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Post by MRPs_Missives on Jun 7, 2024 14:17:15 GMT -5
Almost forgot today... It's time for this week's Top Shelf Friday. Before we begin, a note of gratitude for those who nominated, seconded and voted for this thread in this year's Jamie Awards. Much appreciated. I wish more people were participating each week though, as it feels like this may be a "critical darling" but box office flop. Maybe one day it will get to cult classic status if it survives that long. Alrighty then, it's Top Shelf Friday, time to share with the masses (or even the handful of members of our little boards) one of your favorite comics (or comic related items) from your collection that deserves to be on the Top Shelf. Whether it's an important book, a valuable book, a sentimental favorite, has a great story, an awesome cover, or is just plain one of your favorites for whatever reason, let us see it. Bonus points if its a pic of the actual copy you own. This week I am going to go with another signed book. The 1996 Batman Black & White series issue #4 signed by Kevin Nowlan (who did an interior story) with a glorious Alex Toth cover. I love these short, done in one Batman stories, and have continued to pick up whatever Batman Black & White minis DC has put out over the years, but this initial 4 issue series has some of my favorite offerings in it, and the Toth cover is simply one of my favorites bar none, with its stark contrasts and elegant design.  -M Fine Print so I don't repeat myself3/1/24 Son of Sinbad 3/8/24 Brave & Bold #35 3/15/24 Piracy #1 3/22/24 Conan the Barbarian #1 3/29/24 Hawk #9 4/5/24 SSWS #126 4/12/24 It Rhymes with Lust 4/19/24 Avengers #162 4/26/24 1st Issue Special 8 5/3/24 Bat Lash #2 5/10/24 Straight Arrow #3 5/17/24 Frazetta ghosted Spirit Section 5/24/24 Green Arrow: Longbow Hunters #1 signed 5/31/24 Daredevil 47 |
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Post by MRPs_Missives on Jun 7, 2024 15:51:53 GMT -5
And just to be clear, while it's nice to see the actual copy of the comic you own if you can post it (hence the bonus points), it's not a requirement. Using a pic of the book from an online source if just fine, if you need to and want to participate.
It's come up before and there still seems to be some confusion/hesitation on that point, and I'll be sure to clarify that in the opening posts form now on, but there's no gatekeeping for participation if you don't have the means or the access to use use actual pics of your books. It's just fun to see them if you can.
-M
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Post by Icctrombone on Jun 7, 2024 16:46:10 GMT -5
I’m a purist, I like posting the genuine article. 
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Post by Icctrombone on Jun 7, 2024 18:07:39 GMT -5
This weeks pick is Flash # 201 The story is not spectacular , It's full of silly stereotypes that are inaccurate, but it's the first ( and maybe only) time there was a Puerto Rican character as an important part of the story. The lead character is named Paco, I've never met a Puerto Rican with the name Paco, and he's an up and coming Basketball star who loses the use of his legs because of an accident by the Flash. The events in the story are hokey , was Robert Kanigher a good writer? Any way ,it features nice art by Irv Novick and Murphy Anderson. The book has a backup with the Golden age Flash , which was equally hard to read. I still love the book.
Previous weeks:Avengers #4 Flash ( 1987) 1 Thor #126 Kamandi #10 What if? v1 #3 JLA v1 # 91 Marvels Greatest comics # 31 Master of Kung Fu ( Special Marvel edition) 16 Iron Man # 150 Alpha Flight #12 Superman #227 Marvel Treasury edition #28/ Superman and Spider-Man #2 Badger #1 World’s Finest # 211
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Post by DubipR on Jun 7, 2024 18:53:58 GMT -5
I'd figured I'd share a fun page of signed goodness. From Draula Lives #2, one of my favorite Dracula stories and one of my favorite Neal Adams stories ever. Signed by Marv Wolfman and Neal Adams.  |
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Post by Batflunkie on Jun 7, 2024 21:17:59 GMT -5
This weeks pick is Flash # 201The story is not spectacular , It's full of silly stereotypes that are inaccurate, but it's the first ( and maybe only) time there was a Puerto Rican character as an important part of the story. The lead character is named Paco, I've never met a Puerto Rican with the name Paco, and he's an up and coming Basketball star who loses the use of his legs because of an accident by the Flash. The events in the story are hokey , was Robert Kanigher a good writer? Any way ,it features nice art by Irv Novick and Murphy Anderson. The book has a backup with the Golden age Flash , which was equally hard to read. I still love the book. I've maybe only read the first 15/16 issues of Silver Age Flash (including the Showcase issues) and a good hunk of the Carey Bates era (who is by far is my favorite writer on the book). Been getting the itch to read some more Flash stuff, so I might try and circle back around to the stuff I've missed |
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Post by tartanphantom on Jun 7, 2024 23:52:43 GMT -5
After much badgering from Icctrombone , I've decided to take the plunge here. Can't promise I'll post every week, as Fridays are a day off for me and usually my "errand running" day, so that by the time I flop down to relax, it's usually fairly late.
Anyway, here's my first top shelf entry at hand--
My autographed copy (only 800 published) of the Xenozoic Tales Collection. This includes all the original stories by Mark Schultz, including the initial first installment from Kitchen Sink's Death Rattle anthology title. Why is this "top shelf?" Quite simply, I've always dearly loved this series-- the storyline, the incredibly b&w artwork, and the fact that it became bigger than ever anticipated-- eventually being spun off into a cartoon and even a toy line (of which I have none, sad to say).
I really wish Schultz would take up the mantle again and continue the series, but I'm not going to hold my breath. In the meantime, I'll be content to re-live and enjoy the original stories in collected hardback form, which keeps me from putting wear on my original floppy copies.
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Post by MRPs_Missives on Jun 8, 2024 0:00:49 GMT -5
tartanphantom If you can't get to it on the Friday, it's cool to post in over the weekend sometime or even during the week as long as it's before the next thread is started. I just want to see cool comics and share/spread comics joy, and don't want to see any unnecessary barriers prevent people from participating. Life gets hectic, comics are fun no matter what day they're posted or if you have the ability to snap a pic of your actual copy. Glad to see you here and that's a wonderful book for a first entry. -M
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jun 8, 2024 4:45:04 GMT -5
This week I'm going with another big DC anniversary book, Superman #400...  For a while there, DC was really knocking it out of the park with its round-number anniversary books. Like the two I'd already featured in this "top shelf" posts, Showcase #100 and JLA #200, I've always loved this one; it features a series of thematically-connected short stories - all except one written by Elliot S! Maggin - which examine what Superman means or has meant to human society (most of them are set in the future). Each one is drawn by a different artist, including a few not ordinarily associated with superhero comics, like Mike Kaluta and Wendy Pini. From the lovely cover by Chaykin to the pin-ups by various artists, it's just a wonderfully packaged book. And, since everyone else seems to be doing this as well, here's a list of my previous entries (dates are done in the - more logical, I think - European style, i.e., day/month/year): 01/03/2024: Blackmark (1970s b&w pocketbook) 08/03/2024: Archie’s Superhero Comics Digest #2 15/03/2024: Donald Duck & Golden Helmet 22/03/2024: Star War #38 28/03/2024: Showcase #100 05/04/2024: Chandler: Red Tide 12/04/2024: Alien Illustrated Story 19/04/2024: ASM Annual #10 26/04/2024: Marvel Premiere #32 03/05/2024: Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #9 10/05/2024: JLA #200 17/05/2024: GS Power Man #1 24/05/2024: Batman Annu al #8 31/05/2024: Marvel 2-in-1 #51 |
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Post by Icctrombone on Jun 8, 2024 5:25:10 GMT -5
This week I'm going with another big DC anniversary book, Superman #400... For a while there, DC was really knocking it out of the park with its round-number anniversary books. Like the two I'd already featured in this "top shelf" posts, Showcase #100 and JLA #200, I've always loved this one; it features a series of thematically-connected short stories - all except one written by Elliot S! Maggin - which examine what Superman means or has meant to human society (most of them are set in the future). Each one is drawn by a different artist, including a few not ordinarily associated with superhero comics, like Mike Kaluta and Wendy Pini. From the lovely cover by Chaykin to the pin-ups by various artists, it's just a wonderfully packaged book. And, since everyone else seems to be doing this as well, here's a list of my previous entries (dates are done in the - more logical, I think - European style, i.e., day/month/year): 01/03/2024: Blackmark (1970s b&w pocketbook) 08/03/2024: Archie’s Superhero Comics Digest #2 15/03/2024: Donald Duck & Golden Helmet 22/03/2024: Star War #38 28/03/2024: Showcase #100 05/04/2024: Chandler: Red Tide 12/04/2024: Alien Illustrated Story 19/04/2024: ASM Annual #10 26/04/2024: Marvel Premiere #32 03/05/2024: Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #9 10/05/2024: JLA #200 17/05/2024: GS Power Man #1 24/05/2024: Batman Annu al #8 31/05/2024: Marvel 2-in-1 #51 That’s such a nice book, whenever I see it for a dollar I pick it up. |
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Post by DubipR on Jun 8, 2024 7:23:34 GMT -5
After much badgering from Icctrombone , I've decided to take the plunge here. Can't promise I'll post every week, as Fridays are a day off for me and usually my "errand running" day, so that by the time I flop down to relax, it's usually fairly late.
Anyway, here's my first top shelf entry at hand--
My autographed copy (only 800 published) of the Xenozoic Tales Collection. This includes all the original stories by Mark Schultz, including the initial first installment from Kitchen Sink's Death Rattle anthology title. Why is this "top shelf?" Quite simply, I've always dearly loved this series-- the storyline, the incredibly b&w artwork, and the fact that it became bigger than ever anticipated-- eventually being spun off into a cartoon and even a toy line (of which I have none, sad to say).
I really wish Schultz would take up the mantle again and continue the series, but I'm not going to hold my breath. In the meantime, I'll be content to re-live and enjoy the original stories in collected hardback form, which keeps me from putting wear on my original floppy copies.
And it was Mark Schultz's birthday yesterday! Coincidence? |
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Post by Batflunkie on Jun 8, 2024 8:41:12 GMT -5
I think for mine I'll post Captain America by Dan Jurgens v2  I think I got this at Goodwill when I was still knee deep in my read through of all of Volume 1 (68-96) and I really enjoyed it. If they had ever made a Captain America cartoon back in the day (and there was one on the drawing board the got scrapped), I'd have loved it if they had adapted Dan Jurgens' artstyle -----Previous Selections Of A Curious Vintage----- -Gumby 3-D #1 (3/22/24) -Judge Dredd #3 (3/29/24) -Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #3 (4/5/24) -Super Mario Adventures (4/12/24) -DC Special #15 (4/26/24) -Oni Press FCBD 2005 (5/10/24) -X-O Manowar #6 and Bloodshot #2 (5/17/24) -Radioactive Man #100 (5/24/24) -Shadowman #15 (5/31/24) |
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Post by Icctrombone on Jun 8, 2024 9:49:53 GMT -5
I would love to read a Jurgens drawn Cap book.
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Post by Batflunkie on Jun 8, 2024 10:32:57 GMT -5
I would love to read a Jurgens drawn Cap book. I don't think I've ever read anything by Jurgens that was bad. His Cap run is pretty darn great, even introduces a cool villan named Protocide, the first candidate for the Super Soldier Serum before Steve (of course pre-Isaiah Bradley) |
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Post by Rags on Jun 11, 2024 18:51:51 GMT -5
Not really classic but one of my rarest HCs, signed and only about 100 exist in HC format. There's one listed on ebay for almost $2k
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