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Post by Shep on Jan 17, 2009 10:10:53 GMT -5
Years ago when I was writing for "Cracked Magazine" I did a piece called "Embarrassing Moments For Superheroes" and the editor got Silver Age Marvel Comics artist Dick Ayers to do the artwork. It was one of the highlights of my career because I'm a huge comics geek and a massive fan of the work Dick did with Jack Kirby, etc.
Love the old EC comics ("Tales from the Crypt," "Vault of Horror," "Haunt of Fear," etc.) (actually most of those Pre-Code horror comics are pretty wonderful); early "Fantastic Four" and "Incredible Hulk;" thought the original "Silver Surfer" comic was beautifully written. Some other favorites: "Weird War Tales," which was a fun Twilight Zone-ish DC series; "Enemy Ace," old copies of "Classics Illustrated" which ultimately got me reading the actual classics; Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns." Picked up a Marvel Masterworks compilation of "Rawhide Kid" fairly recently and those are a lot of fun, too.
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Post by angilasman on Jan 17, 2009 13:21:45 GMT -5
In my early teens (a few years ago) I tried collecting several comics, Spider-Man, Hulk, Batman, and childhood favs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but it seemed to me that the quality for most comic book series were far to splotchy. A brilliant issue would be followed by a crap one and there would be stretches of nothing but "meh" stories. Now, the comic shop is across town and I realized picking up all these was more of a chore than a fun hobby so I began to stop....
Then the first Hellboy movie came out, and I loved it and became a huge fan of the comic series, a few months later Hellboy appeared in an issue of The Goon and I fell in love with that series. I've been a faithful reader of both for the last five years (as well as of their spin-offfs) and they both maintain a level of quality that never leaves me dissapointed.
...and I'm apparently the last member of my generation to read The Sandman. I bought the first two tpb a few weeks ago.
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Post by TV's Cowboy on Jan 17, 2009 14:26:40 GMT -5
When I was just a kid the first thing that got me into comics was not really a comic but the educational book "The Amazing Spider-Man: A Book of Colors and Days of the Week". For those that might have heard about it but can't quite remember the premise it had Spider-Man fighting a different group of villains each day of the week and they all had a number and color theme related to them. This site even has bios on the villains that appeared in that book. www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/colorcriminalsspiderman.htmI know it is kind of silly to devote a whole page to a group of villains who are definitely not in the Marvel universe canon but the site is actually a good source for obscure Marvel characters that other sites don't cover. They even have a page devoted to all the times Clark Kent appeard in a Marvel book(Just don't tell DC about that) www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/kentclrk.htm
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Post by Mighty Jack on Jan 17, 2009 15:00:22 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Nova Volume 1: The Annihilation Conquest[/glow] I picked up this trade paperback used and thought I’d pen a few thoughts: In 1976 Marvel introduced a new character named Nova: The Human Rocket, which was created by Marv Wolfman (Teen Titans) and the great John Buscema. While Nova didn’t set the world on fire (his series lasted only 26 issues) it was a fun, adventurous superhero story that drew from the Spider-Man vibe and lifted liberally from DCs Green Lantern. Over the years they tried to bring back Nova, but nothing ever captured the sprit of the original (most got too dark). A stint in the New Warriors then lead us to one of Marvel’s several tiring “events”. This one had something to do with the Annihilation Wave and a galactic war and it brought back Nova, the Nova Corps and ultimately a new solo series written by Brits Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, with art by Sean Chen (covers by Avi Granov - the man responsible for Iron Man’s current look in comics and movies) The first trade paperback collection begins in the aftermath of the war, with Richard Ryder the last of the Nova Corps. Nova/Richard is trying everything he can to help as many alien planets in crisis that he can, but he’s only one man and wearing out. He eventually takes shore leave on Earth and finds it a changed place in light of yet another Marvel event (that cursed “Civil War” –screw you Joe Q, Tom Breevort and the rest of you idiots that came up with this garbage!) – This section of the story is well written, but the tone of Marvel comics has become so damned depressing and that seeps into Nova, tainting my enjoyment a lot. From here Richard flies back into space and gets involved with something called the phalanx, which has possessed an old lover and eventually turns Nova to the dark side. Having not read the Annihilation saga I really had little clue as to what was going on or what the hell the phalanx was but they did some recapping to fill us newbies in. Basically, the phalanx is like the Borg. Along the way we get a new Nova recruit who tries to stop the current Nova Prime, and while she does her best, she is murdered. Eventually Nova breaks free of their control and the collection ends with the phalanx drones vowing their revenge, I’m a superhero guy and not much into fantasy sci-fi. I know that sounds strange because they are close cousins, but this is sci-fi and as such I had a difficult time getting into it. It has received good notices and I imagine if you were a fan of the Trek Borg stuff you’d dig this. I thought about the sci-fi I did like, the original Star Trek and Firefly… what was it that I liked about those series? The character, the human drama, the romance the friendship and camaraderie. I could care less about the space ships or the cosmic battles or the aliens. I liked the people. In Nova, as with much in sci-fi, I don’t connect with the people. Sean Chen’s art is always good, he makes the new costume design look sharp and his story telling is tight. But there were too many dangling plot threads from other events and truly, Marvel wants to grab new readers and get them to buy more books with these events? For me they just make me want to drop titles. I don’t want to have to buy every friggin series and every Secret Invasion or Civil War just to follow one comic book. In 2009 it is said that the worldmind (a kind of super computer that aids Nova) will go bad, Ryder will lose his powers and gain a new identity as part of a new saga called “War of Kings” - uh, no. Really - not only does doing that to the character sound stupid but your gonna force me to get other titles. So screw it, I loved ya Nova in your Earthbound golden days. But it’s all gotten too convoluted to enjoy any more. I will have to check out those issues with the big fight between Nova and Silver Surfer (I heard it’s a doozy!) but aside from that I think this will be my first and last foray into the current run of this character.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Jan 17, 2009 15:04:34 GMT -5
Years ago when I was writing for "Cracked Magazine" I did a piece called "Embarrassing Moments For Superheroes" and the editor got Silver Age Marvel Comics artist Dick Ayers to do the artwork. It was one of the highlights of my career because I'm a huge comics geek and a massive fan of the work Dick did with Jack Kirby, etc. That would be a thrill, what a cool thing to have hapen. I'd love to see that Shep.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Jan 27, 2009 1:08:18 GMT -5
A few trades I’ve read…
The New Atom (vol 1) I liked Gail Simone’s work on Bird of Prey but this was pretty chaotic. Ray Palmer has disappeared and this new kid gets his powers. It’s kind of like Euerka for comics as the new Atom’s hometown is a Nexus for weirdness. It’s difficult to follow; Simone does a terrible job of giving a sense of time and place. Even if she added a box that said… “Later that day” etc here and there, it would have helped. She gives one of the aliens a strange manner of speaking which I guess she thought would be cool and other worldly but only makes it all the more confusing. John Byrne does some great art but this was bizarre and impossible to follow.
Green Lantern: Wanted Geoff Johns has done wonder with Hal Jordan’s new adventures and this collection was no different. The Sinestro Corp is in full swing but to add a new element to the war is the Star Sapphire And the exiled women of OA. At the end they forge their own ring and it seems are going to try and collect the green and yellow rings from the Lantern/Sinestro corps. Ripping good yarn – I probably need to buy the other Lantern titles though to keep abreast of it all.
Supreme (vol 1) CH recommended this and so I checked it out from the library. It’s been a pure delight. Alan Moore pays tribute and does a kind of fun parody thing with the history of DC comics. My favorite stories so far are the one’s where Superema (an offshoot of Supergirl) goes after a devil woman. This was a hilarious story and does a good job of tapping into the naiveté of the era. Even better was the chapter where Supreme teams up with the Batman and Robin of this universe… Professor Midnight and Twilight. This was another laugh riot.
As for monthlies. I bought a bunch of the Dark Reign stuff from Marvel. Blah, more depressing, bleakness. The house of ideas has run dry. Boo! I pray for the day Joe Q is fired (stick to drawing Joe, that’s what your good at) and someone has the balls to reign in the talented but out of control and self indulgent Brian Michael Bendis.
I also bought a Spirit comic that collected 4 stories. It’s quaint but didn’t blow me away. There’s probably more to it than I’m getting. I know Eisner was one of the greats but it seems rather dated.
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TomServo69
Moderator Emeritus
Gone but not Forgotten
Nothing ever changes........
Posts: 5,467
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Post by TomServo69 on Jan 27, 2009 1:19:30 GMT -5
Green Lantern: WantedGeoff Johns has done wonder with Hal Jordan’s new adventures and this collection was no different. The Sinestro Corp is in full swing but to add a new element to the war is the Star Sapphire And the exiled women of OA. At the end they forge their own ring and it seems are going to try and collect the green and yellow rings from the Lantern/Sinestro corps. Ripping good yarn – I probably need to buy the other Lantern titles though to keep abreast of it all. As for monthlies. I bought a bunch of the Dark Reign stuff from Marvel. Blah, more depressing, bleakness. The house of ideas has run dry. Boo! I pray for the day Joe Q is fired (stick to drawing Joe, that’s what your good at) and someone has the balls to reign in the talented but out of control and self indulgent Brian Michael Bendis. Yeah, I'm really looking forward to the Black Lantern storyline this summer. I just heard today that the Martian Manhunter will be brought back as a Black Lantern since all the Black Lanterns are going to be deceased characters, so, that'll be fun. And, as far as Marvel goes, well, I'm a life long Marvel reader, but, the whole Secret Invasion crap just got a tad too convoluted for me. That's really sad to say considering that I'm reading Final Crisis right now and it's relatively sane compared to the garbage that Marvel seems to be producing lately. Servo
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Post by Ratso on Jan 28, 2009 14:34:49 GMT -5
I should be reading Final Crisis 7 right now but the weather is so bad at the moment even I won't go out in it.
I hope my shop still has a copy tomorrow.
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TomServo69
Moderator Emeritus
Gone but not Forgotten
Nothing ever changes........
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Post by TomServo69 on Jan 28, 2009 18:16:37 GMT -5
I should be reading Final Crisis 7 right now but the weather is so bad at the moment even I won't go out in it. I hope my shop still has a copy tomorrow. Same here. I'm not braving the frozen roads with idiotic Alabama drivers who aren't used to driving on ice. Luckily, I'm good friends with the owner of the only good comic shop around here, so, my copy was pulled when it came in. I hate getting copies that have been breezed through on the shelf too. Servo
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Post by Don Quixote on Jan 28, 2009 20:12:43 GMT -5
I should've been following Final Crisis. Maybe when it comes out in TPB. What have I missed? I read "Rage of the Red Lanterns", but I have absolutely NO idea what else is going on it.
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Post by Ratso on Jan 29, 2009 19:17:46 GMT -5
I'll leave Ts69 to explain it.
Anyway, Just read 7 and uhhhhh my head hurts... I need to read it again.
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TomServo69
Moderator Emeritus
Gone but not Forgotten
Nothing ever changes........
Posts: 5,467
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Post by TomServo69 on Jan 29, 2009 19:51:03 GMT -5
I'll leave Ts69 to explain it. Anyway, Just read 7 and uhhhhh my head hurts... I need to read it again. It hurt my head too. And, I see a really horrible, Star Trek III-like, storyline coming from the revelation on the last page. Servo
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Jan 30, 2009 11:30:02 GMT -5
Supreme (vol 1)CH recommended this and so I checked it out from the library. It’s been a pure delight. Alan Moore pays tribute and does a kind of fun parody thing with the history of DC comics. My favorite stories so far are the one’s where Superema (an offshoot of Supergirl) goes after a devil woman. This was a hilarious story and does a good job of tapping into the naiveté of the era. Even better was the chapter where Supreme teams up with the Batman and Robin of this universe… Professor Midnight and Twilight. This was another laugh riot. Hey, cool. Glad to hear you liked it. In a way, I just wish there were more than 2 volumes, although the comic might have overstayed its welcome if that were the case. Good news for me, I'm *finally* in line to pick up League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier from the library (coughCHEAPcough). I've been in line on the hold requests literally since it was released, but I can finally pick it up today.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Jan 31, 2009 1:18:04 GMT -5
They cancelled my Catwoman a while back. The other day I read that they cancelled Blue Beetle and now, now they have cancelled She Hulk. Gee wilikers, do I only like things no one else does? (looking over the top 10 sellers from last year and seeing the –yuk- Secret Invasion in the top 6… I guess the answer is “Yes”)
They are bringing out a new version of the She Hulk character, who will be the daughter of Hulk (m’eh) – So that leaves me Iron Man (which is no great shakes) and Green Lantern (which is) & Ms. Marvel (which is hit and miss… er Ms?)
I started buying Supergirl when this new Krypton thing started; new writer is doing a nice job (considering she’s been written by comics biggest names and each have screwed her up this is a welcome sight)
I also bought a Batman that featured Catwoman (written by Paul Dini) and in Feb Neil Gaiman’s Batman/Detective one shots will be released (but a Batman without Bruce Wayne? No thanks… the Gaiman issues will be my last)
And because I like Emma Frost I bought Uncanny X-Men #505. It was decent and considering how convoluted the mutant world has become, surprisingly easy to follow (for the most part), Emma was also the focus of the annual so I might add this title for a while if she’s going to be featured (I didn’t see Wolverine anywhere but he’s already in a bunch of solo titles, the Avengers and probably some other X Books. It’s not like his fans are being slighted. lol)
So my return to comics after a long absence has been a mixed bag but I’ve found a few things I enjoy (I just wish they stop canceling the ones I like damn it!)
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Post by Don Quixote on Jan 31, 2009 8:42:59 GMT -5
I dunno MJ, I think it was a blessing in disguise that they canceled She-Hulk. I feel they strayed way far from the character and basically nullified everything I found interesting about the character. At least this way it's over before anyone forms a bad opinion about the character. I'd like to see where they go with the New She-Hulk. I wonder what they're going to do with Jen though.
The Green Lantern stories I have been reading are pretty damn cool. I haven't read them every month, but the ones I've read were pretty damn good.
If you enjoy fourth-wall-breaking, and if you can find some of the early issues, give Ambush Bug: Year None a shot. The last part comes out in a few weeks, and it's a tremendous laugh.
Booster Gold has been okay. I'm particularly happy with the new storyline (With Elongated Man and Enemy Ace). I've been following the comic from it's start, and it's stayed true to form, with some interesting stories that somewhat remind me of the better days of the Exiles.
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