Saturday, October 07, 2006
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Fifteen: Uncanny X-Men #478
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Fourteen: Simpsons Comics #122
Urp. I think I better lay off the candy beans for a while.
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Thirteen: Krypto the Superdog #1
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Twelve: 40 Years of The Amazing Spider-Man CD-ROM Collection
40 YEARS OF THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: This CD-ROM set is fun. A few weeks ago I had a great idea for a blog column or two or three about Spidey (I'm still workin' on it) but as most of my Spider-Man comics are in storage, I needed to get my hooves on replacements. Works okay when it's a comic that's been reprinted in Marvel Tales or is only a buck a back issue or so...doesn't work so well since some of the issues I wanted were Todd McFarlane's first and pricey issues of Amazing. Solution? This relatively affordable CD-ROM collection of every Amazing Spider-Man issue (minus annuals, sadly) from #1 through volume 2 #38. Issues include all the ads and letter columns plus Marvel house ads and Bullpen Bulletins throughout the ages, which aren't reprinted in any other Spidey repackaging projectthose pieces of history alone make this a delight! Comics on your screen won't replace the tactile and sensory joys of holding a four-color adventure in your own hooves, but it's an excellent research or fun way to read the whole Spidey saga for less than one slim dime an issue. Now that's my kinda bargain! Now your enjoyment of this sorta thing is going to greatly depend on your tolerance of reading comics on a computer screen, but the issues are reproduced as high-res PDF files and can easily be read especially if you have a wide-screen monitor. (Be sure to install the Adobe Acrobat updates if you don't have 'em to avoid the Marvel watermark across each page.) This 11 CD package is out of print, but I found it at the list price at Jim Hanley's Universe in New York City; you may be able to find it at your local comic shop as well. There's a new version coming out soon too which brings the series up to 2006 and 575 comics on a single DVD-ROM, and there are Avengers and X-Men versions as well. These won't replace the classic floppy comics, but if you want an affordable way to get a large chunk of Spidey at once, fire up that computer!
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Eleven: Spider-Man Collectible Series #7
Of course if you think I'm gonna say anything other than the Lee/Ditko Spidey being fun, you've got another think comin', oh yes! These stories are simple but not simplistic, emotional but not maudlin. It features one of the first (not the first) crossovers between Marvel magazines, establishing the concept of the shared Marvel Universe (and thus inadvertently eventually giving birth to Civil War) when Johnny Storm makes a speech at Peter Parker's high school:
Yep, that's right, Johnny...blame a math mistake on former jet pilot and crack navigator Ben Grimm.
Long before Mister T, the Human Torch enforces the idea to be cool, stay in school.
In the best Stan Lee comeback tradition, this inspires Spidey to go off after Doc Ock again. (Apparently, The Thing has also been teaching spelling at Midtown High.)
Remember the days when a flying guy in the Marvel Universe was still beyond the belief of most normal people? Personally, I blame Thor for ruinin' that for everybody.
A gorgeous dynamic Ditko panel. Blow one of his panels like this up to wall size and it truly puts Lichtenstein to shame.
Another fantastic panel...seriously, there's no shading better than those early Ditko Spideys.
Here's something I'd forgotten about those first batch of Spider-Man stories. In this issue, as well the Vulture in #2, Spidey triumphs not by using brute force but by using his brain and his science skills. I kinda miss that quirky unique aspect of Peter Parker: Spider-Man: science hero.
"Shoot first and ask questions later?" Ah, so they work for Janet Reno.
Finally, everyone at the end has learned a lesson, except "2 + 2 = 3" Johnny Storm, who flames on in a hotel room next to the curtains.
They don't make 'em like that, anymore? Luckily for all of us, they reprint 'em. Not only is the price right, the comics are sublime.
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Ten: Ultimate Spider-Man #100
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Nine: Stan Lee Meets the Amazing Spider-Man
Labels:
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24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Eight: Heroes for Hire #2
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Seven: Amazing Spider-Man #535
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Six: 52 Week 21
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Five: Eternals #4
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Four: She-Hulk #12
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Three: Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #12
Speaking of sweet, sweet treats, it's time for another thing of candy beans!
Labels:
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24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Two: Batman #657
24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour One: Action Comics #843
I'm not gonna create a 24-hour comic. A) Marshall took some of my crayons (give me back my burnt sienna now!) and B) I have no art talent whatsoever. But what I am is behind on my comics reviewing, so let's take advantage of the fact that I've got a big stack o' comics, an open keyboard, and big steaming-hot cup of Starbucks coffee beside me. I will review one comic each hour, until this stack is finished or I am issued a cease-and-desist by Scott McCloud for twisting the original intent of 24 Hour Comics Day. Also, after I finish each review, I will eat an entire thing of candy beans.
So, as Miss Fergie told me before she headed off to London, let's get it started in here!
Labels:
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Monday, October 02, 2006
Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Off to Seattle for a few days to help out John sell fabulous Norton books to the good folks at Amazon.com. Back by the weekend, Bully fansbe good to yourselves and each other.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Seven and a half things Very Good Things about the new Legion cartoon.
The animated Legion of Super Heroes show premiered last Saturday on the Kid's WB (hey! how can you have a Kid's WB when there isn't a WB anymore?) and already you can count this little flight-ring wearin' bull among its fans for several reasons:
1. The potential for rotating team members. The producers and writers of the show keep the concept smart but flexible: the opening credits feature eight team members (ten if you count Triplicate Girl three times) which is an easy-to-follow and distinctive group, each of which adds a uniqueness to the team both in powers and visuals. Much like the original Legion charter that prohibited members from having identical powers, it's smart in TV terms to restrict the main Legion team to these core membersit makes it easier to follow and keep track of the team members for new viewers who know nothing of the Legion. But the LSH isn't just eight members, it's a legion, and the show doesn't ignore that, it celebrates it: the Levitz-era Legion tracking board symbols for many different members (including Chemical King, Shadow Lass, Ferro Lad, Karate Kid, Ultra Boy, Chameleon Boy, and Matter-Eater Lad) are included in the opening credits...
...Vi, Cos, and Colossal Boy are namechecked as being "on assignment" in the first episode, Timber Wolf joins in the second episode, and during his swearing-in Cosmic Boy, Blok, Element Lad, Colossal Boy, Dream Girl, Sun Boy, Shrinking Violet...and is that Mon-El?...are seen on monitors. So, like Justice League Unlimited, if your favorite hero isn't included, there's always the chance he or she or even it might pop up in a future episode. I've got high hopes for an episode featuring my fave, Matter-Eater Lad, but for the moment I'm pretty chuffed that this LSH features...
2. Bouncing Boy! Although Chuck Taine was a supporting cast member in the mid-1990s reboot of the LSH, Bouncing Boy hasn't been an active Legion member or character since his wedding in 1974's Superboy #200. That's a long, long time to wait for the dynamic return of one of the most unique and fun characters in Legion lore, and TV is the perfect medium to re-introduce him: his power is fun and dynamic on the screen, and sets him apart from the other Legionnaires both in visual appearance and cheerful optimistic attitude. I know he's not the most popular of Legionnaires, but he has his fans, so I knew he come...ah ha ha...bouncing back someday. Never thought it would take a cartoon series to give him the prominence and respect he deserves, even in the powerhouse Legion that includes Kal-El. Which brings me to...
3. Superboy back in the Legion again. Sure, they call him "Superman" in the show, but you ain't fooling me: that's Superboy. No doubt the rights battle over Superboy determined this decision, but it seems a cheap legal trick and distinction: can you actually legally claim that a teenaged Clark Kent, surrounded by Boys, Lads, and Kids, and who starred in a Legion comic book series for years as Superboy, actually be Superman? But heck, I've leave that up to the lawyers as long as it gives us the familiar red-yellow-and-blue flying alongside the Legion again, for the first time (Kon-El not withstanding) since the late 1980s. It's not only a lovely callback to the origins of the Legion series, but it makes perfect dramatic sense: Clark is our everyman character from our own time, our surrogate in the 31st century. We can see this brave new world through his own X-Ray eyes at the same time he teaches these future teens about the joys of 21st century slang. And the lovely subtle idea of Clark not donning the S-shield until he steps into the future preserves the "no tights, no flights" concept behind Smallville and the Superboy-less post-Crisis continuity. And speaking of timelost characters returning to their roots...
4. Booster Gold? Who's that oh-so-familiar 31st century janitor (and his robot sidekick?) working in the background of the Superman Museum?:
It's just a quick glance, but it's enough to let us know the creators of the show are aware of and reverent of DC Universe history. It might not lead into a story or any other appearance by Michael and Skeets, but it's a "hey, look!" moment that rewards the fans and shows the care and attention the design of this series is getting. Which brings up the subject of...
5. The look of the series. In addition to that familiar janitor, the main room of the Superman Museum is ringed with oversized displays of Superman in action. Action Comics, to be precise: many of the pictures and displays reference famous comic book covers.
It's a fast, swift visual reference that sweeps past and won't be caught by new viewers, but for us LSH fans, it's a delightful little Easter Egg. The care and attention to the look and design of the show carries over in elements that reference classic continuity but are updated with a visual wink to the originals: the Legion cruiser, the spaceship-lookin' Legion Headquarters, the monitor boards featuring the classic "roll call" symbols of the 1980s LSH. The characters are sharp and distinct and designed to actually look like teenagers: muscular but angular, with bodies that haven't quite stopped growing: an immediate visual shorthand for "yes, these are kids!" I like the look and design of the characters a lot: there's a homage to the reboot Legion with the flavor of the original Legion and even a few elements from different eras (the look of Timber Wolf especially owes a good deal to his Five Years Later character, even including the Furball design). I like the look of Legion of Super Heroes a lot more than that of The Batman, which redesigned characters with little regard for previous continuity. Which brings me to...
½: Brainiac 5's redesign. This is the "and a half," because I'm still not 100% convinced of it, but seeing the series changed my mind from "that's wrong!" to "hmmm, that kinda works." A first glance at the advance art for the series had me (and prob'bly more obsessive LSH fans) blinking in surprise and not-quite approval at the redesign of Brainy as a cyborg (or robot?) with extendable, Machine Man-esque limbs. But seeing the character in action goes a long way towards reassuring me it's a workable concept: they haven't turned Brainy into Plastic Man, and more important, it's a change that actually has some basis in the mythology of the DC Animated Universe: since Brainy's ancestor Brainiac was a Kryptonian electronic construct, why shouldn't Brainy be one as well, even if he's a good one? It's an interesting progression that gives B5 more of an action-orientation: instead of cowering behind the force field of the comics, this Brainy is out slugging villains with the rest of the Legion. Plus, his famed twelfth-level intellect isn't ignored, and I like that he's designed to be smaller and slighter than the other Legionnaires. After all...don't computers tend to get smaller in the future? And if he is an electronic being, that's a lovely and optimistic view of the 31st century that even an artificial being has rights and is worthy of being in the Legion. Which brings me to...
6. Being in the Legion is a revered honor. Both episodes have featured dramatic scenes where new members are sworn in and given their Legion flight ring and belt, moments justly focused with importance, respect, and tradition: lovely dramatic moments that clearly display the respect and honor these future teens have for their calling. It's not just fun (though it is that), it's not just an adventure (although it definitely is)...it's an honor. Or, as the Legion oath recited by Timber Wolf puts it:
To the Legion of Super Heroes, I make this solemn pledge: to use my powers for good, to fight for justice, and protect the innocent, to aid my fellow Legionnaires in times of peril, and to keep their secrets safe.Well, it's no "In brightest day, in blackest night..."...but that's a stirring oath, isn't it? And finally...
7. The chance that we'll see a Legion Adventures animated-style comic book. Let's face it: Batman Adventures and its sequels were among the best Batman comic books put out in recent years. Superman Adventures preserved the fun and continuity of the Superman mythos while the regular books were tearing it down for stunt sales, and the Justice League Unlimited comic is frequently more fun and accessible than the regular JLA book. I know the current Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes book has its fans, but it hasn't really caught my interest. I'm excited, however, about the possibility that if this show is a hit, DC will produce an animated-style tie-in comic. Maybe it'll bring fans of the TV series into comic book stores as a first jump to the long-historied and wonderfully rich world of the Legion. Maybe it'll make a few new comic book fans out of viewers. And that, everybody, is a Very Good Thing indeed. Long Live the Legion!
Ten of a Kind: In your eyes, I see the doorway to a thousand heroes
Hey, if that's a reflection, why isn't Robin's insignia reversed?
Hey, if that's a reflection, why isn't Superman's insignia reversed?
Hey, if that's a reflection, why isn't Daredevil's insignia...aw, never mind.
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