Doctor Who: The Malignant Truth (Titan Comics; 2017)
Tottering-by-Gently: Tottering Hall Recipe Organiser (Frances Lincoln Stationery; 2013) ISBN-13: 978-0711234147.
Births:
Will Nickless (1902); Brian White (1902); Ronald Niebour (NEB; 1903)
Deaths:
Anthony Masters (2003); Dave Lamb (2011)
Notable Events:
The first series of Stan Lee's Lucky Man was released on DVD in 2016.
Showing posts with label Stan Lee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stan Lee. Show all posts
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
On This Day: 22 Jan
First Appearances:
Drake of E-Boat Alley in Warlord (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #18 (25 Jan 1975).
The Stuarts of Stalingrad in Warlord (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #18 (25 Jan 1975).
Gunner Kite The Soldier and the Samurai! in Warlord (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #179 (25 Jan 1978).
Lieutenant Moto The Soldier and the Samurai! in Warlord (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #179 (25 Jan 1978).
Storm Force in Battle (IPC Magazines Ltd.) #?? (?? Jan 1987).
Bix Barton, Master of the Rum and Uncanny in 2000 A.D Prog 663 (27 Jan 1990).
Births:
Walter Bell (1893); Kimon Evan Marengo (KEM; 1904)
Deaths:
Carlo Pellegrini (Ape; 1889); Patten Wilson (1934)
Notable Events:
Romeo Brown newspaper strip ended in 1962.
The first episode of the original television series Stan Lee's Lucky Man broadcast on Sky 1 in 2016.
Drake of E-Boat Alley in Warlord (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #18 (25 Jan 1975).
The Stuarts of Stalingrad in Warlord (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #18 (25 Jan 1975).
Gunner Kite The Soldier and the Samurai! in Warlord (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #179 (25 Jan 1978).
Lieutenant Moto The Soldier and the Samurai! in Warlord (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #179 (25 Jan 1978).
Storm Force in Battle (IPC Magazines Ltd.) #?? (?? Jan 1987).
Bix Barton, Master of the Rum and Uncanny in 2000 A.D Prog 663 (27 Jan 1990).
Births:
Walter Bell (1893); Kimon Evan Marengo (KEM; 1904)
Deaths:
Carlo Pellegrini (Ape; 1889); Patten Wilson (1934)
Notable Events:
Romeo Brown newspaper strip ended in 1962.
The first episode of the original television series Stan Lee's Lucky Man broadcast on Sky 1 in 2016.
Friday, December 7, 2018
Spider-Man And Hulk Omnibus
Collection (1983).
136 pages. Full color.
Marvel Comics / Grandreams, Ltd.
Cover (uncredited).
Contents:
This amply illustrates one of the major problems in collecting Marvel UK titles from the eighties.
Here are strips which were originally serialized in the weekly titles, before being published in annuals, then finally (third time being the charm) brought together for this collection. No strip, of course, was merely used three times - Marvel liked to re-use reprints as a back-up for newer stories, repackaging things again and again.
The prose stories, unlike the strips, were only published once before, but so close to the original publishing date of the annuals makes for very repetitive reading. This isn't all bad news for people who want complete collections of character's appearances, as the production values are higher than used for Spider-Man and Hulk's respective annuals, and there aren't any of the notorious edits marring the strips.
136 pages. Full color.
Marvel Comics / Grandreams, Ltd.
Cover (uncredited).
Contents:
6 Spider-Man Vengeance is Mine – Sayeth the Sword! w: Ralph Macchio; p: Jim Mooney, i: Mike Esposito, lettering by Joe Rosen, colouring by Petra Goldberg.
r: The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual (Marvel Comics) #2 (1980).
38 Spider-Man Blight of the Bluebird text story (uncredited); illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).
r: Spider-Man Annual (Marvel Comics International Ltd. / Grandreams, Ltd.) 1983.
44 Hulk Again, the Glob! w: Roy Thomas; a: Herb Trimpe, lettering by Sam Rosen.
r: Hulk (Marvel Comics) vol.2 #129 (Jul 1970).
61 Hulk Caged text story (uncredited); illustrated by David Lloyd.
r: Hulk Annual (Marvel Comics International Ltd. / Grandreams, Ltd.) 1982.
66 Spider-Man Starngore the Superb text story (uncredited); illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).
r: Spider-Man Annual (Marvel Comics International Ltd. / Grandreams, Ltd.) 1983.
72 Hulk Shadow on the Land! w: Len Wein. a: Herb Trimpe, lettering by Artie Simek, colouring by Glynis Wein.
r: Hulk (Marvel Comics) vol.2 #184 (Feb 1975).
88 Spider-Man Murder by Machine text story (uncredited); illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).
r: Spider-Man Annual (Marvel Comics International Ltd. / Grandreams, Ltd.) 1981.
94 The Secrets of Spider-Man w: Stan Lee (uncredited). a: Steve Ditko (uncredited).
r: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual (Marvel Comics) #1 (1964).
101 Spidey's Spider-Senses! w: Stan Lee (uncredited). a: Steve Ditko (uncredited).
r: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual (Marvel Comics) #1 (1964).
102 The Secrets of Spider-Man's Mask w: Stan Lee (uncredited). a: Steve Ditko (uncredited).
r: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual (Marvel Comics) #1 (1964).
103 Hulk A Hostage for the Hulk text story (uncredited); illustrated by David Lloyd (uncredited).
r: Hulk Annual (Marvel Comics International Ltd. / Grandreams, Ltd.) 1982.
108 Spider-Man The Grin of the Goblin text story (uncredited); illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).
r: Spider-Man Annual (Marvel Comics International Ltd. / Grandreams, Ltd.) 1981.
114 Hulk Mogol! w: Roy Thomas; a: Herb Trimpe, lettering by Sam Rosen.
r: Hulk (Marvel Comics) vol.2 #127 (May 1970).
This amply illustrates one of the major problems in collecting Marvel UK titles from the eighties.
Here are strips which were originally serialized in the weekly titles, before being published in annuals, then finally (third time being the charm) brought together for this collection. No strip, of course, was merely used three times - Marvel liked to re-use reprints as a back-up for newer stories, repackaging things again and again.
The prose stories, unlike the strips, were only published once before, but so close to the original publishing date of the annuals makes for very repetitive reading. This isn't all bad news for people who want complete collections of character's appearances, as the production values are higher than used for Spider-Man and Hulk's respective annuals, and there aren't any of the notorious edits marring the strips.
Friday, November 16, 2018
On This Day: 16 Nov
Births:
G. William Backhouse (1903); William Augustus Sillince (Silenus; 1906); Suzanne Henriette Einzig (1922); Nik Pollard (1945)
Deaths:
Bernard Greenbaum (1993)
Notable Events:
The Astérix strip made its first appearance in Britain, on the back page of Valiant in 1963 – although renamed 'Little Fred And Big Ed' for some reason.
The Pet Shop Boys' single West End Girls entered the charts at #80 in 1985. It would remain on the charts for sixteen weeks, taking the top spot for two weeks at the beginning of 1986.
Axa newspaper strip ceased publication in 1985.
Stan Lee concluded his signing tour in Fantastic Store at the Virgin Megastore, 14 Oxford Street, London, in 1991.
A Steve Bell cartoon depicting a press conference held by Binyamin Netanyahu, with Tony Blair and William Hague as glove puppets, appeared in The Guardian in 2012 to much controversy. After the Press Complaints Commission was brought in, The Guardian issued an editorial statement which sought to diffuse tension surrounding the cartoon.
G. William Backhouse (1903); William Augustus Sillince (Silenus; 1906); Suzanne Henriette Einzig (1922); Nik Pollard (1945)
Deaths:
Bernard Greenbaum (1993)
Notable Events:
The Astérix strip made its first appearance in Britain, on the back page of Valiant in 1963 – although renamed 'Little Fred And Big Ed' for some reason.
The Pet Shop Boys' single West End Girls entered the charts at #80 in 1985. It would remain on the charts for sixteen weeks, taking the top spot for two weeks at the beginning of 1986.
Axa newspaper strip ceased publication in 1985.
Stan Lee concluded his signing tour in Fantastic Store at the Virgin Megastore, 14 Oxford Street, London, in 1991.
A Steve Bell cartoon depicting a press conference held by Binyamin Netanyahu, with Tony Blair and William Hague as glove puppets, appeared in The Guardian in 2012 to much controversy. After the Press Complaints Commission was brought in, The Guardian issued an editorial statement which sought to diffuse tension surrounding the cartoon.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
On This Day: 15 Nov
Marshal Law: Kingdom of the Blind (Apocalypse) #01 (1990)
Treasury of British Comics Misty Book 2
British Comics: A Cultural History by James Chapman. (Reaktion Books; 2011)
Births:
Arthur Ferrier (1890); Patrick Nicolle (1907); Paul Raymond (1925)
Deaths:
Paul Rigby (2006); Paul 'Gamma' Gamble (2010)
Notable Events:
On this day in 1958 The Economist published a report entitled 'No Laughing Matter' regarding British comics, stating combined sales of titles to be in the region of £11 million.
Flook daily newspaper strip concluded in 1985. It continued in The Sunday Mirror thereafter.
Stan Lee continued his signing tour at Forbidden Planet, 3 Teviot Place, Edinburgh, in 1991. He also appeared at the store in Glasgow later in the day.
Thought Bubble One Day Comic Convention took place in Leeds in Saviles Hall in 2008.
The Illustrators: British Art of Illustration 1800-2008 exhibition began at the Chris Beetles Gallery, St James's, London, in 2008.
Thought Bubble Comic Convention began, as part of the Leeds Comic Art Festival, at Armouries Square, Leeds, in 2011.
Thought Bubble Comic Convention began, as part of the Leeds Comic Art Festival, at Armouries Square, Leeds, in 2014.
Bryan Talbot signing for the Grandville: Force Majeure exhibition launch, at Orbital Comics, London, in 2017.
Treasury of British Comics Misty Book 2
British Comics: A Cultural History by James Chapman. (Reaktion Books; 2011)
Births:
Arthur Ferrier (1890); Patrick Nicolle (1907); Paul Raymond (1925)
Deaths:
Paul Rigby (2006); Paul 'Gamma' Gamble (2010)
Notable Events:
On this day in 1958 The Economist published a report entitled 'No Laughing Matter' regarding British comics, stating combined sales of titles to be in the region of £11 million.
Flook daily newspaper strip concluded in 1985. It continued in The Sunday Mirror thereafter.
Stan Lee continued his signing tour at Forbidden Planet, 3 Teviot Place, Edinburgh, in 1991. He also appeared at the store in Glasgow later in the day.
Thought Bubble One Day Comic Convention took place in Leeds in Saviles Hall in 2008.
The Illustrators: British Art of Illustration 1800-2008 exhibition began at the Chris Beetles Gallery, St James's, London, in 2008.
Thought Bubble Comic Convention began, as part of the Leeds Comic Art Festival, at Armouries Square, Leeds, in 2011.
Thought Bubble Comic Convention began, as part of the Leeds Comic Art Festival, at Armouries Square, Leeds, in 2014.
Bryan Talbot signing for the Grandville: Force Majeure exhibition launch, at Orbital Comics, London, in 2017.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
On This Day: 13 Nov
First Appearances:
Squadron Leader 'Big' Dave Chandler (Y for Yellow Squadron) in Battle Picture Weekly (IPC Magazines Ltd.) #[37] (15 Nov 1975).
Commander Jordan Knight (Destroyer!) in Battle Picture Weekly (IPC Magazines Ltd.) #[37] (15 Nov 1975).
Brigadier-General Frank Merrill (Merrill's Marauders) in Battle Picture Weekly (IPC Magazines Ltd.) #[37] (15 Nov 1975).
Births:
John Byam Liston Shaw (1872); George William Wakefield (1887)
Deaths:
Rowland Emett (1990)
Notable Events:
The first Hoffnung Music Festival took place at the Royal Festival Hall, London in 1956.
Stan Lee continued his signing tour at Forbidden Planet, 129 Middlewalk, Broadmarsh Centre, Nottingham, in 1991.
Judge Dredd graced the cover of Time Out () #1108 (13 Nov 1991-20 Nov 1991).
There will be images, for example the Time Out cover, in the full version. These should be considered, after all, sneak peeks rather than completed pages.
Squadron Leader 'Big' Dave Chandler (Y for Yellow Squadron) in Battle Picture Weekly (IPC Magazines Ltd.) #[37] (15 Nov 1975).
Commander Jordan Knight (Destroyer!) in Battle Picture Weekly (IPC Magazines Ltd.) #[37] (15 Nov 1975).
Brigadier-General Frank Merrill (Merrill's Marauders) in Battle Picture Weekly (IPC Magazines Ltd.) #[37] (15 Nov 1975).
Births:
John Byam Liston Shaw (1872); George William Wakefield (1887)
Deaths:
Rowland Emett (1990)
Notable Events:
The first Hoffnung Music Festival took place at the Royal Festival Hall, London in 1956.
Stan Lee continued his signing tour at Forbidden Planet, 129 Middlewalk, Broadmarsh Centre, Nottingham, in 1991.
Judge Dredd graced the cover of Time Out () #1108 (13 Nov 1991-20 Nov 1991).
There will be images, for example the Time Out cover, in the full version. These should be considered, after all, sneak peeks rather than completed pages.
Friday, November 9, 2018
On This Day: 09 Nov
Doctor Who Christmas Special - The Six Doctors (Marvel; 1984]
Births:
Godfrey Douglas Giles (1857); Harry Parlett (1881); Simon Farr (1940); Luca Saponti (1985)
Deaths:
Leonard Matthews (1997); Terry Willers (2011)
Notable Events:
George du Maurier coined the term 'curate's egg' in a Punch cartoon entitled True Humility in 1895.
The infamous confrontation between Malcolm Muggeridge and John Cleese and Michael Palin, regarding the release of The Life of Brian, was broadcast as part of Friday Night, Saturday Morning, on BBC 2, in 1979.
Stan Lee began a signing tour at Forbidden Planet, 71 Oxford Street, London, in 1991.
Thought Bubble / The Leeds Sequential Art Festival began, at Leeds Town Hall, in 2007.
Comica Presents Grandville Bête Noire World Premiere, with Bryan and Mary Talbot in an interview with Kim Newman, took place, at Foyle's, Charing Cross Road, London, in 2012.
The Leeds Comic Art Festival began in 2015.
Births:
Godfrey Douglas Giles (1857); Harry Parlett (1881); Simon Farr (1940); Luca Saponti (1985)
Deaths:
Leonard Matthews (1997); Terry Willers (2011)
Notable Events:
George du Maurier coined the term 'curate's egg' in a Punch cartoon entitled True Humility in 1895.
The infamous confrontation between Malcolm Muggeridge and John Cleese and Michael Palin, regarding the release of The Life of Brian, was broadcast as part of Friday Night, Saturday Morning, on BBC 2, in 1979.
Stan Lee began a signing tour at Forbidden Planet, 71 Oxford Street, London, in 1991.
Thought Bubble / The Leeds Sequential Art Festival began, at Leeds Town Hall, in 2007.
Comica Presents Grandville Bête Noire World Premiere, with Bryan and Mary Talbot in an interview with Kim Newman, took place, at Foyle's, Charing Cross Road, London, in 2012.
The Leeds Comic Art Festival began in 2015.
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Warrior Women #1
[Jun 1982]. Cover price 40p.
52 pages. B&W contents.
Marvel Comics Ltd.
Edited by Alan McKenzie.
Cover by Paul Neary.
Contents:
Warrior Women poses a problematic title in Marvel UK's history. Addressed at face value it is an open celebration of T&A, yet can (with ample justification) be framed as a celebration of strong female characters. As the title never led anywhere, nor influenced the direction of other titles, it has to be taken at face value. Some degree of lenience must be given in addressing its portrayal of women - this was released when Benny Hill was a major television draw, so some areas (if not getting a pass) can at least be understood.
Paul Neary's cover isn't bad, but emphasizes Shanna's assets in a manner which probably split the audience for this issue - I can't be alone in wondering what a random stripper is doing gracing the cover of a Marvel title. Her appearance inside the issue, taken from the magazine-format line of comics, answers at least one question: this title doesn't exist to highlight strong, intelligent women capable of kicking ass - this is strictly cheesecake territory, with no attempt to disguise the fact.
Which feels, somehow, more than mere combat training, which she recognises to a degree.
Having satisfied herself for a while, Shanna heads out to the home of Madeline Wickes, from where they have arranged to visit the Taj Mahal Mall. While walking through the mall, Shanna encounters the high priest of the Cult of Kali, Raga-Shah. Attempting to obtain her vengeance on him, for the murder of Central Park Zoo's leopards in 1972, she is restrained by the mall's security - and informed that Raga-Shah owns the mall. Shanna tells her psychiatrist of the incident, but finds skepticism in her words.
Exiting the building, Shanna runs into Raga-Shah's assassins, who didn't expect her to be done for another half hour. Taking the fight out into the open streets, Shanna is soon incapacitated by a drugged blade plunged into her shoulder. When she finally awakes, Shanna finds herself on an alter upon which Raga-Shah intends to make her a sacrifice to Kali. As the priest expands on his motivations, Shanna attempts to free herself - unable to break free, and unwilling to scream for assistance, she contemplates her fate.
Finally shattering the bonds which hold her, Shanna takes on the amassed force of the cult members. When only Raga-Shah remains standing, Shanna informs him that his fate has already been decided.
Despite a small mountain of problematic elements, which would take far too much space to cover in detail, this isn't an awful story. The presentation of Shanna in highly-sexualised poses is uncomfortable, but no more fetishistic than contorted, overly-muscled images of Spider-Man. What stands out, amid everything else, is the sense that Shanna is somehow not in control of events until the final, decisive battle turns in her favour. Without having a definite agenda, aside from seeking the death of Raga-Shah, she is left to react to the world around her.
Shanna's relationship with her snake is eyebrow-raising, in all the wrong ways, and Raga-Shah choosing to cut her leg with a knife is slightly too on-the-nose. The story almost demands an intense discussion. It is, nevertheless, a bold story, with some interesting angles to its worldview - accepting that Shanna is suffering from her adventures, and seeking help for her psychological issues, makes for a very different narrative than is usually seen in Marvel strips. The flashback (for once) actually has a purpose, and the art...
DeZuniga is a master of picking moments out of the script, though he overdoes the "gentleman's magazine" poses. Switching between a more standard style and rough, realistic images, he evokes the world which Shanna inhabits beautifully. The lettering, however, is atrocious in places - largely working in sync with the art, it sometimes obscures where it should be invisible. When lettering is really noticed, as here, it is rarely for good reasons.
The (brief) portfolio of Shanna sketches has the air of Comics Interview about it, though the larger pages allow for more detail than similar material. It does highlight a couple of artistic choices which don't quite gel for me - Shanna's upper arms aren't as developed as I might have expected, and her shoes don't look particularly effective for a jungle-based character. Given that her costume is basically a fur swimsuit, perhaps functionality isn't quite as important for Shanna...
The Fury of the Femizons is, even by Stan Lee standards, a hokey and cartoonish tale of a future American society ruled by women, where all are birthed by sperm vials rather than traditional means. To add to the mix, it is a society ruled over by a queen. Princess Lyra bests another woman in combat, earning herself a male slave to do with as she pleases - yet he is more than another slave, and has arranged to be taken as Lyra's slave in order to get his hands on brain tapes, forbidden technology which reveals the entire history of the human race. Men outside the city have reverted to bestial forms, crafting axes with which to attack the women of the cities.
Overwhelmed by its flimsy basis, the story never feels remotely real, and the characters are given roles to perform rather than personalities which drive their actions - at least Romita is on strong form, even if he does take more than a smidgeon of costume inspiration from Thor comics. It is precisely the kind of story which shouldn't have found a home here, and explains (in some small way) why there was never a regular Warrior Women series.
There are, in addition to the inside covers, five pages containing (monochrome, naturally) photographs of women culled from various and sundry feature films of (questionable) note, the introduction of which is further migraine-inducing icing on the cake:
It needs to be noted that the lack of imagination in selecting strong female characters is a hindrance to the feature's effectiveness. Nowhere is Ika from the recent Quest for Fire seen, nor mention made of real-life heroines such as Mariya Oktyabrskaya, or the role of women in the military in general. I would have expected at least passing mention of Joan of Arc, given the title of the magazine, for which enough material exists to run a monthly feature indefinitely without duplication of facts.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko's spirit weeps at the contents of this issue.
Because Marvel had an obsession with the world of Conan, there is (depressingly) yet another Hyborian outing here, though opening with a scene apparently set in a harem does not inspire confidence in whatever meagre remnants of the main objective of the title remains. The focus on female characters physical attributes throughout (albeit beautifully rendered depictions) brings me to the conclusion that a female readership was far from the concern of Alan McKenzie (or Marvel at large) when this was being compiled.
But wait... Before everyone agrees that this is a relic of a bygone age, writing off the notion of a title focused on women warriors as a horrid notion which ought to be consigned to history, there is some seed of genius here - a notion which even Titan's Xena - Warrior Princess magazine didn't exploit to any degree. By bringing together a translation of Yū Koyama's Azumi, features on films such as Kill Bill or The Professional, as well as some historical information, this might actually have a place in modern publishing.
There are no bad ideas, only poor implementations of ideas.
A rather undistinguished title, with problematic content, though highlighting an (overall) underdeveloped area which (specifically) British comics had thus far largely neglected, this ought to be better remembered - if only to avoid the obvious pitfalls, and serve as a guide to future endeavours in the same vein. And no, neither Vampirella nor Xena's appearances in British publications makes up for this.
52 pages. B&W contents.
Marvel Comics Ltd.
Edited by Alan McKenzie.
Cover by Paul Neary.
Contents:
2 Warrior Women Bonus Pin-Up Poster Photographs of Caroline Munro in At the Earth's Core, Magda Konopka, Victoria Vetri & Imogen Hassall in When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Victoria Vetri in When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, and Dana Gillespie in The People That Time Forgot, text by Alan McKenzie(?).
Note: Continues on inside rear cover.
3 Warrior Women Contents / Credits / Indicia
4 Shanna the She-Devil The Wrath of Raga-Shah! w: Steve Gerber; a: Tony DeZuniga, lettering by Jim Novak.
r: Rampaging Hulk (Marvel Comics) #09 (Jun 1978).
22 Shanna the She-Devil - a Portfolio by Tony De Zuniga text by Anthony Kraft.
r: Rampaging Hulk (Marvel Comics) #09 (Jun 1978).
27 In Every Issue of Rampage Magazine (half page) in-house advertisement. / From Out of the Depths of the Hyborian Age (half page) in-house advertisement for The Savage Sword of Conan.
28 Fury of the Femizons w: Stan Lee; a: John Romita, lettering by Sam Rosen.
r: Savage Tales (Marvel Comics) #01 (May 1971).
38 Warrior Women of the Movies Raquel Welch photograph pin-up.
39 Warrior Women of the Movies photographs of Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman (uncredited) and Shih Szu in Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, text by Alan McKenzie (?).
40 Warrior Women of the Movies photographs of Jane Fonda in Barbarella, Julie Ege in Creatures the World Forgot, and Dana Gillespie in The People That Time Forgot.
41 Warrior Women of the Movies photographs of Jane Seymour in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, Ursula Andress in She, and Barbera Carrera in The Island of Doctor Moreau.
42 Warrior Women of the Movies photographs of Caroline Munro in At the Earth's Core and Jane Fonda in Barbarella.
43 Starburst in-house advertisement.
44 A Tale of the Hyborian Age The Woman from Khitai w: Don Glut; p: Gary Brodsky, i: Tony DeZuniga.
r: The Savage Sword of Conan (Marvel Comics) #49 (Feb 1980).
52 The Marvel Summer Specials Are Here! in-house advertisement for Western Gunfighters, Captain Britain, Warrior Women and Young Romance specials.
Warrior Women poses a problematic title in Marvel UK's history. Addressed at face value it is an open celebration of T&A, yet can (with ample justification) be framed as a celebration of strong female characters. As the title never led anywhere, nor influenced the direction of other titles, it has to be taken at face value. Some degree of lenience must be given in addressing its portrayal of women - this was released when Benny Hill was a major television draw, so some areas (if not getting a pass) can at least be understood.
Paul Neary's cover isn't bad, but emphasizes Shanna's assets in a manner which probably split the audience for this issue - I can't be alone in wondering what a random stripper is doing gracing the cover of a Marvel title. Her appearance inside the issue, taken from the magazine-format line of comics, answers at least one question: this title doesn't exist to highlight strong, intelligent women capable of kicking ass - this is strictly cheesecake territory, with no attempt to disguise the fact.
The jungle is more than a place -- it;s a psychology, predicated on the principle that only the strong survive. Thus, there are asphalt jungles, blackboard jungles, corporate jungles... Which no civilized human being can tolerate for long. Not even Shanna the She-Devil!.Staying in a small cottage, Shanna has been tending her garden, taking refresher courses in veterinary medicine, and seeing a psychiatrist for her anxiety issues. Pushing down her fears and coping with boredom, Shanna embraces the dangers to be found in her private recreation of the jungle, replete with a deadly python she has named Ananta after the multi-headed Hindu serpent of eternity. Ananta obliges her, and the two engage in mock combat.
After two years roaming the plains of Dahomey and the steamy rain forests of India... After two years in pursuit of the Raga-Shah, high priest of the murder cult of Kali... Shanna O'Hara has come home, to the serene predictability of San Pedro, California, south of Los Angeles. It was that, or allow her rage to consume her sanity.
Which feels, somehow, more than mere combat training, which she recognises to a degree.
Having satisfied herself for a while, Shanna heads out to the home of Madeline Wickes, from where they have arranged to visit the Taj Mahal Mall. While walking through the mall, Shanna encounters the high priest of the Cult of Kali, Raga-Shah. Attempting to obtain her vengeance on him, for the murder of Central Park Zoo's leopards in 1972, she is restrained by the mall's security - and informed that Raga-Shah owns the mall. Shanna tells her psychiatrist of the incident, but finds skepticism in her words.
Exiting the building, Shanna runs into Raga-Shah's assassins, who didn't expect her to be done for another half hour. Taking the fight out into the open streets, Shanna is soon incapacitated by a drugged blade plunged into her shoulder. When she finally awakes, Shanna finds herself on an alter upon which Raga-Shah intends to make her a sacrifice to Kali. As the priest expands on his motivations, Shanna attempts to free herself - unable to break free, and unwilling to scream for assistance, she contemplates her fate.
Finally shattering the bonds which hold her, Shanna takes on the amassed force of the cult members. When only Raga-Shah remains standing, Shanna informs him that his fate has already been decided.
Despite a small mountain of problematic elements, which would take far too much space to cover in detail, this isn't an awful story. The presentation of Shanna in highly-sexualised poses is uncomfortable, but no more fetishistic than contorted, overly-muscled images of Spider-Man. What stands out, amid everything else, is the sense that Shanna is somehow not in control of events until the final, decisive battle turns in her favour. Without having a definite agenda, aside from seeking the death of Raga-Shah, she is left to react to the world around her.
Shanna's relationship with her snake is eyebrow-raising, in all the wrong ways, and Raga-Shah choosing to cut her leg with a knife is slightly too on-the-nose. The story almost demands an intense discussion. It is, nevertheless, a bold story, with some interesting angles to its worldview - accepting that Shanna is suffering from her adventures, and seeking help for her psychological issues, makes for a very different narrative than is usually seen in Marvel strips. The flashback (for once) actually has a purpose, and the art...
DeZuniga is a master of picking moments out of the script, though he overdoes the "gentleman's magazine" poses. Switching between a more standard style and rough, realistic images, he evokes the world which Shanna inhabits beautifully. The lettering, however, is atrocious in places - largely working in sync with the art, it sometimes obscures where it should be invisible. When lettering is really noticed, as here, it is rarely for good reasons.
The (brief) portfolio of Shanna sketches has the air of Comics Interview about it, though the larger pages allow for more detail than similar material. It does highlight a couple of artistic choices which don't quite gel for me - Shanna's upper arms aren't as developed as I might have expected, and her shoes don't look particularly effective for a jungle-based character. Given that her costume is basically a fur swimsuit, perhaps functionality isn't quite as important for Shanna...
The Fury of the Femizons is, even by Stan Lee standards, a hokey and cartoonish tale of a future American society ruled by women, where all are birthed by sperm vials rather than traditional means. To add to the mix, it is a society ruled over by a queen. Princess Lyra bests another woman in combat, earning herself a male slave to do with as she pleases - yet he is more than another slave, and has arranged to be taken as Lyra's slave in order to get his hands on brain tapes, forbidden technology which reveals the entire history of the human race. Men outside the city have reverted to bestial forms, crafting axes with which to attack the women of the cities.
Overwhelmed by its flimsy basis, the story never feels remotely real, and the characters are given roles to perform rather than personalities which drive their actions - at least Romita is on strong form, even if he does take more than a smidgeon of costume inspiration from Thor comics. It is precisely the kind of story which shouldn't have found a home here, and explains (in some small way) why there was never a regular Warrior Women series.
There are, in addition to the inside covers, five pages containing (monochrome, naturally) photographs of women culled from various and sundry feature films of (questionable) note, the introduction of which is further migraine-inducing icing on the cake:
As a special added bonus we've gathered together a selection of photos of the lovely actresses who had achieved fame by playing barbarous, savage or warrior women in the field of fantasy cinema. And if, after perusing this feature, you'd like to see more of this type of article, why not latch on to our sister publication, Starburst, which focuses on the world of tv, cinema science fantasy."Lovely ladies"? "Peruse"? This isn't a top-shelf magazine, and I would rather read the opinions of the ladies in question than have (some extremely) scantily clad photographs filling the pages of a comic magazine. The terminology aside, black and white photographs only work to their full advantage when printed on high quality paper, and this is far from such a publication - a horrid blob of ink marring Jane Seymour's face on my copy attests to the lack of care in bringing together the issue. And I don't remember Starburst routinely running photographs of women solely for their perceived attractiveness, though, on occasion, there were features of this kind.
It needs to be noted that the lack of imagination in selecting strong female characters is a hindrance to the feature's effectiveness. Nowhere is Ika from the recent Quest for Fire seen, nor mention made of real-life heroines such as Mariya Oktyabrskaya, or the role of women in the military in general. I would have expected at least passing mention of Joan of Arc, given the title of the magazine, for which enough material exists to run a monthly feature indefinitely without duplication of facts.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko's spirit weeps at the contents of this issue.
Because Marvel had an obsession with the world of Conan, there is (depressingly) yet another Hyborian outing here, though opening with a scene apparently set in a harem does not inspire confidence in whatever meagre remnants of the main objective of the title remains. The focus on female characters physical attributes throughout (albeit beautifully rendered depictions) brings me to the conclusion that a female readership was far from the concern of Alan McKenzie (or Marvel at large) when this was being compiled.
But wait... Before everyone agrees that this is a relic of a bygone age, writing off the notion of a title focused on women warriors as a horrid notion which ought to be consigned to history, there is some seed of genius here - a notion which even Titan's Xena - Warrior Princess magazine didn't exploit to any degree. By bringing together a translation of Yū Koyama's Azumi, features on films such as Kill Bill or The Professional, as well as some historical information, this might actually have a place in modern publishing.
There are no bad ideas, only poor implementations of ideas.
A rather undistinguished title, with problematic content, though highlighting an (overall) underdeveloped area which (specifically) British comics had thus far largely neglected, this ought to be better remembered - if only to avoid the obvious pitfalls, and serve as a guide to future endeavours in the same vein. And no, neither Vampirella nor Xena's appearances in British publications makes up for this.
Hulk Comic #1
07 Mar 1979. Cover price 10p
24 pages. B&W contents.
Marvel Comics, Ltd.
At last... in his own comic!
Edited by Dez Skinn.
Cover by Brian Bolland.
Sal Buscema Hulk head placed on Bolland Hulk body.
Bagged with free Hulk sticker album and stickers.
Contents:
There's something slightly off about Bolland's cover, which isn't entirely successfully made to fit Marvel house style by the use of a Sal Buscema head, though the use of new material - any new material - in a Marvel title is to be celebrated. It is unfortunate that this bold start is immediately paused for a preview of the contents which offers nothing save for a promise of free gifts in the subsequent issue. A small text introduction is always preferable to these clip art-like illustrations. Thankfully, the selected images are mostly good, though I'm not sure what to make of Ant Man.
A very slight story, with an amusing use of the Hulk's body chemistry to propel the plot. For a three-page strip, this has an awfully high body-count, highlighting the casually-handled mortality rate in superhero comics. There's also the problem of the Hulk's haircut, which is especially distracting. The ending has the hallmark of old morality plays, which seem very dated now, though oddly works to the story's advantage.
Mordred, learning of the Black Knight's return, sets his nightmarish birds of prey loose. Two rockets manage to dismount the knight, and...
The story cuts off, mid-scene. While the story serves as a perfectly reasonable introduction to the character, having such an abrupt ending really affects the way the story is received. There's a great atmosphere delivered through very attractive art, but there are too many events crammed into the first installment, without explanation, that I'm left feeling slightly short-changed by the strip. I've got a feeling this is a story which would greatly benefit from being read through without interruption.
Fury gets Duggan to accompany him on a separate line of investigation, but come up empty in the records. Gaffer and Pallis report that someone replaced components, as well as installing a hologram projector behind panelling. Before anything else can be revealed, the Heli-Carrier goes on Red Alert - a missile which splits into seven warheads is about to strike. They are stopped, and a trace of the final detonation pattern reveals a pattern identical to that which appeared in the training area.
This is a beautiful, and SF-heavy, introduction to Fury, with enough background to tie the story to American comics, and a decent mystery for him to solve. While Richardson is no Steranko, he gives the visuals everything he's got - occasionally nearing iconic imagery, as with the shot of Fury, gun held in front of him. It isn't an entirely successful opening, but has a quirky style I could grow to like.
While the story is paper-thin, the atmosphere generated in the strip is far more resonant than the rest of the title combined, instantly setting a tone slightly darker than mainstream Marvel usually employs. There aren't many characters who brand their enemies, and this is the big selling point for the character.
And no, in case you were wondering - the sticker album wasn't located with this issue.
24 pages. B&W contents.
Marvel Comics, Ltd.
At last... in his own comic!
Edited by Dez Skinn.
Cover by Brian Bolland.
Sal Buscema Hulk head placed on Bolland Hulk body.
Bagged with free Hulk sticker album and stickers.
Contents:
2 Hulk Comic Introductory page. / Indicia
3 The Incredible Hulk UNTITLED [Storm Over Arbory] w: Steve Moore; a: Dave Gibbons.
6 The Black Knight UNTITLED [Rare Blood Delivery] w: Steve Parkhouse; p: Steve Parkhouse, i: John Stokes.
9 From Trebor Double Agents H.Q. advertisement.
10 Watch out Hulk! Rampage Monthly now features The X-Men (one third page) in-house advertisement. / Journey into the world of the Weird -- the Occult -- the Magical (one third page) in-house advertisement for Rampage Monthly. / The Micronauts (one third page) in-house advertisement for Star Wars Weekly.
11 Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. UNTITLED [Seven Stars, Seven Missiles] w: Steve Moore; a: John Richardson.
15 2 More Triumphs from Marvel (half page) in-house advertisement for Savage Sword of Conan and Starburst. / 111 Stamps (All Different) Free (half page) advertisement for Bridgnorth Stamp Co. Ltd.
16 Ant-Man The Man in the Ant Hill w: Stan Lee; p: Jack Kirby, i: Dick Ayers.
r: edited from Tales to Astonish (Marvel Comics) #27 (Jan 1962).
19 Don't Miss the Latest Issue of Marvel Comic (half page) in-house advertisement. / On Sale Now - Spider-Man Comic (half page) in-house advertisement.
20 Night-Raven UNTITLED [] w: Steve Parkhouse; a: David Lloyd.
23 Star Flight News Zero Minus 15 (half page) advertisement for Starflight Rocket Fleet model toys. / Every Week Marvel Comic (half page) in-house advertisement.
24 The Incredible Hulk is just too big for only one comic! in-house advertisement for Rampage Magazine.
There's something slightly off about Bolland's cover, which isn't entirely successfully made to fit Marvel house style by the use of a Sal Buscema head, though the use of new material - any new material - in a Marvel title is to be celebrated. It is unfortunate that this bold start is immediately paused for a preview of the contents which offers nothing save for a promise of free gifts in the subsequent issue. A small text introduction is always preferable to these clip art-like illustrations. Thankfully, the selected images are mostly good, though I'm not sure what to make of Ant Man.
Victim of Gamma Radiation, Bruce Banner now finds himself transformed in times of stress into the most powerful creature ever to ealk the Earth.Arbory is in the midst of one of the most vicious electrical storms in living memory, which has plunged the inhabitants into darkness. The Hulk, struck by lightning, is somehow able to hold the charge - glowing incandescent blue - which terrifies locals, believing aliens have landed. A mugging, suddenly illuminated by the Hulk's accidental intervention, turns to murder when the victim recognises his assailants. Fleeing the scene, they run into the Hulk...
A very slight story, with an amusing use of the Hulk's body chemistry to propel the plot. For a three-page strip, this has an awfully high body-count, highlighting the casually-handled mortality rate in superhero comics. There's also the problem of the Hulk's haircut, which is especially distracting. The ending has the hallmark of old morality plays, which seem very dated now, though oddly works to the story's advantage.
Somewhere in the skies over South-West England a military helicopter in engaged upon a mission of mercy... Carrying vital medical supplies to a hospital in Cornwall, cut off by freak storms and blizzards...As the cloud cover breaks, the pilot observes the Black Knight flying through the air on his steed, a distracting enough sight to cause a crash. The Black Knight lands in order to determine the nature of the pilot's quest, and - upon learning that a rare blood type is being transported - decides to take matters into his own hands. Far below, old Sarah Mumford - out collecting firewood - considers the 'dark rider' a bad omen, while an armed Harrier takes off with the intent of taking down a UFO. Or an unidentified knight on his flying horse, if you prefer.
Mordred, learning of the Black Knight's return, sets his nightmarish birds of prey loose. Two rockets manage to dismount the knight, and...
The story cuts off, mid-scene. While the story serves as a perfectly reasonable introduction to the character, having such an abrupt ending really affects the way the story is received. There's a great atmosphere delivered through very attractive art, but there are too many events crammed into the first installment, without explanation, that I'm left feeling slightly short-changed by the strip. I've got a feeling this is a story which would greatly benefit from being read through without interruption.
Thousands of feet above the Eastern seaboard of the United States, a gigantic Heli-Carrier hangs motionless and quiet... the mobile command headquarters of the organisation known as SHIELD...Utilising the training room to keep in top shape, Nick Fury is distracted by the sudden appearance of seven glowing stars in a circle - long enough to allow a blast to hit him, numbing his arm. Duggan races to shut the power down, though Fury deals with the problem himself, blasting the control unit. Sidney E. Levine, "Gaffer," SHIELD's weaponry expert and inventor, and Carlyle Pallis, head of SHIELD's internal security, are summoned to investigate whether the stars were the result of malfunction or sabotage.
Fury gets Duggan to accompany him on a separate line of investigation, but come up empty in the records. Gaffer and Pallis report that someone replaced components, as well as installing a hologram projector behind panelling. Before anything else can be revealed, the Heli-Carrier goes on Red Alert - a missile which splits into seven warheads is about to strike. They are stopped, and a trace of the final detonation pattern reveals a pattern identical to that which appeared in the training area.
This is a beautiful, and SF-heavy, introduction to Fury, with enough background to tie the story to American comics, and a decent mystery for him to solve. While Richardson is no Steranko, he gives the visuals everything he's got - occasionally nearing iconic imagery, as with the shot of Fury, gun held in front of him. It isn't an entirely successful opening, but has a quirky style I could grow to like.
It all began only a few weeks ago. Pym was working on a fantastic project. A secret serum. Anything could be reduced in size and shipped for a fraction of the cost! An entire army could be transported in one airplane... And finally... for Henry Pym, success!Another outing for the origin of Ant-Man, albeit a curtailed one. It isn't bad, but overly familiar thanks to repeated appearances.
Night-time in the city, in a downtown hotel room a high-level business conference approaches stalemate...As negotiations between criminal groups break down, Night-Raven makes his presence known. Escaping out a window as gunfire ricochets around him, Night-Raven grabs Granacco and pulls him up to the roof. Distracting two of the mobsters, he sneaks back to the conference room and brands the third criminal, leaving his calling card before departing unseen.
While the story is paper-thin, the atmosphere generated in the strip is far more resonant than the rest of the title combined, instantly setting a tone slightly darker than mainstream Marvel usually employs. There aren't many characters who brand their enemies, and this is the big selling point for the character.
And no, in case you were wondering - the sticker album wasn't located with this issue.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Dracula Lives #1
26 Oct 1974; Cover price 8p.
36 pages. B&W.
Marvel Comics International Ltd.
Cover by UNKNOWN.
Free full-colour Dracula poster.
Contents:
The cover makes the comic look cheap, with a lack of detail and rough colouring entirely unrepresentative of what a Dracula title should be. There's no sense that the coffin, for example, has ever been used for the intended purpose - and seems rather small, given where the top of the casket is in relation to the sitting form of Dracula. With a cover blurb which appears to have fallen off a Spider-Man reprint, any sense that terrors await inside the pages of the first issue are effectively dispelled.
If it is a fright you are after, there is a photograph to kick off proceedings. That grinning figure of terror, that unspeakable horror, that... Oh wait, that's Stan Lee. Jeez, a warning would have been nice. It's not made clear whether this was meant as our first scare or not, but I'd like to think the intention was there. Part of the fun of seeing photographs of comic-book creators is scrutinizing the backgrounds - seeing what books, records and equipment are visible. Here, Stan Lee is surrounded by impenetrable darkness - somehow both symbolic and appropriate.
The Dracula strip is, when compared against the best examples, a complete let-down. The loose brush-work, large panels (crammed with dialogue), and cheesy text combine to reduce this down to the level of the superhero comics Marvel were more interested in publishing. When a character's dialogue consists of "--BATS!" it is time to start skipping pages.
Werewolf By Night is an effective four-page story told over the course of eight pages. The artwork is much improved over that in Dracula, but there are still too many shortcuts taken for the story to be truly effective. It is a shame that the strip is so rushed as there is enough mystery in the story to warrant attention. A main character who turns into a werewolf is automatically interesting, though the telling doesn't do the concept justice.
Throwing a Frankenstein adaptation in the title is a bit obvious, but it fits. Ploog's artwork is, unsurprisingly, the best on offer here, but the reproduction suffers from being so rough - in fact, there is no reason for continued interest in a title which is presented in such a slipshod manner. If a little more time had been spent making this value for money, and in presenting the stories with some context, then it wouldn't feel like such a rip-off.
Sadly, this is entirely representative of seventies Marvel titles.
36 pages. B&W.
Marvel Comics International Ltd.
Cover by UNKNOWN.
Free full-colour Dracula poster.
Contents:
.2 Free Karate Jiu-Jitsu Course advertisement.
.3 The Drama of Dracula! Stan Lee photo introduction.
.4 Dracula UNTITLED, part one, w: Gerry Conway; a: Gene Colan, lettering by John Costanza.
r: The Tomb of Dracula (Marvel Comics) #01 (Apr 1972)
17 Werewolf by Night UNTITLED, part one, w: Gerry Conway, from a plot by Roy Thomas & Jeanie Thomas; a: Michael Ploog, lettered by John Costanza.
r: Marvel Spotlight (Marvel Comics) #02 (Feb 1972).
28 Mighty Marvel Triple Action in-house advertisement.
29 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein!, part one, w: Gary Friedrich; a: Mike Ploog, lettered by John Costanza.
r: The Monster of Frankenstein (Marvel Comics) #01 (Jan 1973).
35 Next Week in-house advertisement.
36 Another Mighty Marvel First Issue Out Now! in-house advertisement for Planet of the Apes #01.
The cover makes the comic look cheap, with a lack of detail and rough colouring entirely unrepresentative of what a Dracula title should be. There's no sense that the coffin, for example, has ever been used for the intended purpose - and seems rather small, given where the top of the casket is in relation to the sitting form of Dracula. With a cover blurb which appears to have fallen off a Spider-Man reprint, any sense that terrors await inside the pages of the first issue are effectively dispelled.
If it is a fright you are after, there is a photograph to kick off proceedings. That grinning figure of terror, that unspeakable horror, that... Oh wait, that's Stan Lee. Jeez, a warning would have been nice. It's not made clear whether this was meant as our first scare or not, but I'd like to think the intention was there. Part of the fun of seeing photographs of comic-book creators is scrutinizing the backgrounds - seeing what books, records and equipment are visible. Here, Stan Lee is surrounded by impenetrable darkness - somehow both symbolic and appropriate.
The Dracula strip is, when compared against the best examples, a complete let-down. The loose brush-work, large panels (crammed with dialogue), and cheesy text combine to reduce this down to the level of the superhero comics Marvel were more interested in publishing. When a character's dialogue consists of "--BATS!" it is time to start skipping pages.
Werewolf By Night is an effective four-page story told over the course of eight pages. The artwork is much improved over that in Dracula, but there are still too many shortcuts taken for the story to be truly effective. It is a shame that the strip is so rushed as there is enough mystery in the story to warrant attention. A main character who turns into a werewolf is automatically interesting, though the telling doesn't do the concept justice.
Throwing a Frankenstein adaptation in the title is a bit obvious, but it fits. Ploog's artwork is, unsurprisingly, the best on offer here, but the reproduction suffers from being so rough - in fact, there is no reason for continued interest in a title which is presented in such a slipshod manner. If a little more time had been spent making this value for money, and in presenting the stories with some context, then it wouldn't feel like such a rip-off.
Sadly, this is entirely representative of seventies Marvel titles.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Kid Slade Gunfighter #1
### 1957. Cover price 1/.
68 pages. B&W contents.
Thorpe & Porter
Cover by UNKNOWN.
r: UNKNOWN.
Contents:
Note: Cover is "Kid Slade, Gunfighter" while the spine reads "Kid Slade Comics" - I have chosen to use the cover title.
One of the titles not to hand at present - a review will be included when I'm set up properly.
68 pages. B&W contents.
Thorpe & Porter
Cover by UNKNOWN.
r: UNKNOWN.
Contents:
2 Top the Charts Every Month With Cannon Records in-house advertisement.
3 Gun Crazy w: Stan Lee; a: Venon Henkel.
r: Kid Colt Outlaw (Marvel Comics) #25 (Mar 1953).
7 Kid Colt Outlaw UNTITLED [B676] w: UNKNOWN; a: Ed Smalle, Jr.
r: Kid Colt Outlaw (Marvel Comics) #25 (Mar 1953).
13 American Eagle The City of Death! w: UNKNOWN; a: Joe Gevanter.
r: Prize Comics Western (Prize) Vol.13 #03 (Jul-Aug 1954).
21 The Cop Went West! text story by UNKNOWN; illustrated by Pete Morisi.
r: Kid Colt Outlaw (Marvel Comics) #25 (Mar 1953).
23 Kid Colt Outlaw UNTITLED [D587 ?] w: UNKNOWN; a: UNKNOWN.
r: UNKNOWN.
30 Rico's Secret Saddle w: UNKNOWN; a: George Olesen.
r: Dead-Eye Western Comics (Hillman) Vol.2 #08 (Feb-Mar 1952).
36 Prayer Works Wonders (public service announcement) a: Frank Frazetta.
r: Real Clue Crime Stories (Hillman) Vol.7 #06 (Aug 1952).
37 Kid Colt Outlaw UNTITLED [B-675] w: UNKNOWN; a: Jack Keller.
r: UNKNOWN.
44 The High Steppers [Show Bucker / Grandstander and The Pile Driver] illustrated feature; a: UNKNOWN.
r: Dead-Eye Western Comics (Hillman) Vol.2 #09 (Aug 1952).
45 Seal of Lightfoot w: UNKNOWN; p: Paul Reinman, i: Dan Zolnerowich.
r: Dead-Eye Western Comics (Hillman) Vol.2 #09 (Aug 1952).
51 Gun Battle! text story (uncredited); illustrated by Russ Heath (uncredited).
r: Kid Colt Outlaw (Marvel Comics) #45 (Feb 1955).
53 American Eagle Wildcat Hunters! w: UNKNOWN; a: Joe Gevanter.
r: Prize Comics Western (Prize) Vol.13 #03 (Jul-Aug 1954).
59 The Saga of Daisy Mae text story by Bob Young; illustrated by UNKNOWN.
r: UNKNOWN.
60 Kid Colt Outlaw UNTITLED w: UNKNOWN; a: Jack Keller.
r: UNKNOWN.
66 Fast Job (half page) w: UNKNOWN; a: UNKNOWN. / The Best in Thrilling Comics in-house advertisement for Race for the Moon.
r: UNKNOWN.
67 Which has the Atlas Built Body? advertisement for Charles Atlas.
68 Fear no Man advertisement for Ketsugo Complete Self-Defense.
Note: Cover is "Kid Slade, Gunfighter" while the spine reads "Kid Slade Comics" - I have chosen to use the cover title.
One of the titles not to hand at present - a review will be included when I'm set up properly.
The Avengers Vol.1 #1
22 Sep 1973. Cover price 6p.
36 pages. B&W contents.
Marvel Comics Ltd.
Cover montage:
Free Superhero Transfers.
Contents:
Unfortunately we do not get to see Cap being given a guided tour of the Avengers' mansion, as the story immediately goes into a flashback showing Cap's journey from ice-cube to being revived. When he comes to his senses, he has his own flashback to WWII's climax, recounting events that led to him being frozen. Interestingly, he is aware that he was worshiped by Eskimos - a fact he could only have known if he was aware of events around him while frozen. Nestled flashbacks are an extremely difficult writing trick to pull of well, and this shows how not to do it. With each passing panel we are moved further from the beginning of the story, further from immediacy.
When the Avengers are turned to stone, but Captain America's first impulse isn't to investigate the strange statues - checking out the attractive women gathered nearby instead, then wandering off in order to look at modern buildings. A police officer directs Cap to a nearby hotel, where he somehow gets a room despite being in full costume and having no discernible money. The dialogue here really stretches credibility, as he states that he has never seen television, despite WRGB having broadcasted from the General Electric facility in Schenectady since 1928. There were many exhibitions of the technology, and shops had televisions on display - especially in New York, where Cap is from.
Rick Jones breaks into Cap's hotel room (his criminal skills are on a par with Doctor Doom), and despite Rick's insistence that he needs help finding the Avengers, Cap is more interested in the fact that Rick is the spitting image of Bucky. Cap quashes his emotional outburst (resisting the urge to ask Rick to put on Bucky's tights for, uh... nostalgic reasons), and sets off with the youngster to a dark room. Sorry, a darkroom, where they look at perfectly innocent photographs together. They discover that one of the photographers who greeted the Avengers on the docks was wielding a gun of sorts.
Cap says they need to find the man, and Rick alerts the Teen-Brigade. These eager teens start snapping candid photographs of men for Cap to peruse at his leisure, but Cap finally discovers the man he is after by staring through windows like a peeping Tom. Smashing his way into the room, the strange man's gunsels open fire, but Cap's shield quickly dispenses with their weapons. They flee when they discover that their employer is an alien, then we are privy to another flashback in which the alien's story is laid out - from a far distant galaxy, the alien's ship crashed on Earth centuries before, embedding itself in into the bottom of the sea.
During the narrative, Cap works out that the gun - which can turn people to stone for one hundred hours - and the alien's hair were responsible for the Medusa legend, and that Namor was behind the attack, convincing the alien he would free his ship in return for taking out the Avengers. Cap convinces the nameless alien to restore his new friends, promising that he will free the ship in exchange for his assistance. The Avengers are restored, then set out to get the ship from its location under the sea, which Thor accomplishes easily. Before they can celebrate, Namor and his warriors attack the Avengers.
Captain America, however, merely sits back, enjoying the spectacle - imagining what he could have done with a man such as Namor back in the day.
Namor reveals that he has taken Rick hostage, which finally prompts Cap to stop daydreaming and enter the fight. It is a battle swiftly concluded as the alien has concluded his repairs, and is readying his ship for take-off. Iron Man scolds Cap for waiting so long to use his his fists, and Wasp reveals that she was 'powdering her nose' during proceedings. And yes, that is actually the phrase she uses.
Iron Man then proposes to Captain America. That he join the Avengers, that is. Meanwhile, Rick is conflicted: "He's the greatest guy I ever met - and I can tell he wants me to be his partner! But what about - the Hulk? He's sure to return some day... and when he finds out that Captain America has replaced him - will anything be able to stop him then??!"
There is no more infuriating opening that one which is never revisited. Without the splash page of Captain America entering the mansion this could have been a straight-forward story, but by framing it as a flash-back builds in the notion that events of the past will have bearing on that moment. To completely disregard the present in favour of staying with what has happened previously means we are left wondering what occurred past that moment. I'd like to imagine that Cap asked if he could have a room near Rick's. Or Wasp - he isn't too choosy.
Bad plotting is bad plotting, irrespective of medium or genre. The Avengers story here is lumbered with an over-abundance of easy get-out clauses for characters to enjoy - had they simply sat around chatting with Namor and his forces instead of engaging in fisticuffs the outcome would have been identical. The actions of the alien through the ages isn't explored in any detail, nor the fate of Eskimos at the beginning of the story, leaving far too many loose ends.
Without pausing, the issue moves on to another reprint:
Having completed a successful operation, Stephen celebrates by lighting a cigarette and disregarding a colleague who tells him that his patient wants to thank the surgeon who saved his life. Moving forward in time, Ancient One sees the car crash which changed Stephen's life - nerve damage to his hands leaving him unable to perform surgery ever again. One day, when hanging around on the docks (as he does) he hears two men talking about a man with the ability to cure any manner of affliction.
Having seen enough, the Ancient One tells Strange that he sees within the surgeon a spark of decency which he might be able to fan into a flame. Ancient One offers Strange the opportunity to study with him, but is refused. A convenient snowstorm means Strange can't walk out on the offer, and he soon witnesses the proof of the Ancient One's magical abilities - and happens upon Mordo using black magic to attack his master. Bound and gagged, he is unable to warn about the threat within, but the Ancient One sees and knows all...
An effective and well-paced story which reveals pertinent details of Strange's past without overdoing the magic elements. Use of nine-panel pages works well, with enough variation to maintain visual interest. Although Mordo is too one-note villainy to convince as a rounded character, the personalities of characters are all clearly defined, with scenes set in Strange's past - being hilariously rude - the highlight. If there's one strip calling out to be written, it is Strange's story prior to his accident.
36 pages. B&W contents.
Marvel Comics Ltd.
Cover montage:
Doctor Strange p:
r: Strange Tales (Marvel Comics) #?? (## ### ####).
Iron Man p: Jack Kirby, i: George Roussos.
r: cover element from The Avengers (Marvel Comics) #04 (1963).
Thor p:
r: Journey into Mystery (Marvel Comics) #?? (## ### ####).
Captain America p: Jack Kirby, i: George Roussos.
r: cover element from The Avengers (Marvel Comics) #04 (1963).
Free Superhero Transfers.
Contents:
.2 Count Dracula's Deadly Secret advertisement for Wall's ice lolly; a: UNKNOWN.
.3 The Avengers Captain America Joins The Avengers! w: Stan Lee; p: Jack Kirby, i: George Roussos (uncredited), lettered by Art Simek.
r: edited from The Avengers (Marvel Comics) #04 (1963).
13 Hi There, Adventure Lover! (three quarter page) introduction. / 144 Different Stamps FREE! advertisement (one eighth page) advertisement. / Free Stamp Collector's Outfit (one eighth page) advertisement .
26 The Insult That Made a Man Out of 'Mac' advertisement for Charles Atlas 'Dynamic Tension' book.
27 Dr. Strange "The Origin of Dr. Strange" w: Stan Lee; a: Steve Ditko, lettered by Sam Rosen.
r: Strange Tales (Marvel Comics) #115 ().
35 The Adventures of the Cresta Bear advertisement; a: UNKNOWN.
36 It's Disneytime Again advertisement for Disney Storybook, and Movees Starter Packs.
The cover, picking out iconic images of featured characters, is surprisingly effective given disparate sources, though the overdose of text is awful. Not only does the text manage to give the issue the appearance of a high street marketing leaflet, it is also done in a range of styles which clash horribly - this is what a comic-book designed by an eight-year-old looks like, and in no way encourages confidence. This is not a good start.A tale destined to become a milestone in the Marvel age of comics!Stan Lee, despite his numerous faults, knew that wowing readers with hype worked. In many ways Lee's style anticipates the trend for "moments" being emphasized above cohesive storytelling, with splash pages and melodrama overshadowing narrative clarity. Thor, Iron Man, Wasp, and Giant-Man stand (in costume) to greet Captain America (also in costume), who has decided to join the Avengers. Do these people live in their costumes? When do they wash them? It is moments such as this opening scene which fundamentally breaks the genre's credibility for me.
Bringing you the great super-hero which your wonderful avalanche of fan mail demanded!
Unfortunately we do not get to see Cap being given a guided tour of the Avengers' mansion, as the story immediately goes into a flashback showing Cap's journey from ice-cube to being revived. When he comes to his senses, he has his own flashback to WWII's climax, recounting events that led to him being frozen. Interestingly, he is aware that he was worshiped by Eskimos - a fact he could only have known if he was aware of events around him while frozen. Nestled flashbacks are an extremely difficult writing trick to pull of well, and this shows how not to do it. With each passing panel we are moved further from the beginning of the story, further from immediacy.
When the Avengers are turned to stone, but Captain America's first impulse isn't to investigate the strange statues - checking out the attractive women gathered nearby instead, then wandering off in order to look at modern buildings. A police officer directs Cap to a nearby hotel, where he somehow gets a room despite being in full costume and having no discernible money. The dialogue here really stretches credibility, as he states that he has never seen television, despite WRGB having broadcasted from the General Electric facility in Schenectady since 1928. There were many exhibitions of the technology, and shops had televisions on display - especially in New York, where Cap is from.
Rick Jones breaks into Cap's hotel room (his criminal skills are on a par with Doctor Doom), and despite Rick's insistence that he needs help finding the Avengers, Cap is more interested in the fact that Rick is the spitting image of Bucky. Cap quashes his emotional outburst (resisting the urge to ask Rick to put on Bucky's tights for, uh... nostalgic reasons), and sets off with the youngster to a dark room. Sorry, a darkroom, where they look at perfectly innocent photographs together. They discover that one of the photographers who greeted the Avengers on the docks was wielding a gun of sorts.
Cap says they need to find the man, and Rick alerts the Teen-Brigade. These eager teens start snapping candid photographs of men for Cap to peruse at his leisure, but Cap finally discovers the man he is after by staring through windows like a peeping Tom. Smashing his way into the room, the strange man's gunsels open fire, but Cap's shield quickly dispenses with their weapons. They flee when they discover that their employer is an alien, then we are privy to another flashback in which the alien's story is laid out - from a far distant galaxy, the alien's ship crashed on Earth centuries before, embedding itself in into the bottom of the sea.
During the narrative, Cap works out that the gun - which can turn people to stone for one hundred hours - and the alien's hair were responsible for the Medusa legend, and that Namor was behind the attack, convincing the alien he would free his ship in return for taking out the Avengers. Cap convinces the nameless alien to restore his new friends, promising that he will free the ship in exchange for his assistance. The Avengers are restored, then set out to get the ship from its location under the sea, which Thor accomplishes easily. Before they can celebrate, Namor and his warriors attack the Avengers.
Captain America, however, merely sits back, enjoying the spectacle - imagining what he could have done with a man such as Namor back in the day.
Namor reveals that he has taken Rick hostage, which finally prompts Cap to stop daydreaming and enter the fight. It is a battle swiftly concluded as the alien has concluded his repairs, and is readying his ship for take-off. Iron Man scolds Cap for waiting so long to use his his fists, and Wasp reveals that she was 'powdering her nose' during proceedings. And yes, that is actually the phrase she uses.
Iron Man then proposes to Captain America. That he join the Avengers, that is. Meanwhile, Rick is conflicted: "He's the greatest guy I ever met - and I can tell he wants me to be his partner! But what about - the Hulk? He's sure to return some day... and when he finds out that Captain America has replaced him - will anything be able to stop him then??!"
There is no more infuriating opening that one which is never revisited. Without the splash page of Captain America entering the mansion this could have been a straight-forward story, but by framing it as a flash-back builds in the notion that events of the past will have bearing on that moment. To completely disregard the present in favour of staying with what has happened previously means we are left wondering what occurred past that moment. I'd like to imagine that Cap asked if he could have a room near Rick's. Or Wasp - he isn't too choosy.
Bad plotting is bad plotting, irrespective of medium or genre. The Avengers story here is lumbered with an over-abundance of easy get-out clauses for characters to enjoy - had they simply sat around chatting with Namor and his forces instead of engaging in fisticuffs the outcome would have been identical. The actions of the alien through the ages isn't explored in any detail, nor the fate of Eskimos at the beginning of the story, leaving far too many loose ends.
Without pausing, the issue moves on to another reprint:
In answer to an avalanche of requests, we present:In India, land of mystic enchantment, we find a haggard figure entering a strangely silent chamber - Doctor Stephen Strange, for it is he, asks the man inside if he is "the Ancient One," who is said to have healing powers. Strange is told that he has has to prove himself worthy, as the power of magic must not be wasted on those who are undeserving. Ancient One uses his powers to peer into Strange's brain, into his memory, to learn the truth, seeing his life in America as a famous surgeon.
"The Origin of Dr. Strange"
Who is he? Where does he come from? How did he get his powers?
Having completed a successful operation, Stephen celebrates by lighting a cigarette and disregarding a colleague who tells him that his patient wants to thank the surgeon who saved his life. Moving forward in time, Ancient One sees the car crash which changed Stephen's life - nerve damage to his hands leaving him unable to perform surgery ever again. One day, when hanging around on the docks (as he does) he hears two men talking about a man with the ability to cure any manner of affliction.
Having seen enough, the Ancient One tells Strange that he sees within the surgeon a spark of decency which he might be able to fan into a flame. Ancient One offers Strange the opportunity to study with him, but is refused. A convenient snowstorm means Strange can't walk out on the offer, and he soon witnesses the proof of the Ancient One's magical abilities - and happens upon Mordo using black magic to attack his master. Bound and gagged, he is unable to warn about the threat within, but the Ancient One sees and knows all...
An effective and well-paced story which reveals pertinent details of Strange's past without overdoing the magic elements. Use of nine-panel pages works well, with enough variation to maintain visual interest. Although Mordo is too one-note villainy to convince as a rounded character, the personalities of characters are all clearly defined, with scenes set in Strange's past - being hilariously rude - the highlight. If there's one strip calling out to be written, it is Strange's story prior to his accident.
Sunday, October 21, 2018
The Mighty World of Marvel Vol.1 #1
07 Oct 1972; Cover price 5p.
40 pages. Colour, tone & B&W.
Magazine Management London, Ltd.
Cover by John Buscema.
Free iron-on Monster T-Shirt Transfer
Contents:
The Hulk has never looked more impressive than the opening splash page, and Kirby's influences (a favourite topic for articles about Jack Kirby) are clear - physical solidity bringing to mind William Blake, and some hint of Karloff's monster - which makes the brief original run of the character's so immediate and enjoyable. There is a uniqueness of vision in artwork for the early stories which would be washed away once The Hulk became popular. Here, with undiluted, unquestionable skill, everything works beautifully. The writing, as always with Stan Lee, is awkward and unconvincing.
The introduction of The Fantastic Four is less obvious a path, and the slow build-up teases a horror story out of what is essentially a superhero concept, though exceptionally done nevertheless. There's no great plot here, nor any deep thinking, beyond the characters getting from point A to point B with all manner of mishaps creating delays through their ill-advised display of abilities. It is almost a parody in places, with one ridiculous moment after another, culminating in the four assembling with joy at having survived the morning.
Rounding out the issue is the first appearance of Spider-Man, and - once again - it is a fantastic depiction of the character. The writing is surprisingly taut, and the twist recalls the best of the pre-superhero Marvel comics, though with much more emphasis on internal struggles than external battles. Without wasting any time, Peter Parker quickly falls into his heroic persona and brings justice to his uncle's killer - a simple motivation, played painfully straight, and which has been recycled endlessly ever after.
Odd tinting choices take attention away from the art, which has always looked better in black and white, but it is the best first issue Marvel have managed for their superheroes, with iconic characters shown from the beginning.
40 pages. Colour, tone & B&W.
Magazine Management London, Ltd.
Cover by John Buscema.
Free iron-on Monster T-Shirt Transfer
Contents:
.2 The Hulk The Coming of the Hulk w: Stan Lee; p: Jack Kirby, i: Paul Reinman.
r: The Incredible Hulk (Marvel Comics) Vol.1 #01 (May 1962).
.9 Instructions for free gift. / Advertisements
10 The Mighty World of Pin-Up Page! Fantastic Four p: Jack Kirby, p: George Klein.
r: (altered) cover from Fantastic Four (Marvel Comics) Vol.1 #01 (Nov 1961).
11 You've a team to be proud of- get a watch to be proud of advertisement for SoccerWatch.
12 The Hulk The Coming of the Hulk (cont.)
15 The Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four! w: Stan Lee; p: Jack Kirby, i: George Klein, lettering by Artie Simek.
r: Fantastic Four (Marvel Comics) Vol.1 #01 (Nov 1961).
20 A Special Message from Stan Lee (one third page) / For Mighty Marvel Readers Only! (1 2/3 pages) collectible token competition.
22 The Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four! (cont.)
30 Accept this Splendid Encyclopedia Free! advertisement.
31 Spider-Man Spider-Man w: Stan Lee; a: Steve Ditko, lettering by Artie Simek.
r: Amazing Fantasy (Marvel Comics) Vol.1 #15 (Sep 1962).
The Hulk has never looked more impressive than the opening splash page, and Kirby's influences (a favourite topic for articles about Jack Kirby) are clear - physical solidity bringing to mind William Blake, and some hint of Karloff's monster - which makes the brief original run of the character's so immediate and enjoyable. There is a uniqueness of vision in artwork for the early stories which would be washed away once The Hulk became popular. Here, with undiluted, unquestionable skill, everything works beautifully. The writing, as always with Stan Lee, is awkward and unconvincing.
The introduction of The Fantastic Four is less obvious a path, and the slow build-up teases a horror story out of what is essentially a superhero concept, though exceptionally done nevertheless. There's no great plot here, nor any deep thinking, beyond the characters getting from point A to point B with all manner of mishaps creating delays through their ill-advised display of abilities. It is almost a parody in places, with one ridiculous moment after another, culminating in the four assembling with joy at having survived the morning.
Rounding out the issue is the first appearance of Spider-Man, and - once again - it is a fantastic depiction of the character. The writing is surprisingly taut, and the twist recalls the best of the pre-superhero Marvel comics, though with much more emphasis on internal struggles than external battles. Without wasting any time, Peter Parker quickly falls into his heroic persona and brings justice to his uncle's killer - a simple motivation, played painfully straight, and which has been recycled endlessly ever after.
Odd tinting choices take attention away from the art, which has always looked better in black and white, but it is the best first issue Marvel have managed for their superheroes, with iconic characters shown from the beginning.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Marvel Madhouse #1
Jun 1981; Cover price 35p.
36 pages. B&W contents.
Marvel Comics Ltd.
Cover by Marie Severin.
r: modified and recoloured cover from Not Brand Echh (Marvel Comics) #03 (Oct 1967).
Contents:
There's something inherently appealing about the mockery of superheroes. Unfortunately, the reliance on reprints means that this isn't quite as fresh and exciting as it could have been, with only Earth 33⅓ constituting original content. It is extremely good content, with three whole pages to play with, but is followed by so many reprints that no matter how well-crafted the strip is (it is very funny) there's a lingering suspicion that this issue isn't the best value for money.
Quinn and Howett provide a counterpoint to the solemnity and melodrama which regular strips routinely indulged in. A rocket carrying a baby from the dying planet of Britain hurtles through space towards Earth 33⅓, crashing into the bedroom of the Normans. Under Earth 33⅓'s dense gravity the child found it was weaker than on his homeworld. Adopted and named Norman Norman by the couple, his life was quiet until one night on his twelfth birthday his foster parent were gunned down by a robber.
Not being particular fond of them, their deaths didn't discourage Norman Norman. At the age of fifteen, Norman was attacked by a swarm of radioactive, gamma-ridden bats, leaving him suffering from radio-gamma sickness. And a strong dislike of bats. The ambulance taking him to hospital was then involved in a 300MPH collision. Thankfully modern technology being what it is, the surgeons began to rebuild Norman into something even better than before. Until they found out he was broke.
As far as origin stories go, Private Normal - the not-at-all-super-in-any-way-man - is very expansive, with numerous allusions to Marvel comics, and even the appearance of an issue of Whoopee!. The details (Mount Sinus Hospital, Doc Kildane, a sneaky Superman logo) are amusing, and the speed at which events progress means that there isn't a problem with the lack of a narrative thread. The strip remains as fresh as the day it was published, and almost makes up for the amount of reprints which follows.
The splash page of Charlie America makes a decent point (as all satire should) regarding the number of times origin stories are tackled. Some characters (such as Batman) have had their origin retold so many times that it is difficult to feel any empathy for the character's situation - sure, it's sad losing parents to a robber, but it is unbearably cruel and unusual punishment to be told the same story multiple times.
For reprints from Not Brand Echh, the rest of the strips aren't all that bad, and Marie Severin's work really shines in the format, even if the paper quality is abysmal. It is nice to see the linework without unnecessary colour.
36 pages. B&W contents.
Marvel Comics Ltd.
Cover by Marie Severin.
r: modified and recoloured cover from Not Brand Echh (Marvel Comics) #03 (Oct 1967).
Contents:
.2 Dangerous Visions advertisement.
.3 Welcome to the Marvel Madhouse contents page; illustraton uncredited. / Indicia
.4 Earth 33⅓: The Motion Picture And Lo There Shall Come a Norm! w: Tim Quinn; a: Dicky Howett.
.6 Charlie America The Honest-to-Irving, True-Blue, Top-Secret Original Origin of Charlie America! w: Roy Thomas; a: Tom Sutton, lettered by Gaspar Saladino.
r: Not Brand Echh (Marvel Comics) #03 (Oct 1967).
14 Dangerous Visions advertisement.
15 He's Mighty Sore "The Origin of Sore, Son of Shmodin!" w: Stan Lee; p: Jack Kirby, i: Frank Giacoia, lettering by Artie Simek.
r: Not Brand Echh (Marvel Comics) #03 (Oct 1967).
23 The Inedible Bulk! "The Origin of Brucie Banter ...and Friend" w: Gary Friedrich; a: Marie Severin, lettering by Artie Simek.
r: Not Brand Echh (Marvel Comics) #03 (Oct 1967).
30 From the Depths of the Hyborian Age (half page) in-house advertisement for The Savage Sword of Conan. / Now... in Every issue of Marvel Superheroes (half page) in-house advertisement.
31 Too-Gone Kid "The Fastest Gums in the West!" w: Roy Thomas; a: Marie Severin, lettering by Sam Rosen.
r: Not Brand Echh (Marvel Comics) #01 (Aug 1967).
35 Star Wars Watches for Boys & Girls! advertisement.
36 Missed any Good Magazines Lately? in-house advertisement for Starburst.
There's something inherently appealing about the mockery of superheroes. Unfortunately, the reliance on reprints means that this isn't quite as fresh and exciting as it could have been, with only Earth 33⅓ constituting original content. It is extremely good content, with three whole pages to play with, but is followed by so many reprints that no matter how well-crafted the strip is (it is very funny) there's a lingering suspicion that this issue isn't the best value for money.
Quinn and Howett provide a counterpoint to the solemnity and melodrama which regular strips routinely indulged in. A rocket carrying a baby from the dying planet of Britain hurtles through space towards Earth 33⅓, crashing into the bedroom of the Normans. Under Earth 33⅓'s dense gravity the child found it was weaker than on his homeworld. Adopted and named Norman Norman by the couple, his life was quiet until one night on his twelfth birthday his foster parent were gunned down by a robber.
Not being particular fond of them, their deaths didn't discourage Norman Norman. At the age of fifteen, Norman was attacked by a swarm of radioactive, gamma-ridden bats, leaving him suffering from radio-gamma sickness. And a strong dislike of bats. The ambulance taking him to hospital was then involved in a 300MPH collision. Thankfully modern technology being what it is, the surgeons began to rebuild Norman into something even better than before. Until they found out he was broke.
As far as origin stories go, Private Normal - the not-at-all-super-in-any-way-man - is very expansive, with numerous allusions to Marvel comics, and even the appearance of an issue of Whoopee!. The details (Mount Sinus Hospital, Doc Kildane, a sneaky Superman logo) are amusing, and the speed at which events progress means that there isn't a problem with the lack of a narrative thread. The strip remains as fresh as the day it was published, and almost makes up for the amount of reprints which follows.
The splash page of Charlie America makes a decent point (as all satire should) regarding the number of times origin stories are tackled. Some characters (such as Batman) have had their origin retold so many times that it is difficult to feel any empathy for the character's situation - sure, it's sad losing parents to a robber, but it is unbearably cruel and unusual punishment to be told the same story multiple times.
For reprints from Not Brand Echh, the rest of the strips aren't all that bad, and Marie Severin's work really shines in the format, even if the paper quality is abysmal. It is nice to see the linework without unnecessary colour.
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