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Post by String on Aug 14, 2017 21:32:02 GMT -5
First example: The Flash. I know he was commercially successful at many points in comic history, but (volume 2 #123 aside) I wouldn't have the slightest idea where to look for the truly great Flash stuff. This is nostalgia talking - I remember from my childhood Flash comics that stood out. According to GCD it's Cary Bates/Irv Novick run. It often had a puzzle-like feature on the cover, and resolution is inside... Cary Bates became the lead writer on Flash with #209 and lasted till the series' end with #350, an uninterrupted run of 137 issues spanning 14 years, one of the most criminally underrated and underappreciated runs in comic memory. He had the good fortune of having Irv Novick and Carmine Infantino on art throughout his run. He made noteworthy contributions to Flash's Rogues Gallery with the addition of Golden Glider and the Rainbow Raider. His most notable storylines are the Barry/Reverse-Flash/Iris saga (which included the death of Iris and the death of Reverse-Flash), a saga spread out over nearly 100 issues and the Trial of Flash, which while padded in the middle, was the first ever serious examination of a hero's culpability in the eyes of the law when a hero crosses the line. Nobody had a better handle on Barry Allen than Bates. Next up, Mark Waid's run which went from (Vol 2) #62-129, #142-159. With art by Greg LaRocque, Mike Wieringo, Oscar Jimenz, and others, Waid helped cement Wally by becoming a hero in his own right, unveiled the Speed Force, laid the foundation for the one of the strongest concepts of legacy anywhere in the DCU, and lead Wally to love and marriage with Linda Park. Mention was made before and I'll second it heartily, Geoff Johns' run from #164-200 (Johns lasted beyond that but generally I stop at #200 with the end of the Zoom saga, the peak of his run for me). Scott Kolins for the majority of the art (with beautiful covers by Brian Bolland), Johns set up Wally as a blue-collar worker's hero, re-energized the Rogues with his fresh perspectives on their lives and relationships and gave Wally his own true arch-enemy in Zoom whose first act against Wally was truly monstrous.
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Post by String on Aug 12, 2017 16:27:16 GMT -5
All I know is that Jimmy Hudson Jr is the son of Ultimate Wolverine, a father he never met. Also, Ultimate Thor's hammer has appeared in the main MU. Thor Odinson believed that he may wield it but the hammer picked a very surprising choice instead.
It's been awhile but I've read a large majority of the Ultimate Spidey title through my local library. Probably my favorite work by Bendis and he & Mark Bagley set a recent modern record by collaborating on, I think, over 100 issues together on it?
Heartily agree with Ultimates and Ultimates 2. A wonderful re-thinking of Avengers lore. My only caveat is it introduces the notion of Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury...which helped lead to Jackson playing Fury in the films...which lead to Marvel introducing Nick Fury Jr whose black and one-eyed. *sigh*
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Post by String on Aug 12, 2017 16:16:56 GMT -5
I've liked most of what I've read by King so far. Now is he one of my favorite writers? No, not yet.
I like his ambition with characters, especially with Batman. He may not hit on all cylinders with each issue but I can appreciate the themes he clearly wants to explore with this type of character.
I read the first trade of Vision, thought it was well-done, an interesting exploration of the demands of logic versus the chaos of humanity (through the lens of daily life). These kind of mini-series that he does, when focused on a single character, I like this type of work from him best because he usually creates an interesting and unusual premise for these characters. I read the first issue of Miracle Man and thought it was one of the most disturbing issues that I've read so far this year in premise, tone, and mood. Certainly an engaging concept for Scott Free and what it may mean to him being a New God, looking forward to what comes next.
Omega Men, I think, may read better in trade. I read the first issue and felt rather lost, not so much in what was happening but more in subtext, like there was more happening here that at first glance. Definitely on my list to read though along with Sheriff of Babylon, which seems like it would be a gripping series considering King's background.
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Post by String on Aug 12, 2017 15:58:57 GMT -5
My first anniversary issue was LSH #300 (also first ever Legion story). So had no idea really of what was going on or how the vignette alternate reality stories linked into Legion lore. The art was simply incredible when I flipped through it and it was superheroes in space, what more do you want. (Kudos to them though for including the double page spread of the entire team at the end. It still looks fantastic though it did look intimidating as if to warn, See what you are getting into?) I just recently read JLA #200 for the first time on digital and man, that was FUN! Great story that linked back to the original gathering, a terrific mix of classic artists, and even Snapper Carr was tolerable. Another long-time favorite anniversary issue:
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Post by String on Aug 12, 2017 15:51:00 GMT -5
I was a huge fan of that run when it came out but, strangely enough, I was not as thrilled when I re-read it a few years ago. The fault lies not with Walt's brilliant work, but in all those who imitated his approach (on that title and others) since then. "Thor loses his hammer" or "Thor is defeated -for real, in a fair fight" were groundbreaking ideas at the time. Likewise the serious treatment of Norse myths. Ditto for "it's Ragnarok -seriously!" Even "Thor abandons his secret identity" was something unthinkable. "Odin is gone for good!" was also a brand new development. "Thor and Sif break up!"... Well, you get the idea. Walt was doing new stuff with Thor, but not just for shock value (like "let's have Thor sleep with the Enchantress"). It all made sense, and it all made for a gripping story. Since then, Mjolnir has been lost or destroyed so often that I lose count; Thor has been depowered, killed, maimed, and he even lost his own name. Asgard went through half a dozen Ragnaroks or more. Odin has died, come back, died again, come back again, etc. All the new stuff that Walt brought in has been redone again and again in different guises. I hope you'll get the chance to experience that saga without being influenced by what came later... Simonson really turned the character around in those days. Yes, that's too bad and even though I haven't read those later comics that endlessly repeated Simonson's innovations I am aware of a lot of that stuff just from frequenting comic book websites like this one, so it will have an effect. But I'll give it a try one day. To be honest, right now I'm more interested in Simonson's current book, Ragnarok, than in his 80s Thor. Ragnarok is an amazing title by Simonson, free of the constraints of Marvel's canon, he's able to tell the type of Norse god stories that he really loves. Though you never really hear a lot of buzz about it which is a shame. Heartily agree about the Surtur Saga, in fact Simonson's entire Thor run. Even before this 'golden age of reprints', this was one run that Marvel kept in print circulation. They just released a new volume set of it, 5 trades in all with the new coloring by Steve Oliff and Olyoptics. Simonson's epic pages just POP off the page now, love it.
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Post by String on Aug 9, 2017 13:21:07 GMT -5
For the record, my responses about Dart were based upon their sequence from last issue to this issue, from the moment her and Pakrat sneaked aboard the Destroyer's ship till they left it.
But yes, let's agree to disagree then. Again, your fresh insights have proved to be thought-provoking and that's always a good thing.
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Post by String on Aug 9, 2017 12:25:35 GMT -5
In no order....
Byrne:
FF X-Men Alpha Flight
Perez:
New Teen Titans Avengers with Busiek Legion of Three Worlds
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Post by String on Aug 9, 2017 12:16:21 GMT -5
Wasn't there some complaints by other creators that Wolfman wasn't targeting any of his own character creations for death in CoiE? I remember some rumor or something from awhile back about that's why he later killed Kole in NTT as some form of payment debt in this regard left over from the grumbling about CoiE.
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Post by String on Aug 9, 2017 12:08:48 GMT -5
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Post by String on Aug 9, 2017 11:36:54 GMT -5
In that regard, why does my neighbor Joe Smith feel the need to become Joanna Smith? It's in their nature, their essence. I don't think we know enough about Morphia's species to determine if she is something of an unusual anomaly or maybe part of a smaller minority with the same feelings/emotions/outlook. We are clearly told repeatedly she is an anomaly and not like anyone else. And while that can be done in a meaningful, purposeful way, it's lazy convenience if her behavior is like ours and the behaviors of those around her are not. It's like Conway is begging us to sympathize with her and also to dismiss the cultural context outright. That's bad writing, from my perspective. We've never seen Dart so effortlessly take out that many troops in close quarters. We know she's tough and impressive, but that kind of an altercation still needs to be earned. Again, if Dart's just going to win the day by herself whenever things look dire, where's the tension? Yes, there may be more meaningful, creative ways to explore such a difference but in this case, simple works. He's trying to build empathy for Morphea through her being an outcast from her family and friends (something most everyone can empathize with at one point or another) except he twists the usual formula by making her capable of love and seemingly everyone else of her species incapable. Again, we don't know enough of her species' history and culture to say anything more concrete about this difference. For that matter, how sure can we be that what we saw was Morphea's actual memories or Psyklop's manipulation of her memories in an effort to destroy her? He could have altered/intensified/exaggerated them in order to increase the psychological effect upon her. (Or better, we can explore more of her species in an Tales of the Atari Force spinoff!) As for Dart, what do you mean by 'earned'? Again, Conway has previously provided examples of her prowess and ingenuity on the battlefield. But let's look at what she actually did. For one, she's not alone, Pakrat is there willingly or not. And again as Conway likes to hammer home, a Pakrat cornered is a feral Pakrat and we see shots of him being feral and attacking. Second, every move she makes is in defense, she's looking to escape, to get free, even after leaving the previous hidden confines of the ship's vent system. She never once goes on the offensive because she knows she's outnumbered. Third, the ongoing fight never looks easy for her or Pakrat as they are forced into retreat. It also helps that the Destroyer was preoccupied with Martin else he may have ended the battle far more quickly. Fourth, even when forced into the engine room, where it may seem they are trapped, she displays her ingenuity by turning her disadvantage into an advantage to free herself and the others. Last, after escaping, even she is amazed that her and Pakrat weren't attacked upon leaving the engine room. In keeping with how Conway has developed her so far, Dart is a scrappy, tenacious warrior not some invincible super-soldier.
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Post by String on Aug 8, 2017 14:39:46 GMT -5
Marvel - X-Men
DC - Legion of Superheroes
Indy - Elementals
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Post by String on Aug 8, 2017 14:31:24 GMT -5
I view variant covers as a better litmus test for being a collector even more so than slabbing an issue. If you feel the need to own every variant cover of an issue or issue(s) then you are a collector. I see no purpose in spending the same amount of money (or more) each time to buy the exact same interior story just because of a different special cover (especially if you are only going to read that story once, maybe twice).
That's not say that I don't like the concept of a variant cover. If my LCS offers me the opportunity to purchase a variant copy that I like better than the regular copy, then I will do so, just not every single one of those offered.
I consider myself a reader with a large collection. However one of the few times that I do collect is in support of creator-owned titles that I enjoy.
Case-in-point: Lazarus. After reading the first trade, I acquired all 5 issues of that trade from my LCS and added the title to my pull list. I have bought the single floppies, every trade edition, every HC collection and any merchandise that I can find, all in an effort to support however I can (and for as long as I can) a creator/team that releases a product that I enjoy quite a lot. In fact, the only platform I don't buy in this scenario is digital, cause frankly I'm old-fashioned and I want to be surprised and entertained by the story and discussion while holding the physical book in my hand.
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Post by String on Aug 8, 2017 11:35:31 GMT -5
as well as provide us with her origin story, but while her story of being a lonely child among many dispassionate siblings in a race that has no regard for feelings works exceptionally well as a metaphor, it works a lot less well on a literal level. Why DID Dr. Morphia need to feel love when no one else among her species did? Within the perspective of her own culture, she's an agitator, not a sympathetic heroin. Spock didn't run around Vulcan demanding that people love him. Except that we never saw Dart secure that engine room by taking out that entire league of armed soldiers single-handedly. We're just told she did it, Pakrat standing by, cowering idly, and that bothers me. Dart is beginning to feel a bit like a Mary Sue, and there's no real tension in a book with a Mary Sue hero who can just take out everyone at any given time, no explanations offered. In that regard, why does my neighbor Joe Smith feel the need to become Joanna Smith? It's in their nature, their essence. I don't think we know enough about Morphia's species to determine if she is something of an unusual anomaly or maybe part of a smaller minority with the same feelings/emotions/outlook. As for Dart, that is more a pacing issue than one of characterization. While a shot of Dart kicking butt in the engine room would have been nice, obviously the more important story beat Conway wanted to emphasize was the result, she gained control of it. Besides, having read the series so far, why shouldn't you feel that she can do that? It's not as if Conway hasn't provided earlier examples of her ingenuity, prowess and experience as a solider and mercenary. If anything, this could highlight the overconfidence/arrogance/ineptitude of the Dark Destroyer's crew.
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Post by String on Aug 8, 2017 11:07:54 GMT -5
DubipR
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Post by String on Aug 6, 2017 20:14:56 GMT -5
Meanwhile, I wanted to love Chris's first encounter with The Dark Destroyer, but I'm just not attached enough to either character. Come to think of it, if the Dark Destroyer had finished Chris right then and there, we would have been rid of the series' most obnoxious character, more impressed by The Dark Destroyer as a serious antagonist, and Dart and Martin would be given tremendous incentive to develop further as characters in response. But the whiny kid is going to live. Sigh. Hahahaha, I like that, you made me laugh out loud when I read that. Before, you do get the sense that Dart was the unofficial lead/favorite character of the group. Now though, she will really have to step up into the main spotlight since Martin's obsession is full-scale now and she doesn't know how he will react when things really start to heat up. Chris' mental state is affected by his father's obsession and now that he's glimpsed some kernel of truth behind that obsession, she may wonder could he follow in his father's footsteps? So in more than one way, Dart has begun to become the group's center and foundation.
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