TOP O' THE WEEK
GODZILLA VS. SPIDER-MAN #1 (MARVEL, $4.99) is by Joe Kelly and Nick Bradshaw.
Let's assume, for the sake of our suspension of disbelief, that Spider-Man doesn't actually try to fight Godzilla. Maybe Spider-Man has a ground-level story about saving people from collapsing buildings and similar destruction, while the Big G has his own story topside. We'll see soon enough, but I mean ... c'mon. The phrase "bug on a windshield" comes to mind.
Anyway, this is set right after Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars, when Spidey has the black costume but doesn't know it's alive (and hungry), and he's canoodling with Black Cat. Was that the status quo back then? It's been 40 years, and I probably didn't care that much at the time. The black costume may have been when I started subconsciously un-coupling with Amazing Spider-Man.
“The second I heard that there was going to be a Godzilla x Spidey crossover set in the ‘80s, I almost leapt across the table to claim it,” Kelly told IGN. “This book is a chance to go nuts and have a blast with two iconic characters and channel the chaos of the time period that I was actively collecting Spider-Man.”
CROSSOVERS
"ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM" (MARVEL)
We're basically at the end of the first act of this crossover, so things aren't going so swell for the good guys.
DOOM ACADEMY #3 (OF 5, MARVEL, $3.99) is MacKenzie Cadenhead, Pasqual Ferry and João M.P. Lemos.
More terrifying Latverian fairy tales, a concept of which I heartily approve.
“Something I have always appreciated about Doctor Doom is that while he looks to the future he never discounts the past,” Cadenhead explained to CBR in a recent interview. “Magic, arcana, folklore — it’s integral to his technological advances. I started thinking about Doom as a collector and realized his school would have the most awesome library (which is one of my favorite locations Pasqual Ferry designed for the series). We realized right away how dangerous such a collection could be and the idea of this other realm within which the Doom Academy students would be tested was born.”
DOOM’S DIVISION #2 (OF 5, MARVEL, $3.99) is by is by Yoon Ha Lee and Minkyu Jung.
Tiger Division picks up three new members from across Asia. And one of them is Karma, who used to hang with the X-Men. Looks like she's wearing an off-the-shelf X-Men outfit.
FANTASTIC FOUR #31 (MARVEL, $3.99) i by Ryan North and Cory Smith.
We're down to the Fantastic Two, and Doom rolled over them when they were at full strength. So they decide to re-create the accident that gave them their powers. What could go wrong?
RED HULK #3 (MARVEL, $3.99) is by Benjamin Percy and Geoff Shaw.
"Thunderbolt" Ross, Machine Man and Deathlok escape into the Latverian mountains, but are pursued by an army of Doombots. I'm not particularly interested in the fate of any of these characters, but I am invested in the crossover, so I'll see where this title goes. It's an ongoing, so Red Hulk has plot armor. Which is too bad, as he's the one I'm least interested in.
“This is a war book,” Percy teased in a recent interview with ComicBook.com. “That’s how I’ve been talking about this with Editor Mark Paniccia from the beginning. That’s why Geoff Shaw is such a brilliant partner, since he draws such brutal, kinetic, gritty action. Wars don’t consist of a single battle. They’re long-lasting and complicated and require much more than brute force to win. The first few issues will feel like The Great Escape. The next few issues will feel like First Blood. And after that? Things get even wilder and thornier.”
THUNDERBOLTS: DOOMSTRIKE #3 (OF 5, MARVEL, $3.99) is by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Tommaso Bianchi.
Bucky, Songbird, Sharon Carter and the Midnight Angels battle ... the original Thunderbolts! Well, most of 'em, anyway. And they are all former supervillians, so it's not exactly out of character to work for Doctor Doom.
"We’re thrilled to invite the original Thunderbolts back into the mix and cross them over with Bucky’s new reimagined operation," Kelly told IGN in a recent interview. "From the heartbreaking conclusion to Songbird and Abner’s relationship, beautifully brought to life (and death) by Jim Zub, to the disastrous return of Citizen V, it’s a real honor to return to these characters, and — more importantly — return them to their original core dilemma: is redemption even possible for a villainous life?"
"WE ARE YESTERDAY" (DC COMICS)
BATMAN / SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST 2025 ANNUAL #1 (ONE-SHOT, DC COMICS, $5.99) is by Mark Waid, Christopher Cantwell, Morgan Hampton, Dan McDaid and Clayton Henry.
This is Part 3 in this six-part crossover between World's Finest and Justice League Unlimited. The League battles the all-new, all-retro Legion of Doom. Look at those guys! It's like a Beatles tribute band, only with supervillains! Plus, John Stewart's origin is retold, and I imagine streamlined a bit. I just re-read Doomsday Clock, and we do kind of need to know what the new reality is for some characters, now that Doctor Manhattan has basically erased the New 52.
MORE ITEMS OF INTEREST
GODZILLA VS AMERICA: LOS ANGELES #1 (IDW, $7.99) is by Dave Baker.
Like L.A. doesn't have enough problems, with production companies leaving, wildfires burning whole neighborhoods and Donald Trump in the White House. Godzilla's probably only No. 3 or No. 4 on that list.
GRAVEYARD CLUB: FRESH BLOOD #1 (BOOM, $9.99): R.L. Stine came along long after I was no longer his target market, but he seems quite popular -- not just with young adults, but the regular kind, too. This appears to be an adaptation of the second book in the Graveyard Club series of novels.
LOST FANTASY #1 (IMAGE, $4.99) is by Curt Pires (Indigo Children) and Luca Casalanguida (James Bond).
Image says this ongoing series "pays homage to the popular game Final Fantasy." It's about a secret world of monsters beneath our own, and The Great Hunters who track the monsters when they break through. Naturally, our story is about a rookie to add more drama.
This sounds a bit like Legendary's Monsterverse. How it relates to Final Fantasy video game will, I suppose, always be a mystery to me. Oh, there's also a backup series, continuing Indigo Children.
“I’m so excited to be back at Image Comics with Lost Fantasy, the first title in a brand-new slate of best-in-class comics and graphic novels that I’m bringing to the pioneering publisher and home of creator-owned comics,” said Pires. “Lost Fantasy has it all: page-turning mystery and pulse-pounding action in equal measure. And I can’t wait for readers to discover it this April!”
POWER COMPANY RECHARGED #1 (ONE-SHOT, DC COMICS, $5.99) is by Bryan Edward Hill, Khary Randolph and Alitha Martinez. I have to admit that, as much as I love Kurt Busiek's work, I didn't much care for Power Company. The only character I found truly interesting was Josiah Power himself. I see that this revival wisely keeps Josiah and dumps all of those dull characters in favor of Black Lightning, Batman (Jace Fox), The Signal (please change that name) and Vixen. That's a serious upgrade.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #16 (MARVEL, $4.99) is by onathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto.
The origin of the Ultimate Mysterio! (Which has got to be an improvement on the original Mysterio.)
WOLVERINE AND KITTY PRYDE #1 (OF 5, MARVEL, $3.99) is by Chris Claremont and Damian Couceiro.
This takes place after, and presumably continues, the 1980s Kitty Pryde and Wolverine. I didn't particularly enjoy Kitty's transformation into some sort of ninja, or Ogun, or Yukio (if she was in that), or Wolverine being given yet another backstory, or the whole '80s of it. So this isn't for me. But your tastes may run differently.
“It’s really great returning to this arc, especially since it’s being presented by a wonderful artist, Damian Couceiro!” Claremont said. “It’s the story of what happens between the end of the original Kitty Pryde and Wolverine miniseries and Logan and Pryde's return home to rejoin the X-Men. Five issues, more than a single story, complete with surprises galore!”
“Obviously, that Kitty Pryde and Wolverine miniseries is so iconic, taking Kitty from the ‘junior’ X-Man to the fully fledged hero we see when she returns to New York,” Editor Mark Basso added. “But there was a clear gap between the end of this Ogun situation and when Wolverine and Kitty arrive in New York in Uncanny X-Men #192, and we were thrilled Chris was ready to show what happened in that intervening window. Why was Kitty in such a different headspace when they got back? And hey, where’d Kitty’s father get to? Now you’ll get to see.”
GOLDEN AGE OF REPRINTS
EC COMICS LIBRARY: WEIRD SCIENCE VOL 1 (TASCHEN AMERICA L.L.C., $200.00): Do I need this? No. Do I want it? Yes. Decisions, decisions.
FANTASTIC FOUR VS. GALACTUS TP ($17.99): This is only the first two times the FF faced Galactus, so it's not comprehensive, or even very extensive. But we all know why it's being published.
HUMAN TORCH: BURN TP ($17.99): This was a sort of manga take on Johnny Storm, at least art-wise, back in 2003. There was a similar effort with Sub-Mariner about the same time. I didn't care for either effort, and from the sales, I was not alone in my opinion.
MARVEL: MAY 1965 OMNIBUS HC ($100.00): I have enjoyed all of the previous books in this line, thanks to my unslakeable thirst for context. I have already learned from the PR, for example, that Namor replacing Giant-Man in Tales to Astonish and Nick Fury replacing Human Torch in Strange Tales were not isolated events — in fact, they both happened in May 1965, in this very book! That implies a coordinated effort of some kind. Was it a push to get more superheroes out there? An effort to bolster two of the weaker books? Both? So curious! For the record, when I get this book I'll read Strange Tales #135, Tales To Astonish #70, X-Men #12, Journey Into Mystery #118, Patsy and Hedy #101, Rawhide Kid #47, Fantastic Four #41, Amazing Spider-Man #27, Avengers #18, Tales of Suspense #68, Sgt. Fury #20, Daredevil #9, Modeling With Millie #40, Patsy Walker #122, Kid Colt: Outlaw #124, Two-Gun Kid #77 and Millie the Model #130 — some for the first time!
MORE FUN COMICS #73 FACSIMILE EDITION (DC COMICS, $5.99): First appearances of both Green Arrow and Aquaman — plus Doctor Fate and The Spectre! How could any kid NOT buy this book in 1941?
VIOLENT FLOWERS TP (MR, IMAGE, $14.99): Great art, sexy vampires and tons of hot girl-on-girl action (both sex and violence). If that's what you're in the market for. Writer/artist Maria Llovet does do a little world-building, showing how this centuries-old vampire society governs itself.
PRESTIGE PUBLISHERS
CABBIE DEFINITIVE EDITION HC (FANTAGRAPHICS, MR, $29.99) collects the work of Spanish artist Martí Riera Ferrer, who combines "the grand guignol morality of Paul Schrader and Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver with the squashed black-and-white perspectives and grotesque human physiognomy (and humanity) that defines Chester Gould's Dick Tracy."
LOST MARVELS NO 1: TOWER OF SHADOWS HC (MR, FANTAGRAPHICS, $34.99): I was excited about this at first, but then I realized: I read all these stories in the '70s, and haven't thought about them since. Marvel's Bronze Age suspense titles started off with a bang, with Steranko, Neal Adams and other hot artists, but quickly devolved into lesser creators, and then reprints. I think I can skip this one. But if you haven't read these stories, it might be worth the $35 just for Steranko's one story alone! Here's a PREVIEW.
SINCEREST FORM OF PARODY: THE BEST 1950S MAD-INPIRED SATIRICAL COMICS (FANTAGRAPHICS, $30.00): I missed this the first time around. It might hold me over until Atlas Comics Library Vol. 8: Snafu!
WALT DISNEY’S DONALD DUCK: MAGIC AND MAYHEM HC (FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS, $19.99). Here's a PREVIEW.
WE ALL GOT SOMETHING TP (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, MR, $21.95): "Set to a cacophonous soundtrack of church praise, playground noise, bus-stop camaraderie, and Pacific Ocean waves, Lawrence Lindell’s heartbreaking — and heartwarming — We All Got Something recounts a tragic and random act of violence, the PTSD that follows, lost love, and coming to terms with the underlying mental health crises sabotaging it all. A testament to the healing power of art and the vital role community plays in the process, Lindell’s graphic memoir is deeply personal and specific, but also relatable — because we all got something." Here's a PREVIEW.
MORE COMICS
ALLEY OOP AND THE MIGHTY KAFRAK GN (ACOUSTIC LEARNING, $19.99): Comic strip collectors alert!
G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO — DUKE #1 (IMAGE, $3.99) is by Wes Craig (Kaya, Deadly Class).
This is the last of April's five "Silent Missions" one-shots, each of which starred a different G.I. Joe character and had no dialogue. If I ever get around to catching up on the Energon Universe, I may read them.
HOWL #4 (OF 5, AHOY, $3.99): Love this book.
INSPECTOR COKE TRILOGY MASTERWORK EDITION (EPICENTER COMICS, $64.99) collects “The Crimes of the Phoenix,” “The Mummy” and “The Monster of the Thames” by the Italian artist Dino Battaglia. It’s set in post-Victorian London, which is odd for an Italian artist, but I guess it could be explained by interest in Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes and the like. I confess to being interested, but doubt I'll ever see a copy.
KID JUGGERNAUT #1 (MARVEL, $6.99): Seriously?
KID VENOM ORIGINS TP (MARVEL, $17.99) Seriously?
IT’S JEFF: JEFF-VERSE TP (MARVEL, $15.99): Seriously?
NACELLEVERSE: THE GREAT GARLOO #0 (ONE-SHOT, $5.99): This is part of Oni's shared universe, based on B-list toys. I know they're hoping for Transformers, but I suspect it'll be closer to Sectaurs.
NYX #10 ($3.99): Last issue.
SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #8 (TITAN, MR, $6.99)
SPEED GRAPHER VOL 2 GN (TITAN, MR, $12.99)
STAN VS. JACK: HOW TO FEUD THE MARVEL WAY HC (COSMIC LION PRODUCTIONS, $20.00) would just depress me.
STAR WARS: HYPERSPACE STORIES — CODEBREAKER #1 (OF 4, DARK HORSE, $4.99) is by Ethan Sacks (Star Wars: Bounty Hunters), Marc Yarza (Werewolf Frankenstein), Jose Marzan Jr. (Y: The Last Man), and Nicola Righi (Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories).
This miniseries, honoring the 10th anniversary of The Force Awakens, features Poe Dameron and BB-8.
"A decade ago, I sat in a Hollywood theater for the world premiere of The Force Awakens as a reporter for the New York Daily News,” Sacks said. “I remember being as captivated by Oscar Isaac's performance as Poe as I was of that charming, rolling astromech at his side. Little could I possibly have dreamed that I would get a chance to add to their stories as part of the 10-year anniversary celebration."
SUPER SCIENCE: CHAPTER ZERO ONE-SHOT (LAB PRESS, $0.99): This leads into an upcoming graphic novel, Super Science. That's all I know.
TOXIC SUPER BEASTS VOL 1 GN (TITAN, MR, $12.99)
TRUE WAR STORIES (IMAGE, $16.99) is by Alex De Campi, Khai Krumbhaar, Peter Krause, P. J. Holden, Ryan Howe, Dave Acosta, Skylar Patridge and various.
True War Stories collects 15 true war stories from veterans, with proceeds donated to service-related charities chosen by the contributors.
“This book grew from an inappropriate story I told a then-stranger while visiting the same friend into a gloriously chaotic reflection of military life as it actually is," said Krumbhaar. “Seeing Image release it — and with a digital edition! — warms the cockles of my cold dead heart.”
De Campi added: “We were in an airport coming back from San Diego Comic-con when Khai told me the rat story, and I was like 'why aren’t we making war comics — an eternally popular sequential genre — about this?!' And it took us a bunch of years, but we did. Along the way making a ton of new friends, hearing two hilarious poop stories (every soldier has a poop story, trust), and kind of being the catalyst for some wonderful things happening, like Skye drawing her father’s story, and Dave Acosta asking if we’ll do a sequel so he can draw his father’s story. Please buy lots of copies of this book (it makes an amazing gift and a great first graphic novel) so we can do that sequel, yeah?”
WIZARD OF EARTHSEA GN (CLARION BOOKS, $26.99) adapts the Ursula K. LeGuin novel.
Replies
No street-level character should be anywhere near trying to actually fight Godzilla. Leave that to the god-tier powerhouses, and the magical and technical wizards.
Was that the status quo back then?
The Spidey/Black Cat romanace was more of a Spectacular thing than Amazing, but Spider-Man returned from the Secret Wars in #252, which was concurrent with Spectacular #89, and they broke up in #98. So, yeah, their relationship in this issue might fit in (what now laughingly passes for) "continuity." Godzilla, however...
EC COMICS LIBRARY: WEIRD SCIENCE VOL 1: Do I need this? No. Do I want it? Yes. Decisions, decisions.
MARVEL: MAY 1965 OMNIBUS HC
Do I need this? No. Do I want it? Yes. Decisions, decisions. (I haven't bought any of the previous editions, so that helps tip the scale to "no." But do I need them all?)
LOST MARVELS NO 1: TOWER OF SHADOWS HC: I was excited about this at first...
I'm looking forward to this. (I don't have any of the originals.)
SINCEREST FORM OF PARODY: THE BEST 1950S MAD-INPIRED SATIRICAL COMICS: I missed this the first time around.
I have it. It's good for historical context, but don't expect anything more that what it is: poor immitations of MAD. FWIW, I do think it belongs in your collection. (I'd give a pass to that $200 Weird Science volume, though.)
STAN VS. JACK: HOW TO FEUD THE MARVEL WAY HC would just depress me.
Yeah, this doesn't sound like anything I'd be interested in, either.
No street-level character should be anywhere near trying to actually fight Godzilla. Leave that to the god-tier powerhouses, and the magical and technical wizards.
And giant robots!
I haven't bought any of the previous editions, so that helps tip the scale to "no." But do I need them all?
You're going to have read all the superhero stuff already, and the Western and Patsy Walker stuff is definitely not required reading. But you probably haven't read those before, so there's that. I love learning the context of the early Marvels, which you can probably learn from reading the table of contents, but I wanted to experience it. With these books I can pretend that it's, say, the last week of May 1965, and this is what's on the stands (Marvel-wise, anyway). Whether that appeals to you or not, I dunno.
I'm looking forward to [Tower of Shadows]. (I don't have any of the originals.)
If I hadn't read them, I'd be buying this.
I have it. It's good for historical context, but don't expect anything more that what it is: poor immitations of MAD. FWIW, I do think it belongs in your collection.
I'll probably get it. I hope it doesn't have too much SNAFU!, since that's being collected at Fantagraphics.
(I'd give a pass to that $200 Weird Science volume, though.)
I'm nowhere close to talking myself into that. I have four or five of those behemoths, and one of them is an EC collection, so I think I'm good.
Whether that appeals to you or not, I dunno.
One book I have and really like (and can highly recommend) is Marvel Firsts: The 1960s.
It covers the entire decade (not just a single month)and reprints entires stories interspersed with covers and descriptions, all in chronological order. I consult that quite often. And you're right: I don't have a lot of the Western and Patsy Walker stuff, but Marvel Firsts has that as well. I also have three volumes of The 1970s and the one dedicated to The 1980s, but I stopped short of buying the one decicated to The 1990s.
I hope it doesn't have too much SNAFU!
It collects over 30 of the best stories from FLIP, WHACK, NUTS, UNSANE, BUGHOUSE, and GET LOST.
Now that I think about it, Parody and other such books probably has stories just from public domain, not from current publishers like Marvel, DC and Archie.
I own that as well. It's an interesting and often entertaining read, but it also demonstrates how vastly superior Mad was to its imitators.
Where was it we were discussing the cover of Fantagraphics' Lost Marvels No.1: Tower of Shadows and trying to identify the artist? I thought it was here. No matter. I bought this yesterday, and the first thing I can say is that I (or anyone else here) could have done a better job picking representative samples of the artists spotlighted.
Marvel's Bronze Age suspense titles started off with a bang, with Steranko, Neal Adams and other hot artists, but quickly devolved into lesser creators, and then reprints.
From #6 there was only one new tale per issue, backed by reprints, but this is a collection of only the new material. Honestly, I would hesitate referring to any of the writers or artists represented as "lessor creators"; I am very happy with this collection. And volume two, featuring Howard Chaykin, has already been solicited.
Where was it we were discussing the cover of Fantagraphics' Lost Marvels No. 1: Tower of Shadows and trying to identify the artist? I thought it was here. No matter. I bought this yesterday, and the first thing I can say is that I (or anyone else here) could have done a better job picking representative samples of the artists spotlighted.
I don't recall where it was, either. But wherever it was, I said the first three panels are Steranko, the fourth is George Tuska, the fifth is Neal Adams. the sixth is Wally Wood, and I couldn't ID the seventh because there wasn't enough to go by.
Honestly, I would hesitate referring to any of the writers or artists represented as "lessor creators"; I am very happy with this collection.
I literally haven’t looked at those books since they came out in the ‘70s, but I vaguely remember some disappointment. So I went through them via GCD to see where that disappointment arose.
I think the major part is that the book went all reprint. While at the time I hadn’t read many Atlas suspense/monster stories, and was interested in seeing them, I would much rather have been reading original Wally Wood and Steranko stories. (Steranko, BTW, only did the one story in the first issue — which was another disappointment. It felt to the Teen Captain like bait and switch.)
Some of it was the covers; Marie Severin is a personal favorite, but she wasn’t really A-list and some of her Tower of Shadows covers left something to be desired:
Some of it was the inking. While many of the artists were A-list, some inkers (Mike Esposito, Herb Trimpe, Vince Colletta, John Verpoorten) were not. And I don’t consider Don Heck, George Tuska, Tom Sutton and Dan Adkins to be A-list pencillers. (Although Sutton, in particular, was capable of A-list work.)
But I do see that some of the A-list artists, like Wally Wood, Bernie Wrightson and Barry Smith (the “Windsor” came later) hung in there to the very end, as Tower of Shadows became the all-reprint Creatures on the Loose. I didn’t remember that, and I’m pleased to see it.
But it’s all horse races, as we say. If you like it, you like it, and that’s all that matters. And since you like it so much, I’m re-considering my decision to eschew purchase. Maybe I do need this book, after all. It was a wonderful time, when the likes of John Buscema, Curt Swan, Wally Wood, Bernie Wrightson, Gil Kane and John Romita Sr. were doing regular monthly work. I never considered then, in my teenage arrogance and apathy, how awesome that was, and that the day would come when none of those men would be alive, and that I'd be looking back with nostalgia.
I said the first three panels are Steranko, the fourth is George Tuska, the fifth is Neal Adams. the sixth is Wally Wood, and I couldn't ID the seventh because there wasn't enough to go by.
You got them all right except the one you didn't identify, which is (believe it or not) Barry "The Windsor Came Later" Smith. I thought the fifth was Tome sutton, but you were right: it's Neal Adams. In any case, there are better panals to represent all of these artists, and my biggest disappointment with this collection is the covers.
I vaguely remember some disappointment... I think the major part is that the book went all reprint.
I suspected that might have been the case, so I returned to this discussion because I didn't think that was a fair assessment.
But it’s all horse races, as we say.
You are right about that as well. I don't really disagree with anything else you said... I just liked it more.
Some of it was the inking.
Some of the inkers were ill-matched with the pencilers, that is (subjectively) true.
And I don’t consider Don Heck, George Tuska, Tom Sutton and Dan Adkins to be A-list pencillers.
To be fair, I hesitated to refer to them as "lessor creators." :)
Maybe I do need this book, after all.
I don't want to over-sell it, but I haven't felt like this since Marvel reprinted a tpb of '70s romance titles back in the 2K-teens.
It's a time capsule.
To be fair, I hesitated to refer to them as "lessor creators." :)
To be fair, when you're discussing Jim Steranko, Wally Wood, John Buscema, John Romita Sr., Bernie Wrightson and Barry Windsor-Smith, just about everybody else IS a lesser creator! But what I meant was "not A-list," which I think you know.
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