moriarty@uw-june.UUCP (04/23/84)
Hmm... discuss Elfquest? I think it's a good idea, but I don't have the complete series with me... I'd like to go through all the issues so far before hazarding opinions. All I can say is that things have been happening too fast lately (I wish they'd had a breather a few issues back), and I think that Two-edge is the best character they've had since Cutter's and Leehta's kids came along. Well, on with this week's gibberish: DOCTOR STRANGE: Tired of continued sagas, humorless melodrama and uninteresting characters? One of the best one-shots in many moons appeared in the latest DR. STRANGE, and I urge you to get it. Low-key humor, interesting plot, and great art (there is a large Paul Smith panel that should have been captioned "This looks like a job for... Dr. Strange!"... beautifully done). Also, Smith adds a lot to the use of the Cloak of Levitation, which is nice. But this is a good, single issue story; Stern and Smith really have a good grasp on Doc; they know they can make him interesting without having to send him packing off to the Dark Dimension every 2 months. It's much more interesting to have him deal with occult forces on Earth. E-MAN: Brief note: Joe Stanton seems to have found a good compromise between the standard super-hero saga and the manic satire of Martin Pasko (E-Man's previous scripter). Try it out (this one is the best Stanton's done so far, and the last two pages are hilarious... I'm thinking of running a "Mike Mauser for D.A. campaign" in Seattle (as long as I can take graft, too)). POWER PA(C?)K (First Issue): Unlike others, I can't say I really liked this comic (though I'll probably buy another issue or two). While the children may be realistically portrayed, I just didn't find their dialogue, actions or characters entertaining. However, as it has been implied in the trade press, this is Marvel's comic for younger children (younger than me, I guess), so it should be a bit different than other comics. However, those who find ZOT! entertaining may find yourself in for a bit of a disappointment here. The nasty aliens tend to be a Badoon clones, and while I liked the alien who befriends the children, and his spaceship, it just did not make the whole issue. The art was not that impressive, either, though it was an interesting departure from the norm. One side issue: I noted that the Comics Journal had its cover devoted to "Should Children read these comics?" (with pictures of X-Men, Camelot 300, etc.). Since I try to avoid the Journal (I read Gary Groth, get incensed, and then ruin my appetite for a weekend), would someone with a better digestive tract (or less flammable temper) than I like to paraphrase the article's opinions and respond to them? I think this would make a very relevant (and interesting) topic on net.comics (and perhaps net.kids). SUN DEVILS (First Issue): Another surprise; I enjoyed this comic! There are several things to critique (any Gerry Conway creation has that), and I'll begin with the bad news. I found the resemblances of the story setting to WWII silly but predictable (Roy Thomas was involved with the inception, and he has apparently been living 45 years behind the rest of us for several seasons); the likeness between the beetle-race and the stereotyped Japanese figures of WWII propaganda might even be offensive. Also, the art reminds one of bad Ditko at the strangest time; the hero's posture when expressing grief over his family's death looks more like aerobics than mourning. However, Conway has something I've noticed before in his stuff that is really amplified here: a very smooth balance and symbiosis between words and pictures, art and dialogue -- i.e. he knows how to tell a story GRAPHICALLY. Thomas spews dialogue all over the page, and the art goes wherever there's room, and he is simply the most blatant of many others writers. But Conway, here, shows he knows how to convey a message, feeling or atmosphere in a minimum of words. The plot of SUN DEVILS' is not new, it's just plain old garden-variety space opera; but Conway knows that if you do a plotline well, add good characters and dialogue, that you can make an old story new (look at Star Wars). I found this comic moved very smoothly, went by quickly, and was almost thoroughly enjoyable; I tend to think most of this is to Gerry Conway's credit. Also, as this is a limited 12 part series, I think the rest of the issues will also be of the same quality. A better artist might not hurt, though. It's tough to believe that this man scripts the JLA when you read this. ALIEN LEGION #2: Short note: another smoothly done, entertaining space opera with much better art. The characters are shaping up, though the back-up story was pretty slow. COYOTE: I give up, what IS going on? PS Jerry, I did get Camelot 300 #11, wonderful art, wonderful dialogue, wonderful cliffhanger.... (can this man hold out for another 4 months? NO!). "DANGER is my BUSINESS"| Currently residing in | UUCP: MORIARTY | {ihnp4|decvax|tektronix}!uw-beaver!uw-june!moriarty | ARPANET: AKA -jwm- | moriarty@washington