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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 14, 2016 22:14:59 GMT -5
I'm interested to hear from those who have sampled the "legitimate" fiction writing of classic comic book writers. I don't recall actually reading any of their work but I'm aware of the following authors who have been published via hardcover or paperback
Gardner Fox
Steve Englehart
Greg Rucka
Brad Meltzer
Don McGregor
I used to own a paperback titled "How To Be A Perfect Liar" by DC editor Mort Weisinger (he would be an expert on the subject) but alas sold it off before reading it
And who else have been published?
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,391
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Post by shaxper on Jul 14, 2016 22:20:04 GMT -5
I enjoy Wolfman's novelization of Crisis on Infinite Earths more than the actual limited series, if that counts.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2016 22:24:38 GMT -5
Rucka's novels are great.
His Atticus Kodiak series are my faves, even though I've loved his Star Wars books and Queen & Country novels as well.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 14, 2016 22:26:31 GMT -5
I enjoy Wolfman's novelization of Crisis on Infinite Earths more than the actual limited series, if that counts. I'm really looking more for non-super hero work. I'd like to find out what people thought of these folks' abilities when they tackled mature subject matter. Where they up to it or fell on their face? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2016 22:26:42 GMT -5
I'm interested to hear from those who have sampled the "legitimate" fiction writing of classic comic book writers. I don't recall actually reading any of their work but I'm aware of the following authors who have been published via hardcover or paperback Gardner Fox Steve Englehart Greg Rucka Brad Metzger Don McGregor I used to own a paperback titled "How To Be A Perfect Liar" by DC editor Mort Weisinger (he would be an expert on the subject) but alas sold it off before reading it And who else have been published? I have read novels by Greg Rucka & Brad Meltzer & enjoyed their writing. In fact Meltzer is a much better novelist than comic book writer. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 14, 2016 22:28:19 GMT -5
Rucka's novels are great. His Atticus Kodiak series are my faves, even though I've loved his Star Wars books and Queen & Country novels as well. I've been listening to audiobooks lately and have seen a few of Ruckas' at the library. Thanks for the feedback |
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Post by berkley on Jul 14, 2016 22:34:49 GMT -5
Jim Starlin also as a couple novels that were published in I believe the late 70s or early 80s. I haven't read them, though.
I did read Steve Englehart's The Point Man when it came out in the early 80s and enjoyed it. He recently revived it as a series - I think there are 3 or 4 books by now. I bought the first of the sequels but still haven't gotten round to reading it. I think he updated the original book as well to make it fit in with the newer ones. I still have my old copy of the original, so it might be interesting to compare them.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2016 22:51:11 GMT -5
I've read the first Englehart book as well, and enjoyed it. It is not quite "non-super-hero" work though, as it hits on many comic themes and tropes.
I've read 2 of Starlin's novels as well, one, Pawns, was serialized in the monthly Dreadstar book and the other was called Among Madmen, which while non-comic book in plot/trappings, hit on a lot of the same tones and themes Starlin hit upon in his comic work.
I've read 2 of Gardner Fox's fantasy novels as well. They were interesting, the pace was plodding at points in one (Warriors of Llarn I think it was called) and the other was one of the Kothar? books which was pretty typical sword and sorcery/sword and science fare.
I've read a couple of Meltzer's novels too, my impression is he is a much better novelist than comic writer, but his stuff is pretty standard thriller fare. One, I forget the title of, was a mystery set in Cleveland and had Siegel and Shuster as a plot point in the mystery.
I've read one of Rucka's Queen and Country novels and enjoyed it. I tried the first of one of his other series (maybe the Kodiak series, the one where the protagonist is a bodyguard) and it was set in and around an abortion clinic and he polemics and politics of the issue being thrown around by characters killed any interest I had in the actual story and I never finished it. And it's not because I disagreed with one side or the other of the issue, it just felt so ham-fisted in the way it was being handled and bandied about I couldn't plow through it to follow thee rest of the story. I've heard the series gets much better, but I've not been inspired to give it another go.
-M
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 14, 2016 23:44:08 GMT -5
I've read a couple of Gardner Fox's sword and sorcery books. Definitely Kyrik and the Lost Queen. And one of the Kothar books. They're pretty darn awful.
I've read all of Gaiman's prose.
I've read a ton of Edward Hamilton and Alfred Bester's prose.
I read Chris Roberson's Paragaea before I was aware of his comics work (maybe before he did any). It was an interesting, if not entirely successful, foray into neo-pulp.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 14, 2016 23:55:48 GMT -5
Add in Manly Wade Wellman and Henry Kuttner.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2016 0:04:58 GMT -5
I read Denny O'Neil's The Bite of Monsters and Gerry Conway's The Midnight Dancers back in the day. Both were SF, and I don't remember much about them, but I know I wasn't overwhelmed by either.
I've read the 3rd in Steve Englehart's Max August series, The Plain Man. Fantasy magic adventure which featured his comic character Coyote and a renamed version of Madame Xanadu. Pretty good stuff.
And Gary Friedrich did a book called Nashville Breakdown which I liked. No SF/F, it's about the rise and fall of a music star. Not great literature, but a couple of characters I liked, and it went darker than I expected.
Mike Baron has done a few pulp-style adventure books. Bought one @ Cheyenne Comic Con, but haven't read it yet.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 15, 2016 0:31:52 GMT -5
Add in Manly Wade Wellman and Henry Kuttner. Yeah. Hamilton,Bester,Wellman and Kuttner. They were all well established SF pulp authors before diving into the comic book field. Since the pulp market only paid a penny a word, comics work might even had been a raise on what they were already making. They were all probably recruited by both Julius Schwartz and Mort Weisinger who were originally big names in the SF fan community before becoming editors for DC. And, of course, Harlan Ellison had written and/or plotted a few comic stories as well |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 15, 2016 0:34:23 GMT -5
Add in Manly Wade Wellman and Henry Kuttner. Yeah. Hamilton,Bester,Wellman and Kuttner. They were all well established SF pulp authors before diving into the comic book field. Since the pulp market only paid a penny a word, comics work might even had been a raise on what they were already making. They were all probably recruited by both Julius Schwartz and Mort Weisinger who were originally big names in the SF fan community before becoming editors for DC. And, of course, Harlan Ellison had written and/or plotted a few comic stories as well Add Otto Binder to that group. I've read a number of he and Earl's Adam Link stories. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 15, 2016 0:38:06 GMT -5
Yeah. Hamilton,Bester,Wellman and Kuttner. They were all well established SF pulp authors before diving into the comic book field. Since the pulp market only paid a penny a word, comics work might even had been a raise on what they were already making. They were all probably recruited by both Julius Schwartz and Mort Weisinger who were originally big names in the SF fan community before becoming editors for DC. And, of course, Harlan Ellison had written and/or plotted a few comic stories as well Add Otto Binder to that group. I've read a number of he and Earl's Adam Link stories. Yes. And to complete the circle, Otto adapted his Adam Link stories in the early issues of Warren Magazine's Creepy |
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Post by berkley on Jul 15, 2016 1:08:41 GMT -5
I've also read Warren Ellis's first novel, Crooked Little Vein: good book. I never picked up his 2nd one, Gun Machine, because the premise didn't sound too promising, but I'll probably give it a shot eventually. I just checked his wiki entry and they list another one, Normal, which I hadn't been aware of until now, so I'll probably have a look for that soon.
But by far the best prose novel I've ever read by a comics writer is Alan Moore's Voice of the Fire.
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