ted@usceast.UUCP (Ted Nolan) (02/25/85)
<bug ambush> Well, it's been a long while, but here I am again with more selections for your dancing enjoyment. Aztec Ace #9 - "Picnics At Midnight". Ok, I admit it, I'm a Glenn Miller fan (an affliction striking very few in my age group) and that very probably influences me as far as AA #9 goes, but I loved it. The opening and closing scenes of Miller playing "Moonlight Serenade" in the graveyard struck just the right note of poignance and innocence recaptured to frame the entire story. The characterization of Miller and the other timelost (Amelia Earhart and Ambrose Bierce) is well done too, though they function more as symbols than as historical personages (I suspect that Miller, the man, would be a stuffier and less interesting fellow). AA has always been an interesting comic in that it's good enough that I can forgive the fact that I don't always understand fully what is going on. Like a good early Van Vogt novel, part of the enjoyment is trying to figure out what Moench is up to, trusting that in the end everything will become clear. #9 is a prime example of this. The introduction of the timelost and their strange keeper Nero, Lamania adds a new and puzzling element to the main story of Ace and Bridget's struggle against Kroc. Whose side is Nero on (if any) and why? Why is it important to him that an original edition of _The Devil's Dictionary_ be delivered to the early 1960's for an unidentified man to get hold of, and why is Ace willing to do Nero's bidding? Frankly, I have no idea, but it doesn't upset me. After all, we have all time to find out. Also, I'm glad to see Ace over his brief and wholly unwarranted distrust of Bridget; she may be more than she seems, but certainly nothing worse than she seems. I wouldn't mind seeing the little girl and cat again either, but I suppose they are one shots. In all: A+ Crossfire #8 - "Saturday Morning Fever" This is an issue with a message. This can be pure poison where storytelling is concerned; writers tend to stack the deck to make their point, and often the story grinds to a dead halt for exposition. Happily, this is not the case here. What is Evanier's cause? Nothing earthshaking or trendy like drug or child abuse, race relations or famine -- or is it? Quite simply, Evanier is mad at the sugar coated mess that parents groups and the networks have made of Saturday morning. Well, so am I. I have always resented the implicit message that I get from these groups : "Well, we grew up on it and turned out OK, but our kids can't take it." I seldom rise and shine early enough on Saturday anymore to get the full "benefit" of the new non-violent wisdom, but it's almost enough to make you cry to see the way the old Warner classics are butchered in their present incarnations and you can tell that the people making the new shows that would seem to have the potential to be interesting are working under impossible constraints. (Could Johnny Quest be made today? I doubt it.) All of which is neither here nor there (well, it is there). Evanier makes his point effectively by not losing his sense of humor; this issue is in fact more lighthearted that Crossfire usually is (some issues having been downright depressing). The humor is on almost every page, from the contrasting reactions of the two kids to cartoons on page 2 to Rainbow's attempting to call forth a picture of the cartoonist's assailant from his mind and getting the standards and practice's lady (Crossfire : "That's Scary"), but it is a biting humor. Due to Rainbow's unintentional intervention, the good guys do win this one; but there are just too many Mrs Grundy's in the world for it to last, I suspect. The Rainbow/Crossfire romance seems to be developing nicely and Crossfire has new competition on the "job". All told - B a good, entertaining read. Beauty and the Beast #4 - "Checkmate" I don't know why I have a compulsion to see how things turn out. Usually I find myself unable to fight it, even when I know I'll regret it later. Right off, I can only think of 2 recent times I've been able to prevail over it : I walked out of "Night Patrol", and I stopped buying Gor books, but both times I had stayed long after my better judgement said go. It's the same with this mini series; it started off bad and got worse, and still I had to see how it came out. I wondered during books 2 and 3, trying to decide if B&B were a story of repugnant events or a repugnant story (a subtle but important difference); finally I decided that it was a repugnant story -- and still shelled out $.75 for #4. Well, it didn't get any better. There's something here for everyone, dumb characterizations, sanctimonious morality ("Stop, Link. Think about what you're doing! No matter what he's done, you can't kill him. You mustn't cross over to his side!), feeble plotting and a stupid ending. (After sitting through 4 issues of this, Dazzler and Hank don't even get together). Unzoom shot, until the earth is a mote in the star field : D : I think, Hank that we'd best find out where we're headed.. alone! There are reasons we both tried to escape together, but before we can understand them, we need to learn what we were running from. H : Yes. I guess you're right, Ali. Each of us must find the strength to stand alone on this planet. Gads! - F Well, capsule time again : X-Men 194 - "Juggernaut's Back in Town" Rather a nice issue really. The XM's first encounter with Nimrod and their second rather friendly recent encounter with Juggernaut. Some good personal glimpses at front and good Rogue action at the end. I'm a little worried about Rogue though. She seems to be getting too powerful for her own good; making the rest of the XM look unnecessary is not good for characters; they tend to have something drastic happen to them soon afterwards. I hope not though; I really like her. Storm's quest is finally starting to go somewhere. Nightcrawler : Do we have to? [fight Juggernaut] Wolverine : Nope. We never have to. B Daredevil 219 - "Badlands" I really expected more from Frank Miller's return to DD, instead we get a rather standard one man against a corrupt small town story (You've probably seen it on tv 20 times, most recently I think on "Hunter"). I suppose it's mildly innovative to keep DD out of uniform the whole time and not have him speak a word, but it didn't do much for me. He didn't even look a whole lot like Mat Murdock..Hmm now that would be innovative.. suppose we just had a whole issue of Daredevil with an unknown main character ? C Rom 67 - "Lifesong" I vacillate on this series, sometimes liking it very well, other times being indifferent. I'm at the later stage now - this issue had a great many comic cliches. The what has gone before dialogue among the characters was particularly bad this time and the cover misleadingly portrays the brief obligatory fight between two characters who misjudge each other. I really enjoyed the art on the first 4 pages though (the Earth scenes); the best I think I have seen of Rick Jones, and much better than the rest of the issue or recent issues. The main story was highly unlikely, to say the least, hopefully Mantlo just needs a few issues to loosen up and get the wraiths out of his system. C Conqueror of the Barren Earth 4 - "The Conqueror" This series didn't go as I had forseen, but at least Jinail wasn't really broken by Zhengla. The "things are not what they seem" ending put me off some too (though very little is really resolved). I think there was a lot more potential here than was realized, but I think it still deserves a B B The New Teen Titans 8 - "There Might be Giants" The titans meet the titans again, plus the origin of Lilith. Good art, fairly good story. It makes me a little nervous to see the NTT in this kind of mythological setting, but Wolfman seems to be pulling it off fairly well so far. As with the early Dick and Kory in bed scene, it will be interesting to see if all of this issue makes it into the CCA book next year. B+ Finally, a comment on revisionist comic history (ie, Reed in WWII etc). It is quite simply necessary. Consider: you and I live at the rate of one day per day, traveling into the future together; comic characters live at a much slower rate (about one day per month on average) therefore they quite "naturally" age slower than we do. However, both Marvel and DC have decided that their main universes will be close analogs to ours. Reagan (or some shadow standing facsimile) is president, and David Letterman is on tv. To keep the comic universes close to ours, time must pass at a rate much faster than the characters live. This creates a paradox that can be resolved in only two ways* 1) have immortal characters or 2) revise origins. Since 1 is not practical (most characters powers being well defined and not including immortality), the writers are stuck with 2). Notice, this need only be done with characters in the mainstream universes though; characters whose universes don't interact with ours (say Conan for example) need not go through the process. Well, enough . Get out there and do something useful. Ted Nolan ..usceast!ted *) Other than ignoring it. "I stand at your gate and the song that I sing is of Moonlight I stand and I wait for the touch of your hand in the June night. The roses are sighing a Moonlight Serenade. The stars are aglow and tonight how their light sets me dreaming My love do you know that your eyes are like stars brightly beaming? I bring you and I sing you a Moonlight Serenade. Let us stray till break of day in Love's valley of dreams Just you and I, a summer sky, a heavenly breeze kissing the trees. So, don't let me wait come to me tenderly in the June night I stand at your gate and and I sing you a song in the Moonlight A love song, my darling, a Moonlight Serenade." Glenn Miller/Mitchell Parrish -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ted Nolan ...decvax!mcnc!ncsu!ncrcae!usceast!ted (UUCP) 6536 Brookside Circle ...akgua!usceast!ted Columbia, SC 29206 allegra!usceast!ted@seismo (ARPA, maybe) ("Deep space is my dwelling place, the stars my destination") -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
drforsey@watcgl.UUCP (Dave Forsey) (02/28/85)
<ahem> Dear Ted: I'm not sure what your age group is, but I too am something of a Miller aficionado. When it comes to the crunch, though, I'll take Duke Ellington over Glenn anyday. HOWEVER, my appreciation of the bizarreness of the concept, and my pleasure at seeing Glenn as a character in AZTEC ACE #9, did not blind me to the fact that the entire opening sequence was too long and too obscure to fit comfortably into the narrative range already established by issues #1-8. In other words, the "conversation amongst the legendary missing/dead" devolved into a jerkoff technical exercise. "Look how many esoteric references I can squeeze in! Look at the fascinating surrealistic tableau I can display at greater length than is necessary or tasteful! By God, I AM A *WRITER*!!" Reminds me of all the faults of Don McGregor. Next thing you know, Moench's captions will begin to take up half the page, while his characters moan about how sensitive they are. Good storytelling does not have infinite latitude for self-indulgence. Then again, that's only *my* opinion. I still thank God for AZTEC ACE anyway, regardless.... The Gray Mouser