Review- MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA VENUS VOL. 1

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA VENUS VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Venus Nos. 1-9 and selections from Luna No. 4 and Marvel Mystery Comics No. 91 (cover dates August, 1948- May, 1950)

Writers: Unkown

Artists: George Klein, Lin Streeter, Vic Dowd, Harvey Kurtzman, Ken Bald, Ed Winiarski, Don Rico, Christopher Rule, Peter Riss, Pete Tumlinson, Bill Walsh, Valerie Barclay, Mike Sekowsky, Pierce Rice, Chu Hing, Al Hartley, Joe Maneely, Morris Weiss, F.R. Sieminski, Werner Roth, Bob Powell, and Maurice Del Bouro

I tend to dislike romance comics in spite of the often wonderful artwork by industry legends. I find them boring and uninteresting on all levels. I bought this book despite this because I know that the material that will make up Volume 2 when/if it comes out will be something else entirely. I can always find a certain level of enjoyment in collections of old comic books because the originals would be so expensive to buy even reader copies of. Beater reader copies of the issues reprinted here would set you back at least a hundred bucks each if you could even find them. 

Venus is the Venus, as in the Goddess of Love. Upon her arrival on Earth she is taken under the wing of one Whitney Hammond, editor of Beauty Magazine. He hires her on the spot and she falls madly in love with him. The first few issues sort of meander along with all of the wonderfully illustrated yet painfully boring soap opera tropes found in the then-new romance comics that sprouted up like mushrooms on a wet lawn. I read this intermittently, not hating it but not really reading it with any sense of urgency or interest. There is something charming about this comic book, though.

One of the things that I found to be curious for this era was the real sense of continuity from one issue to the next. Most comic books from this time frame are basically reset with every story. Here, we get the sense of the ongoing one-sided jealousy between Della Mason and Venus for the love of Whitney Hammond. Another ongoing thread is the other gods conspiring against Venus, either out of jealousy or out of desire to have her for their very own. 

This is where things begin to get interesting. Much like Roy Thomas, I try to fit everything and anything ever published under the Marvel banner (Timely, Atlas) in their nearly 75 years of existence into main Marvel Universe continuity. One of Venus' recurring foils is Loki, here being the king of the underworld. One could say that this might well be the Loki from Thor comics using his trickster ability to alter his appearance. This gives things an air of fun. Either that or I am as insane as Roy Thomas for trying to make sense out of something that does not require being made sense of. Your mileage may vary.

The further I got into the book the more interesting it became. I really hope that we see a Volume 2, as there is some prime Bill Everett artwork waiting in the wings. Since many of these Atlas Era Marvel Masterworks were part of a huge blowout through Diamond this past year I doubt that we'll ever see it. I would love to be proven wrong, though. 

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Marvel Masterworks are my poison of choice. The superior restoration, paper, binding, and sweet sweet toxic Chinese ink smell make me swoon.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Venus #1 house ad from Miss America Magazine Vol. 7 #13; Venus house ad from Marvel Tales #93; Venus #6 from Miss America Magazine Vol. 7 #23; Venus house ad from Miss America Magazine Vol. 7 #27; Venus house ad from Miss America Magazine Vol. 7 #31 (2 pages)

Linework and Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. Consider this a frame by frame restoration akin to a Blu-Ray release.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Sewn binding, lays perfectly from the first page to the last.

Buy MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA VENUS VOL. 1 HC at InStockTrades!

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Review- MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA STRANGE TALES VOL. 5

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA STRANGE TALES VOL. 5 (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Strange Tales Nos. 40-48 (cover dates November, 1955- July, 1956)

Writers: Carl Wessler, Paul S. Newman, and other unidentified writers

Artists: Bill Benulis, Bill Everett, John Forte, Paul Reinman, Fred Kida, Robert Q. Sale, Dick Ayers, Joe Orlando, Joe Maneely, Bernie Krigstein, Doug Wildey, Bob Powell, Tony DiPreta, Bob Brown, Larry Woromay, Bob Forgione, Ed Winiarski, Joe Sinnott, Bernard Baily, John Severin, Steve Ditko, Bob McCarty, Vic Carrabotta, Jim McLaughlin, Jack Abel, Manny Stallman, Bill Walton, Mort Meskin, and covers by Russ Heath, Carl Burgos, and Sol Brodsky

Wow! There is a marked improvement across the board from the previous volume. The writers have figured out how to write clever stories within the confines of the Comic Code Authority, and the editors brought in a higher caliber of artists. Bill Everett and Steve Ditko absolutely shine here, especially in glorious “high definition”. While there is only one Ditko penciled story in this book, we get three Bill Everett stories along with a cover. Everett is truly one of the greats, as demonstrated by the page below. 

Issue 42's The Faceless One! is another Everett penciled work of art. Carl Wessler's script is extremely clever if familiar and predictable here in 2013. Everett is a genius, and I am really looking forward to reading my copy of the Bill Everett Archives Vol. 1 someday.

More brilliance from Bill Everett. No photoshop artwork back then, kids.

John Forte is another exceptional artist who isn't given much recognition these days. This statement is true of many of these artists. Just replace John Forte with the name of any of these forgotten greats. It is also worth noting that these cats toiled in anonymity and near poverty to create this stuff. Art for the sake of art, and if you could eat and pay the rent, all the better. 

The whole UFOs as a metaphor for the fear of Communist infiltration during Cold War-era America is a recurring theme throughout the book. Many of the values held near and dear to the denizens of mid-20^th century America are comical to read in the here and now. The Vanishing Brain! is a prime example of this. In it, Professor Hayden is a smug intellectual elitist who frowns upon jocks and those who are physically active, just like the sissies who dominate the world today. He ends up walking through a break in the time flow and wound up in the Paleolithic Age, where he gets captured by Neanderthals and turned into a slave. This physical labor makes him become a musclebound, virile specimen. Once he makes a break for it and returns to our century, he finds that the girl he loves has found a “puny specimen like that” and “doesn't deserve the love of a real man”...while having his arm around his former rival for her affections. I hope that Phil and Hank wound up being happy together. 

The genius of Steve Ditko.

Issue 48's I've Got To Hide! is brilliant. At only 4 pages long it crams in tons of story, and it seems to get ready to go nuts and then is reeled in in the last two panels. If you removed them and continued the story in a different direction this could be one sick tale. 

Look kids, it's the future! This guy has a phone WITHOUT a cord that he can carry with him. Wow!

Some of these stories are corny, others dated, and all are lovable relics of their era. This stuff bleeds charm and is worth owning for historical value. Collecting the original issues would be expensive and time consuming.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I heart the Marvel Masterworks line of hardcovers.

Linework restoration rating: 5 out of 5. Consider these the Masterworks the BluRays of comic books, painstakingly restored in “high definition”.

Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. Dots or solids? Color values? These are questions better posed as a philosophical argument rather than a technical one, since it boils down to preference. I love it all as long as it is faithful to the original color palette. Are the colors on the screen when you watch BluRays of a '60s TV series garish when compared to the original television broadcast, or is the more modern format merely taking advantage of what was originally there that you couldn't see given the technology restraints of the day? Discuss.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Super thick, smooth coated stock. The paper has a slight sheen which I like a lot.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Whew! The stiffer binding found in Volume 4 was nothing more than a hiccup. This has the same superb sewn binding that I have come to know and love, laying perfectly flat from the first page to the last.

Review- MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA STRANGE TALES VOL. 4

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA STRANGE TALES VOL. 4 (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Strange Tales Nos. 31-39 (cover dates August, 1954- October, 1955)

Writers: Paul S. Newman, Carl Wessler, and other unidentified writers

Artists: Sid Greene, Bill Benulis, Bill Savage, Art Peddy, Paul Reinman, Al Eadeh, Bob McCarty, Jim McLaughlin, Joe Maneely, Carl Burgos, Paul Tumlinson, Ed Winiarski, Chuck Winter, Werner Roth, Mort Lawrence, Joe Sinnott, John Romita, Sr., Dick Ayers, Ernie Bache, Vic Carrabotta, Bob Powell, John Forte, Jack Katz, Bob Forgione, Jack Abel, John Forte, Kurt Schaffenberger, and Norman Maurer

Marvel might have done better to juggle the contents of the first three volumes so that the Pre-Code stuff ended with Volume 3 and Volume 4 started with the post-code material. The quality takes a nosedive with issue 35, when the Comics Code Authority kicks in. The writing was B-level before the Code, and sunk down to abysmal levels once the Code was implemented. 

The artwork is good and sometimes even great. I really appreciate the ink and brush artists here in this modern photoshop era of comic book artwork. These guys were good because they had to be. Making a mistake was costly to a comic book artist back then.

All of the stories in issue 31 are great, but it's The Strange Ones! that really takes the cake. We find a group of scientists who, as mutants, help humanity and search out for others of their kind to help keep the world safe. This is, in a nutshell, the premise of the X-Men nearly a decade prior to their debut. They even use the word mutant for chrissakes! Paul S. Newman should have sued Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Marvel for stealing his idea. 

Issue 32's Harley's Friends is a tale of an old miser who buys an old abandoned lodge in the woods...the better to hide his money! In an attempt to find a safe place to hide his loot, he pries up some floor boards, and that's when he finds them. Three corpses. Rather than, I don't know, scream or call the cops, he instead chuckles how they won't steal his money. As he further descends into madness, he begins sitting them at the table, at the fireplace, even putting them in his car as he drives into town. The man who murdered them goes to check on the bodies. He has a heart attack due to the shock of them having gone missing and falls into the hole in the floor where the bodies were stored. When Harvey returns to the cabin he puts his friends back in the floor he is delighted to find another “friend” waiting for him. The killer comes to, banging on the floor, but Harvey assumes it's his imagination playing tricks on him and allows him to suffocate. 

While issue 34 is the final pre-Code issue collected in this book, it is the first watered down one as well. Gone are all macabre elements, gone are all shock endings, and gone was my enjoyment until issue 38. While there are some okay stories in 34-37, they pale by comparison to the issues that came before and after. Issue 38's No Escape! plays like an episode of The Twilight Zone. In it, a disenchanted married couple come to an agreement that they should have never been married. Then there is a show on television showing them all of the different outcomes that could have come if they didn't meet. As it turns out, all of them end up with them being married, so they decide that they were meant to be. Awwww. I won't give away the twist ending.

Issue 39 is better still, as we get stellar Bill Everett artwork in Karnoff's Plan! Also in this issue, Blind Spot!, with artwork by the incredible Sid Greene, is a riff on the age old beauty is in eye of the beholder cliché, but done with a space alien bent. UFOs and the fear of Communist infiltration factor high in these stories, just like they did in most entertainment of the day.

This is a decent, albeit incredibly uneven read. It's worth owning for the artwork and historical significance alone.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I love the Marvel Masterworks line. I haven't been giving them enough love lately, letting my backlog languish in favor of other things.

Linework restoration rating: 5 out of 5. Think of these Masterworks as Blu-Ray releases of comic books. Painstakingly restored and presented in “high definition”. These books are expensive but they are the gold standard in terms of presentation.

Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. Some folks like the high resolution restoration found here. Others enjoy the warts and all approach of the high resolution scans found in books by publishers like PS Artbooks and Fantagraphics. Which approach do I prefer? I prefer properly restored material like this but love well done scans too. I'll put it to you this way, though: I'd rather have a well done scan than a poorly restored book. My love of well done scans and properly restored material is nearly equal, and for entirely different reasons. Both ways have their pluses and minuses. Maybe I'll write a blog entry about this sometime. Would anyone be interested in such a dry technical read?

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Ahhh, the pleasant aroma of Chinese made books. The toxic ink on the thick coated stock paper sourced from virgin Amazon rainforest trees. The sweet aroma of broken asbestos tiles, mercury from recalled thermometers, lead paint chips, and Godzilla knows what other industrial and toxic Chinese waste, mixed with the tears of the children working the sweatshop printing presses makes huffing these books a joy.

Binding rating: 4.5 out of 5. This binding is somewhat stiffer than Masterworks of similar vintage. It lays flat for 90% of the book, but modern Masterworks tend to lay flat for the entire book. For Marvel this is a disappointment. This binding is on par with a mid-2000s DC Archive. Solid but stiff and durable. I can live with it...this time.

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: Marvel Masterworks Atlas Era Jungle Adventure Vol. 2

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA JUNGLE ADVENTURE VOL. 2 (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Jungle Action Nos. 1-3, Jungle Tales Nos. 1-4 and Lorna, The Jungle Girl Nos. 10-12 (cover dates September, 1954- March, 1955)

Writers: Don Rico and Paul S. Newman

Artists: Werner Roth, Al Hartley, Joe Maneely, John Forte, George Tuska, John Romita, Sr., Fred Kida, and others

These 1950s Atlas Comics are so much fun to read, and often have terrific artwork to boot. There are several features which repeat themselves in the anthology titles collected here:

Lorna, The Jungle Girl- This is probably my favorite in the book, with great writing by Don Rico and what must be Werner Roth's finest artwork. Like I've mentioned in my blog posting for Vol. 1, I always considered him a bottom of the barrel type of artist because of his run on The X-Men in the '60s. He really shines when depicting jungle scenes with trees, animals, and non-superhero people. Great stuff.

The Jungle Adventures of Greg Knight- A regular back up feature in Lorna's magazine, he is a member of Lorna's supporting cast. While I question the man's sanity and/or sexual orientation for shunning Lorna's continual advances, he is an all right guy for the era.

Jann of the Jungle- A pretty generic but enjoyable female jungle heroine riff.

Waku, Prince of the Bantu- I really enjoy this strip, as Waku uses his brain more than his brawn. There's still plenty of action and adventure here, though. Fred Kida is arguably in his prime during this era.

Cliff Mason, White Hunter- This strip features crisp, clean artwork by Joe Maneely. Maneely is an absolute master, and it is one of comics' great tragedies that he died at such a young age. One can only imagine “what if” when it comes to what he could have achieved if he had lived.

Lo-Zar, Lord of the Jungle- The umpteenth Tarzan rip-off, one can either write them all off as cheap knockoffs or do what I do, simply admire the artwork and the craftsmanship of the execution of the story.

Man-oo the Mighty- A strip from a gorilla's point of view, the third party narrative carries the story in this dialogue, and human, free series.

Leopard Girl- Al Hartley's cheesecake in a leopard skin catsuit is a lot of fun. The concept is silly and would never work today, and maybe that is why I like it so much.

There are other features in this book, but they didn't really stick with me well enough to bother commenting about them. Consider this another fine addition to the ever expanding library of Atlas Era Marvel Masterworks.

The OCD zone: Y-A-W-N. The same beautiful restoration, both in original color palette and in linework, the same wonderful paper, and the same superb sewn binding. I am glad to be lulled into a place of contentment with this line of hardcovers.

Review: Marvel Masterworks Atlas Era Tales of Suspense Vol. 3

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA TALES OF SUSPENSE VOL. 3 (Marvel, 2010; Hardcover)

Collects Tales of Suspense Nos. 21-31 (cover dates September, 1961- July, 1962)

Stan Lee. Jack Kirby. Steve Ditko. Dick Ayers. Don Heck. Consider this the A-Team of the Silver Age of comics. This gorgeous hardcover edition provides a heaping helping of Cold War era Twilight Zone riffs. I love Kirby's monsters and aliens, Ditko's eerie, tense artwork, and Lee's overly dramatic writing. These stories are so much fun to read, and I always enjoy tales of the future, like how in the year 2000 everyone will have their own robot. Awesome. There isn't a loser story in the bunch.

On the OCD side of things, everything is once again perfect. Paper, sewn binding, superior linework and color restoration...all signals turn to green. This is the definitive document of these issues for the ages.

Reviews:MARVEL MASTERWORKS- ATLAS ERA JUNGLE ADVENTURE VOL. 1; ASTRO CITY- SHINING STARS; Winnie the Pooh movie 2011

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA JUNGLE ADVENTURE VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2009 ; Hardcover)

Collects Lorna, The Jungle Queen Nos. 1-5 and Lorna, The Jungle Girl Nos. 6-9 (cover dates July, 1953- September, 1954) and the “Loona” Lorna spoof story from Riot No. 6 (cover date June, 1956)

Blame it on Sheena. I passed on this when it was originally solicited because I couldn't care less about Jungle comics. Then I found a copy of Devil's Due Golden Age Sheena Vol. 2 trade paperback in a $5 box at my local comic shop. Months and months went by, and I read it. I was completely blown away, so much so that I tracked down Vol. 1 and then grabbed this book.

This is superb! Don Rico's writing is excellent, if somewhat offensive to 21^st Century sensibilities. Sexism and unflattering portrayals of minorities abound, but this was the 1950s. Werner Roth does the artwork on all of the Lorna stories, and I was shocked by the quality of his artwork. I was unimpressed on his run on The X-Men during the '60s, but here he is a master. Rich, lush linework is the norm. His jungle scenes and animals are photo realistic, and I love how he crams so much detail into each panel without sacrificing clarity. His page layouts are tightly structured, with 7-9 panels per page.

The writing can be a little formulaic after a while (how many lost lands can there be in one jungle, after all?), but this was a blast to read. Dinosaurs, giant apes, jewel thieves...this stuff rocks. Do yourself a favor and check it out. On the OCD side of things, everything gets two thumbs up: nice paper, sewn binding, superior linework and color restoration, nice aroma...I am ill, but at least I admit it. If loving these things about books is wrong then I don't want to be right. 

ASTRO CITY: SHINING STARS (Wildstorm/DC, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Astro City: Astra Nos. 1, 2, Astro City: Beauty, Astro City: Samaritan and Astro City: Silver Agent Nos. 1, 2 (cover dates September, 2006- September, 2010)

This collects the odds and ends of the Astro City series, an assortment of one-shots and mini-series. These are all character sketches that add to the mythos but do not necessarily function as a cohesive read. Still, it is nice to get all of the odds and ends tied up in collected edition form. The Samaritan one-shot is great, with writer Kurt Buseik coming close to Alan Moore level cleverness...back when Moore was still clever and didn't rely on boobies to be “mature”. The Silver Agent mini-series was excellent, and I love how he was a mailman in his civilian identity. It's about time that a superhero was a mailman. I hope that we see a follow-up to this book sooner than later. The only thing that is frustrating to fans of this series is the wait between “seasons”.

Winnie the Pooh (Disney, 2011)

I took my hatchlings to see this yesterday, and they seemed to like it. For kids weaned on CGI films, this throwback to traditional animation must have seemed archaic. I guess that I liked it well enough, too.