Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
Posts: 3,958 
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Post by Crimebuster on Dec 16, 2014 17:17:30 GMT -5
It's Frankie Raye, aka Nova, who became a herald of Galactus after this.
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Post by badwolf on Dec 16, 2014 17:23:49 GMT -5
Who's the female human torch?? Frankie Raye, Johnny's girlfriend at the time. It was revealed an issue or two prior that she was the daughter of Phineas Horton, and as a result of being accidentally immersed in android Torch chemicals she gained similar powers. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 16, 2014 17:44:35 GMT -5
That's all greek to me but she has a cool look.
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Post by badwolf on Dec 16, 2014 18:16:00 GMT -5
Horton was the creator of the original, android Human Torch. After the Torch was decommissioned Horton went into hiding and changed his name to Thomas Raye. While helping him move some of his equipment, Frankie came into contact with chemicals used in the construction of the original Torch. She burst into flames but did not burn. After this incident, Horton gave her a costume to control the power and hypnotized her to forget what happened, making her unable to see the costume in the process. However, her association with Johnny caused the hypnosis to begin to fail, and when she went to him for help they deduced her true origins.
After becoming fully aware of her powers, Frankie became kind of a hardass, eager to incinerate "the bad guys" and generally dispense vigilante justice, foreshadowing that her destiny lay not with the FF, but elsewhere. When Terrax later betrayed Galactus and was depowered, a new herald was needed. Frankie was eager to take up the position.
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
Posts: 3,958
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Post by Crimebuster on Dec 16, 2014 18:50:45 GMT -5
No big, personal story for today's entry. Just a comic that arguably represents the greatest single work ever by the single greatest creator in comics history. 9. Our Fighting Forces #152 I've talked about this issue before, and will probably continue to talk about it for as long as I'm talking about comics. Every time I read it, it's better than the last time. And last time, it was about the best thing ever. [For this countdown, it also has the added bonus of representing everything I love about the war genre, just as previous entries represented - not entirely intentionally - romance, indie and westerns.] When Jack Kirby took over The Losers strip, he was happy to be working on a war book, but not very happy with the title and concept. No American soldiers were losers, he said. Either despite or because of this, Jack did some of his best work during this all too brief run, with the highlight undoubtedly being the second issue, "A Small Place in Hell," which was published with a cover date of December, 1974. The premise of the story is simple. During the Battle of the Bulge, the Losers - a four man squad led by former Navy officer Captain Storm, with former Air Force pilot Lt. Johnny Cloud, and former Marine grunts Gunner and Sarge - are trying to make their way to the rear for some r + r. When they enter a small town supposedly safely behind their own lines, however, they soon discover it has been taken over by the advancing German forces. Now they are trapped inside the tiny town, with only one way out: Fight or die. Kirby hits you with the hammer right from the opening two page spread - where he also adds some realism by making the group look like real soldiers, with only their distinctive hats setting them apart:  As the story progresses, it gets tighter and tighter, more and more claustrophobic, and the Losers are herded through town. First they fight in the street, then they are pushed into a building, where we get some nasty, dirty door-to-door house fighting. Kirby's art is like a punch to the face in every panel:  Fighting from house to house, the Losers are finally pushed up onto the roof, where the engage in a desperate struggle for survival. This is gritty, real war, done as only someone who has lived it can do. The violence - the close, personal, intimate one-on-one violence - in these scenes is as real as anything EC was able to do pre-code, and as shocking as anything modern war writers like Garth Ennis have been able to do post-code. Maybe my favorite action sequence in comics:   Every single panel is a masterwork, an absolute masterwork:  When they finally get off the roof, they are still trapped, almost to the edge of town but still not yet safe. And then, in a great twist ending, the town is suddenly bombarded by artillery. The nightmare of all infantry. It's no longer the Germans fighting the Americans - it's both sides, being pummeled by forces outside their ken, trying together to survive an unsurvivable onslaught. Sides and nationality no longer matter, they are all in it together now:  Kirby's use of sound effects also needs to be mentioned. It's an absolute genius use of graphic design. The words hit you like a sledgehammer here. You don't just hear the bombardment - you can feel it, reverberating in your chest. Nothing that "pop art" hack/thief Lichtenstein ever did can come close to the raw power of the way Kirby uses sound effects as part of his page and story design here.  Just the greatest. |
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Post by Pharozonk on Dec 16, 2014 20:06:50 GMT -5
#9: Action Comics #583
 I first encountered this issue during a massive sale my LCS was having during the Christmas holidays. I had always wanted to read Superman comics and I knew that this story was massively famous for ending the pre-Crisis Superman era and being written by Alan Moore. Buying it for a cheap $2.00, I rushed home to read it. Fortunately, it lives up to the hype. The art is gorgeously rendered by the duo of Curt Swan and George Perez, two of the best artists DC had in their stable at the time. The story's ending is brilliant in its exploration of Superman's humanity and staunch morality and is still my favorite Superman story of all time. The wretched mess that was Man of Steel could learn a thing or two from this story.
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metarog
Junior Member
Waking up in an alternate universe
Posts: 25
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Post by metarog on Dec 16, 2014 20:08:02 GMT -5
9. Richie Rich & Dot #1 Harvey I no longer have this issue but for a very good reason… in fact that reason is why it is on my list. We have to go back to about 1976 or so when I was 12 years old with my collection at the time numbering somewhere around 100 issues. My uncle knowing I had a predilection for comics went out and got me some issues that he had lying around. I don’t remember the rest but this was one of them. I thanked him and sung his praises to my parents for thinking of me and getting me stuff I actually like. It was a hot summer afternoon in Miami so I hung out in the backyard under a shady tree facing the street in back. I was reading the comics I had just received and had just gotten around to reading this issue. It was just a minute or so later that I heard somebody walking down the street…. it was Priscilla. Priscilla was a lovely young lady just a little older than I was and needless to say someone I wanted to get to know better! She stopped, looked my way and inquired about what I was reading… at this point I was unsure if I should hide it and try to deflect her inquiry as comic stigma was rampant at that time. However, I was too elated she was talking to me and just said, “This comic”. She then stated that her nickname was Dot just like the girl on the cover. I don’t know how she got that nickname from Priscilla but I wasn't about to question it. I then asked her if she had ever read a comic with her namesake in it and she nodded, no. Suddenly, I had a rare moment of inspiration and gave her the comic, “so you can have fun reading about yourself”, I joked. Well, she just thought that was the sweetest gesture and asked if I would like to come along with her to the ice cream shop a few blocks away. Needless to say I couldn't open the back gate quick enough so I just jumped right over and strolled down the block with beautiful Priscilla. We became friends after that but she moved away about a month later. It continues to be a nice memory though and I will never forget this issue. It is one of my favorites for essentially getting me my first date.
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Post by benday-dot on Dec 16, 2014 21:34:43 GMT -5
Yep. Outside of "Glory Boat", "The Pact" and possibly "Himon!" this issue of Our Fighting Forces might Kirby's finest hour at DC. |
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 16, 2014 21:42:29 GMT -5
#9: Action Comics #583
I first encountered this issue during a massive sale my LCS was having during the Christmas holidays. I had always wanted to read Superman comics and I knew that this story was massively famous for ending the pre-Crisis Superman era and being written by Alan Moore. Buying it for a cheap $2.00, I rushed home to read it. Fortunately, it lives up to the hype. The art is gorgeously rendered by the duo of Curt Swan and George Perez, two of the best artists DC had in their stable at the time. The story's ending is brilliant in its exploration of Superman's humanity and staunch morality and is still my favorite Superman story of all time. The wretched mess that was Man of Steel could learn a thing or two from this story. Nice write-up, Pharo. The Silver Age wasn't all purple gorillas and super-dickery. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 16, 2014 21:47:00 GMT -5
#9: Aquaman #2 (Zero-Hour Era) Sept. 1994 Written by Peter David Art by Martin Egeland  Plot: Aquaman loses his hand to Charybdis. So you'll note this is about 2 years after 2099 started... I made not-quite weekly trips to the LCS at that time, but no pull list... if I missed something, I'd try another store (there was a video rental place also in walking distance that sold new comics), or be sad. For whatever reason, I had decided DC was bad.. I thought they were all cheesy, old timey stuff. When I saw the cover, and saw Peter David was the writer (who wrote Spidey 2099, of course), I gave it a shot.. assuming the cover was hyperbole, but curious none the less.. imagine my surprise when I read it! It lead me first to reading that, then going back and reading the reign of the Supermen, and then into Vertigo. That cover really broadening my horizons  
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Post by benday-dot on Dec 16, 2014 22:12:13 GMT -5
#9 Fantastic Four #91 (Marvel 1969)This was my first Kirby Fantastic Four, and a late Silver Age gem bound for my desert island. I was already a huge FF fan from the Perez era, but here was a sense I was finally getting to the meat of it all. Most agree that at this stage in his tenure at Marvel Jack Kirby's best work was, perhaps deliberately by the man himself, put behind him. But Kirby never phoned it in, and FF#91 stands out to me as bearing the singular Kirby stamp like almost no other. The theme of the roaring thirties and the gangsters is one that Jack took to as far back as the very beginning of his career. He returned to it time and again right up to his aborted effort on "In the Days of the Mob" magazine a coupe years following FF 91. But the Thing. It's really all to do with the Thing. This comic is all about that astounding cover copy: "The Thing Enslaved!". The Thing was the heart of the FF, and the one most associated Jack himself. The whole persona of the character is the persona of the liberty of the individual. The everyman who would never be anyone's whipping boy. How could you enslave Benjamin Grimm the Thing!? Never. This was a Fantastic Four comic from the guy who helped create it all. And he had the audacity to enslave The Thing. The embodiment of freedom, of himself in large part. The bonds would not hold. Oh no. 
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Post by Action Ace on Dec 16, 2014 23:05:58 GMT -5
#9: Action Comics #583
I first encountered this issue during a massive sale my LCS was having during the Christmas holidays. I had always wanted to read Superman comics and I knew that this story was massively famous for ending the pre-Crisis Superman era and being written by Alan Moore. Buying it for a cheap $2.00, I rushed home to read it. Fortunately, it lives up to the hype. The art is gorgeously rendered by the duo of Curt Swan and George Perez, two of the best artists DC had in their stable at the time. The story's ending is brilliant in its exploration of Superman's humanity and staunch morality and is still my favorite Superman story of all time. The wretched mess that was Man of Steel could learn a thing or two from this story. I decided to not use any two parters and stuck to single issues. "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" in its 1997 one shot format, "The Laughing Fish"/ "Sign of the Joker" reprinted in Shadow of the Batman #4 in 1985 and the Mordru premiere from Linited Collector's Edition C-49 in 1976 would all be on my list otherwise. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2014 23:07:09 GMT -5
Day 4 -#9 Super-Team Family #11 cover date July 1975 "The Other Side of Doomsday!" Writer - Gerry Conway Artist - Alan Lee Weiss  No nostalgic story for this one, folks. No particular significance here, to comics in general or my reading history in particular. It's just a personal favorite. With this issue the title switched to a team-up book, featuring the Atom joining forces w/various other characters to find his missing wife. The story's okay, with the kind of overwrought captions that (almost) make me appreciate the caption-less style. The reason it's here on my list is the way they portrayed Supergirl. The original Kara Zor-el/Linda Lee Danvers version of the Maid of Might is possibly my all-time favorite super-hero of all time. And when this book came out, it won me over as one of my favorite Supergirl appearances. She was intelligent, competent, confident; she acted as an equal to Atom and Flash without making a big deal about it. For most of the story, she held her own while her 2 'partners' were still trying to find her. Trapped with their wives, she easily took a leadership role while respecting their expertise. No angst, no soap-opera 'characterization,' just a heroine who took her job seriously, but clearly enjoyed the use of her powers. Plus, I loved the Alan Weiss artwork. This was, for me, the prettiest Kara had ever been. And re-reading the book today, I'm gonna stand by that. Kara never looked lovelier.  Is it the best Supergirl story ever? No. It's not even my favorite Supergirl story; that's coming up. But her character, and her appearance - this is how I wish Supergirl had always been. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 16, 2014 23:26:25 GMT -5
12 days of Classic Christmas #9Marvels Greatest Comics # 31
Stan Lee/ Jack Kirby/ Frank Giacoia/ Vinnie Colleta
Stan Lee/ Dick Ayers/ Frank Giacoia
1971
 This was a power packed issue full of 2 Fantastic Four stories from # 39 and 40 and a story from Strange Tales # 128. This book made an impression on me because it might have been the first story I ever read where the heroes were de-powered. I loved it. It might have been my first encounter with Doom. It was a good 2 parter. Also, I was a big fan of Quicksilver and the back up was a special treat. I love that Reed got to work trying to give them temporary powers.  Wally Wood inks on the Daredevil figures  The back up had great colors for my favorite character as a child, Quicksilver. 
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Post by Action Ace on Dec 16, 2014 23:32:42 GMT -5
CLASSIC COMICS CHRISTMAS #9
INVINCIBLE #12
"PERFECT STRANGERS: PART 4"
On sale April 21, 2004 Writer: Robert Kirkman Artist: Ryan Ottley Cover: Cory Walker In 2003 I decided to do what I had often done with Image Comics over the years, "take a flyer." They put out five new comics that month and I tried them all. Dominion would make the CCF list for "least faovrite comics ever", Clockmaker was a noble failure, Venture was mediocre, Firebreather was really good, and then there was Invincible. It started as a nice little Superman/ Superboy Elseworld and then issue #7 hit. Kirkman loves to knock over the card table every so often in this book and this was a doozy. Then in #12 the grand climax and though he's completely outclassed in power and nearly dead, Mark saves the day...with love. I'm not spoiling this one folks, you'll have to read it for yourself. There's been A LOT of water under the bridge since this issue and it's still one of my favorite titles month in and month out (when it ships), but #12 is still my favorite issue. up next...there's a chance Pharozonk and I pick the same issue
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