Redartz: Today we present a variation on our 'Panel Discussion' theme. We shall consider a writer, in this case the admirably talented Roger Stern. And why shouldn't we address some scripters ? After all, if not for the writers there wouldn't be a panel to illustrate...
Roger Stern was responsible for many of my favorite comics in the 80's and beyond. He has been prolific, writing for most of the 'big guns'- Spider-Man, Avengers, Fantastic Four, Dr. Strange, Captain America, and over at DC he had a long run on Superman. His stories are dramatic, his characters believable and well-developed. Indeed, his characterization skills are among the best in comics writing. Whether giving voice to a hero, a villain, or a supporting cast member, Stern never failed to go a bit deeper than many.
One great example is this sequence from Amazing Spider-Man 224, between Adrian Toomes (The Vulture) and May Parker's then fiancee, Nathan Lubensky. One doesn't often find treatment of aging and infirmity in comics, let alone handled with this degree of sensitivity. Art, by the way, is courtesy of John Romita Jr. and Pablo Marcos.
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| Art by Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin |
Stern's writing skill is evident in everything he touches:
His classic Avengers run, with John Buscema and Tom Palmer (a run I'm only now discovering, as I'd dropped out by the time it first appeared).
His excellent work on Dr. Strange, including the fantastic six issues with Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin (his introduction and exploration of Morgana Blessing were engrossing).
His short but memorable stint on Captain America, with John Byrne ( boy, Sterno had the fortune to be teamed with some greats).
But I have two more personal reasons behind my fondness for Mr. Stern. An Indianapolis resident while working with Bob Layton in the 70's for a fanzine called Contemporary Pictorial Literature (or CPL), Roger would sometimes show up in a local comic shop, The Comics Carnival and Nostalgia Emporium. That was my shop of choice, and I had the pleasure of speaking with him on several occasions. He was always generous with his time, and patient with the teenage fanboy I was. He was very friendly, and very interesting to listen to.
And a couple years later, Roger won my admiration for rescuing my favorite title- Amazing Spider-Man. I'd enjoyed his work on Spectacular Spider-Man, and was thrilled when he took over ASM (following a rather forgettable period for the title). Stern didn't disappoint. His work on the webslinger puts him second only to Stan Lee as a Spidey writer, imho.
The list of great stories he gave us would be too lengthy for me to attempt here. But I must give him credit for what may be the single best Spider-Man story,period: "The Kid who Collects Spider-Man", from ASM 248. Doubtlessly most of you have read it, for any who haven't I don't want to spoil it. But it is a MUST READ, if you love Peter Parker. This single story strikes to the heart of Peter and his alter ego masterfully, and in only half an issue (the first half is the conclusion of a fun battle with Thunderball).
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| Art by Ron Frenz and Terry Austin |
And now, here are some covers from some of Roger's finest. Not a comprehensive array, but a few of my choice picks. Enjoy...
18 comments:
I'm recently discovering that Avengers run as well, because I missed it for the same reason but I've heard such great things about it. And boy, how that Captain America run just thrilled me at the time and even now. So completely memorable with dialogue and images I'll never forget. When my grandfather was dying in the hospital I remembered the last words of Machinesmith, "There are cases when the quality of life just runs so low ..." The run is in the dollar book rack of my LCS and every time I see them I wonder why no one has simply gobbled them up.
I'm in the midst of re-organizing my long boxes now and I just hit Doctor Strange and I think I have a few of those as well so I'll definitely give them another look.
Great Friday post, thanks!
Yep, Stern is definitely one of the great writers of superhero comics. His runs on Spider-man, Avengers, Capt. America, Dr. Strange, etc. are rightfully considered among the best for those titles and/or characters.
By the way, I liked that you posted those two pages with the Vulture and Nathan in the retirement home. I had that issue, and I still remember that little scene to this day. (And yes, no argument about "The Kid Who Collects Spider-man" - it's a moving, classic tale.)
For me, his work on Capt. America, with the spectacular art by Byrne and Rubinstein, is my favorite run of Cap stories, both individually and as a whole. And I loved his entire run on Dr. Strange, even the issues not drawn by Rogers or Paul Smith. He additionally wrote "Triumph and Torment," which is one of my favorite Dr. Strange stories and probably my favorite Dr. Doom story. I can't praise the guy enough...
Like Edo and Selenarch I really like Stern's work. The Avengers "Siege" and Cap run are really classics in my mind and are arcs that live in my Too 10 all time. But even his lesser stories worked so well. There was a Cobra story in his ASM run that was so good; it really made the Cobra seem relatable and dangerous. And it doesn't get much recognition, but I think "Marvel: The Lost Generation" by Byrne and Stern is worth a second look. He was a very smart writer; the voices seemed real and the motivations complex.
Martinex, re: The Lost Generation. I read that once and loved it. I so wish Marvel would collect and reprint the series in a tpb.
Roger Stern is definitely one of my favorite comic writers ever. For all the reasons listed above and more. I especially loved his Amazing Spider-Man run, as well as his stint on Captain America with John Byrne (which ended much too soon). I thought his time on ASM was a bit too brief as well. He only wrote the book for a little over 2 years which really isn't that long.
I wish they had continued the "Spider-Man Visionaries: Roger Stern" TPB series past Volume 1. I know they eventually released all his Spidey work as an Omnibus, but that format is a little hard to read (especially lying down). So, I would rather have several smaller volumes that are easier to manage.
As far as character development, I liked what Stern did with the Wasp in the Avengers -making her the leader, taking some risks, etc. I also thought he handled Namor well during that run. And people can complain about Dr. Druid but I found him to be a totally new (though unlikable) character that really made the dynamics interesting. Stern got that ball rolling.
Yeah, Stern is right up there as far as writers go. His Spidey runs were during my comics heyday, and I always liked the way he wrote the Webslinger. I didn't read his Avengers stuff till later, but it's one of my favourite runs on that title; I liked how he wrote She-Hulk ... I think he'd have done well on a Shulkie solo series.
I haven't gotten around to his Doc Strange stuff, or any of his DC work (Superman, Starman, Legionnaires) but if it's like his other work, it's gotta be good.
Oh, yeah. I forgot to gush about Stern's character development. I liked the way he fleshed out the supporting cast in Capt. America, and - crucially - introducing Bernie Rosenthal, who I've always thought was by far Cap's best love interest (she should have become the one and only).
And yes, the way he developed the various characters in Avengers was outstanding. Martinex mentioned the Wasp and Dr. Druid. I loved the way he turned the former into a major character, and kept the latter around as a kid of resident annoyance. He also did great work on Monica Rambeau (Capt. Marvel/Photon) and Mike W. reminds us that it was actually Stern who tweaked She-Hulk's personality a bit so that she actually enjoyed being a superhero (a concept which Byrne later ran with).
Can't get any better that Stern & Byrne!
His Cap run was waaaayyyy too short . I could have gone for another 30 issues or more of that.
And completely agree with Martinex1 and Edo about The Lost Generation series. I've read it forward and backward, just love it.
Also Stern got me to really enjoy the Guardians of the Galaxy during their Marvel Presents run.
There's no denying the guy can really knock it out of the park!
I love that Vulture story, by the way. Thanks for featuring it, and reminding me of it! I'm gonna have to reread that one.
And the Spider-man-Mr. Hyde clash is an all-time favorite.
Vulture/Shocker 2020! Let's make America cool again!
M.P.
You guys are pulling me out of the 60-70s into the 80s! First it was John Byrne. Now it will be Stern! Man am I getting an education! Glad to know there is life after Gwen died!
Glad to hear so much love for Sterno; thanks for commenting everyone!
Selenarch- thanks for sharing about your Grandfather. Roger Stern really has a knack for voicing characters, and for giving them insightful dialogue rather than mere words.
Marti, Edo and Killraven- thanks for highlighting "Lost Generation". I'm not familiar with it, and will definitely look into it. And Edo- completely agree about Bernie Rosenthal.Wonderful character, one of the highlights of that fine Stern/Byrne run.
M.P.- Yes, that Vulture tale really stood out upon first reading it, and still does. Even the minor touch of Toomes offering to help Nathan out of the sauna- a small gesture, but one that really humanizes the character. Stern gave us a very uncommon view of a classic Spidey foe.
Charlie- Glad to bring you into the Excellent Eighties! There was a lot of truly great comic reading within those ten years. And Stern, and Byrne, were responsible for much of it. Hey, maybe you, Selenarch and I can all compare notes after reading the Stern/Buscema Avengers issues! I'm just getting started on them, but loving them.
Oh, and Charlie- have you ever read ASM 248, "The Kid"? If you haven't, put it at the top of your reading list...
Good Grief - I am sufferin from paralysis analysis! The whole body of Stern's work sounds wonderful - Excellent Eighties indeed!
I will hunt for the ASM #248. I discovered a small handful of ASMs from the 80s in my long boxes, around that time frame, so I may have it. You guys inspired me to dig out the boxes and boy was I surprised to find those ASMs and some FFs.
Probably read them, bagged them and tossed in the box, went to the Army, got married, got a job, etc. and forgot all about them, LOL. A nice surprise for sure!
By the way - if you are killing time in a car tomorrow - Old Time Radio - WDCB 90.9 FM out of Chicago from 1 PM - 5 PM. It's on the net at WDCB.org as well as all the radio-station apps.
I find the man's work naive and presumptuous. Don't tell me he knew what happened with the Council of Cross-Time Kangs! Bah! I was there!
I could destroy you primitives with a gesture, but your antics amuse me. But when I'm finished with the 14th century, I may pay you a visit.
Kang #4562, currently in the Paleolithic recruiting troops
Wowee, OK I'm not an expert on Stern, but yes he seemed to be one of the writers who really understood how to properly mesh good characterization with a good story; some writers concentrate on plot at the expense of character development, and vice versa, but Stern definitely was the master of both.
- Mike 'Stern for president' from Trinidad & Tobago.
I'm late to the party, but count me in the group who has nothing but praise for Stern. His Amazing Spider-Man was exciting to read then and now. . .
I loved his short runs on Captain America (with John Byrne) and Doctor Strange (with Marshall Rogers) in the early 80's. Just didn't last long enough. I was beginning to read his Spider-Man run not long after, but I stopped reading comics before he really got in gear. Later, I read the Under Siege arc that a friend had. He was one of may favorites back then.
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