Two Questions: Field of Dreams, Comics Style

 

 Redartz: If you're any fan of American Baseball, you've heard about the recent "Field of Dreams" game. If not, you may be familiar with the iconic Kevin Costner movie by that title. Well, in both cases, part of the charm (perhaps the whole point) is the magical blending of past and present. Or to paraphrase James Earl Jones' speech, ...All that was good...and could be again...". 

Anyway, it seemed like it might be fun to apply that approach to comics. Just how, you ask? Well, in a two fold question form, that's how. And for our UK contingent, never fear- you can answer these questions too; they aren't baseball specific. Shall we begin?

The first part of the question parallels the movie, bringing the past into the present. Therefore, your challenge is to think of a comic book or series from the past  (say, before Marvel circa 1961). Then offer your ideal creative team of Bronze age-or-later  vintage to bring new life to that title. 

My submission: It's common knowledge that I loved Marvel's "Man-Thing " series, especially under Gerber and Ploog. And the book still gets reboots in our current world. So, let's dig waaaay back to the EC Comics of the 1950s and try Ghastly Graham Ingels on the book! Bet he'd be a perfect fit...

Man-Thing by Mike Ploog

 

Old Witch by Graham Ingels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second part of the question is based upon the recent game, wherein the present was revised as the past. Your challenge here is just the opposite of the first part, i.e. name a recent (Bronze age or later) comic or series, and present a classic creative team from the Halcyon Days of Early Comicdom. 

My submission: Anyone familiar with "Lady Luck"? A cool character created by  Will Eisner and Chuck Mazoujian,published as part of the famous "Spirit Sections", and by  Quality Comics. To my mind, the first choice for a contemporary artist for her would be Bruce Timm. I'd buy that book in a heartbeat!

 

Lady Luck by Gill Fox

Batgirl by Bruce Timm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and incidentally- for any fellow baseball fans out there, feel free to toss in a comment or two about the movie and/or the game. If you haven't guessed yet,  I enjoyed both. And I'm ecstatic that next year's Field of Dreams game will involve the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs.  Oh, for a ticket...

All New, All Different Sunday! Halloween Part 2: Marvel Monsters!

Martinex1:  Today we are bringing you a little treat, rather than a repeat trick, with a new Halloween topic to mull over.  Since we are upsetting the normal Sunday vibe, we will keep it simple - did you read and follow any of the Marvel monster mags of the Bronze Age?  When Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, and the Werewolf started appearing on the spinner rack were you there?

Artists like Mike Ploog and Gene Colan brought us some wonderfully creepy stories of the classic monsters meshed with an eerie Marvel feel.

 I did not delve into these four color tomes until much later in life, but I have come to appreciate the intricacy and storytelling.  Particularly The Monster of Frankenstein and The Tomb of Dracula were of interest as they generated rather complex tales and emotion, while the art was overall quite good.   Werewolf By Night was a bit more campy and seemed to trip into the superhero realm more than the others; or maybe because the book introduced Moon Knight I am just more sensitive to that theme.

Believe it or not, my initial introduction to these characters was through youthful glimpses at Universal  monster movies.   As a child, my father watched the Abbott and Costello comedies that featured the characters with me.  That may have colored my early perception, but as I said more recently I've begun to enjoy these missed gems.

 Along the way, I also stumbled upon Marvel's Supernatural Thrillers and I was surprised that I enjoyed the Living Mummy issues.

 That title also carried some adaptations of classic horror tales that I found to be well-crafted considering the truncated length and any limits of the medium.  I found that the covers really caught my eye; there was some interesting art throughout.

 So if you were a collector of these classics from the 70s, speak up and share your thoughts!  Comments are welcome this fine October Sunday!   Cheers (and fears) as we celebrate Halloween throughout the month!