Crimebuster
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Post by Crimebuster on Nov 29, 2017 13:42:30 GMT -5
Well, first you should read Jon Sable if you haven't already!
Some of these have aged better than others, let's say. I haven't read American Flagg yet, but of the rest, I don't think Fantastic Four or Blue Devil hold up, much as I like Blue Devil. And X-Men, while solid, feels like a habit inclusion on this list to me. I'd personally still put Atari Force above all three of those books!
Surprised to see Dr. Strange getting so much love at the time, but I am a big fan of that era on the book, so I'm happy to see it.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 29, 2017 13:58:21 GMT -5
Well, first you should read Jon Sable if you haven't already! Some of these have aged better than others, let's say. I haven't read American Flagg yet, but of the rest, I don't think Fantastic Four or Blue Devil hold up, much as I like Blue Devil. And X-Men, while solid, feels like a habit inclusion on this list to me. I'd personally still put Atari Force above all three of those books! Surprised to see Dr. Strange getting so much love at the time, but I am a big fan of that era on the book, so I'm happy to see it. It's been a long time since I've read Blue Devil. I remember it as a book that had a great first year and then fell apart. And Paris Cullins was a short-lived hot artist at the time. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Nov 29, 2017 20:15:32 GMT -5
Atari Force (1984) #9  "Memory Lane" writer: Gerry Conway pencils: Jose Garcia Lopez inks: Bob Smith letters: Bob Lappan colors: Tom Ziuko editor: Andy Helfer Synopsis: Chris phases back to Atari Station to gain information about the Dark Destroyer, as well as catch up the allies he left behind (and the reader) on all that has transpired thus far, summarizing past events, filling in blanks, and connecting dots between the original limited series and the current one. Meanwhile, Captain Hunter hunts Chris down for stealing Atari property along with his father and Dart. Back aboard the ship, Dart discovers the apparent return of Blackjak. __________________________________________________________________________ I'm generally not a fan of recap issues, but it's employed expertly here. It really seems like Helfer sat Conway down and pointed out literally every plot hole in the series to date, because they all get addressed here, and man does it work. Very tidy and satisfying way to play clean-up, and I especially enjoyed Conway sneaking in the revelation that the Dark Destroyer had orchestrated the attack on the original Atari Force in Atari Force Mini-Comic #3. That's new information, and it suggests a much larger explanation waiting in the wings for why The Dark Destroyer is so committed to hurting them. I'm intrigued. Characterization is going to continue to be an issue, of course. While Chris didn't manage to annoy me this time around, he also did nothing to make me like or care about him even when given nearly the entire issue to himself. And Pakrat is given two obligatory cute moments that both annoyed me. Fortunately, Dart remains awesome, and Conway and Garcia Lopez know it:  We're also given a bit more of an explanation as to how she's such a badass in combat -- her gift for premonitions has been adapted into a sort of Spidey-sense. She sees danger coming a moment before it gets there. Overall, this is the most optimistic I've felt about the new series since the first issue. I REALLY appreciate the efforts made to fill in plot holes, and it was nice getting out of the ship and returning to Atari HQ and the characters and plot lines developing there, as well. Still not sure I can handle all the cuteness this series is going to continue to throw in my face, but that's a small price to pay for good storytelling. IMPORTANT DETAILS: - 1st appearance of Captain Hunter  - "Shorty-Man" is (thankfully) re-nicknamed as "Taz". We still don't know his real name. - Return of Blackjak MINOR DETAILS: - We knew from the first issue that it was theoretically possible for Chris to phase back to Atari HQ, but I'm a bit surprised to see him do it so effortlessly. So he'll be able to move back and forth anytime he wants throughout the rest of the series? Interesting. I still maintain he shouldn't be able to leap back -- how's he going to find a ship that is continuously moving through the same multiverse that he's moving through? But oh well. - Seriously, these folks don't have universal translators with which to understand "Taz"? Is everyone in this comic multi-lingual, or is there some sort of basic language that every race speaks? Grade: A- |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Dec 3, 2017 9:29:10 GMT -5
Atari Force (1984) #10  "Home is the Hero" writer: Gerry Conway pencils: Jose Garcia Lopez inks: Ed Barreto letters: Bob Lappan colors: Tom Ziuko editor: Andy Helfer Synopsis: Blackjak is back, Martin is worried about whether or not Blackjak was sent by the Dark Destroyer (and it turns out that his soldiers did rescue Blackjak from death, but Blackjak believes he escaped them), Chris attempts to contact his former girlfriend, Melissa, but she betrays him to the police, The Dark Destroyer mines an anti-matter astroid and alludes to a plan that cannot be thwarted, and Chris finally makes it to Dr. Orion, where some understanding about what The Dark Destroyer is begins to ferment, but just then Captain Hunter shows up and arrests Chris on charges of high treason. __________________________________________________________________________ I feel like this title is finally finding its momentum. After plugging in so many holes last issue, this one is all about laying down new complexities. Has the Dark Destroyer purposefully returned Blackjack to Dart (and if so, why?), what happened in that final fight between Martin and the Dark Destroyer that then made their rivalry so personal, and (only hinted at this time, but it's there) IS this really the same Dark Destroyer? If The DD appeared as a non-verbal Lovecraftian space nightmare on each of the three previous occasions the Atari Force encountered it, and if Dr. Orion seems particularly alarmed by Chris' statement that he now looks like a man, leaving Orion to exclaim "My God, if that's true then --", it begs the question of whether this mysterious armored villain, claiming to be the DD while possessing a completely different appearance, different powers, and a human personality, isn't what he claims to be. My first instinct was that it was really Lydia Perez (as no one else seems to stay dead in this universe), but, unfortunately for me, pulling out the next few issues revealed the answer to this question on the cover to #13. To be fair, the real solution seems even deeper and more sinister than what I was suspecting. Conway and Garcia Lopez are also having more fun with retcon revelations in this issue, having Blackjak in attendance to witness Dart turning the tides on The Dark Destroyer a few issues back, and having the cheering crowd at the end of the original Atari Force mini-comic series get mind-controlled by The Dark Destroyer so that they could get one final battle in. The first retcon works for me; sure, there were no clues in the original issue that someone was there, watching from the shadows, but it's a clever idea and it plays out well enough. The second retcon bothers me a bit though, as it undermines the climactic final moment of the original series entirely. You can't say "Yes! We won," cut away to a new series set decades later, and then find out that literally SECONDS after that final panel, everything went wrong again until a second and more exciting climax could be arrived at. It just undermines the entire experience for anyone who was actually there and actually felt anything in those final moments of the original mini comic.  I do like what Conway does to try to fix Chris Champion in this issue. The whiny, obnoxious kid of previous issues now gets his own adventure back on New Earth (is that what it's called?), providing him with space to grow. There, Conway inverts one of the biggest problems with the character. When you are the beloved nephew and/or son-they-never had to absolutely every one of the most powerful leaders in a society, you don't have much room for legitimate angst and indignation, and you prove a difficult character to empathize with. But now that's all been turned on its head, with Chris as the most wanted man in his entire society, a crazed Javert (who could stand to get a little character motivation himself) ruthlessly hunting down Chris and anyone who attempts to help him. I can't say I LIKE Chris at this point, but Conway has at least removed the elements of the character that annoyed me. And he isn't sucking his thumb anymore either. In contrast, the only aspect of this issue I really didn't like was the random re-insertion of Babe, Hukka, and Taz in this little segment that accomplishes absolutely nothing and demands our attention away from the present action for no apparent reason:   It's like Conway starts writing this more serious and utterly deep stuff but somehow feels he still needs to cater to the kids who are reading this. I know this was years before the direct market, but comics had been written to target audiences since at least the 1960s, and I feel like this book desperately needs one. You can't be writing to serious minded sci-fi fans and eight year olds at the same time. No, I take that back -- you can, but Conway doesn't seem able to. Finally, I feel like the art took a major step forward in this issue. Garcia Lopez has been firing away since issue #1, but I feel like he hit a whole new level this time with images like these:  and new (guest?) inker Ed Barreto's approach to inking the Dark Destroyer's face is so fitting and utterly terrifying:  This series is coming along now. Conway has finally hit a stride of sorts, is clearly laying down tracks for a more complex series going forward, and Helfer even claims on the letters page that big changes are going down next issue. We're also seeing a significant effort to "fix" Chris Champion's personality -- and hey, even Blackjak wasn't obnoxious this time! -- but I still worry that Babe, Hukka, and Taz are pulling the series in the wrong direction. IMPORTANT DETAILS: - "The Dark Destroyer" may not actually be The Dark Destroyer MINOR DETAILS: - Using access to limitless alternate realities in order to mine an asteroid in an anti-matter universe -- brilliant! - Blackjak and the dogman nearly broke my heart:  - It took me far too long to see it, but Chris' former girlfriend, the red-headed daughter of a senator who commands Guard-Robs and wears skimpy clothing amidst a futuristic idealized backdrop:  has got to be a riff on Leeja Clane from Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 AD:  Grade: A |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 11, 2020 10:36:49 GMT -5
Atari Force #11 (November 1984)  "Part Eleven: Betrayal" Script: Gerry Conway Pencils: José Luis García-López Inks: Bob Smith Colors: Tom Ziuko Letters: Bob Lappan Synopsis: Blackjak is indeed working for the Dark Destroyer. After sabotaging the computer's navigational controls and attempting to kill both Martin and Taz, Dart confronts him, he attempts to kill her, and she knocks him out. Meanwhile, Chris is still in prison and Dr. Orion is talking with Dr. Venture about the possible return of the Dark Destroyer. __________________________________________________________________________ Was there ever any doubt that Blackjak was being controlled by The Dark Destroyer? With that revelation out of the way, and with the DD repeatedly referring to Martin Champion on a first-name basis, it's pretty easy to see where the series is going. I'll be really surprised if it doesn't end with Blackjack sacrificing himself as a form of redemption and Martin and the DD dying together. Kind of seems destined to go that way. Also, the DD pretty much has to be one of the original Atari Force members since it speaks about "Martin" so familiarly, and there is no one in this series other than the original team members who would have that relationship with him. My guess all along was Lydia Perez (since she is the only one not present in the new series) and Conway and Garcia Lopez's choice to reenact her death in this story seems to make her an even more likely candidate:  However, I've gotten a glimpse of future covers, so I know that isn't how it will play out. And I don't see Chris or Dart playing meaningful roles in the final act. Imrpessive as Dart is, both characters are effectively passively defined by other characters in the series. Dart's entire personal drama is shaped by Blackjak's actions, and Chris' is shaped by Martin's. They have no real character arcs of their own, which I consider to be a major flaw in the writing of this series. And speaking of how passively written Dart is (even in spite of her kick-ass fighting abilities), I wasn't sure whether to find the repeated beatings she takes from Blackjak in this issue to be more shocking or disturbing. Conway and Garcia Lopez seem to almost enjoy this:    Yeah, she beats him in the end, but that's not where the focus of the story nor art was. And, speaking of which, HOW does she beat him? She took a blast right in the chest, and seems pretty much fine after, able to take Blackjak down with her full strength, just some (somehow already) dried blood where she was shot. So the armor took almost all of that damage for her?  If Blackjak knows her as well as he is supposed to, then he knows what her armor can withstand, and he would have fired higher. Or maybe Conway is ultimately going to make the point that Blackjak subconsciously sabotaged his own efforts. But, if so, there's no indication of that here, and so it just feels like clumsy writing. And, by the way, while we're on the topic of clumsy writing, why is Blackjak working for the DD again? At first, we're told it's mind control:  And, if he has no thought but to obey, then why does he need to be warned about what will happen if he disobeys? Blackjak later explains that he simply made a bargain in order to save his own skin because he is changed after having nearly faced his own death:  and the DD seems to echo this idea at the end:  So which is it? MINOR DETAILS: - Everyone is worried about Dart's poor broken heart, but they also seem to have forgotten that Taz took a laser blast straight to the chest and is bleeding badly. - Why sabotage the navigational computer? Wouldn't the life support system have been more effective? Sigh. A 2.5 year hiatus, and I still have no real desire to see this series through to the end. Grade: C- |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Jun 11, 2020 16:35:27 GMT -5
Great to see this review thread return, shaxper, even if you're not feeling it. I notice that I haven't commented on the last handful of issues you reviewed; I really need to dig my issues out and read along with you again, assuming there might be further reviews? |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 11, 2020 18:16:32 GMT -5
assuming there might be further reviews? Give me hope that it gets better! |
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Post by Calidore on Jun 11, 2020 20:04:07 GMT -5
assuming there might be further reviews? Give me hope that it gets better! Gerry Conway only has a couple more issues to go before Mike Baron takes over the writing. Conway also hands Baron a hilariously wicked cliffhanger to work from. I'd say give it Conway's last two issues and Baron's first two and see what you think then. Of course, at that point the series only has five more issues to go anyway, so you may as well finish it out.  |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Jun 11, 2020 20:21:16 GMT -5
assuming there might be further reviews? Give me hope that it gets better! To echo Calidore, there's a change of writer up ahead, but... to be truthful, if you aren't liking the series by now, chances are it's just not for you. Which surprises me, to be honest, but one man's meat and all that. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 11, 2020 20:50:01 GMT -5
Give me hope that it gets better! To echo Calidore, there's a change of writer up ahead, but... to be truthful, if you aren't liking the series by now, chances are it's just not for you. Which surprises me, to be honest, but one man's meat and all that. I'm always open to being shown the error of my ways. Help me see what I'm missing. |
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Post by Bronze Age Brian on Jun 11, 2020 22:19:09 GMT -5
Atari Force (1984) #5  "Dark Dawn" writer: Gerry Conway pencils: Ross Andru inks: Jose Garcia Lopez letters: Bob Lappan colors: Tom Ziuko special thanks: Joe Orlando Synopsis: Martin, Chris, and Dart break into a museum to utilize Scanner One again (unclear whether Martin arranged for it to remain operational or this was pure luck), Dr. Morphea has pursued them and agrees to come along and serve as medic if they pick up Babe too, and Pakrat sneaks aboard at the last second while being pursued by his brother. His brother is granted a multiverse ship by the Atari Council in order to pursue the team. Martin Champion destroys their navigational records upon approaching the mystery ship they are pursuing so that it cannot track their path back to New Earth. Their only way home will be for Chris to phase them there. --- First off, we have to talk about The Dark Destroyer. He remains unnamed within the story itself, but the cover proudly identifies him. For the few folks reading this who had the original mini-comics, I wonder if this even would have registered with them. While the Dark Destroyer was the closest thing to an arch-nemesis the original team had (appearing in mini-comic #3 and mini-comic #5), he looked like this back then:  He didn't talk, and his sentience was debatable. But we were clearly shown that a small piece of him survived at the end of #5, and Conway and Andru appear to be keeping that ball rolling while also turning him into a completely different kind of villain.  Regarding the story itself, it's almost like Conway suddenly realized this book was taking far too long to get going and then overcompensated. After four issues of intense character exploration with little plot, we're suddenly thrown into the thick of things without Conway and Andru even bothering to show that all important moment we were waiting for that explains how Martin convinced Chris and Dart to join him in this crazy mission. It just gets...skipped, even though the tension among these three was pivotal to the previous issue. Similarly, how Morphea and Pakrat get ensnared with this mission is rushed and artificial feeling. There's no characterization at work here and little hint of motivation. Pakrat's big issue is being cornered -- we're shown this every damn issue -- and yet, upon finding himself trapped on a ship headed on a one way mission across the multiverse, he's pretty tame about the whole thing, passing out a few times aside. And the confusion between space and multiverse travel becomes more problematic in this issue, as Andru's art clearly shows a ship rocketing through space while we're told that Chris's phasing power (note: not transporting power) should be able to get them home. Plus, when Chris phases to his get-away dimension while the ship appears to be travelling through space, when he phases back, won't the ship have moved from that spot? And if it truly is just phasing through dimensions, how will Chris know which dimension to find it in? The whole thing is just extremely confusing. Finally, Andru's art is hardly the game-changer it appeared to be last issue. So many panels truly bothered me this time, from this one in which Rident's head looks like it's grown enormous and become attached to his ship:  to Chris's awkward prissy march:  to Pakrat being repeatedly drawn as so obnoxiously cute that I'm going through Jar-Jar Binks syndrome every time he appears on panel:  Important Details:- 1st appearance (in this volume) of Dr. Orion, who now sits on the Atari Council (is that what it's called?) - Dart can project a psychic image, but only to Chris Minor Details:- If last issue's cover was misleading, this one is a blatant lie - Seriously, did Martin do something in advance to ensure Scanner One was operational, or was this just extremely ridiculously conveniently good luck that it was still in working condition with full fuel cells while rotting in a museum? - And hey, did anyone ever bother to upgrade Scanner One with multiverse shielding after it was grounded so that, maybe, Dart and Morphea won't die in childbirth the way Lydia Perez did? - Why would the Atari Council provide Rident, a lone customs officer with no jurisdiction in their system, with a mulitverse ship and a carte blanc mission to catch the new Atari Force? Don't they have their own officers to do this? - Dart vs. a cornered Pakrat. We were all waiting for it, and I wasn't disappointed. - Pakrat is always in a state of panic unless cornered? Andru's art and Conway's dialogue don't reflect that in the rest of the issue. - Lots of hints that Dart is beginning to experience confused romantic feelings for Chris. - I assume this was intended, but Rident's presence totally screws up Martin's plan of the Dark Destroyer having no way to track their path back to New Earth. Of course, his ship can also provide the team with a means of return. Really not impressed with this issue at all. While I enjoyed #4 quite a bit, this series still hasn't won me over yet, and, one fourth through the run at this point, I'm beginning to worry that it never will. Grade: C-Just popping in to say Atari Force #5 was a comic I purchased off the spinner rack way back when. It was also my first and only foray into what was Atari Force. If my fading memory serves right, I'm pretty sure I got this comic because the Dark Destroyer on the cover reminded me of a third string Darth Vader, and it likely was the only appealing comic on the racks. The cover definitely sold me, I remember that. I also remember being pressed for time by a parent so I just grabbed it. Nothing stood out in the story but I do remember kind of liking the villain. I find it so zany that the Dark Destroyer was a completely different being in the issues beforehand. Great stuff! |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 12, 2020 6:04:37 GMT -5
If my fading memory serves right, I'm pretty sure I got this comic because the Dark Destroyer on the cover reminded me of a third string Darth Vader, Oh, I get the exact same vibe. A little Baron Karza in him too. I believe we're about to find out that it isn't actually the original Dark Destroyer at all. |
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Post by Bronze Age Brian on Jun 12, 2020 15:26:59 GMT -5
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Post by karlos on Nov 3, 2023 3:33:31 GMT -5
Whatever happened to the supposed reprints that Dynamite announced a long time ago?
Did Dynamite do anything at all once they acquired the Atari license?
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Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 7, 2023 21:43:01 GMT -5
Whatever happened to the supposed reprints that Dynamite announced a long time ago? Did Dynamite do anything at all once they acquired the Atari license? looks like they never did  the reprint was solicited but never produced) |
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the reprint was solicited but never produced)