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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 23, 2014 19:51:25 GMT -5
So what with all the rumours this week that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is going to be Shazam, it got me thinking that besides brief appearances in other comics and of course Kingdom Come, I'd never read a solo Shazam book. So I went to the local store and picked up the only thing they had, the New 52 Geoff Johns series. And holeeeeee hell is it good. What stuck out to me were 2 things. Firstly how well it flowed. Because most of this was taken from back-ups from Justice League, it didn't have that segmented single issue cliffhanger ever 22 pages feels, it felt like one big story. Secondly the tone. Gary Franks art is incredible, but this book is so much fun! All this talk about the New 52 being too dark, I think people were just looking in the wrong places. A wonderful stand-alone story and a great introduction to a character I want more and more of. Any other stories worth checking out? I asked about the Jeff Ordway one in the store and the guys rolled their eyes but I'm not sure if thats warranted or if its just Comic Book Guy Syndrome. Benjamin, Forgetting about "other stories" to check out, I'd recommend checking out other stores! As someone who's been in retail since the Seventies, let me just say that whatever the circumstances of your question, that's a terrible bit of customer service! Those Jerry Ordway Captain Marvel stories are quite good, and nearer in tone to the Otto Binder/C.C. Beck original Captain Marvel than what is being published today, but that's where the problem lies--they're both so different from this new version that you may not find them compelling. The "Big Red Cheese" (as Dr. Sivana called him!) was created as a children's character, and the fantasy element of young Billy Batson instantly becoming a grown-up super-hero certainly resonated with readers of all ages, as Whiz Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures were some of the biggest books of the Golden Age, selling nearly 3 million copies a month according to some estimates! When DC first brought the character back in the Seventies, they tried to replicate the old style, but after it good start, it faded quickly. The various Ordway series were pretty good, and did OK in sales, but never enough to move the character back into the top tier. In the years since, Captain Marvel has been relegated to being the "junior Superman", and I've heard that 10 year-old Billy Batson has been morphed into an angst-y teenager; ah...progress! Anyway, despite what those nay-sayers in the store said, try reading the 1994 Jerry Ordway OGN "The Power of Shazam", which is a nice up-date of the origin tale.
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 23, 2014 19:31:12 GMT -5
Well then,
It does seem that another favored title has fallen under "The Curse"!
The only benefit for you guys is that if I champion a book, you know that you won't get stuck with a long-term commitment!
The down side is that you'll probably love them, but better too few than too many, I say!
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 23, 2014 9:37:50 GMT -5
I heard Bob talk about Mighty Avengers on the podcast so i checked out the first 4 or 5 issues and i really like it! I don't mind the art by Greg Land at all, i understand some of the criticism but i've seen much worse art than his. I also like how much humour it has, how the characters are written and their interaction with each other. This is a team book done right in my opinion. "D", I'm glad that you loved it, so spread the word about Mighty Avengers! I'm hearing rumblings that it is on a "death watch", and we wouldn't want to lose this great book!
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 23, 2014 9:35:41 GMT -5
Nikki,
What a wonderful piece, with so many great ideas, and beautifully written, to boot!
Thanks for sharing it!
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 22, 2014 8:37:21 GMT -5
Seth, Before I begin, the cover of Robyn Hood that you highlighted is definitely the background of Mr. Shand's Tumblr, but the text from the post obscures much of the frontal aspect of the character, leaving her appearing sans clothing! Perhaps if he re-located the text, it wouldn't seem so off-putting? Anyway, thanks for the clarification! As a fan of old-fashioned pin-up and "Good Girl" art (Matt Baker, Wally Wood, Dave Stevens), I find the newer cheesecake stuff has a more sexual than sensual character to it, as well as a certain joylessness in tone. I suppose in a "hard-boiled heroine" it might be expected, but it can go too far. Not to suggest there weren't excesses in the old days, even in the work of the artists I've cited, but over all, it seemed those craftsman liked and respected their subjects, and I don't sense that feeling today, with some rare exceptions such as Amanda Conner and Adam Hughes. To my eye, heart, and mind, there's a light in the character's eyes and a playfulness in the ladies' attitudes no matter the situation, and a joy...a celebration of the beauty of his subject in the work of a Dave Stevens that elevates it beyond what we've been seeing since the "Bad Girl Nineties", and perhaps if some of the contemporary cheesecake artists emulated the tone of Mr. Stevens (as Ms. Conner and Mr. Hughes have, both being avowed fans of his work!), we'd all be better for it.
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 21, 2014 22:59:51 GMT -5
Seth, If you've seen my other comments on this thread, you can imagine that I've written more on this topic than I ever thought that I would, but I will add this in reference to your post...actually, things in-and-related-to your post, because who am I to tell people what to like or not like, I can only speak for myself after all, and sometimes I'm not too good at that, either! Needless to say, I don't want this to come off as if I'm attacking your taste, because that's the farthest thing from my mind, particularly as you seem well aware of the problematic nature of much of Zenescope's output; I'm just finding some interesting dichotomies in the statements and attitudes of the people quoted which cry out for me to comment upon! To business: 1) It's hard to take any fact in a Bleeding Cool article seriously once it states this about Zenescope: "They may also be credited for committing to the adult retelling of fairy tales as a long form comic before the success of Fables and the current trend for Once Upon A Time, Grimm and the like." Since Fables began in 2002, and Zenescope only opened their doors in 2005, the above seems an odd conclusion. 2) In the CBR piece, Zenescope president Joe Brusha states in response to a question about whether it bothers him that the company is thought of as "just a T&A" company: "-- there's a lot of comic snobs out there, it seems to me. People who just go, "I won't read that because there's a scantily clad Red Riding Hood on the cover." Yet if you look at a Marvel comic or a DC comic, and it has a female character in it, they're portrayed very much the same way, in my opinion."
Then, answering a question about their trades having less-revealing covers than the monthly books: "...because they get the job done, in a lot of ways. When we're doing conventions exclusives, we have a specific fanbase that really wants it. We've actually pulled in the reins sometimes on covers. They want them even more sexy, more explicit. So we're satisfying that fanbase. In the stores, you're going through several tiers of buyers. But whenever we do a sexy cover, it outsells the less sexy cover through the retailer. They know what their fans want, and what gets people to pick it up. It's interesting, because we do try to pull the reins back sometimes, but those books won't sell as well. We're kind of -- I don't want to say pigeon-holed -- but I think we've found a niche, it definitely serves a purpose to put those out like that, and it works. "I guess I'm a "comic book snob", although I prefer "elitist", in the truest meaning of expecting the finest, so I'll drop books (even ones that I enjoy), over the issue of objectifying art. It seems odd for Mr. Brusha to grouse about the reception his covers get vis a vis The Big Two, and then boast about them being "sexy" with the next breath. If you're serving your adult customers well with adult material--great, leave it at that, but as bad as some things are here-and-there at DC and Marvel, that comparison not only doesn't hold water, it's leaking like a sieve--you can't eat your cake and have it, too! 3) As you said, the "Z-people" do seem aware of the out-cry over the imagery, and it does sound as if Robyn Hood writer Patrick Shand is looking to make some changes in plot elements; however, I might "cheekily" suggest he begin with the background image from his own Tumblr page, which shows what I assume is the character "Robyn Hood"...wearing nothing but a hood and a quiver of arrows! It's not posed badly, as you can't see any "naughty bits" (that's for you Python fans!), but it does undercut his contrition about the story a tad. As I've stated many times, I'm not against "adult" comics, even ones that feature these versions of children's characters, provided they're sold to grown-ups, and as long as that attitude doesn't overtake the "regular" books as it did during the Nineties. For me though, I'm not sure I buy their premise about doing some service to female readers when the books sport those covers, no matter what's behind them. h
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 21, 2014 19:06:11 GMT -5
Thanks Seth, Bob for the warm welcome We are very progressive and cultured here in the UK so I am sure that is why you have such a following over the pond, keep up the good work! Simon, Having corresponded with many of our UK fans (and squired two around while they were here in the States), you're absolutely right in that assessment! ps) Perhaps we can export some of our other fine programs such as "Jersey Shore", "Celebrity Re-Hab" and "Long Island Medium"...and don't fret over returning them! rrr
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 21, 2014 16:31:55 GMT -5
Greetings All - I am BatFonz [Simon] Prince of Eternia and Defender of the secrets of... wait-a-pocket-pickled-magnet that ain't right Got the first bit right, I'm BatFonz and have a huge love of comics going back to when I was 4 years old, and we are well past 3 decades of romance. In a weird way I think we were fortunate in the UK, we got lots of annual size reprints of all the classic tales so I was exposed to Stan & Jack from a young age and didn't really catch up with present day stuff until my uncle who imported parts from the US got them to add comics to fill 'packing spaces'. Suddenly my almost Black & White + Batman world was turned into colour and characters I had never seen before...and I loved it. Due to Titan Books in the UK who reprinted collected volumes I met the classics and through a small core group of like minded individuals managed to share the wealth and read many things I wouldn't of exposed myself to normally...V for Vendetta being one I stumbled into and loved. Did my time at art school and passed Submission to Marvel as an Artist (Yay) and then failed the timed Pages stage (Garrrggghhhhh!!!), I never managed to get the speed and in trying lost some of the joy so spent a few years in the wilderness doing what Lost Boys do. The whole time I never stopped reading and enjoying comics, I've found there is always someone doing something unique, new and inspiring to keep my ocular-addiction sated. So long-time listener, first time Forum'per - love the podcast and keep the diverse opposing opinions coming it's what for me keeps things fresh, the best episodes for me are when the team just agrees to disagree but have strong opinionated debates - you guys are waaaaayyyy more entertaining than the other voices in my head! Simon, Welcome to the Forums! With so many of our listeners on your side of the Atlantic, I'm beginning to think you guys should have a fairly good-sized meeting! We have managed to "agree to disagree" on a number of things, and to date (*touch wood*) we haven't said a cross word directly to each other, but you never know what this week will bring, so stay tuned...
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 21, 2014 11:06:37 GMT -5
Seth, It sounds as if you have things sorted pretty well! (Let's keep that guest spot to ourselves, at least until the new show comes out!) The only downside to being a digital-exclusive reader is resisting the urge to give Comixology a monopoly. I read anything Dynamite through the Dark Horse app, and just started using the Image store for their books. (I thought it was common knowledge because of future solicits, but I'll say no more!) Seth, It's good to spread your purchasing around; it makes for a healthier landscape, as opposed to the print books, where there's only one option for stores to buy their product! (Logan's appearance was spoiled all over the place, so don't worry! I was attempting to be arch and make a statement along those lines!)
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 21, 2014 9:30:32 GMT -5
Seth, Welcome to the Forum! (I apologize for the lateness of the greeting, but I've lost bits of the last two days with a migraine!) We've discussed on the show the idea that some readers have gone wholly digital, and Stephanie just wrote an article about it. My question would be do you miss the tactile sensation of holding an actual book? (S-S-S-S-H-H...don't tell anyone, but there's a great chance I'll be talking about the newest Ms. Marvel issue on the show this week; it was so good!) Actually, I don't. Most of my reading with print happened when I was a kid. Then there was a ten plus year gap (with a few books bought here and there) and a friend showed me comixology and I fell back in love. I only buy the trades if I really, really like the book and want something on the shelf. I think that, because I came to the medium primarily through digital, it's my preference. It's also been almost two years since I picked up the habit and nothing has changed. (And the newest Ms. Marvel was the first time in a long time I liked Wolverine! But I don't wanna spoil anything.) Seth, It sounds as if you have things sorted pretty well! (Let's keep that guest spot to ourselves, at least until the new show comes out!)
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 21, 2014 9:06:17 GMT -5
Hi! I'm Seth, commonly called Sethro, and I'm a (relatively) new reader of comics. I followed the Daredevil comics in the late 90s because my dad got me a subscription, and occasionally read his old books, but I was mostly a cartoon kid. I started reading comics through a scrawl of the Clone Saga page on TV Tropes and learned that Kaine had his own ongoing as the Scarlet Spider. From there, I learned about the New 52 and the Valiant relaunched and jumped on a bunch of the new books. Now, I'm reading a lot of indies, mostly Top Cow books, and a handful of the big two. I'm also a huge fan of Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel. And I'm a casual fan of Spawn. Casual only because I buy comics digitally and Spawn only releases in print; I have the black and white omnibus and a few of the trades, though. Seth, Welcome to the Forum! (I apologize for the lateness of the greeting, but I've lost bits of the last two days with a migraine!) We've discussed on the show the idea that some readers have gone wholly digital, and Stephanie just wrote an article about it. My question would be do you miss the tactile sensation of holding an actual book? (S-S-S-S-H-H...don't tell anyone, but there's a great chance I'll be talking about the newest Ms. Marvel issue on the show this week; it was so good!)
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 19, 2014 17:53:17 GMT -5
Is anyone else saddened, miffed and frustrated with the news that Fraction is done with Hawkeye? I wonder what is going on there between him and Marvel? Is this a result of a possible rift with them over the Inhuman book? I thought I read that their parting of ways over that book were completely amiable.
Anyone have any idea what's going on? What a shame to lose him from a book that had taken so many by joyful surprise. Drew, Hawkeye was such an unexpected pleasure that's its loss is doubly hard to swallow. I speak with no special knowledge of the situation, but it seems to me that taking on Inhuman started the dominoes falling; first Mr. Fraction had to drop Fantastic Four and FF due to conflicting schedules and work-load issues caused by Inhuman, which then ran off the rails, and Hawkeye followed it over the cliff. Matt Fraction will be bringing us great stories and characters through his creator-owned works, but his off-center take on mainstream super-folks was quite refreshing, and we can only hope that he'll be working in that vein again sometime soon.
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 19, 2014 12:45:09 GMT -5
1. Revolver – The Beatles 2. Sam Cooke (he needs to be somewhere on this list, but I’ve only ever listened to “best of” albums) 3. Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys 4. Thriller – Michael Jackson 5. OK Computer - Radiohead I'm pretty "vanilla" compared to a lot of lists here. But...I could listen to any of these albums I've listed on loop all day long. Drew, Classics are "classic" for a reason, and I'd bet that quite a few of our respondents have copies some of your selections in their own collections, too!
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 19, 2014 12:10:22 GMT -5
The Interview was indeed on Ep. 103, but...there was no mention of Joanna Estep's drawing process. Drew, So sorry about that! I was only there as an observer, so I thought Steve had asked that--my apologies! Ms. Estep has a Tumblr page and she has a spot called "Ask me anything" that might be worth trying!
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 18, 2014 14:39:32 GMT -5
PhilyD, I'm sure that you're going to get a lot of help on this one; so much so that you may not know how to begin! From my little corner, I would suggest: These are all rather "self-contained", so easy to jump onto:MaraBandette HawkeyeAdventures of Superhero GirlMs. MarvelPretty Deadly The Movement These may need your help with the back-stories, but worth it:Captain Marvel (1st KSD series particularly) Daredevil She-Hulk Silver Surfer Fantastic Four/FF (Matt Fraction) Here's an out-of-left-field pick:Fantastic Four: The End
Alan Davis, now doing Savage Hulk, wrote and drew this story of what could be the last adventure of the Fantastic Four! It's set in a future where a tragedy has befallen the Richards' extended family, fracturing them in the process! The story is chock-a-block with humour, romance, strong women, old-fashioned heroism, a lot of adventure, and an ending that brings a smile to my face and a tear to these aged eyes even as I type this description! Best of luck, and please keep us informed of how our picks are working out! Bob
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