OK, okay...real life is just getting on my nerves. I've been carrying Fray around for a couple days, and haven't yet had a chance to read it. Likewise the tpb of The Watchmen.

Grr.

Argh.

Raquel, leave a bit of time for Watchmen. As with all Alan Moore works, it's pretty dense (but unbelievably good).

And plan to re-read it every year or two.

I've made this point in another thread, but my all-time favorite comic is The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. This is the Batman franchise at its artistic and creative zenith,IMHO. I love the gritty edge, the Kubrickian, sardonic Cold War allusions, the weapons (the iteration of the Batmobile here is simply awesome, as is reading about Superman redirecting a freakin' ICBM -- and realizing why he sends it where he does), vigilante politics, the slurred, distorted art work and color, the collection of the baddest of Batman's rivals -- and of course, the fight between Batman and Superman.

It's a triumph.

Plus, if you read it retroactively to seeing Buffy episodes, you catch similarities to Buffy's occasional stretches of judge-as-jury thinking. Batman's "Tonight, I am the Law..." speech from that Dark Knight Returns resonates in Buffy's speech in "Selfless" this past season.

I haven't read comics seriously in a number of years, so some new talent may have emerged, but for my money the best in the genre was Miller: Dark Knight, Daredevil and Moore: Watchmen, Miracleman, Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta. There was other stuff I loved, sporadically, (like early Dave Sim Cerebus) but Miller and Moore were the creme. Claremont's X-Men never grabbed me like the other stuff, although there were some great moments.

That Whedon guy's Fray is a pretty good read too. [grin] I do hunt down the Buffy comics when they are written by Buffy writers like Jane E. or Doug Petrie.

And plan to re-read it every year or two.

Yep, that's pretty much a truism. I really need a paper back of V For Vendetta, because I hate digging the individual issues out. Same goes true for all the Sandman I have - those are actually worth something, right?

Oh - Elektra Assassain - fun, fun stuff.

Oooooh. Now there's a thought.

My friends and I were trying to figure out what to do for Halloween, and the idea of being comic book characters came up, and I hadn't thought of Melaka Fray.

Quick, Kiba, grow a foot and lose 40 lbs by Halloween!

Need to make a run, don't think I have the last 2 issues. Yay Fray!

I read Final?Fray last night while waiting to lock up the office. Nifty. God I love the art and colors in it. And the letters were great!

I also cracked open Watchmen, but each panel is so packed with information and detail that I am going to have to set aside some quality reading time. Jeff and Plei are wise.

I really need a paper back of V For Vendetta, because I hate digging the individual issues out.

I read V For Vendetta in one weekend -- so damn good. Freaked me out, though. I still have From Hell sitting on my desk to be read, but I've been told to not read it at night.

I've got a bunch of V for Vendetta in the original Warrior (that is to say, properly b/w). Also some Marvelman before he was miraculous. And, of course, the original run of Swamp Thing with Moore.

I was lucky enough to be editing Amazing Heroes during the heydey of Miller and Moore, having The Watchmen, Elektra and Dark Knight as covers during my run.