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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 24, 2024 10:52:37 GMT -5
I have to confess, I don't ever notice who colors or letters comics. And I don't think I ever saw a difference in the finished product. Charlton comics were often lettered by "A. Machine".
...which was, quite literally, a machine. The pencil art was rolled into an oversized typewriter originally designed to handle blank cereal boxes (Charlton printed a lot more than comics) and some staffer or other would type all the captions and dialogue before the art was forwarded to the inker. It made the comics look even cheaper than the low-grade paper and slipshod printing did.
Cei-U! I summon the cut corners!
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Post by kirby101 on Mar 24, 2024 11:08:03 GMT -5
Charlton comics were often lettered by "A. Machine".
...which was, quite literally, a machine. The pencil art was rolled into an oversized typewriter originally designed to handle blank cereal boxes (Charlton printed a lot more than comics) and some staffer or other would type all the captions and dialogue before the art was forwarded to the inker. It made the comics look even cheaper than the low-grade paper and slipshod printing did.
Cei-U! I summon the cut corners!
I did not know that, I knew it was a typewriter, but I thought it was cut and paste.
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Post by commond on Mar 24, 2024 16:59:50 GMT -5
Elfquest (Marvel/Epic version) #23-#32 Really, I don't think I've ever gobbled up a book quite like Elfquest (well, maybe Transmetropolitan). The ending was perfect and rather bittersweet where the Wolfriders finally learn where the High Ones and The Castle In The Sky came from While I'm glad that the Pinis continued the story (because tbh, I kind of wanted more), I think the original quest was wrapped up so beautifully that I can understand why many fans stopped reading (though not intentionally I think) afterwards The original quest is the most perfect version of ElfQuest, but there are merits to continuing with the series. There are another two series, Siege at Blue Mountain and Kings of the Broken Wheel, then it splits into several different titles. The Complete ElfQuest mainly collects the stories from the Hidden Years and Shards. In 1996, these books were merged into a single anthology title. That's where I'm at right now. The Complete ElfQuest collects together one of the anthology strips, so I'm reading the complete book on the Pinis' site instead. Despite the fact that Wendi isn't as involved in the art as much as she was in the early days, the Pinis are pretty good at picking the right sort of artists for their books. You can't beat a Pini illustrated story, however.
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Post by Batflunkie on Mar 24, 2024 20:43:00 GMT -5
Elfquest (Marvel/Epic version) #23-#32 Really, I don't think I've ever gobbled up a book quite like Elfquest (well, maybe Transmetropolitan). The ending was perfect and rather bittersweet where the Wolfriders finally learn where the High Ones and The Castle In The Sky came from While I'm glad that the Pinis continued the story (because tbh, I kind of wanted more), I think the original quest was wrapped up so beautifully that I can understand why many fans stopped reading (though not intentionally I think) afterwards The original quest is the most perfect version of ElfQuest, but there are merits to continuing with the series. There are another two series, Siege at Blue Mountain and Kings of the Broken Wheel, then it splits into several different titles. The Complete ElfQuest mainly collects the stories from the Hidden Years and Shards. In 1996, these books were merged into a single anthology title. That's where I'm at right now. The Complete ElfQuest collects together one of the anthology strips, so I'm reading the complete book on the Pinis' site instead. Despite the fact that Wendi isn't as involved in the art as much as she was in the early days, the Pinis are pretty good at picking the right sort of artists for their books. You can't beat a Pini illustrated story, however. I reading Siege At Blue Mountain now in the Dark Horse collected edition and it's fairly good (though some of the changes to Wendy's style, particularly the eyes are a little concerning). I'm a bit skeptical about continuing past Kings Of The Broken Wheel though, but we'll see
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Post by Calidore on Mar 25, 2024 20:11:52 GMT -5
I got Action Comics #472, #473 and #476 in the mail a few days ago and I’ve read them already. They are all great! (If you’re grading them based on the criteria for mid- to late-1970s Superman comics.) #472 and #473 are parts two and three of a three-part arc that introduces Faora. And #476 is the conclusion of a two-part arc starting Karb-Brak and Vartox. It’s all Bronze Age Bonkers! If I have time this weekend, I might go into more detail on the Metropolis thread. And that’s it! I have read all the comics I bought recently! I'd be interested to read your writeup on the rest of the Faora story to see how close my memory is.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 25, 2024 22:57:51 GMT -5
Kings of the Broken Wheel is really good... after when the story splits it definitely drops a notch.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Mar 26, 2024 12:19:12 GMT -5
Finishing up J. Michael Straczynski's run on Amazing Spider-Man, with issue #544 and #545, plus Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24 and The Sensational Spider-Man #41... These four comics make up the infamous "One More Day" story arc, in which Peter Parker and Mary Jane sacrifice their marriage in a deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May's life (she caught a bullet from a hitman who was gunning for Peter). Apparently, Peter and MJ's love is so pure, so timeless, and so blessed by God – no, that's not a figure of speech – that its very existence hurts demons like Mephisto (I'm not making this sh*t up!). As most folks will know, Peter and MJ eventually agree to trade their marriage and lo and behold, May is saved, Peter is single again, and Harry Osborn is resurrected. No, I don't understand that last part either. I absolutely hated this story at the time…partly because I liked Peter and MJ being married, but also because the story turned Peter into the kind of arseh*le who makes deals with the Devil for irrational and mostly selfish reasons, such as his guilt over his elderly aunt having been hit by a bullet meant for him. I actually threw my copy of the final instalment of this story across the room in disgust upon finishing it back at the time. Anyway, this is the first time that I've re-read these issues since 2007. I really tried to come to these comics with as unbiased a mindset as I could manage, given my longstanding dislike of the story. Frankly, I was kind of interested to see whether 17 years of distance had made any difference to my opinion of the whole reboot/reset. Unfortunately, I still have massive problems with it. Just to leave the writing aside for a moment, one thing that leapt right out at me is how butt-ugly Joe Quesada's artwork is here. I thought so at the time too and the intervening years haven't altered that opinion. His faces – especially Peter's – either look maniacally severe or dopey and half-drugged a lot of the time. Quesada's storytelling instincts are good, but this isn't terribly pretty artwork to look at. As for the story itself, I still have the same problems with it that I always had, but I'm gonna resist the urge to go into detail about all the reasons why because this post would be of epic length! That said, I have gained some sense of perspective in the intervening years, as a result of learning about what was happening behind the scenes. I now completely understand how Straczynski was being forced to write Peter Parker into a corner by Joe Quesada, but that knowledge doesn't change the ridiculousness of a lot of what happens in this story. Ultimately, I still consider OMD and its reset to be the moment that "my Spider-Man" died. Certainly, it killed any interest that I had in reading the continuing adventures of my favourite superhero (I did actually stay onboard for a half dozen more years, but the bad taste of "One More Day" ruined so much of what came afterwards that I eventually stopped buying Spider-Man and sold all my post-OMD comics). This was a sadly unworthy ending to J. Michael Straczynski's otherwise mostly excellent run on Amazing Spider-Man – and he felt so too because he insisted that his name be removed from the final two parts. However, my overall feelings about Straczynski's tenure on Spidey's flagship title are pretty much unchanged after this re-read: I still consider it right up there with the very best ASM runs.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Mar 27, 2024 6:28:19 GMT -5
I read a real Bronze Age classic for the first time yesterday, Giant-Size X-Men #1... It's a fun comic and I can see why it was such a hit back in 1975. The opening pages showing Professor Xavier getting the new team together -- which serve as a neat showcase for each new member -- were really enjoyable and might've been my favourite part of the whole comic. The new team itself hangs together pretty well, with the possible exception of Banshee who, I dunno, just seems a bit out of place. He seems older than the rest, so maybe that's it? The Japanese hero Sunfire also doesn't seem like a great fit, but I'm guessing he leaves the X-Men pretty quickly anyway. Len Wein's plot is fairly basic and some of his characterisation of the ethnic, non-white American superheroes is heavily stereotyped by modern standards. But regardless, the issue really allows the new team to shine, which was the point, I guess. There's a good amount of Marvel's patented dysfunctional team angst in the writing too, which gets a little tiresome from a modern perspective, but the characters are certainly an interesting bunch -- Nightcrawler, Wolverine and Storm are really likeable right out of the gate. I'm not sure the ending, in which the villainous, mutant island of Krakoa gets launched away into space, makes a whole lot of sense, but hey...comics! Dave Cockrum's artwork is really nice too, and I especially enjoyed the way he rendered the scenes in which Krakoa comes to life. I'm glad I finally got around to reading this. I'll be continuing on with X-Men #94.
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Post by kirby101 on Mar 27, 2024 7:28:07 GMT -5
Confessor, I agree with you about OMD, Perhaps the worse Spider=Man story ever. Especially how cynical it was. The Editorial mandate was to make Peter single again. In trying to recapture the Silver Age feel of Spider-Man, an impossible and plain dumb task, they destroyed any connection long time readers had with the character. On the X-Men. reading it when it came out, you could tell they were on to something. People credit the Claremont Byrne team for making the X-Men Marvels top book. Which is true. But I thought those early Cockrum issues were real gems.
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Post by Batflunkie on Mar 27, 2024 8:43:06 GMT -5
Elfquest: Siege At Blue Mountain #1-#8
Like I previously posted, I thought it was a fairly decent continuation of the Original Quest, but not as strong even if the premise was solid. (Though I still got that bittersweet feeling when it was over. Kings Of The Broken Wheel though? Most of it had me outright on the verge of tears at some points)
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Post by berkley on Mar 27, 2024 12:55:57 GMT -5
On the X-Men. reading it when it came out, you could tell they were on to something. People credit the Claremont Byrne team for making the X-Men Marvels top book. Which is true. But I thought those early Cockrum issues were real gems. Yeah, whatever it had going for it definitely had already become evident during the first Cockrum run. In terms of personal enjoyment I might rate the Byrne issues a shade higher if I had to choose but there isn't a huge difference. Looking at the cover gallery, I think my first issue was #99, so I missed the first few of Cockrum's issues but I was a consistent reader from then on, up to around #150 or so.
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Post by spoon on Mar 27, 2024 16:35:32 GMT -5
I read a real Bronze Age classic for the first time yesterday, Giant-Size X-Men #1... It's a fun comic and I can see why it was such a hit back in 1975. The opening pages showing Professor Xavier getting the new team together -- which serve as a neat showcase for each new member -- were really enjoyable and might've been my favourite part of the whole comic. The new team itself hangs together pretty well, with the possible exception of Banshee who, I dunno, just seems a bit out of place. He seems older than the rest, so maybe that's it? The Japanese hero Sunfire also doesn't seem like a great fit, but I'm guessing he leaves the X-Men pretty quickly anyway. When Banshee first appeared during the Silver Age X-Men, it was clear that he was quite a bit older than the team, so playing into his experience is an angle that worked for the writing here. With Sunfire's attitude here, the burning question is why agreed to go on the mission in the first place. [/quote]Len Wein's plot is fairly basic and some of his characterisation of the ethnic, non-white American superheroes is heavily stereotyped by modern standards.[/quote] The Epic Collection actually has a disclaimer about stereotypes. I'm guessing Xavier trash-talking the Apache to goad Thunderbird to join is part of that. I'm interested in seeing how you think the team dynamics progress. Although I guess since you've read the Dark Phoenix Saga, you already have some basis for comparison. It gives one the impression the creators think islands float on the water. On the other hand, a mutant island is a novel concept. Maybe when Krakoa became this collective being, it involved the flora and fauna tearing off some rock and floating away. I like Cockrum's art on his first run more than on his second run. It may be because he had more time since the All-New, All-Different X-Men started out bimonthly. Cool. It's rightly classic material.
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Post by james on Mar 27, 2024 17:29:40 GMT -5
I read a real Bronze Age classic for the first time yesterday, Giant-Size X-Men #1... It's a fun comic and I can see why it was such a hit back in 1975. The opening pages showing Professor Xavier getting the new team together -- which serve as a neat showcase for each new member -- were really enjoyable and might've been my favourite part of the whole comic. The new team itself hangs together pretty well, with the possible exception of Banshee who, I dunno, just seems a bit out of place. He seems older than the rest, so maybe that's it? The Japanese hero Sunfire also doesn't seem like a great fit, but I'm guessing he leaves the X-Men pretty quickly anyway. Len Wein's plot is fairly basic and some of his characterisation of the ethnic, non-white American superheroes is heavily stereotyped by modern standards. But regardless, the issue really allows the new team to shine, which was the point, I guess. There's a good amount of Marvel's patented dysfunctional team angst in the writing too, which gets a little tiresome from a modern perspective, but the characters are certainly an interesting bunch -- Nightcrawler, Wolverine and Storm are really likeable right out of the gate. I'm not sure the ending, in which the villainous, mutant island of Krakoa gets launched away into space, makes a whole lot of sense, but hey...comics! Dave Cockrum's artwork is really nice too, and I especially enjoyed the way he rendered the scenes in which Krakoa comes to life. I'm glad I finally got around to reading this. I'll be continuing on with X-Men #94. [b In a reprint or trade or maybe the actual issue in your collection?
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Post by james on Mar 27, 2024 17:34:44 GMT -5
Actually, I didn't re-read every word of Phoenix: The Untold Story. For those who don't know, it was a one-shot that printed the intend original version of Uncanny X-Men #137, before Jim Shooter took umbrage at the fact that Phoenix wasn't going to die for her crimes and forced changes for the version that actually saw publication. Jean's death wasn't Shooter's idea. He wanted her to be taken to a prison asteroid to be eternally tortured, prompting Byrne to say, "F**k that, I'd rather kill her!" Oddly, Jean Grey's mostly obscured head appears on the wanted poster and then we get Rachel in the story. She doesn't get a surname in the story, but the redheaded telepath/telekinetic suggested her eventual origin as the daughter of Jean Grey. How could this be? Was it because it was already plotted before the old ending to #137 was scrapped, and they just decided they're weren't going to rewrite this one two? Was this already supposed to be an alternate Earth that Kitty went back to even though she thought it was her own past? Did they already want to hint that a Phoenix could always rise again? Byrne said he plotted DOFP months before "The Fate of the Phoenix", with Rachel as Scott and Jean's daughter. When #137 was altered, she was too central to the story to eliminate, so Byrne retained her as a generic telepath, assuming Claremont would no longer connect her to Scott and Jean. Correct me if I’m wrong but really the only difference was the ending? This makes me wonder how would the last 45 years have been affected?
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Mar 27, 2024 19:40:24 GMT -5
With Sunfire's attitude here, the burning question is why agreed to go on the mission in the first place. Ha! Yes, quite. Sunfire really seems like he does not want to be part of the team at all. Maybe he's just got the hump because his costume looks so dorky! The Epic Collection actually has a disclaimer about stereotypes. I'm guessing Xavier trash-talking the Apache to goad Thunderbird to join is part of that. Oh really?! Wow...I'm not sure it really needs that, but I guess Marvel/Disney need to cover their arse. To me, it just seems very much like usual Silver or Bronze Age comic characterisation of non-white Americans. I mean, every time they feature an English guy he either lives in a castle, is a Lord, or talks like a stereotypical cockney! But I suppose as older readers who are well versed in comic book storytelling conventions of the 60s and 70s we tend to just accept this aspect of old comics. But if you were, say, 14 nowadays and were reading Giant-Size X-Men #1 for the first time because you liked the X-Men movies you might think, "what the hell is this offensive stereotyping?!" It gives one the impression the creators think islands float on the water. On the other hand, a mutant island is a novel concept. Maybe when Krakoa became this collective being, it involved the flora and fauna tearing off some rock and floating away. Yeah, the floating island thing is a real head-scratcher. I was looking at the artwork and thinking, "that's not how islands work". But in the end I rationalised it in exactly the way you suggest, that Krakoa had broken away from where it first formed.
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