This and That: Another "Independents Day"!

Redartz:  Hello everyone, and a happy July 4th (and to those outside the USA, happy Tuesday)! Last year on this date, Martinex1 and I teamed up for the first time on the fondly-remembered Bronze Age Babies site. Our first topic was "independents" on Independence Day, and it seems quite appropriate to revisit that topic again here at BitBA. So once again, we break away from Marvel, DC, Archie, Gold Key and the other 'big boys'. Today we look at some more of those 'rugged individualists' under the flags of such companies as First!, Pacific, Renegade Press, Dark Horse, Aardvark/Vanaheim, and many others. As we did last year, Marti and I will present three titles for your edification and assessment. Okay, let's push the envelope a bit...


Martinex1:  Happy Independence Day all! Hard to believe it has been a year since we discussed The Maze Agency,  Flaming Carrot, Mister X, American Flagg and others. I'm sure we will have plenty to discuss with some new independents, although my choices may lean toward the mainstream.   What do you have for us to start with this year Red?


 


Redartz:  Well Marti, let's start with something familiar. This series featured a cast we all know and love, as Comico won the rights to produce new Jonny Quest stories from Hanna Barbera. 
 It was written by William Messner-Loebs and drawn by a variety of illustrators (among them Doug Wildey, Marc Hempel, Joe Staton, Adam Kubert and others).  Many other notable artists, such as Dave Stevens and Bill Sienkewicz, contributed covers and pin-ups

Although the book did adapt some of the TV episodes (and referenced several more), it primarily offered all-new stories with Jonny, Hadji and the crew. Messner-Loebs brought his characterization skills (evidenced in his brilliant "Journey") and added various subplots and background details. Among the most notable were the story of Jonny's mother, and the relationship between Race and Dr. Quest. Later on in the series, a new love interest for Dr. Quest was added in the person of Kathy Martin, originally a social worker sent to investigate the 'child welfare' of two boys being taken out of school and sent adventuring worldwide...



 

This book was one of the last I collected before dropping comics for years. It featured a solid blend of humor , adventure and drama. And it expanded nicely on the JQ mythos while remaining faithful to the feel of the original animated series. I loved it enough to collect all 31 issues plus the specials. A great treatment of a classic adventure series.

Martinex1:  That is a really good choice.  I've only read a couple of  Jonny Quest issues, but the book definitely had nice characterization and was a great bridge from the classic show.   My first choice this year is also television related as a late 80's comic impulse purchase was driven by my childhood passion, Speed Racer.   NOW Comics published a number of licensed books on the heels of the Bronze Age; the company based in Chicago rolled out everything from Green Hornet to Mr. T and the T Force, Married ...with Children and The Real Ghostbusters, but in 1985 it put Speed Racer on the stands. 

Growing up and around 7 years old, I raced home everyday from school to catch Speed Racer on a UHF station, adjusting the rabbit ears and tinfoil to catch the sometimes ultra-violent tale of Speed and his family as they fought off various villains in the constant pursuit of car racing victory.  Speed, Pops, Trixie, Spridle, Chim Chim (the monkey), Sparky, Racer X and all the rest were there battling the evil and the creepy like Snake Oiler and the Acrobatic Car Team, the ghostly Melange, and the Three Roses Club.   The TV conflicts and set-ups were reminiscent of comic books and Racer X with his mysterious secret identity and mask definitely fit the bill.

NOW's comic was nostalgic and reverent to the source material and included most of the original cast and crew.   It is hard to compete with the frenetic action, open brutality, fast-talking, over-the-top drama of the cartoon, but the comic did an admirable job.  The pacing was sometimes off and it pointed out the strength of the animation and music and soundtrack from the original (because of their absence) but I would still recommend it if you like the characters.

 

Redartz:  That's a sharp looking series! I've never picked up a "Speed Racer", but I'm loving those covers.

Next up we have a truly unique, wonderful, lighthearted book from creator Arn Saba, published by Aardvark/Vanaheim.  Inspired both by "Walt Disney's Comics and Stories" and by cinematic musicals, "Neil the Horse Comics and Stories" featured cartoons, comic stories, text features, songs, and more, often with a musical theme. Each issue even included paper dolls of Poupee in various costumes representing the history of female comics characters (with the assistance of artist Barb Rausch). 

 


The cast included Neil (a talking, banana-loving horse), Soapy (the curmudgeonly cat- who also spoke, naturally) and Mamselle  Poupee', who could be described as an incurably romantic marionette. The stories relied heavily on fantasy elements (one episode had the cast battling a world of stuffed toys, another sent them to Hell (and then to Heaven, and back to Earth- Neil and Soapy caused enough disruption that both environs threw them out). Another issue they met Fred Astaire. And time was malleable for the group: in an ongoing text story, they adventured to "Old New France".

 






 



This book was a real departure from anything else I'd read, and I greatly enjoyed it. Sadly it was pretty short-lived. But the art is charming, the characters engaging. Neil is absolutely wonderful, his enthusiasm for life is contagious (and he LOVES comic books almost as much as bananas, so he obviously has good taste and good sense). These comics can be challenging to locate, but are a real treat.











Martinex1:  I have never had the opportunity to read Neil the Horse; in fact I have to say that I had never even heard of it until today.  But I must say I like the retro early animation inspired styling of the horse.  You are correct in that it calls to mind early Disney like Oswald the Rabbit.

My second choice is Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers.  It of course, is Jack Kirby's influential foray into independent comics and part of the Pacific Comics' revolution at the time.   People may forget, but a significant headliner like Kirby was a huge coup for an independent publisher like PC to hire.   He may have been considered past his artistic prime but I still recall the first issue of Captain Victory proudly displayed on the checkout counter of the local comic shop in 1981.

Was the book any good - you ask?   I reread the first six issues recently and I have to say that I enjoyed them.  Were they on par with Kirby's early Marvel work on the likes of the Fantastic Four?  Of course not... don't be silly.   But in my opinion it was much better that Kirby's work on Captain America and was much more on par with his weird DC work like Kamandi, OMAC, and the New Gods.  I actually thought the art was exceptionally strong; it was very kinetic and had a lot of life in it.  I think Michael Thibodeaux' inks were particularly sharp and really complimented Kirby's work.  Take a look.

The book lasted thirteen issues and contained some nice easter eggs that may or may not have linked the spacefaring lawman Captain Victory to some DC characters like Darkseid and Orion.  It was actually a pretty cool book, and one that really shines in PC's legacy.

Redartz:  That's another book I never sampled, Marti. Great point about the inks: they seem tighter, more detailed and confident. Nothing against the man, but I found Mike Royer's inks on Kirby rather sparse.

My third selection is Normalman, from Renegade Press. Normalman was the creation of a pre-Image Comics Jim Valentino. It told the story of "Norm", the only non-powered person on a planet (called "Levram", get it?) occupied by super characters. Poor Norm was troubled by the incessant penchant for violence on Levram (as you know, superheroes and villains are constantly battling), and wished to return to his home planet "Arnold".

Characters included Norm's best friend: "Captain Everything", an incredibly powerful fellow who could basically do anything, his weakness being his amazing lack of wits. "Sophisticated Lady" was Norm's object of affection.There were loads of parody characters: the "Legion of Superfluous Heroes", "Sgt. Fluffy", the "Fanatical Four".  Satire abounded, and the covers paid homage to numerous other titles and comic genres. On the covers we've shown here, Archie , Superman and Richie Rich comics are the targets.

 

Normalman was a lot of fun to read, and filled with enough in-jokes to rival the best of "Not Brand Echh". If you're looking for some 'just plain fun' reading, this is a fine choice.

Martinex1:  Ha ha... that is great! Another title that I had never heard of before today.   I really like the Archie homage and the panel cover. 

My last choice is a little more serious although it contained a healthy dose of sarcasm and dark humor mixed in with its philosophical and sociological undertones.   I speak of Mike Baron's and Steve Rude's Nexus for First Comics.  Originating and running six issues over at Capital Comics, the series jumped to First in 1985 and really took off.

The story follows the adventures of Horatio Hellpop, who receives powers from a strange alien called the Merc and subsequently deals with his own mental and physical anguish as he takes on various serial killers.  Merc seems to torture Horatio with nightmares, physical pain, and mental breakdowns unless the hero meets out the alien justice.   It makes for some very interesting stories, and Steve Rude's art helps tremendously. The series ran for quite a while and continued through some other publishers including Dark Horse.  Along the way Nexus teamed up with other Baron characters like the Badger (who may deserve his own spotlight). Overall this series is recommended and I think stands the test of time due to Baron's sharp wit and dialogue.

Martinex1:  That is all I have for this go around and tribute to Independents.   Cheers Redartz for introducing me to some new possibilities.  Now have a hot dog and enjoy the fireworks!

Redartz:  Thanks for some fine recommendations, Marti. Three books well worth further investigation. And now, I'd 'relish' a hot dog', so have a great day, everyone, and remember not to point those bottle rockets at anyone- you'll put an eye out!