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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 24, 2017 14:09:06 GMT -5
Oops. I had misread the title. Here's a correction. My favorite conic. 1. HyperbolaI like how it's disconnected. I like how it seems to follow as a natural follow-on to the definition of a circle. If a circle is all points a fixed distance from a single point, then a hyperbola is all points a fixed distance from a pair of points. I like the curve 1/x. I like how something so simple can easily create Gabriel's Horn, with the odd property that you can fill it with a small bucket of paint but never paint its sides. As a math teacher, this wins the day for me
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 24, 2017 14:07:29 GMT -5
ScorpionTo me, the original design by Ditko is classic. And I will pay respect to it with this... But the best design came when Sal Buscema had his take. I just love the costume so much. He made is meaner and greener and it is why Scorpy is my favourite all-time Spidey villain. He is not too complex but has such a great costume that makes me want any and every issue he has appeared in.
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 24, 2017 13:56:52 GMT -5
MephistoThe Devil has never looked cooler IMO. I love the dark red and demonic look as seen in his original appearance and the later take from Thor Annual #13.
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 22, 2017 23:18:37 GMT -5
Steranko! I have issue 5, but 4 is a must add!
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 22, 2017 17:33:59 GMT -5
Hobgoblin
Green Goblin was cool. Nice colour scheme, creepy look. But his look feels very 60's which is fine. Now, Hobgoblin is what happens when you take the original look and amp the heck out of it. Better mask, better colours and just overall a better look. Not many costumes get an upgrade in some way but this is one that did and works for me. Everyone loves Venom as a Spidey villain but to me, the best ever that he battled after Green Goblin was Hobby. More love is needed for this character (which may be hard given the mixed feelings about his troubled reveal way back when)
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 22, 2017 17:20:12 GMT -5
Annihilus
I guess he is technically armoured. So I guess that makes Juggernaut my third favourite armoured type villain? Anyways, I again love this colour scheme. The spikes on the shoulders are bad ass and....just what IS Annihilus!?! The face is just awesome...robot and alien-like all combined into a great look
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 22, 2017 13:06:24 GMT -5
And on a weird note, while I do love the fresh smell of the HTD Omnibus' paper, I think I still prefer the potent aroma of old newspulp like my Cap comics have That is not weird. The smell is 5% of the reason I collect (60% artwork and 35% story). If they can make scented pine sticks to put in Christmas trees, perhaps someone needs to invent a classic comic scented book mark for ombnibuses? I may have to go on Shark Tank with that one...
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 22, 2017 7:33:26 GMT -5
I had read that the new version was initially not liked by Gerber but then when he met and talked to Lethem he realized that his vision was very similar to Gerber's and actually gave the story praise. I don't have the 2007 series but I do want to give it a look eventually.
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 21, 2017 21:10:38 GMT -5
I believe I have those two Defenders issues which I will add to these reviews just to see how they fare. I have heard they are not good.
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 20, 2017 22:48:38 GMT -5
^I had thought the Spidey issue was #164 but it came out nearly a year after this...however the purple seen on the cover looked like the pant leg of Kingpin from this ish.
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 20, 2017 22:33:17 GMT -5
MesmeroI dig that funky helmet and collar combo. His design is reminiscent of this for me...I like Mesmero's colour scheme much more but that headpiece just fails for me. Much like it did for Mirage.
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 20, 2017 22:11:35 GMT -5
So while I still plan to tackle Invaders, I also feel the need to dive into this series and review it. A lot of people have said it is a hidden gem from the 70's and I just recently picked up the entire run for next to nothing. Again, this is a series I know nothing about other than the fact it exists. Without any more rambling, let us dive in!
Omega The Unknown #1
The Cover Not a bad looking cover. Omega has an okay look. I don't usually love capes though unless they serve a purpose (flight, to add mystery, to swallow people with). His cape seems like it kinda ordinary. The robot looks cool though. And we have a young boy involved in all this. I am feeling a Captain Marvel/Rick Jones vibe but I hope it is better than that because, while initially interesting, having cap tied to Rick became very annoying and pointless. I also love that the boy is reading Spider-Man...a little Marvel within Marvel. Which issue is that is the real question!
The Story Omega is running away from these robot guys and is eventually captured. He almost seems unsure of his abilities as he is captured quite easily. His scream as he is shot in the back transitions to the boy, James-Micheal (herein referred to as JM for simplicity sake) who awakes from his dreams screaming. His parents come in and there a brief debate about how in the morning, he must start school. JM talks about people being boring and how he prefers it where he is. His father insists that his son be taken to school.
The next morning they are seen leaving a motel as JM and his parents hop in a car and head for New York. JM is still concerned about going to school. His mother says she envies the learning journey her son is going to embark on. JM just wants to be left where he is and again talks about humans being dull. Then, as they round a bend, JM tells his mother to brace herself for impact as there is a collision coming. Sure enough, a truck rounds a corner and collides with their car.
JM survives. He sees his mothers severed robotic head telling him that he will be okay and that "only the voices can harm him". She says "it's dangerous to listen" before her face just melts away. Confused, JM seems to start reacting in shock and we then transition back to Omega, who is tied to a wall. He watches at the robot men are destroying buildings. He manages to break free and run to some sort of spaceship, launching himself away from this forsaken planet. He looks back at it, claiming he shall return for revenge one day but until then, he will be looking forward only.
We then see JM waking up in a hospital. He is restrained because, according to the nurse, he had been thrashing around in his sleep. The nurse pages Dr. Barrow who comes and releases the restraints. He questions JM, who responds that he remembers the accident and says recalls his parents dying. He then says he has nothing to fear except the voices. When JM says this, the doctor seems alarmed but JM dismisses it. The doctor reveals he has been under their care for a long time. The nurse then gives JM some pills to help recover and heads outside to speak with Dr. Barrow. He reveals that the "board" is not happy with them taking on JM as a patient and he wants his nurse to get as much information out of the boy as possible so he can continue to study the boy. The nurse (her name is Ruth Hart) agrees even though she says she has trouble relating to people.
In the weeks that come, she cannot get any information from JM. The "board" seems upset that her and Dr. Barrow are continuing to try and study this boy. Dr. Barrow says to Ruth that they have no other option but to have JM live with Ruth and her room-mate Amber. We then see Amber enter the room where JM is playing chess and she mentions these "voices". Ruth arrives and tells Jm that he will be staying with her and Amber.
The final scenes show JM trying to fall asleep but suddenly, a robot crashes into his window. He is followed by Omega and a battle ensues. JM tries to hide but the, out of nowhere, he uses some pulsing beams to destroy the robot that was battling Omega. JM confronts the mysterious hero, saying he has seen him in his dream. Omega grabs the robot corpse and leaves just as Dr. Barrow comes in (so JM is still staying at this hospital). JM tells of the pain in his hands and when he and Dr. Barrow look at them, the Omega symbol has been burned into them.
Opinions Wow....I don't know where to start. I am trying to recall the last time I had to re-read certain pages of a book from the 70's. The story is very intriguing and the dialogue is very sophisticated for a comic from this time. There is a lot going on. Obviously, there is some weird link between Omega and JM. Are they one and the same? Is Omega some alternate version of JM in his mind? Then we have the whole notion of JM's parents being robots. An article on the letters page by Gerber makes it sound like JM did not know his parents were robots but while reading, I got the impression that he did. Mind you, he may not and that could explain why he went into shock. After all seeing this could do that
Either way, I am very intrigued as to where this is all going.
Of Note Gerber credits Stan Lee with the name and says that Mary Skrenes had a lot to do with helping him develop this character. He also was very happy that he got to have Mooney do the art and said Romita helped with the costume design for Omega.
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 20, 2017 17:08:00 GMT -5
ElectroI love Electro. Green and yellow and the bolt face mask just works for me. Plus any excuse to post some Ditko goodness is good in my world.
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 20, 2017 10:35:35 GMT -5
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 19, 2017 23:42:32 GMT -5
VenomMy second "mirror image" villain but hey, who's counting. Venom looks great to me, a dark and scary version of Spider-Man. The fact that the symbiote hates Parker and so does its host fuels his rage. I love the snarling teeth and while the muscles got a bit excessive at times, it seemed to work. I enjoy McFarlane's original look but Larsen made it better. Compared to Carnage, who does look cool, I still think Venom looks better. And I know its not from a comic but my all-time favourite version was the one we got in the 90's cartoon.
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