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Post by Dizzy D on Jan 16, 2024 8:35:22 GMT -5
Have the Atlanteans and Asgardians ever had any interactions (diplomatic relations, conflicts, etc)? At Marvel? Don't remember anything. All conflicts between Thor and Namor seem to have been personal (Thor/Namor, Avengers/Defenders) or U.S. based (Thor as Avenger vs. Atlantis invasion). You'd kinda expect there has to be some relationship with Atlantis being related to the Greek Gods and those definitely had extensive relationship with Asgard.
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Post by Dizzy D on Jan 14, 2024 2:06:12 GMT -5
I really liked it, it was one of my top 5 favourites of 2022 and 2023. I've read it in one setting though (or two settings more precise as I read both trades.) I don't consider the story complete though, this was just the first arc.
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Post by Dizzy D on Jan 9, 2024 5:22:03 GMT -5
I've read it (see earlier in this thread) and it has been translated into some languages already (that's the way I've read it) and it made my top 5 of 2023. I expect that it will come to the US sooner or later as most things Manara have.
Keep in mind that he has split the original in two parts and the one that has been released is only part 1.
@berkley: Manara has enough in the book to portray more than just monks in grey robes. Take a look at the cover for instance.
I was just about to make a joke about Manara finding an excuse to include some sexy girls but I should have known that with Manara it would be no joke! But in fairness, it's been so long since I read the book that I really don't recall how much poetic license he's taking there; maybe it's all straight from Eco.
I wonder if he'll do Foucault's Pendulum next: that one I can imagine him having a real field day with, assuming he allowed himself a certain degree of freedom in adapting it to the comics/B-D medium.
What's everyone's favourite Manara recommendations, while we're talking about him?
For Manara, I'd have to check, probably Indian Summer or Guiseppe Bergman.
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Post by Dizzy D on Jan 8, 2024 9:16:41 GMT -5
x-posting in the Ask a Question thread: Manara has done an adaptation of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. The edition is in Italian I believe. Does anyone know if there is (or is planned) an English translation for the US market or if it is available (in Italian) from any US distributor? has anyone read this adaptation? I saw Francesco Francavilla post about it and post a small page sample and it looks good, but more opinions would be welcome. -M
I've read it (see earlier in this thread) and it has been translated into some languages already (that's the way I've read it) and it made my top 5 of 2023. I expect that it will come to the US sooner or later as most things Manara have.
Keep in mind that he has split the original in two parts and the one that has been released is only part 1.
@berkley: Manara has enough in the book to portray more than just monks in grey robes. Take a look at the cover for instance.
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Post by Dizzy D on Jan 5, 2024 11:31:46 GMT -5
The overall storyline was weak, but there were some good individual issues in there.
X-factor itself had pretty much the same problems, made worse by the fact that they wanted to bring back the original X-Men, but had no real plan with what to do with them when they came back. Simonson at least convinced editorial that they would need some actual threats for the team. Originally they were going to fight the Owl.
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Post by Dizzy D on Jan 5, 2024 10:52:50 GMT -5
Instead of going to Wikipedia (I prefer meaningful conversation and anecdotes), could somebody please tell me what was happening in the main X-Men book when X-Factor debuted in 1986? X-Factor featured the original X-Men masquerading as “mutant hunters” away from Professor X, right? So, from, say, 1986 to 1988, or even just the first year, what was happening in the main X-title, who was leading the X-Men, was Xavier active, etc?
Around that time Xavier was taken into space by the Spacejammers when he had a heart attack and couldn't return to Earth for plot reasons (Shi'ar civil war). Before he left, he asked Magneto to take over as teacher for the New Mutants.
The X-Men around that time were still based in the Mansion, though not for long. Storm (though she lost her powers) was the leader with Wolverine. The team itself was falling apart: Rachel Summers disappeared after a failed attempt to kill Selene, Shadowcat, Colossus and Nightcrawler were injured during a fight with the Marauders, leaving Storm, Wolverine and Rogue. The Marauders targeted also other mutants, so Havok and Dazzler joined up around that time. Cyclops' wife Madelyne Pryor was also attacked by the Marauders and joined the team as support. Psylocke and Longshot joined for other reasons.
In Dallas, just in time for Colossus to recover enough to join the team again, the X-Men faced a demonic creature called the Adversary who had ties to Forge and they (including Madelyne) sacrificed their lives to stop it, but were resurrected by Roma (the daughter of Merlin). Using their death as cover, the team moved to Australia where they used an abandoned town as their base of operations.
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Post by Dizzy D on Jan 2, 2024 10:13:12 GMT -5
Lumberjanes: Not the kind of title I'd have picked up by myself, but I got a big Boom Humble Bundle once and I really liked the series.
The Fade Out: It started slow for me (as I've said in another thread), but I really liked the second and third parts of the story and overall it scores pretty high on the Brubaker/Philips for me.
Ms. Marvel, by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona: Never got around to it, by now I was mostly focused on everything Image was putting out around this time (like Descender, Injection (which started strong, but fizzled out and I don't think we will ever see a conclusion to), Monstress, Paper Girls and probably more that I can not easily find right now)
Rocket Raccoon, by Skottie Young: It's fine.. not the best thiing he has done. Certainly not terrible, but I wouldn't put it in the top of the year.
The Wicked + The Divine, by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie: Like Fade Out, it took a bit for me to find what the series was going for, but it's one of my all time favourites. By the same team I like Young Avengers a lot less (though still like it) and Phonogram a bit more (because it's laser focused on my interests).
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Post by Dizzy D on Dec 26, 2023 1:53:47 GMT -5
Definition of superhero being kinda wobly, there were theatrical releases of animated movies for Astro Boy (1963) and Cyborg009 (1966) that fit most definitions of superheroes IMHO.
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Post by Dizzy D on Dec 22, 2023 3:51:10 GMT -5
G.O.D.S. #3 by Jonathan Hickman, Valerio Schiti and Marte Gracia
Plot: And another piece gets added to the board. Amelia is a Cassandra, the fifth and last one in the history of the world. Like the name implies, Cassandra's see the future with high accuracy but are fated to be disbelieved. So she does what the other Cassandra's never did and starts to use her own knowledge to gather the pieces she needs to avoid the future.
Meanwhile Wynn and the Centum are meating with Dr. Strange as a mediator to discuss the movements of the In-Betweener and the implications that his actions are not isolated, but that all the lesser gods and greater gods are preparing for something. And one of the greater gods acts in this issue: Oblivion.
Art: Schiti gets to do more this time around and I like the representation of the ever-shifting and changing Oblivion. I've been harsch on Schiti the last two issues, but this time I have no negative comments. Strange keeps shifting to his Black Priest look from Secret Wars when confronted by events from that time, which there is no real explanation for, nor is it adressed in the text at all.
Writing: Still a bit of setup with the introduction of Amelia/Cassandra, but it's a good bit of writing. We quickly get what her deal is (of course, with mythology-based characters we usually already have that starting framework), how she got where she is and the losses she experienced. Mia gets to interact with Dimitri who are kinda mirror images of each other and the interaction is mostly light and fun, though Dimitri, being part of the Centum's side is surprised to learn that they have recruited a mage without him even knowing. And we get a bit of new Marvel Lore: there are many lesser gods, but 8 greater gods with Oblivion being marked as one of them. (So the rest would obviously be Eternity, Infinity and Death. Powers-that-Be (Magic) and Natural-Order-of-Things (Science) are also said to be part of it, so that leaves two more. Order and Chaos? (I think that Ewing's Ultimates has been kinda forgotten/retconned regarding their new form) But that kinda overlaps with Powers and Natural Order, I think. Two other new ones? I don't think that it's going to be Galactus, the Phoenix and those type of entities as these all seem to be more of the abstract entities, but you never know.)
For new readers: The setup seems to be done now and the story starts to move. Still interested where it's going, but still something I can't recommend for now. It all depends on how the story develops.
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Post by Dizzy D on Dec 22, 2023 3:08:56 GMT -5
End of year and a lot coming out at once, so short opinions on all Asterix, the White Iris by Fabcaro and Didier Conrad: First issue by the new writer and I liked it. Not quite Goscinny yet, but it has the old school setup of the village running into a new issue that is really based on some current event rather than the fantasy elements more recent issues were trying. Spirou par... Blue Gorgon by Dany and Yann: Spirou and Fantasio are caught between a Trumpian billionaire and a eco-terrorist organisation. Art is decent (Dany has done better and he's still drawing black people as caricatures though.) and the story kinda ends. Redbeard #3 Mami Wata by Kraehn and Carloni. This concludes this three-parter. It's a very standard pirate story by now with cursed treasures, betrayals and swordfights, but that is not a negative and it still looks amazing. Robillar #3 by Chauvel and Huinebaud: The final issue of a take on Puss-in-Boots. This time with an Animal Farm flaovur. Robillar is sent to a farm where the farm animals have risen against their human masters once they have figured out what they are really there for. Love the cartoony art, the story is funny, but also a bit dark and sad. Overall I quite liked this series. WIth only three issues, which all can also be read standalone, it doesn't outstay its welcome. Mercy by Jean van Hamme, Bazin, Bertail, De Jongh, Djief, Durieux, Efa and Munuera: Not to be confused with Sejic's Mercy title. This is a collection of short stories (some only 2 pages long) by Van Hamme with different artists. Lot of stories and the quality is inconsistent between them, but there were some good ones in there. Very Roald Dahl's "Tales of the Unexpected" vibes with the stories often having a dark, comedic twist ending. Captain Voodoo by Pecau, Perovic and Sayago: Somehow I got a lot of pirate comics this year, between the Redbeard revival, Baracuda (old series, but I bought it this year), La Buse and now this one. It does make the historic faux-pas by equating the Irish indentured servants with the African slaves taken to the US. An irish indentured servant is freed by pirates together with several black slaves, and finds out that his dead brother's spirit has entered him (see Brother Voodoo), he also has become a vessel for powerful spirits and one of the black slaves befriends him and tries to guide him in using his new powers. Somehow not part of Pecau's widespread Secret History/Arcana/multiple other titles universe (though it may be revealed later to be a part). Liked Redbeard and Barracuda better. Lament of the Lost Moors: Sudennas #3 by Dufaux and Teng: See earlier in this thread on this series. Siobhan tries to free her friend Seamus from her cousin Alysia's dark spell. As all Lament of the Lost Moors, this probably is going to have a bittersweet ending, where while evil doesn't win, good will still be marked by the events. Still highly recommended as a fantasy series with great art. Warmachines #6: The Butcher of Stonne by Pecause, Mavric-Andronk and Verney: #1 still the best story in this series on WWII tanks, but this on was interesting, mostly because it didn't focus on a German, British, American or Russian tank. Instead it focuses on B1 bis, a french tank. There is not much story here, instead you get a lot of info dumps on the tank itself and the role it played in the war. Popular culture often portrays the German tanks as invincible, but in this case the B1 Bis was better armoured and armed than any tank the Germans had and the Germans only managed to destroy these type of tanks by using anti-aircraft guns and heavy artillery against them. But they were also slow and very complex with teams needing far more training than they received to use the tank effectively. Blacksad 7 They All Fall Down by Canales and Guarnido: Was disappointed with part 1, because it was the first two-parter they did so you were left hanging halfway through. The second part of the story wraps things up well IMHO and the art is amazing as always. I am their Silence - A Murdercase in Barcelona by Jordi LaFebre: Eva is a psychiatrist who has been suspended. She is being evaluated by a colleague, Dr. Llop, as she tells the story of her past week, which involves her investigating a murder (against the wishes of the police officer in charge with the actual investigation), aided by the spirits/hallucinations of the 3 dead family members (a grandmother and two aunts) who raised her. This all sounds very serious and the issue touches on some dark subjects, but the issue includes many lighthearted moments as well and the art is a joy to behold. If I recommend anything on this list (and I recommend quite a few of them), I think this is the title I'd recommend the most. Livet #1 by Cornelis and Riedé. Disclosure: Riedé is a co-worker who does the writing of comics as a sidejob and I have contributed to this kickstarter. Also won a contest they held, so I actually appear in this comic as a character (a peasant with 1 line). So I am biased. Two magical knight travel the country to protect villagers from evils, including a flesh-eating giant. It's the first issue so things are still getting started (it follows more of an American model than an European). Some strong language and violence, but the two knights are likeable and I'm very curious to see where the story is going.
Forgot one, Marini has returned to his Eagles of Rome series, but I need to reread the entire series to remember what the story was so far. August just died, leaving the way for a reluctant Tiberius to take over as Emperor. Marcus has become a Gladiator after the death of his loved one, but is drawn in again when he hears that his child may be alive. Arminius puts more pressure on Rome. Lot of bits moving around on the chessboard, this is one of the series were individual comics are just part of the greater whole and there is little to say on the seperate parts.
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Post by Dizzy D on Dec 17, 2023 1:36:27 GMT -5
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Post by Dizzy D on Dec 15, 2023 17:20:33 GMT -5
I'll keep digging because I'm intrigued by the question as well: The year of publication on those scans (1961) helps a lot BTW: Berck at that time was doing a series with Goscinny, Strapontin, which was his debute for long-form comics (till then he only did short panels). Maurice Maréchal was probably focused on Prudence at the time, comics were a side-job for him, he was also working as a professor at the university at the same time. So again possible (he did some short things in Tin-Tin magazine that I think were never collected), but unlikely. (Also went through these links and looking at covers by year, but nothing coming out that fits this style completely: www.lastdodo.nl/nl/areas/7502-lombard?page=16 and www.lastdodo.nl/nl/areas/7539-dupuis?page=2)Period and style-wise (looking mostly at the black dot eyes): The style is a bit like Jef Nys, but Nys' style is cleaner and less detailed. Also I can't find him doing anything before Jommeke (or rather before its predecessor Amadeus en Seppeke) Also it resembles early Tibet (also the combination of cartoony characters and more realistic drawn characters fits him), but I've seen nothing listed like this series for him. Others that were around at the time: Bob de Moor was around at that time, but his style a the time was more Herge-like as he was assisting him and doing his own series Mr. Barelli. Also very detailed. If it was him, I'd probably know, but then again Bob de Moor did a LOT of work and started in the late 40s, so that is quite a window where something like this could have been published. Albert Weinberg's early work had some mixture of cartoony and realistic and he had sci-fi elements... but the style doesn't fit to his other works. Dino Attanasio would have been published in Italy at the time, he has done a lot and has multiple styles, but still the elements don't quite fit him. A lesser known imitator is probably the most likely candidate, because any of the big names would have probably have been reprinted at one point or another.
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Post by Dizzy D on Dec 15, 2023 7:14:22 GMT -5
ARMLESS TIGER MAN!! He’s awesome! He's not a patch on Tigerless Arm Man.
That sounds like a Skeleton Man situation.
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Post by Dizzy D on Dec 14, 2023 10:30:59 GMT -5
I know the Armless Tiger Man appeared in an issue of Pak/Van Lente's Hercules (not a big part). I expect several others to have similar appearances.
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Post by Dizzy D on Dec 14, 2023 10:20:04 GMT -5
I don't think it's Berck, because if it was, I'd probably could have found a Flemish or French version of it. Also the style seems a bit off for him. But that is still an educated guess.
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