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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 19, 2024 15:38:04 GMT -5
The Adam Strange mini was set in current continuity, with the established past (including adventures with the JLA; but, we learn that the populace view him as a neanderthal and Sardath brought him to their world because they were sterile. I actually liked that new take when Alan Moore introduced it in Swamp Thing, but mostly because it had been done in a tongue-in-cheek manner. In this new miniseries, everything is dead serious and gloomy. Moore had managed to preserve the goofy silliness of an Earth guy being zapped to an alien planet where he gets to marry a beautiful princess and kill monsters; none of that transpires here. Dark and gritty is all the rage! Fully agreed! This is the post-Dark Knight, post-Watchmen, post-Longbow Hunters era! Let's make every character miserable, every amusing concept a cynical travesty, and every positive feeling a sham! Blech. I had limited exposure to the classic Adam Strange back then, but yeah... I think anyone could see that (a) killing the hero's love interest; (b) making him clinically depressed to the point of utter uselessness; (c) getting rid of his fantastic planet full of monsters, and (d) leaving him stranded in a floating space city with a now-insane father-in-law and a neglected newborn was not a very auspicious way to relaunch a classic character. (And for those who haven't read it... no, by the end of the story Adam hasn't pulled himself back together. He barely acknowledge that his baby exists and still looks like au unkept, homeless bum). That miniseries is one of my least-favourite titles ever! I liked that Adam Strange mini at the time. I revisited it semi-recently and was much less impressed. I really had no pony in the Adam Strange fight as I only was familiar with him from the occasional appearance in JLA or JLA reprint with him in it. Most of DC's space hero books were gone by late '75-early '76 when I started buying my own comics and, honestly, I've never really cared for them anyway. I suspect it's from growing up on an SF diet that was pretty sparse on space opera. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 19, 2024 15:47:14 GMT -5
DC Direct Currents #26 (Books shipping in March, 1990) The cover feature this month is a Mike Baron mini-series. Looks like something First would have put out. Inside, there's a preview for Batman Annual #14 and Green Arrow Annual #3. The Batman annual is a continuation of the year one theme and features the origin of Two Face. It's penciled by Chris Sprouse. This was very early in Sprouse's career. In fact, I believe it was only his second assignment. The Green Arrow annual is meant to serve as a link between the end of The Question's ongoing series and the new Question Quarterly book. There are some photos of DC people at a convention. The only people I recognize are Archie Goodwin and Brian Augustyn. There's also a full page preview for the Gothic storyline in Legends of the Dark Knight. Klaus Janson's Batman looks pretty cool. Janson's work often disappoints me, but this looks better than a lot of stuff he did around this time period. This month's interview is with Klaus Janson. His first gig in comics was applying zip-a-tone to 1950s monster stories that Marvel were reprinting. It paid $2.50 a page, but Janson says he was ecstatic to be working in comics after being rejected for two years. The front cover is poor Amanda Waller at her lowest. The back cover is Detective Comics #71. Apparently, the original cover was being displayed at The Museum of Cartoon Art at the time. I bought that Butcher mini, but I only barely remember it. I'm not sure I've read it since it was new. Now that you mentioned it, it does feel like a First Comics book. Baron and Shea Anton Pensa owned the character, so there was never much that was done with him, though he appeared in a Brave & Bold mini with Green Arrow and The Question a couple years later. I was also onboard for Legends of the Dark Knight as I was almost a Batman completist at the time. Those first two storylines (Shaman and Gothic) kind of stank though. On the latter, it was not Jansen's art, but a very sub-par Grant Morrison story. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 20, 2024 12:27:04 GMT -5
DC Direct Currents #26 (Books shipping in March, 1990)The cover feature this month is a Mike Baron mini-series. Looks like something First would have put out. Inside, there's a preview for Batman Annual #14 and Green Arrow Annual #3. The Batman annual is a continuation of the year one theme and features the origin of Two Face. It's penciled by Chris Sprouse. This was very early in Sprouse's career. In fact, I believe it was only his second assignment. The Green Arrow annual is meant to serve as a link between the end of The Question's ongoing series and the new Question Quarterly book. There are some photos of DC people at a convention. The only people I recognize are Archie Goodwin and Brian Augustyn. There's also a full page preview for the Gothic storyline in Legends of the Dark Knight. Klaus Janson's Batman looks pretty cool. Janson's work often disappoints me, but this looks better than a lot of stuff he did around this time period. This month's interview is with Klaus Janson. His first gig in comics was applying zip-a-tone to 1950s monster stories that Marvel were reprinting. It paid $2.50 a page, but Janson says he was ecstatic to be working in comics after being rejected for two years. The front cover is poor Amanda Waller at her lowest. The back cover is Detective Comics #71. Apparently, the original cover was being displayed at The Museum of Cartoon Art at the time. Mike Gold was the editor of it and was responsible for a lot of First talent coming over to DC...as well as pushing DC to publish more crime fiction and adventure material. The Butcher eventually crossed over with Green Arrow and the Question, in a miniseries that used the Brave and the Bold title (probably to keep the trademark alive). I never read it, as I didn't care for Pensa's art and it just seemed like another armed vigilante title and I had my fill of that trope. I loved Baron on Nexus and Badger; but, not as much at DC or Marvel. I used to have this copy of a DC anniversary party that came with something I got from a bootlegger, which was my first glimpse of a lot of people at DC, including Dick Giordano and Barbara Randall (Kesel...later). I got to meet some of them at conventions, a little later. met Giordano at a Heroes Con, in 1992. He had a hearing impairment and you'd constantly see him putting his hand to his ear, to try to hear the person and then ask them to repeat what they said. Not sure if it was age or related to the scarlet fever he suffered, as a kid. The one person who surprised me the most was Mike Grell, when I first saw a photo, in Comic Scene (Vol 1). he had the Green Arrow goatee, but that was about it. I met him in the early 00s and he is definitely not what you expect, physically, after reading Warlord, Starslayer, Green Arrow and Jon Sable....though you understand the genesis of the height jokes, in Jon Sable. I think I had a half inch on him, and I'm 5 ft 6 (Thanks mom!) You do expect some big woodsman, with a pistol stuck in his belt and a sword strapped to his back. Now, Mike Gold was pretty much as I pictured him.......great big guy, who looked like a s#$%-kicker. |
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Post by commond on Jun 20, 2024 15:51:22 GMT -5
DC Direct Currents #27 (Books shipping in April, 1990) This month sees the launch of the Hawkworld ongoing series. Another book that used to capture my interest when I'd scan these leaflets. It never really occurred to me before starting this thread how few newsstands books DC was producing when I started collecting comics. It's no wonder I became a Marvel guy when it was so difficult to buy DC books. It's quite a jam-packed issue this month. There's an Arkham Asylum trade paperback, Batman is going bi-weekly and guest starring in the pages of Superman, and there are a couple of annuals out (Star Trek and Justice League Europe.) The Star Trek annual is penciled by Gray Morrow, and the Justice League Europe annual is penciled by Linda Medley, whose work I am currently obsessed with. Gerard Jones has two books out, a new ongoing Green Lantern series and a rock 'n' roll private eye thing called Ford Fairlane. This month's interview is with Linda Medley. The Justice League annual was her first ever book. I didn't know that. I love that her favorite comics growing up were Metal Men, Weird War Tales, and Legion of Super-Heroes because of Matter-Eater lad. The cover of the month is a run-of-the-mill Flash cover. The back cover is the German edition of The Longbow Hunters, otherwise known as Gruner Pfeil; Die Jager.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 20, 2024 17:32:12 GMT -5
DC Direct Currents #27 (Books shipping in April, 1990)This month sees the launch of the Hawkworld ongoing series. Another book that used to capture my interest when I'd scan these leaflets. It never really occurred to me before starting this thread how few newsstands books DC was producing when I started collecting comics. It's no wonder I became a Marvel guy when it was so difficult to buy DC books. It's quite a jam-packed issue this month. There's an Arkham Asylum trade paperback, Batman is going bi-weekly and guest starring in the pages of Superman, and there are a couple of annuals out (Star Trek and Justice League Europe.) The Star Trek annual is penciled by Gray Morrow, and the Justice League Europe annual is penciled by Linda Medley, whose work I am currently obsessed with. Gerald Jones has two books out, a new ongoing Green Lantern series and a rock 'n' roll private eye thing called Ford Fairlane. This month's interview is with Linda Medley. The Justice League annual was her first ever book. I didn't know that. I love that her favorite comics growing up were Metal Men, Weird War Tales, and Legion of Super-Heroes because of Matter-Eater lad. The cover of the month is a run-of-the-mill Flash cover. The back cover is the German edition of The Longbow Hunters, otherwise known as Gruner Pfeil; Die Jager. Um....the "rock 'n' Roll private eye thing" is a movie adaptation, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, starring Andrew Dice Clay. Not as funny as they make it out to be; but, still a pretty entertaining movie, spoofing both the private eye genre and the music business. Motley Crue's Vince Neil is the victim of the murder, that sets things off. The girl is called Zuzu Petals. Oh, and it's Gerard Jones, not Gerald....though he might want to change his name, after his conviction. I used to enjoy a lot of his work; but.......yeah............. DC doing an adaptation of Ford Fairlane makes no sense. It wasn't a Warner Bros film, it had no connection to sci-fi or comics and it was supposed to be a comedy. Not the usual kind of project to adapt as a comic, apart from the old Gold Key and Dell days. I gave the regular Hawkworld series a try, for a few months; but it didn't grab me as much as the mini. The absence of Tim Truman, on the art was a big reason why, though Graham Nolan is good. Truman just had more zing in his work. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 20, 2024 17:40:46 GMT -5
DC Direct Currents #27 (Books shipping in April, 1990)This month sees the launch of the Hawkworld ongoing series. Another book that used to capture my interest when I'd scan these leaflets. It never really occurred to me before starting this thread how few newsstands books DC was producing when I started collecting comics. It's no wonder I became a Marvel guy when it was so difficult to buy DC books. It's quite a jam-packed issue this month. There's an Arkham Asylum trade paperback, Batman is going bi-weekly and guest starring in the pages of Superman, and there are a couple of annuals out (Star Trek and Justice League Europe.) The Star Trek annual is penciled by Gray Morrow, and the Justice League Europe annual is penciled by Linda Medley, whose work I am currently obsessed with. Gerald Jones has two books out, a new ongoing Green Lantern series and a rock 'n' roll private eye thing called Ford Fairlane. This month's interview is with Linda Medley. The Justice League annual was her first ever book. I didn't know that. I love that her favorite comics growing up were Metal Men, Weird War Tales, and Legion of Super-Heroes because of Matter-Eater lad. The cover of the month is a run-of-the-mill Flash cover. The back cover is the German edition of The Longbow Hunters, otherwise known as Gruner Pfeil; Die Jager. Um....the "rock 'n' Roll private eye thing" is a movie adaptation, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, starring Andrew Dice Clay. Not as funny as they make it out to be; but, still a pretty entertaining movie, spoofing both the private eye genre and the music business. Motley Crue's Vince Neil is the victim of the murder, that sets things off. The girl is called Zuzu Petals. Oh, and it's Gerard Jones, not Gerald....though he might want to change his name, after his conviction. I used to enjoy a lot of his work; but.......yeah............. DC doing an adaptation of Ford Fairlane makes no sense. It wasn't a Warner Bros film, it had no connection to sci-fi or comics and it was supposed to be a comedy. Not the usual kind of project to adapt as a comic, apart from the old Gold Key and Dell days. I gave the regular Hawkworld series a try, for a few months; but it didn't grab me as much as the mini. The absence of Tim Truman, on the art was a big reason why, though Graham Nolan is good. Truman just had more zing in his work. The Ford Fairlane book was not an adaptation of the movie, but a new story using the character. I liked the Hawkworld ongoing. No it wasn't as good as the mini, but it just wasn't likely to be. I still thought it was above-average super-hero fare for the time period. |
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Post by DubipR on Jun 20, 2024 17:49:55 GMT -5
I liked the Hawkworld series. I bound my run last year. The Hawkworld mini and the on-going. While Truman's art is amazing, Nolan's house style was good for a monthly to keep it consistant. Truman did some covers towards the end of the series. I've always prefer Katar Hol and Shayra Thal over Carter Hall.  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 20, 2024 18:30:55 GMT -5
Um....the "rock 'n' Roll private eye thing" is a movie adaptation, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, starring Andrew Dice Clay. Not as funny as they make it out to be; but, still a pretty entertaining movie, spoofing both the private eye genre and the music business. Motley Crue's Vince Neil is the victim of the murder, that sets things off. The girl is called Zuzu Petals. Oh, and it's Gerard Jones, not Gerald....though he might want to change his name, after his conviction. I used to enjoy a lot of his work; but.......yeah............. DC doing an adaptation of Ford Fairlane makes no sense. It wasn't a Warner Bros film, it had no connection to sci-fi or comics and it was supposed to be a comedy. Not the usual kind of project to adapt as a comic, apart from the old Gold Key and Dell days. I gave the regular Hawkworld series a try, for a few months; but it didn't grab me as much as the mini. The absence of Tim Truman, on the art was a big reason why, though Graham Nolan is good. Truman just had more zing in his work. The Ford Fairlane book was not an adaptation of the movie, but a new story using the character. I liked the Hawkworld ongoing. No it wasn't as good as the mini, but it just wasn't likely to be. I still thought it was above-average super-hero fare for the time period. Well, see, there was the assumption....and the movie didn't do well at the box office (making back its budget and not much else). I think most of us who saw the film just assumed it was another adaptation and ignored it. I don't think I ever saw anyone pick up a copy, at my local. I don't think Jones could have done anything worse than what was in the film; that's for sure. And I (mostly) liked it, when he (Clay) wasn't doing the usual schtick. Clay was actually better in the film Casual Sex?, with Leah Thompson and Victoria Jackson. He does the whole "Dice" character, but it doesn't go anywhere with the women at this dating resort and he ends up being himself and the character goes through an arc of positive change. The film is nothing great; but, it is a pleasant little forgotten film. Clay tried to blame political correctness for Ford Fairlane being pulled from theaters; but, the reality was that it was getting bad reviews and people expecting the whole Dice character were disappointed and people who expected a comedy-mystery were disappointed. I had heard a couple of his routines and had seen Casual Sex?; so I didn't really have much of an opinion, except the trailer looked like it might be a fun film. It was uneven, but had moments. It helped give Billy Idol another hit. For me it was entertaining enough to kill a weekend afternoon. I might have to dig out a digital of the comic to see if Jones came up with something better. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 20, 2024 18:38:39 GMT -5
ps whoof.....Jose Delbo and Don Heck on the art....that couldn't have helped, commercially!
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jun 21, 2024 2:22:26 GMT -5
ps whoof.....Jose Delbo and Don Heck on the art....that couldn't have helped, commercially! I'd turn that around and say that I feel sorry for them because they had to have their names associated with that dreck (hopefully they got fairly compensated for their work). I never found Andrew Dice Clay even remotely funny or in any way entertaining. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 21, 2024 10:15:30 GMT -5
ps whoof.....Jose Delbo and Don Heck on the art....that couldn't have helped, commercially! I'd turn that around and say that I feel sorry for them because they had to have their names associated with that dreck (hopefully they got fairly compensated for their work). I never found Andrew Dice Clay even remotely funny or in any way entertaining. The Dice character, no; but, the actor behind the character was capable of being a good actor, with better material. Unfortunately, his stand-up got even worse, with outright offensive jokes (not just the dirty rhymes) and I caught part of Whoopi Goldberg's short-lived late night talk show, with him, trying to defend rape jokes and her not buying the defense. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 21, 2024 11:14:59 GMT -5
I'd turn that around and say that I feel sorry for them because they had to have their names associated with that dreck (hopefully they got fairly compensated for their work). I never found Andrew Dice Clay even remotely funny or in any way entertaining. The Dice character, no; but, the actor behind the character was capable of being a good actor, with better material. Unfortunately, his stand-up got even worse, with outright offensive jokes (not just the dirty rhymes) and I caught part of Whoopi Goldberg's short-lived late night talk show, with him, trying to defend rape jokes and her not buying the defense. Clay had a small part in the mid-80s TV show Crime Story and was pretty darn good in it. That show had so much potential that was frequently squandered. In a lot of ways prefigured what HBO would start to do with Oz and The Sopranos. |
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Post by commond on Jun 21, 2024 16:13:54 GMT -5
DC Direct Currents #28 (Books shipping in May, 1990) This month's cover feature is the new Demon ongoing series, another book I coveted whenever I read this newsletter. I haven't heard as many good things about this series as the Kirby or Matt Wagner books. Inside, V for Vendetta and The Prisoner are receiving trade paperback editions, Bugs Bunny is getting a min-series, and Shade, the Changing Man debuts. Shade was another one of those early pre-Vertigo books. I was doing a read through a few years back but stopped midway through. I'll get back to it at some point. It had its ups and downs, but I did like the peak stuff. The interview this month is with letterer John Costanza, who prefers hand lettering but predicts a big future for computers in comics. The cover of the month is a decent looking New Gods cover. The back cover is Flash Comics #1 (1940) in honor of The Flash's 50th anniversary, which they totally glossed over despite the fact that there was a Flash Special in the solicitations. The Flash's 50th should have been the lead feature!
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 21, 2024 20:57:38 GMT -5
Ah, yes the V For Vendetta trade paperback; the start of another rogering of Alan Moore.
I did not pick up Bugs Bunny; I did pick up the mini-series, later, when the Looney Tunes crossed into the DC Universe (Flash vs Road Runner, The Gremlin meets Mr Mxyzptlk).
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 21, 2024 21:13:05 GMT -5
The Dice character, no; but, the actor behind the character was capable of being a good actor, with better material. Unfortunately, his stand-up got even worse, with outright offensive jokes (not just the dirty rhymes) and I caught part of Whoopi Goldberg's short-lived late night talk show, with him, trying to defend rape jokes and her not buying the defense. Clay had a small part in the mid-80s TV show Crime Story and was pretty darn good in it. That show had so much potential that was frequently squandered. In a lot of ways prefigured what HBO would start to do with Oz and The Sopranos. Yeah, Crime Story is a criminally under-appreciated series. Terrific cast and sort of a compliment to Casino, as the Ray Luca character was inspired by Tony "the Ant" Spilotro, who also inspired Joe Pesci's character, in Casino. Loved Joe Santucci, as Pauli. Pretty good actor for a career safecracker! He was also a technical advisor on Thief, and played a crooked cop. In the commentary track, Michael Mann tells a story of Santucci's wife being on set and she seemed upset and he talked to her and she confided in him that Santucci had pulled a job, even though he was making good money from the film job. Dice also plays a bouncer, in Pretty in Pink. He did an episode of MASH, too, in the final season ("Trick or Treatment"), as a marine who drives a jeep into a chicken coop, while drunk (same episode with George Wendt, with a pool ball stuck in his mouth). |
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