Comic Books: November 2006 Archives

USA Today has an article about the Fantasticar that will appear in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Even though the first film had its flaws, at least director Tim Story knows enough to keep the Fantasticar design to the basic roots. Conceptual designer Tim Flattery said: "He wanted something that looked less like a predator and more friendly. That's always been the Fantastic Four theme." According to the article, the Fantasticar keeps my favorite Kirby gimmick: "the Fantasticar is powered by a proton accelerator, can hover, fly at 500 mph and break into separate flying machines." Yay, now let's just hope that Ben Grimm still calls it a flying bathtub.

The Fantasticar looks great in this pic, but Jessica Alba looks pretty damn good, too. Almost makes me forget The Actress Who Should Have Been Sue Storm. Nuff said.

Technorati : Fantastic Four, Fantasticar, Jessica Alba

Have you ever given a comic-book to anyone over the age of 30, who ain't never seen one before? Maybe someone who ain't that visual, ain't into movies, thinks the Dukes of Hazzard is the be-all and end-all of entertainment? Most likely, any comic will confuse the heck out of them. They probably can't figure out what's goin' on, how to follow the panels in the right order. Worse, the comic doesn't come alive to them, like it does for us, because when we read it, the characters are actually moving in our tiny little minds. To "normal" people (whatever the heck that means), a comic is just a series of disjointed images.

Durin' the past few years, that's how any comic drawn by Chris Bachalo makes me feel.

It wasn't always this way. I loved Bachalo's work in Shade, the Changing Man, Death, Ghost Rider 2099, and Generation X. But lately with the X-Men, in both the Chris Claremont and Mike Carey stories, a lot of times I'm just plain confused during any of the action scenes. Take that panel on top as an example. The villainess called Serafina (who can master any machine) is controlling Karima (rogue Omega Sentinel chick) and firing her weapons against Mystique. Meanwhile, Sabretooth is in the background trying to ambush Serafina. After readin' this three times, I finally figured it out. My head hurt tryin' to understand this panel. What's Serafina doin' by touchin' the Omega chick? I'd be worried about that megaton hulk directly behind me. It's not clear that Mystique is in any real danger because she's mostly off panel. (To tell you the truth, I just plain forgot who the Sentinel chick was until I read the previous issues, so maybe as a trade this story works better.)

Now here's another example. That mega-ship the Children of the Vault are flyin' is about to crash into Xavier's Mansion. Cannonball (one of my favorite New Mutants, all grown-up now) decides to fly off the ship, zoom underneath and try to push it back. But it's not clear in the second panel which way Cannonball is flyin'. Is it right to left or left to right? And who are those dudes on right? Are they statues? No, they are the Sentinels guardin' the mansion who are flyin' upwards to also stop the ship! Sheesh. The next page after this one isn't clear either, because Cannonball presses against the big black hull and halts the ship's descent. At first I thought he broke through the ship and went clear into outer space.

Is it just me or is Chris Bachalo's action storytellin' a bit baffling? There's no denyin' that Bachalo is a master craftsman when it comes to drawing figures, splash pages, and all kinds of other scenes. Maybe the stories by Claremont and Carey have just been too crammed full of details that he needs to shove into every panel. Or maybe I'm just too old to be readin' this here comic. I'm in the mood to see Bachalo draw something other than superheroes. Nuff said.

Technorati : Chris Bachalo, X-Men

As we all know by now, Dave Cockrum died last Sunday, November 26th. There's been a surprising number of obituaries for him in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Blogcritics. The Times article has quotes from Neal Adams and reports that Marvel only offered Cockrum $200,000 during the time he suffered from crtical pnuemonia. What a shame! You would have to think that Marvel would be deeply embarassed by this news and work to put together policies that could at least give more to their veteran creators. DC Comics has been better about this than Marvel, although Adams shamed them into helping Siegel and Schuster back in the 1970s. Click to enlarge one of Cockrum's most famous pieces above, the wedding of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel, rendered in black and white from Amazing World of DC Comics #9.

Most fans first encountered Dave Cockrum in one of two historic series, either the Legion of Super-Heroes or the X-Men. I caught up on the Legion later on, but my introduction to Cockrum was in Giant-Size Avengers #2 (1974). This issue was notable for a number of reasons. One, written by Steve Englehart, it concluded an ongoing Avengers drama involving Kang, Rama-Tut, the Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Mantis. Two, the artwork was spectacular, because Cockrum pencilled and inked the story. And if that wasn't enough, Hawkeye returned to the team in his classic costume, as we found out on the splash page!

Englehart's stories were often cosmic in scope. He had a sense of wild dramatic flair, and a respect for Marvel continuity. At the climax of the story, Rama Tut starts fighting Kang the Conqueror in order to stop his plan to capture the Celestial Madonna. (no, it wasn't the blonde yoga singer.) This is a unique event, because Kang and Rama are actually the same person! Rama is the future incarnation of Kang, who came from the past into the present via a time travelling sarcophagus! Yes, thinking about it does warp your brain, and Cockrum warped this page, bending time to show a number of cool Avengers elements.

The page that followed was even more trippy, when everyone present at last realizes that Mantis is the Celestial Madonna. The fear on the Swordsman's face is evident, and it makes his heroic sacrifice at the end (where he saves Mantis using his own body as a shield) all the more bittersweet. I had no idea who Cockrum was, but from this point forward, I would be a Cockrum fan for life!

Outside of the Neal Adams Kree-Skrull war, this was the finest Avengers artwork I had ever seen. I kept thinking that some day, Cockrum would return to the series as the regular penciller. Seeing these Cockrum pin-ups (click to enlarge) in FOOM #6 (1974) fanned that flame for a while, but alas, it was not to be. I was happy when I found that out that he would revive my beloved mutants in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975), which thrilled me to no end. Rest in peace, Mr. Cockrum. Nuff said.

Technorati : Dave Cockrum

Neal Adams did more covers for Deadly Hands of Kung Fu than any other Marvel magazine. Do ya think that's why it was the most successful? It sure didn't hurt sales any, take a look at these wonders...

The cover to Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1 was instantly recognized by anyone who had seen Enter the Dragon. This is the first of many covers featuring Bruce Lee.

Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu, was the star of Deadly Hands, even though he had appeared in less than half a dozen tales in the color comics. Deadly Hands #2 cover depicts Shang-Chi, a stranger in a strange city (New York), beatin' down anyone foolish enough to pick on a man in his pajamas.

Deadly Hands #4 was a tribute to ABC's television show Kung Fu, starring David Carridine. I couldn't wait for this show to come on TV when I was a kid. This cover shows Caine in the Old West beatin' down cowboys like I wanted to beat down rednecks!

Raise your hand if you remember Billy Jack! If you remember Billy, I bet you also remember Adrienne Barbeau and Lynda Carter! This here cover to Deadly Hands #11 depicts a scene from The Trial of Billy Jack. A movie that Marvel and Steranko (if I remember correctly from MediaScene) told me was IMPORTANT! But actually, it just sucked. Nevertheless, this cover is good.

Deadly Hands #17 had the last Adams cover, but it was another doozy with Bruce Lee from Enter the Dragon. Kinda makes me wish that Neal Adams had done an adaption of that flick, or better yet, a sequel or ongoing adventures of Bruce Lee. Adams could capture Bruce Lee's likeness perfectly. Nuff said.

Technorati : Neal Adams

Continuin' my blast from the Kung Fu days, the Hector Ayala White Tiger had his moment in the sun with these two covers...

Ken Barr painted this cover to Deadly Hands #22 and it's one of my favorites. The White Tiger, standing on the end of a high-rise girder, has no alternative but to fight that gang waitin' for him with an arsenal of asian weapons. Does he look scared? Nosireee.

Earl Norem painted this cover to Deadly Hands #29. I think this must be the same bar that Turk (from Miller's Daredevil) likes to hang out in--they better have good insurance. Nuff said.

Technorati : White Tiger

With the first issues of White Tiger and Iron Fist, it seems like everybody is Kung Fu Fightin' all over again, true believers! Let this old coot take you through some 1970s covers featurin' these dudes, from Deadly Hands of Kung Fu...

Deadly Hands of Kung Fu was a pretty good seller in Marvel's black and white line. They were going to follow this up with an Iron Fist black and white magazine, but somehow it got cancelled. I suspect the cover and story in Deadly Hands #10 were making use of the aborted Iron Fist Magazine #1.

The response to Danny Rand's black and white story must have been pretty good, because he returned in Deadly Hands #19 for a serialized story by Chris Claremont and Rudy Nebres that ran through issue 24.

Naturally, Shang Chi (Master of Kung Fu) couldn't take being replaced by the blonde newcomer. He was forced to fight Iron Fist in Deadly Hands #29.

Howard Chaykin contributed this dynamic Iron Fist pinup, that was also featured in Deadly Hands #29. A skeletal samurai, hot diggity dang! Nuff said.

Technorati : Iron Fist, White Tiger

Based on his interviews, I knew Ed Brubaker understood the character of Iron Fist. Immortal Iron Fist #1 lives up to the hype, returning Danny Rand to classic form. He's not only a kung fu master from a hidden refuge called K'un-Lun, but he's also a Fortune 500 CEO. Brubaker and his writing buddy, Matt Fraction, are adding to the mythos as well by establishing a history of the Iron Fist wielders throughout history. Fans of the classic Iron Fist story by Claremont and Byrne that featured Davos (a K'un-Lun exile) stealing Danny's Iron Fist power will be intrigued by the last pages of this story. I loved this issue and it holds great promise for the future.

Hydra's put Danny in a pretty bad cliffhanger as well. I have a theory about how he will get out of this situation, baesd on one memorable scene from Iron Fist #4 (1976). A villain called Radion had destroyed a building, most of which had fallen on top of Iron Fist. Danny Rand was dying, but a dream from his teacher explained that the Iron Fist could be used for more than mere fighting--it could heal as well. And it did work to save Danny's life, though it hurt like hell. To my knowledge, he hasn't used this ability since the 70s, but I haven't re-read every Iron Fist story. Let's see if this returns in Immortal Iron Fist #2. Nuff said.

Technorati : Ed Brubaker, Iron Fist, Matt Fraction

Written by Cousin Dick: I already had lots of respect for Tamora Pierce, after she dissed the Sue Richards scene in Civil War (where she leaves her kids in Reed's care). After readin' White Tiger #1, I have even more, because it's a darn good read. Angela Del Toro's story continues from Daredevil, where she inherited the amulets that make her a kung fu superstar. This is a comin' of age type of story, which pays respect to past events and current continuity, with a nod to Danny Rand impersonatin' Daredevil. Beyond fightin' gangstas in the ghetto, she takes on the Cobra, and gets drunk with Natasha Romanov (the Black Widow). What I liked most about this issue was that it was packed with lots of story--you can't just flip thru it in five seconds.

Angela Del Toro's the niece of the original White Tiger, Hector Ayla. I remember first seein' the White Tiger in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #20. The lead story in Deadly Hands was always Shang Chi or Iron Fist, but the second series, The Sons of the Tiger, were by a couple of newcomers called Bill Mantlo and George Perez. I knew these boys were destined for greatness, especially Perez, whose artistic skills grew with each story. The Sons of the Tiger were a trio of kung fu fighters, each empowered by a Asian amulet. In Deadly Hands #19, they had a falling out and threw the amulets in the trash. Hector picked 'em up and was transformed into the mysterious White Tiger, probably the first Chicano superhero in the Marvel Universe. Perez had such a great enthusiasm for this character, as you can see in the splash page above, where he painstakingly drew a New York City skyline forming the logo (in Deadly Hands #21).

I kinda miss Hector--he was killed in Daredevil by Bendis (naturally). But at least Angela refers to her uncle a lot in the new story. Now I'm thinkin' if there was a White Tiger movie...would Jessica Alba be a perfect fit? Nuff said.

Technorati : Tamora Pierce, White Tiger

Fucking hell, I blew it on that Cyclops-Dick article, didn't I? How can I possibly redeem myself? WITH THE MOST X-RATED POST IN PHOTON HISTORY! These outrageously hot pics of Vampirella by Bruce Timm should do the trick. Vampirella was always my favorite seductress, although her stories never lived up to the covers in the old Warren Magazines. I was always fond of Vampi's legs and buttocks, and apparently, so is Mr. Timm.

This drawing, with the erotic come-here gaze in Vampi's sweet little face is right up there with the Satana pic that Kid Flash posted. Bruce Timm did draw a short story in Vampirella Monthly #20, where she was naked, in similiar poses to this one.

Warren Magazines' other two big publications were Creepy and Eerie. Here you see another fantasy fulfilled, Vampirella dancing at a strip club while the mascots of these two titles drooled in ecstasy.

Here's one that will send fanfic writers gushing to their keyboards: Vampirella versus Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No Freudian overtones in this picture. What could that stake possibly represent? Nuff said.

Technorati : Vampirella

On yesterday's post about Astonishing X-Men 18 (Cyclops Isn't A Dick), reader Gareth Wilson made this observation:

"There are some writers who treat Cyclops like a dick--and Bryan Hitch didn't help with Wolverine's infamous quote in the first movie."

The "you're a dick" line was actually written by Joss Whedon, one of only two lines of dialogue that survived from his script.

First, of all, what a faux pas Warlock made in that one! Any fanboy knows that Bryan Singer directed the X-Men movie, not Bryan Hitch. And that's a very interesting factoid about Whedon's line in the first movie. Thanks, Gareth! How appropriate, Whedon turned Cyclops into a dick, now he's undicking him! Nuff said.

Now here's a Marvel comic that I can wholeheartedly recommend: Astonishing X-Men 18. It's the end of a six-issue arc, which really doesn't resolve much but multiplies the stakes even higher for the next arc. The mystery behind the duplicate Emma Frosts is cleared up, but what I really liked was Cyclops taking charge of the situation. Back in the day, before Wolverine came around, Cyclops was the Captain America of the mutants. There are some writers who treat Cyclops like a dick--and Bryan Hitch (correction: Bryan Singer) didn't help with Wolverine's infamous quote in the first movie. I thought Cassandra Nova was Morrison's greatest contribution to the X-Men, and I love how Whedon uses her in the story. There's an incredible cinematic tension between Cassandra, Emma, Kitty, and Scott that Cassaday executes brilliantly.

The message boards must be taking bets on what happened to Nova. I'm thinking it's the Armor girl mutant, though it could also be Blindfold. Nuff said.

Technorati : Astonishing X-Men

WARNING: Spoilers about the end of Civil War are in this post.

You know what pushes my hot button? When it seems like comics writers haven't read anything about their characters. You don't have to be a slave to continuity, but shouldn't you at least fucking pay attention to some basic tenants? New Avengers 25 is about an ex-Stark employee who shuts down Stark Tower and Iron Man's armor. That would be fine, if Tony Stark gave the Iron Man designs to a division of geeks and said, "Here, go build this while I screw Salma Hayek!" Except that he didn't. Every Iron Man story where a new set of armor was built had Stark doing the whole project alone. While it seems impossible, Stark did have a freakin' laboratory and manufacturing center in his mansion--he's as rich as Bill Gates in the Marvel Universe. Stark's current armor is tied to the Extremis nanobot technology that Warren Ellis conceived. This idea would have worked better if Maya Hansen (the Extremis designer) figured out the weakness in her invention and attacked Stark. So, even though this issue features terrific artwork by Jimmy Chueng and witty dialogue by Bendis, I flub the entire foundation of this story.

Here's one good thing about New Avengers 25: Maria Hill is less of a bitch and more of a well rounded character. I liked her for the first time. Bendis does write good women characters. The ending proves that Rich Johnston's scoop from a couple of weeks ago was correct: when Civil War is over, Tony Stark will be the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (click on the above image to expand it). Johnston says the above image is the cover to Iron Man #15. Marvel's own solicitations reveal that She-Hulk will be joining S.H.I.E.L.D. in her own series. As I've said before, I just can't imagine Tony Stark working for the government, but let's see what they do with the concept. How can he run S.H.I.E.L.D. and lead the Mighty Avengers at the same time? Nuff said.

Technorati : Iron Man

Squadron Supreme #7 is one issue-long down and dirty superhero fight. Lucky for J. Michael Straczynski that Gary Frank returned to draw this issue. I am fluctuate like crazy on JMS' stories--mostly I hate them. But this issue was very good. One of the things I hate about superhero fight scenes is when the adversaries are too nice to each other. With Redstone (the super-powered serial killer from Supreme Power) back for a second round, it's a battle that rivals Kid Miracleman's return. Civilians get in the way and discarded like toilet paper. Frank draws this carnage in all of its glory, and it's a wickedly fun spectacle to read. Hyperion fights smart, too, trying to using flying power to take him out (a la what Miracleman did to Gargunza), but Redstone has that avenue covered.

Of course, I still hate JMS. Not for Gwen, Peter, or Reed Richards. No, I hate JMS because he destroyed my afternoon. After what happened in this issue, I had to dig out Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme maxi-series from 1986. Because even though JMS' version is modern and different, every once in a while, he throws something in there that reminds me of Gruenwald's version. There's an event that happened in the 1986 Squadron Supreme #8: Hyperion used his Atomic Vision to an extent that he never had before, with serious repercussions to his health.

Damn, those Gruenwald Squadrons were good. The artwork was spotty (Paul Ryan's issues were the best) and the story was Silver Age soapy, but it sure was fun seeing DC's archetypes Marvelized. There were love triangles and outrageous events that DC never would have pulled at the time. It's a great twist when the Golden Archer (Green Arrow) uses the Squadron's "Behavior Modification Machine" on Lady Lark (Black Canary) to brainwash her into loving him. The other romantic tangle occurs in Squadron Supreme #7 when Hyperion's evil duplicate secretly kills Zarda's (Wonder Woman) elder husband (Steve Trevor) and finally nails the Amazon. Good stuff, worthy of putting your ashes into. Nuff said.

Technorati : J. Michael Straczynski, Squadron Supreme

Most comic books these days are a fast read, but it seemed like I read Civil War #5 in less than 5 minutes. I think it's the worst issue yet. It's dumb and worst of all, it's boring. Didn't we hear all kinds of hype that the later issues would blow away Civil War #2? And the logical continuity errors, even within recent history, are one big clusterfuck. I'll try to say this without spoiling too much...

1. Spider-Man versus Iron Man. Have both of them forgotten about Mary Jane and Aunt May? I didn't think they made it out of the building yet. If S.H.I.E.L.D. can track Spider-Man into a sewer, surely they could follow these two ladies on the street and get some leverage on Peter. And it's been said many times already, but why would Peter be dumb enough to wear the red costume that Tony made, probably with a GPS tracker built inside?

2. Iron Man and Maria Hill (Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Maria Hill overrides Tony in his attempt to reason with Peter. Would Tony Stark really take orders from this bitch? He's used to running his own fucking international corporation, for god's sake. It's like Bill Gates saying "Yes Mam" to Condoleeza Rice.

3. Thunderbolts versus Spider-Man. What a colossal let-down! The cover shows Bullseye, Venom, Green Goblin and other villains pounding the shit out of Peter. Wow, now that could be a pretty good fight, eh? WARNING! THIS COVER SCENE IS NOT FOUND INSIDE CIVIL WAR #5! Instead you get two minor villains on the Thunderbolt team. Daredevil could take these guys out when he has the flu. Why does Peter flail around like a n00b?

4. Daredevil and Iron Man. They don't have a clue he's Daniel Rand. Why is Tony Stark is so fucking dumb in this series? The whole freakin' world knows that Daredevil is Matt Murdock. Even if the public has been mislead, the superheroes know beyond a doubt. You're telling me that Tony Stark doesn't take off the mask to verify Daredevil's identity?

There are only two things I enjoyed about this issue: Steve McNiven's artwork and Frank Castle's appearance. Other than that, it's a bunch of crap. Nuff said.

Technorati : Civil War, Marvel Comics

We've been passin' around our favorite Bruce Timm drawings, and I just gotta spew out a few of 'em, featurin' ol' Ben Grimm, the Thing! This drawin' makes fun of the famous "Clobberin' Time" poster and t-shirt by Jack Kirby, but flippin' it around to show us his underpants. Timm's signature says "B.T. after Kirby".

Here's a more classic pose, where Grimm is launchin' into action against some baddie! Timm's really bringin' his inner Kirby out.

This one's also a knee slapper. Could Grimm be complainin' about the Fantastic Four movie? I missed that Jessica Alba sex scene. Was she invisible?

Thing vs. Hulk. They go together like Peanut Butter and Chocolate. Nuff said!

I have a number of Bruce Timm's drawings that fans have collected throughout the years. This man can take almost any character that I love and render them beautifully. While we've come to associate the Timm style as being cartoon-like, his women are undeniably sexy. This is Timm's rendition of Satana--I love this seductive pose--it could make any man lose his soul. Timm used Romita's original costume design, too, gotta give him bonus points for that! Nuff said.

Technorati : Bruce Timm

This is exciting news. At the end of Friday's Cup of Joe in Newsarama, there's a sneaky solicitation for a one-shot special called Legion of Monsters #1: Werewolf By Night. Written by Mike Carey and drawn by Greg Land! This looks like the classic Jack Russell--Land doesn't try to redesign the Ploog model, doesn't try to make him dog-like or anything. (Dog-like Werewolves are my pet peeves, no pun intended.) Here's the blurb:

In the first of three high-octane horror comic one-shots, Werewolf by Night returns to the Marvel Universe! This shocking story by X-Men's Mike Carey and Ultimate Power's Greg Land (in the comic he's waited his whole life to draw!) is a powerful, brutally terrifying tale that will redefine Jacob Russel forever! And as if that wasn't enough - join writer/artist Skottie Young in a no-holds-barred look at the afterlife of the Monster of Frankenstein! It's an extra-length comic at no extra price, and it's destined to keep you sleeping with your lights on…till the upcoming Legion of Monsters: Morbius and Legion of Monsters: Man-Thing!

Greg Land has waited his whole life to draw Jack Russell? Yes, he's a real true believer, and that cover looks fantastic! I can't wait to read this. Nuff said.

Wisdom #1 really snuck up on me, because I knew little about Pete Wisdom (other than remembering he shagged Kitty Pride during the Warren Ellis Excalibur days). CBR's recent interview with Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell tipped me to read this first issue, and I am glad I did, because it's a riot from start to finish. Wisdom is an Intelligence Agent for Britain's MI-13, an agency that deals with otherworldly invasions. Fairies from Otherworld have kidnapped a cabinet minister's son, so MI-13 sends Wisdom's team over to get him back. There's Tink (a Fairy dissident), Captain Midlands (Britain's Super Soldier) and my favorite, John the Skrull (who has taken on John Lennon's form). There's a lot of humorous scenes in this issue, such as the briefing before the mission, where Wisdom tells his crew: "You run into King Arthur: Do not hurt him. Do not join the Round Table. Don't eat anything. Don't pull anything. Don't marry anything." Trevor Hairsine's artwork is more than a match for the script--I think it may be his best job to date. He does some incredible full page splashes and the coloring work here is also top notch. Wisdom #1 is the best debut issue from Marvel this year. If you're into material like Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Nextwave, or even a show called Coupling, you won't want to miss it. Nuff said.

External Links:
Paul Cornell Wisdom Interview at Newsarama
Paul Cornell Wisdom Interview at CBR
Paul Cornell's Blog (House of Awkwardness)

Technorati : Paul Cornell

The second issue of Doctor Strange: The Oath is even better than the first one. Brian K. Vaughan has re-discovered Strange's past as an asshole surgeon and mines it for all it is worth. The transitions between the past and present day are very cinematic. We learn how Strange got shot and there's an old foe from the past who shows up, Baron Mordo--I can't say I'm surprised. Night Nurse accompanies Strange on his mission to save Wong and becomes his "Watson". She's a delightful foil and a possible new love interest? This is the best version of Dr. Strange that I've read since Roger Stern left the character. Can this be an ongoing series, please? Nuff said.

Fantastic Four: The End #1 was released last week to a bunch of tepid reviews. Granted, the story doesn't approach anything resembling Kingdom Come or Astro City, but it's a fun read. There's a lot of neat throwaway ideas in the first 10 pages. Reed Richards' technological inventions have finally transformed life on Earth. Such wonders as interplanetary travel and extended lifespans are now commonplace. A different writer might explore that territory, but instead Davis concentrates on Marvel's First Family, who are scattered throughout the solar system. Reed's on an orbital laboratory, with She-Hulk as his psychologist! Jennifer switched careers now that there is no need for lawyers (but if it was me I would just keep staring at her awesome green rack). Reed is kind of nuts because he hasn't seen MILFerick Sue Storm in over a year--she's playing Indiana Jones in Atlantis with Namor the Sub-Mariner. Ben Grimm lives on Mars with Alicia and his kids. Johnny Storm is with the Avengers, trying to put down a group of baddies on Titan.

It seems like this is Davis' version of Marvel Universe: The End as well as the FF. We get to see futuristic versions of the Inhumans, Iron Man, Thor, Silver Surfer, Nick Fury, and Dr. Strange as well. Some of the characters, like She-Hulk and Medusa, have been apart of the FF's rotating cast. I have a feeling that some fans are getting burnt out on Alan Davis' remarkable high quality that has been consistent across many projects over the past 20 years. But this fellow is one of the giants in the industry to me, and I love seeing his renditions of these characters. Marvel also released Fantastic Four: The End Rough Cut #1 last week. At $3.99 it is a dollar more than the regular edition, but if you're a Davis fan, it's well worth it. Davis' pencils are very detailed. It makes me what to print some pages and try inking them myself! It's interesting to see where he leaves room for the colorists to do their magic. Davis' script is included in the back, and it fills in a couple of details that I didn't pick up on, like the identity of (the new) Dr. Strange's mother. I wonder if this entire Rough Cut will be in the trade paperback? Nuff said.

Technorati : Fantastic Four

The other day I discovered that DC has a podcasts area on their downloads page as well as a feed for ITunes and Juice. The very latest download in this series is in the middle of the 52 crew discussing the creation of the weekly series. I've never heard Grant Morrison's voice before, and I don't know what I thought it would sound like, but he sure is a Scotsman! Besides Morrison, you'll hear Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Dan Didio, JG Jones, and Keith Giffen. I've downloaded all the podcasts in this series and listened to a number of them taped at San Diego Comic-Con 2006: Gail Simone, JLA/JSA (with Meltzer and Johns), Mark Buckingham, and Kurt Busiek. The Busiek podcast is fascinating, especially if you want some insight behind Astro City storytelling compared to his DC/Marvel superhero work. Lots of cool info there about Arrowsmith, Aquaman, and Avengers Forever as well. One of audience members rakes Busiek over the coals about the anti-climatic fight between Captain America and Batman in JLA-Avengers. Busiek replies that he thought it was conclusive--Captain America would beat Batman, although it would take a long time. Given the fact that we had such a great knockdown-drag out fight between Thor and Superman, I really didn't care, but this guy was really pissed at Busiek: "Why? Why did you do that?" Busiek's exasperation is really funny. Nuff said.

Technorati : Kurt Busiek

You've been asked the question. We all have, whenever we were dumb enough to admit that we are comic book collectors. Who is your favorite superhero? Sometimes that depends on my mood. If I feel angry it's the Hulk, if I'm kinda isolated it's the Silver Surfer, or if I'm gonna perform a charitable act, it might be Superman. It's hard for me to choose just one, but if I had to, in my heart of hearts, I'd pick Spider-Man.

I got bitten by Spidey one day in 1970. My family had moved to Anchorage, Alaska, because my Daddy worked for Exxon and had to work there during the construction of the pipeline. Durin' the winter it was colder than heck, darker than hell, and there was plenty of time to read comics. I had seen Spidey on TV in those early cartoons, but never read his comics until I walked into a quick-mart and found Marvel Tales #29 sittin' on the rack. This "Double-Feature Special" was one heck of a deal: two Spidey stories (reprinted from Amazing Spider-Man 39-40) plus a Dr. Strange story for twenty-five cents! The cover looked suspicious to me; I never believed that Spider-Man would be unmasked before a villain. Up till this point I was a Superman/Batman devotee. This here Marvel Tales cover had to be like one of those gimmicky DC covers, right?

Hoo-boy, was I wrong. This two-part Spider-Man tale was the greatest super-hero story that I had ever read! Even though it was my first introduction to the Green Goblin and Norman Osborne, I had no trouble followin' the plot. I couldn't get over how methodically the Green Goblin had taken out Spidey: first, by blunting his Spider-Sense during a robbery. Second, followin' him around New York City and discoverin' his secret identity was Peter Parker. And third, attackin' him in front of his own house in Queens, with frail Aunt May just a few yards away behind a fog-enshrouded window. This kind of deal just didn't happen in DC Comics! Lex Luthor with his smart-ass brain didn't ever cotton to Clark Kent's identity and the Joker never tracked down Batman to Wayne Manor. (Maybe they did once or twice, but they were dumb enough to be fooled later.)

While I didn't get the full impact of the Green Goblin being revealed as Norman Osborne (because I didn't wait for 3-4 years to find out), I did get hooked into the soap opera. Norman was a short-tempered workaholic with no time for his teenaged son, Harry. When Peter Parker finally goads Osborne into fightin' him one last time, man to man, the Green Goblin gets an electro-chemical charge that erases his memory. Norman suddenly has no idea that he is a villain, but even better than that, he realizes he's been a total dumbass to his son Harry! Ain't that what most neglected boys want, just a bit of love and attention from their Daddies? I couldn't believe it when Sam Raimi didn't use this ending in the first Spider-Man movie, but that was one of many blunders regardin' his version of the Goblin.

This story is what made me a Spider-Man fan (and a Marvelite) for life. I got a subscription to Amazing Spider-Man because I kept waitin' for the day that tickin' time bomb would explode, the day Norman would become the Green Goblin again! Nuff said.

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Comics Should Be Good is quickly becoming one of my top blogs to read everyday. Yesterday they wrote an article about Top 5 Thing/Hulk Fights. Unfortunately, they didn't list my top picks, so here they are...

Marvel Feature #11 (1973), written by Len Wein, drawn by Jim Starlin and Joe Sinnott. Wein's dialogue coupled with Starlin's powerful layouts made this fight memorable. The Leader and Kurrgo (Master of Planet X) transport the Thing to the desert and force him to fight the Hulk. To give Ben Grimm extra incentive, he must defeat the Hulk to deactivate a planet-destroying bomb. Try explaining that to dumb Hulk! "Huh? You beat up Hulk for Hulk's own good? Hulk may be slow! It may be hard for Hulk to think, but not even Hulk believes that!"

I'm not the only one who loves this story, Art Adams does as well. He re-created the cover to Marvel Feature 11 for a collector. Too bad this wasn't sold as a poster, I would buy it in a second. I wonder how much time it took for Adams to recreate this, versus the original cover artists (Kane and Romita?) back in 1973?

Jim Starlin loved both of these characters so much that he wrote and drew a Hulk/Thing rematch in Marvel Fanfare #21 (1985). He later revisited both monsters in Marvel Graphic Novel #29 (1987), The Big Change. Starlin wrote the story and Berni Wrightson did the full artwork. While there was no big fight scene between them, the Thing and the Hulk are teamed up like two characters in a buddy movie. After defeating a monster for an alien race, at the end they are rewarded with two wishes. While Ben Grimm sees there's a chance for both of them to become human again, the Hulk makes a quick, Kramer-like decision that spoils the whole deal.

In 1974, Marvel decided to start their own series of bigger comics with Giant-Size Superstars #1, featuring the Fantastic Four. What better way to start than by having "The Wildest Thing vs. Hulk Battle of All". Written by Gerry Conway, it had a unique twist. When Bruce Banner arrives in New York and visits the Baxter Building, he notices a device built by Reed Richards. Banner decides to use this device to cure both himself and Ben Grimm at the same time. Something goes snafu (as usual) and a mind-swap occurs between the Thing and the Hulk. Rich Buckler draws this tale in a style very similiar to Jack Kirby, and the fight between them rages from skyscrapers to the subway to Madison Square Garden. Throw in the Amazonian babe called Thundra (looking to mate with Mr. Grimm) and you've got a comedy of errors. Huh, Joss Whedon and the Buffy writing staff were Conway fans, and Buffy/Faith swapped bodies and fought, do you think this could have been an inspiration? Nuff said.

Update: Although I didn't know his name at the time I wrote my article, reader Corando Gallegos told me it was Judge Margarito Garza. Read the comment following my article, it's very touching.

My parents moved our family to Corpus Christi, Texas, where we lived during 1974-1976. The first thing I did after we moved in was to figure out where the heck I could buy comics! Back when I was a kid, we didn't have comic book specialty stores. We had to hunt our comic books down in grocery stores, drugstores, and 7-Elevens. I found a strip mall containin' all three at the intersection of Weber Road and S. Staples St. I remember goin' to the supermarket one day and findin' Howard the Duck #1 in the magazine section. My heart skipped a beat; I felt like Kraven the Hunter stalkin' his prey. The only problem was that it was on the lowest rack and I had to reach between the legs of an older lady in order to grab it! I felt a lot like Howard, trapped in a world I never made.

Back then I felt pretty queer about readin' comics at the age of 13. I use that word on purpose, because my Daddy thought I was queer for readin' comics for so long. I really had no other friends who read comics at all. Partly it was due to my family movin' to a different place every few years. I was isolated, especially in Corpus Christi, where city kids got bussed into Hamlin Middle School. There were drugs, gang fights (blacks vs latinos vs rednecks), and worst of all, a Texas-sized fever around the school's football team. We were forced to go to each and every pep rally. Now I'm a redneck myself, but for some reason I always hated football, and I resented goin' to these here rallies. I never went to any game and I never cared if my team won or not! The cheerleaders were the best part, especially this one blonde gal, Betsy. I liked the gyrations of her hips and thighs so much that I named my truck after her! I had daydreams about kickin' the hell out of those football players to impress her, just like ol' Shang-Chi in Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu.

One day I read in the paper about a special store in Corpus Christi that only sold comic books! I begged my Mama to drive me over there. I don't recall the exact location, but it was in an older suburban area, probably a house that was converted into a store. Inside were dozens of boxes of back-issue comic books. We met the owner, a Mexican-American man who was also a Judge in Corpus Christi. This was a historic occasion! For the first time, I met an adult who was also a comic book collector! Not only that, he was a well respected person in the community. My enthusiasm burst out of my mouth, yappin' a dozen different questions at once. I remember we talked about the Wonder Woman TV movie starring Lynda Carter. The Judge talked to my Mama about how comic books were a great influence for kids and kept them out of trouble. His store seemed like paradise. The Judge had posters on the walls, including some reproductions of famous comic book covers he had drawn himself. The one he did for SHIELD #1 looked so interestin' that I got into Steranko's work.

I went crazy lookin' at everything in his store. There were so many back issues of Avengers, Hulk, Captain America, that I wanted to rob a bank and take 'em all home. I got loaded up on all the missing pieces of the Kree Skrull War. I looked over at a table and saw somethin' completely new, a little stapled newsletter called The Comic Reader. I asked the Judge what that was, and he said it was a fanzine about comics. I had heard about 'em, but never saw one of the critters before! You see, back then we didn't have the Internet or Wizard or Previews. When someone like Gerry Conway or Steve Englehart left a book, we'd find out after buyin' the comic and seein' a different name on the title page. The Comic Reader had information about upcoming comic books, including which creators were leaving or joining various titles and interviews as well. Nothin' like Newsarama, but it did have a nice drawing on the cover, usually by a professional artist.

I forget how many times I visited the Judge's store, but each time I visited, I was probably the happiest that I had ever been in my life. I really didn't like livin' in Corpus Christi, even though we had a great house, my whole family was miserable. The Judge and comic books helped me to survive. I sure would love to know his real name and more about him. Corando Gallegos wrote a comment on my Wonder Woman article, but didn't leave an email address. If anyone can give me some info, I'd be mighty obliged. Nuff said.

Update 2: Judge Margarito Garza decided that Mexican American youth needed a superhero of their own and created a Chicano superhero called Relampago in 1977, which you see on the Independent Heroes website.

DC continuity was just too dang confusin' for kids to figure out. When the Dumb Communists infiltrated Superman's publishin' company in the 1980s, that's what they claimed in order to justify Crisis on Infinite Earths. How can a dumbass kid know about Earth I and Earth II and the fourteen varieties of Kryptonite and the Adult Legionnaires? Well, I did, and I didn't have a rich Uncle with a secret stash of Silver Age comics. How did I, Cousin Dick, a hick from the boondocks, learn so much comics history? I was edujicated by Giants!

Batman 213 (1969) was the first Giant book I ever bought. 5 big stories for 25 cents, that was a big deal to me when the regular comics were 12-15 cents. This book had the Holy Grail for me: the origin of Robin! Like many kids in the 60s, I was a big fan of the BATMAN tv show starring Adam West. I always wondered why the TV show never explained their origin! I idolized Robin, and here it was all explained: the murder of Dick Grayson's parents, his adoption by Bruce Wayne, and his training to become the Boy Wonder. But little did I know there was an even better story in this issue: "The Man Behind the Red Hood". Little did I know until the very last page--this was the origin of the Joker! I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that Judd Winick also read this same story and used the Red Hood in Jason Todd's revival.

I wasn't just a Batman fan. I loved Superman, and that also translated to Superboy. I liked readin' about Superman's teenage adventures, his family life with the Kents, and most of all, his super-dog, Krypto! My first fan letter to DC comics was written in crayon: "Where did Krypto come from? How come we never see Superman's parents in his own comic?" Quite soon after that, another Giant, Superboy 165 (1970) answered both of these questions! Jor-El used Krypto as a test animal to perfect his rocket ship for Superman...heck, that didn't seem cruel at the time. But the secret of Ma and Pa Kent's death had me cryin' like a baby! They contracted a rare disease, which Superboy thought that he caused through a time travel adventure. Later it turned out just to be the Kents own misfortune. After exhaustin' ever possible resource to save them (Lex Luthor, Phantom Zone, etc), the Kents quietly pass away at home--forcing Clark to finally leave Smallville.

DC 100 Page Super Spectacular #6 (1971) introduced me to Earth I and Earth II. I remember seeing this title on the comic book rack at The Book Cache in Anchorage, Alaska. (How I got there was another story altogether.) I only had a dollar and decided to spend half of it on this title because of the wonderful Neal Adams wraparound cover--I had never seen so many heroes in one place! I was curious why there were two Supermen, two Batmen, and an adult version of Robin. Luckily, the lead story was the classic "Crisis on Earth-1, Earth-2" Justice League two-parter that explained the whole mystery. If that wasn't enough, the back cover had a guide that explained who each hero was on the front cover. The rest of the book was filled with Golden and Silver Age reprints of The Spectre, Johnny Quick, Vigilante, Wildcat, and Hawkman. Little did I know that I was studyin' to enjoy Roy Thomas' All-Star Squadron that featured all these cowpokes!

In 1972, DC made Detective Comics a regular bi-monthly 100 page comic, and that format lasted until 1975 (issues 438-445). This particular run was exceptional, because Archie Goodwin was the editor. He revitalized the all-new Batman stories with exceptional artwork by Jim Aparo, Sal Almendola, Alex Toth, and Howard Chaykin, and wrote all of them except one--the classic "Night of the Stalker" (written by Steve Englehart from an idea by Neal Adams). We also had the remarkable Manhunter backup, written by Goodwin and drawn by a new artist called Walt Simonson. This truly was the best deal in comics--awesome new stories, coupled with reprints that explained the history of the DC Universe. I learned all about Doctor Fate, Kid Eternity, the Guardian and Newsboy Legion, the Atom, Hawkman, and the power of fishnet stockings--Zatanna! Detective 438 reprinted Zatanna's adventures with the Atom, and gave us a trail to follow her classic search for Daddy Zatara thru other 100 page spectaculars.

There ya go pardners, the trail of DC Giants. If you've tried to follow them now in back issue bins or EBay, it can cost ya a pretty penny to buy 'em back! But ya know what I remember thinkin', even as a ten-year old, that these big books were the best value--each one took me hours to read. I suppose ya got the equivalent in DC Showcase reprints, but somehow it just don't seem the same to me. Ain't none of 'em got a beautiful Neal Adams cover like Superman 252! Nuff said.