tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post4370244803514926376..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: George Perez July: Fantastic Four Annual #14Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-14471377991876359682010-07-20T11:36:32.563-05:002010-07-20T11:36:32.563-05:00I just re-read this the other day,in the Perez FF ...I just re-read this the other day,in the Perez FF 'Visionaries' collection tpb. <br /><br />I agree about Marcos' inking,but even with a better inker this story isn't very good. <br />The FF themselves are barely conscious for the whole issue. And Agatha and Franklin aren't interesting enough to carry an issue,especially a double sized annual. Franklin has always been an annoying character and got more annoying after this issue("Unca Ben",anyone?). It seems like none of the writers ever knew what to do with him,other than sending him away with Harkness or breaking bad on villains. He works best in the recent "Son of a Genius" one-shots.J.A. Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15800901321134394272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-6957884423559744182010-07-19T10:38:01.019-05:002010-07-19T10:38:01.019-05:00Sorry if I gave you the impression I'm taking ...Sorry if I gave you the impression I'm taking this all too seriously - actually my tongue was pretty firmly in my cheek when I said I felt "called out". Sometimes it's kind of hard to convey a humorous stance or sarcasm in blog comments.<br />As for annuals, god, I loved them when I was a kid - Marvel's annuals especially. As you both noted in a post somewhere before, annuals (& giant sizes and other specials) usually came out during the summer, so it was just one more thing to look forward in addition to the extra leisure time for reading...Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-53273100812278387962010-07-19T08:58:32.897-05:002010-07-19T08:58:32.897-05:00Edo --
I didn't mean to call you out; truth b...Edo --<br /><br />I didn't mean to call you out; truth be told, I (and I think I can speak for Karen) have really appreciated your "dissenting opinion" on our little excursion into the Perez annuals. I really did look at this book a second and third time, and I want to thank you for that. My first impression was "Good god, I had forgotten how much I hated Pablo Marcos' inks!" But after your take on Avengers Annual #8, I went back through both books and decided that maybe it was just the faces; perhaps some or most of my disdain may lie with the printing techniques of the mid-70's. So don't think that there was any hostility directed your way -- contrarily, I consider myself in your debt.<br /><br />I like your overall opinion of what an annual should be. I think Marvel had perhaps a better handle on these the first time around. I'd point to Avengers Annual #1, FF Annual #6, and DD Annual #1 as some really fun Silver Age "book-length" stories. It seemed that when this format was revived in the 1970's (while I looked forward to them) they too often seemed to be places where maybe some filler-material (you know, file stories for the dreaded deadline doom) or new or re-tread aritsts came to rest. I just never found this go-round of annuals to be as good as those first few years. Of course, there are exceptions -- bad ones then, and good ones in the '70's.<br /><br />At any rate, I want to thank you again for all of your comments. Karen and I hoped we might stimulate a little conversation here and there, and you've certainly been a big part of that.<br /><br />Best,<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-34054096553317722162010-07-19T08:20:10.936-05:002010-07-19T08:20:10.936-05:00Since I've been sort of called out, I guess I ...Since I've been sort of called out, I guess I have to respond; actually, there's no point in re-hashing the merits of the art, I guess we can agree to disagree, but I rather liked it.<br />As for the issue as a whole, I really enjoyed it then, & still did when I read it much later. For me it was what an annual should be - a longer, done-in-one story that sort of refers to the main title but isn't necessarily tied to any ongoing storyline, with lots of over-the-top action. I agree that the FF work better with more "sciency"-type stories, but it's fun to have them involved in some mystical stuff now and then - and where better to do so than in an annual? So I have to say, while I can see where your criticisms are coming from, I still rank this among my top 10 favorite annuals of that period.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.com