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Post by Batflunkie on Oct 23, 2024 22:08:32 GMT -5
Shadowman (2012) #1-#10 and #0  With it being spooky season and having an itch to read something darker, I decided to re-read the rebooted Shadowman (gosh, has it really been ten plus years since this came out?). As much as I love the original 90's run to death (especially the Bob Hall tenure), this is how you properly reintroduce a character and it's universe to people. There are some things that I enjoy greatly about it (Shadowman being a generational passed down from father to son, Shadowman and Darque having their own groups of people to aid them in their quests, Deadside returning, etc.), but there's others like Jack being just kind there and being kind of a bland and generally uninteresting character (which, to be fair, he kind of was in the original. But I think the stuff thar happened to Jack and how he processed/combatted it made him interesting. I've always seen Jack as an "everyman" character with kind of a almost silver age streak to him.) It's sad to see something this good come to an end so quickly knowing/remembering how badly Milligan butchered it when he came on board. But we'll soon seen I guess if my opinion has changed at all... |
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 24, 2024 11:12:44 GMT -5
D'oh! Sorry, Spoon! Can't imagine how I made that boo-boo. I'll edit my post accordingly.
Cei-U! I summon the misattribution!
No problem. You replied about both Brave and the Bold (which I was posting about) and Tomb of Dracula (which HoosierX was posting about). I can imagine everything getting blended mid-post, especially with Hoosier replying to me about Night Nurse. YAY NIGHT NURSE!! |
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 24, 2024 11:14:26 GMT -5
No problem. You replied about both Brave and the Bold (which I was posting about) and Tomb of Dracula (which HoosierX was posting about). I can imagine everything getting blended mid-post, especially with Hoosier replying to me about Night Nurse. Now I want a cross-company Batman/Dracula team-up called Brave and the Blood. Guest-starring Night Nurse AND Lady Cop. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 24, 2024 14:22:29 GMT -5
I am still reading Tomb of Dracula. I am up to the mid-40s.
I’m getting into the era that I’m familiar with. I bought #44 off of a comic-book rack when it first came out. I had been buying comic books for a few months and I was still experimenting with which books I wanted to buy regularly. So this was my first issue of Tomb of Dracula. I bought it because DRACULA and also Dr. Strange was the guest star. I knew about Dr. Strange from Origins of Marvel Comics and I thought he seemed pretty cool. The story continued in Doctor Strange #14, but I never saw it at the newsstands (distribution was a bit spotty) and I didn’t read it until decades later.
I didn’t buy either comic new until a few years later. But I did get a lot of the issues of Tomb of Dracula that I missed at used-book stores.
That Dracula/Doctor Strange crossover is really good! Highly recommended!
I’ve read a few issues past that, and it’s looking to be a really good run for Tomb of Dracula. He has gotten involved with a Satanic cult. And my favorite thing in the series right now is Hannibal King and Blade teaming up to finally take down Deacon Frost.
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Post by rich on Oct 24, 2024 17:55:58 GMT -5
I am still reading Tomb of Dracula. I am up to the mid-40s. I’m getting into the era that I’m familiar with. I bought #44 off of a comic-book rack when it first came out. I had been buying comic books for a few months and I was still experimenting with which books I wanted to buy regularly. So this was my first issue of Tomb of Dracula. I bought it because DRACULA and also Dr. Strange was the guest star. I knew about Dr. Strange from Origins of Marvel Comics and I thought he seemed pretty cool. The story continued in Doctor Strange #14, but I never saw it at the newsstands (distribution was a bit spotty) andI didn’t read it until decades later. I didn’t buy either comic new until a few years later. But I did get a lot of the issues of Tomb of Dracula that I missed at used-book stores. That Dracula/Doctor Strange crossover is really good! Highly recommended! I’ve read a few issues past that, and it’s looking to be a really good run for Tomb of Dracula. He has gotten involved with a Satanic cult. And my favorite thing in the series right now is Hannibal King and Blade teaming up to finally take down Deacon Frost. It's a great series! When I was little I ended up with one issue... #12 or #13 I think... and I was sad to discover the series had already ended. Its age (and it wasn't even very old then) made it feel like a historic document, and I always had it in my mind I'd like more. I was delighted to collect the series years later... such fun! The page that stuck in my mind from childhood was with the main characters all sitting around talking, and I loved the idea of being involved 😅 |
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 24, 2024 23:05:00 GMT -5
I am still reading Tomb of Dracula. I am up to the mid-40s. I’m getting into the era that I’m familiar with. I bought #44 off of a comic-book rack when it first came out. I had been buying comic books for a few months and I was still experimenting with which books I wanted to buy regularly. So this was my first issue of Tomb of Dracula. I bought it because DRACULA and also Dr. Strange was the guest star. I knew about Dr. Strange from Origins of Marvel Comics and I thought he seemed pretty cool. The story continued in Doctor Strange #14, but I never saw it at the newsstands (distribution was a bit spotty) andI didn’t read it until decades later. I didn’t buy either comic new until a few years later. But I did get a lot of the issues of Tomb of Dracula that I missed at used-book stores. That Dracula/Doctor Strange crossover is really good! Highly recommended! I’ve read a few issues past that, and it’s looking to be a really good run for Tomb of Dracula. He has gotten involved with a Satanic cult. And my favorite thing in the series right now is Hannibal King and Blade teaming up to finally take down Deacon Frost. It's a great series! When I was little I ended up with one issue... #12 or #13 I think... and I was sad to discover the series had already ended. Its age (and it wasn't even very old then) made it feel like a historic document, and I always had it in my mind I'd like more. I was delighted to collect the series years later... such fun! The page that stuck in my mind from childhood was with the main characters all sitting around talking, and I loved the idea of being involved 😅 Yeah, Quincy and Rachel and Frank and Taj and Blade and Harold and Aurora and whoever. And Quincy’s dog Saint! Such a great series! |
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Post by gryffin on Oct 26, 2024 9:10:14 GMT -5
Wolverine #91 (July 1995). Holy cow, so good. I picked this up from a dollar bin at my LCS, and it's a huge surprise for me. I feel like X-Men is incredible when it's good, and horrible when it's bad. Finding the good ones is hard. The writing, story, characters, and art in this are just so good. The concept of Magneto removing Wolverine's adamantium is awesome, and I can't wait to go back and read earlier issues. Is all of Wolverine this good? Or is it just this creative team? Is it worth going back to issue 1?
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Post by gryffin on Oct 26, 2024 9:18:03 GMT -5
I'm currently re-reading the complete Neal Adams Batman run in trade format. It took me awhile to accept the modernized coloring, but seeing as how its the only way to have his run in trade, I'm still having a great time. Some comic artist is a huge evangelist for original colors. He posts about it on Facebook. But I can't remember his name haha. |
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Post by Batflunkie on Oct 26, 2024 13:43:56 GMT -5
Shadowman (2012) #13X-#16  Continuing on with the re-read of Shadowman, I've read through the Milligan stuff and surprisingly, I enjoyed it. This arc is really quite good and reminds me a bit of the "Chaos Effect" storyline from the original 90's run (where Jack and his Loa go insane from too much necromantic energy). Milligan weaves a story of Jack not being how he seems and has kind of a violent past, dealing with his own demons (minus the Shadowman Loa). The Abettors aren't happy about this and want to exorcise the Loa from Jack and implant it in somebody else. And as much as Punk Mambo was the break-out star of this book, she's actually rather downplayed and I appreciate that |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Oct 26, 2024 15:19:52 GMT -5
Wolverine #91 (July 1995). Holy cow, so good. I picked this up from a dollar bin at my LCS, and it's a huge surprise for me. I feel like X-Men is incredible when it's good, and horrible when it's bad. Finding the good ones is hard. The writing, story, characters, and art in this are just so good. The concept of Magneto removing Wolverine's adamantium is awesome, and I can't wait to go back and read earlier issues. Is all of Wolverine this good? Or is it just this creative team? Is it worth going back to issue 1? I read the fist two epics not too long ago, they are pretty good. I definitely enjoy the Patch era... Madripoor is really fun. There are plenty of supporting characters that are pretty interesting too... I think I'd recommend at least that part. I haven't read too much after that... I have a few scattered issue that were kinda follow up to the Madripoor stories that are good for that purpose but a bit overly 90s for my taste. |
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Post by gryffin on Oct 26, 2024 15:45:50 GMT -5
Wolverine #91 (July 1995). Holy cow, so good. I picked this up from a dollar bin at my LCS, and it's a huge surprise for me. I feel like X-Men is incredible when it's good, and horrible when it's bad. Finding the good ones is hard. The writing, story, characters, and art in this are just so good. The concept of Magneto removing Wolverine's adamantium is awesome, and I can't wait to go back and read earlier issues. Is all of Wolverine this good? Or is it just this creative team? Is it worth going back to issue 1? Oh no! I just learned that this was the only Wolverine issue illustrated by Duncan Rouleau. That's so disappointing. |
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Post by spoon on Oct 26, 2024 19:43:50 GMT -5
Continuing through my B&B Omnibus, I read the Batman stories from Brave and the Bold #137-146. Non-Batman back-up stories are omitted; those are Human Target stories. These are Bob Haney/Jim Aparo stories with the exception of Cary Burkett co-writing #143, John Calnan & Bob McLeod handling the art on the Demon story in #137, and Romeo Tanghal & Frank McLaughlin on art for #146's Unknown Soldier team-up.
The Demon story in #137 was just okay. I thought the Demon's speech had to rhyme. I previously read the Mister Miracle story in #138. It's pretty good, but it one of a few stories with the motif of an off-panel mastermind who isn't followed up on again from what I've read.
The cover for #139 states that Batman and Hawkman are together for the first time in 10 years. I guess that mean just as a two-person team-up, because they were certainly a bunch of JLA issues. It's an interesting story, because I feel like there's often a separation between Batman's ability to meet aliens in stories with other heroes and his more grounded solo adventures. But here we have an alien story that centers on Commissioner Gordon. As crazy as that is, I like it. It appears that Aparo had some Kubert-esque touches to his Hawkman, which it seems like a lot of artists try to do.
I like the twists and turns from the Wonder Woman story in #140, but for some reason Aparo does draw Wonder Woman as well as he does other characters. The next issue is a nice Black Canary team-up against the Joker. There's also more Alfred involvement, which is cool. Jim Gordon tends to be the supporting character featured the most in these stories. On the other hand, I don't Robin has shown up in this omnibus at all yet.
As much as I love Aparo on Aquaman, the Aquaman team-up in #142 (also co-starring Mera) is ultimately unsatisfying, because it's basically Aquaman acting like a jerk over a matter of personal pride. It also has a drug trafficking plotline that carries over to #143 featuring the Creeper. I like the parts that deal with the drug-running villain. I haven't much read with the Creeper, beyond a post-Crisis appearance in an early Justice League story. In that story, he seemed like an off-the-wall enigma. Here, it seems pretty clear that he's a regular guy and the strangeness is all an act to throw off his enemies. That somehow seems interesting. Then, #144 is a time travel story with Green Arrow, which to be honest I found a bit tedious.
I really like the Phantom Stranger story in #145. He's another character who I feel like I don't have a good sense of, but I have a whole Phantom Stranger Omnibus in my "to read" pile.
Finally, #146 is an Unknown Soldier story that takes place "on a world not our own," presumably Earth-2, during World War II. It's a contrast to the Sgt. Rock stories that take place at time of publication in the 1970s. The Unknown Soldier is another character I've read barely anything of. I can't say this story got me too interested in him. However, I was curious about a caption at the end that stated the Unknown Soldier pursuit of the villain would continue in a future issue of his old title. A cool aspect of this story is seeing Commissioner Gordon in one panel with his Golden Age appearance. This story makes me curious about the place of WWII war comics characters in the Multiverse. I haven't thought about the question much, but I generally just assumed they were Earth-1 characters. So is Haney saying these characters (or at least the Unknown Soldier) are from Earth-2 or there's versions of both Earths?
I have two miscellaneous notes. We start getting colorist credits during this period. It's fascinating that it happens so late, and that the colorist gets the least attention. Most of these issues haven't had a separate letterer credit, probably because Aparo is doing his own lettering. Second, Batman has lots of nicknames like Caped Crusader and Darknight Detective. However, in this omnibus, Haney uses Masked Manhunter more than any other nickname. I think it was a bunch of issues before the first occurrence of Caped Crusader. It feels like a distinct verbal style from other Bat titles, but folks here who have read a lot more 70s Batman than me can correct me if I'm wrong.
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Post by spoon on Oct 27, 2024 11:30:22 GMT -5
I forgot to add something about the Phantom Stranger story in Brave and the Bold #145. There's a sequence about Batman using fear versus trust in dealing with an informant. It's really well done. It asks questions regarding things that Batman comics sometimes take for granted.
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Post by spoon on Oct 28, 2024 21:42:54 GMT -5
I read Legion of Super-Heroes #266-267 by Gerry Conway and Jimmy Janes. It's a two-parter about a genie found on a distant planet. Like many Legion stories, it's equal parts corny and clever. Conway finds a way to tie in the order of djinn with some familiar DC characters. The Legion has such a huge roster that it can get unwieldy. It's nice to see stories like this one which, despite the cover to #266, only features four team members: Colossal Boy, Element Lad, and the retired couple of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel. This was the era when DC added 8 pages via back-up stories, but the Legion doesn't have a natural concept for a backup. That's means #267 provides us with a Legion backup by Paul Kupperberg, Steve Ditko & Dave Hunt - a flashback to early days telling how the Legion flight rings replaced the anti-gravity belts.
I've also read some more Brave and the Bold, but I'm going to wait until I finish the omnibus to write about those issues.
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Post by spoon on Oct 31, 2024 17:24:22 GMT -5
I finished reading the remaining issues stories in the Bronze Age Batman Brave and the Bold Omnibus vol. 2, Brave and the Bold #147-156. Most of these are Bobby Haney/Jim Aparo stories. However, three are written by Cary Burkett, and two of those are drawn by the art team of Don Newton & Bob Smith.
The Burkett/Aparo story is the team-up with Supergirl in #147, which the cover informs us "you've been begging to see!" The story does a decent job of incorporating the very different skill sets of Batman and Supergirl. I don't have a huge collection of Supergirl comics, so here I learned that in her civilian identity she has a job by now. Also, in the chronology of Supergirl costumes, this is the hot pants & plunging neckline era.
Plastic Man appears for a very special Christmas story in #148. My impression of Plastic Man is based on his cartoon, so it's jarring to see him down and out in two different B&B stories. The art was credited to Aparo and Joe Staton. Per the table of contents, Staton pencils and Aparo inks. As I read the story (without looking at the TOC), I thought maybe Staton was just drawing the Plastic Man figures, so heavy was Aparo's influence. But over time, more characters had a Staton flavor. I liked this one a lot.
The Teen Titans guest star in #149, which falls between the cancellation of their old series and the launch of New Teen Titans. It's a classic lineup of Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Speedy, and Robin, which is ironically Robin's first appearance in the whole omnibus. The story is sort of like 21 Jumpstreet or what I gather the Mod Squad was like as a couple of Titans go undercover in a gang turning runaways into criminals. Donna wears a t-shirt that says, "Hands Off! I'm Mine!" This one is pretty suspenseful, although there's a confusing bit at the end.
The special #150 has a secret guest stars. My guess missed by a little bit. I won't spoil it, but the guest star has some very surreal involvement. Then, #151 is the "They Shoot Horse, Don't They?" in a story that mixes disco with old-time dance marathons. Iris plays a significant role in the plot. I started reading comics after her apparent death (yes, retcons and all that), but I'm thinking of buying the Death of Iris West TPB. Batman teams up with the Atom in a story in #152 with a lot of twist and turns. It also has a metafictional with a character reading the Unknown Soldier issue of B&B. That's the second story in this omnibus where a character possesses an earlier issue of B&B.
Red Tornado guest stars in #153, the first of the two Don Newton stories. I'm used to seeing Newton drawing Batman with the heavy Alfredo Alcala inks that add to the dark moodiness. Bob Smith inks give the art a different feel. To me, it seems almost like a touch of Bill Willingham. I feel a bit of melancholy around Red Tornado because he was destroyed during my early days of comic reading and wasn't around for my main DC years. A lot of the story is about his self-doubt (even though he's a robot), so it just plays into that mood.
Metamorpho returns for #154. Plus, we get a Sapphire Stagg appearance. Even though I read the whole BATO/AO/Outsiders original run, I feel like I don't have much of a sense of who Sapphire is because Rex's supporting cast wasn't featured that much. And to be frank, Rex acts oddly with regard to his relationship here, so I'm not sure what the deal is.
In #155, Batman and Green Lantern work together and sometimes against each other in pursuit of a manhunt and a mystery. Marvel has the reputation for heroes fighting each other a lot, but at least they tend to make a misunderstanding the cause. A few times in this omnibus Batman has been at odds within another hero, but in those case it's usually a case of one of them being a jerk. Here, Batman is being a jerk toward Green Lantern. As a GL fan, that makes me dislike Bats.
Finally #156 is another Burkett/Newton/Smith story. Our guest star is Doctor Fate. In contrast to Haney portraying Wildcat and Spectre as living on the same Earth as Batman without explanation, here Dr. Fate is explicitly described as coming from another world. This is another pretty good story. It has the Gotham PD going nuts, a bit of mystery, and a dollop of mysticism. I really like the solution to the supernatural problem in this issue.
So I polished off an omnibus, and now I'm thinking about what to read next. I could resume where I left off on LOSH (around 1980) or my X-Factor re-read (the start of Weezie's run). Or I might due the late Silver Age X-Men re-read that was part of my 2024 Comic Resolutions. I've also been thinking about the next Moon Knight Epic Collection, the Silver Surfer Parable Epic Collection, or maybe the Spider-Man Assassin Nation Epic Collection.
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