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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 2, 2020 11:20:15 GMT -5
                                    The Deathlok mini taught me not to buy comics just because I loved the character. It wasn't "my" Deathlok and it really lacked the personality of the original. Aliens vs Predator was launching the biggest monster crossover since Frankenstein met the Wolfman. I came late to Captain America: Streets of Poison, first noticing Crossbones on a cover. The storyline was intriguing, so I picked up the earlier chapters and stuck around, a bit, for more Cap. Enemy Ace Special was a reprint and advanced advertising for George Pratt's War Idyll. Green Arrow brought back Shado, from Longbow Hunters. Hero Alliance had stepped up the storytelling to feature the children of the Golden Guardsmen having it out (the son turned corrupt, with power, while the daughter posed a lot). Maze Agency continued to be great and Justice Machine was okay, with Tony Isabella back to writing, but Mike Gustovich sticking with some poor costume revamps and a weaker set up. JLI was kind of winding down from the greatness, but JLE had its best storyline going, with the Marvel villain pastiches fighting the team. LODK was finally, mercifully ending Grant Morrison's rather dull (my opinion) "Gothic" and about to launch a Moench/Gulacy classic that kept me from cancelling the title, after being underwhelmed by the first few stories. Logan's Run continued Malibu and Barry Blair's adaptation of the novel, rather than the film. Really wish the art was someone else; but, it captured the novel well. Planet of the Apes continued to be fun, even if the art was a bit on the amateur side. Sttarman introduced David Knight as the a-hole Starman who attacks Will Payton, as the Mist turns up. This will ultimately set up Starman 0, from James Robinson and Tony Harris. I picked up X-Men because of the WW@-era story and I was intrigued by Jim Lee's art. The intrigue wore off quickly, after I saw his storytelling in greater detail (minus a decent writer). Wild Cards was the Epic mini adapting the world of the Wild Cards mosaic book series, edited by George RR Martin. I had been introduced to the books just prior to the comic coming out (one of the two locals I frequented had the first 3 books) and I loved it. The comic not so much. No one ever really seemed to get it right, in comic form. Of course, I eventually felt the book series had lost the narrative (and it went through publisher issues and switched companies, after being dormant for a while) and stopped reading. I picked up Hard Boiled because it was Miller; but, damned if I could figure out what the hell was going on. The only reason I picked up the other 2 issues (when they finally came out) was because of Geoff Darrow. After trying to read the story, I just went back to look at the perty pictoors and just drooled over the little details Darrow put in there, plus the puns and sheer lunacy of it. I still don't think Miller had much of a story; but, damned if Darrow didn't make me want to look at it. It was like Sergio Aragones on acid, with more guns. |
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Post by brutalis on Jul 6, 2020 8:23:51 GMT -5
July 1990
Amazing Spider-Man 338/339
Avengers 322/323
Avengers Annual 19
Avengers West Coast 62
West Coast Avengers Annual 5
Captain America 376/377
Captain Atom 44
Cerebus 136
Deathlok 3
Demon 3
Doc Savage 23
Doom Patrol 36
FF 344
Flash 42
GI Joe 104
Green Arrow 35/36/37
Guardians of the Galaxy 4
Hard Boiled 1
Hawkworld 4
Iron Man 260
Iron Man Annual 11
Knights of Pendragon 2
LOSH 11
LOSH Annual 1
Thor 422/433
Thor Annual 15
Mister Miracle 19
Namor 6
New Warriors 3
Nth Man 16
Quasar 14
Star Trek 12
Star Trek Next Gen 12
Starman 26
Suicide Squad 44
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 10, 2020 17:02:28 GMT -5
                               Dark Horse is on fire with their licenses for Aliens, Predator and, now, Terminator. The two Fox franchises are duking it out, while Terminator debuts, with Chris Warner art. My favorite of the bunch they did will be the Gulacy-drawn mini. Atlantis Chronicles and Deathlok come to merciful ends. I like Esteban Maroto's art; but the story did little for me and Deathlok was one big 90s mess of a disappointment, with a favorite character. Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy were about to show everyone how these LODK stories should be done, as they revisit Hugo Strange, covering the Steve Englehart story with some new twists. This started a nice run of issues, after some rather dull early ones. Captain America was still in the Streets of Poison epic, which I thought was some of Gruenwald's best work, with Ron Lim providing dynamic, if sometimes wonky art. Coupled with that was the trade release of the Stern & Byrne Captain America stories, which I originally missed (except the finale, redoing the origin). Byrne colored the cover, which is why the colors look weird. He is color blind and used Prisma-color markers to do it, as they are labeled with the color inside and come in a large variety of shades (I used to use them) However, the shades Byrne used are a bit dark and off and it really made the cover art look flat. He did that on a couple of things, around this time, before giving up and letting others handle it. Give Me Liberty restores mu faith in Frank Miller, as Sin City was a bit too dark for me (though that first Marv story and the first Dwight were the only ones I cared for, at all). Gibbons helps a lot. Dark Horse was starting to become a major segment of my buying, as Dc products start falling off the list and Marvel is barely existent on it. Malibu continues their fun Planet of the Apes series. DC unveils the second Ms Tree Quarterly. I missed the original series; but, heard a ton about it and grabbed these. Sandman: Doll's House really creeped me out. It was a while before I had any more of the series, as I only glanced at the first issue and passed, since it was horror, but had picked up the Special. I would start reading the series, monthly, with #50, as I kept missing issues and then would find one and it was in the middle of a storyline. I'm just about finished with Starman, since Tom Lyle is gone. This is the second part with David Knight (not named as such, yet) and the Mist. I believe the next issue was my last. Huntress comes to an end; wish it had been Levitz, instead of Cavalieri. Worlds finest features The Dude on art (Steve Rude, not Jeff Lebowski). Wild Cards continues to be a pale shadow of the books. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 10, 2020 20:26:30 GMT -5
Purchased in August 1990, with my meagre student income but no regret whatsoever:
Adventures of Luther Arkwright #6, continuing the very Moorcockesque series by Bryan Talbot. This was like the thinking person's S-F comic-book. It even aged well!!! The black and white art is still very much to my liking.
Aliens vol.2 TPB. I had been floored by the first Aliens miniseries by Dark Horse; THAT was what Alien 3 should have been like. This second volume, while showcasing lovely painted art, was a bit of a disappointment; after the invasion of Earth by the Aliens in the previous volume, it didn't expand the storyline much. (It's about a crazy military type who wants to use the critters as weapons, with entirely predictable results).
Alien vs Predator #2 : Sort of predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. Much better than what Hollywood did with the same premise.
Aliens : Earthwar #2 : Now THAT is what I expected as a follow-up to the first miniseries. Unfortunately, while Sam Kieth does wonders with mood and atmosphere (evoking the work of Wrightson, here) I thought his creature designs left to be desired... The Alien mother queen was very ordinary-looking. She should have been bigger and meaner than the queen from Aliens... but here she looks like a brown pickle with extra tendrils.
Alpha Flight #89 : Oh, the agony of having jumped the shark again and again... The return of Guardian should not have happened, and certainly not in this way. Ugh.
Batman: a lonely place of dying TPB. I bought that to get an idea of who the new Robin was, but the story was pretty ordinary.
"O.K., Cecil, we need to establish that Batman is a great detective ".
"Very good, Threadwell. How shall we do it?"
"We'll have Gordon show a picture to Batman; a picture of a VW Beetle".
"And then?"
"And then Batman will say «A beetle is sacred to the ancient Egyptians, whose culture was studied by one Flanders Petrie. It is also, spelled slightly differently, the name of a band also called the Fab Four. This means that Fu Manchu is about to abduct Dr. Petrie and carry him to the time of the Pharaohs, using Dr. Doom's time machine, with the Fantastic Four in hot pursuit» and then Gordon will say "God, you're good, especially since we're in the DC universe and are not supposed to be aware of the existence of the Fantastic Four".
"If that doesn't convince readers that Batman is a good detective, I don't know what will. It's all so logical, too!"
I did like Tim Drake, though.
Cerebus #137 : One of the last all-humour issues, mostly silent but executed with great expression. It's all Lord Julius, his Like-a-looks and their shenanigans.
Daredevil #285 : at the tail end of Ann Nocenti's run, DD once again suffered a nervous breakdown and Bullseye has taken his place. I was starting to lose interest.
Detective comics #622: I was there for the Sprang cover, honestly. I'm usually not much of a Batman guy.
Dreadstar #61 : Ooooh, the Lord Papal is back, and he's angry! Dreadstar was no longer a serious SF series by then, but a wild and funny "superheroes in space" sort of thing under the pen of Peter David. David and artist Angel Medina made it worth my shekels.
Give Me Liberty #1 : Frank Miller was certainly recognizable from one series to the next, but he seemed to knock a home run with each of them back in those days. Good dystopic political-SF comic with a U.S. president that's extremely recognizable in 2020.
Hellblazer #34 : Early Sean Phillips on this book, and I can't believe I didn't immediately love his art. He'd become my favourite Hellblazer artist just a few years later.
Iron Man #261 : I don't remember why this run was titled "Armor Wars II"... As I recall it had the Mandarin, a dragon, and lovely art by John Romita Jr. (who really made that ugly armor work). I think the storyline petered out eventually and the "armor wars II" notice was just dropped at some point without any resolution.
Legends of the Dark Knight #11, which I bought solely for the Gulacy art. I think it would have looked better in black and white. Gulacy, like Steranko or like Steve Dillon, has a style that does not mesh well with Photoshop gradient effects. I think it looks much better in B&W, with flat colours, or with the very subtle gradients that someone like Pamela Rambo or Matt Hollingsworth manage.
Legion of Super-Heroes #12, in which the team is (sort-of) founded officially again!!! The 5YL Legion started with a bang, and the echoes lasted for three good years.
New Mutants #94, another purchase with my kids' college fund in mind. Very gnashing of teeth! Much shoulder pads! Low return on the investment!
Nexus #75 : I was so late to the Nexus party that I missed the Steve Rude years! I really liked the series' final days, though. (Besides, I would eventually get the Rude back issues. Brilliant comic-book).
Sandman #20, a moving story with Metamorpho-girl. (Element girl? Metamorpha? I forgot her name, poor thing!)
Swamp Thing #100. If I'm not mistaken, that's the one in which Swampy goes to the Garden of Eden and sees an angel inspired by the descrptions found in the Bible. Not bad, but the title was by then far from its heyday,
Terminator #1 : A Terminator-done-by-the-numbers book, but enjoyable nonetheless.
X-Men #269. That new kid, Jim Lee, was doing wonders. He just might have made me interested in our merry mutants again, and Chris Claremont seemed to be stimulated by the prowess of his artistic collaborator! We even got *gasp* some continuity back!
World's Finest #3 : The conclusion of a fine, fine miniseries. Steve Rude is an excellent super-hero artist, conveying both the joyful enthusiasm of a kid and the mastery of a true pro.
All in all, a good month!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2020 3:14:44 GMT -5
The summer before my senior year at university. Couldn't afford t stay in Boston that summer, so was back home, and most of my free time was enmeshed with the discovery of Umberto Eco and Foucault's Pendulum, and thus digging up everything I could about the Templars and with the purchase of a Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Mario and Legends of Zelda. I had no pull list and little extra money after splurging on the Nintendo, so I was picking up the odd issues at an lcs near where my dad worked (the one whose owner had turned me on to Sandman the summer before) to try to keep up with a couple titles that summer, but fell off the comic wagon with only a title or two as exceptions that year at university, picking up again after graduation.
What I did pick up that summer-
Doom Patrol 37
Dreadstar 61
Sandman 20
Silver Surfer 42
-M
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Aug 11, 2020 10:02:26 GMT -5
August 1990
Aliens Vs. Predator #2
Aliens:Earth War #2
Batman:A Lonely Place of Dying TPB
Batman:Legends of the Dark Knight #11
Ghost Rider #6
Guardians of the Galaxy #5
Incredible Hulk #374
Ms. Tree Quarterly #2
New Warriors #4
Sensational She-Hulk #20
Silver Surfer #42
Spider-Man #3
Thanos Quest #2
Wolverine #32
World's Finest #3
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Aug 11, 2020 10:16:14 GMT -5
Purchased in August 1990, with my meagre student income but no regret whatsoever: Aliens vol.2 TPB. I had been floored by the first Aliens miniseries by Dark Horse; THAT was what Alien 3 should have been like. This second volume, while showcasing lovely painted art, was a bit of a disappointment; after the invasion of Earth by the Aliens in the previous volume, it didn't expand the storyline much. (It's about a crazy military type who wants to use the critters as weapons, with entirely predictable results). Alien vs Predator #2 : Sort of predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. Much better than what Hollywood did with the same premise. Aliens : Earthwar #2 : Now THAT is what I expected as a follow-up to the first miniseries. Unfortunately, while Sam Kieth does wonders with mood and atmosphere (evoking the work of Wrightson, here) I thought his creature designs left to be desired... The Alien mother queen was very ordinary-looking. She should have been bigger and meaner than the queen from Aliens... but here she looks like a brown pickle with extra tendrils. I pretty much agree with you on all points for these three. While I actually read Aliens Vol 2 first. This was right about when I discovered Aliens comics. Being a fan of the two movies we already had at this point I was ecstatic to find comics about the Aliens. So I went back and read the first volume. And if I thought I was impressed with the painted art of volume 2, wolume 1 totally wowed me with B&W art. No contest those volume 2 covers are fantastic, but the interior B&W art fits the mood of that story and the Aliens really well. Much more subtle. I actually liked the AvP movie. :sheepish shrug: :-) But I know I'm in the minority with that opinion. I am not a fan of Sam Keith's art, so the contrast from the cover to the interior art I think "ruined" me being able to enjoy the story. However I thought that volume 2 should have been this after the way volume 1 ended. All that said, there's more great Aliens comics to come in the future. Little did I know then. I never thought of that but I bet you are right. It's a shame (and I was one of those bad people too lol) B&W mostly only used in independent comics, by the 90's, and mostly then only for financial reasons. B&W art can look just as amazing as color. I actually bought this years later as a back issue. And I was this issues cover that caught my eye. It reminded me of something I would see the old Adam West show. So I grabbed all three issues and loved it. For just the reasons you mentioned. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 11, 2020 11:00:28 GMT -5
Forgot to mention; Marvel's Mighty Mouse comic was coming off the Ralph Bakshi tv series that got axed, after being accused of promoting drug use. The series was greatly satirical and featured work from John Kricfalusi, who would go on to create Ren & Stimpy. The Marvel comic reflected the attitude of those cartoons, with parodies of modern comics characters and stories, with the Dark Knight parody cover. It was actually pretty good, though it was a definite cult book.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 1, 2020 11:18:06 GMT -5
                           We are into the proto-"Triangle Era" of Superman, with Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite, which I greatly enjoyed and was part of why I was still getting Starman, after Tom Lyle's departure. Lobo graduated into his first mini, with Simon Bisley, which launched endless appearances and over-use of the non-word "bastich." I went to the 1992 Hereoes Con, in Charlotte, NC, and every other artist was working on a Lobo project, most of which never saw the light of day. Given what did appear, that's saying something. Bisley became a big deal here, with this and Batman vs Judge Dredd (and Slaine got a decent push, via Heavy Metal). Hard Boiled continues to be incomprehensible; but, I bought it for Geoff Darrow. Matt Wagner's very odd Aerialist continued in DHP. New Titans was going to be getting into the Wildebeast storyline and dispose of Jericho. I never thought he was a strong character; but, man did people hate him. Logan's run continues to use movie-inspired imagery on the covers, while the actual story was an adaptation of the original novella. Nomad got a mini-series, after being a sidekick in Captain America, as Fabian Nicieza and James Fry pretty much rip off Lone Wolf and Cub. This did well enough for more, with rookie Clarke Hawbaker coming on board and making it a hit and becoming a fan fave, though he had deadline issues and drifted out of comics. Met him at a convention.....super-nice guy and hell of an artist. Suicide Squad featured the latest botched revamp of the Atom. Wild Cards continues to not be as good as the books, though not bad; just kind of average. Classic X-Men features the period when Kitty Pride was color blind, based on her Sprite outfit. I know it was a joke, but no teenager was going to dress like that. A 5 year-old, maybe. Oh, Hero Alliance was actually deeper than the cover suggests, though the female characters did all have Barbie Doll proportions and it was always chilly. They also all seemed to favor stilettos for combat. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2020 11:45:31 GMT -5
Back to school for senior year but picked up about the same things as last month...
Doom Patrol 24
Dreadstar 62
Silver Surfer 43
no Sandman released this month.
-M
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Sept 1, 2020 12:15:19 GMT -5
September 1990. I was still frequenting the LCS out of habit (or addiction), but in hindsight there were few comics I actually wanted.
Adventures of Luther Arkwright #7. Can't say enough about this excellent comic.
Alien: Earth war #3. I followed it out of attachment to Ripley, but the series wasn't very exciting to me.
Cerebus #138. The epilogue to Jaka's story. God, I loved Cerebus in those days.
Daredevil #286, with Bullseye impersonating DD in a similar way that Kraven had impersonated Spidey. Or was that yet to come? Anyway, I was about to drop the book.
Dreadstar #62. Fun. But not that much.
Hard Boiled #2. Really fantastic art, with a story that gains a lot by not overexposing its very thin plot.
Hellblazer #35, in the last days of the Delano run.
Iron Man #262. John Byrne writes, John Romita Jr. writes, and Stark has a mullet.
Lobo #1, which I bought for... reasons, I suppose. I didn't buy issue #2.
The Nazz #1, very well drawn by the creator of Luther Arkwright (Bryan Talbot) and written by Tom Veitch. An attempt at creating a mature comic, I suppose, but that comes across as rather unpleasant (which might have been the writer's intent). The main character is a self-centered a**hole, whose quest for some Nietzshean epiphany will lead to disaster.
Swamp Thing #101. Just buying out of habit, really.
X-Men #270... some crossover, I suppose. I really liked the Jim Lee X-Men at first.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Sept 2, 2020 14:53:30 GMT -5
September 1990
Aliens:Earth War #3
Cadillacs & Dinosaurs #1
Clive Barker's Hellraiser #4
Ghost Rider #7
Guardians of the Galaxy #6
Incredible Hulk #375
New Warriors #5
She-Hulk #21
Silver Surfer #43
Spider-Man #4
Wolverine #33
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Sept 2, 2020 15:33:37 GMT -5
Now that's a book I should have purchased! |
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Post by berkley on Sept 2, 2020 15:44:04 GMT -5
Now that's a book I should have purchased! Yeah, me too. I didn't get into that series until several issues later, after reading a collection of the earlier stuff.
From Mike's Newsstand gallery, I think the only thing I bought from this month in 1990 was Steve Gerber's Foolkiller. Good series, as almost everything Gerber wrote was, but not one of his best, from memory. Some of the satire was more angry than insightful or amusing and some of the targets mis-conceived, to my mind (Noam Chomsky? Gerber got that one all wrong, IMO). Still, Gerber was always worth reading.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 2, 2020 21:59:24 GMT -5
I picked up Cadillacs & Dinosaurs later, too, after coming across some of the art in an article and seeing what I could find. I wasn't as attuned to that stuff, when it was being put out, though you would hear the name. Same with Love and Rockets, though I never saw that in a comic shop to actually flip through one.
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