Reviews: Spider-Man- The Complete Clone Saga Epic Book 5; The Elves (Featuring Ronnie James Dio)- And Before Elf...There Were Elves; Anonymous

SPIDER-MAN: THE COMPLETE CLONE SAGA EPIC BOOK 5 (Marvel, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 405, 406, New Warriors Nos. 62-64, The Spectacular Spider-Man Nos. 228, 229, Spider-Man Nos. 62, 63, Spider-Man Team-Up No. 1, Spider-Man Unlimited No. 10, Venom Super Special No. 1, Web of Spider-Man Nos. 128, 129 and selections from Amazing Spider-Man Super Special No. 1, Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special No. 1, Spider-Man Super Special No. 1 and Web of Spider-Man Super Special No. 1 (cover dates June- December, 1995).

Writers: Tom DeFalco, J. M. Dematteis, Howard Mackie and others.

Artists: Sal Buscema, Bill Sienkewicz, Gil Kane and others.

This book shows a marked improvement over Volume 4 in the series. While the artwork and hand lettering are still cringe inducing, the writing is more palatable, almost enjoyable at times. I'm sorry, but this is about as glowing as I can get for most '90s Marvel Comics. The '90s were such an ugly decade for superhero comics.

I was surprised to see Gil Kane handling the pencils in Spider-Man No. 63, as I was unaware that he had even ever returned to Marvel after the '70s. His craft had deteriorated with age, but I think that much of it had to do with Tom Palmer's uneven inking. Kane needs a more heavy handed approach for his work, like what John Romita, Sr. did with him on Amazing Spider-Man in the early '70s.

This blog is typically spoiler free, but for the sake of discussion I will assume that certain outcomes are already known and are part of canon. Peter Parker is the clone and Ben Reilly is the original at this point in time. I can see how this enraged fans at the time, as it feels hollow. This was an editorial decision done to make Spider-Man single and child-free, but was far from perfect. Mary Jane is pregnant with what would become May “Mayday” Parker, a/k/a Spider-Girl in the soon to be alternate future timeline, MC2. Peter Parker steps down as Spider-Man and allows Ben Reilly, the clone whom they reveal to be the real Spider-Man, to take over the webs so he can retire and raise his child.

The clunky writing and garish '90s artwork and early computer color separations are painful to look at. Colorists went crazy with shadings and gradients during this time, which is forgivable since it was new at the time. It doesn't make it any easier for me to look at, but it is forgivable. There is the occasional good issue in here. While I am normally opposed to changing characters, especially those from the '60s, this '90s take on the Lizard is pretty badass. I guess that ol' Doc Connors regressed/ evolved further, and did so with spectacular results. He looked and behaved more like a real lizard. His tail broke off when Spider-Man grabbed him by it, much like a real lizard. He burrows into the ground to escape. Things like this are new developments for the character and his powers, and they all worked. Plus, he looked really cool.

Taken from Venom Super Special No. 1; Art by Kevin J. West.

Now here is an example of how ugly '90s artwork could be:

Taken from Web of Spider-Man No. 128; Art by Steven Butler and Randy Emberlin.

Look at how ridiculous and exaggerated the Black Cat looks. Her hair and the fur fringes on her boots and gloves would cause her to trip or otherwise prove to be a hazard. Not only does this go against every previous rendition of her, but it would prove hazardous to one who goes swinging from rooftop to rooftop. '90s fanboys (term used in the original pejorative) loved all of the “detail” from all of these useless extra lines. I am not even going into how incorrect her anatomy is.

So, after 5 volumes and 2,000 pages (give or take a hundred) we have reached the end of the Clone Saga. This is hardly the end, though. I have the first two Complete Ben Reilly Epic trade paperbacks in queue, and they have planned 6 of them. These are all 400+ page books, so the terror will last for quite some time.

The Elves (Featuring Ronnie James Dio)/ And Before Elf...There Were Elves (Niji, 2011)

Long have I wished to see this stuff get an official release after years of low quality Youtube streams. This is a collection of 12 songs recorded live in concert and live in the studio circa 1971. Whereas Elf had a honkey-tonk, boogie blues vibe on the first two albums, The Elves are a blues based, raw Rock and Roll thing. It could be the fact that they were playing live and rocking it out a bit more, but even the more subdued songs are more interesting than most of the songs on the first Elf album.

There are several covers on here. You Shook Me, an old blues standard made famous by Led Zeppelin and before them, Jeff Beck, starts things off loud and raw. The sound quality is amazing. I love the occasional noisiness of the old analog tapes used for this album. While they have been remixed and remastered, it still sounds vintage and shitty in a way that hits the sweet spots for fans of classic Rock. Their cover of The Faces' Stay With Me is a jam. Mickey Lee Soule is such a great keyboard/ organ player, especially on that song. He stayed with Dio in Elf and went on with him and most of that band to form Rainbow with Ritchie Blackmore in 1975. Four Day Creep and Buckingham Blues are in much of the same vein, with the latter having a great, raunchy groove.

I love the pre-Metal Dio stuff like Wakeup Sunshine, with it's folky sound. Driftin' is even trippier, shifting gears between blues, honkey-tonk boogie and post-psychedelic Rock. While I love the Rock, it's the ballads where Dio actually croons that hold my interest here. Smile For Me Lady, You Felt The Same Way and Simple Man are all extremely interesting. Ronnie James Dio was stretching in many different directions early on, and part of me enjoys the variety of styles presented here. Drown Me In The River, Cold Ramona and Little Queenie are all okay but not remarkable.

There is an Elves cover of The Who's Behind Blue Eyes making the rounds on Youtube, and I wonder why it was left off of here. I can only guess a lack of quality source tapes, since The Who are total money whores and wouldn't turn down royalties for anything.

The packaging is nice. It's a digipak with a lenticular cover. The primary image is above, and when you tilt it you see this one.

There is a 2 page booklet. It would have been nice to have a beefier booklet with track information, i.e. composer and recording credits. I have read online that all of these tracks were recorded in 1971, but it would be nice to have that information in the booklet as well. I know, I'm a dinosaur for caring about such things in the iTunes era. Wendy Dio and the Dio estate lavish much attention to these posthumous releases, and I hope that they keep them coming. I would really like to see those Ronnie Dio and the Prophets singles re-released. This is a worthy addition to Dio's body of work and a must for fans of his proto-Metal outfits Elf and Rainbow. 

Anonymous ( Sony, 2011)

This was the wife's pick on date night. It's okay but not my cup of tea, to be honest with you. It was a bit long for my tastes, and I am uninterested in Shakespeare. This movie is a fictitious revisionist attempt at giving credit to the true author of those plays and should be taken as entertainment and not a true story. At least I got a bag of popcorn out of it, and it helped placate the wife after making her suffer through five billion superhero flicks.

Review: Harvey Horrors Collected Works- Chamber of Chills Vol. 1

HARVEY HORRORS COLLECTED WORKS: CHAMBER OF CHILLS VOL. 1 (PS Artbooks, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Chamber of Chills Nos. 21-24, 5-7 (cover dates June, 1951- April, 1952)

Artists: Bob Powell, Vic Donahue, Al Avision, Joe Certa and others

I love my '50s pre-code Horror comics. As the golden age of collected editions rolls on unchecked, every stone is getting unturned and runs that would only be collected in the realm of dreams are now becoming a reality. Take Chamber of Chills, for instance. Once the darling of only the most affluent collectors or torrent divers, these lost classics are now readily available in a high-end hardcover format. 

My opinion of the material in this book is exactly the same as in my recent review of Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s, so refer to that if you haven't already read it. Several stories from the issues collected in this book are also presented in that one. This is the first time that these issues are collected in their entirety, however. And I do mean entirety, down to the house ads and advertisements, even the back cover advertisement. This helps add a touch of authenticity as well as nostalgia to the material, and it also helps put the material in perspective of the era in which it was originally released. 

The Shrunken Skull, from Chamber of Chills No. 5, is a fine example of Bob Powell's top notch artwork. The story is gripping, and there are several sequences that haunt me. Again, one must bear in mind that this pre-dates Psycho or any slasher/Horror flick by many years.

I love how the violence is strongly implied but seldom shown. There is more gore in these Harvey Horror titles than in EC Comics of the era.  

The OCD zone- This is a beautifully produced hardcover, on par with other high end books from publishers such as Fantagraphics. The paper is an uncoated stock and pleasant to the touch. It's smell is intoxicating and, given the printing process secrets known only to the Chinese, possibly toxic. (Hint: It's the lead and mercury together that give it that sweet smell.) All kidding aside, this is a beautiful book. The cover images are screen printed on the book itself. The book boasts sewn binding and lays completely flat from the first page to the last.

The restoration is high resolution scans. The scans tend to skew a tad dark, probably not noticeable to any but the most uber-anal retentive of collected edition snobs. Pete, the publisher of PS Artbooks, has had much interaction with us fans over on the Crisis on Infinite Comics forum on the Masterworks Message Board, and has already addressed and corrected this “problem” with the second book in the line, Witches Tales Vol. 1 (available now!). This is impressive, because most publishers simply wouldn't care or even bother to try and improve their product, or at least this quickly. If the ever-so-slightly dark scans in the first book of this type is the biggest hiccup this publisher has, then we are in for a treat. They plan to collect the entire Harvey Comics and ACG Horror line in hardcover. My heart sings while my wallet and bookshelves (and wife) weep.

Review: Spider-Man- The Complete Clone Saga Epic Book 4

SPIDER-MAN: THE COMPLETE CLONE SAGA EPIC BOOK 4 (Marvel, 2010; Softcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 402-404, New Warriors No. 61, The Spectacular Spider-Man Nos. 225-227, Spider-Man Nos. 59-61, Spider-Man: The Jackal Files, Spider-Man: Maximum Clonage Alpha, Spider-Man: Maximum Clonage Omega and Web of Spider-Man Nos. 125-127 (cover dates June- August, 1995).

Writers: Tom DeFalco, J.M. DeMatteis, Todd Dezago and many others.

Artists: Mark Bagley, Sal Buscema, Bill Sienkewicz and many others.

Okay, I am beginning to see exactly why people hated the Clone Saga. The amount of backpedaling and “everything you know is a lie” and “the truth is finally revealed” drove me nuts, especially when each new reveal contradicted the previous reveal and established continuity. The sheer number of Spider-titles, crossovers, and one-shots that Marvel literally required you to buy in order to follow the story is ludicrous. Think about it...this book is well over 400 pages, and that's only 3 months worth of product.

The writing and artwork don't help this book's cause along much. Much of it is overwritten, with Todd Dezago's dialogue being the worst offender. His characterization of the Jackal is pitiful, especially when compared to Gerry Conway's original version of the character. The artwork ranges from Bagley's competent take on Spider-Man to Roy Burdine's horrible, distorted artwork. His pencils were accompanied by Randy Emberlin and Don Hudson's inks.

Just look at this drawing from Web of Spider-Man No. 126. Look at the leg and the size of Spider-Man's head in relation to his body. This is the work of a professional comic book artist? Sadly, this was par for the course in the 1990s.

Next up in Web of Spider-Man No. 127 is this exceptionially craptastic rendition of the Punisher by Steven Butler (pencils) and Randy Emberlin (inks). Was he on steroids or something? The Punisher strength level is, according to The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: The Punisher possesses the normal human strength of a man his age, height and build who engages in intensive regular exercise. How on Earth did the Punisher get so muscular? And why are his hands so small in relation to his arms? 

Equally stupid is this drawing a few pages later in the same issue, by the same artist. How did that extra belt get there in the midst of the fight sequence? It's things like this that helped make the '90s the worst decade in the history of comic books.

Not everything here sucks, though. There are definite moments of goodness in storytelling, character development, and, occasionally, even the artwork. The shortcomings in this book seemed to far outweigh the goodness, but hey, it's Spider-Man. I can't hate it too much, and my completist OCD compels me to see it through to the end.

The OCD zone- I frickin' love the paper that Marvel used in this book. It's a dull matte finish coated stock, not too thick, not too thin. I also adore these 400+ page monster trade paperbacks, as they help cover a ton of ground quickly.

Review: Four Color Fear- Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s

FOUR COLOR FEAR: FORGOTTEN HORROR COMICS OF THE 1950S (Fantagraphics, 2010; Softcover)

Collects selections from Adventures Into Darkness No. 10, Adventures Into the Unknown No. 51, Baffling Mysteries No. 20, Black Cat Mystery Nos. 39, 45, 46, 50, Chamber of Chills Nos. 7, 8, 17, 23, 24, Eerie Comics No. 1, Fantastic Fears No. 8, Forbidden Worlds No. 6, Haunted Thrills No. 13, Journey Into Fear No. 12, Mysterious Adventures No. 20, Nightmare No. 1, Out of the Night No. 2, Out of the Shadows No. 9, Strange Mysteries No. 18, Strange Suspense Stories No. 4, Strange Terrors No. 7, This Magazine Is Haunted Nos. 5, 12, Tomb of Terror No. 14, Voodoo No. 14, Web of Evil Nos. 1, 8, 9, Weird Adventures No. 2, Weird Mysteries No. 5, Weird Tales of the Future No. 3 and Witches Tales Nos. 6, 15, 25 (cover dates January, 1947- August, 1954)

Writers: Unknown

Artists: Fred Kida, Bob Powell, Jack Cole, The Iger Studio, Basil Wolverton, Al Williamson and many others

While Spider-Man is my all-time favorite comic book character, these '50s pre-code Horror comic books rank right up there as well. I am a sucker for classic Horror.

The writing is often derivative and inbred, stealing as much from other comics of the day as well as books and movies. Even EC was guilty of this...just ask Ray Bradbury. Go on, Google it. I'll wait for you to come back.

The level of violence is awe-inspiring, especially when you consider the era that these comic books were released in. There was no Twilight Zone yet. Heck, much of the country was just starting to get television! While there were plenty of Horror movies, there was nothing this gruesome. Psycho wasn't even released yet. One can only imagine the horror that parents felt when they discovered their kids reading this stuff.

The artwork in the pre-code era of comics was superb. Bear in mind that these cats toiled in anonymity, with their love of their art being their sole reward. It should also be noted for younger readers that these guys did this level of quality of artwork skin and bones. No Photoshop to save their asses or help with panel composition. 

These artists, especially Bob Powell, had ideas for 'framing' that were almost cinematic. It bears repeating that many households in the United States were just getting television during this era, and certainly most of those were black and white sets. The impact of this work must be reassessed when put in this context.

Many of these great artists left comics once the whole Wertham thing castrated the medium. The self imposed censorship stifled creativity. These old school Horror comics are art of the highest order, and are worthy of a place in any self respecting comic fan's collection. 

The cover pictured is the one that is on the first printing which I own. Fantagraphics often changes covers on second printings, and the one on the second printing of this book is far superior to mine. See for yourself:

The OCD zone- Fantagraphics always produces top quality books, and this one is no exception. Like all Fantagraphics softcovers, this boasts sewn binding. The paper used in this book is uncoated stock, which is a point of debate among many collected editions obsessives. Many prefer it to the coated, semi-glossy stock found in Marvel books. I like it as well as liking that stock. One is an apple, one is an orange, and they're both delicious. There is a section of covers in the middle of the book that is slick magazine paper, which was done to better capture the colors of the glossy covers on the original issues. A nice touch that no one would have complained about if they hadn't included it. It's the little things like this that earn Fantagraphics the praise that I always heap on their products.

The restoration is cleaned up, high resolution scans. I like this warts and all approach, as you can see the line bleed and all of the defects of the original comics. I also love the fully restored colors that can be seen in Marvel Masterworks. This is another apple and orange scenario. I cannot recommend this collection enough...go out and get it already.

Review: The Smashing Pumpkins @ The Fillmore in Detroit, MI on 10/15/2011

The Smashing Pumpkins w/ Light FM and Fancy Space People @ The Fillmore in Detroit, MI, 10/15/2011

I love ye olde State Theatre. I am a sucker for those opulent wall carvings of yore and the acoustics are great in there. 

Light FM was the first opening act, and as the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Billy Corgan should feel very flattered, as these guys copied the Pumpkins blueprint as well as they could. They came off as a mimeographed copy in my opinion.

Fancy Space People were up next. There were 8 members of the band, and they all wore silver space suit looking outfits. They looked like the offspring of Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie and early Alice Cooper, and they sounded about the same...only without the songs. Regardless, I couldn't stop watching, and when they referred to the crowd as “People of Earth” they scored huge points from me. It was ridiculous and awful and awesome, all in one package.

The Smashing Pumpkins rose from the ashes in 2010 after imploding once again on their disastrous “20^th Anniversary Tour” in the Fall of 2008. I count anniversaries by album release date, so this was their 20^th Anniversary Tour in my opinion. They had the same stage set as last Summer, with the spinning flower petals and retina frying strobes and lights. I was so geeked about this show that I A) almost forgot my phone (my wife ran it out to the car as we were leaving) and B) I forgot to charge it and the battery died as the band came on, ergo only a few photos. Go me.

They opened with two songs off of the forthcoming Oceania album, Quasar and Panopticon. The former sounded very Gish-esque, all attack without being as overtly 'Metal' as the misguided Zeitgeist album. The lights were very psychedelic throughout the show, and the flower petals spun during the more “Rocking” moments. This line-up is pure gold, being worlds better than the original band. Starla was up next, and I haven't seen them do that one live since the Farewell Concert at the United Center in Chicago in 2000. Billy was in a great mood and his voice sounded great throughout the night. 

One thing about the Pumpkins in 2011 is that Billy no longer shies away from his ability as a lead guitarist. He really goes for it in the guitar solos these days, like on Starla and during the jam at the end. Jeff Schroeder is no slouch, either. Corgan always seemed to be embarrassed about being a good guitarist during the '90s because it was unfashionable for bands of the day to be proficient at their instruments. I'm glad that we're past that.

Geek U.S.A. was another rarity. The emphasis was definitely on the Rock tonight. Muzzle (another song that I haven't heard them do since 2000) was a joy to hear live again. This is one of my favorite Pumpkins songs. Mike Byrne nailed all of the Jimmy Chamberlin drum fills, and I honestly don't care if Chamberlin ever returns to the fold. Many fans want to see the “original” line up of the band. I hope that this is the line up of the band for the rest of the ride. Window Paine was mind-blowing goodness. I had never seen them do that one live before. The band was channeling their psychedelic side tonight, with the emphasis being on the Gish, Siamese Dream and Pisces Iscariot albums. Lightning Strikes was one of only two songs from the Teargarden By Kaleidyscope “album”. Soma was wonderful, and I haven't heard them do that one live since 1999. This wasn't just a nostalgic run down memory lane, though. The band played these songs like they meant it, and they played them better than the “real” band. I challenge any naysayers to see this incarnation of the band live and then tell me that the original line-up was better.

Siva was another one that I haven't seen them do since the United Center in Chicago in 2000, and it sounded great. Bassist Nicole Fiorentino does a great job with the backing vocals. Oceania was epic, and based on the new songs performed tonight, I have insanely high hopes for the new album. Chalk up Frail and Bedazzled in the songs I've never heard them do before live column. Silverfuck was amazing, done at a breakneck tempo that seemed to teeter on the verge of being derailed at any given moment. I haven't heard them do this one since Toledo in January of 1997. Obscured was another rare treat, one of many in this show.

Pale Horse was another new one, and also sounded fantastic. The hallmark of a great song is if you don't know it, hear it live, and are blown away by it. That is definitely the case with these Oceania songs. Thru the Eyes of Ruby was a real treat, and it has also been MIA live since that Toledo show in 1997. I have a hard time believing how many years have passed since these albums and concerts happened. The end of the song went into I Am One, and after a few minutes of jamming, stopped. This was the only moment of the show that was close to being a “disappointment”. The show was perfect, in all honesty.

Cherub Rock was what started it all for me. Everyone and their brother claims to have bought Gish the day that it came out...whatever. I came on board in 1993 and am not embarrassed to admit it. Owata sounds great live, but the TBK version is so vanilla. How can a song that goes over so great live be so bland on album...er, mp3? (It's never been issues on a physical format.) My Love Is Winter hits all of the sweet spots, and for the umpteenth time, I am stoked to hear Oceania.

Drummer Mike Byrne played the intro to For Martha on some vintage organ/ piano thing, and did a great job doing so. I have never seen the Pumpkins do musical chairs a la Sloan before.

Then came the encore. Another new song, Pinwheels, was up next. Pissant was an absolute blast to hear live and was a total jam. Bullet With Butterfly Wings capped off things. What a great show. I wanted to get in my car and drive to the next one as soon as it was over. The Smashing Pumpkins can't return to Detroit soon enough for me.