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Post by Spike-X on Apr 18, 2015 18:10:20 GMT -5
- Superman: War of the Worlds Elseworlds 1-shot by Roy Thomas and Michael Lark-Lark's work is gorgeous and this quickly became one of my favorite Elseworlds tales..... I love this one. I'd never heard of Michael Lark before this, but it turned me into a life-long fan.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,085
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Post by Confessor on Apr 19, 2015 9:40:32 GMT -5
I also just re-read Star Wars (77) #24 which is Jo Duffy's first issue writing the title which has a now unique throw back issue with Obi Wan Kenobi. Not bad, but such a different take from how things eventually were played out in the franchise. Shamless plug, I know, but if you haven't already, check out my review of that issue here.
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Post by fanboystranger on Apr 19, 2015 10:41:44 GMT -5
- Superman: War of the Worlds Elseworlds 1-shot by Roy Thomas and Michael Lark-Lark's work is gorgeous and this quickly became one of my favorite Elseworlds tales..... I love this one. I'd never heard of Michael Lark before this, but it turned me into a life-long fan. It was Terminal City that turned me into a lifelong Lark fan-- still the best work he's done, in my opinion-- but I love S: War of the Worlds just for the art. Legend of the Hawkman and Batman: Nine Lives are two other excellent Lark books from that period, too.
Not feeling Lazarus for some reason, though. Lark's work seems a bit too slick for my tastes on that book.
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Post by Spike-X on Apr 19, 2015 15:12:52 GMT -5
Oh yeah, Terminal City is great.
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Post by dbutler69 on Apr 20, 2015 9:42:56 GMT -5
Reading a smorgasbord of stuff lately.... - Claw the Unconquered #1-12: reread the issues I had read for the review thread and finished off the ones I hadn't gotten to. The series was showing a lot of promise after the hiatus, but the DC Implosion killed it. Stil a decent read. - Skull the Slayer #1-8: Another series killed before it could reach its end, I just got the M2in1 issues that finish off Skull's story, but haven't read them yet. It was a bit of a schizophrenic read with all the creative changes too, Wolfman started it off as it was his brainchild, Englehart took over and took it in an entirely different direction, but only lasted one issue before BillMantlo took over and resolved his twist by returning it to Wolfman's original premise...the art by Steve Gan early and Sal Buscema late was good though, and it was still a fun series, if frustrating to read. - Clash #1-3 by Tom Veitch and Adam Kubert (though his work is early in his career here and very reminiscent of his father's style). A treasure hunter discovers an ancient civilization in the middle east and the Archons of that ancient culture built machines that granted superpowers, with a price. Noe he tries to carve out a kingdom inthe war-torn region at the height of the Cold War era and the Americans and Soviets are not pleased....very interesting read, but felt a little rushed, could have used a little more room to let the story breathe, but overall a solid read.. - Superman: War of the Worlds Elseworlds 1-shot by Roy Thomas and Michael Lark-Lark's work is gorgeous and this quickly became one of my favorite Elseworlds tales..... - Micronauts #12-18, Annual 1 picking up where I left off on the review thread (but am not up for doing reviews for these)-series started strong in the aftermath of the war with Karza and the issues on Bug's Homeworld were fun, but the FF/Psychoman story felt bloated and padded unnecessarily, and overall didn't do it for me. I did like the Annual with the Ditko drawn flashback stories. - Occult Files of Dr. Spektor #11-random issue I found in a bargain bin-Spektor is bitten by a werewolf set upon him by the ancient dark gods....was a fun bit and set up a longer story I don't have the rest of - Arak, Son of Thunder #26-34-again picking up where my review thread ended, but not doing any more reviews...this one stumbled a bit coming out of the end of the initial 2 year storyline, but the new direction, with Arak discovering his shamanic heritage shows promise. I do like Ran Randall's art here though. - Tarzan of the Apes (Gold Key) #179 (1968) & #204 (1971)-anothe rcouple of random issues I picked up, one featured aPellucidar in a longer story I do not have the rest of, but both were fun reads, and I did enjoy the Brothers of the Spear back up too - Golden Age Dr. Fate Archives (including Dr. Fate stories from More Fun Comics #86-90; 1942-'43)-still making my way through the pedestrian super-hero fare of the half-helmet era of Fate-it seems like every two bity crook knows Fate is impervious to bullets and weapons but needs to breathe and has some kind of gas or oxygen trap set for him, issue after issue, and the only magic Fate does now is find crooks with his crytal ball so he can fly in, beat them up, get beaten with gas, recover, and find them again to beat them for good this time-wash, rinse, repeat, issue after issue, and spice liberally with some medical drama as Kent Nelson is an intern at the hospital. Oy, only a handful more to get through. A shame, because the early stories pre-origin were fantastic and imaginative, and then thwak, generic super-hero pap. - The Twisted Tales of Bruce Jones #1-4 (1986)-interlesting short lived anthology series from Eclipse that featured a bunch of shorter stories written and drawn by Bruce Jones. He is a fanatatic artist based on these samples, and very good at the short horror/sci-fi story with the O. Henry type twist ending. Never cared much for his mainstream super-hero stuff, but his indy stuff is appealing - Rip in Time #1-2 (1986)another Bruce Jones scripted project, this time teaming with Richard Corben on art and published through Corben's Fantagor Press. A fairly interesting time travel story so far (there's 5 issues I've only read the first 2) and it's always a treat to read Corben's stuff -read another of the CAS Tsathoggua cycle in prose too, and making my way through REH's Hour of the Dragon too, his only novel-length Conan tale... -M Some great stuff in there. Micronauts is one of my all time favorite comics. I've read one issue of Claw the Unconquered somewhere. My only experience to Skull the Slayer is the resolution of the then cancelled series in Marvel-Tw-in-One, which is not the ideal way to get introduced to it. Arak, Son of Thunder is another great, and underrated title, and I'm betting that those Tarzans are a good read, too.
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Polar Bear
Full Member
Married, father of six
Posts: 107
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Post by Polar Bear on Apr 20, 2015 10:56:34 GMT -5
Batman '66: The TV Stories trade paperback. Some decent stories of historical note, including some that aren't frequently reprinted. I think my favorite of the new reads was the Riddler's 1948 appearance with art by Dick Sprang (from Detective 140, perhaps?).
Very odd that there isn't a single Catwoman story in there, given that she's on the cover. Also, I don't think the introductory essay by M. Uslan did its job (for example, mentioning some stories that weren't collected, and omitting some stories that were)--I'd rather that each story had had its own little introduction.
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Post by dbutler69 on Apr 21, 2015 7:37:59 GMT -5
I finished my Eternals run, #6-17. I especially enjoyed issues 6-13. The issues with the robot Hulk, however, were really terrible, and the story laster way too long - three issues. The series improved again after that, and was unfortunately cancelled before a resolution of the Celestials story.
I also read some random Captain America issues (#182, 183, 186, 190, 191, 206, 209). I love Englehart but not the end of his run here. I really hated the retcon to the Falcon's past, making him a former criminal. (Then Isabella apparently confims this in a subsequent issue, though I don't have that one). I didn't much care for Falcon's "street talkin'" either. Then I've got a random smattering of the Kirby run. Not very good, and not nearly as good as what he was concurrently doing in The Eternals, or 2001, for that matter. In addition to some weird stories, his treatment if Karen is pretty sexist. Still, I thought the Arnim Zola was good, but not too much else.
I also read Freedom Fighters #2. This was a fun Gerry Conway/Pablo Marco read. I find something appealing about the "other earth" DC heroes. It made me want to pick up the rest of the run, though that's not likely to happen.
I also read DC Comic Presents #52, 57, and 91-96. They were all good, solid reads. My favorite was probably #93, with Plastic Man, Elongated Man, and Elastic Lad, though #96 with Blue Devil was good, too. They both featured good humor, and all of these DC Comics Presents issues, for whatever flaws the stories might have had, had very good art.
A few other random issues: Power Man #40, Daredevil #104, Super Friends #1, Power Man & Iron Fist #84, Phantom Stranger #39, and The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones #15 and 16. I'd probably rate Phantom Stranger (I'm a sucker for magic & supernatural heroes) and Indiana Jones the best of this list. Those are B-'s, the others probably C+'s.
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Post by paulie on Apr 21, 2015 14:33:28 GMT -5
Reading a smorgasbord of stuff lately.... - Micronauts #12-18, Annual 1 picking up where I left off on the review thread (but am not up for doing reviews for these)-series started strong in the aftermath of the war with Karza and the issues on Bug's Homeworld were fun, but the FF/Psychoman story felt bloated and padded unnecessarily, and overall didn't do it for me. I did like the Annual with the Ditko drawn flashback stories. - Arak, Son of Thunder #26-34-again picking up where my review thread ended, but not doing any more reviews...this one stumbled a bit coming out of the end of the initial 2 year storyline, but the new direction, with Arak discovering his shamanic heritage shows promise. I do like Ran Randall's art here though. -M I have posted many times before: Micronauts after those initial Michael Golden issues is terrible. I'm willing to go back and look at the two annuals that Ditko did and re-assess. I'm actually a fans of that hyper cartoony Ditko times nine style he had going in the late 70s and eraly 80s. Agreed about Ron Randall. I wish you continue doing those Arak reviews. Solid stuff.
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 21, 2015 14:54:29 GMT -5
I also read Freedom Fighters #2. This was a fun Gerry Conway/Pablo Marco read. I find something appealing about the "other earth" DC heroes. It made me want to pick up the rest of the run, though that's not likely to happen. I didn't read Freedom Fighters in the 1970s when I was buying bunches of comics (mostly Marvel) but I did start buying the odd issue here and there as the years went by and now I have most of the run. I love it! It's so crazy, but also unique among DC's super-teams books with its "out-of-place super-heroes on the run from the law" plotline.
It reminds me somewhat of the craziness in The Secret Society of Super-Villains, which I collected religiously from the second issue to its tragic demise with issue 17 (I think).
One of the cool things about the Freedom Fighters (or as they sometimes call them in editorial notes in the letter pages, the "other FF") is the guest stars and guest villains. In addition to Wonder Woman, you also get the return of Catman after ten years' absence as well as the original Batwoman (Kathy Kane) and also Batgirl (Barbara Gordon).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2015 15:02:47 GMT -5
Reading a smorgasbord of stuff lately.... - Micronauts #12-18, Annual 1 picking up where I left off on the review thread (but am not up for doing reviews for these)-series started strong in the aftermath of the war with Karza and the issues on Bug's Homeworld were fun, but the FF/Psychoman story felt bloated and padded unnecessarily, and overall didn't do it for me. I did like the Annual with the Ditko drawn flashback stories. - Arak, Son of Thunder #26-34-again picking up where my review thread ended, but not doing any more reviews...this one stumbled a bit coming out of the end of the initial 2 year storyline, but the new direction, with Arak discovering his shamanic heritage shows promise. I do like Ran Randall's art here though. -M I have posted many times before: Micronauts after those initial Michael Golden issues is terrible. I'm willing to go back and look at the two annuals that Ditko did and re-assess. I'm actually a fans of that hyper cartoony Ditko times nine style he had going in the late 70s and eraly 80s. Agreed about Ron Randall. I wish you continue doing those Arak reviews. Solid stuff. The problem with the review threads for me, is that they began to feel like an obligation and a chore rather than a fun endeavor. It slowed down my reading and lessened my enjoyment of the actual issues as I felt I had to read with a critical eye rather than to just enjoy it (which as a trained academic are two entirely different approaches and mindsets to approaching reading), and if I took a break to read something else, I felt I was neglecting my obligations and that lessened the enjoyment of the other materials I was reading as well. I decided to give the reviews a long hiatus, but when I picked up the series again to read, I found I had no desire to pick up the review threads, so in the end, I decided that I wanted to be a reader, not a critic, and will not be picking up the review threads. Apologies to those who are disappointed, but it is what it is. -M
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Polar Bear
Full Member
Married, father of six
Posts: 107
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Post by Polar Bear on Apr 21, 2015 20:03:34 GMT -5
The Shadow: Year One, written by Matt Wagner. I know it's not classic, but it has that pulpy feel, so I'm writing about it anyway. Not bad, but not as good the critics had been saying it was, IMHO.
Side comment: I just realized, available on the shelf and through Amazon are a Batman v. Two-Face volume; a 75 Years of the Joker volume; and a Batman: Arkham: Riddler volume. Why in the world is there no Batman: Catwoman volume featuring her best stories from the last 75 years, especially the ones with Batman in them, too? How did that omission ever happen, especially with the last movie actually featuring Catwoman???
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Post by dbutler69 on Apr 22, 2015 8:34:27 GMT -5
I also read Freedom Fighters #2. This was a fun Gerry Conway/Pablo Marco read. I find something appealing about the "other earth" DC heroes. It made me want to pick up the rest of the run, though that's not likely to happen. I didn't read Freedom Fighters in the 1970s when I was buying bunches of comics (mostly Marvel) but I did start buying the odd issue here and there as the years went by and now I have most of the run. I love it! It's so crazy, but also unique among DC's super-teams books with its "out-of-place super-heroes on the run from the law" plotline.
It reminds me somewhat of the craziness in The Secret Society of Super-Villains, which I collected religiously from the second issue to its tragic demise with issue 17 (I think).
One of the cool things about the Freedom Fighters (or as they sometimes call them in editorial notes in the letter pages, the "other FF") is the guest stars and guest villains. In addition to Wonder Woman, you also get the return of Catman after ten years' absence as well as the original Batwoman (Kathy Kane) and also Batgirl (Barbara Gordon).
Man, I'll have to hunt down some more FF's! Yeah, I love SSOSV. I bought some ofthe back issues a few years ago, then wound up just getting the TPB's to complete my collection. One of the cool things about that is that they included material from the Cancelled Comics Cavalcade.
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Post by fanboystranger on Apr 22, 2015 11:06:29 GMT -5
The Shadow: Year One, written by Matt Wagner. I know it's not classic, but it has that pulpy feel, so I'm writing about it anyway. Not bad, but not as good the critics had been saying it was, IMHO. I'm a huge Wagner fan, and I have to agree. It's a decent story by Wagner standards, but Wagner is usually much, much better with these kinds of reinterpretations. It's not helped by the "shadow" of Sandman Mystery Theatre hanging over the book (and by extension, Guy Davis' art), or Dynamite finally releasing the Helfer/Baker Shadow run over the past few months. Wagner's Grendel vs The Shadow, however, was excellent. That won't be collected until June, though.
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Post by fanboystranger on Apr 22, 2015 11:09:52 GMT -5
Side comment: I just realized, available on the shelf and through Amazon are a Batman v. Two-Face volume; a 75 Years of the Joker volume; and a Batman: Arkham: Riddler volume. Why in the world is there no Batman: Catwoman volume featuring her best stories from the last 75 years, especially the ones with Batman in them, too? How did that omission ever happen, especially with the last movie actually featuring Catwoman??? There was one around the movie called Catwoman: Nine Lives of a Feline Fatale. I only remember it because it has a Bolland cover.
smile.amazon.com/Catwoman-Nine-Lives-Feline-Fatale/dp/1401202136/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429718904&sr=1-10&keywords=catwoman
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 22, 2015 13:12:26 GMT -5
Side comment: I just realized, available on the shelf and through Amazon are a Batman v. Two-Face volume; a 75 Years of the Joker volume; and a Batman: Arkham: Riddler volume. Why in the world is there no Batman: Catwoman volume featuring her best stories from the last 75 years, especially the ones with Batman in them, too? How did that omission ever happen, especially with the last movie actually featuring Catwoman??? There was one around the movie called Catwoman: Nine Lives of a Feline Fatale. I only remember it because it has a Bolland cover.
smile.amazon.com/Catwoman-Nine-Lives-Feline-Fatale/dp/1401202136/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429718904&sr=1-10&keywords=catwoman
Is this the one that reprints Catwoman's glorious Silver Age return after being sidelined for 12 years? I'm talking about the two-parter in Lois Lane. 1967, I think?
Yeah. It's totally NUTS! Even for a Lois Lane comic, it stands out in its nuttiness. And that wonderful wonderful Shaffenberger art!
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