Let's find out! Somebody get us started please! Cheers!
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Follow the Leader: Episode 92: Missed Opportunities and Hidden Treasures!
Let's find out! Somebody get us started please! Cheers!
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Well, since this is just laying here...
Name a relatively recent discovery of yours - character, comic series, genre - that's been around for quite some time. You had always been aware of it, but never tried it until "now". And you're kicking yourself for never having partaken back in the day.
For me? Marvel's black-and-white line of magazines, and "monster" comics. I'll elaborate more later - gotta run right now!
Doug
I have really been enjoying the hardcovers that reprint Marvel's Planet of the Apes magazine. I have the first three volumes, and will pick up the fourth and final installment soon.
A couple of years ago I asked for and received the massive Deadly Hands of Kung fu Omnibus. It took me four separate sittings to get through it all, but it was wonderful. I especially enjoyed the Sons of the Tiger feature. I wasn't sure I'd want the second volume, but the White Tiger by George Perez has me awfully curious. Of note - the Deadly Hands Omni reprints the various issues in full -articles and all. The PotA Archives mentioned above only include the comics features.
I've also been enjoying the Dark Horse Savage Sword of Conan reprints, done in the same format as Marvel's Essential line. These prompted me to seek out the Essential Rampaging Hulk books.
And on and on...
October's coming, and I have a some Tomb of Dracula and Monster of Frankenstein set out. Being a heroes-only reader back in the Bronze Age, I definitely missed out on these.
Doug
Can we include food? I've recently tasted fresh mango, kiwifruit and pretzels for the first time :)
Love it, Colin!
Pretzels are sort of a staple of the American diet... guess not in the UK? Now I'm curious.
Doug
Another good topic to "follow."
Like Doug, I was never that interested in horror or black & white comics.
'Tomb Of Dracula'-I picked up one issue off the spinner racks in the 70s and bought a few more over the years because I love the art by Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. But this always felt like something that would benefit from reading as a continuing story, so I've enjoyed the recent TPB collections.
Denys Cowan's art in 'Power Man And Iron Fist'-Been reading the issues in a tpb and loving them.
'Howard The Duck Magazine'-Never read these until recently because I'd always heard they were vastly inferior to Steve Gerber's Howard stories. Not true, especially the graphic-novel length Christmas story in #3.
Lots of 1970s Batman stories-For years, I bought into the theory that "Batman was too lightweight, he was a cornball cartoon character...until Frank Miller brought him back to the gritty dark place where he belongs!"
That's BS, there's plenty of darkness in the stories written by Len Wein, Gerry Conway and even Bob Haney. And the Batman of the 70s didn't need to have a running monologue about how Gotham City was filled with "scum", "filth", and what have you.
Doug, pretzels are probably easier to find in cities/large towns but I'd never seen any before. The packet was called "American Snacks" but the pretzels themselves were made in Britain according to the small-print.
And welcome to Marvel's Planet Of The Apes...44 years late but better late than never! Marvel UK's POTA #5 was my first ever Marvel comic in November 1974.
You guys aren't gonna believe this- and it's not comics, food, TV, or even pop-culture related, but---
Shakespeare.
In particular, his histories.
This, from an actor.
Sure, he was a staple of both the undergrad and graduate programs I was in-- but for me the Bard always had a nearly impenetrable layer of "You do it 'cause it's GOOD for ya--" shrouded over his works. It always felt like making yourself eat green vegetables that you just didn't flippin' care for. But there have been a TON of recent auditions for Shakespeare (and Shakespeare-related) productions 'round here recently, and it was necessary to get up to speed ahead of time for a couple of them, so. . .
I just finished up reading the 8-play double-tetralogy from Richard the 2nd through Richard the 3rd (There's three Henries and a very brief Edward in-between those two fellas), and it felt like reading the last issue of QUASAR or watching the last episode of FIREFLY. . . I didn't want it to be over. . . true story.
My wife, on the other hand, will probably not miss my stunned exclamations as I spontaneously share betrayals, body-counts, and be-headings with her. . .
HB
Colin - I am enlightened. Thank you!
JA - the DC hardcovers Legends of the Dark Knight/Tales of the Batman that spotlight various creators are just wonderful. I have the volumes spotlighting Aparo (2 vols.), Wein, Goodwin (includes Simonson's Manhunter), Rogers, Brennert, Davis, and Infantino. The stories in them are a lot of fun.
HB - never, ever would have guessed that!
Doug
Strange but true, Doug-- yup. (Mind you, I never shirked or shied away from William S. . . been in a few varied productions; plenty of classroom scenes; directed a couple of scenes; did very well in the Literature classes, etc-- but it was never my "thing" at all. . . )
The pretzel thread-- are we talkin', like, crunchy little hard snack pretzels. . . or the big soft warm pretzels? Sounds like the former? COMPLETELY different fare, truly. Didn't care for either until adult-hood. . . just so darned bitter!
And although these aren't "right now" discoveries, I'm gonna cite a couple of recent-year(s) infatuations with franchises that have around for decades--
1) Hal Foster's PRINCE VALIANT. Like pretzels, I didn't like it at all until I was an adult. It's been in the Washington Post since. . . well, the dawn of time, I suppose. And it's def a shadow of its former Fosterian glory. . . but something about it keeps me engaged from week to week-- as well as picking up Fantagraphics' beautiful current collections.
2) The Complete POGO. Which I did kinda like as a kid-- although the swamp-hick lingo tended to put me off. But discovering that strip in the last year or so has been a hoot. . . AND a bit of an education.
3) The mystery novels of Agatha Christie. She's everywhere on PBS and Masterpiece Mystery, etc. But I began adding her novels to my casual reading (and long car trip listening) a couple of years ago. . . and I tell ya, I think that's still the natural medium for her stories, easily.
HB
It's often said-even by commentators who should know better-that Batman was a campy cartoon character until Frank Miller introduced the Dark Knight version in the 1980s.
The comics were influenced by the camp comedy fad when the Batman TV series was running (1966-68). Then the fad passed and the TV show was cancelled. It was Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams who restored the grim Dark Knight image in 1969-70, and Wein, Englehart & Rogers, et al. followed suit. Batman was grim & gritty (by Bronze Age standards, anyway) throughout the 1970s.
Another good question, Doug!
In comics, my 'recent discovery' is war comics. Specifically, DC's Silver age classics by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. I tried a copy of "Enemy Ace" I bought as part of a box lot, and was gobsmacked. Now also sampling Haunted Tank, Unknown Soldier and the Losers.But the tales of Hans Von Hammer are my favorite. Oddly, Marvel's Sgt Fury hasn't really grabbed me.
Oh, and on the pretzel issue: love them, both kinds. The best treat at the mall is a big, warm Auntie Anne's Pretzel with cheese dip. Oh man.....
Redartz, I recently read the 1st volume of the Enemy Ace Archives. I'd have to say some of the stories were keepers, others not as much. But Joe Kubert's art was just stupendous throughout. Beautiful. And that supports what I've always said about comics - it's a visual medium, and even when a story is a dud, you'll always have the pretty pictures to look at.
Doug
I've been reading various comics for my blog reviews and I was surprised at how much I liked the Flash stories (so far I've read from 1977-1980); I'd always considered Flash kinda boring, but these stories are pretty good, for the most part. I also liked Firestorm's short series from 1978; he's less goofy in his own comic than he came off in JLA.
I always thought the Gruenwald era of Captain America looked dorky, but I've picked up a few issues and found myself actually enjoying them. Also, I'm by no means a huge Daredevil (or John Romita, Jr.) fan, but recently have begun looking into the Ann Nocenti run, and have really been pleasantly surprised by how well it all works. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm kicking myself for not checking them out sooner, but it does make me wonder how many other books I've judged by the cover.
On the culinary front, I've recently developed a fondness for challah with craisins. Regular challah's fine, but challah with craisins is tastebud fiesta!
To be specifically comic book related: The Hulk. Never been a big reader, mostly a dabbler but thanks to that Marvel Essentials line, I've read more of his comics than I ever thought I would. Have also scanned most of my Hulk collection.
As most of you know, my scanning project has been a long term labor of love. I've completed 17 boxes with 14 to go!!!
Speaking of scanning, I'm currently working through the Iron Man part of my collection. After that, I will be working through my Defenders issues. I have issues OF Defenders, not issues WITH Defenders.
Moving away from comics, two shows I've gotten into, thanks to reruns, are Archer and Z Nation. For my point of view, Archer is hilarious!!! HILL AIR EEE US!!!
I've never seen an episode of Walking Dead, but I like Z Nation. SyFy Network runs 6 episodes from 6am to Noon on Fridays.
An old favorite revisited, the El Rey network has been the entire 6 season run of Xena,Warrior Princess.
(In the sunlight of your smile
In the summer of our life
In the magic of love
Storms above scattered away
Lovers dreaming in the night
Reaching for paradise
But as the dark shadows fade
Love slips away
On an empty stretch of beach
In the pattern of the waves
Drawing pictures with my hand
In the sand, I see your face
Skipping pebbles on the sea
Wishing for paradise
Sand castles crumble below
The restless tides ebb and flow
Listening to a shell
Hoping for your voice
Beautiful Maria of my soul
Though we'll always be apart
Locked forever in a dream
If I ever love again
Even then, nothing will change
And the taste of you remains
Clinging to paradise
But as the distance from you grows
All that my heart ever knows
Hunger for your kiss
Longing for your touch
Beautiful Maria of my soul
Filling all my nights
Haunting all my days
Beautiful Maria of my soul).
HB -
In case you haven't got to it yet, I'd particularly recommend that you read WS's Titus Adronicus and then describe the highlights to your wifeperhaps as she's enjoying a nice meat pie.
Doug- You make a fair comment about the stories in "Enemy Ace". I've enjoyed them all, but would admit some stories are more dramatic, more effective than others. One issue that stands out for me is particularly difficult for me to read. Being a dog lover, the issue in which Von Hammer adopts an injured puppy was irresistible to me; I had to purchase it. Of course, you just know there's going to be a tragic finish to the tale (it is a war story, after all). I still like the issue, but I just hate to read it ( just like I can't watch "Old Yeller")...
Oh, and you're right about good comic art. I can admire Kubert's work all day. His aerial scenes are breathtaking.
Oh, man. So late to this one - yesterday was a blur of work and other stff, from the late morning until almost midnight. I saw this thread briefly and thought I would get back to it and then didn't.
Anyway, in my case, I've discovered quite a few things like this, i.e., stuff I'd been aware of peripherally but never had much interest, thanks to the internet and blogs and other sites like this one.
For example, John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee books. I had some vague notion that these were some kind of uber-macho, cheesy "men's adventure" books. Well, they are considered men's adventure, but the other appellations do not apply. Very, very well written, engaging, and often gripping - I've read just about half of them so far.
Similarly, any prose by Max Allan Collins. I knew before that he's written a ton of books and that he occasionally wrote comics, but that's it. A few years ago, I discovered his Quarry novels, in which the main character is a former contract killer who now hunts down and takes out other contract killers and the people who ordered the hit. It's a testament to Collins' skill as a writer that he can get you to go along with this premise.
(In the above two cases, I have to give a shout-out to the guy who turned me onto this stuff, Greg Hatcher - he used to be a columnist as the Comics Should be Good blog, and now writes regularly for the Atomic Junk Shop, which is linked on this site's sidebar.)
Switching genres a bit, another author whose books I've seen on the SF/fantasy shelves of bookstores and libraries since I was a kid, but never read until about 10 years ago, is Andre Norton. I've read a number of her SF novels since, and hope to read many more. This is a case where I really regret not having given her work a chance years ago - I know I would have loved it back then (as I do now).
For the last few years, I've gotten into Legion of Super-Heroes. A comic book shop a few towns over got a big influx of back issues (selling most for 50 cents or a buck) so I bought a ton of the Levitz & Giffen runs. They were so entertaining, I've been tracking down what I can of the other stories. Comixology sales, Amazon cards from holidays, and more cheap back issues means I'm reading the Five Years Later, Peyer & McGraw, late '70s, and Abnett & Lanning runs sort of at the same time. Good stuff!
- Mike Loughlin
Oh man, edo---
Andre Norton was MY author in my young SF years! Those pictures of my Comic Book Room? The bottom bookshelf? About 30 of those paperbacks are Andre Norton titles. . . ! Her biggest claim to literary fame is probably wrapped more around her Witch World and later Fantasy-ish output. But I was firmly a fan of her earlier hard-SF, sort-of-YA output. DAYBREAK: 2250 A.D. (aka "Starman's Son") was a huge lifetime favorite, as were THE LAST PLANET, HERE ABIDE MONSTERS, ORDEAL IN OTHERWHERE and a bunch o' others. Formulaic? Sure. An almost phobic avoidance of romantic threads? You bet. But man, she could put you right in the head of a protagonist, and her trademark was always an absolutely breathless last quarter of a novel. She could run you through an extended final sequence like nobody's business, yeah?
Ah, good call!
HB
Great question!
Been reading Archie new and old. Love it!
Also been dabbling with books by Booth Tarkenton America’s greatest but now unknown author. He ruled 100 a 120 years ago! Lovely novels and some made into movies like The Magnificent Ambersons in the 1940s.
Been mostly veganish for a year or so thanks to my wife and the cholesterol dropped from 230 to 180!
Picked up soccer 12 years ago at age 45! Still play 2x per week al year long, indoors and outdoors! Love that sport!
Boom comics Planet of the Apes series is really really well done.
I got the entire run of Y:the Last Man at my library two years ago. Glad they are making a series out of it versus trying to cram 100 issues into a movie. It is a terrific story with a grounded imagination.
Yoyo
Edo: I haven't read his Quarry stuff, but I love Max Allan Collins's Nathan Heller books; great noir, with historical references and personalities all over the place.
[Aside to van mark on the Shakespeare tangent]
While I haven't read Titus Andronicus, I'm pretty familiar with it regardless. The catch with it, IIRC, is that while horrific, bloody atrocities are a big part of the narrative, they largely don't take place on stage (as written), but are related to folks in speeches and dialog.
Hamlet, of course, is the other one which folks think of as a blood-bath by the final scene, w/ bodies strewn across the stage.
To which I say. . . "Has NO ONE read Henry the Sixth, Part Two???" Over the course of the play there are ELEVEN murders/deaths/executions onstage (or that happen just offstage, with the body being brought immediately back on), and of those, FIVE are beheaded, w/ the severed noggin being specifically used and talked about onstage afterward. (A big deal is made about having two of them kiss each other. . . geeze. . . ) Five prominent severed heads. And of course there are still folks being hustled away in order to meet their fate later on. Their are teenage slasher films with less gore and mayhem. . .
I'm sure that play caused more than a couple of Globe props-masters to summarily quit. . .
HB
And Prowl-- can't believe I skipped over sending love your way for taking a dive into the Hulk's run--! My heart is utterly warmed----
HB
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