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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 16, 2023 5:49:18 GMT -5
Today's pick is a case of pure nostalgia. As I've mentioned before, I was a Marvel junkie from the moment I set eyes on The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. I read DC comics when and where I could but never with the breathless anticipation the latest Lee-Kirby opus evoked. In fact, there were aspects of DC's output I held in disdain, notably all the Robin-type sidekicks. At least that's the way I felt until I read the first solo story of 9. Kid Flash
Here is what I had to say some years back about the series when I was writing about The Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman for Alter Ego: “From the very start, [writer John Broome, artist Carmine Infantino,] and editor Julius Schwartz have more in mind for solemn but plucky Wally West than the clichéd role of tagalong Boy Wonder. Kid Flash is not Barry Allen's partner but an ally, an independent operative featured in a solo series that appears irregularly in the back pages of The Flash beginning with #111. Set in the Midwestern town of Blue Valley where Wally (originally short for Walter, later for Wallace) lives with his family—electrical engineer Bob, domestic engineer Mary, and a dog Infantino inserts in the art never otherwise mentioned—Kid Flash's adventures are low-keyed compared to his adult counterpart. Most episodes find Wally donning his tights to help a classmate or teacher at Blue Valley High School who has run afoul of criminals of some variety or other, criminals inevitably no match for the Teen Tornado's super-speed. Only once does Kid Flash tackle a costumed villain, teaming up with The Elongated Man to foil The Weather Wizard's latest scheme ( Flash #130). Broome scripts the first ten installments, giving them a nostalgic warmth well-served by the open, atmospheric art of the Infantino-Giella team. Still, it is an oddly quiet approach to a character capable of meeting far greater challenges than those offered. Enter the Teen Titans. Introduced by editor George Kashdan, writer Bob Haney, and artist Bruno Premiani in The Brave and the Bold #54 (June-July 1964), the teaming of Kid Flash, Robin, and Aqualad, later joined by Wonder Girl and Speedy, proves popular, earning the young heroes their own title. The Titans' missions, though self-consciously tailored to their presumably teenage readership, bring Wally and his friends into conflict with enough alien invaders, giant robots, international crime syndicates, super-villains, and miscellaneous monsters to satisfy the most voracious action fan. Small wonder, then, that the interim between Kid Flash solo stories grows longer and longer. Later installments in the '60s, written by Gardner Fox, maintain the laid-back feel of Broome's stories while injecting slightly more fantastic plot elements (e.g., an invisibility machine, mass hypnosis), but with Teen Titans showcasing the character to better advantage, the backup series becomes redundant. Though new installments appear as late as The Flash #325 (September 1983), most of his development as a character henceforth occur in the various incarnations of the Titans title.” It's those first ten episodes, though, the ones written by Broome, that still tug at the old heartstrings in a way I don't quite understand, and it's those ten that earned “Kid Flash” its spot on my list. Cei-U! I summon the Teen Thunderbolt! |
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 16, 2023 6:15:26 GMT -5
9. The Watcher
What If...?, 1977-84, 1989-98, by many artists  He watches but never interferes. That's a cool premise. Except the first time we saw him, he interfered. Made the Fantastic Four and Red Ghost fight out their differences in a game, in Fantastic Four #13, by Lee/Kirby/Ditko. Not the last time he'd interfere. He got his own solo feature in Tales of Suspense where he found increasingly creative ways to interfere while pretending not to. Finally What If...? realized his premise. He actually just watched. In this case, he watched what might have been. It's how I first got to know the Marvel Universe that was in my youth, by discovering the Marvel Universe that wasn't.
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Post by MWGallaher on Dec 16, 2023 7:33:26 GMT -5
9. ELONGATED MAN #1-4, January-April 1992, DC Comics By Gerard Jones, Mike Parobeck, and Ty Templeton Spun off from THE FLASH #112, April/May 1960  The Elongated Man and I go way back. Not only do he and I share the same cover date for our debut appearance in this world, I read an Elongated Man story, FLASH #210’s “A Tasteless Trick” by Skeates and Giordano, in my first month of comic collecting. With such a significance in my personal comics history, Ralph’s 1992 miniseries was an early addition to my slate. He appears today substituting for my original #9, a series that I decided was just too dark and grim to suit the spirit of the season (but which held a revelation that I was only able to appreciate on re-reading this week, thanks to my #10 pick…and I’ll bring that up elsewhere!). In stark contrast, ELONGATED MAN is a high-spirited romp, by a writer whose skills at humor I always enjoyed (let’s separate his talent from the serious crimes for which he is being punished) and two artists, Parobeck and Templeton, whose every drawing has been a consistent delight! I was sold on this immediately by the idea on which the miniseries is predicated: just as Jerry Lewis was (supposedly) respected as a cinematic genius in Europe, so was Ralph Dibney celebrated as a great superhero, despite his lesser regard in the DC pantheon among American comics fans. Taking Ralph and Sue on a European tour made perfect sense given their life of luxury, thanks to Sue’s status as a wealthy heir of the Dearbon dynasty—why wouldn’t they be solving mysteries as they live the life of carefree jet-setters? The creative team visits established DCU European state Modora, where they encounter Green Lantern villain Sonar, “Master of Sound”, new European-themed villains like the wonderful Calamari and a gang of sausage-themed Germans, with slinky Silver Age villain Copperhead plaguing them throughout their adventure. Elongated Man may be considered a poor imitation of Plastic Man, but this was way funnier than any of DC’s attempts as spotlighting Plas in the Silver or Bronze Ages. I can’t imagine any creative team better suited to this assignment: clever script, gorgeous art, bright, cheery coloring, fun, fun, fun!
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 16, 2023 7:46:57 GMT -5
9. Marvel Two-in-One(100 issues, plus 7 annuals, 1974-1983; Thing team-ups first appeared in Marvel Feature #s 11-12, 1973) For all intents and purposes, I’m considering this as the first solo series for the Fantastic Four’s ever-lovin’, blue-eyed idol of millions, the Thing. Yes, it was a team-up book, but it wasn’t quite like the other popular team-up books of the time, i.e., Marvel Team-up, Brave & the Bold and – later in the 1970s – DC Comics Presents. The writers in Marvel 2-in-1 often seemed just as - or sometimes ever more - interested in telling a Thing story as they were in rip-roaring punch-'em-up with any given month’s guest star. This was certainly true of the first roughly dozen issues written by Steve Gerber, and especially so after about issue #50 onward, when I became a regular reader. That was when many (most?) of the stories were written by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio (either alone or in collaboration with each other), and then Tom DeFalco. It was during this period that we got some excellent multi-part stories, like the six-part Project Pegagus saga (#s 53-58), and the back-to-back three-part sagas, the ‘Her’ space opera and the Serpent Crown story (#s 61-66), often with Claremontesque sub-plots/teasers that paid off many issues later. Here and going forward, we could often see quite a bit of drama from Ben Grimm’s private life... (from Marvel 2-in-1 #64; art by George Perez and Gene Day)
But there were also many lighter moments as well, like Ben going out dancing in a night club with Johnny Storm, or having a beer with an exhausted Sandman, or playing poker with a few Avengers (including Jarvis), Nick Fury and NY’s district attorney (from #51, possibly my favorite single issue of the series): (art by Frank Miller and Bob McLeod)
I can say that for my part, Marvel 2-in-1 was a title I followed specifically from month to month primarily because I was interested in reading stories about the Thing – which was never true of the other team-up books, in which case I often skipped issues if the guest didn’t interest me or if, when flipping through it at the spinner rack, I didn’t really like the art.
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Post by MWGallaher on Dec 16, 2023 8:06:24 GMT -5
If there's any debate, I'm on your side here, EdoBosnar : MTIO was indeed a Thing comic that just so happened to feature a co-star in most (but not all!) issues. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2023 8:37:52 GMT -5
9. Hercules: Prince of Power (1982)Marvel's Hercules debuted in the Thor feature, specifically Journey Into Mystery Annual #1 in 1965, and after appearing in that title for a number of other issues, would of course become associated with the Avengers. And I thought he was "ok" as a character, but he was never my favorite Avenger either, give me my favorite deity Thor any day. But the 1982 spin-off mini-series Hercules: Prince of Power put Hercules in a different light for me. A fully Bob Layton production with him handling writing and full art chores (much as I love him as an inker, full interior pencils as well is a treat for me with Bob), it's a delightful romp through space that has many comedic and epic moments. The basic premise is Hercules is paryting too hard in Olympus and Zeus sends him on a journey into outer space to teach him a lesson. Hercules heads into the "adventure" headstrong, and his over-the-top personality is a hoot throughout. He picks up a Rigellian Recorder android as a companion, and gets into all manner of situations even famously attempting to "spike" Galactus' drink in a rather priceless moment. The kind of yarn you just love being along the ride for, the original mini-series (so fun Bob did another one in 1984 and a follow-up graphic novel in 1988) gets my pick for today.  
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Post by DubipR on Dec 16, 2023 8:40:28 GMT -5
A Riverdale newbie but an instant classic... #9-Kevin Keller (2012-2014) When putting together this list, I was shocked I have multiple Archie spin-offs on here (and maybe more.....question mark?) that I truly enjoy reading. Kevin Keller is in the line of new characters introduced, this time in an issue of Veronica, and became an instant hit. Archie Comics co-CEO Jon Goldwater explained that including an openly gay character is a way to open up the world of Riverdale and de-stigmatize homosexuality. "Archie's hometown of Riverdale has always been a safe world for everyone. It just makes sense to have an openly gay character in Archie comic books. When creator Dan Parent created Kevin, he just gave introduced another good guy character that fit beautifully in Riverdale. He's smart, loves food, loves his family and friends and helps out being a good citizen of Riverdale. When the introduction of Kevin came out in Veronica #202, the story of how the new hot guy comes into and Veronica goes gaga over him. Kevin instantly bonds with Jughead over a burger eating contest, Veronica tries hard to win his affections. Jughead, always in the know, tells Veronica that he's gay. No crazy announcement, just 'hey, he's gay and he's our friend'. It's a long way from Bob Montana's version of Riverdale but a much needed one. Ever since, the accolades for Kevin were huge. Even George Takei was thrilled to hear it. So Dan put George in issue 6. When the gang gets a school assignment to write about a person who has inspired them, Kevin chooses Mr. Takei. When Kevin hears that he's at a local convention, he recruits Jughead to go with him, unaware that Mr. Takei, moved by Kevin's article, has made a trip to Riverdale to pay him a visit. It's truly a wonderful comic. Here's to you Kevin Keller!  |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Dec 16, 2023 8:58:57 GMT -5
#9 – The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Nemo Trilogy (2013–15)  This trilogy, which spun-out of Alan Moore's alternate-history League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series, focuses on the life of Captain Nemo's daughter and heir, Janni Dakkar. She had first been introduced in the Black Dossier and also appeared in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century. The three-volume series covers a roughly 50 year period in Janni's life, as she captains the Nautilus through adventures in Antarctica, Berlin and the Amazon rain forest. During these adventures, she and her crew do battle against Queen Ayesha (from H. Rider Haggard's 1887 fantasy novel She), Adenoid Hynkel (a thinly veiled parody of Adolf Hitler from Charlie Chaplin's 1940 film The Great Dictator), and mad scientist Heinz Goldfoot (from the 1965 comedy spy film Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine), among others. As is usual with Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comics, there are also lots of obvious and not-so-obvious references to classic literature and pop culture. For example, the likes of Tom Swift (an Edisonade adventurer), the female android Maria (from Fritz Lang's Metropolis), the creature from the Black Lagoon, and strange beings from H. P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness all make an appearance here. Moore's writing is, as ever, absolutely top notch and artist Kevin O'Neill does his usual brilliantly inventive job of depicting the various exotic locales and bizarre horrors that Janni encounters along her way. Over the course of the Nemo Trilogy, Janni develops from her slightly two-dimensional origins in the Black Dossier and Century into a well-rounded character and a captivating heroine. This mini-series serves up a cracking adventure story, with thrilling action sequences and superb visuals. It's also a slightly lighter read than most of the LoEG books.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2023 9:12:29 GMT -5
Day 4 Jack of Fables
First appeared: Fables 1 (2002)
Spinoff: Jack of Fables (2006)
When I have superhero fatigue it's time for a change. I found someone from Fables that's every bit as good as Fables. In fact it's one of the zaniest things I've read. The story picks up with the adventures of Jack Horner, a supporting character in the main series, that take place after his exile.
The focus is on an arrogant, boastful, self-centred womanizing scumbag. He's also an invincible con-man who seeks any opportunity to strike it rich, with complete disregard for human life or the feelings of those around him. As we find out, every nursery rhyme and tale with someone named Jack is all about the same person. Whether it's Little Jack Horner, Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and Jill, Jack Be Nimble, Jack Frost, Jack O'Lantern, Jack the Giant Killer and all others, it's been one Jack all along - him. And what a Jackass he is.
I curl up in bed with this flamboyant dreadful example of the male species who draws both good and bad fortune. The writing is snarky and wonderfully funny. Jack gets his comeuppance quite often (and bounces back of course) and the series is packed with adventures which he retells through the ages as he sees them. He may be confined in a village with other Fable characters or alternately, be on the run, living both the high and low life.
Like Fables, it has a great on going story, using classic characters. Unlike Fables, it's a bit more humorous and less of an ensemble book, and more focused on one character. A braggadocious sociopath who seeks any opportunity to strike it rich. But, when I need this, he's my hero.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 16, 2023 11:00:40 GMT -5
#9. Ka-Zar Did I know about Ka-Zar before finding this French-language digest at a local tobacconist? I don’t remember. What I do remember is that it was at a time I was deeply, deeply unhappy -borderline depressive. I was at a boarding school in those days, and came back home on the weekends; those weekends felt more and more like paradise as school became more and more hellish. This particular book, and the whole Artima line, became a symbol of pure happiness because I bought them as I came off the bus on Friday nights. (In retrospect, the sheer joy of those Friday nights more than compensates for the anguish of the rest of the week. It’s good to know how unhappy one can be, and how happy too. Puts things into perspective when we stub a toe or something). But back to Ka-Zar. That specific issue tells of Kevin Plunder’s origins, from Astonishing Tales #11. Classic stuff! A lost land! An aristocratic family! A heritage renounced! Life in the wildnerness, red in tooth and fang! Dinosairs! Cavemen! A pet sabretooth tiger! How could a kid resist such a romantic mix?
Following issues would have Ka-Zar face Man-Thing, AIM, costumed villains… The hero was a strange bird, and although his character was sort of bland, he could be used in so many different types of stories! Sometimes Tarzan, sometimes John Carter, sometimes urban adventurer, sometimes caveman, he was suitable to a myriad kinds of adventures! This became even truer with the Jones/Anderson series of the ‘80s, in which we added romantic comedy to the mix. Ka-Zar could have been a one-note character (which, admittedly, he was for a while)… but I’m glad to have seen him be up to the challenge of the big leagues. Unlike other secondary characters whose promise was never fulfilled, he went way beyond what we could have expected.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Dec 16, 2023 11:06:00 GMT -5
9. Babs & Dick/The Batman Family First appeared in: Dick (Detective Comics #38, 1940), Babs (Detective Comics #359, 1967) Spin-Offs: Batman Family (1975) and beyond While I've no doubt both of these characters will individually make others' lists, I think they found the greatest success together. Theirs is not just the best will they/won't they love story in comicdom, it's also the flagship of DC's second generation of heroes. While Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman will continue in perpetuity, these two that grew and matured in Batman's shadow have grown into their own compelling characters that have actually outsold their mentor numerous times in comic history. I still maintain that their earliest adventures together in Batman Family were my favorites, but I truly can't say no to any iteration of Babs and Dick, whether published in 1975 or 2023. And, of course, how can I not shamelessly plug my own exploration of their solo identities and relationship here? Batman Family and Beyond: 1975-1991 
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Post by MRPs_Missives on Dec 16, 2023 11:23:32 GMT -5
The Fourth Day of Christmas: The Devil’s in the Details Lucifer spinning off from the pages of the Sandman into his own series by Mike Carey and company Oh, woe is the Morningstar, to have fallen from such heights to rule in Hell. Gaiman’s take in Sandman was masterful, but Carey added even more layers and delicious complexity to the character when he spun off into his own Vertigo series, creating a hell of a ride through its 75 issue run.   -M |
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Post by DubipR on Dec 16, 2023 11:28:42 GMT -5
The Fourth Day of Christmas: The Devil’s in the Details Lucifer spinning off from the pages of the Sandman into his own series by Mike Carey and company Oh, woe is the Morningstar, to have fallen from such heights to rule in Hell. Gaiman’s take in Sandman was masterful, but Carey added even more layers and delicious complexity to the character when he spun off into his own Vertigo series, creating a hell of a ride through its 75 issue run. -M Lucifer was my last minute drop from my list. Great series and Mike Carey perfected what Gaiman created. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Dec 16, 2023 16:04:44 GMT -5
On the Fourth Day of X-Mas Steve Gerber gave to me, a duck with a big old stogie.  9. Howard the DuckIt's likely that Howard could be higher if it weren't for the fact that it's been eons since I've read the book. I did not read Howard when it first came out. I was just too young to appreciate it. But I bought the entire run, minus the first two issue, out of the quarter box at my preferred comic shop in Boise when I was an undergrad. That was absolutely the right time and age for the satirical political humor that Gerber was writing in Howard. What is interesting is that Howard was very much an adult comic without being an "adult" comic. It's a fine line that few writers can actually walk. Which makes it that much more special.  |
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 16, 2023 16:35:00 GMT -5
Day Four (#9)
Black Panther in Jungle Action ("Panther’s Rage")I’m the first one to criticize Don McGregor for his overwrought, verbose prose in this series, but – and it’s a but the size of the Blob’s – at the time, at... the ... time, I said, what McGregor was doing in the Panther stories was so different, so individualistic, that it stands out in my memory as one of the few highlights of my comics reading in that mid-70s comic book equivalent of Bunyan’s Slough of Despond, when the lack of quality in so many titles induced in a loyal comics reader waves of guilt just by glancing at the stands. Still, we did more than glance; we searched for the jewels nearly obscured by the junk. Since I had been fascinated by the Black Panther since he’d first appearance in Fantastic Four and was thrilled when he was enlisted into the Avengers, I was delighted to stumble – can’t remember where now -- onto Jungle Action 12, not even realizing that the Panther had been given his own solo berth anywhere. I’d been reading Killraven over in Amazing Adventures, so I was familiar with McGregor’s style, but in JA, there seemed to be a greater passion on McGregor’s part to tell this hero’s story. It was also enjoyable to be reading a comic more than 20 minutes after you’d started. Beyond the newness of McGregor’s approach to telling the story was the kind of story he was telling. “Panther’s Rage” dealt with T’Challa’s return to Wakanda and the attendant problems – revolutions, disorder, death -- that a gallivanting superhero would encounter when he finally accepts his responsibility as a king. McGregor’s florid prose was perfect for the epic feeling of the story of a warrior’s return home to restore a shattered country. (Shades of Odyssesus...) The story built unrelentingly over 13 bi-monthly (!) issues, and though it didn’t sell well, Marvel for whatever reason didn’t pull the plug on this passionate, carefully plotted saga. And not only did the series take place entirely in Africa, the real Africa as compared to the “Dark Continent” of a thousand earlier “jungle hero” comics, it featured only Black men and women as its heroes, mentors and villains and common folk. McGregor’s villains had names that Will Eisner would have loved: King Cadaver, Baron Macabre, Lord Karnaj, Salamander K’Ruel, and of course, Erik Killmonger, who would become so significant in the first Panther movie. And Billy Graham, then one of the few Black artists in comics, who drew the bulk of the 13 issues, also evoked Eisner at times, with a dash of Steranko, too, while also establishing himself as a decidedly un-Marvel style artist; his art was rough-hewn and naturalistic. (Don’t judge the interiors by the relatively generic Marvel-style covers.) This series would never have been a success if it looked like the latest issue of Defenders, FF, or Iron Man.   After "Panther’s Rage," McGregor and Graham collaborated on the “Panther vs. the Klan” arc, but for many reasons, from deadline problems, to low sales (which some say Marvel attributed to the lack of white characters in the title), McGregor lost the Panther in mid-story and it was given to his creator, Jack Kirby. But for the typical brief, shining moment, a comic book, aka a labor of love, had dragged itself from the mud and climbed to the top of the mountain.
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