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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 22, 2019 10:12:00 GMT -5
I wouldn’t blame you if today’s selection gives you a sense of deja vu. “Wein? Andru? Spidey? Didn’t we just see this yesterday?” Well, yeah, there is a strong family resemblance between the two entries, especially when you consider they both made my list for the same reason, but it is what it is. And so, submitted for your consideration: 3. Spider-Man and Shang-Chi, Giant-Size Spider-Man #2 (Marvel, 1974)
At the point I bought this double-sized delight, I hadn’t yet acquainted myself with the wallcrawler’s pajama-clad co-star. Despite faithfully watching David Carradine kick cowboy ass every week, I had no interest in the martial arts or the movies spotlighting them, and certainly not a comic book about them. I figured it’d be like reading a comic about baseball or dance: no series of static pictures, no matter how well drawn, could capture the appeal. You needed motion to properly appreciate those subjects, right? Weong!!! I was blown away by both the concept behind Master of Kung Fu (Fu Manchu’s son sides with the devil-doctor’s old foes to counter his evil plans? Cool!) and by the execution of this issue's story. I hurried out to the local back issue dealer, grabbed all the MoKFs I could find, and the rest is history. Once again, the crossover had done its job. It also doesn’t hurt that this is my second favorite Ross Andru art job after Marvel Feature, largely due to a superb inking job by Al Milgrom, whose brushwork suits Andru’s pencils the way cheese suits an omelette. Cei-U! I summon the kick-ass combos! Truth to tell, I was tempted to swap out this entry for the Iron Man/Sub-Mariner team-up in Iron Man #25 after seeing icctrombone’s choice for yesterday, but I love this book too much to give in. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 22, 2019 10:16:49 GMT -5
3
Crossover- Spider-man/ Hulk/ The Avengers
Issue- Amazing Spider-man King size special # 3
Writer- Stan Lee
Artist-John Romita / Don Heck
Inker- Mickey Demeo
Publisher- Marvel
Year- 1966 Back in the day, Marvel used to put out really nice Annuals and this one features many of the elements that I enjoy in a comic. My favorite Team is the Avengers and Stan Lee captures all the action and Pathos that make a book memorable. The Avengers are considering Spider-man for membership and after Thor locates him, he meets the assemblers and is told he has to be tested to be accepted. Ironman asks him to find the Hulk and bring him back to them. Well, the webslinger takes off before they could tell him that they wanted to help and possibly cure Banner of turning into the Hulk. Spidey finds and engages jade jaws and discovers that he is Banner, when he changes unexpectantly. After Banner tells him what he has to live like, Spider-man takes pity on him, and lets him go. When he returns to the Avengers mansion, he tells them that he never found him. It’s stories like this that make comics more than just fights. I almost teared up on the rereading when Banner and the Hulk are depicted as lost injured and confused, almost like a child. As a side note, This is also why I never really gravitated to Spider-man as a favorite, he always seems to get the short end of the stick. The artwork has Don Heck doing the artwork over Romitas layouts and the finished product is really nice. I consider Heck to be the top Avengers artist after J. Buscema. This issue also gives you the trademark fight between heroes as Spidey takes on the Avengers for a few panels. I love that stuff. Nice fight , although they sort of gang up on him.  This issue had other surprises {Guess who ?} 
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 22, 2019 10:25:00 GMT -5
3. Dr. Strange and Dr. DoomTriumph and Torment (Marvel, 1989) by Roger Stern, Mike Mignola and Mark Badger  Roger Stern is among my favorite comics writers, and this my favorite story by him (and possibly the best single story he’s ever written). It’s also my favorite Dr. Strange story, and probably my favorite Doom story as well. It’s here that Dr. Strange offically becomes Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, and that happens in the first act. After that, Strange is essentially compelled to form an alliance with Doom, because as the newly-proclaimed Sorcerer Supreme, he has to grant a boon to the second runner-up. And what Doom wants is nothing less than help in storming the gates of hell to secure the release of his mother’s soul. There’s a lot of story packed into this one – it truly reads like a novel. Stern even found a way to recap Strange’s origin and crucial aspects of Doom’s past (mainly his obsession with saving his mother’s soul) in a way that doesn’t seem forced and that doesn’t weigh down the narrative.  What I really like is that Stern wrote Doom so perfectly here: as a reader, you can almost sympathize with his obsessive efforts to save his mother’s soul, and even see a certain nobility in that quest. However, he’s never portrayed as anything other than what he is and always has been: an arrogant, calculating (not above cheating, either), and just plain old mean and vile SOB. And Mignola’s art – what can I say? Outstanding as always and absolutely perfect for the story.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2019 10:31:33 GMT -5
3. DC Comics Presents #67 (DC Comics, 1984):  I don't need to say anything more than Superman and Santa Claus take on Toyman. 'Nuff said. See ya all later. Okay, I'll try and elaborate on my choice. Who can not love a story where Superman and Santa must save Christmas against Toyman? What an utter creep trying to ruin Xmas. I'm angry just thinking about it! Scripted by Len Wein, drawn by Curt Swan and inked by Murphy Anderson, this is a magical tale. Superman tries to help a boy suffering from radiation sickness. He takes the boy to the Fortress of Solitude, but soon after, Superman becomes incapacitated and falls unconscious in the snow. That is when Santa arrives - and the Man of Steel and Father Christmas must team up to save Christmas. At the end of the tale, Superman wakes up in the ice. All that teaming with Santa was just a dream due to his mental state while lying in the ice. Or was it? When he heads back to the United States, he discovers a toy from his Kryptonian childhood in his cape. Who could possibly have left it there? Wait, perhaps it wasn't a dream. Santa Claus isn't real, right? Yet how did a long-destroyed Kryptonian toy end up in Supes' cape? Merry Christmas, Man of Steel.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 22, 2019 11:04:08 GMT -5
3. John Constantine and ZatannaBooks of Magic #2, 1990 (DC/Vertigo)John Constantine won me over from his first appearance, and Neil Gaiman does a fantastic job with the character here. In fact, I think Neil writes one of the very best Constantine scenes ever, as our hero stares down an entire club filled with DC's most nefarious supernatural characters going from Tala and Tannarak to Felix Faust.  Meanwhile, Zatanna is a character I didn’t know very well, not being much of a DC reader. I mostly saw her as "that magic girl from the Justice League". Here Neil depicts Zatanna as a charming and very charismatic young woman, witty, brave and with a great sense of humour. Her breaking out the infamous fishnet stockings for Halloween was pretty funny, and her emotional maturity is something rarely seen in a comic-book character. Last time we had seen John and Zatanna together in the pages of Swamp Thing, she’d had angry words for him for being the indirect cause of her father’s death… I was expecting some kind of clichéd acrimonious reunion (“I shall take revenge and blah blah blah”), but Neil foregoes the cheap angst and shows that she has come to terms with her grief and is actually happy to see Constantine (even if he knocks on her door bringing more problems with him), proving to be a great friend.  Neil Gaiman is an amazing comic-book writer. He fully deserves the recognition he got for his work. As for this particular book, it made me a Zatanna fan.
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 22, 2019 11:10:47 GMT -5
3. Usagi Yojimbo and Zato-Ino (inspired by Zatoichi)
"Blind Swords-Pig!"
from Critters #7 (Fantagraphics, 1987)
by Stan Sakai  While Spider-Man has dominated my list this year, I had to make some room for the best non-Spidey comic book series in history. What originally came to mind is Usagi/Ninja Turtles, as that fits neatly in the theme. But then I thought about Kurt using Captain Strong as a Popeye stand-in, and remembered Usagi Yojimbo is filled with such stand-in characters. Surely his meetings with Lone Wolf and Kid would qualify as well then. And that thought process brings us here. Zatoichi is the famed blind swordsman of Japanese cinema. Did you know there have been around 30 Zatoichi films? I think I've seen one of them. There was even a film, Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo. (With Usagi's character drawing from a mix of Yojimbo with the Miyamoto Musashi of the Samurai trilogy). But this isn't Miyamoto Musashi. It's Miyamoto Usagi. "Usagi" being the Japanese word for "rabbit". So of course he doesn't meet Zatoichi, the blind swordsman; he meets Zato-Ino, the blind swords-pig. One of the series' (many) great characters in one of the series' (many) great tales. Ino sees the flaws in everybody except himself. And is always ready to believe the worst of people and lash out at the world. Usagi is the first person to try to understand him and connect with him, but Ino is too hateful and spurns Usagi's advances. It's a tragic tale of a man (err, pig) who thinks he is seeking a peace the world denies him, when, in truth, it is he himself who stands in the way of his own peace. 
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 22, 2019 11:11:51 GMT -5
3
Crossover- Spider-man/ Hulk/ The Avengers
Issue- Amazing Spider-man King size special # 3
Writer- Stan Lee
Artist-John Romita / Don Heck
Inker- Mickey Demeo
Publisher- Marvel
Year- 1966 While I'm too deep in for course correction, one regret of my list is not including any '60s Stan Lee comics, as I love many that fit the bill. Had I managed to make room for one, I think this would have been my pick. So good to see it represented. |
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 22, 2019 11:13:10 GMT -5
3. Dr. Strange and Dr. DoomTriumph and Torment (Marvel, 1989) by Roger Stern, Mike Mignola and Mark Badger Yet another entry to make me say, "well duh--- why didn't I think of this for my list". I'm an idiot. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2019 11:17:17 GMT -5
On the tenth day of Christmas, Santa told me a fable about a detective, an archer, and a Question... Batman, Green Arrow, and the Question in Fables (Detective Comics Annual #1, Green Arrow Annual #1, Question Annual #1; DC; 1988)   by Denny O'Neil with Janson/DeZuniga, Artis/Dzon, and Cowan/Sienkewicz An ancient sensei and his disciple, Lady Shiva seek help with fulfilling his final obligation and seek aid from three warriors Shiva has told him about. He visits the first two (Bruce and Ollie) and offers them a nugget of wisdom in the form of a fable and asks if it helps them they repay the debt when he needs help. The story flows through a plot by the Penguin that involves Ras and Talia l Ghul, a copycat archer killing people in Seattle and the aftermath of the death of the mayor in Hub city and draws all three characters into the sensei's debt and they all help him in his final obligation. O'Neill tries to model the crossover over Hammett's The Dain Curse which was comprised of three separate novellas that comprise an overall bigger story, which works with the first 2 annuals, but the third (the Question annual) doesn't stand well alone as it serves mostly as a resolution to the threads that tied the first two annuals together, but it still works mostly as an overall story. When this crossover came out, I was regularly reading Batman and Arrow, so got those annuals, but I hadn't read O'Neil's Question, so only picked up the annual to finish the story. It was my introduction to that series (and mostly to the Question except for 1 back up I had read in a Modern Comics reprint of a Charlton Blue Beetle comic) which went on to become one of my favorite runs of the late 80s/early 90s, and it is due to my discovery through this cross-over. -M |
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Post by MWGallaher on Dec 22, 2019 11:57:25 GMT -5
3. Phantom Stranger & the Spawn of Frankenstein in Phantom Stranger #26"From Dust Thou Art..."By Len Wein, Marv Wolfman and Jim Aparo, cover by Mike Kaluta DC Comics, Aug/Sep 1973 Thanks to exposure very early in my comics collecting days, the Phantom Stranger is one of my favorite series, and favorite characters. I was loving every globe-trotting, lushly-illustrated installment of this inscrutable mystery man's adventures from Wein and Aparo, and was getting a huge kick out of the Spawn of Frankenstein, courtesy of Wolfman and Kaluta, who had usurped Dr. Thirteen's slot in the backup, keeping the Ghost Breaker around as pursuing nemesis. With this installment, everything came to a head. I am certain that all involved were working under the assumption that this was to be the final issue of PS, a series that, according to its final letter column years later, was perennially in danger of cancellation. (And today I am struck with imagining how the team would have reacted on learning that some 35 years later, both the Stranger and Frankenstein--or at least a version partially inspired by Wolfman and Kaluta's take on the character--would see publication in their own individual comics series: "Yeah, right. And we'll all be carrying around Mother Boxes, too, hunh?" "Well, sort of, but I prefer to think of them as portable Absorbascons, myself.") We open with a classic splash, with one of the Stranger's trademark soliloquies, hinting at the finality that hung over this title's presumed fate, with the monster standing amidst burning wreckage, carrying a beautiful girl:  In a moody tale of demonic possession, the long-running feud between the Stranger and Thirteen comes to a suitable conclusion. The Stranger, with Frankenstein, has saved and revived Thirteen's comatose wife, Marie. The Stranger pulls his disappearing act, the monster strides into the night, with Thirteen certain that they will meet again. If it had all stopped there, I'd have been sad, but satisfied. The Phantom Stranger would return, but never with the heaviness and mystery with which Wein and Aparo imbued him. Gerry Talaoc for Aparo, Bernard Bailey for Kaluta? Not quite a fair trade, if you ask me, but such are the lessons a young comics fan must learn to deal with to postpone the longer-term partings ahead. So a nostalgic selection, but a very worthy one, deserving of a high ranking!
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 22, 2019 11:59:21 GMT -5
And on the Tenth Day I give thee.... Two Sandmen Sandman Midnight Theater DC, 1995 This 1995 one shot marks the meeting of two of my favorite comics of all time, Neil Gaiman's the Sandman and Matt Wagner's Sandman Mystery Theatre. Though the latter spun off of the former, it was very much its own animal making the meeting of the Golden Age Sandman and Dream of the Endless a fantastic surprise. One thing I love about this story is that although it features both writers it's difficult to tell where one begins and another ends; it's just that perfect a marrying of styles. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 22, 2019 12:11:00 GMT -5
3. Whiz Comics #15-18March-June 1941 We're gonna go WAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy back to the beginning, for this one. Whiz Comics made its debut in 1940, with issue #2, cover dated Feb 1940. Issue 1 was what was known as an "ashcan" edition; a black and white publication, of limited numbers, to secure copyright and trademark on a title. It featured, essentially, the story that would appear in Whiz #2, the debut of Captain Marvel. It was a sensation and would soon outdraw the Man of Steel, leading to lawsuits; But, this isn't Superman vs Shazam; this is another battle between heroes. Also appearing in Whiz Comics #2 was Alan Armstrong, aka Spy Smasher. He was the number 2 of the book, behind Captain Marvel, as he fought Nazi agents, saboteurs and other enemies of America. He proved popular enough to follow The Big Red Cheese onto the motion picture screen, with the Republic serial Spy Smasher, with Kane Richmond as the hero. In 1941, a funny thing happened. Spy Smasher's chief enemy, the Mask, used a device to brainwash Spy Smasher into hating America, then unleashed him to cause chaos and destruction. This brought in Captain Marvel, to stop him. Their battle raged across three issues, before Spy Smasher came to his senses...   Eventually, Captain Marvel is able to use "all of his will power" to release Spy Smasher from the spell and they stop the Mask's reign of terror. Also, Captain Marvel spanks a bear! This is one of the earliest crossovers in comic books and one of the first to depict a hero turning heel. Spy Smasher's gyrosub proves to be a major weapon in the story, which helps put him on par with Captain Marvel. Fawcett Comics was one of the first publishers to do multi-part serials. While the JSA might have multiple chapters in an adventure (the team splits and then each chapter is essentially one hero's part of the adventure, providing their own backup stories), Captain Marvel had several serials that crossed issues, with the most famous being the Monster Society of Evil, which, eventually, gave us the debut of Mr Mind, the Universe's Most Evil Worm. This battle between the two stars of Whiz Comics would be one of their first long form stories and readers ate it up. You can read the whole thing here.
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Post by beccabear67 on Dec 22, 2019 12:58:25 GMT -5
 3. The Silver Surfer & Doctor DoomFantastic Four #57 (December 1966, Marvel) Stan Lee, Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott "I am but a humble servant" Victor Von Doom tells the very credulous Silver Surfer, winning him over, while we the readers know this is all false. It's entertaining to see the naive alien, erstwhile herald of Galactus the devourer, buying into an altruistic and selfless Doctor Doom's offer of fellowship, but their team lasts only long enough for Doom to spring his trap. He siphons off the Surfer's power cosmic for his own nefarious use! This was part of a great run in FF, introducing the Surfer, his subsequent exile, and then his searching for a place among humanity and not finding it. He was primed for an approach by the greatest FF villain.  |
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Post by DubipR on Dec 22, 2019 13:29:42 GMT -5
3. Batman/Grendel - Devil's Riddle/Devil's MasqueWritten & Drawn by: Matt Wagner DC Comics/Comico 1993  Batman finds himself up against a new and vicious foe of uncanny intellect and evil intent, one more than capable of testing the Dark Knight's formidable skills to their limits. Using the detective aspect of Batman to its fullest, Wagner weaves a great two part tale of high society stakes, and the fight between the world's greatest detective versus the world's greatest assassin. For the longest time Wagner was the darling of the smaller press comic scene with Grendel and Mage, but pitting his creation versus Batman was a no-brainer. It's one crossover I pull out almost every year and read it; it's so well done. Four characters; Hunter Rose, Bruce Wayne and two ladies who's lives intersect with Rose and Wayne collide with action, carnage and first class storytelling. It's one of my favorite Batman stories of all time. 
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Dec 22, 2019 13:58:07 GMT -5
3. ALF and The High Evolutionaryfrom ALF Annual #1 (1988), by Michael Gallagher and Dave Manak I'm just as surprised as you are to see ALF making my list for the second Christmas in a row, but ALF reuniting with The High Evolutionary (he had been the keynote speaker at ALF's graduation) was the absolute high point of the Evolutionary War crossover event, especially as the HE had an odd sort of respect for ALF, even expressing sympathy over the destruction of his home planet. Really, the concept was so absurdly fun from the getgo that Gallagher and Manak didn't have to do much to sell it, and they hit the balance between outrageously absurd and almost-believably-Official-Marvel-Universe-canon with remarkable craft. 
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