Reviews: ANT-MAN/ GIANT-MAN EPIC COLLECTION VOL 1: THE MAN IN THE ANT HILL, WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN VOL. 10: END OF THE WORLD, CRIME PATROL ANNUAL VOL. 2, FANTASTIC FOUR BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS VOL. 2

There is no longer a void for this blog to fill. Talking about binding, paper, and restoration is now the norm, not the exception. My work is done in that regard. There are endless YouTube reviews, message boards, etc. I will pop in with pellet reviews. Consider this the “how I spent my summer vacation” book report.

ANT-MAN/ GIANT-MAN EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 1: THE MAN IN THE ANT HILL (Marvel, First Printing, 2015; Softcover)

Collects the Ant-Man/Giant-Man stories from Tales To Astonish #27, 35-59 (cover dates January, 1962- September, 1964)

While this is one of the “lesser” titles of the Silver Age, it was still a lot of fun to read. Readers with modern sensibilities will dislike the “you're just a girl, Wasp” vibe to some of the earlier stories, but this was a pre-women's lib era. I have a soft spot for Egghead and The Human Top. Seeing Ant-Man transition into Giant-Man was pretty cool.

WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN VOL. 10: END OF THE WORLD (Marvel, First Printing, 2018; Softcover)

Note: Book actually released in 2019.

Collects Old Man Logan #46-50 and Old Man Logan Annual #1 (cover dates October-December, 2018)

Good stuff, although it was pointless to end the series here. Rebooted numberings lose readers in the long run.

CRIME PATROL ANNUAL VOL. 2 (Gemstone, 2000; Softcover)

Collects Crime Patrol #12-16 (cover dates June-July, 1949- February-March, 1950)

EC remains the gold standard for comic books, even here in the “Pre-Trend” era collected here. The first steps toward EC becoming a Horror comic company happened here, with the introduction of The Crypt Keeper in a handful of stories until the final issue, which was basically the first issue of The Crypt Of Terror. Within a few issues that title would change into the more familiar Tales From The Crypt.

Gemstone used some pretty kick ass glue. This book is almost 20 years old and doesn't even creak when you open it.

FANTASTIC FOUR BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS VOL. 2 (Marvel, First Printing, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects Fantastic Four #261-295, Fantastic Four Annual #18, 19, Alpha Flight #4, Avengers Annual #14, Thing #10, 19, and material from Epic Illustrated #26-34, Thing #7, What If? #36, and What The--?! #2, 10 (cover dates November, 1983- January, 1991)

1984 and 1985 were the zenith of western civilization. The spinner racks at 7-11 were filled with gold month in and month out. I thought that it would last forever, as children tend to do. Little did 10-11-12 year old me know that this was the second golden age of Marvel, and arguably the last time that every single title was hitting high marks at the same time. John Byrne remains a favorite of mine, and this stuff still holds up decades later. Hard to pinpoint a favorite issue, but #276 was one I read several times on the Christmas break from school in 1984.

Review- MS. MARVEL EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 1: THIS WOMAN, THIS WARRIOR

MS. MARVEL EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 1: THIS WOMAN, THIS WARRIOR (Marvel, First Printing, 2018; Softcover)

Note: Book was actually released in 2019

Collects Ms. Marvel #1-14, Marvel Team-Up #61, 62, and Defenders #57 (cover dates January, 1977- March, 1978)

Writers: Chris Claremont and Gerry Conway

Artists: Jim Mooney, John Buscema, Sal Buscema, with John Byrne, Keith Pollard, Carmine Infantino, George Tuska, Dave Cockrum, Joe Sinnott, Dave Hunt, Tom Palmer, Frank Giacoia, Steve Leialoha, Sam Grainger, and Dan Green

The original series has held up really well, less damsel in distress and more strong independent career woman determined to make it, both as an editor of a magazine and as a superhero.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how forward thinking the writing was, but with Chris Claremont in charge for most of the book I should have known better. Claremont was ahead of his time in more ways than one.

The artwork is good, solid Bronze Age fun done by the usual journeymen of the day. I really enjoyed reading this book.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Linework and Color restoration: This is the same restoration found in the Marvel Masterworks hardcovers. High def all the way.

Paper stock: Matte coated stock. This is a pinch whiter and glossier than what we have been getting in Epics so far but it's still nice.

Binding: Perfect bound.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- FANTASTIC FOUR BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS VOL. 1

FANTASTIC FOUR BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS VOL. 1 (Marvel, First Printing, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Avengers #233, Fantastic Four #209-218, 220, 221, 232-260, Fantastic Four Annual #17, Marvel Team-Up #61, 62, Marvel Two-In-One #50, and Thing #2 (cover dates August, 1979- November, 1983)

Writers: John Byrne with Roger Stern (Avengers #233), Marv Wolfman (#209-217) (Bill Mantlo (#217, 218), Stan Lee (back-up story #236), and Chris Claremont (Marvel Team-Up #61, 62)

Artists: John Byrne with additional Inking by Joe Sinnott, Bjorn Heyn, Dave Hunt (Marvel Team-Up #61, 62) and pencils by Ron Wilson ( Thing #2) along with the Jack Kirby (back-up story #236)

This double and sometimes triple* dip weighs in at seven pounds. I bought all of these issues in the Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne trades in the previous decade. This is top shelf material and I am currently buying it in “high def” Marvel Masterworks format.

*My mom bought me #210 and 214 at Farmer Jack when they came out. I still have that original copy of #210 from when I was a little kid.

Bad light glare in the basement due to the LED bulbs. I read by incandescent light bulbs in my bedroom.

Note that this review is for the first printing with the Direct Market variant dustjacket. The current 2018 printing uses thinner paper and cheaper casewrap on the boards and weighs less as well as having a different dustjacket.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Linework and Color restoration: The overall restoration is a bit...rustic by modern standards. Some of it has since been remastered in high-def in Marvel Masterworks (#209-218) and that will resume with this fall's release of Vol. 21. I am looking forward to upgrading this material, as Byrne's run is the second golden age of the title. This book is like early DVD restoration in a 4k world.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Sewn binding. The book block has a slight sag to it after a few years, a common ailment for these Omnibus books. Some folks wouldn't notice it, but I do and so would you since you are reading this.

Reading the book resulted in these ugly creases on the spine. 

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: Laminated dustjacket. The casewrap has the faux leather grain and foil stamping which you will not find on the 2018 edition.

Review- SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL VOL. 8

SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL VOL. 8 (DC, First Printing, 2014; Softcover)

Collects Action Comics #598-600, Adventures of Superman #439, 440, and Superman #16-18 (cover dates March- June, 1988)

Writers: John Byrne, Paul Kupperberg, and Jerry Ordway

Artists: John Byrne, Jerry Ordway, George Perez, Mike Mignola, Ross Andru, Dick Giordano, Curt Swan, Murphy Anderson, Kurt Schaffenberger, Ty Templeton, Karl Kesel, John Beatty, Keith Williams, and Dennis Janke

John Byrne's Superman reboot of the mid-80s continues in this eighth book in the line. I've enjoyed all of these books and wouldn't bat an eye on the inevitable double dip when they repackage this stuff in an Omnibus line. It's that good.

Superman #17 was incredible. I loved his battle with the Banshee, and the whole story had a Marvel feel to it thanks to John Byrne. His defection to DC was a big deal at the time, but back in the '80s I was a company man forbidden to cross the picket line to DC. More fool me.

Action Comics #600 is the highlight of this book. It would be pretty hard to read this issue and not crack a smile. Byrne draws everything except for Wonder Woman, whom George Perez was drawing at the time and draws here. We get a “comic jam” style team-up similar to the All-Star Comics Justice Society stories of the 1940s. Add in Darkseid and you have a can't miss comic clocking in at a whopping 80 pages.

This is a fantastic read. There is a ninth book in this line but I passed on it in anticipation of the inevitable Omnibus line. DC discovered the double dip repackaging game late but are making up for lost time. It wouldn't surprise me to see it announced within the year.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Linework and Color restoration: The color palette is faithful for the most part, although some of the blends are off (as in too much here, not enough there) and some of the blends were done with a lazy, airbrushed gradient style. This method drives me nuts on material which was done with flat coloring because it sticks out like a sore thumb and looks inauthentic.

The linework is often obliterated, with Action Comics #599 being the worst looking issue in the book. It has what I call “the Sharpie effect”, where a restoration artist tried to fix the problem by doubling the lines. The black linework looks far too heavy while all of the fine detail is gone.

Scan of original comic book.

Restoration from this book. 

My overall take is that this is a serviceable job. Since this is DC, they will never bother remastering or doing any touch ups if this material is repurposed in other collections. This is it, folks.

Paper stock: The pros: The paper looks and feels like authentic pulp comic book paper. Cons: The paper looks and feels like authentic pulp comic book paper. I have many DC collections which utilized this chintzy paper stock and they begin yellowing like real comic book paper. Even though this Mando stock doesn't have as much acid as true pulp paper it is still susceptible to aging processes.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- ESSENTIAL MARVEL TEAM-UP VOL. 4

ESSENTIAL MARVEL TEAM-UP VOL. 4 (Marvel, First Printing, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Marvel Team-Up #76-78, 80-98 and Marvel Team-Up Annual #2, 3 (cover dates December, 1978- October, 1980)

Writers: Chris Claremont, Steven Grant, Bill Kunkel, Allyn Brodsky, Alan Kupperberg, Roger McKenzie, Marv Wolfman, and Roger Stern

Artists: Pencilers- Howard Chaykin, Don Perlin, Mike Vosburg, Sal Buscema, Bob McLeod, Gene Colan, Rich Buckler, Mike Nasser, Pat Broderick, Carmine Infantino, Tom Sutton, Mike Zeck, Jimmy Janes, Alan Kupperberg, Will Meugniot, and Herb Trimpe; Inkers- Jeff Aclin, Juan Ortiz, Frank Giacoia, Gene Day, Steve Leialoha, Frank Springer, Bob McLeod, Luis Eduardo Barreto, Josef Rubinstein, Bruce D. Patterson, Pablo Marcos, Jim Mooney, Mike Esposito, Alan Kupperberg, Al Gordon, Jack Abel, Dave Humphreys, and Al Milgrom

Things start out strong with a slew of Chris Claremont-penned stories. #79 was omitted because it features Red Sonja, who is currently licensed to Dynamite. That Claremont/Byrne issue was reprinted in the Spider-Man/ Red Sonja hardcover back in 2008. Some fans have a love/hate relationship with Claremont's work, but the fact of the matter is when he was in his prime he could bury any comic book writer out there. Like the old western series The Guns Of Will Sonnett used to say, no brag, just fact.

Claremont keeps things moving briskly along while peppering future subplots. I enjoy how Peter Parker's personal life has an entirely different side to it here than it does in the other spider-titles of the day. The art chores are handed off like a baton, and most of it well done. This being the '70s the deadline was more important than the work, and sometimes it shows. I think that most of the artists did the best that they could given the time constraints. Nearly every single Bronze Age journeyman got a crack at this book. The list of creators above is a who's who of late '70s/early '80s comics.

Status Quo!

#93 features my beloved Werewolf By Night in a rematch with the Tatterdemalion, last seen in Werewolf By Night #10 back in 1973. Alan Kupperberg turns in the best issue in the entire book with #96's team up with Howard The Duck. In this issue the man called Status Quo wages war on the fads of the day, and it is a laugh a minute. Things wrap up nicely with Annual #3, a great story where Power Man and Iron Fist cross paths with the Hulk and Machine Man. It's the only issue collected in this book which does not feature Spider-Man.

Spider-Man and the Beast fighting the Killer Shrike and the Modular Man. 

This was one of the final books issued in the Essential line, with the line being shuttered in 2013. These 500 page black and white books were cheap fun. The black and white was a drag but the pulp paper made them feel like comic books. The Epic line has replaced the Essentials, offering full color and nicer paper for twice the price. I used to buy these Essentials as placeholders for when the material was properly reprinted in color anyhow. Think of this shuttered line as either beefy coloring books or poor man's artist's editions.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Linework restoration: The film must have been in great shape, as there are very few line or word balloon dropouts here. These books were roughly 500 pages for $19.99 MSRP, so the restoration budget was likely nil.

Paper stock: Thick pulp paper. While I love high end collected editions, there is a part of me that would be a sucker for restored full color comics printed on cheap paper like this.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback. There are reports of some of these books falling apart. My only experience is with that is the first printing of Essential Marvel Team-Up Vol. 1.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL VOL. 7

SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL VOL. 7 (DC, First Printing, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Action Comics #596, 597, Adventures of Superman #436-438, and Superman #13-15 (cover dates January- March, 1988)

Writers: John Byrne and Jerry Ordway

Artists: Pencilers- John Byrne and Jerry Ordway; Inkers- Karl Kessel, John Beatty, Keith Williams, and Leonard Starr

John Byrne relaunched Superman in 1986, back when relaunching and rebooting was a bold concept. DC wanted to make an entry point for new readers instead of being saddled with 50 years of continuity. We all know what has happened since then and things are as messy as ever, but journey with me to a time when the status quo was the status quo.

John Byrne and Jerry Ordway handle all of the scripting and the penciling portion of the artwork. They keep the continuity tight as a drum in spite of the fact that these issues are part of the Millennium crossover, one of those crossovers that required you to buy 46 different comics to get the whole story. Those are what drove me out of buying monthly comics as the '80s wound down.

I really enjoyed seeing John Byrne draw the Spectre for the team up in Action Comics #596. Adventures of Superman #437 is one of those split screen stories that Byrne first did back in Fantastic Four #277. One story runs across the top half of the page for the entire issue and another story runs across the bottom, with the events being tied up over the last few pages of the issue. It was a novel idea at one time but I find it to be annoying today. Not all experiments work in retrospect.

Not only are these issues fun to read but there's a lot of great character development going on here. Superman #15 is especially great. Adventures of Superman #438 features a new Brainiac, or at least the consciousness of the old Brainiac beamed into the brain of someone else. I am a sucker for circus stories so you can see why I liked that one.

I fail to see why DC hasn't repackaged this run in a series of Omnibus books. It seems like a no-brainer. They did it with the George Perez Wonder Woman trades so it's not impossible.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Linework and Color restoration: It's DC, so while the color palette is faithfully maintained for the most part the blends are harsh and lazy and some of the linework is washed out.

Paper stock: Thin pulpish paper. Some folks like it, some don't. I prefer a heavier stock for collected editions.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- TALES OF THE BATMAN: LEN WEIN

TALES OF THE BATMAN: LEN WEIN (DC, First Printing, 2014; Hardcover)

Collects Detective Comics #408, 444-448, 466, 478, 479, 500, 514, Batman #255, 307-310, 312-319, 321-324, 326, 327, World's Finest Comics #207, The Untold Legend Of Batman #1-3, DC Retroactive: Batman- The '70s #1, and a story from Batman: Black And White #5 (cover dates February, 1971- March, 2014)

Writer: Len Wein

Artists: Pencilers- Neal Adams, Dick Dillin, Jim Aparo*, Ernie Chua, Marshall Rogers, John Calnan, Irv Novick*, Walt Simonson*, Don Newton, Tom Mandrake*, and Victor Ibanez*; Inkers*- Dick Giordano, Joe Giella, Vince Colletta, Frank McLaughlin, Bob Smith, John Byrne, Frank Chiaramonte, and all artists denoted with an * above

Len Wein is one of the greatest writers of the '70s and early '80s and is responsible for so many long lasting characters. Wolverine, Swamp Thing, the X-Men as you know and love them? Wein had a hand in their creation. He has an understanding and deep love for the flagship characters as well. He sadly passed away last fall but his work will live on in the hearts and minds of comic fans everywhere.

The bulk of this book is from 1975-1980, which is prime Bronze Age material that I have never read before. Wein had the good fortune of being paired with some top notch talent like Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, etc. It's a shame how DC has allowed Neal Adams to destroy classic comics like Detective Comics #408, the same re-inked and recolored version found in the Batman By Neal Adams hardcovers and trades. The bastardized version of Batman #255 is included. It's a pity, because it is a fantastic story about Anthony Lupus, a man who is afflicted with Lycanthropy. He goes to see Professor Milo, a certifiable quack who brings his condition to the fore. It's probably one of the best comics of the '70s, completely ruined with the now totally outdated Photoshop and at the time modern computer recoloring from 15 years ago. This George Lucas Star Wars Special Edition thinking was well-intentioned but ultimately doesn't work.

The Jim Aparo issues are equally excellent, with Aparo being almost as good as Neal Adams. He may not have had the inventive panel layouts but his storytelling ability and sense of pacing were equally great.

Len Wein was great at keeping the continuity flowing. While each issue was a complete story there were enough dangling subplots to give returning readers something to look forward to month in and month out. There were very few writers who could successfully pull this trick off, and Wein was one of the best.

Detective Comics #478 is a sentimental favorite of mine. My mom bought it for me as a kid while we were on vacation in northern Michigan during the summer of 1978. It was some weird convenience store in the middle of nowhere that's probably long gone. I am guessing that the whole area is now populated with Starbucks and Walmarts, but back in the late 70s it was “up north” and rural.

Batman had some great Christmas stories. While nobody does Christmas issues anymore for fear of offending anyone, this was not the case back in 1978 when Batman #309 was released. Batman #310 is what really got me, though. I'm a sucker for the Gentleman Ghost, with my first exposure to the character on the SuperFriends cartoons back in the '70s as Gentleman Jim. I love how Wein paints Jim as a ghost but Batman isn't having it. Batman tries to come up with a rational explanation for how he pulls off his capers. Wein had a really good grasp on the character Two-Face. Batman #313 and 314 were among the better Two-Face stories that I've read.

Lucius Fox is featured throughout these issues. Fans of The Dark Knight trilogy will know him as the character that Morgan Freeman portrayed on the screen. Firebug is an interesting character who was motivated by the same kind of grief that Batman was. In his introduction in Batman #318 he wanted to burn down unsafe apartment buildings because those same slumlord apartment buildings killed his family. Wein humanized the villain, a rarity at the time.

We see the Gentleman Ghost return for a rematch and Batman #319. He's such a great villain. Sorry to gush, but I have been a sucker for him since the SuperFriends cartoons were a part of my Saturday mornings in the '70s. Batman #327 was another standout issue. Wein brought Professor Milo back, who was running Arkham Asylum in a somewhat offbeat Silver Age-flavored story.

The Untold Legend Of The Batman mini series was great. The first issue had art by the team of John Byrne and Jim Aparo, which was mindblowingly great. Among my favorites in the book was Detective Comics #514, a story about human nature and why it's best to sometimes leave people alone.

I'm sorry to ramble on and on about this book, but it was so great that I cannot help myself. While this package leaves something to be desired (please refer to The OCD zone below), you get 600+ pages of top notch Batman stories by a writer whose likes we will never be seen again.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Linework and Color restoration: This book is all over the place, from abysmal (the Marshall Rogers issues which were repurposed from his artist-centric hardcover), blasphemous (the Neal Adams “commissions”), to serviceable (much of the book). DC never revisits and remasters material when given an opportunity to do so, so unfortunately these lackluster restorations are it for the ages.

Original comic.

Restoration done for the 1999 BATMAN: STRANGE APPARITIONS trade paperback.

Restoration done for LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT: MARSHALL ROGERS hardcover which was used in this book as well.

DC often leaves a lot to be desired in terms of restoration. 

Paper stock: Bright white glossy coated stock. While this is better than the toilet paper they were passing off on folks, the light glare is too harsh for material with flat coloring. I find it best to read this stock in natural sunlight for minimal glare.

Binding: Perfect bound (read: glued). Glued binding on a supposedly high end hardcover is something of a joke. As far as glued bindings go, this one isn't too bad, especially with a page count of over 600 pages. It lays reasonably flat for much of the book.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: Laminated dustjacket with the same cheap boards and chintzy casewrap that DC has been passing off on folks for years.