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Post by Bronze Age Brian on May 5, 2016 11:55:37 GMT -5
 Judge ye not, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder; But take heed the old adage "Curiosity Killed the Cat"! Welcome one and all to the CCF longbox of oddities and obscurities, where forgotten comics of decades past can rise again, if only for a short moment under the midnight spotlight. While collecting comics long enough, you're bound to run into something you've never heard of. Maybe it's something obscure, strange, or very odd. Maybe it's something from the big two that you didn't know existed, or from a small independent publisher you've never heard of. Maybe it only costs a buck, and it's something you must add to your collection. Whatever the case may be, it's time to share your favorite, strange or obscure comic finds!
Post your favorite guilty pleasure obscurities that don't often see the light of day in normal CCF discussion. Try to stick to one issue per post. If there is a series that you'd like to discuss, pick one issue from that run to talk about. What made you buy the comic? Maybe the cover stood out to you, or the artwork inside. Maybe the story was too good to pass up. Or maybe it was so bad it's good. Maybe you didn't even buy it or got rid of it, but it's stuck with you to this day.
It's time to witness some of CCF's most abstruse and esoteric comic discoveries. Have fun! |
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Post by Bronze Age Brian on May 5, 2016 11:55:54 GMT -5
 Suburban Jersey Ninja She-Devils (Marvel, 1991)
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Amanda Conner
“Behold, you wretched scraps of being. The Tongue of Chaos slaps the air! The Lips of Doom suck at your world!” - Steve Gerber How to even begin to explain this completely insane, ultra-violent, parody of a parody 90's one-shot? Let's start with Steve Gerber. Known for his outlandish storylines as seen in runs of Man-Thing and Howard the Duck, his strange sense of wacky comedic chaos hits the tip of the iceberg here. The She-Devils are four mystical-powered, ninjutsu-mastered housewives who must protect New Jersey from an invasion by dimension witch Ombu-Doksi and her bloodthirsty Vampyrions. Only their love for marzipan, great housekeeping and the show "Thirtysomethings" will help them save the day.
I must warn you though, as this comic begins with something horrific in that of a demon eating a little girl in the worst way, a scene that still haunts me to this day. Can't say I agree with Gerber's opening of choice here, but make no mistake about it...he certainly knows how to grab your attention. Regardless, for a product of the 90's the rest of the book holds up well enough, and Amanda Conner's kitschy art style is the perfect complement to Gerber's gonzo story.
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Post by tingramretro on May 5, 2016 12:07:09 GMT -5
I mentioned this in another thread awhie back, but I think it qualifies to be here. It's a hardcover annual published in Britain in 1985 which reprints part of DC's original Super Powers limited series, as well as a couple of random issues of DC Comics Presents and The Brave & the Bold. Which doesn't sound odd at all, until you find out that it was published by Marvel UK, as part of an ultimately abortive attempt to launch a line of Marvel produced British DC reprints...  |
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Post by Batflunkie on May 5, 2016 12:08:36 GMT -5
I've always been kind of a sucker for long forgotten one shots and mini-series done by lesser known publishers. Might post some of my own later on
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Post by Bronze Age Brian on May 5, 2016 13:20:15 GMT -5
I mentioned this in another thread awhie back, but I think it qualifies to be here. It's a hardcover annual published in Britain in 1985 which reprints part of DC's original Super Powers limited series, as well as a couple of random issues of DC Comics Presents and The Brave & the Bold. Which doesn't sound odd at all, until you find out that it was published by Marvel UK, as part of an ultimately abortive attempt to launch a line of Marvel produced British DC reprints... And an amazing Kirby cover that I've never seen. Thanks for sharing! |
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
Posts: 3,958 
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Post by Crimebuster on May 5, 2016 13:27:14 GMT -5
I love this sort of thing. I have a small collection of oddities, which unfortunately I have to purge pretty regularly just because I don't have space to keep all the weird junk I end up with. But I have kept a few particularly strange comics. I've shown this one before, but...  This is a bizarre attempt to do a 90's style grim n' gritty retelling of the Bible. The art is an odd fusion of Kirby and Liefeld. And the guy who did it was clearly a fan of 60's and 70's Marvel, because everything in the book was patterned after that era, including the letter column, complete with value stamp:  A look at one of the house ads:  |
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Post by Bronze Age Brian on May 5, 2016 13:31:57 GMT -5
^^^ Great stuff Crimebuster. The cover alone is amazing. Sounds right up my alley. Looks to be insanely rare too. Nice find!
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Post by Batflunkie on May 5, 2016 13:33:18 GMT -5
You know, a "grim n' gritty" comic book version of the bible from the 90's has the same kind of ironic hypocrisy that Christian Death Metal & Gangster Rap does (and yes, they are real and do indeed exist for reasons that I'm not entirely sure of)
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 5, 2016 14:41:24 GMT -5
Great Idea for a thread! I'll have to see if I have anything to contribute when I'm back home  |
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Post by Red Oak Kid on May 5, 2016 15:02:47 GMT -5
Good Thread! As I get older, I'm getting rid of my mainstream comics, but I can't part with the weird ones. Here is probably the first one I ever bought. America's Best TV Comics. Published by Marvel. www.comics.org/issue/20632/ |
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on May 5, 2016 15:06:38 GMT -5
Just from that picture I know Parts Unknown: The Next Invasion was oddity I found in a discount bin, many years ago. Since then I have bought the rest. I like them because they have the 50's feel of alien invasion/takeover movies mixed with 90s non-code approved sex and violence that you could want. To be honest, I would mind seeing it revived if only for one more mini series.
I know I have more but I will have to give it some thought and share more later.
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2016 15:24:49 GMT -5
This is one I ran across in a dollar bin a few years ago and never knew existed...  I was a big fan of R.A.W. and his works in my twenties. -M |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 5, 2016 15:33:13 GMT -5
Here's a one-shot rarity Published by Marvel in the late 60s but really was affiliated with their men's sweat magazine line All Bill Everett art- collection of comic strip stories from various men's mags. The art is gorgeous as are the women  |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 5, 2016 16:22:14 GMT -5
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Post by DubipR on May 5, 2016 16:35:57 GMT -5
Suburban Jersey Ninja She-Devils (Marvel, 1991)
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Amanda Conner
“Behold, you wretched scraps of being. The Tongue of Chaos slaps the air! The Lips of Doom suck at your world!” - Steve Gerber How to even begin to explain this completely insane, ultra-violent, parody of a parody 90's one-shot? Let's start with Steve Gerber. Known for his outlandish storylines as seen in runs of Man-Thing and Howard the Duck, his strange sense of wacky comedic chaos hits the tip of the iceberg here. The She-Devils are four mystical-powered, ninjutsu-mastered housewives who must protect New Jersey from an invasion by dimension witch Ombu-Doksi and her bloodthirsty Vampyrions. Only their love for marzipan, great housekeeping and the show "Thirtysomethings" will help them save the day.
I must warn you though, as this comic begins with something horrific in that of a demon eating a little girl in the worst way, a scene that still haunts me to this day. Can't say I agree with Gerber's opening of choice here, but make no mistake about it...he certainly knows how to grab your attention. Regardless, for a product of the 90's the rest of the book holds up well enough, and Amanda Conner's kitschy art style is the perfect complement to Gerber's gonzo story.
I have my copy signed by Amanda Conner. It's a fun comic... |
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