|
|
Post by hondobrode on Dec 22, 2018 13:30:46 GMT -5
I only knew that she had ever appeared in comic books  |
|
|
|
Post by Farrar on Dec 22, 2018 14:03:42 GMT -5
#4 Stan 'n' Steve Amazing Adult Fantasy #12 Marvel, 1961 series As I mentioned earlier in the Third Day thread, and as I'm sure we all know, Stan Lee was no stranger to in-story appearances. So here's Stan, with Steve Ditko, in 1962's Amazing Adult Fantasy #12 in a non-superhero 3-page story called "Something Fantastic?" (more about the story title later). Anyway, guess they needed to fill 3 pages, but in hindsight and in light of Marvel's growth it's an interesting piece in its own right. And it scored heavily with readers of the time--they voted it their favorite story in that particular issue.  AAF #12 was on sale in February 1962. Here's a page:  Now as for the story's title  , here's a portion of the opening splash: 
|
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 23, 2018 22:19:17 GMT -5
Books of Faerie Vertigo (1997 - 1999) Various creators over 2 minis These companion mini series to the original Books of Magic series take the fairy world of Midsummer Night's Dream and place those character firming in the Vertigo universe through their interactions with Tim Hunter and girlfriend/muse Molly. I LOVED the art here.. it just fits perfectly. There are plenty of versions of these characters in a variety of mediums (The ones in the Dresden Files are pretty good too) but this is my favorite mix of aloof boredom and occassional compassion that seems to fit the characters well. 
|
|
Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
Posts: 3,958 
|
Post by Crimebuster on Dec 24, 2018 2:48:20 GMT -5
I am traveling, so I'm not going to be able to make my entries fancy with images and whatnot. Sorry! But I do have this on my list:
4. Captain America #344
In this issue, The Viper decides to get symbolic by turning all the residents of Washington D.C. into literal snakes by dumping a secret snake transformation serum into the city's water supply. Steve Rogers, in his identity as The Captain, intervenes, leading to one of the most epic battles in comic book history - a brawl with a snake-ified Ronald Reagan inside the Oval Office.
One if the highlights of Mark Gruenwald's run on the series.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jeddak on Dec 26, 2018 16:54:33 GMT -5
Day 9 Flash Gordon #13-18 Charlton, 1969-1970  The original Flash Gordon comic strip wasn't strictly space opera, but more of a Ruritanian romantic adventure. Sure, there were flying ships and weird creatures, but there were intrigues and sword fights and beautiful women. A lot of the later versions of the character missed that point, or turned their backs on it altogether. But Charlton got it right. This Flash Gordon wasn't just a square-jawed hero; he was a courtier, a diplomat, an ambassador. This Mongo was a vast world of interacting kingdoms and shifting loyalties. The women were tempting, but couldn't always be trusted, except when they could be. Again, it's the fidelity to the source material. That may not always matter to me (Oz Squad comes to mind); but when the original is important to me, then yeah, I want an adaptation to get it right. For a few issues at least, these guys did. |
|
|
|
Post by MWGallaher on Dec 28, 2018 17:53:15 GMT -5
4. The Shadow #1-12, 1973-1975, DC Comics Adapted from the pulp novels by Walter Gibson by Denny O'Neill, Mike Kaluta, Frank Robbins, and E.R. Cruz  Another unsurprisingly popular pick among the gang this year. I was itching for this one from the earliest Berni Wrightson-drawn promo:  Irresistible! It was one of the first two comics I subscribed to, well in advance of publication, so that I'd be sure never to miss an issue (at the same time, I subscribed to Brave and Bold, whose main artist, Jim Aparo, was DC's original preference for artist on The Shadow). When that folded copy of The Shadow #1 finally arrived, I was thrilled, and the comic did not disappoint me. Kaluta's work was brilliant, and the period setting was perfect. I loved the character, the rendition, the cast, the mysteries--everything was just as good as I dreamed it would be! I was a little let down when Frank Robbins stepped in, but I had developed an appreciation for his distinct style over in Detective Comics, so I wasn't entirely disappointed. E.R. Cruz seemed like a step down, but hey, he also had The Avenger, who fascinated me almost as much as The Shadow. The only real disappointment came when the comic was cancelled when my subscription ran out. I've tried plenty of Shadow comics published since, and none have ever matched the magic of this run.
|
|
|
|
Post by MDG on Dec 29, 2018 16:11:42 GMT -5
4. The Shadow #1-12, 1973-1975, DC Comics Adapted from the pulp novels by Walter Gibson by Denny O'Neill, Mike Kaluta, Frank Robbins, and E.R. Cruz .... Jim Aparo, was DC's original preference for artist on The Shadow... I never heard/read that. I did read that Steranko was in the running, but wanted the rights to... the book? his artwork? I don't know, but since it was a licensed property, DC couldn't grant that. Also, Wrightson was offered the book on the strength of a sample (which became the ad above), but realized he couldn't do two books simultaneously (he was still on Swamp Thing).
Though I didn't appreciate Aparo as much at the time, he'd've been a good choice. His Phantom Stranger and Batman work show he could handle the mood and style well.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mister Spaceman on Dec 29, 2018 16:31:13 GMT -5
Frankenstein #11 (Crestwood Publications, 1948) Really, any Dick Briefer Frankenstein comic book would be a candidate for this slot, whether the straight horror or comedic iteration. But I decided to focus on this issue because it features as its lead story a charming send-up of the actor most strongly attached to our idea of the monster, Boris Karloff (here called Boris Karload). The story is a piffle about mistaken identity and typical reversals (off-camera Karload is a bit of a squeamish milquetoast). It's rendered in Briefer's cartoon-grotesque visual idiom (Frankenstein's upturned nose seems to have staked out permanent residence above his eyebrows), as are the other stories in this issue (such as "The Picture Out of the Book," which sends up both fairy tales and modern marriage). Mary Shelley's original novel has endured now for 200 years but James Whale's 1931 film adaptation clearly gave the story of a monster and his creator an entirely fresh pair of legs (so to speak). And work such as Briefer's comic book adaptation in all of its own patchwork genre-shifting glory is really mostly beholden to that version. So this story is a bit of a Valentine from one monster-maker to another, a bright red cartoon heart beating with all the thrills that the monster gives us. After all, from Shelley to Whale to Briefer and beyond, we have always understood that the heart of this misunderstood outsider beats in rhythm with our own. 
|
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Dec 31, 2018 15:36:58 GMT -5
“Red Nails” Savage Tales 2-3 (October 1973; February 1974); reprinted in Marvel Treasury Edition 4 (on sale February 1975)
A friend of mine introduced me to the Lancer paperback Conan series that began in 1966 with Conan the Adventurer. I became a Conan and Robert E. Howard fan immediately. Conan the Warrior and Conan the Usurper came out in 1967, and I bought them and the succeeding titles as quickly as they appeared on the stands. It was in the Conan the Warrior paperback that I first read “Red Nails,” and I still relish the memory of reading it back when I was an impressionable 13-year-old. It was a long short story, immediately absorbing, with its detailed description of the haunted city in the jungle. I can remember how eerie and frightening it was, this tale of a Mayanesque fortress in the middle of nowhere in which packs of rival tribesmen – Zombies? Undead creatures? Ghouls? – were locked in eternal bloody combat in a tangled maze of streets.  When Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith adapted it for Savage Tales in resplendent black and white, I was like a bee in clover, pig in slop, or Conan himself knee-deep in gore. BWS was evolving right before our eyes at light speed. Nothing like his combination of Pre-Raphaelite, super-detailed illustration, graceful violence and dynamic, fluid storytelling existed in mainstream comics. Even a relative newcomer to the ins and outs of comic books like me found it hard to believe that he had transformed his artwork so strikingly and captured the weirdness and savagery of one of the best of Howard’s Conan stories.  I can't think of any comic book story that was any better at capturing atmosphere, character and mood better than this Thomas-Smith masterpiece. Creepy and beautiful all at the same time.
|
|
, here's a portion of the opening splash:
