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Post by commond on Aug 8, 2021 8:54:07 GMT -5
I finished up the fourth arc of Sandman Mystery Theatre. The return of Guy Davis made a huge difference. I thought his pencils were better than the first arc, and I can understand why he was the definitive artist on the series. Throughout the arc, I had the distinct feeling that this was how the book was supposed to look. One thing I really liked about the arc was how awkward Dodds was as a crimefighting vigilante. Instead of being some avenging angel, he worries that he accidently killed someone he used his gas on, he gets shot, and keeps bungling his secret identity act and jeopardizing his romantic relationship with Dian. There was a lot of sex in this arc, but it didn't feel gratuitous to me. Wagner and Seagle took time to detail the lives of people who were in same-sex relationships during the era instead of making it purely titillating. One criticism I do agree with is the covers. I don't think the photo covers have aged well at all, and I don't like the layout or the colors either. They worked on Sandman because McKean made original pieces of artwork that sometimes included photographs, but they come across like a failed idea on Sandman Mystery Theatre.
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Post by spoon on Aug 8, 2021 19:47:36 GMT -5
I read the Black Widow: Marvel Team-Up TPB, which reprints one story from Marvel Two-in-One, several Marvel Team-Up issue, and three Marvel Comics Presents stories. Many of the stories are one-offs, so the MTU four-parter by Chris Claremont, Sal Buscema, and Steve Leialoha that also features Nick Fury & Shang-Chi is the centerpiece. I've heard good things about it, but my opinion is mixed. Even though I like Claremont's work more than some here, he doesn't seem to fit as well outside the X-books. It annoyed me when he had Spider-Man call Black Widow "Red." It seems like imposing Wolverine's speech patterns on him. I think the Black Widow arc there had potential, but I may have preferred the execution by a different writer who didn't use certain Claremontian tropes.
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Post by Batflunkie on Aug 9, 2021 9:57:33 GMT -5
Read Astro City: Family Album
Really liked the first story (the one with the man and his daughters who just moved to Astro City and are experiencing Superheroes battling a force of evil for the first time), it set up everything pretty well and told you all you needed to know
While I liked the lore of it, wasn't too keen on the story involving Astra and the First Family
The Junkman story was excellent
LOVED the Jack-In-The-Box story, Jack is a really interesting homage to Spider-Man and I really liked the big homage to the Clone Saga
The Loony Leo story was pretty great too
I also like how the series is one big anthology, which helps with the fact that the three volumes I got didn't necessarily feature all the issues
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 9, 2021 10:11:10 GMT -5
Reading through some Gerard Jones GL... got a bunch of the ones I didn't have in the $1 bin a bit back... only missing about 15 issues just before Coast City for that volume. While there are some good moments, I definitely just don't like Hal that much. Jones' version of John Stewart is not my favorite either...he's awfully unstable. Makes sense for the character, but just not that enjoyable. Is Mosaic worth reading? Seems like it should be... but if Stewart is a basket case the whole time, maybe not.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 9, 2021 10:45:20 GMT -5
Continuing to revisit my Valiant longbox, I read all my X-O manowar comics this weekend (roughly the first two years, plus a few scattered issues later in the run).
To make a long story short, it's a series with a clever and original concept, an interesting development, engaging supporting characters, some intriguing plot twists, and a mid-run crash and burn change in direction. Gah.
So many things to love about the title at first, though!
I loved the way the main character is brought to the present (from his native 5th century) by being abducted by aliens who don't have faster-then-light capabilities, thus suffering from time dilation. I loved the twist of him being taken out of time during the Unity crossover, and then brought back to the 5th century as he wished, only to realize that it is not his place anymore, prompting him to return to the future by undergoing hibernation in his alien, sentient armour. I loved the way the armour changed over the centuries it spent buried, and how its biological imperatives sometimes interfered with its role as a weapon.
I loved how the X-O armour passes to a supporting character for a while, and how the hero realizes that in the modern world, it is pretty hard to distinguish the good guys from the bad. (It's pretty hard to learn that the evil capitalist conglomerate that destroys your friends' village... is owned by you!)
I loved the way the evil aliens (all right, those are bad guys, no question there) have an actually decent plan to destroy the armour, and how no Deus Ex Machina pulls the hero's fat out of the fire. I loved how the new armour, later on, looked like the original version when it was young, not as it appeared after spending 1500 years underground. Small details, sure, but showing how much care was put into the book.
I could really see X-O Manowar turned into a streaming series. Its plot is not too involved, it can have several independent arcs as well as an open-ended nature, and the public is now familiar with heroes in high tech armours!
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Post by Batflunkie on Aug 9, 2021 11:29:29 GMT -5
Continuing to revisit my Valiant longbox, I read all my X-O manowar comics this weekend (roughly the first two years, plus a few scattered issues later in the run). To make a long story short, it's a series with a clever and original concept, an interesting development, engaging supporting characters, some intriguing plot twists, and a mid-run crash and burn change in direction. Gah. So many things to love about the title at first, though! I loved the way the main character is brought to the present (from his native 5th century) by being abducted by aliens who don't have faster-then-light capabilities, thus suffering from time dilation. I loved the twist of him being taken out of time during the Unity crossover, and then brought back to the 5th century as he wished, only to realize that it is not his place anymore, prompting him to return to the future by undergoing hibernation in his alien, sentient armour. I loved the way the armour changed over the centuries it spent buried, and how its biological imperatives sometimes interfered with its role as a weapon. I loved how the X-O armour passes to a supporting character for a while, and how the hero realizes that in the modern world, it is pretty hard to distinguish the good guys from the bad. (It's pretty hard to learn that the evil capitalist conglomerate that destroys your friends' village... is owned by you!) I loved the way the evil aliens (all right, those are bad guys, no question there) have an actually decent plan to destroy the armour, and how no Deus Ex Machina pulls the hero's fat out of the fire. I loved how the new armour, later on, looked like the original version when it was young, not as it appeared after spending 1500 years underground. Small details, sure, but showing how much care was put into the book. I could really see X-O Manowar turned into a streaming series. Its plot is not too involved, it can have several independent arcs as well as an open-ended nature, and the public is now familiar with heroes in high tech armours! Ken is probably my favorite character in the series. And it was fun to see Aric take over the Spider Alien's various business ventures and turn into a tyrannical businessman
I enjoyed the 2012 reboot, but feel that after Planet Death it kind of lost it's way
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Post by arfetto on Aug 9, 2021 19:16:56 GMT -5
I don't spend too much time looking up comic news, so I just learned today that Faust is getting an animated show. I am not sure why this is happening now of all times, but it was interesting to learn. It has been awhile since I looked at my issues, so I pulled them out of their "hiding place" (comic shortbox) to make sure I still had them all in order and re-read issue one today. I didn't take any pictures of issue one because I don't think it would be wise haha, but I still love the way Vigil does a lot of the covers: The color palettes of these covers just really grab me. I'd love for more stuff like this. As for issue one, well, of course I enjoy the artwork. I love the grimy detail permeating every panel, so fitting for this story. He starts off strong and I would say Vigil improves as the issues go on until the last few issues of the '00s era (which are still great art wise but start to use more digital production for the gray tones which I am less enthused with, not sure exactly how to explain it). I'd say around issues maybe 8 through 11 are probably the pinnacle of Vigil's art on this series for my own taste. The writing (as far as issue one is concerned), well, I admit I am drawn to Quinn's writing on this (and some other titles) for a reason that I cannot articulate exactly...I will think of the matter more later. How to put it on short notice though, it is like...Faust as a comic is fully committed to being "edgy" and "dangerous" haha (I am sure it is now considered tame compared to more modern day stuff which I am not that familiar with though) in a "teenagers reading this, definitely hide this comic - and how did you get it in the first place" sort of way. So the story is written as if it has something "profound" to say with all this kind of pompous internal monologue haha, that a younger person (of its era) may find appealing and exciting even if there is not much behind the curtain. Like "this comic is really peeling back the layers of our polite society to show the cruelty of human civilization underneath, man" haha (to the mind of the impressionable youth really into this type of comics at this time)...hmm, like an "exploitation film" that has pretenses of being something more. But in doing this, it really does sort of become something more! Kind of haha. Maybe I am not making sense, but Quinn's writing on this comic on first read seems "overdone". But I think this is intentional. This is a comic putting Vigil's art on center stage and Quinn is using the text to help set the mood, like the writing is the not-so-soothing background music to Vigil's gory display. So, in issue one, it is just kind of ridiculous rambling (like I am doing right now haha). Well, enough about this for now. I am not sure why I wanted to type about it except looking through these comics again was enjoyable.
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Post by dbutler69 on Aug 10, 2021 10:16:02 GMT -5
I'm reading Marvel Masterworks The Avengers, vol 1. So far, I've read Avengers #1-3. #1 was ok. Not great, not bad. It set things up. #2 was not all that good. Just as in #1, a villain tricks the Avengers into fighting the Hulk. The plot is too similar. There's plenty of silliness here, including the Space Phantom first trying to keep his presence secret (makes ense, since he's trying to trick the Avengers into fighting each other) then all of a sudden, he decides he just has to boast to Rick Jones about his accomplishments, and Rick promptly tell the Avengers, and the jig is up. #3 was certainly the best of the bunch, as Namor and the Hulk team up against the Avengers. The only bad part of this (other than yet more embarassing dialogue for Jan) is that the Hulk suddenly, during the fight, changes back to Bob Banner, yes Bob Banner, for no particular reason. He says it must be due to the stress and excitement, which of course makes no sense. I guess they just ran out of pages and couldn't think of a satisfactory conclusion to the fight. Namor then squirms free, thinking the Hulk intentionally left on him (because somehow nobody noticed the Hulk change back to Bob Banner) and he jumps into the ocean. The Avengers decide to let him go. Excellent story, except for the ending. Overall, perhaps the worst part of these early issues is the Wasp's dialogue. It is terrible! She does nothing but moon over every guy within sight!
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Post by tartanphantom on Aug 10, 2021 10:41:08 GMT -5
I'm reading Marvel Masterworks The Avengers, vol 1. So far, I've read Avengers #1-3. #1 was ok. Not great, not bad. It set things up. #2 was not all that good. Just as in #1, a villain tricks the Avengers into fighting the Hulk. The plot is too similar. There's plenty of silliness here, including the Space Phantom first trying to keep his presence secret (makes ense, since he's trying to trick the Avengers into fighting each other) then all of a sudden, he decides he just has to boast to Rick Jones about his accomplishments, and Rick promptly tell the Avengers, and the jig is up. #3 was certainly the best of the bunch, as Namor and the Hulk team up against the Avengers. The only bad part of this (other than yet more embarassing dialogue for Jan) is that the Hulk suddenly, during the fight, changes back to Bob Banner, yes Bob Banner, for no particular reason. He says it must be due to the stress and excitement, which of course makes no sense. I guess they just ran out of pages and couldn't think of a satisfactory conclusion to the fight. Namor then squirms free, thinking the Hulk intentionally left on him (because somehow nobody noticed the Hulk change back to Bob Banner) and he jumps into the ocean. The Avengers decide to let him go. Excellent story, except for the ending. Overall, perhaps the worst part of these early issues is the Wasp's dialogue. It is terrible! She does nothing but moon over every guy within sight!
Hey, #3 could have been worse...at least the Hulk didn't change into John Banner...
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Post by Hoosier X on Aug 10, 2021 11:11:22 GMT -5
How would that be worse?
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Post by tartanphantom on Aug 10, 2021 11:17:48 GMT -5
Because he "Knows Nothing?"
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Post by profh0011 on Aug 10, 2021 17:47:37 GMT -5
Crazy but true: Martin Goodman demanded a series called "Daredevil", it was running months late, but as it had already been slotted into the production schedule (total insanity, right?), something had to go there... so overnight, Kirby came up with a company-wide crossover: THE AVENGERS. Kirby was so overworked in that period, it's astonishing those books were good at all. X-MEN started at the same time, and this was 2 brand-new team books on top of whatever else he was also doing at the same time. What blows my mind is that just about EVERY SINGLE PANEL of AVENGERS #4 is pin-up worthy... in spite of every page of it being MURDERED by George Roussos' inks, when he was doing 10 PAGES A DAY over weekends for half-rates as a favor to the editor. Try thinking of the first half-dozen issues of AVENGERS as a mini-series that just went on too long. Once Chic Stone got on the inks, it didn't look bad. (Although, most of the reprints are so horrible, it's hard to tell.)
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Post by Hoosier X on Aug 10, 2021 18:59:28 GMT -5
There are some comic related subjects I think about a lot. Perhaps too much. Most of them are Batman related.
But not all of them.
One of the non Batman subjects is the early depictions of the Wasp.
She’s hilarious. And one of a kind. So different from the other female super beings. Sue Storm doesn’t act like that. Nor Jean Grey or Wonder Woman.
Janet is more like Patsy Walker in a superhero costume. Which eventually happened literally.
But it was kind of innovative at the time.
I watched Bye Bye Birdie last night and I was thinking Well. I bet Janet van Dyne saw this too. And read Patsy Walker comics.
If I find time I want to write a whole essay on it.
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Post by profh0011 on Aug 10, 2021 21:29:27 GMT -5
the early depictions of the Wasp. She’s hilarious. And one of a kind. So different from the other female super beings. Sue Storm doesn’t act like that. Nor Jean Grey or Wonder Woman. Janet is more like Patsy Walker in a superhero costume. Which eventually happened literally. But it was kind of innovative at the time. I watched Bye Bye Birdie last night and I was thinking Well. I bet Janet van Dyne saw this too. And read Patsy Walker comics. If I find time I want to write a whole essay on it. I KNOW it's crazy... but Jan is my FAVORITE female Marvel character. Particularly, the entire period before Roy Thomas started writing her.
She's just so much fun. Hank Pym was suffering from PTSS after his 1st wife died. She was JUST what he needed.
ESSENTIAL ANT-MAN became my FAVORITE "Essential" reprint collection. Whether it was Kirby, Heck or Ayers. (The end of the run it kinda lost it.)
The movie that always makes me think of her is... THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD. I bet Kirby was a fan!!! Kathryn Grant was such a cutie.
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Post by dbutler69 on Aug 11, 2021 10:07:34 GMT -5
Continuing with Marvel Masterworks The Avengers, I read Avengers #4-6.
Avengers #4, of course, features the return of everybody’s favorite patriotic-themed superhero, Captain America! For the most part, this is a pretty cool issue. We do get a crazy looking alien here. We also see Thor somehow pulling out a sunken spaceship stuck in the seabed by using his hammer’s “cosmic magnetic waves” What the heck? I guess this was when Thor’s hammer acted as a dues ex machina. Namor also finds his people and attacks the Avengers (they seem to be setting him up to be an Avengers villain at this point) then he stupidly takes off after the island they are fighting on collapses, tossing everyone into the sea. Namor says "we have won, the sea itself shall destroy our enemies!" WTF? With the battleground switching to the water, now is the perfect time to continue the battle, you moron!! Sigh. Anyway, the first half of this issue was good, the second half falls apart a bit.
Avengers #5 features the Lava Men! The Avengers fly from New York City to New Mexico in…a helicopter?! I don’t know why they didn’t use a jet, but they have a nifty helicopter with a stylized “A” on it, so that’s something. They fight the Hulk for the 4th time in 5 issues. The business with this “living rock” which can destroy the earth is all pretty ridiculous. Oh well, as least we get Rick Jones and the Teen Brigade again. The best part of this issue is the character building and team building stuff at the beginning.
Avengers #6 features the debut of Baron Zemo and the Masters of Evil. Pretty cool stuff overall. I think that Rick Jones and the Teen Brigade have appeared in every issue so far. Stan & Jack must be trying to connect with teenagers or something. The Avengers transportation was called (and clearly was) a helicopter in the last issue, but is called a “jetcopter” in this issue. Cap is mooning over Bucky again, after having apparently gotten over it an issue or two ago. I love how they make is seem like Baron Zemo is Captain America’s archfoe, and has always been around. The Avenges take on the Master of Evil and they basically run away with their tails between their legs. However, the best part of this issue is that the Avengers have to go crawling to PASTE POT PETE for help! Cap & Giant-Man get stuck to the pavement with Zemo’s Adhesive-X, and Paste Pot Pete, as the world’s foremost expert on adhesives, has a universal adhesive dissolver. He lets them have it in exchange for a reduced prison sentence. The Avengers take on the Masters of Evil again, and this time use the old “switch opponents so that we’re not facing our archfoes” trick to confuse the bad guys. It works. Cap takes on Zemo, who somehow, though certainly physically a middle aged man now, is a very formidable fighter, and we get a classic Captain America speech about liberty versus tyranny. I have to say, it’s kind of inhumane of the Avengers not to give Baron Zemo that universal adhesive dissolver so that he can finally take that mask off his face.
And yes, we are treated to some more hilarious dialogue by Janet Van Dyne.
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