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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2019 1:15:35 GMT -5
^^^ That's a gorgeous cover and an unusual way to end this series ... beccabear67 and that's a clever way of luring comic book readers thinking that this was an adaption of H.G. Wells, masterpiece of the "War of the Worlds".
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Post by beccabear67 on Aug 23, 2019 13:22:14 GMT -5
The earlier issues have "based on concepts created in the novel by H.G.Wells" under the War Of The Worlds title. I wonder why they dropped it? It still had the basic Martians have invaded and conquered the earth setting.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Aug 23, 2019 14:04:40 GMT -5
Hulk: Future Imperfect (tpb, 2015) collecting Hulk: Future Imperfect 1-2 (1992/93) and Hulk: The End (2002) So after Sachs & Violens, I continued with the David/Perez team; this one I liked much, much more. The art is even better than in S&V, and this time the story matches it. Set in a dystopian future, in a city literally called Dystopia that's ruled by the green iron hand of its mad (in all senses of the word) leader, the Maestro, a group of rebels use Dr. Doom's time machine to bring Hulk to the future to stop his reign of terror. I'd never read this before, and I quite thoroughly enjoyed it. And another thing I liked about the art is that attention to detail that Perez is so good at - lots of Easter eggs, and I even found Waldo on the big crowd scene in the double-page splash in the first book. The other story tacked onto this collection, The End, is quite a bit more sombre (although little about Future Imperfect is sunshine and light). But it's a solid post-apocalypse, last man on Earth story. Dale Keown is no Perez, but the art is quite effective for the story.
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Post by profholt82 on Aug 24, 2019 12:38:07 GMT -5
I've been wanting to check out the 'Days of Future Past' issues of X-Men for a while now, but my local wanted $100 for the pair. They were in nice shape, so it's a fair price, but I decided to hold off. Then I found out they had a graphic novel version for $10, so I jumped at that. And am I glad I did, what a great story. I'm a sucker for dystopian future stories, and this one did not disappoint. They send Kitty's future mind into her past body to hopefully change an event which will theoretically alter the dystopian future and make it a better one. It reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode in which a guy goes back in time and tries to stop John Wilkes Booth from assassinating Lincoln, but is unsuccessful, but finds that some smaller, lesser changes have occurred when he returns to his time. Since the X-Men prevented the assassination of Senator Kelly, does that mean that the bleak future in which all mutants are hunted and killed will not come to be? The future story was so dark, and the art truly complemented the theme and feel. While the story in the past (or is it present?) is mostly just a big battle with the Brotherhood, what an epic battle it is. I really got into it, a real page turner. This 2 book arc had a little bit of everything, and makes me want to dig deeper into Claremont's 80s X-Men books. I dabbled in them a little as a kid, but never followed them closely the way I did Spider-Man during those years. If the rest of his 80s work is anything like these issues, I'm all in.
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Post by beccabear67 on Aug 24, 2019 14:58:16 GMT -5
Then I found out they had a graphic novel version for $10, so I jumped at that. That looks like a good fit for me. After acquiring (or for most of them reacquiring) the Byrne issues up to #138 I'm somehow loathe to go beyond at current prices. I wonder if there's a matching Daredevil volume with the first Elektra?
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Post by spoon on Aug 24, 2019 23:21:01 GMT -5
I've been wanting to check out the 'Days of Future Past' issues of X-Men for a while now, but my local wanted $100 for the pair. They were in nice shape, so it's a fair price, but I decided to hold off. Then I found out they had a graphic novel version for $10, so I jumped at that. And am I glad I did, what a great story. I'm a sucker for dystopian future stories, and this one did not disappoint. They send Kitty's future mind into her past body to hopefully change an event which will theoretically alter the dystopian future and make it a better one. It reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode in which a guy goes back in time and tries to stop John Wilkes Booth from assassinating Lincoln, but is unsuccessful, but finds that some smaller, lesser changes have occurred when he returns to his time. Since the X-Men prevented the assassination of Senator Kelly, does that mean that the bleak future in which all mutants are hunted and killed will not come to be? The future story was so dark, and the art truly complemented the theme and feel. While the story in the past (or is it present?) is mostly just a big battle with the Brotherhood, what an epic battle it is. I really got into it, a real page turner. This 2 book arc had a little bit of everything, and makes me want to dig deeper into Claremont's 80s X-Men books. I dabbled in them a little as a kid, but never followed them closely the way I did Spider-Man during those years. If the rest of his 80s work is anything like these issues, I'm all in. That's the format I have DOFP in my collection. I must've bought that reprint edition right around when it published (1989); I wasn't buying any of the original issues. For many years, I think that was probably the only format you get those issues in, because the Classic X-Men monthly series actually skipped over DOFP. I should mention that this reprint skips over a 1 page epilogue (which takes place in the present) in the second issue. I think opinions vary on the rest of Claremont's original run. I like most of it, although few issues are at DOFP level. But you'll find fans that say that they stopped reading after Byrne left or after Paul Smith left, because they think the quality dropped a lot. To me, the main lows are parts of Cockrum's second run and some latter parts of Silvestri run (where there were also some subpar guest/fill-in artists).
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Post by EdoBosnar on Aug 26, 2019 6:32:16 GMT -5
Invaders: Eve of Destruction (tpb, 2010) collecting Marvel Universe #1-7 (1999) The collection's title is a bit misleading, since only the first three issues collected herein feature the Invaders, the rest star the Monster Hunters. That's a minor quibble, though, because I just love that this whole short-lived series has been collected. All of the stories are by Roger Stern, which is probably why I enjoyed them so much. As noted, the first three issues contain an Invaders tale, in which they learn that Baron Strucker has established his own organization bent on world conquest, called Hydra, and they have to stop his attempts to build an atom bomb. Great fun, and lovely art by Steve Epting and Al Williamson. The last four issues contain the origin of the Monster Hunters, consisting of Dr. Druid, Ulysses Bloodstone, Wakandan warrior woman Zawadi and Makkari the Eternal (who appears in a number of aliases until the final issue). They are brought together by a spate of mysterious attacks by monsters who burst up from the ground, and they all find out about each other as they delve into the mystery. A whole bunch of Marvel monsters from the 1950s and early '60s appear, and there's a few other interesting cameos as well. Again, lots of fun - with very cartoony art mostly by Mike Manley. Otherwise, in the introduction to this collection, Stern listed some of the stories he was planning to do if Marvel Universe hadn't been cancelled, which included the first battle between the Ancient One's and Dormammu. That one really gave me a pang of regret, because I've always wanted more stories featuring the pre-Strange adventures of the Ancient One. In fact, I'd still love it if Marvel did an Ancient One limited series (but at least 12 issues), and my ideal writer for that project would be none other than Roger Stern.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2019 1:30:32 GMT -5
DC Archives
Atom: Vol. 1–2 New Teen Titans: Vol. 1–4
I read the 4 volumes NTT books in the past seven days and enjoyed them thoroughly.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Aug 30, 2019 4:22:52 GMT -5
Agents of Atlas (tpb, 2009) collecting: Agents of Atlas #1-6 (2006), plus stories from Marvel Mystery Comics #82 (1947), Marvel Boy #1 (1950), Venus #1 (1948), Men's Adventures #26 (1954), Menace #1 (1954), Yellow Claw #1 (1956) and What If? #9 (1978). I had known about Agents of Atlas for a while now, but this is the first time I've read any story with them in it, and I loved it. Love the concept, love the execution (everything I've read by Jeff Parker is, if nothing else, very entertaining). This is one of those cases of retcons done right, and primarily for the purpose of telling a good story. This tpb is a really nice collection, I like all of the extras (including text pieces previously only published online, with creator interviews, character profiles and sketches by series artist Leonard Kirk, etc.). The stories introducing Gorilla Man (in Men's Adventures #26), Human Robot/M-11 (Menace #11) and Yellow Claw (in the first issue of the eponymous book) are particularly notable because, a) they're just good and b) the art is very nice - early work by John Romita on the Human Robot, and Joe Maneely in Yellow Claw.
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Post by Mormel on Aug 31, 2019 12:03:34 GMT -5
I've been reading some Bronze Age Iron Man written by Dave Michelinie, specifically I've just read #240, in which Iron Man teams up with Justin Hammer's B-Team (Blacklash, Boomerang, and Blizzard) to fight the Ghost. I've been adoring this title, it's probably my favourite Marvel comic behind Uncanny X-Men.
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Post by beccabear67 on Aug 31, 2019 17:37:28 GMT -5
I read Astonishing Tales #25 & 26 (1974), the first two Deathlok stories. It gets off to a good start but I'm a bit worried if it'll keep my interest. I have the other issues and the one Marvel Spotlight issue ready and waiting. Feels like it might need a supporting character or three, like Killraven got, no idea if he'll get anyone at all though. I'll have to dig out the Marvel Team-Up he appears in too if I make it to the Marvel Spotlight issue. Someone reviewed these here awhile back and got me interested when I saw an affordable set of them on ebay, but I've let them sit for awhile. Rich Buckler and Pablo Marcos make a great art team, not as fond of Klaus Janson (except on Gene Colan and Frank Miller anyway).
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Post by berkley on Aug 31, 2019 22:34:52 GMT -5
I'm the opposite: I like the early Klaus Janson, like his work with Buckler here on Deathlok, but thought he was a mismatch with Colan on Howard the Duck - especially disappointing because Steve Leailoha, whom he replaced, produced some of the best inks Colan's pencils ever enjoyed. But yeah, I liked Marcos with almost everyone, including Buckler.
I think Deathlok is great 70s Marvel, though I haven't re-read it for decades.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 1, 2019 3:32:40 GMT -5
Recently I've been eliminating many of the comics on my 'to-read' pile, but don't know if I'll get to the Deathlok complete collection any time soon regardless. Looking forward to reading all of the stories in proper order, though. Otherwise, there's very little done by Janson, either as inker or even penciler, that I don't like.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 1, 2019 13:19:58 GMT -5
And speaking of whittling down my to-read pile: Wolverine/Nick Fury: The Scorpio Connection(Marvel Graphic Novel, 1990) Since I've never really been interested in Wolverine's solo adventures (to this day, I've only read the first 4-issue mini-series and a few other random stories), I bought this one specifically because of the creative team, i.e., Goodwin and Chaykin - and because I found a pretty cheap copy from a dealer at a comics show. This is more of a Nick Fury story in any case, as most of the story involves ghosts of his own past, like his late brother Jake and a brief tryst during his early days as a spy. Including Wolverine may have just been a marketing ploy, since he was apparently a sales-driver for Marvel in the late '80s/early '90s. The story is pretty solid, it's Goodwin after all, but not as good as his best material. At places it was a bit reminiscent of Goodwin & Simonson's original Manhunter story, probably just because there's quite a bit of globe-hopping to various remote and/or exotic locales, including Istanbul, the setting for one of the Manhunter chapters. Chaykin's art is really top-notch here, so pretty much every page is a visual treat.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,069
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Post by Confessor on Sept 1, 2019 19:10:26 GMT -5
So, my read through of The Sandman continues with Volume 3: Dream Country... I felt that this was the best volume of The Sandman so far. It's a pretty scant volume – only four issues in length – and is basically made up of four unrelated, stand alone filler issues. Dream, the central character of The Sandman so far, is only peripherally involved in these stories, but that didn't matter one jot. This is a collection of stories about stories, and, for me, was the point where I felt that Neil Gaiman's writing chops wholly matched his vision for the first time in the series. Of the four stories, "Calliope" was a particularly memorable and enjoyable moralistic tale about the Muse from Greek Mythology who has become trapped by a mortal. This gentleman then gives her as a slave to a young writer who is struggling with writer's block. This young author keeps her imprisoned and continually rapes her in order to provoke his inspiration. As a result, he becomes tremendously successful, as he continues to subjugate poor Calliope. Thankfully, this was one of the less gratuitous rapes in so-called "mature" comic books, simply because Gaiman is (I think) making a point about writers, artists, or musicians and how they unrelentingly demand servitude from their creative muse, and how ill-tempered, unpleasant and abusive – to others and themselves! – they can be if that inspiration isn't forthcoming. After all, don't all artists abuse their creative gifts? Another stand out story for me was "A Dream of a Thousand Cats", which is a story about domestic felines, told entirely from the perspective of domestic felines. It would take too long to describe exactly what happens in this kitty conspiracy tale – and anyway, I wouldn't want to spoil the story for anyone. But Suffice it to say that, if you're a cat lover, as well as the owner of cats (as I am), you will smile knowingly a lot of the time during this tale and never look at your precious pussy, as they twitch in dream, in quite the same way again. The very best story in this volume though was, for me, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", in which William Shakespeare performs his new play (the titular A Midsummer Night's Dream) for Dream and an assembled audience of faerie folk, including such key characters from the play as Oberon, Titania and Puck. This particular story is linked to events in Volume 2 of the series, The Doll's House, but not so closely tied that you necessarily need to have read volume 2. Gaiman's writing in this chapter is very thematically complex, rather touching, beautifully eloquent, and just downright brilliant from start to finish. The story is not just a retelling of the play: it is an episode of the series that explains how the play is an homage to the faerie and was commissioned by Dream himself in return for giving Shakespeare what he thought he most desired. As I say, it's excellent and a real masterclass of a comic. The other story in this book is titled "Façade" and this was the only story in the volume that I felt was less than fantastic. It centres around Element Girl from DC's old Metamorpho comics from the mid-60s. To be honest, I had to Google who the hell Urania Blackwell was, as I had absolutely no idea (I'm not the biggest DC fan in the world). The story was unrelentingly bleak, but it was somewhat interesting insofar as Urania is thousands of years old and all she really wants to do is die. But despite this nifty concept at its core, the story never really hooked me in the way that the other three did. Overall, this was a hugely enjoyable volume of The Sandman, which, while it barely featured Dream/Morpheus at all, finally seemed to justify the hype that the series gets. On to volume 4, Season of Mists!
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