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Post by dupersuper on Sept 26, 2015 8:01:46 GMT -5
I bought those two Barda Porn issues off of the shelf at the time (I was buying the three Superman titles semi-regularly back then). I have to say that I found them quite good issues back then and pretty suggestive or raunchy, but I never considered them to be terrible comics. Of course, these days, looking at them in hindsight, it is a bit of a head-scratcher how John Byrne could've ever thought that it was a good idea to have Supes and Barda being forced to make a porno together. I guess he was just trying to be a bit edgy or something. If memory serves though, Supes and Barda never actually make the porn movie, do they? Mr. Sleaze and Darkseid have a VHS of Barda doing a sexy strip dance, but as far as I remember Mr. Miracle saves the day before Superman can actually get it on with Barda in front of the cameras. Mr Miracle arrives in time to prevent her porno with Supes, but she presumably had already been forced to make at least 1, providing Darkseid with a tape to show Scott (raising the question "Is Darkseid having his minions monitor Earth pornography for some reason?"). It's really bad once you learn Kirby based Barda on his wife. |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,202 
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Post by Confessor on Sept 26, 2015 8:14:59 GMT -5
I bought those two Barda Porn issues off of the shelf at the time (I was buying the three Superman titles semi-regularly back then). I have to say that I found them quite good issues back then and pretty suggestive or raunchy, but I never considered them to be terrible comics. Of course, these days, looking at them in hindsight, it is a bit of a head-scratcher how John Byrne could've ever thought that it was a good idea to have Supes and Barda being forced to make a porno together. I guess he was just trying to be a bit edgy or something. If memory serves though, Supes and Barda never actually make the porn movie, do they? Mr. Sleaze and Darkseid have a VHS of Barda doing a sexy strip dance, but as far as I remember Mr. Miracle saves the day before Superman can actually get it on with Barda in front of the cameras. Mr Miracle arrives in time to prevent her porno with Supes, but she presumably had already been forced to make at least 1, providing Darkseid with a tape to show Scott (raising the question "Is Darkseid having his minions monitor Earth pornography for some reason?"). It's really bad once you learn Kirby based Barda on his wife. I thought the video Barda was forced to make, which Darkseid later shows to Mr. Miracle, is the one of her dancing that we see Sleaze shooting earlier in the comic? Clearly from the reaction of Mr. Miracle his wife does more than simply dance, but it's not expressly stated that anyone else is involved in whatever Barda is doing on the video, is it? It's been so long since I last read these issues that I can't exactly remember, but I think that's the case. But yeah, that is kind of bad about Barda being based on Kirby's wife. I never knew that. |
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 26, 2015 8:37:35 GMT -5
According to Mark Evanier, while it's true that most of Kirby's women are modeled after Roz (just as all of Edward Hopper's female figures are based on his wife), Jack specifically based Barda on singer/actress Lainie Kazan.
Cei-U!
I summon the buxom babe!
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Post by fanboystranger on Sept 26, 2015 10:12:56 GMT -5
That sounds pretty cool. I generally find things to like about even the most editorially driven Milligan projects, like Infinity Inc. and Red Lanterns. Sure, me too, but I guess it's not enough to make it a good comic I'd recommend. And Terminal's Hero concept is quite good, and on the paper, I actually agree with Fanboystranger, except it reads really painfully and doesn't really feel like the horrorbook it should be. It might have worked much better with 4 extra issues though, because the two antagonists really feel barely sketched out. The latest two Milligan extended works I really enjoyed and would actually recommend would be his Hellblazer and Sub-Mariner runs, the former being pure Milligan and one of the top 3 runs on the titles (just after Delano and Jenkins IMHO), the latter being a perfect if unlikely little horror story. I've yet to read The Names but secretly hopes this will be one of his better efforts. Yeah, that's my main problem with Terminal Hero, too-- the "terminal villains" sorta just show up for no reason other than to give the main character something to (relucatantly) fight. It should have been fleshed out more. The first four issues are a nasty picture of a man completely cracking up physically and mentally, and his solution to that problem is one of the most clever, most twisted takes on identity in Milligan's ouvre. It was more in the vein of psychological horror. Then the hero twist comes in for pretty much for no good reason other than the book is called "Terminal Hero". If there were a few more issues to play with that idea and develop those two characters more, I think it would have been as stronger story overall. (I know a lot of people rag on the art, too, but I felt the more "realistic" touch gave the story more power when the "body warping" (for lack of a better term) started. The Names is quite good, but I think it also could have benefitted from a few more issues. I don't want to spoil anything there, though, which is what my big complaint about that series would do. I find Milligan's HB to be a mixed bag. The first half of the run through "India" is not that great, although I'd arugue that's on Cammicoli having John actively throw around magic with Dr Strange gestures rather than Milligan's writing. The second half is much better. What I like about Milligan's run is that it shows an old man who has lived a wild life desperately trying to connect with someone as he realizes that time is not on his side. It's not a theme we often see in comics. I also loved Ephipany, who initially seemed like your average "cool" young comic love interest until Milligan started playing with her daddy fixation. I wouldn't rate the entire run as one of the best runs-- it's Delano, Ennis, then Andy Diggle, who seemed to have a perfect synthesis of everything good about the book, for me-- but I would say that the Bisley illustrated "Suicide Bridge" Annual is one of the best single issues of HB. |
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Post by Paradox on Sept 26, 2015 22:48:06 GMT -5
I bought those two Barda Porn issues off of the shelf at the time (I was buying the three Superman titles semi-regularly back then). I have to say that I found them quite good issues back then and pretty suggestive or raunchy, but I never considered them to be terrible comics. Of course, these days, looking at them in hindsight, it is a bit of a head-scratcher how John Byrne could've ever thought that it was a good idea to have Supes and Barda being forced to make a porno together. I guess he was just trying to be a bit edgy or something. If memory serves though, Supes and Barda never actually make the porn movie, do they? Mr. Sleaze and Darkseid have a VHS of Barda doing a sexy strip dance, but as far as I remember Mr. Miracle saves the day before Superman can actually get it on with Barda in front of the cameras. I never considered those bad comics. More a "bad idea" but well executed. |
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Post by Paradox on Sept 26, 2015 22:49:55 GMT -5
According to Mark Evanier, while it's true that most of Kirby's women are modeled after Roz (just as all of Edward Hopper's female figures are based on his wife), Jack specifically based Barda on singer/actress Lainie Kazan. Cei-U! I summon the buxom babe! Hmmm...I can see the resemblance. Especially the body with that wide-shouldered, big breasted look. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 27, 2015 17:55:35 GMT -5
Over on CBR Brian Cronin does did a column about the Crossing ('Remember to Forget', I think.. he has so many similar ones)... surprisingly, the a lot of comments try to actual defend the story.
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Post by Warmonger on Sept 27, 2015 19:31:58 GMT -5
Probably the infamous "All Star Batman and Robin"
Just god awful...but still somehow entertaining.
If Miller wasn't writing it as a parody...then holy shit, that guy really has gone nuts and lost every bit of talent he once had.
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Post by Dizzy D on Sept 28, 2015 2:24:17 GMT -5
I think Miller is usually in on the joke (see his segment in World's Funnest), but sometimes Poe's Law strikes. For All Star, I'm pretty sure Miller was having fun.
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Sept 28, 2015 2:32:28 GMT -5
I don't think ALL STAR BATMAN it was parody, exactly, but it was deliberately over-the-top to a pretty extreme degree.
I certainly preferred it's over the top craziness to All Star Superman's almost pious appreciation of superheroes.
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Post by fanboystranger on Sept 28, 2015 14:12:43 GMT -5
Over on CBR Brian Cronin does did a column about the Crossing ('Remember to Forget', I think.. he has so many similar ones)... surprisingly, the a lot of comments try to actual defend the story. It's not all terrible, just 90% terrible. The Force Works issues by DnA are actually pretty good with early art from Jimmy Cheung, and despite the fright armor, the War Machine issues are decent. It's everything else that is crap. |
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Post by fanboystranger on Sept 28, 2015 14:15:36 GMT -5
I don't think ALL STAR BATMAN it was parody, exactly, but it was deliberately over-the-top to a pretty extreme degree. Yeah, I don't pin All Star Batman on Miller so much as Jim Lee's decision to play everything so straight. I think if it had been illustrated by, say, Sergio Aragones, it would be hailed as a masterpiece. Lee made it look like any other comic, but what Miller was trying to do wasn't any other comic. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Sept 28, 2015 14:34:41 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2015 15:04:01 GMT -5
Aaargh, my eyes!
I don't know whether it was worse to live through the comics in the 90s, or just see them later, but mein gott that 90s art style sucks so badly.
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Post by Phil Maurice on Sept 28, 2015 15:58:10 GMT -5
Aaargh, my eyes! I don't know whether it was worse to live through the comics in the 90s, or just see them later, but mein gott that 90s art style sucks so badly. One of the sadder aspects of the era IMHO was the great Herb Trimpe adopting that style in an effort to remain "relevant" (and also employable, which is understandable). Nevertheless, he was unceremoniously shown the door. A sorry state of affairs.  |
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