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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 31, 2015 21:11:58 GMT -5
One of these day I have to read the Eternal Champion stuff in some semblance of order... while most are decent to good alone, the greater threads totally elude me for the most part.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Mar 31, 2015 21:21:30 GMT -5
One of these day I have to read the Eternal Champion stuff in some semblance of order... while most are decent to good alone, the greater threads totally elude me for the most part. The Eternal Champion aspect of Elric never really appealed to me; just seemed like a bit of cross-promotion on Moorcock's part. |
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Post by berkley on Mar 31, 2015 22:00:53 GMT -5
One of these day I have to read the Eternal Champion stuff in some semblance of order... while most are decent to good alone, the greater threads totally elude me for the most part. The Eternal Champion aspect of Elric never really appealed to me; just seemed like a bit of cross-promotion on Moorcock's part. I haven't read all of it but what I have read I've enjoyed both as individual stories and as interconnected parts of a whole. The Eternal Champion always felt like a legitimate creative concept to me, not just a commercial one, although I'm sure that's there. Having said that, the Eternal Champion has always been second-tier Moorcock for me. I rank The Jerry Cornelius books and the Dancers at the End of Time as his best, personally. But then there are links between both of those and the Eternal Champion books, and I think that shows the whole idea was always important to Moorcock for more than just commercial reasons |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2015 15:42:27 GMT -5
I'm actually reading through some of Moorcock's Eternal Champion stuff now-started with John Daker (Erikose) in the novel Eternal Champion-which according to Moorcock was one of the first stories he came up with even though it didn't achieve it's final form and see print until later in his career. It establishes the concept of the Eternal Warrior and later revisions has all the major characters in the cycle namedropped in Daker's dreams/visions.
It seems pretty clear Moorcock's thematic interests revolve around the concepts of the eternal struggle between Law and Chaos and the incarnations of the Eternal Warrior even if some of the works do not do more than tangentally touch upon it. In Elric: Making of a Sorcerer the 4 issue comic series Moorcock did with Walt Simonson-he notes this is how he always intended to do the origin of Elric, but he had to alter some of his decisions early on to fit publisher and editorial decisions for the magazines he was submitting to which curtailed the scope of things early on until he became more established and could pursue them as he wanted, hence revising a lot of stuff for later editions of stories/novels as he put them back into print (I think he is as much a tinkerer as George Lucas in that way), but there seems to be less of an uproar among the fanbase when Moorcock does it (of course the Moorcock fanbase is much smaller and less vocal anyways).
-M
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Apr 10, 2015 13:46:30 GMT -5
Night Force volume 1  New Teen Titans #21, Nightforce #1-14 Overview:Fresh off their success with Tomb of Dracula over at Marvel, Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan planned to further bring the horror genre into the modern age with Night Force, a title that took the basic concept of the horror house showcase title and attempted to update it by lending it continuity. Baron Winters, our framing character akin to The Crypt Keeper, Caine, or Uncle Creepy, would send rotating teams of agents, most as ordinary as you or I (and sometimes without their knowing) on missions to fight occult evil in its various forms. The Baron, himself, never leaves his enchanted Georgetown mansion, where each room is from a different time period, and where his rear terrace can take him to any number of past eras, and so he sends his teams to do his fighting for him and, with an endless rotating cast, anything can happen to them. The concept is a fantastic one, the Georgetown manor setting is brilliant, and Baron Winters is a compelling sort of anti-hero who lies every time he speaks and yet gives off a vibe of benevolence; you want to trust the guy with your life and punch him at the same time. And yet, the stories themselves aren't particularly brilliant, even aided with Wolfman's strong writing and Colan's visionary art. Given more time, this series might have really found its core, but it wasn't there yet as of the final issue and didn't give the impression that it was getting close to one. Worth noting: Though it would have been impossible to connect this series to Tomb of Dracula (as they were done by different publishers), Wolfman does as much as he legally can to connect the series to Dracula himself, indicating that a Nightforce team killed him for good, and making one of the primary cast members a descendant of Van Helsing. It's suggested that there was more to be uncovered later on as Winters never offers whole truths to his associates, at one early point even indicating that there'd never really been a Dracula (which he later contradicted in his own private thoughts). Worthwhile to read: If you enjoyed Tomb of Dracula, then you have to see where Wolfman and Colan tried to go next. And if you're a fan of classic horror, this is worth reading if, for no other reason, as a curiosity -- a "What If?" for the comic industry as a whole in which two comic greats tried to dress up the horror genre, check it out of the retirement home, and give it a whole new updated style. Key Issues / Highlights:Beyond the preview in New Teen Titans #21, the series is divided into three separate story arcs, each with a unique appeal, but none being solid throughout: #1-7: Has fun blending the occult with cutting edge science, all with a soviet espionage backdrop. The idea is compelling, but the characters prove even more unlikable than they were intended to be. #8-10: More of a classic style horror story, just extended out across three issues, in which the tenants of an apartment find themselves under the control of a Lovecraftian alien being that is willing to provide them with anything they want so long as they never leave. #11-14: Perhaps the clumsiest story of the bunch in which The Baron, himself, must fight the beast from revelations and its cult of followers back in 1934, just before the rise of Hitler. The positives here are that more insight is offered to Winters' character and backstory, and the supporting cast is significantly expanded. Those characters might have proven more worthwhile than the previous ones, especially as they had a stronger tie to Winters himself and were not so disposable as the rest. Worth re-reading?:Maybe. It's not the kind of thing I'd pull out to re-read regularly, though Colan's artwork is impressive. Grade the run as a whole: B
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Post by Icctrombone on Apr 10, 2015 19:33:19 GMT -5
Shax, I have the entire series and I found it to be excellent with the exception of the last arc. The characters are unlikeable but you are drawn to them at the same time.the magic of the series was that it had a suicide squad feel in that all the cast members were utterly expendable. Gene Colan was the Jack Kirby of mystery and shadows. I haven't read it in years but I doubt I will ever get rid of the run. My only negative Thought is that Baron Winters loses his magic when used in other books.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Apr 10, 2015 19:57:02 GMT -5
Shax, I have the entire series and I found it to be excellent with the exception of the last arc. The characters are unlikeable but you are drawn to them at the same time.the magic of the series was that it had a suicide squad feel in that all the cast members were utterly expendable. I won't debate that those elements were present, icctrombone. I just wasn't drawn to the characters nor the expendable concept in the way that you were. For example, I didn't feel anything for the Professor when he lost his arm and leg in the first arc at all. There was no emotional connection for me. And you'll get no debate from me about Colan's art. |
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Post by the4thpip on Apr 14, 2015 2:25:15 GMT -5
Nobody mentions the cat? A place on the internet where cats don't have the highest priority?  |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Apr 14, 2015 6:58:37 GMT -5
 Sword of the Atom (1-4 mini series... Specials in 1984, 1985, 1988): Plot: Ray Palmer, at home waiting for his wife to return, discovers he's having an affair with her law partner. He decides they need a break, and goes to Brazil to hunt for a piece of the white dwarf star his powers are derived from. Sadly, it's close to a drug operation, and the plane he rents is actually run by drug runners. When his sensors send him close to their coca fields, so the gangsters try to kill him. Of course, they don't know he's the Atom, so after getting surprised, he gets the upper hand, but the pilot gets shot in the process. To top it off, the plane gets struck by lightning, fusing the circuits in his size changing belt.. trapping him at 6 inches. He comes to and discovers the Morlaidh, 6-inch high aliens that crash-landed in the jungle many generations ago. Atom joins the revolution against the despotic king, who turns out to be not so bad. His advisor is the real bad guy, who tries to re-fire some of the aliens ancient technology.. powered by the dwarf star Atom was looking for. The final revolution happens and the good guys are winning, until the evil advisor kills the king and turns on the power plant. it fails, and is ready to explode. Atom goes it to stop it, since he's already been exposed to the radiation, but fails to stop the explosion, getting to full size again in the process. He is able to get the Morlaidhians to run from their city into the jungle to avoid the explosion.... the end! Special #1: Mostly recap of the mini-series.. Ray Palmer is back in Ivy Town (after being saved naked and unconscious from the jungle), and makes his peace with Jean, whom he divorces. He finds the massive overdose of radiation was too much of a strain, so it hurts...alot, to change size. He and his side kick go back to Brazil to find the Morlaidhian survivors, and run into the gangsters again. atom shrinks one last time to save the day, but it seems to no avail until the Morlaidians (including his lady love, Laewthyn) save him at the last minute.. he tells his side kick (Norman, by name), he's staying... the end! Special #2: Jean Loring shrinks herself by accident, so her and her new husband go looking for Ray Palmer.. she gets kidnapped in the process by the evil Skul-Riders.. Morlaidhians held in thrall by a different despotic bad guy via implants in their brains, who kidnap women to breed with. Atom give his size belt to Jean's new husband, and the two save her and crush the despot, with the help of the good Morlaidans. Paul keeps the belt, much to Jean's shagrin. Special #3: Only a couple weeks later story-wise, but 3 years later publishing. This one is a different artist (Pat Broderick instead of Gil Kane), and suddenly makes all the Morlaidhians small humans instead of yellow skinned aliens. Yet another despot that needs deposing, this time with a plague thrown in. pretty forgettable. Analysis: This was a BRILLIANT idea, imo, to revamp an existing character. As an ongoing book, there could be ocassional back ups with Ivy City, or not, depending on how invested readers were in Jean Loring. The mini is very good, and according the the letters/editorial in the 1st Special, was extremely well received. I get the feeling this was Gil Kane's project mostly (he is given first billing as the artist, which NEVER happens), and I'd think he'd have the stroke to get it done, yet an ongoing never happened. Instead, we got 3 specials.. the 1st was more recap than anything, and only showed the world of the 'Sword of the Atom' on the last panel... it very much felt like a set up for an ongoing that never came. The other two had more story content, but the 2nd one was medicore, and the 3rd downright bad, as the art doesn't save a re-re-treaded plot. I haven't read any of the next Atom series, 'Power of the Atom', but the character bios I've read seem to indicate they did logically bring things to a conclusion, but it still feels like a missed oppertunity to me. I'd love to hear from some of you old-timers about what was going on at the time  My Grade: 4.5/5 for the Mini, 3/5 for special 1, 2.5/5 for special 2, 1/5 for special 3 |
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Post by Icctrombone on Apr 14, 2015 11:05:21 GMT -5
Sword of the Atom (1-4 mini series... Specials in 1984, 1985, 1988): Plot: Ray Palmer, at home waiting for his wife to return, discovers he's having an affair with her law partner. He decides they need a break, and goes to Brazil to hunt for a piece of the white dwarf star his powers are derived from. Sadly, it's close to a drug operation, and the plane he rents is actually run by drug runners. When his sensors send him close to their coca fields, so the gangsters try to kill him. Of course, they don't know he's the Atom, so after getting surprised, he gets the upper hand, but the pilot gets shot in the process. To top it off, the plane gets struck by lightning, fusing the circuits in his size changing belt.. trapping him at 6 inches. He comes to and discovers the Morlaidh, 6-inch high aliens that crash-landed in the jungle many generations ago. Atom joins the revolution against the despotic king, who turns out to be not so bad. His advisor is the real bad guy, who tries to re-fire some of the aliens ancient technology.. powered by the dwarf star Atom was looking for. The final revolution happens and the good guys are winning, until the evil advisor kills the king and turns on the power plant. it fails, and is ready to explode. Atom goes it to stop it, since he's already been exposed to the radiation, but fails to stop the explosion, getting to full size again in the process. He is able to get the Morlaidhians to run from their city into the jungle to avoid the explosion.... the end! Special #1: Mostly recap of the mini-series.. Ray Palmer is back in Ivy Town (after being saved naked and unconscious from the jungle), and makes his peace with Jean, whom he divorces. He finds the massive overdose of radiation was too much of a strain, so it hurts...alot, to change size. He and his side kick go back to Brazil to find the Morlaidhian survivors, and run into the gangsters again. atom shrinks one last time to save the day, but it seems to no avail until the Morlaidians (including his lady love, Laewthyn) save him at the last minute.. he tells his side kick (Norman, by name), he's staying... the end! Special #2: Jean Loring shrinks herself by accident, so her and her new husband go looking for Ray Palmer.. she gets kidnapped in the process by the evil Skul-Riders.. Morlaidhians held in thrall by a different despotic bad guy via implants in their brains, who kidnap women to breed with. Atom give his size belt to Jean's new husband, and the two save her and crush the despot, with the help of the good Morlaidans. Paul keeps the belt, much to Jean's shagrin. Special #3: Only a couple weeks later story-wise, but 3 years later publishing. This one is a different artist (Pat Broderick instead of Gil Kane), and suddenly makes all the Morlaidhians small humans instead of yellow skinned aliens. Yet another despot that needs deposing, this time with a plague thrown in. pretty forgettable. Analysis: This was a BRILLIANT idea, imo, to revamp an existing character. As an ongoing book, there could be ocassional back ups with Ivy City, or not, depending on how invested readers were in Jean Loring. The mini is very good, and according the the letters/editorial in the 1st Special, was extremely well received. I get the feeling this was Gil Kane's project mostly (he is given first billing as the artist, which NEVER happens), and I'd think he'd have the stroke to get it done, yet an ongoing never happened. Instead, we got 3 specials.. the 1st was more recap than anything, and only showed the world of the 'Sword of the Atom' on the last panel... it very much felt like a set up for an ongoing that never came. The other two had more story content, but the 2nd one was medicore, and the 3rd downright bad, as the art doesn't save a re-re-treaded plot. I haven't read any of the next Atom series, 'Power of the Atom', but the character bios I've read seem to indicate they did logically bring things to a conclusion, but it still feels like a missed oppertunity to me. I'd love to hear from some of you old-timers about what was going on at the time My Grade: 4.5/5 for the Mini, 3/5 for special 1, 2.5/5 for special 2, 1/5 for special 3 Those minis' and specials were very good. This was the start of my disliking Jean and was only enhanced by the well received Identity Crisis. ( yeah, just kidding)  |
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Post by DE Sinclair on Apr 14, 2015 11:43:00 GMT -5
Sword of the Atom (1-4 mini series... Specials in 1984, 1985, 1988): Plot: Ray Palmer, at home waiting for his wife to return, discovers he's having an affair with her law partner. He decides they need a break, and goes to Brazil to hunt for a piece of the white dwarf star his powers are derived from. Sadly, it's close to a drug operation, and the plane he rents is actually run by drug runners. When his sensors send him close to their coca fields, so the gangsters try to kill him. Of course, they don't know he's the Atom, so after getting surprised, he gets the upper hand, but the pilot gets shot in the process. To top it off, the plane gets struck by lightning, fusing the circuits in his size changing belt.. trapping him at 6 inches. He comes to and discovers the Morlaidh, 6-inch high aliens that crash-landed in the jungle many generations ago. Atom joins the revolution against the despotic king, who turns out to be not so bad. His advisor is the real bad guy, who tries to re-fire some of the aliens ancient technology.. powered by the dwarf star Atom was looking for. The final revolution happens and the good guys are winning, until the evil advisor kills the king and turns on the power plant. it fails, and is ready to explode. Atom goes it to stop it, since he's already been exposed to the radiation, but fails to stop the explosion, getting to full size again in the process. He is able to get the Morlaidhians to run from their city into the jungle to avoid the explosion.... the end! Special #1: Mostly recap of the mini-series.. Ray Palmer is back in Ivy Town (after being saved naked and unconscious from the jungle), and makes his peace with Jean, whom he divorces. He finds the massive overdose of radiation was too much of a strain, so it hurts...alot, to change size. He and his side kick go back to Brazil to find the Morlaidhian survivors, and run into the gangsters again. atom shrinks one last time to save the day, but it seems to no avail until the Morlaidians (including his lady love, Laewthyn) save him at the last minute.. he tells his side kick (Norman, by name), he's staying... the end! Special #2: Jean Loring shrinks herself by accident, so her and her new husband go looking for Ray Palmer.. she gets kidnapped in the process by the evil Skul-Riders.. Morlaidhians held in thrall by a different despotic bad guy via implants in their brains, who kidnap women to breed with. Atom give his size belt to Jean's new husband, and the two save her and crush the despot, with the help of the good Morlaidans. Paul keeps the belt, much to Jean's shagrin. Special #3: Only a couple weeks later story-wise, but 3 years later publishing. This one is a different artist (Pat Broderick instead of Gil Kane), and suddenly makes all the Morlaidhians small humans instead of yellow skinned aliens. Yet another despot that needs deposing, this time with a plague thrown in. pretty forgettable. Analysis: This was a BRILLIANT idea, imo, to revamp an existing character. As an ongoing book, there could be ocassional back ups with Ivy City, or not, depending on how invested readers were in Jean Loring. The mini is very good, and according the the letters/editorial in the 1st Special, was extremely well received. I get the feeling this was Gil Kane's project mostly (he is given first billing as the artist, which NEVER happens), and I'd think he'd have the stroke to get it done, yet an ongoing never happened. Instead, we got 3 specials.. the 1st was more recap than anything, and only showed the world of the 'Sword of the Atom' on the last panel... it very much felt like a set up for an ongoing that never came. The other two had more story content, but the 2nd one was medicore, and the 3rd downright bad, as the art doesn't save a re-re-treaded plot. I haven't read any of the next Atom series, 'Power of the Atom', but the character bios I've read seem to indicate they did logically bring things to a conclusion, but it still feels like a missed oppertunity to me. I'd love to hear from some of you old-timers about what was going on at the time My Grade: 4.5/5 for the Mini, 3/5 for special 1, 2.5/5 for special 2, 1/5 for special 3 I always had a soft spot for the Atom with his wacky technological adventures (riding through a phone line, getting recorded on a cassette tape, animating Batman's dead body by running around in his brain, etc) so the Sword of the Atom was quite a departure. But it was incredibly well done, both art and story, and a lot of fun though, and quickly became a favorite. I was disappointed when they eventually discarded the whole thing and sent him back to "civilization".
I also got the Power of the Atom series which I thought was good, but not on the same level by any means.
The fun didn't really come back until the All-New Atom series where Ryan Choi took over. That is until Remender started writing it towards the end and you could practically hear the fun being sucked out. Still haven't forgiven him for that.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Apr 14, 2015 12:31:44 GMT -5
@ IC - It's funny, I posted in my Silver Age DC thread that I could see why older fans were mad about Jean's actions in Identity Crisis, but it seems alot more in character based on these stories than it seemed from the old 60s stuff. I definitely have 'Power of the Atom' on my radar for the future, but I'm kinda working on my to read list backlog atm Of course, a nicely priced trade release or a stack in a $1 bin would certainly tempt me |
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Post by SJNeal on Apr 30, 2015 16:51:56 GMT -5
J.M. DeMatteis on Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (1987) #1-4 Doctor Fate (1988) #1-24, Annual #1 Overview:When I was growing up, I always assumed Dr. Fate was a big time player in the DCU. I had the Super Powers figure, there was a comic book series, and I was pretty sure he was a member of the Justice League. That meant he was big time, right? It's weird, looking back, to realize that Doctor Fate was never a well established DC property. The character had an eight page feature in More Fun Comics for the first four years of its existence, during which time it changed directions regularly, receiving significantly revised origin stories and even having Inza's name changed repeatedly. There was nothing permanent about the fixture beyond it's existence. Years later, Doctor Fate received a brief reincarnation in the Silver Age, but it didn't receive the kind of reaction necessary to score it an ongoing series. There were a few other minor attempts, here and there to bring Fate back and renew the trademark, but the J.M DeMatteis series is truly the closest thing to a definitive Doctor Fate run there ever was -- the first time the character received its own title, as well as the longest tenure it ever enjoyed by a single creator and the longest time a particular version of the character remained in print continuously. It's not a well known series by any means, but it's the most successful incarnation of the character to date. As for the quality of the series itself: Though the 1987 Doctor Fate limited series by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis was relatively blah, as well as disturbing in all the wrong ways, something compelled DeMatteis to return to the property by himself and explore it further as an ongoing. Here DeMatteis achieved an impressive balance between dark/demoralizing and light/uplifting, as well as deep and philosophical versus silly and sophomoric. It was a brilliant balance and, best yet, whereas Neil Gaiman's Sandman (clearly an inspiration for this run) took dead mythology and brought it to life with compelling and believable new twists, DeMatteis boldly attempted the same with contemporary theology, blending Eastern philosophy and Judeo-Christian faith into one whammy of a metaphysical exploration that blew both my mind and my heart upon reading it. Brilliant, bold, infinitely wise stuff. But then there's the problem with the stories themselves. While DeMatteis did a brilliant job of surrounding Dr. Fate with one of the more lovable band of supporting characters ever seen in comics, his protagonists, themselves, carrying over from the limited series co-created by Keith Giffen, were pretty lousy. DeMatteis kept trying to sell us on how special the two were, as well as the importance of their utterly disturbing love for one another (one used to be ten years old; the other used to be his step-mother), but it just didn't work and, after one great story arc (issues #2-6), DeMatteis went for a change of course and never decisively replaced the series' original direction with a new one. It just sort of meandered along for a good long while before ending quite beautifully. Along the way, there was a lot to love, but the series lacked a center in the form of protagonists we could actually care about. Doctor Fate was the weakest part of Doctor Fate. Worthwhile to read: Definitely. It's a bold comic that goes places no other work has ever dared to (heck, Christ himself plays a major role in the final year of the series), even while it certainly has its lulls and an abundance of creative indecision. Key Issues / Highlights:#2-6 mark the first and best executed story arc in the series. #12: the protagonist of the series dies. Really. #16-18 really take the theological dimension of the series to the next level. #24 is an extremely touching and immensely philosophically/theologically satisfying conclusion to the series, even if there are certainly arbitrary aspects to the ending. Worth re-reading?: Yes, I think so. It's a flawed series to be sure, but there's nothing else out there quite like it. Grade the run as a whole: A- I loved DeMatteis' Dr. Fate! But I think I loved Messner-Loebs' run that followed even more. This post made me want to re-read the entire series, but when I went to pull them out I realized that long box was trapped in the black hole known as "My Storage Unit". So who knows if I'll ever see them again...  |
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Post by coke & comics on May 16, 2015 20:23:46 GMT -5
Sunfire and Big Hero 6 #1-3 (Sept-Nov, 1998) by Scott Lobdell, Gus Vazquez, and Bud LaRosa  I had not read this series since it came out 15 years ago, nor thought of in as long, until the announcement of the film. As I think it's been adapted into one of the best superhero movies of all time, figured I'd dust off the original mini. I assumed it would be terrible, but it's not. It's just not particularly good. It does have a story with an emotional core. A child has a hero, learns his hero is dying, meets his hero and is disappointed in what he finds, but the hero redeems himself. Meanwhile, a team forms. A team of people each with some personality issues, that needs to learn to work together, become a team, and save the country. It's got the right elements. And nothing too bad about it. Capable art and scripting. Big Hero 6 is a team of superheroes formed by the Japanese government. It consists of two former X-Men characters, Sunfire and Silver Samurai, and introduces 4 new heroes: Hiro: the boy genius and star of the series Baymax: An artificial shape changer created by Hiro to be his valet and bodyguard Gogo Tomago: Able to transform her body into a projectile ball of energy (think: Cannonball) Honey Lemon: Possesses a purse impossibly full of useful and magical gadgets. (We'll ignore the subtle sexism of a woman whose power comes from her purse) The film does not have the rights to X-Men characters. Fortunately the 2008 revamp of Big Hero 6 introduced various other members, including Fredzilla and Wasabi, which the film drew from. In both comic book incarnations, Big Hero 6 is a Japanese team, consisting of entirely Japanese characters. The film wanted a multiracial team, so race-bent several characters, making Honey Lemon a blonde white girl with the appearance of a stereotypical valley girl, Wasabi an African American, and Fred a White American. (In the comics, Honey Lemon is blonde, and it is hard to tell just from the art that she isn't white). The film bears little resemblance to the comic, probably for the best. Instead of being formed by the government, the film version is a group of science whiz college friends who band together. The character of Baymax is changed markedly, and for the better. In the film, he is a white puffy android. In the comics, he is able to shape-shift from a large humanoid with his face always in shadow into a green dragon-like creature. The comic is overburdened by cliches, as well as its own mediocrity. Shadowy government officials being shadowy without apparent motivation. Hotheaded heroes fighting each other at all the wrong times. But, the series has heart, and introduced several new characters, characters whose potential to me was not immediately obvious, but who would grow into the stars of an Academy Award winning film. Worth reading? Not really. Grade? I'd give it a C+. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 17, 2015 6:51:22 GMT -5
Sunfire and Big Hero 6 #1-3 (Sept-Nov, 1998) by Scott Lobdell, Gus Vazquez, and Bud LaRosa I had not read this series since it came out 15 years ago, nor thought of in as long, until the announcement of the film. As I think it's been adapted into one of the best superhero movies of all time, figured I'd dust off the original mini. I assumed it would be terrible, but it's not. It's just not particularly good. It does have a story with an emotional core. A child has a hero, learns his hero is dying, meets his hero and is disappointed in what he finds, but the hero redeems himself. Meanwhile, a team forms. A team of people each with some personality issues, that needs to learn to work together, become a team, and save the country. It's got the right elements. And nothing too bad about it. Capable art and scripting. Big Hero 6 is a team of superheroes formed by the Japanese government. It consists of two former X-Men characters, Sunfire and Silver Samurai, and introduces 4 new heroes: Hiro: the boy genius and star of the series Baymax: An artificial shape changer created by Hiro to be his valet and bodyguard Gogo Tomago: Able to transform her body into a projectile ball of energy (think: Cannonball) Honey Lemon: Possesses a purse impossibly full of useful and magical gadgets. (We'll ignore the subtle sexism of a woman whose power comes from her purse) The film does not have the rights to X-Men characters. Fortunately the 2008 revamp of Big Hero 6 introduced various other members, including Fredzilla and Wasabi, which the film drew from. In both comic book incarnations, Big Hero 6 is a Japanese team, consisting of entirely Japanese characters. The film wanted a multiracial team, so race-bent several characters, making Honey Lemon a blonde white girl with the appearance of a stereotypical valley girl, Wasabi an African American, and Fred a White American. (In the comics, Honey Lemon is blonde, and it is hard to tell just from the art that she isn't white). The film bears little resemblance to the comic, probably for the best. Instead of being formed by the government, the film version is a group of science whiz college friends who band together. The character of Baymax is changed markedly, and for the better. In the film, he is a white puffy android. In the comics, he is able to shape-shift from a large humanoid with his face always in shadow into a green dragon-like creature. The comic is overburdened by cliches, as well as its own mediocrity. Shadowy government officials being shadowy without apparent motivation. Hotheaded heroes fighting each other at all the wrong times. But, the series has heart, and introduced several new characters, characters whose potential to me was not immediately obvious, but who would grow into the stars of an Academy Award winning film. Worth reading? Not really. Grade? I'd give it a C+. I had no idea the recent Disney film had been adapted (however loosely) from a comic book! |
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