The Ninth Day of Classic Comics Christmas 2012

[Lone Ranger]

4. Danger Trail

A very exciting series DC put out in the 1950s. Unfortunately it never caught on at the time, but it is amazing in all respects.

[inferno]

that and the 1st Punisher Ltd series are great. havnt seen anyone mention that 1st Punisher series yet. dont think its gonna be this late in the game.

I definitely considered that one too! Didn't make the cut though.

[Reptisaurus!]

9. The Stuff of Dreams 1-3. Kim Deitch, (w) and (a). Fantagraphics, 2002-2004.




An autobiographical comic that... well, turns out not to be when the demons and aliens show up. A heartfelt, nostalgic ode to the days of yore... That ends up implying that the gloss of nostalgia hides some incredibly dark and nasty secrets. Plus, ebay-hunting tips!

This is one of those "multiple levels of reality" books that I dig so much - It's about Kim Deitch and his wife trolling E-bay and flea markets tracking down the history of "Alias the Cat" a character in early 20th century comic strips and short films.. .who also turned out to be a real life superhero!

This isn't the classicest of classic comics. Or at least not the oldest, but since this guy shows up...


This makes it part of one decades-in-the-making grand narrative about the seedy side of nostalgic dreams, so I don't feel too bad about including it.

I wrote about the collected edition here.

[Artycool8or]

T-4... Superman Tarzan Sons of the Jungle (2001) #1 - 3

Chuck Dixon handles well the tale in this limited series set in Elseworlds, that is a DC/DH crossover. Kal-El's space-pod crashes in the jungles forcing him to live the life we all associate with the one of that Tarzan lad. Meanwhile, John Greystoke lives a life uncomfortably as a wealthy man in the big City. Their destiny is on hold until John ventures into the jungle and meets the man who's life seems to him more natural than his own. The path of the events narrows down the possibilities for the two unlikely duo to the point where they realize where their true destiny lies. All this is done with the help of a few bad guys, a jewel known as kryptonite, and of course the two unmissable love interests, we are all well familiar with. This series is beautifully drawn by the late Carlos Meglia.

[T GUy]

On the ninth day of Christmas
RK brought to me
War stories of the enemy.

Blitzkrieg

No.s 1 (January-February, 1976) to 5 (September-October, 1976 )



This was the shortest run of DC’s Little 5 war books, but arguably the sweetest.

Robert Kanigher tells second world war stories with three German comrades in the army as the lead characters, with a lead and back-up in each issue, in the usual style he adopted in the ‘seventies, which can leave those who are uninitiated to wonder what exactly they have just read. These are all illustrated by the excellent Ric Estrada. Together with editor Joe Kubert drawing the covers, nothing could go wrong. Sadly, something appears to have as the series lasted a mere five issues before the plug was pulled. Still, this is, like several other series in these threads this year, a perfect little jewel. I recommend this.

I also recommend the contemporaneous Ragman, as featured earlier this Classic Comics Christmas; in the shortlist phase this year, both titles were present, along with Rima, the Jungle Girl. However, as things turn out, this is the sole representative of the wonderful Robert Kanigher in this year’s CCC.

[DCIndexer]

4. New Comics #1-11 (1935)

Did I mention how much I love 1930s comics? This is the series that became Adventure Comics. It was retitled New Adventure Comics with #12, so I think it still qualifies under the rules. I love the pre-Superman Siegel and Shuster work such as Federal Men.

The rest of the contents are a mixed-bag of humor and adventure strips, some good others not so much. Overall though, I like these titles from the earliest days of the medium.

[Cherokee Jack]

MARTIAN MANHUNTER: AMERICAN SECRETS. DC. Four issue series by Gerard Jones and Eduardo Barreto.

Like THE SILENT INVASION, this is a conspiracy science fiction mystery set in the 1950s. The story features many 50s pop culture/political references-----rock and roll, Communists, rigged tv game shows, and UFOS. It also features lizard-headed aliens, which may have existed in the 50s, or may have not. The artwork by Barreto is (as usual) outstanding.

http://www.comics.org/series/4409/covers/

[dan bailey]

MARTIAN MANHUNTER: AMERICAN SECRETS. DC. Four issue series by Gerard Jones and Eduardo Barreto.

First heard of this a couple of hours ago when it popped up on (I think) Slam's runners-up list. After that write-up, onto my want list it goes.

[Slam_Bradley]

MARTIAN MANHUNTER: AMERICAN SECRETS. DC. Four issue series by Gerard Jones and Eduardo Barreto.

Like THE SILENT INVASION, this is a conspiracy science fiction mystery set in the 1950s. The story features many 50s pop culture/political references-----rock and roll, Communists, rigged tv game shows, and UFOS. It also features lizard-headed aliens, which may have existed in the 50s, or may have not. The artwork by Barreto is (as usual) outstanding.

http://www.comics.org/series/4409/covers/

Now I'm beginning to think you're pulling from my extended list.

[MRP]

Day Nine-(number nine number nine)

Have read and enjoyed the following:
Kull the Conqueror
Squadron Supreme
From Hell
Devil Dinosaur
Destroyer Duck
GA: Long BOw Hunters (again)
Shadow War of Hawkman
Magik
Wolverine (again)
Martian Manhunter: American Secrets

New to me from this day:
Dynamo
Mechanics
Stuff of Dreams
Blitzkrieg

Now on my radar:
Bat Lash (again)
Tor
Scene of the Crime (love both Brubaker and Lark, not sure how I missed this one)
Iron Wood (new to me but I am a fan of Willinghams from back when he was doing art for TSR's D&D books and the ubiquitous comic strip D&D ads that appeared on back covers of comics in the early 80's)
Silver Star
Danger Trail (though likely way out of my price range)
Superman/Tarzan Sons of the Jungle

-M

[METAROG]

MARTIAN MANHUNTER: AMERICAN SECRETS. DC. Four issue series by Gerard Jones and Eduardo Barreto.

Like THE SILENT INVASION, this is a conspiracy science fiction mystery set in the 1950s. The story features many 50s pop culture/political references-----rock and roll, Communists, rigged tv game shows, and UFOS. It also features lizard-headed aliens, which may have existed in the 50s, or may have not. The artwork by Barreto is (as usual) outstanding.

http://www.comics.org/series/4409/covers/

This is one I regret not putting on my list due to my self imposed limitation of no limited series from the Big 2. A very well done series with lots of intrigue. I have to go back and read this again as it has been several years but a really interesting and "different" comic.

[Jezebel Bond]

Rush post...Day 9...Untold Legend of the Batman 1-3 (1980)

I have the audio version with tapes and still have to get all of the original 40c cover books of which I only have #1. It usefully told the origins of Batman and most of his supporting cast of characters, which was great if you only had a basic knowledge of Batman.

[hondobrode]

9. The Stuff of Dreams 1-3. Kim Deitch, (w) and (a). Fantagraphics, 2002-2004.




An autobiographical comic that... well, turns out not to be when the demons and aliens show up. A heartfelt, nostalgic ode to the days of yore... That ends up implying that the gloss of nostalgia hides some incredibly dark and nasty secrets. Plus, ebay-hunting tips!

This is one of those "multiple levels of reality" books that I dig so much - It's about Kim Deitch and his wife trolling E-bay and flea markets tracking down the history of "Alias the Cat" a character in early 20th century comic strips and short films.. .who also turned out to be a real life superhero!

This isn't the classicest of classic comics. Or at least not the oldest, but since this guy shows up...


This makes it part of one decades-in-the-making grand narrative about the seedy side of nostalgic dreams, so I don't feel too bad about including it.

I wrote about the collected edition here.

Anything that says Deitch or Veitch is worth buying or reading. Love it !

Day Nine's recommendations I'm pursuing :

Space: 1999 Magazine # 1-8 (Red Oak Kid)
Ironwood # 1-11 (DupibR)

[berk]

Day 9: Dirty Plotte

Julie Doucet's early 90s series. Earthy, whimsical, quirky - epithets so over-used that they tend to turn me off when I see them now, but they're the ones that come to mind for this comic.

[berk]

It was Kull that stood out from the crowd with its tight plotting, glorious artwork and marvelously complex lead character. I also liked the presence of a set location (the City of Wonders, capital of Valusia) and a recurring cast (Brule, Tu, Ridondo, Alecto), elements missing from the more picaresque adventures of Conan or Thongor (it's probably that same mindset that leads me to prefer Deep Space 9 over the other Star Treks). I'm particularly fond of #1 (with artwork by Ross Andru and Wally Wood), #6 (whose cover is my avatar), #8 (an excellent werewolf tale) and #9 (in which Kull quietly commits an act of great kindness to a cast member normally played for comic relief).

With all due apologies to Doug Moench and Mike Ploog, it broke my heart when Marvel took away Kull's throne, reducing him to just another nomadic barbarian. Even worse, the stunning art of the Severin siblings, which had given the fantasy world of the Pre-Cataclysmic Age depth and believability, was gone. But for those 10 issues (plus Monsters on the Prowl 16, which bridges the long gap between #2 and 3), sword-and-sorcery was as good as it gets.

Cei-U!
All hail King Kull!

This articulates quite well my own feelings about the series and Kull as a character.