shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jul 31, 2017 23:00:02 GMT -5
Pssst...Make sure to check out the Advance Warning Thread before jumping in with your selection!My #10 as of forty minutes ago, when I last reshuffled my rankings: 10. "Elric of Melniboné" (1980-1986) By: Roy Thomas and P. Craig Russell, adapted from works by Michael Moorecock Originally published in: Epic Illustrated #3-4 (1980), #14 (1982), and Elric of Melniboné (First Comics GN, 1986)* A reluctant, pacifist philosopher king is thrust into a sequence of events where he must make a pact with the devil and finds that all of his good intentions ultimately lead to his reluctantly becoming the most terrifying and tragic villain his world has ever seen. Somehow, he also manages to be tremendously endearing in spite of (or, perhaps, because of) this. The characterization is vibrant, the art is stunning, the sweeping epic and mythological nature of the series is unforgettable, and the intensely vivid tones and emotional resonance throughout – this saga just floors me. I don't know how to say it better than that. Moorcock did it first; Thomas and Russell made it work on the comic page and made it more compact, beautiful, and evocative in the process. The two went on to adapt all the remaining Elric stories independent of one another, but it never worked quite as well as when they partnered together on these initial adaptations. *Note: The graphic novel from First Comics is a heavily revised and vastly superior version of the story originally printed in Elric of Melniboné #1-6 (Pacific Comics, 1983).
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2017 23:11:55 GMT -5
I may fall behind as days go along, but I do have the first one ready to go... 10. Valerian and Lareline: he Empire of A Thousand Planets Valerian & Laureline: the Empire of a Thousand Planets (1971) by Pierre Christin & Jean-Claude MeziersOriginally serialized in French in Pilote magazine (read collected in English translation in Valerian: The Complete Collection Vol. 1, also collected in individual volumes)The third Valerian and Laureline story (though listed as Vol. 2 because the first volume was Vol. 0 and not available in English translation until recently). I’ve only read the first three Valerian and Laureline stories (Vol. 0 Bad Dreams, Vol. 1 The City of Shifting Waters/Earth in Flames and Vol. 2 The Empire of a Thousand Planets), but this is where it feels like the strip hits its stride. Valerian and Laureline are sent on a mission to infiltrate a galactic empire that has had no previous contact with Earth to determine their intentions and potential threat or role as ally to Earth. High adventure ensues as Valerian and Laureline have tech the empire doesn’t and they get embroiled in a revolution against the rulers of the Empire and the power behind the throne, the Enlightened. This is the adventure most point to, to find the visual influences on the look of Star Wars, but that is not the thing of interest in this story. Meziers art is spectacular, especially the sci-fi elements. His figure work is a bit cartoony, with the heads slightly oversized and out of scale, but his storytelling ability and visual settings are magnificent. And Christin takes you on a roller coaster ride of sheer fun and delight, with lots of twists, turns, action sequences and comedic hijinks mixed in. some sample pages spoilers used to conserve space for those scrolling through the thread... -M |
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Post by hondobrode on Jul 31, 2017 23:41:27 GMT -5
# 10 - The Authority # 1-4 “The Circle” by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch.  I had been extremely turned off and disappointed by early Image comics and quickly jumped off. Years later I certainly liked the looks of Jim Lee’s Wildstorm imprint but still passed.  When DC folded Lee and Wildstorm in, I figured it was worth a look. I came in completely cold with The Authority # 1 not knowing anything about it but was hooked. Big screen indeed. That wicked Warren Ellis breaking the rules again with Bryan Hitch’s beautiful art making it nearly flawless.  The epic scale of a battle on a planetary scale makes it feel like the JLA, but The Authority take no prisoners and do what the JLA, at least under the Comics Code Authority, probably couldn’t do. They strike pre-emptively and are powerful fascists, but well-meaning. The characters and the concept of The Bleed, the interdimensional buffer between different dimensions, is extremely appealing.  Reading these felt to me like the next iteration of super-heroes, kind of ratcheting up a notch from the Bronze Age. |
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Post by hondobrode on Jul 31, 2017 23:55:21 GMT -5
Pssst...Make sure to check out the Advance Warning Thread before jumping in with your selection!My #10 as of forty minutes ago, when I last reshuffled my rankings: 10. "Elric of Melniboné" (1980-1986)By: Roy Thomas and P. Craig Russell, adapted from works by Michael Moorecock Originally published in: Epic Illustrated #3-4 (1980), #14 (1982), and Elric of Melniboné (First Comics GN, 1986)* A reluctant, pacifist philosopher king is thrust into a sequence of events where he must make a pact with the devil and finds that all of his good intentions ultimately lead to his reluctantly becoming the most terrifying and tragic villain his world has ever seen. Somehow, he also manages to be tremendously endearing in spite of (or, perhaps, because of) this. The characterization is vibrant, the art is stunning, the sweeping epic and mythological nature of the series is unforgettable, and the intensely vivid tones and emotional resonance throughout – this saga just floors me. I don't know how to say it better than that. Moorcock did it first; Thomas and Russell made it work on the comic page and made it more compact, beautiful, and evocative in the process. The two went on to adapt all the remaining Elric stories independent of one another, but it never worked quite as well as when they partnered together on these initial adaptations. *Note: The graphic novel from First Comics is a heavily revised and vastly superior version of the story originally printed in Elric of Melniboné #1-6 (Pacific Comics, 1983). This was awesome, true, but Frank Brunner did an Elric story in Heavy Metal that was the bomb. It was collected in Star*Reach's Greatest Hits from 1979. Worth hunting down if you can find a copy.  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2017 0:04:53 GMT -5
This was awesome, true, but Frank Brunner did an Elric story in Heavy Metal that was the bomb. It was collected in Star*Reach's Greatest Hits from 1979. Worth hunting down if you can find a copy. Hmm, one of my white whales for comics is to find a copy of the Elric adaptation done by Philippe Druillet. The recent adaptations put out by Titan Books, done with the approval and consultation of Moorcock are quite good as well. There are certainly a fair amount of very good Moorcock comics adaptations out there. -M |
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Post by hondobrode on Aug 1, 2017 7:28:08 GMT -5
For real 😳
Thanks for posting this. I had no idea Druillet had done Elric.
Added to my list as well.
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Post by brutalis on Aug 1, 2017 8:03:02 GMT -5
10. The Death and Return of Superman Act 1: Doomsday. 1992. Superman Man of Stell 18, Justice League 69, Superman 74, Adventures of Superman 497, Action Comics 684, Superman Man of Steel 19, Superman 75. Mike Carlin, Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, Karl Kesel.
DC dares the unthinkable: killing off Superman and "replacing" him with multiple other heroes: Steel, Superboy, Eradicator, Cyborg Superman step up when Doomsday strikes the killing blow. Also a renewal in speculation buying begins as people who never read comics begin hitting the comic shops in droves buying up issues like crazy hoping for a quick high return of their dollars.
A multitude of writers and artists perform a spectacular compilation which runs through all of the various Superman comics and launches new comics as well. From this one story many continuing stories become developed throughout the Superman mythos and series. This story line also starts a regrettable trend of deaths and resurrections in DC.
This was quite the splash over into the real world with headlines throughout the news media sparking many debates and arguments and bringing in new readers and those who had left comics stirring up frenzy along the way everywhere. While it was mostly a publicity stunt you cannot argue with the initial sales and the frenzy it sparked. It has over time become the basis for games, cartoons, movies, action figures and novels.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Aug 1, 2017 8:10:19 GMT -5
This was awesome, true, but Frank Brunner did an Elric story in Heavy Metal that was the bomb. It was collected in Star*Reach's Greatest Hits from 1979. Worth hunting down if you can find a copy. I read it when you recommended it to me the last time around. Excellent work, but not better than this  |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Aug 1, 2017 8:11:24 GMT -5
10. The Death and Return of Superman. 1992. Mike Carlin, Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, Karl Kesel. Would you mind listing which specific issues you include in this arc? Thanks! |
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Post by Icctrombone on Aug 1, 2017 8:16:57 GMT -5
# 10 The Old Order Changeth !
Avengers # 16-25
Stan Lee/ Don Heck/ Jack KirbyThis Avengers run is a perennial favorite of mine. Issue #16 has the Original Founders ( Iron Man, Thor, Giant-man, Wasp and Cap) Wrap up their fight with the Masters of Evil just to realize that they are burnt out and need a break. They immediately go about finding replacements when Hawkeye breaks into the mansion to “ audition” to join the team. That Audition happens to be him tying up Jarvis. Anyway, the word is put into the papers and Quicksilver and Wanda also join. There are nice scenes where the Submariner is also asked , but refuses. Maybe Cei-U! or some other Comic Historian will know for sure but, I believe this is the very first time in a Team Comic book that the line-up was almost totally turned over. It would be a template that is used many times afterwards for Teams in the big two. What follows in the next 9 issues is the best bickering, drama and heroics arguably seen in their entire run. And I loved it. This foursome is lacking in the raw power of their former members but make up for it by team work and courage. I love the way Cap’s leadership is challenged by all 3 newbies but they all come to respect him by the time The Wasp and Giant-man return in # 26.  Some quick highlights/ points- Hawkeye’s speech patterns change dramatically from # 16 to #20   The two parter involving Swordsman is a fine example of taking the recruitment of former villians and twisting it the other way as, he changes his mind about killing them because of his love for Wanda and that his getting hooked on being an Avengers, even a fake one.  There is fine Wally Wood inks from # 20-22  Beautiful early John Romita inks on # 23. There is no shortage of big time opponents for them as they face off against Kang, Enchantress, Power Man , Swordsman, and the Moleman. I don't know if this run is revered by anyone else, but it's what made me stay with the Avengers emotionally. *** Let me add that I considered and maybe still do , Don Heck to be THE Avengers artist. At least, I feel he doesn't get the love that he should.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2017 8:38:55 GMT -5
Sorry, that I'm unable to participate in this event and I'll try to read as much stuff that I can in order to understand a Saga is. The only one that I know so far here is the Death and the Return of Superman and the Avengers 16 to 25 of which I don't consider it a Saga but an important change in the lives of the Avengers. This is going to be an educational one indeed and this is going to be my only post this event here in CCF.
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Post by Icctrombone on Aug 1, 2017 8:44:48 GMT -5
I consider a saga to be a number of stories that is tied together by Creator, theme or period of time. Avengers 16-25 is a storyline that showed what the Avengers became after the big guns left. It's important that Lee and Heck produced stories that captured the excitement without the founders and you should appreciate that this change of direction was in no way guaranteed. The book could have been canceled because of lack of interest in the fans.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2017 10:07:54 GMT -5
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Crimebuster
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Post by Crimebuster on Aug 1, 2017 12:09:19 GMT -5
#10: Grimjack
Starslayer #10-18, Grimjack #1-81, G rimjack: Demon Knight GN, Grimjack: Killer Instinct #1-6, Grimjack: The Manx Cat #1-6  It's kind of hard to even explain what Grimjack is, but the short version is... he's a tough as nails mercenary badass who lives in a city built at the nexus of all realities, which allows him to get into scrapes with literally any enemy from any genre in any situation you can possibly think of, and sometimes all at once. From demonic sorcerers to a killer robot who assumes human form by wearing the skin of his victims to giant mechas battling against gangsters riding dinosaurs, Gimjack literally has everything. On top of it all, the main character is endlessly fascinating, especially thanks to a shocking mid-series plot twist that totally changes everything about the title including the main character himself, unlocking a whole host of new storytelling possibilities as if infinity wasn't enough already. Add in great art from the likes of Tim Truman, and for my money, this is one of the best titles of the 80's and a really overlooked gem.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Aug 1, 2017 12:26:34 GMT -5
#10: Grimjack
Starslayer #10-18, Grimjack #1-81, G rimjack: Demon Knight GN, Grimjack: Killer Instinct #1-6, Grimjack: The Manx Cat #1-6 It's kind of hard to even explain what Grimjack is, but the short version is... he's a tough as nails mercenary badass who lives in a city built at the nexus of all realities, which allows him to get into scrapes with literally any enemy from any genre in any situation you can possibly think of, and sometimes all at once. From demonic sorcerers to a killer robot who assumes human form by wearing the skin of his victims to giant mechas battling against gangsters riding dinosaurs, Gimjack literally has everything. On top of it all, the main character is endlessly fascinating, especially thanks to a shocking mid-series plot twist that totally changes everything about the title including the main character himself, unlocking a whole host of new storytelling possibilities as if infinity wasn't enough already. Add in great art from the likes of Tim Truman, and for my money, this is one of the best titles of the 80's and a really overlooked gem. This remains at the top of my to-read list. Ostrander does have another work coming in pretty high on my list of honorable mentions. |
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