What happened? I thought that DC had rebooted Flash and made Bart Allen the newest incarnation of the Flash. There was a new number 1 issue and everything. Then I find out that Bart was murdered in the All Flash one shot??? And that the next issue after that was issue 231?? And that Mark Waid has returned as Flash scribe?
I'm all in favor of the last two items, but what's up with the murder of Bart Allen? Why is DC so bloodthirsty in recent years? Sue Dibny. Blue Beetle. Max Lord. Bart Allen.
I think what is interesting to me about this list is that these characters either saw a renaissance in the mid to late 80s (Flash, too, come to think of it - in his own book and the Justice League books) or they were introduced to the DC Universe then. It's also interesting that the first three characters were big in the aforementioned Justice League comic by the heavily underrated Keith Giffen.
It seems that DC can't undo what Giffen did fast enough. He told stories that were fun and interesting, and he took the second rate JL characters and made them an important part of the team. Who else could have made G'Nort an interesting character? But apparently, comics aren't supposed to be fun. Grim and gritty is what we all want. Right?
Flash in the Giffen JL was a fun jokester type, just like Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. And Max Lord was a somewhat benevolent guy who funded the JL and tried to make the world a safer place. Lord's fate in recent years, and the actions that were attributed to him are kinda inconsistent with the character that Giffen created. But I digress.
Flash, like Giffen's JL, was relaunched in 1987 (I think it was then...maybe 1986?), and I thought the relaunch (both, actually) was quite good. I liked the Baron/Messner-Loebs issues better than the Waid issues, but I recognize that Waid still had a solid run.
And, of course, there were the Geoff Johns issues. I discovered them late (in the 180s), but once I started getting them, I really enjoyed reading them. And I was always a bit lukewarm about my affinity for this character. It was hit or miss. But for the first 60 or so, and the last 60 or so, of the relaunched Flash - I read and enjoyed it.
I look forward to reading Waid's return to this character. He did a lot to shape the current incarnation and it will be fun to see what he has in store.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
A New Captain America
Well, I have to admit that I didn't see that coming. I just read that Ed Brubaker will be introducing a new person to be Captain America in January. This is probably old news to the folks who keep up with the day-to-day comic events, but it's news to me.
I really expected Marvel to just cancel the book, start over with volume 6, number 1 and act as though the assassination never occurred. Another person wearing the costume wasn't something I thought would happen.
The idea of someone else wearing the costume isn't new, but this is the first time it will be done at a time when Steve Rogers isn't around to keep an eye on things. And the idea that it could be the long-dead Bucky Barnes that will be taking over...well, I'm not sure how I feel about that.
I liked the fact that Bucky was dead long before I started reading comics. And that he stayed dead. I think that Gwen Stacy (discounting the clone) is the only other Marvel character that remained deceased. For a while, they had the decency to include Norman Osborn in this little club, but they ruined that in the 90s.
I am intrigued by this development. It's much like the return from the dead of Jason Todd in Batman. I didn't think it was a good idea, but Judd Winick wrote such good stories, I found myself reading and enjoying the Batman tales that featured this story arc. I suspect the same thing will happen here. I have enjoyed Brubaker's work as much as I've enjoyed Winick's.
I'll have to look for a trade paperback to see it though...as I doubt any of these issues will be found in a discount box!
I really expected Marvel to just cancel the book, start over with volume 6, number 1 and act as though the assassination never occurred. Another person wearing the costume wasn't something I thought would happen.
The idea of someone else wearing the costume isn't new, but this is the first time it will be done at a time when Steve Rogers isn't around to keep an eye on things. And the idea that it could be the long-dead Bucky Barnes that will be taking over...well, I'm not sure how I feel about that.
I liked the fact that Bucky was dead long before I started reading comics. And that he stayed dead. I think that Gwen Stacy (discounting the clone) is the only other Marvel character that remained deceased. For a while, they had the decency to include Norman Osborn in this little club, but they ruined that in the 90s.
I am intrigued by this development. It's much like the return from the dead of Jason Todd in Batman. I didn't think it was a good idea, but Judd Winick wrote such good stories, I found myself reading and enjoying the Batman tales that featured this story arc. I suspect the same thing will happen here. I have enjoyed Brubaker's work as much as I've enjoyed Winick's.
I'll have to look for a trade paperback to see it though...as I doubt any of these issues will be found in a discount box!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Alternate to Spider-Man
I've complained a bit in the past about how disappointed I am in the current state of Spider-Man and even identified the time frame at which I think Spidey started down the slope of my discontent.
What I didn't mention is that there were alternates to Spider-Man (Amazing, Spectacular, Web and adjective-free) that I did read and enjoy. I was bummed that I disliked the main titles so much and was glad to have these three titles to read.
The three titles were Spider-Man 2099, by Peter David, Spider-Girl by Tom DeFalco and Untold Tales of Spider-Man by Kurt Busiek.
Spider-Man 2099
2099 was a fun read by one of my favorite writers (again, I have bored whatever readers I have to death on this topic in other posts). As Gerry Conway seemed to be trying to do with Firestorm, this seemed to be Peter David's effort to have a hand in "creating" his own version of Spider-Man and adding his own personal style and touch to it.
I have no information to prove that either writer was, in fact, looking at their respective books in this fashion (i.e. in an "if I created Spider-Man, here's what I'd have done" sort of way)...but I can't deny that the thought didn't cross my mind in both cases. Just me thinking out loud here.
2099 had a great origin story, good supporting characters, interesting ideas and interesting plots. All the things you'd expect from Mr. David.
Spider-Girl
The same could be said for Spider-Girl. In addition to the great aspect of seeing Mary Jane and Peter (retired from the Spider-Man thing, but occasionally jumping in) about 20 years after the current continuity, you get the daughter who has inherited the Spider powers!
DeFalco also threw in old school characters like Kaine, J. Jonah Jameson, Felicia Hardy and Flash Thompson were featured. Also featured were ancillary characters who you didn't need too much to draw the connection - like Phil Urich (fresh off the decent, but short-lived Green Goblin series), Normie Osborn and Franklin Richards.
There were also interesting new characters galore (too many to name) populating this fun and fresh title. And Tom DeFalco (and Ron Frenz) wound it all together and made it all run beautifully.
Untold Tales of Spider-Man
Finally, there was Kurt Busiek's Untold Tales. These were stories that took place kinda "in between the lines" of the earliest days of the Amazing stories. There were always some threads that more intrepid readers could recognize and get a proper time frame for where that particular story took place in terms of the genesis of Spider-Man.
Busiek gave us some new stories with old classic villains and mixed in a dash of new tales with some cool new Spider-Man foes. As DeFalco did, Busiek spun all these tales and just told some great stories.
As a Spider-Man purist, I have to give Busiek credit. He was merely adding to the Spider-Man legend...never threatening to alter it. It could easily have been misinterpreted. But he did too good a job for that.
Speaking of which, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Busiek's brilliant Marvels mini-series he did with Alex Ross. If you haven't read this, you're missing out. It's really really good.
Anyway, the third issue of Marvels was a "between the lines" tale that took place shortly after the death of Captain Stacy - the first of what I consider to be a few watershed moments in the Amazing title.
There is an interview with Gwen Stacy and a chilling scene with Doctor Octopus in which he acts exactly as you would expect a master villain to act. Cold. Remorseless. Excellent writing.
That's my take on this. Three excellent Spider-Man alternate titles. All came along at a good time for someone who was a lifelong Spider fan and felt alienated from the main titles.
If you are of a similar vein, look for any of these titles. They all read like the Lee/Ditko or Lee/Romita Sr. Spider-Man tales. Not a bad thing at all.
What I didn't mention is that there were alternates to Spider-Man (Amazing, Spectacular, Web and adjective-free) that I did read and enjoy. I was bummed that I disliked the main titles so much and was glad to have these three titles to read.
The three titles were Spider-Man 2099, by Peter David, Spider-Girl by Tom DeFalco and Untold Tales of Spider-Man by Kurt Busiek.
Spider-Man 2099
2099 was a fun read by one of my favorite writers (again, I have bored whatever readers I have to death on this topic in other posts). As Gerry Conway seemed to be trying to do with Firestorm, this seemed to be Peter David's effort to have a hand in "creating" his own version of Spider-Man and adding his own personal style and touch to it.
I have no information to prove that either writer was, in fact, looking at their respective books in this fashion (i.e. in an "if I created Spider-Man, here's what I'd have done" sort of way)...but I can't deny that the thought didn't cross my mind in both cases. Just me thinking out loud here.
2099 had a great origin story, good supporting characters, interesting ideas and interesting plots. All the things you'd expect from Mr. David.
Spider-Girl
The same could be said for Spider-Girl. In addition to the great aspect of seeing Mary Jane and Peter (retired from the Spider-Man thing, but occasionally jumping in) about 20 years after the current continuity, you get the daughter who has inherited the Spider powers!
DeFalco also threw in old school characters like Kaine, J. Jonah Jameson, Felicia Hardy and Flash Thompson were featured. Also featured were ancillary characters who you didn't need too much to draw the connection - like Phil Urich (fresh off the decent, but short-lived Green Goblin series), Normie Osborn and Franklin Richards.
There were also interesting new characters galore (too many to name) populating this fun and fresh title. And Tom DeFalco (and Ron Frenz) wound it all together and made it all run beautifully.
Untold Tales of Spider-Man
Finally, there was Kurt Busiek's Untold Tales. These were stories that took place kinda "in between the lines" of the earliest days of the Amazing stories. There were always some threads that more intrepid readers could recognize and get a proper time frame for where that particular story took place in terms of the genesis of Spider-Man.
Busiek gave us some new stories with old classic villains and mixed in a dash of new tales with some cool new Spider-Man foes. As DeFalco did, Busiek spun all these tales and just told some great stories.
As a Spider-Man purist, I have to give Busiek credit. He was merely adding to the Spider-Man legend...never threatening to alter it. It could easily have been misinterpreted. But he did too good a job for that.
Speaking of which, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Busiek's brilliant Marvels mini-series he did with Alex Ross. If you haven't read this, you're missing out. It's really really good.
Anyway, the third issue of Marvels was a "between the lines" tale that took place shortly after the death of Captain Stacy - the first of what I consider to be a few watershed moments in the Amazing title.
There is an interview with Gwen Stacy and a chilling scene with Doctor Octopus in which he acts exactly as you would expect a master villain to act. Cold. Remorseless. Excellent writing.
That's my take on this. Three excellent Spider-Man alternate titles. All came along at a good time for someone who was a lifelong Spider fan and felt alienated from the main titles.
If you are of a similar vein, look for any of these titles. They all read like the Lee/Ditko or Lee/Romita Sr. Spider-Man tales. Not a bad thing at all.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Recommended Reads - Alan Moore
It pretty much goes without saying that Watchmen, V For Vendetta and Swamp Thing are automatic suggested reads for Mr. Moore. But what else?
Some of his more obscure works (perhaps a bit less obscure now that there is an Alan Moore trade paperback) are every bit as worth reading as the above three mentioned titles. This list would include such titles as Miracleman and Halo Jones.
Miracleman
I remember reading the initial issues of Miracleman and thinking that it read like an alterante take on Superman (more like Shazam...or Captain Marvel, really). Here was a God-like character who could fly and had incredible strength...it's pretty close. But there were differences.
He had a human alter-ego and a mysterious past. The fun of the title was reading along as Moore filled in the blanks. One of my favorite scenes in the series was when the terrorist was questioned by Evelyn Cream in the hospital. Just great stuff.
Then of course, there were the two battles between Miracleman and Kid Miracleman and the destruction of London and pain that these battles caused the bystanders. What happens when two people with God-Like powers battle? Read this series to see one possibility.
Then -- Moore gives us the great twist. Miracleman leaves his human side behind and goes off to be a God (or...something like that - I haven't read these issues for a few years now)! This aspect of things was explored in rather middling fashion by the otherwise talented Neil Gaiman. Too bad - if Moore had done the second half of the Miracleman series, I think it would have been great.
Halo Jones
Then there's Halo Jones. The future-based story of a woman who left her simple life to explore the galaxy, this is truly one of my favorite all-time comic series. The characters and situations Moore created are brilliant and could serve as a primer for comic creators.
This series was told in three parts, comprised of (I think) 8-page installments in 2000 AD (or was it Warrior Magazine?). When I finished the first part, I thought that it was the best thing I'd read up to that point. And there were still two parts to go.
While the second two parts were, to me, not as good as the first part - they were still excellent reads. It was one of those times where I came across this title totally by accident (in a 50 cent box!) and picked it up just because Alan Moore had written it. Then I got the trade paperback and was able to enjoy the whole tale.
So these are two titles that I would recommend to any Alan Moore fan. I don't know if I would recommend them over Watchmen, V or Swamp Thing....but they are at least on par with these great titles.
Monday, December 17, 2007
The Hulk - better or worse?
Hmmm...So at least two end-of-the-year newspaper writers - one from the Contra Costa Times and the other from the Times Union (Albany, NY) have proclaimed that the recent Hulk storyline (World War Hulk, I guess) is one of the top story arcs of 2007.
I guess so. I haven't read it myself, but I am puzzled by this. Here's a description I got from the Times Union: "This started almost three years ago, when Earth's superheroes decided they had enough of the violent and powerful Hulk, so they shot him off into deep space. The Hulk liberated the world he landed on and found a way back to Earth to declare war on everyone who crossed his path in World War Hulk. Well-plotted."
I'm sure this is oversimplyfying things, but it doesn't sound all that earth-shattering to me. It also sounds a bit like the storyline that began in Hulk 300. This, of course, was preceded by the Hulk gaining Bruce Banner's intellect, only to have that slowly slip away.
Then Dr. Strange banished the Hulk to some otherworldly dimension, where he was free to roam from planet to planet until he found something he liked. Since the Hulk in these stories was totally brutish and pretty much growled the whole time, finding that happiness was not likely to happen. There was also a "fail-safe" spell that would remove Hulk from any world once he tired of it.
Bill Mantlo wrote some very good stories exploring this plot device and made it interesting. Of course, it wasn't long before the Hulk returned to Earth, was written and drawn by John Byrne for six issues and then was turned over to master craftsman Peter David.
It would take me too long to list all the great plots and character development the Hulk underwent under David's reign as Hulk scribe. Suffice it to say that I have not been bowled over by any Hulk run since David was forced off the title.
The Bruce Jones stuff was interesting, and I was glad to see David return for some issues...but in my mind, even the less compelling Peter David Hulk stories were better than other people's best efforts. But I guess nothing lasts forever. I'll just be glad to have read those Peter David Hulk tales and figure that, maybe someday, someone will give us Hulk comics that are that good.
Or, really, any comics that are that good.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Super Villain Team-Up!
Because you demanded it! Well, maybe not. Amazingly, the ultra-cool 1970s Super-Villain Team-Up did not carry that tagline. But even though I did not demand it, it was great.
It all started in March 1975 with Giant-Size SVTU number 1 featuring Doctor Doom and the Sub-Mariner. Of course, it had the obligatory 70s "And Now the Iron-Masked Master of Menace Thinks Back..." line that leads to the reprint that allegedly propels the story forward.
But it was still cool. The new stuff was written by Roy Thomas and drawn by John Buscema. So far, so good, right? Issue 2 of GS SVTU, published 3 months later, had a full original story, again by Thomas, but this time the artists were Mike Sekowsky and Sam Grainger. Clearly, Marvel was a bit too ambitious with the GS part of this, as they inexplicably have a reprint of Amazing Spider-Man 8 included in this issue! Huh???
Anyway, fast forward 2 more months to SVTU number 1! Doctor Doom! Sub-Mariner! And some new characters - Attuma! Dr. Dorcas! And the Terrible Tiger Shark! This time out, we have Tony Isabella doing the writing, and George Tuska & Bill Everett doing the art chores. They even throw George Evans into the mix with the second part of the story.
And so it went. Each issue, you didn't know who would deliver the goods - but each issue was entertaining. Later issues added the Red Skull to the mix! All that was missing was the Green Goblin. Too bad he was dead (at least at the time he was).
And just look at some of the great names that lent their considerable talents to this excellent title: Sal Buscema, Jim Shooter, Bill Mantlo, Herb Trimpe, Jim Mooney, Steve Englehart and Keith Giffen.
Maybe I was just at the right age and very impressionable. Whatever it was, I can say that I still think this is one of my favorite 70s titles. It was a fun 19 issues - and what more can you ask for when it comes to comics? Fun is exactly what all comics should strive for.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Awesome! I just found out that there is an Essentials that collects all these issues and more! I may have to get this myself! You can get them all in one place! Lucky you!
It all started in March 1975 with Giant-Size SVTU number 1 featuring Doctor Doom and the Sub-Mariner. Of course, it had the obligatory 70s "And Now the Iron-Masked Master of Menace Thinks Back..." line that leads to the reprint that allegedly propels the story forward.
But it was still cool. The new stuff was written by Roy Thomas and drawn by John Buscema. So far, so good, right? Issue 2 of GS SVTU, published 3 months later, had a full original story, again by Thomas, but this time the artists were Mike Sekowsky and Sam Grainger. Clearly, Marvel was a bit too ambitious with the GS part of this, as they inexplicably have a reprint of Amazing Spider-Man 8 included in this issue! Huh???
Anyway, fast forward 2 more months to SVTU number 1! Doctor Doom! Sub-Mariner! And some new characters - Attuma! Dr. Dorcas! And the Terrible Tiger Shark! This time out, we have Tony Isabella doing the writing, and George Tuska & Bill Everett doing the art chores. They even throw George Evans into the mix with the second part of the story.
And so it went. Each issue, you didn't know who would deliver the goods - but each issue was entertaining. Later issues added the Red Skull to the mix! All that was missing was the Green Goblin. Too bad he was dead (at least at the time he was).
And just look at some of the great names that lent their considerable talents to this excellent title: Sal Buscema, Jim Shooter, Bill Mantlo, Herb Trimpe, Jim Mooney, Steve Englehart and Keith Giffen.
Maybe I was just at the right age and very impressionable. Whatever it was, I can say that I still think this is one of my favorite 70s titles. It was a fun 19 issues - and what more can you ask for when it comes to comics? Fun is exactly what all comics should strive for.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Awesome! I just found out that there is an Essentials that collects all these issues and more! I may have to get this myself! You can get them all in one place! Lucky you!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Dark Knight pictures
First there were the Watchmen images. Now, images for the Dark Knight movie have been released. Heath Ledger as the Joker looks pretty good. He looks menacing and crazy - exactly what the Joker should be.
Here's hoping this will move the memory of the Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson Jokers even further into the depths of my consciousness. I'd really like to forget I ever saw either one. It's not as though either version was visually terrible. They just weren't...the Joker as I thought of the character.
I take some solace in that as bad as those Jokers were, they were visually superior in every way to what the movies did to the Green Goblin. Boy, do I wish they'd kept that simple.
They seem to be on a good path here with the upcoming Batman movie. I will be interested in seeing more images, and hopefully soon - more trailers.
Here's hoping this will move the memory of the Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson Jokers even further into the depths of my consciousness. I'd really like to forget I ever saw either one. It's not as though either version was visually terrible. They just weren't...the Joker as I thought of the character.
I take some solace in that as bad as those Jokers were, they were visually superior in every way to what the movies did to the Green Goblin. Boy, do I wish they'd kept that simple.
They seem to be on a good path here with the upcoming Batman movie. I will be interested in seeing more images, and hopefully soon - more trailers.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Recent Batman readings
Well, I guess it can't all be great....I just read the 'Grotesk' storyline in Batman, and I was a bit disappointed. It's too bad, really. John Ostrander has done some good comics in the past, but this does not show that.
I'll give him a pass because these are filler issues, after all. They follow the great Grant Morrison 'Son of Batman' storyline and then are in turn followed by some more teriffic Morrison issues. And of course, all of this follows the Judd Winick issues, which I think I've blathered on about how much Iiked them in a previous post.
I'll try to remember Ostrander on Firestorm, The Spectre and some of the other titles he did in the 80s and 90s. He deserves that.
But I do look forward to reading the newest Morrison issues, and I hope he is the regular writer for some time. It's nice to be able to say that about Batman. For a long while, up to and including the bloated and overrated 'Hush' storyline, I didn't like Batman all that much.
And please don't get me started about the little regard I have for the soulless "All-Star Batman and Robin" series.
I'm just happy to have someone of Morrison's caliber writing such a great character. And with the hype machine working overtime for the upcoming Dark Knight movie...I doubt I'm alone in this opinion.
I'll give him a pass because these are filler issues, after all. They follow the great Grant Morrison 'Son of Batman' storyline and then are in turn followed by some more teriffic Morrison issues. And of course, all of this follows the Judd Winick issues, which I think I've blathered on about how much Iiked them in a previous post.
I'll try to remember Ostrander on Firestorm, The Spectre and some of the other titles he did in the 80s and 90s. He deserves that.
But I do look forward to reading the newest Morrison issues, and I hope he is the regular writer for some time. It's nice to be able to say that about Batman. For a long while, up to and including the bloated and overrated 'Hush' storyline, I didn't like Batman all that much.
And please don't get me started about the little regard I have for the soulless "All-Star Batman and Robin" series.
I'm just happy to have someone of Morrison's caliber writing such a great character. And with the hype machine working overtime for the upcoming Dark Knight movie...I doubt I'm alone in this opinion.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
More great comic book covers
As the first post was one of the few that I've actually had comments on, I decided to see if I could find some other cool covers. See what you think:
Daredevil 146 by Gil Kane (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Marvel Team-Up 39 by John Romita, Sr. (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Detective 467 by Rich Buckler (Copyright DC Comics)
Some good ones, eh? I wonder if I'll find any to post that were published after the mid 80's? There must be some covers worthy of display. Let me know if you think of some.
Of course, there is a catch - I'll only post them if I agree! But I am an agreeable guy...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ask and ye shall receive! Here are a few more covers, one from a direct answer, and the others that I remembered as being similarly themed.
Thor 276 by John Buscema (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Hulk 255 by Rich Buckler (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Captain America 230 by Ron Wilson (Copyright Marvel Comics)
And still more - another suggestion and some other cool ones. I seem to be favoring Marvel in general, and Spider-Man in particular....
Superman 217 by Ed Benes (Copyright DC Comics)
Spider-Man 251 by Ed Hannigan (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Spider-Man 258 by Ron Frenz (Copyright Marvel Comics)
By the way, I am sure I am right about the artist in most cases, but if you see an error, please let me know so I can have the attributions correct.
Daredevil 146 by Gil Kane (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Marvel Team-Up 39 by John Romita, Sr. (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Detective 467 by Rich Buckler (Copyright DC Comics)
Some good ones, eh? I wonder if I'll find any to post that were published after the mid 80's? There must be some covers worthy of display. Let me know if you think of some.
Of course, there is a catch - I'll only post them if I agree! But I am an agreeable guy...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ask and ye shall receive! Here are a few more covers, one from a direct answer, and the others that I remembered as being similarly themed.
Thor 276 by John Buscema (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Hulk 255 by Rich Buckler (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Captain America 230 by Ron Wilson (Copyright Marvel Comics)
And still more - another suggestion and some other cool ones. I seem to be favoring Marvel in general, and Spider-Man in particular....
Superman 217 by Ed Benes (Copyright DC Comics)
Spider-Man 251 by Ed Hannigan (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Spider-Man 258 by Ron Frenz (Copyright Marvel Comics)
By the way, I am sure I am right about the artist in most cases, but if you see an error, please let me know so I can have the attributions correct.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Nostalgic for the 70s
As I sell things on eBay, I come across some really cool items from the past. Recently, I sold a Draco the Dragon Spider-Man book & record. As far as I know, the story had not been published as a comic book, so the story was unique. How cool is this? It's doubly great because I get to remember how much I enjoyed it all those years ago, and the buyer told me that it reminded them of their own childhood. I'm happy to be a part of something like that.
And John Romita Sr. art on Electric Company Magazine? That rocks! Marvel and DC both used to put some cool stuff out there for the fans. I have a roll of toilet paper with panels from Spider-Man 119 and 120 on it. Gil Kane art! How could it get better?!?
I have Fun Books with word searches, mazes, crossword puzzles and games all based around the Marvel Universe. I have Spider-Man, Batman and Superman calendars, maze books, magnets, cars, games, puzzles (a Batman puzzle with Neal Adams art!) and coloring books.
And LPs! Lots of 12-inch, 33 1/3 long play records with great, cheesy and totally cool superhero stories on them! The Justice League one was always my favorite. Some of the worst songs and corniest stories you'll ever hear...but I can't help but smile to think of them! One of the songs starts like this: Metamorpho, Metamorpho....This is the story of the Element Man...You just don't get stuff like that nowadays!
Maybe I'm just not in the know and items like these things are readily available now. I know that some of this stuff is - like calendars, magnets and coloring books. But it's different compared to the 70s. Maybe it's because I was a kid and I am seeing it through nostalgic rose colored glasses. But I can't imagine what's out there now could possibly have the soul of the 70's stuff!
I'd like to see book & cds based on issues that have been published. Toilet paper with Ultimate Spider-Man panels on it. And of course, let's see Fun Books come back! Wouldn't that be cool?
And John Romita Sr. art on Electric Company Magazine? That rocks! Marvel and DC both used to put some cool stuff out there for the fans. I have a roll of toilet paper with panels from Spider-Man 119 and 120 on it. Gil Kane art! How could it get better?!?
I have Fun Books with word searches, mazes, crossword puzzles and games all based around the Marvel Universe. I have Spider-Man, Batman and Superman calendars, maze books, magnets, cars, games, puzzles (a Batman puzzle with Neal Adams art!) and coloring books.
And LPs! Lots of 12-inch, 33 1/3 long play records with great, cheesy and totally cool superhero stories on them! The Justice League one was always my favorite. Some of the worst songs and corniest stories you'll ever hear...but I can't help but smile to think of them! One of the songs starts like this: Metamorpho, Metamorpho....This is the story of the Element Man...You just don't get stuff like that nowadays!
Maybe I'm just not in the know and items like these things are readily available now. I know that some of this stuff is - like calendars, magnets and coloring books. But it's different compared to the 70s. Maybe it's because I was a kid and I am seeing it through nostalgic rose colored glasses. But I can't imagine what's out there now could possibly have the soul of the 70's stuff!
I'd like to see book & cds based on issues that have been published. Toilet paper with Ultimate Spider-Man panels on it. And of course, let's see Fun Books come back! Wouldn't that be cool?
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Likes & Dislikes - Grant Morrison
A bit of a no-brainer to make this post, eh?
Start with Animal Man 1-26 where he took a pretty ordinary character and gave us compelling stories, culminating with one of the most shocking and sad moments in comics. Then the great look at the aftermath and reaction that most people would likely have if that had happened to them. Definitely not your typical superhero fare.
Move forward several years to JLA. His handling of this super-team was second only to Keith Giffen's in the modern era. And it's not like the two are all that far apart in my mind. I just prefer the Giffen version. But Morrison again took some established, traditional, and (at the time) kinda boring characters and made them interesting and relevant again.
Then top it off with New X-Men.
If there was any comic book that I DIDN'T like, it was the X-Men. Never really read Uncanny X-Men, no interest in Ultimate X-Men. I'll politely pass on Wein/Cockrum, Claremont/Byrne, Claremont/any artist. Outside of the Stan Lee and Neal Adams issues, the X-books just didn't interest me.
And yet, there I was happily reading New X-Men and loving it. Some X-motifs were recast in new and interesting ways. Xavier walks. Scott Summers steps out - Cyclops/Jean Gray, Cyclops/White Witch. Cassandra Nova...Xavier has a sister?? And - best of all - no stupid crossovers with the other X-titles!
I knew it was good when I found out that my X-Men loving, Marvel Zombie buddy kept telling me that it wasn't the "real" X-Men. You know what? It should be the "real" X-Men! Or...perhaps not. Well - it was new and interesting to me. Maybe that explains why I was not upset by it as X-Men fans were.
Now Grant Morrison is writing Batman - and it's great! He starts with the "Son of Batman" story - a sequel to the excellent Mike W. Barr/Jerry Bingham "Son of the Demon" graphic novel (which really is a graphic novel!) - and keeps going from there. I really liked the Judd Winick run, and it remains to be seen how the Morrison run will stack up. If the past is any indication, it will stack up well indeed. He's off to a great start thus far.
Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention other Grant Morrison works such as Sebastian O, Skrull Kill Krew, Invisibles, Kid Eternity, Doom Patrol, Seven Soldiers of Victory, We3, Marvel Boy, Fantastic Four: 1234, Zenith (2000AD), Aztek and All-Star Superman (which is so much better than Frank Miller's All-Star Batman, it isn't even funny).
I'm sure there are some other Morrison works I'm omitting, but this is a pretty good list. So go out and find some Morrison issues. Amazingly, you'll be able to find some in the dollar boxes. You can get some really good stuff from these boxes.
Start with Animal Man 1-26 where he took a pretty ordinary character and gave us compelling stories, culminating with one of the most shocking and sad moments in comics. Then the great look at the aftermath and reaction that most people would likely have if that had happened to them. Definitely not your typical superhero fare.
Move forward several years to JLA. His handling of this super-team was second only to Keith Giffen's in the modern era. And it's not like the two are all that far apart in my mind. I just prefer the Giffen version. But Morrison again took some established, traditional, and (at the time) kinda boring characters and made them interesting and relevant again.
Then top it off with New X-Men.
If there was any comic book that I DIDN'T like, it was the X-Men. Never really read Uncanny X-Men, no interest in Ultimate X-Men. I'll politely pass on Wein/Cockrum, Claremont/Byrne, Claremont/any artist. Outside of the Stan Lee and Neal Adams issues, the X-books just didn't interest me.
And yet, there I was happily reading New X-Men and loving it. Some X-motifs were recast in new and interesting ways. Xavier walks. Scott Summers steps out - Cyclops/Jean Gray, Cyclops/White Witch. Cassandra Nova...Xavier has a sister?? And - best of all - no stupid crossovers with the other X-titles!
I knew it was good when I found out that my X-Men loving, Marvel Zombie buddy kept telling me that it wasn't the "real" X-Men. You know what? It should be the "real" X-Men! Or...perhaps not. Well - it was new and interesting to me. Maybe that explains why I was not upset by it as X-Men fans were.
Now Grant Morrison is writing Batman - and it's great! He starts with the "Son of Batman" story - a sequel to the excellent Mike W. Barr/Jerry Bingham "Son of the Demon" graphic novel (which really is a graphic novel!) - and keeps going from there. I really liked the Judd Winick run, and it remains to be seen how the Morrison run will stack up. If the past is any indication, it will stack up well indeed. He's off to a great start thus far.
Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention other Grant Morrison works such as Sebastian O, Skrull Kill Krew, Invisibles, Kid Eternity, Doom Patrol, Seven Soldiers of Victory, We3, Marvel Boy, Fantastic Four: 1234, Zenith (2000AD), Aztek and All-Star Superman (which is so much better than Frank Miller's All-Star Batman, it isn't even funny).
I'm sure there are some other Morrison works I'm omitting, but this is a pretty good list. So go out and find some Morrison issues. Amazingly, you'll be able to find some in the dollar boxes. You can get some really good stuff from these boxes.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Watchmen Movie
Saw some images from the upcoming Watchmen movie. Hard to know which way to go on this. What I do know for sure is that Alan Moore is against it - but that's true of any of his works. And based on some of the movies that have been based on his comics, I can't say I blame him.
On the one hand, it seems that the story has too many nuances to properly capture in a 2-hour movie. There are a lot of characters to keep track of. And a lot of history and motivations established over the course of those 12 issues. They could spend the first hour of the movie just introducing the characters.
On the other hand, it is going to be directed by Zack Snyder, who directed 300. Snyder has said (according to IMDB's trivia) that in order to be true to the source when adapting a graphic novel to the screen, the original visual art should be respected as much as the written portion."
That seems to bode well, doesn't it?
Another good thing: According to IMDB, both Tom Cruise and Jude Law expressed interest in the role of Ozymandias. And neither were selected. This is a good thing. Make that great. Looking at the cast list, it seems that it has some good names, but there doesn't look to be any one person with an overblown, Cruise-like ego to destroy the project.
So, I guess in the end, it doesn't matter what I think, because they're going to make the movie anyway. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I'd like to be pleasantly surprised. I hope Zach Snyder can deliver that surprise for me.
It's a great story - and it would be nice to see a great film come from it.
On the one hand, it seems that the story has too many nuances to properly capture in a 2-hour movie. There are a lot of characters to keep track of. And a lot of history and motivations established over the course of those 12 issues. They could spend the first hour of the movie just introducing the characters.
On the other hand, it is going to be directed by Zack Snyder, who directed 300. Snyder has said (according to IMDB's trivia) that in order to be true to the source when adapting a graphic novel to the screen, the original visual art should be respected as much as the written portion."
That seems to bode well, doesn't it?
Another good thing: According to IMDB, both Tom Cruise and Jude Law expressed interest in the role of Ozymandias. And neither were selected. This is a good thing. Make that great. Looking at the cast list, it seems that it has some good names, but there doesn't look to be any one person with an overblown, Cruise-like ego to destroy the project.
So, I guess in the end, it doesn't matter what I think, because they're going to make the movie anyway. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I'd like to be pleasantly surprised. I hope Zach Snyder can deliver that surprise for me.
It's a great story - and it would be nice to see a great film come from it.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Great Comic Book Covers
I actually googled something along these lines, and the results were less than impressive. So I thought I'd take a stab at this myself. I have always had a few covers that would come to mind when this topic would come up. The main ones are Amazing Spider-Man 151, Moon Knight 29, Superman 317, Captain America 110 and Marvel Tales 63. What's interesting about Marvel Tales 63 is that it's a new cover for a reprint of Amazing 82. The cover for issue 82 was cool, but I always thought MT 63 was even better.
Amazing Spider-Man 151 by John Romita, Sr. (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Moon Knight 29 by Bill Sienkiewicz (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Superman 317 by Neal Adams (Copyright DC Comics)
Captain America 110 by Jim Steranko (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Marvel Tales 63 by John Romita, Sr. (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Amazing Spider-Man 82 by John Romita, Sr. (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Aren't they cool? Not many DC covers, I notice. That means I must be failing to remember some good ones. There must be some good ones from the Neal Adams days. Oh yeah - here are a few. And a great Hulk cover.
Detectives 402 & 404, both by Neal Adams (Copyright DC Comics)
Amazing Spider-Man 151 by John Romita, Sr. (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Moon Knight 29 by Bill Sienkiewicz (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Superman 317 by Neal Adams (Copyright DC Comics)
Captain America 110 by Jim Steranko (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Marvel Tales 63 by John Romita, Sr. (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Amazing Spider-Man 82 by John Romita, Sr. (Copyright Marvel Comics)
Aren't they cool? Not many DC covers, I notice. That means I must be failing to remember some good ones. There must be some good ones from the Neal Adams days. Oh yeah - here are a few. And a great Hulk cover.
Detectives 402 & 404, both by Neal Adams (Copyright DC Comics)
Hulk 340 by Todd McFarlane (Copyright Marvel Comics)
I'm sure there are many more cool covers, but this is what I have so far.
I'm sure there are many more cool covers, but this is what I have so far.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
D3's Review - Mister X
I came across Mister X about 20 years ago at a South Jersey convention. It was a great convention, and sadly, it died a slow, painful death by the time the 90s rolled in. Another casualty of the speculators and the mega-cons.
But that's not what I'm set to be rambling about here. No - that would be a comic book series called Mister X. The first four issues were done by the brilliant Hernandez brothers - Gilbert, Mario and Jaime. Same guys who did Love & Rockets. Another title y'all should be readin' - and so should I.
I don't know why Mister X struck me the way it did. Maybe it was the clean art. Maybe it was the fun and interesting story. Maybe it was the bold, clever and dynamic artistic choices made on the covers and on the insides of the covers. The design of the book was excellent. I normally don't worry too much about the art (more story driven), but the art was sharp and - dare I say it - visionary. The overall visual style was striking from cover to cover.
Maybe not just one thing - no idea really. But it was good. The story was about the architect that designed Radiant City. He returned to "undo the damage he believes he has done...even if it kills him." This brought him into conflict with a former mob boss who was running clubs in the city. Add into it a cast of killer dames, and you've got a fun, interesting, offbeat noir tale. And you're always looking to find out more about this Radiant City.
It's an excellent comic with great characters, and like Gotham City, Radiant City is kind of a character itself. The story is a bit hard to follow, but again, it's so well done it's worth sticking with it. Even when they go about explaining things, it's confusing.
After the fourth issue, Dean Motter took over the scripting, and it was still pretty good. Still confusing, but pretty good. Even if I felt that I was never getting the full story, I was entertained. I kept reading, but the ensuing issues, while very good, never matched the quality and style of the first four issues.
Each time I reread it, I remember how much I liked Mister X the first time around. I can't say anything better than that about a comic.
But that's not what I'm set to be rambling about here. No - that would be a comic book series called Mister X. The first four issues were done by the brilliant Hernandez brothers - Gilbert, Mario and Jaime. Same guys who did Love & Rockets. Another title y'all should be readin' - and so should I.
I don't know why Mister X struck me the way it did. Maybe it was the clean art. Maybe it was the fun and interesting story. Maybe it was the bold, clever and dynamic artistic choices made on the covers and on the insides of the covers. The design of the book was excellent. I normally don't worry too much about the art (more story driven), but the art was sharp and - dare I say it - visionary. The overall visual style was striking from cover to cover.
Maybe not just one thing - no idea really. But it was good. The story was about the architect that designed Radiant City. He returned to "undo the damage he believes he has done...even if it kills him." This brought him into conflict with a former mob boss who was running clubs in the city. Add into it a cast of killer dames, and you've got a fun, interesting, offbeat noir tale. And you're always looking to find out more about this Radiant City.
It's an excellent comic with great characters, and like Gotham City, Radiant City is kind of a character itself. The story is a bit hard to follow, but again, it's so well done it's worth sticking with it. Even when they go about explaining things, it's confusing.
After the fourth issue, Dean Motter took over the scripting, and it was still pretty good. Still confusing, but pretty good. Even if I felt that I was never getting the full story, I was entertained. I kept reading, but the ensuing issues, while very good, never matched the quality and style of the first four issues.
Each time I reread it, I remember how much I liked Mister X the first time around. I can't say anything better than that about a comic.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Likes & Dislikes - Dave Sim
Boy, this one comes with some controversy. During the 80s and early 90s, Dave Sim was one of the best comic book creators out there - one of those creators to be admired. He wrote and drew Cerebus (who was an aardvark), and it was one of the best comics out there up until its 113th issue. The rest of the run is good, but I felt that High Society and Church and State were the highlights.
Anyway, what he did is nothing short of remarkable. He wrote and drew all 300 issues of the series. Compare this to the tremendously overblown Bendis/Bagley effort of 100 issues on Ultimate Spider-Man, and you can get an idea of how I feel about the Bendis/Bagley thing. It's nice, but it's not 300 issues.
Cerebus covered lots of ground, and was always thought-provoking. The main topics were religion and politics in a fictional world set in the early 14th century. If there was a comic book trend going on at the time, you could bet that Sim would somehow humorously incorporate a parody into the storyline. Super Secret Sacred Wars is an example, as are Moon Roach and Wolverroach. There were also appearances by characters loosely based on Mick & Keith, George Harrison.
The issues gave you credit for having intelligence. His letters pages were more entertaining than some comics that were being published. His Notes From the Publisher were sometimes better than the issue that they appeared in. And during High Society and Church & State, that's saying something. You got the straight poop about the industry from someone who was actually doing the work - and was the publisher to boot. The letters pages were his opinion, and sometimes were angry and/or sarcastic - which was a refreshing change from the company line nice-nice way Marvel and DC pages. That's all pretty common now, but this is where it started.
The main knock that I can recall was that there was so much backstory, that you'd be lost if you joined Cerebus in progress. I started at around issue 78, and I managed to figure things out. Of course, this was also around the time that Sim released the High Society "telephone book" that collected issues 26-50.
I don't think enough credit can be given to Sim for the development of this form of collected volume. Now they are as common as the single issue, but back in 1986, there wasn't the plethora of trade paperbacks like there are now. After all, the mini-series had just been developed a few years earlier, as had the graphic novel. This was new ground for comic books.
The success of the High Society collected book, due largely, I feel, to the quality of the work within, led to more of these books from Sim. Church & State volumes one and two, and so on. After a while, it became obvious that a book would be released upon the completion of an arc, so rumor has it that a lot of collectors eschewed the single issue and just waited for the Cerebus books.
I have mostly the single issues, with the exception of the Cerebus book (issues 1-25) and the aforementioned High Society. I consider this series a watershed occurance in comics. A non-Marvel/non-DC effort that was every bit as good as either company's output. It was so good that luminaries such as Frank Miller and Alan Moore extolled the virtues of this comic.
More proof? Marvel threatened legal action against Sim when he featured his Wolverine parody Wolverroach on three consecutive covers, thinking that people might buy Cerebus thinking it was a Marvel product. Maybe Sim did push it a bit, but Marvel really needed to lighten up.
Then times changed, and Sim and Cerebus were no longer the relevant, highly regarded creator and comic book they once were. Bendis once disrespected Sim in one of his Powers letter columns - which is kinda ridiculous, because anyone paying attention knows that every independent publisher (and every overrated, overexposed talent publishing independent work) today pretty much owes a debt to Sim they can never repay for proving, time and again, the viability of the independent market.
To sum up, what makes Sim so special in my mind?
He published, wrote and drew 300 issues (for 25 years) of the same title for an independent publisher. And it was one of the best titles out there for at least a good chunk of its run.
He helped to pioneer the trade paperback/collected edition books that are currently all the rage.
Nothing more needs to be said. If you have the chance, get some Cerebus issues. They're more than worth your time.
Anyway, what he did is nothing short of remarkable. He wrote and drew all 300 issues of the series. Compare this to the tremendously overblown Bendis/Bagley effort of 100 issues on Ultimate Spider-Man, and you can get an idea of how I feel about the Bendis/Bagley thing. It's nice, but it's not 300 issues.
Cerebus covered lots of ground, and was always thought-provoking. The main topics were religion and politics in a fictional world set in the early 14th century. If there was a comic book trend going on at the time, you could bet that Sim would somehow humorously incorporate a parody into the storyline. Super Secret Sacred Wars is an example, as are Moon Roach and Wolverroach. There were also appearances by characters loosely based on Mick & Keith, George Harrison.
The issues gave you credit for having intelligence. His letters pages were more entertaining than some comics that were being published. His Notes From the Publisher were sometimes better than the issue that they appeared in. And during High Society and Church & State, that's saying something. You got the straight poop about the industry from someone who was actually doing the work - and was the publisher to boot. The letters pages were his opinion, and sometimes were angry and/or sarcastic - which was a refreshing change from the company line nice-nice way Marvel and DC pages. That's all pretty common now, but this is where it started.
The main knock that I can recall was that there was so much backstory, that you'd be lost if you joined Cerebus in progress. I started at around issue 78, and I managed to figure things out. Of course, this was also around the time that Sim released the High Society "telephone book" that collected issues 26-50.
I don't think enough credit can be given to Sim for the development of this form of collected volume. Now they are as common as the single issue, but back in 1986, there wasn't the plethora of trade paperbacks like there are now. After all, the mini-series had just been developed a few years earlier, as had the graphic novel. This was new ground for comic books.
The success of the High Society collected book, due largely, I feel, to the quality of the work within, led to more of these books from Sim. Church & State volumes one and two, and so on. After a while, it became obvious that a book would be released upon the completion of an arc, so rumor has it that a lot of collectors eschewed the single issue and just waited for the Cerebus books.
I have mostly the single issues, with the exception of the Cerebus book (issues 1-25) and the aforementioned High Society. I consider this series a watershed occurance in comics. A non-Marvel/non-DC effort that was every bit as good as either company's output. It was so good that luminaries such as Frank Miller and Alan Moore extolled the virtues of this comic.
More proof? Marvel threatened legal action against Sim when he featured his Wolverine parody Wolverroach on three consecutive covers, thinking that people might buy Cerebus thinking it was a Marvel product. Maybe Sim did push it a bit, but Marvel really needed to lighten up.
Then times changed, and Sim and Cerebus were no longer the relevant, highly regarded creator and comic book they once were. Bendis once disrespected Sim in one of his Powers letter columns - which is kinda ridiculous, because anyone paying attention knows that every independent publisher (and every overrated, overexposed talent publishing independent work) today pretty much owes a debt to Sim they can never repay for proving, time and again, the viability of the independent market.
To sum up, what makes Sim so special in my mind?
He published, wrote and drew 300 issues (for 25 years) of the same title for an independent publisher. And it was one of the best titles out there for at least a good chunk of its run.
He helped to pioneer the trade paperback/collected edition books that are currently all the rage.
Nothing more needs to be said. If you have the chance, get some Cerebus issues. They're more than worth your time.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Marvel doin' something right?
Who'd a thunk it? If you've read the relatively few posts I have on this site (Speaking of which - is anyone actually reading them? A discussion for another time...), you have probably figured out that I don't necessarily consider Marvel to be a warm, fuzzy comic publisher. But by putting their archive of comics on their web site, they have me singing a new tune.
Here's some of what I've heard is on the site (I must admit that I have not taken the plunge):
The first 100 issues of Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and John Romita, Sr.
The first 100 issues of The Fantastic Four by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
The first 66 issues of Uncanny X-Men by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (and others)
The first 50 issues of The Avengers by Stan and Jack and Don Heck
If they had stopped here, that would have been a great offering for $9.99 a month, or $4.99 monthly with a year-long commitment. The only changes I could see would be adding things like the first 50 issues of Daredevil, the first 100 issues of Journey Into Mystery/Thor, the first 50 issues of Captain America, the first 50 issues of Iron Man....basically, anything that Stan Lee wrote.
But they do have other offerings. Things like the first appearance of Spider-Man's black costume (Spider-Man 252 or Secret Wars 8?), Astonishing X-Men, selected titles from the Ultimate line (Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four and The Ultimates), The House of M, current issues of Amazing Spider-Man, New Avengers, Young Avengers and Runaways among others.
All of which I could do without. Most of these are pretty average issues, and they are also collected in trade paperbacks, aren't they? Enough exposure for Bendis, Whedon and Millar.
Please Marvel - save the bandwidth for the real classics. Instead of posting that stuff, why not post some of the 1970's and early 1980's comics that I remember so fondly from my younger years? Stuff like Marvel Team-Up, The Defenders, Moon Knight, Rom, Iron Fist, Doctor Strange, Super-Villain Team-Up (so cool and so short!) and Master Of Kung-Fu, just to name a few.
It would be fun to see these issues again - or even better, for the first time. It's a great thing for Marvel to enable readers to have such easy and direct access to comics. Marvel - if you want to know what you should post next, send me an email. I have lots of ideas.
Here's some of what I've heard is on the site (I must admit that I have not taken the plunge):
The first 100 issues of Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and John Romita, Sr.
The first 100 issues of The Fantastic Four by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
The first 66 issues of Uncanny X-Men by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (and others)
The first 50 issues of The Avengers by Stan and Jack and Don Heck
If they had stopped here, that would have been a great offering for $9.99 a month, or $4.99 monthly with a year-long commitment. The only changes I could see would be adding things like the first 50 issues of Daredevil, the first 100 issues of Journey Into Mystery/Thor, the first 50 issues of Captain America, the first 50 issues of Iron Man....basically, anything that Stan Lee wrote.
But they do have other offerings. Things like the first appearance of Spider-Man's black costume (Spider-Man 252 or Secret Wars 8?), Astonishing X-Men, selected titles from the Ultimate line (Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four and The Ultimates), The House of M, current issues of Amazing Spider-Man, New Avengers, Young Avengers and Runaways among others.
All of which I could do without. Most of these are pretty average issues, and they are also collected in trade paperbacks, aren't they? Enough exposure for Bendis, Whedon and Millar.
Please Marvel - save the bandwidth for the real classics. Instead of posting that stuff, why not post some of the 1970's and early 1980's comics that I remember so fondly from my younger years? Stuff like Marvel Team-Up, The Defenders, Moon Knight, Rom, Iron Fist, Doctor Strange, Super-Villain Team-Up (so cool and so short!) and Master Of Kung-Fu, just to name a few.
It would be fun to see these issues again - or even better, for the first time. It's a great thing for Marvel to enable readers to have such easy and direct access to comics. Marvel - if you want to know what you should post next, send me an email. I have lots of ideas.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Iron Man preview
Just saw the Iron Man movie preview. Looks pretty good. I was not sure about Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, but now I've changed my mind. A rich, substance-abusing, me-first guy? Sounds like RDJ - and Tony Stark.
I am a bit surprised at Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. I don't think the character has any British background. And Jim Rhodes and Obidiah Stane, but no Happy Hogan? But the really good news is that based on the IMDB plot synopsis, it looks like they are sticking to the real history.
And the CGI looks great too - the flying scenes were awesome. I hope they keep using the Black Sabbath song. What could be more appropriate? Let's hope the movie is as good as the trailer. Often, the trailer captures the best of the film. It's a good start though.
I am a bit surprised at Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. I don't think the character has any British background. And Jim Rhodes and Obidiah Stane, but no Happy Hogan? But the really good news is that based on the IMDB plot synopsis, it looks like they are sticking to the real history.
And the CGI looks great too - the flying scenes were awesome. I hope they keep using the Black Sabbath song. What could be more appropriate? Let's hope the movie is as good as the trailer. Often, the trailer captures the best of the film. It's a good start though.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
An article worth reading
I've groused about newspaper writers and the way that they write about comics.
I am very pleased to give credit where credit is due. Everyone who reads this should look up an article by a writer named Gavin Ford, who writes for the Star-Gazette of Elmira, New York.
This is actually a two-fer. A very well-written article by someone who either knows what he is talking about, or someone who did his research properly - and it's about an old-school writer who doesn't get nearly enough credit.
One of my friends and I have long been fans of Bill Mantlo, and I found out from a Peter David "But I Digress" column that Mantlo had suffered the accident that Ford mentions in his article.
It's a shame that Mantlo appears to be in less than great shape. But kudos to Ford for writing such a glowing article for a guy that was the linchpin of Marvel in the 70s.
Anyone who was a Spider-Man fan should be grateful Mantlo was around. He certainly contributed some of the more interesting Spidey tales. This includes the first artwork by comic legend Frank Miller (Spectactular Spider-Man 27 and 28) and the great Carrion story arc that followed these issues.
And I will certainly echo Ford in telling you that you should seek out Mantlo comics - especially his Hulk, Rom, Micronauts, Cloak and Dagger (among my favorites by Mantlo), Jack of Hearts, Rocket Raccoon and White Tiger (I think this started in Marvel Team-Up).
I will also be on the lookout for the "Mantlo: A Life in Comics" book mentioned in the article. If I hadn't been fortunate enough to see this article, I would not have known of this.
Thanks Gavin Ford. And happy birthday, Bill Mantlo!
I am very pleased to give credit where credit is due. Everyone who reads this should look up an article by a writer named Gavin Ford, who writes for the Star-Gazette of Elmira, New York.
This is actually a two-fer. A very well-written article by someone who either knows what he is talking about, or someone who did his research properly - and it's about an old-school writer who doesn't get nearly enough credit.
One of my friends and I have long been fans of Bill Mantlo, and I found out from a Peter David "But I Digress" column that Mantlo had suffered the accident that Ford mentions in his article.
It's a shame that Mantlo appears to be in less than great shape. But kudos to Ford for writing such a glowing article for a guy that was the linchpin of Marvel in the 70s.
Anyone who was a Spider-Man fan should be grateful Mantlo was around. He certainly contributed some of the more interesting Spidey tales. This includes the first artwork by comic legend Frank Miller (Spectactular Spider-Man 27 and 28) and the great Carrion story arc that followed these issues.
And I will certainly echo Ford in telling you that you should seek out Mantlo comics - especially his Hulk, Rom, Micronauts, Cloak and Dagger (among my favorites by Mantlo), Jack of Hearts, Rocket Raccoon and White Tiger (I think this started in Marvel Team-Up).
I will also be on the lookout for the "Mantlo: A Life in Comics" book mentioned in the article. If I hadn't been fortunate enough to see this article, I would not have known of this.
Thanks Gavin Ford. And happy birthday, Bill Mantlo!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Return of Captain America
Well, that didn't take long.
Cap is back. Even if it is just for an issue intended for the military and even if it's only by videotape. It's a good move for Marvel to do this.
It would be even better for Marvel to admit this wasn't the best of ideas to start with.
Considering that Marvel has already rebooted the Captain America comic four times, what's the harm in doing it again?
I am thinking that Marvel bringing Cap back is inevitable. The character is one of the oldest in comics, one of the most popular - and one of the most interesting, even if a lot of his writers didn't seem to know what to do with him.
I'd like to see Marvel just get it over with. You know they must be planning something big. Some silly "event" that will cross over into every Marvel title, go on for 144 parts and be written by Brian Michael Bendis, because Joe Quesada doesn't seem to know that Marvel has other writers.
Here's how I'd do it - cancel the current Cap title as soon as possible. Wait about three months, then relaunch the title.
Have Mark Waid write it (without the interference that was rumored to exist at the end of his excellent run) and someone other than John Romita Jr. drawing it. Nothing against JR Jr., but I'd rather see someone else given the shot.
Even though I've groused about cancelling and relaunching titles in past posts, I'd welcome this one. Marvel made a questionable decision here, and they need to set it right.
Comic fans deserve to have a Captain America comic book that is handled by a writer who understands what the character should mean. It should be patriotic and corny, as many of the great Cap tales have been. That's what the character is. That's what his strength is.
Bring back Cap! And do it right. His country needs him more than ever.
Cap is back. Even if it is just for an issue intended for the military and even if it's only by videotape. It's a good move for Marvel to do this.
It would be even better for Marvel to admit this wasn't the best of ideas to start with.
Considering that Marvel has already rebooted the Captain America comic four times, what's the harm in doing it again?
I am thinking that Marvel bringing Cap back is inevitable. The character is one of the oldest in comics, one of the most popular - and one of the most interesting, even if a lot of his writers didn't seem to know what to do with him.
I'd like to see Marvel just get it over with. You know they must be planning something big. Some silly "event" that will cross over into every Marvel title, go on for 144 parts and be written by Brian Michael Bendis, because Joe Quesada doesn't seem to know that Marvel has other writers.
Here's how I'd do it - cancel the current Cap title as soon as possible. Wait about three months, then relaunch the title.
Have Mark Waid write it (without the interference that was rumored to exist at the end of his excellent run) and someone other than John Romita Jr. drawing it. Nothing against JR Jr., but I'd rather see someone else given the shot.
Even though I've groused about cancelling and relaunching titles in past posts, I'd welcome this one. Marvel made a questionable decision here, and they need to set it right.
Comic fans deserve to have a Captain America comic book that is handled by a writer who understands what the character should mean. It should be patriotic and corny, as many of the great Cap tales have been. That's what the character is. That's what his strength is.
Bring back Cap! And do it right. His country needs him more than ever.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Likes & Dislikes - Peter David
There are a few writers out there whose work I will buy based solely on the fact that they are the writer. This is true of Alan Moore, James Robinson, Keith Giffen, Christopher Priest - and Peter David.
Peter David doesn't get the respect of the writers cited as the top ten writers by Wizard (this is an interesting thing in and of itself, as Wizard originally did not have a top ten writer list), but, in my opinion, he is miles ahead of most of the names on that list.
Think about this - he wrote some of the best Spider-Man stories (this includes Amazing, Spectacular, Web Of and Spider-Man 2099) in recent years. I am still bummed that he was never made the regular writer of Amazing Spider-Man. That would have been great. He also wrote, bar none, the best Hulk stories in recent memory. Same goes for Aquaman and Supergirl.
Add to this list his great runs on Captain Marvel (both runs), Fallen Angel, SpyBoy, Star Trek, Atlantis Chronicles, X-Factor, Justice, Soulsearchers and the many miniseries he's done, and it's hard to find a bad issue.
I must admit that I wasn't wild about Sachs & Violens or Young Justice, but I'd be willing to give both a second chance now.
The thing is, David gives his readers credit. I've seen some complaints that David is too self-referential, and maybe there's some truth to this, but really - you should have been reading his work all along.
And even if you haven't been reading Peter David's work all along, do yourself a favor and give it a try. His comics read like comics should - they're funny, clever, serious when they should be - and always thought provoking.
He can do the Bendis the-entire-issue-is-conversation thing, and he can do punch-'em ups. He is able to get to the core of the characters and present them to us in a way that they were not presented before.
I've read a lot of comics in my time - and Peter David has rarely, if ever disappointed me. If you give him an open-minded chance, I doubt he'd disappoint you.
He's currently doing She-Hulk. And I think that Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has been cancelled, but I would recommend that even though I only have about 5 or so issues. Peter David is that good that I'd recommend reading something of his that I have not even read yet.
And if its true that FNSM is cancelled, that would be just another example of the amazing shortsightedness that Marvel has shown toward the guy that is (and has been) their best writer of the past 20 years. Come to think of it, he's also one of DC's best writers of the past 20 years.
Even if Marvel, DC and Wizard won't admit it - see (read) for yourself. You might see comics in a new and better way if you do.
Peter David doesn't get the respect of the writers cited as the top ten writers by Wizard (this is an interesting thing in and of itself, as Wizard originally did not have a top ten writer list), but, in my opinion, he is miles ahead of most of the names on that list.
Think about this - he wrote some of the best Spider-Man stories (this includes Amazing, Spectacular, Web Of and Spider-Man 2099) in recent years. I am still bummed that he was never made the regular writer of Amazing Spider-Man. That would have been great. He also wrote, bar none, the best Hulk stories in recent memory. Same goes for Aquaman and Supergirl.
Add to this list his great runs on Captain Marvel (both runs), Fallen Angel, SpyBoy, Star Trek, Atlantis Chronicles, X-Factor, Justice, Soulsearchers and the many miniseries he's done, and it's hard to find a bad issue.
I must admit that I wasn't wild about Sachs & Violens or Young Justice, but I'd be willing to give both a second chance now.
The thing is, David gives his readers credit. I've seen some complaints that David is too self-referential, and maybe there's some truth to this, but really - you should have been reading his work all along.
And even if you haven't been reading Peter David's work all along, do yourself a favor and give it a try. His comics read like comics should - they're funny, clever, serious when they should be - and always thought provoking.
He can do the Bendis the-entire-issue-is-conversation thing, and he can do punch-'em ups. He is able to get to the core of the characters and present them to us in a way that they were not presented before.
I've read a lot of comics in my time - and Peter David has rarely, if ever disappointed me. If you give him an open-minded chance, I doubt he'd disappoint you.
He's currently doing She-Hulk. And I think that Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has been cancelled, but I would recommend that even though I only have about 5 or so issues. Peter David is that good that I'd recommend reading something of his that I have not even read yet.
And if its true that FNSM is cancelled, that would be just another example of the amazing shortsightedness that Marvel has shown toward the guy that is (and has been) their best writer of the past 20 years. Come to think of it, he's also one of DC's best writers of the past 20 years.
Even if Marvel, DC and Wizard won't admit it - see (read) for yourself. You might see comics in a new and better way if you do.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Stuck in the past
Hmmm - I thought this would be easier, but I sometimes struggle with what to post next. I thought I had plenty of 'insights' to put on this blog.
It's harder than I thought it would be. I think that, for me, the main problem is that there is so much about the current state of comics that I don't like. So I don't know where to begin. It starts with the convoluted, interrelated, "event" story arcs, moves on to the proliferation of X and Spider-Man books and the fact that current comic book prices are just ridiculous.
I mean, if you collect X-Men books, you could wind up shelling out 45 bucks a month just for that particular genre. And then you have to consider whether or not you want to pick up some of the 5 or so titles dedicated to Batman and Superman.
From what I can gather, it looks like Marvel and DC are always trying to shake things up. In the past, they would go through these one-upsmanship exercises with secondary characters.
Now they are taking on the big guns.
The latest casualty is Spider-Man, and the 'brilliant' idea was having him reveal his identity to the world. This is such a bad idea (in a growing string of bad ideas), that I don't even know how to properly express my disdain for the whole 'concept.'
Normally, I hate it when they renumber a title and start over...but in this case, I'd consider it a favor.
I'd like to see Amazing Spider-Man cancelled and then relaunched. They could call it Amazing Spider-Man 350, and they could cast aside all of the continuity that went after issue 350, and have the first issue of this new book pick up from where the book was as of that issue.
That would mean no Ben Reilly, no Maximum Clonage, no return of the Green Goblin, no Spider-Man in the Avengers (if Stan Lee didn't think it was a good idea, why not stick with that?), no Morlun, no Gwen Stacy's kids and no Spider-Man's identity known to the world.
Of course, that might deprive us of some good Amazing Spider-Man tales, but I'll be hard pressed to figure out what happened after issue 350 that any true Spider-Man fan would want to retain.
No - it's best for Marvel to pull a 'DC' - allow the stories to deteriorate over time, cancel the book and relaunch with a new number 1 issue.
Oh wait - Marvel does this too. It's just that they realized it was a horrible idea and restored most of the books to their original numbering. Remember when they had two numbers on the covers?
But that only goes so far - in a lot of cases, they forgot to give us stories worth reading.
The stories don't need to be 'grim and gritty' or 'realistic' - I'd just like to see them be...good.
It's harder than I thought it would be. I think that, for me, the main problem is that there is so much about the current state of comics that I don't like. So I don't know where to begin. It starts with the convoluted, interrelated, "event" story arcs, moves on to the proliferation of X and Spider-Man books and the fact that current comic book prices are just ridiculous.
I mean, if you collect X-Men books, you could wind up shelling out 45 bucks a month just for that particular genre. And then you have to consider whether or not you want to pick up some of the 5 or so titles dedicated to Batman and Superman.
From what I can gather, it looks like Marvel and DC are always trying to shake things up. In the past, they would go through these one-upsmanship exercises with secondary characters.
Now they are taking on the big guns.
The latest casualty is Spider-Man, and the 'brilliant' idea was having him reveal his identity to the world. This is such a bad idea (in a growing string of bad ideas), that I don't even know how to properly express my disdain for the whole 'concept.'
Normally, I hate it when they renumber a title and start over...but in this case, I'd consider it a favor.
I'd like to see Amazing Spider-Man cancelled and then relaunched. They could call it Amazing Spider-Man 350, and they could cast aside all of the continuity that went after issue 350, and have the first issue of this new book pick up from where the book was as of that issue.
That would mean no Ben Reilly, no Maximum Clonage, no return of the Green Goblin, no Spider-Man in the Avengers (if Stan Lee didn't think it was a good idea, why not stick with that?), no Morlun, no Gwen Stacy's kids and no Spider-Man's identity known to the world.
Of course, that might deprive us of some good Amazing Spider-Man tales, but I'll be hard pressed to figure out what happened after issue 350 that any true Spider-Man fan would want to retain.
No - it's best for Marvel to pull a 'DC' - allow the stories to deteriorate over time, cancel the book and relaunch with a new number 1 issue.
Oh wait - Marvel does this too. It's just that they realized it was a horrible idea and restored most of the books to their original numbering. Remember when they had two numbers on the covers?
But that only goes so far - in a lot of cases, they forgot to give us stories worth reading.
The stories don't need to be 'grim and gritty' or 'realistic' - I'd just like to see them be...good.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Dark Knight Returns
Well, I see that there is a trailer out there for the forthcoming Dark Knight Returns movie. This is probably old news to most fans, but I don't keep up as well as I used to.
I was expecting a bit more, but I guess it's still early. I wonder how much of Frank Miller's original story will actually make it into the movie?
Heath Ledger as the Joker is an interesting choice. I like that better than Jack Nicholson - upon repeated viewings, that bit got tiresome pretty fast.
I also wonder if I'll see an influx of Batman articles in the papers concerning the transformation of the character from 60s camp to 70s grim and gritty? I also wonder if these articles will all also fail to mention that Frank Robbins did as much as Denny O'Neil to create that transformation? In fact, since Neal Adams did the art for both, maybe he is really the one we should thank.
And of course, about 75 percent of the articles will have something like "Bam! Pow! Wham!" in the headlines and article text, because - well, that never gets old, does it?
Then there's the chatter about the greatest Batman comics (see earlier post on this topic) ever, something which seems to happen around the time of any movie release, but moreso when it concerns Batman.
Oh well - bring it on. I look forward to what will be written by folks who only pay attention when there is a movie coming out.
I guess I should also actually get the DVD and watch Batman Begins, shouldn't I?
I was expecting a bit more, but I guess it's still early. I wonder how much of Frank Miller's original story will actually make it into the movie?
Heath Ledger as the Joker is an interesting choice. I like that better than Jack Nicholson - upon repeated viewings, that bit got tiresome pretty fast.
I also wonder if I'll see an influx of Batman articles in the papers concerning the transformation of the character from 60s camp to 70s grim and gritty? I also wonder if these articles will all also fail to mention that Frank Robbins did as much as Denny O'Neil to create that transformation? In fact, since Neal Adams did the art for both, maybe he is really the one we should thank.
And of course, about 75 percent of the articles will have something like "Bam! Pow! Wham!" in the headlines and article text, because - well, that never gets old, does it?
Then there's the chatter about the greatest Batman comics (see earlier post on this topic) ever, something which seems to happen around the time of any movie release, but moreso when it concerns Batman.
Oh well - bring it on. I look forward to what will be written by folks who only pay attention when there is a movie coming out.
I guess I should also actually get the DVD and watch Batman Begins, shouldn't I?
Friday, November 2, 2007
D3 & eBay: Selling comics
Ah, eBay...As a collector, it pained me to think of selling my comics. But now that I am doing it, I have found that it is not as bad as I thought it would be.
There are some benefits to it - I get a little bit of money from it, I gain some space (although my patient and tolerant wife might not even notice) and someone else gets to enjoy some great comics.
And an added bonus is that I get to look at the issues again as they are prepped to be listed. In some cases, they haven't been touched by me in years, so it's nice to see them again. I often find myself rereading them one last time before they are shipped to a lucky buyer.
At first, I was just selling doubles and/or issues I didn't want. But now I am selling some of the good Silver Age stuff. I've already sold off the bulk of my Spider-Man issues (Amazing 51-125 are gone now) and my Fantastic Four issues (51-100 are gone).
I have also sold off some rare issues that seemed like a good idea to sell at the time. I sold my Sin City issues, my 300 issues and Venom-related Spider-Man issues, all coinciding with whatever movie was in the theaters at the time.
If you are on the lookout for new comics - not necessarily chronologically new comics, but new comics to check out - I hope you'll visit my eBay page. I am always listing stuff (more Silver Age issues coming to my eBay page), and you never know what might appear there.
I'd also appreciate any feedback you might have. I'd like to sell more stuff, and I think an outside view and outside opinions would be welcome. And if you do visit, and you wind up buying something, please let me know. I might be in the mood to discount the shipping cost.... Even if you visit and decide to pass on purchasing, any comments you feel compelled to pass along would be appreciated.
I will try to avoid shilling the eBay page here and stick to commenting on comics in general.
There are some benefits to it - I get a little bit of money from it, I gain some space (although my patient and tolerant wife might not even notice) and someone else gets to enjoy some great comics.
And an added bonus is that I get to look at the issues again as they are prepped to be listed. In some cases, they haven't been touched by me in years, so it's nice to see them again. I often find myself rereading them one last time before they are shipped to a lucky buyer.
At first, I was just selling doubles and/or issues I didn't want. But now I am selling some of the good Silver Age stuff. I've already sold off the bulk of my Spider-Man issues (Amazing 51-125 are gone now) and my Fantastic Four issues (51-100 are gone).
I have also sold off some rare issues that seemed like a good idea to sell at the time. I sold my Sin City issues, my 300 issues and Venom-related Spider-Man issues, all coinciding with whatever movie was in the theaters at the time.
If you are on the lookout for new comics - not necessarily chronologically new comics, but new comics to check out - I hope you'll visit my eBay page. I am always listing stuff (more Silver Age issues coming to my eBay page), and you never know what might appear there.
I'd also appreciate any feedback you might have. I'd like to sell more stuff, and I think an outside view and outside opinions would be welcome. And if you do visit, and you wind up buying something, please let me know. I might be in the mood to discount the shipping cost.... Even if you visit and decide to pass on purchasing, any comments you feel compelled to pass along would be appreciated.
I will try to avoid shilling the eBay page here and stick to commenting on comics in general.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Graphic Novel or Comic Book?
OK - so maybe it's just me. It usually is. But it's a big pet peeve of mine to see people writing about comic books and refusing to refer to them as such. It happens a lot in newspapers.
Amazingly, there are some papers that have recurring "comic of the week" type articles. A lot different from the 80s & 90s where it was a rare occurance indeed to see any articles about comics.
Now, they're a bit more prominent. And a lot of them will go to great lengths to tell you the difference between a graphic novel and a comic book. Or they'll simply make the distinction with no reality-based qualifier.
For example, this from the October 26th newspaper "The Independent" : "If it wasn"t for Watchmen, I would have missed out on other great graphic novel writers like Garth Ennis, Ed Brubaker and Frank Miller."
Look, I think it's nice that people will condescend to consider comics a viable topic for a newspaper article....but please - Last I checked, Ennis, Brubaker and Miller are all comic book writers - not "graphic novel writers"...whatever that means.
Even Sony Pictures is doing it - a promo site for "30 Days Of Night" says "Based on the Graphic Novel." Well, it's sort of accurate - but the graphic novel is "based on" the comic book mini-series that it reprints.
So let's see - what is the difference between a comic book and a graphic novel?
Here's the New York Sun attempting to clarify: "It's been decades since comic books outgrew the simple dichotomy of good and evil forces facing off in a superpowerful universe, but it's taken many of us a while to realize it. In recent years, the scope of the graphic novel has grown to cover subjects ranging from the holocaust to epilepsy and rape. On Friday, the closing night feature at the 45th New York Film Festival proves how far so-called "comic books" have traveled."
Note the use of "comic books" in the first sentence in a fairly condescending tone. Then in comes "graphic novel" in the second sentence, letting all readers know that you are not brain dead if you read pages that have words & pictures together.
They cover subjects ranging from "the holocaust to epilepsy and rape" ??? Oh wow! You mean that they are a legitimate form of entertainment? Why is this part of the sentence necessary? Why is it a shock that comic books (sorry, graphic novels) would contain themes and ideas that might cause a person to think?
Oh, it's because "the 45th New York Film Festival proves how far so-called "comic books" have traveled."
Note how "comic books" is in quotes. That's how it was in the article (it was published on October 11th if you want to look it up). In quotes. As though this is a euphemism for something. You know, "comic books" - insert air quotes here.
Here's more from the article: But Chris Staros, a publisher at Top Shelf Productions, said the medium wasn't ready to capitalize on the interest at that point. "Back in 1986 when ‘Watchmen' and ‘The Dark Night Returns' and ‘Maus' came out, comic books got a lot of notoriety," Mr. Staros said. "But there wasn't the fuel to add to the fire at that point." Today, he said, "I don't have to explain what a graphic novel is anymore."
Apparently you do, because Watchmen and Dark Knight were both printed as comic books and collected into a reprint volume. They are comic books, not graphic novels.
I suppose if I were to actually legitimize this idiotic attempt to differentiate between the two things, I'd say that a graphic novel is an original piece of work that was not originally published in serialized comic book installments.
Arkham Asylum would be an example. As would Elektra Lives. Despite what Sony Picutres thinks, 30 Days of Night is not a graphic novel. You've probably already figured out that Watchmen and Dark Knight are not graphic novels either. They are, simply, great comic books.
But then, so are a lot of "graphic novels."
Amazingly, there are some papers that have recurring "comic of the week" type articles. A lot different from the 80s & 90s where it was a rare occurance indeed to see any articles about comics.
Now, they're a bit more prominent. And a lot of them will go to great lengths to tell you the difference between a graphic novel and a comic book. Or they'll simply make the distinction with no reality-based qualifier.
For example, this from the October 26th newspaper "The Independent" : "If it wasn"t for Watchmen, I would have missed out on other great graphic novel writers like Garth Ennis, Ed Brubaker and Frank Miller."
Look, I think it's nice that people will condescend to consider comics a viable topic for a newspaper article....but please - Last I checked, Ennis, Brubaker and Miller are all comic book writers - not "graphic novel writers"...whatever that means.
Even Sony Pictures is doing it - a promo site for "30 Days Of Night" says "Based on the Graphic Novel." Well, it's sort of accurate - but the graphic novel is "based on" the comic book mini-series that it reprints.
So let's see - what is the difference between a comic book and a graphic novel?
Here's the New York Sun attempting to clarify: "It's been decades since comic books outgrew the simple dichotomy of good and evil forces facing off in a superpowerful universe, but it's taken many of us a while to realize it. In recent years, the scope of the graphic novel has grown to cover subjects ranging from the holocaust to epilepsy and rape. On Friday, the closing night feature at the 45th New York Film Festival proves how far so-called "comic books" have traveled."
Note the use of "comic books" in the first sentence in a fairly condescending tone. Then in comes "graphic novel" in the second sentence, letting all readers know that you are not brain dead if you read pages that have words & pictures together.
They cover subjects ranging from "the holocaust to epilepsy and rape" ??? Oh wow! You mean that they are a legitimate form of entertainment? Why is this part of the sentence necessary? Why is it a shock that comic books (sorry, graphic novels) would contain themes and ideas that might cause a person to think?
Oh, it's because "the 45th New York Film Festival proves how far so-called "comic books" have traveled."
Note how "comic books" is in quotes. That's how it was in the article (it was published on October 11th if you want to look it up). In quotes. As though this is a euphemism for something. You know, "comic books" - insert air quotes here.
Here's more from the article: But Chris Staros, a publisher at Top Shelf Productions, said the medium wasn't ready to capitalize on the interest at that point. "Back in 1986 when ‘Watchmen' and ‘The Dark Night Returns' and ‘Maus' came out, comic books got a lot of notoriety," Mr. Staros said. "But there wasn't the fuel to add to the fire at that point." Today, he said, "I don't have to explain what a graphic novel is anymore."
Apparently you do, because Watchmen and Dark Knight were both printed as comic books and collected into a reprint volume. They are comic books, not graphic novels.
I suppose if I were to actually legitimize this idiotic attempt to differentiate between the two things, I'd say that a graphic novel is an original piece of work that was not originally published in serialized comic book installments.
Arkham Asylum would be an example. As would Elektra Lives. Despite what Sony Picutres thinks, 30 Days of Night is not a graphic novel. You've probably already figured out that Watchmen and Dark Knight are not graphic novels either. They are, simply, great comic books.
But then, so are a lot of "graphic novels."
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The New Universe and Jim Shooter
Someone was telling me the other day that they were going to be getting Warren Ellis' New Universal from Amazon. I naturally asked if I could borrow it when they had finished reading it. After all, Ellis has written some great comics and I am interested in anything he'd have written. (See earlier entry detailing my writer-driven philosophy).
I had heard about NU a while back and read a few articles about it. Too many articles went on and on about how bad Marvel's original New Universe was. It wasn't all that bad.
After all, how bad could it have been? It featured Star Brand by Jim Shooter and John Romita Jr. Few will argue that notion that JR Jr. is one of the top artists in comics. But people seem to routinely slam Mr. Shooter. This is not only unfair, it's revisionist history.
Let's see, I'll recount some of the terrible comics that Shooter wrote. The Avengers in the 160's and 170's - anyone remember the Korvac saga?.
Daredevil in the 130's, 140's and 150's. Anyone remember the great DD/Bullseye battle in 146 with the fantastic Gil Kane art? And the great issues with the Paladin that led to the issues where Maxwell Glenn committed suicide because of wrongdoings he committed while under the control of the Purple Man?
Yes, the Purple Man - the same character that Bendis used in Alias.
And Star Brand. Lest anyone miss the point here, these issues are excellent and should be part of any DD or Avenger fan's collection.
Shooter also oversaw an era of Marvel Comics as EIC that generated some of the best comics ever. Think Chris Claremont & John Byrne X-Men, Roger Stern & John Romita Jr. Amazing Spider-Man, Frank Miller Daredevil...the list goes on.
So maybe it's time to give the man some credit.
After all, he was the guy behind New Universe....which seems to be the thing that the many critics hit him with.
So, let's see...in addition to Shooter & Romita Jr. on Star Brand, we had Peter David writing Justice. That's right, Peter David writing Justice. And it was great. He also wrote a couple of issues of something called Merc or something like that. While I can't remember the exact title, I remember it was good.
A lot of New Universe wasn't all that spectacular. But it wasn't a total loss. And if you find some issues of Star Brand or Justice in the 50 cent boxes, grab a few. They're really good.
And so was Mr. Shooter.
I had heard about NU a while back and read a few articles about it. Too many articles went on and on about how bad Marvel's original New Universe was. It wasn't all that bad.
After all, how bad could it have been? It featured Star Brand by Jim Shooter and John Romita Jr. Few will argue that notion that JR Jr. is one of the top artists in comics. But people seem to routinely slam Mr. Shooter. This is not only unfair, it's revisionist history.
Let's see, I'll recount some of the terrible comics that Shooter wrote. The Avengers in the 160's and 170's - anyone remember the Korvac saga?.
Daredevil in the 130's, 140's and 150's. Anyone remember the great DD/Bullseye battle in 146 with the fantastic Gil Kane art? And the great issues with the Paladin that led to the issues where Maxwell Glenn committed suicide because of wrongdoings he committed while under the control of the Purple Man?
Yes, the Purple Man - the same character that Bendis used in Alias.
And Star Brand. Lest anyone miss the point here, these issues are excellent and should be part of any DD or Avenger fan's collection.
Shooter also oversaw an era of Marvel Comics as EIC that generated some of the best comics ever. Think Chris Claremont & John Byrne X-Men, Roger Stern & John Romita Jr. Amazing Spider-Man, Frank Miller Daredevil...the list goes on.
So maybe it's time to give the man some credit.
After all, he was the guy behind New Universe....which seems to be the thing that the many critics hit him with.
So, let's see...in addition to Shooter & Romita Jr. on Star Brand, we had Peter David writing Justice. That's right, Peter David writing Justice. And it was great. He also wrote a couple of issues of something called Merc or something like that. While I can't remember the exact title, I remember it was good.
A lot of New Universe wasn't all that spectacular. But it wasn't a total loss. And if you find some issues of Star Brand or Justice in the 50 cent boxes, grab a few. They're really good.
And so was Mr. Shooter.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Likes & Dislikes - the Likes, part 1
In an earlier entry I took shots at a few writers. In the interest of being objective, here is an honest entry to praise work by those slighted writers. In truth, the dislike stated in that earlier entry is pretty much reserved for the ideas and arcs mentioned there.
As I mentioned, I liked Brian Michael Bendis' take on Daredevil. I was relieved when he took over, because I did not care for the Kevin Smith or David Mack issues. The Bob Gale issues were okay, but it was obvious when Bendis took over that they (Marvel) were just killing time.
Bendis handled the supporting cast in a great way. It was about time that Foggy Nelson got the credit for being the great character he always was. Frank Miller touched on it during his too-short tenure, but Bendis really brought him to life. It was also nice to see Ben Urich used as a significant player in this series. Whether or not the Luke Cage/Iron Fist/Jessica Jones thing is going to be worthwhile in the years to come is debatable. For now, they are valid characters, pretty much singly because BMB wants them to be.
Speaking of Jessica Jones reminds me how much I enjoyed Alias. That was a pleasant surprise, as I pretty much fished all the issues I have out of the dollar boxes. An excellent read, and one of the most interesting portrayals of Captain America I've read in recent years.
And, of course, how could I talk about Bendis without mentioning Jinx and Powers? Jinx was something I came across at the recommendation of a guy who ran a shop I frequented in the early 90s. I was looking for something new and interesting (and if you remember the comics landscape in the early 90s....it was kinda slim pickings).
Jinx was published by Caliber Comics and wasn't one of those "must have" titles. But I got it on this recommendation. And I liked it. Excellent noir reading. Pick it up if you haven't already - especially if you are a Bendis fan. Powers was a lot of fun and presented some interesting ideas about superheroes in general. If you're interested in a sort of deconstruction of superheroes, this is worth your time.
Now on to Greg Rucka. I had no interest in collecting Detective Comics at the time - but I found five consecutive issues at the 3 for $1.75 store. So I took a chance. The art was interesting, and the stories looked intriguing. Little did I know that Detective would soon become a "must have" title for me. It still ticks me off that I can't find issue 756 for a decent price. The run was excellent up until the "Bruce Wayne Murderer" arc. It was good after that, but I liked it a lot more before that.
The idea of giving Bruce Wayne a bodyguard was hilarious. Rucka played that hand wonderfully. And it is doubly interesting that the character of Sasha Bordeaux went on to become a larger player in the DC Universe. Rucka was another writer - like Bendis - who used his character's supporting characters brilliantly. His stories made Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya such great characters that you'd think they'd been there all along.
Rucka was also excellent on Gotham Central, a series he shared with Ed Brubaker. It featured a Gotham where Batman was a warily regarded peripheral player, and it focused on the cops who disliked his "interference" in solving crimes.
It is an interesting perspective, as Batman has become such a well-defined character that you don't usually think about how he might be perceived by the cops he sometimes works alongside. The series (what I read of it...about 25 issues) was excellent, and recommended highly.
I hope to complete my collection and read the remainder someday soon. As you probably guessed, I also totally recommend Rucka's Detective issues to anyone who enjoys good comics.
As I mentioned, I liked Brian Michael Bendis' take on Daredevil. I was relieved when he took over, because I did not care for the Kevin Smith or David Mack issues. The Bob Gale issues were okay, but it was obvious when Bendis took over that they (Marvel) were just killing time.
Bendis handled the supporting cast in a great way. It was about time that Foggy Nelson got the credit for being the great character he always was. Frank Miller touched on it during his too-short tenure, but Bendis really brought him to life. It was also nice to see Ben Urich used as a significant player in this series. Whether or not the Luke Cage/Iron Fist/Jessica Jones thing is going to be worthwhile in the years to come is debatable. For now, they are valid characters, pretty much singly because BMB wants them to be.
Speaking of Jessica Jones reminds me how much I enjoyed Alias. That was a pleasant surprise, as I pretty much fished all the issues I have out of the dollar boxes. An excellent read, and one of the most interesting portrayals of Captain America I've read in recent years.
And, of course, how could I talk about Bendis without mentioning Jinx and Powers? Jinx was something I came across at the recommendation of a guy who ran a shop I frequented in the early 90s. I was looking for something new and interesting (and if you remember the comics landscape in the early 90s....it was kinda slim pickings).
Jinx was published by Caliber Comics and wasn't one of those "must have" titles. But I got it on this recommendation. And I liked it. Excellent noir reading. Pick it up if you haven't already - especially if you are a Bendis fan. Powers was a lot of fun and presented some interesting ideas about superheroes in general. If you're interested in a sort of deconstruction of superheroes, this is worth your time.
Now on to Greg Rucka. I had no interest in collecting Detective Comics at the time - but I found five consecutive issues at the 3 for $1.75 store. So I took a chance. The art was interesting, and the stories looked intriguing. Little did I know that Detective would soon become a "must have" title for me. It still ticks me off that I can't find issue 756 for a decent price. The run was excellent up until the "Bruce Wayne Murderer" arc. It was good after that, but I liked it a lot more before that.
The idea of giving Bruce Wayne a bodyguard was hilarious. Rucka played that hand wonderfully. And it is doubly interesting that the character of Sasha Bordeaux went on to become a larger player in the DC Universe. Rucka was another writer - like Bendis - who used his character's supporting characters brilliantly. His stories made Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya such great characters that you'd think they'd been there all along.
Rucka was also excellent on Gotham Central, a series he shared with Ed Brubaker. It featured a Gotham where Batman was a warily regarded peripheral player, and it focused on the cops who disliked his "interference" in solving crimes.
It is an interesting perspective, as Batman has become such a well-defined character that you don't usually think about how he might be perceived by the cops he sometimes works alongside. The series (what I read of it...about 25 issues) was excellent, and recommended highly.
I hope to complete my collection and read the remainder someday soon. As you probably guessed, I also totally recommend Rucka's Detective issues to anyone who enjoys good comics.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Enter the dollar boxes
I've been collecting (there's that word again) for a long time. Before there was a such thing as a "pull list" and before it was standard practice for stores to set aside the issues you wanted on a weekly basis.
I had taken advantage of this service with two stores (Galaxy Books and El Dorado), and both times, I could not have been happier. They both took into account my writer-driven mania and rarely, if ever, failed to pull books by writers I wanted. This was especially good when my preferred writers would show up in titles I didn't normally get.
After a while, I stopped getting the weekly comic fix for a number of reasons. The main reason was cost - I determined that I didn't want to pay what was becoming higher and higher prices for comic books. I think it was $2.25 or $1.99 per issue at the time.
Anyway, this changed things for me. It was easy to let the shop do all the work. I'd walk in, get my stack, sort it, put back what I didn't want and pay for the rest. Easy.
Then after my epiphany (?), I had to figure out how I would still get comics without the weekly service.
Enter the dollar boxes.
At first, it was just a convention thing. All it took was for me to resist buying new comics when they first came out. I reasoned that after the books were a month or two old, they served no purpose to the shop owners, so they might turn up in dollar boxes at shows.
To a degree, this philosophy worked. I did manage to get some good comics this way. But it sure was/is a spotty way to do it.
But it did bring me back to one of the interesting aspects of collecting comics. The hunt.
Before the shops, there was Clover. Or K-Mart. Or the corner drug store. If the spinner rack didn't have the issue I wanted, there wasn't another option. Had I been able to see the future, I wouldn't have given it a second thought...but as a kid, I would get upset that I couldn't find that issue that I needed. I just wanted to find out how the story ended!
Recently, I have found a few shops that have adopted the dollar box idea, and that's great. South Jersey seems to have a real thriving comic book community. I wonder if other regions have so many good options. There are lot of good places to buy comics here.
My two personal favorites offer great prices, and often, a good selection. One boasts comics for a quarter - many times, it's pretty slim pickings, but sometimes you can find some gems. The other offers comics at 3 for $1.75. They have a very good selection, and if you are a DC fan, it's hard to beat them.
Even though this way of collecting (that word again - I guess I was wrong about "accumulating") leaves holes to fill...it's kind of refreshing to get comics now. I don't feel like I'm getting ripped off - and that's a great thing.
If I paid full price, I'd get 3 comics for $10. On a good day, I can get 40 comics for $10. I think the odds are with you if you can get 13 times the comics with your money.
I had taken advantage of this service with two stores (Galaxy Books and El Dorado), and both times, I could not have been happier. They both took into account my writer-driven mania and rarely, if ever, failed to pull books by writers I wanted. This was especially good when my preferred writers would show up in titles I didn't normally get.
After a while, I stopped getting the weekly comic fix for a number of reasons. The main reason was cost - I determined that I didn't want to pay what was becoming higher and higher prices for comic books. I think it was $2.25 or $1.99 per issue at the time.
Anyway, this changed things for me. It was easy to let the shop do all the work. I'd walk in, get my stack, sort it, put back what I didn't want and pay for the rest. Easy.
Then after my epiphany (?), I had to figure out how I would still get comics without the weekly service.
Enter the dollar boxes.
At first, it was just a convention thing. All it took was for me to resist buying new comics when they first came out. I reasoned that after the books were a month or two old, they served no purpose to the shop owners, so they might turn up in dollar boxes at shows.
To a degree, this philosophy worked. I did manage to get some good comics this way. But it sure was/is a spotty way to do it.
But it did bring me back to one of the interesting aspects of collecting comics. The hunt.
Before the shops, there was Clover. Or K-Mart. Or the corner drug store. If the spinner rack didn't have the issue I wanted, there wasn't another option. Had I been able to see the future, I wouldn't have given it a second thought...but as a kid, I would get upset that I couldn't find that issue that I needed. I just wanted to find out how the story ended!
Recently, I have found a few shops that have adopted the dollar box idea, and that's great. South Jersey seems to have a real thriving comic book community. I wonder if other regions have so many good options. There are lot of good places to buy comics here.
My two personal favorites offer great prices, and often, a good selection. One boasts comics for a quarter - many times, it's pretty slim pickings, but sometimes you can find some gems. The other offers comics at 3 for $1.75. They have a very good selection, and if you are a DC fan, it's hard to beat them.
Even though this way of collecting (that word again - I guess I was wrong about "accumulating") leaves holes to fill...it's kind of refreshing to get comics now. I don't feel like I'm getting ripped off - and that's a great thing.
If I paid full price, I'd get 3 comics for $10. On a good day, I can get 40 comics for $10. I think the odds are with you if you can get 13 times the comics with your money.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Collecting...or accumulating?
In an earlier post, I referred to the ownership of comics as "collecting." I'm not sure if "collecting" is the right word. It seems that "accumulating" would be more accurate.
It happened so innocently. My friends and I would go to a comic convention. I'm talking about a time before Wizard Con - when local conventions would have a good number of tables and dealers and you could really find that for which you were looking. It was sad to see these local conventions die such a slow death. But, again, I am getting off topic...
Collecting vs. Accumulating. Here's how it works: You go to a show, and find a dealer or two who've been there and not had many buyers. So they offer their books for 50 cents, 25 cents...10 cents (!) each.
Then you can really go nuts and buy all sorts of things you'd thought of trying, but didn't bother with at full price. I mean, really, how can you go wrong if you pay a quarter or a dime for an issue?
Another way to accumulate lots of issues is to frequent shops that were going out of business. This was happening quite a bit in the early/mid 90's, so my friends and I were fortunate to be able to get a crapload of comics for very reduced rates.
The end result of this is that you accumulate lots of comics. Acquiring them this way doesn't seem like collecting, does it?
This is by no means me complaining. I always enjoy getting new comics - it reminds me of simpler times when there were less things to worry about.
Of course, accumulating comics in such volume puts me in an interesting position. I now have a lot of comics that I have not had a chance to read yet. And I do get the occasional stack of comics even now, so the collection increases.
But this is a fun problem to have. I guess if I live long enough, I'll find the time to read all the "accumulated" issues.
I guess "Comic Accumulation" doesn't sound as good as "Comic Collection," does it?
It happened so innocently. My friends and I would go to a comic convention. I'm talking about a time before Wizard Con - when local conventions would have a good number of tables and dealers and you could really find that for which you were looking. It was sad to see these local conventions die such a slow death. But, again, I am getting off topic...
Collecting vs. Accumulating. Here's how it works: You go to a show, and find a dealer or two who've been there and not had many buyers. So they offer their books for 50 cents, 25 cents...10 cents (!) each.
Then you can really go nuts and buy all sorts of things you'd thought of trying, but didn't bother with at full price. I mean, really, how can you go wrong if you pay a quarter or a dime for an issue?
Another way to accumulate lots of issues is to frequent shops that were going out of business. This was happening quite a bit in the early/mid 90's, so my friends and I were fortunate to be able to get a crapload of comics for very reduced rates.
The end result of this is that you accumulate lots of comics. Acquiring them this way doesn't seem like collecting, does it?
This is by no means me complaining. I always enjoy getting new comics - it reminds me of simpler times when there were less things to worry about.
Of course, accumulating comics in such volume puts me in an interesting position. I now have a lot of comics that I have not had a chance to read yet. And I do get the occasional stack of comics even now, so the collection increases.
But this is a fun problem to have. I guess if I live long enough, I'll find the time to read all the "accumulated" issues.
I guess "Comic Accumulation" doesn't sound as good as "Comic Collection," does it?
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