Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84 chuqui version 1.7 9/23/84; site nsc.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcs!lsuc!pesnta!nsc!chuqui From: chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Laurie Sefton, C/O chuqui) Newsgroups: net.comics Subject: This week's bag o' goodies (spoilers) Message-ID: <2772@nsc.UUCP> Date: Tue, 28-May-85 16:47:23 EDT Article-I.D.: nsc.2772 Posted: Tue May 28 16:47:23 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 29-May-85 04:12:28 EDT Distribution: net Organization: The Warlocks Cave Lines: 111 Comics to be reviewed this week: Crisis #6 Crossfire #11 Superman #411 ToTT #57 X-Men #197 Am. Flagg #24 Amethyst #9 Flash #349 NTT An.#1 Crisis #6: Well, the new Wildcat appears by the end of this one. What happened with the concept of "La Gara", anyway? Did it just get dumped because of the opening occuring in Crisis, or what? The new Doctor Light doesn't appear to be any more agreeable than the old. The Flash is acting a bit less like a total wimp these days, but the Psycho-Pirate seems to have picked up the slack. And where did all those super-villians go to? I still do *not* like Black Canary's new outfit. It makes her look like an Olivia Newton-John clone. Cross- fire #11: Geez. Right after I spend 6 (and then some) hours in a comics seminar to learn that one *never* has more than 25 words in a word balloon (because the reader likes to look at the pictures more than the words-if she wanted to read something, she'd read a novel), and here comes a comic with script pages! I realize that Evanier and Spiegle were using it as a gimmick, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. It reminded me of the Firestorm Annual last year (?) that had *all* those pages of script, and very little in the way of illustrations. The story (pre-cog who writes out his script far in advance) bordered heavily on a cliche. I think the theme of "No one believes that I can tell the future" has been done to a crisp in enough different media that it really doesn't need to be done here. Superman #411 Okay, well I liked *this* cliche. I probably won't like it if and when Stan Lee decides that he is 70, and Marvel does something for him, but then again, you can get away with this sort of thing in Superman. And besides, we won't have multiple earth stories to play with in the near future. ToTT #57 Whoopee. I think the problem here may be that I already know what is going to happen (having read the Baxter version of all this), and the filler stories that have to do with something that we already know isn't going to come around just do not cut it. I did like the Changeling/Terminator story, because there weren't millions of references to it in the Baxter. And the cover is just straight out of Marvel. X-Men #197 Speaking of Marvel....This was as stupid as I feared. *sigh* I'm hoping for much better things in the next few issues. I take it from the vague references that we should expect a little mutant forthcoming from the Summers household. American Flagg #24 This is one comic which needs a program to help keep the players straight. I generally like American Flagg because Chaykin has created his own universe, and has populated the universe with characters that *belong* in that universe. Sometimes it isn't pretty, but it is real. The back-up piece is pure frothy fluff, and it's *wonderful*. Of course it's the stuff that the anti-comics people want to use as a reason to get comics off the shelves, but it's an excellent example that comics aren't just for children, either. Amethyst #9 Well, we seem to have gotten rid of the "Amethyst can only go to Gemworld when she is asleep" problem. Now we have the "Amethyst is the only thing that is keeping this place together" problem. At least the major problems don't go on for years on end here. The artwork on this issue appeared to be a little sketchy, though; even beyond the usual Colon quick and dirty types artwork. Flash #349 Gee, for a penultimate issue, it sure didn't thrill me much. And I have been reading the Flash for a long time (like about 135 issues, or so). You know, the sad part about all this is just that I have just stopped caring about *what* happens to him. I'm just more interested in getting #350, and completing my collection. I think the Flash can be held up as how a group of writers can totally destroy a long-standing comic. A little pathos is fine, but this guy has had *everything* dumped on him in the last few years. At least we find out where the man from the future came from (the same place Iris is), and that it's probably Abra-Cadabra doing the funny business with the Reverse Flash schtick. An.TNTT #1 And now an editorial..... Why is it that annuals become dumping grounds for stories that would have otherwise ended up in the round file somewhere? The "new member punches up story from old team" story has been done to death. I'd rather not have an annual at all, if thats all that can be managed. The story doesn't even have to fit into the continuity line that well, I would just like one that isn't second rate material. This one even reads like a Marvel team up: misunderstood group of soon-to-be-marketed superheroes show up on scene. Cover heroes engage in battle, realize that they shouldn't have been fighting after all, and team up to fight greater menace. Something dreadful happens to s-t-b-m team to provide lots of story lines later, and combined teams beat geater menace... *sigh* Maybe I should send in some plots of my own.. That's it for this week! Laurie Sefton -- :From the misfiring synapses of: Chuq Von Rospach {cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA This space for rent. Political, religious and racist quotes need not apply.