Friday, September 09, 2005

So here is how I ordered my 225 comic books

So here is how I ordered my 225 comic books. A mixture of Publisher/Genre/Author where I felt it appropriate.

Group 1: Wildstorm Universe / Warren Ellis

Stormwatch Force of Nature
Stormwatch Lightning Strikes
Stormwatch Change or Die
Stormwatch A Finer World
Stormwatch Final Orbit
The Authority Relentless
The Authority Under New Management
The Authority Earth Inferno and Other Stories

(Mark Millar took the authority over here and outed the Midnighter and Apollo. I like Mark Millar’s stuff, so there.)

Gay Heroes

The Authority Transfer of Power
The Authority Harsh Realities
The Authority Fractured Worlds
The Authority Jenny Sparks: The Secret History of the Authority
Planetary All Over The World and Other Stories
Planetary The Fourth Man
Planetary Leaving The 20Th Century
Planetary/JLA Terra Occulta
Planetary/Batman Night on Earth
Planetary/Authority Ruling The World
Stormwatch: Team Achilles Stormwatch: Team Achilles
Stormwatch: Team Achilles Stormwatch: Team Achilles 2

(At this point you may notice that I am missing some Authority, have no Gen13, Wildcats or Monarchy. Will probably catch up on the Authority but have no plans for the rest)

Transmetropolitan Back On The Street
Transmetropolitan Lust for Life
Transmetropolitan Year of the Bastard
Transmetropolitan The New Scum
Transmetropolitan Lonely City
Transmetropolitan Gouge Away
Transmetropolitan Dirge
Transmetropolitan Spider’s Thrash
Transmetropolitan One More Time
Transmetropolitan The Cure
Transmetropolitan Tales of Human Waste

(Transmet - I bought all 10 to satisfy the completist in me. I am not sure it was worth it though. This is definitely going to be made into a movie at some point)

Global Frequency Planet Ablaze
Global Frequency Destination Radio

(I like GF. Commission by the BBC for a TV program allegedly, episodic nature should suit)

Lazarus Churchyard The Final Cut

(Early Warren Ellis, cracking D'israeli artwork)

Group 2: Crime / Spooks

Sleeper Out In The Cold
Sleeper All False Moves
Sleeper A Crooked Line

(Sleeper is great stuff - Set in the wildstorm universe all about superhuman double agents)

The losers Ante Up
The losers Double Down

(So is the loser - no super powers here)

100 bullets First Shot, Last Call
100 bullets Split Second Chance
100 bullets Hang Up On The Hang Low
100 bullets A Foregone Tomorrow
100 bullets The Counterfifth Detective
100 bullets Six Feet Under The Gun
100 bullets Samurai

Shepard speaks


(100 bullets is made for the movies. Wins lots of awards, but is anyone reading it?)

Group 3: Sandman / Gaiman / Hellblazer

Gaiman Standalone Violent Cases
Gaiman Standalone Stardust
Gaiman Standalone 1602

(1602 - Finally Marvel makes an entrance onto the list! This is an a Marvel alternative world tale, good too)

Sandman Preludes and Nocturnes
Sandman The Dolls House
Sandman Dream Country
Sandman Season Of Mists
Sandman A Game Of You
Sandman Fables And Reflections
Sandman Brief Lives
Sandman Worlds' End
Sandman The Kindly Ones
Sandman The Wake
Sandman The Dream Hunters
Sandman Endless Nights
Sandman Death: The High Cost Of Living
Sandman Death: The Time Of Your Life

Lord of Dreams


(What can you say that hasn't been said about the Sandman? Nothing, that's what)

Gaiman Standalone The Books Of Magic
Gaiman Standalone Black Orchid

(Black Orchid is essentially a Swamp Thing tale. I don't own any Swamp Thing, a glaring omission from this list. Imagine there are 8 or so Thing books here which would lead nicely onto Hellblazer)

Hellblazer Original Sins
Hellblazer Dangerous Habits
Hellblazer Fear And Loathing
Hellblazer Tainted Love
Hellblazer Rake At The Gates Of Hell
Hellblazer Son Of Man
Hellblazer Good Intentions
Hellblazer Haunted
Hellblazer Hard Time
Hellblazer Freezes Over
Hellblazer All His Engines

Hellblazer


(By fuck the Constantine movie sucked. Why couldn't they call it Hellblazer, set it in Liverpool, have a blond (anti)hero in a trenchcoat etc. etc. etc.)

Group 4: Bone and Marvel

I don't own much Marvel comics, and Bone is independently published so I put them in together

Bone Out From Boneville
Bone The Great Cow Race
Bone Eyes Of The Storm
Bone The Dragonslayer
Bone Rock Jaw: Master Of The Eastern Border
Bone Old Man’s Cave
Bone Ghost Circles
Bone Treasure Hunters
Bone Crown of Horns

Bone


(Bone is good clean fun comics. Stupid Stupid Rat creatures)

Daredevil The Man Without Fear
Daredevil Born Again
Daredevil Visionaries Vol 1
Daredevil Visionaries Vol 2
Daredevil Visionaries Vol 3
Daredevil Visionaries (Kevin Smith)
Daredevil Daredevil Elektra: Love & War

(What can I say? I like Daredevil. I quite liked the movie too, but boy! Elektra sucked. Kind of like the Daredevil/Elektra Love and War book. Incomprehensible shit. Did Frank Miller write Robocop 2 at the same time?)

The Ultimates Super Human
The Ultimates Homeland Security

(I really like the Ultimates. Iron man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor et al take on the bad guys. Good Stuff)

Spiderman The Complete Frank Miller Spider-Man

(Shit. Miller churned out some bollocks at Marvel, apart from some class Daredevil)

Wolverine Weapon X

(X-men 2 was based on a large part of this)

Starwars Heir To The Empire
Starwars Mara Jade: The Emperors Hand
Starwars The Last Command
Starwars Dark Empire
Starwars Dark Empire Ii

(Kinda pointless. Some lovely Cam Kennedy art however)

Group 5: Frank Miller and Alan Moore with some Hellboy. Balanced by a load of crap.

Two heavy weights of comics standing side by side. Some other relevant stuff thrown in too.

Miller Standalone Hard Boiled
Sin City Sin City
Sin City A Dame To Kill For
Sin City The Big Fat Kill
Sin City That Yellow Bastard
Sin City Booze Broads And Bullets
Sin City Family Values
Sin City Hell And Back

Marv


(Hell and Back is the weakest, but it’s all good. Hard Boiled is Millers take on Blade runner, notable for Geoff Durrows gorgeous art. Geoff did the concept art for the Matrix fact fans)

Miller Standalone Ronin

Martha Washington Give Me Liberty

(This is the only comic that I have published by penguin. Never bought the sequel)

Hellboy Seed Of Destruction
Hellboy Wake The Devil
Hellboy The Chained Coffin And Others
Hellboy The Right Hand Of Doom

Hellboy


(Ah Hellboy. Two movies? who'd have though it)

Marshall law Blood Sweat And Fears
Marshall law Fear And Loathing

(Agonised about putting Marshall law beside the 2000ad stuff. Still might)

Green Arrow Quiver
Green Arrow Sounds Of Violence

(Revisionist stuff from Kevin Smith. First one is great)

Hitman Hitman
Hitman 10,000 Bullets
Hitman Ace Of Killers
Hitman Who Dares Wins
Hitman Local Heroes

(Garth Ennis is just funny. When Hitman meets the Green Lantern is a highlight)

Pilgrim Just A Pilgrim

(Garth Ennis is funny, unless he is writing Pilgrim. They made a second one of these? Why?)

The Maxx The Maxx
The Maxx The Maxx Vol 2

(Bleah.)

The Invisibles Say You Want A Revolution
Grant Morrison Standalone The Filth

(Grant Morrison, why is everything you wrote post Zenith and Arkham Asylum complete shit? Huh? Completely pointlessly disgusting. Avoid)

Raymond Chandlers Philip Marlowe Standalone The Little Sister
Cerebus the Aardvark Minds
Manara Standalone The Art Of Spanking
Gemmell Standalone Wolf In Shadow

(Hmm. Dodgy)

Moore Standalone Portrait Of An Extraordinary Gentleman

Moore Standalone From Hell
Moore Standalone Watchman
Moore Standalone V For Vendetta

watchmen


(Putting From Hell, Watchmen and V for Vendetta back to back is quite mind-blowing. All superb.)

Supreme The Story Of The Year
Supreme The Return

(A superman parody. OK)

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen V1
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen V2

(Another great series murdered in the movies)

Tom Strong Tom Strong Book 1
Promethea Promethea Book 1
Promethea Promethea Book 2
Promethea Promethea Book 3
Promethea Promethea Book 4

(Promethea, I will continuing buying because Sinéad enjoys it. I couldn't get past book 2)

Top Ten Top Ten Book 1
Top Ten Top Ten Book 2

(Top Ten is about a police precinct in a world where everyone is a superhero. Very high concept and very good)

Gregory Gregory
Gregory Gregory Ii: Hermin Vermin’s Very Own Best Selling & Critically Acclaimed Book With Gregory In It
Gregory Gregory Iii
Gregory Gregory Iv: Fat Boy

(It's Singapore 59 all over again)

Standalone Vamps

(Bollocks)

TMCM Too Much Coffee Man's Guide For The Perplexed

(Great)

Hempel Standalone My Faith In Frankie

(Em. I bought this on a whim. I am not a 14 year old girl, honest)


Group 7: Superman & The Bat

Superman Red Son

(My only Superman book, and it's an elseworld. Good though. Superman obviously appears all over the place in various different comics in my collection. I always feel I should buy more man of steel stuff, but have never quite managed it.)

Batman Nine Lives
Batman Gotham By Gaslight
Batman Master Of The Future
Batman Crimson Mist

(All elseworld i.e. non-canon where they take the character out of there world and put them in a different situation. Always meant to buy the follow ups to crimson mist, probably will)

Batman The Killing Joke
Batman The Dark Knight Returns

(Back to the seminal works of Moore and Miller. Obviously listed in the Batman group rather then with the Moore and Miller titles)

Batman The Dark Knight Strikes Back 1
Batman The Dark Knight Strikes Back 2
Batman The Dark Knight Strikes Back 3

(Lazy, Lazy, Lazy)

Batman Year 1
Batman Year 2
Batman Challenge Of The Man-Bat
Batman The Cult
Batman Contagion
Batman Cataclysm
Batman No Mans Land 1
Batman No Mans Land 2
Batman No Mans Land 3
Batman No Mans Land 4
Batman No Mans Land 5

(Contagion, Cataclysm and No Mans Land are real unchallenging comic book stuff. Entertaining in their own way)

Batman Devils Advocate
Batman Anarky
Batman The Long Halloween
Batman Haunted House
Batman Dark Victory

(Loeb and Sale. I like this stuff)

Batman The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told
Batman A Death In The Family

(Edgy. Reader vote for the Joker to bludgeon Robin to death with a crowbar, which he does. Goodbye for ever robin2 Jason Todd)

Batman Knightfall: Broken Bat
Batman Knightfall: Who Rules The Night?
Batman Knightsend
Batman Arkham Asylum

(Grant Morrison’s masterpiece. Pity everything else he writes is utter garbage)

Batman Black And White V1
Batman Black And White V2
Batman Night Cries
Batman Absolution
Batman Masterpiece Edition

(This is a big box. Contains a nice replica of Batman no.1. If I had a real one, I'd keep it)

Batman/Judge Dredd Judgment On Gotham
Batman/Judge Dredd Die Laughing

(We love Simon Bisley and Glenn Fabry. Alan Grant and John Wagner on good form here too)

I am the Law


Group 8: 2000ad and Judge Dredd

Judge Dredd Judge Dredd 1
Judge Dredd Judge Dredd 2
Judge Dredd Judge Death
Judge Dredd Cursed Earth 1
Judge Dredd Cursed Earth 2
Judge Dredd Caligula 1
Judge Dredd Caligula 1
Judge Dredd Judge Child 1
Judge Dredd Judge Child 2
Judge Dredd Judge Child 3
Judge Dredd Block Mania
Judge Dredd Apocalypse War 1
Judge Dredd Apocalypse War 2

(The Apocalypse war is the best Judge Dredd story ever. Period. I can bore you at length about this if you want, but mostly I feel that this is very the character is properly defined: "Half my city is burned to ash and you're begging me for mercy? Request denied" As Dredd Nukes a city of 400 million people)

Judge Dredd Judge Dredd 7
Judge Dredd City Of The Damned
Judge Dredd Judge Dredd 12
Judge Dredd Slaine: The Horned God
Judge Dredd The Emerald Isle
Judge Dredd Doomsday For Megacity One
Judge Dredd Doomsday For Dredd
2000ad Nemesis 1
2000ad Nemesis 2
2000ad Nemesis 3

(These Nemesis titles aren't mine. I am going to post them to their rightful owner)

2000ad The Complete Dr & Quinch
2000ad Devlin Waugh: Swimming In Blood

Standalone (various) Outrageous Tales From The Old Testament
Freak Brothers Freak Brothers Book 1
Freak Brothers Freak Brothers Book 1
Crumb Your Vigour For Life Appalls Me
Crumb The Life And Times Of R Crumb
Crumb The R Crumb Coffee Table Art Book

(You'd want to be a fairly sick fuck to leave this on your coffee table)

Various other Calvin and Hobbs, Bloom county and large format books

That's it!

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Bringing Order


After moving house, my comic book (or graphic novel or trade paperback, whatever) collection has become unordered. Sinéad is away for a couple of days next week and I am planning on sorting it out.

The question of ordering CDs/DVDs/Books comes up quite frequently and tends to be a male phenomenon, at least men seem to take this stuff more seriously. So I throw the question open to you the blogs modest readership: How do you order your stuff?

My preference is by genre, then chronologically by author. I have seen music collections organised this way (my own was alphabetical, but now has progressed to random) and have been impressed. In fact this was mostly the way my comic book collection was ordered, but I keep running into difficulty ordering the ordered genres.

I have heard a case for ordering DVDs by studio, this translates to comic books publisher (e.g DC v Marvel) and I like the idea, but should my order run publisher -> genre -> author -> chronological or genre -> publisher -> author -> chronological?

Suggestions welcome.