shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Aug 30, 2017 9:28:35 GMT -5
I'm currently reading the early issues of Astonishing Tales due to some strong recommendations made here, and it's gotten me thinking about all the quality classic titles that generally get overlooked because they weren't associated with one or two specific characters or franchises. Journey Into Mystery and Tales of Suspense are household names, for example, because they are known for the characters they featured, but not so much a title like Marvel Premiere, which boasted a variety of front-runner features during its run, even though nearly all of them were outstanding.
So what are the great classic comic titles that "showcased" (Get it? Get it?) a diversity of content and aren't associated exclusively with one or two characters/properties?
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Post by brutalis on Aug 30, 2017 10:03:27 GMT -5
Marvel Collector's Comics in the late 60's was funtastic for a reprinting many early Marvel super-heroes and then mixing in some occasional golden age classics. Always enjoyed Mighty Marvel Western as it would publish different reprints of their many western heroes so you had a nice variety each issue. Marvel again in the 70's was reprinting lots of earlier stuff combining with an occasional new front story in things like War is Hell, Vault of Evil, Uncanny Tales, Weird wonder Tales, Where Monsters Dwell, Where Creatures Roam/etc....
DC had all of their various War and Mystery comics which would have a name lead with various other war stories. They did this successfully throughout the late 60's and through most of the 70's. Stuff like Our Fighting Forces, Our Army at War, Weird War, House of Mystery and House of Secrets. There were always other lesser entries from DC like Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love and Ghosts, The Witching Hour and others. Dc had a lot of romance comics in the early 70's that were around for the girls.
Archie Comics was almost totally based on every issue of all of their comics highlighting their individual characters. Archie's Joke Book, Archie's Pal's and Gal's, Laugh, Pep and such.
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Post by MDG on Aug 30, 2017 10:13:14 GMT -5
The Brave and the Bold
Two-Fisted Tales
More Fun Comics
Adventure Comics (which, as recently mentioned somewhere, was downgraded to a digest and then cancelled since, unlike Action or Detective, wasn't associated with a specific character.
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 30, 2017 10:20:44 GMT -5
Tales from the Crypt and the Vault of Horror would be two biggies. Also Eerie and Creepy, at Warren.
At Marvel, I would suggest Marvel Fanfare, with its mission to print inventory stories and unique items with no other home.
At DC, Showcase would be a biggie, for the Silver Age.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 30, 2017 12:32:36 GMT -5
Marvel Premiere was always a big hit with me, as was Marvel Preview/Bizarre Adventures.
I think part of the appeal was due to the motivation behind those titles.. It was really a case of "Hey, I got this neat idea for a story and no book to put it in" rather than "whatever are we going to do this month?" -or even worse... "how can we repeat this story we told ten years ago?"
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Aug 30, 2017 12:52:11 GMT -5
I agree with RR about Marvel Premiere. I also like Marvel Preview and Marvel Fanfare.
For a while I got into a lot of Marvel's monster titles....
Beware!
Chamber of Chills
Chamber of Darkness
Creatures on the Loose
Fear
Giant Size Chillers
The Haunt of Horror
Where Monsters Dwell
Also Dark Horse Presents and Dark Horse Comics. Though to be fair, eventually someone might pick up on DHC as only one issue of the series didn't have an Aliens story in it.
I also bought all the Amazing High Adventures, not knowing anything about them, just from seeing one of the covers back in the old days of CBR.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Aug 30, 2017 13:06:28 GMT -5
Pretty much the entire output of EC Comics.
Amazing High Adventure was an interesting attempt at an adventure anthology by Marvel in the mid-80s.
Bruce Jones' various anthology comics from Pacific and Eclipse that grew out of EC and Warren.
Mad and its various knock-offs and progeny.
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Post by sabongero on Aug 30, 2017 13:08:51 GMT -5
I'm currently reading the early issues of Astonishing Tales due to some strong recommendations made here, and it's gotten me thinking about all the quality classic titles that generally get overlooked because they weren't associated with one or two specific characters or franchises. Journey Into Mystery and Tales of Suspense are household names, for example, because they are known for the characters they featured, but not so much a title like Marvel Premiere, which boasted a variety of front-runner features during its run, even though nearly all of them were outstanding. So what are the great classic comic titles that "showcased" (Get it? Get it?) a diversity of content and aren't associated exclusively with one or two characters/properties? Shaxper just a bit off-topic here. Is that avatar, Voltron with the "roller skates" back in the mid 80's. |
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Post by sabongero on Aug 30, 2017 13:11:38 GMT -5
DC's All Star Western... these were the cowboys and the old western style stories that DC produced in the late '60s.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,874
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Post by shaxper on Aug 30, 2017 13:12:19 GMT -5
I'm currently reading the early issues of Astonishing Tales due to some strong recommendations made here, and it's gotten me thinking about all the quality classic titles that generally get overlooked because they weren't associated with one or two specific characters or franchises. Journey Into Mystery and Tales of Suspense are household names, for example, because they are known for the characters they featured, but not so much a title like Marvel Premiere, which boasted a variety of front-runner features during its run, even though nearly all of them were outstanding. So what are the great classic comic titles that "showcased" (Get it? Get it?) a diversity of content and aren't associated exclusively with one or two characters/properties? Shaxper just a bit off-topic here. Is that avatar, Voltron with the "roller skates" back in the mid 80's. If you meant to say "The GOOD Voltron from back in the mid 80's," then yes   |
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Post by sabongero on Aug 30, 2017 13:19:21 GMT -5
Shaxper just a bit off-topic here. Is that avatar, Voltron with the "roller skates" back in the mid 80's. If you meant to say "The GOOD Voltron from back in the mid 80's," then yes Yeah! I thought I recognized that face. Especially when it opened up like a Star Trek "door" to show the face. This Voltron had better stories than the Lions. It reminded me of Robotech where each episode can be viewed all unto itself, but is also part of the ongoing saga for the whole season. For some reason, as a kid, my friends and I always called it Voltron with the roller skates. Looking it up online, I suppose it is called Vehicle Voltron. And their commander (the ship commander-in-chief) had Optimus Primes' voice (Peter Cullen). One of the most distinctive character voice actors in history. |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,874
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Post by shaxper on Aug 30, 2017 13:21:01 GMT -5
This Voltron had better stories than the Lions. It reminded me of Robotech where each episode can be viewed all unto itself, but is also part of the ongoing saga for the whole season. You get it. And the original Japanese version is waaaay darker and even more space opera-ish. |
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Post by sabongero on Aug 30, 2017 13:29:09 GMT -5
This Voltron had better stories than the Lions. It reminded me of Robotech where each episode can be viewed all unto itself, but is also part of the ongoing saga for the whole season. You get it. And the original Japanese version is waaaay darker and even more space opera-ish. Definitely. I recently saw a youtube video where they killed Supreme Commander Hazar. All these years I always remembered the happy ending where they embarked with the other Druel population survivors, to another habitable planet. The Japanese anime version had a lot of characters die. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 30, 2017 13:39:17 GMT -5
Fairly typical in American adaptations of Japanese tv cartoons. Battle of the Planets removed the most violent aspects of the original Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, then inserted a robot narrator to bridge the cut scenes. They also set the Earth-bound series in space, with adventures taking place on other planets, when the original had them in other countries and cities. In the original, the villain could change genders (he was a hybrid formed of a set of male & female twins) and appeared as female in a few episodes. In the BOTP version, the female if the villain's sister, as explained by the narrator or new dialogue. The original series ended with one of the heroes sacrificing himself to save the Earth. The American series didn't include the bulk of the last couple of dozen episodes, including the finale.
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Post by berkley on Aug 30, 2017 13:46:26 GMT -5
The ones I remember most fondly:
Marvel Premiere
Dr. Strange
Iron Fist
Man-Wolf
and lots of more short-lived stand-out features like Chaykin's Monark Skystalker
Amazing Adventures
The Inhumans
The Black Widow
Killraven
Astonishing Tales
Ka-Zar
Dr. Doom
Deathlok
plus Marvel b&w mags like:
Marvel Preview
Unnown Worlds of Science Fiction
and also the horror mags like Monsters Unleashed and Haunt of Horror, though I'm not as familiar with those.
And of course the Warren anthology mags Eerie and Creepy
and then Heavy Metal and its imitator, Marvel's Epic - were there any other attempts at aglossy colour anthology mags like this in the wake of HM?
I didn't read it much at the time because it was starting just as I was in the process of giving up on Marvel, but I've come to think that Marvel Fanfare had some good stuff from time to time. Same with Marvel Cmics Presents, which I believe came along a little later.
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