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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2014 18:43:17 GMT -5
If you've never read DeMatteis then I heartily suggest Brooklyn Dreams from DC's Paradox Press imprint and Moonshadow (either the Vertigo re-release of the Epic Comics original).
-M
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Post by fanboystranger on Jun 15, 2014 18:50:46 GMT -5
The start of Delano's AM run is very good, especially after Tom Veitch's run fizzled out in the lead-up to issue 50. Towards the end of Delano's tenure, it gets to be a little "political issue of the month", but it's still an interesting comic with some nice art from Russ Braun.
Avoid Jerry Prosser's run, though. It's both inpenetrable and terrible.
What other runs in that series are worth reading? I only have the middle of delano's run (and morrison's) - is milligan's worth a go? my vertigo "collection" is a mess and I need to sort it out because those late 80s dc into vertigo book are just such a sweet spot for me. What else is worth a go? - i have doom patrol, the first 25 issues of shade, black orchid, enigma, extremist - couldnt quite get into Sandman - and magic books like Hellblazer are a bit of a turn off although I did read a story called "how i learned to love the bomb" and enjoyed that one. Milligan's run is absolutely worth it. It's as good as Morrison's, in my opinion.
Tom Veitch's run started out well, but it just limped home to its climax. I think Tom and his editor Tom Peyer were more interesting in writing their Punisher knock-off "The Penalizer" than Animal Man, which Ellen was illustrating in story at the time. Overall, I'd say it was better than most superhero comics at the time, but not in the league of the best of Animal Man. It is also Steve Dillon's first ongoing work in the N American medium, and he was paired with an inker that really made his stuff look great. Worth reading, especially as it has now been collected in full. (The first volume actually includes Milligan's run.)
From early Vertigo, I'd recommend Sandman Mystery Theatre above all for the launch books. Kid Eternity was a bit inpenetrable at first, but found its way after a few issues and had some early Sean Phillips art. Swamp Thing under Nancy Collins was solid, but Mark Millar's run is actually very good. (He could write with some depth back then.) Peter Milligan's "E" books: Enigma, The Extremist, and Egypt, although Egypt is definitely the least of them. John Smith's Scarab is an interesting book-- it was supposed to be a Dr Fate revamp, but eventually became it's own thing. JM DeMatteis had a few interesting books. Obviously, there were the long running books like Sandman, Hellblazer, and Shade, the Changing Man. Morrison's Invisibles.
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Post by fanboystranger on Jun 15, 2014 18:55:16 GMT -5
What other runs in that series are worth reading? I only have the middle of delano's run (and morrison's) - is milligan's worth a go? my vertigo "collection" is a mess and I need to sort it out because those late 80s dc into vertigo book are just such a sweet spot for me. What else is worth a go? - i have doom patrol, the first 25 issues of shade, black orchid, enigma, extremist - couldnt quite get into Sandman - and magic books like Hellblazer are a bit of a turn off although I did read a story called "how i learned to love the bomb" and enjoyed that one. I might recommend Scarab, quite good but a few nebulous ties to DCU, the Vertigo Visions Phantom Stranger one-shot, the Vertigo Visions mini The Unseen Hand, J.M. DeMatteis & Glenn Fabry's Seekers into Mystery, and Chiaroscuro: The Private Lives of Leonardo Da Vicni as some of my favorite early era Vertigo stuff, though some of it extends into the early 90's not just late 80's. -M Just want to point out that it was Glenn Barr, not Glenn Fabry, who was the main artist for Seekers into the Mystery. I really like Barr's work-- he's one of those guys who can bounce around between comics, fine art, and book illustration. I know Mike Zulli had an arc, and I believe that Jon J Muth may have done some work on the series, too.
I really liked Unseen Hand, too. I'm a big fan of Ed Hillyer's work. If you like that, the writer, Terry LeBan, also had a great mini with Steve Parkhouse named Mutuk Wolfsbreath, Hard-Boiled Shaman that's one of my favorite Vertigo books.
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Post by fanboystranger on Jun 15, 2014 18:58:35 GMT -5
If you've never read DeMatteis then I heartily suggest Brooklyn Dreams from DC's Paradox Press imprint and Moonshadow (either the Vertigo re-release of the Epic Comics original). -M Brooklyn Dreams is my favorite DeMatteis work. Glenn Barr illustrates that one, too. A lot of the same themes would be explored in Seekers into the Mystery.
Also, the original Moonshadow is a truly important work that everyone should read at some point. The problem with the Vertigo edition is that it includes Farewell, Moonshadow, a one-shot that DeMatteis and Muth did for Vertigo, that is not very good. (Certainly not by the standards of the previous material.)
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2014 19:21:28 GMT -5
If you've never read DeMatteis then I heartily suggest Brooklyn Dreams from DC's Paradox Press imprint and Moonshadow (either the Vertigo re-release of the Epic Comics original). -M Brooklyn Dreams is my favorite DeMatteis work. Glenn Barr illustrates that one, too. A lot of the same themes would be explored in Seekers into the Mystery.
Also, the original Moonshadow is a truly important work that everyone should read at some point. The problem with the Vertigo edition is that it includes Farewell, Moonshadow, a one-shot that DeMatteis and Muth did for Vertigo, that is not very good. (Certainly not by the standards of the previous material.)
Ugh, brain cramp on the Glenn's on my part. I knew that except at the moment I went to type it. Grrrr. -M |
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ironchimp
Full Member
Simian Overlord
Posts: 456 
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Post by ironchimp on Jun 15, 2014 19:51:42 GMT -5
top work! - plenty to keep me going there. and thats why this place rules
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Post by fanboystranger on Jun 15, 2014 21:12:34 GMT -5
Brooklyn Dreams is my favorite DeMatteis work. Glenn Barr illustrates that one, too. A lot of the same themes would be explored in Seekers into the Mystery.
Also, the original Moonshadow is a truly important work that everyone should read at some point. The problem with the Vertigo edition is that it includes Farewell, Moonshadow, a one-shot that DeMatteis and Muth did for Vertigo, that is not very good. (Certainly not by the standards of the previous material.)
Ugh, brain cramp on the Glenn's on my part. I knew that except at the moment I went to type it. Grrrr. -M Well, most comic artists named Glenn are quite good. Much like comic artists named Goran... |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2014 21:18:44 GMT -5
Ugh, brain cramp on the Glenn's on my part. I knew that except at the moment I went to type it. Grrrr. -M Well, most comic artists named Glenn are quite good. Much like comic artists named Goran... The sad part is that the run of Seekers is sitting in a pile about 2 feet from where I am sitting and I could have checked it to make sure....but no! -M |
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Post by Jasoomian on Jun 15, 2014 23:17:16 GMT -5
There is one final flourish though. #98 is a full art job from Al Williamson and it looks great.
Yes, and the cover is first-rate real Sienkiewicz. I have that issue; and, what I had originally read, the one-shot reprint Dark Horse did of it in the 1990s (which sadly lacks the awesome Sienkiewicz cover).  |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 15, 2014 23:28:03 GMT -5
I've been working my way through The Essential X-Men, Volume Two, and it got a lot better pretty quick after the first storyline (two issues of El Tigre! Bleah!), especially as our merry mutants are getting deeper and deeper into the Factor Three storyline.
It's not nearly as good as Silver Age Fantastic Four or Spider-Man, but 1960s X-Men does have some convoluted melodrama, interesting relationships, cool villains and supporting guest stars (like Banshee and Mimic), and I find that it's growing on me. The are is of variable quality, but even at its worst, it's enjoyable if a bit bizarre at times. (Werner Roth, Dan Adkins, Don Heck, George Tuska, Geez Louise! I didn't know Ross Andru ever did the X-Men!)
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Post by Jasoomian on Jun 16, 2014 1:17:28 GMT -5
I've been working my way through The Essential X-Men, Volume Two, and it got a lot better pretty quick after the first storyline (two issues of El Tigre! Bleah!), especially as our merry mutants are getting deeper and deeper into the Factor Three storyline. It's not nearly as good as Silver Age Fantastic Four or Spider-Man, but 1960s X-Men does have some convoluted melodrama, interesting relationships, cool villains and supporting guest stars (like Banshee and Mimic), and I find that it's growing on me. The are is of variable quality, but even at its worst, it's enjoyable if a bit bizarre at times. (Werner Roth, Dan Adkins, Don Heck, George Tuska, Geez Louise! I didn't know Ross Andru ever did the X-Men!) I've read Essential X-Men vol 2 and I found myself wishing I had read the stories in color. I actually do have a few of those original issues, but nowhere near all of them. Now that I think of it, I will trade that book in for credit at the bookstore the next time it surfaces. |
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Post by paulie on Jun 16, 2014 9:30:54 GMT -5
I read Conan Saga 22 and 23 yesterday. These were b&w reprints of the adaptation of 'Hour of the Dragon' that appeared in Giant-Size Conan.
I'm actually not going to say much about the story. It is one of the best comics adaptations of a Howard tale out there and it should not be taken for granted. Whatever literary significance there is to REH's stories lies mostly in their earnestness and their sense of place; masterpieces of sustained plot like Lord of the Rings they are not. Adapting this kind of unwieldy work into a straight ahead comic book is no easy task. So kudos as always to Roy Thomas to taking some rather unruly material and harnessing it into quite readable comics form.
The rest of my comics are going to be centered specifically on Gil Kane. Kane is one of those artists that I can intellectually understand is terrific and has few peers in the medium. Having said that his penciling style never quite did it for me especially after he switched to Marvel. While his storytelling and layouts are impeccable the turned-up noses, beady eyes, and taut muscles of his figures just don't do it for me.
Having said that, Gil Kane has turned in some of my all-time favorite Marvel art-jobs (Giant Size Defenders 2 and John Carter 1) so I'm assuming a lot has to do with who is inking him. In these Conan adaptations we get some stellar work from Tom Sutton who really seems to understand Howard's world much like Alfredo Alcala inking John Buscema. With Kane and Sutton doing the art Hyboria becomes the world of spectral horror and dusty gloom that REH envisioned.
Check these issue out.
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Post by fanboystranger on Jun 16, 2014 10:42:22 GMT -5
I read Conan Saga 22 and 23 yesterday. These were b&w reprints of the adaptation of 'Hour of the Dragon' that appeared in Giant-Size Conan. I'm actually not going to say much about the story. It is one of the best comics adaptations of a Howard tale out there and it should not be taken for granted. Whatever literary significance there is to REH's stories lies mostly in their earnestness and their sense of place; masterpieces of sustained plot like Lord of the Rings they are not. Adapting this kind of unwieldy work into a straight ahead comic book is no easy task. So kudos as always to Roy Thomas to taking some rather unruly material and harnessing it into quite readable comics form. The rest of my comics are going to be centered specifically on Gil Kane. Kane is one of those artists that I can intellectually understand is terrific and has few peers in the medium. Having said that his penciling style never quite did it for me especially after he switched to Marvel. While his storytelling and layouts are impeccable the turned-up noses, beady eyes, and taut muscles of his figures just don't do it for me. Having said that, Gil Kane has turned in some of my all-time favorite Marvel art-jobs (Giant Size Defenders 2 and John Carter 1) so I'm assuming a lot has to do with who is inking him. In these Conan adaptations we get some stellar work from Tom Sutton who really seems to understand Howard's world much like Alfredo Alcala inking John Buscema. With Kane and Sutton doing the art Hyboria becomes the world of spectral horror and dusty gloom that REH envisioned. Check these issue out. Have you been reading the Tim Truman/Tomas Giorello adaptation of The Hour of the Dragon that's been running at Dark Horse over the past year? (The first half was recently collected as King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon, and the second is currently running as a mini called Conan the Conqueror.) I think it's the strongest material that the Dark Horse Conan adaptations have produced, and I like it a lot more than the Thomas/Kane/Sutton version, which is great in its own right. |
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Post by paulie on Jun 16, 2014 11:34:15 GMT -5
I read Conan Saga 22 and 23 yesterday. These were b&w reprints of the adaptation of 'Hour of the Dragon' that appeared in Giant-Size Conan. I'm actually not going to say much about the story. It is one of the best comics adaptations of a Howard tale out there and it should not be taken for granted. Whatever literary significance there is to REH's stories lies mostly in their earnestness and their sense of place; masterpieces of sustained plot like Lord of the Rings they are not. Adapting this kind of unwieldy work into a straight ahead comic book is no easy task. So kudos as always to Roy Thomas to taking some rather unruly material and harnessing it into quite readable comics form. The rest of my comics are going to be centered specifically on Gil Kane. Kane is one of those artists that I can intellectually understand is terrific and has few peers in the medium. Having said that his penciling style never quite did it for me especially after he switched to Marvel. While his storytelling and layouts are impeccable the turned-up noses, beady eyes, and taut muscles of his figures just don't do it for me. Having said that, Gil Kane has turned in some of my all-time favorite Marvel art-jobs (Giant Size Defenders 2 and John Carter 1) so I'm assuming a lot has to do with who is inking him. In these Conan adaptations we get some stellar work from Tom Sutton who really seems to understand Howard's world much like Alfredo Alcala inking John Buscema. With Kane and Sutton doing the art Hyboria becomes the world of spectral horror and dusty gloom that REH envisioned. Check these issue out. Have you been reading the Tim Truman/Tomas Giorello adaptation of The Hour of the Dragon that's been running at Dark Horse over the past year? (The first half was recently collected as King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon, and the second is currently running as a mini called Conan the Conqueror.) I think it's the strongest material that the Dark Horse Conan adaptations have produced, and I like it a lot more than the Thomas/Kane/Sutton version, which is great in its own right. The Dark Horse adaptation is fantastic. You're right it may be better. Light'nin strikes twice? |
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Post by fanboystranger on Jun 16, 2014 13:16:49 GMT -5
Have you been reading the Tim Truman/Tomas Giorello adaptation of The Hour of the Dragon that's been running at Dark Horse over the past year? (The first half was recently collected as King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon, and the second is currently running as a mini called Conan the Conqueror.) I think it's the strongest material that the Dark Horse Conan adaptations have produced, and I like it a lot more than the Thomas/Kane/Sutton version, which is great in its own right. The Dark Horse adaptation is fantastic. You're right it may be better. Light'nin strikes twice? Maybe it's something about the story. Truman has said in the past that he got into comics in the hopes that he would one day be able to adapt it. It's his favorite Howard story. |
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