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Post by Ozymandias on Aug 18, 2024 12:45:07 GMT -5
Say, haven't we reached the point where new entries in this thread will be reprints from old "40 years ago this month" posts? I really don't mind... this trip down yesteryear's newsstand is always a blast. Can't say I'm surprised you also noticed.
To be fair, new people can post what they couldn't when the 40 years ago mark came by. Also, old forum members can in reflection search for overlooked comics. I know I have, but it will be a few years until I start posting here.
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Post by Yasotay on Aug 24, 2024 13:22:24 GMT -5
(Apologies. New here and can't seem to get the image I've linked to post properly. Tried it with just the url and with the Imgur embed function but can't get it to work. If anyone has some advice on how to get the image to show, let me know.)
(Edit - Was finally able to get the photo to display properly. Thanks Farrar!) So I've been lurking here for a while but decided to finally join and post in this thread since 50 years ago this month were the first comics I remember ever buying (or at least asking my parents to buy for me). I had always enjoyed various superhero cartoons and TV shows when I was little and my parents had previously brought home a few random superhero comic books for me, a mix of Marvel, DC and even an old Charlton war comic. But I believe this month, 50 years ago, was the first time I actually chose comics of my own and asked anyone to purchase them for me. I recall having definitely owned at least three comics that appeared this month, all Marvel titles, but I believe the very first one I asked for (at least it's the only one that sticks out in my mind - I even recall the stationery store where we got it) was the classic Giant-Size Avengers #2, the second part of Steve Englehart's epic Kang/Celestial Madonna saga. The other two issues from this month that I recall reading as a kid - so I must have gotten them around the same time - were Thor 229 and Captain America 179. As I look back on it, prior to this point, I probably enjoyed DC characters as much or more than Marvel and was certainly more familiar with them. But that summer I made a new friend who was a year or two older than me and thus a more veteran comic reader. He preferred Marvel and told me all about their main characters. I still recall him regaling me with an account of the epic fight between Thor and the Hulk in what I, much later, learned was the crossover Avengers-Defenders clash. He even traded me a few comics, including a couple of Avengers issues. It was enough to peak my interest and get me to pester my parents into buying that Giant-Size Avengers. From there, I was hooked on the Avengers and Marvel, which I read until I entered high school in the 80s and quit. But I got drawn back into reading comics again when my college roommate turned out to have a huge collection he brought with him to school. Since then, I've been in and out the game getting the itch to read every once in a while and mostly scratching it with trade paperbacks from the library. But I've really gotten back into things with a bit more zeal over the past year or so after having discovered the original CCF podcast and continuing to enjoy the new version with George and Jeff. As a writer by trade, I now recognize that most of the comics I loved reading as a kid were not particularly great - or even good - works of literature. But there is something about them, whether that's the quality shared by a lot of classic sci-fi that speaks to our taste for Joseph Campbellesque heroic myth; or a sense of juvenile wish fulfillment over imagining ourselves as the strongest kid on the block; or perhaps the appeal of epic tale telling that something like the shared universe of Marvel, with it's ongoing continuity, caters to; or just the basic, simplistic appeal of seeing good punch evil in the face. Or maybe it's just nostalgia. But that ain't nothing. So here's to you, August of '74 and Giant-Size Avengers #2.
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Post by Farrar on Aug 24, 2024 14:51:34 GMT -5
(Apologies. New here and can't seem to get the image I've linked to post properly. Tried it with just the url and with the Imgur embed function but can't get it to work. If anyone has some advice on how to get the image to show, let me know.).... Hello Yasotay, welcome aboard Regarding Imgur, for forum images just copy the BBCode link. here's a link to what I posted over in the Introduce Yourself thread.
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Post by Ozymandias on Aug 24, 2024 16:45:02 GMT -5
As a writer by trade, I now recognize that most of the comics I loved reading as a kid were not particularly great - or even good - works of literature. But there is something about them, whether that's the quality shared by a lot of classic sci-fi that speaks to our taste for Joseph Campbellesque heroic myth; or a sense of juvenile wish fulfillment over imagining ourselves as the strongest kid on the block; or perhaps the appeal of epic tale telling that something like the shared universe of Marvel, with it's ongoing continuity, caters to; or just the basic, simplistic appeal of seeing good punch evil in the face. Or maybe it's just nostalgia. I'd say it's both (the shared universe and the nostalgia). On their own, only a fraction of the comics I have hold their ground. If they didn't have a personal relevance, likewise I wouldn't pay most of them much attention. On the other hand, re-reading the Marvel Silver Age, I find myself liking the same comics I liked when I was a kid, to a large degree.
Being a sci-fi fan also helps, since the superhero genre is a subset of sci-fi.
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Post by Yasotay on Aug 24, 2024 23:51:20 GMT -5
(Apologies. New here and can't seem to get the image I've linked to post properly. Tried it with just the url and with the Imgur embed function but can't get it to work. If anyone has some advice on how to get the image to show, let me know.).... Hello Yasotay , welcome aboard Regarding Imgur, for forum images just copy the BBCode link. here's a link to what I posted over in the Introduce Yourself thread.
Thanks very much for the welcome and the advice, Farrar. Unfortunately, when I tried your solution, I wasn't getting the BBCode link option. It might be because I posted it in Imgur without joining their site (they wanted a phone number to join and I didn't feel like doing that). I found a work around to post the photo but it was displaying in a HUGE size, which I guess is appropriate since it was a giant-size issue. But it was too big. If anyone knows a way to reduce the size of the photo in a post or another means of linking a photo, let me know. Thanks.
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Post by Yasotay on Aug 25, 2024 0:05:15 GMT -5
As a writer by trade, I now recognize that most of the comics I loved reading as a kid were not particularly great - or even good - works of literature. But there is something about them, whether that's the quality shared by a lot of classic sci-fi that speaks to our taste for Joseph Campbellesque heroic myth; or a sense of juvenile wish fulfillment over imagining ourselves as the strongest kid on the block; or perhaps the appeal of epic tale telling that something like the shared universe of Marvel, with it's ongoing continuity, caters to; or just the basic, simplistic appeal of seeing good punch evil in the face. Or maybe it's just nostalgia. I'd say it's both (the shared universe and the nostalgia). On their own, only a fraction of the comics I have hold their ground. If they didn't have a personal relevance, likewise I wouldn't pay most of them much attention. On the other hand, re-reading the Marvel Silver Age, I find myself liking the same comics I liked when I was a kid, to a large degree.
Being a sci-fi fan also helps, since the superhero genre is a subset of sci-fi.
Agreed, though I wouldn't underestimate the value of a good punch in the face, either (I also could have mentioned that nostalgia ain't just nothing, it's also a perfume by Veidt). But yes, the whole shared universe and ongoing continuity of Marvel has always been a strong selling point. There's something about involving yourself in a tale that has an epic back story to it that I do find highly engrossing. One element I definitely prefer in the older comics, which you no longer see, was the use of the editor's note to inform you the villain on page 3, whom you had never seen before, first appeared in Fantastic Four #27. It gave the feeling there was a real history behind everything you were reading. Though back issues weren't readily available in the 1970s, Marvel did do a lot of reprints and I always felt a bit of satisfaction when I came across one that I'd previously seen mentioned in an editor's note and got to see for myself just what the fuss was about.
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Post by Ozymandias on Aug 25, 2024 0:40:22 GMT -5
I'd say it's both (the shared universe and the nostalgia). On their own, only a fraction of the comics I have hold their ground. If they didn't have a personal relevance, likewise I wouldn't pay most of them much attention. On the other hand, re-reading the Marvel Silver Age, I find myself liking the same comics I liked when I was a kid, to a large degree.
Being a sci-fi fan also helps, since the superhero genre is a subset of sci-fi.
Agreed, though I wouldn't underestimate the value of a good punch in the face, either (I also could have mentioned that nostalgia ain't just nothing, it's also a perfume by Veidt). But yes, the whole shared universe and ongoing continuity of Marvel has always been a strong selling point. There's something about involving yourself in a tale that has an epic back story to it that I do find highly engrossing. One element I definitely prefer in the older comics, which you no longer see, was the use of the editor's note to inform you the villain on page 3, whom you had never seen before, first appeared in Fantastic Four #27. It gave the feeling there was a real history behind everything you were reading. Though back issues weren't readily available in the 1970s, Marvel did do a lot of reprints and I always felt a bit of satisfaction when I came across one that I'd previously seen mentioned in an editor's note and got to see for myself just what the fuss was about. I'm sure it pays a role, but it must be on a subconscious level, so I can't comment much on it. Editor's notes were cool, a pity they have discontinued them. The thinking must be that you already have marvel wiki to give you all the info you might need, which is true, but requires active participation from the reader. The editor's note made that information part of the story right away. PS: Nostalgia, brought to your home by Pyramid Deliveries.
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Post by Yasotay on Aug 25, 2024 11:45:41 GMT -5
Agreed, though I wouldn't underestimate the value of a good punch in the face, either (I also could have mentioned that nostalgia ain't just nothing, it's also a perfume by Veidt). But yes, the whole shared universe and ongoing continuity of Marvel has always been a strong selling point. There's something about involving yourself in a tale that has an epic back story to it that I do find highly engrossing. One element I definitely prefer in the older comics, which you no longer see, was the use of the editor's note to inform you the villain on page 3, whom you had never seen before, first appeared in Fantastic Four #27. It gave the feeling there was a real history behind everything you were reading. Though back issues weren't readily available in the 1970s, Marvel did do a lot of reprints and I always felt a bit of satisfaction when I came across one that I'd previously seen mentioned in an editor's note and got to see for myself just what the fuss was about. I'm sure it pays a role, but it must be on a subconscious level, so I can't comment much on it. Editor's notes were cool, a pity they have discontinued them. The thinking must be that you already have marvel wiki to give you all the info you might need, which is true, but requires active participation from the reader. The editor's note made that information part of the story right away. PS: Nostalgia, brought to your home by Pyramid Deliveries. That's the rationale I've heard for why editor's notes are no longer in use, though I think they stopped using them before all that information was readily available online. And while you probably can find all the information, not to mention the back issues, online, you might have to do a fair amount of digging to unearth the specific issue being referenced. I think the main reason the editor's notes went out of fashion, judging from what I've heard modern writers say in interviews, is because writers believe the notes take you out of the narrative flow of the story, which is a valid point. Still, I think the way those notes give the reader a sense of the underlying history, not to mention that they might inspire a few readers to buy an occasional back issue or collected works, makes them worthwhile. Perhaps a good compromise would be to just make them all end notes that you stick on the last page of the comic saying things like "such and such an event, mentioned on page 5, took place in Avengers #18." That way, you wouldn't interrupt the narrative flow but would still get some of the history and an easy reference for which issues to read. (*Pyramid Deliveries first appeared in Watchmen #1 - Rascally Roy)
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Post by Farrar on Aug 25, 2024 12:27:12 GMT -5
Thanks very much for the welcome and the advice, Farrar. Unfortunately, when I tried your solution, I wasn't getting the BBCode link option. It might be because I posted it in Imgur without joining their site (they wanted a phone number to join and I didn't feel like doing that)... I've never joined Imgur and I don't have an account with them--and I've used them for years posting images here (and on other forums) all the time without a problem. Fwiw I usually post from a laptop or desktop. I totally agree about the signing up w/"a phone number to join" bit, I avoid that when I can! And that's one of Imgur's appealing features for me, i.e., that I don't need to have an Imgur account, but I can still use its image hosting services.
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Post by Ozymandias on Aug 25, 2024 13:31:36 GMT -5
I think the main reason the editor's notes went out of fashion, judging from what I've heard modern writers say in interviews, is because writers believe the notes take you out of the narrative flow of the story, which is a valid point. Notes usually appeared in the flashback/recap part of the story, so you were effectively out of the flow already, to some extent. The notes were just an extra layer and an organic one, under the circumstances. Nowadays, storytelling habits have changed and they've fallen out of use because they'd be out of place (difficult to shoe in a note where there's no flashback/recap). Recaps are done in the credits page, which takes them out of the flow too, I guess.
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Post by Yasotay on Aug 26, 2024 11:15:37 GMT -5
Thanks very much for the welcome and the advice, Farrar. Unfortunately, when I tried your solution, I wasn't getting the BBCode link option. It might be because I posted it in Imgur without joining their site (they wanted a phone number to join and I didn't feel like doing that)... I've never joined Imgur and I don't have an account with them--and I've used them for years posting images here (and on other forums) all the time without a problem. Fwiw I usually post from a laptop or desktop. I totally agree about the signing up w/"a phone number to join" bit, I avoid that when I can! And that's one of Imgur's appealing features for me, i.e., that I don't need to have an Imgur account, but I can still use its image hosting services. Thanks for all the help. Was finally able to post the image from Imgur by switching browsers and then resizing the photo. I'm a luddite so it takes me a while.
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Post by Yasotay on Aug 26, 2024 11:20:19 GMT -5
I think the main reason the editor's notes went out of fashion, judging from what I've heard modern writers say in interviews, is because writers believe the notes take you out of the narrative flow of the story, which is a valid point. Notes usually appeared in the flashback/recap part of the story, so you were effectively out of the flow already, to some extent. The notes were just an extra layer and an organic one, under the circumstances. Nowadays, storytelling habits have changed and they've fallen out of use because they'd be out of place (difficult to shoe in a note where there's no flashback/recap). Recaps are done in the credits page, which takes them out of the flow too, I guess.
I suppose it depends on who the editor was. I seem to recall Roy Thomas dropping them in everywhere which, again, I enjoyed. But it might be that Marvel no longer has anyone like Thomas or Mark Gruenwald who knew every bit of their history and could make all the continuity connections. Of course, Marvel only had like 15 years of history to memorize back then and now they have 60 years. I don't know who you'd get that would know every issue now other than Douglas Wolk, the guy who wrote a book about reading every single Marvel comic.
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Post by Ozymandias on Aug 27, 2024 1:19:51 GMT -5
Notes usually appeared in the flashback/recap part of the story, so you were effectively out of the flow already, to some extent. The notes were just an extra layer and an organic one, under the circumstances. Nowadays, storytelling habits have changed and they've fallen out of use because they'd be out of place (difficult to shoe in a note where there's no flashback/recap). Recaps are done in the credits page, which takes them out of the flow too, I guess.
I suppose it depends on who the editor was. I seem to recall Roy Thomas dropping them in everywhere which, again, I enjoyed. But it might be that Marvel no longer has anyone like Thomas or Mark Gruenwald who knew every bit of their history and could make all the continuity connections. Of course, Marvel only had like 15 years of history to memorize back then and now they have 60 years. I don't know who you'd get that would know every issue now other than Douglas Wolk, the guy who wrote a book about reading every single Marvel comic. Not only a lot more time has passed since it was a habit, but a lot more comics are outputted by Marvel on a weekly basis, compared to 50 years ago. This makes it very unfeasible for any editor to be up to date with the complete history of any story they might overlook. I guess they could, with online help, but since that history doesn't correlate to any actual continuity any more, who cares?
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Post by Yasotay on Aug 27, 2024 11:45:31 GMT -5
I suppose it depends on who the editor was. I seem to recall Roy Thomas dropping them in everywhere which, again, I enjoyed. But it might be that Marvel no longer has anyone like Thomas or Mark Gruenwald who knew every bit of their history and could make all the continuity connections. Of course, Marvel only had like 15 years of history to memorize back then and now they have 60 years. I don't know who you'd get that would know every issue now other than Douglas Wolk, the guy who wrote a book about reading every single Marvel comic. Not only a lot more time has passed since it was a habit, but a lot more comics are outputted by Marvel on a weekly basis, compared to 50 years ago. This makes it very unfeasible for any editor to be up to date with the complete history of any story they might overlook. I guess they could, with online help, but since that history doesn't correlate to any actual continuity any more, who cares? Only fans like us, apparently.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 28, 2024 6:44:34 GMT -5
Thanks very much for the welcome and the advice, Farrar. Unfortunately, when I tried your solution, I wasn't getting the BBCode link option. It might be because I posted it in Imgur without joining their site (they wanted a phone number to join and I didn't feel like doing that). I found a work around to post the photo but it was displaying in a HUGE size, which I guess is appropriate since it was a giant-size issue. But it was too big. If anyone knows a way to reduce the size of the photo in a post or another means of linking a photo, let me know. Thanks.
I use Imgur as well.. the share links don't show up if your window is too small (but I do also have a log in so you might be right). As far as size goes, the standard windows photo viewer has a 'resize' button where you can reduce it by a % or choose a number of pixels (I find 400-600 a good range for posting here) There is also a size command in BBCode you can use but you'll have to google that for the exact correct use.
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