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Post by berkley on May 6, 2024 17:57:51 GMT -5
I know there are issues with Colletta erasing things Kirby drew, but when he's not doing that and is just inking what's there, I actually quite like his inks on Kirby's pencils. I think his style fit Thor, and when he wasn't erasing or using assistants or not doing two jobs at once. It looked good. I don't know if any of the complaints are his inking didn't look good. I mean Paul Reinman and George Roussos on Kirby just looked bad.
I think Colletta added a lot of character to the artwork on the Thor series. His inks gave everything a kind of organic feeling. Thor's muscles looked harder, more powerful to me, somehow, and monsters like Mangog looked much scarier than they would have without Coletta's inks
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Post by berkley on May 5, 2024 21:36:35 GMT -5
Sad to hear about both Richard Tandy and Duane Eddy (and condolences to Tartanphantom on the loss of his friend), each of whom provided many special moments of music-listening pleasure in my life.
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Post by berkley on May 5, 2024 21:34:26 GMT -5
R.I.P to actor Bernard Hill (King Theoden in LotR, Captain Smith in Titanic, et al), dead at 79. And Yosser Hughes! An early 80s icon here in Britain. He was a great actor.
I had to look up the character name to see what show it was from but coincidentally I was just thinking the other day that I might try to watch Boys from the Blackstuff next time I make another extended excursion into the 80s - which might be soon, since I keep coming across things lately that remind me of how much I still haven't seen/heard/read/etc from that decade.
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Post by berkley on May 4, 2024 22:26:25 GMT -5
I finished the rest of Essential Defenders vol. 4, reading Defenders #69-91. Aside from two earlier issues co-written with David Anthony Kraft, this constitutes the entirety of Ed Hannigan's run as writer. I had been more familiar with Hannigan as an artist, particularly of covers. A number of the plotlines take up plotlines from other titles. I had found Lunitak's previous appearances dissatisfying, as a weirdo wielding a staff was able to hold the Defenders at bay. Hannigan salvages it by tying Lunatik's origins to some off-the-wall aspects of Man-Wolf stories I haven't read. It looks like the publication dates don't line up, so this may have been retooled explanation rather the intended plan at the time of Lunatik's introduction. We also get introduced to a realm called Tunnel World. The Defenders team up with a cool-looking wizard ally named Xhoohx. Then, there's an arc that brings over plot threads from Omega the Unknown (which I also haven't read). First, Foolkiller II shows up. He's like a less annoying version of Lunatik. Then, Omega shows up who is dead, but not dead, but dead again. Along the way, we meet his supporting cast. It's hard to follow who's who, as I think there was an additional woman in the supporting cast who I didn't notice at first. Moondragon shows up to sort of help, but eventually condescend and criticize in her inimitable style. Along the way, I learn that Moondragon trained Hellcat in psychic power and Hellcat owns a magic cloak. I've actually read the Avengers and Defenders stories where both of those things apparently happened, but couldn't remember those events for the left of me. Nighthawk temporarily quits the Defenders while this is happening, the Wasp temporarily joins, and the Hulk is off somewhere. Which means for a bit we have an all-female roster. Yellowjacket follows Jan, but it's unclear whether he's considered to have rejoined. But it's a non-team. I wonder if the sales figures were flagging for the current roster, because the original team of Doctor Strange, Hulk, and Sub-Mariner are back for their own arc in Tunnel World that runs parallel to the arc of the newer members on Earth. In these issues, the originals are featured on the cover even when the newbies may have a higher page count. I know that being the strange & ridiculous team title is sometimes a distinguishing characteristic of the Defenders, but during the early part of the Hannigan run (and the end of the Kraft run before) it goes a little overboard. The team is inept at times and Nighthawk is a peevish annoying guy. Nighthawk is under an investigation by various government entities. It's totally confusing what the factual underpinnings of what the charges were supposed to be. My most charitable theory is that it's supposed to be Kafkaesque mess with no real explanation plus a pretext to write Nighthawk in and out of the team's battles as needed. One issue focuses on a surreal investigation into the Defenders. I'm not sure if an explanation was planned by Hannigan, but it doesn't get resolved in his run. Mandrill is also brought in as a villain with his icky "only in 70s" power of mesmerizing women in his scent. Although I have to admit that the equivalent is sometimes done with the Enchantress, for example. Among Mandrill's minions is Mutant Force, the revival of the all-new, totally cheesy version of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants introduced during Kirby's mid-70s return to Captain America. One brief arc features a war/misunderstanding between Atlantis and Wakanda that seems to prefigure the conflict of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie. That also spawns a story/PSA where Hulk stands up for the whales against overfishing; it's actually kind of good. With Nighthawk's property impounded, the team relocates to a home Patsy Walker (Hellcat) inherited from her mom in Montclair, New Jersey! As a New Jersey resident whose sister went to Montclair State, I find it pretty cool. Not particularly recognizable though. Hannigan's run ends will the resumption of Mandrill's machinations. It's not quite as icky as the earlier run. Matt Murdock is also brought in as a lawyer for Nighthawk and previous enemy of Mandrill. Hannigan actually comes up with an aspect of Mandrill's revenger plot that makes him a little interesting. Hannigan's run ends with a message of thanks to the fans and a moment between Valkyrie and Hellcat. Those two are really the heart of his run in terms of story involvement. But his treatment of the characters is off more about vibes and personality then building up the personal lives and history. Having started Defenders from the beginning after not reading it when I was young, I never realized Hellcat was a member for this long (and still going as of #91).
From memory, I didn't mind the earlier part of Ed Hannigan's run as writer: at the time, it felt like a pretty decent continuation of Kraft's run, which I had enjoyed for the most part. On the other hand, it was somewhere during Hannigan's run that I dropped the book, though I can't recall exactly what brought about that decision now, apart from my general waning of interest in almost all the Marvel titles I had been following around that time. It might have been the Asgardian storyline or Lunatik ... I suppose I'll have to wait until I re-read them to find out. I know there were some especially bad distribution problems in my region with this series at the time so I missed a lot of issues, maybe that had something to do with it too. It was probably a combination of all these factors plus perhaps some I'm forgetting.
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Post by berkley on May 4, 2024 0:12:56 GMT -5
Just a reminder that this is the 'quick question' thread and not the 'why I love/hate artist X' thread.
I must have thought I was in the There I Said It thread.
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Post by berkley on May 3, 2024 22:02:24 GMT -5
Dave Stevens I've read mainly the Rocketeer - did he do many other series or individual stories? Otherwise I know him as a cover artist. I like his style, which I think has a retro influence without being limited to only that.
Frank Cho, I don't think is a great writer. My attitude towards his work is actually the opposite of what it is for most creators: usually I'd much rather see people doing their own, independent creations, but from everything I've seen, I really think Cho's style would be best suited to doing old-fashioned, 70s-style Marvel superhero comics. I haven't read Liberty Meadows because I'm afraid I would find it cringe-worthy but I suppose I should try it one of these days.
Adam Hughes really turns me off. His characters look they were copied from People magazine or whatever the equivalent is these days. I now many people love his stuff but I find it cheap and ugly looking.
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Post by berkley on May 3, 2024 19:02:14 GMT -5
I didn’t know this until now: Here's a bit of related trivia: the guy who invented them was inspired by the British sweets Smarties.
He wasn't inspired enough, because I don't find M&Ms nearly as tasty as Smarties. But perhaps it's just down to which one you get used to as a kid.
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Post by berkley on May 3, 2024 18:58:17 GMT -5
You mean artistically or how much their covers sell for? I don't know anything about prices but I do like Cho's artwork a lot and wish he would produce more comics as opposed to just covers. Adam Hughes's work I've never been able to stand at all. Something about his style just turns me off. I mean the beauty of the figures. They are 3 of a kind.
I won't get into details but for me Hughes is the odd man out even in regard to this particular aspect.
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Post by berkley on May 3, 2024 18:55:21 GMT -5
Blueberry 3: Angel Face (1989), Blueberry 4: The Ghost Tribe (1990) & Blueberry 5: The End of the Trail (1990)These graphic novels represent the conclusion to Blueberry's quest to clear his name. It's a long, sprawling tale with many twists and turns, and I imagine quite exhausting to read continuously. Each graphic novel contains two installments of the story. I read one installment per weekend over the course of six weeks at a far more leisurely pace. The art seemed to dip a bit towards the end, and I wondered if Giraud' heart was still in it as I had read that he did Blueberry to pay the bills so he could purse his more experimental "Moebius" stuff. Things picked up again in the final volume, however, and the art was restored to its previous grandeur. It would be remiss of me not to mention the coloring on these books, some of which is done by Moebius himself as well as various other colorists. The coloring is some of my favorite work in comics, and along with the painted Moebius covers, make these gorgeous books to read. It seems the lasting legacy of Epic was introducing a new generation of readers and cartoonists to the works of Moebius and Otomo. It seems bizarre that Marvel would be the curator for such a thing, but give the hard working editors their due. These Blueberry books must have sold well enough to encourage Epic to print more Blueberry stories in '91. I wonder how much Blueberry we would have gotten if the Epic line hadn't been squashed by the money men.
I should be getting back to this series soon after having neglected it the last year or two. I'm at the sequence before this one, though, the one that begins with Chihuahua Pearl.
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Post by berkley on May 2, 2024 12:06:47 GMT -5
I could see myself taking a chance on this. I've often thought of trying something by Björk but have never gotten round to it, mostly out of sheer laziness. I would caution against Medúlla as your first Björk album. It's not a particularly easy listen compared to some of her other stuff. It's got some good stuff on it, for sure, and the voices only nature of the album is certainly very interesting, but it's not that immediate. I'd say you'd be much better starting off with her first solo album Debut (1993), or it's follow-up Post (1995), or my personal favourite Homogenic (1997). Those are much easier introductions to Björk's music for the neophyte.
I'll probably follow that advice since in addition to the reasons you give it also fits in with the 1990s listening I've been doing.
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Post by berkley on May 2, 2024 9:17:05 GMT -5
OK, a little late to the party, but here are my Top 10 albums of 2004 then. This was definitely a much less strong year for albums than 1994 was, as far as the music I liked is concerned anyway. #10 - Aha Shake Heartbreak by Kings of Leon #9 - Kasabian by KasabianThe Kings of Leon track sounds tolerable on first listen, but it strikes me as the kind of thing I'd get tired of very quickly. I don't remember ever hearing it before so it couldn't have made any impression on me at the time, or possibly it wasn't a hit locally here.
Kasabian I'm not sure: I think I might get to like it better if it weren't for that big beat sound you mentioned. That's a big turn-off for me, as I seem to remember it being for a few other songs or bands of the 90s and 2000s, though I couldn't name any names off the top of my head.
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Post by berkley on May 2, 2024 9:06:01 GMT -5
More catching up with my favourite albums of 2004... #8 - Medúlla by BjörkI could see myself taking a chance on this. I've often thought of trying something by Björk but have never gotten round to it, mostly out of sheer laziness.
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Post by berkley on May 1, 2024 10:36:22 GMT -5
Favorite albums of 2004 #8 – Raul Malo – Nashville Acoustic Sessions
This acoustic set by Mavericks front-man Raul Malo is definitely twangier than anything we had gotten from The Mavericks or from Malo solo in a long time. Considering the musicians he had with him, guitarist/mandolinist Pat Flynn, dobro wizard Rob Ickes, and Dave Pomeroy (one of the top session bassists in Nashville) that's not surprising. This is a set of an eclectic group of covers from multiple eras and genres. The stand-outs, for me, are Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou" and Van Morrison's "Bright Side of the Road." The album doesn't really break any new ground, but it's a nice showcase for Malo's vocals with great backing musicians. Very interesting: I've been a huge Roy Orbison fan since I was a kid and Blue Bayou is one of my favourite songs. I like Malo's version: he has the voice to do it justice and it was a great idea to do an acoustic version. If I had to make a criticism on this first listen, the arrangement feels a little over-busy.
I'm also a huge Van Morrison fan and the album this song comes from, Into the Music, is one of my favourites of his - but this particular track, though one of the better known from that album, has never quite worked for me, for one reason or another. I think I like Malo's version better: the slightly slower tempo makes it sound less generic and perfunctory, which is how it's always struck me in relation to the rest of Morrison's Into the Music album.
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Post by berkley on May 1, 2024 1:41:17 GMT -5
1994.1 Teenager of the Year - Frank BlackThe first two Frank Black solo albums - this is the second - are right up there with the best of the Pixies for me, without sounding like nothing more than a continuation of what had gone before. I think his later ones are good too, if less consistent, but those first two are really special. I loved his odd, unexpected melodies and lyrics: after listening to this cd a few days ago I found several of the songs replaying repeatedly in my head and the other day while waiting for the train for work, I suddenly realised I had been singing/humming some parts out loud and had to surruptiously look around to make sure no one had noticed me inexplicably mumbling "The vanishing spies, just something I read, a couple of eyes ... right out of the head", etc, in my tuneless voice. Any one of the top 3 or 4 on my list could have been number 1 but I think this one, the Proclaimers, and the Cranberries probably had the biggest emotional impact around 1994 and listening to them again now that still seems to hold. I'm not sure why exactly I put this one at number 1, but as I try to choose which tracks to post, I notice that I'm having a hard time choosing, there are so many I'd like to share. On the other hand, there are 22 tracks, so the proportions probably work out the same. Regardless, here are the three I've gone with:
But as with all great albums, it's misleading to pick out a song here and there: it's really the ebb and flow of the album from start to finish that makes it great, not just a few isolated outstanding traccks that might as well be heard on a greatest hits compilation or whatever.
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Post by berkley on Apr 30, 2024 23:38:59 GMT -5
Don't forget Lost Command, with Anthony Quinn and George Segal, as an Algerian Legion paratrooper. Yep, George Segal.
And Claudia Cardinale, I see. Don't think I've seen that one either. My impression is that Alain Delon made a few attempts to break into Hollywood and the English-speaking market, but never succeeded in becoming the huge star as he was in French films, where he was one of the top guys for much of his career. Whether that was just bad luck or what, who knows.
On the subject of acting in a second language, a friend of mine was telling me about an interview he saw with Michael Ironside once: Ironside's an anglophone Canadian who does speak French but apparently felt he wasn't able to act in French as well as he'd like (this was an interview about a Canadian miniseries called The Last Chapter, a bike gang crime story that was filmed in both French and English versions).
How was Delon's English-language performance in the ones you've seen? I think his screen presence and star power come over in a big way in his French films, or the few of them I've seen at least, but perhaps it didn't carry over completely to his English-language movies, though I haven't seen or don't remember enough to judge from my own viewing.
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