|
Post by Hoosier X on Sept 29, 2014 20:18:23 GMT -5
I have lately read Joker #1-3 (1975) as reprinted in a recent DC TPB. Written by denny O'Neill, art by various. I didn't care too much for The Weeper in issue 2. Now The Creeper in issue 3 was a good story, but I think I most liked the Arkham guards who appeared in issue #1 (also: Two-Face) and recur, playing Rosencrantz & Guildenstern in the Joker's story. The lead story in each issue was 18pp. The first DC comic that I bought regularly (as opposed to the occasional Batman) was when I bought Joker #7, #8 and #9 as they came out at the newsstand. I would have kept buying it if it hadn't been canceled. I got #3 to #6 at used bookstores within a year or two, but I didn't get #1 and #2 until about three years ago.
Such a great series! The Weeper story has grown on me with subsequent readings. #4 was the first time I saw Green Arrow and the Black Canary and it's probably my favorite issue of the series. But #5 has the Royal Flush Gang and #6 has Sherlock Holmes (!) and #7 has the first comic I ever read with Lex Luthor. (#7 is still one of my favorite Lex Luthor stories.)
Such a great series! I always liked his hide-out, the Ha-hacienda, and his three recurring gang member, Southpaw, Tooth and Blue-Eyes.
Bodacious Bronze-Age Badassery!
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Sept 29, 2014 20:22:33 GMT -5
I enjoy reading this book from time to time and the only beef that I have about this book is how they treated Selina Kyle i.e. Catwoman in this book. Otherwise, it's an enjoyable read and it's has great art as well. Batman Year OneI've been reading The Dark Knight Returns (will probably finish it tonight) and I was thinking of reading Year One when I'm done. I bought the individual issues when it was new ... and I don't think I've read it since!
I must agree with you on Selina. Miller's inability to envision Catwoman as anything but a prostitute is a big FAIL, and I felt that way back in the '80s when it first came out. His portrayal of Selina in TDKR is a big weakness, IMHO.
|
|
|
Post by adamwarlock2099 on Sept 30, 2014 12:53:33 GMT -5
I tried to read Batman/Grendel last night, but somehow my children got a whole of some speed off the street and wouldn't leave me alone for two seconds. With my wife not being keen on vodka shots in their juice, I decided to give up on trying to read #2, after #1 taking over a hour with the interruptions. I can say more about the story once I finish it tonight, but I did forget how much I liked Wagner's Batman. And I don't like short eared Batman costume, much but he does well with the cape and the posture/poses of action. Those are the first time I ran into Grendel, but I didn't read anymore about him until DH started putting out minis. But those covers caught my eye in the comic shop, and not knowing who Grendel was or having heard of Matt Wagner at that time, I still scooped them up.
|
|
|
Post by Jasoomian on Oct 6, 2014 12:06:56 GMT -5
I've been making my way through the Superman Sunday strips 1939-1943. I'm in 1941 now. The story with Luthor, the evil super-scientist was pretty intersting in that Superman's ability to "leap" can bring him up into the stratosphere and and he can apparently cruise along as long as he wants before he comes back down to ground... they still won't call it "flying," though. The next story is about race-fixing and murder in the auto-racing circuit and the bad guy is named "Pete Parker," which is pretty amusing.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2014 12:21:21 GMT -5
Reading some odds and ends over the last week or so when I take breaks from the drawing board or from editing/formatting pages to get our books out the door for the end of the year...
read the first Dr. Fate story from More Fun #55 collected in the GA Dr. Fate Archives...great fun
read the Warren Presents Pantha issue (#8) that someone (maybe BronzeAgeBrian can't remember off-hand) sent me last year as part of the CCE, good stuff but not great.
read DC Special #5, the Joe Kubert retrospective (loved the bits of Kubert at work and the Rock story, had read the Hawkman story before, and the Viking Prince story makes me long for a decent collection of that strip somewhere-anyone know of one?
read the first 2 issues (of the 8 issue mini) of Reign of the Zodiac (started in '03 so just squeaks in as a classic) by Keith Giffen and Colleen Doran (inks by Bob Wiacek). Mostly set up the first 2 issues, interesting stuff but glacially paced for the first 2 issues. Want to find out what happens, but hope the pace picks up a little...)
-M
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2014 20:18:38 GMT -5
Justice League of America #84
The JLA saves Dr Viktor Willard who created a serum called Pax that stops aggression. Turns out he's actually going to use it to turn all nations against each other and his horrified wife, Phyllis Tremple, tries to escape and ends up stranded in the middle of the ocean when Willard sends his Nether Man (a creation linked to his on psyche) to kill her. Luckily Flash happens to be running across the ocean and sees her. Black Canary reads her mind to figure out what's going on. They go to stop Dr Willard, but he thwarts their attempt. The Nether Man ends up killing Willard (and himself) because he loves Phyllis.
Oh and Black Canary is portrayed as a hysterical mess, but I got the feeling that may have something to do with something that happened in another book (maybe Ollie died/left?). I certainly hope so.
A real stinker.
|
|
|
Post by Cei-U! on Oct 7, 2014 8:35:46 GMT -5
Justice League of America #84 A real stinker. One of the rare Robert Kanigher scripts for JLA (might be the only one but I don't have my notes handy) and, oh lord, yes, it's awful. Isn't that the one where Batman and Black Canary kiss? Cei-U! I summon the air fresher!
|
|
|
Post by paulie on Oct 7, 2014 8:40:41 GMT -5
I've been re-reading All-Star Squadron for the first time in about 20 years.
It is not as good as I remember (I'm up to 19) but Roy's writing is also not as turgid as I recall.
I know the Ordway/Machlan issues are coming up now so hopefully I'll be able to power through to the Crisis issues by week's end.
All-Star Annual #1 was pretty nifty I must say.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2014 8:41:14 GMT -5
Indeed it is, Kurt. She cries, they kiss, she cries again. It's ridiculous.
|
|
|
Post by paulie on Oct 7, 2014 8:44:04 GMT -5
I enjoy reading this book from time to time and the only beef that I have about this book is how they treated Selina Kyle i.e. Catwoman in this book. Otherwise, it's an enjoyable read and it's has great art as well. Batman Year OneI've been reading The Dark Knight Returns (will probably finish it tonight) and I was thinking of reading Year One when I'm done. I bought the individual issues when it was new ... and I don't think I've read it since!
I must agree with you on Selina. Miller's inability to envision Catwoman as anything but a prostitute is a big FAIL, and I felt that way back in the '80s when it first came out. His portrayal of Selina in TDKR is a big weakness, IMHO.
I've always thought Miller's portrayal of sex workers was garish and not at all nuanced. He gave us titillation and moralism. He did not provide us with one ounce of humanism or empathy. The guy is a douche bag.
I like his first run of DD though!
|
|
|
Post by benday-dot on Oct 7, 2014 19:24:55 GMT -5
read DC Special #5, the Joe Kubert retrospective (loved the bits of Kubert at work and the Rock story, had read the Hawkman story before, and the Viking Prince story makes me long for a decent collection of that strip somewhere-anyone know of one? -M Michael, Kuberts Viking Prince has been collected, in full I think, a few years back in one of those nice matte paper omnibus style editions that DC was (is still?) putting out.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2014 21:40:10 GMT -5
read DC Special #5, the Joe Kubert retrospective (loved the bits of Kubert at work and the Rock story, had read the Hawkman story before, and the Viking Prince story makes me long for a decent collection of that strip somewhere-anyone know of one? -M Michael, Kuberts Viking Prince has been collected, in full I think, a few years back in one of those nice matte paper omnibus style editions that DC was (is still?) putting out. It might have come out when I was on hiatus from comics between 2007 and 2011, as I have never seen it, but now I know to keep an eye out for it. Thanks. -M
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2014 2:42:09 GMT -5
Finished Reign of the Zodiac. Doran's art was beautiful as always, but at times the art seemed to be in opposition to the script and the storytelling suffered. Giffen also tried to develop a cant or dialect for the dialogue of the other world, which always seems like a great idea to a writer when trying to create authenticity, but in execution is usually quite annoying to try to read, and here it was annoying as hell. I loved the premise of this book, and some of the characters would have been great to read long term, but it fails in the execution. I don't know if it was planned as an 8 issue mini from the get go or whether it died on the vine after 8 issues because of poor sales, but the pacing was terrible. It took 5 issues to get everything set up, 6 rushed it all the a climax, 7 was done by a fill in artist and was all set up for the denouement, and 8 tried to tie everything together unsuccessfully, but still leave things open-ended. There were so many interesting sub-plots or seeming sub-plots that got introduced and hen dropped and/or ignored, it just wound up being a hot mess in the end. So much promise, such a great creative team and a wonderful premise full of promise, but in the end, so disappointing.
One the other had, I also read Guns of the Dragon and it lived up to tall the praise it got in the 12 Days of Christmas a couple of years back. Pure fun pulp storytelling by Tim Truman.
-M
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2014 2:55:46 GMT -5
Michael, Kuberts Viking Prince has been collected, in full I think, a few years back in one of those nice matte paper omnibus style editions that DC was (is still?) putting out. It might have come out when I was on hiatus from comics between 2007 and 2011, as I have never seen it, but now I know to keep an eye out for it. Thanks. -M Found it on Lonestar, was released in 2010, so right smack in the middle of that hiatus. If I can't track it down this weekend at Champion City, I will probably wind up ordering it form Lonestar here soon. -M
|
|
|
Post by The Captain on Oct 8, 2014 7:51:26 GMT -5
Justice League of America #84 The JLA saves Dr Viktor Willard who created a serum called Pax that stops aggression. Turns out he's actually going to use it to turn all nations against each other and his horrified wife, Phyllis Tremple, tries to escape and ends up stranded in the middle of the ocean when Willard sends his Nether Man (a creation linked to his on psyche) to kill her. Luckily Flash happens to be running across the ocean and sees her. Black Canary reads her mind to figure out what's going on. They go to stop Dr Willard, but he thwarts their attempt. The Nether Man ends up killing Willard (and himself) because he loves Phyllis. Oh and Black Canary is portrayed as a hysterical mess, but I got the feeling that may have something to do with something that happened in another book (maybe Ollie died/left?). I certainly hope so. A real stinker. Interesting. In Serenity, Pax (G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate) was the name of the chemical compound that the Alliance put into the air processors on the planet Miranda to calm the population and keep down aggression, but I'm sure Joss Whedon had never read any Silver Age JLA before writing that into the script
|
|