KC COLUMN: PREVIEWS REVIEW FOR FEB ‘20
Wolverine #1
There are lots of new comics available for pre-order at Westfield Comics.com. KC Carlson points out some of his favorites including Wolverine #1, Amethyst #1, and Archie Meets the B-52s.
Beauology 101: Comic Books: The Four Color World Turns Gray
Amazing Spider-Man #129
Beau Smith talks about Wolverine, The Punisher, and the future of comics.
KC Column: Never-Ending Story, Part 3
by KC Carlson
PREVIOUSLY ON NEVER-ENDING STORY (part 1) (part 2): After intense creative experimentation in the early 1970s, superhero comic books largely stuck to the basics by the end of the decade. There were more creative surprises ahead, but for now, comics’ biggest conflicts were behind the scenes, as a failing distribution system, combined with a poor physical product, would force comics to come up with creative solutions to stay alive. Meanwhile, many comic creators were restless, especially the new, younger talent who had been entering the field over the last decade or so. They also wanted better physical presentation for their work, including ever-expanding formats to experiment with — as well as better working conditions and more return for their creativity. Plus, the effects of growing intelligent critique and criticism from a more vocal fanbase would help push creators into even bigger flights of fancy. All of these factors seemed to indicate that interesting times were around the corner as the 1980s began.
Beauology 101: How I See ‘Em
by Beau Smith
Let’s talk about Marvel and DC characters a little. Depending on your age and when you started reading comics, you no doubt have that time period wired into your brain and it makes a difference as to how you see the characters. Example: If you started reading Batman in the early 1960’s, then a part of you will always think of him with the Batcave, the giant penny, fighting bad guys like Gorilla Boss, and never having a story go more than one issue. A far cry from the Batman of the 1980’s when the “grim and gritty” trend began for him.
Neither is right or wrong, it’s just a matter of when you came to the party.
Beauology 101: “Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children.” ~George Bernard Shaw
by Beau Smith
This week I’m going deep into an area that I usually don’t delve into. One that makes me a little nutty when I read or hear others talking about it in heated discussions. This topic falls into the “Who is stronger, The Hulk or Superman” area. What some folks call “Fanboy Talk”.
It’s not a bad thing as long as you remember that these are fictional characters and not real folk, although some of us have been reading about these characters so long that they feel like “real” people.
KC Column – Creation Comforts 2
by KC Carlson
[This is a continuation of the exploration of character creation in comic books. Part one appears here. If you haven’t read that yet, you may want to. Then come back here for more.]
So far, most of my examples of character creation have been DC characters. There’s a reason for that. The folklore of the modern Marvel Universe suggests that most of the classic Silver Age Marvel characters were created by either Stan Lee and Jack Kirby or Stan with Steve Ditko. (Important, but occasionally forgotten exception: Captain America was created in the Golden Age by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby – not Kirby and Stan Lee.) Debate has literally raged for years as to which did more or who was more important, mostly along the lines of the writing vs. artwork conundrum. Chances are we’ll never know for sure, but things are about to get very interesting as the Kirby heirs are now taking certain claims to a court of law. Marvel’s new bosses may come in handy in the fight, because Disney’s lawyers define the concept of “high-powered” and have been warding off challengers to the Disney Way for decades. Woe to the Kirbys. But Jack was the epitome of the little guy standing up for himself against impossible odds, at least in the characters he drew. If he and Roz managed to bestow any of their moxie onto their kids, it could be one hell of a fight.