|
|
Post by brutalis on Jan 30, 2021 17:42:36 GMT -5
Not fond of the reinvented Rawhide Kid but that sure is some sweet Chaykin artwork. I bought this in a bargain pack at my LCS if only for my love of western comics, the Chaykin art and the other characters. Still haven't seen or read the Severin mini. On my hunt list, again if only for Severin.
|
|
|
|
Post by MWGallaher on Jan 30, 2021 23:26:34 GMT -5
Not fond of the reinvented Rawhide Kid but that sure is some sweet Chaykin artwork. I bought this in a bargain pack at my LCS if only for my love of western comics, the Chaykin art and the other characters. Still haven't seen or read the Severin mini. On my hunt list, again if only for Severin. I bought the Severin miniseries because, well, that guy just never let you down on the art, and he wasn't a routine presence in the comics pages by then. This sequel didn't make my pull list, because it didn't feel as special to get another Chaykin story (although I did love his work in general), and because I didn't have any interest in Westerns. And because 2010 was the year I said goodbye to buying new comics... |
|
|
|
Post by MWGallaher on Feb 1, 2021 7:39:46 GMT -5
Rawhide Kid: The Sensational Seven #2, September 2010 Writer: Ron Zimmerman Artist: Howard Chaykin Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry Colorist: Edgar Delgado  2nd issue cover by Dave Johnson Summary: On the quest to build a team strong enough to rescue the Earps, Rawhide and Annie ride into Deadwood, where Annie hopes to find her boyfriend Doc Holliday. The town has a permanent welcome banner to greet the Rawhide Kid, and he has a dedicated suite at the finest hotel. At the saloon, the beautiful female saloon owner chats with Rawhide, who, being “well-dressed”, as she terms it, is regretfully unbeddable (by her). “A terrible waste of man-flesh”, she tells him, leading Rawhide to insinuate that some other Western legends of note didn’t think so, being “well-dressed”, themselves. She’s got Rawhide’s next recruit upstairs being entertained by five of her best girls. Elsewhere, Holliday is winning at poker when Annie finds him. On learning that the man they’re playing against is Holliday (“a lowlife drunk...a hopeless drug fiend...and a card cheat”, Doc draws his guns and kills half of his accusers. He and Annie scare off the rest, and Holliday agrees to join the team. Not that the sheriff is going to allow them to stroll off unassailed after killing four men… Kid Colt agrees to join the team only because Annie Oakley is with them:  Doc and Annie are about to be arrested, when their sharp-dressed lawyer arrives: Matthew Liebowitz, a.k.a. Matt Hawk, a.k.a. The Two-Gun Kid. The argument is unpersuasive to Sheriff Bullock, but Rawhide arrives to smooth things over. He and Rawhide have a little history between them, and it ain’t the bad kinda history. The sheriff releases Doc and Annie into Rawhide’s custody. Rawhide initially rejects Matt’s declaration that he’s joining the team--they don’t expect to need any legal representation--but Matt reveals he’s the Two-Gun Kid. “I must be slipping,” Rawhide responds. “Your walk should have given you away...Well, that adds a new wrinkle. I adore your costume. That mask and the pinto pony vest are to die for.” Matt’s only welcome if his shooting’s improved--apparently Two-Gun is not quite the legendary marksman he’s reputed to be. He fails the test, but makes the team, anyway:  Later, the exhausted team insists they make camp as they continue their march toward rescuing the Earps. Rawhide’s still in good shape, and heads off to the mountains in search of “a few more additions to our company.” Rawhide finds the additions he’s seeking. Red Wolf is willing to take a break from his scholarly activities and join the team, bringing his faithful Lobo along:  The “Sensational Seven” are ready to ride: Kid Colt, Two-Gun Kid, Red Wolf, Lobo, Rawhide Kid, Annie Oakley, and Doc Holliday. A very worthy Western Team-Up, to be sure! At Cristos Pike’s fort, the Earps are still being taunted by the old coot they’re jailed up with into fighting between themselves, and Pike appears to be eagerly anticipating the arrival of Rawhide and company into his “spider’s nest”, as well as the arrival of some “special recruits” of his own. Comments: Rawhide first met Doc Holliday in Rawhide Kid #46, June 1965.  The historical figure made a few other appearances over the years in Marvel Westerns: a scrapbook page in Two-Gun Kid #10 (November 1949), the story of the “shootout at the O.K. Corral” in Wyatt Earp #10, and a backup story in Rawhide Kid #35. Once again, a synopsis misses the point of the comic. It’s the humor and the beautiful art that is the draw, here, not the plot. Rawhide has his team, most of which have appeared in their own solo series at Marvel, and they’re riding to save another one-time Marvel solo series star (and his brother). The story gets a little more substantive next time around.
|
|
|
|
Post by MDG on Feb 1, 2021 9:31:24 GMT -5
I'm not a fan of this kind of art by Chaykin, similar to "Hey Kids! Comics!". The drawing and storytelling is all there, but the use of color, re-use of images, what look like "stock" backgrounds, etc., give it a feel of being "assembled." I wonder if part of that is a trade- off for hours v page rate.
|
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Feb 1, 2021 10:25:07 GMT -5
I'm not a fan of this kind of art by Chaykin, similar to "Hey Kids! Comics!". The drawing and storytelling is all there, but the use of color, re-use of images, what look like "stock" backgrounds, etc., give it a feel of being "assembled." I wonder if part of that is a trade- off for hours v page rate. I kind of agree. I definitely don't think the new coloring does Chaykin any favors. |
|
|
|
Post by MWGallaher on Feb 1, 2021 14:56:42 GMT -5
It looks to me like the coloring was a lot more work than conventional coloring, even conventional computer coloring. I'm not sure what process they used, but it appears that only a small subset of Chaykin's pencils were inked with black (whether on paper, or digitally, I don't know) and the rest of the pencils were "colorized". For example, Red Wolf's leggings in the bottom left panel above: outlined in black, like conventional inking, colored a range of green, with pencil textures--well, scribbles, anyway--colored a darker green. I assume that the computer coloring takes care of applying the main overlay color to the underlying "uninked" pencils, somehow, but it seems more sophisticated than that to me.
I can appreciate the contrary opinions, but I like the overall effect. It's different enough to make this more interesting to me than the usual Chaykin inking, and the rougher textures suit the material. Maybe it's not what I'd want to see from Chaykin all the time, but I'm glad to see the approach implemented at least just this once.
|
|
|
|
Post by profh0011 on Feb 1, 2021 18:11:43 GMT -5
I remember seeing some of Chaykin's full art (pencils and inks) and thinking it was some of the sloppiest, ugliest, least-professional stuff I'd ever seen (STAR WARS #1 anybody?).
Then AMERICAN FLAGG #1 happened, and I felt like Chaykin had "arrived". He had found a way to take his own major, massive limitations, and make them "WORK". And the guy he worked with who was doing lettering-- Ken Bruzenak-- helped just push it right "over the top".
I also recall when DC started using slick magazine paper on their regular comics-- I noticed this particularly on the SUPERMAN comics-- and it coincided with a sudden deterioration on the quality of penciilers, AND, a huge upgrade of what Dick Ayers once called "OVERDONE color". The color was a way to disguise the fact that the actual line art was going to hell.
I don't see much change in Chaykin's line art here, but this coloring looks like it could hurt your eyes if you look at too much of it.
|
|
|
|
Post by MWGallaher on Feb 1, 2021 19:59:49 GMT -5
As for "overdone color", I think if you have a new tool that allows you to do more with the color than you ever have before, you're going to do more than you ever have before, and I think that's more often the case in over-coloring than compensation for a drop of quality in the art. I suffered through many a computer coloring atrocity and many inexplicable coloring trends; there was a long stretch in the mainstream comics where white people were always colored with golden tones rather than the old-fashioned pink tones. I don't know if either accurately captures flesh tones, so maybe it's just my preferences honed by tradition, but man, did I hate those gold-skinned coloring jobs.
I think my first exposure to Chaykin was in Sword of Sorcery or Weird Worlds, and I think I kind of liked it, but still perceived he didn't have the chops of the veteran artists yet. American Flagg was the first one that really impressed me, too.
|
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Feb 1, 2021 23:42:25 GMT -5
Chaykin really developed while he was doing stuff like Dominic Fortune and Cody Starbuck, while also making his foray into commercial paperback cover painting. I think the painting work helped him focus his linework better. Also, around that time he started drawing a lot of influence from Alex Toth and pared down his line work. In a Comics Journal interview he did, around the time of the second Time2 graphic novel, he was talking up Toth throughout.
|
|
|
|
Post by MWGallaher on Feb 2, 2021 7:02:47 GMT -5
Rawhide Kid: The Sensational Seven #3, October 2010 Writer: Ron Zimmerman Artist: Howard Chaykin Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry Colorist: Edgar Delgado  3rd issue cover by Mark Brooks Summary: From around a table in a saloon, our six human heroes watch the homely and obnoxious Billy the Kid shoot a man point-blank and decide that, “for the purpose of this mission...that bloodthirsty little savage is going to come in handy.” So, with a plan to return him to jail once they’re done (so that Matt can make a pretty penny defending him as his lawyer), Doc Holliday recruits the buck-toothed bandit. It takes a good beating from the Doc to get him to “volunteer”. In the cell at Fort Pecos, the old coot is still tormenting the Earp brothers, so much so that Morgan begs for--and is granted--the chance to join up with the bad guys to avoid hanging the next morning. The old man also offers to join in, but “as worthless a bag of hate and bones you are, you’re also a key element of my plan”, then drops a big hint as to why he’s got this aggravating ass imprisoned with Earp. Around the campfire, our Sensational Seven (not counting Lobo!) are sharing stories, with Two-Gun repeating, for the third time, “about when I time-traveled into the future and met up with these people called ‘super heroes’ who had a whole gang named ‘The Avengers’?” Billy the Kid draws everyone’s offense with some racist pro-slavery remarks and is taken to the woodshed:  Later that night, Two-Gun’s getting some advice from Rawhide on how the way he dresses is giving off a gay vibe. Matt responds “Oh my lord. I gotta change my whole look”, but Rawhide has a story to share about being comfortable with who you are… Flashback to Johnny Bart’s childhood as a brilliant, loquacious boy who wants to “travel the world, read poetry, and study the arts.” But Pa insists there “aint’ been a Bart what couldn’t shoot the eyes outta a penny. You just make me sick!” He beats his wife when she attempts to defend her son with her argument “I don’t want him to grow up like you! He’s clean, intelligent, and has a sensitive soul.” Then he demonstrates the Bart men’s traditional shooting skills and leaves Bart to practice on his own. Once alone, Johnny shows that he’s better aim than his old man already, and strikes out on his own. Rawhide ends his tale with a brief update, one that reveals a story quite different than the legend that we’ve heard before (the one where Rawhide becomes wanted after the events following his father’s murder):  Back to Fort Pecos, where we get a look at Cristos Pike’s recruits, a villainous counterteam in opposition to the Sensational Seven:  Is that The Grizzly from Rawhide Kid #40? Maybe...when Lobo returns from scouting, he communicates to Red Wolf that Pike has hired Le Saber Kid, The Lone Ninja, Bloody Ivan, Kid Cab, Grizzly Johnson, Honey Bee, and Kid Dead. Billy the Kid is dubious that a wolf can “recognize all them people by name? Ya’ll almost had me b’lievin’ I was the dumbest one here.” The others leave it to Lobo to defend his own reputation, and after a close encounter, Billy sits up and declares “I’d, uhhh, like to apologize to Lobo and also tell Mr. Colt that he’s gat a loose rein-strap he should fix before we head out...Lobo there told me to tell ya.” Based on Rawhide’s response to the news, this crew of villains is as formidable as they themselves are, and with the army of commancheros to boot, the odds look grim for the Sensational Seven. Which finally gets its formal title as they all ride toward an uncertain fate:  Comments: So I guess Lobo’s not counted among the seven after all? To my surprise, I couldn’t find any appearances of Billy the Kid in any early Marvel Western comics. Most of the well-known historical figures showed up somewhere along the way, but not Mr. Bonney. The key developments in this issue, besides the addition of Billy to the team, are Rawhide’s origin story, Morgan Earp’s desertion to the other side, and the arrival of the enemy’s team. Evidently, they’re all new creations, not based on existing characters that I can find. Grizzly Johnson might have been inspired by Ace Fester’s Grizzly costume back in Rawhide’s first Western Team-Up with Two-Gun Kid, but is presumably a different character. Lots of witty dialog in this one, particularly from Morgan Earp. The ludicrously specific messages Lobo returns with remind me of TV’s Lassie, something I associate with the early Silver Age when these characters were at their strongest. Zimmerman achieved a similarly comic effect in a previous issue by trotting out the “shooting the guns out of their hands” gimmick, another relic of that era.
|
|
|
|
Post by MWGallaher on Feb 3, 2021 6:13:21 GMT -5
Rawhide Kid: The Sensational Seven #4, November 2010 Writer: Ron Zimmerman Artist: Howard Chaykin Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry Colorist: Edgar Delgado  4th issue cover by Arthur Suydam Summary: Red Wolf and Colt are dubious about Rawhide’s plan of attack:  But Rawhide’s as confident as always that the commancheros will run at the mere sight of him, leaving them ample time to fight and defeat their “outlaw counterparts”. In fact, should someone be unable to defeat their counterpart, he’ll be happen to step in and kill them. Colt’s still reticent, but Annie tells him that she and Doc have broken up, and she’ll be his after the battle. All a lie, but it succeeds, and the Seven ride forth eager to rescue the Earps. In Fort Pecos, Morgan Earp has new “outlaw duds” and is ready to join in the big gunfight. Kid Cabo and Grizzly--and Grizzly’s partner Brownie the Bear (“Red Wolf has Lobo and Grizzly has Brownie.”)--doubt Morgan’s commitment, and give him a test: “Swear on someone’s life that you love and we’ll believe you.” When Morgan can’t think of anyone he loves, that’s the right answer, and Morgan is dubbed “Kid Bad”. Wyatt and the old man are still locked up, and Wyatt is suffering the coot’s relentless teasing alone now. Cristo Pike observes the Seven riding toward the fort and murders his own worthless aide when he refuses to volunteer as cannon fodder. At the gate, Morgan has a sudden change of mind and attempts to desert, opening the gate to the attackers:  The team shoots up Pike’s commancheros and all is going according to plan. Then they find themselves facing down their outlaw counterparts. It’s Two-Gun vs. the Lone Ninja, and Two-Gun demonstrates his “clobberin’ time” punch he learned from his friend Ben Grimm in the future. Kid Colt plants Ivan’s own axe in his chest, Red Wolf K.O.’s Grizzly (“What an idiot. Bears trying to beat wolf power. Ridiculous”), and Annie Oakley kicks Honey Bee’s butt, literally. Billy’s opponent is Kid Dead, who appears to be a zombie, and proves easy enough for even Billy the Kid to trick, while Doc Holliday pulls an “Indiana Jones” on Le Saber Kid:  And finally, Rawhide faces down his counterpart, Kid Cabo, who has appropriated much of Rawhide’s signature fashion, with a few unique touches of his own. Before the showdown, both of these “well-dressed men” engage in a bit of chit-chat about their wardrobe:  Rawhide’s as fast as ever at the draw, and Cabo pays the ultimate price for wearing white boots after summer. The team is celebrating, but it’s premature, since no one has found the Earps...or Cristo. But their enemy soon appears, with two bound hostages: Wyatt Earp and the old man! Rawhide’s order to the team: “Everyone stand down.” The old man, as you might have guessed, is Jimmy Bart, Rawhide’s father. Pike’s plan all along was to kill Rawhide’s family, the way Rawhide killed his own, not realizing that Rawhide had long ago let go of any feelings for his old man. Rawhide draws his two guns and fires, and suddenly Cristos Pike has no hostages! It’s another showdown, and Pike calls on Rawhide to draw. Which he does, once again dropping his opponent effortlessly. Turns out Rawhide’s unerring shots just “creased” Wyatt and Pa’s skulls so they’d drop. Pa is impressed, but still belittles his son as a “namby-pamby sissy boy”, leading Doc to haul Pa off panel to receive a lesson in etiquette… Morgan shows up, claiming it was all a ruse, that he was going to rejoin the good guys, but got knocked out by the gate. Wyatt’s not buying it, but he loves the brother, despite all the bickering. His forgiveness inspires Rawhide to try to patch things up with his father. Billy the Kid takes the opportunity to scoot, riding away from the men who’ve promised to return him to justice: “Haw haw, I win. Hey, who’s that up there? That you, Pat Garrett?” Rawhide’s got a ship to Hong Kong to catch, so it’s time to ride out, with Pa filling in for the departed Billy: “Sensational Seven...let’s ride!” Comments: I got a big kick out of the ridiculous “plan of attack”, complete with completely unnecessary diagram drawn in the sand, and the opening is rich with amusing banter. What amused me most was the subversion of convention in the big showdown between the teams. The fearsome foes are all dispatched quickly, with no pretension toward suspense when we know exactly who’ll win. Zimmerman refuses to even gives us the token sacrifice, letting the odious Billy have the upper hand on his even dimmer counterpart. Zimmerman also continues to rely on absurdly unbelievable but oft-seen tools to sanitize Westerns, in this issue, the old “knock out by skull grazing”. The revelation that the old man in the jail was Rawhide's Pa probably came as no surprise after the previous issue. As the grizzled comic relief character, Jimmy Bart serves his role effectively and hilariously. If this comic take on Marvel’s Western heroes strikes you as distasteful, well, I can certainly understand fans not caring for a dandy Rawhide, randy Colt, and (forgive me!) unsteady-handy Two-Gun. All I can say is, I found it funny. Humor is always divisive, and lots of folks get very riled up at people who find humor in something that they themselves find annoying. I got that out of my system in the 80’s, when I learned that my diatribes against Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, and Billy Crystal weren’t going to change anyone’s minds. The Western Team-Up factor is pretty high in this one, for sure, but the lead stays in the spotlight. I can't really say that this is Marvel's established "Annie Oakley" character, but she was long-forgotten by this time. Of the Sensational Seven, a whopping five had ongoing comics, albeit some in reprints, during the 1970's. Wyatt Earp's been mostly left out of the Western Team-Up fun, so it's good to see him get a turn in one of these! Coming Attractions: I’ve dug up a few more things I want to cover before the end, but some will be briefer takes than I’ve been indulging in. Hang in there for the last few miles of this ride!
|
|
|
|
Post by MWGallaher on Feb 3, 2021 9:36:10 GMT -5
Not Brand Echh #1, August 1967 Too-Gone Kid in “The Fastest Gums in the West!”, 4 pgs Roy Thomas, writer Marie Severin, artist Artie Simek, letterer  Cover by Jack Kirby OK, if the humor in Rawhide Kid: The Sensational Seven wasn’t your kinda laughs, maybe you’d prefer this?  This opening scene is a familiar one, since we’ve seen a prior Western Team-Up or two with cowboy heroes looking guilty at the scene of a stagecoach robbery. This time, it’s “Rawhead Kid” (bald, but with a red-hair toupee attached to his hat) and “Kid Cold” being observed by “Madd Hogg”, the “Too-Gone Kid”, lurking behind the rocks with his companion, “Bum Bum”, a parody of Matt Hawk’s sidekick Boom-Boom. Rawhead and Cold flee with the loot, and Madd, after being reminded of the reward on the fugitives’ heads, steps into a nearby phone booth and emerges in his guise of the Too-Gone Kid. A phone booth? Not a good idea, recommends Bub Bum: “cause the phone ain’t invented yet! Yore changin’ in a mirage!” Bum Bum heads into town to report that Too-Gone will be bringing in the outlaws. Too-Gone, on horseback, quickly catches up to Rawhead and Cold, and after a bloodless exchange of evaded gunfire, duke it out. A newcomer approaches the brawling cowboys. It’s…the Ghostly Rider?  ....or not. It’s just the “Hey-Jacks White Knight.” You can read the wrap-up, above: Too-Gone offers to turn over Rawhead and Cold to the posse, but it’s Too-Gone himself that they’re after! Comments: Marie Severin knows from her experience at EC how to bring the Will Elder-style “chicken fat”, so that’s fun. Roy Thomas isn’t a particularly deft humor writer. He apes Harvey Kurtzman’s approach from the early comics version of Mad, right down to the last minute twist where the lead character’s the one in trouble, not his opponents. The parody names are a bit of a stretch; I’m glad that Thomas didn’t even try to explain “Kid Cold” by giving him a runny nose or a temperature sensitivity. I am struck by the opening caption, that self-deprecatingly (from a corporate perspective of “self”, that is) suggests that Marvel’s Western titles are deservedly ignored by comics fans. I’m sure sales were weakening in 1967, but the cowboy heroes were still worthy of appearing in this debut issue of NBE. Little known fact: the title of the comic, according to the indicia, is actually just “ Brand Echh”. The “Not” was intended to be part of the introductory blurb: “Who says a comic book has to be good?? Not…” and the contents pages leads off with “Be a wreck! Read...Brand Echh!” With the second issue, the indicia still says “Brand Ecch”, but the contents page reads “ Not Brand Echh!” The indicia doesn’t catch up to the new name until issue 5. If you didn’t get the “Ghostly Rider” joke, it may be that you’re too young to remember the commercials for Ajax laundry detergent, featuring their “White Knight”:
|
|
|
|
Post by profh0011 on Feb 3, 2021 10:26:53 GMT -5
"my diatribes against Whoopi Goldberg"
Of the various unknown up-and-coming people who appeared on Michael Nesmith's short-lived "TELEVISION PARTS" series, she was the ONE I felt just WASN'T FUNNY.
It's amazing that after that she had a decent career for quite a stretch. These days, however, she's EVEN MORE annoying than she was in the 80s.
|
|
|
|
Post by MWGallaher on Feb 3, 2021 18:25:22 GMT -5
Avengers Forever #4-6, March 1999-May 1999 Roger Stern, plotter Kurt Busiek, plotter/scripter Carlos Pacheco, penciller Jesus Merino, inker Steve Oliff, colorist Richard Starkings & Alber Deschesne, letterers  (collected edition cover) Summary: Issue 4: The Avengers are time traveling again, and the twist for this series is that the Avengers traversing the chronoscape are all drawn from different eras of the Avengers’ history, so we have, for example, both Giant-Man and the mentally unstable Yellowjacket among the seven, even though both are Hank Pym, from different stages in his superhero career. The part of the story of interest in this thread takes place in Tombstone, Arizona, 1873, where Yellowjacket, Hawkeye, and Songbird find themselves. And guess who else they find? None other than our old pals Rawhide, Colt, and Two-Gun:  Kang the Conquerer, time-travelling villain, appears to be in charge of Tombstone, and Two-Gun has called in his old pals to try to evict Kang. But Kang has some tricks up his sleeve, like materializing dinosaurs! The Avengers, dressed in age-appropriate civvies, recognize that the cowboys are outmatched, but Songbird insists they hold back: she knows what’s going on, and the kids will escape...and Hawkeye will deal with the situation! How’s that?! Songbird comes from the Avengers’ future, and she knows that the gunslingers will come back with Thor, Moondragon, and Hawkeye to defeat the villain, as told in Avengers 142-143, which we looked at before. It’s in their future...and Songbird’s past. But when they attempt to leave, their chronosphere is missing from the cave in which they left it. Issue 5: The Avengers are stranded in the Old West, at least until they can find who took their ride and take it back. Kang appears in hologram form, to deliver a warning: he doesn’t know how these Avengers took one of his time-spheres (neither do I, to be honest, since I skipped the first three issues), but they’ll pay with their lives: Kang has booby-trapped the caverns with explosives, and the walls fall upon them. Songbird saves them all with a “solid sound sphere” (she’s apparently like a Marvel version of Green Lantern, except with sound instead of light). As they discuss trying to find Kang’s chronosphere, they are overheard by another gang of Western heroes who are suspicious of anyone associated with “that Kang feller”. Who could it be? It’s our old friends the Gunhawks and the Black Rider!  Seems things get smoothed over, because next we find the sextet making plans over the campfire: Reno and the Black Rider will create a diversion, and Cassidy and the Avengers will look for the chronosphere. Hawkeye’s thrilled to get the chance to meet the great Kid Cassidy, but there’s just one little thing itching at him… ...Kid Cassidy was dead by 1873! These aren’t the real Western heroes, they’re Space Phantoms!  Yep, Space Phantoms, plural. Seems there’s not just the one guy from Avengers #1! Issue 6: Our trio of Avengers have the Space Phantoms tied up, but bicker among themselves over what to do next. Over in Tombstone, most of the town are zombified Kang-supporters, but in Matt Hawk’s office, the Western Team-Up has grown in number with the addition of Night Rider and the Ringo Kid:  The Western heroes ride against Kang. Hawkeye and YJ know they won’t stand a chance, but Songbird notes that they’ll provide the needed diversion, as the townspeople turn on the Western heroes. Songbird insists there’s nothing to worry about: “The gunslingers get chased out of town, but before Kang succeeds, they meet up with other Avengers--and they beat him! So forget about them and let’s go!” The Westerners are not really doing all that well, trying to deal with one of Kang’s monstrous beasts, so they high-tail it outta Tombstone, leaving Hawkeye and Yellowjacket to deal with their team-mate Songbird, who is in actuality another Space Phantom! But that’s beyond the scope of our concerns here. I’m sure it all turned out OK in the end. Comments: A follow-up to the Avengers adventure we looked at before, this is a fun enough romp, from a different perspective, but there’s not much to say about it. I liked seeing Reno Jones and Kid Cassidy together again, even though it wasn’t the real deal.
|
|
|
|
Post by MWGallaher on Feb 4, 2021 6:51:03 GMT -5
Odds and EndsA few brief takes on some tangentially related things. Six Guns: Western fans with an interest in more modern tales, published in more modern times (that is to say, outside the official 10-year window outside of which we around here call “classic”) might cotton to Marvel’s five-issue miniseries, Six Guns. The first issue’s dated January, 2012, and came out on November 2, 2011. Writer Andy Diggle and artist Davide Gianfelice treated readers to a Western Team-Up between successors to some of the names of several characters we’ve seen in this thread: Tarantula: mercenary Maria Vasquez, formerly a member of Heroes for Hire Tex Dawson: a Texas Ranger The Black Rider: a villainous biker and gang leader, no apparent connection to Mathew Masters Two-Gun Kid: a video game-playing sharp-shooter named Reyes Matt Slade: Bounty hunter  If these five are somehow related to their namesakes, it’s not noted in the story, so far as I noticed, but I only skimmed it. Six Guns is like an R-rated violent action film set mainly in the modern-day desert west. More Covers: Here’s a couple of mighty fine Herb Trimpe covers from Mighty Marvel Western. The debut issue is one of those sneaky varmints that might fool ya into thinkin’ you’re about to get a Western Team-Up inside, instead of the three solo stories reprinted therein. The seventh issue reprints Rawhide and Colt’s encounter with the Masquerader.  (I think I'd have flipped this cover so the logo lined up with the characters; that is, put Two-Gun on the right and Colt on the left. Curious that Two-Gun's the only one wielding one gun!)  I'm a big Herb Trimpe fan, and he did a lot of fresh covers for Western reprints in the 70's. It's worth digging through these just to look at them. Rawhide Kid 1985 miniseries Bill Mantlo, writer Herb Trimpe, penciller John Severin, Gerry Taloac, Dan Bulanadi, inkers  This miniseries looked at Rawhide much later in life, in 1892. He’s a living legend, but it’s a very different era. Some things never change, though, and Rawhide finds himself a fugitive from the law again, taking on a young understudy. It starts off strong with a lead issue inked by the legendary John Severin. There’s a bit of Western Team-Up flavor in the first issue, when an old-timer recollects some of Rawhide’s well-known contemporaries:  In issue 2, Gerry Talaoc takes over as inker, and Rawhide signs up with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Bill Cody’s shown up now and then in the Marvel Westerns, but not nearly as much as one might expect.  Rawhide encounters a famous filly who once headlined her own Marvel title, but this appears to be a different character than the corporate trademark who we once saw team up with Wyatt Earp, or the one who appeared in Rawhide Kid: The Sensational Seven. Yes, once again, it's the famous Annie Oakley:  It’s a pretty good read up until the final issue, #4, when Danny Bulanadi takes over the inks. The climax is a fantasy played out in Rawhide’s head, where he takes on several of his old enemies like Red Raven and the Ape. Those kinds of mind-game showdowns never did much for me, and they really feel wrong for a character like Rawhide. Indestructible Hulk #11-12, September-October 2013 “Agent of T.I.M.E.” parts 1-2 Mark Waid, writer Matteo Scalera, artist Val Staples, colorist Chris Eliopoulos, letterer  If you’re going to do a time-traveling, intelligent Hulk, you might as well take a jaunt in the Old West. And who else but the top trio of Rawhide, Two-Gun, and Colt to help fight dinosaurs? 
|
|
