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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 24, 2023 22:24:27 GMT -5
I almost forgot! That scene in Avengers #35, the second and concluding issue of their battle with the Living Laser!
Goliath and Cap are in the Laser’s fortress, when Cap’s shield is caught and disintegrated by one of the Laser’s devices!
Oh no! Cap’s shield!
But never fear! It shows up again, eight pages later, Cap is carrying it around, no explanation given!
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 24, 2023 20:57:23 GMT -5
And I’m up to Avengers #36.
The last few issues have been enjoyable for the Don Heck art, the character moments, the inclusion of the Black Widow and the return of Wanda and Pietro. But the bad guys have left a lot to be desired. We’ve had the Keeper of the Flame, the Living Laser and some generic aliens who use an army of artificial creatures called Ultroids to do their dirty work.
My only other comment is ... Hank needs to give the Black Widow a break! Lighten up, High-Pockets!
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 24, 2023 20:51:00 GMT -5
Meanwhile, I’ve started the Hulk Marvel Masterworks volume that reprints Tales to Astonish #80 to #101 and Hulk #102.
I love these Bill Everett issues so much! Tyrannus! The Mole Man! Boomerang! The Orion Missile! The Secret Empire!
Bill Everett draws Betty Ross like Tuesday Weld.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 24, 2023 20:45:49 GMT -5
I had forgotten that a long time ago I bought digital versions of Strange Tales #147 to #150 on Comixology. So I read those over the last few days. The villain in the Doctor Strange stories is Kaluu, and he’s not such a bad villain, especially as drawn by Bill Everett.
Over in the Nick Fury side of the book, A.I.M., not yet identified as a villainous group, is plotting against Fury, who suspects they are an organization with evil intent, like Hydra or THEM or the Secret Empire.
There are some surprises in the text boxes in these Fury stories. Jack Kirby gets credit for the script in one. And Ogden Whitney is the credited penciller on the next issue.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 22, 2023 13:52:21 GMT -5
I’m up to Strange Tales #146, the last Ditko issue. And I’m also up to Avengers #30.
I had forgotten that Doctor Strange defeated Mordo and Dormammu in #141 and the last few Ditko issues are devoted to wrapping up a few loose ends. Mordo’s disciples, who are unaware that Mordo was banished to some remote mystical nightmare world, are still carrying out Mordo’s last wishes, harrying Strange and capturing him and trying to kill him. Strange is also tying to find Clea (who remains unnamed until #146). And it finally ends with Dormammu attacking Eternity while Strange observes.
It remains a great series all the way to the finish.
I really enjoyed these last few issues of The Avengers, #28 to #30. I’ve only read these issues once, in a Showcase volume that I got from the library. Pretty soon, we’ll be up to where my Marvel Triple Action collection starts, And I’ll be talking about some comics that I read a bunch when I was a kid. But this period of the late 20s in the early 30s is very fresh to me, almost like I’ve never read it before.
The Black Widow is back! And she’s been brainwashed by the Communist Red Chinese! She’s leading a small team of super villains against the Avengers! It’s Power Man and the Swordsman, and it sounds like a bit of a power imbalance, but the Avengers are having membership problems. Wanda and Pietro have take a leave of absence because their powers are disappearing, and they think a trip to the Old Country might replenish them. Meanwhile, Goliath is having an identity crisis because he's stuck at the size of 10 feet and he feels like a freak!
Great art by Don Heck and Frank Giacoia!
I’m done with Strange Tales (for now) and I decided to take a break from the Avengers and look at what else was going on at Marvel, and what was going on at DC, during this time range. It’s really quite an amazing time period the comics. For example, Fantastic Four #44 to #50 is roughly contemporaneous.
I decided to pick out a few comics cover-dated the first half of 1966 and read those for a few days so the Avengers will be fresh when I get back to them.
I decided to concentrate on books that I really like, and not just pick books at random because they fit the time period. And I am amazed that so many great comics are concentrated in the six-month span.
Here’s what I picked ...
Adventure Comics #340 and #341 - The first battle with Computo! My favorite LSH story.
Amazing Spider-Man #34 - My favorite Kraven the Hunter story!
Batman #181 - The first Poison Ivy! One of my favorite New Look stories.
Justice League of America #42 - The first Royal Flush Gang!
The Iron Man stories in Tales of Suspense #76 to #78 - I love Iron Man in this period, and this three-part story is one of the best Mandarin appearances, and is one of my favorite Iron Man storylines.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 21, 2023 14:09:34 GMT -5
My first issue of SSOSV was #2 and I bought every issue as soon as it came out. I got the first issue very soon after the second issue came out. My dad’s favorite used-book store had a small room in the back with three walls of magazine racks and it was all used comics, mostly from the previous five years with the occasional late-1960s treasure in an actual comic book bag, priced at $1.00. (That’s where I got my Spider-Man #99.)
Most of the comics were 2 for 25 cents. And it looked like somebody had bought SSOSV #1, read it once and immediately traded it for something else.
So I got my SSOSV #1 in near-mint condition for 12 1/2 cents.
I love that series. I still have all the original issues. I bought the two-volume trade hardback so I could read the issues that weren’t published because it was canceled.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 21, 2023 10:21:30 GMT -5
Black Panther. Was it ever explained how an animal that is indigenous to America became the icon of an African nation? “Panther” is a very old word used to describe any giant cat with a solid coat. And “tiger” used to be a more broad word as well, for any big cat with spots or stripes. William Blake’s “Tyger Tyger” is often thought to be describing South American spotted cats. (I wrote this from memory, so be lenient if I’m a little off.)
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 19, 2023 22:20:39 GMT -5
Re: Cabaret Here’s as chilling a scene as you’ll ever see in any movie, let alone in a musical: When I looked for it, I discovered to my surprise that it has been appropriated by all the wrong people over the years. My parents had the Cabaret soundtrack (8-track!) and played it a lot, so I knew all the songs but none of the context. I specifically remember singing this one because I liked the way it sounded. I had no idea what it was about. I finally saw the film about 15 years later and you could have knocked me over with a feather.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 19, 2023 21:00:13 GMT -5
I ordered my own copy of Detective Comics #235. This is the one where Bruce remembers that his father wore a prototype Batman costume to a masquerade ball. And it’s also the first story to suggest that the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne was part of a conspiracy! Wow! That sounds like a great idea that will never spiral out of control into incoherency!
I like the story OK, but it’s not an addition to the origin that I approve of. I think Batman is easier to relate to if it was a random tragedy that could happen to anybody.
I bought a pretty beat up copy for $110. The cover is detached and the staples are rusty and there’s some moisture marks. This issue can get expensive and, since I’m not such a big fan, I decided to get a cheap one.
I am very much looking forward to reading the Martian Manhunter and Roy Raymond. As always!
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 19, 2023 20:40:07 GMT -5
I had trouble sleeping a few nights ago, so I listened to the podcast where Crimebuster and I discussed Avengers #16 to #27. It’s two parts, so it’s more than two hours, and I didn’t think I’d listen to the whole thing. But I did! So, yeah, I guess it’s something I can listen to every so often. I’ve read Avengers up to #20 so many times that I remembered most of the story elements that Crimebuster and I discussed. And then #21 to #24, I haven’t read them as much but I love these issues and so I was nodding in agreement, and remembering a lot of it. (I’d forgotten that Wanda and Pietro went to Hello, Dolly! and commented on Carol Channing. That’s great!) But the later issues of this run, I don’t like so much, but I can’t remember why except in the most vague manner. So after listening to the podcast, I’m prepared for the first Doombot! And Attuma! And the Collector! classiccomics.org/thread/4901/15-caps-kooky-quartet-hoosierclassiccomics.org/thread/5080/16-caps-kooky-quartet-hoosier
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 19, 2023 19:37:51 GMT -5
The trailer to Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 ...
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 19, 2023 19:34:50 GMT -5
Battles Without Honor and Humanity is something else. Great movie series. It’s also known as The Yakuza Papers.
And yes, I also love Lone Wolf and Cub so much. The whole series.
1972 was a great year for Japanese cinema
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 19, 2023 16:23:41 GMT -5
Dracula A.D. 1972 is most definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. The Hammer Dracula series was definitely “subject to the law of diminishing returns”. And when I first heard that there was a film featuring Dracula active in 1972 London, it sounded absurd. But I quite enjoyed it. I mean, it’d got a bit silly with the likes of Scars of Dracula and Taste the Blood of Dracula. It was wearing thin a tad. And I say that as someone who loves Hammer as it was my “gateway drug” to cinematic horror. But it had begun to wear thin. At least 1972 London offered a change of scenery, and the idea of Dracula active in the modern world at least hooked me. So maybe it’s not even a guilty pleasure. Maybe I just like it for what it is. The one I really like is The Satanic Rites of Dracula.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 19, 2023 16:04:02 GMT -5
My two favorite movies from 1972 are Cabaret and Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41.
It would be difficult to choose between them.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 19, 2023 15:58:36 GMT -5
I saw The Getaway years ago and I thought it was great. I’ve been meaning to watch it again.
Blacula is awesome.
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