•  Elektra: Dark ReignI know what you guys are thinking….that’s the character that they based that god-awful movie with yer one from Alias init? Correct.  BUT! This particular comic with this character….is worth reading!
•  Avengers Academy/ Secret WarriorsNew characters?  Done well? In the Marvel universe? Well I never….
•  DeadpoolWade Wilson – “The Merc With The Mouth” – Good guy? Maybe. Bad guy? Potentially? Out for a laugh and a bit of exercise? Definitely.
•  The Ultimate Universe 

  The ‘Ultimate’ universe was a Marvel project designed to bring some of their characters into a more modern timeframe, updating their origin stories and in general, making the selected lines that would be contained in the Ultimate universe a tad more relevant to today. It was intended to attract new readers, but it has gone down well with established fans. And is a damn exciting read!

•  Amazing SpidermanThis would be the series that the new Spiderman movie (coming this year) is based on. And according to the good Mr. Leonard there’s a damn good reason why.

So there you have it. 5 top Marvel series/books. As a now-converted Marveler, I’m going to hit the guys at SubCity up for a few of these. We still have some of the 10% discount cards they kindly gave us, so if you’ld like to avail of the wonderful bond we have with the guys, don’t hesistate to ask for one at our weekly Monday meetings.

This Monday coming, we shall mostly be discussing all things Warren Ellis. Dave Burdon and myself shall be giving a little talk on just why the author of Transmetropolitan is that awesome. Monday evening, the Art Room, upstairs in Aras Na MacLeinn. Be there, or be a circle.

- Shane

The run down for the day is as follows:

Galway has yet another cultural event on the map! The NUI Galway Comic Book society has teamed up with a plethora of comic book writers, artists and shops to bring the West of Ireland its very own Comic Book event, complete with workshops, comic book reading area, film/cartoon screenings and of course…..plenty of tea and biscuits!

The main event of the day will be a comics fair, featuring stalls from artists, writers and shops from all over the country, running from 12p.m. to 6p.m. Also running at this time will be art & writing workshops, an open library area with access to the society’s comic book library AND an all day screening session of some classic underwear-over-pants cinema.

Stalls from:
SubCity Comics (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000186630529&sk=wall)
Martin Myler
Atomic Diner (http://www.atomicdiner.com/)
Hibernia Comics (http://hiberniabook.blogspot.com/)
Stephen Kearney (The Man With No Libido/Quiet Hell Comics -http://www.quiethell.com/)
Uproar Comics (http://www.uproarcomics.co.uk/)
Andrew Luke (http://andyluke.livejournal.com/)
Paddy Brown (The Cattle Raid of Cooley - http://paddybrown.co.uk/)

Q&A Session with:
Maura McHugh (Atomic Diner Comics – Roisin Dubh & Jennifer Wilde) – (http://www.splinster.com/)
Paddy Brown
Michael Carroll (Various work including 2000AD [Judge Dredd] -http://www.michaelowencarroll.com/)
Andrew Luke

The Q&A will run from 8p.m. to 10p.m. with probable drinks after (Location TBC)
Other potential interactivities for you to enjoy:
Comcs & Science presentation with our own David Burdon
Drawing class with Andy Luke
All day screenings of 90′s comics related cartoons, such as X-Men, Batman & Spiderman
Open access to the NUIG Comic Book Society Library, a comfy area in which to read and unlimited access to our tea and biscuit stash!

For more info on the above writers, we highly recommend you check out The Irish Comics Wiki (http://irishcomics.wikia.com/), for a comprehensive run down of each writer/artist/studios work to date

So come on down to the Bailey Allen Hall in Áras na MacLéinn from 12p.m. to 10p.m. on November 12th, and be guaranteed to gain an insight into the world of Irish Comic Books!

(Google Map: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=213417173027511709126.0004b0d86218b2de1e9f1&msa=0)

Batman & Robin Must Die (Grant Morrisson [writer] & [various artists]) 

Swamp Thing (Alan Moore [writer] & Martin Pasko [artist])
It should be noted that various writers and artists have worked on Swamp Thing, but the particular section of the continuum being referred to here is that of Alan Moore’s writing

Animal Man (Grant Morrisson [writer], Chas Truog [artist] & Doug Hazlewood [artist])

Kingdom Come (Mark Waid [writer] & Alex Ross [artist])

At this point in our talk series we have decided to record our various members through the wonderfully unforgiving lens of a camera. Video posted soon! 

• 10. Palestine (Joe Sacco)
• 9. Bone (Jeff Smith)
• 9b. Cerebus (Dave Sim)
• 8. Mouse Guard (David Petersen)
• 7. Astro City (Kurt Busiek (writer) with Alex Ross & Brent Anderson (artists) )
• 6. Lone Wolf & Cub ( Kazuo Koike (writer) & Goseki Kojima (artist) )
• 5. Blankets (Craig Thompson)
• 5b. Habibi (Craig Thompson)
• 4. Jimmy Corrigan – The Smartest Kid On Earth (Chris Ware)
• 3. Prosopopus (Nicolas Dé Crecy)
• 2. The Incal (Alejandro Jodorowsky (writer) & Moebius (artist) )
• 2b. Arzach (Moebius)
• 1. Asterios Polyp (David Mazzucchelli)
• 1b. City Of Glass (Paul Auster (original writer), David Mazzucchelli (writer) & Paul Karasik (artist) – conversion )

And now….the presentation:

Watchmen, Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons:
This graphic novel is perhaps one of the most influential graphic novels of all time and the only one to make it on to the Times 100 Best Books of the 20^th Century.

Link to Library Availability Page

Batman: Year One, Frank Miller & Dave Mazzuchelli:
An essential starting point for wannabe contemporary Batman Fans, follows Miller’s reinvention of a darker, more realistic Gotham. Fans of Batman Begins may see comparisons.

Link to Library Availability Page

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller:
Miller’s original reinvention of the Batman universe shows Batman coming out of retirement to combat new threats to Gotham.

Currently on order

A Contract With God, Will Eisner:
Often dubbed the first graphic novel ever written, this book will never let you forget the address 55 Dropsie Avenue with its simple stories of human life in the pre-war Bronx.

Link to Library Availability Page

Blankets, Craig Thompson:
This simple story of childhood, growing up and a first love showcases a perfect synthesis between words and pictures. Highly recommended.
Also recommended reading, a review of Blankets from our former auditor, Matt Burke – LINK!

Link to Library Availability Page

Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, Chris Ware:
This graphic novel tells the story of a father and son and what a little courage can do to a seemingly desperate and awkward separated family.

Link to Library Availability Page

V for Vendetta, Alan Moore & David Lloyd:
This political thriller, massively different to the simplified and sanitised movie adaptation, dwells on Anarchism Vs Fascism and was a response to the Thatcherism that ruled in Britain at the time of its publishing.

Link to Library Availabilty Page

Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi:
This book is the equivalent of The Diary of Anne Frank for Tehran during the Iran-Iraq War. Only Book 1 is available.

Link to Library Availability Page

One Bad Rat, Bryan Talbot:
A young girl runs away from home and follows the path of her favourite author, Beatrix Potter.

Link to Library Availability Page

Logicomix: An Epic Search For Truth, Apostolos Doxiadis & Christos Papdimitriou & Alecos Papadatos:
This graphic novel focuses on Bertrand Russel and the struggle for the so-called ‘’foundational quest’’ in Mathematics.

Link to Library Availability Page

Jar Of Fools, Jason Lutes:
This is the story of a down-and-out magician who struggles to get his life back on track after the drowning of his escapist brother.

Link to Library Availability Page

Ghost World, Daniel Clowes:
What happens when a friendship becomes so close, exclusive and insular that those involved start shutting themselves off from everyone else?

Link to Library Availability Page

Sin City: Chapter IV – That Yellow Bastard, Frank Miller:
It is what you think it is.

Link to Library Availability Page

Hard Boiled, Frank Miller & Geoff Darrow:
Think Blade Runner, but on lotsa lotsa steroids.

Link to Library Availability Page 

Also, some great books on Comic Books:

Comics And Sequential Art, Will Eisner. – Library Location

Understanding Comics, The Invisible Art - Library Location
Making Comics - Library Location
Reinventing Comics – Library Location
All by Scott McCloud.

This has been brought to you, the reader, as part of a new continuing series of reading lists. Personally, I’m running out to grab Hard Boiled first, just one of you try and stop me!

Moving swiftly on from all this talk of planning and serious discussion, we will be having a discussion on WebComics – what we love, what we hate, what mildly interests us, where the webcomic phenomenon came from….you know, intelligent things! We invite you all to bring whatever it is you might like about the WebComic medium to the table, whether its a comic about bunnies or xenophobic aliens from the planet Zog. There’s a lot out there, and between us here at ComicSoc HQ (a secret dank yet technologically astounding place deep underground in Connemara) we know we only scrape the iceberg. INFORM US PUBLIC!

See you all there, and thanks again for joining

P.S. For those of you who don’t know what a WebComic is…have a few links on us
Questionable Content
Lets Be Friends Again
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
XKCD
FreakAngels

She blogposted/reviewed our Warren Ellis event. It’s awesome.

short cut? yes, this means i don’t have to write a review. BOOM.