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Post by Snikts and Stones on Sept 26, 2017 10:30:23 GMT -5
I loved the feeling of inclusiveness the comics of my youth gave me. The little notes from Stan and the bullpen, there was at least an illusion that I was part of the machine, and part of the group! Great stuff
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 26, 2017 23:02:10 GMT -5
There are moments every year where I try to get back a little bit of my childhood. In the early spring or early fall I will spend an afternoon out on the back porch with a mixed pile of comics from my youth. With a freshly mowed lawn and the water sprinkler going as I sip upon a cold iced tea returning to those golden days of misspent youth reading my comics and ignoring the world around me I can reclaim memories and sensations almost tasting the past. An afternoon losing myself in a musty old used bookstore (sadly so few remain) with no true purpose or goal other than the pure enjoyment found in searching. Titles of books and or comics reminding me of past treasures well worn and beaten or thrown out as they "died their noble death" in my hands from reading them constantly. I will find old books or comics that I owned and traded or sold or lost and in that instance will find myself smiling to having struck gold and finding them once more. It is the past revisited with new understanding and knowledge where I can find new pleasure and reading excitement from stories lovingly remembered that helped me to become who I am today. And reliving or recapturing that sensation today only enhances the past and today making for more joy to come tomorrow! Man... Well said. On to the hunt, no long box is safe!
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 26, 2017 1:28:02 GMT -5
Well said! There's nothing like browsing the pages of a beloved childhood comic for returning you to that era. I had a Captain America comic when I was maybe five. I couldn't read it, and visually it confused the heck out of me. So much so that I remembered specific images from it, Cap's bullet ridden uniform getting pulled from the water, a mask with bullet holes, this kid in a domino mask, and awesome buccaneer boots. Much later when I was introduced to Jim Steranko I saw some of his Cap panels and was floored, his art fit these old memories of probably my first comic book! But it couldn't be because this was in '78, ten years after Steranko was on the book. After a quick search on Google It turns out my grandfather got me a copy of Marvel Super Action which reprinted Captain America #111. I've since re-read it and it's still a heavy read. Steranko was in a class by himself!
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 25, 2017 15:20:37 GMT -5
When I was a little kid, 8 or 9 years old, Comic books were a luxury. I didn't have that many, and maybe only owned a handful until I was a teen and was able to buy my own. The ones I did have were etched in my memory as I had them stashed at my grandmothers house or in my desk at home and I'd read them over and over. Sometimes I'd just "look" at them and make up my own script to go along with the visual story telling.
I recently was able to grab a couple of these online after some searching, (ex: keyword "She-Hulk kisses Hawkeye") Avengers 222 and Brave and the Bold 190. It was amazing thumbing through these issues again, every panel brought a jolt of recognition and memories flooding back. The funny thing is that now I have context for the Avengers story I didn't have a kid, the importance of why Pym was in jail, knowing who Yellow Jacket is, snickering at this ad-hoc Masters of Evil. Beautiful stuff. The D&D strip at the end almost gave me a heart attack, as I wouldnt get into that hobby for several more years and had completely forgotten about that "weird hobbit comic".
This whole experience to me is how great this hobby is, sweeping epic story lines and characters notwithstanding, and how cool it is to just hold an old comic from your youth in your hands...
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 2, 2017 22:25:54 GMT -5
This is great! Tough thinking about one that hasn't been a What If, Doom as the Sorceror Supreme, etc. If Sue Storm ever broke bad she would be bone chillingly frightening I think... Professor Hulk as well, but that's essentially the Maestro so that doesn't count. The Joker as a maniacal light of justice? Or is that The Creeper? Read Byrne's take on Invisble Woman being evil. She was Malice and she was nasty. I Forget the issues. That's just too good to hear James. I'm working on reading Byrne's FF.
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 2, 2017 12:50:00 GMT -5
Anyone remember NEC publishers? I got a few issues of Terrology and Tales To Terrible to Tell in 50 cent boxes back around 2000. I was just rereading them and forgot how much comics history these books contained. Besides reprinting Pre Code horror stories they have a lot of history on the publishers of these horror comics. A quick look at ebay showed me that back issues of these book are out of my price range. Actually it would be more correct to say the cost of shipping is out of my range. I don't know if these still turn up in 50 cent and dollar boxes. NEC was also the publisher of The Tick comics. Feel free to discuss any of these books. I do! Their shop in Allston was my place for many, many years!
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 2, 2017 11:05:37 GMT -5
Just as an aside, I'm pretty sure I've heard Kurt Busiek say before that he didn't really like the idea of them bringing Jean back. He actually came up with the idea of how they could possibly do it before X-Men #137 was even published. The idea got around the comic grapevine and when they decided they wanted to do X-Factor, his idea was used as the explanation. But I don't think it's fair to blame him for her return; they wanted to do it, and just used his idea as the means. Maybe I was too hard on him, but he was not yet working at Marvel at the time and had even wrote Marvel to cancel his subscription to X-Men when it happened. Everything I've seen says that he was still regretting that she couldn't be brought back when he shared his idea. Anyway, it was a terrible idea and a terrible fanfiction story that I think everyone from Byrne to Lousie Simonsen should be ashamed of having had a part in writing. Byrne in particular shocks me. How can an artist have so little respect for his own work? He did hop right on board to do his part in FF didn't he. I never met JB but I can't help but think he relished sticking it to CC, even if it meant crapping on his own masterpiece. I'd like to think he's not that capricious, but who knows.
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 2, 2017 8:57:39 GMT -5
For my money the worst instance of editorial interference was the restoration of Jean Grey so they could have X-Factor. While it was Kurt Busiek's stupid fanboy idea to make it so that she wasn't the Pheonix, Shooter went along with it, apparently thought it was a great marketing ploy, and presented it to Claremont only when it was too late for Claremont to have a say. The destruction of the characters of Cyclops and Madelyne Prior were bad enough, but this was the first of big superhero resurrections that have come to plague the industry, as well as the 'everything resets to the status quo and nothing develops' problem.. ^^^ This! Ironically it was Shooter who was insistent that Jean die for her crimes, that's what made it groundbreaking. Important. Insert superlative. Then Layton has the idea to get the band together, Busiek as you said goes all fanboy and X-Factor is born and ruins the Marvel Universe! I'm kidding but fallout was great indeed, not the least of which was Maddy, whom I loved with the X-Men in the post Massacre stories becomes redundant (which is stupid, like there's a redhead quota on the X-books) and they kill her. Ugh.
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 2, 2017 8:38:53 GMT -5
I'm heading to my new comic shop tomorrow, looks like I have a list! For Super Villain Team up, there's a nice Epic-sized trade that has the whole series in it that came out not too long ago and should be orderable by a shop still, if not in stock. Even better! Trades are great for this kind of thing. I will try to grab a couple issues as well, something about holding those comics right?
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 2, 2017 0:48:54 GMT -5
The whole Jim Owsley and Tom Defalco and (through no fault of his own) Peter David "Ned Leeds is the Hobgoblin not Richard Fisk because he's the Rose, oh and by the way you're fired, oops I killed Ned and here's Daredevil in a fat suit" shenanigans.
To hear Owsley tell it, he and Defalco were friends, maybe his (Owsley) only friend at Marvel. Tom D's plan was just as carefully done as Stern's and with his (Roger's) blessing I believe. What's to gain by derailing this whole thing? Was it an honest mistake? Were things that bad behind the scenes? Missed deadlines? Crappy attitudes?
As an aside I liked Stern's idea better and his slow burn into the mystery of Hobby was incredible, and I read them all at once years later. I can't imagine what it was like having to wait a whole month in between fixes!
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 1, 2017 23:19:56 GMT -5
If you're not picky about condition, then most of them are very affordable. Up until a few months ago, I lived in Rochester, NY, which is blessed with a lot of comic shops, and I was able to get a lot of them in discount bins. I'm not very picky, ive never had a book graded, but a decent looking cover and a readable issue is fine by me. I'm heading to my new comic shop tomorrow, looks like I have a list!
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 1, 2017 21:49:48 GMT -5
I was just going to ask if they were affordable, I'd love to grab super villain team up too. Good stuff If you're not picky about condition, then most of them are very affordable. Up until a few months ago, I lived in Rochester, NY, which is blessed with a lot of comic shops, and I was able to get a lot of them in discount bins. I'm not very picky, ive never had a book graded, but a decent looking cover and a readable issue is fine by me.
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 1, 2017 9:07:49 GMT -5
My first issue of Marvel Two-in-One was #13 (probably the first comic book story I ever read with Luke Cage) but I got about half of the previous issues at used-book stores over the next few years. But since so many comics are available online, I thought it would be nice to finally read all the early issues of MTIO that I've never read. I think that would be #1, #3, #4, #9 and #11. I read MTIO #1 today. I didn't know it picks up where Marvel Feature #12 left off! Cool! And you gotta love that Gil Kane/Joe Sinnott art! Marvel Two-in-One is my favorite of the team-up books. I've managed to pick up a lot of them as cheap back issues. Lovely stuff, in spite of the inconsistency. I was just going to ask if they were affordable, I'd love to grab super villain team up too. Good stuff
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Post by Snikts and Stones on Jun 1, 2017 0:15:15 GMT -5
This is great! Tough thinking about one that hasn't been a What If, Doom as the Sorceror Supreme, etc. If Sue Storm ever broke bad she would be bone chillingly frightening I think... Professor Hulk as well, but that's essentially the Maestro so that doesn't count. The Joker as a maniacal light of justice? Or is that The Creeper?
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Post by Snikts and Stones on May 31, 2017 21:42:01 GMT -5
I'm re-reading Captain America the John Walker years, and trying to get my paws on as many Sub-Mariners as I can afford from the original Roy Thomas '68-'74 series. Also the mini by DeMatteis and at least Byrnes initial run.
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