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Post by badwolf on May 6, 2023 17:16:38 GMT -5
There's some issue of Captain America I think where they have the credits as gravestones?
Alpha Flight #13 does this (and I know I'm long overdue for reviewing it). I always got a kick out of this kind of thing. Sometimes it was a movie poster with scriptwriter, cinematographer, director, etc. Sometimes they had fun with a newspaper page too. |
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Post by Hoosier X on May 6, 2023 17:17:31 GMT -5
I was just flipping through Superman #279. Reading 1970s Superman comics reminds me why I hated Superman in the 1970s.
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Post by zaku on May 7, 2023 5:31:51 GMT -5
I was just flipping through Superman #279. Reading 1970s Superman comics reminds me why I hated Superman in the 1970s. Amen. I could, save, I don't know, ten Superman stories from the 70s? Even less. |
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2023 5:49:59 GMT -5
DC Comics Presents began in 1978, right? I have the “Showcase” volume here. That’s ten or more great stories (in my opinion) right there, not to mention some World’s Finest Comics tales I am lucky to own.
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Post by Icctrombone on May 7, 2023 6:25:39 GMT -5
I was just flipping through Superman #279. Reading 1970s Superman comics reminds me why I hated Superman in the 1970s. Amen. I could, save, I don't know, ten Superman stories from the 70s? Even less. I really like the Bronze Age Superman stories. They were usually done in one and whenever Supes showed up, someone was getting their @$$ kicked. |
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2023 7:00:42 GMT -5
DC Comics Presents began in 1978, right? I have the “Showcase” volume here. That’s ten or more great stories (in my opinion) right there, not to mention some World’s Finest Comics tales I am lucky to own. Yes, started in 1978 and definitely my favorite Superman title during the Bronze Age including those late 70's issues at the beginning, fully agree. |
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Post by Cei-U! on May 7, 2023 7:03:23 GMT -5
DC Comics Presents began in 1978, right? I have the “Showcase” volume here. That’s ten or more great stories (in my opinion) right there, not to mention some World’s Finest Comics tales I am lucky to own. DCCP was the best Superman title of the mid- to late Bronze Age, hands down. I'm still working on reacquiring the complete run (I'm about 60% there).
Cei-U! I gots the team-up fever!
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Post by zaku on May 7, 2023 7:04:46 GMT -5
DC Comics Presents began in 1978, right? I have the “Showcase” volume here. That’s ten or more great stories (in my opinion) right there, not to mention some World’s Finest Comics tales I am lucky to own. In my opinion DC Comics Presents has the best Bronze Age Superman stories (with a few exception on the regular titles of Elliot S! Maggin. And Moore of course. But really, he can't be even be compared, he is simply in another league). |
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2023 7:07:36 GMT -5
If people don’t like a character, that’s fine (I don’t care much for Gambit, if I’m honest). But if you’re hoping to find good stories from a particular era, and you can’t find them, either you don’t like the character (in which case, why seek them out?) or you haven’t come across any good ones that are to your liking.
The first two issues of DC Comics Presents feature Superman and Flash having adventures through time, and I feel the writers have fun with time travel. The third issue has Superman and Adam Strange dealing with Earth having moved out of place. From there, we get Supes and Swamp Thing versus Solomon Grundy, Superman and Wonder Woman battling a giant ice villain, Superman and Sgt. Rock sort of working together reasonably well, Superman battling Hawkman, Superman teaming with the LSH, Superman battling Superboy, etc, etc. Hard to believe that in those first dozen issues alone, there isn’t a Superman story or two to enjoy.
Like I stated, it’s fine not to like a character. I won’t go looking for Gambit stories due to him not appealing to me, but between Superman’s solo and team-up titles, I feel that anyone sincerely seeking good Bronze Age Superman tales will find them, subjective or not - but only if they like the character to begin with.
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Post by Hoosier X on May 7, 2023 10:02:56 GMT -5
I like Superman. He’s a great character.
I didn’t like Superman or Action Comics in the 1970s. There were a lot of bad stories in those 1970s comics. (I didn’t like DC that much anyway. But Superman in that period seemed to be particularly bad.)
I bought #277 because I like the cover. I remember seeing that cover somewhere and thinking it looked interesting.
And I got #279 because Batgirl is in it.
I have developed a very high tolerance for 1970s Superman. But that doesn’t make them any less bad.
I wanted to get some DC Comics Presents. But the shop only had two or three issues that didn’t really appeal to me.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2023 11:52:45 GMT -5
I like Superman. He’s a great character. I didn’t like Superman or Action Comics in the 1970s. There were a lot of bad stories in those 1970s comics. (I didn’t like DC that much anyway. But Superman in that period seemed to be particularly bad.) I bought #277 because I like the cover. I remember seeing that cover somewhere and thinking it looked interesting. And I got #279 because Batgirl is in it. I have developed a very high tolerance for 1970s Superman. But that doesn’t make them any less bad. I wanted to get some DC Comics Presents. But the shop only had two or three issues that didn’t really appeal to me. I think we have a lot of similar tastes in comics, including liking Superman a lot, and I can relate. I started reading comics in the late 70's, and generally have a lot of nostalgia for that period, but most of the Superman/Action title comics I like from that time are the small population I bought off the newsstand as a kid more from, well, nostalgia. I quickly gravitated back to 60's and earlier when I got exposed to the reprints, and it seemed like there was no comparison. I did find more to like in the 80's pre-Crisis (and even after), but the 70's is definitely the decade I struggle with the most for Superman. There was a storyline in particular (you may be familiar with), and unfortunately it's collected in my otherwise fantastic Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez collection, that was in Superman #307-309 circa 1977. While the art was fantastic (Garcia-Lopez is one big reason to enjoy some of the 70's material!), the storyline is I think the worst Superman story I have ever read. Conway was trying to have this convoluted storyline where Superman gets so upset with big business knowingly contaminating the environment with harmful chemicals, he basically completely loses it and starts some crazed vendetta in response. So to "bring him back to reality", Supergirl plays this incredible mindgame on Superman convincing him basically he's crazy and Krypton never existed and they were both born on Earth and are mutant powered. It was somehow to "teach him a lesson" why he shouldn't have responded the way he did to the chemicals thing. Nobody is in character, it's just a painful slog, and I think represents the struggle to retain what always made Superman so great but somehow also make him "up with the times" in the 70's. But then next year you have something like the Superman vs. Wonder Woman story (with the same creative team!) and that one was pretty charming. So I also agree with driver1980 that you can find good stuff in this era, it may just take more looking. And again, DC Comics Presents really is worth seeking out, as several have mentioned, it's on a whole other level generally speaking. My other favorite 70's era Superman title is Superman Family. It's a hodge podge with a lot of reprints and various stuff when it comes to newer stories, but I usually enjoy revisiting them. |
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Post by Hoosier X on May 7, 2023 12:09:46 GMT -5
I love Superman Family! But I didn’t buy them back then. In the last few years, I’ve started picking up Superman Family here and there.
For a very long time, I had only one issue of Superman. I bought Superman #301 brand new off a spinner rack because Solomon Grundy was in it. I had seen Solomon Grundy in a JSA reprint in Super-Team Family.
Now that’s a great issue of Superman! I haven’t read it for decades. I think it would probably hold up. I thought it was so mean for Superman to dress up as another Solomon Grundy to trick the real one into thinking he had a friend! NOT NICE!!
A few years later, I started reading Action Comics and Superman pretty regularly and I thought it had gotten a lot better as a series. I think it was around Action #540 to #550. There was a storyline where Superman had been split in two and each Superman had half the super-powers. That was pretty neat. Gil Kane art! I would love to have those comics again.
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Post by Hoosier X on May 7, 2023 13:25:03 GMT -5
I found my Brave and Bold collection from 1982 and 1983. It’s most of the issues from #184 to #197.
I’m holding #184, about to read the Nemesis story. The lead story is Batman and the Huntress. I like that one a lot.
It’s in very nice shape for never being in a comic book bag!
Does anybody else have this problem? Comics that you bought new in the 1970s and 1980s that you never put in a bag because you didn’t realize that someday it would be 40 years later and they might be worth a lot more in mint condition.
It happens to me way too much.
I have a beat-up Amazing Spider-Man #129 that I bought for 12 1/2 cents that is not THAT beat up. It’s probably worth a few hundred dollars now. At least. It’s never been in a bag.
Run free, little first appearance of the Punisher!
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Post by Hoosier X on May 7, 2023 14:15:54 GMT -5
I had completely forgotten that the Penguin is the villain in The Brave and the Bold #185. I was wondering why I bought a Green Arrow issue of TBATB.
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Post by zaku on May 7, 2023 16:56:26 GMT -5
I like Superman. He’s a great character. I didn’t like Superman or Action Comics in the 1970s. There were a lot of bad stories in those 1970s comics. (I didn’t like DC that much anyway. But Superman in that period seemed to be particularly bad.) I bought #277 because I like the cover. I remember seeing that cover somewhere and thinking it looked interesting. And I got #279 because Batgirl is in it. I have developed a very high tolerance for 1970s Superman. But that doesn’t make them any less bad. I wanted to get some DC Comics Presents. But the shop only had two or three issues that didn’t really appeal to me. I think we have a lot of similar tastes in comics, including liking Superman a lot, and I can relate. I started reading comics in the late 70's, and generally have a lot of nostalgia for that period, but most of the Superman/Action title comics I like from that time are the small population I bought off the newsstand as a kid more from, well, nostalgia. I quickly gravitated back to 60's and earlier when I got exposed to the reprints, and it seemed like there was no comparison. I did find more to like in the 80's pre-Crisis (and even after), but the 70's is definitely the decade I struggle with the most for Superman. There was a storyline in particular (you may be familiar with), and unfortunately it's collected in my otherwise fantastic Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez collection, that was in Superman #307-309 circa 1977. While the art was fantastic (Garcia-Lopez is one big reason to enjoy some of the 70's material!), the storyline is I think the worst Superman story I have ever read. Conway was trying to have this convoluted storyline where Superman gets so upset with big business knowingly contaminating the environment with harmful chemicals, he basically completely loses it and starts some crazed vendetta in response. So to "bring him back to reality", Supergirl plays this incredible mindgame on Superman convincing him basically he's crazy and Krypton never existed and they were both born on Earth and are mutant powered. It was somehow to "teach him a lesson" why he shouldn't have responded the way he did to the chemicals thing. Nobody is in character, it's just a painful slog, and I think represents the struggle to retain what always made Superman so great but somehow also make him "up with the times" in the 70's. But then next year you have something like the Superman vs. Wonder Woman story (with the same creative team!) and that one was pretty charming. So I also agree with driver1980 that you can find good stuff in this era, it may just take more looking. And again, DC Comics Presents really is worth seeking out, as several have mentioned, it's on a whole other level generally speaking. My other favorite 70's era Superman title is Superman Family. It's a hodge podge with a lot of reprints and various stuff when it comes to newer stories, but I usually enjoy revisiting them. Ugh. Conway. Why did they let him work at all!?! |
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