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Post by dbutler69 on Jun 20, 2019 8:21:38 GMT -5
I read Fantastic Four #82-83. Apparently nobody considered that Crystal might have to ask permission to Join the FF. Just as they're discussing how to get to the secret refuge to ask, Lockjaw shows up with some Alpha-Primitive goons and kidnaps her! The FF follow along in their Pogo Plane and are there in about 5 minutes. Of course, Mad Max has taken over again and the FF are captured, as have been the royal family of the Inhumans. Max plans to use his hypno ray to enslave the entire earth! Then spread out and take over the whole universe? Mad, you say? Eventually, Black Bolt decides he needs to risk using his power to escape, which he does. The FF also escape and the all mop up the place with Max's minions. Alas, Max Max & his cronies escape to plot another day. This was a nice, fun little two-parter, and I always like seeing the Inhumans.
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Post by beccabear67 on Jun 20, 2019 12:43:30 GMT -5
One of the few Dell Donald Ducks by Barks I ever had was the Golden Helmet Four-Color. In fact it may be the only original U.S. edition Duck as I think all the others were Canadian editions (with a different not too shiny paper stock for the covers). Always great reads and I still have a lot of the early Gladstone comics. I wish someone would put out regular comic book format reprints of some of the old Bugs Bunnys I had like Frozen Kingdom and another where there is a planet of white bunnys. Also the '50s Scamps and Chip N'Dales though they had no big epic adventure tales that I remember but so well drawn!
I've read those Fantastic Fours in the '70s reprint title. It seems after the Him/Warlock intro it was re-runs time until Romita Jr and John Buscema start, with Kirby no longer wanting to create big concept or character stories. Still good comics but no longer the history making heyday. The biggest event seems to have been Franklin Richards' birth between #69 to 101. This is Marvel if Stan did almost all the writing and Kirby was 'just' the artist and kind of sad. They should've really cut Jack in on some kind of percentage and things, but I think the best they would offer was some sort of almost made up staff position with unclear benefits.
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Post by String on Jun 21, 2019 20:37:26 GMT -5
Amazing Spider-Man #334-339 The Return of the Sinister Six!
Is this really the first appearance of the Sinister Six since ASM Annual #1? If so, that's about 26 years in between appearances, simply amazing. The main plot of Michelinie's story has Doc Ock assemble the band back together (having to blackmail Sandman into doing so) with the goal of subverting a satellite launch (featuring an ESU science project that Peter was involved with) in a bid to gain world domination. Here, Ock's plan becomes imminently far-fetched as his plan is to basically *cure* drug (ie cocaine) addiction. In order to continue being addicted, those billionaires, politicians and others of power & influence will have to get the cure from Ock, some newly discovered element (also being studied at ESU, how convenient) in exchange for said power and influence. Frankly, Ock's cover story lie to the rest of the group sounds more (comic) plausible, we're going to poison the Earth's atmosphere unless they put us in charge. Of course, Ock is unaware that his true plan will also mean nearly destroying the ozone layer causing all life on Earth to perish anyway so Spidey needs that elemental cure regardless. Michelinie's sub-plots held a little more beef to them, the first one being that Mary Jane is informed of Jonothan Ceasar's release, an obsessive fan of hers that had already kidnapped her previously. However, in preparing to possibly confront Ceasar, another possessive fan makes his deadly presence known. Can MJ handle both alone? Meanwhile, the other sub-plot features the elderly Nathan, a betrothed of Aunt May. He's a wheelchair-bound former gambler with a degenerative heart condition whose willing to bet it all on one last haul in order to provide for Aunt May after he passes. His gamble brings him into contact with the Vulture who, in the ensuing conflict with Spidey, gets dragged airborne by Vulture only to be dropped by him in his bid to escape capture. Spidey manages to save Nathan (in a manner that's eerily similar to how Peter 'saved' Gwen after her plunge off the top of the bridge) but the strain is too much to bear and Nathan dies in Aunt May's arms. What I find incredulous is that Peter was fully aware of Nathan and his medical condition yet after letting him to the ground, instead of staying and trying to assist Aunt May (and any paramedics), Peter leaves to see if he can still catch up to the Vulture (and Ock who has also appeared by this point). Overall I like Larsen's art, yes, it's fairly obvious that they were still trying to maintain the previous stylings of McFarlane and some of his art can come off looking rather cartoony but in showing the dynamics and fluidity of Spidey, I think Larsen succeeds rather well. However there are some rough spots, for instance, Aunt May looks REALLY old, you can almost count every wrinkle on her face. Mary Jane has a bushel of red hair that would make Medusa envious. Larsen strays too close sometimes to the pointed feet syndrome of Liefeld. The usage of more vertical panels and shots screams the 90s to me. (Though I do like the full first page shots of every issue, that's a nice enticement to start drawing the reader into the issue). Despite the preposterous main plan of Doc Ock, how the villains didn't trust each other (do they ever?), Sandman's rebellion against Ock, Aunt May's pain of losing a loved one and the strength of Peter and MJ's marriage on display, this was a fun arc.
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Post by berkley on Jun 21, 2019 21:07:07 GMT -5
I read Fantastic Four #82-83. Apparently nobody considered that Crystal might have to ask permission to Join the FF. Just as they're discussing how to get to the secret refuge to ask, Lockjaw shows up with some Alpha-Primitive goons and kidnaps her! The FF follow along in their Pogo Plane and are there in about 5 minutes. Of course, Mad Max has taken over again and the FF are captured, as have been the royal family of the Inhumans. Max plans to use his hypno ray to enslave the entire earth! Then spread out and take over the whole universe? Mad, you say? Eventually, Black Bolt decides he needs to risk using his power to escape, which he does. The FF also escape and the all mop up the place with Max's minions. Alas, Max Max & his cronies escape to plot another day. This was a nice, fun little two-parter, and I always like seeing the Inhumans. The second part of this 2-issue story, FF #83, was one of the earliest FF comics I read as a kid, probably only a year or so after my first discovery of the series. The funny thing is, it left such an impression at the time and in my memory for years afterwards that I always assumed it must have been the final instalment of some vast multi-issue epic until I finally managed to read #40 - 102 of the Kirby/Lee FF run decades later, filling in many of the gaps in my earlier FF reading (still have only sporadic familiarity with the first 40 issues). I was surprised to find out after all those years that it was just a 2-part story.
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Post by urrutiap on Jun 21, 2019 21:52:18 GMT -5
The only old comic book i read earlier tonight is John Byrne's Superman # 10
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Post by dbutler69 on Jun 22, 2019 8:56:50 GMT -5
I read Legion of Super-Heroes #283. This is Roy Thomas's swan song on the series, and he went out with a bang! There's very little action, but this is a great issue. We get the full origin of Wildfire, and a great look inside his head. This story is full of pathos, and does a very good job of explaining why Wildfire acts the way he does - better than any previous issue. Some good Wildfire characterization here. Thomas makes a few errors (lamprey are not eels, and they don't have electrical powers; it's Element Lad that has complete control over elements, not Chemical King; and the Miracle Machine has been destroyed, yet Wildfire speaks of it in the present tense) but these don't really have any impact on the story. My favorite Legion writer, Paul Levitz, takes over next issue, but this was a really good Wildfire issue in the last non-Levitz issue for a while (IIRC), and the art by Howard Bender and Bruce Patterson is excellent. Bruce Patterson is a very good inker!
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Roquefort Raider
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jun 22, 2019 9:35:46 GMT -5
I read Fantastic Four #82-83. Apparently nobody considered that Crystal might have to ask permission to Join the FF. Just as they're discussing how to get to the secret refuge to ask, Lockjaw shows up with some Alpha-Primitive goons and kidnaps her! The FF follow along in their Pogo Plane and are there in about 5 minutes. Of course, Mad Max has taken over again and the FF are captured, as have been the royal family of the Inhumans. Max plans to use his hypno ray to enslave the entire earth! Then spread out and take over the whole universe? Mad, you say? Eventually, Black Bolt decides he needs to risk using his power to escape, which he does. The FF also escape and the all mop up the place with Max's minions. Alas, Max Max & his cronies escape to plot another day. This was a nice, fun little two-parter, and I always like seeing the Inhumans. I always thought that cover was a true classic. I can’t imagine a comic-book reader back in those days leaving that book on the spinner rack! So much drama, so much energy in just that one image!!! In hindsight, we might say that this was the real thing, before Marvel started to just rehash the Kirby material again and again. (And I wasn’t even there to take advantage of, being an early 70s reader).
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Post by rberman on Jun 22, 2019 9:48:32 GMT -5
I read Legion of Super-Heroes #283. This is Roy Thomas's swan song on the series, and he went out with a bang! There's very little action, but this is a great issue. We get the full origin of Wildfire, and a great look inside his head. This story is full of pathos, and does a very good job of explaining why Wildfire acts the way he does - better than any previous issue. Some good Wildfire characterization here. Thomas makes a few errors (lamprey are not eels, and they don't have electrical powers; it's Element Lad that has complete control over elements, not Chemical King; and the Miracle Machine has been destroyed, yet Wildfire speaks of it in the present tense) but these don't really have any impact on the story. Ah... this puts a piece together for me. The Miracle Machine was the key MacGuffin in Grant Morrison's Final Crisis. Everyone has visions of its silhouette throughout the series, and eventually Superman retrieves it from Braniac 5 to defeat the threats of Darkseid and Mandrakk the Vampire Monitor. I should have known that Morrison was bringing back a Silver Age concept. The Miracle Machine debuted in Adventure Comics #367 (Jim Shooter, 1968) as a gizmo from an alternate dimension with thought-controlled reality warping powers to dangerous to use.
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Post by dbutler69 on Jun 22, 2019 10:27:30 GMT -5
I read Legion of Super-Heroes #283. This is Roy Thomas's swan song on the series, and he went out with a bang! There's very little action, but this is a great issue. We get the full origin of Wildfire, and a great look inside his head. This story is full of pathos, and does a very good job of explaining why Wildfire acts the way he does - better than any previous issue. Some good Wildfire characterization here. Thomas makes a few errors (lamprey are not eels, and they don't have electrical powers; it's Element Lad that has complete control over elements, not Chemical King; and the Miracle Machine has been destroyed, yet Wildfire speaks of it in the present tense) but these don't really have any impact on the story. Ah... this puts a piece together for me. The Miracle Machine was the key MacGuffin in Grant Morrison's Final Crisis. Everyone has visions of its silhouette throughout the series, and eventually Superman retrieves it from Braniac 5 to defeat the threats of Darkseid and Mandrakk the Vampire Monitor. I should have known that Morrison was bringing back a Silver Age concept. The Miracle Machine debuted in Adventure Comics #367 (Jim Shooter, 1968) as a gizmo from an alternate dimension with thought-controlled reality warping powers to dangerous to use. Yup, that's right. And Matter-Eater Lad ate the Miracle Machine in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #251 (I believe) but I guess Roy didn't know that, or it had slipped his mind. Still, a very good story. And yes, the Miracle Machine certainly has big MacGuffin potential, not to mention dues ex machina!
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Post by beccabear67 on Jun 22, 2019 12:11:10 GMT -5
My favorite Legion writer, Paul Levitz, takes over next issue, but this was a really good Wildfire issue in the last non-Levitz issue for a while (IIRC), and the art by Howard Bender and Bruce Patterson is excellent. Bruce Patterson is a very good inker! I picked this issue to give the title a try and picked a great starting point I think looking back and made it a mission to get it every month from then, just in time for the Levitz, Broderick and Giffen (and sometimes Bender as well). The knock on Jimmy Janes (reading the collected Legion Outpost) seems to have been that his backgrounds were too pedestrian, and Giffen took the environment way up to a different level.
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Post by dbutler69 on Jun 22, 2019 17:52:51 GMT -5
My favorite Legion writer, Paul Levitz, takes over next issue, but this was a really good Wildfire issue in the last non-Levitz issue for a while (IIRC), and the art by Howard Bender and Bruce Patterson is excellent. Bruce Patterson is a very good inker! I picked this issue to give the title a try and picked a great starting point I think looking back and made it a mission to get it every month from then, just in time for the Levitz, Broderick and Giffen (and sometimes Bender as well). The knock on Jimmy Janes (reading the collected Legion Outpost) seems to have been that his backgrounds were too pedestrian, and Giffen took the environment way up to a different level. Yes, you did pick a great starting point! As I said, Levitz is my favorite Legion writer and this, his second run especially. Jimmy Janes was very good but yes, Giffen was even better. The first time around, that is. I despised his art when he returned to the title around 1988. By the way, I had picked a great jumping on point myself- Earthwar!
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Post by dbutler69 on Jun 23, 2019 9:50:18 GMT -5
I read Legion of Legion of Super-Heroes #286-287. I love that cover for #286! I love the colors and Doctor Regulus's uniform. cover art by Pat Broderick and Bruce Patterson, and I have to say, the Broderick/Patterson interior art is the best I've seen since Mike Grell left! Also, the backup story for #287 is the first subplot of the Great Darkness Saga! Of course, nobody knew it at the time.
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Post by Farrar on Jun 23, 2019 10:08:09 GMT -5
The second part of this 2-issue story, FF #83, was one of the earliest FF comics I read as a kid, probably only a year or so after my first discovery of the series. The funny thing is, it left such an impression at the time and in my memory for years afterwards that I always assumed it must have been the final instalment of some vast multi-issue epic until I finally managed to read #40 - 102 of the Kirby/Lee FF run decades later, filling in many of the gaps in my earlier FF reading (still have only sporadic familiarity with the first 40 issues). I was surprised to find out after all those years that it was just a 2-part story. I loved these two issues! These were probably my first exposure to the Inhumans Royal Family apart from the Unhumans story in Not Brand Echh #6. And #82 and #83's covers are indeed classic.
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Post by urrutiap on Jun 25, 2019 15:20:39 GMT -5
Last night I read some old Amazing Spider-Man # 33 to 42.
Some good decent stuff
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Post by urrutiap on Jun 25, 2019 19:32:47 GMT -5
The issues involving Green Goblin were pretty good to read through but holy cow.
the dialogue took forever to read.
Plus Betty Brant being annoying when Ned Leeds was hanging around
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