What Classic Comic Have You Read Lately? [Archive] - Page 4

MWGallaher

09-15-2005, 04:02 PM

I found a pdf file on a blog that reproduced a classic comic that I always wanted to read: Skywald's HELL-RIDER #1, a 64-page B&W magazine from 1970. Written by Gary Friedrich (if I'm understanding the credits correctly), with art by Andru & Esposito, Celardo, and Ayers, with grey tones by Everett. For the times, this was hard-hitting stuff--a story of a superheroic biker, a Vietnam vet who'd gained super strength. The story weaves three features into one complete story--two chapters star the Hell-Rider, one stars a black superheroine called the Butterfly, and one features a gang of bikers called the Wild Bunch. There's drug use--our hero is relieved to find that the starlet he's charged with guarding is "only" using pot--and sex--our hero parties happily with naked women--and violence--face-stomping, flame-throwing, and riding motorcycles over victims. There's harsh language--the Wild Bunch challenges Hell-Rider's sexuality with a derogatory epithet, before becoming pals with him, there's an unlikely MacGuffin--is it really possible to put $1 million worth of "pure, uncut heroin"--in 1970 dollars--in the lining of a pair of go-go boots?--there's racial unease--but this was a rollicking mature adventure, uniformly well-drawn, never lacking action. The characters were really well-defined, even those based on stereotypes. Darn good job on the part of everyone involved!
Grade: B+

Zapman

09-16-2005, 03:27 AM

Last night I read a reprint of Justice League of America #9, where the team's origin is explained to Snapper Carr and Green Arrow.

Y'know, it read a lot better when I was in elementary school.

- Romans 9

What do I have toi say? I really love Early JLA stories, even if read it now, that i'm 31 years old!

Snapper Carr forever!! :D

david r

09-17-2005, 11:48 PM

I'm reading "Watchmen" for the first time, and it's blowing my mind!! :eek:

Slam_Bradley

09-18-2005, 11:26 AM

I finished up Wrath of the Spectre and pulled out Essential Spider-Man, Vol. 6. Read the first two issues last night which is the climax of the Dr. Octopus/Hammerhead war. These are actually among the first Spidey books that I ever read, reading the stories in Marvel Tales while simultaneously reading the Wein/Andru stories in Amazing. Consequently I have a major soft spot for the Conway/Romita/Kane issues of Amazing.

MWGallaher

09-18-2005, 05:08 PM

I dug up the last few issues of the first run of WONDER WOMAN last night and read them. They suffered from terrible printing, and Gerry Conway's finale wasn't quite as celebratory as I think he intended it to be, but Don Heck, although showing a little weakness of age, was doing work I can enjoy far more than many of the hot artists of today. Pencils and inks--although his inks suffered, too, from the bad printing--Don was a trooper. His characters displayed such personality...I get the impression that he did *not* enjoy having to draw the "new" Atomic Knight, with his very complex costume...but he did a good job on it nonetheless!

Heraclevs

09-21-2005, 06:40 PM

Millennium reprint of Detective #327; first yellow oval around the bat symbol. I guess this was pretty good for those days, given my disappointment with JLoA #9. I've never been an Infantino fan, but his work here (and in the Elongated Man back-up story) looks decent.

- Romans 9

Deathstroke

09-24-2005, 12:33 PM

Friday I finished reading the 100 page Superboy #185, it's a bunch of reprints, none of which was particularly great.

Slam_Bradley

09-29-2005, 01:18 PM

I finished up Essential Spider-Man, Vol. 6. 550+ pages of Bronze Age goodness. There was tons of classic stuff here. The end of the Doc Ock/Hammerhead war. The death of Gwen Stacy and Norman Osbourne. The first appearances of Man-Wolf, Punisher, Jackal and Tarantula. The return of Liz Allen and the Molten Man. The first appearance of the Spider-mobile. The burgeoning relationship between Pete and MJ. And Harry goes nuts and becomes Green Goblin.

No, it wasn’t all good. I wasn’t happy with the three-part reprint of the first Spectacular Spider-Man black & White mag. I didn’t like the story when I read it there. The reason that Doc Ock was trying to marry Aunt May was hokey in the extreme. And overall, the second Doc Ock/Hammerhead confrontation was a let-down. The Spider-Man/Morbius/Man-Wolf story wasn’t great, Spider-Man/Dracula was disappointing, but Spider-Man/Master of Kung Fu was decent.

Overall...great quality work. I know that Gerry Conway gets a lot of crap, but when he’s on...he’s very good (Atari Force). I think he did a fabulous job following up Stan Lee, with the largest possible shoes to fill. (I know that Roy wrote a few issues between, but not enough to leave a mark on the book). And Ross Andru did a fine job of picking up from John Romita and Gil Kane.

This is great stuff. Well worth the time and the money.

Overall Grade: A.

Lone Ranger

09-29-2005, 01:22 PM

Although I will continue to post in this thread, I started a blog and I have spent most of my time (thus far) discussing recent reads.

There are some newer books in there, so I didn't post my thoughts on here, but I will also discuss older books that I don't end up discussing in this thread.

Is that confusing or what?

The link to the blog is in my signature - feel free to share comments and thoughts.

Lone Ranger

09-29-2005, 01:27 PM

I finished up Essential Spider-Man, Vol. 6. The first appearances of Man-Wolf, Punisher, Jackal and Tarantula. The return of Liz Allen and the Molten Man.

I have always been a big Tarantula fan, and for some reason the image of the Jackal really got under my skin as a kid (although I read most of these as Marvel Tales reprints).

I think that the Molten Man issue (#132 I believe) is one of my favourite 70s Spidey stories - even though it's a bit of art by committee IIRC.

Slam_Bradley

09-29-2005, 01:35 PM

I have always been a big Tarantula fan, and for some reason the image of the Jackal really got under my skin as a kid (although I read most of these as Marvel Tales reprints).

I think that the Molten Man issue (#132 I believe) is one of my favourite 70s Spidey stories - even though it's a bit of art by committee IIRC.

I read a lot of these in Marvel Tales as well, when I was first starting to read comics.

You're right. 132 had art by Romita, Reinman and Mortellaro in various permutations. Andru/Giacoia/Hunt must have been behind schedule. Maybe it was from Andru pencilling Giant-Size Spider-Man 1 & 2.

Lone Ranger

09-29-2005, 01:38 PM

I read a lot of these in Marvel Tales as well, when I was first starting to read comics.

You're right. 132 had art by Romita, Reinman and Mortellaro in various permutations. Andru/Giacoia/Hunt must have been behind schedule. Maybe it was from Andru pencilling Giant-Size Spider-Man 1 & 2.

I imagine those Giant-Size books must have messed up quite a few schedules.

I'll bet if was a wonderful time to ink at Marvel (at least in terms of the inker's wallet) - especially when you take all of those black and white mags into consideration.

Deathstroke

09-29-2005, 03:20 PM

I read Superboy #188 which had another Karkan the Super Savage story. Decent read.

Superboy #191 has the Kid with the Super Brain and again that story was a decent enough read.

Both had Legion back ups that read okay but were nothing really all that special.

dan bailey

09-29-2005, 03:56 PM

The link to the blog is in my signature - feel free to share comments and thoughts.

your wish, my command ...

Slam_Bradley

10-01-2005, 12:37 PM

Read the first two issues of EC's Extra the other day. Who knew that reporters in the 50's were a combination of King Faraday and Johnny Peril. Frankly, the stories were pretty silly. These guys aren't reporters...they're essentially secret agents. The art is darn good though. Two stories each issue by Johnny Craig (at his peak) and one each by John Severin and Reed Crandall.

A couple of interesting notes. The books have continuing characters (not just hosts), unusual for EC. And one of those characters is female reporter Geri Hamilton.

Sir Tim Drake

10-02-2005, 10:54 AM

I just finished Miguelanxo Prado's Trazo de tiza (Streak of Chalk). It's the first of a series of Spanish-language comics that my graduate advisor loaned me. I'm trying to figure out which one I want to use as a topic for my MA thesis. Prado is a Spanish cartoonist who is best known in America for having done a story in Sandman: Endless Nights.

Trazo de tiza is a brilliant graphic novel. The story is fairly simple yet bewilderingly enigmatic. It takes place on an uncharted island with an unused lighthouse, a very long dock covered in mysterious writing, and a single house. The protagonist, Raul, visits the island and has some strange interactions with the two women there (one of them is a fellow visitor, the other is the proprietor of the house). At the end of the story there's a very strange twist which introduces an element of magical realism.

The book also has a strong element of metafiction. Borges is clearly an influence: the story starts with a quote from him, and he and Bioy Casares are mentioned several times. Midway through the book, one chapter begins with a quotation that forces the reader to reevaluate his or her reading of the entire story. Then Prado's epilogue suggests that there is a hidden meaning to the story, which can be deduced through very careful reading and attention to detail. (I don't know if I've found the hidden meaning or not... I suspect I haven't.) This is a book that demands close and repeated reading, kind of like Watchmen.

Prado's artwork is amazing. The book is painted, in a style that sort of resembles that of Lorenzo Mattotti (Fires) but isn't as frenzied or expressionistic. Prado has quite a touch for emotional subtlety and also for atmosphere. He makes the reader almost hear the cry of seagulls and smell the salt of the ocean.

This book was translated into English by NBM, under the title of Streak of Chalk, and I think it's still in print. It won an award for Best Album in Angouleme, but it didn't make much of an impact in America, though it did pick up some Eisner and Harvey nominations. It's a shame that this book wasn't more widely read in America, because it's clearly a work of genius.

berk

10-02-2005, 07:31 PM

I finished reading the Gerber/Skrenes Omeag the Unknown a while back. Does anyone wlse have the issues handy? It'd be fun to talk about them if so.

I just received a few back issues that filled some holes in, among other things, the original Deathlok the Demolisher run in Astonishing Tales, so I might read the whole thing now.

Lone Ranger

10-05-2005, 09:20 AM

The Spider: Scavengers of the Slaughtered Sacrifices

Boy, did I ever have my hopes up for this one!

Cool Pulp hero? Check.
One of the better scripters of the past few decades? Check.
One of the all-time great pencillers? Check.

So what went wrong? Well, if you think that the title is overly long, wait until you get a look at this script. Don McGregor’s script is absolutely terrible – he uses so many words that every other line has a redundancy that is redundant. I get the sense that Don felt that if a picture says a thousands words, then a picture and a thousand words must say a million words. It’s just too much – there isn’t much of a plot and the dialogue weighs down much of the action. At times, I felt as though I was reading a Ditko script. To be fair, I understand that McGregor was strong-armed by Argosy into placing the Spider in a modern setting. That is tough, and a 30s piece would have been much better. That being said, McGregor’s ludicrous pop culture references dates the books terribly, and the theme of the evils of censorship is handled with all of the subtlety of a Ron Popeil infomercial. The only saving grace is Colan’s artwork. It is perfect. The real treat is that we get to see his ink-free pencils in this well produced black and white book. This was a serious missed opportunity. Sometimes I wish that I was still a 4-year old and could ‘read’ comics without bother with the word balloons. It saddens me that I cannot recommend this book to anyone. Grade: D

Slam_Bradley

10-05-2005, 09:55 AM

The Spider: Scavengers of the Slaughtered Sacrifices

So what went wrong? Well, if you think that the title is overly long, wait until you get a look at this script. Don McGregor’s script is absolutely terrible – he uses so many words that every other line has a redundancy that is redundant. I get the sense that Don felt that if a picture says a thousands words, then a picture and a thousand words must say a million words. It’s just too much – there isn’t much of a plot and the dialogue weighs down much of the action. At times, I felt as though I was reading a Ditko script.

This was exactly my feeling when I read Sabre. Good Lord, there was a lot of text. And when you have story-tellers of the quality of Colan or Paul Gulacy, you need to let the art tell part of the story. I came away with the feeling that McGregor is just too in love with the sound of his own words.

T GUy

10-05-2005, 04:22 PM

Lone Ranger:

The Spider: Scavengers of the Slaughtered Sacrifices

Spider-style over-the-top title? Check

Cool Pulp hero? Check.

Agreed!
One of the better scripters of the past few decades? Check.

'Better' is not the word I'd have used.

One of the all-time great pencillers? Check.

Too right!

So what went wrong? Well, if you think that the title is overly long, wait until you get a look at this script. Don McGregor’s script

Aaargh!

That was my reaction on first seeing the revelation of the writer's name.

It explains the title, which i now realise is McGregoresque rather than Spideresque.
is absolutely terrible – he uses so many words that every other line has a redundancy that is redundant.

Exactly like his scripts always have.

I get the sense that Don felt that if a picture says a thousands words, then a picture and a thousand words must say a million words.

He followed the habit of the feldstein-edited ECs, which I once described as ' if a picture is worth a thousands words, Feldstein gave you value for money by giving you the picture and the thousand words.

...McGregor’s ... theme of the evils of censorship is handled with all of the subtlety of a Ron Popeil infomercial.

No idea of who Ron Popeil is, but I get the idea. All the memories of Amazing Adventures 26 come back to me...

The only saving grace is Colan’s artwork. It is perfect. The real treat is that we get to see his ink-free pencils in this well produced black and white book.

You're tempting me to pick it up now.

Hmmm... I could photocopy it and take a bottle of Tipp-Ex to the script... do you think Argosy would give me a refund for having to do my own editing?

Mike Kuypers

10-05-2005, 05:07 PM

No idea of who Ron Popeil is, but I get the idea. All the memories of Amazing Adventures 26 come back to me...

Ron Popeil used to hawk gadgets like the Pocket Fisherman on TV.

The Wayner

10-05-2005, 06:49 PM

Ron Popeil used to hawk gadgets like the Pocket Fisherman on TV.

This is making me want to listen to Weird Al's In 3-D album! :D

Slam_Bradley

10-06-2005, 11:16 AM

Almost finished with Checker Publishing's Steve Canyon: 1948. I can't say enough or get enough of Milton Caniff's classic adventure strip. Yes, the character names are pretty hokey, and it's pretty rah-rah American (well we'd just won the war) but the art is fabulous, the stories exotic and intriguing and the package from Checker is very good. I'll be looking for the 1949 book and hoping that Checker will continue on beyond that.

dan bailey

10-06-2005, 11:27 AM

i'm a little over halfway through a 12-year run of capt america (260-409 or so) that i've acquired largely from poring over the 25-for-$8.50 boxes at the lcs farthest from my house. just got through reading the cap/howling commandos team-up in annual #9 & was somewhat taken aback to see reb's speech repeatedly lettered to feature "cahn't" for "can't." ummm ... that'd be the british pronunciation, no? southern u.s. dialect for the word is usually rendered as cain't, at least where i come from (i.e. environs as stereotypically southern as grits & magnolia blossoms).

T GUy

10-06-2005, 11:44 AM

Slam: Checker Publishing's Steve Canyon: 1948... it's pretty rah-rah American (well we'd just won the war)

Well, once you'd bothered actually turning up for it :p .

the cap/howling commandos team-up in annual #9

I was previously unaware of this item and may have to add it to my wants list. It isn't by someone too bad, is it?

& was somewhat taken aback to see reb's speech repeatedly lettered to feature "cahn't" for "can't." ummm ... that'd be the british pronunciation, no? southern u.s. dialect for the word is usually rendered as cain't, at least where i come from (i.e. environs as stereotypically southern as grits & magnolia blossoms).

Got to agree with you here. If I'm rendering your (and reb's) accent for people over here I'd write 'can't' as 'cay-unt' probably. That is, assuming I'm writing a Fury-style multi-accented story where a Scot would say 'cannae.'

Sort-of off-topic, but when I first encountered Fury and Co., because of his hat I thought that Reb Ralston was supposed to be Australian.

dan bailey

10-06-2005, 11:58 AM

I was previously unaware of this item and may have to add it to my wants list. It isn't by someone too bad, is it?

it's the 2nd of 3 stories -- a 22-pager written by randall frenz, pencilled by mark bagley & inked by mike decarlo. given my 2 1/2-decade sojourn from comics, i don't believe i'm familiar with anything else those gentlemen might have done, but this is certainly competent enough. plus it's, you know, the howlers, which means i'm duty-bound to own & read it.

Sort-of off-topic, but when I first encountered Fury and Co., because of his hat I thought that Reb Ralston was supposed to be Australian.

yeah, i can see that. seems to me capt savage featured a guest character from australia who had a very similar hat. certainly nothing about the chapeau suggests anything quintessentially southern.

in a similar vein, earlier this year dum dum's hat & mustache (as depicted on the cover of sgt fury 1) prompted a veteran poster obviously unfamiliar with the strip (no, not me -- sgt fury has been my favorite comic since i first encountered it in mid-'67) to assume that dum dum was a scotsman ...

Slam_Bradley

10-10-2005, 12:24 PM

Well I finished Steve Canyon: 1948. Damn I love Caniff.

Started the NIck Fury: Agent of SHIELD tpb reprinting Steranko's run on Strange Tales. I'm at the point now where Steranko is just starting to write the feature and do his own layouts...so the real goodness is yet to come.

MWGallaher

10-10-2005, 03:03 PM

The Spider: Scavengers of the Slaughtered Sacrifices

Man, MacGregor is like a reverse savant when it comes to scripting. Alliteration is one of the simplest tools a writer can use to make a text sound good to the ear, and MacGregor manages to foul even that up! Just say it out loud: "Spider: Scavengers of the Slaughtered Sacrifices"... It's a syllabic minefield! Any trace of alliterative grace is inexplicably sapped from this particular selection of words. You could put in almost any other random selection of S-words and have something far more mellifluous:
"Spider: Seekers of the Sacred Silences"
"Spider: Suckers of the Slimy Sarcophagus"
"Spider: Simpletons of the Sargasso Sloop"
I gotta admit, his tin ear leaves me a little bit in awe!

T GUy

10-10-2005, 03:55 PM

MWG, I make you right.

An old trick I learned back in college is that one can deduce much about a writer's style and the content of a work from the first paragraph or page.

With McGregor, you don't even have to go beyond the title!

The notion of alliteration as a simple trick is interesting taken in conjunction with Old English alliterative verse (which, I hasten to add, I am no expert on).

Is this off topic? I read a World's Finest the other day. What a superb title 'Wipe the Blood Off My Name!' is.

dan bailey

10-10-2005, 05:06 PM

I gotta admit, his tin ear leaves me a little bit in awe!

his editor must've had one, too ...

Slam_Bradley

10-16-2005, 12:31 PM

I finished up the entire Steranko run on SHIELD via the Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD and the Who is Scorpio tpbs. There's no denying that Steranko's designs on the books were brilliant once he broke free of Kirby's layouts (nothing against Jack). I'm not as convinced about his abilities as a scripter. The plots were good, but damn was he verbose. Possibly worse than Stan at his worst (though not Don McGregor bad). But any problem were made up for with the incredible artwork. The splash-page to Strange Tales # 168 was worth the price of admission.

It's very interesting to look at these stories as period pieces. Obviously you get a major Bond/Our Man Flint/Matt Helm vibe. But I had a really hard time picturing hard-boiled Nick Fury living in an apartment that looked like something out of a 1965 issue of Playboy. I also noted that Steranko's covers got better and better as time went on. I wonder if someone let loose the reins over time. The Nick Fury covers are significantly better than most of the Strange Tales covers.

Great stuff. Grade: A.

Now...on to Flash Archives Vol. 1.

berk

10-18-2005, 05:23 PM

I've been reading the original 8-issue run of Shade the Changing Man. Always liked the story concept in that one. Great 70's-era Ditko stuff.

Rob Allen

10-18-2005, 07:42 PM

I've been reading the original 8-issue run of Shade the Changing Man. Always liked the story concept in that one. Great 70's-era Ditko stuff.I agree completely. That story could be a great movie, with modern CGI providing the "changing".

berk

10-18-2005, 08:34 PM

I agree completely. That story could be a great movie, with modern CGI providing the "changing".Yeah; one of the attractive things about it is that it can be enjoyed art one level as a straight adventure story, but the Ditko strangeness adds another flavour to it. Not just the artwork, or obvious visual elements like Shade's M-Vest effects or the Ditko-weird-scapes of teh Zero-Zone, but the bizarre villains (Form, Khaos, Sude, etc) the Byzantine intrigue, the strange juxtaposition of SF/superhero/fantasy elements with street-level gangster activity in the "Earth-Zone" ... it all makes such a unique conception.

I wonder how much of Ditko's vision was muted by having a scriptor assigned to the series. Some of the villain's names - ""Form", Khaos", and so on - sound as if they might have been intended as semi-allegorical figures in some respects. Khaos's terrorism and the M-Zone government's response to it fit in with the little I know about Ditko's political ideas in a fairly straightforward manner, but some of the other elements aren't quite as obvious. It would have been interesting to see Ditko given free reign to finish the series himself.

Big E

10-18-2005, 10:19 PM

OmegaGuy

10-19-2005, 12:22 PM

Crisis on Infinite Earths

dan bailey

10-19-2005, 12:52 PM

I got Hulk esseintals vol3. It's easy reading and the artwork is very representitive of the time. I feel like im gaining some lost history. In one one issue Namor and the Hulk battled it out underwater. In another Dr. Strange was wearing this cool mask ive never seen him in before. It's almost a prequel to the defenders. Still got some ways before finishing it but so far so good.

i picked up vol 2 a couple of weeks ago, mostly for marie severin's pencils &, later in the book, her brother john's inks over herb trimpe. sheer artistic heaven!

The Wayner

10-19-2005, 01:29 PM

I've enjoyed all 3 of the Hulk essentials. The Dr. Strange and Defenders installments are a must if you can dig the green-skinned goliath. It plays out well.

Right now, I'm patrolling Sector 2814 with the Showcase Hal Jordan. Great stuff!!!

Sir Tim Drake

10-20-2005, 06:19 PM

Rambla arriba, Rambla abajo by Carlos Gimenez

I have to apologize for posting about another comic that's not available in English. It is certainly a classic comic, though.

Rambla arriba, Rambla abajo is an autobiographical story, like much of Gimenez's work, but it's also a panoramic view of Spain near the end of Francisco Franco's reign. The story follows a young cartoonist named Pablo, who represents Gimenez himself, as he wanders through Las Ramblas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramblas) of Barcelona one evening. The centerpiece of the book is a disastrous (and hilarious) sexual encounter between Pablo and an American tourist he picks up. But while this is going on, Gimenez keeps switching the scene away from Pablo, in order to tell little stories about all kinds of other people who are also hanging out on the street. The most powerful of these vignettes, maybe, is one about an old man who has to force himself to swallow his pride and beg for money. But there are many others that are funny rather than sad, or both at the same time. As a result the book becomes a microcosm of the entire society of Barcelona, at the same time that Pablo's story holds it together.

Gimenez's art reminds me of Alex Toth, in terms of his design sense and his spotting of blacks. The difference is Gimenez's incredible eye for detail. Most panels are full of details that have nothing to do with the story, but that add to the atmosphere and create a strong sense of realism. Here are some pages so you can see what I'm talking about:

http://www.carlosgimenez.com/obra/tebeos/rambla/2.gif

http://www.carlosgimenez.com/obra/tebeos/rambla/3.gif

http://www.carlosgimenez.com/obra/tebeos/rambla/4.gif

Gimenez's most famous work is Paracuellos, which is about his childhood in a Fascist orphanage. But this person (http://www.adbd.com/cherche.php?cs=&q=maroto%3Besteban&ch=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ninthart.com%2Fdisplay.php%3Fa rticle%3D671&fm=0) thinks Rambla arriba, Rambla abajo is his best work, and I can't argue with that. This is just an incredible book. I recommend it to anyone who can read Spanish.

Slam_Bradley

10-20-2005, 06:45 PM

Finished up Flash Archives, Vol. 1 reprinting the first eight appearances of Barry Allen, The Flash. Lots of Silver-Age goodness here. I admit that I had to check my brain at the door a couple of times and not try to think of the science (or lack thereof) behind what was happening on the page. But these were great fun, fast-plotted stories.

A few random thoughts. Didn't Barry later have to use the "cosmic treadmill" to travel through time? Because he sure doesn't have to in these issues.

Grodd appears as a villain three issues in a row, but never on the cover.

Good stuff. Solid B+ overall.

Now...on to Essential Thor, vol. 2.

Lone Ranger

10-21-2005, 12:57 PM

My wife Kat gave me this nifty biography for my birthday. Colan is one of the true underappreciated greats of the funnybook business and it’s nice to see him get the bio treatment. The nicely packaged book runs chronically through Colan’s life and career. Highlights include in depth looks at his Tomb of Dracula and Howard the Duck days, including interviews with his collaborators. The section I found the most interesting dealt with the highs and lows of Colan’s transition to DC. I had no idea that it was such a controversial move and that fellow creators (mostly John Byrne – what a dick!) were highly critical of his work. The DC experiment ends badly and Dick Giordano has to play the role of executioner.

My main criticism of the book is the layout. While things are organized chronologically, some of the sidebars are badly placed and the examples of artwork are not always relevant to the matters being discussed on the page. In addition, there is often repetition between the articles and the text of interviews – I would have rather those sections of the articles be deleted to remove the redundancies. I would have also like to focus more on Gene’s pre-60s work as well as some of the more minor project in the 70s.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable read and the artwork reproduces very well in black & white. It is good to see Twomorrows putting together these books, but I must say that their shipping rates are out of this world and they do not package books properly. I don’t mind my copy of Alter Ego being a bit dinged up – but not a book I plan on keeping on my bookshelf.

The Wayner

10-21-2005, 01:11 PM

Didn't Barry later have to use the "cosmic treadmill" to travel through time? Because he sure doesn't have to in these issues.

Not totally sure, but I don't think he ever had to use it.

I really need to dig out my old issues of the Flash. If anything, I'm getting the jones to reread "The Trial" storyline! :eek:

dan bailey

10-21-2005, 01:49 PM

The section I found the most interesting dealt with the highs and lows of Colan’s transition to DC. I had no idea that it was such a controversial move and that fellow creators (mostly John Byrne – what a dick!) were highly critical of his work. The DC experiment ends badly and Dick Giordano has to play the role of executioner.

hmmm ... could you possibly provide a quick summary? i wasn't aware of the controversy involved, either. (heck, having been out of comics for so long, till i picked up a couple of stray copies of jemm son of saturn & night force here in the store last year i didn't even know he'd been at dc!)

colan is indeed one of the all-time greats, a point brought home to me anew just yesterday when i read erik larson's appreciation of his work in his one fan's opinion column. something tells me the twomorrows book will be going on my amazon want list asap ..

MDG

10-21-2005, 02:12 PM

My main criticism of the book is the layout. While things are organized chronologically, some of the sidebars are badly placed and the examples of artwork are not always relevant to the matters being discussed on the page. In addition, there is often repetition between the articles and the text of interviews – I would have rather those sections of the articles be deleted to remove the redundancies. I would have also like to focus more on Gene’s pre-60s work as well as some of the more minor project in the 70s.

I have some of the same problems with the books coming out now on comic creators--some are barely designed, while the Carmine Infantino book was just about "over-designed." Although I can see the problems trying to fit a comic page onto a 9 x 12 book page at a size that makes it legible, there's got to be a better way.

Ditto what seems to be a lack of real editorial focus in some of the books. Some neat tidbits of information, but I find myself either drowning in detail yet hungry for more substance.

MDG

Lone Ranger

10-21-2005, 02:24 PM

hmmm ... could you possibly provide a quick summary? i wasn't aware of the controversy involved, either. (heck, having been out of comics for so long, till i picked up a couple of stray copies of jemm son of saturn & night force here in the store last year i didn't even know he'd been at dc!)

I wasn't aware of the controversy either - as I was just 10 or so when he jumped from Marvel to DC.

I'll try to summarize.

Apparently the move from Marvel was pretty big news in the industry. Colan and Jim Shooter had a big falling out as Shooter was apparently very critical of Colan's storytelling abilities. There were also cheap shots by the likes of John Byrne about Colan cutting corners to crank out the pages.

After the move, Colan was put on some high profile books, including the Bat titles. The was apparently some feeling that DC didn't hire Colan because it wanted Colan, but rather to keep Marv Wolfman happy. Over time Colan wasn't pleasing many of the editors at DC and the work fizzled out and he and his wife had a lunch with Dick Giordano and Pat Bastienne, where Colan learned that his contract wouldn't be renewed.

I don't know how much of the above is true, but the book explores each of the issues I summarized. It seems like Colan's world from 1978-1986 or so was one big soap opera.

Deathstroke

10-23-2005, 09:43 AM

I read Superboy starring the Legion of Superheroes #200 on Friday. The story was "The Legionnaire Bride of Starfinger."

I wasn't all that impressed by the story. Starfinger always seemed to be a rather ridiculous (even for the Silver Age) villain.

Mike Kuypers

10-23-2005, 10:25 AM

That was the issue that led to Dave Cockrum leaving DC for Marvel and the new X-Men. He wanted his original art for the double-page spread back and DC wouldn't let him have it.

Deathstroke

10-23-2005, 10:53 AM

That was the issue that led to Dave Cockrum leaving DC for Marvel and the new X-Men. He wanted his original art for the double-page spread back and DC wouldn't let him have it.

You mean the wedding page spread?

Heraclevs

10-25-2005, 06:19 PM

Detective #344, where Batman & Robin face Johnny Witts. This guy apparently thinks one step ahead of Batman. Batman wins by thinking two steps ahead of Witts. (Things were simpler then!)

Brave and the Bold #64 (1966): Batman vs. Eclipso. Looks like Batman has a real love life goin' on here with a redhead. "Jump the Shark" time; A crook shoots an arrow at the lady. Batman, from a rooftop, snatches the arrow in midflight with his batrope (!!) :confused: :eek: At least in this issue, Eclipso is pretty much mopping the floor with Bats, until Dr. Gordon manages to haul Eclipso back into himself.

Romans 9

MDG

10-25-2005, 06:34 PM

Brave and the Bold #64 (1966): Batman vs. Eclipso. Looks like Batman has a real love life goin' on here with a redhead. "Jump the Shark" time; A crook shoots an arrow at the lady. Batman, from a rooftop, snatches the arrow in midflight with his batrope (!!) :confused: :eek: At least in this issue, Eclipso is pretty much mopping the floor with Bats, until Dr. Gordon manages to haul Eclipso back into himself.
Any of the Brave & Bolds around this time with Julie Schwartz's characters in stories edited by someone else (Boltinoff? Hashdan?) definitely have an odd feel to them.

MDG

Sir Tim Drake

10-25-2005, 08:15 PM

Any of the Brave & Bolds around this time with Julie Schwartz's characters in stories edited by someone else (Boltinoff? Hashdan?) definitely have an odd feel to them.

MDG

It's Kashdan, not Hashdan. I feel obliged to nitpick because his name is so similar to my own.

Deathstroke

10-25-2005, 08:42 PM

Sir Tim Drake

10-25-2005, 10:50 PM

I read Superboy starring the Legion Of Super-Heroes #202.

I liked re-reading The Legionnaire who killed, and the Super-Stalag of Space (though that was a terribly designed villain).

I didn't care much for The Wrath of the Devil-Fish story though.

What did you think of the Colossal Boy/Shrinking Violet solo story? I have a soft spot for that one, mostly because of the line "Shrinking Violet! What were you doing in my neck?"

Mike Kuypers

10-26-2005, 07:13 AM

You mean the wedding page spread?

Yes, the wedding page spread.

Cei-U!

10-26-2005, 10:25 AM

The Essential Tomb of Dracula, Vol. 2

I gotta say up front this is the only Essentials I've bought that didn't fall apart during the first reading. The binding seems to be stronger and the pages are thicker and whiter. I hope this becomes the standard.

There's a reason the original Tomb of Dracula comic ran for seventy issues when so many other monster titles failed: sheer quality. Most of its contemporaries, even those like Swamp Thing and Monster of Frankenstein that enjoyed enormous initial bursts of creativity, quickly degenerated into buffets of horror movie cliches or super-hero punch-em-ups in monster drag.

Marv Wolfman's stories, by contrast, are actually about something. Behind their pulp horror facade, he examines and questions the nature of evil, honor, love, family, courage and heroism. His characterization of the Lord of Vampires as the ultimate manic-depressive--exploding with murderous rage one second, displaying an unexpected gruff tenderness the next--is vivid and compelling. And yet we're never allowed to forget what a monster of bloodlust, perversity and sadism Drac actually is.

The supporting cast, too, have enormous emotional range and depth (the unfortunate exception being Blade the Living Blaxploitation Stereotype, a cool enough character but about a micron deep). This volume introduces two of my favorites: hack writer and Woody Allen wannabe Harold H. Harold and his airheaded inamorata, the unattainable Aurora Rabinowitz. A lot of readers at the time bitched about Marv's use of these broad comic relief characters but without them the dark hopelessness of the storylines would be unbearable.

My biggest bitch about Wolfman? His characters all talk too much. They are without exception in love with the "sounds" of their own voices, never saying anything in less than three times the wordage required. (I have the same problem with his New Teen Titans, incidentally.) ToD would've been much improved by taking a red pencil to its dialogue.

As a Gene Colan fanatic, the art is the main draw for me. Tom Palmer is the definitive Colan inker and they were never better than here. Tomb of Dracula was the perfect marriage of art team and content. Their pages just drip mood. Gene's talent for capturing emotion through facial expression and body language gives the cast a believability and individuality uncommon in horror comics. His beautiful background art, page after page of chiaroscuro snapshots of London and Boston in all seasons and all kinds of weather, create a far different atmosphere than the brightly-lit generic cityscapes prevalent in super-hero stories of the same era. If I have a complaint, it's that Colan's eccentric panel layouts are sometimes confusing (though after 40 years of loving his work, following his layouts have become second nature).

I've always felt that being tied to the Marvel Universe hurt ToD. Knowing that, it's hard to sit through the battle with Doctor Sun that takes up the first half of this volume without wondering why the Avengers or Fantastic Four haven't been called in. I'm willing to suspend my disbelief that far, you understand, but they make it hard on themselves by guest-starring Dr. Strange, Brother Voodoo and (in the first story of Vol. 3) the Silver Surfer. But this is a minor gripe and doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the series.

The stories from Giant-Size Dracula #2-5 included in Vol. 2, though not terrible, suffer by comparison to the surrounding material. They hold up okay as stand-alone stories (though I'm still trying to figure out what the hell's going on in Dave Kraft's plot for #5) and the two that team Don Heck and Frank Springer are a visual treat but their inclusion feels more like an intrusion.

So is the book worth its cover price? You betcha, worth every penny and more. Essential Tomb of Dracula, Vol. 2 gets my highest recommendation.

Cei-U!
I summon the deep breath!

Slam_Bradley

10-26-2005, 10:36 AM

Lone Ranger

10-26-2005, 02:15 PM

My in-laws gave me Golden Age Sandman Archives for my birthday and I have been making my way through this great collection. Even though he wears a mask, he isn't so much of a superhero as a classic noir pulp detective. The strip has a great, moody feel to it.

One of my favourite stories so far is "The Woman in the Evening Dress" which introduces us to a woman named Dian and we learn how the Sandman makes peace with the District Attorney.

The Archive Editions are great, but the credits are very weak in this volume. The foreward talks about the transition of artists from Bert Christman to Ogden Whitney to Creig Flessel, but the credits list Christman on far more issues than he drew. He is even credited for stories signed by Whitney. I find that kind of thing annoying.

All in all, it's good stuff.

dan bailey

10-26-2005, 04:11 PM

via ebay, i've got (all? gcd doesn't seem to address the later issues) 13 issues of ms tree (9 from eclipse, the next 4 from aardvark-vanaheim) in hand. just started ish 9 & have been quite pleased so far. terry beatty's art has an interesting retro feel, occasionally reminding me of certan golden age stuff, sometimes ditko during a sedate mood, every now & then wally wood (or perhaps one of his acolytes, like wayne howard), & maybe dave gibbons at times (possibly because just last week i finally sat down & read watchmen, only 3 years or so after buying the tpb).

(i could've sworn i'd seen beatty's art before, perhaps on one or more issues of hawkworld, but gcd shows no credits for him on pencils or inks that ring any bells, so i guess my memory's playing tricks on me.)

i found the backup feature for issues 2-7, the scythe, somewhat tougher sledding. maybe i wasn't the only one, as they chose to wrap it up with a 4-page prose story. bizarre.

& to think i bought these (& the 3-issue adam strange miniseries from '90) just to round out (translated: help rationalize the shipping charges) my auction win of the '85 6-issue baxter reprinting of deadman. i'm really looking forward to reading those, as i'm 99.9 percent sure i've never read any deadman before, other than the retelling of his origin in an issue of secret origins.

Heraclevs

10-27-2005, 06:15 PM

Justice League of America #46 (1966): Another Crisis team-up between the JLA and JSA. This is a two-parter... I only have part one. People from each earth start inexplicably changing places (Blockbuster for Solomon Grundy, Batman for Black Canary, etc.). Turns out that Earth 1 and Earth 2 are going to collide with one another, and only the Spectre can stop them. The problem is that a third villain, the Anti-Matter Man, has just pummeled the Spectre, so he will be more than a handful for the heroes. Incidentally, Blockbuster is cleaning house against Batman and 4 of the JSA'ers (Wildcat among them), until Batman removes his cowl. Turns out that, some time in the past, Bruce Wayne saved Blockbuster. This reminds me of a creepy :eek: exchange from "Blazing Saddles;"
1) Mongo: "Mongo have strong feelings for Sheriff Bart."
2) Gene Wilder: "Watch it... I think the big fella likes you."
3) Mongo: "Oh, no. Mongo straight!"

Brave & the Bold #67 (1966) (reprint): Teams Batman and the Flash vs. the Speed Boys (crooks with radioactive sneakers). At one point, Batman addresses the Flash as "Flasher." :confused: It's moments like these that make it obvious why Marvel was kicking DC's rump back in those days.

Metamorpho #1 (reprint): this was actually very entertaining, considering it was a DC book from this time period. I just wish Rex had been designed better, but oh well.

Romans 9

Sir Tim Drake

10-27-2005, 08:31 PM

via ebay, i've got (all? gcd doesn't seem to address the later issues) 13 issues of ms tree (9 from eclipse, the next 4 from aardvark-vanaheim) in hand.

You know about the Ms. Tree Quarterly series that DC published, right?

Deathstroke

10-27-2005, 09:02 PM

I read four issues of Superboy starring The Legion of Superheroes.

#203 - "Massacre By Remote Control" - Pretty decent story.

#205 - "The One Man Team" story was beyond lame. "The Outcast Super-Heroes" was okay. I really liked "The Legion of Super-Executioners."

#206 - Both "The Legionnaires Who Haunted Superboy" and "Welcome Home, Daughter--Now Die" stunk.

#207 - "The Rookie Who Betrayed The Legion" was kind of ridiculous.

dan bailey

10-28-2005, 09:09 AM

You know about the Ms. Tree Quarterly series that DC published, right?

yeah, though i've only got issue 1. have had it for several months but haven't read it yet -- was waiting till i got the earlier stuff.

T GUy

10-28-2005, 05:34 PM

Brave & the Bold #67 ... It's moments like these that make it obvious why Marvel was kicking DC's rump back in those days.

Metamorpho #1 (reprint): this was actually very entertaining, considering it was a DC book from this time period.

Yet both these comics were edited by Murray Boltinoff and written by Bob Haney.

Discuss.

mortari

10-28-2005, 09:23 PM

yeah, though i've only got issue 1. have had it for several months but haven't read it yet -- was waiting till i got the earlier stuff.
Ms. Tree was a great book, but there were 50 issues of the black and white, I think maybe a 3d book and If I recall correctly a very good Mike Mauser/Ms. Tree 3 issue mini (at a detective convention where their all named Mike).

Good luck. I ran into a run of them while I was sorting my friend in Zion's store. We (borrowed a run to reread).

Hannah

10-28-2005, 10:08 PM

MDG

10-29-2005, 09:04 AM

Yet both these comics were edited by Murray Boltinoff and written by Bob Haney.

Discuss.

Well, the B&B issue was probably more of an "assignment"--take these two characters (created/developed by another editor and writer) and write a story similar to what's in their books.

Metamorpho was their own character, without a lot of history yet and with a great supporting cast. The various love/hate tensions between Metamorpho, Sapphire, Stagg, and Java were unlike anything in other DC books.

MDG

dan bailey

10-29-2005, 12:41 PM

Amazing Spider-Man 1,2,3
Avengers 1,2,3

I picked up the little Black and White digest type things at Wal Mart for 99 cents. Each one has 3 issue's in it. I still have the Hulk and Fantastic Four to read.

i've been keeping an eye out for these at my 2 local wal-marts, just to pick up as a novelty. haven't come across 'em, though.

where exactly in the store are they turning up? i've seen one mention of the toys aisle ...

Heraclevs

10-29-2005, 02:45 PM

Metamorpho #1[/B] (reprint): this was actually very entertaining, considering it was a DC book from this time period. I just wish Rex had been designed better, but oh well.

Mea Culpa :( . It wasn't Metamorpho #1, it's actually a reprint of his first ever adventure from an issue of Brave & the Bold which # escapes me.

Romans 9

InfoBroker

10-29-2005, 04:36 PM

... his first ever adventure from an issue of Brave & the Bold which # escapes me.

#57 and or 58 IIRC.

-jb the ib

The Wayner

10-30-2005, 07:06 AM

i've been keeping an eye out for these at my 2 local wal-marts, just to pick up as a novelty. haven't come across 'em, though.

where exactly in the store are they turning up? i've seen one mention of the toys aisle ...

I ran across them hanging off an endcap in the toy aisles. They were pretty easy to miss, though. They were in that "junk" toy aisle and had an assortment of stuffed animals hiding them. I just happened to look up and see'em.

Lone Ranger

10-31-2005, 08:25 AM

I put Golden Age Sandman Archives down for a bit and picked up Essential Killraven, and read the first 10 issues or so over the weekend.

I really like the concept for this series (although the HG Wells connection seems tenuous - I don't really understand why they bothered), and the handling of the characters, as I really like the way we slowly learn things about people's backgrounds etc... as it keep the reader intrigued. That being said - I hope they will divulge a bit more about some characters such as Hawk and Old Skull, as I've learned next to nothing about them.

The series had a typical 70s Marvel revolving door of writers and artists, but a high level of quality was maintained. Herb Trimpe especially seems to be having fun with this job - channeling everyone from Jack Kirby to Gil Kane. The team of Rich Buckler and Klaus Janson also did some nice work on their single issue.

I really like the 'trekking across America' idea, as we get to see how each landmark has been transformed. Turning the Lincoln Memorial into a slave auction block is pure genius. I am just getting into the McGregor/Russell stories, so I am looking forward to where the title is heading.

Overall - it's a solid title, that I will give extra bonus points for being novel in concept, even if the execution is a little uneven at times. Put together, I'll give it a solid B, with lots of upside.

As an aside, Kat and I watched Logan's Run the other night, and had a conversation about the lack of High Concept Science-Fiction, which seemed to be everywhere in the 70s - aside from movies like I, Robot and Minority Report (both based on older books), we couldn't think of anything lately that really looked at the relationship between man and machine/technology (a la Blade Runner, Westworld) or man and the environment/nature (Soylent Green, Logan's Run). War of the Worlds/Killraven is a real 'back to nature/post apocalyptic' kind of title, and fit the trend of 70s Sci-Fi. Is it just me, or does that kind of Sci-Fi seem out of style now - did Star Wars lead us into a trap of space operas?

InfoBroker

10-31-2005, 11:26 AM

^While it is still space opera, I am going to highjack this thread momentarily and strongly reccomend you and Kat watch the Firefly based movie Serenity.

Not a strong man to machine cultural exploration, but it is an excellent "save us from the bureacrats' ideas of what makes for a perfect civilization" theme based sci-fic epic. Strong cast, excellent story and special effects.

The Robots CGI animation movie is all about fitting in. Even within the realms of a totally Robot culture. As with nearly stories about robots being treated fairly, you can take the robot element out and apply it to any form human segregation.

There are several Star Trek Voyager episodes dealing with the holographic Doctor examining the the inequality between him and the rest of the crew.

I personally like science in my science fiction, moreso than the heavy trends of space-fantasy and space opera. I enjoy Vinge's work as it continues the traditions of the Asimov's, the Clarke's and the sci-fic side of Henry Kuttner's works.

-jb the Asimovian ib-

The Wayner

10-31-2005, 12:25 PM

And the Lone Ranger's post only brought to mind the Westworld remake soon to rear its head. There's no way they can replicate the pure creepy aura that leaked off Yul Brynner saying: "Draw."

Slam_Bradley

10-31-2005, 03:52 PM

I finished up Essential Thor, Vol. 2 this weekend, reprinting JIM/Thor # 113-136 and Annuals 1 & 2. By Odin's Beard this was great stuff. I'd been a bit disappointed in the first volume, and overall felt that the "Tales of Asgard" back-ups had far outshined the main stories. While Tales was still a highlight of this volume, the main stories held their own and were excellent in their own right.

Thor, at least thus far, is much more plot-driven than a number of other Marvel books of the time. It has none of the family interaction of FF or the soap-opera of Spidey. Thor, really doesn't have a lot of personality and Jane Foster is little more than window-dressing. But, finally, in this volume the plots are worth reading. The Absorbing Man, finally makes a credible foe for Thor. The Trial of the Gods, Loki vs. Thor. The Coming of the Destroyer. The first appearance of Hercules, his defeat of a weakened Thor and Thor's subsequent battle with Pluto on his behalf. The Colonizers of Rigel and Ego the Living Planet. The intro of the High Evolutionary and the Knights of Wundagore. And, what made me happiest, issue 136, and the introduction of Sif and the end of Jane Foster.

It's interesting that a book that is ripe for high fantasy is a great science fiction read. Asgard is truly another planet and the longboats ply the stars rather than the waves in fighting the foes of Odin.

And I don't want to slight the still outstanding "Tales of Asgard" backup. The addition of The Warriors Three, Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg was a great addition to the book.

Kirby's art is outstanding throughout and, though I'm loathe to admit it, this is probably the best work I've ever seen from Vince Colleta. Makes me wonder how much better it would have been to have had Joe Sinnott inking.

A great volume that makes a 3rd Thor book jump up to the top of my want list.

Now, on to Showcase Presents Metamorpho.

Rob Allen

10-31-2005, 04:04 PM

I put Golden Age Sandman Archives down for a bit and picked up Essential Killraven, and read the first 10 issues or so over the weekend.
[...]
I am just getting into the McGregor/Russell stories, so I am looking forward to where the title is heading.

Keep an eye out for a dark-skinned Hispanic character in some of the McGregor issues. Don would take the same basic character over to Eclipse a few years later and call him Sabre.

Cei-U!

10-31-2005, 04:25 PM

Showcase Presents Green Lantern, Vol. 1

If this volume is any indication, DC's answer to Marvel's Essentials line is going to prove its superior in both format and content. The binding is tight, the pages sturdy and bright, the image quality sharp and accurate. And at the bargain price of $9.99 (actually $5.00 with my DCBC discount) for 20 classic Silver Age classics, it's a treat for even a frugal fanboy like yrs truly.

Green Lantern was my favorite DC hero when I was a youngster. There was, of course, the visceral appeal of a magic ring that obeyed one's every command but the series was also my earliest exposure to space opera. I loved the whole concept of a 3600-man squadron of intergalactic policemen, especially as depicted by Gil Kane, whose assortment of parrot-men, turnip-men, space grasshoppers and living crystals were truly *alien* in a way no other contemporary artist's creatures were.

The stories in this volume take their time in establishing the various elements of the GLC mythos, doling out its revelations incrementally, not rushing to explain everything all at once. The Guardians of the Universe don't appear until Green Lantern #1, the rest of the GLC until #7. We also see the first team-up between GL and the Flash outside the JLA book and meet many of GL's rogues gallery: the Weaponers of Qward, Sinestro, Star Sapphire, Sonar. There is a nice balance in the stories between space-opera, super-villains and more pedestrian menaces such as crooks, spies and monsters. Nothing here is particularly deep or innovative but there is an optimism, a joie de vivre that epitomizes DC in the Silver Age. Though obviously geared for a younger, less sophisticated audience than modern comics, I think they stand up well today.

Character definitely comes second to action and plot. As a fearless test pilot, Hal Jordan was a prototypical he-man of Eisenhower's America, cocky yet charming. (Had he been created just two years later, Hal probably would've been an astronaut.) Scripter John Broome does a nice job depicting Hal's early seduction by his newfound fame. I love the scenes of GL dating glamour girls and being lionized at cocktail parties. The supporting cast is small, their relationship to our hero superficial: love interest Carol Ferris, pal Thomas "Pieface" Kalmaku, Hal's "Eskimo grease monkey,"* and the Jordan brothers, district attorney Jack and flighty jokester Jim. But their presence keeps GL's adventures grounded and is, I think, a crucial (and underappreciated) part of these early stories' appeal.

I knew I'd love seeing those stories inked by Murphy Anderson in b&w but I was caught off guard by how good those inked by Joe Giella look. His light touch and delicate modeling, which compliment Kane's increasingly dynamic figurework and open airy layouts, was lost beneath the conventional coloring of the era. And there is nobody, not Swan, not Infantino, not Kirby, who draws more graceful figures in flight than Gil Kane, regardless of pose or angle (and we see GL from every possible angle throughout this collection). This is not the mature Kane but it is gorgeous.

The book includes showcase #22-24 and Green Lantern #1-17. My own collection starts with #17 so I probably won't buy further collections but I'm absolutely delighted to add this volume to my library.** I can't wait til my Jonah Hex volume arrives!

Grade:A

Cei-U!
I summon the brightest day and blackest night!

*Despite his decidely un-PC nickname and his unfortunate penchant for phrases like "Great fish hooks!," Tom is portrayed as intelligent, resourceful, brave and a skilled professional. Hal and Carol clearly regard him (and later his wife Terga) as an equal.

**Anybody interested in a dustjacketless, somewhat scuffed copy of Vol. 1 of the Green Lantern Archives should send me a PM. Perhaps we can work out a trade.

Slam_Bradley

10-31-2005, 04:30 PM

dan bailey

10-31-2005, 05:35 PM

of course, the $9.99 applied only to the first 2 showcase volumes -- superman & gl. not that i'm complaining: i cheerfully forked over whatever i wound up paying (can't remember if my lcs discount is 10 percent or 15 percent) for the metamorpho, too, & will do the same for the others.

Lone Ranger

11-01-2005, 06:28 AM

^While it is still space opera, I am going to highjack this thread momentarily and strongly reccomend you and Kat watch the Firefly based movie Serenity.

I've heard good things about it, JB. I never watched the show, but the overall glowing reviews for this movie has increased my interest. It's too bad that it hasn't performed too well at the box office - not much of a marketing campaign.

Lone Ranger

11-01-2005, 06:34 AM

Showcase Presents Green Lantern, Vol. 1
Character definitely comes second to action and plot. As a fearless test pilot, Hal Jordan was a prototypical he-man of Eisenhower's America, cocky yet charming.

I picked this up last week on sale. It certainly does look great - I've read some of the early stories here and there but I am looking forward to plowing through a bunch of issues in one sitting.

I agree that someone about the whole package looks superior to the Essentials product - I can't quite put my finger on what it is, though.

It's funny you mention the test pilot as prototypical he-man. Last night for our scary Halloween movie, Kat and I watched the old House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price. The haunted house has a varied group of guests, and do you know what the cocky young hotshot did for a living? You got it, test pilot.

Hannah

11-03-2005, 12:13 AM

i've been keeping an eye out for these at my 2 local wal-marts, just to pick up as a novelty. haven't come across 'em, though.

where exactly in the store are they turning up? i've seen one mention of the toys aisle ...

I found them in the book section of the local Wal Mart. They have a new Spider-Man that has 4,5,6 reprinted in it. I didn't get it yet but I will when I go back to Wal Mart.

Venoman

11-05-2005, 05:58 AM

Sir Tim Drake

11-05-2005, 09:02 AM

ive just been reading all the spiderman from AF #15 through to AS #30... i have read them before but im just re-reading... they make good commuting reading except people are always giving me the eye... and my this guy sarcastically said "very intellectual"

I got a very similar comment once, when I was reading an Essential Spider-Man while working at the college cafeteria. I think it's best to just ignore comments like that. I'm not ashamed of reading Spider-Man, or even Donald Duck, so why should I care if ignorant people disapprove of my doing so?

EDIT: Welcome to CBR, by the way.

InfoBroker

11-05-2005, 10:24 AM

I'm not ashamed of reading Spider-Man...

Well... ummmm

For me, it would depend on which Spider-man comics I was reading. Obviously not this batch that Venoman is devouring.

-jb the (there are some issues that I would be handling with tongs) ib-

Venoman

11-05-2005, 10:40 AM

which issues would you be embarresed to read? i dont know if i could be embarresed to read anything of spiderman... i wasnt embarresed just thought this guy was a jerk

Sir Tim Drake

11-05-2005, 01:17 PM

which issues would you be embarresed to read? i dont know if i could be embarresed to read anything of spiderman... i wasnt embarresed just thought this guy was a jerk

There are so many... the Clone saga, the issues drawn by Todd McFarlane but not written by Michelinie, Spider-Man: Chapter One... really, pretty much any Spider-Man comics from the last two decades other than those written by Stern, Michelinie, Straczynski or Busiek.

Venoman

11-05-2005, 02:00 PM

yeah i guess anything from the 80's or 90's pretty much sucked ill admit that

InfoBroker

11-06-2005, 01:26 PM

yeah i guess anything from the 80's or 90's pretty much sucked ill admit that

I don't concur. The Roger Stern, John Romita Jr. run occurred in the 80s. I consider that the best run of Spider-man since Stan stopped writting the series in the early 70s.

The Todd McFarlane run, while not exactly masterpeices of classic storytelling, have some great comic visuals, especially the covers. They make for interesting studies into the colorful aspects of Spidey's villains.

Kurt Busiek's wonderful Untold Tales are the few web-spun jewels of the 90s.

The Spider-man mythos is one of the best mythologies of the 20th century, despite a tremendous amount of very bad material being produced over the years. Steve, Stan and later John Romita Sr, developed such a strong, well realized everyman hero, that any mediocre handling of the charater and his trendous supporting cast becomes insulting in my eyes.

Of all the silver-age classics created by Jack, Steve, Stan, Don, John and Gene; the post-1969 Spider-man comics are the most imcomplete comics in my collection. This can be be attritrbuted to my deep appreciation for the well constructed depth of the characters, and the fascination stories engendered in those first 100 or so issue. They are personally dear to me. So when the stories are mediocre, when the execution is poor and explotive, it poisons the essence of a tremendous property.

The material that stays true to the core concepts (the bulk of the JR JR runs, the Stern stories and the Untold Tales by Kurt Busiek) are the few Spider-man comics besides Stan's, Steve's and John Sr.'s that populate my collection. Like the originals, they are the stuff that get read and reread with admiration and appreciation.

-jb the radioactive ib-

Prelude

11-06-2005, 08:13 PM

Archie's Girls, Betty and Veronica #320

I was able to read the introduction of Cheryl Blossom, Riverdale's premier red head. Without giving anything away, Cheryl walks the edge and tries to go topless on the beach.

I think Cheryl Blossom is the most useless Riverdale character and she should be barred from Archie stories forever. If Betty and Veronica represent opposite values, how does Ms. Blossom fit in? She appears to be an extreme version of Veronica. Is that even necessary?

Really, no one should be allowed to best my beloved brunette.

Venoman

11-07-2005, 01:46 PM

umm i havnt read too many of the 80's comics but what comes to mind is alot of colour, space and the whole clone saga.. can you suggest any decent comics?

Sir Tim Drake

11-07-2005, 04:50 PM

umm i havnt read too many of the 80's comics but what comes to mind is alot of colour, space and the whole clone saga.. can you suggest any decent comics?

You mean '80s Spider-Man comics specifically? I recommend:

Marvel Team-Up #59-79 or so: This is a prime Claremont/Byrne collaboration. It's not as well-inked as their X-Men run, but the stories are often more fun. Check credits before buying because I don't think Claremont and Byrne did all of these issues. (This is actually from the late '70s, but it has an '80s sensibility.)

Amazing Spider-Man #224-251: the Stern/JR Jr. run (mostly). Start with #231-232 and #248.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #14 and #15: The main attraction of these is the Frank Miller artwork, but the stories are also very clever.

Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110: The Death of Jean DeWolff.

Amazing Spider-Man #298-317 or thereabouts: The Michelinie/McFarlane run. Some pretty good artwork if not the best writing.

Marvel Team-Up #100-150 or thereabouts: Some people here really like the J.M. DeMatteis/Kerry Gammill run on this series. I've just started getting into it myself.

Heraclevs

11-08-2005, 03:42 PM

Metal Men #21 (Sept, 1966): Vs. the Plastice Men. Pretty funny cameo by, among others, Batman & Robin. Batman & Robin are from the tv series, which is bluntly called out in the cameo.

Detective #359 (reprint) (Jan, 1967): First appearance of Batgirl.

Detective # 368 (Oct, 1967): "The 7 Wonder Crimes of Gotham City."

- Romans 9

Hannah

11-08-2005, 11:37 PM

I just read Tomb of Dracula #1 and #2. I have to say they aged really well.

Sir Tim Drake

11-11-2005, 12:49 PM

I just started the Bone One Volume Edition. I'd forgotten how hilarious and charming those first few Bone stories were. I'm afraid that the series will get less funny and more formulaic as it goes on, but it should still be quite an experience to read all 1300 pages of it in order.

By the way-- good Lord, this book is huge. I think it's the longest graphic novel ever published in a single volume, unless anyone knows of a bigger one?

Hannah

11-11-2005, 12:58 PM

I have finally gotten up to issue 8 of Tomb of Dracula.

Slam_Bradley

11-11-2005, 09:15 PM

Finished up Showcase Presents: Metamorpho. An incredibly fun book. I've always been a big fan of Bob Haney's mostly from Brave & Bold and this book did nothing to change that opinion. The faux hip langauge was a hoot. The Element Man's powers are versatile and interesting. And the love tangle with Rex, Sapph, Java and Urania was a ton of fun.

Art-wise, while Ramona Fradon was the star of the book, Charles Paris may have been the unsung hero. His inks made, for me, the transition from Fradon to Orlando to Trapani less jarring.

The downpoints of the book came at the end. The fact that issue #17 ended on a cliff-hanger was a bummer. And the B & B team-ups with the Metal Men and Batman and the JLA guest appearance were significantly weaker than any of the stories in the main series.

A great book though. Grade: A -

Prelude

11-11-2005, 10:57 PM

Sir Tim Drake

11-11-2005, 11:34 PM

Completed my reading of "essential Archie" by reading the Adventures of Little Archie trade paperback, featuring Bob Bolling stories. A great read.

The stories were creative and entertaining, covering a wide range of ideas you normally wouldn't find in traditional Archie comics. There were Martians, pirates, robots from a mad doctor and his hair-combing sidekick, time travel, a bicycle theft ring, and more.

Sadly, Little Veronica wasn't included. Nor was I able to see the Little Ambrose character that Bolling briefly mentioned in the foreword. Other than that, I was pleased that the stories met and exceeded my expectations.

That's an awesome book. The only disappointment for me was that it didn't include "The Long Walk," which is supposedly Bolling's best story. I hope they release more collections of Bolling's Little Archie stories, because the original issues are pretty tough to find.

I have finally gotten up to issue 8 of Tomb of Dracula.

The series starts to get significantly better at about this point. Getting through the early Conway- and Fox-written issues are something of a chore, but it's worth it.

Heraclevs

11-12-2005, 05:38 PM

World's Finest #175 (May, 1968). Vs. the Superman-Batman Revenge Squads. Awesome early artwork by Neal Adams.

World's Finest #176 (June, 1968). An alien convinces Superman to protect him from alien bounty hunters. Meanwhile, Batman is convinced by another alien that Superman's alien is really a criminal. Superman enlists Batgirl :D to help him defeat Batman, and likewise Batman joins forces with Supergirl :D to beat Superman. Additionally, Ronin and Jimmy Olsen team-up, but they get knocked out of action early due to a mysterious gas. In the end, an actor has been playing both aliens all along. More great art by Neal Adams. With all the recent threads about Superman and Batman acting like jerks, it's interesting to note that it was Superman in this story that "gassed" Robin and Jimmy. :eek:

World's Finest #'s 178 & 180 (reprints). An imaginary story where Superman loses his powers and dons the "Nova" disguise so he can continue to fight crime. An eerie foreshadowing of indentity Crisis here. Some criminals learn that Batman is really Bruce Wayne. Batman's response: "No sweat. I'll just get Green Lantern to wipe their memories." :eek: Art by Curt Swan and Jack Abel.

- Romans 9

Deathstroke

11-12-2005, 06:09 PM

Superboy starring The Legion of Superheroes #208.

Kind of goofy stories the three that were featured here.

Superboy Starring The Legion of Superheroes #209

It seemed a rather small time story, but it was actually a good read, Who Can Save The Princess? Princess Projectra falls victim to the Pain Plague. The back up story Hero For A Day left me cold though.

Sir Tim Drake

11-22-2005, 04:26 PM

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #204: Unless I'm missing something, Deathstroke seems to have reviewed all the issues from #201 to #209 except this one.

The first story, "The Legionnaire Nobody Remembered," is not that great. It doesn't include many interesting character moments. It seems to establish that Superboy's tryout in Adventure Comics #247 was his second tryout for the Legion and not his first, a retcon which I don't like, and Anti-Lad's head looks uncomfortably like male genitalia.

But the second story, "Brainiac 5's Secret Weakness," might be my favorite Legion story of this era. In this story Brainy's passion for Supergirl drives him literally nuts, in a way that's scary and pitiful but also strangely touching. Grell's artwork is as good as any of his jobs from this period, and I laughed out loud at a caption that referred to Brainy as Supergirl's "amorous ally." Character-driven stories like this one are perhaps my favorite type of Legion story.

Lone Ranger

11-25-2005, 09:50 AM

The Golden Age TPB

For some reason, I never had this book as part of my collection. I have always meant to pick it up but never got around to it. I grabbed it a couple of weeks ago on sale, and eagerly anticipated sitting down to read it as I have heard so many good things about it. Often when my expectations are high, I am ultimately disapointed. That was not the case here, however, as I plowed through this volume last Saturday morning absorbing all of its goodness. I love a period piece, and this story is lush with post-WW2. Often these 'cast of thousands' type stories end up being a bit superficial, as character development is glossed over. James Robinson avoids this problem, but focusing on a handful of characters, while leaving the read of superherodom to fill in the background. Paul Smith's artwork is quite nice as he is able to handle the quiet moments as nicely as the action. What really caught my eye, though, was the coloring job by Richard Ory. Often I don't even think of the colorist when I am reading a comic book, but Ory's work here is beautiful. Overall, this is a great read - probably the best Elseworlds tale I have ever read as it tells a totally different story, without losing sight of the fundamental characterisitics of each of the players. The TPB features a great introduction by Howard Chaykin as well. Overall Grade: A

Slam_Bradley

11-25-2005, 11:03 AM

Essential Killraven

This is one of those books I was really looking forward to coming out and to reading. I'd never read any of Killraven's adventures before...the book was nearing its end-days when I started buying comics in late 1975 - early '76 and it just wasn't the kind of book that I'd have bought at age 8.

After finishing the book, I was a little disappointed. I think this was more a result of my expectations than of any real defect in the work contained in the book.

It started off with a bang with a good plot and script in issue one and great art by Neal Adams and Howard Chaykin. There was definitely a sense of discontinuity in the first few issues as the writing and art teams changed issue by issue, though overall there was nothing to complain about in any individual issue.

Issue 27 saw P. Craig Russell come on board and the team of McGregor and Russell was set (overall) for the remainder of the run. I run hot and cold on McGregor. Some of his work I really like, some is just too overwritten. This series came very close to the latter at times, but never quite crossed the line. It was a joy to watch the growth of Craig Russell as a penciller. Certainly the high point of the book. And it is one of those books I'd have liked to have seen in color, particularly those issues in which Russell did the colors. I have to think it would have tied in closely with the artwork.

One of the areas the book fell down for me was the characterization of the cast of characters. It was nice to see M'Shulla, a black character that was close to an equal to the lead, Killraven. But he never really developed in to a fully realized character for me. Nor, for that matter, did Killraven, Carmilla or Hawk. The exception was Old Skull, who is probably my favorite character in the series.

Maybe my expectations were to high. There was nothing here that I actively hated. Just not quite as much as I was hoping for.

Grade: B

Lone Ranger

11-25-2005, 01:52 PM

Essential Killraven

After finishing the book, I was a little disappointed.

I finished it recently, too and I was more than a little disappointed. I had pretty high hopes and went into it quite open-minded, ready for any mid-70s weirdness.

Actually, considering there was such a revolving door or talent, the first half dozen issues were quite good. When the McGregor/Russell team took hold, the book did seem to be heading in the right direction for a while and then simply skidded off the side of the road.

This collection contained one or two of the worst comics I have ever read, and you are spot on about the lack of characterization. By the time Hawk died, I thought he'd already been dead for several issues. I know that McGregor has a ton of detractors, but I like quite a bit of what he has written, and there is some good stuff in here, but when it's bad - it is really, really bad. I found the last third of the book to be almost unreadable.

I have got to say that Herb Trimpe does a nice job on some of those early issues. I would have liked to see what a team like Wolfman/Colan would have done on this title.

My Grade: C-

Sir Tim Drake

11-25-2005, 04:03 PM

By the time [spoiler!] Hawk died, I thought he'd already been dead for several issues.

There is actually an HTML tag for just this purpose:

[ spoil] [ /spoil]

Remove the spaces first, of course.

This space intentionally left blank.

Rob Allen

11-25-2005, 05:17 PM

OK, since a couple of you have just read Killraven - I recently read the assertion that one of the Freemen that McGregor introduced was an early version of Sabre, who was the star of a series published by Eclipse in the late 70s/early 80s, written by McGregor with art by Russell and Gulacy. Anyone recognize the character in the Killraven book? He supposedly has the same name, weaponry and general appearance as the Eclipse character.

As for the series, your comments echo my memories - it started off really well, stumbled a bit, got back on track with McGregor & Russell, and then went rapidly downhill. One of those cases where the potential in the ideas was great, but the actual comics didn't live up to it.

Sir Tim Drake

11-25-2005, 06:29 PM

Lone Ranger

11-25-2005, 06:51 PM

There is actually an HTML tag for just this purpose:

[ spoil] [ /spoil]

Remove the spaces first, of course.

This space intentionally left blank.

Thanks - I knew there was some way of doing it, but couldn't figure it out so I improvised.

Rob Allen

11-25-2005, 06:58 PM

Was it M'Shulla?The statement I read said he was called Sabre, but I haven't been able to check the Killraven comics so I'm not sure. I think M'Shulla was introduced before McGregor started scripting, so I think it wasn't him.

Slam_Bradley

11-25-2005, 07:43 PM

The statement I read said he was called Sabre, but I haven't been able to check the Killraven comics so I'm not sure. I think M'Shulla was introduced before McGregor started scripting, so I think it wasn't him.

If he was there he was well hidden. I don't recall seeing him. I'll check again when I get back to the house. The only Sabre I've read was the original graphic novel. Absolutely gorgeous art by Gulacy, but McGregor has the worst case of diarrhea of the pen that I've ever seen on that book.

InfoBroker

11-26-2005, 01:39 PM

Visually there is a strong link between the Eclipse Sabre and m'Shulla. It's been too long since I read either series to remember if they have common personality traits and similar actions/mannerisms.

-jb the (I guess I'm not the know-it-all I thought I was) ib-

scratchie

11-27-2005, 08:33 PM

Don't know if this counts as "classic" but I just read the complete run (1-10) of Kirby's "2001: A Space Odyssey".

As is typical for most of the Kirby 70s work I've read, the artwork is superb (with lots of double-page spreads) and the writing is borderline-incoherent. The artwork was much more impressive than the somewhat-disappointing "Omac" series from a few years earlier and the story picked up considerably in the second half of the run ("Norton of New York" and especially the early Machine Man stories which were getting pretty far afield from the original 2001 concept).

"Omac" (which I read a few weeks ago) was simultaneously fascinating and frustrating. The artwork didn't feature as many classic Kirby "panoramic" frames as I was expecting. Some of the ideas were spot-on (e.g. the mechanical friends, or Mr. Big renting an entire city for a party) and I love the way Kirby refers to "The World That's Coming" instead of "The World of the Future", since the former phrase implies that the world of Omac is not very far removed from our own (a concept that seems to have eluded John Byrne when he was plotting his sequel).

But overall, none of the really interesting ideas were actually fleshed out (e.g. why were the Global Peace Agents prohibited from using violence? And why didn't that prohibition apply to Omac, who was their "employee"? And is there any possible downside to having an all-powerful surveillance satellite as the hero's "sidekick"?). Basically, a lot of teases with very little payoff. I think the series (and "2001") would have benefited considerably if Kirby had been willing to hand off at least the "editor" hat to someone else.

Slam_Bradley

12-01-2005, 01:04 PM

Showcase Presents: Superman, Vol. 1

Sometime in the early fall of 1975, little almost 8 year-old Slam Bradley went in to the local grocery store. He purchased three comic books, one Detective, one Justice League of America and one World's Finest. The common theme was that Batman was on the cover. Little Slam, having grown up on re-runs of the Adam West Batman was a huge fan of the character. Slowly he branched out from Batman related books. Flash. Green Lantern. Spider-man. Some cousins from Minnesota introduced him to Thor, Captain America and The Hulk. Overall, his favorites remained Batman and Spider-man, but he tolerated most of the books on the market and liked a lot of them. In fact the only exception, the one character he actively hated was Superman. Oh, he was tolerable if it was in JLA or if Bats was around in World's Finest, but I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of issues of Action or Superman that found their way into my collection. Years later, I was happy about the Byrne revamp. The character wasn't great, but was at least semi-interesting.

Forward a few more years and I discover the internet. I also find that I'm possibly the only "old-timer" that actively hates the Silver/Bronze Age Superman. So, DC puts out a volume of the early SA Superman books. And I pick it up, hoping that maybe I'll see the light.

And lo, there was no epiphany. I DON'T GET SUPERMAN. I've tried. But I don't get it. It's not the era of comics. I've recently read the Metamorpho book (somewhat later, admittedly) and liked it. I've recently re-read the first two Flash Archives (very contemporaneous) and I liked them quite a bit. But Superman? No way. With Flash I was easily able to put aside the scientific issues that could niggle at me and just enjoy the story. But with these books there is just too much.

How is it that the planet Earth wasn't knocked out of orbit when apparently the entire bulk of the planet Krypton hit the Earth? I don't think there was a single issue of Superman or Action that didn't have someone with copious amounts of Kryptonite in hand. I understand the "fun" of the Lois/Clark/Superman triangle...I just don't see it.

Art-wise, it's nice. I like the Swan covers. I'm a bigger fan of Boring most current fans. I think Plastino was decent. And Schaffenberger's stories were the gems of the book, art-wise.

But when it comes to the stories, I DON'T GET IT! So, I've come full circle. Little Slam and nearing middle-age Slam meet...and both of us hate the Silver/Bronze age Superman.

dan bailey

12-01-2005, 02:36 PM

slam bradley, you are dead to me. dead. when you speak (ok -- post), i hear only the buzzing of mindless insects ...

*choke*

Slam_Bradley

12-01-2005, 02:58 PM

slam bradley, you are dead to me. dead. when you speak (ok -- post), i hear only the buzzing of mindless insects ...

*choke*

I really did expect this reaction.

Really.

Not necessarily from you...but I expected it, nonetheless.

MWGallaher

12-01-2005, 03:16 PM

Don't worry, Slam, I bet a lot of us could make similar confessions. I, for example, feel very much the same about--dare I say it?--Captain America. I bought the first two volumes of Cap's Essentials (mainly to keep my Marvel Kirby bookshelf intact), and I read them, but I could do little more than just look at the pretty pictures. Nor have I particularly enjoyed any of his Golden Age stuff, even the Simon & Kirby tales I've seen. Don't like Stern & Byrne's, nor Gruenwald's, nor Waid's, couldn't care less if he were in the Avengers or not. Every time I see somebody mention that their "favorite hero is Captain America" I have an instinctive puzzlement as to how that could have ever happened--what did they see that I missed?

dan bailey

12-01-2005, 04:20 PM

whereas, as i've mentioned somewhere before, the jla is the one even moderately prominent title i can think of that i never acquired a single copy of during my comics-buying heyday in the '60s & '70s. toss out the 80-page giants & 100-page super-spectaculars that i bought over the last couple of years, & one solitary issue of demattais & giffen's annual from the late '80s that i procured a couple of months ago, & that's still true even as this is typed.

though i do have a copy of the first demattais-giffen tpb coming from mile high ... (i don't think the formerly known as tpb & the i can't believe it's not run in jla classified count.)

TheHistorian

12-01-2005, 08:19 PM

Don't worry, Slam, I bet a lot of us could make similar confessions.

Here's mine, Slam:

Kirby's art leaves me cold. I can appreciate it at a technical level, but it doesn't really work for me. I've tried repeatedly, but eventually I just gave up.

I hope you feel better about yourself (while watching me burned as a heretic).

Graham Vingoe

12-02-2005, 04:56 AM

Mike Kuypers

12-02-2005, 07:36 AM

I give you credit for trying, Slam. I don't think I could pay $10 and read 550 pages of, say, Punisher stories.

dan bailey

12-02-2005, 07:39 AM

I give you credit for trying, Slam. I don't think I could pay $10 and read 550 pages of, say, Punisher stories.

if curt swan drew 'em, i could look at 550 pp of punisher stories ...

Slam_Bradley

12-02-2005, 08:04 AM

if curt swan drew 'em, i could look at 550 pp of punisher stories ...

There is precious little Swan art in this particular book. Most of the covers and a couple of 8-page stories. The art was fine. I don't mind Boring or Plastino. And I rather like Schaffenberger. But the stories...shudder.

Slam_Bradley

12-02-2005, 08:07 AM

I'm with Slam on the Superman issue- Whilst I've tried to read Supes at many times in the past, I've never enjoyed it to any great extent.There's always been some part of me that refuses to believe that there could be any character that powerful. It was only Alan Moores take on the character that has ever really clicked with me.

Time for another admission. I didn't even care for Moore's take on Superman. I did love "For the Man Who Has Everything" (I think that's the title) the Annual where Batman and Robin and Wonder Woman celebrate his birthday...but I like Mongul as a villain...and it had Batman. But I thought "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" was one of Moore's worst stories.

Slam_Bradley

12-02-2005, 08:10 AM

I give you credit for trying, Slam. I don't think I could pay $10 and read 550 pages of, say, Punisher stories.

The ten bucks isn't a big deal. I'll give the book to my four year old. He'll love it. And I don't mind the time spent reading it. Much of the art was good and I'm just a sucker for any comics history.

But now I'm going to read Essential Avengers, Vol. 5 to cleanse my palate. Roy Thomas at his best. And art by Barry Smith, John Buscema, Neal Adams...Yeah!

Graham Vingoe

12-02-2005, 08:35 AM

But now I'm going to read Essential Avengers, Vol. 5 to cleanse my palate. Roy Thomas at his best. And art by Barry Smith, John Buscema, Neal Adams...Yeah!

Again, I agree with you, Slam - I'll sacrifice any of my regular monthlies in order to get hold of Essential Avengers Vol 5

T GUy

12-03-2005, 05:05 AM

Rob Allen, I recently read the assertion that one of the Freemen that McGregor introduced was an early version of Sabre, who was the star of a series published by Eclipse in the late 70s/early 80s, written by McGregor with art by Russell and Gulacy. Anyone recognize the character in the Killraven book? He supposedly has the same name, weaponry and general appearance as the Eclipse character.

Sabre is not a Freeman, but a villain, and later hero, in two or three of McGregor's earlier WotW episodes - he's in No. 22 and a couple round there. Apart from race, he's virtually identical to the later McGregor hero from the GN published by Eclipse (IIRR).

T GUy

12-03-2005, 05:28 AM

scratchie, Don't know if this counts as "classic" but I just read the complete run (1-10) of Kirby's "2001: A Space Odyssey".

This counts as classic.

As is typical for most of the Kirby 70s work I've read, the artwork is superb (with lots of double-page spreads) and the writing is borderline-incoherent.

I have always attributed any response I have to Kirby's writing as 'borderline-incoherent' to my lack of understanding of the King's ideas, particularly in 2001: A Space Odyssey, that series revealing the meaning of life and the secret of the universe with the problem that Kirby is the only man highly evolved enough to understand what he was on about.

The artwork was much more impressive than the somewhat-disappointing "Omac" series from a few years earlier

From my memory of OMAC (=I can't be bothered to dig out my copies to study them) I'd agree with you. Kirby's work goes up and down, usually depending on his interest in the project - look at the vast plumet in quality between the Eternals No.s 13 and 14; as soon as Kirby was forced to introduce 'the Hulk' the art suddenly looks like early Barry Smith or someone imitating Kirby. Simultaneously, IIRR, he was producing magnificent work on 2001 (I've just looked it up: Eternals 14 and 2001 9 are the same coverdate, Aug. '78). However, getting back on topic, I don't see how this could affect the relative art quality between OMAC and 2001... unless in the minor way that he had even more interest in the latter project than the former.

A Sudden Thought: isn't it interesting that two of Kirby's best works of the 1970s are based on other people's creations?

and the story picked up considerably in the second half of the run ("Norton of New York" and especially the early Machine Man stories which were getting pretty far afield from the original 2001 concept).

I prefer the earlier issues of 2001, myself... but I've not read the Mr Machine 'trilogy' for a while. I might have to dig that out one day and give it another shot.

Fred2

12-04-2005, 01:43 PM

Read Brave and the Bold 129-130. Has a team up with Batman and Green Arrow (plus the Atom). Interesting counter team up with Joker and Two-Face.

I am curious if this was the first team-up with Joker/Two-Face.

I heard that there were actually few pre-crisis villain team-ups.

Was their ever a Joker/Penguin/Riddler/Catwoman team-up like in the Batman TV movie?

MWGallaher

12-04-2005, 04:50 PM

World's Finest Comics #323. This was the last in the original run, with a cover showing Superman and Batman waving goodbye to each other before a setting sun.
This wasn't a bad story at all: our villain, Nightwolf, has an ancient Mexican Indian belt that allows him to force darkness on Metropolis and Gotham. Superman dives in and gets taken down for most of the story, rescued by Batman, who concludes the issue by telling him to leave the "dark night" stuff to the "Dark Knight".
Alfredo Alcala brings the usual--and frankly inappropriate--Alcala look to Jose Delbo's conventional pencils. There's a poorly thought-out action scene where Batman saves a woman from a mystical wolf by swooping down on his batrope and snatching her to safety...only problem is, he does this in a subway boarding area...exactly where is he swooping from, and swooping to?!
One interesting aspect to note is the diminishment of omniscient captions. All but abandoned today, and yet ubiquitous in the 70's, I'd never noticed exactly when captions begand to disappear. Writer Joey Cavalieri uses some on the last few pages, to emphasize the rift in our two heroes (rather unconvincingly, but evidence suggests that he was interrupted with this cancellation--what appears to be a running subplot with a mysterious villain called the Powerbroker dangles), but most of the issue is devoid of captions. I remember that Mike W. Barr was noted for avoiding captions in his mid-80's work (like BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS), so I guess the trend must have started gaining ground around the same time as this 1985 finale to WF.

T GUy

12-04-2005, 05:04 PM

MWG: One interesting aspect to note is the diminishment of omniscient captions. All but abandoned today, and yet ubiquitous in the 70's, I'd never noticed exactly when captions begand to disappear. ...I remember that Mike W. Barr was noted for avoiding captions in his mid-80's work (like BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS), so I guess the trend must have started gaining ground around the same time as this 1985 finale to WF.

Haul out some DCs from the mid-Bronze period and compare the narration in anything edited by Joe Kubert with one of Joe Orlando's mystery books. There's a difference there - though not as apparant as taking one of those Kuberts and comparing it with anything written by Dauntless Don McGregor. More. An issue of G. I. Combat from Archie Goodwin's tenure comes to mind in whch the lead Haunted Tank story has fourteen words in captions in about the same number of pages.

And any Kanigher Rock or Von Hammer story has no omniscient captions (even - or, perhaps rather especially) the ones when Kanigher was editing himself back in the 'sixties).

Mike Kuypers

12-04-2005, 09:34 PM

Was their ever a Joker/Penguin/Riddler/Catwoman team-up like in the Batman TV movie?

In 1966 there was an original text novel by Winston Lyon (who?) called Batman Vs. the Three Villains of Doom. It teamed up the Joker, Penguin and Catwoman. I'm not aware of any comic story that teamed up the four villains you named.

Sir Tim Drake

12-05-2005, 09:34 AM

In 1966 there was an original text novel by Winston Lyon (who?) called Batman Vs. the Three Villains of Doom. It teamed up the Joker, Penguin and Catwoman. I'm not aware of any comic story that teamed up the four villains you named.

All four of those characters appeared in Batman #400. Also, I remember a cover that appeared on Cheeks's site once, which showed a bunch of villains standing around Batman's grave and taking credit for having killed him. I think it was an issue of Detective from the late '70s or mid-'80s, but I can't find the image anymore. The villains may have included the four that Fred mentioned.

Slam_Bradley

12-05-2005, 09:43 AM

All four of those characters appeared in Batman #400. Also, I remember a cover that appeared on Cheeks's site once, which showed a bunch of villains standing around Batman's grave and taking credit for having killed him. I think it was an issue of Detective from the late '70s or mid-'80s, but I can't find the image anymore. The villains may have included the four that Fred mentioned.

The cover was from Batman #291. It was the start of a four issue story in which various Bat-villains told how they "killed" Batman. The four stories were Catwoman, Riddler, Luthor and the Joker. I don't believe Penguin appeared.

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=31389&zoom=4

Cei-U!

12-05-2005, 09:48 AM

All four of those characters appeared in Batman #400.

True, but Catwoman fought on Batman's side in that story.

Also, I remember a cover that appeared on Cheeks's site once, which showed a bunch of villains standing around Batman's grave and taking credit for having killed him. I think it was an issue of Detective from the late '70s or mid-'80s, but I can't find the image anymore. The villains may have included the four that Fred mentioned.

That would be Batman #291, the first of a four-issue story in which various villains claim to have killed Old Cape-and-Cowl. All four villains are participants, though I think Catwoman is again on the side of the angels.

Cei-U!
I summon the rogues gallery!

Slam_Bradley

12-05-2005, 09:51 AM

True, but Catwoman fought on Batman's side in that story.

That would be Batman #291, the first of a four-issue story in which various villains claim to have killed Old Cape-and-Cowl. All four villains are participants, though I think Catwoman is again on the side of the angels.

Cei-U!
I summon the rogues gallery!

Beatcha.

I feel so superior beating the reigning comics guru.

Cei-U!

12-05-2005, 09:53 AM

Beatcha.

I feel so superior beating the reigning comics guru.

I'da got away with it too if it weren't for you nosy kids!

Cei-U!
I twirl my handlebar!

Slam_Bradley

12-05-2005, 09:54 AM

I'da got away with it too if it weren't for you nosy kids!

Cei-U!
I twirl my handlebar!

I love posting somewhere that I can be considered a "kid."

Rob Allen

12-05-2005, 02:23 PM

Sabre is not a Freeman, but a villain, and later hero, in two or three of McGregor's earlier WotW episodes - he's in No. 22 and a couple round there. Apart from race, he's virtually identical to the later McGregor hero from the GN published by Eclipse (IIRR).Thanks, TG! I'm glad to have that cleared up.

Cei-U!

12-05-2005, 03:09 PM

Detective Comics #279 (May 1960)

The late '50s/early '60s were a dire period for Batman fans. Editor Jack Schiff subjected the Dynamic Duo to an endless string of aliens, monsters and silly super-villain also-rans wholly unsuited to the character, and this issue is no exception.

"The Creatures Who Stalked the Batman" is badly-plotted nonsense from beginning to end. An extradimensional robot lawman and his "electronic bloodhound" (a huge, dopey-looking monster) come to Earth via a scientist's interdimensional transporter and chase Batman around Gotham. It seems a crook impersonating Bats stole a weapon from the robot's home world (though how he got to the dimension and why he dressed as Batman while doing so is never explained). Illustrating this turkey is Sheldon Moldoff (with inks by Charles Paris), the most prolific and least talented of the Bob Kane ghosts. His art--sloppy, stiff, ugly--is made even worse by coloring predominated by pinks and other pastels. Dreadful trash. Grade: D

This issue's Martian Manhunter episode, "The Impossible Inventions," is a big improvement on the lead feature, though that's damning with faint praise. Its ho-hum plot involves J'onn J'onzz pretending to be away on a case in order to lure an escaped convict out of hiding. An eccentric inventor keeps forcing him to do super-feats without revealing his presence. Of course Manhunter has the obligatory encounter with fire, his weakness, along the way. Joe Certa's art is solid and pleasant, though, so I give this story a C+.

Bringing up the rear is "The Creature from the Sorcerer's Stone," starring Roy Raymond, TV Detective. I'm normally a big fan of the Raymond stories but this one is atypically poor. For one thing, the title monster is real, not a hoax Roy must debunk as in most episodes. For another, the layouts and overall draftsmanship are clearly not the work of regular artist Ruben Moreira, though the ghost (possibly Bob Brown, though I wouldn't swear to it) does an adequate job of imitating Moreira's inking mannerisms. A big disappointment that rates a C.

It's amazing the Bat-books survived long enough for Julie schwartz's "New Look" to revive 'em. I need to read an O'Neil/Adams or Englehart/Rogers issue of Detective and cleanse my palate of this loser.

Overall grade: C-

Cei-U!
I summon the ordeal!