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Post by Cei-U! on Jan 27, 2023 18:38:49 GMT -5
The only issue I have with Romita is that he made Parker way too handsome. Unless that radioactive blood was doing something to his features, I have a hard time believing Pete could blossom from the Ditko science geek to Brandon from 90210 simply because he graduated high school. I dunno. I saw that happen to several guys 'n' gals I graduated with: dorky or forgettable in high school, stunning as adults. Sometimes all it took was getting out from under Mom and Dad's (or Aunt May's) thumb.
Cei-U! I summon the ugly ducklings!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2023 18:48:07 GMT -5
The only issue I have with Romita is that he made Parker way too handsome. Unless that radioactive blood was doing something to his features, I have a hard time believing Pete could blossom from the Ditko science geek to Brandon from 90210 simply because he graduated high school. I dunno. I saw that happen to several guys 'n' gals I graduated with: dorky or forgettable in high school, stunning as adults. Sometimes all it took was getting out from under Mom and Dad's (or Aunt May's) thumb.
Cei-U! I summon the ugly ducklings!
That's true too, I guess for me though Peter was so much more relatable as the nerdy high school kid. Seeing not only Betty, but even Liz Allan attracted to him because he was actually nice and smart and not, well, "Flash"...that seemed so endearing. Turning Peter into a bit more of a sterotypical "popular guy" just neutered the whole vibe to me. Sure...he "could" be one of the cool kids finally, but so what. They tend to be a dime a dozen...but an intelligent nice guy trying to make his way through the world, sometimes awkwardly, but figuring out life as best he can, dang if that didn't make for a compelling character that stood out from the crowd in an even cooler way IMO. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Jan 28, 2023 10:08:25 GMT -5
I’m continuing my reading of the Conway/Andru Spidey. Can anyone tell me if in 150 when he fights Kingpin ,vulture and Sandman if it’s a dream ?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2023 10:18:54 GMT -5
I’m continuing my reading of the Conway/Andru Spidey. Can anyone tell me if in 150 when he fights Kingpin ,vulture and Sandman if it’s a dream ? Not a dream, the fights really happen, but not all is at it appears either. And if you want to know exactly what was going on: {Spoiler: Click to show}
They were robots sent by Smythe to weaken him before he himself attacked. |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,845
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Post by shaxper on Jan 28, 2023 11:03:19 GMT -5
Just about finished making my way through all the Lee/Kirby Thor comics in my collection. I was partially inspired by Icctrombone's passion for collecting the full run, and partially inspired when I found a few issues dirt cheap in a discount bin ($5 a piece), read them, and found them far more entertaining than I expected. In the earliest issues, Kirby's art on Thor is so much more kinetic and dynamic than his work anywhere else. I wonder if it could be argued that Thor was his favorite of the early Marvel heroes. He certainly seems to give it the most energy, and then the Tale of Asgard backups get even more beautiful. In the later Lee/Kirby stories, you can tell that Kirby is doing more of the plotting as it gets far more out there, cosmic and fantastic high imagination to the extreme. I just read Thor #141, which seems like a perfect balance of Lee and Kirby. Kirby's art is absolutely on fire during a staggering fight between Thor and Replicus, he draws a brilliant Xanadu in the Tales of Asgard backup, and Lee amps up the complex human factor, as a notorious mobster sacrifices himself to save the human race, and a thief with a heart of gold finds himself an unwilling agent of a total fiend. It's rare to find a book or issue where Lee and Kirby's efforts are both so equally clear and both so brilliantly strong. I really enjoyed this one. Oh, and it contains Mark Evanier's first published letter, where he suggests rank designations for MMMS members! |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 28, 2023 11:07:36 GMT -5
I’m up to Avengers #46. This is the one where Whirlwind attacks, and Hank and Jan are trapped in an anthill.
And Hercules shaves off all his facial hair!
The roster has been getting more and more full, and everybody is bringing their own subplots.
Hank is stuck at the height of ten feet for a while, so he has to work on regulating his biogenetics. Then after that’s fixed, he thinks of going back to being Ant-Man again.
Jan has come into her full inheritance!
The Black Widow goes on a secret mission as a double agent, and Hawkeye is worried about her.
Hercules becomes a pawn of the Enchantress and then gets banished to Earth by Zeus. So he’s hanging around the mansion eating grapes.
Cap is a new phase of his 20-year identity crisis.
So that doesn’t leave much room for Wanda and Pietro. We haven’t heard Wanda say she wants to be an actress for a while, and Pietro is no longer talking about running away and joining the circus.
I miss the days when their nighttime entertainment plans were part of the story. When they would praise Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly!
Over the last ten issues or so, we’ve seen the Enchantress, Namor, Diablo, Dragon Man, the Red Guardian, various other rascally Reds, the Mandarin, the Executioner, the Living Laser, Power Man, the Swordsman, Ultimo and Whirlwind.
John Buscema has taken over the art chores! I bet he was real excited that Vince Colletta was the inker on the latest issue! (To be fair, Vinnie does a pretty good job here.)
It’s been a while since I read these issues, but I seem to remember that we’re at the end of an era here. Hercules, Pietro and Wanda will be leaving, and we’ll be getting some new Avengers soon. I think we’re at the end of my favorite era of the Avengers.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2023 11:18:20 GMT -5
Haven’t read this, but a Facebook friend shared the cover - and asked if this inspired the TV show V:  |
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Post by Batflunkie on Jan 28, 2023 11:27:55 GMT -5
Just about finished making my way through all the Lee/Kirby Thor comics in my collection. I was partially inspired by Icctrombone 's passion for collecting the full run, and partially inspired when I found a few issues dirt cheap in a discount bin ($5 a piece), read them, and found them far more entertaining than I expected. In the earliest issues, Kirby's art on Thor is so much more kinetic and dynamic than his work anywhere else. I wonder if it could be argued that Thor was his favorite of the early Marvel heroes. He certainly seems to give it the most energy, and then the Tale of Asgard backups get even more beautiful. In the later Lee/Kirby stories, you can tell that Kirby is doing more of the plotting as it gets far more out there, cosmic and fantastic high imagination to the extreme. I just read Thor #141, which seems like a perfect balance of Lee and Kirby. Kirby's art is absolutely on fire during a staggering fight between Thor and Replicus, he draws a brilliant Xanadu in the Tales of Asgard backup, and Lee amps up the complex human factor, as a notorious mobster sacrifices himself to save the human race, and a thief with a heart of gold finds himself an unwilling agent of a total fiend. It's rare to find a book or issue where Lee and Kirby's efforts are both so equally clear and both so brilliantly strong. I really enjoyed this one. Oh, and it contains Mark Evanier's first published letter, where he suggests rank designations for MMMS members! I've said this before and I'll say it again, when Thor is good, it's one of the best comics I've ever read. I'm so glad I gave the book another chance when some of the members recommended reading it when Absorbing Man first appeared. A year or so later and I bought two Thor Epic collections (Volume 3/The Wrath Of Odin and Volume 4/To Wake The Mangog). They're probably the pride of my physical tpbs |
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Post by Cei-U! on Jan 28, 2023 11:29:01 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure that storyline was already several decades old by the time that issue of Strange Adventures hit the stands. It's a pretty standard plot for the sci-fi pulps of the '20s and '30s (may of the writers of which worked for DC in the late '40s, '50s and '60s).
Cei-U!
I summon the retread!
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 28, 2023 15:27:55 GMT -5
Just about finished making my way through all the Lee/Kirby Thor comics in my collection. I was partially inspired by Icctrombone's passion for collecting the full run, and partially inspired when I found a few issues dirt cheap in a discount bin ($5 a piece), read them, and found them far more entertaining than I expected. In the earliest issues, Kirby's art on Thor is so much more kinetic and dynamic than his work anywhere else. I wonder if it could be argued that Thor was his favorite of the early Marvel heroes. He certainly seems to give it the most energy, and then the Tale of Asgard backups get even more beautiful. In the later Lee/Kirby stories, you can tell that Kirby is doing more of the plotting as it gets far more out there, cosmic and fantastic high imagination to the extreme. I just read Thor #141, which seems like a perfect balance of Lee and Kirby. Kirby's art is absolutely on fire during a staggering fight between Thor and Replicus, he draws a brilliant Xanadu in the Tales of Asgard backup, and Lee amps up the complex human factor, as a notorious mobster sacrifices himself to save the human race, and a thief with a heart of gold finds himself an unwilling agent of a total fiend. It's rare to find a book or issue where Lee and Kirby's efforts are both so equally clear and both so brilliantly strong. I really enjoyed this one. Oh, and it contains Mark Evanier's first published letter, where he suggests rank designations for MMMS members! Yeah, Kirby’s Thor is just about as good as comics get. I was going to say the best period is from about #125 to about #155, but the truth is that I love #101 to #124 as well, the Chic Stone inking, the Cobra and Hyde over and over, the Grey Gargoyle, Crusher Creel, the Trial of the Gods. It’s been a while since I read the Kirby issues after #155, so I’m having trouble remembering them. I think it’s still quite good up until the last few issues. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jan 28, 2023 15:30:55 GMT -5
I have a hard time picking a favorite artist from the first fifteen to twenty years of Spider-Man. Let’s just be thankful that for almost 200 issues, Spidey had great artists, from Ditko to Romita to Jim Mooney (I started buying Marvel Tales when it was reprinting the Mooney issues) to Kane to Andru.
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Post by Ricky Jackson on Jan 28, 2023 16:14:16 GMT -5
Just about finished making my way through all the Lee/Kirby Thor comics in my collection. I was partially inspired by Icctrombone's passion for collecting the full run, and partially inspired when I found a few issues dirt cheap in a discount bin ($5 a piece), read them, and found them far more entertaining than I expected. In the earliest issues, Kirby's art on Thor is so much more kinetic and dynamic than his work anywhere else. I wonder if it could be argued that Thor was his favorite of the early Marvel heroes. He certainly seems to give it the most energy, and then the Tale of Asgard backups get even more beautiful. In the later Lee/Kirby stories, you can tell that Kirby is doing more of the plotting as it gets far more out there, cosmic and fantastic high imagination to the extreme. I just read Thor #141, which seems like a perfect balance of Lee and Kirby. Kirby's art is absolutely on fire during a staggering fight between Thor and Replicus, he draws a brilliant Xanadu in the Tales of Asgard backup, and Lee amps up the complex human factor, as a notorious mobster sacrifices himself to save the human race, and a thief with a heart of gold finds himself an unwilling agent of a total fiend. It's rare to find a book or issue where Lee and Kirby's efforts are both so equally clear and both so brilliantly strong. I really enjoyed this one. Oh, and it contains Mark Evanier's first published letter, where he suggests rank designations for MMMS members! Yeah, Kirby’s Thor is just about as good as comics get. I was going to say the best period is from about #125 to about #155, but the truth is that I love #101 to #124 as well, the Chic Stone inking, the Cobra and Hyde over and over, the Grey Gargoyle, Crusher Creel, the Trial of the Gods. It’s been a while since I read the Kirby issues after #155, so I’m having trouble remembering them. I think it’s still quite good up until the last few issues. Post #155 features highlights like finally settling the Don Blake backstory question in 159 and, my favorite, the classic Galactus vs Ego battle in 162, part of multiple issues featuring Galactus in the 160s that includes the first telling of his origin. Once you hit 170 you enter the brief period where Goodman insisted on self-contained stories, so those are pretty forgettable, and the last few Kirby issues are ok but, like with FF, feel like the output of someone playing out the string |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2023 16:18:29 GMT -5
I'm trying to read my omnibus of the Michelinie/McFarlane run of Amazing Spider-Man. So far I've read #296-300, issues I've read in the past, and I now immediately remember why I struggle with this era. It's not the concept of Venom, and I do like McFarlane's art in general (not above the classic era artists, but still appreciate it for what it is).
It's the marriage to MJ. It's just bonkers bad with superficial dialogue that doesn't seem like a real relationship of any depth to me. The super model thing just gets crazy weird as well. When I think in stark contrast of Peter's brief but sweet courtship with Betty Brant, and then the real connection he had with Gwen Stacy, this era feels so painful to read. I might have to bail.
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Post by kirby101 on Jan 28, 2023 16:21:24 GMT -5
Just about finished making my way through all the Lee/Kirby Thor comics in my collection. I was partially inspired by Icctrombone 's passion for collecting the full run, and partially inspired when I found a few issues dirt cheap in a discount bin ($5 a piece), read them, and found them far more entertaining than I expected. In the earliest issues, Kirby's art on Thor is so much more kinetic and dynamic than his work anywhere else. I wonder if it could be argued that Thor was his favorite of the early Marvel heroes. He certainly seems to give it the most energy, and then the Tale of Asgard backups get even more beautiful. In the later Lee/Kirby stories, you can tell that Kirby is doing more of the plotting as it gets far more out there, cosmic and fantastic high imagination to the extreme. I just read Thor #141, which seems like a perfect balance of Lee and Kirby. Kirby's art is absolutely on fire during a staggering fight between Thor and Replicus, he draws a brilliant Xanadu in the Tales of Asgard backup, and Lee amps up the complex human factor, as a notorious mobster sacrifices himself to save the human race, and a thief with a heart of gold finds himself an unwilling agent of a total fiend. It's rare to find a book or issue where Lee and Kirby's efforts are both so equally clear and both so brilliantly strong. I really enjoyed this one. Oh, and it contains Mark Evanier's first published letter, where he suggests rank designations for MMMS members! I have to tell you, that Thor story was all Kirby with Lee scripting the dialog. There is a reason the credits are just Stan Lee and Jack Kirby without reference to story and art. The bad guy sacrificing for humanity was a standard Kirby trope. And almost all the Tales of Asgard were Kirby plotted. |
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Post by commond on Jan 28, 2023 18:54:43 GMT -5
I finished Chester Brown's Yummy Fur series. Personally, I preferred the Ed the Happy Clown era to his autobiographical stories, but Brown was making up the Ed story as he went along and for some reason he grew frustrated with it. You get the sense that Chester was always a bit restless as a cartoonist, as he began experimenting heavily with panel layout as the series progressed (to the chagrin of some readers who didn't appreciate the small number of panels per page.) I enjoyed some of the autobiographical stories from his childhood. I'm sure a lot of fans our age can identify with trying to get their hands on a copy of Playboy each month and then figuring out where in the hell they're gonna hide it. I also liked his adolescent tales of dealing with coming of age and interacting with girls. The Drawn and Quarterly publisher, Chris Oliveros, convinced Chester to end Yummy Fur, which led to the ill-received Underwater series. Yummy Fur was one of the first alternative comics I was drawn to as a teenager, discovering it through the back issue boxes at my local comic shop. I was especially drawn to the Gospel adaptations where a grumpy and cantankerous Jesus spits fire at everyone. Looking back on it now, it was quite a bold choice for an alternative cartoonist to adapt the New Testament, but a natural thing to do for Brown to pursue as he was interested in alternative Gospel sources. From a comics standpoint, the Gospel adaptations represent his best cartooning work from the period, IMO, especially his Matthew.
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