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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 29, 2019 19:28:29 GMT -5
Marvel Fanfare #51 Hmmmmmm, Silver Surfer is selling well, right now; how about a story from him. Creative Team: Steve Englehart-writer, John Buscema-layouts, Jack Abel-finishes, Rick Parker-letters, Christie Scheele-colors, Jim Salicrup Al Milgrom-edits This was actually supposed to be issue one of a surfer mini-series, done double-sized, like the SA comic. He was to be trapped on Earth. Then, they decided to give him his own series, with the Surfer in space. This issue was done; so, it got dumped here. Synopsis: Surfer is whining about being stuck on Earth, when he spots a Kree battlecruiser. he approaches it, friendly-like, and gets attacked. He fires back and then gets whammied by some weapon and his power goes nuts, draining him and he falls to Earth...  Meanwhile, Mephisto sense Surfer and decides he will have his soul; again. Surfer is found and gets some nursin' from the FF. he gets up and is woozy. He falls into Torch's flame and draws energy. Doc Strange shows up and says the energy is the key to healing him. Surfer goes off on his board to track the Kree. He finds the ship destroyed; but, two have ejected in an escape pod. He tracks it down and finds SHIELD agents (in incorrectly colored uniforms). They have a confab and Surfer hunts for the Kree. They are hiding under hoodies and Surfer goes searching, in a trenchcoat and hat. He tracks their energy signature and one of them gives them away and they fight. he kills a major in low orbit and then checks on the grunt, who was killed by falling rubble. Then, Surfer runs into Mantis, 'cause, why not?  She takes Surfer home to meet the Kwisatz Haderach, aka her son, Sprout. They are hiding in Connecticut, under the surname Celestine, so the kid can grow up on Earth, in America. They are also hiding from the Spacing Guild, I mean the Kree, who want the kid dead, since he threatens their dreams of conquest. Meanwhile, Emperor Shaddam IV, better known as the Kree Supreme Intelligence, contacts Mangog, who was shrunk down and is fighting ants, with an offer to restore him, if he helps find Lady Jessica and Paul Maudib....Mantis & Sprout. He does and goes hunting. Meanwhile, Baron Harkonen....Mephisto, spins his webs. Surfer whines about Zenn-La and the snarky kid says they can go there, mentally, and Mantis projects herself there, so Surfer can see it. Shalla-Bal is the Empress (Irulan?)  and then they are interrupted by Mangog. They fight, mantis fights, Sprout fights and the nobility of Surfer's soul defeats Mangog. They all join hands and sing Kumbaya. Thoughts: Fairly old school stuff, for most of this, then it turns into Dune, with the whole Celestial Madonna (she needs a bustier to pull that off) and the messiah child. The Kree wanting to stop them is pretty much the plot of the original Dune novel, minus all the water and worm stuff. This comic could use a scenery chewing Baron and Sting to liven things up, though. Back-up story, with Gene Colan art, has some dude who is listening to subliminal magic tapes from some wizard, named Malleus. They don't buy it and pull a prank, replacing the tape with an old radio recording. When they get home, they are assaulted by psychic vibrations of a thousand screams and searing heat. Turns out, they had put a radio dramatization of the Hiroshima bombing in the tape case and are tormented by Nightmare, with the horrors of the real thing.   Dean Schreck writes it, Al Williamson inks Colan, which makes for a sweet combo. Better than last issue, for certain; still hardly the best of the best. The writing seems to be on the wall. However, we have a few issues to go. Black Knight gets a 3-parter, one with Power Pack and some other youngin's, Shanna the She-Devil gets a 4-parter and Black Panther will end the series. The Black Knight story was an abandoned plot from the 70s, the Power Pack story is a Terry Austin tale that the penciller didn't finish, so Colleen Doran got it, eventually. Shanna was an abandoned Steve Gerber story, following Rampaging Hulk #9. So, mor resurrected material. no one was pitching anything to this series. I sometimes wonder if anything, other than back-ups, were original to this series or just repurposed inventory stories. Heavy Misfit action here.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 2, 2019 17:58:01 GMT -5
Marvel Preview #7Santana!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh, whoops...........  Her Uggs need a shave. Creative Team: Chris Claremont-writer, Vicente Alcazar-art, John Warner-edits, Ralph Macchio-crane kicks and asst. edits This was originally intended for Haunt of Horror, but it was canned. Then, all of the other Marvel horror mags were also canned. It ended up here, because Roy Thomas was too busy with things (after all of the editorial meltdowns) to finish the story on time and it is to appear later. So, this Satana story finally sees the light of day. Also, Bill Mantlo's Sword in the Stars gets a sequel, "Witchworld," with Kieth Giffen on art. Synopsis: Writer Judith Camber comes home from a trip and calls out to her husband and children. No one answers and she walks into...........  No one ever does the housework when Judith is away! Well, she goes all spastic and the police are called and crime scene photos are taken and Gen Camber's law partner comes out and checks on Judith, who has been given a sedative. It doesn't work, because as soon as she sees Brian (the partner) she goes nuts and attacks him, snarling and spewing about how he can't hold Satana and goes for his eyes. Gene fights her off, with the help of the police and she gets another mickey and dreams of sorcerers...  She awakens much calmer. She goes to make some coffee, then sees her reflection, as satana. She tries to call her brother, Damon Hellstrom, then remembers Judith doesn't have a brother. The Carmilla watches all of this and argues...  They created Judith's family and life, only just recently,and the spell is falling apart. They intend to sacrifice Judith and Satana. However, Satana can see back through their crystal ball and she laughs and it's brown trouser time. Judith finds credit cards with her name, in her husband's wallet and gets dressed to go out, then has a vision of Dad (or someone similar). She then has to take a minute or two. She continues out to a club where there is a ticket, in her name. She receives a package in exchange and the dude at the club calls Brian Abelard, the partner. The package has a costume and she puts it on, emerging as Satana. The goons try to grab her and force her to another room; but, she has power and breaks free, sucking to soul from one of them. As it passes too her, the N'Garai soul-spell takes hold and she is back to Judith, who only remembers putting on a costume. Brian watches from afar and laughs. Judith wakes up from nightmares of black masses and demon things. She tries to leave and a guardian spell blocks her. She breaks through it, thanks to the demon thing.  Judith goes to a deconsecrated church, to find the cult and black mass and is turned away and shoved down steps. A curio shop owner, Dyson, helps her and she takes part of his soul, aging him. he notices her birthmark and tells her she is Satan's Daughter. She flips out and loses whatever remains of Satana. Dyson tells her of the basilisk, the demon thing, which she controls, until Armageddon. She has to stop the black mass or not only will she die; but the basilisk will be unleashed...  She charges in there, throws a few punches,tells Abelard there is still Satana in her and gets overwhelmed. So, she calls up the basilisk and it gets all Frazetta....  Sucks to be a satanic cult! Abelard's soul is released as a butterfly, which satana catches and crushes, condemning him to hell. then she laughs.  Thoughts: Well, isn't that special! Satana is now in full glory; all dressed up and no place to go. There is an article from Claremont, explaining the evolution of Satana and the deadline problems that plagued her, including a story lost in transit to Esteban Maroto, problems with getting a story from gerry Conway and Enrique Romero (Modesty Blaise artist), and canceled books and editors. So, it is great, if you read the previous stuff, otherwise, it gets kind of confusing, as you are dumped in the middle of things. Whatever the case, Alcazar does some amazing work. The real problem was that all of the delays just pushed things to the point where the early 70s horror fad was slowing down, before we transitioned to slasher films. The market wasn't there, and what little market there was had Vampirella and less squeamish editors. So, its mostly bye-bye to Satana, aside from the previously covered stories, her in the Land of Misfit stories, a MTU 2-parter, and some time with her brother. I haven't seen the earlier stuff; but, the problem here seems to be attempts to ape Vampirella, with more restrictive guidelines, derivative stories, with the art being the best part, and a chaarcter who ends up the sexy victim more than supernatural b@#%-breaker. She seems a bit timid, for the Daughter of Satan and a liberated lady. That and I think Claremont was the only one who thought much of the character. he'd get to do his tormented female elsewhere, including some mutant book of modest success. "Witchworld"Prince Wayfinder dumps his mentor's dead body in space and lands on a planet, in search of the people who killed his master. There he runs into a talking raccoon...........  ...named rocket. After inadvertently causing a monster to attack, Wayfinder runs into Kirke, who has an army of anthropomorphic soldiers, and Wayfinder and Rocket end up in a bit of a sticky wicket...  Thoughts: Mantlo continues siphoning from Homer's The Odyssey for his underwhelming space opera. Giffen is in his early, rough days and the art is a mixed bag; signs of promise, but a lot of rough edges. The high point? here enterith Rocket Raccoon, swiped from a Beatles song, dumped in a mediocre story, star of a cult mini-series, and favorite of movie goers, 40 years later. The rest of the issue has the letters about the Hound of the Baskervilles adaptation, including a letter from one Peter Sanderson, and an ad for some game, called Dungeon, from some place called TSR Hobbies.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 2, 2019 19:10:17 GMT -5
Marvel fanfare #52-54   The Black Knight! Oh, if only! Creative Team: Steven Grant-writer, Scott Hampton, John Buscema, and Tod Smith-pencils; Ernie Colon, Jose Marzan, Christopher Ivey-inks; Jim Novak, Janice Chiang-letters, Paul Becton-colors, Al Milgrom-edits. These stories were written in the 70s, to look at the Black Knight, when he was trapped in the past (the modern one, not his ancestor) and were to feature John Buscema, on the art; it was supposed to offset Steve Englehart's dumping of Dane Whitman in his ancestor's body and his fantasy of the period and the crusades, juxtaposing it with the historical reality. Three issues were plotted, John drew one, and then it was dumped in the files, until a desperate Al Milgrom rescued it and got the other two parts drawn. So, have at you! Synopsis: The Black Knight is in the Holy Land, leading cavalry in Richard's victory, at Acre. He commands that all faiths be treated well and no looting.  Shyeah, right! These are Holy Crusaders; they don't loot and pillage! Well, one of them does and tries to take a gold-hilted sword form a man who is not quite dead. The man is Al-Adil, brother of Saladin, leader of the Saracens. he drops a knight and takes his horse and Dane Whitman gives chase. they fight and get captured by the people of the Hills. Along the way to wherever, they watch as the POTH kill some muslims who fled the battles. So, these guys don't like either. they take the pair to a hidden temple, where they are to be sacrificed to Moloch. The Black Knight prevents Al-Adil from being killed and the pair destroy Moloch and part company.  In part 2, the Black Knight is tasked to deliver a message to Saladin. Richard will spare the captives of the city, in exchange for the True Cross, which he holds. This is observed by Hassan Ibn Sabbah, aka The Old Man of the Mountain, aka the leader of the Hashashin. He is a power unto himself, terrorizing Christian and Muslim, a threat to richard and saladin. the chaos makes him powerful and he would see it continue. he sends a temptress to waylay the Black Knight. Dane Whitman encounters Saladin's men and is reunited with Al-Adil and takes him to deliver the ultimatum, when the agent turns up and seemingly uses magic to whisk away the Black Knight. He awakens in a pleasure garden. He sees a vision of Richard ordering the burning of the captives and is then seduced, when he won't submit to hassan. however, the drugs wear off and he sees the truth of the "pleasure garden (they used hashish, and other drugs, leading to the name hashashin, which evolved into assassin). Whitman escapes and sees the city being burned, destroying his faith in Richard.  Patr 3 has the Black Knight confront Richard, telling him Saladin had accepted his terms. richard refuses to apologize and Whitman escapes and deserts Richard. Richard falls ill, the work of Conrad of Montferrat, while Phillip of Spain departs, tired of the war. leopold of Austria figures to assume command. Conrad is in league with Hassan and calls to his master. Hassan sends assassins to aid Conrad. meanwhile, Black Knight comes across a European fighting a band of muslims and rescues him. it is young Prester John.  They ride together and find the French departed Richard's camp and assassins about to slay Richard. They save him and the Black Knight defeats the wizard Hassan, with the aid of holy water, from Prester John. Richard knights Whitman, then banishes him and commands that no records will bear the name of the Black Knight, thus preventing historical paradoxes (allegedly). the Black Knight is doomed to wander the past, seeking adventure. Thoughts: Pretty decent 3 parter, with some nice adventure and doses of real, if watered down, history. The Black Knight was intended to become like Prince Valiant, wandering the medieval world; but, it was not to be. The art is good, though varied. It probably wasn't commercial; but, it was a nice change of pace. Issue 52 has a Dr Strange back-up, with some nice Gene Colan art and a Paul Ryan portfolio, with a lot of emphasis on breasts (especially Diamondback). 53 has an Iron Man story, where he runs into some aliens who are ona salvage mission and run up against Iron man. It reads like a 2000 AD swipe. 54 has a Wolverine tale, where he runs into what looks like Dr Sivana. There is also a June Bridgeman portfolio, in 53 and 54.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 3, 2019 14:34:21 GMT -5
Marvel Fanfare #55 Power Pack and Magick.... X-BABIES IN DA HOUSE!!!!! Creative Team: Terry Austin-writer, Colleen Doran-pencils, Bob Wiacek-inks, Ken Lopez-letters, Bob Sharen-colors, Al Milgrom-edits This story was intended for Marvel Fanfare much earlier. I'll let Al Milgrom tell the tale...  Synopsis: School is done, at PS87 and Jack Power is checking that the coast is clear. It looks good and he heads for the front door and runs into 3 bullies, who have been harassing him. Jack doesn't fight back and the intervention of Gus, the janitor, helps break it up.   Jack meets up with his siblings, Katie, Alex and Julie and they learned what happened. The older kids tell him he did the right thing, by not using his powers on the bullies, while Katie, the youngest, says she'd have flown them to the Empire State Building and left them dangling. Katie's innocence and blunt way makes Jack feel worse. meanwhile, Jack and the bullies miss the fact that Gus, as a reflex, tristed a steel guard rail, on a stairwell. Jack is plagued by nightmares that evening, as he sees the bullies pick on him and uses his gravity powers to fly over them. they back down until his powers cut out, then beat him up. Jack wakes up in tears, as he can't even win in dreams. The next day, at school, Jack tries to get inside; but, the bullies are waiting. He heads round the back and finds the door to an old bomb shelter. He decides to hide there, until the bullies move on. He uses his gravity powers to move the lock and heads inside. he sees that Gus uses it for storage.  Meanwhile, Illyana Rasputin and Warlock are spending a day sightseeing, in New York and come by the school. Illyana watches enviously, as kids play, as she long for her lost years, thanks to the demon Belasco. She takes Warlock inside to show him a gym and runs into her younger self. Only, her self is actually a demon, sent by the Enchantress.  There is an explosion in the gymnasium, as the demon releases his power and Magik fights it. The Power Pack kids, except Jack, bring up their costumes and go to help. Together, they and Illyana, shielded by Warlock, test the demon's powers. they notice that a field protects him and Magik says that he must be vulnerable to contact with the earthly world.  They concoct a plan to hit him with the four magic elements: earth, air, fire and water. Illyana uses her Soulsword to magically attack the demon and disrupt the field, then the air rushes in an hurts the demon. Katie creates a slipstream that channels Julie's water flow (Julie uses her 8 ft self to open up a water line and direct the flow, with Katie's help) into the demon, dousing him. Then, Alex hits him with his energy powerball.   Jack climbs out of the bomb shelter, which was below the damaged gym and learns that he missed it all and feels bad. then Katie teases him about being afraid to join in, since he was afraid of powerless bullies. Jack storms off, feeling low. Illyana and warlock depart and the family heads home. Later that night, Jack can't sleep and goes for a walk, ending up at the school. He sees a light from the bomb shelter and investigates and finds gus. He says hello and Gus, who was kept outside the school, after he told officers that there were kids in the gymnasium. He was determined to go in and save the kids, until a police officer makes him feel low, by saying there isn't much an old geezer like him could do, while the punks laugh at him. He tells Jack about his past. He lied about his age an enlisted in the Army, during WW1. In his first battle, his unit is gassed by n experimental chemical agent. he is hospitalized but finds out he is super strong. His father counsels him to hide it. He eventually moved to the city and when he saw the new mystery men debut, he was ready to join and spends the night sewing a costume. however, he runs the scissors into his hands and cuts them badly, proving that he isn't invulnerable. he gives up the idea and it gnaws at him. he eventually reveals the truth to his wife, and she is afraid. She makes himpromise to never show his powers again. Gus is wracked with the same guilt as Jack; that he has powers that can help people; but, is afraid to use them.   Then, a section of the wall and ceiling collapses and Gus stops it; but, his strength isn't what it was. Unbeknownst to Gus, Jack uses his powers to lighten the gravitational pull on the mass of rubble and Gus is able to lift it off. He believes he has finally used his abilities to save someone and is elated, even if no one will know. He says he can live out the rest of his life in happiness. Jack's mood is also improved and he realizes what he has to do. The next day, Jack sees the bullies and goes directly up to confront them. he doesn't use his powers and only gets in one lick, before he is knocked down by the bigger kid. His siblings run off the bullies and help Jack up. He is fine and feels good, because he stood up, without his powers. The bullies go looking for another target, when Gus "accidentally" (on purpose) dumps his dirty mop water bucket out the window, soaking them in filth. Thoughts: This is a really, really good story! I was prepared to dismiss it and I had never read Power Pack, because it was a bunch of little kids (despite the acclaim Louise Simonson and June Brigman received for it); but, this is a really effective tale. It deals with real life, about standing up for yourself and facing fears, while also striving not to intentionally harm others, if you can avoid it. At the same time, Illyana and the Pack actually use their brains to deal with their situation. the test their opponents strengths and weaknesses, from a safe distance, then work out a solution to the problem. they work as a team and execute the pla. Holy Kirby; a bunch of kids show better heads for strategy than 99% of the long underwear brigade! A lot of superhero comic writers could take a lesson from this story. It also feels like these are real kids. Colleen Doran does her usual fantastic job and, like Brigman, she is able to render the kids as children, not midget superheroes. She gets the bodylanguage right, too, as he has Katie standing pigeon-toed, while waiting for Jack, at the beginning. She also pays attention to things like clothing and gives each kid a real outfit. they wear typical school clothes, with the boys in pants and polo shirts and sweaters and the girls in dresses and blue jeans. Illyana is dressed for a day out and, like a young woman would, dresses up for the occasion, in a smart little ensemble and hat. Doran draws patterns in clothing and even adds textures to things like Illyana's tights and her plaid jacket. Warlock is disguised as a goofy young teen, with a big overcoat and a red Marvel ballcap. I really have a desire to read the early Power Pack stuff, with Weezy and Brigman. I happily read that when Marvel tried to make it edgier and more adult, readers resoundingly rejected it. There should be comics for young kids that speak to them and entertain them, while teaching them lessons about life. The best YA literature does that and Power Pack made a name for that, too. Thank heaven for later series, like Bone and Lumberjanes, which could be shared with and enjoyed by young readers. It's also a great way to hook new readers. The problem is, you then need to provide them with material to transition them through the stages of their youth. Too often, these initiatives to attract young readers, focus on the youngest crowd, then doesn't provide a next step, before going straight to psychopaths in spandex punching each other and striking pin-up poses. This is the kind of thing that Fanfare should have been producing regularly, yet rarely did.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 3, 2019 17:10:35 GMT -5
Marvel Fanfare #56-59    Shanna the Eye Candy....er, She-Devil. Surprised they don't have her draped over a tree, with water dripping on her or something. Anything to sell comics! Creative Team: Steve Gerber-writer, Carmine Infantino (56), Brett Blevins (57 & 58), Tony Dezuniga (59)-pencils; Brett Blevins(56-58) and Tony Dezuniga (59)-inks,; Diana Albers (56), Jim Novak (57058) and Massara & Moede (59)-letters; Bob Sharen (56-57, 59) & Steve Buccellato (58)-colors, Al Milgrom-edits Long story on this one. The story was written in 1978, by Gerber, before quitting Marvel and Carmine pencilled the first issue and Blevins, as A Novice, the second. Blevins did inks on Carmine's issue and his own two issues. Tony Dezuniga was always the back-up if Blevins had a deadline problem and he did the final issue, complete art. Gerber finished the story, without recalling where it was leading. It was stuck here, because no one else could use it. The covers are pretty much a cheap ploy to attract attention. The whole thing is pretty weird and exploitive. It follows a story written for Rampaging Hulk #9, which can be read at Diversions of the Groovy Kind. (Warning, it has a lot of butt shots and some pretty kinky imagery, such as Shanna's python coiled around her, squeezing her, with Shanna telling it to "yes....{gasp}...make me struggle to be {gasp} free!" Um, Bettie Page didn't get this sexualized!) Synopsis: Part 1- Shanna is sitting on a beach and then goes running across the sand, jumps in on a group partying, seems to either dance or mock a bodybuilder, who chases her, tackles her, and then she beats te S@#$ out of him!   The ladies seem intrigued by Shanna and ask for her number. Meanwhile, her thoughts are of a psychiatrist she is seeing, who told her to give in to her animalistic impulses. Need more sessions, honey, and I would get a second opinion. She goes home and curls up with a good snake.  Shanna visits her shrink, who advises her to contemplate the source of the blackout and why she wears the skins of a dead leopard that she tended as a vet. Shanna also receives an invite for a gathering of The Pride, at the Beverly Palms Hotel (isn't that where Ricky & Lucy stayed?). Shanna goes an meets an ex-cowboy actor-turned millionaire, a tv exec, and a tv writer. Oh, as some leonine beast-men. They offer to give them a secret to fully tap into their talents and say all are capable of murder. Shanna begs to differ and gets pulled into a mental jungle for a fight.  Shanna flees from the fight and falls in the jungle, then seems comatose in the real world. Part-2 The Leader of the Pack (sorry) tells the others that Shanna touched him and paid the price and don't make her mistake. Each will carry out a murder, which they will freely commit, while a Pride member accompanies them, and their true potential will be unleashed. The writer is having troubled thoughts about it, the actor and tv exec are fine with it. Shanna wakes up in a hospital mental ward, strapped down to a bed. her shrink is doubting what she claims and asks why she had the leopard bathing suit under her street clothes. Shanna gets agitated and breaks free of her restraints and jumps through the window. She is conveniently still clad in her leopard suit and kinky boots, under her hospital gown. There is also a convenient fire escape to break her fall. Ske skips off, losing the gown. Shanna goes back to the Beverly Palms, retrieves her VW Bug, and drives home. She will try to trace the writer, through the Writer's Guild, in the morning. She curls up with the snake again and is woken up by knocking on her door. Instead of the police it is the trio of women, from the beach party. They get chatty, Shanna showers, while the beach bunnies make coffee and find the number for the Writer's Guild for her. Shanna calls; but, they don't give out personal info, but do give her the address for the writer's agent. She runs out to see him, dressed in less revealing, though no less figure showcasing clothes. The agent finds time to see her and gives her a #MeToo moment, before she nearly breaks his windpipe. He tells her about the writer and his mental blocks and envies and about his protege, a female writer with a new sitcom. Shanna figures that is the target. Shanna goes to the studio, sneaks in (after stripping off her dress), as best she can, while in a leopard swimsuit and high heels (which go from shoes with ballerina straps to her kinky boots and back) and finds the writer attempting to bludgeon his protege with her Emmy. Shanna saves her, though everyone questions her reality. Part 3-Shanna is busy playing Inspector Clouseau and Cato, with her snake, when the doorbells rings. the snake isn't reacting to "Thee doair isa ring-ging."  It's the beach bunnies, who this time forgot their cover tops and are in full bikini regalia. They sit around, looking like they are filming the opening scenes of a porno, as Shanna's shrink calls about her appointment and that she heard Shanna did save the protege, and apologizes (while sitting with her sexy legs propped up on her desk). Shanna says another intelligence is inside the slain body, which confuses the shrink. The beach bunnies want to learn to kick butt and Shanna leaves before this gets any kinkier.  Meanwhile, the actor is (easily) goaded into killing a porn king, to improve his popularity in politics. He basically sets up for a disgruntled brother of one of the porn king's performers to kill him at a public debate (referencing the shooting of Larry Flynt). Sure enough things progress in that direction. Meanwhile, Shanna's doctor says she is not schizophrenic and believes her, because she has confirmed elements of the story. they see the headlines about the debate and Shanna recognizes the actor. they go down and Shanna spots the Pride minder and fights him, while the brother shoots the porn king. The actor then talks about those actions being un-American and protecting free speech and other swerves, as Gerber doesn't actually have the actor play the "protecting the morals" card.  Part 4-Shanna is thorazined up in the mental ward, while her shrink checks on her. the tv exec sets up the last murder, of a writer-producer. The Pride then appears to the shrink and says she must not interfere and to bring Shanna. She has visions, wakes up, they are about to do a sacrificial ritual to release an ancient spirit in her, she resists and destroys the pride and comes out okay, and then curls up with the snake.    Thoughts: This is bat-s@#$ insane, even for Gerber! It's also kinkier than a pig's tail. This is hardly a story of female empowerment, especially filled with pin-up images of scantily clad women, bondage imagery (hospital restraints, jungle vines, and the damn snake). Shanna's mental state is fragile and she may be dangerous, yet her shrink believes her and then doesn't, yet does. The beach bunnies are pure skin and near-soft-core actors. Gerber engages in satire of Hollywood, especially in the last part, written in 1990, after he forgot where the plot was headed). The actor suggests a Ronald Reagan-type, who had been a bit of a joke, in 1976, for the Republican nomination, then the top contender in 1980 and eventual president. The writer is every hack who swipes from others, works on others ideas and never creates their own work. The exec is every Hollywood scumbag who caters to the lowest common denominator. And, Shanna is a male fantasy heroine, ripped off from Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, and made to suffer for Gerber's satire. Someone needed therapy here and I think it is Gerber, Blevins and Milgrom, with Infantino and Dezuniga at least warranting a consultation. Infantino's art, in 1978, was what you saw in Star Wars and Nova, very angular, lots of stock poses, distorted bodies. His storytelling is still good; but, this is so weird it makes for really strange visuals. I wonder how much of this kink is his, given some of his work on Spider-Woman, which also dealt with a lot of restraint and mental issues (though with Marv Wolfman writing). DeZuniga did the story in Rampaging Hulk, with all of the rear views; but, was that his choice or Gerber's request? Or is it everyone? Blevins draws the women with stick figure bodies, pronounced hips and breasts and lots of pin-up posing, from everyone from Shanna to her psychiatrist (who likes her mini-skirts and shows off a lot of leg). In the end, I am left wondering if it is everyone involved who ignores how kinky and weird this all is? Is it that mercenary, that Milgrom hopes it will sell a few comics, because he has nothing left to lose? Or does he see no problems with this? Comics has a long troubled history with the use of female characters as victims, domination and power themes, catering to the lowest common denominator, and displaying their own kinks for the world. Problem is, this isn't even honest kink, like in an Eric Stanton cartoon, where he isn't pretending to do anything other than fetish fantasies. This is supposed to be an adventure story. Sure, its psychological; but, it has me wondering more about the creators' psychologies. This all feels like some weird, fevered nightmare from some very repressed people, for repressed readers, longing to find acceptance for that side of themselves. You could do a whole psychological paper on this storyline! Leaving aside the power fantasies and the fact that yet another heroine is ripped to shreds psychologically, with lots of imagery about their physical selves; it isn't a particularly good depiction of a strong female character. This is not the equal to a male hero, fully capable in her own right, having her adventures, solving her problems. Given an entirely male creative team, I can see why no one might have raised an issue with this (maybe someone did; but, kept their head down and collected a paycheck). This was started before Jean Grey, Carol Danvers, Sue Storm, and Scarlet Witch had been put through psychological wringers; but, it's the same kind of thing. Male characters face physical threats and triumph, appearing strong. Female characters face psychological horrors and suffer, and suffer, and wig out, before getting better. Rarely do male heroes go through the same kinds of trials. They would be perceived as too weak. I like Steve Gerber, as a writer; but, not necessarily everything he wrote. He wrote some weird stuff; but, there was usually more of a point to it. The point here seems to be to have Shanna go through some crucible to reconcile her animalistic side with her human side (while satirizing success-oriented self-help gurus and the entertainment industry); yet, it mostly seems like she is just there to be in constant turmoil and suffer and suffer, until it all ends and she can prance around some more in high heeled boots and revealing leopard skin undies. It's even more twisted that the skins belonged to a cat she treated as a vet, who was shot! You can do a strong female character and have her go through physical and mental trials, without resorting to making her a victim throughout. Peter O'Donnell demonstrated it repeatedly in the Modesty Blaise newspaper strip and novel series. Modesty is a tough, intelligent, capable and sexy woman. She is also respected by allies and foes. She faces dangers, physical violence, and even torture, yet always does so by using her wits and skills to overcome her enemies and mete out justice. Rarely is she a "damsel-in-distress" She is a woman in danger, yet, she gets herself (usually) out of said danger and inflicts danger on her enemies, without losing all of her clothing, without endless scenes of bondage and torture, without skimpy costumes and fetish attire (despite what some publishers put on the covers of the novels). She dressed for the occasion, adapted items at hand to be useful, was an expert with weapons and unarmed combat, and a master strategist. She commanded an empire and still commands her most trusted and loyal male friend. And she does so without bedding the male. They are friends, colleagues, comrades-in-arms; never lovers. She takes lovers, but always on her terms. Emma Peel and Cathy Gale, of the Avengers tv series were the same way (less so Tara King, in my opinion). They ended up in damsel situations, sometimes depending on Steed to rescue them; but, they also rescued Steed. They also took the fight to the enemy, once freed, rather than let Steed have all of the fun (and were usually depicted as more capable than Steed, in their areas of expertise and in general unarmed combat, though Steed had his own brand of fighting and set of trade skills). There was a flirtation; but, it seemed less a lover scenario, than a Bond film. With Emma Peel, there was always the hint there might be more; but, if there was, it was kept private. When Emma's husband reappeared, she left the life of adventure to be with him. Anything else was left for the viewer to decide. Well, I didn't intend this to be an indictment of Steve Gerber et al or Marvel; but, by the time I was done with all 4 parts I was just stunned that they could put this out in 1990 and not be compared to Dave Sim and his anti-feminist rants (anti-female, even). This just struck me as wrong, on so many levels. Your mileage may vary. To me, this is less innocent than a Marston Wonder Woman tale, or a Corben naked character, a Dave Stevens pin-up worship or even Chaykin's preoccupation with sex and fetishism (or even a more blatant version of that with an Eric Stanton or John Willie). Those seem far more quaint and harmless. Marston was using a lot of metaphor to promote the idea of female empowerment and superiority, which had a tendency to show his own "interesting" lifestyle underneath. His stories had a more cockeyed fairytale quality. Corben exaggerates all to the extreme, to lampoon fantasy tropes, in a post-modern take on things (plus he's pretty equal with the nudity and sex and character traits). Stevens worshipped an image and inserted that fantasy girl into an adventure story, which fit well with the type of adventure and the time period. However, Betty was a more adult character than Cliff, living more in the real world than her dreamer boyfriend. Stevens kept her profession, to provide an excuse for cheesecake; but, Betty was no bimbo. Chaykin is debatable and his stuff varies heavily with context. There is an element of self-loathing in his work, beyond the sexual. He describes his younger self as a fat nerd, and the poster child of the negative traits of a comic fan. He at least seems to have a certain acceptance of who he is, these days, though his work isn't quite as powerful as it once was. There is a certain knowingness to his stuff, like he knows it will get a reaction that will sell comics, which kind of puts him in a crowd with people like Hugh Hefner and Larry Flynt, though maybe not as self-actuated, like Stanton and Willie, who laid it all out in their work. No, in many ways, this storyline brings to mind Bill Ward, creator of Torchy and Cracked Magazine's Nanny Dickering. He was noted for his busty, leggy bombshells, which seemed innocent, if sexist. However, he had a sideline of producing bondage and torture pornography for probably mob interests. I've seen one or two of these images and they are pretty sick and twisted. This isn't anything quite on that level; but, it shares metaphorical similarities.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 3, 2019 20:57:14 GMT -5
Marvel Fanfare #60 Creative Teams: Just the basics: Walt Simonson and Denys Cowan have a Black panther story, Paul Smith writes and draws a daredevil story and Anne Nocenti and David Ross & Joe Rubinstein have a Rogue story, originally intended for Classic X-Men. Synopsis: Black Panther-T'Challa walks through an urban neighborhood and sees kids playing "alien invaders". Then a girl runs past with an apple, with a man shouting "Stop Thief." T'Challa catches her and she screams about aliens. T'Challa finds the shop owner strange, with Charlie Chan movie broken English and then the girl's sudden passivity. he challenges the man (especially as no passersby seem even interested). He gets whammied and the girl escapes. The man is an alien and the apple is a metal grenade casing. Panther isa prisoner, until the girl returns, throws a fake aplle down the stairs and scares the aliens, allowing T'Challa to get free and defeat them.. He later gives the girl back the apple and says he is forever in her debt.   Rogue-Rogue is playing around with her powers, with brief touches. mystique scolds her, but they have a mission. Rogie dresses like she is going to a party and is coming on to Pyro, which annoys him. They are breaking into a facility to free a mutant, with Mystique disguised as a doctor. Things go wrong and Rogue touches memories and is more and more affected. The mutant is near comatose, though sitting in a chair. it turns out he is willfully shutting out sensory input and stops Rogue from touching him, telling her she is lucky she can touch. The brotherhood escapes, but Rogue is a mess.    Daredevil-Dardevil is chasing after an old man who is trying to earn money for Christmas, in a bad part of town. he is mugged and tries to fight and gets hurt. daredevil chases down the thieves; but, has to rescue one from an oncoming truck, just as when he was a child. He survives; but the thief got away. Daredevil asks the old man why he does it. he is a recovered junkie whoo caused a fire, orphaning a niece and nephew, who ended up in a home for handicapped kids. he wanted to die but the children had been through too much. he got cleaned up and moved in at the home, working there as a caretaker. The money was to bring joy on Christmas. It's like an addiction for him, to see the joy in those who have suffered. DD can relate. Thoughts: The Panther story is slight, but cute, with some nice art. The Rogue story is a mess, narratively and adds little to Rogue, other than to show she can't control her powers. Also, she is supposed to be a teenager, yet is wearing a revealing dress that makes no sense, other than to titillate, though it is supposed to suggest her mind is messed up, after touching Mystique. Why that would make her dress like a music video extra isn't made clear. The DD story seems like an homage to the Christmas Spirit strips, from Will Eisner, with a harder edge. It's a fine brief piece that tugs at the heart. This was it for Marvel Fanfare. Milgrom's Editori-Al covers the whys...  without ever taking responsibility for this being little more than a dumping ground for unused material, much of which could have remained unused and no one would have bat an eye. The percentage of great stories was small, though it had a decent batting average of good. less so from top talent and more from younger people and indie types, who were willing to really experiment (like Ken Steacy). It never justified the price and running a standard book, without the need for pin-ups and mediocre back-ups (in some cases) might have delivered better sales. Al talks about going out on a high point; but, i don't know if that's what I would say about this issue. Compared to the Shanna story, yeah; compared to Black Widow, the Warriors Three, or Ken Steacy's stories, no. Still, its batting average is probably no worse than Marvel Premiere or Spotlight, though they did launch some new series and characters. Fanfare didn't even have that mandate. Gonna end with some quick notes about back-ups that I skipped- #52-A Gene Colan Dr Strange piece has some nice art; but the story is too slight for much. It's more of a traditional Strange story, compared to the dave Gibbons or Alan Weis stories, which made them stand out. 53-Dan Mishkin (Blue Devil) and David Ross have a tale of alien mercenaries out to recover a Skrull probe, told entirely from their viewpoint, as they run into Iron man (who they think is a defense robot). Clever piece with an interesting viewpoint. 54-55-Wolverine is attacked by some weirdos for a mad scientist, who also nabebd some campers and wants to rule the world with his weird animal-human hybrids and thinks Wolverine hold a key to that. Story is from Rcik Howell, who draws Wolverine with giant mask ears...  Mostly average piece that seemed design to use Wolverine for a sales boost (he gets a cover box, even). 56-Kid's superhero action figures save the day, with art from Don Heck. heck looks better than he did at DC, prior to this. Slight story, that is a bit too cliched. 57-Captain Marvel story, plotted by Roger Stern, who had his name taken off, and scripted by Bill Mantlo, with Capt. Canuck artist George Freeman. Monica Rambeau can't sleep and flies over the city, helping with a hostage situation and a suicidal junkie. She has flashbacks to her time on the force, when she failed to stop a jumper. this gives her redemption. A cop asked why she bothered with little things like that, instead of supervillains. She says she has her reasons and flies away, with a tight focus on the policeman's badge and the "Protect and Serve," motto.   58-Vision & Scarlet Witch, from Mantlo & Sandy Plunkett. A tale of prejudice as Viz and Wanda meet their suburban neighbors. They save them from a supernatural threat. Old cliche, nice art from Plunkett   59-Damon Hellstrom & Patsy Walker visit her aunt, face prejudice and triumph over it, in an homage to Simon & Kirby's romance comic work, by Rick Howell. originally intended for an all-romance them issue. Nicely done.    There are also portfolios.. 52-Paul Ryan images, with too much emphasis on breasts, especially this one with diamondback...  53 has June Brigman (early misspelled as Bridgeman) with Hellcat...  and Black Widow, with the Miller short hair and costum. 54-more Brigman, with She-Hulk, Dagger and Katie Power...  56-Mike Vosburg Howard and bev  57-Norm Breyfogle...  58-Jim Lee..  60-Ken Steacy Punisher...  I like the fact that he gives the poster child for big gun fetishes a tiny little Derringer! That's what I love about Ken Steacy.  So, that is it for Marvel Fanfare. As is probably apparent, my energy for this series had waned; but, there were nice surprises in these latter issues, although some material that should have been left in the files, in my opinion. It tended to have more artistic triumphs than story (it is Marvel under Shooter and defalco); but, some managed to be quite good in both. Favorites: The Black Widow issues, with Perez; the Ken Steacy Iron Man tales, the Charles vess Warriors 3, Sandy Plunkett art, Mark Hempel stories, Black Knight, Power Pack, the Ben grimm April Fools issue, Gil Kane &P Craig Russell Jungle Book, Alan Weiss Dr Strange in the Old West, Dave Gibbons Dr Strange, Michael Golden Fury & Spider-man, Rick Howell's Simon & Kirby homage, David Mazzucchelli's Angel piece, Mignola Namor, and Cockrum Sky Wolf, for the Blackhawk pastiche. The opening Michael Golden and Paul Smith X-Men; but, Claremont's story isn't up to their talents. Next, joining the Marvel Previews/Bizarre Adventures issues will be the Marvel Graphic Novel series. I am going to focus on the ones that were given numbers, and a select few additional ones. Then, Marvel Super Special. After I am through with MP/BA, I will switch to Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction. After that? Not sure. maybe some of the other magazines. I am less interested in covering thing slike the Hulk stories in Rampaging Hulk as I am the Moon Knight and Dominic fortune back-ups; but, we will see. Maybe some of the horror stuff. I don't have as much of that; so, access will be a factor.
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Post by badwolf on Jul 4, 2019 8:41:39 GMT -5
Wow, I'll have to get those Shanna issues! I think I might have had the last one (cover looks familiar), but without the rest of the story it probably didn't make much sense.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 4, 2019 14:03:57 GMT -5
Okay, this is the next segment in the Land of the Misfit Stories: the Marvel Graphic Novel Line. Now, despite what Marvel or Jim Shooter would have you think (back when he was launching defiant), Marvel did not create the graphic novel. They weren't even close. You can debate what the first tru graphic novel is; but, there were plenty of better choices, well before Marvel started their line. There had already been book collections of newspaper strips and specially produced magazines, going way back. Comics themselves started as collections of comic strips. European publishers would collect stories into albums, with book covers. In 1950, St John published a digest-sized book, it Rhymes with Lust, by Arnold Drake and Leslie Waller. There were special stand alone magazines, like Gil Kane's Hos Name is ...Savage and his later paperback Blackmark. There was Richard Corben's Bloodstar, and Byron Preiss' Fictioneer books, such as Steranko's Chandler: Red Tide. 1978 would be the breakthrough year, as Eclipse published Don McGregor and Paul Gulacy's Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species, Will Eisner's A Contract with God and Stan Lee & Jack Kirby's Silver Surfer (published by Fireside Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, rather than Marvel Comics). Marvel didn't come to graphic novels until 1982, as a publisher. Jim Shooter takes credit for the line; but, others had been pushing for it, for a long time, including people like Archie Goodwin. One of the sticking points was that they would be distributed through bookstores and book contracts had much better terms than comic books, including ownership of copyright and royalties. If Marvel wanted to do higher quality formats and market them in the book world and still get top creators to provide the content, then work-for-hire was going to be a sticking point and it was. Marvel went so far as to hire Michael Hobson, who worked for Scholastic Books, largely because of his experience with book contracts. This also dovetailed with the launching of Epic Illustrated, where ownership of original content was going to be an issue, to compete with Heavy Metal. One of the chief creators involved in that launch was Jim Starlin, who debuted his Metamorphosis Odyssey in EI #1. He was instrumental in getting Marvel to make compromises to compete with the burgeoning independent scene and retained ownership of his work and his characters. he would factor in, again, with the graphic novel line. Once things were ironed out to Marvel's satisfaction (but not necessarily talent, as Marvel would hold copyright on anything with their company-owned properties and would promote them over original work, and also get the lion's share of the royalties), they launched the line. At the start, it was somewhat ambitious; though, it also heavily hedged bets. Of the first dozen titles, half were original works, 5 of the other 6 were marvel properties, and one was a Star*Reach property, brought to Marvel by Mike Friedrich, to adapt Michael Moorcock's Elric. 3 of those books involved the X-men or mutant characters, including the debut of the New Mutants and one was from the artist who helped re-launch the X-Men, doing a rather X-men-like property. So, not exactly looking to challenge Will Eisner or create Maus. Marvel did much to promote the line, making the term synonymous with the company. They made a deal with Waldenbooks to create a branded spinner display for the chain, which featured the Marvel Graphic Novels and comic books. Waldenbooks were in malls across the country, which gave these books high visibility. However, the bloom was off the rose, rather quickly. When the line launched, comic shops were still a smaller segment of the market, but, in the ensuing 2 or 3 years, they grew exponentially. This provided outlets for other publishers to put out their own graphic novels and many of these had more provocative material.. Marvel wasn't quick to promote anything they didn't own and what they did looked an awful lot like what you could get cheaper, in a normal comic. Marvel's enthusiasm for the project waned and, though they still continued to produce album-sized graphic novels, they also started following DC with prestige-format books and trade collections. The old material sold better than much of the new stuff and it was already paid for. The line became more and more an afterthought, though some fine work and even some original work appeared. But, by the end of the decade, Marvel had all but abandoned the format. So, let's start at the beginning, with Jim Starlin. Marvel graphic Novel #1-The Death of Captain Marvel Now, in my Courting Death-Thanos Reviews, I covered the first Marvel Graphic novel, The Death of Captain Marvel. I see no reason to repeat what I said there; so, follow the link for more on it. All I will add is that this is probably the pinnacle of Starlin's work in superhero comics, in terms of maturity of story. Infinity Gauntlet may be more epic; but, this is more literary. He deals with the end of a hero, with dignity and honest emotional content, rather than some pro wrestling match with a villain or cosmic doom. Mar-Vell succumbs to cancer, that stealthy killer. Miracle comic science can't save the day, there is no magic spell that can cure, no cosmic being te restore things; there is just death, the end of all living things. It is probably a more fitting end to any comic book hero than any other crafted, as it reflects real life. It is a testament to its power and quality that, despite every other character coming back from the dead, Mar-Vell has been allowed to rest in peace. |
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Post by mikelmidnight on Jul 5, 2019 12:00:37 GMT -5
This was it for Marvel Fanfare. Milgrom's Editori-Al covers the whys... without ever taking responsibility for this being little more than a dumping ground for unused material, much of which could have remained unused and no one would have bat an eye. The percentage of great stories was small, though it had a decent batting average of good. less so from top talent and more from younger people and indie types, who were willing to really experiment (like Ken Steacy). It never justified the price and running a standard book, without the need for pin-ups and mediocre back-ups (in some cases) might have delivered better sales. I'm always fascinated by the vast number of material left in file drawers by major publishers, never to see print ... I also understand the need for fill-in stories occasionally. I suppose in a way I'm glad a lot of these got a chance to shine, and writers and artists who produced the material finally got to see it come to fruition in some ways. However, I completely agree that Marvel Fanfare was absolutely not the place for that to happen! It was sold with a lot of hype and these shelved and filler stories did not live up to it even remotely. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 5, 2019 12:20:13 GMT -5
The Marvel Graphic Novel line was pretty unsatisfying. For every book that warranted the format there was a book that was a glorified 2-3 issue arc from a standard funnybook of the time only at 3+ times the price.
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Post by rberman on Jul 5, 2019 12:29:59 GMT -5
Marvel Preview #7 Claremont sure loved those N'Garai. Tried to fit 'em in everywhere back then!  Plus when Satana wasn't available to be his Vampirella, there was Lilith, daughter of Dracula.  |
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Post by rberman on Jul 5, 2019 12:44:10 GMT -5
This was it for Marvel Fanfare. Milgrom's Editori-Al covers the whys... without ever taking responsibility for this being little more than a dumping ground for unused material, much of which could have remained unused and no one would have bat an eye. The percentage of great stories was small, though it had a decent batting average of good. less so from top talent and more from younger people and indie types, who were willing to really experiment (like Ken Steacy). It never justified the price and running a standard book, without the need for pin-ups and mediocre back-ups (in some cases) might have delivered better sales. Al talks about going out on a high point; but, i don't know if that's what I would say about this issue. Compared to the Shanna story, yeah; compared to Black Widow, the Warriors Three, or Ken Steacy's stories, no. Still, its batting average is probably no worse than Marvel Premiere or Spotlight, though they did launch some new series and characters. Fanfare didn't even have that mandate. As someone whose entire comics experienced revolved around what was available at convenience store and pharmacy spinner racks, I was totally oblivious to these direct sales titles. At least in the 70s, the Marvel mags were printing original work, so it's puzzling that more of an effort wasn't made for Marvel Fanfare. Maybe the price point couldn't attract the talent? Or probably the lack of authorial ownership. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 5, 2019 18:25:38 GMT -5
This was it for Marvel Fanfare. Milgrom's Editori-Al covers the whys... without ever taking responsibility for this being little more than a dumping ground for unused material, much of which could have remained unused and no one would have bat an eye. The percentage of great stories was small, though it had a decent batting average of good. less so from top talent and more from younger people and indie types, who were willing to really experiment (like Ken Steacy). It never justified the price and running a standard book, without the need for pin-ups and mediocre back-ups (in some cases) might have delivered better sales. Al talks about going out on a high point; but, i don't know if that's what I would say about this issue. Compared to the Shanna story, yeah; compared to Black Widow, the Warriors Three, or Ken Steacy's stories, no. Still, its batting average is probably no worse than Marvel Premiere or Spotlight, though they did launch some new series and characters. Fanfare didn't even have that mandate. As someone whose entire comics experienced revolved around what was available at convenience store and pharmacy spinner racks, I was totally oblivious to these direct sales titles. At least in the 70s, the Marvel mags were printing original work, so it's puzzling that more of an effort wasn't made for Marvel Fanfare. Maybe the price point couldn't attract the talent? Or probably the lack of authorial ownership. I have a suspicion that the pay rate wasn't better than the regular books; or, if it was, that was offset by better royalties for working on a regular series. Shooter had bonus incentives for staying on titles for long periods (for a while, at least); so that could have been a factor. Also, circulation figures on a regular series were probably far better,; so, with royalties and regular page rate (plus possible longevity incentives) Fanfare might not have been that great a deal. Similarly, Marvel people didn't jump all over themselves to contribute to Epic Illustrated or create a title for Epic. I also suspect Fanfare was meant to part of Marvel's efforts to flood Direct Market stands (which included a bunch of reprint titles) and the rest was more of a smokescreen, after they scaled back on the original concept. Who knows? The only editors there I can see making something out of Fanfare were Archie Goodwin and Louise Simonson. Archie had enough problems with Epic and the lack of support it received. Weezy was working on high profile series and creating Power Pack; so, not much incentive there. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 5, 2019 18:29:12 GMT -5
The Marvel Graphic Novel line was pretty unsatisfying. For every book that warranted the format there was a book that was a glorified 2-3 issue arc from a standard funnybook of the time only at 3+ times the price. I would agree, especially after the initial batch, though they outdid DC's line. Dc at least tried something a little more worthy of the format, with their sci-fi line. They did a better job after Crisis, but stuck with the prestige format, due to more attractive cover prices, saving album sizes for things like Son of the Demon and the like. |
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Post by profh0011 on Jul 6, 2019 12:39:16 GMT -5
I always thought the "prestige format" made more sense from both a design and a marketing angle. Being the same size as regular comics, they didn't have to change the format of the art or the printing, there was no problems with displaying books on sale or storing them when you got them home. On the other hand, I did know one cartoonist who said he preferred the larger "graphic novel" format for how it presented his art... but the publisher he worked with, Eros (a subsidiary of Fantagraphics), repeatedly SCREWED up things at the "design" end. Of course, my own favorite books in the "graphic novel" format were always the TINTINs.  |
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