Panel Discussion: Just Sharing a Few Favorites...

 

Redartz:  Over the years, from time to time, I've mentioned several comics that hold a high position in my status list. Today we're going to take a brief look at several of those favorites; consider each one a hearty recommendation! Each one is a potential source of  discussion' additionally  for this 'round table' everyone is encouraged to describe/ recommend / flaunt a choice book or books that you think everyone else would enjoy. 

Each mini review will also feature a page from the tale to give you a little sample, just to tantalize. So here we go, in no  particular order:

Batman / Spirit, by Jeph Loeb and Darwyn Cooke

. This teamup of two of my favorite characters would be a natural for my 'best 'list. Even more so when rendered by the wonderful Darwyn Cooke. His retro style perfectly captures the classic feel of the classic villains abounding herein. And abound they do; many of both Batman's and the Spirit's most famous foes are involved. Loeb's story is very entertaining, and winds around a fascinating crossover between Jim Gordon, Commissioner Dolan, P'Gell and Pamela Isley. Not going to spoil it for you, but it's a hoot. And, the interplay between the two main protagonists is likewise hilarious. Any fan of either Bruce Wayne or Denny Colt will love this.

Spirit Jam, by Will Eisner and just about everybody...

Will Eisner's most famous creation gets two appearances today, and he certainly deserves it. This phenomenal tale appears in Kitchen Sink Comix' "Will Eisner's The Spirit" issue 30, from 1981. Most of this series  presented reprints of Eisner's revered work, both of the Spirit and occasionally of other subjects. But this special issue brought together an unbelievable team of creators; too lengthy to go into ; but you can get an idea from the cover. Suffice it to say that the representative page here was done by Frank Miller and Terry Austin. 

As for the story, it involves an untold Spirit adventure, wrapped in a framing sequence tying in the very creation of the story itself! As in Batman/Spirit, many of the Spririt's rogues gallery are included. The story abounds in adventure, humor, and a bit of  the risque as well. It's great fun, and a big kick trying to identify the various artists' work from page to page (if you need to cheat, there's a breakdown on the letters page). 

This book can be had for a comparative pittance, but it's worth it's weight in gold (or perhaps golden age books?).

 

 

 

 Jonny Quest #2, by William Messner-Loebs, Wendy Pini and Joe Staton.

 The first two reviews were pretty light-hearted; this book is one of the most heartrending comics I've ever read. It gives us both the story of how Jonny's mother died, and also how Race Bannon came to join the Quest family. As  you would expect, Race keeps the requisite amount of excitement topped off, but the real focus here is the drama. Bill Messner-Loebs truly masters this ; with the most sensitive portrayal of Benton Quest you'll ever see anywhere. The level of characterization in this issue is off the charts, and it's impossible to read without a tear or two. But fear not, Loebs finishes the tale off with an optimistic air, and it's a most satisfying read. 

Artwise, it's nice to see Wendy Pini's take on the Quest group, and Joe Staton's inks are perfect for her pencils. 

Comico's "Jonny Quest" series was quite good in it's entirety, but this issue is the capper. A masterpiece of comics at their most human.

 

 

 

 

 Sensational Spider-Man Annual 1, by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca.

This book came out in  2007 as part of the ongoing "Back in Black" storyline in Spider-man, following immediately on the heels of the events of  "Civil War". I did enjoy "Civil War", not so much the soon-to-follow "One More Day" story. But regardless, this book, while being a part of that controversial arc, is actually a loving tribute to the classic Spider-Man (and Peter Parker) of the Silver and Bronze age. In "To Have and to Hold", Matt Fraction tells the story of an investigator trying to get hold of Peter through his then-wife Mary Jane. But MJ isn't about to betray her Pete, and proceeds to relate story after story of their past relationship. We are treated to some very nice moments with characters we've known and loved for years, and it's a gem. 

Artist Salvador Larroca does a phenomenal job with the visuals, giving each flashback sequence  a sense of the original artists. The page I've shown here channels John Romita Sr.,; he also does a very nice Ross Andru. 

This is one of those Annuals that can stand alone on it's own merits, as a testament to the classic Spider-Man of the past. And it's portrayal of Mary Jane shows why she's still my favorite match for Peter.

 

 

Sugar and Spike 25, by Sheldon Mayer.

I could have picked almost any issue of this series, but chose this one with it's charming Halloween cover as appropriate to the upcoming holiday. Anyone who has followed this blog probably knows of my fondness for Sheldon Mayer's two tempestuous tots. These stories are warmhearted, fun, amusing, cute, and an absolute pleasure to read. There were generally a couple multi-page stories in each issue, with a short or two included as well. Then there were the '"Pint-Size Pin-Ups" pages, with reader-submitted outfits for the kids. These pages were often cut out, which means of course that finding intact copies of an issue of "Sugar and Spike" can be challenging. But it's worth the effort. These are comics that children can read, but that adults can enjoy equally (if not more). It may be some testament to the book that while I've been parting with many comics in recent years, reducing the size of my collection, I still search out issues of "S & S" in hopes of someday completing the run. Partly because the only reprinted collection available had the first 10 issues, the next 90 are available only as originals. And the search continues, to which I can only add "Glx Sptzl Glaah"...

Okay, there you have five books that keep me a comics reader. Feel free to share your thoughts on them, and to spill the beans about any particular comics that will always have a special spot in your heart!

Rank and File: Best of the Bronze, Part 3- Archie, Charlton, Gold Key, Pacific, Comico, First, etc.!

 

Redartz:  Welcome one and all! We've arrived at the conclusion of our thrilling threesome of Bronze age comic rankings. Week one was Marvel, last week was DC. Now we cover, well. basically....everyone else. In one sense, this week has been the most difficult to address. Unlike with the 'big two', generally there weren't many comics from other publishers that I followed so devotedly. Of course, there were exceptions. 

Incidentally, one challenge for this topic was that some of my favorites failed to qualify (curses, foiled by my own restrictions). There were numerous Disney books from Gold Key, for instance, that I really liked; but they were reprint collections of classic Carl Barks duck stories. Then there were those excellent Warren Spirit magazines. Again, not included as they were reprints. However in that case, you'll see below one semi-exception there that I did sneak in. And with that , let's get started; there's a lot of potential ground to cover!

 

My  Five Favorite Non-Marvel/DC Bronze Age Comics (that was a mouthful):

 

 Archie Giant Series  #182 (The World of Archie) - This book sort of acts as a representative of my whole 'Archie' period. Published in 1971, it was one of the earliest Archie books I remember buying. It was a 'giant' comic, with all those extra pages; and I always loved that. This book had many funny stories, and the concluding one was "Teaser for Ceasar": one of those historical tales with
Archie and the gang in ancient Rome. Probably my first exposure to that trope, which became a favorite (especially 'Caveman Archie'). All told, a pretty good early Bronze comic; and a fine visit with the Riverdale crew.

 

The Spirit (Kitchen Sink Comix) #30- Yep, here's the exception I sneaked in. After Warren ceased publishing the Spirit mags, they were continued (even continuing the numbering) by Kitchen Sink. Still reprints, except for this issue. Issue 30 was the monumental "Spirit Jam", with a new Spirit story written by Eisner. The art included Eisner of course, but also featured. the most spectacular array of creators I'd seen to that point (both artists and other writers contributed to the final product). This book is worth a post of it's own, and I  might just do that one of these days. But to whet your interest for it, here's the list of contributors to the book:

Leslie Cabarba, Milton Caniff, Richard Corben, Will Eisner, Denis Kitchen, Pete Poplaski, John Pound, Brent Anderson, Terry Austin, Mike W. Barr, Terry Beatty, Fershid Bharucha, Brian Bolland, John Byrne, Chris Claremont, Max Allan Collins, Ernie Colon, Howard Cruse, Jim Engel, Chuck Fiala, Michael T Gilbert, Archie Goodwin, Fred Hembeck, Todd Klein, Alan Kupperberg, Harvey Kurtzman, Steve Leialoha, Denis McFarling, Frank Miller, Dean Motter, Mike Newhall, Dennis O'Neal, Tom Orzechowski, George Pratt, Sharon Rappaport, Trina Robbins, Marshall Rogers, Don Rosa, Josef Rubenstein, Peter Sanderson, Bill Seinkewicz, Bob Smith, Joe Staton, Ken Steacy, Roger Stern, Mike Tiefenbacher, Len Wein, Alan Weiss, Bob Wiacek, and Cat Yronwode, Whew...

 

 Journey  # 6- One of the best features of the late Bronze age was the rise of the "Indie" publishers with all the subsequent creator-owned content. Perhaps my favorite of the 'indies' was "Journey" by William Messner-Loebs. And this issue was my favorite of the series; an enchanting tale with frontiersmen, British "Redcoats", magic, an ancient French mage and formerly dead Spanish conquistadors. Oh, and a sort of crossover with another indie fave, "Neal the Horse" (see number five below). Yes, this issue truly had it all.

 

Doomsday +1 #1 -There weren't many Charlton books I followed, but this was one. It was quite enjoyable, and was my introduction to the work of John Byrne. And also to Rog 2000.

 

Charlton Bullseye #2- This was an anthology series, which I sampled occasionally. This particular issue was a biggie; it introduced me to Arn Saba's "Neal the Horse". Not long after this book was out, "Neal" began running in his own charming series published by Aardvark-Vanaheim. The new series was a black and white publication, so this Charlton issue was the only opportunity I had to read "Neal" in color!

Yes, my list is pretty eclectic. And it could easily have been much more so. I'd lay odds that you will have some rather esoteric entries as well. Hope you've been thinking ahead, and are ready to share some Bronze age goodness with the rest of us!

 

 

 

Sunday Rerun: When The Spirit Moves You!

Martinex1: Today we have another Sunday Rerun for you, as we harken back to June 27, 2015 from the great and legendary Bronze Age Babies site, when Redartz blogged about Will Eisner and The Spirit.  I thought this was definitely worth a second look, so enjoy...

Redartz:  Hey, thanks partner!  Glad you pulled this one up. It was a great pleasure working this one up for Doug and Karen back at the good 'ol BAB. And it had a lot of special meaning for me, huge Eisner fan that I am. So it's  only appropriate that we run it now, this year: the 100th. Anniversary of Will Eisner's birth. Which , by the way, is amazing; Jack Kirby's hundredth anniversary too. What a mammoth pair; two absolute cornerstones of the art of comic books (or sequential art, as Will would say). Hope you all find it interesting...

The Spirit (Warren Magazine) #3 (August 1974)(cover by Eisner with colors by Rich Corben)
Art and story by Will Eisner

Redartz: Greetings everyone! Recently, during several different conversations, several folks have recalled Warren's Spirit magazine . It seems like a fine time to give this deserving title some attention, so: today we will look at a book that absolutely knocked me out when I first bought it lo, those many years ago. Upon re-reading it for this review, for the first time in years, I found it even better than I remembered. So, with no further delay, let's have a look.

To begin with, this magazine was loaded with goodies. It featured 8 individual stories, with the dates of original publication included in some cases (don't know why this wasn't the case with all; some stories simply noted “Copyright 1974 Will Eisner”). The stories included: “Black Alley”, “Fox at Bay”, “Surgery”, “Foul Play”, “Paraffin”, “The Embezzler”, “The Last Hand” and “Lonesome Cool”. All the stories are presented in beautiful black-and-white with gray wash, except for “Paraffin”; which was reprinted in full color. This was the standard for this magazine: mostly b/w with a color story each issue . Additionally, there was a two-page letter column and a one-page feature: “Will Eisner Interviews the Spirit” (more about which will follow shortly). All the stories in this magazine are enjoyable; but in the interests of brevity we will look at one: “Fox at Bay” (by the way, my apologies for the scans; the gray tone seemed to create patterns upon scanning which were frustratingly resistant to correction).

At this point, I would note that much and more has been written about Will Eisner; and by folks far better qualified than I. However, I must note a few observations about Eisner's work in general:

First, his artwork is peerless. Eisner's drawings read like stills from a classic film. His use of shadows, his dramatic composition and unusual perspectives literally pull you from panel to panel. His pen linework is stunning, and he virtually defines expressive characterization. Each face, each figure just bleeds emotion. Then there is his lettering, and his famous penchant for incorporating the logo in so many different ways into the splash pages of his stories. It is with good reason that Will Eisner is considered a giant in the history of  comic art.

Second, his writing cannot be underestimated. As noted above, each story here was powerful, Eisner blends high drama, comedy, and an almost EC-ish (does that sound right?) bit of horror. Some stories are  light hearted and gentle; some quite humorous, some stories can be quite violent; Denny Colt ( our hero, the Spirit) seems to be constantly getting his head bashed in. Our chosen story falls into the latter category.

“Fox at Bay” opens with one of those  logo plays for which Eisner is known. We follow the Spirit past watchful police, past a trail of sprawled bodies on the ground, The text tells us that the Fox, Reynard, has already left numerous victims and awaits in his lofty hideaway. The Spirit enters a phone booth and proceeds to dial (yes, this certainly sets our timeframe) Reynard's number. We see Reynard himself busy ignoring the ringing phone as he types away at his typewriter (another remnant of yesteryear). It seems Reynard, portrayed through his dialogue as a man of some intelligence, is performing an experiment of sorts: having established himself as a multiple killer, he wants to gauge his reactions (as a perfectly sane man- his words, not mine) to being pursued and cornered by the law. Upon reading this, I found him eerily relevant today, considering the heartbreaking deeds committed by some elements in the news recently. 

At this point, Commissioner Dolan (the Spirit's friend and foil on the Central City Police ) calls up to Reynard to surrender. Reynard answers with a burst from his machine gun, then answers the phone. He requests the Spirit stop calling, as he is becoming a distraction from the experiment. Reynard then inventories his supplies, while below Commissioner Dolan is ready to fire the tear gas. The Spirit convinces Dolan to give him a count of 200 to stop the Fox on his own, and so the countdown begins.

Eisner builds the suspense as he switches the viewpoint back and forth between the Spirit (working his way to the skylight above the Fox) and Dolan; both keeping up the count. We get a peek into Reynard's head as we see his typed page, describing slight regret for the families of his victims (but not much, they were all part of the experiment, after all). Reynard notes that the police have been quiet, and decides to draw their fire by shooting off a few rounds. This results an officer being hit, and said officer's distraught comrade shoots back. Unfortunately, his shots hit the Spirit (still lurking above the skylight) . The panel showing the Spirit's pain as the bullets hit his legs is almost excruciating in itself. He then falls through the skylight and ends up on the floor, right in front of the Fox!

Below, Dolan and his officers see no option as yet other than to keep up the count. Upstairs, the Fox considers the Spirit to be helpless with his leg wounds, and offers to let the Spirit 'sit back and watch'. The Spirit is having none of that, however. He tries to convince Reynard of the futility of his situation, while struggling to gain his feet. Reynard's reply is a swift whack to the head with the butt of his rifle. Two panels later the Spirit has gotten hold of Reynard's typewriter and hurls it at his captor, all the while keeping the count in his head ( can this guy take a beating, or what!?).

            

Having lost his typewriter, Reynard decides to make his final journal entries by hand, and then to kill both the Spirit and himself. However, our relentless hero has dragged himself across the floor and secreted himself behind Reynard's chair, which he then upends; spilling the Fox to the floor (just as the count reaches 200, of course). Thinking he has the situation settled, the Spirit tries in vain to reach Dolan by phone to prevent a rush of police fire. As he begs for an answer to his call, the still-treacherous Fox has regained his feet, and his weapon. Just as Reynard raises his rifle to bludgeon the oblivious Spirit,  a rain of bullets from the broken skylight ends the Fox's threat once and for all. Dolan has arrived, and helps the wounded Spirit from the Fox's lair. The final panel shows them passing beside the same “Spirit” logo that was used in the initial page, as the phone in the booth keeps ringing, ringing...

After finishing this story, I was struck by the level of intensity , and by the Spirit's ability to take a licking (and a few bullets, a head clubbing, etc). Denny Colt reminds me of Batman in this regard, as he lacks superpowers or invulnerability. Actually, the Spirit doesn't even have Batman's level of training or weaponry. Denny Colt is just a guy, a very resilient, tough guy who keeps on smiling despite his current circumstance. Incidentally, there was a wonderful one-shot several years ago published by DC, featuring these two : Batman/the Spirit. Presented by Jeph Loeb and Darwyn Cooke, this book offers loads of good reading, and a fun tour through both heroes' rogues galleries.

             

All through this story, Eisner's artistic skills are evidenced. For example, the second story page; note the dramatic lighting on the wall both highlighting the bullet holes and obscuring the police officer's face. Note any of the faces in the story, where with even but a few lines Eisner captures the character's emotions effectively. Then there is the beautiful composition displayed in the 6^th. Panes of page 18: the Spirit is framed visually by the shards of the broken skylight through which he just fell. Almost lost the edge is the thin face of the Fox, also framed but obscured by the intact glass. If one is inclined to choose a comic to leaf through just to admire the drawing, an Eisner book is a perfect choice.

Finally, there is the Eisner/Spirit interview. The author questions his creation about crimefighting, his relevance to contemporary society, and his attitudes about women (even going so far as to bait the Spirit about the possibility of having him married). The entire interview is handled with cleverness and humor, and is accompanied by small face shots of the two speakers. Eisner casts his keen eye upon himself here, and the results are both thought-and smile-provoking.

These Warren editions of the Spirit were a great introduction to Will Eisner's work. The larger size allowed the artwork to be more easily admired, and the color sections with their higher quality stock were a big plus. Collecting this series led me to explore some of Eisner's other work; including his graphic novel “A Contract With God”. I even found one of his issues of P.M.; a maintenance periodical he did for the army (featuring a lot of his Eisner wit, among the drawings). I also was led to hold a great respect for a man who remains, always, a comics legend.

Riding the Retro Metro: Wednesday August 11, 1976

Redartz:  Hello fellow riders, welcome aboard for another trip back. Back, in this case, to that U.S.Bicentennial year 1976! The Viking lander is on the surface of Mars, the Olympics are in Montreal, and Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter are in competition for the White House (speaking of the Presidential campaign- I ordered my "Howard the Duck for President" button, even though I'm too young to vote).

Winning the (somewhat less momentous than those above) competition for Number 1 on the US Billboard Pop Chart this week: Elton John and Kiki Dee, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" 

Rounding out the top five:
2.  Bee Gees, "You Should Be Dancing"
3.  Wings, "Let em In"
4.  Lou Rawls, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine"
5.  Beach Boys, "Rock and Roll Music" 

I can take or leave Elton and Kiki (although many would differ- they top the British chart this week too). I'm more impressed by a cool new song from Cliff Richard, "Devil Woman" debuting  on the top 40. 

 I also like War- "Summer"; a perfect hit for summer (obviously). Oh, and it seems almost like the 60's are back; the Beatles just dropped out of the top 10 with "Got to Get You Into My Life" (reissued by Capitol Records), and the Beach Boys are in the top 5!

Tops in the UK:  Elton John and Kiki Dee, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart".

Turning our attention to tonight's tv offerings, I must admit to having seen few. This summer I'm working for the first time: yes, flipping burgers at McDonald's. So tv viewing is less an option.

US Television Schedule:

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman

ABC:  Wonder Woman, Baretta. Starsky and Hutch

The Jacksons

CBS:   The Blue Knight, The Jacksons, The Kelly Monteith Show, Kate McShane











 
 NBC:  Little House on the Prairie, Best of Sanford and Son, Chico and the Man, Hawk


 BBC1:  Nationwide, Man and Boy, It's A Knockout, Are You Being Served?, Explorers, Band Beat, The War Lords

BBC2:  Gardener's World, The Sandpipers, Look Stranger, Festival 40: The Wednesday Play- Cathy Come Home, Beauty is in the Eye

I would watch Wonder Woman, but our tv is usually tuned to "Little House". No Lynda Carter for me,alas. Baretta is good, and has a great theme song. And a bird! Oh, and the variety show continues to attract audiences- Kelly Monteith and the Jacksons are hosting shows on Wednesday nights...







Although my tv viewing is down this summer, my comic reading is up! Just look at some of the great stuff on the stands right now:

I've a lot to pick up this month. That Amazing Spider-Man with Nightcrawler and Punisher- what a free-for-all, and a Romita cover too! And Conan guest starring in Red Sonja; it just doesn't get better than this. Wait, yes it does! Marvel is showering us with their King Size Annuals this summer, and there's some excellent reading to be had! I'm grabbing all of them I can find, including all three of these pictured here. So who needs tv?
Oh, and check out the cover to the Warren Spirit magazine. That book is fantastic, Eisner's art and stories are incredible. I even like the black/white reproduction (of course they feature one story in color each issue). 



Looking at all those terrific comics has me ready to go grab a stack. And so, we pile back on the bus and return to wherever it is we are, Annuals clutched in our sweaty little hands. Who knows what finds await us on the next Retro Metro? Time will tell...