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Post by Nowhere Man on Jan 21, 2016 20:34:58 GMT -5
I'm not surprised by that given the mood of the story. It's fascinating to look at characters like Dr. Strange, the Hulk, the Thing, etc., and see them as a hybridization of the old horror/suspense characters of the Atlas era and Silver Age superheroes. There wasn't much traditional about those guys and I think that's why those three, plus characters like the Silver Surfer, are among my favorites.
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Jan 21, 2016 21:45:26 GMT -5
I'm not surprised by that given the mood of the story. It's fascinating to look at characters like Dr. Strange, the Hulk, the Thing, etc., and see them as a hybridization of the old horror/suspense characters of the Atlas era and Silver Age superheroes. There wasn't much traditional about those guys and I think that's why those three, plus characters like the Silver Surfer, are among my favorites. That's why Spider-man's my favorite - It's got all that PLUS crime comics PLUS science fiction with a little bit of Archie on the side.
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Post by Batflunkie on Jan 21, 2016 21:54:46 GMT -5
I'm not surprised by that given the mood of the story. It's fascinating to look at characters like Dr. Strange, the Hulk, the Thing, etc., and see them as a hybridization of the old horror/suspense characters of the Atlas era and Silver Age superheroes. There wasn't much traditional about those guys and I think that's why those three, plus characters like the Silver Surfer, are among my favorites. That's why Spider-man's my favorite - It's got all that PLUS crime comics PLUS science fiction with a little bit of Archie on the side. I've always wanted to like Spider-Man, but just could never could get into him. I used to listen to the Hey Kids! Comics podcast when it was still going and I think that they perfectly explained the fact that Spider-Man's appeal was central to the fact that he was a socially awkward teen struggling with the loss of his Uncle and his newfound powers. When you take that away, the character just becomes another generic superhero
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Post by Nowhere Man on Jan 22, 2016 0:14:21 GMT -5
Spider-Man would certainly make my Top 10, but the Hulk will always be closest to my heart. The thing about Spider-Man is that there was something to "take away." There was nothing to take away from Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, the Flash, etc., in the Silver Age in terms of a second dimension. I like all those characters, but they were the very definition of generic. They became, at least in the 50's, iconic power-sets to build on.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Jan 23, 2016 9:16:44 GMT -5
Journey Into Mystery #95Story Title: “The Demon Duplicators!” Cover Date: August, 1963 CreditsScript: Stan Lee (plot); Robert Bernstein (script) [as R. Berns] Pencils: Joe Sinnott Inks: Joe Sinnott Colors: Stan Goldberg Letters: Sam Rosen (interior); Artie Simek (cover) Cover Art: Jack Kirby (pencils); Dick Ayers (inks) Synopsis: Professor Zaxton, a physicist friend of Dr. Donald Blake, is helping him by giving a demonstration of Blake’s super-android creation with Thor's help. When Zaxton sabotages the controls, the android malfunctions and Thor is forced to toss it away before it explodes. Later, Zaxton reveals that he intentionally sabotaged the android and forces Dr. Blake to help him with a duplicating machine by kidnapping Jane. The device duplicates Thor, but since the duplicate of Thor is evil, the duplicate is unworthy and can’t harm Thor, allowing Thor to defeat the duplicate. Professor Zaxton accidentally duplicates himself and falls to his death, leaving his good duplicate to take his place. Character Appearances: Thor [Doctor Donald Blake]; Duplicate Thor; Odin; Professor Zaxton (introduction, death); Jane Foster; Duplicate Professor Zaxton Comments: I hate to keep bashing old Rob Bernstein, but these Silver Age Superman stories coated with a thin layer of “Thor paint” have long since worn out their welcome. The idea that Blake (who up till now has been shown to be a surgeon with decent electronic skills) could create an indestructible robot that not even Mjolnir could harm, is absurd, but Zaxton pulling out a duplicator ray in the second act is just too much. Toward the end of the story, Zaxton duplicates about ten jetliners, creating dozen’s of good/evil passengers, flight attendants and pilot’s in the process. This, of course, isn’t dealt with or addressed in anyway. Hey, it could explain why we have so many mediocre airlines that seemingly employ nothing but a-holes. Marvel is supposed to reflect our world, after all. At the very least it would explain the existence of Delta. One thing I’ve never been a fan off is doppelganger stories; there is something about seeing two identical heroes fighting that irritates and bores me. I think it might be that these stories usually come off as creatively lazy, but I think the lack of variety is as much the reason. Character Development: Well, Blake being a super-genius on par with Reed Richards is one hell of a development. Since Blake IS Thor, this just doesn’t work for me. Surgery seems a decent enough fit for a war god; it’s literally blood and guts. Blake having the capacity to invent androids and such seems to be something that was all but ignored in the years to come. Good call, Marvel. Personal Rating: 2. This was my least favorite Thor story so far…which is kind of scary seeing as how mediocre the non-Kirby issues have been to this point. Even Joe Sinnott’s solid artwork and storytelling couldn’t save this stinker. Thankfully, mercifully, we only have ONE issue left to endure before we can bask in the glory of the Lee/Kirby run. Historical Rating: 3. Nothing of note was added to the mythos so this rather arbitrary low score seems about right.
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Post by Cei-U! on Jan 23, 2016 9:56:27 GMT -5
This is by far the worst of the early "Thor"s scriptwise. The artistic nadir comes a few issues later when the wholly unsuited Al Hartley draws an episode.
Cei-U! I summon the eyedrops!
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Post by Icctrombone on Jan 23, 2016 10:11:39 GMT -5
But I love that cover. In the SA, many books had growing pains. Bad stories were the norm until they got a handle on what they wanted to do with the characters.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Jan 23, 2016 10:27:57 GMT -5
This is by far the worst of the early "Thor"s scriptwise. The artistic nadir comes a few issues later when the wholly unsuited Al Hartley draws an episode. Cei-U! I summon the eyedrops! GOD NO, CEI-U! I almost forgot that one. It really is awful. As bad as the 90's got, that has to be the worst artistic performance in the history of Marvel comics. This is going to be the last time I ever read Pre-JIM #97 issues unless I'm getting paid for it. I'm taking a stand.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Jan 23, 2016 10:31:05 GMT -5
But I love that cover. In the SA, many books had growing pains. Bad stories were the norm until they got a handle on what they wanted to do with the characters. Kirby's covers were always a beacon of hope in the early days. My ratings take into account the best of the Silver Age (Master Planner Saga, Galactus Trilogy, This Man, This Monster, Steranko's SHIELD, etc.) and compares everything to those stories. When I move into the Bronze Age one day, everything will be measured up against The Dark Phoenix Saga and Demon in the Bottle. Those are my classic at the very least.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Jan 24, 2016 10:10:45 GMT -5
Strange Tales #111 Story Title: “Fighting to the Death with the Asbestos Man!” Cover Date: August, 1963 CreditsScript: Stan Lee (plot); Ernie Hart [as H. Huntley] (script) Pencils: Dick Ayers Inks: Dick Ayers Colors: Stan Goldberg Letters: Sam Rosen (interiors); Artie Simek (cover) Cover Art: Jack Kirby (pencils); Dick Ayers (inks) Synopsis: A frustrated scientist invents a fireproof suit in order to impress underworld hoods and become their partner in crime. The Torch is at first unable to defeat him, but with the advice of his sister he calms down and outsmarts the Asbestos Man. Character Appearances: Human Torch [Johnny Storm]; Asbestos Man [Orson Kasloff] (introduction, origin); Blackie Barker; Invisible Girl [Sue Storm]; Thing [Ben Grimm] (cameo); Mister Fantastic [Reed Richards] (cameo) Comments: I hate to keep harping on the mediocrity of these early Marvel stories written by older DC writers…but I don’t hate it enough to stop. The FF cameos, while an improvement of sorts over the non-cameo issues, do illustrate how redundant the Torch strip is given the poor quality; you can’t help but wish you were reading the vastly superior Lee/Kirby FF instead. Ah, well. I did get a kick out of the FF cameo in this issue. Reed predictably warns Johnny that he shouldn’t let the Asbestos Man’s threatening letter (an asbestos letter no less!) get to him and then comments that he, Sue and Ben are heading out to do their tax return. The way it’s worded makes it read as if Reed, the most brilliant man in the world, needs Sue to help him with his taxes. I suppose that makes sense if he spends most of his time in his laboratory. Character Development: Johnny comes off as a real doofus in his first battle with the Asbestos Man. He didn’t even need to get clever with the environment as he did in the climax. Just fly full throttle into the middle-aged buffoon and be done with it! Personal Rating: 3. These lame villains, who seemingly are little more than disgruntled scientists experiencing ridiculously extreme middle-age crisis’, just aren’t cutting it. I continue to be impressed with Dick Ayers, though. Outside of the Thing, I like all of his renditions of the FF. Historical Rating: 5. I’ll give it an average score for Asbestos Man’s first appearance. Sure, he’s lame, but he was new at least.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Jan 24, 2016 11:05:19 GMT -5
Strange Tales #111 Story Title: “Face-to-Face with the Magic of Baron Mordo!” CreditsScript: Stan Lee; Steve Ditko (co-plot) Pencils: Steve Ditko Inks: Steve Ditko Colors: Stan Goldberg Letters: Terry Szenics Synopsis: In his castle in Europe, Baron Mordo plots to steal the secrets of his former master, The Ancient One. Sending his spirit form to Tibet, he causes a servant to poison The Ancient One's food. From his sanctum, Strange senses his master's plight, and challenges Mordo to a battle in their spirit forms, and in the process revives The Ancient One with his enchanted amulet. Strange defeats Mordo by leading him away from his master, giving him time to recover, and holding Mordo in place with his amulet after Mordo reunites with his physical form. After, The Ancient One warns Strange that Mordo will be a danger to them both, as long as he lives. Character Appearances: Doctor Strange [Stephen Strange]; Baron Mordo [Karl Amadeus Mordo] (introduction); Hamir (introduction, unnamed); Ancient One [Yao] (called "the Master") Comments: Like Strange’s first appearance, this five-page story is surprisingly entertaining. There isn’t much to really latch onto yet, but Mordo is an excellent addition to the mythos. We learn that Mordo was once “The Master’s” pupil, just like Dr. Strange, adding a nice layer of drama and intrigue to the mix. Sure, Mordo seems a bit one-dimensional in this brief first appearance, but his history with The Ancient One and Strange gives him a bit more depth than your standard world conqueror. I love the concept of sorcerers having epic battles in the astral plane, totally removed from the awareness of people in the physical world. This will be a trademark of the Strange series and a metaphysical aspect that makes it bit more "cerebral" than your traditional superhero strips. Character Development: It’s clear that Strange and The Ancient One maintain a very close relationship in these early stories, with Strange consulting him on his various “magical experiments.” I can’t help but feel that readers of the day were dying to learn more about Strange the man and were eagerly looking forward to his eventual origin story. Personal Rating: 7. A solid effort following a very effective debut. While it wasn’t quite as good as the first story, the basic blueprint for the greatness to come is slowly being mapped out with the addition of Mordo. Stan's writing is solid, but once again it's Ditko's plot and pencils that is the star of the show. Historical Rating: 8. Baron Mordo is obviously a very important villain in Marvel history. Somewhat surprisingly, he’s also one of the few legitimate mortal foes that Strange will ever have.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 24, 2016 11:14:01 GMT -5
In contrast to a lot of the other Marvel features, which stumbled a bit (sometimes more than just a bit) in the early days, Dr. Strange was amazing right from the start. I suspect much of the reason for this success was Ditko's skill with telling a story in five pages, which he had been doing for a long time and which he had perfected in the stories he did with Stan Lee in Amazing Adult Fantasy.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Jan 24, 2016 11:25:06 GMT -5
It's particularly impressive when compared to modern comics. As great as Ditko was on Spider-Man, I think his real masterpiece was Dr. Strange.
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Post by Action Ace on Jan 24, 2016 16:47:06 GMT -5
I had to check Wikipeadia to see if the obvious fate of Asbestos Man happened later on. It took more than fifty years, but it did. Now waiting for the She Hulk represents the family in the lawsuit issue.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Jan 24, 2016 20:34:57 GMT -5
I had to check Wikipeadia to see if the obvious fate of Asbestos Man happened later on. It took more than fifty years, but it did. Now waiting for the She Hulk represents the family in the lawsuit issue. He met the same fate as Unfiltered Cigarette Man.
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