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Post by dlw66 on Jun 20, 2009 21:57:45 GMT -5
I'm going grab "Superman: Secret Identity" tomorrow at the comic book store, so hopefully I'll take it on this week. W -- Last night I sneaked an hour away from all the busy-ness to read the very nice All-Star Superman, Vol. I tpb. It was, as you had recommended, a fun and nostalgiac read. There was a little presupposed background to the mythos, but nothing that I felt would keep a novice from enjoying the story. And to be honest, Superman is so deeply ingrained in American public consciousness that the script is accessible to any reader of just about any age. Quitely's art was a lot of fun. At times it reminded me of Frank Miller, circa Dark Knight #'s 2-4 with its "puffiness"; other times (particularly Lois) he channeled Carlos Pacheco. But the overall package was very nice, and fit the tone of the story. This Lex Luthor, with his weightlifting, etc. was fun and somewhat of a fresh take on the character. The issue where Clark Kent interviews him was priceless -- the role Clark played was priceless!! So, W, thank you for asking me to read this volume -- I am glad I did. While I don't think it was quite as good as the book I've asked you to read, it was money well spent !
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Post by woodside on Jun 21, 2009 21:30:10 GMT -5
Glad you liked it! Volume Two is just as good, so I encourage you to pick it up when you get a chance. The end is a little weird, but makes sense.
I haven't been able to pick up "Superman: Secret Identity" yet. I planned to this week, but I had a financial snafu that stopped me. Hopefully, early next month.
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Post by dlw66 on Jun 24, 2009 20:39:16 GMT -5
Earlier today I finished reading the hardcover edition of Magneto: Testament.
Many of you know I am an educator with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, so I came to this story with a hint of suspiciousness. I kept wondering if it would be as historically accurate as Maus, or as meticulously told as Will Eisner's The Plot. I can tell you that this book was everything I wanted (and it needed) to be. The author/artist had scholars from the Simon Wiesenthal Center proof the script and artwork for historical accuracy, and there are plenty of end notes to justify almost any scene that could have flopped (historically-speaking). There is also an extensive teacher's guide, which as a teacher I largely found to be worthwhile.
For those of you just interested in the hero angle, however, you may be disappointed. While it is an outstanding human interest story, I can tell you that there is virtually no use of magnetism by young Magneto. There is just enough that you and I both appreciated the fact that this was the young Magnus, but his powers don't manifest themselves apparently before 1948 (when by this account Magneto would have been 22 years old).
The book is $25 in hardcover, cheaper on Amazon. The softcover is solicited in this month's Marvel section of Previews.
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Post by Shiryu on Jun 25, 2009 17:06:27 GMT -5
I read the individual issues when they came out, and it was outstanding. Definitely something to throw at everyone who says that comics can't deal with mature, historic topics.
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Post by dlw66 on Jul 1, 2009 22:30:53 GMT -5
Just finished the tpb for Superman/Batman: Vengeance. The Ed McGuiness art was good and fitting for the story. However, I didn't enjoy the story. I'm not into the Bat-Mite/Mr. Mxylptlk silliness, and I have to question if Jeph Loeb was dropping acid while writing this arc.
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Post by Shiryu on Aug 14, 2009 15:08:25 GMT -5
I have no idea what I will be reading, haven't really made any plan ^^ So much for that. I have finished reading "Stan Lee: Conversations" and I'm halfway through "Stan's Soapbox" (both indirectly recommended by a certain dynamic trio of ours...). I have now ordered Stan Lee's autobiography, Origins of Marvel Comics and - gasp - DC Vault and Marvel Vault (there was a good offer on Amazon, both together for 20£). Look's like this end of summer is going to be comics-history driven. PS: Funny to read that Stan is a fan of Sherlock Holmes, I'm reading the complete collection of his novels and short stories everyday when I take the train to work ^^
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Post by squidboy on Aug 14, 2009 16:54:25 GMT -5
Shiryu, Are you enjoying Sherlock Holmes? I really like the short stories and "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "A Study in Scarlett" but I thought "The Valley of Fear" and "The Sign of Four" were only adequate at best. If you enjoy Doyles writing, I recommend "The White Company" Sorry for the run on sentence.
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Post by Shiryu on Aug 14, 2009 17:41:29 GMT -5
Shiryu, Are you enjoying Sherlock Holmes? I really like the short stories and "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "A Study in Scarlett" but I thought "The Valley of Fear" and "The Sign of Four" were only adequate at best. If you enjoy Doyles writing, I recommend "The White Company" I've only just begun "His last bow" with the last short stories completing the volume, but so far the Hound of the Baskervilles is certainly my favorite. Very "atmospheric", you can really visualize the British moor, and the monstrous flaming hound is perfect for the mistery. The Valley of Fear and the Sign of the Four both started off very well, but were a bit disappointing in the conclusion, especially the first one. I also don't like it too much when half or a third of the novel is devoted to the narration of the life and times of the murder or of the victim. It's interesting, but I'd be happier with a shorter summary. I've also enjoyed most of the short stories so far. Two or three were a bit disappointing, but overall they were all great fun to read and Doyle is really good in giving each character a definite personality. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll keep it in mind! PS, btw if you happen to go to London, you can visit 221B Baker Street, there is a Sherlock Holmes Museum there and it's possible to go upstairs and see the rooms decorated as for the custom of the time. Obviously the house itself was probably not even there when Doyle was alive, but it's fascinating all the same
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Post by dlw66 on Aug 18, 2009 15:39:55 GMT -5
As it's back-to-school time for me in about 10 days, I guess this is as good a time as any to measure what I got read since I started this thread. In no particular order:
Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee Stan Lee: The Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book Jack Kirby Checklist (Gold Edition) -- just perused Superman/Batman: Vengeance All-Star Superman, vol. I Magneto: Testament Guardians of the Galaxy premiere hardcover -- Earth Shall Overcome 2 stories from Essential Savage Sword of Conan, vol. I the first 5 stories from Essential Defenders, vol. I Amazing Spider-Man 100-102 and 124-125 Avengers 151-152 Back Issue! #34 and am just getting into #35 The Jack Kirby Collector #53 (about halfway through it)
and one chapter in the Oskar Schindler biography I'd mentioned way back at the beginning.
How about everyone else? Shiryu, that's a great reading list!!
Doug
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Post by starfoxxx on Aug 18, 2009 16:26:43 GMT -5
I'm still slowly reading the stack of comics I got from my LCS's "Christmas in July" sale for 25-cents each.
And here's a comment that won't be too popular here, but I received my Assembled 2 a few weeks ago, and I am having trouble getting through it. Compared to the first one, it's really bland. Sorry but I'm not one to BS.
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Post by dlw66 on Aug 18, 2009 22:39:01 GMT -5
I just finished reading (for the fourth time) Kraven's Last Hunt. If you have read or are reading Back Issue! #35 featuring the Pro2Pro roundtable with Marc DeMatteis and Mike Zeck, then the essay by Glenn Herdling and Jim Salicrup at the end of the graphic novel will carry even more weight. I have an early edition of the collected volume, so I hope if you happen to have a newer version or choose to peruse one at your LCS or local bookstore that the same essay is included. At any rate, great story that holds up after 20 years!
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Post by Shiryu on Aug 20, 2009 16:04:52 GMT -5
In the meantime, I have finished Stan's Soapbox (nice at the beginning, disappointing in the middle and better again towards the end) and, just five minutes ago, Origins of Marvel Comics (I wish it had more text and less comics, since I knew them all already). I'm also halfway through the Vault, which is great! I'm waiting for the DC Vault to fly over the Ocean and land here, but Stan's autobiography, Excelsior, is ready to be the next in line. Good thing I'm a quick reader ^^ A question for who else has Marvel's Vault. There is a selected bibliography at the end, does anyone happen to have any of those books? Are they worth reading or is it just a repetition of the information already in the Vault? And here's a comment that won't be too popular here, but I received my Assembled 2 a few weeks ago, and I am having trouble getting through it. Compared to the first one, it's really bland. Sorry but I'm not one to BS. I've been re-reading a couple of bits of the book a second time, and I'd still say it reads better than the first one. But I suppose they are different, Assembled! was more essay and analysis oriented, whereas 2 has more information and sum-ups. I personally like it more this way, but I suppose that it also makes it more boring for who has an in-depth knowledge of the individual books of the big three.
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Post by sharkar on Aug 24, 2009 11:34:52 GMT -5
A question for who else has Marvel's Vault. There is a selected bibliography at the end, does anyone happen to have any of those books? Are they worth reading or is it just a repetition of the information already in the Vault? My two cents: No self-respecting Marvelite/comic book historian-fanatic should be without:Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics; by Les Daniels Daniels' book is a must-have. IMO, it's the most readable history of Timely/Atlas/Marvel with great graphics. This is a good, solid, basic reference book that anyone who's interested in Marvel should own. Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book; by Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon: Shiryu, you already have the Stan Lee Excelsior! book, so I would strongly recommend reading Jordan and Spurgeon's book as a counterpoint to the Excelsior! book. The Comic Book Makers; by Joe and Jim Simon The Simons' (by Joe and his son) book is fascinating and I highly recommend it. It's told from Joe's standpoint of course, but it's a great read and you'll see how important and influential Simon-Kirby were, plus it'll give you a good idea of the 1930s/40s/50s/60s/70s/80s comic book industry. As for the other books/periodicals mentioned: The Golden Age of Marvel, vols. 1 and 2; edited by Tom Brevoort These Brevoort-edited "Golden Age of Marvel" books are collections of Golden Age Cap, Subby and other stories. The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books (2 volumes); compiled by Ernest and Mary Gerber: The Gerbers' books are compilations of covers. I've looked through their books at stores but never felt particularly compelled to buy these (I may one day, though only if deeply discounted). www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0962332801/encyberpealivingA/Alter Ego magazine:Every issue of Alter Ego will open your eyes to something new about the Golden and Silver Ages. It's edited by Roy Thomas (one of the co-editors of the Vault). Like Back Issue, AE is a TwoMorrows publication; and Shiryu, I know you've mentioned TwoMorrows mags are not available in your local comic stores, so you may want to check out TwoMorrows' PDF versions (available for some issues). twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=98_55 Marvel Universe; by Peter Sanderson Sanderson's Marvel Universe is good though probably not essential, as its material should be familiar to most of us. It wouldn't be a bad addition to your library, though as mentioned it probably won't tell you anything you haven't read elsewhere. (Sanderson is the Vault's other co-editor.) Books I don't have--yet...: Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America; by Bradford Wright Wright's book is supposed to be good; it's about how comics reflected society at the time. I haven't read it but would like to (based on the reviews I've read). The Comic Book Heroes; by Gerard Jones and Will Jacobs I know nothing about Jones and Jacobs' The Comic Book Heroes; but I've read good things about their more recent book, Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters and the Birth of the Comic Book (focuses on creators such as Siegel and Shuster, but also on the publishers)...so I'd guess their earlier book is probably good too. Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code; by Amy Nyberg Nyberg's book seems interesting, as it chronicles what led to the creation of the Comics Code. EDIT: It occurred to me that some people may be interested in these books but may not have the Marvel Vault (and its bibliography, which lists the books in question), so I added the actual titles of the books to my post.
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Post by dlw66 on Aug 24, 2009 11:56:52 GMT -5
I know nothing about Jones and Jacobs' The Comic Book Heroes; but I've read good things about their more recent book, Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters and the Birth of the Comic Book (focuses on creators such as Siegel and Shuster, but also on the publishers)...so I'd guess their earlier book is probably good too. I have The Comic Book Heroes -- bought it when it was new a LONG time ago. I've read it twice. It's a history book of the industry that brings the reader up-to-date (at least as far as the mid-1980's are concerned, when it was published). It must be a bit more influential than I thought, as it's quoted not only in The Marvel Vault, but in the Jordan/Spurgeon book about Stan Lee.
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Post by Shiryu on Aug 29, 2009 5:28:51 GMT -5
Thank you very much, Sharkar! karma for you for taking the time of writing such a detailed description of each book!
I have just ordered Les Daniels', and I'll keep an eye for The Comic Book Makers if I find a good bargain on Amazon or Ebay. Thanks also for the Alter Ego link. I prefer to read magazines on paper, so I'll try to look for them from time to time on Ebay (there are some lone issues at the moment, but I'm hoping for a collection of 5 or 10 of them at least). But it's good to know that there is an alternative if everything else fails.
BTW, I have finished reading Excelsior!, and funny enough the chapters I enjoyed the most have been those where Stan talks about what happened before and after the creation of the superhero in the sixties. Things like how he met his future wife, or what happened with Stan Lee Media and so on. And you can definitely see his psychological skills at work throughout the book (as well as in Conversations with Stan Lee).
I'm now still waiting for the DC Vault to arrive, hopefully it won't be disappointing (then again, it was just 5£ as opposed to 15 for Marvel's Vault, so it won't matter too much even if it is ^^)
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Post by sharkar on Aug 31, 2009 20:35:02 GMT -5
Thanks also for the Alter Ego link. I prefer to read magazines on paper, so I'll try to look for them from time to time on Ebay (there are some lone issues at the moment, but I'm hoping for a collection of 5 or 10 of them at least). But it's good to know that there is an alternative if everything else fails. Shiryu, I just remembered there's a book that collects the first couple of issues of Alter Ego; it's available on Amazon (and Amazon UK?). www.amazon.com/Alter-Ego-Collection-Vol-v/dp/1893905594/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251654786&sr=1-2
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Post by Shiryu on Sept 1, 2009 4:23:28 GMT -5
Thanks for the info! I've already found it on Amazon UK and bought it straight away
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Post by Shiryu on Sept 12, 2009 16:45:05 GMT -5
I eventually received-and finished-the DC Vault. It's very similar to the Marvel Vault, perhaps sligtly less fluent in style but with more extras, including some very interesting lists and memos from the original Crisis' period. Besides, after so many books on Marvel history, it's interesting to see another side of comics' history.
There are a few references to Marvel too, but they don't make much sense unless you already know the history of the House of Ideas (for example, it mentions when DC was distributing Marvel books, but not when such arrangement ended. Or it says when Kirby came from Marvel but not that he eventually left again, and so on).
All in all, a very interesting read. The original price is probably a bit over the top, but the 5$ deal on Amazon was more than worth it.
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