tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post7350338725193475086..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: Marvel Premiere 48: Let's Get Small -- the ConclusionDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-18352036726684146482015-09-21T21:45:00.794-05:002015-09-21T21:45:00.794-05:00Man, I gotta get me some of those Marvel Pocketboo...Man, I gotta get me some of those Marvel Pocketbooks if it's anything like this story! Yeah we get a great tale here; when I heard the name Darren Cross I said to myself 'waitaminnit ain't that the same dude who was Yellowjacket in the recent movie?, only here he's a pink version of the Hulk!<br /><br />Yes it was quite refreshing to see that many of the original story elements here made it to the big screen, along with some other hidden Easter eggs (like the Milgrom hotel! That had me in stitches - when I saw that I was wondering how many people in the movie theatre caught that reference).<br /><br />As for Byrne's comment about Layton's inks 'demolishing' his layouts, well, beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder here. I'm with Doug and most of the people here in that I think Layton enhances Byrne's pencils. If Byrne has a problem with how Layton drew lips, well, what else can you say?<br /><br /> <br />- Mike 'wondering what would have happened if Hulk was really coloured pink' from Trinidad & Tobago.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-89084648399427092272015-09-21T19:31:40.161-05:002015-09-21T19:31:40.161-05:00Excellent recall, Karen--and you can find those co...Excellent recall, Karen--and you can find those comments about Layton in Byrne's extensive interview in <i>The Comics Journal</i> No. 57 from 1980.<br />Comicsfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10064955427593820783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-55456792594821432862015-09-21T15:43:27.866-05:002015-09-21T15:43:27.866-05:00Nice review, Doug. This is one of my all time favo...Nice review, Doug. This is one of my all time favorites. I have the original issues, digital scans of the original issues, and the recent Ant-Man Scott Lang TPB. I always loved Ant-Man and this story totally blew me away when I originally read it. (And I have probably re-read it around 5-7 times since then). After this Scott Lang instantly became one of my favorite characters, and I would pick up any comic that he appeared it. <br /><br />It was also around this time that I was really starting to take notice of John Byrne and he quickly became my favorite artist. The writing was excellent as well.<br /><br />This story was so good they even adapted a version of it for an episode of Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and threw in Power Man and Iron Fist for good measure. (Two of my other favorite characters). It remains my favorite episode of the series.<br /><br />And just to really drive home the coolness of these comics, they (loosely) based the Ant-Man motion picture on this story as well. I knew it was awesome when I first read it, but I never dreamed it would leave such a lasting impression.Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988016825582035390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-63514396874676563902015-09-21T13:37:48.412-05:002015-09-21T13:37:48.412-05:00Great review, Doug; and I agree with Martinex1 tha...Great review, Doug; and I agree with Martinex1 that Marvel Premiere's loss is still felt. Haven't read this story since it first appeared, but am getting in line with the rest of you to check out the Panini digests...Redartzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08221459636234713619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-43217721089192432512015-09-21T11:25:09.798-05:002015-09-21T11:25:09.798-05:00First of all, I’d never heard of Marvel Pocketbook...First of all, I’d never heard of Marvel Pocketbooks, but they sound awesome, so I will have to look for them.<br /><br />I’ve always enjoyed my limited readings of Scott Lang’s Ant-Man. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s a single father superhero, or a reformed con (but NOT a reformed supervillain!), but I’ve always pulled for Scott.<br />Also, I think I’ve come across Dr. Sondheim in Iron Man, where she tried to help Tony Stark cure Bruce Banner of being the Hulk. Guess how that went.<br /><br />Hey Doug, you took you comic hiatus just as my comic collecting was kicking into high gear, thanks to the discovery of my LCS.<br /><br />P.S. I haven't seen Ant-Man in the theater yet, either. Not from lack of desire, just because reality often gets in the way.dbutler16https://www.blogger.com/profile/00046066729353639991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-56671175332913644152015-09-21T11:04:06.644-05:002015-09-21T11:04:06.644-05:00I too really enjoyed this story, when I bought it ...I too really enjoyed this story, when I bought it off the spinner and when I read it again recently. I think Doug hit it on the head with his review. I will also echo that the Byrne/Layton art was a nice pairing. It is definitely different than Byrne/Austin with more defining lines and facial creases, etc. I didn’t see Byrne’s comments about lipstick, but I did notice how sometimes Layton outlined the lips more and emphasizes the lower lip. I don’t mind it though, the lines decrease some of the cartooniness (I’m sure that’s not a word). Considering Scott wears a helmet covering much of his features, his expressions of shock, fear, and awe all come through. I think the art team did a great job that way. I am not sure if I like Cross’s coloring; I find the pink distracting for some reason. Regarding the digest, I am glad that they include the Taskmaster stories From Avengers and Team Up as it seems Taskmaster was a key Lang villain; I hope he shows up in future movies.<br /><br />Regarding the film, I see it just passed Captain America: The First Avenger domestically, and in worldwide revenue has bridged the $400,000,000 mark. And it doesn’t even open in China until October. That seems like a pretty decent haul for a “small” picture, and one that had a lot of questions around production. I really enjoyed how they tied the film to this origin. It definitely had some modifications with aged Hank and Yellowjacket, but the spirit was definitely in line. Marvel Premiere is missed; I liked the way they floated concepts, and with these two issues I really like how Marvel understood that both Ant Man and Yellowjacket were viable characters.<br />Martinex1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-54644526726088569242015-09-21T10:34:06.979-05:002015-09-21T10:34:06.979-05:00Edo,
Whew, good, I thought I was the only guy NO...Edo, <br /><br />Whew, good, I thought I was the only guy NOT to have seen AntMan yet in the cinema.<br /><br />Hugh sadness over Larson's passing.., his character is as woven into the Supes lineage as much as anyone. Jack did a superb job with the 'Golly, Superman' lines, creating such a great embodiment of that character from that point forward.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-40548013979907143342015-09-21T10:27:30.279-05:002015-09-21T10:27:30.279-05:00Off-topic --
Multiple news outlets are reporting ...Off-topic --<br /><br />Multiple news outlets are reporting the passing of Jack Larson, television's (1950s) Jimmy Olsen.<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-16344994821503459912015-09-21T09:55:17.036-05:002015-09-21T09:55:17.036-05:00Yeah, I remember seeing Byrne's comments about...Yeah, I remember seeing Byrne's comments about the art in Hulk Annual 7, and Layton's inks on his pencils in general, at his Byrne Robotics site a few years ago. My reaction then, and now, is basically: ??? (or perhaps in the spirit of the late '70s: "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Mr. Byrne?!").<br /><br />Otherwise, I really need to get around to seeing the Ant Man movie...Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-88398161651718954882015-09-21T09:38:39.857-05:002015-09-21T09:38:39.857-05:00Great review partner. Doug had invited me to join ...Great review partner. Doug had invited me to join in on this one, but unfortunately this book was in a box that was lost when I moved from California to Arizona. So I couldn't participate, but he didn't need my help. Reading this reminded me how much I enjoyed this two issue tale. It was just a well-done, fun story. And I had not remembered the elements that were actually included in the Ant Man film. Darren Cross was quite different, but it's surprising how much of the film did come from this story.<br /><br />Ozone-aka JJ - regarding Byrne's remarks about his Hulk Annual 7 art, I forget where I read it, but I distinctly remember Byrne stating that Layton's inks made all his men look "queer" -that the way he inked the lips made the men look like they were wearing lipstick, and other such nonsense. I always thought it was a great pairing, and I found the comments disappointing.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032477453891087135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-91482002921520001902015-09-21T09:12:45.793-05:002015-09-21T09:12:45.793-05:00I balked at the size of an Avengers Panini digest ...I balked at the size of an Avengers Panini digest a couple of weeks ago but I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the Ant-Man book after reading another positive reference here. And thanks, Edo, for the heads-up on the Book Depository. What a gem of a site, especially for an American living in Scotland. Prices tend to be higher here but I've found some good deals there.<br /><br />Just the other day I saw John Byrne post on his forum that his art in Hulk Annual 7 was "demolished by the inks." I'm with Doug; they make a good team to my eyes. I really need to pick up this Ant-Man book. The character, combined with the art team, makes this a must-have.<br /><br />And I'm happily surprised to read that the Ant-Man film did in fact draw from the comics. I figured they crafted their own take on him and just used the character names and the concept. This disappointed me a bit because beyond that I thought it was a terrific movie. It was quite the palate cleanser after Avengers: Age of Ultron. -JJJJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18053716133555080531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-52093248235298731152015-09-21T07:51:43.129-05:002015-09-21T07:51:43.129-05:00Agreed totally with Edo, this is the Hank I rememb...Agreed totally with Edo, this is the Hank I remember, along with his avenging days back in around the first 20some issues after his origin and the pre-Shooter days.<br /><br />I enjoyed the fact that there **could** be more ant-type heroes besides ol' Hank, and this was a very enjoyable ending, which seems to resonate more than the story itself. <br /><br />Yes, great art to boot..!!david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-37679767067787279032015-09-21T07:40:52.493-05:002015-09-21T07:40:52.493-05:00Edo --
I think that makes more sense. I did a ver...Edo --<br /><br />I think that makes more sense. I did a very quick re-read of MP #47, and to be honest I recall being a bit distracted when I did. I'll check it out when I get home this evening, but that certainly seems more in line with how it should have played out in regard to Scott coming into possession of the Ant-Man suit. I am thinking that in the first post years ago I'd made a reference to the Cat costume being in a store room at Roxxon Oil -- maybe I thought the same thing of the Ant-Man suit.<br /><br />Anyway, thanks for your comments!<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-78470139955415491652015-09-21T07:14:35.516-05:002015-09-21T07:14:35.516-05:00Excellent review, Doug. As I've stated before,...Excellent review, Doug. As I've stated before, this little 2-parter in the wonderful Marvel Premiere was a personal favorite of mine back in the day - yes, I had 'em both back then, so you may envy me at your leisure ... :P<br /><br />Anyway, I'm looking forward to finally re-reading this after many years, as my own copy of the Panini digest just arrived about 2 weeks ago! I've only flipped through it so far, but as usual, it looks great. I think my only criticism of this volume in particular is that it includes those two issues of Avengers (which I already have in another reprint book) - I wish that instead of those, it had Marvel 2-in-1 #87 and Iron Man #151, which are in the Ant Man: Scott Lang tpb. (Just as a sidenote, I've noticed that Book Depository apparently gives you North American residents better deals for these Panini digests than it does for buyers in this part of Europe; for example, my copy of the Ant Man book cost something like $9.10. Still a steal in my book, but I certainly wouldn't have minded an even lower price...)<br /><br />As to the story itself, I pretty much agree with your generally glowing assessment: it's really fun, action-packed and thoroughly enjoyable. I recall re-reading this quite often when I was a kid, savoring the art in particular. I really liked the characterization of Yellowjacket in the epilogue: that's the way Hank should always be portrayed. I loved how he was so cool about Scott swiping the Ant Man gear and then gave him his blessing to go on heroing with it.<br />Just one correction, by the way: I realize it's been years since I've last read this story, but I seem to recall that Scott stole the Ant Man suit from Hank's private lab, rather than from the Cross facility. Hank basically says so in that last page you posted.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.com