Welcome back, Donist World Denizens! For those of you new to our site, I’m Donist, and I am joined by Donist World CFO the Reverse Obie* (my friends’ Boston terrier whose fur recently swapped colors) and by our marketing director / administrative assistant / party planner / lost treasure comic book hunter Tulip (my dog, Reverse Obie’s sister). First off, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is a fantastic movie. (pssst…don’t tell Tulip or Reverse Obie, but I saw it twice this weekend and loved it both times). Now, I’m looking forward to Wonder Woman and Spider-Man: Homecoming and most of all The Defenders, which debuts in August, all of which means I should probably rewatch Daredevil Season 2 asap. Hmmmmm…anyhow, what are we doin’? Oh yeah, comic books. It has been a crazy work week, and next week looks to be even more so. That said, of the four new comics I bought on Wednesday, I only had a chance to read two of them — Future Quest and Bug are both fantastic, btw! So, I thought we would again do something a little different and take a look at some comics I sadly missed the first time around, yet hope to remedy by reading in the near future. So, pour yourself a refreshing drink, sit down, strap in, and think about those comics you might have skipped all those years ago. Thank you for reading!
*Obie, through his dabbling in arcane magics mixed with ancient corrupt business practices, has had not just the colors of his fur switched, but a complete overhaul of his work ethic as well…I think I’m kinda okay with the mishap.
***Possible Spoilers Below***
“What the heck kind of doggone title is that, Donist?! Do we need to be worried about you?! Are you okay?!” Never fear, Denizens, all is well with the Donist and Donist World. I just happened to be sitting in our conference room — the area roped off by hanging sheets in Mom’s basement — and thinking about all of the comics I wanted to read throughout the years that I had missed for one reason or another. As I thought about them, I realized there were tons of series I missed out on that I wanted to read, and I’m not even considering any comics from the past two decades. So, let’s have a look and see what can be done about this now that we are in the age of the internet where online shopping and digital services can help remedy this dire situation. If you have any regrets about comics that you happened to have missed out on over the years, then please let me know by posting a comment. I’m happy to lend an ear, to commiserate, to help you work through the emotions and try to find a way to move on and hopefully help you find a way to set things right.
Written by Marv Wolfman, illustrated by George Perez, published by DC Comics. Okay, I have to admit I’m deeply ashamed of this one. I guess I should start with “Forgive me, father, for I have sinned,” as I have never read The New Teen Titans. I know, I know, I’m as shocked as you are. Actually, nay, Denizens, I am more shocked than you, but please allow me to explain. I very much knew of this series when it was coming out, but being a young Donist with but a limited allowance, I had to make some exceedingly difficult choices back in the day.
Before I had learned of the existence of the local comic shop (RIP Andromeda Book Store) I was forced to buy my comics at the grocery store, or the 7-11, or the K-Mart; I was a slave to the whims of the ol’ spinner rack. Compounding the problem was that I was limited by my allowance and whatever extra books I could guilt my mother into buying for me. There were also soooooo many amazing books to choose from back then. If there was a new The Micronauts or a The Saga of the Swamp Thing or a The Uncanny X-Men, then that is where my money was destined to go. We went to the grocery store often and there was always something that beat out DC’s teen heroes, including the mind-melting The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans comic which made having to skip the Titan’s own book all the more painful. Every time I saw a new issue with Robin, Changeling, Raven, Cyborg, Starfire, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl squaring off against Brother Blood, Deathstroke, or Trigon I wanted to shed a tear because I knew glory awaited within those pages. Not only that, Crisis on Infinite Earths made the decision not to dive into this much-loved series all the more painful with the amazing Wolfman story and stunning Perez art. I guess when it comes down to it, it was just not meant to be.
Thankfully things change.
Fast forward a couple decades, and I have been eyeing the groovy Omnibus editions with their steep price, and was then thrilled to see the trade compilations appear at my LCS, but when Comixology had a sale for $5.99 per trade I decided the time had finally come. I bought the first three volumes and having read the first one, my newest regret is not having bought the six that were available at that low price. Crud. Oh well. At least I have two more 8+ issue trades to read through, and with any luck, this amazing series will go on sale again so I can see what all the fuss is about for the much lauded “The Messiah Complex” set to appear in volume seven. The New Teen Titans is definitely a better-late-than-never series, and the best thing about having waited so long to finally read it is that I have a ton of heavenly comics waiting for me to discover for the very first time.
Written by Billy Mantlo, illustrated by various, published by Marvel Comics. Not all of the books I write about for this feature will have a happy ending. The tale of my sorrow should thus begin with Rom. If you have been following Donist World for at least the two years, then you already know that I am cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs for The Micronauts, which is the comic series that turned me into a comic book collector in the first place.
Both Rom and The Micronauts came out in 1979, and I was, as always, under financial limitations as to what I could and could not buy. There was also Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, and a host of other comics competing for my spare change, and those usually won out over this awesome looking comic. I guess it didn’t help that I had seen the Rom action figure and it just couldn’t stand up to the amazing The Micronauts toyline.
Now, don’t get me wrong, my brother and I bought a handful of issues and annuals over the years, but it was never enough to figure out what the heck was going on. At 75 issues and four annuals, Rom was a tough series to jump into, but the interest was always there. Now for the sad part: because of licensing issues, we might never see Rom collected in any sort of shape or form, which is monumentally sad, as I would gladly throw down some cash for a fairly priced collection or two. Here’s to hoping I don’t have to bargain bin this one over the next decade or two.
Written by Marv Wolfman, illustrated by various, published by DC Comics. What do you know…two Wolfman books top the list of my greatest regrets. The cool thing is that each of these highly-praised series is starting to become available for all to read. The difference between The New Teen Titans and Vigilante, however, is that where I had a fairly good idea of who the Titans are, I have almost no background info on Vigilante.
I do know that the character debuted in The New Teen Titans book, that he has a bitchin costume, that the series has 50 issues with two annuals, and that this newly released collection contains his first appearance and the first eleven issues of the comic. Currently, I have a bunch of stuff sitting in my “To Read” pile, but if a sale on Vigilante happens to come my way in the near future, I can see picking up this series becoming a top priority. I am so excited to check this out!
Comey Fired - Yeah, because why not? In this bizarro world, why the fuck not? Seriously, how can anyone support the guy who is the main subject of an investigation into his alleged treasonous activities, who then fires the person investigating him? Word on the street is that #45 will then fill Comey’s position with yet another traitor who will then close the case. Positively repulsive.
The Ones that Got Away (Part 1)
“What the heck kind of doggone title is that, Donist?! Do we need to be worried about you?! Are you okay?!” Never fear, Denizens, all is well with the Donist and Donist World. I just happened to be sitting in our conference room — the area roped off by hanging sheets in Mom’s basement — and thinking about all of the comics I wanted to read throughout the years that I had missed for one reason or another. As I thought about them, I realized there were tons of series I missed out on that I wanted to read, and I’m not even considering any comics from the past two decades. So, let’s have a look and see what can be done about this now that we are in the age of the internet where online shopping and digital services can help remedy this dire situation. If you have any regrets about comics that you happened to have missed out on over the years, then please let me know by posting a comment. I’m happy to lend an ear, to commiserate, to help you work through the emotions and try to find a way to move on and hopefully help you find a way to set things right.
The New Teen Titans
Before I had learned of the existence of the local comic shop (RIP Andromeda Book Store) I was forced to buy my comics at the grocery store, or the 7-11, or the K-Mart; I was a slave to the whims of the ol’ spinner rack. Compounding the problem was that I was limited by my allowance and whatever extra books I could guilt my mother into buying for me. There were also soooooo many amazing books to choose from back then. If there was a new The Micronauts or a The Saga of the Swamp Thing or a The Uncanny X-Men, then that is where my money was destined to go. We went to the grocery store often and there was always something that beat out DC’s teen heroes, including the mind-melting The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans comic which made having to skip the Titan’s own book all the more painful. Every time I saw a new issue with Robin, Changeling, Raven, Cyborg, Starfire, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl squaring off against Brother Blood, Deathstroke, or Trigon I wanted to shed a tear because I knew glory awaited within those pages. Not only that, Crisis on Infinite Earths made the decision not to dive into this much-loved series all the more painful with the amazing Wolfman story and stunning Perez art. I guess when it comes down to it, it was just not meant to be.
Thankfully things change.
Fast forward a couple decades, and I have been eyeing the groovy Omnibus editions with their steep price, and was then thrilled to see the trade compilations appear at my LCS, but when Comixology had a sale for $5.99 per trade I decided the time had finally come. I bought the first three volumes and having read the first one, my newest regret is not having bought the six that were available at that low price. Crud. Oh well. At least I have two more 8+ issue trades to read through, and with any luck, this amazing series will go on sale again so I can see what all the fuss is about for the much lauded “The Messiah Complex” set to appear in volume seven. The New Teen Titans is definitely a better-late-than-never series, and the best thing about having waited so long to finally read it is that I have a ton of heavenly comics waiting for me to discover for the very first time.
Rom
Both Rom and The Micronauts came out in 1979, and I was, as always, under financial limitations as to what I could and could not buy. There was also Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, and a host of other comics competing for my spare change, and those usually won out over this awesome looking comic. I guess it didn’t help that I had seen the Rom action figure and it just couldn’t stand up to the amazing The Micronauts toyline.
Now, don’t get me wrong, my brother and I bought a handful of issues and annuals over the years, but it was never enough to figure out what the heck was going on. At 75 issues and four annuals, Rom was a tough series to jump into, but the interest was always there. Now for the sad part: because of licensing issues, we might never see Rom collected in any sort of shape or form, which is monumentally sad, as I would gladly throw down some cash for a fairly priced collection or two. Here’s to hoping I don’t have to bargain bin this one over the next decade or two.
Vigalante
I do know that the character debuted in The New Teen Titans book, that he has a bitchin costume, that the series has 50 issues with two annuals, and that this newly released collection contains his first appearance and the first eleven issues of the comic. Currently, I have a bunch of stuff sitting in my “To Read” pile, but if a sale on Vigilante happens to come my way in the near future, I can see picking up this series becoming a top priority. I am so excited to check this out!
Slice into the Woods
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