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Post by Xenorama ™ on Dec 10, 2005 0:19:53 GMT -8
just bought my first DC collection- Gren Lantern. i've got the JLA on reserve as well (may pick up Metamorpho as well) and these are really cool. so here's a place we can discuss them!
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Post by celamowari on Dec 23, 2005 10:23:46 GMT -8
I already own far more of these than I have the chance to read. Kudos on the arrival of Metamorpho, a must-have for a Haney freak like me.
I don't have the Jonah Hex one and I doubt I'll get the House of Mystery one either, but I'm glad they are out there for people that want them.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Dec 23, 2005 16:15:07 GMT -8
does HOM have Hero for Hire, or just the scary stuff? i'm gonna try to go tomorrow for some more. i just read Hal meeting Tomar Re for the first time.
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Post by celamowari on Dec 26, 2005 22:30:05 GMT -8
I think you mean Dial "H" For Hero, as Hero For Hire was Luke Cage's title (and there is an Essential for that!).
Anyway, the HOM starts with Joe Orlando taking over as editor, so it will be the mystery anthology. Dial H will be a tough series to collect, as I doubt it has enough interest for an Archive but it doesn't have a high page count for a Showcase. They could conceivably use the 80s revival for it, but they have expressed a desire to stick to a Silver Age/early Bronze Age timeframe.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Jan 4, 2006 23:09:08 GMT -8
i did!
issue #6 "The Wheel of Misfortune" has new member Green Arrow helping a young lady looking for gold on her grandparents farm. the Flash and the Martian Manhunter are also on the case.
anyway, Green Arrow uses his "metali-finder arrows" which look strikingly like the ones Curly used!
i wonder if GA gets his arrows wholesale? man, he really did need a makeover- Arrow Car, Arrow-plane- man, he was such a Batman clone!
David
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Mar 11, 2006 20:22:39 GMT -8
on Chris' endorsement, i picked up the GA Showcase...
wow, this seems like it almost HAS to be a parody of Batman and superheroes in general. GA and Speedy use so many trick arrows- mostly of the ridiculous variety- that the writers must have been having fun with the whole genre.
it helps, of course, that they are presented as seriously as possible. you just gotta laugh!
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Post by celamowari on Mar 26, 2006 21:54:22 GMT -8
It's the third one I finished and it's a definite hoot!
I'm still working on Metamorpho and Green Lantern. Poor ol' Jimmy Olsen will just have to wait.
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Post by Preston on Apr 15, 2006 17:41:08 GMT -8
As far as David describing GREEN ARROW'S arsenal as preposterous, it's actually NO more ridiculous than the arrows used by Marvel Comics Hawkeye. For example, I remember Hawkeye once using his CAN-OPENER arrow. It was used to cut open a Door made of metal. Although that CAN-OPENER arrow had to be shot from his bow, it still worked as a can-opener as far as how it sliced, that is, making a Round slice.
Interesting that David comments that those Green Arrow stories are examples of the Ridiculous treated as Serious. Because that comment made me recall those DC-comics stories of the SCPA (SPACE CANINE PATROL AGENCY). That was about a group of DOGS, each of which had superpowers, e.g., Tornado-Terrier whose tail could spin at super-speed, thereby creating tornadic winds. Those stories were written with dead seriousness, if you can believe that! The first time I picked up on those stories, I had expected it to be a Spoof like the parody THE INFERIOR FIVE, so I had to scratch my head in reaction. So, yes, David, I know what you mean.
But in all fairness to GREEN ARROW, he STILL had many stories which were plausible, stories where the writer actually tried to establish a scientific basis. For example, in the story GREEN ARROW'S MYSTERY PUPIL, the Ace Archer demonstrates and explains his BALLOON ARROW. Around the arrow's shaft is wrapped a rubber, and under that rubber is an air-capsule. In flight, the capsule releases the air to inflate the rubber into a Balloon. The purpose of that Balloon Arrow is that if you are lost, then this BALLOON ARROW will attract Search-parties to you. I liked the way that artist Lee Elias drew the explanatory part in SEQUENTIAL-type panels to show not only the final inflated balloon but also initially when the rubber is still wrapped around the shaft. That EXPLANATORY-type art is what created the believability, well, at least for this particular story.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Apr 15, 2006 18:32:56 GMT -8
it sure helps because they are treated so seriously- it makes them a lot funnier to adult eyes now. arrows are so cool, so some attachments are neat, but can openers are just silly.
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Post by Preston on Apr 21, 2006 14:39:23 GMT -8
Showcase Presents Metamorpho: I just bought this book so have read only several of the stories so far. I'm glad that it included the issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE where the JLA invited METAMORPHO for their membership, a story which I always wanted to get.
METAMORPHO certainly has a sensational superpower, and this coupled with the fact it makes him a Freak...so much so,that Rex Mason is continually hoping to find a cure for his freakishness. For my money,I have to admit that I have MIXED emotions about Metamorpho. Because on the one hand, his FREAKISHNESS appeals to me in that it reminds me of my favorite comics THE DOOM PATROL, the basic idea that their superpowers make them Freaks. But on the other hand, writer Bob Haney did NOT seem to dwell on or keep Mason's freakishness consistent. In an early issue, we see an admiring lady inadvertently tear off the latex mask which hides Mason's disfigured-face, and of course screams in horror at his grotesqueness. But from then on, Metamorpho becomes a popular celebrity despite his freakish condition. Contrast that with THE DOOM PATROL whose heroic exploits never affected their OUTCAST status. The D-P are continually treated as Freaks.
What makes it even more ridiculous is Metamorpho's ORIGIN. His Girlfriend, Sapphire Stagg's initial reaction at his Disfigurement is of course horror. So the abrupt turnabout in her attitude shortly thereafter, is totally beyond me, in so readily accepting Rex as she does. What makes it even Harder to believe than the acceptance of the populace at large is that Sapphire is both beautiful and the daugher of a millionnaire,so She can choose any man she wants!! Therefore, totally beyond me how she would stay so infatuated with Rex. Mind you, in one scene, EVEN REX himself feels that Sapphire should separate from him!!
I hope Chris does Not get the impression that I'm disgusted at the series. On the contrary, I like Metamorpho...because, as I said, it reminds me of the Doom Patrol. My disappointment is that Metamorpho's characterization is Unconvincing, particularly in his relationship with his Girlfriend, Sapphire. Inasmuch as that relationship is a Big part of each story, it tends to wear on my nerves after a while.
My impression is that writer Bob Haney is much more talented at the science-fiction aspect instead of characterization. Because when I read the adventurous parts where Metamorpho uses his superpowers, that's when I really enjoy himself and get my money's worth...in fact, MORE than my money's worth. But in my review, I had to be honest as far as pointing out BOTH the positive and negative.
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Post by RedKing on May 26, 2006 22:34:27 GMT -8
I just picked up the JLA one this morning and so far have only had a chance to read the Starro the Conquerer story, but it's great! I definitely need to get some more of these. I also need to get to the comic shop to find if they have more, as I got the JLA one at Walden's in the mall before work, and they didn't have any other DC Showcases, but they did have alot of Marvel Essentials.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Jul 27, 2006 8:34:40 GMT -8
i read the entire Metamorpho book, and it ends on a cliffhanger! do we ever get to find out the rest of the story? it switches to the Metal Men team up and the Batman story, then we are done.
and whatever happened to Urania? i had never seen or heard of her before this series.
i also just bought the Teen Titans book, more on that later.
David
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Post by celamowari on Oct 1, 2006 19:50:04 GMT -8
Bit belated here, but...
The cliffhanger was never resolved. When we next saw Metamorpho and friends, it was in THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #101. Rex is said to have been in some sort of suspended animation for two years while they sought a cure for his condition. None of the various dangling plot threads were addressed in Haney's subsquent usage of the character (the ones I think "count") beyond a text page in FIRST ISSUE SPECIAL #3.
Urania Blackwell/Element Girl fell into complete obscurity until Gaiman revived her in an issue of SANDMAN where she goes off to her final reward.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Oct 23, 2006 23:05:41 GMT -8
i picked up The Challengers of the Unknown last week, and it's VERY enjoyable, the most fun i've had since... well, ever with these Showcase books.
i like GL and the JLA, but i've never read ANY of these stories. despite most of them being short, and that right now the Challs are pretty interchangable (except for June) at least these Kirby stories are great fun. plus, you get to see him inked by Wally Wood, and that makes them look even better. too bad Wally didn't get to draw any of these stories solo, that would have been fun.
Jack left the book in '59, before FF #1. you can see his wild ideas coming out here, though. i reckon the Challs were an influence for him later on.
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Post by RoadWarriorYajuta on Oct 24, 2006 11:44:38 GMT -8
I want to check these books out, as well as the essential books by Marvel. Heck, even in black and white you can't beat the price. I think the first Showcase book I want to get is the Teen Titans one. I used to have the comic with their first appearence. Then the first Essential book I want to get is the Defenders book. Oh well, when this junk with my back gets resolved I will pick them up.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Jan 2, 2007 23:50:49 GMT -8
i'm looking forward to the next JLA and GL ones, i really enjoyed the first two. i also want to pick up the Aquaman one. that will be fun.
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Post by RedKing on Feb 28, 2007 10:52:32 GMT -8
I hit the Showcase jackpot last week at Walden's in the mall! I picked up the second JLA, Batman vol1 and Brave and the Bold Batman team-ups vol1. I finished the Brave and the Bold and it was excellent! As a kid my favorite comics were Marvel's team-up books and I'm surprised I never knew that DC had one too. The cool thing about this book is that it covers 1965-1970 so the style of the stories shifts from the fun 60s style into the more serious and "new-look" feel of Neal Adams as he takes over the art chores for the last handful of stories. Both styles are great ad it's neat to see the transition. Some of the best stories feature Bats teaming up with his usual JLA partners, but there are also alot of off-beat pair-ups like the Metal Men, the Creeper andSgt Rock!
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Post by RedKing on May 18, 2007 13:25:51 GMT -8
I'm reading Batman vol1 now and it's alot of fun. It starts with the NewLook revamping of Bats in 1964. Not so much that they changed what he looks like but modernized everything-the BatCave, BatMobile and BatPlane. They also killed Alfred!!! Dick's Aunt Harriet takes his place, but she only appears rarely. Art chores are handled by Bob Kane and Carmen Infantino so far. Sheldon Moldoff will be taking over for Bob in the next couple issues(though Bob Kane's signature still appears on the title page!!). I am surprised by the fact that the famous rogues gallery of villians are conspicuous by their absense here! In the entire 500+ pages there are 2 Joker stories and one apiece for Riddler and Penguin! Most stories have Batman fighting underworld type criminals. I have to say I like Infantino's style a bit more than Bob Kane's. The Infantino batman looks almost exactly like what i remember my Mego Batman figure looking like when i was a kid.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on May 20, 2007 11:52:13 GMT -8
Aunt Harriet appeared then, despite the TV show's claims they invented her.
i got the Phantom Stranger book (thanks Chris) and it's pretty wild. i enjoyed the interplay between the Stranger and Dr. Thirteen, who i had never heard of before. about midstream they separate the characters into solo stories, not as much fun. some great artwork, though.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on May 29, 2007 22:27:07 GMT -8
got the first Legion of Superheroes book today- they sure made up stuff as they went along. when the Legion meets Supergirl for the first time, to explain the ten year difference (or so) between Superboy and Supergirl, they say this team (the original three of Lightning BOY, Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl) is the sons and daughter of the original trio, without knowing the time travel would be fine either way.
that angle was never mentioned after that. later on we meet Ultra Boy, who's only power at the time is his Penetra-vision, which is more powerful than Superboy's X-Ray or heat vision, since it can't melt lead (which makes no sense anyway- sure, he couldn't see through lead, but why wouldn't heat melt it?). later on he got more powers.
it also has Superman and Supergirl providing anti-gravity metal (ninth metal?) from an asteroid to the Legion so they don't need rocket packs to fly any more, though i've always read that Braniac 5 invented the flight rings.
still, i'm really enjoying the book, and hope they come out with vol. 2 sometime soon, which will have some of the Shooter stories in, i would assume.
this one has the romance story where Supergirl is trying to get Superman married, and he almost does to the Superwoman from the blue sun planet.
Comet the Superhorse doesn't even have a name yet!
sure do miss Streaky and Krypto though.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Sept 11, 2007 21:20:27 GMT -8
i've got Aquaman v. 1 and GL v. 2 ready to order, but i'm really excited to get Metal Men v. 1 (and quite glad i didn't shell out $40 for the hardcover!).
more as they show up!
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