The Tenth Day of Classic Comic Christmas '06

[Cei-U!]

My cousin had it pegged back in the day: "Nightcrawler's name is Kurt, he has deformed feet and he pretends he's Errol Flynn. You liking him is almost narcissism." Exactly, Michelle. Exactly.

Cei-U!
This one's for you, Dave!

[Hintermann]

#3 The Phantom: This purple costumed crusader is the nearest thing that I’ll ever come to liking a comic superhero, even though his powers are very mortal. I want to stress at the outset that my choice alludes to only Lee Falk’s version of The Phantom and not as visualised by Scandinavian, Australian or other more contemporary American artists. Also, unlike in the USA & UK where The Phantom’s newspaper strips were the main source of his adventures, he was popularised far more by the Comic Book medium in my native India and I grew up on a diet of Indrajal Comics in the 1960s & 70s. I now also have all the Australian Frew comic issues featuring every Phantom story by Lee Falk ever published.

The history of the 400-year old Phantom line needs no introduction. Ever since the would-be First Phantom was washed onto a remote beach in ‘Bangalla’, he and his successive ancestors have been fighting crime, piracy and injustice in every way possible. Although Falk has made some necessary changes in The Phantom’s environment – like finally locating Bangalla in Africa, the ethos of the character and storylines have remained the same. The purple costume, Deep Woods, the pygmies, Phantom treasure, The Jungle Patrol etc have all been involved in thrilling stories over the years. Outsiders consider The Phantom as an ancient myth but his virtues are well known to the junglefolk who hold ‘The Ghost Who Walks’ in great awe. They believe that The Phantom is currently 400+ years old, has the strength of ten tigers, is the wisest of men and is a man who cannot die.

Even though The Phantom really has no supernatural powers, his mortal strength and skills more than make up for it. He can move like lightning, knock out 6 tough dockside thugs without getting his hat knocked off and afterwards explain to them the benefits of drinking milk instead of beer. He can fire his guns so as to disarm his antagonists without actually injuring them or hurl a handy pillow to put-off their aim if they happen to have the bead on him. He can jump 20 feet from a hovering helicopter onto a rooftop and disappear before his enemies have time to notice that they have an uninvited guest. And so on and so forth as the Old Jungle Sayings will tell you.

There are a lot of uniquely interesting points that make The Phantom’s world special. The remoteness of his abode – The Skull Cave – surrounded by the Deep Woods ‘fortress’ and fiercely guarded by the pygmies with their poison arrows; the fabulous Phantom Treasure, containing apart from untold amount of gold & jewels, some unbelievably rare antiques like Homer’s lyre, King Arthur’s sword Excalibur, Roland’s horn, drinking cup of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar’s Laurel Wreath, the quill pen with which Shakespeare wrote Romeo & Juliet….to name a few; his secret commandership of the elite Jungle Patrol – unknown even to the most senior officers; his near mythical status with the jungle natives and surrounding nations where the mere mention of his name inspires fear and awe, and so on. The Phantom is not without shortcomings, but these only serve to make him even more likeable; he has very few social skills and is extremely awkward with women; he has a streak of stubbornness and regularly flouts airline rules while travelling by insisting that his pet wolf Devil be allowed to accompany him (using the loophole that the rule book does not mention pet wolves); and he drinks nothing but milk and water and is proud of the fact!

If you are not already ‘into’ The Phantom, I suggest that you correct the situation right now. My choice for the best Phantom story of all time would be The Masked Marvel, a Lee falk classic with Wilson McCoy art. Other great ones (with art by Sy Barry) include Wamba Falls Inn, The Drummer of Timpenni, Deadman’s Point, The Mysterious Ambassador, The Isle of Dogs, The Veiled Lady, The Deadly Web etc.

[Red Oak Kid]

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q144/redoakkid/crete1.jpg

3. Paul Chadwick's Concrete

I had been away from comics for 20 years when I got interested again in 2000. I spent a lot of time digging thru back issues at a LCS and it was there that I discovered Paul Chadwick's Concrete. His books were quite a revelation to me. Here were very powerful stories being told in a very low key art style. Concrete showed me that all comic book art doesn't have to be in the slick DC/Marvel style in order to have impact. Paul Chadwick's art is very beautiful.

I was equally impressed with the depth of character development in these stories. Not just Concrete, but his supporting cast all had individual personalities. Not only did they look like normal people, but they spoke and thought like regular humans. Prior to this, the Relevant issues of GL/GA had seemed to be the most realistic comics I had read. But Concrete stories like "Think Like A Mountain" went way beyond those GL/GA stories in giving a sense of reality.

I haven't read all of the Concrete stories, but "Think Like A Mountain" really impressed me and it may be the best comic book I have ever read.

[dan bailey]

3 -- Power Girl

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Stop sniggering -- we all know there are two really obvious reasons for liking Power Girl, & far be it from me to even imply that I'm not susceptible to those charms. (Why, yes, I do much prefer the version of her costume with the circle cut out in front. Purely for aesthetic reasons, mind you.)

I like to think, though, that she'd rank this high on my list anyway ... for her brashness, her headstrongness (is that a word? if not, it should be, 'cause "headstrength" sounds even odder to me), her irascibility, her refusal -- nay, inability -- to suffer fools gladly, whether friend or foe.

And all of those winning (to me, at least) characteristics were well in place even before she wound up as one of the very, very few survivors of her world after Infinite Crisis (assuming I understand her convoluted history du jour, though of course the powers that be at DC could completely revamp it tomorrow, as they've done at least a couple of times over the years). And she still doesn't get any respect -- where's an ongoing, already, DC (those first 4 issues of JSA Classified are absolute gems)?

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/arktrav/pgconner.jpg

[Simon Garth]

My number's 3's name is Kevin Matchstick, reluctant hero of Mage - the hero discovered (there have been subsequent volumes, but I haven't found them since my return to comics).

He thinks he's just an ordinary guy ... but he's wrong. He is the reborn spirit of Pendragon and carries a baseball bat that in earlier times had a different form, and went by the name of Excalibur.

http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/m/mage.jpg

I could have easily have chosen the tragic Edsel from this series, but I'll go with the lead character.

[Lone Ranger]

3. Green Arrow

I have always rooted for the underdog. I probably liked Ollie at an early age because he always seemed so out of place within the JLA, but he never let anyone push him around. I always enjoy his role within the JLA, especially because he always seemed to be quitting every other issue. He serve as the annoying conscience of the League, much like he had with Hal circa 1970.


The Longbow Hunters was published at a time when I was pretty much out of comics altogether. It sucked me back in. I loved it. I really don't think that it was until the Mike Grell ongoing series that Ollie was fully realized as a character (interesting since it was nearly a half century since his creation). He was now more of a detective and was much more vulnerable as he seemed isolated from the rest of the DCU. I loved everything about the Mike Grell ongoing series. I was in high school at the time and could not wait for each issue to hit the stands.

I just really dug Ollie - he was pompous, hot headed and didn’t really know how to treat his superhot girlfriend. After a crisis, he’d hit the road to straighten out things in his head. I really related to that approach to life. Ollie is an extremely flawed man, and that’s why I admired him so much. His relationship with Dinah is about as real a relationship as I’ve seen in superhero comics. It was a good idea to have him settle in Seattle - as it was a blank slate and he could work his charms (or lack thereof) on the local people and police.

I lapped up every single issue. I was absolutely shocked when they killed him off. Shocked! I actually ended up really enjoying the Connor & Eddie years, but this is a post about Ollie, so let’s stick with him.

Much like I felt with Daredevil, I was really concerned when I heard that Kevin Smith would be bringing Ollie back. To me, it sort of devalued his death as well as Connor’s growing role in the DCU. I was wrong - it was pretty well done and the stories following the initial Quiver arc were strong too. I have 5 or 6 of the TPBs now and I am pretty darned impressed - the whole Arrow Family works well as a concept and Ollie rocks as the father figure. I really like the Phil Hester drawn stuff - he has helped to breathe new life into the character.

I am certain that Oliver Queen has a polarizing effect on readers - I just happed to be waaaaay over on the ‘Love Him’ side.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/scottandkat/CBR/top12/GA2-sm.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/scottandkat/CBR/top12/GA100-sm.jpg

[Budman]

3. Superman

Which one of us hasn’t dreamed of flying, particularly if the sound effects from the old “Adventures Of Superman” TV series could accompany us as we soared free above the clouds? Who hasn’t wished that the world could see who we really are instead of the disguises we project? What awkward guy hasn’t wanted to reveal the hero within to the girl he has a crush on, knowing that then she would fall for him, but alas, circumstances always prevent him from doing so? Who doesn’t want to be able to hear what is being whispered? Who doesn’t want to be able at times to see what’s going on in the next room? Who never dreamed of laughing in the face of dangers that would make lesser men fall to their knees? Who never wanted to burst through a wall or lift up a car? Who never wanted to be an inspiration to, and a role model for, others? What kid didn’t want to, at least in some way, grow up to fight a never-ending battle for Truth, Justice, and The American Way? (I’m still trying to do that!) Which of us, when we were in our Lois and Jimmy accident and trouble prone modes, never longed for a friend who could dramatically appear on the scene and save us from all our troubles and even from ourselves? And haven’t you ever felt that you must be from Somewhere Else because you weren’t like the people around you?

Superman, like the Hulk, works as wish fulfillment. Even though he is an alien, he exemplifies humanity at its best, and his powers are either super infinite extensions of human abilities or are what we want to be able to do if only we were unshackled by our mortal limitations. And I’ll leave it to you to ponder the theological significance of the fact that, in the DC universe, someone from outside of Earth had to come to be our salvation and to show us all we could be.

There shouldn’t be any limit to the number of Superman stories that can be told. After all, he can fight crime and evil and natural disasters and war and poverty and technology run amuck on Earth, travel to other worlds and other dimensions, journey into the past and the future, perform strange experiments in the Fortress Of Solitude, explore his alien heritage, find out what it means to be human, face moral dilemmas, deal with his private grief (after all tragedy is part of his origin story), and more! And authors needn’t worry that Superman is too invulnerable and too powerful. His invulnerability and power are part of his massive appeal. Besides, he’s plenty vulnerable in his heart. And there‘s always Kryptonite, magic, red sun radiation, mysteries, aliens, and super science to challenge him.

I need to say a word here about Silver Age comic book covers. How they used to tempt and torment me! The kinds of questions they raised! Why was Superman revealing his secret identity to the world? How was Superman turned into a giant insect and how could he get back to normal? Why was Superman seemingly unconcerned that Lois was about to die? What was the terrible secret of Superman’s Fortress that nearly killed him? How could Superman survive fighting Lex Luthor under a red sun? Why is Superman pictured as being in a coffin- is he dead?!?!? Who is Superman marrying instead of Lois or Lana and why? How come Jimmy Olsen suddenly hates Superman? Why is a giant gorilla in Metropolis and how can he be defeating Superman? Why did Superman turn his back on Earth and was he really leaving it forever? I HAD TO READ THOSE COMIC BOOKS AND LEARN THE ANSWERS OR ELSE I WOULD GO MAD!!!! (But, of course, I didn‘t get to read all those issues. Come to think of it, that explains a lot about me.)

And yes, I used to run around with a towel or robe tied around my neck for a cape when I was young. Didn’t you?

[Kan-Man]

#3... Beast

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c118/Kan-Man/beastbyrne.gif

He was my favorite member of the original X-Men and I bought the issues he was featured in of Amazing Adventures, but for me he really hit his stride as a member of the Avengers.

As my list illustrates, I'm drawn to characters with senses of humor and well crafted personalities. During the time when he was buddy-buddy with Wonder Man he was probably the most likable character in the Marvel Universe. It's my favorite period of time for the Avengers, and Hank is a big part of it.

And on a personal level, my grandfather's name was Henry (but everyone called him Hank) so seeing that name in print was always very special to me. My 3-year old's middle name is Henry, named for the great-grandfather he never got to meet.

[benday-dot]

#3 [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][SIZE="5"][FONT="Impact"]


If you are not already ‘into’ The Phantom, I suggest that you correct the situation right now. My choice for the best Phantom story of all time would be [B]The Masked Marvel, a Lee falk classic with Wilson McCoy art. Other great ones (with art by Sy Barry) include Wamba Falls Inn, The Drummer of Timpenni, Deadman’s Point, The Mysterious Ambassador, The Isle of Dogs, The Veiled Lady, The Deadly Web etc.


Beautiful summary of the Phantom Hintermann. It makes me want to delve deeper into the character. Actually I've wanted to for some time. I have a single Phantom comic in my collection... Charlton # 60. Thanks for the specific issue recommendations. If you immediately aware and its not an undue burden for you, can you point me to which issue numbers and or publisher has featured your recommended titles? Maybe they have showed up in Charlton or Gold Key or Frew series as affordable reprints? Original Lee Falks are beyond me. Maybe, some or all have been collected in trade paper backs that won't break the bank. Thanks again.

[benday-dot]

Ah Budman you beat me to it, and our posts even have elements in common. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your well written recommendation of Superman... not an easy thing to do. I wrote my Superman paragraphs a couple of weeks ago, and I'm not sure you'll agree with my take, but I present it anyway. I was wondering all along how many of us were actually going to go for this most iconic of characters....

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/97/400/97_4_000000425.jpg

Well, I haven’t shied away from the big guns so far. And number 3 on my list not only represents my return to the DC Universe, but a return with the biggest gun of all. It’s a world that began with Supes, and I suspect if ever their comes the gotterdammerung of the capes, a twilight of the pantheon, it will end with him at last. If Superman falls the whole lot falls.

It may be a curious statement, but Superman, in my mind at least, actually has a great deal in common with my last choice… the Incredible Hulk. Their ultimate strengths, I always thought, also stand out as their great weaknesses. Where they are mutually marked as titans, as mountains, of physicality do they not yet they suffer from that inability to see beyond the peak in the clouds? Ironic to say so, given Superman’s alien heritage, but they both strike me as fundamentally earthy beings. They are bodily expressions of force and ferocity. With Superman even exclude the pounding fist; try to look to past the flight or leap through air, the blast of breath, the beams from the eyes, the uncanny bent of hearing and sight… the uncanny emanations of power, the twists of the physical laws they may be, and what is left wanting? What is the essential Superman? Lord over any animal, vegetable or mineral, man of steel indeed, is it not the case that no matter how mighty of being he may be… it is the metaphysical that is absent in this being from the stars.

And he knows it. Maybe because Superman remains, even after all these years among us, a stranger in a strange land, he can sense more than most of us, the void between the atoms of steel that is his emblem and the kryptonite that is his undoing. Is he all just matter? For the man who not just has everything, but nearly is everything, what else is there? For so long it was a question of love, a place of belonging (the Hulk anyone?) that tugged at that metaphysical void, which he knew was ever meant to be just beyond him. The real gods, he knew, lay just beyond his merely “super”… It all makes him to me ever more poignant.

And yet when has Superman ever been less than enough for us. No matter the peril facing the one or many, no matter the danger faced by human or other, Superman could be counted on to make it all go away. Maybe the world just needs this sort of square jawed rectitude, even more than it needs its hero conflicted and under a cloud of the ambiguous. Superman has survived much, including all those Silver Age indignities and humiliations (which I rather take to). It is after all for his flawed perfection that I love him. Superman… even after all these years of pretenders and imitations, after nearly 70 years of hero creation… can we not say after all the time that has passed that he remains one of a kind.

[Hintermann]

Beautiful summary of the Phantom Hintermann. It makes me want to delve deeper into the character. Actually I've wanted to for some time. I have a single Phantom comic in my collection... Charlton # 60. Thanks for the specific issue recommendations. If you immediately aware and its not an undue burden for you, can you point me to which issue numbers and or publisher has featured your recommended titles? Maybe they have showed up in Charlton or Gold Key or Frew series as affordable reprints? Original Lee Falks are beyond me. Maybe, some or all have been collected in trade paper backs that won't break the bank. Thanks again.

Please understand that publishers like Charlton, Gold Key and King (yes, King!) did not even scratch at the surface of true Phantom stories. What they did were very poor and very heavily edited versions of original stories, drawn by Bill Lignate specifically for comics. Artists like Moore, McCoy and Barry never did any stuff for the publishers other than Frew - or rather only Frew reproduced their work. In the last 48 years, Frew has reprinted ALL the classic Falk stories, often several times but mixed with a few Scandinavian stories. Fortunately, the full, unedited versions are to be found in higher numbered comics released in the last few years. You need to browse Bryan Shedden's Phantom site for this, but that in itself is no easy task. I'll prepare a message to help you and send a PM in the next few days.

[Chris N]

3. Adam Warlock

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o1/CocaC0la99/warlock15.jpg

The attraction to this hero has already been well-explained. Alone in the universe, trying to understand his place in it; he's seen his future and decided death would be preferable. One of the greatest character deaths in comics.


My association with Adam is the Jim Starlin stuff. I recommend:

Strange Tales 178-181, Warlock 9-15, Avengers annual 7, Marvel Two-in-One annual 2.

Together these form the sequel to the Thanos saga from Captain Marvel. Thanos is another love of mine who was unfairly slighted from my list, choosing Adam as the reprsentative of the Starlin's Thanos saga.

For newer stuff, I also highly recommend the return of Warlock and Thanos in the Infinity Gauntlet, collected in a nice trade I think.

Once again the universe needs saving. It all sounds rather mundane when said like that. But that's what beings like you and I do. We defend reality. Especially a reality where a soul can expand to feel a need, where one such as I can reach out to the infinite, and perhaps change the face of the cosmos.- Adam Warlock

[Scott Shaw!]

No. 3: FRED FLINTSTONE

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=227386&zoom=4

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=227408&zoom=4

I knew I was gonna love THE FLINTSTONES even before they were on TV. I'd read articles about the show, and since I loved all things prehistoric, and since Hanna-Barbera's RUFF AND REDDY and HUCKLEBERRY HOUND had already made me a fan of the studio, and since and I knew I wanted to become either a paleontologist or a cartoonist when I grew up, viewing the first aired episode of THE FLINTSTONES back in September, 1960 was the final straw. I was nine years old and it was THE FLINTSTONES that set me on a path that continues to this day.

Back in those days, licensed merchandise followed a cartoon only if the property seemed assured of success, and it takes a looong time to get toys made. But print items are easier to get produced, so it wasn't long before THE FLINTSTONES turned up as a Dell funnybook, and I was on board with the very first issue, which contained an adaptation of the first FLINTSTONES episode produced (if not aired), "The Swimming Pool", drawn by the great Harvey Eisenberg. This great cartoonist, better known for his long run on TOM AND JERRY, was, in my opinion, the best cartoonist to draw the Flintstones for comic books. (Apparently, the folks at Western Publishing agreed; he was usually brought in to draw the first few issues of any early H-B adaptation to set the style, as it were.) Years later, I would become good friends with Harvey's son, Jerry Eisenberg, a wonderful cartoonist in his own right who created Peter Potamus and many other great SatAM cartoon characters. But Jerry's father brought such appeal to THE FLINTSTONES comic book that he remains one of my very favorite FLINTSTONES artists. (The other, one of my childhood mentors, was Gene Hazelton, who wrote and drew THE FLINTSTONES comic strip for years.) Dell's (and Gold Key's) THE FLINTSTONES comic book series remained a crucial element in my learning how to write and draw the characters, with Harvey Eisenberg leading the pack in my influences in all things Bedrockian. Other terrific cartoonists would follow (Harvey died in 1965), including Karren Wright, Pete Alvarado, Phil DaLara, Dick Bickenbach and others, including myself, in Marvel's line of H-B titles in the 1970s.

Anyway, of all the Flintstones, Fred is my favorite. He's really kind of an asshole, but in the end, his actions make it clear that he's really a "diamond in the rough". In fact, other than ones I've created myself, he's my favorite character to write and draw; I've worked on Fred for comic books, animated cartoons, TV commercials, toys (including the current line of McFarlane figures), cereal boxes and every other sort of application imaginable, even tattoos. Fred is my kinda guy, or perhaps it's the other way around. Like Fred, I'm big, loud and opinionated. I love to barbecue and bowl. I love most everything about Bedrock. And I especially love Fred. Drawing him is such fun (I've been doing it professionally for over thirty years!); to my tastes, the geometric "formula" for drawing his head is always aesthetic bliss for me.

Oh, and that second link I posted above? It's the cover of THE FLINTSTONES No.28. Not only is it Harvey Eisenberg's final issue of THE FLINTSTONES, and not only do I own the original art to this cover (purchased from Western Publishing cartoonist Larry Mayer, who inked it•), but that issue has one of the funniest Flintstones gags I've ever seen anywhere. The cover-story introduces a Stone Age pirate; he's a little guy who rides around on the should of a giant prehistoric parrot! (I'm gonna use that gag one of these days, I swear!)

For that matter, it remains of my my dearest wishes that someday, somehow, I could get the go-ahead from Warner Bros. (who now owns all the H-B characters), to write and draw a new FLINTSTONES comic book series that would let me chronicle the characters from a fan/expert/cartoonist's POV, as my ol' pal Don Rosa has done with the Disney ducks.

Yabba dabba doo!

Aloha,

Scott!

P.S.: When I heard last Monday that Joe Barbera had died, I was putting the finishing touches on a large piece of artwork that will appear on the Cocoa Pebbles cereal boxes next year. (I've drawn dozens of 'em over the last twenty years.) Ironic, huh? -- SS!

* He also sold me Harvey's original pencil artwork on sheets of vellum (Larry inked 'em with a lightboard) for the aforementioned "Swimming Pool" adaptation! -- SS!

[Cei-U!]

If you are not already ‘into’ The Phantom, I suggest that you correct the situation right now. My choice for the best Phantom story of all time would be The Masked Marvel, a Lee falk classic with Wilson McCoy art. Other great ones (with art by Sy Barry) include Wamba Falls Inn, The Drummer of Timpenni, Deadman’s Point, The Mysterious Ambassador, The Isle of Dogs, The Veiled Lady, The Deadly Web etc.

Are these books reprints of the newspaper strip? Remember, your choices have to be based on material created for comic books.

Cei-U!
I summon the gentle reminder!

[SamuraiJack]

BATMAN!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/SamuraiJack31/batmanadams2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/SamuraiJack31/Batman2.jpg

And an Adams wallpaper I made a while back (sorry for the small size)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/SamuraiJack31/batman17.jpg

Checking in at #3 is our good friend Bruce Wayne. I’ve always been drawn to the caped crusader, mainly because in my mind he was the prime example of a flawed character who uses a tragic event as a catalyst to make his world a better place. His drive and determination are impressive, but it’s really his array of gadgets that always put him over the top for me. The vehicles were always nice as well, particularly if drawn by either Breyfogle (my favorite Batmobile) or Adams.

Budman elaborated his choice far better than I could here: http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showpost.php?p=4146308&postcount=3

As far as favorite readings go, I’d have to say I liked Ra’s Al-Ghul’s return from Batman issues 242-244, as well as Batman: Year One by Frank Miller (issues 404-407). There are so many good Bat stories out there, though- it’s really hard to narrow it down…

[Red Oak Kid]

No. 3: FRED FLINTSTONE

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=227386&zoom=4

Yabba dabba doo!

Aloha,

Scott!

P.S.: When I heard last Monday that Joe Barbera had died, I was putting the finishing touches on a large piece of artwork that will appear on the Cocoa Pebbles ceral boxes next year. Ironic, huh? -- SS!

!


I don't know why Scott! included that particular ish of the Flintstones, but that issue can clearly be seen hanging from a newstand in the Naked City episode entitled "Hold For Gloria Christmas" along with Amazing Fantasy 15 and Journey Into Mystery 83. It's available on dvd.

[Scott Shaw!]

I don't know why Scott! included that particular ish of the Flintstones, but that issue can clearly be seen in the Naked City episode entitled "Hold For Gloria Christmas" along with Amazing Fantasy 15 and Journey Into Mystery 83. It's available on dvd.

Well, Mac, I included it because it's an Oddball issue of THE FLINTSTONES, of course! Considering where Wilma's living "stole" has ripped a hole in the seat of Fred's fur, apparently cavemen had yet to reach the point of evolution when ass-cracks were developed!

Aloha,

Scott!

[Red Oak Kid]

Holy Crud, I didn't notice that.

And considering that you are the one who turned me on to crotch centric covers, I should have.

Who knew that Fred was crack challenged:)

[Hintermann]

Are these books reprints of the newspaper strip? Remember, your choices have to be based on material created for comic books.

Cei-U!
I summon the gentle reminder!

Both. The original full stories were newpaper strips, but Indrajal rlelased specific comic book versions of those stories that were rather heavily edited and drawn by different artists. For example, "The Mysterious Ambassador" was originally drawn by Sy Barry for the strip but the dedicated comic book version called "The Masked Emissary" was drawn by Bill Lignate - the first version that I read. But in Oz, the Barry version became available as a comic in 1962 before the strip appeared - if it did at all. In India certainly, stories like The Masked Marvel were released as comic books only by Indrajal (the same Wilson McCoy version, albeit 18 years after the original relase) and never as a newspaper strip. As I told you before, the one and only medium available to me between 1964 & 1985 was the comic book format. With The Phantom, you simply cannot draw a clear line since the chronology and medium of publication is extremely variable from one country to another and does not follow a pattern even in the same country.

[Cei-U!]

Both. The original full stories were newpaper strips, but Indrajal rlelased specific comic book versions of those stories that were rather heavily edited and drawn by different artists. For example, "The Mysterious Ambassador" was originally drawn by Sy Barry for the strip but the dedicated comic book version called "The Masked Emissary" was drawn by Bill Lignate - the first version that I read. But in Oz, the Barry version became available as a comic in 1962 before the strip appeared - if it did at all. In India certainly, stories like The Masked Marvel were released as comic books only by Indrajal (the same Wilson McCoy version, albeit 18 years after the original relase) and never as a newspaper strip. As I told you before, the one and only medium available to me between 1964 & 1985 was the comic book format. With The Phantom, you simply cannot draw a clear line since the chronology and medium of publication is extremely variable from one country to another and does not follow a pattern even in the same country.

Cool. Thanks for clarifying.

Cei-U!
Learned something new today!

[MDG]

#3 Maggie Chascarrillo

I find Maggie irresistible. Because she was written (and drawn) so well, the transition from the somewhat fanciful, futuristic “Mechanics” stories from the early days of Love & Rockets, to the more realistic “Locas” stories is very natural. And in the large cast of characters, Maggie is the stable center.

MDG

[zilch]

"Big Man on Campus..."


3. Goliath (Clint Barton)

One of the first issues i fell in love with was Avengers #69. And the big man was an important part of the story and the series. Here was a character who knew he was just a guy with arrows, and his love was in trouble jumped at the chance to help her by swallowing some of Dr. Pym patented JumboJuice and his unused Goliath costume and helped out. Deciding the team needed more raw power, he kept up the ID but improved the color scheme. He later loses the girl, but keeps up for the team.

Artisitically, he gets top notch treatment from Gene Colan (the original designer), Sal Buscema (my fave Avengers artist), his big bro John (with Tom Palmer, very underrated!) and Neal Adams. Thomas was able to do some good character development in the issues where he had to step outside of himself, use more selfcontrol (its easier to get into trouble as a giant than a smartmouth archer) and take second fiddle to the developing SW/Vision/Quicksilver dilema.

At the tale end of the Kree-Skrull War, it seems that Clint was tiring of the Goliath ID, when events presented themselves, he took to type and started slinging arrows again (soon in a totally forgettable costume designed by Barry Smith).

He took up the ID later, but the thrill was gone by then in the MU for me. But i enjoyed it just the same.

[Hintermann]

No. 3: FRED FLINTSTONE

I knew I was gonna love THE FLINTSTONES even before they were on TV. Anyway, of all the Flintstones, Fred is my favorite. He's really kind of an asshole, but in the end, his actions make it clear that he's really a "diamond in the rough". Scott!

Nice choice, SS. I like The Flintstones too, though none of them made it to the top 12. The best Flintstones comic is a 1965 special issue of them (with guest appearances by most other Hanna-Barbera main characters) at the New York World Fair. Try to get it if you have not got it already.

BTW, I confess that I like the lesser known THE JETSONS a notch better.

[Budman]

Ah Budman you beat me to it, and our posts even have elements in common. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your well written recommendation of Superman... not an easy thing to do.

Thank you! And I enjoyed your well written and well thought out Superman post. He is indeed one of a kind!

[Gingold]

3. Captain Marvel (Fawcett/DC)

The Big Red Cheese makes the top three. Bily Batson, the boy who becomes a superhero by uttering a magic word is one of the simplest, purest concepts in superhero comics ever. He's been mishandled so badly over the years, but readers keep taking a chance because the character's so great. He has maybe the best costume ever, the coolest set of bad guys (Sivana, Monster Society of Evil), and a whole family of heroes. How can one not love Captain Marvel?

[Aaron King]

3. Scott McCloud
I wanted to write a whole schtick about Scott McCloud as a completely fictional character “created” by his parents who crossed over with early Kurt Busiek comics. I couldn’t find the factual info, though, so we’re just going to do this straight.

Scott McCloud, as discussed here, is the cartoonist and main character in a series of three nonfiction books about comics. His clean line style and clear language puts into words what everyone thinks and does when they read comics. These books have been used as required texts in every college course that has dealt with comics that I’ve ever encountered (which is really only two or three).

Basically, if you have any interest in comics as a medium, historically, psychologically, and technically, these are books that you should read. These are the books that we all wish we would’ve written.

Required Reading: Understanding Comics; Reinventing Comics; Making Comics

[MWGallaher]

http://home.comcast.net/~vicoscia/images/spectre.jpg
Jim Corrigan, The Spectre
Even before I was a comics reader, I remember being haunted in the late 60's by a sighting of the magnificent Ira Schnapp Spectre logo, with the Murphy Anderson inset drawing. I really wanted to know about this guy, but it was several years before I got a taste of the Avenging Ghost, by Siegel and Bailey, in a DC Super-Spec. What a wonderful simple origin: he's dead, he's a ghost--we've "known" for centuries that ghosts have all sorts of weird abilities. Hard-boiled crime + Old Testament divine retribution + superheroics + supernatural fantasy; the Spectre had a heckuva unique mix, making his Golden Age adventures true standouts.
But Spec' was never better than when Michael Fleischer and Jim Aparo took over in the early 70's. Jim Corrigan was a sad character, but at the same time a chilling one, faced with a task that could never be finished--damned to be God's eternal wrathful servant. The irony was unnerving, the stories were far less simple than they appeared, and the character was irresistibly compelling.

[Joe Rice]

3. Lucy Van Pelt

http://www.rubypersson.com/peanuts/lucy_hallmark_pic_2.jpg

Yes, I like her even more than Chuck. At first glance she seems a simple stereotype, but she's way more than that. Over the years layers and layers and layers were peeled back on her character. Yeah, she's a fussbudget, she's bossy, she's mean, obnoxious . . .but she can also be sad, tender, and sweet. I frickin' LOVE Lucy. I recently realized that most of the women I've really cared for in my life have at least a strong Lucy influence to them. Lisa practically IS her (even she realized it the other night watching the special). With equal ability to inflict and suffer pain, I love Lucy (HAR).

[Slam_Bradley]

Hit again by the no internet on the weekend bug.


3. Death of the Endless.

Sandman is easily my favorite comic of all time. And while there are a number of characters from the book that I love (Hob Gadling, Barnabas) none come close to the perky, grim reaper. It may have something to do with the fact that I knew (and crushed deeply on) Cinnamon, the little goth gal upon whom Mike Dringenberg based Death's appearance. But while she looked Goth, Sandman's Death was much more full of life than almost any other character I've encountered. She's a fun and often wise older sister.

http://images.quizilla.com/L/Lorac/1034605593_turesdeath.jpg

[Rob Allen]

Ditto for me, Slam - no internet on weekends. :(

3. Fat Freddy

The funniest and most memorable character from the anarchic world of underground comix. Freddy, his "brothers" and his cat produced some of the biggest laughs I've ever had. Gilbert Shelton is a great talent, and the Freak Brothers are some of the best comics of the last few decades, under- or over-ground.

[Dr. Hfuhruhurr]

http://melbotis.blogspot.com/Alan_Scott.jpg

I've always had more of an affinity for the JSA and Earth-2 more than Earth-1 and the JLA. And, although picking my favorite JSAer is like picking my favorite kid, The Green Lantern stands out among all the others.

It's hard to remember just how powerful Alan Scott was back in the day. His ring granted him flight, intangibility (by "moving through the fourth dimension"), the ability to paralyze or blind people temporarily, to create rays of energy, and to melt metal, among other things. He occasionally used it to create solid objects and force fields (as Hal Jordan would use his ring primarily) and to read minds. His ring was only vulnerable to objects made of wood or plant material. This was said to be because the green flame was an incarnation of the strength of "green, growing things" (although I did like the Byrne interpretation given in his Generations mini-series that the weakness to wood was a mental block created by Scott himself after he was rendered unconscious by a wooden club early in his career).

My admiration for the character, however, goes beyond his powers. As I have become a father, I find that I indentify more and more with Scott not only as the "father figure" of the JSA but also as the father of Jade and Obsidian. Balancing one's responsiblities among work, friends and family is no easy task and I have enjoyed the brief glimpses of Scott's struggles with "balance."

But I have to say that it was the early issues of the revived ALL-STAR COMICS that first endeared the character to me. Scott's battle with Vulcan and his concern for his fallen comrade, Dr. Fate, captured my young imagination and forever cemented The Green Lantern into my personal pantheon.

http://www.comictreadmill.com/images/All-Star%2061.bmp

[scratchie]

Getting caught up after spending Christmas at the in-laws'... My next choice is Leonard "Stinky" Brown from Hate (and Neat Stuff) comics.

http://www.agitators.com/images/stinky2.gif

It's hard to explain what's so appealing about Stinky. He's not anyone that you'd want to meet in real life, but he's so funny, and so real, that the stories that featured him were always among my favorites.

Stinky is a total slacker, one step above living behind a dumpster, but he considers himself a "wheeler-dealer" who's always one step away from making it big. At the start of the Hate comic book, he is one of Buddy's (the protagonist's) roommates, and it's hard to tell what Buddy hates more: Stinky's complete disregard for the niceties of basic human decency and and cleanliness (see above), or the fact that Stinky is far more successful with women than Buddy will ever be, and never suffers the slightest pangs of guilt (or any form of self-examination) over any of his actions. Even in later issues, when he's delivering another character's mail route (without a driver's license) and carrying around an Uzi for self-defense, he never seems to exhibit the slightest shred of self-doubt.

In short, he's pure id incarnate. But his completely out-of-the blue suicide near the end of the series shows that, as with the rest of his characters, creator Peter Bagge was never content to leave Stinky as a caricature, and instead, dug down to find the core of despair and unconscious self-loathing that had powered all of his previous actions. Instead of leaving Stinky as the butt of a million jokes, Bagge uncovers a (very well-hidden) core of basic decency that's revealed when Stinky tells Buddy's brother Butch that he's racist for laughing at a racist joke. And, perhaps, it's that decency that finally makes him realize what a waste his life -- surrounded by, and dependent on, losers like Butch -- has become.

Buddy Bradley may be the star of Hate, but Stinky has to be its most unforgettable character.

[Graham Vingoe]

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o156/grahamvingoe_2006/6026_4_0028-1.jpg

3.Daredevil

I Love Daredevil- superb character. Reasons why? Simple to explain- Any man, with reasonably normal strength who is willing to attempt to stand up to the Hulk KNOWING that the Hulk could and will beat him to a pulp, is truly a man without fear. I love the Miller, Bendis and Brubaker run and how they have affected and changed Matt Murdock but it is that single issue (163) written by Roger Mackenzie which made DD my favourite Marvel superhero.

[Sir Tim Drake]

Please understand that publishers like Charlton, Gold Key and King (yes, King!) did not even scratch at the surface of true Phantom stories. What they did were very poor and very heavily edited versions of original stories, drawn by Bill Lignate specifically for comics. Artists like Moore, McCoy and Barry never did any stuff for the publishers other than Frew - or rather only Frew reproduced their work. In the last 48 years, Frew has reprinted ALL the classic Falk stories, often several times but mixed with a few Scandinavian stories. Fortunately, the full, unedited versions are to be found in higher numbered comics released in the last few years. You need to browse Bryan Shedden's Phantom site for this, but that in itself is no easy task. I'll prepare a message to help you and send a PM in the next few days.

Would you be willing to post it on the board instead? I'd be interested in this information too.

[Hintermann]

Would you be willing to post it on the board instead? I'd be interested in this information too.

All right. Here is the URL. Check the 'Reference Guide' link and you'll see how different it was to each country. I am from India, where there were no English newspaper strips for the Phantom and we grew up with Indrajal Comics. As for the Illustrated Weekly strips, they were few and far between & so out of sync, that many of them (Wamba Falls Inn, for example) were published after the Indrajal comic became available!

The links in this site often take you to other sublinks; there is quite a lot of information about the Phantom, actually. But you will need to work on it to determine the most recent (and so the cheapest) reprint available. You may find that buying Annuals covers a lot of Lee Falk stories, but you cannot avoid a bit of overlap if you want all of them.

http://www.deepwoods.org/

[Nate C.]

Graham,

great post. I'm going to grab that issue as soon as I finish these posts and read it.

My #3 - The Man From Room Five

You may know him as V. Evey once said, "V, V, V, V, V" and he responded (what a wry sense of humor). He was either gay, or Evey's father, or insane, or all three, or none of the above. He was captured by his own government, thrown into a concentration camp, poisoned by doctors, and maintained a buddha like calm allthroughout. He began a garden, continued to thrive while all the prisoners around him died, began making geometric patterns in his room with fertilizer, amonia and other ingredients.

You know him as V, the one man relaignment of Britannia. But the man who most intrigues me is the man from room five, who, when asked by the good doctor if she can see him one more time, says, just before she dies, "beautiful".

My God, can Moore write. V for Vendetta is one of my favorite books of all time, my favorite Moore work by far, and after all these years, I still find the man in room five to be one of the most well crafted characters in the graphics medium, mysterious, intelligent, driven, funny, witty (there is a difference), powerful, broken, tragic.

Seeing him stand naked, backlit by the fire of the camp burning around him, I fear and respect this individual and am very, very glad I had nothing to do with his internment.

[prince hal]

#3: Robin

Looking back, Robin probably was the character I would have most wanted to be simply because he was so together and in control, but also, and perhaps primarily, because he was trusted by adults. I mean, if Robin responded to the Bat-signal b/c Batman was out of town, Commissioner Gordon simply gave the assignment to him, and off would go the twelve-year-old kid in hot pants and elf shoes, DRIVING THE BATMOBILE!!!!

I particularly remember what for me were the two quintessential Robin stories of the Silver Age from BATMAN 156 (which I wrote about in last year's Christmas thread) for the love and loyalty he showed throughout the two stories. Once in a while an "Editors' Round Table" would spotlight a solo Robin story from his STAR-SPANGLED days and as usual, I would be envious of the way Robin always came through in a crisis.

As a certified curmudgeon when it comes to "new stuff," I know little of what has become of Dick Grayson, but the one who will always live in my Batman Universe, who was truly Robin, not the sidekick du jour, was as real and human as any character could be in the old days. His origin story remains as iconic as Batman's, powerful and realistic, straight out of a film noir (actually ahead of its time in that respect) and he remains the archetype of all kid heroes, a Patroclus to Batman's Achilles (without the Werthamesque aspects, thank you very much).