Thank you everyone for your interest in this thread, and also for your various perspectives on '90s comics. They were interesting posts to read for certain and I like seeing the various attitudes about '90s comics from posters. Some very nice information on this first page, much more than anything I could write.
And after seeing the above messages and the mentions of some truly great, test-of-time '90s titles that are classics in a sense beyond simply being "older than ten years" haha, comics that people don't often think of as "'90s comics" but just as "good comics", it was inspiring and makes me think even more fondly of the medium.
Now that all of you built this thread up into something classy and sophisticated, time to bring it back down to my level.
Today the '90s comic I read was:
Thunderstrike issue 1 (1993)
by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Al Milgrom, Rick Parker, and Mike Rockwitz
I guess I just live to disappoint haha. Though of course the lauded and beloved comics of the '90s will be allowed in my thread as well, any comic from 1990 to 1999 is welcome here.
I have not read Thunderstrike in years, but I have every issue. Last year I finished my re-read of the DeFalco/Frenz Thor run via the Marvel Epic Collection tpbs and I was excited to move on to Thunderstrike issue one right after wrapping up those books, but I paused...I had some foolish notion in my head at the time that there could potentially be some new Thunderstrike tpb coming on the heels of the DeFalco/Frenz Thor collections, and that I should wait for that day.
But going into 2023, I just have to face reality: There will likely never be any Thunderstrike Epic Collections haha. Sure, strange things do happen in this world, but something that strange? I'm just not sure...
So, since that Thor run is still fresh in my mind, I might as well "wrap up" my '90s Eric Masterson saga re-read in 2023 with the single issues of Thunderstrike.
And after re-reading it today, the first time in many years, I believe Thunderstrike issue one is an almost masterful, fine-line balance between old school superhero Marvel and '90s "excess".
DeFalco tends to down-play his writing abilities in most of the interviews I've seen or read, but I wish I could have a fraction of his comic crafting and scripting skills (of course, he has such great artists working with him too, and in fact Frenz is co-plotter here which is usual for DeFalco scripts since I believe he utilizes the "plot it, artist draws it, script it" method). I remember DeFalco crediting his abilities in a youtube interview to his break-in job as an assistant at Archie Comics. In the video, DeFalco said something like..."if you can learn to write comedy, you can eventually write anything.", and that the Archie work helped him hone his powers for Marvel. Compared to how tough it was to come up with comedy stuff, DeFalco said writing superhero stories was much easier.
Now, your mileage will obviously vary as to whether you find DeFalco's writing style attuned to your particular station, but for me his work (with Frenz, Sal Buscema, Pat Olliffe, etc) is very close to my ideal for superhero comics (he is almost in my Gruenwald pantheon haha).
Readers with more discerning tastes may call his comic scripts "hack work", but I call his scripts "highly entertaining formulas".
Reading Thunderstrike issue one had me think back to something DeFalco wrote in Randy O'Donnell Is The M@n issue 3 from Image Comics (I believe from the year 2001):
I believe that every comic book story should be about something. EVERY comic book story -- even one as simple as "Warrior Toads". The plot involves Randy's struggles to do the right thing and still get home in time for his date, but the story is really about Randy's priorities. Every scene in this story contributes to our theme, which is all about the need to keep your priorities straight.
Before we continues, let's understand each other...I'm not delusional. I can pretty well guess where "Toad Warriors" stands in the annals of great literature. No one is reading RANDY O'DONNELL IS THE M@N to learn any great truths about the human experience-- at least no one who's doing the gene pool any favors! If you want to see how a real craftsman subtly weaves a theme into a story, read something --almost anything -- by Will Eisner, Marc DeMatteis or Neil Gaiman. My ham-fisted way of writing, however, is a good teaching tool for someone who wants to learn the craft because I am so gosh-darned obvious.
So, what is Thunderstrike issue one about? Well, mainly it is about Eric Masterson finding his own identity as a superhero other than "Thor". He used to be Thor, is used to being Thor, but he is Thor no longer. He no longer wields Mjölnir; he wields Thunderstrike. People call him "Thor" in the story, or "Thunder Guy" (which he has been called before in the Thor run as well) but he himself doesn't know who he is as a superhero or even what his duties should be at this time. He needs a new name. He needs a new costume. He needs a new fighting style, because his power level is weaker than that of when he was Thor, so he can no longer fight the way he did back then - in this first issue getting trounced...
... by Bloodaxe (one of my favorite designed "edgy '90s super villains" haha):
And by the end of the issue, he solves most of these problems. He progresses and overcomes. He gets a new costume (complete with '90s lightning bolt earring), he gets a new codename (Thunderstrike...named after his hammer...he never got around to using that thesaurus), he starts fighting in a way more befitting his power downgrade and is able to defeat Bloodaxe in the rematch. He is victorious, but it is hard earned. Eric Masterson is in the vein of the hard struggling hero, think Spider-Man which DeFalco is no stranger to. Hey, if it works...
Thunderstrike finally being cool.
Oh, nevermind.
Also of note is Thunderstrike issue 1 deals with the national disgrace that is...carjacking.
Now, I don't know the "history of carjacking" haha, but I wonder if there was a sort of epidemic of it in the '90s - or if it was at least a type of "boogeyman" crime that got sensationalized a bit at this time. The reason is, I remember my parents being so worried about it that they bought one of those "Club" devices to protect their vehicle from car theft the very year of Thunderstrike issue 1: 1993.
Well, it turns out this device was actually created in the late '80s, but my parents did not get one until 1993. So, reading Thunderstrike issue 1 brings me back to that time and place. It's authentic to the concerns of the era haha.
In addition to introducing the Carjack thieves, the rest of Masterson's supporting cast from Thor is reintroduced in succession in Thunderstrike issue one. The mystery of Bloodaxe's identity is also a plot thread that continues from Thor, and various members of Thunderstrike's cast are under suspicion (with one as the particularly obvious choice, so obviously it is not him haha). Another element of intrigue is introduced near the end of the issue when Thunderstrike uses an ability he didn't know his new hammer has. So, there is a lot built up in issue one and issues are also resolved, but there are also enough unresolved issues to try to keep the reader coming back for the next issue (I used "issue" four times in this sentence, now five if you include what's in this parenthesis). And for me, it works. It's entertaining, breezy stuff.
When Thunderstrike has to crush a lady's car (because a carjacker is trying to drive her over with it, naturally) with...Thunderstrike (the hammer haha, not himself), Frenz' art (with Milgrom) crushes the scene. The massive power of the car crumpling has weight to it, and then of course we also feel bad for the lady after. She is in shock, her car is destroyed, it's just a "real" scene for a superhero comic.
When Thunderstrike hurtles into Bloodaxe and they crash through a building, I feel that energy and motion. Well, it is all personal taste. But for me, it's octane. Frenz will never be considered a flashy '90s kind of artist, but I think he has energy to spare.
Also he draws cool stuff like telephone cords to break up panels:
So, for me, this comic is '90s style at its best. I've never read much about what other people think of Thunderstrike, but I remember it being a "joke title" in Wizard Magazine, and I have seen a few reviews of the series on quick google searches that seem less than flattering, like it is just "dollar bin trash". And well, that is fine with me. Everyone has their own taste. But this is the kind of superhero comic that gets me invested and excited, there is enough characterization and stakes to get me involved, there is wall-breaking action (NOT of the fourth variety), and there is mystery (Who is Bloodaxe? What are Thunderstrike's new powers?).
Oh, one other thing. I said earlier that a full Thunderstrike reprint collection seems silly, and of course it does. But, in 2011 there was a Thunderstrike collection of sorts released, which I purchased.
The catch of course is that most of the issues in this collection are actually from Thor pre-Thunderstrike. They are Eric Masterson stories which are important to the Thunderstrike mythos, so naturally need to be included to catch readers up to speed on who Thunderstrike is. But, because of all this included build-up, that leaves just one issue of Thunderstrike, issue one, collected in the trade. Which is fine by me...if there was a volume two. But of course there was not haha.
But the reason I bring it up is it shows a difference between the '90s and the later era at Marvel comics...to me, anyway. I could be reaching as usual.
Thunderstrike issue one makes no mention of Thor on the cover. It says "First EXPLOSIVE" issue in true '90s fashion, and of course even more '90s fashion is displayed with Masterson's new jacket haha. We get the foil lightning gimmick as well. But the main thing is, it says Thunder
STRIKE. This was a confident issue one, it was "in your face" (as much as DeFalco and Frenz can be haha), it showed "attitude". Sure, the Thunderstrike outfit obviously has that Thor iconography still, and a mace, but the words "Thor" do not appear on the cover.
Now, "fastforward" to 2011 and lets check out the Thunderstrike TPB:
Besides the more subdued (in my eyes) darker color palette (which pops less for me, ignore my bad lighting photo quality I took of Thunderstrike issue 1, I mean comparing them in person), and the lack of the foil lightning , the main difference is that it says
The Mighty Thor Thunderstrike. There is no more confidence to the cover. Marvel realizes they can't sell Thunderstrike without the Thor name plastered bigger than the Thunderstrike logo. I am sure that is true, I mean, they clearly cant sell Thunderstrike even with the Thor name now haha (or there would have been a collection two), but still. I just miss the '90s bravado. The point of issue one is Eric Masterson has become THUNDER
STRIKE, not The Mighty Thor Thunderstrike. Okay, I know this reaching because it really only has one issue of Thunderstrike collected, so I guess they needed to put the Thor title on it instead since most issues are from Thor, but I would have just gone all-in on the Thunderstrike title. Oh well haha.
I hope this first comic choice did not chase too many readers away. I plan to look at a wide range of titles, so if stuff like this does not interest you, please check in from time to time when I update. I may eventually pick something you will find interesting, hopefully.
Thank you for your time.