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Post by badwolf on Sept 18, 2021 18:24:43 GMT -5
I am reading the first Flash Omnibus by Geoff Johns and am flying through it. (It's over 800 pages and I'm already halfway through it in a day.) I've read the majority of the material before when I was collecting the issues, but some of the earlier stuff (pre-Kolins) is new to me.
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Post by Rob Allen on Sept 18, 2021 21:12:01 GMT -5
Very crude "Bob Kane" art [is there a listing anywhere of who actually did what under his name?] The GCD tries to be as accurate as possible, but I also recommend The American Comic Book Chronicles 1940-44 by Kurt Mitchell (aka our own Cei-U!). The book doesn't give issue-by-issue credits but it does list which artists worked on prominent features like Batman in each year. My memory is that during the era you've been reading, the art was primarily done by the team of Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson and George Roussos.
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 19, 2021 5:51:47 GMT -5
Very crude "Bob Kane" art [is there a listing anywhere of who actually did what under his name?] The GCD tries to be as accurate as possible, but I also recommend The American Comic Book Chronicles 1940-44 by Kurt Mitchell (aka our own Cei-U!). The book doesn't give issue-by-issue credits but it does list which artists worked on prominent features like Batman in each year. My memory is that during the era you've been reading, the art was primarily done by the team of Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson and George Roussos. You are correct, sir. Aside from a handful of Jack Burnley stories, most of the art on Batman was by the Kane/Robinson/Roussos team until the launch of the syndicated strip in '43. Robinson then took over as the primary penciller on the books, joined by Sprang in '44.
Cei-U! I summon the Darknight Detective delineators!
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Post by spoon on Sept 19, 2021 15:32:06 GMT -5
I read The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Volume 1 TPB by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. It was interesting how the various pre-exiting classic fictional characters, but to be honest I was disappointed by all the racist stuff. I was waiting for deconstruction, parody, examination of the outdated bigoted tropes, but it never came. It just ended up being unironic repetition of stereotypical demonization of Egyptian and Chinese people. I just don't see the point in an "homage" to that.
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Post by Batflunkie on Sept 19, 2021 19:21:16 GMT -5
Adventures Into Fear #19 and Man-Thing #1-#8
This book is getting seriously good. Was worried that the quality would take a drop after the first arc ended with Fear #19 and Man-Thing #1, but it hasn't. I think my favorite story is the one in #5 & #6 where the ghost of dead clown forces the main characters to reenact his life story
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Post by commond on Sept 19, 2021 20:49:10 GMT -5
Today I read Conan the Barbarian #100, which some of you may know is the conclusion to the Belit saga. It wasn't as moving as it might have been if the readers didn't know what was going to happen in advance, but it was beautifully rendered by Buscema and Chan, and a monumental chapter in the series given that Conan spent so many issues with the Black Corsairs. I've been reading Conan and Jonah Hex at the same time, so I've had these duel narratives of Conan and Belit and Jonah and Mei Ling play out simultaneously. I prefer the way Fleisher handled Jonah and Mei Ling to the way Thomas wrote Conan and Belit, but I'm yet to see how Thomas handles the aftermath.
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Post by tonebone on Sept 20, 2021 10:56:13 GMT -5
Reading through a Cloak And Dagger TPB, featuring their origin in Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man, through their appearance in New Mutants, drawn by Sin-kev-ich.
The Mantlo-written stories are great, in spite of some really rough Ed Hannigan art, with a real understanding of the characters' motivations, and powers. Then there's a bunch of Spider-Man issues written by Al Milgrom (and sadly, drawn by him as well), which were pretty tedious, and didn't seem to understand their powers at all. Then the Mantlo/Leonardi Mini Series, which was beautiful and well-written, the pinacle so far. Then back to some PPSSM issues, tedious again. Next up is the New Mutants issues... I remember liking those back in the day, and have high hopes for them.
I guess this was published to tie in with the TV show a couple of years ago (which was really well-done, and I really enjoyed).
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Post by badwolf on Sept 20, 2021 13:26:41 GMT -5
Reading through a Cloak And Dagger TPB, featuring their origin in Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man, through their appearance in New Mutants, drawn by Sin-kev-ich. The Mantlo-written stories are great, in spite of some really rough Ed Hannigan art, with a real understanding of the characters' motivations, and powers. Then there's a bunch of Spider-Man issues written by Al Milgrom (and sadly, drawn by him as well), which were pretty tedious, and didn't seem to understand their powers at all. Then the Mantlo/Leonardi Mini Series, which was beautiful and well-written, the pinacle so far. Then back to some PPSSM issues, tedious again. Next up is the New Mutants issues... I remember liking those back in the day, and have high hopes for them. I guess this was published to tie in with the TV show a couple of years ago (which was really well-done, and I really enjoyed). Agreed about the limited series being the best. And also about the Milgrom run. I had those issues when I was younger and bought the Premiere Hardcover to get them again, but every time I open it up in consideration of a re-read I'm like... nahh. But it does have the Marvel Fanfare issue (Mantlo + different artists on each chapter) which should still be good.
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Post by spoon on Sept 22, 2021 17:56:21 GMT -5
I read Uncanny X-Men #139 and (via X-Men Classic #46) #140, the Wendigo two-parter. Since most of my reading has been geared toward stuff in my unread piles, I thought it might be nice to get back to some X-Men. The second Cockrum run is an era I haven't been as big on and haven't read in big chunks before. I figured I'd read a bunch of issues. But since the post-funeral Byrne issues set up some of the stuff in the Cockrum reprise (like Storm taking over as leader, Kitty officially joining, Lee Forrester being introduced, Angel rejoining, etc.), I decided to start with that handful of issues.
Not sure what the long-term plan for Angel was, as there doesn't seem to be a real rationale. I think maybe it was that Byrne liked but Claremont didn't. I love the all-time classic #139 cover (hope you survive the experience)! When Wolverine notes that Cyclops left the team, there's a caption stating it was a leave of absence. Sounds like somebody wanted to assure readers he wasn't gone permanently. There's also a typo where Colossus is called Cyclops.
I love the Wolverine/Nightcrawler/half of Alpha Flight v. Wendigo action. So much of Wolverine's back story was revealed slowly that I can't remember whether his narration with Heather of his back story to Kurt is the first time we've heard some of this. I'm pretty sure Logan told his first name to Mariko in an earlier issue, but this is the first time Kurt hears it. Wolverine explains that he never told the X-Men because they never asked. This seems weird. Kurt seems like a genial guy who would ask; he wouldn't be so cold as to neglect this common courtesy. Of course, it probably sounds ridiculous to advise Claremont on how to write the X-Men.
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Post by dbutler69 on Sept 23, 2021 11:58:47 GMT -5
I read Avengers Annual #1. I love this comic! It's one of the very first back issues I ever bought, back in the late 70's, so there's some nostalgia, especially just looking at the cover.. This gathers everybody who had been an Avenger up to that point, versus Mandarin and a bunch of Avengers villains. The are is so-so. It's kinda lazy in places, with some of the fight scenes lacking detail. Still, this is one of my favorite 60's comics.
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Post by Hoosier X on Sept 23, 2021 14:32:27 GMT -5
I read Avengers Annual #1. I love this comic! It's one of the very first back issues I ever bought, back in the late 70's, so there's some nostalgia, especially just looking at the cover.. This gathers everybody who had been an Avenger up to that point, versus Mandarin and a bunch of Avengers villains. The are is so-so. It's kinda lazy in places, with some of the fight scenes lacking detail. Still, this is one of my favorite 60's comics. it’s great. In the mid-1970s it was reprinted in - I think - Giant Size Avengers 6 and I remember being fascinated.
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Post by profh0011 on Sept 23, 2021 16:52:38 GMT -5
I read Avengers Annual #1. I love this comic! It's one of the very first back issues I ever bought, back in the late 70's, so there's some nostalgia, especially just looking at the cover.. This gathers everybody who had been an Avenger up to that point, versus Mandarin and a bunch of Avengers villains. The are is so-so. It's kinda lazy in places, with some of the fight scenes lacking detail. Still, this is one of my favorite 60's comics. More than any other issue, that was Roy Thomas' tribute to the Justice Society of America.
John Buscema was recruited to "fill in" on the regular book to give DON HECK time to do all 49 those pages.
The problem, of course... George Roussos SUCKED as an inker. He was only marginally better than Don Heck at the time or Vince Colletta. But he was no John Romita, or Wally Wood, or Frank Giacoia, or Chic Stone. Hell, he wasn't even a Dick Ayers. And he certainly wasn't Syd Shores or a Tom Palmer.
Worse, Heck lost "his" regular series as a result of that book and the "fill ins" provided by John Buscema.
Decades later, Thomas admitted he "regretted" what happened. Of course, as far as I can tell, HE was the one responsible for it happening.
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Post by kirby101 on Sept 23, 2021 17:48:18 GMT -5
Hard to be the QB again when Tom Brady replaces you. Ask Drew Bledsoe.
On Rousos, a very talented colorist and Art Dept. guy. A terrible inker. Only Paul Reinman inked Kirby worse.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 9,541
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Post by Confessor on Sept 24, 2021 4:18:33 GMT -5
I read The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Volume 1 TPB by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. It was interesting how the various pre-exiting classic fictional characters, but to be honest I was disappointed by all the racist stuff. I was waiting for deconstruction, parody, examination of the outdated bigoted tropes, but it never came. It just ended up being unironic repetition of stereotypical demonization of Egyptian and Chinese people. I just don't see the point in an "homage" to that. I look at it as more a case of Moore being unflinchingly true to the prevailing social tastes and attitudes of the era. Moore is, after all, a passionate armchair student of all things Victorian and the series is something of a love letter to those times -- warts and all. But I get that that might not be to every modern reader's tastes.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 9,541
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Post by Confessor on Sept 24, 2021 4:23:03 GMT -5
Reading through a Cloak And Dagger TPB, featuring their origin in Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man, through their appearance in New Mutants, drawn by Sin-kev-ich. The Mantlo-written stories are great, in spite of some really rough Ed Hannigan art, with a real understanding of the characters' motivations, and powers. Then there's a bunch of Spider-Man issues written by Al Milgrom (and sadly, drawn by him as well), which were pretty tedious, and didn't seem to understand their powers at all. Then the Mantlo/Leonardi Mini Series, which was beautiful and well-written, the pinacle so far. Then back to some PPSSM issues, tedious again. Next up is the New Mutants issues... I remember liking those back in the day, and have high hopes for them. I guess this was published to tie in with the TV show a couple of years ago (which was really well-done, and I really enjoyed). I know it's not a widely-held opinion, but I think Mantlo was an excellent writer on PP:TSSM. As someone who was regularly buying Spider-Man comics at this time, I feel that during this period PP:TSSM was often a better and more consistent read than Amazing Spider-Man.
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