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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 2, 2022 7:28:35 GMT -5
  Light month. I used OHOTMU to trace the figures, with carbon paper, then design my own heroes & costumes. |
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Roquefort Raider
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 2, 2022 9:12:22 GMT -5
Purchased or subscribed to in December 1982:
Arak #19, in which we encounter the roc, a giant bird from the Sinbad stories. Sinbad himself (under another name) would eventually show up in the series. I wasn't yet too keen on Arak's new hairdo, but I guess a mohawk made him look a little less like Conan.
Avengers #229. I had never taken Egghead seriously before, but I must admit his plan to destroy Hank Pym was both ingenious and cruel. It worked, too!
Conan #144. Dill pickle shaped monsters, and it is a tribute to mankind's eternal optimism that I still hoped the mag would get better. Patience, grasshopper... It'll be a long while.
Daredevil #193. I was a subscriber at the time but have no recollection of this one. Clearly not as good as the Alan Brennert story that preceded it!
Dreadstar #2. Starlin was drawing again instead of painting, and I was a happy camper.
Epic Illustrated #16. Ooooh, I remember the morning this one came in! A low sun shined on freshly fallen snow, and this mag contained not one, not two but three Barry Windsor-Smith contributions on top of the cover! Sheer happiness.
One of the BWS pieces was a two-page illustration accompanying an Archie Goodwin poem (in the vein of Robert Howard's work). The image was obviously better suited for Howard's Red Nails, but whatever. It was clearly a case of "we have this picture and don't want to have just a pin-up; let's cook up something".
Fantastic Four #252, with all the pages printed sideways as in a calendar. As the meme goes, "but why?"
"Just for fun" is the answer, I would expect, as the plot did not involve a flat planet or anything.
Ka-Zar #25. Ka-Zar's not dead anymore, and he faces Spider-man (who previously offered a friendly shoulder to a grieving Shanna, and was definitely taken with her! But Peter is a gentleman, and wouldn't take advantage of a lady who was clearly not in control of her emotions).
Kull #2, double sized, with great art by John Bolton and a very, very good story by Doug Moench. Kull must consider an arranged marriage to an Atlantean princess, a concept he's definitely opposed to...but agreeing to at least meet her, he succumbs to her personality. Alas, the marriage is doomed due to the plotting of a race of ancient beings mentioned in Howard's stories but not used in the comics up to now: that of the wolf-men. A must have for Kull fans.
Legion of Super-heroes #297. Cosmic Boy is the star this month. Hey, he was one of the founders, so...
New Mutants #2. Eyuck... the new Sentinels look pretty bad. Thankfully, that model won't be around too long.
New Teen Titans #29. I didn't much care for the story, as it's very standard "super-villain team causes trouble" fare... but the soap opera keeps me around.
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #3. Daredevil drawn by Miller! That alone would be worth the price of admission.
Red Sonja #2. The artwork is pretty poor, and I'm not too keen on tying the story of Valeria to that of Sonja, but it'll do. I especially like the way Roy Thomas was trying to sever Sonja from her lousy origin and bizarre vow of chastity. Alas, since he had left Marvel, later writers would just go bac to the status quo.
Rom #40. Just like last month, I know I bought that book... but don't remember what's in it.
Swamp Thing #11. I love the golem! Even started a Barrington story about it!
X-Men #167. The conclusion of the Brood saga, as Prof. Xavier gets a new cloned body that *might* walk eventually. I particularly liked how the New Mutants were impressed by Scott, who remains my favourite X-Man.
Warlord #67. The cover looks much better than the inside art, but this was a nice, light series in those days. Well worth the 60 cents.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 2, 2022 10:19:49 GMT -5
(...) Avengers #229. I had never taken Egghead seriously before, but I must admit his plan to destroy Hank Pym was both ingenious and cruel. It worked, too! (...) Yeah, I also recall being kind of impressed with Egghead in these issues of Avengers.
Well, of course. That's because he's the best X-man. It's just that simple.
Anyway, besides these two issues, I picked up about 10 or so other books this month, so like RR I had FF #252 (I liked the off-kilter format...), Ka-zar #25, LoSH #297, New Mutants #2, NTT #29, OHotMU #3 (of course!), *heavy sigh* Team America #11, and...
Marvel Fanfare #7 (I'll have more to say about this one elsewhere at some point),
Groo #2 (wonderfully entertaining),
and Superman Special #1
I've always been fond of this one, mainly because I just loved Kane's art back then (still do) and it's a pretty solid story - also written by Kane.
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Roquefort Raider
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 2, 2022 11:52:04 GMT -5
I really liked Kane's Superman, for all that I only have a handful of issues.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 2, 2022 12:01:17 GMT -5
All I have are the two specials from the early '80s and DC Comics Presents annual #3.
I never read any of those issues of Action Comics that he drew - at the time I didn't even realize he was doing them, because I never really regularly followed either of the two main Superman titles.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 1, 2023 17:28:25 GMT -5
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jan 1, 2023 18:00:31 GMT -5
Had these three as well, plus these:
Avengers #230 - wasn't necessarily happy with the destruction of Hank Pym, but Stern wrote a really good conclusion to that saga.
Brave and the Bold #197 - at this point I've probably written about my love for this story in numerous threads on this forum. The wonderful "Autobiography of Bruce Wayne" by Alan Brennert is simply one of the best Batman stories ever.
Fantastic Four #253 - the Negative Zone saga continues...
New Teen Titans #30 - I was intrigued by the whole Terra situation, as I wasn't sure if she was a legitimately a good guy, but at this point I figured she probably was because they wouldn't have made such a big deal about her joining the team, right?
Omega Men #1 - I'd become really interested in the Omega Men after they appeared in the New Teen Titans a few months earlier during the Starfire/Blackfire arc, so I was pretty excited about the new series. However, I recall losing interesting after about a half-dozen issues.
Team America #12 - at long last, the nightmare was over. This series was cancelled, and I could stop dutifully buying every issue.
Also picked up Legion of Superheroes #298, New Mutants #3 and, *heavy sigh* Obnoxio the Clown vs the X-men - because I couldn't not pick up any book that had something to do with the X-men...
Edited to add: one I can't believe I forgot initially...
What If? #38, which featured three 'alternate future' stories that aren't really 'what if' stories in fact. I really enjoyed all three, but esp. the Avengers one.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Jan 2, 2023 13:21:04 GMT -5
All-Star Squadron #20
Amazing Spider-Man #239
Arion #6
Avengers #230
Brave & the Bold #197
Camelot 3000 #5
Captain America #280
Daredevil #194
Defenders #118
Doctor Strange #58
E-Man #2
Incredible Hulk #282
Iron Man #169
LSH #298
Marvel Team-Up #128
Master of Kung Fu #123
Mighty Crusaders #1
Moon Knight #30
New Teen Titans #30
Night Force #9
Pacific Presents #2
Warp #3
What If? #38
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Roquefort Raider
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jan 2, 2023 15:22:48 GMT -5
Bought in January 1983. Arak #20. Roy Thomas squeezes Prester John’s Letter for all it’s worth, anticipating Umberto Eco’s novel Baudolino by a few decades! The best S&S available in comics at the time, and a very educational comic as well; therein we learn about Prester John, about Constantinople, about the Charlemagne legends... brains and brawn, all in colour for a dime! (Or a small number of dimes anyway). Avengers #230. The Fall of Yellowjacket concludes! Quite a gripping tale, as in “this never happens to our heroes!” (Not unless there’s a return to the status quo within a matter of a few months). Best of DC digest #35, presenting the year’s best stories. Oh, how I loved those DC blue ribbon digests! Despite the small size and the crappy paper, they offered an unbeatable bang for the buck. Conan the barbarian #145. A very rare and extremely welcome change of pace, as guest-writer Alan Zelenetz pens an ACTUAL Conan story set in the ACTUAL Cimmeria (and not a generic action/comedy story set in a generic S&S universe. That was alas the series’ standard offering at the time). In this issue, a sequel to an early Conan tale, we meet one of the Cimmerian’s offspring. (Our hero had a few kids before he got married; this one with the bear priestess Ursla. The same who got young Conan to lose his cherry in CtB #48). Daredevil #194. Can’t recall what happens in this issue. I think it had dogs on some crime lord’s estate, but it was a long time ago. Fantastic Four #253. I don’t think it was mentionned anywhere at the time how the space ark seen on page 1 is obviously modelled after a curling iron. John Byrne continues to deliver a very enjoyable take on Marvel’s First Family. Indiana Jones #4. Michelinie and Frenz are a good team for this title. King Conan #16. Alan Zelenetz is now the series’ regular writer, and the months to come will be very good indeed. Legion of Super-Heroes #298. This story arc sort of saw the return of Lyle Norg, the original Invisible Kid, but since I missed a few of the following issues I have no idea how that turned out. In any case, the returned Lyle Norg doesn’t seem to have stuck around for very long.This is doubtless one of the most enjoyable eras of the legion, what with the great Levitz-Giffen creative team. Master of Kung Fu #123. New creative team and new direction, but did we have to go back all the way to Special Marvel Edition #16 or thereabout? The last three issues in the run feel like Chi is back ten years in his own past. New Mutants #3. We’re slowly establishing who are cast members are, and there’s a monster at Xavier’s. New Teen Titans #30, with Terra joining the team. Oh, what a cruel twist is in the cards! Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #4. Elektra drawn by Miller was the highlight of this issue for me. Swamp Thing #12. Golems! Swamp Things! Antichrists! The end is near! Savage Sword of Conan #86. Swipes galore! (Review found here). Team America #12. It’s the only issue I bought, and while I can’t say I enjoyed it very much, I smiled at the idea that someone might join Hydra just because it’s a decently paid job! (What about a dental plan? Do you have a dental plan?) X-Men #168. I wasn’t quite done mourning the Byrne/Austin era or the Cockrum one, but Paul Smith was quickly changing my mind! Warlord #68. Another quickly-read issue with a nice cover and at least one quotable line. What if..? #38, in which Daredevil, the Scarlet Witch and Captain America face… old age. It’s a very moving issue. I loved the way age was treated more seriously here than in the regular ongoing series. It was heartening to see the unaging Vision care for his elderly wife, to see Rhodey’s son having picked up the role of Iron Man from his dad, and to learn that Steve Rogers eventually married Sharon Carter and had kids with her. Matt Murdock still in mourning for a woman we do not name was also pretty much in character; the poor man seems doomed to always lose the one he loves. (This came shortly after he lost Elektra). |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jan 2, 2023 15:38:12 GMT -5
(...) Best of DC digest #35, presenting the year’s best stories. Oh, how I loved those DC blue ribbon digests! Despite the small size and the crappy paper, they offered an unbeatable bang for the buck. (...) Didn't have that particular digest, but I just had to emphatically agree with your general points about DC's digests. Such wonderful little books. |
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Post by shaxper on Jan 3, 2023 2:02:12 GMT -5
Atari Force #5: I think I'm the only one who enjoyed this original volume of give-aways far more than the second series. Still got the reviews to prove it! Avengers #230: With apologies to Icctrombone and Crimebuster, who did such an awesome podcast defending this stretch of issues, I firmly feel the Hank Pym stuff killed The Avengers far more effectively than that stretch of rotating writers after the issue #200 fiasco. As a team with a constantly rotating cast, the core founding members could theoretically reunite at any time and take the title back to its roots if it went too far astray, but now there was no going back for Hank Pym and, in a way, no going back for The Avengers as a whole. Suddenly, there was this sense of an idealized past era of Avengers that could never be again. It took nearly four years for the title to (briefly) regain its footing after that. Everything else that followed just felt temporary and inadequate compared to the good ol' days. Batman #358: Pre-Crisis Killer Croc was such a bada$$. The Dark Crystal #2: The only book on this list that I actually bought when it was new. I believe they were selling these comic adaptations at the theater. This was one of the first films I ever went to see in theaters (I was four, and I adored this film, but it screwed me up with bad dreams for years after!). I don't know that I ever actually read the comic from beginning to end, but I did enjoy flipping through the pages and remembering aspects of the film in an era long before home video. Detective Comics #525: Ah, that era where both Batman titles were controlled by one killer writer (Conway, soon followed by Moench) and pencilled by two of the best pencillers of their time (Newton and Colan). Legion of Super-Heroes #298: Acquired multiple copies of this just two years back and plan to read it this week. 1st appearance of Amethyst of Gemworld. Master of Kung-Fu #123: I own it, but I'm still slowly reading everything Doug Moench has ever written in chronological order, so this is pretty far away. Moon Knight #30: see above. New Mutants #3: Man did this title get dark fast! I've been thinking about returning to my New Mutants from the Beginning review thread in 2023. Maybe this is a sign... New Teen Titans (Drug Awareness Campaign) #1: Man, I just wrote about this last week! New Teen Titans #30: Another review thread I've been thinking about returning to. I left off eight months earlier. It would be nice to get up to the first appearance of Terra. Night Force #9: What an amazing series premise. It definitely deserved to stick around longer than it did. Almost forgot that I wrote about Night Force a long while back. Obnoxio The Clown vs. X-Men #1: I'm a little amazed that I've still never read this yet. X-Men #168 I may be in the minority, but I love Kitty Pryde. I may be in the minority, but I love the Brood. Subsequently, I may be in the minority, but I love this issue.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Jan 3, 2023 3:58:19 GMT -5
Icctrombone Crimebuster Master of Kung-Fu #123: I own it, but I'm still slowly reading everything Doug Moench has ever written in chronological order, so this is pretty far away. MOKF #122 was Moench's last issue. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 1, 2023 22:50:30 GMT -5
    I picked up Spider-Woman, because it was the last issue. Reading it, I could see why. it really had lost that spark that was there, at the beginning. Of course, I hadn't read it since then, either. OHOTMU continues, the X-Men are among the Morlocks. I found my new favorite comic (though I found it and the second issue, at the same time): Jon Sable, Freelance. Mike Grell without the heavy oversight was a welcome thing, indeed. I think I spoke about the series somewhere, on this site.  I am sad to say that I did not see the first issue of Nexus. I did find the third, though I didn't buy it, at the time, as well as Badger (same thing). Sometimes you want to go back in time and kick yourself in the tuchus! I also did not know of Neil the Horse, the Elric adaptation or see E-Man #3, or I would have gotten them. I di flip through Star Slammers, at Waldenbooks; but, did not buy it until I was in college. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Feb 2, 2023 3:00:16 GMT -5
So I of course had X-men #169...  ...and New Mutants #4...  And also, naturally, FF #254...  ...Ka-zar #26...  ...and Marvel's Official Handbook #5...  ..as well as Hulk #283 (I had mostly stopped reading Hulk about a year before, but still occasionally picked it up intermittently - these stories involving Hulk with Banner's brain interested me):  On the DC side, the only title I recall having for this month is New Teen Titans #31:  One that I wanted to pick up at the time - as I had seen it advertised somewhere - is Star Slammers, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Got it later, though... |
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Roquefort Raider
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Feb 2, 2023 10:43:56 GMT -5
Acquired as they were published in February 1983 :
Arak #21. The series has been building toward a climactic battle against the sorceress Angelica for most of its run... and we're almost there! Excellent history-based sword and sorcery.
Conan #146. Another generic Conan story, but this one benefits from Jo Duffy's sense of humour. Seeing Conan drunk was pretty funny.
Daredevil #195. It's the second month in a row that I can't recall what DD was about... I should revisit the post-Miller O'Neil/Janson issues, although there's probably a reason I never did.
Dreadstar #3. Beautifully detailed art, which I suspect was drawn on much larger original pages than would be the case later on. The nuking of a city (and its aftermath) is especially impressive.
Fantastic Four #254. I just re-read Byrne's Negative Zone story arc recently, and it was good... even better than I remembered!
Indiana Jones #5. I kept reading the mag, being a huge Indy fan in those days, but the Bulanadi inks were a real downer for me. Michelinie is however a good choice as writer, as he finds the right mix of humour and seriousness that should be the hallmark of an Indiana Jones adventure.
Iron Man #170. I didn't mind Rhodey donning the armour for a while, with two reservations: the first is that Marvel shouldn't have pretended that this was a permanent change (with the help of the Official Handbook), and Rhodey's character shouldn't have changed so quickly. He was a funny and often clueless dude earlier on, kind of a comic relief almost, but suddenly he became very serious and mature. Yes, responsibilities will do that to someone... but so quickly?
Ka-Zar #26. Was that the first direct-to-market issue? In any case, I was a big fan of Bruce Jones' Ka-Zar and it was good to see the main character reunited with Shanna.
Kull the Conqueror #1. BEST COMIC OF THE MONTH! Oh, my, what an important and enjoyable issue (double-sized, too). Alan Zelenetz explores the origin of Kull (raised by tigers, then adopted by Atlanteans) and introduces his sister, who will have a major role here. It was an excellent pastiche, and it truly added to the Marvel Kull mythos without feeling contrived. The John Buscema/Bob Wiaceck art is also lovely.
Legion of super-heroes #299. Invisible Kid is back! Or is he? Continuing the excellent Levits/Giffen/Mahlstedt run on the title.
Master of Kung Fu #124. Not bad as an individual issue, but this new arc is such a brutal departure from the Moench/Day run that it's very jarring. Shang-Chi seems to have gone back to who he was in the early days of the title... meaning we had no idea who he was, apart that he practiced Kung-Fu.
Micronauts #52. Aaah, what a pleasure to see this series return to the "must read" pile! After getting their ass kicked by Baron Karza, the surviving Micronauts meet the exiled Acroyears again, leading to a difficult confrontation between Prince Acroyear and his beloved Cilicia.
New Mutants #4. The title is coming into its own little by little. It's probably good that it doesn't look anything like the main X-Men title.
New Teen Titans #31. More honest and well-crafted super-hero action. Action, soap-opera, ominous sub-plots, and enjoyable characters.
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #5. It was like Pokémon... gotta catch them all.I dislike the fact that the Iron Man entry barely mentions Tony Stark, as if James Rhodes was the real thing and not a temporary replacement. Apparently, its role as a marketing tool trumps the book's value as long-term reference.
Swamp Thing #13. Well, this is it... The Beast of the Apocalypse is right there on the cover! Is it the end of the world? Naaah... it's like Ragnarok in Thor. It's never as final as we'd expect.
Savage sword of Conan #87. A humour-filled adventure, complete with a completely irrelevant side episode. Several different inkers give the comic an uneven look, but it was amusing enough.
Spider-Woman #50. I was honestly getting annoyed by the post-Phoenix tendency to kill major characters. In those days, such a death was supposed to be treated seriously (it hadn't yet become the revolving door we see today, when resurrections aren't even explained). Killing Jessica for no other reason than the cancellation of her title was unnecessary, especially since it happened in such a non-climactic and dramatically unsatisfying way.
X-Men #169. Loved Paul Smith's art, loved seeing Angel return, loved the hints that Jean Grey might not be dead after all... but the Morlocks I never cared for. I can get the concept of people living in the sewers, and having their own parallel society down there; it had been done credibly in Daredevil. But super-powered homeless people? Why don't they use their powers to become rich and successful? They even have a member who can change the looks of someone's face, and instead of turning everyone into top-model material, he makes them even uglier because they're upset at society! That's completely crazy. In much later issues, the dude will use his power to make some Morlocks pretty, but only a a cruel ploy. Oy! Why doesn't every villain go the Purple Man way and simply make their lives comfortable?
Warlord #60. Travis Morgan visits Earth in the future... and alas, the place is boooooring. Not "described as boring as a criticism of what our society might evolve into". No, just boring. Jetsons lite mixed with Reagan's America.
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