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Post by rom on Sept 27, 2021 16:09:52 GMT -5
In 2020, I re-watched all of the original Star Trek films (featuring the original cast) and also TNG films, for the first time on Blu-ray. Some of the movies are obviously better than others, but that's a discussion for another thread. What these re-watches led to was a re-interest in the DC comics that came out in 1984-1988 & 1989-1996, featuring the original cast & primarily set during the time period we see in the 1979-1991 Trek films. I remember reading a handful of these issues back in the '80's, but never really got into the series. However, from what I can remember (of the few that I read) - these were exceptional. And, these DC issues seem to be held up by fans as some of the best Trek comics - of which there are many. I don't believe DC has ever really reprinted many (if any) of these issues. Too bad, because I would definitely be all of for a comprehensive series of either color Trades or Omnis reprinting both series in their entirety. Again, I have no interest in the Eaglemoss volumes reprinting these comics: www.startrekcomics.info/dc1tos.htmlwww.startrekcomics.info/dc2tos.html
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Post by rom on Sept 27, 2021 16:08:13 GMT -5
As a kid in the late '70's, I remember having one of the early Star Trek Gold Key Trades reprinting numerous issues of the series; it was the first Collected Edition (CE) Trade I got reprinting older comics that I ever remember getting. These were excellent stories w/great writing and art - and really captured the feel/tone of the original ST TV series. I disagree that the art was poor; though it wasn't stellar, I actually thought it was better than a lot of other comic art I've seen - and the artists did try to depict the ST characters with some level of accuracy. In late 2014, I considered starting to collect some of the ST Gold Key reprint Trades by Checker - but decided not to based on the poor reproduction. In 2017, I got some of the IDW Gold Key reprints. Very nice - these had, overall, fantastic reproduction, and obviously the HC aspect was a plus. Unfortunately, the line stalled & they only released 5 volumes (I'm still missing Volume 2). So, the bulk of this 61-issue series has never been reprinted by anyone - at least not yet. Prior to doing research on the series, I hadn't realized that it ran from 1967-1979 - so, it began as TOS was still on TV. Interesting, given that I had initially thought this was a purely '70's comic series. Also, the covers in the first several years of this series were unimaginative, and just had production?! photographs from the series itself. It wasn't until 1971 that the covers used original cover art, which IMHO was exceptionally well-done. www.startrekcomics.info/goldkey.htmlI know Eaglemoss is reprinting all of the Star Trek comics, but I don't like reprints like this because they're not reprinting the different series by the different companies (Gold Key, DC, Marvel, etc.) all at once & back to back. I've heard only 1-2 GK ST comics are included in some of these volumes, and they're mixing this in with other ST comics from other companies. Plus, these UK books are not easy to get ahold of for us in the U.S.
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Post by rom on Sept 27, 2021 15:02:00 GMT -5
When the DVD sets started coming out years ago, I was extremely disappointed that S1 was presented in the incorrect aspect ratio - i.e., they incorrectly converted a show that was initially presented in the full-screen format to widescreen, which resulted in the top & bottom of the picture being cropped. This really butchered the picture, and as such made this tough for me to watch. IIRC, they corrected this in S2 & S3, but that still left S1 in incorrect & truncated format. AUGH!!!
Awhile back, someone gave me a link to a REALLY CHEAP box set of the complete series of "LOST IN SPACE". I had already bought season 1 by then. I checked it out, and discovered the ad said the episodes on the el cheapo box were all re-formatted to "widescreen". B***S***! B***S***!!! I stuck with the regular ones for seasons 2 & 3.
I have a home care client who's told me, more than once... that he feels it's "too much trouble" to adjust the picture format on his TV for different shows or films. It makes me shake my head in dismay.
On mine, it is SO EASY to switch from "normal" to "zoom" (I don't think I ever use the other couple of options). "Normal" for old TV shows (and about 95% of my self-recorded videotapes) and "zoom" for newer TV shows (THE FLASH), movies on DVD, or movies I taped myself off of TCM.
I mean, if you try to watch a square picture on "zoom", the top and bottom will get cut off. If you try to watch anything widescreen in "normal", you'll have BLACK BARS on ALL 4 sides of the picture.
Occasionally, I'll have some widescreen movie that isn't quite really wide widescreen, and trying to watch it in "zoom" will also cut off the top and bottom of the picture. But again, it takes seconds to check and adjust.
Good post. Just saw this, given that I haven't been to this site in 5-6 months. Note that with the Kung Fu S01 DVD's, even if you "adjust" your TV aspect ratio on your screen, you still won't be getting the full picture here. I.e., in this particular case the picture is truncated/cut off at the top and bottom of the screen. The only way we'll ever see the correct "fullscreen" aspect for S01 of the KF DVD's is if they're re-released with this correct aspect ratio. Which, honestly - may never happen.
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Post by rom on Apr 29, 2021 20:34:21 GMT -5
Great thread. As a kid/young teen back in the '80's, I remember watching re-runs of the early '70's series Kung Fu on the weekends. This is definitely one of my all-time favorite shows, and was an excellent (and unusual) combination of the American Western & Eastern mysticism. The late David Carradine did a great job as the stoic Caine, and it was interesting to see how he would deal with the various aggressors who would come after him in each episode. Also really enjoyed the flashbacks to his younger years, which not only had a lesson/moral, but were relevant to the current storyline in the given episode.
When the DVD sets started coming out years ago, I was extremely disappointed that S1 was presented in the incorrect aspect ratio - i.e., they incorrectly converted a show that was initially presented in the full-screen format to widescreen, which resulted in the top & bottom of the picture being cropped. This really butchered the picture, and as such made this tough for me to watch. IIRC, they corrected this in S2 & S3, but that still left S1 in incorrect & truncated format.
It would be great if they would re-release the series to Blu (or even re-release it to regular DVD) in the correct fullscreen format for all three seasons.
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Post by rom on Nov 9, 2020 19:23:25 GMT -5
Even though I was a kid when Micronauts first came out, I was never into these that much - probably because I preferred Star Wars, and couldn't collect too many lines due to financial restrictions. However, IIRC I think I had the green lizard character with the glow in the dark brain (at least I think it glowed in the dark). However, as an adult I really wanted to collect the planned new Micronauts line by Palisades back in the early 200X's. There were some pictures (from toy magazines of the era) showing a new Baron Karza & an alien, and they looked amazing. However, the line got cancelled before production. I would definitely be all for a all-new line of Micronauts figures with more modern, sophisticated sculpts. Maybe this time around they could even make some figures specifically based on the original characters from the Marvel comic (Bug, etc.) & base Karza, etc. on the way they looked in the comic - that would be nice. The Pallisades line was released...they did not sell well and only one wave was released, but they were released. They are also terribly fragile and poor quality and fall apart easily if you take them out of the packaging. But they did make it to market. -M Yeah, I knew about these - these were the retro line that were re-releases of the original Micronauts toys. However, that's not what I was talking about/referring to. The Micronauts line that was planned but never released were all new figures, i.e. a "re-boot" (for lack of a better word) of the action figures. The figures were planned to have all-new sculpts, etc. I saw some prototypes; Baron Karza & the green alien (can't remember the name) were shown in a toy magazine circa 2002-2003; I think it was the now-defunct "Tomart's Action Figure Digest". Other characters were planned. But, the line got cancelled before production. IIRC, the new figures were loosely based on the then-new (early 200X's) Micronauts comic by Devil's Due - I had a couple of issues of this back in the day.
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Post by rom on Oct 3, 2020 18:41:30 GMT -5
Even though I was a kid when Micronauts first came out, I was never into these that much - probably because I preferred Star Wars, and couldn't collect too many lines due to financial restrictions. However, IIRC I think I had the green lizard character with the glow in the dark brain (at least I think it glowed in the dark).
However, as an adult I really wanted to collect the planned new Micronauts line by Palisades back in the early 200X's. There were some pictures (from toy magazines of the era) showing a new Baron Karza & an alien, and they looked amazing. However, the line got cancelled before production.
I would definitely be all for a all-new line of Micronauts figures with more modern, sophisticated sculpts. Maybe this time around they could even make some figures specifically based on the original characters from the Marvel comic (Bug, etc.) & base Karza, etc. on the way they looked in the comic - that would be nice.
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Post by rom on Oct 3, 2020 18:26:38 GMT -5
I only read the Mike Golden Micronauts issues many years ago, but do remember it was an excellent book. Whenever threads like this get bumped it's a sad reminder that this amazing series still hasn't been reprinted; too bad rights issues are a problem here.
I would definitely be all for a set of Omnibuses (or even color Trades) reprinting the entire series, mini-series, Annuals, etc. Even though I haven't read the later issues, I would definitely be onboard for these reprints - just based on the great scans & the praise Micronauts has received over the years.
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Post by rom on Apr 17, 2020 12:59:50 GMT -5
Oh yeah, rights issues can easily be a show-stopper when it comes to reprints like this. I agree that's typically more of a problem than figuring out the logistics of how to do the physical reprinting itself.
There is a plethora of great comic book material out there that deserves to be reprinted - but hasn't for whatever reason. I suspect a lot of the "why not" has to do with rights issues, and/or because the cost of having to pay the original writers/artists (again) is too prohibitive.
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Post by rom on Apr 16, 2020 23:08:25 GMT -5
That all being said, if Charlton's comics were ever reprinted in CE's - they should be remastered/recolored. I suspect if a good job were done here, they would look a hell of a lot better than they did back in the day...since a lot of other older comics have benefited greatly from this remastering/recoloring.
The only problem with this idea is that Charlton destroyed sooo much original artwork and stat copies, that re-coloring from either would be next to impossible. From what I've read in interviews with former Charlton artists and editors (in issues of Charlton Spotlight magazine and Alter Ego magazine), they would literally incinerate piles of the stuff. Also, some of the early original art may have been destroyed in the 1955 flood of the Derby, CT printing plant.
Sad for collectors.
That's a shame. However, I suspect (though have no way of knowing for sure) that if a company wanted to produce reprints of these comics, they could possibly track down the original comics (which presumably still exist, somewhere) and then reprint them using the comics as the source material....without any kind of recoloring/remastering. Obviously, that wouldn't be ideal - but I would still buy these - given that it would be better than nothing.
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Post by rom on Apr 15, 2020 9:12:01 GMT -5
Definitely agree with this. I have dim memories of most Charlton comics since I read (or just flipped through) some of them when they were originally out, and haven't had an opportunity to read them since. I never had many of the original floppies, and AFAIK these haven't been reprinted to any extent. However, from what I do remember - the company did put out some very unusual (in a good way) books that the "big two" (Marvel & DC) wouldn't have touched at the time. I won't fault Charlton comics for poor colors/paper quality/print quality. A lot of comics from this era had crummy reproduction/quality. My take on this was that it was the nature of the paper/printing that was available at the time. And, it seems obvious that Charlton's publishers didn't have as much money as "the big two", so probably had to use cheaper paper & a cheaper production process. And, it really wasn't until the '80's when the direct market came about that the printing quality/colors/paper quality improved for comics in general. That all being said, if Charlton's comics were ever reprinted in CE's - they should be remastered/recolored. I suspect if a good job were done here, they would look a hell of a lot better than they did back in the day...since a lot of other older comics have benefited greatly from this remastering/recoloring.
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Post by rom on Apr 9, 2020 16:50:38 GMT -5
Yes, very cool - that's the type of art I was referring to. Really digging the '70's look/vibe of the artwork here, which now has a very interesting "retro" appearance. Especially like the colors, fashion, furniture, etc. I've always attested that the '70's & the '80's were the best decades for both comic books & movies, though I have a strong preference for the '70's.
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Post by rom on Apr 9, 2020 11:44:02 GMT -5
Great thread & fantastic scans! Great artwork here. I was especially impressed by the art in some of the '70's Charlton Romance comics, which I normally wouldn't be into. Thanks for posting these.
As a kid, I do remember flipping through/reading some Charlton comics on the stands in the late '70's/early '80's. I don't remember any specific titles, but did like their horror series. I also remember seeing at least one issue of Yang. They were definitely a very underrated comic book company, and they were 'independent' long before that became much more common in the '80's with the advent of the direct market, etc.
I would definitely be all for a series of reprints of some of these, especially their Horror, War, and Kung fu titles.
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Post by rom on Apr 9, 2020 9:40:07 GMT -5
Local Comic Stores (LCS's) have been on life support for years well before the virus, so I can completely see how this pandemic will cause many of them to go out of business entirely.
I will completely admit to eschewing LCS's completely about 5 years ago. I got tired of dealing with their bull$%$# (as I've mentioned in other threads) and it also wasn't convenient to be driving to & from the store 2-3 times a month. It's a lot easier & cost-effective to order the Collected Editions (CE's) I want online, and have them delivered directly to my door. If anything, I probably buy more CE's now than I did when I went to LCS because I'm saving money (by not having to pay full price) and it's a lot easier to get the books due to not having to go & pick them up.
I'm no economist, but I suspect that CE's can still exist and make money even without LCS to distribute them at all. Even now, I believe a lot of collectors are like me & order online exclusively. I.e., I can easily see paper CE's still being produced - but in much lower #'s.
What probably would suffer (if all LCS closed) are floppies, since I don't know if you can order these online as readily, or even if you would want to (the concern would be that they would easily bend while being shipped, etc.). So, if floppies stop being produced will CE's of older material still continue to be produced?! I don't know.
Also, if comics go 100% digital and there are no more paper copies of anything, I'm quitting the hobby cold-turkey. Screw that. I have 0 interest in digital comics & will not buy or read these.
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Post by rom on Apr 9, 2020 9:36:31 GMT -5
Most of the comics that Marvel & Image came out with in the '90's were s$%#. I.e., the new "X-men", "Spider-man", and Image comics had, overall, cookie-cutter interchangeable artwork & poor writing. They successfully tricked people into buying multiple covers of the same comic with the false promise that they were good "investments" (ha ha) - but between the covers it was all garbage. And, these multiple cover issues ended up being worth less than the paper they were printed off. What a joke.
Conversely, I really enjoyed what DC & Dark Horse were doing in the '90's. DC's Vertigo line was amazing, i.e. Sandman, Death: The High Cost of Living, Hellblazer, Preacher, Black Orchid (though that was late '80's), etc.
And, I did feel that DC's The Death & Life of Superman, and the Knightfall/Knightquest/Knightsend storylines were decent & well-done. Sure, they were designed by DC to get new readers into each respective series, but I felt the art was well-done (overall) and the writing was interesting re: both storylines.
Also really enjoyed Dark Horse's Star Wars comics, the post-apocalyptic maxi-series Grendel: War Child, and some of their other books.
So, yes - the '90's did have some good series/titles.
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Post by rom on Apr 9, 2020 9:21:15 GMT -5
Anyone who buys newer comics these days thinking they're going to be worth a lot of money later is a delusional idiot. Maybe if you have certain old, valuable comics in extremely good shape from the 1940's - 1980's they may be worth some money - but AFAIK these cases would be few and far between.
I remember the greedy speculators back in the '90's who all bought the crap Marvel & Image were spewing out re: the multiple cardboard/hologram covers. Thankfully, I never spent one cent on that garbage. Now, I've read that people have problems giving away this crap. It's definitely not worth the paper it's printed on. Maybe it can be used as toilet paper (especially with the shortages these days) or to line the bottom of a kitty litter box/birdcage - but that's it.
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