What Classic Comic Have You Read Lately? Pt. 2

[Roquefort Raider]

Just re-read Twilight #1-3, after putting it on my 12 days of Christmas list. It aged even better than I thought, even if the ending still confuses me. The artwork by Garcia Lopez is simply outstanding! What an artist, by Crom! Each character has a clearly distinct face, the futuristic designs are fascinating, and the storytelling is superb. My only criticism: it wasn't long enough!

[Roquefort Raider]

The series was relaunched just a few months after it was cancelled. The original series had gone to direct sales only. The relaunch was t put it back into newsstand distribution, so it got a new direction and a new #1-Micronauts the New Voyages.

Yes, and Micronauts: the new voyages was actually a pretty intriguing series. Peter Gillis, the writer, tried something new with the book: exploration rather than revolution, with a tone far closer to 2001 than to Star Wars. It was a book that failed to achieve its true potential, mostly (I think) because the editor didn't know when to stop a bad idea. To wit: the pencil work by a young Kelley Jones was very promising indeed, with a certain Michael Golden-like quality to it and the begining of Jones' own idiosyncratic style. But Bruce Patterson was not the ideal inker for Jones; it was like putting, say, Rudy Nebres on Gene Colan. The two styles don't mesh. Then Patterson was replaced by Bulanadi, and things got worse. Bulanadi in those days had a scritchy-scratchy style better suited to a war mag or to a western than to science-fiction, especially when coupled with a penciller with clean, clean lines (Gil Kane) or with a slick and organic line (Jones).

My other gripe about The New Voyages had the tendency (which I always hated in any comic) to maim heroes. Commander Rann loses a hand in the first few issues, then after he gets it back he's aged prematurely to a doddering old man. Mari is revealed to have had her legs amputated and bears the psychological scar of having "stolen" the legs of someone else in Baron Karza body banks. And of course at the end, everybody dies. Maybe it was all meant to increase tension, but this being comic-books it all comes across as needless melodrama; we know that characters almost always come back to the status quo ante, so why bother about needless episodes of angst, whining and self-pity? The mysteries of the Spiral Path and the Makers (Kirby-like in their majesty) was far more interesting than Arcuturs Rann's moping.

But hey, overall this was a nice little series. It deserves added kudos for not trying to re-do the Mantlo-Golden stories, the way a certain major publisher is currently re-telling the same stories as in the 80s and pretending it's all fresh.

[FanboyStranger]

Just re-read Twilight #1-3, after putting it on my 12 days of Christmas list. It aged even better than I thought, even if the ending still confuses me. The artwork by Garcia Lopez is simply outstanding! What an artist, by Crom! Each character has a clearly distinct face, the futuristic designs are fascinating, and the storytelling is superb. My only criticism: it wasn't long enough!

The best thing about Twilight is that it's the JLGL style filtered through Chaykin storytelling. It really is the best of both worlds.

Also, Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution is set in the same universe, even if it only tangential refers to the events of Twilight. It's by Chaykin and JF Moore with Mike Mignola and P Craig Russell on art. Great story.

[Roquefort Raider]

Also, Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution is set in the same universe, even if it only tangential refers to the events of Twilight. It's by Chaykin and JF Moore with Mike Mignola and P Craig Russell on art. Great story.

That's one I'll certainly look for someday!!! Sounds cool!

[Paulie]

RR - The original Micronauts series was such a tough slough... mostly because of Bulandi's inks. I love Kelley Jones and I've been thinking of picking these up. Danny B seems to put more fear into me these days than Vince Colletta or Jack Abel ever did. Since the New Voyages retail at about a dollar each I'm sure I'll pick them up at some point.

[Cei-U!]

So am I the only person who *likes* Danny Bulanadi's inks, especially over Gil Kane? Sigh. Out of step again...

Cei-U!
I summon the different drummer!

[Paulie]

So am I the only person who *likes* Danny Bulanadi's inks, especially over Gil Kane? Sigh. Out of step again...

Cei-U!
I summon the different drummer!

I like Danny B's inks on David Mazzucchelli on Daredevil though again... David Mazzucchelli looks much better inking David Mazzucchelli.

[Scott Harris]

I've been going through my Captain America collection (still trying to index everything) and I took some time to read through some of the later issues by Mark Gruenwald. The end of his run has long has a bad reputation, but I was struck when reading these that a lot of them are pretty darn solid stories that are undermined by mediocre-to-bad 90's style art. The giant 12-part Fighting Chance story is legitimately bad for the most part, but there are some pretty solid stories leading up to it, particularly a kind of fun arc where Cap infiltrates an AIM supervillain convention. And even some of the stuff after he's in the armor isn't half bad either.

I wonder how these would read if the series had had a top artist on it instead? Waid and Garney's run was extremely popular when they took over and really breathed new juice into the series, but Garney was also a billion times better than the guy he replaced, Dave Hoover.

If you take out Capwolf in #401-408 and the Fighting Chance stuff, I have to say think of Gruenwald's later run would be viewed much differently if he had had a good artist on it. Who knows, he may have even been able to stay on the title.

[Scott Harris]

I was just reading through one of those Marvel holiday specials from the 90's and saw something a little odd. One of the stories had "Diverse Hands" in the credits, only it wasn't for inker, it was for the script. Hm.

[Roquefort Raider]

So am I the only person who *likes* Danny Bulanadi's inks, especially over Gil Kane?

[Scott Harris]

More oddities from my indexing. I came across the 2010 4 issue mini-series Steve Rogers: Super Soldier. Nothing particularly odd about the series itself, however, it also had an annual. Is this the only mini-series that ever had an annual? How can a series that only lasts four months even have an annual?

[Cei-U!]

More oddities from my indexing. I came across the 2010 4 issue mini-series Steve Rogers: Super Soldier. Nothing particularly odd about the series itself, however, it also had an annual. Is this the only mini-series that ever had an annual? How can a series that only lasts four months even have an annual?

The original 1981 Tales of the Green Lantern Corps mini also had an Annual that followed four years later.

Cei-U!
I summon the precedent!

[MRP]

While slightly longer than the 4 issues, the Amethyst Princess of Gemworld Maxi-series had an annual that followed up the maxi-series and predated the launch of the ongoing Amethyst series as well.

-M

[Dave2739]

Robin had his first annual in the early 90s before his regular series began.

[shaxper]

Just read Marvel Premiere #41, Doug Moench and Tom Sutton's Seeker 3000!. This thing positively blew my mind, and I'm amazed it didn't even warrant a second appearance anywhere. Has anyone read the the follow-up limited series that was published two decades later? I am not familiar with the creative team and am wondering if it's anywhere near as good.