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Post by tonebone on Jun 15, 2022 13:21:30 GMT -5
BLACKHAWK! One of my all-time favorite series! Dan Spiegle is such an underrated artist. I met Howard Chaykin at a con a few years ago, and got him to sign his covers. He reminisced over each one, and seemed delighted to see them again. That DC Special with the Earth Shattering Disasters... I got this in my Easter basket, Easter morning, 1977, along with a batman comic with Calendar Man. I lost the comics, and conflated the two for years in my mind, until I stumbled across this thanks to the magic of the internet. Still not sure what the other Batman comic was. that's the kind of thing I obsess over.
In that rough time frame, I believe the only appearances of Calendar Man were in these two issues--
Which came about a year apart. The Batman Family issue reprints the original Calendar Man story from Detective Comics #259, published in 1958.
Wow! Thanks for the research! I'll have to look those up and see if either is the one I'm thinking of. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2022 13:28:13 GMT -5
I'm a big fan of DC's 70s swords and sorcery/swords and science titles though they were all short lived. Beowulf is the exception. It's the one I read the first couple issues of, decided I wasn't going to finish, an no longer needed to own the issues of. I am a big fan of 2 versions of Beowulf in comics though-The First graphic novel version done by Jerry Bingham in the 80s and Gareth Hinds adaptation done around the turn of the millennium. -M That Bingham one is magnificent... I wish I knew where my copy is... Don't recall the Hinds one. Hinds specializes in literary adaptations into comics. He used to self-publish, but got a book deal with one of the graphic novel divisions of the major book publishers several years back. He's done Beowulf, Homer, Poe, and Shakespeare among others. I discovered Beowulf as self-published floppies circa 1999 but I think he mostly does straight to OGN format now. one of the singles  the trade  Homer...  Shakespeare  you can see more at his website and Candlewick Press is the imprint that publishes his books now. -M |
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Post by Batflunkie on Jun 15, 2022 19:15:27 GMT -5
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,200 
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Post by Confessor on Jun 15, 2022 20:52:45 GMT -5
So my copy of Captain America Epic Collection: Monsters And Men showed up and it's quite handsome if I do say so~  Had been wanting to buy this volume since before it went out of print, but poking around on the other listings on Amazon yielded a "like new" copy for about $35 plus another $5 in shipping, which I didn't think was all that bad considering how much it's selling for now elsewhere I really need to read more of J.M. DeMatteis' run on Cap. I have two issues which I bought off the newsagent's shelf at the time and which I love. So, I've always figured that the rest of the run must be at least decent. |
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Post by DubipR on Jun 15, 2022 22:59:17 GMT -5
Not a purchase but 8 of my books are back from CGC. A Dave Stevens showcase with a side of Hughes. I'm not going to complain about the grades. I'm happy with any grade as all of the Stevens issues were a gift from a former coworker. And what's not to love about Dave Stevens art? And some Adam Hughes goodness too. Only want my remaining books back... I hope by the end of the year. - Vanguard Illustrated #2 - 3D Zone #16 - Planet Comics #1 - Alien Worlds #4 - Rocketeer Special Edition #1 - Pacific Presents #2 - She-Hulk #1 (Hughes Variant) - Vampirella #1 (2nd Print-Hughes cover)     |
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Post by Batflunkie on Jun 16, 2022 7:18:55 GMT -5
I really need to read more of J.M. DeMatteis' run on Cap. I have two issues which I bought off the newsagent's shelf at the time and which I love. So, I've always figured that the rest of the run must be at least decent. It's been about a year or so since I've read all of it and my opinions about it were a little bit mixed, mostly due to how Steve's personality seemed to shift. I did enjoy the endgame story with Skull that takes place in the upcoming Sturm Und Drang epic collection |
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Post by commond on Jun 16, 2022 9:22:42 GMT -5
If you like the issues that you own, then you'll probably enjoy the entire run. I was surprised by how many characters DeMatteis reused during his Spider-Man run, and how many of the stories he revisited. I definitely agree that the best thing about the run is the dynamic between Cap and the Red Skull. DeMatteis is excellent at protagonist/antagonist relationships. It loses its luster a bit when Zeck leaves to do Secret Wars, but it's still readable. DeMatteis doesn't get to finish the run the way he wanted, but it's not a horrible ending as far as I remember. My only real gripe is that there's a lot of ideology involved, which I guess you expect when reading a Captain America comic, but there are only so many dissertations you can read about the American spirit before you start hankering for something else. Oh, and DeMatteis likes to torture his characters psychologically, and they often take it out on their loved ones, especially their partners. Peter Parker was worse during DeMatteis' Spider-Man run, but Rogers gets pretty angsty at times.
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Post by Batflunkie on Jun 16, 2022 18:33:04 GMT -5
DeMatteis doesn't get to finish the run the way he wanted, but it's not a horrible ending as far as I remember. My only real gripe is that there's a lot of ideology involved, which I guess you expect when reading a Captain America comic, but there are only so many dissertations you can read about the American spirit before you start hankering for something else. I agree, I think a lot of the ending had to do with mandates from Shooter not wanting Steve replaced by a wheel-chair bound native American
And I'm trying not to be political when I say this, but having Steve be "everyone is entitled to freedom of speech", even in regards to a Neo-Nazi rally, feels really out of character. I could give or take Steve being a Pacifist
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Post by Ozymandias on Jun 17, 2022 0:15:49 GMT -5
I see they respected the original coloring, which has been my experience with the Epic Collection so far. |
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Post by Ozymandias on Jun 17, 2022 0:19:53 GMT -5
My only real gripe is that there's a lot of ideology involved, which I guess you expect when reading a Captain America comic, but there are only so many dissertations you can read about the American spirit before you start hankering for something else. Oh, and DeMatteis likes to torture his characters psychologically, and they often take it out on their loved ones, especially their partners. Peter Parker was worse during DeMatteis' Spider-Man run, but Rogers gets pretty angsty at times. And there you have it, why I won't touch almost anything DeMatteis, except the humor stuff. |
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Post by tartanphantom on Jun 17, 2022 9:05:07 GMT -5
If you like the issues that you own, then you'll probably enjoy the entire run. I was surprised by how many characters DeMatteis reused during his Spider-Man run, and how many of the stories he revisited. I definitely agree that the best thing about the run is the dynamic between Cap and the Red Skull. DeMatteis is excellent at protagonist/antagonist relationships. It loses its luster a bit when Zeck leaves to do Secret Wars, but it's still readable. DeMatteis doesn't get to finish the run the way he wanted, but it's not a horrible ending as far as I remember. My only real gripe is that there's a lot of ideology involved, which I guess you expect when reading a Captain America comic, but there are only so many dissertations you can read about the American spirit before you start hankering for something else. Oh, and DeMatteis likes to torture his characters psychologically, and they often take it out on their loved ones, especially their partners. Peter Parker was worse during DeMatteis' Spider-Man run, but Rogers gets pretty angsty at times. My only real gripe is that there's a lot of ideology involved, which I guess you expect when reading a Captain America comic, but there are only so many dissertations you can read about the American spirit before you start hankering for something else. Oh, and DeMatteis likes to torture his characters psychologically, and they often take it out on their loved ones, especially their partners. Peter Parker was worse during DeMatteis' Spider-Man run, but Rogers gets pretty angsty at times. And there you have it, why I won't touch almost anything DeMatteis, except the humor stuff.
I think DeMatteis' best writing occurs with characters who are either of a metaphysical/theological nature (Spectre, Dr. Strange, Dr. Fate, Son of Satan, Johnny Blaze) or who already have established psychological or self-esteem issues (Moon Knight, Gargoyle, etc.).
I don't think his writing is as strong when writing traditional super-heroes whose ethos falls into the classic black hat vs. white hat realm.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2022 14:52:18 GMT -5
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,200
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Post by Confessor on Jun 18, 2022 18:05:27 GMT -5
Some more recent purchases:   Over here in the UK they reprinted Crystar as a back-up strip in Return of the Jedi Weekly, but it never really grabbed me. It was based on a toy line, right? These days I'm sort of tempted to try it again, as the sword & sorcery theme kind of appeals. Is it any good or was I right about it's merits the first time? |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2022 2:45:13 GMT -5
Over here in the UK they reprinted Crystar as a back-up strip in Return of the Jedi Weekly, but it never really grabbed me. It was based on a toy line, right? These days I'm sort of tempted to try it again, as the sword & sorcery theme kind of appeals. Is it any good or was I right about it's merits the first time? So I'm just getting reacquainted through these issues since it's been decades since I last read it, but yes, there was a toyline by Remco that was released along with it. Jim Shooter talks about this in a write-up on the inside cover of the first issue. He claims the origin of Crystar was acutally a publishing VP asking him for a fantasy property, and as they were developing Crystar, Remco said they would be interested in releasing a toyline to go with it if they liked what Marvel came up with. Shooter makes a point that he wasn't so interested in the toyline but rather just wanted to make a really good fantasy series. In reading the first issue, I'm not so sure about that. It kind of "does" feel like a toy ad to me, and the pacing seems rushed to get everything introduced by the final page that is followed by, no shock, a big ad for the toys themselves. However, I'm enjoying the next couple of issues. They feel more like straight-forward comic book storytelling to me, and some nice art as well. They've landed in Doctor Strange's house in the 3rd issue, and that's been fun. Overall nothing really groundbreaking with the series, but I'm hooked enough to keep going at this point. |
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Post by tonebone on Jun 21, 2022 8:50:03 GMT -5
Over here in the UK they reprinted Crystar as a back-up strip in Return of the Jedi Weekly, but it never really grabbed me. It was based on a toy line, right? These days I'm sort of tempted to try it again, as the sword & sorcery theme kind of appeals. Is it any good or was I right about it's merits the first time? So I'm just getting reacquainted through these issues since it's been decades since I last read it, but yes, there was a toyline by Remco that was released along with it. Jim Shooter talks about this in a write-up on the inside cover of the first issue. He claims the origin of Crystar was acutally a publishing VP asking him for a fantasy property, and as they were developing Crystar, Remco said they would be interested in releasing a toyline to go with it if they liked what Marvel came up with. Shooter makes a point that he wasn't so interested in the toyline but rather just wanted to make a really good fantasy series. In reading the first issue, I'm not so sure about that. It kind of "does" feel like a toy ad to me, and the pacing seems rushed to get everything introduced by the final page that is followed by, no shock, a big ad for the toys themselves. However, I'm enjoying the next couple of issues. They feel more like straight-forward comic book storytelling to me, and some nice art as well. They've landed in Doctor Strange's house in the 3rd issue, and that's been fun. Overall nothing really groundbreaking with the series, but I'm hooked enough to keep going at this point. I really liked Crystar as a kid... I liked the character designs and I thought the story was engaging enough. I didn't really care about the toy line, but in retrospect, it was really unique and, again, the designs and gimmick were great. Marvel BRIEFLY revisited Crystar a few years ago, during their Secret Wars/Battleworld stuff... I have the TPB titled Weirdworld (volume 0, apparently... not to be confused with the 70's Weirdworld material), which featured Skull the Slayer, a world of Man-Things, and Morgan Le Fey. |
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