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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Oct 21, 2020 12:06:07 GMT -5
Good to know some worthwhile comics came out in the 90's. The 90's, as far as comic books go, gets unfairly crapped on a lot by a ton of people. I love DC, Valiant, and Malibu Ultraverse from that period. Marvel was just kind of a lost cause until the crash hit and made it re-evaluate itself For me personally, I enjoyed the 2099 comics and Age of Apocalypse. But I will agree that for the most part Marvel wasn't that good. Meanwhile for me the passing of the torch in GL, GA, and Flash really made DC interesting for me, as that was right about when I was getting into comics and it was nice to see new faces that I didn't have a whole lot of back story to find like I would have with their predecessors.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Oct 21, 2020 12:26:40 GMT -5
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Post by beccabear67 on Oct 21, 2020 13:57:53 GMT -5
I had some kind of Black Lightning comic back then, it might've been a Brave & Bold, but probably one of the #9-11 issues. Starting on World's Greatest Comics Magazine #9-12. #12 is scripted by Stan Lee. There are many pages inked by Joe Sinnott in the run as well. Ron Frenz' pencils are the most consistent but it is fun to see someone like Steve Rude involved as well. Spider-Girl up to #25 I've enjoyed well enough, #25 is a big double-sized turning point issue with a load of villains (even Crazy Eight). I'll at least add #26-28 to 'the list' for the fallout from the events in it.
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Post by Batflunkie on Oct 21, 2020 14:12:28 GMT -5
For me personally, I enjoyed the 2099 comics and Age of Apocalypse. But I will agree that for the most part Marvel wasn't that good. I liked 2099 too, shame that they really never had much of an overall plan for it except "Marvel characters in a cyberpunk future". Punisher 2099 is probably my favorite title from the line because of how pure and unabashedly over the top it is. I liked what I've read of Doom 2099 and Spider-Man 2099
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2020 14:48:59 GMT -5
Cracked open this volume last night... and read the first ten stories in it, plus the forward by Douglas Wolk. Grave Undertakings from Creepy #5 by Archie Goodwin & Alex Toth-a tale of two undertakers who take on side hustle and end up biting off more than can chew. A pretty standard vampire tale elevated by Toth's use of tones and ability to set the mood. The Stalkers from Creepy #6 by Goodwin and Toth-an alien abduction story with a twist. Toth's portrayal of fear and paranoia in the protagonist is simply amazing. It sells the whole story. The panel layout of the first page is simply splendid and the page two splash is a sight to behold. Rude Awakening from Creepy #7 again by Goodwin and Toth. A tale of paranoia and premonitions gone wrong. Toth's layouts, panel arrangements and facial expressions make this interesting, but otherwise it would have been my least favorite of the stories read, if not for... Out of Time from Creepy #9 another Goodwin/Toth tale featuring strong storytelling execution for a weak story. A murderer from the 20th century is on the run from the cops when a portal to the past opens up and a witch from the 17th century offers to exchange places with him. The murderer doesn't know a mob is coming to burn the witch at the stake and the witch doesn't know he is about to be apprehended for murder and eventually executed. They trade places seeking to escape their fates only to suffer each other's fated demise. Basically a potato chip story-an enjoyable (visual) treat but nothing of substance. The preceding stories were from the '65-'66 era. We now skip ahead to the mid 70s for the next batch of stories... Phantom of Pleasure Island from Creepy #75 by Gerry Boudreau and Toth. A noir murder mystery featuring a masked/hooded killer at an amusement park and a Bogart-esque PI on the case. This may be my favorite story of the bunch (though there are a few other contenders). Toth perfectly captures the feel of a 30s/40s noir thriller, and the use of tones and shading here is a tour de force. Ensnared! by Rich Margopoulos and Toth from Creepy #77-another thin story made interesting by Toth's visuals. Basically a human as a rat in a maze observed by aliens, but Toth's execution makes this a standout piece. The last 4 tales were all Toth solo efforts, but I need to head to work, so I'll go over those tonight when I get home. One last note-Toth's lettering elevates almost every story he does (he lettered all but the first tale). It is subtly different in each story to fit the needs of the story and help set the mood/tone of each story. Lettering rarely stands out unless it is really bad or really amazing. This stuff is amazing. -M
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Post by MDG on Oct 21, 2020 15:06:19 GMT -5
One last note-Toth's lettering elevates almost every story he does (he lettered all but the first tale). It is subtly different in each story to fit the needs of the story and help set the mood/tone of each story. Lettering rarely stands out unless it is really bad or really amazing. This stuff is amazing. From the 70s on--maybe earlier--Toth would letter in red (which photographed as black) because he liked the way it looked.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Oct 21, 2020 15:17:46 GMT -5
For me personally, I enjoyed the 2099 comics and Age of Apocalypse. But I will agree that for the most part Marvel wasn't that good. I liked 2099 too, shame that they really never had much of an overall plan for it except "Marvel characters in a cyberpunk future". Punisher 2099 is probably my favorite title from the line because of how pure and unabashedly over the top it is. I liked what I've read of Doom 2099 and Spider-Man 2099 Punisher is the one I never got any of except the one title crossover they did. Mostly because 616 Punisher never appealed to me. But I do have all 2099 comics one my want list. Which is mostly Punisher with some Ghost Rider, Ravage and Doom. All three titles I didn't read at the time, but have since then started finding and reading. I'm waiting till I get all the Doom issues before I read through it though. I still have a handful of issues left to get in the latter half of the series.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2020 23:06:11 GMT -5
Here's a sample page from Phantom of Pleasure Island I recapped above just to give a sense of the noir feel, innovative layouts and the masterful storytelling I mentioned above. and here is the splash from Stalkers I mentioned digging so much. Now picking up where I left off with the storie sI read last night, we were up to the Toth written tales he did in the 70s. First up was Tibor Miko from Creepy 77 from '76, a period horror piece featuring an aviation theme (any Toth story featuring aviation is going to be a joy), this on features a US Mail pilot in a biplane on a remote route in the west encountering a UFO. The shading and tones on this piece are amazing; here is the opening page with a series of establishing shots, just look at the tone work in the clouds... and here is a look at an aviation sequence from the story... This story is one of the highlights of the volume so far. Next up, is Unreal, from Creepy #78. Set in the Golden Age of Hollywood, it is the story of the perfect actor, who is actually a prototype AI used as a test to see if they can replace key elements of humanity without being detected. It's a fun period piece, with the usual Toth flourishes, and I really like the layouts on the final page, but story-wise it was only ok for me. The third Toth-penned tale is Kui, from Creepy #88. It is the story of a young couple seeking the ruins of a lost civilization on a remote Pacific island and falling victim to an Indiana Jones type trap that entombs them within the ruins. The opening splash page is just...let's just say I stopped reading and just took in the intricacies of the page for about 5 minutes... I am a big fan of tribal mask designs and Meso-American art and this had elements of both, through Toth's lens and the beautiful juxtaposition of simlicity of line creating such an intricate image. The story itself, is good, and the storytelling choices Toth made work so well. For example, as the trap closes, Toth drives home the horror of it for the reader, not by showing the reaction of the couple, but by showing the rising wall with just the fingers of the couple helplessly scrabbling for a hold knowing it is futile and their doom is sealed. So simple, yet so damn effective. The last of the Toth stories I read last night was Proof Positive from Creepy #80, the last of the 70s era Toth Creepy tales. Laid out sideways, this is the story of a 19th century photographer who is nearly swindled by a group of dishonest patent lawyers and get his revenge. Toth's art evokes the look of 19th century photography in places, as seen in the first panel on this page... (it looks even better on the stark white pages of the collected edition than it does on the off-white newsprint pages this image is taken from). The story itself is pretty standard genre fare, but again elevated by Toth's masterful execution and storytelling ability. I still have 12 more tales to read (some from later Creepy issues and a handful from Eerie spanning the 60s-70s. And one from Blazing Combat that appeared in the all Toth reprint issue of Creepy #139) and I am really looking forward to them. Not sure if I will have a chance to recap them like I did these when I get to them, but I hope to. -M
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Post by beccabear67 on Oct 22, 2020 13:25:00 GMT -5
Alex Toth's work just blows my mind all the time! A zen master at making a minimal amount of line and brush work convey sooooo much! He is the Matsumoto Hoji of comics...
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 23, 2020 14:35:21 GMT -5
I bought Showcase Present Superman, Volume Two, a couple of weeks ago, and I read the last couple of stories a few nights ago. I love this stuff! Vintage Superman! Late 1959 to mid-1961! Wayne Boring, Curt Swan, Al Plastino, Kurt Schaffenberger! Otto Binder! And so much Jerry Siegel! Luthor, Mxyzptlk, Bizarro, Supergirl, Krypto, Streaky, Titano, the Anti-Superman Gang, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, Lori Lemaris, Kandor … … and bunches of crazy Lois Lane stories! Oh, Lois! you are so damn crazy! It's Action Comics #258 to #275, and Superman #134 to #145. This is my favorite era of Superman! I've read a bunch of these stories before, here and there, 80-Page Giants, 100-Page Super-Spectaculars and various other sources. But there is so much GOLD here in stories I've never seen! I think my favorite part in this volume is that bit in Superman #134 where the Kandorian dude impersonating Superman adopts a giant walrus as a pet, calls him Flippy and takes him on a walk in downtown Metropolis where he flips over cars and terrorizes the people of Metropolis. (The people of Metropolis are sissies! If this happened in Gotham, you would hardly bat an eye.) Flippy is only in a few panels and I don't think he ever appeared again. But he a has a permanent place in my heart. If I ever get a chance to write Superman, my first priority will be the return of Flippy! I am really surprised I never bought one of these Showcase Presents Superman volumes before! I will be picking up the other volumes over the next few months because I love this stuff and it never gets old!
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 23, 2020 14:56:44 GMT -5
Also, I got Marvel Masterworks, Rawhide Kid, Volume One, from the library, and I have been slowly reading through it. I do love the Marvel westerns! I have a bunch of low-grade issues of Rawhide Kid, Kid Colt Outlaw, Gunsmoke Western and similar titles, but I haven't read much of Kirby's Rawhide Kid before now. It's not what I expected! I thought it was going to be three or four stories per issue. Kirby's first issue is dated August 1960, almost a full year before Fantastic Four #1, so I was kind of surprised to see stories that take up three-fourths of the issue (followed by a short, non-series Western story) with some pretty decent story development and even a little bit of continuity as the Kid runs into some of the same ornery owlhoots from earlier issues. Rawhide Kid #22 features a cover of the Kid on the edge of a cliff being menaced by a living totem pole called the Terrible Totem, and I was sure it was going to be an elaborate hoax, a guy in a weird costume or an advanced robot (a la Wild Wild West) … but no! It's a genuine subterranean creature that sort of resembles a totem pole! The Terrible Totem proves to be a little more challenging than the grubby unshaven braggart outlaws that the Kid usually fights … but not much more! This is a really fun volume in its own right (especially if you like Western comics!) but it's also sort of a protootype for the Age of Marvel Comics that we'll be seeing in a year and a half. It's sort of the Western equivalent of Dr. Droom in Amazing Adventures!
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 23, 2020 15:27:58 GMT -5
And I've also been reading Thor. One of my long-term projects has been to read every appearance of all the Silver-Age Marvel super-heroes from the start in the early 1960s up to where I started reading them in 1975 and 1976. So for the last few years, I've been getting stuff from the library like Essential Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and Avengers, and various Marvel Masterworks, and sometimes purchasing them when they aren't available for free. I'm getting close to the end for the major Marvel super-heroes. I finished Iron Man, Sub-Mariner and the Avengers within the last two or three years. (I want to get to stuff like Sgt. Fury and early 1970s material like Amazing Adventures and The Defenders, but for now I'm almost done with Marvel super-heroes that started in the 1960s.) I'm just about done with Thor. Every once in a while, I check Comixology to see if they are having a sale on Marvel Masterworks so I can get Marvel Masterworks: Thor, Volumes 14 and 15, which covers Thor #229 to #253 … and last week, I got them for $6.99 each! I've only read a few of these stories. It was a bit disappointing because I have really beat-up copies of #229 and #231, so instead of starting off with brand-new stories, two of the first three were stories I read way back in the 1970s, when I bought them for a dime each at a bookstore in downtown Anderson, Indiana, from a nice old lady who usually had a stack of tattered comics in a box behind the counter. However, the story in #229 was continued in #230, so I have to admit that it was kind of nice to finally read the conclusion forty-five years later! I read #232 today. So cool! Fire-Lord! Loki! Jane Foster is dying! Sif! Krista! Hildegaarde! Hercules! An Avengers cameo! Tom Fagan! I think I must have read one or two of the upcoming issues because they mention some story elements that sound familiar. Sif is starting a quest to find the wizard Kamo Tharn! (I remember that name!) And Odin is missing from Asgard! I remember that at some point I read a story where Odin is living with a group of people in a tenement. He is dressed in a plaid shirt and jeans and doesn't seem to remember being the All-Father. He's watching television and seeing Thor and company fighting some cosmic menace and he seems to think it has something to do with him, but he can't remember what! It will be so much fun and hopefully very satisfying to finally read that whole storyline. Awesome John Buscema art, by the way!
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Post by earl on Oct 23, 2020 23:38:45 GMT -5
I've been reading Daredevil to read the entire first series. I just finished #86 which is where Matt and Natasha hook up for real and are leaving for SF. Gene Colan's artwork is very lovely on the book, especially as the run goes on.
Most of the first 100 issues, I had never read as my old DD collection started around the time Wolfman was writing and a couple years before Frank Miller came along.
I'm also reading through Christopher Priest's run on Deadpool. There are some pretty funny moments in that one and I would think the Loki showing up saying he is Deadpool's dad and how he eventually changes his 'face' could be hilarious in a future movie.
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Post by String on Oct 24, 2020 23:29:34 GMT -5
Avengers #57-97 as collected within this newest Epic collection release and the previous Epic volume Behold the Vision.
This run begins with the intro of the Vision up through the Kree/Skrull War and while it's been awhile since I've read of that War, this is my first reading of the majority of the issues herein. I must say, overall, thoroughly enjoyed the lot of them. The two Ultron sagas, the Zodiac Organization, the Squadrons Sinister/Supreme, Kang, T'Challa's origin and dealings with the Sons of Serpents and who knew Arkon could be this menacing? (Also included was Harlan Ellison's two part story of the Hulk and Jarella's world). Thomas' writing and pacing are great and while the art of John Buscema and Adams speaks for itself, I really enjoyed Barry Smith's work on the Ultron-6 arc and even appreciated Sal Buscema's efforts too. Couple of thoughts about this run though: First, Hank Pym. Here, we see his creating of Ultron and the emergence of Yellowjacket. Now, in comic hindsight, I think, well, okay, here is where Hank's mental woes began....except those issues really don't read in such a manner. Sure, one of his experiments runs amok with deadly consequences but Hank eventually remembers what happened and with the help of his teammates, is able to resolve the crisis (for the moment). Then, due to his work and personal pressure he feels in his relationship with Jan, a new persona emerges when Hank has a lab incident (Moral of the story kids: Don't fall asleep in a chem lab for god knows what kind of fumes you may be breathing in). In resolving this, Hank stands up to his perceived pressure and marries Jan. Yet Thomas doesn't portray either of these events as some sort of long-running mental illness, rather just unfortunate events. For otherwise, Hank is confident both of himself and his scientific abilities (for example, when he became acutely aware of the impending effect of the Kree de-volvo ray Ronan had started up and saved Jan from it's effects). In fact, I was much more impressed with Hank here in this run which has me wondering when it was decided that these events were instead a sign of Hank's underlying mental issues. (I want to say Shooter, for didn't these moments come more under this type of scrutiny when he slapped Jan and was later court-martialed by the team?) Second, Clint Barton as Goliath tested my patience at some points. His machismo and bravado were almost as large as his physical size. Apparently Clint thought there was no problem that couldn't be solved with a big enough fist to punch at it. And what exactly was his deal about not shrinking down to normal size during off time? There were quite a few instances throughout this run where Jarvis was serving the team tea and he served Clint with an extra-large tea cup (If I was Jarvis, I'd have to call up the boss Mr. Stark and ask for a raise for having to deal with extra-large amenities for Clint's extra-large immaturity). Last, Pietro's trick of using his speed to become a human pinball was neat to see....the first time. Repeated usage seems to point out to me that Thomas may not have known how to best utilize a speedster on the team.
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Post by Duragizer on Oct 25, 2020 5:25:42 GMT -5
I'm not what you'd call an Alan Moore fan. Watchmen isn't my cup of tea, and I consider The Killing Joke & Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? garbage. But I loved these first seven issues of Tom Strong.
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