boyajian@akov68.DEC (05/03/84)
Correction to last posting: my reference to Storm in MAGIK #4 should have been to MAGIK #3. I've noticed that I have been making references to my "top five" or "top ten". Well, to put myself on the line, I'm going to list my top ten. Note that these are what I consider the top ten comics being produced; they are not necessarily my ten favorites (confused? let's just say that there are some comics that are favorites, like X-MEN, that I don't think are particularly well done these days. Also note that these aren't in any particular order, though I do separate 1-5 from 6-10. You may notice that there are seven comics in my top five --- that's because I can't bear to drop any of them out of the top five. Since two are re- prints, and one is currently in limbo, I don't really feel too badly about it. Top Five Next Five AMERICAN FLAGG! SWAMP THING THOR THE TEEN TITANS (both books count as one) CEREBUS JON SABLE, FREELANCE JOURNEY MS. TREE NEXUS GRIMJACK (largely based on the back feature THE SPIRIT stories) STEVE CANYON I hate to leave out POWER PACK or ZOT!, but since they've only been out 1 or 2 issues, I'll pass them by for now. But consider them (as well as DR. STRANGE) strong contenders. GRIMJACK dropped SOMERSET HOLMES off the list. Oh, I suppose I should also list a Top Five less-than-book-length features: "Marvelman" (WARRIOR), "V for Vendetta" (WARRIOR), "The Rocketeer" (PACIFIC PRE- SENTS), "The Masked Man" (ECLIPSE MONTHLY), and "Mechanics" (LOVE AND ROCKETS). ****************************** Comments on Moriarty's comments on THE X-MEN #184: (1) I don't recall that in NEWTIES #18, they said that Charley was off with the X-Men, but that he was merely "in Massachusetts" for the weekend. I wondered if perhaps he went to the Mass Academy to talk to Emma Frost about getting Douglas Ramsey back (you mean you didn't notice that in their attempt to escape, Kitty and company left him behind?). (2) Kitty and Logan weren't in this issue because they are busy with another ad- venture. The KITTY & WOLVERINE mini-series was supposed to have debuted by now, but it was pushed back to a July debut (and expanded from four issues to six). Besides, if you remember from last ish, Kitty went home to visit her father and mother and try to think through whether she can handle being around Peter any more, so she won't be around for a while. I thought that maybe Logan wasn't around this ish because of a guest appearance in ALPHA FLIGHT, but that turns out not to be the case (WARNING! Do not be deceived by the cover to AF #13, he doesn't really appear! (I don't think this is really a spoiler.)) Claremont does seem to have this nasty habit of leaving things up in the air for an unreasonable length of time. It's been a year and a half since we found out about Xavier having a child by Gabrielle Haller, yet nothing more has been done with that. It's been a year since Shan supposedly died (I don't believe it for a minute), but what he's got intended in that direction remains to be seen. And just how *does* Mystique know about Nightcrawler's background and his connection to Margali Szardos? (This one's been around for 3-1/2 years). I was a bit upset that there was nothing about what Peter thought about Kitty's leaving, or what Logan said to him after the bar-fight. I'm surprised that no one's mentioned Forge yet. I found him to be the most fas- cinating part of #184. He's got a lot of charisma about him, as well as an aura of mystery. Will he end up as a good guy, a bad guy, both, or neither? According to MARVEL AGE "Coming Attractions", he and Storm will be battling Dire Wraiths in Dallas in #187. Also, at the comics shop I frequent was a xerox of a future cover (presumably for #185 or #186) showing Forge, with Storm kneeling in a very serene pose near him (Forge doesn't seem to be "lording" over Storm, so I don't think it's indicative of her becoming controlled by him). I begin to suspect that he plays a big part in whatever happens to Storm in #186 (a double-sized issue focusing on Storm's recent personality change). This is the issue that is going to be by Barry Windsor-Smith (he supposedly asked to do it, because he's been intrigued by the Storm of late). Comments to Moriarty: I like THE COMIC READER, too. Though I don't always agree with what Tiefenbacher has to say, he's worth listening to. Another fanzine you ought to try, though, is AMAZING HEROES. It's mostly filled with informative essays and articles rath- er than the "literary critique" that Groth seems to like. Groth raises my blood pressure too, but I've found that for the while that I wasn't buying THE COMICS JOURNAL, I missed the fireworks, so I'm back to reading it again. THE COMIC BUYER'S GUIDE is interesting, though not outstanding. I don't buy it, myself, but a friend passes her copies on to me. From what I understand, DC is going to release a portfolio of the pin-ups from SUPERMAN #400 (Eisner and Caniff?? I can't wait!!) "The Rocketeer" is due to be wrapped up in PACIFIC PRESENTS #5, a book-lengther. The length is supposedly one of the reasons why it's taken so long. Another is that Stevens just isn't that fast an artist (I really don't mind waiting for artwork like his. I've just recently picked up both of his "Betty" posters. Hubba, I say, Hubba Hubba). A third reason, which is really only rumor, is that there was some trouble with Conde Nast over copyright on Doc You-know-who. There is talk of collecting all of the "Rocketeer" chapters and issuing them in one volume. There is also talk of Stevens doing a regular "Rocketeer" comic. --- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC Maynard) UUCP: (decvax!decwrl!rhea!akov68!boyajian) ARPA: (decwrl!rhea!akov68!boyajian@Shasta)
moriarty@uw-june.UUCP (05/04/84)
1) Can't argue with that list, not even the order! (well, maybe Jon Sable and Thor change places....) 2) What, the world's greatest hacker (next to Oliver Wendel Jones in BLOOM COUNTY) still at Emma Frost's school for nasty powerful kiddies? What's their Usenet address (or are they -- gasp -- on Arpa?)? 3) Good point about Kitty; and I really should have mentioned that I, too, thought Forge the highlight of the issue. I believe his indian ex-mentor is refering to the breakup of all life -- could this be an after-effect of Phoenix saving the universe (the first Byrne issue, remember?)... perhaps her healing is wearing off? Anyway, yes, great character, though the gun that changes all mutants and super-heroes to normal people is a bit hard to buy... I mean, does it change Kurt back to a normal person, or what? And *I* don't want to be the person who field-tests it on the Hulk... The Napoleon of Crime | Currently skulking around | UUCP: MORIARTY | {ihnp4,decvax,tektronix}!uw-beaver!uw-june!moriarty | ARPANET: AKA -jwm- | moriarty@washington
hutch@shark.UUCP (05/04/84)
<NNNNNNZAPP! yer normal-man!> The "energy neutralizer" feature of ROM's gun was unable to suppress the Hulk's Gamma energy. It seems REALLY unlikely that Forge's gun will do more than ROM's could, in light of what Forge says about it. Therefore, the "suppress all super powers" is either VERY temporary or Forge was lying, or Clairmont is jerking off again. Recall that even though Chris seems competent enough at doing extremely ornate and too-twisted plotting, and is semi-competent (it. . .HURTS!:-) as a writer, his scientific background seems to be thoroughly based in ozone. Marvel Comics has NEVER paid even the lip-service to real scientific knowledge that DC pays. They never let a little thing like credibility (or POSSIBILITY) get in the way of their plot twists. Gotta give 'em credit though. The soaps are looking more and more like a Marvel comic. Hutch <in a cynical vein>