April 2008
AC COMICS
Men of Mystery Spotlight Special #3: Fox Features the First Heroic Wave
An overview of the early Golden Age work from Fox Features, featuring Green Mask, The Flame, Stardust and others. No particular artists or writers are mentioned and it is a pretty sure bet that all the material featured here has seen print in other AC titles. Worth a squint, but look it over closely. SRP $24.95
DARK HORSE
The Complete Green Lama Vol. 1
Dark Horse will be releasing 2 volumes in this series that will collect the entire 8 issue run of Green Lama comics from the early 40s. The Green Lama was a pulp magazine character who was transferred over to comics and was awarded his own title after a run in Prize Comics. Far as I can tell, this books will reprint the complete comics, including the back-ups. Of course, the main draw here is the work of Mac Raboy-another artist who has been long forgotten by the general public. Under Raboy, the Lama swoops and flies with grace and ease. Too bad the back-up material was, for the most part, forgettable. Worth a squint, although Raboy's style may not be everyone's cup of tea. SRP $49.99
Guess I mis-spoke a couple of installments ago, and Chronicles of Conan is still alive and kicking, at least according to the latest Previews. Bummer!
DC
The Spirit Archives Vol. 24
All good things must come to an end and this larger than normal Archives is the end of DC's reprinting of The Spirit. The series does end with a bang, however, since the last segment of the strip was done by Eisner AND Wally Wood and features The Spirit on the moon (?!). The reason for this change of storyline? Sales. Subscribing papers to The Spirit were dwindling, Eisner was spending more and more time with other contracts and it was thought that making the strip more timely (outer space was big in the early 50s) might bring more papers on board. Wood did all of the first sequences, then Eisner began to draw the portions of the story that took place on Earth, while Wood continued the storyline on the moon. Unfortunately, these last sequences dropped down to only 4 pages each, sales did not increase and the Spirit series came to an end with the October 5, 1952 section. Worth a squint and should be up on your bookshelf. Hey, DC! You gonna do the dailies next? SRP $59.99
Batman Chronicles Vol. 5
Continues the chronological reprinting of Batman, this time featuring Batman #8-9, Detective Comics #57-61 and World's Finest #4 by a whole bunch of people. The work of Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson is some of the best of the Golden Age and I've said about all I can about this series in the past. So, if you're not buying it (along with the companion Superman Chronicles), you're missing out on some really great comics and I pity you. SRP $14.99
Showcase Presents: The Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 2
Reprints Adventure Comics #316, 322-348, 365, Superboy #117, 125, and Superman Annual #4 by Siegel, Shooter Swan, Mooney, Forte and other people too numerous to mention. I will have to admit the the Legions of Super-Heroes have always been one of my favorite DC series and, if I didn't already have all this material in the Archives version, I would be standing in line to get his one. Before DC began to really muck around with the continuity of the entire DC universe, the Legion was one of the few spots where there was a spot of hope to the future. Rather than stories about a bleak and dismal future time, the Legion was about how neat it would be to live in the world of tomorrow, with all the nifty gadgets, flying craft and, most importantly, a group of heroes who were always available to fend off any menace that might crop up. While many comics tend to become a parody of themselves, this never happened to the original adventures of the Legion and this one deserves a place of honor up on your sagging bookshelf (along with the first volume, of course)! SRP $16.99
Showcase Presents: Challengers of the Unknown Vol. 2
Reprints Challenger of the Unknown #18-57 by Francis Herron, Bob Brown and others. Here's a real find, since these stories haven't seen print since their original appearances in the early 60s. Bob Brown is a forgotten artist today, but his work on the Challengers was very well done. The stories are also of better quality than the current crop of Challengers stories and are a nice continuation to the Kirby stories that began the series. Worth a squint and possible addition to your sagging bookshelf. SRP $16.99
FANTAGRAPHICS
Our Gang Vol. 3
Reprints another helping of stories by Walt Kelly featuring the characters you might better know by the name The Little Rascals. Great art and story about a time when kids were able to be kids. Worth a squint. SRP $14.99
GEMSTONE PUBLISHING
Not sure what to expect from Gemstone, but if they are back on schedule, you will find the usual material this month. We're still waiting to see what they have actually published to date, although rumor has it that they are back on schedule and the Uncle Scrooge Anniversary book has been released.
IDW
The Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy Vol. 4
Another 500 strips from July 1936-January 1938. The volume will also include a discussion of Republic Pictures' Tracy film from 1937 and how it compared to the original source material. Although it sounds like hype, the more I read this strip, the more I enjoy it. The characters are a bit stiff in comparison with the depth on some of the other newspaper strips and Gould, at time, gets a bit sentimental in the midst of what could have been a very hard-boiled story. But overall, this is one of the best newspaper strips ever done and if you want to read an crime/action film told in comic strips terms, this is the one for you! Definitely worth a squint and a place of honor on the sagging bookshelf. SRP $29.99
MARVEL
Fans of comics from the 70s and 80s will recall the excellent stories featuring Iron Man that were crafted by David Michelinie and Bob Layton with a variety of pencillers. Whether lightning will strike again for the collaborators remains to be seen, but they will be producing a 4 issue mini-series entitled Iron Man: Legacy of Doom that will add penciller Ron Lim to the mix and feature a tale of Dr. Doom and Iron Man that sort of began back in Iron Man #150. Might be worth a squint. SRP $2.99 ea.
Giant-Size Avengers/Invaders #1
Reprints Avengers #71, Invaders Annual #1 (1977) and the only non-reprint story from Giant-Size Invaders #2 (2005) by Roy Thomas and a whole bunch of people. Roy Thomas grew up reading comics during the Golden Age and always wanted to bring back the feel of the stories from WWII. After many years of inserting Golden Age characters into stories, he finally got his chance to do a full-blown series with The Invaders back in the 70s. Since Marvel is planning a revival of the Invaders this one isn't really a surprise. The story from The Avengers is an unofficial first appearance of The Invaders with nifty art by Sal Buscema. The material from Invaders Annual #1 is quite a surprise, since it features a story pencilled by Alex Schomburg, along with material by Don Rico, Lee Elias and Frank Robbins. Don't know about the story from Giant-Size Invaders #2, since I never saw it, but, the entire package should be worth a squint. SRP $3.99
Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel Vol. 3
Reprints Captain Marvel #22-33 and Iron Man #55 by Starlin, Englehart, Wolfman and others. Here's an item that's both good and bad. The good is that Starlin's Captain marvel work will be getting a new printing and, according to the solicitation, it will also include the story from Iron Man that is a part of Starlin's epic tale. The bad, is that you don't get the entire storyline, since Starlin did issues #25-36 of the title and, instead, you get the tail end of the embarrassing "Marvel's Captain Marvel imitates the Fawcett Captain Marvel and Marvel owns the trademark nyahh, nyahh" sequence that was started by Roy Thomas back in the previous volume, followed by part of Starlin's storyline that put cosmic back into comics. So, you are kind of on your own with this one. Assumedly, Marvel will bring out a volume 4 to finish the Starlin material, but I really can't understand why they just didn't do his entire Captain Marvel storyline as a separate volume, since the next volume in this series will feature some post-Starlin material that is so bad it boggles the mind. One of the brightest spots of the mid-70s Marvel talent influx was Jim Starlin, who managed to bring some new and original concepts to characters who might have ended up in the scrap heap. Starlin's run on Captain Marvel is memorable, not only for its resurrection of a totally blah character, but also the homages he paid to both Kirby (Thanos is modeled after Darkseid) and Ditko (Starlin's Warlock series). *If you really want to read Starlin's Captain Marvel series in one sitting, look for the Life of Captain Marvel 6 issue reprint mini-series that was done in the 80s. It is also complete and unedited, unlike the Marvel trade paperback of the same name. SRP $54.99
Punisher: Circle of Blood
Reprints the Punisher mini-series from 1986 by Steven Grant, Jo Duffy, Mike Zeck Mike Vosburg and John Beatty. It is often easy to overlook a good story when a comic character has been tremendously overexposed, and The Punisher, has probably seen more print than most any of the later Marvel characters outside of Wolverine. After a throwaway appearance in Spider-Man, Marvel attempted to squeeze the character into most any storyline they could and also gave the character not only one, but two ongoing series. This is a reprinting of what is arguably the best Punisher series ever done, primarily due to the dynamic pencilling of Mike Zeck-who did some of the finest work of his career on the series. Although originally scheduled as a 4 issue series, a 5th issue was tacked on at the end and this accounts for the work of Mike Vosburg and Jo Duffy. The Punisher has never been better than this and this book definitely belongs up on your sagging bookshelf. SRP $19.99
Avengers: Kree/Skrull War
Reprints Avengers #89-97 with story by Roy Thomas and art by Neal Adams, Sal Buscema, John Buscema and Tom Palmer. Here's another story that the comic creators of today would be well pressed to read before they embark on yet another "Secret Infinite Crisis War." Roy Thomas was on top of his game in this long story that takes a small incident from an early issue of Fantastic Four and builds it into a galactic battle that, eventually, becomes epic in scope. Toss in Neal Adams back when he could draw (with great inks by Tom Palmer) add able additions by the brothers Buscema and you've got a winning tale that has a beginning, middle and end with no cross-overs with any other title: something that wouldn't even be conceived in the current comic market. This story still reads well today from both a nostalgic point of view and to new readers. The characters and situations are well defined and, if you don't have this in another format, this is another book that belongs up on your sagging bookshelf. SRP $24.99
Essential Iron Man Vol. 3
Reprints Iron Man #12-38 and Daredevil #73 by Goodwin, Conway, Tuska, Craig and others. I've always enjoyed Iron Man as a concept and the series has had some really great storylines over the years (the current characterization of Tony Stark is dreadful, to say the least). Much as I tend to rag on the soap opera aspects of the Stan Lee portions of the series, this volume makes the early years of the strip look like a masterpiece, since the stories reprinted here are from the "we don't really know what to do with the character" period-a period that didn't end until the early 100s. Archie Goodwin's scripts are boring and while Gerry Conway was a very popular writer in the 60s and 70s, you wouldn't know it to read these stories. The art is hit and miss. I've always found George Tuska to be a strong artist, but Marvel would never give him a decent inker and, although the Johnny Craig inks on the first couple of stories are a fine melding of the two styles, Tuska suffers under Don Perlin and Dick Ayers (though they look like fine art compared to the later hack jobs Tuska got from Vince Colletta). Glance through this volume, enjoy the horribly inked work of George Tuska and spend your money elsewhere. SRP $16.99
PURE IMAGINATION PUBLISHING
Bill Ward's Torchy Vol. 1
Reprints the first 3 issues of Torchy from the late 40s and the first appearance of the character from Modern Comics, all originally published by Quality Comics. I've always found Ward's art to be a bit of an acquired taste, since his approach to "good girl art" is a bit over the top. Good Girl Art is a term used to describe the style used in early comics where the sort of "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" mentality existed and, for many publishers, the idea was to show as much female flesh as possible without resorting to actual nudity. For some of the characters, Headlight Comics is a better term, since some artists, like Ward, specialized in women with extremely large, out-thrust breasts, which seemed to float in mid-air with no support (not even underwire). Of course, these women from earlier comics were nearly wearing burkas when compared to the characters of today and were, at least, of resonable proportions, unlike the anatomical freaks of nature that inhabit current comics. The Torchy stories, however, tend to be entertaining and Ward's art is not on every story. SRP $25.00
Skyroads Vol. 1
Reprints 95 newspaper strips from 1935. Keaton was an excellent artist and, although I've never seen examples of this particular strip, it is most likely worth a squint. SRP $8.00
SANCTUM PRODUCTIONS
Doc Savage Double Novel #16
Doc and his crew first investigate the murder of a scientist in "The Secret in the Sky" and then travel to New Jersey to determine why people are laughing themselves to death in "The Giggling Ghosts." Covers by Clarke and Baumhofer, interior illustrations by Orban and articles by Will Murray round out the issue. SRP $12.95
Shadow Double Novel #17
The Shadow attempts to discover the secret of "The Fate Joss" and then must discover solve the mystery tied to the "Golden Pagoda." Articles by Anthony Tollin, Covers by George Rozen and interior art by Tom Lovell and Edd Cartier. SRP $12.95
TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Kirby Five-Oh!: Celebrating 50 Years of the "King" of Comics
(NOTE: This was originally scheduled for February, but is coming out now) Not real sure about this one, but it is advertised as an overview of Kirby's 50 year career with sections on his 50 best covers, 50 best characters and a 50 page gallery of Kirby pencil art, along with a color section of photos and finished art. Worth a squint. SRP $19.95
<TOP>