Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!ihnp4!zehntel!dual!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov68!boyajian From: boyajian@akov68.DEC (Jerry Boyajian) Newsgroups: net.comics Subject: Comics Reviews Message-ID: <3980@decwrl.UUCP> Date: Mon, 22-Oct-84 02:40:07 EDT Article-I.D.: decwrl.3980 Posted: Mon Oct 22 02:40:07 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 23-Oct-84 04:54:53 EDT Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: DEC Engineering Network Lines: 180 Ratings for the comics reviewed are as according to the Mad Armenian Scale, a shameless rip-off of the Moriarty Scale, stolen out from under the very nose of the Napolean of Crime. Nyah-ah-ah!! ******************************************************************************** |=>A+< A veritable Classic. One of the best of All Time. Example: THE SPIRIT | |==>A< One of the best of the year. Ex: TEEN TITANS #39: "Who Is Donna Troy?" | |==>B< A very good issue, one of the best of the month. Example: CEREBUS | |==>C< A well done, entertaining issue. Satisfying. Example: JON SABLE | |==>D< Rather boring, or a few good spots mixed with more bad ones. Ex: ROM | |==>F< Boring AND stupid or childish. Example: MARVEL SUPERHEROES SECRET WARS | |==>Z< Actually offensive. Example: DAZZLER --- THE MOVIE GRAPHIC NOVEL #12 | ******************************************************************************** FANTASTIC FOUR #274 Story: D+ Art: C+ I won't bother talking about the story. The bulk of it is a continuation of the story from THING #19, the opening sequences are basicly just a set-up for future issues, and the ending sequence is a set-up for future SPIDER-MAN's. What is unusual about this issue is the art. Byrne's pencil's are inked here by Al Gordon, and I rather like the mixture of styles. Gordon manages a difficult feat in keeping the art looking like Byrne, while making it look different from the Byrne art one may see elsewhere. I hope he is a permanent addition to the book. MARVEL SUPER HEROES SECRET WARS #10 D Gee, it managed to rise above its own class! At last, things seem to be happening. There will never be hope for this book, but maybe *something* can be salvaged. Of course, there are still a number of things wrong with it, to wit (a couple of these have been mentioned by others in net.comics already): (1) How was Doom able to contain all of Galactus' power when he wasn't able to hold the Silver Surfer's power in times past? (2) How was Doom able to stand up to the Beyonder using Galactus' power when in issue #1, the Beyonder swatted Galactus back like a fly? (3) How was Galactus able to feed upon his own worldship when it's been maintained that he needs the energy from a *natural biosphere*? (4) Wolverine to Cap: "I used to have some respect for you..." (p. 9) Wolverine (Issue #1): "Wait a minute! He's [Cap] the *least* of us! He can't do anything! I won't follow him--!" (p. 17) Shooter can't even be consistent with his own lousy characteriza- tions. NEW MUTANTS #24 C This has been one of the better issues of late. First of all, I must be getting used to Sienkiewicz's art, because I rather liked it here, even if I still have some reservations about its belonging in this book. The subplot with Magneto and Lee Forrester is getting real interesting, as is the sequence with Peter in the Shadow. There may be hope for the schmuck yet. Another good scene was the bit with Charley castigating Sam for his "Lila" tank-top, while Rogue compliments him on it. And then there is Illyana's screwing things up, which is very interesting, considering that she usually has been the one to haul every- one's ashes out of the fire. THE THING #20 Lettering: F "Deminish"? (p. 7) "...with two little fuss"? (p. 11) Sheesh!! ^ ^^^ THOR #351 B+ Ya know, I've really been getting complacent lately. For the last year or so, THOR has been soooo good, that I've been taking its quality for granted. Then, Simonson goes and does an issue like this one to knock my socks off all over again. Boy, I can't wait till the next issue! SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #32 B+ Talk about complacence. Here I figure that I know just what to expect from Alan Moore: bone-chilling horror that would make Stephen King turn green with envy. So what happens? He pulls an issue like this which has no horror in it to speak of, but is still a cut above anything else. First, it's a hommage to Pogo --- no spoiler here; anyone who can't guess this on the first page should not be allowed to tie his own shoelaces. As such, it's only middlin'. It was nice, but frankly, I thought Moore overdid the Pogo-ish mode of expression. It tended to obfuscate more than it should have. The strong point of this story was that it was one of the saddest, most tear-jerking stories I have read in some time. A two-hanky comic, but well worth it. ACTION COMICS #563 Ambush Bug: B Superman: D Jimmy Olsen: D+ The Superman story, featuring the return of Mr. Mxyzptlk, was a real loss. The Jimmy Olsen story really tried --- I'll have to give it that. It felt nicely nostalgic, hearkening back to those good ol' Mort Weisinger days when every month, something weird would happen to the various characters of the Superman family. This story, however, just didn't manage to capture the naive charm of those stories from 20 years ago. Now as for Ambush, that's a bug of a different color! (literally!) I almost collapsed on the floor from laughing! "Why *this* bug?! I never went *near* the Secret Wars!!" hee hee "Why, *Hello*, Willllburrrr." hah hah AMERICA VS. THE JUSTICE SOCIETY #1 D+ Not really too bad, art- and script-wise. However, there are a couple of points that need to be mentioned: (1) The various heroes in the JSA have been as highly esteemed as the Batman. Why are so many people willing to take the word of the lat- ter against the reputations of the former so quickly? (2) If the handcuffs are basicly symbolic, why do they find it necessary to use Kryptonite handcuffs on Superman, considering how deadly they should be to him? (3) Was there a woman officer there to handcuff Wonder Woman? Would she allow a man to bind her for whatever reason? (4) I still can't believe anybody's swallowing this whole thing! Look: some guy shows up at Clark Kent's office with Batman's diary, which implicates the JSA in all sorts of bad things. This guy *mentions* that he's used hypnosis on Bruce Wayne for certain reasons. Wouldn't it be reasonable to think right off the bat that this might have some bearing on the case? Sheesh! CONQUEROR #1 D This is the first real issue from a new British comic company, Harrier Comics. Quite frankly, it bodes ill. The basic concept is the adventures of a heavy cruiser of the Commonwealth [basicly Britain] Space Navy, H.M.S. Conqueror 500 years in the future. Sounds a bit STAR TREKish, though in this issue, it's more of a war comic in space than the exploration of strange new worlds. The story here is that some alien invaders attack a Commonwealth star system. Their ships seem invincible, and they are defeated only by what pretty much amounts to luck. The scripting is adequate at best. The art is very stiff, the layouts unimaginitive. And last, but not least, the characters are strictly cardboard. You could do worse than to buy this, but you could do a lot better. I suppose one shouldn't expect everything coming out of Britain to be a gem any more than everything in this country, but it's a shame that the same country that brought us "V for Vendetta", "Judge Dredd", "Captain Britain", "Pressbut- ton", "Robohunter", et al. hould produce something so lackluster. BIOTECH COMIX [#1] C- I gave this a try due to the recommendation in net.comics some weeks ago, and I'm glad I did. The feminist-oriented message is somewhat blunt, and the art style is a bit too undergroundish, but I found this comic to be both amusing and entertaining, well worth the time invested. And after all, isn't that why we buy comics in the first place --- to be amused and entertained? This comic certainly won't be to everyone's taste, but if you like the unusual and different, give this one a try. CAPTAIN PHIL AND THE INTERGALACTIC SPACE PALS #1 Biased: C- Unbiased: D+ This one is difficult for me to review, because the publishers/editors at Steeldragon Press, Will Shetterly and Emma Bull are dear friends of mine. After publishing three issues of REAL HEP! COMICS, an undergroundish, odd-for- mat comic ("Captain Phil" appeared in the first issue), they ventured into "reg- ular" comics with an anthology, STEELDRAGON STORIES, which was an uneven bunch of stories. Well, now they are embarking on two "real" regular comics, CAPTAIN PHIL being the first (the second is OMAHA, THE CAT DANCER, by Reed Waller, which has had previous stories appear in two issues of Dennis Kitchen's underground, BIZARRE SEX). Anyway, CAPTAIN PHIL is written and drawn by Greg Guler, who's done work for Americomics. His art there didn't grab me, though here he does well. It's perhaps due to the cartoony style of the artwork; Guler might well be better suited to this type of art. The writing is adequate overall, and quite funny in spots. On the whole, this reminds me of a good Saturday morning cartoon. If anything fails in this comic, it's that there's nothing new. The characters are all familiar, and there is no different sort of treatment of either them or the equally familiar plot. The biased side of me tells me to recommend this wholeheartedly; the unbiased side says to give this first issue a try, and then decide for yourself. On the other hand, anyone who could come up with the name "Malevoloids" for the nasty aliens has got *something* going for him. --- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA) UUCP: {decvax|ihnp4|allegra|ucbvax|...}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov68!boyajian ARPA: boyajian%akov68.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA