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Post by Calamas on Nov 15, 2021 12:11:30 GMT -5
After several mentions and recommendations in this thread, I decided to give the Hap and Leonard books a try since our local library had the first book in the series, and just finished that one. Savage Season-A Hap and Leonard novel by Joe R. Lansdale I liked it. I don't think I liked it as much as others in this thread have though. I'm still not sure I like the characters, but this did feel like an "origin" story of sorts and those are often the least interesting story told with the characters, so I am going to read at least one more in the series and see where it goes from there. It was a gritty crime story with a noir bent that was a good read, it just feels like it could have been a standalone story and nothing more needs to be told of these characters, so I am not exactly compelled to seek out more of their tale, but I enjoyed the experience of reading this book enough to try at least one more to see if I like it as much. We'll see. -M I'm pretty sure it was written as a stand-alone because it was four years before Mucho Mojo would appear. I personally love Hap & Leonard. Easily two of my favorite characters in literature. Yes, it was. Savage Season and Cold in July were Lansdale’s salute to the Gold Medal crime novels of the 50s. Mucho Mojo, the second Hap & Leonard novel, without other main characters to service, is more focused on the boys and is much different in tone. It was my favorite Lansdale until Paradise Sky.
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Post by Calamas on Nov 6, 2021 18:12:47 GMT -5
The Walter Mosley Omnibus (Picador, 1995) (collecting: Devil in a Blue Dress, 1990; A Red Death, 1991; White Butterfly, 1992) Devil in a Blue DressSet in 1948, it introduces the character of Ezekial ‘Easy’ Rawlins, a World War 2 vet originally from Houston, who now lives in LA, where he just lost his job in an aircraft factory. He’s strapped for cash and worried about losing his home if he can’t keep up the mortgage payments. This is what gets the ball rolling: while he’s in a bar, the owner, a friend of his, recommends him to an odd and kind of shady white man named DeWitt Albright, who needs someone to discretely find a white woman who’s recently been seen frequenting bars and nightclubs with mainly Black clientele. Rawlins takes the job, and as he starts poking around, trouble seems to follow him, including a few murders – one of which he briefly gets blamed for by the police. Eventually, Rawlins works things out, due in no small part to help from an old but rather unhinged friend from Houston, Raymond ‘Mouse’ Alexander, who sort of shows up in town out of the blue. This works mainly as a really good introduction to the Rawlins character – I tended to like the bits about his back story and his life more interesting than the actual mystery/thriller aspects. When it all ends, Rawlins finds that he can make decent extra cash by doing favors for people in the community, mainly detective-type work when they have no one else to turn to. A Red DeathIt’s now 1952 and Rawlins is doing pretty well when the story begins. He’s not only paid off his mortgage and owns his house free and clear – he’s also now the owner of a several rental properties, although virtually nobody else knows this. But then he gets a summons from the IRS. One of its inspectors has some questions about the discrepancy between the income from his apparent job (custodian) and his real estate holdings, so he tells Rawlins he’s looking at a tax evasion charge. Rawlins is then approached by an FBI agent named Craxton, who offers to help him out with his IRS troubles if he agrees to get close to and provide information on a man named Chaim Wenzler, an activist and suspected communist who does volunteer work at the Baptist church in Easy’s neighborhood. Rawlins does so, but in the process finds himself really liking Wenzler. But then some horrible murders then occur in the church and everything sort of goes to hell… This one is better than the first one: the overall story/mystery is more interesting and I had a real ‘wow, didn’t see that coming’ moment near the end. White ButterflyA few years later, in 1956, Rawlins is now married, and he and his wife Nina, a hospital nurse, have a baby girl. Everything seems idyllic, but there’s trouble brewing in his home life. And one day a pair of police detectives come by asking for Easy’s help in finding out the person responsible for a series of murders of young Black women in the neighborhood. It looks like the work of a serial killer, and the heat gets turned up when the most recent victim is a college-age white woman from a rather well-to-do family. After initially refusing to have anything to do with it, Rawlins reluctantly gets involved. The investigation, in which he’s again helped by his unstable yet resourceful friend Mouse, leads him all the way up to Oakland and back, and as usual, he ends up getting in trouble with the law himself for a bit. All three of these are really gritty, noirish novels. Mosley tends to submerge the ‘murder mystery’ aspect of the stories into every other facet of life and the day-to-day hardships in Watts and neighboring communities experienced by Rawlins and its other residents– poverty, racism, police brutality, etc. I’d say one of my main criticisms of these is that the Mouse character almost verges on a deus ex machina in the way he helps Easy get out of jams. You are absolutely right regarding Mouse. And yet I had no trouble accepting his role. It had become an expectation of the P.I. genre. The Robert B. Parker effect, if you will. Spenser and Hawk may have been created in the 70s but Parker was still going strong right up until his death in 2010, and he influenced a lot of authors. A tougher, more ruthless colleague who could be counted on for back up often became the norm. In the 80s Elvis Cole had Joe Pike. (In fact those initial books could have been Spenser stories until Crais found his own voice.) In the 90s Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro had Bubba and Charlie Parker had Louis. And Easy had Mouse. It is a tribute to the talents of their respective writers that each is an individual and unique character, but each also--at least in the beginning in some cases--filled the Hawk role. And I had come to expect it.
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Post by Calamas on Sept 24, 2021 14:45:47 GMT -5
I mentioned in the comics purchased thread, I picked up a bunch of Hard Case Crime volumes yesterday at HPB, and a few other miscellaneous books... three Donald Westlake volumes: Three Quarry books by Max Allan Collins and a trio of other miscellany, my first 87th Precinct pick up and a pair of later Destroyer volumes But two questions-are the 87th Precinct novels episodic enough you can read them in any order if you don't have the entire series (like say Hardy Boys mysteries or even Doc Savage novels), or do they have a tight enough interior continuity that reading them in order is a must? I'm intrigued by them, but I don't want to get a pile of them before actually sampling some, and I am wondering if I need ot track down the first book, or can giv ethe one I got a read to sample, and not be lost. And secondly, does anyone have a good link for a reading order on the Quarry books by Collins? -M I read the early 87th Precinct novels as I found them (Pre-Internet days) and I had no trouble figuring things out. Lady, Lady, I Did It, # 14 in the series, is important to a regular character. Not a great novel but containing one of the most devastating scenes I ever read. It’s not until later in the series, maybe the mid-40s, that carryover plotlines emerge. 361--which I still hope to read--with its cold, emotionless lead character, helped turn Westlake into a comic novelist. From his introduction to a collection called Levine:
The Hunter, of course, refers to the first Parker novel he wrote as Richard Stark.
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Post by Calamas on Sept 23, 2021 11:23:18 GMT -5
The aging process is something every author has to deal with, particularly once he realizes that he’s going to be here for a while. Someone here is currently working their way through the 87th Precinct series (Sincere apologies for not identifying by name and addressing directly but my life the last couple of years has pretty much relegated me to Lurker status, and my attention span has followed suit.) This series starts very much in real time but at some point Hunter realized that he had to start retarding the aging process. I’m not spoiling anything by saying that in a series that spanned almost fifty years you see the birth of Carella’s kids but they will not emerge out the other side of their teens.
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Post by Calamas on Sept 2, 2021 11:42:33 GMT -5
I read one of Westlake's later Dortmunder novels, Why Me? that was pretty good as well. A pretty good mix of caper and humor. Otherwise, though, I have mixed feelings about Westlake's forays into more humorous fare - Two Much in particular is a book I almost threw against the wall after I finished reading it. I remember having trouble with TWO MUCH also. It stretched creditability too far for even a semi-humorous novel. I did appreciate Westlake giving John Dickson Carr full credit for the gimmick he uses later in the novel. I especially liked that he gave credit without revealing the novel, essentially avoiding spoilers. I have by no means read all the Dortmunders--and haven’t read any in at least a decade--but I remember BAD NEWS being my favorite. And speaking of borrowing, the bit that opens BAD NEWS is lifted for use in the penultimate Parker novel ASK THE PARROT. Westlake did not give credit to himself.
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Post by Calamas on Jan 8, 2021 17:35:49 GMT -5
I had another one on the next page:
Jerry Ordway
Most Writer/Artist when they only write, particularly on titles they once illustrated--Grell, Chaykin, Simonson, Jurgens (I’m sure I’m forgetting some)--seem to lose something in translation. Not with Ordway. I’m sure I’m forgetting somebody here too but definitely Ordway belongs on this list. He could bring the same level of quality without pencil hitting the page.
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Post by Calamas on Jan 8, 2021 16:33:57 GMT -5
I said at the beginning that my list would be heavy on nostalgia. Above are the first five comics I ever bought. First: The Flash #251: Cary Bates and Irv Novick Adventure Comics #452 (Aquaman): David Michelinie and Jim Aparo Wonder Woman #230: Martin Pasko and Jose Delbo And on the next trip: Batman #291 by David V. Reed and John Calnan Brave & the Bold #136 by Bob Haney and Jim Aparo And so: Marty PaskoThe only member of my initial introduction to comics not to make my list. In part because I think he missed in trying to capture the tone of E-Man for First Comics, but mainly because I didn’t like what he considered his greatest work: his Swamp Thing run. It’s my natural bias against conspiracy stories but . . . it’s also my list. So, near miss. Plus:Steven T. Seagle
Sustained the quality of Sandman Mystery Theatre when fully taking over from Matt Wagner, and his other forays into the greater DC Universe were always entertaining. Mike W. BarrLoved Camelot 3000, Maze Agency, his Star Trek work at DC, and his part of the Demon Trilogy ( Batman: Son of the Demon; Batman: Bride of the Demon). Only his up-and-down work on Batman & the Outsiders mars his resume’. It may be unfair to use efforts from early in his career against him, but I had to make one last round of cuts. James RobinsonHe caught my attention immediately with Golden Age. Starman was near-brilliant but I think he achieved even greater results with The Shade maxi-series. Only his Justice League run produced diminishing returns. I understand DC sabotaged him by restricting what characters he could use, but the work is the work. And again, I had to cut somewhere. Brian K. VaughnReally like what I read. Just don’t feel I’ve read enough of it bump somebody else from my list. Kurt BusiekAlways created quality work. Just never made it to favorite status. Marc GuggenheimWith each assignment I felt he tried to do something different but not too different. I think he would have cracked the list if he’d had a larger output.
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Post by Calamas on Jan 4, 2021 11:36:10 GMT -5
(...) My Apologies. Because I was late posting my picks, I’m even later reacting to the picks of others. But this struck a chord with me. I can’t say Isabella is one of favorite writers though I would pick up his work when I came across it. And yet he wrote one piece that is important to me because I was at an age where I needed it, and could recognize it. If interested: IsabellaI enjoyed your assessment of that early Black Lightning issue. However, I'm not sure your conclusion, i.e., that "What Tony Isabella intended is not what I experienced" is entirely correct. Based on a recent re-read of the original series (and a first read-through of Isabella's later turns with Black Lightning in the 1990s and then the recent Cold Dead Hands), as well as what he's said about writing the character in various interviews, etc., I think his intent jibed pretty well with what you experienced
Either way, it was important in my development. And of more significance, I got to thank Mr. Isabella on the since-wiped CBR boards, at that time referring back to another Cei-U thread, something about your five favorite heroes and why. I wish I had saved his response. If only. . . .
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Post by Calamas on Jan 3, 2021 20:30:47 GMT -5
On the sixth day of Christmas, Santa brought to me, the works of John Ostrander... Works that garnered him favorite status: The Spectre, Star Wars: Legacy, Hawkworld, The Kents, Grimjack, Legends, Martian Manhunter, Starslayer, Blaze of Glory: The Last Ride of the Western Heroes Why I like his work: Ostrander started in theatre, and he was able to imbue his work with a real sense of drama, not the cheap melodrama typical of many comics, but real human narratives filled with authentic emotional reactions. And he did this without losing the sense of adventure and excitement needed for the genres he wrote in. He understood character and was able to portray that on the page in a way that draws the audience in. His work also has a sense of authenticity-for example, his background in theology grounded his run on the Spectre especially apparent in the conversations between Corrigan and Father Craemer. He avoided shallow tropes and cheap platitudes that lesser writers rely on when portraying complex topics or characters. Single Work I would recommend to someone unfamiliar with Ostrander's work: My favorite run is the Spectre, but it's too long to serve as an introduction to Ostrander, so I'll go with The Kents... -M I know this is late but I’m glad someone else shares my appreciation of The Kents. Of course I shouldn’t have been surprised considering where we are, but I also consider it one of his major works and it’s unknown to too many. Besides, it's one of the many reasons why Ostrander was my #1 pick.
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Post by Calamas on Jan 3, 2021 20:14:15 GMT -5
#10 Chuck DixonLeaving out things he wrote that have nothing to do with comics, I loves me some Chuck Dixon. Not his Punisher stuff, as I loathe the character. His Batman is pretty good and he created Bane, but, no, not because of that or Tim Drake. He gave us the Birds of Prey; but, no, not that. I love Chuck Dixon for Skywolf. Who, I hear some of you ask? The Hillman aviation comic hero, featured as a back-up in Air Fighters and Airboy comics. In 1986, Eclipse Comics revived the public domain Air Fighters and Chuck Dixon soon took over the writing, from Tim Truman. Airboy was great, by itself; but, Skywolf was beyond great.....it was classic! In Chuck's hands, aided by a cast of great, but mostly unsung artists, Skywolf was a trip through the United States' post-WW2 history, from flying air support to the Nationalist Chinese, during the Chinese Civil War to flying F-86s in combat against Migs, in Korea, to being at Dien Bien Phu, in Vietnam. Skywolf took us through Occupied Japan, gangland Hawaii, the KKK in Texas, 50s Hollywood, the Himalayas, Saudi Arabia and more, in classic adventures that harkened back to the great adventure strips of the 30s and 40s, like Milton Caniff's Terry & the Pirates and Steve Canyon, or Frank Robbins' Johnny Hazard. However, Chuck used that template to highlight the history of this country you won't learn in school, like the CIAs involvement in Guatemala, to prop up the interests of the United Fruit Company or the seemier side of Hollywood, where a little creative theft is considered part of the business and Communist witch hunts destroyed careers. All of this from a guy who was pretty conservative, with a big C, writing for an editor who was deeply liberal, with a capital L. Politics were really only there in the morality of things: weaselly bureaucrats who would sell out an innocent man for political alliances or men of the cloth who use their position to incite hatred and murder. Skywolf was a two-fisted, John Wayne kind of guy, caught in a Jimmy Stewart world, as written by Dalton Trumbo. Chuck even dabbled with doomed romance, as Skywolf falls into the arms of Riot O'Hara, a damaged female pilot who has lost one love and finds herself alone and vulnerable, with a man who is alone and vulnerable and they reach out to one another. They try to make it the American dream and fail miserably. Chuck could do the wild action, the colorful characters; but, he made them real, flawed human beings. Apologies. Because I was late posting my picks, I’m even later with some of my reactions. But your analysis of Chuck Dixon mirrors my own. I loved all his Eclipse work with the Airboy Family. While I still liked most of what he produced at DC, I felt it was watered down compared his early work. I glad someone else remembered how great he was at Eclipse.
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Post by Calamas on Jan 3, 2021 20:06:57 GMT -5
12. Tony Isabella Hawkman wouldn't have made my list of favorite characters way, way back in the earliest days of this annual tradition were it not for Tony Isabella working his writer's magic to turn one of my least favorite DC characters into a favorite, back in May 1985. I was, at the time, familiar with Tony's name, as he had begun writing for the pros shortly after I began collecting comics, but in those days, I didn't pay as much attention to ranking favorite writers as much as following characters. If pressed, I'd have remembered Tony as the guy who turned Greer Nelson from The Cat into Tigra, the guy who'd created Black Lightning, a character I tried at his debut but didn't follow, but mainly for... It, the Living Colossus!"It" came along when I was the perfect age to enjoy it. This first installment is special to me, because I remember staging my own rendition of Tony's script recorded on my family's new reel-to-reel tape recorder...man, I wish I still had that tape! No, this is not the greatest example of Tony's work, but I don't think any prominent American comic book writer can beat Tony for kaiju appreciation. . . . [Emphasis Mine]
My Apologies. Because I was late posting my picks, I’m even later reacting to the picks of others. But this struck a chord with me. I can’t say Isabella is one of favorite writers though I would pick up his work when I came across it. And yet he wrote one piece that is important to me because I was at an age where I needed it, and could recognize it. If interested: Isabella
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Post by Calamas on Jan 3, 2021 19:54:15 GMT -5
#12-Max Allan Collins.Solely for giving the comic book world the toughest Private Dick around...Ms. Michael Tree. The hard as nails, shoot first, sort it all out later, don't take crap from any bad guy or even her friends, woman doing what was always considered a "man's" job. And she is better and tougher than most and stylish and beautiful and in heels while doing it! Collins is willing to take on ANY subject and explore what it really means to being human. Making mistakes, false assumptions, rape, standing up for yourself, killer cults, politics, emotional loss, unexpected pregnancies, assassins, Vietnam, drugs, physical abuse, gangsters and more. You name it, Collins has likely written about it in Ms. Tree at some point. The necessary mystery tropes are all there yet made new and relevant for today. A cast that is fully PART of the adventures with their own personal stories (actually told, explored and included) as characters which are just as important in Tree's life and job. Collins knows the detective world inside and out (go read his Nate Heller or ANY of his other mystery books/series for crying out loud, you won't be disappointed) and he uses every tool at his disposal (both good and bad at times) in delivering hard hitting, intelligent comic book stories without any capes or tights to be found. Apologies. Because I was late posting my picks, I’m even later in reacting to the picks of others. Anyway: You sum up my feeling on MAC perfectly. Ms. Tree Quarterly alone is an amazing feat. An oversized comic that lasted 3 years and not a cape in sight. And while Wild Dog is generally considered some kind of travesty, I actually enjoyed the original mini-series well enough. In its own way it was a mystery. Wild Dog’s identity was kept secret from us until the finale. Nothing great in the end, but good enough.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 31, 2020 15:38:12 GMT -5
Well, somehow I made. For a while there I thought I would have to throw the names out there and edit in the write-ups later. Good thing the near misses are usually just a line or two. (As some might have noticed, I tend to run on a bit.)
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Post by Calamas on Dec 31, 2020 15:23:14 GMT -5
John Ostrander
John Ostrander’s first career provided perfect training for his lifelong pursuit. He was an actor. It gave him the skill of getting inside his character’s head. More than that, he was a stage actor. He saw firsthand the value of story structure. All he had to learn was how to open out a story, how to move beyond the location restrictions inherent in a play. His initial work in comics would provide all the training he would need. After a couple backup stories about a backup character from a pedestrian comic called Warp!, alongside Tim Truman he would introduce Grimjack to the world.
They set Grimjack in a city named Cynosure, which existed at the center the universe. Various dimensions would periodically phase in and out of the city. Magic and science could exist side-by-side. Instantly Ostrander had gone from the limits of a stage production to absolutely no limits. Grimjack profited greatly.
DC came calling. He dove right into Firestorm, forcing Ronnie and Prof. Stein to confront some long-buried feelings. He launched Suicide Squad and exposed his talents to a much wider audience. He would go on to guide many of DC’s top titles but during his time at the company he was responsible for two other great works, one well-known and one forgotten. The Spectre he did with his longtime collaborator Tom Mandrake. The other was a maxi-series called The Kents. Ostensibly the history of Superman’s adopted family, in reality it’s the story of a family’s attempt to survive in the Kansas Territories before, during, and after the Civil War. Ostrander brilliantly weaves their lives with DC western characters and real life historical figures.
Post-DC Ostrander insinuated himself into the Star Wars universe at Dark Horse. Legacy was where he did his best work. Featuring a Skywalker descendant, he did not have to worry about contradicting known Star Wars continuity and had little problem with approvals from higher ups.
Ostrander originally caught my attention with those Grimjack backups in Starslayer. When Ostrander and Grimjack received their own title, it promptly became the first read of that week. I’ll admit Legends gave me pause. Though I had always enjoyed Len Wein’s work, I felt he and Ostrander did not mesh particularly well. But Suicide Squad locked me in. It wasn’t long before Ostrander was my favorite writer. From then on, the only time one of his titles wasn’t the first book I read that week was when he had more than one release. Something had to finish second. But for decades a comic with Ostrander’s name on the cover could never be found anywhere but at the top of my comic stack.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 30, 2020 13:47:07 GMT -5
Couldn't have said it better myself.
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