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!linus!philabs!prls!amdimage!amdcad!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov68!boyajian From: boyajian@akov68.DEC Newsgroups: net.comics Subject: Reviews (including a very special comic) Message-ID: <2128@decwrl.UUCP> Date: Sat, 11-May-85 11:34:52 EDT Article-I.D.: decwrl.2128 Posted: Sat May 11 11:34:52 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 14-May-85 06:48:21 EDT Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: DEC Engineering Network Lines: 146 Comics rated this time: AMERICAN FLAGG! #23 POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #118 AZTEC ACE #12 SECRET WARS II #2 ELFQUEST #1 (Epic edition) SPIDER-MAN AND POWER PACK (Special) After trying for a while separate gradings for story and art, I've decided not to bother doing so, unless there is a large difference --- lousy story and great art, or vice versa. 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 Napoleon 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 #38: "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 | ******************************************************************************** AMERICAN FLAGG! #23 [First, $1.25] B I've thought that the last few FLAGGs have been rather lacklustre. I wasn't all that thrilled with the "Election" issues (that is, aside from the outcome). Here, though, Chaykin is back on track. Yuri is a marvelous supporting character ("What means 'Whomp Bomp a Loo Bomp a Lomp Bam Boom'?"), the plot thickens, and we have a fresh setting (England). And to top things off, Reuben has the added problem that MARK THRUST is very popular there, so he's mobbed by fans. Great stuff. I have to add that I wasn't especially pleased with the Alan Moore's backup. There are a lot of nice touches, but I thought the bit with Raul and the mechanical mouse was a bit excessive. I mean, we all know Raul has some weird, ah..., proclivities, but... AZTEC ACE #12 [Eclipse, $1.75] C This comic has been getting better after a slow start. This issue isn't one of the best, but it's a pulp fan's delight. I did think, however, that making the detective look like Bogey was a touch too much. ELFQUEST #1 [Epic, $.75] This isn't a review, really, just a public service message. I do confess that I haven't been reading the original WARP Graphics run since about issue 3 or 4, mostly because I'm generally not interested in this type of fantasy, and with its quarterly frequency, I found myself forget- ting what happened from one issue to the next. I've been buying it to sup- port WARP Graphics in their efforts, and because I like Wendy's artwork (I have a Pini original hanging in my living room). Anyways, I've also been buying the signed/numbered color Starblaze volumes, and one of these days, I'll sit down and read the whole saga from beginning to end. I just thought that I'd mention that the first issue of this Epic reprint is out. In case it matters to you, be aware that Wendy is drawing new covers for this edition, as well as new bridge passages since the story doesn't break in the same places as it did in the original run. And, of course, it's in color (which doesn't mean a whole lot to you if you have the Starblaze volumes). Anyways, if you're a completist, you may want to pick this up. POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #118 [Marvel, $.65] C- Every once in a while, I give another try to a title that I gave up on. I dropped PM&IF somewhere around #100 because I started to get very bored with what Mary Jo Duffy was doing with the characters, and the art by Denys Cowan wasn't exactly awe-inspiring. Since in this issue Danny, Luke, and Colleen travel to K'un Lun, I thought this may be a good place to drop in (I always liked the K'un Lun related stories). I was pleasantly surprised. I find that writer Jim Owsley has a good handle on the characters, and Mark Bright & Jerry Acerno do quite well in the art department. The basic problem is that Iron Fist is dying from radiation sickness (no spoiler here --- he was exposed to radiation in a previous issue) and he needs to get back to K'un Lun, where they have a method of self-healing that he never learned before leaving the city. Unfortunately, our heroes (plus Dr. Druid --- remember him? --- who is responsible for getting them to the city) find K'un Lun in ruins, and while Danny seeks what he needs, Luke and Colleen encounter the one responsible for the destruction. I don't predict a bright future for Danny-boy, since the book is slated to be cancelled after #125, but the storyline has captured my interest. SECRET WARS II #2 [Marvel, $.75] D Better in both story and art than the first issue. I could almost get interested in the Beyonder's search for the Meaning of Life, or whatever it is he's looking for. And fortunately, Steve Leialoha's inks overwhelm Al Milgrom's pencils. I still can't recommend this comic, with the caveat that if you follow FANTASTIC FOUR, you'll need this issue, since the Hate Monger story is resolved here. And it's about time that I review something special.... SPIDER-MAN AND POWER PACK [Marvel & the National Committee A for Prevention of Child Abuse] You may all remember the 3 special Teen Titans Drug Awareness comics from the other year. Although they certainly carried an important message, they were just awful as comics. Unlike those, though, this special comic not only carries an important message (I'll state right here and now that child abuse prevention is one of my Causes), but it's also a damn good comic. It contains two stories, one featuring Spider-Man and the other Power Pack. "Secrets" is by Nancy Allen (idea), Jim Salicrup (script), and Jim Mooney & Mike Esposito (art). In it, Spidey comes across a young boy who's been a victim of attempted molestation, and he convinces the boy to tell his parents what happened. He does so by telling the boy about an event in *his* past, in which an older boy tried to abuse him. That Marvel should establish this as a part of Spider-Man's life shows a sincerity in getting across the message that child abuse is something that can happen to anyone, and it's a bold move. "Runaway" is by the usual Power Pack team of Louise Simonson, June Brigman, and Bob Wiacek, with Mary Wilshire pencilling over Brigman's layouts. In it, the Pack help out a friend whose father has been sexually abusing her. Again, as in "Secrets", the main message that is gotten across is that the best thing to do is to tell someone in authority that the abuse is taking place, so that something can be done. This comic is aimed at the children who may be abuse victims, but are afraid to tell about it. And it has apparently done some good. I've seen some news- paper reports that say local agencies have received many calls from abused children who've read the comic. This shows just how important the medium of comics can be. If you want a copy of this comic, you can get one from THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE, P.O. Box 94283, Chicago, Illinois, 60690. The comic is free, but they request that you send at least $1.00 to cover costs. Please send in a larger donation. One last thing: after finishing this comic, it occurred to me that if these stories were tried in issues of the regular SPIDER-MAN or POWER PACK comics, they probably wouldn't pass the Comics Code. Now is that irony for you? --- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA) UUCP: {decvax|ihnp4|allegra|ucbvax|...}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov68!boyajian ARPA: boyajian%akov68.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA