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Post by MDG on May 29, 2019 13:17:46 GMT -5
As codystarbuck points out, it's generally felt that the name is a combination of Bat Masterson and Lash Larue. The name was originally Batton Lash. Batton is generally a surrame, but it's not unknown as a given name. If you read the book the flower in his hat and the genteel manner really add to the character. Because he's very fast on the draw and is plenty good in a fist fight. He tries to avoid violence and fails spectacularly. I'd think that in 1967, the day of the flower child, the idea of him trying to avoid violence might have played okay. But I could well be wrong. I've mentioned before on other threads that DC's experiments in this brief period were the proverbial breath of fresh air; they revived past genres, brought in fresh "new" artists like Aragones, Jay Scott Pike ( Dolphin) and Howie Post ( Anthro), resurrected Steve Ditko ( Creeper, Hawk and the Dove) and in general tried to take it to Marvel and to themselves as they struggled to go beyond the same old super-hero stuff. .... Dolphin never graduated, but the reprint issue of Phantom Stranger did. The Windy and Willy (updated Dobie Gillis reprints) brought the one-issue experiment to an end, and the final few Showcase series ( Nightmaster, Firehair, Jason's Quest, Manhunter 2070) each received the standard three-issue run. Looking back, it seemed like DC--feeling the end of Bat-momentum--was looking at anything but superheroes. Not just the titles here but Secret Six, Bomba, Scooter, The Maniaks (even Deadman to a certain extent). They did OK by expanding their mystery line a little later, but no new characters really stuck.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,269
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Post by shaxper on May 29, 2019 13:26:04 GMT -5
Careful. The Brother Power The Geek comments are only a few posts away... I'm waiting until I can track down a copy of issue #3. We provided a pretty good summary of it in the Brother Power the Geek, from the Beginning review thread a long while back
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2019 13:32:29 GMT -5
If you're looking for requests, how about the Chase title from DC. An intro in Batman #550, a handful of issues and then the 1 million issue, and then releagated to guest star/supporting character since.
-M
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Post by Prince Hal on May 29, 2019 13:50:34 GMT -5
I've mentioned before on other threads that DC's experiments in this brief period were the proverbial breath of fresh air; they revived past genres, brought in fresh "new" artists like Aragones, Jay Scott Pike ( Dolphin) and Howie Post ( Anthro), resurrected Steve Ditko ( Creeper, Hawk and the Dove) and in general tried to take it to Marvel and to themselves as they struggled to go beyond the same old super-hero stuff. .... Dolphin never graduated, but the reprint issue of Phantom Stranger did. The Windy and Willy (updated Dobie Gillis reprints) brought the one-issue experiment to an end, and the final few Showcase series ( Nightmaster, Firehair, Jason's Quest, Manhunter 2070) each received the standard three-issue run. Looking back, it seemed like DC--feeling the end of Bat-momentum--was looking at anything but superheroes. Not just the titles here but Secret Six, Bomba, Scooter, The Maniaks (even Deadman to a certain extent). They did OK by expanding their mystery line a little later, but no new characters really stuck. Absolutely, and if you ask me, it gave them the edge over Marvel at the time, which was riding the crest of the formula that had been working so nicely for them. And Secret Six, Bomba and Scooter all debuted in their own titles. Again, a departure for DC. In fact, until Scooter #1 in 1966, I don't think any DC character had appeared in a #1 issue without a tryout somewhere except for Captain Storm in 1964. (I'm excepting licensed characters like Charlie Chan, Mr. District Attorney, etc.)
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 29, 2019 13:55:24 GMT -5
As codystarbuck points out, it's generally felt that the name is a combination of Bat Masterson and Lash Larue. The name was originally Batton Lash. Batton is generally a surrame, but it's not unknown as a given name. If you read the book the flower in his hat and the genteel manner really add to the character. Because he's very fast on the draw and is plenty good in a fist fight. He tries to avoid violence and fails spectacularly. I'd think that in 1967, the day of the flower child, the idea of him trying to avoid violence might have played okay. But I could well be wrong. As so many have already said, Bat Lash was definitely a cut above, and a perfect example of a comic that needed time to find its way. Superb art and attention to detail buoyed the storyline, yes, and it was struggling to find its sea-legs (mixing metaphors... sorry), but the sudden shift in tone was probably due to a DC editorial edict of "Sell or die." I've mentioned before on other threads that DC's experiments in this brief period were the proverbial breath of fresh air; they revived past genres, brought in fresh "new" artists like Aragones, Jay Scott Pike ( Dolphin) and Howie Post ( Anthro), resurrected Steve Ditko ( Creeper, Hawk and the Dove) and in general tried to take it to Marvel and to themselves as they struggled to go beyond the same old super-hero stuff. Dolphin never graduated, but the reprint issue of Phantom Stranger did. The Windy and Willy (updated Dobie Gillis reprints) brought the one-issue experiment to an end, and the final few Showcase series ( Nightmaster, Firehair, Jason's Quest, Manhunter 2070) each received the standard three-issue run. Oh, one further note about Bat Lash, who clearly owed a great deal to James Garner's Brett Maverick character. Garner kinda sorta brought Maverick out of retirement for a lighthearted Western that was a surprise hit in the spring and summer of '69, "Support Your Local Sheriff!" that wound up in the top 20 best-grossing movies of the year. If DC had just held off a little longer instead of canceling Bat Lash in the summer of '69, perhaps it could have capitalized on the success of the Garner movie. It might be as close to a Bat Lash movie as you'll ever see. I'm a big fan of Support Your Local Sheriff, and its semi-remake Support Your Local Gunfighter. But I always found James Garner to be a super fun and likable actor who I was willing to watch in anything. I'll be getting to all those Showcase features at some point. I just don't want to overload on late Silver Age DC. Though my next review will be a Showcase one-shot.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 29, 2019 13:57:19 GMT -5
If you're looking for requests, how about the Chase title from DC. An intro in Batman #550, a handful of issues and then the 1 million issue, and then releagated to guest star/supporting character since. -M Chase and Chronos will both definitely get a look. The problem is I already know what my answer will be because I absolutely loved both books when they were coming out.
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Post by Prince Hal on May 29, 2019 14:21:19 GMT -5
I'm a big fan of Support Your Local Sheriff, and its semi-remake Support Your Local Gunfighter. But I always found James Garner to be a super fun and likable actor who I was willing to watch in anything. I'll be getting to all those Showcase features at some point. I just don't want to overload on late Silver Age DC. Though my next review will be a Showcase one-shot. I like them both, too. Both feature a wagonload or two of great character actors. Agreed on Garner, who is perhaps the easiest, most likable actor out there. You can't help but love him in "The Great Escape." And he can play a sleazy (well, sleazy to start with, anyway) type, too, as in "The Americanization of Emily." Which reminds me to tell you to check out another off-beat movie about D-Day in which he's the hero: "36 Hours." Great cast, cool premise.
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Post by dbutler69 on May 29, 2019 14:29:02 GMT -5
Logan's run and Skull the slayer are two series I could have followed for a longer time. Both ended on a cliffhanger, too! Then Skull the Slayer's got resolved unsatisfyingly in Marvel Two-in-One, didn't it?
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Post by codystarbuck on May 29, 2019 15:00:54 GMT -5
Great topic! I like review threads covering the stuff that was here but then gone too quickly. Interesting to see different opinions too on whether they were gone too soon or were rightfully cancelled. Bat Lash was a character I always found interesting. Definitely well drawn. I read the first couple issues a long while ago and this has inspired me to hunt a few down and re read them. I'll throw my suggestion in for a review of some Atlas stuff from the 70's. New movie speculation aside, I have always wondered if there was anything from this publisher and timeframe worth reading. Also, Combat Kelly and his Deadly Dozen is another short lived war series I have always loved and wondered why it did not last.... Atlas/Seaboard was covered in my Other Guys review thread. I started out just intending to look at Chaykin's Scorpion, but just pressed on into the entire line of books. You could add a ton of indie titles, due to economics, that were gone too soon. Hepcats was one that i really wish had been able to reach a conclusion. There was also a nice super-speedster series at Slave Labor Graphics, titled Scarlet Thunder. It's set in WW2, about two speedsters created as part of a government research program. They only did about 4 issues, without really coming to any kind of end. They had really just started introducing the characters. Dan Vado did the writing and he had proven himself at DC, as well as his own material (The Griffin). The book was part of their Amaze Ink line, with creator-owned titles, which included Scott Roberts Patty Cake, after he left Caliber. I would also add Mike Grell's Jon Sable spin-off, Maggie the Cat, which only had two issues at Image (even though he sexed up the character, with fetish costuming and stiletto heels). For DC, I would second Anthro and the original Secret Six series. Also, Rima the Jungle Girl, if only for the art.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on May 29, 2019 16:39:57 GMT -5
Logan's run and Skull the slayer are two series I could have followed for a longer time. Both ended on a cliffhanger, too! Then Skull the Slayer's got resolved unsatisfyingly in Marvel Two-in-One, didn't it? Indeed! I also believe that much later he was integrated in one of those Marvel books where B- and C- listers are usually used as cannon fodder.
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Post by Bronze age andy on May 29, 2019 17:40:35 GMT -5
Lots of great options out there for you Slam.
May I suggest Black Goliath, Aztek and Argus (not sure if it was a mini-series)
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Post by hondobrode on May 29, 2019 17:53:37 GMT -5
Yes, there was a volume 2 with a different character, and yes, the original appeared in the 80's Suicide Squad, but I wanted more Ditko Shade.
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Post by hondobrode on May 29, 2019 18:01:57 GMT -5
Besides a story in Kamandi and a couple of back up stories in Warlord, I would've loved to have seen the original OMAC continue, though I loved later version as well.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 9,414
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Post by Confessor on May 30, 2019 5:38:23 GMT -5
I'd think that in 1967, the day of the flower child, the idea of him trying to avoid violence might have played okay. But I could well be wrong. That's a damn good point. I'd not considered that, but he's kind of simultaneously a flower child and a Spaghetti Western anti-hero. Whether that would've necessarily played well with 8-year-old boys at the time, is another matter, but when you look at it that way, Bat Lash is very much in synch with the 1967/1968 zeitgeist.
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Post by dbutler69 on May 30, 2019 7:46:29 GMT -5
Lots of great options out there for you Slam. May I suggest Black Goliath, Aztek and Argus (not sure if it was a mini-series) Thanks you! I liked Black Goliath, as well.
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