Archives
Bob’s Thoughts

December 2006

AC

Men of Mystery 63
   Features Bulletman, Dollman, Dick Briefer's Frankenstein and a pair of very obscure characters from Centaur Publications: Airman and The Shark! Centaur Publications had some of the more creative books of the Golden Age, but was eventually done in by poor distribution. offering an alternative to the other major publishers of the time, Centaur also had a surprinsing number of "A" list creators during the 4 years that they published, including Bill Everett and his series "Amazing Man". Stories by Otto Binder, France Herron & Bill Woolfolk, and art by Charles Tomsey, Bill Ward, Al Bryant, Harry Sahle, Lew Glanz & Dick Briefer. How can you go wrong. Note that this is the last issue with an SRP of $6.95.

DARK HORSE

Chronicles of Conan Vol. 11: The Dance of the Skull and Others Stories
   Reprints Conan the Barbarian (Marvel) #82-90 by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Howard Chaykin, Ernie Chan and Tony DeZuniga. Up to a point, Marvel's Conan the Barbarian was an excellent book that featured some of the best artwork that either John Buscema or Barry Windsor-Smith ever produced and Roy Thomas was doing a great job of channeling the essence of Howard. But, this all came to an end around issue #57, just before the "Song of Belit" sequence: a portion of which is reprinted here. As with the other parts of Belit, the stories here just ramble on and on with no real direction and the art all looks the same with Chan's inks determining the look of the book. Reportedly, Buscema was doing over 100 pages of layouts for all the Conan appearances during this period and, unfortunately, it shows. Even the addition of Chaykin only makes for small changes in layout and his work here could be by anyone. Unless you are a completist, I would avoid this one. SRP $16.95
Little Lulu Vol. 13: Too Much Fun
   Reprinting issues #54-58 of the Dell Comics' series Marge's Little Lulu from 1952 and 1953 by John Stanley and Irving Tripp. SRP $9.95

DC

   DC is launching another new Justice Society title this month, this one entitled, Justice Society of America. Written by Geoff Johns with art by Dale Eaglesham and Art Thibert, the series appears to be the mix of new and old characters that were in the previous JSA series. In other words, if you liked what Johns did previously with the JSA, you'll probably like it now. Covers will be by Alex Ross, but the SRP of $3.99 seems a bit high for a regular series.
Showcase Presents Shazam Vol. 1
   (Delayed from August) Reprints Shazam #1-35 by O'Neill, Bridwell, and Maggin with art by Beck, Schaffenberger, Cockrum and others. When DC revived Captain Marvel in the 70s they had a number of strikes against them. First, Marvel owned the trademark to the name "Captain Marvel", which, of course, was why the book was called Shazam. Second, they gave the book to Denny O'Neill, who had no idea how Captain Marvel worked. And, lastly, DC felt that Capt. Marvel was a kid's book and so, they created a long string of stories that didn't gain any new readers and alienated the long time readers who had read the good Capt.'s original adventures. The final product was a mish-mash that produced a few gems (mainly those not written by O'Neill), but mostly bombed on all levels. I only bought the book when it featured Golden-Age reprints, which, unfortunately, are not included here. I'd pass on this one if I were you. If you want to read Capt. Marvel, and see why the character sold on a par with Superman, your best bet is the Shazam Archives, the Power of Shazam graphic novel by Jerry Ordway, or the Power of Shazam series that Ordway produced in the 90s. (NOTE: According to the DC solicitation, this will include all the issues produced and not leave out the Isis issue as earlier reports suggested was the case. DC's solicitation was just flat out wrong and according to those who have seen the book, it includes only the new stories that were produced and still leaves out the Isis issue due to copyright problems.). SRP$16.99
Huntress: Dark Knight Daughter
   Reprints DC Super Stars #17, Batman Family #18-20 and Wonder Woman #271-287, 289-290 and 294-295 by Paul Levitz, Joe Staton, Steve Mitchell, Bob Layton and others. When the revived Justice Society proved to be a hit for DC in the 70s, they began to expand the cast and also strengthen the series ties to Earth-Two (this was pre-Crisis). One sidelight was the introduction of The Huntress and the insertion into the continuity that the Earth-Two Batman married the Earth-Two Catwoman. There were several stories set in this continuity (alongside the series that featured The Huntress) that popped up in the Batman titles, some with art by Staton and they are worth searching out, although I can't find the issue numbers at the moment. Overall, the daughter of the Earth-Two Batman had a very odd run, starting in All-Star Comics and ending up as a back-up in Wonder Woman, before her series ended (and I'm not even sure if she still exists!). In any event, the material here from Super Stars and Batman Family is by Levitz, Staton and Layton, who, in my estimation, were a team without equal in the 80s. The later material from Wonder Woman is not as good, and is often badly inked. As a part of the All-Star revival of the 70s, however, this one should be up on the shelf next to your JSA reprints. SRP $19.99
Will Eisner's The Spirit Archives Vol. 20
   Reprints the Spirit Sections from 1/01/50 - 7/02/50 by Will Eisner and his studio. More of Eisner's masterwork with absolutely the best reproduction I've ever seen. You should be reading The Spirit, not only because it was well done, but because Eisner was a master storyteller and managed to put more into 8-10 pages than most of today's creators can fit into a 12 issue maxi-series. Start with the Best of volume and then dive into the Archives...you will be entertained!SRP $49.99
The Spirit #1
   Hot on the heels of last month's Spirit/Batman is the start of the all-new series! Writer/Artist Darwyn Cooke has the look of The Spirit down pretty well, but since DC is not giving out any story samples, I don't know whether to be frightened by their promise that the series "...maintains the "spirit" of Eisner's creation while bringing a new sensibility to the character." Guess we'll all have to wait and see... SRP$2.99
Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 2
   Reprints stories from Superman (1st Series) #130, 132, 141, 167, 233, 400; Superman (2nd Series) #2 and Adventures of Superman #500 and 638 by Siegel, Byrne and others with art by Swan, Miller and others. This one is really a mixed bag. The earlier stories stand by themselves and it is good to see Curt Swan's work once again. I question, however, the inclusion of Adventures of Superman #500, since it is a wrap-up to a continuity. The story from Superman #233 was the re-defining moment for the post-Weisinger era and managed to get rid of Kryptonite until the Byrne re-boot. The Miller piece from #400 is only 4 pages, so I'd take a look at this one before you buy, just to see how all the pieces fit together. In fact, good as many of these stories are, you might be better pressed to find a copy of Superman #400 and savor it. SRP $19.99.

FANTAGRAPHICS

Krazy & Ignatz 1939-1940: Brick Stuffed with Moombins
   Reprints all the Sunday strips from 1939-1940 in full color. Don't know how I missed the first two, but this is the third volume of reprints of Herman's surrealistic strip. If you've never read Krazy Kat before, it features minimalistic landscapes and an odd, out of kilter feel to both the design of the pages and the characters themselves. The main focus of the strip is the relationship between Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse. From there it gets very odd and even psychological. The publisher promises that an unpublished Herman painting from 1920 will be in this volume, along with other surprises. Might be worth a squint. SRP $19.95

GEMSTONE

Mickey Mouse Adventures Vol. 13
   Features a story by Romano Scarpa. SRP $7.95
Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #676
   Continues Gottfredson's newspaper continuity "Mickey Mouse in the Foreign Legion." SRP $6.95
EC Archives: Tales From The Crypt Vol. 1
   The next installment in the EC Archives series, this one reprints the complete first six issues of Tales From the Crypt featuring the art of Wood, Kamen, Craig, Feldstein, Kurtzman and Ingles. Each of the stories here are what you would expect if you've ever seen an episode of the HBO Tales From The Crypt. There is an introduction by one of three horror hosts, a story with a twist ending and then a final thought from the horror host. Today, this is no big deal, but back in 1950, nobody had ever thought of doing this before! Looking over what I have written in the last few months about this series, I may have come across a way too negative. These are excellent stories, with drop-dead gorgeous art, and I feel that the entire EC output is worth reading. What I object to is that these stories have all been reprinted to death and don't really need to be done one more time. You're on your own here. Better to look for the reprints, which will give you a bunch more reading at a lot slimmer price. SRP $49.95

MARVEL

Powers: The Definitive Collection Vol. 2
   Reprints Powers #12-24 in order along with lots of extras by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming. I was looking for something new to read last year when I stumbled upon Powers, purely on the strength of Bendis' writing on The Avengers. I enjoyed the series so much that I bought the first hardback collection and I'm now eagerly awaiting the second collection. The first collection has its high and low points (mostly high), but is an original blend of super heroes and detective stories that I have yet to find anywhere else. Pick up this volume and get the first one as well. This volume is also CHEAPER than buying the comics or the trade paperbacks. SRP $29.99
Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 6
   Reprints The Avengers (Vol. 1) #51-58, Annual #2 and X-Men (Vol. 1) #45 by Thomas, Buscema, Heck and Roth with an assortment of inkers. Way back when, The Avengers was probably one of Marvel's strongest books. At the very beginning it had Lee and Kirby, followed by Lee and Heck. Then, Roy Thomas came on board and did what I consider the best work of his career beginning in issue #35 up through #104. After that there were the Englehart issues, the Michelinie issues, the Shooter run...the list goes on and on and that's not taking the artist credits that go along with all the writers. All in all, however, I would venture to say that in terms of the entire run of the series, you could safely seek out #1-200, in any format, without much worry of getting a really clunky issue. These stories are great and include the introduction of The Vision, the introduction of the Black Panther to the team and a nifty time travel sequence that stretches from the present back to WWII and includes a battle of the (then) new and old Avengers. You would do well to grab this one before the price increase! SRP $49.99
Marvel Visionaries: John Buscema
   Reprints a whole bunch of stories by a bunch of writers, but all penciled by John Buscema. I think the John Buscema is one of the greatest artists to work for Marvel, but I also have an aversion to the Visionaries collections, as they reprint only segments of continued stories. This volume is no exception, since it takes major storylines and only reprints parts of them. As an example, Avengers Annual #2 is included here, yet the story also has a crossover with the regular Avengers series. Although the volume includes some rare early material, the vast majority of the stories here are only fragments of larger wholes. You're on your own with this one! SRP $34.99
Essential Defenders Vol. 2
   Reprints Defenders #15-39 and Giant-Size Defenders #1-5 by scads of writers and bunches of artists. Although The Defenders started out as a poor man's version of The Avengers, they soon developed their own quirky continuity. Another feature of the series is the clean storytelling of Sal Buscema, which is only enhanced by the embellishment of (surprisingly) Klaus Janson. These stories are no exception to the rule and, although not great, are quite enjoyable. The Giant-Size issues are not nearly as good and tend to have way too many hands involved in their production, although issue #5 has what is probably the best job of penciling that Don Heck ever did. It will also be interesting to see what they do with Giant-Size #1, since the lead story was only a framing sequence wrapped around reprints galore! Worth adding to your bookshelf and a bargain at the price. SRP $16.99

MOONSTONE

The Phantom Annual #1
   Five writers (Ron Marz, Chuck Dixon, Tony Bedard, Rafael Nieves and Mike Bullock) and five artists (Ruben Procopio, Graham Nolan, Joe Prado, Tony Akins and Juan Ferreyra) team up to present a Phantom story that spans 5 generations. Plus a pin-up gallery. Moonstone's Phantom has been a bit uneven, so you might want to take a squint at this one before you buy, since it could go either way. SRP $6.50

SANCTUM PRODUCTIONS

Doc Savage Double-Novel Vol. 2
   Reprints Resurrection Day (from 1936), in which Doc perfects a method for bringing the dead back to life, and Repel (1937), the story of a new element that falls into the hands of Cadwiller Olden, Doc's most formidable foe. Both novels are by Lester Dent and included is a foreword by Peter David, original pulp covers by Robert Harris and interior art by Paul Orban. If you don't have these in another form, you need to get them now, trust me!! SRP $12.95
The Shadow Double-Novel Vol. 3
   Walter Gibson pens this pair of novels: The Voodoo Master (1937), The Shadow tangles with Dr. Rodil Mocquino, and The Red Blot (1933), which introduces Commissioner Weston to the series. Also included are the original pulp covers by George Rozen, interior illustrations by Tom Lovell and commentary by series editor Anthony Tollin. Another great collection that should help collapse your bookshelf! SRP $12.95

TWOMORROWS

Alter Ego #63: Alex Toth Tribute
   Both Alter Ego and Fawcett Collectors of America pause and pay tribute to Alex Toth. Included is a all-new interview with Toth, published and unpublished art and tributes from near and far, all under a JSA cover by Toth. SRP $6.95 <TOP>