|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Oct 27, 2022 15:56:45 GMT -5
I've read Star Trek #9 & 10 from the Gold Key series. These are apparently the first two Len Wein stories, though you couldn't tell that from the credits - because there weren't any. I guess Len was actually a Star Trek fan whereas the previous writer was not. The writing in these two issues is okay. Reasonably Star Trekish plots, but some of the dialogue is not good. However, my bigger complaint is with the art. It's not that great, and the characters don't really look like the actors, either. I can forgive that, though, as it's probably not easy to capture that, but the coloring is ridiculous. Most of the Star Trek characters have the wrong colored shirt - they mostly just give everybody except Spock a yellow shirt, and Scotty's hair is also colored wrong, in addition to his short. If they didn't address each other by name in the dialogue, I'd have no idea who is who. These comics came out in 1970-71 so there's really no excuse for so many basic coloring errors.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cei-U! on Oct 27, 2022 18:06:05 GMT -5
I've read Star Trek #9 & 10 from the Gold Key series. These are apparently the first two Len Wein stories, though you couldn't tell that from the credits - because there weren't any. I guess Len was actually a Star Trek fan whereas the previous writer was not. The writing in these two issues is okay. Reasonably Star Trekish plots, but some of the dialogue is not good. However, my bigger complaint is with the art. It's not that great, and the characters don't really look like the actors, either. I can forgive that, though, as it's probably not easy to capture that, but the coloring is ridiculous. Most of the Star Trek characters have the wrong colored shirt - they mostly just give everybody except Spock a yellow shirt, and Scotty's hair is also colored wrong, in addition to his short. If they didn't address each other by name in the dialogue, I'd have no idea who is who. These comics came out in 1970-71 so there's really no excuse for so many basic coloring errors. If memory serves, the licensing agreement between Paramount and Gold Key only allowed them to use the likenesses of Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley. Ergo, the other characters couldn't look too much like the actors who portrayed them.
Cei-U! I summon the fine print!
|
|
|
|
Post by EdoBosnar on Oct 29, 2022 7:32:23 GMT -5
Mad’s Original Idiots: Wally Wooded. by John Ficarra, 2015  As the title indicates, this is a book showcasing the artwork of Wally Wood in the earliest issues of Mad, when it was still a standard 4-color comic book in the early 1950s (two more of these were also published, one dedicated to Jack Davis and the other to Will Elder). All of the stories were written by Harvey Kurtzman. The art throughout this book is simply gorgeous. I’ve read somewhere that Wood himself later said he wasn’t fond of this earlier work because it was ‘too busy’ or something, but I have to disagree. I love all of the little details, as well as the overall composition of each panel. I particularly liked the little half-page splashes at the start of each story, like this one:  If I could find a nice large-sized print of this one, with all of the words (except the ‘kleks’ at the bottom) removed, I’d frame it and hang it on the wall. However, I also have to say that I found most of the stories pretty middling (that goes for the one above, “V-Vampire”); sometimes it’s a case of the humor not aging well, but other times it’s just that the humor just doesn’t really land regardless. Recently I was listening to a podcast in which Cracked from the 1970s/’80s was being discussed, and the participants noted that what they thought was funny back in their early teens seems pretty unfunny now. This is something I’ve often seen mentioned about Mad knock-offs like Cracked, Crazy, etc., but I’d say the same criticism can be leveled at the venerable Mad itself. The stories I liked – and hold up the best – are those that have more of a general humor theme rather than the spoofs of movies and other comics (not even the famous “Superduperman,” which I’d read before picking up this book, did all that much for me). I’d say the best of the spoofs is the one poking fun at the Pogo newspaper strip. So what I really liked are the two at the start that just poke fun at science fiction...  ...as well as this one, "3-Dimensions!" about 3-D and visual effects, which shifts from color to b&w:  The story that’s told in all sound effects is also quite good (you can see a page from it in this post on the forum from a few days ago).
|
|
|
|
Post by MDG on Oct 29, 2022 11:21:54 GMT -5
Mad’s Original Idiots: Wally Wooded. by John Ficarra, 2015 As the title indicates, this is a book showcasing the artwork of Wally Wood in the earliest issues of Mad, when it was still a standard 4-color comic book in the early 1950s (two more of these were also published, one dedicated to Jack Davis and the other to Will Elder). All of the stories were written by Harvey Kurtzman. The art throughout this book is simply gorgeous. I’ve read somewhere that Wood himself later said he wasn’t fond of this earlier work because it was ‘too busy’ or something, but I have to disagree. I love all of the little details, as well as the overall composition of each panel. I particularly liked the little half-page splashes at the start of each story, like this one: Howard Nostrand, 1954. He said he hadn't seen the Wood story and was riffing on Eisner.  |
|
|
|
Post by EdoBosnar on Oct 29, 2022 12:12:53 GMT -5
Howard Nostrand, 1954. He said he hadn't seen the Wood story and was riffing on Eisner. (...) Man, I liked that so much that I went to find the whole story at the Digital Comics Museum. That's really great work, thanks for the tip. |
|
|
|
Post by Batflunkie on Oct 29, 2022 16:55:14 GMT -5
Thor #302 and #303302 was a fun throwback to silver age shenanigans with Locus, a former bank teller who gets revenge on his boss by materializing geometric objects into reality and using them to his advantage  303 was kind of a personal issue regarding faith and a priest who's being hounded by mobsters who want to tear down his parish. I found it interesting that Thor, though it might have been mentioned previously, talks about how people's beliefs in god/s make said gods stronger 
|
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Nov 3, 2022 10:28:21 GMT -5
I’m still chugging along, reading Lois Lane #105 to #130. I read the Lois Lane story in #119 this morning. The Lois story has the first part of a storyline involving Lois’s sister Lucy Lane, who has become a reckless thrill-seeker with a death wish. This story also continues the subplot where Darkseid’s Morgan Edge facsimile is trying to find the REAL Morgan Edge, who escaped from his cell in the penthouse.
Rose and the Thorn are still fighting the 100 in every issue but the art chores have been taken over by Dick Giordano.
And as this is the era when DC was publishing the giant 52-page comics for ONLY 25 cents, we’ve also been getting some great reprints! The last few issues have been alternating Lady Danger and Dr. Pat. I especially love Dr. Pat, who has no time for romance because she is so devoted to medicine and healing (and humiliating one-liners directed at the poor men whose paths she crosses).
|
|
|
|
Post by tonebone on Nov 3, 2022 22:06:45 GMT -5
Howard Nostrand, 1954. He said he hadn't seen the Wood story and was riffing on Eisner. (...) Man, I liked that so much that I went to find the whole story at the Digital Comics Museum. That's really great work, thanks for the tip. There's a LOT of great work in the Mad comics clones! And there were a ton of them! |
|
|
|
Post by EdoBosnar on Nov 4, 2022 4:13:29 GMT -5
There's a LOT of great work in the Mad comics clones! And there were a ton of them! True enough, but that story MDG brought up is from a 1950s horror comic published by Harvey, Witches Tales #25. |
|
|
|
Post by MDG on Nov 4, 2022 9:19:01 GMT -5
Man, I liked that so much that I went to find the whole story at the Digital Comics Museum. That's really great work, thanks for the tip. There's a LOT of great work in the Mad comics clones! And there were a ton of them! This book is a good collection/history of the Mad comic imitators...  And this one for the early magazine imitators...  |
|
|
|
Post by Batflunkie on Nov 4, 2022 9:40:45 GMT -5
Amazing Adventures #27  So this is where the book goes from an above average "Conan meets Sci-Fi Dystopia" romp to a full blown art house project   Really though, it's starting to feel like something that would be more comfortable in the pages of Heavy Metal/Metal Hurlant than a Marvel book Also, if you thought they were done with dumb character names like Mint Julep and Pstun-Rage, think again  |
|
|
|
Post by Batflunkie on Nov 7, 2022 9:37:40 GMT -5
Fantastic Four #38-#43
Pretty good smattering of issues. The FF lose their powers and have to hook up with Daredevil in order to stop Doom who's taken over the Baxter Building
|
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Nov 7, 2022 11:06:53 GMT -5
Fantastic Four #38-#43 Pretty good smattering of issues. The FF lose their powers and have to hook up with Daredevil in order to stop Doom who's taken over the Baxter Building If you liked those, just wait...things get really good starting with #44! |
|
|
|
Post by commond on Nov 7, 2022 19:19:09 GMT -5
I read the original Marshal Law limited series last month. It kind of fell apart in the final two issues, but in the wake of Kevin O'Neill's passing, I'd rather emphasize the great artwork. I really liked the coloring too. I'm mostly used to reading O'Neil's work in black and white. The color made his art pop on Marshal Law. RIP, Kev. Torquemada is still one of my all-time favorite villains.
|
|
|
|
Post by Calidore on Nov 7, 2022 19:38:38 GMT -5
I read the original Marshal Law limited series last month. It kind of fell apart in the final two issues, but in the wake of Kevin O'Neill's passing, I'd rather emphasize the great artwork. I really liked the coloring too. I'm mostly used to reading O'Neil's work in black and white. The color made his art pop on Marshal Law. RIP, Kev. Torquemada is still one of my all-time favorite villains.
When Eagle Comics published a miniseries reprinting Nemesis the Warlock, they got O'Neill to color his own work. Good as he looks in B&W, color suits his art very well.
|
|
