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Post by Calamas on Jan 12, 2015 17:55:21 GMT -5
Sonic Disruptors was a weird mini-series that got cancelled 2/3 of the way through the book, which was pretty unusual for the 80s. I read that one and remember it being pretty strange and not making a whole lot of sense. . . . Your “strange and not making a whole lot of sense” is my “just plain bad,” a shock coming from Mike Baron. Like you, I thought its discontinuation odd at the time. It may be the only Maxi-Series ever canceled by The Big Two.
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Post by Calamas on Jan 9, 2015 9:19:11 GMT -5
The Brave And The Bold #127June 1976 (March 16, 1976) $.30 Cover Art: Jim Aparo, signed, main image; Neal Adams, Batman headshot; Ric Estrada (Penciller), Wally Wood (Inker), Wildcat headshot . . . Points to PonderBatman travels to Key Allegro by commercial airliner rather than in the Batplane… and in full costume, no less. If I remember right (and my memory should always be questioned) Bob Haney cast himself as “Hannibal Kingsley.” Ulterior motive?
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Post by Calamas on Jan 7, 2015 21:38:47 GMT -5
Tame by today’s standards but this did get me to buy Uncanny X-Men: It also appears above. For some reason.
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Post by Calamas on Jan 7, 2015 21:37:09 GMT -5
Here's another classic - Airboy, I almost got this by Cover Alone Kinda reminded me of Indiana Jones - So to speak. Not Entirety. I was already reading Airboy but you can tell from one of my early desktops, that cover did make an impression.
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Post by Calamas on Jan 7, 2015 0:34:32 GMT -5
Well, the idea was to knock off a book a week. That didn’t go as planned. I was doing well until about halfway through the year, then other things got in the way. I closed 2014 at thirty-two. I wrapped with:
Recently finished:
The Dame by Richard Stark Continuing my way through Donald Westlake’s work as Richard Stark. Alan Grofield is more interesting than Parker but Parker’s adventures are better. Whichever protagonist, the novels are always quick, light entertainment.
Silent Prey by John Sanford Usually the blurb gives away too much. Here it didn’t tell me enough. Billed as the revenge story of the previous novel's villain, I had no particular interest; he was a character, I felt, not deserving of a return appearance. Silent Prey involved so much more. I regret having initially skipped it.
Rough Weather by Robert B. Parker The return of another villain, this one from 1997. In his third appearance, the Gray Man and Spenser, moral opposites with a degree of mutual respect, come into conflict. Some good character bit and psychological exploration--standard Parker--but also standard with the second half of his career, no clear ending. The story sort of peters out.
The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos My first non-series Pelecanos. My preference is for running characters but there is no denying the man’s brilliance, particularly with street-level life. I’ll end up reading them all.
The Fools in Town Are on Our Side by Ross Thomas I once heard Thomas described as “readable.” Not sure whether that was a compliment or insult--irregardless of how it was intended--but I tend to agree. This novel, in alternating chapters, follows three time periods in the hero’s life until it catches up to the present day, which in this case is 1970. Then the story moves to a unnamed Southern city--and that’s where I become uncomfortable. The N-word is thrown around liberally. Not just with bigots and villains but with everybody: good, bad; innocent, guilty; even black and white. I know recent real-world events have made clear that we are not as enlightened as we once thought, but this was just too much to look past to enjoy a story, particularly since I know Ross Thomas called it the way he saw it. Too much truth in fiction.
The Sour Lemon Score by Richard Stark I could imagine this being a response to complaints that Parker always wins. Of course, since Parker lives when few seldom do in these stories, Parker does win again. But not everything. Still enjoyable, still worth the read.
Fletch and the Man Who by Gregory McDonald Another series I’m working my way through. Here Fletch becomes the Press Liaison for a presidential campaign. Like his protagonist McDonald was once a reporter, and he had intimate knowledge of how these things worked in 1983. It is fascinating to compare that world to today’s of instant knowledge. The conclusion is almost irrelevant, and it reads that way, like McDonald belatedly realized he actually had to solve the murders to get out of the book. And that’s fine; the killings were besides the point.
In progress:
Kings of Many Castles by Brian Freemantle Whiskey River by Loren D. Estleman
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Post by Calamas on Jan 5, 2015 21:41:45 GMT -5
Thanks Kurt, it was a blast. I never really got the chance to participate on CBR, I think I always felt a bit of an outsider looking in, but the community feel here is so good and threads like this are an incredible amount of fun. Thanks again for all your hard work, but should you feel the need to run it twice a year... (Emphasis mine.)Sir, I am familiar with that feeling myself. I’ve participated in two--maybe three--of the ten, mostly because I lacked the time to do the proper research: explanations are not only required, they are what make the event. But non-participants have never been barred from commenting. That’s the other thing that makes this special. Camaraderie. Everybody’s welcome.
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Post by Calamas on Jan 3, 2015 20:46:08 GMT -5
For someone who had serious doubts about his ability to participate, I very much enjoyed the experience. Nostalgia is seldom a bad thing.
Thanks again, Kurt, for your annual efforts. If I may say so, you summoned the long distance Christmas Cheer.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 30, 2014 21:37:04 GMT -5
I have a nice memory of this book. I want to track it down but I suspect it might be pricey... If you don't care too much about condition it shouldn't be a big deal. I got my copy for $2. I, too, remember this as one the hardest Aparo’s to find. Neal Adams had a story in it, putting its price out of my range. The pre-internet days. How times have changed.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 29, 2014 17:06:26 GMT -5
#1. Brave & Bold #124 by Bob Haney and Jim AparoAs a self-professed #1 fan, how could I not love beyond all measure this legendary issue, with my man Jim Aparo cover-featured, and playing a major part in the whacked-out story?! Jim himself didn't care much for this one, but I think that was just because he was such a modest man. He really deserved to share the spotlight with Batman, as one of the Bravest and Boldest guest-stars in that comic's glorious history. I just wish he'd gotten a headline logo alongside Rock's, but then I guess we'd have to include Bob Haney and Murray Boltinoff, too... One of my favorite covers of all time. Only Aparo could produce two great covers in one effort
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Post by Calamas on Dec 28, 2014 22:40:03 GMT -5
I certainly doubt Steve Englehart was happy that Kevin Smith turned Silver St. Cloud into a bubble-brained blond bimbo in Batman: The Widening Gyre.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 28, 2014 22:36:24 GMT -5
Byrne was basically the harbinger of married couples can't work and happily married with kids don't belong in super-hero comics with this run too. It is certainly the example everyone points to when they want to justify breaking up all the couples in modern comics (Peter/MJ, Lois/Clark, etc.) furthering the legacy of damage that run did as well. It's the bad gift that keeps on giving. -M We, the buying public, may have to bare some responsibility too. Mark Waid tried exploring this territory with his second stint on The Flash (Vol. 2 #231-236). Not only did “Flash Family” not sell, it was actively hated. I suspect assumed expectations had a heavy hand in this. Fans wanted more of what Waid had accomplished with his original run; he want to create something new. Nonetheless, superhero married with (super) children lasted only six issues or so. I, for one, enjoyed it. I did not find Wally, Linda or the kids boring. You could argue that the initial villains, a mindless invading alien race, were. Perhaps that’s what turned people off. (Of course Waid started his Fantastic Four run the same way and that worked out considerably better.) But at no point were the heroes dull. At least to me. Clearly I was in the minority.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 28, 2014 18:50:54 GMT -5
I never noticed the Premminger reference until now. Awesome. Funny that it's the first time I notice the "Anatomy of a Murder" homage, too. Must be the effect of isolating that one panel. Honestly, neither did I. I saw the reference on the DC Comics Database when doing my research and decided to check it out. It seemed appropriate to highlight it.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 26, 2014 19:10:29 GMT -5
1970s: 4 1980s: 8
DC: 8 Marvel: 3 First: 1
Read as Released: 12 (That would change from the 90s on)
Personal Impact: 1 Nostalgia: 3 Quality: 8
Superhero: 10 (I’m going to call Jon Sable adventure and Swamp Thing “Sophisticated Suspense”)
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Post by Calamas on Dec 26, 2014 18:20:57 GMT -5
Those that I dropped in the final cut:
DC: The New Frontier #1 Mar 2004 "Our Fighting Forces" Fallen Angel #1 Sept 2003 "Darkness Falls" Hard Time #1 Apr 2004 "50 to Life" Black Hood #1 (Impact) Dec 1991 "Justice, No Waiting!" American Flagg #1 Oct 1983 “Hard Times”
Each of the above stayed with me in a very large part to the innovated ways in which they were presented. To me “new and different” means something--as long as it’s coupled with quality.
New Teen Titans #2 Dec 1980 "Today... the Terminator!"
Not just the debut of Deathstroke. This is where Wolfman hit his grove. I knew great things were coming.
Camelot 3000 #8 Sept 1980 "Judas Knight"
The definitive display of Brian Bolland’s art. Arthur hands Excalibur to each of his court as a “lie detector.” The power of those images in that sequence are unforgettable.
Shadow Strikes #1 Sept 1989 "Death's Head"
The first time The Shadow resonated with me. It transported me to the 1930s, an era that made The Shadow’s mysteriousness more effective.
Marvel Premiere #47 Apr 1979 "To Steal an Ant-Man!"
Just really liked Scott Lang from page one. Ant-Man was irrelevant.
Spectre #1 Dec 1992 "Crimes of Violence"
Ostrander and Mandrake matched with a character perfect for their talents. This was special from the first moment.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 24, 2014 14:14:32 GMT -5
Von Eeden's pencils look great. What a shame they got Colletted. Cei-U! I summon the neologism! I suspect “Colletted” is a term you’ve used before.
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