|
|
Post by Roquefort Raider on Jun 1, 2021 8:10:29 GMT -5
It's June 1991; there's a civil war in Ethiopia, thousands of US soldiers come back home from a war in the Middle East, and there's a nuclear crisis in the making in the Persian Gulf. And people say that comic-books keep recycling stories?
Bought at the LCS :
Cerebus #147.
Uncanny X-Men #279. I think it had the Shadow King in it, a fancy super-villain name that was tacked on to Ahmal Farouk, a dead bad guy who was far more interesting the first time around than any of his subsequent appearances. I always hated him after his first (and brilliant) appearance. Talk about a Villain Ex Machina.
X-Men annual #15. I mean, I must have bought it... I bought every X-Men comic back then, even if I didn't enjoy them anymore. I just don't have any recollection of what it was about. More effin' Shadow King, no doubt.
Legion of super-heroes #21, with a new subdued storyline featuring Darkseid. Maybe too subdued. It certainly felt more mature than a regular bing-bang-pow comic, but... very little actually happened. Lovely art by Giffen, though.
Marvel Comics Presents #82-83, for Barry Windsor-Smith's Wolverine.
X-Factor annual #6: same storyline as the X-Men annual (crossovers, don't you know), but as Gandalf would say... "I have no memory of this place".
Conan the barbarian #247, with a nice cover by Arthur Adams. The re-adaptation of Black Colossus continues, with mixed results.
Hellblazer #44, one of the high points of the series... Ennis's first story arc about John Constantine finding a way to trick the devil into curing his cancer was pure gold. The movie didn't do it justice.
Infinity Gauntlet #2: Nice Perez art. I didn't care for the Infinity series... not any of them.
Nick Fury #26. Very good popcorn comic! Jackson Guice was a pretty good fit for that title.
Sandman #29, with the French Revolution and Joanna Constantine. What's not to like? That title was a bright star in an otherwise rather gloomy comic-book horizon.
X-Factor #69. The Shadow King? Again? Come on, Chris, we don't care about that dude any more than we care about Hawker and the Harriers!!
X-Force #1, which I bought so that my kids could go to college. The joke's on me: the book was printed in five gazillion copies, I didn't have it sealed in lucite, and my kids didn't want to go to college anyway. Oh, the indignity!!!
|
|
shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
|
Post by shaxper on Jun 1, 2021 8:46:09 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #279. I think it had the Shadow King in it, a fancy super-villain name that was tacked on to Ahmal Farouk, a dead bad guy who was far more interesting the first time around than any of his subsequent appearances. I always hated him after his first (and brilliant) appearance. Talk about a Villain Ex Machina. Yes, I love how this storyline concluded with all the X-teams reunited, as well as the epilogue with Legion, but the story and villain themselves were utterly forgettable. I believe you just summed up an entire generation, sir. |
|
shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
|
Post by shaxper on Jun 1, 2021 9:05:46 GMT -5
June 1991: Action Comics #667 (of course I reviewed it) Adventures of Superman #481 (you bet I reviewed it) Ape Nation #4 (one of the worst things I've ever read, so of course I reviewed it) Batman #465 (why even bother asking if I reviewed it) Batman #466 (because I most certainly did review it) Detective Comics #633 ( along with this) Detective Comics #634 (and also this) Excalibur #40 Green Lantern:Emerald Dawn II #4 (I remember being so disappointed with this storyline) Hawkworld Annual #2 (bought ALL the tie-ins to Armageddon 2001) Justice League America #53 Justice League Europe #28 Magnus Robot Fighter #4 (Don't worry. I've got opinions on this one too) New Titans #78 (I dread the day I finally get around to reading this one!) Planet of the Apes #13 (I really wanted to know what the author was smoking when I reviewed this one) Solar, Man of the Atom #1 Superman #58 (SUCH a bad issue) Superman:The Man of Steel #2 (a href="https://classiccomics.org/thread/217/superman-post-crisis-reviews-shaxper?page=73&scrollTo=381974"]even worse[/a]) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #37 (Bet you didn't think I had thoughts on this run too!) Uncanny X-Men #279 Usagi Yojimbo #30 X-Factor #69 X-Factor Annual #6 (Yup! wrote about this one too!) X-Force #1 (all five frickin' variants) X-Men Annual #15 (and wrote about this one) Bought it in June 1991, but no longer own it: Amazing Spider-Man #350 Cloak and Dagger #19 Comet #1 Darkhawk #6 (currently in the possession of my step-son) Deathlok #2 (this was a reprint. I now own the original) Flash #53 Infinity Gauntlet #2 Legends of the Dark Knight #20 (Got rid of this run before I could even get to this issue because the previous installments had been so bad) Spider-Man #13 Wolverine #43 Wonder Woman #57 (The series had long passed its peak by this point) X-Men Classic #62 Oh why oh why don't I own it: NFL Superpro Special Edition #1 |
|
|
|
Post by adamwarlock2099 on Jun 1, 2021 11:06:26 GMT -5
June 1991
Alpha Flight Special #2
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #20
Deathlok #2
Fantastic Four #355
Ghost Rider #16
Incredible Hulk #384
Infinity Gauntlet #2
Marvel Comics Presents #82, 83
Marvel Fanfare #58
New Warriors #14
Punisher:P.O.V. #2
Sensational She-Hulk #30
Silver Surfer #52, 53
Spider-Man #13
Wolverine #43, 44
X-Force #1
|
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Jun 1, 2021 22:12:29 GMT -5
                              Guess who had money from being a single naval officer and had 6 months back pay burning a hole in a savings account? Actually, that wasn't touched for this stuff; but, I did tap it around this time frame, after going up to Charlotte, to visit Heroes Aren't Hard to Find's main store and discovering they were having a warehouse sale, a block away. I brought home a huge stack of treasury editions, Warrior Magazine's first half dozen or more issues and the Bill Watterson issue of the Comics Journal. Impact launched last month, with Legend of the Shield and my second favorite book, the Comet, debuted this month, with Tom Lyle art. I also enjoyed The Fly, with Mike Parobeck and The WEB, with Tom Artis, though I dropped it after he was dropped from the book (deadline issues). I didn't stick with Jaguar for very long, as I recall. Last issue of Maze Agency for quite a while, until a mini-series from Caliber. Adam Hughes had been gone for a while; but, it was still a great book, right up to the end. Solar debuted as the second book in the Valiant Universe, with a dual story that made my head hurt, until I assembled all of the first 10 issues, as there is a time jump; so, you are reading the present and the past, working towards the point where Solar time jumps. I mostly stuck with reading the present and skimming the past part, until the whole story was there, then read it all the way through and then the present part from 1-10 again. Some crime thing in DHP, from some guy named Miller. Not sure it has legs.  |
|
|
|
Post by SJNeal on Jun 3, 2021 19:10:25 GMT -5
Action Comics #667
Adventures of Superman #481
Black Orchid TPB (bought this a few yrs later, not in 6/91)
Flash #53
Green Lantern #15
Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn II #4
Hawkworld Annual #2 (pretty sure this was my first exposure to the Hawks in comics, post-Super Friends reruns)
Star Trek: TNG #22
Star Trek: Modala Imperative #2, 3
Superman #58
Superman: Man of Steel #2
Wonder Woman #57
Avengers #335, 336
Avengers West Coast #73
Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #32
Infinity Gauntlet #2
|
|
|
|
Post by tonebone on Jun 4, 2021 10:45:54 GMT -5
This was about the time I emerged from my 5 year comics hiatus during the college years. I remember in the next couple of years, I slowly got back into comics, with the two very different extremes of SANDMAN tpb's and DEATH and RETURN OF SUPERMAN tpb's. I was NOT a fan of the 90's comics to come, with the Image guys' rise and influence on terrible art and stories, but I did begin scooping up a lot of the stuff represented here. Having a job and money helped.
|
|
|
|
Post by chaykinstevens on Jun 5, 2021 15:20:48 GMT -5
Bought later:
Action Comics #667
Animal Man #38
Black Panther: Panther's Prey #4
Cages #3
Captain America #389 & 390
Challengers of the Unknown #6
Dark Horse Presents #51
Detective Comics #633 & 634
Doctor Fate #30
Doom Patrol #46
Flash #53
Hawkworld Annual #2
Incredible Hulk #384
Iron Man #271
Knuckles, the Malevolent Nun #1
Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #26
Night Raven: House of Cards
Quasar #25
Question Quarterly #3
Suicide Squad #55
Superman #58
Swamp Thing Annual #6
The Terror #1
Uncanny X-Man #279
X-Force #1
|
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Jul 1, 2021 14:44:39 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by chaykinstevens on Jul 3, 2021 14:18:34 GMT -5
Bought later:
Action Comics #668
Action Comics Annual #3
Adventures of Captain America #1
Adventures of Superman #482
Amazing Spider-Man #351
Animal Man #39
Avengers #337 & 338
Badlands #1
Captain America #391 & 392
Challengers of the Unknown #7
Daredevil #296
Dark Horse Presents #52
Detective Comics #635 & 636
Doctor Fate #31
Incredible Hulk #395
Incredible Hulk Annual #17I
Iron Man #272
Knights of Pendragon #14
Marvel Comics Presents #84 & 85
Outlaws #1
Quasar #26
Sandman #30
Solar, Man of the Atom #2
Suicide Squad #56
Superman #59
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtes #38
Tempus Fugitive #4
Terminator 2: Judgement Day #1
Terminator: Secodary Objectives #1
Transmutation of Ike Garuda #1
Uncanny X-Men #280
War of the Gods #1
X-Factor #70
Zot #36
|
|
|
|
Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 5, 2021 8:04:41 GMT -5
Purchased in July 1991.
Adventures of Captain America #1. I loved that limited series; issues 1-3 are definitely among my favourite takes on the character. The innocence of young Steve Rogers and his endearing eagerness to do good, as well as his very relatable crush on a girl way above his league, made this an origin I could easily consider canonical. McGuire's art, that I had fist come across in Justice League, really shone here. It's a pity that the fourth and final issue somehow dropped the ball (the art team changed).
Cerebus #148.
Conan the barbarian #248. Another nice cover by Art Adams, and more of the re-adaptation of Black Colossus.
Hellblazer #45. More of the excellent Garth Ennis Constantine. In 1991 I wasn't buying as many comics as I used to, but there were still some brilliant titles in those days.
Legion of superheroes #22. The Quiet Darkness, part II, presented as a sort-of thematic sequel to the groundbreaking and classic Great Darkness Saga. Nice Giffen artwork, if you like his later style (which I do).
Marvel Comics Presents #84, for BWS's Wolverine once again.
Nick Fury, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #27. I should re-read that run to see if it aged well. I know I really enjoyed it back then. I believe that in this issue we learn that Boutros Boutros-Ghali is in the pocket of Hydra, which I thought was a bit unfair; I'd have used a make-believe U.N. secretary.
Sandman #30. Memory plays strange tricks on us... I could have sworn that Sandman had been published several years earlier! But the book was still in its prime, with this brilliant tale showing how Emperor Augustus planted the seeds of Rome's downfall at the behest of Dream, as a boon to the god Terminus.
I once tried the trick given in the issue to look like a leper, using soap and vinegar... to disappointing results.
Swamp Thing #111. I think that's the last issue I bought before the very final one.
X-Men #280. Oh thank God, we're done with the Shadow King for a little while.
X-Factor #70. Epilogue to the storyline that ended in the above comic... I don't think I ever re-read that one since 1991.
|
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Jul 5, 2021 20:32:36 GMT -5
Legion of superheroes #22. The Quiet Darkness, part II, presented as a sort-of thematic sequel to the groundbreaking and classic Great Darkness Saga. Nice Giffen artwork, if you like his later style (which I do). First I ever heard of this - what was the basic story-concept? The presence of Lobo doesn't bode well, as far as my personal tastes are concerned. |
|
|
|
Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 6, 2021 5:45:47 GMT -5
Legion of superheroes #22. The Quiet Darkness, part II, presented as a sort-of thematic sequel to the groundbreaking and classic Great Darkness Saga. Nice Giffen artwork, if you like his later style (which I do). First I ever heard of this - what was the basic story-concept? The presence of Lobo doesn't bode well, as far as my personal tastes are concerned. As I recall, it wasn't even the real Lobo; it was something like a robot Lobo. Still... might bring in a few extra readers! My memory a bit vague, but the story focused on two siblings, brother and sister, who for reasons I forget were supposed to be the next step in human evolution, or were connected to a greater reality, or the kind of thing that usually ends up with people turning into glowing balls of energy. In a nutshell, special children that all and sundry want to capture and who will doubtless manifest unexpected superpowers at some point. (I think their scientist dad knows about their condition and has been trying to suppress their power since they were born). The girl goes underground and is the star of the arc, while her brother is more or less confined to a lab. Darkseid (or rather, his henchman the robotic Lobo) is one of the parties looking for her; Apokolips's former master doesn't do much apart from standing there and acting like a chess player. It seems to me that Celeste Rockfish and Bounty (Dawnstar) also play a pretty big role as bounty hunters. It ends with the girl manifesting some kind of psychic powers to save the day, suddenly growing into adulthood (because why not), and her young brother and Darkseid ending up on another plane of existence, apparently on polite terms. What happens to them after that is left to our imagination. |
|
|
|
Post by SJNeal on Jul 6, 2021 20:47:53 GMT -5
Action Comics #668
Action Comics Annual #3
Adventures of Superman #482
Animal Man TPB (picked it up for the amazing Bolland cover; years later I came to actually appreciate the interior!)
Flash #54
Flash Annual #4
Green Lantern #16
Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn II #5
Hawkworld #15 (picked up the annual for Armageddon, was intrigued enough to start the monthly, convoluted as it was.)
Star Trek: TNG #23
Star Trek: Modala Imperative #4
Superman #59
Superman: Man of Steel #3
War of the Gods #1
Wonder Woman #58
Avengers #337, 338
Avengers Annual #20
Avengers West Coast #74
Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #33
Infinity Gauntlet #3
Wonder Man #1 (still one of my all-time favorite comics!)
|
|
|
|
Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 2, 2021 12:54:38 GMT -5
Bought in August 1991 :
Adventures of Captain America #2, with seriously nice art by Kevin McGuire. *My* definitive origin story for Cap.
Batman: Holy Terror. An Elseworlds book that I remember enjoying a whole lot more than I expected; sort of-kind of The Handmaid's Tale with superheroes. It had the kind of epic feel that I like in Elseworlds stories, even though it's pretty much all world building; nothing much actually happens. Bruce Wayne is a law-abiding cleric in some kind of dystopian fundamentalist America, but he comes to learn of the state's corrupt nature. Discovering how said state got rid of superheroes (with a Superman as Jesus analogy that's about as subtle as a punch in the face), Bruce becomes the Batman.
Cerebus #149. More melmoth.
Conan the barbarian #249. I hoped those Art Adams covers would never stop! The new adaptation of Robert Howard's story Black Colossus continues, with the retrofitted presence of Zula and Red Sonja, and it's not as good (by a long shot) as the original adaptation in SSoC #2.
Hellblazer #46, with more of Garth Ennis's new slant on the character. Those were glory days for the title, which was overall blessed (as far as I'm concerned) with not one, not two, but three great periods : the Delano, Ennis and Jenkins eras.
Legion of super-heroes #23. That Lobo on the cover is a fake! The Quiet Darkness Continues.
Nick Fury #28. Oh, Wolverine is in this one? Well, where wasn't he, in those days?
Sandman #31, still a masterpiece. A few one-shot stories before the next big arc.
Savage sword of Conan #190 : NOW we're talking! It's the triumphant return of Roy Thomas as writer of the series, and although he's not also the editor, the mag reverts to its pre-1980 persona (with more emphasis on Robert E. Howard, and with scholarly lettercols). I was in Hyborian heaven! We also get the return of John BUscema and Tony DeZuniga, who had been absent for several years. Not that the art had been bad, mind you, but the return of a classic duo is always welcome! Alas, Tony's heart didn't seem to be in it, really, and he was quickly replaced by Ernie Chan.
Uncanny X-Men #281. This was part of a new era for the franchise (without any renumbering... those were different days). We now have two X-Men titles, with two X-teams operating out of Xavier's school, and for the first time in almost a generation, without Chris Claremont at the helm. Lovely art by Whilce Portacio, and this issue is scripted by John Byrne. In hindsight, I'd say that this "new era" was more flash than substance, but the flash was quite impressive; here we get the death of several important villains (don't worry... they'll ALL be back eventually) and a very kinetic pace. I genuinely believed back then that the X-Men were on the verge of a new era of greatness, as in the late '70s.
That... didn't quite work out for me.
X-Factor #71. New Team! New creators! And if I'm not mistaken, that's the issue in which Quicksilver explains why he's such an abrasive fellow. It went something like "You know how you feel when you're stuck in a waiting line and people in front of you take forever to tell the clerk what they want, even though you know you could do it for them in a second? That's my whole life". I thought it was brilliant!
X-Men #1 : O.K., I admit it, I was one of those fans who bought the five different versions of the comic, not wanting to miss THE one that would eventually be worth a fortune on the collector's market. Which was, I believe, none of them!!! The joke's on me... and on the hundreds of thousands who did the same.
|
|
