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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 5, 2023 20:52:43 GMT -5
I guess the three-sided barbs on the spear are supposed to signify "trident." Might have been a miscommunication between writer and artist; might have just been his attempt to not use the word "spear," to differentiate the weapon. I'm a McGregor defender, up to a point. Sometimes his prose works better than others; but, with "Panther's Rage," I do feel you have to look at it in its entirety. Leaving aside his dialogue and narration, McGregor comes up with some tremendous plots, in all of his work and he likes to make commentary on the times. Sometimes he hits, like in Killraven, in the sequences in Chicago and Battle Creek, Michigan. Sometimes it doesn't. McGregor is definitely a writer who is geared more to the written word, than to visual storytelling; yet, he has written some very visual titles, like Black Panther and Killraven, as well as Sabre and some others. He writes of the "urban jungle" well. However, is he did tend to overdo it, though I find him less egregious about it, compared to some of his contemporaries. Steve Gerber had whole pages of text, with nothing but side images. It was a case of young writers out of control, at Marvel, under editors who weren't really in a position to rein them in. "Panther's Rage" is a journey and I really feel that it has to be taken in that context. T'Challa is forced to focus on his troubled kingdom and finds out that his people have resented his split attention and political forces are working against him, in favor of a new leader. It reflects a lot of aspects of African events of the period, with civil wars and European meddling in internal politics. During the period, T'Challa has a love interest who comes from America and is seen as an outside influence on him. He has neglected internal matters for some time and it bites him in the backside. he faces a new threat and loses...initially, and must fight to regain his kingdom, while also having to take responsibility for creating the conditions for the rebellion. That is kind of the thing, with McGregor; he was writing novels, but using an episodic structure, which didn't support his ambition well. His hit and miss record is mixed; but, I'd rather read one of his failures than the average cliched story by Gerry Conway, or even some of Roy or Marv Wolfman's stuff, in the same era. He may be pretentious, but he understood human psychology better than most of his contemporaries. Thank you, I really was hoping for a good defense of this series. I hope it was clear that I was snarking with good-natured intent, and I acknowledge that I was picking on things that were certainly not exclusive to McGregor. Yes, I did find this issue a chore to slog through, but I do appreciate having a taste of what the run was all about, and maybe I will give "Panther's Rage" a full read-through when I have the time for it. From your description, there was a lot more to the plot than was evident from this issue, and I'm sure it would work better as a whole. That won't change what I perceive to be a tin ear that McGregor has for the language, but I've put such aggravations to the side for other authors, and maybe I can again. "Panthers Rage" starts and ends well; but does get a little shaky in the middle, as he deals with Killmonger's lieutenants, rather than the man himself. Venomm, from a couple of issues before, is a bit better developed. The whole weapon thing is supposed to represent Wakanda's advanced science, I guess, though McGregor tends to keep it in the background. I do think he wanted to avoid machine guns, mostly, though my memory says we see them earlier in the saga. I haven't read the story in a long, long time, so it is hard for me to articulate. Basically, T'Challa comes back to Wakanda and finds his people aren't happy and a rebellion springs up from Killmonger. He has various lieutenants, who spread fear throughout the remote areas, much like the Simbas, during the later fighting, in the Congo, in the mid-60s. The Simbas were a supposedly Marxist group; but, used terror to bring areas under their control. They used rape and murder as weapons and many of their fighters chewed on a narcotic plant, which made them feel invincible, in battle, which unnerved troops with poor leadership and morale. They also employed fanatical youth as really nasty thugs, enforcing ideology and discipline without mercy.. Some of those elements go on here, with Killmonger's forces. Meanwhile, the normally peaceful Wakanda finds itself uprooted and some come to the fight after suffering tragedy. Taku is one of those. In the end, we will see that T'Challa gets some help from a surprising source, to defeat Killmonger.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 5, 2023 18:16:15 GMT -5
Well, you weren't likely to see a Hannukah cover, from that book. Mighty European-looking Hebrews, though.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 5, 2023 18:14:35 GMT -5
I guess the three-sided barbs on the spear are supposed to signify "trident." Might have been a miscommunication between writer and artist; might have just been his attempt to not use the word "spear," to differentiate the weapon.
I'm a McGregor defender, up to a point. Sometimes his prose works better than others; but, with "Panther's Rage," I do feel you have to look at it in its entirety. Leaving aside his dialogue and narration, McGregor comes up with some tremendous plots, in all of his work and he likes to make commentary on the times. Sometimes he hits, like in Killraven, in the sequences in Chicago and Battle Creek, Michigan. Sometimes it doesn't.
McGregor is definitely a writer who is geared more to the written word, than to visual storytelling; yet, he has written some very visual titles, like Black Panther and Killraven, as well as Sabre and some others. He writes of the "urban jungle" well. However, is he did tend to overdo it, though I find him less egregious about it, compared to some of his contemporaries. Steve Gerber had whole pages of text, with nothing but side images. It was a case of young writers out of control, at Marvel, under editors who weren't really in a position to rein them in.
"Panther's Rage" is a journey and I really feel that it has to be taken in that context. T'Challa is forced to focus on his troubled kingdom and finds out that his people have resented his split attention and political forces are working against him, in favor of a new leader. It reflects a lot of aspects of African events of the period, with civil wars and European meddling in internal politics. During the period, T'Challa has a love interest who comes from America and is seen as an outside influence on him. He has neglected internal matters for some time and it bites him in the backside. he faces a new threat and loses...initially, and must fight to regain his kingdom, while also having to take responsibility for creating the conditions for the rebellion.
That is kind of the thing, with McGregor; he was writing novels, but using an episodic structure, which didn't support his ambition well. His hit and miss record is mixed; but, I'd rather read one of his failures than the average cliched story by Gerry Conway, or even some of Roy or Marv Wolfman's stuff, in the same era. He may be pretentious, but he understood human psychology better than most of his contemporaries.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 5, 2023 17:52:23 GMT -5
Dutch mantel has posted on Facebook, and his podcast partner James Romero, that Dutch is "very sick" and in the hospital, and will be there for some time. He doesn't go further, though I have seen some speculation and at least one comment claiming to know what is happening, though without providing any proof. Here is James' update about Dutch and the podcast, which was going to be using pre-recorded content, for December, before any of this happened..... Meanwhile, Joe Cazana's JCP Southeast promotion has become the second "territory"of Billy Corgan's NWA. Cazana is the grandson of John Cazana, who promoted Knoxville in the 50s and worked with the Fullers, in the 70s and early 80s. So, yeah..there's two major powerhouses to rebuild the NWA system!
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 5, 2023 17:21:02 GMT -5
Invaders #29And...already with the retcons! Creative Team: Don Glut-writer, Alan Kupperberg & Frank Springer-art, John Costanza-letters, Francoise Mouly-color, Roy Thomas-editor Yup, THAT Francoise Mouly. She did color work at Marvel, after coming to the US, for a time. Donald Glut is quite a prolific writer, writing for comic books, prose fiction, and television. He first gained some notoriety as an amateur filmmaker, thanks to attention from Forrest Ackerman's Famous monsters of filmland... He began writing comics in the early 70s and was noted for his interconnected universe of stories, at Gold key, a first, for them. He wrote The Occult Files of Dr Spektor, Dagar The Invincible (aka Tales of Sword and Sorcery), and Tragg and the Sky Gods. He wrote horror comics for Gold Key, Archie, Charlton & DC, and some sword & sorcery, horror and superhero, at Marvel. Glut is also the adapter of The Empire Strikes Back, for the tie-in novel. In television, he worked on such shows as Shazam!, GI JOE, Transformers, Land of the Lost, Space Sentinels, Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends, X-Men and Duck Tales. Synopsis: So, The Invaders have ditched the brats...I mean left the Kid Commandos to watch the homefront and be symbols of a brighter future (yeah...good luck with that....), while they can now get down to some serious killing of Nazis. It just so happens that Union Jack rounded them up to go deal with the threat of the Teutonic Knight....... UJ thinks their reaction is a bit strange, but they are Yanks! Well, 2 1/2. Captain America then precedes to relate how he ran up against the Teutonic knight, before the team formed. He and Bucky had been tasked to guard a secret government warehouse (so secret it is crawling with armed soldiers, which never draws attention!), where the plans for an armored flying saucer craft were stored.... A seaplane, trailing smoke, comes crashing into the bay beyond. It turns out to have been a ruse, as some decidedly Germanic silhouettes emerge from it and board a rubber raft, to shore. There, the stand revealed, along with their boss, Komtur, the Teutonic Knight.... Well, he's a bit chubby in the thighs but he isn't THAT fat...certainly not two tons! Cap and Bucky start smashing Nazis, with TK uses the distraction to steal the plans. Cap is forced to save some GIs from a fire and TK escapes, in his seaplane, which is far to fast to catch, before it takes off..... (EDIT-Oh for @#$%'s sake! Watch it on Youtube...a PBY taking off, with a lot of canal necessary, to get airborne) No time to catch such a fast moving aircraft! Human Torch takes over the story, as he relates how he and Toro were guarding the inventor of a powerful engine, on a long train journey. Guess who dropped down to the train, from a seaplane? He grabs the scientist and Torch and Toro are forced to hang back. TK takes the boffin to the seaplane and they pull on (um....seaplane's can't hover and trying to match the speed of a train would probably put them in a stall...just sayin'). Then, Torch and Toro go after them, but TK drops a bomb on a railroad trestle, ahead of the train and the flaming duo have to take care of it. Would you believe that Namor also encountered TK? He was on a tanker, with Betty Dean, as they transported a new element, Radium-X, which was extremely powerful and could create energy to power the most amazing things. Faster than you can say, "Plot convenience," they are nearly torpedoed by a Nazi submarine. Namor deals with it, while TK and his henchmen seize control of the tanker and take Radium-X.... Namor is forced to hold back to avoid Betty being hurt. However, he goes after them, as the seaplane takes off, but they hit him with a smokescreen, which dries him out. The Invaders reach England and UJ informs them that TK has built the armored craft, which is attacking London.... Thoughts: I would say it is a bit hard to swallow all three components of the Invaders guarding targets of the Teutonic Knight; but...comics! Glut at least keeps it interesting and fantastic, which is the way this series should be. You don't want the Invaders smashing Panzers, though that is pretty cool. You want them fighting Nazi super weapons and agents and this is what we get. Sadly, we also get Alan Kupperberg on art. Kupperberg does a decent, if unspectacular job on the story, aided by Frank Springer's inks; but, it lacks the dynamism of Frank Robbins. The Teutonic Knights were a German order of knighthood, who protected Catholics in the Holy Land and extended Catholic influence across Eastern Europe (less with testimonials and more with swords). In 1230, they launched an invasion of Prussia, with the support of the Holy Roman Empire (aka The First Reich). It lost support, over time, but maintained economic power until `1809, when Napoleon outlawed them and seized their holdings. It continued as a fraternal and charitable order, until outlawed by the Nazis, in 1938, which makes Komtur and interesting Nazi agent. A sidebar lets us know that Komtur was the title for a commander, in the lowest levels of the organization, like a company commander, in a military formation. The costume for TK is rather plain and uninspired, basically gold chainmail, with white gloves, boots and cape, and a skull mask. There is a swastika emblazoned on his chest. I think I would have gone for more of a Prince Valiant kind of thing and used a black cross, the emblem of the Order. A seaplane is hardly the best base of operations for a character like this, unless he mostly operates at sea. They were slow, lumbering aircraft and used mainly for long range transport, sea patrols and search & rescue, such as the PBY Catalina, one of the best seaplanes ever built The aircraft resembles the Martin designs; but, if Frank robbins had been doing this, he might have been more likely to use a Blohm & Voss BV138... This was a German maritime patrol aircraft and TK would have had more access to it. Realistically, an autogyro would have made more sense, especially for the train episode. Not a bad story, though mostly background detail for the fight, in the next issue. It doesn't exactly yell, "BUYME!" at the reader. We will have to see if part 2 can elevate it a bit.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 5, 2023 15:04:00 GMT -5
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 5, 2023 15:03:06 GMT -5
Stingray could have been on my list if I'd thought of him. Great costume and nice overall concept. Can't remember anything about Razorback, though I have a mental image (in contrast to Stingray, not a good one, to be honest) so I must have seen something somewhere, perhaps online. Were they a duo or part of a team at some point? I had been assuming Razorback was a villain but now I realise that I really have no idea. Razorback a.k.a. truck driver Buford Hollis was a very minor super-hero appearing in early issues of Spectacular Spider-Man. I would write his adventures totally tongue-in-cheek, like "Smokey and the Bandit" in a pig costume. Stingray I'd do straight. I can't see the characters functioning as a team, but maybe that's a failure of imagination on my part.
Cei-U! I summon the unlikely duo!
Stingray I see working for a global security organization, possibly with an aquatic mandate. I see high tech subs, underwater bases....perhaps a self-contained city complex that can be lowered underground, by massive hydraulics. He would encounter aquatic humanoid lifeforms, some of whom might join in his adventures. I also imagine a really cool theme song.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 5, 2023 0:32:50 GMT -5
Wong: see him try to get the Hoary Hosts of Haggoth out of the master's cape!
Watch, as his chocolate souffle falls, when the Hulk smashes through the wall, while arguing with Bird Nose!
Watch, as he tries to pirate cable with the Orb of Aggomato!
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 5, 2023 0:18:46 GMT -5
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 5, 2023 0:12:10 GMT -5
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 4, 2023 23:49:31 GMT -5
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 4, 2023 22:03:16 GMT -5
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 4, 2023 21:49:46 GMT -5
Or what about the Daredevil villain Mandrill, I bet he hates it when you call him an old world monkey. He's just mad because his famous cousin, Barbara, won't return his calls.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 3, 2023 23:50:48 GMT -5
pps An interesting film to see, to document the evolution of the Vietnam narrative, is Francis Ford Coppola's 1987 film, Gardens of Stone. Previously, Coppola's Apocalypse Now had presented a military that was either sinister or insane, with no real middle ground, other than perhaps the crew of the swift boat. This film depicts The Old Guard, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, who conduct military funerals and perform watchstanding and caretaking duties at Arlington National Cemetery. In the film, DB Sweeney is an idealistic young soldier, itching to be in Vietnam, where the war is, rather than playing toy soldier. He is the child of a non-com and in love with the daughter of a senior officer. James Caan is a senior non-com, who would rather be in an instructor billet, trying to teach young soldiers how to stay alive, rather than burying them far too young. James Earl Jones is the senior NCO and a bit more pragmatic and worldly about the situation. Caan meets a newspaper reporter/editor (Anjelica Huston), who has a different view of the war, but is infatuated by Caan. A romance blossoms, while Sweeney continues to desire to go to Vietnam and proves to be a natural leader. He quickly rises to the rank of sergeant but aims for OCS and achieves it, then deploys to Vietnam, after marrying his girl, despite her parents' objections.
The film shows a respect for the soldiers and the duties they perform, honoring the dead and caring for their final resting place, as well as those sent to Vietnam. It shows how experienced soldiers were often torn by being away from combat, not because they missed the thrill; but because they felt they could do more good by helping bring the young ones back, alive. It recognizes the bond between soldiers, who fight for their buddies more than for country, yet is also fair to the anti-war movement, as Caan and Huston have their differences in approach, but, ultimately, have the same goal. Huston expands Caan's view and vice versa.
It's not a perfect film, by any stretch of the imagination; but, it is well done, for the most part, with a mostly excellent cast and some great scenes. It was no Platoon; but, it does show how even filmmakers changed how they told Vietnam stories.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 3, 2023 23:31:36 GMT -5
Nice write-up, codystarbuck . A couple of points regarding Grenada. It may be said that the Defense Department learned at least one lesson from Vietnam. The American press had been allowed almost complete freedom in covering that war. The only obstacle the press encountered was that they had to to sign a pledge to acquire credentials in which they averred that they would not disclose future troop movements and specific casualty totals. Because the Vietnam War was the first war Americans could watch in near-real time on their television screens during the evening news, Americans got a bellyful of uncensored, filmed reports of what was happening. In addition to those reports and the daily reporting in the newspapers, the mass-market magazines like LIFE, TIME and Newsweek, among others, also gave people plenty of raw information that proved to be instrumental in the decreasing support for the war. Grenada was an entirely different story. The press was precluded from going onto the island for their own protection, according to Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. Photos and film were all from DOD cameramen. The only way Americans got uncensored reporting was thanks to ham radio operators and a few reporters who essentially smuggled themselves onto the island. Once discovered, they were quickly removed to an aircraft carrier. It was clear that the DOD and the military regarded a free press as a nuisance and an enemy. The DOD's refusal to allow the press in worked. The invasion of Grenada started two days after the bombing in Lebanon bombing and helped to keep the deaths of those 241 Marines out of the spotlight. Jingoism always wins. Also, Doug Murray was wrong about draftees being in for the duration in Korea. Thtey served a two-year hitch, to the day, and in fact, they rotated out just as the guys in Vietnam did. In fact, because the war was unpopular, the point system was adjusted to speed up that rotation to get guys home more quickly. This jumped out at me b/c of a project I'm working on involving a Korean War vet. From the US Army Center of Military History's account: The Korean War: "Years of Stalemate July 1951-July 1953"In September 1951, a soldier earned four points for every month in close combat, two points for rear-echelon duty in Korea, and one point for duty elsewhere in the Far East. Later, an additional category - divisional reserve status - was established at a rate of three points a month. At that point, enlisted men needed to earn 43 points to be eligible for rotation back to the States. In June 1952 these requirements were reduced to 36 points. Earning the required number of points did not guarantee instant rotation, but it did mean you were eligible to go home, and most soldiers did return home shortly after they met the requirement.
This was of some consequence in helping to maintain public support for what was an increasingly unpopular war. Yet, [as in the case of the Vietnam War], for all of its psychological and political benefits, the program was not without its costs. The constant turnover generated by the policy - approximately 20,000 to 30,000 men per month - was terribly inefficient from the vantage point of manpower administration and created tremendous strains on the Army's personnel and training systems. The program also hurt military proficiency by increasing personnel turbulence and by producing a continuous drain on skilled manpower. Yet another example of Korea's status as the forgotten war. Yeah, I was going to mention about the press in Grenada, but had already gone on a bit too long. I served during the Gulf War and my training, through the late 80s brought up a lot of talk about the post-Vietnam Navy, which was a mess. From what I've heard, the other services were similar, except the Marine Corps. Throughout my time, strategy still revolved around the notion of fighting a war on two major fronts, as in WW2 and a focus on technology and superior firepower, rather than more mobile and highly adaptable forces. It was very clear that the main lesson learned was to control the media narrative, which filtered to Hollywood in the form of DOD cooperation being contingent on script approval, leading to recruiter wet dream films, like Top Gun and denial, in the case of accurate films, like An Officer and a Gentleman. In the Gulf War, the press pools took care of the complaints about access to the battlefield of Granada, but, continued the program of controlling the press by placing them in specific areas and feeding them officially sanctioned information, rather than letting them wander the battlefield. Embedding allowed friendly journalists to have major stories that toed the DOD line, while more suspect journalists were stuck in rear areas or had to find their own way to the troops. the press conferences during the Gulf War were an exercise in comedy, and I used to see message traffic that told a better picture of things than CNN. By the same token, Murray and some other veterans have brought up how journalists in Vietnam often concocted stories that didn't happen, or took rumors and reported them as fact, or exaggerated them because they sounded better than truth. many felt the reporting didn't reflect the truth of the battlefield and that many stories contributed to negative images for veterans, either by making isolated incidents sound common place, or by not sampling enough areas to find a clearer picture. For instance, reporting made drug use sound rampant; but, according to a large number of vets, drug use was mainly at rear areas and bases and not in the field. Meanwhile, that same reporting only focused on narcotics, but avoided legal substances, such as alcohol. Murray described some NCO who were drinking by 10:00 am and completely hammered by afternoon, in rear areas. Given the journalism professions own well deserved reputation for hard drinking, one can see why.
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