Review: Marvel Masterworks- Atlas Era Journey Into Mystery Vol. 3

ATLAS ERA JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY: MARVEL MASTERWORKS VOL. 3 (Marvel, 2010; Hardcover)

Collects Journey Into Mystery Nos. 21-30 (cover dates January, 1955- January, 1956)

Writers: Paul S. Newman, Carl Wessler and others

Artists: Ross Andru, Fred Kida, Joe Maneely, John Forte, Joe Kubert, Mike Esposito, Gene Colan, Dick Ayers, Manny Stallman, Ann Brewster, John Tartaglione, John Severin, Jay Scott Pike, Bob Powell, Doug Wildey, Reed Crandall, Joe Orlando and more

Artwork by John Severin

Journey Into Mystery began as a Horror/ Mystery anthology title. These issues see an abrupt decline in quality, as the Comics Code Authority is implemented and the creators are neutered by censorship. The first few post-code issues are the worst, with there being nary a scare or twist. The stories remain weak but the art improves shortly thereafter. 

Artwork by Reed Crandall

Many of the artists featured in this book are remembered and loved by comics fans. Some did work for Harvey (Bob Powell), others for EC (Reed Crandall and Joe Orlando). Some of them are “no name” creators lost to the mists of time or are simply not household names. One of these artists, John Tartaglione, deserves a shout out. His photo realistic artwork is a direct influence on Tony Harris (Starman, Ex Machina), from his “camera angles” down to his panel composition. It's downright eerie at times. 

Artwork by Manny Stallman

Even though this is not the most illustrious example of '50s Horror comics, it does have a few moments worthy of your attention (and money). I am on board for the next few volumes, which will finish out the run. There is some choice artwork ahead from Wally Wood, Al Williamson, Bill Everett and many of the aforementioned artists.

The OCD zone- This is how I like my books. Nice paper, excellent restoration and colors true to the original color palette. Sewn binding that makes the book lay as flat and spread as wide as a drunken sorority girl. These Marvel Masterworks will be treasured Shaw family heirlooms that will outlast me.

Review: Astonishing Tales Nos. 21, 22, 23 and 24

Astonishing Tales No. 21-24 (cover dates December, 1973- June, 1974)

Writer: Tony Isabella

Artist: Dick Ayers

Time changes your perspective on things. I've had issue 22 since the early months of 1983 (refer to some of my earliest blog postings for that story), and I recently sat down to re-read these issues for no good reason other than to revisit my old friend It! The Living Colossus. I haven't read these issues since the '80s, and since then I've read countless comic books, from the '30s to the present. At that time, the oldest comics that I had read were from the early '60s. I had never read any of those Atlas monster comics which are being compiled in Masterworks these days. 

I really enjoyed these issues as a kid because they felt much different from my typical superhero fare. I now realize that Tony Isabella was channeling Stan Lee's cheesy dialogue, with this coming off as an Atlas love letter. And you know what? He did a damn fine job of it. If someone presented these to you and said “Stan Lee wrote this in 1959 or 1960”, I'd have almost believed it. Dick Ayers has inked many a classic Jack Kirby story, and he does a fine job on his own here. Some artists really have an area where they shine, and for Ayers it's monster stuff like this. 

I have always wanted to see Marvel collect these issues, along with the character's first two appearances in Tales of Suspense, in a Premiere Classic Hardcover. Either that, or bundle it together with one of the many other short-lived monster/Horror characters of the early '70s in an anthology Marvel Masterwork or Omnibus. 

Who WOULDN'T want to own this in glorious hardcover??

 

Art or entertainment?

Art or entertainment.

I often ask myself, whether reading a comic book, listening to music or watching a movie, am I enjoying the experience because it is art, or am I simply being entertained? Another thing that I consider is not so much whether one is better than the other, but whether it is wrong to consider something art when it is merely entertainment or vice versa.

At what point does something become art? Art, to me, is when a creator or artist makes a piece of work with the purest of intentions, i.e. money being no consideration. Creating art for the sake of art. The problem with this idea is that we live in the real world of the 21^st Century, where nothing is free. An artist has to live, so therefore an artist has to be paid. At what point does an artist sell out? When they recoup their costs of materials? When they recoup that plus rent and food? When they recoup those things plus take care of their family? This is a slippery slope that fast becomes a gray area. The art fast becomes product, and is that really such a bad thing? If it is something of quality that was created with pure intentions and not made for profit, is it wrong for the artist to collect a paycheck, even a handsome one, from it? The fruits of their labor, so on and so forth? I personally see nothing wrong with an artist making money, even obscene amounts of money, from their work if it comes from a place of truth. The trick here is maintaining the original integrity once the artist gets their payday. This is when we go from “art” to “product”.

The next question I often ask myself is whether I am full of shit when I am experiencing art, be it music, comic books, etc. If something moves me, is it because I am feeling the effects of the art, or is it because it hit a sweet spot and entertained me? And if so, is it so wrong to admit that I am being merely entertained? Is it so wrong to admit that you like passing time with quality entertainment? When does entertainment transcend and become art? Is such a thing even possible? And again, is it wrong to be entertained by art? Is it possible that one of simple intellect not get the artistic merits of something and be merely entertained? If one doesn't get the intention of the artist, but they are entertained by the work, does that relegate their opinion of the work, good or bad, to something of ridicule because they didn't get it?

Does the intention of the artist determine the merit of the work? What if a creator is a first rate shyster, able to shit out a body or work (be it a painting, music, etc.) without it meaning anything more than a payday to him/her? I will use the Rock group Kiss as a primary example of this. They are all admittedly businessmen first and foremost, with everything else being secondary from day one. Their entire mission has been to become rich, and they have succeeded. Their music, however, has moved millions of people around the world. Does this music, which was created simply to make money, become art because of its effect on people regardless of the creator's intent? Does the product become art, or has the art become a commodity?

I have no answers to these questions. I have gone back and forth with many of my opinions and convictions over the years, and am sitting comfortably in a middle ground of experiencing something and then deciding if I like it or not. I purchase music, books, movie tickets, etc., so as a consumer of art does that make my opinion more or less relevant than someone who pirates intellectual property from the Internet? Is pirating from the Internet different than going to the library? (The answer is yes.) I put my money where my mouth is. The moral of the story, if indeed there is one, is to support the artists you like. Otherwise they might not be able to afford to give you more of what you enjoy, whether or not is art or entertainment, and have to get real jobs. That is the tragedy of digital media, and the fallout hasn't even become apparent yet.

Q is the loneliest letter that you ever saw...

(I originally posted this as a Note on Facebook on June 30, 2011.)

Poor letter Q. Q is the loneliest letter in the alphabet. I have no idea why this entered my head this morning, but it has been on my mind all day long. From now on, I will not write a check, I will write a cheque. I will also look into legally changing my name to Qris. Join me in honoring the most unloved letter in the alphabet, Q. I am going to try to create new words for the English language that feature the letter Q. That is all.

Review: Spider-Man: The Next Chapter Vol. 1

SPIDER-MAN: THE NEXT CHAPTER VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 1-6, Amazing Spider-Man Annual '99, Peter Parker: Spider-Man Nos. 1-6 and Thor No. 8 (cover dates January-June, 1999)

Writers: Howard Mackie (both titles) and John Byrne (co-writer/plotter for ASM)

Artists: John Byrne (ASM), John Romita, Jr. (PP:SM) and John Buscema (ASM Ann.)

Yes! This is how I like my Spider-Man: Fighting! Laughing! Living life! And most importantly: Peter Parker! I was starting to feel worn down after reading all of those Clone Saga/ Ben Reilly trades. The often garish artwork and substandard writing coupled with Clone Spider-Man (a.k.a. Ben Reilly) tested my loyalty to the limit. I now understand why people abandoned Spider-Man in the mid-90s. These issues were a breath of fresh air, with vibrant artwork by John Byrne and John Romita Jr. that leaped right off of the pages. 

 

Artwork by John Byrne

I had the floppies of these, and you can read what I thought of them here. They were garage sale finds for like $1.00 a piece, and they hold up just as well on the re-read. The writing is so good, the artwork is so good...these feel like comic books to me, not “chapters in a graphic novel” (term used facetiously to describe modern, made-for-the-trade floppies). Only the Spider-Women arc towards the end is iffy, but even that had its moments. 

Artwork by John Romita, Jr.

I love these thick-ass trade paperbacks. The only problem with them is that they make me feel like I'm not maintaining my “productivity” because they can take almost a week to plow through. It's a nice problem to have when the stories are as wonderful as these are. This was an absolute joy to read.

More John Byrne goodness.

The OCD zone- Nice thick coated stock paper. All variant covers (and I mean all, even Dynamic Forces variants) are included.

Review: Spider-Man- The Complete Ben Reilly Epic Book 2

SPIDER-MAN: THE COMPLETE BEN REILLY EPIC BOOK 2 (Marvel, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 407, 408, New Warriors No. 67, Sensational Spider-Man No. 1, The Spectacular Spider-Man Nos. 228, 229, Spider-Man Nos. 64, 65, Spider-Man/ Punisher: Family Plot Nos. 1, 2, Spider-Man: The Parker Years No. 1, Web of Scarlet Spider Nos. 3, 4, and selections from Spider-Man Holiday Special and Venom: Along Came A Spider Nos. 1-4 (cover dates December, 1995- April, 1996)

Writers: Tom DeFalco, Howard Mackie, Dan Jurgens, Larry Hama and more

Artists: John Romita, Jr., Klaus Janson, Mark Bagley, Sal Buscema and more

 

I was on sabbatical from this hobby when these issues were originally published, so this was all new to me. The problem is that some of these issues are not very good. There are a few clear winners (the lead story in the Spider-Man Holiday Special springs to mind), but the craptastic Image-influenced '90s artwork makes much of this book a chore to sift through. 

The '90s were a strange time for comics. Everyone started having hair past their ass, even when they never had long before. That scarf-like thing swimming in the air is supposed to be the Punisher's hair.

Bad writing can be salvaged by good artwork, but good writing sinks like a stone when coupled with bad artwork. 

Horrendous "artwork". 

Some John Romita, Jr. art to wash away the crappiness above.

An impressive Mark Bagley issue. I actually like the redesigned Mysterio costume.

 
The completist in me is thrilled that they are compiling these 400+ page monster trade paperbacks, while the reader in me has mixed emotions about this material.

 

The OCD zone- The paper used in this book is a reasonably thick coated glossy stock.

Reviews: The Green Lantern/ Green Arrow Collection; Next Men Vol. 2- Shattered, Pt. 2

 

The front and back of the slipcase.

THE GREEN LANTERN/ GREEN ARROW COLLECTION(DC, 2000; Hardcover with slipcase)

Collects Green Lantern Nos. 76-87, 89 and The Flash Nos. 217-219 (cover dates April, 1970- January, 1972)

Writer: Denny O'Neil

Artist: Neal Adams pencils with inking by various artists

My friend and comic book co-conspirator Ferjo Byroy (real name withheld to protect his secret identity) showed me this book. It is long out of print and impossible (or insanely expensive) to find. I tossed and turned as this beautiful book haunted my dreams. eBay searches proved that this book would set me back about $200, which was unacceptable. I figured that I would wait it out for the inevitable reissue. Ferjo and I periodically go comic shop hopping, where we map out a string of stores that we normally don't go to. I found this, sealed in its original factory shrinkwrap for cover price. I had to play my poker face to get this thing out of the store before I broke down and did back flips. 

 

I cannot praise Neal Adams enough. To steal a line from a movie: “I celebrate the man's entire catalog.” Adams, along with Ditko and Steranko, were at the cutting edge of comic art in the '60s. Adams' angles and panel layouts were groundbreaking for the time. Only Jim Steranko was as revolutionary as Adams in his prime.

 

These comics are art of the highest order. I can't believe that I've gone my entire life and have not read any of these issues. While fans of so-called “sophisticated” modern comic books balk at a lot of the baby boomer rhetoric and concerns of the era, this was groundbreaking stuff when originally published. Denny O'Neil is a great comic book writer, way better than any of the “great” writers working for the big two today. O'Neil tackled such weighty issues as racism, the plight of the Native Americans, drugs, street crime and the environment. A lot of posters on various message boards bag on these issues because a lack of set-up, i.e. Green Arrow's ward Speedy was only seen one issue before he was the centerpiece of the heroin addiction storyline. I'll take the backpedaling and occasional inconsistency rather than having to sit through entire issues of padding and set-up like we have today. 

 

Many modern comic book readers are so used to bloated, made-for-the-trade lazy writing that they almost can't stand it when something happens in each and every issue. People's standards for entertainment have sunk so low. I prefer the dialogue and second party narrative packed captions over talking head flipbooks of today. I can point to each issue in here and remember what happened, unlike many modern comic books where one scene is stretched out for an entire issue of double page spreads, splash pages and talking heads. There is nothing wrong with showing superheroes in action in every single issue of a superhero's title. I always thought that was the point. I don't think that showing superheroes fighting villains and having adventures is a bad thing. Boring talking head conversations are what's wrong with comic books today.

 

Green Arrow is almost as unlikable as Marvel's facsimile, Hawkeye. Both are obnoxious, loud-mouthed hotheads whose hearts may be in the right place but are still unlikable. He does make a great counterpoint to Green Lantern's square disposition on social issues. Sometime Green Arrow changes Green Lantern's mind, and other times it is Green Lantern's tried and true voice of reason that prevails. I love how Denny O'Neil's overall vibe is one of working together to find a solution. Green Arrow basically echoes the counterculture's viewpoint and Green Lantern is the oldster whose eyes have been opened and is often willing to work for change. We all know how this eventually played out in real life, and we have been sold so far down the river by these same baby boomers that I doubt we'll ever get back to this type of meaningful dialogue. 

 

The OCD zone- This is a beautifully produced slipcased hardcover with thick, uncoated paper and sewn binding. It's 11 years old and harkens back to a time when DC produced top quality collected editions. The linework and color restoration are a tad rustic by today's 1200dpi standards but were worlds better than Marvel's at this time. They are still perfectly fine, with only the occasional iffy looking page. As always, I fall to the extreme side on the anal-retentive scale, so your mileage may vary. I know that I rest easy at night knowing that I own this beautiful book instead of the crappy trade paperbacks printed on DC's toilet paper grade that they use on classic material. 

 

NEXT MEN VOL 2: SCATTERED, PT. 2 (IDW, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Next Men Nos. 5-9 (cover dates April- August, 2011)

Writer and Artist: John Byrne

Whew! I read this whole thing in one sitting, and I am dizzy. This jumps back and forth and up and down so many times that I am still not sure what has happened...or did it any of it really happen at all? Did I ever happen, or have I been wiped out by a time paradox? Does time get more or less messed up when we were intervene, or does it stay the same because we intervened? This is the end of the second volume of the series proper, although Next Men: Aftermath is currently underway. This just came out yesterday, and I bumped it way up in the queue because I have been reading so many vintage comic books as of late that I felt I needed to read something modern to cleanse the palette. Now I am so confused that I will go and read some primitive 1940s Golden Age comics. 

 

Byrne's artwork and writing are top notch. The last few years have really been a return to form for him after some less than illustrious output in the mid-to-late '90s. 

 

The OCD zone- The cover image is screen printed on the book itself, no dustjacket. It has that same uncoated finish that it so easy to scratch or otherwise mar, so be careful handling this one, folks. The book does have a very nice grade of paper and sewn binding, so the innards will last even if you do not handle your books gingerly. I wear a HAZMAT suit when I handle mine in my sterilized bubble.

Review- Spider-Man: The Complete Ben Reilly Epic Book 1

SPIDER-MAN: THE COMPLETE BEN REILLY EPIC BOOK 1(Marvel, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Amazing Scarlet Spider Nos. 1, 2, Green Goblin No. 3, New Warriors Nos. 65, 66, The Spectacular Spider-Man Nos. 228, 229, Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special Flipbook, Scarlet Spider Nos. 1, 2, Scarlet Spider Unlimited No. 1, Sensational Spider-Man No. 0, Spectacular Scarlet Spider Nos. 1, 2, Spider-Man: The Parker Years No. 1, Web of Scarlet Spider Nos. 1, 2 and Wizard Mini-Comic No. 3 (cover dates November, 1995- January, 1996).

Writers: Tom DeFalco, Todd Dezago, Howard Mackie, Dan Jurgens and many others.

Artists: Gil Kane, John Romita, Jr., Sal Buscema, Mark Bagley, Bill Sienkiewicz and many others.

My '90s Spider-marathon continues with this, the 6^th 400+ page monster trade paperback in this run. While they renamed and renumbered the line, it picks up right after the end of Spider-Man: The Complete Clone Saga Epic Book 5, so I will refer to that book as “the previous volume” for the rest of this review.

Ben Reilly finally assumes his role as Spider-Man at the end of the book. As I've previously stated, I can enjoy these major upheavals because I know that the status quo is restored. I'm not sure how kind I'd be if I were reading these monthly at the time.

These issues are enjoyable for the most part, with mostly solid writing and artwork. Todd Dezago's writing is just awful though, especially his dialogue. It's completely unconvincing and I cringe as I read it. Gil Kane's artwork in Scarlet Spider No. 1 is worlds better than his work in the previous volume, as he uses more of his signature “camera angles”. What's even more interesting is that Tom Palmer does the inking here, just like he did in the issue in the previous volume. In that issue, Palmer's inking was uneven, but here he does his usual solid work. Perhaps he had an off day before. Clem Robbins' hand lettering is atrocious. While I am admittedly old fashioned in my taste pertaining to comic books, lettering is one area where I'm glad that we have fonts done by computers rather than sloppy hand lettering like this. The only old school letterers whose work I miss are Artie Simek (who passed away) and Tom Orzechowski. 

Tom Morgan does some solid artwork in Web of Scarlet Spider No. 2 (see pic above for a sample page). He has clear layouts and his action sequences have a sense of “movement”, for lack of a better term. He is a rare exception among artists working on mainstream superhero comic books in this era. 

Computers and the Internet were new when these issues were originally published, and Tom DeFalco and company really ran with it in these stories. Cyberspace, virtual reality, chips and other computer references are used in abundance. While I love comics that are timeless in nature, I also really enjoy things that were timely and offer a snapshot of a bygone era like this. Technology is everywhere and in everything, and it was fun to think back to a time when it was all new and frightening. I still fear a Skynet type of takeover but hope that humanity will prevail.

The OCD zone- This book has thicker paper than the previous volume, but it is still slick. It works for this material. I know that nitpicking about things like paper weights and textures seems ridiculous to most folks in the Kindle and iPad era, but I refuse to read comic books that way. Truth be told, part of me yearns for the day when the industry does go all digital. Then I can quit this hobby of buying collected editions and begin my re-reading projects.