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Post by chaykinstevens on Apr 2, 2021 7:31:32 GMT -5
Who are these two, and where do I find more of their work? I've seen interviews with John Ostrander in which he referred to Mary Mitchell as his fiancee, partner or better half. Bruce Patterson inked quite a lot of things in the 70s and 80s, including inking Mike Zeck on Master of Kung Fu, Pat Broderick on Captain Marvel and LSH, Brian Bolland on Camelot 3000, Frank Brunner on Warp and the start of Joe Staton's second run on Green Lantern. |
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Post by chaykinstevens on Apr 2, 2021 7:47:04 GMT -5
And I have to wonder why Gordon spends all his time pleading for a clearly severely injured Batman to return:  instead of trying to get word to Superman, or the Justice League. Heck, I'd like to see a Superman vs. Predator fight far more than a Batman vs. Predator fight, but I guess Batman was the hotter property in 1992. David Michelinie and Alex Maleev did a Superman vs Predator miniseries in 2000, and Mark Schultz and Ariel Olivetti did Superman and Batman vs Aliens and Predator in 2007. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 2, 2021 8:09:15 GMT -5
I guess I’d better put Commando on my list of 1980s films I haven’t seen.
I made a list of about 30 1980s films that seemed like they were movies I should see, either because of popularity or because of critical acclaim or because they looked interesting. And I’m making my way through the list. Among the films I’ve seen in the last few weeks:
Mystic Pizza
Hellraiser
Karate Kid
Stop Making Sense
Three Amigos
They Live
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
I have Jackie Chan’s Police Story on the list but the library sent Police Story 2 instead. It was OK but I hear the first one is among his best movies.
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Post by MDG on Apr 2, 2021 8:39:55 GMT -5
Spent a little time on the GCD, and here is what appears to be the full list of comics penciled by Mary Mitchell. I can find no further information on her. There are several artists by the name of Mary Mitchell on the web, but none have work that seems to stylistically resemble what is depicted in Gotham Nights #1. It's pretty obvious she's trying to do a Marshall Rogers take on this story, but isn;t helped by the inking and coloring (I usually like Patterson, esp w/ Joe Staton, but other times, no) |
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Post by shaxper on Apr 2, 2021 11:51:12 GMT -5
It's pretty obvious she's trying to do a Marshall Rogers take on this story, but isn;t helped by the inking and coloring (I usually like Patterson, esp w/ Joe Staton, but other times, no) While I haven't read a lot of the Englehart/Rogers run yet, I have to say that this artwork leaves me more breathless than even what I saw from Rogers. Part of that is the context; there's an energy and a momentum to it which comes to sudden and unexpected stops at the sight of those towers, or of Batman, and the gritty inking on those things, in contrast to the clean lines of ordinary Gotham, absolutely exacerbates it. |
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Post by Chris on Apr 2, 2021 15:17:15 GMT -5
Spent a little time on the GCD, and here is what appears to be the full list of comics penciled by Mary Mitchell. I can find no further information on her. There are several artists by the name of Mary Mitchell on the web, but none have work that seems to stylistically resemble what is depicted in Gotham Nights #1. About Mary Mitchell, including her work on Gotham Nights -   Funny, 'cause I was just reading the interview a day or two ago. |
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Post by Chris on Apr 2, 2021 15:56:47 GMT -5
Regarding Jim Aparo lettering his work: if I recall correctly, Aparo was able to pencil, ink, and letter one page a day. This was fine when he was drawing 17-page Brave & Bold stories every month. This even left him enough time to do some covers for other books like World's Finest. But when B&B was replaced with Batman and the Outsiders, the page count per story was about 24 pages. Since there were only 20 working days in a month, Aparo needed occasional fill-ins.* Once in a while, Aparo would pencil (and sometimes letter) an issue with someone else inking it. By the late 80s, the Outsiders book (with or without Batman) was gone, and Aparo had moved to the regular Bat-books. He couldn't produce fast enough (it's possible that in addition to the page count, age may have been taking its toll as well) and I guess editorial didn't want fill-in issues every six or seven months, so they assigned inkers to Aparo. I think he stopped doing his own lettering then, too. I tripped across this video of Bill Sienkiewicz talking about inking other artists, and he briefly mentions his experience inking Jim Aparo. * An exception was an early issue of Batman and the Outsiders, #4 I believe. It was supposed to be part of a crossover with New Teen Titans, but that book was running late. And since Titans was Part ONE of the story, with the Outsiders book concluding the crossover, Outsiders need a replacement issue in a hurry. The letters page said that Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo managed to produced an entire issue "practically overnight." I would think there was a lot of overtime and at least a few all-nighters involved here (and hopefully what Jim Shooter called "combat pay"). |
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Post by shaxper on Apr 2, 2021 20:24:24 GMT -5
Funny, 'cause I was just reading the interview a day or two ago. Interesting stuff. Thank you! Such a shame Mary didn't do more professional work. And I'm not the least bit surprised that Ostrander's answer to the question of Denny O'Neil's involvement was that, "he gave us a wide latitude". Translation: "He didn't even read it." |
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Post by shaxper on Apr 2, 2021 20:26:13 GMT -5
By the late 80s, the Outsiders book (with or without Batman) was gone, and Aparo had moved to the regular Bat-books. He couldn't produce fast enough (it's possible that in addition to the page count, age may have been taking its toll as well) and I guess editorial didn't want fill-in issues every six or seven months, so they assigned inkers to Aparo. A real shame, as he got paired with some folks who really didn't do his work justice. DeCarlo immediately comes to mind. |
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Post by shaxper on Apr 9, 2021 8:30:55 GMT -5
Batman Versus Predator #3 (February 1992)  Script: Dave Gibbons Pencils: Andy Kubert Inks: Adam Kubert Colors: Sherilyn Van Valkenburgh Letters: Adam Kubert Grade: B+ Well, here's what this entire thing has been building towards: a full issue of Batman in Iron Man armor battling it out with a Predator:  Unfortunately, as gorgeous as Kubert's artwork is, as those bottom panels attest, it continues to be confusing/difficult to follow. So much of this fight is extremely unclear. Perhaps Kubert is attempting to capture the dizzying haze of a fast-paced action sequence, or perhaps he really and truly doesn't understand how much work it takes to follow his artwork in so many places. A few more examples:  Okay, we get the basic idea that the Predator fell and landed on a car, but what's that roundish thing in primary focus in panel three? Our eye is drawn to it first, but I still have no idea what it is or why it's important (if it even is).  Who IS that in the bottom panel? Are we looking at Batman somehow beneath his helmet? If so, why is his hair flowing freely like it's not under a helmet? The only other human in this scene is Alfred, and that certainly isn't him. Don't get me wrong; there are some truly GOOD moments in the battle:  but, if you're going to devote the entire issue to a prolonged action sequence, it sure seems like that sequence should be easy to follow. As for the writing, you certainly wouldn't expect much from an all-out, issue-long slugfest. I was a little annoyed that Batman's win wasn't clearly the result of brilliant planning, or amazing perseverance, or even deep-rooted psychological meaning. A trap he springs (mostly) works out, he tranquilizes The Predator, and then has an easy time taking him down after. There's no real significant or defining moment where we see WHAT makes The Batman a better predator than a Predator. Oh, and of course even though the Predator grabs Alfred with the intent of killing him, things work out in just such a way that Alfred gets away unscratched, just as Gordon did when The Predator fired at him at point blank range AND MISSED just last issue. But surely, this was more about a cool fight and awesome images than a coherent story. The fight ultimately seemed to prove insignificant, and the art was often confusing, but there was still a breath-taking momentum to this thing. It was FUN like a whirlwind action film (and I'm not even usually a fan of those). |
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Post by chadwilliam on Apr 10, 2021 11:27:20 GMT -5
Batman #475 (March 1992)  You know, we get pretty much this same scene when Batman, in full armour, is found lurking in the shadows as Gordon and a tactical squad ready themselves to go after their mysterious killer, also in full armour. When they open fire on Batman, we once again see Gordon go into his "What are you, MAD?! Put down your weapons!!!" routine. I'm starting to see why a lot of The GCPD really don't like Batman. I mean, was Batman hiding outside of Gordon's office when he heard, "Truth be told, sir, I'm a bit nervous and this is my first day on-" and thought "That's my cue!" Does he really need to enter like that?! Batman Versus Predator - same thing. "Alright men, it's not much of description to go by, but we're looking for an armoured guy - big; sharp, pointy details on outfit, likes to lurk in the shadows - could be right next to us for all we know and - WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! THAT'S BATMAN!! Are you blind?! Our killer has two sharp thingies on his gauntlets! TWO! Batman has THREE! You're on report, mister!" Don't police office officers have to fill out paperwork every time they unholster their weapon? There must be a 'Thought it was The Joker but it was just Batman dressed as The Joker hiding in my closet at home' file thick as a desk laying about somewhere. |
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Post by shaxper on Apr 10, 2021 22:36:19 GMT -5
Batman #475 (March 1992) You know, we get pretty much this same scene when Batman, in full armour, is found lurking in the shadows as Gordon and a tactical squad ready themselves to go after their mysterious killer, also in full armour. When they open fire on Batman, we once again see Gordon go into his "What are you, MAD?! Put down your weapons!!!" routine. I'm starting to see why a lot of The GCPD really don't like Batman. I mean, was Batman hiding outside of Gordon's office when he heard, "Truth be told, sir, I'm a bit nervous and this is my first day on-" and thought "That's my cue!" Does he really need to enter like that?! Batman Versus Predator - same thing. "Alright men, it's not much of description to go by, but we're looking for an armoured guy - big; sharp, pointy details on outfit, likes to lurk in the shadows - could be right next to us for all we know and - WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! THAT'S BATMAN!! Are you blind?! Our killer has two sharp thingies on his gauntlets! TWO! Batman has THREE! You're on report, mister!" Don't police office officers have to fill out paperwork every time they unholster their weapon? There must be a 'Thought it was The Joker but it was just Batman dressed as The Joker hiding in my closet at home' file thick as a desk laying about somewhere. Wasn't that the entire point of Batman, though? "Cops are a cowardly, superstitious lot, so my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts, and if that doesn't work, then oddly timed window entrances." |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 11, 2021 16:45:56 GMT -5
I most frequently see Predator compared to Aliens, and I adore Aliens, but I worry the resemblance only extends as far as tough-people-with-big-guns-fight-alien, when that isn't what i adore about Aliens at all. It's the writing, the pacing, the characterizations, and the sets mostly for me. Dirty Dancing is flipping incredible. I'm not much of a romance guy, but go see that film. I've been meaning to watch the Three Amigos, as I think that comedy trio would have to be brilliant together, but maybe it's the potential more than the delivery that causes the hype. Martin Short is so damn funny, but he was incapable of carrying a film by himself, so having Martin and Chase by his side seems like a perfect solution. Somehow this has something to do with Batman, I swear... Other than the fact that they were both made at Fox and they both involved aliens there really isn't a whole lot that's similar between the Predator films and the Alien films. The Alien films are heavily atmospheric, sci-fi horror films while the Predator films are just shoot em' action movies and while I do enjoy those to an extent there's really no contest when it comes to which genre I enjoy. As for the plot of this first Batman/ Predator crossover, while there are moments I do really enjoy the plot is basically just the plot of Predator II only with Batman instead of Danny Glover. So if you are going to watch a Predator film go with that one just so you can see the parallels between it and the story here. |
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Post by MWGallaher on Apr 11, 2021 17:11:03 GMT -5
Detective Comics #642 (March 1992) By the way, since when does Aparo do lettering?? As has been noted, Aparo had customarily lettered and inked his own work up until the mid/late 80's. I got to see some of Jim's pages in progress from this run of Detective Comics and it be might of interest to know that he did the lettering before the pencils, which really surprised me. He had a stack of pages with the panel borders and lettering completed, having mentally conceived his layouts in sufficient detail to place all the captions and dialogue on the page. |
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Post by Prince Hal on Apr 14, 2021 11:21:12 GMT -5
Dirty Dancing is flipping incredible. I'm not much of a romance guy, but go see that film. It's the best Elvis movie ever made. |
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