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Post by Icctrombone on Aug 3, 2022 5:59:03 GMT -5
Youngblood Yearbook #1
Creator Rob Liefeld
Story Eric Stephenson
Pencils Chap Yaep
Inker Norm Rapmund Color Chameleon Prime
Release date: 7-27-93 Synopsis:
The Youngblood away team ( Sentinel, Photon, Riptide, Brahma and Cougar) go to the Antartica to a surveillance location to find the place empty and the men missing. They were sent because the team stationed there hadn’t checked in for a long while. They are attacked by a group of large warrior type men and after a short battle the assailants escape down a large tunnel. The team follows them to find themselves in another land. They are vastly outnumbered so Sentinel decides to let themselves be captured to find out who’s in charge. They are led to a man called Tyrax who tells them the world they are in is called Arcadia. He explains that he was lost in this land years ago from another world. He set himself up as the leader and was responsible for the missing men and equipment in the Antartica. Before the team can make a move, a blonde hair warrior called Kanan breaks in with a group of men to free them and take on Tyrax. Kanan is leader of a resistance group trying to unseat Tyrax from power. Tyrax escapes and the team are led to a portal that leads them back to earth promising to return to help Kanan recapture his land. Impressions: Nothing original about this tale. Robs attempt at world building uses Familiar comic tropes like the Savage land hidden beneath the earth complete with a Kazar knock off. Although the Yearbook is Titled Youngblood, it features the away team who will soon get their own book. The story makes references to the other Extreme titles like Youngblood :Strikefile and concepts like Cybernet being an ongoing opponent. I’m not certain where Cybernet originated but I want to say in the pages of Marc Silvestries Cyber-Force comic. This is still the time when the Image 7 were trying to have all of their characters inhabit the same universe. Rob Liefeld is listed as creator but not involved with the writing credits. Eric Stephenson is the writer and scriptor so I wonder who owns the concepts and characters introduced in this comic. In the Upcoming Team Youngblood book there is a character called Dutch who is owned by Chap Yaep, but this book introduces the Kazar type character , so I’m wondering if the plot was by Rob. Mcfarlane got into legal trouble by trying to keep characters introduced in the pages of Spawn. Ultimately, Neil Gaiman won ownership of the Angela character through the courts. There was also some talk about Grant Morrison fighting for Medieval Spawn, but I’m not sure how that was resolved. Plenty of double page splashes , so i’m guessing this is just a thing that will never go away. Kirby was famous for double page splashes but it was usually 1 per book. Again the coloring by Chameleon Prime and the mixture of colors makes it difficult sometimes to see what’s going on. This book is released only 1 week after youngblood #5, which is some type of record for the studio.
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Post by commond on Aug 3, 2022 6:28:40 GMT -5
I don't think McFarlane was given his own Spider-Man title because of the speculator boom. I'm pretty sure Salicrup was desperate to keep McFarlane on Spider-Man rather than let another editor get his hands on him. Marvel stumbled onto success with the speculator market when they decided to bag the newsstand edition. Then, the comic shop retailers complained that they weren't getting bagged versions, so Marvel bagged the black cover too. Then, the original print run sold out and Marvel went nuts with the variants. Spider-Man #1 was a defining moment in the speculator boom, but I don't think that anyone in Marvel had the foresight to think: "Hey, we've got this hot young artist, let's give him a new Spider-Man title, market is as a Collector's Item, and release a million variant covers." McFarlane created the impetus for the phenomenon by wanting to write his own book. I'm pretty sure Prowler #1 wouldn't have sold 2.5 million copies, but I doubt Spider-Man #1 with Sal Buscema on pencils would have sold 2.5 million either. I'm also certain that sales of Spider-Man #2 fell below 2.5 million, however the title was the highest selling direct market book for the remainder of 1990, knocking Batman from its perch.
As for Liefeld, Marvel refused to cancel New Mutants at first. It wasn't until the success of Spider-Man that they let Liefeld reboot the series. Marvel didn't see the sales potential at first because cancelling a top 10 title wasn't standard business practice. The spectaculars pushed X-Force sales through the roof, but there were actually plenty of doubters at the time because X-Force didn't have any prominent X-Men characters involved. One thing you have to give Liefeld credit for is creating new characters. He may have had no idea what their backstory was, but the new characters were definitely part of his success, especially on a book like New Mutants, which was in desperate need of an overhaul. Also, to Rob's credit, New Mutants #100 sold a million copies with no gimmick covers.
So, while it may have been a perfect storm, I don't think you remove the creators from the list of elements. What happens if McFarlane doesn't get the itch to write? I doubt regular issues of Amazing Spider-Man are selling 2.5 million copies. What happens if Marvel refuses to cancel New Mutants? Does the speculator boom continue to grow? Does it grow as big? Do McFarlane and Liefeld start Image anyway? It's well known that Claremont and Simonson were pushed off their books because of the artists. I'm not sure why McFarlane didn't do the same with David Michelinie, even though it's clear that the Image guys were on the same page. They clearly wielded a fair amount of power yet we're claiming they didn't have any influence over the success of their new titles? There were a lot of other #1 titles launched in the early 90s, and a ton of gimmick covers, that didn't sell millions of copies. Something about the Image guys captured the zeitgeist of early 90s comics. I'm fairly certain that would have happened without the spectator boom. I also think the success of the early 90s Marvel artists ties into other trends in pop culture at the time. I'll stop now before I start arguing that McFarlane and Liefeld were the MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice of 1990 comics.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Aug 3, 2022 10:12:18 GMT -5
Mcfarlane got into legal trouble by trying to keep characters introduced in the pages of Spawn. Ultimately, Neil Gaiman won ownership of the Angela character through the courts. There was also some talk about Grant Morrison fighting for Medieval Spawn, but I’m not sure how that was resolved. Medieval Spawn was another of Gaiman's characters. GCD says Morrison introduced a character named Anti-Spawn, whose name was later changed to the Redeemer. Plenty of double page splashes , so i’m guessing this is just a thing that will never go away. Wasn't the centre-spread of the yearbook a quadruple splash? Did this mean when reading the comic you saw the page after the splash before you saw the splash?
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Post by Icctrombone on Aug 3, 2022 10:19:34 GMT -5
I read the Annual digitally so I “missed” out on the innovation.
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Post by Icctrombone on Aug 3, 2022 10:21:12 GMT -5
I think the Image guys that used fill in writers had to tell them not to use anything new. Sort of like the way people working for the big 2 never introduce any new characters.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 3, 2022 10:54:26 GMT -5
I think the Image guys that used fill in writers had to tell them not to use anything new. Sort of like the way people working for the big 2 never introduce any new characters. Well, at first, the deal was that anyone who worked with Image owned what they creative. That quickly changed when work-for-hire contracts were introduced within founder-owned studios and McFarlane started the toy line and discovered that those creator deals cost him money. I can't recall exactly when the deals changed; but, I'm relatively certain it was after McFarlane started producing the toys. Todd, apparently, didn't consult a lawyer, before starting his venture or just didn't consult with them often or, possibly, listen to them. He got himself into all kinds of legal hassles, between the ownership issues with Angela and the lawsuit from Tony Twist. Rob got himself in trouble later, but for trademark issues, when he tried to use his unfinished Captain America plots, aside from the fight with the other creators over his use of Image company resources for his own studio.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,709
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Post by shaxper on Aug 3, 2022 11:32:04 GMT -5
I'll stop now before I start arguing that McFarlane and Liefeld were the MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice of 1990 comics. Shucks, and you were just getting to the good part! This is an excellent analysis to which I would only add something I've heard rumored but never seen proven -- McFarlane was a close family friend of the Shamuses (Gareb Shamus's parents) who were big time comic retailers with serious connections in comic book retail. It's possible that influence played a big part in the hype generated around Spider-Man #1.
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Post by Icctrombone on Aug 3, 2022 20:20:02 GMT -5
Youngblood #6Creator, Pencils, StoryRob LiefeldScript, EditorEric StephensonInkerDanny MikiColor Kiko TakanashiRelease date: 6-23-94 Synopsis:The issue opens up with a chase scene involving a character on a Motorcycle called LT. COL. Bravo being pursued by unknown assailants. He disposes of them and afterwards looks at a picture of a boy with red hair who he is looking for. We turn to an aircraft that has 4 Youngblood members ( Diehard, Vogue, Combat and Dutch) on their way to a Nuclear testing site to check if there are any intruders in the area. They have a brief discussion alluding to a theory that they might be walking into a setup. Diehard opines that they are expendable. This plot is continued in Team Youngblood #10. The next scene deals with Badrock appearing on a Late night talk show when an audience member who seems to have a relationship with the host brandishes a gun and fires. She hits the Youngblood member , who is unharmed and he subdues her. We turn to the Whitehouse where Shaft is introduced by a Liason called Graves to whom he identifies as the Youngblood of tomorrow. We meet Sabre, Troll and the latest version of Diehard created in the lab. As Shaft argues about the new members, a group of armed armored men calling themselves the Brotherhood of man show up on the Whitehouse lawn threatening to fight for the regular man against enhanced humans like the government team. They battle the Youngblood team and are defeated. During the fight it appears that Graves had something to do with their sudden appearance and The media arrives almost right on cue to report on the new members. The issue is wrapped up by a shocked Badrock at the airport , learning of the new members and his possible replacements on the front page of a trade magazine. The new Members Troll uh.. beating up a criminal Impressions: This book is released 11 months after the previous Youngblood issue. But Team Youngblood is up to issue #10. It looks like Rob abandoned the regular Youngblood title for the sister book. This book has a 36 page story and is priced at 3.50. A quick look at the rest of the Image titles shows that they were mostly priced at 1.95 each. This book had more pages than the other books, but even the Supreme comic was priced at 2.50. I wonder of Liefeld just decided to charge more for his line of books. Bedrocks name is referred to as Badrock for the first time. I guess Hanna Barbera sent a cease and desist letter to effect the change. The character called Bravo involved in the opening scene in the comic , looked a lot like Cable. Hmmmmm. I find it a bit annoying that this book is 2 years in and there isn’t a hint of an origin story for any of the members. Heck, even the team has no origin other than the Government is paying and exploiting them. I think I read that Badrock was a teenager, but i don’t think it was explicitly stated in story how old he is. How did he get that appearance and does he hate not being normal? Too many unanswered questions. The lack of any private life for the members is also something that has been neglected. So far the only hint of normalcy was when Shaft was on a date in issue # 1. It makes me wonder if Liefeld had any type of “bible” for the characters other than they are all macho and invincible. The last 3 pages of this book has a Liefeld drawn proposal for Marriage to his future wife, Joy Beth Creel. Kinda sweet.
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Post by badwolf on Aug 4, 2022 8:07:11 GMT -5
The last 3 pages of this book has a Liefeld drawn proposal for Marriage to his future wife, Joy Beth Creel. Kinda sweet. Cute, but it looks more like Erik Larsen drew it.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Aug 4, 2022 16:28:13 GMT -5
We turn to the Whitehouse where Shaft is introduced by a Liason called Graves to whom he identifies as the Youngblood of tomorrow. We meet Sabre, Troll and the latest version of Diehard created in the lab. I imagine Don McGregor was glad that Sabre was actually named Knight Sabre (or Knightsabre, as the indicia prefers), but George Lucas probably wasn't. As Shaft argues about the new members, a group of armed armored men calling themselves the Brotherhood of man show up on the Whitehouse lawn threatening to fight for the regular man against enhanced humans like the government team. The Brotherhood of Man? I see the indicia says they were trademark and copyright of Eric Stephenson and Jeff Matsuda. This book has a 36 page story and is priced at 3.50. A quick look at the rest of the Image titles shows that they were mostly priced at 1.95 each. This book had more pages than the other books, but even the Supreme comic was priced at 2.50. I wonder of Liefeld just decided to charge more for his line of books. Youngblood had started at $2.50, and was never reduced to align with most other Image titles. The likes of Supreme and Brigade started at $1.95 but increased to $2.50 in 1994, as sales were probably dropping away. Later on, when many titles were $2.95, i think Liefeld started pricing his comics at $2.99. The last 3 pages of this book has a Liefeld drawn proposal for Marriage to his future wife, Joy Beth Creel. Kinda sweet. He doesn't look old enough to be able to marry. The credits page includes Cheri Liefeld, Director of Liscensing [sic] for Extreme Studios. What relation was she to Rob?
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 4, 2022 20:57:32 GMT -5
My google-fu came up with her as Liefeld's sister
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 4, 2022 21:08:52 GMT -5
How big was her finger? I mean, Rob was making enough to buy a ring of those proportions; but, sheesh!
The discussion of this stuff reminds me of the pilot episode of Malcolm in the Middle, when Malcolm has a playdate with Stevie....
"You really have Youngblood #1?"
Looked like the actual masthead, from the issue, too! I suspect they could get a copy without breaking the prop budget. I couldn't remember what all they showed; but, you can see Savage Dragon and Spawn, some Turtles, Big Bang, Kabuki, Lady Rawhide, and some other stuff. No DC or Marvel (probably too costly, for clearances). Good product placement, for Image, though I suspect they got them cheaply. The speculator market had fallen out long before the premiere (Marvel was even out of bankruptcy, by that point). Have to say, though; Stevie's parents were portrayed as ridiculously over-protective (though you could understand why) and I have trouble seeing his mom being okay with some of those titles! Maybe his dad snuck them too him, as he seemed a little more relaxed than his mom (ironically, played by the same actress who played Malcolm's original teacher, in the pilot, before he goes into the Krelboyne class).
Of course, Rob was no stranger to product placement....
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Post by Icctrombone on Aug 5, 2022 7:37:59 GMT -5
Youngblood #7Creator, Pencils, StoryRob LiefeldScript, EditorEric StephensonInkerDanny MikiJonathan SibalColor Kiko TakanashiRelease date: 7-25-94Synopsis:This issue focuses a bit on learning about some of the characters and their private backstory. Shaft has a dream where he is fat and can’t control his eating. This might be an insight to his childhood and weight struggles. It is revealed that Troll is 3000 years old, but it doesn't go into what ,where and why. While training against robots, Knight Sabre is revealed to have grown up fighting in the streets and discovering that he could absorb anger and convert it into energy blasts. Badrock goes skiing and is attacked by Overtkill. Overtkill is a character that originated in the pages of Spawn and last appeared as a YB opponent in Strike File #4. The fight between them is joined but not resolved, You have to buy Team Youngblood # 11. There is a 2 page epilogue with Chapel that has him saying he’s going to confront ( kill?) Al Simmons who happens to be Spawn and a former army teammate. This also is to be continued in the next issue. Impressions:
I don’t think I ever read in another comic about a buff hero having anxiety about becoming fat or having fears that he will become the fat young person he was. I want to say it was refreshing but it was also kind of creepy. Overtkill is a Todd Mcfarlane character who was named by Stan Lee. This is still the point in time when Liefeld was integrating other Image creators characters into his stories. That changes ,of course , when he leaves Image. The narrative reveals that Badrock is 17 years old. Still no origin or insight into how he feels to be a monster. Maybe the character would have benefited by having the ability to change back and forth to his human form. The Fight between Badrock and Overtkill is continued in T. Youngblood and indicates to me that T. Youngblood might be the main title for his studio. The Chapel plot has him looking for Al Simmons, a person who, Is revealed , he killed. Also, Chapel has AIDS and is coerced into doing what the Government wants. This is a story also told in YBlood Strikefile. This book comes out 1 month after #6, so it looks like it's on schedule. Finally, There are 4 more double page splashes that are vertical in this book. I probably won’t mention it again because 1.it must be either a time saving /lazy device or 2. It's Rob responding to his fans who like this type of storytelling.
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Post by badwolf on Aug 5, 2022 8:48:12 GMT -5
Cover swipe!
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Post by Icctrombone on Aug 5, 2022 9:07:19 GMT -5
Character swipe, too.
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