|
Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2017 10:41:51 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by mikelmidnight on Jul 17, 2017 12:20:36 GMT -5
I've always been intrigued by the Lev Gleason line, particularly those done by Charles Biro, for the mix of costumed hero and realistic drama in the books. They do have their pecularities though:
Daredevil as presented by Jack Cole is absurdly skilled; in an early appearence he kills over a hundred of the Yellow Claw's henchmen with a single throw of his boomerang! Biro's Daredevil was a reasonable mentor for the Little Wise Guys but is one of the least competant superheroes I have ever seen, most notably in a scene in which his boomerang bounces off the head of an ordinary gangster while barely slowing him down.
Crimebuster is one of the most realistically presented teen heroes ever seen in comics, but I find them hard to look at as he has the ugliest costume imaginable (it's actually a hockey uniform).
|
|
Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
Posts: 3,915
|
Post by Crimebuster on Jul 17, 2017 13:20:31 GMT -5
Crimebuster is one of the most realistically presented teen heroes ever seen in comics, but I find them hard to look at as he has the ugliest costume imaginable (it's actually a hockey uniform). it's only ugly because it's based on the Canadiens jersey. If his costume was a Bruins jersey, it would be perfect. I cosplayed as Crimebuster at Boston Comic-Con last year and the only person who knew who I was supposed to be was Mark Waid. But I did have one random person mis-identify me as cosplaying as P.K. Subban. So that was traumatic.
|
|
|
Post by chadwilliam on Jul 17, 2017 19:30:17 GMT -5
Frankenstein (the Monster)... such an original yet oddly traditional take on the character Dick Briefer did no less than three wholly disparate takes on the character and each one was fantastic. This one is easy the most chilling - the Monster's expression conveys the the image of a lovable, clinging puppy dog, but he's a complete sadist.
|
|
|
Post by chadwilliam on Jul 17, 2017 19:38:14 GMT -5
That's a great observation! Artists have tried all sorts of little tricks to imbue the sense of power/adventure/excitement to their creations, but speed lines might be one of the most attention grabbing details the medium employed. I will say however, that nothing beats Johnny Quick's ability to produce multiple images of himself when using his speed. Also; I'm glad Whizzer got rid of that cape.
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Jul 17, 2017 20:20:09 GMT -5
I love both Flash Gordon and The Spirit for the artwork but must admit, the writing on neither strip has ever really captured me. I am a fan of both the hard-boiled/noir and the ERB-style planetary romance genres, so I enjoy those aspects of the Spirit and Flash Gordon, respectively, but the writing itself is pretty much just something to hang the artwork onto, for me.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 17, 2017 21:52:52 GMT -5
I love both Flash Gordon and The Spirit for the artwork but must admit, the writing on neither strip has ever really captured me. I am a fan of both the hard-boiled/noir and the ERB-style planetary romance genres, so I enjoy those aspects of the Spirit and Flash Gordon, respectively, but the writing itself is pretty much just something to hang the artwork onto, for me. That kind of surprises me, as to The Spirit. I find Eisner a stronger writer than artist and he's no slouch as an artist. I agree with you about Flash Gordon though.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2017 22:14:49 GMT -5
chadwilliam ... I agree with you about Whizzer cape ... he should never had one! It's looks really ridiculous on him for all the wrong reasons!
|
|
|
Post by LovesGilKane on Jul 18, 2017 0:06:03 GMT -5
Thank you chadwilliam I completely agree! And as a series 'Frankenstein' went on for many years and did very well, never insulting the intellegience of the reader, even when it delved into 'playful' territory.
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Jul 18, 2017 0:26:23 GMT -5
I love both Flash Gordon and The Spirit for the artwork but must admit, the writing on neither strip has ever really captured me. I am a fan of both the hard-boiled/noir and the ERB-style planetary romance genres, so I enjoy those aspects of the Spirit and Flash Gordon, respectively, but the writing itself is pretty much just something to hang the artwork onto, for me. That kind of surprises me, as to The Spirit. I find Eisner a stronger writer than artist and he's no slouch as an artist. I agree with you about Flash Gordon though. It could be I'm missing something: they used to call Eisner the Shakespeare of comics and, even accounting for hyperbole, there must have been some reason for that. Maybe I'm just not attuned to whatever is is he was doing. Or I haven't read enough - I've read more Flash than Spirit, though a fair bit of the latter too.
|
|
|
Post by adamwarlock2099 on Jul 18, 2017 8:16:46 GMT -5
I have read so little of any golden age characters. There's a few of the "Greatest" TPB DC came out with featuring DC characters and I bought the Batman and Joker editions. And mostly I didn't care for them. Starting comics when I did in the 90's and watching Batman: The Animated Series, and growing up with Tim Burton's Batman, the campy style of the old Batman stories are too harsh in difference to the Batman and Joker I was use to. Some of the stories, were good, like I can recognize that they were well plotted and laid out, just not fitting to my taste.
That said from liking Solomon Grundy in his modern incarnation, and having seen, as I would assume how he was in older times, through Batman The Brave and the Bold animated series as well as on Justice League animated series, and then back to Superfriends, I would read a collection of Solomon Grundy stories.
|
|
|
Post by MDG on Jul 18, 2017 8:48:12 GMT -5
Frankenstein (the Monster)... such an original yet oddly traditional take on the character For a while, anyway...
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2017 8:51:03 GMT -5
I have read so little of any golden age characters. My experience differs from yours. My Dad grew up reading comics in the 40's & 50's. At flea markets (before LCS!) he would buy copies without covers for me. Then when DC & Marvel started their Archives & Masterworks series I bought a lot of them before the cover prices became crazy. So I have read a fair amount of the more popular heroes. The ones that have faded away like Lev Gleason's Daredevil & the Black Terror & The Shield & others I have not read as many as I would like.
The dialog is terrible. The art is rough but there is a certain charm & raw energy to those stories. Plus I always try to read them picturing my Dad reading them as a kid. I think that adds to the pleasure I get reading them.
|
|
|
Post by mikelmidnight on Jul 18, 2017 11:53:25 GMT -5
It could be I'm missing something: they used to call Eisner the Shakespeare of comics and, even accounting for hyperbole, there must have been some reason for that. Maybe I'm just not attuned to whatever is is he was doing. Or I haven't read enough - I've read more Flash than Spirit, though a fair bit of the latter too. Color me surprised as well; certainly some Spirit stories are better than others, but the best ones are among the peak of the form. However, I never liked Flash Gordon! Pretty to look at but the story never made much sense to me and I never really believed in Mongo. I mush preferred the more crudely drawn Buck Rogers strip, which had great characterisation and compelling plotlines.
|
|
|
Post by Rob Allen on Jul 18, 2017 13:11:10 GMT -5
I read somewhere years ago that the consensus among science fiction fandom was that Flash Gordon had better art while Buck Rogers had better stories.
|
|