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Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 2, 2021 9:36:26 GMT -5
Those are some iconic runs you're reading there.... all well worth it (though not that familar with COnstantine.. gotta read those one of these days)... welcome to the forum!
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Post by kirby101 on Jan 2, 2021 10:00:05 GMT -5
Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle. It was fun. And seems that was all it was meant to be. The stories were mostly getting Scott Free into an impossible trap, and then having him escape. Very little of the operatic grandeur of The New Gods (though it is a companion book to that series). I didn't find the art as engrossing as the New Gods, but that is because Jack went for a more straight forward storytelling instead of large panels with cosmic intensity.
This is the first time I have read it since it was originally published. And I think I enjoyed it a little more this time.
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Post by brutalis on Jan 2, 2021 10:28:52 GMT -5
Hey now. Them is kung fu fighting words! I know it is more of a niche series but I'm inclined to cut it some slack as it does totally embrace and reflect the martial arts craze of the 70's. It, more than most any other magazine reflects and captures the essence of the time it was created. Yeah, that's partly why I'm reading it. I wanted me some 70's Kung Fu craze. All we need now is a black & which blaxploitation magazine! Closest to that is Luke Cage, Hero for Hire as he later becomes Powerman and then you get both Blaxploitation and Kung Fu craze all rolled into one with Powerman and Iron Fist! |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
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Post by shaxper on Jan 2, 2021 11:13:05 GMT -5
Deadly Hands is probably the worst of them, so if you like that, it only gets better! So which one should I check out next, then? You truly can't go wrong with any of them. I'm personally a sucker for the horror titles, but Savage Sword of Conan, Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction, Planet of the Apes, and Rampaging Hulk are real treats too. Really, they all are. There are no bad titles or issues! |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jan 2, 2021 11:16:59 GMT -5
Yeah, that's partly why I'm reading it. I wanted me some 70's Kung Fu craze. All we need now is a black & which blaxploitation magazine! Closest to that is Luke Cage, Hero for Hire as he later becomes Powerman and then you get both Blaxploitation and Kung Fu craze all rolled into one with Powerman and Iron Fist! Every time this subject comes up, I always have to reiterate that I wish Marvel had done a Heroes for Hire movie (featuring Luke, Danny, Misty and Colleen) as a period piece set in the mid-1970s, that would have been, among other things, an homage to both Blaxploitation and martial arts films. |
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Post by Batflunkie on Jan 2, 2021 12:29:11 GMT -5
Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle. It was fun. And seems that was all it was meant to be. The stories were mostly getting Scott Free into an impossible trap, and then having him escape. Very little of the operatic grandeur of The New Gods (though it is a companion book to that series). I didn't find the art as engrossing as the New Gods, but that is because Jack went for a more straight forward storytelling instead of large panels with cosmic intensity. This is the first time I have read it since it was originally published. And I think I enjoyed it a little more this time. I liked Mister Miracle because of how unqiuely different it was, same with The Demon. Unfortunately I don't think there was much Kirby could do with the premise beyond hitting the same beats over and over again |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2021 12:50:25 GMT -5
Batman 360-361
Detective Comics 537-528
Werewolf by Night 32-33, 37
Decided I wanted to focus on at least one writer this year. I ultimately settled on Moench, and I decided to start with his work on Batman and Moon Knight.
The Batman and Detective issues deal with Savage Skull (who kinda reminds me of Eddie of Iron Maiden fame) and Man-Bat. I can't decide if it's just because Jason is new to the series or Moench just didn't get it right (be it a shortcoming or something he's just not interested in), but the dynamic between Bruce and Jason feels off. I also found it odd that Bruce apologized to Alfred for his (justified) reaction to Man-Bat snatching Jason. I also thought it was odd that once the identity of Savage Skull is revealed Bruce comments that it seems too nice and neat and then it turns out the identity was correct. Those complaints aside, I thought evetything else was pretty good. Gordon's health issues are handled well and I thought Moench did a good job of depicting Bruce as concerned for his friend, while still maintaining a level of distance which is (to me) a big part of the character. Also, glad to see Harvey Bullock is here to give Gordon the blues. I absolutely love hating that guy.
Werewolf by Night 32-33 were in the middle of a few storylines, and I've never read any Werewolf before, so I didn't really know who anybody was or what was going on other than MK being hired to capture Jack. Issue 37 seemed to be the end of another arc, and MK wasn't really involved, so I could've skipped it. Overall, didn't enjoy these, but I'm to Moon Knight's solo stuff now, so I'm hopeful moving forward.
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Post by kirby101 on Jan 2, 2021 13:17:02 GMT -5
Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle. It was fun. And seems that was all it was meant to be. The stories were mostly getting Scott Free into an impossible trap, and then having him escape. Very little of the operatic grandeur of The New Gods (though it is a companion book to that series). I didn't find the art as engrossing as the New Gods, but that is because Jack went for a more straight forward storytelling instead of large panels with cosmic intensity. This is the first time I have read it since it was originally published. And I think I enjoyed it a little more this time. I liked Mister Miracle because of how unqiuely different it was, same with The Demon. Unfortunately I don't think there was much Kirby could do with the premise beyond hitting the same beats over and over again Yeah, the backstory with his childhood on Apokolipse should have been explored more and he could have moved more stories with that. Perhaps he meant to before it was cancelled. The Pact should have had larger repercussions in his book. |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,816
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Post by shaxper on Jan 2, 2021 23:47:53 GMT -5
Batman 360-361 Detective Comics 537-528 Werewolf by Night 32-33, 37 Decided I wanted to focus on at least one writer this year. I ultimately settled on Moench, and I decided to start with his work on Batman and Moon Knight. The Batman and Detective issues deal with Savage Skull (who kinda reminds me of Eddie of Iron Maiden fame) and Man-Bat. I can't decide if it's just because Jason is new to the series or Moench just didn't get it right (be it a shortcoming or something he's just not interested in), but the dynamic between Bruce and Jason feels off. I also found it odd that Bruce apologized to Alfred for his (justified) reaction to Man-Bat snatching Jason. I also thought it was odd that once the identity of Savage Skull is revealed Bruce comments that it seems too nice and neat and then it turns out the identity was correct. Those complaints aside, I thought evetything else was pretty good. Gordon's health issues are handled well and I thought Moench did a good job of depicting Bruce as concerned for his friend, while still maintaining a level of distance which is (to me) a big part of the character. Also, glad to see Harvey Bullock is here to give Gordon the blues. I absolutely love hating that guy. This was the run that first made me a Moench fan, and I'm thrilled someone else is enjoying it! I actually love the Bruce/Jason relationship in the Moench run, and its progression is probably the most rewarding aspect of the stretch. Man, that issue where they are both nervous about their night out together -- it was so awkwardly adorable and real. Some of the villains and plots were extremely hit or miss (I apologize in advance for the Mr. Freeze story...oh boy!), but the characters and their relationships are the most rewarding part for me. Anyway, I reviewed this stretch my first time reading it through, if you feel like comparing notes. |
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Post by berkley on Jan 3, 2021 0:45:59 GMT -5
I liked Mister Miracle because of how unqiuely different it was, same with The Demon. Unfortunately I don't think there was much Kirby could do with the premise beyond hitting the same beats over and over again Yeah, the backstory with his childhood on Apokolipse should have been explored more and he could have moved more stories with that. Perhaps he meant to before it was cancelled. The Pact should have had larger repercussions in his book.
I don't thnk there's any doubt that Kirby was pressured - whether directly, through DC management, or indirectly, through being given the impression that the book wasn't selling as well as it should - felt pressured to change the direction of the Mister Miracle series and take it away from the greater New Gods epic it was a part of. So you see a sharp change in tone and content, with the earthbound adventures of Mister Miracle and Barda in conflict with various bizarre criminals. It was fun, but as you say, severely limited in scope compared to the Fourth World saga.
A very similar thing happened with the Eternals, with that series suddenly veering away from its premise, from its formal experiments and even its entire thematic underpinning, to become an increasingly conventional super-hero-like adventure book with Ikaris as the lead.
So I don't agree that fun was all Mister Miracle was meant to be: it's clear that Kirby intended it to work as a central element of the Fourth World mythology but that he was prevented from doing so, or from continuing on the path he had really only just begun to explore. "Himon", in its way, is as important to the whole New Gods concept as "the Pact". In the final issue, he does bring it back into the Fourth World context in a rushed, last-minute kind of way: I suppose he felt he might as well make one final gesture with that issue since it was to be the last.
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Post by spoon on Jan 8, 2021 18:48:36 GMT -5
In my Green Lantern binge read, I'm already finished with Showcase Presents vol. 1. I read the three Showcase issues, #22-24, before New Year's Day. Then, I read Green Lantern #1-17 since then. I've read a bunch of these issues before. But since I can't remember which issues I've already read and since it's been a while, I decide to read from the beginning. The stories started seeming less familiar around #11 or #12, so that might be the point at which I'm reaching more stories that I haven't before.
It's interesting to see the ground rules established. At first, Hal makes up the name Green Lantern and his oath after getting the ring and battery from his predecessor, Abin Sur. The former has already been retconned implicitly in this TPB, as the other ring-wielders also use that name. I'm pretty sure the oath part gets retconned later as well. The romantic plot thread of Hal and Carol Ferris is a little contradictory. Hal dates Carol as both himself and GL, as she doesn't know his dual identity. He wants to win her over in his civilian identity and is jealous of her preference for GL, which is why it's weird that he even "allows" his GL identity to date her. At one point he thinks to himself that he isn't revealing his identity to Carol, so as not to put her in danger. But that's nonsensical, because GL publicly dating Carol already puts her in danger from enemies. Carol is simultaneously progressive and regressive as a character. She's fickle, and it's constantly pointed out that she's only the boss because her father is on vacation. But it's 1960 and she's running an aircraft manufacturer!
There's a similar duality to Thomas Kalmaku, Hal's mechanic and confidante. He's Eskimo, and a pretty prominent minority character for that period. He's portrayed at his core as a three-dimensional, charismatic, good guy. He has a love interest, Terga, his childhood sweetheart, who he marries. But despite his complexity, there are lits of stereotyping that feel strangely tacked-on. The main example is that he's constantly called "Hal's Eskimo greasemonkey." The word "greasemonkey" is used way, way more than mechanic, almost as if to reinforce the word monkey. And Tom is transformed into a chimp in one story and a seagull in another. But the animal references comes across as weird outliers. Tom is the only person on Earth who knows GL's secret identity (until Flash later finds out), and he isn't usually played for laughs.
I like seeing the other GLs show up. The main ones that I recall so far are Tomar Re of Xudar and Xax of Xaos. So far the only recurring members of GL's rogues gallery to show up are the Weaponers of Qward, Sinestro (who is allied with the Weaponers), Sonar, and Star Sapphire.
I feel really good at the pace I'm moving, although a lot of my reading was on the weekend.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 8, 2021 19:12:18 GMT -5
I read those not too long ago (I have the 'Green Lantern in the Silver Age trade... which is a bit shorter, but has color)... I got really annoyed with the romance stories after a few... there were like 10 of them that were exactly the same story. Its really fun seeing the mythos develop, though.
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Post by Rob Allen on Jan 8, 2021 19:44:20 GMT -5
There's a similar duality to Thomas Kalmaku, Hal's mechanic and confidante. He's Eskimo, and a pretty prominent minority character for that period. He's portrayed at his core as a three-dimensional, charismatic, good guy. He has a love interest, Terga, his childhood sweetheart, who he marries. But despite his complexity, there are lits of stereotyping that feel strangely tacked-on. The main example is that he's constantly called "Hal's Eskimo greasemonkey." The word "greasemonkey" is used way, way more than mechanic, almost as if to reinforce the word monkey. And Tom is transformed into a chimp in one story and a seagull in another. But the animal references comes across as weird outliers. Tom is the only person on Earth who knows GL's secret identity (until Flash later finds out), and he isn't usually played for laughs. Is he called "Pieface" from the beginning or does that start later? And is the nickname derived from "Eskimo Pie" (which is currently being renamed because people have noticed that "Eskimo" is inappropriate)? |
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Post by Cei-U! on Jan 8, 2021 21:09:51 GMT -5
There's a similar duality to Thomas Kalmaku, Hal's mechanic and confidante. He's Eskimo, and a pretty prominent minority character for that period. He's portrayed at his core as a three-dimensional, charismatic, good guy. He has a love interest, Terga, his childhood sweetheart, who he marries. But despite his complexity, there are lits of stereotyping that feel strangely tacked-on. The main example is that he's constantly called "Hal's Eskimo greasemonkey." The word "greasemonkey" is used way, way more than mechanic, almost as if to reinforce the word monkey. And Tom is transformed into a chimp in one story and a seagull in another. But the animal references comes across as weird outliers. Tom is the only person on Earth who knows GL's secret identity (until Flash later finds out), and he isn't usually played for laughs. Is he called "Pieface" from the beginning or does that start later? And is the nickname derived from "Eskimo Pie" (which is currently being renamed because people have noticed that "Eskimo" is inappropriate)? Yes, it's Pieface from the beginning and, yes, it was derived from Eskimo Pie (though a much later retcon claimed Tom earned the nickname after winning a pie-eating contest at the company picnic).
Cei-U! I summon the lamoid workaround!
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Post by spoon on Jan 8, 2021 22:04:41 GMT -5
There's a similar duality to Thomas Kalmaku, Hal's mechanic and confidante. He's Eskimo, and a pretty prominent minority character for that period. He's portrayed at his core as a three-dimensional, charismatic, good guy. He has a love interest, Terga, his childhood sweetheart, who he marries. But despite his complexity, there are lits of stereotyping that feel strangely tacked-on. The main example is that he's constantly called "Hal's Eskimo greasemonkey." The word "greasemonkey" is used way, way more than mechanic, almost as if to reinforce the word monkey. And Tom is transformed into a chimp in one story and a seagull in another. But the animal references comes across as weird outliers. Tom is the only person on Earth who knows GL's secret identity (until Flash later finds out), and he isn't usually played for laughs. Is he called "Pieface" from the beginning or does that start later? And is the nickname derived from "Eskimo Pie" (which is currently being renamed because people have noticed that "Eskimo" is inappropriate)? Yes, I didn't even note that part. Hal calls him Pieface or sometimes just Pie. Other people just call him Thomas or Tom. At least in the stories in the first Showcase volume, they don't explain the nickname's origin. I've actually seen a few explanations on the internet. |
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