posted
When you read as many comics as most of us all do (for me like 90 a month), you get accustomed to having your emotional strings pulled by writers. And while I can get a little blurry eyed at times, it really takes a LOT for a comic to make actually cry.
This is the last comic to make me cry:
This is my candidate for the best single issue of the entire 2000's (for all comic books). Anyone who has ever loved their father, or any parent, grand-parent or guardian will be moved
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Fanfie will know the issue number, but an even better issue than the above one, which occurs about mid-run, is the one with the huge confrontation with the Kree soldiers that have a nega-bomb. Dane, Crystal & Herc are all captured and its when Hank becomes Giant-Man again for the first time. It may just be my single favorite Avengers issue of all time. That's the issue that made me write Bob Harras a letter (with pen and paper--I was 11 years old).
Avengers 366
A great issue. Cobie once again summed it up quite nicely, and I'd only add that if every attempt to rehabilitate Hank was this good, his sins would have been forgiven by fandom a long time ago.
posted
We discussed the saga years ago, on pages 8 and 9 of The All-Avengers Thread, but it's been something like almost five years, so there's nothing wrong with having a new discussion about it in The All Avengers Thread.
When I was in grade school, a classmate brought this issue to school. It scared the bejesus out of me, especially when "Dick" is revealed as an android duplicate.
In hindsight, though, it's not that great of a story. Gerry Conway's Batman run can be summed up by saying, "Yes, he created Killer Croc, but otherwise...meh."
On a positive note, Ed Hannigan's cover and Don Newton's interior art have aged much better than Conway's script. Tragically, Newton died young and Hannigan has been struggling in recent years with multiple sclerosis.
First time you bought a comic book, most recent time, or somewhere in between.... An issue you loved, an issue you didn't, or one that was ho-hum.... A shopping trip that was unusual in some way or one that was routine....
The circumstances don't matter. So go on, tell your purchase story!
Other methods of acquisition OK too!
PLEASE NOTE: the story of you enjoying the comic book is welcome in addition to OR in place of the purchase/acquistion details!
Registered: Jul 2003
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Bought off a spinner rack at Waldenbooks, this was my introduction to Peter David's Hulk run, which at that point had been going for almost 70 issues and would go on for almost 70 more.
At first I was annoyed that the Hulk was talking "normal" instead of referring to himself in the third person. And the lack of footnotes made the story confusing.
In the end, none of that mattered, because PAD's story was so GOOD -- the Hulk and his nemesis the Leader both had far more shades of gray (metaphorically speaking) than I was expecting. The action sequences were expertly written, and the dialogue was even better. And the ending was singularly unsettling. I would elaborate, but I don't want to spoil it for people who haven't read PAD's Hulk run.
Suffice it to say I wanted more Hulk stories by this Peter David guy. I stuck with the title for two years while at the same time gathering the back issues. It really jumped the shark after the end of the Pantheon era in #426, but that wasn't entirely PAD's fault. Marvel's entire line had been gradually declining, and Hulk #426 was, for me, pretty much the last really good Marvel comic for a long time. But those heady days from late 1992 to late 1994 -- I'll always treasure them as my personal Golden Age of Marvel.
This one was a revelation, especially after the comic's momentum had been slowed by a string of fill-ins. It was Phoenix vs. Galactus, done right...so right. Alan Davis' writer/artist run had been very good, often excellent, before this, but this took it to a whole new level. I was one satisfied customer.
I loved Alan Davis' second run. I found this issue in a 5 pack at a KMart or Target or something all in a plastic package by itself near the baseball cards. It was maybe the early to mid 90s. I wasn't able to see what 5 issues were in the plastic, i just saw that it was an Alan Davis Excalibur cover. That was good enough for me, (although I suspected it was just a nice cover and messy 90s shoulder pads would be inside) ... and even though I wasn't currently collecting comics ... *sigh* the 90s ...
I asked my mom to get it for me, it had been a long time since I'd asked that, and my step father was very anti comic book but STILL ... I needed this book. Alan Davis was one of my favorites from the 80s glory days of the X-Men. What fi he was back drawing comics in a regular way!!!
Anyway, when I got it home I was delighted to see that it was about 5 issues in a row, all drawn by Alan Davis, it was a great long story, great art, lots of action ... except It didn't include the conclusion ! drat!
well, I would read those five comics over and over and ....
eventually, when I got back into comics in about '99 I found the issues that came after in a back issue bin. I think that there were like four more issues to the story arc and not just one!!
Much later I would find Alan Moore and Davis' Captain Britain run (in this reprint format) ... and *get* what Excalibur was all about. (I probably got both runs from the same back issue bins from the same CBS)
This is one of my favorite stories of all time. It's the Jasper's warp storyline, with the Fury and Merlyn playing Captain Britain against Jaspers.
(ok that was almost two stories about two purchases)
[ December 13, 2011, 11:55 PM: Message edited by: Power Boy ]
From: Ninja Land | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Excalibur #42-50 is one of my favorite superhero arcs of all time. Davis was able to do in just nine issues what DC kept trying and failing to do with its reality-changing "events."
And when the Moore/Davis Jaspers Warp storyline reprint series was released, it was like manna from heaven for me. Thank God Moore and Davis were able to finish Jaspers Warp before they had a falling out, which was not the case with Marvelman/Miracleman.
posted
Not one of my first comics but one of my first strong comics memories. If not the standout first memory.
We got it from the 7-11 by the laundromat my mom used to go to. We went to the park with her long time boyfriend. had a picnic. and I fell in love with the X-Men ... and Kitty Pryde as they took on the 'Phoenix'. Great story, great action, great art, great character development.
I especially remember Kitty Pryde tackling the Phoenix in a brave, reckless, and excitingly drawn sequence.
What a great way to spend a sunny day in a park!
Thanks Chris and Paul.
From: Ninja Land | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
I love this issue too. It is so damn moody and atmospheric! Even read decades later, it still contains the epic tension of the post-Dark Phoenix Saga, and Madelyne, Scott, Mastermind, etc.
And poor Logan in this issue.
I reread the entire Claremont run last summer, and was blown away (again) by how good it was. The Paul Smith issues are actually quite fantastic. What I also discovered is this: there is no doubt that Smith is hands-down the single greatest influence on Rob Liefield.
Honestly, go ahead and look. All of Liefield's 90's works contains poses and panels directly stolen from Smith's brief X-Men run. Especially Wolverine panels as done by Smith.
Following Byrne, Cockrum's second run always felt like a little step backwards to me. But when Smith came in mid-Brood Saga...oh yeah. OH YEAH.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
I was in the comic book store years and years ago in nyc before i moved to nj, and there was a young gal with her pals wanting the new issue of "Bone" but could not afford it. so i bought it for her. I felt good about that at the time. thanks for reminding me, have not thought of it since.
From: NJ | Registered: Dec 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Power Boy: ok I've got one ....
My best friend in elementary school was frickin awesome. I use the word frickin because I remember he used to cuss a lot. And wear hightop converse with shorts. And he had a shaved head and a duck tail. (and he got the George Michael tape with 'I want your sex' on it) Keep in mind that we were about 8ish to 10ish when we were friends. so ... 9 or 10 punk haircut .. cussing.
So, I've been into comics since I was 4 or so. And JH <-- my best friend in elementary school. was also into comics. He even had the Marvel Role Playing Game. Which was far too advanced for us. I don't think I've had a real life friend into comics since then.
Now, JH was awesome ... he would tell off people that were snotty to me. One of his favorite words was 'B.S.' ... and as I get older, I realize a lot of things are B.S..
The funny thing is, his parents were really mellow hippy type people, really quiet people. I liked them also, they were down to earth.
So back to the comic books:
we were on a field trip one day to, I think, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and we stopped at this place called 'the Grapevine' which is a spot with tourist shops, all in wood or log architecture. It's right before you go over the 'mountains' from the valley where we lived to the coast to see the Aquarium.
The gift shop had a very small collection of comic books. Now that I think about it, I don't think it had comics, just a few randoms.
BUT !! I see THIS:
Funny but not so funny, it's the first cover to come up when doing a google image search of justice league of america detroit covers.
I see it and I have to have it. I know this is an especially good comic book. I get in the super long line at this tourist shop. George Perez goodness! Who's art I already was a fan of because his New Teen Titans and Crisis OIE. The best things my child eyes had seen!
This was 86 ish so my brain freaked out :
The satellite league is back !??! At the time, this was I think in the middle of the Detroit League, which sadly lost my 8 year old butt. So I was excited the 'real' JLA was back !
(When researching this issue it says '83 ... so I'm not sure if this was a reprint or this had been on the shelf at the shop for years, untouched because it seemed like new)
.. I jumped on to the JLA when the satellite era was pretty much ending. I maybe caught the last 5 or so issues of the satellite era originally. Which I still love to this day. Martian war, demons taking of Zatanna .. it was fun.
JH waits in the long line with me. We get to the register. And I place my comic on the counter. And the stern lady rings it up and ............. CHARGES TAX! .....
My child face went blank. I had like 66 cents. And ... the lady charged an incredible amount of tax because I was 30 cents short!! I was aghast. I would never have waited in line for something I couldn't afford. I counted my money before getting to the counter. So I waited there confused ... hoping the clerk would be kind but ... she wasn't .... the line was getting longer ....
I didn't understand why it said 60 cents and it wasn't priced at 60 cents. I must have known somewhere in my little head that comics weren't taxed.
JH offered to pay the difference, obviously pissed at this lady!!! I said no. Trying to think of an alternative solution. JH offered again, I said OK since the line was getting longer and longer. I think JH put something back actually to help me pay for my comic. And did a fairly good job of acting disgusted like "he didn't want what he was going to get anyway!" I actually think he really didn't.
Problem solved. I got me issue 217. Thanks JH!
I didn't get to read it on the bus to the Aquarium but I enjoyed it later, I think I was kinda traumatized by the whole experience at the time.
After that, JH used to ask about the comic he partially bought. But I was always weird about the whole thing. Like he would take it or was mad to have paid part of it. I think he was just giving me a hard time because I'm sure I tried to pay him back.
Unfortunately, We moved away when I was 11. There was no JH or JH like kid at my new school. We tried to stay in touch and hang out on the weekends but that only lasted a year. I was kind of weirded out by my new living situation, we moved to a much less nice town.
I'm not sure I've had a friend like JH since, It's hard to say though because life gets more complicated as you grow up. It WAS nice to have someone tell off people that were snotty to me. I've tried to look up JH on FB but, no success. Besides, It's been like 24 years.
I still have the comic book though. it's a good one.
quote:Originally posted by lowercase mllash: >>>GASP!<<<< Peebs, I **love** your story!!
Please keep trying to find JH!!
I FOUND JH!!!!!!!
I've been spelling his name wrong all these years!!!!!
From: Ninja Land | Registered: Nov 2004
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