Cyberspace Comics market report, reviews and more

February 16, 2011

Celebrity Cameos #10 President Bush

Filed under: Celebrity Cameos — Doorman @ 1:30 pm

Some of the best parts of movies like Old School and Zombieland are their unexpected celebrity cameos. The same thing happens in comics, every once in a while. Here’s a look at another Celebrity Cameo!

J. Michael Straczynski’s Supreme Power re-imagined the Squadron Supreme as a great, slow-building read. Years after the alien baby crash-landed to Earth, he was raised by the government and later introduced to President Bush (in issue #3), when he had grown into his 20s.

On Ebay: Supreme Power
On AtomicAvenue: Supreme Power

February 15, 2011

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #46 GI Joe

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 8:59 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.

Boris the Bear is another series (like Lethargic Lad) that parodies a lot of things from comics and pop culture.

G.I. Joe - A Real American Hero #53
G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero #53
November 1986
Mike Zeck
Boris the Bear #9
Boris the Bear #9
April 1987
Steve Mattsson

On Ebay: G.I. Joe | Boris the Bear
On AtomicAvenue: G.I. Joe | Boris the Bear

February 14, 2011

One-Shot At Greatness #46 Daredevil Cage Match

Filed under: One-Shot At Greatness — Doorman @ 5:15 pm

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!

Daredevil: Cage Match #1Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: July 2010
Cover Price: $2.99
Writer: Anthony Johnston
Artist: Sean Chen

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

A team-up between Power Man (aka Luke Cage) and Daredevil against some local street thugs takes a turn for the worse when the last criminal standing pulls a gun on “the Man Without Fear”. Cage jumps to the rescue by crushing the barrel of the gun with his bare hand – rendering it useless. Later, when the two heroes are discussing how the tussle escalated, Luke Cage seems to imply that Daredevil should be more cautious since he isn’t invulnerable. The notion of Cage giving him a warning irritates DD, so he challenges Power Man to a duel – the loser donates $1,000 to the winner’s charity of choice.

But, as is often the case with these hero vs hero battles, something happens that alters the “fairness” of the fight. Realistically, Marvel can’t publish a story where one hero actually beats another in a fair fight without getting the loser’s fans upset – so, the writer is often challenged to come up with a way around the notion of a “fair fight”. Not, that I was expecting anything different – but it would have been nice if the story managed to break that mold. Besides the expected non-decisive ending, the characterization was spot on and the art was good, too. If you’re looking for some nostalgic-inducing, just-plain-fun comics then this is for you!

On Ebay: Daredevil | Luke Cage
On AtomicAvenue: Daredevil | Cage

February 12, 2011

Minimate Spotlight #39 Joker and Harley Quinn

Filed under: Minimate Spotlight — Donny B @ 3:49 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.

A great hero is usually defined by his villains, and Batman’s rogue gallery is one of the richest collections of baddies in comic history. Sitting at the top of that A-list pile of nemeses is none other than The Joker, and not too far behind this lunatic whacko of a clown is his (equally insane) muse, Harley Quinn:

Behind the Image:

I love playing with lighting. Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I decided to give the image (of a very disfunctional couple) pink/red lighting. My photos are never as satisfying as I’d like them to be, but I’m not too displeased with the way this one turned out. 

On Ebay: Batman, Joker, Harley Quinn
On AtomicAvenue: Batman, Joker, Harley Quinn

February 11, 2011

Retro-Read #45 Red Wolf

Filed under: Retro-Read — Doorman @ 3:14 pm

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: Marvel Comics
Number of Issues: 9
First Issue: May 1972 (20¢)
Last Issue: September 1973 (20¢)
Writer: Gary Friedrich (#1 & 9), Gardner Fox (#2-8),
Artist: Syd Shores (#1-8), Dick Ayers

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

The masked avenger of the western plains is certainly a complex hero. His Native American parents were killed by white men when he was young. Later, Native Americans killed his adoptive parents! Now a grown man living in the 1800s, Johnny Wakely walks a fine line between “red man” and “white man”. Possessed of the blessing of Wakan Tanka, the Cheyenne Nation’s Great Spirit, armed with the coup stick, garbed in a wolf headdress and assisted by Lobo (his wolf sidekick), he is called upon to be his generation’s living embodiment of Owayodata – the Red Wolf!

Wakely lives on Fort Rango, a U.S. Army base run by Colonel Sabre. And, while the Colonel is friendly towards men of all color, many of the others who live on the base aren’t as accepting of Native Americans. As you can imagine, tensions continue to flare between the white men on the Army base and the surrounding villages of Native Americans. These situations are continually calmed by Red Wolf – he’s dedicated his life towards improving relations between both races. In addition to squelching racial conflicts, Red Wolf occasionally gets pitted against other unique individuals like Ursa (a Native American raised by bears) and the Devil Rider (a glowing, masked bandit).

As of the seventh issue, the series switched focus to the Red Wolf of the 1970s, a descendant of Wakely. With similar weapons and abilities, this Red Wolf is a costumed crime-fighter and adventurer based out of Phoenix, Arizona. He’s also got a wolf sidekick named Lobo and while the first Red Wolf worked hard to remain unattached – this Red Wolf has a policewoman girl friend named Jill Tomahawk of the Mohawks.

The Bad: The last three issues are exceptionally bad comics.

the Good: The first six issues put a unique spin on the concept of Western comics – the Native American as the hero!

The Verdict: It’s strange for a book to shift focus as severely as this did. In one issue, we got a new protagonist and the timeframe it was set within jumped a whole century forward!

I suppose the original concept, while unique, was doomed to fail. Y’see, the Red Wolf of the 1800s put himself in the position of improving relations between Native Americans and the white men. But, we all know how that really turned out – that’s a problem with historical fiction. And, despite the neat spin on the Western concept, the stories weren’t all that great. Adding to the drama, a love triangle between Red Wolf, Molly Brennan (the white girl whose parents were killed by Native Americans) and Fawn (of the Cheyenne camp) was developing – but Red Wolf felt that he was fated to remain single so he could dedicate his life entirely to his cause. I think I would have enjoyed it more if they focused on developing some of the characters inside the Fort and created racial tensions from them. This would have put an ongoing face to the problem instead of the “new-threat-of-the-latest-issue” that the one-and-done story format utilized. However, as mediocre as the first six issues were – the last three were terrible.

As I mentioned earlier, the final three issues changed centuries and protagonists. This Red Wolf didn’t have much of a direction to set him apart from other, more popular and established super-heroes. The writer did very little to establish what being a minority super hero could mean in the 1970s and beyond that, the stories (and the dialogue!) were just poorly executed. At one point, he and Lobo are sneaking into a house and he’s shouting … shouting! … about how they’re supposed to be quiet so they don’t alarm anyone. Even worse: the new direction was heralded as “Now! Set in the Holocaust of Today!” Really? Daily life in the 1970s was being described as a holocaust [def: great destruction or loss of life]? How extremely overdramatic!

But, wait! There’s more! For continuity-freaks like myself, this’ll really get you going. There’s already a modern-age Red Wolf. His name was William Talltrees and he debuted in Avengers #81 (1970). However, Red Wolf #9 reveals that this hero’s name is Thomas Thunderhead and it asserts that he’s from the Sioux. But … wait a minute. It also says he’s a descendant of the original Red Wolf, a Cheyenne. Something’s not adding up here. Now, it should be noted that #9 was written by Gary Friedrich (who wasn’t the regular writer) and, it appears that he didn’t really do his homework (although, it’s not like there was all that much research to be done – he’d only made a handful of appearances prior to this issue). So, I think it’s just best to pretend that these last three issues and the Thunderhead version of Red Wolf never existed.

On Ebay: Red Wolf | Gardner Fox
On AtomicAvenue: Red Wolf

February 10, 2011

Famous Fanmail #45 Alpha Phi Sorority

Filed under: Famous Fanmail — Doorman @ 9:59 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”!

Apparently, the 1990s shirtless Thor costume reboot got the girls at Seattle’s Alpha Phi sorority all hot and bothered. They got a letter published in Thor #501 (cover date: August 1996).

Thor letters page with Alpha Phi Sorority

On Ebay: Thor

February 9, 2011

Celebrity Cameos #9 President Carter

Filed under: Celebrity Cameos — Doorman @ 6:35 am

Some of the best parts of movies like Old School and Zombieland are their unexpected celebrity cameos. The same thing happens in comics, every once in a while. Here’s a look at another Celebrity Cameo!

J. Michael Straczynski’s Supreme Power re-imagined the Squadron Supreme as a great, slow-building read. When an alien baby crash landed on Earth, President Carter authorized the government to take custody of the child.

On Ebay: Supreme Power
On AtomicAvenue: Supreme Power

February 8, 2011

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #45 Wolverine

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 6:45 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.

Erik Larsen swiped himself within a few short months! It’s funny to see how much the female characters mirror each other.

Wolverine vol. II #33 variant
Wolverine vol. II #33
January 1999
Erik Larsen
Savage Dragon vol. II #61
Savage Dragon vol. II #61
May 1999
Erik Larsen

On Ebay: Wolverine | Savage Dragon | Erik Larsen
On AtomicAvenue: Wolverine | Savage Dragon

February 7, 2011

One-Shot At Greatness #45 Marvels Comics: Thor

Filed under: One-Shot At Greatness — Doorman @ 9:01 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!

Marvels Comics: Thor #1Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: July 2000
Cover Price: $2.25
Writer: Ty Templeton
Artist: Derec Aucoin

In 2000, Marvel published a series of one-shots that revealed what Marvel Comics would be like in the Marvel Universe.

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

Just like the Thor we’ve come to know, this Thor fights criminals with a lightning-summoning hammer and a speaks in a manner different than our every-day lanuage. But, when he gets back to his home base, we discover that his speech is actually quite normal – he puts on a show in public. And, the lightning coming from his hammer is actually an electronic charge.

His real name is Donald Jolson, and he’s actually the second person to become the crimefighter named Thor. Owen, the first Thor, bequeathed the name, costume and weaponry to his youngest son after a battle with the Destroyer (controlled by Owen’s brother, Vi) permanently damaged his leg. Now, the Destroyer is being controlled by Don’s older brother, Leonard. And, you can bet that Len’s not too happy that he was passed up for the Thor position. Can this new Thor defeat the one foe his father could not?

There’s a lot packed in here. First, they’ve got to cover the origin of the first Thor and how his powers work. Then, they’ve got to establish how the position of Thor was handed down to Don, upsetting his older brother, Len. All this set up goes towards the payoff – a showdown between the brothers!

Ultimately, it is fun to see how closely this mirrors the Thor mythos we’ve come to know, incorporating the relationships with his father Odin and his jaded brother, Loki. And, while this does give a “real-world” feel to how creators in the Marvel Universe might portray Thor, it does take away the root of what makes Thor stories enjoyable – the grand mythology behind it all. This version offers no feeling of storied mythology and turns the story of Thor into just another average super-hero tale.

On Ebay: Marvels Comics | Thor | Ty Templeton | Derec Aucoin
On AtomicAvenue: Marvels Comics

February 5, 2011

Minimate Spotlight #38 Ghostbusters

Filed under: Minimate Spotlight — Donny B @ 8:10 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.

Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night?
Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic? 
Have you or your family ever seen a spook, specter or ghost?

Today, we’re finishing off our spotlight on the Ghostbusters movie & video game Minimates, which we began back at Halloween. What better way to go out than with the Minimate set based on the “we’re ready to believe you!” commercial?

I also threw in the last of the ‘mated ghosts that I have yet to feature in any of these articles. (From left): the Theatre Ghost, the Washington Square Ghost, and the Subway Ghost:

Behind the Image:

For the first step of this image, I made a composite of the ghosts in photoshop and used it as a backdrop. The second step was displaying it on my computer behind the Ghostbusters. The hardest aspect was getting the ‘mates lit without it reflecting on the screen or casting too many harsh shadows. 

On Ebay: Ghostbusters
On AtomicAvenue: Ghostbusters

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