder Woman: Dead Earth is pretty fun so far. I love the art style.
8:52 Just wanna clarify that Buccelato and Manapul were co-authors and Manapul did the art! Manapul is one of my comic book idols, his panelling, colors, and art style in general are amazing.
The New 52 run of Animal Man has 5 volumes written by Jeff Lemire and just amazing artwork! Revolves around Buddy trying to be a good dad while also dealing with some new mystical horrors revolving around his powers. Can Buddy protect the world and keep his family safe at the same time? (Just a little summary to get you interested). This is probably my favorite DC comic story and Buddy is definitely my ALL time favorite DC character and want everyone to know about him!
I enjoyed this video a lot. As a fan of comics, I enjoy hearing fellow readers' opinions.
My favorite has to go to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight. It’s just such a chilling, creative and consuming take on Batman.
The big DC Zero Year hardcover is also a nice sort of intro for a bunch of different characters (Batman, Green Arrow, Superman, Batgirl, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Catwoman I think?, Batwoman, a few more I believe?, And one of the Green Lanterns but it's when he's a soldier before he joined the GL Corps).
Definitely an interesting read.
I will never fail to recommend DC New Frontier for a great jumping off point. It gets a little bogged down with silver age characters, but if you know the general concepts behind Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, etc, it's a great retelling of how the Justice League formed. Plus the art is amazing.
Superman rebirth by Tomasi and Patrick Gleason is my favorite series mostly because it has Clark and Lois Lane being great parents to their 10 year old son Jonathan Samuel kent superboy who’s really awesome and adorable.
Superman - Superman: Birthright, Superman: Secret Origin, All-Star Superman, Superman: For All Seasons
Batman - Batman: Year One, Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: The Killing Joke, Batman: Hush, Batman: The Court of Owls
Wonder Woman - George Perez' run, Greg Rucka's DC Rebirth run
The Flash - The Flash: Rebirth
Green Lantern - Green Lantern: Rebirth
Aquaman - Geoff Johns' New 52 run
Teen Titans - New Teen Titans by Wolfman & Perez
A few other DC Comics to read: The New Frontier, Watchmen, Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol, The Sandman, Gotham Central
Alan mores Swamp Thing
I love Justice League International (JLI) and Vigilante (Adrian Chase).
Huntress:Year One is also awesome!
People believe The Avengers started the trend of taking B list hero's and putting them on a team. The Justice League International did that way back in the day.
For some reason it's tough to find great Wonder Woman stories. The one I liked the best was a stand alone origin retelling called Wonder Woman The True Amazon. Superhero stories can sometimes become silly and lack gravitas but this story, shockingly, brought a tear to my eye. Told more like a fairy tale, it's just a great story, irrespective of it's comic connection.
The animations and videos your editor finds is amazing lol
Cheers BoppoB! You're amazing.
Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow by Alan Moore and Superman: American Alien by Max Landis are both spectacular and worth reading
Superman by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason is an amazing run that I think you can start with if you know about the end of the new 52 (or just do a quick Google about it) because this is my personal favourite run of supes and the one I point to when people say superman is boring. Such a good run and a new omnibus just got released of it 👌🏻shout out to the Omni collectors out there
Jay-mes and May-son. Are hilarious. James with his baby head. Lmao. Also, All-Star Superman. I highly recommend. The All-Star “god damn” Batman is something we don’t speak about. Lol.
I'm surprised you didn't mention All Star Superman. That's a classic.
Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum illustrated by Dave McKean (creator of the Sandman covers) is a quintessential Batman book.
New Frontier, written and illustrated by the late, great Darwin Cooke is a Justice League classic.
and for less traditional takes, Superman: Red Son, Batman: Snow, and Batman: Year 100; each has a unique spin to re-envision the characters.
"You wanna do x hero?"
"Uuuh"
"I got one in particular"
"Go on"
(They only talk about that one)
DC's the New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke focuses on the transition from the golden to silver age of comics during the late 1950's. The art is beautiful and the timeline of DC continuity fits so perfectly that I'd love to some elements transitioned into the movies.
I don't have any good "starter" comics, but if you're already somewhat familiar with the lore, my go-to recs are Batman: White Knight, All-Star Superman, and Kingdom Come.
I literally googled this question yesterday after watching an old Mr Sunday movie. Good timing.
I’m not all the way through the video so you might mention this I’m passing later on but I have a few others I’ll throw into the mix. Wonder Woman: War of the Gods is a personal favorite, I’m not sure what the reception is on that comic but it’s probably not all that great cause I never hear anyone mention it but I thought it was spectacular and it’s what got me into WW comics. It really delves into WWs mythology, the Amazons, the Gods, and even the other DC heroes. Lobo is even in one issue if I remember correctly. And Sinestro Corps War for GL, that’s probably my favorite comic run of all time
Edit: also Tom King’s Mr Miracle
holy shit, Stjepan Šejić has drawn for actual dc now? that's so fucking awesome. i remember stumbling upon sunstone one day on like, deviantart or something and loving it. good for him, that makes me really happy.
a serious house on a serious earth was amazing, really got me into reading comics more. I guess it was accessible as when I read it I knew nothing about DC or Batman beyond tv shows from childhood. It's self contained and reads like danielewski but in an easily digestible way. At least for something with the art style and plot it has.
I might also suggest the ‘90s JLA run, penned largely by Grant Morrison, but also with some Mark Waid in there as well. Granted, it does occasionally require foreknowledge of characters, and it’s a bit all over the place if you’re just reading it, and not the individual titles of the various heroes, but it’s pretty iconic and fun and goofy and so on. Wally West Flash, Martian Manhunter, coupla’ Wonder Womans… decent stuff.
Neal Adams did the arrow/lantern journey! Dude is very polite and nice.