Cyberspace Comics market report, reviews and more

July 20, 2010

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #16 Onslaught

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 4:07 pm

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

In 1996, the X-Men line of comics brewed up a cool story with a mystery villain named Onslaught. This storyline quickly grew into a mega-event spanning across almost all of the Marvel titles at the time. It wrapped up ages-old plotlines (Who was the infamous X-Traitor?) and set up a whole new alterniverse (the Heroes Reborn line of books). The books featured below are the bookends to the Onslaught saga. I think it was a neat choice to use a cover swipe here to show the changes in the character’s look and also to show that, initially it was just the X-Men … but, in the end, it took the all of Marvel’s heroes to defeat him.


Onslaught: X-Men
August 1996
Adam Kubert

Onslaught: Marvel Universe
October 1996
Adam Kubert

On Ebay: Onslaught | Adam Kubert

July 19, 2010

One-Shot At Greatness #16 Bullets and Bracelets

Filed under: One-Shot At Greatness — Doorman @ 7:29 am

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Bullets and BraceletsPublisher: Amalgam Comics
Cover Date: April 1996
Cover Price: $1.95
Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Gary Frank

When the DC and Marvel Universes merged in Marvel vs DC, a new one was created: the Amalgam Universe. This one-shot teams Wonder Woman with the Punisher in a battle for the life of their son.

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

How do you bring the separated couple of Diana Prince and Trevor Castle back together again? Kidnap their infant son, Ryan. And, that’s exactly what Thanoseid does in an effort to blackmail them into telling him where the all-powerful Infinity Links can be found. But, before they can face off against Thanoseid, they must fight their way through his minions in Armaghetto, including Big Titania, Granny Harkness, Monarch, and the Female Furies. Once they get to him, Thanoseid ends up destroying the young boy … but, will this bring the couple together once again or drive them apart forever?

While Gary Frank‘s art here is sleek and great to look at, I was initially unsure of who the main two characters were amalgamations of. Because of that, the Punisher seemed like an odd match-up against a combination of Thanos and Darkseid. Once it was revealed who Frank Castle was combined with, Thanoseid’s motivation and true evil plan made a lot more sense (although it still doesn’t explain his first name, Trevor – unless it’s a reference to Wonder Woman’s beau). But, even with the revelation, the story still didn’t really draw me in and the ending didn’t do much to make me wish for more.

On Ebay: Amalgam | John Ostrander | Gary Frank | Punisher | Wonder Woman
On AtomicAvenue: Amalgam Comics

July 17, 2010

Minimate Spotlight #11 Batman

Filed under: Minimate Spotlight — Donny B @ 2:29 am

Action figures have long been a perfect compliment to comic books, since every kid (or kid at heart) has that natural desire to act out adventures with their favorite heroes off the drawn page. Every so often, a unique style of figure comes along that breaks the mold, so to speak. Each Saturday, Donny B will be showcasing various offerings from Art Asylum’s take on the ‘block figure’, with a weekly spotlight on Minimates.

With all of Art Asylum’s comic book releases, they have followed one very cool rule of thumb: Every character design is based off of a comic book event, era, or even a specific artist. While a lot of toy companies try to exploit the market by producing weird (and often lame) variations of a character that he/she would never be caught dead doing otherwise (variations like “Fractal Armor Batman” or “Anti-Vampire Spiderman“), you won’t see Minimates doing that… Well, except for a couple of Batman releases in DC’s first C3 wave. Heavy Assault Batman is one such example:

Behind the Image:

Batman is a creature of the night. He looms in shadows, and avoids brightly lit areas if at all possible. And since he loves blending into the dark, he would never wear a fruity costume with purple and pink highlights.
Since this costume is a pretty intense antithesis of Batman’s true character, I figured I would follow that deviation and light this Minimate with a very bright neon color. So I grabbed an orange light for the background (which was nothing more than a wall radiator) and a normal light to shine on Batman, so that his colors weren’t washed out by the orange hues.

On Ebay: Batman

July 16, 2010

Retro-Read #15 Of Bitter Souls vol. II

Filed under: Retro-Read — Doorman @ 9:25 am

With years spent reading single issues here and there, juggling storylines of dozens of titles, I decided it was time to find a better way to read comics. So, it was off to the back issue bins armed with the longest want list you’ve ever seen! Putting together series after series and reading them in their complete goodness, I was reborn as the Retro-Reader!

Publisher: Markosia
Number of Issues: 3
First Issue: July 2006 ($3.50)
Last Issue: September 2006 ($3.50)
Writer: Chuck Satterlee
Artist: Norm Breyfogle

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

In the previous mini-series (published by Speakeasy), four of New Orleans’ less-than-respectable residents gained super-powers related to their “area of corruption” and were gathered into a team by Pastor Secord to protect their hometown from supernatural threats. But, they disbanded when they learned that they were chosen to lead an army against the forces of evil at the end of days. Now, one year later, Secord and the only remaining member, Magdalena, have to reunite the team to go on a time-traveling adventure in order to stop a zombie invasion from destroying New Orleans.

The Bad: A noticeable number of spelling errors managed to pull me right out of the story. Breyfogle’s art seems a bit rushed here … not up to par with what I was used to from his work on Prime. On a disappointing note, this series was canceled before #4 could be published. Now, I may never know who the mystery guest was supposed to be!

the Good: This series has a cool premise that promises a very interesting “final battle” (unfortunately, we may never see it … especially since both series were canceled at issue #3). The improvement over the first series is noticeable and even though it’s recommended for mature readers, it has respectful elements of Christianity woven throughout.

The Verdict: This is a book that, given a bit more exposure, could easily catch on and be a big, indy hit. The premise is neat and has a lot of room to grow. All of the characters surely have interesting stories to be told and there are no end to supernatural threats to be battled … especially in New Orleans!

On Ebay: Of Bitter Souls | Norm Breyfogle | New Orelans

July 15, 2010

Famous Fanmail #15 Gary Groth

Filed under: Famous Fanmail — Doorman @ 8:12 am

You may not be surprised to learn that most people in the comic business grew up reading comic books. However, you might be interested in knowing what they were reading. Here’s a look at “Famous Fanmail”!

Gary Groth founded Fantagraphics in 1976, a comics publisher well-known for their alternative publications and their comic news magazine, the Comics Journal (featuring significant contributions by Groth, himself). Years before his successful run as a comics publisher, he got a letter printed in Thor #162 (cover date – March 1969).

Thor letters page with Gary Groth

On Ebay: Thor | Comics Journal | Fantagraphics

July 14, 2010

Before They Were Stars #6 Mike Wieringo

Filed under: Before They Were (Comic Book) Stars — Doorman @ 1:39 pm

Not every comic writer or artist starts at the top, working on books like Batman or X-Men. In fact, most don’t even start at Marvel or DC. Here’s a look at some work by comic book creators … before they were stars.

Doc Savage: Doom Dynasty #1 Mike Wieringo artMike Wieringo‘s unique style is well-known in the comics industry. Before passing away in 2007, he worked on plenty of high-profile comic titles including the Sensational Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, the Flash, and Robin. He also launched a great, creator-owned titled called Tellos, alongside Todd Dezago.

Prior to his big break into DC Comics with his run on the Flash, he pencilled Millennium’s Doc Savage: Doom Dynasty, a two issue mini-series from 1991.

On Ebay: Mike Wieringo | Doc Savage

July 13, 2010

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #15 Spider-Man

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 11:12 am

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

Todd McFarlane‘s adjectiveless Spider-Man title was an enormously successful title. Todd left the title with a “bang!” by teaming Spidey up with another then-hot Marvel property, X-Force, against the unstoppable Juggernaut. Greg Hyland’s Lethargic Comics swiped a different well-known comics cover every month, and with issue #9, he spoofed McFarlane’s final Spider-Man issue.


Spider-Man #16 | November 1991 | Todd McFarlane

Lethargic Comics, Weakly #9 | April 1992 | Greg Hyland

On Ebay: Spider-Man | Lethargic | Todd McFarlane | Greg Hyland

July 12, 2010

One-Shot At Greatness #15 Predator: Strange Roux

Filed under: One-Shot At Greatness — Doorman @ 7:54 am

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Predator: Strange RouxPublisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Date: November 1996
Cover Price: $2.95
Writer: Brian McDonald
Artist: Mitch Byrd
Cover Artist: Paul Lee

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

Back in 1931, three Cajun trappers discover someone’s been taking their catches and leaving the skin behind. They also come across some large, strange-looking footprints and a skinned human body. Two of the Cajuns think it was a gator that did all this but Mr. LeBlanc knows better. LeBlanc knows it was the Gollywomp! He tells the urban myth of the half-man, half-frog creature who still wanders the swamps but his friends don’t believe him.

So, they set out to follow the tracks of the gator (or Gollywomp) and kill him to keep their future catches from being stolen. But, the tracks lead them to a frightening sight … the Gollywomp (actually, it’s a Predator). The three Louisianan men try to take down the Predator with their guns but the alien creature’s got abilities and weapons of his own. In the end, it comes down to LeBlanc and the Predator. To the loser … death. And, to the winner … dinner!

This was a quick read combining some action with an ultimately unimportant urban myth. The story itself had an ending that was reminiscent of some old EC Comic and the art was pretty solid, although easily upstaged by Paul Lee’s cover. As a one-shot, it was hard to establish much concern for the three Cajuns … which becomes a bit problematic when analyzing a Predator comic. Y’see, basically the main character is always the bad guy. So, the adversaries it comes up against are the people you’re supposed to root for. Unfortunately, with the one-shot format, the story doesn’t usually contain enough characterization to make you care about the people. And, that’s what happens here. There’s not much on these three Cajuns to make you hope they’ll beat the Predator. On the other hand, the Predator is just one of thousands (maybe millions) of an alien race. And, one that we’ve never seen before … so, it’s hard to care about the Predator’s fate, either. But, even with all that in mind, I really enjoyed this quick one-shot read and I liked that it included a scene that illustrated the Predator race’s warrior respect in battle.

On Ebay: Predator | Mitch Byrd

July 10, 2010

Minimate Spotlight #10 Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E.

Filed under: Minimate Spotlight — Donny B @ 12:01 am

Action figures have long been a perfect compliment to comic books, since every kid (or kid at heart) has that natural desire to act out adventures with their favorite heroes off the drawn page. Every so often, a unique style of figure comes along that breaks the mold, so to speak. Each Saturday, Donny B will be showcasing various offerings from Art Asylum’s take on the ‘block figure’, with a weekly spotlight on Minimates.

Geoff Johns has spent the last few years climbing the ranks of DC Comics, and he’s gotten pretty high up. Along the way, he has influenced many different storylines and characters – most notably resurrecting Hal Jordan as Green Lantern, Barry Allen and the Flash, re-establishing the DC Multiverse, and bringing us the monumental ‘Blackest Night’ event. That’s just naming a few of the bigger things he’s had his hand in over the past few years. Well, before he made the big splashes that I listed above, he gave birth to DC Comics’ Stargirl and her robotic-suited “sidekick”, S.T.R.I.P.E. You may recognize Stargirl from her appearance on Smallville, or maybe one of the growing number of comic book storylines she’s been involved in since her creation. Or maybe you’ve seen her in Minimate form 😉

When DC Comics launched their second Minimate line, they decided to move on from the C3 concept, and embraced the idea of integrating the 2.5 inch Minimate design where it was appropriate.
Up until that time, all comic-based Minimates were one standard size: 2 inches. DC felt that certain characters needed to stand above others, and that led to the release of larger characters such as Bane, Brainiac 13, and Clayface, whose heightened stature contrasted the size of normal characters who were still 2 inches.

One of the characters who got the taller body treatment was Stargirl’s protector, S.T.R.I.P.E.

Behind the Image:

This was a really simple photo to take – I simply found an image of an American flag from Google, and then positioned the two Minimates in front of the computer screen.

On Ebay: Geoff Johns

July 9, 2010

Retro-Read #14 Tarzan vs Predator

Filed under: Retro-Read — Doorman @ 10:13 am

With years spent reading single issues here and there, juggling storylines of dozens of titles, I decided it was time to find a better way to read comics. So, it was off to the back issue bins armed with the longest want list you’ve ever seen! Putting together series after series and reading them in their complete goodness, I was reborn as the Retro-Reader!

Tarzan vs Predator #4Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Number of Issues: 4
First Issue: January 1996 ($2.50)
Last Issue: June 1996 ($2.50)
Writer: Walter Simonson
Artist: Lee Weeks

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

Tarzan, Jane and some of their native friends return to Pellucidar (picture the X-Men’s Savage Land … but, inside the Earth) to investigate the disappearance of their friend (and recent emperor of Pellucidar), David Innes. Inside this hidden land, Tarzan discovers that a band of Predators are using it as hunting grounds … and he’s the latest prey. Meanwhile, the Mahar (a sentient, pterodactyl-looking creature) is using his hypnotic powers to take control of Pellucidar now since it’s ruler has gone missing. Now, Tarzan has to escape from the Predators, dethrone the Mahar, and rally the troops to send the Predators packing. No problem … right?

The Bad: This was the first Tarzan story I’ve ever read and I felt quite a bit lost with all the characters being tossed around. I was also hoping for a bit more story-wise from the Predators but they almost seem to be thrown in as an afterthought.

The Good: Lots of action to be had here … and plenty of strange elements all thrown together: Tarzan. Predator. a lost world of dinosaurs and natives. pterodactyl-humanoids. And, Lee Weeks‘ style is able to handle all of it!

The Verdict: With the release of Predators today, I thought it’d be interesting to review a Predator comic. Unfortunately, even though they’re prominently feature in the series title, they’re less included in the actual storyline. If I were to break it down, I’d say this is 75% a Tarzan story and only 25% Predator, at the most. Getting beyond that disappointment, Walter Simonson sets up plenty of problems to throw at our hero. So, there’s a lot of story stuffed into these four issues. Almost too much, though … I was a bit lost with all the names and characters tossed into the mix. So, Tarzan newcomers beware!

On Ebay: Tarzan | Predator | Walter Simonson | Lee Weeks

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