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scans_dailyOkay, so... long story short, I, a lifelong DC fan, have spent the last several weeks trying to jump into Marvel. Partly for bragging rights, partly because I'm genuinely curious as to whether Marvel has told stories DC genuinely couldn't. I've tried several jumping-on points so far: the first couple issues of The Avengers, the issues of Daredevil leading up to the legendary Frank Miller run, and a couple of the earlier DC/Marvel crossover GNs. Each of them had their moments, but none were really things I'd willingly go back to.
Then a buddy suggested that maybe I should start where it all began: with Marvel's first family. Of course, he then immediately clarified that he meant a modern take on it - preferably by someone whose name begins with "H" and rhymes with "Rickman" - but by then I'd already went and gotten myself the first ten issues of the Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four. Having read through about six of them, I remain tentatively interested in seeing where the King and his faithfulself-promoter sidekick is going with all this.
Wait, this was supposed to be a short story, wasn't it? Shit. Basically, I'm looking for suggestions - any suggestions - as to which parts of the MU I should try out next. In the meantime, have this activity I shamelessly ripped off film critic and all-around hilarious Internet reviewer Tim Callahan, in which I determine which page in each of the first four FF issues best sums up what I love about the issue as a whole.
Fantastic Four #1, I'll admit that I was sorely tempted to choose the cover, the scene of the Four first converging, or even the origin of the Mole Man. But in the end, this brief recap of the Four's origins won out. Partly because of its importance in the mythos as a whole, partly because it's a terrifically economic piece of storytelling, and partly because I'm endlessly amused by how different the prototypical Sue Storm is.
I had a lot less trouble deciding the entry for Fantastic Four #2. Without exaggeration, this is my favorite page in the whole run so far. More than that, it's a moment where reading a comic fleetingly, but legitimately, made me feel like a kid again. Watching our heroes turn back a full-scale Skrull invasion with comic-book clippings is goofy without being stupid, commercial without being crass - especially impressive, since it's essentially a Hostess Fruit Pie ad turned into a plot point.
And that part in the very last panel? I won't lie - my heart went out to the Skrull captain. It's one of the deftest villain-humanizing moments I've ever seen in comics - one that tugs at the heartstrings and doesn't defang the Skrulls as villains and makes sense given the Skrulls' background (for now, anyways - some future writer has probably turned the Skrulls into another space dictatorship that cheerfully tosses its foot soldiers into the meatgrinder and expects their families to say thanks).
Fantastic Four #3 was perhaps even easier, and if I were to be really harsh, that's probably because it's the most lackluster issue in this bunch. Sure, it introduces the Fantasti-Car and the Baxter Building, but the villain of the piece is aggressively forgettable, with powers that amount to "hypnotism = magic".
(That said, I can't be the only one who wants to see the Four go up against a certain other Miracleman...)
But then, this villain isn't really the central shit-stirrer in the comic. No, that's all on our heroes.
Woo. In an age where the Distinguished Competition probably hadn't had a cliffhanger between issues since Two-Face's debut back in 1944, I can see how this would've knocked every reader's socks off. Y'know, before the writer on every modern team book ran it into the ground.
Fantastic Four #4 was probably the hardest for me to decide - Ben's heroic non-suicide mission into the leviathan's mouth was almost what made the cut (and I love how his "I'm not a hero" rationale is less some ~noble~ self-deprecation and more "I know I'm going to live, jackass"). But alas, I just can't resist me some Namor, and cringeworthy as it may seem, this is the first issue where Sue takes any real initiative beyond "scare the crap out of townsfolk with my powers".
And that's about it for the first four adventures of the fearsome foursome. Tune in next time (maybe) as I go over the debut of a little-known miscreant named Victor von Doom. In the meantime, hit me with your best recs!
Please?
Then a buddy suggested that maybe I should start where it all began: with Marvel's first family. Of course, he then immediately clarified that he meant a modern take on it - preferably by someone whose name begins with "H" and rhymes with "Rickman" - but by then I'd already went and gotten myself the first ten issues of the Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four. Having read through about six of them, I remain tentatively interested in seeing where the King and his faithful
Wait, this was supposed to be a short story, wasn't it? Shit. Basically, I'm looking for suggestions - any suggestions - as to which parts of the MU I should try out next. In the meantime, have this activity I shamelessly ripped off film critic and all-around hilarious Internet reviewer Tim Callahan, in which I determine which page in each of the first four FF issues best sums up what I love about the issue as a whole.
Fantastic Four #1, I'll admit that I was sorely tempted to choose the cover, the scene of the Four first converging, or even the origin of the Mole Man. But in the end, this brief recap of the Four's origins won out. Partly because of its importance in the mythos as a whole, partly because it's a terrifically economic piece of storytelling, and partly because I'm endlessly amused by how different the prototypical Sue Storm is.
I had a lot less trouble deciding the entry for Fantastic Four #2. Without exaggeration, this is my favorite page in the whole run so far. More than that, it's a moment where reading a comic fleetingly, but legitimately, made me feel like a kid again. Watching our heroes turn back a full-scale Skrull invasion with comic-book clippings is goofy without being stupid, commercial without being crass - especially impressive, since it's essentially a Hostess Fruit Pie ad turned into a plot point.
And that part in the very last panel? I won't lie - my heart went out to the Skrull captain. It's one of the deftest villain-humanizing moments I've ever seen in comics - one that tugs at the heartstrings and doesn't defang the Skrulls as villains and makes sense given the Skrulls' background (for now, anyways - some future writer has probably turned the Skrulls into another space dictatorship that cheerfully tosses its foot soldiers into the meatgrinder and expects their families to say thanks).
Fantastic Four #3 was perhaps even easier, and if I were to be really harsh, that's probably because it's the most lackluster issue in this bunch. Sure, it introduces the Fantasti-Car and the Baxter Building, but the villain of the piece is aggressively forgettable, with powers that amount to "hypnotism = magic".
(That said, I can't be the only one who wants to see the Four go up against a certain other Miracleman...)
But then, this villain isn't really the central shit-stirrer in the comic. No, that's all on our heroes.
Woo. In an age where the Distinguished Competition probably hadn't had a cliffhanger between issues since Two-Face's debut back in 1944, I can see how this would've knocked every reader's socks off. Y'know, before the writer on every modern team book ran it into the ground.
Fantastic Four #4 was probably the hardest for me to decide - Ben's heroic non-suicide mission into the leviathan's mouth was almost what made the cut (and I love how his "I'm not a hero" rationale is less some ~noble~ self-deprecation and more "I know I'm going to live, jackass"). But alas, I just can't resist me some Namor, and cringeworthy as it may seem, this is the first issue where Sue takes any real initiative beyond "scare the crap out of townsfolk with my powers".
And that's about it for the first four adventures of the fearsome foursome. Tune in next time (maybe) as I go over the debut of a little-known miscreant named Victor von Doom. In the meantime, hit me with your best recs!
Please?
no subject
Date: 2015-12-01 04:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-01 05:04 am (UTC)Also, clearly economics doesn't fall under his omnidiscplinary science genius, based on that comments about the jewels,
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Date: 2015-12-01 06:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-01 02:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-01 05:25 am (UTC)All of these except the first, are subject to debate:
Walter Simonson's run on Thor. (seriously get this if you get nothing else)
Chris Claremont's (first) run on Uncanny X-Men. Also the first 50 issues or so of New Mutants.
Mark Gruenwald's run on Captain America.
Peter David's run on Spectacular Spider Man. (while not able to post anything he's done, we can still use his name, right?)
Fraction and Brubaker's "The Immortal Iron Fist"
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Date: 2015-12-01 01:37 pm (UTC)Gruenwald's Quasar series - A fairly new hero gets involved in a lot of classic marvel coosmic stuff.
Marvel Two-In-One/Marvel Team-Up - Team up books starring the Thing and Spider-Man respectively. I found out about a LOT of Marvel characters from their guest appearanves here.
PAD's Incredible Hulk - Plays with the concept of the various personalities the Hulk has exhibited and why, and has some fun supporting cast members.
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Date: 2015-12-01 05:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-01 06:05 am (UTC)Wanna narrow it down a bit? ^^ Like, what other comics do you like?
For one you wouldn't see in DC... there's the Loki Saga in 'Journey Into Mystery,' 'Young Avengers,' (<-- both by Kieron Gillen) and 'Loki: Agent of Asgard.' A cackling, consistently evil villain, Loki god of trickery, decide he's become too predictable, and dies in a 'self sacrifice' so he can reincarnate and be something new.
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Date: 2015-12-01 06:34 am (UTC)Amazing Spider-Man #1-33 - Some say it's the best run for superhero comics period.
Journey Into Mystery/The Mighty Thor #112-157 - Lee and Kirby pull out all the stops. Some of the epic stories here end a little anti-climactically, but they're definitely worth reading.
Strange Tales #110-146 - Lee and Ditko on Dr. Strange. It gets a little repetitive early on as it seems to be Midnight, Mordo, rinse and repeat, but starts to heat up once Dormammu is introduced.
Outside of the Silver Age, Simonson's Thor, Claremont's X-Men, Steve Gerber's Howard the Duck, Miller's Daredevil, Englehart's Captain America and the Falcon (despite 'Snap' Wilson), all high-quality stuff. Lots of other good stuff too, but it tends to be more taste-specific (for instance, the Michelinie/Layton Invincible Iron Man is quite fun, but may not be everyone's cup of tea. Same for things like Tomb of Dracula).
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Date: 2015-12-01 07:30 am (UTC)Also? ASM #96, 97 and 98 - the famed "drug abuse trilogy". Early Marvel at its most socially relevant, peerlessly fluid and action-packed Gil Kane art (more than a little... "influenced"... by Romita). Truly enjoyable stuff.
Jim Stalin's Thanos Quest two-parter. Read in isolation, I consider it to be one of the best sci fi comic tales ever written with an amazing sting in the tale. Read as part of the greater Marvel U, a compelling look into the mind of one of its greatest antagonists.
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Date: 2015-12-01 07:42 am (UTC)Power Pack's (original) run was pretty unique, I'm hard pressed to think of a similar book to it in DC-land.
I had a fondness for Avengers: The initiative and for the Gravity mini-series awhile back.
Kurt Busiek's Avengers run is pretty good.
Wait, this is probably the best suggestion. Have you read Avengers/JLA? If you're a DC fan, that might be a great bridge.
Basically, I would look for the iconic runs. Armor Wars, Demon in a Bottle, Cap-Wolf, 'The Captain' run, hell, almost anything by Mark Waid (Captain America, Daredevil). Really depends on your tastes.
JLA/Avengers is a great book though, that really respects both sides.
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Date: 2015-12-01 09:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-01 11:26 am (UTC)Also Liu's run on X-23. Actually, first read the Kyle/Yost miniseries (X-23 & Target X)
The Lee/Ditko/Romita Spidey is an obvious pick. And of course the Conway/Romita followup is excellent. I'll also stand up for the beginning of JMS run on Spider-Man (ASM Vol 2 #30-ASM vol.1 #508).
I kind of get a kick out of some of the revisitations of early days - Untold Tales of Spider-Man is one, and the other is X-Men:First Class (and the sequel series, Uncanny X-Men: First Class and Wolverine: First Class)
And Marvels is a great companion if you get really hooked on Marvel.
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Date: 2015-12-01 11:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-01 05:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-01 07:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-01 09:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-01 09:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-01 03:14 pm (UTC)Doctor Strange - Start from the beginning, that's where you have the great Metaphysical stuff.
Master of Kung-Fu - Imagine Bruce Lee as a MI5 agent. Paul Gulacy's art is so noir. The cameos are fun.
Power Man - Pure camp. Luke Cage is over the top. The writing is so ridiculous and silly (sweet christmas!) it's great. Powerman/Ironfist too.
Spiderman - The Sin-Eater/Death of Jean DeWolf saga.
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Date: 2015-12-01 06:41 pm (UTC)And later stuff, but as a starting point...
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Date: 2015-12-02 02:37 am (UTC)To this day, although Superman is my favorite comic book character, my favorite comic book is FANTASTIC FOUR--the entire Lee/Kirby run.
Now the Fantastic Four is gone, sacrificed to a petty feud between two studios. But they'll be back.