Monday 31 October 2022
Sunday 30 October 2022
Busiek, Stern and Ross
Two points:
Kurt Busiek did NOT create the Marvels
Alex Ross created the series and story but Marvel put Busiek on the book to help script it.
Kurt Busiek was brought on board to script and write some of Avengers Forever.
If you read the book and you are an old Avengers fan certain things will strike you as they did me. I then saw that Roger Stern was co-writer.
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE NOT JUST TO ONE EGO.
Saturday 29 October 2022
Thursday 27 October 2022
Wednesday 26 October 2022
Monday 24 October 2022
Avengers All Out #2 Miracleman Silver Age #1 and Avengers #61
I was looking through some comics the other day and realised that I had Avengers All Out #1 which I bought a good while ago and thought I would have to get 2-3 back issues to catch up. Only one it seems.
This is a comics that does feature Avengers in it as a team though their characterisations made me re-check #1 to make sure that this was not any sort of alternative team. Nope. By the time I reached the last page (and that did not take long) my thought was "That could have been done in six pages.
Really no idea why Marvel can get good artists yet writers are slap-shod -maybe hoping a comic will get them that TV/movie deal? Dr Doom, over the past ten years clearly has multiple personality disorder. At least I know not to buy #3
Then there was Avengers #61
So you do not worry -the Avengers (some) do make a cameo
Again, some very nice artwork (not with every issue though) but -if I may just leave aside the polite and friendly usual tone I adopt on CBO what the actual fuck is this crap? As I wrote; good artwork but the story has been a mess and all over the place and this is not an Avengers comic worth buying. Yep, I wrote that. Started with the Avengers in the 1960s and went through the awful 1990s and there was the occasional glimmer of hope but this is a mess pure and simple. Writers trying to be clever and borrow bits from other successful comics is not making them the next best and greatest. Story concludes next issue....story???
Avengers Alpha is coming!!! Aaron can go chew on my big hairy log.
Then we have Miracleman Silver Age #1
I know, I know, I've said it before: we are all supposed to drop to one knee and bow out heads when Neil Gaiman appears or his sacred name is spoken by an acolyte. I was in the toilet earlier and took a pen and wrote "Neil Gaiman" on a sheet of toilet paper then wiped my arse with it.
That will probably get the same reaction from his fans as I got from Alan Moore fans when I corrected just 15 of his totally incorrect 'facts'. Gaiman is chasing the buck and adoration like most "super stars" so no one can blame him for that. Everyone has to pay bills. Also, I have read Gaiman work in the past I like and though some of it could be very pretentious I liked some of it.
Let me just say that this first issue was bland. It seemed to show promise but looking at it:
Firstly, most Marvel fans have no idea who this character is who is being plastered over every other comic title in Marvel's range (the irony is that Variants has absolutely no variant covers...Marvel realised the irony there?).
Secondly if they do research they will find he was called (well before Marvel was considered as a name change by Timely) Marvelman. So why is he called "Miracleman"? feck off if you think I am going into all that for you.
Thirdly, I think most Marvel fans were expecting some sort of multi-verse thing with the Marvelman appearing in the Marvel universe. Instead they have a lot of talking set...somewhere.
I read comics from all over the world and have done so since the 1960s. I read what some call "over wordy" with little or no action. All sorts of genres but Hansrudi Wascher holds far more interest for me than this story-wise. "These stories are going to wipe conventional story-telling across the (a bit like a dog with worms wipes its arse on the floor). Am I being overly negative? Maybe but I just spent good money on a comic that is a lot of chat over nothing (really -read it: this was a five pager at best) which followed on from #0 which was..a lot of chat that was so bland I can only remember bits of it (it was a mess).
The best thing here is the art of Mark Buckingham. It looks gorgeous. It also leads to a complaint. #0 and this issue are pretty thick so you expect a long story (you know a five pager at best story stretched to 30pp). No. Just under half the contents are Mark Buckingham Sketchbook. Look, if anyone at Marvel actually does any work (I am not referring to Tom Brevoort who...well, wears a silly little hat) or looks at feedback here is a message:
GIVE MARK BUCKINGHAM A SKETCH BOOK
Don't just throw stuff in and pretend you are like an indie company. You want to do a sketch book then do one or more and stop filling comics with filler (no matter how good it looks) because we might actually prefer a story. At this rate I think this title will progress not very far by issue #6 and to be honest I am going to wait and see what #3 is like and then decide whether to drop the title complately.
Sunday 23 October 2022
Friday 21 October 2022
Modern Age Marvel NEVER Ceases To Disappoint
I had a big roll on stupidity. Two comics I have followed since the 1960s have been Fantastic Four and The Mighty Avengers. I remember when the FF was Marvel’s flagship title and the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine. Then the 1990s came along and, yes, you can dip back into the collection and see just where it started going wrong.
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Greg Land
Publisher: Marvel ComicsRelease Date: September 21, 2022
The Avengers’ ace archer is back! As Judgment Day looms, Hawkeye is called upon to justify his existence. As a benchmark, Hawkeye must prove that he brings at least as much joy and usefulness to the world as a randomly chosen mailbox, which, admittedly, is a pretty high bar.
Sounded like it might be interesting but definitely a case of false advertising. The world’s mightiest heroes coming together to fight a foe just one could not. A group book -group: ie. more than one person. Hawkeye used to be a fun character but he has had one bad writer after another and all basing the character (loosely) on the movie/TV character. Maybe they are hoping for some TV or movie work?
Solo Avengers One Off would have been a better title. Since this current run started it has been all over the place starting with 1 million BC and just poor continuity. I have no idea from one issue to the next what story line is going to be churned up again let alone whether there will be a group of Avengers or just the latest movie/TV version of a character.
This story was a limp biscuit floating in water from the outset. The only action was brief and I can’t even remember the bad guy’s name. At the end (well it obviously is not the end as it’s part of another money-grub (A.X.E.: JUDGMENT DAY) I just thought “Kill Hawkeye (again) and f*** this comic!” which is NOT the way an Avengers comic should leave a decades long Avengers fan.
Really -it was a mess and unlike most comics I never even gave it a second read. AVENGERS -the group not ONE person. Oh -and a story.
A.X.E.: JUDGMENT DAY TIE-IN! The Taking of Baxter 1-2-3-4 begins now! With judgment looming over the Marvel Universe- Reed Richards has locked himself in his Think Tank in search of answers. But with the fate of humanity on the line- what happens when OUBLIETTE MIDAS sets her sights on the Baxter Building? As the Fantastic Four falls before the Exterminatrix’s death traps- only one hero remains standing – but if you thought Oubliette was dangerous- it’s nothing compared to what the Invisible Woman is capable of. Get ready for Die Hard in the Baxter Building- as we’ve only got one thing left to say: Yippie-ki-yay- Marvel Universe.
I saw this cover and for some reason expected cross time or cross dimensions action with a good story. You know, like Marvel used to produce (bad day when they got rid of Jim Shooter). I opened this one up and read through it. Art was okay but story wise it was on a par with the Avengers comic and I was left wondering what the cover was about. It is odd that after all of these years the FF and Avengers stories are instantly forgettable!
When I saw the Alan Davis cover I had to buy! Miracleman is also on so many variant covers that it is ridiculous -most U.S. comic fans do not even know who the character is an few have read the Moore/Gaiman run. I guess if you push it readers will think “this is big!”
The few Gaiman pages here are passably okay -first few and last pages. The second story looked promising then we had the overused old guy who used to create comics coming face-to-face with his creations. Some good art then some not so good art and….in all honesty the thickness of this “intro” comic seems to be down to dumping unused pages and just filler pages.
I am really -really- pissed off that this was so bad. The cover looks great and seems to promise more than it does. I had to go back and forth trying to see whether the stories were connected or not (I still have no idea it is so badly put together and edited). Also Alan Davis drew the cover but contributes no strip work which is a BIG stack of minus points.
I have no idea how all of this will affect Miracleman -The silver Age or which creative team will be on it but this book in itself deflated my hopes and expectations so much.
You know, bringing back Jim Shooter would be a good idea because Marvel has its two former main titles flopping about like dying fish on the dockside and this official introduction of Miracleman sank like a concrete block wrapped in steel chains.
Thursday 20 October 2022
Wednesday 19 October 2022
Tuesday 18 October 2022
Monday 17 October 2022
Future Sorted
After a lot of thinking I have come to a decision about my archives and books.
I arranged today (to make double sure) that when I croak my online store is deleted. Let's face it the books are not selling due to the current state of illiteracy so the only ones who would make money from any sales are the printer and the print on demand firm and the bank will only filch money for monthly charges.
Since my family has shown absolutely no interest in my work or books and constantly tell me I have wasted my whole life and money on "rubbish" like feck are they getting anything.
In fact when I previously stated that something needed to be sorted with my work (wildlife, UFOs etc and comics/publishing) after I croak it was made very clear that there is an incinerator in the back garden and that was no joke. It does take care of a lot, though.
In five decades I have been ripped off, my work used uncredited (by academics at that) and no one wanting to cooperate I see no reason why, like better researchers before me, I should allow the scumbag fakers to get a hold of my work and gain from it.
If I cannot make anything (even a basic living or to pay bills) from the books and research then no one else is and I am not having fighting over who gets my work. Mr Burner will take care of that and I will not be around to care.
Sorted.
Sunday 16 October 2022
MORE Price Increases!!
Yes, having gone through two major price increases from my print on demand company I received this today and they are KILLING self publishing:
Wednesday 12 October 2022
Tuesday 11 October 2022
Monday 10 October 2022
Sunday 9 October 2022
Saturday 8 October 2022
Friday 7 October 2022
Thursday 6 October 2022
Wednesday 5 October 2022
Halloween CBO Special?
No. I stopped those about 5 years ago as they took a couple weeks to plan and hours to upload and make it all fun.
Views went crazy and that was nice (if it achieved anything) but original material was pinched and used by others with no credit given AND absolutely not a single "thanks" or "great video" or...anything. And, since CBO has no backing I decided to just watch it all myself and cut out all the work.
I may post the odd video but the days of 2-3 days of non-stop horror and ghost fun are gone!
Tuesday 4 October 2022
Saturday 1 October 2022
HEXAGON COMICS USA OCTOBER 2022 RELEASE: WAMPUS #3: THE END TIMES
Hexagon Comics USA now offers a growing catalog of translations of selected titles from the library of a 70-year-old French comics publisher.
You can order our books from our website at www.hexagoncomics.com or through amazon.
Retailers can purchase the books directly from us at a 40% discount from our website or from distributor Ingram. Contact us at jm@hexagoncomics.com
OCTOBER 2022 NEW RELEASE: WAMPUS #3: THE END TIMES
7x10 squarebound trade paperback,
170 p.
b&w
ISBN-13:
978-1-64932-153-4.
US$15.95
Stories by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by Luciano Bernasconi; cover by Ladrönn.
Contents:
Foreword by J.-M. Lofficier
8.
THE SACRAMENTOF EVIL
9. ENTER: DRAGUT
10. THE FALL OF
CAMELOT
11. THE MARK OF ROME
12. THE POWER OF KABUR
13
& 14. THE END TIMES
EPILOG: DRAGUT. art & dialogues by Jean-Marc Lainé
EPILOG: GALLIX. story by Nathan Legendre; art by Marco Lataste
Annotations by Jean-Marc Lofficier
Wampus was the herald of a second generation of comic heroes and magazines launched by Editions Lug in 1969, which eventually led to Jaleb, Homicron, the Time Brigade, Kabur, Jeff Sullivan and many more.
Wampus is a shape-shifting monster sent to Earth by an evil cosmic power called The Great Mind to sow havoc and destruction. He can change into any form by merely touching water, and revert to type by coming into contact with fire. His only adversary seems to be a French ex-secret agent named Jean Sten, whom, in typical Invaders tradition, no one believes.
In this third and final issue, Wampus travels to the ends of time for his final duel with Jean Sten, which will decide once and for all the fate of the Earth. Guest-stars: Kabur, Gallix, C.L.A.S.H., the Time Brigade and more.
Six thrilling stories by Jean-Marc Lofficier, illustrated by Luciano Bernasconi, plus two extra bonus stories.
