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Post by jason on May 29, 2022 16:25:09 GMT -5
Bronze-age Spire Christian comics must be the most 'handled' line of comics ever...hard to find these in high-grade.
That said, they are surprisingly easy to find "in the wild" (The Johnny Cash and Tom Landry ones are the only ones that might set you back some).
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Post by tartanphantom on May 29, 2022 17:10:32 GMT -5
Bronze-age Spire Christian comics must be the most 'handled' line of comics ever...hard to find these in high-grade.
Largely because they were often purchased in bulk by churches and given away in Sunday schools, church schools and vacation bible schools. They were distributed mainly to kids and “young adults”, and were considered pretty much disposable. The only place I ever saw them outside of a church-related function was at a Christian bookstore.
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Post by commond on May 29, 2022 17:41:23 GMT -5
Hmm, not sure I'd call Squadron Supreme family friendly. What Golden Archer does to Lady Lark is downright creepy.
I vehemently disagree that Watchmen would have been better with Perez on art. I think Moore absolutely needed an artist that came from the same background as him with the same sensibilities.
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Post by tarkintino on May 29, 2022 17:42:10 GMT -5
Bronze-age Spire Christian comics must be the most 'handled' line of comics ever...hard to find these in high-grade.
Over the years, i've found some of the Archie versions in near-mint condition. They were not bagged, but had the appearance of comics that were stacked and undisturbed for some time. I've found its easier to find the higher-grade Archies when they're part of a lot (collection) as opposed to random, individual issues, which usually take on the appearance of a discarded napkin.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2022 18:00:40 GMT -5
Hmm, not sure I'd call Squadron Supreme family friendly. What Golden Archer does to Lady Lark is downright creepy. I vehemently disagree that Watchmen would have been better with Perez on art. I think Moore absolutely needed an artist that came from the same background as him with the same sensibilities. I'd say more "relatively" family friendly. The topic is a heavy one for sure with Golden Archer, a horrible act. Respect for your thoughts on the Watchmen art.
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Post by arfetto on May 29, 2022 18:38:48 GMT -5
I would consider the depiction of the act Golden Archer does as something all ages can understand as wrong without showing any sort of graphic detail, and Squadron Supreme succeeds in that regard. My 10 year old self reading that recognized the horror and was quite upset, but I didn't feel like I was in possession of something illegal like I was when I got to certain scenes involving The Comedian in Watchmen (and started wondering where I could hide the book in case my parents saw it, and in fact wished I did not own it haha). Keep in mind this is the perspective of my ten year old self. Squadron Supreme and Watchmen were some of the few "big" tpbs of that time period for me.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2022 19:00:05 GMT -5
I vehemently disagree that Watchmen would have been better with Perez on art. I think Moore absolutely needed an artist that came from the same background as him with the same sensibilities. I kind of hate that I even went there with Gibbons because I believe he is a much loved artist and seems like a very nice guy. My issue is just some of his anatomy, it kind of throws me at times. But you made me think more as you mentioned an artist with the same sensibilities, and I think I agree. Thinking back to his Swamp Thing run, I now wonder if Stephen Bissette might have been an interesting alternative for Watchmen (Bissette has done a little bit of superhero work in the past as well). I should probably quit though...I've likely opened enough cans of worms for today! I would consider the depiction of the act Golden Archer does as something all ages can understand as wrong without showing any sort of graphic detail, and Squadron Supreme succeeds in that regard. My 10 year old self reading that recognized the horror and was quite upset, but I didn't feel like I was in possession of something illegal like I was when I got to certain scenes involving The Comedian in Watchmen (and started wondering where I could hide the book in case my parents saw it, and in fact wished I did not own it haha). Keep in mind this is the perspective of my ten year old self. Squadron Supreme and Watchmen were some of the few "big" tpbs of that time period for me. Yet again I think your words capture it well. "Graphic" is indeed the key difference.
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Post by commond on May 29, 2022 19:31:57 GMT -5
Watchmen definitely wasn't written with 10 year-olds in mind, but I'm not sure that Squadron Supreme was either. It has a lot of interesting ideas about superheroes, but I can't say they were ideas I was having at 10 years old. You guys must have been far more savvy 10 year-olds than I was ;P
It's unfathomable to me that anyone else could have drawn Watchmen. I suppose some of Moore's other early collaborators could have drawn it, but it's not something I've ever considered. I can't think of a famous comic where I felt it would have been better if someone else had drawn it. I tend to view that sort of thing as fairly sacrosanct.
I do love a good can opening, though.
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Post by arfetto on May 29, 2022 19:36:34 GMT -5
Watchmen definitely wasn't written with 10 year-olds in mind, but I'm not sure that Squadron Supreme was either. It has a lot of interesting ideas about superheroes, but I can't say they were ideas I was having at 10 years old. You guys must have been far more savvy 10 year-olds than I was ;P I was probably just an outlier. I could blame my mother and her brother if blame must be assigned haha. She had a library of science fiction books and would read me Lord of the Rings at night (singing the songs haha), and he gave me his '70s/'80s comic collection when he moved away. I learned to read from comic books when I was five years old and was reading any comic I could get my hands on from that point on.
But basically I just think that Squadron Supreme deserves some credit for dealing with such heavy topics through a somewhat regulated superhero comic lens. I can only speak of my own experience, but it was quite palatable to me as a ten year old accustomed to reading Jim Starlin and Bill Mantlo.
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Post by EdoBosnar on May 30, 2022 4:00:06 GMT -5
(...) The only place I ever saw them outside of a church-related function was at a Christian bookstore. They did apparently get newsstand distribution, at least in my neck of the woods (western Oregon); the one and only time I had/read an Archie Spire comic was during my Archie phase (age 10-11) when - probably in a hurry - I just randomly grabbed a few Archies from the spinner rack. I still remember having that WTF reaction when I started to read it, with the various characters talking about sin and temptation and Betty kneeling down and praying at one point. After that I was a bit more careful, making damn sure there was no Spire logo on the cover.
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Post by badwolf on May 30, 2022 10:44:14 GMT -5
There were a lot of visual things in Watchmen that were more than just the simple line art. The symmetry of the Rorschach issue and the series as a whole, for example. Things you might not have noticed if you read it as a monthly but "click" later when you re-read it in collected form. Moore said that it was impossible to adapt the book faithfully in another medium and as much as Zach Snyder tried to copy the look of each panel, Moore was right.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2022 11:54:20 GMT -5
Scooby-Doo Team-Up is a fantastic title (thank you, DC Infinite, although I did buy two trades years ago). Great adventures, great dialogue, e.g. Batman referred to criminals as a cowardly and superstitious lot in one story, so Shaggy and Scooby replied, “So are we.”
I love how the likes of the Super Friends and Teen Titans realise that ghost hunting is not their expertise, so call on the Scooby Gang.
The Scooby Gang/Flintstones team-up, which led to a Scooby Gang/Jetsons team-up, is golden.
I still feel my favourite Scooby title is the 70s Marvel series, though. I’ve only read them in black and white, they were reprinted in an annual here. Need to read them in colour. Those stories are great.
I wonder, in an alternate universe, where Marvel publishes Scooby-Doo comics, is there a Scooby-Doo Team-Up where the Scooby Gang team up with the likes of Spider-Man, Iron Man and Thor?
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Post by Batflunkie on Jun 3, 2022 13:14:34 GMT -5
I still feel my favourite Scooby title is the 70s Marvel series, though. I’ve only read them in black and white, they were reprinted in an annual here. Need to read them in colour. Those stories are great. I wonder, in an alternate universe, where Marvel publishes Scooby-Doo comics, is there a Scooby-Doo Team-Up where the Scooby Gang team up with the likes of Spider-Man, Iron Man and Thor? Kind of makes me wish that Marvel still did "younger ages" stuff with Planet Terry, Wally Wizard, Royal Roy, and Top Dog
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Post by tonebone on Jun 3, 2022 14:08:16 GMT -5
Bronze-age Spire Christian comics must be the most 'handled' line of comics ever...hard to find these in high-grade.
Largely because they were often purchased in bulk by churches and given away in Sunday schools, church schools and vacation bible schools. They were distributed mainly to kids and “young adults”, and were considered pretty much disposable. The only place I ever saw them outside of a church-related function was at a Christian bookstore. The only place I saw them for sale (on a spinner rack, no less), was at the Piece Goods fabric stores. It was the most boring place ever, for a 10 year old boy... they sold fabric, patterns, thread, etc. My mom and grandma would drag me there on Saturdays, and my grandma would "reward" me by buying me a couple of Spire Archies. Uh, gee, thanks, Grandma...
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Post by tartanphantom on Jun 3, 2022 17:47:12 GMT -5
Largely because they were often purchased in bulk by churches and given away in Sunday schools, church schools and vacation bible schools. They were distributed mainly to kids and “young adults”, and were considered pretty much disposable. The only place I ever saw them outside of a church-related function was at a Christian bookstore. The only place I saw them for sale (on a spinner rack, no less), was at the Piece Goods fabric stores. It was the most boring place ever, for a 10 year old boy... they sold fabric, patterns, thread, etc. My mom and grandma would drag me there on Saturdays, and my grandma would "reward" me by buying me a couple of Spire Archies. Uh, gee, thanks, Grandma...
Grandma: "Now that I've got my fabric and buttons and you've got your funnybooks, lets go home and let Grandma show you how to blind-stitch a hem into your trouser legs so that they don't fray... it'll be fun... you can have some ribbon candy or a licorice stick while you watch me..."
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