tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post3512376161457231253..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: Cosmic Odyssey, Part One: The Players GatherDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-26898968430219342014-02-13T10:49:24.225-06:002014-02-13T10:49:24.225-06:00Some have mentioned that they don't like Batma...Some have mentioned that they don't like Batman being involved in a space fantasy, cosmic type story, and I would definitely agree - most of the time. However, in the case of Cosmic Odyssey I think Batman works quite well. Mostly for the reason that he spends most of the story on Earth. In fact Batman's part in the first issue (when he tracks down the parademon) was one of my favorite parts of the whole series.Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988016825582035390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-54418010093208687502014-02-13T05:55:02.444-06:002014-02-13T05:55:02.444-06:00The letters pages are what keeps me collecting the...The letters pages are what keeps me collecting the actual comics, more so than Masterwork-type alternatives, especially for Marvel.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-25345393127603404282014-02-12T20:23:25.922-06:002014-02-12T20:23:25.922-06:00I, too, prefer the covers be included. The letters...I, too, prefer the covers be included. The letters pages are sorely missed but there may be copyright issues involved in addition to space considerations, as the writer of the letter owns the rights. Curious whether they had to get releases or something for the letters reprinted in those Omnibus books. I love reading the letters in old comics.Doc Savagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08783244633195233970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-21644165405671682972014-02-12T19:29:45.905-06:002014-02-12T19:29:45.905-06:00I've never read it, but it looks beautiful to ...I've never read it, but it looks beautiful to me.<br /><br />I love me some so-called "stylized" comics art (isn't all stylized to some degree?), and the more cosmic the more stylized it should be.<br /><br />I would probably never pick this up b/c I am not a big fan of Batman - but perhaps if I ever came across a cheap copy.<br /><br />And Karen, I am with you. I HATE when the covers are not included. I can deal with no letters pages (though I miss those too), but the covers are a must as chapter breaks or at the very least as extras at the end of the collection.mr. oyolahttp://themiddlespaces.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-3640784256453707002014-02-12T17:42:17.302-06:002014-02-12T17:42:17.302-06:00Gee, I remember liking what little Dreadstar I rea...Gee, I remember liking what little Dreadstar I read. Never liked Warlock or any of his ilk.Doc Savagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08783244633195233970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-40160890244541299452014-02-12T17:07:20.336-06:002014-02-12T17:07:20.336-06:00It would've been interesting to see Starlin dr...It would've been interesting to see Starlin draw this, but his art didn't come off the same after the 70's. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it had something to do with the paper, the inking, the coloring, or the use of shadows. Maybe the medium didn't fit the artist anymore.<br />All I know is, is if you look at his stuff in Strange Tales or Warlock, vs. say, Dreadstar, it doesn't quite seem the same.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-29216955881743963682014-02-12T14:12:58.136-06:002014-02-12T14:12:58.136-06:00Wasn't anti-life more like the absence of free...Wasn't anti-life more like the absence of free will when Kirby wrote his 4th World stuff?<br /><br />This version just seems so shallow in comparison to Kirby's depth.Doc Savagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08783244633195233970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-76598517214568306382014-02-12T13:33:02.536-06:002014-02-12T13:33:02.536-06:00Doug, thanks for the plug.Doug, thanks for the plug.Steve Does Comicshttp://stevedoescomics.blogspot.co.uk/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-77932481965378449592014-02-12T13:17:36.011-06:002014-02-12T13:17:36.011-06:00Nice to see all the comments here. I truly have mi...Nice to see all the comments here. I truly have mixed feelings about this miniseries, which will become more apparent as we go on. Like Doug, I find myself at times enjoying Mignola's art, especially his Batman, but at other times finding it unappealing (like Superman). <br /><br />I would agree, the Anti-Life Equation would probably have been better off left as an abstract concept rather than as a nasty sentient death-figure. Don't we have enough of those?<br /><br />Starlin seems like an obvious choice to come in and play with Kirby's Fourth World toys, but I can't say I am all that impressed with what he does with them. Maybe it would have been better to keep the focus on them and only bring in a couple of non-New Gods. <br /><br />David B. -no worries. I assumed you had not had enough coffee. And yes, Batman CAN be anywhere, but I think he's best when he's Earthbound. Then again, he was my favorite part of the story.<br /><br />Edo -I do wonder if Starlin might have been more engaged if he had also drawn it.<br /><br />And what would the day be without Prowler quoting Malcolm X?Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032477453891087135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-55663407391379650712014-02-12T12:44:48.155-06:002014-02-12T12:44:48.155-06:00Thanks for the review. I like some of Mignola'...Thanks for the review. I like some of Mignola's art, but I generally shy away from Cosmic comic stories, unless Starlin drew it. I prefer my heroes & villains to be slugging it out in Central Park or New York Harbor.<br />J.A. Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15800901321134394272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-63028670050431002014-02-12T12:40:35.452-06:002014-02-12T12:40:35.452-06:00And during the few moments that we have ..., we wa...And during the few moments that we have ..., we want to talk, right down to Earth, in a language that everybody here can easily understand.<br /><br />The truly talented can take elements that are familiar and, seemingly, with little or no effort, craft stories that capture the imagination. This is a quest tale. Whether it's the long journey home, the destruction of the ring or the search for Spock, it's one we all know. <br /><br />I wonder if Batman was in this at the beginning or if the Powers That Be inserted him?<br /><br />Do we find out later that Batman dialed 1-NEED-ORACLE? <br /><br />As I've mentioned before, I was a MARVEL-ombie but ended up following Byrne to DC. And stayed a bit.....<br /><br />With Batman being the non-superpowered character, does that make him Frodo? Is Supes Aragon? Manhunter as an Elf? GL's the dwarf? Which one is Pink?<br /><br />The Prowler (kinslayer, traitor, last lord of the Dreaming City, Emperor of a Dying Kingdom). <br /><br />PS One point, Karen, I think the term might be man-eater and not cannibalistic. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-49325870158482258502014-02-12T12:31:57.128-06:002014-02-12T12:31:57.128-06:00I can never make up my mind about Mignola's st...I can never make up my mind about Mignola's style. I look at some of the pages posted today and like what's going on, but then I see others that are a bit "quirkier" and it's really not to my taste. I would say that overall I would not seek out his work.<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-28338653841629577432014-02-12T10:53:34.046-06:002014-02-12T10:53:34.046-06:00This came out the year after I got out of comics, ...This came out the year after I got out of comics, so I'm unfamiliar with it. The cover and those first few pages look good. I haven't been a big Mignola fan, little too stylized for me, but this looks worth picking up. I like the cast of characters involved. Looking forward to the rest of the review!<br /><br />Here's a bit of an interview with Starlin that I found interesting.<br /><br />UHQ: What were the differences of working with Marvel back in the days when you drew Adam Warlock and The Avengers (The Thanos saga), and the later period when you did the mini-series Infinity Gauntlet and Thanos Quest?<br /><br />Starlin: The longer I work for Marvel the slower they are about okaying projects. When I did Warlock I talked to Roy Thomas in the afternoon and was drawing the first page that night. Now I’ve been waiting three months for them to give a green light on the Infinity Abyss.Garettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-30182476826205703952014-02-12T10:07:24.356-06:002014-02-12T10:07:24.356-06:00Accck..!!! Karen, please accept my humble apologie...Accck..!!! Karen, please accept my humble apologies.<br /><br />Doug, I must pick on you more because I'm in that northern Chicago suburb called Milwaukee or something. Oy.<br /><br />I hate bifocals. Seriously.<br /><br />Still one MUST not ignore all the hard-driving, gritty stories of outer space wars won and conquests secured by our caped crusaders back in the days of Batmite, Bathound, Bathorse, Batwoman, Batgirl, the list tediously goes on.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-82725603172030491402014-02-12T09:57:23.140-06:002014-02-12T09:57:23.140-06:00Thanks, Edo. Yep, David -- this one's all-Kar...Thanks, Edo. Yep, David -- this one's all-Karen, all-the-time!<br /><br />And she did a great job. I've gotten to see the future installments, and I have to heap kudos on her for tackling a four-issue prestige series all by her lonesome. Talk about your Herculean tasks! I'd have twisted her arm into splitting this into an 8-parter if I was on board!<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-68094026111847762282014-02-12T09:36:37.395-06:002014-02-12T09:36:37.395-06:00Thanks Karen -- I never picked this one up because...Thanks Karen -- I never picked this one up because Kirby's Fourth World stuff never appealed to me before. However, being exposed to it more through re-watching the Justice League and Superman cartoons with my son, it has really piqued my interest. After your posts I'll determine whether I want to pick this up to read or not.<br /><br />Based on your scans I also think Mignola's style actually fits this material. And as far as Batman doing out-of-this-world stuff, I would argue that Batman has always been involved doing extraordinary fantasy things like that, from the Golden Age right on up. I wholeheartedly agree that the best Batman is always when he is The Detective. However, he is easily DC's #1 character since the 1960's, so from a marketing standpoint, for better or worse he basically becomes involved in just about everything.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00772306756607189999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-17871945144685288712014-02-12T09:25:25.526-06:002014-02-12T09:25:25.526-06:00I was going to save some of my main misgivings abo...I was going to save some of my main misgivings about this story for later reviews, but Matt pretty much hit the nail on the head: the Anti-life Equation as sentient being.<br /><br />Oh, and David, I think you've got your reviewers mixed up...Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-21025469802063295062014-02-12T09:24:38.586-06:002014-02-12T09:24:38.586-06:00Nice job Karen. Like you, I was not the world'...Nice job Karen. Like you, I was not the world's biggest DC fan when Cosmic Odyssey came out, but I picked it up because it looked interesting. Well, I immediately loved it, (for both the story and the art). In fact it's one of my all-time favorite mini-series, as I posted in yesterday's topic…<br /><br /><i>2. COSMIC ODYSSEY - by Starlin & Mignola<br />Don't know why I love this one so much, but I do. I think Starlin is at his best when writing epic sci-fi adventures, and it was also the first time I realized that l really dig Mike Mignola's art. In fact the art in this series had a big influence on my own drawing style. (For what it's worth).</i><br /><br />I think one of the reasons this story was so popular and enduring is because of the straight forward movie style plot. Which basically goes like this:<br /><br /><b>A powerful evil villain is out to destroy the universe by blowing up four key planets. So, what to do? Simple. You gather together 8 powerful superheroes, split them into 4 teams of 2, and send each pair to one of the endangered planets to stop whatever badness is going on there.</b><br /><br />When you think about it, it's really a pretty simple story, but those are usually the most effective and enduring kind. (Just look at the original Star Wars for example). Cosmic Odyssey is a lot like that - The main narrative is very easy to follow and understand because it's divided up into smaller units. That is something I always loved about this book. Plus, once it gets going, it's very action packed and never gets too overly complicated. It's just a lot of fun.<br /><br />Karen, you said didn't really like Mignola's art on this, but I have to respectfully disagree. I absolutely LOVE the art in this series. (It's really what first attracted me to it). I think that Mignola's deceptively simple style fits perfectly with the basic "good vs. evil" plot.<br /><br />This series made me a much bigger fan of DC and got me more interested in the characters. It also made John Stewart my favorite Green Lantern. But I'll discuss that later, after your next couple of installments.Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988016825582035390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-64040288432469978582014-02-12T09:19:06.998-06:002014-02-12T09:19:06.998-06:00And thanks to Edo for calling out YET AGAIN Batman...And thanks to Edo for calling out YET AGAIN Batman: The Cult.<br /><br />Sorry folks and comrades of BAB, still nursing a healthy grudge here.<br /><br />Worst couple of measely bucks ever spent.<br /><br />Oy..david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-73869770418661668322014-02-12T09:16:30.589-06:002014-02-12T09:16:30.589-06:00Whaaat Doug..?? Is your memory THAT limited, sir....Whaaat Doug..?? Is your memory THAT limited, sir..?<br /><br />'Batman not suited for adventures involving other worlds'..?<br /><br />What was 'Outer-Space Batman' from the late 50s/early 60s all about, that everyone conveeeeeeniently forgets about when they complain about Dozer's treatment..?<br /><br />All in all, great review sir. I do like the 'Anti-Life Equation' idea, but it sure sounds like Starlin was trying to reheat a 'MarVell/Thanos' souffle here, which never quite works out. It's simply DC characters grafted onto a Marvel idea. <br /><br />Not to say that's not entertaining, but just calling 'an aquatic fowl and aquatic fowl'..david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-68513313226364699462014-02-12T09:01:05.869-06:002014-02-12T09:01:05.869-06:00This must have come out after I stopped buying new...This must have come out after I stopped buying new comics. But I wouldn't have bought it anyway. I confess I am not interested in "cosmic" stories, but more than that I have never liked Mignola's highly stylized artwork. Put them together, and it's nothing that appeals to me.<br /><br />Not sure I like the definition on what exactly the Anti-Life Equation is supposed to be. Seems like it was better left an undefined McGuffin, or let Kirby define it.Doc Savagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08783244633195233970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-12234431567837333382014-02-12T07:43:22.241-06:002014-02-12T07:43:22.241-06:00Before the fun starts here, just wanted everyone t...Before the fun starts here, just wanted everyone to know that our buddy Steve has been freed from the clutches of the Google html police. Steve Does Comics is back open for business.<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-61680966325426395792014-02-12T07:38:25.254-06:002014-02-12T07:38:25.254-06:00Ah, Cosmic Odyssey, so beautiful, with many rather...Ah, Cosmic Odyssey, so beautiful, with many rather good parts, but ultimately disappointing in so many ways...<br /><br />Anyway, I really liked this the first time I read it, and later realized that I was just giving it a pass because of the art. I pretty much loved Mignola's style from the start, i.e., I had no problems getting used to it - and I think it's perfectly suited to this story. Even now, it's such a pleasure to look at those scanned panels.<br />That said, Karen, your point that it would have been better if Starlin had drawn it makes me think: maybe the story would have been better, too. My reasoning is as follows: pretty much everything Starlin both wrote and drew is excellent, whereas a lot of the stuff he just wrote runs from good through all right to really bad (I'm lookin' at you Batman: The Cult).<br /><br />Otherwise, I really enjoyed the review Karen, and I'm looking forward to future installments.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.com