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Post by sabongero on May 17, 2018 13:30:00 GMT -5
The 1980's, a decade that eventually changed comic books' tones to what it is now. 1986 in particular. You have Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, Watchmen, and Killing Joke. Frank Miller's work on Daredevil and The Dark Knight Returns. Let's not forget Chris Claremont still hitting his stride in Uncanny X-Men. Wolverine and Punisher joined Batman and Spider-Man as characters that saturated the market in that decade. Decompressed storytelling was not in effect, and in a single issue, so many things can happen, especially in one and done issues. Occasionally you'll have multi issue storylines in a regular series, unless it is in a limited series.
What are your favorite storylines, and single issues of comic books in the 1980's? Also, who are the writers that appealed to you? Share them here.
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Post by rberman on May 17, 2018 14:51:53 GMT -5
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Post by codystarbuck on May 17, 2018 19:50:59 GMT -5
Oh man; this was my decade, even more than the 70s.
Mike Grell on Warlord, Jon Sable, Starslayer and Green Arrow
Howard Chaykin's American Flagg
Jim Starlin's Metamorphosis Odyssey
Paul Levitz and Kieth Giffen's Legion
Wolfman and Perez on New Teen Titans
Matt Wagner's Mage and Grendel
William Messner Loebs, Hempel, Wheatley and everyone else on Jonny Quest
Tim Truman's Scout
Chuck Dixon, Tom Yeats and Stan Woch on Airboy and Skywolf
Arn Saba's Neil the Horse
Jim Valentino's normalman
Los Bros hernandez
Mister X
Cary Bates and Pat Broderick on Captain Atom
Giffen, DeMatteis and Maguire's Justice League
Ostrander and McDonnell on Suicide Squad
Ostrander and Truman's Grimjack
Mark Verheiden's The American
Paul Chadwick's Concrete
Miller's Daredevil and batman work. Everything Moore touched.
Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer
Tony Isabella and Mike Gustovich on Justice Machine
Ostrander and Doug Rice on Dynamo Joe and early Manhunter.
O'Neil and Cowan's The Question
First's reprints of Lone Wolf & Cub
Eclipse's reprints of Mai the Psychic Girl and Area 88
Epic's translations of Akira and the work of Moebius
James O'Barr's The Crow
Morrison's Zenith, Animal Man and Doom Patrol
Cerebus
Elfquest
A Distant Soil
Don McGregor and Gene Colan's Detectives Inc, Ragamuffins, and other work at Eclipse
Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway in All-Star Squadron and Infinity Inc
'Mazing Man
Lot of great stuff coming from Heavy Metal
Innovative material at Raw.
Baron and Rude's Nexus, and Baron's Badger
Messner Loeb's Journey
Michael Zulli's Puma Blues
Camelot 3000
Mike Barr's Batman & Ra's al Ghul graphic novels
John K Snyder III's Fashion in Action
The Pander Bros on Grendel: Devil's Legacy
Anything by Ken Steacy
Miller and Sienkiewicz's Elektra Assassin
BWS' Machine Man
The debut of Neil Gaiman and Sandman
Kings in Disguise
Xenozoic Tales aka Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
Ron Randall's Trekker
Evangeline
Barr and Adam Hughes on Maze Agency
XIII, from Van Hamme and Vance
Somerset Holmes, from Bruce Jones, April Campbell and Brent Anderson
Peter Davidson and Joe Orlando's Phantom.
Pat Mills and Kevin O'Neil's Marshall Law
Pat Mills et al on Slaine.
The contents of Warrior Magazine, especially Marvelman, V for Vendetta and the Bojeffries Saga
Original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
I can keep going...
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Post by EdoBosnar on May 18, 2018 5:24:18 GMT -5
Too many to even begin listing...
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2018 7:54:01 GMT -5
That was my prime collecting time!
New Teen Titans, Legion of Super Heroes, Uncanny X-Men, Justice League of America, World's Finest, Detective Comics, Superman Family, Brave and the Bold, DC Comics Presents, Defenders, Avengers, Firestorm, Spider Woman, all the Archie titles
First stories that come to mind...JLA 200, 194, 195-197, The Great Darkness Saga, The Defenders shake up (when Beast, Iceman, and Angel join), Pat Broderick drawing Firestorm, Henry Pym losing it in Avengers, Monica Rambeau debut at Captain Marvel, When Detective became a dollar comic, Mr and Mrs Superman in Superman family, Paul Smith drawing the X-Men, Madelyne Pryor!, Firestar's debut in X-Men,the introduction of the Blossom Twins in Archie.....so many great memories of that era!
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Post by sabongero on May 18, 2018 8:22:26 GMT -5
That was my prime collecting time! New Teen Titans, Legion of Super Heroes, Uncanny X-Men, Justice League of America, World's Finest, Detective Comics, Superman Family, Brave and the Bold, DC Comics Presents, Defenders, Avengers, Firestorm, Spider Woman, all the Archie titles First stories that come to mind...JLA 200, 194, 195-197, The Great Darkness Saga, The Defenders shake up (when Beast, Iceman, and Angel join), Pat Broderick drawing Firestorm, Henry Pym losing it in Avengers, Monica Rambeau debut at Captain Marvel, When Detective became a dollar comic, Mr and Mrs Superman in Superman family, Paul Smith drawing the X-Men, Madelyne Pryor!, Firestar's debut in X-Men,the introduction of the Blossom Twins in Archie.....so many great memories of that era! can you advise which issue numbers in World's Finest come to mind. And also, which issue numbers in DC Comics Presents and Defenders as well. I'd really appreciate it, since they series with such long runs. |
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Post by sabongero on May 18, 2018 8:26:04 GMT -5
Oh man; this was my decade, even more than the 70s. Ostrander and Doug Rice on Dynamo Joe and early Manhunter.O'Neil and Cowan's The QuestionRoy Thomas and Jerry Ordway in All-Star Squadron and Infinity IncI can keep going... Hi codystarbuck. feel free to keep on going. I am curious about the three series you mentioned above. Can you post some opinions about them and why they appealed to you as a comic book reader, and also what are the highlights of that run, like any particular issue numbers? |
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Post by rberman on May 18, 2018 8:30:14 GMT -5
Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway in All-Star Squadron and Infinity IncHi codystarbuck. feel free to keep on going. I am curious about the three series you mentioned above. Can you post some opinions about them and why they appealed to you as a comic book reader, and also what are the highlights of that run, like any particular issue numbers? I bought and read the first couple of years of All-Star Squadron, probably because of a preview issue that ran in (I believe) JLA, so I guess those things do work! I didn't know much about either the Golden Age of Comics or WW2 at the time, so all of Roy Thomas' historical detail was new ground for me, including the London Blitz. I remember a debate in the letters page as to whether or not the profession of TV newscaster would really have existed in the early 1940s for Firebrand (or was it Liberty Belle?) to have that as her secret identity. |
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Post by sabongero on May 18, 2018 8:36:23 GMT -5
I bought and read the first couple of years of All-Star Squadron, probably because of a preview issue that ran in (I believe) JLA, so I guess those things do work! I didn't know much about either the Golden Age of Comics or WW2 at the time, so all of Roy Thomas' historical detail was new ground for me, including the London Blitz. I remember a debate in the letters page as to whether or not the profession of TV newscaster would really have existed in the early 1940s for Firebrand (or was it Liberty Belle?) to have that as her secret identity. Historically in our reality, it shouldn't. However, Roy Thomas can always reason that All Star Squadron is on Earth 2, and that particular industry was already in effect even before the 1950's, when television became popular mainstream (even though the USA, UK, and Soviet Union had mechanical television in the late 1920's and early 1930's. |
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Post by codystarbuck on May 18, 2018 12:33:12 GMT -5
Oh man; this was my decade, even more than the 70s. Ostrander and Doug Rice on Dynamo Joe and early Manhunter.O'Neil and Cowan's The QuestionRoy Thomas and Jerry Ordway in All-Star Squadron and Infinity IncI can keep going... Hi codystarbuck. feel free to keep on going. I am curious about the three series you mentioned above. Can you post some opinions about them and why they appealed to you as a comic book reader, and also what are the highlights of that run, like any particular issue numbers? Manhunter was an extension of Ostrander's fantastic work on Suicide Squad, while also reuniting him with First Comics Alum Doug Rice. Rice has a strong background in Japanese manga, anime and live action material. The art was very dynamic, with Mark Shaw, the newly pardoned Manhunter (post-Millennium event) acting as a super criminal bounty hunter. The first few issues start with a bang, as he takes down Captain Cold, using his knowledge of him, gained in prison, and also takes in Penguin, while he is in the bath tub! He then faces Dumas, the hired killer of an eccentric millionaire who wants the Manhunter mask to add to their collection. The action rages across Japan and was very cinematic. Unfortunately, as the series progressed, Ostrander became more interested in exploring Mark Shaw's family relationships and the action was heavily curtailed. Rice got bored with it and bowed out. It still had good plots; but, it never quite rose to those first 4 issues again. It also lacked for a decent villain, after Dumas, and the character was brought back, towards the end of the series. The Question was one of the most literate superhero books on the stands. Denny O'Neil infused it with philosophical ideas and debates, while also presenting the best crime stories, this side of Ms. Tree. O'Neill took Ditko's Randian adventurer and turned him on his head, giving him a world filled with shades of gray. He also put him in a city so corrupt that no one could be trusted (based on East St. Louis). Meanwhile, Cowan's moody art made it stand out, handling action and long dialogue scenes equally well. Supporting characters were interesting, like a wheel-chair bound Richard Dragon and Lady Shiva, an occasional ally or enemy, depending on her employer. All-Star Squadron was Roy getting his hands on the JSA, to do what he always wanted to do, much as he had with Invaders. Except, he used it to highlight lesser seen Golden Age heroes and turn them into something more, especially Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle. Ordway started out as an inker on the series and then took over the pencilling. The series would lead into Infinity Inc, where the children and proteges of the JSA would take over. It started well, with Ordway on art, as they youngsters must face mind-controlled parents and mentors. Unfortunately, it went through some upheavals, as Ordway left and Don newton suffered a heart attack and passed away, just after taking over. It struggled a bit and then took on a young Todd McFarlane, who played around with page layouts (with things like characters holding up panels) to relieve his boredom with the scripts. In the latter days, the series became bogged down in Roy retelling an old JSA adventure, before moving on to how it affected the present. It was a mercy killing when the series was put to rest. Also, the removal of the JSA to Limbo severly hurt things and post-Crisis changes screwed up some character backgrounds (Fury, the most). |
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Post by codystarbuck on May 18, 2018 12:39:26 GMT -5
Hi codystarbuck. feel free to keep on going. I am curious about the three series you mentioned above. Can you post some opinions about them and why they appealed to you as a comic book reader, and also what are the highlights of that run, like any particular issue numbers? I bought and read the first couple of years of All-Star Squadron, probably because of a preview issue that ran in (I believe) JLA, so I guess those things do work! I didn't know much about either the Golden Age of Comics or WW2 at the time, so all of Roy Thomas' historical detail was new ground for me, including the London Blitz. I remember a debate in the letters page as to whether or not the profession of TV newscaster would really have existed in the early 1940s for Firebrand (or was it Liberty Belle?) to have that as her secret identity. Liberty Belle, aka Libby Lawrence. There were tv transmissions in certain metropolitan areas, at the time, which were curtailed by the war; same with the BBC. Roy was trying to highlight some of the technological achievements of the time frame, which history classes tend to ignore. His history was usually pretty accurate, apart from the superhero stuff. In the preview (or the first issue) Atom and a couple of the other JSAers are at a football game, with Slammin' Sammy Bough playing, which was the actual game, on December 7, 1941. Bough went on to be a western and movie serial actor, appearing in Republic's King of the Texas Rangers. |
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Post by codystarbuck on May 18, 2018 23:44:58 GMT -5
Ms Tree
X-Men up through Paul Smith; then, I lost interest.
Eric Shanower's Oz graphic novels
Mr Monster
Elric (Pacific, First) with Roy Thomas, Michael T Gilbert and P Craig Russell
P Craig Russell's opera stuff
Peter Bagge's Neat Stuff, the precursor to Hate.
Dalgoda
Dean Motter and Ken Steacy's The Sacred and the Profane (started at Star*Reach, reprinted in Epic Illustrated, released as a graphic novel by Eclipse
Ric Veitch's The One
Archie Goodwin and Pepe Moreno's Generation Zero (in Epic Illustrated, reprinted as a graphic novel, at DC)
Pepe Moreno's Rebel and Zeppelin
Daniel Torres' Rocco Vargas
Enki Bilal's Ranks of the Black Order, The Hunting Party and Carnival of the Animals (first of the Nikopol trilogy)
Jim Steranko's Outland adaptation (in Heavy Metal)
Archie Goodwin & Al Williamson's Blade Runner adaptation (Marvel Super Special)
Howard Chaykin's James Bond: For Your Eyes Only (Marvel Super Special)
Walt Simonson and John Buscema's Raiders of the Lost Ark (Marvel Super Special)
John Byrne's Superman
George Perez's Wonder Woman
Mike Barr & Michael Golden's Batman Special (with the Wraith)
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Classic X-Men (for the reprints of the early years, plus new short stories, like why Nightcrawler gives up his image inducer)
Squadron Supreme
New Mutants
Moon Knight (Moench and Sienkiewicz)
Dominic Fortune stories in Hulk magazine (issues 21-25)
Marvel Preview/Bizarre Adventures (Moon Knight, Black Widow, X-Men, Elektra, few others)
The Nam
Vietnam Journal
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills
Atari Force (with Jose Luis Garcia Lopez-PBHN)
Amethyst, Princess of Gem World
Power Pack
Byrne FF
Walt Simonson Thor
Juan Giminez' A Matter of Time
Jose Munoz's Joe's Bar
Vittorio Giardino's Hungarian Rhapsody and Orient Gateway
Francois Boucq's Pioneers of the Human Adventure and The Magician's Wife
Liberatore's RanXerox
Torpedo, from Abuli, Toth and Bernet (aka Torpedo 1936)
NBM's Corto Maltese reprints
Forever War graphic novels, from Marvano and Joe Haldeman
The Mercenary, by Vicente Segrelles (reprinted by NBM
Thorgal
Black Terror, from Beau Smith, Chuck Dixon and Dan Brereton
Moore & Sienkiewicz' Brought to Light
Ballad of Halo Jones
DR and Quinch
Captain Britain
Crossfire (Evanier and Spiegle)
The Dreamery (Eclipse anthology, with people like Donna Barr)
Espers, by James Hudnall and David Lloyd
Alex Toth's Zorro collections, from Eclipse
Modesty Blaise reprints-Ken Pierce Editions and Titan Books
Reid Fleming, World's Toughest Milkman
Stinz
Zot!
Dark Horse Presents
Aliens (first DH mini)
.....
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Post by MDG on May 22, 2018 10:06:39 GMT -5
The 80s (to about '95 TBH) was probably when I was at "peak comics"--probably a combination of expanding LCSs, being near enough to NYC for shows, and some great regional shows with great guests (Ramapo and Ithacon), and the fact that the new publishers were explicitly trying to do stuff different than Marvel and DC. At the same time, DC under, Kahn, Giordano, and Levitz, was trying to develop a more mature publishing model.
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Post by brutalis on May 22, 2018 13:26:26 GMT -5
Like EdoBosnar says there is just too much that was good during the 80's. Just copy/paste codystarbuck ongoing list (surely more to come) as mine. Haven't seen anything yet on those lists i wasn't reading or buying. Special shout outs for anything Grell or Starlin, Followed religously LOSH, New Teen Titans, Avengers, FF, Suicide Squad, Question, Micronauts, Star Wars, Xenozoic Tales, Nexus/Badger, Ms Tree and 2000 AD series being printed in different formats: Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Strontium Dog, Ballad of Halo Jones, Slaine, Nemesis the Warlock. So much variety beyond the big TWO. Birth of the LCS also gave me all sorts of reading pleasure as I could begin to explore the back issue market for issues and things which I had missed or or never seen from the 60's and 70's. The LCS provided me new venues of imported European comics collected in Graphic Novel and TPB forms that I might not otherwise ever known of. |
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Post by codystarbuck on May 22, 2018 13:30:26 GMT -5
GUMBY, dammit!  |
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