tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post5345647908990337380..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: I'd Like Two Helpings of the Comic, But Hold the Television Show...Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-29938700600345943612012-05-19T15:48:33.818-05:002012-05-19T15:48:33.818-05:00I recently bought the TPB on the Marvel Star Wars ...I recently bought the TPB on the Marvel Star Wars comics, and one neat thing for the ones which adapt the movies is getting to see some of the deleted scenes in the comics, such as Tosche Station and the reunion with Biggs.<br />However, that comic was plagued by bad art throughout most of its run, IMHO.dbutler16https://www.blogger.com/profile/00046066729353639991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-42493238354437998242012-05-19T09:17:19.136-05:002012-05-19T09:17:19.136-05:00the choose your oen adventure type books with marv...the choose your oen adventure type books with marvel heroes were pretty fun <br /><br />make mine marvelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-49160727867949893052012-05-19T03:12:16.694-05:002012-05-19T03:12:16.694-05:00This applies to new comics only, but I don't b...This applies to new comics only, but I don't bother getting the comics which appear when a big movie breaks, such as the prequel comics which have been hitting the stands before the Avengers flick. I want a movie to stand on its own, so I don't think I should have to own read anything else. <br /><br />The recent Star Trek reboot was great, but I have to say the exposition about Nero and the destruction of the Romulan homeworld was rushed and in fact had its true story told in comics which preceded the movie. That's a cheat I can do without. <br /><br />Rip OffRip Jaggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09936426877024852134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-35439072141821717102012-05-18T23:58:13.652-05:002012-05-18T23:58:13.652-05:00The first comics novels I read were the Little Big...The first comics novels I read were the Little Big Books takes on the Fantastic Four and BatMan, which I got when I was around 8 or 9 and I thought were pretty lame. In the novels, Johnny Storm couldn't fly and BatMan's villain was the Cheetah, whose super speed was fueled by peanut butter! <br />Much later I did read a few of the late '70s Marvel novels, including the Cap story, Holocaust for Hire, and one each for the FF & Spider-Man. They were far better than the LBB's (albeit that's not saying much!) and I enjoyed them, but, yeah, when it comes to reading about the exploits of colorfully costumed characters, the art is a major factor.<br />In a twisted example, I love the Hitchhiker of the Galaxy series in both the novel and BBC TV versions (never listened to the entire BBC radio version) but the comics and film adaptations didn't do much for me. <br />Then there's the example of the Man-Thing and Howard the Duck -- the Gerber-scribed comics are among my most favorite Bronze Age four-color goodies, but the movies based on them were atrocious.Fred W. Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07602124919964053532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-6084593878449216672012-05-18T22:29:11.652-05:002012-05-18T22:29:11.652-05:00I still have a stack of Star Wars Marvel comics fr...I still have a stack of Star Wars Marvel comics from the 70s where Luke is always dressed in his farmboy outfit and Leia is in her white gown and those infamous double hair buns everywhere they went! Of course this series was created between the first film and Empire Strikes Back so I guess that's all the writers and artists had to work with at the time.<br /><br />The Star Trek books varied widely in their quality depending on the writer. The films (all even numbered ones!) were generally good - I prefer TOS above all later series.<br /><br />The Sherlock Holmes TV series with Jeremy Brett is IMHO the definitive Holmes despite the fine work of Downey Jr & Cumberbatch. Johnny Lee Miller? I'll wait and see before judging that one.<br /><br />As for most Marvel properties, the comics are the best while some (not all) of the films were good.<br /><br />- Mike from Trinidad & Tobago.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-50346477314994264252012-05-18T22:13:25.180-05:002012-05-18T22:13:25.180-05:00I had the Power Record that featured Cap & Fal...I had the Power Record that featured Cap & Falcon vs. Phoenix(who later became Baron Zemo #2). It had a rather dark ending(Zemo "dies")for a childrens' record.<br /><br />And this Power record was an original story, anyone remember this?<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuvV5tBsN6M<br /><br />I also had the Spider-Man fighting the Man-Wolf. They were all we had!J.A. Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15800901321134394272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-73478017058509581502012-05-18T17:58:35.542-05:002012-05-18T17:58:35.542-05:00Doug- I had the Man-Thing Power record. It feature...Doug- I had the Man-Thing Power record. It featured the great clown story from issue #5; it was rather fun to read and listen along. Of course, this book also featured a cliffhanger ending, which was rescripted rather awkwardly...Redartznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-28574902798237933692012-05-18T15:14:50.681-05:002012-05-18T15:14:50.681-05:00Doug, yes - I had Spider-man: Invasion of the Drag...Doug, yes - I had Spider-man: Invasion of the Dragon Men, the Batman one with the Man-bat story (art by Neal Adams) and an LP featuring three or four of the Marvel stories but that did not come with any booklets. Also had this odd one featuring a character called "Holo-man," which ended in a cliffhanger - as far as I know, there was never a sequel.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-6989641128252564432012-05-18T12:39:52.503-05:002012-05-18T12:39:52.503-05:00Did anyone out there have a collection of the Powe...Did anyone out there have a collection of the Power Records 45 rpms that came with a comic book (that was usually chopped up from an original to fit into the desired page allotment)?<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-43175478337576364762012-05-18T12:37:44.683-05:002012-05-18T12:37:44.683-05:00I enjoyed the photo novels at the time, but, once ...I enjoyed the photo novels at the time, but, once again, it may be a case of that-was-all-we-had-back-then. Advances in technology (VHS, then DVD, then Blu Ray) have made novelizations and comic book adaptations obsolete. Today, you don't buy an adaptation, you can buy the movie or TV show itself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-41389067034395220422012-05-18T12:11:17.166-05:002012-05-18T12:11:17.166-05:00Anybody have those Star Trek photo novels? I only...Anybody have those Star Trek photo novels? I only have a few, but I used to love them. Great idea, I think.dbutler16https://www.blogger.com/profile/00046066729353639991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-78813098775632522512012-05-18T11:48:05.255-05:002012-05-18T11:48:05.255-05:00Early 80s ST novel The Entropy Effect and the nove...Early 80s ST novel The Entropy Effect and the novelization of The Wrath of Khan made a big impression on me in my late teens. Actually they were full of "hurt/comfort" shipping that would thrill fans of Claremont and Wolfman.<br /><br />Dr Who comics from IDW have been very disappointing whereas the strips in Dr Who Magazine have been of a high quality for over a decade.Dougiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03965448821892833703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-33027391983784593482012-05-18T10:43:16.880-05:002012-05-18T10:43:16.880-05:00Never read any of the Trek novels, old or new. My...Never read any of the Trek novels, old or new. My wife says some of Peter David's Trek books are good, so I'll probably read one, or listen to them as audio books if nothing else. <br />Never read any novels that adapt comic stories. What's the point of 'Death Of Superman-The Novel'? A co-worker has some of the Marvel novels from the 70s, I may borrow one sometime, but I haven't read any yet. <br />I think 'Star Wars' works in just about any medium, but I'm generally not interested in the Dark Horse comics unless they include Han,Leia,Luke and Chewie. I'm not interested in characters from the prequels or stories set 100 years after 'Return Of The Jedi'. <br />I enjoy 'Clone Wars' more than the recent prequel movies. <br />I read the "Thrawn" trilogy of Star Wars novels written by Timothy Zahn and I still think they're great. The comic book adaptation of that was pretty good too. <br /><br />But I've found other Star Wars novels to be boring and predictable. The authors seem determined to out-do the movies. There always seems to be a super-weapon that may be "more powerful than the Death Star!". Gets old. <br /><br />I thought some of the 80s DC Star Trek comics were good. I thought it was cool that characters from TAS like M'ress and Arex. It somehow made them more canonical in my eyes. <br /><br />I guess it comes down to how much you love something and how badly you need to see/read more about the characters.J.A. Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15800901321134394272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-88957889836658720722012-05-18T10:33:28.179-05:002012-05-18T10:33:28.179-05:00I, too, have several of those Marvel novels. I ha...I, too, have several of those Marvel novels. I have the Avengers one I pictured, and recall that it was pretty good. The Marvel Super-Heroes one that Edo references was good as well -- and as he commented, in many cases the plots were pretty true to four-color adventures published elsewhere. I'm pretty sure I have an FF one with Dr. Doom. Overall, they were fun -- my mom probably thought I was making better use of my reading time!<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-44234765518960967472012-05-18T10:24:10.923-05:002012-05-18T10:24:10.923-05:00All right, Doug, I'll grant you the point abou...All right, Doug, I'll grant you the point about Godzilla and Trimpe...<br /><br />Since david_b asked about the novels, I did a Google search to jog my memory, and specifically remember that I had "Captain America: Holocaust for Hire," "Iron Man: And Call My Killer ... Modok!" and "The Marvel Super-heroes" which actually consisted of four novellas featuring the Hulk, Daredevil, the X-men and Avengers (the Ultron story I mentioned). One thing I recall about all of them is that there was an attempt for them to be a little more "adult" than the comics, with slightly racier romance scenes and dialogue that was a bit "grittier" than the comics of the time.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-30911969566467461622012-05-18T10:13:00.764-05:002012-05-18T10:13:00.764-05:00I've seen the James Blish Star Trek books, inc...I've seen the James Blish Star Trek books, including "Spock Must Die," in the bargain bins at a local second-hand book store. So I assume the demand is low and it shouldn't be hard to find a "really cheap copy." The novel uses characters from "Errand of Mercy" and "The Trouble with Tribbles." What happens to the Klingons in it was contradicted by the movies and later TV series, so I guess it is not considered canon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-79873696578801792972012-05-18T10:04:26.313-05:002012-05-18T10:04:26.313-05:00I had the paperback novelization of the 1966 Batma...I had the paperback novelization of the 1966 Batman movie. It was OK, I guess. (Another example of "that's all we had back then.") A classmate in 5th grade had Ted White's Captain America novel and, IIRC, a novelization of the Avengers (I mean the Marvel Comics super hero team, although there were also paperbacks based on the British TV show). He thought they were brilliant, but then, he was the original Marvel Zombie and would have collected Brother Power the Geek if Marvel had published it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-1866364582267022342012-05-18T10:01:29.190-05:002012-05-18T10:01:29.190-05:00Just to play devil's advocate with no real att...Just to play devil's advocate with no real attachment at all --<br /><br />Herb Trimpe on Godzilla would qualify as second-rate in my book.<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-1144430120139671482012-05-18T09:59:53.752-05:002012-05-18T09:59:53.752-05:00I just thought of one example of a licensed comic ...I just thought of one example of a licensed comic that was frankly better than the original product was Marvel's Battlestar Galactica, especially most of the latter half of the series when Simonson was doing most of the art.<br />Also, I don't really agree with Inkstained's assessment of the talent working on licensed properties - I also found a lot of the material hit or miss, but I'd hardly consider Roy Thomas, Howard Chaykin or Archie Goodwin (on Star Wars) or Byrne, David Michelinie, etc. (on Indiana Jones) "second- or third-rate."Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-12310294300789669192012-05-18T09:59:32.358-05:002012-05-18T09:59:32.358-05:00Speaking of Star Trek novels (as Edo was), I'v...Speaking of Star Trek novels (as Edo was), I've read a handful and most were forgettable. The one that stands out is The Final Reflection by John Ford. It looked at Klingon culture long before Klingons became fashionable, and presented ideas that I think were much more interesting than what eventually came out of the various TV shows and movies.<br /><br />KarenKarenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032477453891087135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-73581671472067196142012-05-18T09:47:51.681-05:002012-05-18T09:47:51.681-05:00Anyone here ever by the paperback novelizations of...Anyone here ever by the paperback novelizations of comics (or original stories), like the Spiderman, Daredevil or Batman books..?<br /><br />I've paged through them in bookstores, but they didn't look all that exciting with a couple hundred pages of text and no art.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-91239533304863561712012-05-18T09:32:41.149-05:002012-05-18T09:32:41.149-05:00The only comic featuring a character from a licens...The only comic featuring a character from a licensed property that I ever bought regularly was Doctor Who. In the 80s Marvel reprinted the UK comics featuring the good Doctor. <br /><br />Why did I guy them? I'm not sure. I remember the art in a lot of them was done by Dave Gibbons, so that didn't hurt.<br /><br />Maybe it also had something to do with the Doctor, as much as I liked him, having a sub-par series in terms of special effects and production values, (at least compared to, say, Star Wars). The comics allowed me to see him in adventures where that wasn't an issue.<br /><br />As for the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and other licensed properties, my impression was generally that they were handed off to second- and third-rate talent and coasted on the popularity of the parent film, TV series or whatever. I bought a handful of issues, was usually unimpressed and never followed them.Inkstained Wretchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-2476844124254366572012-05-18T08:09:53.443-05:002012-05-18T08:09:53.443-05:00For me, Star Trek is something I exclusively enjoy...For me, Star Trek is something I exclusively enjoy watching on a screen, whether live action or animated. I never, ever read any of the Trek novels, and the only one I would consider reading (if I stumble onto a really cheap copy in a used bookstore) is "Spock Must Die" - simply because it's written by James Blish, who's otherwise a top-notch SF writer. Until a few years ago, I also avoided any and all Trek comics, but then I gave those IDW minis done by Byrne a try and found them really quite enjoyable. However, beyond Byrne's stuff, I still refuse to read any of the other comic adaptations.<br />As for Richard's speculation about those novelizations, I'm pretty sure it was simply a matter of cashing-in; I truly doubt anyone who was not already a comic fan would have picked one of those up. At the time I read 3 or 4 of the ones published by Marvel, and liked them well enough. However, since they were usually written by one of Marvel's staff writers, I remember wondering even then why the stories weren't just used as scripts for an annual, special or something (the only one I remember being used in this way was Shooter's Ultron story, "This Evil Undying" in Avengers #201-202).<br /><br />And yes, I saw the news about Chan's passing this morning. It's really quite sad news, and so soon after De Zuniga's death. Chan did so much quality work and really left a mark on Bronze Age comics both at Marvel and DC.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-47537795494866528502012-05-18T07:35:05.211-05:002012-05-18T07:35:05.211-05:00I loved, and still love Star Wars. I saw the movi...I loved, and still love Star Wars. I saw the movies every chance I got, I had all of the action figures and trading cards, but for some reason, I never got into the comics. I guess I was strictly a superhero guy when it came to comics. I have maybe 5 issues of Star Wars. I did collect a few Star Trek comics, though, including some wonderful Whitmans from the 70s.<br /><br />I LOVE Star Trek: TAS. Very well done, with most of the live action show cast returning for the voices. I think they even had some of the writers from the live action show. I also love the fact that they actually had some alien crew members aboard the enterprise.dbutler16https://www.blogger.com/profile/00046066729353639991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-20623222121307593722012-05-18T07:35:02.190-05:002012-05-18T07:35:02.190-05:00As long as we're talking licensed properties, ...As long as we're talking licensed properties, I'm seeing around the blogosphere that noted Conan inker/penciller Ernie Chan has passed. We've seen his work only a time or two here on the BAB, but I for one can tell you that I always appreciated the depth Chan brought to an illustration. Perhaps as overpowering as Joe Sinnott, Chan nonetheless brought a professionalism and distinction to the work he touched.<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.com