January 2006
Howdy! Bob Gay here. Many of you may remember me from the bygone days at Richard Kyle, Books, where I was the manager and general dispenser of opinionation. Today, I still collect comics (mostly old) and write about comics (both old and new) among other endeavors. The main focus of Bob's Thoughts will be on the numerous reprint projects coming out from the various companies and to, hopefully, guide you to the books that will give you the best bang for your buck. Along the way, however, there will also be some opinions on new comics (What, me opinionated?), the comic industry (see the previous parenthetical remark) and, as time allows, I'll also be relating some stories about the history of comics, including occasional digressions into what it was like to work in retail some 20 years ago.
JUST A THOUGHT
The oneupmanship between Marvel and DC continues this month. DC merely offers an Infinite Crisis to readers, while Marvel, not to be outdone, not only has Decimation running through its books, it also trumps all other titles with Ultimate Extinction. With all the myriad crises and tales of mass destruction, pretty soon all the comics will be filled with blank pages. Sheesh!!
MARVEL
Marvel Visionaries: Roy Thomas
Reprints all sorts of stories from the long Marvel career of Roy Thomas, who was the successor to Stan Lee, aided and abetted by artists too numerous to mention. I've said before that these Visionaries volumes just don't do the job and this one is no exception. We get a scattered look at Thomas' work, much of it coming from stories that just don't stand alone. To get a better view of the writing Thomas did at Marvel, you should pick up the Essentials volumes that reprint his long stint on Avengers, or any of the work he did on Invaders (some of which is reprinted in Giant-Size Invaders #2). SRP $34.99
Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales to Astonish Vol. 1
Reprints Tales to Astonish #1-10 from 1959-1960 with art and story by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Buscema, Al Williamson and bunches of others. Lots of early Marvel Silver Age here, but whether it is enough to have all these stories in one volume to make you run out and buy it is another question, since most of the material gathered here has been reprinted at least once, if not numerous times. I would also hope that Marvel sticks to the original coloring used, as these were all done back in the days that grey was considered a color. My suggestion would be that if you don't have a great deal of Marvel reprint material, this would be a good solid book for your perusal. If you do have lots of Marvel reprints, then I would think twice. SRP $49.99
Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 3
Reprints Tales to Astonish #80-101 and The Incredible Hulk #102 by Lee, Friedrich, Kirby, Everett, J. Buscema, Kane and M. Severin. Stories from back in the days when "Hulk Smash!" was considered strong dialogue for the character, some of which are better than others. The Hulk/Namor battle is really good as is the poignant meeting with the Silver Surfer. Good stories, but I never found The Hulk to be an A-List character in the same mold as some of the other Silver Age Marvel characters. SRP $49.99
Essential Godzilla Vol. 1
Reprints Godzilla #1-24 with story by Doug Moench and art by Trimpe, Mooney and Sutton. Whereas most Godzilla books are just about smashing things, this was one of the better attempts to make Godzilla a continuing character. S.H.I.E.L.D., sans Nick Fury, had a major part in this series that was quite entertaining (although, why they call this Vol. 1, when there were only 24 issues in the series, is still a mystery). Other guest stars appear, along with the other odd creatures that only Godzilla would encounter. This was also the book that Herb Trimpe was born to do and is second only to his work on The Incredible Hulk. SRP $19.99
Essential Avengers Vol. 5
Reprints Avengers #98-126, Daredevil #99, Defenders #8-11 and Giant-Size Avengers #1 by Thomas, Claremont, Engelehart, Gerber and more artists than you can shake a stick at. This volume probably has more good stuff than any previous volume, since it starts with 3 issues by Barry Winsdor-Smith, follows up with loose ends from Captain America (a gorgeous job by Tuska and Cockrum) and X-Men (Sentinels!) and then starts the reign of Steve Englehart as the major scribe for the Avengers (someone whose work I find second only to Thomas and tied with Micheline on the book). Also included is the full Avengers/Defenders war sequence, a nifty wrap-up to the All-Winners Squad (in GSA #1) and a rather trite tale by Harlan Ellison. If that ain't enough, just quit reading this and go out and look at a copy for yourself, since you really need to buy this one! SRP $16.99
Under the heading of Oddities, Marvel starts a new 6 issue mini-series this month called Sable & Fortune, which teams Silver Sable with the Howard Chaykin created Dominic Fortune: a character who hasn't been seen in many years. The premise of the series is "superspy heroics". Might be worth a squint, if they get the Dominic Fortune character, who was originally a non-super soldier of fortune, right.
DARK HORSE
Little Lulu: Late for School
Reprints another batch of the John Stanley/Irving Tripp stories from the 50s. Excellent material and not just for girls! SRP $9.95
Tarzan: The Joe Kubert Years
Reprints Tarzan #215-224 by Joe Kubert. Continues Kubert's stint on the DC incarnation of Tarzan. Although Kubert was inspired by Burroughs, he didn't accept all that Burroughs had written as canonical. As a result, astute readers will notice that Jane is absent from Kubert's version of Tarzan, as he just didn't like the character. He also went so far as to edit references to Jane out of any reprints that were later used in the Tarzan book. That quibble aside, Kubert did have an affinity for the character of Tarzan and it shows in these early stories. SRP $49.95
On a side note, Tim Truman will be taking over the writing chores on Conan, after Kurt Busiek departs.
DC
DC is running a number tie-ins to Infinite Crisis this month along with a couple of specials. Personally, I've been trying to avoid these like the plague, but it's up to you...
Superman Chronicles Vol. 1
Reprints the Superman stories from Action Comics #1-13 and New York World's Fair #1 and all of Superman #1 by Siegel and Shuster. Like the Batman Chronicles, this series of trade paperbacks will collect all the Superman stories from the beginning in chronological order according to publication date. Kind of an odd way to do things, but this seems like a great way to get a big dose of Golden Age material at a really bargain price. SRP $14.99
Golden Age Flash Archives Vol. 2
Reprints the Flash stories from Flash Comics #18-24 and All Flash Comics #1-2 by Gardner Fox, E.E. Hibbard and Hal Sharp. I've always found the Golden Age Flash stories to be enjoyable, mainly because the character seemed to be having so much fun speeding around. These stories are (assumedly) no exception to the rule and you probably want to head out and track this one down. SRP $49.99
Showcase Presents: Green Arrow Vol. 1
Reprints Adventure Comics #250-266, 268-269; The Brave and the Bold #50, 71, 85; Justice League of America #4 and World's Finest #95-104 by a bunch of writers and a whole slew of artists. A huge sampling of the Emerald Archer and his best pal Speedy as they fight crime with an endless arsenal of specialty arrows for each and every occasion (I think the Boxing Glove Arrow was my favorite). Anyway, these are fun stories that you may, or may not, enjoy, depending on your taste in super heroes. Lots of good art, particularly the Kirby work and the work by George Papp. There's also some Neal Adams thrown in for good measure. Worth a squint. SRP $16.99
DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore
This is a re-issue of the earlier Across the Universe volume with the inclusion of Batman: The Killing Joke and the two-part Superman story that Moore did to close out the adventures of the pre-Byrne Superman. As with the earlier volume, this is a tremendous collection that showcases Moore's ability to see characters and situations outside the box and shows why Moore was once the greatest writer to appear in comics. With this new volume, all of his non-series work is now contained in one handy volume and, if you don't have the earlier edition, you should add this collection to your overburdened bookshelf. SRP $19.99
Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy #1 (of 6)
Written and illustrated by Joe Kubert with covers by Joe, Adam and Andy Kubert. A reunion of sorts, as Kubert returns to illustrate (and write) the adventures of Sgt. Rock and the Easy Co. The art samples show that Kubert's line work is a bit sketchier than it used to be, but this should still be worth a squint. SRP $2.99
Of some interest is the Batman and the Monster Men (#3 is offered this month) series, not only because it deals with the early days of Batman and includes Hugo Strange, but mainly because it is written and drawn by Matt Wagner, someone whose work I have long admired. The first issue looks really good and I'll let you know more, once I've read it. SRP $2.99
AC
Best of the West #55
The Durango Kid, Rocky Lane, Tom Mix and The Haunted Horseman all make an appearance with art by Frank Bolle, Dick Ayers, Fred Guardineer, Carl Pfeuffer, John Jordan and Tom Smith. SRP $6.95
Men of Mystery Vol. 1: Heroes for the Ages
A 144 page trade paperback featuring the likes of The Black Terror, Phantom Lady, Mr. Scarlet and many other Golden Age heroes. There is also an interview with Jim Mooney and and article on the Hangman. Most likely, if you have been collecting AC reprints for some time, you probably have all these stories. If not, this would be a good place to start collecting, although, with an SRP of $24.95, this seems just a bit steep. On the flip side, AC does an excellent job with their reprints, so, once again, it's up to you...
GEMSTONE
Uncle Scrooge #350
Features a Don Rosa written and drawn story, "Last Sled to Dawson", which is a sidereal tale to the Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck collection that was recently released. Excellent story, even if you haven't read the other parts of the McDuck saga. The issue also features stories by other folks. SRP $6.95
IBOOKS
A new publisher has popped up on the horizon. Their first collection will be Ultimate Hot Stuff, which will reprint numerous stories of the character that appeared for many years in the Harvey line of children's comics. The trade paperback is listed as having 176 pages with an SRP of $12.95.
MOONSTONE
The Phantom: The Graham Nolan Sundays Limited Edition
Per the publisher, this volume contains the contents of the two Graham Nolan Sundays trade paperbacks (which contained I'm not sure what) and is limited to 1,000 copies with a signed Phantom sketch tip-sheet, hand signed by Nolan. Although Nolan does a nice job on the Phantom (especially considering the constraints of the modern newspaper strip), this volume is a bit pricey with an SRP $69.99. Might be better to hunt up the trade paperbacks.
The Phantom Volume 1: The Ghost Who Walks
This is a new printing, with no changes from the previous edition, of the first 3 Phantom graphic novels that were produced by Moonstone, collected into one volume. The quality of these stories vary and are an attempt, in some ways, to update the Phantom: something that does not really need to happen. However, there is some good reading among the bad, so you might want to thumb through a copy and see what you think. SRP$17.95
PURE IMAGINATION
Steve Ditko's The Thing! Vol. 1
Reprints The Thing! #12-15 from the early 50s and features some of Ditko's earliest comic work. The collection will also include some of Ditko's best Charlton horror work. The Thing! was apparently quite notorious for the level of violence it brought to its horror stories and some of the issues were even sited by Wertham in Seduction of the Innocent. As always, Pure Imagination's reproduction will be sharp and clear and the rarity of the stories in this volume make it worth looking for. Now, if only PI could come up with The Complete Jack Kirby Vol. 5! SRP$25.00
SUNDAY PRESS BOOKS
Little Nemo in Slumberland 1905-1910
A 120 page hard back volume that will reprint the best of McCay's strip in the original newspaper size of 16" x 21". Just so everyone is up to speed: Little Nemo was a series of Sunday adventures written and drawn by Winsor McCay. Each Sunday story told of a dream that Nemo had and each episode ended with Nemo waking up. What made the strip work was McCay's sense of design and style. Winsor McCay was a true genius of design and the Nemo stories reflected this, often using the entire Sunday page as a design while the story was played out within the design. Sure, this type of thing has been done, but McCay did it first...and better than anyone else.
The book is a bit pricey, what with an SRP of $120, but to savor these stories at a large size just might be worth it.
TWOMORROWS
The Dark Age: Grim, Great & Gimmicky - Post-Modern Comics
Taking this month's award for longest book title, the latest release from Twomorrows looks back at the comics produced between the 80s and 00s: an era that some are coming to call "The Dark Age." If you remember multiple covers, polybag collector's editions, or the groundswell of dark heroes who appeared as a result of The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, then this one is for you. SRP $19.95
Back Issue #14
A dual interview with Dave Cockrum and Mike Grell on their experiences working on Legion of Super-Heroes kicks off this issue, followed by a look at comic series set in the future, an Insight Studios tour and a gallery hosted by Bob McLeod called "Rough Stuff". SRP 6.95