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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2018 21:33:11 GMT -5
Have you looked at the NMP (New Media Publishing) titles-they tried to launch some fantasy & sci-fi anthology magazine comics in the early 80s, but most only saw 1 issue... I have a fair bunch of the Hot Stuf' and Star*Reach issues and a good run of Heavy Metal between '77 and '83 and I don'r recognize the story (the the lizard with a girl part made me think of the Vaughn Bode stuff but that was set on a spaceship not a desolated planet) but to be fair a lot of that stuff I haven't read cover to cover yet, just browsed through as I picked it up putting together runs. -M
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jan 8, 2018 6:15:40 GMT -5
What can you good people tell me about Jack Katz's The First Kingdom? I thought I knew about all the MAJOR works of comicdom, but I just heard about this one three minutes ago, and it looks like a really big thing I should have known about a long time ago.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jan 8, 2018 8:07:38 GMT -5
To get back to draketungsten's question about the SF story, I keep thinking the story might have been in Pacific Comics' SF anthology series Alien Worlds ( here's a gallery of the covers with brief descriptions). It was an adult-oriented book, i.e. there was some racy content (mainly disrobed women), it began publication in 1982, but it was a standard comic book and not a magazine, and it was printed in color. However, even though it's been years since I've seen any of these, I seem to vaguely recall a few stories involving a lone woman in a desolate landscape with an alien, possibly reptilian, traveling companion. Look at those covers, maybe they ring a bell. (Eventually the series was assumed by Eclipse Comics (the last 2 issues), and then Eclipse began publishing an almost identical series called Alien Encounters in mid-1985.)
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 8, 2018 12:45:05 GMT -5
To get back to draketungsten's question about the SF story, I keep thinking the story might have been in Pacific Comics' SF anthology series Alien Worlds ( here's a gallery of the covers with brief descriptions). It was an adult-oriented book, i.e. there was some racy content (mainly disrobed women), it began publication in 1982, but it was a standard comic book and not a magazine, and it was printed in color. However, even though it's been years since I've seen any of these, I seem to vaguely recall a few stories involving a lone woman in a desolate landscape with an alien, possibly reptilian, traveling companion. Look at those covers, maybe they ring a bell. (Eventually the series was assumed by Eclipse Comics (the last 2 issues), and then Eclipse began publishing an almost identical series called Alien Encounters in mid-1985.) Those were in color, though, and his memory is black & white.
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Post by Prince Hal on Jan 8, 2018 12:51:35 GMT -5
To get back to draketungsten's question about the SF story, I keep thinking the story might have been in Pacific Comics' SF anthology series Alien Worlds ( here's a gallery of the covers with brief descriptions). It was an adult-oriented book, i.e. there was some racy content (mainly disrobed women), it began publication in 1982, but it was a standard comic book and not a magazine, and it was printed in color. However, even though it's been years since I've seen any of these, I seem to vaguely recall a few stories involving a lone woman in a desolate landscape with an alien, possibly reptilian, traveling companion. Look at those covers, maybe they ring a bell. (Eventually the series was assumed by Eclipse Comics (the last 2 issues), and then Eclipse began publishing an almost identical series called Alien Encounters in mid-1985.) Might be a collection of Jeffrey Catherine Jones' "Idyl," in which a nude female often spoke to animal companions. I seem to remeber a reptile of some kind being one of them. Google Jeff JOnes + Idyl. Images probably NSFW.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 8, 2018 12:52:42 GMT -5
What can you good people tell me about Jack Katz's The First Kingdom? I thought I knew about all the MAJOR works of comicdom, but I just heard about this one three minutes ago, and it looks like a really big thing I should have known about a long time ago. Not a ton. It was Katz's "life's work," after having worked for a long time in the industry (Atlas and the like). It was an epic sci-fi/fantasy tale, which covered a lot of ground; but, I had real trouble getting into it. When I first started looking at the modern indies, when I picked up Jon Sable and American Flagg, from First Comics, there were adds for shops that sold stuff like Cerebus, Elfquest and First Kingdom (and portfolios from people like Frank Brunner). It intrigues me; but, you didn't hear much about it. Later, I was reading some of Steranko's Prevue magazine (the descendant of Comixscene and Mediascene) and he advertised stuff through his Supergraphics company and I bought all of the issues cheaply (as well as some Modesty Blaise collections). It was all done in black and white; but, I just had trouble cracking the story and his artistic style wasn't grabbing me. It's very detailed, though not in a George Perez way. There are a lot of environmental renderings and a lot of figures crowded in panels, as I recall. I just kind of set them aside and never really read the series. If you like epic fantasy/sci-fi, then it may be the series for you; but, it does require patience, as Katz is more artist than writer. Visually, there is a lot to absorb.
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Post by MDG on Jan 8, 2018 13:47:59 GMT -5
To get back to draketungsten's question about the SF story, I keep thinking the story might have been in Pacific Comics' SF anthology series Alien Worlds ( here's a gallery of the covers with brief descriptions). It was an adult-oriented book, i.e. there was some racy content (mainly disrobed women), it began publication in 1982, but it was a standard comic book and not a magazine, and it was printed in color. However, even though it's been years since I've seen any of these, I seem to vaguely recall a few stories involving a lone woman in a desolate landscape with an alien, possibly reptilian, traveling companion. Look at those covers, maybe they ring a bell. (Eventually the series was assumed by Eclipse Comics (the last 2 issues), and then Eclipse began publishing an almost identical series called Alien Encounters in mid-1985.) Might be a collection of Jeffrey Catherine Jones' "Idyl," in which a nude female often spoke to animal companions. I seem to remeber a reptile of some kind being one of them. Google Jeff JOnes + Idyl. Images probably NSFW. I don't remember a lizard in Idyl, but you (Hal) may be thinking of this Wrightson strip from Witzend. (Doesn't really fit what the OP is looking for.)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 13:58:27 GMT -5
What can you good people tell me about Jack Katz's The First Kingdom? I thought I knew about all the MAJOR works of comicdom, but I just heard about this one three minutes ago, and it looks like a really big thing I should have known about a long time ago. I have the first two collections plus a couple of the random magazine size issues from later in the run I picked up on the cheap at shows and shops. It is quite a dense read both in terms of text and art. Each panel is crammed and pages can feel crowded, and it is telling a multi-generational story of epic scale, a saga of gods and men over eons in a sense. In many ways, the world building can overshadow the narrative and it is a very slow read. There's a lot to digest and process before moving on to the next bit (in that I approach it a lot like I approached Tolkien's Silmarillion, as more of a history text with stories that is a mythological guide to a world rather than as a story in and of itself). It's science fantasy and mythology, it's got monsters and barbarian=like heroes, gods with their lusts and pettiness, imps and sorceresses, and builds towards an era of space travel much later in the work. It's not for kids, as there are lots of naked bodies and adult themes as well (pretty much any page I would post as a sample would likely have to be behind a spoiler tag, and there has been discussion of it here over the years in different threads many of which do supply samples behind the tags). It's a lot of work to get into, can be incredibly frustrating trying to read through, but ultimately I find it richly rewarding despite all of that, but I know some others here feel differently about that final assessment. -M
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,514
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Post by shaxper on Jan 8, 2018 14:00:37 GMT -5
What can you good people tell me about Jack Katz's The First Kingdom? I thought I knew about all the MAJOR works of comicdom, but I just heard about this one three minutes ago, and it looks like a really big thing I should have known about a long time ago. I have the first two collections plus a couple of the random magazine size issues from later in the run I picked up on the cheap at shows and shops. It is quite a dense read both in terms of text and art. Each panel is crammed and pages can feel crowded, and it is telling a multi-generational story of epic scale, a saga of gods and men over eons in a sense. In many ways, the world building can overshadow the narrative and it is a very slow read. There's a lot to digest and process before moving on to the next bit (in that I approach it a lot like I approached Tolkien's Silmarillion, as more of a history text with stories that is a mythological guide to a world rather than as a story in and of itself). It's science fantasy and mythology, it's got monsters and barbarian like heroes, gods with their lusts and pettiness, imps and sorceresses, and builds towards an era of space travel much later in the work. It's not for kids, as there are lots of naked bodies and adult themes as well (pretty much any page I would post as a sample would likely have to be behind a spoiler tag, and there has been discussion of it here over the years in different threads many of which do supply samples behind the tags). It's a lot of work to get into, can be incredibly frustrating toying to read through, but ultimately I find it richly rewarding despite all of that, but I know some others here feel differently about that final assessment. -M That sounds like a very balanced assessment, actually. I'm intrigued and will probably get it now unless someone else can persuade me not to Thank you!
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Post by kirby101 on Jan 8, 2018 14:14:26 GMT -5
What can you good people tell me about Jack Katz's The First Kingdom? I thought I knew about all the MAJOR works of comicdom, but I just heard about this one three minutes ago, and it looks like a really big thing I should have known about a long time ago. I collected and read the original issues as they came out. First got them at Comics and Comix in SF. I really liked them. The Art was very intense, as was the story. It is an epic on a grand scale, as others have said. I believe he came back a few years ago and did an additional volume. I have not read that yet. I am pretty sure you can pick up the first volume at a good price. i would say it's worth a try. This is one of my favorite pages. Especially the giant laying across the landscape in the lower panel.
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Post by Rob Allen on Jan 9, 2018 19:22:12 GMT -5
First Kingdom has definitely been discussed here; also, I've used a couple of its covers in the weekly cover contest.
Like kirby101, I bought it as it came out. When I stopped buying comics in May 1978, the only ones I continued to pick up whenever I found a new issue were First Kingdom and the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Years later I filled in the issues I'd missed and also bought the art portfolio, all from Bud Plant, who took over publishing First Kingdom from Comics & Comix.
Katz' pages are beautiful to look at, and the story does hang together despite its complexity. I think Katz did himself a disservice by committing to making First Kingdom a 24-volume work; it would have benefited from having more room. I got the impression in the later issues that Katz reached book 15 or so and thought, "crap, I'm not even halfway thru the story! Better cram in as much as I can in the next few issues..."
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Post by kirby101 on Jan 9, 2018 21:25:20 GMT -5
First Kingdom has definitely been discussed here; also, I've used a couple of its covers in the weekly cover contest. Like kirby101, I bought it as it came out. When I stopped buying comics in May 1978, the only ones I continued to pick up whenever I found a new issue were First Kingdom and the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Years later I filled in the issues I'd missed and also bought the art portfolio, all from Bud Plant, who took over publishing First Kingdom from Comics & Comix. Katz' pages are beautiful to look at, and the story does hang together despite its complexity. I think Katz did himself a disservice by committing to making First Kingdom a 24-volume work; it would have benefited from having more room. I got the impression in the later issues that Katz reached book 15 or so and thought, "crap, I'm not even halfway thru the story! Better cram in as much as I can in the next few issues..." It certainly took some radical turns in the later books. Rob, did you read his newer Volume 6 book?
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Post by Rob Allen on Jan 9, 2018 21:42:24 GMT -5
Rob, did you read his newer Volume 6 book? No, I haven't even seen a copy yet, but I did read a really bad review of it. I think it might have been here at CCF.
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Post by batusi on Jan 10, 2018 10:30:39 GMT -5
How many times has Jean Grey died?
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Post by hondobrode on Jan 10, 2018 10:44:55 GMT -5
I don't have that many fingers and toes
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