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Post by humanbelly on Feb 19, 2012 18:23:05 GMT -5
For some reason, I was trying to fill in HBSon on a little bit of Quaze's history, and realized I wasn't too clear on it. And I have the entire 60-issue run of his book. How could that be?
On a whim, I went down and pulled the run from the boxes. . . and came to the startling- and humiliating- conclusion that it was a title that for the most part I kept subscribing to w/out ever reading very often. Good grief.
So, I'm now doing a read-through. And I see that one reason it fell off my radar was because Paul Ryan & Danny Bulandi left the book very early in its run, to be replaced for several long months by a DREADFUL Mike Manley. Also, Mark Gruenwald's storylines were anchored DEEPLY in a lot of obscure Marvel lore and minutia, and are truly kind of quirkily brilliant, but were also exasperatingly tough to keep hold of on a month-to-month basis. It does read much, much better in a back-to-back format. If you can wrestle past the art.
Greg . . . Capuco (?) replaced Manley-- and while not a great artist, either, does demonstrate some dramatic strengths with his storytelling style. Definitely a couple of steps up the quality ladder.
Boy, I do miss Mark Gruenwald. He really needed a solid editor/proof-reader, as his grammar was OFTEN "experimental", let's say-- but he was so wonderfully capable of writing ridiculously "big" stories that kept their focus- almost to an excruciating degree- right down at the personal, human level.
I mean, Quasar's chronic lack of self-esteem, and unsettled, unresolved relationship with his father becomes an issue that could prevent him from saving all of . . . the universe. . . ! (Sheesh!)
Do I like it? Yes, quite a lot. Could I recommend it? Mmmmmm, not sure yet.
HB
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Post by humanbelly on Feb 20, 2012 7:42:27 GMT -5
CAPULLO. . . the artist was Greg Capullo (didn't have the book available to me yestereve). And I have to say that his improvement curve (along w/ inker Keith Williams) has been fairly impressive. I'd say there's a good bit of early-ish JRjr influence to be seen-- but, how do I put this-- with more "heart". Sorry to rely on such mushy intangibles. Right now I'm liking this 20 year old title (!!!) more with every issue. It was old-fashioned even then, but not at all unpleasantly so.
HB
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Post by starfoxxx on Feb 20, 2012 16:10:00 GMT -5
Yes, like most 90s titles, the art was so, so bad it's hard to tell if the stories/writing was competent, maybe with a better artist.
I recently found Quasar #17 in a 50-cent bin. I had actually been seeking it out, it features a race between many of Marvel's super-speedy heroes and villains such as Quicksilver, Makkari, Speed Demon, Capt. Marvle II (?), Whizzer, Super Sabre, and Black Racer from the Serpent Society. Kind of like the old Superman/Flash race stories. As i've stated, the art was just sooooo bad, it's hard to tell what the heck was going on here.
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Post by humanbelly on Feb 20, 2012 17:00:41 GMT -5
Yes, like most 90s titles, the art was so, so bad it's hard to tell if the stories/writing was competent, maybe with a better artist. I recently found Quasar #17 in a 50-cent bin. I had actually been seeking it out, it features a race between many of Marvel's super-speedy heroes and villains such as Quicksilver, Makkari, Speed Demon, Capt. Marvle II (?), Whizzer, Super Sabre, and Black Racer from the Serpent Society. Kind of like the old Superman/Flash race stories. As i've stated, the art was just sooooo bad, it's hard to tell what the heck was going on here. That issue (in spite of the art, of course) did stand out as a surprisingly warm one-off story for the Quasar fans, though-- 'cause the race was won by an uninvited entrant (SPOILER ALERT!!!) from somewhere outside of the universe. A bearded, blonde amnesiac with golden boots & gloves, and the tatters of a scarlet uniform. He has vague memories of a ball of lightning inside him, starts churning his feet, and tears past everyone on the course (from 'waaaaay behind), and wins the big race. Before being whisked away, he mutters that his name may have sounded something like "Buried Alien. . . " It really was a delightful tribute to the much-missed Scarlet Speedster at that point-- and you simply ached for the art to support it more effectively. HB |
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Post by humanbelly on Feb 25, 2012 21:49:23 GMT -5
Okay, I'm up to issue #50, and I'll go ahead and take the risk of recommending this book to folks. It's wonderfully "Marvel"-ish; it's quirky, but very engagingly written. It's . . . endearing. That seems to be the best way to describe this book. It manages to be unique and original, and yet feels warm and comfortable at the same time. Not at all groundbreaking--- yet not quite like any other book I can think of.
I mean, any book where an antagonist (Sergei/the Presence) is re-directed elsewhere to seek confirmation of the fall of the Soviet Union (which he had been out of commission for). . . well, that's a first-rate way to neutralize a foe, is what I'm sayin'-!
I'm sorry to see the run coming to an end at issue #60.
HB
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Post by freedomfighter on Feb 29, 2012 12:54:39 GMT -5
Okay, I'm up to issue #50, and I'll go ahead and take the risk of recommending this book to folks. It's wonderfully "Marvel"-ish; it's quirky, but very engagingly written. It's . . . endearing. That seems to be the best way to describe this book. It manages to be unique and original, and yet feels warm and comfortable at the same time. Not at all groundbreaking--- yet not quite like any other book I can think of. I mean, any book where an antagonist (Sergei/the Presence) is re-directed elsewhere to seek confirmation of the fall of the Soviet Union (which he had been out of commission for). . . well, that's a first-rate way to neutralize a foe, is what I'm sayin'-! I'm sorry to see the run coming to an end at issue #60. HB I would've recommended this book without reservation early on. Gruenwald did an interesting trick by taking so many of the stock set pieces of Jim Starlin stories and dropping an earnest Midwestern boy in place of the cosmic heroes like Mar-Vell and Warlock. Quasar was over his head against Thanos, The Stranger and Maelstrom and it showed, but he never gave up. The book was also a who's who of neglected Marvel characters like Jack of Hearts, Moondragon, Makkari, Her/Kismet, Wundarr/Aquarian and generally a fun trip through the Marvel Universe. Then the art got really bad, jumping from one issue to the next with new pencillers and inconsistent styles. A lot of the later issues are forgettable and read like "spacecop" Green Lantern stories from the 80s. Still Quaze's heart always showed through- never forget when he picked up the Ultimate Nullifier and was ready to sacrifice himself during one of Thanos' Infinity storylines. A true hero and I'm glad his "death" during Annihilation was overturned. |
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Post by tomspasic on Mar 1, 2012 19:33:06 GMT -5
A wonderful book.
Also a book full of wonder.
When Grant Morrison is channeling his best comic fan personna, loving the kooky, strange and awesome inventiveness of comics, this is the kind of book I think of.
It was Gruenwald's love letter to the Marvel Universe, digging up obscure lore and stories and always getting it spot on.
He also would give the nod to his spiritual forefathers at DC, and his "Buried Alien" issues showed him to know what it took DC decades more to remember: Flash Fact!
Some comics you peer into, and the worlds on the page are bigger and more interesting than the one on this side. Quasar was one such comic.
For me the art was never an issue, because the book was so full of ideas and heart and knowledge it could have been just stick figures drawn by the guy who does XKCD and I'd still have loved it.
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 2, 2012 19:46:51 GMT -5
A wonderful book. Also a book full of wonder. When Grant Morrison is channeling his best comic fan personna, loving the kooky, strange and awesome inventiveness of comics, this is the kind of book I think of. It was Gruenwald's love letter to the Marvel Universe, digging up obscure lore and stories and always getting it spot on. He also would give the nod to his spiritual forefathers at DC, and his "Buried Alien" issues showed him to know what it took DC decades more to remember: Flash Fact! Some comics you peer into, and the worlds on the page are bigger and more interesting than the one on this side. Quasar was one such comic. For me the art was never an issue, because the book was so full of ideas and heart and knowledge it could have been just stick figures drawn by the guy who does XKCD and I'd still have loved it. Wow, tomspasic, this is so well-expressed that I'm going to exalt you for being better able to voice my very own thoughts than I am myself-- and with much less extraneous verbiage (  . And while I can't say that I don't mind the art (Heebink? 'Zat name ring a bell?), I'm still able to become quite engaged with the story in spite of it. And there just couldn't be a nicer, more appealing young man for the central character. And FF, let me definitely thank you for chiming in with support as well, eh? I thought, "well, I'm gonna get a heck of a ribbing for falling in love with this rather square, forgotten series"-- but nothing of the sort came about. Ah-- what a pleasant relief. . . (Not that I can't take a fine amount of ribbing, mind you-- being a big ol' Hulk fan around here builds up one's endurance-!) HB |
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Post by tomspasic on Mar 2, 2012 20:06:59 GMT -5
Don't get me wrong, if they had had Starlin draw it, I probably would have exploded with happiness.
But the guys who did draw it told the story (always the first job of comic book art), despite the story being packed with abstract cosmic concepts and entities or forgotten characters from 20 years before hand.
I never had trouble working out who was who, or what was happening, never was troubled by people teleporting round scenes in-between panels.
I wish I could say the same for many modern artists whose surface glamour and technique belies an inability to simply tell a story in sequential pictures.
(To be fair, often the writer gives them and us so little story you cannot wholly blame the artist for it's absence).
Quasar's creator's never let me down in that regard.
Yes, I look at, say, Planetary by Ellis/Cassaday, (a spiritual successor to Quasar) as a better looking book, and often a better written book, too.
But both are steeped in a love of comics, of sci-fi, of science and of it being a big, strange, wonderful place in which we live. That is why both are favourites of mine.
I think Hickman's FF has come close to the same "flavour" of comic at times, and I also think Christos Gage's Avengers academy has a similar love of continuity and comics in general, even if it's a more earth-bound read in most regards..
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 7, 2012 21:26:01 GMT -5
Don't get me wrong, if they had had Starlin draw it, I probably would have exploded with happiness. But the guys who did draw it told the story (always the first job of comic book art), despite the story being packed with abstract cosmic concepts and entities or forgotten characters from 20 years before hand. I never had trouble working out who was who, or what was happening, never was troubled by people teleporting round scenes in-between panels. I wish I could say the same for many modern artists whose surface glamour and technique belies an inability to simply tell a story in sequential pictures. (To be fair, often the writer gives them and us so little story you cannot wholly blame the artist for it's absence). Quasar's creator's never let me down in that regard. I think that's a fair point, tomsp. Granted a lack in the artistic quality (facility?), there was rarely an issue w/ the clarity of the storytelling-- even with the particularly weak art at the end of the run. The next-to-last issue was actually a filler (Andy Light?), and while the artwork was quite good, the story, as you point out, was a vacuous, easily-dimissed, single-event, out-of-conitnuity yawner. I have no memory of the promised/hinted-at cosmic team book that was supposedly going to follow ever coming to fruition. Man, really my kind of book, though. Again, very glad to see my sentiments echoed by a couple of other old-fogeys-! HB |
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 29, 2012 13:08:53 GMT -5
Hmm. Is there any reason Wendell Vaughn and Monica Rambeau wouldn't make a smashing couple? They have very similar natures and temperments-- although she tends to be more Alpha to his steadfast Beta. Both are irrepressibly likable. Both seem kind of. . . I don't know. . . "old fashioned", for lack of a better term. Open, honest, uncomplicated folks. Heck, terrific parents, I'd wager.
Hmm. Are they either/both still biological enough to have
children these days?
HB
(work's a trifle slow today. . . )
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kidcage
Reservist Avenger
Posts: 167
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Post by kidcage on Mar 29, 2012 14:41:51 GMT -5
I think I have close to the entire run on this, mostly because I like Quasar and just figured I'd give it a shot. I've always liked his look, and have mostly collected this series in the last few years. After thinking "hey, what actually happened to him?" I was actually saddened to read they killed him off in Annihilation (or whatever it was) only to resurrect him (of course) in Nova.
I have to admit, there are quite a few "Avengers Solo" people who's early-mid 1990s runs I have: Quasar, Wonder-Man, Thunderstrike. Heck, in some cases I have more issues of THEM then I do Iron Man or Hulk in my collection.
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Post by tomspasic on Mar 29, 2012 17:10:53 GMT -5
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Post by Marvel Boy on Nov 24, 2012 1:34:18 GMT -5
Quasar always sounded like a character I would like but for some reason, perhaps his history or the history of the quantum bands themeselves, I never could quite get into.
I have a scattering of issues from this series, notably the Race issue with Buried Alien, an idea I have wonder why Marvel have never done before then.
Good to see they're reprinting some of it though, I'll have to check out that Vol. 1 tpb.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Jan 21, 2013 20:52:38 GMT -5
After searching the collection, seems I only have issues #1, #6, #8, and #17. Something interesting I noticed was a small Science Fact section in the letters page, an illustration with science text that tied-in with the story.
How long did they do that throughout the run? That's a pretty neat feature.
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Post by humanbelly on Jan 21, 2013 21:48:12 GMT -5
After searching the collection, seems I only have issues #1, #6, #8, and #17. Something interesting I noticed was a small Science Fact section in the letters page, an illustration with science text that tied-in with the story. How long did they do that throughout the run? That's a pretty neat feature. I do remember it, Marvel Boy-- but I don't remember it becoming a regular feature as expected. While a cool idea- and one I personally liked- I can see where it might have been considered a less-than-sales-helping item. Harkening back to the days of text pieces or "Science Corner" type items in old, old comics. I suppose it might have been a bit of an extra hassle for Mark G to come up with, as well. A tough chunk of science homework to have to come up with every month, y'know? Ha! Plus "Real" Science and "Marvel" Science have ALWAYS had a tough time co-existing contextually. Does anyone remember a Bronze Age FF story that involved a visitor (or visitors) from another solar system or galaxy? I think one of them was a lovely humanoid female. And the story seemed to try to convey this sense of wonder at the fact that there might indeed be life on other planets!. And went so far as to include diagrams of the Voyager probe and what-not, in hopes of contacting extra-terrestrial intelligent life. Clearly & sincerely an attempt to engage young minds in our own early attempts at further space exploration. And it totally doesn't work in the context of the FF and Marvel Universe because THERE ARE ALREADY A BAJILLION KNOWN RACES OUT THERE! THE FF HAD VISITED SEVERAL PERSONALLY!!! I mean, maybe I'm mis-remembering this somewhere. . . but. . . it's gotta be one or the other, y'know? (I always find a way to blame poor Stan for crimes against science that Marvel has historically committed. . .  ) Hmm-- quite a tangent. . . so sorry! HB |
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Post by Marvel Boy on Jan 27, 2013 12:30:47 GMT -5
Well, if you go by Stan's Marvel Science, then Madame Curie should have been the world's first super-hero.  It might have been a little extra work but I like that Gruenwald made the effort. That's another thing I liked about him. Like you mentioned, he had the deep knowledge of the history of the MU and here, he tries to expand the minds of any young readers by giving a little science behind the action. It's another reason why it's a crying' shame that he has passed........ |
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Post by humanbelly on Jan 27, 2013 18:48:20 GMT -5
Well, if you go by Stan's Marvel Science, then Madame Curie should have been the world's first super-hero. It might have been a little extra work but I like that Gruenwald made the effort. That's another thing I liked about him. Like you mentioned, he had the deep knowledge of the history of the MU and here, he tries to expand the minds of any young readers by giving a little science behind the action. It's another reason why it's a crying' shame that he has passed........ It is a shame, indeed. And so young, too. The guy was under enormous and unsurvivable stress at Marvel at the time. . . it's hard to imagine that that didn't contribute to his coronary. Y'know, at one point your Marie Curie idea wouldn't have been beyond the realm of consideration. There was some title back in the late 80's or early 90's (Peter Parker? X-Factor? Some mini-series, maybe?) whose editor somehow decided it wasn't a bad idea to have Joseph Stalin turn out to be miraculously alive (albeit ancient) and using a giant robot-tank-thingy as part of a new plot for world domination. Sketchy art and that bad early color-separation experiment come to mind. Heck, Marie Curie would be downright believable next to that-! Or, heck, perhaps she gave birth to a publicly unrevealed child after her husband died in 1906 (something scandalous?), and that child would, of course, have been a very early mutant. Wow-- I'm suggesting this all tongue-in-cheek, but. . . it kind of could work, couldn't it? Let us all note that Marvel Boy & I have the priority on this idea, right? ;D ;D ;D HB |
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. And while I can't say that I don't mind the art (Heebink? 'Zat name ring a bell?), I'm still able to become quite engaged with the story in spite of it. And there just couldn't be a nicer, more appealing young man for the central character.
