What Classic Comic Have You Read Lately? Pt. 2

[Cei-U!]

So what does rhyme with lust?

Bussed, bust, cussed, crust, dust, fussed, gust, just, mussed, must, rust...

Cei-U!
Swingin' in the dark!

[CromagnonMan]

So what does rhyme with lust?

i asked this same question a while back. I believe the answer i got was "Rust" being the red-haired female characters name. Or maybe ive mis-remembered?

[Jolly Mon]

Bussed, bust, cussed, crust, dust, fussed, gust, just, mussed, must, rust...

Cei-U!
Swingin' in the dark!

So one time I was bussed to the scene of a police bust and was cussed by a guy whose pizza crust had fallen in the dust, and oh how he fussed when a gust of wind just mussed his hair which was the color of rust.

<OK, I'm a little bored...>

[JKCarrier]

I believe the answer i got was "Rust" being the red-haired female characters name.

Yup, that's it.

[shaxper]

A few years back, I picked up a ridiculously inexpensive run of Sub-Mariner 1-9 for the heck of it and started reading. I liked 1-8 well enough, and then I got to issue #9. I could just feel that this Serpent Crown storyline was going to be something interesting, so I kept an eye out for the next few issues, hoping I'd eventually find them for similarly low prices. Over time, I grabbed #10 and #11 and really liked them, but I wasn't able to find any other cheap issues until a few months back, when I found #12 and #13 for a few dollars a piece. I finally got around to reading #12 tonight.

Sub-Mariner #12
grade: A

Wow, what a book! I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed this storyline, and my appreciation for comics has matured quite a bit since I left off, so (for example) I could finally appreciate the sheer power of Marie Severin's work this time around. Not only were her images and colors striking, but so were the faces she gave to (new?) characters Karthon and the aged Naga. Beyond that, the fantasy aspect of this storyline was sheer fun, as was the strained comradery between Namor and Karthon, two warriors who respect each other even while on opposing sides. Finally, Naga's usage of illusion to repeatedly confuse both Namor and the reader was exciting. I'm still not buying that Dorma died in the end of this issue, though. The drama didn't feel heightened enough for that to have been real.

I think #13 is the final part of the Serpent Crown storyline, which is great because that's the only other issue I have. After that, I'm not sure I'm sold enough on Namor as a protagonist to continue with the series.

[shaxper]

Sub-Mariner #13
grade: B+

Finally finished the Serpent Crown saga this morning after far too many years! I was a bit disappointed in this one in that it didn't surprise me in any way. It was exactly the conclusion I was expecting from having read the previous issue, with all the predicted plot points falling neatly in line. Still, Marie Severin's pencils and colors were absolutely captivating, especially at the climactic moment in which Naga is killed. I thoroughly enjoyed this issue for that.

I still think Naga was a villain with tremendous potential -- the aged warrior obsessed with restoring his youth and proving that he can still make others fear him. It's odd to me that the serpent crown made a bigger long-term impact in the MU than Naga did.


So is it worthwhile to continue with Subby? Any other memorable storyline comparable to this one coming down the pike?

[shaxper]

Dr. Strange (1974) #1
grade: C-

Once again, I spend time today continuing runs I dropped off on several years back. Back in the day, I was very committed to reading Dr. Strange. I read and loved the Strange Tales adventures, suffered through the first Dr. Strange volume, found a new love for the series when Englehart and Brunner took over the Marvel Premiere run, and now I'm finally following him into his second self-titled series to see if I want to continue pursuing.

This issue really threw me. It started so strong, with powerful artwork, narration, and characterization. I feel like Englehart is the first writer to truly understand who Stephen Strange is. And yet, the antagonist in this story bored me, the logic behind his spells felt sillier than usual, and the final complication of having Strange become trapped in the Orb of Agamotto and having to deal with a wise-cracking Lewis Carrol inspired Caterpillar was just plain stupid.

Oh, and the implied love scene between Strange and Clea -- creepy with Wong being there, especially as Strange summons him immediately after and tells him to clean his cloak of levitation. What got on the cloak???


So there's no doubt in my mind that Englehart and Brunner have the potential to be the Dr. Strange dream team, but if this is the best story they're going to draw up for the premiere issue, I'm not sure I want to waste my time sticking around for more.

[Scott Harris]

Sub-Mariner #13

So is it worthwhile to continue with Subby? Any other memorable storyline comparable to this one coming down the pike?

Well, the next issue, #14, is a major moment in Marvel continuity. It's the return and death (?) of Toro, the original Human Torch's golden age teenage sidekick. The events in this issue are repeatedly referenced in pretty much every Human Torch -- and Vision -- storyline for the next 25 years.

[FanboyStranger]

Dr. Strange (1974) #1
grade: C-

Once again, I spend time today continuing runs I dropped off on several years back. Back in the day, I was very committed to reading Dr. Strange. I read and loved the Strange Tales adventures, suffered through the first Dr. Strange volume, found a new love for the series when Englehart and Brunner took over the Marvel Premiere run, and now I'm finally following him into his second self-titled series to see if I want to continue pursuing.

This issue really threw me. It started so strong, with powerful artwork, narration, and characterization. I feel like Englehart is the first writer to truly understand who Stephen Strange is. And yet, the antagonist in this story bored me, the logic behind his spells felt sillier than usual, and the final complication of having Strange become trapped in the Orb of Agamotto and having to deal with a wise-cracking Lewis Carrol inspired Caterpillar was just plain stupid.

Oh, and the implied love scene between Strange and Clea -- creepy with Wong being there, especially as Strange summons him immediately after and tells him to clean his cloak of levitation. What got on the cloak???


So there's no doubt in my mind that Englehart and Brunner have the potential to be the Dr. Strange dream team, but if this is the best story they're going to draw up for the premiere issue, I'm not sure I want to waste my time sticking around for more.

For me, Englehart and Brunner are the Dr. Strange creative team, but I think that they had reached the peak of their run with the Sise-Neg story in Marvel Premiere 13-14 that preceeded the new series. That first Dr Strange story gets better as it progresses, but it still has its goofy elements.

[shaxper]

For me, Englehart and Brunner are the Dr. Strange creative team, but I think that they had reached the peak of their run with the Sise-Neg story in Marvel Premiere 13-14 that preceeded the new series.

I kind of suspected as much, which is probably why I waited to so long to keep reading.

I mean, really, where do you go after creating a time-traveling antagonist who becomes the Old Testament God?

[shaxper]

Creepy #1

"What happens when the greatest comic artists in the world are thrown together in a creepy dungeon? The result is CREEPY MAGAZINE -- the newest and wildest package of exciting reading to hit the newsstands since comics were created!"

-- Uncle Creepy (from the back cover of this issue)


Rarely are such boasts accurate, and yet this one is. I've been enjoying Creepy and Eerie for a short while now, so it was thrilling to be able to go back and see where it all started this time. Sure enough, even in the first issue the art was consistently breath-taking, and while many of the stories were thoroughly "blah," there were three that stood out, all written by Archie Goodwin (though the first page credits "story ideas" to Joe Orlando. All of them???).

"Vampires Fly at Dusk"
writer: Archie Goodwin
art: Reed Crandall
grade: A

A foreign count with an odd name and his trusting wife who never asks where he goes for hours at a time or why they must only be awake and have the windows open during the day. Yeah, you think you've got it figured out, but the surprise twist was both brilliant and absolutely touching.


"Success Story"
writer: Archie Goodwin
art: Al Williamson
grade: B

I've read more than my share of self-indulgent Creepy stories about the plight of comic book artists, but this one absolutely took the cake, as a no talent hack takes the Bob Kane approach to comic creation, paying others to do his work uncredited and taking all the glory. Perhaps the big shock comes when they figure this out, confront him, and he pulls out a gun and kills them without a second thought. The haunting revenge that comes after is really just secondary; it's the sheer inhumanity of this guy that was just fun to watch, as well as a little too close to the truth.


"Pursuit of the Vampire"
writer: Archie Goodwin
art: Angelo Torres
grade: B

A pretty straightforward tale of two men hunting down vampires terrorizing the town, but Goodwin decides to have a little fun at the end, having one turn out to be the head vampire and the other be a werewolf. Silly, really, but it was fun.


Some minor details:

-Uncle Creepy only introduces himself as "Creepy" on the first page. The "Uncle" title appears to be a playful one when he uses it later on throughout the story.

- "Julius," a grim reaper with what appears to be a dog skull, introduces one of the final stories instead of Uncle Creepy. Does this guy ever come back?


All in all, this made for some awesome reading. I didn't expect the first issue to be this strong!

[Cei-U!]

So is it worthwhile to continue with Subby? Any other memorable storyline comparable to this one coming down the pike?

It falls into a bit of a slump after #25, when Roy Thomas turns it into "Sub-Mariner Team-Up" for a while, but picks up again with #36 until Gerry Conway takes over at #40. His run is kinda mediocre, though the three-part Dr. Doom story in #46-49 ain't half bad. A lot of folks here like the Bill Everett/Steve Gerber run that begins with #50 but I don't. The book varies from passable to execrable from that point on until the cancellation (#72 is the last). My advice is stick it out through at least #25. After that YMMV.

Cei-U!
Imperious Rex!

[FanboyStranger]

I kind of suspected as much, which is probably why I waited to so long to keep reading.

I mean, really, where do you go after creating a time-traveling antagonist who becomes the Old Testament God?

Yeah, that's not only my all-time favorite Dr Strange story, it's one of my all-time favorite comics stories in general.

[Cherokee Jack]

Creepy #1




"Success Story"
writer: Archie Goodwin
art: Al Williamson
grade: B

I've read more than my share of self-indulgent Creepy stories about the plight of comic book artists, but this one absolutely took the cake, as a no talent hack takes the Bob Kane approach to comic creation, paying others to do his work uncredited and taking all the glory. Perhaps the big shock comes when they figure this out, confront him, and he pulls out a gun and kills them without a second thought. The haunting revenge that comes after is really just secondary; it's the sheer inhumanity of this guy that was just fun to watch, as well as a little too close to the truth.

I believe the artist, Baldo Smudge, was based on Don Sherwood. I think Willliamson had ghosted for him.

[MDG]

I believe the artist, Baldo Smudge, was based on Don Sherwood. I think Willliamson had ghosted for him.

Also, Williamson drew himself as Baldo Smudge. He drew Archie Goodwin as the writer and Angelo Torres as the penciller (or inker--I think the other artist might be Gray Morrow).