tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post8569719322243116100..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: Caveat Emptor!Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-31990468929705002362012-02-17T18:51:18.673-06:002012-02-17T18:51:18.673-06:00Oops, used "unfunny" twice. How Freudia...Oops, used "unfunny" twice. How Freudianly ironic. . . <br /><br />HBhumanbellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-50178047971223299102012-02-17T18:49:13.383-06:002012-02-17T18:49:13.383-06:00@ Anonymous:
No. . . you're not quite there y...@ Anonymous:<br /><br />No. . . you're not quite there yet. Try this:<br /><br />"--the Hell? Someone. Please. Stop. Him."<br /><br />Sprinkle liberally (okay, lambaste heavily) with trendy, unfunny, repetitive, out-of-character, unfunny topical quips.<br /><br />Repeat for every single character you write.<br /><br />Now you've got it, chum!<br /><br />HBhumanbellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-65959942475631517532012-02-17T15:28:36.776-06:002012-02-17T15:28:36.776-06:00I just would like to agree about the, 'Milgrom...I just would like to agree about the, 'Milgrom run' on the Avengers...and what, Mr Bendis is doing to my favourite team book...Can anybody stop him? Please, can somebody stop him. Somebody, anybody please stop him...Oh, no, I'm starting to sound like all the characters he writes....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-58178994972817609262012-02-17T05:23:39.546-06:002012-02-17T05:23:39.546-06:00The one that crossed my mind was when DC tried to ...The one that crossed my mind was when DC tried to revive Kirby's Fourth Worlds books after the King had left for other climes. As good as the talent was which worked on those books and it was signficant, the material fell so far short of what Kirby was doing that it makes me wince to think about the missed opportunity. DC realized all too late what a cache of great characters Kirby had created and while they wanted to take advantage of them, they have never captured that magic again. <br /><br />Rip OffRip Jaggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09936426877024852134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-83332521846629889302012-02-16T22:49:07.258-06:002012-02-16T22:49:07.258-06:00Because I'm a Hulk fan I would have to go with...Because I'm a Hulk fan I would have to go with the 5 issues done by Al Milgrom ( 320-324 ) after the short run by John Byrne. I think John left suddenly because of a dispute over story and the only one that could come on board quick enough was Milgrom. He would continue writing it until 330 except for 328 which was written by Peter David. Peter David mentions in Hulk Visionaries Vol. 1 that " ... writers and writer/editors weren't exactly falling over each other to grab the writing reins of The Incredible Hulk. "<br /><br />Another jarring change was Liam Sharp taking over for Gary Frank in the middle of issue 425 of The Incredible Hulk. The book has also had fortune shine on it as Trimpe's run was followed up by Sal Buscema and in the 90s Gary Frank would follow Dale Keown. <br /><br />Looking beyond the Hulk I'd have to agree with William about the John Byrne Effect. Books feeling that effect would include Namor, Alpha Flight and Avengers West Coast. ( Sounds less clunky than West Coast Avengers. )I still read Alpha Flight with Bill Mantlo but didn't care for the Mike Mignola art. <br /><br />And how could I leave out Ultimates Vol. 3 by Jeph Loeb. I loved the first two series but this was awful. Loeb was concurrently destroying this book as well as the Hulk. The change in art from Byran Hitch to Joe Maduriera was very equally jarring.Anthonynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-36557025753530196292012-02-16T22:26:37.994-06:002012-02-16T22:26:37.994-06:00Was there ever a great artist working on the Flash...Was there ever a great artist working on the Flash? I loved the character as a kid, and they had good covers by Andru or Garcia Lopez or Giordano or Adams...the best inside was Irv Novick, but after him? <br /><br />I recently looked at early Flash by Infantino and he was actually very good back then! He was one I disliked in the Bronze age--seemed like he didn't really care for what he was doing.<br /><br />Green Lantern seemed to die a slow death, with the classic Adams issues, then good Grell, then OK Staton, then...? Recent art by Reis has caught my attention again after years away.<br /><br />Superman Family had good covers by Andru/Giordano or Buckler/Giordano, but not much of note inside, despite the big size and several stories.<br /><br />Moon Knight's never been the same since Sienkiewicz left, and the current series totally changed the characters in a way that turned me off despite the possible goodness of Finch's art. Lousy writing compared to Moench.Garettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-72335280640950538722012-02-16T22:01:24.986-06:002012-02-16T22:01:24.986-06:00Well, I must have been dropped on my head as a bab...Well, I must have been dropped on my head as a baby - I loved Robbins' work on CA (as long as Engelhart was still writing it) and Avengers #178 was the kind of filler that to my mind makes filler issues bearable. Quirky art (Infantino inked by Rudy Nebres) and a Gerber-penned story that had real heart to it (a blind beggar personifying the Beast's inner feelings)...to be perfectly honest, some of it kind of left me puzzled but puzzled-in-a-good-way, not puzzled-jeez-this-is-stupid way.B Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18016629838915185467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-21272779638083555582012-02-16T20:03:42.601-06:002012-02-16T20:03:42.601-06:00Wow, to Anonymous Poster above me, there-- can...Wow, to Anonymous Poster above me, there-- can't believe I missed the Ploog-to-Perlin call! There could not be an artist less suited to a dark, organic, tension-filled horror series than ol' stiff, conventional, perspective-less Don Perlin. And it took, what, about 2-1/2 years to finally pull the plug. That was one of my two books for awhile. Ironically, Incredible Hulk was the other one. BUT, I have to say the Trimpe to S.Buscema transition was almost as painless as they could possibly make it. A huge benefit was the first-rate (albeit rather unsung) inking job that Joe Staton (I'm pretty sure) did across the transition period. And Sal clearly had a love for the Hulk that approached Herb's own. In fact, I would almost say this instance is the exception that sort of proves the rule. . . <br /><br />HB (again) (sorry)humanbellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-34099358765259625002012-02-16T19:52:01.801-06:002012-02-16T19:52:01.801-06:00Well, this is going back a bit, but Mark Texeira l...Well, this is going back a bit, but Mark Texeira left the short-lived Jonah Hex sci-fi vehicle "HEX" after issue #14, and handed the pencilling duties over to. . . Keith Giffen (!) I have never, never seen a book that was improved by Keith Giffen's straight, minimally-inked pencils. And there is no common visual ground whatsover with Teseira's immersive, detailed style. A friend of mine once described Giffen as "the guy they put on a book when they've decided they want to kill it." Good grief!<br /><br />Book was toast, and ended with #18. Although to be perfectly honest, the writing was surely on the wall, and that's why Tex left anyhow.<br /><br />ALSO-- I've just come across a forgotten contender for this thread. An early 90's series I've just started re-reading, QUASAR started out with the familiar & beloved team of Paul Ryan & Danny Bulandi-- a charming artistic duo that helped keep DP7 alive long after the New Universe had largely imploded. After a few issues, though, Ryan left to be replaced with Mike Manley. Manley's weaknesses were obscured for a few issues by Bulandi's inks-- but when Bulandi exited as well, we were left with markedly inferior visuals for the book.<br /><br />HBhumanbellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-83000387557144548502012-02-16T19:19:06.990-06:002012-02-16T19:19:06.990-06:00As a 10 year old budding Marvelite, I had my spiri...As a 10 year old budding Marvelite, I had my spirits crushed when I picked up Werewolf By Night #17 (May '74) .....Ploog was gone and I thought Perlin was awful and led the title to a very slow, painful death. Over the course of a few short years he did the same to Man-Thing, Ghost-Rider, and the Defenders. Late in '74, like many other followers, I was crushed when Sal left CA&F and the Robbins torture began. Much as I loved Sal, it was depressing when Trimpe left Hulk the following year.....the book never seemed the same again...it always seemed to exist in it's own universe when Trimpe drew it, despite whoever was guest-starring. Guest stints by Don Heck on any title were painful. All of these things seemed redeemed when Byrne and Perez burst onto the scene a bit later in the decade.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-84069463038045885422012-02-16T18:26:05.936-06:002012-02-16T18:26:05.936-06:00I really had a soft spot for the Thomas & Robb...I really had a soft spot for the Thomas & Robbins run on the Invaders in the 70's. I haven't read them since then, but I remember that they seemed to have this really fun kinetic energy to them. <br /><br />Robbins' art on Batman & Capt. America just did not work, but for some reason it did on the Invaders for me. <br /><br />Al-Star Squadron, on the other hand, bored the hell out of me. Despite the art being much better. Granted, I was in my early 20's by then, and had largely given up comics. I wonder if it's circumstances or quality that truly seperate the two?<br /><br />James ChattertonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-37773728957249886172012-02-16T17:49:26.473-06:002012-02-16T17:49:26.473-06:00I may get a push out the door for this, but I real...I may get a push out the door for this, but I really didn't care for Roy Thomas taking over for Stan on FF. Or his run on Thor. Basically, if it isn't the Assemblers, I get really wary or ol' Rascally Roy. Especially since, for me, I can abide crummy art till the cows come home if the story's good. Pretty pictures cannot make up for a bad story in this man's eyes.<br /><br />Also, and for a more recent example that still predates Bendis, anytime Chuck Austen turns up on your favorite title head for the bloody hills. He will just flat out demolish anything and everything he touches. Cap, the X-Men, the Avengers, Superman, you name it he'll wreck it. Just dreadful.ChrisPVnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-26343081226031822882012-02-16T15:14:38.089-06:002012-02-16T15:14:38.089-06:00Sorta related, here's a brand new post about C...Sorta related, here's a brand new post about C-grade talent working on A-grade series:<br /><br />http://www.comicbookmovie.com/news/?a=54806<br /><br />And count me as a fan of the Widow drawn by Perez.J.A. Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15800901321134394272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-75222639983071120192012-02-16T14:54:04.281-06:002012-02-16T14:54:04.281-06:00James:
Thanks, The mid-70s Titans were yet ANOTHE...James:<br /><br />Thanks, The mid-70s Titans were yet ANOTHER series I desperately wanted to like, along with Batman Family, again with Mr. Heck at the pencils. <br /><br />It was painful. Slow and painful, especially after that stunning and hopeful DC Special featuring reprints of Cardy and the Titans at their best.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-57639429963407488202012-02-16T13:16:19.162-06:002012-02-16T13:16:19.162-06:00Inkstained Wretch mentioned Alpha Flight after Byr...Inkstained Wretch mentioned Alpha Flight after Byrne, and I totally agree. I will also add Namor to that list. I stuck around 3 or 4 issues on AF post Byrne, but I don't think I even bought the next issue of Namor after Byrne left. I never could stomach Jae Lee's artwork. It just so ugly and hard to look at.<br /><br />I will also agree with another commenter that, in comics, bad art is a bigger offense than bad writing. I've bought plenty of comics over the years on account of who the artist was. But, with few exceptions, I've rarely picked up anything because of who the writer was if I thought the art was terrible.Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988016825582035390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-38320206047250575372012-02-16T12:52:49.027-06:002012-02-16T12:52:49.027-06:00The mid-70's revival of the Teen Titans ranks ...The mid-70's revival of the Teen Titans ranks high in my disappointment archives. The original series was goofy thanks to Bob Haney, but consistently had some of the best art available at DC. Nick Cardy was the primary artist, with stints by Gil Kane & Wally Wood, and Neal Adams. <br /><br />What do we get in the revival? A revolving door of poor to moderately competant art culminating in...dasing Don Heck. At his absolute worst. The most ill-suited artist ever for the titans.<br /><br />And the writing...ye gods! Haney's hopelessly unhip hipster-speak was gone, but so was his infectious energy. What did we get from Bob Rozakis? A bunch of boring, depressed titans moaning about how depressed they were. Aqualad showing just to catch a cold and make the panels more crowded. And the Joker's Daughter. And Mal changing from Mal to the Guardian to a horn blower to Mal to the guardian to...<br /><br />And of course, I kept buying them. My wife the therapist could have a field day with that one.<br /><br />James ChattertonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-78110917686140385812012-02-16T12:43:48.383-06:002012-02-16T12:43:48.383-06:00Lone voice in the Pictish Wilderness here: I bough...Lone voice in the Pictish Wilderness here: I bought WCA and FF faithfully in the 80s for Englehart's scripts (even the one with Cactus, the Living Cactus). I also love Frank Robbins on Invaders.<br /><br />Count me in as disappointed in the Avengers circa 77-80. Issue after issue of workman-like pencils and tiny panels. I didn't read it regularly until John Buscema came back.<br /><br />I didn't really lose interest in X-men until Silvestri started. I thought the 87-90 era was just awful. Similarly, post-Perez Titans was simply depressing for about four or five years!Dougiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03965448821892833703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-76132560944311965962012-02-16T12:32:33.786-06:002012-02-16T12:32:33.786-06:00First, to Doug's question, I favor writing ove...First, to Doug's question, I favor writing over art. If the writing stinks, what's the point of reading the comic? Certainly, bad art can sabotage good writing, but without writing, it's just a bunch of pretty pictures, rather than being any sort of literature. After all, we read comics, we don't just look at them.<br /><br />Anyway, as far at the Teen Titans, obviously there's going to be a drop-off after Perez leaves. I actually think that Jose-Luis Garcia Lopez (he drew and amazing Kole!!) and Rich Buckler did very nice jobs after Perez left, but neither was on the Titans book very long and the art took a further drop-off after they left (that includes Barreto).<br />Sure, the X-Men had a drop-off after Byrne, but I still think it was a good book, with the occasional stinker, for a few years before it really became bad.<br /><br />Avengers post-Korvac: Was stil excellent for another 22 issues, until #200m with the exception of the first post-Korvac issue, #178. Possibly the worst single Avengers issue ever, starring the Beast and drawn by *gasp* Carmine Infantino. Overall, though, I thought the art between Korvac and #200 was good overall, with maybe only 4 I didn't care for (2 Infantinos, one Jones, one Sal Buscema). After #200, however, it dropped off with the Gene Colan art for a little while.dbutler16https://www.blogger.com/profile/00046066729353639991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-34001956205398617662012-02-16T12:02:11.550-06:002012-02-16T12:02:11.550-06:00Hey, regarding shower scenes with Ms. Natasha, I b...Hey, regarding shower scenes with Ms. Natasha, I believe Stan said it best.., "With Great Power Comes Great Personal Hygiene",<br /><br />or..well, words to that effect.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-69609769111658274262012-02-16T12:00:43.950-06:002012-02-16T12:00:43.950-06:00sorry...what were we talking about....?
Rsorry...what were we talking about....? <br />RAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-63420096203620157382012-02-16T11:50:27.067-06:002012-02-16T11:50:27.067-06:00Rich --
That would be it, yes.
There's a pan...Rich --<br /><br />That would be it, yes.<br /><br />There's a panel or two in the interior that rivals Colan's shower panels from AA.<br /><br />Doug<br /><br />But we digress...Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-65587831371786327562012-02-16T11:47:45.112-06:002012-02-16T11:47:45.112-06:00Doug - I am not worthy.
Is the JR SR Spidey the ...Doug - I am not worthy. <br /><br />Is the JR SR Spidey the one where you just see her shadow on the wall? I love that cover. <br /><br />RichAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-6300968933483898892012-02-16T11:47:21.165-06:002012-02-16T11:47:21.165-06:00While we're ripping on Blogger, for those of y...While we're ripping on Blogger, for those of you who like to use our log of comics we've reviewed -- you may have noticed that we're stuck on 283 comics. Been that way for about a month. For some reason I can enter our new post-links, but they won't save. So we're probably at something like 290 in that category. Maybe someday it will be fixed -- I've reported it, as have other blog owners.<br /><br />-sigh-<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-14314343537778840832012-02-16T11:43:04.553-06:002012-02-16T11:43:04.553-06:00Doug, love the Natasha/Herc/YJ cover for 173 as we...Doug, love the Natasha/Herc/YJ cover for 173 as well, my healthy appreciation for Perez drawing Natasha so well has been spoken elsewhere, but more for the only DECENT YJ-featured cover for most of Silver and Bronze Age. <br /><br />I never liked the YJ origin cover on Avengers 59 much, and I'd add it was the first cool Hank Pym cover since Goliath on ish 51.<br /><br />PS: Hate this new Blogger word verification. Tough on, dare I say, bi-focals.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-78394291170561077632012-02-16T11:41:13.897-06:002012-02-16T11:41:13.897-06:00Richard --
I just purchased the Marvel Premiere H...Richard --<br /><br />I just purchased the Marvel Premiere Hardcover of 'tasha's earliest adventures, including the Amazing Adventures run. John Romita also did her justice in the ASM story that introduced the black catsuit. Julie Newmar, eat your heart out!<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.com