The Seventh Day of Classic Comics Christmas 2012

[Reptisaurus!]

7. Son of Ambush Bug 1-6. "Lawyer" Robert Loren Fleming (writer), "Judge" Keith Giffen (artist), "Doctor" Bob Oskner (inker), "Indian Chief" Anthony Tollin (colorist), "Poor Man" John Constanza (letterer) "Editor" Julius Schwartz (Chief Dish and Bottle Washer.) Dc Comics. 1986.


His arch-enemies are a talking sock and a giant koala. ("Awwwww... cute!!!") His mother is a television. He runs into Darkseid at the Mcdonalds drive-thru... but immediately recognizes Clark Kent as Superman. He's Ambush Bug, and he starred in two almost-best selling mini-series. The first Ambush Bug mini-series was Superhero parody by way of Monty Python - Terrible puns, fanboy injokes, and surrealistic nonsense were bond together by an insider's "Hey, ain't comix goofy" sense of humor. It was brilliant.

The SECOND Ambush Bug mini-series was all those things... Except that Ambush Bug spends time in hell ("I knew I shoulda taken that last turn in Albuquerque"), Prison ("I feel like I've been waiting in that cell for three years!" "Uh... it's been four years, Mister Bug.") Limbo and ends with the Bug and his loyal partner Cheeks the Toy Wonder - an inanimate doll, although nobdy seems to realize this - are reunited and, because the page was drawn by Keith Giffen's son Kyle, they ride INTO the sunset and (of course) die.

The puns and goofy comic send-ups were still there, but the amiable humor of the first series was dashed with something much darker and angrier. And it was even brillianter.

Sample joke - Here's Cheeks in the army.

[zilch]

Crisis on Infinite Earths #1-12

What kid hasn't already told themselves this story: All the superheroes team up and save everything! It's a wonder that it wasn't done before this (JLA #100-102 is probably the closest) and i'm glad it was done by Wolfman and Perez and Ordway (with Giordano too i think).

[Roquefort Raider]

Crisis on Infinite Earths #1-12

What kid hasn't already told themselves this story: All the superheroes team up and save everything! It's a wonder that it wasn't done before this (JLA #100-102 is probably the closest) and i'm glad it was done by Wolfman and Perez and Ordway (with Giordano too i think).

It's true that all kids go for that kind of epic feeling. But even as a kid I was a little annoyed when an army of heroes would surround a hugely powerful bad guy and all strike together. Because you'd get, say, Superman unleashing his heat vision, Green Lantern zapping with his power ring, Firestorm shooting nuclear flame through his hands, Black Lightining thundering with a gazillion watts of electricity, and... Oliver Queen would shoot a boxing glove arrow or something. I mean, why the hell bother, Ollie? Just to show moral support?

[dan bailey]

That would be the reason I've most frequently seen cited for the failure of Blazing Combat. If it came out 10, maybe even 5 years later, it might've gone on much longer. Hard to say if the quality would have endured.

Highly unlikely, I'd venture to say, considering the malaise that afflicted Creepy & Eerie after their intital rush of excellence.

[Rob Allen]

That would be the reason I've most frequently seen cited for the failure of Blazing Combat. If it came out 10, maybe even 5 years later, it might've gone on much longer. Hard to say if the quality would have endured.

Highly unlikely, I'd venture to say, considering the malaise that afflicted Creepy & Eerie after their intital rush of excellence.

But that malaise coincided with the departure of Archie Goodwin. If he had stayed, maybe Creepy, Eerie and Blazing Combat could all have continued being excellent.

[dan bailey]

That certainly occurred to me. But part of the problem, IIRC, was that Jim Warren's coffers started running low.

[Aaron King]

I'm so behind!

6. Shade the Changing Man

I don't know if there's anything I can add that hasn't been said. I think I like this series more than any other Ditko because it feels like he's grabbing at ideas that are coming from somewhere deep inside him as opposed to some external philosophy, and he just sort of grabs globs of that weirdness and lets it float across the page. It felt like more like the infinite possibility of Dr. Strange than street justice morality of Spider-Man, his Charlton stuff, and even Speedball.

[shaxper]

Oops. wrong day.

[Artycool8or]

6. Squeeks #1-5
I just can't imagine the cognitive dissonance this must have produced in the children reading these comics. It's just so, so weird.
Plus: kids comics featuring animals smoking cigarettes on the cover. Ladies and gentlemen, the 1950's!

Ahmmm... it's smoking a dynamite, that's going to blow his face off.
So it's OK.

#6. Tales of Evil 1-3 Atlas/Seaboard
I don't have the first two issues and I don't see any reason to seek them out. But being a fan of Rich Buckler I got issue 3 with his Man Monster character and for some reason that I can't even explain, I like it.

Same a you did, I started out with buying #3 first, but for me the reason was the back-up story drawn by the great Enrique Badía Romero (Axa/Modesty Blaise).
Unlike you I did go back and bought the rest as well. However, it saddens me to report; this series went out with a Bang.

#6 - Alien Worlds #1-9 by Bruce Jones and Various artists (Pacific Comics, 1982-1986)
If you've never picked up an ish get ready for some absolutely amazing art.
Bruce Jones is actually reviving Alien Worlds for a 2013 release, can't wait!

Agreed, and...
I hope that he can summon the same quality of artists.

[Lone Ranger]

6. Blazing Combat

Again, I'm not thinking out of the box at all here as I am sure this is on a lot of lists. When the box is filled with such great stories and amazing artwork, why bother leaving it to think?

[dan bailey]

6. Blazing Combat

Again, I'm not thinking out of the box at all here as I am sure this is on a lot of lists.

I haven't been taking notes or anything, but as I type this I'm pretty sure that it's shown up only once, shockingly enough. I, for one, simply forgot all about it. *sigh*

[Slam_Bradley]

I haven't been taking notes or anything, but as I type this I'm pretty sure that it's shown up only once, shockingly enough. I, for one, simply forgot all about it. *sigh*

I probably would have used it as a replacement for Chase or Chronos, but since it's shown up now twice I'll probably go with something that has yet to be seen.

[Artycool8or]

T-6... Sláine The Horned God (1998) #1-3

Reprinted from the pages of 2000AD this would be the least expensive way to own the story as it is spread throughout many issues of the aforementioned British Mag. Simon Bisley provides the art at his best. I'm not impressed by everything he does but there is no sign of slacking here. His art here being in par with the best in the business as it may be, the real draw is Pat Mills writing. Where does he come up with creatures, events and characters like in this book is beyond me? But I'm glad to experience the yarns second hand, from his twisted mind presented here through this story placed in the past where living or dying with your Celtic Clan is all there is. Slain's sidekick Ukko provides the comic relief, from who's chronicles we learn of Slain's fate and adventures. It's amazing how Mills' humor can hit you unexpectedly from nowhere, or it has a long leg stretched few chapters back. Good example for the first would be Slain's Axe the "Brainbiter".

[DCIndexer]

6. America's Greatest Comics #1-8 (1941)

Fawcett's answer to DC's World's Finest and pre-JSA All-Star Comics, America's Greatest Comics took the headliners from the other titles and put them all in one 100-page book. Captain Marvel and Spy Smasher from Whiz, Bulletman and Minute Man from Master Comics, and Mr. Scarlet from Wow Comics.

[MRP]

Ok picking up on my reassessments of each day not that the 12 days are complete. Day 7 had a ton of great books.

Among those I have read and enjoyed:

1963
300
Forever People (a late cut from my list)
Dark Knight Returns
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Tale of One Bad Rat (I only read in trade so forgot it was serialized or it may have replaced Luther Arkwright on my list for a Talbot series)
Man of Steel
Wolverine
Atlantis Chronicles
Shadow (though only a handful of issues)

Those that were new to me include:
Undersea Agents
Extra
Tales of Evil
Ginger Fox

Those now on my radar to track down:
Capt. Action
Nathaniel Dusk
Bat Lash
Den (I have a few issues need to track down the rest)
Alien Worlds
Cinder & Ashe (I have passed over this so many times in dollar and quarter bins but the write up made me reevaluate it, now of course I will never see it again)
Amazing High Adventure (already added to my want list from an earlier day)
Slaine-Celtic myth is a particular favorite so I will keep an eye out for this

So that's day 7 of add books to my want list, I mean 12 days of Christmas.

-M