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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2016 1:16:54 GMT -5
There's also a nifty Dr. Strange omnibus scheduled for this year that will have the entire Ditko run plus some others. I will obviously second CB's nomination of Ditko's Doc, and I will say I think it is the best of the Silver Age Marvel runs.
As for Creeper, I read a handful of the Ditko issues way back when (they were cheap Silver DC issues when I was in high school and OI had snagged a few) and I liked them and the character, but they were very different form what I was used to reading at the time. I suspenct I would like them more now than I did then...
-M
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Jan 3, 2016 17:52:21 GMT -5
Is this good, guys?  Oh yeah, it's great. I bought it when the Omnibus came out and had never read it before. Surprisingly dark/not-goofy for a '60s DC book, and relatively realistic (No costumed supervillains who shoot fire out of their bottoms.) here's a couple later back-up strips from World's Finest or wherever (I forget!) that aren't as strong. But the first seven stories are stone classics. Honestly, I'd call all of Ditko's '60s superhero work essential. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2016 18:37:14 GMT -5
Thank you, Crimebuster, mrp, and Reptisaurus!  I will add to my list of hardcover wants. |
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Post by Spike-X on Jan 3, 2016 19:23:45 GMT -5
No costumed supervillains who shoot fire out of their bottoms. I'll be cancelling my order, then. |
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Post by realjla on Jan 3, 2016 20:38:46 GMT -5
No costumed supervillains who shoot fire out of their bottoms. I'll be cancelling my order, then. Was looking forward to that story where Matter Farter Lad swore vengeance after the Legion rejected him. |
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Post by antoine on Jan 20, 2016 8:07:29 GMT -5
What about Elephantmen? I can get the first 4 HC for relatively cheap on Kijiji (the first 30 issues I think), and I've never read any but it intrigues me. Any good? worth it for 45$?
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Post by Batflunkie on Jan 20, 2016 9:14:53 GMT -5
]I can't really say, but I will suggest that if you're really liking Ditko and Lee's Spider-Man run, you should absolutely read their Doctor Strange. It's just as innovative and influential as anything in Spider-Man, and arguably more so. I don't think we get Starlin or much of the cosmic stuff without Ditko's Doctor Strange - and Ditko's Doctor Strange is also superior to what it inspired. I'd put the Dormammu/Eternity arc up in the top handful of Marvel stories ever. Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange volume 1 contains almost their entire run; it has up through Strange Tales #141, and Ditko's last issue was #146. I've tried to get into Doctor Strange in the past, but it never really "clicked" with me, which is weird considering how much I love Dr. Fate. But then again, it has that Egyptian Mythological origin to it (Moon Knight) that I'm constantly a sucker for. I also never really found Magic to be one of Marvel's strong suits in comparison to their Cosmic titles |
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Post by Trevor on Jan 20, 2016 10:37:13 GMT -5
 Somehow, despite it being right in my wheelhouse, I never really read Rom. I own a handful of issues, and completing and reading the run have always been on my ever-growing to-do list. I think most of the issues are fairly affordable (I'm okay with any condition except incomplete). How good is the entire series, and do you think it holds up well? Worth moving up my to-do list? |
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
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Post by Crimebuster on Jan 20, 2016 11:31:01 GMT -5
I love Rom, it's one of my favorites.
Rom has a few things going for it. First, it's basically one long self-contained story. Usually I break it down like so: issues #1-16 are Act I, Issues #17-49 are Act II, #50-66 are Act III, and #67-75 is the epilogue. Second, it's just a great premise and tone: citizens of Earth are being replaced by evil shapeshifting aliens, the Dire Wraiths, and only Rom can tell who has been replaced. So when he starts killing these alien infiltrators, he's viewed as the villain, leading the government (secretly controlled by the Wraiths) and other Marvel heroes to hunt him down. The tone is closer to horror than superhero, with some great sci-fi elements as well. Third, if you like team-up books, #17-66 basically reads like Rom Team-Up, with one Marvel character or another guest starring in almost every single arc.
I personally find the first 16 issues to be a bit dense, both in terms of the writing and the art. They are good, but maybe a bit slow going. But once you hit the X-Men guest appearance in #17-18, it really takes off.
Also, as a side note, if you're an X-Men fan, Rom is almost a must read. Bill Mantlo and Chris Claremont were clearly friends, because there are some very close ties. The X-Men or New Mutants guest star several times, but there are even more important developments here; Rogue's transition from villain to hero kind of takes place in her second appearance, which is in Rom #31-32 (her appearance in X-Men #158, which came out the same month as Rom #31, is a tie-in with Rom #31 to help tease that story). And Forge is a major character from around #60-66; the anti-mutant gun that strips Ororo's powers is based on Rom's nullifier, so it's developed in the pages of Rom, and much of Forge's early character work takes place in these Rom issues. And of course the X-Men have a major crossover with Rom right at the end of the main Rom storyline; basically, X-Men #184-188 and Rom #61-66 are so closely intertwined that you're only getting half the story if you don't read both titles.
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
Posts: 3,958
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Post by Crimebuster on Jan 20, 2016 11:34:14 GMT -5
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Post by berkley on Jan 20, 2016 22:40:51 GMT -5
]I can't really say, but I will suggest that if you're really liking Ditko and Lee's Spider-Man run, you should absolutely read their Doctor Strange. It's just as innovative and influential as anything in Spider-Man, and arguably more so. I don't think we get Starlin or much of the cosmic stuff without Ditko's Doctor Strange - and Ditko's Doctor Strange is also superior to what it inspired. I'd put the Dormammu/Eternity arc up in the top handful of Marvel stories ever. Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange volume 1 contains almost their entire run; it has up through Strange Tales #141, and Ditko's last issue was #146. I've tried to get into Doctor Strange in the past, but it never really "clicked" with me, which is weird considering how much I love Dr. Fate. But then again, it has that Egyptian Mythological origin to it (Moon Knight) that I'm constantly a sucker for. I also never really found Magic to be one of Marvel's strong suits in comparison to their Cosmic titles I'd recommend two things in particular: the already mentioned Doctor Strange (from the beginning with Ditko up to the end of the Englehart run) and Man-Thing (all the Steve Gerber issues from Fear through the Man-Thing series itself). I feel like there should be more but nothing else springs to mind at the moment. |
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Post by berkley on Jan 20, 2016 22:44:33 GMT -5
Is this good, guys? I like the original Creeper run mostly for the Ditko artwork, though I think the Creeper is a pretty good character as well. Haven't read this collection, though, so not sure how the reproduction is. |
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Post by Mormel on Jan 21, 2016 15:39:48 GMT -5
I'm quite fond of Steve Rogers, but other than the Steve Englehart run from the mid 70s, a couple of scattered Roger Stern issues, and a bunch of Brubaker ones, I haven't read much of his solo title(s).
What would you guys say are the highlights of the Star-Spangled Avenger's career? Which runs are really memorable? I've read a number of Stan Lee issues that preceded the Englehart run, and thought those were amazing.
I'm enjoying Richard Bishop's thread reviewing Cap America from the beginning.
Edit: almost forgot, I appreciate Crimebuster's recommendation of Rom Spaceknight. I love the Dire Wraith story in X-Men, and am curious about Rogue's few appearances prior to joining the good guys. Gotta go check that out some time, and not just for the guest appearances.
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Jan 21, 2016 17:00:39 GMT -5
I'm quite fond of Steve Rogers, but other than the Steve Englehart run from the mid 70s, a couple of scattered Roger Stern issues, and a bunch of Brubaker ones, I haven't read much of his solo title(s). What would you guys say are the highlights of the Star-Spangled Avenger's career? Which runs are really memorable? I've read a number of Stan Lee issues that preceded the Englehart run, and thought those were amazing. I've real all of Cap vol. 2 and didn't think there was too much weak stuff, ever. My favorite thing about Captain America is that there's absolutely no continuity. Every writer (after Englehart, at least) creates a completely new character with very little relation to any other version of Captain America. If you've read Englehart (I Love those comics! LOVE!) then I'd say the big three are: 1) Golden Age Kirby stuff - really different from his later work, lots of cool design stuff (and realistic anatomy!) that he later dropped - 2) Steranko's short, three issue run and 3) John Byrne/Roger Stern's damn near perfect eight issue stretch around # 250. And, heck, for more modern stuff I'd throw in Dave Gibbons/Lee Weeks run that followed the Godawful Cassaday/Ney Reiber run. Circa 2003 or so. But I love Dematties, Gruenwald, Lee and Kirby, Colan, third Kirby run and Waid, too. But keep in mind they're all very different! |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2016 20:01:18 GMT -5
The 3 Steranko issues (110, 111, 113) are my absolute favorite Cap issues.
The Kirby return inthe 70s (193-214, plus Annual 3 & 4 and the Bicentennial Battles Treasury) is a favorite of mine as well.
The first Waid/Garney run post-Gruenwald (444-454) was a favorite of mine when it came out but I haven't revisited it since to see how it stood up. I liked their second stint (part of Heroes Return) less, but did enjoy it.
-M
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