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I just returned from a trip in dear ol' Tronna with a small selection of cheap comics under my arm. On the bus ride back home I got to thinking about how the majority of discussions here seem to revolve around the same 5 or so comic titles. Understandable, because it gives us some common ground, but it does limit things. That said, and inspired partly by the Archer and Armstrong thread if that's any help, I'd like to propose a discussion about those back of the bin purchases that make life worth living. Not necessarily guilty pleasures, since many of these are good titles, but rather comics that are on your B-list. These can be comics that you had as a child and will never part with, or that you parted with and wish you never did. They can be hidden gems found in the quarter bins, or single issues in a series you otherwise detest. You can even cite themes taht you have a passion for, like giant ape comics, or comics where the hero's head gets increasingly larger. Share your forgotten joys! I'll start.
Elseworlds books. The thing I like about the Elseworlds books is that they often get artists who could never meet a monthly schedule to do some fantastic work. Also, the placement of these iconic characters in strange surroundings, despite a few missteps, fit in so well. The comic that sparked the idea for this thread was an Elseworlds tale called "Superman and the War of the Worlds." I had never heard of it before, despite the amazing artwork of Michael Lark of Terminal City fame. In it, the Golden Age Superman grapples with the invasion of H.G. Wells aliens. I'm a sucker for the Golden Age, especially Supes from that era, and the writer, Roy Thomas (All Star Squadron) does a great job replicating the feel of the times. Clunky at parts, which is to be expected from a Thomas comic, and with a tacked on moral, it still managed to thrill me and surprise me more than most any Supes comic from the last ten years. Other titles I have enjoyed include the Holy Terror (where Bruce Wayne is a priest), Metropolis and Nosferatu (both based loosely upon the silent films of the same names, with art by Mckeever), Super Seven, Justice Riders, and the unpublished Red Son (I've read the first issue in rough, with no dialogue, and it's beautiful).
Kirby's minor 70's comics. They may not be in a class with the FF or the New Gods, but Devil Dinosaur, 2001, OMAC and the rest of them are still bursting with the manic energy only Kirby could achieve. Special mention to Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth, the comic that encapsulates the decade of disco through the mind of the King.
Jonah Hex. I collect all the gritty, manly DC comics, including Sgt. Rock, Unknown Soldier, Enemy Ace, etc. Jonah Hex has a special place set aside for it, and like many before me, I can't say why. My collection just keeps growing and growing. Hex was just, in every way, the craziest, most ridiculous, depressing Western to ever hit the stands. It kind of had a beautiful ugliness to it, like the title character. And I just recently tracked down the last Hex story, the one where he's shot in the back and stuffed and mounted for a carnival display.
I could go on forever, and will next time with my five favourite mainstream comics of the 90's, but now it is time to turn the floor over to the next Fatbeard in the making. Bring us your great unwashed, your tattered and torn. your GI Robots and Ambush Bugs. C'mon, get outtat the shadows. |
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