boyajian@akov68.DEC (JERRY BOYAJIAN) (01/23/86)
> From: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) > MAGE #10 [Mage: C+; Grendel: B-]: > > Just a note: Mage is excellent as always, but I have found myself > really enjoying Grendel, the backup text/illustrations series about > a crime lord named Grendel. It may be due to my own sympathies > with criminal masterminds, but I've found this particularly good, > especially as it emphaisizes Wagner's skill with words, as well as > with pictures. In fact, Mage has always struck me as primarily a > graphic story -- long sequences of panels with no dialogue; a very > liquid flow of events. Grendel is Wagner's outlet for his straight > prose style of writing. They're both very good. When the first backup installment of "Grendel" appeared, I had a very difficult time following just what the hell was going on. The second installment didn't make things any easier. I was determined not to go any further with it until I could scare up the original appearances. Finally, I was able to find a copy of GRENDEL #1, which made things much clearer. I'm not sure that I'm *that* wild about it, but it's certainly got its good points. BTW, for those who may have followed Grendel from the beginning I have a question. I know that there was a Grendel story in an issue of COMICO PRIMER (#2, I believe), but I don't know how many issues the regular comic ran. As I said above, I have the first issue, and there is enough of a jump in story between that and MAGE #whatever to indicate at least a second issue. Was there a second (or even a third) issue, or does the PRIMER story fill that gap? > X-MEN #204 [D+]: > > Argh! The return of Dark Claremont! Nightcrawler's personality is > completely screwed up, apparently due to the Secret Wars; and > while I like his analyzations of why he doesn't enjoy the X-Men > anymore, the story winds up into lots of cutsey adventure > sequences which seem to fufill some need C. has for placing his > characters in movie situations. Remember when Arcade was an > interesting villain? And, I mean, Ruritania? This girl looks > *nothing* like Ronald Coleman :-). Also, looks like Amanda (a > favorite backup character) has been dumped. I will be *extremely* > displeased if this storyline isn't continued into next issue... Well, prepare to be displeased. Next issue will be another Barry Windsor-Smith drawn issue focusing on Wolverine (following the events in the latest two issues of ALPHA FLIGHT), and guest-starring Katie Power. As for this issue, I was disappointed too, though not quite for the same reasons as you. I just thought the story was dull and dumb. Arcade is too silly a villain for my tastes, among other things. > THOR #366 [C]: > > Well, Jerry Boyajian goes up there with Jean Dixon and Hans Holzer > as prophet of the year -- Balder takes over in Asgard. Still, some > of my favorite parts of this are watching Loki be obnoxious -- "my > dear step-frog". And, of course, watching as he is handed the REAL > Uru hammer... Aw, shucks.... On the other hand, Balder hasn't taken over *yet* --- Thor just nominated him and everyone else liked the idea. Balder may not want to run for the office. Still, it does look like I called this shot right. I think I'll sit here and be smug for a while. > WARP GRAPHICS ANNUAL #1 [~ D]: > > ... The only two stories I really enjoyed were > the Thunderbunny episode and (surprisingly) the Distant Soil story. I agree here. THUNDERBUNNY and A DISTANT SOIL hadn't really grabbed me yet (ADS is getting better, though, now that all of the characters have been introduced and the action is starting), and possibly it's the fact that I didn't expect much from them that they appealed. Well, maybe I should save my comments for my review. > BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #32 [C+ for story; D for continuity]: > > Yeah, I liked the story, but am I supposed to buy The Batman's > behaviour? I seemed to remember supporting his anti-Justice > League stand after it happened in BATO #1, but here he sounds like > The Punisher, i.e. "we're all in a war and I'm just a soldier", etc. > Did he *want* the team to stay together without him (hence the > tight grin on the panel following his leaving)? And to not tell > Brion that his home had been invaded -- give me a break. Batman > isn't a machine. However, I think The Outsiders will be a better > book without him. This is exactly why I have never liked BATO --- I seriously don't think that Barr has any real understanding of what makes the Batman tick. As for the Outsiders being better without him, I would assume that you would know that already, considering that there's been 7 issues of the Baxter title out already. As far as I'm concerned, the only interesting character in the book has just left. Now, I have just 5 more issues I have to buy for the Alan Davis artwork and then I'm FREE! (Well, at least until both Batman and Kobra come back in next summer's Annual). --- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Acton-Nagog, MA) UUCP: {decvax|ihnp4|allegra|ucbvax|...} !decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov68!boyajian ARPA: boyajian%akov68.DEC@DECWRL.DEC.COM
atc@ut-sally.UUCP (Alvin T. Campbell III) (01/27/86)
GRENDEL originally ran for three issues. I bought issues #2 and #3 at
a convention recently, and the dealer told me that there were no more issues
after that. Unfortunatly, I have not been able to locate issue #1, so I still
have some continuity gaps to fill.
Perhaps the person who has issue #1 could mail me a synopsis, and I could
send him a synopsis of #2 and #3.
By the way, I noticed recently in an old issue of NEXUS (#5 or #6, I think)
that Matt Wagner had contributed a drawing to the "NEXUS FAN ART PAGE".
---A. T. Campbell---