spert@dragon.DEC (05/06/84)
Now that Jerry has put himself "on the line" (which line is that? Warpath #1? :-), so will we. These are what we think are the best done book-length comics. The list is in alphabetical order. TOP TEN (BEST DONE) ------------------- AMERICAN FLAGG! BLACKHAWK CONAN THE KING ELRIC GROO JON SABLE, FREELANCE SWAMP THING TEEN TITANS THOR X-MEN American Flagg! is first for more than alphabetical reasons. The world, characters and plot-lines are all thought out in great detail; entertaining in every way. Blackhawk is a fine effort by Evanier and Spiegle. The characters live and breathe. Unfortunately, DC couldn't be bothered promoting it in any way. We'll be sorry to see it go. Since Alan Zelenetz took over Conan the King, it has been a real pleasure to read. This really is a barbarian in over his head. The background details on Conan's relationship with his children, his reaction to his son's "death", and the ease with which he can be manipulated through his emotions, all lend verisimilitude to the basic plot. The art has picked up nicely also. Elric shows the character as he was meant to be. The decadence of the Melniboneans is portrayed very well. The art is well-suited for this type of fantasy story. We're hoping that the loss of Russell for the next six issues won't be a comedown. Groo is far and away our favorite humor comic. Rather than relying on satirizing other people's efforts, Aragones and Evanier are crafting Groo's misadventures with imagination and wit. We're most impressed that the humor is more than "watch Groo screw up for the Nth time". Jon Sable's greatest strength is the excellant supporting cast. It's becoming clear that Sable and friends are going to go through an emotional wringer because of his occupation and blood-filled past. It should be quite a ride. As Jerry said, Alan Moore may well be the finest writer today. Swamp Thing is moody, literate, and not to be missed. Teen Titans is about real people, some of whom have extraordinary abilities. It would still be one of the best comics around even if they didn't. The thing that appeals to us the most about Thor is that his background seems truly Norse. Also, in thought and action, he acts like a Thunder God. In the past, people in the comic would think "wow, he's impressive". It's much better to have him look impressive to the reader. We agree that Claremont hasn't exactly been at his peak for a while, but issues like 182 and 183 show that he is still one of the best character writers around. As an acquaintance said, "Claremont is so much better than most writers, that when he writes a merely good story, he gets criticised out of proportion.". Some excellant short series are: THE STARLING (in Destroyer Duck), MARVELMAN (Warrior), V FOR VENDETTA (Warrior), RIO (Eclipse (sort- of) Monthly), and BLACK FLAME (Mars; soon to be Starslayer). We recently got three posters of Marvel characters: X-Men (by Butch Guice), Doctor Strange (by Kevin Nowlan), and Alpha Flight (by John Byrne). The X-Men is disappointing; Guice has done better (such as in Marvel Fanfare); also the coloring is poor. The Doctor Strange poster is very good; quite the wild, magical look; striking coloring job. The Alpha Flight poster is so-so Byrne; nothing special. John & Donna Spert UUCP: ...decvax!decwrl!rhea!dragon!spert ARPA: spert%dragon.DEC@Purdue-Merlin.ARPA