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Yeah, that's precisely what I was thinking of. He's still very, very competent, but the essence of, say, his House of Mystery & Swamp Thing work from the early '70s is just plain gone.
No kidding. Between what happened to Krypto & Jimmy & Lana & the visit from Kara, I'm going to have to pause a moment to tear up.
If someone is contracted by an editor (or whoever hires these dudes) to draw 12+ issues of a monthly book, and he screws the pooch on the deadline three or four times, that's on the artist. If an editor hires that same artist for the same sort of job with the same deadlines on a different book, and the same thing happens, that's on the editor. If there's any problem w/ Marvel & DC books, it's editors expecting artists (& writers, for that matter) to meet deadlines they've rarely met, and then acting surprised that the deadline's been blown. You can count the Big Two guys that meet monthly deadlines w/out sabbaticals on one hand -- Bagley, Stuart Immomnen (Bagley's very worthy successor on Ultimate Spider-Man), Alex Maleev (during his excellent Daredevil run). Maybe John Romita Jr. could still do the deed as well, if he wasn't "wasting his time" on high-profile gigs.
Superstars rule the school -- I prefer it that way (because I do not miss having my regular Spider-Man or Avengers fix being pre-empted by some one-off story written by Danny Fingeroth), but it'd be even better if those in charge figured out how to best handle the artistic proclivities of some of the more eccentric / slower guys. Some editors get it right -- they hire two or more artists (or creative teams) to alternate storylines, or employ high-profile fill-ins to give the regular guys a break, or give the talent a lot of lead time. But the next time someone remembers that Jim Lee couldn't stick to a regular monthly schedule when he was freelancing (let alone in charge of a DC publishing branch), it'll be the first time.
It's been recently republished in the collection of Alan Moore's DC work, so it's readily available again.
Yeah, but they unaccountably left out the "This is an imaginary story ... aren't they all" introduction, I think. Which hardly ruins the story, but does remove part of its unique specialness, at least to me.
You're trying to hit for the "understatement of the year" cycle, I see. Does anyone know if Rob Liefeld even has feet? As far as I can see, he's unaware that legs tend to end in them.
Speaking of correct-anatomy-out-the-window, I just got my copy of I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets in the mail yesterday, and I'm loving it.
Poor, worthless Pete Ross. Dissed to the grave and beyond.
That's a fair point, and a reasonable view. However, especially in the case of freelancers, the editor (or hiring party) is also unable to control any additional work that the individual may choose to take on. In quite a few cases, there has been the problem of someone signing a contract, then signing a bigger one (often with the same company) and immediately ignoring any of the earlier deadlines. While editors need to ensure that they're dealing with reliable individuals, the artists (and other contracted parties) also need to ensure that they can perform at the level to which they've agreed.
Of course, an ability to hit a deadline is also why I tend to appreciate writers like Morrison, Johns, Brubaker and Bendis (even though I really hate his Nev Avengers run) - at least with them I know that I'll be getting my monthly dose of entertainment.
So? Show me where I've ever denied being an old curmudgeon, especially where comics were concerned. (Having given them up the second the cover price hit 40 cents, only to come back to a completley different field maybe 4 years ago, I've called myself "Unfrozen Caveman Comics Fan" more than once.)
And with regard to Byrne, even a bitter old curmudgeonly clock is right twice a day.
I laughed when the Toyman took that sucker out. Laughed!
God, that book was a hoot.
Most of the other guys you mention are big personal favorites as well. I was sort of struck a few weeks ago, though, while reading a (Dark Horse?) collection, Charles Fort: Prophet of the Unexplained, to pause about halfway through, check the credits & see that Frazer Irving had drawn it. Maybe it was the lack of color, but the art looked sooooo different from what I'd seen & loved on Silent War & Gutsville (I have yet to read the Klarion Seven Soldiers mini, though I own it).
Brian Lee O'Malley is great, and I've enjoyed the limited amount that I've seen from Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba. However, you forgot to mention someone who, with your name, you really should know: Jeff Lemire - creator of the Essex County books.
Incidentally, I can't believe we've made it this far without someone mentioned both Herge and Goscinny/Uderzo.
I apologize, YES he was prolific, but not really heads and shoulders above everyone else. Where do you get the 1500 page number? That's almost 6 issues a month. He may have hit that at some point, but certainly not regularly.
I have no problem with it either. I don't know how you can't love his work. I'm just saying, perhaps we should take that into account when judging him against other artists.
And do I REALLY need to point at Liefeld? ;)
I will say two things for Rob, though:
1) He's very open and honest about the part he played in ruining comics in the '90s.
2) He is, by all accounts, generous almost to a fault when dealing with fans.
If the comic art devil really exists, it isn't Rob Liefeld. It's Greg Land, master of the traced porn-face.
If there's ever been a bitter old crank that could prove that adage wrong, it's JB. Granted, the guy was a back-biting loudmouth crank even during his Marvel heyday (tho that was more a dirty secret than anything). Thanks to the internet, tho, he's able to carve out his own little niche of wrong (ByrneRobotics.com -- curious folk can type in the URL their damn self) where he and his devoted fans sound off on all sorts of topics and badmouth all sorts of comic (and non-comic) professionals in a verbose and narrow-minded fashion that'll warm anyone's heart-cockles, regardless of your level of fondness for JB's ouevre.
Like Mike Allred, who I really should've mentioned long before now.
And Jamie McKelvie, whose work on Suburban Glamour & that other Image mini whose name I forget was exquisite.
And Emily Stone, who does a great job on Hack/Slash.
And Jimmie Robinson, whose Bomb Queen is engagingly perverse.
But, to be fair, speed is often a talent too. It doesn't matter how hard you work, most ballplayers aren't going to approach the speed of Rickey Henderson. Not to mention, you had to be fast in the older days in order to make a living as wages weren't great. Kirby was a unique talent, in more ways than one, and will never be duplicated.
In many ways, the breakthroughs in printing and the willingness of the comic book fan to buy the highest priced and most detailed products and shun older school products have lead to the acceptance of lateness.
At least according to Evanier's biography, in the early 60s, he had at least one two year period where he produced just over 3000 pages. The 6 issues a month starts to seem reasonable when you consider that he was doing the following regular books at the time:
1) Fantastic Four
2) Avengers
3) Incredible Hulk
4) Captain America
5) Thor
6) Nick Fury: Agent of Shield
7) Sergeant Fury and the Howling Commandos
8) The Rawhide Kid
6) Any other fill-ins or annuals required, as well as material for items which didn't make it to print.
The guy could churn out material at an ungodly pace.
Only if you're prepared to laugh while doing so.
Probably from Evanier's recent bio. And if you look at Marvel's output during the early '60s, in particular, he was averaging pretty much 6 issues a month, plus covers.
Tracing & theft via Photoshop is the steroids of modern-day comics. Land is Bonds. David Mack is, I guess, Giambi.
Oh, I agree. I've never heard anything bad about him personally, even while hearing very little good about him professionally. After all, despite his track record, he keeps getting hired, so he must be a hell of a nice guy.
Oh, I've checked that board a time or two, thanks to occasional links off Comic Book Resources. I'm just waiting for Byrne to announce that it's time for all of his sycophants to drink the cyanide Flav-R-Aid.
Not me. That is hilaripus.
That's really, really demeaning to Bonds. At least when he took PEDs, he turned into a good player.
Indeed. Perez (a) is famous for his multi-character scenes & (b) drew Crisis on Infinite Earths. Byrne has had nothing to do with any "crisis" that I know of, other than the Crisis of Infinite Ego played out daily on his board.
Have you seen Greg Land's head lately?
Couple questions, if you'll permit:
What marks the transition from on Age to another? New characters or titles? Changes in the industry's structure?
And what do you mean by guys not getting stuff in on time? Does the issue just not come out that month? That seems bizarre.
Yup, that's precisely what we mean. And it is bizarre as the term deadline has apparently lost all meaning in the industry. And it gets justified by tortured logic of "it's like growing roses" and "Watchmen was one month late over 20 years ago".
Golden Age - introduction of Superman to the early 1950s - the first Superhero Era
Silver Age - introduction of the Flash (1956) to the early 70s - the second Superhero Era
Bronze Age - Early 70s (Green Lantern/Green Arrow team up, or Spider-man #96)to roughly mid 80s - characterized by darker books with heros failing.
Modern Age - 1986 to current - arguably started by the release of Alan Moore's Watchmen.
Source: Wikipedia
Well, it used to be odd for a series to miss a month, as almost all the guys were paid by the page. If you didn't turn things in, you didn't get paid, and you often found yourself looking for work elsewhere. More recently, it has become increasingly common for series to miss a month or two, or switch back and forth between monthly and bi-monthly release because either the writer or artists couldn't keep up the pace/come up with a story, or because the editor changed too much, or because they've just decided to scrap things and take the characters in another direction.
Also, the writers/artists often have a lot more leverage in their negotiations, meaning that they can state terms like "when it's done". It's annoying as can be, if you're a fan of a particular book which is being produced by someone with a known tendancy towards lateness.
It's been going on for quite a while, with the rise of the "superstar". It's also the reason why guys who can put out a lot at high quality can basically name their price - as you question, it's frustrating for readers to find out that the book their looking for won't be available for another month because of any number of random reasons.
Currently, I think the champ at lateness may be Frank Miller, for his work on "All Star Batman and Robin". Of course, he's such a big name that no one can really force him to do anything.
Also, is there a good book to trace the history of the industry structurally and creatively? (Particularly 1950s-present).
Thanks guys for all this info. Fascinating stuff that makes me wish I had read more comics (I used to be pretty into Spider-Man, but that's about it. I read some other graphic novel stuff a lot). Although, maybe I have enough obsessions.
Two more current artists that I like are Michael Turner and Mike Wieringo. Turner has a distinctive style, easily recognizable, although not everyone's cup of tea. Draws some fine women though. Wieringo just had a solid, clean style, which was impressive when you consider he was doing Flash and Impulse were speed lines and the "Flash effect" are the rule in any issue.
One artist/painter that hardly gets mentioned is Joe Jusko. I love the Marvel Masterpieces card set he did in the 90's. That was some quality work. Alex Ross before Alex Ross. Oh, and the wonderful Boris Vallejo, fantasy artist extraordinaire.
It's more a matter of the top notch guys getting first kick at the big characters. People still want to follow series, and most of the big ones come out on time, but if you want to read certain characters, you also have to accept the risk that it might not show up on time.
In terms of a good book on the earlier years of comics (30s to 60s), I can recommend "Men of Tomorrow" by Gerard Jones (No relation), although its coverage of the 80s onwards isn't great.
Don't forget the annouced issues:
#10 - July 16 2008
#11 & #12 - August 27 2008
Odds of these showing up on time? About zero.
#2 - November 2005
#3 - December 2005
#4 - March 2006 (!)
#5 - July 2007 (!!)
#6 - September 2007
#7 - November 2007
#8 - January 2008
#9 - April 2008
Whoa. What happens if you have a subscription?
Rage issues.
So he's the one who has been picked to work on Trinity? Is it going to just be him, or will it be a set of artists? I hope the latter, just for his sanity.
not really how current I would call Mike Wieringo, RIP.
yep wrong name, I like Byrne but love Perez. Although I got criticized for not liking Perezs cover shot on issue 0 final Crisis, wasn't one of his better works. An artist that I haven't seen mention that I like mostly because he's one of the few what I would call traditional artist, meaning he just draws instead of trying to be artistic, is Ron Lim. Not sure what he is doing any more, but liked him on Captain America and Green Lantern.
Anyone that wants to into comics should seriously consider an Essentials/showcase series. you get about 20-30 issues of a title for very little ($20 or less) amount of money. Or if you don't mind reading on a computer Marvel has put out the complete Captain America, Spiderman, X-men, Ironman, Fantastic Four/Silver Surfer, Avengers, Hulk, or Ultimate Spiderman on DVD (there may be other titles, I have the Captain America, Ironman ones and am tempted to get the FF one) And as a last ethical resort Marvel comics is putting their books up on a subscription web site, it's pretty cheap, but the selection of titles seems to be pretty haphazard.
Cooool. With variant covers?
it's scheduled to be just him, the guy can produce a good product on time, and from what I heard is that they have something like 9 issues already in the bag.
It's sort of a combination. Allegedly, the lead story will run about 14 pages and be all Bagley. But, there will be backups exploring subplots that will branch into and out of the main story by a variety of artists.
It probably should be pointed out that although current artists are notoriously inconsistent these days in terms of timeliness, it's the Golden Age of reprints. I don't think there's an artist mentioned in this thread where you can't go out and get a good chunk of his work merely by going to Amazon.
not usually, I know if a title gets cancelled they'll automatically finish your subscription out with a similar title or sometimes give you a choice between a couple of titles. It sucked for the people that were getting young Avengers they ended up getting Runways(which is a critical success, but a completly different vein of stories. I prefer to read about heroes not anti-heroes or people that are in the title just by accident or birth)
I have no idea - I don't know anyone who goes by subscriptions anymore. My best guess, given the nature of the industry, would just be to stretch things out until you get the number of issues you paid for - even if it takes four time as long as expected.
If anyone wants to read comics from the past, Marvel's biggest franchises are on DVD, for example 40 Years of X-Men can be bought for $45 through Amazon. Not a lot of fun reading them on the PC, but that's a heckuva price.
I see cfb beat me on the DVD recommendation.
I agree to an extent, I still have my favorite characters no matter who is writing (Captain America--I'm Capt USA on the boards that this was linked from, Nightwing, Robin---not Batman so much, mostly they lost me when they did the storyline that led to Spoilers death--gang war or something, Avengers, JSA--best team book in mainstream comics over the past decade) but I'll follow a writer to a new series that I normally wouldn't give the time of day (Jim Shooter taking over Legion is the most recent, although rumors has it that he was already fired)
And I usually don't care about art for the most part, as long as it isn't bad (first time in my comic book life I almost dropped the flash was the artist that was on the current series was so bad that I just couldn't read it) I won't buy a book just because of an artist, unless it's a series that is designed exclusively to showcase the artist and not really do a story.
They aren't afraid to look like they're having a good time, which is nice.
I'll see your Boris Vallejo and raise you a Frank Frazetta.
Have you seen Greg Land's head lately?
Speaking of which, this thread is probably the best place to put this photo of Barry Bonds in his Barcalounger.
Cool. Cap is my 2nd favorite character, surpassed only by Nick Fury. (Counterintuitive, no doubt, for a self-defined anarchist, but hey, we're talking comics here, which surpass all considerations of ideology, unless it's the reprehensible Frank Miller using the WTC attacks to suddenly decide he's a flag-waving jingoist). I'll have to look you up over there, where I'm a regular under, um, my alter ego.
Well, yeah. It just may be.
Supposedly, he left because Geoff Johns' upcoming Legion of Three Worlds, or whatever it's called, will ride roughshod over his plans for the book. Which is a shame. Of course, unlike you I'll be buying it anyway ... I'm a major LOSH fan who's something like 50 ishes from owning every bloody Legion title ever published.
Of course, not everyone agrees with those (comics fans are at least as contentious as baseball fans ... as is said of campus politics, the fights are so bitter because the stakes are so low), but yeah, it's a pretty good summary.
Some posit a late '40s/early '50s Atomic Age between the Golden & Silver Ages, & people like me date the Bronze Age's beginning to the return of horror comics in the late '60s, not to mention the *shudder* price rise from 12 cents to 15 cents in mid-'69 (something that still traumatizes me to this day), whereas on the other hand I've seen the Bronze Age's advent dated as late as Giant-Size X-Men #1 in the mid-'70s.
Of course, it's also possible to break out the '90s as the Crap Age.
Basically, between insane prices, blown deadlines, absurd Big-Event-itis & the idiotic retreat to the Direct Market (it's as if coffee could only be bought at Starbucks, rather than at every restaurant under the sun & off the grocery shelves ... anyone think prices just might go up to offset the drastic drop in consumption, thereby exacerbating what was already a perilous trend?), compared to the lunatics running the asylum that is comics, Bud Selig is the world's greatest genius.
Oh, I know it's not exact, but I didn't feel like getting into a discussion as to whether or not the Silver Age really extended until the death of the Flash in the pages of Crisis on Infinite Earths, or whether it's called the Modern or Dark Age, or whether to consider the significance of the Marvel Age as a separate era from the Silver Age.
Also, Scott McCloud's ZOT! was freakin' brilliant, then he decided to tell everyone how to make comics without actually ever making any more himself.
I didn't see Steve Rude of NEXUS fame mentioned, but I loved him. Hmmm... I'm starting to feel old.
I really don't think Dave Gibbon's layout and panel work in WATCHMEN has yet to be equalled, and Mazzuchelli was pretty amazing in his day. P. Craig Russell has done some fine work as well.
And, the greatest comic of all time, Aztec Ace by Moench and Day. 15 issues of pure perfection.
Boy, I don't know ANYBODY new. How depressing.
How on earth does this pinhead get work? I knew when I was 17 that he was awful.
Paul Smith did get mentioned awhile back. Also, he drew the most recent issue of DC's The Spirit.
Yeah, the omission of Steve Rude is a serious oversight. For what it's worth, he's brought Nexus back through his own imprint, Rude Dude.
Craig Russell definitely should've been mentioned by now, as well, though as a true old-timer I'm not really familiar with anything he's done since "War of the Worlds" in Amazing Adventures.
*sigh* I own Aztec Ace but haven't yet read it. That applies to probably 75 percent of my collection ... after all, I've got a quarter-century of catching up to do.
Jim Shooter? "Pinhead"? Au contraire ... though again, I can't comment on anything he did from '79-'04 or so. I do know that as head of Marvel, he had the interpersonal skills of Himmler.
Jim Shooter wrote "Secret Wars". 'Nuff said. ;-)
Aztec Ace is wonderfully dated in that kinda way where it couldn't have been written the same way in any other decade but to me still seems timeless. Which reminds me of....
I actually recently bought (finally) the League(s) of Extraordinary Gentlemen to read. (I've been out of regular comic buying since I entered college - not as much maturity reasons, but financial - but still follow what's going on) This reminded me of how cool I thought I was when I was in on the ground floor of the Kevin O'Neill experience with one of my favorite books: Nemesis the Warlock. I gotta find a copy of that one to read again somewhere.
... after all, I've got a quarter-century of catching up to do.
I was going to ask if you had been in prison, but that seems like a great place to catch up on reading.
As long as I'm rambling, I saw a preview for "The Spirit" the other day. It looks like it might end up sucking. The film style already looks dated. Also, not to be curmudgeonly, but I'm not looking forward to that Watchmen movie, unless it's about 4 hours long.
Y'know, I figured that's what you were referring to. That's a series -- 2 of 'em, actually -- I have no interest in ever touching with a 10-foot pole or anything else.
I own the first 2 volumes of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen but haven't read those, either. I put off reading Watchmen for quite some time after obtaining it a few years ago, in part because I found the first few pages less than engaging, but of course it turned out to be pretty good ... but barely a patch on V for Vendetta, IMHO.
Nah (although grad school followed by nearly 2 decades in newspapers probably bore certain similarities to prison, especially during my first marriage). I gave comics up in one swell foop in 12/78, the day the cover price hit 40 cents. Didn't come back till maybe 4 years ago, thanks in large part to a chance reading, out of boredom as much as anything, of a bunch of issues of Hawkworld that I plucked out of the extremely paltry selection of comics in the mostly sports collectibles shop I was working in at the time. That's what clued me in to the fact that worthwhile stuff actually had come out during the years I'd been away.
Haven't seen the preview -- if I go to 3 movies a year (as opposed to watch them constantly at home via Netflix & Blockbuster), I'd be surprised, & I don't have TV -- but from everything I've read, the Spirit flick will only reinforce the sad reality of Frank Miller's utter, irredeemable iniquity.
Not that I watch comics movies anyway, really. I guess I prefer those stories on the printed page, period. (V for Vendetta was, of course, a notable exception. Also, Ghost World didn't suck.)
WELLLLLLLL I can't agree there,and I think that has something to do with the fact that V for Vendetta was eminently British, and Watchmen wasn't. I liked the narrative and pace a lot better in Watchmen, and it was just fuller in my opinion. Subjective.
I hear you about the movies, but I'll watch them anyhow. I have to. It's my nature. No matter how bad they might turn out, it really isn't in my power to stay away. Let me highly recommend the HELLBOY films. I was never really a Mignola fan at all or liked the comic THAT much, but the first movie was great fun, and I think the second is going to be even better, although I hate this HELLBOY 2 crap. Why not just "HELLBOY - THE GOLDEN ARMY" instead? I'd love for some mouth-breathing movie exec to tell me why they think making it SOUND like a crappy sequel from title alone makes sense.
Y'know, I figured that's what you were referring to. That's a series -- 2 of 'em, actually -- I have no interest in ever touching with a 10-foot pole or anything else
I managed to read both of them. It was a true embarrassment. Made to look even worse at the time because the first DC mashup "Crisis on Infinite Earths" was so much better. (I don't think the newer one was probably as good, but didn't really read it) I didn't read this whole Mavel CIVIL WAR thing, but that also looked to be awful.
Again, I rarely if ever buy anything these days. On a spending spree I was thinking of getting some of that PLANET HULK/WORLD WAR HULK thing for a pulp read, but it didn't grab me. I picked up Gaiman's ETERNALS along with the League of EG stuff and although I am a HUGE Gaiman fan and think he's an excellent storyteller that series was really a disappointment for me.
I don't know how you all get your new comics, but I feel I should mention www.dcbservice.com, since I probably would have given up the hobby long ago if not for that site. It's by far the best way to buy new comics. They've earned me pimping them a little.
Anyway, the bad first, it's a pre-order site so you're ordering comics that won't come out for 2 months. The first wait is a long one, but once you get going, it's not bad. Also, they have no backstock, though you can order every trade or hardcover that Diamond (comics distributor) has in stock. Which is pretty much all of them. Just no back issues.
Here is the good. First off, everything is a heck of a lot cheaper. The standard price of a $2.99 comic is $1.79. So 40% off. Often they'll have bigger discounts, up to 75% on some titles. This applies to trades and hardcovers too. I typically spend about $100 a month, and that gets me plenty as I'm perpetually behind on my reading. I save over $50 a month that I would have spent at a comic store for the same stuff. If you only spend $50-$60, you still save over $25.
The selection is tremendous, vastly more than you'll find at a comic store. There are literally hundreds of independent publishers you can buy comics from. Not just comics either, all manner of geekery. Toys, magazines, books, clothing, DVD's, etc.
Shipping is only $5.95 a month, no matter how much you get. They use DHL, who get it to you pretty quickly. You can opt for weekly or bi-weekly for extra, but monthly works for me. That's cheaper than a drive to closest comic store for me.
The website is great and easy to use. Customer service is great. You can cancel and add to your unshipped orders without hassle. (And it's nice to have two months to change your mind about something.)
Anyway, sorry for the long post. I love it. It's a great stress-busting monthly routine for me.
www.dcbservice.com. Check it out.
Trouble is, a considerable portion of my motivation for buying the damned things new (as opposed to waiting a bit & buying them cheap off eBay or from various on-line sellers) is a desire to support my 2 local shops.
Then again, that's not my job, just as it isn't my fault they're trying to make a living as links in an industry controlled by rapaciously greedy, shortsighted-to-the-point-of-blindness, blithering idiots. *sigh*
Me like phrase. (Trying to turn this thread back to the Bizarros).
Hmmmm. Wow! That's the secret to why the industry is the way it is! The company heads aren't "rapaciously greedy, shortsighted-to-the-point-of-blindness, blithering idiots" after all ... rather, they're Bizarros.
That am bad. Me feel much worse now.
Actually, yeah, I'm leaning strongly toward checking the first one out anyway. My first exposure to Hellboy occurred only about a week ago, via the first TPB, & while it didn't blow me away by any means, a bunch of BPRD minis & one-shots I read about the same time were pretty darned impressive.
Also, I gather that the movie features some distinctly Lovecraftian elements, which for me is a serious attraction.
Hobby shops have gone this route, too, as the internet offered so much easier access to so much more selection.
Personally, if the Graham Crackers Empire comes crashing down in Chicago's western suburbs, that'd be OK with me. That %^$# ripped me off 25 years ago and I haven't forgotten.
Secret Wars brought me in to comics, though. I guess I deserved to be ripped off.
http://deadspin.com/5010750/perhaps-one-of-these-men-could-fight-jose-canseco
In the 12 issues combined, there were 14 sentences which ended in a period. I meant, in a period!
Say what you want about Shooter, as a kid I was utterly captivated by his Marvel.
There were those sweet action figures too, wtih the sheilds that were like those old SportFlick cards.
Remember, not only was that a nine-issue limited series, but there were about 3000 "tie-ins" to every title on the Marvel market. There was a limp, stupid story intruding on everyone's normal storyline for almost a year. All for some Captain America clone with dyed black hair who had to be aborted as a fetus by the Molecule Man and Volcana. Holy mackerel did that story suck.
*brain explodes*
I just think she's super adorable. Her character in that film was pretty believble.
And holy crap, Deadball, I had barely remembered that story, and your re-telling was a painful flashback.
Perhaps you'd prefer this Selma?
Considering that Cap is my favorite character and the way Doom reacted when confronted by Cap after having the Beyonders power was another great part, then Cap willing his Shield back together, which coincendently timed with a Cap book where his shield had got stolen (Iron Monger or someone with Iron Monger suit) and it was a fun way to geek out. And in comparison to Crisis which basically just resetted the DC universe, Secret Wars actually affected multiple titles (introduction of Venom/black costume, Thing leaving the FF/She-Hulk joining, break up of the statutory rapist Colossus and Kitty Pryde, brought Molecule Man into prominance for a few years, creation of Titania and to a lesser Extent Spiderwoman/Arachne and Volcana, Brought Magneto into alliance with the X-men(or more fully cemented it)
Quite a good comic, actually.
Besides, Julie grew up to become a hot lesbian.
I'll see your *brain explodes* & raise you a ... well, actually *brain explodes* is a pretty good summary. If Ms Blair were a comic book character, she would indeed be Super Adorable.
If I had been a bit younger at the time I would have thought moreso, but at the time as teenager I TRIED to like it but couldn't really care. As far as growing up, huh, I should look that up somewhere and see if they are still in the Universe.
Now, that I can't address. She's in her late teens, more or less, in the recent Loners 6-issue mini (which was quite good for 4 issues or so before, then ... not so much). At the same time, they're all still kids in the various minis that come out every now & then, but those may be in the same (non-)Universe as the various Marvel Adventures books (the only one of which I read, Marvel Adventures: Avengers, is really fun).
And Frank Thorne.
And Mike Crudale.
First on the list, I'd love to see Hollywood make the second League of EG into a movie. Somehow I'm not sure that would fly.
About all I've been doing the last couple of days is reading comics, because I've been physically capable of little else. (It would appear that I came down with some sort of food poisoning Friday afternoon, & all the swigs of Pepto I've downed since then might as well have been water for all the effect that they've had. Good thing tomorrow's a holiday.) Most notable was the entirety of J Michael Longpolishname's Rising Stars, which I thought was quite good overall, though a certain amount of inertia starting setting in around #15 or so.
I liked his Midnight Nation rather more, though it might've experienced the same mild decline, too, if he'd tried to keep it going for 24 issues rather than 12.
And while I'm at it, I should note that The Twelve, his current Marvel series (though I gather he's moseyed onto DC of late), may well be my favorite title on the racks right now. It's beating the living tar out of Alex Ross' vaguely similarly themed Project Superpowers, as I may have mentioned earlier.
If you're laid up, Gef, it's time to read AZTEC ACE!
As far as THE TWELVE and PROJECT SUPERPOWERS, I'm really not down with the whole "the golden age was so cool and now totally full of irony" thing that seems to permeate those projects. They leave me kind of empty.
As an atheist raised roman catholic, MIDNIGHT NATION sounds interesting to me inasmuch as I consider Norse Mythology interesting as well, only I have some history with the former as opposed to the latter.
I'm trying to decide what my next comic book purchase will be, as they are rather infrequent these days but still fun. Has anyone read any of Greg Rucka's stuff? He lived down the hall from me in college and was one of those generally creepy campus patrol types.
Hmmmm... RISING STARS sounded pretty neat. Too bad I read the whole damned plot on Wikipedia just now. DAMMIT.
Now, see, I'm not getting that vibe from either comic, even though I expected (& didn't at all look forward to) it.
I started to mention that -- as a born-&-bred Southern Baptist whose line has long been that I'm an agnostic on bad days & an atheist on good ones (or maybe vice versa) -- I admire Midnight Nation despite its undertones of religion.
Well, if you'll just sit still for a minute, I'll see about arranging a mindwipe. Stop wiggling, willya?
Are you referring to a certain site or something? If so, no link is apparent.
No doubt, but I was so drained (literally, y'know) that the thought of riffing through my Pacific (or Eclipse? Same difference, as far as my short box layout is concerned) boxes for those issues was too daunting to even contemplate. So I wound up finishing a pretty darned good superhero novel, Austin Grossman's Soon I Will Become Invincible, instead.
First one I've ever read, I'm pretty sure, though I've heard good things about several others, starting with Robert Mayer's Superfolks (if I'm remembering the credit correctly. I believe Tom de Haven has written one or more, & I really need to look it/those up ... his Freaks' Amour, from the mid-'80s, is a criminally obscure tour de force that's best described as sort of a combination of the old sf porn flick Cafe Flesh & Katherine Dunn's somewhat celebrated (at least at the time) Geek Love, which came out a couple of years after Freaks' Amour. (Also, the name of the terrorist sect in the novel provided me with my first ever email handle, back in the day -- Antichrist Newsboy.)
Oops. Sorry--I'm an idiot.
http://www.unheardtaunts.com/wir/
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