Doorman « Cyberspace Comics

July 26, 2011

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #69 Avengers

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 9:31 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.

The Secret Invasion tie-ins were filled with classic cover swipes. This is probably the most recent swipe of the tie-ins. The original cover debuted a year prior.

New Avengers: Illuminati vol. II #1 February 2007 Jim Cheung	New Avengers: Illuminati vol. II #41 September 2007 Jim Cheung
New Avengers #44 October 2008 Aleksi Briclot

On Ebay: Avengers | Secret Invasion
On AtomicAvenue: Avengers | Secret Invasion

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July 25, 2011

One-Shot At Greatness #69 Ghost Riders

Filed under: One-Shot At Greatness — Doorman @ 9:26 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!

Mavel Mangaverse: Ghost Riders #1 Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: March 2002
Cover Price: $2.25
Writer: Chuck Austen
Artist: Chuck Austen

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

After the events of Marvel Mangaverse: New Dawn, the Godzilla-sized Hulk is on the loose in New York City. Adding to the monster’s destruction, Satanna and her minions are running loose. Curiously enough, while chaos is consuming the city, Damon Hellstrom calls a meeting with John Blaze, to reveal that they are brothers. He also empowers Blaze to become the Ghost Rider and they set out to fight Satanna and her demons. The super-sized evil mistress may be too big for them to take down … but, the Hulk’s enormous stature may just do the trick!

Normally, I like fun and humor in my comics but, this seems to have just way too much of it. It relies on humor much more than action. And, with a book centered on these specific characters, the exceeding amount of humor just doesn’t seem to fit. Add to that the strange artwork, which mixes very cartoony character designs with burgeoning CGI technology (this was 2002, after all), and I just can’t give this book a high recommendation.

* It should be noted that dissatisfaction with this book starts at the very cover. Even though Werewolf By Night is prominently featured on the cover, he doesn’t appear in this story at all.

On Ebay: Mangaverse | Chuck Austen
On AtomicAvenue: Mangaverse

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July 22, 2011

Guide to Marvel Comics Presents #18

Filed under: Guide to Marvel Comics Presents — Doorman @ 12:40 pm

Marvel Comics Presents launched in 1988 as an ad-free anthology showcasing four eight-page features, stuffed inside a wrap-around cover. This guide will tell you everything you wanted to know about the series – and more!

Cover Date: Early May 1989 | Cover Price: $1.25 | Cover Artist: John Byrne

Cyclops in “the Retribution Affair” part 2
written by Bob Harras
art by Ron Lim

The next day, Cyclops and Banshee both have the same feeling that something is wrong on Muir Island. The Irish super-hero shares his concerns about Moira’s odd behavior. Moira MacTaggert interrupts their meeting with news that Mary Campbell has fallen ill. The young girl belongs to a family that rents their home from Moira. When the three of them go to investigate, Mary’s brother Bobbie claims that the “Little People … the people in the lights” caused his sister to come down with this deadly infection. Later that night, the “light” attacks Cyclops while Moira, in a daze again, meets with Master Mold! The alpha sentinel explains that both Mary & Bobbie were exposed to the virus but, because Bobbie is human, it didn’t affect him.

Black Panther in “Panther’s Quest” part 6
written by Don McGregor
art by Gene Colan

South African Magistrate, Anton Pretorius, meets with Corporal Percy Boraine to discuss the Black Panther‘s presence in their country. He puts the country on alert that an intruder has infiltrated their nation and reinforcement troops are dispatched to the Panther’s last-known location. Meanwhile, in that same area, the Black Panther and Zanti Chikane have reached their goal: the Panther’s sonar glider.

She-Hulk in “X-Mas Tease…“
written by John Byrne
art by John Byrne

This tale begins as She-Hulk is struggling against that worst of foes: boredom! So, she phones Ben Grimm – otherwise known as the Thing from the Fantastic Four – and she explains how fun it’d be to take on Doctor Doom, Magneto and then Galactus. All in the same day! After her phone call, she reaches under her tree to open a present from Marvel Comics. It’s a box full of Sensational She-Hulk #1’s. We’ve been had – this was all just to promote her then-upcoming series (it debuted this same month).

Willie Lumpkin in “A Christmas Card”
written by Glenn Herdling
art by Richard Howell

The events of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol are about to befall J. Jonah Jameson but the Ghost Of Christmas Past accidentally loses the ol’ codger’s address! So, he mistakenly descends upon the Fantastic Four’s mailman, Willie Lumpkin. As the Spirit takes Willie through moments in his life, it becomes evident that he’s one of the nicest guys out there. The Spirit has made a huge mistake … but will he realize it before he shows Willie how he dies?

In this issue, the continuing sagas build some more steam but the one and done tales fall flat.

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July 21, 2011

Famous Fanmail #68 Kevin Dooley

Filed under: Famous Fanmail — Doorman @ 7:52 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”!

Kevin Dooley is a former editor for DC Comics who also wrote a few issues of Mister Miracle, Green Arrow and other titles. He got a letter published in Green Lantern#188 (cover date – May 1985).

Green Lantern letters page with Kevin Dooley

On Ebay: Green Lantern | Kevin Dooley
On AtomicAvenue: Green Lantern

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July 20, 2011

Celebrity Cameos #21 Sean Young

Filed under: Celebrity Cameos — Doorman @ 7:55 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!

Sean Young is probably best known for her role as Rachel in Blade Runner. She was originally cast as Vicki Vale in Tim Burton’s Batman but, an injury caused her to drop out – she was replaced by Kim Basinger. Intent on being in a Batman film, Young later appeared on the Joan Rivers Show wearing a Catwoman outfit, in an attempt to be cast as the character in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. Supposedly, she even showed up at the Warner Brother offices in the costume, trying to land the role.

In Peter David’s excellent run on X-Factor, Strong Guy claimed that he had spent some time with Young. And, in issue #79, she showed up for a date … in the Catwoman outfit.

On Ebay: X-Factor
On AtomicAvenue: X-Factor

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July 19, 2011

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #68 Avengers

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 12:25 pm

The Secret Invasion tie-ins were filled with classic cover swipes. This one pays homage to the Avengers’ second annual that pitted the new team versus the old team and debuted the Scarlet Centurion.

Avengers Annual #2
September 1968
John Buscema

New Avengers #43
September 2008
Aleksi Briclot

On Ebay: Avengers | Secret Invasion
On AtomicAvenue: Avengers | Secret Invasion

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July 18, 2011

One-Shot At Greatness #68 Exciting X-Patrol

Filed under: One-Shot At Greatness — Doorman @ 7:16 am

the Exciting X-Patrol #1 Publisher: Amalgam Comics
Cover Date: June 1997
Cover Price: $1.95
Writer: Barbara Kesel
Artist: Bryan Hitch

When the DC and Marvel Universes merged in Marvel vs DC, a new one was created: the Amalgam Universe. This one-shot combined X-Force with Doom Patrol and Teen Titans.

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

Brother Brood and his Brood have captured Niles Cable. Now, it’s up to his team, X-Patrol, to free him. This time, the team (consisting of Elasti-Girl, Shatterstarfire, Beastling, Dial H.U.S.K. and Ferro Man) have a new recruit named Jericho (a gray version of the Fantastic Four’s Thing with a glowing eye). And, although Elasti-Girl recommends him – the rest of the team is unsure of his trustworthiness.

Meanwhile, back in Zenosha, the captive Niles Cable has been infected with a Brood implant that will eventually overtake his body and consciousness. He has the power to destroy the implant but, doing so will release his control over the techno-virus that infects his body. Killing the implant would mean finally succumbing to the infection that he’s faced for decades!

When the team finally reaches Zenosha, they face off against the Brood, Terra-X the Destroyer (a neat combo of Terra and Galactus’ herald, Terrax), and the Brood. While they’re distracted, the brood implant has nearly overtaken Niles Cable and he is forced to fight his own team. However, Jericho sheds his rocky outer shell and reveals who he truly is: [a young, techno-virus-free Niles Dayspring – which explains that glowing eye], come to save the future from Brood infestation. This powerful mutant destroys Brother Brood and frees Cable of his brood implant.

Plenty of fun action to be had here and powerful art by Bryan Hitch. Same as last time, the Beastling provided some much-needed humor and fun but, unfortunately, Elasti-Girl was much more serious this time around. The story really seems to draw strongly on the Cable mythos, so fans of his will probably have a stronger appreciation for this issue. And, who doesn’t enjoy a good mystery hero?

On Ebay: Amalgam | Barbara Kesel | Bryan Hitch
On AtomicAvenue: Amalgam Comics

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July 15, 2011

Guide to Marvel Comics Presents #17

Filed under: Guide to Marvel Comics Presents — Doorman @ 8:17 am

Cover Date: Late April 1989 | Cover Price: $1.25 | Cover Artist: Rich Buckler with Bob McLeod

Colossus in “God’s Country” conclusion
written by Ann Nocenti
art by Rick Leonardi

Colossus rushes back to Bruce and his family. Now that the Cold Warriors have relented their attack, the family has an opportunity to speak with the press. But, Colossus knows that none of this will ever make the papers because the government doesn’t want it to get out.

Black Panther in “Panther’s Quest” part 5
written by Don McGregor
art by Gene Colan

Percy Boraine, one of two approaching soldiers, has his gun aimed right for the Black Panther and his new-found friend, Zanti Chikane. The responsibility of soldier life weighs heavily upon him – he’d rather be almost anywhere – and certainly would prefer to be with his beloved Cynthia. In a swift move, the Panther unarms both men and hijacks their army vehicle.

the Watcher in “Do You See What I See?“
written by Scott Lobdell
art by Tom Sutton

A cosmic being calling himself one of the Three Wise Men intends to capture the Earth and use it as a birthday gift for another powerful entity. But, before he has a chance to remove Earth from its orbit (destroying mankind), the Watcher breaks his solemn oath and interferes. He bids the Wise Man to pause and allow for the opportunity for the Watcher to show him why humanity should be spared.

Cyclops in “the Retribution Affair” part 1
written by Bob Harras
art by Ron Lim

An old friend, Banshee, summons Cyclops to Muir Island where he’s attacked by a mechanized firing squad. He sees Moira walking by, as if in a daze, and then he’s knocked out by a sonic blast. Later, after coming to, he meets with Sean and Moira who claim to know nothing of the prior events. He tells them of the attack but when they go back to look at the destruction from last night’s battle, they find no evidence. Everything is back to the way it had been!

This entire Colossus story was later collected into a prestige format one-shot. It’s an interesting story that’s much more than just your average super-hero story. Beneath the steel skin and bullet-dodging, there’s an interesting comparison between Russia’s government and ours. The story illustrates that Russian’s know how much control their government has but in America, we feel that we’re very free – even though the government actually has more control than we’d like to think. It’s much more thought-provoking than it is entertaining. But, that’s a good thing!
Longshot’s dreamwalking story was pretty bland but the Ka-Zar short had a little more bite with its social commentary. The prim and proper Lemurians wanted to kill the child while the low-society Swamp Men welcomed it with open arms.

The Watcher’s tale is told in a rhyme invoking the style of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas. It would make for a fun Christmas story to share with your children.

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July 14, 2011

Famous Fanmail #67 Michael Heisler

Filed under: Famous Fanmail — Doorman @ 12:47 pm

In the early 1990s, Evan Skolnick was an editor at Marvel who presided over books including Ghost Rider 2099, Alf and the video game-inspired Double Dragon. A weird mix of titles, eh? He was also a colorist who worked on licensed titles such as Bill & Ted, Kid ‘n Play, Ren & Stimpy, etc. Others may remember him as the writer for William Shatner’s Tekworld or the later issues of New Warriors. Quite a talented guy! He and fellow colorist, Brad K. Joyce, got a letter published in Mighty Mouse#10 (cover date – July 1991).

X-Factor letters page with Michael Heisler

On Ebay: X-Factor | Mike Heisler
On AtomicAvenue: X-Factor

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July 13, 2011

Celebrity Cameos #20 Bruce Springsteen

Filed under: Celebrity Cameos — Doorman @ 7:44 am

The cover of the Transformers #14 features a guitarist that looks like the Boss and a saxophonist that sure looks like Clarence Clemons. Now, inside the book, it turns out to be Brick Springhorn and the Tenth Avenue Band … but we know who they really are!

On Ebay: Transformers
On AtomicAvenue: Transformers

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