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Reprint reviews: 'Dark Shadows v4-5,' 'The Phantom: The King Years v1,' 'Rio'

Dark Shadows – The Complete Original Series Volumes Four-Five

Hermes Press, $49.99 each

Stories by various, art by Joe Certa

Reprinting Dark Shadows #22-35 (Oct 73-Feb 76)

 

These two books wrap up Gold Key’s Dark Shadows run, and I confess I will mi

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Reprint reviews: 'Archie v6,' 'Tarzan v11,' 'Showcase: Showcase v1'

Archie Archives Volume Six (Dark Horse, $49.99)

Reprinting Archie Comics #19-22 (Mar/Apr-Sep/Oct 46), Pep Comics #57-58 (Jun-Sep 46)

By Bill Vigoda (a) and diverse hands

What struck me most about these Archie comics from 1946 is how "modern" they ar

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Reprint reviews: 'Silver Streak v1,' 'Marvel Mystery v7,' 'Flash v6'

Silver Streak Archives Volume 1 (Dark Horse, $59.99)

Reprinting Silver Streak #6-9 (Sep 40-Apr 41)

By Charles Biro, Jack Cole and diverse hands

 

The thought that kept crossing my mind when I read the Silver Streak Archives is that there must not hav

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Review: 'Black Charity'

Black Charity (Archaia, $19.95)

Bal Speer (w/a)

I don't understand Black Charity.

I'm usually pretty good at allegory, metaphor and allusion, but I'm not sure Black Charity has any. I might be looking for it because the story doesn't seem very stru

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Review: 'Primordia'

Primordia (Archaia, $19.95)

John R. Fultz (w), Roel Wielinga (a)

This is an ancient creation myth without the messiness of genuine mythology, but also without mythology's gut-feeling of authenticity. But it is mildly amusing.

Primordia is set in an

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Review: 'Showcase Presents: Rip Hunter Time Master Volume 1'

Showcase Presents: Rip Hunter Time Master Volume 1 (DC Comics, $19.99)

Reprinting Showcase #20-21 (May/Jun-Jul/Aug 59), Showcase #25-26 (Mar/Apr-May/Jun 60), Rip Hunter Time Master #1-15 (Mar/Apr 61-May/Jun 63)

Jack Miller (w), diverse hands (a)

I e

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Review: 'Days Missing: Kestus'

Days Missing: Kestus (Archaia, $24.95)

Phil Hester (w), David Marquez (a)

I had a lot of good things to say about the first Days Missing collection. Oddly, much of what I liked isn't present in the second collection, but I like it almost as much.

T

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Review: 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe' #1

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #1 (of 6, DC Comics, $2.99)

By James Robinson (w), Philip Tan (a) and Ruy Jose (i)

This is not a book I'd normally buy or review, but DC sent me a review copy. And I'm kinda glad they did.

Let's get one thing

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Review: 'Spandex: Fast and Hard'

Spandex: Fast and Hard (Titan Books, $19.95)

Martin Eden (w/a)

I wanted to like Spandex, which collects the first three issues of a self-published British comic book about an all-gay super-team. Unfortunately, I found it supported negative gay stere

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Review: 'The Art of Amanda Conner'

The Art of Amanda Conner (IDW Publishing, $29.99)

Edited and designed by Joe Pruett

This book had a lot of what I expected, but a few surprises as well. 

As I said in my Silk Spectre review, I love everything Amanda Conner has ever done. So I expec

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Reviews: 'Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre'

Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1 (DC Comics, $3.99)

Darwyn Cooke (w), Amanda Conner (a)

 

This is good comics. 

 

I'm late reviewing this, because DC didn't send me a review copy (as they have with the other "Before Watchmen" debuts). I mention that,

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Reprint Reviews: 'Uncle Scrooge,' 'Chamber of Chills v1,' 'The Phantom Dailies v4'

Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge: Only a Poor Old Man

Fantagraphics Books, $28.99

By Carl Barks (w/a)

If you're not buying the Carl Barks library, you should be.

I know everyone reading this has heard all their lives how good Carl Barks was, and so have

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Review: 'Before Watchmen: Nite Owl' #1

Before Watchmen: Nite Owl #1 (DC Comics, $3.99)

J. Michael Straczynski (w), Andy Kubert (a), Joe Kubert (i)

This is the first "Before Watchmen" that not only disappointed me, it bored me.

It really felt like someone was checking off a list:

* Intr

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Reprint Reviews: 'Vampirella v5,' 'Crime Does Not Pay v2,' 'Batman v8'

Vampirella Archives Volume Five (Dynamite Publishing, $49.99)

Reprinting Vampirella #29-35 (Nov 73-Aug 74)

By diverse hands

By accident or intent, the Vampirella Archives published by Dynamite are keeping contemporaneous with the Creepy and Eerie Ar

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Review: 'Before Watchmen: Ozymandias' #1

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1 (DC Comics, $3.99)

Len Wein (w), Jae Lee (a)

I'm beginning to think Jae Lee is some kind of genius. If nothing else, he is a unique artist of astonishing skill.

I'm not sure I have much to say about the story in Ozyma

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Review: 'American Vamipire: Lord of Nightmares' #1

American Vamipire: Lord of Nightmares #1 (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

Scott Snyder (w), Dustin Nguyen (a)

I don't know how to review this without giving away the ending, so I'll just say "It's good."

And that it involves Felicia Book, one of my most favorit

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Review: 'Vampirella Volume Four'

Review: Vampirella Volume Four, Dynamite Publishing, $49.99

Dynamite's chronological reprints of Warren's Vampirella magazine are running a year or so ahead of Dark Horse's similar efforts with Warren's Creepy and Eerie, which redounds to the former

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Review: 'Lois Lane Archives Volume 1'

Lois Lane Archives Volume 1, DC Comics, $59.99

 

I've read just about all the stories collected in the first Lois Lane Archives (Showcase #9-10, Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #1-8), and fully expected to be bored re-reading them for the umpteenth

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Review: 'Lucid'

Lucid, Archaia Studios, $19.95

 

I've put off reviewing this, because it's a free book, and I hate to slam free books. But, dude.

 

Lucid posits the idea that the English crown has always had a mage, going back to Merlin, protecting English interests

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Review: 'New Crusaders' #1-2

New Crusaders #1-2 (Archie Comics)

Ian Flynn (w), Ben Bates (p), Gary Martin (i), Matt Herms (c)

I've seen a lot of variations on the old MLJ superheroes in my many years as a fan, beginning with the "Mighty Crusaders" in the 1960s. I don't know if

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