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Post by coke & comics on May 16, 2015 23:12:36 GMT -5
Over in this fine thread, the Ace of Action himself started a very fine dance. And I thought I would join in. Here's how it will go. I have 5 racks full of long boxes, 20-25 each, and 4 bookshelves of graphic novels, plus assorted miscellany. I will go to my favorite website on the internet (present company excepted, of course) : www.random.org/And roll a number 1-6. If the number is even, I will drink a Coke while reading the comic. If the number is 1-5, I will go to the racks, roll to choose a box, then roll a number 1-300 to pick a comic (really, I'll reach into the box in the right approximate spot). If I roll a 6, I will roll a number 1-5. 1-4 takes me to the bookshelves. I will roll to choose a shelf, 1-5. I will then roll to choose a book off the shelf. If the book is a collection, I may roll to choose an issue within. If I roll a 5, instead of going to the bookshelves, I will choose from the miscellaneous comics of different sizes sprinkled here and there. Also, if my very first roll is odd, I will drink a Coke. Let's start the shuffle!  |
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Post by coke & comics on May 16, 2015 23:13:32 GMT -5
Let's roll the dice! 4: We're going to the DC rack. 22: That's a box of Batman books 44: Reaching in to the box and grabbing: Batman: Gotham Nights II #2 DC: April, 1995  "The lessons of life" by John Ostrander, Mary Mitchell, and Dick Giordano I read the first Gotham Nights series at a quite young age. It was definitely my first exposure to the idea of superhero comics showing the perspective of "normal" people. It's a concept that would stay with me, as I became enamored with Paul Jenkins' work on Peter Parker: Spider-Man, the team of Rucka and Brubaker on Gotham Central, and, most importantly in the work of Kurt Busiek with Marvels and Astro City. I have no particular recollection of the sequel series, but it's by John Ostrander, whose work I am usually a fan of. Let's open it up. The story opens with a very powerful image of a funeral, with the narration and visuals combining to create the effect of a service that is going through the motions, not doing justice to the deceased. The scene then takes us to the Batcave, where Batman gives Robin an assignment. This is a bit disappointing. I would have preferred the story be not at all from Batman's point of view. Someone is sabotaging an amusement park. Perhaps the death of the old owner was not an accident and somebody wants revenge? This series has a different feel than the first one, and really just harkens back to some of the original Batman stories, where the stories would introduce a character with an interesting story of their own, whose life intersected somehow with Batman's. Perhaps this character was the villain or an ally in the tale. But it was quite common in the early days, and really marked many of the best Batman tales. Here, we see Mr. Dunker keeping open a failing amusement park to keep a promise to his dying father. We see a city safety inspector taking bribes to keep the park open, reflecting on the days black people were not welcome. We see Beatriz, who once loved Dunker. We see the artist, Mr. Xavier, showing ladies around the park, reflecting on its place in our meta-culture. We see Carmine Sansone, the engineer, trying to keep a park in repair, as his father did before him. A reporter looking for a story. (Or is he?) An interesting story that neither begins nor ends here. But really, just an ordinary Batman tale, that takes a particular focus on the people affected by the crime under investigation. Grade: B- |
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Post by coke & comics on May 16, 2015 23:45:48 GMT -5
Let's roll the dice! 5: Takes us to the rack with mostly Non-Marvel/DC comics 10: Takes us to a box with miscellaneous comics from Sleeper throught Zot! 272: Reaching near the back of the box, we find... Zoom's academy for the super gifted #2 Astonish Comics/Moon Factory: 2001 +pagecover.jpg) "Many mysteries..." by Jason Lethcoe I've never read this before. It apparently inspired a Tim Allen movie some 5 years later, which I've never seen. The series lasted 3 issues. This is the second. Series is told with pencil art. No inks, nor are the pencils particularly cleaned up. Gives a feel of a child's drawing. Just a very talented child. The story is narrated from the point of view of a grandfather talking to his children. It opens with a young boy dressed as a superhero named Thunderclap, who delivers mail for the school His powers let him travel quickly all over the world, but he has to be struck by lightning to activate them, and finds the process quite painful. Every Stan Lee superhero whose power is their curse in a single moment. "Not all gifts come without a price." Our heroine is a girl named Summer, who is about to join the academy. Her father is a teacher there, but had always been secretive about his job. She is going to be a superhero one day, though she doesn't yet know what her powers will be. The superhero mall includes references to Superman, Batman, and Herobear. The story is not all fun and games, as we learn Summer is still struggling with her parents' divorce, and that somewhat taints the wonder of what she is experiencing. As does dealing with the school bully, Firebug, picking on Thunderclap, who turns out to be her childhood friend Archie. The story is to be continued, with the next issue promising to reveal the secret of Summer's powers. This was an entirely enjoyable comic, with a strong protagonist, who happens to be a young girl. Suitable for children, good characterization, all living up to the entertaining premise of a superhero academy. A backup feature by Jason Lethcoe is a series of short humor strips about the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The issue also includes a wonderful pin-up of Summer and her father by Linda Medley. Grade: B+ |
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Post by coke & comics on May 17, 2015 0:17:56 GMT -5
Let's roll the dice! 5: Takes us to the rack with mostly Non-Marvel/DC comics 9: Takes us to a box with miscellaneous comics from Red Star to Sleeper 172: Reaching into the middle of the box, we find... Savage Dragon #71 Image: January, 2000  by Erik Larsen Savage Dragon is a comic I have not followed closely, but have a lot of respect for. Erik Larsen is clearly doing what he loves, and this passion has continued for over 20 years. An impressive run for a creator-owned comic. Getting up there with the likes of Cerebus and Usagi Yojimbo. I sat down a few years back and read through the first couple dozen issues of Savage Dragon. I generally enjoyed them, but have yet to venture further into the series. I have almost certainly never read this issue before. The opening narration seems to fill me in on what I missed. But I've apparently missed a lot and it's hard to parse. Ann Stevens, the nurse who named Savage Dragon as a baby was also a superhero named Mighty Man, and Savage Dragon is dating her. He is narrating this while sleeping, so perhaps it's just him dreaming. Or perhaps the above all makes sense. His wife was killed. Her daughter (Angel?) is staying with him and Horridus is as well to babysit. The issue opens with Horridus, who looks like a pokemon character, giving Savage Dragon a blow job. The narration continues to take us though other dead or missing women in Dragon's life. She-Dragon is infiltrating a group of monks and encounters the gigantic Bludgeon. Savage Dragon leads a team of heroes to rescue her. Something about gods and a dark parallel earth that was destroyed. This is a really hard series to come in in the middle of. I'm going to stop trying to summarize. Every character looks like a Kirby character. Everything about the story screams Kirby. From the avalanche of characters to the universe-shattering stakes, to the crackle... Basically a big Kirby homage, and pretty solid one at that. Hard to follow, but a fun ride. I'll have to read through the whole series one day. *Adds to list* The letters page opens with a tribute to Gil Kane, who had just passed away. And then there are some humorous backup strips. A Dragon/Dilbert mash-up by Karl H, Megaton Man by Don Simpson, and Desperate Times by Chris Eliopoulos, whose Wattersonesque style I have always been a fan of. Grade: C+ |
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Post by coke & comics on May 17, 2015 12:00:37 GMT -5
Let's roll the dice! 3: Takes us to the rack with Spider-Man/X-Men comics 16: Takes us to a box with Uncanny X-Men comics 6: Grabbing the 6th comic out of the box (this high I can count), we find.... Uncanny X-Men #198 Marvel: October, 1985  "Lifedeath II" by Chris Claremont and Barry Windsor-Smith Unlike my first few entries, which left you wondering if I'd ever read any comics I own, this is an issue I know well. Chris Claremont's run on X-Men is one of my all-time favorite comic series, and at the core of why is the excellent extended character arc of Storm. Many people have expressed that the best of the run was over when Byrne left, but Storm doesn't really start to develop until around issue 150, where she considered murdering Magneto in his bed. The arc takes her to her conquest of the underground Morlocks, and then to losing her powers, building to the sublime Lifedeath, in which she accepts the loss of her powers, finding happiness instead in love, until it all falls apart. That brings us to this issue. I think Storm is one of the strongest characters in Marvel Comics, and she happens to be a black woman in a universe of characters that seem to be mostly white males. One year later, the creative team from Lifedeath reunites for a sequel, another character-focused story featuring Storm. Windsor-Smith has an incredible take on Storm. Her features are much less smooth than are normally depicted. He puts so much character into the shape of her skull, the texture of her body. This story takes her home, to Africa, where she is attempting to deal with the loss of her powers. Dealing with walking, where once she flew. She is lost, bleeding, tormented emotionally and physically by the harsh wind she once controlled, and haunted by hallucinations. (Claremont would return later to this idea of a fever dream with Wolverine in X-Men #251) She finds her strength in a person in need. A pregnant woman who survived a car wreck. Her name is Shani and Storm walks her to her village. A great character moment is when Storm reflects on how she kept her emotions in check to keep her powers in check, to keep the storm in check. But this was really a convenient excuse to avoid dealing with her own humanity. Storm acts as midwife to Shani through a difficult birth. When the baby is not breathing, Storm breathes life into him, and he lives. But, due to famine, the village has a tradition. For every born, the oldest must die. So Storm accompanies the village elder to his death. In the process, she finds for herself a renewed sense of purpose. Having been both mutant and human, she will be better positioned to bridge both worlds. The story of the old dying for every young born is one I have seen elsewhere, often in science fiction. I'm not sure what the original referent for it is, or if there were ever really such traditions. An entire issue focused on nothing but Storm, and entirely on her inner struggle to find purpose. Beautifully rendered, beautifully told. Hard to argue with. Grade: A Up next: What comes to all good things... |
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Post by coke & comics on May 17, 2015 14:57:02 GMT -5
Let's roll the dice! 2: A rack full of Marvel Universe comics 4: The box goes from Marvel Premiere to Marvel Two-in-One 260: Let's reach toward the back and grab... Marvel: The End #1 Marvel: May, 2003  "Predestination" by Jim Starlin and Al Milgrom The basic premise of "The End" line was to bring some creators famously associated with a character to tell a tale of their final story. The best of these was Peter David and Dale Keown's Hulk: The End, in which Bruce Banner is the last surviving human on a dead earth. He wants to die, but Hulk will not let him. Now Jim Starlin is brought in to end the entire Marvel Universe. After all, he's basically done it before. So he can do it again. And indeed he does, often in fact copying lines of dialogue verbatim from his previous works. Jim Starlin is one of my favorite creators, and the saga of Thanos is one of my favorite stories in all of comics. The original saga runs from a single issue of Iron Man, through Captain Marvel and Warlock, culminating in the beautiful Death of Captain Marvel. There are many, here on this forum even, who think that should have been the end of it. And I see their points. But my introduction to the story was 10 years later. Jim Starlin returned to Marvel and brought back to life several characters who had died meaningful deaths in his previous work, all to tell Infinity Gauntlet, the story that almost single-handedly inspired my lifelong love of superhero comics. And then he kept going. Infinity War, Crusade, each more painful to read than the last. Then he paused, and is back to do it all again. I put up with it because I love the character of Thanos when Starlin is giving voice to him. But Thanos is not the main villain here. The villain of the piece is an ancient Egyptian pharaoh named Akhenaten, presumably based on the historical figure. (Which sounds a lot like Aknaton, a character from Dreadstar who resembles Akhenaten and who once destroyed a whole galaxy) The comic is about characters sensing ominous rumblings. The X-Men, Thor, Silver Surfer, Gladiator, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, Dr. Doom (Starlin has always written a good Doom) and Spider-Man... all encounter hints of what is coming. And Atleza. I assume you remember the young girl from Infinity Abyss who holds all of reality together, while guarded by Adam Warlock and Gamora. I really like how Jim Starlin foreshadows ominous universe-shattering events. I've seen him do it well 5 or so times, and less well a few others. I think I get it now. But then the action begins with the destruction of the X-Mansion and all the X-Men reside within. Akhenaten later kills the Avengers and Fantastic Four just as easily. Of course, I've seen Jim Starlin kill several Marvel superheroes a few times by now too... Starlin gets in a bit of his politcal satire by including actual world leaders of the time. Akhenaten kidnaps all of them, from Bush to Mubarak to Dr. Doom. Anyways, Akhenaten conquers earth, but claims he will be a benevolent dictator, immediately curing AIDS and cancer. The idea of despots and who is benign are frequent themes in Starlin works. A fine comic, but very much one I've seen before. I fear Starlin had long before revealed all the tricks up his sleeve. On the other hand, Stingray is in it, and it's hard not to love a comic with Stingray, even if he only gets a single panel before being killed. The issue ends with a gathering of cosmic powers, just like in Infinity Gauntlet #3. Grade: C Next: It will be super... it will be electric... |
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Post by Action Ace on May 17, 2015 15:00:50 GMT -5
As a kid, they could have called me Coke, a Hershey Bar and Comics. Come to think of it, you STILL can!  I've seen part of the Zoom movie, but didn't like it enough to finish it. I'm more of a Sky High fan. I found Gotham Nights II a bit disappointing. The first mini series was really well done. I hope Shaxper's reviews get to it in the near future. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 17, 2015 16:55:05 GMT -5
Love the random reviews! Is that Zoom's Academy for the Super Gifted kid friendly? Sounds like a good one for my 14 year old  |
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Post by coke & comics on May 17, 2015 17:02:34 GMT -5
Love the random reviews! Is that Zoom's Academy for the Super Gifted kid friendly? Sounds like a good one for my 14 year old :) It is. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 17, 2015 17:03:59 GMT -5
Cool, and only $1.50 each on Lone Star.. definitely will toss that in my next order |
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Post by coke & comics on May 17, 2015 23:19:52 GMT -5
Let's roll the dice! 3: That's the Spider-Man/X-Men rack 9: A box of Spider-Man comics from Spidey and the Mini Marvels to Venom: Lethal Protector 3: The 3rd comic in the box is... Spidey Super Stories #2 Marvel: November, 1974  This comic is a tie-in to the children's televison program, The Electric Company, a show that is before my time which I have never seen. Later in the series, it will become a pretty straightforward Spidey-stories-aimed-at-kids series, but the first issues tie closely into the show, often featuring characters from the show, and sometimes adapting the Spider-Man skits which would appear on the show. The comic begins with a 1-page introduction to Spider-Man's outfit, answering the questions we all have. What does he do with his boots when wearing his costume beneath his clothes? Then we get... "In the hands of the hunter!" by Jean Thomas, Don Heck, and Mike Esposito The GCD notes the gorilla was redrawn by John Romita. The gorilla is Paul the Gorilla, who is apparently an Electric Company character, along with Jennifer of the Jungle. The premise for the comic seems to be a fairly meta one, that the Electric Company actually has the real Spider-Man occasionally appear on their show. So the action of the story takes place on the set of the Electric Company, where Spider-Man is an entertainer. How he feels about returning to show biz after the tragic events of his last attempt at the same isn't addressed. Though I guess his willingness to return to show business after Ben's death was observed in Amazing Spider-Man #14. But I digress... So he's on the set of the show, performing a sketch with Jennifer and Paul, and the director is yelling at him for running out of webs. Then Kraven attacks. Spider-Man has never met Kraven before, suggesting this series is not in continuity. Spider-Man is captured and taken to the zoo by Kraven, only to be rescued by Jennifer and Paul. They battle Kraven and his lion Simba and emerge victorious. But Spider-Man uses up all his webbing in the battle, angering the director. The story has an interlude with a 1 page look at Peter Parker's pad (complete with sewing kit, spare suits, and trick shoe-boxes), and is followed by... "Spidey vs. Mister Measles" by John Boni, Win Mortimer, and Mike Esposito This is an adaptation of an actual skit from the show. Despite being a 40 year old comic, it remains rather topical, what with the recent outbreaks of entirely conquered diseases like Measles. Mr. Measles' plan is, obviously, to give everybody measles using his bag of spots. The story has a moral, best scene when Mr. Measles asks, "Have you had your measles shot?" The story ends with Spider-Man getting the measles, as evidenced by the spots on his costume. "The long arms of the law-breaker" by Jean Thomas, Win Mortimer, and Mike Esposito In which Spider-Man battles his greatest foe, Dr. Octopus. Some people think his greatest foe is the Green Goblin. Some way off-base people claim it's Venom. But it's always been Dr. Octopus. I know it, and the narration in this comic agrees. Doc's plan is to steal a valuable Indian statue of an 8-armed goddess, and frame Spider-Man. Despite the only evidence being a note Dr. Octopus left saying, "Thanks a bunch --Spider-Man.", the Daily Bugle wastes no time calling Spider-Man a masked menace! All around, a pretty good little Spidey story. This is more of a straight Spider-Man story than the other two, just kept simple. Large art means rarely more than 4 panels per page. An interlude takes us back to Pete's place. We see fake books, lab equipment for web-making, and just how hard it is to hide so much in one room. Finally, a 1 page story called... "Reader vs. Speeder" by Jean Thomas, Win Mortimer, and Mike Esposito I'll just have to let you read this one. And the back cover encourages going to school and reading. EDIT to add the audio (thanks to Action Ace for inspiration.) Couldn't find video. Was there video?: Grade: C+ Next: There's a whole star-filled universe of comics out there. Time for something brand new... |
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Post by coke & comics on May 18, 2015 1:17:38 GMT -5
Let's roll the dice! 2: A rack of Marvel Universe comics with 18 boxes 11: A box of Marvel comics from Silver Surfer to Strange Tales 261: Reaching near the back, we get... The Star Brand #14 Marvel: July, 1988  "Sins of the father..." by John Byrne, Tom Palmer, Chris Ivy, and Tom Morgan My vague recollection is that the New Universe is a bit of a sad story. Jim Shooter has this grand vision to try to recapture the magic of the Marvel Universe, but maintain consistency and continuity this time, and ground it entirely in science fiction (whatever that means). However good the project was at conception, it was stillborn by the time we saw an issue, a victim of the changeover in Marvel ownership, leaving it a line without funding. Shooter found some cheap rookie talent (I think Jackson Guice came out of this) and convinced some people to work cheaply as a favor. But there was really nothing to do. At least that's how I recall the story. I owned very little of the comics and have read less. I am familiar with the Star Brand because the concept crossed over into "our" Marvel Universe and was prominent in Quasar. Handy opening narration tells me what I've missed (all sounds pretty cool actually; I am reminded of Rising Stars and the whole Crossgen universe), so let's dive in. The art is Byrne with several inkers. Looks like sketchy Byrne with several inconsistent finishers. Nuclear missles fired at an asteroid. A godlike child with many questions, who has been killing many people without care. The child finding his not-quite sane father, who still wields part of the Star Brand's power. A battle for supremacy. The child correcting an error, resurrecting a victim. In truth, I find this comic quite intriguing. If I owned the whole series, I would read it. Seems to be a trade of the first 7 issues. Hmmm.. There is also a backup story... "Family ties" by Howard Mackie, Kieron Dwyer, and Joe Rubinstein This seems to focus on the effects a previous story had on a family, the Robinsons, infected in the aftermath of a battle. They end up merging together into a single monstrous and ravenous organism. Strange little story. Grade: B Next: A top comic. Indeed, one of the best comics in America. It will leave you craving more. Remember the year it snowed in LA... |
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Post by Action Ace on May 18, 2015 18:21:08 GMT -5
Let's roll the dice! 3: That's the Spider-Man/X-Men rack 9: A box of Spider-Man comics from Spidey and the Mini Marvels to Venom: Lethal Protector 3: The 3rd comic in the box is... Spidey Super Stories #2 Marvel: November, 1974 This comic is a tie-in to the children's televison program, The Electric Company, a show that is before my time which I have never seen. Later in the series, it will become a pretty straightforward Spidey-stories-aimed-at-kids series, but the first issues tie closely into the show, often featuring characters from the show, and sometimes adapting the Spider-Man skits which would appear on the show. The Electric Company is where I first encountered Spider-Man Yes, that is Morgan Freeman. I'll say this much for it, it was better than the live action Spider-Man series CBS gave us a few years later. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 18, 2015 18:31:16 GMT -5
Wow, I totally remember that! I think we've come quite a way from that to Agents of SHIELD.  |
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2015 18:48:20 GMT -5
C'mon, you didn't love this?   and this....  I mean neither was as bad as this....  Love the reviews, Keep the shuffle coming....  -M |
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